EU bullies demand control of Australian electricity in order to do trade deals

The EU has given up trying to persuade Australian voters that wind and solar power is “cheap”. Instead, it’s using Upperclass centralized bully-power in an attempt to force Australia to sacrifice cheaper electricity and hobble its generation network to satisfy the EU totalitarians.

Australian exporters could face millions of dollars in European tariffs as EU seeks to punish polluters

Written by someone at Their ABC

Australian exporters to Europe are likely to face millions of dollars in new tariffs after the European Parliament voted overnight to move forward with a carbon levy on products from countries lacking serious pollution reduction programs.

The vote came after a top parliamentary committee noted concerns about “the lack of cooperation by some of the EU’s trade partners … to reach the objectives of the Paris Agreement”.

Australians installed more renewables per capita than any place on Earth in 2018-19, but that isn’t enough. The EU say we need a “target” of net-zero, (which we can point at and ignore, like most of what the EU does):

Kathleen van Brempt, a key parliamentary trade coordinator, said an FTA was contingent on “a clear vision [from] Australia by when and how they will become climate neutral and by when and how they will phase out of coal”.

Until Australia establishes a new scheme to lower emissions, its exporters to Europe face the prospect of paying additional tariffs under the new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which is expected to come into force in 2023.

The mechanism is designed to apply tariffs on imports equivalent to the fees paid under the EU’s Emissions Trading System by local businesses producing the same product.

Three solutions: Nukes, fake targets, or a trade war?

Being practical, given that the EU is our second largest trading partner, we can either build a few nuclear power plants, fake up a symbolic “carbon target”, or fight back in a trade war. While Australia has more uranium than any place on Earth, we also have 300 years of coal and it’s a lot cheaper. Nothing beats wholesale brown coal at 3c KWh. As for symbolic carbon targets and fake declarations of emergencies, the price is still too high. These careless declarations become potent legal tools to protect extreme protesters, excuse trade wars (like this one), and punish certain politicians and companies.

The best choice is to point out how Australia is already a super-achiever with carbon reduction per capita, and the installation of unreliable renewables. When the EU achieves similar per capita “gains” then they can lecture us — especially when we have an energy-dependent economy, live on the lowest population density country on Earth, have bigger distances to cover, and are more remote than any continent bar Antarctica. Until then Australians will just have to drink Australian wine and cheese and drive South Korean and Japanese cars.

We’ll sell our gold, shiraz and beef to the UK, Canada, India, and US. Long live The Commonwealth!

Map of the Commonwealth

Map of the Commonwealth

Time to talk about that lop-sided AU-EU trade imbalance

In a trade war with the EU, Australia surely holds the upper hand. We export $30 billion dollars worth of goods and services to the EU, but import $80 billion dollars worth of EU goods, none of which we really have to have, and that’s despite the EU already having higher tariffs on Australian goods than we do on EU goods. Could we not just add tariffs to incoming EU goods to recover their charges and distribute them back to subsidize our exporters to the EU? Seems only fair.

Yes, yes, obviously we’d prefer no tariffs, but if the EU wants a tariff on our electricity, so be it.

If the EU wants to set our electricity prices, Australians could easily choose not to buy EU goods. It’s not that we have anything against the suffering small businesses of the EU (to whom we are rather sympathetic), but if they won’t protest at this bullying behaviour and their own stupidly high electricity prices then we can’t help them. We don’t need German windmills, French wine, Italian cheese or Spanish olives. We can supply our own.

We should also cancel our French submarine purchase “in protest” (any excuse will do — the Japanese subs are better in any case).

 

9.8 out of 10 based on 108 ratings

163 comments to EU bullies demand control of Australian electricity in order to do trade deals

  • #
    Peter Fitzroy

    As you point out, the market will decide. But with china also closing its market to our goods, we are at a real danger of having surplus in product, and no buyers.
    .

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    • #
      TdeF

      With the Chinese market closed to our coal and $1Bn of Australian coal turning into useless sludge in 80 ships parked off China, the price of coal has doubled. Everyone’s making much more money out of coal and it is costing China many billions to shut down the cheapest, best supplier.

      These huge markets take a lot of our produce but at rock bottom prices, like our rock bottom lobsters which rotted on the Wharves in China. And another door opens. Australia is a cheap supplier and hard to resist but China was taking all our output and playing hard ball with prices. Despite this our iron ore is now making record profits mainly on Chinese sales. It’s not so simple to close off best price commodity contracts and turn away from great deals.

      And the Germans need us to buy their Mercedes and BMWs. Toyota, Honda, Kia, Subaru, Hyundai and China are just waiting. Trade wars have unexpected results.

      All because we asked who created this virus? Who does not know. They go with the frozen American military chook idea.

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      • #
        R.B.

        Peter Fitzroy
        March 11, 2021 at 12:42 pm · Reply
        I have never been wrong, your have just never agreed with me – there is a difference

        I thought I would remind everyone of how ignorant of the scientific method Fitzy is. (and to help him out, most scientific postulates turn out to be wrong and binned. Hubris keeps some wrong ideas in text books for longer than they should.)

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        • #
          Peter Fitzroy

          I am posting about trade, can you at least stick to the topic, I understand that ad Homs is your only way of communicating

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          • #
            R.B.

            You don’t understand anything. You make assertions with utmost confidence when it’s clearly a lie.

            It’s not an ad hominem. Its criticism of yesterdays dumb assertion. TdeF already did a good job of rebutting you.

            For my criticism of today’s, it is the market did not decide in China. A communist government imposed it’s will ie. people who are immune from the consequences of having to use a different supplier made the decision.

            The problem with our economy is that we don’t burn our coal for cheap and reliable power. We have elected officials who only feel the consequences of their decisions at the ballot box, and they are guided by public servants and the media who are concerned by not looking left enough that they get ostracised by their friends. This not only leads to stupid energy decisions but the case where very few industries can absorb the large Labour cost and still export – or produce for the small local market.

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            • #
              Peter Fitzroy

              Replace the word China with USA – the result is the same.

              As to science, I’ve probably forgotten more science than you have ever know, and I’ve not forgotten much.

              AS to right or wrong – who appointed you as the arbiter for this blog

              As to Ad Homs “ignorant” “Fitzy” “Hubris”

              Stay on topic, stay away from insults, and grow up

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              • #
                Rupert Ashford

                Will that be political science or real science like the type that Peter Ridd stands for?

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              • #
                R.B.

                Are they ad hominems? Not sure why Fitzy is ad hom at all, but the other two refer to what you asserted. You clearly have, from your comment, zero idea of what an ad hom is, but it didn’t stop you from pretending.

                Google scholar, I’m surprised to see, only has a Peter Fitzroy writing on marketing. I don’t have much of a career in science but some papers and a patent.

                Nobody appointed me an arbiter. Where I have I come close to asserting “stay on topic”.

                Grow up? How about you stop the ad homes, lying and see if you can rebut the criticism.

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              • #
                R.B.

                …and I’ll promise to proof read.

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              • #
                sophocles

                I’ve never known you to be right, yet, Fitzroy.

                You’re giving yourself airs you haven’t earned, and you are not being honest.

                R.B.:

                Find the link HOME at the top left of this page, and follow the “ARCHIVED Blog Pages”
                on the drop-down menu. All the pages including their comments are available.
                Choose a year (suggest sometime later than 2012) and Search for “Peter Fitzroy” and “AndyG55.”
                You will be able to read some very enlightening comments/arguments …
                Enjoy.

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              • #
                R.B.

                I might do that. Cheers.

                10

      • #
        Peter Fitzroy

        TedF – The Australian market is small and is probably a rounding error for BMW Sales worldwide (for example). The point I am making is that as a nation which prefers to export raw material and primary produce at low prices, to enable the purchase of finished goods at hight prices, we are exposed to market forces (inducing tariffs) and the resulting terms of trade which exposes us to this sort of tactic. We can not easily substitute markets, nor switch production.

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        • #
          el gordo

          China is misbehaving, using the market as political leverage, its the new world order.

          Even if the EU, US and China heavy us, we will not bend because we value our freedoms.

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          • #
            Tilba Tilba

            Even if the EU, US and China heavy us, we will not bend because we value our freedoms.

            The degree to which we value freedom might be tested, if or balance of trade goes south, our debts soar, and the standard of living we enjoy is compromised.

            But I agree we are not powerless in all this … we have products that the world seems to want, so any overkill will cost the perpetrators a great deal as well.

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            • #
              el gordo

              ‘ … and the standard of living we enjoy is compromised.’

              Not likely, with abundant agricultural and mineral resources we should find other markets. Beijing will develop new mines in the Third World and ease away from dependence on Australia’s raw materials.

              It might be time to cut our ties with the US Alliance, which is clearly an impediment.

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              • #
                Tilba Tilba

                Not likely, with abundant agricultural and mineral resources we should find other markets.

                Yeah well … we are a water-stressed and nutrient-poor nation, so we have good but limited agricultural abundance. However we are not a giant food basket like Ukraine or the US Midwest.

                And yes, we have minerals and coal, but they aren’t unlimited. While they last I trust we can diversify our markets. Australia went in thrall of China years ago – under Bob Hawke I think.

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              • #
                el gordo

                Both sides of politics have been wooed by Beijing, but it was Gough Whitlam who made the initial breakthrough.

                In terms of diversification, home grown tourism offers the best chance in the near future and eventually a return of international tourists. For some people its the emptiness of the place which makes it appealing.

                Education has taken a hit, but should recover to some degree and that is huge. Immigration is halted and now they are saying we shouldn’t allow in a flood of new immigrants because the over heated property market would go through the roof.

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            • #
              Tilba Tilba

              In terms of diversification, home grown tourism offers the best chance in the near future

              Education has taken a hit, but should recover to some degree and that is huge

              Yeah well … domestic tourism is nice, but it doesn’t bring in overseas dollars. It shifts some wealth from Melbourne and Sydney to Port Douglas, Airlie Beach, and Broome … but really, it’s small beer. We need thousands of Japanese, Chinese, and European tourists to turn up.

              International education is a really complex issue … its a big export earner, but hugely sensitive to the pandemic mechanics. We will see how it goes.

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      • #
        Dennis

        Australian Coal but shipped Free On Board (F.O.B.) meaning loaded on board ship and then the buyer is required to pay for the shipment upon presentation of the shipping documents at an agreed bank.

        The shipments are owned by Chinese buyers now.

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        • #
          TdeF

          Were these shipments FOB? If so, the invoices are due for payment. Unless it is one of the subgroups like the unusual FOB Destination, a new one for me which seems to contradict the whole point of FOB. It’s like these new Coupe cars with four doors, not what it means.

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          • #
            Dennis

            According to The Australian newspaper shipped F.O.B. and now paid for and owned by the Chinese buyers

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            • #
              TdeF

              That’s great news for the Australian supplier if FOB means what it used to mean in prepayment, but makes you wonder why China is punishing their own people? And the poor sailors trapped on those ships. Who is paying the owners of the ships and the sailors? I note that some ships are unloading as the cruelty to the sailors is appalling, but the coal has not passed customs. It’s a debacle for both sides.

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    • #
      RickWill

      China is simply trying to balance its books. It cannot produce wind generators and solar panels for the world without raw materials from Australia. Australia has a $5.5bn monthly surplus on trade with China. More than half the total surplus.

      I am certain that if Australia refused to sell iron ore to China, China would come and take it. They get half their steel production from Australian iron ore. Think of the poor state of wind generators if China cannot get Australian iron ore

      Australia has simply filled the demand gap for coal with supplies to India, Korea and Japan. If they high cost for their raw materials from internal sources they will soon lose out to other producers willing to use Australia’s high quality, reliable supplies.

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      • #
        Tilba Tilba

        I am certain that if Australia refused to sell iron ore to China, China would come and take it.

        What – they would invade the Pilbara? I don’t think that would happen … trade wars becoming hot wars are 19th Century. If the Chinese sent even one gunboat to Port Hedland, the world would shut them down – they know that.

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        • #
          el gordo

          It won’t come to that.

          (Reuters) – ‘China aims to build one or two globally significant overseas iron ore mines by 2025 to boost supply of the steelmaking ingredient and strengthen its pricing power, the industry ministry said on Thursday.’

          24

          • #
            Rupert Ashford

            China is also bribing people in Africa to “give” them pieces of land (some even under the guise of “land expropriation and redistribution” to level the racial playing field) where they intend to build their own owned and operated coal mines for their exclusive use in Africa.

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            • #
              el gordo

              Where ever they go the first thing they do is get hold of the electricity system and upgrade. The SOE come in as independent free marketeers and you can see them in Australia, usually associated with established Australian companies.

              A parcel of land near the new Sydney airport went for $200 million to Centurion, a SOE backed Australian company. This is all part of a long plan to build a fast designated train to Central from the airport, but everyone says its financially unviable.

              Of course this is a test run to eventually roll out very fast trains, first to the Illawarra and then under the Great Divide.

              14

      • #
        Ted O’Brien.

        Balance its books? I wonder.

        Communists believe that they don’t have to balance their books. And China may be big enough to get away with it. The China situation is not of a familiar type.

        How much does it resemble Germany in the 1930s?

        Our commentators tell us China is punishing us for our activity in relation to the spread of CV19.

        I suggest it is much more likely our activities in relation to their Belt and Road that are annoying them.

        21

    • #
      Klem

      C’mon folks, it’s time to move away from China, there is a better market right next door. India has almost the same population as China and in a few years will surpass China. It has an open market Capitalists system with a Parliamentary democracy, and as far as anyone knows the government doesn’t round up civilians and ‘disappear’ them, or routinely commit genocide, or has a stated goal of world domination by 2050.

      China represents the past, India is the future.

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      • #
        PeterS

        and then there’s Africa but China has already beaten us to the punch there. I am convinced that our political “masters” simply have no clue what damage they are inflicting on our nation by only looking forward to the next election. Meanwhile China is looking forward to the next century. It’s pretty obvious by then the West would be relegated to the historical dustbin of dead empires. Fortunately, I won’t be around to see it.

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      • #
        Murray Shaw

        And they speak English!

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    • #
      Frank from NoVA

      Peter,

      Nice callout for the return to mercantilism! Please note:

      Markets tend to clear where the economic benefit of exchange to society is maximized, subject, of course, to any reductions in societal benefit imposed by predatory governments. If the EU and China impede the import of Australian goods and coal, respectively, they’re only punishing their own constituents, since any other arrangements they come up with will be, by definition, less beneficial. NB_1: If this wasn’t true, there wouldn’t be any need for the EU and China to impose constraints in the first place, would there? NB_2: The fastest and least painful way for Australia to overcome the predatory nature of foreign governments is for it’s own government to become less predatory, i.e., allow domestic prices, including wages, to adjust, and, even better, allow its coal to be used domestically for the production of electricity!

      30

  • #
    TdeF

    And manned submarines are obsolete and far too expensive against drones. In fact autonomous fighting machines and guided bombs are going to win. Who needs submarines and artillery? That’s so 20th century and smart machines not dumb missiles are better value. The Terminator Arnold Schwarznegger knows all about it.

    The biggest winners in the windmills business are the Germans and even the Chinese windmills are German/Chinese windmills. Of course they want us to buy more windmills. I do not know when we started trusting the Germans and the French to look after us. That’s not been the experience of the 20th century or any other time.

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  • #
    Jojodogfacedboy

    Can you imagine a shock to the system when the US shuts down 1/2 million barrels of oil a day will be hitting Ontario, Canada?
    A multitude of railway lines were ripped up and taken away when this pipeline was installed.
    This is happening May 31 when the Province was given 6 months notice.

    The Province way of preparing is they hope they reconsider.
    As they prepare to go green.

    I live in this Province and will let you know how this goes.

    360

  • #
    Frost Giant Rebellion

    Trade wars are no problem. Internal Keynesians are a big problem. These are wreckers on the wrong side of the moat, posing dishonestly as experts in demand management. We have to marginalise everyone who advocates against surplus budgets. The Keynesians have all turned Jacobin anyway. Jacobin wokesters give people trouble for a long time and then they are neutralised very quickly. So for example the French Jacobins were all dealt with in 1794. Our problems don’t come from welfare. But rather just from these daft and dishonest notions that favour debt.

    We don’t need Europe. We have the coal. They don’t. We don’t need to export coal to these people. But wer do need to export coal to our good good friends in Japan. Not everything the post-coup government has done is wrong. Most of it but not all of it. One good thing is these four-way talks between the US, Japan, India and Australia. Thats twenty years overdue right there. Since the US government is not legitimate it means that our guys can take the lead in negotiations and try to convince the Americans that they have to exercise more discipline and stay out of complications all over the world. Whereas their job is to box in China until its well into its demographic collapse. Murdering people in Syria is not part of that equation. And our friends in Japan and India ought to be spelling this out to the usurping junta in the US.

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    • #
      Tilba Tilba

      We have to marginalise everyone who advocates against surplus budgets.

      It’s déjà vu all over again.

      When Republicans are in power they spend like drunken sailors on their favourites – Wall Street, military suppliers, big donors – and give ever-more tax cuts to the rich and to corporations.

      As soon as Democrats get into power they flip the switch and all become “responsible” deficit hawks … a story as old as time.

      Since the US government is not legitimate …

      Still can’t accept that Donald Trump lost to President Biden, and that no official, tribunal, or court in the land found credible evidence to support any fraud claim?

      223

      • #
        Mike Jonas

        Anerica’s big problem now is that when the Democrat party is in power they also spend like drunken sailors on their favourites – Wall Street, military suppliers, big donors.
        Please note that I referred to “the Democrat party” not “Democrats” to avoid confusion.
        Donald Trump is a democrat.

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        • #
          Rupert Ashford

          Correct terminology. And they are not the “Democratic” party either. There’s very little “democratic” about them…

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        • #
          Tilba Tilba

          Please note that I referred to “the Democrat party” not “Democrats” to avoid confusion. Donald Trump is a democrat.

          I do really admire the devotion to Donald Trump by the MAGA faithful … for them he is the last pure politician in America. Everything else and everyone else is corrupt.

          Amazing stuff – but that is what cults do – deify their leaders irrespective of their failings. (And I consider the Catholic Church a 2000-year-old cult as well … deifying a bewildering list of dreadful men playing the role of Pope – so I’m not biased – they’re all crazy).

          36

          • #
            Great Aunt Janet

            Who’d you like then, Tilba Tilba? (and yes, I agree re the Republicans, mainly dreadful sleazy pollies – that’s why Donald Trump was different).

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        • #
          Tilba Tilba

          Anerica’s big problem now is that when the Democrat party is in power they also spend like drunken sailors on their favourites – Wall Street, military suppliers, big donors.

          I notice that you – tellingly – left off the bit about the Republicans giving even more tax cuts to the rich and the corporations.

          19

          • #
            Brian the Engineer

            Spending Government money is easy, to gain from a tax cut you have to create things.

            20

      • #
        Kevin kilty

        Repeat as often as you like but it will never become the truth. No one has actually adjudicted the election claims. No court wished to handle these hot rivets and so they were tossed out usually on technicalities. In many cases Democrats still refuse to turn over election documents.

        The wealthy across the U.S. hated the tax law you characterize as a give away to the rich because it closed one of their favorite deductions. The write off of mortgage interest on second and third homes. Capped it at 10,000. Democrats will retore this to the wealthy. BTW the share of federal income tax paid by the 1% rose from 38.5% in 2017 to 40.1% the first full years after that tax cut you claim was for the wealthy.

        I recognize you are Australian, but you do a very good imitation of a U.S. Democrat.

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        • #
          Tilba Tilba

          Repeat as often as you like but it will never become the truth. No one has actually adjudicated the election claims.

          Yes they have – every state bar one (WI – and they were only one day late) certified that their elections were kosher by the safe-harbor date of 8 December. By so doing they adjudicated that claims of “election fraud” were not credible. And not a single official, tribunal, or judiciary ruled that there was credible evidence of “election fraud”.

          How much certification and authorisation do you need? I understand that disappointed people resort to denial of reality – but it must have a Use-By date, surely.

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  • #
    PeterS

    All part of the Great Reset now under way. Let’s see how far it goes before the people rise up and demand our governments stop this BS!

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    • #
      Tilba Tilba

      All part of the Great Reset now under way.

      Great – it’s decades late … and it will be good for you, trust me 🙂

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      • #
        Jonty Skinner

        So you are telling us that WE are to own nothing, and you and your people are to own EVERYTHING. Is that what you are trying to tell us Tilba?

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      • #
        Klem

        Its decades late alright, like 1930s German National Socialist Party decades late.

        We’ll own nothing and we’re going to like it.

        Can’t wait, can you?

        11

  • #
    diogenese2

    The European Parliament has no power to initiate ANY european legislation or action by the EU. It can only ratify (or not) decisions or agreements determined by the EU Commission. In passing, the parliament has not yet ratified the UK withdrawal agreement that has applied since 31st Jan 2020 when we left the union. Currently they are taking legal action against the UK for breaches of an agreement which is not yet legal. The tariff proposals have nothing to do with the Paris Agreement, that is just the peg on which they are hung. The action is an acknowledgment that the EU “green” energy policy is destroying the competitiveness of EU production. The tariffs are to protect EU producers in contravention of World Trade Organisation regulations. A trade war is inevitable. These tariffs will not, of course, apply to China.
    It also exposes the herd of elephants in the room of Zero Emissions and “carbon offsets”. At COP Glasgow 2012 China will blow the issue out of the water by insisting that their exports will carry their carbon footprint to the end users, something totally ignored at present as, if included, will wipe out all the “climate action” boasts of the Annex NationsAs for “offsets” they are a cheat (as are biofuels). It is acknowledged that about half of annual human emissions are absorbed by the natural sinks. “Offsets” are simply laying claim that your emissions are part of those absorbed!
    Another fine cheat.

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    • #
      RickWill

      Just 2% of energy comes from weather dependent generation, It has taken 2 decades and mind numbing costs to achieve that. So far the really easy part is behind us. It gets hard from here on as South Australia has learnt and Texas just learning.

      It does not matter how hard they try there is no viable alternative to fossil fuels. The only thing that will reduce the use of fossil fuel is their scarcity and high cost as a consequence.

      The only known renewable energy is managed forests and they require as much land as the WDGs so have limited scope.

      It is a challenging problem that the world will likely need to face this century.

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      • #
        David Maddison

        The only viable alternative to fossil fuels is properly engineered hydro schemes (not Snow Hydro 2) and nuclear. Hydro is almost fully exploited worldwide with very little capacity for new schemes except in Tibet for the benefit of the Chicomms. And the same people who promote weather dependent electricity are also opposed to new real hydro and nuclear.

        240

        • #
          Gary Simpson

          Right David, these are the ‘enlightened ones’, the ‘progressives’, who, while exhorting the rest of us to listen to the ‘science’, are fervently praying to the weather gods to deliver us to energy nirvana. No #$@^&* chance!

          50

      • #
        Matthew

        Let’s see just how ‘cheap’ the power from sunbeams and breezes would be if the generous subsidies are dropped and a requirement for steady dispatchable power mandated.

        31

    • #
      Roger

      EU was structured to act as a protectionist bloc, and that remains the case today..

      Figures you don’t hear nowadays (and I can’t seem to find them) from when the EU was running its internal market propaganda encouraging EU (EC at the time) nations to trade with each other rather than the rest of the world showed a drop in exports from europe to rest of world of around 20+% within 3 or 4 years.

      Since then tarrifs have been used, along with CAP and CFP, to protect inefficient EU producers.

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  • #
    Kalm Keith

    It might be interesting to ask a question.

    Will there be an EEU next year.

    Stories of peasant revolts in France and Spain are filtering out and Britain has many unresolved issues that will create ongoing pressure which the EU may not survive.

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    • #
      tonyb

      “We export $30 billion dollars worth of goods and services to the EU, but import $80 billion dollars worth of EU goods, none of which we really have to have, and that’s despite the EU already having higher tariffs on Australian goods than we do on EU goods. Could we not just add tariffs to incoming EU goods to recover their charges and distribute them back to subsidize our exporters to the EU? Seems only fair.”

      Britain buys some £400 billion of goods from the EU and exports £300 billion…

      Its about time we all recognised that gives us a strong hand. Alternatives are often available and one of those alternatives is supplying previously imported products ourselves. Whilst we in the UK can’t do that with bananas, there are numerous things we could grow or make ourselves and buy more from our genuine friends such as Australia.

      We are far too dependent on the EU who are strongly pushing the notion of carbon taxes.

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    • #
      Sirob

      Will there be an EEU next year.

      Let’s hope there will not be an EEU or a political union.

      I know many of my family and close associates in the EU hope so too. They like free nation states that cooperate and trade not coercion with iron straight-jackets.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Now that Once Great Britain is out of the EU, why can’t Australia focus on exporting goods there, just as used to happen before the EU, then called the EEC?

    And our government (Australia) is too woke to build nuclear reactors or come up with pretend “carbon” targets. Outside of the EU, few places on earth have a more fanatical commitment to the anthropogenic global warming fraud (except maybe NZ).

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    • #
      Redge

      We’ve already taken Lewandowski off your hands, how about a bit of quid quo pro 😉

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    • #
      tonyb

      We are the third larges importer in the world. I would gladly buy things from Oz rather than our so called friends in the EU

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      • #

        There has been almost no recognition that I have seen in the Australian media of how obvious and beneficial it would be to return to a strong UK-AU relationship.

        My guess is that Australians outside the Upperclass would happily slip right back to that at the drop of a hat.

        Their ABC was anti-Brexit to the end and pro-EU. Forecasts of gloom and doom, and never a mention of the obvious large advantage to Australian businesses from the restoration of any Commonwealth connections.

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          DOC

          My guess is, both the British and Australian governments are so woke that they feel such a ‘reunion’ would make them have to face the accusations of something like being involved in ‘White supremacy’.

          They have already given in previously to the creed ‘the science is in’ and act accordingly. They pander to the EU, the UN and the rest of the conniving globalist movement around the world, to show what good world citizens they are. They are more willing to see their people freeze or fry, living standards fall and the economy be handicapped from climate ‘therapy’ than they are to have faith in true scientific methodology, let the professionals fight it out between themselves as to what is true.

          Governments are now more terrified by the professional activists that they have permitted to go unchallenged in their demands on society and the methods they use to enforce those demands, than they are of the voters. The terrible acts of submission we’ve seen by governments of all ilks in pandering to these groups instead of taking up the fight and arguing the alternate case against caving to rioters, looters and social destroyers in our communities is what has us looking down the barrels of ever constricting loss of our democratic freedoms.

          We’ve had a series of centre right – eminently challengeable – PM’s for whom freedoms are a third order issue ie they don’t allow anybody else to stand up for our values either, which is merely another means of self protection for their own shameful weakness in protecting our traditions of a free and open democracy. From this all else has stemmed.

          They fawned over China, refusing to admit it was a cunning and alien culture. They have fawned over the UN and the EU for 50years which gave us globalism theory and is proving as alien as anything China, with Climate theory. Look where our naive – or is that conniving – politicians have landed us in both cases. Our politicians are now so weak they even hive off power to big businesses to enforce undemocratic foreign morays of social action upon us so the politicians escape the odium. They are so slow they still haven’t linked this handing over of power to unelected CEO’s that force their will upon us by ‘cancellation’ and job losses, to the experience they’ve just had with facebook, twitter etc. Jo’s last paragraph still rules! It won’t get better anytime soon.

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          tonyb

          Why were they pro EU? The trading advantages are surely obvious as is the closeness of families/allies

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    Philip

    All the more reason to dig up coal, send it up an escalator and into a furnace and reduce our electricity price so we can overcome our tyranny of distance and power primary industry. Once that runs out we build nuclear. Bugger their tarrifs, we’ll subidise by reducing our power costs significantly. If countries want to stop buying our coal, good on them, more for us. But that wont happen.

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      Richard Owen No.3

      There is another use for coal (brown or black) and that is chemicals. Instead of subsidising hydrogen production why not develop a basic scheme for fuels? Like diesel so SA doesn’t go dark when the wind stops blowing.
      I remind you that NZ almost switched to petrol from natural gas – the conversion to methanol was proven, and the plans for the (zeolite) plant to convert that to petrol were advanced until the oil price dropped.

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    Lawrie

    What you say Jo makes eminent sense unfortunately it lacks a means of delivery; a sensible and strong government.

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    TdeF

    And both the EU and UN have always seen Climate Change as their tool to start controlling other governments. Taxing other countries is only part of their concept to control other countries. And like Dictator Dan in Victoria, the other step is getting their own army. Daniel Andrews came within a few votes in the upper house of having what Adolph Hitler passed in the reichstag in 1933, the power for arbitrary arrest without judicial oversight or explanation or limits. All courtesy of the Wuhan Flu from his best friends.

    There are a number of cold wars raging. Wuhan Flu. International Trade. BLM. AntiFA. Climate Extinction. Carbon taxes. Nuclear weapons have made hot war almost impossible but it is not only the CCP planning world domination. The EU was meant to be a new Hanseatic league, not another Imperial empire. And the UN was meant to be a simple forum for peace and cooperation. Both want to be the world government. And this is their carrot and stick version of the Belt and Road, the new Imperialism.

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    OriginalSteve

    Europe sent its unwanted citizens to Australia, now we are the ones to have the last laugh as the european Soviet starts to collapse in on itself…and even funnier is that they expect us to go along with their air-headed green ideas. Um…non!!

    The EU is a failed communist experiement.

    I guess we could just give a typical gaulic shrug, and just laugh at the EU…..its what it deserves.

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    PeterS

    The only way we will ever have nuclear power stations built here, at least in the near to medium term is for China to take us over.

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      el gordo

      We discussed this on many occasions, nuclear power for Oz is not viable or necessary in a cooling world.

      The China Infrastructure Bank will lend us the monies to build a state of the art unit, but its the equivalent of raising the white flag.

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      • #
        OriginalSteve

        I disagree…in a cooling world it makes a lot of sense to have a close to inexhaustable power source as a backup to coal or gas.

        From an infrastructure resilience point of view it makes a lot of sense.

        But then Im not a satanic, human hating globalist who appear to want many people to freeze to death and eat lentil burgers for our “sin” of being made in Gods image…..which the people who drive “climate change” policy appear to be.

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          el gordo

          Yeah right, settle down, global cooling takes a long while to happen.

          Nuclear power plants cost around $12 billion, whereas a new coal fired Hele would be cheaper and erected faster. Gas fired power stations are even cheaper to set up and if its main purpose is to support renewables, then in the interim it may work.

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          • #

            Agreed. the only extra benefit to having Nuclear power is that we would also gain expertise in the industry. Otherwise, on costs, just burn that damn brown coal while it is still worth something, and filter out the actual pollutants as carefully as we can then live like Kings on the cheap energy.

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              Frost Giant Rebellion

              “Agreed. the only extra benefit to having Nuclear power is that we would also gain expertise in the industry.”

              That is the benefit alright. So we need to get started right away. Just a humble catalytic allowance to get started and spend a lot of time on it.

              20

            • #
              Dennis

              Australia has a lack of expertise in nuclear energy according to the politicians, but few mention the Sydney suburb Lucas Heights nuclear reactor that has been operating since the 1950s producing radio isotopes for commercial and medical purposes, and that this reactor has a problem-free record and is of course maintained by Australians.

              The Greens did attempt to scare people about Lucas Heights in recent years claiming there was an accident involving radiated material, that was misleading, the “accident” was not inside the reactor and involved a sealed container that fell from a warehouse rack causing no damage or injury.

              00

      • #
        Kalm Keith

        You may have missed this.

        ” as a backup to coal or gas”.

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          el gordo

          Narrabri gas power to support Gladys renewable zones, it should work as an interim measure to quieten the chattering classes. Of course when they discover CO2 doesn’t cause global warming, then they will build a Hele next to the coal mine.

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    Alex

    and the EU hypocrites were lambasting Trump for increasing tariffs on Communist China.

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    • #
      Custer Van Cleef

      From memory, Ch1na had to suck up the cost of those tariffs. It wasn’t easy for them to pass on that charge to end-consumers, when those consumers had the choice of product-switching.
      For example, the sneakers made in Ch1na aren’t any better than the ones from Vietnam, so if their price were to suddenly rise, Ch1na loses market share.

      I do believe though, that governments have an obligation to keep their revenue neutral, and not just jack up tariffs to pay the bills. Any windfall from tariffs should be returned to consumers as a tax cut.

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    Senex

    Sorry, Australia. Canada will gladly take your shiraz, but we have all the beef, gold and uranium we need. We will likely end up in the same boat as you once the EU turns its sights westward.

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  • #
    Richard Ilfeld

    We were taught in Economics 101, if we were taught before “social justice”, that in practice trade is good because the most efficient producers will optimize the production of the goods they produce most efficiently, and all will benefit.
    We were taught that the market price is set when a transaction occurs at the margin between a willing buyer and a willing seller.
    And, in a different class, we were taught the Maslow hierarchy of needs, we want to be warm and safe with full bellies before we do luxury goods.
    Don’t see where the rules have changed. Canada, the US, and OZ can feed , fuel, and shelter themselves, even without nukes.
    This is based on both raw materials, first world capacities, and current, if ephemeral status.
    China gets poorer fast without trade, or neo-colonial exploitation. Same with South and Central America. EU may well be a basket case of self-inflicted wounds; though they’ve not gone full Weimar like Venz.. The UK has gone a bit natters, but I think they still understand they are a bitty island, and need to interact with the world.
    Historically, it appears to me that trade has usually trumped ideology, and quickly too.
    We don’t like the way China does “trade”, but they couldn’t stay a closed society, even with absolute power.

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    […] And that is every comment at the present time. So let me end with this: EU bullies demand control of Australian electricity in order to do trade deals. […]

    10

  • #
    Steve Richards

    If you want the UK to buy more, just ask us! We are not in the mood for EU shenanigans, what with Brexit trouble making, post Brexit trouble making, vaccine envy, stopping Italy exporting vaccine to you.

    Just launch a well publicized news release in the UK, stating that the EU are trying to stitch you up as well!!!!!

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    • #

      Excellent. Just what we want to hear.

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      Dennis

      The Australian media has not devoted much time to the discussions and negotiations underway to revive Commonwealth of Nations relationships, notably trade and defence.

      The UK opened discussions with Australia and India (and others) before Brexit was settled and Australia has been talking to the UK and India (and others) for some time, our former PM Tony Abbott has been involved and travels regularly for meetings. The UK has since appointed him as Government agent or representative for future closer economic relations with the Commonwealth of Nations.

      And in defence formation of a Quad agreement (quadrilateral) between the US, India, Australia and Japan has been signed and similar arrangements with other Commonwealth of Nations allies and other allies such as the US.

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    Roger

    The “giveway” in any argument to go “carbon neutral” is the determination to refuse to use nuclear.

    Any sane person with an ounce of brains can discover the fact, in an hour or less, that unreliable renewables are incapable of powering a developed society. Ergo one has to conclude from that glaring “giveaway” that the intention is to de-industrialise the developed world, handing manufacturing, jobs and wealth to China and other parts of the world which are not interested in “decarbonising”.

    As for the EU, who cares, they are already losing manufacturing industry and jobs because of the astronomic costs of electricity and are in a death spiral politically. The UK in contrast is Open for Business.

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    bobn

    Kathleen van Brempt, a key parliamentary trade coordinator, said an FTA was contingent on “a clear vision [from] Australia by when and how they will become climate neutral …

    Well thats answered. Australia (like the rest of the world) is already climate neutral. Nothing mankind has or is doing changes global climate. (If you disagree, prove it. No-one has proved it yet!)

    I think sanctions against EU is a great idea; until they stop being an idiocracy!

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      OriginalSteve

      Exactly….

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      PeterS

      It’s more likely the West will place sanctions on China for not complying with the emission reduction scam as we get closer to the imaginary catastrophe.

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      another ian

      As that Rudyard Kipling poem says

      “Once you pay up the danegeld

      You never get rid of the Dane”

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      OriginalSteve

      If the russians shut off gas to europe, it would implode pretty quickly.

      Heres the thing, Russia is now seen the corrosive influence of the internet on the West and its rampant moral decline, and is moving to shut off p0rn and things like that. They are becoming rapidly Christian. Putin has a chequered past and I dont endore him, so as Russia no doubt has noted that the EU is behaving all wild-eyed and is intent on economic and societal hari kiri by 1st world climate stupidity, all they have to do is shut off gas and the EU dies. Simple.

      But seriously, the EU politically and morally is a damaged and dangerous animal, why would you want to help it alive?

      Australua should withdraw any support of the failed communist EU experiment and let it self destruct.

      Something to think about.

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        truth

        Australia should research and establish the real emissions …including the copious fugitive emissions…. from the Russian gas that Germany can’t do without.

        Many who’ve studied CO2-equivalent emissions from gas v coal claim that gas is the higher emitter overall….but the trouble is that would also damage our gas industry….unless ours is cleaner.

        Nevertheless the truth should be told about it.

        The EU countries are already burning biomass [emissions uncounted] like there’s no tomorrow so the Australian Government should call for those emissions to be counted as well.

        If the EU is still the biggest importer of palm oil they should be called on to end that policy forthwith…and countries like Germany and Denmark that make many of the world’s wind turbines and solar panels must surely be subject to tariffs on them, since those technologies emit in their manufacture GHgases NF3 and SF6 that are massively more potent than CO2…up to 25000 times…and resident thousands of years in the atmosphere.

        Consider all those solar panels Australians have purchased from EU producers.

        What Australia should now do ….if the EU goes ahead with this policy..is to build a fleet of HELE coal plants and deploy the RMIT CCC technology…ie CO2 gas converted to solid carbon at room temperature…if it’s been proven viable as was indicated when first announced worldwide.

        The Morrison government will probably just fold and succumb to the bullies because Morrison’s factional master who is also Matt Kean’s and Gladys’s guru….pays court to the CAGW hoaxers ….is in the Naomi Klein/Gore/Podesta/Sandler Foundation coven…and cracks the whip over NSW and Australian politicians accordingly.

        He ….and Morrison et al’s deference to him is why Tony Abbott was politically assassinated….Australian democracy desecrated….why Craig Kelly is probably going to lose his preselection…it’s why Australia has such weak characters and proven failures in the Federal Cabinet…except for a few like Dutton…it’s why we’ll probably have to face off with China in < 6 years with no submarines and diminished capacity to defend ourselves.

        The expert opinion is that if there's confrontation with China over Taiwan…as seems inevitable….China's first strike will be against Australia….because Pine Gap will be its number one imperative.

        So the EU has to know it is demanding that Australia commit suicide for its hoax…and the Australian government should make that clear…but it won't.

        The EU …that's too gutless or compromised to support peace moves in the ME….is dutifully weakening the democracies and empowering the Communist Chinese Dictatorship/Russia nexus to move militarily against us….a point that must be put up in lights for posterity.

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      Dennis

      The EU and the UN IPCC know that Australia is one of the few UN Member Nations that achieved Kyoto Agreement emissions targets. Indeed, the IPCC has been demanding that Australia does not claim credits and use them for the Paris Agreement. How dare they, Australia earned the credits and the UN should have no right to change the goal posts.

      However, Australia is now well on track to achieve Paris Agreement emissions reduction targets. But not good enough for the bullies including the lagging way behind EU.

      With due consideration for the “developing nations” being permitted or ignored as they continue to add more coal fired power stations, China also building them in African nations and others as foreign aid projects, the leaning on Australia is pathetic and the acceptance by our supposed to be elected representatives is even worse than pathetic.

      Economic vandalism.

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    […] And that is every comment at the present time. So let me end with this: EU bullies demand control of Australian electricity in order to do trade deals. […]

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    oebele bruinsma

    Excellent idea: “We should also cancel our French submarine purchase “in protest” (any excuse will do — the Japanese subs are better in any case).”

    This world is slowly drifting towards disintegration when compared to the old normal. But as normal is being wiped out, see Unilevers decision to cancel the word normal on shampoo labels and the like, you know (I hope) where we are on this sliding slope….

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      truth

      Oebele Bruinsma…

      You are so right about the ‘drift towards disintegration’…and the more the Left demands cancellation…the more the rest of us should use the word ‘normal’…because the eradication of that particular concept is vital to the success of their whole mad apocalypse.

      Their ‘post-normal’ concept and their determined inclusion of science and scientific method in that cancellation…. socially-engineered a whole generation or more of children to ‘believe’ that nothing is absolute…nothing is true or false….everything fluid and relative….and ripe for manipulation by the Left for their ‘ends’.

      The whole maniacal destruction of Western democracies and Civilization that the Left is embarked on, depends on their success or otherwise in scrambling the brains and moulding the resulting screwed-up minds of each new generation….so accordingly… we who are not willing to be complicit…must hear what they demand we do and do the opposite…for the sake of our children and their chance to ever lead normal lives…IMO.

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    oebele bruinsma

    [Duplicate]…

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    Zigmaster

    I find it pretty disturbing that the EU would try to use hostage diplomacy to coerce Australia to join their climate insanity. One thing I know is whatever one decides to do in these circumstances giving into demands is the worst. All that does is to encourage them to impose more draconian demands. Australia has always justified action on climate change saying they have international obligations and commitments. No we don’t! If no one else is meeting their commitments or the agreement is totally one sided that negates any global requirements one might feel. In the meantime China just ignores any commitments and renders futile the actions of the rest of the world.
    It’s time for the Australian government to totally stop any climate action policies and look after Australia’s interest. If countries choose not to trade with us there are plenty of others who will. Continued development of new markets is crucial to Australia’s future both in terms of both imports and exports. It’s time that Liberal governments started to listen to their base.

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    • #
      truth

      Absolutely right Zigmaster.

      A Europe…that wins more trade deals with China and moves to embolden the Chinese Communist dictatorship….even while China targets and loudly threatens Australia for having the temerity to call for investigation of the source of the Corona virus that’s devastating Europe and the world….a Europe that at the same time seeks to cripple democratic Australia …cannot be trusted as an ally IMO.

      It’s impossible to see the EU lifting a finger to help Australia if we’re targeted by the increasingly expansionary and bellicose China…despite the fact that Europe’s freedom and its very existence were paid for with the lives of huge numbers of Australians …and British, Canadians and Americans.

      I agree that ….

      ‘It’s time for the Australian government to totally stop any climate action policies and look after Australia’s interest.’

      And it should constantly be spelt out…that the GlobalLeft…EU in particular…. is demanding that Australia commit suicide as a 1st world nation…demanding that it be the only nation on the face of the earth without any baseload power…entirely dependent on the most undependable element of the earth system…the weather…while those demanding that medieval sacrifice thrive with their baseload energy forever…with nuclear…huge hydro…fraudulent biomass-burning and their ever-present interconnectors to neighbours who have baseload technology.

      Europe should be made to own the treachery inherent in what they are demanding…its real import…the truth of its real intent …to be recorded for posterity.

      And we should demand that Morrison explain…amongst many other matters….exactly why he is tacitly approving the crippling and ultimate demise of our children’s futures for a Leftist hypthesis that has never been proven and was never allowed to be questioned…..the up-ending of science that brought us all the great progress and breakthroughs of the 20th Century.

      Why is a purportedly Liberal PM obeying Global Socialists at the expense of Australia’s future and why is he corrupting truth….personally destroying good…real truth-telling Australians…and deliberately deceiving the Australian people in order to do it?

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    Ed P

    Now we have escaped the death-grip of the FU (OK, EU, but changing that letter tells you how much they care about others), I hope the UK welcomes back our loyal Commonwealth partners.
    All these tariffs seem to ignore that China is building more and more coal-fired generation – they don’t care for Paris or any other CO2-nonsense – making reductions and the associated increased expenses pointless for the UK and Australia. (A bit like worrying about a dripping tap (faucet) when standing in a flood.)
    Trading with India, Japan (& Taiwan, mainly to annoy the Chinese) should more than replace lost Chinese markets. They’ll come begging for your coal before long!

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    Cheshire Red

    Know your enemy; the EU are vile bullies who’ll lie, cheat and intimidate to get their way. They have zero interest in sensible or fair deals, only what benefits them, which really means Germany and France.

    Honestly, Australia would be better-served telling them to get lost than capitulating.

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    • #
      Dennis

      Toyota Australia has already suggested to our Federal Government that EU Standards for motor vehicles be dropped in favour of North American Standards that Toyota believe better suit Australian conditions.

      EV for Australia (city suburbs the exception, maybe, when the retail price is competitive, range comparable to ICEV and recharging as convenient as ICEV) is simply ridiculous and a huge economic cost to devalue ICEV fleet, demolish liquid fuel supply facilities and build recharging stations and provide additional grid baseload generators.

      10

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    Penguinite

    And you can bet your last $$$ that EU will enlist the assistance of a willing US Bureaucracy to exert similar pressure on us too! This is why our biggest companies have gone “Green/Loco” and want Australia to declare carbon neutrality by 2030/50. No honesty among thieves!

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    graham dunton

    Blackmail, is there any other word for it? Let the EU ruin themselves, not Australia.
    The whole CO2 fiasco is a con, taxing an invisible gas, that is greening our world. china never stops stating its good intentions, to reduce this invisible gas, while building coal plants in other countries. So, who will the EU and UN blamed then, but those countries? Who are pulling themselves out of energy poverty to improve their societies lives?

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    Phil O'Sophical

    Isn’t the answer staring you in the face? Educate them.
    CO2 is not pollution, by any scientific measure, it’s actually astoundingly beneficial, so their whole bullying premise falls.

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    Global Cooling

    EU wants? Who do you mean? Eurocrats ? Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain ?

    There is no such a thing as will of EU. They try to create it, but things blow out when they try. Do you remember the name of the president of EU, leaders of the EU parliament? You recognize the leaders of the member states.

    The collapse of globalism started with Brexit. Texit is an option in the USA. Decentralized power is better than global world dominance.

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      Sirob

      Do you remember the name of the president of EU, leaders of the EU parliament?

      Good point, is it still the ‘low grade bank clerk with the charisma of a damp rag’? Or have they traded him in for another ‘quiet assassin’?

      I’m a bit out of touch with the latest on the politburo.

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      Tilba Tilba

      The collapse of globalism started with Brexit. Texit is an option in the USA. Decentralized power is better than global world dominance.

      Texit is not an option (not a legal, peaceful one, anyway), but otherwise I agree with you.

      A lot of people on here (with a certain type of paranoia) earnestly believe that sweeping globalism and one-world government are the future, but I think it’s the reverse. As there is increasing resource depletion, and increasing financial cratering – I think the future is more about Balkanisation … a retreat to regionalism, localism, and community.

      The Amazon structure … delivering a million items by plane, ship, and truck, every day, to every locality, is simply not a sustainable business model. Oil prices will kill it even before climate change.

      If I were 19 again, I would learn a very useful skill – making something by hand that local people will really want. I would also learn how to grow food properly, and also to preserve it, to sew, to fix things, to sing, to play a musical instrument

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    David Maddison

    Apart from potential damage of EU import taxes, don’t forget the enormous self-destruction Australia is committed to such as the fanatical commitment to the anthropogenic global warming fraud and high and ever increasing taxes and regulations as well as over $1 trillion total government debt to buy “free stuff” for the Sheeple.

    And who needs restrictions on exports when we do it ourselves? E.g. remember when Howard allowed a contract that gave North West Shelf gas to the Chicomms virtually at cost for 30 or so years, or when Australia gave away a chunk of our ocean floor gas rights to Timor, or how Dictator Dan Andrews cancelled a large purchase of brown coal to India to save the Indians from “carbon pollution, for their own good, of course. Naturally, such a list woukd be virtually endless.

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    Serp

    And today theconversation is tempting marks with “The death of coal is inevitable”; if only the death of ignorance shared that certainty –never has the apothegm “knowledge is power” carried more weight.

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    Phillip Charles Sweeney

    Demand that the EU provide real evidence that CO2 causes “global warming” instead of just relying on the edicts of a corrupt political body – the United Nations.

    The “greenhouse gas effect” THEORY of Arrhenius (1986) was debunked by Angstrom in 1900.

    Angstrom noted that the absorption by CO2 of infrared radiation increases very little with increased concentration (saturation)

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    Phillip Charles Sweeney

    Manned submarines are already as obsolete as battleships.

    China has already deployed submersible drones.

    Does anyone seriously believe that an Australian submarine would fire a torpedo at a Chinese warship?

    China is buying out Australia in any event – no military action required.

    A Chinese company owns and operates the largest wind farm in NSW – expects many more with the Net Zero by 2050 commitment of our traitorous Prime Minister

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      el gordo

      The states determine the energy mix and the PM has no real control, but I accept in a military sense the new technologies have made large standing armies and battle fleets irrelevant.

      13

      • #
        David Maddison

        The PM has a fanatical commitment to the anthropogenic global warming fraud just like the state premiers. He is fully committed for Australia to become reliant upon unreliables.

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      Dennis

      It is often overlooked that foreign owned or locally owned assets can be seized by our government if deemed to be necessary. For example, the Port of Darwin leased to a Chinese shipping firm by the NT Government could be placed under the control of the Federal Government. Export goods could be blocked from leaving Australia.

      Also, attacking Australia is no easy task given the logistics involved in getting here and transporting people and materials. We have US Pine Gap satellite surveillance in the NT and US military assets and personnel here already. Singapore keeps most of their military assets here, airforce in WA. The RAAF operates an over the horizon radar network, and more.

      Add to this the defence agreements, the latest Quad between US, India, Japan and Australia, and then add Commonwealth of Nations allies.

      Australia has a wide range of minerals and energy in the ground that none of our allies would want to be controlled by unfriendly nations.

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    PeterS

    Our electricity is not the only thing they will demand of us. The way things are going (woke and all) it won’t be too far away before we are forced to do far more unpleasant things, such as….

    Jennifer Spargifiore, 23, filed a civil complaint, alleging that Panda Express pressured her to strip to her underwear in front of colleagues during company training.

    I can see the day when we could be forced to have sex with animals to comply. Hard to imagine now but it’s not totally out of the question. It has happened before if anyone cares to study history. I sincerely hope it’s not going to be repeated.

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    RossP

    Trade deals, in general, fall into the “nice to have” basket. As Jo’s figures show there is good two way trade happening at the moment. A trade deal might increase margins for the companies involved, it might reduce costs to consumers (but that would be the last thing to happen) and it may help some companies increase their niche market share.
    In other words, if no trade deal eventuated it will not be the end of the world for those companies involved.

    Too many bureaucrats seem to think trade cannot exist without a trade deal.

    10

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    another ian

    That “thorough WHO investigation”

    “@McWLuke — Here’s the moment @PeterDaszak confirms he DID NOT ask for the data from the MISSING BAT VIRUS DATABASE.”

    http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2021/03/11/one-flu-out-of-the-wuhan-nest-25/

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    Neil Stuart

    Well said Jo

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    David Maddison

    Will the EU demand we transition from “carbon polluting” livestock to “insect protein”, just as the UN and Elites want us to? Naturally, the Elites will stick to steak, just as they continue to fly around the world in private jets.

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    Dennis

    “We should also cancel our French submarine purchase “in protest” (any excuse will do — the Japanese subs are better in any case).”

    After hearing comments from former Army General, now Senator Molan, about the Shortfin Barracuda Submarine contract I researched the subject and discovered that the Japanese conventional submarine alternative considered by the RAN is very good but also near the end of its design working life and due to be replaced by a new version commencing 2030-2035. The Swedish “Gotland” version of the Collins Class Submarine operated now by our RAN is also a very good design and with impressive capabilities, but smaller and less capable than the “next generation” Shortfin Barracuda Submarine which, contrary to the unreliable Australian media sources claim that it will be a redesigned or modified nuclear powered to diesel-electric powered design the RAN will not receive a converted model. Although based on the nuclear hull completely different and, according to informed sources, will be far advanced on other existing conventional submarines.

    However, with due regard for the topic, EU bullies, and rising costs of the RAN Shortfin Barracuda Submarines, maybe cancelling the contract would make a statement that Australia will not be bullied, however just maybe the RAN will lose a future world leading capability that was carefully selected for Australian defence and geographical location that would provide very impressive performance?

    Critics also claim that the JSF F-35 is a failure, but too many ignore what the aircraft was designed to do, a multi-role fighting platform using stealth technology and other advanced features that are next generation, as compared to now generation jet fighters compared. And that F-35 has upgrading under development to add to the “platform” in future. And including Boeing Australia designed Loyal Wingman drones that will fly alongside RAAF aircraft and be controlled by pilots of F-35, F-18 and other aircraft.

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    Dennis

    Shortfin Barracuda @ Military Leak

    The Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A, designed by Naval Group (formerly DCNS) specifically for the Royal Australian Navy, will be the recipient of France’s most sensitive and protected submarine technology and will be the most lethal conventional submarine ever contemplated. DCNS was chosen by the Australian Government on 26 April 2016 to build twelve of the Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A variant at a projected AUD$50 billion. Much of the works will be undertaken at ASC Pty Ltd in Adelaide, South Australia. Construction is expected to begin in 2020 or 2021.
    Pump jet propulsion means the Shortfin Barracuda can move more quietly than submarines with obsolete propeller technology. In a confrontation between two otherwise identical submarines, the one with pump jet propulsion always has the tactical advantage. The sonar suite performance provided by Thales will be the best available ever for a submarine this size. It is this coupling of excellent acoustic discretion, leading edge detection capabilities and pathways for technology development that will grant the Commonwealth the capacity to remain ahead of any regional adversary now and in the future. By adopting DCNS’s technology, Australia will join an elite club of nations which includes only the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and France. The Shortfin Barracuda is a magnificent, inspiring submarine which will remain technologically superior until well into the 2060s.

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      TdeF

      What is the point of pump jet propulsion in a submarine which runs on diesel engines?

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        TdeF

        And that’s because the Greens do not like nuclear. So at unbelievable cost, now about $250Bn and thirty years, we will have an utterly useless weapon in the mid 21st century because we do not want pollution and war is really bad and we should all get on. War is almost worse than pollution.

        But carbon dioxide is far worse. Nuclear is better because it has no ’emissions’ according to both the nuclear lobby and the Greens. Carbon is our deadly enemy. The sixth element in the periodic table is our enemy. And there was the time Greenpeace banned chlorine, number seventeen. We would all be much safer without such ‘chemicals’, like dreaded sodium chloride. Greenpeace banned sodium chloride.

        I wonder how much school dropout grumpy Greta understands about carbon dioxide and that all life and all trees are made from it and water and almost nothing else? Plus a bit of sodium chloride.

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          Environment Skeptic

          Yes. yes. yes TdeF…. But who funds the bullies, or what? …Answer that TdeF, and you can do away with objectification and politics.

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          Environment Skeptic

          It must be software.

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            Environment Skeptic

            Ok. It is not my job to figure out software or algo’s.

            Some site feedback is that this website is loading far quicker than ever before. Very good and cheers.

            [Everything got upgraded for the New Year, though perhaps that explains the extra problems some are having trying to comment? At least things got faster. Thanks to Eric.- Jo]

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        Dennis

        The diesel engines power generators that charge the battery bank and they provide the power to operate the high pressure water pumps for water jet propulsion.

        Conventional diesel-electric submarines are similar technology to diesel-electric locomotive drive system.

        As compared to steam turbine driving a nuclear ship’s propellers, or water jet propulsion.

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    hypersonic

    When unelected bureaucrats on the other side of the planet try and dictate how a sovereign nation operates then it is time to cut all ties

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    el gordo

    ‘History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

    ‘There is a specter haunting Europe, the specter of Communism.’ Karl Marx

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    Tell them that we can sell them Magic Mirrors that they can use to line their buildings and ovens. That way they will not need power for heating because ‘back-radiation’ of the heat from the contents will make their buildings hotter and cook their dinners !

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    David Maddison

    Will they be applying the same rules to the world’s biggest “carbon polluter”, China?

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    Of course they demand control.
    This is the Union of our most progressive comrades..in other words Rusted right out.
    Surely we have all noticed the defining characteristic of our parasitic overlords?
    That being their absolute certainty that they can run the world..While their own home countries and private affairs collapse in chaos.
    The mark of our credentialed nitwits is they know everything while understanding nothing.
    So of course the EU demands the right to run Australia’s energy systems,for them this is so much easier than balancing their own budgets and sorting out their own decaying societies.

    At a more junior level,these are the same idiots that “Know” they can organize our lives better than we can,while they ,having never built managed or grown anything at all,are experts.
    In their own opinion that is.

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    CHRIS

    The EU is an updated version of Hitler and Nazism. They think that they can control the world… but, fortunately, the rest of the world does not think so. The EU is an ancient, waning power in the modern world. Think that China would worry about the EU? I think not.

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      Simon B

      No China won’t be worried by them, but they will press their claims if they are trying to suppress free economy trade agreements. Especially as they’ve already placed tariffs on Australia. Anything that makes us more uncompetitive will be welcomed by China. 1000 coal fired power stations in the pipeline to make steel, needs iron ore from somewhere and they will screw us to the wall, if we think we need to discount to secure that business. China wants all western countries suppressing their own economies, it’s part of the concessions from the UN for their own exclusion from emissions targets to allow them to take over as the super power by 2050.
      The UN, EU and now Woke US are the useful idiots in that agenda.

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    Simon B

    Brilliantly argued, Jo for Trade Minister! One important point in that was if EU producers are disinterested in fighting their own energy controllers for competitive energy prices then it isn’t our place to stand up for them…… nor vice versa.
    It’s time Australian agriculture and manufacturing stopped playing the game and said we’re resetting our priorities instead of looking for work arounds and bleating the same renewable rhetoric coming out of bureaucracy. We can be self sufficient – not in a Marxist enclave – so need to start educating our population not only of that point, but this continents population contributing 1.5% of 3% of man made emissions on a reducing scale isn’t going to achieve any change, other than a reduced standard of living for the west allowing China and India to industrialize and the EU to replace our trade with those emerging markets.

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    Tel

    I argue that any tariffs will be paid by EU consumers, not by AU producers. Most of our products are fungible commodities … gold for example is not specifically earmarked for the EU, we can sell it anywhere. Same with beef, although some beef might be premium specialist styles, the majority can be substituted anywhere for other beef, or even for other similar red meats.

    As a consequence, although the EU is a large market they cannot significantly push global commodity prices, they are simply price takers in this regard. Australians should ignore their carry on.

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    Dr Everready

    Stuff the EU bullies. Here in Blighty we want to support you. Sales of good Oz wine are rocketing in the UK

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    CHRIS

    I’ve always remembered an episode of “Yes Prime Minister” concerning the EU. It states that there are about 70 words in the Declaration of Independence, but 1200 words in the EU Policy of the exportation of duck eggs. The EU is a total irrelevance, and always will be.

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