Propaganda Push

The pox is spreading - mining in the Southwest

Yesterday’s local paper weighed a ton. The poor old newsagent who lobs them into our front yard daily must be suffering a bad case of RSI.

They’re heavy because of the weight of propaganda they carry.

 It must be costing a great deal of money to produce the glossy overkill that’s flooding our newspapers. Big mining is obviously taking a PR pounding given the rise of the Lock the Gate and other movements in this part of the world.

Glossy poster

I’m not personally affiliated with any pro or anti mining movements, but I travel and work extensively in the areas affected, and I’ve seen so far, nothing but distress and damage caused by this exploitation.

Nor have I met anyone whose son or daughter has been employed in the industry. Those employed don’t come from around here. They’re mostly what the locals call blowflies, who fly in and out and have no stake, emotional or financial, in the communities in which the exploration and extraction is happening.

As my father used to say - "In front of the Almighty Dollar every knee shall bend". The combination of quick profits to the miners and royalties to cash-strapped state governments is irresistible. The locals are forgotten in the stampede. 

It’s going to take a lot more than an expensive publicity campaign to get these people onside.

They're bringing out the violins

The violin player on the cover is somehow appropriate.