Clive Palmer’s just playing us along

WHETHER by cynical manipulation, procedural incompetence or a combination of both, Clive Palmer has again blocked the ­repeal of the carbon tax.

The Palmer United Party senators elected on a mandate of repealing the tax yesterday extended its existence by at least another five days and created dangerous confusion and uncertainty about electricity prices and the Senate itself.

Cloaked in a smokescreen and hyperbole about conspiracies, Palmer’s actions in directing his senators not to vote for their own amendments and to continue levying the carbon tax on electricity are unsustainable.

He killed the repeal yesterday by his own volition. There was no government “double-cross’’ nor any “conspiracy’’.

Tony Abbott and his Senate leader Eric Abetz have been embarrassed and pilloried as a result of Palmer’s directive, which ­appears to be little more than a tactic to allow Palmer himself to take centre stage in the House of Representatives next week.

This week, PUP senators have been made to look uncertain, incompetent, unfaithful to the electorate and under Palmer’s direct and personal direction. The government agreed — perhaps too readily — to all of PUP’s demands on amendments to get the carbon tax repealed this week and was left high and dry.

Next week, in the house, Palmer will have the opportunity himself to spell out what he wants and vote for the repeal of the carbon tax. Politically and morally he has little choice but to agree to the deal he’s already made, satisfy parliamentary procedure, repeal the tax and give the Coalition what it wants after extracting maximum attention. To do otherwise would betray PUP’s election campaign and provide a dangerous opportunity for those who want to use any excuse to keep the carbon tax .

There is a practical deadline to the repeal because it is retro­spective to July 1 and reimbursements from electricity generators can’t be made if it is applied for too long.

Palmer’s personality politics defy reason and logic as he ­pursues publicity but even he must see the deadline to his game-playing.