Angus Taylor's Gas-Light Recovery
November 25, 2021 10:01 PM Subscribe
Sick of worrying about Joe Manchin's coal-fired lock on the US Senate? Come to Australia! We have a Federal Government made entirely of fossil fuel industry toadies. Angus Taylor, our Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, has long been a particularly toady (Sky News YouTube, 11m34s) toadie. Polly Hemming and Richard Denniss dissect his latest talk-back disinformation blast (YouTube, 29m02s) in the newest episode of the Australia Institute's Spin Bin (previously on MeFi).
A person who knows the Australian politics better than I recently said something like, “the only thing worse than their corruption is their utter inability to effectively hide it in any way whatsoever”
Good post - thanks for sharing.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 10:33 PM on November 25, 2021 [6 favorites]
Good post - thanks for sharing.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 10:33 PM on November 25, 2021 [6 favorites]
Our Government is so pissweak that all it took to COP 26 was a much ballyhooed commitment to net zero by 2050. Which, you know, we should have had in place after COP 21 but didn't until mere days before going to Glasgow. No new policy whatsoever for a 2030 target. And the 2050 commitment is not even real. Our booth at COP 26 was sponsored by Santos, for zuck's sake.
Honest Government Ad | Net Zero by 2050 (feat. Greta Thunberg) (YouTube, 3m45s)
posted by flabdablet at 10:45 PM on November 25, 2021 [7 favorites]
Honest Government Ad | Net Zero by 2050 (feat. Greta Thunberg) (YouTube, 3m45s)
posted by flabdablet at 10:45 PM on November 25, 2021 [7 favorites]
Australia a climate laggard at COP26 | Richie Merzian on The Drum (YouTube, 15m21s)
posted by flabdablet at 10:52 PM on November 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by flabdablet at 10:52 PM on November 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
Poor fellow, my country.
But we basically done it to ourselves, dear world. We had our choices and have seriously fecked it up, so far.
So don't feel too sorry for us.
posted by Pouteria at 11:07 PM on November 25, 2021 [2 favorites]
But we basically done it to ourselves, dear world. We had our choices and have seriously fecked it up, so far.
So don't feel too sorry for us.
posted by Pouteria at 11:07 PM on November 25, 2021 [2 favorites]
Scott Morrison Did A Little Jig After A Huge Gas Project Was Approved Like Some Cartoon Villain
For those unfamiliar, Scotty From Marketing is our insufferable Prime Minister. Before that he was our insufferable Treasurer. And before the public re-invention as Cuddly Footy Dad Scott that got him those positions he was our headkicking Immigration Minister.
That huge gas project, by the way, is by no means the only one these evil arseholes are dancing jigs about. They're also proposing to pour vast amounts of taxpayer funds into fracking the Beetaloo Basin, in a tearing hurry so as to get it all properly ruined before the global gas market collapses, and against the express wishes of the region's indigenous custodians.
The main Opposition party, Labor, is all over the place on climate change policy. It believes it can't afford to come out hard against the fossil fuel industry for fear of losing vital seats in the coal mining regions of rural New South Wales and Queensland. So it talks out one side of its mouth in urban campaigns, and out the other in rural ones, but it will never walk the walk.
The only Australian political party with a reality-based climate policy is the Greens. Fortunately, our electoral system means that one can vote for a Greens candidate without that turning into de facto support for the Coal ition, but the baleful power of the Murdoch Death Star remains very strong here, and even with its recent pivot to greenwashing it's a lock to do everything inhumanly possible to cost the Greens as many seats as it can.
It's all zucked.
posted by flabdablet at 11:45 PM on November 25, 2021 [13 favorites]
For those unfamiliar, Scotty From Marketing is our insufferable Prime Minister. Before that he was our insufferable Treasurer. And before the public re-invention as Cuddly Footy Dad Scott that got him those positions he was our headkicking Immigration Minister.
That huge gas project, by the way, is by no means the only one these evil arseholes are dancing jigs about. They're also proposing to pour vast amounts of taxpayer funds into fracking the Beetaloo Basin, in a tearing hurry so as to get it all properly ruined before the global gas market collapses, and against the express wishes of the region's indigenous custodians.
The main Opposition party, Labor, is all over the place on climate change policy. It believes it can't afford to come out hard against the fossil fuel industry for fear of losing vital seats in the coal mining regions of rural New South Wales and Queensland. So it talks out one side of its mouth in urban campaigns, and out the other in rural ones, but it will never walk the walk.
The only Australian political party with a reality-based climate policy is the Greens. Fortunately, our electoral system means that one can vote for a Greens candidate without that turning into de facto support for the Coal ition, but the baleful power of the Murdoch Death Star remains very strong here, and even with its recent pivot to greenwashing it's a lock to do everything inhumanly possible to cost the Greens as many seats as it can.
It's all zucked.
posted by flabdablet at 11:45 PM on November 25, 2021 [13 favorites]
“the only thing worse than their corruption is their utter inability to effectively hide it in any way whatsoever”
I'll cop to this attitude. I mean, sure the most powerful people are going to be corrupt, but could they please at least pretend to be competent about it? For our sake?
Separately: It really gets hard to crow on the internet about preferential voting (Go Victorian Socialist Party!) when we keep ending up with this parade of shitheels.
posted by pompomtom at 12:06 AM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
I'll cop to this attitude. I mean, sure the most powerful people are going to be corrupt, but could they please at least pretend to be competent about it? For our sake?
Separately: It really gets hard to crow on the internet about preferential voting (Go Victorian Socialist Party!) when we keep ending up with this parade of shitheels.
posted by pompomtom at 12:06 AM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
Oh yeah, and fuck Angus Taylor.
posted by pompomtom at 12:07 AM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by pompomtom at 12:07 AM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Ewww. I'll pass.
posted by flabdablet at 12:13 AM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by flabdablet at 12:13 AM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
The only thing really sustaining me is the idea that the wheels have come off the Scotty from Marketing train. The neoliberal faction of the Liberals is absolutely despairing of the state of the party - the whole Christine Holgate saga gave the rich end of town a warning that Morrison isn't their guy, and the rank and file are largely convinced about climate change and are, apparently, increasingly willing to turn to independents to get it done. Morrison's weasel act doesn't seem to be working any more.
It's not clear that Labor will be able to capitalise, because Albanese has the same dickhead advisors that have been stamping out the personality of Labor leaders for decades now. The Greens continue to have a reach of like 10% despite them having the most credibility on climate change and climate change being the most important issue to voters.
posted by Merus at 12:22 AM on November 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
It's not clear that Labor will be able to capitalise, because Albanese has the same dickhead advisors that have been stamping out the personality of Labor leaders for decades now. The Greens continue to have a reach of like 10% despite them having the most credibility on climate change and climate change being the most important issue to voters.
posted by Merus at 12:22 AM on November 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
It's not clear that Labor will be able to capitalise
Even if they do, we'll get no immediate shift in federal government climate policy despite Chris Bowen talking a good game to what he surely must be assuming is an overwhelmingly urban audience.
Federal Labor is hamstrung by the Queensland mining seats, and will remain so until such time as a few key Queensland electorates throw out the empty suits who have been moving in lockstep, regardless of which major party they're in, to virtue signal the coal industry into a death spiral of idle overcapacity and install competent independents instead.
Queensland will never bring itself to install a Green but there is a chance of a reality-based independent or two actually achieving something good for their electorates with a bit of genuinely renewable energy pork instead of continuing to watch a torrent of mining profits running offshore, at which point both the majors will pivot to claiming that Greens policies they've long derided as "crazy" or "extreme" were actually their very sensible policy all along, and invent a stack of three word slogans to pull the Murdoch-addled zombie army into line.
I can't see any of this happening before 2030 though.
posted by flabdablet at 2:58 AM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
Even if they do, we'll get no immediate shift in federal government climate policy despite Chris Bowen talking a good game to what he surely must be assuming is an overwhelmingly urban audience.
Federal Labor is hamstrung by the Queensland mining seats, and will remain so until such time as a few key Queensland electorates throw out the empty suits who have been moving in lockstep, regardless of which major party they're in, to virtue signal the coal industry into a death spiral of idle overcapacity and install competent independents instead.
Queensland will never bring itself to install a Green but there is a chance of a reality-based independent or two actually achieving something good for their electorates with a bit of genuinely renewable energy pork instead of continuing to watch a torrent of mining profits running offshore, at which point both the majors will pivot to claiming that Greens policies they've long derided as "crazy" or "extreme" were actually their very sensible policy all along, and invent a stack of three word slogans to pull the Murdoch-addled zombie army into line.
I can't see any of this happening before 2030 though.
posted by flabdablet at 2:58 AM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
Ewww. I'll pass.
And that’s how it got in my image search history...
posted by one4themoment at 7:06 AM on November 26, 2021
And that’s how it got in my image search history...
posted by one4themoment at 7:06 AM on November 26, 2021
I wonder whether this FPP constitutes defamation under Australian law; Australian politicians are known for suing their subjects if they say mean things about them.
posted by acb at 8:24 AM on November 26, 2021
posted by acb at 8:24 AM on November 26, 2021
Defamation involves inflicting injury to another's reputation. But the thing about reputations like the ones Taylor and Morrison have spent their entire political lives cultivating is that they're simply incapable of being injured. Doesn't matter how low you aim your blow, that reputation is just going to slither straight past underneath.
posted by flabdablet at 8:34 AM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 8:34 AM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
well, I for one, in the usa, applaud the honest government ads, for being more honest about the usa than the usa can be. no other anglo media are covering the cop26 like the Australians. we are on this sh*t planet together, friends
posted by eustatic at 8:35 AM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by eustatic at 8:35 AM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
that’s how it got in my image search history
Google says
Oh I'm sorry, was that unnecessarily cruel to those of you who don't have aphantasia? Sometimes I forget. Tell you what, I promise I won't go searching for Barnaby.
posted by flabdablet at 8:51 AM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Google says
No results found for "angus taylor on the vinegar stroke".Small mercies. And just the tip.
Results for angus taylor on the vinegar stroke (without quotes):
It looks like there aren't many great matches for your search
Tip Try using words that might appear on the page that you’re looking for. For example, 'cake recipes' instead of 'how to make a cake'.
Oh I'm sorry, was that unnecessarily cruel to those of you who don't have aphantasia? Sometimes I forget. Tell you what, I promise I won't go searching for Barnaby.
posted by flabdablet at 8:51 AM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure why this should make me feel better about Manchin.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 1:07 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 1:07 PM on November 26, 2021
the truth about the usa is that it is also this messed up, but you won't hear about it on CNN, because they generally won't cover Texas or Louisiana or Oklahoma politics, they usually only cover what is happening in the coastal states, because those are the only places left with investigative newspapers.
but, in a place like Louisiana, Lafourche Parish, the state representative is a man who owns a pipeline maintenance company. So, yes, the man making the decision on whether to promote wind power or oil pipelines in a hurricane zone owns a company that only makes money if the USA builds more pipelines on the Gulf Coast.
You won't really hear about this in the media; you just hear that, after Biden restricted new drilling for oil off Lafourche Parish, he's now promoting it, and most americans will have no idea why, because there's no conversation.
posted by eustatic at 1:35 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
but, in a place like Louisiana, Lafourche Parish, the state representative is a man who owns a pipeline maintenance company. So, yes, the man making the decision on whether to promote wind power or oil pipelines in a hurricane zone owns a company that only makes money if the USA builds more pipelines on the Gulf Coast.
You won't really hear about this in the media; you just hear that, after Biden restricted new drilling for oil off Lafourche Parish, he's now promoting it, and most americans will have no idea why, because there's no conversation.
posted by eustatic at 1:35 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
Australia needs boycotts, divestment and sanctions applied by the international community. This democracy of selfish bogans won’t change attitudes without serious external pressure.
posted by moorooka at 1:58 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by moorooka at 1:58 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
Isn't that statement in itself a federal crime under Australian law?
posted by acb at 5:22 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by acb at 5:22 PM on November 26, 2021
Yes I believe that coal is Australia's biggest export and over the last 20 years the economy has become more dependent on mining with the decline of manufacturing industries.
A pact with the devil when you see the catastrophic fires that have hit the south east states and the continued decline of draught hit agriculture.
Maybe Australia will be a food importer in the future ?
The men in suits certainly don't seem to be any good at strategy if it's further than 5 years into the future.
posted by Narrative_Historian at 2:24 AM on November 27, 2021
A pact with the devil when you see the catastrophic fires that have hit the south east states and the continued decline of draught hit agriculture.
Maybe Australia will be a food importer in the future ?
The men in suits certainly don't seem to be any good at strategy if it's further than 5 years into the future.
posted by Narrative_Historian at 2:24 AM on November 27, 2021
Maybe Australia will be a food importer in the future ?
Paid for by sellingcoal cryptocurrencies mined with electricity generated from abundant Australian coal. The government of the day (Labor or conservative, or a grand coalition to keep the Greens out) will tout it as “Australia racing into the cybermetafuture on its own terms” or something like that.
posted by acb at 4:59 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Paid for by selling
posted by acb at 4:59 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
I believe that coal is Australia's biggest export
and so do a lot of other people, and by some measures maybe it is; it's certainly a popular talking point from the ff lobby.
But if you look at where the money from exporting Australian coal ends up, the vast bulk of that is not in Australia; it's in the hands of mining company shareholders outside Australia. And if you look at the number of people employed in coal mining and related supporting sectors, it's dwarfed by the number of people employed in hospitality or care or education.
Australia could shut down its entire coal industry tomorrow and suffer less economic pain than from any of the recent financial disruptions we've already weathered better than the rest of the world. This place is wealthy as all fuck.
But that's not what anybody's asking us to do. All we're being asked to do is stop expanding it and then spending what we'd otherwise be spending on expanding it on pushing hard for decarbonized replacements for the things it supports. If we actually did that then we'd make more money than coal has ever given us, and the coal lobby knows it, which is why they're so fired up to stop that conversation from happening.
posted by flabdablet at 5:13 AM on November 27, 2021 [5 favorites]
and so do a lot of other people, and by some measures maybe it is; it's certainly a popular talking point from the ff lobby.
But if you look at where the money from exporting Australian coal ends up, the vast bulk of that is not in Australia; it's in the hands of mining company shareholders outside Australia. And if you look at the number of people employed in coal mining and related supporting sectors, it's dwarfed by the number of people employed in hospitality or care or education.
Australia could shut down its entire coal industry tomorrow and suffer less economic pain than from any of the recent financial disruptions we've already weathered better than the rest of the world. This place is wealthy as all fuck.
But that's not what anybody's asking us to do. All we're being asked to do is stop expanding it and then spending what we'd otherwise be spending on expanding it on pushing hard for decarbonized replacements for the things it supports. If we actually did that then we'd make more money than coal has ever given us, and the coal lobby knows it, which is why they're so fired up to stop that conversation from happening.
posted by flabdablet at 5:13 AM on November 27, 2021 [5 favorites]
Seems that preservation of the Australian coal industry at all costs has been the main concern of our suits and spooks with regard to the greenhouse effect for forty years.
posted by flabdablet at 3:05 PM on November 27, 2021
posted by flabdablet at 3:05 PM on November 27, 2021
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God I hate those miserable, stupid, corrupt, mendacious fuckwit [very Australian swearword deleted here] that rule our nation. We're a Poundland Texas of unrepresentative swill.
posted by prismatic7 at 10:24 PM on November 25, 2021 [15 favorites]