Mobilise tonight to Rossport!

by Starstruck Fri Sep 05, 2008 15:22

To mobilise the maximum amount of support for the besieged locals and activists ,the onus is on all supporters with transport to collectivise and get each other to Erris.
Shell cannot be allowed to proceed with this latest stage of their theft and plundering.
All hands on deck!

by Johnathan Fri Sep 05, 2008 15:26

I feel very strongly about this so much so i am bringing my family car, seats seven, to this Glengad place tomorrow. If any body needs a lift please reg your name here on this thread and i will pick you up outside Tara st station. Breakfast in mullingar is on me.

Oh i stopped during the last protest in lucan village to pick up fellow activists so i can pick you up again John and mags! Would love to travel with you again!

Shell to sea!!!!

Johnathan.

by Starstruck - S2S Fri Sep 05, 2008 15:32

There is a solidarity demonstration at the GPO tomorrow at 1pm

See - http://www.indymedia.ie/article/88959

by Big_Ron Fri Sep 05, 2008 16:01

Hey Johnathon.Great to have you with us.. if u have any spare capacity, can you register it with the number above ? cheers, G ..

by carl Fri Sep 05, 2008 16:14

if anyone is going from cork city i would appreciate a lift.

by reefa Fri Sep 05, 2008 16:29

hey jonathan, what time do you think you'll b leaving around this evening? would there be space for 2?

by Johnathan Fri Sep 05, 2008 17:19

2 no prob Thinking of going around 10 tonight we can put a few beers in the car and have a relaxed trip down! Sorry guys but personal stuff means i cant get to parnell sq I can only swing tru lucan so if its still good get the 66 or the 25 from westmoreland st and i can pick you up on the bridge around 10 in lucan village its the bridge close to the gardai station!!!!

Cool and yea gonna reg the car up with the number!

Oh my car is 07 D **** Silver toyota, see you guys.

Hey mags are you there!??

J

by reefa Fri Sep 05, 2008 18:07

cheers man, c u there!

by no osi Sat Sep 06, 2008 02:08

it's spelled "jonathan" buddy...

by sam simpson - sinn Féinn Bantry Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:46 samsimpson at utvinternet dot com

Good luck and God bless to all ye fine people who are up in Mayo today.
(My son is being christened today or I would have organised a trip from West Cork.)
I wish you every success in your efforts against this criminal venture against our land and our people.
Go ndeirigh an mbóthair libh...
Sam Simpson,
PRO, Bantry Sinn Féin.

by Chrissie Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:52

If u haven't a lift arranged, hitching is usually pretty good (except on Sundays!!!) - there's a lot of support in Mayo for Shell to Sea supporters. Take some waterproofs though...

by the boy who cried wolf Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:27

Was it day X? Drop everything rush to Mayo what happened?

by lulu Sun Sep 07, 2008 14:01

For some reason, perhaps to do with the lack on onshore planning permission & the criminality of the whole deal, SHell are not sharing info on their schedule with anyone (except, their hired muscle, the Gardai, & maybe Navy).

by starstruck Sun Sep 07, 2008 16:47

After vringing the winching vessel in and attaching the winch cable to it on Thursday evening,there has been very little activity on the cmpound over the weekend according to those on the ground in Erris.
Possibly a reaction to the callout ,who knows.
Seems like a game of cat and mouse at this stage but Shell are running out of time and the weather is worsening.

by FSB! - RSC Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:54

OK, there may be nothing much in the way of Shell/Garda/Navy activity in the bay over the weekend and even today so far it's quiet with only shift changes going on, but that does not in itself invalidate or undermine the real seriousness of the situation here. The call-outs were made knowing there was the possibility that Shell may be playing a waiting game trying to burn out activist attention and therefore out-wait us. Even so get yourself up here! In order to carry out effective (and safe) direct action both on land and on water you need training and orientation - don't expect to arrive completely unaware and untrained and then get out on the water with S2S's blessing! We've had to physically pull un-trained people off the beach who attempted to join actions in progress, and we're not going to offer the cops or the MSM any easy propaganda meat on that score. Water training sessions are going on every day (weather permitting) and are open to all willing volunteers who can swim a bit and feel physically up to the demands of aquatic action. All necessary safety equipment is available, but if you can bring your own craft and safety gear so much the better! The more people who are here, the more actions against Shell we can mount, so numbers are always necessary!

We're now heading into mid-September, and the odds are that the weather won't be getting any better. The enemy have only three weeks left on their charter for the Solitaire, as far as we know. Together with Pat O'Donnell and the weather, we've burned off the majority of their time window. A victory over Shell and the state at Glengad may be a possibility after all.

Get your arses up to Erris! Stop Shell on the beaches of Glengad!

by w. Mon Sep 08, 2008 13:19

Did s2s jump the gun on their day X? Given that you only get one shot at it before people think you're crying wolf, I would worry.

by w by x Mon Sep 08, 2008 14:26

Did s2s jump the gun on their day X? Given that you only get one shot at it before people think you're crying wolf, I would worry.

Why would anyone think s2s are crying wolf. they are making it loud and clear that they would like a lot more support to help carry out some actions that would (given the solitaires date in new mexico a fortnight from now) disrupt shells plans for laying the onshore pipe in the small window that it has.

i wouldnt lose sleep worrying w, and might be more useful to engage a bit too

by w. Mon Sep 08, 2008 15:09

Given that the idea behind a day X protest is that everyone drop everything and make a big effort you can hardly expect to carry one off more than once in a month. Say the solitaire actually arrives today and everyone gets day X texts again, people will be less inclined to see the emergency in the situation. As for engaging, I am engaging, I'm asking about the tactics. If I were shell I would trigger a false day X, wait a while and then roll up with the Solitaire on a weekday morning when there are less people to respond to a call out.

by Godot Mon Sep 08, 2008 20:31

The idea behind Day X's is that plans can be put in place for a specific day so mechanisms such as organising lifts, tactics, training and preperation in direct actions etc can be discussed before hand, then implemented on Day X itself. Calling a Day X at 3pm and expecting people to go down that night is nuts. It alienates both the people who went down without much happening and also deters the people who couldn't go from going in the future. Why should anyone respond to another Day X callout?

How was the decision for a Day X made? Was there a meeting? was it chaired? are there records of the minutes? is there a record of the arguments behind holding the Day X? was it an individual that called for it? were there press releases done? will there be a meeting to discuss the problems of the Day X? will lessons be learnt? are there any plans for Sep 20th? etc ect There doesn't seem to be any analysis or thought on any tactical issues or where the campign is going.

Now we are back to the Days of action and the inevitable claims that the next one is the big, important one. Now that may well be true in the case of Sept 20th but I don't know because due to the lack of any tactical sense in previous actions which leaves me sceptical. The reaon the Gardai have abandoned the no arrest policy is because the wider support across Ireland that had previously gone to Rossport has dropped off. Support and levels of activities have dropped directly because of the total inability of s2s to function, decide and implement things in any kind of organised manner.

These current realites and the mistakes of the past deperately need to be addressed. Repeating the same tactics in the same manner is not a solid way foward.

by IshtarCelt Mon Sep 08, 2008 22:14

Reading through the comments above, it would seem that the situation has been explained - i.e. The Solitaire hasn't arrived, and it is difficult to predict when it will arrive, but support is needed constantly. Also, if you go up to Mayo now, you will get trained in water safety etc (if you need it) and get to practice for the time when the solitaire arrives. Another point is that there is a lot going on every day up there. Going up there is also a chance to meet the people and make friends, know who you could be working with; who could be at your side in a crush .

I spent a night up at the house a few weeks ago, and I was very impressed with the level of organisation and dedication I saw. The camp was moved lock stock and barrell in an afternoon, and was fully functioning before 6pm. The co-ordination was brilliant, everyone worked together with no fighting or chaos, locals and 'eco-warriors' alike. There was even time for music and dancing, and the best cup of tea in the west!
Even if you just go up and make tea, bring some food, or hold some towels and blankets or lend your phone or play some music etc, and be a friendly face greeting people after an action, you are contributing a lot. Going up and visiting can teach you a lot about what is going on and what is needed and give some more ideas about what you can do. you'll also learn a lot....and it's true, there is a warm welcome, people are genuinly pleased to have you visit, and grateful for whatever contribution you make, no matter how small.

So don't mind all this 'debate' about dayX, disorganisation etc - it's not helping s2s or anyone else, except maybe shell/topaz, and their shareholders (both legal and manila). After all, anyone can sign on and post a comment, using whatever name they like...

by MacE Tue Sep 09, 2008 11:41

Well said, IshtarCelt.

by Godot Tue Sep 09, 2008 13:12

Its denying the reality of the situation thats not helping s2s. Look at the colleges - s2s should have produced a pdf that can be fired off to the political college societies so they can hand them out at freshers week while s2s members should be working with various organisations and people involved in holding meetings to encourage new people to participate in the campaign. Organisations from the YFG to the SP recognise that this kind of thing helps to get people involved and active - its not rocket science. This isn't happening because the kind of rational organisation need to grind out these matters is absent. S2S would even have difficulty doing up a leaflet informing people of what the situation is at the moment in Rossport with regards to itself, Pobail Cill Choman, Gas to Glinsk proposal and whats planned for the campign fro the next couple of months because its probably not sure itself. Even if it was organising meetings and encouraging local groups to get involved - how could they? Once the window for the solitare closes what activity is planned from that point till next spring that people can get involved with?

Any notion that the Day X itself was well organised is demonstratably untrue. A post goes up on Thursay saying preparations for day x are under way then just over 24 hours later someone decides its Day X and a call goes out a 3pm for people to go down. Anyone who works or is in college till 5 or 6 is going to find it incredibly difficult to make it down that night for the protest the following morning by public transport. That means that if you either work or are at college and unless you know someone who supports the camaign and has a car - you're unlikely to be involved. From the off its unlikely to produce significant numbers. If people did frantically rush home get a bit of grub, grab wellies and a towel and a lift down they'd be dissapointed to discover that the call that saturday was Day X was an erroneous cry of wolf. For those who did go down that night, there was obviously no time for them to partake in any of the water based training because of the timescale. The only people who can take part in that activity is those that can easily take days off work and college to spend a couple of days down in Rossport itself.

This is not how you go about getting people involved and sustaining a campaign. The hospitality of the people of Rossport has always been excellent and its not that I'm critical of nor am I critical of the spirit and cooperation of all of those involved but that alone can't lead to a succesful campaign. To deny the current reality of were s2s is, is to simply trundle from one event to another without any notion of reinvigorating the campaign or getting more people involved.

As for the solitaire, lets say a Day X was called and managed to stop work for a day - people would leave and head back home. The following day gardai would break up any protest with a handful of arrests/detentions and work continues as normal. It needs a sustained disruption.

All of this results in people and their level of activity dropping off, as can be seen by the comparative activity of the s2s groups which once existed outside of Mayo. Increasingly the ins and outs of the campaign fall onto the shoulders of a core number of campaigners who are already stressed out and overworked. Its the lack of wider participation and organised groups outside of Mayo that has led the gardai to abandon its no arrest policy.

As for the solitaire, lets say a Day X was called and we managed to stop work for a day - people would leave and head back home. The following day gardai would break u any protest with a handful of arrests/detentions and work continues as normal. Beyond the solitare whats planned for the campaign...Another couple of 'days of actions'?

Its exactly the lack of debate (and a place to discuss it within the campaign) that isn't helping 2s2 or anyone else. Discussions about these kind of things do take place but they tend not to take place in any sort of organisd manner in which concrete decisions are made and can then be acted upon. Because of the manner in which these issues are discussed people not at the heart of the campaign or who ae not in regular touch with people who are active in Rossport have little real knowledge of what exactly is going on. Campaigns that seek to break out of the usual activist bubble cannot be properly based around this kind of activity.

People have to look critically at where the campaign was, where it is now, where it should go and how that can be achieved.

by S2Ser - S2S Tue Sep 09, 2008 13:58

I put the call for Day X out on indymedia. That was not done as an individual, but after a decision making process within S2S.
I think there are issues about how and why it was called, some problems with miscommunication etc and there is a need for discussion about all of these issues. The place for that discussion is not indymedia, it is in the democratic structures of the campaign. For anyone in Dublin, there is a regular meeting of Dublin S2S tonight at 7pm in Connolly Books - all supporters are welcome.

by JGG Tue Sep 09, 2008 14:41

If you claim to speak on behalf of S2S then a recognised name should be used. You could be anyone. Only small numbers of people go to to meetings so its appropriate that the issue be discussed here. Unless you only want a small number along at the protests.

Every organisation should be prepared to accept constructive criticism. If it cannot then it is seriously dysfunctional.

by Godot Tue Sep 09, 2008 15:14

It would have been helpful if the meeting was advertised in advance on the events calender so that people who are interested and exist outside the usual loop might be encouraged to participate.

by Erris based activist Tue Sep 09, 2008 17:06

Solitaire left Killybegs earlier today and at last report was passing Killala.
Will confirm when it enters the Erris Peninsula
Police presence increased once again.
More public order cops around.
Winch boat exited the bay earlier today.
More factual update to follow.

by Starstruck Tue Sep 09, 2008 18:08

The solitaire has been sighted slightly up the coast from the Ceide Fields.
It did not appear to have the support vessels with it.
Marked on the map below by the red X is its location as of 45 minutes ago.
More to follow.

Solitaires location at 5.20pm/

by S2Ser - S2S Tue Sep 09, 2008 18:35

I don't claim to speak on behalf of Shell to Sea at all - I'm just a member of the campaign.

I agree wholeheartedly with those who say there is a serious need for discussion on strategy, tactics, mobilisation etc. However, I repeat that the place for such a discussion is not indymedia - indymedia is a independent / activist news site - not a discussion forum for S2S. Everyone here is anonymous, there is no way of telling what level of support there is for different ideas or suggestions, and no means of taking decisions.

I have no problem with people putting up suggestions or criticisms - but to expect S2S to engage in a strategic discussion on a public news site like indymedia is not realistic. That's why I encourage people to attend their local meetings, where there can be a full and free discussion, that comes to conclusions and makes decisions.

Clearly with Solitaire on its way, such a discussion is very timely. I'm sure concrete suggestions for activities will flow from meetings around the country this week.

by Mayo Man Tue Sep 09, 2008 19:37

Solitiaire has arrived in Broadhaven.

by Andrew Tue Sep 09, 2008 20:52

Shakespeare this time

He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: ...
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day