Not again!

JULIA Gillard is to create a Citizens Assembly to forge a national consensus on action on climate change and a commission of experts to help inform its deliberations.

The Prime Minister will also today recommit Labor to carbon trading, but pledge that it will be introduced only when “the Australian economy is ready and when the Australian people are ready”.

There, that’s got that problem out of contention for the election. I don’t think the tree-hugging Hippy Greens are going to be very happy but as they have joined the ALP they really can’t complain. Shades of Rudd’s failed 2020 conference, isn’t it? I can guarantee the vast bulk of any such citizens so assembled will be marching to Gillard’s tune. I doubt, for example that Andrew Bolt will get a slot. It’s a cop-out. We elect politicians to make these decisions and we accept their call even if we don’t agree, at least until the next election. But this “Ooh it’s contentious and might lose me some votes -let’s call a Citizens Assembly and then we can blame them if it goes pear shape” response is not, under any definition, doing what they are, or could be, elected to do.