Shell To Sea Call For National Day Of Action: Friday 22nd July: Dublin Demo On Sat 23rd

by Trim Tripper Wed Jul 20, 2005 16:33

Why not have a rally in Noel Dempsey's home town?

by shell to sea Wed Jul 20, 2005 16:42

;-)

by eeekkkkk Wed Jul 20, 2005 17:35

some interesting insidery info on political shapes being thrown by the catch up Brigade on this manybloodsuckinginsects.ie thread

by Socialist Wed Jul 20, 2005 17:44

Never misses a chance to SP bash.

by Shinnerwatch Wed Jul 20, 2005 18:15

Justin out of Sinn Fein is cain1798? Hmmm, interesting to flick back through some of his posts I'd think.

And what about the Socialist Party's role in the campaign? Why aren't they tieing in to the Shell to Sea meetings in Dublin or picketing stations?

by Shell To Sea - Shell To Sea Wed Jul 20, 2005 21:54

Assemble 2pm Parnell Square Saturday 23 july
The campaign in Mayo have called for a mass demonstration on the streets of Dublin this Saturday 23rd July assembling 2pm Parnell Square.
The scandal surrounding the jailing of the Rossport 5 is of enormous significance. The Irish political establishment and the State have bolstered the interests of a giant corporation against the interests of its own people.
Five Mayo activists will be facing their fourth week in prison with an indefinite stay behind bars and there is no relenting from the Irish Government or the Courts. A rural community threatened by the greed of a multi-national that has a reputation for reeking havoc on the lives and the environment of the people of Africa and elsewhere is fighting back. And identifying their struggle with that of the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta.
With thousands marching each week in the major towns of the west of Ireland, this issue is hugely popular. But not just in the west. All over Ireland there are spontaneous boycotts of Shell garages. Driving through Mitchelstown recently we had to join a long queue for petrol at the Texaco garage with the Shell garage just yards away and completely empty.
Campaigners believe that the Irish government have made far too many concessions to the oil and gas companies and believe that the links between the Petroleum Affairs Division of the Department of Marine and Natural Resources and private business interests should come under greater public scrutiny.

Shell to Sea campaign Contact Maura Harrington 087 9591474

by round and round Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:39

OK so there's a march - woo hoo. How about ending it at a petrol station and doing a blockade?

by dunk Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:44

blocade just done down here in cork, more tomorow hopefully

good idea to end on masse blocade, for those that want to do a little more after the stroll

by Michael Thu Jul 21, 2005 11:45

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0721/3461394130HM2MAYOPROTEST.html

Rally to be held in Dublin for jailed Shell protesters
Conor Lally

The families and supporters of the so-called "Rossport Five", the five north Mayo men in prison over their opposition to the Shell Corrib gas pipeline, are to hold a demonstration in Dublin city centre on Saturday.

Announcing details in Dublin yesterday, Maura Herrington, a spokeswoman for the Shell to Sea campaign, said if Shell was allowed to continue building its pipeline in Co Mayo, a dangerous precedent would have been set.

"The focus of the march will be going from the specific to the general. In other words, the injustice which is currently being suffered by those five men in Cloverhill is also being perpetrated on every man, woman and child in the country. For the first time in the history of the State, an attempt was made to take people's lands from them for the benefit of a consortium of private companies.

"This has never happened before and it's a very worrying development if it should succeed."

Mary Corduff, whose husband Willie is one of the men in prison, insisted they would only purge their contempt if Shell agreed to process gas offshore.

"Nothing short of that can happen, we can't take that responsibility on the people's lives down there because of the danger of this pipeline. The message should be loud and clear at this stage that the only way this pipeline can come in to our village is clean, that's refined at sea.

"In the interests of all Irish people, not only us living down in Rossport, it has to come in that way."

Orla McGrath, the daughter of Philip McGrath who is also in prison, was strongly critical of the Government. "They have told us they want us to go into dialogue with Shell. But why should we speak to Shell? It's the Government's responsibility to look after us, the citizens."

Mayo TD Jerry Cowley (Ind) urged Fine Gael to make a statement on its policy to the pipeline.

He said that while Labour leader Pat Rabbitte would be on the platform at Saturday's rally, there had been no such assurance from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny - also a Mayo TD.

The march begins at 2pm at the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square.

by Jack White branch - WSM Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:19

Based on text of WSM leaflet for pickets
In jail since June 29th because they won't obey a court order not to obstruct the building of a high pressure gas pipeline passing through their own lands. The state has lined up behind the gas consortium of Shell, Statoil and Marathon.
IT'S DANGEROUS
Shell intends to employ a new, and previously, untried technology at Corrib. This technology is experimental and contains dangers of explosion, which would incinerate those living nearby.

The local community is not opposed to developing the gas field, they just want it done safely and at an offshore terminal - as is done in other countries.

IT'S A RIP-OFF
No royalties will be paid to the Irish government and an extraordinarily low rate of tax was arranged, all of which the consortium will be able to write off.

The government is giving them our gas for practically nothing and then we will have to buy it back. The millionaires are good at looking after each other. We should do the same, today that means supporting the ordinary people of Rossport.

There used to be a tax rate of 50%, an automatic 50% state stake in any commercial well, and royalties of 6 %- 7%. In 1987 Ray Burke got rid of the 50% state stake and removed royalties. In 1992 Bobby Molloy reduced the tax rate to 25%, and 100% tax write offs were introduced, meaning that the companies can subtract their costs from their tax bill.
In other places in Europe the state takes 55% or even 79% of a field. Maybe Bertie thinks we don't need the cash for our hospitals?

Workers Solidarity Movement, P.O. Box 1528, Dublin 8 087-7939931 - [email protected] - www.struggle.ws/wsm
First published online on indymedia.ie

by redjade Thu Jul 21, 2005 14:15

Council tells Shell to go offshore - or does it?
By Orla Hearns and Christy Loftus
Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Confusion reigned in the chamber of Mayo County Council last night as the latest instalment in the Corrib Gas fiasco was played out. The meeting had originally adopted a motion calling on Shell to abandon its plans for an onshore gas terminal but attempts were made to rescind the decision later in the evening.
The Council had unanimously agreed to a motion proposed by Belmullet based Fianna Fail Cllr Tim Quinn and seconded by Cllr Michael McNamara (FF) of the Belmullet-Achill electoral area, calling on Shell to process the Corrib gas offshore.

However, later in the evening the matter was revisited and the Cathaoirleach of the Council, Cllr Henry Kenny, ruled that the members had only passed one motion – seeking talks with An Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, about the jailing of the Rossport Five.
But the proposer of the original proposer, Cllr Tim Quinn, was standing his ground late last night (Monday) when contacted by the Western People.

“I put a motion to the floor calling on Shell to process the gas offshore and it was seconded by Cllr Michael McNamara. There was no counter-proposal so we can only assume that the motion was passed unanimously. I cannot understand how Cllr Kenny can reverse the decision of the Council later in the evening. I don’t believe it’s legal and I think we will be having another day out on this one. It’s far from over and I certainly am not going to let the matter end there. “As far as I am concerned Mayo County Council has unanimously agreed that Shell should go offshore with its terminal.”

• read the rest at
http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/story.asp?j=26364

other Western People articles today:

• No sign of resolution to Rossport impasse
http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/story.asp?j=26363

• We're not in any hurry to leave jail cells, say defiant Rossport 5
http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/story.asp?j=26327

• Residents issue appeal to public
http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/story.asp?j=26362

by IRL Times Subscriber Thu Jul 21, 2005 15:42

Consent details for gas pipeline work released

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0721/3717715532HM2CORRIB.html

Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey has released details of consents given for work on the Shell Corrib gas onshore pipeline. Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent, reports.

However, Mayo TD Dr Jerry Cowley criticised the fact that the consents do not cover installation work carried out for Shell on parts of the pipeline. Sections of pipeline have been assembled and welded at Rossport, Co Mayo, as reported in The Irish Times this week.

Dr Cowley also queried the stipulation in one of the consents that a safety zone of at least 500 metres be established around a sub-sea installation. "Why is it that the onshore pipeline will be running at close as 70 metres to a private house," he said last night.

Shell E&P Ireland said last night that all works undertaken had been "authorised by the relevant consents granted to date" and the company "has not, nor does not intend to, carry out any work in advance of the required ministerial consent".

The Department of Marine and Natural Resources said that two of its officials inspected the work on the site on Tuesday and are to report back to the Minister.

Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte has called on the Minister to make a full statement to the courts on the true facts surrounding the pipeline construction, and said he is "seriously disturbed" about the manner in which court orders against the five Mayo residents in prison were obtained.

"Neither construction nor installation of the pipeline by Shell were permissible. Yet the company somehow managed to get a court order restraining others from interfering with what would in fact have been unlawful acts on its part. On those facts alone, it seems to us that the original order should be set aside if it was obtained in error or without the full facts being given to the High Court," Mr Rabbitte said yesterday after a meeting with the men in Cloverhill prison.

Mr Rabbitte was invited to meet Shell representatives in Dublin yesterday.

The consents published yesterday related to phases 1, 2, 3a and 6 of the offshore pipeline, dating from May 2002 to June 2005. Phase one relates to nearshore trench construction from the high water mark westwards for approximately 1,200 metres along the pipeline route. Phase 2, issued in June 2002, relates to operations at the landfall site for the onshore pipeline from the high water mark through the beach cliff and eastwards for some 200 metres along the pipeline route.

Phase 3a, issued in July 2002, defines approved preparatory works for the onshore pipeline and umbilical, namely: survey and set out; erection of right of way fencing; making trial holes; preparation of temporary access points and roads; construction of temporary compounds along the proposed onshore route, includ- ing estuary crossings. Point 4 of the phase 3a approval, dated July 9th, 2002, states that "no phase 3 works apart from preparatory works specified in this approval are to be carried out without further specific approval".

The fifth consent issued on March 31st of this year allows Shell to install temporarily sheet pipes along both sides of the pipeline trench for access and "future excavation". The sixth consent issued in June of this year relates to offshore manifold and wellhead protection structures.

The Shell to Sea campaign has planned a national day of action for tomorrow.

by Daily Ireland Thu Jul 21, 2005 20:53

Nun veteran of Ogoni fight against Shell battles on
from Daily Ireland http://www.dailyireland.com
By Conor McMorrow


Sister Majella McCarron speaks at the demonstration in Dublin in support of the Rossport Five organised by Shell to Sea. The march through the city centre took place on the day the case of contempt of court by five North Mayo men who are in prison as a result of opposing the laying of a gas pipeline across their lands, came up for mention. 6/7/2005.Photo: Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland.] A Fermanagh nun who campaigned against the Shell oil company in Nigeria has said the Rossport Five case is “a tremendous case of people power saying enough is enough”.

Sister Majella McCarron did missionary work in Nigeria from 1964 to 1994. She was instrumental in helping the Ogoni people’s struggle against Shell in the early 1990s.

She has been helping the people of Rossport, Co Mayo, in their campaign to halt work on a gas pipeline through their lands since 2001.

Sister McCarron told Daily Ireland: “There are a lot of similarities between the Rossport background and that of the Ogoni people. Natural resources like oil and gas tend to be located in remote places that are far from the eyes of the public and that is the case in the two areas.”

The nun from Donagh in Co Fermanagh added: “The Ogoni people were trying to save their delta region, while the people of Rossport are trying to save their natural bog landscape. Therefore the people of Rossport often popularly refer to themselves as the ‘Bogonis’.

“There is a great sense of empathy between these two indigenous communities.”

more at
http://tinyurl.com/b2amf

by Sinn Féin Thu Jul 21, 2005 21:14

Doherty calls on GAA fans to join Saturdays rally in support of Rossport 5
http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/10545
21 July, 2005

Sinn Féin MP Pat Doherty has called on Tyrone and Armagh GAA fans who are travelling to Dublin on Saturday to support the march and rally in support of the Rossport 5.

=== ===

Time for Irish government to stand up to oil companies
http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/10544
21 July, 2005

Sinn Féin is participating in a Day of Action tomorrow, Friday 22nd July, calling for Justice for the Rossport 5 and for the full renegotiation of the backroom deal between Ray Burke and the oil companies. Speaking in advance of the protests Deputy Ferris said:

“Last weekend thousands of people supported protests across the country in support of the Rossport 5. Tomorrow, we are asking people to come out once again and demand that the government intervene to bring an end to the scandalous detention in Cloverhill of the Rossport 5. We are also calling for a full renegotiation of the 1992 backroom deal between Ray Burke and the oil companies.

by erris person Fri Jul 22, 2005 01:20

Just was wondering , having read all the comments, if the gas is treated at sea will the protesters let the terminal go ahead? as from what i gather from information i've read somewhere or other theres, a lot of oil out in Broadhaven bay, if that being the case they will need an onshore terminal for the oil, or maybe i'm wrong; either way please correct me and clarify protesters stance on terminal. good luck to the Rossport 5!

by krossie Fri Jul 22, 2005 16:06

My understanding is that they would welcome an off - shore terminal with open arms. It would also create a hell of a lot more jobs. There is indeed a strong rumour that there is oil out there probably why Statoil are involved

Krossie