I told you Nelson was running the country! He's already poured petrol on the agenda. But I didn't realise he held the match in his hand too.
Whoof!
If Labor splits with the greens, the Libs (and independents) control the Senate. That means the half-arsed ETS policy that Rudd is putting forward requires coalition support. I dont think Rudd has the nuts to call a double-dissolution over the issue that caused such a big swing against him in Gippsland. If he does, great!
Sometimes i forget the politics is simply grade 8 arithmetic:
Conservatives votes - Lefty votes = Result (either positive or negative) for the country
But Nelson would have had done his sums, and this must have influenced his decision to split with the Turnbull, Hunt camp and really slap Rudd around on climate.
Nelson has everything to gain here. He can secure not only time but major concessions in the ETS scheme that benefit all Aussies, not just industries where the staff are unionized. For Turnbull and Hunt to waste this opportunity and only ask for a 2 year delay is crazy.
I'm beginning to think fines for over-polluting might be a better idea than cap and trade. I dont think business as usual should be penalized. And i dont think that the government can be trusted with the money that carbon licenses will bring in. They will redistribute it to safe seats, entrench their power and increase welfare dependency, whilst crippling industry.
At that rate we'll be like Argentina in 20 years : the economy in tatters, endemic poverty, and daughers being kidnapped left-right and centre. And we wont have Maradona to make up for it.
