Did Willie O’Dea make a profit from the Iraq war?

by Michael Fri May 13, 2005 23:12

To be fair to him, while other politicians and journalists were faking pity for the Iraqi people, Willie O'Dea was one of the only ones to call it what it was: an oil war.

by toneore Sat May 14, 2005 00:55 toneore at eircom dot net

"over the last 5 years, the Irish taxpayer has subsidised US military use of Shannon to the tune of 10 MILLION EUROS."

I would also be interested in knowing what the cost was in the 5 years preceeding this. Labour TD Roisin Shortall should ask Ruari Quinn to explain himself in the light of Labour presiding over the same policy - and then getting up in front on Anti-War rallies and complaining about the behaviour of the current government.

by Michael Sat May 14, 2005 11:28

What the current government is doing is different in quite a few ways from what previous Irish governments did. In September 2001 the Irish government decided to wave all the conditions which normally applied to foreign military flights passing through Ireland.

The conditions (see Letter from the Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs to Eoin Dubsky 23 July 2002 here: http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~slack/rp/yesminister.html) had been maintained for over fourty years, and were designed to ensure Ireland complied with international laws of war. In 'Horgan v Ireland' the government's lawyers tried to make the point in their defence that such laws were outdated, obsolete. Though the judgement went largely in their favour in the end, Judge Kearns was clear about one thing: International law does exist, and it does place rights and obligations on Neutral Powers as stated in the Hague Conventions on Neutrality.

If you can find any evidence that while Labour or FG were in government they also decided to abandon Irish neutrality like the FF/PD government have, please post it below.

by John Sat May 14, 2005 12:00

This is excellent news. Petrel is not stealing oil from Iraq. It has invested millions in Iraq in a perfectly legal way for the purposes of exploration and development of a resource that fuels the world economy and for which the new Iraq will be handsomely rewarded. Oil is now $50 per barrel. Iraq will get the major share of that $50 for each barrel of oil discovered and produced by Petrel. Many countries in the world, e.g. Ireland, go out of their way to persuade foreign companies to invest in their economies. These countries are rich. Other countries, e.g. Cuba, go out of their way to prevent them. These countries are poor. It is good to know that the new Iraq is following Ireland's example and has no hang-ups about allowing foreign companies to invest in its economy. If it continues to follow this path, Iraq can look forward to being the Ireland of the Middle-East in a decade's time, a country bursting with enterprise and multi-national investment. The increase in the share price also tells us something. It tells us that the so-called insurgency by Bin Laden's demented supporters is failing and will fail. If investors thought for a second that the Bin Laden crowd would take over Iraq or even disrupt it sufficiently to stop foreign companies operating there, then the Petrel shares would be worth nothing.

by donalde Sat May 14, 2005 14:23

do you mean to say that any country that decides to open its market to foreign investors will prosper? great! quick, tell all the poor nations of the world and soon everything will be rosey! but what, by the way, has bin laden got to do with the insurgents in iraq? didnt bin laden hate 'that infidel' saddam?

by What Sat May 14, 2005 14:52

How about changing the name of the "Make Poverty History" campaign to "Make Exploitation History". The racist spin is that Africa is poor when it is rich in resources. Problem with Africa is all the Euro-drawn borders, the exploitation and the flood of arms from the members of the "security council".

What's this campaign about?

by nadia Sat May 14, 2005 21:28

"If you can find any evidence that while Labour or FG were in government they also decided to abandon Irish neutrality like the FF/PD government have, please post it below."

Didn't all those US planes that were used against Iraq, enforcing the no-fly zones, and the UN sanctions that killed Iraqi children fly through Irish airspace?

Were were Labour and FG then?

The time to do something about Shannon was BEFORE it become too late. Well done Ruairi, your apologists are out in force, but your complicity in enabling this mess is obvious.

by Reality Cheque - Tash-with-the-Cash-Teo. Sun May 15, 2005 22:30

Petrel sure did well, and made a profit, but they never pretended to be there for anyone's interest but their own (and their shareholder's)

Our beloved Minister for Defence, however, likes to tell us all how he, and his buddies act in the NATIONAL interest, and how helping the US blow the crap out of people and towns in Iraq was in the national interest (shur there's jobs in it, lads)

Of course if Willie's vote to support US use of Shannon airport to invade and occupy Iraq was motivated by 'something other than the national interest' then he certainly isn't going to admit it to his gullible constituents.

while the rest of us fork out money to subsidise the Bush war machine's passage through Ireland, Willie's doing quite nicely out of the whole affair... he'll not be short of wax for the 'tash.

by Michael Sun May 15, 2005 23:36

Nadia, believe me when I say that I'm certainly *not* an apologist for Labour, FG, or for that matter even the Greens (who I just heard at their AGM wouldn't pass a motion against Shannon stopovers).

by gogrady Mon May 16, 2005 13:54

Not a shred of ethics or accountability in him.

by righteous pragmatist Mon May 16, 2005 18:47

Have you forgotten that on January 30 2005 14 million Iraqis voted for the formation of democratic government for the country defying the threats of Al-Zarqawi and suicide bombs who declared them all infidels deserving of death for even daring to do so?
Have you forgotten that for 30 years Saddam Hussein subjected his people to one of the most brutal regimes of the 20th and 21st centuries? Who removed him from power and gave the Iraqis the chance of freedom?
George W. Bush.
America has a lot more to do to make up for the Cold War when it supported fascist dictators and supplied them with weapons for short term goals.
The massacre in Uzbekistan shows that once again the policy of real politic is redundent.
However praise where praise is due.
Iraq is now free of Saddam and in time will be free of the terrorist thugs too.

by Righteous Whatabouter Mon May 16, 2005 22:43

To drag people off on a tangent.
The story posted here is about whether the minister for defence personally profited from the invasion of Iraq.

by eeekkkk Mon May 16, 2005 23:12

"After one battle May 8 that killed at least two Marines, a roadside bomb that claimed six more on Wednesday and days of fruitless hunting for the enemy, the Marines were ready for a fight. The remote village of Arabi, just two miles from the Syrian border, looked to be the place. If the Americans found Arabi in the hands of foreign fighters, said Marine Maj. Steve Lawson, commander of Lima Company in the 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, "we'll make it rubble."

"So, within sight of Syria, they searched caves in the high, sheer rock escarpment that circles part of Arabi. Seeing a man come out of a cave, look out and go back in, a U.S. helicopter crew shot a Hellfire missile. Commanders came on the radio. Those were ordinary Iraqis hiding inside the caves, the commanders said. Hold off."

by Chris Bond - Labour Youth/UCD Labour, UCD Students union, UCD Left, Anti war Campaigner (Pers Cap) Mon May 16, 2005 23:35

Labour have issued press releases in the past condemning shannon warport. When i was at one of pat rabbittes speeches earlier on in the year he gave us a firm gaurantee that use of Shannon would end immediately if Labour were be in government.

by nerraw Mon May 16, 2005 23:56

thank god for that then

by Lone Gunman Tue May 17, 2005 11:38

And are Labour gonna grow a spine and ask what Colonel Willie was doing buying oil stock while he was voting on Shannon Warport? or are they just gonna say "well, we made a fine speech previously, please refer to that" ?