Comments on: Rudd’s ETS backdown is about controlling the debate

By: Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:47:05 +0000

Expediency and power at all costs steer Governments who make what I call ambit election promises such as the ETS whereby near-enough outcomes represent ‘well atleast we tried’. While the workforce for the polluters reside mainly in Labor’s heartlands Rudd will avoid delivering his ETS promise to keep his Party’s grass roots support. It’s why Malcolm can’t get rid of his dead wood.

By: Florence Howarth

Florence Howarth — Tue, 05 May 2009 08:30:52 +0000

Peter I could not agree with you more. The industry that is being protected has over the centuries cause more pollution and deaths than any other I can think of. I believe you it would not be able to establish the coal industry , like the tobacco industry today. The numbers employed in this terrible polluting industry are small, due to modern mechanism. They would be replaced by employment in cleaner options, the same way that the horse industry at the beginning of the last century.

By: Peter Bayley

Peter Bayley — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:13:04 +0000

I understand Kevin not wanting to upset the business community - but unfortunately, his ear is being bent by the wrong business community. The Coal industry is the equivalent of the Horse Transport industry at the turn of last century. I am sure there were government handouts to horse breeders and calls to protect the jobs of the nation’s farriers - all to no avail - the car overcame. Coal as a substance you burn to produce power is on the way out and spending money on supporting it is ultimately money down the drain. The “jobs” bleat is also a cop out - very few people actually work in the coal extraction industry.

The business community he should be listening to doesn’t have a voice or an effective lobby yet. It’s the business of sustainable energy generation and it seems puny and “alternative” now - but just watch how fast the rest of the world takes to it. Before you can blink there will be clean power everywhere, with many jobs created (although few in Australia) - and the coal industry won’t be able to give the stuff away.

I really thought Kevin was a leader and brave - he’s neither - he’s a mandarin and a percentage player - cunning but ultimately second-tier. He’ll regret his indecision within 12 months.

By: Richard McGuire

Richard McGuire — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:42:25 +0000

Made it ! Despite the efforts of Crikey’s new “user friendly” format.

Some things though haven’t changed, including Bernard Keane’s incessant carping against the government and its latest attempt to come to grips with the ETS.

Gough Whitlam once said “only the impotent are pure.” In the name of purity, apparently Bernard and the Greens would prefer to see Australia rock up to Copenhagen with nothing to put on the table. Fact is the Greens proposal for an unconditional cut of 25% in emissions by 2020 regardless of what comes out of Copenhagen, while being noble, is ‘politically untenable.’

And fancy quoting Greg Hunt ? This is from the mob who wouldn’t even ratify the Kyoto Protocol. As for all the handouts to the polluters, did Bernard catch Andrew Robb, on Radio National this morning, pleading on behalf of the Woodside’s and the Mineral Council.

The problem for the opposition is not simply about what form an ETS takes. It is about dragging a significant section of its membership both Liberal and National kicking and screaming to a position where they accept anthropogenic climate change is real and needs to be dealt with.

By: Venise Alstergren

Venise Alstergren — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:19:12 +0000

PS: Kevin you have done in eighteen months what it took John Howard to achieve in eleven years.

By: Venise Alstergren

Venise Alstergren — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:17:11 +0000

The more words thrown at the ETS by the government, the surer it is that the voter is being taken for a very big ride. Very, very big.
I’m curious. If I was to go to a public park/garden and chop down all the trees in order to build a gigantic bonfire, before leading two circus elephants onto the scene in order to piss on the flames, followed by my hiring a bulldozer to flatten whats left of the park/garden: What would happen to me? Precisely: big polluters do this sort of thing all the time, on a much larger scale-they would just bomb the site for three ozs of lead-and guess what? The government not only turns two blind eyes on the scene, but they pay the bastards for doing it.

Didn’t Thomas Paine write a book called “The Rights of Man”? We have none. Sorry Tom, it took us until the twenty-first century as an ideal. Now you’ve become a quaint curiosity. That’s progress.

Then last night the whole thing was presented as a clever political ploy to force Malcolm Turnbull into voting against it in the senate, giving the government the chance to call a double dissolution before going to the electorate by the end of the year, for a general election.

How uncool is that?

By: Michael Tatas

Michael Tatas — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:37:10 +0000

I thought the ETS was about reducing pollution or something or other?

Oh thats right, this is “Kevin Rudds ETS”, which is about the APPEARANCE of reducing pollution.

Sorry, i must’ve been thinking about something else.

By: Jonathan Nicholls

Jonathan Nicholls — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:45:45 +0000

I think Barnaby gave us a clue (on Q&A) as to the goal of many of those whinging while getting free permits and off sets. For Barnaby and Co. its about protecting coal exports. That is wrecking an effective global response that threatens coal assests.

By: Graeme Lewis

Graeme Lewis — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:29:58 +0000

If it walks like a duck, flies like a duck, quacks like a duck - it is a duck.

Both this Govt and its ETS plan fit the bill - and another word that rhymes with “duck.” If this back-down is nothing more than a plan to wedge the opposition and cross-bench parties, then it is a total condemnation of how Rudd the dud thinks he can run our previously great nation.

When will Rudd ever take a hard decision! Sending out cheques, saying sorry (to whom) signing that meaningless Kyoto - all easy to do. Do something difficult - and smart, please Mr Rudd.