Now we need something else ! On energy, experience, privatisation and innovation

An institution called Public Services International has published several reports on the consequences of privatisation of public utilities, including energy and water. A recent report “Global experience with electricity liberalisation” by Professor David Hall et al shows that in the OECD countries privatisation always leads to higher energy prices and less consumer satisfaction.

It’s not about being against private ownership in general. It’s not about wanting the Soviet model of public ownership. It’s about facts: The privatisation of the energy has neglected the public, the nature and innovation. Now we need find new ways of a public ownership in close relationship with new active democracy !

Here is this extremely interesting report in pdf-form : http://www.orkuaudlindir.is/docs/Global%20Experience%20with%20privatization.pdf

Einkavæðing á orkugeiranum: Stofnun sem kallast Public Services International hefur gefið út margar skýrslur um afleiðingar einkavæðingar á orku og veitufyrirtækjum. Nýleg skýrsla “Global experience with electricity liberalisation” eftir Prófessor David Hall kemst að þeirri niðurstöðu að í öllum OECD löndunum hafi einkavæðing leitt til hærra orkuverðs og verri þjónustu.

Hljómur nýsköpunar

“Við verðum við að hafa trú á sjálfum okkur og ekki svíkja sjálf okkur. Það er mikilvægt öllum samfélögum – ekki einungis Íslandi. Allt sem er gott vex hægt og nýsköpun mun verða lykillinn að framtíðinni” segir Björk Guðmundsdóttir í viðtali við tímaritið Nordic Innovation (www.nordicInnovation.is).

Nordic Innovation er frítt veftímarit um nýsköpun, frumkvöðla og hönnuði á Norðurlöndunum. Klak – Viðskiptasmiðjan gefur út Nordic Innovation með það að leiðarljósi að auka faglega umræðu um verðmætasköpun á Norðurlöndunum. Þema tímaritsins að þessu sinni var “hljómur nýsköpunar” eða “the sound of innovation” og er m.a. fjallað um sprotafyrirtæki í tónlistargeiranum, Iceland Airwaves og Bergen sem tónlistarborg Noregs. Þá eru viðtöl við tónlistarkonuna Björk, danska jazzpíanistann Carsten Dahl og Hollywoodskáldið Veigar Margeirsson.

Neisti – Ályktanir

Björk var í viðtali við Þórhall Gunnarsson í Návígi í Sjónvarpinu. Þar talar hún um niðurstöður Neistafundanna. Þá er að finna hér sem pdf skrár.

Inngangur að Neista:

Í framhaldi af Náttúrutónleikum 2008 hóf Björk Guðmundsdóttir rannsókn á grósku atvinnulífs á Íslandi og boðaði í kjölfarið til vinnufunda, í samvinnu við vefinn Nattura.info, Háskólann í Reykjavík og Klak, nýsköpunarmiðstöð atvinnulífsins. Á vinnufundum þann 12. og 19. október 2008, komu saman í opinni samræðu um hundrað sérfræðingar; fræðimenn, fjárfestar og iðnhönnuðir, fulltrúar atvinnuþróunarfélaga, fagsamtaka og þekkingarfélaga um land allt, ásamt þeim sem hafa unnið að hugmyndasköpun, fyrirtækjamyndun og annarri nýsköpunarstarfsemi á sviði sjálfbærni og fjölbreytileika. Á fundunum var þátttakendum skipað til átta borða; heilsuborðs, hátækniborðs, menntaborðs, ferðaborðs, hönnunarborðs, matarborðs, líftækniborðs og orkuborðs. Auðveldlega hefði mátt sitja við fleiri borð, svo sem menningar- og listaborð, fjármálaborð og stjórnmálaborð og kemur vonandi að þeirri veislu innan tíðar. Meðfylgjandi eru þær ályktanir sem dregnar hafa verið úr frjórri samræðu vinnufundanna og þeirri umræðu sem fór þar í gang og hefur síðan haldið áfram í ýmsum samræðu- og aðgerðahópum og einnig á virkum póstlista Neista sem telur 120 manns og óðum stækkar. Því enn má efla tengslanet þeirra sem hafa reynslu og þekkingu á kviku kerfisins og á ólíkum sviðum nýsköpunar.

Hér er eru Neistarnir:
Neisti allur pakkinn samþjappaður, zip í einni möppu.
Og sem pdf, smella á skrá sem niðurhal:
Um.Neista
Neisti.Menntun
Neisti.Ferdamal
Neisti.Hataekni
Neisti.Heilsa
Neisti.Honnun
Neisti.Liftaekni
Neisti.Matur
Neisti.Orka

Björk answers Beaty and then again !

Björk at the famous press conferrence 19th of july, where she asked questions and sang songs photo Hörður Sveinsson, Dv.is

When Björk had published several questions on the so called Magma-case, about Iceland’s deal to this Canadian company that pretends to be Swedish to get the rights of Icelandic energy resources for 65 years – a terrible deal renewable for other 65 years, 130 in all. Björk is asking fundamental questions, about the deal and of Iceland on crossroads. When Björk raised those questions on the cover of Financial Times, see http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/07/19/energy-source-goes-pop-an-exclusive-bjork-interview-on-geothermal-power/, the president of Magma Energy Ross Beaty answered her through the newspaper Grapevine, offering her shares in his company, reminding her to keep her mouth where her … I don’t remember how it was. Anyway, Björk answered him, clearing that he’s missing her point, that she’s not at all interested in buying shares, being against privatisation of the energy resources: see http://www.grapevine.is/News/ReadArticle/Bjork-Hits-Back-At-Magma

Ross wrote an answer to her answering. See http://www.grapevine.is/News/ReadArticle/Ross-Beaty-Answers-Questions

Beaty’s letter again completely missing the point, Björk wrote another letter, a long one, really hot and too the point, revealing document: http://www.grapevine.is/News/ReadArticle/Bjork-Responds-To-Ross-Beaty-Again

A nobel prize winner on the Icelandic energy resources

The geothermal area of Krisuvik

The nobel-prized economist Joseph Stiglitz lectured last year on our crisis situation and urged us to keep the energy resources and all our natural resources in public property. Today, when we face the Magma-deal and other deals where foreign private companies are aloud to harness for a low price all we’ve got left. It’s not about being against foreign investments, it’s about doing better deals now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNfawNWdQ28&feature=player_embedded

I urge the authorities … !

Basket Star - Euryalid Ophiuroid-Gorgonocephalus sp. from Sea Mount on Mid Atlantic Ridge. Dive 175 Station No. 43. Depth around 800m

I urge the authorities to stop the sale of HS Orka and for Alþingi to hold a national referendum on the ownership and the utilisation of our energy resources.

www.orkuaudlindir.is

Björk submits a Formal Proposal to the Public Representative of the Icelandic Parliament

"freedom of speech". photo from the web www.bjork.com

Today is the national day of France and a good opportunity to remember the words: Freedom, egality… and Democracy!

Yesterday, Björk submitted a Formal Proposal to the Public Representative of the Icelandic Parliament, concerning the sale of Iceland’s natural resources to the company Magma Energy. The Proposal, signed by Björk and Jon Thorisson, icelandic assistant of EVA JOLY and writer Oddny Eir,  aims to initiate an open discussion and encourage reconsideration of this sale, ensuring that the interests of the public are being protected and that clarification is achieved on all aspects of this decisive case concerning the future of Iceland.

In addition to the Proposal, Björk publishes on her web  several questions they feel must be asked by the government, by the parliament and by the public before this business exchange can continue. About the resources, about democracy… see www.bjork.com for all details and documents.

Björk will hold a press conference with a performance on Monday 19th July at 4.00pm in the Nordic House, Reykjavik.

Our water: Our gold… But no rush!

Beautiful Nudibranch from the underwaters. http://www.scottishnudibranchs.co.uk/lomanotus-genei.htm

According to a new brithish research (http://www.visir.is/island-a-oruggustu-vatnsbirgdir-jardar/article/2010265674166) Iceland has the safest access to clean water in the future. It’s not big news, as we already know how good our water is, as our other clean energy resources. If we’ll manage to treat our natural resources with enough respect and forsight, they’ll probably be our gold-mine in difficult times. But no rush, no gold-rush please, and don’t interpret the results of this research as a justification to harness and use the resources with greed, as unfortunately is in sight on behalf of the icelandic state: to built new aluminum smelters, to sell the access of the resources to capitalistic private companies… We should rather, and right now!- work hard at defining new laws and ways of owning together and being responsible of our natural resources. How can we have more to say about the ways we would like to handle our water?

Magma lied to us… and other articles

Photo: www.bjork.com

Here are some articles on the scandalous selling of Icelandic resources:

http://www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/Letter-From-Bjork-About-Magma-Energy

http://www.savingiceland.org/0520/magma-energy-takes-over-hs-orka/

http://www.grapevine.is/News/ReadArticle/Foreign-Company-Set-to-Buy-Icelandic-Energy-Company

http://www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/Feature-Blame-Canada

http://climatechange.thinkaboutit.eu/think2/post/the_battle_is_on_for_control_of_icelands_geothermal_energy_fields/

http://www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/News-Magma-Energy-Lied-To-Us

Björk’s alarm-letter

"I can no longer remain silent on the very pressing subject that is the selling off of Iceland's nature..."

The other day Björk sent this letter around and to the Icelandic government as an ALARM ! Wake up and do something about this ! Now the post boxes of the parliament members are overloaded and the debate is still on… : should we sell all our natural resources away or not? NOT!

Dear friends,

I can no longer remain silent on the very pressing subject that is the selling off of Iceland’s nature.

I hereby challenge the government of Iceland to do everything in its power to revoke the contracts with Magma Energy that entitle the Canadian firm complete ownership of HS Orka. These are abhorrable deals, and they create a dangerous precedent for the future. They directly go against necessary and oft-repeated attempts to create a new policy in the energy- and resource management of this nation.

Warmly,

Björk Guðmundsdóttir

http://grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/Letter-From-Bjork-About-Magma-Energy

Áskorun !

marímó þanghnöttur sem er án kjarna en verður til úr þráðum sem greinast í sífellu og sameinast aftur við snúning kúlunnar á vatnsbotni

Eftirfarandi áskorun hefur síðustu daga verið send í pósthólf Ríkisstjórnar Íslands af ótalmörgum einstaklingum fyrir hönd Náttúrunnar og  Íslands:

Ég skora á Ríkisstjórn Íslands
að gera allt sem í hennar valdi stendur
til að rifta samningum um kaup
Magma Energy á HS orku.
Þetta eru forkastanlegir og fordæmisgefandi samningar,
sem brjóta í bága við brýna og ítrekaða viðleitni til að
skapa nýja stefnu
í orku- og auðlindamálum þjóðarinnar.

hér að neðan eru netföng stjórnarliða, fengin af vefsíðu Alþingis, en netfang Gylfa vantar. Orðið á götunni segir að nethólfin séu orðin full enda er mælirinn fullur fyrir alla þá sem bera hag lands og þjóðar og heims fyrir hjarta. svo mætti senda áskorunina á sveitastjórnarliða og alþingismenn og ýmsa þá sem kannski eru búnir að gleyma því að í lögunum stendur að auðlindir og orkunýting eigi að vera í höndum ríkisins.

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