Solidarity with Rossport

Sean Mac Giolla Easpaig

Ógra Shinn Féin
An Srath Bán

Against the backdrop of work recommencing on Shell's controversial gas pipeline in Co. Mayo, I would like to draw your readers attention to the ongoing campaign against this dangerous development, and to the wider political issue of the giveaway of our national resources by the Irish government.

Shell is a British/Dutch multinational company seeking to benefit hugely from the massive Corrib gas field off the coast of Mayo. Successful Irish governments have basically given away the rights to this precious resource to the consortium of Shell, Marathon Oil and Statoil with effectively no benefit at all to the Irish people.

The key political players who have benefited privately from this "dirty deal" are Noel Dempsey, Frank Fahey, Des O'Malley and Dermot Ahern to name a few. It is a disgrace that for Irish people to benefit from our own Corrib gas, we have to buy it back from Shell.

As oil and gas exploration companies are often very secretive about their prospecting results from these kind of projects, we will probably never know the extent of profit to be gained from the Corrib gas project.

Like all multinational companies, Shell will do everything in its power, legal or not, to make sure they haul in the cash, and they have a global reputation for doing this. The people of Ogoni in Nigeria know this all too well as the Nigerian government at the behest of shell, executed nine activists who opposed the dangerous activities of the company.

Last year, five men were imprisoned by the Irish government for standing up to the multinational in opposition to a dangerous pipeline running through their community. As in Nigeria, Shell is siding with the Irish government, doing "dirty deals" to get what they want.

The residents of Rossport are involved in a campaign to stop this illegal development in the interests of their own health and safety.

We in Ógra Shinn Féin call on the people of Ireland to boycott Shell and Statoil by using alternative garages. We must all get behind the people of Rossport and actively oppose Shell and the Irish government's illegal activities.

We also call for those responsible for this project to be held accountable including the resignation of those who have presided over this scandalous affair. Irish resources must be kept in the hands of the Irish people!