Antinuclear

Liberal party faces climate denialist future, in the wilderness

They Know Not What They Do THE AUSTRALIAN, Bob Carr 30 Nov 09 CLIMATE change deniers may be congratulating themselves on the likely defeat of the government’s legislation, even on getting a denier installed as Liberal leader.But if Mitch Hooke of the Minerals Council has ordered champagne for a celebration with coal industry lobbyists he ought to think about the law of unintended consequences. And so should Nick Minchin.In politics, as in military strategy, game-playing is useful. But climate change deniers – industrial and political – have not been asking themselves “what next?”……….

In any case the Newspoll in Saturday’s The Weekend Australian confirmed there is no evidence of a rural or regional groundswell against the legislation. On the contrary, 51 per cent of Coalition supporters in rural seats supported it. Industry opponents of cap-and-trade legislation had better accept they will be dealing with a re-elected Rudd government with an increased, even a dramatically increased, majority. That government will proceed to put a climate change bill to the senate.

Here’s another political reality: that senate, whether elected in a double dissolution or a half-senate election, will be one where the Greens hold the balance of power.

The Liberals, reduced to a small hardcore base, will be paralysed in postures of climate change denial………………

Greens senator Christine Milne would begin talks with the government insisting on substantial reductions in compensation to electricity generators. This would be aimed at the $7.3 million allocated to generators in the form of 10 years of free emission units, something negotiated with the Liberals. In turn, this would open the way for a 30 per cent renewable energy target by 2020 rather than the current 20 per cent target, a target that is already very ambitious……..

Rudd would not be happy about recasting the legislation. But he will have a mandate from the people, likely a whopping one, and no alternative but to deal with a senate where the Coalition is catatonic and the Greens ascendant.

They know not what they do | The Australian

November 30, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, climate change - global warming | climate change - global warming