> Gina Rinehart, an Australian worth $30 billion and an avid Donald Trump
supporter, has changed Alberta’s politics in her relentless pursuit of mined
coal. > The saga offers more evidence on how the wealthy exercise their raw
financial power to engineer democracy for their own economic benefit. Political
scientists call the oversized influence of billionaires “the wealthification” of
politics. Witness how billionaires dominated the U.S. presidential election. >
In the last three years she has repeatedly sued the Alberta and federal
governments and challenged regulatory processes. And even though three separate
courts have found her arguments baseless and without merit, she continues to
sue. > Two outstanding lawsuits, for example, contend the Alberta government
owes her billions because her mining plans were stymied. Overwhelming public
opposition to coal mining forced the government to impose a coal moratorium in
the Rockies to protect critical watersheds. > Outside of provincial and federal
courts, Rinehart has hired two lobby firms with ties to the United Conservative
Party government to actively promote her open-pit mining project. > When it
became clear that citizens living in the municipal district of Ranchland, where
Rinehart wants to build the mega-mine, were overwhelmingly opposed to its
construction, Rinehart actively participated in a dubious referendum sanctioned
by Smith in the neighbouring community of Crowsnest Pass. Rinehart’s company
even drove voters to the polls.
We need to be aware of the malign influence our own billionaires have overseas.
Murdoch family falls under this idea as well, and I’m sure plenty more. Even Macquarie bank needs a kicking for how they’ve treated british water.
We need to begin holding our own accountable, economically or criminally, especially when their actions undermine the democratic will of our closest allies. What weakens our allies weakens us. These people are messing with Australia’s National Security and our ability to rely on stable and unified partners.
I’d expect the security services to at minimum have a strong, quiet word with Ms Rinehart about her conduct here.
Art is great.