Some Strange Timers went to a public meeting last night about Victorian solar energy company Solar Systems, which may go into receivership after failing to attract investment for a planned solar electricity plant in Mildura, Victoria.
The meeting featured several speakers including the Greens candidate for tomorrow’s by-election in the seat of Higgins, Clive Hamilton, who distinguished himself by calling me a “prick” after he demanded (and I refused) that I stop taking photos of him, a public figure at a public meeting. This photo shows Hamilton just before he confronted me.
The meeting was opened by Judy McVeigh:
You can listen to Judy McVeigh’s opening if you click on this link: 091203 Solar Systems Meeting Judy McVeigh
If the link doesn’t play for you, you can download it onto your computer and play it with any program you use to listen to music – it’s a plain MP3 file. The same goes for all the other links to audio in this article.
The first speaker was David Turner, a former employee at Solar Systems
You can click on this link to listen to David Turner’s speech: 091203 Solar Systems Meeting David Turner
Next to speak was David Spratt, author of Climate Code Red
You can click on this link to listen to David Spratt’s speech: 091203 Solar Systems Meeting David Spratt
Then Mark Ogge from Beyond Zero Emissions spoke about the technical details of how solar power might work.
You can click on these two links to listen to Mark Ogge’s speech: 091203 Solar Systems Meeting Mark Ogge Part 1
091203 Solar Systems Meeting Mark Ogge Part 2
Next to speak was Clive Hamilton:
You can hear what Clive Hamilton had to say by clicking on these two links:
091203 Solar Systems Meeting Clive Hamilton Part 1
091203 Solar Systems Meeting Clive Hamilton Part 2
After Hamilton finished speaking, questions were taken. Arthur Dent asked a question, pointing out that Mark Ogge was greatly underestimating the current cost of solar power and asking why there was no campaign for a massive investment into research and development into new wasy of providing power:
You can hear Arthur’s question if you click here: 091203 Solar Systems Meeting Arthur’s Question
You can also hear the entire question and answer session and the final wrap-up of the meeting if you click on these three links:
091203 Solar Systems Meeting Questions Part 1
091203 Solar Systems Meeting Questions Part 2
091203 Solar Systems Meeting Questions Part 3
You can see more photos from the meeting at flickr.
UPDATE:
I’ve finished converting the videos of Hamilton’s speech and uploading them to to YouTube:
y.m. ‘a prick!’sounds like he confronted his genuine-lefty accuser with perfect aplomb
Yes Jim, I realise a humble call centre employee such as myself shouldn’t dare to photograph a grand public figure AND public intellectual such as Hamilton at a public meeting. I’m only a worker, after all.
y.m. you maybe “only” a worker after all, i.e. when it suits your argument, but then you self-proclaim yourself a “genuine-lefty” but to my ears your words read more like a “genuine-pseudo-lefty” divorced from any sence of working claas camaradereie full stop. but your strange erstwhile mates will give you some loud acclaim .but comrade!humbleness amongst your class will go a long way.coz as BB said: don’t push th truth it ain’t gude for it.
going by your past photos at muuri meeting here in brisbane a comradely word of advice, don’t try the same argument with the muuris the next time you turn up with your camera gear at a muuri meetings coz when an elder sez nay photographs ’tis no photos or else, never mind your individualistic boozh-wah freedoms. no mean no full stop
a question? why you photo albert langer at a public meeeting & then resect him by his pseudonym arthur dent coz afterall & sundsry on the leftside of boozh-wad politics knows arthue dent his!
I’ve never been asked to stop taking photographs at any Murri meeting or rally I’ve been to. Maybe Murri people have more respect for personal freedom than you show with your obvious contempt for it.
Recent camping trips to the South Australian outback revealed a telling tale as to the fate of solar power. We first visited the National park in 2008, and despite the fact that the main power line went directly past not much more than a km away from the park there were solar powered lights in the bathroom block – by our second visit these had been stolen. Indicating that the next huge black market items are solar panels stolen from the National Parks, other panel bank facilities as and if they arise and presumably individual house-holders as well.
(A heads up to campers – National parks are implementing the wrong policy of ceasing an organised rubbish collection facility service (ie removing bins) and campers are now required to carry out all their own waste from all camp areas and not just remote areas!!)
y.m. sorry over cyber one can’t offer you any tissues to wipe away your tears. read what advice i offered again coz no where did i say you been asked to stop taking photo’s only advising you to heed such a request. maybe you shud also read & digest marx & engels on freedom of neccessity coz its one of their great pieces on materialist philosophy. here’s a poem written about your earstwhile mates by comrade; sarky sharpie.
beyond indiviualism
red albert sez owd Mao’s
the genuine article
a fine revolutionary for sure
a girl could feel special
wiv one of his red guards
on any such like melbourne street march albert sez you hear me comrade students
mao’s our comrade
raise yeah glass’s he gave us well!
the great prolie cultural red kissing rod
i’ll see you on the corners & cafes
arguing with any pseudo …
left of anything red haired
in our black leather fashions
at a green election rally
i’m seem sucking in wind
to be audible enuff to be heard
questioning poor owd clive Hamilton
whilst hiding behind my pseudonym
arthur dent & sprukin’ alke
any “genuine Maoists” used to!
taking today’s folk for a genuine owd ride
sez red albert to his red mollies,
here’s my male chauvinist domination ring
for your little ‘right” hands but all in earnestness
i’m a dangerous … revolutionary lad for all that
i fought against boozh-wah law since
i were seventeen & I robber flied many a varsity boss
to get my Voice heard
alas five decades on i mayn’t make sixty
Well then! as “owd Epicurus used to say”
‘dying wain’t be no misfortune for him who dies’
but only for them who luvs him
if by chance i shud break my gait
i’ll give you my rough hewn
‘genuine-lefty-pseudo-ism’ to ride
beyond into a capital fuelled hazy-sunset
so come on down red mollies
calls a sergeant of the oligopolies
as they took away owd albert
to die for reaving owd … marx
… engels … mao etc
of their material living souls
on his epitaph an article or three
from uncle mass Murdock
hits the chest leaving
nowt worthwhile behind
so come down pink Mollies
to read ‘is dying headstone
they came to the peoples hospice
& found nowt much ’left’
e’d run out of an audience
a preacher man running outa breath
But he smiled to see those red eyes cry
sez i’ll give you my little red books to read
coz in my opinion, there’s nowt much “left”
in this owd world anymore
to Beat us genuine ‘68’ers
& our red headed Parisian girlie
whom laid low
the owd guard union bosses
chairman hill wain’t do us either
They didn’t have a genuine soul
alike us ‘68’ers he reached
for her hand & he gave her
his note books for posterity
i wain’t have any further use for these
when i’m infinite atoms
the continuums to come
an heaven-sent red dawn awaits
to carry me home & he gave his red mollies
one last kiss & died as well as giving us
his “genuine red philosophy” to ride.
FFS guys,
That solar power system was doomed from the start. The so called libel laws in this country prevent me from saying more.
Suffice to say that, if you want a good historical precedent for the conditions that attach themselves to much of the new technology solar power and wind systems look to the history of the 19th century railroads in the US. It’s called Capitalism – get over it.
Dalec
informally yours
it’s my understanding that south australia don’t have any national parks. but ‘the department for environment & heritage’