Antinuclear

Tony Abbott and the split in the Liberal Party about science and conspiracy theories

In the past, the Liberal Party was the party of business. When I talk to energy and technology companies, it is surprising that many of the smartest companies and people in business are concerned by the rise of irrational extremism in the Liberal Party.

But as PM, Mr Abbott will be making decisions every day. This will force him to decide, does he put his faith in science, engineering and economics, or conspiracy theories Will he protect the interests of the whole Australian economy and society, or just the interests of the mining billionaires? 

Is Mr Abbott’s vision for Australia future-proof? The Drum, Dan Cass, 16 May 12,  Opposition leader Tony Abbott is confident that he is going to be our next prime minister. If he wins, he might well be PM all the way through the rest of this decade. Before that happens, we need to know, is Mr Abbott’s vision for Australia future-proof.  Based on the opposition leader’s budget reply speech last week, we have reason to be concerned.

The fossil fuel age is drawing to a close, driven both by the threat of climate change and the opportunity of technological progress. Exciting new technologies are changing how we run the grid, power the factories, chill the beer and burn the toast.

Over the next several years the price of solar electricity will beat the price of conventional electricity (from gas and coal) around the world. Solar’s competitive advantage is caused by the progress of the technology, whether or not there is a price on carbon.

This fact is welcomed by every mainstream figure in the energy industry globally (it is not accepted by Energy Minister Martin Ferguson, but that is another issue ).

Clever countries are embracing solar (and wind and other clean tech)…….

the Liberal party is now riven by a factional split that makes it hard to keep pace with reality. The mainstream faction believes in (climate) science and (renewables) technology. The extreme faction believes that science and technology are part of a global conspiracy to wreck western civilisation.

The radical faction had its historic first win in Victoria, where it convinced Premier Ted Baillieu to ignore the scientific evidence and impose the most draconian, anti-wind laws in the free world.

Consider what Mr Abbott did not say in his budget reply speech. He made not one mention of science, innovation, research or universities. This is a problem because the new energy economy is being created now, invented by university researchers and commercialised by the smartest technology firms.

Mr Abbott also declined to mention the key technological issues: solar, wind, electric vehicles, peak oil, petrol prices, smart grid, nuclear decommissioning or energy storage. This is a problem, because these are the drivers shaping the new energy economy of the 21st century.

What did Mr Abbott say ? He said,

The Coalition will reward conservation-minded businesses with incentives to be more efficient users of energy and lower carbon emitters.

Our policy means better soils, more trees and smarter technology – unlike the carbon tax which is socialism masquerading as environmentalism.

(The Australian Financial Review’s Geoff Kitney called  the Abbot speech “one of the most vacuous budget reply speeches ever delivered by an opposition leader.”)…. A price on carbon is a quintessentially capitalist policy. It originated on the conservative side of politics, with thinkers such as climate spokesperson Greg Hunt, who wrote his University thesis on it. It is the economic rationalist’s solution to climate change. The green movement took up the carbon price, to win over business and get support across the political spectrum. It was never the natural policy approach for greens.

For a conservative party to now reject the economic rationalist policy of a price on carbon is an intellectual betrayal and a Great Big New Lie. It reveals that many conservative intellectuals lack a rational, coherent view of the world, but that is another story.

In the past, the Liberal Party was the party of business. When I talk to energy and technology companies, it is surprising that many of the smartest companies and people in business are concerned by the rise of irrational extremism in the Liberal Party.

The leader of the rational faction of the Liberal Party is the former leader, Malcolm Turnbull, but there are other brilliant rising stars also. Last week the NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Renewable Energy, Rob Stokes, spoke to a national forum on community renewable energy in Sydney. Stokes demonstrated that he respects the mainstream of science, technology and economics….

While Mr Abbott is campaigning to become Prime Minister, he will try to cover up the cracks between the mainstream and extreme factions of the Liberal Party.

But as PM, Mr Abbott will be making decisions every day. This will force him to decide, does he put his faith in science, engineering and economics, or conspiracy theories Will he protect the interests of the whole Australian economy and society, or just the interests of the mining billionaires?    http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4014224.html

May 16, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News