Home » AGW and climate change (Page 4)
Category Archives: AGW and climate change
In the internet age, a time when there are effectively no media islands any more
They say that patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels and I can’t help thinking that political “conventions” about how you talk about your predecessors in overseas media and forums are one of the great hiding places for ineptitude that the labor party and its facilitators are trying their darnedest to invoke in a rather shabby attempt to ignore their own repeated and egregious policy failures both domestically and internationally. Take the criticism of Tony Abbott for his robust characterisations of the previous Labor administrations as “whacko”:
During your campaign you called for a repeal of the carbon tax imposed by the Labor Party. Why are you against this tax?
The carbon tax is bad for the economy and it doesn’t do any good for the environment. Despite a carbon tax of $37 a ton by 2020, Australia’s domestic emissions were going up, not down. The carbon tax was basically socialism masquerading as environmentalism, and that’s why it’s going to get abolished.
It will be abolished this year?
As soon as possible. If the Labor Party wants to give the people of Australia a Christmas present, they will vote to abolish the carbon tax. It was damaging the economy without helping the environment. It was a stupid tax. A misconceived tax.
You said in your victory speech that Australia is once again open for business. Does that mean you believe that the previous government was unfriendly to businesses?
I said Australia is under new management and is once again open for business. The previous government would often say the right thing but it would invariably do the wrong thing when it came to business. There was an explosion in red tape and green tape. There was a whole thicket of new restrictions in the labor market. There were big new taxes. It was a government which thought that there was no problem that more public servants, higher taxes and further regulation couldn’t fix.
So you’re reversing that?
We will do our damnedest to shrink the public service and have a bonfire of red tape and unnecessary taxes.
{…}
Labor wanted a national broadband network?
It’s a government-owned telecommunications infrastructure monopoly, which was proceeding at a scandalous rate without producing any commensurate outcomes. We are changing the objective from fiber to every premise in the country to fiber to distribution points, and then we will use the existing infrastructure to take the broadband to individual premises.
Is that cheaper and more efficient?
Vastly.
But Labor wanted to extend fiber to every household?
Welcome to the wonderful, wacko world of the former government.
So you believe the former government was doing a lot of things that were bad for the country?
I thought it was the most incompetent and untrustworthy government in modern Australian history.
Be more specific.
They made a whole lot of commitments, which they scandalously failed to honor. They did a lot of things that were scandalously wasteful and the actual conduct of government was a circus. They were untrustworthy in terms of the carbon tax. They were incompetent in terms of the national broadband network. They were a scandal when it came to their own internal disunity. They made a whole lot of grubby deals in order to try and perpetuate themselves in power. It was an embarrassing spectacle, and I think Australians are relieved they are gone.
Of course according to the Age this constitutes a terrible affront to the conventions of international diplomacy and their headline suggests that this interview is a terrible assault on the standing of our country but I can’t help but think that the Luvvies just have no ability to appreciate the importance of frankness and honesty when it comes to the way that our nation will be appreciated on the international stage, further we live in the internet age, a time when there are effectively no media islands any more. No discreet little places where the news and politics of a country can be hidden away from global scrutiny and while I can appreciate the desire not to see our dirty laundry aired in public its not as if we can (or should) hide the simple fact that the previous government was utterly incompetent in most areas of its remit. So there really is no reason or excuse for a lack of frankness when it comes to any international media interviews by the current government ministers or by our Prime minister. The ability for anyone anywhere on the planet to find out just what has been said domestically by our political players means the more important consideration should be that they produce a message that is consistent both domestically and globally. Tony Abbott has done precisely that in this interview. and I for one think that he should be celebrated for his candour rather than being admonished for it by the Luvvies at the Age who are hoping that Labor’s incompetence can be swiftly forgotten. Sadly for them I think that it will be remembered for a very long time and will keep the Labor party where they so deserve to be, in the in the dry and desert like political wilderness, after-all, sinners need to become accustomed to the environment where their souls will reside for (nearly) eternity…
Cheers Comrades
Related articles
- Aussie PM: carbon tax is ‘socialism’ (dailycaller.com)
- Wacko the Diddle O – Mr. Abbott Speaks to Washington (and rants about the previous government) (ausopinion.com)
- Australian gov’t faces carbon tax backlash at poll (bigstory.ap.org)
- New Aussie Prime Minister Calls Carbon Tax “Socialism” (antzinpantz.wordpress.com)
- Australia’s new gov’t vows to scrap carbon tax (bigstory.ap.org)
- Tony Abbott to reveal draft legislation to repeal carbon tax this afternoon (abc.net.au)
- Australian Parliament to Vote on Carbon Tax Bills (abcnews.go.com)
- PM’s direct action on climate draws sceptics (smh.com.au)
- PM calls on Shorten to axe carbon tax (theage.com.au)
The winds of change, or Flannery’s flim flam to be “cloud funded”
According to media reports the abolition of the Climate commission will save the long suffering people about half a million bucks a year, almost chump change in the greater scheme of things but how it has upset the AGW luvvies, with many of them getting upset that the government should do precisely what they promised on the campaign trail would be right up there with getting new stationary by abolishing this useless quango. Some one should explain to the luvvies that if the Australian people want to find out about the subject they can do the same as everyone else and just use the internet. Because its always been the case that the likes of Flannery et al have NEVER produced a single instance of unique research all that they have ever done is to rehash the many papers and pseudo-scientific claims of impending doom as if they are some sort of holy writ. The fact that Flannery now claims that he and his fellow Profits of the Green religion are now going to carry on their “work” while begging for public support should make for an amusing aside to discussions of the topic. I just can’t help wondering if the AGW luvvies will dig deep enough to make up for Flannery’s now absent 180 grand a year stipend or if the cold hard reality of them having to spend their own money (rather than that of the taxpayer) is in action.
While we are on the subject of the internet who has not noticed that Malcolm Turnbull has got the NBN board to all fall on their swords? It both delights me to see the nincompoops who have done such a crappy job on Labor’s signature high-tech infrastructure project fired and to see that we now have a the prospect of the very necessary upgrading of our internet services in the hands of a minister who understands how to run something properly and that we may just have in prospect a change in the debate from the flights of of fantasy about what a warp drive will do on the electric super highway to what has to be done to properly deliver on the promise.
Cheers Comrades
Related articles
- Tim Flannery to relaunch scrapped Climate Commission as community-funded body (abc.net.au)
- Backers breathe life into axed climate body (theage.com.au)
- Tim Flannery sacked as Climate Commission is disbanded (sbs.com.au)
- New climate think tank backed (smh.com.au)
- Climateer Tim Flannery sacked in Oz (wattsupwiththat.com)
- Taking away the Climate Change gravy train (iainhall.wordpress.com)
- Axed Climate Commission to be resurrected as Climate Council (theguardian.com)
- Malcolm Turnbull asks NBN Co board to resign after cost blowouts and delays (abc.net.au)
Taking away the Climate Change gravy train
In a statement Mr Hunt confirmed that he had dissolved the commission.
“As part of the Coalition’s plans to streamline government processes and avoid duplication of services, the commission’s function to provide independent advice and analysis on climate change will be continued by the Department of the Environment,” he said.
“I would like to recognise the efforts of the Climate Commission in providing information on climate change to the Australian public and thank all the commissioners for their work.
“This decision will save the budget $580,000 in 2013-14 and an annual funding of up to $1.6 million in future years.”
A spokeswoman for Mr Hunt said he had also approved a brief to begin drafting a bill to repeal the separate Climate Change Authority as part of the Coalition’s broader efforts to remove the carbon price.
>click for source
If ever you wanted to define a partisan quango the climate commission would be the perfect exemplar populated only by the most devout followers of the apocalyptic green faith it has not once told us anything of value that was not already widely circulated in the media. when it comes to feather bedding this is one of the worst examples you can conceive of. That is the thing though that the Luvvies who read the Age et al do not seem able to get their heads around, because even if you believe in anthropomorphic climate change you can still applaud this saving of money spent on an organisation that does absolutely NOTHING to solve the problem (assuming that the problem is real).
While it is fair enough to feel some empathy for the followers of the faith (like our sometimes commentator Damian Doyle AKA “toaf”) who will now be searching for alternative employment its hard for me not to think that maybe if they had been doing something more socially useful in the first place then they would not now be putting Centerlink on their speed dial list.
Cheers Comrades
Making the right moves
One thing that delights me about the incoming Abbott government is the way that they are hitting the ground running on abolishing the Green inspired climate change bureaucracy:
The Climate Change Authority, which sets emissions caps, the Climate Commission, which has conducted research into climate change, and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, which funds renewable technologies, are all slated to be abolished under the plans.
Treasury has responsibility for Low Carbon Australia and the CEFC, while the Industry Department has control over a range of clean technology programs. The Department of Agriculture runs a series of carbon farming programs, while the Department of Families runs household assistance packages, home energy savings programs and the remote indigenous energy program.
Under the Coalition, Low Carbon Australia will be responsible for purchasing emissions reductions under the Coalition’s direct action program.
“What we’ve said is we will commence the merger as soon as the process of appointing the ministry and swearing in the ministry has been complete,” Mr Hunt told the 2GB radio station in Sydney yesterday. “To be frank, during the course of the pre-election period, when we were allowed to consult with departments, we laid out the fact that there would be a merger. “We were express and clear and absolute about that, and we indicated we would like it to begin right from the outset. I imagine that the public servants are preparing to do that. Our agenda was clear and open and that is an official process we’ll go through as soon as possible.”
The moves came as Tony Abbott continued briefings with senior public servants, including the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Ian Watt, as he continued his transition-to-government plans.
The CEFC confirmed yesterday it had stopped making loans for energy efficiency and clean energy programs. Staff at the $10 billion green bank are seeking a meeting with the incoming Abbott government as a top priority.
“The CEFC congratulates the new government upon its election and will welcome the opportunity to consult with the incoming responsible ministers,” the bank’s chief executive Oliver Yates said. “The CEFC has approached the Coalition to engage in consultations about the transition and looks forward to engaging with the new government concerning how its activities can best be supportive of their policy priorities under Direct Action.”
The Coalition will need to legislate to abolish the CEFC, which has amassed a $560m investment portfolio and leveraged $1.6bn in private sector investment. But the bank is understood to be lobbying a Coalition government to utilise its staff and assets as part of its Direct Action scheme, and change its investment mandate so it could work within the framework of the Coalition’s policy.
Of course I can’t help wondering what a certain apologist for Islam who used to come here on a regular basis will do now… that said although the Abbott government needs to legislate to abolish the greentape infrastructure there is no reason that the government can’t stop them doing anything of substance in the interregnum which is almost as good in real world terms.
Cheers Comrades
Related articles
- Coalition starts axing Australia’s carbon-bureaucrat-machinery (joannenova.com.au)
- Australia Kills The Carbon Tax: Australia Liberated From Their Long National Green Nightmare! (politicalvelcraft.org)
- Hunt says no new loans from CEFC – ‘giant green hedge fund’ (reneweconomy.com.au)
- Climate change: Tony Abbott says Direct Action needs no modelling (theguardian.com)
- Election 2013: Direct Action revealed – Green Army and a solar panel (reneweconomy.com.au)
Happy days are here again…
In the wake of the election, Labor and the Greens have sharpened objections to the repeal of the carbon tax, despite the risk it would trigger a double-dissolution election to resolve the impasse.
Labor deputy leader Anthony Albanese and fellow future leadership contender Bill Shorten toughened their stand against a repeal of the scheme; Greens leader Christine Milne also rejected the change, making it clear the Coalition could not get its way in the Senate.
click for source
My businessman brother was chiding me this morning for not posting about the stunning victory of the Tony Abbott led LNP this morning but I have been just stepping back and enjoying the way that others have been reacting to the game changing result. From Ray focusing on the real possibility that Sophie Mirrabella may lose her seat of Indi to the despair of the far left zombies like the Taylors at a certain dishevelled electronic Cafe and the pretentious and wilfully obscure pseudo intellectualism of Lavatus Prodeo its all been a bit of a hoot to be honest. I am also very well aware that with the change of government to one that I broadly endorse a political blog like this one faces new challenges. Many readers may now be expecting me to defend the government and the way that it prosecutes its policies. I certainly will defend the policies that I believe in but you won’t find me defending anything that I disagree with just because its something done by “my team” I don’t roll that way. To be entirely Francis I think that we are in for a rather politically boring couple of years and as such there will be far less political stories for me to write about.
As some readers may have noticed I do have interests other than Australian politics so I expect to write a bit more about those topics when the mood takes me I am also hoping that I can make some good progress on my Morris Eight project (depending on my heath issues 😦 ) popular culture topics will feature a bit more and I want to look at some more domestic life issues too. That said I think that you never know just how the issues will present themselves but if you want to keep up with the Sandpit then please subscribe to the blog for email updates.
Anyway I offer this vid for your viewing pleasure:
That all said I am not the only one who writes for this blog and I very much look forward to the other authors here contributing to the debate about the future of our country even when I disagree with their arguments. You see political discussion is not so much about the destination, which is always a moving feast, as much as it is about the journey and the conversations that we have along the way.
Cheers Comrades
For the benifit of the despairing left
Related articles
- ‘Tony Time’ euphoria for Abbott backers (bbc.co.uk)
- Tony Abbott’s key policies face rough ride in the Senate (theguardian.com)
- Tony Abbott opposed eco-taxes, hate crime laws and gay marriage – and won a landslide (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
- Conservative Christian Tony Abbott wins majority in Australia (winteryknight.wordpress.com)
Bling and a wheeled fat-man’s coffin
Here at Chez Hall I hobble around and try to make the things that I can’t afford to buy and one of my long term projects has been to refurbish/rebuild my trailer. Find below some pictures of the project which I have felt moved to finish recently because I need it to pick up some parts for the Morris. The final result does look rather funereal, in fact I make jokes about it being a fat-man’s coffin.
How is this Mascot for a bit of bling on the Morris? $45 on ebay
I have been building my trailer for a while now and mainly it has been languishing unfinished behind the shed
The point of the exercise was to make something that was light weight and totally recycled, in fact the only thing that is new on this project is a few fasteners and some welding supplies .I will be fitting the lights today and they are all sourced from a motorcycle
The steel came from here and there , some courtesy of my brother’s scrap heap , the skin was from a couple of steel doors . The guards are from an old ford tyre ,the axle and springs from the back of a Barina , The Jockey wheel came from the recycling shed at my local tip . the floor is a sheet of form ply from a ute -load of the stuff that I was given by a friend. There are eight trunk handles that I have had in the cupboard for the last decade that will provide tie down points to secure any load,
Cheers Comrades
“How Abbott Must Recast Coalition Climate Policy”
Thanks to Jennifer Marohasy for her review of Bob Carter’s new book that appears to be making the same arguments that I have been making here at the Sandpit for years (CLICK FOR SOURCE)
A worthy read at Jennifer Marohasy’s blog of a book by Bob Carter that seems to be speaking good sense.
Cheers Comrades
Careful what you wish for, because you may well be unlucky enough to get your wish
To the Labor True Believers the resurrection of Brother Number One is their last and only chance to0 have some hope that all is not all lost, Heck I’ve even had one of them tell me that Labor can win and boy did I have a giggle about that. As has been predicted by others with in the Labor party the visceral hatred of Brother Number One is the reason that experienced ministers are refusing to serve in any ministry in a government led by Brother Number One. As today’s Age tells us:
An hour before Mr Rudd’s lunchtime media conference on Friday, discussions were still being held with former communications minister Stephen Conroy about rejoining the team.
The ministry was not announced at that time and Mr Rudd is still trying to coax Senator Conroy to serve in his cabinet.
Mr Rudd also wanted Mr Combet in his cabinet, but Mr Combet issued a statement on Saturday saying he would not re-contest his federal seat of Charlton.
‘‘My reasons are personal and are not attributable to the change in the leadership of the Labor Party this week, although this has provided a catalyst for my decision,” he said.
A Labor source close to the ministerial negotiations said the Prime Minister had found it “extremely difficult” to fill his frontbench and the wider ministry.
“It has been a mess,” the source said.
“He’s had a knock-back or two; let’s put it that way. The talent pool has shrunk, and those who are left don’t all want to work with Kevin.”
Another senior Labor operative said: “You have had resignations and retirements. That is before you get to balancing representations in the ministry across the states, the factions and genders.
“And then there’s the rewarding of supporters. But it hasn’t gone to plan.”
One Labor MP said emotions were still high following Wednesday’s axing of Ms Gillard, which was another factor leading to complications in forming the new ministry.
“It’s pretty raw right now,” the MP said. “The consensus is that we did the right thing in going back to Kevin, but so many of us are feeling quite low about how it all happened.
“Not everyone wants a ministry when we’re so close to an election and we’re worried about our own seats.”
The Prime Minister’s office offered no comment.
What good is it to win the leadership if all that you can put together as your ministry is the “Z” team I look forward to a ministry that is full of political nobodies and back bench seat warmers.I love the fact that no one wants the immigration chalice that Brother Number One personally poisoned 2007. Combet’s resignation makes it eight ministers who have pulled the pin on their political careers . Its high face about a party that has been laid low by the ineptitude of is current and previous leaders. If the Bard was still writing his plays I can’t help thinking that he would make the events of federal politics into a cracking comedy.
Cheers Comrades
Iain Hall's SANDPIT 