Tagged: Australian politics

The real reason we are doomed!

This morning, I happened upon a popular commercial FM radio station.  A female announcer said she was “angry” and “upset” and that, “this would be what people will be talking about today!”.  The important issue she was ranting about was criticism of Lady Gaga’s performance at the US Super Bowl!

Here are a few of today’s top news stories:

  • Bernardi tells Turnbull he’s quitting the Liberals
  • Worst Catholic groups for child sex claims in Australia revealed
  • Kremlin disagrees with Trump over Iran
  • Community reaches out over spate of youth suicides
  • Reinstatement of Trump’s nationwide travel ban ‘would unleash chaos’

Add global warming, Barrier Reef destruction, Ultra Right Wing advancements, Gorbachev’s opinion that the World is preparing for war, and much more!

If the announcer is correct and Lady Gaga dominates the chatosphere today, or it’s My Kitchen Rules, or Married at First Sight, or  I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, or the size of Kim Kardashian’s bum, we truly are doomed!

That didn’t take long!

Today’s Guardian Australia says: “One Nation’s leader, Pauline Hanson, has launched an extraordinary attack on her Western Australian colleague Rod Culleton, saying the party can’t work with him because he won’t listen to reason.””

And: “Asked if Culleton had gone rogue, she replied: “He’s not a team player at all – we can’t work with him, you can’t reason with him.”

She suggested that being a senator had “gone to [Culleton’s] head” because he “loved publicity”. “You can’t give him advice, he runs his own race. That’s not teamwork.””

I gave them until about Easter 2017, but they are better at being rabble than I thought! This may well be the key to diminishing the far Right – let them get elected, rather than go underground, then watch them tear themselves to pieces, in full view!

 

The world is not a pretty place!

European nations galloping towards the Right!  The Philippines already there!  The US President-Elect ready to launch Trumpageddon on the planet!  Russia rapidly falling back into a dictatorship – and lovin’ it!  Undeniable evidence of global catastrophes due to global warming!  Pauline Hanson!  

Meanwhile, here we sit in Australia, blithely ignoring the rest of the world, crowing about the fantastic job we are doing to help save the planet from global warming while The Great Barrier Reef commits suicide in disgust! Here we are, still keeping refugees in limbo in crappy places while Mr T’s government seems to be embracing Julia Gillard’s idea of third countries taking most of those refugees! The hypocrisy of these things is stunning.

Also stunning are the One Nation Senators. That they were democratically elected is unarguable. That they are reprehensible and silly and probably dangerous is also unarguable, in my opinion. Pauline and Rodney lack intellect, Malcolm is dangerously deluded, and Brian is, is, erh, um …………. Who is Brian? This rabble will implode in the not too distant future.

Finally, there are some commentators saying (with fingers very firmly crossed) that Donald Trumpet could turn out to be reasonably ok. Are you insane Mr, Mrs, Ms and Mx commentators? He will be worse – an embarrassing joke at best and a dangerous sociopath at worst!

Merry Christmas

Stay where you are bad guys

Four things:

  1. Radio 2 GB ‘interviews’ Immigration Minister Peter Dutton about removing citizenship from the bad guys, and it sort of goes like this: Yes Peter, that’s right Peter, the %#!$$# excrement who are really, really bad should have their citizenship removed, the Government is right, you are right, we love you Peter, Praise The Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!  ok ok, that was a tad exaggerated, but not much!
  2. On Radio National’s The Minefield, 3 people talk sensibly and objectively on that topic for about 30 minutes, then say they have only scratched the surface of the ramifications of this very important issue! Thank goodness the ABC tree hugging Commies are still broadcasting.
  3. Peter Dutton says the proposed judicial review of the decisions he alone could make about revoking citizenship would be completely adequate and appropriate! A review of whether someone crossed the Ts and dotted the Is of a procedure that the Government created and approved is ok! I am a little dubious about that!
  4. Tony Abbott is talking today about the possibility of more Australian service personnel being sent to Iraq. MISSION CREEP!

What’s the difference between slime molds and conservative politicians?

Is there a difference between slime molds and conservative politicians?  Yes and no, maybe.  According to Wikipedia, slime molds are found in a wide variety of colours [that’s the ‘yes’] and there are more than 900 species around the world [that’s the ‘no’].  Conservatives do come in all shapes and sizes, but there is only one species.  So what is this species?

According to Quintin Hogg, the chairman of the British Conservative Party in 1959, “Conservatism is not so much a philosophy as an attitude, a constant force, performing a timeless function in the development of a free society, and corresponding to a deep and permanent requirement of human nature itself.” (Wikipedia)

I haven’t got a clue what those Motherhood words mean and I suggest that I could have removed the words “Conservatism is”, replaced them with “Left Wing parties are”, and said I was defining non-conservatism!

Here’s a quote from Glen Worthington, an Australian scholar, ” … the essence of conservatism lies not in a body of theory, but in the disposition to maintain those institutions seen as central to the beliefs and practices of society.” But that’s still a bit highbrow, even leftish!

What does P J O’Rourke (Conservative/Libertarian) think:

  • “I’m a registered Republican and consider socialism a violation of the American principle that you shouldn’t stick your nose in other people’s business except to make a buck.”
  • “The whole idea of our government is this: If enough people get together and act in concert, they can take something and not pay for it.”
  • “The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then they get elected and prove it.”

Hmm, this guy is funny, and he’s conservative!  And then I read this in Wikipedia – slime molds were formerly classified as fungi but are no longer considered part of this kingdom.  A slime mold is no a longer a fun guy!

That’s it then, the answer to the question is: Conservatives funny, slime molds not!

Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse!

Day 3 (or whatever) of Better Government from Abbott et al, and we get this!  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-12/human-rights-immigration-report-blatantly-partisan-abbott/6087148

Yes, the PM has attacked the Human Rights Commission.  Who would’ve thought!!

The ALP cannot escape criticism from the HRC either, but the ALP is not the Government, although undoubtedly the Libs will blame Labor for everything in the HRC’s report.

Take it on the chin Tony, just like you did when 40% of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party smacked you!

Can’t wait for the next instalment in the soap opera entitled, “I’ll do anything, absolutely anything to stay as PM”.

Kick butt Jules!

Niki Savva is a columnist for The Australian and a former Press Secretary to Peter Costello when he was Treasurer. She is a staunch conservative and an apologist for the Howard/Abbott governments. On ABC Radio National today she said Tony Abbott is dead, buried and cremated! Ok, ok, she didn’t actually use those words, it just felt good to say them! She did, however, give the clear message that either next week in the Party Room or in the near future, the PM is terminal.

I would like to put my hand up in support of Julie Bishop for PM (for the next 18 months only). I think from a non conservative view, she is the best person for the job (for the next 18 months only) because she is brittle, arrogant, robotic, hard, warm as ice, unlikable, limited in vision and most importantly, not Malcolm Turnbull! Better still, if she does get the gong, the conservatives wouldn’t dare remove her before the next election, lest they be forced to choke on their own anti-Gillard bile.

JB will be easier to beat than MT at the next election. Even I have some regard for Mr T and feel that should he become PM and answer questions succinctly and plainly, he would be hard to beat.

Go Jules! Kick some Abbott and Turnbull butt. I’m cheering for you!

Do conservatives breathe different air?

Yesterday had a fascinating study in the parallel universe known as conservatism in Australia!

There’s Tony Abbott at the National Press Club in Canberra, demonstrating to the nation why he needs to be replaced, oops, sorry, I meant making a major speech about where to from here for the Government. This was said by many on both sides of politics to be his make or break speech. It didn’t work for him, because today there is still ongoing drama about his possible removal. But folks, he says, let’s move on, forget that stuff, it’s just Canberra talk and I’ve got a country to run! (Are you listening to your leader Julie, Malcolm?)

The only reason that TA may not be replaced is that after 3 years of poisonous drivel from the Coalition (when in opposition) about assassinations, knifings, dumpings etc, they may be scared to be tarred with their own brush.

One fine example about a parallel universe, from the answer to a question put to our magnanimous leader, about the recent defeat of the conservatives in Victoria, was that those who had voted Labor had had “a moment of absent-mindedness”! Stupidity and arrogance aren’t humour Mr Abbott.

Yesterday also had Kate Carnell, current CEO of ACCI and former conservative Chief Minister of the ACT, on ABC radio. Ms Carnell was asked about the massive backlash against the conservatives in Queensland and she said that Australia must have radical structural reforms such as those of the Newman Government. ACCI, she said, ‘got that’. She then said that the Labor voters in Queensland did not get it! More stupidity and arrogance!

They should take a leaf from Mr Moderate (aka Joe Hockey) who was on 7’s Sunrise this morning and who was backpedalling furiously being Mr Nice and Mr Conciliatory. Didn’t believe a word about all that ‘we are listening’ stuff Joe, but at least you are not arrogant!

 

Wow!

I certainly hoped that the Queensland election result would show a good swing to Labor so that the 2018 election could get it over the line – but I did NOT expect Labor to be within a bees whisker of becoming the Government! Wow indeed! Even the ABC’s Antony Green was stunned, which in itself was something to behold – he is usually unflappable! There will be essays written about this result in Politics 101 courses all over the country for years to come!

Nick Xenophon said something to the effect that this wasn’t a tsunami of a result, but more a ‘Big Bang’ and I think he meant that the unexpected results in Victoria and Queensland demonstrate a voter volatility that heralds a new way of regarding electors versus Governments – ie Governments take electors for granted and treat them with contempt at their peril! If that’s not what he meant, it should have been!

An unexpected bonus on the weekend was the 6% swing to Labor in the rock solid Liberal seat of Davenport in a South Australian by-election! (7 exclamation marks in 7 sentences, so far, but that’s what’s needed for an amazing story!)

Now for Tony Abbott.

It’s been a while since I posted – plus some climate change stuff!

And the reason I haven’t bothered to post is simple! Every time I get the urge to make a comment about conservatives they do it for me!  Tony Abbott and/or his Ministers have this knack of saying or doing something that profoundly upsets their supporters and detractors alike.  The PM is disliked so much that leadership rumbles can be heard.  Will you be dumped Mr Abbott?

The amusing thing (to the ‘detractor’ side of the equation) is that the conservatives just don’t get it!  They cannot understand wtf is happening!  The answer is simple guys.  As Opposition Leader, Mr A created a thick fog of negativity, hate, sexism, distrust and intolerance, and this layer still hangs over Australia like the air of Beijing.

The voters of Victoria have kicked out the conservatives and the voters of Queensland are about to deliver a strong message to the LNP Government.  It seems unlikely that the ALP will win, but the swing towards them should be significant.  Even atheists are praying that the abrasive, duplicitous and arrogant Premier Newman is soundly defeated in his electorate.  If this happens, then hopefully the next LNP leader of that State will be a human!

Climate Change

I am reading Naomi Klein’s “This changes everything: Capitalism versus the climate”, and what a book it is!  Here are some quotes from it and I urge people to read this fascinating, scary and very important book!

  • … clearly greed is not so very good after all.  And this is what is behind the abrupt rise in climate change denial among hardcore conservatives: they have come to understand that as soon as they admit that climate change is real, they will lose the central ideological battle of our time – whether we need to plan and manage our societies to reflect our goals and values, or whether that task can be left to the magic of the market. (p 40)
  • Conservatives have managed to stall and roll back climate action amidst economic crisis by making climate about economics – about the pressing need to protect growth and jobs during difficult times (and they are always difficult). (p 125)
  • … the Heartland audience cheered earnestly for the intellectual breakthrough that is hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) combined with horizontal drilling. the technology that has finally allowed the fossil fuel industry to screw us sideways. (p 142)