Liberal MP Pat Farmer must be laughing. In the 2007 Federal Election, he got a 10% swing against him and retained his seat by 200 votes, but now that Labor is unpopular in NSW, Pat Farmer will probably get a 10% swing to him. The Labor man that challenged him must be really pissed off now because he won’t be able to unseat him in 2010!

Pat (Forrest Gump) Farmer aka the Running Man has been laughing at us all for years. Politically acute as a sea slug his time in Parly has been notable only for the high turnover of his office staff and the vacuity of the utterances that made it to daylight after that same staff failed to persuade him to keep his mouth shut.

At the moment he is, according to his local rag, making all the moves appropriate to those on their way out ie. failing to turn up at local school presentation nights after previously accepting invites, moving residence to location well away from the electorate etc..

Given that there may well be a Liberal MP with something actually resembling a profile looking for a seat after the redistribution Farmer may have the decision on his future taken for him.

Thanks Oz for backing up my argument that anything tougher would be political suicide for the government.

I don’t recall saying that and I reject that proposition.

There’s a lot of middle ground between overwhelming support and political suicide.

Philip Wolfe, director general of the Renewable Energy Association, said: "This report rightly highlights the need for quantum change and positive benefits this would bring to the UK economy.
"We support most of their proposals, but as ever good ideas become good policy only when effectively implemented."

No detail, no targets and not in government. How easy it is to be in opposition.

Energy experts have cautiously welcomed the plans but questioned how "workable" the ideas were.

Look at what the British Tories are proposing:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7832384.stm

“The Tories want to turn the UK into a pioneer of green innovation and technology and say their proposals will make British homes and businesses dramatically more energy efficient.

They say “decarbonising” the UK will help create hundreds of thousands of jobs, raise skills and improve competitiveness. ”

Meanwhile the Australian version….and the ALP for that matter…..

1. Anna Bligh will win a landslide victory in the Qld state election
2. Peter Costello will oust Malcolm Turnbull

The Essential Research and Morgan polls, even allowing for deficiencies, indicate that the ETS adopted by the government hasn’t dented the government’s popularity. Must have been a good move.

Of course, no surprise.

In the same sense that children overboard and a hardline immigration stance were “good moves”.

Malcolm’s going to be the one with the problems. How ironic.

You could be right there,

More Coalition discord over climate change policy
Earlier this week Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce labelled the Government's emissions trading scheme as rubbish and questioned the causes of climate change.
It put the Nationals at odds with their coalition partner, with the Liberals' Christopher Pyne calling for a more progressive approach to environmental issues
But Mr Pyne has been rebuffed by his own party, with senior Liberal Nick Minchin saying that would be the wrong way to go.

"I certainly don't agree that we should be moving to the left," he said.

"So, I do join cause in arguing that case and suggesting with great respect to Mr Pyne that that's not the direction the Liberal Party should adopt and not the interpretation we should put on the last election."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/16/2467569.htm?section=justin