Ross Garnaut keeps the faith

Not so long ago, before news organisations came to be infested with journalism-school graduates and activists posing as reporters, every editor faced the same occasional and uncomfortable dilemma: a great man (or woman, no sexism here!) would pen an opinion piece so irredeemable inept, so profoundly stupid, that charity alone demanded it be consigned to the spike. After that, the editor’s quandry was how best to ease the author’s disappointment without giving offence.

Fortunately for the sake of carbon-phobic Ross Garnaut’s ego, if not his reputation for insight and acuity, those days are gone, so his latest thoughts on what Australia must do to avert climate catastrophe have been published by The Age as written. Equally fortunately, very few adults now bother to read Melbourne’s shrunken broadsheet, so the embarrassment accruing to his latest attempt at coherent thought will be limited, which is almost a pity.

As the world’s rent seekers prepare to pack their bags for the upcoming Paris doom fest, Garnaut’s column — available via the link below — reminds us that whatever form and shape the delegates’ final statement takes, it will be no more than the latest shuffle of standard, dog-eared cliches.

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