Green/Left Weekly
Mining company BHP Billiton’s whopping $10.5 billion profit for the second half of 2010 highlights the shameless greed of those making a fortune out of Australia’s valuable resources... Now BHP is on track to break an Australian record. Its profit for this financial year will likely be more than $20 billion. Rio Tinto and Xstrata have also announced huge profits.
The big corporations are always trying to convince us that high profits are good for everyone. The argument goes that the more they make, the more they’ll share around. But as the mining giants have shown, the more they make, the more they line their pockets. It’s true that some mining workers earn relatively high wages. But these wages, often for dangerous and difficult work, are peanuts compared with mining super-profits.The mining of our land is about to step up and we must fight them and show the truth - that this exploitation is for money and it is obscene.
9 comments:
Rahui Katene and the Maori Party are silent on mining and seabed mining issues. She has spoken about peak oil at times, but has not tried to oppose any mining or fossil fuel extraction anywhere, which as climate spokesperson is odd.
Gerry Brownlee wants lignite and coal mining in Te Tai Tonga, and Australian and Chinese mining companies are fishing for NZ resources - be it land or seabed and sands mining.
Does the maori party want NZ to be tenants to foreign mining companies and capital?
It may be that independents and the green party begin to mobalise, in the same way that maori did against the foreshore and seabed raupatu, and NZ did when national wanted to open up Aotearoa's national parks to foreign mining corporations.
There is iwi opposition to mining in Te Tai Tokerau and the East Coast, and opposition to more fossil fuel extraction in Taranaki and the East Coast and in Te Tai Tonga.
What will the maori party say and do... most likely sign the deals under orders from Tuku Morgan, National and foreign mining companies.
The maori party should be asked where it stands on protecting the tino rangatiratanga of Aotearoa and maori from foreign control and mining companies.
Silence and complicity, will have consequences. Rangatira want to be kaitiaki and have support to grow a clean and green Aotearoa into a reality, not an empty greenwash marketing screen for a nation of big polluters, 2011 is the year of action. 2011 is the year Aotearoa makes it clear that it will not sell itself to foreign multinationals.
http://www.nznotforsale.org/
No mining on maori land and sands!
China's largest private mining company, Qinghua Group, is negotiating to buy rights to about two billion tonnes of low-grade lignite in Otago and Southland.
Qingua Group has a budget of around $10 billion to spend in New Zealand - on lignite conversion, mineral extraction
Wealthy Chinese Mining Giant Eyes New Zealand Lignite Reserves http://www.suite101.com/content/wealthy-chinese-mining-giant-eyes-new-zealand-lignite-reserves-a356997#ixzz1G6KvuBvB
Will the Maori Party and Labour fight this?
"Qinghua Group wants senior ministerial support from the Government, where possible, to fast-track resource consent applications"
Chinese and NZ mining companies want to undermine our rangatahi's future, and destroy NZ's clean and green image.
Rahui better decide very quick where she stands, otherwise it is time a wahine who says she wishes to stand up for Papatuanuku takes her place.
Bill English, Simon Power, John Key and Gerry browncoal Brownlee want to sell our assets and burn our future... perhaps an anti mining hikoi should commence soon...
Kia ora Marty,
Our children and grandchildren will spit upon our graves for the desecration and short term gain of digging up the land and raping the seas. The gnats are shameful.
You guys need to understand how it works. BHP made a profit, although how excessive it may or may not be depends on the amount individuals have invested to make that profit.
You also don't understand where that profit goes. The big evil corporations are owned by individuals. Yes you too could buy shares in BHP and enjoy the benefits of the profit. Many Australians own shares in BHP and so Australia benefits from the company's profits.
Being able to make the best use of New Zealands assets for the benefit of all New Zealanders is what New Zealand needs to do.
Paranormal
So how does it work anon? It seems the wealthy buy shares and get richer while the rest of us "benefit". How? Trying to buy milk, butter, and cheese? Your short term gain will be pain for future generations. And when it is all dug up and out and our one biggest asset, the land itself, what then? As I wrote our children will detest us. Your view is a very limited one and I stand by my comment.
And here is where we part company. You don't need to be wealthy to buy shares. Its all about life choices.
Also the money generated from mining does not stop when it hits the economy. It doesn't just disappear.
Our children (who I believe are smarter than we are and a growing up without the same blinkers on we have) will not forgive us for not taking the opportunities we have NOW to build a stronger economy for all of our futures.
Paranormal
anon,
happy to part company if it means we just teach our children to be good little workers and perpetuate the system that is fast running out of resources and means to keep it going as it is now. So we leave them a barren earth, and empty seas, and polluted skies for the sake of another 50 years of this. I hope my children, and the children of others think a bit more to the future than such a narrow band.
BHP and mining companies get rich, while the environment and workers rights decline. Inequality increases along with the rising cost of food and living. If mining companies benefited society, a debate could be had. They benefit their CEOs, and harm communities ie by polluting drinking water, destroying wilderness or farm land..
Sorry but mining companies like BHP are not good for New Zealand, or other countries and their peoples.
Good post Marty. Kia Kaha.
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