From Crikey’s Bernard Keane:
… in Clive Palmer, the Coalition faces someone who makes Abbott look like he has a maniacal obsession with consistency.
The key to understanding Palmer is that he’s always about what’s ahead. What’s in the past is irrelevant. The issue of consistency simply doesn’t arise, because Palmer eternally moves forward, toward the next announcement, the next stunt. Clive only ever stops moving so he can momentarily bask in the media spotlight. Then it’s onward again.
Thus, with PUP-linked Ricky Muir now amenable to voting with the PUP today to end debate on the government’s efforts to repeal the carbon pricing bills, we expected the carbon price to be executed just before lunchtime. Muir and the PUP duly voted for the government’s gag motion at 10am. Except, shortly afterwards, Clive appeared at a media conference. Palmer had earlier flagged that something out of the ordinary might happen — although that warning appears to be unnecessary when it comes to him. There was no Al Gore this time, but former Liberal leader John Hewson (not unfairly, perhaps, Hewson could introduce himself, Gore-like, as “I used to be Australia’s next prime minister”, except no one under 35 would get the joke).
Palmer and Hewson were appearing with the Australia Institute to launch a report on renewable energy. It was there that Palmer waxed lyrical, or as close to lyrical as Clive waxes, about the need to address climate change, and railed at climate sceptics — among which of course he was numbered until a couple of weeks ago. He even flagged strengthening the Renewable Energy Target. Yeah, huh. So far, so Clive. Readers may remember that time we had Abbott debate himself about climate change and what to do about it because he’d held so many different positions on it. If we tried the same thing with Palmer, we’d need 6 point font to get it on the screen.
Keane is right. What makes Clive remarkable is that he fits in so comfortably. No rigor, no consistency, no obvious vision or goals beyond the next vote. He’s perfect. From the AFR, here is what he wants after joining Labor and the Greens in voting down the repeal:
Mr Palmer also torpedoed any attempt by the government to water down the Renewable Energy Target. He said he would not let the government reduce planned renewable energy production by 2020 from 41,000 gigawatt Hours to 26,000GwH as it is intending to do,
He also said he wanted options to extend the renewable energy target (RET) out to 2030 to be considered.
…He also blamed higher power prices on state governments allowing their power networks to over invest and “gold plate” their poles and wires.
“The demand for energy from the grid has gone down but the price has gone up,” he said, blaming the $45 billion investment in poles and wires by state governments, which has led to higher power prices for consumers.
Mr Palmer also said he wanted an Australian emissions trading system to be part of the country’s position in Paris at the 2015 United Nations climate change talks.
If you’ll excuse me for saying so, who the frack is anyone supposed to support minute to minute? Under John Hewson’s wing, Clive is suddenly making eminent sense.
I said last week we now had climate change policies with a personality disorder. It’s more than that. It’s a parliament with a personality disorder – Narcissism, Borderline, Obsessive Compulsive, Schizotypal, Psychopathic – you name it, and it’s running the country.
