New – The Green Book website
Recent comments
- Donald Holdsworth on DRAFT COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN
- Christine Hanrahan on Loss of Heritage Sandstone kerbs
- Juanita Mosterd on 2 Vernon Street saved from demolition
- Glenys Brown on Hunters Hill gardens open for inspection
Links
- Australian Conservation Foundation
- Australian Heritage Photographic Database
- Bushland and biodiversity
- Discover Hunters Hill
- Environment Defenders Office (NSW)
- Gladesville Community
- Glebe Society
- Green Book
- Habitat Network
- Historical photographic collection Ryde Library
- Hunters Hill Bushcare Volunteers
- Hunters Hill Council
- Hunters Hill Historical Society
- Lane Cove Bushland and Conservation Society
- National Trust of Australia
- Nature Conservation Council NSW
- Ryde Hunters Hill Flora & Fauna Preservation Society
- Sydney Living Museums
Demolishing the demolishers
‘Self appointed heritage expert, Michael Pascoe, is clearly an avatar of that old-time religion of the 1950s – Progress.
Progress is the religion of property developers, miners, laissez-faire capitalists, billionaires and, until recently, our government, under Tony Abbott and his Team of anachronistic fundamentalists.
Progress, in a jihad against society, urges its adherents to pay no heed to environmental law (e.g. Heritage legislation) and to bulldoze their way through the world to make a quid. They are encouraged to destroy the character of existing suburbs and are praised for digging up prime agricultural land and depleting ground water reserves. They keep their eyes tight shut the negative impacts of their endeavours. Blind also to hypocrisy, the high priests of Progress live in mega mansions with harbour views, swimming pools, multi-car garages and air-conditioning in every room.
The favourite TV show of Progressives is The Block. In this “reality” game-show, teams compete to spend money on renovating houses and units for resale. The winner is the team that makes the most profit on the sale. This nicely reinforces a basic tenet of Progress, that a person’s home is nothing more than a commodity to be sold for profit when the market is right.
As well, by imposing a kitsch, fashion-magazine orthodoxy on what is considered “taste”, The Block works to destroy the heretical idea that a dwelling might be inhabited by people with a world view that bears no relation to fashion or the market value of the things they choose to surround themselves with.
These people are the enemies of Progress‘s caliphate. They are heretics or, as branded by Michael Pascoe, NIMBYs.’
SMH November 4, 2015