Today's occupation is happening at 66-67 Great Strand Street, Dublin 1. Come down and support the occupation - get involved in the debate during the day.
You might be thinking: has the notoriously secretive agency finally read the part of the NAMA legislation that says NAMA should contribute to the social development of the State? Or wondering if perhaps the Labour party is coming good on its pre-election promise to use NAMA buildings for culture and the arts? Maybe the accountants and property hacks that sit on NAMA’s board have recognised that the N and the A stand for national assets?

What’s really happening is the launch of new campaign group Unlock NAMA.

Related Links: Map to the Great Grand Street site | Unlock NAMA website (www.unlockNAMA.org) | Unlock NAMA facebook page | Politico.ie story | Photo's of the occupation on Come Here to Me
Indy Links: Welcome to NAMAland | NAMA: An activists guide | NAMA Board Gets a Pay Increase | NAMA = Class Robbery = Capitalism At Work NAMA Key Data for Tranche 1 and 2 Loans

In the past decade on two separate occasions the government had to call referendums on critical issues relating to the EU and our national sovereignty and in both instances the government wanted us to vote Yes and in each case the country vote No, first for the NICE treaty and then for the Lisbon treaty. Both the Irish government and the EU itself in their fundamentaly undemocratic way rejected both of these exercises in our democratic rights and waited a short while before launching full scale propaganda onslaughts and got us to vote a 2nd time and by using mis-information, fear mongering and lies, they remolded public opinion such that we voted the 'correct' way -YES the second time around.

Now the government probably quite rightly senses it may not be able to fool us three days and in a bid to submit fully to the financial oligarchy which now seem to have the final say over most nations these days, the government are doing all they can to avoid another referendum and if this means running roughshod over the Constitution so be it. But first it is important that people understand what they are doing and should object and the People's Association Watchdog has done a very good job of high-lightling exactly what they are doing and the many sections or articles of the Constitution that they intend to ignore.

A Uachtaráin,

It is my assertion that the current government of the Irish Republic is attempting to initiate changes that will negatively impact the welfare of the people of Ireland.

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny T.D. is seeking to circumvent the initiation of a referendum by seeking to have a ruling from the Attorney General which will deny the people of Ireland our constitutional right to self determination which is also a principle of international law.

I am hereby petitioning you with respect in your capacity as Uachtarán na hÉireann to invoke your powers under Article 27.5.1 to call a referendum on the ESM Treaty, a proposal I believe is of such national importance that the will of the people should be accordingly ascertained.

Article 15.4.1° The Oireachtas shall not enact any law which is in any respect repugnant to this Constitution or any provision thereof.

A trip down memory lane ... Lisbon Treaty: Three Strikes, You’re Out | The Lisbon Treaty and the triumph of technocracy | 13 things the Lisbon Treaty would do | Nice debate, shame about the treaty? | Nice and the corporate agenda: The changes to article 133 | Article 133 - The Elephant in the Living Room of the Nice II Debate | http://www.indymedia.ie/article133/ | Link 3

To lighten the tone, here's a special xmas episode of the FKN news.
I think we all need a laugh after the miserable year that we've had so far courtesy of FG/labour.

WARNING:
If you are easily offended, very religious, lacking in a sense of humour, overly serious, or alternatively, pride yourself on how highly intellectual and sophisticated you are then might I humbly suggest you don't click on the video. You probably have better things to be doing!

Best wishes
wageslave (personal capacity)

Below we reproduce a handwritten communication we received from one of the members of the Peace Team that sabotaged a US troop transporter at Shannon warport last Tuesday morning, 20th December 2011. We have verified that this person participated in this action.

Shannon Links: Timeline of activity: MASS ANTI-WAR TRESPASS AT SHANNON WARPORT | War Monitoring continues while Dubsky trial starts Mass Demonstration at Shannon Warport | Peace Activist VS US Military Jet | Another 5 go airside in Ploughshares action at Shannon Airport | Good Friday Resistance at Shannon Airport | Mary Kelly Trial
Related Links: OPPORTUNITY MISSED - Pentagon Documents reveal U.S. military were willing to abandon Ireland as a... | Do some deaths matter more than others? | New study on Iraqi deaths | RTÉ & Iraqi civilian casualties | “Why did you kill my brother? We’re not terrorists. We didn’t do anything to you”

Barrister Leo Mulrooney to ex-Sgt James Gill: “Complete the now well-known phrase 'Give me your name and address or I'll...' “
Ex-Sgt James Gill : “I don't understand the question”
Barrister Leo Mulrooney:“Do you know what I'm referring to when I say those words”
Ex-Sgt James Gill: “No”
Leo Mulrooney: - “'Give me your name and address or ...' “
Judge Margaret Heneghan interrupts: “He said 'No', next question”

And so the lies of Corrib Gardaí continue in court !!!!

Related Links:
sgt james gill suckin diesel or taking the piss? | Understanding tonights RTE apology for bias in Corrib gas dispute | Jim Cusack does it again: the case of the wrong video tape | Business as usual for Gardaí – trying to smear women in ‘rape tape’ controversy | 100 protest at Belmullet Garda Station to demand independent inquiry | Report on Dail protest against rape comments by gardai | ‘Give me your name and address or I’ll rape you’: the reality of Corrib policing

Last Friday saw retired Sgt James Gill awarded €33,000 plus legal costs by Judge Margaret Heneghan for a defamation case that he took against prominent Shell to Sea campaigner Pat O'Donnell. Mr Gill claimed that Mr O'Donnell accused him at a protest at Bellanaboy on November 3rd 2006, while other protesters and gardaí were in the area, of stealing diesel and smuggling tyres across the border. Mr O'Donnell denied saying those comments to Gill but the Judge believe the word of Gill and made the award.

James Gill is the Garda Sergeant that made the infamous comment “Give me your name and address or I'll rape you” which was recorded last March 31st (https://www.indymedia.ie/../article/99445)

However James Gill is also the Garda with probably the longest and most involved history of any of the Gardaí that have policed the Corrib Gas Project. He sat on the Shell's Project Monitoring Committee for 5 years, his brother's scaffolding firm AGS was employed by Shell and I have personally witnessed him viciously assault campaigners on a number of occasions. I wish that I didn't feel the need to write this negative article about a Garda who doesn't police for Shell anymore, but that thisman's good name was valued at €33,000 is an absolute disgrace.

What happened in Court

Last Wednesday saw the hearing of the case. In the case Mr Gill claimed that Mr O'Donnell had accused him of being a thief but this was denied by Mr O'Donnell. Mr O'Donnell said that on the morning in question he had engaged in banter with other protesters and had referenced diesel which had been stolen from him previously in 97 or 98. Mr O'Donnell claimed that he had said that it's easier for people to steal diesel because all the Gardaí were up protecting Shell. He also said that he had said that the Gardaí uphold the law one day and break it the next, referring to the fact that the Gardaí were being well-behaved that day as there was politicians present but that other days they would beat up the protestors. Mr O'Donnell denied that any of this was directed at Mr Gill specifically.

In evidence Mr Gill stated that after Mr O'Donnell had made the comments that other protesters began making similar comments and that this has caused him a lot of stress. He felt that his credibility had been undermined, and that the comments would “sully his reputation” and felt it would hurt his children,“if their father was named a thief”. He stated that a gastric ulcer which he had had previously had been exasperated as a result of the comments and that he ended up with symptoms of Post traumatic stress disorder.

Under cross-examination from Mr O'Donnell barrister Leo Mulrooney, Mr Gill stated that this defamation case was not about money, that it was about his reputation. Twice in his cross-examination Mr Mulrooney attempted to introduce element of the infamous 'rape-tape', of which Mr Gill was the main player. First of all Mr Mulrooney attempted to ask Mr Gillif he had ever had discussions with other Gardaí on how to present evidence in court. This was a rather obscure reference to the 'rape-tape', which only someone who had listened to the 'rape-tape' would have seen where it was going. However obviously Judge Heneghan had done her homework, immediately shutting down that line of questioning saying that only relevant matters were to be discussed.

For his second attempt later on, Mr Mulrooney tried a more direct approach asking Mr Gill to complete the well-known phrase 'Give me your name and address or I'll...' “. However Mr Gill feigned ignorance and in a most blatant lie stated that he didn't know what Mr Mulrooney was talking about. Mr Mulrooney then asked if Mr Gill was serious that he didn't know what was being spoken about seeing as it had been front page news for a week and had been raised in the Dáil a number of times. At this Mr Gill's barrister Seamus Ruane jumped to his feet objecting, stating that if Mr Mulrooney was referring to the events of the 31stof March then they had no relevance to the case that was being tried. Mr Mulrooney argued that the subject being spoken about was of absolute relevance in ascertaining Mr Gill's good reputation.