OT: Current Affairs and Politics

[Bandwagon]

Agree with both of those statements. I was sensing a bit of anti-mining sentiment so my comment was a broader one.

Don't know enough about the project to assess impacts so maybe it was appropriate to ban it on environmental grounds.

But as we continue to decarbonise, mining will play a key role due to the increased demand for 'new economy minerals'. The Serbian mine would have produced enough lithium to power 1 million electric vehicles.

I'm not sure people have gotten their heads around that yet.

I just wonder why Serbia, it's not like we don't have plentiful reserves of the shit here, maybe it was easier to access, or maybe the royalties deal was sweeter. But there's not a lot of sovereign risk for a project like that here.

 

[Gary Gutful]

I just wonder why Serbia, it's not like we don't have plentiful reserves of the shit here, maybe it was easier to access, or maybe the royalties deal was sweeter. But there's not a lot of sovereign risk for a project like that here.

Yeah, access, royalties, government approvals all must have looked fairly good which presented a strong business case.

They would have done a fair amount of due diligence on the social side as well and obviously didn't predict that the Government would go from welcoming them to knifing them.

Always a risk investing outside of established locations and I suspect there will be a few merkins in Rio having to do some explaining at the moment.

 

[hindy111]

Yeah, access, royalties, government approvals all must have looked fairly good which presented a strong business case.

They would have done a fair amount of due diligence on the social side as well and obviously didn't predict that the Government would go from welcoming them to knifing them.

Always a risk investing outside of established locations and I suspect there will be a few merkins in Rio having to do some explaining at the moment.

You took the words right out of my mouth

 

[Bandwagon]

Yeah, access, royalties, government approvals all must have looked fairly good which presented a strong business case.

They would have done a fair amount of due diligence on the social side as well and obviously didn't predict that the Government would go from welcoming them to knifing them.

Always a risk investing outside of established locations and I suspect there will be a few merkins in Rio having to do some explaining at the moment.

I think it's a shame merkins forget or ignore the value that a country such as ours provides outside of simple calculations of ROI.

 

[Gary Gutful]

I think it's a shame merkins forget or ignore the value that a country such as ours provides outside of simple calculations of ROI.

Its not like Rio doesn't invest heavily in Australia FFS.

They normally bank on understanding the social and political risks fairly well and are generally quite risk averse. I guess they thought it could work and were buoyed by being able to get a big project up in Mongolia a few years back.

 

[Gronk]

Australia is ranked third behind Chile and China in rare earth lithium reserves. Australia and Chile are the world’s biggest producers of lithium, in that order.

Why $erbia then ? It mu$t be ea$ier to unlock project$ over there.

Lithium

Lithium

www.ga.gov.au

Chile Writes a New Constitution, Confronting Climate Change Head On (Published 2021)

Chile has lots of lithium, which is essential to the world’s transition to green energy. But anger over powerful mining interests, a water crisis and inequality has driven Chile to rethink how it defines itself.

www.nytimes.com

Why did Serbia revoke the mining license? Same reason why Australia didn’t sit down with Djokovic and nut out a compromise?

Serbia in 2022: Elections and Eco Anger Challenge Vucic’s Grip

Serbian president may face an unusually tough year as a fragmented opposition consolidates itself and environmental protests continue.

balkaninsight.com

 

[Bandwagon]

Its not like Rio doesn't invest heavily in Australia FFS.

They normally bank on understanding the social and political risks fairly well and are generally quite risk averse. I guess they thought it could work and were buoyed by being able to get a big project up in Mongolia a few years back.

I wasn't claiming they didn't, the comment was more in general than directed at them specifically.

 

[Gary Gutful]

The powerful green lobbyists strike again.

 

[Bandwagon]

The powerful green lobbyists strike again.

It's amazeballs how influential three hippies chained to a tree can be, clearly paying lobbyists to push your agenda and influence is an exercise in futility.

 

[Gary Gutful]

It's amazeballs how influential three hippies chained to a tree can be, clearly paying lobbyists to push your agenda and influence is an exercise in futility.

That’s an outdated view of highly funded, well resourced anti-development powerhouses.

 

[Gronk]

Breaking: We’re on our own with China now, says Murdoch agenda shapeshifter.

 

[Twizzle]

hope she stays there for good

 

[Angry_eel]

Any one feel like WA is heading for a Wexit? It seems to me like it's crossed the back of the mind of most WALIANS in the last year.

 

[Noise]

Any one feel like WA is heading for a Wexit?

No chance.

 

[Gronk]

Any one feel like WA is heading for a Wexit? It seems to me like it's crossed the back of the mind of most WALIANS in the last year.

We’ll send our new subs and tanks at ‘em.

 

[Gronk]

 

[King-Gutho94]

Any one feel like WA is heading for a Wexit? It seems to me like it's crossed the back of the mind of most WALIANS in the last year.

Well i thought all this time that QLD were the only special ones in this country.

But fair dinkum they have stockholm syndrome over in perth when it comes to covid and what emperor McGowan is telling them.

 

[crocodile]

@strider we are getting tanks

Amanda Vanstone is making a comeback.

 

[84 Baby]

Breaking: We’re on our own with China now, says Murdoch agenda shapeshifter.

View attachment 57515

My friends in US & UK have all said they’ve been a bit surprised when they heard our Covid responses but generally it was non factor to them. They were off put by the whole Novak saga but.
But if China moves anywhere Pacificward, US will be all over that, and aside from any potential overt actions, we’ve been on our own with China for a long time now. We have stronger alliances in this regard with Japan and India.

 

[84 Baby]

Also I believe I called the Evergrande collapse as the impetus to these rumblings (and you all laughed at me).
IMO we are at a stage now where individual opinions of specific people will dictate global actions.