Tell Tony: dump the Renewable Energy Target

The Australian Taxpayers' Alliance is urging supporters to message Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and encourage him to commit to axing the Renewable Energy Target.

The RET mandates that 20% of power shall be from inefficient “green” sources by 2020. It is the main reason our power bills have been skyrocketing - and will rise even more.
There is no question about it - the RET needs to go.
Yesterday, Coalition MP’s, led by Queensland Senator and “Father of the Senate” Ron Boswell, and scientist Dr. Dennis Jensen MP, told Tony he must dump this green madness.
Tony Abbott’s response? “Renewable energy [is] an important issue and the Coalition had to commit to it.”
This is unacceptable. It is the same attitude that led to Malcolm Turnbull supporting the ETS. Tony Abbott needs to know it's just not good enough.
The numbers say it all:
Coal fired power station $79 per kw/h (kilowatt/hour)
Gas fired power station $97 per kw/h – or 1.2 times the cost of coal power
Wind power $1,502 per kw/h – or 19 (nineteen) times the cost of coal power
Solar power $4,004 per kw/h – or 50 (fifty) times the cost of coal power

Yesterday, Mr Abbott seemingly admitted the RET is driving up electricity prices.

Email Tony.Abbott.MP@aph.gov.au and call 02 6277 4022 to urge Mr Abbott to commit to dumping this ridiculous green scheme.

The height of arrogance: Argentina and the Falklands

President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has confronted British Prime Minister David Cameron at the G20 over the future of the Falkland Islands or 'Malvinas' as Argentina calls them. As the Daily Mail reports:

The South American leader appeared to attempt to thrust a package stuffed with documents  about her country’s claim to the British territory into Mr Cameron’s hands at the G20 summit in Mexico.

To her fury, the Prime Minister refused to accept it – and insisted that she respect the views of the islanders, who want to remain British.

Mr Cameron told her 'I am not proposing a full discussion now on the Falklands but I hope you have noted that they are holding a referendum and you should respect their views. We should believe in self-determination and act as democrats here in the G20'

Mrs Kirchner is a disgrace, and should be ashamed that she abused the G20 for her own political purposes. Full marks to Mr Cameron (who I've criticised in the past over gay marriage and Lords reform, amongst other things) for his calm response, and for sticking to his guns.

Those supporting Argentina's claim have a history of arrogance. One reader once commented on an article I wrote with this:

''Malvinas belong to Argentina. The Islanders don't have the right to self-determination because they are subhumans. Argentina must kill to all the bastards who call themselves "Falkland Islanders" and recover Malvinas. An ethnic cleansing is the only solution.''

Argentina's Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo recently said 'We hope the UN resolution which is recognised by most countries in the world will be respected and Great Britain will sit down and discuss the sovereignty of Argentina (over the Falkland Islands) for which to us there is nothing to discuss, the Malvinas belong to Argentina'

Shame on these bigots.

Fairfax slowly dying

Fairfax is slowly dying. That is what can be taken out of todays announcement that 1900 of its staff will be sacked, two printing facilities will close, the format of the broadsheet dailies The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald will change and digital subscriptions will be introduced.

Why on earth is Gina Reinhardt wasting her money on a dying company?

Stop giving this loony oxygen

Malcolm Fraser has become a card-carrying leftie in his old age. Since he lost the 1983 election he has done a complete political U-turn and criticised the Liberals at every stage. Mr Fraser opposed the liberation of Iraq, supported Wikileaks, supports the carbon dioxide tax, supported the apology to the 'Stolen Generations' and campaigned in support of a republic (despite accepting an appointment to the Privy Council). Mr Fraser also opposes exporting uranium to India and criticised the basing of American soldiers in Australia.
Basically, he is further to the left than the Labor Party.

Mr Fraser today launched his latest bizarre attack on the Coalition declaring its border protection policies were ''evil'', ''inhumane'' and ''demeaning''.

This man is an insane traitor.

The Drum (and the ABC): just an outlet for Labor

Last week, the ABC was forced to apologise to Shadow Immigration Minister Scott Morrison after ABC journalist Stephen Long accused Mr Morrison of being 'racist'. Mr Long also declared that the Coalition's border protection policy was ''a cynical manipulation of an underlying prejudice in the Australian community and that it has very little policy merit''. As Gerard Henderson pointed out in Media Watch Dog, other panelists on The Drum on Monday 11 June all agreed with Mr Long. Antony Loewenstein a left-wing blogger and Jessie Taylor, a lawyer supported Long, while Adam Creighton from The Australian bizarrely dismissed the whole debate surrounding illegal immigration 'just politics'. As Mr Henderson point out ''In other words, not one of the guests on the program was prepared to defend the Coalition’s policy on border protection''. I can now reveal that the host of The Drum Steve Cannane would also likely be sympathetic to the statements of Long and his criticism of the Coalition policies. Mr Cannane contested Warringah (now Tony Abbott's seat) at the1993 Federal election for Labor. Mr Cannane admitted as such to me on Twitter. How can it be that taxpayers fund a programme in which only one position on such a contentious public policy issue is put? This isn't North Korea.

What this means is all panelists and the host essentially agreed with the Greens position on border protection, in stark contrast to popular public opinion. This is in contrast to the ABC Code of Practice which says:

• ''Present a diversity of persepctives''
• ''Do not unduly favour one perspective over another''

A breach of the ABC Code of Practice warrants a complaint to the ABC.
Left: Stephen Long

Labor starts smearing to help Windsor

NSW Labor have started a desperate smear campaign against popular Northern Tabelands MP Richard Torbay, who this week announced his was contesting preselection for the Nationals to run against Labor backing 'Independent' Tony Windsor.
Sadly, the Sunday Telegraph has given oxygen to these pathetic and desperate smears, and fallen for the lies of NSW Labor.
The Sunday Telegraph story was riddled with inaccuracies, including a description of Mr Torbay as a 'Labor MP'. See below image:

Mr Torbay has been clear before that he was approached by Labor, not the other way. I know who I believe. He said in response to the beat-up story: 'He wasn't even a general secretary at the time. John Della Bosca asked me to join Labor and I said no. This is a straight misrepresentation'