Mayo no events posted in last week
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Net Migration Hit Almost One Million Last Year as ONS Revises Figures Thu Nov 28, 2024 11:19 | Will Jones
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Time for Starmer to Be Honest About What Net Zero Means: Rationing, Blackouts and Travel Restriction... Thu Nov 28, 2024 09:00 | Chris Morrison
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Shell spin reaches a new low
 mayo |
arts and media |
opinion/analysis
 Thursday January 24, 2008 20:23 by Rudiger
Shell recently launched another cynical attempt to buy off opposition to their Corrib Gas project by offering grants to community groups that will be closest to Bellanaboy and their proposed raw gas pipeline.
 Investment in Lies In the last number of months, it has been noticeable that Shell has concentrated their PR blitz on the population of Erris with a raft of propaganda noting the benefits and safety standards of the Corrib Gas Project. Presumably this is an attempt to soften up the area for when Shell & Co try to install the raw gas pipeline, which still doesn’t have any consent from the majority of Kilcommon parish. Along with the usual monthly Corrib Gas Update leaflet, there has also been a DVD published in which two Erris residents (one of who is a member of the Pro Erris Gas Group - PEGG) visit gas plants and pipelines in Holland, a report from Goodbody Stockbrokers on the economic benefits of the Corrib Project as it stands, a leaflet on the enhanced safety that the proposed pipeline would have and one of the most infuriating documents that I have read in a long time, the “Investment in the community” leaflet.
Now all of these propaganda pieces could be very easily picked apart but the sheer audacity of Shell & Co releasing a leaflet entitled “Investment in the community” with a front page picture of a lovely field full of daisies and a clear blue sky is particularly galling. The leaflet is to advertise the new Local Grants Programme in which voluntary and community groups can apply for funding of up to €10,000 a year. If you were casually browsed through the 12 page leaflet without reading it, you might think it was a leaflet for a nice holiday in rural Ireland with pictures of the Rossport area, a lady doing yoga, a lad playing football and a few people running in beautiful country side. However it doesn’t take long for the cynicism behind the leaflet to reveal itself.
In the section entitled “What is our approach to Social Investment” the Corrib Gas Partners state that they recognise that with regard to social investment, local groups and organisations “are best able to identify the needs of their own communities”. This of course begs the question if communities can best identify the social investment needs of their own community why it can’t best identify the health, safety and environmental needs of their own community?
On the same page the Corrib Gas Partners claim that their overall vision is “to be a good neighbour in the areas in which we operate”. A quick call to any of the five men who spent 94 days in jail would surely clarify how far they still stand away from their stated vision. Also I’m sure many of the literally hundreds of people who have been beaten, pushed and shoved while peacefully opposing the Corrib Gas Project must surely wonder what exactly would constitute a bad neighbour. Indeed in faraway Port Arthur, Texas the Motiva Refinery in which Shell is also the majority shareholder has long been referred to as “the neighbour from Hell” [1]. In a health survey carried out by the University of Texas it was found that 70% of the Port Arthur community complained of health problems while only 9% of a control community in the town of Galveston, 75 miles away complained of similar problems.
While the Corrib Gas Partners claim that they are “not replacing the role of the Government” in local social and economic development objectives, it should be pointed out it seems that local community have actually replaced “the role of the Government” in actually monitoring a lot of the project. So far the local community have found Shell & co illegally laying part of the pipeline, illegally drilling on an environmentally sensitive area, illegally constructing a septic tank as well as alerting the authorities about diesel spills and increased aluminium in the drinking water supply.
The Key Criteria to be used in assessing the local groups’ eligibility for the grants are: Sustainability, closeness to Kilcommon parish and Inclusiveness. Ironically under the “Inclusive” heading it is stated that projects to receive the money “should demonstrate benefits to the community as a whole, and not just to a few individuals”. Well that sounds like a Shell to Sea press release! One of the aspects that Shell to Sea has been highlighting is that our national resources should benefit the communities and country “as a whole, and not just to a few individuals”. For these grants the Corrib Gas Partners however state that the support can’t be given to businesses, individuals or projects with a religious or political purpose. These restrictions must be a newly installed as the Corrib Gas Partners have been handing out money to both businesses and individuals and I’d be pretty sure with political purposes too. In 2006 Ciarán Ó Murchú who owns a local water-sports centre stated that the Corrib Gas Partners had offered him €15,000 and all that was required was his silence. I would like the Corrib Gas Partners to clarify whether the restriction to giving support to political purposes was active at the time when oil & gas executives met Ray Burke in the absence of his department officials. Subsequently of course Ray Burke changed the terms of oil and gas finds, abolishing all State participation in the finds and giving a 100% tax write-off against cost [2].
Presumably these grants and subsidies that are given to try to buy off the people of the area will be calculated as costs associated with the Corrib Gas Project. Therefore all this funding given by Shell & Co is actually coming from the Irish taxpayer, given that this is money that can be written off against tax. So not only is the country losing out with the giveaway of our national resources, we are also losing out because of Shells’ stubbornness in proceeding with project that doesn’t have the backing of local people.
[1] Shell Shock - The Secrets and Spin of an Oil Giant by Ian Cummins and John Beasant
[2] The Great Corrib Gas Controversy - CPI report - http://www.publicinquiry.ie/reports.php#ld196
Keep fit with Shell
Repeat the mantra - Everything is OK
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Comments (15 of 15)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15As usual shell trying to buy support, there is always 1 or 2 people that would sell their mothers for a few bob, it won't work just like their "grants" for college, only 2 from the Kilcommon recieved it because only 2 were looking it. AS USUAL SHELL CRAP!!!
Today's Sunday Times (p.11, News) under the heading 'Wildlife mauling has Shell in retreat' reports that $hell has withdrawn/been asked to withdraw its sponsorship of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at London's Natural History Museum. This follows campaigns by FoE, WWF, objections by members of the public to the museum and monthly demos by Rising Tide.
This puts $hell's puny attempts at buying community consent in Kilcommon into context - their paid and pampered trips for the gullible to refineries that bear no relation to Ballinaboy as proposed; the scholarships, of which the majority went to the offspring of $hell supporters and employees; wining, dining and massaging egos ... none of this works.
It should be apparent to al but the most compromised (Burke/Bert/vested interests/peripheral priests etc) that the only connsideration for $hell is their bottom line - anything else is disposable.
Kilcommon resident,
i presume you meant only 2 were looking fo it?
If so surely thats 100% promise fulfilled?
How is this crap?
Martin
I presume YOU meant only two were looking FOR it? Nice intellectual argument.
Shell offers an incentive, like the college grants, or this community funding. When it is rejected or ignored, Shell can throw up its hands and say at least it tried. Even better when it only benefits pro-Shellers or the indifferent. It costs less money, and it is seen to be benefiting SOME people. After taking on itself the role of funding body for local victim-communities (or indeed national victim-communities!), it further cosies up to the government by playing the slick professional good samaritan, and playing their opponents as ignorant Luddite peasants. Sorry, should I stop here, or can you grasp why this is a ridiculously cynical ploy on Shell's part yet?
Re the above, I don't quite understand the argument s2s are making. You allege that they are biased in favour of Shell supporters, but surely the grants are aimed at students studying courses suited to the gas/oil industry? Why the surprise at this? They are hardly going to grant aid marine biologists or environmentalists! Every industry sponsors courses in which they have an interest. If you are S2S, then you are hardly likely to apply in the first place! That is what is known as cutting off your nose to spite your face, and that is your God given right, but then you can't complain about who gets the grants. Even if a S2S supporter did apply, there are criteria to be fulfilled. Exam results do count. Also, you have to be studying a qualifying course, engineering being one of them. I cannot remember what other courses qualify. I do know that I would have applied, had my child chosen one of the approved courses.
"They are hardly going to grant aid marine biologists or environmentalists!"
You said it.
Yeah, it's too easy when our would-be detractors make the arguments for us. Here's another example:
When the Pro-Gas Gombeen Society or whatever they're called at the moment decried the recent fire, they used the words ""difficult
economic circumstances" to describe the situation in Erris. These are the same men that will tell you that things were never better in
Erris thanks to Shell. In other words, they can't sustain an argument and their brains are in their arses. But that's what we've grown to
expect from 16% Paddy, (better known as "Shell's Teeth") and Bubonic Brendan.
Wondering where's the 16% from? As for Cafferty, check this out, it's from the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources website. It's not dated, but seems to be from around about the time the Advantica whitewash was made;
A Chairde,
I wishh to make the following submissions in this matter.
I feel that the Minister should give the go-ahead for the pipeline as planned. Following report ordered by the Department and carried out by a very reputable firm, Advantica, I fel that this pipeline conforms to the highest standards and meets best international practice. The report recommended that pipeline pressure be reduced from 150 to 145 bar, and this, together with the other recommendations, if accepted by Shell and properly policed, will ensure there is no risk to anyone. It will be in fact no more dangerous than the ordinary city/urban gas pipeline. I also believe that this gas from Corrib field is a very clean gas.
This dispute has taken on a difficult and sometimes sinister line. A few locals from Rossport and Mr. Shine from Carrowteige have defied court orders and spent some time in jail. They may wish to see themselves as defending the rights of the small man in the land of Daviit and Boycott. I am also concerned at the intrusion of some politicians and parties, who were up to then, calling for the gas to brought on "either onshore or offshore" ( to quote one of them) have fuelled this matter and in fact organised meetings, posters, bus hire etc and speak of "kill zones" One or two local organs of media have also given biased unfair publicity to the protestors in a partisan way, often witout any regard for truth or fairness. I have heard one protestor compare the defending of land through which pipleline is to go to Mr. Padraig Nally who shot a traveller dead in another part of Mayo and is currently in jail !
As I came from a small West of Ireland farm myself, this right to land seems to be sacrosanct in the minds of many, often without any regard to the common good,and the farther west one goes, the more pronounced it becomes. I read where one farmer had his land divided into three for new Kinegad bye- pass, I can not but help think what would have happened were it in Rossport. I also read on Shell to Sea website, that they are calling for people to come to the area in the New Year, almost prepared for war - bring bolt cutters, night vision glasses etc. The law of the land has been disregarded here, personnel trying to get on site to carry out emergency work have been refused entry by protestors, and some have been falsely imprisoned on the site in fact. Some small contractors had their machinery locked on site and could not get it out for some time due to the actrivities of the blockaders outside. I wonder where is the rule of law in the matter, or where will it be in the future. When the matter is clarified , I would hope the law of the land will be enforced. The vast majority of the people in the area want the project to go ahead, but a lot are constrained from commenting out of fear.Many have come home, got work, out of which they now are, while well heeled protestors and those on pensions carry on the campaign !
I have no doubt but that Industry and connection to towns in the area will follow in due course. This area is starved of industy and jobs. What type of message will be sent out if the project is aborted. Foreign companies on whom we depend so much will be scared away -building industry will not last forever.
I urge that the pipeline go ahead as planned, and that the law be enforced. I do not represent or group or organisation. I am not currently in work.
Is Mise,
Brendan Cafferty
"I am not currently in work." A plea for some PEGG shillings? Is this how he ended up with his current secretarial work? I wonder who checks his spelling nowadays?
An exclusive front page article by Frances Toner in this week's Connaught Telegraph makes interesting reading.
The article, headed 'Landslide group on the rocks' reports that the Dooncarton Landslide Committee has been disbanded following the unilateral decision of its chairperson, Gerard McDonnell, to apply for $hell largesse without committee consent.
McDonnell is quoted saying 'This application for funding was not put to the committee because I knew there was no point'.
McDonnell is $hell's bagman in the Parish of Kilcommon (he also carries the rather grandiose but utterly redundant titles of member of the Environmental Monitoring Group and Project Monitoring Committee - tick-box stuff set up to supposedly 'protect' the bogtrotters, both EMG and PMC expenses paid by $hell).
Will add link to Connaught Telegraph article; it appears that one must register to access article.
"(he also carries the rather grandiose but utterly redundant titles of member of the Environmental Monitoring Group and Project Monitoring Committee - tick-box stuff set up to supposedly 'protect' the bogtrotters, both EMG and PMC expenses paid by $hell)."
maura did you clear that statment with Mr diver?
mr diver has worked trojanly on the emg for several years, and has ensured that shell dosent get away with ruining our envoirment.
maybe you should takeback that accusation.
applicable to McDonnell.
If the poster purports to defend somebody one would expect that the person's name is spelt correctly.
And an t-Uasal Ó Duibhir is not, nor ever has been a bagman for $hell ... McDonnell is.
IF Ó Duibhir is not, nor ever has been a bagman for $hell, what is he doing taking $hells $hilling?
He has sat on this joke of an EMG for years, and never had any problem accepting money from $hell for doing so.
There is no difference between him and McDonnell!
Anybody who doesn't recognise the bona fides od Eamon Ó Duibhir and the complete absence of same in McDonnell is either not from the area or, if local, belongs to $hell.
I repeat, McDonell is $hell's bagman.
I do not anticipate any legal missives from McDonnell with regard to the above because legal proceedings provide for discovery ...
Either $hell's legals are busy for McDonnell or the trolls can find nothing to spin when faced with what qualifies as bribery/corruption per $hell's own stated 'principles'.
McDonnell (and Shell) have serious egg on their faces today after the headline in the Connaught Telegraph (see the thread elsewhere
on here entitled 'Innovative Funding'). I saw him in Belmullet today and he looks like a man that picked up 50 cents and lost a fiver.