Here we go again.

Just like last year’s sorry excuse for a debate on taxation reform, where nation building policy ideas were knocked off the table one by one, we find our federal government again unable to act in the national interest when it comes to energy policy.

Unlike the tax debate, there is at least a broad acknowledgement of a problem. Across the nation we are witnessing coal mines close, power bills increase and a collapse in investment for new energy generation. With that in mind, you would think even the biggest supporters of the coal industry, the Turnbull government, could not accept the status quo. The national energy market is failing and now, when a credible solution is put forward the discussion is shut down by the prime minister.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/10/malcolm-turnbull-s...

malcolminations = malcolm abominations...

Patience has its limits. Take it too far, and it’s cowardice.
– George Jackson

This week was a prime example of how economics and, by extension, politics doesn’t cope very well with the issue of climate change.

The news that Australia economy went backwards in the September quarter was greeted with alarm by politicians and then used as a reason to push their policy barrow. And most of the barrows were piled high with coal. 

The treasurer and the prime minister in their press conferences on Wednesday made great mention of the need to keep electricity prices low for the economy to grow. 

Malcolm Turnbull especially was in full Tony Abbott 2010 mode out of a desire to cover the silly back flip on the issue of investigating whether or not to introduce an emissions intensity trading scheme.

When asked about the prospect of GDP growth going backwards he immediately responded by suggesting the issue was for Bill Shorten to “explain why he is proposing to increase the price of electricity”.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2016/dec/11/on-climate-...

Patience is a virtue. But being patient while sinking in shit is stupid. 

anon proverb

The world cannot wait the pleasure of Mister idiot Christensen and Mister idiot Bernardi to see that climate change aka global warming is happening at a rate of knots. These idiots AND TONY ABBOTT will never see the light. They DON'T WANT TO KNOW. THEY ARE IGNORAMUSES DELIBERABII. Time for Malcolm to stop wadding in political mud. We did ourselves a bad favour by re-electing him in charge of a bunch of deliberate idiots... Were we nuts? of course. But now is the time for something smart coming from Malcolm, not the old refrain: "It's Labor's fault..."

Come on Malcolm, hte choice is yours: save the planet or PISS OFF.

Despite briefly being able to dine out on the legislation passed before parliament wound up last week, Malcolm Turnbull is headed to a not-very-happy Christmas. This week has surely been one of the worst of his prime ministership.

News of a quarter of negative economic growth – only the fourth since 1991 – came hard on the heels of Turnbull's surrender to the noisy right when, ahead of the long-scheduled review of climate policy, the government kiboshed any possibility of contemplating an emissions intensity scheme (EIS).

Experts believe economic growth will come back to a positive number in the December quarter. But observers must doubt whether Turnbull can turn his personal credibility deficit around.

Turnbull prides himself on being a pragmatist. There is a significant if fine line between pragmatism and buckling.

It was sensible pragmatism to compromise in order to secure the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). The price Turnbull paid to the crossbench was a weaker body, but the alternative was no ABCC at all – and, anyway, some of the changes, notably in relation to individuals' rights, were for the better.

But to refuse even to consider an EIS for the electricity sector – which is a long way from a broad emissions trading scheme, or a carbon tax – is abject surrender, and a major failure of Turnbull's nerve and leadership.

It also puts the government embarrassingly at odds with its own chief scientist, Alan Finkel, whose report before Friday's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) gives a positive nod in the direction of an EIS.

At the most basic level, a good policy process is one that examines everything, especially an option which has wide support including in the relevant sector.

As Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg noted on Monday, when saying an EIS would be looked at in the review to be led by his department:

read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-09/michelle-grattan-turnbulls-credibi...