Garretgate:

Alan Kennedy writes: Re. “Garrett fingered over dodgy solar panels, but story ‘a beat up‘” (yesterday, item 13). Maybe it’s time we all took a cold shower on the shock horror insulation scandal.

The latest mob creating problems is something called the Clean Energy Council which is claiming faults  with solar panel installation. Now the only link to these panels and Garrett is the subsidy. I would have thought that something electrical has to be passed not by his department but by the state-based departments which regulate these things. I know when I had new wiring done it wasn’t turned on until it was inspected by some government official and signed off.

And could there be just the slightest whiff of self -interest in the bleatings of the Clean Energy Council which seems to be Australian companies who may be feeling the heat from cheaper imported panels. They presented no evidence to the Senate  Inquiry just some anecdotal stuff which in these days of the witch hunt against Garrett appears to be enough. The reporting on this matter seems to overlook the self interest of not only of the Clean Energy Council but also Australian -based insulation suppliers.

Of course the states are happy to let Garrett wear the fall out as are all the criminally  responsible insulation installers who are being given a free kick while Garrett is pursued. Why haven’t the companies which  employed the installers who are now dead been charged?

If Tony Abbott wants to bray about criminal charges it would seem that is where they should be. And let’s get this  pink batt stuff into some perspective Up until the Government roll out of subsidies,  major hardware chains were encouraging us all to get down and buy our batts and do the installations ourselves. If I had died up in the roof would they be responsible? Of course not. It is up to me to ensure it is done safely.

When I took advantage of the program offered by the Government I got two quotes and did some research on the Internet about the batts being used and their cost. The quotes seemed to be in the ball park; a little more than I would have paid if I had done it myself. The job was done and I am  happy. My house hasn’t burned down because I inspected the job and made sure it was not sitting on anything electrical.

There is some responsibility on the part of home owners to ensure jobs are done properly I would have thought. Garrett  should go but not because of this. It was driven by Rudd’s office and as Brian Toohey pointed out on the Insiders the Fed Government is hopeless at delivering services and those people hoping for a Federal takeover of hospitals should be careful of what they wish for.

Garrett should go as he seems to be nothing more than a figurehead and has had  no impact on the big environmental challenges facing this country.

Martin Gordon writes: Kevin Rudd promised policies that were “evidence based”. This seems to have failed with both the home insulation scheme and also the national broadband network where you can spend $43B without a business case.

The Rudd back peddling about imports of illegally logged timer highlights the absurd and undeliverable expectations that Rudd has raised. Having promised that no illegally logged timber would be allowed into Australia he now runs into reality (entirely predictable).

Spinning out policy propaganda which is nonsense now appears to be unravelling. Greenpeace commissioned and Bunnings supported Newspoll surveys reveal that 92% of the public think it’s the government responsibility to deliver this promise. When is Rudd going to deliver in full on his promised policy?

Obama and nuclear power:

Tony Kevin, author of Crunch Time, writes: Re. “Obama’s nuclear solution no political peace offering” (yesterday, item 14). More can be said on Obama’s nuclear power announcement than Harley Dennett’s rather knee-jerk account. For a start, it’s worth a few minutes to hear Obama’s announcement speech on CNN video.

Obama seems to share James Hansen’s view (argued in his new book Storms of Our Grandchildren) that, if the energy industry consensus is that renewable energy cannot feasibly fully replace coal-based energy globally by 2030, the latest safe date to stop the world’s coal-burning CO2 emissions, then nuclear energy must be part of an interim solution for the world to avoid runaway disruptive climate change.

Obama also is here offering an implicit deal to moderate Republicans —we are supporting this, now you support our cap-and-trade ETS.  (To complicate matters, Hansen vehemently opposes the ETS approach, preferring a fully refundable carbon tax).

The reactors Obama is offering federal funding support for are still third-generation light-water reactors, albeit with the latest technology. He was silent on the fourth-generation fast-breeder reactor:  on which development of the prototype at Argonne USA was vetoed by the Clinton-Gore administration under heavy environmentalist pressure.

Hansen advocates that the US now resume work on this technology, which is being pursued in all the other major nuclear power countries, if the US is not to be left behind.  Obama cites this general argument, but is so far silent on the fourth-generation technology question – which according to Hansen, has crucial advantages for fuel sourcing and waste management.

I am not a nuclear energy advocate, and Australia must do far more to exploit our rich endowment of renewable energy sources ( on which current government and opposition policies alike offer only dishonest greenwash and spin). But we need to keep across what is happening internationally on nuclear energy, with an open mind. This may be one of the rare cases where the end (survival of our grandchildren) turns out to justify the means ( global resort to fourth-generation nuclear power).

And ironically — it wouldn’t be good news for Australia’s uranium exports, because fourth-generation technology uses spent fuel of which the world has ample supplies already.

University of Sydney:

Andrew Potter, Media Manager, The University of Sydney, writes: Re. “Tips and rumours” (yesterday, item 7). The new University of Sydney Student Campus Card is not a credit card nor a bank account. It is a pre-paid card which allows students to use their own money, track their spending, manage their budgets and avoid debt.

Users cannot spend money they do not have. The card is available on an opt-in basis, students must choose to activate the pre-paid component of the card.

The University is not collecting or storing expenditure information, and will not sell or provide any student information to the ANZ or VISA.

The University conducted a four week pilot program in late 2009 and emailed all students inviting them to participate. Nearly 2000 students took part in the pilot program.

Both the Student’s Representative Council and the Postgraduate’s Association were consulted.

If a student wishes to opt out of the co-branded pre-paid card, a new card with all the regular features will be issued within 2 or 3 days.

Travel concessions can still be used until a student exchanges the card for a non-branded one.

The new combination card means students need only carry one card providing ID, building access and day-to-day expenses.

Eddie:

Denise Marcos writes: Re. “Eddie and Mick feel the heat in Vancouver gay row” (yesterday, item 5). The transcripted commentary on figure skater Johnny Weir leaves no doubt about Eddie McGuire’s and Mick Molloy’s incisive half-wit.

Mark it Exhibit A as evidence of the televised dross endemic in the blokey-blokey Nine Network.

Scientology:

Nigel Dick writes: Re. “The Senate lends Scientology a helping hand to attack ex-members” (yesterday, item 1). Running this story is an absolute waste of space.

Pollies lie:

Zachary King writes: Re. Wednesday’s editorial. So your one shot editorial writer Charles Kane has his panties in a twist over a politician lying?  And about infidelity?  He is obviously a pedant wowser, or a troll.  Or both.

Politicians lie, grow up and get over it — but they are human and so they too are allowed the instinctive first response instilled by millions of years of social conditioning – deny, deny, deny.

To err is human.  This pathetic obsession with expecting pollies to live a blameless, mistake free existence will land us with boring, puritanical politico-automatons like well, dear Kevin. God help us all.

Murdoch and Abbott:

Ian Harvey writes: Re. Yesterday’s editorial. Murdoch press about to change horses .When were they on the Labor nag?

Birthday blues:

Peter Short writes: Re. “Margaret Simons: Crikey still meeting the challenge” (yesterday, item 10). While not doubting Crikey‘s eminent journalistic pedigree, well earned over the past 10 years, is it necessary to re-live it accompanied by fawning comments by people who are unlikely to say in print what they really think of Crikey?

I cannot understand why Croakey has been relegated to a back page and it is replaced by this self-referential crap.

Enough of the past, let’s move to the future.