<p>Recorded live at&nbsp;Climate Action Week Sydney, this episode of&nbsp;<em>A Rational Fear&nbsp;</em>dives deep into the rise of the far right, fossil-fuel-funded disinformation, and what it all means for Australia’s climate future and democracy.</p><p>Host&nbsp;Dan Ilic&nbsp;is joined on stage by:</p><ul><li>Malcolm Turnbull&nbsp;– former Prime Minister, now “concerned private citizen”</li><li>Ed Coper&nbsp;– communications strategist and author of&nbsp;<em>Angertainment</em></li><li>Kate Hook&nbsp;– farmer, regional community leader, and two-time community independent candidate (Climate 200 co-convener)</li></ul><p>Across this wide-ranging conversation, they unpack:</p><ul><li>Why the far right’s culture war is such a serious threat to climate action</li><li>How “anger-tainment” media ecosystems (hello Sky News) and social platforms reward disinformation</li><li>The inside story on fossil-fuel-backed campaigns, from Clive Palmer to astroturf outfits like “Australians for Prosperity”</li><li>The existential crisis inside the Liberal Party and the risks of preferencing One Nation</li><li>How regional communities are actually embracing renewables when they control the process and share the benefits</li><li>The rise of&nbsp;community independents&nbsp;and why ordinary people, not party machines, are now driving political change</li></ul><p>It’s funny, bleak, hopeful, and occasionally unhinged—classic&nbsp;<em>Rational Fear</em>.</p><p><br></p><h2>Key Topics</h2><ul><li>Climate politics &amp; the far right</li><li>Turnbull on why opposition to climate action has become “religion” rather than economics</li><li>How internal Liberal/National dynamics warped energy policy around coal and renewables</li><li>“Angertainment” &amp; the media ecosystem</li><li>Ed Coper explains how social media rewards outrage and emotional extremes</li><li>How a small 7–10% anti-climate minority ends up feeling like 50% of the country</li><li>The dangers of amplifying fringe narratives until they look mainstream</li><li>Disinformation playbook &amp; fossil fuel money</li><li>Coordinated disinformation in the&nbsp;2025 federal election, including:</li><li>~$80m&nbsp;in fossil-fuel-aligned spending</li><li>Front groups like&nbsp;Australians for Prosperity&nbsp;attacking pro-climate independents</li><li>Intimidatory tactics, rotating party shirts, and creepy “Don’t get hooked” billboards</li><li>The global network of think tanks and astroturf groups exporting the same anti-climate tactics to Australia</li><li>Liberal Party’s existential crisis</li><li>Why Turnbull thinks there are “virtually no moderates” left federally</li><li>How chasing One Nation on immigration and culture wars strengthens One Nation, not the Libs</li><li>The potential fallout if the Liberals preference One Nation in seats like&nbsp;Farrer</li><li>Community independents &amp; regional hope</li><li>Kate Hook’s experience campaigning in&nbsp;Calare&nbsp;and working in&nbsp;Hay&nbsp;and other regional communities</li><li>How structured community engagement turns hostility toward renewables into enthusiasm when locals control the benefits</li><li>The independent “ecosystem”: thousands of volunteers, trusted local messengers, and evidence-based policymaking</li><li>The big question: how do we eventually get these independents from the crossbench into&nbsp;government and cabinet?</li><li>How to fight disinformation</li><li>Turnbull on why “ignore it and don’t give it oxygen” no longer works</li><li>The&nbsp;“whack-a-mole”&nbsp;and&nbsp;inoculation&nbsp;approach: pre-bunking lies and relentlessly correcting them</li><li>The importance of&nbsp;better stories, not just better facts</li><li>Power, agency &amp; what listeners can do</li><li>Why grievance parties like One Nation don’t have real solutions—only easy pills for complex problems</li><li>Community organizing, local campaigns, and supporting independents as the real counterweight to fossil fuel money</li><li>“There’s no cavalry coming over the hill” – why&nbsp;<em>we</em>&nbsp;are the ones we’ve been waiting for</li></ul><h2><br></h2><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

A Rational Fear

Dan Ilic

The end of the Liberal Party and the new climate wars.

MAR 15, 202662 MIN
A Rational Fear

The end of the Liberal Party and the new climate wars.

MAR 15, 202662 MIN

Description

<p>Recorded live at&nbsp;Climate Action Week Sydney, this episode of&nbsp;<em>A Rational Fear&nbsp;</em>dives deep into the rise of the far right, fossil-fuel-funded disinformation, and what it all means for Australia’s climate future and democracy.</p><p>Host&nbsp;Dan Ilic&nbsp;is joined on stage by:</p><ul><li>Malcolm Turnbull&nbsp;– former Prime Minister, now “concerned private citizen”</li><li>Ed Coper&nbsp;– communications strategist and author of&nbsp;<em>Angertainment</em></li><li>Kate Hook&nbsp;– farmer, regional community leader, and two-time community independent candidate (Climate 200 co-convener)</li></ul><p>Across this wide-ranging conversation, they unpack:</p><ul><li>Why the far right’s culture war is such a serious threat to climate action</li><li>How “anger-tainment” media ecosystems (hello Sky News) and social platforms reward disinformation</li><li>The inside story on fossil-fuel-backed campaigns, from Clive Palmer to astroturf outfits like “Australians for Prosperity”</li><li>The existential crisis inside the Liberal Party and the risks of preferencing One Nation</li><li>How regional communities are actually embracing renewables when they control the process and share the benefits</li><li>The rise of&nbsp;community independents&nbsp;and why ordinary people, not party machines, are now driving political change</li></ul><p>It’s funny, bleak, hopeful, and occasionally unhinged—classic&nbsp;<em>Rational Fear</em>.</p><p><br></p><h2>Key Topics</h2><ul><li>Climate politics &amp; the far right</li><li>Turnbull on why opposition to climate action has become “religion” rather than economics</li><li>How internal Liberal/National dynamics warped energy policy around coal and renewables</li><li>“Angertainment” &amp; the media ecosystem</li><li>Ed Coper explains how social media rewards outrage and emotional extremes</li><li>How a small 7–10% anti-climate minority ends up feeling like 50% of the country</li><li>The dangers of amplifying fringe narratives until they look mainstream</li><li>Disinformation playbook &amp; fossil fuel money</li><li>Coordinated disinformation in the&nbsp;2025 federal election, including:</li><li>~$80m&nbsp;in fossil-fuel-aligned spending</li><li>Front groups like&nbsp;Australians for Prosperity&nbsp;attacking pro-climate independents</li><li>Intimidatory tactics, rotating party shirts, and creepy “Don’t get hooked” billboards</li><li>The global network of think tanks and astroturf groups exporting the same anti-climate tactics to Australia</li><li>Liberal Party’s existential crisis</li><li>Why Turnbull thinks there are “virtually no moderates” left federally</li><li>How chasing One Nation on immigration and culture wars strengthens One Nation, not the Libs</li><li>The potential fallout if the Liberals preference One Nation in seats like&nbsp;Farrer</li><li>Community independents &amp; regional hope</li><li>Kate Hook’s experience campaigning in&nbsp;Calare&nbsp;and working in&nbsp;Hay&nbsp;and other regional communities</li><li>How structured community engagement turns hostility toward renewables into enthusiasm when locals control the benefits</li><li>The independent “ecosystem”: thousands of volunteers, trusted local messengers, and evidence-based policymaking</li><li>The big question: how do we eventually get these independents from the crossbench into&nbsp;government and cabinet?</li><li>How to fight disinformation</li><li>Turnbull on why “ignore it and don’t give it oxygen” no longer works</li><li>The&nbsp;“whack-a-mole”&nbsp;and&nbsp;inoculation&nbsp;approach: pre-bunking lies and relentlessly correcting them</li><li>The importance of&nbsp;better stories, not just better facts</li><li>Power, agency &amp; what listeners can do</li><li>Why grievance parties like One Nation don’t have real solutions—only easy pills for complex problems</li><li>Community organizing, local campaigns, and supporting independents as the real counterweight to fossil fuel money</li><li>“There’s no cavalry coming over the hill” – why&nbsp;<em>we</em>&nbsp;are the ones we’ve been waiting for</li></ul><h2><br></h2><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>