Climate change and hypocrisy:
Greg Williams writes: Re. “Suddenly, the climate debate is going like the Kloppers” (yesterday, item 2). So Bernard Keane is a tad outraged with “What a terrible hypocrite Marius Kloppers is in calling for a carbon price”.
Bernard, if you are scouring the news pages for gold medal hypocrisy, try the esteemed, and oft-quoted-by-yourself Professor Garnaut. The good professor’s major involvement in the probable environmental disaster in the sea off Lehir Island and the actual environmental disaster at Ok Tedi — both gold mines in Papua New Guinea, surely constitutes hypocrisy of the first order. (Reference the two lengthy segments on the ABC Kerry O’Brien’s The 7.30 Report this week and last.)
Come on Bernard: presumably it doesn’t help your predilection for beating all and sundry over the head with the good professor’s “Garnaut Climate Change Review” — but be fair, mate! If you (almost certainly, quite rightly) give BHP’s Marius Kloppers a serve for hypocrisy, then be even handed and whack Ross Garnaut over the ear as well.
At least Kloppers doesn’t pretend to be on a crusade to save the planet whilst oversighting alleged environmental disasters on a gargantuan scale. Bernard, your silence has been deafening. Either defend the Prof. Or express outrage. But say something. Please!
Oh! And it would seem the Prof supports Marius Klopper’s Carbon Price hypocrisy as well. So get stuck into him too, mate!
Banks and lending:
David Thackrah writes: Re. “Housing bubble and banks … time for disclosure and context” (Wednesday, item 22). Amongst the burgeoning home loan portfolios in the banking system’s Assets are a percentage of loans skating on thin or no ice.
Borrowers will realize, should property values “sag” that they are really paying a high rental (interest costs) for not having sufficient personal contribution to their property finance.
The recent intelligence gathering shows the high percentage of lending by the banks ( significant share of their loan portfolios) for housing is attracting concern should an “adjustment” occur in the Australian economy.
It would appear the banks have themselves exposed to short term borrowing from overseas to shore up their deposits level. It is natural for banks to borrow short, (hold deposits), and lend long (for houses) but if the loan levels get out of proportion say to lending for commercial purposes (usually over a shorter term) then a drop in deposits will bring on a freeze in lending until the banks re-work their portfolios and gather more deposits.
Such a freeze in lending could seriously interrupt the economy.
Nokia:
Katherine Stuart writes: Re. “Nokia cuts HTC’s lunchbox” “Media Briefs: News Ltd sells Fiji Times, Nokia cuts HTC’s lunch, John Wood is old” (yesterday, item 19). I’m beginning to think NO-ONE at Crikey does basic checking of facts!
This small article by your intern Nick Johns-Wickberg refers to Nokia as a Swedish company (“After HTC sent buses to pick up journalists from a Nokia showcase event earlier this week, the Swedish giant retaliated…”). It is in fact a Finnish company, and I doubt the Finns would be too impressed with being mixed up with rival telecoms giant Ericsson, which IS Swedish.
And it wasn’t the Age’s mistake either. I checked. Are you a serious news operation or not?
SEWPC:
Amy Huva writes:Re. Jim Hanna (yesterday, comments). While SEWPC is utterly tragic as an acronym, it’s definitely better than when we feared it was going to be SPCEW (Sustainable Population, Communities, Environment and Water, with a silent C naturally!)
We’ve been throwing a few alternatives around the office and think SEWPAC might be funnier.
At least then we’d sound like bad 90s rappers!
Wow. That message from Katherine Stuart is pretty appalling.
There’s nothing wrong with pointing out a basic error, but the whole “I’m beginning to think NO-ONE at Crikey does basic checking of facts!” and “Are you a serious news operation or not?” thing is ridiculously melodramatic.
Every news outlet in the world makes errors of one sort or another will make errors of on a more or less regular basis. In this case, it seems pretty insignificant.
I genuinely hope never to have to meet or have any personal dealings with someone with such a tenuous grasp of the realities of publishing and a basic lack of manners.
@Amy Huva.
The possibilities are endless..
– SPEWC (“That new policy proposal really makes me SPEWC”)
– SPOCEW (“Oh yeah? Well, SPOC-EW too!”)
– DEWCESP (Is anyone old enough to remember the DEWCESPs of Hazzard?)
Dr Harvey M Tarvydas
RE: Climate change and hypocrisy:
WHERE: Greg Williams writes: Re. “Suddenly, the climate debate is going like the Kloppers” (yesterday, item 2).
Your piece clearly expresses your distress but doesn’t make much coherent sense in terms of Marius Kloppers and Professor Garnaut real influence in climate change issues as they must be allowed to have two voices the second goes beyond the requisite contract duties of the first and makes the allowable contribution personally felt. Respecting the complexity of these issues and the political whirlwinds, unnecessarily created, and swirling around them, their word needs to be taken at face value as a show of good will to the person and the context and instead of reaction to ones personal interpretation of the issue revealed a watching and seeing is an appropriate position.
BK’s criticism as a journalist is to bring on explanation of truth.
I am sitting here wondering…. Is Rupert evil enough to orchestrate the collapse of our economy via the banks, through his suffocating hold on the Australian media? If it benefits him financially, I think we all know the answer is yes. How old is he anyway? Can’t he do the decent thing and just DIE???