David Norris (Independent)

I also welcome these amendments, particularly in light of the valiant fight of the people in the Shell to Sea campaign. They stood up for the justifiable rights of Irish citizens in protecting their homes. They were vilified and calumniated all over the place, including in this House, in newspapers and on television programmes. I recall with horror a particular television programme, which was extremely biased and slanted. All the television critics said, "Oh yes, this was biased and slanted, and what a good thing, too." The Shell to Sea campaigners were not permitted to make their concerns felt, but they have subsequently been justified by a series of reports dealing with safety questions, including pressure in the pipeline and its proximity to domestic housing.

In welcoming these amendments, I am glad of this opportunity to record my admiration for the brave people who were involved in that campaign. This is despite the fact that a very large multinational corporation, with a record that stinks to high heaven in places like Nigeria, was able to enlist the support of State agencies to brutalise some of these people. I am glad of the opportunity to record my admiration for them. Attempts were made, for example, to discredit people on the basis of guilt by association. I was told that I was consorting with extreme republicans and splinter groups, but I was not.