‘Green’ Crusade Backfires: Subsidised Wind & Solar Snubbed as Australian Voters Reject Climate ‘Crisis’ Hysteria

 

Pundits reckoned that Australians would vote in droves for more windmills and solar panels to prevent droughts and save us from a climate ‘emergency’. That was then, this is now. With the majority of voters flogging the Green-Labor Alliance – and its wrecking-ball climate/energy policy – it’s apparent that Australians are no fools. At least, on average.

Sure, the inner-city almond milk latte zone remains Labor territory (with the solitary seat of Melbourne held by loony-left champion, the Green’s Adam Bandt). But the aspirational working-class in the outer suburbs and the regions – that build stuff, grow stuff, dig stuff up and process it or ship it – gave the two fingered salute to Bill Shorten and his hard-green-left manifesto.

Bill Shorten’s big ‘green’ dream just wasn’t meant to be.

Renewable energy rent seekers like “Hi, I’m Malcolm’s son”, Alex Turnbull, Simon Holmes a Court, Oliver Yates and Mike Cannon-Brookes threw a whole load of their own energy and treasure at unseating Liberal and National candidates (with the help of the Green/Labor propaganda wing, GetUp!). A swag of seats were targeted. But, for some strange reason, the only scalp they managed to take was that of former Liberal PM, Tony Abbott.

One of the most vocal of their team, Kerryn Phelps lost her seat of Wentworth to the Liberals. Ironically, Wentworth was the seat that Malcolm Turnbull held until he was ditched as PM over his plans to ramp up wind and solar with his version of the National Energy Guarantee.

Sadly for RE zealots and rent seekers, their efforts to seize power were a dismal failure.

Instead of celebrating an exponential expansion of subsidies until kingdom come (Bill Shorten threatened a 50% Renewable Energy Target), Alex – Born Lucky – Turnbull, Holmes a Court, Yates (who ran a dismal 4^th in the seat of Kooyong) and Cannon-Brooks, their hopes of carpeting Australia wall-to-wall with solar panels and windmills have been dashed.

Which brings us back to Zali Steggall. Steggall, whose only claim to fame is as a downhill skier, campaigned hard on the need to arrest runaway global warming in her comfy electorate of Warringah, nestled along Sydney’s northern beaches.

The grand plan was to have Steggall join a raft of independent MPs in the House of Representatives, with one objective in mind: ramping up subsidies for wind and solar.

Now, with all bar Steggall relegated to the pages of electoral history, Zali will cut a very lonely figure in the House when it resumes action next month. Indeed, Zali is already a political irrelevance.

The Liberal/National Coalition has 78 seats (it only needed 76 to govern) and will have absolutely no need for any support from any of the independents, especially Steggall. Lonely and bored is our prediction for Zali. [Note to Ed: what’s that they say about being careful what you wish for?]

But if Zali Steggall is to be taken at face value, there is much to be done in and around the up-market suburbs of her newly won electorate.

Andrew Bolt takes a look at the result and the work ahead for Steggall, if she and those who elected her are to be taken in earnest.

Andrew Bolt: Time for Zali Steggall to walk the talk on climate change
Herald Sun
Andrew Bolt
22 May 2019

New MP Zali Steggall is a global-warming crusader, yet drives an SUV and hasn’t bothered to put solar panels on her roof. But now that the independent has beaten Liberal Tony Abbott in his beachside Sydney seat of Warringah, she’s being begged to set a powerful example.

A change.org petition urges her to erect wind turbines along Warringah’s beaches, given that locals are apparently so hot on global warming that the GetUp!-backed Steggall won 57 per cent of their vote, after preferences.

“Zali Steggall and the people of Warringah need to show leadership on immediate climate change ACTION,” the petition says.

“The proposal: wind turbines are to be placed along the foreshore, taking advantage of the sea breezes. Let’s lead the way by example, for everyone who voted against climate action …

“Let’s do it for the children!”

What a brilliant opportunity for Steggall and her supporters! As one petition signer said, an ounce of example is worth a ton of advice.

No wonder hundreds of Australians rushed to support the petition within hours of it being posted, although — heavens! — their comments suggest that they suspect Steggall’s supporters are all cant and no climate action.

“I wish to have proof that Ms Steggall is as serious as she claims to be about action on climate change.”

“It’s only fair that the woke voters in Warringah put up with these monstrosities, like those of us who live out in the boonies do.”

“They voted for it so they should get it.”

But there’s more to this than a joke. Labor lost this supposedly unlosable election for many reasons, not least having an unconvincing leader, scary tax policies and an intolerance of Christians and the many Australians whom Labor leader Bill Shorten called “knuckledraggers” or those from “the top of end of town”.

But the election was fundamentally lost in Queensland, where Labor expected to pick up several seats — only to lose two as its primary vote dropped nearly 4 per cent.

The reason Queensland was so sour on Labor? Because it was there, and only there, that Labor let slip a specific example of what its vast global-warming plans might cost: Queenslanders would almost certainly lose the giant Adani coal project and its 8000 jobs, direct and indirect.

 

That is not the only example of a warmist crusade crashing once voters realised precisely what Doing Something about global warming involved.

In France, Emmanuel Macron triggered months of violent riots when he said it would mean higher prices for petrol.

In Australia, Julia Gillard’s Labor government was doomed the instant she broke a promise and imposed a 10 per cent carbon tax.

Global warming is popular when it’s an idea. It’s poison when it’s a sacrifice.

That’s exactly why even global-warming prophets are notorious for not living as they preach.

Three weeks ago, actor Emma Thompson addressed the giant Extinction Rebellion global- warming protest in London and has instructed “we should all fly less” and eat less meat to save the planet — but then flew home to America in first class, dining on beef carpaccio.

Grammy winner Drake, an alarmist who raps that “the weather’s changing … like the world is ending”, is even more brazen. This month, he showed off the massive Boeing 767 he’d bought as a personal jet.

And watch Warringah. What’s the bet that Steggall and her voters would never allow a wind farm along their own coast? That they’d never force every local to ditch their gas guzzler and buy an electric car? Would never decouple themselves from the coal-fired power grid?

That’s the point Labor now should accept as it decides how to reset.

When even Steggall can’t be bothered buying solar panels, Labor must realise most voters think the pain of big global-warming policies is just not worth the gain.

And, as this election showed, most are too smart to buy Labor’s lie that its policy can’t be costed or costs nothing.

The voters are right, of course. The cost of Labor’s warming policy (estimated at $260 billion over a decade) is not worth the cut it would make to the temperature (nil).

Besides, global warming has so far given Australia fewer cyclones, more rain and record crops. Some “emergency”.

So Labor should ditch its warmist hysterics, like fake claims that the Great Barrier Reef is dying and only Labor can save it.

Until there are wind farms in Warringah, Labor had better adjust to the fact that most voters won’t wear their useless pain.
Herald Sun

Before Zali launches her ‘Wind Farms for Warringah’ project she might pop into a few of her local schools and devote some of her time to assisting with remedial reading and writing, with a particular focus on basic spelling. It might prevent a few of her followers from becoming the butt of international jokes, like the kiddies pictured above.

Given that Zali is about to embark on a one-girl crusade to save the climate of Sydney’s northern beaches, it would be rude if STT didn’t lend a hand, by promoting what is set to be a surefire vote winner for Zali, in three years’ time.

No doubt the good people of Manly and Mossman will relish the opportunity to have a nightly cacophony of grinding, thumping wind turbine noise – with the prospect of 60m blades being flung in all directions and the occasional pyrotechnic display – as Zali introduces her constituents to the joys of living with 300 tonne juggernauts in their backyards.

We can only politely ask STT followers to join Zali’s campaign to carpet Warringah with a few thousand giant, whirling wonders. To join, hit the link here: Wind Farms for Warringah

Here’s the blurb on Zali’s self-sacrificing scheme from Brendan Triffett.

Wind Farms for Warringah
Change.org
Brendan Triffett
20 May 2019

Zali Steggall and the people of Warringah need to show leadership on immediate climate change ACTION. The proposal: wind turbines are to be placed along the foreshore, taking advantage of the sea breezes. Let’s lead the way by example, for everyone who voted against climate action. Sign and spread the petition Australians! Let’s do it for the children!
Change.org