More mumbo-jumbo and gizzard-lore from the modern superstitious.

The only reason they are ever able to assert that AGW policy would result in net benefits is because they keep assuming it in their premises. This is not economics. It's magic pudding. It's blind irrational worship of the state-god.

"At present the voice of the people is drowned out", no it's not, it's being heard loud and clear by the politicians in this and other countries .. no new big tax. You assume everyone thinks like you do, they don't you are in a minority.

Your whole article is based on the assumption that it is only "vested interest" companies that are opposed to AGW taxes and pie in the sky green dreams of replacement industries.

"noisy squeals of protest from present vested interests", the only noisy squeals we hear, constantly are from the eco and green types all demanding the cessation of fossil fuel use. With weird and expensive replacement technologies, that clearly do not work.

if you could replace fossil fuels, we would, the fact that we do not, is not controlled by vested interests, those same vested interests would change tack in a heartbeat if there was a buck in it.

They don't because all the renewables, don't work yet sufficiently to replace our base load requirement or our transportation requirements.

Those requirements will not change because a bunch of people keep chanting and whining that "something must be done", about something most people don't believe is going to be as bad as all the scientific "forecasts", future casting, predictions whatever are saying. Here's the thing, all through time vested interest groups, like you Geoff, have relied on doomsaying, only to fail when your predictions do not eventuate. This is really what people believe, not the hysterics of the world ending.

now if you put up nuclear power plants to replace coal fired power plants, you have my interest. Mind you there is currently a 15 year wait for work to start since so many countries are now planning to build Nuc plants, that there is a lack of skilled companies to build them, blame the Caldicotts for that.

An article with foundations in reality; not one to be well received by those who lobby on behalf of the fossil fuel and nuclear industries.

If all Government subsidies (including the hidden ones) were to cease immediately, there is a fair chance that Solar, in just a few years, will reach parity in energy costs with coal for electricity production. A level playing field on that basis has been a stated preference by some of those working in the renewables field.

As for nuclear – if it is so viable, then it will be a worthwhile investment (if permitted on political grounds) by private enterprise alone.

The article sets out the situation quite reasonably – the political parties are not representing the voters. Instead, they represent the most influential (non-voting) lobby groups.

Big business pretends it is against carbon taxes but quite the reverse is true.They want the price on carbon to push up the price on fossil fuels and then use carbon derivatives in the share market to screw us again.

There is a better way if you think carbon is the problem.Reward people for using clean alternatives.I bet the Gillard Govt would not introduce a carbon tax if all of it was to go int clean energy alternatives.It is all about the oligarchs who serve the wishes of the big end of town.

Repeat nightly television news scenes of melting summer ice and a blanketing of doomsayer innuendos across the entire spectrum of our media are not achieving the outcomes this author desires.
Citizens of fossil fuel based societies have the ultimate vested interest and are therefore the ultimate targets of this author's views. Exactly how does he expect our energy usage to decline, when despite all our best efforts, it is increasing?
The Vostok ice cores tell us increases in atmospheric CO2 follow natural warming by approximately 800 years. I haven't seen that on the nightly news. I guess 'Truth' in itself is also vested interest.

The greenhouse hullabaloo and propaganda from rent-seekers is the real obstacle – to common sense.