Thank you Sue Neales! 

At least someone is doing probing investigative reporting in Tasmania. 

Coxy on ABC Radio seemed reluctant to pick up this story this morning. He didn’t even ask Stephen Mayne from Crikey about the issue which is surprising considering Stephen’s keen interest in the pulp mill and Gunns. 

Brenda from Sorell was cut short when she began to discuss the pulp mill. 

Tim’s tone with Vica Bailey was somewhat dismissive.  In response to one of Vica’s comments he said “Surely this is an issue for Gunns?”  The inference being nobody else is affected.

Where were the hard hitting interviews with Bob Gordon, Eric Abetz or Bryan Green about the Government pouring millions of dollars into a project which may not be profitable?

Is the tide is turning?

Are all the spin doctors the state government employ losing their grip?

How could a negative report have slipped out?

Is that Eric Abetz jousting with an imaginary pulp mill?

The CommSec report marks a very interesting point in the journey of The Pulp Mill we Have to Have.  (And on the same day as Les Rochester has upped stumps at TRAC to go it alone, citing factional infighting in that group, or something like that.)

Two responses to this report made my ears prick up on tonight’s ABC News.  Firstly a spokesman for the Deputy Premier (you know, the one with the moustache) dismissed the CommSec analysis as a ‘commercial matter for Gunns’. Sorry, but I beg to differ.  By pumping obscene amounts of public money into a propaganda campaign for this project, the state government has very much made this pulp mill the concern of every taxpayer in this state.

Secondly, the Overseas Emperor himself, Mr Gay, garbled down the phone line from wherever he happens to be today that the report should be discounted because it failed to take account the fact that Gunns Ltd owns its own timber, or words to that effect.  Somehow, if I allow Mr Gay’s logic, I think this is supposed to mean that the world price of pulp shouldn’t have an impact on the commercial viability of the pulp mill—which, as the CommSec report indicates, is by no means assured.

Can someone please explain to me just how this makes any fiscal sense? I would have thought that regardless of the timber supply, the end game of the pulp mill process is to produce pulp. And then, unless I am very much mistaken, sell it.  Precisely what will the benefits of this process be if the price of pulp is in the proverbial toilet?  Do I need to remind anyone that that’s currently where its heading, and has been for some time?

Those who have their snout in the trough waiting for this mill to be approved need to start answering questions and stop with the bullshit.  Increasingly, this mill project has White Elephant stamped all over it, and if it does come to fruition and proves to be a real stinker, it will be much harder to get rid of than a financially unpalatable ferry.

According to the boss of the proposed pulp mill proponent from today’s northern newsletter, all is just fine and dandy in pulp world.

In fact the Commonwealth Bank is likely to be a key financier of the pulp mill.
So is this a case of the left hand not sure what the right hand is up to?

http://www.examiner.com.au/story.asp?id=345690

Perhaps “pulp mill” fever has come to town…a mystery illness that causes tunnel vision, dribbly lips, incoherent ramblings and uncontrolled spending of other people’s monies.

Is there a doctor in the house???

Golly gosh this is a great show…..what’s next, Broadway??

“Golly gosh this is a great show…..what’s next, Broadway??”

What a fantastic idea!  I can already hear the song before the final curtain call, courtesy of that 80’s UK group “World Party”:

“Save me…save me from tomorrow….I don’t want to sail with this ship of fools….”

As for the rest of Australia, well…we’d be a banana republic, except….NO BANANAS! 

That cosmic joker must be really putting in some overtime (probably unpaid after signing an AWA!).

Smurfy \|/