Report from last nights Shell to Sea Public Meeting

national | environment | news report Friday March 14, 2008 12:01 by Starstruck - Dublin Shell to Sea

A brief piece on last nights discussions.

Last night,over 70 people gathered in the ATGWU Hall on Middle Abbey Street to discuss the ongoing scandal that is the Corrib Gas Field Development.
Interesting and detailed speeches were delivered by Micheál O'Seighin , Patricia McKenna and Frank Connolly.
Half an hour of open floor contributions and debate followed with several empassioned orations being delivered by both stalwarts of the campaign and newcomers alike.

94 days in jail- lets not let SHell get away with it!

The meeting began (a little later than scheduled!) at around 7.30 with Joanne McDonald of Dublin Shell to Sea introducing the speakers and welcoming the attendees.

Micheál O'Seighin ,one of the five men from Rossport jailed for 94 days at the behest of Shell, spoke first.
Micheál spoke of the situation both past and present in the Erris region,the political corruption that led to the crisis and of his hopes for the future of the campaign and of a successful resolution both for the Erris people and the entire citizenship of the country.
Micheál added that the repression faced on a daily basis by the local opponents of the project in its current form was indeed severe.
He described how a fire at the perimeter of the refinery site had been attributed in some qurters of the compliant corporate media to campaigners whereas it was a rubbish fire being burnt by elements involved in the project too lazy(or is that to cost-effective?) to bring the refuse to the nearest dump.
He also pointed out that local bureaucrats could not be counted on for assistance for they themselves were towing the line of the multinationals involved and were cogs in the wheel of what he eloquently described as "an unholy alliance of state and capital".
One particularly recent example of this was given of the Councils decision to accept an offer of €3 million euro from Shell for Road upgrading.
This unashamedly crass offer shrouded in a facade of altruistic motive was accepted almost unreservedly by the council lapdogs.
But Micheal ended on a more upbeat note with a firm affirmation that the struggle has a long way to run and that the local communtiy was far from beaten.

The next speaker was Frank Connolly,journalist and author of the Centre for Public Inquiry Report into the Corrib Gas Controversy.(http://www.publicinquiry.ie/reports.php)
Frank gave a very detailed and fascinating insight into the murky world of political donations,corruption and corporate influence that has plagued thre Iirsh political system for the past few decades.
Having attended Dublin Castle earlier in the day as the Mahon Tribunal continues digging up the dirt on the political establishment, Frank explained how the intricate web of dodgy deals could not have been far removed from the alteration of the terms for Oil and Gas exploration in favour of the expoliters in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Several new payments had been discussed yesterday at the tribunal,all lodgements and withdrawls of large amounts of cash/cheques into accounts with suggestible titles such as BT (Bertie and Tim(Collins))
The assembled crowd were left in no doubt following the comprehensive 20 minute description given by Mr Connolly that there had been some backhanded dealing prior to the drafting and passing of the Finance ct in 1992 (which reduced the tax payable form 50 to 25%) and indeed that it was the oil and agss lobby led by Marathon oil that had effectively drafted the new terms and hasd employed their bosom buddies in power to implement it.
Frank finished by saying he felt the battle for Shell to Sea was going to be an uphill one but that,as with the successful anti-nuclear mobilisation in the 1970s,such battles were winnable with perserverence and a diverse array of tactics.

Last to speak from the top table was Patricia McKenna,ex MEP and seasoned campaigner.Patricia opened by outlining just how outrageous the terms of the project are for the Irish people and how the giveaway is so utterly reprehensible particularly in the current climate of drastically underfunded public services such as health and education.
She left the audience is no doubt that she was more than a little unhappy with the performance of her party colleagues in ministerial positions since their entrance into government.
Adding to this,she stated that big business now had a controlling interest in the running of our economy and society in general and that they had very little difficulty maintaining this given the current administration's complete accession to all their demands.
Ms McKenna emphasised that it was not just the political establishment (including now of course the Green Party) that was towing the corporate line but that the corporate media had done nothing but facilitate the lies of the State and Shell in relation to the campaign and its constituent elements. Hardly surprising when one of Irelands biggest media moguls,Sir Anthony O'Reilly is controlling shareholder (40.3%)of Providence Oil, acompany currently preparing to exploit the rich oil and gas field off the coast of County Clare.

Contirbutions were then had from the floor for about 25 minutes with several empassioned orations being delivered and numerous questions being directed back at the panel.
One interesting question was addressed to Micheál on whether or not he felt there would be further imprisonments of campaigners.Micheál replied that he was in doubt whatsoever that there would be more people sent to jail for their actions and that he hoped but was not certain that there would not be serious injury or death,such is the level of brutality and the disregard for safety being displayed by various elememnts forcing the project through agaisnt the wishes of the local community and in violation of many aspects of the law.
One commentator countered Ms McKennas point that "you'll always get a few trouble-makers who grasp every chance to oppose stste authority" with the attestation that what we need are "trouble-makers",people who stand up for their rights and make trouble for Shell and the State,people like the Rossport five and the Shell to Sea campaign,people who will show up the current administration particularly the Green Party,for how they have now buried "their snouts into the trough of power"
Another commentator emphasised how we need to link the current situation with the Lisbon Treaty and the giving away of much of our autonomy to a European super-state.Ms McKenna took up this point outlining exactly how such a giveaway as this will only lead to further giveaways similar to the natural resources sellout.

Altogether an interesting and successful public meeting.

Dublin Shell to Sea meets every Tuesday at 6.30 in Connolly Books , 43 East Essex Street,Templebar.
All are welcome.

Pictures to follow.