Protecting Barnaby Joyce from a Shenhua coal mine announcement and links to other news and views

Shenhua mine speculation growing louder in Gunnedah - Northern Daily Leader

THERE is growing speculation a big announcement regarding the Shenhua coal mine is due before the end of the year.
The NSW government has been considering the mine’s application for a renewed exploration licence for more than 18 months, since February 2016.
New England CountryMinded candidate Pete Mailler said there was a buzz around the Gunnedah Business Chamber about the mine, but he believed any announcement would be held back until after the byelection, to shield the Nationals candidate from any potential backlash.
While the Shenhua proposal lies outside the New England electorate, Mr Mailler said the mine’s potential impacts to the water table would be a “disaster that knows no boundaries”.

Candidates hit out against Barnaby Joyce’s boycott of public debates - Northern Daily Leader

The fallout from Barnaby Joyce’s decision to boycott public debates and forums has continued, as the Labor, CountryMinded and the Seniors United Party all express their disappointment in the former MP’s decision.

‘Tamworth vs Armidale perfect example of NBN digital divide’ - Northern Daily Leader

No where defines the digital divide more than New England, Labor’s New England candidate says.
Armidale is benefiting from its fibre to the premise NBN rollout, while the rest of the electorate is suffering through the of the “outdated copper” fibre to the node technology, David Ewings said.
“It’s been an absolute shmozzle, it’s a total joke,” he said.
Mr Ewings said the Coalition promised its version of the NBN would be half the price and fully rolled out by 2016.
“They’ve failed on both those counts,” he said.

'Frustration is driving farmers towards the Greens' - Northern Daily Leader

A WAVE of frustration is pushing farmers away from the major parties and towards the Greens, the party’s New England candidate says.

Over the past few decades, its been difficult for the Greens to get a foothold with the nation’s producers and graziers.

But growing inaction on climate change from both sides of politics, along with their strong ties to the resource industry has lead farmers to the only viable alternative, Peter Wills said.

Tamworth Regional Council mayor Col Murray blasts 'out-of-town' candidates - Northern Daily Leader

China Envoy’s Task: Manage Ties With Nuclear North Korea - Beijing, frustrated with Pyongyang, wants to avoid destabilizing Kim Jong Un’s regime - The Wall Street Journal

A trip to Pyongyang by a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping offers a chance for Beijing to manage relations with its troublesome neighbor after months of frayed ties and stepped-up U.S. pressure to rein in North Korea’s nuclear program.

WikiLeaks Set Off an Attack on Our Trump-Russia Project—Right After Messaging Donald Trump Jr. About It - Mother Jones

On Monday, The Atlantic published private messages from September 2016 in which WikiLeaks gave Donald Trump Jr. the password to a forthcoming site documenting his father’s ties to Russia. But there was more to the story of WikiLeaks’ apparent effort to conspire with the Trump campaign against PutinTrump.org—and I had a front-row seat to it, as editorial director of the site. Within just minutes of reaching out to Trump Jr., WikiLeaks also publicized the password, setting off a wave of online harassment, email bombs, and personal threats against people behind the site.

Politics is now a digital arms race, and Labour is winning - The Spectator

Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters live their lives online in a way the Conservatives’ do not

Should coastal planners have concern over where land ice is melting? - Science Advances

The Upgrade Myth - Project Syndicate

We are encouraged to believe that the newest technology is also the best. But, at a time when functionality and marketability are valued more highly than simplicity and durability, adopting the newest technology can be a recipe for frustration and misery.