Is anyone surprised?

[2011G6E]

"Do as I say, not as I do"...
http://www.news.com.au/national/hypo...-1226090263681

THEY want to tax regular Australians out of their cars but the Greens are still being chauffeur-driven in their tax-payer funded Comcars.
Senator Christine Milne, who accrued $7527 in Comcar expenses in the past 12 months, this week said that ordinary people needed to "drive less and drive more efficiently".

The party is pushing for extra excise on petrol or to extend the carbon tax to fuel to curb motorists.

But the tough-on-driving approach did not appear to apply to Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young yesterday.

Her Greens colleagues are also still using the Comcar chauffeur service, with leader Bob Brown leaving taxpayers with the biggest bill of $20,673 for the past 12 months.

Senator Hanson-Young, who accrued $17,260 in Comcar expenses, gave no response when asked if she thought the Greens should give up their cars in light of Senator Milne's comments.

Rabid environmentalists are good at preaching and not doing...

With Greenpeace and thier old diesel burning protest ships that turn up to block our ports and complain about our coal trade, I say "Come back when you heave to in a nice clean sailing ship, and I might listen".

With the Greens, I say "When you all only take public transport or shun comcars for a Prius or better yet, a super efficient VW turbo diesel Golf, then I might listen to your complaints that I have to "drive less"..."

[Bearman]

What a bunch of muppets. Yep, hypocrisy is rife among these fruit loops.

[Jim Goose]

Oh wait... wouldnt you do it given half the chance?????

[dags41v]

I would definitely do it if I had the chance but I dont go around telling everyone else they should stop doing everything lest it increase their carbon footprint.
I thought it amusing that a couple of thousand people flew from all over the world to europe to talkm about climate change ........ maybe they could have used video confrencing and set an example of how to save the planet.

[Reaper8]

add the money we pay for their airfares and then see what there travel cost is. They all forget they are there to serve us not the other way around. next we will only see food stamps in our pay packet

[Wise]

Yeah I would lol

Until there's better public transport available for the people who commute to work every day no one will give up driving. Cities have been poorly planned in terms of this aspect and the urpan sprawl isn't going to just stop.

The only way I would stop is if I were able to work from home, but being the network admin means I need to be there in case the system that enables that work to occur from home or the field has an issue.

So I guess its a catch 22 for me

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Oh wait... wouldnt you do it given half the chance?????

Yes but nobody in this thread is preaching about fuel excise and carbon tax whilst being chauffeured around at the taxpayers expense.

Your beyond belief sometimes

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

Yes but nobody in this thread is preaching about fuel excise and carbon tax whilst being chauffeured around at the taxpayers expense.

Your beyond belief sometimes

Actually no im not... and its a reference to a thread i started about speeding in which a moderator started a nice slanging match saying the EXACT same thing above. But alas double standards is quite common on here too

[scorpio39]

Issue them all with bicycles, with no gears or brakes !!!!

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Actually no im not... and its a reference to a thread i started about speeding in which a moderator started a nice slanging match saying the EXACT same thing above. But alas double standards is quite common on here too

So how the **** is anybody supposed to know what you are talking about if you are referring to another thread.....

As to the topic of the thread, if the Greens want to be taken seriously they need to be seen practicing what they preach.....

[SteveJH]

Are those the V8 Holden Caprice's like they cart the PM around in? If so its more then a bit of a joke that they are being driven about in them.

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Oh wait... wouldnt you do it given half the chance?????

Hell no. The thought of being driven everywhere. BRRRRRRRR is a thought that chills me to my bones. I'd drive everywhere myself, in my own car, my own money. If I was pushing for an agenda, I'd be setting an example.

[raised by monkeys]

Originally Posted by Bearman

What a bunch of muppets. Yep, hypocrisy is rife among these fruit loops.

theyre just a bunch of coporate hippies in suites.

[2011G6E]

They do "admit" that some Australians need to "drive more than others", but that won't stop them dictating to us about our choice of transport.

Like me...it's a 40km round trip to the supermarket. No public transport out here, full stop. They can't even keep a taxi service going in Blackwater, much less run busses.

I had a mate who lived in London for four years, and when he came home, I asked what sort of car he had while he lived there, and he shrugged and said "didn't need one...busses, taxis, the tube, all cheap and available 24 hours a day". Same with a lot of Europe.

I remember an article a friend of mine wrote many years back (late eighties) for a humor magazine, which was a satirical take on the environmental movement and what they planned to do with car restrictions. I recall it was banning any car over 2 liters engine capacity, over 1500kg weight, or anything that couldn't get more than 35mpg, and any color except various shades of green...

Hmm...I can't recall it's name, but I wonder if that magazine got read by The Brown Stain when he was slumming around Tasmania back then and it gave him some ideas...?

The one bright spot is what happened when they took the floor of the Senate. They actually had the arrogance to demand that one of thier what, five senators? be elected President of the chamber! That position has always gone to a member of the ruling party of the day, and the Vice President goes to a member of whoever is in the other major party in opposition at the time. Always been like that, and when these numpties put up thier guy for the position, he was soundly voted down by [i**both[/I] side of parliament in the Senate, on both the President and Vice President position. They obviously had a little power trip and it went to thier head, thinking they could dictate to the entire senate with such small numbers.
Hopefully this will keep thier excesses in check...they will need both of the parties to agree on anything they put before the senate. I said "hopefully", because we're rooted if they don't...

[raised by monkeys]

What would stop them using electric camry's.
If i was a leader of such a party and wanted to make an impact or an impression on the population to receive support to implement policy, id be promoting the use of public transport. For instance the Greens making a commitment to usuing the public tram system to get around the city every monday so they are seen in the public eye as making an actual contribution to their cause. Theres no professional integrity rolling around in 5.0 petrol eaters whilst promoting butterflies and fairy dust. useless.

[anto]

mark my words the greens will ruin this country !!

[Stefan]

Not defending oll of politician's actions, but most of you do realise these guys are probably working on the phone, on the computer or having meetings, doing media interviews while being driven in a car.

I believe most of these people would be working from the time they get up to the time they go to sleep 7 days a week.

[raised by monkeys]

Originally Posted by Stefan

Not defending oll of politician's actions, but most of you do realise these guys are probably working on the phone, on the computer or having meetings, doing media interviews while being driven in a car

can still work in a hyrbid

[Road_Warrior]

If its Brown, flush it down.

[|||]

surprised a murdoch rag would use the line "THEY want to tax regular Australians out of their cars"?

not at all

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Stefan

I believe most of these people would be working from the time they get up to the time they go to sleep 7 days a week.

I've got a bridge in Sydney you might be interested in purchasing...honest...it's going cheap!

But seriously, yes, if they do, it could be done just as well from the back of, say, a Hybrid Camry. However, having seen "question time" more than once, you can see there's a reason why they banned the cameras from panning around the back benches of parliament...people sleeping, people doodling, playing on laptops (not hard research...it was a game of solitaire in one memorable instance).

Also, isn't the Hybrid Camry made in Australia? That would be supporting Australian innovation. And it isn't that it looks like a gumby car like the Prius, so it looks "normal" to be turning up in for the cameras.

[Gobes32]

The greens need to learn that in a successful government, there has to be give and take, it can't always be their way or the highway.

[sudszy]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

"Do as I say, not as I do"...
http://www.news.com.au/national/hypo...-1226090263681


Rabid environmentalists are good at preaching and not doing...

With Greenpeace and thier old diesel burning protest ships that turn up to block our ports and complain about our coal trade, I say "Come back when you heave to in a nice clean sailing ship, and I might listen".

With the Greens, I say "When you all only take public transport or shun comcars for a Prius or better yet, a super efficient VW turbo diesel Golf, then I might listen to your complaints that I have to "drive less"..."

I think you will find that environmentalists/greens are not about wanting to go back and live in caves, they want to maintain a decent standard of living but not at the expense of the environment.


You seem to want to have it both ways, stop progress into developing other forms of transport, energy, renewables etc(continue cheap fossil fuels) and then want to scream abuse when they have no alternative but to use fossil fuels to get themselves around get a cold drink whatever.

Its all too easy for those that want to do nothing to throw up the hypocrit card at those trying to change the status quo.

Im sure they are no more interested in cycling from their homes in the states to canberra than you or I and are campaigning for a sustainable future.

[mik]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

"Do as I say, not as I do"...
http://www.news.com.au/national/hypo...-1226090263681


Rabid environmentalists are good at preaching and not doing...

With Greenpeace and thier old diesel burning protest ships that turn up to block our ports and complain about our coal trade, I say "Come back when you heave to in a nice clean sailing ship, and I might listen".

With the Greens, I say "When you all only take public transport or shun comcars for a Prius or better yet, a super efficient VW turbo diesel Golf, then I might listen to your complaints that I have to "drive less"..."

or an even more efficient turbo diesel fiesta econetic

[mik]

there is some merit to what he says sudzy, these greenies want us to sacrifice and tow the line , surely they should lead by example, these days a computer/ipod/mobile phone can be can be plugged into almost any car, they are punishing us in some states for owning larger cars, do they need v8`s in fleet cars? why can`t they use cleaner lpg models or a chauffeur driven economy car.

[sudszy]

Originally Posted by mik

there is some merit to what he says sudzy, these greenies want us to sacrifice and tow the line , surely they should lead by example, these days a computer/ipod/mobile phone can be can be plugged into almost any car, they are punishing us in some states for owning larger cars, do they need v8`s in fleet cars? why can`t they use cleaner lpg models or a chauffeur driven economy car.

The government of the day decides on the what cars all the pollies will be shipped around in and does the deal with the car companies, Im sure the green senators have had no input in that to date.

Regardless, if the green's managed to get prius's or something that burns less fossil fuels , the denialist tribe would still be jumping up and down telling us the hybrids cause more damage, batteries, take jobs from Australians..cost the tax payer more money.... yada yada, its all a stunt.....wanting to have it both ways all the time.

[2011G6E]

...which doesn't get away from the fact that you have to use an extremely environmentally dirty mining technique to get the rare earth metals in Canada and a couple of other remote areas, ship it around the world to China for processing, then on to other countries for being made into batteries. There's no "denialist" (love that term) reasoning needed there, just common sense economics. There's a reason why nice clean green little hybrids cost so damn much, and it isn't because of a conspiracy to dissuade people from owning one...

Being "Green" is easy...you dictate to people how they should live thier lives, how they should use the electricity that makes our modern world possible, tell them what restrictions they should be willing to live under, and that there is an easy answer to everything..."just build wind farms"..."just put solar farms up everywhere"..."just drive more fuel efficient cars"...

Which easily lets you off the hook of answering the hard questions...where do we build the wind farms when no locals seem to want to have them? Where do we put the solar farms when hundreds of square kilometers would have to be covered to supply a small town (solar costs a few hundred dollars per kilowatt-hour, whereas coal costs well under a hundred, usually down near $50 or so). People mostly drive the cars they can afford...enthusists who drive what they desire are a small minority. If a roomy Camry Hybrid was as cheap or cheaper than a "normal" Camry, people would probably buy more of them.
They demand Australia go to a punishing carbon tax, when no other large nation is even thinking of one...they're not stupid enough to ruin thier economies. Saying that the massive nations will follow our little tiny example is just foolish as well. The Green party thinks we have some sort of huge influence on world affairs. We don't.

There's no easy answers, and just demanding people "change" without giving the answers on how to change first is just grandstanding...

[sudszy]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

...which doesn't get away from the fact that you have to use an extremely environmentally dirty mining technique to get the rare earth metals in Canada and a couple of other remote areas, ship it around the world to China for processing, then on to other countries for being made into batteries.

there you go, just as i forecasted, going to criticise them if they used hybrids anyway weren't you!

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Being "Green" is easy...you dictate to people how they should live thier lives, how they should use the electricity that makes our modern world possible, tell them what restrictions they should be willing to live under, and that there is an easy answer to everything..."just build wind farms"..."just put solar farms up everywhere"..."just drive more fuel efficient cars"...
...

and whose fault is it that we dont have great alternatives in place now? who'd been screaming blue murder if we spent more money on R&D paying those corrupt scientists to get things in place for us. Who keeps saying we have plentiful cheap fossil fuels, burn them first.
With this line of thinking, the only possible way to drive innovation and alternatives in a time frame that is appropriate is to price the alternatives cheaper, or make fossil fuel more expensive, either will do it, either way the money comes out of our pockets.

No matter what action they propose, you'll always have an excuse to delay or do nothing!

[mik]

personally i don`t mind making a contribution to progress sudszy as i`m sure others don`t, but i also don`t like being lied to by politicians, apart from that i think there are better ways of doing it than adding another tax that will do little if the rest of the world don`t join in, and it would appear the big players that matter just are not interested in a carbon tax.

[ray38l]

Greenies are like a cult these days. Best example is there treatment of lord monckton. He has been able to prove the science behind global warming( oops sorry its called climate change now because the earth isn't actually warming) is flawed but the greenies and scientists that are getting a pay cheque to tell governments what they want to hear have tried to censor him.
They didn't want him making a speech at a university in Australia. I wonder why? He has regularly called leading climate change advisors and scientists liars and committing fraud. He has backed up his opinion with his own research and said anyone he has accused to sue him if they can prove his research wrong in a court of law. Not one has tried suing him yet.