Financial markets have a remarkable attitude towards calendars. They largely ignore any dates which are marked up as significant. In places like the US where listed companies are required to report quarterly (here we tend to think a semi annual contribution to the fiction shelves of the library should be sufficient.) it’s a godsend for the talking heads who need to fill reports and studios with hot words. So just to add my observation tuppence worth – the rand is at a 1 year low versus most major currencies.
Tidemarks’ has always had a deep dislike for and distrust of bureaucracy. Supporters of Brexit have never managed to convince me that having more layers of lawyers drawing income from the public purse was a good thing for anyone other than the paper shufflers who see incomplete forms as an offence. A classic example appeared this week when the European Union told Elon Musk that his recently purchased computer program named Twitter, must employ more staff to keep an eye on what its customers write about. Apparently the EU has enacted legislation with the totally misleading title of “ Digital Services Act” (basically a censorship scheme ) and they think Elon is incapable of complying with this attack on freedom of speech unless he employs more busybodies with blue pencils. That’s just way too many interfering activities right there. Long term, history tends to favour the freedom seekers, so the wise money should be on the boytjie from Pretoria in this squabble.
It was entirely characteristic of President Frogboiler that he should take so long to announce the outcome of his long-awaited cabinet re-shuffle. Even the TV broadcast on the night was delayed by several hours, but in the end, we learned that Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa would be the nation’s first Minister of Electricity. Later on ,however, Dr Kgosientsho explained that his job description was silent on loadshedding. This was a bit of a surprise to most of his audience. In fact, he went on to explain that he had been appointed to ensure delivery of the government’s energy plan. This is a document, already announced by President Ramaphosa but clearly not yet implemented! Puzzling.
Students of this genre of government-speak are pretty sure the country has been down this path many times before. The new minister is indeed a very smart guy and the list of his academic achievements include a BSc in Civil Engineering , two Masters degrees (one in Business Leadership & one in Public Administration) and a PhD in Public Affairs. Notably however, his CV opens with the declaration that he is an African National Congress (ANC) politician; a status confirmed by the multimillion rand wristwatch on his arm. Now President Cyril has a well-known preference for party unity and loyalty above all else. And some of us are now starting to worry that Kgosientsho’s selection process might have bowled Cyril around his legs.
It’s certainly not funny for those people living through this ultra cold spell currently disrupting the Northern Hemisphere but the complaints appearing in the social media are amusing. Apparently it’s not as windy as it usually is at this time of year and that’s giving the renewable wind energy fans a hiding. The sun’s gone AWOL too, and many energy utilities are being forced to fire up the coal-stoked boilers and send a letter of apology to the Doom Pixie, Greta Thunberg. Amazingly the data indicate that some places are using an energy source called “American firewood” or is that a joke? Hopefully what is really happening is that more and more sensible people with real responsibilities (i.e. not politicians) are realising that planning and managing the electricity supply systems for real live economies doing important stuff like manufacturing, health, education and production are ideally lifetime career choice for adults. There are few alternatives for supplying the amount and reliability of power that the population of this planet requires .None of the so called “renewables” have delivered anything more than irrelevant entertainments for people who can’t do the physics and chemistry. The time for pretending that intellectual dilettantes are doing anything but massive harm is over. “Net Zero” is a total scam.
James Greener
Friday 10th March 2023
