Climate madness from Tim Flannery

As you would expect, Tim "Flannel" Flannery is given a really rough ride on ABC's Lateline by fellow alarmist Tony Jones, but old Flannelly does manage to give us a good laugh or two - and reveals a few unpleasant truths as well. Here are a few quotes:

TONY JONES: It's not only industry, it's certain key politicians. Senator Steve Fielding had a very important potential vote in the Senate, is now being described by the 'Wall Street Journal' as something like a prophet, which is quite unusual to see, and beyond that, there's a view that Australia is emerging as a sort of epicentre of the new scientific scepticism.

TIM FLANNERY: Australia's climate dinosaurs are a lot bigger and uglier than the climate dinosaurs elsewhere, that's for sure. And it is depressing, because it's just so counter-productive. And, you know, the amount of time industry will waste disputing the science and not getting on with the job of adjusting to the future and a new energy economy in this country is just dismaying.

The usual story - mind closed to any possibility of the science not being 100% correct. And then this, which is nothing short of astonishing:

TONY JONES: Let me ask you on another issue altogether. New laws are now being used to penalise protesters who stop or impede production at coal-fired power plants and smelters and so on. Do you think those protesters should be protected in some way? [Protected in some way? Why on earth would a presenter at ABC suggest that those committing criminal acts should somehow be immune from prosecution? - Ed]

TIM FLANNERY: Absolutely. I find this completely outrageous to see state governments who are doing next to nothing to secure the future of younger people in Australia, penalising those who care with absolutely punitive measures now, making them pay for their protests. It is just extraordinary and I find it just utterly immoral and despicable.

So we can add Flannery to the ever growing list of hysterics who think that the rule of law doesn't apply to those trying to "save the planet". And then it just gets worse:

TONY JONES: We've just seen NASA scientist Jim Hanson, I think you know him pretty well, arrested along with an actress outside a coal-fired power station in Virginia, something he describes as a "death factory". Have you considered yourself that kind of direction action?

TIM FLANNERY: Look, I have. I think we've all got a job to do, and my job has over the last couple of years has been working with business and the more progressive end of the business spectrum. I have considered those sort of actions, but there's probably a lot of young people who've got a lot more at stake than I have who are gonna get angrier over time and who are gonna demand action, and they're probably the ones who are gonna carry the day in that area.

Just read that last sentence again, and think what it means - sounds almost like encouragement. Flannery is a disgrace - and so is Tony Jones and the ABC.

Read it here.