Comments on: I blame Canada

By: Rx

Rx — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:51:42 +0000

If there is one thing conservatives do “well”, it is fear campaigns.

By: christine

christine — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:18:46 +0000

As Antonio pointed out, the Can Liberals actually are proposing a carbon tax, which would include higher taxes on petrol. So it’s not exactly unreasonable for the Conservatives to argue that it is in fact a new tax, or indeed a ‘tax on everything’. Dion does suggest he’ll use the $ to reduce other taxes, but I don’t think there’s a full plan for how yet, so his credentials on that are fair game. You can argue that the Conservatives are neanderthals for not understanding the importance of AGW, but given that they basically don’t, they’re playing fair on this.

The NDP (leftier, trying to be greener) on the other hand, says the Lib’s proposal is bad because the tax will hurt working families, so they’re proposing cap and trade, but neglect to point out that this will in fact lead to higher prices if it actually does reduce carbon emissions at all. My assessment: they are helping the Conservatives win the argument.

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:59:23 +0000

Wong has consistently said that they will look to compensate those who are doing it tough.

Dennis Atkins’ column is a bit interesting:

The Courier/Galaxy poll gave a strong hint the Coalition was losing this argument. While voters find cutting fuel taxes attractive, more than 80 percent say it will not provide a long-term solution to cost-of-living pressure.

Voters might be attracted to passing populism but they’ll eventually decide who runs the country on the more basic question of who can run the economy.

By: nasking

nasking — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:17:08 +0000

How about some vulva rock from Canada?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpkitLUbeEg

By: nasking

nasking — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:12:12 +0000

I’m not a real fan of AC/DC or Celine Dion…but my wife & I just don’t get what’s so wrong w/ that version. It has the same kind of energy. The band enjoyed playing. And it’s better than a karaoke version. Is there something sacrosanct about Aussie cock rock, so much so that women can’t cover a song that has been played at parties ad nauseum across the country to the point it makes me wanna puke everytime I hear it? It’s like an ocker national anthem, alongside a few other AC/DC songs.

Let’s face it, certain media outlets have an interest in trashing it because Hillary Clinton likes Celine Dion…& the Canadian health system & such shows the Yank’s system to be the flawed sh*t it is. Moving on.

Someone needs to make a poster of that “woefully designed website” and blast hockey pucks at it.

The next 5 months will be tuff & full of Liberal BS pulling on piss weak ideas from overseas…but if Labor doesn’t play footsy w/ the fossil fuel companies too much…& the property dievelopers…everything should be A-OK.

Keep up the good work alternative media. BTW, has anyone seen that radio jock w/ the continiously agro face that has a pink-hue? How odd? Blood pressure? Or lack of sleep? I think it’s been cloned.

By: paul walter

paul walter — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:09:39 +0000

The tories, bosses and yuppies know full well there is a problem- have done for years. They just want costs shifted, as ever, on to those least able to afford them.

By: Youie

Youie — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:04:10 +0000

Blame. Canada. Dion.

link

Yes, yes I do…

By: Helen

Helen — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:29:07 +0000

Don’t forget Labor have got it coming and going, because of the Right and their hatred of all things Green (and love of all things Car).

For example.

By: Geoff Robinson

Geoff Robinson — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:08:37 +0000

Peacock’s ‘populist’ campaign was quite sucessfull in 1984 but it fostered Liberla complacency and lift them unprepared to face real pressure. Voters do dislike petrol taxes in UK in the 70s it was an issue unlike other indirect taxes. But by 2010 living standards will be higher than in 2007 and interest rates heading down = easy labor victory.

By: stuart

stuart — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:53:21 +0000

and hopefully the higher oil prices will significantly reduce our overall GHG emissions and decrease the costs of carbon in the ETS.

By: joe2

joe2 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:36:07 +0000

“I think that if Labor ruled out the inclusion of petrol with a lot of bleh about “working families”, it would be a really bad sign.”

Surely they could be forgiven, on the petrol front, when the desired effect of dramatically lowered consumption is happening, anyway, due to higher prices.

By: wilful

wilful — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:35:25 +0000

Well at least one good thing happened - Wong and Rudd confirmed categorically that transport would be in the ETS.

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:26:47 +0000

I don’t either, Antonio, but some of the more recent wobbles haven’t given me as much confidence as I’d like. I think that if Labor ruled out the inclusion of petrol with a lot of bleh about “working families”, it would be a really bad sign. They need to hold the line - not just because the issue is so important but also because politically they’d be dumb to stray onto Nelson’s populist turf.

By: Antonio

Antonio — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:15:21 +0000

Kim,

The debate in Canada over Dion’s Carbon Tax is multi-dimensional. The NDP - the 2nd Left party in Canada has vociferously attacked the plan on class grounds - it will hurt “working families” on low incomes rather than targeting the big polluters. http://www.ndp.ca/page/6440v

I can see the debate in Australia being eventually framed in similar terms with fragmentation on the progressive side of this issue with increasing concerns as to how and to what extent to shift the tax burden away from “working families” and onto big(ger) business.

There is potential danger here for Australian Labor but in the absence of a progressive intellectual presence on the Right (cf. UK, Canada), I see no political why Labor shouldn’t hold their “nerve” - as you put it.