Hell No, We Won't Glow

Zeitgeisters,

I may have given the impression on one or two occasions that this blog is something of a love letter to that d*cksnap John Howard, the current Prime Minister of Australia (aka Terra Australis, the Wide Brown Land, Down Under et al.) And if so, I really haven’t been doing my job.

However, because having a go at the pollies is really the job of crikey.com.au I am usually content to concentrate on celeb’s hairstyles and reminding people that Barry Bostwick is awesome. Sometimes, Howard’s attitude to the electorate is so insulting that I gotta exercise my democratic right to have a go.

John Howard is being quite obtuse. That’s if you’re generous and not prone to conspiracy theories. Apparently he thinks using nuclear power is the answer to the nation’s ‘energy needs’ as well as the answer to global warming.

Climate-change-wise – Howard’s idea is a little like being trapped in a garage with a car engine running and pinning your hopes on a battery-powered electric fan to save you. Oh yeah and the electric fan is deadly to all your friends and neighbours for generations, but lets not push a dodgy analogy even further.

Howard has described opposition to nuclear power as a ‘fear campaign’ but I am not sure who these people are, who are so convinced that nuclear energy is safe. The “would you live next door to one” argument may seem childish and reflexive, but would you?

I don’t trust the people who are doing the reassuring. I think they might have a bit too much invested in this for their judgement to be considered impartial. And even if they have now produced the failsafe nuclear power plant – benefit of the doubt here - we know they haven’t solved the nuclear waste problem.

So why all the freakin’ hubris from Howard and his buddies? People who are concerned about their safety are asking a perfectly reasonable question. Why this automatic reflex to put this kind of questioning down as left-wing, anti-scientific or anti-business? I like to think of questioning the government as one of my many jobs, especially when my medication wears off.

I don’t like the idea of living near a power nuclear power station and I like even less the idea of living somewhere that is a thoroughfare for nuclear-waste transportation. And seriously who would be okay with this?

Hold on, maybe I can effect political change with an open letter to John Howard…

AN OPEN LETTER TO JOHN HOWARD

Re: Nuclear Debate

Dear PM This letter may seem rather short and abrupt until you read the accompanying blog about the fears some may have about increasing the use of nuclear power in Australia. Just read the above, then catch us up. Cheers.

So, stop dismissing our fears about nuclear power, PM and give us some serious info. Your Nuclear Taskforce was a start, but when you consider how long a nuclear accident can contaminate an area, more time spent on extra study and investigation is time well-spent.

Regards,

Mr Trivia

P.S. Oh and sorry about calling you a d*cksnap earlier.