Éirígí Interview With Erris Shell To Sea Spokesperson John Monaghan
John Monaghan has played a prominent role in the Shell to Sea campaign in Erris for a number of years. He is one of several national spokespersons for the campaign, and is married to Bríd Ní Shéighin, whose father Mícheál, spent 3 months in prison in 2005 for his opposition to Shells proposed pipeline. John agreed to conduct an interview with Éirígí on the issues involved with the Shell to Sea campaign, the transcript of which is featured below.
Q1. Can you provide a background to the Shell to Sea struggle since Shell began construction at the terminal in October?
Prior to the big push by Shell and the State last Autumn the campaign had been steadily building up a momentum and public profile, and I feel that has continued throughout the recent developments. Since hundreds of Gardaí were forced into our community the nature of the protest has had to adapt, and so what was previously a good-natured information drive has become much more tense on the ground, and we've developed into more of a physical nuisance protest, like slowing down trucks accessing the site and the occasional impromptu site inspection. We've also stepped up the distribution of information about the project, holding a successful public meeting in Belmullet recently and visiting towns throughout the county. Overall spirits are still high in spite of continued Garda intimidation, but there's a harder edge to things now at Bellanaboy.
The bottom line at the moment is stopping the immediate threat of construction work and the environmental damage that will cause, especially to Carrowmore Lake. The lake is not only a Special Area of Conservation but the main drinking-water supply for Erris, and that has already been affected by contaminated water discharged from the site according to Mayo County Council's own figures. We're still trying to get answers from them about it, but the Council are being very stubborn on the matter.
Contaminated water in County Mayo
Regarding the project in general Terry Nolan of Shell keeps going on about how it can only proceed "in partnership with the local community". As Micheal [Ó Seighin] said to me recently "that's like having Christmas dinner in partnership with the turkey!" Dinner can't go ahead without him, but he doesn't have much say in the matter and certainly comes out the loser!
These kinds of comments only make us more motivated to continue our opposition, and when the authorities blatantly ignore the facts were increasingly being forced to take action ourselves.
Q2. The campaign has received significant local support, can you explain the nature and depth of the opposition to Shell's proposed pipeline?
This is one area that has become a major issue for Shell. They are desperate to claim majority support for the proposed refinery and try to talk up local involvement at every turn. The truth is no-one believes the oil companies are here for our good, they're not charities dispensing goodwill throughout the land, and people sense Shell's deception straight away.
We've educated ourselves quite well on the legacy of oil and gas exploitation and share that information with as many people as we can. I suppose our success in that regard could be measured by the opinion polls carried out in recent times. The Shell To Sea stance regularly comes out on top at around sixty to seventy percent support; the Red-C poll published last week in the Western People states sixty six percent do not want the Bellanaboy refinery option to go ahead. From our experience in Erris it's even higher; our door-to-door leafleting has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response, and that helps us to ignore any negative headlines that get conjured up now and again by Shell's PR staff.
Divide and conquer is the obvious strategy by those supporting the project, and token "natives" are usually given free reign in the media and given a much louder voice than ourselves. The most vocal support for Shell comes from a select few individuals, most with vested business interests, and none of them live within the potential kill-zones of Bellanaboy or Rossport. I'd tend to place more value on the opinions of those people most directly affected, more fully informed, and who have nothing to gain but their health and safety, and there are lots of those on the road at Bellanaboy every morning.
Q3. How does the community feel about the misinformation spread about the campaign by certain media outlets?
Its easy to be bitter, but we've learnt that the mainstream media is quite changeable. The national media (particularly Sunday tabloids and TV) have tended to focus on flashy events like solidarity days or Garda violence, but they occasionally hit the real issues as well. Some people in the campaign have been particularly targeted for negative press, and that's certainly hurtful for the individuals involved, but it makes us stronger as a group because it shows we're doing something right!
One worrying aspect is how hard it is to get decent coverage locally. It's frustrating when you're up against a powerful media machine that eats up airtime and column inches, but Shell have very little credibility in Ireland now in spite of their efforts; people are just suspicious hearing the same nonsense from them again and again. In the long run we know we'll face some of the same difficulties of getting our case heard, because that's the way the system works, but our stance is consistent and reasonable and that surely counts for something.
Q4. The Gardai have acted particularly violently toward protesters from the outset of the campaign. Has this affected morale at all?
Garda violence is actually relatively new in this campaign. Up until last October things were not at all physical, although intimidation by Gardaí was almost a daily occurrence, slow drivebys at your home and smart comments on the picket lines, that kind of thing. There has definitely been an over-reaction by a minority of Gardaí lately, and they try to bring everyone else down to their level, but we're bigger than that and don't have to resort to those tactics; our arguments are strong enough. One thing's for sure; the bully tactics employed by the state and on behalf of an aggressive corporate power are an unwelcome distraction, and their tactics will never be forgotten. That makes us much more determined.
The result of heavy handed Garda tactics
Q5. Do you see the Shell to Sea campaign achieving its objectives?
I can't see it going any other way but ours. When something is so wrong on so many levels it can't last. Lies only beget more lies, and you'll always get caught out in the end... it's our job to make sure that end comes sooner rather than later. Our campaign would have failed if Bellanaboy is developed as planned, even if there's a renegotiation of the Corrib deal, because the natural beauty and character of the area would be lost forever. We just can't allow that to happen, because we don't have the right to sell our children's future for a couple of lousy jobs and a whole lot of mess. Health safety and the environment must go hand in hand with a rethink on the distribution of our natural resources, and that is what we're working for.
The other aspect to our campaign is its importance for other communities. We know people in places like South Africa and Nigeria and the United States are watching us closely, and that future resistance to corporate power will be coloured by our own degree of success. If we fail, we let all those fence-line communities down too, and people living next to Big Oil would see a very limited future. We are supposed to be a thriving developed nation, but we are faced with a third-world project promoted by a hollow democracy, and that would be a dangerous precedent.
Q6. How does it feel for you personally to be suddenly thrust into a leadership position within your community?
That's flattering but not really true. We're all doing what we can, and together that makes us very strong. Some of us have more time and energy to spare than others, and still others do nothing else but campaign. I'm trying to fit in somewhere between dedicated activist and dedicated father and husband, but I know I don't always succeed. Sometimes you want to throw it all in and get back to normal, but then you realise that the new sense of community that's developed has become normal in itself, and you get on with it with a smile in your heart.
As far as leadership is concerned we've all the time avoided a formal structure to what we do, because you only set up targets for pressure of one sort or another. When no-one is in charge it's hard to corner the campaign. That approach obviously has its drawbacks and can be as frustrating as hell at times, but when everyone is pulling in the same direction things tend to work themselves out.
I've made a lot of real friends in this campaign, and we've seen the strength that we all possess and can show if given the chance. I suppose that's what's best about human nature and it's a privilege to be involved.
Q7. And finally, what would you see as the best way for people outside of the Erris area to assist the campaign?
Well, apart from spreading the word and educating the general public on the issues, with a general election on the horizon the obvious thing is to lobby your candidates. Our concern in Erris is predominantly health and safety and the environment, and they can be considered noble causes, but the robbery of our natural resources is certainly a national one. From a technical point of view the project is fundamentally flawed, and the only thing propping it up is political will, so we can all exercise our democratic power and demand Corrib gas be developed cleanly and safely for the good of all.
And of course if you're doing nothing special this spring and summer, you can always come down to Mayo and lend a hand.
Sit down protest at he exit of Lennon’s quarry