"Its been through the process, its
been through the procedures"
(Bertie Ahern commenting on the Shell gas line)
Dear Editor,
The Taoiseach and Ministers chant this mantra about the
planning process in response to growing numbers of people
trying to defend their environment and communities. Just
because the process is complete does not mean the process
is right. It is obvious that the process is a sham with
cases presented to people in half-truths and experts
ignored.
The problems that we have encountered fighting for Tara
are replicated all over the country. Whether the issue is
Derrybryan, an airport runway, a new prison site or
Carrickmines it is the same battle fought against the
monolith of a Public Private Quango with unlimited
resources. The recent case in Rossport starkly exposes
the reality of these scenarios brought to extremes when
men are jailed for defending their land .
When ordinary people are jailed, protesters are vilified
and blamed for delays by Government ministers and
citizens have to go to the High Court to defend their
rights it exposes a shocking democratic deficit in our
governance. The concerns of ordinary citizens are
increasingly ignored in the interest of big business.
Community activists have to become legal, environmental
and planning experts, without financial resources, to
fight their own elected representatives. It is becoming
increasingly difficult to gain access to Freedom of
Information.
There is a growing anger as Ministers such as Cullen,
Roche and Dempsey hide behind the planning process and
un-elected bodies such as the NRA. Coupled with the
tendency to privatisation in all sectors thus further
distancing Ministers from responsibility from their
briefs it speaks of a steady, frightening erosion of
democracy in our government.
Minister Cullen recently blamed protesters instead of
corruption for delaying the completion of the M50 that
was proven in days to increase journey times instead of
decreasing them. Minister Roche and the NRA have accused
our campaign of telling "untruths". This is how dictators
behave in justifying their behaviour. Who is actually
running the country - the people's representatives (the
Government) or the multinationals? Has our democracy
become defunct?
- Yours etc.
Dr. Muireann Ní
Bhrolcháin,
PRO,
Save the TaraSkryne Valley Group,
58 Laurence Avenue,
Maynooth,
Co. Kildare.
© Daily Ireland, 29th. August 2005.
