OscailtShellspeak: Media Mechanics and Financial Dynamics<em>"it is laughable to say that in some way Shell has press-ganged the media to its cause" - Daily Mail ShellToSea basher Paul Palmer</em>
Learning its lessons from the disaterous PR that resulted from the incarceration of the Rossport 5, Shell has steadily accrued a team of PR companies, gurus, community liasons and external advisors to help it launch a charm offensive with the re-start of work at the site in Bellnaboy. Financial Dynamics (a PR comany were the name says it all really), london PR guru and Tony O'Reilly employee Roy Godson, John Egan, Susan Shannon, Louise McMahon, Christy Loftus (58k a year for 3 years), Padraig Hughes and retired Garda John Carey have all been hired to win over support despite Shells claims that the "Corrib Gas Partners have the consent of the majority". Odd that Shell has to hire these people when they have the support of the majority, Shell could easily save themselves a few quid there.
Breaking news: Italian MP, Sgarbi denounces the Statistical Fraud on COVID-19. The speech of the Member of Parliament Vittorio Sgarbi in the session of the Italian Camera, Meeting no. 331 of Friday 24, April, 2020. Vittorio Sgarbi, denounces the closure of 60% of the businesses for 25,000 COVID-19 Deaths, of which the National Institute of Health says 96.3% died NOT of COVID-19 but of other pathologies. That means only 925 have died of the virus. 24,075 have died of other things.2006-10-14T20:34:05+00:00Indymedia Irelandimc-ireland@lists.indymedia.iehttp://www.indymedia.ie/atomfullposts?story_id=79054http://www.indymedia.ie/graphics/feedlogo.gifo'carrollhttp://www.indymedia.ie/article/79054#comment1716572006-10-14T20:34:05+00:00toekneehow did o carroll ever get a job as a journalist. ive just watched the late late...how did o carroll ever get a job as a journalist. ive just watched the late late interview at <a href="http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2176497.smil" title="http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2176497.smil">http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2176497.smil</a> . he's disgracefulApparently Maeve Sheehan has "garda sources" toohttp://www.indymedia.ie/article/79054#comment1717812006-10-16T04:20:46+00:00R. IsibleNote that this whole story is premised upon anonymous "garda sources" which carr...Note that this whole story is premised upon anonymous "garda sources" which carries absolutely no weight and basically means that Maeve Sheehan is regurgitating whatever some puppet-master is the Garda PR tells her. This isn't some sensitive leak of confidential detail from within the ranks, it's supposedly a public report of a fact from a public servant. No need to hush up the name of your "source". <br />
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Come on Maeve, dig out those old notes from the night class on journalism and publish the name of the "source" or else rewrite the story. C- for execution but A+ for disingenuous co-operation with Deep Blue Throat.<br />
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"Locals allege they were intimidated by Shell protesters <br />
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(c) MAEVE SHEEHAN, Irish Independent Mon Oct 16th 2006<br />
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AS anti-Shell demonstrators escalated their protest against the Mayo gas terminal, garda sources revealed that local residents who are refusing to join the campaign to halt the Corrib gas terminal are being subjected to "insidious" intimidation.<br />
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The most serious complaint relates to a Castlebar man whose jeep was surrounded by a small group of protesters a fortnight ago.<br />
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The man and his young son were returning from an evening walk when his vehicle was surrounded. Garda sources said that he was mistaken for someone who worked on the oil terminal and was subjected to angry jeers and shouting.<br />
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At least 10 complaints of harassment and intimidation against Shell protesters have now been reported to gardai.<br />
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There are also complaints that many of the protesters who gather at the terminal site are not local and have come from other parts of Ireland and abroad to join the agitation.<br />
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The security bill for hundreds of gardai who have been drafted in to Belmullet, the nearest town to the terminal site, is coming close to €1m with many of them being paid a "protest" bonus.<br />
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Three Shell protesters - two men and a woman - were arrested last week in connection with what gardai say was one of the ugliest confrontations yet.<br />
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Other tactics used by elements of those opposed to the Shell terminal include telephoning local people late at night, informing people that their absence at the protest has been noticed, blasting car horns outside homes.<br />
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Garda sources said that several of those who made complaints have been reluctant to make formal statements to detectives for fear of reprisals. The source added that only a small minority of protesters were responsible for the alleged threats.<br />
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Supporters of the Corrib demonstrators have denied claims of intimidation made by locals, with Martin Ferris, the Sinn Fein TD, criticising the media and gardai for reporting such claims.<br />
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The local protesters have been joined by eco-warriors and environmentalists, bringing the numbers to about 130 to 150. Sinn Fein has also taken a significant role in the protest with several local members amongst the campaigners.<br />
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The group plans to continue their protest in the coming days which will almost certainly ensure a repeat of the ugly scenes that dominated television news footage last week when many of the protesters lay on the road to block the entry of workers to the terminal at Bellanaboy in north Mayo.<br />
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Gardai were filmed forcibly hauling protesters off the road, prompting angry and emotional response from protesters.<br />
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Tony McNamara, Chief Superintendent of the Mayo division, declined to comment on the harassment complaints but said that a number of them were being investigated. He also defended gardai against protesters' accusations of a heavy-handed presence.<br />
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"I have no problem in saying that we are concerned with the level of garda presence that we have to maintain at the site.<br />
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"If we could be assured that the protesters would engage in a peaceful protests, then the numbers of gardai at the site could be cut drastically," he said.<br />
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"We have to balance the rights of protesters to protest - as long as it is peaceful - and the Constitutional right of workers to go to work." "errorhttp://www.indymedia.ie/article/79054#comment1717822006-10-16T07:19:55+00:00Gaz BIt is Rory Godson, not John Egan who was editor of The Sunday Times and a SIndo ...It is Rory Godson, not John Egan who was editor of The Sunday Times and a SIndo journalist, as stated in the original article. Rory Godson has probably run into Sheehan being a former editor of the Irish version of the Sunday times. Sheehan was a former deputy editor of the Sunday Times before she worked for the independent. She has previously co-authored articles with Jim Cusack and wrote an article about Ciaron O'Reillys "record of violent protests". <a href="http://www.indymedia.ie/article/77606" title="http://www.indymedia.ie/article/77606">http://www.indymedia.ie/article/77606</a><br />
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Rory Godson biog- <a href="http://www.zoominfo.com/people/godson_rory_141794925.aspx" title="http://www.zoominfo.com/people/godson_rory_141794925.aspx">http://www.zoominfo.com/people/godson_rory_141794925.aspx</a><br />
John Egan biog (half way down) - <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/11/98/crossing_continents/125942.stm" title="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/11/98/crossing_continents/125942.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/11/98/cr...2.stm</a>FG repsonse (or lack of)http://www.indymedia.ie/article/79054#comment1717842006-10-16T07:28:45+00:00Gaz B"Shell’s PR handlers are Financial Dynamics Ireland, headed by chairperson Decla..."Shell’s PR handlers are Financial Dynamics Ireland, headed by chairperson Declan Kelly, a former would-be Labour Party candidate in Tipperary North. Kelly recruited to FDI the man who now runs Shell’s PR operation in Mayo, former Fine Gael press officer Niall O Muilleoir." - Phoenix Magazine April 21.Dempsey's smears on the 1:30pm radio news todayhttp://www.indymedia.ie/article/79054#comment1718242006-10-16T14:57:44+00:00Not amusedJust heard Minister Dempsey on the 1:30pm news on RTE and everything he said was...Just heard Minister Dempsey on the 1:30pm news on RTE and everything he said was just a slittery smear. He constantly berated the people in Rossport and made every sort of comment to put them down and make out that they were unreasonable.<br />
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When the interviewer asked him about the suggestion of Micheal Ring that the Taoiseach should get involved, he asked why and the interviewer said because he has been so successful with Adams and Paisley, Dempsey jumped in with a further smear to say that Adams and Paisley was very reasonable people compared to the people of Rossport. He then realized he had gone too far and spent the next few minutes trying to justify his comment and tone it down slightly.<br />
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Everything he said was either a lie or a mistruth. For one he said the Garda were there trying to protect people going to work. They in fact are just protecting Shell and don't give a damn about the local people or their safety concerns.<br />
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Dempsey also said that the project had been reviewed by one of the top safety firms in the world -more dishonest rhetoric and gave it the stamp of approval. Needless to say he never mentioned that this same firm was partially owned by Shell. Instead he used the hiding of the truth to launch that smear.<br />
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Another disingenious comment was that the decision on how long the Garda will stay in Mayo was a matter for the Garda and was of no concern to him nor would he tell the Garda how to do their job. In other words he was trying to imply the policing was non political as were the decisions. Again it is obvious that the government are working very closely with them and view it as highly political and to be handled with care as is evidenced by the widespread and coordinated campaign of smear, lies, dishonesty and biased reporting by the state and corporate controlled press.<br />
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His performance was truly sickening.