IRSP
13th July 2005, 06:15
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10 July 2005
Irish Republican Socialist Party, Dublin
Free the Rossport Five!
The Irish Republican Socialist Party demand the 26 county
administration immediately release from Cloverhill Prison the five
Mayo men who have become known as the "Rossport Five," Michael
O'Seighin, Vincent McGrath, Philip McGrath, Willie Corduff, and
Brendan Philbin.
Dublin IRSP representative Kevin Morley today said: "These men are
prisoners of the state for opposing the installation of the Corrib gas
pipeline with much justification. According to Councillor Willie
Clarke MLA, in the Daily Ireland (July 12, 2005) 'these men, their
families and neighbours, are protesting because they believe that the
pipeline is unsafe as the pressure of gas is far too high for its
proximity to homes.' This argument is, of course, absolutely correct
but in itself too shallow.
"The fact of the matter is that Shell, and companies like them, are
transnational organisations and use countries like Ireland where the
government is too weak to resist in order to maximise profits. The
economy of Shell is likely to be larger than that of the 26 county
administration in much the same way as that of Union Carbide was to
the Indian government when the Bhopal disaster occurred back in the
early 1980s. The truth of the matter is that these companies couldn't
care less about 'national governments' like that of the Free State as
their only objective is to maximise profits."
He said: "The 26 county government would have us believe that such
companies as Shell create jobs and encourage economic growth. As far
as it goes this argument may hold water but economic growth and
employment under the capitalist system are dependent on the benevolent
transnational making huge profits, and once this is accomplished and a
cheaper source of profit can be found elsewhere then the workforce can
go to hell. In the meantime if an accident occurs on the Corrib gas
pipeline and hundreds of homes are wiped out, to say nothing of the
loss of life to working class people, Shell just shut up shop and
relocate elsewhere leaving people who live in Ireland to pick up the
pieces.
"Councillor Clarke's arguments are very well founded and his concerns
equally so and as he says, 'the Rossport Five languish in a Dublin
jail for carrying out a legitimate protest.' However, where the
argument falls short from a socialist/communist point of view is there
is no direct attack on the capitalist system which allows such
activities, in fact encourages these same antics of the transnational
companies, to continue. Until such an imbecilic system is brought to
its knees such miscarriages of justice, which has occurred to the
Rossport Five, will happen again and again. Councilor Clarke is
correct to point out that 'the drive for profit in the name of
progress seems to take precedent' over people's health and well-being
but at the end of the day it's just another symptom of the overall
capitalist system where profit is the only word that counts."
In conclusion, Kevin Morley said: "If the 26 county government had an
ounce of respect for their forebears, it is not the Rossport Five who
should be languishing in Cloverhill but the profiteering exploiting
directors of Shell who are quite evidently, according to reports,
putting peoples lives at risk."
###
Irish Republican Socialist Party, Dublin
PO Box 10081, Dublin 1, Ireland
Telephone: 0876 320 323
Email: [email protected]
http://www.dublinirsp.150m.com/
http://www.irsm.org/irsm.html
10 July 2005
Irish Republican Socialist Party, Dublin
Free the Rossport Five!
The Irish Republican Socialist Party demand the 26 county
administration immediately release from Cloverhill Prison the five
Mayo men who have become known as the "Rossport Five," Michael
O'Seighin, Vincent McGrath, Philip McGrath, Willie Corduff, and
Brendan Philbin.
Dublin IRSP representative Kevin Morley today said: "These men are
prisoners of the state for opposing the installation of the Corrib gas
pipeline with much justification. According to Councillor Willie
Clarke MLA, in the Daily Ireland (July 12, 2005) 'these men, their
families and neighbours, are protesting because they believe that the
pipeline is unsafe as the pressure of gas is far too high for its
proximity to homes.' This argument is, of course, absolutely correct
but in itself too shallow.
"The fact of the matter is that Shell, and companies like them, are
transnational organisations and use countries like Ireland where the
government is too weak to resist in order to maximise profits. The
economy of Shell is likely to be larger than that of the 26 county
administration in much the same way as that of Union Carbide was to
the Indian government when the Bhopal disaster occurred back in the
early 1980s. The truth of the matter is that these companies couldn't
care less about 'national governments' like that of the Free State as
their only objective is to maximise profits."
He said: "The 26 county government would have us believe that such
companies as Shell create jobs and encourage economic growth. As far
as it goes this argument may hold water but economic growth and
employment under the capitalist system are dependent on the benevolent
transnational making huge profits, and once this is accomplished and a
cheaper source of profit can be found elsewhere then the workforce can
go to hell. In the meantime if an accident occurs on the Corrib gas
pipeline and hundreds of homes are wiped out, to say nothing of the
loss of life to working class people, Shell just shut up shop and
relocate elsewhere leaving people who live in Ireland to pick up the
pieces.
"Councillor Clarke's arguments are very well founded and his concerns
equally so and as he says, 'the Rossport Five languish in a Dublin
jail for carrying out a legitimate protest.' However, where the
argument falls short from a socialist/communist point of view is there
is no direct attack on the capitalist system which allows such
activities, in fact encourages these same antics of the transnational
companies, to continue. Until such an imbecilic system is brought to
its knees such miscarriages of justice, which has occurred to the
Rossport Five, will happen again and again. Councilor Clarke is
correct to point out that 'the drive for profit in the name of
progress seems to take precedent' over people's health and well-being
but at the end of the day it's just another symptom of the overall
capitalist system where profit is the only word that counts."
In conclusion, Kevin Morley said: "If the 26 county government had an
ounce of respect for their forebears, it is not the Rossport Five who
should be languishing in Cloverhill but the profiteering exploiting
directors of Shell who are quite evidently, according to reports,
putting peoples lives at risk."
###
Irish Republican Socialist Party, Dublin
PO Box 10081, Dublin 1, Ireland
Telephone: 0876 320 323
Email: [email protected]
http://www.dublinirsp.150m.com/
http://www.irsm.org/irsm.html