This chapter examines the experience of enfranchisement based on interviews with fifty prisoners. Their narratives are used rather than the raw statistical data, usually associated with opinion polls and electoral surveys. It begins with an examination of topics such as prisoners and the vote, motivation behind political participation and the government decision on enfranchisement. The experience of postal voting, the facilities available, the election campaign (or lack of) within the prison walls are discussed. It concludes with some suggestions from prisoners about the desirability of deeper political and civic engagement. As this was the first occasion to interview prisoners after the 2007 general election, the decision to vote and identification with the electoral process were prominent themes The perspectives of prisoners are rarely heard in public policy discussions; especially criminal justice debates. The purpose of this chapter is to allow prisoners to give their perspectives on politics and civic engagement with the emphasis on their voices being heard.

In the preceding chapter, Gramsci’s analysis of hegemony and the state provided further insights into the Irish state’s management of its gas and oil in terms of: the taken-for-granted consent citizens hold for the particular form of social, economic and political organisation of Irish society; the acceptance of prevailing ideas which serve to benefit corporate interests above society’s; and the role of strands of the media in portraying the Corrib gas project as ‘essential’ for Ireland, hence building public consent/acceptance of the development. The case of Corrib gas project vividly illuminates the relevance of these concepts for understanding how the Irish state functions and manages its hydrocarbons and this chapter examines issues of consent and coercion in relation to the Corrib gas project, uncovering some of the consequences of the conflict. Scrutinising the use of state and private actor coercion in tandem with efforts at consent formation, the chapter expounds the real-life impacts of the state’s approach through primary data gathered from those most affected by the Corrib gas project. In doing so, the chapter illustrates how the phenomenon of Irish state hydrocarbon management has macro, meso and micro level impacts, is shaped instantaneously by global, national and local forces, and bears all the hallmarks and contradictions of a state functioning within neoliberal capitalism.

While Ireland in the mid 1950s was viewed by some indigenous geologists as a country with limited hydrocarbons, the visit of an Irish-American lawyer sparked hopes for potential oil and gas exploitation. This chapter documents the design of legal and policy frameworks to facilitate hydrocarbon exploration and production, highlighting how the Irish state implemented a licensing system (1959 Oil Agreement) which entailed the transfer of rights for all Ireland’s onshore and offshore territory to one oil company, enabling the privatisation of produced resources in exchange for some fiscal returns. Providing an historical account of the early days of the Irish petroleum industry, this chapter makes a new contribution to knowledge on Irish state hydrocarbon management, contextualised with reference to occurrences in Irish political economy. Conditions internationally also impacted on Ireland and global trends in resource nationalisation in tandem with the discovery of Kinsale gas culminated in the 1975 licensing terms (Justin Keating’s terms) which signified a fresh perspective on hydrocarbon management. Due to national and international forces, this ‘golden era’ would not last, as discussed in the next chapter.

Taking a global perspective, this chapter examines the origins of legal systems to facilitate hydrocarbon exploitation and the growth of the petroleum industry. Identifying four main approaches to state resource management, the emergence of these regimes is situated within wider socio-economic contexts which illustrates connections between a state’s approach and shifts in political economy nationally and and internationally. In doing so, the influence of processes such as imperialism, Keynesianism and neoliberalism on state resource management becomes apparent. The chapter considers power struggles between states and oil companies and discusses the formation of the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries and member states’ efforts to assert ‘permanent sovereignty’ over hydrocarbon resources. Deliberating the wave of nationalisations and increases in national oil companies which occurred during the 1970s, the ideas underpinning these developments are scrutinised alongside the ‘neoliberal counter- wave’ (Ryggvik, 2010) which occurred in the 1980s. Signifying a rollback in state participation in hydrocarbon exploitation globally amidst associated ideologies, changes in the latter decade have been overturned in recent years through a growth in national oil companies and moves by states towards asserting stronger control over hydrocarbons, thus illustrating some of the dynamics and conflicts of state resource management.

Summarising the book’s contents, this chapter argues that Ireland’s approach to the management of its gas and oil is fundamentally flawed and unless modified, will continue to cause difficulties in relation to the Corrib gas conflict and other areas which face potential hydrocarbon exploration and production. Although Irish state hydrocarbon management can be interpreted as an outcome of a state functioning within neoliberal capitalism, the state’s approach has been moulded in particular ways by the specific factors outlined in chapter nine. Therefore, tangible elements of the state’s approach can be altered in order to eradicate weaknesses and maximise advantages for citizens of Ireland as the owners of the gas and oil. This book concludes with a series of empirically grounded recommendations around how the Irish model can be transformed to ensure lasting benefits for Irish society. These novel and previously unpublished recommendations are organised by three main topics which are problematic: ownership, control and production of resources; issues within the State; public debate and research. By offering informed recommendations, I outline a blueprint for an alternative framework for Irish state hydrocarbon management thereby going beyond academic considerations to outlining a possible strategy for change.

Opening with a snapshot of the Corrib gas conflict, this chapter problematises the Irish state’s management of its gas and oil and provides the rationale for this publication and associated research. Spanning the period from 1957 to 2014, this book utilises innovative and previously unpublished data to examine how and why the Irish state developed its particular approach to the management of its gas and oil. This chapter elucidates the book’s multi-level (macro, meso and micro) focus and the breadth of topics under examination which incorporate matters simultaneously empirical and ideological, historical and current, extending beyond decision-making processes within the state system to their impacts on people’s lives in communities. This chapter also outlines the data collection process and discusses the incorporation of perspectives from the range of stakeholders associated with Irish hydrocarbon management, including representatives from civil society, the state bureaucracy, politicians, oil industry, and experts with knowledge of hydrocarbon management in other countries. The chapter closes with an overview of the book’s content.

Corrib gas was discovered in 1996 and its developers and some politicians originally presented it as a panacea for the socio-economic woes of rural, west Mayo. However, the reality of the project has had an opposite effect and Corrib gas has become synonymous with social upheaval, remaining un-produced eighteen years after discovery. This chapter traces the emergence of the Corrib gas conflict (1996-2005), discussing the gas discovery and the consortium’s interactions with the community living in the area designated as a home for the onshore gas processing terminal and pipeline. As the consortium progressed their plans for the project, local people began to develop concerns about its location on health, safety and environmental grounds. Utilising interview data from the range of stakeholders associated with the development, this chapter illustrates the diversity of opinions towards the project and ascertains the basis of growing opposition. This chapter lays the foundation for the overall book, illustrating how flaws within the state and oil companies’ approach contributed to the emergence of a conflict around the onshore location of the project, the escalation of which is examined in detail in the following chapter.