Madam, - In his letter of August 29th, John Cooney states that he withdrew my invitation to speak at the Humbert-Davitt Summer School "because at a private meeting in Glenamoy [ I] had voted in favour of a decision of the Shell to Sea protest campaign not to send two representatives to debate the Corrib gas pipeline issue" at the school.
However, Mr Cooney informed me that he was withdrawing the invitation to speak on "the role of Independents in today's politics" since he considered I was no longer an Independent because of my support of the Rossport Five.
His second reason was: "As an elected TD associated prominently with the Shell to Sea campaign which rejected my offer of a full-scale session with representatives of Shell E&P Ireland and the Department of the Marine, I [ John Cooney] am not prepared to allow you to present a one-sided view of the Corrib gas pipeline controversy".
Moreover, John Cooney was not aware of my input into Shell to Sea's decision until after he withdrew my invitation to speak. These details emerged during a debate on local radio between the two of us subsequent to his withdrawing my invitation to speak.
His attempt further to justify his blatant and incredible denial of speech to me is outrageous, as is his illogical claim that "Dr Cowley, in effect, aborted this debate" (on the Corrib gas pipeline controversy).
John Cooney turns logic on its head by not understanding that his refusal to stand aside to allow an independent person chair a debate on the Corrib gas issue is the one and only reason why a debate on this issue was "thwarted".
How could Shell to Sea accept John Cooney as an independent chairman when he has accepted funding for his summer school from Shell for three years, and from Enterprise Energy before that?
Methinks he doth protest too much! - Yours, etc,
Dr JERRY COWLEY, Independent TD for Mayo, Mulrany, Co Mayo.