Mayo County Council is to call on the government to renegotiate Shell deal

Monday March 19, 2007 01:43

by local press reader

Sin Féin say “the most banana of republics” have done better deals with regard to their natural resources.

The current edition of the Mayo Advertiser carries an article on proceedings at Mayo Council's monthly meeting.

This month, Sinn Féin Cllr Gerry Murray proposed a motion calling on the Council to demand that the government renegotiate the current deal, whereby all the profits of the sale of the natural gas in the Corrib field will leave the country and go to the shareholders in Shell, Statoil and Marathon Oil.

Sinn Féin want to know why the money can't fund hospitals, schools, and other infrastructure projects in this country.

Cllr Murray pressed the FG Cllr present to say whether whether if, should that party be in govt after the general election, Enda Kenny would continue with the present policy of giving away the country's resources, but no answer was forthcoming.

The first part of the article is below and their is a link to the full piece: http://www.mayoadvertiser.com/index.php?aid=1316

Gerry Murray and other protesters after Garda baton charge at Bellanaboy Bridge, November 10th 2006

Mayo ADVERTISER
Current Publication Date: 16/03/2007

County council to call for renegotiation of Corrib gas deal

by Fiona McGarry

Mayo County Council is to call on the government to renegotiate all deals regarding Ireland’s natural resources, including the Corrib gas field.

The decision was made unanimously at this week’s meeting of Mayo County Council, on foot of a motion from Sinn Féin Councillor Gerry Murray. While there was mass support for reviewing what Fine Gael Cllr Seamus Weir described as “a horrible deal”, a number of councillors warned against making a political football of the Corrib gas issue.

Outlining his motion, Cllr Murray said that “the most banana of republics” had done better deals with regard to their natural resources. Instead of funding Mayo’s infrastructure and vital services, the SF councillor said, the billions of euro generated by the gas field would go to fund health care and education in Norway. He said that while the resource had been “signed away for nothing”, the government could follow the example of other countries who were now claiming back up to half of what they had given to oil and gas companies. In response to what Cllr Murray described as “a very reasonable request”, Labour Cllr Johnny Mee seconded the motion and noted that Labour minister Justin Keating had attempted to secure a better deal for the people of Ireland. He said he had nothing against Shell, but wanted the “best possible outcome” for the people of Rossport, many of whom had travelled to Castlebar for the fifth month in a row to watch the meeting from the public gallery.