Letter to the Editor Tuesday September 9, 2014

Sticking to principles

The editorial in last Tuesday's Age (September 2) supporting the Norwegian oil giant Statoil's proposed deep sea oil exploration off our pristine coast was outrageous and disrespectful.

It was reminiscent of an arrogant colonial power of the 19th Century condescendingly trying to appease unhappy locals with a fait accompli spin.

People power stopped nuclear armed and powered warships coming here. People power will stop oil exploration off our pristine coast. As with stopping nuclear ships, stopping oil exploration might cost us in the short term, but sticking up for one's principles is always the right thing to do and will prove the people to be the winners in the long run - especially with a polluting substance like oil.

Norway has done exceptionally well out of oil (with obvious cost to our planet) and they obviously don't want to stop now. So much so Statoil's monster off-shore drilling rig Transacean Spitsbergen has started drilling in the Arctic ocean near a nature reserve on Bear Island in the pristine Arctic environment.

By Statoil's own estimates a spill from their rig would engulf the reserve within a week - and this in the Arctic!

They are a mercenary outfit caring only for their own commercial interests. Staring at their own future demise they are getting desperate, literally going to the ends of the Earth seeking out more of their soon to be obsolete pollution.

Statoil and this government's spin is total rubbish and represents naked greed at the expense of the people and the environment. They can bugger off.

The editorial should be consigned to take its place with all the other useless rubbish and buried deep.

MARK RICHARDS

Kaitaia