OPINION

Rights are sadly lost

Re: "UN tramples its own ideals", (Editorial, Oct 15)

The article points out the structural shortcomings of the premier international body. These limitations are a reflection of the failure of globalism as it is envisaged and implemented by elitist bureaucrats who sit at the top of a top-down model of our future.

Organising the UN by nations and giving each one a vote in the general assembly is absurd. The people comprising many member nations either don't vote (China for example) or, if they do, their vote is only a token gesture in support of a dictator (the Philippines or Cambodia).

If the leaders of China, the Philippines, Cambodia or Thailand were asked whether the UN should be organised according to truly democratic principles would their answers be a reliable indication of their values?

Most of the world is not free. The people of so-called democratic nations still suffer endless indignities and oppression by their governments. Conscription, excessive taxation, over regulation, regimentation, behavioural restrictions, compulsory vaccination, and ever more government intrusion into ordinary life is our lot. Soon we will be chipped and monitored continuously, and not long after that we will be perfectly programmed by people like Duterte, Hun Sen, Xi, Kim Jong-un, Maduro, al-Bashir, Khamenei, al-Assad, Erdogan, Nkurunziza, Mbasogo, Idriss Deby, Kagame -- the list never seems to end when it comes to tyrants.

There are 40 dictators ruling today, eight of them in Asia. I would encourage those not familiar with some of their names to see exactly what UN member states are about with regard to human rights. Thus, when it comes to the UNHRC, don't be surprised when they throw your rights away while simultaneously endorsing resolutions to uphold them.

I do not agree with James Debentures' argument in favour of nuclear power (PostBag, Oct 17). Nuclear power has rapidly become a non-option around the world, based mainly due to expense as well as safety issues. No nuclear power station has been built or planned in the US for a long time. Several European countries including Germany, Austria and Sweden have announced plans to denuclearise their power systems.

I also do not entirely agree with his comments about electric motorcycles. It is true that recharging the machine's battery results in burning fossil fuel provided the relevant power system is totally served by coal- or gas-fired power stations. However, that is slowly changing as more renewable power sources become available to the power grid.

If it is meant that renewables, such as solar and wind turbines, are unreliable because solar does not produce at night and wind turbines do not produce when the wind does not blow, I would agree. Otherwise both technologies are reliable. That situation will change as back-up batteries become cheaper. Millions of households around the world are installing roof top solar systems and the addition of back-up batteries will enable people to decide to disconnect from the grid. Households such as these will be able to recharge electric vehicle batteries without the consumption of fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, there is a marginal advantage in battery charging transferring pollution from tailpipes to power station chimneys. Power stations are mostly located away from built-up areas and so the cities will benefit from cleaner air, even though total pollution will remain similar.

Roger Crutchley in his Oct 14 column reminds us that awards for flying paper planes is a route to citizenship for stateless persons. But we are also reminded that it is a slow track to citizenship -- nine long years.

Getting stuck in a cave is still by far the fastest -- just a short few months! And, in fact, the four Wild Boars who were fast-tracked probably gave rise to the bronze medal paper plane flyer being ushered through to success. Of the remaining hundreds of thousands many are sure to head to Chiang Rai next wet season, rather than taking up paper plane flying.

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