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November 16, 2009
I watched Question Time in the Senate today on the ABC. It was dominated by questions about refugees and climate change, with the background wall of noise and interjections from the Coalition loudest on the issue of climate change. Their strategy is one of obstruction.
I have to admit I'm utterly sick of the "know nothingness" of the National Party--denialists one and all--give the decline of the agricultural economy. There is the slow destruction of irrigated agriculture in the southern Murray-Darling Basin from lack of water-- so similar to the decline in Central Valley, the thin, fertile band running down the middle of California. and the negative impact on cropping( wheat) agriculture. The Nationals looked and acted like fruit loops. They are in hock to the nation’s coal industry in NSW and Queensland.
Senate leader Nick Minchin warned that the Rudd Government's backdown on including agriculture in the scheme was “necessary but insufficient” and a long way from delivering enough concessions for the Coalition to support the legislation in its current form. He also warned that Labor could agree to all of the Coalition's amendments and the Coalition could still vote against the government's legislation.
According to Nick Minchin's Liberals it's all a left wing conspiracy and a fraud cooked up by communist greenies intent on destroying the Australian way of life. Or something crazy like that.This economic ruin talking point indicates that truth and science is of no concern to them. So that leaves political advantage.
They reckon that their advantage lies in opposing the government’s emissions trading scheme, even though the Riverland in SA is experiencing the long term impact of farming a region that cannot sustain the current irrigated agricultural practices. It's future is a dust bowl. Just wait for Copenhagen Minchin's Liberals say.
The time has run out to secure a ‘grand global bargain’:--- a legally binding climate deal at the Copenhagen summit in December that was meant to lock in place a global action plan to replace the Kyoto protocol. As there has been lack of progress in recent preparatory talk Copenhagen becomes talks about talks to secure binding emissions targets and overcome the divisions between the developed and developing world. There has been failure to agree on the big issues: what carbon cuts rich countries should make, how much money the poor should get to help them adapt to climate change, and where that money should come from.
The US, Australia and Europe are playing hardball to split the developing countries (G77) in order to weaken their political positions and isolate them before they make them offers (promises of cash soon and greater reward later) and get their way.
There is no Copenhagen deal because of the hold-up of the climate legislation in the dysfunctional US Senate. There the Republican minority has taken obstruction to a new level in that their strategy is to insure that Democrats fail to accomplish anything.
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"necessary but insufficient" hints at uncontrolled Thomism as to the bearer.
Gary, what you've really omitted from your equation is the "hidden divisions" of Soviet tanks and paratroopers hidden in the Rockies for the last generation.
You have been deceived.
The Evil Empire never really fell, at all and those perverts and traitors with secret wireless receiver transmitters hidden under the bed, have had their riding instructions from The Jews in Russia and Communists running Wall St,or was that the other way around .
All there, with the "birth", probably by goat and/or she-wolf, of Obama (two places at once: Shrodinger, where are you?).
What more could you want?
Never mind, all sorted when the Rapture comes (pokes tongue).