Saturday 20 April, 2019
It must be great to have a government that thinks things through and looks after the interests of the country and its people
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IT’S THE FINAL day of Lent, with tomorrow – Easter Sunday – marking the end of the 40-day fast.
A per Christian tradition, people take a break from something tempting each year by making a Lenten vow in the run up to Easter.
But it’s not always easy to make it through, so today we’re wondering: Did you manage to make it through Lent without breaking your vow?
Poll Results:
Share your story: voices@thejournal.ie
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REPLIES
Norway didn’t give away their natural resources for nothing, that’s why their rolling in it. However here in Ireland , well that’s a different story, ” do you want our oil free? We will throw in the gas as well !! “
Free?!, ah I’m sure some politician got something out of it for making it free, we might hear the truth someday…
Don’t forget the forests…
Ray Burke then he disappeared
A relevant quote here is ;
“Any man who cannot be bought has nothing to sell !”
A liittle birdy told me that one ; very relevant !
This is why
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76VOnzXQMsU
Norway also isn’t in the EU but trades fully with it. The way we should be.
I wouldn’t know :-(
Actually Sean ; according to Brian Cowen and his stated position on the Lisbon Treaty that’s the way it still is in Ireland ;
The EU has made over €250 billion from irish waters since ireland joined. A hell of a lot more than what the EU gave to Ireland in grants. And is still making millions every year from Irish waters. Demand your natural resources back.
Lower your bloody prices so Norway!
The head of Shell Ireland was on Sky News a couple of weeks ago saying Ireland could provide the UK’s gas requirements, yet Pat Rabbit tells us theres nothing there. Who’s lying to who?
Here we go again. If all this oil off the coast of Ireland is going for absolutely nothing could you please explain then why there are only around four active wells off the entire coast compared to the hundreds in Norwegian waters? Is it because the oil companies just aren’t interested in all this free oil that apparantly just lying there waiting to be extracted? Do we think their consceiences won’t allow them to make the billions in profits that are just open to them from Ireland becuase they know it’s wrong? Have they just made too much profit this year to be bothered?
I’d really love to know the answer to this question but I know all I’ll get is red thumbs from the usual crowd.
Also we gave away a few billion in our fishing industry just for the sake of it
I like that one!
http://www.sceala.com/phpBB2/irish-forums-25255.html
yeah dead right all this bs about giving our natural resources away for nothing. – the same people would be complaining if we were drilling using a state company and wasting billions doings so. One exploratory well can cost nearly a million a day to run. http://www.oil-price.net/en/articles/oil-drilling-expensive-business.php.
And if we didn’t offer favourable rates nobody would drill in Ireland, but hey another Journal article being used to bash this country. People will link bloody anything and say “down with the government etc while providing no alternative”.
Jim, why don’t you ask the head of Shell Ireland. He made the claim on Sky News 2 weeks ago. Instead of patronising those who dare to question it.
but to compare Norway and Ireland’s oil and gas sectors which is what everybody commenting here is doing is disingenuous. And Im sure The head of Shell Ireland isn’t trying tom help business in saying that, share prices etc. Its his job to talk it up.
I despise the eu and what it has done to my country
Where are you from Graham?
Well done Ronan !
I have written a few times on this subject now. The fact is we have some small pockets of oil and gas off our coasts. We cannot afford to drill and speculate on the location and profitability of these pockets. So we came up with an incentive. We allowed some companies to come and explore and hopefully find oil. They are not being charged because the chances of finding oil/ gas are so slim. If these companies are lucky and strike oil/gas in the quantities which some posters seem to think it exists more companies will arrive eager to drill also. These are the people we will charge and this is how we make money. A win win. If there is substantial oil we make money. If there is not we will have found out and will not lose money.
shell spending 2 billion to bring nothing to shore must be lying ?? and not pat robbitt
I’m not sure if you are allowed to post sense on here but well said.
@Sean Hyland: Here’s how that works for Norway: “The non-EU members of the EEA have no representation in Institutions of the European Union such as the European Parliament or European Commission. This situation has been described as a “fax democracy”, with Norway waiting for their latest legislation to be faxed from the Commission.”
Effectively, Norway is told what legislation is going to be implemented, and they have to fall in line and implement it in order to maintain the full trading status. They sit at the table, but silently. Unlike Ireland, which has an absolute veto on all legislation, and negotiates at all times for its own best interests (yes, it does, as unbelievably as it may seem).
It works well for Norway because they are wealthy, unlike Ireland, and so can afford to participate on unequal terms.
EU members are also subject to “fax democracy” due to the so called “Community Method” which is the norm for EU rules. Unanimity is only required in a small number of areas.
Also anyone who sells goods in Japan has to accept the Japanese rules, anyone who sells goods in the USA has to accept the american rules etc. etc. so “fax democracy” exists worldwide not just in the EEA.
You also forget to mention that Norways net contribution to the single market is a fraction of what it would be if it had both feet in.
Also matters such as the common energy policy and common fisheries policy could prove disastrous for Norway. The only beneficieries of Norwegian EU membership would be the Norwegian Labour party who could use the undemocratic infrastructure of the EU to prevent a future Norwegian centre right government reversing their policies.
You also forget to mention that Norway is free to opt-in where it sees fit e.g. Schengen, European Defence Agency etc.
EU members aren’t subject to fax democracy in the same way. The legislation is debated and agreed upon by delegates of the 28 member states, and that is what is put forward for voting. Norway has no direct part in that at all, unlike the 28 member states.
I’m not suggesting that this doesn’t happen elsewhere. I’m only quoting a description of how Norwegians perceive their relationship with the EU, and pointing out that this is very different for Ireland. Norway is much more closely integrated with the EU than trade relations with, for example, Japan.
I’m not advocating that Norway should join the EU. On the contrary, I’m just pointing out that Ireland, a small island state with no native industry capacity and little in the way of natural resources, can’t give two fingers to the EU in the way Norway can. Norway can afford to do whatever it wants, and that’s fantastic for them, as a socialist nation with the means to afford it.
Comparing Norway to Ireland is like comparing apples and 3-week-old freeze-dried gooseberries.
Jim there could be lakes of oil but the real question is the cost of extracting it. At the moment it may not be economically viable to do it and so oil companies will buy the rights and wait until the situation improves, i.e, oil gets scarcer and the barrel price rises or technology makes extraction cheaper. Finding the oil is also bloody expensive and very hit and miss at the best of times.
The analogy is a little OTT Kevin. What people are getting upset over is that, it appears, that on some of the big issues our Govt. just pulls our collective pants down further, whereas, as stated above, the Norwegian Govt. are acting rationally, frugally and sensibly with the excess of wealth that has been obtained from natural resources and not spending it just because it exists which is really great.
Maybe Norwegians take this sensible behavior for granted but not long ago Ireland was wealthier, per capita, than Norway and the money was squandered, stolen and given away – there were also some very poor decisions made and plenty of lies told, hence our current economic status.