Exports
You don’t have to oppose uranium mining to oppose exports to nuclear-armed India. All it takes is a strong desire not to have an atomic bomb dropped on your head ... or anyone else’s.
Thus critics of the plan to sell to India include uranium mining advocates Ron Walker, a former Australian diplomat and former Chair of the International Atomic Energy Agency; Paul Barratt, former Secretary of the Defence Department; and Kelvin Thomson, a member of Labor’s Right faction and Chair of Parliament’s treaties committee.
The main concern is that India has not signed, and will not sign, the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Needless to say, that sets an alarming precedent. If the response to the India’s nuclear weapons program is to reward it with sales of uranium and nuclear technology, then others are sure to follow.
Continue reading "Our dangerous hypocrisy on nuclear proliferation" »
When Julia Gillard rises at the ALP national conference Sunday week to urge uranium exports to India she will anger some of her closest supporters - women.
She will also rile the ALP left who will argue against yellowcake to the sub-continent, but it is a long time since Julia Gillard has been considered a leftie.
Of greater importance might be the response of women voters in general, a significant number of whom have stuck by Gillard since she toppled Kevin Rudd, bungled an election campaign and scraped together a ragged agenda of her own.
Continue reading "Gillard needs to bring women to the yellowcake party" »
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Blind Freddy says:
@TimB My lack of response was because I have a life outside of posting on The Punch- you know, real job and family? Oh, maybe you don’t? Given the amount of time you spend trawling this site. I don’t even know whether you will see this post so it’s hard… Read more »
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marley says:
@acotrel - so let me get this straight. Australians can operate an airline as safely as anyone in the world, as you keep telling us, but can’t manage a nuclear reactor safely. Are we really so much dumber than the Canadians, the French, the British, the Argentinians,etc etc. ? If… Read more »
Prime Minister Julia Gillard would do well to consider some bigger issues than the praise of conservative political insiders when it comes to plans to sell uranium to India, a country not bound to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Aptly enough on the same day she announced her position reversal, the Times of India reported on a trial of a nuclear-ready Agni 2 ballistic missile, capable of traveling over 3000 km to reach its target.
We know that the more uranium India can source from foreign exporters, the more its own uranium supplies can be directed toward its rapidly expanded weapons program, fueling already simmering regional tensions in East Asia.
Continue reading "Selling uranium to India will literally blow up in our face" »
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Thomas says:
France is a good example: they have to buy expensive back-up energy from Germany whenever a French nuclear reactor is down, and that happens at least one month out of every year for maintenance. The nuclear sector has all in all been very expensive for France and would be closed… Read more »
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Thomas says:
Uranium fanatics never seem to study up on their facts. Nuclear power has *never* been economically viable without huge government subsidies, and that’s even without taking into account the huge costs for dismantling old reactors and getting rid of waste safely, let alone the mind-boggling costs of cleaning up after… Read more »
To put it bluntly, which job would you pick for your child: Ripping precious minerals from the soil for sale to Chinese billionaires, or mixing daiquiris for sale to Chinese billionaires?
It’s not an easy choice for a parent to make, and it has been just as hard for the Government.
Just 18 months ago the general idea was that the best labour management strategy was make sure all hands were on the mining boom pump.
Continue reading "Mixing daiquiris and mining a top cocktail for economy" »
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Dacey says:
Taxation if targeted appropriately can improve productivity. The CT is designed to penalise in favour of innovation. The MRRT was designed to generate $200B fron the predicted $600B in profits from mining over the next decade. Read more »
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Max, of Rocky says:
Yeah, $200 billion in debt going up daily, Coal mines blossoming like flowers in a rose garden, lies to the people, pork barreling on a scale unheard of, yeah, best ever ! 8-( Read more »
Australia’s momentary brush with recession is over. After less than twelve months we are now leading the world out of what was meant to be the crash of the century.
For a year, we have scratched our heads at the demise of others, cowered from the collapse that never came and frolicked with hand-outs. Just as we all had our glasses out for another free drink, suddenly it’s time to clean up after the party, count the debt and pay it off.
The world’s economies move like a cycling pack; uneventful until someone takes a fall.
Continue reading "The Rudd-free account of how we dodged the downturn" »
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elhombre says:
Sam, that’s not an “at least”, it’s a fundamental and something these sad, hate filled little labour voters will never be able to bring themselves to acknowledge. Read more »
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Sam The Man says:
At least the Liberals spent money from income earned during the mineral boom, whereas Labour is spending borrowed money which future generations of taxpayers will have to payback (With interest ). Read more »
Things we should consign to the non-recyclable rubbish bin of a lost Australia.
Female tennis players winning Grand Slams. Babies christened Keith or Shirley. Bank branches in small country towns. Australian wine under ten bucks a bottle.
While you’re just as likely to bump into the Beaumont children as encounter any of the first three, there’s still an ocean of palate-numbing, environment-raping, image-trashing plonk out there and everything that is great and good about the Australian wine industry is drowning in it.
Continue reading "I got my cheap wine and a pending liver transplant" »
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Andrew says:
The figure of 800 L is exaggerated by 3 times at least . Read more »
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jonathan says:
Chris: i’ve heard similar numbers thrown around. But don’t ask me to cite my sources, I’m just a humble research librarian. Andy: how about we blame the industry for the behaviour of the consumer? I think I’ll head home for a nice glass of dutch wine? etc? Read more »
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