Is it something in the water?
Letters to the Southland Times might reflect a change in the public mood toward exploitive and extractive industries, if the latest batch is any indication (and I think that it is!).
Today's clutch, some coming from as far away as Wellington, clearly lays-out the good reasons for 'leaving it in the ground' and chide those who find coal sexy for their foolishness.
I suspect there will be more arriving in Mr Tullett's mailbox and that the theme will remain constant. With a bit of luck, more Anne-Maree Thomas's or Jack Murrell's will pen their adoration for mining, as their cheer-leading seems to provoke passionate responses from otherwise quiet-living folk from all over - folk who don't want to see their futures jeopardised by short-sighted politicians like Gerry Brownlee and John Key.
Speaking of the Prime Mincer (it's an evocative title isn't it), one of today's letters had this to say:
"I would rather have a frowning accountant than a smiling idiot as Prime Minister.
John Key is the cancer at the core of our collapse..."
Harsh criticism in the largely blue South!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
This From Keeping Stock
Saturday, February 19, 2011For the bookworms ...
One of the gifts that our parents gave us was a love of reading. From as long ago as we can remember, there were always plenty of books in our home. Our nose has been buried in books ever since!
When the Inventory children were born, we followed the example that our parents had set. We read to them pretty much from birth, and encouraged them to read once they could do so independantly of our help. Both are now at university, and we hope that our early encouragement to share our love of books helped their development.
So where is this leading? Books are in the news this week, or more to the point, book sellers, namely Borders and Whitcoulls. The Borders store in Christchurch is always on our list of places to visit when we are down there, and we usually spend more than intended. We don't go to Whitcoulls a lot, except when we are travelling and want to buy a book to read on the journey.
We haven't really discovered Fishpond yet. Mrs Inventory has however, and buys a lot of reference and professional development material there. And Ele from Homepaddock confesses to be a Fishpond customer; she's been musing on this subject as well.
We joined the iPad revolution at the end of last year, and ironically, our spend at Whitcoulls has increased significantly over the last few months as we buy e-books. We have a holiday in Australia planned in April, and we are already starting to stockpile holiday reading. Normally our luggage for a week away would include at least four books which adds to the bulk and the weight of the suitcase. This time around, all the reading we need will be sitting inside the laptop bag.
Steve Jobs and his Apple folks are very clever. But until the iPad smells and feels like a real book, it's always going to feel just a little strange. In the meantime we hope that the administrator of Whitcoulls and Borders can find a way forward for the stores, or find a buyer. Our love affair with books will continue, even if the format with which we read them changes.
Posted by Inventory2 at 3:37 PM
From KIWIBLOG
Kay on Greens veto
Martin Kay writes at Stuff:
I must say I was surprised to learn that Russel Norman would stop heroic Burmese freedom fighter Aung San Suu Kyi from addressing our Parliament if she ever succeeds in her fight for democracy and is elected leader of her people.
It seems a bit mean-spirited and hypocritical, given the massive public support the Greens have given her as she campaigns against the regime that has brutalised her homeland.
But that is the inevitable position that flows from the Greens’ decision to block Aussie PM Julia Gillard from speaking to a formal session of Parliament tomorrow.
Norman says the Greens vetoed the speech – which will instead be made three hours before Parliament sits – because they did not want to set a precedent that would put us on a slippery slope which could undermine our “democratic sovereignty”.
Norman seems to be arguing that if the Greens let Gillard speak, then they’ve got to extend the same courtesy to every dictator, tin pot tyrant and dodgy leader who wants to address to Parliament, too.
What utter rubbish.
Norman is letting principle get in the way of discretion.
There would be nothing stopping the Greens allowing Gillard to address Parliament and later vetoing leaders with whom they have a problem.
The veto by the Greens just makes them look petty.
Also ironic to have someone who spent most of their life as an Australian, protesting against letting the Australian PM address the NZ Parliament.
Greens miss out on Botany — stuck in traffic
by Whaleoil on February 8, 2011 · 11 comments
Bwahahahhaha — The Green candidate for Botany left his run too late and missed the deadline for registering for the Botany by-election.….because he was stuck in traffic.
The Greens announced in a press release late last night that it had selected former staffer Richard Leckinger to stand, but Chief Electoral Officer Robert Peden said Leckinger had not made it.
“A completed nomination form from the Green Party was not received before the legal deadline of noon today and therefore the Electoral Commission could not accept the nomination,” he said.
Leckinger was upset.
“Gutted. In one word gutted. My heart is broken for the Green Party folk in Botany who had pulled all this together. I am gutted, it’s a real disappointment that I got stuck in traffic on Ti Rakau Drive.”
Even more ironic because the Greens opposed vociferously ETCART. He might also like to thank Len Brown for his opposition to ETCART back in 2004.
I do wonder though why he didn’t use public transport.…clearly another of those tossers who think public transport is for thee and not for me…other people in other words.
watch out for the trolls..
Good topics ICCAPLRG!
The book shop issue is a sad one and indicative of the economic malaise we find ourselves in. It's amazing how the 'money man' John Key has failed to prevent all of this collapse. I've no faith in his financial management now!
Russel was quite right to challenge proposed changes to the speaking rights for visiting head's of state. I support him entirely.
I've already expressed my amazement at the failure of the Green candidate to register for the Botany bi-election - what a stuff-up!
Never mind. It won't be like that in the General Election, you wait and see!
Post a Comment