May292017
The Defence Minister Shri Arun Jaitley today inaugurated the newly built Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) at Chitradurga in Karnataka. Addressing a gathering of eminent scientists and other defence personnel on the occasion, the Defence Minister said facilities such as the ATR will help in creating conditions for research, which will in turn develop the type of human resource in the country required in the field of aeronautical testing.
May292017
I was asked to explain why I do not favour nationalising the railways, the Post Office, the water industry and the energy utilities yesterday on the radio.It was a trip down Memory Lane to the arguments of the last century, when Labour made the case for continued or more nationalisation despite all the evidence of the damage their policies did.
Nationalisation was the best way to lose more employees their jobs, to charge customers more, and to sting the taxpayer to pay the losses. The coal industry lost most of its workers when nationalised. The workforce of 704,000 of the newly nationalised industry in the late 1940s had fallen to as few as 235,000 by the time of the election of the Margaret Thatcher government. Despite all the closures of mines and sackings, the losses mounted to be paid by taxpayers.
The railways under public ownership experienced continuous decline. In 1950 they employed 606,000 staff and had 19,471 miles of operating track. By 1976 then under a Labour government staff numbers had more than halved to 244,000 and route miles had fallen to 11,189. The market share of the railways halved, and the number of stations fell by two thirds. The nationalised steel industry too, under Labour and Conservative governments, spent most of its time discussing how to curb the losses by cutting back on capacity and jobs.
Labour say they wish to renationalise the railways. The truth is the main cost and the main assets of the railway are already nationalised. The tracks, signals and stations are owned by Network Rail, itself wholly owned by taxpayers and financed by the Treasury. Many of the delays which affect rail services are the result of signalling failures or other Network Rail caused events. It is Network Rail’s job to expand capacity by improving signalling so more trains per hour can run on the railway.
I was asked why we did not buy shares in water companies whilst keeping in place current private sector management so we participate in the profits. I replied that we have other more important priorities for public sending. In the past government ownership of industries has not brought dividends and profits overall, but losses and the need for more subsidised capital.
The main way to improve service quality and bring down prices of utilities is to increase competition. That is what we need to do in some cases, as there is clearly room for improvement. What we do not want to do is to go back to a world where customers, employees and taxpayers all get a bad deal, which was the typical experience of our nationalised industries.
Labour’s big nationalisation programme has not been costed and is unaffordable. From past experience it would lead to worse service and huge bills for taxpayers.
Published and promoted by Fraser Mc Farland on behalf of John Redwood, both at 30 Rose Street Wokingham RG40 1XU
May292017
PRIME MINISTER:
Yanggu gulanyin ngalawiri, dhunayi, Ngunnawal dhawra. Wanggarralijinyin mariny bulan bugarabang.
We are on the lands of the Ngunnawal people and we acknowledge that and we acknowledge their elders past and present.
I want to thank Aunty Matilda for that characteristic Welcome to Country, and the presence of little Evie.
It says a lot you know – come here Ken, I’m going to give this old guy a hug and then we will be crying into our teacups – look, it says a lot about us Australians that we can celebrate such a wonderful, historic occasion as this. Celebrate this unveiling of this portrait and do so with good humour, with love, with affection, with no rancour. Aunty Matilda who, as she said, had an appointment she had to head off and with her red coat and her wit, she set us all on the right track.
So Ken, thank you so much for everything that you do. Mary, thank you for painting this portrait. Thank you for revealing what we all know, that Anna lights Ken up. You were there, you were there. Was he being a bit stiff and shy? Then Anna came closer and that spark, that got him going. Fantastic.
Ken, you have followed 39 years after Neville Bonner. I should say that Neville Bonner’s great-niece Jo Lindgren sends her love to you and to Anna and to everyone here today; another Aboriginal Australian who was a member of the Senate until recently.
But Ken was the first Aboriginal man to be elected to the House of Representatives and as Bill said, over 1000 Australians have been elected before him. Too many. But now he’s joined by Linda Burney, the first woman and, of course, following in Neville’s footsteps in the Senate we’ve had many others; Aden Ridgeway you mentioned, Nova Peris – who of course is here and I will have more to say about her in a moment – Jo Lindgren and of course now Malarndirri McCarthy, Pat Dodson and Jacqui Lambie.
But Ken, you are also the first Aboriginal Australian to be a member of an Australian government. Again, that is long overdue. But it is one of the steps that our Government has taken, my Government has taken, to advance the voice of Aboriginal Australians, First Australians, in our Parliament, in our nation’s affairs.
You bring with it an extraordinary personal quality. Ken has, the New Zealanders would call – it’s a Maori word, it’s almost untranslatable – they would call it ‘mana’. Ken has a presence, a life-force, a calm, an aura. I’m not getting new-age here Ken don’t worry. But you have got a presence and a calm and a wisdom that all of us are inspired by. Even our political opponents, as you can see.
So it is wonderful to be here with you; I want to thank you very much for your service. You have advanced that cause of reconciliation so much, simply by your advocacy, your presence, the love that you show. The way that you represent the people of Hasluck, the people of Australia that you represent too. You embody here, Buka and all, the oldest continuous human culture on our planet.
So I want, before we go to announce, to unveil the portrait, I want to make another announcement. That is, that we are commissioning two additional portraits. Firstly, one of former Senator Nova Peris, who was the first Indigenous woman to serve in the Senate. Also the Honourable Linda Burney, the first Indigenous woman to serve in the House of Representatives. Ladies and gentlemen, they will join Ken and Neville Bonner. That demonstrates the continuity of that historical collection that the Presiding Officer spoke of.
So congratulations, Mary, on your painting. It’s a hard task portrait painting, capturing that mana. But you have done that and so Ken, I think it is up to us now to unveil you, if not to hang you.
That will be done by the Parliamentary staff of whom you have spoken so warmly, but I’ll hang you with affection.
[ENDS]
May292017
Areas along the Yangtze, China’s longest river, will soon be hit by the first round of heavy rainfall this flood season, authorities said.
According to a report published by the Yangtze flood control and drought relief headquarters Saturday night, the southern bank of the main stream of the river will receive moderate to heavy downpours and rainstorms, from May 30 to June 1.
The rain will mainly affect areas around the Wujiang River — the longest tributary on the southern bank of the upper reaches of Yangtze, and the Poyang and the Dongting — two large lakes on the southern bank of the middle reaches of Yangtze.
On May 30, Wujiang will see moderate to heavy rain. On May 31, Wujiang and the two lakes will see moderate to heavy rainfall or rainstorms. On June 1, the lakes will see heavy rainfall or severe rainstorms.
The headquarters asked the areas to strengthen flood control efforts, prevent disasters such as mountain torrents and landslides, and relocate affected people in a timely manner.
May292017
Hong Kong should uphold its executive-led political system with the chief executive at its core, as set out in the Basic Law, the nation’s top legislator said on Saturday.
Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, said that the development and improvement of the Hong Kong special administrative region’s political system must also be compatible with this basic principle.
Zhang also stressed that the Hong Kong team of public officers formed in accordance with the Basic Law must be composed of patriots who respect the Chinese nation, wholeheartedly support the motherland’s resumption of exercise of its sovereignty over Hong Kong and will not do things that undermine Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.
Zhang made the remarks at a high-ranking symposium in Beijing commemorating the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
He said Hong Kong must adhere to the comprehensive and precise implementation of the Basic Law－the city’s constitutional document that has proved a success since 1997 and has provided a fundamental guarantee for the “one country, two systems” principle to maintain Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability.
Enacted in accordance with China’s Constitution, the Basic Law specifies the guidelines of “one country, two systems” and “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy”.
The power exercised by the special administrative region is “delegated by” but “not separated from” the central government, and under no circumstances should anyone be allowed to challenge the power of the central government in the name of a high degree of autonomy, Zhang added.
He called on Hong Kong to rigorously perform its constitutional duty of safeguarding national security through legislation prescribed in the Basic Law, and stop any behaviors or activities that undermine national unity.
The central government has committed itself to upholding the “one country, two systems” policy and the Basic Law, actively supported development in all fields in Hong Kong and faithfully protected the lawful rights and interests of Hong Kong people, Zhang said.
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who also attended the symposium, said the “one country, two systems” policy and the Basic Law are “the best constitutional arrangements” for both Hong Kong and the country.
With the combined advantages of “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong can participate in the country’s major development strategies while serving as a “super-connector” between the mainland and the rest of the world, Leung said.
Chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong Starry Lee Wai-king urged those from the opposition camp to see the interaction between Hong Kong and the mainland from the positive light of serving the city’s, as well as the country’s, long-term development interests.
Vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies Lau Siu-kai believed that people’s opinions may vary because of different political affiliations, but loving the country and the city should be the basic consensus among Hong Kong people.