Mr Bond takes on “Futureye”

STT is not only a keen consumer and user of language – we have been on the lookout for abuses such as Climate Spectator’s claim that the wind is no longer “intermittent”.

STT also loves to get behind the tactics used by wind weasels and the parasites that support them.

In our post “RATCH – get your hands off our pumpkin patch – Part 2” we included an email from Nick Valentine – one of Thai outfit, RATCH’s “ambassadors” who is paid to “win hearts and minds” at Collector in NSW.

In his email – which fell straight out of the wind industry playbook – Mr Valentine attempted to set up a one-on-one meeting with Lizzy Granger so that he could “discuss Lizzy’s concerns”.

In that post we gave the goon’s favourite term – “concerns” – a fair workout – noting that “concerns” are what little old ladies have for the safety of their pet cat, “Tiddles” when he has managed to get himself stuck in a tree.

In one of our recent posts about the skulduggery taking place on King Island we reported on the “ambassador” Tasmanian Hydro has plonked on the island – no doubt for the purposes of dealing with the very serious “concerns” raised by Islanders there.

We predicted – with some confidence and not without foundation – that Tasmanian Hydro’s ambassador will offer to meet Islanders one-on-one in their homes over cups of tea.

Where, with soothing words, they’ll be told that the noise from turbines will meet the toughest standards in the world; they’ll be told about the hundreds of jobs that will come to the Island (never mind that the crane drivers will all be Irish and the rest will be seasoned Transfield workers from the Mainland); that they will buy them a new fire truck, new footy jumpers and otherwise promise them the earth.

We also predict that their ambassador is highly unlikely to front a group tooled up with information about the greatest fraud in Australian history; and ready to pump him about just who pays for their homes when they can no longer live in them; or for their farms and dairies when they can no longer work them.

Well, it seems that a number of the leading wind weasels have enlisted the support of a shadowy group called “Futureye”.

Our top man at MI6 previously neutralised a Russian outfit running a system called “Goldeneye”, so we contacted M to investigate this latest threat to British democracy.

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After a brief detour through the Caribbean and Paris, Bond was closing in fast on the scent.

His first clues came from a laptop found on the Paris Metro – which showed Futureye’s connections with Acciona, Pacific Hydro, Union Fenosa, Hydro Tasmania and, of course, the Clean Energy Council.

Bond, frustrated the laptop wouldn’t reveal its innermost secrets about just what Futureye is up to took the machine to Q – who managed to crack the code in an instant.

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The data spewed forth like lava from a volcano.

Futureye was set up to help organisations earn a “social licence” to operate that resolves existing conflicts and averts future issues.  It works with organisations to engage with stakeholders and communities to improve their social performance and communicate with the public in a way that enhances their reputation and protects their operations from political and regulatory risks well into the future.

Q observed that earning “a social licence” apparently means not only understanding “outrage” but actively suppressing it.

Bond – a frequent subject of psychological torture – grew uneasy at what the files revealed next.

The techniques employed by Futureye when it “deals” with outrage are very different to those used in traditional public relations.  Shadowy stuff, indeed.

Futureye’s manifesto says that businesses:

“need to understand the concerns of the community and address any underlying issues that have the potential to fuel outrage in the future.  A large part of outrage mitigation is therefore about listening and acknowledging the views of a small group of highly involved stakeholders.”

Bond noted the code word “concerns” but his interest still wasn’t sated – this told him what they do but not how they do it – in the cloak and dagger world occupied by the enemies of British democracy – how the crime is committed, is just as important as why.

Q dug deeper to learn that:

“a large part of outrage management is about listening and acknowledging the concerns of the community to calm any anger surrounding an issue and enable a more rational discussion about the facts to take place.  Outrage management achieves this by putting aside the technical components of an issue until the emotional sides of it have been addressed.”

Bond was just a little unnerved at the mention of – “outrage management”.

What are these people up to?  Is there some kind of electronic mind scrambler involved?

Bond reminded himself of the way his former Russian adversaries used chemicals to bring about the desired mental responses from an outraged British agent – sometimes with horrific side-effects.  Or do they simply attack the family jewels?  007 shuddered at the thought.

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The last file took Q just a little longer to open but was the revelation that – for Bond – made perfect sense.

The reason the likes of Pac Hydro, Acciona, Hydro Tasmania and the Clean Energy Council have joined forces with Futureye is that when:

“businesses or industries find themselves besieged by outrage, they become vulnerable to political and regulatory forces.  Control over their future is ripped straight from their hands and placed squarely in those of politicians and regulators forced to respond to the public’s concerns.”

Heaven forbid – politicians might respond directly to the outrage of those that vote them in and out of office.  To Bond – Futureye’s mission is clear – it’s been set up to prevent democracy from occurring at all costs.

Bond had more than enough to go on – so faster than you can say “Qantas” – he was on his way to Cape Bridgewater where a local agent had spotted Futureye’s operatives tailing locals there – locals who have been more than just a little “outraged” by Pac Hydro’s wind farm since it started operating in 2008.

When 007 arrived he found that Futureye’s top people had been sent in – but they made damn sure they were never seen in the same place as their Pac Hydro masters.  A sensible ploy to avoid being associated with those truly responsible for local outrage – Bond thought – clever, indeed.

Futureye’s operatives were hard at it – using all of their considerable espionage skills.

Skills – like making sure that they only meet people where they are most vulnerable – in the kitchens and living rooms of their homes – and forcing their subjects to brew tea and break out the Tim Tams – usually reserved for truly special guests.  Badgering victims to act hospitably to their interrogators was a clever twist Bond had never seen before in all his years as an agent in her Majesty’s Secret Service.

From a surveillance point nearby, Bond saw that Futureye had pulled in a few of Cape Bridgewater’s “serial complainers” for questioning – a tense psychological game of cat and mouse followed.

Futureye’s agents pressed and pressed until the locals blurted out their “concerns”.

For almost 5 years they have been belted constantly by incessant low frequency turbine noise, air and ground borne vibration and enormous blade generated air pressure variations which together cause head and ear pressure sensations, sleep deprivation and other recognised adverse health effects.

Their homes are practically unliveable but they do not have the financial resources to move – and if they were to sell their homes they will suffer capital losses in the order of 40% of the pre-wind farm value of their properties.  Dark times, indeed.

Bond cross-referenced the stories told by the subjects of Futureye’s interrogations with MI6 files located here, here and here.

And what makes their outrage even more palpable is that all of this continues under the nose of the Victorian Planning Minister – code name “Guy” – who has never provided a certificate of compliance to Pac Hydro.

Bond – not afraid to employ whatever method is required – was uncharacteristically incensed that Pac Hydro – like its Spanish counterpart, Acciona – has been collecting millions of dollars worth of RECs – notwithstanding that its Cape Bridgewater operation is in breach of its planning consent and has been for well over 4 years.

007 – realising by this stage he was well out of his depth – reported in to M about the sinister dealings taking place Downunder.

Never one to rest – M – immediately put 2 of her best anti-wind scam agents on the case – Madigan (code name “Ballarat”) and Schultz (code name “Hume”).

Ballarat and Hume have already cracked the REC fraud code used by the Spaniards at Waubra – they should have no trouble pulling the union super funded Pac Hydro to heel.

With Futureye’s plans to subvert the course of Australian democracy exposed, the future of the Commonwealth is now assured.  But it was, as they say, a “close run thing”.

Her Majesty and her Australian subjects say: “Thank you, Mr Bond”.