(edit title) The Pipe: documentary on gas project in Ireland Pipeline: No Irish tax revenues from project Options

[Nemesis]

The Pipe: documentary on gas project in Ireland

If mineral extraction in Ireland was done in a similar manner to a Statoil project in Norway instead of a Shell project in Ireland, it would generate enough revenue to pay of all of Irelands IMF-ECB external debt and pay pensions for the next generation.

Before this project was given the go ahead, politicians in the Dail (Irish Parliament) met with Shell and several other corporations. They then decided after the project had initially been refused permission to go ahead, to over rule the goverment planning agency and also decided that no tax revenues were to be raised from mineral extraction in Ireland.

In a remote corner of the West of Ireland sits Broadhaven Bay. It is the perfect picture postcard, where the high cliffs of Erris Head and the Stags of Broadhaven stand sentry at the mouth of the bay against the mighty Atlantic, as if protecting the delicate golden sands of Glengad beach and the tiny village of Rossport, which nestles behind the dunes. However, this peaceful tranquility belies the turmoil that lies beneath, and the unique nature of the coastline which has sustained generations of farmers and fishermen, has also delivered to Shell Oil the perfect landfall for the Corrib Gas Pipeline.

On 29th June, 2005, five men from the townland of Rossport, Co. Mayo, were imprisoned for 94 days for defying a court injunction allowing Shell Oil workers to enter their land to lay a high pressure, raw gas pipeline close to their homes. It soon became clear that the Irish state had subverted the constitutional rights of its citizens in order to facilitate Shell to ‘grab’ tracts of farmland against the wishes of the landowners. In a land where the memory of British landlords survives in the psyche, Shell’s attempt to force through the pipe evoked huge emotion. The community reacted against this aggressive ‘invasion’ from outside by blockading Shell’s multi-billion euro refinery and pipeline, bringing the project to a complete halt . The whole Corrib saga proved to be a huge public relations disaster for Shell around the world.

Continue reading at the following links:

The Pipe official website.
http://www.thepipethefilm.com/

Oil Giant Gets a Shelling: David Versus Goliath Off the Irish Coast
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitge...,745749,00.html

Corrib gas controversy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrib_gas_controversy

Corrib gas project
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrib_gas_project

Corrib Gas Field
http://wn.com/Corrib_gas_field

Why the opposition to the Corrib Gas project?
http://www.galwayindependent.com/business/...b-gas-project?/

Corrib gas controversy
http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Corrib-gas...132170730154377

http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/5171
Sinn Féin to continue campaign against current Corrib gas field project

Developing Corrib Natural Gas
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1135303

Corrib Gas Field, Republic of Ireland
http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/corrib/

The Great Oil and Gas Giveaway
http://www.dublinshelltosea.com/content/gr...nd-gas-giveaway

Ferris to highlight Corrib Gas field planning controversy at Dublin Press Conference
http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/540

Corrib controversy: timeline
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/irelan...4288008532.html

the corrib gas controversy
http://www.merthyrtomayo.org/mayo/the-corr...as-controversy/

Lorna lifts lid on Corrib Gas controversy in riveting book
http://www.galwaynews.ie/15415-lorna-lifts...y-riveting-book

éirígí slam Devins over Corrib gas controversy
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/96093

An Irish Town Planner's Blog
http://buckplanning.blogspot.com/2011/01/c...y-timeline.html

The Great Corrib Gas Controversy
http://www.corribgaspipeline.com/uploads/f...ersy-Report.pdf

Once Upon a Time in the West: the Corrib Gas Controversy
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/...e+west/8102107/

[byke]

Gas Pipe, Ireland ... am I the only one who finds this thought funny?
It only takes one crazy person to recreate a millennium fireworks display.

[Nemesis]

The Irish are not that stupid.

[mikewhite]

Ask the people of Omagh

[Nemesis]

You are way of base on that one.

[ThickEdge]

or Warrington

[Nemesis]

Ask the people of Omagh

or Warrington

And what is that to do with someone forcing a pipeline through someone's property?

[Snoopy!]

Thanks for that Nemesis , I remember that story all to well & shall certainly be wanting to see the movie.
Irish dirty politics at its best

[mikewhite]

Yes it was a bit inaccurate sorry. Just noting that there are some people with a misguided attachment to a "greater Ireland" who have no hesitation in destroying their countrymen and women in a political cause, not all of the Irish people are as sensible as the ones you meant.

I have loved my visits to the South (Clare and Cork) but have never been to the North.

I fully realise that the perpetrators of bombings and shootings were an odd few out of millions of ordinary people, I just hope Adams, Paisley and co can keep it all together. Don't know what Adams hopes to achieve in the South.

[Nemesis]

Thanks for that Nemesis , I remember that story all to well & shall certainly be wanting to see the movie.. Irish dirty politics at its best

I saw the documentary. It makes interesting watching.

The bit where the Shell dredger tries to kill the protestor shocked me. I did not think they would be that blatant in Europe, especially on camera. The fact they were not arrested, amazed me.

The Gardai do not come out of it to well. They were behaving like the Donegal Gardai.

When I was back at new years, there was a bit on TV, which showed the church mediating between some locals and Shell. It was basically the church telling people to do as Shell says.

What has really suprised me is the involvement of Statoil. They have been behind Shell all the way on this.

Burke and later Ahern, really sold everyone out in Ireland when they got rid of any revenue to be paid to the state for resource extraction.

It definately is a case of the cute whore's, in Irish politics.

[mikewhite]

Oil co.s do not seem to have a good track record with local politics, see BP in Nigeria.

[Nemesis]

Yes it was a bit inaccurate sorry. Just noting that there are some people with a misguided attachment to a "greater Ireland" who have no hesitation in destroying the ... (show full quote)

Yes it was a bit inaccurate sorry. Just noting that there are some people with a misguided attachment to a "greater Ireland" who have no hesitation in destroying their countrymen and women in a political cause, not all of the Irish people are as sensible as the ones you meant.

I have loved my visits to the South (Clare and Cork) but have never been to the North.

I fully realise that the perpetrators of bombings and shootings were an odd few out of millions of ordinary people, I just hope Adams, Paisley and co can keep it all together. Don't know what Adams hopes to achieve in the South. ... (hide full quote)

Every country has sociopaths and psychopaths. Ireland is no exception.

My personal opinion regarding Adams and Paisley, is that if there is ever a manned mission to the core of the sun, those two should be strapped into the capsule, ONE WAY.

Galway is not in Northern Ireland.

The North is as beautiful as the South.

See:

Especially for you Mike:)
http://www.arm.ac.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Arch_Caves

http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/

http://www.discoverireland.com/se/

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=e...sa=N&tab=li

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=e...mp;aql=&oq=

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=e...mp;aql=&oq=

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=e...mp;aql=&oq=

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grianan_of_Aileach

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=e...mp;aql=&oq=

Oil co.s do not seem to have a good track record with local politics, see BP in Nigeria.

Shell settled out of court for millions with people from the Niger Delta recently.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8090822.stm

[Swedesmith]

I will be interested in watching this film. I saw the film, Crude, about Ecuador's 27 billion lawsuit against Chevron. Eye opening.

These mega oil companies look at environmental destruction and the resulting lawsuits as just a small cost of doing business. No matter that it ruins people's lives and destroys the land for generations to come.

I feel guilt every time I fill up my gas tank. Wish there was another way.

[Nemesis]

Sounds interesting. I will check that out.

[red.king]

Galway is not in Northern Ireland.

You mean Mayo I guess?

I worked for the main contractor on the Corrib gasline. It has been proven time and time again that there is no real threat to safety. I hired about 200 local people who otherwise had no work and no skills for that job. Funny thing was that I remember watching a canteen lady finish work at 4pm and then she was outside the main protesting with her neighbours at 4:15...

Once the initial fears were alayed, most of the locals were happy to proceed. Then the 'a certain' element got involved and provoked a lot of the stand-offs. We had people who were told to quit or 'face the consequences'. I recall having one local supplier (gravel) being told to stop doing business with us or he would regret it. He told them to f*** off, not too long after one of his trucks was burned out.

We had several engineers that had threats made to them, serious threats. Then along came a big gang of Gardai who basically made a bad situation worse. I remember seeing one group of Guards pick up a protestor (guy in his 50's) and throw him head first into a ditch. Their actions were deplorable and none of them (as far as I know) actually got prosecuted for GBH. BUT... we also had similar actions on the part of the protestors. I myself was subject to my jeep being trashed whilst I was in it.

For the latter 75% of the builkd we had no issues whatsoever and indeed many of the folks who had left us (due to threats) came back and worked for us.

And as Nemesis pointed out, probably the worst crime was that the Irish State gets no money from the extracation of the final product. It would solve pretty much all of Irelands financial woes in one quik swoop. What an absolute cock up from start to (eventual) finish...

//Red