Well done, Peter! an amazing feat of intellectual gymnastics to link global warming -- which is all about the belief that we are burning too much fossil fuel -- with the energy crisis -- which is all about the belief that we are running out of fossil fuels to burn. A wonderful example of having one's cake and eating it too! But which are you actually going to back? Global warming is looking a bit shaky now, with the release of the Climategate emails that reveal at least one set of venerated data has been -- how shall I put it? -- made up as they went along; so let's fall back on the energy crisis until we can come up with a new way to scare people silly. Er -- acidic oceans, anyone?

Of course the Liberal Party won't implode, any more than the Labor Party imploded during Howard's long reign. What it will do is look for genuine issues reflecting public discontent that it can use to consolidate its power base. It's already off to a pretty good start by rejecting the absurd ETS. And for once the National Party has led the way; it may be going out, but it will end on a high note.

Ok let’s get a few facts straight here.
Where are the new carbon emission /levies/taxes or whatever are the overpaid consultants employed by the beurocracy in Canberra in working legislation anywhere in the world?
Pipe dreams and fancy rhetoric is all they amount to.
Kyoto1 and 2 amounts to zip. They are readily approved and signed to by the Chinese (the worst polluting country in the world by far) yet where is Australia signature to this pie in the sky legislation. No where if wonder why not?
The article begins with an assumption not a fact that the world will not be able to sustain its high energy consumption. Why?
It’s already forgotten about the recent oil crisis. Remember when oil hit 158 a barrel and people wrongly assumed he death of the oil companies. When recycled veggie oil can replace fuel etc. fat chance excuse the pun!
The simple fact is that the world will continue to use whatever becomes the cheapest alternative energy source.
The poor deceived citizen who doesn’t understand Watt form and BTU of course will just follow the boffins who think they’re right. No chance of that also. Nice work if you can get it.
I am constantly amazed at the pig ignorance of people who think they have the capability to change the world

Peter
Isn't it amazing how a misinterpreted beat up overwhelms logic in the face of real substantiated facts. Drowning men and the straw comes to mind.

I agree with your broader than single focus approach to what ails the world. I'd be interested how you see the wild cards of Population policy, dealing with the consequences of World Climate Change and their linkages.

It hasn't sunk in that the cheap oil is on the downward slide, which means that oil prices will go up as more processing will be required.
The link between harder to achieve oil and probable waste, destruction, escapes most.

We really have no choice but to change our whole way of valuing things. Likewise, they fail to recognize that our economic system is based on the same lie, that never ending growth in a finite world is possible.

One of the parties will have to take the "blame" for the low interest bubble generated in the past decade. Rudd has strung it out for a year or two, but I doubt he can make it last a decade like the US did. We can't prop up our economy with "the world's oil currency" and our military to the extent that they did.
More government assistance will be required to prop up the Banking/property "industry": So which party will be brave enough to trigger the inevitable recession by stopping the flow of public funds to the private finance sector? How much public debt is acceptable to avoid the pyramid scheme of "fractional reserve" banking from collapse? The sooner bad debts and dodgy loan "assets" are written off, the less pain will ultimately be worn.
Climate change will have an impact, as will peak oil, as will the fallout from the failed Iraq war. (They didn't get the cheap oil, and the US is not so infallible any more. Heck, they can't even rebuild New Orleans or do basic disaster recovery!)
I predict a war soon. The pollies need to distract the public with something scary while they rewrite the rules.

And again why would any political party have to take the blame for what is essentially a country that misguidedly thinks it live s in a democracy.
First you must get politician to take the blame for anything.
Next you need a constitution which no one of your readers has bothered to provide the link for as yet!
Then you need bill of rights that allows for real political change and responsibility. Whilst Australia doesn’t have a bill of rights it doesn’t have democracy and you get the continuation of the status quo, uugghh!

An excellent summary of politics in the long term.
To those who disagree, a few comments.
The decline in world oil supply will be well and truly felt within 5 years, 2014. And the way the global economy is picking up, it may be much sooner.
As someone mentioned, Population growth (and belief in perpetual economic growth) will up the stakes dramatically