Clive reveals sinister hand of foreign
governments
It’s been a poor couple of weeks for mining magnates.
First, Wayne Swan baited a trap for them in claiming they were exercising a malign influence on public debate through their wealth, and Andrew Forrest walked right into it with full-page press ads decrying the Treasurer and demonstrating his point perfectly.
Then Gina Rinehart lost her attempts to suppress details of her family dispute, which looked like a lot of other family conflict except with an extra six zeroes on the end of numbers.
Now Clive Palmer again has demonstrated the eccentricity that comes from having so much money you don’t have to care what anyone thinks of you.
Palmer isn’t just a mining magnate, of course. He’s a professor, as he likes to remind us, in particular an adjunct professor of management at Bond University. His conspiracy theories come with authority; if he says Bob Brown is actually a CIA hitman, then you’d better believe it.
The best response from Brown would have been to have called a media conference dressed in a dinner suit, clutching a Walther PPK and scoffing Beluga caviar.
Palmer is doing no more than continuing Queensland’s rich tradition of conspiracy theorists, which has produced the Citizen’s Electoral Council and Pauline Hanson, to name only the most prominent of recent years. Nor is it the first time he’s accused people of being a CIA front — back in November, it was American Express who were doing the bidding of the spooks.
Most conspiracy theorists don’t own political parties, however. The former Bjelke-Petersen spinner was a key force in the establishment of the Liberal National Party, although he now professes to disappointment with his offspring.
While we await further breathless (for health reasons) revelations from Palmer about what fate really befell Harold Holt, the UFO base under Bass Strait and whether the Australian branch of the Illumnati allows members to wear thongs, it’s wise to consider just who represents foreign governments in Australia.
This isn’t the first time Palmer has had a lash at the US. In November he boasted of not attending the reception for Barack Obama on his Australian visit, resentful as he was of the Gillard government’s agreement to establish a training facility for US marines near Darwin. “Why a do you think the likes of the head of BHP and myself didn’t go to the dinner?” Palmer said to the Financial Review. “We have real interests (in China) and know how the Chinese act.”
Clive loves China and Chinese government investment. It is critical to many of his ventures; the massive China First coal mine will be partly funded by $1.2 billion China Exim Bank. China Exim is wholly owned by the Chinese government.
He also attacked the Foreign Investment Review Board in September 2009 as “racist” and demanded we “treat the Chinese people and Chinese government with the dignity they deserve”. In August that year, Palmer had demanded that then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd “keep quiet” about arrested Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu, and that he was “very positive with the Chinese government and the Chinese companies, and we’re working very well with them.”
If he’s concerned about foreign government-funded involvement in Australian mining, Clive ought to look a little closer to home.
Funny Clive is a champion of the free market but doesn’t have an issue with the Chinese govt? What ever puts money in his pocket I suppose.
The biggest issue for me out of all this is Abbott’s response, Palmer is a “colourful character” who is “right” that “the Greens want to stop coal mining” (didn’t metnion that it was in cohoots with the CIA to benefit US coal) and his success shold be celebrated.
I surprised he could get his lips off Clives ar se long enough to make the statement!
Why does Clive Palmer love the Chinese? Is it because he and the Liberal Party have been in China’s pocket ever since Harold Holt was whisked off in a Chinese submarine?
Okay, maybe not. Best to leave the delusional nonsense to the experts.
OOOh dear … those whom the gods wish to destroy they first drive mad. Looks like they’ve got it in for Clive.
Still you should remember that the old fella’s had a bad couple of weeks. First someone actually wondered just how he had been considered a national living treasure and by whom … whether he was in fact more trash than treasure… and then a bunch of wannabe rich foreigners from Melbourne and the like took his footy toy off him. Bullies! Waaaaah … off to the High Court. Where’s my lawyers???
So it’s completely understandable that a man of Clive’s acumen and business skill would want to lash out. This week it’s Bob Brown’s turn. Wonder who’s next.
Just shows what working too hard and that punishing regimen of self-discipline and dedication to our national interest can do to a fella don’t it? Selfless.
As for me I spent all morning pulling the cattle ticks of my old dog Buster and thinking about Gina, Clive and Twiggy. How grateful we should be for them putting all this stuff under all that rock - just for us. Like I’m grateful to the ticks for giving me the cattle.
LoL!!..it’s a hoot Bern, absolute crack-up. But, never under estimate the ability of “those “ones to own both sides of the argument. Hence an almost unbelievable paradox, you know what I mean, so don’t get so cocky.
Does Clive own a bauxite mine and shares in Alcoa? I take my tin-foil hat off to him if he does. That’s really thinking the supply-chain-necessary-to-protect-your-mind-from-evil-thoughts through.
What waste and risk that such social morons have influence in the land.
As if we haven’t a sufficiently bizarre political circus happening in Queensland already. The ringmaster has now stolen the limelight from Can Do and Captain Bligh.
I would think Clives comments are more about this weekends elections in QLD . If Newman gets done it is most likely by Green preferences going to Labor which may cause some leadership hassles . Maybe Clive could revive the old Truth newspaper as he has the material for plenty of stories the Truth used to write . He could have Gina do the agony aunt column and Twiggy do footy or maybe aboriginal stories from the uncle tom viewpoint.
Experts? Clive - LOL
Professor? Clive - Adjunct Professor only. No science, no doctorate, no brainer. Clive embodies for me the view that you don’t need to be smart to have money.
Personally, I wonder what type of movies his father showed in their private cinema, and whether his darling son has recovered from that.
Air time? Bandwidth? LOL. Oxygen thief is far more appropriate.
And dopey Twigs thinks he can demand he not pay tax when he already doesn’t pay tax.
Interesting times.
Now it is Labor sound economic managers.
Coalition supporters, not Labor ones making CIA conspiracy allegatons.
Is this proving Labor is now the “natural” party of government with the Greens and Coalition fighting over who is the real opposition?
Just another ring wing nut job espousing conspiracy theories. Monkton, Rinehart, now Palmer. Their positions are always grounded in self interest.
The concern is the influence these clowns wield by virtue of their wealth, political donations, media interests, etc.
That conservatives call the greens whacky is the ultimate irony.
Money might not be able to buy you everything - but it can sure buy attention.
That would be the same CIA operating out of Roswell?
(Has he still got the white shoes he had when he started making all that money?)
Mining Magnate Clive Palmer has lost his marbles and is asking any one who knows their where about to contact Brain Stoppers. In a rambling press conference during which he appeared to pause for a chat with Michael Jackson about the Loch Ness Monster, Mr Palmer revealed that he’s already looked for his marbles under the bed, behind the fridge and even under Bronwyn Bishops dress but so far “no banana”. This comes in the same week Bob Katters’ marbles fell out of his ears during Monday’s Mad Katter’s tea party in FNQ. Warning: if you do see Clive or Bob’s marbles don’t approach as they may be armed.
…. with all those other little Green men …… and making movies about a moon landing……?
Has anyone conduct a study of the dual impact of too much money and too much sun? There has to be a link somewhere, it can’t be all coincidental, can it?
I guess old Clive does not not get paid for his views, unlike the cash for comment Scientist at the National Press Club today. If you play the tape on his babble, he was saying nothing, just that farmers wake every day and see climate change.
Laughable.
What is particularly sad to see is Abbott’s need to defend/align with these self-interested whack jobs. There might be a lot wrong with Labor but LNP’s bedfellows are not who I would consider to be worth following in to battle or worthy of determining this country’s priorities.
Is the “Clive James conspiracy theory” in the title bar deliberate?
Thanks for reminding me ………. it’s “Sweet and Sour Pork”, from the other (local) Chinese take-away tonight.
Mark, if they’ve got enough money, some people will do anything to get their hands (or anything else) on a bit of their action - and the more money, the more tricks.
Bernard, could you check the HTML title of this page? It reads “Clive James conspiracy theory…”. I agree Mr James does have some whacky ideas, but of the two Clives Mr Palmer is winning the “I’m A Teapot Stakes” at the moment.
Fat Clive..what a joke! He should quit the conspiracy theories and just go off and eat another 36 hot dogs in one sitting. Does he have any idea of how embarrassing he is. To think that ‘all hope rests with the prols’ (who think this guy is a ‘national treasure’) at the ballot box next year. Geezus!
Missed the bit where he alleges the CIA support the Greens , eh SB?
He is either having a bet each way or “the dignity they deserve” is misleading …
This is The Australian Party’s current ad, setting out what is ‘unAustralian’.
This is the same Crikey which breathlessly reported the ASIO conspiracy to spy on Greens through their iPhones?
The same Crikey which regularly publishes readers’ claims of an US/Swedish conspiracy to “get” Assange (who would easily give Palmer a run in the wingnut stakes).
In question time today it was stated that over the last few years, Clive Palmer has donated some $4 million dollars to the L/NP, both in Qld and nationally. Judging by Tony rAbbott’s comments, that buys you a truck load of influence.
Following the utter nonsense of Clive’s statements in the recent past, and his obvious backing for “Canned Doo Doo” to win the Qld election, the voters have been warned. Therefore, they will indeed deserve the government they get, if they are silly enough to vote for the LNP on Saturday.
Okay, I admit the alternative is not too flash, but do we really want some mad conspiracy theorist pulling the strings up there? Totally mind blowing!!
And Marilyn - I did love the Twigs comment. LOL! Geezus, have these “mining magnates” got a brain between the lot of them? Obviously too much money is very bad for you!!
I get the impression SB would not pass a Turing test.
Palmer,Reinhart,Forrest et al are great for the ALP and are stupid enough not to notice. LOL
Its great to see these egotistic nobodies swimming in their own shit.
Abbott as usual couldnt get further up their arses if he tried.
Everyone has their price and for phoney Tony its not that high!
There are some frighteningly stupid people in positions of power in this nation. And the future likely govt after the end of 2013, likes them! Listens to them. Plays along with them. Sucks up to them if they have money as well….
has politics always been this shallow and grubby in Australia? I can really only remember from Holt onwards, and my goodness these are pathetic times. (Maybe Tampa was a pretty deep low moment; and the intervention in the NT….)
Did Palmer, as part owner of the Liberal Party, train Abbott to get his foot further into his mouth?
Be grateful. In Australia we call this sort of thing ratbaggery. In the USA they call it mainstream politics
You are quite correct James, it is shallow, hollow and boring.
I mean the whiney pg are still going on about the long dead and criminally illegal Malaysia human trading deal.
The title on my firefox tab says “Clive James conspiracy theory:”
The liberal party has now shown its true colours,making light of the mental illness of their financial backer shows they think voters are fools that will believe a so called national treasure,who is obviously bonkers,but then have always considered all of the present lib leadership and their faceless nut case men to be as nutty as their real leader from queensland.
Well at least we don’t need to keep importing our raving, loonie one-world-government, Green-Nazi-Bilderburg group conspirators like ‘Lord’ Monckton.
Our very ‘national treasure Clive has put his hand up for the job.
@Stiofon
The difference is, the Americans have made no secret of their desire to get their hands on Assange, not least the very public threats from politicians have been made against him. Leaked memos have outlined the US desire to destroy Wikileaks and Assange. One of the women who Assange has been accused of raping, had been tweeting the day after of her night with Assange, boasting of her ‘conquest’, the other have sex with him on a number of occasions according to the public record. The charges were only filed against Assange much later. And finally, there have been leaked cables outlining the extent of the right-wing government’s cooperation on matters military and pertaining to intelligence with the United States, which contravene Sweden’s declared neutrality.
In short I think there’s something more substantive to the suspicion that extradition to Sweden is a pretext and a means for the US to get their hands on Assange. Quite a bit more to it than Clive’s accusation that the Greens are funded by the CIA on behalf of the Rockefellers.
Thaaa … name’s Brown. Bob … aaaah, Brown.
Stirred … but not shaken.
I, for one, think he should be driving an aston. I’d vote for that.
Can’t leave out Stan:
And everyone will know me
I’ll be more famous than Howard Hughes
I’ll grow a long beard
And watch “Ice Station Zebra” in the nude …
http://www.midwinter.com/beyond/lyrics/partyball.html#iwannabeaboss
Maybe as abbott said he would give anything ,maybe his arse to sit it in the lodge,tubby is worried the CIA is spying to see who abbott gives in too.
Ahhh lookie here… Getup is now going to fund a legal challenge against Clive Palmer.
This is really getting quite pathetic, has Getup got nothing better to do than waste the courts time with silly court cases like this one?
Clive Palmer: Cos there’s no “u” in mine.
This looks to be an ALP setup to try and put pressure on Clive Palmer to drop his Great Big Mining Tax High Court challenge now.
^^
looks like it worked then
Hey Geewiz, where did that come from. Poor dear Clive is actually the king of the conspiracy. And the “I’ll see you in court”, and a few other things, but none of them change his status for me as an Oxygen Thief. At the end of the day and the case, he still proves to me that you don’t need a brain to have money.
I do wonder however, what position Tony rAbbott prefers whenever he meets one of these miner magnets. Someone just suggested Missionary, but that needs to be confirmed by George Pell. Along with rAbbotts policies I suppose.
But why is this a story? Really?
And why is GetUp, an organisation linked to the ALP getting involved?
Sure Clive Palmer is probably a kook, but it’s a slow news day when this stuff makes it to the headlines.
I for one do not subsribe to GetUp,but to call them labor supporters is as stupid and insane as anythig palmer comes out with.
Think research would show that getup is evenly divided in their rants.
Those who say otherwise are just political hate rants by those with very small minds,and those who post in crikey know those.
Perhaps Palmer is performing for the Chinese government.
@Wizzie/Troofie - this is a political story because Clive tried to smear the Greens last night, prompting Bob Brown to come out and call a snap press conference. He started this crap. Clive then obviously realised his outrageous claims weren’t going to hold water and he backed down, like he should have, and said, Bob Brown, Lock the Gate activists and other environmentalists have their heart in the right places, even though he doesn’t agree with them. It was the only sane thing he said.
Politics in this country has really hit a new low with the financial relationship between the Libs and the three mining amigos having become starkly clear over the last few weeks. They are bankrolling the Libs in the millions to repeal the carbon and mining taxes. Then a compliant mainstream media whips up the public into a frenzy over the carbon and mining taxes, getting the voters onside, just so these rich flogs don’t have to pay their fair share. Absolutely unbelievable. And you support this?!
@Karen
+1 !!!!!
That sounds great but why have I seen Simon Sheihk(main guy of getup) standing behind Labor ministers when they make big policy announcements? Don’t you find that a little strange?