Lording it up

Originally posted by raiderup ↑

Lord Deben, who served as John Gummer under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and was the secretary of state for the environment from 1993 to 1997, is deeply critical of the Coalition's repeal of carbon pricing legislation. Photograph: Richard Gardner/REX

Tony Abbott doesn’t take climate science seriously and the repeal of the carbon price is “reckless” and “deeply shaming”, according to a former UK Conservative party environment minister.
Lord Deben, who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government as John Gummer, told Guardian Australia the Australian government was out of step with centre-right politicians from around the world on the urgency of tackling climate change.
“I haven’t met an Australian who is not deeply ashamed of this government, most of whom voted for Abbott,” he said. “How can you say ‘we don’t mind what 97% of scientists tell us, we are going to stick two fingers up and do it anyway’?
“Conservatives around the world are taking action on climate change, including Britain and Germany. It’s in the DNA of conservatives to hand on a better world to your children and I hate that Australia is letting down conservatives around the world.”
Deben said he met Abbott last year, when the prime minister was opposition leader, to gauge his position in climate change.
“Quite clearly, he was someone who refuses to accept the science of climate change,” said Deben, who is chairman of the UK’s Committee on Climate Change. “He referred to ideas put forward by a small number of people whose views aren’t accepted by any serious scientist in the world.
“I think future generations will ask ‘what did you do to stop the world being overwhelmed by climate change?’. Mr Abbott will have to answer that and I don’t know how he can look at children in the eye. His attitude, if everyone else did the same, would condemn the poorest people in the world to an impossible life.
“I don’t think conservatives have ever taken that view before. Australia, as a great country, knows better than that, I think.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/09/abbott-climate-stance-reckless-shaming

haw haw haw

Raider

In the land of the blind,the one eyed man is King.

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I think it was wrong when it was introduced 2-3 years ago but it is probably a waste of time repealing it now.
I'm not going to give the witch any credit for being a world leader because even this policy was tinted by the tedious working families bollocks but if other western countries are introducing ETS's why ditch our climate policy. Sure, it isn't an ETS but that is what it will become.
The jobs aren't coming back. That damage is done. I suspect those jobs would have gone in the future anyway.
As for the renewables push, one can question the whole CC story but the reality is renewables do very little harm even if one thinks they do no good. The same can't be said for fossil fuels.
I am also highly doubtful that electricity prices are going to fall significantly despite good old Clive.
It seems price gouging, insolvent state governments and incorrect assumptions about future power requirements are substantially to blame for the hikes. We were getting gouged before the carbon tax.

I can't help thinking that Abbott is pursuing this for the sake of it and I doubt he will get much political mileage out of it after a budget that has alienated most of the nation in the way it was delivered. Of course that is not to say I don't agree with his underlying reasoning behind the budget but the associated mixed messages and the breadth of the cuts were too great to deliver in one blow.