Kevin Rudd’s pro-environmental credentials have suffered another self-inflicted blow.
During his time as ALP National Secretary, Gray distinguished himself as one of the most case-hardened anti-environmentalists in the Labor Party. Early in his time in that job, Gray declared in an interview that global warming was “pop science” and availed himself of the usual tired jokes about long-footed potaroos. The relationship between federal Labor and the environmental movement was at an all-time low throughout Gray’s time as National Secretary.
After leaving that job, Gray was a founder of the greenhouse denialist Lavoisier Group, and made no secret of his disapproval of former Western Australian Premier Geoff Gallop’s decision to preserve the old growth forests of south-west WA. He has never renounced his greenhouse denialist views.
For Rudd to publicly declare that he wants a rockribbed greenhouse denialist as part of his team – coming so soon after his blessing of the current Federal Government’s Tasmanian forest policy – strongly indicates that he is not serious about addressing Australia’s environmental problems. It is also another indicator that the colourful and iconic Peter Parrot is being kept in a gilded cage by Labor purely for his ornamental value.
…sigh…what can we really expect from the Coalition Clones.
Garret is not in a gilded cage, he has been muzzled by the party. Now this.
Bob Brown…please save us from ourselves.
Only marginally on-topic, sorry, but what is it with people’s names in the ALP? Gary Gray, Grace Grace …
I recommend that Brian Brain be prised out of his hidey-hole in England, if he’s still alive, and given a gig.
Pity I didn;t think of writing that you’re obviously an amateur mindreader. Don’t want a shirt,tousers,hairpiece,false moustache,beard, dark glasses and shoes to complete the look do you?.
Nope, that’s all from me. Otto in toto, you might say.
With an MP whose position regularly took him far from the electorate, what the people of Brand need is someone who’ll look after the local issues rather than just another party hack who invokes the Hawke-Keating era, and who’ll probably want to be parachuted onto the frontbench. See, Rudd is putting Labor onto a bold new footing and to hell with any of those Tory naysayers who say otherwise.
Sorry Bismark it was the initial comment I was referring to but your comment slipped in between.
’tis so sad to see Rudd wanting to impose a hack into Brand – lest we forget it is no sure thing for the ALP to win the seat. Gray is a dangerous Bolt like anti environmentalist but hey who left the ALP is not?
WTF is Gray thinking???
No, not about climate change, but leaving a very nicely rewarding situation to go into Federal Politics on the Opposition basis. Maybe Woodside was working him too hard and he wants to kick back on the Opposition Back Benches.
Yes, why don’t the ALP have people with sensible names, like Abbott and Costello?
This is just adding fuel to the argument that the ALP are economic vandals. Why would they ratify such instruments such as the Kyoto protocol, yet not put up candidates such as this who would work to undermine it?
I like that image.
“Pro-Gray, anti-Green” Ah – black and white thinking – it’s always informative!
I’d be a little concerned about the ALP’s environmental policies if they were decided by Gary Gray. But they’re not. If Gary is still a denialist, he’d be in a tiny minority of them in the ALP.
It indicates nothing of the kind. C’mon Paul, you can do better than this.
The entire post reads like spin to me. Gray may be against facets of environmentalism but that may not be the reason Rudd wants him on the team at all. It could be an entirely different issue.
There’s enough spin as blogs as is eg. family values does not necessarily mean a mother, a father and two kids. Sure we can probably be fairly sure that’s what Family First means but when any other party says it, it could mean a number of things. There are quite a variety of definitions for family. Now I’ll get too far off topic if I pursue that any further.
On another aspect of this story, wasn’t Gray going to get the preselection anyway? Rudd’s just chest-thumping and demanding Gray get it to look tough.
I suppose they’ve got the whole “run against your own party” script from Blair. And the “bash the teachers’ unions” from Clinton.
Anti-environmentalism is part of Rudd’s redefinition of “Christian socialism”.
They’re running a terrible risk with Garrett you know. He’s likely to throw up all over them at a most inconvenient time if they keep making him eat shit sandwiches.
An angry resignation or a defection to the Greens just before the election is called would be a disaster.
It seems to me we are currently given a choice by the major parties between crony capitalism combined with social conservatism, or between economic reaction combined with social conservatism. I can’t believe either choice is particularly attractive to the median voter – they rather reflect the inclinations of the median old white males.
I think all that is spot on, dd.
Some Ramsey fill in in the SMH today had a column on a government reshuffle – Turnbull brilliant potential for climate change/enviro minister etc etc. While Garrett’s appointment is still being lauded as a Ruddy masterstroke, he’s totally invisible.
=”I suppose theyâve got the whole ârun against your own partyâ? script from Blair. And the âbash the teachersâ unionsâ? from Clinton”=
2 very fine centre left leaders, for all their flaws.
Apart from the eternal and painful quandrary that is Tasmania, I see little evidence Rudd’s going anti-environmentalist.
I agree that DD’s correct, certainly as regards the potential to waste then lose the talented Mr Garrett.
Kevin Rudd is definately distancing himself from the Green’s agenda, perception-wise. Whether or no this is what he intends to do in government is another thing entirely. The ALP are not adverse to lying and their culture is a votehunting machine. They’ll do whatever it takes to get elected.
As for Garrett, many in the Greens are understandibly angry about his ‘betrayal’, particularly his significant role in the usurping of Green candidate Richard di Natale in the Victorian election last November. Having participated in the campaign I think it’s fair to say that Garrett’s letter to the electorate may have cost Richard the few votes he needed to get over the line and replace Bronwyn Pike as the member for Melbourne.
But ALP culture requires betrayal to prove loyalty and Garrett did join them and must ante up to have any policy influence as Environment minister. I’m not a Garrett admirer (I’m indifferent) but I can’t believe that someone who’s campaigned on behalf of environmental and peace issues longer than I’ve been aware of them is simply going to throw all that down the memory hole for the party machine.
I also must acknowledge that, the criticisms of my colleagues in the Greens standing, Garrett did not join the Greens. He joined the ALP for the simple reason that as a member of that party he has a chance to participate in government which he does not have with the Greens. He did not therefore betray us.
The real litmus test is government. If caucus stifles his agenda then Garrett will show us what he’s made of, either he stays in his cage eating crackers and spouting birdhit or he jumps.
“his significant role in the usurping of Green candidate Richard di Natale in the Victorian election last November”
Yes, it’s a terrible betrayal that a Labor member of the federal parliament should be campaigning for the re-election of a Labor Party member of the Victorian parliament.
I think the unhappiness about Peter Garrett’s intervention is that he is, as noted by the original poster, to be
Peter Garrett engaged in misleading spin on the preferences issue rather than direct campaigning for Labor. I am not surprised by this, but then again, it’s always worth remembering that Labor would sooner put oddballs like Family First in the Federal Parliament and the DLP in the State Parliament rather than Greens.
As for this:
It’s not going to happen. Ever. Garrett’s not going to defect, no matter how many new uranium mines get opened under a Rudd government with Garrett on the front bench.
Spiros
Please read things carefully before you comment. Note the following fourth paragraph of the above post:
“Garrett did not join the Greens. He joined the ALP for the simple reason that as a member of that party he has a chance to participate in government which he does not have with the Greens. He did not therefore betray us.”
And Alister does bring up an interesting point. The ALP villified the Greens for dealing with the Liberals even though they have consistently shafted the Greens on preference deals in the past. In fact that IR stuff wouldn’t be there if the ALP hadn’t put that daft prat from Family First in the Senate now would it?
I write to request your support to secure ALP preselection for the seat of Brand.
The key difference between Gary Gray and me is that he supports Uranium mining in WA and the industry in general, whereas I am a lifelong opponent with scientific credentials.
I was a member of the organizing committee for the Walk Against Warming as part of the International Day of Action on Climate Change last November, where 5000 concerned citizens took to the streets of Perth.
Looking forward to an anti-nuclear ALP Caucus,
Geoff