In a political masterstroke last week, the Rudd Government appointed the former Howard government minister for defence and the environment, Senator Robert Hill to head the government’s new climate change initiative – namely to encourage Australian families and businesses to be more energy efficient and reduce our carbon footprints.

This piece of wedge politics would make Machiavelli’s Prince proud.  The Ruddmeister has given the greenest job not to Ha! A Green.  Not to one of his own senior players.  Not even to one of the foot soldiers of the environment movement or even the right wing of the left party.  A brilliant piece of keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer.

Rudd is in effect, by appointing the man who helped create this wheelbarrow of steaming dung, literally pushing shit up hill.  The reward for Hill going doggo and sitting on the environment portfolio for so many years, for denying Kyoto, for letting the rivers run dry is to be given the task of actually getting off his bronze and helping to do something about it.

But there’s far more to this than meets the eye.  In a Pig’s Arms exclusive scoop, we can tell you that the government has arranged a trade – Hill for Peter Garrett.  The swap has been arranged for an undisclosed sum not thought to be in the same league as recent Real Madrid business.  The trade brings the future of the Coalition Club into serious question.

The serious question is: “Will the Coalition be relegated to reserve grade, effectively making Australia a one-party state, or making the Coalition a one-state party ?”

In stark contrast to some (barely-suppressed smirking) Rudd and Wong footage last week we saw the Opposition’s Treasury spokesman, Joe Hocky pleading on national TV for Kevin to cut everyone’s allowance.  It would have been funny, had it not had the air of desperation redolent of a party, nay a coalition of parties and a religious enviro-nutter on their last desperate tilt at relevance.

What WAS funny, however was our Professor of Sustainability at Sydney Uni, Hill’s assertion that there was no way he’d be putting the heavies on his old mates to pass the carbon trading bill in the Senate.  Well, Prof, you can lead a horse to water, but only the threat of a double dissolution will make it drink – provided there’s some water in the tough.