Earlier in the month, ultra-conservative "teabaggers" managed to lose the Republican Party a safe congressional seat, after driving out a moderate Republican candidate in favour of one who met their test of ultra-right ideological purity. In Australia, the climate change deniers within the Australian Liberal Party look set to pull exactly the same move:
THE Coalition faces an electoral wipeout at next year's federal election if the rebels led by Tony Abbott and Nick Minchin succeed in blocking the government's climate change legislation.To put this in perspective, the Liberals currently have 55 MPs in the House of Representatives. So they're looking at losing 40% of their numbers, and a third of all Coalition MPs (including, ironically, several core Deniers, who somehow are representing liberal urban seats).The Coalition could lose at least 20 of its metropolitan seats, including those of its leader, Malcolm Turnbull, Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey and climate change critics Kevin Andrews and Andrew Robb, according to an analysis of Newspoll results.
Yet another reason why the ALP should be saying "bring it on" over their ETS: its all upside. If the Liberals vote for it, they get the law in place. And if they don't vote for it, they get a double dissolution, an electoral landslide, and the law gets passed anyway. What's not to like?
[More at Larvatus Prodeo]
