Big losers still big losers

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Last updated on May 16th, 2017 at 02:34 pm

Global warming continues losing heat, reports the Independent’s Andrew Grice:

Gordon Brown, Ken Livingstone and 300 Labour councillors were not the only casualties of the local and London elections. No one seems to have noticed, but the other big losers were those people who care about the environment.

We might just look back on May Day 2008 as the moment when the power of green politics peaked and went into reverse. I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt it. The reaction of the two main parties to the elections was instructive …

Mr Brown was not alone in relegating the environment to the back burner. David Cameron, the wind in his sails after the elections, held a prime ministerial press conference in which he set out his priorities for government. Significantly, the words “environment” and “climate change” did not appear in his 1,200-word statement.

Via Benny Peiser. Meanwhile, in Australia we’re still fighting yesterday’s battle:

Treasurer Wayne Swan will unveil an ambitious $2.3 billion climate change program in Tuesday’s budget.

Also in Tuesday’s budget: Swan’s measures to combat scrimshaw piracy, cribbage addiction and pet rock abuse.

Posted by Tim B. on 05/11/2008 at 07:28 AM
    1. My Pet rock would never tattle.

      It’s all Kae’s fault. I told her that a bucket of sand is NOT the same as a five kilo chunk of granite. But NOOOO, she had to be different. SHE reckoned she was onto the NEXT BIG TREND.

      Posted by Pogria on 2008 05 11 at 07:50 AM • permalink

 

    1. On Sky News, they showed Wayne Swan turning up to his office in Canberra in a Prius.

      Wanker.

      Posted by Young and Free on 2008 05 11 at 07:55 AM • permalink

 

    1. #1
      It WILL catch on.
      It WILL.

      *sob*

      #2
      Wayne Swan doesn’t need the affirmation of a smug emitting Prius to show all he’s a wanker.

      Posted by kae on 2008 05 11 at 08:04 AM • permalink

 

    1. #2 young and free,

      was his mouth attached to the exhaust?

      Posted by Pogria on 2008 05 11 at 08:07 AM • permalink

 

    1. #2 Did you mean “Swaning up to his office in Canberra in a Prius.”

      There probably is a big market for scrimshawed piano keys, cribbage pegboards and petshop boys rock and roll veteran singer abuse. But they will now be taxed.

      Posted by stackja1945 on 2008 05 11 at 08:16 AM • permalink

 

    1. Scrimshaw piracy is a very lucrative industry and ideally suited to working families.
      Mr Swan should be working out a way of facilitating it, not combating it.

      Posted by Skeeter on 2008 05 11 at 08:18 AM • permalink

 

    1. The decisions made by voters in Britain were fairly good ones. The global warming climate change crowd have overhyped “the danger” so much that when none of their predictions have come true, people have become more aware of what a farce the “We’re all gonna die!” agenda is.

      Sadly, that same agenda is going to be pushed in the Budget on Tuesday, and no doubt Kev and Swan will end up throwing more than $2.3 billion into “combating climate change” over the next four years.

      Posted by Ash_ on 2008 05 11 at 08:21 AM • permalink

 

    1. Kae – you said you would buy my sand, what the hell am I going to do with 2,000,000m3 of the stuff????

      Posted by surfmaster on 2008 05 11 at 08:25 AM • permalink

 

    1. Being in the market for a seven seat car, I am extremely pissed at Mr Swan’s luxury car tax hike that will apply to every car over $57,000.
      That’s just about every one with a full set of airbags.

      And what about the cars in the mid $40,000 bracket? All of a sudden their competitors in the next up price bracket suddenly got a lot more expensive.  What’s a car manufacturer to do?  Somehow I doubt nothing is the answer people.  So if the cars in the mid 40s go up, what about the cars in the mid thirties? and so on.  Great way to combat to inflation bucko.

      Did this PM get his qualification out of the back of a combi van between boarding schools or something?
      that’s enough quesitons for now.

      Posted by entropy on 2008 05 11 at 08:30 AM • permalink

 

    1. I think that scrimshandling (the art of scrimshaw) is illegal in Australia as you cannot have either ivory or whale’s teeth to carve on.  You can’t even pick the teeth or bones from a beached whale, and they will bury it to ensure you cannot use any of the parts!
      It is even so bad here that one of the guys who was making me a custom knife was hauled up before Australian Customs to answer questions about the source of some ivory Micarta he was importing for knife handles.  When they asked whether it was from African or Indian elephants, he had to tell them that it came from General Eletric!!

      Posted by SezaGeoff on 2008 05 11 at 08:31 AM • permalink

 

    1. #8 surfie,

      the sand isn’t the problem. Kae doesn’t have enough buckets.

      I TOLD HER!

      Posted by Pogria on 2008 05 11 at 08:34 AM • permalink

 

    1. #7 I’m sure you are right Ash_.
      Looks like they are going to try and catch up with and surpass NZ’s Kyoto losses real quick.
      Are there any economists out there who can tell us the inflationary effects of spending $2.3 billion on measures to reduce productivity?

      Posted by Skeeter on 2008 05 11 at 08:37 AM • permalink

 

    1. Treasurer Wayne Swan will unveil an ambitious $2.3 billion climate change program in Tuesday’s budget.

      You wait, those economic fucktards that are in Government will crow about not wanting to stimulate inflation via fiscal pump-priming. Pray tell just where Swan thinks 2.3 billion dollars are going to disappear to. In reality it will be the same place that spending on most %$%#$# initiatives ends up, someone’s back pocket and then back into the economy.

      Perhaps the money will be buried to appease gaia?

      Posted by Nic on 2008 05 11 at 08:37 AM • permalink

 

    1. #12 They’ll find it remarkably easy, I’m sure Skeeter. We’re already told that we’re not going to meet Kyoto targets, and we were told that before Kev signed Kyoto, so I don’t know why so many people wanted to sign Australia up to major debt.

      Posted by Ash_ on 2008 05 11 at 08:48 AM • permalink

 

    1. #11 Pogria, I am sure Kae told me to bucket????

      Posted by surfmaster on 2008 05 11 at 09:04 AM • permalink

 

    1. Im sure Swannybabe is planning to turn the whole of the Eastern States hydroelectric by building a heap of new dams, thus also solving the water crisis at the same time….

      Either that or piss it all up the wall on UN schemes.

      Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2008 05 11 at 09:08 AM • permalink

 

    1. The thing is, the people who “care” about the environment still care.  Those people who wring their hands, and wail and worry about the environment and how it’s going to kill us all are the ones losing out.  About time too.

      Posted by RebeccaH on 2008 05 11 at 09:31 AM • permalink

 

    1. The thing is, the people who “care” about the environment still care.

      More accurately, Rebecca, the people who still care have always cared.

      They just aren’t the sort of people who follow fads because they have an attention deficit disorder, want attention, or are too lazy to actually do implement solutions that are long term in nature, and demanding instant gratification instead.

      Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2008 05 11 at 10:10 AM • permalink

 

    1. I hadn’t seen this take on Hillary before, but it’s quite funny (caution: bad language in the subtitles).

      Via Baseball Crank.

      Posted by paco on 2008 05 11 at 10:23 AM • permalink

 

    1. #19 Paco, that is quite brilliant.  Almost woke the kids up laughing at it.

      Posted by mr creosote on 2008 05 11 at 10:47 AM • permalink

 

    1. Re #19, paco, the actor playing Hillary does an EXCELLENT portrayal!  That’s one documentary for the history books.

      Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2008 05 11 at 10:59 AM • permalink

 

    1. #19 paco

      Do what at the Convention?

      Oh, my.

      Posted by Spiny Norman on 2008 05 11 at 11:01 AM • permalink

 

    1. ”…the words “environment” and “climate change” did not appear in his 1,200-word statement”

      He spoke naught of UFOs, piskeys nor poltergeists, either.

      Posted by Harry Bergeron on 2008 05 11 at 12:36 PM • permalink

 

    1. Will the large % of the electorate which loved the cheap symbolism of saying ‘sorry’ for 200+ years of being here, also love the annual large Kyoto payments demanded to change the climate
      Are they insane?

      As for Chairman Rudd, how long before he declares that he’s commandeering the design for the Prius for the Nation, and is turning it into The People’s Car.?
      And then put a big tax on every other car?

      Posted by Barrie on 2008 05 11 at 06:29 PM • permalink

 

    1. As the chairman of the Committee to Re-popularize Spats, Monocles, and Detachable Collars, I must complain about our woeful lack of funding.

      Posted by Merlin on 2008 05 11 at 07:16 PM • permalink

 

    1. Treasurer Wayne Swan will unveil an ambitious $2.3 billion climate change program in Tuesday’s budget.

      One can only hope that, like many other feel-good, lobby-group-appeasing splashy budget-headlining initiatives, little of this 2.3 billion will ever actually be spent.  Some of it will just dribble into the sand of the public service and NGO sector, but once the camera lights have been turned off, a lot of it will remain right where it is, in the Surplus.

      Posted by cuckoo on 2008 05 11 at 07:31 PM • permalink

 

    1. Meanwhile, in Australia we’re still fighting yesterday’s battle:

      “Treasurer Wayne Swan will unveil an ambitious $2.3 billion climate change program in Tuesday’s budget.”

      But my dear chap, don’t you know that in this bloody country we are approximately 10 years behind the latest European and/or North American politically correct fads.

      When they go off the boil because of failures in those regions, we start adopting the failed policies and spending big money here. E.g. multiculturalism, our recent signing up to Kyoto, etc. etc. etc.

      Posted by LaVallette on 2008 05 11 at 09:06 PM • permalink

 

  1. Tim, from now on, whenever you post on global warming, you’re going to have the irritating and repetitive Janine I of Darlinghurst lecturing you.

    Posted by daddy dave on 2008 05 12 at 02:24 AM • permalink