By:
John Drennan - Sunday Independent
[Shell to Sea] Please be advised that the Tony O Reilly who is a significant shareholder in the Sunday Independent, also owns oil & gas exploration company Providence Resources.
Pat Rabbitte's use of the word 'we' to refer to who is currently building the tunnel under Sruwaddacon Bay is very telling of his mindset. In the article John Drennan also misquotes Pat Rabbitte's use of the term "soft-headed romanticism". The actual sentence was "Something about the sea brings out a soft-headed romanticism in Irish people with which I find it very difficult to deal". Pat Rabbitte's full speech can be read here
The Minister for Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte has revealed that the true cost of the decade-long Shell to Sea protest is now €2bn, including hundreds of millions directly borne by the taxpayer.
So far the main source of controversy in the Shell to Sea conflict has centred on a current garda policing bill of €14.5m. However, speaking to the Seanad last week, Mr Rabbitte said the real costs of the campaign, which was recently described as "protest tourism" by Alan Shatter, was closer to €2bn.