Andrew Bolt on media bias

2 March, 2011 by

Andrew Bolt

Essential reading. The Left-wing media (read: the media) have been strangely silent on Julia’s “lie” about a carbon tax, and some have even attempted to portray it as the brave act of a strong leader! Compare and contrast that muted whisper with the cacophony of outrage that would have erupted had Tony Abbott been elected PM in August 2010, and then promptly introduced Work Choices again.

REMEMBER how so many journalists hated John Howard, who nevertheless won four elections in a row?

Remember how almost all the media backed a plan for a republic, only to have it rejected at the 1999 referendum?

How often have we seen this gulf in opinion between the mainstream media and the public they report to?

I suspect Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s lie may be the latest example.

It’s rare to see such overwhelming fury from a public at having been so brazenly deceived by a politician.

Before the election, as everyone now knows, Gillard repeatedly promised she would not introduce a tax on carbon dioxide emissions—in effect, a great green tax on electricity and petrol.

“There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead,” she said.

But six months later Gillard says she will indeed give us that carbon tax, and from next year, without even going to another election for a mandate.

The reason? Just one of the 150 members of the House of Representatives, the Greens’ Adam Bandt, demanded this tax, as did his leader, Bob Brown, holding the balance of power in the Senate.

Everyone knows Gillard broke her solemn word. And a great many people hate politicians lying to them so flagrantly, which is why the talkback lines are smoking, protest rallies are planned, and Essential Research, in a poll this week, detected a huge and election-losing drop in Labor’s support.

But in one part of Australia, that anger is not felt. No zephyr of protest wafts. No objection is raised to Gillard stealing an election with a lie.

That part of Australia is where some of our most influential political reporters and commentators work. To them, it seems, Gillard did no worse than make a compromise, and, indeed, she may have even risen to glory.

Read it all.

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Key Labor adviser rejects carbon tax

1 March, 2011 by

No support for carbon tax

One by one, they abandon the sinking ship. Hopefully, another nail in the Gillard/Brown Labor/Green coffin. Heather Ridout, chair of the influential Australian Industry Group, has refused to support Gillard’s carbon tax proposal:

TONY Abbott has vowed to scrap Julia Gillard’s carbon tax and demanded she seek a mandate for the plan as Labor’s closest business adviser, Heather Ridout, refused to back the Prime Minister’s package.

As the Opposition Leader labelled Ms Gillard a “fraud” for breaking her pre-election promise not to introduce a carbon tax, the Prime Minister branded Mr Abbott the most irresponsible political leader in 15 years over his vow to scrap the program.

But Ms Ridout, the Australian Industry Group chief executive, last night declined to back Ms Gillard’s proposal to introduce a fixed carbon price from July 1 next year and an emissions trading scheme three to five years later.

“The jury is very much still out on the introduction of a carbon price in Australia, with industry very concerned about the competitive impacts,” Ms Ridout said.

“In this regard, all options should still be on the table, including that of rollback until the final shape of the government’s proposal is clear.

“While certainty is important for decision-making around major long-term investments, this certainty should not come at the cost of a loss of competitiveness that sends jobs and emissions offshore or risks the continuity of energy supply.” (source)

So that leaves moonbats like BHP’s Marius Kloppers (see here) supporting it… Why is it so difficult for the Government to see the writing on the wall? A price on carbon will do nothing for the climate, and damage our economy. It’s very simple, but Gillard et al are either too stupid to see it or too blind to look.

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Bob Carter lashes Labor

28 February, 2011 by

Climate sense

A joy to read. Professor Bob Carter (who, let’s face it, is a proper scientist) teaches the warmist scaremongers Garnaut, Flannery, Combet and Gillard a lesson in basic science:

Do you understand the meaning of the phrases “empirical science” and “hypothesis testing”? [I can answer that one: “no” – Ed]

Do you understand that the correct null hypothesis is that gentle warmings, such as that which occurred between 1979 and 1998, and equivalent coolings, are to be viewed as due to natural causes unless and until evidence indicates otherwise. [Ditto, “no” – Ed] Gentlemen, where is that evidence, and why is it not presented in the voluminous reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that you and the government so often refer to?

Despite this lack of evidence for dangerous, or potentially dangerous, warming, and despite the lack of efficacy of cutting carbon dioxide emissions as a means of preventing the trivial warming that is likely to occur (cutting all of Australia’s emissions would theoretically prevent, perhaps, around one-thousandth of a degree of warming), the political course in Canberra is now set on carbon tax autopilot, and the plane is flying squarely into the eye of a storm that is labelled “let’s spin a regressive new tax as a virtuous environmental measure”.

For instance, the Prime Minister says:

I also want to be very clear with Australians about what pricing carbon does. It has price impacts. It’s meant to. That’s the whole point.

No, Prime Minister, that is not the point at all. The point is supposed to be attaining a meaningful reduction in future warming, which a carbon dioxide taxation policy will not achieve – even were it to successfully close down the entire industrial economy of Australia

Climate Minister Mr Combet believes that reducing “carbon pollution” to “drive investment in clean energy …. is fundamentally what a carbon price is about”.

No, Greg, the matter has nothing to do with either carbon or pollution, for the alleged dangerous warming is supposed to be produced by the atmospheric trace gas carbon dioxide. To call carbon dioxide a pollutant is an abuse of logic, language and science, given its pivotal role in the photosynthetic processes that underpin most of our planetary ecosystems. In essence, carbon dioxide is the very staff of life, and increasing it in the atmosphere helps most plants to grow better and to use water more efficiently.

…

Never has an important national policy issue been so surrounded with public dishonesty and deliberate ambiguity of language as is the issue of dangerous, human-caused global warming.

Choreographed over the years by green lobby groups, politicians and commentators alike now participate like puppets-on-strings in an entirely faux public gigue involving words or phrases like “carbon” (when they mean carbon dioxide), “pollution” (when they are referring to an environmentally beneficial trace gas), “settled science” (when the science is hotly contested, and the onus of proof of danger still rests, unattained, with the climate alarmists of a discredited IPCC), “climate change” (when they mean dangerous global warming), “energy efficiency” (in the same breath that they rule out the environmentally friendly baseload energy source represented by nuclear power) and “international good citizen” (at a time when international action on climate policy has never been less certain).

It is therefore entirely unsurprising that there has been a swing in public opinion against alarmism on global warming, though nervous Labor politicians are doubtless already sucking in deep breaths of surprise at the apparent strength of the swing. One recent online poll, in The Age of all places, received an 89% NO answer to the question “Would you support a climate tax?”; and another, in the Herald-Sun and with more than 30,000 respondents, received an 85% NO to the question “Do you support a price on carbon (sic)?”.

Wonderful stuff. Read it all.

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Tony Windsor: stooge for environmental activists

28 February, 2011 by

Keep an eye out, Tony, your electorate are after you…

Independent? Independent, my foot. Eco-fruitcake, more like. Tony Windsor is showing his true colours today by launching a report by the Climate Institute, an environmental advocacy group (see here for an example), which owes its entire existence to the current climate scare:

A new report says a price on carbon could create 34,000 new jobs in the renewable energy sector in regional Australia over the next two decades.

The report, by the Climate Institute, was launched this morning by independent MP Tony Windsor, just days after he helped the Prime Minister announce plans for a price on carbon by July next year.

Last week, Mr Windsor would not commit to backing a tax, but he says he is keen to generate a discussion on renewable energy.

“For many years now I have sort of been preaching a gospel I guess that there are enormous opportunities, particularly for country people, but for the nation generally, in terms of renewable energy,” Mr Windsor said. (source)

What on earth is Windsor doing spruiking this kind of nonsense from the Climate Institute anyway? What the report doesn’t mention, of course, is that for all those 34,000 subsidised, taxpayer-funded, propped-up, fake “green jobs”, you will lose several times as many real, proper, genuine jobs, as our competitiveness sinks beneath the waves and industry moves offshore. But don’t expect the Climate Institute to look to closely at that, they’re on the climate bandwagon, feeding at the trough of alarmism that we’re all paying for through our taxes.

And if that isn’t nauseating enough, Windsor then goes on to smear Tony Abbott in the Fairfax press, spilling his guts about the confidential post-election negotiations:

Tony Abbott was so hungry for power he was willing to do anything to form government after the election, one of the men who blocked his dream says.

Independent MP Tony Windsor says his discussions with Mr Abbott did deal with what do about climate change.

“Tony Abbott did say during those discussions that he would do anything to gain power,” Mr Windsor told reporters on Tuesday.

The NSW MP said he presumed that applied to climate policy.

Asked for specifics, Mr Windsor was not keen to discuss confidential discussions.

“He made the point that he would do anything to gain power.” (source)

Ah, right, so it’s OK to breach confidences when it suits you to smear Abbott, but you play the “confidential discussion” card when asked a difficult question, right? I get it. None of this should surprise us really. Virtually every utterance since the election has rubbished the Coalition and supported Labor, including on the floods and the NBN. Independent? I think not. Labor in drag. What a disgrace to politics and to his (essentially conservative) electorate, who will no doubt give him the bloody nose he deserves at the ballot box at the next election.

But one piece of good news is that Tony Abbott has confirmed he will roll back the carbon tax if elected. You took too long to announce that, Tony, should have been seconds after Ju-liar’s announcement…

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: ,

Greens and Labor already fighting over carbon tax

28 February, 2011 by

Hated by the Greens

Excellent. The first of many disagreements between Labor and the Greens which will, hopefully, see this pointless and dangerous tax never make it into law. The Greens, thinking they now run the country [they do – Ed], are getting pushy about including petrol in the carbon tax, to get your evil SUV off the road for good. Even Labor, who would sell their own grandmother to stay in power, is worried by this, as they see their core vote starting to desert them:

Petrol prices are already causing political tension for the federal government as it moves to introduce a carbon tax.

On a day when Prime Minister Julia Gillard finally admitted she had promised there would be no carbon tax a week before the August 21 poll, she sternly rebuked the Australian Greens for speculating how far the tax would be extended when it is introduced next year.

A carbon price regime is scheduled to begin in July 2012 but decisions are yet to be made on what sectors are included.

Agriculture will be exempt but a tax could still apply to the transport and energy sectors.

The Greens want petrol included so funds can be directed towards greener public transport.

But Ms Gillard is having none of that and had stern words for a key member of her multi-party climate change committee on Sunday.

“I understand that the deputy leader of the Greens, Christine Milne, made some statements about this matter,” she told the Nine Network.

“Those statements, in my view, were not appropriate in the sense these discussions are still to come and discussions are to be taken.” (source)

With luck, Labor will eventually learn a very unpalatable lesson about signing tawdry deals with a bunch of hysterical environmental extremists masquerading as a political party…

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UPDATED: Stop Gillard's Carbon Tax

27 February, 2011 by

Sign up now

This Facebook page seems to be the place to go for details of the protests and petitions:

Stop Gillard’s Carbon Tax

Click “Like” to be kept updated in your home page with the latest news.

The main page is located here:

http://www.stopgillardscarbontax.com/

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Combet: "change your bulbs to beat the carbon tax"

27 February, 2011 by

Arrogant disregard

Just how out of touch can a minister be? Is this a serious statement, showing his appalling lack of judgement, or a sick joke, showing his astonishing bad taste? Can’t tell. Whichever it is, it demonstrates how little Greg Combet, the Marie Antoinette of Labor (“Let them eat cake“), understands about the effect of a carbon tax on the people of Australia, and comments like this will simply stoke the fire even more:

Asked to name the top five things people could do to beat the carbon tax, Mr Combet said it was best to reduce energy consumption.

“And the main way to do that is by saving energy, to turn things off at the wall,” he said. [Because turning your TV off at the wall will save roughly the square root of bugger all, hardly enough to scratch the paint off the $300 annual increase – Ed]

“Maybe think about how often you use the airconditioner. Using a cheaper-to-run hot water system. Changing the light bulbs. Have you got insulation?” (source)

So Australians are now expected to fork out even more money for a new hot water system, toxic compact fluorescent bulbs (at $10 each) and insulation for their homes? [They could always set up a government scheme to install insulation… no, wait, they tried that and it burned down homes and killed people – Ed] And this at a time when they already can’t afford to feed their families, fill up their cars or heat their homes? Seriously, you haven’t a clue, have you?

 

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ACM Comment: Australia is run by the Greens

26 February, 2011 by

Prior to the last Federal election, Julia Gillard said:

“There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead.”

Just to remind yourselves, here it is on YouTube:

Let’s also remind ourselves what Wayne Swan said on the subject:

HARTCHER: Mr Swan, Julia Gillard has committed the Labor Party to applying a price to carbon, so it is not a question of if, but when.  Can you tell us exactly when Labor will apply a price to carbon?

TREASURER: Well, certainly what we rejected is this hysterical allegation that somehow we are moving towards a carbon tax from the Liberals in their advertising.  We reject that. (source)

Both of those statements are unequivocal. However, at the nauseating photo shoot soon after last August’s election, when Julia Gillard and Bob Brown signed their grubby deal, it was clear who would really be leading the government. And so technically, Julia didn’t tell a lie when she announced her carbon tax this week. She doesn’t lead the government. She has sacrificed all her power to the Greens, and by doing so, must submit to their extremist, anti-human, Marxist environmental agenda that puts the nonsensical notion of “saving the planet” above everything, and more especially, everyone.

The Greens don’t care that you won’t be able to pay your electricity bill. Use less. The Greens don’t care if you can’t heat your home in winter. Wear more jumpers. The Greens don’t care if you can’t afford to drive your kids to school. Walk or take the bus, you evil planet-destroying capitalist. The Greens don’t care that you can’t afford to feed your family. Tough – knit your own yogurt instead.

And now we have the ultimate pointless environmental gesture, a carbon tax for an economy that generates less than 1.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions. What effect will a carbon tax have on climate? None whatsoever. What effect will a carbon tax have on the economy? Too many to list. It will raise the price of everything. Cost: substantial, benefit: zero. But who cares about cost/benefit analyses when we’re “saving the planet”? We have to appease the Greens to stay in power, thinks Julia, so we’d better do whatever they say, because staying in power is more important than doing the right thing for Australia.

Then, of course, there is the ludicrous suggestion that other countries will somehow “follow Australia’s lead”. Yeah, right! Anyone who believes that China and India will look to plucky little Australia and suddenly abandon all their plans for economic growth and start self-flagellating like us is pathologically delusional.

So Australia is the only country on earth where the Greens are in charge, thanks to two idiotic independent MPs, Tony Windsor and “giggling imbecile” Rob Oakeshott, who turned their backs on the wishes of their electorates by cynically siding with the Labor/Green alliance back in August.

If Ju-liar had an ounce of dignity or respect for the Australian electorate, she would call an election on Monday and let the people decide whether they support her volte-face or not. But she won’t. She’s too arrogant, desperately clinging on to power by sucking up to the Greens rather than standing by her principles – that’s assuming she has some, of course, which I very much doubt.

The only glimmer of hope is that the actions of the last 48 hours will so incense the Australian public that the forthcoming tidal wave of public outrage will finish Gillard and her disgraceful government once and for all, just like the ETS finished Rudd.

So make your voices heard. Write to your MPs. Turn out for protest marches. Show the government that it cannot simply steam-roller the Australian people. Let’s get this pointless and inequitable tax consigned to the dustbin of history.

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Ju-liar the Puppet

26 February, 2011 by

Bill Leak in The Australian sums it up perfectly:

Pinocchio

Further coverage from the Oz:

This policy backflip could make or break Labor – let’s hope with all our hearts that it breaks the lying bunch of shysters once and for all.

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Ju-liar Gillard

25 February, 2011 by

Alan Jones

Listen to Alan Jones eviscerate Gillard, and listen to Gillard’s arrogant bluster, full of contempt for the Australian electorate, and not an apology in sight for this disgraceful broken promise.

[wpaudio url=”http://podcasts.mrn.com.au.s3.amazonaws.com/alanjones/20110225-aj2-juliagillard.mp3″ text=”Alan Jones interviews Julia Gillard”]

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