Ronald Reagan, you were wrong

It’s wonderful how that stuff I read in Politics 101 all those years ago is still relevant today. In fact initiative - resistance theory is startlingly more relevant now than it was then.

The idea in the 1930s and ‘40s was that Labor was the party of political initiative, and anti Labor was the party of resistance. Labor did things and the conservatives tried to stop them. Sounds like a perfect description of the current situation. The carbon tax, the mining tax, the NBN, education funding reform - no, no, no and no. National disability scheme and national dental scheme – probably no. Initiatives resisted at all costs.

Most political commentators, however, see the negativity of the Abbott led coalition as a political tactic to force the government to an early election. In theory, Abbott could still make positive promises before the next election. But if we look more closely at the initiative – resistance argument, we can see that even if Labor is only partially the party of initiative, the LNP is now entirely the party of resistance.

Initiative in this context means a willingness to use the state to meet aspirations for a fair and decent society. This could be achieved by state ownership of the ‘commanding heights’ of the economy, such as banks, transport and power generation; government provision of services such as education, housing and medical care; and a social security system that insured against the pauperizing effects of illness, unemployment, and old age.

Resistance – and I’m being really balanced here – means a distrust of state activity, and a preference for the unfettered free market in achieving a fair and decent society.

Historically, neither party was all initiative or all resistance. A lot of what used to be thought of as Australia’s distinctive ‘state socialism’, such as tariff protection, arbitration, the basic wage and old age pensions was supported and extended by Labor governments, but had its origins in the liberalism of men like Alfred Deakin. Even when the liberals joined the conservatives in an anti-Labor alliance, these fundamental pillars of state activity remained unchallenged. And the conservatives had their own brand of state activism in the extension of rural infrastructure, the promotion of land settlement and marketing schemes for various commodities. (Government purchase of Cubbie Station, anyone?)

There was a burst of Labor activism during and after World War II, which saw existing social welfare provisions consolidated and expanded and Keynesian principles adopted to manage the economy. The Liberal government that followed didn’t extend any of this, but they didn’t abolish it either. The Whitlam Labor government was responsible for such initiatives as Medicare, free university education and commonwealth involvement in urban policy and planning. The Fraser Liberal government didn’t alter much of this either. Political scientists felt quite comfortable ignoring the whole issue of the role of the state in initiating a just society, arguing variously that these outcomes were the result of competition between elites, that the state was not a neutral organisation capable of being captured by either side of politics, or that the state was an expression of capitalist power and could only be used to enforce that power. Initiative/resistance disappeared as an explanation for political activity.

Then came globalisation, free market economics and the concomitant demonization of state activity, from state ownership through to mere regulation. This was summed up by President Reagan in his 1981 inaugural address. “Government is not a solution to our problem,” he said. ”Government is the problem.” Then followed a rush to demolish the edifice built up by the interventionist state. And in Australia it was the Labor Party under Hawke and Keating that led the charge. They cut tariffs and floated the dollar, giving up most of the old Keynesian levers for managing the economy. Then came large-scale privatisation of public assets by the Commonwealth, followed by State governments, both Liberal and Labor. Qantas, Australian Airlines, the Commonwealth Bank, state banks, airports, rail systems, power stations – the list goes on and on. Federal Labor also encouraged enterprise bargaining as the preferred wage setting mechanism, though they didn’t entirely abandon the Commonwealth’s industrial power. There was also a move to charge fees for services previously free, with a short-lived co-payment for Medicare services (later reinstated by the Liberals) and the HECS/HELP scheme whereby university students contributed to the cost of their education once they graduated. In relation to direct payments, compulsory superannuation was introduced to lessen dependence on the state in retirement. These changes evoked no resistance from the right, and surprisingly little from the left, who saw no alternative to deregulation, small government and market based solutions. (For someone who did, see Hugh Stretton, Australia Fair, 2005.)

After the Liberals formed government under John Howard in 1996, they privatised Telstra and the Commonwealth Employment Service; finding jobs for the unemployed was outsourced. But Howard made most of his contribution to economic rationalism through taxation policy and decisions about where to cut funding. His GST, which had more impact on the poor than the rich, allowed him to offer cuts in personal income tax, which mainly benefited the well off. This, from his point of view, had the double advantage of being electorally popular, and permanently reducing the size of the tax base, which in turn limited the capacity of government to spend on anything else. In addition he either cut, or failed to spend on areas like health and education. Cuts to university funding, for example, made them reliant on the market in overseas students, and partial deregulation of fees forced them further into competition in the local market. State aid to non-government schools – originally conceded in 1963 – was ramped up, making private education an option for more families. Commonwealth spending on public schools declined. The increasing cost of health provision was met with a rebate to those who took out private health insurance, rather than spending on the public health system – though this was admittedly complicated by confusion about federal-state relations. And then of course there was the attempt to deregulate the labour market (WorkChoices), by which they over-reached themselves, and lost the 2007 election.

The Liberals clearly agreed with Margaret Thatcher that “there is no such thing as society” and that “people must look to themselves first”. In this view, personal obligation trumps the right to welfare; there should be no sense of entitlement. Labor might have said that there was an obligation on the state to guarantee a given set of services to all citizens, but in practice there seemed little between the parties in their acceptance of economic rationalism. The outcome of such policies was to reduce the role of the state to a mere safety net for the poorest and most disadvantaged who were left behind by the market. If public health, public housing and education are only for losers and dole bludgers, there is no need to ensure they are effective – only cheap. Liberal willingness to proclaim personal obligation was partly obscured by the their fondness for middle class welfare through non-means tested benefits like the baby bonus, private health care rebate and the first home buyers grant. But these distortions of the market were electorally necessary to them.

The dangers of this preference for the private system can be seen in the interesting example of childcare. As more women entered the workforce, care for their pre-school children became a necessity. Labor introduced some assistance back in 1972; there were subsidies for both families and child care centres. But it was hardly an area where it was possible to make much profit and many centres were run by community or not-for-profit groups. Then during the late 1990s and early 2000s, the privately owned ABC Learning burst onto the scene, exponentially expanding the number of its centres both in Australia and overseas. The Howard government fully supported this apparent triumph of the market – until the company collapsed, throwing into confusion the child care arrangements of thousands of women. It was left to the incoming Rudd Labor government to clean up the mess, and find mostly not-for-profit operators for as many centres as possible. There never was a profit to be made from childcare – even out of the government subsidy to centres. All the returns came from expanding and franchising the business, and it needed continuous growth to cover its debt. To rely on the market to provide a service central not just to individual families, but to the whole economy involved a risk that should never have been allowed to happen.

Since Labor came to power in 2007, two things have further challenged a benign view of the market. One is the growing environmental crisis. On one hand the market makes unsustainable demands on resources, and on the other, allows the environment to be a free dumping ground for waste and pollution. Clearly there needs to be intervention in such a market.

The second is the Global Financial Crisis, which showed that markets are not automatically self-adjusting to create the best outcome for everyone; quite the reverse. They need careful regulation to shield citizens from the boom and bust cycle that appears inherent in them, and only government has the power to do this. Furthermore, the fallout from the GFC highlighted the differential way that markets distributed wealth. Instead of the trickle down effect assumed by Reaganomics, there seems to a syphoning up effect, which makes the rich richer and the gap between them and the poor wider. You can argue about the exact figures, which depend on precisely what is being measured. But there is no doubt that during the period following WWII, when state intervention was common, the gap between rich and poor in developed countries decreased. It is also indisputable that it has been growing exponentially since about the 1970s – just when free market ideology took hold. The disparity is worse in the United States and Great Britain than it is in Australia, but it is getting more pronounced here. Only effective action by the state can reverse this process.

So how have the Labor and Liberal parties responded to these challenges? Both initially endorsed an Emissions Trading Scheme – a market based mechanism – as the most effective way of reducing carbon pollution. But this nevertheless represented an intervention in the market that the Liberals ultimately couldn’t accept. Labor’s price on carbon will segue into an ETS, while the LNP has gone with a ‘government picks the winners’ direct action scheme, which won’t work, but will nevertheless require a lot more government involvement than a market based scheme. In reality, it seems likely a LNP government won’t actually do anything to modify the environmentally destructive process of the free market. Labor, on the other hand, gets a tick for taking action, even if it is through a market mechanism.

There is no reason to expect that the LNP will take action on the failure of the market and increasing inequality. Their response to the GFC was incoherent, but it is clear they would have used government stimulus less than the Labor party did, and they spend a lot of time criticizing that activity, with no acknowledgement of what it achieved. Aside from direct action on an emissions target, the only other policy announced by Tony Abbott is his paid paternity scheme – a gross example of middle class welfare. It’s because of policies like this – and opposition to any government attempt to cut back on such welfare – that critics found Joe Hockey’s speech condemning a sense of entitlement among welfare recipients so ludicrous – pot kettle black. But I’m not laughing. I think that the Liberals will follow the British Conservatives – to say nothing of the American Republicans - into a further retreat from welfare for the poor, and further market based service provision. They will persist with the deregulation of the labour market, whatever Abbott has promised. Indeed, as argued by David Marr and Bruce Hawker, Abbott’s world view is possibly formed more by the Catholic distributism of his mentor A.B. Santamaria, which gives a prominent role to government, than by classical free market economics. He doesn’t follow the low spending, low tax mantra of true free marketers in the party, such as Hockey and Malcolm Turnbull. If Abbott’s popularity continues to fall and the party decides to get rid of him, there are some in it who will heave a sigh of relief that the party can return to its true free market path. The Liberal Party remains close to the ultra free market Institute of Public Affairs – see their prescription for a free market Australia here. An LNP government will deserve the title ‘party of resistance’ more than any conservative government yet.

And what of the Labor Party? What the role of the state should be is hardly a question on every Labor member’s lips. But managing the economy in ways that promote greater equality should be core business. The National Disability Scheme, the Gonski model of education funding, increased spending on health and hospitals may not represent a coherent stand on government intervention, but at least they are steps in the right direction.

So where does that leave us? It’s clear there can be no going back to the old levels of government ownership or of government intervention in the economy. Market mechanisms like outsourcing and contracting out are here to stay. The market is still the best option we have for generating and distributing wealth. But unrestricted, it cannot produce a fair and decent society. We need to revive the idea of a mixed economy. There must be productive public/private partnerships, and effective and enforceable regulation. There should also be a proper assessment of what the market can’t do and government must do. Reagan was wrong: government is not the problem, and we need a vocal defence of the state as guardian of the common good. Come on Labor. Show a bit more initiative.


The Political Sword welcomes another new original contributor, Dr Kay Rollison, the author of this piece. She has a PhD in History and has always been interested in politics – historically, in the present and of course our future political battles.

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Ad astra

30/09/2012Kay Thank you Kay for your contribution to [i]The Political Sword[/i]. What you have written harmonizes with the previous piece. I strongly agree with your statement “[i]…the fallout from the GFC highlighted the differential way that markets distributed wealth. Instead of the trickle down effect assumed by Reaganomics, there seems to a syphoning up effect, which makes the rich richer and the gap between them and the poor wider. You can argue about the exact figures, which depend on precisely what is being measured. But there is no doubt that during the period following WWII, when state intervention was common, the gap between rich and poor in developed countries decreased. It is also indisputable that it has been growing exponentially since about the 1970s – just when free market ideology took hold. The disparity is worse in the United States and Great Britain than it is in Australia, but it is getting more pronounced here. Only effective action by the state can reverse this process.[/i] In my view, if the Coalition is elected, we will see a widening of the gap between the wealthy and the less wealthy, as Abbott and Hockey apply the principles of the ‘trickle down’ effect, Tea Party style.

nasking

30/09/2012 Bob Carr is spot on: "Tony Abbott ought to do the decent thing and say today loud and clear that he apologises to Julia Gillard for unacceptable remarks, made at a Liberal party gathering attended by frontbench liberals. "Tony Abbott ought to send a message that the extremists at that gathering who cheered and applauded and laughed at that appalling utterance, Tony Abbott ought to make it clear that those people are denounced by him as well." What I heard from Abbott and Jones and plenty of the MSM today was SPIN and lack of substance. They deserve each other...during this downward spiral. Holding each others' claws as they fall into the deep pit of oblivion. Archaic and extremist politicians and corporate media...no longer required by an ever curious and active citizenry. N'

2353

30/09/2012Thanks for the thought provoking article Kay. You rightly point out that the ALP is effectively pursuing a "free market" policy on Carbon Pricing and the LNP is pursuing a response by regulation - in essence a "socialist" policy. Like you I suspect the LNP wouldn't have done anything to regulate carbon emissions. However it is interesting that the ALP Government devised the "free market" system of regulation so well that the only way the LNP could attack it is from the traditional left - imposing regulation with associated payments. Your comments on childcare are also interesting. The rise and fall of Eddie Groves was instructive and demonstrated that the "market" will not always provide a solution - in the end it was all about Eddie, some of his business practices were just a method to increase his nett worth. A few mining companies also seem to be unravelling at present - both with high profile owners that have been held up by conservatives across the country as role models - just like Eddie Groves was. We do need Government to stand up to the "it's all about me" - it's not. Australia is a society where everyone will have some sub-optimal outcomes for the greater good. We also need to get away from the Government should be run like a business mantra - unlike a business the Government should be attempting to help up those that need that assistance - without looking at the profit margin in doing so. Greed is not good - I hope your article above makes an impression on some that think otherwise.

nasking

30/09/2012 A useful assessment Kay...a well articulated contribution to the "Where should we be heading?...and which political party has the street cred and track record to get us there?" debate. As far as I see it, as you've aptly observed, the ALP gave us much of the necessary economic reform and safety nets to bounce out of that have eased the Australian public's transition to being a vigorous member of the global marketplace. They oft make the right calls. I believe the Liberal answer to the GFC would've been further tax cuts for those who don't require it...more bracket creep from the highest taxing political party in history...a use of debt and GFC-related scares to implement OZsterity measures egged on by a complicit corporate media...pulling back on funding of public essential services and slicing & dicing public service jobs of all types in order to further redistribute moneys to chosen private sector. It would have also been a good opportunity for them to increase private school funding at the expense of public...further dividing this country and perpetuating the religious-based divisions that would see future conflict on the streets...and more opportunities for dog whistle politics and fear-mongering that helped keep the oft unimaginative and neglectful John Howard in office. I imagine the GFC would also have been an opportunity for Liberals to increase military spending at the expense of public health and education...and the military would've become a major employer alongside lower paid corporate jobs and mining jobs...as the employment struggling would've been prodded in that direction...shoving more Aussies in the direction of a 'Long war' hearted by Neo-Cons and a possible Romney future victory. At least this ALP-led government has provided a fairer distribution of moneys...and put forward policies and programs that are far more useful for a diverse and dynamic country...rather than just catering to religious zealots, warmongers, corporate profiteers and bosses who put their priorities above those of the workers and customers/clients. N'

TalkTurkey

30/09/2012Patricia, I've taken the liberty of reposting your pome etc from the end of the last thread. Verse is worth the exposure. Hope that's OK with everyone, well I know it will be. This is The Political Sword! September 30. 2012 05:20 PM You're right, NormanK, what a slippery eel, Jones is. At the end he was not apologising for his comments, he was justifying them! Gillard herself had admitted what a burden her career had been on her father. What a glib piece of self rationalisation that was! Lyn, I've had a few pingbacks from that link, but what a pity it was only to the picture and not to the pome and the whole post at polliepomes.wordpress.com/.../ where the picture was featured. Even I could not have known how prophetic some lines in the pome were to be. As well that post was very clear about the role that Alan Jones was playing as Tony Abbott's media ally in trying to bring the government down. A Fair Go for Julia Gillard? Asked should Julia Gillard get our traditional fair go, Last year most Aussies would’ve answered “Yes!” But last September (2010!) we didn’t know What lay ahead. Did any of us guess? Do you remember a year (now two!) ago? Then we marvelled at our politicians Working together in Downunderland Where a Rainbow Coalition Like something out of Wonderland Had miraculously appeared. Its members of such quality Spirits rose, all the people cheered. A ‘kinder, gentler polity’ Than this nation’s usual habit Had even been suggested, Would you believe, by Tony Abbott. Then suddenly he protested Such politics consensual Were not appropriate in Oz. Now he found it was essential To drop that earlier view because Circumstances had changed! And so…. Angry that his generosity To some had clearly been abused He was full of animosity. The thought that he had been been refused Gave rise to one long beef and bitch. Those who’d foiled his life’s ambition He dreamed of burning with that ‘witch.’ Daily, in a war of near attrition, He’s made ferocious media forays To attack her, ruin her reputation, Against all parliamentary mores With News Ltd’s approbation. Yet she’s stood her ground, has his mettle, Kept her cool, further enraging him, When she taunted, ‘Oh, poor petal!’ As he sulked like a child denied his whim. Seems he’ll never learn that wishing doesn’t make it so. But Julia Gillard is already wise, She knows how to make her own fair go, Garnering those all important “Ayes!” While Abbott stamps his foot with, “NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!!!”

jaycee

30/09/2012Thank you Kay for that interesting piece. I have always thought Milton Friedman's economic philosophy extremly naive. I have also been a "fan" of the rational social economic philosophy of Thorsten Veblen. Although now sadly somewhat outdated, his was a lost opportunity of social/economic direction that because of conservative viciousness, was never given a chance. Reagan economics and Thatcherism are, I believe, extensions of postmodern philosphy opportunistically applied. Even though I do not agree with the original proponents of such a philosophy, I do believe it has been perverted to apply to favour capitalist economics. There is, however, an elephant in the room that will wreak devastating havock on world economics in the not too distant future, regardless of the current measures being applied to alieviate the situation...that is climate change. Such an event will be utterly devastating to heavilly populated districts..just to think of the damage one cyclone did last year in Qld. and multiply it by ten and we will be "cactus". I live in a marginal farming area...it once was a viable regular producer of Durum wheat...top quality..it now has a-perhaps- two in five years "profit year"...even one of those is a maybe. the rest are a risk of anything at all...within the next decade or so the district will be reduced to stock grazing and with that more land degredation because of the fragility of the soils. So whatever the "Masters of the Universe" believe, there is that certainty that mother nature will, with a totally unconcerned face, sweep away all pests...and sadly, that may well include us truly! Reagan was not only wrong, he was a disaster!

nasking

30/09/2012 [b]Gillard turns down Jones's apology offer[/b] Prime Minister Julia Gillard is refusing to take a call from veteran broadcaster Alan Jones, who says he wants to apologise for comments he made about her father. Jones made the comments during an address to the University of Sydney Liberal Club just over a week ago. [b]In a secret recording by a News Limited journalist, members of the audience can be heard gasping with surprise at the comments.[/b] [b]On Sunday, Jones said he thought it was a private function and was unaware there were journalists in the room. But journalist Jonathan Marshall, who made the recording, says that is not the case.[/b] A signed "chaff-bag jacket" was auctioned off at the event - a reference to previous comments by the broadcaster that Ms Gillard should be put in a chaff bag and thrown out to sea. [b]Woolworths community and government relations manager Simon Berger is listed as the donor of the jacket. The supermarket chain says comments made at the function do not represent the views of the company and Mr Berger attended in a private capacity.[/b] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-30/gillard-not-interested-in-jones-apology/4288290 (1) It does not surprise me that the recording was made by a News Ltd journo. I believe this was part of yet another nasty, dirty campaign planned by Jones, News Ltd insiders and Abbott's crew... News Ltd will act all innocent...but think about how it benefits News Ltd to pretend they revealed this abusive speech by Jones without his knowing. They hook-in desperately needed readers...and viewers for SKY/SLY NEWS... and give the impression that they did the reporting hard yards...rather than this actually being a manufactured situation. News corp are renowned for creating the news and attempting to pull the wool over their readers and viewers eyes. Even more disturbing, this could be a possible cunning & devious attempt to justify illegal recordings...considering the phone hacking fallout. NOTE: It makes you wonder if their Australian reporters are in knee-deep like their UK brethren...and are trying to soften public perception against them before the truth is revealed via more intense investigations into their conduct. As for The Liberal party...considering Jones reputation as a teflon shock jock, this would have been a great opportunity to permit him to throw himself into the ATTENTION SEEKING PIT so once the cameras, mikes etc focused on him, yet again, he Jones, could do his Labor and Gillard bashing propaganda machine thing... as evidenced by the fact his presser was well advertised, even by SLY NEWS host Peter Van Onselen (who predictably took the anti-Jones approach possibly to cover himself)... and rather than apologising on air in a courteous and sincere and concise way, as any normal human being would do accepting the consequences with dignity, Allan Jones went about trying to turn the focus back on the PM...and ALP policy...a rant that came across as planned. But being the old guard media, archaic bully and egomaniac he is, Jones and his possible co-conspirators underestimated the power and response of the fifth estate, social network sites, tweets, blogs and so on. He now comes across as a complete selfish dickhead who is manic and irrational in his hatred for the PM and the Labor party...demonstrating once again he is a Liberal party connectec hack and well paid attack dog. Furthermore, he is a poisonous extremist...who has exploded all over the Howard/Abbott-led Liberal party...once again the old guard Liberals have possibly attempted to manipulate voter perception only to have it blow up in their faces. Abbott and his relationship with the likes of Jones, Bernardi, Joyce, climate change deniers, Mirabella, Rinehart makes him look like, at the least, a pathetic and desperate leader willing to nudge nudge wink wink to loopy extremist characters... at the worst...a machiavellian, sneaky, lying, deceitful, 'anything goes' overly ambitious egomaniac who has sold his own principles down the drain and catered to the worst of One Nation/Tea Party/Fox News style politics in order to bully his way into power. A sad individual willing to dupe and divide a nation in order to get his hands on the top job. As for Woolworths...there response is not good enuff. Their political biases are plain to see. Until they make a course correction...and punish this participant at the Liberal function appropriately...they have lost me and my wife as customers. As for Abbott...I expected his response to be piss weak. This individual is like a rotten onion...peel away the surface...no matter how deep you go you'll find stench...and a taste of acid. Jones no different. NO LONGER EYES WIDE SHUT N'

Patriciawa

30/09/2012Thank you, TT! One of the important things about that pome and post http://polliepomes.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/a-fair-go-for-julia-gillard/ is that it was inspired by [b]Ad Astra's post "Is Julia Gillard Entitled to a Fair Go?"[/b] writing in mid September, 2011, http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2011/09/14/Is-Julia-Gillard-entitled-to-a-fair-go.aspx about the chorus of radio commentators (including Philip Adam!)and print media journos insisting that Julia Gillard was finished and should resign!

nasking

30/09/2012 Should read: [b]As for Woolworths...their response is not good enuff[/b] N'

Ad astra

30/09/2012TT, Patriciawa Thank you for the poem and thank you Nasking for your careful analysis of the Jones disgrace. I posted this comment on the last piece: Hi Lyn Thanks for the link to the Jones ‘apology’. Does anyone really believe his words and actions today indicated that he feels mortified by what he said a week ago? His regret is that a news reporter recorded what he said and it got out. His conviction that Julia Gillard is a liar remains. His detestation of her continues. As reprehensible as Jones’ comments, was the audience reaction of approval, the rating of his speech by the organizer as brilliant, and the limp reaction by Abbott. The Young Liberals and those older ones who have not condemned Jones’ behaviour as grotesquely rude, shameful, libellous and totally unacceptable in the field of public political discourse, join him in the cesspit in which he habitually wallows. The media will try to make this go away, but it will longer long in the memories of the electorate as a deep stain on the Coalition it will not be able to erase.

nasking

30/09/2012 BTW, [b]Newspoll[/b] is part of the [b]Murdoch empire[/b]. Patricia, superb poem/pome. :) So apt: Angry that his generosity To some had clearly been abused He was full of animosity. The thought that he had been been refused Gave rise to one long beef and bitch. [b]Those who’d foiled his life’s ambition He dreamed of burning with that ‘witch.’ Daily, in a war of near attrition, He’s made ferocious media forays To attack her, ruin her reputation, Against all parliamentary mores With News Ltd’s approbation. Yet she’s stood her ground, has his mettle, Kept her cool, further enraging him, When she taunted, ‘Oh, poor petal!’ As he sulked like a child denied his whim. [/b] Indeed. N'

Michael

30/09/2012Re-posted here in response to AA's post on the Jones 'apology' at the previous topic page: "His regret is that a news reporter recorded what he said and it got out." And Tony Abbott accepted Cory Bernardi's resignation because he was 'ill-disciplined', not because of what he said would follow upon legalisation of anything other than heterosexual monogamous marriages. Same mindset, same avoidance of confronting the real issue - the core of the infraction, same complete inability to recognise behaviour meant to cause hurt. Same certainty of moral superiority. Same preparedness to offer a free pass, absolution even, to someone who appears to repent, who 'confesses' by resignation or 'apology'. In short, hypocrisy. And bone-deep to the soul moral failure.

Lyn

30/09/2012Hi Kay Thankyou very much for your most enjoyable & informative article . We are grateful and fortunate to have your contributions on “The Political Sword”. With an election year imminent your work is valued & appreciated very much. Ad Astra is very pleased, I can tell by the look on his face eg. nice big smile.:):)

Lyn

30/09/2012Hi Ad Pleased to hear you had a nice day with your special visitors. Alan Jones has shown the nation his true colours, not that we didn't already know. This episode is horrifying and will have repercussions on Tony Abbott & the Liberal Party. People are saying Tea Party tactics. One thing for sure Mr Abbott may have to think twice about running to 2GB for his friendly interviews in the future. Both Jones and Abbott's dislike for women has been highlighted. As you say Ad "deep stain on the Coalition it will not be able to erase." :):):):)

TalkTurkey

30/09/2012Another of my tweets today : [i]@TurnbullMalcolm You CAN'T be pristine while you're living in SHIT. The CHOICE you are facing is CHALLENGE or QUIT! [Comrades Please RT:)] [/i] It doesn't matter whether he does or not. Abbortt is rotting, and Anal Jones has helped the process fester. Turdball is too weak, Sloppy Joe too dumb, other contenders too obscure, and not one of them is capable of enunciating credible policies. Abbortt has hidden all day - he was out of the gate like a whippet when Turncoat Tanner dumped on the Labor Party, today he is cowering in a bunker.

Bultaco Metrella

30/09/2012Jones is one of those men who cannot cope with a woman in a powerful position. Particularly when they keep the man/men that Jones worships out of power. As Malcolm Farr wrote on Punch "With one nasty comment to a bunch of giggling Young Liberal university students, broadcaster Alan Jones crushed the myth that he is a respected commentator on whom politicians must rely for survival." Politicians now have a real reason to avoid his show altogether which means it will become a backwater for the extreme right and he will become irrelevant. As he should be. To quote Tammy Fraser he's "lower than a snake's duodenum"

nasking

1/10/2012 [b]Dead Can Dance: "Return of the She-King"[/b] http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=00Zvxlv7an0&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D00Zvxlv7an0 Superb. N'

nasking

1/10/2012Lyn, was reading thru those tweets you posted on the last post...this is indeed a grave situation for Allan Jones... what little respect people had left for him seems to have dissipated: Mia Freedman ‏@MiaFreedman [b]Alan Jones you are a repugnant, misogynistic troll. Thanks for confirming it. [/b] Jill Tomlinson‏ [b]How not to apologise: Transcript of Alan Jones' press conference[/b] via @JennaPrice via @maxious JacktheInsider‏ [b]Always fascinating to watch a sociopath in action[/b]. #alanjonesapology Luke Buckmaster‏ Crikey.com.au Website Editor and writer [b]I've seen lots of weird and shocking comedy, but this #alanjonesapology presser is on another level. [/b] NeilMcMahon‏ Journo. SMH, Age, SanFran Chronicle, Washington Times [b]What a sad and sorry and pathetic and deluded excuse for a man[/b]. #alanjonesapology Anne Summers‏ Thefinnigans: [b]Let me say it again. It all started with this photo[/b]: polliepomes.files.wordpress.com/.../...picture.jpg” Important to not forget this. ----- Sometimes it's disturbing to watch a once highly influential character make a fool of themselves...displaying chronic signs of grandiosity and paranoid delusional behaviour...manically attempting to justify their desperate attack dog mistakes...blathering like a boy caught with his pants down...abandoned, almost friendless due to consistent vile behaviour...unwilling to sincerely accept responsibility for their abnormal behaviour...too oft excused by fearful and sycophantic and opportunistic apologists. Comes a day to call it quits. You can only hit so many walls...create so many enemies...before the piper comes a calling. The "Get out of jail free" cards dry up. Time to make room for the more tuned in...less destructive. Find some dignity. N'

nasking

1/10/2012 [b]Politicians now have a real reason to avoid his show altogether which means it will become a backwater for the extreme right and he will become irrelevant. As he should be. To quote Tammy Fraser he's "lower than a snake's duodenum" [/b] Bultaco Metrella, I think you speak for THE MANY N'

nasking

1/10/2012 [b]Abbortt has hidden all day - he was out of the gate like a whippet when Turncoat Tanner dumped on the Labor Party, today he is cowering in a bunker.[/b] Top analogy TT. And useful truism. -------- Jane, thnx for the supportive words. We're gettin' there...incrementally. :) N'

Libbyx33

1/10/2012To Kay, Thank you for your very thoughtful article. Needs more pondering before I can comment. This just doesn’t feel like my Australia anymore. I’d never live anywhere else, but I despair at what has happened. Everyone just seems so angry all the time. And I have noticed a distinctly sexist undertone since we have had a Female Prime Minister. I understand it has a lot to do with the political tone in this country of late. Such hostility is a sad indictment on us all. It (misogyny) has affected my Hubby/BFF so much more now than ever before. He sees it everywhere. It especially hit home with the murder of the Melbourne lady, Jill. Could’ve been anyone. And thank you to those 30,000+ people who marched for non-violence in Jill’s name – You did so on my behalf also. He (Hubby/BFF) said to me that he wants Lauren Eagle, female boxer/world champion water skier/TV presenter/ Lady Luck on the NRL Footy Show ( I want to say “that hot chick who boxes from the Footy Show" – but that would just make me sound like a bogan from Logan – lol – sorry nasking.) to challenge Tony Abbott to a boxing match! He reckons she’ll have him on the mat in 5 seconds, even though he uses “boxer” like “Rhodes Scholar” or “Surf Life Saver” as an accomplishment publicly. My Hubby/BFF - He’s a Postie of 20+ years & said the way to “keep from being braindead” at work is to think of ways for “the Ladies” (you know, the “handbag hit squad”) to “GET TONY ABBOTT!” At least he knows what’s going on, policy & legislation-wise. I’m afraid/sad so many of the populace know nothing of politics/policy. IE can you believe Qld Premier (not for long) Campbell Newman has capped the taxi subsidy for disabled people to $400 per year, virtually guaranteeing they’ll lose their jobs, and will see their medical care professionals less? Gutless. Pathetic. Cruel. Just like Alan Jones. Shame! L.

nasking

1/10/2012 Speaking of lies...and delusional behaviour: Jones has previously said he would like to put the lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, ''in the same chaff bag as Julia Gillard and throw them both out to sea''. Yesterday he said this did not mean he wanted them drowned - more that he would like to see how they swam back. [b]He denied using the word ''guillotine'' in connection with Ms Gillard.[/b] But he has drawn listeners' attention to the French Revolution and drawn a correlation between the unpopularity of the carbon tax and the revolt of the people against the monarchy. '[b]'Hmmm. Julia? Little did the king realise that he was their next target. King Louis XVI, found guilty of high treason. That is behaviour which is contrary to the interest of the nation, like carbon taxes, and executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793.''[/b] [b]In response to another listener's criticism of Ms Gillard, Jones replied: ''Yeah, that's it. Bring back the guillotine!''[/b] From: [b]Jones eats pie - but without much humility[/b] Kate McClymont is a Senior Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/national/jones-eats-pie--but-without-much-humility-20120930-26tue.html Throwing stones...glass houses. N'

Casablanca

1/10/2012[b]Typically, Alan Jones used his 'apology' to the PM as a bully's pulpit.[/b] Karl Quinn [i]CALL that an apology? While ostensibly prostrating himself on the altar of public forgiveness yesterday, Alan Jones was busy taking the opportunity to dig his bile-streaked knife just a little further into the rapidly decaying corpse of civil discourse in this country.[/i] http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/politics/how-low-can-this-shameless-old-dog-of-the-old-media go-20120930-26tqf.html#ixzz27y5xzr00

Casablanca

1/10/2012[B]Meanwhile, 2GB yesterday removed a list of advertisers and sponsors from its Alan Jones website page as a social media campaign began for a boycott of the station and Jones's corporate supporters.{/b] Has anyone got the complete list with contact details? It had certainly disappeared when I tried to access it on Sunday afternoon. As a start of my boycott activity I spent my $120.00 at Coles yesterday instead of at Woolworths. There is strength in numbers! Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/attempts-at-apology-by-phone-fall-on-deaf-ears-20120930-26tt3.html#ixzz27y8cx2ab

nasking

1/10/2012 Via Pip on Facebook: [quote]THE [b]board of John Singleton's Macquarie Radio Network, owner of 2GB, has thrown its support behind broadcaster Alan Jones after the top-rated host moved quickly yesterday to head off an advertiser backlash over his offensive remarks about Julia Gillard's late father...[/b] Macquarie Radio Network executive chairman Russell Tate spoke to Jones on Saturday evening after learning about the publication of the comments in The Sunday Telegraph. "[b]We can't put the genie back in the bottle, what's done is done," he told The Australian. "From my and the board's point of view his personal and unconditional apology was the appropriate response."[/b] Mr Tate said he did not need to encourage Jones to make his public apology and was satisfied he was doing all he could to make amends. "It was the apology he wanted to give irrespective of the fact these comments were made at a private dinner and it was entirely the appropriate response and, I think, pretty unequivocal."[/quote] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/gb-backs-alan-jones-as-remarks-on-gillards-father-spark-calls-for-sponsors-to-act/story-e6frg6n6-1226484922084 Hmmm... N'

nasking

1/10/2012 Some history: [b]What Gina Wants...[/b] The advent of minority government following the 2010 election brought a new urgency to her media acquisitions, since the rise of the “eco-nuts” needed to be countered. Bob Brown struck his deal with Gillard in early September 2010. Rinehart made her move on Channel Ten in November. [b]That she first targeted Channel Ten appears to have been influenced by an event held at Darling Harbour in Sydney in early November 2010, to mark Alan Jones’s 25 years on radio – an extravagant celebration organised by John Singleton and attended by more than a thousand well-wishers, including John Howard. Among those paying tribute to Jones was James Packer, whose voice cracked as he described his father Kerry’s advice to Jones: “What do you want to be, son – the prime minister or a millionaire?” After the Jones event, the Australian reported that Rinehart sent a letter to Packer praising his emotional speech. Its evocation of the Australian billionaire’s creed, combining profits and political suasion, evidently had resonated. She also congratulated him on his recent acquisition of an 18% stake in Channel Ten. Just days later, in a move that took media analysts completely by surprise, Rinehart herself bought a 10.1% share, and the following month was given a seat on the board.[/b] [b]As for her longer-term motives, perhaps a clue comes from a meeting held in July 2011 at the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation, a libertarian think tank whose Perth headquarters is located, tellingly, at ‘Hayek on Hood’. ([/b]The foundation was the brainchild of Rinehart’s trusted friend, Ron Manners, who delivered the main tribute speech at the 50th anniversary dinner of the discovery flight.) [b]The central participant at the meeting was Christopher Monckton, who said that Australia needed an equivalent of Fox News, so that commentators like Andrew Bolt and Jo Nova, the author of The Skeptic’s Handbook, could have a daily platform and reach a much wider audience. “You have to capture the high ground of what are still the major media,” said Monckton, adding that it was worth “encouraging those we know who are super rich to invest in perhaps even establishing a new satellite TV channel – it’s not an expensive thing – and then get a few Jo Novas and Andrew Bolts to go on and do the commentating every day.” Though she was not present, few listening were left in any doubt that the “super rich” he had in mind was Rinehart. Interestingly, she has since sought to learn more about the Fox News model from no less an authority than its owner, Rupert Murdoch. A reliable source told me she met the head of News Corporation earlier this year largely to discuss his cable news channel – or ‘the Fox News dimension’, as I have heard it described. Apparently the meeting was linked to Rupert Murdoch’s effort to reinstall Lachlan Murdoch, who Rinehart has come to know through his chairmanship of Channel Ten, as his successor at News Corp.[/b] http://www.themonthly.com.au/gina-rinehart-s-quest-respect-and-gratitude-what-gina-wants-nick-bryant-5024 Nice wee cabal...nothing going on here. Ya know, I shoulda invested in casinos/gambling, horse racing/breeding...and professional orts broadcasting... I coulda made a mint...American/Chinese style. 'staid of bein' an unpaid cyber warrior, guardian and observer. Who coulda known eh? N'

nasking

1/10/2012 Should be: [b]I shoulda invested in casinos/gambling, horse racing/breeding...and professional sports broadcasting...and big time mining...and wars...can't forget forever wars...they need resources...and entertainment...distractions[/b] N'

nasking

1/10/2012 Ladies and gents...I present: [b]John Singleton (Australian entrepreneur)[/b] (Wikipedia) John Desmond Singleton AM (born 9 November 1941) is an Australian entrepreneur. He built his success and wealth in the advertising business in Australia in the 1970s and 1980s. [b]He now has diverse investment interests in radio broadcasting, publishing and thoroughbred breeding and racing. [/b] [b]Along the way Singleton acquired personal stakes in ventures including the 1990 buy-out of the Ten Group TV network from receivership and an acquisition in 2000 of Indonesia's No 3 network SCTV.[/b] These personal holdings in addition to the success and growth STW Group interests enabled Singleton to amass a massive personal fortune. Singleton has been listed in Business Review Weekly's Rich 200 list, and his investments range from radio (being the majority shareholder in the Macquarie Radio Network, which comprises radio stations 2CH and 2GB ), horse-racing training and publishing. Along with Seven Network, Singleton is half-owner of The Matty Johns Show. [b]Along with his friend, Gerry Harvey, Singleton owns the Gold Coast - based thoroughbred sales company Magic Millions. Singleton is firm friends with his radio employees Alan Jones and Ray Hadley. [/b] He is well known as a larrikin in Australia for his love of good times, evident in him buying drinks for the entire Rosehill racecourse in Sydney after his horse won the prestigious Golden Slipper. He has seven children from six marriages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singleton_(Australian_entrepreneur) And a relationship with QANTAS fits in there somewhere. How could I have forgotten ADVERTISING? I coulda made bucks from selling you on a product, an idea, a policy, an ideology, an AGENDA. N'

nasking

1/10/2012 I luv Mordor...I mean the modern Liberal party...they really care...really look out for THEM...I mean you. Blessed be the meek. And gullible. KERCHING. N'

nasking

1/10/2012 [b]Just like yesterday And I'll get on my knees and pray We don't get fooled again Don't get fooled again[/b] We won't get fooled again: The Who Hmmm... N'

nasking

1/10/2012 [b]Brian and Bobbie Houston (founders, Hillsong Church) The rockstars of the evangelical scene, the Houstons began their Pentecostal megachurch in Sydney’s Hills district in the ‘80s. It’s gone on to become a worldwide phenomenon, with churches in London, New York City and Moscow. Backed by a slick marketing effort and a music label powerhouse that has sold more than 12 million records, Hillsong just keeps getting bigger.[/b] http://www.thepowerindex.com.au/contenders/eighteen-powerful-people-in-religion Church...of course...church and television...now that's a game I could make real bucks in...evangelise...my way to moolah heaven...fck yea!!! Believe!!! N'

nasking

1/10/2012 [b]As a start of my boycott activity I spent my $120.00 at Coles yesterday instead of at Woolworths.[/b] Casablanca, we've made a list of about $200 + of food and other products...we were gonna order from Woolworths as mentioned above...but now on the public holiday we'll go online to order from Coles. No wonder Woolies did so well under Howard I'm beginning to think...they must be Lib supporters. Darn shame. I'd prefer companies stayed neutral. So much for competition and free trade. Bloody system's rigged. Really feel for small independent businesses. N'

nasking

1/10/2012Convenient to blame carbon price for electricity price increases...but looking beyond the surface and propaganda reveals a different story: [quote]POWER company bosses and state governments, quietly drawing annual dividends from their utilities, have done well from rising electricity prices in recent years. But the other big winners have been foreign multinationals. A BusinessDay investigation into executive remuneration found that frontline pay at the likes of foreign-owned SP AusNet and Spark Infrastructure has been modest when compared with the dazzling salaries at energy retailers AGL and Origin Energy. In Victoria, where the electricity sector has been privatised, it is foreign multinationals that have been the big beneficiaries via a slew of complex management fees which are paid back to related companies in Hong Kong and Singapore. Spark Infrastructure and SP AusNet have been engineered to pay management fees to external managers, although Spark paid its Hong Kong parent, CKI, $51.5 million earlier this year to buy back its own management and clean up what had been a quintuple-stapled security structure. In the case of transmission and distribution group SP AusNet, its parent, Singapore Power, was paid $90 million last year in assorted fees and related party payments. But the devil in the financial detail is something of a revelation. The number one culprit for rising electricity prices - accounting for 40 per cent of the total increase - has been spending on transmission and distribution. As the network providers earn a ''regulated return'' on their asset bases, there has been an incentive for them to overspend, or ''gold-plate'' their networks. Lurking in the catacombs of SP AusNet's public documents are two telling disclosures. One, Singapore Power is entitled to 1 per cent of SP AusNet's EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation). In this, it ranks ahead of SP's other unit holders. Two, the parent company is entitled to a fee equating to about 1 per cent of capital expenditure. A foreign company, in other words, has provided an incentive for Victoria's transmission provider to gold-plate its network - the more it spends the more it earns, and the more the government of Singapore benefits because it owns Singapore Power. This is an outcome New South Wales must seek to avoid as the government prepares to privatise its distributors and its transmission provider TransGrid if it wins the next election. [/quote] http://www.smh.com.au/business/foreign-multinationals-happily-plugged-into-our-energy-grid-20120930-26tjc.html Hmmm... N'

nasking

1/10/2012 SKY NEWS UK pushing gun ownership in UK by way of looking at Brits in Vegas. Who owns gun shares that the Murdoch empire are influenced by? Murdochs not fit and proper I reckon. Interesting that Rupert applies pressure to PM Cameron by meeting London mayor Boris just before SKY NEWS decision made. N'

Lyn

1/10/2012 TODAY’S LINKS The Primary Dynamic, Possum Comitatus, Pollytics So over the long term it’s been a solid relationship, but not an overwhelmingly dominant one – with the dynamic explaining 55% of the variation in the government’s two party preferred. Before we go any further, it’s worth noting that the relationship between the net satisfaction of the leader of the opposition and the two party preferred vote of the opposition is completely non-existent over the long term http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollytics/2012/09/29/the-primary-dynamic/ It stops with me, Victoria Rollison Since 2GB obviously have no morals and don’t consider Jones to be, ethically, a stain on their reputation, it’s time for us to force this commercial entity to take notice. It’s time to boycott 2GB and, more importantly, their advertisers. Don’t just boycott these companies – let them know why they have lost your support. Write letters and emails. Make phone calls. Don’t just complain about Jones to your friends and family. Take action. http://victoriarollison.com/2012/09/29/it-stops-with-me/ I am joining the 2GB and their Sponsors boycott – Alan Jones you’re a failed human being, Turn Left 2013 The radio station and their sponsors deserve to be boycotted for these comments. When others on the Right can speak out, the silence from Liberal leaders is telling. If they refuse to condemn the comments, then it is up to all of us to condemn them with our wallets, by refusing to financially support the companies that keep Alan Jones on the air http://turnleft2013.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/i-am-joining-the-2gb-and-their-sponsors-boycott-alan-jones-youre-a-failed-human-being/ Shame, Alan, Shame, Tom Cummings if you're reading this and you feel as I do, I urge you to make your feelings clear in the only way that Jones will understand.Boycott his radio station. At the very least, tell them how you feel. Boycott his advertisers. You can find them here.Make him irrelevant. Make him forgotten http://tom-cummings.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/shame-alan-shame.html Can Alan Jones stoop any lower?, Miglo, Café Whispers After reading this in news.com this morning I can only ponder if Alan Jones can has finally reached the bottom of the barrel. Here is the bulk of the story: http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/can-alan-jones-stoop-any-lower/ Turnbull’s bogus NBN claims, Kieran Cummings, Independent Australia The more interviews Turnbull gives where he goes off the rails, blaming the NBN for Telstra neglect, claiming cost blowouts and delays are unacceptable, and generally misrepresenting technologies and companies ― the better for all of us who want to see the NBN implemented http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/business/technology/turnbulls-bogus-nbn-claims/ When Tomorrow Comes, Peter Wicks, Wixxy Leaks I have the feeling that Abbott’s use-by date may be approaching faster than he thinks, although I have no doubt he will come out swinging like he is losing to the female debate team at college. There is no way that Abbott will go down without a fight, after all he is “The Brawler”, a nick-name the Coalition used to lovingly call him, although not since the wall bashing episode hit the headline http://wixxyleaks.com/2012/09/28/when-tomorrow-comes/ Alan Jones, Stephen Koukoulas, Market Economics If even 2% of his audience of more than 200,000 people in Sydney alone don’t change their vote away from the Liberal Party because they listen to Jones prejudiced and ill-founded views (that 2% is merely for illustration), that’s 4,000 precious votes retained for the Liberal Party. His radio program is of course syndicated throughout Australia so his reach and influence is every greater than that http://www.marketeconomics.com.au/2234-alan-jones Abbott loses ticker, Ausraliathestoopid Blog When Tony Abbott was a member of Howard’s government female members of the labour party complained about the high level of personal abuse contained in his answers during question time. His response, “Come on! Show some ticker for once.” http://australiathestoopid.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/abbott-loses-ticker/ Demolition man,John Quiggin Fresh from announcing that Queensland is on the brink of bankruptcy, and sacking 14 000 (“non-frontline”) public servants Premier Campbell Newman has announced plans to demolish the Executive Building (where he and his Ministers have their headquarters) and Public Works Building, to replace them with spanking new ones. Apparently, the front line is in George Street http://johnquiggin.com/2012/09/28/demolition-man/?utm_source= Former Failed Liberal Party Pre-Selection Candidate Alan Jones Still Sydney University Young Lib, Clarence Girl, North Coast Voices Transcript of part of a recording of Radio 2GB shock jock Alan Jones’ keynote speech recorded at the Annual Sydney University Liberal Club President's Dinner at the Waterfront Restaurant in The Rocks, Sydney, on 22 September 2012. http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/former-failed-liberal-party-pre.html Get Fact: will Abbott’s formula deliver jobs and growth, Andrew Crook, Crikey Tony Abbott’s recent rumination on what it would take to fit big Labor spending initiatives into the budget had economists scratching their heads. Crikey’s Get Fact Australia tests his theories. Accordingly we rate Abbott’s claims about Australia’s shining path to economic salvation as “mostly rubbish http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/09/28/get-fact-will-abbotts-formula-deliver-jobs-and-growth/ Abbott now says carbon price is ‘an octopus’, David Twomey, Eco News Australia’s conservative Liberal-National opposition leader Tony Abbott has continued a long line of animal based invective against the country’s carbon price, now labelling it “an octopus”.At the same time Mr Abbott says the federal Labor government believes it has “got away” with the carbon price and will impose more taxes. http://econews.com.au/news-to-sustain-our-world/abbott-now-says-carbon-price-is-%E2%80%98an-octopus%E2%80%99/ Australia’s first carbon market dies, as a new one begins, Giles Parkinson, Reneweconomy as one market ends, another begins. NextGen on Thursday announced it had completed the first carbon offset deal under the federal government’s carbon scheme, selling 10,000 units at $22 each.And it came as the Clean Energy Regulator issued the first free carbon units mechanism – with a total of 6.3 million units going to alumina producer Alcoa, and ammonia and ammonium nitrate producer Queensland Nitrates under the industry assistance program designed to help those competing in export markets http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/australias-first-carbon-market-dies-as-a-new-one-begins-56793 Malcolm Turnbull and the great Huawei farce, Renai LeMay, Delimeter After all, who the hell cares what Turnbull knew, or when he knew it? The Liberal MP has been disingenuous on so many matters relating to national telecommunications policy in recent months that it hardly matters whether he adds one more small item to his tally. In addition, it’s not likely that a Coalition Government would change its approach to the Huawei issue based on briefings from ASIO http://delimiter.com.au/2012/09/28/malcolm-turnbull-and-the-great-huawei-farce/ Turnbull's NBN shadowboxing , Supratim Adhikari, Technology Spectator Turnbull said in August that any review on Huawei's status would be conducted in light of all the available security intelligence advice, but the Coalition had not been privy to the information that the ASIO had privided to the government. However, The Australian contends that Turnbull was briefed by ASIO in Canberra on May 9, with Deputy Opposition Leader and foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop also sitting in on the ASIO briefing.While this should have little or no impact on whether Huawei is allowed back into the NBN game, it's not a good look for Turnbull. http://technologyspectator.com.au/turnbulls-nbn-shadowboxing?utm_source=Technology+Spectator+List&utm_campaign= Today’s Front Pages Australia Newspaper Front Pages for 1 October 2012 http://www.frontpagestoday.co.uk/index.cfm?PaperCountry=Australia

Lyn

1/10/2012Hi Casablanca There is a list of sponsers on the below tweet:- Aushiker‏ Alan Jones list of sponsers @2gb http://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/10nx8k/alan_jones_says_gillards_father_died_of_shame/c6f9qzd #AlanJones Shaynna Blaze‏ Report saying #JuliaGillard still wont speak to #AlanJones - and why should she! He is a digrace. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8540822/alan-jones-apologies-to-julia-gillard :):):)

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1/10/2012LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

2353

1/10/2012Jaycee - Reagan wasn't only wrong and a disaster, he was only a "B" Grade movie actor at best. Nas - did you know that Coles is owned by Wesfarmers who on a corporate level are probably no better than Woolworths? If you have a local IGA or Aldi try them (although I realise that home delivery would be very attractive to you at the moment). Hope things are improving health wise for both of you. Is everyone aware that if you go to the 2GB website, you can leave a comments for individuals. If you leave one for Jones you get an auto response: [quote]Thank you for your email. I have decieed to change direction a little in the office. As a result of the continuing massive volume of correspondence, the increasing demands on my time and, dare I say it, my health, the staff have advised me and I've agreed that we should change the way I deal with correspondence. All e-mails are gratefully received. As always, I will read all your comments and I'll note them. However, I'm not going to commit myself to responding to every piece of correspondence. I will, of course, be back in touch if I need further information. I hope it doesn't offend when I say that I won't be providing individual acknowledgment, but your ideas will always be most welcome and if need be, in both our interests, I will respond to you. I hope you understand. With best wishes, Alan Jones AO[/quote] I wonder if they can take an AO off someone? They can de-knight people so it should be possible :D.

2353

1/10/2012You know Jones is no longer welcome in the tent when Michelle Gratten puts the boot in. [quote]Jones is close to Abbott and the Liberals and his excesses are hard for them to deal with. Advertisement You are judged by your friends and your reactions in times like this. Malcolm Turnbull's response was instant and impeccable: Jones' remarks were cruel and offensive, he tweeted. In a more insipid reaction, Abbott called them ''completely out of line'' but by the time he got that on the record, Turnbull had had his say and the issue had gone wild on social media.[/quote] and [quote]As for Jones himself, he was yesterday out to ''man up'' and say he got it wrong. But his apology came with all sorts of blather about the PM's emotional state and suggestions some breach of Chatham House rules had been committed in recording what he'd thought was a private function. As if it would have been more acceptable if there had been no audio record. In judging his apology, one has to wonder how much Jones was driven by considerations of sponsors and radio station 2GB if he did not, to use his words, ''eat [ crow] while it's hot''.[/quote] http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/politics/jones-forced-to-eat-words-20120930-26tv1.html#ixzz27zbApg9K

jaycee

1/10/2012I am beginning to comprehend the feelings some people had all those years ago when watching the rise in power of such as Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler or General Franco...Demagogues supported by a "dumb as ducksh*t" populace!

jaycee

1/10/2012In regards the "Jones incident"...I can only suspect a mistake was made at his birth....Having attended and helped at the home-births of my two children, I am cognizant of the fact that birthing is indeed both a miraculous and messy affair! and in that regard I believe at the baby Jones' birth, a mistake was made by a near-sighted doctor and he "breathed life" into a certain soft lump he mistakenly presumed came from the birth canal but in reality was exuded under pressure from a nearby orifice!....another "triumph" for science and would explain the smell!

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1/10/2012Hi Lyn Your links look so interesting, I wish I had time to read them right now, but I have soon to travel to Geelong for a granddaughter’s twenty first birthday, so I won’t be around until this evening. I’ll take the iPad so I can sneak a look at the site during the day.

Truth Seeker

1/10/2012Kay, thanks for an interesting and thought provoking article. Patricia & TT, nice ones. 2353, on the today shoe this morning, Laurie Oaks put the boot into Jones, and when Karl Stuckwithnodick asked him if he did not like Jones, he said 'no' (paraphrased) and then turned the question back on him, (Stuckwithnodick) to which he replied "He's a friend of mine". Says a lot about his (Stuckwithnodick's) soft interviewing style when it comes to his other mate TAbbott. What a sad, disgusting lot they are. Cheers

janice

1/10/2012Kay, Thank you for an excellent and informative piece - I'm afraid your contribution has been overshadowed by the disgraceful diatribe that came out of Alan Jones' foul mouth at the Young Libs function. The bald-headed old swell Howard and his merry men did a great deal of harm to our nation during his reign of more than a decade, and it is going to take just as long for the Labor Party to set things right. The public have been conditioned to believe Howard/Costello were brilliant for our economy and therefore it will be a long, long struggle to change that wrong perception. Any real change cannot be done in big leaps so Labor has to be satisfied with small steps and trust the electorate does not chuck them out too soon. Abbott has no ideas of his own, nor has he any vision or even the ability to see further than a year or two ahead. I wonder how many people notice that he frequently tells them he wants to return to running the country the way it was run in the Howard years. In other words, he wants, and expects, time to stand still. As for Reagan, of course he was wrong but then he was only acting out what he probably saw as the greatest role of his career.

jaycee

1/10/2012Kay...Being involved in local enviromental projects, I have seen a beast rising in the funding models lately that remind me of the "raison d'etre" economics of your piece. There is a new philosophy in enviromentalism called "neo-green" which trys to bring in business and science to both fund and "cure" enviromental degredation with the excuse of "involvement" of those who could most profit from a healthy enviroment. What this "arrangement" in both national economics and enviromentalism fails to say is that it creates a "generic umbrella" over a many varied system. Bottom-line principles cannot appreciate the many tendriled and frail-but-solidly connected arms of both society/cultures that demand individual consideration and treatment. this "one-size-fits-all" mantra breaks and destroys the intricate and curious details of what makes life interesting enough to thrive and contribute to, creating a sort of "beige" colouration to both our enviroment and society....god spare us from the economic rationalists!

Lyn

1/10/2012Good Morning Ad & Everybody Hi Ad Astra hope you have a lovely 21st birthday today. You won't miss much, I thought they called Murdoch "the man who owns the news", Well Alan Jones sure has dug a hole for himself and he is still digging this morning, eg article in the Telegraph. Here is Twitterverse:- Bushfire Bill Posted Monday, October 1, 2012 at 9:35 am | Permalink To make matters worse, I now find your airline sponsors the hateful Alan Jones show on the Macquarie Network. This man is a blight on Australia. He spreads hate and misinformation. He seems to be immune to any kind of restraint on his activities. The same goes for 2GB.His most recent tirades (for which he won an "Ernie" Award for sexist commentary) were misogynistic and gratuitous. He said that women were "wrecking the joint."Your company is an equal opportunity employer. Does your management believe that women - who comprise the bulk of your in-flight and airport staff, and who are primarily responsible for the in-flight safety and well-being of passengers - are "wrecking the joint"? http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2012/09/29/seat-of-the-week-kingsford-smith/#comment-1424726 An apology tempered by anger then just as comments which strike at the grief of a daughter for her father should be condemned, so too should be condemned the widespread efforts by the Gillard government, and Julia Gillard herself, to silence or punish anyone who dares to articulate one political certainty that this may be the worst and least trustworthy government in Australian history http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/an-apology-tempered-by-anger/story-e6freuy9-1226484901731 Jones won’t be sacked: Oakes, Laurie Oakes, Video October 01, 2012: Nine News political editor Laurie Oakes says he believes Alan Jones will not be sacked over his recent comments about Julia Gillard’s deceased father. 1 Oct 2012 | 0 Views http://news.ninemsn.com.au/video.aspx?videoid=88935062-1645-4145-8603-B527255F2F88 Simon Cullen‏ Karl Stefanovic to LaurieOakes: "You don't have much time for Alan Jones yourself do you?" Oakes: "Well, after this Karl, do you?" (1/2) Journo says no Jones privacy breach, SBS The journalist who taped comments by Alan Jones about the prime minister's father says no confidentiality rules applied during the broadcaster's speech.http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1697519/Journo-says-no-Jones-privacy-breach John Psaltis‏ Laurie Oakes slaps down Karl Stefanovic over not denouncing Alan Jones comment Calls Karls position the 'Tony Abbott line' Michael Gleeson‏ Awkward moment for Karl Stefanovic ... Admits to being a friend of Alan Jones during an interview in which Laurie Oakes called Jones a grub. Roxon calls for 2GB rethink of Jones http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-01/roxon-calls-for-jones-employment-to-be-reconsidered/4288740 Geoff Pearson ‏ How low can this shameless old dog of the 'old' media go? http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/how-low-can-this-shameless-old-dog-of-the-old-media-go-20120930-26tqf.html … via @theage Rednecked hate reflects badly on Liberal Party, LETTERS http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/rednecked-hate-reflects-badly-on-liberal-party-20120930-26tsy.html Stephen Koukoulas ‏@TheKouk My Business Spectator column today: Waiting for a slow-cook market miracle http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/China-US-economy-housing-Europe-debt-crisis Chris Barrett ‏ Sponsors are way too tardy #destroythejoint Alan Jones apologises as sponsors pull ads http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/alan-jones-apologises SPONSORS of the Sydney radio station part-owned by Alan Jones have been inundated with thousands of complaints about the talkback king's comments on the death of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's father Freedom‏ You spoke, we listened. We do not support the comments made by Alan Jones. We have pulled our advertising off the air. Destroy The Joint‏ Congratulations Lexus Parramatta & @Freedom_Au for pulling your advertising from Alan Jones & @2GB873 Ten Breakfast ‏@tenbreakfast NEWS: #AlanJones has apologised but there are growing calls for him to be taken off air following his remarks about the PMs late father. John Pratt Jones forced to eat words #auspol http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/-26tv1.html … Mr Denmore Sign the petition asking 2GB's advertisers to end their unfortunate association with Alan Jones http://tiny.cc/16uglw The Daily Telegraph Jones apologises as sponsors pull ads: SPONSORS of the Sydney radio station part-owned by Alan Jones have been i... http://bit.ly/TXj3dY Aussie Oskar‏ KRuddMP On behalf of all Australians we request you ask the Governor General to revoke Alan Jones AO.http://pic.twitter.com/ZKGDgnykRT if agree :):):)

TalkTurkey

1/10/2012Dr Rollison, Thank you for the wonderful article! I too 'did' Politics 1A but I think I must have slept through a lot, anyway you explain very clearly the dyamics and the history of postWWII social changes as I had not perceived in such focus. You have added weight and depth to our beloved Political Sword: Ad astra will be loving it, and you must know that you will be welcomed back ad infinitum. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Comrade Swordsfolks, As I said a few days ago I have been spending "too much" time on Twitter, retweeting many of the most apposite messages and writing lots myself. The twitterstream has gone berko in the last little while but yesterday was probably the most traffic there's ever been I would think, a perfect storm [no pun on the rugbyteam Storm truly, I only just saw that] of it being Sunday as well as Jones' filth, and it has convinced us all that the Fighting 5th Estate has the power to move the MSM. For those who don't follow Twitter, let me tell you, our Lyn the Peregrinacious Canary is the most ubiquitous, the most useful, the best-beloved presence there, and we are ever-more honoured and benefited by her (prior) presence here. Her contribution seems such a given here, but Comrades she is more than that, she is a phenomenon, she is unique. She has found a special sort of place in the skies of the political landscape, to and from which she flits constantly, finding and distributing information to all. And as a [i]lasting[/i] legacy of the political discourse she is leaving, on this, Ad astra's site Archives, an amazing compendium of links to the best political writers' comments, dating back through this crazy period since before Abbortt brought his special talents to the political scene. I cannot imagine that there is its like anywhere else - anywhere. Lyn and Ad astra - what a combination. They empower us all. [b]As I write Challenge Financial Services have withdrawn support for the Anal Jones show. This is a GREAT WIN for the FIGHTING 5th ESTATE! VENCEREMOS! [/b]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have no thought of ever having a tiny fraction of Lyn's influence, but I do keep trying to fire up Comrades who will be crucial to the fight against this evil from the Right, and suss ways of focussing the power I know is latent in the Fifth Estate. No-one can say about themselves the things a third person can about them. And Lyn and Ad deserve everything good said about them, and more. Their influence is already legendary. Both Twitter and TPS are implicit in any strategies I ever fantasize with. Here's one tweet I wrote this morning. If you identify with the term *THE FIGHTING 5th ESTATE* , Please RETWEET! http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/ is our weapon, Lyn & Ad astra our warriors! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jones has exterminated Abbortt. But it took the 5th Estate to exterminate Jones. Well done all. I love winning this desperate game.

LadyInRed

1/10/2012Kay Thank you for this article, it was very informative. For me it outlined succintly the difference between the two parties and how that has changed over time, and why suddenly I have a real fear of the Liberal party whereas in the past I didn't. [i]There should also be a proper assessment of what the market can’t do and government must do[/i] Too true. We need Labor to win the next election with a mandate if we really want to see some action in this area. It is almost impossible in this hung parliament. Where you would think the Greens would be a help in this it has actually been a hindrance. I have been away for a couple of days, out of touch with the news. So just watched Jone's apology. And a couple of things come to mind: Firstly his language of the third person "There are days when you just have to concede and man up and say you got it wrong". Pathetic, the use of "you" is trying to gather support, afterall 'we' all do this sort of thing don't we? NO Jones this is how you appologise "I have to concede 'I' said some very hurtful things" no-one else did this "YOU" did it, stop lumping us into it, and his use of 'man up' sounds like he is doing a big thing, a great thing, a noble thing by appologsing. Absolutely pathetic. TAbbott and Jones are very much of the same mould. Their use of language when trying to distance themselves is very similar, and that scares me very much for the future of this country. These are extremely emotionally bankrupt people. Narcicistic, and nasty. Secondly, you don't use the word "BUT" in an apology. This was a private function bla bla bla, eveybody was taking the mickey out of someone.....oh dear PATHETIC.

Todd

1/10/2012Trickle down economics? I much prefer this quote by John Kenneth Galbraith; 'If you feed the horse enough oats some will pass through to feed the sparrows'

2353

1/10/2012Have a look at Alan Jones' Wikipedia entry. Scroll about half way down and you get this: [quote] This article's Criticism or Controversy section may compromise the article's neutral point of view of the subject. Please integrate the section's contents into the article as a whole, or rewrite the material. (October 2011)]/quote] The rest of the article is certainly informative :D Unfortunately there is noting there about his parents so a similar accusation could be made about him as he made about Gillard (it would have been a co-incidence if one of his parents died about the same period he was found in a compromising position in a public toilet in the UK).

2353

1/10/2012You'd think I could do quotes correctly on this site - I've had plenty of practice - sorry:(

Patriciawa

1/10/2012Yes, Kay, I join other TPS regulars in apologising for being distracted by the the Jones thing all day yesterday, and not giving your excellent post the reading time and response it deserved. You have obviously, like many of us, lived through those various phases of government you describe resulting from the social activism and initiatives of Labor and the left and Tory (Liberal!) resistance and conservatism from the right. Easy to see why real reformers on the left, like Gough, move so quickly whenever they do gain power. So much to do and with the powers of the establishment constantly resisting. Was it an accident that Fraser repealed none of Whitlam's major reforms, or was he already the reformist philanthopic, small 'l' liberal he clearly is today, in other words never a resister, never a true conservative? The major fear I have about the right, represented by today's Coalition of Liberal and National parties, is that they aren't really grass roots resistance to the reform initiatives of unions and Labor on the left from traditionally conservative instincts within our society. I see them as almost hollow entities whose elected are officers manipulated by mammoth international corporate interests which are themselves dominated by a few ruthless individuals. How do Rupert Murdoch and News Corp, or Gina Rinehart, fit into the context of the swinging pendulum of power in our western democracy since the mid 20thC? How can the left initiate resistance to such powerful individuals who threaten our freedoms?

NormanK

1/10/2012If, like me, you are unhappy with Alan Jones being the holder of an Order of Australia you can voice your concerns here: honours@gg.gov.au Remember, be polite. :) For all of those who are fighting the good fight on social media and keeping tis alive, I wish more strength to your arms. Sponsors are withdrawing their patronage and regional radio stations are ceasing their syndication of Jones' programme. Well done. Kay Thank-you for your fascinating article. As has been pointed out, it is unfortunate that its publication has coincided with the Alan Jones debacle. I will endeavour to find time to respond in a thoughtful manner.

nasking

1/10/2012 Interesting: [quote]THE future of popular Newtown watering hole The Marlborough Hotel has been secured. [b]Former Qantas boss Geoff Dixon, ad man John Singleton and investment banker Mark Carnegie have added the watering hole to their expanding pub empire. The Riversdale Group, backed by Mr Carnegie's MH Carnegie and high-net-worth investors including Mr Singleton and Mr Dixon, bought The Marlborough Hotel at auction last week for $12.175 million.[/b] Located on the corner of King St and Missenden Rd, the venue includes the Marly Bar, Bar Prego, Level One Bar, The Cellar, The Deck and Marly Bottle Shop. Affectionately referred to by locals simply as "The Marly", the 150-year-old hotel is a hub of social life in the inner west, particularly following the abrupt closure several years ago of the Newtown Hotel, diagonally opposite on King St. The Newtown Hotel is expected to reopen next month. The Marlborough is the seventh pub the Riversdale investment consortium has added to its stable and takes the value of its pub portfolio to $85 million. [b]The Riversdale Group has a track record of buying distressed pubs located in Sydney's gentrified inner-city suburbs and bringing them back to life. Australia's pub sector was hit hard by the global financial crisis, with some highly leveraged pub owners putting their properties on the market or going into receivership. Mr Carnegie said the group would look at buying more pubs, aiming to build up the portfolio to a value of $150 million.[/b][/quote] http://inner-west-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/marlborough-hotel-safe-thanks-to-sale/ Hmmm...nice to have money. N'

LadyInRed

1/10/2012From Political Animal: The making of Tony Abbott David Marr. [i]Crucial support (for TAbbott's pre-selection for the seat of Warringah in 1993) came from Radio's 2UE Alan Jones, who was commending the contender on air as a fine young fellow and the very best sort of Australian. At this point began one of the great unconcummated love affairs of Australian politics[/i] Explains a lot on why TAbbot's response was so pathetic, and why they seem to be two peas in a pod.

LadyInRed

1/10/2012That should be UNCONSUMMATED love affair - ....

nasking

1/10/2012 From director Gillian Armstrong: US distributors had killed off our early flourishing cinema industry at a time of technical change. That little change was called sound. [b]Thank goodness for the initiative of the federal government that created the Australian Film Commission and the Australian Film Television and Radio School and underpinned them with Australian content regulations. It was the bare bones, but regulations forced our broadcasters to have a basic percentage of Australian content. The irony is, most overseas governments legislate the other way around: they stipulate the amount of foreign content that is allowed to intrude on their local programming. Story number two: that same young Australian was previewing her World War II film Charlotte Gray in the US (in Pasadena) to a supposedly college-educated test audience. Afterwards the Warner Bros head of marketing came forward extremely shame-faced, clutching a pile of audience test cards. He confessed most of the audience had a problem comprehending the film because there was a terrible gap. They didn't know Britain was involved in World War II. At all. Yes, they thought that someone like Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan had led US troops in France and killed off all the Germans. This may be an example of a poor education program but it is also about the colonisation of culture and history. [/b] What is so important about a national culture? [b]It is our identity as Australians. It is what makes us unique.[/b] Our language, for example: "You're a dag Muriel'', ''Look-at-moi Kimmy'', ''That's not a knife'', ''Goodonyamum'', or ''You're dropped'' (my current favourite from Puberty Blues). Be they crazily spiked cars mashing each other in the desert, a slow clap and bad toupee at a ballroom dancing finale, a row of blue Portaloos at the Cup, a long haired surfer in a panel van tooting outside a brown brick veneer, or a dusty red dog waiting and waiting, these are our idioms, our character, our stories, our very special humour and our outlook on life. [b]These things are not fixed but are challenged and reaffirmed by our cultural expression. They are mirrored and reflected by the stories we tell and the images we see: TV programs, commercials and films and documentaries. It is so easy to take for granted.[/b] [b]With changes in the emerging new media services, and without content regulation, it's like we are standing by the radio in the 1950s and telling Australians there will always be a Blue Hills and Dad and Dave. But without controls over content, broadcasters will be back to cheap buy-ins and reruns. This is already being demonstrated on all the unregulated second digital channels. There was a rumour there was a broadcaster promise to program more Aussie content. Oh, really?[/b] The media landscape is changing and free-to-air is being watched in even greater numbers on multi platforms. However, it is precarious. If left uncontrolled, I fear my children and yours will have less opportunity to see Australian content, an Australian point of view. [b]Will they only ever see history through US eyes, where only US troops fought in World War II and Vietnam? Will there be no more Gallipoli or Puberty Blues? [/b]No more Offspring, Samson and Delilah, Mrs Carey's Concert, My Place, Packed to the Rafters or productions about Melbourne types who slap other people's kids or shoot each other in Lygon Street? [b]A career in Australia's creative industries would once again be a hopeless dream. Without a healthy productive industry we will return to a time when our voices weren't heard, when our best creative talent, actors, directors, designers and writers, left for Britain and the US.[/b] [b]Our request to government is a humble transitional amount of regulation, just one additional hour of first release drama and documentaries a week on each digital channel.[/b] It is important. Otherwise our stories won't be told. Our talent won't be heard. And our country won't be seen. Gillian Armstrong is the director of 27 films including My Brilliant Career, Oscar and Lucinda and Charlotte Gray. [b]TV fails the screen test for this culture[/b] http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/tv-fails-the-screen-test-for-this-culture-20120930-26tjz.html A wake up call. N'

nasking

1/10/2012 [quote]did you know that Coles is owned by Wesfarmers who on a corporate level are probably no better than Woolworths? If you have a local IGA or Aldi try them (although I realise that home delivery would be very attractive to you at the moment). Hope things are improving health wise for both of you. [/quote] Gracias 2353, I hope you are well too. Nice to get a few showers here eh? Got a bit dry. Yes, Coles have generally been good to us...as have Bunnings and Target and Kmart staff...all part of Wesfarmers. I know they are also problematic pokies and investment in tree cutting...but I can't be too picky...the workers at our local stores need jobs and most seem to like working there. And the delivery people are nice. We do support alot of small businesses too...online and locally. I oft promote them on my Facebook site. Thankyou for letting us know about Alan Jones site. Have a goodie. Looking forward to the next Chaser...Hamster Wheel...that sketch on Gai Waterhouse's son was hilarious. N'

Michael

1/10/2012LadyInRed, hi. Re Abbott and Jones.... "At this point began one of the great unconcummated love affairs of Australian politics" 'Unconcummated'? Was this word cut and pasted from a digital copy of the Marr essay, or retyped inaccurately (Freudian slipilly???) for The Political Sword? If the former, it's not a real word, but broken down into syllables, un-con-cum-mat'ed, makes for fascinating word play. If the latter, what proof does Marr have it was never consummated? There are a couple of funny walkers in this longterm pair.

nasking

1/10/2012 [b]Crucial support (for TAbbott's pre-selection for the seat of Warringah in 1993) came from Radio's 2UE Alan Jones, who was commending the contender on air as a fine young fellow and the very best sort of Australian. At this point began one of the great unconcummated love affairs of Australian politics [/b] LadyInRed, the pieces of the jigsaw are put together and reveal an interesting, if not ugly, picture. N'

nasking

1/10/2012 Lyn, Many thnx for the daily links and tweets...heaps to catchup on. Not sure I believe that News Ltd character Jonathan Marshall...something about his story doesn't work for me...and I thought his showing up at the presser and it being made a big deal that him and Jones didn't know each other came across as suss to me: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-01/sponsors-walk-away-from-under-fire-jones/4288740 I also thought Michael Rowlands brought up the "Alan Jones as victim" bit alot this morn on ABC 24...and didn't probe this Marshall fella enuff. Rowlands is yet another ABC correspondent who worked in the USA...and has a partner working in the Murdoch empire: http://www.crikey.com.au/2005/07/25/hundreds-of-journalistic-couples/ I noticed Rowlands digs putting up the daily papers with lots of Murdoch ones. N'

Michael

1/10/2012This is so close to being cut from the same cloth as Alan Jone's comments I can NOT believe a public figure would use the loss of other peoples' lives in this grotesque, point-scoring manner. Ever, or with any moral sense or political nous at all, within a bull's roar of Jones' screw-up. Except for who said it, and what 'cloth' he shares with Jones and the Coalition generally. 'QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman has criticised the federal government over road funding after five people died in a crash on the state's biggest highway. Three men and two women, aged between 62 and 97, were killed when the car they were in collided head-on with a truck on the Bruce Highway near Nulla Flat Creek north of Maryborough on Sunday afternoon. The victims were all members of the same extended family. When asked if he had a road safety message for Queenslanders, Mr Newman said he instead had a message for the Federal government. The premier said the state government had provided an additional $1 billion to help fund the federal road and called on Canberra to follow suit. "... we want (Treasurer) Wayne Swan and (Prime Minister) Julia Gillard, rather than wasting the billions they are interstate, to put the money up to fix the Bruce Highway," he told reporters in Brisbane on Monday. The Bruce Highway runs along Queensland's coast from Brisbane to Cairns. "It is a terrible tragedy and sadly we've seen far too many on this road," Mr Newman said.' http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/newman-calls-for-road-funding-after-crash/story-e6frfku9-1226485881087#ixzz281N2Zite Actually, coming from Can Do, Coalition 'hero', maybe I'm not surprised who said it or what he said. WTF does he mean by "wasting billions... interstate"??? Is this nation 'Australia', with a Federal government looking to the interest of an entire country, or are we 'interstaters' really living in Colin Barnett's "Western Australia East" and Campbell Newman's "Queensland South"? Both these ridiculous little men spout 'State rights' as a figleaf for stupidity and cupidity. Die and you become a 'legitimate' political football, is this the Coalition way?

Casablanca

1/10/2012[b]DOUBLE STANDS [/b] Various pundits talk up the right to [b]Freedom of Speech [/b] and 2GB pulls the list of sponsors.

Casablanca

1/10/2012Oops!. I, of course, meant to type [b] STANDARDS [/b]

jaycee

1/10/2012It has taken a week for the Jones story to come out..I wonder if this "secret journalist" fellow has spent the last week trying to freelance his audio and has only just now had it used? It certainly is a strange assignment!

nasking

1/10/2012 [b]'QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman has criticised the federal government over road funding after five people died in a crash on the state's biggest highway.[/b] Michael, Newman has lost the plot...he sounds just like Abbott, Joyce and Jones...insulting, exaggerating negabore... frankly, in my 35 years in Australia this is the most infrastructure, roadworks construction I've seen funded by a government...everywhere you go there is a road being upgraded, a freeway expanded, a bypass constructed... does Newman realise that his beloved John Howard was in for nigh on twelve years?...and he didn't have a GFC to deal with... Newman thinks he can get cocky again because of the Murdoch empire's dodgy Newspoll...but I'll tell ya...I was out and about here in Sth East QLD heaps the last few weeks...hospital, doc and dentist and specialist offices...visiting Stace's family...supermarkets, various other shops including pet food shop, cafes...all preparing Stace for her operation and time at home...and having a few good times out beforehand... and I tend to speak to alot of people... and the feedback about CAN DO Newman was generally negative...a couple of people said they'd give him time as he got rid of some of the "public service deadwood" as they bluntly referred to workers...but most thought he was too cocky...or too arrogant...and dangerous to their jobs. Some thought him far too close to the federal Liberal party...particularly Abbott and Costello. And interestingly, the most aggressive comments, the most negative, were about Tony Abbott. He is not liked, nor trusted. PM Julia Gillard is gradually improving in most people's estimation. N'

KHTAGH

1/10/2012Kay Very good read & history lesson in one, you must have some good conversations with your daughter at times, easy to see why she is also very adapt at penning a good blog too, must run in the family. Its such a pity you had to coincide with the rant from "he who shall not be named" [I'm sick of dry retching] as it has distracted from a good article. TT I have been watching the twitter melt down today too, fascinating for sure & fun even as a static observer with a few re-tweets thrown in.

NormanK

1/10/2012Things I'd like to see # 54 Tony Abbott: ….. by this toxic tax based on a lie. Any questions? Journalist: Mr Abbott, do you have anything to say about Alan Jones' comments about the Prime Minister's father? Should he resign? Tony Abbott: Look .. aah … I've said all that I intend to say about this sorry incident. Alan has apologised and that should be an end to it. Camera pans to show journalists packing away their notepads and iPhones; stills photographers popping lens-caps onto cameras; tripods being folded and everyone drifting away talking about whether it's too early for a beer. Tony Abbott: But … but….. For Christ's sake! Somebody get this octopus off me!!

KHTAGH

1/10/2012NormanK [i] Tony Abbott: Look .. aah … I've said all that I intend to say about this sorry incident. Alan has apologised and that should be an end to it.[/i] You have been listening to him too much, that is [u][b]exactly!![/b] [/u]what he would say. Well said.

Casablanca

1/10/2012Jones supporters, where are you? Jenna Price Canberra Times. October 1, 2012 - 4:29PM [quote]And it was our united despair that drove advertisers to act. As I’m writing this, there is a list of companies that have withdrawn their advertising from the program of Alan Jones: Woolworths, Freedom Furniture, Challenger, Mercedes Benz. I hope there are more. But I’m still waiting to hear from those who employ Alan Jones, those on the board of Macquarie Radio Network and other major shareholders. Do you know any of them? Maybe you should write to them if you know them. They include Russell Tate, who ran John Singleton’s advertising agency; Max Donnelly, a partner in consultants Ferrier Hodgson; and Maureen Plavsic who worked at Seven for a long time and is a trustee of the National Gallery of Victoria. The right action would be for the entire board to stand Jones down for what he said the minute it was advised of the wrong doing. The broadcaster didn’t say it on air – but one can never separate Alan Jones from his job. The board is spineless and that’s despicable.[/quote] Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/opinion/jones-supporters-where-are-you-20121001-26v1f.html#ixzz282EJkg8W

nasking

1/10/2012 Regardless of the story News Ltd and Jones come up with I still think there is something suss about their relationship. Interesting that Jones gets to post in the Daily Telegraph today... and how Media Watch host Jonathan Holmes is crucified on the eve of this Jones campaign for not giving a Daily Telegraph journo the right of reply. All very suss. How many times have we seen these sneaky campaigns before? N'

nasking

1/10/2012 Sorry, running around like a blue-arsed fly...links and a couple of comments here: http://www.facebook.com/nick.king.1232760?ref=tn_tnmn Great comments and links TPS people. N'

nasking

1/10/2012 Just a reminder: [b]Ray Hadley to sign with 2GB for life[/b] "[b]I've worked seven days a week since 2001 [/b]and it's probably time I cut things back," Hadley said. "But I'm very happy at 2GB and it's where I want to spend the rest of my broadcasting career." [b]The former auctioneer, was a taxi driver, then trots, greyhounds, thoroughbreds and rugby league caller before becoming a weekday host.[/b] http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/ray-hadley-to-sign-with-2gb-for-life/story-e6frep5x-1225918518912 Interesting. They all seem to love their thoroughbreds. And sports. N'

nasking

1/10/2012Convenient how certain Libs managed to be deaf at a certain point during Allen Jones' speech: [b]Liberals deflect Jones strife[/b] by: Crystal Ja [quote]THE federal opposition is crying foul over Labor's attempt to tie Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to the outcry following Alan Jones's offensive remarks about the prime minister, with one Liberal senator saying it's time for both sides to "shut up".[/quote] [quote][b]Many Liberals still showed support for Jones, with Liberal Senate leader Eric Abetz and Queensland Premier Campbell Newman saying the broadcaster had apologised and they would not have a problem dealing with him in future..[/b] [b]Liberal frontbencher Sussan Ley, who was at the Liberal function where Mr Jones made the remarks about Ms Gillard, said she didn't hear the comments at the time but found them unacceptable.[/b] [b]Labor and union man Paul Howes sought to highlight the opposition's long-held affection for the veteran radio man by re-tweeting some praise from opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey.[/b] "[b]Listening to Alan Jones this morning and you can understand why he is the best Aussie broadcaster of all time. 25 years at number1 in Syd.!" Mr Hockey's tweet reads. The tweet was originally posted in December 2010. [/b] [b]Liberal MP Alex Hawke[/b], who was at the dinner, said the comments from Mr Jones were unacceptable. "[b]During the hour long presentation I did not hear the particular comments[/b] regarding the prime minister and her late father, John Gillard," Mr Hawke said in a statement on Monday. "Having now heard them I condemn these comments unequivocally, I am glad to see Mr Jones has offered a public apology and has also offered the prime minister a private apology." Both Mr Hawke and Ms Ley said in statements on Monday they did not hear the comments about the prime minister's father.[/quote] http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/breaking-news/liberals-deflect-jones-strife/story-e6frg13c-1226486103881 [b]I don't remember, I don't recall I got no memory of anything at all I don't remember, I don't recall I got no memory of anything -anything at all[/b] - Peter Gabriel, I Don't Remember N'

nasking

1/10/2012 Sign the petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/australian-honours-and-awards-secretariat-at-government-house-in-canberra-revoke-the-title-of-order-of-australia?utm_campaign=new_signature&utm_medium=email&utm_source=signature_receipt# [b]Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat at Government House in Canberra.: Revoke the title of Order of Australia[/b] How do abusive bullies in the media and politics get these honours. I know so many caring teachers, nurses, firemen, police and charity workers who spend many hours of their lives helping others without a second thought...they don't seek awards and honours...nor are they offered them I notice. N'

nasking

1/10/2012 [b]Sydney University Liberal Club[/b] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Sydney University Liberal Club (SULC) is a student association, operating under the auspices of the University of Sydney Union (USU). The club hosts a range of policy debates, social events, campaign workshops, student election campaigns, and guest speaker events with members of parliament. It is an affiliate of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation. [b]John Howard Debating Cup[/b] In 2010 the club launched the annual John Howard Debating Cup with the purpose of celebrating the legacy of the Howard Government and providing a forum for public policy debate to Liberal Students. The Howard Cup is an intervarsity debating competition between Liberal Clubs across New South Wales, consisting of preliminary rounds and a grand finals. [b]In 2011, over 250 attendees from Sydney University, Macquarie University, University of Technology Sydney, University of New South Wales, University of Western Sydney, and the University of Wollongong attended the competition. Each year the grand finals features an adjudication and keynote address by John Howard... and adjudications by notable conservatives like Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, Janet Albrechtsen, Piers Akerman, Julian Leeser, Natasha Maclaren-Jones, Tom Switzer, and Paul Fletcher.[/b] [b]The Cup was initiated by then Vice President Alex Dore, who has organised the Cup since inception.[/b] Winning teams of the competition have been: 2010 - University of Wollongong Liberal Club 2011 - Sydney University Liberal Club Controversy [b]In 2006 the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the club had become more conservative after a former member of the club proposed a resolution to reintroduce the death penalty for "heinous crimes", and to strip non-Christians of the Christmas and Easter holidays.[/b] This prompted allegations of 'strong conservatism', and claims that it risked the Liberal Party's reputation as "a broad church", even though these motions failed to pass or to attract any significant support. In 2009, the club drew controversy in The Australian after a hostile takeover attempt by the "far-right" was quashed at an Annual General Meeting chaired by David Clarke MLC, and attended by Marie Ficarra MLC and Dominic Perrottet MP. An investigation by the Liberal Party ensued after allegations of threatening behaviour towards young members of the club. In May 2011, this same "far-right" group again drew controversy in the Sydney Morning Herald after the Vice President and Secretary noticed the addition of over 60 international students to the club membership list just hours before a scheduled Ordinary Meeting. The Ordinary Meeting was subsequently disbanded by security, and a scheduled Annual General Meeting was postponed until September by the University of Sydney Union (USU). The stacking was instigated by then club President Adrian Pryke after his defection to the hard-right. The club has also been a major contributor to the "Make Education Fair" campaign, headed by the Young Liberals. This campaign was created with the stated purpose of exposing and reducing political bias throughout all levels of education. A Senate enquiry conducted to examine this potential bias, saw many club members provide evidence. On September 23, 2012, SULC hosted its annual President's Dinner with a keynote address by Sydney radio presenter Alan Jones. In his address Mr Jones was cited as saying, "The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame. To think that he had a daughter who told lies every time she stood for parliament" in reference to Ms Gillard's recently deceased father. The comments drew outcry from mass and social media commentators and thousands across Twitter and Facebook. Daily Telegraph reporter in attendance of the dinner, has since led to media publication. [b]SULC's twitter feed noted a tweet dated September 23rd: "Brilliant speech by Alan Jones last night. Its no wonder he's the nation's most influential broadcaster!". By September 29, the tweet had been deleted, though copies of it remained available across Twitter.[/b] Both the SULC and Alan Jones have issued an apology in relation to the matter, although the Jones apology was qualified and repeated many negative assertions about Prime Minister Gillard. [b]Notable alumni John Howard AC, Prime Minister of Australia 1996-2007 Tony Abbott MP, Leader of the Opposition Malcolm Turnbull MP, Leader of the Opposition 2008-2009 Joe Hockey MP, Shadow Treasurer Paul Fletcher MP, Member for Bradfield Alex Hawke MP, Member for Mitchell Mitch Fifield MP, Australian Senator Dominic Perrottet MP, Member for Castle Hill Don Harwin MLC, President of the NSW Legislative Council Peter Phelps MLC, Government Whip in the NSW Legislative Council Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC, Member of NSW Legislative Council Marie Ficarra MLC, Member of NSW Legislative Council[/b] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_University_Liberal_Club ------- Interesting how the Libs sent Mitch Fifield out there today to do the apologist thing for cowardly Abbott. N'

Tom of Melbourne

1/10/2012Interesting that with one story, the media has put paid that it is involved in some conspiracy to bring down the government. News Ltd has run a story that has completely undermined the credibility and income of one of the most effective and influential government critics. They got a reporter to join the Young Liberals, paid him to attend a function and surreptitiously record a damaging speech. Hardly the actions of an organisation that is allegedly hell bent on destroying the government.

nasking

1/10/2012 [b]MITCH FIFIELD: Tony Abbott does not need to apologise for comments he himself did not make. ANNA HENDERSON: He says Labor is playing its own political game. MITCH FIFIELD: Seeking to gain political advantage from this awful situation. If they actually cared about a grieving daughter they would not be talking about this; we would all shut up and we would all move on.[/b] http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3601354.htm Hmmm... N'

nasking

1/10/2012 ToM, you coming on here to write such only makes me think there is something suss between Jones, News Ltd and Tony Abbott's Libs. I reckon News Ltd is up to its eyeballs in this. But the blowback has forced them to throw Allan Jones in the deep end. More, deeper investigation required methinks. If it turns out that News Ltd is bona fide then I'll give them credit. But...I've seen News Ltd/News Corp/News International get down in that sewer by way of deceitful and tricky dick tactics on too many occasions over the past 25+ years to just accept their story without query...and a few pinches of salt. For one: why would News Ltd go after Jones when he fits comfortably into their side of politics? Two: if anyone was grandiose and considered teflon enuff to pull off a propaganda and attention-seeking exercise in order to use the limelight opportunity to bash Gillard (convince voters to not empathise with the PM over her Dad's death) it is Allan Jones.. .interesting that the News Ltd reports put his Julia LIAR LIAR LIAR comments front and centre...not to be missed... in fact the entire passage put together and used by Jones...and then News Ltd...is constructed to ensure the LIAR bit stands out alongside the insult related to the PM's Dad. This passage has been used over and over again by the usual suspects. This is all part of a campaign as far as I can see it. Far too many coincidences. N'

Ian

1/10/2012' For one: why would News Ltd go after Jones when he fits comfortably into their side of politics? ' It's Murdochs message to those who own Abbott: " your boy isn't as safe as you think he is "and neither are you!

NormanK

1/10/2012I have resisted the urge all day but in the final analysis I'm weak. This has to be one of the best cartoons of the year although it is unkind. http://www.afr.com/rw/2009-2014/AFR/2012/09/30/Photos/6ea1c51a-0aea-11e2-9e3b-df094a2da6c1_gallery1oct12--736x515.jpg

Casablanca

2/10/2012WOW! [b]Update: as of 12:35am there are 68,029 signatures on the petition [quote]2GB and Advertisers: Immediately cease association with Alan Jones over "died of shame" comment #boycott2gb [/quote] at http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/2gb-and-advertisers-immediately-cease-association-with-alan-jones-over-died-of-shame-comment-boycott2gb [/b]

nasking

2/10/2012 I'd like to know who chooses the panelists for The Drum...and why did they feel compelled to bring on two staff from News Ltd? There are so many young, aspiring and new journos, correspondents, columnists, analysts, reviewers, bloggers, professionals out there looking for work, hoping to get an opportunity to air their views, advance their careers, opine on their area of expertise... and The Drum decides to keep offering opportunities to News Ltd folk...spruiking them for free. It's disgraceful. The Murdoch media has billions behind it...plenty enuff dosh and audience to promote their own staff. What is this OBSESSION Mark Scott and the ABC have with providing the Murdoch empire with so much EXPOSURE?...using the taxpayers' money. It's not on. BTW, this is the News Ltd character on the show who argued against a rate cut tomorrow: [b]Adam Creighton[/b] [b]Adam Creighton is economics correspondent for The Australian newspaper. He started his career at the Reserve Bank then studied Economics at Oxford University. He was a senior economic adviser to Tony Abbott and a journalist at The Economist in 2009.[/b] Check out Creighton's articles @ the Murdoch empire's online site THE PUNCH: http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/adam-creighton/ I wonder if Mr. Creighton has a mortgage...like THE MANY...who would benefit at this time from a rate cut? Not all people worry about the political impact...nor do they have big savings accounts...just working hard to pay off their mortgage or/and business loans and own their own home and/or business. Furthermore, as commodity prices dip...housing construction remains slow to stagnant in some areas...the effects of the carbon price compensation lessen...and confidence remains slightly shaky due to volatile nature of the market during American elections...the lack of certainty about the future of the Chinese economy and demand...Japanese related problems...the uncertainty related to our own upcoming elections and its effect on investment and business expansion...and the European quandary...it would be a well-timed cut considering the delayed aspect of any kind of monetary stimulus. N'

TalkTurkey

2/10/2012Jason Obelix says Anal Jones' father died of pride in his son. Very funny man, Jason Obelix. :) Very . . . [i]pithy.[/i]

nasking

2/10/2012 Frankly, I don’t care if Jones continues to rant and snort on air…his audience will diminish…as will his influence…and advertisers will be wary of backlashes due to his unpredictable attitude of late…he has become a verbal timebomb…and few I imagine want to be at ground zero. The listeners are probably rusted on folk with some backward, archaic and extremist views…Jones provides them with their daily glass of bile…oft bitter and envious people unwilling to move beyond their apathetic state of mind where life is defined by black and white answers…and fear & loathing. Jones serves a sad purpose…but that purpose grows less useful…and far less important as generations of audiences search for more complex answers…less hype, exaggeration and blowhard anger. And unenlightened views sometimes pushed for sheer naked monetary gain…and political point scoring. As the public becomes more informed & empowered via the internet, higher education, publicly funded and independent media, TAFE etc…the less influence Jones will have… particularly if politicians do the right thing…and ignore the snorting bull who has now shrunk in the eyes of THE MANY. N’

nasking

2/10/2012Speech by outgoing Senator Jim Webb: Watch the video for the full effect but here's the key passage, in which Webb lacerates Mitt Romney unlike any Democratic politician: [b]Governor Romney and I are about the same age. Like millions of others in our generation, we came to adulthood facing the harsh realities of the Vietnam War. 2.7 million in our age group went to Vietnam, a war which eventually took the lives of 58,000 young Americans and cost another 300,000 wounded. The Marine Corps lost 100,000 killed or wounded in that war. During the year I was in Vietnam, 1969, our country lost twice as many dead as we have lost in Iraq and Afghanistan combined over the past 10 years of war. 1968 was worse. 1967 was about the same. Not a day goes by when I do not think about the young Marines I was privileged to lead. This was a time of conscription, where every American male was eligible to be drafted. People made choices about how to deal with the draft, and about military service. I have never envied or resented any of the choices that were made as long as they were done within the law. But those among us who stepped forward to face the harsh unknowns and the lifelong changes that can come from combat did so with the belief that their service would be honored, and that our leaders would, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, care for those who had borne the battle, and for their widows and their children. Those young Marines that I led have grown older now. They’ve lived lives of courage, both in combat and after their return, where many of them were derided by their own peers for having served. That was a long time ago. They are not bitter. They know what they did. But in receiving veterans’ benefits, they are not takers. They were givers, in the ultimate sense of that word. There is a saying among war veterans: “All gave some, some gave all.” This is not a culture of dependency. It is a part of a long tradition that gave this country its freedom and independence. They paid, some with their lives, some through wounds and disabilities, some through their emotional scars, some through the lost opportunities and delayed entry into civilian careers which had already begun for many of their peers who did not serve. And not only did they pay. They will not say this, so I will say it for them. They are owed, if nothing else, at least a mention, some word of thanks and respect, when a presidential candidate who is their generational peer makes a speech accepting his party’s nomination to be commander-in-chief. And they are owed much more than that — a guarantee that we will never betray the commitment that we made to them and to their loved ones. -------- Hell of a speech. And Webb doesn't even mention - although it needs to be said to understand the context - that Mitt Romney applied for and received multiple deferments to avoid conscription during the Vietnam era, first for as a student and then a religious pass for his missionary work in France.[/b] Much more here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/01/romney-obama-debate-libya-live Well said Jim. N'

nasking

2/10/2012Re: upcoming debates: Obama's just gotta be himself. He's matured. He's knowledgeable...and he can be down-to-earth. He's firm & polite. He listens...reflects...responds with thoughtful vigour and determination. Romney is a weathervane...he's cornered by his own words, capriciousness...and the many extremists in his own party. He is not as confident as he'd have people believe...underneath the stiff, slightly charming salesman is a religious bigot...and money hungry ambitious egomaniac...with many unreliable and reluctant supporters. That can't feel good. BTW, Romney is no Reagan. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/01/2012-polls-obama-romney_n_1928472.html N'

Lyn

2/10/2012TODAY’S LINKS 2011 all over again, Andrew Elder, Politically Homeless Journalists have no idea who does and doesn't have power in this country. The conventional wisdom won't hold and they won't dig for covert or out-of-the-box answers. The failure of this Power Issue shows why journos pursue non-stories so ardently while leaving others begging http://andrewelder.blogspot.com.au/ Hiding His Love Away, Mr Denmore, The Failed Estate that's Jones' story. He's the classic case of the aging homosexual who uses ultra-conservative politics to build a base in the culture that alienated him as a youth. Australia having a nominally left-wing, atheist woman prime minister is a gift to him - because he can showcase the entire arsenal of his Queensland blood. god and soil conservatism and keep the discussion away from who the man he perhaps really is... http://thefailedestate.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/hiding-his-love-away.html#comment-form Qld State Polling and Bad Analysis, Possum, Pollytics The Newspoll story is that Newman still popular while the ReachTEL story shows him crashing and burning like no other leader of a new government has in recent history. For instance, we can compare Newman’s approval with a bunch of other leaders of new governments to show the extent of the crash http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollytics/2012/10/01/qld-state-polling-and-bad-analysis/ Alan and his mate Tony, Victoria Rollison Might it be because Abbott finds it very hard to criticize his buddy, Alan Jones? Might it be because Abbott doesn’t want to damage his relationship with Jones, a man who is helping Abbott politically by waging a misogynistic, bully campaign against our Prime Minister on national radio? Might it be that Abbott is happy to share the stage with Alan Jones at Carbon Tax rallies and would hate to http://victoriarollison.com/2012/10/01/alan-and-his-mate-tony/ Alan Jones and the Oedipussy Complex, Tess Lawrence,Independent Australia The Sunday Telegraph‘s Jonathan Marshall is to be congratulated on his exclusive recording of the speech Jones made at Sydney University Liberal Club President’s annual dinner last Saturday and on articles he and John Rolfe have written.In his silly apology made at a Press Conference, Jones had the audacity to bleat on about the fact that when Marshall signed in for the dinner he did not say he was a journalist. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/business/media-2/alan-jones-and-the-oedipussy-complex/ Mr Jones And Me, Peter Wicks, Wixxy Leaks I thought I’d make a plea to have something taken from him that may actually make him regret his actions and words, his Order Of Australia.Below is the open letter I have sent to The Secretary Of The Order Of Australia requesting Jones be stripped of his Order of Australia. Let’s hope this produces a reaction http://wixxyleaks.com/2012/10/01/mr-jones-and-me/ Al Capone was done for tax evasion, John Quiggin Leaving aside his consistent nastiness, of which the latest was just an extreme example, Jones should have lost his job for the cash-for-comment scandal and then again for his incitement of the Cronulla riots. He got away with both of those, but it looks like he might have run out of luck this time.Of course, as a private citizen, Jones has the right to say hateful and offensive things. But we don’t have to listen to him, or contribute to his wealth by buying the products of his sponsors. http://johnquiggin.com/ Tweed locks the gate against Alan Jones, Petering Time, North Coast Voices Jones was to have been guest speaker at the 'Rock the Gate' anti-CSG rally and concert at Murwillumbah on October 13.But after a public outcry and threats of a boycott, organiser Michael McNamara said the controversial Sydney broadcaster's invitation to speak at the event had been withdrawn...." http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/tweed-locks-gate-against-alan-jones.html The Phony Tony War, Ash, Ash’s Machiavellian Bloggery Abbott has, like every Leader, his go to generals. Some inside the party like Cory Bernardi, and some outside the party like Alan Jones. Without totally wiping Alan Jones off his christmas list, Abbott is hoping that people will forget. http://ashghebranious.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/the-phony-tony-war/ SICKENING: Alan Jones’s comments and the humbug of Jones-haters are equally unedifying, Vex News If Alan Jones was a Lefty and had said a similar thing about Tony Abbott, there can be no doubt that the ethics of journalists attending private functions under-cover, recording them in full and waiting to pounce on any indiscretion would have been fully and lavishly discussed by an appalled media who also would have connected it with News Ltd’s UK operations.To be clear, we have no issue with under-cover journalism. We think Alan Jones’s remarks were depressing and vile. http://www.vexnews.com/2012/10/sickening-alan-joness-comments-and-the-humbug-of-jones-haters-are-equally-unedifying/ ALAN JONES: THE LOWEST OF THE LOW, The Hoopla Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s office says Julia Gillard will not be making any comment on the matter.In maintaining a dignified silence, Julia Gillard is treating a hateful man with the disdain he deserves.The question is: will she be able to resist a chance to address Jones’s vast audience next time she is invited on the program?And should she? http://thehoopla.com.au/alan-jones-lowest-low/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=October+1+The+Hoopla&utm_content=October+_ What sponsors have dumped Alan Jones … so far, Turn Left 2013 Updates added as new organisations cease or suspend advertising on Alan Jones’ 2GB show, statements are being released and reported, some may be misreported, apologise for any error or omissions:The Facebook group Destroy The Joint, reports that companies and organisations as diverse as Lite n’ Easy, Freedom Furniture, and Deakin University are removing teir advertising http://turnleft2013.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/what-sponsors-have-dumped-alan-jones-so-far/ Alan Jones, The Antibogan, you Said it The following is a list of sponsors that support radio 2GB and Alan Jones’ popular talk-back radio program, as well as a list of incidents that leave us wondering what kind of organisations would still put their hand up to say they support such a jerk. Radio 2GB has removed this list from their website, but we won’t be. Please take the time to contact one, some or all of these organisations and explain that you won’t be able to support them http://theantibogan.wordpress.com/ Oh the arrogance of the high and mighty, Miglo, Café Whispers It’s OK for their putrid pin-up boy to keep squealing that the PM should be tossed out to sea in a chaff bag or agree to her being guillotined, or to delve even deeper into his horrid bag of pus by linking her to her father’s death – while they sit back and rake in the advertising dollars – but to fudge up an apology has them startled: http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/oh-the-arrogance-of-the-high-and-mighty/ How Not to Apologise, Hypocrisy and Sponsors Running, Aussiepollies The largely compliant media in attendance at the Sunday media conference sat there and allowed Jones to drown out his “apology” with more attacks on the Prime Minister and her government, fair game in the normal course of politics, but not when you are supposed to be showing contrition. What was needed was an unqualified apology, no nonsense, instead we got 98% rubbish and two percent “well I was stupid.” http://aussiepollies.com/2012/10/01/how-not-to-apologise-hypocrisy-and-sponsors-running/ Unsackable: why Alan Jones can say what he likes, Matthew Knott, Crikey The nation is shocked by this but I’m not a bit surprised,” Masters said. “If Jones is exposed to a broader audience, he will get a reaction like this. If the broad public see and hear what he gets up to they are appalled.” Yet after each outrage Jones bounces back more popular than before.ABC Radio National’s Phillip Adams put it best when he told Crikey’s sister site The Power Index last year: “He is like Godzilla roaming around eating power lines. Rather than getting electrocuted, he grows stronger. http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/10/01/unsackable-why-alan-jones-can-say-what-he-likes/ Why aren't we beyond being offended by Alan Jones?, Clemetine Ford, Daily Life The Liberal Party is struggling to discredit their current image of an unprogressive party led by a moralistic misogynist. It hardly bodes well for them to have the public see their most youthful members extending a VIP speaker's invitation to the only man in Australia considered more disdainful of women than Tony Abbott. Nor does it help to hear them braying with laughter at Jones's ''black humour'', when those with even a shred of decency would recognise this as a bridge too far. http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/why-arent-we-beyond-being-offended-by-alan-jones-20121001-26u7m.html Why the company behind Alan Jones' radio show can't afford another disaster , Cara Waters, Smart Company Freedom Furniture, Mercedes-Benz, Challenger and Woolworths all moved quickly this morning to dump 2GB."From time to time we have had advertising during this program, however, this morning we have made a decision to suspend this advertising," Woolworths said in its Facebook statement. http://www.smartcompany.com.au/media/052112-why-the-company-behind-alan-jones-radio-show-can-t-afford-another Brands pull ads from 2GB show following Alan Jones ‘died of shame’ comments about PM’s father, Mumbrella Woolworths issued a statement saying that it was not a recent sponsor of the show, but that it had suspended any ads that might run. Freedom Furniture said it had suspended ads on 2GB and Mercedes-Benz said it was telling its dealerships not to advertise on the show. Woolies, Freedom Furniture and Mercedes announced decisions via their Facebook pages. http://mumbrella.com.au/brands-pull-ads-from-2gb-following-alan-jones-died-of-shame-comments-about-pms- Abbott's determined insularity on foreign affairs, Mungo MacCallum, The Drum it is almost like having the opposition leader barrack against his own side at the Test cricket - or argue against an Olympic bid. It could only happen in Australia. But then, the same applies to Abbott himself. And his opposition has provided Rudd and Gillard with a handy excuse if the vote goes against Australia on October 18. Yet again, they can blame Abbott's negativity. The man has his uses. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4289212.html Today’s Front Pages Australia Newspaper Front Pages for 2 October 2012 http://www.frontpagestoday.co.uk/index.cfm?PaperCountry=Australia

2353

2/10/2012Nas said [quote]BTW, Romney is no Reagan.[/quote] Geez I hope you're right Nas, it would be nice if a demonstration of your statement is that he and the Tea Party Republicans get absolutely thumped come November. I like the Webb speech too. Yep the few showers were nice yesterday - I can see the green shoots in what passes for a lawn around the house already ;-) . NormanK - re the cartoon - ugly but telling all the same!

Michael

2/10/2012Looks like the Liberals have learned nothing from the Jones big mouth small mind affair. 'Liberal strategists privately conceded Jones's remarks were stupid while speaking of his influence in Labor's western Sydney heartland. They also spoke of Labor efforts to define Abbott as a misogynist and thug. "We know the game that's going on here," one Liberal adviser fumed. "If you knock off Jones, you knock off one of the biggest cheerleaders for the Coalition in the country. The whole thing is a fraud."' In today's Australian, behind the paywall, but you might get there from here: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/lifestyle/with-friends-like-these/story-e6frga06-1226486137383 Apparently the "fraud" stretches to include Jones' comments. And to the by now well and truly documented events that "define Abbott as a misogynist and a thug". That 'definition' is under "A" in the Oxford Dictionary. No, really, no fraud. Or am I thinking of 'The Australian Dictionary of Biography'? I know, Google "Abbott" and "thug", or "Abbott" and "misogynist", or "Abbott" and "punch", then step clear from the tsunami of defrauding.

Ad astra

2/10/2012LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

Ad astra

2/10/2012Hi Lyn We had a great day yesterday which ended very late. We have another long and busy day today as we take our daughter to the south coast to visit relatives and prepare for Saturday’s 21st Birthday Party. So I won’t be around until this evening. I’ll try to take a look at the site [i]en route[/i]. Re Alan Jones, as expected he has arrogantly come back on air, and no doubt will continue there for a while at least. Kevin Rudd’s description of him as having ‘delusions of grandeur’, a pathological condition, seems apt. While he may not go now, this recent episode is a massive blow to his credibility among all but his sycophantic admirers, and may mark the beginning of his disintegration as his vile and pernicious behaviour becomes apparent to the rest of the electorate.

TalkTurkey

2/10/2012ABC giving a LO-O-O-O-ONNNNGGG free kick to Anal Jones - probably three full minutes of more and more filthy self-justification. Yes DIE Jones. Just DIE. This blonde sheila on ABC 24 talking at Combet - Shorter version - Labor is just as bad. ABC is absolutely saturated by the Right.

MWS

2/10/2012[quote]nasking: As the public becomes more informed & empowered via the internet, higher education, publicly funded and independent media, TAFE etc…the less influence Jones will have…[/quote] Well, that explains the Coalition policy to shut down the NBN, charge full fees for higher education, allow Murdoch to concentrate the media and slash TAFE. The Coalition is opposed to the public becoming more informed and empowered!

nasking

2/10/2012 [b]All morning Jones took calls from supporters, including Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop and media magnate Kerry Stokes.[/b] Bishop, another big Abbott backer...Stokes yet another corporate mogul who thinks he can push his weight around. [quote][b]Kerry Matthew Stokes AC (born 13 September 1940) is an Australian businessman. He holds business interests in a diverse range of industries including electronic and print media, property, mining, and construction equipment. He is most widely known as the chairman of the Seven Network, one of the largest broadcasting corporations in Australia. [/b] [b]His private company, Australian Capital Equity (ACE), is the holding company for Stokes' interests in a diverse range of Australian and international businesses and ventures covering property, construction, mining and petroleum exploration.[/b] In 1996 Stokes acquired a strategic 19 per cent stake in the Seven Network (now about 43 per cent), a network of commercial free-to-air television stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, as well as regional Queensland & Perth. [b]The platform, as well as a 33 per cent stake in Sky News Australia, now reaches 98 per cent of Australians. Seven has also established a major magazine publishing business, Pacific Magazines, which now accounts for more than 20 per cent of all magazines sold in Australia.[/b] Also under Stokes's leadership, Seven has established a leading online venture, Yahoo!7, combining Yahoo!'s search and online capabilities with Seven's content and cross marketing. This venture now is Australia's most popular internet portal and the joint venture is driving a range of online and IPTV businesses. Seven is building and acquiring a range of broadband businesses, including wireless broadband group Unwired, VOIP operator Engin and has become the Australian licensee for TiVo,[3] due to be launched in 2008. The group has also established a strategic 20 per cent shareholding in West Australian Newspapers Ltd. [b]In 2006, Seven Network and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) created a new joint venture,[/b] Seven Media Group, a multi-faceted media company combining a presence in broadcast television, magazine and online applications.[/quote] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Stokes Revealing. BTW, Seven Network has had some decent shows over the years...but too often like Nine they flood viewers with ads at the expense of the viewing experience...they have shows run late so recordings miss the end...they treat audiences as mugs. Their current affairs program has contributed to the 'gotya' and 'character assassination and tabloid fever approach to news and issues reporting that has taken this country down the American brash and shallow 'worst excesses of current affairs reporting' road...relying so much on fingerpointing and infotainment/product placement/spruiking of products and celebrities to hook-in the aidience. There morning show is just a light & fluffy version of the above...entertaining enuff if you are willing to accept a popcorn and fairy floss view of the news and the world. And find yourself so busy with Peter Costello's children and working overtime to payoff those debts up to yer eyeballs, you have little time for substantial analysis and specialised insight into issues. Shows for the exhausted walking zombie of a viewer who once had a life where they slept soundly, found time to smile and hug kids...and didn't feel like a serf working for the banks and new corporate aristocracy. But I guess popcorn and fairy floss...with a bucketful of distractions (bread and circuses)...appeals to the fatigued and enslaved...creating consumption addictions...and a confused state of mind (diet or not diet?)...that benefits the network's many advertisers. Money and distractions make the world go around... whilst the moguls attempt to manipulate public perception...and politics...leading to more KERCHING KERCHING KERCHING. No wonder war memorial loving Stokes is so into the Chinese miracle. Throwing caution to the wind. N'

nasking

2/10/2012 TT, I don't condone any comment that calls for the death of a media personality. Why go down the same low road as Alan Jones when you oft produce such useful, quality opinions? Just sayin' N'

nasking

2/10/2012 Sorry, the following part of the comment belongs to this link: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/jones-rails-against-jealous-media-20121002-26w0y.html#poll [quote][b]All morning Jones took calls from supporters, including Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop and media magnate Kerry Stokes[/b].[/quote] N'

nasking

2/10/2012 That should be: [b]Their current affairs program has contributed to the 'gotya' and 'character assassination' and tabloid fever approach to news and issues reporting that has taken this country down the American brash and shallow 'worst excesses of current affairs reporting' road...relying so much on fingerpointing and infotainment/product placement/spruiking of products and celebrities to hook-in the audience.[/b] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infotainment N'

nasking

2/10/2012 From Bernard Keane @ Crikey: [b]The comments also raised further questions about the judgment of Abbott. Malcolm Turnbull fired at Jones on Twitter at 6.57 yesterday morning. Abbott waited, and waited, and waited, until after Jones had offered his fauxpology, then made the mealy mouthed observation that Jones was "out of line". That can be added to his description of "undisciplined" about Cory Bernardi as evidence that, for all his aggro and cut-through language when it comes to attacking his opponents, Abbott gets strangely nuanced and restrained when it comes to chipping his mates. That might have garnered little attention among voters until Laurie Oakes made short work of Abbott's response in his interview on breakfast TV this morning (during which Oakes also made short work of Jones' good friend Karl Stefanovic). Doubtless Abbott prizes Jones as a platform sufficiently to want to avoid offending him. Turnbull has no such restraint. But the question is whether Jones offers any value to Abbott. He's not Ray Hadley, who reaches deep into western Sydney. Jones' audience are rusted-on Liberal voters who probably haven't changed their vote since the Hawke years. Jones offers Abbott only an opportunity to make mistakes in avoiding agreeing with some of Jones' more bizarre positions. And now some sponsors are abandoning Jones. For a savvy, risk-minimising media strategist such as Abbott, it's hard to see what upside there is in continuing to cultivate Jones, even if he needs to avoid alienating him and his loyal Liberal base listeners in the way Turnbull did on climate change. Beyond that, there's a growing sense that the aggression and personalisation that Abbott has made a key part of his political strategy was not merely unsustainable if it didn't yield quick results, but increasingly coming back to haunt him, in all sorts of surprising ways.[/b] http://www.crikey.com.au/ Yep. N'

LadyInRed

2/10/2012Almost 80,000 signatures on the Sack Jones petition. I doubt it will get rid of him but how wonderful to see that so many people are willing to put there name to saying enough with the hatred, and the spreading of bile. Gladdens the heart. Whether this will do long term damage to TAbbott remains to be seen. Where does this hatred by Jones for the PM come from? He has been called an 'old Queen' by a lot of people. He has never 'come out' though has he? But there is the 'toilet incident in London' and it sounds like he his homosexual, but one who still thinks it is wrong. No wonder he hates the PM. Firstly, she is a woman and clearly he doesn't like women especially in power. That she dares to be a woman who is defies convention and has not married, had children and openly declares herself to be an atheist, and has secured the most powerful position in Australia. The PM conducts herself with dignity and intelligence. That is, the antithesis of himself, a closet gay, a sad individual who spues out hatred and bile, red faced, angry and ugly. Appealing to the worst part of human nature, the need to huddle together in a communion of hatred, not understanding how others can be so happy and open, wanting that for themselves and not knowing how to get it.

nasking

2/10/2012 [b]Well, that explains the Coalition policy to shut down the NBN, charge full fees for higher education, allow Murdoch to concentrate the media and slash TAFE. The Coalition is opposed to the public becoming more informed and empowered![/b] MWS, indeed. Under Howard we had delays, Murdochocracy, neglect, communication backwater, students being urged to leave school after grade ten, falling school retention rates, an attack on higher education, tabloid fever...focus on money money money...accumulating debt debt debt...fearmongering...dog whistle politics...aggressive ocker males and sport sport sport...unaffordable, unnecessary wars... the great dumbing down. N'

LadyInRed

2/10/2012[i] "All I can do is say it again: I am sorry for what I said. "It is more than regret, I'm genuinely sorry for the remark. "I didn't think the comment would be reported. It was made thoughtlessly and off the cuff, and I was repeating something someone said to me earlier in the day. "None of those side facts I offer as an excuse; they're simply stated as a background to the comments." Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/jones-rails-against-jealous-media-20121002-26w0y.html#ixzz286DTMOX5[/i] He just doesn't get it. No wonder no-one believes his appology. Here he is doing it again. 'I didn't think the comment would be reported' and 'their simply stated as background to the comments'. Still qualifying, still justifying, still a fool, and still treating all and sundry as he does the listeners to his program, like lovesick morons hanging on to his every word without their brain engaged. Message to Jones.....our brain IS engaged.

Lyn

2/10/2012Hi Ad and Everybody Twitterverse for you. Below you will see the responses to the Tony Abbott presser this morning, also the article in the Herald, re the presser one outstanding statement Mr Abbott made there were many “Abbott said: "It's very important we conduct our political in civil language”. Bushfire Bill Posted Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 9:01 am | Well-paid politicians like Abbott and his pals in the Coalition, and rich broadcasters like Jones and his supporters like Kerry Stokes can afford the consequences of their actions. Their money and position insulates them from the worst of the effects. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2012/10/01/essential-research-53-47-to-coalition-4/#comment-1426067 Latika Bourke ‏ News Limited's Herald Sun editorialises that 2GB shock jock Alan Jones should hang up the mic. pic.twitter.com/byDX5nzQ THE RETURN TO JONESTOWN, Wayne Swan, The Punch The reason I say that is because bullyboys and whingers like Alan Jones and his poster boy Tony Abbott are trashing our country and filling our national debate with bile, aggression and needless personal abuse. I don’t say these sorts of things lightly – but for too long I think the costs of this sort of behaviour have escaped the attention they deserve in our national conversation http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-vile-shock-jocks-brand-of-bile-is-trashing-our-country No reason to proceed with Slipper case, Commonwealth says, Phillip Coorey, Louise Hall , http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/no-reason-to-proceed-with-slipper-case-commonwealth-says-20121001-26vh3.html#ixzz285IDbqG0 Backlash over comments about Julia Gillard's late father hits Alan Jones hard, The Telegraph "I have been astounded at the hatred and anger and, of course, jealousy that has been dished out towards me," Jones said http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/backlash-over-comments-about-julia-gillards-late-father-hits-alan-jones-hard/story-fndo3ewo-1226486151934?utm_source The bravery of Jones knows no bounds, John Birmingham id that why your station removed sponsor links from its website Alan? To protect your corporate supporters from the consequences of any misunderstanding. Like the almost wilful misunderstanding which always seems to dog your jolly japes about killing the PM, or, of course about her killing her old dad with shame. A brave move, Alan. Very brave. I can see now why you feel it's appropriate to compare yourself to those young men who leapt from the row boats at Anzac Cove and ran into the fire of the Turkish guns. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/blogs/blunt-instrument/the-bravery-of-jones-knows-no-bounds-20121001-26uxs.html#ixzz285YDCzCL Herald Sun ‏ Jones 'astounded' at backlash http://hsun.info/SUVxwL Jones rails against 'jealous' media "But if the criticism and the pressure and the headlines and the stories and the intimidation are designed to silence me in what I do on this program, then I’m sorry the bad news is you’ve picked the wrong bloke." http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/jones-rails-against-jealous-media-20121002-26w0y.html#ixzz285wnyU3r ABBOTT PRESSER: Latika Bourke ‏ OL Tony Abbott says he deeply regrets the 'deeply personal tone' and tries to avoid it in political debate. Joe O'Brien ‏ Abbott: I'm not going to ignore Alan Jones' audience of half a million people. (Will go on the show) ABC News 24 Latika Bourke ‏ OL Tony Abbott 'I'm not in the business of ignoring a big audience...I'm certainly not going to ignore an audience of half a million people' David Lipson Abbott: I sometimes regret the deeply personal tone that creeps into political debate - I've tried to avoid that. Enemy Of The State Somebody call the waaaambulance "The Government blames me for everything" TAbbott #auspol Not Sorry At All ‏ Abbott: "it's very important that we conduct our political debate in civil language." Hahahahahahaha! That is comedy GOLD!!! #auspol freyabe ‏ BOOHOO RT abcnews: Abbott: (re Alan Jones) Govt blames me for everything Enemy Of The State ‏ Somebody call the waaaambulance "The Government blames me for everything" TAbbott #auspol Summer Teh ‏ Hahahaha -->Abbott: I have always tried to avoid the personal nasty tone... Brigadier Slog ‏ My internal laughtrack kicked in at this point TonyAbbottMHR: I avoid personal attacks "as far as possible".... Mark ‏ Civil discourse Mr Abbott?...like "targets on PM forehead"...like "PM is a liar"...like "Govt will die of shame"...civil discourse?? #auspol Backlash over comments about Julia Gillard's late father hits Alan Jones hard, Herald Sun I was shocked and dismayed, and I made that pretty clear," Mr Abbott said. "The Government blames me for everything ... I do want to make it clear that as far as I am concerned... what Alan Jones said was wrong, unacceptable, offensive. He's admitted that, he's apologised, he's tried to make that apology personal to the Prime Minister Abbott said: "It's very important we conduct our political in civil language (but) my job everyday is to reach out every day to the people of Australia to reassure them we are a great country and a great people let down by a bad Government http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/backlash-over-comments-about-julia-gillards-late-father-hits-alan-jones-hard/story-e6frf7jo-1226486151934 Kingdom crumbling as Jones loses fear factor , David Penberthy, The Punch THE motto by which Alan Jones lives his life is unravelling. The qualities he trades on - blind loyalty, fear and commercial power - no longer function. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/kingdom-crumbling-as-jones-loses-fear-factor/story-e6freon6-1226486084631 http://m.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/kingdom-crumbling-as-jones-loses-fear-factor/story-e6frezz0-1226486084631 Jane Wray ‏ Swan, Rudd turn up the heat on Jones http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1697831 … TheQldPublicServant Qlders' healthcare complaints soar - Just as well Premier Newman just sacked 4000+ health workers! #qldpol http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/queenslanders-healthcare-complaints-soar-20121002-26w8w.html … Jones back on air, saying attacks against him are an attempt to destroy him http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/jones-back-on-air-saying-attacks-against-him-are-an-attempt-to-destroy-him/story-e6frg996-1226486254696 David Marler #auspol #qldpol #QandA 16/4/12 "Geoffrey Robertson On Suspending Craig Thomson From The ALP" - http://ow.ly/e8G7o Peter Stevenson ‏ Now up to 80,000 + signatures against Alan Jones http://www.change.org/petitions/2gb-and-advertisers-immediately-cease-association-with-alan-jones-over-died-of-shame-comment-boycott2gb?utm_campaign=share_button_action_box… 'The Queensland Labor Party owes me an Alan Jones-style apology, says Premier Campbell Newman CAMPBELL Newman has demanded Labor apologise to all Queenslanders in the wake of broadcaster Alan Jones saying sorry to Prime Minister Julia Gillard about comments he made about her dead father. Mr Newman on Monday said Mr Jones "had the guts" to apologise to Ms Gillard for suggesting her father died in shame and he would be happy to appear on his program. However, Mr Newman said unlike Mr Jones, Labor were yet to say sorry for the series of accusations they levelled at him during the March election. "He (Alan Jones) stood up and apologised," he said. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/the-queensland-labor-party-owes-me-an-alan-jones-style-apology-says-premier-campbell-newman/story-fndo1yus-1226486139256

KHTAGH

2/10/2012LadyInRed [i] But there is the 'toilet incident in London' [/i] Yes & didn't Tony Jones on Q&A shut that comment down quickly last night, just like Kerry Anne Kennel did on her program several yrs back, when Chopper Read brought it up. MSM treats A Jones like a protected species, don't talk about his toilet trolling in London looking for young boys[where he was charged incidentally, then kicked out of the UK] because Alan Jones doesn't want people to know who he really is & how disgusting his personal behavior is to most people, except the lieberals of coarse.

KHTAGH

2/10/2012For those who had not seen it, a good watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj3jrpQzCe0

nasking

2/10/2012 [b]Mr Abbott says it is up to Liberal Party officials to decide whether to invite Jones to future events, arguing the party is not in the business of suppressing free speech.[/b] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-02/abbott-jones/4290912?section=nsw Hmmm...Abbott's reluctant to control his troops when it comes to visiting and working alongside his good mate Allan Jones... but he has the Lib troops lined up and voting as one when it comes to issues like gay marriage. He's full of it. And beneath the surface...just another fanatical bigot...on the surface supporting other fanatical bigots. 'Freedom of speech' is just hollow mantra for this political opportunist. N'

nasking

2/10/2012 [b]Jones this morning defended the sincerity of his apology to Ms Gillard, claiming the "unbridled hatred" directed at him from parts of the media was motivated by jealousy.[/b] Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/alan-jones-loses-more-advertisers-20121002-26w0y.html#ixzz286ZY8n69 [b]ROFL[/b] Ya gotta admit...Jones is one delusional character. Not sure what that says about some of his rusted on supporters...like Bronwyn Bishop, Tony Abbott and Kerry Stokes. This is good for a chuckle...First Dog on the Moon: http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/10/01/the-alan-jones-story-a-black-parody/ N'

nasking

2/10/2012 Funny stuff: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151246087480797&set=a.308323450796.193718.274330505796&type=1&theater :) N'

nasking

2/10/2012 Lyn, you are a treasure. Such useful links and tweets: [b]TheQldPublicServant Qlders' healthcare complaints soar - Just as well Premier Newman just sacked 4000+ health workers! [/b]#qldpol www.brisbanetimes.com.au/.../...0121002-26w8w.html Perhaps Premier Newman would be better off getting on with the job of ensuring we QLDers get top frontline services and useful preventative health services and efficient communication... rather than cutting useful nurses and programs based on manic Costello's faux budget assessments...and fanatic Abbott's slice and dice advice. As for an apology...does Newman seriously want voters focusing on him and his family's connections to property developers/development again? N'

nasking

2/10/2012 [b]I was shocked and dismayed, and I made that pretty clear," Mr Abbott said. "The Government blames me for everything ... [/b] BOO HOO Bully boy in the playground now crying about being picked on...projecting onto others his own attitudes and faults. Classic response of a bully boy leader in the downward spiral. N'

nasking

2/10/2012 Luv it: Enemy Of The State ‏ [b]Somebody call the waaaambulance "The Government blames me for everything"[/b] N'

nasking

2/10/2012 [quote]Almost 80,000 signatures on the...Jones petition. I doubt it will get rid of him but how wonderful to see that so many people are willing to put there name to saying enough with the hatred, and the spreading of bile. Gladdens the heart. [/quote] 86,448 now LadyInRed. http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/2gb-and-advertisers-immediately-cease-association-with-alan-jones-over-died-of-shame-comment-boycott2gb N'

nasking

2/10/2012 [b]Alan Jones loses more advertisers[/b] [b]The list of sponsors pulling out of broadcaster Alan Jones's radio program following his comments about Julia Gillard's father is growing, with Honda Australia, Hyundai, Telstra and St George Bank the latest to withdraw their advertisements.[/b] Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/alan-jones-loses-more-advertisers-20121002-26w0y.html#ixzz286pbzS5G

nasking

2/10/2012 I LIKE [b]Destroy the joint [/b] http://www.facebook.com/DestroyTheJoint has more email addresses of Jones' advertisers. Great pic on the site. N'

Gravel

2/10/2012Kay Thank you for this great piece. I am politically naive when it comes to the past, as I only took an active interest since Rudd came on the scene. Your piece has given me an insight of what a lot of the terminology means. I am glad I am on the good side of the political war. Now for current events. I am disgusted, have signed all petitions and hope this might be the event that will wake people up and let them see through the MSM. Although I do note that the MSM, mainly the ABC, are working very hard to turn this around and blame Labor. Nasking My best wishes to you and S'. I hope this event is as clear as it seems, and not a setup of some sort by Murdoch and his minions. I too wondered why, and why against AJ? Maybe they didn't think the reaction would be like this. It has given me hope that it could be a good turning point against the nastiness that abbott and his enablers have been going on with for nearly three years.

Casablanca

2/10/2012The real, potty-mouthed and blaspheming, Alan Jones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUSYkrReu2U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nm5bTGqRzI Good article by David Penberthy, though there appear to be several slightly different versions. This quote is from the version in The Punch.* It’s time for Alan Jones to stick his pick and stick [quote]At every controversial juncture in his career, Jones has believed he is the victim of a conspiracy. To borrow the line from Fawlty Towers, there is enough material in Alan Jones to sustain an entire psychiatric conference. In his authoritative biography Jonestown, Chris Masters posits that Jones’ is tormented to the point of being defined by his unresolved sexuality, which saw him charged with public indecency in a men’s toilet in London, and contributed to his unexplained and sudden departure as a teacher from Sydney’s exclusive Kings School. In his public life Jones instinctively regards any scrutiny of him not as the result of his own wrongdoing, but the small-minded hatefulness of his persecutors. [/quote] http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/its-time-for-alan-jones-to-stick-his-pick-and-stick * Hint: you may have to Google the whole URL to get the Penberthy article. Jones makes the headlines again: Alan Jones and Keysar Trad lose their appeals over Cronulla riots case. Vanda Carson The Daily Telegraph October 02, 2012 12:41PM [quote]SHOCKJOCK Alan Jones and Sydney Lebanese leader Keysar Trad have both failed in their attempts to overturn a tribunal decision that Jones comments about Lebanese Muslims just days before the Cronulla riots in 2005 incited racial hatred. [/quote] http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/alan-jones-and-keysar-trad-lose-their-appeals-over-cronulla-riots-case/story-e6freuy9-1226486556419[quote][/quote]

jane

2/10/2012[quote]They also spoke of Labor efforts to define Abbott as a misogynist and thug.[/quote] Michael, I don't think Labor has to lift a finger, Liealot does all the heavy lifting in that regard. The Liars are seriously deluded. Ad astra @8.02am, I couldn't agree more with your (and Kevin Rudd's) assessment of Jones. I would only add that he's a puffed up bully with neither courage, integrity or moral fibre. And that he and Liealot are cut from the same cloth. And by what I've been reading via Lyn' Links, it seems Campbell Newman is also tarring himself with the same brush. From all we're hearing about him, it seems he's vying for Jones's crown as a vapid bully, blowhard and liar. [quote]For a savvy, risk-minimising media strategist such as Abbott, it's hard to see what upside there is in continuing to cultivate Jones,[/quote] Perhaps Anal has something on Liealot. Lyn, great links as usual. Once again, Liealot showing his hypocrisy. "I'm not going to ignore Alan Jones audience of half a million [strike]people[/strike] rednecks." They're his kind of people. What a great message to send to the public. He might as well emblazon a mega billboard saying he is in lockstep with Anal. It certainly gives the lie to his statement that he doesn't go in for personal abuse. @LIR, 11.13am, [quote]"I didn't think the comment would be reported.[/quote] So that's alright, then. It was OK for this execrable piece of excrement to trash the PM, her family and her father's memory, as long as he didn't get found out! And with the notable exception of Malcolm Turnbull, the entire Liars Party haven't had the common decency or good manners to condemn his statement. I suppose it's a bit difficult considering 3 members of the Nopposition were at the grubby fundraiser, tittering at his "brilliant speech". And the pathetic excuse that he was only repeating gossip from an earlier function just doesn't wash. As a very public figure, he should have dissociated himself from such scurrilous gossip and made it clear that he did not agree with it. Oh wait......that would be the reaction of a decent, honest person. KHTAGH @11.37pm, I saw the Kerry Anne Kennel shut down It waas replayed not so long ago. I could have kissed Chopper-it shut both vapid media slags up. I thought Anal was going to explode; his face turned beetroot red and his collar suddenly looked about 5 sizes too small. Hopefully, some good will come out of all this; it may signal the end of Anal's reign of terror and rein in all the shock jocks, particularly if 2GB is found to have breached ACMA's regulations wrt removing their list of advertisers. Nas' @12.25pm, typical of Liealot's distorted view of "free speech" and his gutless stance when it comes to bullies and guttersnipes like Anal. Peas in a pod. And @12.37pm, brushes and tar, methinks. Not a decent one among them, except for Turnbull. Although I am not a fan of his, he has done the decent and upright thing in his response to Gob Almighty.

nasking

2/10/2012 Gravel, mny thnx...I'll pass yer best wishes onto Stacey. She's looking healthier and more content the past coupla days...she had all her reproductive organs removed due to the high risk factors revealed by a genetic test. She has Lynch syndrome. Age forty is young for a hysterectomy...and I think her very brave and forward thinking. As a science graduate and teacher she thinks rationally on these issues and listens to the experts. My aunt died awhile back from cancer of the ovaries...we were told that she probably would've survived if the specialist had got the diagnosis right and had her reproductive organs removed in the early stages when he saw her. One of Stacey's immediate family just survived cancer of the uteris... all motivating factors. I'm spoiling her these days...cooking all the meals rather than just a few...and enjoying it. She deserves it. It's wonderful to finally have the worry about the op behind us. The surgeons and nurses at the Royal Brisbane were brilliant. Thnx to them all. And the medicare system...and Genetic Health QLD staff (who could use more funding). Superb lot. ---- Yes Gravel, Abbott can be nasty...like too many who surround him. The minister for health who took a billion dollars out of public health. ------ I have put up a few links to American and other issues, politics here: http://www.facebook.com/nick.king.1232760?ref=tn_tnmn Feel free to FRIEND me if you are on Facebook. N'

nasking

2/10/2012 [quote]Nas' @12.25pm, typical of Liealot's distorted view of "free speech" and his gutless stance when it comes to bullies and guttersnipes like Anal. Peas in a pod.[/quote] Indeed jane...indeed. N'

Casablanca

2/10/2012Another 2,000 new signatories in the past hour: Total: 88,313 and rising

Casablanca

2/10/2012Counteract the lie perpetrated by Jones and Abbott by disseminating the full text of what Julia Gillard said prior to the 2010 Election. [quote]“There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead, [b]but let’s be absolutely clear, I am determined to price carbon”[/quote][/b] I think that we could raise consciousness generally, and specifically, rebutt the Abbort Tea Party bloggers, if we took every opportunity to drop the whole statement into comments on MSM articles.

NormanK

2/10/2012Casablanca Is there a link for that quote other than the article in The Australian? I've been trying desperately to find an unedited copy of Ms Gillard's [i]infamous[/i] appearance on breakfast television but all I can find is the much-quoted heavily edited snippet.

nasking

2/10/2012 [b]April Casburn Charged With Tipping Off News Of The World About Phone Hacking Investigation[/b] [quote]LONDON (AP) — A high-ranking British detective has been charged with offering to brief the News of the World about the progress of a police investigation into phone hacking at the now-defunct tabloid — one of the most serious allegations so far uncovered in the wide-ranging scandal. The charge sheet, made public Monday at London's Westminter Magistrates' Court, alleges that senior counter-terrorism investigator April Casburn offered to keep the News of the World up-to-date on whether police would reopen their investigation into wrongdoing at the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid. If proven, that effectively meant that the scandal's chief suspects were being offered the inside track from the police force that would eventually arrest them. Casburn, 53, spoke only to confirm her name, address, and date of birth at Monday's hearing. She has yet to enter a plea to a charge of violating the Official Secrets Act, and was released on bail until her next hearing, due on Nov. 2. Casburn was formerly the head of Scotland Yard's terrorist financing investigation unit. The initial investigation was handled by anti-terror police because it involved phone hacking of the royal family. The charges laid against her follow a year of revelations about how decisions taken by senior police officials helped keep the phone hacking scandal under wraps. When it finally erupted in July 2011, the revelations that journalists at the News of the World systematically broke the law to win scoops sent shockwaves across the British political establishment.[/quote] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/01/april-casburn-news-of-the-world_n_1928564.html?utm_hp_ref=media Despicable. The very people put in charge to serve and protect...protecting a corrupt news corporation instead. N'

nasking

2/10/2012 [b]RBA cheers borrowers with rate cut[/b] [b]The Reserve Bank has cut official interest rates to their lowest in three years in response to a worsening outlook for the global economy and signs of a weakening local labour market. The RBA cut the cash rate by 0.25 percentage points to 3.25 per cent in a move that will be welcomed by borrowers.[/b] Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/the-economy/rba-cheers-borrowers-with-rate-cut-20121002-26wog.html#ixzz287GY5KtU Good move. N'

Casablanca

2/10/2012NormanK, Somewhat uncharacteristically, I did not note the source for that quote. I'm annoyed with myself because it took quite some finding and I put it into an accessible document so that I would have it at my fingertips. It has always amazed me that the ALP does not take a more pro-active role in defending what JG actually said. Ministers, at the very least, should interrupt interviewers to correct the quote and thereby restore the full import of what was promised. I will go through my Firefox History list and try to find the source. PS. I also followed your good advice from a couple of days ago and sent my bit about Luxembourg to Phil Coorey.

NormanK

2/10/2012Casablanca If your source is this one, I can save you some searching: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/julia-gillards-carbon-price-promise/story-fn59niix-1225907522983 With regard to Luxembourg, did you see Coorey mentioned it in an article yesterday(?) ? I'll see if I can find it again.

NormanK

2/10/2012Coorey's mention of Luxembourg was not as significant as I remembered it. [b]PM picks a winner, but is more cautious about contest at the UN[/b] [quote]''Now, beating the Gold Coast Suns for the wooden spoon is a bit like Australia beating Luxembourg to get a seat on the UN Security Council, but we Sydneysiders take our triumphs wherever we can.'' That is, Luxembourg is the global easy beat and if Australia loses to the tiny principality, shame on the government for wasting $24 million on the bid. The opposition knows the process is more complex than that. Number and patronage matter more than merit and Luxembourg belongs to a powerful bloc of European nations.[/quote] http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/pm-picks-a-winner-but-is-more-cautious-about-contest-at-the-un-20120930-26tju.html#ixzz287PCu6Eo Your comment was MUCH better than his. :)

Lyn

2/10/2012Hi NormanK, This is a link I had on file:- Julia Gillard's carbon price promise Paul Kelly and Dennis Shanahan From: The Australian August 20, 2010 12:00AM JULIA Gillard says she is prepared to legislate a carbon price in the next term In an election-eve interview with The Australian, the Prime Minister revealed she would view victory tomorrow as a mandate for a carbon price, provided the community was ready for this step. "I don't rule out the possibility of legislating a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, a market-based mechanism," she said of the next parliament. "I rule out a carbon tax." http://m.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/julia-gillards-carbon-price-promise/story-fn59niix-1225907522983 :):):)

LadyInRed

2/10/2012Casablanca [i]“There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead, but let’s be absolutely clear, I am determined to price carbon”[/i] Here is a link http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/julia-gillards-carbon-price-promise/story-fn59niix-1225907522983 The problem is that somehow the PM got cornered into calling it a tax when in actual fact it is carbon pricing. And the rest is history.

LadyInRed

2/10/2012That Newman has waded into the Jones poop-pond says a lot about his judgement. Non-exsistent.

Patriciawa

2/10/2012Nasking, following your links as I always do for so much reward, I found the Jim Webb speech an absolute knock out. A short cut for people coming to it late is http://www.politico.com/blogs/charlie-mahtesian/2012/09/webb-drops-the-hammer-on-romney-136858.html Just when I'm tempted to give up on the Yanks, even Obama's close allies, something like this turns up! Thanks for that. Greetings to Stacey. I read your shopping adventures with interest. Are you doing the cooking too? Is that likely to be a motivator for her top get well soon?

nasking

2/10/2012Makes alot of sense: October 2, 2012 [b]Sally Young[/b], [b]Brisbane Times[/b] [b]Is this the beginning of the end of the political power wielded by the likes of Alan Jones?[/b] [quote][b]One of the biggest things this incident reveals is that shock-jock talkback is no longer the powerful political medium it once was. [/b] It had its moment and that moment ended in the mid-2000s. Jones' audience is a demographic of economically working-class, socially conservative, older people. It is literally, a dying audience. It is now one medium among many and one audience among increasingly fragmented media audiences. [b]Australian politicians today spread themselves across broadcast media including radio, free-to-air and pay TV, and they use their own channels of communication, including websites and Twitter. Talkback is no longer the only show in town for political reporting as it was when John Howard was prime minister.[/b] As the main talkback hosts aged in the 1990s and 2000s, so did their audiences. The proportion of listeners under 40 years dropped between 1997 and 2007 while the over-55 proportion rose. The golden age of talkback seemed to wane especially after 2007 when John Laws retired one week after the election and Jones posted his weakest ratings in three years. In the month before the election was called and the first week of the campaign, almost 100,000 listeners switched off 2GB. [b]Howard - a radio regular who centred his media itinerary around talkback radio and was a staunch defender of Alan Jones - was then defeated in the election.[/b] As talkback's political role has waned, so has Jones' personal power. That power was always more projected than real. Talkback hosts such as Alan Jones and John Laws emphasised and exaggerated their power and influence. But politicians believed them and encouraged their megalomaniacal tendencies. [b]As a former Liberal staffer and unsuccessful Liberal candidate, Jones never bothered to hide his partiality. But, in more recent years, as his partisanship and vitriol against Gillard in particular has become more extreme, Labor politicians have become more aware that ignoring him is not as costly as they once feared.[/b] [b]There is a bigger political and media context to this as well. The phone hacking scandal and Leveson inquiry in Britain have lifted a veil and shown us some of the dark side of media power, including bullying by media owners and powerful media individuals who lobby politicians, demand favours, use their outlets as a bully pulpit and to seek revenge when they don't get their way. The public will know more of this in the future, not just in the UK but in Australia, and they won't like it. As a more open atmosphere prevails, politicians will be more emboldened to stand up to media bullies, and citizens will do what they can to hold them to account as well.[/b] Sally Young is an associate professor in the School of Social and Political Sciences at The University of Melbourne. [/quote] http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/shock-for-the-shock-jock-20121001-26vgp.html The winds of change are a blowing. N'

nasking

2/10/2012 Proof that Alan Jones is an extremist: [b]Abbott may rue failure to tune out Jones[/b] Lenore Taylor, SMH [quote]In another recent interview he repeated as "fact" his contention the world has not been warming, and then interviewed David Archibald of the Institute of World Politics (he is also listed as an "expert" by the climate-sceptic US think-tank the Heartland Institute and a director of the Australian sceptic group the Lavoisier Society). Jones quoted approvingly Archibald's biblical sounding prose, in which he maintains the carbon tax proves we are ruled by "evil men and evil women" and fulminates that "whoever of you breathed a word in favour of the carbon tax will bear the guilt of those broken lives and broken marriages to your graves. Your sin was not a love of nature but a loathing of your fellow man." "Do some people in Canberra actually hate us?" Jones inquired. "They do," Archibald replied, calling on voters to "unleash their righteous anger" upon those who begat the tax.[/quote] http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/politics/abbott-may-rue-failure-to-tune-out-jones-20121002-26x3i.html Nuts. N'

Casablanca

2/10/2012“There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead, but let’s be absolutely clear. I am determined to price carbon.” There are many complaints online about the difficulty of finding the video and the transcript. The only place where I found the full quote was in the article by Ash. Please also read the comments there. The frustration in not being able to find more original source material reinforces the need for Government supporters (us) to do something to change the widespread mis-information. Anything? Ash’s Machiavellian Blog http://ashghebranious.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/anything/ Why Abbott has won the carbon tax debate. Tristan Edis Climate Spectator. 18 May 2012. http://www.climatespectator.com.au/commentary/why-abbott-has-won-carbon-tax-debate Edis includes graphs, ‘Frequency that the terms ‘carbon price’, ‘carbon trading’ and ‘emissions trading’ and ‘carbon tax’ are entered into Google – 2005 to today’ ACMA Investigation Report No. 2697 www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/.../2gb-report_2697.docx Transcript of interview with Ben Fordham, 2GB MON 02 JULY 2012 www.pm.gov.au/.../transcript-interview-ith-ben-fordham-2gb Julia Gillard's carbon price promise. Paul Kelly and Dennis Shanahan. The Australian. August 20, 2010 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/julia-gillards-carbon-price-promise/story-fn59niix-1225907522983 Dissenting Report of Coalition Members & Senators on Carbon Legislation. http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=jscacefl/report/coalition.pdf

Ian

2/10/2012Ad Astra....hope this will be ok. NormanK, if you're around. I can't post comments on PB for some reason...technical, not banned. Tried everything they say but still nothing. Would you mind cross posting this on PB for me? as follows Bemused and Scorpio Please accept my best wishes for your family members and I hope all turns out ok. regards Ian

Ian

2/10/2012NormanK forgot me manners Thanks

KHTAGH

2/10/2012Fellow swords folk prepare yourselves for the best laugh you have had in a long time, I had tears at one stage. Alan Jones parody, just released to twitter a minute ago. Enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t0beLc9UMQ&feature=youtu.be

KHTAGH

2/10/2012Another good critique of Jones past rantings. [i]Alan Jones is upset because he discovered his sense of inflated self importance is false, he isnt a self appointed media god, he isnt above reproach and he is no longer beyond the reach of the little people he previously sat above free to judge and criticise. [/i] http://wrb330.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/intolerance-of-alan-jones-works/#comment-102

Patriciawa

2/10/2012Lyn! Too much already in your links. Finally finished your twitterverse and late morning leads! Thank you! What a wealth of reading today. It's as if journalists have been allowed off a leash and encouraged for once to write what they really think, particularly News Ltd reporters. NB your link to John Birmingham's ironical comment on the courage of Alan Joness! www.brisbanetimes.com.au/.../...0121001-26uxs.html Casablanca, I thought the David Penberthy story was almost too good to be true, just as there seems to be a mystery surrounding the timing and reasons for the Jones story breaking from the Daily Telegraph. But like Jane, hoping that it all marks the end of [i]Alan Jones and his reign of terror [/i]I am prepared to let that all of that unfold as may be. It feels to me that News Ltd and other power brokers have decided that Abbott can't make it. Reading the polls they're scared that Gillard is going to come through no matter what shite Jones, Abbott and the Commentariat throw at her, so it will have to be Turnbull (wasn't he quick off the mark with his condemnation of Jones!) and the Libs will have to lump him and learn their new lines in the year ahead. I think Julia can handle courtesy and kid gloves as well as surviving being used as a punch bag, don't you? Hi Janice and Gravel, lovely to see you two here, both like me and getting a real lift in spirits from recent events. The Lady in Red is right about that one big lie though. We have to find a way to seize this opportunity to have the facts about the so called carbon tax made clear. Till now it looked like a lie which the PM could never deny effectively. Now is our chance to scotch that one. N' I see you are indeed doing all the cooking, and it seems very well! Where can one find slightly older guys like you looking for mature, intelligent female company?

Ad astra

2/10/2012Good evening Lyn and folks We are back at the south coast after a tiring day. I’ve enjoyed reading your comments and following your links. Alan Jones will probably survive as he is a part owner of 2GB, and John Singleton is also a part owner, but the outcry his comment has created is unprecedented. To date there are 97,087 signatures to the petition to the advertisers on Jones’ program. Has there even been so large a response, so quickly? Three days on and it is still a news item. He has been badly hammered and damaged. His attempt at an apology was seen as insincere by 88% of over 42000 respondents to an online [i]SMH[/i] poll who voted for the option [i]“No, he was just trying to save his skin”[/i] in answer to the question: [i]“Was Alan Jones' apology to Julia Gillard genuine?”[/i]. Many advertisers have withdrawn. We know they may quietly come back. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/alan-jones-loses-more-advertisers-20121002-26w0y.html#ixzz288ajTGgV The talkback is heavy with condemnation. The Liberals are smarting, and have been rolling out some of their past heavyweights, like Alexander Downer, to defend the Party’s association with Jones, and Mitch Fifield was sent out to defend his boss. The three attending the Young Liberals meeting at which Jones uttered those infamous words have been silent. Tony Abbott avoided comment as long as he could, then came out with a limp response, and was forced to come out today with a marginally stronger comment, adding that he will still go on Alan Jones’ show. Of course he will – and get his usual armchair ride. The only Liberal who gains kudos is Malcolm Turnbull, with his immediate condemnation. The fact is the Coalition and Alan Jones are hand in glove partners in demeaning PM Gillard and attempting to extrude her from Government. Even a casual observer can see the nexus, the association, the same intent. Jones will forever taint the Coalition and Tony Abbott. It will not be able to shake off the smell of Jones. It is imprinted in the electorate’s memory. Jones' diehards will be unmoved, but they were always going to vote for the Coalition. It’s the others that count. Just as Abbott and Jones managed to attach the liar tag to the PM, a tag that has been difficult to shake, so will the Jones’ ‘her father died of shame’ tag attach strongly to him and those who associate closely with him, notable the LOTO. Substantial damage has been done; it will be permanent.

Tom of Melbourne

2/10/2012 Ad Astra – [i]” hand in glove partners in demeaning PM Gillard[/i]” Did Bob Ellis say anything that he should apologise for? Is he associated with the ALP?

Casablanca

2/10/2012NormanK, you said: [quote]Your comment (about Luxembourg) was MUCH better than his (Coorey's).[/quote] Thanks for your endorsement. I only regret that I was too late on the scene to post my Luxembourg aide memoire after Coorey's article. I shall send it to Bishop, J., Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, with a pithy comment about briefing her Leader.

Jason

2/10/2012ToM, Why don't you just let sleeping dog lie? Jones got caught and tried to deny that he said anything, until he was told there was a recording of it! Ellis like Greer go off every chance they get! It filled a "long weekend" in the states that had one! however come next week or earlier no one will care! Just on Ellis and what he says about the liberals didn't Abbott and Costello sue him for defamation about one of his books he wrote? It seems Ellis is happy to go to court where you and others make excuses for Jones! Just cop it ToM every mobile phone is now a camera or an audio recorder and if you stuff up because you forget so be it! don't try as your right wing supporters have to blame "others" just learn from it!

NormanK

2/10/2012Ian Job done @ 5.52 pm. Comment # 1344. Sorry to be so late getting back to you - life intervened. Casablanca Ms Bishop will be a very worthy recipient but it will be water off a duck's back for Mr Abbott.

nasking

3/10/2012 Hi Patricia, so glad you dug the Jim Webb speech. Thnx for linking it. Yes, tonight I made spinach and lentil gnocchi with fresh organic silverbeet, garlic, grated carrot, leek, celery, capsicum, zuchinni, sun dried tomatoes...added organic pasta sauce...parmesan and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I make that meal about once a mth...Stace loves it. Last night I made burritos. The night before I steamed Stace's Dad's organic potatoes grown on his farm...added sour cream...some fresh herbs...added steamed brocolli, spinach, asparagus drizzled with lemon juice...and a vege burger from Quorn. Each morning I juice organic beetroot, carrots, kale, celery and apple...Stace loves it. For lunch I make salad sandwiches with either hommous, avocado or organic feta. Use Campayne bread or Ancient Grain or Sour Dough or Dark Rye. I used to make all the meals up until I got sick a few years ago...and fortunately since the glucose levels have gone back to normal with this diet...and the blood pressure pretty good (drink alcohol rarely now...tho do enjoy when I do)...I've felt alot more flexible and energised for cleaning and cooking. Stace said today she feels like she's staying in a cross between a five star hotel and a health retreat. :) Thnx for yer lovely supportive comments. Shame yer not down the road, I could bring you some meals. Have a goodie. Keep up the great work. N'

nasking

3/10/2012 [quote][b]Even a casual observer can see the nexus, the association, the same intent. Jones will forever taint the Coalition and Tony Abbott. It will not be able to shake off the smell of Jones. It is imprinted in the electorate’s memory. Jones' diehards will be unmoved, but they were always going to vote for the Coalition. It’s the others that count.[/b][/quote] Ad, well said. Couldn't agree more. Glad you've found quality and enjoyable time with your family. N'

nasking

3/10/2012 [b]I thought the David Penberthy story was almost too good to be true, just as there seems to be a mystery surrounding the timing and reasons for the Jones story breaking from the Daily Telegraph. [/b] Patricia, indeed. Something stinks in the corporate sly state that is News Ltd. N'

nasking

3/10/2012 KHTAGH, that is so funny...Stace and I got good chuckles put of it: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=9t0beLc9UMQ&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D9t0beLc9UMQ%26feature%3Dyoutu.be Thnx for the link. I put it up on Facebook. N'

nasking

3/10/2012 American slavery raises its ugly head again: [b]Federal Prison Industries, also known as UNICOR and FPI, is a wholly owned United States government corporation created in 1934 that uses penal labour from the Federal Bureau of Prisons to produce goods and services... UNICOR is economically self-sustaining and receives no government funding. In fiscal year 1996, UNICOR had net sales of $459 million. In fiscal year 2008, UNICOR employed 21,836 inmates: 17% of eligible inmates held in federal prisons. The company generated US$854.3 million in sales. Of these revenues, 80% went toward the purchase of raw material and equipment; 16% went to staff salaries; 4% went to inmate salaries. UNICOR has 109 factories in federal prisons, producing about 175 different types of products and services, including clothing and textiles, electronics, fleet management and vehicular components, industrial products, office furniture, recycling activities; and services including data entry and encoding. Criticism Critics say Federal Prison Industries pays substandard wages, and that inmates work subject to conditions and salary the company itself decides. Under current law, all physically able inmates who are not a security risk or have a health exception are required to work, either for UNICOR or at some other prison job. Inmates earn from US$0.23 per hour up to a maximum of US$1.15 per hour, and all inmates with court-ordered financial obligations must use at least 50% of this UNICOR income to satisfy those debts. One report detailed a FPI operation at a California prison in which inmates de-manufactured computer cathode-type monitors. Industry standard practice for this mandates a mechanical crushing machine to minimize danger from flying glass, with an isolated air system to avoid releasing lead, barium, phosphor compounds to the workplace atmosphere. At the FPI facility prisoners smashed the CRTs with hammers. The report noted, "Smashing CRTs with hammers is not a common practice in the private sector, nor could it ever be considered a 'best practice.'"[/b] Wikipedia Real motivation to put people behind bars. N'

nasking

3/10/2012 Transcript of the Colbert Report via Daily Kos: [quote]Folks, tonight I am happy to share a success story. It's a little company called UNICOR that does $900 million dollars in business annually, making bed and blankets, table linens, circuit boards, prescription eyewear, and solar panels, and all at low cost for a sizable profit. How do they do it? Volume. Also, prison labor. After all, prisoners are some of the most skilled manufacturers. I mean, who else can make a toothbrush and a lunch tray into a crossbow? (A Cub Scout Earning His "Psycho" Badge?) Now folks, the Federal Bureau of Prisons founded UNICOR to rehabilitate inmates while providing government agencies with low cost products and services, like help desk call centers. Now when you call tech support, you won't get some foreigner with a crazy name, you'll give your credit card information to a real American named "Spider". (Formerly "Bernie Madoff") (audience laughter) .... And folks, until recently, UNICOR has been legally allowed [to] supply only other government agencies, but those restrictions are now lifting. (The Shawshank Exemption) So, UNICOR is now offering its prison labor to the private sector. UNICOR AD: You can take advantage of UNICOR's unique capabilities: skilled workforce, nationwide locations, 24/7 operations, highly competitive pricing. ... The best kept secret in outsourcing. Outsourcing with UNICOR can provide you with all the advantages of domestic contact centers at offshore prices. ... UNICOR: The secret is out. Yes, the secret is out. (Unlike Their Workers) And, for all those who are worried about unemployed Americans who will now have to compete against cheap prison labor, don't worry. You can apply for one of these great new UNICOR jobs by going to your local liquor store and submitting your application via shotgun. ("Say Hello To My Little Resume!") (audience applause) Remember folks, first impressions count, so wear a fresh ski mask, and look the manager right in the eye when you say, "Everyone hit the motherfucking ground!" And folks, before you know it, you'll have the right to remain employed for the next 10 to 20 years![/quote] http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/02/1138723/-Stephen-Colbert-mocks-lack-of-math-in-Romney-Ryan-tax-plan Disturbing. Coming to a neighbourhood near you? Maybe already here. N'

Lyn

3/10/2012TODAY’S LINKS Reserve Banks cuts the cash rate to 3.25%, Greg Jericho, Grog’s Gamut Today the RBA cut the cash rate by 25 basis points taking it to 3.25% a mere 25 basis points above the break glass in case of emergency level of 3.0% that was reached during the Global Financial Crisis. http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com.au/2012_10_01_archive.html Mama Said Knock You Out, Peter Wicks, Wixxy Leaks The Labor Party should shut 2GB out of the news loop. If they are holding a press conference, they should actually remove the microphone marked 2GB, they should not make any comment whilst a reporter from 2GB is there, even asking them to leave the room if possible. Whatever they have to say will not be favorably reported on the station at any rate. Certainly no Labor MP’s should appear on the station. http://wixxyleaks.com/2012/10/02/mama-said-knock-you-out/ Our Gold-Plated Electricity Infrastructure, Ben Eltham, New Matilda Mountain goes through the data and establishes a number of incontrovertible facts. Firstly, Australian electricity prices really have been rising rapidly in recent years, and are very high by world standards. The main reason for this, he argues, is that networks can pass on their costs by charging consumers for upgrading their infrastructure. As we’ve seen in Queensland, there’s been a http://newmatilda.com/2012/10/02/our-goldplated-electricity-infrastructure Select Committee on Electricity Prices That a select committee, to be known as the Select Committee on Electricity Prices be established to inquire into and report on: identification of the key causes of electricity price increases over recent years and those likely in the future; http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=electricityprices_ctte/electricityprices/tor.htm Alan Jones puts forward suggestions on how to fill airtime, now that his show has no advertisers, The Shovel With sponsors of Alan Jones’s 2GB breakfast program abandoning the show en-masse this week, the Sydney broadcaster has been left with a lot of empty airtime on his daily show. Never one to be perturbed by temporary setbacks, Jones has put together a range of alternative segments to fill the space. Here are some of the proposed new segments, as explained by Jones in his pitch to 2GB executives today. http://theshovel.com.au/2012/10/02/alan-jones-satire/ Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Ash, Ash’s Machiavellian Bloggery And THEN he went on to defend why he said it! He called the audience and the coalition on its weakness! Yeah thats right! There is the news there. You deemed the audience at ‘your wavelength’. Those who attentively accept what you say. You thought you were safe, wrapped in a cosy blanket of young Liberal minds. http://ashghebranious.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/sorry-seems-to-be-the-hardest-word/ God bless you Alan’: Jones’ listeners speak out on 2GB, Matthew Knott, Crikey The real question though was: how would his listeners respond? Would they turn on him or would they remain loyal? It quickly became obvious that the Parrot’s devotees are remaining firmly on the perch. This morning’s program was an orgy of self-righteousness, a fiesta of victimhood, an echo chamber of exculpation. On Planet Alan, Gillard can do no right and Jones can do no wrong http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/10/02/god-bless-you-alan-jones-listeners-speak-out-on-2gb/ Polls on the move: why is Labor’s vote lifting?, Bernard Keane, Crikey What the data does tell us is that a couple of the frequently-discussed causes of Labor’s rise — Abbott’s reputation with women, and the actions of Campbell Newman — aren’t necessarily the reasons behind the current rise; it could be Barry O’Farrell, who has governed in a steady-as-she-goes manner, who is doing the damage. And maybe blokes dislike pugilistic alternative prime ministers too. http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/10/02/polls-on-the-move-why-is-labors-vote-lifting/ TIME TO PULL THE PLUG ON ALAN Jones, Tracey Spicer, The Hoopla the Liberal Party speaks to its conservative base with the assisted amplification of the shock jocks.These things will never change. So it’s up to us to pull the plug. People power will topple the king of talkback.“Noisy displeasure with advertisers and companies is incredibly powerful,” explains market researcher, Neer Korn.“The paradigm has shifted, and any consumer with a phone or laptop can be a match for an expensive PR campaign.” http://thehoopla.com.au/only-you-can-pull-plug-alan-jones/ Intolerance of Alan Jones Works, Wayne Brooks, Curiosity and Challenge Now since he was lambasted by the public we suffer Alan Jones incessant whining that hes being attacked, people are pulling him down, people are trying to destroy him and on and on he goes. Lets not be fooled or lulled by this vicious little mans rhetoric, his track record speaks for itself and thats why I put some up for your consideration. Hes a media thug, a bully and as malicous and nasty as they come. http://wrb330.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/intolerance-of-alan-jones-works/ A crumbling Kingdom (Alan Jonesss), Gerard Oosterman, Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle he is defined by a deep-seated siege mentality, where life is regarded as a permanent ideological war and those around him are drawn up on the lists he assembles in his mind of friends and foes. The contradiction of Jones, who has no real personal life at all, is that when he is not broadcasting he busies himself with generous acts for put-upon individuals and families, doing unpaid charity work, writing letters to ministers on behalf of people who are illiterate or uneducated. http://pigsarms.com.au/2012/10/02/a-crumbling-kingdom-alan-jonesss/ Alan Jones' remaining sponsors hit with boycott ultimatum, Amy Kellow, Ad News Major companies including Volkswagen, Mazda, 7-Eleven and Harvey Norman have been hit with hundreds of Facebook comments from consumers saying they will boycott the brands if they continue to support 2GB. The controversy has followed Alan Jones' remarks that Julia Gillard's late father, John Gillard, "died of shame". One consumer took to the Volkswagen Facebook page to say: "Shame on [you] for supporting an extremist like Alan Jones. Have you no sense of social responsibility http://www.adnews.com.au/adnews/alan-jones-remaining-sponsors-hit-with-boycott-ultimatum he Arduous Search for Reality in the Opposition's Rhetoric , Ian Harris, The Blowfly Abbott has also been known to say that ‘this is the worst government ever’.He repeats it just as Goebbels would’ve. The theory is that if you repeat it often enough then people might start believing it. His shock-jock friends also repeat it frequently.But here we have a minority government that has passed approximately 380 pieces of legislation since they came to power! http://www.theblowfly.com.au/ I’m sorry . . . from the bottom of my heart, Miglo, Café Whispers I have one to kick it off: I’d like to hear Tony Abbott apologise for frightening most of us half to death during his fraudulent ‘carbon tax’ scare campaign. Not a half-baked Jones’ style apology, but one from the bottom of his heart. http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/im-sorry-from-the-bottom-of-my-heart/ Gillard takes a calculated risk in leaving Alan Jones adrift , Jennifer Rayner, The Conversation Where her predecessors may have thrown him a lifeline in the hope of building stronger relations — and therefore guaranteeing more favourable on-air treatment — Prime Minister Gillard has chosen to leave him adrift in the media storm his comments created.Jones may not be a totally spent political force just yet, but if one of the most risk-averse and media-sensitive leaders Australia has ever seen is no longer scared of him, others aren’t likely to be for long, either. http://theconversation.edu.au/gillard-takes-a-calculated-risk-in-leaving-alan-jones-adrift-9905 Two thirds of Australians support the NBN, Renai LeMay, Delimeter landmark report handed down in July 2011 into the Coalition’s loss in the 2010 Federal Election also highlighted a failure to adequately respond to Labor’s flagship National Broadband Network plan as a key reason for losing valuable votes, especially in the sensitive Tasmanian electorate, which is receiving the network before the rest of the nation http://delimiter.com.au/2012/10/02/two-thirds-of-australians-support-the-nbn/ NBN leadership or NBN procrastination, Paul Budde, Technology Spectator This year, for the first time, there are more devices and sensors connected to the various national telecoms networks than there are people or premises connected to it. Over the next 10 years this will grow to billions of devices, all essential in the monitoring and management of our economy and society in relation to environmental sustainability, energy, traffic, security, healthcare and so on. http://technologyspectator.com.au/nbn-leadership-or-nbn-procrastination?utm_source=Technology+Spectator+List&utm_ Companies should not be supporting these ugly, hateful attacks -- advertisers should withdraw their support from Alan Jones' program immediately. Please sign and share my petition. More info here: Sack Alan Jones Facebook and 2GB. http://www.change.org/alanjones Today’s Front Pages Australia Newspaper Front Pages for 3 October 2012 http://www.frontpagestoday.co.uk/index.cfm?PaperCountry=Australia

Ad astra

3/10/2012LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

TalkTurkey

3/10/2012Good morning Lyn Couldn't help noticing the last line of Jennifer Rayner's otherwise-unsurprising article you link to above. [i]Jones may not be a totally spent political force just yet, but if [i][b]one of the most risk-averse and media-sensitive leaders Australia has ever seen[/b][/i] is no longer scared of him, others aren’t likely to be for long, either.[i][b] [/i]Risk averse?[/b][/i] [b]*J*U*L*I*A*? [/b]WTF, our PM spent an hour single-handedly holding the MSM at bay like Horatius holding the bridge. Never was afraid of Maggot Jones or any of his filthy ilk. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." [[i]Macbeth[/i]]

Ian

3/10/2012Thanks NormanK

nasking

3/10/2012 [b]Risk averse? *J*U*L*I*A*? WTF, our PM spent an hour single-handedly holding the MSM at bay like Horatius holding the bridge. Never was afraid of Maggot Jones or any of his filthy ilk. [/b] TT, well said. If the PM is "risk averse" why would she have the guts to bring in the carbon price? The NBN with Kevin Rudd? [b]People see what their biases direct them to see.[/b] N'

LadyInRed

3/10/2012I love this ne word Romnesia: [i] The crudest exponent of Romnesia is the Australian mining magnate Gina Rinehart. ''There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire,'' she insists. ''If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain; do something to make more money yourselves - spend less time drinking or smoking and socialising and more time working … Remember our roots, and create your own success.'' Remembering her roots is what Rinehart fails to do. She forgot to add that if you want to become a millionaire - in her case a billionaire - it helps to inherit an iron ore mine and a fortune from your father and to ride a commodities boom. Had she spent her life lying in bed and throwing darts at the wall, she would still be stupendously rich Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/once-there-was-a-very-rich-man-and-he-lived-disdainfully-ever-after-20121002-26xal.html#ixzz28Bcga7wB[/i]

nasking

3/10/2012 Speaking of biases...they've turned this fella into a hypocrite: [b]Paul Ryan: 30 Percent 'Want Their Welfare State,' 70 Percent 'Want The American Dream'[/b] [b]WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, share a similarly dim view of a very large portion of Americans, according to previously unreported remarks by Ryan. Both believe that many of their fellow citizens are dependent on government and have no motivation to improve their lives -- but they disagree over the precise number. Romney's estimate, famously, is 47 percent. For Ryan, it's 30 percent. "Seventy percent of Americans want the American dream. They believe in the American idea. Only 30 percent want their welfare state," Ryan said. "Before too long, we could become a society where the net majority of Americans are takers, not makers." [/b] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/paul-ryan-30-percent-welfare-state_n_1933730.html Hmmm... [b]After his father's death Ryan received Social Security survivors benefits until his 18th birthday, which were saved up in order to pay for his college education (wikipedia). [/b] Sometimes people need help to bounce into an opportunity to improve their lives...or assist them in their suffering, lack of privilege. [b]Romney and Ryan have no respect for those who don't see their myopic "My way or the highway" economic views...ideology and religion blinds them at times...sometimes directs them on a road...racing along towards their dream...no time for those in the fields of struggle.[/b] N'

nasking

3/10/2012 [b]Dust Bowl Ballads is an album by Woody Guthrie,[/b] recorded for Victor Records during Guthrie's time in New York City in 1940. It was Guthrie's first commercial recording and the most successful album he made. It is sometimes considered the first concept album [b]The songs on "Dust Bowl Ballads" are semi-autobiographical, chronicling Guthrie's experience as a so-called "Okie" during the Dust Bowl era, where Guthrie witnessed the economic hardship that many migrant workers faced in California. Like many of Guthrie's later recordings, these songs contain an element of social activism, and would be an important influence on later musicians, including Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs and Joe Strummer.[/b] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl_Ballads N'

nasking

3/10/2012 [b]School Funding Inequity Forces Poor Cities Like Reading, Pa., To Take Huge Cuts[/b] [quote]READING, Pa. -- The day before school starts, 8-year-old Tianna wakes up worried. She's worried about the cafeteria food that she receives for free, because usually "it's nasty." She's worried about making friends, since she'll be in a new school. But most of all, she's worried about where all the fired teachers will go. "When we were at assembly, I learned that people didn't have enough money to let all the teachers come back next year, so they were kicking teachers out," explains Tianna, in a quiet, earnest voice as she bounces up and down on her chair. "There was this one teacher that I really liked, and she's getting kicked out." Tianna's mother, Tashima, tries to ease her fears, but it doesn't help much. "Tianna's like an old lady -- she's really nosy," Tashima says, laughing. "She just gets upset." Tianna does seem world-weary for a third-grader, maybe in part because she lives in Reading, Pa., until September the country's poorest city, according to U.S. Census figures. And her school is feeling the city's poverty. [b]When government budgets are tight, education is often the first thing to be shaved down. It can feel like a relatively painless fix, because the full effects of cutting education funds only crystallize years later. But such cuts scrape away at that most iconic expression of American democracy and opportunity -- the public schools. Because of an outdated tax-based funding model, scholars say, it's the poorest regions that feel these cuts the hardest, making it even more difficult for America's poor to attain a better quality of life. Some advocates say it would be fairer to fund schools out of state or federal coffers, insulating the finances of a public school from the relative poverty or prosperity of its locale.[/b] Reading isn't alone in its troubles. As the U.S. economy hobbles along, schools across the country are still hurting. Twenty-six states will spend less per student in 2013 than the year before, according to a recent analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Arizona, Alabama and Oklahoma all have cut school spending by about 20 percent since 2008 -- the largest state decreases in the country. A total of 35 states spend less today on education than they did before the recession began in late 2008. This reduction comes despite the $98 billion in federal stimulus money allotted for education starting in 2009. States relied on this one-time cash injection to close one quarter of their budget gaps and to save 420,000 education jobs between 2009 and the 2010-11 school year. But those federal dollars dried up at the end of last year, and employment numbers among teachers now work out to a net loss. [b]Since June 2009, a recent White House report noted, more than 300,000 teachers have lost their jobs. In August 2012 alone, schools cut 7,000 educators from their payrolls. The result: an increase in the student-to-teacher ratio for the first time in a decade[/b]. [/quote] [b]Cities in New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania generally feel the worst financial squeeze, according to the Education Law Center's school funding fairness report, because their state and local funding sources favor wealthier school districts over needier areas -- and because they sometimes spend more money than necessary in affluent suburbs. For example, according to a recent report from the Center for American Progress, about 20 school districts in Pennsylvania unnecessarily receive $712 extra per student in state funds, money that "could be allocated to higher-need districts." Meanwhile, taxpayers in poorer areas can only afford smaller school budgets for themselves. This is a problem, says the report's co-author Bruce Baker, a Rutgers University education professor, because districts with needier students have to pay a premium to recruit and keep good teachers. They also need additional funds to provide services that help close the gap between disadvantaged students and their better-off peers.[/b] [b]Because school funding depends on the property tax base, Reading can spend only $7,572 each year per student, versus $10,633 per student in West Reading, a tonier town only minutes away over the Penn Street Bridge. Reading, a city of 88,000, has a poverty rate of 40.1 percent -- the sixth largest share of residents living in poverty among American cities with populations over 65,000. (Reading was the nation's poorest city in 2010, but new Census figures put Camden, N.J., atop the list for 2011.) Only 10 percent of Reading residents have a bachelor's degree, and only 64 percent have a high school diploma. As the factory jobs dried up -- a trend that started in the 1970s when the storied Reading Railroad filed for bankruptcy and worsened sharply between 2008 and 2009 -- thousands of parents lost their livelihood, leaving them with few alternatives for work. Their children are now dropping out to support them and are unlikely to attend college.[/b] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/school-funding-reading-pennsylvania_n_1922577.html Insane. Stealing students' future. N'

Michael

3/10/2012Joe Hockey's scare campaign about low interest rates. Remember the days when Howard/Costello, and scuttling along in the 'big boys' wake, Joe Hockey, used to shout to the rooftops how low interest rates were the touchstone of good government? Now Hockey tells us low interest rates are one 25% cut more away from Armageddon. No matter that the banks are still reporting massive profits, so "Armageddon" is manifestly not scratched terrifiedly across their bottom lines. No matter that the 'mums and dads' applaud how much more cash is in their pockets with less going out on the monthly mortgage, a routine Howard/Costello pat on the back exercise as self-congratulatory as saving sandy countries from dictators and the exporting of "terrism" ever was. Joe Hockey's talking down the economy every bit as much as Abbott the Ignorant, with language that were he Treasurer he would be screaming about anyone in Opposition using. Some might say that's the point of being in Opposition. Those in the Opposition would. Time was, politicians made comment on the basis of knowledge, research, and then offered an alternative position/opinion informed by their particular political stance. But, at base, they were talking about how things might be better for Australia, and demonstrating through their own informed point of view, how that might be achieved. Now, this bankrupt Opposition delivers statements with sneers and smirks, not ideas and alternatives. Joe Hockey is amongst the worst, a perpetual whinging expression on his face. He'd be advised to consider his approach, both now and for the future. As Treasurer, he won't be in the profligate position of Candy Man Costello should the Coalition win government. Not because of the convenient 'black hole' Coalitions always discover in their opponents' economy-handling, but because Treasurer in the Federal Government of Australia is a real job these days, not the 'wave of the wand' Howard's profligacy afforded Costello.

nasking

3/10/2012 Perhaps some would prefer students in more disadvantaged areas ended up in prison as cheap labour...privatised prisons too...where they and their friends and families can profit from shares? Useful way to prevent certain groups from voting. Something wicked this way comes. Perhaps, already here. NO LONGER EYES WIDE SHUT N'

nasking

3/10/2012 A comment from Huffington Post: [b]esqnick 16 seconds ago ( 8:41 PM) So receivers of billions in subsidies, tax cuts, bailouts, contracts, write offs, deductions, gov't backed loans, etc..are not takers?? but the few receiving pocket change help are the takers?? LOL...Repubs have it twisted... They represent the few real takers of this society...[/b] Indeed. N'

LadyInRed

3/10/2012Michael I agree Hockey needs to think about that dreadful facial expression he uses, as you say it is perpetual....nothing is going right, we will all be rooooned. I saw him on TV last night and he made my shoulders slump.....and I don't even believe him! So imagine what he does to people who do? This could start, and possibly is starting to work against him.

nasking

3/10/2012 Tony Abbott is a GONNA. Gonna do this...gonna do that. The cost for the GONNAS? N'

nasking

3/10/2012 Some interesting political ties: Tony Abbott this morn was promoting Liberal MP Alan Tudge: Alan Edward Tudge (born 24 February 1971), an Australian politician, is a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Aston representing the Liberal Party of Australia. He succeeded Liberal MP Chris Pearce, who retired from politics, at the 2010 federal election. Early years and background Tudge was educated at Haileybury College, Keysborough before attending the University of Melbourne, where he completed a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts; [b]he subsequently completed a Masters of Business Administration at Harvard University. [/b] [b]Following a period as a consultant with Boston Consulting Group, he became an adviser on Education and Foreign Affairs to the Howard Government; he subsequently ran his own policy advisory firm.[/b] (Wikipedia) You might ask why Tudge being a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group...and being a Foreign Affairs advisor to the Howard government has peaked my interest. Check this out: [b]A Friendship Dating to 1976 Resonates in 2012[/b] By MICHAEL BARBARO Published: April 7, 2012 The two young men had woefully little in common: one was a wealthy Mormon from Michigan, the other a middle-class Jew from Israel. [b]But in 1976, the lives of Mitt Romney and Benjamin Netanyahu intersected, briefly but indelibly, in the 16th-floor offices of the Boston Consulting Group, where both had been recruited as corporate advisers. [/b] [quote]At the most formative time of their careers, they sized each other up during the firm’s weekly brainstorming sessions, absorbing the same profoundly analytical view of the world.[/quote] [quote]That shared experience decades ago led to a warm friendship, little known to outsiders, that is now rich with political intrigue. Mr. Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, is making the case for military action against Iran as Mr. Romney, the likely Republican presidential nominee, is attacking the Obama administration for not supporting Mr. Netanyahu more robustly. The relationship between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Romney — nurtured over meals in Boston, New York and Jerusalem, strengthened by a network of mutual friends and heightened by their conservative ideologies — has resulted in an unusually frank exchange of advice and insights on topics like politics, economics and the Middle East. When Mr. Romney was the governor of Massachusetts, Mr. Netanyahu offered him firsthand pointers on how to shrink the size of government. When Mr. Netanyahu wanted to encourage pension funds to divest from businesses tied to Iran, Mr. Romney counseled him on which American officials to meet with. And when Mr. Romney first ran for president, Mr. Netanyahu presciently asked him whether he thought Newt Gingrich would ever jump into the race. Only a few weeks ago, on Super Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu delivered a personal briefing by telephone to Mr. Romney about the situation in Iran. “We can almost speak in shorthand,” Mr. Romney said in an interview. “We share common experiences and have a perspective and underpinning which is similar.” [/quote] It was a quirk of history that the two men met at all. In the 1970s, both chose to attend business school in Boston — Harvard for Mr. Romney, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for Mr. Netanyahu. After graduating near the top of their classes, they had their pick of jobs at the nation’s biggest and most prestigious consulting firms. [b] The Boston Consulting Group did not yet qualify as either. Its founder, Bruce D. Henderson, was considered brilliant but idiosyncratic; his unorthodox theories — about measuring a company’s success by its market share, and dividing businesses into categories like “cash cows” and “dogs” — were then regarded as outside the mainstream of corporate consulting.[/b] ...[b]Mr. Netanyahu, who had recently stepped down as Israel’s finance minister, regaled Mr. Romney with stories of how, in the tradition of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, he had challenged unionized workers over control of their pensions, reduced taxes and privatized formerly government-run industries, reducing the role of government in private enterprise.[/b] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/us/politics/mitt-romney-and-benjamin-netanyahu-are-old-friends.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 BTW, I've noticed the [b]Boston Consulting Group[/b] coming up alot in Aussie news of late. Eh Mr. Abbott? N'

KHTAGH

3/10/2012Loading the Climate Dice By PAUL KRUGMAN New York Times Op-Ed, July 22, 2012 A couple of weeks ago the Northeast was in the grip of a severe heat wave. As I write this, however, it’s a fairly cool day in New Jersey, considering that it’s late July. Weather is like that; it fluctuates. And this banal observation may be what dooms us to climate catastrophe, in two ways. On one side, the variability of temperatures from day to day and year to year makes it easy to miss, ignore or obscure the longer-term upward trend. On the other, even a fairly modest rise in average temperatures translates into a much higher frequency of extreme events — like the devastating drought now gripping America’s heartland — that do vast damage. On the first point: Even with the best will in the world, it would be hard for most people to stay focused on the big picture in the face of short-run fluctuations. When the mercury is high and the crops are withering, everyone talks about it, and some make the connection to global warming. But let the days grow a bit cooler and the rains fall, and inevitably people’s attention turns to other matters. Making things much worse, of course, is the role of players who don’t have the best will in the world. Climate change denial is a major industry, lavishly financed by Exxon, the Koch brothers and others with a financial stake in the continued burning of fossil fuels. And exploiting variability is one of the key tricks of that industry’s trade. Applications range from the Fox News perennial — “It’s cold outside! Al Gore was wrong!” — to the constant claims that we’re experiencing global cooling, not warming, because it’s not as hot right now as it was a few years back. How should we think about the relationship between climate change and day-to-day experience? Almost a quarter of a century ago James Hansen, the NASA scientist who did more than anyone to put climate change on the agenda, suggested the analogy of loaded dice. Imagine, he and his associates suggested, representing the probabilities of a hot, average or cold summer by historical standards as a die with two faces painted red, two white and two blue. By the early 21st century, they predicted, it would be as if four of the faces were red, one white and one blue. Hot summers would become much more frequent, but there would still be cold summers now and then. And so it has proved. As documented in a new paper by Dr. Hansen and others, cold summers by historical standards still happen, but rarely, while hot summers have in fact become roughly twice as prevalent. And 9 of the 10 hottest years on record have occurred since 2000. But that’s not all: really extreme high temperatures, the kind of thing that used to happen very rarely in the past, have now become fairly common. Think of it as rolling two sixes, which happens less than 3 percent of the time with fair dice, but more often when the dice are loaded. And this rising incidence of extreme events, reflecting the same variability of weather that can obscure the reality of climate change, means that the costs of climate change aren’t a distant prospect, decades in the future. On the contrary, they’re already here, even though so far global temperatures are only about 1 degree Fahrenheit above their historical norms, a small fraction of their eventual rise if we don’t act. The great Midwestern drought is a case in point. This drought has already sent corn prices to their highest level ever. If it continues, it could cause a global food crisis, because the U.S. heartland is still the world’s breadbasket. And yes, the drought is linked to climate change: such events have happened before, but they’re much more likely now than they used to be. Now, maybe this drought will break in time to avoid the worst. But there will be more events like this. Joseph Romm, the influential climate blogger, has coined the term “Dust-Bowlification” for the prospect of extended periods of extreme drought in formerly productive agricultural areas. He has been arguing for some time that this phenomenon, with its disastrous effects on food security, is likely to be the leading edge of damage from climate change, taking place over the next few decades; the drowning of Florida by rising sea levels and all that will come later. And here it comes. Will the current drought finally lead to serious climate action? History isn’t encouraging. The deniers will surely keep on denying, especially because conceding at this point that the science they’ve trashed was right all along would be to admit their own culpability for the looming disaster. And the public is all too likely to lose interest again the next time the die comes up white or blue. But let’s hope that this time is different. For large-scale damage from climate change is no longer a disaster waiting to happen. It’s happening now. ________________________________ Perceptions of Climate Change: The New Climate Dice James Hansen, Makiko Sato, Reto Ruedy

N'ellie May

3/10/2012Dear Ad, Lyn and other great contributors. Have been reading your thoughtful insights and am very concerned that Ms Gillard's grieving time has been hijacked so badly by such a spiteful little man. Having lost my own father recently I know how she must have felt - but to not have been with him and so far away was heart-breaking for her. I have just heard, however, news that shocks me even more, considering this man is a Labor Party member with a large following. I'm referring to Bob Ellis and his attack on Ms Gillard in The Australian. Writing that she "fled from Russia with girly tears" and further personal attacks. Have not read the article - as I would never subscribe to the rag, but heard all about it from a listener on J Faine program Melbourne radio 774 this morning. As the listener correctly pointed out - "Where is the outrage from the Labor Party over this latest personal attack?" I can only agree. I am amazed at the resilience of our Prime Minister. There's barely a day goes by that she isn't being maligned.But to think that it comes from our own Labor Party is very hard to take. Regards to all - it is always a feast of ideas and information to read every day. Thank you.

N'ellie May

3/10/2012PS Hate that gravitar but can't change it!I don't really look like that.

2353

3/10/2012Would it be unreasonable to suggest the reason for Hockey's obvious tirade against lower interest rates is that "Interest rates will always be lower under a Coalition Government" is demonstrated to be a furphy - or another Howard "non-core" promise; take your pick.

Lyn

3/10/2012Hi Ad & Everybody Twitterverse a bit late, was waiting for more to come in, more interesting I mean. Bushfire Bill Posted Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 9:16 am | Permalink If either Jones or Abbott had made some kind of committment to a future toning down of their vicious language and personal attacks on Julia Gillard they might have had a hope of salvation. But in implicitly declaring they would do it again and again, supporting and bolstering each other, they are in real danger of both going down with the same sinking ship, as a result. Just ask Gerry Harvey and a host of other sponsors who’ve publicly abandoned Jones. They get it. Why don’t the Liberals? http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2012/10/01/essential-research-53-47-to-coalition-4/#comment-1427401 Slipper, Ashby mediation talks under way,Louise Hall, Court Reporter Justice Steven Rares yesterday directed the pair to mediate "face to face" in an effort to resolve Mr Ashby's sexual harassment case against Mr Slipper http://www.nationaltimes.com.au/opinion/political-news/slipper-ashby-mediation-talks-under-way-20121003-26yc7.html Townsville Labor ‏ Does Townsville need alanjones? "NO WAY!" @Mark_Enders with another great piece http://www.townsvillelabor.org/1/post/2012/10/does-townsville-need-alan-jones.html … #auspol #NQpol Schtang ‏ Alan Jones on the #todayshow a must watch - parroting parroting parroting - thank you Mr Micallef http://bit.ly/O23kXB #auspol Mark ‏ Message to Alan Jones....an apology only means something when U are genuinely SORRY..it's NOT an excuse to bag the person U insulted #auspol Catherine Deveny ‏ Today Alan Jones has lost his bid to overturn a tribunal decision which found he incited hatred http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/tribunal-upholds-that-jones-incited-hatred David Marler #Newmania "Newman:'Qld ALP Owes Me Jones-style Apology'" - http://ow.ly/eaF1b Mission Implausible Once there was a very rich man http://m.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/once-there-was-a-very-rich-man-and-he-lived-disdainfully Catherine Deveny ‏ Gerry Harvey's pretty cool with what Alan Jones said. He only pulled ads because of pressure from people who weren't http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/alan-jones-backers-fear-mob-will-rule-after-gillard-father-comments-backlash/story-fncvk70o-1226486889779 … :):):):)

nasking

3/10/2012 Interesting...this in March 2009: [b]James Murdoch has appointed Jan Koeppen from Boston Consulting Group to the new post of chief operating officer in News Corp's Europe & Asia division.[/b] Koeppen, who is managing director and worldwide co-leader of BCG's media wing, led an extensive efficiency review of editorial operations at News Corp's UK publishing division, News International, following which it emerged the publisher was looking to cut 65 editorial jobs across its four national newspapers. [b]His new role will see him work across News Corp's pay-TV, television, outdoor, newspapers and related digital business in Europe & Asia, where he will be responsible for finance, corporate development and operational improvements. Based in London, he will report to the Europe & Asia chairman and chief executive, James Murdoch, son of company chief executive and chairman Rupert. His appointment follows last month's annoucement that Peter Chernin, the president and chief operating officer at News Corp, is to leave the company after 20 years[/b]. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/19/jan-koeppen-james-murdoch-news-corp-chief-operating-officer Hmmm... N'

Lyn

3/10/2012Good Morning Talk Turkey “Jennifer Rayner's otherwise-unsurprising article you link to above” "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." [Macbeth] I agree with you. :):):) Why do they keep reporting this stuff: Rudd accused of 'vomitous' hypocrisy over Jones By chief political correspondent Simon Cullen Updated 15 minutes ago "It makes me feel vomitous... listening to the hypocrisy dripping, spewing from the mouths of the Labor ministers," Mr Pyne told Sky News. "I mean, Kevin Rudd, for example, he worked as hard as he could to get on to Alan Jones when he was the leader of the Opposition - he couldn't get enough of Alan Jones. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-03/pyne-accuses-rudd-of-hypocrisy-over-jones/4293014

nasking

3/10/2012 You'll find this worth reading: [b]Non-resource companies could contribute an extra $125 billion to the Australian economy over the next decade if they lift their exports to Asia back up to 2001 levels, according to a report by Boston Consulting Group. [/b] [b]The BCG report encourages Australian businesses to follow the lead of companies like ANZ Banking Group Ltd and Leighton Holdings Ltd that have made Asia a core part of their strategies, despite perceived risk about investing in the region.[/b] Imagining Australia in the Asian Century says that while Australia's non-resource exports to Asia, as a percentage of the region's overall non-resources imports, have fallen from 3.1 per cent in 2001 to 2.8 per cent over the last 10 years, there are "vast new opportunities for Australian firms in Asia outside the resource sector". BCG managing director Ross Love, who co-authored the report, said that there are many reasons to be cautious, but that BCG's research had identified nine areas of opportunity in the region that lined up with the "broad capabilities" of Australian companies. He said Australia’s non-resource exports to Asia would be dragged higher over the next decade because of the sheer scale of Asian economic growth. “But there’s so much more opportunity for Australia’s non-resource firms. The difference between the current trend of decline and a return to a 3.1 percent share could be an additional $A125 billion in non-resource exports by 2021." "These estimates do not include the upside that could occur due to increases in Australian direct and portfolio investment stock in Asia. "If this is taken into account the upside could have the potential to more than double." The report said that while there was growth in US dollar terms, the value of non-resource exports in Australian dollars was slightly lower at $65 billion in 2011 compared to 2001. [b]The report profiled 13 businesses in total: ANZ, Leighton, Hassell, Sedgman, RMIT University, Navitas, SEEK, Jetstar, Linfox Logistics, Crown, Tangalooma Island Resort, tna Australia and Craig Mostyn Group.[/b] http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Aust-could-gain-125bn-from-non-resource-exports-BC-pd20120911-Y2APX?opendocument&src=rss -------- Geez, why doesn't it surprise me they focus on businesses like [b]ANZ bank, Crown, Leighton and SEEK[/b]? N'

nasking

3/10/2012 Interesting they mention 2001. Things really took off for some businesses after the Howard govt won off the back of the Tampa affair...and then we tragically got 9/11. N'

NormanK

3/10/2012N'ellie May I have a step-by-step tutorial to walk you through acquiring an avatar of your own choosing. Let me know if you want me to put it up.

N'ellie May

3/10/2012Thank you NormanK, It's just an angry looking avatar! I'd prefer something more benign.

Jason

3/10/2012@JuliaGillard PM is blogging LIVE right now at http://ow.ly/eaQlO . Ask the Prime Minister a question. TeamJG pic.twitter.com/BGFo6cyh

LadyInRed

3/10/2012Oh dear Newman really is a fool isn't he? If he wants some of the Alan Jones shit to stick to him - I am fine with that. He is such a mealy mouthed, dope....that's what he is an absolute dope. And while I am at it Rudd should have kept his head out of it too. The good thing to come out of this, is that which has been alluded to, that maybe politicians might start believing that they no longer need to appear on these shock jock shows. TAbbott and Newman are always one step behind the rest of us, clinging to the old order. Perhaps the new order will be "shock jocks who needs them". Jones could never get over 100,000 signatures on a petition. The best he can do is get a couple of hundred (if that) people to turn up to parliament house standing around looking ridiculous. Jones needs the severist and most sustained message sent to him that truly hits him hard in the hip pocket. If we can make an example of him it might just work to change the tone of the political debate in this country. But he wont go easily, it will have to be sustained, so if we hear of firms going back to advertise with him we need to start firing off emails again. The pressure needs to be maintained. It will be interesting to watch how this pans out.

NormanK

3/10/2012LadyInRed As I read it at the moment, Newman is drunk with power. He seems to think that he is unassailable, doesn't need to account for himself and that his opinion is gospel. The next Newspoll, one that isn't skewed by three month averages, is going to come as a blow to him. He is also in for some reality checks when he comes up against experienced federal ministers who are not going to put up with his bluster. Who knows, he might even turn out to be a decent premier but he has some hard lessons to learn first - one of them being that power is mercurial.

NormanK

3/10/2012N'ellie May [u]Gravatar Tutorial[/u] Bear with me if I state the obvious but we'll try to do this in one hit. If you don't already have an image in mind, do something like a Google Image search and pick one out. Copy and store this image somewhere that you feel you can navigate to easily later on e.g My Documents. Go to Gravatar Home Page. http://en.gravatar.com/ Click on "Sign Up" at the top of the page. The new page will ask for your e-mail address. Fill in your address and click "Signup". Wait for an e-mail from Gravatar. This is their way of confirming that you actually exist at this e-mail address. As part of this e-mail there will be a link which begins with "http://en.gravatar.com/accounts/activate/" and more. Click on this link and it should take you to a registration page at Gravatar.com. I can't replicate this next step because an account already exists for my e-mail address but from memory this is where you need to create a Username and a Password. Here is the most likely hurdle. Because Gravatar is world-wide, there is a high likelihood that someone else has already used your Username. You need to devise a different one and see if the system will accept it. If you get a message along the lines of "username already in use" you will need to fiddle some more with your username. (Now is a good time to point out that the only time you will need this username is at the Gravatar site. Once your image has been accepted and attached to your e-mail address it will follow your e-mail address wherever you go.) Keep trying until you get a name which is acceptable to the system. WRITE THIS DOWN. My suggestion would be to rename your proposed image so that the two things are visually connected for possible later use. You will need to create a Password. Do so and WRITE IT DOWN. Click Register or Next or whatever the button is to go forward. You will be invited to attach an image to your e-mail address. Click "My computer's hard-drive". A new page should appear. Click "Choose File". A new window will drop down. Navigate to where your image is stored and click on it. Click "Choose". Drop down window will disappear. Click "Next". This will upload your image to the Gravatar database and your browser should refresh with your image centre-screen. You can crop your image by moving the dotted lines individually or from a corner. Gravatar images are square so if your original is rectangular you will need to crop it. Making the dotted "crop box" smaller zooms in on the image so play with it until you are happy with the Preview. Click "Crop and Finish!". Select a rating for your image - hopefully not "X". This will upload your edited image to the database. Note : your original image in My Documents is not altered by this process. You should see a blue box with your cropped image beside your e-mail address. Below this will be : "Select image (below) to use for the selected email (above)" Click on your image. This last step is probably not necessary but do it anyway. A confirm message comes up. Click "Confirm". You will return to Manage Gravatars page. This is the end of the process. Because you are a good cyber-citizen, click on My Account and Log Out so that you are not taking up server space. Wait at least 10 minutes. Return to your favourite blog, refresh and look at one of your previous posts to see if you have been successful. If it is not there at first wait another ten minutes and refresh. It's important to know that you can continue to use your current name because your Gravatar follows your e-mail address not any username. The Gravatar is applied retrospectively so that all of your previous posts on other Gravatar-enabled sites will be accompanied by this image. This is good and bad. Your nom de plume gives you a certain degree of anonymity but your Gravatar makes you recognisable to an extent. If you use another e-mail address your image will not appear. I hope this helps. If you fail the first time, try again but take note of the steps you have taken and where outcomes differ from those above and in this way we can find the shortcoming in my tutorial or the error in your application. Good luck. PS The Political Sword or the programme that powers the site is doing some odd things with Gravatar. Sometimes it takes weeks for changes to take effect. If you are registered to comment on some other blog, I suggest you look for your new Gravatar there before you worry that it hasn't appeared here.

nasking

3/10/2012 [quote]Now, this bankrupt Opposition delivers statements with sneers and smirks, not ideas and alternatives.[/quote] Reminded me of the approach of Old Guard Liberal Ross Cameron on SLY NEWS this lunchtime...he's a smug, sneering character...always spinning...how anyone can criticise this level of unemployment, low interest rates, managed inflation, abundance of cheap goods including clothes and electrical...whilst talking down the economy is beyond me? Particularly, those from the Howard government who gave us so many interest rate rises in a row once they'd managed to hook millions of young people into unaffordable, or barely affordable, homes...and pushed them to have heaps of babies. Talk about a morally bankrupt group. Seems to me that the irresponsible, power hungry Libs like Abbott & Hockey have no qualms about trying to sabotage the economy verbally...and by way of certain News Ltd and other columnists...and some representing the corporate sector...including certain bank CEOs and execs. They're a bleedin' disgrace. But the public are waking up to these saboteurs and frauds. N'

N'ellie May

3/10/2012NormanK Thank you so much for that really helpful support. I have printed off your instructions and will hopefully be successful. Kind Regards,

KHTAGH

3/10/2012N'ellie May I know what your saying & I agree with you, unfortunately I have struck a slight problem where it comes to Mr Ellis. He only posts on sites where the editors will delete, within a very short period anything that is said against him. I don't know why but I have had several shots at him on several sites over the last few months & the worst I posted was [i]"I can see why your not welcome by most ALP people anymore"[/i], or [i]"for someone with the hide of a rhino you have a thin skin Bob"[/i] Which I consider completely benign compared to what gets posted here by the [b]"boil"[/b] & is left posted [u][for which I congratulate Ad Astra for][/u] as the [b]"boil"[/b] doesn't realise he is being lanced every time. They all!! get deleted, off his personal site, the conversation, & only recently IA [I mentioned it here too at the time]. So there is something very funny going on with ex-labor person Mr Ellis. Maybe its the fact he is a Ruddite? [no I've never got up his nose or anything] So it seems few can complain about him, hence no outrage. Yes it makes my blood boil too for what he said.

nasking

3/10/2012 Reminder: [b]Ross Alexander Cameron[/b] (born 14 May 1965), Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 to October 2004, representing the Division of Parramatta, New South Wales. [b]He was one of only three coalition members to lose their seat in the 2004 election. [/b] ...he was born in Sydney, New South Wales, grew up in Turramurra in Sydney [b]and was educated at Knox Grammar School and Sydney University. [/b] He was a lawyer before entering politics. [b]He was policy adviser and research officer to the New South Wales Minister for Transport, Bruce Baird, and an intern to United States Republican Senator Mark Hatfield.[/b] While a member of parliament, Cameron was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Family and Community Services from 2001–2003 and [b]Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer (Peter Costello) [/b]2003–2004. Cameron ran regular prayer meetings for politicians in his office in Parliament House. [b]Cameron ran an eight year campaign while in office against the Parliament House contemporary art collection.[/b] Christianity and The Fellowship [b]Cameron, along with several other Australian Politicians, has been associated with the American evangelical Christian organisation, The Fellowship/The Family.[/b] US Senator Mark Hatfield, with whom Cameron served an internship, is a significant leader in the secretive organisation. Fairfax publication The Sydney Morning Herald later noted that Cameron "realised he had been so indiscreet – [b]his lover shared a house with a News Limited journalist[/b] – that it would come out anyway". After his departure from parliament, he joined Macquarie Bank's Investment Banking Group, working primarily on partnerships between the public and private sectors. He left Macquarie in 2008. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Cameron The Libs just can't shake off these Old Guard Libs...they're not doing the look of the party any good at all. N'

KHTAGH

3/10/2012NormanK [i] PS The Political Sword or the programme that powers the site is doing some odd things with Gravatar. Sometimes it takes weeks for changes to take effect. If you are registered to comment on some other blog, I suggest you look for your new Gravatar there before you worry that it hasn't appeared here.[/i] Yes so true, it took my new one over 2 weeks to appear here, the easiest way is to post to Crikey in the comments to see if your new one is active. Then do what sage AA told me....wait.

nasking

3/10/2012 Ahhh, I knew there was a connection between Boston Consulting Group and Noel Pearson...this to begin with: [b]Corporate types are in awe of him, too. ''He's one of the smartest people I've ever met – a prodigious intellect,'' says Colin Carter, a founding partner of the Australian branch of Boston Consulting Group and a long-time supporter of Pearson's. It seems to Carter that, even if Pearson has a spiky side, his foibles should be weighed against ''his huge and beneficial impact on our country''. Geniuses are often flawed, Carter says. ''I cut great people a bit of slack.''[/b] http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/cape-crusader-20120820-24h57.html The article is worth reading in its entirety. There's even a pic of Tony Abbott. N'

2353

3/10/2012Is this why she resigned from the Senate? http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-03/mary-jo-fisher-admits-shoplifting/4293296

Patriciawa

3/10/2012Good research, Nasking. I've always thought it a pity that Noel Pearson took off to the right. He seemed so promising working with Keating. I guess it's a blessing he's not active in the Coalition and genuinely seems to prefer grass roots influence. Fascinating stuff about Romney and Netanyahu. I had been worrying about Israel and a likely ME war if the Repubs got in. But will it be likely to develop a siege mentality if Obama romps home, as looks likely?

N'ellie May

3/10/2012Thanks for your excellent instructions, NormanK. Looks as though I had instant results. Julia on ABC24 tonight with a community cabinet meeting in Tasmania. Her live blogging site was terrific- thanks Jason.

NormanK

3/10/2012N'ellie May WooHoo!! Much more appealing than the grumpy face. :)

nasking

3/10/2012 From the Noel Pearson article above: Bycroft says he was surprised when an education department official told him that in order to win the evaluation-plan contract, his company would have to hire a particular consultant recommended by Pearson. His next surprise came when a senior executive of Pearson's Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy – the organisation whose work was to be assessed – said to him: ''I don't want any findings that people will use against us.'' A draft document in which [b]Bycroft expressed concern about the academy's defensive attitude and ''cult-like adherence to the concepts of Direct Instruction'' was leaked to Pearson, who phoned him in a fury. ''I got this 30-minute tirade,'' Bycroft says.[/b] Interesting. I know that some in the Murdoch empire really dig Direct Instruction...Bolt for one. Others @ The Australian. Marcia Langton seems to think it useful. Anyone know what Tony Jones thinks? And Mr. Greiner? Mark Scott of the ABC? N'

Patriciawa

3/10/2012You are obviously a good trainee, N'ellie May. Congratulations on your choice of gravatar! 'N - re those luscious meals you are preparing for Stacey. How much of that.... [i]spinach and lentil gnocchi with fresh organic silverbeet, garlic, grated carrot, leek, celery, capsicum, zuchinni, sun dried tomatoes...added organic pasta sauce...parmesan and freshly squeezed lemon juice[/i]came from your own garden? Are you still writing about it? As you did in the past @ http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/archived/literature/australiana/ ? [i]Italian parsley & paddles of spinach wave, content w/ the breeze flourishing herbs for a meal or twelve hundred green compatriots to the red competition hot gut rotting chillies that scarlet the bed and numerous pots…patient & prettified [/i]

NormanK

3/10/2012Sometimes the Chaser boys get it just right. The Hamster Wheel. Alan Jones : Post-Apology Debrief (Secret Recording) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXxJfs7mtW0&feature=youtu.be [b]Warning[/b]: Frequent coarse language. :D

nasking

3/10/2012 LOL. Patricia, how that brings back memories. Thnx. Alas, only tomatoes, parsley and rosemary in the garden right now. I intend to put in more in a few weeks, once I get more time...between cooking, domestic and care duties, budgeting & online banking, making food & recipe lists, ordering foodstuffs, mowing lawn, trimming and watering, feeding birds and cats, putting in weekly TV shows for Stace & I to watch, replying to online emails from family & friends, overseas calls to family giving updates on S's health, working out medicine scripts, listening to and recording music for my music project partner in Sydney, watching news programs as fast as possible, and rushing thru readings and blogging in-between times...etc etc...I find sadly I don't have enuff time to do as much gardening...and poetry writing as I used to. But once Stace is running on fully charged battery again we will visit Bunnings, a nursery and landscape supplies place in order to get the garden ship shape and flourishing with veges and flowers...hopefully looking tops, plenty of veges to eat...for when my Stepmom and her hubby arrive from America in March 2013. In fact, having it done by Christmas would be nice. Ya know how we love our Christmas dinner themes. Italian this year. Yum! Cheers, N'

Lyn

3/10/2012N'ellie May Congratulations a beautiful Gravatar, gorgeous roses. NormanK is TPS"s in house IT Tech head. Brilliant instructions NormanK and a happy little learner. :):):):)

nasking

3/10/2012 Speaking of Nick Greiner...memories...plus ce change...: Premier of New South Wales Greiner handed over a number of responsibilities previously associated with the Premier's Department to other ministers, in order that he could focus on repairing the State's parlous financial position. The Greiner government, which promised "sensible, moderate but progressive" government, [b]wasted no time in commencing its legislative agenda, announcing across-the-board spending cuts and plans to announce a mini-budget in June. [/b] [b]A key government policy was to cut costs in education, including increasing charges for public education, eliminating free public transport for school students and reducing teaching staff (2,400 teaching staff and 800 support staff) through creating composite classes and closing smaller schools, while looking for public assets to sell (ultimately $340 million of assets were identified) and capital works projects which could be abandoned. [/b] However, it was forced to defer its plans to repeal Aboriginal land rights legislation (an election commitment) and reduce the power of the Ombudsman to investigate the police when Democrat and Call to Australia members of the Upper House combined with Labor to defeat these pieces of legislation. [b]By September 1988, having promised at the election to run the state like a business, the government were able to announce serious progress towards reducing the state debt and its first budget projected a surplus, and were trying to resolve housing pressures caused by rapidly increasing house prices (which rose from $65,000 to $165,000 in the twelve months to October).[/b] Another election promise realised by the new Government was to create the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) capable of investigating allegations of corruption and graft against the government and within the state. In its first year, it investigated large donations to the Labor and National parties. Despite significant pressure from the parliamentary Nationals, whose leader was implicated in one of the investigations, Greiner refused to budge or to dilute ICAC's powers. [b]By 1989, the government's position could be described as higher government charges and reduced government services. Increased taxes and fees on motor vehicle drivers, petrol, water, public transport and child care, as the aforementioned cuts to education took effect, the pay of health workers was frozen, workers' compensation to injured workers was limited (although this was later blocked by the Upper House) and state assets were sold off.[/b] A series of strikes on the part of teachers and the growing unpopularity of Education Minister Terry Metherell caused problems for the Greiner government during the latter stages of its first term. In August 1989, the Industrial Commission ruled against the government in determining that class sizes were an industrial issue rather than the sole discretion of the Director-General. The government also cut rail services to the north coast, deeming them commercially unviable, and cut 8,000 State Rail Authority employees in an effort to offset the authority's $1 billion annual debt — however, this left the Pacific Highway as the only land transport link for several major towns, and in October and December 1989, two major crashes on the road, both involving passenger buses, claimed a combined total of 54 deaths and 55 injuries. [b]While Opposition Leader Bob Carr made the link between pressure on roads and withdrawal of the country services, a coroner's report in April 1990 pinned the blame on the Federal Government and its "piecemeal" approach to repairs of the Pacific Highway.[/b] The government meanwhile reduced speed limits for heavy vehicles to 90 km/h after the accidents, but a work-to-rule campaign by the Transport Workers Union disrupted Sydney's peak-hour traffic and Greiner overrode the Transport Minister to restore the previous 100 km/h limit in late January 1990. In May 1990, Greiner asked Metherell to try and resolve the ongoing battle with the State's teachers, and they were offered a 9% pay rise, although the disputes continued. [b]Lecturers in the TAFE system, also within Metherell's portfolio, joined them after the government indicated its willingness to implement a report by a private management consultant envisaging a public-private partnership and massive staffing cuts. Metherell resigned from his position in 1990 but the disputes with teachers continued.[/b] Regarded as a fiscal conservative, Greiner was still considered much further to the left than many of his fellow Liberals in terms of social policy. He criticised then Federal Opposition Leader John Howard's controversial comments on immigration policy during the late 1980s, and was widely respected within the ethnic community. Buoyed by his government's strong performance in the polls, Greiner called a snap election for 25 May 1991. Despite widespread predictions by political and media commentators that Greiner would be easily re-elected to a second term, the impact of the Government's policies, particularly in terms of service cuts and increased charges, caused many voters to turn back to Labor. The election saw the Coalition win 52 percent of the two-party vote. However, Labor took back many marginal seats it had lost in its severe defeat of three years prior. The result was a hung Parliament, with the Coalition one seat short of a majority. Greiner was forced into a minority government, relying on support from four Independent MPs. His parliamentary majority was further eroded with the decision of Terry Metherell to become an Independent Member of the Legislative Assembly in late 1991, and with the loss of The Entrance in a 1992 by-election following a Court of Disputed Returns overthrowing the original result. Wikipedia Feels like Groundhog Day. ;) N'

Casablanca

3/10/2012Jason, Thanks for the link to the PM live blogging in Launceston. I am in awe of her touch typing skills. How nice to see some civil discourse. The PM, as we know, is unfailingly polite,respectful and gracious so it was nice to see that reciprocated. http://www.examiner.com.au/story/373560/replay-our-live-chat-with-julia-gillard/?cs=94

Michael

3/10/2012Dear Christopher Pyne, The definition of "vomitous" is 'nauseating'. "It makes me feel vomitous..." Mr Pyne told Sky News Thank you for your potted (and very honest) autobiography.

Michael

3/10/2012http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4293580.html Why Alan Jones believes everyone has got it in for him.

nasking

3/10/2012 From Abbott's Mr. Tudge: 12th April, 2012 [b]Quality teaching neglected in relentless funding focus[/b] [b]The second policy failure is that Gonski and the Government assume that the declining standards in our schools are primarily due to a lack of funding, when there is no evidence to suggest this. Over the last decade, Australia has increased real per-student expenditure by 44 per cent, but we are one of only four OECD countries to go backwards in international tests. We are also dropping in absolute terms. The Grattan Institute finds that our Asian neighbours spend less per student than we do and have significantly larger class sizes (almost double in some cases), but are between one and three years more advanced than Australian students.[/b] http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3945864.html Cool...we can spend less on our public education...have bigger class sizes...lots of testing...cramming...stress...herd mentality...home tutoring and homework to ensure students are studying a minimum of 12 hours a day...we can have authoritarian classrooms...teachers cowed by admin and certain parents...students cowed by educators...everybody doing the corporate dance...rote learning with lots of pressure...myopic students extremely obedient on the surface not always so good with problem solving...lots of students coming out obsessed, driven... Should be fun. Productive. Get out yer whips. And stern & highly competitive looks...work them kids til they drop. Failing, making mistakes, being different is not an option. Ask JK Rowling...nothing to be learnt from failure. Nothing to see here move on. Corporate Indie and Charter schools anyone? Educators at half the price...bargain basement robots. What me worry? We can teach and eat sushi, noodles and rice. And our own. N'

nasking

3/10/2012 Speaking of Mr. Jones: [b]Who's for Breakfast, Mr Jones?: Sydney's talkback titan and his mythical power[/b] David Salter THE MONTHLY | THE MONTHLY ESSAYS | MAY 2006 [quote]It’s the tone that first strikes you. That slightly prissy, impatient, semi-sour way of speaking that makes his voice on radio so distinctive. Not the sleeves-rolled-up journalistic directness of Neil Mitchell, nor the deep, mahogany oiliness of super-salesman John Laws. He gallops through words, almost stumbling over his asymmetrical phrasing and peculiar patterns of emphasis. Language and the microphone have been his only real tools for twenty years, yet Alan Belford Jones – The Parrot – never seems quite comfortable. That tone. Nagging. Insistent. Unrelenting. Even on the brink of verbal derailment he keeps signalling to his audience: ‘What I’m telling you is urgent. These words are important. You need to know this.’... ...It belongs to a man who’s amassed immense wealth by claiming to speak for the suburban battler on ‘struggle street’... ...It’s the voice of our best-known bunyip blowhard: a demagogue who manipulates almost by habit, peddles base prejudice and will pipe just about any tune he’s paid to play. Alan, I want to thank you, from me, for being the best friend anyone could ever hope for. You’re a proud Australian, a unique Australian, and we need more Australians like you. – James Packer, Chairman of PBL, on the Alan Jones Program, 2UE, 2002 ...For most Australians watching the ‘live’ telecast of the memorial service for Kerry Packer, the choice of Alan Jones as MC must have seemed obscure, even bizarre. Who was that smug, middle-aged man with such pretensions to familiarity with the deceased and his family that he could refer to the departed mogul as “KP” throughout the service? He made Packer sound like a brand of dog food, yet the choice of Jones for this sensitive role passed with little comment. At one point towards the end of proceedings, Jones, who has no sense of irony, solemnly described the nation’s wealthiest and most notorious bully as “an everyman – the voice of Australians with no voice”. Not one of the twelve hundred mourners dared laugh. Rupert Murdoch: Well, look at the power of radio. Look at your power. You’ve got more power than I have at the moment. Alan Jones: Oh, cut it out. – Alan Jones Program, 2GB, April 2004 ...But it is precisely this mastery of populist nonsense that gives the Jones program its perceived power and influence. He has become amazingly adept at identifying material that can be beaten into a lather of public outrage. The bulk of his program – apart from the advertising – is now devoted to these campaigns: Jones pompously putting himself on the white charger of moral certainty and riding the tired old nag all the way to his next ratings win. It’s done with such arrogance, hyperbole and eruptions of offensive intimidation that few are brave enough to stand against the juggernaut. Out of my way! Here comes radio’s caped crusader to the rescue! The methodology that underpins these campaigns rarely changes: pick a target that’s unlikely, or unable, to hit back, then go for the jugular. Pursue the victim with relentless hammer-blows of repetition and keep the emotive crusades rolling for weeks on end. Yesterday’s rumour becomes today’s half-truth and tomorrow’s established fact. The Witches of Salem descend on the breakfast airwaves... ...Here’s the reality. Remarkably few people now call talkback programs. (Conceding this drought, Jones has taken to urging people to ring him rather than send emails.) Of those who do call, only a few are chosen by the producers for the honour of joining the queue to converse on-air with Jones. The producers do a quick pre-interview with each caller and make a selection of those who best suit the tenor of the program. Thus, anyone who survives this process to have their fifteen seconds of fame on 2GB has been manipulated into a role that primarily serves the purposes of Jones and his staff. Such are the pathetic practical dimensions of the ‘tide of talkback opinion’. None of this is unique to Jones or his program, but it is Jones who most frequently claims to represent the thundering truth of public sentiment: Public opinion can win the battle. The power of public opinion can never be underestimated so long as we get off our backside and do something... ...For someone who expends so much verbiage trying to give the impression that money isn’t important, Jones has proved himself incredibly adept at amassing the stuff. Sam Chisholm, no slouch at negotiating media deals of dazzling scale, told John Singleton that the agreement that brought Jones to 2GB was the largest single contract for a media performer in Australian history. He should know. And that’s not counting the income we don’t know about – the millions that ooze through the sewers of commercial radio with secret strings attached, but leaving few traces. To the bulk of Australia, beyond the endless suburban sprawl of Sydney, Alan Jones is best known as a central villain in the ‘cash-for-comment’ scandals of 1999. But five years earlier he’d already been exposed as a broadcaster who was happy to push a barrow, so long as the price was right. In an episode titled ‘Optus and The Parrot’, Media Watch proved that Jones had taken huge undeclared payments to favour Optus, then a new telecommunications carrier, while at the same time denigrating its major competitor, Telstra... ...Further proof that Jones will say just about anything for money emerged after he switched from 2UE to 2GB. At his former station he’d been paid to boost Optus; at the same time, he had denigrated Telstra, at one point describing them as “corporate thugs”. Now, at 2GB, the station did a $1.2 million per year deal with Telstra for Jones to turn his coat inside out and say precisely the opposite. The Telstra marketing plan for 2002 provided a helpful description of why spending $5000 a day to buy Jones’s opinion is good value: “The audience is extremely loyal to Jones and they listen to and respect his opinions and they use them to influence friends and families.” When the deal was concluded, Jones wrote to a senior Telstra executive cooing, We will be doing our very best to advance your causes. And he delivered in spades. Jones was soon – and repeatedly – describing his new paymasters as “good corporate citizens” and praising them for their “contribution to the community”. But there’s an even more sinister aspect to this deal. The package with Jones also bought Telstra silence. Cash for no comment. Hush money. An ABA investigation found that during the period of the Telstra–2GB deal there were no interviews during the Jones program with experts or commentators who might hold views counter to the nominated Telstra line. Nor did representatives or spokespersons for Optus and Hutchison – Telstra’s main competitors at the time – get one second of airtime. Yet Jones can still declare, I have never had a cent from Telstra in my life, presumably relying on his standard disingenuous claim that it was the radio station, not him directly, who received the money. The bulk of the damning evidence assembled by the ABA on this whole smelly arrangement was never officially published. After the draft report arrived on the desk of then ABA chairman, Professor David Flint, its original findings and conclusions were mysteriously recast. The Telstra–2GB–Jones deal now received what David Marr, on the ABC, called “the big tick” from the ABA and its chairman. A possible reason for this remarkable turnaround was then revealed by Media Watch and Mark Day of the Australian. There had been an exchange of cloying letters between the ABA chairman and Jones, each stroking the other’s tummy. Here’s an excerpt from just one of those letters, written by Professor Flint to Jones on 11 June 1999, three months before the ABA’s inquiry began: Dear Alan, … you have an extraordinary ability of capturing and enunciating the opinions of the majority on so many issues. This of course annoys those who have a different agenda. I suspect it is extremely irritating to them that you do it so well … Keep up your considerable contribution to the widening of our national debates. Sincerely, David How nice, and how utterly unwise. Not long after this correspondence became public, Flint was forced to resign his chairmanship. ...Alan Belford Jones delights at hinting that he holds enormous sway over the machinery of policy-making, but it’s more illusion than reality: a perception founded on his tireless self-promotion and thinly veiled threats to mobilise that influence to embarrass whoever might be his chosen target de jour. At core he’s just another radio performer being paid a fortune to prattle his way through all those thousands of empty hours between the ads. It’s showbiz, not politics.[/quote] Much much more here: http://www.themonthly.com.au/sydneys-talkback-titan-and-his-mythical-power-whos-breakfast-mr-jones-david-salter-216 --------- Frankly, I reckon he's just a blowhard...raging as the sun goes down...speaker for the grumpy and delusional with victim mentality...speaker for the almost dead...and sometimes dead at heart...opportunistic charitable...convenient sympathisers...part-time compassionate conservatives...raging against change... kinda boring really. But, whatever floats yer boat...tho this boat looks like it's sinking. Sinking at twilight. N'

KHTAGH

3/10/2012NormanK Thanks for that link I can't stop watching it, its so funny. That will go viral I'd say.

nasking

3/10/2012 From Skeptical over @ Cafe Whispers...read ot out loud to someone...it's hilarious: Skeptical OCTOBER 3, 2012 @ 9:01 AM I would like to say in advance… Sorry for this The Abbott of OZ. Julie.. the Bishop… sat on her porch With her small mincing poodle called Pyney As a dog he was crap.. but he sat on her lap.. And he didn’t bark.. just sounded.. whiney And along the east coast.. the right wings.. great boast Was that services… they would be cutting With the axe they were wielding… and political storm building As a result of the things…they were shutting And as Julie watched on… the storm came along Giving her no time.. to even go.. for a pee Though a staunch right wing toff.. the storm sucked her right off Unceremoniously dumping her in Sydney As Pyney.. her poodle sat licking his doodle Young Julie looked down in dismay Her landing had been broken.. by that sad human token Sophie.. the wicked witch… of the day As a pollie she’s sad… as a human she’s bad With notoriety… around all that she’s spoken Laying flat on the ground… with her thinking not sound And her leg like her moral compass… was broken Then the good witch… Ms Gillard.. stepped out from her front yard Removing.. golden shoes.. from the beast That woman’s a sleaze… but you may as well have these She’s got one thing… that’s useful… at least Now.. if you want to go back… give the Abbott a crack But I don’t like your chances… I’ll say Cos he’s hard to pin down.. acting more like a clown And when asked things… he just runs away The Hume Highway you know.. is the way you must go To our Canberra… the Abbotts spin city Full of press.. leaning right.. and the Liberals.. a blight But the rest of the place is quite pretty So with nothing to lose.. Julie put on Sophie’s shoes Heading down.. the yellow brick road… in disgust When a scarecrow she saw…and a Lion with no roar And a tin man all covered in rust Now the scarecrow she saw…was a man.. stuffed.. with straw And…. Barnaby Joyce…. was his name From his pole… down he came.. then tried climbing it again Cos poor Barnaby… was lacking.. a brain The tin man.. Joe Hockey… was acting so cocky Brain rusted and refusing to start Caring not what he said.. causing people such dread And totally… lacking in… heart And the lion named Turnbull.. truth and fact.. he will spurn all To keep faith… with the great party line The NBN he’ll try sacking… cos his courage is lacking And his credibility’s… on the decline So her dysfunctional mob… getting on with the job Moved along.. down the road to spin city With their hopes running high and a glint in their eye Except for pyney.. who’s demeanour was shitty Musical interlude; 
♫ We’re off to see the Abbott, The misogynist Abbott of Oz We hear he is a pugilist wiz, if ever a wiz there was If ever, oh ever a wiz there was, The Abbott of Oz is one because Because, because, because, because, because Because of the misogynist things he does 
♫
♫
♫ Back to the tale; So to Canberra they came.. primed and set for the game With their burdens… all keen.. to unload But with many paths to choose… and guided by.. Sophie’s shoes They were quickly.. led down.. the wrong road But they found their way back.. to the Parliament shack As the Abbotts.. grand office they sought It was quite hard to dodge… as he called it “The Lodge” A bit presumptuous… most people thought So they knocked on the door… feeling tired and sore Until ‘Come’.. was the call from within And they entered his lair… for an audience.. fair But instead they got mouthfuls of spin When he finally stopped… Julie’s question.. she popped ‘To my home….. can you help me to go?’ But his wobble and stare… showed he wasn’t all there Till at last he responded with … ‘NO.’ Then they all stated hey.. we’ve been walking all day And all you give us… is stupid death stares So with a face full of thunder.. he gave them lifeline’s… phone number Saying.. ring that.. and tell someone who cares So their goals were sent packing.. as they were all sadly lacking Fitting perfectly… with Abbotts theme As lacking brains.. courage.. and heart… is an integral part And requirement.. for joining his team So he asked them to stay… offering excellent pay Joining him and the rest of his bogans In the campaign of fear… running out of his rear Spouting nothing but spin.. lies and slogans So they all joined his team.. and promoted his theme In the place that they truly belong And they found a good fit… in that vacuous pit And their commitment.. to Abbott.. was strong And the moral for all.. who consider voting.. Liberal Is to look.. to the team… that you’re backing For a political storm… will become Abbotts norm As.. brains.. courage.. and hearts.. they are lacking NOT… Cheers BTW… 100,500+

LadyInRed

3/10/2012The PM doing a great job in Tasmania tonight. She ha tears in her eyes as one member of the audience make a statement to the PM about the terrible vilification she has endured. Very touching to see tears in her eyes. If she does not win the next election Australia will be the loser.

2353

3/10/2012Thanks for the reminder of Griener Nas, the story of the withdrawal of rail services to the NSW North Coast will be used in a email to the local MP who "bitterly opposed" a sell off of some Government land in my area and has now performed a triple backflip with pike - and sends a letter out suggesting it's the ALP and Council's fault if the site is over developed. You catering skills sound amazing - we'll be around for dinner on Saturday if that's OK? :D Really, Stacey is extremely lucky that you care enough and have the capability to do something.

Todd

3/10/2012Can someone please explain to me why the ABC insists on constantly having Chris (unemployment will hit 8.5%) Richardson as their go to man on any economic issue? That guy is always wrong with his predictions, usually painting the most negative possible scenario and usually throwing in a snide jibe against the current government but never held to account for his wrong predictions. Still the ABC go back time and time again to this supposed oracle of economics. How a so called expert can so consistently be off the mark is beyond me. Perhaps the ABC can ask my opinion in future, Im no expert but reckon I could just toss a coin and be right more often than this Richardson hack.

NormanK

3/10/2012I've just finished watching the Community Cabinet on 'tape' and I have to join the chorus of condemnation of ABC24 for their inability to judge what is worth broadcasting and what is not. In ten questions from community members at this type of forum we learn more than we do from a hundred questions from the opposition in QT. And probably twice as much as we do from Dorothy Dixers. ABC24, in their wisdom, left the Cabinet Meeting to go to their regular sports' programme - why? One event is news, rare, topical and live and the other, while it might still be news, is not topical, definitely not rare and could be broadcast at any time. I have just been reminded why I don't watch ABC24. Whatever happened to the much vaunted 'hungry beast' that needs to be fed new material in order to keep active the dreaded 24 hour news cycle? Here they had something that happily fills the spaces between regular (regurgitated) programmes and they switched away from it. I guess it is not as exciting as watching a panel of journalists analysing every nuance of every word that was uttered today (without actually giving any useful background to the material that they are discussing). That editorial decision was appalling. LadyInRed The PM wasn't the only one with a tear in her eye. And Jones says he can't understand why he is copping the level of blowback that he is currently enjoying. I can only assume that he truly believes that he speaks for the vast majority of Australians and the rest of us are just hate-filled ratbags. That gentleman tonight and the reaction of the rest of the room give the lie to that notion.

Ad astra

3/10/2012Good evening folks I've been busy today with family matters and in between writing a piece for posting, probably tomorrow. So I haven't been commenting, but have enjoyed reading yours. Goodnight.

Ad astra

3/10/2012N,ellie May A belated welcome to [i]The Political Sword[/i] family. Do come again Thank you for your kind comments and your reference to the Bob Ellis article on Julia Gillard in [i]The Australian[/i], a paper that would delight in printing any anti-Gillard material, especially coming from a supposedly Labor supporter. I can't get behind its pay-wall and don't want to. Ellis loves writing polemic and enjoys being the centre of controversy. His influence is small, and his loyalty to the cause he has espoused for so long is now in question. His is unimportant and best ignored.

nasking

4/10/2012 2353, glad to be of assistance re: Griener. Yer always welcome to pop around...you live locally from what I recall. You can contact me via Facebook. Withdrawing rail services is a disgrace. The govt needs to ignore that right-winger David Murray's economic advice...what a load of balderdash...they should use some of the Super Fund to build essential future and productivity improving transport and infrastructure. Murray is spin spin spin. Tired of governments building projects at taxpayer's expense only to selloff, privatise at bargain basement prices...and shareholders and boards consist of members from the mainstream parties. Cheers N'

Casablanca

4/10/2012Kay Thanks for your article. I appreciated your point of view and hope that you write for us again. I'm afraid that you were drowned out by the need to address the menace of Alan Jones.

TalkTurkey

4/10/2012 Ad Your dismissal of Bob Ellis is hilarious. Having only observed him up close and personal a few times I must say he reminds me powerfully of Alexander Pope's wonderful couplet: [i]Coffee, which makes the politician wise, And see through all things with his half-shut eyes. [/i] The Rape of the Lock. Canto iii. Line 117. He is sort of a deliberate slob, affectedly lugubrious, ponderous, apparently believing that his slothful assumed persona will convey the appearance of a deeply cogitative sage. Well, having seen him sucking up to Mike Rann - himself far from my own fave rave Labor politician, for reasons I will keep to myself, - Well . . . No. So Ad astra I can't help feeling delight in imagining the effect your dissing must be having in Bob.

TalkTurkey

4/10/2012[i]ON[/i] Bob, yes.

2353

4/10/2012THe first 10 minutes or so of "Gruen Planet" last night were on the Jones saga. A must watch and available on iView. It is a very interesting take on it from a marketing perspective and much better done than a similar thing on "The Hamster Wheel". http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/26863

Lyn

4/10/2012TODAY’S LINKS Picked and stuck, Andrew Elder, Politically Homeless Throughout the past couple of days the MSM have run articles claiming that Jones apologised, and social media - not the Journalists' Code of Practice - called them on it. The public record shows that Jones said something appalling about the Prime Minister and that he did not really apologise for it, and apart from Media Watch the MSM have let us down again. http://andrewelder.blogspot.com.au/ Tony Abbott stands by Alan Jones, Women Against Abbott. Fellow travelers at Destroy the Joint have published this list of people who advertised on Alan Jones’ show this morning and supporters have been sending emails and phoning to call on them to drop their sponsorship of Jones. I was going to post the list they sent out today, but so many of the sponsors have since dropped their support for Jones that it would be pointless http://womenagainstabbott.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/tony-abbott-stands-by-alan-jones/ I Fought The Law…, Peter Wicks, Wixxy Leaks In breaking news, WixxyLeaks has been reliably informed that Michael Williamson is to be charged tomorrow morning in connection with the Health Services Union scandal Details are not clear as to what charges Williamson will face, but he has reportedly been told to report to Maroubra Police Station by 8am tomorrow for formal charges to be laid. http://wixxyleaks.com/2012/10/03/i-fought-the-law/ Who wants to confront Alan Jones? Anyone But Abbott, Dr Benjamin Thomas Jones, Independent Australia a series of gaffes made by Mr Abbott and his supporters, and demonstrate just how out-of-touch Mr Abbott is with the people of Australia. There is no place for this kind of vitriol in today’s political discourse, but by accepting such behaviour from Alan Jones without taking serious steps to distance himself and his party from such comments, Mr Abbott is putting his lack of compassion and his weakness of character on display.” http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/who-wants-to-confront-alan-jones-anyone-but-abbott/ Keeping Up With The Jones , Sal Piracha, Only The Depth Varies The rest of Abbott's presser was more about how mean the Government is for blaming poor Tony for everything, and about how he always tries to keep himself nice, focus on policy and avoid personal nastiness. http://onlythedepthvaries.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/keeping-up-with-jones.html Behind the Essential Report, Archie, Archie Archives As the polling gets tighter, the reporting becomes quieter!My tip is that next week there will be no mention of the Polls in the MSM! And the ALP will be in front, the public having decided to ignore the shouted tirades of the Main Stream Media.But always remember that the Coalition will win the next election! Alan Jones keeps telling me! http://archiearchive.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/behind-the-essential-report/ Tony Abbott’s Sanity Questioned On Breakfast Television, Under The Milky Way Tony Abbott’s scare campaign on the Carbon Tax and has begun to impact on his electoral prospects as measured by those polls. Abbott’s scare campaign was so obviously deceitful that influential commentator Laurie Oakes has straight-forwardly called Tony Abbott a liar. http://indifferencegivesyouafright.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/tony-abbotts-sanity-questioned-on- Cranks, crazies and globalisation – US politics is fair game for Aussies , John Quiggin, The Conversation climate conspiracy theories, recycling material derived from the US, are run of the mill material for the Australian right. Some on the Australian right are more circumspect, in a manner that might be described as “cafeteria crazy”. That is, they accept a full-blown conspiracy theory regarding climate change, in which Obama (along with most other world leaders, scientific organisations and so on) are embroiled in a plot to enslave the free peoples of the world. On the other hand, they indignantly reject birtherism, http://theconversation.edu.au/cranks-crazies-and-globalisation-us-politics-is-fair-game-for-aussies-9944 Car sales as a speedo check for the economy, Greg Jericho, The Drum it is worth remembering that while the big economic data are important for providing context on the economy's performance, the micro-level data helps explain while even though the losses of the GFC have been recovered, many people still feel they're behind where they were. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4291460.html The psychological roots of morality (and politics), Ross Gittins I can't go on a sight-seeing holiday without taking a few good books for a little intellectual sustenance at the end of the day. One book I took this time was a ripper, The Righteous Mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion, by Jonathan Haidt, a moral psychologist at the University of Virginia. http://www.rossgittins.com/2012/10/the-psychological-roots-of-morality-and.html Why did the RBA cut- The resources boom is about to peak, Peter Martin The Reserve Bank has cut interest rates to the lowest point since the 2009 financial crisis amid concern the mining investment boom will peak sooner and lower than expected. It is on standby to cut rates again at its November board meeting on Melbourne Cup Tuesday. http://www.petermartin.com.au/ A media performance , Gary Sauer-Thompson, Public Opinion Like many politicians in the Liberal Party Jones doesn't care for the facts or what the fact checking journalists say. Jones' position is that he is entitled to his own facts, over rides the fact checking with bluster and bullying, declares a cultural war on the watch dog press that judges truth from falsehood, and tells his audience to be outraged at their victimhood. http://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2012/10/a-media-perform.php#more Keeping Up With The Jones , Sal Piracha, Only The Depth Varies makes Kyle Sandilands look like an amateur, and makes his conservative audience blush. At last count, over 40 businesses had cancelled their advertising during Alan Jones' show, pulled their advertising from 2GB, or had their online ads removed from the 2GB website. The damage to MRN’s cashflow is estimated at $80,000 per day. Yesterday, Macquarie Radio's shares fell 6%, reducing their market capitalisation by about $3milllion http://onlythedepthvaries.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/keeping-up-with-jones.html Bernardi leaps to the defence of Alan Jones, Cathy Alexander, Crikey “As we’ve seen over the last few weeks, if you’re from the left side of politics it appears you can say almost anything without condemnation, but this rule does not seem to apply from those on the right,” Bernardi declared.“Labor ministers have attacked me, they’ve attacked my colleagues past and present, they’ve twisted and distorted arguments and words in a quest to gain http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/10/03/bernardi-leaps-to-the-defence-of-alan-jones/ THE JOKER IS HE: Greensparty clowncillor Trent McCarthy does dirty deal with Liberal then fails to lodge preferences on time, Vex News An ambitious local Greensparty politician in the northern suburbs of Melbourne tried to do a sleazy preference swap with a notional political rival in the Liberal party. Hilarity ensued when the politician – an occasional stand-up comedian – failed to lodge the preferences on time, leading him to threaten and bully electoral officials who didn’t see the joke. http://www.vexnews.com/2012/10/the-joker-is-he-greensparty-clowncillor-trent-mccarthy-does-dirty-deal-with-liberal-then-fails- Thousands call for Alan Jones’ sacking, Tawakilagi Com Nearly a hundred thousand people want Jones sacked from the station after the shock jock’ told a Sydney University Liberal Club dinner that John Gillard had “died of shame” because of his daughter’s “lies”. An online petition calling for his sacking had around 98,600 signatures by late last night http://www.tawakilagi.com/2012/10/03/thousands-call-for-alan-jones-sacking/ Buzz Aldrin says Australia's NBN the next frontier in communication, Dan Warne, NBNCo NASA Astronaut Buzz Aldrin has given a ringing endorsement to Australia's plan to connect the whole country with high speed broadband after a recent visit to Australia. Buzz was responding to news this week that NBN Co is planning to build a new broadband satellite ground station in Carnarvon, WA, close to a site that was used as a transmission facility in the Apollo missions to the moon http://nbnco.com.au/blog/buzz-aldrin-australias-nbn-next-frontier-in-communications.html Turnbull's 'Better' NBN challenge, Steve Jenkin, Technology Spectator Being a politician is hard and while Malcolm Turnbull has justifiably copped plenty of criticism for his continued obfuscation with regards to the Coalition’s NBN, the shadow communications minister can still play a crucial role in defining our broadband feature. http://technologyspectator.com.au/turnbulls-better-nbn-challenge?utm_source Today’s Front Pages Australia Newspaper Front Pages for 4 October 2012 http://www.frontpagestoday.co.uk/index.cfm?PaperCountry=Australia

Ad astra

4/10/2012LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

jaycee

4/10/2012Getting back to your article, Kay..I believe that labor ought to resist the governance by market forces and return to govt' through initiatives. Regulation and control of essential utilities is a duty of governance...While one does not wish to deny the business initiatives, they ought to be restricted to the benign rather than the command situation they have now. In the course of archived human political history, from the created states of Athens and Rome, we learn that political parties very soon learn how to manipulate both voting and economic structures to favour the rich and we know where THAT led them. No society can risk state security by allowing such a small percentage of the population with little or no interest in the welfare of that state or its' citizens to have control of its' destiny. The self-interest so blatantly shown by such groups in Australia demonstrates a need to wrest control of our essential infrastructures back into the care of govt' beaureacracy. The desire of the right-wing to reduce govt' and therefore its' services to the general public would, by necessity, require a more aggressive and larger police or militant force to control those citizens who find themselves with nothing to lose. Such a force would require, by its' nature, the recruitment of more vicious people who would have no compunction when applying forceful resistance to protest groups. We have witness of such "policing" in other states, other times. One of the great books on the subject of possibilities based on realities is John Dos Passos' "USA". The unfolding dramas of the businessification of American society took that once great idea for a nation from a noble dream to a bloody nightmare....and still the rich believe THEY can show the way! Talk about delusion! This great idea for a nation ..: AUSTRALIA...cannot be placed into the hands of such destroyers!

LadyInRed

4/10/2012Lyn I thought the Hamster Wheel was quite good - I especially liked that they picked up on TAbbott saying he is not about to ignore a large audience such as Jones can command (or words to that effect) and the Hamsters showing 7:30, Lateline and the Brakfast show syaing they asked TAbbott to appear and he refused. Lie-a-lot at it again. His version of the truth will need more time in the confessional, me thinks.

Tom of Melbourne

4/10/2012[i]”…reduce govt' and therefore its' services to the general public would, by necessity, require a more aggressive and larger police or militant force to control those citizens who find themselves with nothing to lose. Such a force would require, by its' nature, the recruitment of more vicious people…[/i] Complete unsubstantiated drivel. This isn’t a blog for political discourse, it’s a place that numerous brain “intestinal gases” congregate.

nasking

4/10/2012 Lyn, thnx for the links... this "intestinal gas' noticed the following from the site 'The Shovel' you linked to yesterday: [quote] [b]Alan Jones’s Science Segmen[/b]t: Time and again my listeners tell me that when it comes to science, they want a different opinion from what is forced on them by the intellectual elite. The so-called research done by the mainstream scientists around the world just doesn’t fit with many of my listener’s desired view of the world. That’s where I can fill the gap. [b]My no-nonsense, common-sense explanations of science are based on over forty years as a broadcaster, English teacher and rugby coach. I coached the Wallabies you know, which is a lot more than Tim Flannery can say.[/b] [b]Your Riot Requests[/b]: This segment is quite simple: [b]listeners will send me short promotions for the riot they’re organising (including where, when and which ethnic minority will be vilified) and I’ll read them out verbatim.[/b] Not that I endorse people taking the law into their own hands, of course.[/quote] Certainly captures Alan Jones' sheer brilliant approach to coping with the excessive flatulence emanating from his audience...add a quantity of nasty bacteria. N'

jaycee

4/10/2012Oh dear!..I see by the reaction of our "pet" troll that truth hurts!...Got that ol' black shirt out of the closet and ironed-up, have we!!?....or..perhaps ..no!...It's the brown one for today!...Why is it brown?...Welll..I'll let the readers guess about the colour-coordinating!

nasking

4/10/2012 [b]The visionary otherworldliness of early Mormonism has been submerged into a thoroughly respectable, if sometimes bland, material spirituality.[/b] http://www.slate.com/articles/life/faithbased/2012/10/mormon_church_money_why_the_lds_church_needs_to_save_for_the_future_.single.html Indeed. And it has created a bland presidential candidate. A wobbly corporate aristocrat. Unimaginative. Awkward. An outsider looking in...accumulating furiously for him and his church...attempting to belong. America hasn't time at this point for an unsure man...an awkward man...an experiment. Not right now. Too much to do. Needs Obama's experience...four years of it. The world needs it. N'

jaycee

4/10/2012Kay...again about "Businessification" of a society. As I mentioned in my earlier post, Thorsten Veblen wrote an edifying piece on the "Businessification of education" in the American colleges and universities in his day (circa 1912). An interesting observation he made about the recruitment of types of individuals made for interesting comparison to Tabbott of today, regarding his much flaunted "Rhodes Scholarship"...I'll have to paraphrase Veblen as I don't have the piece to hand at the moment..but I believe it can be found in his book "Theory of the Leisure Class"...He notices with concern that the ruling class recruits its' members not necessarily because of any intellectual acumen, but rather for their capacity to fall-in-line with ruling-class philosophy. Such a person we see readily available, indeed, WILLING to sell ANY "personal belonging" to be a great servant to his masters. What a crawler....what a miserable crawler!

LadyInRed

4/10/2012Nasking Apt description of Romney, awkward and bland and something of a puppet look about him. Gee Jones can rest easy knowing Barnardi has got his back. Thanks again Lyn for the wonderful links.

nasking

4/10/2012 Liberal Bruce Billson was on SKY/SLY NEWS this morning...I don't mind Billson, he's usually a calmer, more even-tempered and less abusive character than some of Stalinist-like comrades... however, the following incident did remind me of the kind of environment, culture the Abbott/Jones/Joyce/Bernardi/Mirabella/Rinehart/Pyne/News Ltd gang of hate has created...and perpetuated: [quote]The forum at Frankston Arts Centre led by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott erupted when that Greens Party member ,[b]Vicky Kasidis, spoke up in favour of the carbon tax. She was the first speaker to do so and was heckled by some of the audience before being hounded out of the meeting by a Liberal Party supporter. Ms Kasidis was upset by his behaviour and was left in tears.[/b] Mr Billson described the behaviour of the man as “appalling”. “The whole purpose of the exercise was to give people the chance to have a say, which is a chance that has been denied them by the Gillard Government,” he said. Mr Billson said he believed several thousand emails were sent out to non-committed voters—identified by previous survey results - inviting them to register to attend the forum and brochures were mailed and handed out in the community. He said interested community members were asked to RSVP by Tuesday because of the limited seating capacity of the room at the Arts Centre where the forum was held. [b]When asked why some media, including the Leader, were not informed of the community forum, Mr Billson said that was the responsibility of Tony Abbott’s office.[/b] “Tony’s own media people do his notifications and that’s left in his court,” he said.[/quote] http://frankston-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/liberal-mp-bruce-billson-denies-frankston-carbon-audience-handpicked/ I did not Billson was more SHRILL and PUSHY this morn on AGENDA. I hope the Abbott/Jones hate, hissy fit and irrational attitude isn't spreading due to the desperation coming with the Coalition downward spiral. N'

nasking

4/10/2012 [b]Apt description of Romney, awkward and bland and something of a puppet look about him. [/b] Yes LadyInRed, Romney is a problem...he's just not very inspiring. N'

nasking

4/10/2012 Should be: [b]I did notice Billson was more SHRILL and PUSHY this morn on AGENDA.[/b] In fact, rather rude towards Kieren Gilbert. Surprising. N'

nasking

4/10/2012 [b]An interesting observation he made about the recruitment of types of individuals made for interesting comparison to Tabbott of today, regarding his much flaunted "Rhodes Scholarship"...I'll have to paraphrase Veblen as I don't have the piece to hand at the moment..but I believe it can be found in his book "Theory of the Leisure Class"... He notices with concern that the ruling class recruits its' members not necessarily because of any intellectual acumen, but rather for their capacity to fall-in-line with ruling-class philosophy. Such a person we see readily available, indeed, WILLING to sell ANY "personal belonging" to be a great servant to his masters. [/b] Jaycee, good observation... I do agree that Abbott has sold himself to particular mining magnates and media barons...and a particular crusade. It distorts his already oddball persona...and has begun to emerge on his features the negabore stands in front of the mob of microphones...the plastic botoxed android priest... ...occasional moments of dazed & confused breaking thru... other times tortured & in agony...a state of turmoil...like a man suffering constipation and anal itch... as the brain goes into tactic mode...searching desperately through the draws of motherhood statements and pithy one-liners and mundane slogans...you can feel the lava bubbling...seething... then... like a reboot... erupting into ferocious, venomous finger-pointing...his entire head encompassed by a halo of electric shards of spite and malice. The rage and the rant. The next moment he's back in sincere priest android persona... but oft the confusion, uncertainty returns...seems lost...expectant...expectant of what? A word from his sponsor? God? Murdoch? Howard? Santamaria? Pell? Tony's alter-ego? Iron man? Gina? Whoever whispers in his wee grey cells...seems to help him regain his compusure... instinct and THE WORD combine to bring about the final act...the emergence of the SMUG and ARROGANT DEPARTURE... he's off...tight-lipped...full of bravado... the crusader...the authoritarian wannabe...the archbishop...the leader of a motley crew... exit stage UNCERTAIN RIGHT... N'

Wake Up

4/10/2012"Can someone please explain to me why the ABC insists on constantly having Chris (unemployment will hit 8.5%) Richardson as their go to man on any economic issue?" Absolutely Todd, not to mention why David (Australia will end up the way of Greece) Murray is constantly being put in the chair too.

Lyn

4/10/2012Good Morning Ad and Everybody Here is Twitterverse: Bushfire Bill Posted Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 9:24 am | Too late for Gerry Harvey as far as I’m concerned. Ever since he not only trash-talked his own business by telling me how to get things cheaper elsewhere, but also trash-talked the economy in general and the government in particular, I haven’t felt the slightest inclination to enter one of his shops. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2012/10/01/essential-research-53-47-to-coalition-4/?comment_page=61/#comment-1428507 Herald Sun Ex-HSU boss Williamson arrested in Sydney http://hsun.info/PxDzuq Ian Harris ‏ Labor guilty of hypocrisy: Bernardi http://bit.ly/VwNk1m JOKE OF THE WEEK! I PROMISE YOU'LL LAUGH TILL YOU DROP. Michael Short ‏@shortmsgs PM keeps silence on Jones scandal http://lnkd.in/a2h9DX ABC Radio Tony Windsor: Abbott only a 50/50 chance to lead Coalition to next election http://bit.ly/Pbpqbu chris murphy ‏ Ray Hadley claims his right to presumption of innocence in the face of assault allegations by a 17yo school boy. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/im-victim-of-tallpoppy-syndrome-hadley-20121004-270q5.html … Legalising gay unions is prelude to 'group marriage' Michelle Grattan http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/legalising-gay-unions-is-prelude-to-group-marriage-20121003-26zr6.html#ixzz28HTsVC3d TheQldPublicServant ‏ Downs health board rejects Toowoomba maternity beds cuts claim #qldpol http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-04/health-board-rejects-toowoomba-maternity-cut-claims/4294742 … @abcnews Peter van Onselen ‏ Really good analysis on why political debates don't actually matter much. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/10/03/what-political-scientists-know-about-debates/ … ...ahead of today's US Presidential debate...

LadyInRed

4/10/2012[i]Mr Pyne also dismissed the social media backlash against Jones, with a petition against him attracting more than 100,000 supporters. ''I do think people place far too much store in the significance and importance of social media,'' Mr Pyne said. It was not hard to get 100,000 people to like a particular Facebook site, he said. ''I am sure there are 100,000 people out there who don't like Alan Jones - there's probably a great deal more who don't like Christopher Pyne.'' [/i] Oh the temptation Christopher Pyne... the temptation to put that to the test.

jaycee

4/10/2012Lady in Red....Marieke Hardy DID put that to the test with a "Why I hate C. Pyne on the Drum Unleashed....it had to be pulled after soaring and hilarious mutitude of postings! As a matter of fact, Hardy was banned from the site because of it!

jaycee

4/10/2012Wake up. When you have a CEO. in place at the national broadcaster that was an adviser in the Howard cabinet you can gaurantee he will not be spruiking for the Labor Party. I suspect he has to thank the Party for his elevation from adviser/used car salesman to head of the ABC. by repaying the favour anytime he is called upon to do so. Why O why he is left in situ is beyond me other than to "keep the enemy close". The light and fluffy promos and the ghastly endless repeats we have to endure...some good but at awkward times..some sh*thouse at prime time! is, I believe his doing....I wish they'd just pension him off!

LadyInRed

4/10/2012Jaycee I didn't know that about Marieke - how hilarious. Pyne has no idea. This is about more than 100,000 people who don't like Alan Jones. And it is stupid of him to wade in with this sort of opinion. This is about the sort of political discourse we want, about how we want woman in power to be treated.... respectfully would be nice. It's about decency and the sort of society we want to have, respect for the PM's office even when a woman, who you don't like, is in charge, its about lots of different things to a lot of different people, and sure there will be people who just hate Jones. To use one of TAbbott's well worn phrases "He just doesn't get it". This is the difference, I think, between people who are real right wing thinkers and those who lean to the left. Right wingers have some seriously skewith thinking going on in their brains and they have no idea how to connect with people.

TalkTurkey

4/10/2012jaycee Snap! (Well I got snapped) I was going to say the same thing . . . Was it also Marieke who posed the question wtte [i]Is Pyne the most annoying person in Australia? [/i] Marieke can be pretty annoying herself at times, and her tweets are mainly [i]d'uhrrr,[/i] but she does get some things right. N'ellie May Welcome to you on TPS, we all wonder how many shy people are out there sandbagging on the side, they're absolutely welcome too but even more so when they contribute. JON FAINE, of whom I know but little, was the FIRST of the (more-or-less) MSM to challenge Abbortt, here's a link to an article about it. Faine interrupted Abbortt objecting to his repeated use of the term Illegal wrt asylum seekers. The very first person who did, in nearly two full years. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-17/cassidy-a-rare-challenge-for-abbott/4203120 Leigh Sales came next, then (sorry) What's-her-name on Whatsit channel, [i]that's still the only three[/i], but let us never forget nor underestimate gutsy little Jon. He also delivered the most moving and obviously sincere tribute to *J*U*L*I*A* over the death of her Dad. Salutations Comrade Jon. I s'pose I should say it on Twitter too, though you can't put any detail on tweets. Nasking, You are a dynamo. Best wishes through your trials of life, have a happy Spring.

jaycee

4/10/2012Lady in Red...I too have given some thought to why the right-wing come to the conclusions they do...somehow, that line of thought always leads to a sewerage drain! Seriously...I believe it is the result of their thought process being stunted...you know how sometimes you dwell on a subject ..like, say ; "how big is the universe?" and you think and think till it all gets too big for the thought process to take in and you "hit the wall" of knowledge limitation?.....Well, I believe the right-wingers hit that same wall, but much earlier and for a more simplified subject like; "How is strawberry jam?"....straight away..Bang!...too hard..they hit the wall! Politically or socially...the very sight of those words causes a sort of elucidatory meltdown and Bang!.."Shutdown, shutdown..burnout warning...too difficult!" You know?...you see it with the trolls who post here...: "cut- paste..repeat, repeat". I mean. confess!...When was the last time Joe Hockey said something original and new?...When was the last time Andrew Robb said ANYTHING!?....I rest my case!

LadyInRed

4/10/2012Jaycee Good points - they live by the "keep it simple rule"....aaahhh climate change.....oh no throw me a few simplistic lines Alan and allow me to think it is a conspiracy. And yeah when was the last time Andrew what's his name again ...said anything....at all. TAbbott keeps him under tight control, keeps everyone under fairly tight control, but every now and again a dipstick runs free, believing he has TAbbott's blessings. Oh dear Barnardi learnt the hard way. Yes you can think those things (you can have those values) JUST DON'T voice them (political pragmatics). Barnardi back in your box and while you are at it READ David Marrs quarterly essay! It's all there how I do it, keep my values under tight reign and DO political pragmatism! It takes great discipline, and friendly press, and control.....control......CONTROL....exterminate....exterminate....exterminate....

LadyInRed

4/10/2012Legalising gay marriage prelude to 'group marriage'. yipppeeee the more the merrier! dogs, cats, birds of prey, tigers....lions...oh and people.....snakes....ummmm who else have I always wanted to join in union with? Now let me see.....um....sea lions...penguins....I love penguins. What a stupid argument. Clearly if we let gays marry we will all be rooooned. Good to know when Jones hangs up his hat we can depend on the Lib's to provide us with more stupidity than we can possibly handle.

LadyInRed

4/10/2012Jones style range of Apparel....very funny cartoon by Fiona Katauskas http://newmatilda.com/sendstudio/display.php?M=53933&C=8f67f9b19e4ff8e9519c043aed55cead&L=9&N=1229

LadyInRed

4/10/2012Great read, and more amunition for the renewable energy future: [i]South Australians got a glimpse of the future this week. Electricity prices are coming down.[/i] http://newmatilda.com/2012/10/04/renewables-will-win-ballot-box

2353

4/10/2012So SA power prices are coming down. It will be interesting to see Abbott, Pyne and Minchin explain this one away - especially as the Carbon Pricing scheme was going to destroy entire Cities in SA.

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4/10/2012Hi Folks First, apologies for the interruption to [i]TPS[/i] service. It is now restored. I’ve been busy today with family matters and also finishing the next piece [i]Ban Live Export! Is it the right thing to do?[/i], which I will post later. I watched the first Barack Obama/Mitt Romney debate today. No doubt there will be many analyses and there will be polls to assess who ‘won’ the debate. Perceptions of who ‘won’ will be coloured by political allegiances and the criteria observers used to pick the ‘winner’. Judging by fluency and artful rhetoric, Mitt Romney might be judged the winner. Judged by thoughtfulness and a convincing account of what was possible, Obama would be judged the winner. Romney was articulate, quick off the mark with his answers, and to his supporters convincing, while Obama gave his answers carefully, giving the impression of hesitancy as he thought through his responses. He spoke from experience, acknowledging the difficulties that had impeded progress, and what would be needed to achieve his goals. In contrast Romney exhibited confidence that his ‘plans’ were right and would work. The contrast between one who had lived the reality of governing, often against trenchant opposition, and one who had not had that experience at a federal level, was stark. Obama was able to speak from experience, often bitter experience of the difficulties occasioned in getting legislation through, while Romney was uninhibited in making high-sounding promises, not constrained by having had to implement them. Romney came across as slick salesman, promising to lower taxes, curb spending, reduce deficits and debt, help to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and increase productivity and wealth – a ‘growing the pie’ exercise. He also promised that at the same time he is repealing programs such as Obamacare, he will maintaining health services at their present level. It sounded very much like the rhetoric of Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey. Obama, tempered in the fiercely hot fire of the legislative process, was more circumspect and less inclined to make wild promises, and in contrast to Romney was able to give facts and figures to back his case. It was interesting that Obama referred to the ‘trickle-down’ affect that he said characterized the Romney approach, one that is built on the premise that taxing the wealthy is counterproductive as they are the ‘wealth creators’ who generate jobs that benefit the poorer in society. It is exactly what the Coalition says, word for word. Yet we know the trickle down theory of economics always benefits those at the top much more than those at the bottom, where the trickle slows to just a few drops. Knowing that Obama would criticise the trickle down theory to his detriment, Romney turned the analogy onto Obama, accusing him of big government, the effects of which ‘trickled down’ to the people. He went through the usual criticisms of Obamacare, highlighting the ‘board’ of healthcare experts that would advise on how to reduce healthcare costs, which Romney described as an unelected group who would tell citizens what healthcare they could have, a group once labelled ‘death squads’. The debate could easily have been one between Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott. The positions Obama and Romney took were almost identical to our own leaders. In summary, although Romney came across as the slicker of the two, the substance of what he said and promised was shallow and lacked detail. Promises were large and confidently given; how he would achieve them was vague. Obama was solid, speaking as he was from experience. While Romney might be scored the ‘winner’ by popular or partisan vote, it was Obama who came across as dependable and experienced, sober and sensible, and not extravagant in his claims and promises. I know who would get my vote. It would not be the snake-oil salesman.

KHTAGH

4/10/2012Many thanks for you assistance today Lyn ♥♥♥.

KHTAGH

4/10/2012Reading the posts & links on this site is why I think it is the best blogs going, the civil discourse amongst 99% of posters is a nice change compared to most other sites, although I do miss TT's postings now he rides the twitter wave, TT come back more often. Nasking, my best wishes go out to you & your partner. I enjoy your posts immensely, oh what a web the lieberals have weaved over the yrs, so easy to see how the tea party was able to send its methods down here to Abbort & his lieberals.

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4/10/2012Folks I have posted a new piece: [i]Ban Live Export! Is it the right thing to do?[/i]. www.thepoliticalsword.com

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I have two politicians and add 17 clowns and 14 chimpanzees; how many clowns are there?