It's all about division of powers. Australia is like the US in that it is a federation of smaller states that have their own representative governments. The British and French governments are much more centralised. The government in Britain or France can change every persons life in the country in almost any detail, from tax on petrol to beds in hospitals to education standards, with the stroke of a pen. The Australian government can't.
That means that Rudd can't fuck the country up that much. What a relief.
The division of powers is demonstrated by COAG holding him to ransom over the "environmental threat" to the Murray. But the states dont just have legal powers, they have a legit elected voice and thus alot of political power aswell, which they can use to persuade/pester the federal government.
If Garnuat is just one of Rudd's inputs on climate change policy, hopefully the states are the other ones. They are having the good sense to protect jobs, power supplies and investment security in this country. I hate to say good things about the ALP, but I am impressed by the right-wing of said party finding common ground between the welfare of employees of the coal-fired power industry, and the business leaders in that sector.
This is exactly the sort of alliance between the blue-collar and the big-end-of-town that Howard would have approved off. What's the aim? Nation building, as it always is when people rise above "class" interests. We need to secure our future by making sure people who give enough of a shit to build power stations dont go under, taking their employees and the nation's energy supplies with them.
This has a flow on affect to national confidence. When rock bands plug in their amps, thereby keeping us entertained and boosting morale, they need to be damn well sure there's gonna be power. Electricity and rock are inseperable. Why do you think our greatest band is called AC/DC? And nobody, but nobody, has done more for this country's cultural confidence than AC/DC.
Now that the left of the ALP is in charge federally, the states are moving right to balance them. Without the states pencil-pushing power-trippers like Penny Wong could enforce a life of ascetic denial on us in the name of Al Gore, and destroy all the progress in national confidence-building made under Howard. Balance of power is a good thing for this country. Of course that balance would be better served by conservatives at state level. But better the right-wing of the ALP than than wall-to-wall tree-huggers.
Joel Fitzgibbon's call for the abolition of the states would not have gone unnoticed or unapproved by Rudd. For Rudd to let this statement be made demonstrates (1) he wants more power and (2) his judgment is so flawed he must never be allowed to have it. Rudd is Mini-Mao. (Picture A Commie version of Dr.Evil saying to Rudd, "You complete me") Rudd wants bureaucratic control over every aspect of our lives. He hates disorder and disagreement with a pathological passion. He is blinded by his own sense of self-righteousness. He wants to extend his micro-management to your home and your wallet and your head, because he thinks he knows what's good for you better than you do! Because of our beautiful constitution we can say "up yours, Rudd" with immunity. I say thanks to the States for doing just that.
UPDATE: SMH acknowledges that the states are holding back Rudds enviro agenda. That say it pisses them off, but cracks are appearing in their religious adherence to the apocalyptic doctrine of GW.
Under the bit which forecasts what will happen if we do nothing to reduce greenhouse gases, it predicts 1276 Queenslanders will die each year from temperature-related causes by 2030. That figure will increase to 5878 a year by 2100. In the most extreme "hot, dry" case, there would be 11,322 Queenslanders dying by the end of the century.If the SMH are saying this. Rudd is pushing poo up a steep incline.
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How anybody can model with any precision the exact numbers of deaths that will result in another 82 years based on an estimated small rise in temperature is known only to a few and baffling to the rest.
