I’m fortunate I’m self-employed. Being so gives me many freedoms including setting my fees to reflect what I think my work’s worth. So I pity Tasmania’s dairy farmers who face huge financial losses this year after New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra unilaterally announced this season’s opening milk price of just 27 cents a litre. Blamed on the GFC (of course), it’s 40% less than last year’s, and little more than 20 years ago. Yes, autonomy’s a wonderful thing. But fascists are ever active in preventing, circumventing or destroying it. Spain’s well known for its fascists from the 15th century Inquisition through the Civil War in the late 1930s until Franco’s era ended on his death in 1975. So it’s unsurprising that today some powerful Spaniards still uphold their legacy. One is 67-year-old Javier Solana (pictured) who’s the EU’s Secretary-General and foreign minister. In a lecture in London last Saturday, Solana said the UN should set a deadline for the creation of a Palestinian state, and then recognise that state even if no peace accord had been reached between Israel and the Palestinians by the deadline. Rightly, Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded that UN Resolutions 242 and 338, the Roadmap and other agreements between Israel and the Palestinians all determine that the solution to the conflict can only be reached through bilateral negotiations. Solutions imposed by autocrats engender anger and contempt, Mr Solana. If you don’t believe me, just ask Tasmania’s dairy farmers.
1 comment:
Whilst I'm sure I wouldn't like the politics of most dairy farmers, and whilst they didn't seek my advice before becoming dairy farmers, I do feel sorry for them. They have a hard life. This item describes them seeking government aid. I hope the government provides it. On the other hand, I have no sympathy for Mr Solana and his ilk. None at all.
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