Shell to Sea statement - Sept. 4th

mayo | miscellaneous | press release Monday September 04, 2006 16:54 by S2S - S2S

Fianna Fail deserve no respect

Supporters of the Shell to Sea campaign have decided not to mount a protest at today’s meeting in Westport of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party. To do so would have been to confer unwarranted attention and respect to the gathering. This is particularly the case when it appears that despite being in Mayo no Fianna Fail minister will visit North Mayo nor have any asked to be briefed on the situation there by the Shell to Sea campaign and local people. Given the ongoing seriousness of the Corrib gas conflict, its effects on the people of Erris and that energy is a
theme of the meeting, this failure by Fianna Fail is all the more glaring.

Since the beginning of the Corrib gas debacle the Fianna Fail party at national level has effectively abandoned the people of North Mayo by siding in a partisan manner with Shell. The government has been an active co-partner of the project from the outset. It has purported to be
‘neutral’ in the conflict rather than exercising leadership and supporting the rights of vulnerable Irish citizens. In addition, it has failed to alter the scandalous give-away terms under which the oil and gas industry operate in Ireland. Even countries such as Chad have recently acted to force oil and gas companies to contribute meaningfully to the national exchequer.

Finally, the Shell to Sea campaign congratulates members of the Rossport Five who have received various awards in the last few weeks. These include the Environmental Achievement Award from the West Belfast Partnership (the first time this has been awarded to anyone from outside the area) and the Jim Kemmy Award from the Tom Johnson Summer School. Vincent McGrath, on behalf of the Rossport Five, was presented at the Summer School with a rare 1885 edition of Michael Davitt’s ‘Leaves from a
Prison Diary’.

For verification contact Mark Garavan 087-9023687