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Protecting Irish children

In the context of the systematic and widespread abuse of children of state institutions run by religious orders in Ireland, some organisations, such as One in Four, journalist Joe Cooney and RTE’s Joe Little, have stated that a constitutional referendum is necessary to protect children’s rights. However, it should be noted by Irish citizens that such an action would make children much more vunerable to abuse than before by making it much easier for the state to take children from the protection of their families, with no legal comeback. We suggest that the government which still neglects and institutionalises children would welcome such a development.

Here is a statement issued by us in 2006 as published by Village Magazine.

Statement: Government is eager to abolish children’s rights

Barnardos’ proposals for amendments to the Irish constitution promise to remove existing safeguards rather than provide new ones.

The first proposal is the addition of an extra subsection to Article 40, which deals with fundamental rights. Unfortunately, the proposal fails to define the rights it is ostensibly intended to protect.

Article 42.5 of the Irish constitution reads as follows: “In exceptional cases, where the parents for physical or moral reasons fail in their duty towards their children, the state as guardian of the common good, by appropriate means shall endeavour to supply the place of the parents, but always with due regard for the natural and imprescriptible rights of the child.”

Barnardos’ second proposed amendment is the replacement of the existing Article 42.5 with the following: “In exceptional cases, where parents fail to protect the welfare of their children, the state shall take such action as is necessary to ensure such protection.”

Taken together, the proposed amendments give unrestrained and unlimited power to the state to remove children from their parents. In neither one is “welfare” actually defined. The state is the only party whose “rights” are given form: the state is to be allowed to remove a child from its parents for any number of reasons, including financial, “to ensure its protection”.

The proposed amendment to Article 42.5 is potentially in breach of Article 9.1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states: “States Parties shall ensure that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will,” and limits state intervention to cases of neglect or abuse, or decisions regarding place of residence in the case of parental separation. The provisions of Article 42.5 are consistent with this convention.

The government, manifesting great enthusiasm for Barnardos’ proposals, has no hesitation in recommending yet another hasty and ill-advised referendum with a minimum of debate.

Cathal Loftus of Comhair Críostaí (Villagers, 9 November) is correct in pointing out that the problem is not the absence of constitutional rights but failure to enforce them. But given the current administration’s track record in the matter of constitutional rights, their eagerness to abolish them is not surprising.

An Bord Pleanála Hearing into Corrib Pipeline in Mayo

French Warship to visit Cork City on Friday 22nd May

The French Navy corvette Le Henaff will dock at the North Custom House Quay in Cork City Centre (opposite Jury’s Inn) at 13.00hrs on Friday 22nd May.

Source:

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/92365

http://www.portofcork.ie/schedule.aspx

Local Community Remove and Dump Glengad Beach Nets

On Thursday 23rd April 2009, members of the Erris community along with supporters opposed to the Shell Corrib Gas Project, removed the nets on Glengad Beach which have been placed to prevent Sand Martins from nesting on the beach. The question is: does the placing of these nets have the formal authorisation of the Department of the Environment since Glengad Beach is part of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in Broadhaven Bay.

Source:

Press Release from Shell to Sea -

http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=2121

Goldman Prize Winner Willie Corduff Assaulted: Shell to Sea Press Release

Shell to Sea Press Release:

“I thought they were trying to kill me. They beat me until I stopped moving. I heard one of them say, ‘Stop now lads, he’s nearly finished.’ “ – Willie Corduff

Shell to Sea is appalled at the vicious and brutal attack that was made on Rossport 5 member Willie Corduff by Shell security force wearing balaclavas last night.  Willie had been under that truck on the Glengad site for 16 hours, when at approximately 3:00am IRMS security wearing balaclavas moved in to forcibly remove him.   Subsequently an ambulance was called and brought him to Castlebar Hospital, where he still remains.  Today is the second anniversary of the day that Willie Corduff won the Goldman Environmental prize.

A local resident who was present that the time stated that he saw the masked security men push Willie to the ground and start kicking him and hitting him with large batons. They knelt on his head and twisted his arms behind his back as they beat him. His brother-in-law attempted to aid Willie but was pushed back repeatedly and forcibly removed by the masked Shell security into an adjacent field where he was then knocked to the ground, kicked and beaten.

Shell to Sea Spokesperson Terence Conway stated:  “This was a vicious and cowardly attack by this group of balaclava-wearing Shell mercenaries in the middle of the night, on a brave member of our community, Willie Corduff, who was peacefully protesting the illegality of this project.  The only violence that happened in Glengad last night was carried out by Shell security.”

Serious concerns as to the background of security personnel in Erris have been raised in the wake of the death of a former Shell security contract worker who worked in Glengad, Michael Dwyer, as part of an alleged plot to assassinate the Bolivian President, Evo Morales.

Earlier last night at approximately 11:30pm, the fencing that Shell contractors had unlawfully put up that day was removed.  During the day, the local community actively opposed the fencing work, as there is no planning permission for the work in Glengad.

Allegations that protestors entered Glengad site carrying iron bars and chains, or that any security personnel was harmed, are absolutely untrue.
Mr Conway continued, “It has become common practice to falsely accuse us of violence, in order to cover up the brutality that is inflicted upon us.  This work in Glengad is totally illegal but all of our attempts to raise the illegality of these works have fallen on deaf Government ears.  Repeated request to see the permissions for these works have been ignored.”

For verification and further comment contact:
Terence Conway - 086 0866264
Maura Harrington - 087 9591474

Source:

http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=2111

AIB to divest itself of US Assets with State Capitalisation without Ownership

EU Approval for Austerity Budget and NAMA

The European Union have welcomed the budget of Tuesday 7th April austerity measures.

In a statement issued on the following day, (Wednesday), 8th April ‘The Commission’s preliminary assessment is that decisive, broad-based action has been taken in this supplementary budget,’ a Commission spokesman told a regular briefing.

‘We welcome the confirmation of the deficit of no more that 3% of GDP by 2013,’ he said of promises made by the Finance Minister yesterday.

Call to Nationalise Eircom

Sand Martin Habitat under threat at Glengad beach

For the third time by last Friday April 3rd, nets at Glengad have been placed by Shell Oil Corporation and promptly taken down by local residents. The purpose of these nets are to prevent sand-martins (a member of the Swallow family) from nesting in the cliff-face. Although the Sand Martin is presently not an endangered species, over the past 50 years the European population has collapsed on two occasions as a result of drought in the birds’ African wintering grounds.

Glengad beach is a sand martin nesting area, and the sand martin nesting season is beginning this April. Birds have been spotted in the area, and although there are some sections of cliff not covered by the nets, the nesting area is severely restricted. The surface of the cliff face is markedly different from years past, after being destroyed in 2008 during Shell’s failed attempt to bring their raw gas pipeline onshore.

What was once thought to be a specially protected priority habitat for birds and wildlife has become an important landing base for the Corrib oil pipeline.

Glengad Beach:

http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/mar2009/glengad018.jpg

Sand Martin:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/S/SandMartin/index.asp
Sources:

http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=2080
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/91785

Further Closures of Military Barracks Planned?

One of the least commented measures of the October 2008 budget, marketed, like this one as a “emergency budget”, was the closure of four military barracks:  Longford, Letterkenny, Lifford and Monaghan.
The Defence Forces has sold eight barracks around the country since the 1990s. The proceeds have been used to update Defence Forces infrastructure and buy modern equipment for overseas missions such as Chad.

At the time, Pdforra general secretary Gerry Rooney stated that his organisation saw no need for further barrack closures. Any sales in the current climate would yield greatly reduced profits. Some closed barracks may be left unsold and empty, costing considerable sums to guard.

In 2008, Minister O’Dea stated that the withdrawal of the British Army deployments, coupled with reduced paramilitary activity, had removed the rationale for having seven barracks/posts along the Border and these would now be consolidated into three posts.

“The closure of the barracks will yield savings in administration and personnel costs and their eventual sale should, in the longer term, produce substantial resources for the modernisation process”, he added.

An initial study on barrack closures by consultants Price Waterhouse in 1998 had earmarked 17 barracks for closure.  Six were closed at the time.

Last year Mr Rooney stated that he was concerned by reports the military hospital at St Bricin’s, Infirmary Road, Dublin, was to be transferred to the Defence Forces Training Centre at the Curragh, Co Kildare.

“Pdforra suspects that the move is merely a cover for the further downgrading of the specialist services provided by the Medical Corps,” he told delegates. He went on to say that defence spending in Ireland was 0.7 % of gross national product and, as one of the lowest in Europe, should not be reduced. But further cuts may be planned in Tuesday’s budget.

Sources:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1009/1223445617950.html

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/budget-2009/the-measures/four-army-barracks-military-hospital-to-be-closed-1498947.html

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