Thursday, June 28, 2007
HONESTY IN POLITICS
A statement of indisputable accuracy from the NSW Treasurer:
The NSW Treasurer, Michael Costa, has called Tim Flannery an “idiot” ...
Mr Costa, a renowned climate change sceptic, made his comments in question time in the Legislative Council, saying the environmental campaigner Mr Flannery was wrong to say that dams were going to dry up because of climate change.
Mr Costa referred to “idiots like Tim Flannery saying it’ll never rain” as he launched into a tirade against the theory of greenhouse gases.
He said Mr Flannery and others continually came up with “ridiculous propositions” and told Coalition MPs he would not have appointed Mr Flannery Australian of the Year.
Flannery’s response:
“My reaction is just lofty disdain,” Mr Flannery said.
UPDATE. Thanks to Ian Deans, here’s further from Costa:
These people do not understand climate cycles. When it comes to the climate they are alarmists and cannot see beyond the end of their noses. They create division, panic and fear so that they can rustle up a few naïve people to vote for them at election time. Climates change. If there is one constant about climates, it is that they change. I do not mean that they are changing now; but they have changed over history. We will continue to see climates change, and rain cycles will vary from drought, to normality, to heavy rainfall incidents. That is the reality of the world ...
UPDATE II. Flannery has used the lofty disdain defence previously:
“So I intend to single mindedly get on with the job of dealing with climate change, which means treating articles like this with the lofty disdain they deserve,” says Flannery.
He’s a climate change disdainalist!
UPDATE III. Melissa Sweet reports:
Another critical difference between global warming and obesity is that the latter lacks an Al Gore or Tim Flannery.
Oh, I wouldn’t say that.
