Choking a nation
Piers Akerman – Monday, July 11, 11 (06:31 am)
Not since the notorious Loans Affair contributed to the Whitlam’s government’s timely downfall has there been a fraud attempted on the scale of Julia Gillard’s great carbon tax con.
Mon 11 Jul 11 (04:37pm)
A former student of mine wrote
“i honestly feel like a victim, like being in a nightmare and watching all this bad stuff happen yet not be able to intervene. Like watching vikings rape and plunder and being frozen. All this chaos & destruction around and feeling helpless as there is no one who can help you.”
They run a small business in Canberra, a patisserie. But I am sure their concern is not solely for their business, they have a young family too.
My reply ”
I have lived through this before. You will survive it. Sometimes it sounds sarcastic to say this is what makes Australia Great. It will become an object lesson in the future. We need to resist it, but we can do that without losing our heads.”
Thank you Piers for being a leading light in the resistance.
Who to trust on climate change - Gillard or Abbott?
Piers Akerman – Saturday, July 09, 11 (08:33 pm)
JULIA Gillard’s carbon dioxide tax makes absolutely no sense at any level, political, economic or environmental.
It is as thoroughly illegitimate as the Gillard government’s own blatantly false claim that it has a mandate to implement it.
Sun 10 Jul 11 (02:38pm)
What will be put in place next year will be very difficult to get rid of. It will damage our economy for no gain. Maybe watching tv and participating in the debate by saying how you disagree is more valuable than ordinary amusements?
Sun 10 Jul 11 (05:38pm)
Margie,
What I don’t understand is why Mr Abbott has a Climate Change policy if he doesn’t believe in it. Weird. Based on the Tele responses most people don’t believe in it either, so why do both Abbott and the Gov have a policy??
Sun 10 Jul 11 (11:21pm)
More, the reason why the Liberals have an environmental policy because people want one. Because of the concerns Global Warming is a fraud they developed a policy which is nonetheless worthwhile. It would reduce our reliance on co2 production using reliable safe nuclear energy. It also involves planting trees etc.
Sun 10 Jul 11 (02:44pm)
We cannot undo the damage done, but we can move forward. We must even spend a little more than we might have in moving forward. One thing we might do is called the Bradfield Scheme. We shouldn’t put that off because of money issues today. It can secure our future.
But what we shouldn’t do is accept this ridiculous tax, or the NBN.
Or think about it this way: In a non election year in which the deficit is $50 billion and the government has promised a surplus in two years, the government needs a source of revenue which will achieve it. That means no compensation for the poor. That means each dollar for the UN must mean another dollar for the surplus and another to keep the creditors happy. It also means the government is lying now about its plans. I note that when the government claimed it made a mistake in saying the tax would not happen, it had already drawn up plans to execute it.
Sat 09 Jul 11 (10:30pm)
Sun 10 Jul 11 (08:45am)
I absolutely agree with your remarks, and have been trying to get this over to various people I am in contact with. However, lots are reticent to even express an opinion, one way or another. This is extremely worrying, as we seem to be developing a “Stasi” mentality, as adopted by East Germany where you couldn’t trust anyone, even your family.
What a disgraceful government we have, together with certain members of the media, Get-up, Greens etc. Thank goodness for Piers Ackerman, Andrew Bolt and a few others who keep hitting back.
Sun 10 Jul 11 (08:54am)
Some figures for you “Stripped $2 Billion from families by freezing payments”
net debt is over $100 Billion, over $10 Billion more than Keating left, Over 3 & a half years this Govt has increased debt by $150 Billion, 12.3 Million taxpayers in Aus & every taxpayer owes an extra $12,000 plus on this Govts credit card, In the past year alone they have borrowed $135 Million dollars a day & in the next few years Australians will be paying $18 Million dollars a day in interest payments on those borrowings, am sure I heard they are close to the debt ceiling of $200 Billion & want to increase it to $250 Billion !!
Since Labor came into their shared power arrangement Electricity has gone up 51%, Water 46%, Gas 30%. etc
Note you also live in NSW & would be aware that since July 1st there have been further cost of living increases in Electricity, Gas, Water etc etc etc I lost count after the guy on the radio reading them out hit $423 worth of extra payments (then didn’t hear anymore as I was banging my head against the wall because the money tree in the backyard died).
Also Nobody seems to have taken into account the extra GST Bonus that will come with this “ Carbon Tax we have to have” our last Electricity bill alone had an extra GST amount of $30 plus dollars, over & above the preceding bill.
Glad we were’nt the only ones that noticed the “Carbon Tax we have to have” had obviously been well & truly on the drawing board before it was announced.
Even if this Govt achieves a minute surplus the Net Debt is still going to be in the Billions…
As each day passes we have firmed our opinion that “The Greatest Moral Challenge to our kids & possibly Great Grandchildren is THIS GOVT”
Here’s a letter to the Wall Street Journal:
You report that “China’s critics, including members of the U.S. Congress, say an undervalued currency unfairly helps Chinese exporters” (“China Boosts Lead in Global Exports,” July 11).
Indeed. If Beijing truly is pursuing such a policy, that government is beyond doubt unfairly enriching some people at the expense of others. And the people unfairly enriched do include a few Chinese exporters. Overwhelmingly, though, the beneficiaries are non-Chinese consumers (including Americans) of China’s subsidized exports. In contrast, the people unfairly burdened areexclusively Chinese citizens – both as consumers forced to pay higher prices at home, and as taxpayers forced to fund Beijing’s practice of purchasing U.S. dollars in order to depress the price of the yuan against the dollar.
It is, in fact, obscenely unfair for Beijing to oblige the Chinese people to hand over chunks of their wealth to Americans, even the poorest of whom is far richer than is the typical man or woman in China.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
American producers, of course, are no more ‘unfairly’ harmed by Beijing’s policy of driving down the price of Chinese exports by suppressing the price of the yuan than these American producers are ‘unfairly’ harmed by Beijing’s policy of driving down the price of Chinese exports by building highways and wharves in Qingdao
It won’t change the temperature, so what’s it all for?
Miranda Devine – Monday, July 11, 11 (12:00 pm)
OPPOSITION environment spokesman Greg Hunt dropped by the blog this morning before delivering his response to the government’s carbon tax announcement at a lunchtime speech to the Lowy Institute.
His two main points:
1) The difference between the European and Australian carbon abatement programs: Europe’s ETS costs $1 per person. Australia’s carbon tax will cost $400 per person.
“The Australian carbon tax will be 18 times larger in dollar terms than the European scheme to date,” he says.
2) Australia’s carbon tax means a huge outflow of funds overseas to buy carbon permits: From $3.5 billion in 2020, blowing out to $23 billion by 2050.
People aren’t stupid
Miranda Devine – Monday, July 11, 11 (08:59 am)
“If they’re going to give us money back, what’s the point of collecting it and passing it on to us in the first place? It’s just sending the money round and round in circles,” said mother-of-three Keryn Griffith…
Who just so happens to live in Greg Combet’s coal-intensive electorate of Charlton, south of Newcastle.
“If they’re going to give you some sort of reimbursement back, then what’s the point of taxing us in the first place?” asked mother-of-three Melanie Neilsen (pictured above)… Who also is a constituent of the Climate Change Minister.
People in safe Labor seats understand as well as anyone that churning taxpayer dollars wastes money.
Sometimes, in a classroom, a teacher might say “There are no stupid questions” or “there are no stupid people” and that is a truth which requires explanation. Questions need to be asked allowing informed decisions to be made. In fact not asking questions is a sign of stupidity. People that get labelled as stupid are usually ignorant, and when informed won’t be stupid. There is an assumption of good will and integrity. That the reason for the behavior or the question is obvious and deviousness is not at work.
Gillard lied about not planning for a tax on Carbon Dioxide prior to the election, as there were plans that had been submitted to treasury (I understand). So why would we believe this merry go round is not merely a way of separating the victims from their money?
I like your assertion, Miranda and I appreciated the explanation.
Mon 11 Jul 11 (09:34am)
Lemmings jumping off cliffs
Miranda Devine – Sunday, July 10, 11 (10:48 pm)
IF you ever doubted that it is inner-city elites with their protected jobs, black skivvies and moral vanity who forced an unwanted carbon tax on the rest of Australia, then a crowing Adam Bandt was there to set you straight yesterday.
At a press conference in Canberra, the Greens MP for Melbourne, who holds the balance of power, applauded his electorate for electing him.
“I want to acknowledge the great [decision] the people of Melbourne took and the national and world importance that had by voting Green at the last election.”
This time the Greens weren’t at the lectern with the Prime Minister when she announced details of her carbon tax. But their imprimatur was all over it.
“I’m very very pleased, very proud as leader of the Greens,” said Bob Brown. “… It’s just a fact of life that we’re getting this outcome because we were here.”
Julia Gillard’s press conference was all soothing reassurance and electoral bribery, funded by an extra $4.3billion from taxpayers on top of the carbon tax which Treasurer Wayne Swan still insists is “broadly budget neutral”.
But the Greens’ press conference was the red fanged gloat of victory.
“The time for uncertainty is over. We are moving to a new future,” said Greens Senator Christine Milne, as the chills went down sensible spines.
Milne is particularly enamoured of the Climate Change Authority, one of six new government bureaucracies, modelled on a UK committee which bound the British government to cut emissions by 50 per cent by 2025 – ten times what Australia has pledged by 2020.
Forget the piddling target Gillard has set. “We will see much greater abatement than anybody has actually recognized at this time,” said Milne.
“This today is a world leading outcome” said Brown. “If you look at equivalent countries, Russia, Canada, China, New Zealand, the United States, Australia has now broken out of the do-little [position] to become a world leader.”
Yes, a world leader of lemmings jumping off cliffs.
The Greens only have power so long as every lower house ALP member gives it to them. They won’t survive an election. Every time a Green gloats every ALP head nods in agreement.
It is maddening that all that expenditure is to limit plant food. Plants sustain all of us.
Sun 10 Jul 11 (11:30pm)
Carbon bigots
Miranda Devine – Sunday, July 10, 11 (07:33 pm)
YOU’D think the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union would be barracking for workers in the industries hardest hit by the carbon tax. But instead the CFMEU has come out as one of the tax’s chief spruikers.
Not content with having betrayed forestry workers who used to be its members back when they used to have jobs, or becoming the largest single donor to left-wing activist group GetUp, now the CFMEU is playing the anti-Catholic card.
The union has authorised a 40-second carbon tax ad, played on commercial TV yesterday, which features no fewer than eight religious crosses to illustrate its point that Tony Abbott is one of “The Great Deniers of History”.
There is Galileo trying to tell a cross-festooned monk the world is not flat and Jesus being crucified while Roman soldiers say it’s the last we’ll hear of him – presumably a get-out-of-jail-free card for when they are accused of anti-Christian sentiment.
But imagery is everything, and juxtaposing the Opposition Leader, a former trainee priest, against mediaeval Catholic imagery and Christian crosses galore is the most blatant dog-whistling religious bigotry we have seen in this country in a generation.
It fits with the latest Labor party attack ad which features a cartoon Abbott looking through his wardrobe, which includes red Speedos, a cycling jersey and – camera lingers - brown clerical robes with a big red cross around the neck.
How Catholic members of the ALP and CFMEU will respond to such naked bigotry only time will tell. But it shows how desperate are the pro-carbon tax forces to win this battle.
Carbon Sunday Labor’s path to oblivion
Miranda Devine – Sunday, July 10, 11 (07:21 am)
IS this what Labor grandee John Faulkner meant when he urged Labor to embrace “progressive movements” after the last election?
Allow the Labor party to be taken over by a ragtag bunch of greens and kooky independents, with policy endorsed by the shadowy left-wing activist group, Get Up, which uses apparent blackmail to enforce its wishes on a reluctant populace?
While simultaneously betraying the workers on which Labor built its brand, in the once loyal coal, steel and manufacturing electorates which will be crippled by the carbon tax?
All the while destroying the economic underpinnings which made this country great?
That isn’t the path to political revival but electoral oblivion for Labor, and social disruption for the country.
This is the direction Julia Gillard is taking Labor. It will reach its full expression today when she announces details of the carbon tax which she expressly ruled out before the last election and which opinion polls show most Australians do not want.
I am not an ALP supporter but I was raised one. I won’t miss the party, but I grieve for what is lost because of the party. I feel the Liberals do a good job being fair for all people. Their politics is progressive without being captive to progressive-ists. The criticism of the Liberal party by former leaders like Fraser and Hewson are illustrative of how the Liberal party has managed to tread the middle path without turning to the right or left. But the Liberal Party needs a robust opponent who wont take the eye off the ball in keeping them centred on middle Australia.
Over twenty years ago I despised the Liberals and had no reason to do so, but did so. I was challenged by my dad to listen to what the various parties said and did, and evaluate how I felt by wether they fulfilled their promise. I have not heard an ALP leader fulfill a promise. I have heard some outrageous things. I recall One Victorian Premier wannabe claim that people, not freeways, were what was important. He won the election and bulldozed homes to build a road with red lights. Because it had a red light it wasn’t deemed a freeway and so the premier said he had kept his promise. They are that petty.
Sun 10 Jul 11 (06:53pm)
Toll on teens lost in sexual Cyberia
Miranda Devine – Saturday, July 09, 11 (08:00 pm)
WHEN Facebook pages rating the sexual prowess of teenagers at schools came to light last month, parents were shocked by the malicious sexual slander.
But for teens in the know, Rootrater and dozens of other gossip sites are just the everyday cyber-reality of our toxic hyper-sexualised culture.
“Chunky thighs, huge arse ... always available for a root for those who are hard up,” was an example of a Rootrater slur against one girl and there was much more, too graphic to print in a family newspaper.
I feel adults and teachers have a duty to extend their community to include teens online, not be entirely separate from them. I loved the movie and play Grease as a child but something that was obvious to me,when highlighted, was the lack of reality of Grease, being a world without parents. Such a world would in reality not have children. Yet our modern day world has a way of taking adults away from children in their daily life.
It isn’t up to children to include adults, it has to be the other way around. Children want to be part of community, and also want independence too, but they want to achieve independence, to fight for it, and the surrender they experience in todays world is frustrating for them.
Of course education authorities are scared silly of the idea of children and adults being in contact online. But the worst aspects of it, the fringe of it, is what we see now. The healthy aspects we don’t see that much of because responsible people are taking too much care .. or don’t see the need.
Sat 09 Jul 11 (10:26pm)
Sun 10 Jul 11 (04:53pm)
I feel adults and teachers have a duty to extend their community to include teens online, not be entirely separate from them.
I’m sorry, but any teacher whose fantasies and/or delusions extend to imagining that they have not just a right but a “duty” to friend my kids on myspace or poke them on facebook just makes my stomach curdle and sends shivers up my spine.
You as a teacher are an adult. My children are children.
Normal schoolchildren do not want middle-aged men as “friends”, and normal middle-aged men do not want schoolchildren as “friends”.
Teach my kids to read, write, analyse and figure. Don’t you dare try to insinuate yourself into their personal lives. I check my childrens’ social networking accounts regularly and if I find a middle-aged man trying to insinuate himself into their circle of friends, I will report him.
It is not “healthy” as you claim..... it is creepy in the extreme and will land you and any other grown man who takes your “advice” in very hot water sooner or later.
Shut up and teach.
356 DAYS UNTIL LABOR’S UNIQUE FAMILY TAX
Tim Blair – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (05:17 am)
The Prime Minister begins her carbon tax sales pitch, to people who’ve already bought it:
Ms Gillard strode straight to 10 Monaro Place, Emu Plains - home to carbon tax supporters Craig and Michelle Cochrane and their three children. She was invited in for tea and biscuits as the Cochranes sang the praises of the tax.
But managing to find a pro-carbon tax family on her very first try was not the stroke of amazing luck it seemed to be. The family was hand-picked after Ms Gillard turned to local Lindsay MP David Bradbury to find “average people” in the community she would want to meet.
And then there were the average people who weren’t selected:
Across the road, the Jenkins family at No. 3 were worried about how they would make ends meet …
Next door neighbour Elias Ibrahim slammed the impost as “a stupid policy”.
“Until China and the bigger polluters contribute, taxing us isn’t doing anything to tackle climate change,” the IT professional said.
At No. 7, train driver Troy Fotheringham said Labor had lost his vote.
“I’ve always been a Labor voter but this is a killer. This is not something we should be leading the world with,” he said …
Of the 11 houses in the street, only one other resident was in support - and only just. Pensioner Stephen Buttress said: “As long as we don’t pay too much it’s not that bad. We should give see how it goes. If it doesn’t work, we can vote her out.”
Today’s Daily Telegraph editorial:
Gillard didn’t drop by any of these dissenting households, which is a strange tactical move. After all, the people she needs to convince about the merits of the carbon tax aren’t the likes of the Cochranes, who are clearly already on board. Instead, she needs to sway those who reject the tax and fear for the financial ramifications the tax may hold for their families. These people aren’t exactly difficult to find.
As Joe Hockey proved.
LIKE BUCK ROGERS GOING THROUGH TIME
Tim Blair – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (05:02 am)
At some point, after they’d worked out the propulsive properties of the giant air bag, someone thought: “Paint guns. What we need here is paint guns.” That’s when science became art:
redneck Entenjagd by andal35
NOTHING A NEW TAX WON’T FIX
Tim Blair – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (04:33 am)
At least they’re still ahead of the Greens:
Federal Labor’s popularity has dropped to a record low, as Opposition Leader Tony Abbott continues to extend his lead over Julia Gillard as preferred prime minister.
The latest Newspoll, conducted from Friday to Sunday, shows that in the two weeks leading up to the announcement of the carbon tax on Sunday, Labor’s primary vote fell from 30 per cent at the end of June to a record low of 27 per cent over July 8 to 10.
Conversely, the coalition’s support rose three percentage points to 49 per cent during the period - its highest primary vote since the Howard government in October 2001.
Let’s suppose that somehow the carbon dioxide tax fails to restore Labor’s popularity. Readers are invited to propose circumstances that might see a Labor revival ahead of the next election.
GOD NO
Tim Blair – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (04:18 am)
A furious debate over sexism in the atheist community is sparked by this pick-up line:
Don’t take this the wrong way, but I find you very interesting, and I would like to talk more. Would you like to come to my hotel room for coffee?
You can see what everybody’s so upset about.
HERE COMES THE REGULATOR
Tim Blair – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (04:15 am)
Julia Gillard’s carbon cops don’t come cheap:
The government has allocated $256m over four years to the Clean Energy Regulator, the main body responsible for administering and policing the carbon emissions scheme.
The Climate Change Authority will cost $25m over four years, while the government estimates the Productivity Commission will incur an extra $18m over four years reviewing the system.
Overall, the government estimates there will be $382m in governance costs over four years.
Gotta spend money to take money. Now add the compliance costs to targeted businesses over and above actually paying the tax, and you’re looking at a ginormous Gillardian financial hell-swamp – which, considering the trend set by previous Labor schemes, will only become worse.
And the government wonders why this is so difficult to sell.
NORAH THE DUBBER
Tim Blair – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (03:39 am)
Reader Norah of Glen Waverley coined the term “Misfortune 500” for those companies facing the government’s carbon dioxide penalties, and it’s catching on:
Some of the country’s best-known companies including Qantas, Virgin Australia, Wesfarmers and a host of manufacturers and electricity providers are among the group dubbed the “Misfortune 500”, which will pay billions under the carbon tax.
And several of the 500 yesterday promised to pass their huge new tax imposts on to everyday Australians.
Many said they could not afford to absorb the new tax and warned consumers to expect a range of price rises on everything from flight tickets to gas bills, cars and soft drinks …
One of the Misfortune 500, ExxonMobil, said they would look to recoup some of the new tax it will be paying for gas production from consumers. A Mobil spokesman said last night: “To the extent that there are increased costs for carbon emissions in production of natural gas, we have to look at whether our contracts allow us to pass such levies and charges on to our customers …”
Contrary to widespread belief, supermarket giant Woolworths yesterday said it was not among the “Misfortune 500” …
Give it time. Misfortune loves company.
UPDATE. Brisbane City Council is a Misfortune 500 member:
The net 200,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from Brisbane’s landfills will cost the city $4.6 million, at $23 a tonne.
After last week saying the carbon price would have no impact on rates, Cr Quirk said checks on council’s landfill operations yesterday confirmed the cost …
Cr Quirk said he was disappointed to learn of the hidden cost after council had taken steps to reduce emissions.
Welcome aboard, Brisbane.
LOCAL PRIORITIES FOR LOCAL PEOPLE
Tim Blair – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (03:27 am)
Fewer fans of bird-churning volt turbines:
Plans to cover Britain with wind farms are being thwarted by a growing tide of public opposition.
Nearly half of all onshore wind farms in England and Wales are being refused planning permission, figures reveal …
According to data obtained by law firm McGrigors, in 2005 29 per cent were turned down by planners – rising to 33 per cent in 2009 and 48 per cent last year.
A McGrigors bosslady is unimpressed:
Jacqueline Harris, a partner at McGrigors, said wind farm developers believe they are not getting a ‘balanced hearing’ at local level. She said: ‘The feeling is that local authorities are too often prioritising local concerns.
‘There is little willingness to consider the benefits of renewable energy generation in context.’
(Via Benny Peiser)
SELLING WOULD BE SECONDARY
Tim Blair – Monday, July 11, 11 (10:14 pm)
Queensland’s TradeTools imagines a business run by Comrade Julia. Also, electric metal-cutting nibblers are $40 off this week only.
(Via s_dog)
UPDATE. A clearer view of the fine ad.
And if Gillard really does decommission a quarter of Victoria’s power?
Andrew Bolt – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (10:42 am)
Has the Treasury modeling of the impact of the Gillard Government’s carbon dioxide tax on power prices (10 per cent) factored in the effect of cutting the supply by decommissioning 2000 megawatts of “dirty” power?
An industry insider says this and other factors will make demand for gas rise faster than supply, driving up the price of electricity by 20 per cent instead.
Meanwhile:
‘’The Gillard government has not disclosed what will replace Hazelwood,’’ he said.
‘’If it is a gas-fired power station, there are a number of questions the Gillard government needs to answer, including where will the gas come from, how much it will it cost, what additional infrastructure will need to be built and who will pay for that.’’…
It came as a July 7 letter emerged from the Australian Energy Market Commission to the government reviewing the carbon price’s electricity compensation which found some, but not all, of businesses with emission-intensive plants will face a degree of financial impairment that would place them under severe distress.
The letter also states replacing up to 2000 megawatts of high-emitting generation capacity paid to close would be challenging given the energy market was already facing significant investment challenges.
And all this to cut the expected temperature of the world in 2020 by one 4000th of a degree, at the very most.
(Thanks to reader I.)
Will Rudd boycott this corrupted UN body, too?
Andrew Bolt – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (10:30 am)
Will Kevin Rudd follow suit?
Canada will boycott the United Nations Conference on Disarmament so long as North Korea is leading it, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced Monday — saying the government wanted to send a clear message to the international community.
“North Korea is simply not a credible chair of this United Nations body,” he said.
“The regime is a major proliferator of nuclear weapons and its non-compliance with its disarmament obligations goes against the fundamental principles of this committee."…
Mr. Baird said Canada is so far the only country to go a step further and boycott the appointment.
“We don’t mind going alone,” he said.
(Thanks to reader Alan RM Jones.)
“Carbon pollution” is a lie
Andrew Bolt – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (07:19 am)
Jonathan Holmes, the ABC’s Media Watch host, is a deeply committed warmist. But he is as offended by dishonesty as am I:
(Thanks to reader Victoria 3220.)
What cuts?
Andrew Bolt – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (07:13 am)
The warmist Fred Pearce at the New Scientist agrees that Julia Gillard’s tax will do little to cut our emissions, let alone the world’s temperature:
Loopholes threaten to undermine its modest promise to cut emissions by 5 per cent by 2020.
First, emissions from forestry, farming and cars are exempt from the tax… Second, the biggest emitters are being protected....
Gillard reports that emissions are growing by 2 per cent a year, but says her carbon taxes would set the country on course for a 5 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020 relative to levels in 2000. But, once again, this ignores emissions from forests and farming. What’s more, the decision to set a target relative to 2000 emissions is strategic. The growth in emissions between 1990 and 2000 means a 5 per cent reduction amounts to significantly less when put in the context of 1990 emissions.
In fact, the target could allow Australia to increase its emissions. According to Bill Hare, chief scientist at the non-governmental organisation Climate Analytics, once deforestation and the base year are taken into account a 5 per cent reduction could see Australia’s real emissions as much as 26 per cent higher than 1990 levels by 2020.
The tax has had more success at cutting share prices instead:
The long-awaited release of details of the carbon tax, coupled with US economic concerns and higher Chinese inflation, created a negative mood on the Australian equities market yesterday. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index closed down 72.4 points or 1.56 per cent...
(Thanks to reaer Correllio.)
Let them peddle bikes
Andrew Bolt – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (06:38 am)
Making people walk instead will really help to slash emissions:
The nation’s biggest regional carrier, Regional Express, warned that the carbon tax would combine with other government measures, due to come into force at the beginning of next year, to decimate regional air services.
It said the tax, the removal of the en-route rebate scheme and increased security screening at regional airports would add about $6 million a year in costs.
Chief operating officer Chris Hine said the airline had already warned that the measures could result in the loss of air services to half-a-dozen regional airports.
Still, country people don’t vote Labor anyway.
Just the warmist Gillard said she wouldn’t talk to
Andrew Bolt – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (06:14 am)
Julia Gillard says there’s no point of just preaching to the converted:
For the next few weeks Gillard will be stumping the country in an all-out bid to convince Australians that the policy is right…
She has told staff she does not want it to be a “soft”, stage-managed tour. There is no point preaching to the converted.
Gillard will face her critics… In the words of an adviser: “She intends to go into the lion’s den.”
But by some amazing coincidence she must regret, Gillard’s very first stop on her tour is at the house of one of the few Australians who love her tax:
Ms Gillard strode straight to 10 Monaro Place, Emu Plains - home to carbon tax supporters Craig and Michelle Cochrane and their three children. She was invited in for tea and biscuits as the Cochranes sang the praises of the tax.
Wow. What a fluke. Kind of:
The family was hand-picked after Ms Gillard turned to local Lindsay MP David Bradbury to find “average people” in the community she would want to meet.
If only Gillard had gone to the house next door or across the road or down the street, she’d have found those people she said she was out to convince:
Across the road, the Jenkins family at No. 3 were worried about how they would make ends meet.
Mother-of-two Sarah Jenkins said the tax was going to put more unnecessary pressure on struggling families.
“Both my husband and I have worked hard all our life. We’ve never received any government benefits and now we are the ones paying more,” Mrs Jenkins said.
“We don’t get a pay rise, we will just have to sacrifice one more thing to get by.”
Next door neighbour Elias Ibrahim slammed the impost as “a stupid policy”.
“Until China and the bigger polluters contribute, taxing us isn’t doing anything to tackle climate change,” the IT professional said.
At No. 7, train driver Troy Fotheringham said Labor had lost his vote.
“I’ve always been a Labor voter but this is a killer. This is not something we should be leading the world with,” he said. “We have a young family and it’s extra costs.”
Of the 11 houses in the street, only one other resident was in support - and only just. pensioner Stephen Buttress said: “As long as we don’t pay too much it’s not that bad. We should give see how it goes. If it doesn’t work, we can vote her out.”
You really cannot believe a word this woman says.
UPDATE
And when Gillard must explain why she’s cutting people’s incomes...”
Wayne Swan made much of the Treasury modelling showing that the carbon price would have virtually no drag on jobs growth. But, when fully presented, the new Treasury modelling coyly reveals why: real wages are projected to be about 1 per cent lower than otherwise by 2020.
Gillard gets it wrong again on Q&A, and will never sell this tax
Andrew Bolt – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (05:54 am)
On Q&A last night, Julia Gillard:
- dodged a question about her duty to seek an electoral mandate first before imposing this huge, risky and controversial tax.
- dodged again a question on how her tax would affect the climate, and whether the effect was so small as to not be worth the effort.
- again adopted her fatally patronising pitch, even suggesting we should be embarrassed at being beaten by those pesky New Zealanders who had (a very small) emissions trading scheme already. ("Just joking,” she trilled.)
- got picked up even by warmist Tony Jones on her deceit at pretending China was cutting its emissions, when it is actually replacing small coal-fired power stations with huge ones, sending total emissions soaring.
- was appealed to by a believer who captured the conceit of both of them by begging Gillard to use “simple” language so her “dear old mum” could be persuaded.
- repeatedly used the deceit of calling carbon dioxide “pollution” without once being corrected by Jones.
- twice dodges an invitation to debate Tony Abbott on the science of global warming.
- again falsely claimed Margaret Thatcher backed what she was doing.
Gillard also claims there’s not enough respect for “the scientists”. Like this one?
Lindzen: no warming, no use
Andrew Bolt – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (05:49 am)
The transcript of my interview with climate scientist Professor Richard Lindzen, who says Julia Gillard’s tax is futile:
Andrew Bolt: Professor Lindzen, thanks for joining us from Paris. Now our government says we must have a carbon dioxide tax to help stop global warming, which it says is damaging Australia already. Can we start with some basics? First, how much is the planet actually warming?
Richard Lindzen: Well… over the century, or maybe 150 years, it may be somewhere between a half and three-quarters of a degree Centigrade. I don’t know what it is locally in Australia. Since ‘95 , … 1995, there hasn’t been much warming, certainly not that can be distinguished from noise.
AB: Is that warming lower than what the climate alarmists have been telling us to expect?
RL: Oh yeah. You have a constant game going on. The IPCC once said that they thought it probable that man’s emissions had accounted for most of the warming over the last 50 years. A more correct statement might have been that according to current models man has accounted for between 2 and 5 times the warming we’ve seen in the last 50 years, and the models have cancelled the difference by arbitrary adjustments, and they call them aerosols, but they vary from model to model and they’re just fudge factors.
AB: Now if we see a rise in carbon dioxide emissions as we have, a very big rise, in this last decade or more, but no real warming, what does that say about global warming theory?
RL: What is says is that—and it doesn’t uniquely say anything—it says there are certainly other things going on that are just as big. These things like El Nino, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, are giving you as much variability as whatever man is doing, and because of that you can’t even tell if man is doing anything.
AB: Can I ask you? If we do get further warming caused by man, will that warming be good for us, or bad?
RL: That’s always hard to tell. It will be good for some people, a little worse for others. It will be completely within the range of what human beings have shown they are capable of adapting to and even prospering under.
AB: What effect would a carbon dioxide tax in Australia—the aim is to cut emissions by 5% by 2020—what effect would that have on the world’s temperature?
RL: I don’t think anyone could possibly detect it even with future technology. It would be nothing, for all practical purposes, and it would be nothing if the whole world did the same.
AB: So does it make any sense at all to adopt a tax, or to spend directly on programs to cut emissions?
RL: Depends on who you are. For governments, you know, they want taxes and they know people don’t like to pay them, and I think if they can possibly confuse people into thinking they’re doing it save the earth, they’ll do it more willingly.
AB: So you’d consider this more a sort of big government measure than anything that could really influence the world’s climate for the good.
RL: I think there’s no disagreement in the scientific community that this will have no impact on climate, so it’s purely a matter of government revenue. And, as I say, I mean if they can fool the people into thinking that they really want to pay taxes to save the earth, that’s a dream for politicians.
AB: Well, it’s a very depressing scenario you paint, but thank you very much Professor Lindzen for joining us from Paris. I appreciate it.
RL: Good luck. Good luck.
Buried under the snow the warmists said wouldn’t fall
Andrew Bolt – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (05:42 am)
March 2000:
According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia, within a few years winter snowfall will become “a very rare and exciting event”.
“Children just aren’t going to know what snow is,” he said.
May, 2008:
Scientists say Australian skiers should prepare for shorter ski seasons because of global warming…CSIRO climate change expert Dr Penny Whetton says Australia’s mountain snow cover could be reduced by up to 54 per cent by 2020.
July 2011:
THE deepest snow in 21 years has been recorded by Snowy Hydro at Spencer’s Creek. The 158.9cm-deep snow promises plenty of powder this season. The last time there was snow this thick early in July was in 1990.
Even before her tax, Gillard’s Labor sinks: 42 per cent top 58
Andrew Bolt – Tuesday, July 12, 11 (05:35 am)
And this poll - so disastrous for Labor - was taken before Julia Gillard announced her tax:
LABOR’S support has slumped to a record low, with the Coalition sitting at all-time highs as Tony Abbott extends his lead as preferred prime minister over Julia Gillard.
In the two-week lead-up to Sunday’s announcement of the carbon tax details, Labor’s primary vote fell three percentage points to a record low of 27 per cent…
Even with a steady Greens vote of 12 per cent favouring Labor on preferences, the Coalition recorded its highest two-party-preferred vote of 58 per cent and the ALP its lowest of 42 per cent based on preference flows at the August election last year…
For the first time, Mr Abbott had a clear lead over Ms Gillard as preferred prime minister, 43 per cent to 38 per cent.
(Thanks to reader Chainsaws.)
Labor’s support drops again - and its tax even more on the nose
Andrew Bolt – Monday, July 11, 11 (07:45 pm)
Essential Research says Labor’s poll numbers have fallen again - to just 43 per cent, to the Coalition’s 57.
For the first time in Essential Research’s polls, Tony Abbott leads Julia Gillard as the preferred Prime Minister.
Support for the carbon dioxide tax has plummeted to 35 per cent, to 53 against - the widest gap yet measured.
Cost of offsets soar under Gillard
Andrew Bolt – Monday, July 11, 11 (05:28 pm)
Either Virgin was conning people into thinking 99 cents really did cover the emissions of their flight, or reader Maurie is right:
Have you seen the reports today that Qantas and Virgin will pass on the full cost of the carbon tax to passengers?
Just checked online at virginblue and found that the cost involved in offsetting a flight from Brisbane to Sydney is $0.99. But Gillard’s carbon tax will cost at least 3 times that. Virgin says ”Initial modelling indicates an average domestic fare increase per flight sector of approximately $3 which will vary depending on sector length.”
So ... cost to ‘offset’ a flight before Labor gets involved - 99 cents. Cost when Labor pokes their nose in - 3 bucks.
I’m just thinking that no one in this global warming scam can be trusted to tell the truth.
UPDATE
Reader Glenn doesn’t believe the claims that petrol prices won’t rise:
I just ran through this check box information effort from news.com.au and was informed that electricity and gas would be rising for me, but petrol would have “no change” on the back of the carbon tax.
I find this interesting. The refiners of fuel use gas and electricity, so their costs would be increasing. They will surely pass this on in their supply price. That higher price moves to distributors, who themselves use gas and electricity, not to mention heavy vehicles which will be hit directly in 2014, so they will be passing this on to their customers – the outlets. The outlets (Service Stations) use electricity themselves, along with having increases in their “buy price” for the fuel they sell to me. I find it wondrous that they will be generously not passing any of this on to me as a higher fuel price.
Seriously, are these the calculations the Government relies on to assure us the compensation has us ahead, or has news.com.au got this badly wrong? People are buying this con job?
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