Tech oligarchs have become uber-wealthy in the internet era as platform technology enables seamless reach into global audiences to reap rich returns.

Yet financial success depends on a number of factors, only one of which is personal smarts. Others are: timing, luck, other people’s ideas purloined and prior technical platforms. Questionable origins shadow Microsoft and Facebook as well as acquisitions. Legal challenge against tech giants appears insurmountable, as the innovator of what has become Google maps discovered.

Under prevailing values attainment of uber-wealth, by bequest or smarts, elevates a person to an elite level of prestige that is a multiplier of admiration and opportunity, where sins tend to be ignored or forgiven; few criticise. Favourable narrative prevails. Differing earns cancelling, ghosting, loss of job, reputation and personal threats. Just ask Trump.

Sanctimony of the moneyed  

With their income and assets often exceeding the GDP of many countries, oligarchs begin to wonder what to do with wealth they cannot possibly spend on themselves. More money and power attracts, especially when clothed in the virtue signalled by addressing climate change, “the great moral challenge of our times”.

Promoting and investing in “solutions” to climate change allows them to preen to the global elite at Davos World Economic Forum and at Glasgow COP 26 just how much good they are doing and how virtuous they are. Never mind that 400 private jets line the tarmac at the same time our energy bills increase at an accelerating rate to service their indulgence.

How often have we been told that the science of climate change is “settled”; yet any scientist of worth knows that the very basis of science is challenge to hypothesis, leading to deeper knowledge and greater innovation.

Science is never settled; only the acceptable political narrative is settled, as we found out about COVID as the lies, betrayals and cruelty become exposed.

Climate catastrophe is no different. Many wealthy people were sucked into the advertised Teal election narrative of real action on climate change by what leading journalist Janet Albrectson called posh thickos. For them an increase in the energy bill is of little consequence. Even Simon Holmes `a Court  investment of $200 million in the Teal campaign is small bikkies for a return in political power and revenue from the $20 billion gravy train of subsidies and incentives in renewables. As Queensland Senator Gerrard Rennick said, “I keep following the science and all I find is money”.

As a reality check:

• The climate is always changing; whether humans are responsible for the minuscule levels of CO2 remains debatable. Even whether CO2 is responsible for climate change is debatable.
• Climate change has become a cultish marketing ploy to marshal global control, sanctimony and money. Fear has driven evolution from greenhouse gas, to global warming, accelerating to climate change/crisis/catastrophe.
• Renewables are only possible with despised mining, manufacture and transport and huge taxpayer subsidies: one windmill needs 300 tons concrete, 220 tons steel, lithium, cobalt and oil.
• Lifespan of renewables is between 10-20 years despoiling landscape and ecology. No satisfactory disposal methods have yet been developed.
• $billions in taxpayer subsidies for “renewables” expands as calls for further subsidies for transmission to the grid. Next will be subsidies for demolition and disposal.
• South Australia, Europe, Great Britain and California are living examples that renewables are unreliable. Base load power (from coal, gas or nuclear) is essential for a 1^st world economy to keep the lights on, affordable and making stuff.
• Renewables are supposed to produce cheaper energy, yet have resulted in rapidly accelerating price rises on top of the double whammy of taxpayer subsidies. Paying twice for unreliable, expensive energy is not only foolish, but also a security risk.

Green Murder

Professor Ian Plimer, geologist, earth scientist and prolific author, has published a new book, Green Murder: a life sentence without parole. A blurb for the book explains the futility of pursuit of Net Zero:

It has never been shown that human emissions of the gas of life drive global warming. Large bodies of science that don’t fit the narrative have been ignored by IPCC, COP and self-interested scientists paid by taxpayers. A huge subsidised industry of intermittent unreliable wind and solar electricity has been created based on unsubstantiated science. The same hucksters now want subsidised hydrogen, costly inefficient EVs, subsidised mega-batteries and other horribly expensive tried and failed schemes to impoverish people, create unemployment, transfer wealth and enrich China. Germany, Texas, California and the UK had a glimpse of Net Zero with blackouts, astronomically high electricity costs and hundreds of deaths. We once had reliable cheap electricity and now that governments have gone green, we are heading for hard economic times.

In this book I charge the greens with murder. They murder humans who are kept in eternal poverty without coal-fired electricity. They support slavery and early deaths of black child miners. They murder forests and their wildlife by clear felling for mining and wind turbines. They murder forests and wildlife with their bushfire policies. They murder economies producing unemployment, hopelessness, collapse of communities, disrupted social cohesion and suicide.

They murder free speech and freedoms and their takeover of the education system has ended up in the murdering of the intellectual and economic future of young people. They terrify children into mental illness with their apocalyptic death cult lies and exaggerations. They try to divide a nation. They are hypocrites and such angry ignorant people should never touch other people’s money. (or children, I would add).

The greens are guilty of murder. The sentence is life with no parole in a cave in the bush enjoying the benefits of Net Zero.

Sanctimony at our cost

People wanting to do the right thing sign up to support candidates touting they will save the world by buying into the climate catastrophe cult. Doubled energy bills for unreliable supply soon bring a reality check that the workers and poor cannot afford such a ridiculous frolic, while the sanctimonious wealthy bask in comfort, virtue and money.

Energy security is paramount to sovereign security, yet self-interest (money, virtue and political power) prevails:

• Mike Cannon-Brookes (Atlassian billionaire) bidding on AGL to hasten closing coal fired power generators, opening up vast solar farms and putting up the price of energy
• Simon Holmes a Court funding the Teals to swing the election against sensible energy policies
• Joe Biden shutting down the Keystone pipeline, leases, oil and gas and production that enabled the USA to be a self-sufficient net exporter; now begging rogue states for production – all move the population forcibly to “green energy”, while gas and food prices double.
• Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook tipping $400million into vote harvesting to ensure his preferred candidate, Biden, got over the line, so he can feel good about saving the planet.
• Bill Gates posturing at WEF Davos on control of global populations by unelected bureaucrats with surveillance algorithms under the proposed WHO pandemic control push
• Jack Dorsey of Twitter, who cancelled the President of the USA and manipulated algorithms to influence an election, yet kept the Mullahs of Iran on his platform. A takeover bid by Elon Musk sent staff and the Twitterati into conniptions
• Twiggy Forrest who has done a lot of good with his billions, gets carried away on “green hydrogen” requiring even more taxpayer subsidies to bring to realisation.

Good on these philanthro-capitalists who have made a fortune providing goods, service and employment. Globally they are recognised and richly rewarded. However, they have only one vote, same as us. Our knowledge and opinions, especially when well informed, are every bit as valuable as theirs.

Best if they stuck to their lane, listening more than pontificating, recognising the wisdom and rights of others. They are neither elected nor accountable.

Free and open debate is a better solution than cancelling, gaslighting and dismissing “deplorables”. Money breeds sanctimony rather than good sense.