I don't see how this can be stopped and just shows up what a stupid idea it was in the first place to put Aer Lingus up for sale. The government/Aer Lingus really can't decide one minute to sell off the airline, but then turn around and say "oh hang on a minute, we didn't mean sell it to you".
It's ironic that Ryanair, who have continually championed the cause of competition as a way of getting a better deal for consumers, are now seeking to establish themselves as a monopoly. It's not that surprising I suppose as any business will ultimately try to establish dominance in the market and stamp out the competition (Ryanair have already done this to some extent by thwarting other airlines attempts to set up here). If this goes through it will be bye-bye to all those nice low fares offers. Maybe the competition authority would stop it ... I dunno ....
And on the subject of safety/conditions etc. I know someone who used to be a pilot for Ryanair. I've talked to him about it. I now don't want to fly Ryanair again unless absolutely necessary. They also treat the majority of their staff like shit.