éirígí Tir Chonaill

Na billiúin á dtabhairt in aisce – éirígí

27/02/2011

(English version follows)

Lough Allen

Rinne urlabhraí Thír Chonaill don pháirtí poblachtach sóisialach éirígí cáineadh géar ar rialtas Fhianna Fáil atá ag dul as oifig, de bhrí gur bhronn a aire acmhainní nádúrtha Conor Lenihan ceadúnais pheitriliam intíre don cheantar a dtugtar Imchuach Loch Ailín air, ar 14ú Feabhra.

Scarann an ceantar ar chúpla condae san iarthuaisceart, Dún na nGall, Sligeach agus Liatroim ina measc, ag clúdú timpeall 1500 km cearnach agus meastar go bhfuil 9.4 trilliún troigh chiúbach de ghás ina luí thíos faoi. Bronnadh ceadúnas Loch Ailín ar an chomhlacht ola Astrálach Tamboran Resources agus ar Finavera Gas.

Ag caint faoi bhronnadh an cheadúnais, dúirt urlabhraí éirígí Thír Chonaill Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig go raibh an rialtas arís eile ag tabhairt uathu acmhainní nádúrtha na hÉireann do leas príobháideach. “Tá sé go hiomlán náireach go bhfuil na bronntaí seo á dtabhairt do chomhlachtaí príobháideacha agus muintir na hÉireann thíos leis,” arsa é. “Léiríonn sé an neamhshuim iomlán atá ag leithéidí Fhianna Fáil don ghnáthfhear agus bhean ar an tsráid.

“Tá páirtí againn anseo a scrios an geilleagar go córasach agus a mhill todhchaí ár bpáistí ach fós síleann siad go bhfuil sé iomlán inghlactha ceadúnas d’Imchuach Loch Ailín a thabhairt uathu, agus luach €100 billiún ag dul leis ag praghasanna reatha. Chuaigh siad i mbannaí ar a gcairde sna bainc, na daoine is cúis leis an ghéarchéim eacnamaíochta seo, leis na deiche billiún euro agus tá siad ag dréim go n-aisíocfaidh an gnáth-cháiníocóir fiacha lucht an airgid. Anois lig siad don Chiste Airgeadaíochta Idirnáisiúnta [IMF] a ladar a chur i gcúrsaí ár dtíre agus fiacha anois ar ghnáth-Éireannaigh acu dóibh agus don Bhanc Ceannais Eorpach [ECB].

“Ach feictear dóibh go fóill gur chóir rochtain ar acmhainní nádúrtha ár dtíre a thabhairt in aisce do chomhlachtaí príobháideacha chun go dtig leo agus lena scairshealbhóirí brabús a dhéanamh as, gan tairbhe ar bith do mhuintir na hÉireann,” lean an tUasal Mac Giolla Easbuig.

“Rinne siad mar an gcéanna leis na gáscheantair in Imchuach Coirib as cósta Mhaigh Eo, áit a dtug lucht Theach Laighean na billiúin euro d’acmhainní nádúrtha do leithéidí Shell Oil agus a lig do Shell pobal Mhaigh Eo a chur faoi chois. Níl amhras ann go gcaithfear le muintir Thír Chonaill, Shligigh agus Liatroma agus na gcondaetha eile i gceantar Imchuach Loch Ailín ar an bhealach chéanna faoi lámha na gcomhlachtaí a bhainfeas tairbhe as na hacmhainní nádúrtha seo ar le muintir na hEireann iad de cheart."

Ag rá gur féidir an ghéarchéim reatha atá os comhair muintir na hÉireann a aisthiontú, dúirt an tUasal Mac Giolla Easbuig, “Tá dífhostaíocht ollmhór anseo i dTír Chonaill agus ar fud na tíre. Tá daoine óga s’againn ag fágáil na tíre lá i ndiaidh lae ar lorg oibre agus leanfar ag scoradh ár sochair agus ár seirbhís poiblí chun an IMF agus ECB a shásamh. Tá méid ollmhór saibhris sa tír seo i bhfoirm ola agus gáis agus in áit iad a thabhairt in aisce do chomhlachtaí príobháideacha dá dtairbhe féin, bá chóir iad a náisiúnú anois chun go bhféidir na brabúis a thagann astu a infheistiú i bpostanna agus i seirbhísí poiblí, ar nós sláinte agus oideachas. Ní mór do na daoine éileamh nach mbeidh ár n-acmhainní nádúrtha do shaint phríobháideach amach anseo ach do riachtanas poiblí.”

Billions Being Given Away - éirígí

The Donegal spokesperson for the socialist republican political party éirígí has given scathing criticism of the outgoing Fianna Fáil government over the awarding of onshore petroleum licences by its minister for natural resources Connor Lenihan. One of the licences, which were awarded on February 14th, is for the area known as the Lough Allen Basin.

The area straddles several counties in the northwest including counties Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim covering approximately 1500 square kilometres and beneath which lies an estimated 9.4 trillion cubic feet of gas. The Lough Allen licence has been awarded to Australian oil company Tamboran Resources and Finavera Gas.

Speaking of the awarding of the licences, éirígí's Donegal spokeperson Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig said the government were once again handing away Ireland's natural resources to private interests. “This is an absolute disgrace that such awards are being handed out to private companies at the expense of the Irish people” he said. “It only goes to show the complete disregard and contempt that the likes of Fianna Fáil have for the ordinary women and men in the street.

“Here we have a party who have systematically destroyed the economy and decimated our children's future and yet they see it perfectly acceptable to hand away a license for the Lough Allen Basin which, at current prices, is worth €100billion. They have bailed out their cronies in the banks who caused this economic crisis to the tune of tens of billions of euro and expect the ordinary tax payer to repay the debts of the wealthy. Now they have allowed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to meddle in our countries affairs and have the ordinary Irish women and men owing to them and the European Central Bank (ECB).

“But yet they see fit to give away access to our country's natural resources to private companies so they and their shareholders can profit from it, with little or no benefit to the Irish people” continued Mr Mac Giolla Easbuig.

“They did the same with the gas fields in the Corrib Basin off the coast of Mayo where those in Leinster House have handed away billions of euro worth of natural resources to the likes of Shell Oil and have allowed Shell to run roughshod over the people of Mayo. There is no question that the people of Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and the other counties in the area of the Lough Allen Basin will also be treated in the same manner by the companies who will capitalise on these natural resources which rightly belong to the Irish people.”

Saying that the current crisis faced by the Irish people could be reversed Mr Mac Giolla Easbuig stated “We have massive unemployment here in Donegal and right across the country. Our young people are leaving the country daily in search of work and our benefits and public services will continue to be slashed to appease the IMF and ECB. We have massive amounts of wealth in this country in the form of oil and gas and instead of it being given away to private companies for their sole benefit, it must be nationalised now so the resulting profits can be invested in jobs and public services, such as health and education. The people must demand that our natural resources are no longer for private greed but public need.”