Page 3773 - Week 12 - Thursday, 22 November 2007
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We have not heard much about nuclear power from Mr Howard lately, but aren’t nuclear power and carbon sequestration the answer to climate change? I thought that anyone who was truly green and cared about the environment had to adopt a nuclear power plant in their neighbourhood. It scares me that it seems the Prime Minister has taken his eye off the ball here. What about making Australians relaxed and comfortable? Doesn’t that cliche still apply?
Only earlier this year Mr Howard was on the record as stating that if temperatures around the world rose by four to six degrees celsius: “Well, it would be less comfortable for some than it is now.” Six degrees: less comfortable? What breathtaking ignorance from a man who has access to the very best scientific advice in Australia. He has no excuse and finally it looks like he is going to be called to account.
Hopefully, under Rudd, Australia will no longer hold refugees as hostages to serve as an example to deter others who might think about fleeing persecution, war and despair in their home countries. And what about the AWB scandal? I have not heard much about that lately either—over $300 million in bribes used by people to buy weapons to kill our own troops. But Alexander Downer was happy with the performance of his staff who signed off on the arrangements, and no-one to the best of my knowledge has been as much as reprimanded.
It is a bit like the public servants who took the heat for the Howard government over Tampa, told lies and were rewarded with deputy secretary and agency CEO positions and ambassadorships. I hope the government will push its federal counterpart, in the event of an ALP victory, to investigate some of these scandals, to act as our own truth and reconciliation commission process.
I have a long list of issues here that are of relevance and concern. I certainly could speak for a very long time. I am assuming that someone else will list these, but I just thought I would get onto the issue of federalism—the idea that it is going to be a lot different with a Labor government at the federal level. Elections are not decided in vacuums. Electors must navigate through public relations and advertising messages, as well as an expensively designed marketing image, to try and get to the heart of the policies.
I think it was Peter Martin who wrote an article in the Canberra Times recently indicating how it was that we do not really need to expect things to change, especially at the economic level, because, let us face it, for all Howard would like to spruik his success when interest rates are low and deny his role when interest rates are high, it is the Reserve Bank and economically trained bureaucrats who make decisions on these matters.
It is unfortunately the case that the political party that would be truly preferred if electors had access to complete and objective information, the economists’ laudable but sadly predominantly fictitious assumption of “perfect information” in this best of all possible worlds, more accurately representing the interests and views of a majority of electors, loses the election because it is not as adept or as underhanded and dishonest as its rivals in marketing their focus-group-fashioned image, running
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