IAWM meeting - Making Shannon Warport an election issue

dublin | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Wednesday May 16, 2007 06:09

by Seán Ryan

The meeting went ahead on Monday 14th May with about 30 in attendance. Only one politician showed up - Patricia McKenna of the Green Party.

I was at the meeting organised by the IAWM on Monday evening.

It was penned as an event where interested parties could put their points of view to politicians who had signed the IAWM pledge. This pledge said that the person who signed it would not go into a government that continued the practice of allowing Shannon airport be used as a staging point in the US’s war on innocents.

Unfortunately, only one of the politicians, who'd signed the pledge, showed up. Patricia McKenna had phoned earlier and had said that she’d be late. She arrived around 9.30pm. In the meantime an open discussion was held, with members of the IAWM informing the audience of around 30 about the pledge and who had signed it.

Mr. Ahern had passed the letter addressed directly to him, with a copy of the pledge, down to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who in turn passed it onto his secretary to answer. Apparently, we are complying with a UN directive in making Shannon available to the UN approved slaughter, even though the Americans are not under UN command. In other words Bertie’s Team replied via a cynical cop out.

Most of the rest of those asked to sign the pledge had either not bothered to answer or else had answered in a non-committal way.

Seasoned activist Colm Roddy spoke of having written to Pat Rabbite amongst others on the issue of Shannon. Rabbite had responded in a manner that at first sounded promising - he wrote of Michael D. Higgins and his views, but he ended with a get-out clause - he said that there were other factors, economic factors, which required consideration.

The discussion at one point entered a ‘what if phase.’ What if a politician who’d signed the pledge broke their vow. It seems as if this had not been given a great deal of consideration by the IAWM, it was concluded only that it could be used to pressure politicians - whether a promise with a signature constituted a contract or not hadn’t been examined.

When Patricia McKenna showed, she was given a very brief recap of what had happened up until her arrival. She was then put to the mercy of the audience. Whilst remembering her very strong record with regard to anti-war activities, she was given a very thorough grilling by many, the IAWM’s Michael Y. and myself included. It must be remembered that Trevor Sargent, the leader of the Green Party, had earlier on in the day, while appearing on the Pat Kenny show, said that he would not make the Shannon Airport issue a condition of his party going into Government. He said that such things could be decided after the election. Although Patricia had not heard this interview, she reiterated the fact that she had signed the pledge and that she would be sticking to it. All in all, Patricia gave a very good account of herself.

Despite the fact that only one politician turned up, I think most people who that attended the meeting got something out of it and were happy that they’d come. I know I felt this way.

I shall upload the audio files of this meeting shortly.

Related links:
Event notice of the meeting: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82493
Sargent on Kenny: Green Party's leader fudges opposition to Shannon warport - http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82552
Paul O'Toole meets and is lied to by Fine Gael's Ivor Callely: Campaigning on the (pre-agreed) 'issues' - http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82563

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Comments (4 of 4)

so much for lobbying politicians!

by amo

Wed May 16, 2007 09:49

So, this is what the IAWM's lobbying of the political elite has come to. They've been ignored. I'd never have guessed. What it worth all that running around? Seems that the IAWM/SWP were simply sowing illusions.

Yet another reason why lobbying politicians is a complete waste of activists time. And, btw, the Greens will go into government regardless.

Cieran Perry

by pat c

Wed May 16, 2007 10:11

Cieran Perry was unable to attend the meeting due to a prior engagement, he was meeting with a residents group. He sent a statement to the meeting which I distributed.

Correction

by Red Pen

Wed May 16, 2007 16:21

"Paul O'Toole meets and is lied to by Fine Gael's Ivor Callely: Campaigning on the (pre-agreed) 'issues' - "

Did he lie about which party hes in? Ivor Callely is in Fianna Fail not Fine Gael.

Demonstration at Shannon Sat 19 May

by Edward Horgan

Wed May 16, 2007 21:41

PEACE DEMONSTRATION AT SHANNON SAT 19 May 2pm.

Peace activists will gather at Shannon airport this Saturday 19th May to highlight the continuing abuse of Shannon airport by US military and CIA.

“All political parties should be condemned for failing to make Ireland’s complicity in the Iraq War, and the loss of Irish neutrality an election issue” says
Roger Cole of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance.

“The world grieved for the 3000 killed in the US in September 2001, and now for a missing British child in Portugal, yet few in the West protest or grieve at the deaths of 262,000 Iraqi children as a result of Iraq war” according to peace activist Edward Horgan.

Conor Cregan, local peace activist from Shannon Town states that: “Peace activists are still liable to arrest at Shannon for exposing the truth, but the CIA are free to use the airport for torture rendition flights, and US military war-criminals have passed through without hindrance among the one million heavily armed US troops that have abused Irish neutrality with impunity”

58% of the Irish people are opposed to US military and CIA use of Shannon - democracy overruled.

We ask the people of Ireland to continue to hold this Government, and the next, to account over torture rendition, and complicity in the Iraq and Afghan Wars. We appeal to the Irish media to break the conspiracy of silence on Shannon, and to report the truth in the interests of humanity.

Contacts:
Edward Horgan, 085-1026631, edward.horgan@ul.ie,
Roger Cole, 087-2611597, pana@eircom.net,
Conor Cregan, 087-6981831, conor_cregan@hotmail.com,

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IAWM meeting - Making Shannon Warport an election issue

Comments (4 of 4)