[victorhooi]

Hmm, a typical one-sided rant that conveniently forgets to actually cite any sources.

Go watch the original video - it's freely available on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyAzxmN2s0w

I watched it, and he seems to be basically saying that water should have a value or price. And that for those who don't have access to it, we need to take steps to address that.

I don't see anything controversial about that - fresh water isn't free and it damn as hell is a limited resource. We in our comfortable Western lifestyles definitely use too much of it, so I'm not sure why it shouldn't have a price.

Nowhere in that video does he claim we should somehow go into random third world countries and steal their water - which is what this meme somehow seems to have transformed into.

Anyway, if you want to read the other side (obviously from their perspective):

http://www.nestle.com/aboutus/ask-nestle/answers/nestle-chai...

[adam-a]

I think the part people take issue with is the idea that water supplies should be privatised. In the video you linked he says that "declaring water as a public right [...] that's an extreme solution". He doesn't say we should steal 3rd world contries' water, but he is clearly in favour of the water supply becoming property of a multi-national like Nestle, rather than managed by the government (i.e. property of the people).

From the Nestle website you linked and subsequent articles and interviews Brabeck seems to have backtracked and now states he believes a minimum amount of water is a human right. He still wants water privatisation though, and must have his shareholders first in mind as CEO of Nestle, not public interest.