Antinuclear

Australia’s climate denial shock jocks might get a surprise

when the right wing shock jocks really get behind a rally, they have proven that they can turn people out, and in large numbers…………. BUT ….despite the similarities between the 2GB-driven rallies and the rise of the Tea Party in the US, there’s one important difference: here, we have a much more organised and effective movement that will turn out in support of action on climate change.

A rally to show support for a price on pollution and action on climate change will take place in Melbourne this weekend with more planned around the country next week. They will be organised by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, GetUp, The Wilderness Society, 350.org, Australian Council of Trade Unions, Australian Conservation Foundation and the Climate Action Network Australia.

carbon tax We’ll Keep Polluting The Air (Waves), newmatilda.com, By Anna Rosejonesy 7 Mar 2011 Say what you like about right-wing shock jocks, they know how to organise a people’s revolt. Anna Rose looks at how the anti-pollution price lobby plans to fight

Right-wing radio shock jocks Alan Jones and Chris Smith from 2GB and Liberal Senators Cory Bernardi and Eric Abetz have a plan that they believe will stop the government putting a price on pollution.

They’ve responded to Tony Abbott’s call for a “people’s revolt” and they’re organising rallies, starting in Melbourne this Saturday, against the price on carbon. These guys don’t see themselves as the media, they see themselves as conservative activists — and the last time they got behind a big “rally”, in December 2005, we ended up with the Cronulla riots.

In the weeks before the riots, Alan Jones repeatedly read out and discussed the widely circulated text message calling on people to “Come to Cronulla this weekend to take revenge… get down to North Cronulla to support the Leb and wog bashing day”. Three days before the riots, Jones was saying, “I’m the person that’s led this charge here. Nobody wanted to know about North Cronulla, now it’s gathered to this.”

Commentator David Marr said in the days after the riots, “Radio doesn’t get much grimmer than Alan Jones’ efforts in the days before the Cronulla riot. He was dead keen for a demo at the beach — “a rally, a street march, call it what you will. A community show of force.” Jones used his huge reach to read anonymous emails like the following: “Alan, it’s not just a few Middle Eastern bastards at the weekend, it’s thousands. Cronulla is a very long beach and it’s been taken over by this scum. It’s not a few causing trouble. It’s all of them.”

This background is relevant not because anti-pollution price rallies are likely to turn violent — after all, the subject of their anger is not a marginalised and vilified community, but politicians surrounded by parliamentary protection. Rather, it’s relevant because it shows that when the right wing shock jocks really get behind a rally, they have proven that they can turn people out, and in large numbers………….

The theory of change behind their rallies is that if they can whip up enough anger, based on their fear campaign around electricity price increases, they can make it too difficult for Julia Gillard to implement an effective price on pollution this year.

If they can’t stop a pollution price outright through their rallies and media campaign, they’ll try to delay it passing until closer to the election to help Tony Abbott win or pressure the Government to call an early election over the issue. Chris Smith said on 2GB last week that he’s aiming for the rallies to “cause some dissent within Labor ranks to think again”. He said, “The only thing we can do is show our force, show people power, physically”……

The so-called “people’s revolt” is also targeting the Independents, aiming to make them walk away from their support for action on climate change. The vitriol against them has reached such a fever pitch on talk back radio that at least one, Tony Windsor, has received death threats. But as Peter Hartcher pointed out in the Sydney Morning Herald over the weekend, this strategy is having the opposite effect on them. Hartcher argues that despite the similarities between the 2GB-driven rallies and the rise of the Tea Party in the US, there’s one important difference: here, we have a much more organised and effective movement that will turn out in support of action on climate change. In a way, these rallies will do the climate movement a favour. Yes, talkback radio can mobilise large numbers — but so can the climate movement.

A rally to show support for a price on pollution and action on climate change will take place in Melbourne this weekend with more planned around the country next week. They will be organised by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, GetUp, The Wilderness Society, 350.org, Australian Council of Trade Unions, Australian Conservation Foundation and the Climate Action Network Australia.

We’ll Keep Polluting The Air (Waves) | newmatilda.com

March 7, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News