Rossaveel Harbour Development stopped. I say pull it down.

[valamhic]

Two years ago Minister McConologue allocated 25 million to develop the harbour at Rossaveal for transport of off shore wind turbines. This week after a High Court Challenge the project was stopped. It was granted permission in 2028 without any compliance with the Habitats Directive. It was not completed after 5 years and sough an extension of another 5 years. Peter Sweatman brough a legal challenge and the Council caved in.

The general reaction is consternation but I say its the law and I am glad to see the law enforced. Now it may have to be demolished. The proper procedure is an SEA for the plan or programme for the national plan and EIA and AA under the habitats Directive. All appears to be by passed.

Meanwhile a Tipperary man Sean Meehan is been ordered to demolish his tigeen.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2XB7Foz-4c&t=185s

 

[Anderson]

Do I sense a bit more anger in this video Val?

 

[Myles O'Reilly]

The farmers hate the fact Val has hitched his wagon to Peter Sweatman.

 

[Mad as Fish]

The farmers hate the fact Val has hitched his wagon to Peter Sweatman.

Peter Sweatman and his little crowd know the law better than the government and they use it against the PTB. 90% of farmers will never have heard of him, but the foresters will and they blame him for all sorts of ills, but as he explains, if the government pulled its finger out and did things properly in the first place then there wouldn't be the agro.

 

[Myles O'Reilly]

The Sweatmans were middle class Catholic merchants in Dublin and were prominent in the United Irish movement in the late 1700's.

 

[valamhic]

Do I sense a bit more anger in this video Val?

Hard to say, I personally am the only human out of 8 billion in the world who enjoys revenge.

 

[valamhic]

The Sweatmans were middle class Catholic merchants in Dublin and were prominent in the United Irish movement in the late 1700's.

So, good or bad in your view. I am a member of a think-thank trying change things and they mostly say Sweatman is a left wing globalist and not to be trusted.

 

[valamhic]

Peter Sweatman and his little crowd know the law better than the government and they use it against the PTB. 90% of farmers will never have heard of him, but the foresters will and they blame him for all sorts of ills, but as he explains, if the government pulled its finger out and did things properly in the first place then there wouldn't be the agro.

That is true. I personally don't get into forestry opposition but I am in league with Sweetman on wind energy. He went in on the Habitats Directive and he pleads the EIS Directive but not the SEA Directive. I see mature forestry land cut down leaving a mess. A total mess and a friend fisherman saw Red Squirrels run from the cutting work with no where to go.

 

[valamhic]

The farmers hate the fact Val has hitched his wagon to Peter Sweatman.

Some of them do, but I have to work to explain it. Sweetman's win proves that government
failed to comply with the law. They by passed the law. My point is that all government backed
plans or programmes must be prefaced by an environmental assessment under Directive 2001/42/EC. This is by passed.

 

[Mad as Fish]

That is true. I personally don't get into forestry opposition but I am in league with Sweetman on wind energy. He went in on the Habitats Directive and he pleads the EIS Directive but not the SEA Directive. I see mature forestry land cut down leaving a mess. A total mess and a friend fisherman saw Red Squirrels run from the cutting work with no where to go.

His original gripe with forestry was prompted more by a freshwater shrimp rather than squirrels if I recall correctly. Sediment entering water courses through soil disturbance caused by harvesting and forwarding machinery was the issue he took to court, and the court found in his favour meaning that environmental impact assessments have to be made before a felling licence is issued. That was always the case, but as you suggest, the government never enforced it.

Unfortunately what has happened is that only the larger parcels of land are now worth cutting as the these assessments cost money. This has put a lot of forestry contractors out of business and it appears to be only the governments own forestry service, Coillte, that by some incredible coincidence gets licence approval, with a few others thrown out to the bigger contractors as well.

The vast acres of Sitka spruce we see are a long term crop so him getting all dewy eyed over the red squirrels is a little over egging the pudding. Natural and deciduous forests are a different matter altogether.

 

[Myles O'Reilly]

So, good or bad in your view. I am a member of a think-thank trying change things and they mostly say Sweatman is a left wing globalist and not to be trusted.

They would have been good. I can't speak about your Sweetman but John Sweetman was Wolfe Tone's right hand man.

After being sentenced to death Tone wrote in his notebook "Te nunc habet ista secundem ("This now has thee [Sweetman] as my successor"). "

He's buried in St Columba's churchyard, Swords.