Thursday 24th February 2011
Environmentally sensitive onshore gas licences potentially worth billions are given away just days before the election
Colm Rapple
Irish Mail on Sunday, 20th February 2011
Republished on the Shell to Sea web site

Exploration rights potentially worth billions of euro are to be handed out by Natural Resources Minister, Conor Lenihan, in what may well be his last official act as minister and maybe even T.D. The only Irish company getting a licence, Lough Allen Natural Gas, has never been involved in oil or gas exploration before. It was only set up last July by Dublin based Thomas Anderson and Askeaton based Martin Lawrence Keeley. Licences are also going to an Australian company, Tamboran Resources PTY Ltd and a British based company, Enegi Oil plc that has exploration interests in Newfoundland.

Full details have yet to be disclosed but reports prepared in the mid 1990s on the basis of past drillings in the Lough Allen area indicated that three sandstone reservoirs could potentially contain over 10 trillion cubic feet of gas. (...more)

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Thursday 24th February 2011
Outgoing government push through internet censorship by Friday
John Kennedy, Laura O'Brien
Articles from Silicon Republic, Dublin, 23-24th February 2011

In its final days, the Government is believed to be rushing through a statutory instrument that will amend the existing Copyright Act and which will give judges the power to grant injunctions against ISPs in relation to copyright infringement cases...

...The legislation is expected to be sanctioned by the present Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Mary Hanafin TD before Friday. (...more)

Former minister for communications Eamon Ryan called on Minister Mary Hanafin..."The Government cannot perform this legislative sleight of hand on the eve of polling. It would be a slapdash response that could jeopardise jobs and our future recovery. Don’t sign the law," said Ryan. (...more)

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Wednesday 23rd February 2011

Letter handed in to Leinster House:
JML DIESEL PROTEST
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
65A Davitt Hse, Adelaide Rd, Dublin 2

23/02/11

Sirs,

Road haulage is literally the engine of the Irish economy, part of the critical infrastructure, labour force and embedded social fabric of our society. If they are to suffer much more from lack of funds or uncompetitive costs they will be decimated, causing thousands more to end up on the dole at prohibitive expense to the state, and setting in motion a snowball of uncompetitiveness to overseas imports and domestic small businesses. (...more)

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SUNDAY 20th February 2011
MAGGIE'S REALITY
During my campaign I have met some amazing people, one being Maggie McKeown.

Maggie is one of an estimated 8,000 carers in Donegal who each save the health service €40,000p.a. per dependent. Many carers, mostly women, look after two to three dependents.

Maggie is very special, she saves the state €105,000p.a. caring for her wheelchair-bound husband and two children in their 30’s with physical and learning disabilities. For the privilege of this role Maggie gets €306 per week, means tested. Maggie gets to stay awake most nights and cat naps in doctors' surgeries, hospital waiting rooms and car parks.

This is Maggie’s reality: Maggie has no voice.

A manager in the H.S.E. earns €105,000p.a. plus expenses. What has happened?

Our public servants have become self serving, unaccountable, with pay scales, pensions, and travel expenses far outweighing international comparisons. We have seen what occurred in Egypt in recent weeks, where the state was brought to its knees by people power. Voting for a party politician who must adhere to the party whip system regardless of the issues on which we elected them is pointless.

This is our reality: We have no voice.

What would Ann Sweeney do? (...more)

Ann's 2010 by-election boycott

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