Corrib dispute - Shell risks stoking up public anger

THE imprisonment of five Mayo men in the Corrib gas pipeline controversy represents a major public relations disaster for the giant Shell corporation.

As evidenced by yesterday’s series of protests in Mayo and Galway, this vexed issue is not going to go away overnight. If anything, a classic encounter has erupted on the remote Erris peninsula with, on one side, the small man, fearful for the safety of his family and, on the other, a profit-driven multi-national with vast resources at its disposal.

Some sense of the difference between the Mayo Five and the enormous conglomerate can be gleaned from last year’s annual report showing that Shell enjoyed a 70% rise in third-quarter net profits to $4.4bn (€3.6bn) as the firm benefited from record oil prices.