New Events

National

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link This Site Will Soon Be Hosted at anti-em... Sun Sep 22, 2024 17:24 | Anti-Empire

offsite link Ukraine Shoots Down F-16 With Patriot, A... Sat Aug 31, 2024 11:53 | Anti-Empire

offsite link Surprise Offensive Puts 300 km² of Russ... Fri Aug 09, 2024 08:44 | Marko Marjanović

offsite link The Wholesome Photo of the Month Thu May 09, 2024 11:01 | Anti-Empire

offsite link In 3 War Years Russia Will Have Spent $3... Thu May 09, 2024 02:17 | Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire >>

The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.  We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below). 

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N°103 Fri Oct 11, 2024 12:15 | en

offsite link The Anglo-Saxons carry on bombing Yemen, although West Point considers it ineffe... Fri Oct 11, 2024 12:07 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N°102 Tue Oct 08, 2024 07:00 | en

offsite link Iran and Israel, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Oct 08, 2024 06:58 | en

offsite link Assassination of Hassan Nasrallah Tue Oct 08, 2024 06:50 | en

Voltaire Network >>

‘Dire consequences’ of erecting barriers to public participation

category national | worker & community struggles and protests | press release author Sunday August 30, 2020 22:25author by foie - Friends of the Irish Environment Report this post to the editors

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern cited in forestry fee objection ‘Dire consequences’ of erecting barriers to public participation

Bertie Ahern’s desire ‘to have the power of the Mayor of Shanghai’ is cited in an objection to the proposed fee for objection to forestry applications and appeals in a submission to the Draft Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2020. The draft legislation follows on from the 2019 McKenna Report which states that the opportunities that people have to comment and object to forestry proposals represents ‘a barrier to efficient decision-making’ and has ‘created further delays with significant administrative costs’ so the case for a fee is ‘unarguable’.

FRIENDS OF THE IRISH ENVIRONMENT PRESS RELEASE FRIDAY 28 AUGUST 2020

Bertie cited in forestry fee objection

‘Dire consequences’ of erecting barriers to public participation

Bertie Ahern’s desire ‘to have the power of the Mayor of Shanghai’ is cited in an objection to the proposed fee for objection to forestry applications and appeals in a submission to the Draft Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2020.

The draft legislation follows on from the 2019 McKenna Report which states that the opportunities that people have to comment and object to forestry proposals represents ‘a barrier to efficient decision-making’ and has ‘created further delays with significant administrative costs’ so the case for a fee is ‘unarguable’.

Friends of the Irish Environment [FIE] says the ex-Taoiseach highlighted this view of a world without objectors when he stated in January 2005:

“I would like to have the power of the Mayor [of Shanghai] when he decides if he wants to do a highway, if he wants to by-pass an area he just goes straight up and over. I know that is not going to happen at home. I would just like that, when I am trying to put it on the ground, that we get through the consultation process as quick as possible.”

The group argues that the precedent, the €20 fee to participate in the planning process introduced in 2000, would itself no longer be acceptable in view of legal developments over the last 20 years.

FIE cites

  • The 2003 EU Directive on public participation which says that participation should be ‘fostered’.
  • The Aarhus Convention ratified by Ireland in 2012 which seeks to ‘guarantee rights of public participation in decision-making in environmental matters in order to contribute to the protection of the right to live in an environment which is adequate for personal health and well-being.’
  • The 2013 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals[SDG] which requires Ireland to ‘Protect, Restore and Promote Sustainable Use of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Sustainably Manage Forests, Combat Desertification, and Halt and Reverse Land Degradation and Halt Biodiversity Loss’ and which is the basis of the current EU Green Deal.

Pointing out that ‘Heavily subsidised tax-free commercial conifer plantations have destroyed vast areas of critical importance to our ecosystems and have had enormous adverse social impact', FIE argues that ‘the case for a fee is only ‘unarguable’ if, like Bertie Ahern, you wish for a world where Government believe the people are to be scorned and disenfranchised and the rulers live in an untouchable privileged world of their own.’

According to the submission by FIE’s Tony Lowes, ‘Democracy is being undermined by the increasing restrictions on public participation in Irish civil society. Bridges have not been built between communities seeking their rights and our local and national authorities. In fact, the opposite has happened: walls are being incrementally erected by administrators to keep out citizens unless they comply with multiplying and onerous conditions’.

The submission concludes ‘It is now understood that full and unhindered participation is the only way that Governments can bring their citizen with them to support the increasing hard decision required as the impacts of climate change undermine our infrastructure and threaten human well being.’



Submissions close at 5 pm today.

Read the submission
https://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.org/images/Forestry/Forestry_legislation_submission_280820.pdf
Contact:
Tony Lowes 353 (0)87 2176316 / 353 (0)27 74771
Copyright © 2020 Friends of the Irish Environment, All rights reserved.
Press Release

Our mailing address is:
Friends of the Irish Environment
Kilcatherine
Eyeries, Cork P75 CX53
Ireland

Related Link: https://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.org/press-releases/17857-bertie-cited-in-forestry-fee-objection
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy