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| The World According to Rowan Dean, Sky News Australia, 4 July 2025. |
Dr Michael de Percy is the Canberra Press Gallery Correspondent for The Spectator Australia.
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| Green hydrogen. Going, going, gone! |
The hydrogen economy, once heralded as the future of clean energy, is unravelling as I write. A few years back, I argued that hydrogen’s promise was overshadowed by practical and economic barriers. Despite the buzz, its high production costs, inefficient storage, and logistical challenges make it a poor fit for widespread adoption.
Everybody knew this except renewables zealots, especially Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen.
And just like that, the mirage has vanished.
Writing in the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:
Green Hydrogen was meant to be the ‘great hope’ for the decarbonisation utopia – and yet it always sounded convoluted, expensive, and dodgy. If it had not been for the involvement of public money, it is difficult to imagine anyone dabbling in this folly. The one question everyone is asking, as another ten-odd billion dollars vanishes, is why aren’t there any repercussions for the ministers involved in the failure? How can all this money just – die?
My latest in The Spectator Australia, Bowen’s hydrogen mirage has vanished.
Green Hydrogen - the last hope for decarbonisation - will soon vanish in a puff of smoke.
— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) July 2, 2025
Its high production costs, inefficient storage, and logistical challenges have sunk another project.
Everybody understands why except perhaps Chris Bowen.https://t.co/L33Q75WS46
Dr Michael de Percy is the Canberra Press Gallery Correspondent for The Spectator Australia.
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| While Reform UK has shown the way, the Liberal Party has gone astray. |
Populism has been defined as an approach to politics that pits a champion of the commonfolk against elites. Right-wing populism has often been regarded as anti-expert, anti-intellectual, and anti-globalisation. A major challenge for populist leaders has been a lack of vision. In the short term, populist leaders can be against things, but this it makes it harder to be for something in the long run.
While Reform UK has shown the way, the Liberal Party has gone astray. It’s time for a Reform Australia Party.
In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall wrote:
Michael de Percy asks when and if Australia can muster the forces of conservative politics and create its own ‘Reform’ movement. Elon Musk spent the day demanding a ‘third party’ for American politics after renewing his scuffle with US President Donald Trump. Musk isn’t happy about the savage cuts to renewable energy and EVs, but Michael makes a larger point about the need for a genuine opposition party – not for rich businessmen or politicians – but for the people.
In the Morning Double Shot newsletter, Terry Barnes wrote:
Michael de Percy makes the case for a Nigel Farage spin-off party in Australia. In terms of Reform UK and its agenda, that is a consummation devoutly to be wished, whether in a – pardon the pun – reformed Liberal party or not. But Farage, for all his media stunting and blokey braggadocio, has the brains and political nous to be a prime minister: there is nobody on the Australian centre-right, whether in the Liberals or populist minor parties, who has the intelligence, common touch, charisma, appealing beliefs and hunger to win that Farage has. Until an Australian Farage eventually emerges (if he does at all), de Percy will have to keep dreaming, alas.
My latest in The Spectator Australia, It’s time for a Reform Australia Party.
While Reform UK has shown the way, the Liberal Party has gone astray. It’s time for a Reform Australia Party.
— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) July 1, 2025
What would a Reform Australia Party look like, and who might lead it?
Matt Canavan, Alex Antic, Pauline Hanson???https://t.co/aUR0pZ09K5
Dr Michael de Percy is the Canberra Press Gallery Correspondent for The Spectator Australia.
THE POLITICAL FLÂNEUR
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