Malcolm Turnbull doth protest too much

Malcolm Turnbull needs to step back and look at just how irritating, petty, and irrational his criticisms of Labor's latest emissions trading scheme look to the average Joe/Josephine. Penny Wong is right: if it is to persuade other countries to adopt tough targets the government can't go to the next climate change conference in Copenhagen with no legislated targets. As one of the highest (some claim the highest) per capita carbon emitters in the world, Australia needs to show it is serious. But Malcolm protests at everything the government does. He seems to think the role of the Opposition is to oppose everything. It's not. A lot of what the Rudd government has done is good (although there are a few notable bad ideas) and Turnbull should acknowledge it by occasionally offering support for some of those Labor policies which have the voters' - if not his - approval. His repeated churlishness does his toff-like, privileged image no favours. He looks increasingly out of touch with the times. A man who can only react against.