http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/greens/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/losing-the-renewable-energy-race-isnt-an-option/ Global warming and rapid progress in renewable energy technology has bought us to a turning point. Do we cling fearfully to coal, or keep up with the rest of the world and develop our vast renewable energy resources? Senator Christine Milne, the new leader of the Australian Greens, is using this question to construct a new political axis, with the Greens on the side of the future and the Liberal (& National) and Labor parties on the side of the past. She has the facts of science on her side and, increasingly, the successes of the world’s smartest technology companies and investors. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/losing-the-renewable-energy-race-isnt-an-option/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/losing-the-renewable-energy-race-isnt-an-option/#item8331 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-new-start-for-the-greens-or-the-beginning-of-the-end/ Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-new-start-for-the-greens-or-the-beginning-of-the-end/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-new-start-for-the-greens-or-the-beginning-of-the-end/#item8235 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/clive-palmers-truth-is-really-out-there/ Writer and activist Susan Sontag said: “I envy paranoids. They actually feel people are paying attention to them”. People were quick to call mining giant Clive Palmer a ‘crackpot’ and a ‘nutjob’ for his bizarre claim that the Greens are a tool of the CIA being used to undermine mining. And they are wacky claims. But the human mind is an amazing thing and comes up with sophisticated ways to protect itself from the real world. He’s not simply ‘wacky’. Conspiracy theories are a protective mechanism. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/clive-palmers-truth-is-really-out-there/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/clive-palmers-truth-is-really-out-there/#item8056 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/bob-brown-must-face-down-the-extreme-greens/ It came as a surprise to some that Bob Brown was acknowledged as our most influential politician in The Australian‘s Top 50 survey of Australia’s most powerful figures in politics. If the claim had been made by the ABC or Fairfax it might have been easily dismissed as preferential bias - but coming from the Oz it can only be taken as a disgruntled admission of the Green leader’s success and political prowess. Despite what we might personally think about the Greens’ policies, if we look at the current state of play in Canberra its hard to argue with The Australian‘s assessment. The Greens leader is the most stable and secure party leader in the Australian parliament. Despite being just a few years younger than John Howard, Brown appears to be in his political prime. His status is international - as the man who founded the world’s first ever Green Party in Tasmania in the 1970s and took his vision all the way to the national stage. As a politician, he has outlived them all. Bob Brown has even been described by Tony Abbott as the “real Prime Minister” of Australia. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/bob-brown-must-face-down-the-extreme-greens/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/bob-brown-must-face-down-the-extreme-greens/#item7722 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/killed-with-kindness-onshore-processing-is-a-deadly-policy/ Mark Latham is notoriously harsh and personal in his choice of language. It was one of the things which made him unelectable as prime minister and which saw him shred every friendship he ever had upon making his furious exit from parliamentary life. At the same time Latham can also make sense. His analysis may often be brutal and poorly-timed but it is often also right. He was 100 per cent right when he said on Sunday that the people who advocate the onshore processing of asylum seekers, on compassionate and humanitarian grounds, are creating a situation where desperate people will risk their lives at the hands of people smugglers in the dangerous hope of making it to the Australian mainland. Of course Latham could have easily avoided insinuating that the likes of Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young and the Labor Party’s Left Faction had effectively killed the 200-odd men, women and children whose bodies were still being picked out of the sea off the coast of Java. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/killed-with-kindness-onshore-processing-is-a-deadly-policy/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/killed-with-kindness-onshore-processing-is-a-deadly-policy/#item7414 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/tofu-munching-greens-are-cooking-up-a-big-fat-tax/ The Australian Greens may well be a sanctimonious blight on the national political landscape but I don’t see why they should be teased for eating lentils or tofu. There is nothing wrong with lentils at all. They’re terrific. Dhal rocks, as does lentil salad with mint, peas, red onion and feta, and stewed lentils make the perfect base for a grilled sausage. Anyone who doesn’t like tofu should try the kick-arse Chinese dish mapo tofu, which is fresh tofu served with spring onions, minced pork and heaps of chilli. If that still doesn’t work they should get along to a little place called Barbecue City in Adelaide’s Chinatown and order the tofu with broad beans and pickled cabbage. While there is nothing smart or clever about vegetarianism there is also nothing wrong with eating vegetables, and this vegetable dish is one of the best going around. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/tofu-munching-greens-are-cooking-up-a-big-fat-tax/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/tofu-munching-greens-are-cooking-up-a-big-fat-tax/#item6864 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labor-greens-take-chainsaw-to-your-childcare-benefits/ With significant diversions during Federal Parliament last week one of the more contemptible political back flips in recent memory might have escaped your notice. Without a blush, Labor - supported by the Greens in the Senate - took $700 a year from 21,000 parents to fund its reform agenda for the childcare industry. A little explanatory background is needed. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labor-greens-take-chainsaw-to-your-childcare-benefits/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labor-greens-take-chainsaw-to-your-childcare-benefits/#item6609 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/shut-the-hell-up-and-get-back-to-running-the-nation/ Australia, which includes the national government and parliament, faces a number of crucial issues. A short list: the carbon tax; the two-speed economy; problems for the manufacturing sector; real difficulties in the steel industry; coal seam gas extraction versus prime farming land. Further, there are serious worries about productivity levels; concern about the need for a review and revamp of the industrial laws, which everyone except the unions and the government are suggesting are too rigid. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/shut-the-hell-up-and-get-back-to-running-the-nation/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/shut-the-hell-up-and-get-back-to-running-the-nation/#item6610 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/whether-she-likes-it-or-nyet-lee-rhiannon-was-a-stalinist/ It is customary for new Members and Senators to use part of their first speech to give some account of their careers before their election. Despite my entreaties that new Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon address her past, she used the usual dodge of whinging that critics were reviving a ‘new McCarthyism’. Prior to her speech, there has been a battle going on at Wikipedia about her political history. Ever since April a number of people have been trying to write a full, honest and properly referenced account of Senator Rhiannon’s political career prior to 1990 when she joined the Greens. All those efforts have been thwarted by a person called Chris Maltby, who has systematically deleted her political history prior to 1990, by suppressing any version of the Wikipedia article which might be embarrassing to Senator Rhiannon. So what are the facts about Senator Rhiannon’s past that the NSW Greens and Mr Maltby are so keen to stop you reading? penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/whether-she-likes-it-or-nyet-lee-rhiannon-was-a-stalinist/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/whether-she-likes-it-or-nyet-lee-rhiannon-was-a-stalinist/#item6581 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hot-chocolate-a-cure-for-those-who-ignore-history/ This article was co-authored by Professor Douglas Kirsner, Ari Suss and Geoffrey Winn. A militant campaign that singles out Israel alone in the world as worthy of boycott, divestment and sanctions has met with a surprising form of resistance. Michael Danby MP, the Member for Melbourne Ports, has been organizing these Hot Chocolate ‘sit-ins’ together with members of the ALP leadership and other public figures such as Gerard Henderson and Jana Wendt. Gerard Henderson explained the context in his Sydney Morning Herald column Jews know acceptance still has its exceptions when he pointed to the 1930s British Fascists’ targeting and smashing up Jewish-owned shops in London’s East End. After reading Henderson’s column,  Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd suggested to Danby that he join him for a hot chocolate at Max Brenner’s Melbourne CBD shop. That Max Brenner shop was the target of violent anti-Israel protest by BDS militants on July 1. The police made nineteen arrests during the violent protest. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hot-chocolate-a-cure-for-those-who-ignore-history/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hot-chocolate-a-cure-for-those-who-ignore-history/#item6521 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Did anyone see that coming? Greens Leader Bob Brown’s shock resignation today came out of a clear blue sky, and now we’ll all quickly scramble to work out what it will mean for the Greens’ future, and for ours. See news.com.au’s rolling coverage here. Apart from the occasional nutty dummy spit, Bob Brown has been a steadying influence in the Greens, which is prone to both admirable idealism and flashes of extremism. He has been a herder of cats. His replacement Christine Milne’s corralling abilities remain to be seen, as does her ability to deal with the Government and the Opposition, and an ever-critical public.