On that winter morning in June 2014 I wrote that the sun did not come out at all.
Now in January 2020 in the midst of the Australian summer I am reminded that we have recently had hardly any sun. Always a hazy sky, sometimes a little bit of rain, sometimes smoke from some bushfires that are surrounding us from a long distance away. Yes, blue sky with a bit of sunshine is very rare these days!

Please, have a look at this Green New Deal:

https://berniesanders.com/en/issues/green-new-deal/

This is what it says at the end of this article: “We need socialism – and the fight for it is the great challenge of our generation. At stake is nothing less than the world itself.”

“So the big corporations should be ‘trustees of society’ and the main force in solving “today’s social and environmental challenges”. We need to replace ‘shareholder capitalism’ which is the dominant model right now. That’s because “the single-minded focus on profits caused shareholder capitalism to become increasingly disconnected from the real economy. Many realize this form of capitalism is no longer sustainable.” Also there is a popular reaction to the failure of ‘shareholder capitalism’ to deal with rising inequality of income and wealth, climate change and environmental disasters and the impact of new technology. Stakeholder capitalism instead, according to Schwab, can “bring the world closer to achieving shared goals”.

I copy now all the comments to this post that

were made in 2013:

1. berlioz1935February 12, 2015 at 1:24 pm EditIt is easy for people to lose sight of the “big” picture. They are mostly concerned with their “own little” world. Perhaps it is human nature and we need leaders who can explain it all to us. But the leaders are not always “fair dinkum” as we say here in Australia. They have their own agenda and it takes a while before we noticed we have been had.Reply
   1. auntyutaFebruary 12, 2015 at 4:20 pm EditI think, Berlioz, that elected leaders, once they are in government, do not go very much by what the people want, who elected them. They can always lead the majority of voters astray, again and again.Reply
      1. berlioz1935February 12, 2015 at 4:30 pm EditToday at the parliamentary question time, I heard the PM saying Labor was stopping the City Link tunnel project in Melbourne. It was outrageously misleading if not even a lie. Because this particular project was rejected by the people of Victoria at the recent state election.
      2. auntyutaFebruary 12, 2015 at 4:51 pm EditIn that case the people won. The project was stopped because the people did not like it. Naturally, the PM would not have liked it, that Labor promised the people to stop the project. It got them elected at Victorians State elections, and they kept their promise. For sure, the PM hates it even more, that Labor stuck to their promise!
2. cardamone5February 12, 2015 at 2:03 pm EditYou are very wise, Aunty Uta. Having been in Germany during World War II, you should be advising leaders in how to avoid war or any strife. I feel a blog post coming for you…can’t wait to read it.What you say about Australians wanting to keep taxes low but expecting government to cover infrastructure, etc, is true in America as well. Also true about it impacting low income households the most. Here in America the top 1% income bracket runs the government because they need to be wealthy to afford to run campaigns. We elect them, but their fear related platforms make voters lose their heads temporarily under the delusion that if they don’t get their vote their rights will be infringed on. Of course this is my opinion.Thank you for this thoughtful post, and the lovely pic.Love,
   EReply
   1. auntyutaFebruary 12, 2015 at 4:12 pm EditDear E, what you say about voters’ sentiments sounds absolutely right to me. Berlioz says that it is easy for people to lose sight of the “big” picture. They are mostly concerned with their “own little” world.
      Advising leaders? For that, leaders have to be open to advice. Chancellor Merkel for instance says in the Ukraine Crisis a military solution is not possible. It remains to be seen whether what she says is going to be taken seriously.
      There are well known academics in US who have done research on the East European situation. They can explain to you why it is not wise to confront Russia. The Ukraine can never defeat Russia. It is not possible, unless you have World War Three! Russia needs Ukraine or at lest part of it, as a buffer zone. The West should not prop up a corrupt Ukrainian government. It is not to the benefit of the common people no matter how much they long to belong to the West. Let them have normal trade relations with the West. That should really be sufficient. They do not need to belong to NATO. This only confronts the Russians. Why are Western leaders so determined to confront Russia? Why are they not willing to listen to the experts?Reply
   2. berlioz1935February 12, 2015 at 4:40 pm EditDear cardamone5, Aunty Uta’s wisdom seems to be backed up by a study of the University of Central Oklahoma which shows that introducing new and more weapons will only prolong and worsen the conflict.http://www.dw.de/study-suggests-arming-ukraine-would-prolong-conflict/a-18249802The OCSE seems to come to the same conclusion and gave that advice to the recent Munich Security Conference.http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/08/arming-ukraine-army-escalate-conflict-ocseReply
      1. auntyutaFebruary 12, 2015 at 4:56 pm EditThank you very much, dear Berlioz, for these very important links! Much appreciated. Thank you.
3. elizabeth2560February 12, 2015 at 7:33 pm EditMy mother lives in a strata complex of nine units. She has been treasurer of her body corporate in a voluntary capacity for many years. With her health issues, she is no longer able to do it and there is no-one else who will take it over. My brother suggested to the other owners they contribute just a little more each moth and pay for a body corporate manager. Well that did not go too well with them at all! You are correct that people do not want to pay just that little bit extra for shared expenses. They feel they are being robbed and cannot see it as improving their own quality of life.Reply
   1. auntyutaFebruary 12, 2015 at 8:28 pm EditOur complex has ten units, Elizabeth, and Peter has been taking on this honorary job right from the start when the units had just been built. That was twenty years ago! We are in a similar kind of situation. Nobody wants to relieve Peter of the job, and nobody wants to pay extra fees for employing someone. Peter is really getting on in age. I don’t know for how much longer he can do it. All the body corporate business is handled by an office in Wollongong who are very good in handling all our requests which Peter has to relate to them.
      Thank you very much for your comment, Elizabeth. Reply
4. The EmuFebruary 14, 2015 at 8:34 pm EditGood to read your comments on such diverse subjects Uta. Nobody really wants to take chances with their money anymore, much like in the bigger picture where various governments control taxpayers money and do not spend it on what the people expect, they tend to spend it on infrastructures that appeal to their electorates, hence ensuring their political aspirations.
   I have never seen Australia go through a worse government phase as we have seen, and seeing still, in over a decade or more now.
   Regards to you both, hot tomorrow, 43 here.Reply
5. auntyutaJanuary 17, 2020 at 10:24 pm EditReblogged this on AuntyUta

I am going to reblog this. I wonder whether any of my followers would like to have another look at it?