Solidarity with Rossport 5 picket on Statoil Ushers Quay
dublin |
environment |
news report 
Monday August 08, 2005 12:41
by Joe - WSM 1st of May (personal capacity)
Over a dozen people picketed Statoil on Ushers Quay on Friday 5th August as part of the ongoing campaign of solidarity with the 5 men jailed for resisting a potentially dangerous gas pipeline being built near their houses.
Members of the WSM had also distributed 1000 leaflets door to door in the area two nights before the picket advertising it and explaining the background of the case. The leaflet text follows.
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Force Statoil to back down at Rossport
5 men still in jail
Picket the Statoil on Ushers Quay 6pm Friday 5th August
The Rossport 5 have been 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.
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. 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?
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.
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. With others the local group of the Workers Solidarity Movement will be picketing the Statoil on Ushers Quay this Friday - come down and join us.
Comments (5 of 5)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5Don't forget this Thursday
Statoil and Shell to sea !
Free the Rossport 5!
Protest at the Dept of the Marine
29- 31 Adelaide Road
Thursday 6 pm
AGAINST
Minister For Communications, Natural Resources, The Marine...and craven obedience to evrey whim of Statoil/Shell - Noel Dempsey
http://www.anarkismo.net
Are there any other stations in that general area that are so well situated for public visibility that can be atrgeted.
Im not professing to have sympathy for Statoil/Shell's franchisees but their cooperation has been impressive at that particular station even though they are being picketed several times a week...
personally I'm in favour of blockading them all again pretty soon - worked well the last time!
Krossie
I dont have any involvement in the campaign to stop the pipeline, but I wish it the best, any campaign to see Shell get a beating (however minute in comparison to their vast arsenal of finances and resources) is a good one.
In the last while though I've read in the press or here about people talking about the grassroots groundswell of local opinion against politicians in Mayo, including Enda Kenny, who's been conspicuously silent on the matter despite being a public rep for the constituency.
You'll have to forgive my cynicism, but do people really believe that the (majority) right wing constituents of Mayo are going to turf out the parties they've elected year in, year out since the 30's? Admittedly I have a very negative view of rural Ireland as being a backward, insular, oppressive, Catholic place, where people do as they're told, and vote the way they do because that's the way they've always done (and their parents before them).
Just that in previous instances, rural Irish people seem to be happy to elect or celebrate politicians with chequered pasts, e.g. Michael Lowry having his house extension paid for by Ben Dunne yet still topping the poll in the last 2 elections; Bev's slightly unusual banking advice, and of course the latest risible action by the residents of An Daingean to erect a statue of CJ Haughey on the waterfront.
People have long memories when it comes to some things, but forget very quickly too... I dont think I'll be surprised in 2006/2007 when Mayo re-elects FF and FG, again.
I hope this doesnt come across as being too much of a smart-arse, I would like to hear debate about this. After reading so much about how the anti-war movement in the US was a huge grassroots opposition to Dubya on various indymedias and left wing press, I genuinely thought that the republicans would be beaten. It was something of a wake up call to try and read beyond the opinions of certain media circles. As much as I'd love to believe Mayo might revert back to an autonomous 'farmers republic', I dont and I think regardless of what happens to the Rossport 5, the public there will re-elect the same old dinosaurs in a couple of years time.
I understand that politics can be 'waged' outside the realm of elections, and people will argue this, but for this country (for the moment) it is the primary source of political power and decision making - and does to a certain extent reflect the overall political culture of geographical areas, so I'd like to hear responses on this... thanks.
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