Sunday Times targets "lefties, environmentalists" etc.

by supp Sun Jul 23, 2006 06:26

Just like Sindo putting an attack piece (on SF) on the frontpage for weeks in a row whether there is an actual story there or not. I was going to write about this after the the end mediation annoucenment last week.

I noticed it partly started when Matt Cooper interviewed Micheal O'S and John Egan on Today FM a few months back and the next day wrote a scathing commentary piece on him and Sunday Times uses any opportunity to attack Michael's verbose use of language.

Stephen O’Brien Political correspondent seems to be the hack involved this time who luckily able to give us an exclusive in the Mayo News
http://www.mayonews.ie/current/news.tmpl$showpage?value1=3362207012242472
AN alternative voice of the community has re-emerged in Erris this week, following the revelation on Thursday last that the mediation process between the Rossport Five and Shell E&P Ireland has broken down.

The same old duplicites PEGG group quoting Statoil station owner and FG councillor Gerry Coyle...
see http://www.indymedia.ie/article/71496

And then there were four as Rossport protesters split - The Sunday Times June 25, 2006
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2091-2242144,00....html

rebutted by Wiliam Hederman in the Village http://www.villagemagazine.ie/article.asp?sid=1&sud=10&...=2083

Leading article: Mayo will lose out - The Sunday Times July 16, 2006
http://news.google.ie/news/url?sa=t&ct=/9-0&fp=44c2f8a3...cid=0

Basically they are trying to paint that the issue is being hijacked by eco-warriors and far- left, but I have to point out that nobody could be more radical then the Rossport five+ if they tried nor more radical then landowners and resident the like of those protecting there land from private masts or mobile masts. When have eco-warriors or lefties ever surrounded a police station?
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/77191
"The move comes after gardai confronted over 100 angry locals last week who were protesting against the erection of a new mobile phone mast adjoining Shankill Garda Station."

Explain it to me really simple what is the situation with Brid McGarry the 'largest landowner the pipeline will cross'.

Other news reports
http://www.mayonews.ie/current/county.tmpl$showpage?value1=3362211133244037
http://archives.tcm.ie/westernpeople/2002/08/08/story13...7.asp

by supp Sun Jul 23, 2006 07:15

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2281362,0....html need to correct obvious mistake of the revious week

by cool j Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:00

Thanx Supp for that link to todays sunday times. Alot of Matt Cooper's hostility to the Rossport 5 eminates from a more recent interview he did with Maura Harrington in which she firmly debunked all the waffle that he came up with in his article on the subject in the previous weeks Sunday times. Obviously a bit of soreness there - hence last weeks vitriol and lies!!. I'm pleased to see some of the letters in this weeks ST that debunk all the mis-information that is being spread by shell and their handfull of apologists in Erris about the supposed economic benefits of this dodgy project. As is pointed out - post-production the benefits are meagre and will in all probably be negitive given the likely damage this project will do the local environment which will undoubtly hit tourism and fisheries - both of which depend on a relativly pristine envronment. Also any service jobs on the pipeline have already gone to a Killybegs(Donegal) based company which is yet another example of how poorly so called local representives such as the Udaras have performed on this issue.

PS - Sorry for the spelling mistakes in the above title piece!!

by Liam Mon Jul 24, 2006 01:31

If you don't like the rubbish they're writing in that paper - don't buy it or read it
Simple as.
No-one takes that crap seriously man.

by sensible Mon Jul 24, 2006 13:50

Obviously the writer of the overheated reaction at the head of this comment-line disagrees with the point of view taken by Mr. Cooper.

So?

Most people also believe that the so-called "Rossport 5" have lost all sense of perspective in their opposition to the Shell pipeline.
Only the most gullible believe that the 'environment' is the issue. Only those whose critical faculties have completely deserted them will accept the good-faith of these protestors. The truth is that irrespective of what assurances are given and what the expert evidence says, these people will continue their opposition. In appearing to agree to the review process the protestors were not acting in good faith. The truth is that they only saw the process as a delaying-tactic, they never had any intention of accepting any outcome that didn't support their position.

Far from being a progressive issue, this is a case of private property rights against both community rights and the rule of law. The country is once again being held ransom by property owners. I have no doubt that if the pipeline is defeated (with serious consequences to energy security for us all, and future investment) these 'Kulaks' will be lining up to flog the very same property at the usual inflated prices for holiday-homes for the Dublin 4 set.

Give us a break!

by cool j Wed Jul 26, 2006 14:22

You call yourself sensible but you really haven't a clue what your talking about. Shell have already polluted the main water supply to Erris(Carrowmore Lake) and thats before the've even built the gas terminable. The EIS sets out that damage this unsustaineable project wil do to the environment with widespread heavy metal contamination of sea and land with obvious negative consequences for Fisheries and Tourism. Not to mention the damage huge amounts of greenhouse gas's emmited from flaring etc.c which will produce acid rain and seriously stretch our Kyote limits.

You badly need to get yourself familar with the facts of the case before you start mouthing off Sen...

by cool j Wed Jul 26, 2006 14:30

And may I add, this gas will supply Britain too so who do you think will get priority when demand out-strips supply - Remember the Irish government signed away all rights to the stuff and so has no control on its destination. And anyway by adopting the industry standard of processing it at sea - more people will share in any benefits particualry in the Erris region in terms of servicing off-shore facilities like the North Sea models etc.!!!

by supp Fri Jul 28, 2006 20:41

http://www.mayonews.ie/current/news.tmpl$showpage?value1=3362813280472453

Gas pipeline could play major part in putting Mayo back in business Stephen O’Grady

by cool j Fri Jul 28, 2006 22:25

The simple fact is that the gas could be flowing now had the project had been properly handled by both shell and the government through adopting the industry standard of processing the stuff at Sea - therby avoiding over 5 years of conflict and providing real economic benefits to the Erris region

by sensible, completely unbiased with the right opinions Sun Jul 30, 2006 03:10

You can be reasonably sure that when they adopt the pseudonym 'concerned', 'curious; and the like, they're industry or govt. hacks. The Chinese govt. are very assiduous in employing internet hacks to control opinion.