Triumph over Dutton-style politics: A retrospective look

Of course, any election will have various reasons for why a particular…

Imperial Fruit: Bananas, Costs and Climate Change

The curved course of the ubiquitous banana has often been the peel…

The problems with a principled stand

In the past couple of weeks, the conservative parties have retained government…

Government approves Santos Barossa pipeline and sea dumping

The Australia Institute Media Release Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s Department has approved a…

If The Jackboots Actually Fit …

By Jane Salmon If The Jackboots Actually Fit … Why Does Labor Keep…

Distinctions Without Difference: The Security Council on Gaza…

The UN Security Council presents one of the great contradictions of power…

How the supermarkets lost their way in Oz

By Callen Sorensen Karklis Many Australians are heard saying that they’re feeling the…

Purgatorial Torments: Assange and the UK High Court

What is it about British justice that has a certain rankness to…

«
»
Facebook

Don’t blame Labor for surging energy prices, blame Howard

By Jim McIntosh

There are people already starting to blame Labor for the catastrophe in the eastern states’ energy market. This, while the new government hasn’t even yet moved into its offices in Canberra. At this point, most of these people are on social media, but I’m sure it won’t be long before the hysteria will be picked up by other media with more vested interests.

I suspect that these folk are in the minority. In fact, I’m certain of it. Most of those now screeching loudly on this topic would most likely be what the former government described as ‘quiet Australians’, which in real terms translates to people with no coherent political world view and quite limited analytical capacity. The same folk who consume Murdoch media and watch endless reality television on the commercial channels.

You know; morons.

When the incoming Treasurer described the gas debacle as a lingering bin-fire left over by the departing government he was in fact being reserved. It has the capacity to become a recession-maker and will devastate whatever prospects Australia has for restoring a degree of manufacturing in the immediate to medium term. It is an unfolding disaster. How did we allow this to happen?

I believe it goes back to the Howard Government, when LNG exports first began. Howard gave the gas extractive industry a huge leg-up, by not requiring them to provide for any sort of strategic domestic reserve. They were basically granted a laissez faire, free and unfettered share of the market without accountability to the national interests at the domestic level.

People might screech and whine all they like about a two-week old government confronted by this event. All it means, though, is that regardless of the evidence, nothing will convince an idiot otherwise.

 

Like what we do at The AIMN?

You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.

Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!

Your contribution to help with the running costs of this site will be gratefully accepted.

You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969

Donate Button

7 comments

Login here Register here
  1. Albos Elbow

    Imagine if we didn’t have COAL-NP governments in power over the last decade and Labor with the Greens had been able to form a superior coalition of their own to continue on the road to renewable energy and structured carbon levies.

    Imagine if Australia was now 80, 90 or even 100% renewable energy with a majority of electric vehicles and Green Hydrogen trucks on our roads. It was doable and possible if we started 10 years ago.

    Australia would now be a much better place to live with low energy prices, much lower carbon emissions and a lot less carcinogenic fossil fuel pollution, low inflation, lower cost of living, a higher standard of living and its citizens looking forward to a brighter, greener future for our children and grandchildren.

    If this isn’t the final wake up call to the Australian Labor Party to work with the Greens and Teals for a “Better Future” (as printed on the election billboards) then it will never happen.

    We will continue to be at the behest of corrupt media and fossil fuel billionaires and politicians, who don’t care if they destroy our planet forever, as long as they continue to get disgustingly richer.

  2. Claudio Pompili

    I feel that the problem goes deeper than the gas/energy market….it’s only one aspect of the neo-liberal/laissez faire free market economy and globalisation agendas of the last 5 decades. A new multi-polar global economy is emerging rapidly, accelerated by the Ukranian crisis, and led by China and the BRICS+. Given that our political classes have committed Australia to the US containment of China agenda and ramping up our offensive military capabilities, the foreseeable future is grim. Some energy security or food security or manufacturing security here and there isn’t going to cut it.

    Imagine an Australia that was geo-politically neutral with an independent foreign policy, a truly ‘defence’ force, that redistributed its sovereign wealth more equitably and provided decent living standards and social security for all its citizens. An Australia that invested more in being a good, respectful, and helpful neighbour in our region than it spends on our arms race for nuclear weaponry and international, illegal wars as the US lapdog.

  3. Albos Elbow

    If we had gone down the path of renewable energy, Green Hydrogen, offshore wind farms and the electrification of transport, instead of 20 years of political climate wars, we wouldn’t have to give a shit about “energy security”.

    Its Fossil Fuel companies’ greed and corruption that’s fucking up Australia and the rest of the world’s economies.
    Guess who is making all the money from the chaos they created.

    There is a way out. Go full speed on renewable energy transformation.

  4. Eddie

    Jim Mc, there is a movie, or at least a doco, in this – the effect of surging energy costs based on the different State approaches to the use of national resources. Why does one State (WA) have a gas reservation policy and other States don’t? It would be illuminating for the public to understand how crap of negotiators are most govt agents. Who was the person or team that got that WA bargain over the line? That person or group of people deserve to be held up for critical acclaim in a doco/movie.
    The average person has no idea that close to 1 billion tonnes of iron ore exported per year is given to exporters in exchange for lease fees and royalties. My understanding is that not one ton of ore is sold by a State govt to an exporter. As for the actions of Howard and the LNP govt, that long term deal they struck with China helped them out of poverty and helped put Aust into the perilous position it now finds itself. And still people vote for LNP.

  5. Mr Bronte ALLAN

    Great & true article Jim! Sadly, ALL the lying fucking COALition are still at it–blaming Labor for everything the stupid bloody COALition has done wrong in the last 30 years or so–starting with the lying toe rag hogwart, followed by the ghastly rabbot , then smug talkbull & lastly, & the BEST was the incompetent, failed at marketing, lying slo mo!! What else can we ever expect from this lying rabble of a once proud Liberal party? And now they have selected lord voldemort as their leader, WTF??

  6. Pete Petrass

    Most of those now screeching loudly on this topic would most likely be what the former government described as ‘quiet Australians’, which in real terms translates to people with no coherent political world view and quite limited analytical capacity. The same folk who consume Murdoch media and watch endless reality television on the commercial channels.

    You know; morons.

    Love this comment. about as true as you can get.

  7. Lambchop Simnel

    Makes a person angry when they realise how so few seem to know the truth.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 2 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video, document, spreadsheet, interactive, text, archive, code, other. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

Return to home page