And this is the bloke we’re sending to Glasgow!
The Government’s booklet and the entirety of its contents purporting to be a plan the Morrison government has adopted for a mid-century target of net zero emissions by 2050 has met with universal criticism.
After weeks of melodrama, the Coalition parties have adopted a plan hastily put together in a matter of days with all the swiftness of an African antelope.
There is much to be said about this agreement between the Liberals and the Nationals, and it is, in my view, a superb exercise in nothingness. Probably the worst in Australian political history is about the best I can do.
It seems to me to confirm that whilst our Prime Minister might believe that climate-heating is happening, he is sceptical about doing anything about it.
No coatings, no modelling, no legislation, nothing to even suggest they have done much work on the problem at all.
They couldn’t have given it much thought because we adopted these objectives five years ago when we signed the Paris Agreement.
When he arrives in Scotland, the prime minister won’t be greeted with handshakes of possibility but a kick up the arse for pursuing nothing.
Here is a selection of headlines from news outlets that capture our government’s hypocrisy (and idiocy) on climate change:
Mathias Cormann calls for carbon pricing to be coordinated across the world, the ABC.
Angus Taylor to promote fossil fuels at Glasgow Cop26 climate summit, The Guardian.
“Angus Taylor has declared he will use Cop26 to promote Australia as a good place to invest in fossil fuel projects in a provocative statement confirming he will attend the climate summit in Glasgow.”
For those of us who clean our glasses with ‘see it clearly’ and see what we are looking at through the lens of honesty, well, we are fascinated by the seemingly appalling lack of enthusiasm shown by the government. Conservatives must be asking why Tony Abbott led this country down the road of crap in the first place. It’s not easy being green.
What an embarrassment we are in the world’s eyes and what an absence of leadership we carry. What a shame we are to ourselves. How confused must be our electorate that we would place power in the hands of people with chastisement in their hearts, authority on their minds, and control in their doing, those who do little for democracy.
Control freaks usually cannot see beyond their own self-importance and are hostile to those who might threaten it.
Here are some more headlines – including some from overseas media outlets:
Australia will be the rich world’s weakest link at COP26 with hollow net-zero and emissions pledges, CNN.
In their article, Australia Pledges ‘Net Zero’ Emissions by 2050. Its Plan Makes That Hard to Believe, the New York Times reported that Morrison’s proclamation of the “Australian way” to achieve net-zero sounded “like he was already campaigning” for next year’s federal election.
The Washington Post raised the devastating bushfires of early 2020 and the urgent push for action against global warming that followed in their article, Australia pivots on climate with 2050 net zero target, but won’t adopt steeper 2030 commitment.
“It really is extraordinary that we could spend the best part of a year tracking towards Tuesday’s pre-Glasgow crescendo – and land with a “plan” that is actually the status quo with some new speculative graphs.
But that’s exactly where we are. After the Coalition’s disgraceful, destructive decade – measured substantively, looking at proposed actions, not slogans – the government is still running to stay still, without any obvious remorse, introspection, or regret.”
She went on to say:
“But if the Coalition were to change course radically, it would be tantamount to an admission that a party of government in this country has traded the national interest for a handful of regional Queensland seats for the best part of a decade.”
Internally many organisations were just as scathing, as reported in The Guardian:
“The Greenpeace Australia Pacific chief executive, David Ritter, said the Australian government’s commitment “will not stand up on the global stage”.
He said without an updated 2030 target that did more than just “repackage” state emission reduction targets, the government’s plan was “meaningless”.
Influential software billionaire and climate advocate Mike Cannon-Brookes slammed the plan as “just more bullsh*t”. He is, in my view, correct.
David Attenborough has “blasted the plan for lacking detail and failing to increase 2030 emissions reduction targets.”
British naturalist Sir David Attenborough warned world leaders it would be too late to tackle climate change if #COP26 does not succeed. He said the richer nations had a moral responsibility to act https://t.co/08DrMq2bs7 pic.twitter.com/0eUbPkJkbQ
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 26, 2021
The Clean Energy Council warned that:
Without a stronger 2030 target, there remains a lack of clarity and positive investment signals to accelerate the decarbonisation of Australia and take advantage of the enormous economic opportunity in play.
Morrison, when he returns from Glasgow and after receiving the condemnation of other world citizens, will as promised, release the modelling within weeks. Given the government’s record on producing reports etc., I can see that waiting until after the election.
The Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese was right onto Morrison’s ploy when he asked during Question Time:
“What is the reason why he says he’s releasing the modelling in a few weeks, rather than now? Don’t Australians deserve the right to see it?”
While:
“Labor climate spokesman Chris Bowen said the next election would be a climate change contest, labelling the announcement a ‘steaming pile of nothingness’.”
Bowen was correct.
The next day:
“Senate estimates was told Treasury had little input into the modelling but provided advice to the energy department… Treasury had little input into the modelling but It’s even possible that none existed or is being done now.”
Morrison dismissed all the criticism by turning his motor mouth to full throttle, saying on the Seven Network that:
“Everyone else who doesn’t understand Australia, our economy and the challenges we have here are entitled to their opinions… I will do what is right for Australia and we are getting results.”
Mr Morrison said Labor won’t release its plan for 2030, and it was yet to reveal if it would take a 2030 target to the next election and had not released its plan for 2050 net-zero.
Labor intends to release its plan after the Prime Minister returns from Glasgow, and this makes sense after being bitten badly by releasing policy too early.
The prime minister produced his smartphone in defending a reliance on unproven technology to achieve his emissions targets:
“An iPhone would never have been existing if it was based on the assumptions of the leader of the opposition,’ Mr Morrison said. “We wouldn’t have had a COVID vaccine. I have more confidence in technological innovation and science than I do in taxes and regulations.”
All this was meant to imply that he had great faith in technology, but he missed the point that millions of dollars had been spent on carbon capture and storage over a long period without success.
The government won’t budge from its 2030 emission reduction target of 26 to 28 per cent on 2005 levels or its 30 to 35 per cent by the end of the decade.
Just what the National Party’s cooperation will cost the country or the taxpayer (businesses won’t pay) in this ill-founded exercise is unknown, but it will come out in dribs and drabs.
Resources Minister Keith Pitt returns to the cabinet, but we will suffer much more than that. And in more ways than one. So, I end this piece with the same paragraph with the exact words as my previous one:
Morrison will have to tell the truth, which is always a delicate proposition, and he will have to say we will do our best, but because our coalition partners don’t want a target, there is “nothing” much we can do. It’s just the way we govern in Australia.
Fools rush in where wise men never go.
My thought for the day
When he arrives in Scotland, the prime minister won’t be greeted with handshakes of possibility but a kick up the arse for pursuing nothing.
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Return to home pageScotty talks….. “But I will do what is right for Australia and we are getting results.” No worries scomo, I have seen no results but waiting in anticipation to see our emissions go down, hopefully at a canter or better still, a gallop.
After being educated by writers on AIM as to a Glaswegian kiss. I hope he receives more than one. He deserves no less.
Well written John Lord, excellent links.
Nobody should be in any doubt as to the deceitful despicable nature of the L/NPs PM, DPM and ministers. Scumbags!
Aye Carina, lol, indeed, I’ll second, third and fourth that sentiment…
I hope as well a Scotsman shoves a caber right up scotty’s arse.
Scott Morrison, Australia’s PM, is an opportunistic merchandising back stabbing fervent pentacostal vile snollygoster!
Something I’ve noticed in relation to a couple of Face Book pages set up by Liberal Federal politicians, they have written . virtually nothing about climate change policy.
Copy of my latest email sent to Liberal meant to be supporting citizens in my electorate:
Dear ………
A couple of years ago a Liberal Senator, Jim Molen, talked about the security problems created through Australia having few reserves of fuel for vehicles powered by internal combustian engines. It is a good reason for promoting electric driven cars, utes and trucks powered by renewable engergy for military and civilian purposes.
The other matter is that Australia is presenting a poor emissions reduction scheme at Glasgow; while at the same time approving mutually exclusive new coal mines and gas fields. That does not make sense. Also, the National Party has been bought to agree to the worthless 2050 net zero emissions plan, when there must be legislated policies for 2030 to ensure it happens. The Nationals will be paid through taxes (pork barrelling) which goes against the Technology no Taxes promotion.
The Arctic is a climate hot spot, which if triggered further will create huge problems. Arguably the amount of multi-year ice, and thickness of ice are of more importance that sea ice extent.
You might not like the Aljazeera reference, though it does accurately describe what is going on.
The Coalition government is letting down our children.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/10/27/melting-arctic-ice-permafrost-uncontrolled-global-heating?fbclid=IwAR2Fnejj0Ti4PuD4B2UU9FL5xUyAXDD1wSoYckzuWImNdtl5mkF7iNwTXxI
Arctic ground ‘literally collapsing’ amid abrupt thaw | Climate Crisis News | Al Jazeera
Arctic ground ‘literally collapsing’ amid abrupt thaw. Experts say global emissions need to be cut now to limit the release of powerful greenhouse gases from thawing permafrost.
http://www.aljazeera.com
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-10-28/net-zero-modelling-for-carbon-capture/100568216
Yours sincerely
Any target is meaningless if one is aiming in the wrong direction as Morrison and half the rest of the worlds leaders are doing. Morrison will come back, waving a piece of paper, declaring a new “target” of 60% by 2029 and that the word is saved and we can all breathe a sigh of relief as we enter the voting booth.
Just stop talking “targets” and start talking “direction”! ANY deviation is death by
.another little cut.
Grrrr!
Morrison talks about the “Australian way” which translates to supporting fossil fuel mining interests and ignoring the majority of Australians wanting real action on climate change.
Besides NO PLAN for COP26, Australia has AUKUS to celebrate. Ç’est la vie. There is no end to Morrison’s shitfuckery…
I’m with you BB. And I’ll add throttlebottom to your snollygoster.
You have covered all the points JL sadly illuminating the total personal inadequacy of the unChristian Scummo, the Liar from the Shire, to be holding any public office for the benefit of Australian voters.
The plan is simple: say you’re committed to net zero, but don’t actually do anything that will reduce emissions. It’s worked (ie, gotten them elected) so far …
When Scottie from marketing gets up to address the COP 26 forum will he introduce Australia’s climate plan based on the Dusty Springfield classic :
Wishing and hoping and scheming and praying
The Australian Way according to Scummo and the bastards from the bush, led by the hayseed fornicator is never to concede political control to anyone other than themselves. and to that end; lie, cheat, fornicate, sell your soul and yours arses to the highest bidders, in this case the fossil fuel industry and the selfish pricks in the bush who will continue to pollute the world with their methane emitting investments.
And then come out with sensational ,emotive, outrageous statements like Grab your gun. I dare say there are many out there who would very likely use their weapons on dickheads like the fornicator, if it came to a push.
No honesty, no decency, no openness, no real plan, no legislation, but, LIES, cheating, dodging, bumboy antics for donors and patrons. One feels angry, powerless at the moment, ashamed to be Australian under this regime of rats and rubbish merchants. the P M, Mr. Gutlezwunda and his dopey deputy Mr, Rootem-Drinkup lack any elementary ability to serve, think, actually plan and to convey this honestly. A powerful cast of greedy short term profiteers will ruin our future, curse them. Merde Dog, you reffo from a sty…
Morrison has such a stratospheric level of arrogance and superiority, he really DOES believe that everyone around him is stupid and gullible enough to believe his appalling lies and cynical promises! Really? This is a government who’s members are known to have HUGE personal share portfolios in mining and, as such, their self-serving greed backs up their relentless adherence and support of the filthy, polluting coal-mining and gas-fracking industries. This is a regressive pack of climate-change-denying Neanderthals in a government that totally ignores, dismisses and refutes empirical evidence by world-renowned scientists and environmentalists of the imminent (and permanent) dangers of climate change leading to inexorable global warming that is, RIGHT NOW, having a devastating impact on our environment. This is a deaf, dumb and blind regime who are, RIGHT NOW, losing the support of desperate drought-stricken farmers and remote rural communities who are struggling and seriously impacted by climate change and global warming that the LNP, with their collective heads stuck firmly in the sand, continues to REFUSE to acknowledge.
Now we have the failed marketeer, Morrison, organising a cynical, glossy pamphlet outlining a Clayton’s Plan (ie the Plan you have when you don’t really have a Plan) that he is gormless enough to believe will, in any way, impress other nations at the Climate Conference in Glasgow – WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! If there is ONE thing we have learnt about the bone-idle Sloth Morrison it is this: Everything Morrison does is a condescending, vacuous and malicious attempt to deceive, mislead, conceal, treacherously betray or to provide some personal advantage to himself and his billionaire donors in the Top 1% and everything Morrison says is a bald-faced lie, a piece of chest-beating, self-promoting BS or a sanctimonious monologue served to pompously lecture others in the only role Morrison can play with any level of credibility which is that of a deluded Hillsong cultist and perfidious bible-thumping religious hypocrite!
As for Morrison’s dubious “achievements”? In the relative short time this appalling, totally corrupt miscreant has been in power, he has managed to decimate Australia’s (once) very fine international reputation (under the Rudd/Gillard government), has overseen the appalling almost total DEFUNDMENT of OUR taxpayer-funded ABC to the tune of nearly $1 Billion whilst the LNP/Murdoch/IPA Alliance oversees the politically-motivated manipulation and infiltration of our ABC by continuing to parachute totally biased right-wing sycophants onto the ABC Board and into influential seats on panel shows (people like ex-SkyNews hack, David Speers) in order to distort, manipulate and control everything Australians hear and see in our national media in an undemocratic move that borders on fascism!
The fact that – despite all the staggering corruption, irrational insanity and internationally condemned idiocy committed by that swaggering, incoherent misogynist, Abbott, before him – gormless, Murdoch-manipulated, deluded Australians were stupid enough to re-elect the absolute WORST, most corrupt and inept regime in our history, has done NOTHING but embolden the Mother and Father of All Liars and political parasites to believe that he can do WHATEVER he likes, WHENEVER he likes. Morrison is a career shirker who failed to hold on to any job outside politics; he is a man who is as shallow as a carpark puddle but who managed to hike up the obscene, undeserved salaries of himself and his non-achieving cabinet to a level where he is now the FIFTH HIGHEST PAID LEADER in the free world YET has managed to DELEGATE most of his job and his responsibilities to others – especially to State Premiers!
The non-stop rorting, abuse, misuse and scandalous waste committed by Morrison and just about EVERY member of his disgraced, discredited cabinet has now reached a stage where the corruption is so endemic and so prolific, the LNP don’t even bother hiding their increasing level of depravity any more. The long, ever-growing list of blatant corruption, waste and bad decisions made by the Morrison regime (link below) is now almost as long as the Dead Sea Scrolls but is nearly 10 months old so, no doubt, it is incomplete with so much MORE incidences of corruption and waste that could be added since then!
https://chaser.com.au/national/an-exhaustive-list-of-the-liberal-partys-corruption-over-the-last-7-years/
Morrison believes that he is too good and too precious to travel First Class on a commercial flight so, instead, his massive ego and deluded sense of importance was the inspiration for him to expend countless MILLIONS on a luxurious VIP Jet for his OWN public (and personal) use, so aptly named “Shark One” after his favourite football team but more akin to the fact that sharks are, indeed, the biggest predators in the ocean! Read about what this exercise in vanity is costing Australian taxpayers:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9170177/Scott-Morrisons-250M-VIP-jet-Shark-One-cost-Australian-taxpayers-17-600-repairs-year.html
As such, are we REALLY surprised that Morrison is going to choof off in “Shark One” to Glasgow clutching nothing more than his brief, insignificant and cynical pamphlet on climate change, a subject that EVERYONE knows he and his cabinet of regressive conservatives have NEVER believed in! Clearly, according to the man who dragged a large piece of coal into parliament house, this Climate Conference is the “Conference from Hell” who’s reluctant visit to Glasgow has been forced upon him and will, no doubt, cause him to be laughed out of the room and become yet ANOTHER incident that will cause Australia to be shamefully embarrassed on the world stage!
WAKE UP, AUSTRALIA! By now EVERYONE should know that the ONLY “net zero” Morrison is committed to is what he and his useless conniving regime plan to do to enhance and enrich the lives of ordinary working- and middle-class Australians!
Indeed Pagnol, lol… Morrison is a typical RW liberal lamebrain throttlebottom.
A smirker, a loafer, a vain conceited arrogant ultracrepidarian, an ignoramus slubberdegullion! 😁😎
Go for it Kathryn, hear hear! 👍👍
Nice warmer today, lord. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/22/fact-sheet-president-biden-sets-2030-greenhouse-gas-pollution-reduction-target-aimed-at-creating-good-paying-union-jobs-and-securing-u-s-leadership-on-clean-energy-technologies/ New York echoes what we know about scummo the marketman. Remember, all scummo had in 2019 was ‘more of the same if you elect me or you can trust labor, under the greens’. Lo and behold a miracle and he got the mandate for what ever he liked.
Wonder why angus is going. apart from having the name?
https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/taylor/media-releases/interview-chris-kenny-kenny-report-sky-news
The LNP challenge for labor to open their mouth for 2030, will be taken up by the bandit. deja vu? https://theconversation.com/australias-major-parties-climate-policies-side-by-side-116896
ps Bob Brown Sarah Hanson-Young Scott Ludlam Christine Milne Rachel Siewert
Gosh, what a great big surprise from the Leader of the Corruption Party and Minister of Big Donations from Mining. Don’t want to upset Gina and Twiggy and Adani, etc.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-joins-india-and-china-in-resisting-g20-call-to-phase-out-coal-20211029-p594e0.html
Of course Scotty from Marketing wants Labor to release their plans so he can swoop on them grab all the good stuff, reword it and then release it as his really great, terrific, and we’re much betterer than Labor and their crappy ideas. Mind you, he’ll have to run it all past their corporate donors and The Beetroot Mafia so they can make suggestions on what they want to see beforehand. In other words, business as usual from the LNP
Ahh … – but it is not just plain common or garden variety “nothing” that Scotty pursues, is it now?
What is an appropriate term for the annunciations effected from time to time by Australia’s Dear Leader? They are just walls of words streaming forth from his mouth, pretending to convey meaning, but without any substance whatsoever. Bubbles, wrapped in bluster, inside a vacuum …
American Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt famously distinguished between lies and bullshit: the liar, in seeking to conceal the truth, still is aware of it, and respects its relevance and importance. Whereas the bullshitter doesn’t care about the truth at all and will just say and communicate whatever s/he deems will best advance his or her aims.
I think Morrison has moved beyond even bullshit. I think that there is now a nihilistic void at the centre of Australian politics. A small kernel of undefined nothingness, of deliberate thoughtlessness. And my prediction is that it will grow a little bit bigger with every passing day.
I think there is a deeper sense to all of this. I reference my anarchist outlook on political philosophy, meaning that I don’t really believe the need for, or purpose of governments. On that basis, I fully expect that Scotty’s panto-government may prove surprisingly resilient.
Of course, my conceptions of anarchism intrinsically rely on the people being aware of the absence of government and state authority, and themselves conscientiously fulfilling the duties they currently abrogate to the state. Which is not what is happening under Morrison: the presence of his Clayton’s government reassures people that the functions of government are being executed, when, by and large, they are not. Or, in other words, at present, nobody is really responsible for anything, and society proceeds largely on remaining inertia – think of a supertanker with the engines stopped still plowing forward for a great many miles.
The great advantage of occupying the administrative space traditionally reserved for government, whilst not actually doing anything that remotely resembles “governing” is that doing nothing is the most effective way to minimise the number of people who might become critical of whatever it is you’re doing – you’re not doing anything. This – coupled with a fair bit of “look over there” dumping on the weaker minorities of society, the unemployed, indigenous, refugees – is the ultimate “small target” electoral strategy!
oops, lord, I forgot to acknowledge scummo’s ‘truth’ being Australia will be at zero emissions by 2050 and who cares if it is believed or not in glasgow?
ps
Scummo in Italy,
our children and particularly women, must be protected from bullying on internet platforms???
Excellent satire on YouTube from the juice media, thanks. Also appreciate the useful comments by Arndt.
Thoughts :
What are the alternatives to predatory capitalism, ask some. East Europeans often object that communism is as bad or worse. But that is a false argument. Communism produced terrible fossil fuel pollution, eg the lignite smoke over Dresden. Ecological concerns were and are neither capitalist nor communist. Fossil fuels should be left in the ground, and too few regimes are planning to, but methane is even more dangerous . What to do with the millions of emitting cattle and sheep? Scomo will wait for new diets for cattle one supposes.
It is too late. The ice and permafrost are melting, releasing water ie floods and sea rise or atmospheric methane .
I suspect the worst factor to fear is our rapidly increasing human population. In the 1920s Aldous Huxley warned in brave new world revisited that the world population was already too high. The planet will survive but our species and most others will not. I wish I believed in some sky fairy who, having given up on us , will decide to create some intelligent mega lizard or fly without greed and aggression. Well , there isn’t a sky fairy but COP26 is pie in the sky instead.
Even in the short term the current lot of morons here in Oz are beyond despair. They dream of nukular subs and try to woo pacific islands away from China ! but are caught on camera laughing as the pacific islands sink.
Arnd…: ” I reference my anarchist outlook on political philosophy, meaning that I don’t really believe the need for, or purpose of governments . . .”
Aww, Arnd…you can’t call yourself an anarchist because such a “state” cannot and does not actually exist in any sense in the natural world…and if one tries to “create” an artificial world, then it has to be “manufactured” under governing conditions.
and anyway…your linguistics is much too complex to have been obtained under anarchistic conditions…ie; there must have been an educator to instruct yourself.
After the Glasgow summit is over I’m guessing these are the type of headlines we’ll see from the swooning Murdoch media:
“Australia leads, and the world follows”.
“ScoMo woos the world”.
I’m stopping there. I feel sick.
wam,
thank you for the 2019 article from The Conversation comparing the three major parties’ climate policies. For the Greens we have this:
“The Greens are the only political party in Australia with climate policies that put forward climate targets that would enable us to meet our international obligations according to the science.”
And details of the targets follow.
You address various Greens and on another site on AIMN you ask where some Greens are now. And you have referred frequently to Bob Brown as “boobbie”.
It will not be long now, I imagine, before some people will be wishing they had listened to the Greens a little more closely. As it is, more and more people are saying there should be more action on climate change because the Morrison/Taylor “plan” is a farce.
And if you look at Murdoch media, it is doing its very best to destroy the Glasgow meeting and any real action on climate.
Michael
I fear the marketing spin is already apparent : first they needed a slogan that would rally their followers and appeal to the Aussie fighting spirit : so they came up with the Australian Way.
The next phase can’t take place until after Glasgow as to announce it now would get us off side. As soon as Scotty returns to Australia he will announce that we will not be told by foreigners how to run our country or to tackle climate change, we will not be told by the United Nations or by anybody else……we will do it the Australian Way
That will get the patriotic nationalists onside chanting we do it the Aussie way as they march in the streets chanting we want Barnaby.
Then he announces the election date and gets another three years while Labor are wondering what just happened .
It’s straight out of the Trump play-book !
I fear you’re right, Terry. ☹️
Joe,
Spoken like a true Stalinist! Or at least Marxist-Leninist. And having proudly flown your Bolshie colours in previous comments, I rather think you don’t mind me being blunt about it.
In your statement, replace “manufactured” with “deconstructed”, and you come a good deal closer to my views on these matters. Of course, I am not one of those anarchists who simply assert that we should just blow up Parliament House in mid-session, and all our problems will be over.
The view that I developed thirty years ago (when, as long-haul truck driver in Europe, I had repeated opportunities to first-hand survey the aftermath of Eastern-Bloc type State Monopoly Capitalism), is that government should largely continue as usual, but with the aim of deliberately retreating out of people’s lives to a small, and even practically imperceptible, degree every year, and that by doing so, the cumulative effect will compound over many decades so as eventually to result in a useful approximation to the anarchist ideal of self-determination (autonomy).
If you are at all conversant with Marxist theory, you will recognise the notions of the “withering away of the state”, and the “governance of the people losing its political character, and transforming into the (mutual) administration of things” – a notion which Marx and Engels lifted, holus-bolus, from 18th century utopian socialist Henri de Saint-Simon.
As I said in a previous AIMN comment, where I think Marx and Engels went wrong, was by insisting that the only way to negate state power is by first concentrating all political, social and economic power in the hands of state authorities. I say that, for 19th century revolutionaries thinkers, this would have been an entirely plausible (though not completely uncontested – see Proudhon, Kropotkin, etc.) conclusion to arrive at.
But the experiences of the 20th century have left me with no doubt that the only path forward leads via the resolute simultaneous devolution of political and economic power.
Which, incidentally, and despite some carefully confected pretences to the contrary, is not what the neo-liberals in general, and Scotty in particular, are doing: they just resolutely hand to commercial (corporate) interests whatever scarce remains of political power might still be separately identifiable.
Unfortunately, ever since Hawke and Keating in Australia (and Blair in the UK, and Schröder in Germany), Social Democrats have pursued what is substantially the same agenda. Even if formulated and executed with somewhat greater appreciation of workers’ interest, and therefore somewhat less virulent – and somewhat more insidious!
The never ending lies from The Joke/Jerk/Jackass/Jeering Sloganitor That Wanked in…oops, I meant Went, to Glasgow never cease to amaze:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/31/scott-morrison-contradicts-bidens-claims-that-french-werent-fully-informed-on-aukus
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/rome-g20-morrison-briefly-greets-french-president-emmanuel-macron-amid-submarine-feud/news-story/ffc08e4cdc4dafb985847d786794295a
Jeez, he’s a crawling sycophantic weasel with delusions of being a lion.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-calls-on-morrison-government-to-extend-astrazeneca-manufacturing-for-the-region-20211028-p5945t.html
“There wasn’t much small talk or yukking it up in the Australian prime minister’s corner. It looked pretty sedate back there…”
Of course there wasn’t, anyone with any sense would steer clear of the dunce’s corner and be seen King Duhnce?
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/31/when-morrison-met-macron-tension-in-the-air-as-g20-leaders-gather-for-family-photo
Arnd…It looks like I can’t get a reply to you up here..I sent my reply in an email..
Here is a worrying thought, that roughly half the voters of this country believe Scummo and his band of sycophantic, self serving, parasitical, unprincipled bunch of hangers on, are deserving of another term in office, worthy even.
Such voters are blind to how bad this government has been, were it possible that it could be any worse, (mind boggling is that thought), they would still see only virtue, in fact I think the more he exhibits arrogance, sneakiness, dishonesty, incompetency, smarminess, disingenuousness, the more appealing he is to his rusted on followers. It was in evidence in the U.S. presidential elections, (2016, 2020), as well, sort of Stockholm Syndrome phenomenon. I know some people like that and I scratch my head in wonderment, what would it take for them to have a Eureka moment?
Excellent article John. Thank you.
One thing that comes to mind which has not been explored ( probably because many would think it ‘silly’ ) is Scumos’ practice of Pentecostalism. What I mean is, that it is possible that he is ‘doing nothing’ … saying nothing except a few words that are truncated at best may well be from his Pentecostal belief in miracles ( the election win ! ) and quite possibly the énd times’.
To this possibility I post here an excerpt from Professor Emeritus Philip Almond, from Uni of Queensland, on the “Conversation” website. Please stick with it through the religious info. in the first para :
According to Pentecostal theology, all of history – and the future – is in the control of God; from creation, to the Fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden, to the redemption of all in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In turn, this will lead to the second coming of Christ, the end of the world and the final judgement.
This is why further action on reducing carbon emissions to counter the environmental damage wrought by climate change may have little intellectual purchase with the PM. If the end of the world through climate change is part of God’s providential plan, there is precious little that we need to or can do about it.
https://theconversation.com/five-aspects-of-pentecostalism-that-shed-light-on-scott-morrisons-politics-117511
I have the most awful feeling and trepidation that this might well be the case. It may well appeal to him in his religious beliefs, as if he can help to attain this so called ‘rapture’ so be it, and “good on him for being such a good little christian chappy.” He is such a degraded nutjob anyway, that anything is possible. In the wrong hands, Pentecostalism is downright dangerous. ( from personal experience at the hands and foul mouth of a Pentecostal ‘friend’ who seriously damned me to hell among other things because I would not join her church and didn’t believe )
My experience is quite beside the point really, but it led me to this thought and to research this theory about Scumo and his wishes, in the first place. I know how diabolically obsessed they can be about their religion.
Sure hope I am wrong.
I think the fellow is so blinded by his own glory, that he is doing an outstanding job, leading his government, deciding policy, making the hard decisions, uniting his and the coalition party into a unified team, to better enable him to carry out his grand plan according to the Australian Way. Not for him to kowtow to leaders of other countries looking for comfort in newfangled fakery. He would see himself as an independent thinker, a leader not a follower and that history will bestow on him his deserved recognition of elder statesman.
Well I hope he gets the treatment he deserves in Glasgow and gets sent to Coventry. If only it was possible that he could be sent somewhere, never to darken our shores again. Could we start a crowd funding to buy him a ticket to Mars.
@ Anne Byam,
Aye, that is not a silly thought at all. Too many idiot deluded pentacostals and other such like minded immature religious fervents.
Waiting for “The Rapture”. Escape to a “safe haven”. Whilst the rest of us heathen on Earth suffer “The Armageddon”. LOL.
Pentacostals alone don’t own the end of world theories, such exist amongst most major religions, and also in the ancient past.
There are many examples of supposed nonsensical cataclysmic events to befall the Earth.. Here’s a couple of interesting link.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012.html
But yes that load of old codswallop is exactly what Morrison wants everyone to believe, how to think. Lol…
So rest easy Anne, the thought is not new, it has been explored and ridiculed by all intelligent and aware folk.
Scotty lies, he knowingly lies, he smirks, he doesn’t believe in anything but himself, more than happy to pretend he does, make out he’s a wonderful person, worthy of all the praise heaped upon him. Past the point of gloating. I am The Son of Dog he smirks.
He likes to make out he is “the chosen one”, sent to lead us all, the “flock” into the “heavenly pasture”. “It’s a miracle”. Praise be.
And all the mindless Australian idiots who vote for him, unable to think for themselves, suck up it up, believe all his propaganda.
Nope, no no no, it’s all just too simple an “explanation” for Morrison. He is far too sly and devious an operator to be a true naïve “believer in stupidity”, he is just using it as a platform to further his career. Like so many other madmen, bastards in history.
Just like all the clergy who are pedophiles, and other criminals, they don’t really believe, but religion is just a safe place that suits them to hide in, hide behind, where they can reach out and snatch a child, or conduct their criminality, without fear of being discovered, and then expect a safe harbour, expect their “Christian Brotherhood” to protect them from the unforgiving “heathen”. It’s a career, not a vocation. It’s sickening blatant rank hypocrisy, blatant lies they knowingly tell, and their smirks give them away.
Do not be fooled! Scott Morrison is an opportunistic liar, he has no beliefs other than feathering his own off shore tax free nest.
He does not believe in accountability or explaining himself to anyone. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. I am the PM!
Scotty is a ubiquitous example of all that is wrong with our society, with those that seek power over others, on the pretext of serving society, he has no such high ideals, he hides behind the façade of a pentecostal cult, makes out he’s a cool daggy dad, a great man, then expects Jen to keep her mouth shut, “Think of England”, uses her as a “wisdom shield” when he utters a faux pas.
As for your “pentacostal friend”, she was never your friend in the 1st place, but saw you as a potential inductee to her cult.
You had no other worth, like all religious cults, if you leave or reject them, they shun, ostracise you, break apart families.
BB … You have shed some much needed further light to my comment. I know that most all churches who read or determine from the book of Revelations, certainly believe in some kind of reckoning, without necessarily calling it rapture. Mormons also eagerly await the rapture and, like the mob the smirker attends they are very vocal about it.
Totally agree as to how many many people / religious elders and proponents seek to hide under the bushel of their churches or sects. A safe place to go, to further their beliefs that they are “chosen” .. it is so very very tainted.
And so it is with Scumo – a dangerous bloke in fact. His Trumpism becomes more evident by the day – and THERE was ( and still is ) a very dangerous man too.
I agree with your comment about using his ‘piousness ‘ !!! as a platform to further his career ( he thinks ) but I rather think all that will come back to bite him on the bum.
He is indeed “Like so many other madmen, bastards in history.”as you said.
Aye Anne, it’s frightening to think that Trump is still a viable force in the US, but then that’s because of all the religious RWNJs.
All religions are scams, cons, and rob people of free original thought. Religions brainwash people from the cradle to the grave.
Morrison and his pentacostal cult, with their prosperity theology, are thoughtless dangerous greedy selfish ignorant bastards!
Meanwhile the shitfuckery goes on with Scott Morrisons at the G20 summit … And more shitfuckery to come at COP26… FFS!
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/31/australias-net-zero-plan-could-cost-far-more-than-the-20bn-allocated-angus-taylor-suggests
The prime minister was asked whether Australia’s resistance to the G20 communique language would make life more difficult for his friend Johnson, who has campaigned to make Cop26 a success.
Without engaging on the detail, which he said was “being worked through by the sherpas”, Morrison declared individual countries were entitled to pursue their own interests.
Morrison declared individual countries were entitled to pursue their own interests.
This is exactly what dickhead Morrison does not get or understand, the conceit and arrogance is utter stupidity and selfishness.
It’s no longer a case of individual countries. If the world does not pull together, there won’t be a habitable world left for humanity.
As for Angus Taylor suggesting things will cost more, what a surprise. With ZERO PLANS there’s zero idea of end costs, so suggestions rather than actions is all Angus can manage. The L/NP are a gang of crooks. “ifs, butts, maybes and arseholes!”
The whole objective, point of COP26 is the ongoing effort by countries of the whole world to avoid heating the planet past 1.5°.
CCS, Morrison’s New Technology is bullshit to make sure Australia fails. The L/NP have zero foresight and zero hindsight.
Morrison is a disgrace to Australia and the entire world with his arrogant ignorant bullshit plans to keep mining fossil fuels.
The entire planet is in jeopardy because of people like Morrison!
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-02/queensland-carbon-capture-and-storage-trial/100570436
Mr Bourne is a former BP engineer, and said while CCS could play a role in helping reduce emissions from industries such as cement production and steel making, saying the technology could save the gas and coal industry was a “false hope”.
“It’s enormously costly … the moment you actually then have to capture the CO2 and put it underground with no offsetting sales process, you’re basically asking either for a subsidy or a tax break,” he said.
“When you do the numbers … you find very, very quickly that it’s just impossible to decarbonise the fossil fuel industry in any way, shape, or form.”
Mr Bourne said the federal government should instead be focusing on natural advantages such as solar and wind.
“[We have] more sun and more wind than you can poke a stick at [and] we will harness that.”
CCS ‘three times the cost’ of renewables
Energy finance analyst Bruce Robertson, from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), said using CCS on a coal plant was “horrendously expensive.”
“If we’re talking a coal fired power station: According to the CSIRO, a coal-fired power station in 2030 should cost around $102 a megawatt-hour,” he said.
“If you add carbon captured and storage it goes up to $186 a megawatt-hour.
“That is three times — three times — the cost of wind, solar and storage with associated integration costs.”
$4b of taxpayer money now committed for carbon capture and storage
A carbon capture and storage plant
After decades of trials, nearly $4 billion of taxpayer money has now been committed to carbon capture and storage, and it’s still not operating on an industrial scale. But proponents say they are close, and others say CCS must play a role to reach net zero.
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull went further, recently describing CCS as ‘a con’ and a ‘proven failure’ at an energy conference.
“CCS is being used by the fossil fuel sector as a distraction to delay the end of burning coal and gas.”