A FUTILE EFFORT TO BUY THE GREENIE VOTE

An Australian conservative Federal government considers spending $450 million for what? To save "old growth" forest from logging -- i.e. forest that has been previously logged and recovered once before. Why it cannot recover again is the mystery. Note that even the Leftist State government says the old growth forest should be logged. (Note also that Australia's major conservative party is called the Liberal party. They really are liberal -- unlike America's so-called "liberals")

"John Howard's senior advisers will spend this weekend considering a new $450million plan to replace Tasmania's controversial old-growth logging with a value-added plantation industry. The proposal, from major softwood company Auspine, would create 900 new jobs, compensating for job losses from ending old-growth logging....

The Auspine plan was strongly endorsed last night by Greens leader Bob Brown, who has held out the prospect of directing preferences to whichever major party commits to ending old-growth logging.....

Mr Jakab, who said he would also be discussing his company's proposals with Labor leader Mark Latham, conceded that the plan required the commonwealth to commit a "very significant" proportion of the $450million. In return, the company would quickly absorb 900 of the 1350 jobs that Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon claims would be lost from phasing out old-growth logging.

Tasmania's Liberal senators are lobbying Mr Howard, who is reported to be planning a visit to the island next week, to stick by the old-growth industry and the regional forest agreement with the state.

Mr Lennon wrote to Mr Howard yesterday demanding he reaffirm his commitment to the RFA - a promise Tasmanian timber groups revealed Liberal senator Eric Abetz had made in writing to them this week.

More here.




Andrew Bolt's comment on the subject:

"Conservatives should think of themselves as people who prefer reason to mysticism, and individuals above tribes -- while honouring the traditions and affections which bind us, of course.

Yet here is Howard spending huge dollars to "save" a "dying" Murray that in fact is now as fresh as it's been in 60 years. Here is Howard backing "green energy" schemes that will in fact do nothing to stop the globe from getting warmer -- if that is indeed what is happening. And now he's reportedly toying with a big-bucks "saving" of Tasmania's forests, of which we have more than you could shake a saw at, as Paul Lennon will tell you....

The rise of green unreason is a great threat to our civilisation, and this is no time for the Liberals to go all mushy".

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Many people would like to be kind to others so Leftists exploit that with their nonsense about equality. Most people want a clean, green environment so Greenies exploit that by inventing all sorts of far-fetched threats to the environment. But for both, the real motive is to promote themselves as wiser and better than everyone else, truth regardless.

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