éirígí Tir Chonaill

Questions Must Be Raised - éirígí

03/09/2010

(English version follows)

Dúirt urlabhraí éirígí Thír Chonaill, Mícheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig, gur chóir ceisteanna díríre a tharraingt anuas sa díospóireacht leanúnach faoi ghiniúint leictreachais ó fheirmeacha gaoithe. Tháinig a chuid ráitis toisc go bhfuil cinneadh dlite le déanamh ar iarratais phleanála d’fheirmeacha gaoithe i gCo. Dhún na nGall sna seachtainí amach romhainn.

D’áitigh an t-urlabhraí de chuid éirígí freisin nach mbainfidh ach méad beag daoine tairbhe as tógáil feirmeacha gaoithe ag rá go mbeadh ar phobail áitiúla fulaingt dá mbeadh cead ag comhlachtaí príomháideacha a gcuid feirmeacha gaoithe a bhunú ar fud Dhún na nGall.

Dúirt An tUasal Mac Giolla Easbuig, “Níl an feachtas reatha seo chun feirmeacha gaoithe a thógaint ar mhaithe leis an phobal agus pobail áitiúla, ach ar mhaithe le gnóthaí móra agus comhlachtaí príobháideacha amháin. Tá sé soiléir don chuid is mó go mbeidh athrú go dtí foinsí in-athnuaite fuinnimh riachtanach sna blianta amach romhainn, ach ní chóir é seo a dhéanamh ar chostas phobail áitiúla díreach ar mhaithe le daoine saibhre na gcomhlachtaí móra. Anseo i nDún na nGall feiceann muid cailiúnt postanna ar fud na tíre agus ciorraithe ar ár séirsbhísí poiblí agus an t-am ar fad tugann an rialtas i dTeach Laighean go náireach cearta ár n-acmhainní nádúrtha do thionscail phríobháideacha ar mhaithe le héilít bheag ag baint tairbhe astu.”

“Tá sé áiféiseach go mbeadh aon rud chomh flúirseach agus ar fáil chomh saor sin ar nós na gaoithe tógtha go héifeachtach ó dhaoine as náisiún ar bith, brabúis déanta asti agus na brabúis seo go léir tógtha ag beagán áirithe,” dúirt sé. “Má tá sé ceaptha go mbeadh ar phobail cur suas leis na tuirbíní gaoithe móra seo ba chóir go mbeadh siadsan ag baint tairbhe as na tuirbíní ar an chéad dul síos. Tá buarthaí inchosanta na bpobal i nDún na nGall againn freisin atá ag troid faoi láthair in aghaidh a bheith curtha síos le aon chéad chiliméadar de 110kv cábla leictreachais ag crochadh ó phiolóin ag lámhacán tríd tuath Dhún na nGall,” dúirt urlabhraí éirígí.

“Tá sé soiléir gur é príomh-intinn na tógála de líne den sort sin ná ar mhaithe le tairbhe na bhfeirmeacha gaoithe atá faoi úinéireacht phríobháideach. Ní amháin go mbeidh tionchar tromchúiseach ag na piolóin agus na línte leictreachais ar an tírdhreach ar a bhfuil cáil domhanada ar Dhún na nGall agus ar thurasóireacht ar a bhfuil an contae ag brath uirthi, ach freisin tá gné ciapadh na n-impleachtaí sláinte féideartha óna leithéad de phiolóin leictreachais ag teacht cóngarach do réadmhaoine cónaithe. Más féidir línte cumhachta den sórt sin a chur faoin talamh i gcathracha ar fud na hEorpa, in Éirinn chomh maith, níl cúis ar bith nach é seo an cás i nDún na nGall.”

Chríochnaigh sé, “’Sé an bunlíne anseo ná go bhfuil ar dhaoine ceisteanna dáiríre a chur, ní amháin ar cé atá ag baint tairbhe as feirmeacha gaoithe don chuid is mó ach an cheist ar cén sórt todhchaí atá uainn. An luíonn muid síos ag ligeaint dóibh siúd i dTeach Laighean satáil orainn ar mhaithe le comhlachaí príobháideacha? Caithfear stop a chur le scriosadh phobal áitiúla láithreach. Caithfidh sláinte, sábháilteacht agus inbhuanaitheacht ár bpobal a bheith ar bharr chlár oibre rialtais Bhaile Átha Cliath agus ní leasanna ghnóthaí príobháideacha.”

Questions Must Be Raised - éirígí

Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig, spokesperson for éirígí Tir Chonaill, has said that serious questions have to be raised in the on-going debate over electricty generation from wind farms. His comments come as a decision on planning applications for wind farms in County Donegal is due to be made in the coming of weeks.

The éirígí spokesperson also insisted that it was only a small number of individuals who would benefit from the construction of wind farms saying local communities would have to suffer if private companies were allowed to establish their wind farms across Donegal.

Mr Mac Giolla Easbuig said, “This current campaign to have wind farms built is clearly not in the interests of the public and local communities, but solely in the interests of big business and private companies. Its seems obvious to many that a switch to renewable energy resources will become a neccessity in the years ahead, but this should not be done at the expense of local communities just to benefit the fat cats of big business. Here in Donegal we see job losses throughout the county and cuts to our public services while all the time the Government in Lenister House shamefully hand away the rights to our natural resources to private industry for a small elite to benefit from.”

“It seems ludicrous that any people of any nation should have something as abundant and freely available as wind effectively taken from them, profits made from it and all those profits pocketed by a select few”, he said. “If communities are to be expected to put up with these huge wind turbines then it is them who should be reaping the benefits of those turbines first and foremost. We've also got the justifiable concerns of the communities in Donegal who are currently fighting against being run rough-shod over with one hundred kilometers of 110kv electricty cable hanging from pylons snaking through the Donegal countryside” said the éirígí spokesperson.

“Clearly the main intent of the construction of such a line is to mainly benefit he these privately owned wind farms. Such pylons and electricty lines will not only have a serious impact on the scenery which Donegal is world famous for and therefore tourism which the county is reliant upon, but there is also the worrying aspect of possible health implications of such electricty pylons coming anywhere near residential properties. If such power lines can be put underground in cities across Europe including in Ireland, as well as underground in various other parts of the countrysides across Europe, including in Ireland, then there is absoultely no reason why this cannot be the case in Donegal.”

He concluded, “The bottom line here is that people need to ask serious questions, not only of who's actually benefiting from wind farms the most, but also the question of exactly what kind of future do we want. Do we lie down and let those in Leinster House run all over the top of us in interests of private business? This rail-roading of local communities must stop now. The health, safety and sustainablity of our communties must be at the top of the agenda for the Dublin government and not the interests of private business.”