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OPINION: As you sit down to read my column today, I trust all is well at your place.
European farmers have been protesting for weeks. Photo Credit: EPP Group in the EU Parliament Facebook Page.
OPINION: As I sit at my keyboard today, I trust all is well with you. In our part of this great little country we live in, we have been enjoying something of a wet summer. We had a major flood over the last weekend of January.
February 4th we were on the road driving into town; it was a beautiful clear but somewhat chilly summer morning. Coming over the hill we caught a stunning panoramic view of the three National Park mountains. To our surprise, both Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe were covered in snow. It was well down too, not just a light sprinkling here and there. Oh, for a camera, I thought to myself. Yep, I’ve got to admit, I wanted to capture for the record this rather graphic example of global warming!
I have been following with interest all the farmers’ protests happening in Europe the last few weeks. What began in the Netherlands has now spilled over into several other European nations. Local farmers and food producers have come together en masse, in numbers not seen before. They have been standing up against their governments’ attempts to ram the madness of extreme green agendas down their throats. It really has been a vivid example of the influence ‘we the people’ can have if we come together and stand in unity together.
In pursuing some unbiased news about it all, I actually got to see a very interesting interview with one spokesman from the Dutch farmers group. He mentioned how they were limited to planting certain crops at certain times, all dictated to them by their own government. Of course, behind the scenes, it was the EU heavies calling the shots.
Now, here’s the bit that really surprised me. Their government had their own farmers under satellite surveillance, to keep them in line. That’s right! He said they were getting checked every three days by satellite surveillance. Wow, how extreme is that?!
I think it was the interviewer who raised the point; even the drug traffickers don’t get anything like that kind of close-up, rigid surveillance. Immediately I thought, well, the child traffickers certainly don’t face that either. Nope, it’s the local farmers – their food producers – who are the “enemies of the state” here.
Their spokesman also mentioned how they had all quickly been labelled as ‘far-right extremists’ by those in power. Sadly, that’s a typical response from those in power, in these deceptive days we’re living in.
He clearly stated it wasn’t politics or hardline political bias for them, but rather their farms and their very livelihoods that were at stake. And some of those farms had been with the same families for generations.
These very farmers are all food producers, which begs the question: why is that no longer important?
This stuff is not science, but rather an ideology that’s getting mandated more and more by the privileged few who hold the reins of power. And the extremists’ accusations, you ask? To me it is obvious who the extremists are in all of this – and it’s certainly not the farmers!
Yep, we are surely living in deceptive times. I continue to be amazed at the phone and internet scams that just keep on coming. And people still fall for them!
Right here is yet another time when having good friends is so critical. They just may know something I don’t.
And yes, for those like me with an active faith, greater wisdom than our own is readily available.
To contact Colin: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Penske Australia & New Zealand has appointed Stephen Kelly as the general manager of its Penske NZ operations, effective immediately In this role he will oversee all NZ branch operations, including energy solutions, mining, commercial vehicles, defence, marine, and rail, while continuing to be based at Penske’s Christchurch branch.
According to the latest Federated Farmers-Rabobank Farm Remuneration Report, released today, farm worker pay growth has levelled off after a post-Covid period of rapid growth.
The Climate Change Commission has recommended maintaining the current New Zealand Emissions Trading System (NZ ETS) settings but warns of a potential unit shortfall as early as 2028.
The Conservative Party warns that the upcoming free trade agreement between New Zealand and India may prioritise increased labour mobility while offering limited reassurance for New Zealand workers.
Southland District Council says it is actively managing the impacts of the current fuel supply challenges to ensure essential services across the district continue to operate safely and reliably.
A large crowd turned out for the last of the field days of the three finalists in this years Ahuwhenua Trophy to determine the top Maori horticulture entity in Aotearoa New Zealand

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