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Thursday, May 22, 2008

Oil in NZ and the evil Exxon-Mobil Empire



Gosh Gordon Campbell is doing a bloody good job over at Scoop, his latest piece on what Exxon-Mobil are up to off the coast of the South Island makes very interesting reading...

Exxon-Mobil are the elephant in the room that the Government refuses to confront, as it throws open the ecologically vulnerable Great South Basin region to oil exploration and exploitation. Currently, New Zealand does not have an oceans policy, despite years of talking about it. There is no RMA equivalent that is empowered to manage economic activity within our Exclusive Economic Zone, and no mechanism for weighing the environmental and economic risks/opportunities involved. This morning’s RNZ story about ongoing impacts of the Tui field oil spill off the Taranaki coast – and the paltry levels of compensation available - should be setting off warning signals in Wellington. Do the Government seriously think Exxon-Mobil would be unduly fazed if an oil spill from their operations happened to wipe out the Bluff fishing industry, and our bureaucrats came looking for compensation, armed only with a copy of the Maritime Transport Act?

He goes onto give us the recent history of how Exxon-Mobil have moved heaven and Earth not to pay the full damages their negligance of allowing a drunk captian blow the load of the Exxon-Valdez all over the Alaskan coastline, and seeing how small NZ is I don't see us gaining their respect if something goes wrong. I've always been concerned that what a major oil find would cause in terms of geo-politics. After watching Pilgers 'War on Democracy' and hearing the American CIA chief at the time tell John that the killing and coups and use of corporations to dominate South American resources was all done because of the 'national interest', I wonder what would happen to us in NZ if we suddenly had something that America wanted, I mean really wanted. Would they start interferring in our politics?

8 Comments:

At 22/5/08 2:15 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

id say be expecting a warship parked up off the coast if we do find oil!

 
At 22/5/08 3:49 pm, Blogger Barnsley Bill said...

I think the uanks have their hands full interfering elsewhere at the moment Bomber. I would be more worried about China. They are building nice shiny govt buildings throughout the pacific at the moment

 
At 22/5/08 5:08 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yep, they're already at it.
John Key is their man. does he know it, does he have a plan, neh, he's just a foot soldier. 50 mil. is peanuts for these guys.
More to come.

 
At 22/5/08 5:40 pm, Blogger peterquixote said...

another great picture Tumeke, you donts get the medallion of Quixote and bar for nothing.

 
At 23/5/08 8:31 am, Blogger SamClemenz said...

Would they start interferring in our Politic's - Bomber???????? Where the hell have you been since world war 2 laddy?
All this isn't a matter of politics it's Greed driven and the U.S. "Lord of Global Greed" is driving the Giant Wall Street Bus.

ALL of our Politic's and Financial business, and Consumerist dealings are, and have been controlled by the Cabal of Capitalist Elitists that control the U.S. Military - the enforcement wing of the New World Order. Nothing has, or WILL change.
Exxon/Mobil will continue to rape and plunder the planet without regard to the humanitarian or planetary consequences - same as it ever was!

 
At 23/5/08 8:56 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Nothing has, or WILL change. "

Then don't stress defeatist-Sam.

 
At 23/5/08 12:09 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good work sam, glad someone is onto it! Venezuela is next, but I'm sure you already knew that. Keep spreading the word mate, one day the world might wake up and see what is blatantly obvious to us.

 
At 23/5/08 2:23 pm, Blogger Chris said...

I don't think the US would intervene in NZ politics - they don't seem to screw with the domestic politics of industrialised Western nations since the end of the Cold War (during which they did heaps).

I think carrots and sticks with a legitimate government would work better on a small democracy like NZ, rather than intervention at the level of domestic politics.

Still, who would be surprised if they did.

 

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