Coal Miners to blame for Qld Floods - Brown

[Sojourner]

According to the logic of Bob Brown, the Coal Miners are to blame for the floods in Qld because they caused Carbon to be released into the atmosphere causing Global warming...

If we have to get down to that level to make an arguement, could it not be countered then that his own parties opposition to Nuclear Power caused the disaster by not using Nuclear Power instead of Coal and lowering the Carbon Footprint accordingly?

If the Wyvenhoe dam was actually empty or at a much less level than it was as it was designed to be - as a flood mitigation scheme, the country areas would still have flooded, yet not so in the Brisbane suburbs. Would this suggest that man had quite a bit to do with it as opposed to it being just an act of nature?

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/co ... 5988806619

[Ronnie]

Thanks for reminding everyone Bob why you and your party are a pernicious mob of fantasists.

Why aren't the Greens held to the same standards of political debate as everyone else is? Or with their increasing influence is that day going to finally come?

[Ronnie]

In contrast to the Brown nutter credit to Premier Bligh and the Brisbane Lord Mayor for their public comments and general conduct during a very difficult time.

[gadj1976]

I was only saying to someone on the weekend that the climate change cronies have gone quiet. Wow was I in for a shock this morning when I read this article.

When you are a political party striving for acceptance, making a divisive (and largely unproveable0 comment of this nature doesn't appeal to the greater masses.

After all, wouldn't "mother nature" be a greeny?

[Q.]

And yet, he then makes some good points regarding a national disaster insurance scheme...

http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/01/17/brown-says-a-national-flood-insurance-scheme-makes-sense/

[Q.]

And just found this:

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/purepoison/2011/01/17/news-verbals-bob-brown/

Seems News Ltd are up to their old tricks again

[Bat Pad]

And just found this:

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/purepoison/2011/01/17/news-verbals-bob-brown/

Seems News Ltd are up to their old tricks again

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011 ... 114568.htm

The fact that the abc are running with it too probably means that he hasn't been taken out of context by News Ltd.

[redandblack]

The ABC now just regurgitate what's in The Australian.

[Bat Pad]

http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news ... 19tqz.html

The Age too? He clearly hasn't been taken out of context. I'm sure there are people who agree with him anyway.

[mick]

I was only saying to someone on the weekend that the climate change cronies have gone quiet. Wow was I in for a shock this morning when I read this article.

When you are a political party striving for acceptance, making a divisive (and largely unproveable0 comment of this nature doesn't appeal to the greater masses.

After all, wouldn't "mother nature" be a greeny?

Saint Bob of the raving looney party, who is really suprised?

[Q.]

Bat Pad, you miss the point, Brown never actually said 'Coal miners are to blame' etc, just another example of sensationalist MSM articles attempting to wind the public up. Looks they they've succeeded too...

[Bat Pad]

Bat Pad, you miss the point, Brown never actually said 'Coal miners are to blame' etc, just another example of sensationalist MSM articles attempting to wind the public up. Looks they they've succeeded too...

From his press release

“It is unfair that the cost is put on all taxpayers, not the culprits,” Senator Brown said.

“Burning coal is a major cause of global warming. This industry, which is 75% owned outside Australia, should help pay the cost of the predicted more severe and more frequent floods, droughts and bushfires in coming decades. As well, 700,000 seaside properties in Australia face rising sea levels.”

He calls them culprits and then says they should help pay in the future. If he isnt blaming then then why say they should pay, or call them culprits?

[Ronnie]

Bat Pad, you miss the point, Brown never actually said 'Coal miners are to blame' etc, just another example of sensationalist MSM articles attempting to wind the public up. Looks they they've succeeded too...

C'mon, that is exactly what his original unscripted comments were about.

He has very clearly pointed the finger at the coal companies and linked them to the flood situation.
He speaks of "cause and effect", and of "culprits". What else does this nutcase have to explicitly state?
Coal companies= climate change=floods so make the 'culprits' pay for this situation.

He doesn't need the media to look and sound like a loony, he does that himself.

[mick]

If our friends on the left spun any more they would create their own gravity

[Q.]

Once more, my point is that the quote was made up!

It's no secret that News Ltd has it's own agendas, but at the very least I'd prefer that our media outlets didn't make up quotes

[Gozu]

I don't think the quote was made up Quichey. Sure News Ltd are trying to play their usual games to the delight of RWDB's everywhere but he did say the culprits should pay. He's not exactly saying the big coal mining companies directly are to blame for the floods but that they help to bring on the effects of climate change and in his opinion climate change caused the floods to happen.

I'm just not sure climate change can be blamed for the flood.

[Q.]

The quote 'Coal Miners Caused Floods' was made up.

I agree that his public divergence from his press release is a gross political error (as are all the recent attempts by politicians to gain political leverage from the catastrophe). I also agree that to attribute the cause of the floods to global warming makes fundamentally incorrect assumptions.

My umbrage is with the woeful state of our MSM.

[Grahaml]

While I do like some of the core policies of these minor parties I really have a problem with many of the majority of them, especially the ones they come up with to counter those of the major parties.

And given that voting for someone (apparently) isn't just that you really liked one policy in particular or that you really disliked one policy of the others but gets taken as a resounding "I love all your policies and hate all of everyone else's) these minor parties can be downright dangerous. 90% of the policies of the greens would be totally appalling to most Australians. Yet in reality, most votes for them are either "I would like a bit more done for the environment" or "I just don't want to vote Liberal or Labor".

What nobody seems to understand is that global warming is happening, has been happening for a long time, and will happen whether we like it or not. Whether we rip out the coal, wipe out the great barrier reef and wipe out every forest in Brazil or not, the global temperature will rise. This has been happening since before we even though about electricity. But it seems everyone has to be in the "there is no such thing" camp, or the "we're the sole cause and if we stop everything will go back to normal" camp. It's neither, so the quicker environmental Nazis like Brown and the actual leaders of parties with a hope of being able to make policies happen realise that we need to be seriously thinking about damage limitation the better.

WHEN the sea levels rise, how will we cope? WHEN rainfall patterns change, what will we do? There's no if here, so let's just stop assuming it either won't happen or turning off the lights will stop it happening.

[mick]

While I do like some of the core policies of these minor parties I really have a problem with many of the majority of them, especially the ones they come up with to counter those of the major parties.

And given that voting for someone (apparently) isn't just that you really liked one policy in particular or that you really disliked one policy of the others but gets taken as a resounding "I love all your policies and hate all of everyone else's) these minor parties can be downright dangerous. 90% of the policies of the greens would be totally appalling to most Australians. Yet in reality, most votes for them are either "I would like a bit more done for the environment" or "I just don't want to vote Liberal or Labor".

What nobody seems to understand is that global warming is happening, has been happening for a long time, and will happen whether we like it or not. Whether we rip out the coal, wipe out the great barrier reef and wipe out every forest in Brazil or not, the global temperature will rise. This has been happening since before we even though about electricity. But it seems everyone has to be in the "there is no such thing" camp, or the "we're the sole cause and if we stop everything will go back to normal" camp. It's neither, so the quicker environmental Nazis like Brown and the actual leaders of parties with a hope of being able to make policies happen realise that we need to be seriously thinking about damage limitation the better.

WHEN the sea levels rise, how will we cope? WHEN rainfall patterns change, what will we do? There's no if here, so let's just stop assuming it either won't happen or turning off the lights will stop it happening.

well said, climate change is happening, it's too late or impossible to do anything meaningful, whether the change is due to human activity or a natural cycle. Hopefully the Liberals will remove the oxygen for these people by preferencing the ALP ahead of the Greens.

[redandblack]

"Global warming is crap", Mick