Hello and welcome to the blog...and whilst I was trying to be respectful of elected Councillors private business by talking about their impending resignation/retirement in very vague terms, The Border Watch has now printed their names so it's gloves off...metaphorically speaking.
But First: fascinating to hear ABCs Stuart Stansfield running the Council line with two of the stories today being how great Council is, namely, the Old Hospital and Caroline Landfill issues...these are of course 2 of the main justifications that Council produced when doubling their own borrowing capacity as part of the 2013 Budget process...I have covered these issues extensively in previous posts.
And Stuart interviewing Councillor 'Swervin' Merv White and everything's on time and budget and the Christmas deadline was the contractor's (McMahon's) date...(bollocks, Council demanded that it be flattened by Christmas, it's why some other Tenders withdrew-Ed)...quite...and apparently Merv isn't being told about the cost but believes that because of the contract it shouldn't be over budget...(rubbish, there's multiple exclusions from McMahon's Tender and massive wriggle room for 'variances' which means increases, and Council is fudging the numbers by using Council resources for parts of the project-Ed).
Most concerning was the throw-away line about how there will need to be 'a new budget with more money' to complete the works around the site, particularly the Old Laundry renovation...I believe that 'saving' that building is just one variance that McMahon's didn't include in their Tender, and therefore an extra cost...
And then some nonsense about sensors for dust and how work 'has to stop' if there's too much but it hasn't happened at the Old Hospital but has happened on the Rail Lands site...(what about the huge clouds of dust regularly blowing off the Hospital site-Ed)...exactly...can't believe a single word that comes out of Council..it's a chronically serious state of affairs that makes it impossible to liaise with Council in a respectful and trusting manner.
And out to the Carloine Landfill and an interview with Council's Darryl Sexton about the 3 new segments being created with the middle active and outside covered, etc, and the interesting observation that Council "guess how long" each cell will last but they hope for 5 years per cell, etc, etc...no facts, no responsibility, all swerve...but I digress...
I find deeply disturbing the constant promotion of the Child Abuse Royal Commission as being a salve for Child Abuse in our community...even today they are looking at what happened in the Salvation Army 40 years ago and banging on about 'talking about systemic problems', etc, etc...as terrible as these crimes are, I maintain my belief that this whole process is a cynical con that will drag in relatively genuine people and cause more trauma than it resolves.
This is exactly what has happened with the DeBelle Inquiry here in South Australia and the way it has been used to deflect and draw a political line between the reality of what is still happening today, ie, 'yeah that's terrible but we now know due to DeBelle', or 'DeBelle says act like this so that's what we'll do'...all hail DeBelle 'cause it's all sweet now.
I note that the Royal Commission is fully aware of the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up, a current case that goes immediately to the pro-paedophile corruption at the heart of South Australian government, and yet they're not even coming to Mt Gambier.
I also note/re-iterate that the Bernard Finnigan Court case re the Child Pornography charges...(the one remaining charge from 20+-Ed)...the one charge from the many laid some 3 years ago when he was Labor Acting Police Minister...that case has been postponed because Bernard's lawyer is on holidays...(you're shrekin' joking-Ed)...wish I was...absolutely corrupt collusion between government and the Judiciary to fudge this matter past the state election following which Bernard will still be in Parliament (Upper House) for another 4 years.
It's an absolute con..."Premier Weatherill, what's happening with Bernard Finnigan?" (Press)..."Sorry, that's still before the Courts so I cannot talk about it, and neither should you."
Deeply Disappointing: to hear Liberal MLC David Ridgway on ABC Radio squirming around the Liberal party support for Fracking by trotting out the bumf about how there's Fracking in the Cooper Basin, there's already many drill shafts through the South East Aquifer, eg, the Katnook Gas operation, that Beach Energy is only doing 'core-sample' drilling, etc...(sounds like he was reading from the Beach Energy brochure about how great it all is-Ed)...doesn't it though...
This manoeuvring around the realities is how you say 'we support Fracking' without saying so...I note that Liberal candidate Troy Bell wasn't asked his opinion...(well he could hardly get a word in edge ways-Ed)...true, but the interview was with Mr Ridgway as part of the Liberal state election campaign...
And at least they're giving it a bit of a bloody go...Labor hasn't even announced an actual candidate yet and at the 2006 and 2010 elections they failed to do an official Adelaide supported campaign and/or launch and/or anything really as Premiers Mike Rann (2006) and Jay Weatherill (2010) furiously avoided the South East...(St Martins?-Ed)...that and Labor's history of sacrificing Regional services, etc...but again I digress...
Councillors Bail: from the sinking ship of institutionalised incompetence and corruption that they have crewed for the last 2 Council terms...(I'm sensing you're not too happy about this-Ed)...restrainedly furious quite frankly...but in all honesty it's an anger flamed by that which remains...we're losing almost the best of a woeful bunch.
Apols but I'm going to suddenly bail here 'cause it's already 2100hrs, just got back from Council...(oh boy-Ed)...exactly...and I ain't had my dindins yet...gettin' all GI Blues...and no that's not the Elvis movie but a state of depressive hunger...(ah, witty Wilde, witty-Ed)...
Tomorrow: Council Meeting and Resignations
And somehow Councillor Penny Richardson is the new Deputy Mayor...not that that's a bad thing, just real weird...more tomorrow
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters.
No comments:
Post a Comment