Good article, Geoff. However, I wonder why you did not mention the Australian Greens, whose energy policies align with yours.

Bob Brown seems to be the only politician with real vision in this country, and he is feared by the vested interests.

I hope the Greens do really well in this election as they are the only force in this country with the integrity and guts to stand up to those (in)vested interests.

Well Leigh, it would appear that what to you & I is simple truth, is to some others, abuse. Pity about that.

Still I have heard that even the truth can be costly to a publisher, so I suppose they have to be careful.

It never seems to occur to the self-appointed born-to-rule mob, who presume to know better than everyone else in the world put together, that the vested interests are vested because the multitudes don't like to freeze in the dark.

The real obstacle to greenhouse action is ... that Global Warming is a grand and expensive delusion which is being used by vested interests to further their careers and pad their pockets with our Carbon Taxes.

Meanwhile, the rest of us will pay through the nose just to keep warm in winter, while our excess dollars will go into the pockets of those who have investment in the scheme.

I bet Bob Brown won't go cold, even in Tasmania.

The real argument is about corruption and waste. When fuel prices started to hike it was revealed that the biggest take of a litre of fuel was tax. All other sectors have had to take a cut in the name of efficiencies or scale of economy while government has grown. So to grow the pork barrel taxes are increased. As we produce less and less with our wasteful corrupt system, the wealth of the nation goes down the gurgler. Twisting and screwing and hot air does not get the required heart change. In a democracy such as Australia, justice is ensuring the views of the majority form the values and laws of the land, while protecting the right of minority groups, to freedom of religion, lifestyle and speech, providing such freedoms do not override the predominant culture and view of the majority. When minority views hijack justice, corruption becomes the norm and loss of freedoms follow for no gain. All the increased taxes and cost burdens the greens wish to load on to the majority does nothing for the enviroment but continues the culture of greed and corruption. No amount of blame and guilt will fix the problem, just shift the peoples focus from corrupt practices of the minority as they impose their will on the silent majority.

The carbon tax, to tax carbon is taxing diamond rings afterall diamond rings are nothing but carbon.

People like Al Gore and Malcolm Turnbull will the big winners, out of carbon trading will be able to afford to by more carbon in the form of diamond rings.

Basically under any scheme there will be a few big winners as their net wealth will increase and an extremely large number of us will be much worse off.

It totally impossible to reduce Australia carbon dioxide emissions, whilst at the same time increasing population. The sums do not work.