Shell to Sea

[magpie seanie]

Muppet - well named.

When you start a post like that it doesn't help matters or impress anyone.

[Bod Mor]

Muppet - well named.

There's two sides to the story. We need the Gas for our economy. The farmers & fishermen need to wake up to progress. This is the counter arguement from Mayo for the Gas.

Do you not have your own opinion or are you too lazy to look into what is really happening here. By the way, that article is from the shell website, I suggest you post your sources next time.

I suggest you reword that last sentence too. This is a counter argument from pro gas mayo, not mayo as a whole.

[Guillem2]

What's the view on this issue outside of Mayo? Is the rest of the Free State in favour?

[muppet]

Silky that is straight from Shell.com, are you serious?

Here is a report on the equally dubious indymedia.org

However it is the only media organisation in this country that will publish a negative story about Shell.

The thing about that story is that they missed, for me, what is the most damning information.

The Gárdaí, at Shell's request, broke onto the man's land and threw himself and his (uninvited) defenders off the land in no uncertain terms.

For the next 3 days at 8am a group of Gárdaí arrived at his house banging on his door, roaring into bullhorns calling his name and bizzarrely they recorded the whole thing on video. We can only assume they were trying to provoke a stupid reaction from him and would then present it as evidence of his belligerence.

This abuse ended after three days when he finally met the local Gárda chief (who had ordered the whole thing) and presented evidence to him of his ownership of all of the land involved. (The Gárdaí had claimed it was County Council land).

A short time later the man had a stroke.

I understand that Shell issued an apology in a national newspaper. I believe there was no comment from the Gárdaí.

My source is a member of the man's family. He is not a member of Shell to Sea and neither am I.   

[StoneWall]

They should be bloody dame happy to get a few jobs down that end of the county considering the state the economy is in. Too long Erris have been packing their young off to foreign shores.

Between Sinn Fein, Hippies, farmers and fishermen none of them can even agree what they want. Money is the root of all this. The locals were expecting to make a killing and didn't and are now up in arms.

Feck the crack pots, progress I say. Alot of them down there still think the world is flat.

[blast05]

farmers and fishermen none of them can even agree what they want. Money is the root of all this. The locals were expecting to make a killing and didn't and are now up in arms.

Funny then that Shell have given a large payment to the Erris offshores fishermens organisation which was distributed among most of the fishermen. The fishermen that are now protesting didn't accept the payment out of principle .....

[Leo]

farmers and fishermen none of them can even agree what they want. Money is the root of all this. The locals were expecting to make a killing and didn't and are now up in arms.

Funny then that Shell have given a large payment to the Erris offshores fishermens organisation which was distributed among most of the fishermen. The fishermen that are now protesting didn't accept the payment out of principle .....

The fishermen's organisatiuon  overwhelmingly accepted the payment that they agreed with Shell for compensation for thos ewho regularly fished the area for temporary interruption of their activities during pipe laying in  a small part of the fisheries field. Smaller payments were agreed for members who did not regularly fish that area.
Those fishermen who are now protesting ( a handfull only)  did not start fishing that area until after the deal was done and now they object to it beacuse really they want the same payment as the regular fishermen.
This is Ireland.

[Tony Baloney]

I'd be shocked to hear of a protest from an irishman when there was money to be had no matter what the issue. Those seven bedroom pink bungalows don't pay for themselves you know.

[Lar Naparka]

They should be bloody dame happy to get a few jobs down that end of the county considering the state the economy is in. Too long Erris have been packing their young off to foreign shores.

Between Sinn Fein, Hippies, farmers and fishermen none of them can even agree what they want. Money is the root of all this. The locals were expecting to make a killing and didn't and are now up in arms.

Feck the crack pots, progress I say. Alot of them down there still think the world is flat.

Good man, Stonewall, you're bringing a bit of ironic humour into the discussion.
You're dead right about the possibility of the world being flat for the shower of them down there- or at least they appear to think that their world could become very flat indeed for miles around the place!
I too would be quite concerned if I lived in a place where a high pressure pipeline passed within 70m of my house. I might be unhappier at the realisation that this gas would be in its raw state and was going to be pumped at a much higher pressure than is allowed anywhere else in the civilised world.
How much money do you think do you think would be sufficient for Rossport residents to relax and learn to co-exist with this time bomb in close proximity to themselves and their loved ones and possibly their descendants for generations to come?
The fact that the gas line would be overground and could present an attractive target for political extremists and head bangers of all flavours for many years into the future would hardly go away if money was indeed offered to the people concerned.
By the way, there is a strong suspicion in the area that Shell has discovered greater reserves at a point that lies roughly 40 miles northwest of Rossport. I cannot confirm that this is so but it would make sense of the fact that this part of Mayo was chosen to refine the gas and not a not a site nearer the Corrib Field. You could then forget about the projected life span of the Bellenboy operation being no more than 25 years.

[Gnevin]

They should be bloody dame happy to get a few jobs down that end of the county considering the state the economy is in. Too long Erris have been packing their young off to foreign shores.

Between Sinn Fein, Hippies, farmers and fishermen none of them can even agree what they want. Money is the root of all this. The locals were expecting to make a killing and didn't and are now up in arms.

Feck the crack pots, progress I say. Alot of them down there still think the world is flat.

Good man, Stonewall, you're bringing a bit of ironic humour into the discussion.
You're dead right about the possibility of the world being flat for the shower of them down there- or at least they appear to think that their world could become very flat indeed for miles around the place!
I too would be quite concerned if I lived in a place where a high pressure pipeline passed within 70m of my house. I might be unhappier at the realisation that this gas would be in its raw state and was going to be pumped at a much higher pressure than is allowed anywhere else in the civilised world.
How much money do you think do you think would be sufficient for Rossport residents to relax and learn to co-exist with this time bomb in close proximity to themselves and their loved ones and possibly their descendants for generations to come?
The fact that the gas line would be overground and could present an attractive target for political extremists and head bangers of all flavours for many years into the future would hardly go away if money was indeed offered to the people concerned.
By the way, there is a strong suspicion in the area that Shell has discovered greater reserves at a point that lies roughly 40 miles northwest of Rossport. I cannot confirm that this is so but it would make sense of the fact that this part of Mayo was chosen to refine the gas and not a not a site nearer the Corrib Field. You could then forget about the projected life span of the Bellenboy operation being no more than 25 years.

The minimum distance is now 150 metres and the pressure greatly reduced

[Lar Naparka]

The minimum distance is now 150 metres and the pressure greatly reduced

That's fair enough, Gn, and it does seem to make the possibility of a major disaster much less than what could have been the case.
However, my point has been that it wasn't the opportunity to make money that led the Rossport Five to spend 94 days in prison.  The five locals conducted themselves with dignity and restraint throughout the proceedings- at least I have not heard or seen a single word to the contrary.
The fact that the original construction proposals have now been altered is very welcome but the readiness for change does highlight one fact; the men who went to jail felt they had serious cause for concern to begin with.
It might be relevant to remember that a TNS/MRBI poll, commissioned by RTE in 2006, showed that two thirds of those surveyed throughout Mayo supported the stance taken by the Rossport Five, with one quarter disagreeing.. (The figures are quoted from an entry on Wikipedia.)

[blast05]

Those fishermen who are now protesting ( a handfull only)  did not start fishing that area until after the deal was done and now they object to it beacuse really they want the same payment as the regular fishermen.

One of the key protesting fishermen, Pat O'Donnell, known locally as "the chief", has been fishing the area all his life, currently holds a license for crab fishing in Broadhaven Bay and refused to sign an agreement between Shell and the Erris Fishermen's Association. Under Maritime Law as currently defined (according to O'Donnells solicitor who is actively pursuing Shell on this), Shell have no authority to remove his fishing pots and other gear, which are along the line of the proposed path for the pipes. Shell have quoted ministerial authority that would allow them to proceed but this holds no legal weight (again, according to O'Donnells solicitor) and in order for Shell to proceed with the pipe laying, sections of maritime law would need to be re-wrote.

[muppet]

Those fishermen who are now protesting ( a handfull only)  did not start fishing that area until after the deal was done and now they object to it beacuse really they want the same payment as the regular fishermen.

One of the key protesting fishermen, Pat O'Donnell, known locally as "the chief", has been fishing the area all his life, currently holds a license for crab fishing in Broadhaven Bay and refused to sign an agreement between Shell and the Erris Fishermen's Association. Under Maritime Law as currently defined (according to O'Donnells solicitor who is actively pursuing Shell on this), Shell have no authority to remove his fishing pots and other gear, which are along the line of the proposed path for the pipes. Shell have quoted ministerial authority that would allow them to proceed but this holds no legal weight (again, according to O'Donnells solicitor) and in order for Shell to proceed with the pipe laying, sections of maritime law would need to be re-wrote.

Shell have received no planning permission for the pipelaying as our government decided it wasn't needed. That is what Shell mean by ministerial authority, they give the boys a call and the government gives them what they want. I suspect the courts will find the government offside again, especially now that the uber right wing Minister for Justice is gone.

But despite his party's demise we have evolved into a situation where our so-called Green(back) party is helping an oil company get around planning laws. Only in Ireland.  

This however is only a side issue. Whether there was a refinery at sea, land or on the moon there would still be pipes coming ashore in Mayo. That aspect will happen.

[blast05]

It may be more than a side issue Muppet. If as you say the courts find the government offside then how can Shell be allowed bring the pipes through Broadhaven Bay, or more specifically a path through Broadhaven Bay that would allow them to continue through Scrudawn (spel?) Bay ? Of course the answer is to tweak maritime law but can the government really be seen to do that ??

[Gnevin]

Masked gang attack staff at Shell gas site



Friday April 24 2009

Local agitators have been blamed for masterminding the attack on the Corrib Gas landfall site in Co Mayo, which resulted in thousands of euro worth of damage to property.

Gardai are satisfied that a small group of locals were the main culprits in the well-planned assault in which up to 15 masked men, armed with iron bars, set upon a security guard while other protesters cheered. The masked gang used a mechanical digger to destroy 25 metres of fencing.

It is the latest in a series of recent attacks on the property of Shell personnel and gardai in a campaign described as highly co-ordinated.

A car belonging to a detective garda in Belmullet was damaged in one incident, while another car, owned by a Shell employee, had acid poured on it while it was parked in Salthill, Galway.

Gardai said they were satisfied those involved in the recent incidents included locals, although they said there were some outside influences from members of subversive-related groups and full-time protesters. A hard core of less than 40 activists are believed to be behind the campaign.

One security guard was struck on the arm with an iron bar as the gang stormed the main entrance shortly before midnight on Wednesday.

In a separate incident, Willie Corduff (55), a prominent Shell to Sea campaigner, was hospitalised after being dragged by security guards from beneath a truck. He was being treated last night at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar.

Gardai hope to interview Mr Corduff about the incident after he has been discharged from hospital.

Assaulted

The Shell to Sea group claimed Mr Corduff, who spent 94 days in prison in 2005 for his opposition to the onshore pipeline, had been "viciously" and "brutally" assaulted. He had intended to remain under the truck until he had evidence that Shell had authorisation for the work.

Most of the security staff were keeping watch on a large group of protesters when the masked gang confronted the three guards left at the entrance and forced their way in.

Chief Superintendent Tony McNamara, who is in charge of the Mayo garda division, told the Irish Independent last night that the takeover of the Shell compound had been organised with almost military precision.

He called on people to "stand back from the brink" and appealed to them to engage with the forum set up by the Government to examine issues of concern.

He said consultations had taken place with the local planning authority and the gardai were satisfied that Shell were entitled to carry out the work they had begun at Glengad.

Energy Minister Eamon Ryan last night described the attack as a "source of real concern".

Expressing his anxiety, he warned: "If we go over into a form of violent process, it leads us down a path that is of no benefit to anyone."

- Tom Brady and om Shiel

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/masked-gang-attack-staff-at-shell-gas-site-1718533.html