What a picture! There are a few variations kicking around, but they all carry pretty much the same wording, reminiscent of the political change that gave Kevin Rudd the Prime Minister's job in 2007.
Right now we, Australia, are at a potentially crucial pivotal point in our history and, in the near future, we may have the chance out of seemingly nowhere to rid ourselves of some very suspect legislation that would cripple us (more on that below).
For the past four years we've had a (minority) Labor government split in two which, about a year ago, experienced a major upheaval when the leader was talked up and then sniped by one of his ministers. Now, the ex-leader has returned the challenge; on Monday, caucus will vote on the (new?) leader of our governing party. There is so much wrong with this party leading our nation (if indeed it was actually this party leading our nation in the last year or so).
In the past year, Ms Gillard has sided with the Greens. This party, born out of good intentions a few decades ago at the Franklin river, has lost its green focus and has descended into the party where it seems anyone can have their say for the sake of social "progress". The carbon tax is (currently) possibly the biggest and most dangerous thing for our nation's future and, despite Ms Gillard's assurances that it would not see the light of day (my words), it is nearing reality for us. The reason for this? Without the support of the Greens (who drove the deceptive legislation - yes, that is my descriptor, and with good reason), Labor couldn't govern. To retain power, an alliance was made that has disillusioned many about the state of the current Labor party.
Australia stands to pay in excess of $3.5 billion per year for carbon credits. These are to be purchased so that we can offset our guilt for "polluting" the atmosphere with carbon. We buy these credits from countries who are supposed to employ carbon capture and storage procedures (the largest of which is to plant trees). Some of these nominated countries, however, have governments rife with corruption or are impoverished. I wonder:
- Will my carbon credits come with an ironclad guarantee that my guilt money has been used to plant x trees in Laos?
- How many other countries have adopted or look like adopting a carbon pricing scheme? (Hint: the answer is less than 1).
- How much will the global temperature drop as a result of Australia's bankruptcy under this legislation? Figures at the time of the legislation's initial lower house passing put it at around 2/1000 of a degree Celsius.
The Greens are in a very precarious position. If Labor remains divided, the Greens could well lose the power they currently hold over the nation. Is it just me or have they been quieter than usual in the past day or so? Who would they rather see at the head of the Labor Party?
If, after Monday, the Labor Party cannot unite behind its leader, we may very soon be asked to vote in a general election. This could be our chance to repeal the carbon tax legislation by not voting for the Greens or Labor. It could well be the only chance we ever get to avoid the devastation sold to us as "reform".
Have we learned from 2007's "change"? Is it really working for us? Has it ever done so?
