An edited TRANSCRIPT OF THE HON. TONY ABBOTT MP, ADDRESS TO THE GLOBAL WARMING POLICY FOUNDATION, WESTMINSTER, LONDON October 10, 2017
Gentle applause:
Thank you for
the cultural amnesia and
forgotten scriptures.
Without constant curiosity
and endless questioning of
our scientists and engineers,
there’d be no disease,
no labour-saving women,
no respect for words,
no modern.
Beware “the science is settled”
as if laws are objective facts;
there’s almost nothing equating
questioning with superstition.
Physics suggests an increase
would warm the almost infinitely complex palaeontology:
the Jurassic, the medieval,
the mini-ice age when the Thames froze over (slightly)
sun spot cycles and oscillations in the orbit
gas to the breathless
floods to the bushfires,
the droughts cyclone the sea levels.
(Here the high-priests concede no concession)
About 20 years ago, (those far off days), it was just 2 per cent.
If only more had doubted sooner.
Unsurprisingly, thought was shrewd,
settled science was “absolute crap”
and the last thing we wanted to do
was damage our economy.
The wind blew hard
there were blackouts and brownouts and
a display of virtue signalling.
It should be obvious:
in the longer term
we have (only) ourselves.
We need less theology and
more effort (however Herculean).
Should Australia?
Of course not, but that’s the reality
no one has wanted to face for a long time:
the truth that can now no longer be avoided.
I congratulate the elephants ingrained in the human psyche.
An aside:
one day it will probably come;
what won’t stop it
when it comes,
it will have little to do with mankind.
Image: The Tower of Babel, (1563) Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c/- Wikimedia. An irreverent piece for dverse, the poets’ pub, where Jilly is hosting and asks us to write on ‘unseen things’. Among many ‘famous’ opinions of the The former Prime Minister of Australia (2013 to 2015) was that carbon dioxide was…’ an invisible, odourless, tasteless, weightless substance.’ You can find out more about the Global Warming Policy Foundation. And apologies on behalf of the former Prime Minister of Australia, to any readers who are experiencing the worst drought since records began (most of Eastern Australia); record breaking temperatures in Europe and Japan; wildfires in California etc. And here’s CW Stoneking with The Zombie (aaagghh!)
I think this is brilliant… sometimes we have to believe what we see, but see what we believes… that’s a true comfort for those playing ostrich, hiding their head in the sand, saying… “see it’s already dark”.
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Love the layout of this poem – great impact on the reader!
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Thanks Jilly, glad you liked it.
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The speech-like quality of your poem is very engaging, enjoyed it very much!
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Thanks so much.
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Nice line about those elephants however they got ingrained. “I congratulate the elephants ingrained in the human psyche.”
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Thanks Frank. Some nights I hear them clomping about – making a mess and keeping me awake 🙂
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Love this! Using a politician’s measured evasions to say true things. Very cool. (I was lucky enough to see C.W. Stoneking perform this song a couple years ago with his band. Great music!)
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Thanks, so glad you enjoyed it. (I’ve been waiting for the next album/tour from CW for ages – but think he may have disappeared back into the jungle. )
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Climate change deniers- why does it have to be a political when our world is at stake. We have built Babel, and it goes almost nowhere, and we are divided and our tribes won’t understand each other. Soon no room even for elephants 🤷🏻♀️
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Thanks
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You’ve brought the reader right into your thoughts here. So very well done!
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Very much enjoyed, Peter. The less detailed comment I offer, the better it will be for my blood pressure. Perhaps some of us will remember the world as it used to be.
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+1 Steve
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Thanks for finally talking about >Unseen elephants – Peter Frankis writes <Loved it!
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Glad you liked
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