The Darkhorse Declaration on water

Darkhorse is becoming the go-to-guy for sharp and insightful commentary around the interweb right now. Here's a comment from him, stolen from somewhere this morning. He'll not mind my purloining his words, I'm betting.

 "Resource consents for water take are freely traded in all regions. The only limit to a sale is whether the water can be used in the new location or facility without causing adverse environmental effects. The water price is often worth mor then the value fo the land associated with it.

What John Key wants is for water to be owned by the rentier class – that is he wants separate ownership from use.

This is a disaster for everyone but the rentiers who use it as a mechanism to suck the capital value of land ownership.

Tradable Fishing Quota is the model he wants to apply and it is be used this way to destroy the economics of the fishing industry.

This is what you get when you appoint a parasite to the top job."

Off-pat

(Hat-tip Darkhorse)

Darkhorse rides again

That doesn't work in the same way that 'is back in the saddle' sits wrong, but no matter which way you mangle the phrase, blogger and thinker, darkhorse, is writing again and slaying stupid ideas left, right and centre. If you've not been reading him in the past, now's the time to begin your 'darker' education. He's not a punch-puller, nor a slouch when it comes to political commentary and I guarantee you'll find his opinions both useful and provocative.
I'm adding him to my 'blogs I follow' list on my homepage, so you'll be able to find him at any time you need straightening out.

Doing porridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The economic consequences of no longer being self-sufficient in porridge.

That's the title and the subject is the old Creamoata factory at Gore.

The newest blog on the block HowDaft, describes the process by which the business of making porridge was lost to Southland and how we are the losers for ... losing it. It's a pretty interesting view and one that answers questions I've had, driving into Gore and looking up at Sergeant Dan marching purposely across the wall of the old Creamota factory. I'd always wondered what happened to him and his porridge making workers, the business and the farmers who must have supplied the factory back in the days it was working.

Now I know.