More action in Mayo

by JM Thu Oct 05, 2006 19:56 Rossport

More photos from the front line

Chants and marching continues to Gate Number One

Police escort along the newly re-opened public road

Dr Jerry Cowley TD addresses the assembled crowd

Gardaí observe events in puzzlement

by Cian - SP - personal cap Thu Oct 05, 2006 23:13 comradecian at eircom dot net Limerick 085-7077919

Hey,
It strikes me that the community need need to continue trying to fuly block the construction work. I don't kbnow what their plan is but it doesn't seem things are moving fast enough for the very short timespan available. If construction continues through next week i thinkm u will see a big drop off in morale and participation. People need to shut down the construcion site if possible, through peaceful protest as was done earlier. it may not be true but the news seems to be saying the community bhave decided to just have token protests against the construction work as opposed to the previous effective protest. Continuing and stepping up the old strategy could result in police brutality or in arrests against innocent, peaceful protestors to defend this dangerous pipeline and the profit-line of Shell. This would be the only hope for developing a mass campaign such as was seen before.

It also strikes me, from talking to people in my school (teachers and students) That a big layer of people are unsure what they think abpout this, as it seems to all hinge on the 'safety' of the pipeline and the propaganda war is being won, in that sense, by $HELL. Thats why i have used the fundamental issue of the gas being given away and being run by private companies. People generally are amazed/outraged by the giveaway of our gas, especially at this time of gas price increases. From my experience they are more likely to be solid in their support for the community when i have argued with them about the gas being taken back into public ownership, where it will be run for people not profit, guaranteeing low prices and high safety standards etc. Flowing from this i think it is crucial Shell to Sea and the entire movement push to the forefront the issue of NATIONALISATION OF THE GAS, not just because it is what is right but because it is what is needed to get mass support.

Thanks,
Cian

by Panzraam Fri Oct 06, 2006 00:35

Nationalisation? Are you joking? Any attempt to nationalise the field or to renegotiate the contract would result in massive compensation for Shell. That is unless you overturn the property rights provisions of the Constitution. Maybe that is what SP wants?

by Justin Morahan - Peace People (pers cap) Fri Oct 06, 2006 13:14

Cian is right to remind us of the scandalous sell out by the State (under Fianna Fáil) of one of our most precious natural resources for a pittance.

Panzraam, why do you appear so concerned about the property rights of Shell but not about the property rights of the nation or how they were transmitted to Shell by Ray Burke?
http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=54

The shameful giveaway, which reversed existing law enacted under Justin Keating, reminds me of the story of Esau who sold his birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage.

No wonder that Shell/Statoil thought they could ride roughshod over the rights of local people in Mayo when the Government had so easily sold our "birthright".

Joe Higgins TD described the sell-out at the time as "an outrageous robbery of an extremely valuable asset that properly belongs to the people."

The Socialist TD spelt out in stark terms what had happened:

"The commercial and economic benefit from it has been handed lock, stock, and barrel by a Fianna Fail-dominated government to yet another multinational corporation on foot of a deal which they cannot possibly believe is so favourable to them, with no royalties, and with a corporation tax rate which they can write off against expenses not only incurred in Ireland but elsewhere.

Incredibly, when the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources [Frank Fahey] stood up in the Dail and asked how much value should be placed on the one trillion cubic feet of gas estimated to be in the Corrib field, the minister, on behalf of the government, admitted that he had no idea how much this resource was worth."

Continued solidarity to the protestors in Bellanaboy in their epic non-violent resistance to corrupt power and its aftermath.

by S2S Fri Oct 06, 2006 13:44

This is RTEs version of events-
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1006/corrib.html

by Tadhg Fri Oct 06, 2006 14:02

"Any attempt to nationalise the field or to renegotiate the contract would result in massive compensation for Shell. "

Not true. The Government could pull out on environmental and safety in a similiar way to what the Russians did a few weeks ago.

by krossie - wsm personal capacity Fri Oct 06, 2006 16:41

That is unless you overturn the property rights provisions of the Constitution. Maybe that is what SP wants?

Don't know about SP but I'd certainly go for that
- anyone for a referendum!??!

krossie

by Pushkin - VLL PISFI (ICR) Fri Oct 06, 2006 16:48

I'm with you all the way. To hell with Liberal notions of NATIONALISATION. I say EXPROPRIATE it without compenation! Onwards to the Workers and Peasants Government!

Arrest the Shell executives, put them in a chaingang, and make them restore the countryside.

Pushkin
Secretary for Inter-Species Solidarity
VLL PISFI (ICR)

by guydebordisdead Fri Oct 06, 2006 17:36

Perhaps you could go down to rossport and lecture the locals on the need for a strong marxist party to defeat shell for them. Or at least go organise some shell to sea events around limerick and stop speculating about what plans are being made in Rossport when you've never been. (in fact i've never seen any of sy down there?)

As for nationalising the oil, are you honestly suggesting we put it in the hands of a pd/ff government?

by Pushkin - VLL PISFI (ICR) Fri Oct 06, 2006 18:01

"As for nationalising the oil, are you honestly suggesting we put it in the hands of a pd/ff government?"

Guy

You're just feeding him lines. He'll say it should be under WORKERS CONTROL!

To be fair to Cian though he is a genuine activist and not just a spouter of single transferable slogans. But he must realise that unless he and his party has engaged with people on the ground in Mayo then they are unlikely to infuence events.

Pushkin
Secretary for Inter-Species Solidarity
VLL PISFI (ICR)