Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Sarkozy Continues To Disappoint Conservatives

Apparently its true: even French righties are lefties. French President Nicolas Sarkozy used his inaugural address today to reaffirm his commitment to human rights and Global Warming. Missing from his address were pledges to personally beat the shit out of any Muslim woman caught wearing a hijab and to aid the Bush administration if and when it decides to invade Bolivia.

Meanwhile, in Ottawa, this guy and this guy wept quietly.

(Note: And interesting that Canada.com doesn't mention these issues at all in its story on Nics inauguration)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

meanwhile, the rest of Europe, living in fear of a re-arming and expansionist Russia, turns too coal for electricity generation . .


FORGET KYOTO: AS CRISIS WITH RUSSIA DEEPENS, EUROPE REVIVES COAL INDUSTRY

Germany is at the forefront of growth of European coal power, with plans to build 15 new coal-fired plants that run counter to the EU's battle against dirty fuel. The European Union aspires to be the world's first low carbon economy and its emissions trading scheme is designed to limit production of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is emitted in large quantities by burning coal.

But Germany, the world's sixth largest greenhouse gas emitter, is planning 15 new coal plants by 2012 because it is cheaper to burn coal than more environmentally-friendly gas, even with the added cost of offsetting emissions of CO2, a gas that contributes to global warming. "Only if the price of CO2 emission allowances went up to 45 euros ($60.64) a tonne would coal generation become so unattractive as to tip the balance in favour of gas," said Walter Wintersteller of consultancy Booz Allen. The carbon cost of coal burning is now just over 20 euros a tonne.

"Our figures clearly support decisions in favour of coal-based generation," said Stephan Wulf, analyst at private German bank Sal Oppenheim. Gas-fired power plants produce only about half of the CO2 emitted by coal units and are cheaper and quicker to build. But in Germany, gas feedstock is currently 45 percent more expensive than coal, Oppenheim bank said.

Power companies and European policy makers are also wary of being overly dependent on imported Russian gas and of the rising cost of gas, which is linked to high oil prices. "It would not make sense to put in gas turbines when this increases the dependence on Russian gas," Wulf said.

Whereas the European Union imports a quarter of its gas from Russia, coal is available from a variety of sources across the globe, meaning supplies are less vulnerable to disruption. Germany's preference for coal also stems from strong political opposition to nuclear power, which provides a third of all electricity but under current laws must be phased out by the early 2020s. As Germany can draw on domestic brown coal and also better-quality, cleaner-burning imported hard coal to fire its plants, coal is a logical alternative.

Anonymous said...

Conservative In Name Only.

Monkey Loves to Fight said...

Right wing and left wing are rarely used in absolutes, but rather relatively speaking. Since France is more left wing than Canada, most Conservatives there will be more left wing. Likewise the United States is more right wing which is why their conservatives are more conservative and their liberals are less liberal.

Dante said...

If you want to make a distinction of relative left vs right, I would suggest that you re-examine who in the world has committed the most environmental harm (hint...look left)

Ti-Guy said...

I would suggest that you re-examine who in the world has committed the most environmental harm (hint...look left)

Don't be so silly. Environmental harm is caused by industrial and economic mismanagement. That's really not a left/right issue.

Yes, yes...I know...you want to call all lefties "Stalinists" and point to Soviet environmental disasters as an example, but you really should grow up and develop a more nuanced and informed understanding of the world.

Dante said...

Tiguy
I hope you have tongue in cheek but I'll bite.
Do you mean the same nuanced and informed understanding of the world that would attribute human rights and environmental stewardship to the left as was submitted by this post?

Ti-Guy said...

I wasn't asking you a question, Dante.

Dante said...

uh huh...

I think that one connected. That backhander sting ti-guy?

Anonymous said...

His cabinet is bold and very unHarperlike.

Half the posts went to women. Prominent positions for centre right members of Bayrou's UDF. Bernard Koucher becoming Foreign Minister.

Appointing Kouchner is the equivalent of Harper sacking MacKay and replacing him with Ignatieff or Rae.

I will let the anonymous blogging Cons in Canada vent on about why Kyoto is evil. Further criticisms will confirm how bankrupt Harper's Cons are as the rest of Europe's centre right moves on without them.