No one exploits a disaster quite like John Key. The Government’s economic policy seems to be to wait for a natural disaster to occur and then cut some crony capitalism deal for a rebuild that keeps the GDP as falsely inflated as the property market does.
No one can criticise the Government as we all rally around the flag, but the Pike River Mine families know how empty a gesture that is.
It’s no wonder Brian Tamiki’s homosexual hating earthquakes and Supermoons have more credibility than our actual scientists who seem so underfunded that they know nothing.
They don’t know all the faults in play because they don’t have the money to explore that.
They don’t know if it will lead to a larger event because they don’t have the money for that.
And they don’t know how it impacts the Alpine Fault because while they have some money for that, it’s still bugger all really.
Research in NZ has been twisted into being a money making venture and there’s not much money to be made in public service science.
NZ used to have large quakes occur with some regularity throughout the 1920s and 1930s, and we’ve had a relatively benign 50 odd years, but since Christchurch, the reality that we live on very shaky Isles demands we spend far more money on understanding earthquakes and designing our cities and infrastructure for that.
Research suggests climate change will make earthquakes worse, and with the planet in meltdown and a climate denier like Trump in the White House, we need a redirection of funding into earthquake and climate research that is more akin to a war economy than the trickle it is now.
None of that will happen of course, Key will simply ram through some undemocratic law that forces urgent rebuilds which benefit crony political allies and NZers will numbly rally around it.
We are blind and frightened on Shaky Isles and doesn’t Key know it.
Think about it, we go into a downturn, its the earthquake, need a good distraction, think earthquake.
It’s the concerned looks, the serious but humble acknowledgement with everyman terms like “It’s stuffed” (Dave Farrar, “munted” is a bit more kiwi atm ☺) and best (or worst) of all the bold but ultimately empty promises from Key down that gets me. Ronald Reagans school of acting, take a bow!
And how about the National Party logo adorning the bottom of earthquake related NZ Government posters, those fuckers love to make money and publicity from a disaster.
The pointy end is Wellington however, an actual city with some serious damage and priorities right now, they need real assistance not bullshit. Let’s see what John does for real there!
‘Cause our scientists don’t have HAARP technology and probably too scared to talk about it openly. Let’s not forget Key is Cabal appointed. Bet Key’s on edge now that Trump tipped over the Cabal boat.
A book I’m reading at the moment- Terrain by Bruce Chapple.. an excellent delve into NZ geological history… think Bill Bryson- explains a lot to a dunce like me material..yes we do have to address the fact that te whole country is vulnerable. Instead of ‘centralise,centralise’ we should be looking at diversification.. of business, government,and our way of life..and if the highways are too expensive to rebuild, what of rail?? -or coastal shipping?
A book I’m reading at the moment- Terrain by Bruce Chapple.. an excellent delve into NZ geological history… think Bill Bryson- explains a lot to a dunce like me material..yes we do have to address the fact that te whole country is vulnerable. Instead of ‘centralise,centralise’ we should be looking at diversification.. of business, government,and our way of life..and if the highways are too expensive to rebuild, what of rail?? -or coastal shipping?
JOHN LENNON ASKS if the highways are too expensive to rebuild, what of rail?? -or coastal shipping?
RAIL IS CHEAPER BECAUSE IT ONLY TAKES 3 METERS OF LAND CORRIDOR TO BUILD A LINE AND THE MAINTAINENCE IS MINIMAL ONCE BUILD PROPERLY WITH MODERN CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS.
Coastal freight takes up to six handling stages and rail two so it is more efficient and better for the environment.
Coastal freight has been discarded as it is to expensive check this book out.
Philip Whyte’s 1986 book “Gisborne’s Battle for a Harbour”. It describes the port’s first 100 years. It goes in cycles of semi-prosperity, all ending when the rivers flood and the sand-bar reasserts itself.
@ CLEANGREEN Do we go for high speed (like China, Japan, USA) or lite rail. I don’t know what’s what with rail but if the funding is there (and I think it could be) which is most feasible given ongoing maintenance would also be funded?
Latest video on earthquake making the rounds worldwide:
http://galacticconnection.com/whoa-powerful-new-zealand-earthquake-lifted-sea-floor-two-meters-through-sand-video/?mc_cid=76b8492fbe&mc_eid=992f5a3916
Thanks Martyn. From now on my stock answer to Key enthusiasts will be “Yeah, he looks after us like he did the Pike river families”.
The national govt will still have money for tax cuts though once again making the rich richer.
Unemployment below 5%
Growth rate at over 3%
Milk auction prices steadily rising
Can’t wait for the next election!
@ANDREW
That’ll be figures from Stats NZ, right?
The jokers who recently made a blunder with the inflation figure.
It was 0.2% until they made the correction to 0.4%. It was double what they thought. That’s is pretty flakey arithmetic for professionals.
How true are their other figures then?
“Can’t wait for the next election!”
Oh dear! Cross your legs and think nice thoughts then. The queue’s not moving any faster and the event will probably be sold out before we get there.
But it was nice of you to bring us that little bit of history while we wait.
Andrew, does that growth rate include the Christchurch rebuild? If so, that’s not growth, that’s disaster capitalism. Look it up. Educate yourself.
No Andrew, unemployment is NOT “below 5%”. Frank MaSkasy pointed out how Statistics NZ had artificially reduced unemployment by arbitrarily changing definitions. That’s not “below 5%”, that bullshit propaganda.
ANDREW
The Government wants New Zealand to become a net exporter of oil and gas by 2030.
By then our milk will be to toxic to sell and you will be to sick to enjoy your ill gotten money by this time in 2030 so enjoy while you can.
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/oklahoma-earthquakes-linked-fracking-study
A substantial number of earthquakes in one region of Oklahoma over the past several years can be linked to the process of hydraulic fracturing, i.e., fracking, according to a new study from Science magazine.
http://www.noted.co.nz/archive/listener-nz-2012/fracking-in-new-zealand/
Fracking itself – which involves pumping water, sand, and other materials under extremely high pressure into a well in order to fracture underground rock and extract oil and natural gas – has previously been linked to earthquakes.
The Government wants New Zealand to become a net exporter of oil and gas by 2030. But some other countries are slamming on the brakes, as controversy mounts over the environmental cost of fracking. Moratoriums have been imposed in France, South Africa, New South Wales, New York, New Jersey and Quebec in response to allegations that the practice can contaminate groundwater and leave a legacy of hazardous waste.
To fracture the deep fuel-rich rock, huge volumes of water (between seven and 18 million litres for a single shale well, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency), laced with a cocktail of chemicals and sand, are pumped underground at enormous pressure. The chemicals help ensure the sand is transported into the cracks, where it props open the gaps and enables the gas or oil to flow. Some of the fluid comes back up and has to be disposed of, and some stays in the ground. The process is controversial. In drilling regions of the US such as Pennsylvania and Wyoming, locals allege that fracking fluids and gas have migrated into their well water.
The documentary movie Gasland popularised these concerns with graphic images of residents holding cigarette lighters up to their running taps, causing the water to explode in a ball of flame. Many recounted stories of illness in their households, and sick and dying animals. Some said their water had turned brown and smelt foul, and they were forced to truck in water after their wells were ruined.
Thanks to the so-called “Halliburton Loophole” ushered through Congress in 2005 by then Vice-President Dick Cheney – one-time chief executive of energy giant Halliburton, one of the big names behind the fracking revolution – the industry is exempt under the US Safe Drinking Water Act from disclosing the chemicals it uses in fracking. However, a recent study by the US House of Representatives energy and commerce committee found that between 2005 and 2009, the industry used 29 chemicals that were either carcinogens or posed other risks to human health, or were hazardous air pollutants. Among them were benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene – known collectively as BTEX – of which benzene is a carcinogen.
Jonkey has let both sorts of power go to his head. Before 2030 fossil fuels will be off the agenda and the only fossil … oh dear … better stop … point made.
“John Key – Patron Saint of Earthquakes and why don’t our Scientists know anything?”
A disappointing headline implying that our scientists don’t know anything, a headline simply pouring fuel on the anti-expert / anti-science fire which really doesn’t help anyone. New Zealand has plenty of top class scientists (though you are right about our lack of funding for research leading many of the best to find work overseas).
Science is complex, science takes time, data often has to be gathered from multiple diverse sources, analysed, checked, conclusions drawn, papers written, peer reviews carried out, published in journals, often locked behind pay walls. This takes months at least.
When an event happens, journalists want answers now, they talk to scientists, get vague answers they don’t necessarily understand (because the research relating to that event has not yet been done), they get quotes which they sometimes edit to fit the story (sometimes changing the meaning completely) and then they publish and move on. They almost never wait for the research to be completed and generally won’t return to the story when findings are released unless they can spin it into a new story. If someone gives you a simple answer to a complex situation, it often has no real use in the real world because it has been over simplified to point of usefulness.
With earthquakes, what most people really want to know is when, where and how bad will the next one be. What they want is someone to tell them there will be a 6.7 magnitude quake on the Wellington fault at 2pm on the 14th of December, so they can pop out for a spot of shopping in Melbourne on that day. Currently no one in the World can make valid predictions of that type and generally people aren’t that happy when they are just given the odds of an event happening over a given time period. Because New Zealand is currently very seismically active, a lot of world class research is being done here and a lot of data is being gathered using a multitude of different methods. All this research adds to a greater understanding of earthquakes in general and the geology of New Zealand specifically, and no one can tell exactly where this research will lead.
To use an analogy to help those not familiar with scientific methods why it sometimes seems that experts know nothing or nothing of real value, we can use the concept of armed robberies, a topic most people will have a pretty good understanding of since they are now a relatively common occurrence in New Zealand. Most people would define one as simply being a robbery where a weapon is carried or used.
Various experts can help us understand this phenomena better. Psychologists can help explain offenders motivations and mental state. Sociologists can warn of societal factors that may increase risk. Security experts may be able to warn of potential locations, targets and how to minimise risks. Weapons experts can identify the weapons used. Forensic experts may be able to interpret evidence left behind after the robbery. Police artists may be able to produce Identi-Kit images of suspects. Police files may bring up potential suspects based on previous similar crimes.
After completing their investigations, the Police may apprehend a suspect and the courts may find this suspect guilty of the crime. But none of these experts, despite all their knowledge, will be able to to tell you in advance, when a robbery will occur, who will carry it out, what will be taken and will anyone be hurt or killed, the very things most people would really like to know so that they can avoid or minimise the outcome. Does this mean these experts know nothing? Of course not. But if all of their knowledge is combined, solutions can be found to reduce crimes, minimise risks and identify offenders and this is why we wait for investigation to be completed instead of jumping straight to the the conclusions. Science works in a similar fashion.
Do these people help make us safe (a stumble upon): http://www.drakenintl.com/strategic-partners
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