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New Articles |
New Travel
Writing |
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| November 2005 |
Arrogant
Toll Bullies Small District Council with Big Fat Ferry |
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In
the picturesque beauty of the Marlborough Sounds the arrival of the new
interisland ferry Kaitaki is causing a storm of controversy in its wake.
The operator, Toll NZ, is accused of openly flouting speed restrictions
designed by the Marlborough District Council to protect people and the
environment from the negative impact of large ferry-created waves. Toll is
appealing the decision of the Council through the Environment Court.
Toll NZ is a division of Australian transnational Toll Holdings. Toll
acquired the Cook Strait ferry operation as part of its takeover of Tranz
Rail in 2003. To many residents Toll’s actions over the ferry wash issue
are nothing less than the attempt of a large transnational corporation to
bully a small regional Council and the local community, and demonstrate a
total disrespect for the responsibility of the Council to protect people
and the environment. |
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Pompeii
and Herculaneum |
| March 2005 |
The Fog of Iraq
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In mid-November the US
Department of Defence confirmed the existence of a report highly critical
of the administration's efforts in the war on terror and in the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. “Muslims do not hate our freedom, but rather
they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority [of Muslims] voice their
objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and
against Palestinian rights, and the long-standing, even increasing,
support for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan and the Gulf states. Thus, when
American public diplomacy talks about bringing democracy to Islamic
societies, this is seen as no more than self-serving hypocrisy.”
The report ‘Strategic Communication’ comes from none other than a
branch of the Pentagon itself, the Defence Science Advisory Board (DSB). |
Also |
Stop
the War March London
Aachen |
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Auschwitz
(updated with photo |
| August 2004 |
Toll
Rail: Secret Deals Close to Witching Hour Revealed |
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| After
months of protracted negotiations, Toll Holdings and the NZ Government
completed their agreement to transfer the track network to public
ownership. The deal concluded just before the deadline of June 30th, 2004.
At two minutes to midnight. If an agreement had not been reached by the
deadline, Toll was in for making a lot of money. By selling the track for
the symbolic sum of $1, Toll could claim a considerable book loss. If the
deal had been concluded a mere two minutes later Toll could have gained a
significant tax advantage, with estimates ranging from a benefit of $10m
to $70m dollars, depending on how long they dilly dallied. While Toll
Holdings’ Managing Director, Paul Little, claimed that Toll did not
intend to take advantage of this opportunity (1), it certainly did not
stop Toll from using it as a threat to bully the Government into a
position friendly to the Australian owned transnational corporation (TNC). |
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August 2004
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From Toll to
the Dole
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| "Take
it or leave it" was the choice given to the cooks and stewards of
the Cook Strait ferry Arahura. The new transnational owners of the
ferries, Toll Holdings, told the crew to accept a big cut to pay and
conditions or be made redundant. The live-on-board positions were to be
disestablished, with those made redundant forced into reapplying for
their jobs in competition with other Toll employees and external
recruits. |
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