Irish Times Editorial/ Lessons from the Corrib

national | environment | opinion/analysis Wednesday November 29, 2006 08:40 by m.m.mccarron - o.s.i

Distortion of Rationality/ Lesson from the Corrib

Reducing the Rossport Issue to Communication Failures - Rational?

Yesterday's editorial was a really fascinating two sides of the mouth piece. Now we are being told that Enterprise Energy was the culprit for not informing the local Erris community. The issue is being deliberately downgraded to communication failures. Real distortion of rationality. The Erris people were in no doubt at all since day one in 2000. They know that a pipline and a refinery in a bog is a serious error of rationality. An Bord Pleanala rejected it on rational grounds. Second time round there were 72 conditions attached to its judgement. The Advantica report had a long list of recommendations as well so how can it be trusted if, at every new inspection, it never fully clears the hurdle.Any rational person must conclude that this is still a very precarious project as the pipeline accident in Indonesia proved the other day. The Erris people are rational in their approach on health and safety grounds. They have proved it again and again over the last six years while the main players plead mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake including the recent poll which claims it had to leave out a finding because the question evoking it had been incorrectly worded !!! There is an obligation to protect rationality where it appears to be misused so media houses and companies take note. Falling back on communication failures is condescending and playing with rationality as is ignoring An Bord Pleanala's overuling of its own inspectors - I have counted 3 in recent times, 2 in Cork. Why hire them to overrule them? Rational?