We are not interested in whether it is good,bad or indifferent to have a carbon tax that is going to cost you and me in the cost of living, it is about the LIE,LIE LIE. DON'T YOU GET IT. She is being ruled by the GREENS and nobody can deny it.
Australia is now being effectively run by the Greens in similar manner to that experienced in Tasmania for the past 30 years. They may not officially be in majority government, but that a minority government depends on their support does in practice give them almost absolute power.
The only real difference between the Australian situation and that in Tasmania is that in the case of the latter, even majority Labor or Liberal governments have fallen foul of Green deals with federal Labor and/or physical protests, blockades and all the rest. In practice, the Greens and their political predecessors (who are the same people) have been calling the shots for three decades now.
That goes well beyond the high profile issues of the Franklin River and building a new (to replace the old) pulp mill at Wesely Vale and more recently the proposal to put the mill at Bell Bay instead. There has been essentially no period in the past 30 years where some project or business in Tas has not been the target of physical protests, and basically no significant development which has not been opposed. Investors have, quite sensibly, kept well away from the place for this reason.
Now we're seeing much the same nationally, albeit without effective physical protests (yet). As has been the case in Tasmania, the targets are essentially the same. Start with electricity generation (critical to every other industry...) then move onto other activities. In Tas that was the pulp and paper industry and metal smelting whilst nationally it will more likely be mining (the LNG industry seems to be attracting particular attention).
I am not against sensible protection of the environment. But I am against what amounts to nothing more than substantial de-industrialisation of a state and now the country for little real environmental benefit. I am also absolutely opposed to the reality that with few exceptions, this has taken place against the apparent wishes of the people.
All that said, I do think Bob Brown has
some good ideas and I suspect his intentions are reasonably honest. I'd describe him as someone who knows very well how the world works, doesn't really know how to fix it but is determined to have a go anyway no matter what the consequences. Despite my disagreement with him and the Greens on many points, I can't hate someone for wanting to save a few trees and a river or two. It's the means of going about it, and failing to consider all pieces in the puzzle, that I so strongly disagree with.
Christine Milne worries me far more however, as I've never seen any indication that she has a real understanding of anything beyond the immediate issues she happens to be focused on at the time. Her comments regarding the carbon tax have reinforced this view - she just doesn't seem to care or comprehend that there are any issues beyond CO2.
PS: For those who think I'm being a tad too personal with my comments here, I will simply point out that there are numerous personal attacks on Gillard, Rudd, Abbott, Howard and plenty of other Labor and Liberal politicians on this and other threads on ASF and such things are generally considered acceptable in Australian society. So in that context I see my comments about Greens MP's as reasonable.