Having promised not to impose a carbon tax, and then doing so, Labor's credibility at rock bottom and the voters have stopped listening. Even if she gets the tax through parliament, the coalition will continue to use it to batter her in the polls.

A public vote would settle the issue. A yes would silence Abbott, and a no would be the perfect excuse to dump it without losing face. Refusing to take this to the people would damage her further.

SM,

The government has put forward a policy on carbon pollution and it is up to the parliament, the representatives of the people, to vote on the issue. A plebiscite at this stage when mass panic has been spread by the Opposition would not be productive and would cost millions of dollars ($80 mil. as reported in the media). It would not achieve anything positive it would only create further hysteria in the media.

SM, you’re such a tease.

The ALP/Coalition and its cheer squad have enough problems without you adding to their misery?

The plebiscite proposal won’t “GetUp” (pardon the pun), because it was only designed to identify for the public, the fact that the Independents and Greens are those saying to their electorates, NO you can’t have one. It’s not actually intended that it will go through, it doesn’t need to.

The Independents cannot ever be seen to be the ones bringing down the Government. They are however, looking for an exit plan which will come in the form of dissention within the ALP. At which point the Independents will pull the pin and then blame the ALP.

You are right that a plebiscite might restore some legitimacy but only in respect of her pre-election promise not to have a CO2 tax. The tax itself will remain a contentious issue and looks unlikely, in any form, to buy off enough voters to get through a plebiscite.

The rest of the unresolved contentious policies will just hang around like bad smells, the electorate is so used to these that they probably won’t even notice. For them it is just like going from China to India and remarking how nice it smells. They have switched off until retribution time when they get out their baseball bats. Just like NSW.

The cheer squad will focus on irrelevancy, fear uncertainty and doubt. If you have any doubts about this just look at the post from Lexi. “Mass panic”, a plebiscite “would cost millions of dollars ($80 mil. as reported in the media).” Completely ignoring the cost of the CO2 tax at $11 bn (not to mention $1.1 bn to the UN each year), and finally that this would “only create further hysteria in the media”.

We care about the media’s hysteria because? Well Lexi, to answer the question you never asked, we don’t but you most certainly do because that is where the cheer squad lives, hysteria.

The panic, I’m delighted to report, is palpable.

Leave them alone SM, just sit back, watch and enjoy.

In the 19th Century novel Julia in Dreamland by Lewis Carroll,
a bewildered Julia comes to a fork in the road and encounters the Cheshire cat.

“Which road do I take?” she asked.

“Where do you want to go?” responded the Cheshire cat.

“I don’t know,” Julia answered.

“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”

Lexi,

On this issue the ALP are not representing the people. They were elected on the uncompromising promise to the people not to impose a carbon tax. If she had promised a carbon tax, she probably would not be governing now.

John Howard at least had the decency to return to the people with a deeply unpopular GST, even though he knew that it could cost the coalition government. Julia Gillard is shamelessly breaking a compact with the people to save her job, and as a result no believes what she says any more. If she wants to represent the people, let them have their say, otherwise she is just a con artist.

The carbon tax will cost $11bn p.a. ramping up continuously, spending about 0.6% of this to determine if it is the will of the people is peanuts. Otherwise why bother with elections?

Spindoc,

This is a master stroke by TA, as refusing it would make Juliar appear desperate to force through an unpopular policy with no mandate. It effectively gives her no where to hide. We certainly have not heard the last of it.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/tony-abbotts-bid-to-force-carbon-tax-vote/story-e6frf7jo-1226078110327
Here Shadow Minster is the final report on the walking liar Tony Abbott.
He like you screams liar at Gillard.
Then says if HIS PLEBISCITE IS HELD IF AUSTRALIA SAY YES.
He will still say no!
Breathless in its intent, the man calling for the public to have a voice is saying he will be deaf to it.
Tony Abbott is daily restoring Labors reputation, thanks.