Nationalisation Of National Resources And 'Shell To Sea' Campaign
The Corrib Gas saga has brought the whole issue of how Ireland’s natural resources are to be used to the very fore of public debate in Ireland. The dispute which has focused on the village of Rossport and the surrounding area has become a major international news story. This one dispute can be viewed as a microcosm of the much larger struggle between those who seek justice for the many and those who seek wealth for the few.
The Corrib Gas dispute incorporates the battle between private ownership versus public ownership, the rights of community versus the power of multinational corporations and the protection of human and environmental safety versus the demands of big business.
The outcome of this David and Goliath battle between the residents of Rossport on the one hand and the combined strength of government and private industry on the other will impact far beyond the Erris peninsula and county Mayo. This is a battle between those who believe that the natural resources of Ireland should be used for the benefit of all and those who believe that those same resources should be sold to the highest bidder.
Éirígí believes that in a genuine Republic the people of Ireland would be in true ownership of Ireland, including her natural resources. In such a Republic the wealth generated from the exploitation of our natural resources would be used for the benefit of all. The multi-billion euro potential of Corrib and other oil and gas fields would thus be used to ensure that all citizens had access to the services and facilities that are necessary for basic human dignity.