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The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link News Round-Up Tue Jan 21, 2025 01:05 | Jonathan Barr
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Britain Warned it May Already be in Recession as ?Extended Agony? Hits Economy Mon Jan 20, 2025 19:30 | Will Jones
The UK may already be in recession as Rachel Reeves's record tax raid brings "extended agony" for the economy, an investment bank has warned.
The post Britain Warned it May Already be in Recession as “Extended Agony” Hits Economy appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Vaccine Safety Questions No One is Asking at the Covid Inquiry Mon Jan 20, 2025 17:30 | Nick Hunt
The Covid Inquiry is looking at the vaccines, but there are key questions no one is asking, says Nick Hunt. Such as: did Ministers know the approved vaccine was made differently to the trial vaccine and had no safety data?
The post The Vaccine Safety Questions No One is Asking at the Covid Inquiry appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Biden Preemptively Pardons Fauci Mon Jan 20, 2025 15:44 | Will Jones
President?Joe Biden?on Monday issued a preemptive pardon to Dr. Anthony Fauci, among other potential Trump targets, though claimed it should not be "misconstrued as an admission of guilt".
The post Biden Preemptively Pardons Fauci appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Starmer and Police Guilty of ?Gigantic Cover Up?, Says Farage, as Rudakubana Pleads Guilty Mon Jan 20, 2025 13:47 | Will Jones
Keir Starmer and the police were guilty of a "gigantic cover up" over the Southport murders, Nigel Farage has said, after Axel Rudakubana unexpectedly pleaded guilty today.
The post Starmer and Police Guilty of “Gigantic Cover Up”, Says Farage, as Rudakubana Pleads Guilty appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Shell to Sea Galway welcomes Fianna Fail economic seminar

category galway | miscellaneous | news report author Monday July 17, 2006 15:47author by Shell to Sea Report this post to the editors

Big welcome for the economic exploiters

Roughly 15 Shell to Sea activists braved the blistering sunshine (bless them...) from 8am til 2pm today to welcome the Fianna Fail 'economics and business' seminar to town.
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100s of flyers were given out, many positive chats were had, horned were beeped, Gardai were charmed and Fianna Fail Ministers, TDs and Councillors were left in no doubt as to the growing resistance to the government backed Corrib gas project.

At one stage, big Biffo (Cowen) was chanted down in front of RTE cameras as he attempted to get the glorious Salthill background into his photo shoot.

Interesting discussions were had with many parting FFers who stated that they had tried to 'raise he Corrib question' in the seminar but were greeted with dismissals by 'Chairman Cow' who said something along the lines of 'we need the gas'.

Of course we need the gas Brian, you fecking eijit. We need it to fuel our economy, to fund our health and social services and to benefit all the people. We don't however need to trample on the rights, health and safety of Irish citizens in the process or destroy a pristine natural environment. Nor do we need to give it away for next to nothing to Royal Dutch Shell or the Norwegian exchequer via Statoil.

The Shell to Sea rising continues...!!!!

Related Link: http://www.shelltosea.com

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author by Shane - S2Spublication date Thu Jul 20, 2006 14:18author address author phone Report this post to the editors

.... that according to Irish oil rig workers the oil and gas companies have consistently LIED about how much gas and oil is out there. They sent false samples to the state and capped wells until the more profitable legislation came into place. When the rig workers took this information to government ministers (including Fahy) in the 1980's and 1990's they chose to ignore it. The upshot? The whistleblowing rather than helping the country exposed how corrupt and complicit our ministers are and now all jobs on rigs go to workers from other countries as the Irish workers' sense of civic responsibility could have gotten in the way of the oil companies' profits.

author by Cormac Eilepublication date Wed Jul 19, 2006 15:47author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Hedgehog - your arguments are cogent and sound.

It is a ridiculously incompetent deal that has been agreed to by our government/civil service. In this agreement, we pay for all the exploration by that company, that they'd have otherwise had to pay themselves, we are then totally exposed to the market in terms of pricing. We take all the risk, they take the lions share of the profit. Dumb, dumb, dadumb, dumb, Dumb!

At the moment it is a sellers market, and in this case, we are the sellers. Should the buyer not like our price, we shouldn't panic into selling. The problem is that it looks like we're locked into this stupid contract. Close scrutiny should be paid to the get out clauses in the contract, especially in relation to environmental and planning breaches, and if it is possible, the contract should be declared void for breach, so that the negotiations can be held again.

While we might find that the exploration companies may be a bit shy in negotiating for this gas again, ultimately one of them will, because:

1. Such resources are still essential to modern civilisation, and they are getting more and more rare
2. The biggest sources of European gas are under the control of Putin, and he will not hesitate to shut it off or reduce it to his own benefit - as we've seen. (What can one expect from a KGB commufascist). European security demands that we establish our own supplies, and we all know how intertwined the exploration companies are with the UK and US governments, so they will eventually buy into our gas fields.

RENEGOTIATE THIS USELESS CONTRACT NOW!

author by hedgehogpublication date Tue Jul 18, 2006 17:12author address author phone Report this post to the editors

One of which is that the irish taxpayer paid for the initial surveys of the area that indicated the presence of the gas. Tony O reilly, (according to himself!) then used his influence (and fear of his newspaper) to secure the best licence based on his own geologists reading of this data. he then sold off most of his share of the licence for a huge profit, all for doing nothing, knowing the right people and owning an influential newspaper.

According to the licence, we have a paltry tax rate on this gas of 25% but this is after all exploration/development fees for the last 25 years are subtracted. These will be easy to inflate and it may be years if ever we actually get any tax off the gas. The gas may come ashore in ireland but there is no obligation except logistics to sell it to ireland. When the international market hots up, who knows, it may be sold elsewhere. We have to pay full market value for the gas. there is no special price. In other words, we were royally shafted by the energy companies but it could not have happened without the assistance of frank fahey, bertie ahern and that fine upstanding non tax paying citizen, mr Tony o'reilly. (piss be upon him).

John are you saying that this is all fine? In that case, I think you must be either one of the aforementioned scumbags, a shareholder in one of the energy companies, paid to write stuff, or a complete idiot.

you should read the following indymedia article

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/75446

author by Johnpublication date Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:33author address author phone Report this post to the editors

As the Kinsale field and North Sea/Irish Sea gas fields owned by the UK run down, our gas supply is increasingly coming from eastern Europe and Siberia. We're at the end of a 4,000 mile pipeline. If that supply is disrupted either because of Al-Quaida terrorist activity or because the Russian Government starts acting bolshie (excuse pun), then you will soon see the advantage to Ireland in having its own gas supply from off its own coast. The fact that the only organisations with the technical expertise to exploit the gas reserves lying off our coast and provide us with security of supply are multi-national companies is irrelevant. Nothing is more certain than at some point in the next few years there will be interruptions to our gas supply from eastern Europe and Siberia for the reasons given above and Ireland will simply have to go without gas in mid-winter for days or even weeks. When that happens the whole anti-Shell campaign will collapse and politicians of all hues will be on their knees begging Shell to develop the Corrib field as quickly as possible.

author by FOTpublication date Tue Jul 18, 2006 11:09author address author phone Report this post to the editors

John, if the Corrib field was not being exploited, what difference would it make to the people of Ireland?

We're not getting anything out of it anyway, and as far as I know it's not doing any harm just sitting there.

It's like we have a big gold statue buried in our garden, and no-one will help us dig it up unless we give it to them. They're not even prepared to share the profits, they want it all.

Maybe we should leave it there and wait until someone comes along who will give us a share?

author by Johnpublication date Tue Jul 18, 2006 09:59author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The reason that the exploration terms in Irish waters are among the most generous in the world is because Irish waters are among the most barren in the world when it comes to yielding oil and gas discoveries. Over 30 years of exploration, at a cost of billions, has produced no commercial oil fields and only two small gas fields. To suggest that Ireland should have the same exploration terms as other countries whose seas have yielded hundreds of commercial oil fields is ludicrous. When less generation exploration terms (introduced by socialist Justin Keating) were in operation between 1975 and 1990 (or so), not a single commercial discovery of any kind was made in Irish waters and by the end of that period exploration in Irish waters had ground to a complete halt. That's why the exploration terms introduced by Keating were relaxed and more generous exploration terms brought back. This led to a renewed burst of exploration in Irish waters and eventually to the discovery of the Corrib gas field. Had the terms not been relaxed the Corrib field wouldn't have been discovered in the first place. Even with the currently more generous exploration terms, the relative barrenness of Irish waters makes them an unattractive proposition for oil and gas exploration. If the exploration terms for the relatively barren Irish waters were amended to be on a par with, say, the North Sea, no oil/gas exploration company in its right mind would choose to explore in Irish waters, given that in the past 30 years Irish waters have yielded no oil discoveries while the North Sea has yielded hundreds.

author by Spublication date Mon Jul 17, 2006 22:36author address author phone Report this post to the editors

John, corporations can get paid without getting paid on the most generous terms in the world. As energy demand increases internationally, oil and gas companies are looking further and further afield in their exploration. This makes the West coast and many previously 'hard to explore' locations finally attractive. The companies have the technology and knowledge to make great gains. They're not bloody Barnardos children's charity - they're multi-billion Euro operations who know exactly what they're doing. 'A complete hault' in all exploration is increasingly very unlikely.

I'm not sure what your reference to 'same old faces' at the demo was about. It was my first demonstation in Galway and I took off 6 hours work to attend it. I'm now working throughout the evening to catch up (in between replying to upset people like you...).

I took 6 hours off work to participate because I care for the rights, resources, environment and culture in which we live. I am not prepared for profits to come at any cost. I believe there are much more sound, safe and viable policies that would benefit our country in many better ways. I'm not alone on this and speaking to dozens of passer bys today confirmed this. I'm not prepared to live in a quasi corporate state that offers short-sighted exploitative policies as a form of government and leadership. I demand better and will continue to join with the growing Shell to Sea movement to reach that aim.

Indeed, see you at the Galway races where Mark Thatcher (Maggie's arms trading son) was once embraced by Fahey and co. under the guise of Enterprise Energy Ireland (later to become Shell Enterprise Energy Ireland).

Now, I do have work to go to (thanks for asking!!) so cheerio.

Related Link: http://www.shelltosea.com
author by Siobhan - TaraWatchpublication date Mon Jul 17, 2006 21:59author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Hi Lads,

I suppose Fahy is away with Bertie and his other cronies, planning their next assault and robbery of the Irish People. Or busilly wording the next bit of Legislation that will strip us further of our Human Rights.

Spare a thought for the campaigners at Tara who are trying to prevent the NRA from bulldosing through our Ancestors Sacred Burial grounds, and one of the most ancient Heritage sites in the World. In order to build a tolled Motorway and rob the people further.

Way to go! Glad to see you keeping up the good work!

The fight will continue..

author by Johnpublication date Mon Jul 17, 2006 21:48author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Who discovered the Corrib gas field? You seem to be under the impression that it was the Mayo Small Farmers and Workers Cooperative who discovered it and then the big bad capitalists came and took it off them. Well actually, it wasn't. It was Shell who discovered it. That's right, S H E L L. They discovered it after spending billions on exploration in Irish waters over the past 30 years without any return. What you want is for oil companies to spend billions year-in year-out exploring largely barren Irish waters without any contribution from the State. And then, when they finally make a small discovery, you want them to F*CK OFF and hand the field they've discovered over to that same State without compensation. Even a two-year-old child could tell you that, if Ireland went down that route, all further exploration in Irish waters would come to a complete halt. But, nice to see the same faces out picketing every FF gathering. No doubt you'll be out in force picketing the FF tent at Galway races in a week or two. Don't you have any work to go to?

author by Rpublication date Mon Jul 17, 2006 16:59author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The crook was there indeed.

Last seen bolting away in flash black car (Standard issue of the dark princes..) with Cowen in the front.

Also in attendance was Micheal Martin and various other raggle taggle ShellOuts.

THE NEXT SEMINAR IS TO TAKE PLACE IN CORK. Not sure of details or what the topic is.

The seminars are seen as a new way of senior FFers of re-engaging and involving the grassroots but from what we heard today (From FFers who were inside) they're already failing.

author by cool jpublication date Mon Jul 17, 2006 16:05author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Great stuff!! - Especially in the heart of Frank Fahy country(Not for long one hopes!!!) - Any sightings of the crook himself??

author by Rpublication date Mon Jul 17, 2006 15:57author address author phone Report this post to the editors

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author by Rpublication date Mon Jul 17, 2006 15:51author address author phone Report this post to the editors

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Related Link: http://www.shelltosea.com
author by Rpublication date Mon Jul 17, 2006 15:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

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