Method to purchasing madness
AFTER purchasing Bellamy's in Tasmania at a cut-down price, the Chinese now have the opportunity to buy a couple of abattoirs.
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On first hearing of the threat to cut beef imports because of Australia's supposed slight by having the temerity to request an inquiry into the origin of coronavirus, I thought it was a bit of a paranoid over-reaction. However, it seems as though there is a method in their madness.
They also might have a few vineyards in their sights. They already have a number (if we could be allowed to know how many) of top agricultural properties.
It's time we stopped bowing and scraping to both China and the so-called great US - a country that looks as though they will not be able to get back on track for themselves let alone support others.
As a middle power in the world, Australia is a country of enormous diverse talent but overall has become lazy and soft, voting for mediocre politicians with no long term vision. It has been too easy to put all our eggs in one basket and bask in the wealth of selling raw natural resources, and how much of this wealth trickles down simply so we can enjoy the low-cost material goodies that come from cheap labour offshore.
Meanwhile, China has also benefited economically from selling all this stuff.
If we would be willing to pay a little more for our own goods we could support our own manufacturers for superior quality as well as provide a vast number of jobs.
Bond's underwear has never been the same quality as the Australian made.
It is ironic that in the early 70s we stupidly followed America into the Vietnam war (from which American companies made a fortune) to 'fight communism'.
We were warned of the dire consequences of the domino effect. Yet now we are blindly trusting another even more dictatorial and dangerous communist country.
But as a middle power, we can also join with others of the same ilk and not be intimidated by bully boy techniques.
Otherwise, we might as well buckle under and start learning Mandarin.
Frank Giles, St Marys.
Thank you to Deloraine hospital
I SUFFERED a very bad fall the week before last and my wife called out the ambulance. I was stretched into the LGH where I had X-rays and scans to make sure that nothing was broken.
I was then transferred to the Deloraine District Hospital, by ambulance and stayed there for a week. The treatment and care I received were first class. I was impressed and grateful. What would we do without all these wonderful people? In the midst of this terrible epidemic, they don't flinch.
John Dawkins, Deloraine.
Elderly neighbours for sale
SHANE Jacobson makes me smile with the advertisement about IGA stores.
"Check on the elderly and only buy what you need". Are we really for sale? How much would one pay for one of us? A serious subject really, but we all need a smile.
Lucy Stevens, Deviot.
The importance of heritage
THANK you, Jiri Lev, for your excellent letter (The Examiner, May 14) giving credibility to the importance of retaining our heritage.
Many visitors say they come here to see our low rise heritage city, explore the beauty of the Cataract Gorge.
Launceston is the third oldest city in Australia. Unfortunately, the river's edge is reclaimed swampland that makes the surrounding ground unstable for huge multi-story buildings. During the 1960s and 70s, many beautiful heritage buildings were demolished to make way for higher, contemporary buildings, like Telstra, that people found offensive. The sudden disappearance of the Mechanics Institute/library, diagonally opposite the Town Clock caused public outcry who demanded the preservation of our history and heritage, as well as restrictions placed on new building heights.
We are not trying to stand in the way of progress, but some of us feel that our need to protect our heritage falls on deaf ears.
Foreign investors, with no attachment to our harsh history, see financial investments that do not support the uniqueness of our city. If this 40-plus metre high hotel goes ahead in its current form, it will set a precedent for other out of place high-rise development to dominate our skyline.
Ms Veronica Redburn, Riverside.
'Don't be bullied by a minority'
THE anti-development league are back opposing the proposed Fragrance Hotel as expected. Maybe I am wrong but I expect I am in the silent majority are shaking their heads thinking 'what now?'
These groups seem to think they are doing us a great service by opposing virtually all development. Look at the great job they did maintaining the CH Smith eyesore for decades. There seems to be a hysterical fear of anything that is above four-storeys high.
The letter to the editor (The Examiner, May 14) had the proposed development of 12 storeys likened laughably to a Shanghai shopping mall. I find the design interesting and appropriate given the huge constraints the architects have on them in the need to maintain the existing buildings.
Does anyone think a 12-storey building is going to destroy the Launceston skyline? I think it would add to it and take some of the vision away from the existing non-architectural red brick masterpieces built in the 60/70s. Launceston is screaming out for a large hotel in the CBD, one that can cater to large conventions. Northern Tasmania is missing out by not having this capacity. My hope is the council and any other statutory body involved has the courage not to be bullied by a noisy minority.