Astonishing disloyalty

Call me old fashioned, but I thought that one of the principles in Coalition politics would be supporting your leader in the common aim of getting rid of Rudd and his tawdry government. How wrong one can be. Instead of backing Tony Abbott all the way, as they should, political has-beens Malcolm Turnbull and John Hewson think that it is somehow beneficial to the cause to make pompous speeches in Parliament slagging off the new Coalition policy on climate change, or write articles for the ABC about how the Liberals are using scare tactics about the ETS. I mean, what freaking planet are these guys on? Clearly they put their own petty self interest way above the interests of the party (and the country).

Traitor Turnbull first:

Former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull has vowed to cross the floor and vote for the Government’s emissions trading scheme (ETS), arguing the Opposition’s alternative plan will achieve “very little” except raise taxes.

Mr Turnbull lost the Liberal leadership to Tony Abbott late last year following a Liberal mutiny against his decision to support the ETS.

Mr Turnbull urged his colleagues to think beyond the next election and legislate for the long term and reminded them that until December last year there was bipartisan agreement to adopt an ETS.

Mr Turnbull says the ETS is the only credible way to meet the Government’s commitment to reduce emissions by 5 per cent of 2000 levels by 2020.

“These bills are as much the work of John Howard as of Kevin Rudd,” he said. [Times have changed, pal, in case you haven’t noticed – Ed]

“I will be voting in favour of this bill.

“All of us here are accountable not just to our constituency, but the generations that will come after them and after us,” he said.

Mr Turnbull said that climate change was a global problem and if Australia expected countries like China and India to act it must lead the way with an ETS. (source)

Yeah, mate, like China and India give a rats what Australia (1.5% of global emissions) does – idiot. We all know you’re just trying to secure all those dollars in future carbon trading, aren’t you? And now for Hewson:

Former Liberal leader John Hewson has taken aim at Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s climate change policy, accusing him of using fear to win over voters.

In an opinion piece for the ABC’s The Drum which denounces both sides of politics for “squibbing” action on climate change, Dr Hewson has also criticised the media for focusing on the colour of the political debate rather than the substance of the science.

Dr Hewson has urged both Mr Abbott and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to show leadership on the issue instead of “wallowing in the colour and movement of grossly irresponsible politicking”.

“I am particularly disturbed by the way our current ‘debate’ on the challenge of climate change is unfolding,” he writes.

Dr Hewson’s comments come as today’s Nielsen poll in the Fairfax media shows voters prefer the Coalition’s policy over Mr Rudd’s emissions trading scheme. (source)

See how out of touch you are with reality? Even the polls show the complete opposite.

Advice to Tony Abbott: dump these traitors from the party, along with any other turncoat that dares vote with the government on the ETS.