Republicanism has come and gone in Australia, as the Canadian Robert Finch has observed. He says it hasn’t even come to Canada, which is surely true.
So our republican friends must have a lot of spare time on their hands.
Writing in Sydney highest circulating newspaper, The DailyTelegraph, the prominent columnist Tim Blair has some advice for republicans on how to use some of their spare time.
…advice to republicans – be consistent…
In “417 days until Labor’s European bully tax” (14/5) he wrote about the proposed carbon dioxide tax – on which ACM has no position.
His advice in the last sentence reproduced here ( the comment is longer) flows from this opening:
“Even before a carbon dioxide tax is introduced locally, Australia’s national airline is hit with an EU carbon toll. “Qantas will be forced to lift international airfares to Europe from next January after being slapped with a penalty by the European Union because Australia does not have a price on greenhouse gas emissions.
“The national carrier told business leaders at a meeting in Canberra this week that under changes to the EU’s emissions trading scheme, Qantas would be forced to pay a tax on 15 per cent of its carbon emissions from its nearest port of call. “Of course, the Labor-Independent-Greens government will likely see this as a positive.
“The government will seize on the fact that Qantas will face the impost to back its argument that, if the nation doesn’t move, Australian businesses could eventually be penalised by carbon border adjustments and airline passengers will be first to suffer.
“If we do introduce a carbon tax, it won’t mean that EU taxes will be lifted. It’ll be a tax on top of a tax. Alternatively, the government could act for Australian interests and tell the EU to go to hell.
“Australians who previously agitated for a republic should also be outraged at any Labor kneeling to Euro laws.”