Petition Minister for Justice and April rally on behalf of JobstownNotGuilty

Press conference todayannounces rally on 1st April at Liberty Hall, Dublin.  Photo Rossport 5, Patricia McKenna and TUists.

Why is this important?

A 17 year old school student has already been found guilty of false imprisonment – a verdict a barrister described as “a recipe for totalitarianism”.

This related to an anti water charges protest in Jobstown, Tallaght in Dublin on 15 November 2014, where then Tánaiste Joan Burton’s car was delayed for 2 and ½ hours by a spontaneous community protest.

The 18 adults now awaiting trial from April 2017 face sentences up to life imprisonment. The trials, which will be six to eight weeks long, themselves will place enormous stress and strain on the defendants. If jailed, families would be left in very difficult situations, with jobs lost and parents in prison. If TD Paul Murphy is jailed for more than six months, he will be removed as a TD, denying the democratic choice of the people of Dublin South West.

The political establishment and the supportive media are desperate to tarnish the anti water charges movement as a violent, anti-democratic mob. By grossly misrepresenting and using what happened in Jobstown they want to weaken our democratic rights and so make it easier to impose economic inequality.

The laws used to directly seize the Property Tax from wages or benefits as well the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) legislation used to rob the wages of pubic servants, show that this attack is real. The dirty smear campaign against Maurice McCabe by the Gardai tops, shows the lengths this rotten establishment are willing to go to shut down descent and opposition to the status quo.

The definition of ‘false imprisonment’ is being changed and this affects everyone. Any temporary delay or obstruction at a protest or picket, which for example inconveniences a politician, could be deemed false imprisonment. This is about intimidating people and criminalising protest.

Source: https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/protesting-is-not-a-crime-drop-the-charges-against-jobstownnotguilty

Public Meeting who'se who on Inishowen Rivers? Or is there more to it?

by James Quigley

                         click on image to enlarge

 

A public meeting is coming up entitled 'Who's Who on Inishowen Rivers' on Wednesday 22nd February, 6pm at An Grianán Hotel, Burt, Co Donegal. 

The heading on the poster states 'Inishowen Rivers Trust', however, it is unclear which of the organisations mentioned are responsible for the event and indeed what it is all about. 

I will take the poster at face value and believe that it is about a 'Who's Who? and all will be revealed on the night.

My interest in the event is not solely environmental but also on the political and commercial relationship around say community organisations and elected public bodies dealing with our ecosystem and communities.  Have the parties involved a genuine interest or have they some form of agenda?  Do they hold or are they pushing a status quo line? 

When I read about Government bodies and Government funded organisations, whether community or not,   my internal critical radar starts to blip.  I immediately have toask how are these organisations funded and then how did they act around past and present controversies on water and environmental issues in Inishowen? 

My own answer is that I can't recall any of the stated organisations giving constructive support or encouragement to any recent or past controversial environmental or political issues.  Rather it is my experience that they either say nothing or have actively criticised any who spoke out or asked awkward questions.  

As for bureaucratic officialdom, e.g.  County Councils, it has been my experience that they misinform, obstruct,  are rude, doctrinaire and paternalistic and even worse.  It is in the Government's interest, good PR,  to support clean ups, tree planting, nice community events etc.  They will support financially and practically any organisations pushing it's agenda and in so doing control them.  But try asking officialdom awkward questions like what are they putting into our drinking water or sewage into the sea and rivers,  allowing fish farms willy-nilly along our shores and the lists goes on.   Never mind the big one charging and privatising our water.   Then you will see their real side.  I wonder will we hear anything like this at the meeting in the Grianán on Wednesday night?

Maybe I should have an open mind and wait to hear the presentations, sip tea with in the establishment, however,  it is difficult to dampen my prejudices.

Proposed Moville/Greencastle Waste Water Treatment Plant - Amended Legislation

by Enda Craig
Community For a Clean Estuary

Lough Foyle, Co Donegal, Ireland

S.I. No. 652 of 2016    WASTE WATER DISCHARGE (AUTHORISATION)(ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT) REGULATIONS 2016

The above attachment contains details of amended national legislation that came about as a result of a formal complaint made to the European Commission by the environmental campaign group 'Community For a Clean Estuary', Carnagarve, Moville, Co Donegal.

The group had alleged that the legislation  granting  planning permission by An Bord Pleanála and the High Court, to build a proposed Waste Water Treatment Plant for the towns of Moville and Greencastle at Carnagarve, was based on defective European Planning Legislation.

This amendment was carried out by the Irish Government on foot of an ultimatum from the European Commission in Brussels to either amend the defective legislation or face the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

The Government recognised the game was up and decided to comply with the relevant European Environmental Legislation.

This is a massive achievement by a small group of community activists determined to prevent their local environment being destroyed. Having witnessed An Bord Pleanála and the High Court of Ireland deliberately (and illegally) ignore European Commission legislation,  it is encouraging to see them being brought  to account and have them apply  proper process.

Nevertheless, the final important battle is yet to be decided. The European Commission having insisted on compliance  must now decide if the original planning permission by An Bord Pleanála is allowed to stand.  Will the European Commission insist the decision to grant planning permission is re-visited and set aside (as it should be) in light of the amended legislation?

Historically the European Commission does not  retrospectively apply amended legislation but our group Community For A Clean Estuary is challenging this decision.  We must point out that no group would reasonably  be willing to take the time, effort  and go to the  expense of making a complaint to the European Commission if  it means   that  in return  your own case will be ignored and  only future projects will need to comply with the amended European Legislation.

Source: SaveTheFoyle, Feb 19, 2017