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Last updated on June 24th, 2017 at 10:43 am
Given the number of new nuclear plants planned worldwide, this isn’t much of a shock:
The Federal Government has quietly resurrected John Howard’s plan to expand uranium mining in Australia.
Next step: Australian reactors.
Will the reactors be picketing at the mining sites where it’s hot and dry and uncomfortable, or before government buildings where the amenities of life can be easily found nearby?
Posted by mythusmage on 2008 04 01 at 06:56 PM • permalink
I, for one, welcome our nuclear overlords.
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2008 04 01 at 07:41 PM • permalink
In a discussion on democracy last evening I mentioned to a friend that even though Australian voters had elected Kevin Rudd I still supported the process. At that point he rounded on me to point out that Howard had “destroyed the economy, education and health”.
You think that the ridiculously inaccurate and biased reporting by the MSM will have no impact as our population will see through it and all of a sudden you see the truth. Some of the people can be fooled all of the time.
- when the yellowcake that’s in the ground
is mined by evil righties
labor and the MSM make sounds
like there’s slugs inside their nightiesbut if untimely ripp’d from Gaia’s womb
by our dear leader Kevin
‘tis all as quiet as in tomb
and all’s well in our blue heaven.Posted by anonymous guest on 2008 04 01 at 08:13 PM • permalink
“Some countries see nuclear as part of their commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Mr Ferguson said.
We know which side of the fence Ferguson is standing when it comes to nuclear. KRudd should note that the ambitious Julia Gillard is a member of Ferguson’s left faction, which also includes the mining union chief Michael O’Connor.
Howard’s intervention and boarding school policy – wicked, but “me too”.
Howard’s Murray water policy – wicked, but now “all mes too”
Howard’s tax cuts – wicked, but now “me too”.
Howard’s uranium mines policy – wicked, but now “me too”.
Howard’s Education policy – wicked, but now “me too”.
It is a good thing for Rudd that Howard is not invited ot the 2020 summit, so Rudd can copy something different to Howard for a change.
Nuclear power is inevitable if this bunch of clowns want to reduce emmissions. The NIMBY (not in my back yard) labor policy will always be a sticking point. It is Ok to export uranium to fuel some elses reactors but we can’t build them here. Bloody bizarre it is.
Posted by surfmaster on 2008 04 01 at 09:17 PM • permalink
Hey guys, Getting a little serious now. But what is the staus of the FUSION plant that is going to be built in France. I have found little info beyond what I already know on this from my quick look at google. IS this the big promise to get clean energy. I hear things about it is still 50 years away. But why wouldn’t governments charge into this full steam ahead unless it is unlikely to work. But then why the big invetsment in a full scale plant in France. Anyone help ?
Posted by The Big Fish on 2008 04 01 at 09:31 PM • permalink
HA! Tim, you had better hope the next step is Australian reactors… we can’t sell uranium to India now.. the Yanks are muscling in trying to set up a deal with India… but we’re on pretty good terms with China now so maybe…
Posted by Admonkeystrator on 2008 04 01 at 09:53 PM • permalink
- Posted by richard mcenroe on 2008 04 01 at 10:09 PM • permalink
Note the last couple of lines in the media release.. the uranium is for export purposes.
This can go only a few ways:-
Export uranium to India with a new contract
Export uranium to the U.S. so they can sell more to India
Export Uranium to China
Export Uranium to some random country in a PR debacle worthy of Monty BurnsPosted by Admonkeystrator on 2008 04 01 at 10:12 PM • permalink
Hey guys, just buy uranium and coal. No better investments.
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 04 01 at 10:23 PM • permalink
Aggghh! It’s too late!
(via a commenter at Lubos Motls’)
#14 It’s been 50 years away for about 50 years now. Not an energy source to pin one’s hopes on.
Never underestimate the Gallic passion for grand, daring, cutting edge projects that look great but don’t work. Concorde, Maginot Line, Citroen etc.
And being french, if it gets off the gound, it will break down frequently in ways that can only be fixed by quirky french mechanics who have the requisite skills in simutaneously looking down their nose and sneering at you, and spend 4 hours a day on a fag break
Posted by anonymous guest on 2008 04 01 at 10:26 PM • permalink
#13 Yes, but there is so much back yard in Australia which is not mine, nor anybody elses.
You’ve got vast stretches of uninhabited coast by vast oceans of cooling water.
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 04 01 at 10:26 PM • permalink
In full agreement of fusioon, but this is for the future. This is a long term paln. Immediately, there is ample coal, oil and uranium to last us a thouisand years. Actually, even fissile material is pretty much infinite with breeder reactors.
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 04 01 at 10:29 PM • permalink
Might this not be the whole raison d’etre for AGW theology? It appears to be working. If you had tried building these plants a decade ago, the ditzy folk would have prevented it.
Posted by Dave in Chicago on 2008 04 01 at 10:37 PM • permalink
Now that the French (!!!) have developed the technology to recycle spent fuel rods (Which still contain about 75-80 percent of their radioactive material), nuclear should become really really big business.
Meanwhile, the US is STILL spending billions trying to set up salt mines to dispose of these valuable spent rods. *eye roll*
Is government good for anything other than the military? I think not.
Concorde? It was technically Anglo-French. The British provided the plane and the engine and the French provided the name. The French thus got the glory of flying it for the first time in France with a French pilot.
But full credit must go to the French for bringing the Concorde era to a close. Air France didn’t want them and damned if the French were going to allow the British all the status of supersonic air travel – so they withdrew product support.
Golden rule – never get into a joint venture with the French.
I’ve believed for a long time that Peter Garrett is Harold Holt’s son and was trained from birth to infiltrate the ALP and destroy it from within.
I now know I am wrong. Rudd is Harold Holt’s son. It all makes perfect sense. After Holt was picked up by the Chinese submarine… Rudd’s fluent Mandarin… His whitanting of the ALP.
Damn. Holt was da man!
When Rudd met Clinton, the topic was China. When he phoned Obama, the topic was China. When he met McCain, the topic was China. When he spoke at the Brookings Institute, the topic was China, although it was difficult to pick with this quote: “Therefore, there is, in my argument, on the face of it, a natural complementarity between these two philosophical approaches and a complementarity that could be developed further in the direction of some form of conceptual synthesis.”
Michelle Grattan, who has a crush of Rudd, says the Americans find Rudd “uniquely interesting”. I’d agree with that. He would be the first national leader to visit Washington to promote the interests of a foreign country over those of his own.
Rudd’s overseas trip won’t end in canberra. It will end in Beijing when reports home.
In terms of future energy this is the way to go!
Not bad for Labor. .It only took 35 years. That’s what I call decision making.
The US Democrats will need at least 50.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2008 04 02 at 03:30 AM • permalink
#25- Private enterprise even performs that function better than bumbling bureaucrats.
Think you’ll find that the current federal Government will be resurrecting many of the “Howard” (aka previous Federal) Government’s policies. Just as it has already resurrected the former Government’s education and water policies, to loud kudos from the True Believers who apparently never noticed the inherent sense in them when John Howard was in charge.
It will be interesting to see if the usual suspects among the media and academia and the self-appointed elite suddenly find themselves supporting “Rudd’s” policies.
Or will they be too embarrassed?
Naah. They won’t. That mob has no shame.
So are you guys gonna go with the classic rod-type pile reactors, the trendy new pebble-bed type, or the properly progressive and socialist Russian liquid sodium type?
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2008 04 02 at 11:30 AM • permalink
The good news? Australia is going nuclear!
The bad news? In a gesture of progressive solidarity, Rudd is ordering used liquid sodium reactors from Russia…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2008 04 02 at 09:04 PM • permalink
April Fool’s Day joke, right?
Kevni, pulling out anything of John Howard’s, it must be.
The Fool is Kevni. He is a joke and it is the 1st of April.
Kevni, couldn’t carry John Howard’s briefs.