There has undoubtedly been a shift in the corporate makeup of the world over the last 50 years or so. As the big have got bigger they have not only launched takeovers of smaller companies, they have also taken shares in each other as an act of mutual protection.

These fewer and fewer corporations are wielding more and more influence. They are affecting not only global commercial environments, they are affecting the global political environment and the social and natural environments as well.

Governments around the world have enthusiastically welcomed and embraced this expansion under the catchy names of globalisation and free trade. As citizens, little did we realise that along with handing our economies over to these corporations we would also be handing over our political systems. That, along with the globalisation of the world trade economy, has also included globalisation of the world political systems.

We are used to the fact that corporate high flyers can organise a meeting with a politician who is unavailable under any circumstances to an ordinary member of the public. We see corporations writing legislation, lobbyists swaying political decisions and policy. We see corporations replacing a nation’s military in international engagements. We see corporate executives behind the seat of power in virtually every economy of the world.

We are witnessing the process of having the assets of the nations of the world, along with their political processes, being transferred directly to corporations. It is for most members of the public an opaque and hidden process. Most are unaware that it has happened. Not happening – happened.

These companies have been the beneficiary of governments who have handed over their countries in the name of economic efficiency. Under the banner of foreign investment is good. In turn, there has been a demonstrable revolving door of politicians retiring into these corporations, almost, we may cynically suggest, as if it is a pay off for a job well done in selling out to them.

As this has happened, populations have become less and less a part of the heritage of their country, lessand less can they be seen as stakeholders. Their relationship with the national infrastructure constructed by their forefathers and paid for by their generationally accumulated taxes has quite literally disappeared in front of their eyes. It is not theirs any more. It now all belongs to a small group of companies.

What is surprising in this transfer of national assets is that it is often done without the permission of the population and at times even without their knowledge. Their political classes have now become more accountable to their corporate masters than to their own constituents.

The result of this is that populations around the world have, despite still being able to vote, lost control of their country, lost control of their political processes and lost any meaningful influence on what their politicians actually do. Politicians make decisions regardless of representations made to them by voters. We are seeing that it does not matter which party is voted in.

There has been a steady displacement of the relevance of the public to the political process. Corporations, acting through and upon governments, are increasingly the policy and functional power behind the scenes.

Asset sales, Public Private Partnerships, corporatisation of government departments, private ownership of public utilities, private ownership of natural resources. All enrich corporations and disadvantage populations. This transfer of wealth and ownership is certainly bad enough. However, the real issue is that transfer of power.

This power is filtering up to fewer and fewer corporations. Political power that was once held and used in good faith for the benefit of the people is now used amorally for the profit of the corporation.

This is a change, a virtual reversal in the order of things, where traditionally governments have had a regulatory role over corporations and companies. This is a real and systemic change to the order of the way the world has functioned in the past, a fundamental change to the ‘old world order’. This shift to corporate management of the political system is, in any real meaning of the term, a ‘new world order’ unfolding in front of all of us.

Set adrift from our direct ownership of our countries’ assets and infrastructure, the ownership of our heritage, and the ability to effect our political system and our politicians, we are no longer meaningful stakeholders in our own countries.

Increasingly our votes represent no choice in the real type of society we wish to form through our combined efforts. Increasingly our governments block us from knowledge of their decision making processes. Increasingly, they act in secret, serving other masters and we are not allowed to see. We are not in that tent. We have no say in those processes. We are not welcome in the halls and rooms of parliament of our own country.

There is no doubt that much of what has happened is absolutely illegal and corrupt. Many of the deals done have been fundamentally illegal and therefore invalid. As a nation we need to rescind these illegal transactions.

Corporations simply do not care, do not have the social humanity free from a profit motive that is required and expected of a representative government. Governments need to act in the best interests of populations, not profits. Countries represent the complex weave of a social system, not the simplistic layout of a balance sheet. The new order simply does not care about you, your social groups or your heritage.

We are finding on a daily basis that the good faith we have placed in our politicians is poorly placed and cynically misused. At the very least we need a federal Independent Commission Against Crime to start investigating these crooked deals so we can repeal the bulk of them and get the management and assets of the country back into the hands of the people of the country.

Wadayathinkothis ?

“The lakes provide significant tourism and recreation benefits to far-west NSW and are of high environmental and cultural value. Part of the lakes scheme is located within Kinchega National Park, and support more diversity of bird life than Kakadu.”

Quote from a WaterNSW Report re the Menindee Lakes

Given the poor current state of the Darling River and Menindee Lakes Systems, we thought it might be time to apply the Wadayathinkothis Template and see if we can gain further insight into this environmental, cultural and economic disaster

The template asks a few simple questions;

What was meant to happen?

The Menindee Lakes and Darling River were meant to be protected and managed under the environmental stewardship of the Murray Darling Basin Plan. Communities and economies were also not to be adversely affected by this management.

What didn’t happen?

Looking at the evidence, it’s clear that the Menindee Lakes and Darling River and their associated environments have not been protected. Communities, farmers and local economies have also not been considered.

What did happen?

An entire ecosystem has been destroyed. Millions of fish have died, the Darling river and many of it’s tributaries have run dry, The Menindee Lakes have been drained, down river farmers have been starved of irrigation water, migratory birds have died.

As if all of the above wasn’t bad enough, vast amounts of evaporation were ignorantly taken out of the natural rain cycle, with no regard for the effect this might have on the natural environment across NSW. All the while, large scale unregulated, unmetered floodplain harvesting has been allowed to continue in the northern basin.

There is also the unwanted half a billion pipeline pipeline that has been forced on the community of Broken Hill.

The people in charge of this scheme are smart and capable

What has happened is exactly what was meant to happen

As the result of a process being guided and implemented by smart and capable people, if what happened has been exactly what was meant to happen, then what happened was the real aim of the process.

The real aim

The real aim was to establish a Wentworth to Broken Hill Pipeline and to enable further mining and corporate farming interests.

Wadayathinkothis ?

Like many people, local identity Mr. Craig Williams has worked hard all his life. He had finally reached the stage where he could take the big step and build his own house.
Unfortunately, also like many people, that dream slowly turned into a nightmare as he fought unscrupulous builders and a standards and legal system that seems designed to protect the guilty.

With budget always being a concern, Mr Williams embarked on the journey of finding a builder who could deliver as close to his dream house as possible for the budget he had. After deciding on a builder he quickly found himself drawn into the web of poor workmanship and lack of care that awaits too many people of good faith. Mr Williams has found that many people believe that if a builder is registered and has a prominent profile in the industry, then they must be honest and trustworthy. That they must work with integrity. Mr Williams’ message, learnt the hard way, is that this is not always the case.

Mr Williams found that not only can the trusting and unsuspecting buyer fall into the grip of shoddy workmanship, he also discovered that the Australian Standards for building are in fact not actually law, and although certain standards may be referenced in your building contract, it can often become a legal nightmare costing many thousands of dollars to hold builders to account for poor workmanship. So what we might validly think is something there to protect us has very little effect on some builders within the industry.

Luckily, Mr Williams’ father operated an earth moving business for 40 years, consequently he had also spent the best part of his own life gaining valuable hands on experience in earth moving, and in and around bush building projects. this meant he was able to detect basic flaws in his site’s preparation and intervene early in the process, Unfortunately several of his neighbours were not so fortunate.

Mr Williams has worked out some tips to share with people considering building their own home.

First is, wherever possible, insist on the use of local professionals. When it comes to soil testing and site classification, site preparation and foundation preparation, use a local independent professional surveyor or geo-technical expert, along with independent earth moving contractors. While it may cost a bit more, it provides a layer of protection at a crucial time of the build. If the builder does not agree to this, walk away. Mr Williams has found a number of locals are living with large cracks in the walls and slabs of their new homes, simply because of sub standard and lazy site preparation.

The second point Mr Williams has discovered is that a clumsy and time wasting sales process is an early warning of a bad attitude on the part of the company and is often the introduction to a bad building experience. Unfortunately the industry is set up so that usually a deposit is already in the hands of the builder before this discovery is made. Have as many conversations as possible about your particular requirements and the costs involved before you sign anything or hand over a deposit.

The third thing Mr Williams has discovered is that it is likely the best option to use a local builder. They are usually less bound by corporate design and supply constrictions and they realise they will be bumping into you in the street for the next 20 years. Big companies from interstate or another region do not have a personal stake in building a solid, lasting construction for you.
This local build option may seem more expensive at the first quote. However, as the hidden costs of ‘extras’ and the lifelong cost of poor workmanship from some of the bigger builders become apparent, the small private builder makes more and more sense.

Last and by no means least Mr Williams highly recommends the use of local council certification instead of private certification. (Project home builders often recommend the use of their own affiliated private certifier).

Mr. Williams is happy to talk about his experiences in his efforts to help other people not go through the worry, stress and expense he has had to endure on the path to his dream home. To make contact with Mr Williams, please see this sites contact page and he will be happy to answer any queries.

Wadayathinkothis ?