ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
One of the nation’s greatest drought minds has weighed into the ongoing crisis in Venice that’s seen the city’s iconic canals dry up due to a lack of snowmelt and rainfall.
The unsinkable Barnaby Joyce told Sydney radio this morning that people shouldn’t be too quick to blame the Italian cotton industry.
“Just because the rivers have gone bone dry doesn’t mean those in the nice suburbs of Venice and cool apartments dwellers of the Lido need to start pointing the finger at the irrigators up stream,” said Joyce.
“The people of Venice, well you know it’s actually called Venezia? Bet you didn’t know that but plenty of listeners did. Anyway, the people of Venezia need to understand that the environment actually works in large systems. I bet that this is not the first time that the canals have dried up in Venezia. Venezia. Just rolls off the tongue better than Venice, doesn’t it?”
“It makes for a sensational front page. It makes for sensational filler content for braid-dead television like The Project or whatever that dreadful show on the ABC is that comes on before the news. That’s proper bad, I can’t even watch 5 minutes of it,”
“Back to Venezia for a second, I’m sure there will be flooding rains there soon and the tourist will be walking on duckboards through St Marks Square once again. When they do, you come find me.”
Mr Joyce was then quizzed on Sun Cable entering administration, which was the original question he was asked before decided to share his opinion on the Venetian drought crisis.
More to come.
