Major Happenings in Rossport as the Solitaire Weighs Anchor Off Glengad

This could get very tricky for the Govt. if Maura Harrington stays on this strike for any length of time.

If the Gov. can't capitulate and equally can't let her kill herself, what option is there?

Force her in front of a judge and have her committed ?

Thanks for getting a picture of that report up Audi and everything else that you're doing.

It'd be a mistake to try to bring committal procedures against Maura, she's as sharp as a pin and whilst she's very passionate, she's very sane. This hunger strike has been in the planning for months and the State have been aware of her plans for at least a month, but have brought no such action (wisely for once). If the State were to somehow force her to end her protest, there would be dire consequences and a massive escallation, the details of which I won't elaborate on (though I shouldn't need to, it's obvious).

Maura's husband Naoise, is still in hospital (in Galway), more than 2 months after an encounter with the Gardaí. This is not attention seeking on Maura's part, it's desperation and they see that they've nothing to lose.

Just got an email from S2S. It seems that d'internet is back up and running.

I'm posting a copy of it here as it makes educational reading. Pat O'Donnell and his son were arrested again this morning, etc.

***********************************************************************************************

Subject: Hunger Strike and Arrests in Erris as Solitaire arrives


The world's largest pipe-laying vessel, The Solitaire, arrived off the coast of Mayo, Ireland, yesterday evening.


The Solitaire is installing the offshore section of the Corrib Gas
pipeline for Shell. The ship is supported by a number of Shell support
craft, the Irish Police Water Unit and part of the Irish Navy. Stiff
opposition has begun, with a local school teacher already on hunger
strike. Hundreds of police officers are in the area, and the main road
to the beach has been closed.


Local people have been alarmed to see so many police officers, and
sinister figures in green rainjackets, who may be police (although the
Irish Police, the Garda Siochána, usually wear blue) or could be Shell
security or even members of the Irish Army.


Internet access in the area near the Shell compound has been cut off, and the main road to the beach has been blocked.


Opposition to the pipe laying operation consists of a number of
environmental and political activists based in the Solidarity Camp,
local fishermen who are worried about contamination of the waters they
depend on, and many local people who are concerned that the offshore
section of the Shell scheme is being put in place while no planning
permission exists for the onshore section.


A local school principal, Maura Harrington, has vowed to refuse food until the ship
leaves the area. She has parked her car in front of the Shell compound.

Fisherman
from nearby Porturlin who refused to move their crab gear
from the path of the Solitaire were arrested last night, and a large
group of local people protested at the police station in Belmullet.
They were released at midnight, went fishing this morning, and were
immediately arrested again. Gardaí are threatening to detain anyone on
any craft that approaches the path of the Solitiare.


Protesters are currently engaged in a series of actions designed to slow the project.

In 2005 a number of local people were jailed for 94 days for opposing the Shell project as it was then configured.


Since then, the project has been dogged by controversy, with many
arrests, court cases, injuries, complaints to the Garda Complaints
Board and Ombudsman, and political activity both in and outside the
Dáil.


In recent weeks there have been 29 separate arrests in the area
around Glengad beach, where the pipeline is due to make landfall.


Shell spokespeople have claimed that the project has not been
affected by the protests. They say that recent delays to the project
have been caused by severe weather.


Some newspapers have claimed that the project, which is being
carried out by a consortium of companies including Statoil from Norway
and Marathon Oil from Texas in the United States, will benefit the
country, even though all of the natural gas will belong to the Corrib
partners and no royalty will be charged. There is no contractual
obligation for Shell, the scheme's major shareholder and operator, to
sell any of the gas to Bord Gáis Éireann, and so the resource will be
sold to the highest bidder.


Bord Gáis have confirmed that there will be no financial benefit to Irish consumers from the Corrib gas field.


Environmentalists have warned that the onshore section of the
scheme, which includes a huge refinery being constructed nine
kilometers inland at Bellanaboy, will be expanded and used to process
gas from other fields off the west coast in the the future. They also
say that Shell will use the precedent of an onshore refinery to strong
arm their way into installing similar schemes in other places around
the world.
A production pipeline passing through a residential area is unprecedented.

Political
campaigners point out that the terms under which Irish resources have
been handed over to the oil companies mean there are no benefits for
the people of Ireland.


The Irish government, including Green Party Ministers at the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, has backed Shell's scheme. Last
month the Garda released figures showing that 11 million euro had been
spent policing the project since 2006, more than half the amount the
force spent on fighting organised crime.


Activists on the ground in Mayo have asked for assistance. Those
not in a position to travel to Mayo can hold solidarity protests (this
article could be used as the basis for leaflets) at the Irish embassy
or Shell petrol stations. Local politicians should be approached to put
pressure on the government to suspend work on the offshore pipeline, at
least until permission is granted for the onshore section. In Britian,
Green Party politicians in Britain -who may have
some influence over their counterparts in the Irish Green Party- should
be contacted.





For more info see indymedia.ie/mayo or corribsos.com

contact

rossportsolidaritycamp@gmail.com

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Force her in front of a judge and have her committed ?

You don't have to bring her before a judge personally, you just have to serve notice on her and bring the case before the High Court. It can be done in abstentia on the basis of allowing her to make a submission. You would either commit her or bring Wards of Court proceedings, which if granted, essentially take the control of one's affairs out of their hands and conferred to the High Court.

I heard a bit of this on Pat Kenny this morning on my way into the library. Does anyone here with an association want to comment on the allegations from both sides which were made on the programme? Namely that the fishermen who have been arrested(?) have an ongoing relationship with Shell 2 Sea, that the particular corridor where they placed their equipment was not in their usual place of activity, that they were part of a representative body of fishermen in the local area but resigned from this body following an agreement, which included monetary compensation, between Shell and the representative body in order to limit fishing rights in the corridor for a period of three months in order to facilitate the safe laying of a pipeline.

johnfás wrote:

I heard a bit of this on Pat Kenny this morning on my way into the library. Does anyone here with an association want to comment on the allegations from both sides which were made on the programme? Namely that the fishermen who have been arrested(?) have an ongoing relationship with Shell 2 Sea, that the particular corridor where they placed their equipment was not in their usual place of activity, that they were part of a representative body of fishermen in the local area but resigned from this body following an agreement, which included monetary compensation, between Shell and the representative body in order to limit fishing rights in the corridor for a period of three months in order to facilitate the safe laying of a pipeline.

I'd be happy to comment on it.

The Chief's fishing license covers the area and more. He has always fished these waters and was always going to be viewed as a pain in the arse by Shell. He does indeed have a relationship with S2S, as does anyone else who opposes Shell. He's been involved in many protests and was at one point convicted, by a judge married to a Fianna Fail TD, for assaulting a Garda he had helped pull from the sea, in a rescue operation, some years before. As far as I'm aware, the appeal of this conviction is still ongoing.

It's true that Shell recently paid a group of fisherment to forgo their fishing rights. The Chief refused to accept this money. Of course this attempt to buy him off is a recognition of his lawful right to fish where he does. The law's all fine and good, until it prevents a parasite like Shell doing what they want. Then it's time to wheel in our cowering and subservient State and their troopers.


The Chief.

The Solitaire is retreating for 48 hours. LINK.

Irish Times Link

Maura Harrington's reaction is included.

Hermes wrote:

The Solitaire is retreating for 48 hours. LINK.

Probably for a lot longer than that ? The link says it will be assessed within the next 48 hours so it mightn't be back for a week. With all the storms at sea, a lot of debris, flotsam and jetsam could appear in Broadhaven bay in the meantime ...

Shell Ireland wrote:

This morning during weather sensitive preparatory works, the end section of the Solitaire's pipe delivery equipment was damaged.

At this stage it is too early to comment on how this technical problem arose. The offshore pipelay programme in Broadhaven Bay has been suspended until a full assessment of the damaged equipment has been conducted.

The Solitaire will return to Killybegs or another harbour for assessment and repair within the next 48 hours..

A further update will be given in the coming days.

But she's still on the strike ? The times link says she wants the Solitaire out of Irish waters, yet it's only going to Killybegs.

The damage thing seems a rather unlikely story all the same.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

But she's still on the strike ? The times link says she wants the Solitaire out of Irish waters, yet it's only going to Killybegs.

The damage thing seems a rather unlikely story all the same.

She repeated this on the six one news - they said Shell mightn't lay the pipeline now this year. Have they won a battle there?

There might be serious uproar if someone dies over this - she has a point about the budget and the value of the resources which she reckons to be 500 billion (we're only 8 billion short this year, remember?) . The value of the resources in terms of the oil out there was publicised in the Indo last May(2007) so a can of worms could easily be opened with this one.


Independent, May 2007

What we need is a forensic account of the whole history of gas and oil exploitation in Ireland. I wonder is there a journalist out there who has worked on this.

What's happening today then? Is she still on strike? According to corribsos.com she still is but I don't know when that was posted.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

What's happening today then? Is she still on strike? According to corribsos.com she still is but I don't know when that was posted.

Howdy EVM.

Tis my sad duty to report that she's still on the strike (though I do support her 100%).

There's not a lot happening today, the players have drawn back, to a degree, to assess and plan. There's still a huge Garda presence. There are various actions and protests planned for around the country this evening. There's two in Dublin: A candle lit vigil for Maura, outside Shell's offices a 5.30pm, and a protest outside the GPO at 6.30pm.

I'm afraid we're witnessing brinksmanship. Unfortunately, Maura has called all bluffs and we shall witness an endgame strategy being played out, with real lives at stake. I'm not suggesting that it's unfortunate that Maura has taken the path that she has, far from it, it's a pity that it's had to come to this.

Indymedia are pretty much on the ball with updates: LINK. I'm somewhat expecting that some video footage might be available soon, either tonight, or in the morning.

As an aside: this LINK appeared on the P.ie site and makes interesting reading.

Go raibh agat as ucht do dhian-obair ag cur eolais orainn i leith an fheachtais.

Cheers for keeping us updated Hemes, and all the best to Maura.

Buck the Fegrudgers

Hermes wrote:

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

What's happening today then? Is she still on strike? According to corribsos.com she still is but I don't know when that was posted.

Howdy EVM.

Tis my sad duty to report that she's still on the strike (though I do support her 100%).

There's not a lot happening today, the players have drawn back, to a degree, to assess and plan. There's still a huge Garda presence. There are various actions and protests planned for around the country this evening. There's two in Dublin: A candle lit vigil for Maura, outside Shell's offices a 5.30pm, and a protest outside the GPO at 6.30pm.

I'm afraid we're witnessing brinksmanship. Unfortunately, Maura has called all bluffs and we shall witness an endgame strategy being played out, with real lives at stake. I'm not suggesting that it's unfortunate that Maura has taken the path that she has, far from it, it's a pity that it's had to come to this.

Indymedia are pretty much on the ball with updates: LINK. I'm somewhat expecting that some video footage might be available soon, either tonight, or in the morning.

As an aside: this LINK appeared on the P.ie site and makes interesting reading.

The Americans seem to take the environmental impacts of off shore drilling a lot more seriously as we do, as they seem to have stopped issuing licenses until the recent oil frenzy kicked in.

cactus flower wrote:

The Americans seem to take the environmental impacts of off shore drilling a lot more seriously as we do, as they seem to have stopped issuing licenses until the recent oil frenzy kicked in.

Tis mad stuff indeed.

Interesting enough discussion on this on the Property Pin - they're largely bullish on Shell being there though, those otherwise bears
http://www.thepropertypin.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=13259

I had missed this report Hermes posted from the Mayo Echo. On my first reading I wondered if I was reading a spoof.

Quote :

Irish naval sources have expressed concern at the involvement of Irish navy vessels in the ongoing dispute at Glengad over the Shell gas pipeline project. The LÉ Orla was last week joined by a second naval ship,
the LÉ Aoife in advance of the massive pipelaying vessel, the Solitaire, which is expected to arrive in Broadhaven Bay sometime this week.
Naval sources speaking to the Mayo Echo have said they are concerned that they are being used to police protestors, and that they are concerned that a nuclearpowered British Royal Navy submarine is positioned approximately 11 miles off the coast of Mayo.
The presence of the submarine has as yet been unconfirmed despite numerous contacts with the Irish Navy and the British Navy. An Irish Navy spokesperson stated that he was unable to discuss any allegations about a British submarine
off the Irish coast. “I am only able to discuss Irish Navy vessels. I will state clearly that the Irish Navy has regularly been used in the past to assist the Gardai, in relation to fishing policing, and drug seizures. Navy personal should have no concerns in relation to their role in Broadhaven Bay. The Navy ships will be under the instruction of the Gardai and the Irish government”.
The allegations of a submarine off the coast were also raised with the Royal Navy. A spokesperson stated that “We won’t confirm or deny the position of any of our submarines. We never comment on the current positioning of our submarines. I would stress however, that if there is a submarine
in Irish waters, and that should not be taken as a confirmation, then it
wouldn’t be there without the permission of the Irish authorities”.
The Department of Foreign Affairs had not issued a statement on the submarine
allegations before our going to print.
The Irish naval source stated that the submarine was being used to monitor
the situation, and to provide sonar and radar tracking if required. The submarine, a nuclear-powered Trafalgar class which is almost 280ft long, has extensive capabilities to intercept wireless communication devices, such as mobile phones. It has been widely reported that the British government
is eager that the Corrib gas field should be brought on stream, as tensions have
been raised with Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas, Russia, following the
dispute in Georgia. Last week saw the arrest of eight Shell to Sea campaigners
who were attempting to block the works at the Shell compound in Glengad. All eight were subsequently released. Big Guns are out for the Arrival of the Solitaire
Pictured above are the two Irish navy vessels in Broadhaven Bay. Below, a
picture of the British nuclear powered Trafalgar class submarine, which naval
sources allege is sitting 11 miles off the coast of Mayo, watching the activities
at the Shell compound.

I'm at a loss for words.

I actually amn't at a loss for words. Has anyone been watching Vladimir Putin lately??

Damn right, let's get Corrib on stream. This is made all the more urgent by the fact that a) lots of poor people on both islands are increasingly unable to heat their homes and b) at the moment, neither the UK nor Ireland have huge gas reserve storage capacity, because the UK were until recently self sufficient and typically enough, haven't planned ahead. While we, presumably, were reliant on the UK/Norwegian system, now in decline. They built a whole load of LNG terminals but have had problems actually securing the imports, others have been able to pay more, it seems.

Meanwhile, some sites that I wouldn't regard as totally reliable have been reporting a huge reduction in sunspots recently, equivalent to the Maunder minimum that these theorists think kicked off the Little Ice Age. While the majority viewpoint is that this won't disrupt anthropogenic global warming much, there is also research that suggests ocean current patterns at the mo will halt warming where we are for the next 10 years. Notably this was actually published in Nature (probably as reliable a prediction as you can get on climate, IMHO)

To cut to the chase, we are risking a number of cold winters with little security of gas supply

Bring on the subs, I don't want my kids to freeze. Time to stop navel gazing and get strategic, people. Long term, we need more renewables, but that will take a while. In the short term lets stop the bloody protesters from disrupting energy security developments off our own coast.

Sorry to sound like Joe Stalin, but.....

cactus flower wrote:

I had missed this report Hermes posted from the Mayo Echo. On my first reading I wondered if I was reading a spoof.

[...]


I'm at a loss for words.

At a loss for words following a report with no evidence but merely an inkling from a 'naval source' in a local regional newspaper?

While people can be forgiven to some extent for failing to plan for the future during times of plenty, it is even more important to think comprehensively, using past experiences and probability distibutive connections to future outcomes, in order to assure some sort of solution to problems on a long term basis during times of turmoil. Imho, allowing Shell and its consortia friends to siphon off our natural resources, which can only increase in monetary and intrinsic value during the coming decades, for peanuts while setting dangerous uncivil and public safety precedents is highly short sighted for the common good of the populace of Ireland. It is more important during times of turmoil to get things right.

As a supporter of many market principles and mechanisms I am loathe to call for nationalisation of any industry but we need to rethink how we allocate scarce resources in our economy and who benefits. We've just blown one economic bubble that has made quite a few rich, some wealthy beyond standard norms, and yet has left as many in financial dire straights in its wake as it has enriched others. It is fairly understood now that oil, especially the nice cheap, sweet crude has reached peak production in the world and is a commodity that will only increase in utility value. Can we afford, as a nation, to allow the very few to prosper from this commodity (and its other constituents and alternatives) while allowing the constitutional rights of individual property to be diminished, and at the same times use civil and military power to ensure the rights of the extremely wealthy are given special status? Not only are we talking about a scarce mineral commodity but we're also talking about a democractic commodity which we are giving away more cheaply than oil and gas. What is frightening is how the totalitarian measures being adopted seem so normal and even logical. I suppose during times of fear and turmoil that logic becomes somehow skewed. Excess breeds excess, whether it be economic or political, and we in Ireland have become very adept at justifying excess in any guise in which it appears.

Well said Rockyracoon.

There may be an announcement shortly by Shell. It's very possible that they'll be suspending work on the pipe over the winter and that the Solitaire will be pushing off, out of Irish territorial waters.

LINK.

rockyracoon wrote:

While people can be forgiven to some extent for failing to plan for the future during times of plenty, it is even more important to think comprehensively, using past experiences and probability distibutive connections to future outcomes, in order to assure some sort of solution to problems on a long term basis during times of turmoil. Imho, allowing Shell and its consortia friends to siphon off our natural resources, which can only increase in monetary and intrinsic value during the coming decades, for peanuts while setting dangerous uncivil and public safety precedents is highly short sighted for the common good of the populace of Ireland. It is more important during times of turmoil to get things right.

As a supporter of many market principles and mechanisms I am loathe to call for nationalisation of any industry but we need to rethink how we allocate scarce resources in our economy and who benefits. We've just blown one economic bubble that has made quite a few rich, some wealthy beyond standard norms, and yet has left as many in financial dire straights in its wake as it has enriched others. It is fairly understood now that oil, especially the nice cheap, sweet crude has reached peak production in the world and is a commodity that will only increase in utility value. Can we afford, as a nation, to allow the very few to prosper from this commodity (and its other constituents and alternatives) while allowing the constitutional rights of individual property to be diminished, and at the same times use civil and military power to ensure the rights of the extremely wealthy are given special status? Not only are we talking about a scarce mineral commodity but we're also talking about a democractic commodity which we are giving away more cheaply than oil and gas. What is frightening is how the totalitarian measures being adopted seem so normal and even logical. I suppose during times of fear and turmoil that logic becomes somehow skewed. Excess breeds excess, whether it be economic or political, and we in Ireland have become very adept at justifying excess in any guise in which it appears.

Well put and accurately reflects where we seem to be now, many of us - burdened with debt, employment falling - are we heading into a new 80s? I hope not.

I've thought about those resources in the way you describe above - leaving them there til the last minute. They say the gas is 166 million barrels of oil equivalent - enough to do America for two days yet worth €16.6 billion on the market. Will Ireland see 30% of profits on that gas? I'm told we will but I think that field was gone before Eamon Ryan had the terms of future finds renegotiated last year.

I don't think we'll see anything from that gas bar the jobs in Erris. And Expat Girl, we've lived on turf, wood, coal and electricity up until now so perhaps those who are using gas should consider changing over to at least a dual system of some sort. How long is 166 million BOE of Mayo gas going to last in this world if Russia turns off theirs?

A video interview with Maura has become available (well done Madam K and Revolt Video).

I still cannot get videos from politube to embed and have had no reply as of yet to my enquiry.

Here's a link to the video.

The thing that really hurts me about all this is that the royalty/taxation legislation was changed during the Burke - Haughey era.

How can that not smell of shite?

Aside :

Can anyone make a sentence out of these words ?

Connor Haughey
Feltrim Mining
Ray burke
1992 Finance Act
Croagh Patrick
James Stafford
Moriarty Tribunal
Minmet
Dermot Desmond