Australia needs bright minds in politics

Comments on Dennis Shanahan “PM yearns to lead world on climate”, 25/-09/2009, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26120525-7583,00.html

It appears that both sides of politics are silly over the ETS bill.

For the government, as the article argues, there is no need to pass it for business certainty. As long as the government are reasonable and sensible and firm on ETS, it will send an unequivocal signal to businesses. So indeed there is no need for passing the bill early for certainty.

For the opposition, there is no need to wait until others have decided. If everyone is doing what the opposition is doing, how will the world move in terms of climate change? It is a silly proposition. The key is to have a sensible and flexible bill that has the ability to accommodate what other will do.

Even under the government’s new round pressure, the coalition can still make reasonable progress by making amendments that incorporate enough flexibility to make the bill more workable and acceptable to it.

So both sides of politics are just silly and stubborn and stuck in dirty politics.

They just reflect the deep problems with Australian federal politics - there are not enough bright minds in it. That is a pity for the nation.