WARNING: POLITICAL RANT - I have to vent spleen about this. But Rudd's back-flip on climate change is one of the worst examples of political cowardice I've ever seen. Not only cowardice, but betrayal as well.
So he has postponed an Emmissions Trading Scheme until 2013 - a waste of three years. The price of carbon will not change for three years. Therefore, our habits and behaviours will not change for three years. Climate change will march on unabated. When Lateline last night asked all three ministers with environment in their portfolios - Penny Wong, Peter Garrett and Greg Combet - to come and explain this outrageious back flip - they all declined. Ducking a fight is one act of cowardice. Hiding from explaining why makes it so much worse.
Rudd may have forgotten that one of the top three reasons he was elected to replace the Howard Government was to do something about climate change - but I haven't. Now he's just utterly failed. God's teeth, even Howard would have done something about the environment by 2013!
We've listened to him harp on in his traditional high-horse, self-righteous tone about how it is the "moral challenge of our generation"; contrasting his position with Abbott's <yawn> "absolute crap". But at least Abbott has taken action and has a policy. I don't agree with any of it, but at least he's assertive, decisive and committed.
For me, I agree with the Liberal analysis of Rudd position on the ETS. His impressive sense of urgency in October/November to get it passed was so he could walk tall on the world stage and laud it over his peers. Now, post-Copenhagen, its fallen off the agenda for him - particularly since its turned into a fight. Rudd's principle concern: not Australia, not even Labor. Its Kevin Rudd.
Rudd has a double-dissolution trigger. The reason I imagine these things exist is that if a government is being stonewalled by an intransigent opposition from passing something for which it has an undisputable poltical mandate to achieve - then it can re-draw the parliament along lines that will get the job done. Rudd says he won't pull the trigger because he has committed to serve a full term. I say that is a cop-out. I say thats because he's frightened of fighting Abbott on a subject he can't articulate.
Whats more, instead of believing in the threat of climate change and argueing against the scepticism that has emerged in recent months, he has watched it fall off the political agenda and as a result neglected it as an issue. He responded to the problem when he perceived it was a vote winner, whelched on it now it isn't. That isn;t leadership, thats just cyncial.
Through his behaviour on this issue, Rudd has lost me. I'll always support Labor - probably - but not Rudd. Bring on Gillard or someone else (not sure who!) But I'm over Rudd as of today. I find it difficult to accommodate his patronising, aloofness and his arrogance. But when this is combined with spineless cowardice and cynical opportunism, he becomes the worst of all monsters.