Today’s decision on the Corrib gas pipeline by An Bord Pleanala finally accepts a critical principle that has longed formed part of the campaign against the Corrib gas project. The Board finds that:

The proposal to route the pipeline at a proximity distance from dwellings which is within the hazard range of the pipeline should a failure occur is unacceptable.

This is a very important vindication of the local community’s campaign. It also specifically validates the position of the Rossport Five. Their opposition caused the original pipeline route to be abandoned.

This principle, obvious as it may seem, has been consistently denied by the government (Ministers Fahey, Dempsey and Ryan), by Peter Cassells and by the Advantica so-called safety review. The ridiculing of local fears on this specific point has been outrageous throughout the last ten years.

Furthermore, Shell’s application on the pipe has been shown not to be ‘complete, transparent and adequate.’ This is also an important finding as it once again undermines Shell’s claims to be trusted and competent and to be a safety-conscious company.

However, it is disappointing that the Board has suggested yet another alternative route, this time up the middle of Sruhwaddoccon estuary. This route raises even further safety concerns.

The fact is that the project is untenable. It should be stopped immediately and completely redesigned according to criteria of health and safety and community consent. Another window now exists to bring this about. Indeed, the entire deal governing the project needs immediate review.

The latest figures from Norway show that their Oil Fund (ie the money that the State has accumulated from oil and gas revenue) now stands at US$ 327.5 billion. Given that Norway’s population is 4.6 million people this means that the State has an investment fund equivalent to 52,128.50 euro for each citizen. This Fund is quite apart from the oil and gas revenues annually spent to support Norway’s world class social welfare and health systems.

It is sad and humiliating to recognise that Ireland’s Corrib gas reserves will go to augment this financial resource in Norway. Our government has once again failed to protect the interests of its own citizens. The financial regime governing the oil and gas industry is merely another manifestation of the endemic incompetance and mediocrity of public governance in Ireland.

Norway represents a model for good governance and how a society should function in the interests of its citizens and focused on ensuring the optimum quality of life for all. Perhaps our political leaders should be obliged to spend their summer holidays there for some intensive study! It could be that Brian Boru made a serious mistake!

For now at least, I will keep this blog open and post comments on contemporary affairs and on the ongoing Corrib gas issue. From comments and feedback that I have received, there seems to be a significant appetite for a new political mobilisation that can address social and environmental sustainability. I am quite happy to contribute to that debate in the coming months.

For the record I received 951 first preference votes. I was in twelfth place among the twenty-four candidates. I was eliminated following the thirteenth count and had, at that time, 1,149 votes.

I want to thank sincerely all those who have supported my campaign. I want to particularly thank those who allowed their name be used as endorsers of my campaign – Dr Jerry Cowley, KathySinnot, Joe Murray, Richard Douthwaite, Lelia Doolan, Davie Philip, Fr Peter McVerry, Dr Nollaig O Muirile and Donncha O’Connell.

I have been very touched by the messages of support I have received and the many stories that I have heard of people’s situation and circumstances.

Counting begins tomorrow but irrespective of the outcome I am delighted to have had the opportunity to raise the issues that I believe are important.

Two links that might be worth looking at.

First, you can see the BBC report on a new scientific study which discounts the theory that variations in the activity of the sun may be responsible for climate change. This is an important finding as it shows again that contemporary climate change is being caused by human activity. The link is: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6290228.stm

Second, you can hear the brief presentation I gave to the recent Mediaforum conference in Galway. Please note though that I merely acted as a spokesperson for the Rossport Five rather than managing their PR campaign over five years! The link is: http://www.mediaforum.ie/?p=147

Just a note on some recent events I have been involved in. 

Public Relations Institute of Ireland.

On Tuesday, May 15^th I took part in a panel discussion at the PRII Annual Conference. The theme was on the Shell to Sea campaign and was chaired by Matt Cooper. Other participants were Douglas Dalby, MD of Prangle, John Cooney, journalist and author, Kealan Flynn, head of iWrite, and Billy Murphy, Executive Chairman of Drury Communications.  

AFRI Famine Walk

On Saturday, May 26^th, I was one of the leaders of Afri’s annual famine walk from Delphi to Louisburg. The other leaders were the musician John Hoban and two native Americans Gary and Jamie White Deer.

Media Moves Conference

On Friday, June 8^th, I addressed the Media moves conference in Galway on insights from the Shell to Sea campaign. This was a conference on understanding, shaping and creating media for social change and was chaired by Lelia Doolin. 

You can see the video about Willie Corduff shown at the Goldman Prize ceremony at www.goldmanprize.org/node/605

There was a very successful book launch of the Rossport Five Our Story book on Friday, March 30th at the Sceal Eile bookshop in Ennis. The launch was introduced by Ciana Campbell and there were addresses from local TD James Breen, Ms.Lelia Doolin, myself and Michael O Seighin. A large local crowd attended.

Below is the translation of a text of a letter/request sent from participants at a Conference held in January in Norway. The conference was organised by a community just North of Bergen. Philip McGrath of the Rossport Five and myself were invited to attend and spoke on the issues being faced by the community of North Mayo in regards to the Corrib gas project. Following our talk, the participants agreed to send the following letter, which was entirely their own work. (It was, after all, drafted in Norwegian!) The conference was attended by local residents, academics, journalists and local political leaders. It shows that the people of Norway themselves would be outraged by events in Ireland regarding Corrib if they had the full information. 

‘Open Letter to the Norwegian National Assembly through the President of the Assembly, Mr Torbjorn Jagland

REQUEST FOR A HEARING IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORWAY

 The arranging committee of a seminar at Dyrkolbotn Fjellstove 12-13 January 2007 – with great approval from the participants – will by this letter appeal to public opinion and strongly show their dislike of the way Statoil has behaved when developing the Corrib Gas Project of Bellanaboy and Rossport in the Mayo County of Ireland. Statoil is a 36.5% participant in a consortium including Shell (45% and Marathon (18.5%). Our Irish guests presented us with the story of the Corrib Gas project. The local people of the Bellanaboy and Rossport area have strongly objected to the proposed gas project, both the landing of the gas, the route of the pipeline in close proximity to people and dwellings and the site of the planned processing plant in protected areas. They want the area to remain unspoilt and preserve it for traditional income sources related to farming and fishing. Protests and demonstrations have been organized to show the resistance of the local residents against the plans and the planning procedures of the multinational companies. Instead of entering into dialogue with the locals, Statoil together with Shell put in the police. When in June 2005 five landowners (known as the Rossport Five) refused to allow personnel of the companies access to their land they were put in prison indefinitely! Shell obtained a High Court injunction against them, and they were locked up in prison for more than three months. Work on the project site is being prepared and carried out under protection of police. This state of things has now lasted for seven years! The inhabitants feel that their small and fragile communities are being traumatized and falling apart. We think this is an example of ruthless activities on the part of a Norwegian state company neglecting the views of the locals of Bellanaboy and Rossport. The companies should enter into dialogue with the local community to try to find solutions that the residents will accept. Great attention should be paid to the environmental aspects, to the development of the material and human resources of this area, and to retaining the assets for the welfare of this community. It is perhaps even more unacceptable that Statoil participates in exploiting the fact that in Ireland there is hardly any State participation in the commercial development of important natural resources, and in the case of the Rossport Five Statoil is responsible along with Shell for having acted in defiance of common democratic, moral and legal standards. The oil companies were granted the right to occupy land even if the owners objected, by Compulsory Acquisition Orders.  

On this background the President of the National Assembly is requested to make the initiative for an open hearing where Statoil has to explain its involvement in the Corrib Gas Project. The objective must be to listen to the views and arguments of the local residents and to find alternative solutions to the controversial gas project, e.g. an offshore processing plant.’

Drykolbotn 13 January 2007.

Signhild Dyrkolbotn, on behalf of the arranging committee.

Eli Bjorklid, contact person.