A dissection of the effects of the Carbon Tax on households, the Coalition's alternative, the 'blood oath' and just what the hell might be going on in the peanut shell that acts as Tony Abbott's skull.
The National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling recently did its own number-crunching on the Gillard government's Carbon Tax, and its findings were... interesting. Amid all the furore generated by the Coalition and the Murdoch press - 'the death of democracy' - the NCSEM discovered that the Gillard government's calculations were actually a little conservative. Low to middle income families are actually going to be a little better off under the tax, and will actually gain a smidgin of extra moolah each week. High income earners are going to be adversely affected, but if 80% of households are getting an advantage to 20% of households (the richest) being disadvantaged... well excuse me if I don't shed too many tears.
Of course Tony, in his best blood and thunder, vein-popping headline grabbbing fury, declared a 'blood oath' to sweep away the Carbon Tax, if he becomes PM. To protect the 'little guy' one would assume. Except, well, it seems this is actually good for the 'little guy'. Never mind the fact that it also places business, the Coalition's true constituency, on an uncertain footing, and could succeed in hurting those 'little people' a whole lot more.
Yeah, so WTF?
The Coalition's climate policy alternative, the 'Direct Action' plan, is scarcely more detailed than when it was first announced. What little of it has been seen, seems to be a farrago of touchy-feely bullshit actions - exactly the kind of policy one would adopt if one was a climate denialist who wanted to hedge an each way bet with a divided electorate. The following is from Crikey (full link in the linkstorm at the end);
"Last night on the ABC, Malcolm Turnbull, with only a little encouragement from his interlocutor, gave the policy a huge serve that, like his demolition job on the policy in his crossing-the-floor speech at the beginning of 2010, was far more effective than anything Labor has been able to come up with. In particular, Turnbull’s line that the policy was seen as having the virtue of being easily abandoned if climate change turned out not to be real, nailed Tony Abbott’s climate denialism — though of course, there has never been any doubt what [MP Greg] Hunt believes in — he believes in his own career."
There's also the fact that their costing for this pig's ear of a policy has been roundly rubbished by any economist that has cast even a slight glance over it. This from the (gaaah) Sydney Morning Herald;
"Over the past week some journalists have made Coalition MPs squirm by asking: can you name an economist who backs your direct action climate policy?
"Tony Abbott, Andrew Robb and Greg Hunt have each volunteered names, but none of the economists put forward have endorsed the Coalition plan as the most effective way to cut greenhouse gas emissions."
So, Tony, it's all very well swearing 'by the power of Grayskull!' that you will abolish the Carbon Tax, but then what? What do you have in its place? A piece of crap, easily jettisoned policy, that no economist can bring themselves to validate, whose costings have already blown out by 30%?
Uh, thanks...
This fool tells us with a straight face what a terrible job the Gillard government's doing. He tells us with a straight face how bad and dangerous the Carbon Tax is, and yet he's got nothing. Nada, zip, bupkiss, rien. As always his goal seems to be less about providing any kind of sound policy, and more about touting himself as the boy most likely to be PM, instead of the woman (by God, a woman! a damned WOMAN!) there instead of him.
The largely biased and uncritical way Tony is handled in Australian media doesn't help. If Abbott had been hounded on gaffes and ineffective policy as much as Gillard has, he wouldn't be showing his face in public. He'd probably be hiding in a cardboard box under a bridge, growing a beard and calling himself 'Stavros' to avoid the baying packs of angry voters, howling for his head on a pike.
Also, to those seemingly oblivious Australians who want Abbott as PM, simply because they don't like Gillard, wake up. That's like saying you don't like smoking anymore, so you're going to take up shooting heroin. I'm no fan of the Gillard government, I also would have preferred a much, much more aggressive climate policy than this Carbon Tax, but to call Tony Abbott and the Direct Action plan a credible alternative is self-delusion of the highest order.
Lastly, to the credulous sheep who bought the ATI anti-Carbon Tax ads - I hope you feel a bit of a nong at the moment. A couple of Krug-quaffing mining magnates say jump, and you anxiously bleat 'How high master?' Maybe I shouldn't blame you. A consortium of rich bastards spend millions on TV advertising, a Coalition opposition distract you with bread and circuses from their absolute dearth of policy alternatives, and a corrupt media neatly pre-package the whole lie for you in one tasty mouthful. You've got a lot of propaganda there to swallow.
Actually no. Who are you kidding? The whole circus has reeked of horseshit since day one.
Linkstorm;
The Age article on NCSEM number crunching here
The Age on Tony's 'blood oath' here
Crikey on the Direct Action plan here
SMH on the Direct Action plan here
Bravo!
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