Labour candidate has 'moved on' from Shell protest

mayo | environment | other press

Saturday April 17, 2010 14:55

by Mubara

The Shell manager who accepted the latest load of letters from objectors to the Shell project just last week turns out to be the son of a (former) Labour politician. A politician who always campaigned hard on Corrib, but on behalf of the multi-national, not his constituents.

So it was a bit of a surprise to see Jerry Cowley, wealthy Barrister and GP, and once supposedly a supporter of the Shell to Sea campaign, sign up for Labour yesterday.

Jerry Cowley at the Labour Party Conference

The Labour Party was always sending out confused signals about the Shell to Sea campaign. While "old Labour" stalwarts like Michael D Higgins and Joe Costello could always be relied on for a quote or a photo opportunity, the powerful people in the party, whose roots are often in the Workers Party, were always careful to dodge the question of the giveaway of Ireland's resources, or the right of people to object to developments which they saw as bad for their health and wellbeing.

Older readers will remember that the Workers Party never supported the Dublin Bay or Carnsore campaigns, always siding with industry and development against those who sought protect the environment.

Labour, since the takeover, has never really had much time for environmental campaigns.

The Irish Independent carries the news today- Cowley has "moved on", and now feels at home in the party that criticized the terms of the giveaway in the early 1990's, but did absolutely nothing to change them when it was their turn to share power. Could Mr Gilmore (who was, we remember, Labour's spokesman on environment and natural resources, but rarely opened his mouth on the subject of Shell) have explained the situation to him?

Or had Cowley "moved on" by himself when the electoral advantage he thought he'd gain didn't materialize?

Saturday April 17 2010

Candidate has 'moved on' from Shell protest - IRISH INDEPENDENT

FORMER Independent TD Jerry Cowley last night distanced himself from the divisive 'Shell to Sea' campaign, on his unveiling as Labour's latest election recruit, writes Aine Kerr.

read the whole article at the link:
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/candidate-has-m....html

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Comments (5 of 5)

opportunism

by GoDot

Sun Apr 18, 2010 21:00

I suppose the fact that Cowley couldn't get elected as an independent in 2007 has nothing to do with his decision to join Labour.

As a politician who has no problems with u-turns, he should fit in nicely.

IRISH TIMES TODAY

by EM

Mon Apr 19, 2010 09:22

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0419/1....html

"The medical doctor, who campaigned on the Rossport gas pipeline, had told delegates that while he would help if there were safety issues for local residents it was time to “move on”. "

IF there were safety issues? IF?

Point scoring

by Wide Awake

Mon Apr 19, 2010 21:59

I have not read such a petty point scoring post in a long time.So the Workers Party wanted to give away our natural resources,do you realise how stupid and ill informed this makes you appear.You only damage what you claim to support ,then again maby thats your intention.

any mention ?

by half asleep

Mon Apr 19, 2010 23:21

Not much support coming from Labour/The Workers Party is there?

how they see it

by Matt

Tue Apr 20, 2010 11:40

Why do the three main Dail parties support the Rossport project? Firstly, they support capitalist development. Secondly they know that natural gas will become a substantial segment of Irish energy in future years, as peat energy is largely phased out. Thirdly they think that the cost of imported oil will rise rather than fall due to supply factors and uncertainties about middle eastern geopolitics.

The Irish general public sees natural gas as the convenient household heating of the future.

What does the Irish general public not fully realize at present? Firstly that Shell was granted the license to prospect and sell the gas for a mess of pottage. Secondly that there are safety, environmental and security difficulties attaching to the method of extracting the gas and transferring it to the Mayo shoreline.

Does the general public see the Shell 2 Sea campaigners as luddite anti-industrialists? Does the general public, especially in big towns and cities, consider that whatever inconveniences the scattered population of North Mayo may experience are far outweighed by the domestic convenience to be derived from natural gas by a million or more householders elsewhere?

I pose these questions because I see a great gap in outlook between the dedicated Shell 2 Sea campaigners and the voting public which will cast more than 80% of its first preferences for the parties that support the Shell energy project.

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Labour candidate has 'moved on' from Shell protest

Comments (5 of 5)