Coillte: Profit or public service

The proposed sale of Moyode wood by Coillte (See below) was discussed on Today with Pat Kenny.

The item was light in that it concentrated on the environmental concerns of locals. It was left to Fine Gael senator Fidelma Healy-Eames to touch on the real problem at the heart of the matter – The status and ultimate commercial aims of Coillte.

The senator suggested that the Oireachtas should look at Coillte’s remit of making profit out of forests. She mentioned the recent sale of 40 acres of woodland at Derrydonnel to the Quinn Group. According to the senator, nobody knew about this deal in advance. She suggested that perhaps Coillte was preparing for privatisation.

The original letter sent to residents was clear; the forest was being put up for sale. Since the item became a news story, Coillte has backed off and now claims that nothing has yet been decided.

I suspect that this was a deliberate strategy by Coillte; put out the idea of selling the woods and see how the public/media reacted.

I wonder if Pat Kenny asked Coillte to participate in this morning’s show? In any case, it’s a pity there wasn’t a more robust questioning of Coillte’s activities and strategies.

Perhaps RTEs excellent Investigative Unit might do a special on the matter.

Copy to:
RTE

Stench from the woods

It was reported on Six One News (14th item) yesterday that the State owned forestry company Coillte is considering selling an historic 200 year old forest in Moyode Co Galway. The forest is to be felled so that the entire area of 175 acres can be turned into a giant limestone quarry.

Residents of the area are very upset at the plans but Coillte has stated that no decision has yet been made on the matter.

So why would a State owned company responsible for forestry, want to destroy such a valuable national asset?

The answer, I believe, lies in the actual status of Coillte. In effect Coillte is a private company owned by the State. Yes, I know what you’re thinking but please, keep in mind, this is Ireland.

Writing in 2006 (Sub req’d) about the farce that was the Millennium Tree Project, Irish Times journalist Fintan O’Toole had some interesting things to say about Coillte. Here’s some of his points (My emphasis):

“One of the reasons for the millennium forests debacle is the bizarre status of Coillte. When, in late 2000, environmental activist Tony Lowes wrote to Coillte seeking information of the environmental aspects of the millennium project, Coillte replied that it was a private limited company which operated on a commercial basis. It argued it had no public administration functions or responsibilities, and was not obliged to provide any information.”

“This is an astonishing position for a company whose only shareholders are the Ministers for Finance and Agriculture, and it has been repeatedly rejected by the European Court.”

“Coillte sees itself as a purely private, commercial operation, with no public responsibilities.”

Here are some important and interesting facts from the Coillte website.

In 1985/86 the Government set up a review body to advise on structures for the future management of State owned forests. Subsequently the Government decided to set up Coillte Teoranta as a private limited company to manage State owned forests commercially

Coillte was established in 1988 as a private limited company under the Forestry Act 1988.

When Coillte was established in 1989 it acquired ownership of the State’s forests in return for shares valued at IR£575 million (€730 million).

(No harm to remind ourselves that Haughey, the most corrupt politician in Irish history, was in power at this time).

The company is owned by the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Agriculture and Food. (Wrong; it belongs to the people of Ireland).

70% of all Irish forests today are owned by Coillte – 70%.

In 2005, Coillte had a turnover of €215.6 m, a profit of €19.6 m. All of these profits were re-invested in the business

Coillte owns approx. 7% of land cover in Ireland – just to repeat that – 7% of land cover.

I’m certainly no expert on high finance or legal matters but here’s what I believe is the situation.

The key fact is “acquired ownership of the State’s forests in return for shares valued at IR£575 million (€730 million).” This transfer of ownership under the Forestry Act of 1988 is the mechanism by which Coillte is, in theory, a State company but is in reality a private company. The Act and transfer of shares creates a clear divide between private and State ownership.

For the whole deal to work it only requires the acquiescence of co-operative politicians.

That’s why the company can tell Irish citizens to take a hike when they have the effrontery to question its motives. That’s why the company, which owns 7% of the land mass of our country, can buy and sell pretty much as it likes…

It’s yet another example of how things are done in Ireland. There’s absolutely nothing illegal about the deal, every angle is covered. But as with all these things the stench is overpowering.

Elephant in the room

The elephant in the room.

Ahern’s tax difficulties all originate from the early 1990s.

There was an election in 2002.

Within six months of that election Ahern, by law, was required to state whether or not he was tax compliant.

If he stated he was, he has serious questions to answer.

If he stated ‘to the best of my knowledge’ I’m tax compliant and Revenue did nothing, then Revenue and Ahern have serious questions to answer.

Sean O'Rourke – Great radio

I’ve always felt that RTEs Sean O’Rourke doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.

He’s always well briefed on his subject and has a uniquely forceful and penetrating technique of interviewing.

He’s also always scrupulously balanced as evidenced by his excellent interview with Fine Gael’s Fergus O’Dowd on yesterday’s News at One (2nd item).

He put O’Dowd through the wringer over the allegations concerning Ahern’s tax affairs. Great radio.

Monitoring the media in South Africa

It’s clear that Bertie Ahern and his cohorts had a carefully devised strategy for the trip to South Africa.

No spokespersons were to be available at home and Bertie made it abundantly clear that he would not be answering any questions whatsoever about his personal finances.

In a word, the Government decided to impose a news blackout on the matter.

RTE did, however, manage to get reaction to the attacks by Enda Kenny from some Fianna Fail backbenchers (Morning Ireland, 7th item).

Laois-Offaly TD, Sean Fleming said that the attacks on Ahern were good for the morale of the Fianna Fail troops, it would galvanise them into protecting the leader.

Another TD, probably taking his lead from Ahern’s attitude to the tribunal, said that Enda Kenny should mind his own business.

Cavan Monaghan TD, Margaret Conlon spouted the usual party line drivel.

“We are united behind the Taoiseach, we have a job of work to do, let the tribunal as speedily as possible finish their work, produce the report and let’s move on.”

In an angry and impatient tone she finished:

“People are sick of this.”

Within hours of arriving in South Africa the strategy was in tatters with Ahern accusing Kenny of being a bare faced liar.

There was a curious incident when RTEs David-Davin Power was reporting from Cape Town (Morning Ireland, 7th item). Asked about the Taoiseach’s staff back in Dublin reporting on the situation back home Power replied.

“There’s one of them listening to this programme. He’s in front of me here at Cape Town on the telephone.”

The Government has always claimed that the special media monitoring unit is simply to keep it informed of what’s happening out there among the ordinary people.

It is strongly denies that the unit is used to monitor the media, at great cost to the taxpayer, so that politicians can head off potential trouble.

So why are members of this special unit in South Africa monitoring media reports?

Disturbing opinion

In a previous posting regarding Bertie Ahern’s fantasies I wrote;

“Only a fool would believe he is telling the truth and only someone from Mars would be in any doubt as to what really happened.”

Ulick McEvaddy of Omega Air is one of the richest men in Ireland and is obviously nobody’s fool when it comes to business but he is a fool when it comes to the subject of Bertie Ahern.

Here’s what he had to say on the matter during yesterday’s Marian Finucane Show.

“I worry more about the precarious state of our economy; meanwhile we’re taking the chief executive of Ireland Inc. and having him pilloried in a public session.

It’s almost as if we’re pressing a self destruct button. When Ireland needs clear leadership and clear challenges out there for our economy and what we’re doing, we’re taking our chief executive and rubbishing him.

Clearly, he’s diminished in the eyes of the world; he deals with politicians in foreign climes and instead of being credible as a prime minister, negotiating Ireland’s future he’s being diminished by those of us at home who want to take him down. I think that’s wrong for Ireland Inc.”

I can understand Ahern’s supporters and especially Fianna Fail politicians coming out time after time and telling us that black is white.

They have a long and infamous tradition of putting their own interests before that of the Irish people. We know these people, we know how dishonest they are; we know that the interests of the Irish people are way down their list of priorities.

Mc Evaddy opinion is different in that he seems to genuinely believe what he’s saying, that’s what’s really disturbing.

Getting to the point

This letter in yesterday’s Irish Independent gets right to the point.

Taoiseach gives cause for shame

Thursday January 10 2008

I am very sorry if Ms Martin (Letters, January 8) feels embarrassed at our prime minister trying to answer questions about large cash transactions that defy rational explanation.

We have a man who received an unsolicited non-repayable loan of IR£39,000, mostly in cash, to pay off legal debts which he already had taken out a bank loan to pay off.

A non-repayment loan which had no term, rate of interest, or schedule of repayments.

A non-repayment loan which he never seriously made an effort to pay back for over a decade.

A non-repayment loan which some of his close personal friends have said was a gift that they never wanted paid back.

A man who didn’t have a bank account for several years, but managed to save IR£50,000 in cash.

Who received stg£30,000 in cash to refurbish a house which he didn’t own.

Who has no explanation to how $45,000 in cash was lodged to his bank account.

Who has no memory of why he withdrew IR£50,000 in cash from his former girlfriend’s bank account.

Who has no memory of why or how he purchased stg£30,000 in cash.

All this from a man who was the Minister for Finance. A man who told the Irish people in the infamous interview with Brian Dobson that: “I know the tax law. I’m an accountant.”

Ms Martin is dead right, it is farcical and enough to make one feel ashamed of one’s roots.

JASON FITZHARRIS

SWORDS, CO DUBLIN

Young Jimmy's First Communion

“Have you no shame about the way you’ve talked about our children, they’re Irish children, they’re American children.”

This was the cringe inducing challenge made to Presidential candidate Mitt Romney by Ciaran Staunton of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (Six One News, 1st item).

While Staunton was delivering his whine several of those present reminded him that the people he represented were illegal.

The whining of this group who believe the illegal Irish in America should get special treatment is an embarrassment.

Romney replied, to loud applause, that there should be no special pathway placing the Irish ahead of the millions who are waiting legally in line around the world.

The group is, of course, entitled to lobby just as other countries do but the key point is that they actually believe the Irish should be placed first, that somehow the Irish are more entitled, more deserving, that they should get special consideration above and beyond everybody else.

Anyone willing to listen is solemnly informed that the 50,000 or so Irish illegals in the US are suffering terribly because they can’t come home to Aunt Mary’s funeral or young Jimmy’s First Communion. Such torture, surely there’s a case here for intervention by the United Nations.

Meanwhile, many of the other 12 million illegals in the US, mostly from Latin America, face abject poverty, torture and even death if they are forced to return to their home countries.

But sure what’s that against missing young Jimmy’s First Communion?

Stupid 'entertainment'

A recent episode of the popular BBC programme TopGear featured a race to the North Pole between a traditional sled and a heavily modified Toyota pick-up truck. It was the first time a car had been driven to the North Pole.

The show made great television but ultimately it was a depressing demonstration of human stupidity. The show had no value other than the ‘entertainment’ of television viewers.

As always with this kind of stupidity the impression was given that this was a heroic event; man against the elements, striving to prove the unrivaled courage and determination of the human species.

It was, of course, no such thing. The ‘stars’ of the show were supported and protected by a large group of other humans with more vehicles, aircraft, film crews and mechanics.

Much was made of the courage of the ‘stars’ as they struggled through bear infested country. In fact they were never in any danger whatsoever. They were armed with what the programme production notes described as a plentiful supply of “anti-bear weaponry.”

Should any of these magnificent beasts get in the way of this human entertainment they would have been blasted into eternity.

Television programmes of this sort have a powerful influence on human behaviour. If a highly respected institution like the BBC thinks it’s ok to exploit endangered environments for ‘entertainment’ then ordinary people cannot be blamed if they follow the example.

I can just imagine the reaction of a bored Mr. and Mrs. Yuppie who have been to all the usual holiday resorts and are determined to outdo the Jones’ this year.

“Darling, why don’t we do that. We can take all the family and have wonderful time.”

I’ll get right on it dear, I’ll have James modify the Merc tomorrow.”

Businessmen are probably already planning the construction of staging posts to accommodate tourists – hotels, car parks, fuel depots and of course lots of anti-bear weaponry.

I have long held the view that the human brain is not sufficiently evolved to ensure the survival of the species. While we have the ability to realise the massive damage we’re causing to the environment we do not have sufficient brain cells to actually take effective action to prevent the process.

That leaves only one question. Will we kill ourselves off before we kill everything else?

I hope so.

Copy: BBC

Tree emissions damage cars

I love the headline on the RTE News website (News highlights column)

“Tree emissions damage cars.”

It’s a clever play on the old journalistic adage about what makes news: ‘Dog bites man/Man bites dog’.

The story concerns Dublin residents suing the council for damage caused to their cars by sap falling from trees.