Tuesday 19th of March 2024

the little big liar from the ultra-conservative north shore...

 

liar

He is attempting to create the impression that he can jettison our Paris commitments, that he can control electricity prices, and that he would fund and build a new ultra supercritical coal-fired power station.

Abbott is driven only by personal ambition and revenge. He is prepared to trash our international standing a la Paris, and create and exploit disunity in the Liberal Party for his personal ends. I didn’t see any evidence of his recently acquired religious zeal for “direction” or for the party’s grassroots throughout his time as a minister or as leader.

Apart from anything else, his first budget was a disaster, in large part because he just dropped the concepts of a co-payment for Medicare, university fees and huge cuts in payments to the states for education and health without any overarching narrative, or any broader policy detail. It reeked of arrogance as if, somehow, voters would just accept a “greater good”, and cop it sweet.

Moreover, as opposition leader, Abbott elevated negativism to an art form, so it was a big ask for voters suddenly to accept his credentials as a reformer. He wants them now to accept that he is the champion of low priced energy, when his attempt to close down the renewables industry saw investment fall by about 80 to 90 per cent, and about 15,000 jobs squandered.

But, equally, the renewables industry has also been its own worst enemy, by exaggerating the cost and emissions advantages of sun and wind, without acknowledging and costing backup from coal, or open cycle gas.

Chief Scientist Alan Finkel has correctly recommended, and the government has agreed, that the focus must be on “dispatchable power”, where the backup/storage is also recognised and costed. Indeed, I suggest, and declaring an interest in the development of effective storage, that the government should go further and insist on retrofitting existing wind and solar farms with storage.

Turnbull must delineate, and be prepared to fight for, the national benefit in a low carbon future and industrial structure. He must call Abbott out on his opportunism and misrepresentation.

Unfortunately, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s promise of “bipartisanship” is more a wedge than a genuine commitment. Turnbull should call him out, too.

They should both support the Finkel proposal for a clean energy target, and perhaps a climate commission - a significant, independent, well-funded institution - to oversee and manage the transition from now on beyond politics.

John Hewson is a professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, and a former Liberal opposition leader. He has business interests in the renewables sector.

read more:

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/turnbull-must-take-on-abbott-over-renewabl...

 

 

enough with collecting north shore dog poop bags...

 

If there’s one message Tony Abbott should have received loud and clear by the end of this week it’s this – give it a break, Tony. We’ve had enough.

And that’s not just because an increasing number of the Turnbull government’s senior conservative MPs have lined up before TV cameras to tell the former PM to zip it.

A conservative cabinet member, who has mainly kept his counsel until now, unleashed on the former PM this week.

Energy and environment minister Josh Frydenberg challenged Mr Abbott to ask himself who was benefiting most from his “constant critiquing of the government”. Noting that it wasn’t Liberal Party members or MPs who profited, let alone the Australian people, the minister stated that Bill Shorten was “the one who’s benefiting most, unfortunately, from Tony Abbott’s constant interventions.”

But just like the other entreaties from his senior colleagues, these were ignored by the former PM.

Mr Abbott appears to have given up trying to get senior conservatives to abandon Mr Turnbull and focussed instead on whipping up a backbench rebellion.

read more

http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/07/07/moment-showed-people-...

 

buying votes for turdy...

Hostilities have broken out over a meeting to debate an overhaul of NSW Liberal Party preselection rules, with supporters of a reform backed by former prime minister Tony Abbott accused of attempting to "stack" the event.

But those pushing the reforms, which would deliver every local party member a preselection vote, have hit back by accusing opponents of "trying to scuttle" the so-called Party Futures Convention.

...

Fairfax Media has spoken to a senior Liberal who claims to have been told by a volunteer telephoning to recruit attendees that 200 registrations have been paid for – at a cost of up to $30,000 – by supporters of a reform motion by Mr Abbott's Warringah Federal Electorate Conference.

The so-called Warringah motion would introduce plebiscites whereby every local party member would get a vote in preselections. At present voting is restricted to branch representatives and some party officials.

read more:

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/tony-abbott-backers-accused-of-trying-to-stack...

holy turd...

when turds are drying on the sunny side of the street...

The new Liberal Party federal president, Nick Greiner, is aiming for the Nobel Peace Prize, and he’s doing it the hard way.

Eschewing simple conflicts such as solving the Syrian dilemma, brokering a deal between Israel and the Palestinians and persuading North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to loosen up a bit, Greiner has gone straight for the big one: reconciling Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott.

Well, perhaps not actually reconciling them, but at least trying to get the two together to have what he optimistically calls a civil conversation; Greiner says it would be a really nice idea and he will make a couple of phone calls.

Well, good luck with that. If he has in fact dialled the right numbers, apparently the lines have been busy, but no doubt his calls were important to them and if he waits long enough someone will get in touch. Or not.

read more:

https://www.themonthly.com.au/blog/mungo-maccallum/2017/23/2017/15008065...

 

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