Interesting stuff
gold zen
https://www.betootaadvocate.com/entertainment/bloke-with-ned-kelly-tatto...
I know I put a lot of Betoota articles up, but geez, they are damn good sometimes.
Reminds me of a guy on twitter recently - background was a picture of TISM, his little tag line thingy was some rant about lefties socialists and communists... Obviously not big on comprehension.
Ah, right...back to 'interesting stuff', hey?
Dancing to the bigot's tune.
No worries, fellas.
Apropos of whatever, has there ever been a hotter pop star (in all departments) than Deborah Harry?
EVER?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
A bit of reasoning. Whether reality follows suit or not is anyone’s guess. What’s Scotty from marketing got up his sleeve ?https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/experts-predi...
You can read the following article two ways:
- If this doesn't make you angry, you're numb.
- Big change is gonna come...
From Crikey, written by Stephen Mayne.
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the rolling of Kevin Rudd, it is worth remembering that this was also the moment when Australia rolled over to the big iron ore miners, delivering billions of value to the likes of Gina Rinehart, Twiggy Forrest, Clive Palmer, Rio Tinto and BHP.
Rudd’s proposed Resources Super Profits Tax would have profoundly increased Australia’s national wealth but the campaign against it run by New York-based News Corp, UK-born Tony Abbott and the largely foreign-controlled mining industry contributed to Labor’s decision to knife the prime minister.
Julia Gillard then negotiated a compromise arrangement with the miners which produced little revenue and then the Abbott government abolished this new mining tax altogether.
Fast forward 10 years and the WA state government is lumbered with a state debt exceeding $50 billion, while The AFR’s Rich List values Gina Rinehart at $21.2 billion and Twiggy Forrest at $17.6 billion, all thanks to exploiting WA iron-ore and shipping it to China.
There’s something not quite right about two individuals amassing a $39 billion pile exploiting state-owned iron ore assets from a state government which is struggling in a pandemic and left with with $50 billion-plus in state debt.
Then you have the two real giants of the iron ore industry, Rio Tinto and BHP, which are both majority foreign-owned.
The Morrison government has recently introduced tough, new foreign-ownership laws in Australia, particularly as they relate to Chinese Communist Party connected companies.
One such company with a big Chinese connection is London-based Rio Tinto. Chinese state-owned Chinalco is its largest shareholder, with a 14% stake in Rio Tinto’s UK listed shares currently worth around $18 billion.
China is clearly cranking up its diplomatic war against Australia with the decision to execute Australian national Karm Gilespie after he disappeared into the Chinese criminal justice system seven years ago following an arrest for drug possession.
While this has nothing to do with Rio Tinto, the issues blur when you also consider the world’s rolling Black Lives Matter campaigns and Rio Tinto’s outrageous decision to blow up ancient indigenous heritage in the Pilbara to expand its iron ore operations. The global backlash against Rio over the cave destruction has been substantial, and there’s an obvious solution here.
Rio Tinto, a throwback to the British colonial days, should relocate its head office and primary stock exchange listing from London to Australia. It should also change its name and overhaul its white British establishment board which has jeopardised the company’s social licence to operate on country in Australia.
You could either do this with the whole company, or demerge the iron-ore business into a rebranded Perth-based company called Australian Iron Ore Holdings. This should have a majority of Australian-based directors including the first ever indigenous representative on an ASX200 board.
And while we’re at it, Rio Tinto should be paying much larger state royalties on its enormously profitable WA operations, a move which would help rebuild the COVID-ravaged WA state budget.
A royalty increase would also give the Chinese Communist Party a commercial slap for their continuing over-the-top campaign against Australia, which currently spans meat and barley export penalties, a ban on ministerial level communications, warnings to foreign students about racist attacks in Australia, and now the proposed execution of an Australian national.
All this has happened because Australia made the perfectly reasonable suggestion that there should be a thorough, independent investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 12 person Rio Tinto board comprises only three Australians — Simon McKeon, Megan Clark and Michael L’Estrange — and Australian ownership is barely 20%.
No other country tolerates a foreign company (one with the Chinese government as its largest shareholder) making more than $20 billion a year in gross profits exploiting its natural resources.
The economics are pretty staggering. Rio Tinto is forecasting that it will produce up to 334 million tonnes of Pilbara iron ore in 2020, costing it no more than US$15 a tonne to extract and ship. But with the iron ore price back through US$100 a tonne, 2020 is likely to be a record year, exceeding the unprecedented bonanza of 2019 when its Pilbara iron ore division generated $39.5 billion in revenue and an operating profit (EBITDA) of $23 billion (see page 13 of the company’s 2019 results).
No wonder they are keen to blow up heritage caves to keep this earner going. This whole combination of events and circumstances is surely unsustainable in 2020.
So, who will be the first Australian politician to call for Rio Tinto to ditch its London headquarters and relocate to either Perth, or its traditional home in Melbourne?
This is what people should be protesting about. It would solve so many problems in one stroke.
Even better when you realise that the iron ore is being used to build the Chinese Warships which would start steaming towards the Pilbara coast to protect their investment when the ructions reach a conclusion which might be unpalatable to Chinese interests.
Let alone the potential Australian regime change initiated by interests residing in other reputedly friendly nations.
Your singing my song there Stu. Been saying this for ages, the article fails to mention Brendan Grylls push for a renegotiation o Rio and BHP state royalties and the smear/lose your job campaign run by the Minerals Council of Australia. That got him voted out.
ummmm, no-one.
I agree free.
Sadly, while swimming in a river of dirty money, no politician is in a hurry to dry off.
Can't see any party politician putting their head above the precipice, but for mine, these discussions, though still few, are increasing in frequency and signal a shift in national sentiment. It fits within the scope of a 'return to nationalism' that we're reading more and more about, except it's not just about strong man leaders but also how people waking up to the con of globalisation - multinationals walking into a county with promises, and walking out with buckets of money, leaving scant remains for residents.
The remedy to that is nationalism; putting the national interest above global capital.
I think we'll be hearing more of this from commentators, and then hopefully from independent politicians too.
And you combine Nationalism with Socialist principles like the the government bailing-out / supporting / in bed with private industry and what do you get? Anyone? Cummon, this is an easy question, anyone speak Hochdeutsch? Arbeit macht frei?
Pretty sure there’s enough room for a society to navigate between getting raped by neoliberalism and repatriating resource extraction in the national interest without having to fire up the gas chambers.
The specious reasoning that reasonable nationalism is a gateway to Nazism is what’s allowed the neoliberal parasite to take hold so firmly even though it’s quite obviously not in the interests of the host nation.
Think you've incurred Godwin's Law, AA.
Fancy that, Aussie surfers just defeated those Norwegian Nazis, Equinor.
I read that crkey article and think... well, at least 80% of australians would agree with at least 80% of that article...
yet here we are all are arguing about peripheral bullshit
why is that?
the answer is in blowin's post above
never before has the australian political system been so open to a total dislodging by a viable third party rag tag coalition
Gough Whitman had the idea to nationalise Australia’s resources in the early ‘70’s and we all know how that turned out.
Yep. That’s what inspired this line :
“ Let alone the potential Australian regime change initiated by interests residing in other reputedly friendly nations.”
What's Godwin's law?
I was having a similar conversation this morning.
I have to agree, nationalism should not be a dirty word. That little piece above angered me Stu. And hopefully not only me. The stripping of Australian resources for the benefit of very few is nothing but wholesale theft. And the Twiggy's and Gina's in bed with their offshore counterparts are the biggest thieves of them all.
I hope the discourse can continue and snowball into effective and meaningful change for the benefit of all Australia.
It baffles me that the only solution any politician has to an ageing population is through increased immigration alone, when in reality and for the most part, they're standing on the answer.
To add to the story Australia and especially Western Australia was sold the hoax, again with the aid of the Murdoch media and Kerry Stokes in WA, that at the completion of mining infrastructure expansion projects that the mining boom was over.
But what was sold as a boom was always going to end and economic strength was based on consumer spending. Housing investment boomed as demand for properties and rentals increased due to itinerant workers. There where high wages and low unemployment. It was a boom, but it was a construction boom.
This is when the mining boom really started, as expansion projects came on line and the increased capacity to mine and export was fully realised. As construction projects finished so did the jobs new ones did open up in production but not nearly as many, demand for housing decreased purses tightened And we got sold the boom is over.
It was largely at the expense of the Australian public.
Free ride, former leader of the WA Nationals, Brendan Gryls is the only poli that I know of and he got hung out to dry.
Godwin's Law states: "As a discussion on the Internet grows longer, the likelihood of a comparison of a person's being compared to Hitler or another Nazi reference, increases."
I mentioned nationalism, AA said 'Arbeit macht frei' ('work sets you free' - sign above Auschwitz gates) meaning nationalism leads to National Socialism (Nazi).
Keep in mind Equinor are a 2/3 nationally-owned company.
Fuck the work, Norway's sovereign fund sets their children free.
"...it's not just about strong man leaders but also how people waking up to the con of globalisation - multinationals walking into a county with promises, and walking out with buckets of money, leaving scant remains for residents."
I'd say it more like 'ship' loads of money....
Yes it is hard to imagine the major parties taking on the big multinationals as it will affect their political re-election slush fund contributions. Which is another reason why big money should be removed from politics.
I mentioned Norways sovereign fund once and VicLabor shouted me down and threw Brazil, Venezuela and the USA into the mix. Because I dared state that a couple of cattle stations falling back into Australian hands was a step in the right direction.
Go figure.
x 2 Westy.
I'm currently editing a longread interview with Sean Doherty who just announced his role as Chair of Surfrider Foundation, along with a new galvanising philosophy to stand up to large, establishment-backed projects.
I asked him about the complexities of mere surfers taking a stand on issues around energy use and population levels.
"Mate," said Sean, "I reckon people are ready to have that conversation."
People are definitely having that conversation. Regular crew are awakening to the idea that they’re being sold a pup and would vote accordingly if given the option. That explains the majority of the One Nation / independents votes as a protest.
People aren’t voting that way cause they want to run around in white hoods , it’s because they’re watching their homeland reduced to a nothing more than an economic zone and the overarching narrative is unity as a collective of consumers ,nothing more.
It’s only a shouty minority who are determined the conversation shouldn’t take place.
The concept behind this imposed delegitimisation of national identity is intended to diffuse the potential for Australians to realise that they are the collective owners of the national wealth and the decision making process which determines its utilisation. The more we are divided and conquered and the more splintered our national resistance becomes , the easier it is to rob us blind.
How can Australians unite against this predatory behaviour if we are convinced that we aren’t really a nation , but are instead an aggregation of diverse and self interested communities ?
I’m not heading towards a rejection of multiculturalism with this train of thought , rather trying to explain the idea that regardless of which nation you migrated from or when you migrated or even if you’re ancestors have been here for tens of thousands of years , we are all Australians and we are, all of us , being bent over a barrel and given a hard serve of modern day highway robbery.
Wedge issues -divisum emporum:
1) "Fancy that, Aussie surfers just defeated those Norwegian Nazis, Equinor." or.... was it a distraction to divide protesters -taking the focus away from the Adani project??
2) The article in discussion covers an important topic that has been distorted/dissolved in wedge issues -fascist wrong doing wrapped in racism -anti-colour/anti-China belloni that the media is pushing currently.
As far as history speaks, we are repeating -already have a (inter)nationalist socialist government -it's quite clearly fascism and it's quite clearly the SAME companies i.e. Bayer?? All "western" governments, international central banks and international private companies made central policy decisions (restricting citizen freedoms) without Public consent, AND! large banks / corporations got bailouts AGAIN with public money -AND!! The Government gave fiscal handouts to the "poor" -as did the SDP Deutschland in the 1930's -Plato wrote in the Republic: the popular figure turns into a tyrant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato%27s_five_regimes
I'm not big on conspiracy, but economically, historically, the 'Nazis' won the war! Just like Rothschild in the 1700's -manipulating the marketplace by deception to become rich as fuck! Nothing has changed -are the EU simply a larger version of the Nazi Party?
What democracy do we have? Not even the right to choose if we vote or not.
"Too big to fail, to rich for jail"
I’m thinking maybe his point was that the Norwegians obviously aren’t Nazis even though they’ve got a nationalised resource sector.
Exactly.
Hey blowin, I get why you are pissed at globalism. It's one of the reasons why we have such a casualised workforce. Cheap wages are a factor in job losses in western countries, but technology is a much bigger cause in the loss of manufacturing jobs. I understand why low skilled people are worried.
What I can't understand is why some people think Hanson is the answer. She's nothing more than a racist grifter. Australia is a major exporter and this idea that Australia can go it alone or massively reshape the global order is fanciful. If Australia starts playing Hanson style Nationalistic economics, there's going to be a reaction from all of our trading partners. It's a recipe for extreme poverty.
I get that politicians are corrupt and big multinationals pay fuck all tax, but thinking Hanson is the answer is ludicrous. Her snout's deep in the trough too, and she's been around for 20+ years and down fuck all about corruption or aggressive tax avoidance. She's a grifter who has managed to profit from racism. The dog just put 3 days worth of expenses for a WA fundraiser on the taxpayer. And she has the nerve to pretend she's an outsider.
Australia is going to get some form of globalisation and that's a good thing. The world has a shit load of problems that can only be solved through international cooperation. Have a look at what happens to countries that throw up the walls. Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Britain, and the USA. They all went downhill very quickly with that chest thumping nationalism.
Now I know you hate China, but which country is filling the void left when Western Nations take a Britain first, America first, etc approach. I will give you a hint. It's Chy---Na.
Agree: Norwegians are NOT Nazis -our country though....??
Hating China.. why? They are one of the most capitalist, innovative and diverse countries in existence! It's like saying "I hate the sun cause it burns my eyes when I look at it??"
It’s not just the iron ore multi nationals, how about the natural gas that was stripped from Oz and is sold overseas at a cheaper rate than here. Our national stupidity with the misuse of resources is ridiculous, even the Murdoch press acknowledged it at the time.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/how-australia...
It’s worth emphasising one line in that article re the gas.... We get zero$ in resource rent tax from selling our gas overseas... WTF!
"We get zero$ in resource rent tax from selling our gas overseas... WTF!"
It's all about power. The big fossil fuel companies basically own our democracy. They make and break governments . Rudd was a dead man walking the day he introduced a mining super profits tax. Clive Palmer kept the most shithouse federal government in history in power by mugging enough idiots in Queensland with his anti-China Aussie first crap. All so he had a better chance of getting his big coal mine up and running.
A/ You really , really think that the world’s manufacturing was relocated to China because of their manufacturing technology?
Or was it because they have a standing army of near-slave labour ? Technology as a reason for the offshoring of jobs is so far removed from international wage arbitrage that it’s not really worth mentioning. When technology is truly available to replace labour their will be no point in offshoring work.
B/ One Nation was a protest vote as I already stated. That they’re the only ( semi ) major party with a policy based on reduced immigration was the reason it was them and not the Greens.
C/ China is unashamedly the most nationalistic country in the world and they have secured their fortune specifically by their unmatched protectionism. No foreigner is allowed to buy land or even start a company without Chinese control and the forfeiture of intellectual property rights to China. This completely contradicts everything you say about protectionism. China invented the China first narrative, not Trump.
D / Of course some globalisation is a good thing. Combating the predatory globalism as employed by neoliberalists does not affect our relationships with essential international institutions which ( hopefully ) operate beyond the private or state sphere.
Political donations have to be banned.
Distracted....so true about the gas. It’s amongst the top 5 reasons Australia is in the state it’s currently experiencing.
Ape....give me three examples of modern Chinese innovation and diversity.
Blowin
1) The Fortune Cookie
2) The Great Wall Ute
3) ??????
Well said Blowy- but be careful, you'll be countered by 'but, but, you're a racist!!!'
Special fried rice?
Anyone calling me racist from here on in earns themselves a relentless labelling as a child molester.
Be warned. Baseless accusations are a two way street .
A/ You really , really think that the world’s manufacturing was relocated to China because of their manufacturing technology?
Man, why do you keep grabbing the wrong end of the stick? Any job in Australia that can be replaced by a machine, has or is getting replaced by a machine. And that trend is only going to increase as technology improves.
You do realise a robot can lay 200 bricks a minute. You're going to see a shit load of low skilled jobs going due to technology and that has nothing to do with China's low wages. Brickies were a skilled profession 20 years ago. They won't be around in 2030. Even high skilled professions like lawyers and accountants will be under pressure from AI.
Australia has to get very smart very quickly if we want to compete. If that involves getting very smart people to immigrate to Australia so be it. Yes blowin, even from China and South Korea. Dullards like Hanson and the anti-education shitheads in the LNP are causing enormous damage to our future,
Blowin, I'm certainly no expert on China, but one example of innovation that immediately comes to mind would be gunpowder.
As for diversity, does food count? Huge array of different flavours and dishes from one area to another...
Are child molesters "fucking vibrant scum", Blowie?
Oi Stu, your boy's off the leash...AGAIN.
Blowin, you are a racist.
You want South Koreans to be rounded up for deportation.
You hold Chinese People to an impossibly high standard.
You want a race based immigration system
You make up statistics to justify racist opinions
You support Hanson and Trump.
I could go on, but you get the picture.
Go ahead, call me a child molester. It just shows you're perfectly happy to sling around baseless accusation.
There's an interview with Sean Doherty live on the site.
I reckon people should read it.
It's interesting stuff.
China is extremely innovative -Chinese medicine; philosophy; go to any street corner and see capitalism in play: all kinds of products at varying prices -huge selection. China is extremely diverse - historically unparalleled - think: mountains, sea, desert, rich cultural history; rich spiritual history. Remember: "China" is a NEW country -only since the 40's, as is Germany. Prior to this, those countries were thousands and thousands of diverse sects. Does anyone read history anymore? Has anyone actually been to these countries?
We are getting lost in wedge issues though. Democracy anyone? Freedom, Egality and Fraternity? Why worry about nationalism when we can't even get along with our neighbor, or our "self"?
Anyone know about the Dunbar Number? Compared to an infinite universe, turns out humans are really, really, really dumb.. especially in groups! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number#:~:text=Dunbar's%20number%20is%20a%20suggested,relates%20to%20every%20other%20person.
Vic Local now you've got me intrigued. That brick laying robot is going to be fucked when he gets asked to lay a header course or do that wall in English Bond mate. Also who mixes his mud for him?? Another robot?? How does he go on the brick saw?? What happens when a job requires lime mortar. I reckon brickies will still be here in 2030, annoying the shit out of us builders making a a mess everywhere!! God love 'em.
Have it cunts