Real World Libertarian

Canberra riot; Labor answers raise more questions.

2012-01-31T02:02:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

As Labor tries to distance itself from the embarrassment of the botched attempt by party functionaries to paint Opposition Leader Tony Abbott as a racist with a riot aimed at him, the spin becomes more obvious, even to journalists and the parties statements raise more questions.

Sacked media advisor Tony Hodges admits that he was attempting to have a couple of tent embassy personal confront Abbott over a statement earlier in the day. What seems clear is that Labor attempted to embarrass him by creating a situation where he was to be accused of racism by Aborigines at an Australia Day function in the presence of the PM. So much for Bipartisanship. After this things got out of hand:

The statement by Abbott was innocuous in response to an ABC journalist asking him on the 40th anniversary of the tent embassy if it was still relevant:

“Look, I can understand why the Tent Embassy was established all those years ago. I think a lot has changed for the better since then. We had the historic apology just a few years ago, one of the genuine achievements of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister. We had the proposal, which is currently for national consideration to recognize indigenous people in the Constitution. I think the indigenous people of Australia can be very proud of the respect in which they are held by every Australian and yes, I think a lot has changed since then and I think it probably is time to move on from that.”

Gillard maintains that Hodges did not embellish the story and did nothing wrong, but this does not explain his sacking nor why Abbott’s statement somehow got misconstrued to mean he wanted the tent embassy bulldozed into the ground and the inhabitants dispersed.

The Aboriginal community has suffered a serious setback from the PR perspective over this issue and has good reason to believe that they were set up on this issue. This does not excuse the behavior on display here. The correct response would have been to contact Abbott’s office and request a meeting to discuss the issue rather than confront him en masse.

The type of conduct during this event will lose the Aboriginal cause a lot of public sympathy. Intemperate conduct is generally not tolerated other than on the left of the divide, where it is encouraged owing to the apparent belief in those circles that the people they pay lip service to are brainless to the point where they are only capable of acting according to the emotion of the moment and are incapable of coherent thought.

Advice to Aboriginal people; stop proving them right.

Press leads our 'cultural cringe'

2012-01-18T14:32:00.003+10:00

Most Australians other than the self-styled cultural elite are pretty comfortable with who they are and don’t give a damn if others dislike it. On the other hand there are the breast-beating pompous prats who have a vision of excellence for us, which they firmly believe we should abide by to give the right image of the nation and its people to others. Governments are very fond of telling us what Australians ought to be.

The rest of us are fairly accustomed to the reality that our leaders are ashamed of us and feel we don’t deserve them and couldn’t care less about their discomfort. There are though, a small proportion of suck-ups who aspire to present an approved image. Leading the charge among these is the press, which tends to find every criticism of us justified.

As an example, the rather sycophantic Malcolm Conn of the Herald Sun had the following to say about the Perth Test Match drinking incident:

IT'S been confirmed to many millions of Indians that Australians are a bunch of drunks. (Awwwwww)

Just hours after India captain MS Dhoni made the spurious claim that Australia’s players concocted stories about his divided team over a few beers, India television showed a dozen WACA staff drinking on the Test pitch.

Australians it seems will drink anytime anywhere without any respect or regard. Is there anything more sacred or central to a Test match than the pitch on the evening before the match? And there they were, half of them sitting, half of them standing in the middle of the WACA wicket before a match that could well decide the series.

What an insult to Test cricket and the visiting Indian team. Perception is reality and this is now reality to a significant chunk of the largest and most powerful cricket nation in the world.

The reality is that the WACA staff were having their traditional pre match drinks when the curator decided to do a final inspection of the wicket. They walked out to watch the process and were filmed by Indian television. The Indian media tend to be extremely sanctimonious about Australians and thus, it hit the fan.

While it is desirable that respect be proffered to residents of other countries where it is due, it seems that in the eyes of those like Malcolm Conn that we should be properly obsequious to anyone who wants to bitch about us over anything at all, no matter how trivial.

Next time Malcolm; tell them to go take a running jump.

Nuclear submarines for Australia?

2012-01-17T18:07:00.004+10:00

This suggestion is similar to LDP policy.

The Australian government and Defense Department have been thrashing around for some time over replacing the rather problematic Collins Class submarines. The discussion at present still revolves around conventional powered craft; Australia still suffers from a Luddite obsession with all things non nuclear.

Former senior Defense official Ross Babbage has called for this option to be put on the table and offers reasons why this is a good idea:

If directly threatened, coerced or attacked, this country needs credible means of deterring and countering even a major power. It needs one or more powerful instruments with a capacity to stop a belligerent country in its tracks. Advanced submarines are one of very few capabilities that can contribute meaningfully to this.

To do this, Australia needs more than just small submarines to serve as crocodiles in the ditch of our immediate approaches. We need vessels that can travel rapidly to East Asia and to the distant reaches of the Indian Ocean to maneuver there with high security for extended periods.

In a crisis, the new boats should not only be able to sink ships and destroy maritime installations but also fire cruise missiles to precisely strike high-value targets well inland. The right submarine force can give Australia this credible deterrence. That is why getting the submarine decision right is vital. …

Option five is to buy or lease Virginia-class submarines from the US. The Virginias are fast and have almost unlimited endurance. They carry sensors with extraordinary performance such that they can routinely see potential opponents well before they themselves can be detected, often at trans-oceanic distances. They have also been designed from scratch to be very flexible and perform a broader range of functions that would deliver Australia strong deterrence power even against a major power.

The Virginia class is in series production, hence the project risks are low. The contract for the 14th Virginia has been signed for a price of $1.2bn, but by the time they are fully fitted out, the sail-away price is $2.5bn. These boats are demonstrating exceptional operational performance and high reliability and would provide class-wide training and upgrade programs. Operating RAN and USN Virginias in close partnership would also take the ANZUS alliance to a new level.

It is not known whether the US would be willing to do this deal although Canada is interested in doing the same thing. What is remarkable is that the only political party that has proposed the acquisition of nuclear powered submarines is the pro defense libertarian, Liberal Democratic Party which has had this as a major policy plank for several years. The LDP argues that without the carrier capacity to give air cover to a surface fleet, we would lose such a fleet in the opening volleys of hostilities:

Consistent with similar provisions in the 2009 White Paper, the LDP would concentrate resources into key areas in support of a maritime defence strategy.

The LDP believes the focus of our full-time military should be on the three strategic capabilities able to achieve long distance force projection. These comprise a strategic bomber capability, an effective submarine fleet, and a rapid reaction, air-mobile expeditionary force including Special Forces.

Concurrently, the LDP believes that primary responsibility for the defence of Australia’s landmass should be transferred to a part-time force.

To achieve this the LDP supports proceeding with the F35 fighter purchase but would also replace the F-111 fleet with a squadron of B-1B strategic bombers, paid for in part by a reduction in our order of F-35s.

The LDP would replace the current six-boat Collins Class submarine fleet with a greater number of new submarines. Ideally this would be twelve small nuclear submarines (similar to the French Rubis design), but if these are not procurable or affordable then eighteen submarines with air independent conventional propulsion equipped with land attack cruise missiles.

The Virginia Class is somewhat bigger than the Rubis Class, but comes with the advantage of being the same as is used by our greatest ally. European nations are not really reliable suppliers given their distance, trade barriers, and approaching insolvency. Clearly, the first requirement would to be electing a government with a big enough pair to implement such an initiative.

More voters rely on the Internet – Rasmussen.

2012-01-17T01:57:00.005+10:00

Image: By ‘Maksim’ at The Peoples Cube.

Most people have known for some time that the net was becoming more prominent across the world and has been increasingly influential in the political discourse of the election cycle. We have all noticed the decline of most newspapers and the demise of some attributed to the rise of the net, the increasing use of its power by politicians, and the successful use of it to get the message across.

Many of us rely on it as a primary source of information without recognizing the degree to which it has become just that. A recent Rasmussen poll tells us that almost a quarter of voters rely on it for political news:

Most voters will continue to rely on either cable or traditional television news to stay up with politics this year, but the Internet will provide the election coverage for a quarter of the nation.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 32% of Likely U.S. Voters will get most of their political news in 2012 from cable television and 22% from traditional TV network news. The number following the election news online has inched above the audience for traditional TV networks. Twenty-four percent (24%) will primarily rely on the Internet for coverage of Election 2012. Nine percent (9%) who will still rely on print newspapers and seven percent (7%) will chiefly count on radio.

The big advantage of the net as opposed to mainstream media is the almost infinite variety of information available to those wishing to check out what is really going on. Whereas the mainstream media tend to follow a line and report news as it applies to the thinking of the organization, the more anarchic nature of the net allows the user to track down the real story.

Not all of what you read on the net is true, (as Abraham Lincoln pointed out ☺ ) but those who are net savvy are aware of this and are not taken in by sites like those of the White House or Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Women tentatively rebelling in Saudi Arabia.

2012-01-14T02:28:00.002+10:00

Image: A 'daring' piece of arm from a Saudi FB page. From WebProNews.

Here in the West we have always had some difficulty in persuading the fairer sex that we men know what’s best for them. Try as we might, women not only refuse to accept this simple truth, they actually appear to resent the very suggestion. “Let me take you away from here and show you how to dress modestly and avoid the attentions of other men,” is not a recommended pickup line in Australia. It may work better in the US.

In Saudi Arabia though, they have a God who has decreed that things are totally different there. Women are subservient and do as they are told even down to the way they dress and are freed from dangerous ideas of independence by strict principles of Sharia law, enforced by the morals police. Latest reports though indicate the first stirrings of rebellion are in the air:

There is an emerging trend among young Saudi women who post pictures of parts of their body without revealing their identity. Journalist Mariyam Jaber said she found several social websites where just the body parts of what appears to be Saudi women are displayed, such as feet, just the body or even fingernails, but without betraying her identity.

“This reveals a woman’s desire to liberate herself from social restrictions and express herself, and Facebook or other networking sites are the easiest platforms to achieve this,” she said.

The number of Saudis on Facebook is estimated at 2.3 million out of the 5 million in the Gulf. According to figures, 29 percent of Saudi Internet users visit Facebook and women under 25 account for 48 percent of all Internet users in the Kingdom.

“Most women on social networking sites use fake names. By displaying parts of their body and sometimes in glittering colors, young women must be achieving some sort of gratification or release of their emotions while anonymity guarantees them immunity from social censure or parental displeasure,” said Amal Al-Saleh, a university graduate. …

But help is at hand. The cause has been identified:

Professor of Social Sciences at Umm Al-Qura University Mahmoud Al-Kesnawi warned the spare time a young woman has at her disposal because of spinsterhood or unemployment is a factor that prompts her to seek refuge in computers and mobile phones.

Saudi Arabia is probably one of the most oppressive Islamic regimes as far as the treatment of women is concerned, equal if not worse than Iran. While this development does not in itself represent a major turnaround, it does give some sign of a changing view by younger people, especially women. The dour nature of Islamic rule may be sewing the seeds of its own destruction as wider communication via the web gives its subjects windows into a much freer world that they will aspire to be part of.

The threat offered by Western values to tyrants the world over is not military, but is the philosophy of liberty.

Greece fails on austerity measures and entitlement reform.

2012-01-13T02:09:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Lisa Benson.

Greece is broke to the point where it has had to throw itself on the charity of the Euro zone and IMF to stave off inevitable bankruptcy for another month or so. It seems odd therefore to see reports in the media over the past couple of days that indicate that there is to be an expansion of welfare benefits to some new and interesting categories of disabled.

Some of these are sex offenders, criminals, and weirdos:

Greek disability groups expressed anger Monday at a government decision to expand a list of state-recognized disability categories to include pedophiles, exhibitionists and kleptomaniacs. …

The Labor Ministry said categories added to the expanded list — that also includes pyromaniacs, compulsive gamblers, fetishists and sadomasochists — were included for purposes of medical assessment and used as a gauge for allocating financial assistance.

But NCDP leader Yiannis Vardakastanis, who is blind, warned the new list could create new difficulties for disabled Greeks who are already facing benefit cuts due to the country's financial crisis. …

The new list gives pyromaniacs and pedophiles disability pay up to 35 percent, compared to 80 percent for heart transplant recipients.

"It's really not serious to grant Peeping Toms a 20-30 percent disability rate, and 10 percent to diabetics, who have insulin shots four or five times a day," said Vardakastanis.

The Greek Labour Ministry however is issuing a denial of sorts, claiming that it is only for the purpose of medical evaluation rather than benefits:

The Labour ministry said the new list "solely concerns medical evaluation, not the provision of social benefits." The ministry rushed to clarify the issue after Labour Minister George Koutroumanis was derided in news reports for giving "bonuses" to criminals.

The list released in Greece's official government gazette in November, had included gamblers, pyromaniacs, kleptomaniacs, fetishists, flashers, voyeurs, paedophiles and sadomasochists among the mentally disabled.

Greece is not only overburdened with unsupportable entitlements, but has a somewhat chaotic system mired in fraud and overpayment. Merely fixing this system would not save the Greek economy, but would help to set the nation on the right path as long as a massive reduction in government and public services was included.

Americans and Australians have good reason to take an interest in what is happening in Europe, and especially Greece. The Obama Administration intends to pour billions into rescue funds, and we have been told by Gillard and Treasurer Wayne Swan, that we ‘have a responsibility’ to ensure that the IMF is adequately funded to help struggling Europeans retire at fifty after a life on disability or unemployment benefits.

Understanding that this may be difficult for us, the government is encouraging older workers to stay on the job well after the traditional retirement age of 65. It has not been explained to us just why we are responsible for the Greek economy, nor what Greece has done for us to incur such a debt to them, but it may have something to do with the high proportion of Greeks in Melbourne, which contains Gillard’s electorate.

Australian pot use highest in world; treaties prevent innovation..

2012-01-12T02:31:00.002+10:00

This week we have been told by the press that we in Australia have the highest marijuana use in the world, closely followed by the Kiwis. There is little surprise there; the Kiwis are always trying to catch up to us and beat us if possible in everything we are really good at. It’s a fair bet they will fund a study of recreational drug use, try to find out how we do it and try to go one better:

Cannabis is the most widely used drug worldwide, with up to 15 per cent of pot smokers from the Oceania region of Australia and New Zealand, followed by North America and Western Europe. Three papers in The Lancet this week discussed global use and health effects of drugs including cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines and opioids like heroin and methadone.

Melbourne-based Centre for Alcohol Policy Research director Professor Robin Room said existing international drug treaties were not working. "In terms of suppressing the illegal markets, there is very little evidence of success. The illicit use of drugs is very much greater than it was in 1961," Prof Room said.

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Professor Louisa Degenhardt said illicit drug use accounts for 1.3 per cent of deaths in Australia -- surpassing alcohol deaths at 0.8 per cent but well below tobacco-related deaths at 11.7 per cent.

While the press seemed to dwell on our high usage there are other aspects to the report that need some additional coverage. The first among these is the odd degree of flexibility in the estimates, such as; (Worldwide) “125-203 million smoke cannabis,” with a 40% variability between the higher and lower figure. It creates some doubt as to whether there is much accuracy involved.

One aspect that needs to change is mentioned in the report, namely that many efforts at drug control are based on knee jerk reactions rather than detailed knowledge. Also some international treaties are inhibiting innovative initiatives:

The report warned that many initiatives to control drug use are based on insufficient evidence. It also said that beyond a certain point, increasing punishment for drug offences has diminishing benefits and can lead to negative side effects.

The report's authors suggest that nations wanting to try new approaches to drug legislation will have to move outside the existing international treaties. They believe the existing international drug control system has not worked.

'The system's emphasis on criminalisation of drug use has contributed to the spread of HIV, increased imprisonment for minor offences, and contributed to legitimising extremely punitive national policies,' their report said. Meanwhile, while NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell avoided the standard political histrionics on needing new and more potent laws, which is commendable, (at least for an MP) he tends to lose the plot in criticizing the report over the fact that doctors are supporting legalization rather than nanny state penalties:
"What's disturbing is in the aftermath of the release of this report, hearing doctors continue to talk about the legalisation of drugs," Mr O'Farrell told reporters in Sydney on Friday. "The link particularly between cannabis use and mental illness has been documented.”

Will Tony Abbott leave us Legless and Powerless in the Global Storms?

2012-01-10T17:07:00.004+10:00

By Viv Forbes & Helpers

  Climate Alarmism has clearly peaked and is sliding into oblivion. Their “science” has collapsed and the public is losing their alarm. But all the toxic laws passed during the mania now have to be repealed.  That is where the danger now lurks - the danger of complacency and the seductive sirens of the vested interests. Please pass this on.

Some at the big end of town are worried that Mr Abbott may keep his solemn promise to repeal the carbon tax. No doubt they and their smart lawyers fear losing the clever green schemes that rely on ripping off tax payers, consumers and other businesses.

Australia’s wealth and jobs have always rested on three legs – mining and farming, making and processing things, and rich foreigners; in short, resources, manufacturing, and money from tourists and investors.

The Gillard carbon tax will white-ant all three legs.

Mining and farming rely on draglines, dozers, scrapers, trains, trucks, bulk carriers, tractors, generators, pumps and machines of all kinds. All need cheap reliable energy. Their energy comes from diesel fuel or coal powered electricity. A tax on carbon will sap their energy and reduce their ability to generate jobs and national wealth.

Our processing and manufacturing industries rely on cheap electricity produced from our marvellous deposits of coal and natural gas. Greens have demonised these national assets and their carbon tax will undermine all Australian industries. Investors always look ahead. Already the threat of a carbon tax has reduced the asset value of every base load power station in Australia. Already one of the biggest, running on Victorian brown coal, is reporting financial stress and may close. We cannot run steel works, refineries or big cities on sunbeams and sea breezes. See This:

Australia is remote from most of the world, and tourists must travel vast distances to get here. They need planes, trains, ships, buses and cars, all powered by carbon energy from petrol, diesel or gas. The carbon tax will strike at the heart of this industry. Harassed by the carbon footprint harpies, tourists may choose to stay home and go camping in their own backyards.

Finally, Australia is leading the world with the most onerous and widely applied carbon tax. This is already deterring the foreign investors who for generations have risked their savings to create businesses and jobs in Australia. Even now, the threat of a carbon tax is increasing capital shortage and debt stress in Australia.

There is no good news in the carbon tax story – no climate benefits, no real jobs and more costs for consumers. And it is white-anting the three legs supporting the Australian economy.

Unlike the big end of town, thinking Australians are worried that Mr Abbott may renege on his solemn promise to repeal the carbon tax.

That would really leave Australia powerless and legless in the global storms.

Saving the Suckers of the South Pacific - withdraw from Kyoto

Australia and New Zealand should follow Canada and immediately withdraw from the failed Kyoto Protocol.

With Canada deciding to cut and run, no country in the Americas bears Kyoto liabilities. And with the announcement by Japan that it will not renew its membership, there will be no Kyoto bunnies in Asia. It is time for the two lonely suckers in the South Pacific to also withdraw.

Kyoto has achieved nothing useful. Some countries such as Russia achieved fraudulent cuts by retrospectively choosing their base year to take advantage of the plant closures that followed the Soviet collapse. Others evaded real cuts by paying for often phantom cuts in other countries. Australia used larceny to seize carbon credits by banning regrowth clearing on private farmland. New Zealand is sacrificing their forestry industry on the Kyoto altar.

Europe's worship of Kyoto has led them into their current fiscal mess. Believing they are gods who can control the climate by demonising carbon, they have spent a fortune on green energy, carbon trading and international junkets that has exacerbated their deficits and now condemns their industry and consumers to expensive and unreliable energy.

The future for Australia and New Zealand lies around the vibrant Pacific, not in the backwater of Old Europe. We should immediately abandon Kyoto, cease wasting money on the IPCC, abolish all climate change bureaucracies and repeal all carbon tax and trade legislation.

The money saved should be used to develop appropriate infrastructure to cope with the inevitable natural disasters whenever they occur.

Authorized by Viv Forbes, Chairman,
The Carbon Sense Coalition www.carbon-sense.com  

Shooting the Facebook messenger.

2012-01-10T01:27:00.003+10:00

Bearers of bad news have always had a bad rap and in some cases an unfortunate demise. The advent of the postal service and telecommunications were a godsend to messengers, giving them the opportunity of delivering bad news from a distance, thus allowing them some chance to get the hell out of Dodge before their despot could react. This really pissed off tyrants but it was impractical to shut down the services.

Since the rise of the net and social media though, with its immediate appearance worldwide, wowsers and petty tyrants are back to their old tricks and with the help of the well meaning but naïve, regularly mount cases for the abolition of the medium. RWL has become aware that an advisor to the leading member of one of our political dynasties is collecting posts about his master from this source. As said dynastic leader will not like it RWL advises him to email them to him.

Now there is a call to ban Facebook for causing blood feuds:

ABORIGINAL elders have blamed Facebook and social networking sites for a rise in "blood feuds" between warring clans. Some indigenous leaders want to ban or censor internet sites including Facebook to calm tensions in isolated Queensland communities.

Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey said "unhealthy gossip" on social media sites had fuelled age-old animosities. "We are seeing kids getting on these chat rooms and bad-mouthing others," Mr Lacey said. "It is very public and stirs up old family rivalry and blood feuds.” …

Tribal leader Barry Walden, of Doomadgee on the Gulf of Carpentaria, called for a social media ban. A dozen youths clashed in a bloody street brawl this week after chatroom exchanges reignited a long-standing feud between clans in the former Aboriginal mission of 1100.

"It started out as name calling and petty stuff on-line," local woman Atlanta Taylor said yesterday. "It was rude tit-for-tat chat over the internet. You could call it a bit like cyberbullying. But then it got out of control.

Fortunately, there is a voice of sanity in all of this:

Palm Island's Alf Lacey is against a ban or censorship of the internet, saying that would be akin to discrimination. "But I do think kids need to be better educated on appropriate use of this technology," he said.

Police have urged warring families to be more responsible and to avoid violence.

Kids need to be taught the values of courtesy and respect for others as early as possible and some sensible perusal of their internet activities should be carried out by parents, although it has to be said that parents are at something of a disadvantage in this. It is reasonable to let children know of historical conflicts, but it probably wouldn’t hurt for them to be told that it is in the past and there is nothing to be gained by continuance of them.

Social media is neither a blessing nor a curse; the manner of its use can be either though.

What if? …; You are being sold Big Government.

2012-01-10T00:26:00.000+10:00

We all know the old adage, “No matter who you vote for a politician wins.” In this video by Judge Napolitano the case is made that that is precisely what is meant to happen. It’s a pretty blatant Ron Paul promotion piece, but too close to the bone for comfort:

China’s Claytons carbon tax.

2012-01-09T01:17:00.002+10:00

Cartoon: By Bill Leak.

The government and their coalition partners, the Greens are wildly ecstatic at the news that China intends to introduce a carbon tax, maybe by 2015. The government touts this as further evidence the rest of the world is acting to cut global greenhouse emissions. Unfortunately for Gillard, China is not the rest of the world, nor is this a serious tax.

It is more like a Claytons tax, set at an extremely low rate and according to their government media, only likely to be levied on large users of coal, crude oil and natural gas. China is not following us in any way, setting a price of $1.55 per ton as opposed to our $23 per ton and rising across the entire economy. Their tax is one fifteenth of ours, and selectively applied.

While Gillard and company are aiming at a reduction of the overall carbon emissions here, China is using the more nebulous term of emissions as a proportion of GDP. Given that their GDP is rising at a rapid rate and they are replacing aging and inefficient infrastructure with modern efficient power stations and nuclear, they are setting an easier task than we are.

This highlights another problem for Australia as far as emission reductions go; China has been spending heavily on nuclear and state of the art modern coal fired power stations, while we have been pissing billions against the wall on subsidies for wind and rooftop solar, ethanol, green schemes, putting pink bats into homes, inspecting them for dangerous installation, and repairing the ones that were really screwed up.

China Daily reports:

The main targets of the tax will be large users of coal, crude oil and natural gas, and tax cuts will be given to companies that take steps to reduce their emissions, Su said.

Jiang Kejun, a researcher with the National Development and Reform Commission's Energy Research Institute, who helped draft the tax proposal, said the tax is likely to be collected only from producers and wholesalers of fossil-fuel based energy. This will make it easier to collect the tax. "But it may still raise the price of energy," Jiang said. …

"But 2012 may not be a good time to introduce carbon taxes, considering the risk (they might introduce) of slowing economic growth," Su said. He said the taxes will begin to be collected by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15).

This indicates that not only is it a low tax, but it is very selectively applied. We are already at a significant disadvantage to China, but now we are slugging a higher proportion of our industry with a tax that is fifteen times that of our competitor. Meanwhile, warmist Graham Lloyd is thrilled at the symbolism of the Chinese move:

THE symbolism of China's decision to push ahead with a carbon tax before 2015 speaks much louder than the modest rate at which the fixed starting price has been set. (The left tend to think that it is much more important to display the proper symbolism than to be correct.)

Together with the introduction of a carbon trading scheme covering some of the China's most heavily industrialised regions about the same time, the new tax plan builds on an undeniable trend. …

Politically, with billions of people worldwide making the transition to middle class, the reality is wealthier citizens make greater demands on government for clean air and better surroundings. …

Wealthier citizens tend to reach first for more consumer goods and tend to demand the energy resources to run them rather than worry too much about the environmental trappings. This move is more to do with doing the minimum they can get away with in order to quell pressure from the Europeans, who have saddled themselves with a green economy that is not working out too well for them and are threatening trade retaliation.

The Huntsman’s values ad.

2012-01-08T15:27:00.002+10:00

The rather amateurish ‘ad’ below has gained a lot of attention in the media and the net and has sparked all sorts of conspiracy theories as to its real origin. There can be no doubt as to the fact that neither Paul nor his campaign had anything to do with it; attacking an opponents children is not his style:

It reminds me of an incident at a polling booth during the late 70s/ early 80s when the political divide was particularly polarized. In Australia for the most part, party booth workers get along just fine and tend to have mutual respect and even genuine friendship. It was not uncommon during the slow periods for the workers to get together under the best shade, then divide up when voters came in.

While I was enjoying a National Party drink, and a Labor Party scone, the National party local federal member rocked up to thank the people handing out his cards, and greeted all of us. A Labor supporter arrived and went into a tirade of abuse toward him, finishing up with, “You look like a Jap, you bastard” then walked off. An embarrassed Labor guy told me he had never seen him at a meeting and none of them knew who he was.

The reality probably is that someone like that made the video, thinking in his own dumb way that he was making a brilliant contribution. The Paul supporters who are pursuing the conspiracy theories about Huntsman making the thing himself in an effort to make Ron look bad, are beginning to appear decidedly silly themselves.

Its time to let go guys.

Climatism failed in 2011, but the big battles are ahead in 2012

2012-01-07T00:35:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

by Viv Forbes & Helpers

Peaks and turning points are only obvious to most people in retrospect. Looking back from December 2011 we can see clearly that climate alarmism peaked at the Copenhagen Climate Cockup in late 2009. The nails were driven into the coffin by India, China and others at the more subdued Climate Wake in Durban in late 2011.

These sensible countries got settlement on a vacuous statement that agrees to keep holding the Climate Parties for a few more years as long as nothing onerous is actually agreed. Last week Canada put the last shot into the dead horse by announcing its withdrawal from the Kyoto Foolishness.

But the real war in Australia will now intensify, mainly in back rooms as the plotters scheme to keep carbon tax, green energy subsidies and all the climate bureaucracies alive and on the law books.

Their main strategy in Australia will be to keep the carbon tax out of the headlines. They will try to maintain the myth that “the debate is over”. Our strategy is “never let people forget”.

We will be helped by the gathering scandal in UK about the BBC bias in acting as the megaphone for the climate alarmists and the apparent connivance of the US Department of Energy in hiding data to prevent sceptics from discovering dodgy climate research. The ABC will be watching the exposure of their ideological brothers in the BBC and they and their fellow alarmists may start to give token platforms to sceptical ideas. Non- government media are certainly awake to the extent and cost of the fraud.

Wind Energy Lights Up

Wind energy has created another fire season in the Northern Hemisphere as the wind blows and the turbines burn.

The Victorian government is planning to bury power lines to reduce bushfire risk. Wind farms pose a far greater bushfire risk than power lines. Maybe we should bury the wind turbines too? That is the best place for them.

SWindle Power

Wind energy is a great con:

• Not Clean
• Not Green
• Not Cheap

Each turbine requires large amounts of steel and concrete, plus a spiderweb of roads and transmission lines to connect each turbine to the grid. And because wind energy is so dilute, large areas of countryside are plastered and disfigured by bird-killing whirling sabres. What little power is produced is unreliable, unpredictable and nowhere near the capacity of the turbine. This is an enormous waste of community resources for a lot of environmental damage and no climate benefits.

The only thing SWindle Power does efficiently is harvest subsidies from taxpayers and electricity consumers.

Europe's Green Lobby Fighting For Survival

The European carbon market continues to tumble threatening all sorts of green sacred cows from Emissions Trading schemes, green energy and Carbon Capture and Burial. Check it out.

Authorized by Viv Forbes, Chairman,
The Carbon Sense Coalition

Media noticing Gary Johnson.

2012-01-06T17:26:00.004+10:00

Image; The probable GOP nominee.

Looking over the Republican field this time around, it is difficult to find anything to get excited about. Ron Paul is the only candidate who has not entered a new incarnation in order to appear to be in line with current voter sentiment, and probably the only one likely to carry out his stated policies. Of the rest, Newt Gingrich seems to have been until now the only one who is positive in his message, but still sucks.

From an Australian perspective, the proverbial drover’s dog looks like a good option. Fortunately, the entry of Johnson into the LP contest has a great deal of promise and his move is contentious enough to gain a lot of attention along with a rise in the polls. He comments below on how it is getting interesting:

They are figuring it out. The media, the pundits, and yes, the political establishment have now had a few days to contemplate what it means that I am running for President as a Libertarian. And some striking realities are setting in.

They see that, if I earn the Libertarian nomination, I will be on the ballot in all 50 states. They see that the one ‘constant’ in the polls is a majority of Americans who aren’t thrilled with either Barack Obama or any of the likely Republican nominees.   

And they are beginning to see what you and I have known for a while: A candidate who offers an unmatched record for cutting spending and the size of government – while refusing to allow government into our bedrooms and boardrooms – may just be the answer voters are seeking, but not finding in either of the two ‘major’ parties.   

Frankly, the prospect of a real, credible alternative to Barack Obama AND the Republican field has the business-as-usual crowd worried. The fact that I not only offer that alternative, but also have the track record to back it up, has them REALLY concerned.  

Some national commentators are even calling me a possible ‘spoiler’. When it comes to spoiling the status quo that has put us on the brink of financial disaster, put us in wars we don’t need to be in, and put the government in charge of our personal lives, a ‘spoiler’ is exactly what I intend to be.   

If you missed it, take a minute to watch my conversation with Judge Napolitano last night on Freedom Watch:

Since I announced my plan to seek the Libertarian nomination last week, I have been overwhelmed by the response. The emails, the ‘tweets’, the national – and international – media attention have all shown that we are tapping in to a massive desire for a new approach to governing, and campaigning.  

We – you and I, and thousands of supporters across the country – have ignited something that is really important for America. We have ignited a realization that true liberty, true individual freedom, true equality and a serious ‘downsizing’ of government can finally be a part of the national conversation in 2012.  It’s about time!  

We are in the game. We are in it to win. And we are in it because you have provided the effort and the financial support to get us here. We cannot let up now.

Please go to Gary Johnson. Help us keep this amazing momentum going.  http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/

America is looking for the leadership we are offering. We just need to let them know we are here!

One rule for farmers, another for DERM staff.

2012-01-06T01:07:00.001+10:00

Something that is becoming a regular feature in the rural press is stories of landholders being threatened and/or prosecuted for land management practices that fall foul of their bureaucratic rules. They vary from clearing invasive weeds like turkey bush and parthenium weed right through to creating firebreaks, the list is endless. Clearly farmers property rights mean little in these times.

Draconian penalties and an endless process of harassment and costly legal expenses seem to now be the order of the day. This is happening in all states including Queensland, but an interesting case has emerged here in which a Department of Environmental Resource Management staffer seems to have been given special privileges. Doug Gillett reports in ‘Rural Weekly’ (an inclusion in some provincial papers) on what appears to be such a case:

A Lowmead grazier has accused a Department of Environmental Resource Management employee of destroying protected vegetation on a camping and water reserve.

Lynton Hayman has called for a full investigation into the felling of large gums and bloodwoods in the granite creek water and camping reserve. He also alleged that signs identifying the area as a reserve open to the public have been removed from the property.

The bushland area was leased from DERM by an employee of the State Government department for grazing purposes. …

A spokesman for DERM said it had been notified in advance of the leaseholders intention to fell trees to protect a fence line on the reserve.

(However) Mr. Hayman said the trees had been felled far away from any visible fence line. …

Apart from the strong probability that a government department leasing ground under its control to its own employees being a conflict of interest, questions arise as to the process of granting the lease and whether special privileges were granted, given the removal of the public access signs. The column is not online but an image with it is of stumps with no fence present.

Iowa good news for libertarians.

2012-01-05T02:08:00.000+10:00

The Iowa caucuses presented two very good pieces of news for libertarians. The first was the strong vote for Ron Paul, who ended up just over 3% below the near dead heat for first place with 21.4% versus the 24.5/6% for Romney, Santorum, which is encouraging. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the primaries to follow, but it is reasonable to expect a stronger presence in the polls than occurred in 08.

The second is the early reports that Paul won convincingly among the under 40s, demonstrating that the rising demographic is moving significantly towards the libertarian position. We will be even stronger in years to come, and given that Ron Paul is well over 70 years old it is unlikely that this is a passing fascination brought about by his boyish good looks and sex appeal. Libertarianism is an idea whose time has arrived.

Ron has less than the proverbial snowflake in hells chance of making it through to the nomination, the political establishment and their media acolytes will see to that, but rather than this being a negative, it will give the Libertarian Party a strong appeal to non statist voters if they have Gary Johnson as their nominee. Liberty minded Republicans do not have to hold their noses and vote for the nominee this year; they have a viable alternative.

The LP has never had a candidate with a proven record of executive governance as a candidate before. They have the chance this time around to present their vision with a credible presence in the lead. While he lacks Ron’s kudos, he has a solid record as a libertarian governor in a successful eight years of good governance, and none of the baggage Paul has been weighted down with over the newsletter problem.

The GOP is effectively a divided house and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The contest (with the exception of Paul) appears to be between big government moderates and big government conservatives, both reinvented and rebadged as limited government fiscal conservatives. If elected both sides will revert to their origins.

Libertarianism will come to the fore.

Global Temperatures? – Flat for 13 Years

2012-01-04T00:50:00.002+10:00

Image Source:

See also:

by Viv Forbes & Helpers

Have you checked your Carbon Footprint?

What Really Happened in Durban?

What the media are not telling you
"We redistribute de facto the world's wealth by climate policy...Basically it's a big mistake to discuss climate policy separately from the major themes of globalization...One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore." - Ottmar Edenhoffer, high level UN-IPCC official.

Australia’s Greg Combet was played for a fool in Durban. He and the Kiwis followed the loony greens now running Old Europe. Their day is past. Old Europe has abandoned rationality and their current leaders care more for their green religion and their dreams of world government than for the welfare of their own people. The failure of their economic and energy policies is on display daily.

The European climate crazies were comprehensively outsmarted by the BASIC Group (Brazil, South Africa, India and China).

The Europeans want to continue penalising their people with expensive and unreliable energy. So the Basic Group humoured them by agreeing to let the Europeans keep penalising their people. The Europhiles of the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, picked the wrong side yet again, and have also chosen to keep penalising their people.

The US, Japan and Russia were bemused bystanders, happy to allow the Europeans to flagellate themselves. Canada kept quiet and dropped their withdrawal bombshell after getting home. Australia postponed the Kyoto costs so far by dispossessing Australian farmers with scrub-clearing bans. That trick will not work twice. When we have to fork over billions of real dollars (the prospect that Canada faced), hopefully sanity or an election will occur.

If anyone has any illusions on what the UN bureaucrats have in store for us they should read the report by Christopher Monckton on their 138 page document detailing how they will govern the world. It includes plans for:
• A new international climate court
• Rights for Mother Earth
• The right to survive (climate change) at our expense.
• Total disarmament (apart from UN forces no doubt) and the end of war.
• New dreamtime targets for world temperature, emissions and carbon dioxide content.
• Historic responsibility ie the west will pay for everything.
• World government with everyone reporting to the UN bureaucracy.
• A green climate fund (supplied by us of course).
• World-wide cap and trade.
• Technology transfer to be aided by abolition of patents and intellectual property rights.
• Taxes on shipping and aviation fuels (going to the UN of course).
• Equitable access to global atmospheric space
In case you think this is all make-believe, have a look at Christopher Monckton’s report here:

First Successful Low Emissions Economy.

Alexander Downer’s portrayal of North Korea lacks perspective (“A bit of a joke lost on long-suffering people”, 20/12). North Korea is the first country to move voluntarily and successfully to a low emissions economy.

William Kininmonth, Kew, Vic. The Australian, December 22, 2011

The Last Word for 2011

Thanks to all those who have sent information, suggestions, compliments, criticisms and Christmas Cards. We get a lift from letters like this:

"Thanks again, Viv, for giving voice to all of us out here who are not so enterprising, though still passionate about the reprehensible governmental behaviour over the "climate change" issue.”
But we also learn from critical comments, learned papers and even from the few abusive ones.

Unfortunately, although we look at everything and read most of them, we do not acknowledge or reply to many of them. If we tried to, we would do little else. So please take this as our collective “Thank You”.
Authorized by Viv Forbes, Chairman,
The Carbon Sense Coalition

Libertarian Party boosted by Johnson candidacy.

2012-01-03T16:51:00.004+10:00

Why not a third party President? – Ed.

Image source: Mediate.com

The new Executive Director of the Libertarian Party, Carla Howell believes the candidacy of Governor Gary Johnson gives the party new possibilities and hope for 2012. Certainly, his presence in the campaign brings them the sort of presence and stature that any small party would give its eyeteeth for.   A two term Governor who campaigned and served as a libertarian; it just doesn’t get any better than that:

Former Governor Gary Johnson’s announcement last week that he’s leaving the GOP and running for president as a Libertarian brings a high-profile candidate to our Libertarian primary. Thousands of news stories and political commentaries were published and aired nationwide since his announcement where LP Chair Mark Hinkle signed him up to be a Life Member of our party.

Possible results? Attention to Governor Johnson’s campaign. Attention to our other Libertarian presidential candidates. Attention to the Libertarian Party and our principles. A spotlight on our 2012 presidential nominating convention in May.

One news story published by Mediate.com said, "With independent or unaffiliated voters making up a larger part of the voter base than they have at any time in the past, there are many more people out there open to defecting from the two-party system.”

Indeed! According to a September Gallup poll, “55% of Americans say the two major parties do such an inadequate job of representing the American people that a third party is needed.”

Then there’s our libertarian friend Ron Paul.

His stunning ascent in the Republican primary – while running a libertarian campaign - is giving unprecedented attention and credibility to our libertarian goals.

If Ron Paul were to win the GOP nomination, a true Revolution in America would be underway. One that would put our libertarian agenda front-and-center in the 2012 election. This will bring heightened attention to our libertarian candidates who offer bold reductions in Big Government that most Republicans and Democrats won’t dare – and give voters the choice that so many desperately want: much smaller government and more freedom.

With the exception of Ron Paul, all of the Republican candidates are former big government statists who now claim to have had a road to Damascus moment, hearing the voice of the Tea Party calling for fiscal restraint. It was actually the sound of their political weather vane turning with public sentiment, and will turn back to establishment views once the eventual nominee reaches office and a need for pragmatism is discovered. Given the negativity of the current campaign, it is likely that by the time the nominee is chosen, he will have been dragged through so much mud nobody will vote for him.

Johnson is really the only credible candidate in the contest for libertarians, small government Republicans, and socially liberal Democrats, having the stature and ability to bring them together. Over eight years in New Mexico he proved his ability to govern a majority Democrat state without compromising his principles and achieving significant reforms while balancing the budget.

A third party presidency with Johnson at the helm would work well.

Charged for controlling parthenium weed.

2012-01-02T00:34:00.004+10:00

By Dale Stiller on behalf of Property Rights Australia.

Property Rights Australia chairman, Joanne Rea said it is beyond belief that the Qld government would prosecute anyone for controlling weeds especially parthenium, a declared noxious, exotic weed which spreads aggressively into neighbouring property if not treated.

This follows hot on the heels of the capricious prosecution of Trenton Hindman of SW Queensland for renovating country infested with the invasive woody weed, turkey bush.

This reveals a pattern of unacceptable activism by some departmental officers. “What is the agenda of the State Government in pursuing people who have, in essence, done nothing wrong? Is common sense ever going to return to the pursuit of justice in this State?” Mrs. Rea, Chairman of Property Rights Australia said.”

The above quote was included in an article on page 9 in the 29th December 2011 issue of the QCL written by Troy Rowlings called, “Moore grazier defends weed ‘damage’ charge.” (not online - Ed)

Peter Leo lives on the farm that his family first settled in 1897 not far out of the hamlet of Linville. In 1911 a railway easement was cut through the farm and was used for this purpose until its close in 1989. Then in 2008 the Department of Infrastructure and Planning (DIP) took a sub-lease from the Department of Transport and Main Roads for the rail corridor land which was previously known as the Brisbane Valley Railway Line that ran from Wulkuraka Railway Station to Blackbutt. The DIP then started to develop the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail as part of the Queensland Government’s South East Queensland Active Trails Strategy and community greenspace network. The rail trail is supposed to be for walking, cycling and horse riding.

Photo sourced from ATHRA

The start of Peter Leo’s recent problems was the floods in January 2011; the same floods known nationally and internationally for the havoc they wreaked along the Lockyer Creek and the Brisbane River. After the flood waters had long gone, weeds germinated. In a phone call that I had with Peter he related not only of the abnormal amount of weeds but the variety of them, some that had not been seen before. Amongst the normal weeds such as noogoora burr were patersons curse and parthenium. The parthenium plants were found on the rail trail and Peter sent a sample to the Queensland Herbarium who confirmed that the plants were indeed parthenium.

The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail employs a Trail Ranger to whom Peter Leo reported the weeds on at least two occations but no action was forthcoming. Peter wrote a letter to the Minister whose portfolio included the DIP. When a new minister, Paul Lucas took over this department a letter was despatched to him as well. In all his efforts to have action taken about weeds on the rail trail after 8 months Peter received no satisfactory response. An unwelcomed response was for the Director, Resource and Landscape in DIP, Steve MacDonald, sending a letter of demand for records of any agreement that the family had with the railway. An unlikely event that even if there was any agreement of the chances of documents surviving from 1911.

By mid-August the weeds were out of control, Peter did not wish for the weeds to go to seed so he decided to control the weeds by the means of a tractor & a disc implement to plough the weeds in. “A light harrow job””, as Peter called it. At the end of August parthenium was found by Peter & a friend on the rail trail. Peter sprayed the parthenium and also ploughed again. This was the first time that he had ever found parthenium but controlling weeds and encouraging natural grasses had been practiced by Peter along this easement ever since the railway had left.

On this map the railway is shown as a dotted line. Peter Leo's farm is just south of Linville.

After the weed control had been done the Trail Ranger turned up & reported it to the DIP. As a result a policeman paid a visit to Peter Leo, the policeman inspected the situation & left presumably satisfied that no charge was warranted. However the next day the policeman came back with the news that he had been instructed to charge Peter Leo.

Peter found himself taken in, finger printed, a swab taken for DNA and charged. Peter had been told to plead guilty and take a $100 fine. In a state of disbelieve and indignant at his treatment Peter told me that he decided, as he put it, “I’m not a criminal; I am not pleading guilty.”

He is convinced that the orders to charge him came from at a higher level in the DIP. The minister Paul Lucas was well aware of the situation, in fact Peter was told that “Paul Lucas had hit the roof”. Peter believes that this is a “political charge and that he has been subjected to intimation” and also that, “Independent discretion has been taken away from the police.”

If this is what occurred it is a very serious situation and of great concern for the administration of justice in Queensland.

Charging a person for controlling a declared noxious, exotic weed such as parthenium is bad enough but what is even more incredible is the charge brought against him, that he has to appear before a court for mention on January 6th – wilful damage.

Peter Leo was told that he had damaged the integrity of the rail trail.

Peter Leo told me that he “just wants to be left alone”, but I can tell you from listening to him that he will not roll over on this one just to be rid of the situation as soon as he can; this is one determined man.

It’s just as well they’re licensed.

2012-01-01T23:39:00.002+10:00

Image: Melbourne Arts Centre fire. Source; Sun Herald.

Many years ago when fun was allowed you could use fireworks pretty much whenever you wanted celebrate in Australia. Guy Fawkes night on the 5th of November was the main one when they were traditionally used to celebrate the plot to blow up the British House of Lords in 1605.

The aftermath was usually a few injuries and the odd fire, and after a time the do gooders managed to have it stopped. The use of fireworks, like most other activities over here has been regulated and licensed to ensure that the ‘untrained’ are not able to access them. Who knows what might happen if the organizers of the new year celebration in Melbourne had not used qualified people to arrange the spectacle?

Possibly the whole Arts Centre would have burned down:

THE cause of a New Year's Eve fireworks mishap which saw the Arts Centre spire catch alight will be investigated. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the spire fire had not caused structural damage or endangered the public because of the exclusion zone around the site. …

The fire is believed to have started from one of the fireworks in the spire, that failed to discharge properly during the spectacular show, which was witnessed by more than half a million people. Mr Brinkman said the fire on the spire burnt itself out after about 40 minutes.

The area around the Arts Centre was evacuated immediately following the end of the of the fireworks. Large pieces of flaming debris fell at about 12.32am, causing smoke to rise from a lower level of the spire.

Of course accidents happen from time to time, but there would a full hue and cry were fireworks used 'illegally' to start a blaze.

Samoa joins us on the West of the dateline.

2012-01-01T02:47:00.003+10:00

Image: Courtesy, The Daily Mail.

Well it’s the New Year here and this time we have Samoa joining us at the start of the day instead of waiting for the world to do nearly a full revolution. Now if we can just talk the Yanks into doing the same, we will have the important part of the world, all on the same day at the same time.

This would improve the election coverage for us so we don’t have to wait until Wednesday afternoon for the US to announce its results on Tuesday night.

There seems to be a little confusion in the press though, with many outlets reporting that the country has moved west over the Date Line. This is understandable though, with reporters being so tied up in statism that it is probably easier for them to visualize an island moving than a line on the map drawn by bureaucrats doing so:

The tiny South Pacific island is moving west over the international dateline …

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi told Radio New Zealand that the drastic move would lead to major improvements in trade and tourism.

'No longer shall we have people ringing us up from New Zealand and Australia thinking it is Monday when we are closing our eyes and praying at churches,' he said.

'And vice versa on our Fridays when we ring up and already our contacts are holidaying on their Saturdays.' Samoa's population of 180,000 will now be one of the first in the world to welcome in the New Year, rather than the last.

This move has caused them to lose Friday the 30th which was replaced with Saturday the 31st, this in itself causing some consternation among the Seventh Day Adventists, although there are no reports of other Saturday Sabathists having this problem:

Critics say Samoa could lose tourist trade by no longer being the last place on earth to see the sun set - but it will now be one of the first places to see in each new day.

The nation's seventh Day Adventists are also divided over the change, and whether they should now observe the Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday.
Officials are working on creating new maps, charts and atlases for the island, as it moves over the zig-zag dateline.

Since the original setting of the time zone to the US side in 1892, trade has moved from being predominantly with America, to being mainly with New Zealand, Australia, and Asia. Being on the same day makes a lot of sense.

Threat of $1.1 million fine for building cubby house.

2011-12-30T00:19:00.003+10:00

We are plodding along at a pace set by centralized planning, red tape, rules without responsibility, and regimentation without recourse. – Barry Goldwater, 1964.

Image: The offending cubby house. Picture: Tracee Lea, Source – News.com.au.

It is often said that government in Australia is out of control, a situation that could be a great deal worse if the federal government was not mired in gridlock of minority status. Probably the worst example of draconian overregulation though tends to come from local authorities where minor political functionaries in hundreds of councils across Australia impose their will on the residents of their allotted ministate, usually claiming that the state or federal governments require it.

You just couldn’t make up though, the reaction of Wollongong City Council to the building of a child’s cubby house:

Earlier this year, Sonja Keller and husband Andrew Bergmann used leftover building supplies to build the cubby for their son, Yaan, 9, behind their home at Tumbling Waters Resort in Stanwell Tops.

They returned from holidays before Christmas to find mail telling them to remove the cubby as it posed a bushfire threat and they did not have "development consent".

"Council has become aware that a cubby house has been erected within the premises adjacent to a dwelling; within a bushfire prone and environmentally sensitive area, without development consent," the council wrote.

"Failure to comply with the order is an offence under section 125 of the (Environmental Planning and Assessment) Act. The maximum penalty for that offence is $1,100,000.00 and a further daily penalty of $110,000.00.

"If the order is not complied with, Council may give effect to the order and recover the costs of doing so from you."

Mrs Keller said council staff first inspected the cubby house earlier this month.
"Three people from the council came to inspect some of the work we had done at the resort," he said.

"I thought they were joking when they said they needed to look at the cubby house."

She said the cubby was barely visible from the street and no more of a fire risk than other garden furniture.

"This decision is a joke. It's ridiculous to say it's in a fire-sensitive area," she said. "The garden shed is in a fire-sensitive area. The pergola is in a fire-sensitive area. The whole house is in a fire-sensitive area."

Years ago someone said that you would suffer a lower penalty for murder than what you would cop for breaking some of the government's ‘orderly marketing’ laws, and this is fairly consistent with this thought. It seems that the smaller the authority, the more snarky and authoritarian the petty functionary that is attracted to it is.

Johnson switches to LP.

2011-12-29T14:35:00.002+10:00

Last night (Australian EST), Gary Johnson announced that he will be seeking the Libertarian Party nomination for President of the United States. His growing frustration with the anti Johnson provision in the GOP nominating process has been apparent for some time and this has been expected. The LP has a number of candidates for the position at present but while he will face a contest, it is reasonable to assume that with his high profile and strong libertarian credentials, he has a fair shot at it.

Here is his announcement:

This morning, I stepped before the microphones at a news conference in the New Mexico capitol and announced that I am seeking the Libertarian nomination for President of the United States. The Libertarian Party nominee will be on the ballot in all 50 states – as was the case in 2008.

It was both a difficult decision – and an easy one. It was difficult because I have a lot of Republican history, and a lot of Republican supporters. But in the final analysis, as many, many commentators have said since watching how I governed in New Mexico, I am a Libertarian - that is, someone who is fiscally very conservative but holds freedom-based positions on many social issues.

Frankly, I have been deeply disappointed by the treatment I received in the Republican nomination process. Other candidates with no national name identification like Herman Cain, Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman were allowed to participate in the debates.

Incredibly candidates with no executive experience like Michelle Bachmann and Rick Santorum were allowed to participate while I, a successful two-term governor with a solid record of job creation, was arbitrarily excluded by elitist media organizations in New York. My appeals to the Republican National Chairman for basic fairness were ignored.

I had hoped to lay out a full libertarian message on all the issues in the Republican contest. I think this election needs a libertarian voice. While Ron Paul is a good man and a libertarian who I proudly endorsed for president in 2008, there is no guarantee he will be the Republican nominee.

When I announced that I was running for president, I promised you I would be a voice for bold ideas to bring government and its spending under control. I promised I would put my record as the ‘most fiscally conservative’ governor in the nation in front of the voters. And I said that, unlike too many Republican politicians, I think Americans’ government should be smaller and less intrusive and let people make decisions for themselves.

My Agenda for America is clear:

- I want to end deficit spending and cut federal spending by 43%.
- I want to enact the Fair Tax to stimulate real economic growth and jobs.
- I want to end the manipulation of our money by the Federal Reserve.
- I support the Second Amendment and oppose gun control.
- I oppose expensive foreign wars in places like Libya and Afghanistan.
- I support a woman's right to choose.
- I support marriage equality for gay Americans as required by the Constitution.

- I support legalization of marijuana, which will save us billions and do no harm.
- I support returning strict adherence to Constitutional principles to our government.

It is clear that the elite national media and the political “ruling class” don’t want this message heard. It frightens them. It frightens them because they know our message is one that actually reflects the true beliefs of millions of Americans – and they don’t want those millions of people to know there really is a candidate for president who represents them, whether they are Republicans, Democrats, Independents or Libertarians.

Sadly neither the Republicans nor Democrats will offer this agenda to the American people.

They can’t handle the notion of a successful two-term governor, elected and reelected as a Republican in a Democrat state, who could veto 750 spending bills to shrink government -- while refusing to play the special interest game or impose a social agenda on people who prefer to make their own judgments about “values.”

In other words, there is no room in the national two-party club for a candidate who actually proved that governing as a libertarian works – and whose platform on every issue is clearly supported by a majority of the American people.

Sometimes the best answer is the simplest. I’m a Libertarian in belief. I successfully governed as a Libertarian in everything but the name, and I am running for president as a Libertarian. …

Follow this link for the whole statement.

A Greeting for Christmas.

2011-12-25T00:16:00.003+10:00

As unPC as it is; Merry Christmas to all of you.

Image: George Takei Images.

A guide for the indefinitely detained.

2011-12-25T00:08:00.005+10:00

Image: So ... You've been indefinitely detained.

You have to wonder if Senators John McCain, Lindsay Graham, and their ilk have ever read the Declaration of Independence, or if they have, did they read the grievance section shaking their heads asking, “What were they opposed to that for?” Given their support for indefinite military detention they possibly feel that George III probably had the civil liberties thing about right. Republicans upset about the 08 result can probably be happy they dodged the bullet of a worse President.

Of course you get those naysayers like Senator Rand Paul:

“If you allow the government the unlimited power to detain citizens without a jury trial, you are exposing yourself to the whim of those in power. That is a dangerous game.

“The FBI publishes characteristics of people you should report as possible terrorists. The list includes the possession of ‘Meals Ready to Eat,’ weatherproofed ammunition, and high-capacity magazines; missing fingers; brightly colored stains on clothing; paying for products in cash; and changes in hair color. I fear that such suspicions might one day be used to imprison a U.S. citizen indefinitely without trial. Just this year, the vice president referred to the Tea Party as a bunch of terrorists. So, I think we should be cautious in granting the power to detain without trial.”

Now that this is a fait accompli “Tom the Dancing Bug” has produced a valuable guide (above) for all of those who through membership of the Tea Party, NRA, Ron Paul campaign, or other suspect organizations, find themselves enjoying the hospitality of the US Army in exotic locations to help you deal with your situation. We suggest that you take particular notice of the useful FAQs.

NSW landholders get wind farm veto right.

2011-12-24T20:44:00.003+10:00

Cartoon by Chip Bok.

Ever since Big Government cuddled up to Big Eco and offered billions of dollars in Big Subsidies to Big Wind, Big Solar, and Big Bio-fuel, along with guaranteed rights to sell their expensive product via Big Mandate, landholders rights have been tossed to the wind in much the same way as has been done to facilitate Big Dollars from Big CSG. Developers have been able to put up turbines almost to the neighbors fence, while local government and other planning bodies have been sidelined.

Much like CSG companies, wind power developers have had open slather to ride roughshod over residents who have had to cope with their views destroyed and the more contentious issues of shadow flicker and low frequency noise. Now state governments have been stiffening up the guidelines, first Baillieu in Victoria and now the NSW government is acting to ban turbines closer than two kilometers from houses.

Just two days out from Christmas, Planning Minister Brad Hazzard revealed draft planning guidelines, which give landowners the right to veto wind farms proposed within two kilometers of their homes. Mr Hazzard says he is proposing the "toughest wind farm guidelines in Australia and possibly the world", adding they will provide more certainty for business and more opportunity for community consultation.

The guidelines match the approach taken in Victoria where written consent from nearby landowners is needed before turbines are erected. But noise levels from new wind farms will be more strict, with a limit of 35 decibels, five decibels less than in Victoria. Low-frequency noise will also be taken into account.

Mr Hazzard says where that cannot be achieved there will be an appeals process. "We have encouraged the proponents, the applicants, to actively engage in community consultation," Mr Hazzard said.

"That proponent will be able to appeal to the Joint Regional Planning Panel to try and receive approval to proceed with the development application process. "So there is a gateway in effect that we are putting in place. The gateway, though, only will kick in if the neighbors are not happy.” …

The Opposition and the Greens claim the new requirements will kill off the industry and billions of dollars of investment.

The craze for alternative energy has created an entire new industry run by corporate welfare tarts and subsidy spivs, who are given virtually unlimited access to taxpayer handouts in order to construct wind farms that would otherwise be uneconomical. They are then given favorable treatment in selling the power produced at higher prices to the consumers who have already been ripped off to build them in the first place.

As if this is not enough they have been given the right to trample the rights of the rest of the community with complete impunity. It is about time that these carpetbaggers of the new millennium were brought to heel and made to abide by the same rules as the rest of society. We would have more concern about the billions of dollars not being invested if a large proportion of it wasn’t taken off us in the first place.

Qld. Government 'reforms' quad bike riders.

2011-12-23T23:57:00.002+10:00

Since the introduction of quad bikes onto the scene, farmers have found them a valuable tool of the trade. With most of the capabilities of the standard ag-bike, the offer the additional benefit of better load carrying ability and the potential of being fitted with useful devices such as spray tanks and so on. As with any item of equipment there are risks involved in its use and a number of injuries and fatalities have occurred over the years.

As result Worksafe Qld has had an advisory out for some time in relation to safety in this field. Unfortunately the Bligh government has decided to ‘be at the forefront’ of regulation and is moving to establish mandatory standards to be adopted. Designed to appeal to the sensitivities of city folk and the self righteous, the blurb surrounding this move paints a grim picture.

According to Industrial Relations Minister, Cameron Dick, swathes of ‘rural workers’ are being cut down in their prime by irresponsible use of agricultural quad bikes and the only solution to this uncontrolled massacre is government regulation and heavy fines. Most of those ‘workers’ are the landholders themselves. Curiously, the actual figures tell a different story, although they vary depending on the source.

According to the governments own figures in the seven year period 02 – 09, 101 riders and 15 passengers were killed Australia wide. It also states that in 11+ years since July 2000, ‘about’ 30 riders and passengers were killed, (just under three per year for the whole state.) In the news report on the proposal it is stated that there have been 12 fatalities in Queensland since 2002.

These measures may be counterproductive, while the compulsory nature removes the element of choice to meet the individual’s assessment of what is needed. In the case of helmets, assuming the higher figure here of thirty to be correct, if they were to prevent all of the 35% of deaths by head injuries it would amount to ten lives in 11 years.

There is a higher danger of contracting skin cancer through not wearing a broad brimmed hat, and the impairment of peripheral vision could result in a higher accident rate. More could be achieved by banning short sleeves, but lets not give old Nan any ideas.

The issue of roll over protection is even more nebulous. Statistics point to somewhere around 43% of accidents involve rollovers, a proportion of which involve crush injuries. If we are to assume that all of them crush the victims, then that would amount to roughly 13 - 14 out of the thirty deaths over the eleven years. Advocates point to a reduction of 72% in tractor fatalities due to the use of roll bars.

Were this to hold true for quads, it would reduce the figure to nine or ten over eleven years. The problem with these figures is that quads tend to travel a lot faster than tractors, casting some doubt on the validity of this comparison. The addition of a roll bar to a vehicle with an inherent tendency to be top heavy or have a high centre of gravity as it is called would necessarily make it more so and more prone to rolling.

While governments are fond of proclaiming that, “if it saves one life then it is all worthwhile,” it is probably best to keep this to an advisory and allow users, who after all are the people with the experience in the field, to decide for themselves what is best for them.

Labor asylum-seeker offer, a sham.

2011-12-23T01:39:00.004+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

Stung by the multiple disasters caused by refugee boats being sent from Indonesia to Australia and sinking, Labor has been dragged kicking and screaming into offering the Liberals a ‘compromise’ toward a bipartisan solution to the problem. Even in this effort they are unable to seek a genuine solution, insisting on keeping the ‘Malaysia solution’ despite knowing that the Liberals will never agree to it.

The offer is not to use Nauru, but merely to put it on the table, with the proviso that the Liberals support the Malaysia deal. The liberals have made it clear ever since Malaysia was first mentioned that they would not support sending refugees to a country that was not a signatory to the Refugee Convention.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen’s call on the Coalition to support the Malaysian Solution "without amendment" makes it clear there will be no real compromise. His claim that “As a complement to the Malaysia agreement, we are happy to engage with the government of Nauru, to see if a processing centre can be developed on Nauru,” is disingenuous as such a centre already exists and cash strapped Nauru are desperate to have it up and running again.

The Labor Party is using the loss of up to 200 lives to attempt to force the Liberals to back down on what is a core issue for them, in return for nebulous undertakings to consider their favored options with no guarantees. Nauru is not being used now because of the embarrassment Labor would suffer by reintroducing a system that worked until they scrapped it. This way they can blame their own folly on the opposition.

The survivors of the latest tragedy have made it clear that they intend to try again for the simple reason that those who get on a boat and survive the trip are virtually guaranteed settlement here, ahead of those who have waited for years in some cases for a place in the queue. While this impasse exists in the cyclone season we can expect more disasters.

Johnson will do well in NM as a libertarian.

2011-12-22T00:46:00.002+10:00

There are currently conflicting reports as to the intentions of Presidential candidate Gary Johnson, with Town hall and others reporting he is definitely switching to LP, while Johnson himself stating that he hasn’t made up his mind but will make an announcement in the near future. He has been buoyed by the results of a PPP poll, which indicates substantial support for him as a third party candidate in his home state.

From Santa Fe New Mexican:

Former Gov. Gary Johnson could be a big factor in the race for New Mexico's five electoral votes if he runs for president on the Libertarian ticket, according to the results of the latest Public Policy Poll of New Mexico voters, released Friday.

Johnson, in a Friday interview at the state Capitol, said he hasn't completely made up his mind about seeking the Libertarian nod. But he sounded like that's the direction he's heading in. He said he'd probably make an announcement of his plans in New Mexico in the near future.

According to the poll, in a race between Johnson, President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Obama would get 44 percent, Romney would get 27 percent and Johnson would get 23 percent.

If the current front-runner, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, is the GOP candidate, Obama would get 45 percent, Gingrich 28 percent and Johnson would get 20 percent.

"As a third-party candidate, Johnson would draw 26-30 percent of the Republican votes, 12-16 percent of Democrats, and actually win independents with 31-33 percent," the PPP polling memo said.

Johnson was happy about the poll results, noting that if he actually won the state, he'd be the first Libertarian to win any electoral votes in New Mexico.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, as figures based on speculation of a switch will definitely change if it becomes certain. With a definite LP bid it is quite possible that his figures could rise. Polling is indicating that without Johnson in the race, Obama would defeat Romney in New Mexico by 15 percentage points and Gingrich by 17 percentage points, according to the poll.

The big danger for Republicans is that good polling for Johnson in NM will bring a great deal more attention on his campaign, enabling him to score better in the remaining states, possibly well enough to change the balance. Indications are that he would draw between 26 and 30% of GOP votes, between 12 and 16% of Democratic votes and win independents with over 30%.

Update: Switch appears to be on.

Governor Johnson will be holding a News Conference on December 28th, 2011 at 10AM MST. It will be held at the Santa Fe, NM State Capital building, in the Rotunda. We look forward to seeing you in attendance. If you do come, please contact the Marriott Courtyard Santa Fe at (505) 473-2800 and tell them you're with Gary Johnson and get a discounted room rate beginning on the 27th.

If you are unable to make it, it will be streamed live on www.GaryJohnson2012.com or www.Yowie.com.

Mark Latham; “Clean energy plan, waste.”

2011-12-21T17:28:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Bill Leak.

Had Mark Latham been a little less abrasive and intemperate he could have been one of the better Labor leaders. He had some classic lines, once referring to the Howard cabinet as, “A conga line of suck holes,” but he could never match the class act of Keating as far as insults were concerned. On the other hand he didn’t have the conceit that caused Keating to refer to himself as the Pavarotti of Australian politics, making some wonder if he was actually the Kid Shelleen.

Since leaving parliament he has adopted the conventional lifestyle of the political undead. He has done an autobiography, which lost him a lot of love in his party, especially giving some insights into the treachery of Rudd, something that is still apparent today. He caused a buzz in libertarian circles with an article, “The folly of handouts,” and has been a consistent critic of the government.

He has just slammed the idiotic $10 billion fund for ‘clean energy' handouts:

OUTSPOKEN former Labor leader Mark Latham has warned that the Gillard government's $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation will become "the greatest waste of money in the history of the commonwealth."

Speaking on Sky News' Australian Agenda this morning, Mr Latham said the carbon tax the Gillard government negotiated with the Greens and the country independents was more about income redistribution than legislating a significant environmental measure.

But he said the $10 billion clean energy fund designed to boost private investment in clean energy technologies was “the forgotten element” of the debate. “It'll end up, I think, being the greatest waste of money in the history of the commonwealth, it'll make the Building the Education Revolution and pink batts programs look like a Sunday picnic,” Mr Latham told the program.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation was a key demand of the Greens in exchange for their support of the $23-a-tonne carbon tax to be paid by 500 big polluters from July 1 next year. Former Reserve Bank board member Jillian Broadbent has been appointed to chair an expert panel to advise government on the design of the fund.

But Mr Latham said the fund was premature and the industry was not ready for that level of government-backed investment. “This is the biggest industry slush fund in the history of the nation,” he said. “How can you spend $10 billion on industry development when most experts say that the technology, the so-called clean-energy technologies, aren't there to absorb that money in any productive fashion.

He is wrong in this, as it will be relatively easy for the industry to absorb this money in the same way as it has been absorbing all of the other billions tossed at it in the past. The availability of these funds will attract all sorts of shysters who will present plausible schemes for spending it. In return for it we will get little except expensive electricity from highly subsidized generating processes. It represents a lose, lose situation for taxpayers.

When a drunken sailor throws his money around he attracts whores, but a better class of whore than are attracted to government when it throws our money around. At least the conventional ones provide a valuable service.

Its time to fix the boatpeople problem now.

2011-12-21T01:42:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

The unfolding news of the latest refugee boat sinking highlights the need to find a proper solution to the need to prevent people smuggling activities once and for all. As if the Christmas Island disaster was not enough, this one has the potential to rack up as many as 200 lives lost if some of the figures are correct.

Given the weather and sea conditions, and the state of the ship at the time of departure, the organizers of this boatload had little concern for the welfare of either the crew or the refugees taking the trip. There is little doubt that even with the cyclone season starting, these people will keep sending the boats out as long as they can get people to pay and crews to man them.

The lack of an effective policy to prevent this activity has been caused by Labor, which threw out the unpopular but effective Pacific Solution put in place by the Howard government. Labor were attempting to appease the Greens on this issue and appear to have been genuinely stupid enough to believe their own propaganda which insisted that the boats had simply stopped coming and the Howard legislation had nothing to do with it.

After the Christmas Island disaster the government offered the opposition a ‘bipartisan’ deal, which Abbott agreed to discuss. Unfortunately this turned out to be grandstanding and the only option given was the government package with a complete refusal to consider the opposition’s proposals, after which Gillard painted Abbott as a wrecker.

This has come back to bite them, as with the Greens refusing to compromise, Labor needs opposition support. Such support is not likely to be forthcoming unless a reasonable deal is put on the table to discuss. Abbott is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but is not going to be caught a second time by the same stunt.

Meanwhile the Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen is slamming the Greens:

Mr Bowen, struggling for a policy response to an ongoing flood of asylum-seeker boats arriving off northern Australia, described the Greens yesterday as "naive and out of touch" after the party's leader, Bob Brown, insisted offshore processing was no deterrent to people-smuggling.

The minister's comments came as government sources confirmed that they expected hundreds of asylum-seekers to enter Australia by boat over the coming holiday period and warned of a repeat of last weekend's sinking of an overloaded boat off Indonesia, in which as many as 200 Middle Eastern asylum-seekers headed for Australia drowned.

The tragedy continued to dominate political discourse yesterday as Labor and the Coalition parties insisted onshore processing was acting as a beacon to people-smugglers but remained deadlocked about the location for an offshore regime.

It is difficult to understand how Brown can make the claim that offshore processing was no deterrent to people-smuggling, given the fact it worked under Howard. In any case its time to bang a few heads together and get something done to fix the problem before another disaster occurs.

Katter’s ‘Pinko Agrarian Socialist’ Party.

2011-12-20T16:59:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: Mit Nerraw.

Most of the old National Party stalwarts have grudgingly accepted the inevitable truth that the world is a big and competitive place, and that trade isolationism is counterproductive. A few like Bob Katter who were comforted at their mothers breasts with heroic tales of Artie Fadden, Black Jack McEwen, and a heavily regulated form of free enterprise, still think otherwise.

Back then, compulsory marketing boards were the order of the day, under the catch cry of orderly marketing. Agriculture and industry existed behind tariff barriers with subsidies to aid the uncompetitive to do the unnecessary. With the Country Party, subsequently National Party holding the balance of power, the whole of our rural production was controlled from Canberra and the state capitals under a form of agrarian socialism.

Bob’s party has featured here on a number of occasions, and now Paul Syvret has called them out in the Courier Mail:

To understand Katter, you have to realise that at his core he is pinker than the left wing of the Australian Labor Party.

His conservative tag is really only deserved in terms of social policy (remember the vow to walk "backwards from Bourke to Brisbane" if any gays were ever found in his electorate of Kennedy?) and environmental issues (Katter's Australia Party contends that the scientific case that carbon emissions are linked to global warming "is simply not sustainable"). (He is probably right on the second. – Ed.)

When it comes to trade, investment, industry policy and all matters economic, Katter is an unreconstructed agrarian socialist.

He advocates a level of industry protectionism not seen in Australia for decades. He opposes free trade agreements, supports the development of state-owned industries and posits that all imported food coming into Australia should not only be slugged with a 10 per cent duty but also carry labels warning the goods may be dangerous to your health. Seriously.

His latest home-spun piece of economic populism - which fits neatly into the usual Katter mould of offering simplistic cure-alls for complex problems - is a push to force the Reserve Bank to slash official cash rates to levels never before seen in Australia of between 1 per cent and 2 per cent to get us "in step" with the rest of the world, particularly Europe and the US. …

If the RBA didn't toe the line, Katter said over the weekend, board members would be removed individually or the entire bank "replaced with another body." In the same breath, he spectacularly claimed that: "I don't want to be advocating political involvement in the Reserve Bank ...” If threatening to sack the board unless they relinquish their independence doesn't amount to political interference, well, I'll join Bob in his backwards walk.

… A flood of very cheap money would likely fuel the mother of all bubbles. On the flip side, interest rates that low would also deal the nation's savers a negative return on their savings after allowing for even moderate inflation.

Also bear in mind that should Europe trigger another global catastrophe, the RBA's current policy setting of 4.25 per cent gives us huge scope to ease monetary policy rapidly. Countries like the US, Britain and Japan, with near zero rates, have basically had to resort to printing new money in an effort to stimulate their economies. …

If you're developing policy in some sort of parallel universe, though, I guess inconvenient truths don't apply. Welcome to Katter country.

Kim Jong Il, another madman bites the dust.

2011-12-20T01:59:00.004+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

There is neither cause for regret at the death of the North Korean dictator, the world is a better place without him, nor is there cause for celebration. This event is not likely to free the population of that sorry state, or improve their lot, nor even set in train a better future. The future is very much an unknown factor, probably revolving around planned successor Kim Jong Un, who may get the nod but will possibly be a puppet for the military.

The ‘welcome’ news of the success of the Arab Spring turned to dismay since as the rise of the Islamists with their plans for theocratic rule snuffed out any hope of real democratic reforms. In a similar way, the departure of Kim Jong Il is possibly the precursor for even more tyranny.

It is not certain that ‘Brilliant Comrade’ will succeed ‘Dear Leader’ as there is conjecture that he is viewed as too inexperienced to do so at this point, but given that he has received a western education in Switzerland, were he to be the successor he may be an improvement on his insular antecedents. There is some reason to doubt how much he can achieve though.

His father adopted the principle of putting the military first, with the result that much of the able bodied younger population that in normal nations does the heavy lifting in the workforce has been diverted to that area. To pay for this has required the rest of the nation other than the privileged power structure being thoroughly looted to pay for this. This in turn has lead to famines that the press euphemistically refers to as “a series of bad harvests.”

The problem for whoever succeeds Kim Jong Il is that the military is now all-powerful and are not likely to be in any hurry to surrender that privileged position. What’s more they are in the position of strength, which ensures that they do not have to do so. Reliance on troops for popular support is a one-way street with no way back, especially when the country becomes impoverished as result.

Edison light bulb saved.

2011-12-19T17:13:00.000+10:00

There has been a bizarre move by governments across the world over the last few years to ban the Edison light bulb, and replace it with more expensive options. Compact fluorescent bulbs have been around for years now and have gained favor owing to lower energy use and longer life, however this was not enough for the green fascists, and PC whipped politicians who demanded that the cheaper alternative be banned.

The downside of using the newer bulbs is that the high initial cost and the cleanup requirements for broken bulbs, which have been exaggerated in some instances but are still rather onerous. By banning the old incandescent bulbs, the main incentive to improve and lower the cost of the newer compacts and LED bulbs has been removed, so expect to continue paying high prices.

In the US though House Republicans have gained a reprieve for embattled households, by slipping a grenade into a 1,200 page spending bill:

Members of Congress saw the light and heeded Americans’ pleas today as House Republicans saved powerful incandescent light bulbs from the scrapheap. “It’s a little ray of sunshine, of natural light,” Texas Rep. Michael Burgess, a Republican who had led the fight against the ban, told Newsmax.

Traditional 100-watt bulbs were to have been outlawed, beginning Jan. 1, to be replaced by more expensive — and allegedly more efficient — compact fluorescent bulbs. House Republicans managed to sneak language into a massive 1,200-page spending bill that would overturn the ban and save the old-style pear-shaped bulbs.

Burgess said he can understand why the federal government can tell him what light he must use when he is at work in a federal building. “But that is not the same as telling me what bulb to use in my lamp when I am at home, reading. “I make decisions on how much energy I use and how much,” he added. “I drive a hybrid car, not because the government tells me to, but because I want to as I get better mileage.

“I installed dimmer switches in my house in 2005 because it was the reasonable thing to do, not because the government told me to.” The fight against the ban hit a nerve with the American people, Burgess added. “They feel exactly as I do. We want to have the option,” he said.

It is reported that Democrats are outraged, (probably a few nanny state Republicans too) but it is likely that the ban will be put off for the time being. Greenies and General Electric which produces the CFL’s and LED bulbs support the ban.

Gillard, soaking the rich to share the wealth in the corporate sector.

2011-12-18T01:41:00.003+10:00

Cartoon (Economic suicide bombers): By Pickering.

Recently when announcing her reshuffle of Cabinet to reward her backers and punish Rudd’s Julia Gillard stated that her priority was "ensuring that Australians can share the benefits of the nation's wealth." Her plan for achieving this was not to encourage people to try for the numerous fairly highly paid jobs in the mining sector, or to invest in the sections of the economy that are doing well, but to punitively tax those sectors in order to spread the wealth around.

The latest scheme is to expand the super profits tax, or as it is now called the MRRT into all sectors with higher profitability, such as mining and banking in order to reduce taxation on other sectors such as manufacturing. This appears to be something of a corporate redistribution of wealth, which has the additional aspect of punishing the banking sector:

A WORKING group set up by the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, is planning a shake-up that would see most companies pay no corporate tax and a smaller number pay a much higher rate of "super tax" on profits clearly above the odds. …

The nine-person working group, set up by Mr Swan after the tax summit, is examining a proposal known as Allowance for Corporate Equity, which would apply no tax to the portion of corporate profits necessary to get a reasonable return on equity. Most companies - especially manufacturers - fail to meet that hurdle and would pay no corporate tax.

Banks and mining companies make a much greater return on equity and so would be liable for the super tax on the excess portion of their earnings. A working group member, John Freebairn from Melbourne University, told the conference the super tax rate could be as high as 40 or 50 per cent. He nominated McDonald's and KFC as examples of companies able to make larger than normal profits because of the power of their brands.

"How are they going to get those profits from Australians without doing it in Australia?" he said. Good tax design said that if something couldn't move, it should be taxed. Mining of Australian resources could also only be done in Australia.”

Apparently this ‘working group’ is totally unaware of the massive mineral deposits in other areas of the world, especially in Africa, where a great deal of Australian investment is already moving. Curiously, the government is likening this move to the introduction of the GST by the Howard government:

Addressing a tax conference at the University of Canberra, the head of Treasury's revenue group, Rob Heferen, compared the change to the introduction of the GST in 2000. He said this would be a more radical change, if more worthwhile.

It is difficult to see where they are coming from with this claim. The GST was introduced to broaden the tax base and replace a significant number of other taxes, which were inefficient and counterproductive. This proposal narrows the tax base and hits our biggest earners. There are at least two areas where this can go seriously wrong.

The first is that in narrowing the tax base to the higher profitability areas makes the tax system more vulnerable to downturns in the world economy. The higher earning areas of the economy in boom times are significantly more vulnerable to fluctuations when things go backwards. A number of US states that have tried this have come a gutser when the earnings drop, especially California which has moved from ‘golden state’ to basket case in a short time.

With the Euro zone in deep trouble and the US not far behind, Asia is probably about to suffer a serious downturn which will reduce their use of our resources. This will in turn seriously affect our banking sector and the rest of the economy as it trickles down. The government is putting its eggs into the basket most likely to be dropped.

The other serious problem is the effect on superannuation and nest egg investment, which stands to be seriously effected by this. When the Keating government realized that the pension system was a Ponzi scheme, which was unsustainable the move was made towards superannuation in order to ensure that retirements could be saved for. Swan and Gillard are possibly destroying the savings of millions of Australians.

Labor confusion on sovereign risk, while its results occur.

2011-12-17T02:32:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

On Tuesday the Communications Minister Mr. Conroy, totally lost it during a speech to the National Press Club. Most of his spray appears to be directed at the Productivity Commission for daring to warn that the NBN could breach its competitive neutrality policy because of its projected low rate of return, estimated at about 7 per cent. However he then demonstrated his ignorance of sovereign risk:

The Communications Minister expressed frustration at suggestions that sovereign risk had increased in Australia's telecommunications sector because of the introduction of the NBN. “If a tax goes up, God, that is sovereign risk, but if a tax goes down, its f***ing fantastic. Excuse me - that is fantastic,” he said.

“The complete hypocrisy around sovereign risk is staggering, because apparently we've been engaging in sovereign risk all of these years every time we've lowered a business tax.”

The reference to lowering taxes constituting sovereign risk is in regard to the imposition of a massive tax on mining profits, some of which is supposed to be used to lower corporate taxes in other sectors as a sort of corporate redistribution of wealth. The factor that creates the risk is the mining tax, which makes such activities more attractive in other countries where the tax does not apply. In other words its nothing but spin.

The real result of sovereign risk inducing policies came home to roost for Australia, or at least its cattle producers today with Indonesia cutting our export quota by nearly half and announcing that all imports from here were to be phased out within four years. Our cattle industry supplied the bulk of Indonesia’s import requirements owing to the closeness of our countries and the perceived reliability of supply.

The reputation for reliability was smashed in June when the Gillard government unilaterally banned exports to Indonesia overnight for a month during the peak export period. Some suppliers were driven to the wall, while others were seriously disadvantaged to the point where they are still struggling to get back to normal. It was pointed out at that time by the industry that this action would destroy confidence in us as a reliable supplier and cause the Indonesians to look elsewhere.

While the Minister, Joe Ludwig is making noises about sourcing other markets, there are none as convenient and offering the high numbers we had in this one. He has been plying the line that it is simply caused by the Indonesians wishing to be self sufficient, this has been cast in doubt by reports that cattle will be sourced in other neighboring countries.

Being governed by Labor has been like a storeowner taking a break while the village idiot runs the shop.

The Greens who want the live export industry banned entirely, should consider the ramifications of this decision. It is doubtful that Greens leader Bob Brown has considered just how much pristine rainforest will be destroyed in any effort by Indonesia to provide pasture for enough cattle to supply over half a million cattle per year for consumption.

Gary Johnson moving to LP?

2011-12-16T14:52:00.002+10:00

There has been a great deal of speculation going back a couple of months that Republican Presidential candidate Gary Johnson will drop out of the nomination contest and instead, enter the contest for the Libertarian Party one. Now it is widely reported that the move is on, with the possibility of an announcement within the next couple of days.

He is currently in Florida to meet with LP people and according to one of his advisers Roger Stone, he is happy with the results. Johnson, who has been excluded from most debates, partly blames his poor standing in the race on GOP officials who did nothing to help ensure that he had a shot at being invited to the televised debates. Here is an interview he did with Marc Caputo of the Miami Herald:

From Newsmax:

Johnson says he believes most Republicans are not socially conservative, it is only the activists that are. “I didn’t win over social conservatives running as governor of New Mexico in the primary. I didn’t get their votes, there were others to choose from.

“But when it came time for the general election, those social conservative Republicans then deferred to their second-most important issue, which was dollars and cents. And I excelled in the dollars and cents area.

“New Mexico is a state that is 2-1 Democrat,” Johnson, who was governor in Santa Fe for eight years from 1995-2002, pointed out. “I won election and I won reelection by a bigger margin.” …

He said the ban on drugs is responsible for the violence that has engulfed the Mexican border area. “We need to get rid of prohibition like we needed to get rid of prohibition of alcohol, to move disputes from the streets and machine guns to the courts.

… “Newt Gingrich, in 1997, proposed the death penalty for possession of marijuana in excess of 2oz. with intent to distribute from outside of the country. Newt Gingrich has smoked marijuana. Gosh, to me this is hypocritical. “When it comes to Newt Gingrich, we have a real fundamental difference when it comes to marijuana and other drugs, and that fundamental difference is, you know what? Maybe it’s a bad choice, but should you be subject to the death penalty because of your bad choice? I don’t think so.”

He also took issue with the other leader in the Republican race. “I don’t know where Mitt Romney stands on the issues. I’m in the contest and I really don’t know where he stands. “This process should be about explaining what your positions are, what the problems are and, of course, what your resume is.

While the LP has a number of candidates listed at this stage, the entry of a candidate of the stature of Johnson would change the whole outlook for the party should he gain the nomination.

If, as is almost certain that he switches, about the only saving grace for the Republican Party is that while he has the potential to rip votes off them with his fiscal conservative record, he will probably strip the Democrats of socially liberal voters who are disgusted with the disappointing results of the Obama tenure. The GOP has brought this down on its own head.

Unusual Freedom of Speech defense by Humphreys.

2011-12-16T00:21:00.003+10:00

Image: OMG, has it happened already?

It is easy to be an advocate of free speech when it applies to the rights of those with whom one is in agreement. But the crucial test concerns controversial speech – statements which we may consider vicious and nasty and which may, in fact, even be vicious and nasty. – Walter Block; “Defending the Undefendable.”

One such vicious and nasty form of speech is to call for your death. A couple of days ago, Graeme Bird issued such a call on John Humphreys, who can be irritating, but has changed to the point where the writer has not felt like choking the living shit out of him for a couple of years. The following though, goes too far:

“He must die. John Humphreys must die so that this country can live. He has betrayed this country too many times and he must no longer live … This is too important a subject to let John Humphreys live. Where does the lying end. I’m convinced that it only ends when John Humphreys is cold and stiff … HE MUST DIE, FOR THE LYING TO END. AND THIS IS A LIFE OR DEATH MATTER … I am accusing Humphreys of being a knowing traitor … SO MY NEW CLAIM IS THAT HUMPHREYS WILL NEVER STOP LYING. THAT HE WILL NEVER BE A SAFE PAIR OF HANDS. THAT HE WILL ALWAYS BE A TRAITOR. WHILE HE YET LIVES.”

This is not unusual for Graeme; he often has difficulty disengaging his caps lock. His main beef is that John supports fractional reserve banking, but even Ron Paul would not go this far. He has since pulled the post, only leaving three Humphreys ones up, “The Moron John Humphreys Screed … Followed By The Censored Responses,” “The Deeply Disturbing John Humphreys Story,” and, “Comments Soon To Be Wiped By Quisling John.”

John has been gracious in reply:

My conclusion, once again, is that death threats such as above should be allowed as free speech.

The moral reason to allow the above sort of rants is that Graeme hasn’t actually directly hurt anybody with his rant, nor has he tried to coerce anybody (by saying “do XYZ, or else”), and so he should be left alone. He has simply stated that he wants me dead. If somebody were to act on Graeme’s death wish, then in my opinion the responsible person is the killer, and not Graeme.

We are surrounded with advertising every time we turn on the TV or go outside. We are more subtly being influenced every time we read a newspaper or book or website, or when we talk with our friends. We are even being influenced when we simply watch strangers on the streets. But ultimately, I believe that each person needs to be held responsible for their own actions, and that responsibility can not be passed on to the people who have influenced the actor. If I say that a book is good, and you go and buy the book… then it is you (not I) who is responsible for your actions. Likewise, if grumpy-Graeme says he wants me dead, and mad-Doug (another freak with an unhealthy fixation on me) actually comes and kills me… then it is mad-Doug (not grumpy-Graeme) who is responsible for the murder.

The idea that advertisers or influential people are responsible for the actions of others undermines individual responsibility, and it sets a dangerous precedent for controlling who is allowed to say what to whom. And once we start controlling speech to only “good speech” we get into dangerous territory. …

Go here for the full post.

Santa gets a cavity search.

2011-12-15T02:28:00.004+10:00

Image, courtesy Bastiat Institute.

Not sure if this is a photoshop, we hope it hasn't come to this. Enough said. This is very reminiscent of the following Arlo Guthrie clip.

For all of you young whippersnappers out there, too young to remember the 60s, try the longer version, which includes his dedication of the song to the FBI and “The Last Guy” here.

Carbon tax, The Road Ahead

2011-12-14T02:14:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

By Viv Forbes, Chairman,

The Carbon Sense Coalition

Carbon Tax is now law in Australia. Now the main aim of the climate alarmists, the wealth distributers, the anti-development crowd and those promoting world government by the UN is to stifle the debate. Their media mates will try to pretend there is nothing more to talk about. So we have to defeat their conspiracy of silence. This is the task for 2012.

Unfortunately for them, the climate alarmist news is uniformly bad, and this is newsworthy: 

1. Global temperatures refuse to rise, despite rapidly rising human production of carbon dioxide – this fact alone disproves their main scare story. More people are waking up to this fact and to the antics of the alarmist academics in distorting the evidence. Climategate II has revealed the uncertainty, bias and deliberate deceptions within the secret circle of alarmist academics. See:

2. Sea levels, glaciers and polar bears are not following the alarmist forecasts. See:  And:

3. The latest climate-fest in Durban looks unlikely to produce good news for the alarmists. The Kyoto Protocol is dead on its feet. (Since this was written a faux agreement has been cobbled together which is in essence an agreement to negotiate on an agreement …)

4. The world is waking up to the wind/solar power scams. These piddle power producers are designed mainly to harvest tax breaks and subsidies. Once these crutches are removed, the cripples will collapse. Even the Dutch are falling out of love with the absurdly costly windmills:

5. The price for carbon credits has crashed.

6. The financial crises will continue to divert political attention. The public has lost interest in climate alarm – they are more interested in jobs, energy prices and asset values. See:

Exposing the Global Warming Lies

Here’s a collection of Internet videos exposing the lies used by global warming evangelists to promote their cause to an uninformed public. Watch these videos, learn the truth and share them with your friends and family. Don’t allow environmental extremists to destroy our freedoms with their lies. Go here.

Wind Energy Ghosts

Wind energy is just a method of harvesting tax breaks. Once the tax breaks and other financial props disappear, so do the promoters. Already thousands of abandoned turbines litter the land.

The Scientific Scandal of our Generation

"The scare over man-made global warming is not only the scientific scandal of our generation, but a suicidal flight from reality."
Christopher Booker See:  

Feedback from a Supporter:

 "I have recently moved up to Fernvale from Canberra which is the social and environmental engineering capital of Australia (if not the world). I share all your scepticism about the “climate alarmist industry” although I have none of your professional qualifications or experience. Nevertheless, I do have opinions and despite writing many letters to the Canberra Times which followed the general tone of your missives to the Courier Mail, I was rarely published. So, I really enjoy reading your comments in the Brisbane and local papers as you echo the same concerns which I feel about this growing problem. I’ve found that, climate alarmists deal in absolutes in that everyone must agree ‘absolutely’ with the theories they postulate or are deemed ignorant imbeciles. It is really enjoyable, therefore, when someone like you strikes back with reasoned, cogent arguments against what is really mounting hysteria fuelled by vested interests. Keep up the good work." 

Disclosure:  Viv Forbes has spent most of his life all over Queensland in exploration, farming and grazing pursuits. He has an applied science degree and qualifications and experience in soil science and pasture management. He lives now with his wife on a small grazing property in SE Qld. That property is affected by vegetation protection orders mentioned in this newsletter.

Cabinet reshuffle highlights overgovernment.

2011-12-13T12:15:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

The cabinet reshuffle, which has been tipped for some time, goes a long way to demonstrate the degree to which Australia is overgoverned. There are 22 members of the inner cabinet, another eight in the outer cabinet in charge of (at a rough count) fifty-five ministries. There is a list of them here:

Years ago on the comedy show, The Two Ronnies in their faux news section they posed the question, “We ask are there too many government ministers, and we will be talking to the Minister for Steak and Kidney Pie on the issue.” Australia is not too far behind this scenario. Given that some of these ministries cover multiple functions, it is clear that just too many matters fall under government control.

If more functions were left in the hands of the individual, and the government stayed out of matters not reasonably falling into its net of intrusion, it would be more effective in its proper place. One of the secrets of successful management is delegation. Why not delegate the way we conduct ourselves to us and stay the hell out of our lives?

While some of the press is hailing this development as a “Julia stamps her authority,” moment it is reasonably clear that she is not really in control:

But the reshuffle has sparked tensions over the dumping from cabinet of Kim Carr, a former Gillard supporter now seen as sympathetic to Kevin Rudd, and led one minister to describe the changes as more about "spin" than policy.

The Prime Minister was also forced to fend off suggestions that her decision to expand the cabinet by two places was because senior ministers refused to go. Senior sources last night denied reports that Peter Garrett and Robert McClelland had threatened to resign from parliament if they were demoted.

The Australian understands that Mr McClelland, who remains in cabinet, was moved despite making a strong case to remain attorney general.

This rings true, as no realistic cabinet reshuffle would be likely to keep Garrett on after his disastrous performances in every area entrusted to him in the past. Garrett was brought into the government at the behest of Hawke on the basis of being a washed up pop star who might inspire the young to vote Labor. Since then he has achieved little other than an inflated sense of self-importance.

The idea of ‘super ministries’ that has been exulted by the press as a great innovation, are a crock. If the persons given these responsibilities were in fact up to them, the sheer volume of work involved would almost certainly guarantee that it would be impossible to carry out the multiple roles efficiently.

Greg Combet though has a ready solution to this problem. He has had Industry and innovation added to his Climate Change portfolio. If he succeeds with the climate change part along the lines the government is proposing, the industry and innovation part will no longer be needed.

Caution, these people are running the show.

2011-12-13T00:19:00.001+10:00

The Matt Price moment is an ABC faux award in memory of a journalist who tended to take a humorous view of Australian politics. It highlights the humorous, ridiculous, and genuinely funny moments in the political year. It is worth mentioning in the interest of fairness, that Mary Jo Fisher who appears here suffers from depression and it has been suggested that her medication was out of whack, and Kevin Rudd was recovering from laryngitis.

It is a somewhat disturbing to think that they were the only ones here with an excuse. It should also be a sobering thought that we voted them in and they are running this country:

Phone hacking scandal starts to unravel.

2011-12-12T15:45:00.003+10:00

This is starting to look like the ‘déjà vu all over again’ thing. After the UK phone hacking scandal, the government, Labor, Greens, and independents here were determined to go after News Ltd in the hope of finding something they could use against its most trenchant critic. As is normally the case of late, they were cheered on relentlessly by the Fairfax press, which put the boot in daily.

Investigations so far have not found any evidence of wrongdoing by News, but are investigating Fairfax’s Age for hacking into Labor’s database, seeking information on prominent Victorians. Aint it a bitch, getting hoisted with your own petard.

In England, the paper that broke the News of the World hacking scandal, The Guardian, spent masses of column meters of print in exuberant and self righteous commentary about the behavior of their more successful competitor, only to have to conduct a strategic retreat. It now seems that their claim of deleting voice mail from the phone of murder victim, Milly Dowler is false or just plain wrong:

In July the Guardian reported that News of the World reporters had listened to her voicemail and deleted the messages. The paper has now retracted that particular claim.

"It is understood that while News of the World reporters probably were responsible for deleting some of the missing girl's messages, police have concluded that they were not responsible for the particular deletion which caused her family to have false hope that she was alive," the paper reported. The Guardian is considering publishing a correction.

Police have established that the News of the World was not investigating Milly Dowler's phone at the time the crucial messages were listened to and then deleted. Over the weekend there were fresh allegations that police might have inadvertently deleted voicemail messages, or the phone provider deleted messages automatically after they were listened to.

While the hacking of private telephones is reprehensible, there is some evidence that other papers did it as well. It appears very much like cases of the pot calling the kettle black, whereby papers that have a fair bit to hide are going after others in the hope that exposing them as unmitigated bastards somehow vindicates their own wrongdoing.

The NOTW scandal needed exposing and that is something that is a responsibility of the remaining media. The trick in avoiding the appearance of hypocrisy or poor reporting is though, getting facts straight in the first place, and not descending into wild exaggeration in the second.

Climate change; agreement to make an agreement?

2011-12-12T00:47:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Lisa Benson.

At this stage it is unknown whether the rest of the world is also carrying on with the “Oh joy, Oh rapture,” warblings the Australian government is carrying on with over the last minute pseudo agreement that has come out of Durban. It seems little more than a rehash of the standard last minute agreements that have come out of Copenhagen and Cancun before it.

But according to our government it is a breakthrough of epic proportions like to pave the way to a binding …. (Add the accolades of your choice here) they’re pretty standard as well. According to the climate change minister and the rest of the climate frantic club, its just what they have been having wet dreams about all these years:

CLIMATE Change Minister Greg Combet has praised the outcome of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Duban as a significant breakthrough in tackling global warming.

The conference has agreed to begin negotiations on a new accord which would put all nations under the same legal regime.

Representatives of 194 countries agreed to move towards a new agreement to replace the existing Kyoto Protocol. Mr Combet said the outcomes in the South African city are good news for the environment. (You just have to be feeling that ~~warm~~ cool inner glow.)

Gillard and her government, fresh from bringing down a carbon tax on the heads of Australians are desperate to see signs, any signs, that the rest of the world will be stampeded into following suit the way the PM and Brown assured us they would. For this reason anything not totally negative coming out of this conference is good news for them.

It is difficult to read anything more into this other than the countries represented there, have managed to avoid the total embarrassment of failing to reach any agreement, by coming to an agreement that is little more than an agreement to work toward an agreement. If such an agreement occurs and what it might be is very much up in the air. There is little reason to believe that the nations that have resisted subjecting their industry to unsustainability in order to have a new tax are likely to play ball this time.

What is clear though is that there is an intent to establish a $100 billion-a-year Green Climate Fund will also be established to finance climate change adaptation for developing countries, of which we will be expected to contribute around $2 to 4 Billion. This is on top of the carbon tax. If history is anything to go by, the money that doesn’t go directly into Swiss bank accounts, will be spent on more environmentally friendly palaces for the leaders of those nations, and better armaments for the soldiers of those nations to more efficiently keep their people under control.

Massive fraud at Queensland Health.Queensland Health.

2011-12-11T01:51:00.003+10:00

Queensland Health is a sad shell of what was formerly a well-organized department which operated very efficiently. To give some idea of the decline, the writer was in 1983 able to get a hernia operation 21 hours after reporting the injury. In 2010, a similar injury to the other side took five months from reporting it to getting an appointment with the surgeon in order to have the operation.

In recent years a series of scandals have rocked the department. First, the Health Minister Gordon Nuttall was jailed for corruption, then it was discovered that owing to failure of the vetting process, an incompetent surgeon, Jayant Patel was appointed to Bundaberg Hospital and caused a number of deaths and serious injuries to patients. A faulty payroll system was introduced which after the expenditure of hundreds of millions is still causing problems.

Now some shyster who was not adequately checked out, prior to being appointed to a position in the financial section has managed to embezzle $16 million from the department. He has prior form in New Zealand and an investigation last year was dropped after the department assured police that such a thing couldn’t happen:

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.couriermail.com.au/2175032506/Public-servant-sought-over-16m-fraud"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;VIDEO: Public servant sought over $16m fraud&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

More than $5 million is believed to have been transferred from the department's accounts through a sophisticated network over the past three years. A further $11 million was shifted in a single transaction in the past fortnight. …

An identical complaint about 12 months ago to the Crime and Misconduct Commission about Morehu-Barlow, who also goes by the first name Joel, was dismissed by a Queensland Health internal investigation.

However, a low-level financial officer is believed to have become suspicious and raised concerns with the chief finance officer this week. "By forging the name of a senior officer who had authority to transfer large sums, this middle-level officer has been able to deceive those that are there," Health Minister Geoff Wilson said.

The Auditor-General also failed to discover the multimillion-dollar ruse in his frequent checks but warned recently of risks because of lax financial controls. "There appears to have been a loss of focus across the public sector on maintaining basic financial controls with the number of agencies failing to maintain these controls increasing," a report in July said.

So in spite of warnings that this could happen, The department went blithely on reassuring itself that it couldn’t happen to them. No eyebrows were raised, no effort was launched to correct the problem, and despite the warning from the Auditor General, the government failed to act. The Premier is demanding answers, perhaps she should ask herself first.

The March of the Triffids

2011-12-09T23:18:00.005+10:00

By Viv Forbes, Chairman,

The Carbon Sense Coalition  

Australia's open spaces and grasslands are being invaded by aggressive woody weeds of the eucalypt family and the feral plants they shelter such as lantana and rubber vine. This invasion is assisted by a fifth column of misguided tree huggers and climate alarmists who demand that these environmental weeds be protected and their expansion subsidised by the taxpayer!

Like Triffids, the invaders are stealthing out from every patch of bush, surrounding homes and towns, consuming grasslands and displacing grassland birds and animals, both native and domesticated.

This invasion started in neglected parks and conservation areas and was given a massive boost by the Kyoto inspired bans on controlling regrowth, even on freehold land. The final stupidity is the use of carbon credit finance to encourage the deliberate planting of woody weeds on land currently used to produce food and fibres.

For as long as humans have lived in Australia, woody weeds have been kept in check by their natural predator – bushfire. But more reckless policies, promoted by ill-advised urban tree lovers, have prevented the regular use of fire in many areas.

As wildfires in several areas have shown, the heavy fire load in this creeping bush becomes a lurking menace as dangerous to neighbours as an unexploded bomb. It must be kept in check by periodic small fires, well managed grazing animals or mechanical means. "Shutting it up" is an unacceptable and unnatural practice.

The explorers Leichhardt and Mitchell both reported the native use of fire to restore the grasslands and both remarked on the grassland and open forest they encountered. However, since their time, there has been an explosion of woody weeds into the Mitchell grass country, and into many other grasslands. It is like a cancer on the land.

These scrubby weeds and carbon credit plantations also harbour all the pests and predators that threaten native wildlife and domestic livestock – feral foxes, pigs, dogs and cats.

The global warming alarmists and others have led us into deadly delusion. Trees do not control the climate, and eucalypt plantations and infestations are not worthy of elevation to saintly status in the plant kingdom. Just like grasses, herbs and algae, they are part of the grand carbon cycle on which all life depends. If humans need to worship and protect any land plant species it should be not useless invasive woody weeds, but the valuable grasses and legumes including cereals such as wheat, oats, barley and rye, pastures such as Mitchell grass and buffell grass, legumes such as lucerne, clover, soya beans and siratro and giant grasses such as sugar cane, sorghum and maize.

It is strange that governments keen to protect farm land from coal mining are promoting policies that result in the destruction of grazing land by state protected weeds.

Viv Forbes

"By virtually ensuring that many grazing enterprises will become uneconomic, as unaddressed tree thickening continues, we are opening the door to unsustainable practices and severe damage to this State’s huge land and woodland resource base."  - Dr Bill Burrows, 2005 "Fact and Fiction supporting the Vegetation Management Act."

In the above report Dr Burrows looks at the alleged scientific foundations of Queensland’s Vegetation Management Act. He shows that aboriginals used regular frequent fires to maintain the grasslands and grassy woodland that covered much of Australia when European settlers arrived. Since then the reduced burning has allowed dramatic growth in tree cover which displaces grassland birds and animals, increases the risk of fierce fires and reduces runoff into rivers and dams. 'Protection" of this invasive vegetation is a foolish policy. 
"What a dumb legacy the so called ‘Smart State’ will pass on to its inheritors".

Comments from the Leichhardt expedition (1845), mainly from Gilbert's journal:

"on 28th February . . . emerged upon "beautifully undulating country covered with the most luxuriant grass". (Isaac River area).

"the most beautiful description of country . . well covered with grass and well adapted for sheep . . ". (Suttor River area).

"from a hill near our camp we can see to eastward a broad extent of valley with numerous fine lakes. Smoke from Natives' fires is seen in all directions around us." (Valley of Lagoons).

Expeditions by Major Thomas Mitchell, 1830-1845, mainly from "Journal of Mitchell into Qld".

"Across the mountains (in Victoria), Mitchell found excellent grazing land - land richer than any grazing land he had found in New South Wales and named this country "Australia Felix".

"We now had before us (central Queensland) water and grass in abundance to a distance as unlimited and indefinite as our hopes of discovery" (p. 94)

"…natives had disappeared having previously set fire to the grass" (p. 101)

"… travelling amongst very luxuriant grass" (p. 106).

See this also on how the aborigines created the grasslands of Australia:

Record summer cold snap.

2011-12-09T00:41:00.002+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

Yesterday Brisbane’s maximum temperature was 19.1C, the coldest since 1888, 123 years ago. At the same time Sydney was enduring the entire first week of summer with temperatures staying below 23C, the coldest since 1960.

Prior to this we had a month without rain in the South East corner, with fairly warm days, indicative according to the experts, of a long-term trend towards global warming. The unseasonable cold though we are assured is merely weather, the difference being made clear in the video clip below:

Meanwhile the Australian government is hotly denying that the temperature drop is any indication of the carbon tax being set too high.

St Louis cops move Occupy out the right way.

2011-12-08T13:31:00.004+10:00

Image: volunteer arrestees in St Louis.

Radley Balko of “The Agitator” passes on a report from St Louis on the method used by the police there to move out the ‘Occupy’ demonstrators from the Plaza there. Radley is a libertarian advocate for rights, and a strong opponent of ‘no knock’ raids, forensic shysters, over zealous prosecutors, police militarization, and the overuse of swat squads, among other causes.

The dispersal of ‘Occupy’ has in most cases not gone well, with violence, rioting, and lawsuits being the order of the day. While Radley states that he cannot verify this at the moment, but points out that if true the police deserve praise for the way they handled what is usually a bad situation:

The first thing they did was the one that baffled me the most, at first: they gave the protesters nearly 36 hours notice, as opposed to the 20 to 60 minutes’ notice other cities gave. … Early afternoon on Thursday, they gave the protesters 24 hours’ notice: as of 3pm on Friday, the no structures in the plaza rule was going to be enforced, and as of 10pm, the curfew was going to be enforced. So, unsurprisingly, Occupy St. Louis put out a huge call for as many people as possible to come to the plaza by noon, to be trained in peaceful civil disobedience; local civil liberties lawyers showed up to brief them. …

So, when no cops showed up anywhere near 3pm, the protesters had their biggest rally to date (as I suspect the cops were thinking, “getting it out of their system”), and then started to drift away. Rally organizers advised people to be back before 10pm, to block the enforcement of curfew. Sure enough, by 10pm, they had 350 people down there. And scant minutes later, people were jazzed up and ready to go, because outlying scouts reported that the police were gathering, en masse, with multiple cars, multiple buses, an ambulance, and a firetruck, only a couple of blocks away!

And sometime around an hour, hour and a half later, the cops just disappeared, dispersed, without ever having gotten within two blocks of the plaza. So the confused protesters declared victory, let most of the troops go home, and fewer than a hundred of them bedded down for the night in their tents. An hour later, somewhere around 150 cops showed up. …

Ah, but the cops did more than just show up after two head-fakes and with sufficient numbers … they did right exactly what the Obama administration told everybody else to do wrong. They didn’t show up in riot gear and helmets, they showed up in shirt sleeves with their faces showing. They not only didn’t show up with SWAT gear, they showed up with no unusual weapons at all, and what weapons they had all securely holstered. They politely woke everybody up. They politely helped everybody who was willing to remove their property from the park to do so. They then asked, out of the 75 to 100 people down there, how many people were volunteering for being-arrested duty? Given 33 hours to think about it, and 10 hours to sweat it over, only 27 volunteered. As the police already knew, those people’s legal advisers had advised them not to even passively resist, so those 27 people lined up to be peacefully arrested, and were escorted away by a handful of cops. The rest were advised to please continue to protest, over there on the sidewalk … and what happened next was the most absolutely brilliant piece of crowd control policing I have heard of in my entire lifetime.

All of the cops who weren’t busy transporting and processing the voluntary arrestees lined up, blocking the stairs down into the plaza. They stood shoulder to shoulder. They kept calm and silent. They positioned the weapons on their belts out of sight. They crossed their hands low in front of them, in exactly the least provocative posture known to man. And they peacefully, silently, respectfully occupied the plaza, using exactly the same non-violent resistance techniques that the protesters themselves had been trained in.

Maybe this would not work all of the time, but it is worth considering the possibility that good police work without the use of SWAT and riot police and aggressive tactics may work better. While rabble rousers among the protestors are likely to attempt to inflame these situations, a lower key response could isolate them from the more peaceful elements and make them easier to deal with.

Queensland Government blows $46 million in another IT bungle.

2011-12-08T00:51:00.004+10:00

$46 million written off is not a loss because it is the government’s money:

~~Mayor Quimby~~ ICT Minister Finn.

In an optimistic and upbeat assessment of the ultimate healing power of the GFC titled “Creative Destruction is a sign of Progress,” Luke Johnson says:

Importantly, capital is being allocated more sensibly. In the boom times money was squandered – now lenders and investors are deploying it much more wisely. I am convinced lessons have been learnt. There should be improved returns and less waste, and more worthwhile use of resources generally.

Government and industry are demanding better value: both public and private sectors are obliged to become more efficient and productive. This must be a good thing. Similarly, more attention is being paid to a proper connection between effort and reward. This is a healthy realignment. …

This is not the case in Queensland where the government seems to toss unlimited amounts of money at IT projects, which are a disaster on every occasion. They seem to always end up with the Z Team carrying out these projects and mismanaging them themselves.

Fresh from bungling the Health Department pay system at a cost of $219 million and rising with tens of millions more being pumped into it to try to correct it, they have decided to institute a new email system. Well may you ask, “What could go wrong with that?” Well for a start, after spending $46 million on it, most government departments have rejected it. It currently has 2,000 users, which equates to $23,000 in investment for each one:

Mr Finn, (Minister for Information and Communication Technology) hit back, insisting the system was under budget although behind schedule. "This project is progressing on budget and within scope by any objective measure it is a success," he said.

Earlier, The Courier-Mail reported that a much-hyped email system which cost taxpayers $46 million had been rejected by most State Government departments.

Trumpeted as a revolutionary way to centralise systems allowing workers to more easily move between agencies, the email platform was rejected as too costly by some of the departments it was specifically designed for. So far only 2000 users have signed up, at an estimated cost of $23,000 each – the price of a small car.

A Public Works Department spokesman insisted the Identity, Directory and Email Services program was set for wider installation by 2013 but sources said the Education, Communities and Community Safety departments had already opted out. The state's largest agency, Queensland Health, is not included in the project scope and is unlikely to sign up.

The system has also been plagued by delays and is already two years behind schedule. It is budgeted to cost $252 million over the next decade, with hopes $123 million would be recouped in efficiency savings.

Curiously ICT Minister Mr. Finn has claimed that the writing off of a Treasury loan of $46 million is not a loss because it is the government’s money. It seems that he didn’t get the job on the strength of his economic credentials:

It is budgeted to cost $252 million over the next decade, with hopes $123 million would be recouped in efficiency savings.

But already a $46 million treasury loan, spent setting up the system, has been wiped to reduce charges and encourage hesitant agencies to join. About 81,000 users are needed for the system to break even.

ICT Minister Simon Finn said the wiped loan was not a loss because "it's all the Government's money." An industry source said: "They will never save one dollar on this project, ever.”

LNP leader Campbell Newman slammed the email program as a poorly handled waste of money. He promised more accountability for IT projects if the LNP won government. "You betcha," he said this morning, promising robust business cases and better oversight for all major projects.

He condemned ICT Minister Simon Finn's flippant dismissal of the decision to write off a $46 million loan to build the system. "Minister, by wasting this money, you're wasting the people's money ... and that's why people are paying higher water and power prices and rego bills.

Bad Stuff Happens

2011-12-07T00:12:00.006+10:00

By Viv Forbes, Chairman,

The Carbon Sense Coalition

Cartoon: By Pickering.

The first climate scare was man-made “global warming”.

But the warming refused to appear as fast as the models predicted, so it became “climate change”.

But people were not stupid and soon were saying “but climate always changes”.

So now the climate scare industry is focussing on “extreme weather events”, and naturally they still claim these are caused by man-made carbon dioxide.

Timed beautifully for the meeting of the climatists in Durban, the UN IPCC has outdone themselves in forecasting extreme weather events – "weather on steroids". Determined to scare up a consensus in Durban, this weather scare is sprinkled with warnings of "diluvian rains", and droughts, cyclones, heat-waves of such magnitude or frequency that "settlement in some areas could be wiped out" and "some areas will become increasingly marginal as places to live" and "it is possible that many residents will have to relocate.''
 Source (With thanks to CCNet):

Maybe they should be reminded that extreme weather events have been occurring as far back as earth history has been recorded. Here is a listing of "extreme events" over 1900 years, prepared by James Marusek: Check them out here:

 Here is another list of droughts, fires, floods and disappearing or growing ice. It starts with a record of sea floods that drowned 100,000 people in Holland in 1481. See:   

Maybe "extreme weather events" are "normal" here on earth and man has very little to do with most of them. Someone needs to tell the pampered pontificators of the IPCC: "Bad Stuff Happens– get used to it, make appropriate preparations – you are not going to stop it."

 
A comment on extreme weather from the Soviet era:

"Soviet farm production was down again because of the  23rd consecutive year of unusual drought."

Back to the Dark Ages

Many people missed our last newsletter. For some reason Bigpond is rejecting mail for many supporters with Bigpond addresses. We have made changes that we hope will solve this problem. You can read that newsletter here:

How to Get Expelled from School

Professor Ian Plimer has written a new book on climate change, a sequel to his best seller "Heaven and Earth". It is entitled "How to get expelled from school." Here is a Synopsis of the book:

The IPA is holding a book launch in several places. The details for the Brisbane event are:

• Date: Thursday 15 December 2011
• Time: 5.30pm to 7.30pm
• Venue: Brisbane Polo Club, Naldham House, 193 Mary St, Brisbane

At the launch, Ian will talk about his new book and the latest on the new 'Climategate' scandal. Entry is complimentary. Please feel free to bring friends and relatives. If you'd like to come please email Rachel Leigh at rleigh@ipa.org.au or call her on 03 9600 4744. Further details are here.

The Turd in the Swimming Pool.

Have you wondered what other countries think of Australia's carbon tax?  

Reproduced with thanks from Andy Semple

TV ad aimes to repeal bicycle helmet laws.

2011-12-05T00:36:00.004+10:00

Image: CityCycle in Brisbane which was intended to encourage usage, but has failed.

Around 20 years ago the federal government effectively blackmailed the states into introducing mandatory bicycle helmet laws, by threatening to withhold road funding to states that failed to comply. Since that time the use of bicycles has declined dramatically. Geoff Mcleod of Helmetfreedom.org has produced the following video on the issue along with the statement below it:

This is an issue that's gaining momentum as people see our bike share failing. I ask you, and your party to help repeal our nanny-state helmet laws and bring us in line with the rest of the world. Australia is only among 2% of nations (Australia, NZ, United Arab Emirates) who have who have unfair mandatory helmet laws for adult riders.

I appeal to your common sense and hope you will support a repeal of this law. This may even save our taxpayer-funded shared bike scheme and help ease traffic on our roads and the help the environment.

Bicycle helmet laws have done nothing to change injury statistics. The head to writs injury trend was never effected by these laws. The laws were only successful in stopping a generation from using bikes. For More information, visit this site.

That site has an Exposé of the failure of the Citycycle program in Brisbane where helmets are mandatory, compared with the results in Dublin where they are not, with a 25 fold improvement in usage.

For those who may doubt the validity of Geoff’s claims there is an interview with Professor Chris Risel who is the Professor of Public Health at Sydney University who is in substantial agreement with him.

Bligh Government declares war on waistlines.

2011-12-04T13:39:00.003+10:00

Image: Hungry Jacks Ultimate Double Whopper.

The Queensland government has come up with a new plan to tackle obesity. We are going to have a War on Waistlines, Battle of the Bulge, or some such cliché in an effort to turn us into the beautiful people that Bligh approves of. The key salvo is predictably being fired at the fast food industry with legislation to force outlets to display energy content on menus.

Government policy tends to get a bit schizophrenic as the nanny state gathers steam in its attempts to do our thinking for us, and ensure that we conform to its image of what we should be like. It is not so long ago that the state was railing about the use of slim attractive models in the glossy magazines, because it gave people an unhealthy perception of body image. This could cause ~~fat bastards~~ people who fall outside the government’s recommended maximum weight guidelines feel bad about themselves.

The media are dubbing this new the war on obesity and are quoting all of the usual suspects like the Heart Foundation, the AMA, childhood obesity ‘experts’ and anyone else who thinks obesity is caused by burgers, rather than the eating of too many of them:

New rules to be announced today will give customers the chance to weigh up the nutritional value of meals before ordering their meal over the counter - and whether their waistlines can handle the super-sized option.

The legislation being drafted by the Bligh Government means fast-food outlets must display the energy content of all items on their menus. The scheme has targeted super-sized servings that can almost chew up the recommended daily energy intake in one meal.

Customers will be confronted with the daunting kilojoule content - the energy value of food - of items under new-look menu boards in a bid to drive them towards healthier meal choices. …

It is expected the law will apply to fast-food and snack food chains with more than 20 outlets in the state, or 50 outlets nationally.

It is not certain what the size of the franchise has to do with the affect of the fat content of the food provided. Is the Health Minister suggesting that the bigger the chain, the fatter the meal? Perhaps it just comes down to the ‘small is beautiful’ and ‘the bigger the corporation the badder its product’ thing post modernist thinking demands.

The idea that the state has a part to play in diet is nonsensical at best, and blaming the whole thing on fast food outlets with over 20 outlets in the state is absurd. Given this logic it becomes clear that the people really need to get away from the idea that the government should be responsible for keeping them fit and healthy.

Perhaps those underweight models and the more frequent use of the term “fat bastard” would do more to encourage better diet and healthier lifestyle than all of that calorie information that very few are going to read, no matter how compulsory it is.

Labor’s gay marriage resolution a nonsense.

2011-12-04T02:31:00.004+10:00

Cartoon: By Bill Leak.

Federal Labor would have been more sensible if they had abandoned the idea of gay marriage altogether and adopted the Queensland Labor lead of legalizing gay civil unions. Rather than coming out with a marriage equality proposal, they have adopted a policy that MPs are not bound by and is unlikely to get over the line unless the Coalition allows a conscience vote as well.

It is unlikely that they can actually do much more than show the Coalition up as intolerant unless all Labor MPs and the independents support it. Even showing up the opposition is not going to work here as the demand for a conscience vote clearly indicates that they cannot carry their own membership unanimously, which would be necessary to pass a bill.

The whole exercise is an empty gesture with smoke and mirrors, but only aimed at getting the gay vote without actually doing anything. Gay civil unions might get up, gay marriage won’t at this time.

The whole problem with the issue is that government is involved in regulating relationships, an area where it has no genuine reason to be part of. Marriage is essentially a private consensual agreement between the parties involved and is therefore a civil matter.

When politics gets involved in the process the current controversy is bound to happen. For a start conservative politicians are so full of themselves that they cannot adopt a laissez faire approach to anything without somehow getting the idea that it makes them responsible for what people do in the absence of regulation. The left are no better in this, as they can’t accept that an employer and an employee can come to a voluntary agreement, and both sides regulate voluntary transactions between traders and customers.

To really make marriage equal, it would be necessary for the churches to take part in the ceremony for those who wish to receive their Deity of choice’s blessing, something that in most cases is not going to happen. Any attempt to coerce churches to conduct these services against their stated principles is just as bad as preventing couples from having the right to get together in the first place.

About the only sane policy on the issue is that of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP):

Marriage is simply a formal declaration by two individuals of their commitment to each other. In every sense it is a private matter, based on the personal choice of those involved, and in legal terms comparable to a private contract. The role of government is to record that choice, not regulate or approve it. Having government define, control or sanction marriage, or give advantages (or disadvantages) to people based upon their marital status, is beyond the protection of individual rights. It is certainly not valid for the government to purport to give or withhold approval to marry on the basis of the sexual preference of those involved or the fact that the marriage involves two people of the same gender.

The LDP does not endorse or reject marriage - it simply regards it as a personal decision that anyone should be entitled to make free of government interference, irrespective of their sexual orientation or lifestyle choice. Thus the LDP preference is not to seek the granting by governments of equal rights for gay marriages, but the withdrawal of government so that it remains a private domain.

In a free society there would be no issues as far as homosexuality is concerned, it would not be relevant.

Another crack at Sharia in Australia.

2011-12-03T01:40:00.004+10:00

Cartoon: From Dry Bones.

For some time the rantings of Sharia advocate Siddiq Conlon and his organization, Sharia4Australia have been rejected. Now another viper has raised its ugly head in the form of a request for ‘Koranic’ courts on the same lines as Koori courts for Aboriginal defendants who plead guilty in the far flung regions, only 'Koranic’ ones would have more scope:

Somali Community of Victoria president Abdurahman Osman said Koranic courts would maintain Islamic culture while also reducing legal costs borne by the state. "Instead of applying sharia law in Australia, it is better to have a Koranic court (like) the court Australia has for the Aborigines," he said. "That could help all African communities, especially the Somali community. …

Indigenous defendants who plead guilty to their charges and live in certain areas can elect to have their case heard in the more informal setting of the Koori court. Indigenous sentencing courts operate in all mainland states and territories, usually as a division of the magistrate’s court.

Offences involving family violence or sexual assault are not permitted to be heard in the Koori court, but Mr. Osman told The Australian domestic issues would be appropriate for a Koranic court, where a jury of elders from the same background as the defendant would rule on the case. "Domestic violence and problems between two families, between husband and wife, and if the crime comes from children, if youth are fighting each other -- these kind of things we could solve in our cultural way," he said.

That kind of ‘cultural way’ allows for wife beating, honor killings, death for apostates, forced conversion, genital mutilation, and women being second class citizens, just to mention a few.

It is undesirable to accept the existence of multiple legal codes in a nation, but in the case of Koori law there is an acknowledgement of the fact that Aboriginals were here first, had their own set of laws, and in remote areas are still strongly influenced by elders of their community. The same is not the case with the Islamic community.

Islam has existed here for since the 1860s/70s and its adherents have always been subject to the law of the land and have in no way suffered for it, and have always accepted it in the past. There is no logical reason for those coming into this country to have a special law just to suit them. It would be irrational for an Australian traveling abroad to insist that he be only subject to Australian law.

Probably one of the most worrisome aspects to this demand is the possibility that the multiculturalites will consider this a great idea leading the way to cultural diversity. Even more worrying, is that despite Attorney-General Robert McClelland ruling out any changes which would introduce aspects of sharia law, Gillard and her crowd may see some votes in it and place ‘political pragmatism’ above common sense and equal justice before the law.

Jeremy Clarkson comments, so what’s all the fuss about?

2011-12-02T17:31:00.004+10:00

Google searches for the terms, Jeremy Clarkson, shoot them, and execute unionists seem to be very popular today according to sitemeter, which indicates that Jeremy has made some sort of politically incorrect statement. In this day and age it doesn’t take much to offend the panty pissing paragons of political correctness, they tend to be a soft target.

A quick check reveals numerous reports of Clarkson stating a desire to shoot strikers and execute them in front of their families. Anyone who watches Top Gear or any show he appears on is well aware that he tends towards the controversial, and that it is pretty much tongue in cheek. Many possibly tune in for the sake of getting a dose of irreverence.

While there are myriad calls for him to be sacked, and a union is seeking legal advice to see whether they can pave him prosecuted, the reality is that he has been deliberately taken out of context. He was in fact taking the piss on the issue of ‘balance’ requiring another opinion, other than that presented as that alternative opinion.

‘Balance’ is an issue over here as well and deserves the sort of ridicule Clarkson dished out. People like Andrew Bolt and Allan Jones have been accused of failing to provide it. It’s a bit silly to suggest that Bolt should provide space to climate frantic, Tim Flannery or that Barnaby Joyce must allow space in his Canberra Times column for Gillard to answer.

This is what is being presented as Clarkson’s comments:

The reality is that this is only a brief excerpt of a longer segment. Here though is the full transcript of the interview, which makes clear the dishonesty of this attack:

Matt Baker [presenter]: Well Jeremy, schools, hospitals, airports, even driving tests, have all been affected. Do you think the strikes have been a good idea?

Jeremy Clarkson [guest]: I think they have been fantastic. Absolutely. London today has just been empty. Everybody stayed at home, you can whizz about, restaurants are empty.

Alex Jones [presenter]: The traffic, actually, has been very good today.

Jeremy Clarkson: Airports, people streaming through with no problems at all. And it's also like being back in the 70s. It makes me feel at home somehow.

Matt Baker: Do you know anyone who has been on strike today?

Jeremy Clarkson: Of course I don't, no. What, somebody public service? No, I don't. No, absolutely. But we have to balance this though, because this is the BBC.

Matt Baker: Yes, exactly.

Jeremy Clarkson: Frankly, I'd have them all shot. I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families. I mean, how dare they go on strike when they have these gilt-edged pensions that are going to be guaranteed while the rest of us have to work for a living?

Matt Baker: Well, on that note of balancing an opinion, of course those are Jeremy's views.

Alex Jones: Only Jeremy's views.

Jeremy Clarkson: They're not. I've just given two views for you.

The whole thing is a storm in a tea cup over a misrepresentation. Perhaps the people doing this should be the ones that get sacked.

Explosion at Iranian nuke facility not noticed there.

2011-12-02T01:45:00.001+10:00

There are reports that for the second time in a month, there has been a massive explosion at an Iranian nuclear facility:

The explosion at Iran's third-largest city came as satellite images emerged of the damage caused by one at a military base outside Tehran two weeks ago that killed about 30 members of the Revolutionary Guard, including General Hassan Moghaddam, the head of the Iranian missile defence program. …

On Monday, Isfahan residents reported a blast that shook tower blocks in the city at about 2.40pm and seeing a cloud of smoke rising over the nuclear facility on the edge of the city.

"This caused damage to the facilities in Isfahan, particularly to the elements we believe were involved in storage of raw materials," said one military intelligence source.

There is a problem with this story, in that Tehran claims that there has been no explosion:

Iran went into frantic denial yesterday as news of the explosion at Isfahan emerged. Alireza Zaker-Isfahani, the city's governor, claimed that the blast had been caused by a military exercise in the area but state-owned agencies in Tehran soon removed this story and issued a government denial that any explosion had taken place at all.

While some cynics might suggest that the Iranian authorities are lying to cover up the truth, we at RWL are convinced by the ~~propoganda~~ current truth coming out of the White House, that such a suggestion is unseemly. Firstly the Religion of peace is involved, which means that every utterance is truthful, and secondly, if you can’t trust a government who can you trust?

So, explosion or no explosion? Fortunately we have extensive research facilities and were able to pinpoint the cause. The video below explains it all; the explosion occurred, but owing to unforeseen circumstances, it was not detected by authorities for one simple reason.

The Israeli’s have invented nitrowhisperine:

Climate change confusion saved by the horsemen of the medical apocalypse.

2011-12-01T02:13:00.003+10:00

Hot on the heels of reports that the possibility of increased catastrophic events due to ~~global warming~~ climate change may not be as accurate as first thought because of the random nature of such events, we have the suggestion that the effect of CO2 may not be as bad as first thought:

High levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may have less of an impact on the rate of global warming than feared, a new study suggests.

The authors of the study stress that global warming is real and that increases in atmospheric CO2, which has doubled from pre-industrial standards, will have multiple serious impacts.

But more severe estimates that predict temperatures could rise up to an average of 10 degrees Celsius are unlikely, the researchers report in the journal Science.

The 2007 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report estimates that surface temperatures could rise by as much as an average of 3 degrees with a doubling of atmospheric CO2 from pre-industrial standards. The new study suggests temperatures will rise on average 2.3 degrees under the same conditions.

So, on the same data its gone down from 10degrees to 2.3, or less than a quarter. It will be interesting to see how this plays out with Al Gore’s predictions of twenty feet rises in sea levels, and Tim Flannery’s augury of never ending drought being the normal climatic condition for Australia. Given the flood levels of the early part of this year, and the forced releases of water from dams for flood mitigation purposes currently happening, a guy could almost lose confidence in our climate gurus.

But not to worry, the Climate Change Commission has released a new report confidently predicting the imminent arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, (Well three actually, Pestilence is favorite in the fifth at Doomben on Saturday.):

CLIMATE change is a threat to the health of Australians and will cause deaths, diseases, injuries and even post-traumatic stress disorder in coming years, a new government report claims. But climate change sceptics have called it "alarmist" and describe it as "nonsense." (bastards)

The Climate Commission's The Critical Decade: Climate Change And Health report, released today, states climate change - including rising temperatures, sea-level rise and extreme weather events - has "serious consequences on health" and scientists predict it will only get worse.

With Australia already susceptible to extreme weather conditions such as floods, bushfires and drought, the report states such incidents will be more intense and more frequent because of the changing climate, causing more deaths.

Other predicted health risks include water and food contamination from rising temperatures, mental health problems such as post traumatic stress disorder because of the physical and economic impacts of extreme weather on people, and the spread of infectious diseases such as dengue fever.

Perhaps those mental health problems will be post traumatic stress disorder among climate frantics unable to cope with their predictions going out the window.

Johnson likely to seek Libertarian Party nomination.

2011-11-30T16:22:00.003+10:00

Image: 'Speechless' courtesy, Citizens for Gary Johnson.

The blatant exclusion of Governor Gary Johnson from the GOP debates has been a continuing topic here and elsewhere. For some time Johnson seems to have been willing to keep tilting at the media windmills in the hope that someone would relent and allow him into the debates, but a couple of weeks ago a note of disillusionment seemed to be creeping in. There is just a chance that he may be included in a Fox debate that is to come.

Recently he filed complaints with the FCC, and FEC over his exclusion, which have been ignored. The last straw however seems to have been the rejection of an appeal to the RNC asking them to campaign for fairness. More here.

Recently he has been reported as being in talks with a number of Libertarian Party heavyweights including Wayne Allyn Root, and it is looking very much like he is seriously considering a third party bid. Root was himself a Goldwater Republican for most of his life until, realizing that the party no longer represented his views, left and sought the LP nomination in 2008.

Below is a video of his latest interview with Capitol Report New Mexico:

When, not if, Johnson stops flogging a dead horse and bites the bullet with an LP bid, just watch the Republicans squeal like stuck pigs about ‘disloyalty’ and treachery. There will be no excuse for this as they have sat on the sidelines and watched mutely as the mainstream media, most of which is hostile towards them have deliberately excluded a two term governor from the debates. Only Newt Gingrich has supported his inclusion.

Johnson stated recently that were he to seek the LP nomination he would not be taking it for granted that he would get it and accepted he would have to work hard to get it. The LP would be a better fit for him than the GOP, which has all but abandoned fiscal responsibility, and has no concept of social tolerance. Even Ron Paul tends to be a social conservative.

The LP would reap many benefits from having him as a nominee. It would be the first time they have had someone who has the credibility of a successful two term state Governor, is an accepted libertarian, and has an incredible record for vetoing nanny state bills. Add to this the fact that when he won in New Mexico as a Republican, the state was majority Democrat by 2 to 1, which means he has cross party appeal.

The GOP may have significantly damaged their chances for next year, something that would never have happened were they to have given him a fair go:

Political strategist Roger Stone told the Daily Caller that a third-party run such as Johnson’s could be disastrous for Republicans in 2012, especially if they nominate a candidate unappealing to the party’s conservative base. “The Libertarian Party, for example, is on the ballot in all 50 states, and should the Republicans nominate, say, Romney, then a candidate running on a tea party fiscal platform would…pose a great danger,” Stone said.

But, could anybody blame Johnson? All he wanted was a fair chance to earn the support of Republican voters, and the Republican Establishment stood in his way at every turn. Should he seek other alternatives to get his message out, the consequences would be squarely on the shoulders of those that pushed him in that direction.

Johnson's conservative economic views, and liberal views on social issues, give him mass appeal, even across party lines. This could be particularly devastating against a milquetoast Republican in the general. Johnson may not pick up the support of values voters, but his track record on spending, and limited government take on the role of government, could attract many grassroots activists and Tea Partiers disgusted with the GOP’s continuous failure to get serious about eliminating debt.

Maybe Johnson is the wake-up call the Republican Establishment needs to shake things up. While Barry Goldwater failed to win the general election in 1964, his candidacy gave birth to today’s conservative movement. Johnson may be in the same position to force the hand of the Republican Establishment, which has largely been given a free pass to run roughshod over the limited government principles that once defined the party.

Is the CIS calling for compulsory voting?

2011-11-30T01:43:00.004+10:00

The Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) is described in their own ‘about’ section as, “the leading independent public policy 'think tank' within Australasia. The CIS is actively engaged in supporting a free enterprise economy and a free society under limited government where individuals can prosper and fully develop their talents.” Wikipedia refers to it as “… a libertarian think tank founded in April 1976 by Executive Director Greg Lindsay.”

It seems odd for their correspondent James Allen writing on the NZ elections to claim:

And did I mention the awful voter turnout? It was the lowest since the end of the nineteenth century at 73% of the registered voters but only 68% of eligible voters. If you want a buttressing argument for compulsory voting, just look at voting trends in countries where voting is voluntary. New Zealand used to be amongst the best of all of those. Not so much now.

The general rule in a democratic society is that every responsible adult has the right to vote. This tends to get confused in places like Australia, where our right has been determined to be so important that the state has made it compulsory, thus it is illegal not to vote unless you have a damn good excuse. It is fairly typical statist thinking to assume that compulsion equates to rights, but in reality compelling the unwilling is as bad as denying the right of those who wish to do so.

The New Zealand Electoral Commission (or whatever name they call it over there) seems to have gone to considerable lengths to ensure that anybody who wished to participate had a chance to do so. There were a large number of polling places where six or less votes were cast, which indicates that they possibly went a bit overboard on this. This indicates that those who failed to vote probably didn’t wish to.

It is difficult to see any merit at all in forcing people to vote against their wishes and much to indicate that it is a silly idea. It might increase the donkey vote, which is pointless. There are no figures available at present on the informal vote cast, but it is fair to assume it is less than we have here.

While the writer seems to be regretting that the conservatives did not get a larger proportion of the seats, it is arguable as to whether compulsory voting would change this. The idea that Nationals voters, realizing that they were going to win handsomely, didn’t think they would bother making the effort can be reasonably balanced against the possibility that Labor were so ‘on the nose’ that many of their usual voters couldn’t be bothered supporting them.

By having voting as a voluntary exercise, it is made reasonably certain that those who choose to exercise their right to do so, are those in society who care enough to acquaint themselves with the issues and make a rational choice. If the policy of “Ve haf vays of making you vote” were adopted, the result would be less representative of the deserved outcome.

Barnaby Joyce on Murray Darling plan.

2011-11-29T16:40:00.005+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

After the disastrous first attempt at coming up with a plan to close down a large proportion of the nation’s agriculture, after which farmers made bonfires of the booklets offered but the Greens loved it, the government has tried again, this time seeking a balanced approach. The result is a plan nobody likes and most are seriously pissed off with, so it seems they have achieved bipartisan dissent.

Senator Barnaby Joyce is one of the few really interesting characters in Australian politics, unfortunately a bit too conservative for most libertarians, but has the ability to think beyond the shackles of the party line. Like most conservatives he gets some right and some wrong, but unlike Abbott he tends to put his brain in gear before letting out the clutch on his mouth.

What follows is his take on the Murray Darling plan. In it he displays his understanding of the thing that really disturbs regional people; governments believing that they can solve perceived problems with solutions designed to please the city folk.

Don’t worry, a consultant will fix it.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Murray-Darling basin results in the answer of 2750 gigalitres, and all grief can be alleviated with a consultant. Of course! What the people of Griffith need at this time of crisis is for someone from Pitt Street in Sydney to come out and tell them how to adapt.

A form of Darwinian enforcement from an opulent airy spire from somewhere in Martin Place.

I must say the crowd in Griffith was really happy when they found out they were going to send out a consultant. They were really worried for a while that the Labor party was going to stuff this up again. Like the crisis budget from this crisis government. Like the $219 billion in gross debt they have left us.

Minister Crean, when you say something like that I get a sinking feeling that you really do not have a clue.

It's some perverse form of logic that you have never ever understood the realities of an area and that is why this is turning into a debacle. And when you really need to understand this issue you send out a consultant instead of doing your homework and understanding the issue.

Minister Crean said in a media release issued today that, ‘regional experts would work across the Murray, Murrumbidgee, Goulburn-Broken and Condamine-Balonne catchments to help communities adapt to a future with less water.’

Minister Crean has announced that he will be using more of your money borrowed from overseas to pay inner city experts to tell people in the regions how to run their lives.

Farmers aren't mugs Mr Crean, neither are people who live in the regions. They run their businesses and households just like any other Australian, they have to account for every dollar they earn and penny they spend. Which is more than can be said for this government. They have already spent over $10 million on consultants to deliver a plan that does not even say how they are going to use that water.

The bush doesn't need more consultants, the government needs to do its homework.

Some color coming into European politics.

2011-11-29T02:12:00.002+10:00

One thing that we in the newer western democracies sadly lack is a bit of humor and color. While many of our politicians give us a good laugh on occasions, this is in the main, not the result of genuine humor, but crass stupidity. Apart from the odd humorist like Barnaby Joyce, they mostly cause outrage.

Not all Europeans promote the unsustainable nanny state with bloated entitlements destroying their economies. Some of them have introduced a really funny overtone to the mix. One of the notable ones is the Best Party, an Icelandic party started as a satirical exercise but which managed to attain the highest vote in the Reykjavík City Council election.

Best Party, was founded in 2009 by Jón Gnarr, an Icelandic actor, comedian and writer. The party has from the beginning admitted that it will not honour any of the promises given before elections.[5] It claims all other parties are secretly corrupt, so it promises to be openly corrupt. Among its original goals was to satirize common themes in Icelandic politics, partly by mimicking the standard phrases, idioms and jargon used by Icelandic politicians. Their theme song is a classic (with subtitles):

We are not so sure of the promise of a drug free parliament by 2020. Given the state of Australian politics serious consideration should be given to the possibility that it might be less costly, and less damaging to keep the lot of them stoned for the duration of their terms.

But in Europe, even the economists have a sense of humor. Here is Nobel Laureate, FA Hayek with a bull named Inflation which it was claimed never stopped growing. He is holding it by the balls in a humorous photo by Australian libertarian icon, the late Ron Kitching. It was intended to have Hayek sitting on the bull with the caption, “Hayek gets on top of Inflation,” but a compromise was reached after Mrs. Kitching objected. Full story here.

The latest dash of color comes from Austria, where the rash of Islamic immigration is causing social problems like much of the rest of Europe, and resulting in the formation and growing popularity of right wing parties. The Austrian Freedom Party, (FPO) has also a tendency towards smaller government and fiscal responsibility. It is currently leading in the polls for next years election.

H/t Libertarian Republican.

Austrian Freedom Party leader Heinz Christian Strache goes by the alias "HC Strache" when he is in rap mode. This is one of his earliest videos from 2010 which put him on the map. In the lyrics he rants against Islamism, loose immigration, corrupt politicians and lazy welfare frauds. He may well be the next Austrian Chancellor:

Farmer jailed for firebreak while Department starts wildfires.

2011-11-28T16:56:00.004+10:00

Official who ordered fire, previously ruled incompetent by Coronial inquest.

Image: Some of the aftermath of the WA DEC burnoff.

The recent escape of a controlled burn in Western Australia burned out thousands of hectares of land and has destroyed thirty-nine homes. The burn was ordered by the Department of Environment and Conservation, in a national park as a fuel reduction measure. The fire is now under control but not out.

While there is incredulity that the department would order a fire during summer with hot days and high winds forecast, it has now been revealed that one of the officers who ordered the burn was ruled incompetent by a coronial inquest into the deaths of three truckies who were incinerated when a road was prematurely opened:

A government official who approved the prescribed burn that led to the destructive Margaret River bushfire was labelled extremely incompetent and stood down over the fire deaths of three truck drivers in 2007, before being reinstated. …

WA Coroner Alastair Hope found Mr Commins and two other DEC officers had failed to consider key weather information when they approved the reopening of a road when a bushfire was burning in the Boorabbin National Park in WA's Goldfields region in December 2007. “This constituted extreme incompetence,” Mr Hope found in the inquest into the deaths.

Mr Commins stood down from his DEC post after the inquest but was reinstated last year by the department's Director-General Keiran McNamara, who has said he stands by that decision. The DEC has confirmed Brad Commins approved the prescribed burn, along with other senior fire officers, at Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park near Margaret River in September.

Meanwhile a farmer has been jailed for contempt of court over dozing firebreaks after a stop clearing court order at the behest of the same department. While court orders are not to be ignored there is a special irony in this one owing to the fact some farmers have had to take the department to court in order to obtain permission to make firebreaks:

"The DEC brought the action and they claim you can't touch any country even though you own it.” Mr Rogers said Mr Szulc argued that he had already cleared the land in 1984 and that he was only clearing re-growth when putting in a 20-metre wide fire break he thought necessary to prevent a fire hazard after the injunction.

"The DEC claimed it was pristine bushland, but it was not original bushland," Mr Rogers said. In a letter to Farm Weekly in June, Mr Szulc said the DEC was out of control.

"Some of their area managers are making disastrous decisions affecting lives, public safety, the environment, native and introduced animals and birds. The DEC lights fires in summer time, which have a habit of getting out of control, causing massive palls of smoke to the detriment of public health.

Mr Szulc pointed out that having the DEC manage land clearing applications was a conflict of interest:

"In the past, senior departmental staff have been quoted as saying that there should be no more land clearing. It seems that this attitude is still current as applications by farmers are rarely granted. If an individual appeals the refusal the action is held up for unexpected lengthy periods. Private property rights mean nothing to the department.”

Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) private property rights policy director Milan Zaklan said under legislation farmers could re-clear land if it had been done within 10 years of the original clearing. But if they were one day over 10 years they could be prosecuted.

"The rule needs changing," Mr Zaklan said.

The rules and regulations, which cover what landowners may do on their properties, are even now, growing exponentially along with constant exploration by bureaucrats to expand the parameters of the powers conferred on them by such legislation. These actions create considerable sovereign risk to agriculture in this country, and are creating the situation whereby landholders are being reduced to serfdom under the overlords of the state.

Election swings New Zealand to the right.

2011-11-28T01:02:00.001+10:00

NZ Act party retains Epsom, no list seats though.

The New Zealand National Party have dad a massive win in the latest national election there winning nearly half the vote (48%) and one short of a majority in its own right of members in the national parliament. With the almost guaranteed support of ACT Party, and one other and the possible support of the Maori Party they are set to govern in coalition.

It is unlikely that they will degenerate into the circus act of our governing Labor Party as the coalition parties are rock solid, rather than the quirky, eccentric, and downright insane independents and Greens that Gillard has tied her hands to.

The bad news for libertarians is that the ACT Party failed to get enough votes to gain list seats, only managing to hold Epsom, the former seat of Rodney Hyde who declined to stand after losing the party leadership. One bright spot in all of this though is that one of the reasons for the strength of the Nationals win is that evidence suggests that they have embraced some ACT policies, thus contributing to the loss of ACT support.

It is to be hoped that with the somewhat divisive and over the top leadership of Hyde, the more sensible elements of the party such as Sir Roger Douglas will be able to rebuild the party as a separate and influential entity.

Among the other news, the more ‘pure’ libertarian, Libertarianz Party only received 0.07%, less than the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party on 0.47%. Libertarianz are relatively new to the scene and there is little news of their campaign style, but given the support for Cannabis reform they really should have done better. It is doubtful that ‘pure’ libertarian parties will achieve a great deal of traction until the more practical libertarians in the form of Classic Liberals pave the way.

The bad news is that the Greens increased their vote and appear likely to hold 13 seats, all of them ‘list’ in the new parliament. They though won no seats outright. It is to be hoped that NZ Labour are sane enough to avoid doing any deals with them in the hope of enhancing their electoral hopes, something that would guarantee that they would remain at less than 30% of the vote and needing to rely on the most aggressive competitor for the left wing loony vote for their political survival.

Their primary vote is about the same as that of Labor here and a deal with the Greens will only see that situation get worse.

Windsor reveals his character in Slipper statement.

2011-11-26T02:06:00.000+10:00

Statements by Gillard independent, Tony Windsor on the deal to make Peter Slipper Speaker of the House of Representatives reveal a great deal about his own character. Slipper has a fairly serious alcohol problem and a sense of entitlement that has resulted in profligate use of expenses over the years, as well as having an increasingly dysfunctional relationship with his own party.

Matters between the Liberal Party and Slipper came to a head a week ago when he invited former PM Kevin Rudd to his electorate at the same time as former Liberal PM John Howard was visiting to do a fundraiser for a state candidate a few kilometers away. While Abbott and his federal colleagues tried to keep a lid on it, the long-suffering state branch was outraged.

Windsor however sees nothing wrong with Slipper and believes it is all the fault of the Liberal National Party:

Independent Tony Windsor yesterday described Slipper's ascension as an own goal for the Coalition. "Obviously the government would be pleased about that, but I think they can thank the opposition . . . it has been obvious that there has been a witch-hunt on for Peter Slipper in his own seat and his own state," Windsor said.

"People, nine (or) 10 months ago, they knew this was a potential possibility and in a sense they have driven the man to a position where they are not going to preselect him again anyway, so what's in it for him to lose?”

Windsor has shown a seething resentment towards his own electorate over the reaction within it to his deal to put Gillard in power. Here he has demonstrated his belief that an MP should be immune to criticism of his conduct. He would have to be more than dumb, possibly Oakeshott dumb, not to be aware that the problems existed long before the Rudd visit. Slipper has been bad news for the coalition for a long time.

Neighboring Liberal MP, Alex Somlyay, has been scathing over Slipper’s conduct for years, writing 18 months ago:

"Slipper has a disgraceful reputation both in his electorate and in the parliament," Somlyay wrote. "Many of the people I see in my electorate office are his constituents who refuse to deal with Slipper. I have a constant stream of complaints about his behaviour . . . You will be aware of . . . the refusal of Qantas to fly him to Darwin after off-loading him in Gove for abusing staff and drunken behaviour.” …

"While I prefer to spend my spare time in my electorate, he has the highest frequent-flyer points on the backbench. He also has the highest mobile phone usage and oveseas travel of any Queensland MP. Comcar drivers dread the thought of driving him.

"I cannot understand how you would support this discredited person. I can only assume that you support his actions and continued bad behaviour.”

Windsor and his Labor mates are fellow dead politicians walking and should be welcome to keep Slipper.

More about that new Speaker of the House.

2011-11-24T23:55:00.004+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

The new Speaker of the House of Representatives Peter Slipper, or Slippery Pete as he is better known, has something of a mixed history, most of it on the downside. He is almost guaranteed to be a mixed blessing to Labor who now have to own him, Abbott having demanded and got his resignation from the Liberal Party. It is very likely that the only thing keeping the Liberals from doing so before would have been the tightness of the political situation.

Here are some excerpts from an article in the Age:

Sometimes, the social and political embarrassment blur - three years ago, a patron of the national capital's well-known drinking hole The Holy Grail dumped Slipper on his behind at 3.30am, apparently because he'd failed to butt his cigarette before sauntering inside.

Slipper has been the Liberal Member for Fisher on the Queensland Sunshine Coast since 1993. What is less remembered is that he served an earlier term - 1984-1987 - as a National Party MP. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the weird Joh for Canberra campaign in 1987, which blew away John Howard's chances of winning the election that year. Slipper was also blown away by the voters of Fisher, only to rat on the Nationals and re-emerge six years later as a Liberal.

In December 2002 Slipper felt the need to visit a toilet during a parliamentary sitting. Somehow, he found himself in the disabled toilet - and when he had completed his business, he couldn't get out. He pushed and pulled at the door before hitting the panic button. Four parliamentary attendants hurried to his aid. Disabled toilets, it was gently explained to him, have sliding doors. When reporters sought comment, his office responded, apparently straight-faced: ''He can't talk to you because he is in the House on chamber duty.

The following year, he couldn't get on a plane. Qantas flight attendants refused him permission to board a plane in Darwin, claiming his behaviour wasn't acceptable. It was all down to dental medication, a couple of drinks and ''a flight attendant's bad day'', he later explained to the Sunshine Coast Daily, which has compiled an amusing file of stories on Mr Slipper's varied adventures. ''I wasn't in any way, shape or form drunk,'' he declared.

Old-timers remember Slipper's past efforts to change the words he had spoken in parliament in the Hansard record. Way back in March, 1986, he was bitterly critical of a decision by the Hawke government to increase aid to the Philippines. It was, he told the parliament, ''to the detriment of the Australian taxpayer.''

Later he apparently thought better of this rush of blood to the head and persuaded Hansard to expunge the words. When it was revealed that a tape-recording indeed had him saying these precise words and the Labor Party tried to have him investigated by the privileges committee for contempt, he swiftly asked that Hansard correct the record.

Last year his phone bill alone was $14,764 - larger even than then prime minister Rudd's. Then there was $16,000 in cabs, $3000 on chauffeur driven cars and $8600 on private-plate cars - for the six months between July and December, 2009. All up, his six-month bill - including keeping his electorate office running - was $640,562 - which was rather more than fellow Queenslander Treasurer Wayne Swan's $491,236.

And a little more from the Sunshine coast daily:

PETER Slipper is no stranger to alcohol and trouble. Most famously, in 2003 Qantas staff refused to allow him to reboard a Darwin-bound plane at Gove, where it had stopped for refuelling, because of his behaviour towards staff.

In 2004, on the weekend he survived a pre-selection challenge from Alexandra Headland barrister Glen Garrick, he copped a black eye after an unexplained scuffle at a Mooloolaba nightspot.

Last year he was in more hot water over a satellite phone calls made to his family and office from HMAS Stuart in the Arabian Gulf. Mr Slipper was accused of disclosing key security information which led to the abortion of the war ship's planned boarding of a tanker.

Be grateful he’s gone, Tony.

Speaker change, a Labor dirty deal but may save money.

2011-11-24T13:53:00.003+10:00

Image: Peter Slipper in his new role. His sellout will give him a bigger salary, more super, and removal next election. His half year expenses were nearly $415,000 last year. Picture: Ray Strange Source: The Australian

The possibility of Labor prevailing on its Speaker on the House of Representatives, Harry Jenkins to resign and be replaced by Liberal Party member, Peter Slipper has long been discussed as a method of strengthening the minority government. Now it appears they have gone ahead with it. Jenkins resigned this morning and it appears Slipper will be Labor’s nominee.

This effectively gives Labor another voting member on the floor of the House, and the Liberals one less. Peter Slipper, who is a dead man walking politically as he is about to lose preselection for his safe Liberal seat, has been the subject of considerable controversy within the party and his region owing to extravagant expenses. He also went against the wishes of the party to accept the Deputy Speaker role:

Both sides expect an election for speaker within hours and Peter Slipper to be the endorsed candidate of the Labor Party. The Coalition has formally been informed Mr Slipper is standing as speaker. It has resolved not to run a Coalition candidate for the post, ensuring Mr Slipper’s election.

Mr Slipper is expected to resign from the party, after a series of internal wrangles, to enable him to become speaker.

Sources said Mr Jenkins visited Ms Gillard in her office at 7.30am today where his resignation was discussed. The Prime Minister the contacted Leader of the House Anthony Albanese, who spoke to Mr Slipper about 8.30am. It’s understood Mr Slipper agreed to be Labor’s candidate for the post, after which Mr Albanese called a meeting of caucus.

Ironically this deal may save a great deal of the money spent wildly on a daily to weekly basis to placate the independents who are needed to drag the festering carcass of the government over the line in passing legislation. The amounts involved are huge; the deal with Tony Windsor alone cost $200 million to pass the mining tax. The deal with the Greens to make up for what was promised to get Wilkie’s vote cost Australians the chance for cheaper mortgage rates.

This is not out of the ordinary in the life of this government, or at least what passes for one. The dell with Wilkie, Oakeshott, and Windsor to allow Labor to form a government, involved running out the NBN to their electorates first, denying them the opportunity to run it through more profitable areas first, thus costing millions down the track. It has to be said though, that with the low take-up rate for the NBN, a bad idea whose time has passed, means that it probably makes little difference in the long run.

The change of speaker effectively gives Labor another vote on the floor, against one less for the Liberals. This means for the independents that their day in the sun is effectively over, or at least that their influence is greatly reduced. Wilkie for example had ‘the power of one’ which he exercised in order to get the unpopular poker machine legislation on the agenda. Prior to now he had the power to bring down the government in his own right, now he is irrelevant, unless Windsor and Oakeshott get stroppy.

Labor can be pretty confidant that Wilkie will not vote with Abbott on anything much anyway.

The Greens are still in a position to cause a lot of grief but in the long run a more secure Labor majority may mean a lowering of the ‘deal costs.’ It may however make the independents a bit less reliable for the government in future.

GOP super committee should embrace the joy of failure.

2011-11-24T01:35:00.003+10:00

For those not on WAR’s mailing list, here are his views on the actions of the Republicans on the Super Committee.

By Wayne Allyn Root.

The Congressional "Super Committee" tasked with cutting the debt has failed. Good. Embrace the joy of failure. Sometimes failure works out for the best. Because in this case "failure" leads to the Holy Grail: $1.2 Trillion in forced spending cuts. That's the best thing that could have ever come out of this unconstitutional "Super Committee."  

Congress is now forced to accept automatic across the board cuts to spending- including defense spending. This is what the GOP should have been aiming for from day one. Play out the clock and force $1.2 Trillion in spending cuts.  

But our GOP friends never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. They are scared, spineless weaklings. They are actually panicking because there wasn't a compromise that raised taxes. Could they possibly be this dumb?  

The GOP had the perfect campaign message tailor-made for a 2012 landslide. "The GOP stands for smaller government, lower taxes, less spending. Obama is for bigger government, higher taxes, more spending." The same simple clear contrast that led to a historic Tea Party landslide in 2010. All they had to do was play out the clock and let the spending cuts take effect.  

Instead the GOP "super committee" members were so scared of actually forcing real, honest-to-goodness, spending cuts that they desperately tried all last week to compromise with Democrats. They practically begged Democrats to increase taxes on the wealthy (by taking away deductions). The GOP was anxious to sell out every small business owner, homeowner, and GOP contributor in America. Listen carefully- it was the GOP who offered a deal based on Obama's philosophy to punish successful Americans for their hard work, sacrifice, and financial risk-taking.  

Republicans offered a deal to Democrats that included only slightly larger spending cuts versus tax increases. And guess where all the tax increases were aimed- at wealthy taxpayers. Even as GOP Presidential contenders lied to our faces during televised debates, all agreeing they would not even accept a deal of 10-to-1 spending cuts versus tax increases, the GOP Super Committee members attempted to sell out the entire conservative base for close to 1-to-1.  

That is the reason I left the GOP during the Bush reign. Republicans talk a good Tea Party game about smaller government, tax cuts and spending cuts. But as far as actually carrying it out? Not so much. No sooner than the super committee fell apart, the GOP was screaming from the highest rooftops that they will block the automatic defense cuts. They have obviously received too many calls from defense contractor contributors.  

This could be one of the most self-destructive game plans in political history. First, we need across-the-board spending cuts to save America from a fate like Greece or Italy. There is no way to cut the debt and avert an economic tragedy without cutting from every department of government- including defense.  

Second, these "automatic spending cuts" aren't really even cuts. Not a dollar of today's defense spending will be cut. Not one General or Admiral will lose their job. All that's being cut is future increases in defense spending. If we can't agree on that, America is doomed.  

Third, U.S. voters are looking for someone to show they have courage. If the GOP won't cut one dollar of future increases in defense spending, despite the pending insolvency of America, than how can we ever shame the Democrats into cutting domestic spending Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid?   

Lastly, how could the GOP be so ignorant of history? By compromising on taxes to get spending cuts, they would be cutting their own throats. Ask Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Both were lied to and fooled by Democrats who promised future spending cuts in return for tax increases, but never delivered. Worse, Reagan and Bush were forever more called "tax raisers" by Democrats. No conservative can ever win by raising taxes, stupid.   

Are Republicans really that tone deaf? Don't they realize the key to winning next November is to stand firm against any tax increases? Don't they realize the "enthusiasm gap" in favor of Republicans is now as large as the Grand Canyon? All because of the Tea Party and the excitement of conservative anti-tax activists.  

If the GOP members of the Super Committee had voted for not only "revenue increases"...but increases designed as punishment for wealthy taxpayers, the enthusiasm gap simply vanishes. By limiting the deductions of upper income taxpayers, you are raising taxes and punishing your own supporters and contributors- exactly what Obama wants you to do. Divide, demoralize, and conquer.  

Has anyone in the GOP noticed what is happening in Europe? Greece and Italy are insolvent. Yet they have among the highest tax rates in the world. Higher taxes don't save the economy. High taxes don't lower debt. High taxes have destroyed the European economy. We need spending cuts, not "revenue increases."  

Here's my message- from a Tea Party American and small business job creator. Embrace the failure of the unconstitutional super committee. Accept the automatic across the board spending cuts as a Christmas gift from the heavens. Stop considering compromises over taxes with Obama. If you accept the notion that the rich should be punished, stop calling Obama a socialist...because you're no better than Obama. With friends like that, who needs enemies?  

Compromising with Obama to wreck the finances of your own supporters is only going to kill the enthusiasm of your own base, and get you defeated just like George H.W. Bush.  

One last message to the GOP- Grow a spine.

More settled science; IPCC finds need for more research funding.

2011-11-23T01:58:00.003+10:00

Cartoon; from the late Stan Cross.

In the January floods that inundated many areas in Queensland and New South Wales, Greens leader Bob Brown assured us that the mining industry should be made to pay for the damage owing to his belief that they caused global warming, and that was the cause of the whole thing in the first place. The science is settled he told us.

Of course, for the few years leading up to the big floods, governments were abandoning any plans to build new dams. The reason for this was that climate guru, Tim Flannery, had predicted that it would never rain again so there was no point in building dams that would never fill. It would be much better to recycle sewerage, and build desalination plants powered by renewable energy. The science is settled he told us.

Some years prior to that, the doomsday predictions of rising sea levels made by all round everything guru Al Gore, caused astute property investors to rush into buying potential ocean front properties in Colorado and Montana. The science is settled he told us.

And so around the chorus ran
"It's keepin' dry, no doubt."
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out." (The science is settled he told us.)

Now we have a new IPCC report, the gist of which is that they really have little understanding of why the hell they have come up with the current predictions they have made. Scientific understanding of global weather systems is inadequate, and there is an immediate need for massive new grants to carry out more research into the subject. The science is settled they told us:

The report concedes that extreme events are rare, making it difficult to say with precision what changes have taken place or what to expect in the future. On human impact, the report concludes that "anthropogenic influences have led to warming of extreme daily minimum and maximum temperatures on the global scale."

And it says there is "medium confidence" that anthropogenic influences have contributed to intensification of extreme precipitation on the global scale. The question of whether this has led to increased flooding is hotly contested. "There is low agreement in this evidence (regional flooding), and thus overall low confidence at the global scale regarding even the sign of these changes," the report says.

Given the central scientific thesis on climate change -- that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide will lead to rising global temperatures -- it would have been extraordinary had the report not forecast the prospect of more frequent heatwaves. But what this actually means remains uncertain and will not become clear for decades.

Perhaps the science is not all that settled.

The words of old Mrs. McLennan come to mind here; “When the weather was in the hands of the Good Lord everything was fine, but since the government took it off him and gave it to Lennox Walker, there’s been nothing but droughts.” The science probably wasn’t settled on that either.

Johnson campaign faltering; GOP deserves censure.

2011-11-22T15:53:00.003+10:00

Media bias and bastardry and Republican cowardice deny the US a great candidate.

Any avid reader of the Ruidoso News is by now aware that the former two term New Mexico Governor, Gary Johnson is standing for the Republican Presidential nomination. Unfortunately, apart from a couple of passing references in the Adderville Examiner and a fairly positive Op-Ed in the Galts Gulch Gazette there has been little media coverage of his candidacy. The media has in the main staged a lockout.

While it is unreasonable to expect candidacy to automatically entitle anyone to inclusion in media coverage and a place in the debates, a candidate who meets the requirements should not be excluded. This is what has been done to Johnson. In May CNN blocked him from a debate in New Hampshire, although he qualified as an announced candidate with 2 percent support in three national polls during the month.

Despite being even in polls with Herman Cain and ahead of Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum he was excluded from other debates, which included them. Since then it has been standard practice to omit him from the polls that decide places in the debates. With his campaign now faltering, it seems that media bias and bastardry has denied America a candidate who has the track record and principles to revitalize the nation.

The most disturbing aspect to this whole affair has been the silence of the Republican Party in the face of it. By remaining mute in the face of this outrage, the establishment wing of the party has essentially abrogated its responsibility to ensure that the party’s credible candidates get a fair go. Worse still, they are allowing the mainstream media to select their nominee by default.

This of course suits the business as usual crowd of Washington Establishment Republicans who have no interest in seeing any change to the status quo in case they become victims of it. There are numerous reports of efforts by the party machine to ensure that only the ‘right people’ get up. Recently this came from Bawb, a Montana man:

The Montana GOP has figured out a way to take the rank and file voters out of the loop in our state's primary election. In February, they have a "special" primary, in which only 1,100 specially selected party faithful statewide are allowed to vote. Then, in June, us peasants may vote, after the party candidate has already long since been selected.

They do have "public meetings" before the Feb. vote. We went to ours in '08. Three or four people spoke up for Ron Paul, one for Romney, and one Romney person who endorsed no one but gave a well-thought-out and impassioned speech against McCain.

Then the small unit of establishment-picked party faithful went behind the curtain to vote and lo and behold John McCain swept our county with more votes than all the other candidates combined. Go figure.

The GOP caught a lot of flak over that, especially in the newspaper editorials (my letter to state GOP headquarters went unanswered), but the furor eventually died down and the Party Machine kept the whole crooked mess in place. Mission accomplished. The people's input negated.

By allowing this sort of action to go unchallenged, the Republicans are shooting themselves in the foot in much the same way as the Liberal Party are doing here. Allowing the establishment to simply remain doing the same old thing as has been done before is a guarantee of inertia and eventual collapse. In the US the Republicans are acting as Democrat Lite, in much the same way as the Liberals here are trying to be Labor Lite.

If these parties remain terrified of new blood and new ideas to challenge that which has gone before, they are going to have to rely on winning through their opponents screwing up, which is likely but not guaranteed. What is not guaranteed is that the GOP or the Liberal Party would make much of a difference if elected.

Both opposition parties, here and in the US should be embracing their time in the back paddock accompanied by the unpopularity of both governments, as a chance to renew, revitalize, and come up with an exciting new vision that will catch the imagination of the electorate.

Minority government descends into a circus over mining tax.

2011-11-22T01:43:00.004+10:00

Cartoon: By Nicholson.

If any Australian is in any doubt that the current government is unworkable, they just have to take a look at the follies surrounding the passage of the mining tax. A rerun of the now standard ‘You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ has been going on for a while on this one between the government, independents, and the greens in order to drag it across the line.

The system seems to do constant replays of the same scenario whereby; the government puts up a proposal, Wilkie, Winsor and Oakeshott claim they can’t possibly agree to it, Gillard holding urgent talks with them, then to the surprise and delight of everyone in the parliamentary press gallery they agree as long as a hell of a lot of money is spent on their favorite obsessions.

In this case its an increase in the threshold on paying the tax, $200 million on another study, this time on coal seam gas, and an increase in the regulatory burden on miners. This time there is the additional complication of the Greens objecting to any decrease in the revenue to be generated by the tax:

The independents have secured a $200 million program to examine environmental concerns over coal seam gas mining and an increase in the tax threshold from $50 million to $75 million for small companies. But the passage of the bill is by no means assured.

The Greens, who have threatened to block the legislation if the tax threshold is increased, are insisting the foregone revenue of $20 million a year be made up by other means.

However the support of the independents is a big boost to Julia Gillard's Government, which is trying to get the tax through the Lower House before Parliament rises for the year on Thursday. It has been buoyed by Labor Party-commissioned research showing 56 per cent of people do not think average Australians are benefiting from the resources boom.

ABC reports are always very optimistic for the government but the fact that 56% of people do not think average Australians are benefiting from the resources boom is meaningless as in any boom some industry does well out of it while others miss out other than flow on effects. Meanwhile the Minerals Council of Australian is worried about red tape and duplication:

Chief executive Mitch Hooke said that if the deal worked as intended, the changes could add to the value of "an already rigorous project approvals process". He warned there was "a real risk of regulatory overburden and a potential quasi-moratorium on new coalmining projects" if the expert panel did not work within state approval timelines. "The commonwealth does not have the resources to carry out projects assessments on the scale required," he said. "The trigger could potentially delay projects for years as the commonwealth works through EPBC referrals and approvals, which largely duplicate existing state processes.”

But not to worry, the PM has announced she would create a special body of experts - the Independent Expert Scientific Committee. The possible reason for this is that there are now so many expert committees, that all of the good names have been used up. Senator Barnaby Joyce should have the final word here:

Well I have just watched my nation’s Parliament at work. Not in the Cabinet or the Chamber but in the Senate Courtyard rolling press conferences.

The result of the Mining Resource Rent Tax vote was that it was off because of some stumbling Windsor position on CSG when in reality, as he always does, he was going to rollover for Labor so as expected he had a chat then he changed his mind and it was back on, then Oakeshott said that he was sort of where Windsor was with something random about the Henry Tax Review, then Wilkie said it was on but different and then Bob Brown said it was off if Wilkie’s different position was on.

Yes we can run a country like this, this is totally politically sane. After another two years of this chaos the best we will be able to say about our government is that it is very entertaining.

Very similar to: What is your surgeon like? Well there are a fair few of them and they argue a lot about what they are going to cut off but they are very, very entertaining.

Thats pretty accurate when you come to think of it.

Few take up NBN government broadband.

2011-11-21T01:49:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Bill Leak.

When the then opposition leader Kevin Rudd came up with the concept of a national broadband network, it was supposed to be the savior of the nation. It caught the imagination of the electorate, with its promise of ultra high-speed service, allowing uses in telecommunications and medical services that were to be the envy of the world despite the heavy price tag which was not talked about to any great degree.

The government was solidly on the back foot and rushed to catch up with its own scheme. It worked its way into the Australian psyche as the new sacred cow of the future. After the last election, promises of early rollouts in the electorates of the independents were part of the deal that delivered minority government to Gillard.

The problem is that for all the enthusiasm for the concept, the reality of it is of little interest to those who have the chance to take it up:

NBN Co has confirmed that the $36 billion network - which so far passes about 18,000 homes - has attracted about 2000 paying customers nationally, representing a connection rate of about 11 per cent.

The Weekend Australian can reveal that internal NBN Co figures from mid-October show the take-up rate has been as low as one in 50 homes at Armidale in Mr Windsor's NSW seat of New England, where Julia Gillard, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley launched the first mainland NBN service in a ceremony that cost taxpayers $138,000.

The low take-up rates emerged as one of the nation's most respected business figures, Optus chief executive Paul O'Sullivan, called for a cap on price rises by NBN Co to encourage consumers to take up the NBN. Mr O'Sullivan warned that NBN Co would probably become one of the most powerful monopolies the nation had seen, and said it must be curbed by tough regulatory measures including Reserve Bank-style requirements to publish board minutes.

Take-up rate figures obtained by The Weekend Australian show that, on the mainland, Willunga in South Australia had the highest rate of active connections in mid-October at 18.5 per cent. This was followed by Kiama in NSW at 9 per cent, while Victoria's inner-city suburb of Brunswick has only reached 5.5 per cent take-up and Townsville comes in at 5 per cent. …

This is a disastrous result made worse by the deals with independents, which resulted in the rollout being diverted into areas more sparsely populated and less commercially viable, ahead of more profitable regions that could have generated some cash flow to offset costs. It makes little difference though if the majority of customers don’t want it, but the government is attempting to put a positive spin on it:

NBN Co yesterday defended the nationwide 11 per cent connection rate, saying it was still early days and that "the overall data on take-up should be generally illustrative of initial interest." Spokeswoman Rhonda Griffin said NBN Co was "extremely pleased" with the take-up. The project came out of trial mode only early last month, she said, and not all the existing telephone and internet service providers operating on the NBN had begun to offer plans in the market.

NBN Co said it had expected the initial take-up would be modest because most consumers remained locked into long-term internet contracts with their existing providers.

A spokesman for Senator Conroy said the take-up rates were no longer a relevant issue. "People need to finish their existing retail contracts now before they migrate over to the NBN," the spokesman said. "But eventually because of the Telstra deal all of its customers will be migrated over to the NBN.”

The internet has been around for years and there would not be a huge proportion of users on ‘initial’ or ‘long term’ contracts. Many people are moving to mobile connections in this day and age, and NBN may turn out to be an expensive rollout of a redundant system. One of the selling points was that the government would provide what the private sector would not. Perhaps there is a damn good reason for the reluctance of the private sector.

Queensland government keeps punishing the Mary Valley.

2011-11-20T02:54:00.004+10:00

Image: Mary Valley Chamber of Commerce president Col Huddy says the tender process is scaring away potential buyers of land owned by the State Government for the now defunct Traveston Dam project.

For five years since July 2006 the lives of Mary Valley residents have been turned upside down by the Queensland Government. At that time the then Premier Peter Beattie announced amid much fanfare that a new dam would be built at Traveston Crossing to supply Brisbane with water. Residents in the footprint of the dam were harassed and intimidated into selling their properties, and a huge area of productive land was effectively sterilized.

Around three and a half years later in November 2009, the federal Environment minister, Peter Garrett rejected the proposal noting that it could impact on a number of fish, turtles and frogs. The effect on people in the area was not considered a matter of concern at the time, but that seems to be the way in these modern, enlightened times.

In the two years since this event the value of the almost 500 properties acquired for the dam has declined by 50% from $449.5 million, to $225 million. The whole area is suffering severe economic repercussions owing to the huge area taken out of production. With the number of enterprises ruined in the process, unemployment has skyrocketed and the value of properties still in private hands has declined, causing stress on surviving landholders.

Rather than extract itself from a disastrous situation, the government has decided to stick with it and sell down its landholding in the area over the next twenty years. Amid much fanfare, three properties have been placed on the market. The premier Anna Bligh has stresses the need to avoid flooding the market with the 500 properties owned by the state in the area.

Rather than continue to hold these properties for the long term in the hope that market trends will eventually bring about a break-even point at the expense of the entire area, it would be better policy to place the lot on the market with a reasonable reserve in order to unload them to private owners who will then proceed to bring the area back into production.

The state government is perusing the incredibly stupid policy of paying the enormous interest bill on the purchases while continuing to keep vast areas out of production in the vague hope of getting the money back at some time in the dim distant future:

Real estate principal and Mary Valley landowner John Cochrane said what the government was trying to sell now was not what it had purchased several years ago. "They were (then) well run, well managed properties," he said.

Mr Huddy said those most affected were the residents and businesspeople who weren't bought out by the government, but who had lost business or property value in the fallout without any compensation. The Co-ordinator General is staggering the land sales to avoid flooding the market but only a handful of the properties have so far sold in a challenging market.

Rural property agent Amanda Bambling said strong buyer interest in three of the dam properties had been turned away because the land in question was not yet for sale.

So, properties that people want are not for sale currently, while others are on the market but are not the ones the demand is for. Crazy.

Dishonesty in anti gas generation claims.

2011-11-19T02:12:00.000+10:00

The report done for AAPEA on the benefits of power generation by CSG over coal-fired power stations was always going to cop criticism from Green groups. The Greens are not interested in more efficient conventional power generation, favoring a move to unproven solar and wind generation. The possibility that power stations running on gas could reduce emissions of CO2 by up to 70-80% has been greeted by hostility and spin.

The report stated that, “coal could compete with gas on greenhouse emissions only when the cleanest coal technology was compared with the dirtiest gas-fired plant.” In the opposition to these claims that is precisely the line taken. Despite the fact that any new gas fired power station would be most likely to use the best and most efficient system available, the oldest systems of gas are being compared with the most modern power station in the country:

"The report shows when coal seam gas is burnt in old peaking plants like most of those in use in Australia today, the emissions are up to 44 per cent higher than burning coal in the latest coal plants, such as Queensland's 700MW Kogan Creek supercritical plant,'' Beyond Zero Emissions executive director Matthew Wright said.

"What the industry and APPEA are really proposing is to build a huge amount of gas capacity, damaging Australian farm land to delay and displace renewable energy, which is a true climate solution.”

The report was released in the wake of an escalation of the row between Independent MP Tony Windsor, who has called for a review of coal seam gas mining, and Santos, which is exploring in the politician's electorate.

Most of Australia’s power generation is from older power stations, and Kogan Ck is one of a kind here. Any move to gas will utilize the latest and most efficient technology available, and as such will not be the same as the “old peaking plants like most of those in use in Australia today.”

It would be a tragedy if ideology were to be the decider in the move to more efficient power production. Green groups have set their sites on ‘renewable’ power but the field has not advanced to the point where it can be relied on in all conditions and thus requires base load production which in most cases can only come from conventional fossil fuel based generation.

One of these days someone may come up with a efficient renewable form of power generation that is available 24/7 but until that time, fossil fuels need to be used unless the Green zealots learn the benefits of nuclear. It is nonsense to try to denigrate the more efficient use of available conventional technology while it is needed to make up for the failings of their preferred option.

News CEO stands up to media inquiry.

2011-11-18T01:33:00.003+10:00

Cartoon: By Pickering.

There is not much in the news today other than the Obama visit. TV news is even worse, with endless shots of Gillard gazing soulfully at the President as if smitten.

The Media Inquiry offers some respite, with the Fairfax boss, Greg Hywood wondering what its all about. Greg is probably wondering how come he is in the position of having four of his staff, editor-in-chief, Paul Ramadge, senior editor Mark Baker and reporters Royce Millar and Nick McKenzie being investigated for hacking into the ALP electoral database, after pointing the finger at News Corp over the News of the World scandal:

''What problem are we solving here?'' he asked. ''What's the issue current in the media, in the way that we're operating, that needs a solution? What we have not got are examples of serious atrocities of the like that occurred in the UK that must be fixed. There's nothing systemic here that needs fundamental institutional change.”

News chairman John Hartigan generated much more interest. Alluding to the origin of the inquiry which was an effort to intimidate News Ltd and placate the Greens, who resent being placed under scrutiny by News, he let fly:

THE Gillard government had called the print media inquiry because it was "on the nose with the public and looking for someone to blame", News Limited chairman and chief executive John Hartigan has told the inquiry.

The inquiry's existence rested on three presumptions, he said: That journalists in Australia had been guilty of the same sort of behaviour exposed in Britain by the phone-hacking scandal, that News papers were "waging a campaign of bias" against the government, and that print media watchdog the Australian Press Council was a toothless tiger.

"Each presumption is demonstrably false," Mr Hartigan said. "And yet here we are.” “The Gillard government had sullied the reputation of News journalists by linking them with the phone-hacking scandal with out putting up any evidence to support that, he said.”

"Critics are now deafening in their silence," he said. "They didn't put up and now they have shut up.”

The Gillard government announced the print media inquiry in September, backed by the Greens, after criticising the political coverage of some News mastheads, including The Australian.

Inquiry chairman Ray Finkelstein asked Mr Hartigan if he accepted that News (publisher of The Australian) and Fairfax Media wielded enormous power to change laws and change history.

"I accept when you're reaching that proportion of the Australian population huge responsibility goes with that," Mr Hartigan answered. "In some instances ... we bring pressure to bear on behalf of our readership to make changes.” If News wielded as much power as some people claimed Australia would be a republic "as we campaigned long and hard for that", he said.

Its not quite up to the way Kerry Packer stood up to parliament, but its nice to see a CEO with guts and a willingness to call bullshit when he saw it.

Fly-in, fly-out workers cause political schizophrenia.

2011-11-17T02:09:00.001+10:00

Fly in fly out workers have been noticed by state and federal governments and are now something of a cause in the halls of power throughout the nation. In some cases they have been embraced by those politicians who see this phenomenon as a cure for unemployment in cities, while others see them as a scourge who really ought to settle down with their families in whatever mining town they find work in for the duration of the job.

FIFO has been established as the best way for mining companies to get experienced staff and workers into out of the way places where there is insufficient population to conduct operations. Many workers favor it as a way to have a stable home environment while working away, without the need to drag families from place to place as needed. Normally it involves 12 hr shifts for x weeks on, followed by y weeks off.

Senator Barnaby Joyce has noticed some of the complications to the rapid rise in economic activity involved in a mining boom:

The Mackay Daily Mercury reports today that rents in Moranbah have sky-rocketed to up to $3000 per week for a standard three bedroom home.* For the same money you can rent five-bedroom, five bathroom and swimming pool mansions on the Gold Coast.

Moranbah might be at the epicentre but the mining boom is having the same effect all around the country in places like Roma, Karratha and even bigger centres like Mackay.

Meanwhile this government has a $100 million Building Better Regional Cities program which aims “to invest in local infrastructure projects that support an increase in the number of homes for sale and rent that are affordable for working families on ordinary incomes.”** Places like Moranbah, Karratha and Roma do not qualify for funding, however, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Geelong do.

“Minister Burke said that his program was to help fly-in, fly-out workers, maybe he actually meant fly-in, fly-out surfers” said Senator Barnaby Joyce.

Barnaby raises some good points here however he appears to miss others. One of the things that he should be looking at is that with rents as high as reported home owners are looking at a return of $150,000 per year, which sounds like a very good investment. Under those circumstances, given a long term future for mining in the area, it would seem reasonable to assume that landholders in the area would have little trouble to secure financing to build any number of reasonable homes suitable for the rental market.

Such activity should rapidly stabilize the rental market. If this is not happening, perhaps some investigation might be necessary to find out why it is not.

The whole system of government grants from taxpayer funds for regional infrastructure needs to be overhauled. Those funds will always come from the regions where the money is being made, ie Moranbah, Karratha, Roma and so on, and will always flow to places which have the most political pull, such as the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, Geelong, etc. It seems reasonable to assume that these mining regions would be better off were they to have more of their money left there in the first place and fund their own infrastructure out of it.

One method of achieving this has been championed by Barnaby recently. If landholders were allowed to profit from mineral, oil, and gas extraction on their properties, considerable wealth would be retained within the regions much of which would be invested there. A couple of hundred millionaires in Roma or other regional cities would make a big difference.

All the government would have to do is get out of the way and watch the boom occur.

CSG companies slammed and deservedly so.

2011-11-16T16:05:00.002+10:00

Image: Gas wellhead at Scotia. Courtesy Santos.

Last week former BHP chief geologist and current chairman of small uranium company Toro Energy, Dr Erica Smyth delivered a scathing assessment of some Coal seam gas explorers and their behavior. While delivering the 37th annual Essington Lewis Memorial Lecture in Adelaide, she referred to some of the newcomers to the industry as rogues who are acting irresponsibly.

The mineral exploration industry has been around in this country for most of our post British settlement history and has come to place a high priority on having good relations with property owners. The high handed attitude of CSG companies is likely to sour relations with mining companies who have consistently done the right thing. Dr Smyth is absolutely correct in saying that the onshore gas industry "urgently needs a set of guidelines and for newcomers to abide by them.''

The former BHP chief geologist and current chairman of uranium minnow Toro Energy said that unlike Santos, which had been mining coal bed methane for 50 years, the latest explorers were behaving irresponsibly.

"There are many newcomers who I call rogues,'' Dr Smyth said. "How can you just rock up onto someone's land and drill a hole without even asking and without even shutting the gates?''

In delivering the 37th annual Essington Lewis Memorial Lecture in Adelaide last night (Friday), Dr Smyth said the onshore gas industry "urgently needs a set of guidelines and for newcomers to abide by them''.

"These guidelines also need to address the access protocols for the drilling of thousands of wells and how the many low pressure gas pipelines, which will be needed to gather the gas from these wells, will be positioned to minimise the inconvenience to locals.''

Dr Smyth said the relationship between farmers and onshore gas producers could be repaired with community forums and pre-agreed protocols.

"But this needs to be done in consultation and with no surprises,'' Dr Smyth said.

This situation has occurred because of the government’s decision that the CSG industry is of national importance and has therefore allowed the needs for revenue to trump the property rights of farmers. The inevitable result is that while long established companies abide by best practice, the Johnny Come Lately’s have formed with a sense of entitlement, which includes a belief that they can treat landholders with disdain.

People involved in mineral drilling tend to be acutely aware of the need for good relations with landholders, who are in the main, not hard to get along with. All it requires is a bit of courtesy, respect, and cooperation in avoiding getting in the way of their management practices. It is not that hard and it doesn't take Einstein to work it out.

Johnson responds to debate exclusion.

2011-11-16T01:11:00.005+10:00

For most of the current campaign Gary Johnson has been excluded from nearly all debates. The ploy used by the media is to claim that he has not achieved the necessary percentage of the vote to be included as a credible candidate. To make sure that he does not get he required percentage, they exclude him from the polls.

Recent news from the campaign indicates that he is becoming irate with this treatment. This is now borne out by the news that he is taking legal action, filing complaints with the FEC and FCC over the matter:

JOHNSON CAMPAIGN FILES FEC AND FCC COMPLAINTS OVER CBS DEBATE EXCLUSION.

The Presidential campaign of former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson is filing complaints with both the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protest Johnson’s exclusion from Saturday’s Republican debate in South Carolina.

Citing prohibitions against corporate contributions, the campaign’s FEC complaint makes the argument that, by arbitrarily choosing who benefited from valuable air time during the broadcast debate and excluding others, CBS was “directly and significantly supporting those candidates it favors, and advocating the nomination of one of their favorites and opposing the nomination of Complainant, whom CBS evidently disfavors.”

Similarly, in a complaint filed with the FCC, the Johnson campaign asserts that “The public owns the airways over which CBS broadcasts, and the public deserves to be free from bias- favoring some candidates over others- as well as illegal support of certain presidential candidates on national network television.”

In a statement, Johnson senior campaign advisor Ron Nielson said, “As this campaign progresses, it is clear that nationally televised debates are having a tremendous impact. Candidates are moving up and down in the polls with every debate, fundraising is impacted dramatically, and Republican voters obviously remain undecided. When one looks at the inconsistent and arbitrary criteria networks such as CBS have used to decide who gets to be on the stage for the debates, it is apparent that decisions are being made in board rooms that are having the effect of ‘preselecting’ candidates.

“That is just wrong. We owe it to our supporters and to the process to take this basic unfairness and clear bias to those agencies whose job it is to insure that the power of the airwaves is not being misused in an arbitrary manner in the Republican nominating process.”

The gist of the complaint is that:

By excluding viable candidates like Complainant, who has been included by cable networks in their debates CBS is directly and significantly supporting those candidates it favors, and advocating the nomination of one of their favorites and opposing the nomination of Complainant, whom CBS evidently disfavors. In so doing, CBS is making an illegal corporate in-kind contribution to those favored candidates. The value of this contribution vastly exceeds the contribution limit that applies to any category of lawful donor.

Essentially the networks are attempting to pick winners in this contest. Johnson is an exceptional candidate with all the credibility that comes from being a two-term governor with an exceptionally successful record. It appears from the coverage of the campaign that the networks wish to end up with a Romney Vs Obama election and a guy like Johnson who has economic sense, as well as being sensible on social issues is not on their agenda.

The full details can be found here.

Cameron becomes Euro sceptic, for now.

2011-11-15T18:16:00.002+10:00

Cartoon: Rafa Sañudo.

It is difficult to think of any British political leader, left, right, or whatever the hell they call the middle over there, who has not campaigned as a Euro sceptic, only to reverse course later. It’s almost like they think the public will support leaving Europe while they are in opposition, only to realise that the electorate cannot do without all of those directives coming out of Brussels, once in power.

There is another theory that might explain this phenomenon though. There is the possibility that those directives provide the sort of powers loved by politicians on both sides of the divide. By having them created by the European parliament and bureaucracy, British authorities get what they crave yet are able to deflect the blame to those pricks in head office.

PM David Cameron has broken the mould to some extent by claiming to ‘seek powers back’ while in a position to do so. Unfortunately this seems to be a ploy to bet some concessions from the Europeans before slipping back into good little Europhile when it suits him:

The Prime Minister said that the chaos in the eurozone presented Britain with the chance to begin loosening its ties with Brussels. "Change brings opportunities," he said, striking a sceptic tone in the annual foreign policy address to the Lord Mayor's Banquet. "An opportunity, in Britain's case, for powers to ebb back instead of flow away.” …

Mr Cameron used last night's speech to talk of "we sceptics" being right to question "grand plans and Utopian visions."

He is to spend the next three weeks lobbying European leaders to exempt the City of London from a raft of new directives from Brussels as the price of his support for any treaty change to strengthen fiscal ties within the eurozone. The Prime Minister will make whistlestop visits to Berlin and a number of other capitals.

It is possible that the exemption of the city of London is an effort to minimize the damage expected from a proposed financial transactions tax to help deal with the debt crisis. Such a move has been reported as likely to disproportionately affect the market there.

There is little doubt that Cameron would not wish to pull out of Europe. Were he to do so, a certain popular British Conservative MEP might on finding himself redundant, choose to seek a career in politics at home, which could cause discomfort among any number of career politicians at home.

Coalition split, what coalition split?

2011-11-15T01:26:00.002+10:00

Ben Packham of the Australian seems to be a little confused as to what constitutes a split between the Liberals and Nationals in the opposition coalition parties. Either that or he is simply regurgitating the political spin of Trade Minister Craig Emerson. The Prime minister has announced the possibility of a Pacific free trade agreement between nine countries.

The opposition trade spokesperson, Julie Bishop has welcomed the effort to attain this. At the same time Senator Barnaby Joyce from the Nationals has tossed cold water on the deal, not because he is against such deals, but because he maintains that such deals normally tend to leave agricultural products out. He is correct in this assertion; the deal between Australia and the US dealt our sugar industry out.

It is difficult to view this as a split between the parties without the help of some serious spin doctoring. On one hand you have a party saying it’s a good idea, and on the other you have the other party saying that agricultural produce has to be included. Some split:

Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce today ridiculed the announcement of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, saying the reality of free trade deals rarely matched the rhetoric. As opposition trade spokeswoman Julie Bishop welcomed the push for the new multi-lateral trade deal, Senator Joyce said agriculture was inevitably cared out from such agreements.

"Of course, if you have genuine free trade agreement - and there are very few such species - then obviously its beneficial for farmers,'' he said. "But what you usually end up with though is a free trade agreement which, surprise, surprise, has exclusions on agriculture.”

Senator Joyce questioned the ability of US President Barack Obama to deliver a deal that benefited Australian farmers at the expense of his own. "I don't think Barack Obama is going to be telling the mid-west he's going to hurt trade,'' he said.

Barnaby is quite correct in his assessment of this. The agricultural lobby in the US is powerful and Obama is weak. The Japanese who appear to be involved have a tariff barrier of over 700% on rice to protect their farmers. There is little doubt that extreme pressure will occur to prevent any roll back of these protections or the subsidisation surrounding them.

The proposal is a good one, but our primary producers must not be thrown under the bus to make it happen for the umteenth time.

Fairfax newspaper investigated for hacking.

2011-11-14T01:31:00.002+10:00

Hubris is closely followed by nemesis.

Cartoon: By Nicholson.

After the extent of the phone hacking by the News of the World was revealed a number of inquiries have been set up, most of which are based on little other than speculation that there is more to be revealed and on anonymous allegations given currency by other media outlets. There is a media inquiry here which seems to be concentrating on the Murdoch press, based on the hope of the government that they might find something.

Government shills and other media outlets (but I repeat myself) have been cheering it on. Other than possibly the ABC, none have been more strident as a cheer squad than the Fairfax press, which is adamant that their major, and most successful competitor has to be guilty. Unfortunately for Fairfax it now appears that the first major scandal seems to be breaking in relation to the activities of their Age newspaper.

VICTORIA Police has launched a criminal investigation into allegations reporters from The Age hacked into an Australian Labor Party electoral roll database and searched for data about prominent Victorians:

Detectives from VicPol's E-Crime Unit executed a search warrant on the ALP's Melbourne headquarters on Thursday. The warrant named reporters Royce Millar and Nick McKenzie, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Paul Ramadge, and senior editor Mark Baker.

The Labor Party database contains personal details of voters including names, addresses, phone numbers and marital status. It also contained confidential information about individuals' dealings with the party. A Victoria Police spokeswoman confirmed on Friday the matter was under investigation.

"Victoria Police E-Crime Squad is investigating the allegation that personal details of Victorians were electronically accessed by a media outlet via a confidential political party database without authorisation," she told the Sunday Herald Sun. "As the investigation is active and ongoing we are not in a position to comment any further.” ...

It will be interesting ton see whether this matter finds its way into the Murdoch inquiry, or whether it falls outside the terms of reference.

Oleg Atabashian of The Peoples Cube; interview.

2011-11-13T01:03:00.003+10:00

Oleg was a Soviet propaganda artist who moved to the west and has been using his skills to combat the creep towards socialism. His book Shakedown Socialism is excellent as is his faux Marxist slogan "We cure weak liberalism with strong communism." His website is here:

Now that 11/11/11 is over.

2011-11-13T00:56:00.005+10:00

Yesterday was Remembrance Day which required respect, but there were a couple of items on the lighter side which are now appropriate to publish.

The 11th day of the 11th month was coopted for many years by the Labor Party to mark the anniversary of the dismissal of the incompetent and hopelessly mired Whitlam government back in 75. At some stage they have stopped doing this, probably out of the realisation that no one cared. Even the left wing ABC, our public broadcaster has stopped rerunning it’s ‘The Dismissal’ documentary in the leadup, and just before elections. Pickering reminds us of this. (Left)

Then there is the 11/11/11 Cain Cartoon by Steve Kelly.

Government, empowering your local snitch.

2011-11-12T13:14:00.004+10:00

This should spice up those neighbourhood feuds, what could go wrong?

Image source; The Peoples Cube.

Projects like Crime stoppers and neighbourhood watch have been useful in the past to prevent and investigate criminal activities. Noticing this, governments have been anxious to expand the scope of these activities into thought crime and anti social activities.

Anna Bligh, the Queensland Premier has just come up with the neighbourhood snitch ~~pogrom~~ program. Under new waste laws to being introduced, busybodies, self righteous twats, and even those who want to get even, will be empowered to report litterers to the local commissar and also will give the government the authority to issue fines based on public reports. For showing such intense public spirit, they will have the satisfaction of seeing their enemies fined up to $16,500:

For the first time in Queensland's history, members of the public can report littering and illegal dumping and have something done about it. New waste laws to be introduced in December will give the government the authority to issue fines based on public reports.

The anti-littering legislation and online reporting system would allow witnesses to general littering or the dumping of rubbish a chance to report this activity.

As a deterrent against false or vexatious reporting, a number of questions would be asked, such as did they know the litterbug and were they prepared to give evidence in court. Environment Minister Vicky Darling said it was alarming that after decades of campaigns, Keep Australia Beautiful's 2011 litter study still ranked Queensland as the most littered state.

"It needs to stop ... the community has had enough of people who can't be bothered doing the right thing," she said. "This will make people think twice before they throw cigarette butts and food wrappers from their cars.”

Meanwhile in Austin Texas, council is investigating a scheme where residents will be able to have parking tickets issued by taking a few photographs of someone else's car with their smartphones. George Soros-funded organizations, created the Android, Blackberry and iPhone parking ticket app, which encourages cities to adopt the program because they can "generate revenue." The system requires a person take three photographs of the alleged violator …

Onya George, just like the old country, only with better technology.

Ron Paul gives the field a pizzeling.

2011-11-11T23:47:00.003+10:00

Missed this one but was alerted to it by Angry Exile, who saw it on Trooper Thompson’s blog, where its pointed out that the media seems to have missed it.

Ron performs well under quite aggressive questioning. If he doesn’t get the nomination, perhaps he would be a better Secretary of the Treasury than the current one. It makes you wonder how a guy who is so correct on every answer in this clip, can cause such angst among the inquisitors.

Trooper also gives links to CNBC cancelling its poll when Ron was well ahead, and how the Guardian avoided mentioning him by name.

All small government people should be outraged at the manipulation of the electoral process by media organizations. The manner in which Governor Gary Johnson has been excluded from the process is bizarre and disgusting. It appears that the ‘mainstream’ press are determined to create a contest between Romney and Obama.

A little late on Rememberance Day

2011-11-11T23:38:00.003+10:00

Some years ago some of the fathers old mates were visiting and remarked that they had visited New Guinea and had tried to find the grave of my mothers cousin who was killed in action there. It seemed to have disappeared.

This year I happened to run into an image of it in Bomana War Cemetery to which it had been moved. I was intending to post it as a tribute to him but can't find it again. Instead I will go with this one.

Little government offers big government transport solution.

2011-11-11T16:32:00.003+10:00

It’s not like it’s big brother or anything….
“To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. …" ― P J Proudhon

There is a great deal of virtue in the user pays principle but this is ridiculous. Qld. Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Greg Hallam das devised a plan to use technology to track motorists and tax them:

BIG Brother may soon know exactly where and when you drive your vehicle, what roads you use, how fast you go, where you park and for how long and the identities of all the people you visit.

Every detail of your motoring and associated business and social life would be recorded and the information used to tax you, if the State Government adopts a new road funding plan apparently advanced by Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Greg Hallam. The comments sparked outrage at this week's Gympie Regional Council meeting.

Cr Ian Petersen said Mr Hallam had been quoted as saying: "Governments can't afford new infrastructure... so what we need to look at is a demand management approach.

"We've got to think differently; abolish all existing road user charges and introduce technology to track how far and where drivers go," Mr Hallam was reported as saying in a Brisbane newspaper.

Demand management is a far different idea to user pays. User pays means that you pay for that proportion of a service or asset that you access; demand management is the use of heavy charges to cause a drop in the use of facilities. The latter is heavily favored by governments, the result being that water, which covers 70% of the earth’s surface, is rationed by government monopolies.