Coalition admits it could lose double dissolution election

That's the spirit. At least Julie Bishop had the guts to say "bring it on", but Ian Macfarlane, the new climate change spokesman, has thrown in the towel before the fight has even begun, effectively committing the opposition to agree to an ETS becoming law prior to Copenhagen:

THE Coalition would lose an early election sparked by an outright rejection of Labor's emissions trading scheme and precipitate a "disaster", according to the opposition's new spokesman on climate change.

Warning that the threat of a double-dissolution election was so great the Liberals and Nationals must now work to amend the Rudd government's legislation, Ian Macfarlane said yesterday his goal was to craft amendments that would bring the Nationals back inside the tent. [Any amendments that would please the Nationals would certainly be rejected by Labor - Ed]

While deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop was still talking tough about the Coalition's readiness to fight an early poll, Mr Macfarlane said yesterday the reality was "we will lose".

"The risk we take is that if we just oppose it outright, the double dissolution that precipitates and the likelihood (is) we would lose that election," the acting climate change spokesman told the Nine Network.

"That means that the flawed legislation we have now will be the flawed legislation that goes to the joint parliamentary sitting. If that is the case, that will be a disaster. Far better for the Coalition to put up a practical set of amendments that will save jobs in Australia, and so I'll be taking a proposal to the joint partyroom on that basis."

Except the government is unlikely even to consider your amendments… I mean, why should they? They know they will win a double dissolution election (you've just told them), so they can be as tough as they like in negotiations, and at any time they can just walk away.

Read it here.