Comments on: Rio Tinto threatens NZ with capital strike

By: Roger Awards open at The Standard 2.01

Roger Awards open at The Standard 2.01 — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:07:42 +0000

[...] winners have included Telecom, Progressive Enterprises and TranzRail, but I reckon Rio Tinto and Spotless Services would have to be odds-on favourites for this [...]

By: All discrimination was not created equal « Still Truckin’

All discrimination was not created equal « Still Truckin’ — Mon, 26 May 2008 04:57:04 +0000

[...] own backyards, morally speaking. However, there are certainly big businesses that I can easily identify as being [...]

By: The Optimist

The Optimist — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:58:04 +0000

> Well, I say Rio Tinto should fuck off.

Strong words from a bishop. I don’t even live in Southland but I hope you don’t get your wish.

With regard to nationalisation I doubt that smelters have quite the same appeal to Dr Cullen as he has shown with his trains. But perhaps Rio Tinto could propose aluminium trains as an energy saving measure. The Audi S8 looked quite cool in aluminium.

After the smelter, I think farms should be next. Those farmers think they own the country, and all that farting isn’t good for the planet. How about it?

By: Rio Tinto threats backfire at The Standard 2.01

Rio Tinto threats backfire at The Standard 2.01 — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:50:27 +0000

[...] Tinto’s threat of capital strike appears to have backfired on them, with a political consensus emerging that the multinational has [...]

By: Travellerev

Travellerev — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:42:09 +0000

Hope you don’t mind Idiot/Savant but I linked your article to my blog.
I liked it and I hope it gets more exposure that way.

By: r0b

r0b — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:08:00 +0000

The full petard-hoisting is here.

Nice – very nice – and you address the jobs issue too.

By: Benodic

Benodic — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:14:56 +0000

Lew I’d say that’s the consensus now. It wasn’t the consensus from Monday night through Tuesday afternoon.

(Captcha: “blackmailer chant” – yep, that’s Rio Tinto’s submission alright)

By: Travellerev

Travellerev — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:44:32 +0000

As I said it works for the Venezuelans
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Chavez_nationalizes_biggest_steelma_05122008.html

By: Idiot/Savant

Idiot/Savant — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:36:28 +0000

I've crunched some numbers, and we would be $26 million a year better off if Rio Tinto carried through on their threat and pissed off. And that's using their own figures for economic benefit. The full petard-hoisting is here.

By: Lew

Lew — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:28:24 +0000

killinginthenameof: National has already taken much the same line as Labour in response to Rio Tinto, so that view is unfounded. In fact, consensus appears to be that Rio Tinto overplayed its hand on this one.

By: vto

vto — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:48:24 +0000

They are without doubt bully boys. And have seen Paul Little’s success with the train set. There’s just one option…

call their bluff

By: killinginthenameof

killinginthenameof — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:36:06 +0000

Maybe let slip to a few journalists something about forced nationalisation. I dont believe for a second that National\Farrar\The Herald\the Talley brothers ect believe even half of thier propaganda, but it woudl send a strong singnal to the public of New Zealand about where the Government stands on corprate bullying, likely to be a big point of difference from National

By: Travellerev

Travellerev — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:22:13 +0000

Has anybody mentioned yet that Rio Tinto bought the New Zealand iron ore mining company that had the concession to do the exploration to see if the Seabed mining of the West coast black sands was economically viable and that Rio Tinto is now being the subject of hostile take over bids from the Chinese Government amongst others. These big Corporations; it is all to much power in to few hands. And generally of people who don’t give a toss about local or indigenous people. The Bougainville civil war being a case in point.
What about Nationalising the smelter, it works for the Venezuelans.

By: Ari

Ari — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:06:09 +0000

Steve- have they followed through on any similar threats in the past when they didn’t get what they want?

Anyway… while I’d like to keep them, it’s ridiculous for them to hold the country hostage over excess profits- as Steve points out, this is a boom time for aluminium and I seriously doubt they can’t afford the ETS as proposed.

By: roger nome

roger nome — Tue, 13 May 2008 03:56:25 +0000

Tane – If I madethat kind of smear over at K-blog at davey I would be banned for life. Time for BB to go?