Think our political debate is tanking? Ask the s(c)eptic celebs

'The Galileo Movement seeks to protect Australians and our future in five areas:
- Protect freedom - personal choice and national sovereignty;
- Protect the environment;
- Protect science and restore scientific integrity;
- Protect our economic security;
- Protect people's emotional health by ending Government and activists' constant destructive bombardment of fear and guilt on our kids and communities.'

Its methods sound more like those of a political pressure group:

'We address those five areas in four ways:
- Exposing UN IPCC misrepresentation of science, climate and Nature;
- Presenting real-world science and advocating for scientific evidence as the basis of policy;
- Revealing economic damage from needless additional taxation burdening people already reeling under high and rising costs of living;
- Revealing environmental damage of bureaucratic control taxing and 'trading' carbon dioxide.'

A huge agenda, but those who are hoping for long term protection of their freedoms will be disappointed:

'Expected life-span: The intent is to terminate the Galileo Movement when the push to price carbon dioxide is destroyed. That's anticipated to be by the next federal election.'

It seems that the Galileo Movement is really only interested in regime and tax change.

Their experts include: Professor Bob Carter of Heartlandgate fame, Professor Ian Plimer, Dr Jennifer Marohasy, Jo Nova, David Flint, Andrew Bolt and Lord Monckton. Marohasy is now a research fellow at Central Queensland University after five years with the IPA.

Meanwhile, it is great to know that Oz is in safe and secure hands - the firm grip of the defence establishment that is. The Australia Defence Association (ADA) claims to be 'Australia's only truly independent, actively non-partisan, community-based, public-interest guardian organisation and 'think-tank' on defence and wider national security issues.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) also claims independence but was set up and funded by the Howard government. It continues to accept government money but also receives private funding.

Another defence organisation is the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC), based at the Australian National University. Its head is Hugh White, is a frequent media contributor. His past includes Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defence and ALP adviser.

These defence tanks never seem to capture any new ground. Those that weren't completely wrong about Iraq and Afghanistan certainly weren't right in any meaningful way. They have a worse record of predicting disaster than most of the economists who occupy the extensive desks of groupthink land. It is hardly a surprise that Hugh White was a regular companion of Kerry O'Brien on the 7.30 Report before and during the Iraq invasion.

A number of the think tanks are not flush with money. The Sydney Institute is a niche operation with a tiny staff, consisting of conservative commentator Gerard Henderson, Anne Henderson, an executive assistant and 3 office personnel. Viewers of the Insiders will be familiar with Gerard's cheery countenance as a regular panellist over the years.