After a generation of no infrastructure being built by Labor the Elites are shocked that when Real things are done, REAL things have to happen*. An "I will TRAM with you" hashtag doesn't actually move anyone, though it may make some Elitists feel warm.

The North West train line and in particular the station was payed for by the denizens of the eponymous Business Park and Labor pocketed the money even though it was announced by Ministers 5 times.

A few near dead trees; get over it and let some new ones grow so when Nature in the near future acts, there is a (slow) replacement entrain.

What the Elitist latte sippers needs to worry about is the Baird is not interested in the inner city and has decided to build up Parramatta. Badgerys and the infrastructure means Sydney loses its monopoly as a centre.

* I exclude the serially bankrupt debacles of the Cross City Tunnel and the Olympics airport line.

Well, I can't claim to be a fan either or of the privatisation of income earning infrastructure the oldies paid for through endeavour and sacrifice.

I am however a fan of coal seam gas. But only that extracted from the land holdings of willing partners, and if used exclusively here in Oz to replace coal!

You see coal seam gas is the purest form of naturally occurring methane, which can be fed into household ceramic fuel cells to create the world's cheapest power and endless free hot water.

The first upside being the exhaust product of this chemical conversion is mostly pristine water vapor! Of course the water table needs to be protected or used as affordable and storable desalinated water; that's also cheap enough to support irrigated agriculture.

I fail to see a problem if saltwater is also pumped up and returned as around 95% potable water to the very water table it was extracted from. And for around quarter of what we currently pay to desalinate water!

And very doable if you take foreign multinationals and their profit curve model shortcuts out of any production paradigm, but rather replace them with our own oil and gas authority? Who should be tasked with supplying very cheap, very clean energy to our own local manufacture, all while ensuring additional irrigation supplies and reseres for local agriculture.

If the gas industry ensured any water they extracted and returned or stored simply made farming as its partners prospects, endlessly sustainable and lucrative, especially in the driest years, I'm sure they'd be welcomed with open arms rather than the parasites the greens present them as?
Alan B.

And many more just love Baird's vibe.

As for the forced amalgamation of councils, considering that most were technically bankrupt, some blatantly corrupt, and all of them were vastly bureaucratic and inefficient taking years to process development applications, it is way past time to root out the self interested incumbents and install professionals.

Shadow, have you got any evidence that "most were technically bankrupt"?

No doubt he wants you to believe what you've just posted, but is it actually true? It seems very unlikely to me, as it's not being applied as a penalty for mismanagement, but rather something he's forcing onto councils that don't support his agenda.

Aidan,

Read the papers, this is not an old issue. It has been discussed ad nauseum. It is long overdue to clean out these cesspits, and they should have been amalgamated years ago.

“Unfortunately, land for just such a freeway was foolishly sold off by the Wran Labor Government some years ago, perhaps after the urging of inner-city branches of the party.”

My understanding is that the land had been resumed by the NSW Government and householders were allowed to still rent their houses at a cheap rental. Wran then promised these voters that they could buy back their houses at the same price the government paid them many years before. This meant substantial capital gains for all of them and surprise, surprise there was the Wranslide. This would have to be one of the worst decisions/bribes have undertaken by any government in Australia. Am I surprised that it was a Labor government?

Baird is bad enough.

Worse is the Wicked Witch, Gladys Berejeklian, NSW Treasurer.

She is not afraid to do the dirty work or to demonstrate disregard for due process and consultation.

One instance: The manner of closure of the Newcastle rail line, which contravened legislation. But it went ahead at warp speed over a Christmas break thus avoiding proper public debate and independent analysis alike. My personal opinion is that the ongoing difficulties in finding a reasonable proposal for the replacement, light rail from Hamilton, indicates that the true objective has nothing to do with public transport. Indeed, the light rail line appears to be destined to the "too hard basket", that marvelous excuse for inaction which is used by politicians of every stripe.

It is consistent with a desire to grab a corridor of very valuable land for subsequent sale to property developers. Has this deal already been agreed?

Is an In-Principal MOU type document filed in the Treasurer's top drawer?

Who is the lucky winner?

The current administration of NSW is in the hands of some very ruthless and agenda-driven people.

Shadow,

"Read the papers, this is not an old issue"
Not living in Sydney, most of what I know of this issue comes from reading the SMH. But I don't recall reading anything about most of the councils being technically bankrupt, so again I ask: where's the evidence?

Let's not forget to mention Mr. Baird insulting Palestinian orphans by asking them about their future, then proceeding to do big business with the criminals who robbed them of their future and made them orphans in the first place

Aidan,

From what I recall, you are indiscriminate in your ignorance, and while I would like to educate you, I have neither the time nor disposition to do research for you.

If you wish to challenge what I say, then do so. Read up on the issues and maybe you can pass as mildy informed.

Nice try, Shadow, but you're the one making the extraordinary claims and not supplying any evidence. Now it could be that, despite my unsuccessful search for evidence to back up your claim, that you're right. But I think it's far more likely that it's merely a gross exaggeration on your part.

And ITYF that I'm much less likely to be ignorant of any issue than a random person, but as an engineer, when I am ignorant of something Im far more likely to admit it, whereas some others would try to bluff their way through.

Aidan,

Given your post history of fanciful economics claims that have no basis in theory or history, you are hardly one to talk.

The whole reason that the councils are being amalgamated is due to financial and managerial incompetence. There is a backlog of infrastructure maintenance of over $7bn, planning backlogs of years, and far too high proportions of revenue going to running the councils, let alone those that are actually corrupt.

After the scandals in the newspapers this has come to a head.

So what IS Baird's vibe, whatever that buzz word means?

The suggestion is that he will do anything to flog off public assets.

Where is the discussion on the crisis in TAFE (and shortage of skilled tradesmen?)

Why wasn't some of the State Aid issue mentioned?

What are all the benefits that private schools get in NSW
e.g. free bus travel, assistance for boarding-schools, etc etc.

Meanwhile State schools are languishing and the money supposed to be spent on maintenance just doesn't get spent

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-students-literacy-and-numeracy-rates-dropping-and-schools-not-being-maintained-report-20141212-125sdy.html

Shadow,

I have not made any "fanciful economics claims that have no basis in theory or history". What I have done is contradicted widely accepted economics claims that rely on a theoretical false assumption and/or a historical condition that no longer applies.

I accept that "financial and managerial incompetence" is the purported reason why councils are being forced to merge, but it does not seem to have any actual relationship with which councils are being forced to merge.

Aidan,

The councils are clearly badly managed, and given the reason for reorganizing them is the bad management (as the Labor NSW gov threatened to do), I am intrigued as to the reasons that you believe that they are being merged.

Modern economic theory is not a claim, it is detailed scientific analysis of economics over more than a century by brilliant mathematicians and economists including many Nobel laureates which has been shown again and again to accurately represent reality. What you claim has no basis in reality, and has several examples where it falls down completely.

It's not just the Newcastle issue ( loss of the railway line) or the Bridge to Nowhere, or the councils.
It's the pattern we see.
Ordinary people lose power. Big business gains. We get a giant phallic symbol at Barangaroo to attract more grubby people and nasty gambling types.
Baird sends out more public relations people and adds more to his Facebook page. etc etc

Bill Shorten has said he'll hold a referendum on Baird's forced council amalgamations.
It seems to me that he's trying to capture an anti-Liberal vote in the forthcoming election. Let's keep an eye on that one.
There could be some votes for Labor in it. They need every one they can get.

Waverley,

From Shorten declaring that the CFA bullying was state matter, he is now planning to get involved boots and all in NSW. He is planning a $20m plebiscite in 2019 when the mergers will be complete in a month or two.

Considering that his plebiscite will take place when the new councils are well established and likely to support the new status quo, the chance of Billy taking on state and local government is zero.

Shadow,

I think the councils are being merged because Baird considered them too obstructive. But I stress this is only an impression gained from reading the SMH. If you have evidence to the contrary, I'd be interested to hear it.

There are some parts of modern economic theory that are indeed "detailed scientific analysis of economics over more than a century by brilliant mathematicians and economists including many Nobel laureates which has been shown again and again to accurately represent reality". I concur with all those.

But you make it sound like there's a genuine consensus among economists about nearly everything, when in reality there's fierce disagreement about most things.

And most of the time, many economists (indeed most economists, if what we see in the media is a fair representation) make claims based on demonstrably false assumptions, even though they've been shown again and again not to accurately represent reality.

What I claim has every basis in reality, and if you think it has "several examples where it falls down completely" then I suggest you supply a couple and I'll explain why they're not.

________________________________________________________________________________

Waverley,

What, in this context, is the Bridge to Nowhere?

Aidan I also read the SMH and certainly didn't get that impression.

Given that the Labor NSW gov was threatening to amalgamate the councils for same reasons, i.e. inefficiency, infighting and sometimes blatant corruption, and we have had plenty of scandals for the same reasons I would take Baird's word that these are the reasons over your opinion.

The Bridge to Nowhere is the Tibby Cotter Bridge, discussed in the article, built by Duncan Gay and his favoured construction firm at man outlandish cost.

Maybe its purpose is to link the parks to a tower block.

Once the old avenues of trees are cleared, and the councils pushed out of the way, we expect big numbers of apartment blocks to be built around Randwick. The property developers must be licking their lips.

For threats to the parks, see also:

http://newslocal.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

Sorry, I meant
AN outlandish cost.
Bloody auto correct strikes again.....