Essay by Eric Worrall
Plummeting left wing concern about Covid has sadly brought the climate protestors back onto the streets of Australian cities.
‘Get a real job’: NSW deputy premier lashes out at Blockade Australia protesters
Ten arrested as direct action group starts week of ‘disruption’ to ‘resist climate destruction’ as NSW police pledge crackdown
Australian Associated Press
Mon 27 Jun 2022 18.49 AESTThe New South Wales deputy premier has told climate change protesters to “go and get a real job” after police made 10 arrests across Sydney.
Blockade Australia protesters were among a group of 50 to 60 activists who converged on Hyde Park about 8am on Monday, before marching towards the harbour, chanting, playing drums, with some pulling down signs, dragging wheelie bins onto the road and blocking intersections.
One of those arrested was a 22-year-old woman who allegedly locked herself to the steering wheel of her car and blocked the harbour tunnel.
Blockade Australia live-streamed a video of the car as it blocked all citybound lanes of traffic for about an hour.
Deputy premier Paul Toole said the protesters had no concern for the public and had spent the morning throwing milk crates, garbage bins and other rubbish throughout the city centre.
“I would say this to the protesters: Go and get a real job,” he said.
“Go and talk to somebody who’s actually been delayed in getting to work today.”
…
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/27/blockade-australia-protest-activists-march-through-sydney-after-closing-harbour-tunnel
This would all be a lot more satisfying if Paul Toole, who told protestors to “get a real job”, was not himself an outspoken net zero supporter.
Paul Toole has frequently spoken about the need for ambitious emissions reduction.
The question is, does Toole mean what he says, when he claims to support net zero?
If climate activists were satisfied with the pace of progress, and the sincerity of political assurances they were receiving, they wouldn’t be protesting.
The bipartisan embrace of net zero in my opinion deprived Aussie politicians of any authority to push back against climate fanatics. It is unreasonable to go around telling people you agree there is a climate emergency, then jeer at them when they complain about the lack of progress.
It is genuinely within the power of Aussie politicians to act on global CO2 emissions. Australia’s domestic CO2 emissions are trivial, but Australia is a major exporter of coal and natural gas – around 200 million tons of coal every year, equivalent to 700+ million tons of CO2 emissions.
Given annual global anthropogenic CO2 emissions of around 36 billion tons, a simple suspension of Aussie coal exports would lead to an immediate 2% drop in global emissions, at least until coal consumers found new suppliers – easier said than done in today’s insanely tight coal market.
If Deputy Premier Paul Toole wanted to make a substantial and immediate impact on global CO2 emissions, he could do it overnight, by banning the export of coal from New South Wales, or through introducing impossibly expensive environmental rules. Similarly, Australian federal politicians could do likewise for the whole of Australia.
Obviously banning fossil fuel exports would be catastrophic for Australia’s public finances, and would cause major disruption to the economies of our South East Asian neighbours. But if politicians truly believe we are in the midst of a climate emergency, they should not be worried about trivialities like economic ruin and infuriated trade partners.
Our climate hypocrite politicians have chosen not to do the one thing which is in their power to do, which would have a noticeable impact on global anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
I understand the anger of the climate protestors, even though I think their cause is a joke. I would be angry too, if I thought there was a serious problem, and politicians agreed there is a serious problem, then displayed their apparent contempt and insincerity by jerking me around, dragging their feet addressing the problem which they publicly state they agree is serious.
The one thing I detest more than a climate activist politician, is a fake climate activist politician, who displays their contempt for voters by pretending to support climate action for short term political gain.
Political dishonesty is a fundamental debauchment of democracy. Our votes, the entire process of voting, only has value if politicians mostly keep faith with their supporters, and try to keep their promises.
I want to make it clear, I’m not accusing Paul Toole of dishonesty. But I can certainly understand why the climate activists he jeers at might arrive at that point of view, and why they appear to be losing faith in the democratic process.
love to see the REAL protests happen if some moron pollie did try to stop coal mining.
and of course THEY LIE! its the only way they can get elected
see how many trips OS albo n the gf have had already? throw in other pollies as well
yeah so green….NOT
and tossing 300mil more taxdollars to ukies, while med systems crashing hosp beds shutdown etc
keeps this up and he will have a shorter run than thedumbdumbdowner did
About fifty years ago the west began to decline when it embraced social welfare in a serious way. Giving unemployed people free money as welfare for not working, giving college students free student loans, giving the poor free medical care, using affirmative action to give people advantages they hadn’t earned. I know this all sounds terribly heartless. No one wants to see someone else in need. But the unfortunate reality is that when the government pays for idleness and sloth the supply of idleness and sloth (under the disguise of “social justice” “environmentalism” or whatever) will increase until the money is all gone. You get what you pay for and you get as much of anything as you are willing to buy. And the government is buying idleness and sloth.
If the government would just stop all the freebies, leave the charity to private charities and religious institutions, these demonstrating people with so much idle time on their hands would scream about how awful it is and then they would be forced to go out and get jobs and work for a living and in the long run they and everyone else would be better off.
It sounds so satisfying to be the good guy and so virtuous that you are for “social justice” etc. But it doesn’t work in the real world. People are by nature lazy and won’t work if someone is paying them to idle.
Strongly disagree, the days of laissez faire economics is well behind us, Australia has a social safety net in line with the new world order.
At the moment there is a huge shortage of workers and as a consequence we have very low unemployment.
Did you forget post your sarc. verification at the end?
‘…the days of laissez faire economics is well behind us, Australia has a social safety net in line with the new world order.‘
That may be a fact in Australia, as it certainly is in the US and other Western ‘democracies’, but it bodes ill for their respective citizens.
But the Government will take care of all of us. (\sarc needed?)
Marty is right in one way that the productivity of fossil fuels has permitted so much indolence and so many stinkers in residence. The epitome of that was the photo of the 22 yr old woman shackled by a d-lock to the steering wheel of her ICE car complete with pierced nose rings and sipping her commercial bottled water made by Coca Cola.
And high welfare and low productivity economy. Because of more than 40% of the economy being unproductive governments spending we have wage stagnation and high rates of homelessness in spite of low unemployment.
We in Australia have a big shortage of engineers and related construction/manufacturing professionals.
We can no longer staff major projects.
Experts say we need a large immigration increase to rectify the shortage.
We used to train our own at university.
Nowadays the unis are training Asians who return home.
The top uni staff are more interested in their own salaries from Asian incomes than in Australian advancement or ideals. Remember Peter Ridd.
The big problem is, how do we get visionary, competent future planners back into positions where they can make Australia great again? Geoff S
Same issue here in Canada. But it has more to do with too many young people now taking basket weaving and bird courses. Engineering is hard work and takes effort as compared to CET studies where you can suspend reason and logic. Also, the Universities have diverted many from the trades. Way too many useless Diplomas and too few practical craftsmen contributing to society
Oops CRT studies
I’m starting to understand what the elite oligarchy mean by “useless eaters”.
“parasitic drag”
Is that hereinafter referred to in engineering calculations by use of a rainbow flag?
Agreed. Subsidized idleness will soon turn the whole country into Portland, where “young people go to retire”. Those of us with real jobs and real lives have far more important things to do with our time than to make life miserable for other people.
The only upside I see is when the increasing mass idleness collapses the economy, and these people get the world they say they want, and starve themselves out of the gene pool.
where “young people go to retire” and protest, and demonstrate, and riot.
I blame automatic payroll deposits to worker’s bank accounts. Lining up at the pay window for your paycheque had a positive effect on people’s attitude about the benefits of their efforts, followed by the satisfaction of depositing the cheque in your bank account, and a celebratory evening out. All replaced by a big-brother-is supposed-to-look-after-me communist attitude.
You get more of whatever you subsidize. (and less of what you tax)
This concept extends outside of the monetary.
If you pick up your kid every time they cry, they will cry to get picked up.
If you are paid (by the Soros types), or patted on the back (by your handlers) for the street mayhem, you are encouraged to cause more mayhem.
If you are taxed by a squirt gun full of urine in the face every time you cause mayhem, you will cause less mayhem.
If you park your car in the street, intending to block traffic, and your car is significantly damaged, others will be less likely to intentionally block traffic by parking their cars in the road.
What, “free stuff” isn’t a good idea?
Just in case you missed it, but even if you didn’t it’s a great video
https://youtu.be/aBTLPLQTHhw
(this one you can do in your home, if so inclined)
Sorry, Vuk. I turned it off after a few seconds, because I couldn’t understand the protester’s screams while he was holding his hand. He must’ve been screaming in French.
Regards,
Bob
Cruel Vuk, I had to watch it 5x more… 🙂
Heh. 😄
Loved the police officer (I think he was Dutch or German), “Ja, ja, ja, ja… .”
Here’s another great moment (a bit frustrating to watch, though — the police don’t show up until after video ends and watching those stupid climate clowns slither back into the road infuriated me).
Don’t mess with Italy! 🙂
Do not see any raw meat not enough glue
Another politician talks out of both sides of his mouth about climate cr@p.
Quell surpris.
It’s become chapter 1 of “Politics For Dummies”.
Get a real job..
Thing is, these cretins are probably getting more from their daddy, or from George, than they could ever earn as a janitor. !
“Political dishonesty is a fundamental debauchment of democracy. Our votes, the entire process of voting, only has value if politicians mostly keep faith with their supporters, and try to keep their promises.”
***********
Agreed Eric.
I always wonder if there are politicians in high office in the developed countries who actually do know that there is no climate crisis. That climate science is corruptible by governments and the U.N. is something I readily accept as possible, and the corruption of politicians would explain why they stay on the climate scare bandwagon instead of admitting the truth.
If such politicians do exist, they do not deserve to be in office as far as I am concerned. It does indeed debauch and undermine democracy as it should and needs to exist. That it no longer does is, to say the least, very bad.
“…suspension of Aussie coal exports would lead to an immediate 2% drop in global emissions…”
Sorry, but, no. In a global economy there is always someone else to purchase from. This would give virtue signaling rights to Australia, but the coal burning would continue because people need fossil fuel energy and coal for steel, cement, etc. whether or not Australia wants to be the one to sell it.
There will never be a suspension of coal exports (nor gas, for that matter). It is the height of political suicide to try to destroy the interests of the rich and powerful. They are willing to give up on Australians using coal because, we use so little of it compared to the rest of the world. However, stopping their income stream from the massive exports of coal would bring immediate political reprisals against anyone stupid enough to try it. No dirty trick would be left unused in order to remove the government incompetent enough to go against the rich and powerful. They’re happy for ordinary Australians to suffer but, they’ll never suffer along with us.
That is spot on. The energy demand will never be lowered, it’s where the energy will be supplied from is the question. Governments need to get the hell out of the way and let energy suppliers do their thing. If the supply is ineffective, such as wind and solar, the supplier doesn’t stay in business long without subsidies. As for the professional protestors, they need to be fined heavily. They will realize professional protesting doesn’t pay.
There would be some geopolitical fallout if Australia stopped energy exports. China would see it as a direct threat to their national security and stability and they would be right.
Toole by name, Tool by nature…..
or should that be Foole……
(Sorry. That was cheap shot)
<Promises self: Must keep away from warmist writings>
The fact that a squad of 50 or 60 radicals can make global news is a sign of the times. Fringe leftist squad activities have been underway in the US tying up traffic around political conventions and every popular cause for at least 20 years and rarely made made the national news. ignore them for the fringe that they are.
“We have to destroy people’s lives and livelihoods as well as the economy in order to stop the “destruction” of the climate”.
Don’t the Government PAY these protesters by funding climate think tanks? Why should they get a real job?
I would love to have been in charge of the woman who glued her hands to the steering wheel. I would have left her glued to her car, taken the battery out of her car and haul the car to a wrecking yard.
Toole, Matt Keane, Perrottet, very wet, woke clowns.
Toole is my local member, fairly short in stature and doesn’t get my vote.
There is a battle looming in the Coalition between the wet woke moderates and the dry lot. Not sure how it will turnout, I’ll bring the popcorn.
‘Blockade Australia’?
They seem new.
Splitters?
(jokes aside, this is prime Left. They believe that everything would be better if only the ‘correct’ people are in charge. They all agree on that. They just don’t agree that other people are the correct people. The Left ally to make their numbers high then split again the moment they personally are not longer in charge.)
The pro-left global media loves radical squad activity. Especially, when the protest activity is pro climate change. The goal of squad activity is DRAMA….to get bloodied by police and to create as much mayhem as possible to avoid being ignored by the media. They post as many images of leftist heroism as possible. The purpose is to build cadre and split off new squads with new leadership It’s all about momentum in indoctrination and radicalization of new cadre.. Unfortunately, the cycling dramas of leftist squad activity has since the late 1990’s has revived Marxist Anarchism and Trotskyism in the imagination of the rising generation in the USA. This is especially true on many college campuses. It doesn’t matter what the cause is, (Pro-choice, BLM, Climate Change, Anti-Fascism/capitalism, Carbon Tax, Radical Environmentalist etc). the cause is the vehicle to build momentum in attracting and radicalizing revolutionary cadre. It is the heroic cadre that will bring about the revolution. They believe the revolution is the inevitable outcome of the historic dialectic of human civilization and any activity to bring this to fruition is worthy. All normal aberrant human motives are in operation: avarice, lust for power, greed, malignant self-righteousness, lust for violence an we have seen with all the revolutionary movements we have seen rise since 1917. They don’t care about democracy in normal terms. They see capitalism as anti-democratic and Marxism as the only form of democracy that will emerge at the apex of the historic dialectic. Read Trotsky’s history of Russian Revolution.
I forgot glory and martyrdom as motives.
Spot on. The Coalition dropped the ball when they tried to play the Greens/Labor at their own game. You fool Morrison.
” Get a real job “. This would also apply to most politicians.
This protester group is Blockade Australia and they are really climate terrorists. They are small in number but are out to do real economic harm to Australia. They don’t simply protest. They stop traffic flow as in this case but they also stop trains, stop unloading and loading ship’s cargo, stop power plant operation, vandalize and so on. They get other hangers-on who just want a peaceful protest. Their members are only interested in harm. NSW has a police task-force set up to control them.