Politically green is politically green. Funny that.

The funny thing about the greens is that they never really look where they are going. Being green is more of a lifestyle statement than an intelligent choice of political thinking. If you're thinking of going green, consider therapy, preferably electrical shock therapy. Then if your brain cell is still functioning, consider this:

Australia is a very dry continent. We don’t have much fresh water. So you would think it important to store up as much fresh water as possible. Not according to green philosophy. Instead of building dams and off stream water retention and detention basins for groundwater recharging, because those things damage the environment, it’s better to build expensive de-salinisation plants that require huge amounts of electricity generated from fossil fuels. And generate hyper saline waste that damages the environment.

Then because burning fossil fuels is responsible for climate change, we have to stop doing it. But we can’t replace fossil fuel burning with the obvious alternative, nuclear power, because nuclear power is dangerous. There might be a meltdown. Meltdowns of course are ok if they are not in my backyard, or anywhere where indigenous people live. Which is everywhere. Plus all that nuclear waste. Where would we store it? It might get used for nuclear weapons. Well we could store it down any one of the hundreds of drill holes that were drilled for fossil fuels and turned out to be a dud. But that might be too easy. And we definitely don’t want nuclear weapons.

You see, nuclear weapons are bad. The last time a nuclear weapon got used in a war, it ended that war. That war was World War II. Since then, in the last 65 years, nuclear weapons used in an act of aggression have killed exactly zero people. Because they have been used zero times. Because using nuclear weapons defeats the purpose of war, which generally is to take some one else’s territory and resources.

But never mind that. The nuke is bad. Forget that military assault weapons have killed close on 50 million people in the last 65 years. Forget that the AK47 is the weapon of choice for child soldiers in Africa and this single model of 7.62mm carnage is responsible for about half of those deaths. Assault rifles aren’t nearly as dangerous as nukes. 50 million dead people with guns versus zero killed by nukes. I'm no mathematician or statistician but just two calibres of weapons, 7.62mm and 5.56mm are the only weapons of mass destraction being used on the planet at the moment.

Be green, you’ll live longer. You're conscience will be clear. This is because you only have one brain cell and that was gifted to you by Peter Garret because he doesn't need his - he works for the Labor Party and there is a machine to think for him. This machine is called Kevin Rudd. If you are a poor African staring down the barrel of an AK47 held by a 12 year old you won't care about nukes. Or clean water. You won't live very long either. Ban nukes - they stop wars and starving Africans can't afford them. They must be bad.

Shanghai-ed

You would expect Chinese New Year in Shanghai to be a humdinger riotous celebration with dancing in the streets. It isn’t. Everyone goes home or stays home with family. Sure there was the fire works but my hosts kept me well away from the street because when the fireworks start popping, it’s a dangerous place to be. I was sequestered away in a top floor restaurant with 360 degree panoramic views of the alleged mayhem. The fireworks are all private affairs, the government has no need to waste taxpayer dollars on such events. People die, buildings burn down. Culture survives. You’d think the commies would be the ultimate nanny state. Not so. They are to busy actually thinking big to worry about a few people getting killed doing what they love doing.

Not that you could call China a communist state. It’s more a corporation with a board that can never be sacked and all employees tacitly obedient to non disclosure non compete agreements. Still communism is a good cover – Marx takes the blame and China takes the profit. It works for me. At about one fifth of the rate of an Australian worker.

And while Aussies rabbit on about human rights and freedom of expression, the Chinese are fully aware of the score. One day we say something bad about the Chinese government, or do something bad like Uighurrs have rights too, or like not agree to their iron ore pricing, and we are hammered in the Chinese media as bad people, a bad country. Don't go there. Then Kevin kisses and makes up and we are flavour of the month again. The TV tells the masses to go to Australia and buy up real estate and aged care facilities. This bi-polar disorder of the CCP is in fact noticed by Chinese People. And like Australians, they have better things to do than listen to politicians.

Shanghai was probably not a good place to get a grip on China as a developing country. There’s more skyscrapers per square metre than anywhere in the developed world. So I had to go to a developing, backward, communist country to get on a tilt train that goes 420 km per hour. I have the photo to prove it. And all for the cost of a chocolate milkshake and a round of ham sandwiches. Beat that Top Gear. No steam driven locos there. At least people ignore the traffic lights like all good communists should. Somewhere in China, people must be going without, suffering as only starving, collectivised, peasants do. But not in the big smoke. One of my hosts had been on a “re-education” experience because she was too smart at high school. Smart. And a woman. Double bad. She had to spend 6 years in a dodgy sawmill trying not to lose her fingers. Was she bitter? Not likely. It just makes her more determined to acquire more wealth. We joked that here in the developed world, 90% of paypackets go on taxes and bills and essentials. Why would you want to be a peasant who owns their own land, grows their own food, pays no bills, has little need for money and works ten or 15 hours a week in the field. Hell what type of life is that? Better you be “developed” and spend your life slaving for consumer goods and a better life where you own your own land, grow your food and don’t need money.