Irish Electricians return to Work

Thousands of Irish electricians have returned to their work this morning after the Labour Court recommended that they should receive a 4.9% pay rise.

The Technical, Engineering & Electrical Union (TEEU), which represents most of the electricians, suspended its week-long strike after holding an executive meeting at their head office in Dublin yesterday.

Last Monday morning at 5.30am the strike began with TEEU pickets (photo left) being placed at hundreds of construction sites all across the country. (see my entry of July 6th)
The industrial action, which was the first major strike in Ireland in years, disrupted the work on many buildings, including landmark projects such as Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport and the new national Football and Rugby stadium on Dublin's Lansdowne Road. And - to the delight of the local Shell to Sea protest group - there were TEEU pickets also at the controversial Shell gas refinery at Bellanaboy in northern Co. Mayo.

There was strong support for the strike from almost all Irish electricians, and also a predominantly positive reaction to it from the media and the general population. Only the leaders of employers' organisations, such as former PD party president and junior minister Tom Parlon (photo right), who became the Director General of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) only weeks after he lost his seat in the Dáil (and with it his ministerial job) in the 2007 general election, were strongly opposed to the electricians' strike. Tom Parlon used the most offensive language of all the industry leaders, calling the TEEU "a bunch of lunatics" in an interview with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1.

Now that the Labour Court has spoken, the dispute should be settled. But the employers, whose attempt to con the electricians out of an agreed deal and impose a 10% pay cut on top of it, have not yet responded to the Labour Court recommendation. It will be their decision if normality is to return to the industry, or if there will be more industrial action.

The TEEU has warned that it will consider reintroducing the strike if employers do not accept the pay rise. And in my opinion they are quite right to keep this option open. We have seen what the likes of Tom Parlon have done to the country, and now they want to do even more damage by reducing workers' pay, while they themselves go home with large salaries each month. There is already a deep divide between rich and poor in Ireland, and if we let the employers make this rift even wider, all we will get in return is more unemployment and considerable social unrest.

The Emerald Islander

Over 10,000 Irish Electricians on Strike

Today more than 10,000 Irish electricians have followed a call from the Technical, Engineering & Electrical Union (TEEU) and went on strike in a dispute over pay.
The action follows the collapse of talks at the Labour Relations Commission over the weekend.

At 5.30am this morning pickets have been placed on hundreds of construction sites around the country, including some of the most high-profile projects such Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport, the Lansdowne Road stadium in Dublin and the Corrib gas pipeline in Co. Mayo.
The TEEU says that the drivers of many trucks have refused to cross the picket lines.

About 200 TEEU members are also picketing the building site of the large Shell gas refinery complex at Bellanaboy, Co. Mayo (right), which has seen many demonstrations in the ongoing dispute over the Corrib gas project for more than seven years.
(for details see my entries of April 28th, July 24th, September 14th, 19th & 24th, November 7th, 2008 and May 10th, 2009)

Electricians say they are looking for an 11% increase in pay, which is due to them since the peak of the economic boom four years ago.
The employers argue that this claim is "unrealistic in the current economic climate" and demand a 10% pay cut from the electricians.

A spokesman for the TEEU explained this morning that the combined affect of the employers' recent demands and their persistent refusal to honour the long agreed 11% pay rise would mean a "de facto pay cut of 21% for electricians".
"This would put an unacceptable burden on Ireland's electricians", he added, "more than twice as much as the 10% pension levy imposed on civil servants."

There have been several efforts to avoid a strike in recent weeks, involving the Labour Court and the Labour Relations Commission. But since both sides stuck firmly to their positions, no compromise was found and the TEEU proceeded with the strike action it had threatened for some time.

Besides the TEEU, which represents the majority of the country's electricians and engineers, Ireland's largest trade union SIPTU is backing the strikers as well.
In a statement SIPTU's general president Jack O'Connor (left) said that "the electricians must be supported by workers, because the employers' objective of cutting pay reflects the aim of the wealthy to protect their assets and privileged positions at the expense of the working people".

In an already turbulent and recession-hit economy, this strike - the first major industrial action in Ireland for a long time - will certainly increase tensions in employer-union relations. It will also put further pressure on the already hapless and beleaguered government, which has so far kept quiet on the issue in public, but sides clearly with the employers behind the scenes.

It can be expected that both sides will watch carefully how the strike is progressing and what the public reactions will be.
If participation stays as high as it is on day one and there is no substantial public outcry against it, it is only a question of time when the employers will return to the negotiating table with an improved offer. From today's perspective the TEEU and their members seem to be clearly in the stronger position.

The Emerald Islander

More Jobs Cuts in Waterford and Co. Mayo

It has become known this evening that 200 jobs will soon be lost in two different companies, one based in Waterford, and the other in Co. Mayo.

The US-owned multi-national eye care products manufacturer Bausch & Lomb is expected to announce tomorrow morning that 120 people are to be made redundant at its large plant in Waterford (photo), where it is one of the main employers.

This will bring the workforce at the factory to below 1100, nearly 700 people less than were employed there a few years ago.
While I am writing this, talks are continuing tonight at the factory between trade unions and management representatives.

The company has already shed 195 (of its then 1400) jobs - mostly on a 'voluntary' basis - in March of this year. (see my entry of March 4th)

Meanwhile in Co. Mayo, Eurotel Marketing Ltd. has said that 80 workers will lose their jobs with the closure of a major call centre in Belmullet.

Quality of East Coast Beaches "disappointing"

The quality of Ireland's east coast bathing water has deteriorated significantly last year, with a doubling of the number of beaches failing to provide 'minimum mandatory standards'.

A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that even though beaches on Ireland's west coast performed well, the east coast experienced major difficulties, particularly around Dublin.

While the EPA points out that Ireland's bathing waters "remain of a high quality", the sad fact is that more than 20% of them failed to pass two EU quality tests.

Nine bathing areas - out of a total of 131 tested - were found to have failed even the most basic 'minimum mandatory standards'.

Four of the bathing areas were identified in just one local authority area - Fingal County (which is part of the Greater Dublin area).
They are the beaches of Balbriggan, Loughshinny, Malahide and Portrane.

Of the 14 beaches within the Dublin local authority areas, only three were found to have passed both EU mandatory values and the stricter analysis known as 'EU guide values'.

"Poor weather conditions during last summer are partly responsible", explains Dr. Michael Lehane of the EPA. But he describes the test results as "disappointing", and adds that "unless all necessary actions are undertaken", the problems will reoccur.

As things are right now - with our economy in recession, the whole country in turmoil, our incompetent government in chaos, and money being short everywhere - it is rather unlikely that much attention will be paid to the specific conditions of our beaches. Which means that probably even more of them will fail the EU tests next year.

While the east coast, and in particular the Dublin Bay area, are getting the black mark, Ireland's west coast appears to be in good condition.
All of Co. Donegal's 19 official beach areas, as well as the 15 beaches each in Counties Mayo and Kerry, passed both EU tests.

So, if it is a beach holiday you have in mind for this summer, forget the east coast and go bathing in the West.

The Emerald Islander

Seven Anti-Shell Protesters arrested in Glengad

Seven local men, aged from late teens to mid-forties, have been arrested by Gardaí during an organised protest at the heavily fortified Shell compound in Glengad, Co. Mayo yesterday (photo left).

They were taken to the nearby Garda Station at Ballina and kept there overnight. Today it was announced that they all have been charged with a number of "public order offences" and will appear before a Judge at the local District Court on Wednesday.

The campaign group Shell to Sea, which is opposing the Corrib Offshore Pipeline for more than seven years, had planned to dismantle some of the metal fencing (photo right) surrounding the Shell compound, which they claim was erected illegally in recent weeks.

In Erris, Co. Mayo, local activists of the group had in fact declared May 9th, 2009 a "National Day of Action" and sent out a call for supporters to come and join them at 6 pm outside the occupation forces' HQ compound at Glengad. Many came and formed a large protest and support group, while some individuals attempted to work on the metal barrier, which they want to see removed.

Demonstrators criticised the strong Garda (police) presence around Glengad, which was sent there in support of the 'Blue & Limes', hired thugs Shell employs at the compound as private 'security guards'.

Garda Inspector John Ferris declared that the amount of policemen he had been allocated was chosen "on the basis of the threat posed by the demonstrators".

This has been the rolling argument of the government and the Garda Síochána (Ireland's police) ever since the local residents began their protest more than seven years ago.
But the vast majority of the protesters are peaceful and have no intention to escalate the situation. Many of them are elderly and middle-aged people who have lived and worked in the area all their lives.
Occasionally there has been some direct action by activists, but none of it would justify the exceptionally large Garda presence. (At times the government has even despatched two of the eight patrol vessels of the Irish Naval Service to the area, which is not only out of all proportion, but also a colossal waste of money. Our Naval Service is a very small force and over-stretched with its normal duties already.)

Meanwhile Shell EP Ireland said that "all necessary consents have been given for the laying of the Corrib Offshore Pipeline in 2009, including the associated works around Glengad".

But local residents, most of which are active members of the Shell to Sea movement, dispute this vigorously.

Shell to Sea spokesman Terence Conway says that yesterday's demonstration was peaceful and "about sending a message to the government, highlighting the local community's opposition to the dangerous pipeline coming ashore".

As neither Shell nor the Irish government are showing any signs of understanding or willingness to compromise, the protest of the Shell to Sea movement will continue. Local residents have pointed out repeatedly that for them this is - literally - "a matter of life or death" and that they will not back down.

The Emerald Islander

New Initiative to settle the Corrib Gas Dispute

The Irish government has launched a new initiative, which has the task to try breaking the deadlock in the long-running Corrib gas pipeline dispute in Co. Mayo.

A community forum for development in the area is to be established and will be chaired by the former secretary of the Department of Justice, Joe Brosnan.

Mr. Brosnan is a member of the Independent Monitoring Commission for Northern Ireland and vice chairman of the Institute for European Affairs in Dublin.

Launching the initiative, Eamon Ryan (right), the Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, said the government had "a duty to protect the rights of all its citizens, including the local community, as well as those of Shell".

His colleague in Cabinet, Minister for Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon Ó Cuív (left), said that the forum would "seek to create common ground and to mediate differences constructively".

Work on laying the Corrib gas pipeline is currently suspended, but is due to recommence next year.
Meanwhile construction work on the multi-million Euro gas refinery site at Bellanaboy in the north of Co. Mayo is continuing.

The local communities in the north-west of Co. Mayo have been protesting against the scheme since its inception in 2002. They have formed the very poplar 'Shell to Sea' campaign and - in the face of constant intimidation by Shell and the government - have been objecting to the site of the gas refinery and the route of the onshore pipeline. (see my entries of April 28th, July 24th, September 14th, 19th and 24th)

Three years ago, veteran trade unionist Peter Cassells tried unsuccessfully to broker a deal between Shell Ireland and its opponents.

Now ministers Ryan and Ó Cuív, the latter a grandson of the former President and Taoiseach Eamon de Valera, are to invite all sides in the dispute to take part in new talks to try to break the deadlock.
It is understood they intend to take a more hands-on approach to trying to find an agreement which would see gas from the Corrib field being brought ashore.

It is now estimated that the field, 80 km off the Mayo coast, has deposits worth over € 9 billion. Sadly, under the current contractual agreement with Shell, Ireland will not see one Cent of this money and will have to buy its own gas back from Shell at world market prices. When the first negotiations took place, Fianna Fáil Minister Ray Burke - who was later tried for corruption, convicted and sent to prison - gave our national reserves of natural gas to Shell for free! This is a scandal in itself, and the matter should be revisited and re-negotiated. On the grounds of Burke's conviction for corruption they would have a good reason to do so.

Shell says that it is not prepared to move the now constructed € 300 million refinery (see photo right), located at Bellanaboy, Co. Mayo.

But the local residents and their very active 'Shell to Sea' campaign say they still have serious health and safety concerns about it and the gas pipeline.
So one wonders what new proposals to solve the problem will be made by the two Eamons from the Cabinet.
I will follow developments closely and continue to report on the matter in this weblog.

The Emerald Islander

Erin Brockovich supports Shell to Sea

Erin Brockovich (left), the American campaigner whose work was portrayed in an Oscar-winning film, has urged the international oil giant Shell to reroute its controversial gas pipeline in the west of Ireland.

The former legal clerk, who famously took on a massive US power company accused of toxic leaks, gave her whole-hearted support to the campaigners opposing the development in north Co. Mayo.

"I completely understand their concerns," she said in Dublin. "I deal with issues in the United States where pipelines have leaked and created health problems. That is always a family's concern. They should be concerned and I'm glad that they are."

The Shell to Sea campaign opposes Shell's attempts to lay a pipeline which will transport untreated and odourless gas from the Corrib offshore gas field to an inland refinery because of health and environmental fears. (for details see my entries of July 24th, September 14th and September 19th)

Miss Brockovich, who is in Ireland to promote the benefits of eating organic food, stated that "the pipeline must be relocated if it affects local residents' health or property".
"There is no compromise when it comes to health and safety, and Shell should respect that," she added.

The now famous activist, who was played by actress Julia Roberts in the award-winning film that carries her name, won a multi-million Dollar legal battle against the large US energy firm PG & E for families affected by contaminated water in a Californian town.

She said that a compromise could be reached between the campaigners and Shell after discussing the matter with John Gormley (right), the Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government and leader of Ireland's Green Party.

The Emerald Islander

80 Africans to be resettled in Co. Mayo

Irish government officials are travelling to Tanzania today to finalise plans for the resettlement of 80 African refugees to Ireland.

All the refugees had fled the civil conflict in the 'Democratic Republic of Congo' (DRC) - a country that does, despite its large size, only really exist on paper and maps - and reached the north-west of Tanzania, where they have been living in camps for some time.

An international agreement, brokered by the United Nations, has allocated various numbers of those refugees to several European countries, and Ireland agreed to take 80.

They are expected to arrive here in about six months' time and will be settled in Co. Mayo, where a six-week integration programme is planned to help them to adjust to their new living conditions. There might be first of all a language problem, as the predominant language spoken in the DRC - a former Belgian colony - is French and not English. There are also many different tribal languages.

Last year, about 100 ethnic Burmese people (who would be familiar with English) were successfully resettled in Co. Mayo and are reported to be integrating well.

As much as I support these programmes to help true refugees, who need our help and support, I also notice a certain contrast in attitude towards different kinds of people in Co. Mayo. While the government provides everything possible for the foreigners that are resettled in this rural county in the west of Ireland, the local Irish population has been treated with contempt for meanwhile eight years and is subjected to massive hostility by the state, its organs - including the Garda Siochana (Ireland's police force) - and Shell, a private foreign company that has been given the right to exploit our natural gas reserves for free.

I think the local people in Co. Mayo will take notice of that and give the government parties a suitable answer in the upcoming local elections, which will take place in the summer of next year.

The Emerald Islander

Maura Harrington ends her Hunger Strike

Maura Harrington (right), Principal of Inver Primary School near Broadhaven Bay in Co. Mayo, has ended a ten-day-long hunger strike in strong protest against Shell's attempt to lay the Corrib gas pipeline.

After receiving the written confirmation - as she had demanded - that the Solitaire, the world's largest commercial pipe-laying ship, has left Irish territorial waters, the meanwhile 55-year-old teacher and 'Shell to Sea' campaigner (who did not interrupt her hunger strike for her birthday) is satisfied that there is - for the time being - no active attempt to construct the pipeline from the mainland to the offshore gas field.
So at 3 pm this afternoon she ended her hunger strike, which began more than ten days ago when the Solitaire arrived in Broadhaven Bay, ready to start work on the pipeline. (for more details see my entry from September 14th)

Shell, who are developing the Corrib gas field off the coast of Co. Mayo, has subcontracted the Swiss-based international engineering and maritime service company All Seas, who operates the Solitaire (left), to build the pipeline from the coast to the offshore production platform.

But from the moment the huge ship arrived in Broadhaven Bay, the 'Shell to Sea' campaign, who has been fighting peacefully, but with growing anger, against the project for meanwhile eight years, started a new demonstration, demanding the withdrawal of the Solitaire from Irish waters.

Maura Harrington's hunger strike was the key element of this latest protest, and the strongest statement of discontent so far used by the 'Shell to Sea' campaign.

I hope that Maura is well and has not incurred any medical complications from her admirable action. She was certainly in good spirit this afternoon, when she ended her hunger strike and made the following statement:

I thank Divine Grace and the support of decent people everywhere that the Solitaire has left Irish territorial waters.
The courage of 'the Chief', Pat O'Donnell and his son Jonathan, who fought to uphold their rights at sea, and the tenacity of local people, together with national and international support, in their quest for justice is a testament to what is best in all of us.
Local people have borne the brunt of Shell's arrogance and government neglect for the past eight years. Yet Corrib remains a national issue because the government continues to put the profits of Shell before the needs of the Irish people.
Any alternative location for the Corrib gas infrastructure will not build new schools, new hospitals or contribute to the National Pension Fund.
Until we, the People, benefit from what is rightfully ours, any attempt to extricate Shell and the government from the mess that is Corrib remains doomed to failure.
I believe that the Shell to Sea campaign gives hope to all who strive for an Ireland that cherishes all its people equally and upholds values that don't carry a price tag.

Yesterday afternoon Shell announced that the Solitaire, which had been moored in the port of Killybegs in Co. Donegal for the whole ten days of Maura Harrington's hunger strike, will "sail to a deep water port in the UK to undergo repairs".
Which port the ship is heading for was not said, presumably to avoid further protests and demonstrations there. (Meanwhile the 'Shell to Sea' campaign has a lot of support outside of Ireland as well, and among the most prominent Bristish supporters is the film director Ken Loach, best known here for his recent film The Wind that shakes the Barley.)

The ship had left Broadhaven Bay again shortly after Maura Harrington began her hunger strike - after apparently suffering some damage to its laying equipment - and sailed to Killybegs.

So the huge detachment of Gardai - on land and in numerous boats at sea - which was deployed for the protection of the ship and its operation, was another waste of taxpayers' money, just as the two patrol vessels (a quarter of the whole Irish Naval Service) sent there by the Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea to intimidate the residents of Co. Mayo.

Some of the local people also reported apparent sightings of a British (nuclear) submarine in the area, but there is no positive confirmation for it. Sending a nuclear submarine into the territorial waters of a friendly neutral country is not done usually or easily. Decisions on the highest level - political as well as naval - would have to be involved.
It is nevertheless possible, as Britain is rather good at breaking rules, though as a former naval officer I have some doubts about this particular point. Nowadays the Royal Navy has only nine fleet submarine (in addition to her four strategic SSBNs, which carry intercontinental missiles with nuclear warheads) and they are usually stretched as it is to fulfill all required military operations. But then again, many things are possible, if a government gives the orders for it.

I am relieved tonight that Maura Harrington has survived her hunger strike and hope she will be able to sleep well in her bed, after spending ten days locked inside her car, parked at the gate of the Shell compound at Glengad.
I salute her for her courage and determination, and I wish her and her fellow campaigners well.

Even though the whole process is going on for eight years and fairly advanced by now, it is not too late to make changes and do the right thing, for Co. Mayo and the whole of Ireland. That, however, is in the hands of our government, which has so far staunchly sided with Shell and sent hundreds of Gardai (policemen) and even warships against the local population.
Such actions one would expect from some tin-pot dictator in South America or Africa, but not from an Irish government that claims to be lawful and democratic.

I will have to write more about this in due course, but for now I close this piece with a sigh of relieve and thanks to everyone who supported Maura Harrington, in one way or another. (I noticed that at least one TD whom I asked for help did give his support and urged Shell to withdraw the Solitaire.)

May the Sun rise in the morning and shine warmly on the Emerald Isle, with a special smile on Co. Mayo and in particular on Maura Harrington!

The Emerald Islander

Mayo Teacher on Hunger Strike against Shell

The long-running stand-off between local residents of northern Co. Mayo on one side, and the unholy alliance of multi-national energy giant Shell and the Irish state on the other, has reached a new dimension.

With the begin of pipeline laying between the land station and the Corrib offshore gas field imminent, a local teacher and prominent member of the 'Shell to Sea' campaign has gone on hunger strike as a "last step of protest".

Maura Harrington (photo left), Principal of Inver Primary School, situated very close to Broadhaven Bay, has enough of the broken promises, outright lies and the constant bullying of the local population by Shell, their Blue & Limes 'security guards' and their accomplices in the Irish government.

The 54-year-old woman from Erris, who has lived in the area all her life and is married to another member of the 'Shell to Sea' campaign, has gone on hunger strike to stop the construction of the gas pipeline and to draw attention to the way the countryside - including nature reserves - and the tightly knit rural community of northern Mayo are destroyed in order to give Shell what they want, regardless what the people think of it.

Maura Harrington began her hunger strike on Wednesday (September 10th), the day the world's largest pipelaying ship, the Solitaire (pictured right) arrived in Broadhaven Bay, ready to start laying the pipeline. But work never got started that day and after a few hours in the bay, the massive vessel withdrew and sailed away to the port of Killybegs in Co. Donegal.

As reason for that Shell spokesman John Egan claimed that they had discovered "some damage to the ship's equipment" which had to be assessed and repaired in a port. No-one knows what kind of damage was found, and Egan did not say (or know) anything about it either. And when pressed for more information, Egan at least confirmed that "the damage was not caused by any of the protesters" who had assembled at Glengad or moved around Broadhaven Bay in boats and small fishing vessels.
From Killybegs I hear that so far nothing was observed that looked like repair work of laying equipment on the Solitaire. Which leads me - and others - to the conclusion that the withdrawl of the ship was nothing but a tactical move by Shell, in order to ease the tension.

Being faced with a hunger strike is a serious challenge, even for a company as huge and powerful as Shell. And anyone who has even the slightest bit of knowledge of Irish history knows that the death of a political protester on hunger strike can create massive outrage in Ireland. Even today, 27 years after his death in a British prison in the North, hunger striker Bobby Sands is still an Irish hero and remembered with strong emotions by the people.
So it is more than likely that Shell managers would rather risk a delay in constructing their gas pipeline than having the life of a gentle and popular Irish teacher on their conscience.

But withdrawing the Solitaire from Broadhaven Bay is only one small step backwards for Shell and not enough for Maura Harrington. As I write this, she is on day 5 of her hunger strike, still locked inside her car, which is parked outside the gate of the Shell compound at Glengad. And she is determined to continue, with only two possibilities to end it: Either the Solitaire leaves Irish territorial waters, or her death.

Many local residents, as well as people all over Ireland and sympathisers abroad are meanwhile deeply concerned for her health. She is a slim, petite and fragile person, whose weight at the begin of the hunger strike was (according to her own statement) only 6 stone 9 lbs. She also suffers from calcified TB since 1980, and in one of two open letters she sent to Shell and to the Master of the Solitaire, Captain Simon van der Plicht, she made it absolutely clear that she is deadly serious and at the end of her tether. She wrote:

Given my age, weight (and) medical history ... my death will take place relatively quickly but not painlessly. The toll extracted by eight years of activism to the Shell dictated, State facilitated Corrib Project is a not insignificant factor in hastening my death.
I place my Life or Death in the hands of the master of the Solitaire, Mr Simon van der Plicht. Be under no illusion that this is an idle threat. I will begin my Hunger Strike, as stated, if and when the Solitaire approaches Broadhaven Bay - it will end in one of two ways.
1. On written confirmation by Mr van der Plicht that the Solitaire is outside Irish territorial waters.
2. My Death.

Since the 1980s Ireland has not seen such a drastic form of political protest and determination. It is clear to everyone that Maura Harrington is serious and would rather be dead than see her community and local landscape polluted and ruined forever by the Corrib Gas Project.

Perhaps it needed Maura Harrington and her determination to wake up all those who have so far taken little notice of the situation in the north of Co. Mayo. My thoughts are with her and I wish her well, hoping she will succeed with her protest and - most importantly - survive it.

But that is not enough. I also urge the government - especially Eamon Ryan (photo left), Minister for Energy & Natural Resources, and John Gormley (photo right), Minister for Environment, Heritage & Local Government - to do everything in their power to safe the life of Maura Harrington and to bring the long and painful suffering of the community in the north of Co. Mayo to an end.
Both ministers are members of the Green Party, and John Gormley is their leader. For many years in opposition they did argue for the rights of ordinary people, for a better system, a cleaner environment and for the sensible and sustainable use of energy.
Now that they are part of the government, they can show how serious they are when it comes to the real matters of the people, energy and the environment.

So far both ministers have stayed widely aloof with regards to the Corrib Project, and that alone is scandalous. But it is not too late. If there is a will, the government can change the agreements made with Shell and actually do what they have sworn to do when they spoke the oath of office: to defend and protect the Constitution and the country, and to serve the people of Ireland to the best of their abilities.

I further urge the Chairman, Chief Executive and managers of Shell to finally accept that they can never create and run a large project against the clear - and often expressed - will of the local people. They can still change the structure of the project and put their production facilities out to sea. That is all the local residents and the 'Shell to Sea' campaign demand, and with very good reasons.

Both politicians and business people make decisions every day. Many of them are important and have often long-lasting consequences. All it requires to get things right is a few good people with a working brain and common sense. I still believe that such people exist, in the government as well as inside Shell. Should I be wrong...?

The way the Corrib Gas Project has been planned and executed so far is a shambles, and the area in northern Co. Mayo looks more and more like a war zone. The government has deployed hundreds of Gardai to the area - which are now missing in Dublin, Limerick and other parts of the country where crime is rampant and getting out of hand - and meanwhile even the most law-abiding people see their own police as a hostile force of occupation. The Blue & Limes, a private army hired by Shell, is even worse. The so-called 'security guards' are nothing but thugs whose purpose is to intimidate, harass and bully the legitimate local residents. (for details see my entry of July 24th)
Not enough with that, the government has also deployed two of the country's eight naval vessels to Broadhaven Bay. I would like to know how it can be justified to send 25% of the nation's Naval Service to guard and protect the interests of a foreign private company and almost wage a civil war against the local residents, their own people, whose taxes pay for their existence.

It is truly bizarre, and if it were not so extremely serious, one could mistake it for a practical joke and laugh out loud. But the people of Rossport, Glengad and around Broadhaven Bay don't laugh anymore, not for a long time. Their area has been taken over by what they see as alien forces, it is almost like occupied territory in a war. There are frequent road blocks and check points, beaches are closed off and normal life is disrupted almost daily. There are intimidating controls of perfectly normal civilian residents who do nothing but living their life and going about their lawful business. And there are Gardai everywhere, on land and on the water (with up to 30 boats).
From time to time the area also experiences a technological 'blackout', with internet access of all residents being cut off for several hours. Campaigners see this as a deliberate attempt to prevent their message going out to the rest of Ireland and the world.

"We are being isolated here in Mayo," one protester said angrily, "geographically, physically and now also with regards to communication. There is not much difference between Russian troops in Georgia and Shell in Mayo."

Local residents have also observed unidentified individuals, wearing green raincoats and behaving in a strange and sinister way. Who are they? Gardai in civilian clothes? Special Branch? Private investigators? Or maybe even British agents from MI-5 or MI-6, as some residents of Co. Mayo have suggested... After all, Shell is an Anglo-Dutch company, and Britain has always had a very protective behaviour when it comes to energy interests.

Last Wednesday, the day Maura Harrington began her hunger strike, Gardai in boats boarded a small local fishing boat that was trying to control its pots on the bottom of the sea. The two fishermen on board were arrested for an apparent 'public order offence' and escorted to port.
Alright, the boat came close to the Solitaire, but it did not show any hostile action, nor had the fishermen anything more in mind than to protect their gear and their income.

Have we gone that far down the road to dictatorship already that fishing in local coastal waters is a 'public order offence'?
Not surprisingly, the fishermen - as well as eight people arrested on land - were released without charge after being held and interrogated for a few hours at Belmullet Garda station. They lost a day's work and income, and that hurts, especially in the current economic recession.

At the same time Shell rakes in profits of € 375 million a week, thanks to the high prices for oil, gas and other energy. Changing the Corrib Gas Project in the way the local people demand would cost an estimated € 360 million. So less than a week's profit would pay for a production facility everyone would accept and be happy with. And Shell would not lose anything, as they still have the gas and the right to work with it. The measure would pacify and stabilise the area, and no longer would Shell feel a need for large amounts of Blue & Lime thugs (which cost money every day as well). It would truly be a win-win situation.

I sincerely hope that people on the senior level of Shell's management will read this article and start using their brains, souls and hearts to improve their production, diffuse the tense situation in Co. Mayo and - first of all - save the life of Maura Harrington.

In case Shell remains stubborn and insensible, I have another appeal to make, and this one to everyone around the world, everyone who reads my weblog, regardless where they are.
Please do no longer buy any of Shell's products! Avoid or boycott their petrol stations, everywhere, in every country they operate! (Because what happens to Co. Mayo today could happen to anyone anywhere tomorrow...)
There are other oil and energy companies, and many other petrol stations. If you care for Ireland, the environment and right now especially for the life of a gentle, kind and very committed Irish teacher named Maura Harrington, then please stop giving Shell any of your business and money. Some years ago a similar boycott of Shell - then over their attempt to dump the Brent Spa platform into the sea - was so successful that the company felt the people's anger in its pockets. Eventually the managers gave up their original plans and disposed of the platform in an environmentally friendly way.

People have a lot of power, but seldom do we realise how much we actually have. Try to use your power, and use it for good: To safe northern Mayo, to prevent thugs from ruling the world, and - before any other task - to save the life of Maura Harrington, today on the fifth day of her hunger strike!

The Emerald Islander

The Blue & Limes strike again

The war between the international oil and gas company Shell and the people of northern Mayo continues steadily, even though most of Ireland's media seem to have lost interest.

At about 8 o'clock this morning more than 40 Gardaí (Irish policemen), who are now stationed inside the Shell compound in northern Mayo, and 70 uniformed thugs of Shell's specialist 'security' unit forced members of the local community from a section of Glengad Beach, so that Shell could erect 10 feet high fencing about 40 feet down onto the beach.

Using the Public Order Act, Garda Superintendent John Gilligan ordered the about 30 assembled people to leave the area. Then Gardaí forcibly removed some of the protesters.

Members of the local community had been gathering on the beach from before 4 a.m., because they feared that Shell would begin work early, as they had done the previous morning, when they tore down the cliff-face to create a causeway down to the beach.

Yesterday there was only Shell 'security' personnel present, which prevented the locals from walking on sections of their public beach. But today the tormented residents experienced a joint Shell & Garda operation. It was very evident who was in charge, as Shell managers told Gardaí where to stand and what to do. And the senior Gardaí were liaising closely with the leaders of the Shell 'security' force.

It all started with one of the most surreal spectacles ever seen in County Mayo: Over a hundred Shell 'security' men and Gardaí - all clad in dark blue and wearing lime-yellow high visibility vests - marched down the causeway in mixed order and streamed out of a narrow gate in the fencing.
Then they formed a cordon around the area where they were planning to put up the fencing. That done, the Gardaí came forward and forcibly removed the people who were caught inside the 'security' ring.

There was little the group of around 30 protesters could do but stand and watch as the fencing was erected down to the water’s edge. It is presumed that Shell will seek to extend the fencing further. But however far it extends, it already cuts the beach in two, which of course means that beach goers do no longer have their right of way through the public beach.

Shell to Sea campaigner Terence Conway said: "The Gardaí have always spoken about keeping the roads open for the public and Shell alike. However, today they are willing to close off a public beach, so that Shell can fence it off".

The legality of the consents given is still an issue of major concern to the people of County Mayo, as it is still unclear what permissions Shell have received and for what exact work.

While Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan (Green Party, right) has claimed that it was "just an oversight" that the latest authorisations for the project were not published (as they should have been), this clouding of what consents have been granted has been a characteristic of the whole Corrib Gas Project right from the start.

Twelve residents, who had staged a peaceful protest to question the authorisations, were arrested by Gardaí on Tuesday, but later released without charge.

P. J. Moran, one of the twelve, said he would "never have participated in the protest" if he had known about the authorisations.

Dr. Mark Garavan, former spokesman for the Rossport Five, was also critical of the dearth of information.
"All information should be made clear, and the fact that this work on Glengad relates to consents originally approved before the 2003 Pollathomas landslide also needs to be questioned," he said.

Andy Wilson of the Mayo branch of the Green Party said the work at Glengad in advance of approval for the pipeline made "a complete mockery" of the planning process.
Speaking in a personal capacity, he called on Minister Ryan to support the recommendations of the recent Green Party national council motion, which called for the establishment of an independent review body to examine alternative refinery sites in northern Mayo.

Pobal Chill Chomáin, a local community group, has called on the two Green Party Ministers (John Gormley and Eamon Ryan) to "cease all civil engineering works by Shell E&P Ireland in the Pollathomas and Glengad area until a rigorous geological survey and examination is conducted".

On its website the Green Party claims that it stands for "open government" and "more decision-making at community level". But the reality is quite different and the Green Ministers' contribution is abysmal. They are accomplices to the attempts of hiding information from the affected community, and they are not listening and respecting the local opposition to the project. It seems that the Departments of Environment and Energy - both headed by a Minister from the Green Party - only give out information to journalists and ignore any other requests for information, especially if they come from the local residents of the effected area.

Shell is now attempting to construct the first 200 metres of the onshore section of the gas pipeline, without going through planning permission at all. Although the remaining 9.2 km of the onshore pipeline is presently before An Bord Pleanala (Ireland's national planning authority), this first 200 metres are due to be laid already, before a decision on the rest of the onshore section has been made.

"The fact is that this first onshore section is the most dangerous part of the whole project," says Terence Conway. "The pressure could be as high as 345 bar, and still it will not have gone through any planning process if it is constructed."

Further destruction of the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) has continued unabated, even under the eyes of the National Parks & Wildlife ranger, who monitored the local sand martin colony from inside the Shell compound yesterday. (Sand martins are a protected bird species, nesting in the area.)

It is also significant that RTE news bulletins and reports of the ongoing conflict between Shell and the residents of northern Mayo are distorted and fail to mention the regular intimidation of the local people by Shell 'security' personnel and Gardaí.
However, some RTE programmes, such as "Today with Pat Kenny" (currently presented by Miles Dungan) did highlight aspects of the intimidation. The repeated filming of local people - including children - who were walking on the beach or swimming in the sea by Shell 'security' personnel was discussed and publicly condemned on the programme only a few days ago.

A Shell spokesman, trying to downplay these clearly illegal incidents, was neither convincing nor believable and one has to ask what kind of people are willing to distort the truth in public as long as they are paid well enough by Shell...

County Mayo was the scene of the first boycott (against the cruel land agent Capt. Boycott), and ever since the word is used in the way we know it now. Perhaps it is time for the people of Mayo to think of this option again. After all, the employees of Shell and the hired 'security' thugs have to live, eat and shop somewhere and are surely known by now to the local community...

There is another reminiscence from the past that comes to my mind when I look at the pictures of this morning's spectacle and listen to the reports of the Mayo people.
Ninety years ago large groups of hired thugs were brought into Ireland by Winston Churchill, in order to intimidate, harass and torment the native population. Wearing mixed outfits, cobbled together from brown items of the British Army field garb and the dark uniform of the Royal Irish Constabulary, their strange appearance gave them the name "Black & Tans".

Today's hired thugs, sent into Mayo to intimidate the local people, wear lime-yellow vests over dark blue outfits, which looks even more ridiculous than the uniform of the "Black & Tans". They might not (yet) be as ruthless and brutal as the feared British thugs were ninety years ago, but for me they have clearly inherited their dishonest mantle and tradition. Officially they are called 'security guards', but as they neither provide or enhance security, nor have the status of guards, I think we should call them the "Blue & Limes" and treat them with the same disgust that our ancestors had for the "Black & Tans".

The Emerald Islander

Light Aircraft crashed in Co. Mayo

A small private aeroplane has crashed in County Mayo yesterday evening.
The single-engine Beech 77 with two men on board came down in a field in Kilmovee, Co. Mayo.
One man was pronounced dead at the scene. Gardaí have named him as Markus Casey from Salthill, Co. Galway. The second man on board was seriously injured and has been taken to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar.

The two-seater light aircraft had earlier left Ireland West Airport at Knock and was bound for Weston Airport in Dublin. Shortly after take-off the pilot then tried to turn back and make an emergency landing at Knock, but failed to reach the airport.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the aircraft suffered a technical failure. The wreckage of the plane is being removed to Gormanstown, Co. Meath for a more detailed examination by the Air Accident Investigation Unit.

The Emerald Islander

Mayo People urge Shell to relocate Refinery

Residents opposed to the building of a controversial gas refinery near their homes in the north of Co. Mayo made a fresh appeal to Shell in Ireland today to suspend work on the project and to relocate the terminal to a more remote coastal site.

The residents include three of the men from the "Shell to Sea" campaign, who were jailed for three months in 2005 for opposing a planned pipeline.

The loosely organised group says that all of the problems surrounding the project would be "solved in one move" if the company agreed to its proposal to relocate the terminal.

The Mayo residents stated that they are "not anti-gas", but are very concerned about health, safety and the environment. They say their proposal represents an opportunity for resolution, and the conflict can be resolved by agreement and respect.

A spokesman for Shell E&P said it would be making no comment on the proposal.

The € 200 million refinery (left) is already one-third built, and sources say that there is "little to no likelihood" the plant will be relocated.
Residents of North Mayo, however, are not giving up hope and believe that there are still options to achieve a compromise that could lead to a good and peaceful co-existence between the refinery and the local people.

The Emerald Islander