Labor's carbon tax lie

[sails]

Julia, I do agree and think that Abbotts real test will be in the transition from opposition leader to PM.

I don't know if you remember Peter Beattie in opposition. He was much like Abbott and was persistently negative about everything. I was actually surprised how he was able to transition into a reasonably long serving Premier. Whether Abbott can do likewise, only time will tell.

If he really is out of his depth as we are seeing with Gillard, I would think he would be replaced.

 

[Logique]

I know Abbott isn't perfect, but honestly, who else in the coalition would have the fortitude to so relentlessly stand up against the unwanted policies of this government? I know he is powerless to stop legislation going through, but he has at least given the majority of Australians a voice.
Gillard can clearly be a nasty foe and I don't know how Abbott has put up with her screeching tirades in parliament as long as he has. He is accused of being negative, but Gillard can come across as very nasty and bitter and yet that is not spoken about too often.

Spot on Sailsy.

 

[sails]

Interesting that neither Canada nor the US have any intention of pricing carbon according to John Baird, Canada's Foreign Minister:

CHRIS UHLMANN:

Will there ever be an economy-wide carbon price or carbon tax in Canada?

JOHN BAIRD:

No…

CHRIS UHLMANN:

We are repeatedly told that carbon markets are expanding around the world. Is that your view of it?

JOHN BAIRD:

Certainly not in Canada or the United States.

Link to ABC 7:30 report video (Carbon pricing discussion is around the 4 min mark)

Thanks to Andrew Bolt for the above link.

 

[So_Cynical]

I know Abbott isn't perfect, but honestly, who else in the coalition would have the fortitude to so relentlessly stand up against the unwanted policies of this government? I know he is powerless to stop legislation going through, but he has at least given the majority of Australians a voice.

Funny stuff sails : Funny cos when he actually gets a chance to pass his own policy (off shore processing) he back flips and doesn't pass that either...yep great job 1 vote Tony is doing, considering he has actually only has influence over one thing and that was not passing his own policy.

Has anyone any idea about what is actual coalition policy? all the media reports is that he apposes everything and will repeal everything....hes policy platform seems to be about doing nothing other than repelling what the govt has done...the first govt in more than a decade to actually do anything positive.

 

[sails]

Funny stuff sails : Funny cos when he actually gets a chance to pass his own policy (off shore processing) he back flips and doesn't pass that either...yep great job 1 vote Tony is doing, considering he has actually only has influence over one thing and that was not passing his own policy.

Has anyone any idea about what is actual coalition policy? all the media reports is that he apposes everything and will repeal everything....hes policy platform seems to be about doing nothing other than repelling what the govt has done...the first govt in more than a decade to actually do anything positive.

So_Cynical - Abbott did agree to off shore processing provided the country was a signatory to the UNHCR. Whether or not he did it on compasionate grounds is not the issue. It was a reasonable request. It was Gillard who ultimately voted for on shore processing - and we know that because of the cabinet leaks. We also know that Bowen agreed with Abbott to go back to the proven system which is now a signatory to the UNHCR.

So, your trying to spin that lie won't work...

Abbott will release his policies when it suits him - I would think when an election is called. But until then he has the following going for him:

1. Repeal carbon tax
2. Re-instate the Pacific Solution
(those two thing alone would be a vote winner to anyone)
3. Abbott was part of a long serving coalition government. He has experience at governing which our current leader lacks. She never did the hard yards as being leader of the opposition.

So, although you clearly don't like Abbott or the coalition, this new labor have really done a good job of putting the majority of Australians off. Attacking Abbott ad nauseum doesn't remove the stench created by the debacles and the wasted spending we have witnessed in the last four years.

PS - thanks to Logique and Joea for more favourable comments to the same post...

 

[IFocus]

So_Cynical - Abbott did agree to off shore processing provided the country was a signatory to the UNHCR.

Nauru wasn't under Howard

Whether or not he did it on compasionate grounds is not the issue. It was a reasonable request. It was Gillard who ultimately voted for on shore processing - and we know that because of the cabinet leaks. We also know that Bowen agreed with Abbott to go back to the proven system which is now a signatory to the UNHCR.

Actually it was tied with agreeing to Abbott also accepting Malaysia

Abbott will release his policies when it suits him - I would think when an election is called. But until then he has the following going for him:

1. Repeal carbon tax
2. Re-instate the Pacific Solution
(those two thing alone would be a vote winner to anyone)
3. Abbott was part of a long serving coalition government. He has experience at governing which our current leader lacks. She never did the hard yards as being leader of the opposition.

( Abbott was second string and didn't really set the world on fire Howard mainly used him as an attach dog sound familiar?)

4. Repeal the mining tax (BHP is clearly not making enough)
5. Cut Gov jobs (currently same numbers as the 90's.)
6. Cut up to $70 bil in government services (it was Labor that raised the pension, Howard wouldn't don't expect Abbott to)

Supporting Abbott wont turn a sows ear into a silk purse.............

 

[So_Cynical]

So_Cynical - Abbott did agree to off shore processing provided the country was a signatory to the UNHCR. Whether or not he did it on compassionate grounds is not the issue.

Compassionate...you have got to be kidding Kenya is a signatory to the UN convention...perhaps the boat people could be sent there? i hear the starving Somalian refugees are being really well treated in Kenya.

The coalition had a choice to either pass the legislation or not, vote for offshore processing in the location chosen by the govt of the day, or not...they chose not to support there own policy.

its as simple as that.

 

[Julia]

Nauru wasn't under Howard

What? Of course it was. Phillip Ruddock was the minister at the time.

Compassionate...you have got to be kidding

Why do you so constantly try to twist what a poster has said?
Sails said that 'whether the opposition's stand was born out of compassion or not is not the issue here', so why are you trying to suggest that she has suggested it was?
So silly.

 

[moXJO]

Supporting Abbott wont turn a sows ear into a silk purse.............

Well their isn't a hope in hell of supporting labor. While I do support some of their policies they are just terrible at running things. This country is going backwards under labor in key areas of policy. And it has slide back to the 1980-early 90s labor stench.

The coalition had a choice to either pass the legislation or not, vote for offshore processing in the location chosen by the govt of the day, or not...they chose not to support there own policy.

its as simple as that.

It's as simple as labor changed the policy in the first place and botched that as well.

 

[noco]

What? Of course it was. Phillip Ruddock was the minister at the time.


Why do you so constantly try to twist what a poster has said?
Sails said that 'whether the opposition's stand was born out of compassion or not is not the issue here', so why are you trying to suggest that she has suggested it was?
So silly.

Julia, I think ifocus was refering to Nauru not being a signatory to the UN convention during Howard's term.
Nauru has just signed up this year.

 

[wayneL]

Why do you so constantly try to twist what a poster has said?
So silly.

Standard Fabian MO, the fine art of the straw man argument.

 

[dutchie]

Supporting Abbott wont turn a sows ear into a silk purse.............

But it will save the country from its current downward spiral!

 

[moXJO]

But it will save the country from its current downward spiral!

Amen to that, and while I'm at it Labor has also sold Australia’s prime farming land to overseas interests. Tony Windsor even sold his land to a mining company for an obscene profit. The carbon tax will see us lose money to overseas shams while supposedly we will sell to other countries (Umm where exactly will be bothered to buy so it will be profitable)
So Labors mantra is Sell out the actual assets and buy a lot of carbon credits wow great deal.
A lot of what Labor has done needs to be rolled back

 

[sptrawler]

I wonder how long it will be before the carbon tax forces Australia to embrace nuclear power?
It will be interesting when all our thermal coal is being exported and the choices left are pay stupid prices for renewable energy or adopt nuclear.
Then BOB will have a real issue on his hands, power generators saying, for example "we can give you nuclear at 0.20c/kw or renewable at 0.70c/kw".
I know which will win, it may end up a case of, be carefull what you wish for BOB.

 

[Julia]

Bob wouldn't have to even think about it, sp. He doesn't care what consumers have to pay for anything.

 

[Smurf1976]

I wonder how long it will be before the carbon tax forces Australia to embrace nuclear power?
It will be interesting when all our thermal coal is being exported and the choices left are pay stupid prices for renewable energy or adopt nuclear.
Then BOB will have a real issue on his hands, power generators saying, for example "we can give you nuclear at 0.20c/kw or renewable at 0.70c/kw".
I know which will win, it may end up a case of, be carefull what you wish for BOB.

Building a dam would be the ultimate irony...

As for coal being exported, there's a debate in NSW at the moment regarding a government-owned coal mine. In short, that's pretty much the only thing standing between export coal prices and NSW power stations. At some point, electricity is going to get rather expensive I think...

 

[sails]

From Greg Sheridan -

'Australia should pay a lot more attention to Canada, for no other economy is so similarly structured to ours'

International carbon trading halfway between fantasy and fraud

 

[Julia]

Ah, but Sails, Greg Sheridan is from the Hate Media so incapable of writing anything that actually makes sense.

If, in fact, some of our esteemed leaders did take note of some of what he says, we might start getting somewhere.

 

[sptrawler]

Building a dam would be the ultimate irony...

As for coal being exported, there's a debate in NSW at the moment regarding a government-owned coal mine. In short, that's pretty much the only thing standing between export coal prices and NSW power stations. At some point, electricity is going to get rather expensive I think...

Mate, the price of electricity is going to go balistic. The general public has no idea of the way the shutting down of coal fired stations is going to send electricity prices sky rocketing.

 

[Julia]

Mate, the price of electricity is going to go balistic. The general public has no idea of the way the shutting down of coal fired stations is going to send electricity prices sky rocketing.

Yes, we have.