The culture of disrespect

In the week just gone there was an extraordinary coincidence of events that starkly reminded us of just how much disrespect contaminates our society, most of it directed towards women. It is a scourge that dates back for centuries, one though that the forward-looking fondly believed was losing ground as more enlightened attitudes appeared to be emerging. What happened last week calls that hope into question.

When Julia Gillard made her speech at the launch of Labor's Women for Gillard campaign in Sydney last Tuesday, she let surge into the open the simmering undercurrent of sexism and discrimination against women that we all know continues to afflict our society, one that many prefer not to see or acknowledge.

Albeit unintentionally, as if to confirm her point, later that day at the post-match press conference after the Socceroos four-nil win against Jordan, coach Holger Osieck set the ball rolling when he made a sexist slur that "women should shut up in public". The following day Jason Hickson, president of the Cessnock Hunter Young Liberals branch, tweeted: "Fairly certain Socceroos coach was referring to @JuliaGillard last night . . . not women in general. Heres [sic] to Holger if that's [sic] the case! #auspol." This earned him suspension from the Liberal Party by NSW Liberal Party state director Mark Neeham.

The PM’s message was that Labor supported women in a way unmatched by the Coalition, and that if Tony Abbott should become PM, women would “once again [be] banished from the centre of Australia's political life”, reinforcing that with her claim that ‘men in blue ties’ would marginalize women. Labor’s front bench of one woman in three against the Coalition’s less than one in five, goes some way to validating her assertion.

She also put abortion back on the agenda with: “We don't want to live in an Australia where abortion again becomes the political plaything of men who think they know better”

Fuming with righteous indignation, Julie Bishop quickly labelled her speech as indulging in the “base politics of fear and division”, of “waging a gender war”, insisting it was “patronising and insulting”, and “a speech not worthy of a prime minister”.

The reaction to PM Gillard’s speech among women was mixed. Some felt uneasy that the gender issue had been raised in a political context, and that abortion had been resurrected as an issue. Even some feminists and commenters on Hoopla expressed concern, some dismay. Of course, male columnists and several female, notably Janet Albrechtsen, were delighted to agree with Julia Gillard’s critics. Even a couple of Labor backbenchers expressed concern.

However, in PM right to put gender on the agenda in the Sydney Morning Herald, Leslie Cannold, Melbourne academic and writer, and President of Reproductive Choice Australia, pointed out that Tony Abbott had made many statements about abortion: “I think it is a tragedy that we have as many abortions as we do…” and “I'm a bit like Bill Clinton…who said that he thought it should be safe, legal and rare. And I underline 'rare'”. In Abbott’s words, a last resort.

Cannold goes on to quote Abbott again:“I certainly have always said that the whole issue here was to try to ensure that we empowered women…[and] gave women in a very difficult position all the support they needed to make what was for them the best possible choice”. (For those confused by that gobbledygook, that was Abbott signalling to his anti-choice supporters that his government could return to the Pregnancy Support Measures of the Howard era designed – and here I quote Abbott – to “reduce abortion numbers through pregnancy support counselling”.)” Cannold fears that the shaming and stigmatizing of the one in three Australian women who have an abortion will escalate under an Abbott government.

Abbott’s unsuccessful attempt when he was Health Minister to assume control of the use of abortion drug RU 486 is another indication of his past attitude to abortion.

On the Jon Faine show on ABC 774 radio on Friday, Cannold said she had looked for any sign that Abbott had changed his attitude to abortion, but had seen none. She believes that Julia Gillard was right in raising this issue.

So unless Abbott has undergone an epiphany on the subject of abortion, expect that an Abbott government would take a regressive attitude.

No sooner had her speech hit the headlines than, seemingly out of the blue, a report emerged of a highly offensive menu at a dinner for twenty in March to raise funds for endorsed Liberal candidate for Fisher, Mal Brough. It described our PM as a quail dish, elaborating on her physical features and her genitals in a deeply odious way. Descriptions on the same menu of two Labor males, Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan, although grossly rude, carried no sexual connotations. Tony Abbott and other Liberals quickly denounced this sexist attack on Julia Gillard, and Mal Brough apologized. Joe Hockey, a special guest at the dinner, said he never saw the menu, and came over all offended, accusing the PM of calling him a ‘fat man’ in parliament, and insinuating that her reaction to what the journalistic fraternity now insist on calling ‘menugate’, was unfairly directed at him.

Then it emerged that Brisbane businessman Joe Richards had written the offensive menu. He passed it off as ‘a lighthearted joke’, which he had created with his son, a joke that he never intended to be made public. But when Chef David Carter posted it on Facebook it became very public. Subsequently Abbott declared that the menu had never left the kitchen. It was stylishly printed though, and as Brough immediately apologized for the menu, describing it as "deeply regrettable, offensive and sexist", it is curious that he did this, as now denies knowledge of the menu.

In the light of the Richards story, instead of trying to weasel the Coalition out of the firing line, as Abbott would characteristically have done, he suggested that it was time for everyone to ‘move on’. I wonder how much he really knows about ‘menugate’?

News Limited papers, by attempting to connect Labor figures with Richards, are now trying to limit the damage this episode has done to the Coalition, I suspect in vain.

I expect we will never know the full story, but the fact that the menu was for a Liberal fund-raiser, suggests the involvement of Liberal supporters, and will reflect adversely on them.

Whatever the true story, the undeniable fact is that this menu reflects deep-seated disrespect for our PM and deeply sexist attitudes towards her. No one has defended the menu, and politicians from all parties have been outspoken in condemnation. It is yet another example of the culture of disrespect that afflicts politics today, disrespect that is often directed to the nation’s first female Prime Minister.

As Julia Gillard's speech was being dissected and critiqued, another event intervened: General David Morrison, Head of the Australian Army, reported on an extensive study of sexism in the Army, revealing investigations into as many as 90 serving officers who might be guilty of producing what he called "highly inappropriate material demeaning women" distributed across the Internet and Defence's email networks. He added: "If this is true, then the actions of these members are in direct contravention of every value the Australian Army stands for." He bluntly told those involved that if they could not accept the Army’s values they should ‘get out’. Much more will be revealed about this scandal in the weeks ahead. Defence Minister Stephen Smith said that the culture that allowed such actions to occur was not recent; it was decades old and represented a major eradication challenge for the Army.

Although not related to the political events of the week, the Morrison report highlighted the widespread nature of disrespect for women in the Army, one likely reflected in the community generally.

Then came the most infamous event of all, the interview of PM Gillard by shock jock Howard Sattler on radio 6PR in Perth on Thursday evening.

His insensitive probing at the very beginning of an arranged interview with the PM into the sexual preference of the PM’s partner Tim Mathieson with the blunt: “Tim’s gay”, and his persistent questioning along these lines, has brought him universal and strident condemnation from politicians, commentators and the media, including such outspoken shock jocks as Derryn Hinch, and even Ray Hadley. Alan Jones seems not to have commented; I suppose it’s a case of ‘people in glass houses…’. Sattler was subsequently suspended and sacked; Fairfax apologized. Sattler was unrepentant; ‘he had no regrets’. So much for his attitude to Julia Gillard, whom he regards as ‘fair game’! There’s no need to go into details; you probably know them already after all the publicity this event attracted. If you want to, take a look at the video in this piece.

What is important is that here is a radio personality of long standing, who thought it was appropriate to be grossly disrespectful to the nation’s Prime Minister. Would he have been so had the PM been male? Would he have asked about the sexual preference of the PM’s partner? You know the answer.

Julia Gillard’s fear was that an interview like this might deter young women from undertaking a career in public life and in politics.


On Friday’s episode of ABC’s
The Drum, where there was condemnation by all the panellists, Mary Crooks, Executive Director of the Victorian Women's Trust, and author of A Switch in Time – restoring respect to Australian politics, added her words of denunciation about the disrespectful and sexist attacks on our PM.

Anne Summers reinforced Julia Gillard’s assertions about the paucity of women in the Abbott team, and his longstanding attitude towards abortion.

On Friday’s PM on ABC radio, Martin Cuddihy interviewed a Sydney hairdresser who said: “It's really rude to talk to the Prime Minister about her personal life", and when asked what he thought about the implication that because the Prime Minister's partner is a hairdresser, he's gay, he replied: “Really I don't know man, but I feel really sorry about the Prime Minister, the way he talked to her and she felt a little bit embarrassed and I think this is really rude and bad.”

Cuddihy then turned to Dr Lauren Rosewarne, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne, who when asked her opinion, said: “I think what it really was about was yet another example of Julia Gillard being interrogated in very intimate personal ways that we have not see any other politician being interrogated before and being slandered and slurred and derided on the basis of personal intimate things.” When asked what Sattler was trying to ask about her, she replied “He was basically trying to imply what kind of a man would be interested in being with Julia Gillard. What kind of a person is she? Is she desirable? The inference, of course, from his perspective, is no and therefore it's a slight on her sexuality and her appeal and her desirability and what kind of a woman she is". In Rosewarne’s view, the thrust of Sattler’s question went well beyond the ‘gay partner’ query.

On the ABC’s AM yesterday, former Premier of Victoria, Joan Kirner, expressed her outrage at Sattler’s questions and went onto say “Men are rarely questioned on their spouses or their partners, and nor should they be. And the question to ask is why is this done to women? And the answer is because we still see women as appendages to males and not standing there with their own rights, with the capacities to exercise power.” She too suffered at the hands of the media; cartoonists regularly depicted her in a polka dot dress, sometimes so offensively that her daughter would advise her: “Don’t look at the cartoons today Mum!”

There’s no need for any more evidence about what has been a week characterized by one sexist episode after another, unrelated, but pointing to the worrisome residue of sexist behaviour in our community, in these examples directed towards service women, women in general, and PM Julia Gillard in particular. Her speech on Tuesday along these lines, criticized by many, including feminists, seems to have been vindicated by subsequent events: ‘menugate’, the Army scandal, and the Sattler interview.

How has this come about? It seems as if all the efforts of those who have fought for equal rights and recognition for women for so long, still have a battle ahead of them.

Who is responsible?

The Army scandal appears to be the persistence of a culture of disrespect towards women from Army men. The recent exposure follows a long line of similar, although perhaps less pervasive episodes. It points to widespread cultural problems that so far have not been addressed, or have defied correction. This time, General Morrison seems determined to root out the offenders and cleanse the Army of this scourge. We hope he succeeds.

But what of the poisonous sexism and disrespect that pervades our body politic, where menus demeaning the PM in an offensively sexual way are printed, where she is subject to grossly inappropriate questioning by a Perth shock jock? Who is responsible for that?

As in all complex issues there are multiple factors. No one person or group is wholly responsible. But to avoid looking for some of the culprits is simply a copout. The Fourth Estate will not even attempt to ask why we are in this position, nor will it look for the perpetrators. Only the Fifth Estate will dare.

If we look for how the level of disrespect and sexism has come about in Federal politics, the first place to look is at the leadership of the Coalition.

Look at the track record of the Leader of the Opposition. Here is a man with a long past history of aggression and disrespect towards women who have defeated him in political combat. Here is the man who punched the wall near Barbara Ramjan after she defeated him in a student politics battle, who kicked in a glass door after another defeat. His supporters argue that was many years go when he was at university, but we have seen similar behaviour more recently. Ever since he was outmanoeuvered by Julia Gillard in the negotiations with the Independents and she became PM in a minority government, Abbott has called her prime ministership, and her Government ‘illegitimate’. He still insists the prize should have been his. As he has done in the past, he has set himself on a path of destruction of her and her Government.

This path is littered with demeaning insults. He has persistently used the terms ‘she’, ‘her’, and ‘this Prime Minister’ to diminish her standing. She is not the only object of his disrespect. He persists in calling the parliamentary Speaker, who has requested that term be used, ‘Madam Speaker’, just as he called the student chairperson who defeated him back in student days ‘Chair thing’, a sign of his disrespect that continued all year.

In parliament he attacks her like a rabid dog, over and again, as do his front bench: Christopher Pyne, Joe Hockey and Julie Bishop. Read Political hatred: its genesis and its toll, and take a look at their faces contorted with rage, hatred and disrespect. Just this week, Joe Hockey tweeted about Julia Gillard: “She has never deserved respect, and will never receive it.” Think of that for a moment before anyone tries to argue that Abbott and Co. have not generated disrespect for the most senior political figure in this nation, for the high office of Prime Minister. Of course they have.

It was Abbott’s echoing in parliament of shock jock Alan Jones’ slur that her father had ‘died of shame’ because of his daughter’s behaviour, which precipitated her famous and inspiring so-called ‘misogyny speech’ that found favour all around the world, especially with women, who understood exactly what she was saying.

At doorstops, Abbott endlessly repeats his mantras: ‘the worst Prime Minister in Australian political history’, presiding over ‘the worst government in our history’, and ‘a bad government, getting worse’. He paints her as grossly incompetent, as having poor judgement, and as an untrustworthy liar. Both his frontbench and backbench faithfully echo his mantras with almost religious fervour, as do his media sycophants, uncritical of him or his disrespectful assertions. He can rely on Paul Kelly, Dennis Shanahan, Chris Kenny, Janet Albrechtsen and their ilk to back him in with all his disrespectful rhetoric.

Alan Jones’ infamous ‘Juliar’ interview, his ‘put her in a hessian bag and take her out to sea’, and his repeated vilification of our PM in the most offensive terms, have created an aura of disrespect for her and her position. Ray Hadley has joined in the demonization. Tony Abbott, Bronwyn Bishop and Sophie Mirabella standing in front of ‘Ditch the Witch’ signs at an Alan Jones’ sponsored carbon tax rally in Canberra screamed disrespect for PM Gillard.

Is it any wonder that there is so much disrespect abroad that even school kids feel able to throw sandwiches at her?

We ought not be surprised that journalists and shock jocks feel free to ask her insulting and demeaning questions.

I lay most of the disrespect directed to PM Julia Gillard squarely at the feet of the would-be PM, Tony Abbott, and the rest of it at his front bench, his back bench, and his media supporters. By creating an aura of disrespectfulness, day after day, month after month, year after year, they have given ‘permission’ to every Tom, Dick and Harry to do the same, from school children throwing salami sandwiches at our PM, to shock jocks throwing insolent questions at her. If Abbott and Co had drawn a firm line below such disrespectful talk and action, if they had insisted that politics should be above this type of behaviour, or to use a favourite Abbott phrase: ‘We are better than this’, the gross level of disrespect that exists and has been exhibited so grotesquely last week, would not have occurred. Prove me wrong.

You won’t see anything like this in the Fourth Estate. You know why.


What do you think?

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Ad astra

16/06/2013Folks After the week we have just had, [i]The culture of disrespect[/i] was an obvious subject. I cannot remember a previous occasion when there was such a succession of instances of disrespect directed towards women and to a sitting Prime Minister, the first female to occupy that high office. It raises the question: “How far we have really come in fighting discrimination against women since they first got the right to vote in 1902, when Australia was the first country in the world to give women both the right to vote in federal elections and also the right to be elected to parliament on a national basis?” http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-suffragettes Yet here we are, over 110 years later, suffering the tawdry spectacle we witnessed last week. We thought we were above that level of disrespect towards women. Have we gone backwards? Anyone watching Piers Akerman this morning on the ABC’s [i]Insiders[/i], and listening to his words, could come away believing that nothing much has changed despite the efforts of many. I wonder how many middle-aged men there are in the circles in which he moves who have the same attitudes. Even he seemed embarrassed about what he had said, and offered the PM, whom he assured us would be watching, a limp apology. This piece lays the responsibility for the contemporary political disrespect largely at the feet of the Leader of the Opposition, Coalition members, and of course the sycophantic media, of which Akerman is a pathetic example.

Tom of Melbourne

16/06/2013Is anyone defending the distasteful comments of Sattler? On the other hand is it sexist or misogynist to identify- • Gillard’s history of dishonesty and broken promises? • That she knifed a popular leader? • That she was installed by hacks and factional warlords? • That she has more talent on the backbench than in her ministry (because the most talented don’t have confidence in her)? • That she leads a deeply divided government? All are issues that Ad Astra neglects to even mention.

MarkatPort

16/06/2013Another very well written article, Ad. I wish I could write half as well ! I dips me lid to you.

42 long

16/06/2013In the current circumstances Ackermans contribution was the worst. Deliberately trying to spread a RUMOUR and going well beyond a suggestion. Well beyond what Sattler inferred. The inference was that "everybody" in the press gallery were aware of it. That it was common knowledge. THE FACT is all out there.(End of discussion) He needs to answer for this defamation.

MarkatPort

16/06/2013Good old Tom of everywhere. Trust you to be 3rd cab off the rank. You must really love this blog to back so often and and all times of day defending your beloved leader

N'ellie May

16/06/2013Hi Ad, I totally agree! However, do you really think human nature can ever change? Look back over the history of mankind. Whenever there was an opportunity for people to subjugate others, it has been taken and justified, frequently in the so-called "holy scriptures." It's not just women - it has been the minorities, the poor, the dispossessed, the elderly, and so on. Will human nature ever change? I don't think so! It is just so much easier nowadays, in our world of mass communication to spread the foul messages more widely and destroy people more effectively. Our PM is the strongest, most resilient person I have ever witnessed. Of course she has made mistakes, as all humans do, but she and her government have successfully achieved an agenda that future generations will look back on with gratitude. Thank you Ad for this wonderful family you keep together with your warmth and wisdom.

nasking

16/06/2013 Ad, yet another excellent post. [quote]Yet here we are, over 110 years later, suffering the tawdry spectacle we witnessed last week. We thought we were above that level of disrespect towards women. Have we gone backwards? [/quote] Indeed. The Howard years didn't help...was like living back in the 20s, 50s? MURDOCH'S crew via print and TV shows don't help...same with shock jocks...sporting boofheads...religious and toff UNI and private school PRATS...patriarchal churches...BLOKEY, misogynistic war-mongers and soldiers who show lack of respect... I find it all rather disturbing. PLENTY OF DEMEANING REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN...EVERYWHERE...ADS INCLUDED. EVEN FEMALE TENNIS STARS HAVE TO WEAR TIGHT EVERYTHING TO DRAW CROWDS. SHAME. OTHER SPORTS WOMEN BARELY SHOWN...PARTICULARLY ON SLY NEWS. [quote]Rogue Griffin, come back soon[/quote] Never far away. :D Cheers, N'

nasking

16/06/2013 N'ellie May, WELL SAID. HOLY SCRIPTURES INDEED. WORLD OF PATRIARCHS. FOR THE PATRIARCHS.

Casablanca

16/06/2013AA, I say simply, Thank you for this article. It has been a tough week for women. Sadly, over time not much has changed in terms of the demeaning language used but the big difference comes about due to the ease and anonymity with which these can be disseminated via social media. I agree wholeheartedly that the disregard and dis-respect shown to the Prime Minister by the Coalition and in particular, by Tony Abbott has turned the atmosphere toxic both inside and outside the Parliament. Rape of women and girls is one of the horrors of war down through the ages. If there is basic disrespect for women then soldiers feel that they can act with impunity. That is why Lt General Morrison's stance this week is so fundamentally principled. I wish I had his exact words, (I will find them later) but to paraphrase Lt General Morrison 'if you just walk on by and ignore what is happening you are complicit in the activity and cover-up.' The contemptible crimes of Adrian Bayley and Malcolm Naden, one a rapist/murderer and the other a murderer/rapist (note the order of their crime) are at the extreme end but nonetheless are due to sexism and misogyny within our society.

Casablanca

16/06/2013AA Me again! You have given David Morrison an extra pip most likely because Malcolm Farr does so in the article which you linked for us. The Australian Army website provides the following explanation of Commissioned Ranks: Lieutenant General (LTGEN) Lieutenant General is the second-highest active rank in the Australian Army. [b]The Rank of Lieutenant General is held by the Chief of Army, currently Lieutenant General David Morrison AO. [/b]The rank is also held when an Army Officer is the Vice Chief of the Defence Force, the Chief of Joint Operations, or the Chief of Capability Development. The rank of Lieutenant General is referred to as ‘three star’ rank. General (GEN) General is the highest active rank of the Australian Army. [b]The rank of General is only held when an Army Officer is appointed as the Chief of the Defence Force, currently held by General David Hurley AC, DSC.[/b] The rank of General is referred to as ‘four star’ rank. http://www.army.gov.au/Who-we-are/Ranks/Officer-Ranks

Ad astra

16/06/2013MarkatPort Thank you for your complementary remarks. 42 long Piers Akerman habitually scrapes the bottom of the barrel of nastiness. He got no support for this on [i]Insiders[/i] this morning. N’ellie May It does look as if human nature will not change while individuals harbor the entrenched beliefs of the past. Overnight in Pakistan the Taliban blew up a bus carrying girls to schools, and then the emergency department at the hospital where the survivors were taken. The Taliban opposes education for girls, an attitude dredged up from the distant past. There seems to be no chance for change there! nasking Thank you Rouge Griffin. The demeaning of women is everywhere. We have a long, long way to go. Casablanca Thank you for your kind comment. “[i]Our PM is the strongest, most resilient person I have ever witnessed.[/i]” I agree. David Morrison is worth the extra pip.

Gravel

16/06/2013Ad Astra Another excellent article, and placing the cause of all this belittling of women right where it belongs. Many on here have been outraged by the oppositions behaviour especially since abbott became LOTO. The msm egged him on, barracking all the way with much delight and glee. Sadly, no-one much has commented at how this is being reported overseas. According to my twitter feed, it is being reported in many countries, and we have been made a laughing stock. Although I do note it has been tied to the opposition because to the disgusting menu thing. The opposition and the msm have made all Australians look like horrible people. I am so proud of the Government, and at the same time ashamed to be Australian because of the msm and the opposition.

Casablanca

16/06/2013AA I absolutely agree that David Morrison is worth an extra pip. Did you see the earlier article about the LTGEN by Julia Baird? You can find it here: [b]Changing the culture in the Australian military[/b] Julia Baird. June 8, 2013 [quote]It was one of the most important speeches in Australian military history, but not a word has been written about it. On an ear-bitingly cold day in New York this year, Australia's Army Chief, Lieutenant-General David Morrison, stood in front of several hundred people in an auditorium at the United Nations headquarters, in full uniform, with polished badges pinned to his chest. It was March 5, International Women's Day; outside women were marching in the snow, hats jammed on heads as winds whistled across the East River. Inside, the crowd stared at the military man who had come to talk to the UN women's council. Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, who was also speaking there, said they were ''astonished, taken aback''. First, that a military chief was there, and second, that he was so passionate about gender equality. [/quote] http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/changing-the-culture-in-the-australian-military-20130608-2nwal.html

Marilyn

16/06/2013OK, no I know Ad just loves Julia but really there is such a serious lack of sense here it is a joke. 1. Julia was pre-selected for Lalor based on a gender based quota system within the ALP, no merit required. Then when that same list put up a woman for Batman she went with one of her faceless men who got her the job and who maintain her in the job. 2. claiming that men in blue ties will control the reproductive systems of women is just deranged, what are we supposed to be terrified now of men in blue ties? 3. we had a revolution to be equal, why is being equal only a point when we like the support? If we want to be equal don't we have to tolerate a bit of crap? 3. in 2 I am not talking about the criminals involved in the porno. sex ring in the ADF but it has been going on for years and known about for years without anyone caring too much. 4. Gillard got her job by relying on all men from old white unions to stab another man in the back, her fourth such male leader. 5. which is her right of course but to them scream sexism makes her look like a cheap suit. 6. the tale of the silly menu has been debunked a million times, it was a rip off of a menu for Hillary that was made in 1993 without her squealing like a dimwit. If the ALP thought it was offensive why sit on it for 3 months, why not show it immediately. 7. Gillard is the cruellest PM in our history towards innocent refugees, she is trading and trafficking and colonising the neighbourhood, and now making ads to force Hazara to stay home and be bombed to bits. Thousands of kids are in jail by her and all she and her spivs. can do is blame their parents for not leaving them home to die. 8. slashing funds for tens of thousands of the poorest parents, slashing student scholarships to pay for rich private schools, - she is not some frigging heroine. As a 60 year old woman who has always defended herself in the face of terrible abuse, even here, I am offended by this childish crap.

Ad astra

16/06/2013Gravel Thank you for your kind words. I too am proud of our Government and our PM, and ashamed of most of the Fourth Estate. It has reinforced the disrespect that Abbott and his Coalition have engendered. Casablanca Thank you for the link to the fine Julia Baird article. I presume she is the Julia Baird of [i]The Drum[/i]. I like her – she is the best of the bunch that anchors that show. I’m calling it a day.

Bloss

16/06/2013Listening to Luietenant -General David Morrison on the radio, explaining the background to the latest scandal to engulf the military and his heartfelt response, made me feel that there is some hope for the lot of women in this country. His stance was admirable and sincere, I believe, but we still have a long way to go.Thank you, AA (and Lyn) for your thoughtful, balanced and well-researched articles ( and nasking, TT, Jason, 42 long, catching up, and all the other wonderful contributors, you are like family). I check this site every few hours, absorb the articles and comments, and feel refreshed. My sincere thanks.

Austin 3:16

16/06/2013So this is the same PM who's happy to hang out with Sandilands or shaft a female candidate if she needs to ensure pre-selection goes the right way. That's "unmatched support" Tis part of the problem with Gillard the huge discrepancy between word and deed.

J.Fraser

16/06/2013The blueprint for it is explained here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFDwdRXCg3I Watch it and send the Link to everyone and get it into as many MSM "Comments" as you can. "Has Murdoch made up your mind who to vote for ".

Sir Ian Crisp

16/06/2013[quote][b]The Army scandal appears to be the persistence of a culture of disrespect towards women from Army men. The recent exposure follows a long line of similar, although perhaps less pervasive episodes. It points to widespread cultural problems that so far have not been addressed, or have defied correction. This time, General Morrison seems determined to root out the offenders and cleanse the Army of this scourge. We hope he succeeds. Ad Astra [/b][/quote] I think we know who is responsible for the culture of disrespect towards women. Let's name and shame him. His name is Private Anthony John Abbott.

Casablanca

16/06/2013AA You said: [quote]Thank you for the link to the fine Julia Baird article. I presume she is the Julia Baird of The Drum. I like her – she is the best of the bunch that anchors that show.[/quote] I agree that Julia Baird is the best Drum anchor. In almost all cases, she is also a balanced writer.

nasking

16/06/2013 RIGHT-WING PROPAGANDA TRASH PRETENDING TO BE SERIOUS JOURNALISM...THAT'S THE NEW ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW SHOW ON SBS HOSTED BY EX-CHANNEL NINER ELLEN FANNING. OF COURSE ELLEN BROUGHT IN JOHN HOWARD'S BEST MATE AND TV CON-ARTIST RAY MARTIN TO SET THE SCENE...GIVE THE IMPRESSION THIS WAS GOING TO BE SERIOUS, NON-TABLOID GOSSIP JOURNALISM. AND THEN HE AND THE LOATHSOME GREG RUDD WENT ABOUT TEARING DOWN ALP HISTORY...ASSUMING AN ABBOTT WIN... GREG RUDD GIVING AWAY SALACIOUS DETAILS ABOUT LATHAM... ELLEN FANNING SITTING THERE LIKE THE WORST OF BOTTOM FEEDERS EGGING HIM ON...ATTEMPTING TO GIVE AN AIR OF SERIOUS JOURNALISM...HOST OF DEPTH. YET NOTHING BUT TRASH. EVEN PROMOTING RAY MARTIN'S SCHOLARSHIP FUND TO GET YOUTH INTO THE TOP PRIVATE SCHOOLS. CATHOLICS...CATHOLICS...EVERYWHERE. A SHOW ALL HALLOWS...I MEAN HOLLOW. I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT SOMETHING NOT SO GOOD LIES BENEATH THE SURFACE OF MANY WHO HAVE WORKED FOR THE NINE NETWORK...SOMETHING ABOUT RAY MARTIN GOT MY 'ALERT' SIREN GOING. NEVER LIKED ELLEN FANNING EITHER. YET MORE PUBLIC BROADCASTING TIME TAKEN UP BY PACKER...AND MURDOCH FOLK. N'

denese

16/06/2013I to agree with you about abbott,lets do not forget the placards that he stood in front, with ditch the witch, and what has come to mind recently is that 2 of his shadow front bench woman stood with him, and to say this is the worst pm we have ever had, is the mind games they play, I do fear it could get worse, andthe liberals have lot to answer for some of the language for example at a miners dinner in wa i had to research lauguage like that is not in the vocabulary of any one i know where do they hear these words and are these words used in the company of each other in their social life, i would like to know I think that any one who votes for them is condoning this type of behaviour. ad astra I also found an article by abbott on the net 2009, where he would like to see no fault divorce bought back, so is that another way of punishing woman. its easy to find just google abbott no fault divorce and bookmark it I worry these items will disappear off the net. as an extreme catholic who believes in infallibility of the pope I would say he may try to introduce no fault divorce I would urge young people to find out what it means, thank you for sunday night feature i wait eagerly every Sunday

nasking

16/06/2013 ELLEN FANNING ALSO INTERVIEWED MATT SIEGEL FROM THE NY TIMES...GET A LOAD OF SOME OF MATT'S WORK: She has led a tenuous minority government since her parliamentary majority was diminished in a disappointing 2010 election. Although she beat back a leadership challenge from Mr. Rudd early in 2012, she has since slid in the polls against Tony Abbott, the leader of the opposition Liberal-National coalition. Despite Mr. Rudd’s insistence that he would not challenge Ms. Gillard again for the leadership, his supporters had been actively canvassing the party for votes should his name be put forward during a vote like the one held Thursday. Ms. Gillard is seen by many within the party as an ineffective campaigner who is unlikely to deliver a victory in the Sept. 14 elections. Supporters of Mr. Rudd, including Mr. Crean, had seemed confident earlier in the day. “Something needs to be done to break this deadlock,” Mr. Crean said at a hastily assembled news conference in the capital, Canberra. He said he had personally asked Ms. Gillard to hold the leadership vote — known in Australia as a “spill” — because the party had lost its way and its confidence in her leadership... “Today the leadership of our political party — the Labor Party — has been settled and settled in the most conclusive fashion possible,” Ms. Gillard told reporters. “The whole business is completely at an end. The government has a plan for the nation’s future. We have plenty of work to be getting on with, and we will be getting on with it in a few minutes’ time.” Mr. Abbott, the opposition leader, appeared unconvinced that Labor’s infighting was over. He called on Ms. Gillard to end the cycle of instability within her party by calling an early election and letting the voters decide who should lead. “This has been a remarkable and bizarre day in the history of this Parliament,” he said at a news conference. “The civil war goes on. The civil war will continue as long as Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard are in Parliament. The only way to give our country the good government that we so badly need right now is to have an election. “If the prime minister was less concerned about herself and her own survival, there would be an election,” Mr. Abbott said. John Wanna, a professor of political science at Australian National University in Canberra, said Thursday’s developments suggested that the current government was, on a scale of 1 to 10, in “the high nines” in terms of dysfunction. “I mean, some individual ministers are quite competent in their portfolios, but as a government it’s totally dysfunctional,” he said in an interview. Professor Wanna said that despite Thursday’s outcome, there remained a strong likelihood that Mr. Rudd’s supporters would try to stage another challenge before the elections. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/world/asia/australian-prime-minister-survives-attempt-to-oust-her.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes AND: Mr. Palmer says his newly minted United Australia Party, which he announced at a news conference on Friday, will be a serious challenger rather than a vanity project. “I’m running to be the prime minister of Australia,” Mr. Palmer told reporters. “I am standing because I think I can offer better service to the community than anyone else.” Mr. Palmer is a major player in Australia’s natural resource-driven economy. He owns considerable mining assets as well as a nickel refinery that he bought from the mining giant BHP Billiton and large coal and iron ore deposits in the states of Queensland and Western Australia. He made international headlines this year when he unveiled his plans for Titanic II, a $200-million replica of the doomed ocean liner that will be equipped with high-tech engines and modern amenities like air-conditioning. Mr. Palmer says that the ship, which will be built by China’s state-owned CSC Jinling Shipyard, could make its maiden voyage as early as 2016. Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the first woman to serve in that post in Australia, has seen her ratings plummet since January, when she announced that federal elections would be held in September. The unusually early announcement kicked off an election season that has been bruising and marked by infighting in Ms. Gillard’s Labor Party, and it remains to be seen what impact Mr. Palmer’s announcement will have on the race. Tony Abbott, the leader of the opposition Liberal-National coalition, is widely expected to become the next prime minister, but Mr. Palmer’s deep pockets and conservative stance on issues like climate change and taxes could steal crucial votes from Mr. Abbott, especially in Mr. Palmer’s home state, Queensland. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/world/asia/australian-billionaire-plans-new-political-party.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes MATT SIEGEL WAS SPRUIKING RUDD OVER GILLARD...HE USED A LOT OF "SHE"..."SHE"..."SHE"... RECKONED "SHE'S NOT COMPELLING", I NOTICED PALMER WAS SPRUIKED A FEW TIMES ON FANNING'S SHOW. FURTHERMORE, SIEGEL WROTE A PIECE ABOUT CHOPPER REID...AND FANNING BROUGHT IT UP...HE WAS PROMOTING GANGSTERS...TALKING ABOUT USA MOB BOSS IDOLISATION... WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT FANNING COMES FROM NINE THAT PROMOTES UNDERBELLY. SOMETHING DOESN'T SIT RIGHT WITH ME ON THIS...SEEMS THAT SOME IN THE MSM ARE VERY KEEN TO PROMOTE THE UNDERWORLD LIFE... I RECKON IT HAS PARTLY TO DO WITH PROFITING FROM THIS GROTESQUE STUFF... BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THIS IS ALSO A BACKDOOR WAY TO PROMOTING LIBERTARIANISM... JUSTIFYING TAX AVOIDANCE... PUSHING CYNICISM ABOUT GOVERNMENT... HELPING TO KEEP THE ILLEGAL SEX AND DRUG TRADES GOING... INTERESTING THAT CLIVE PALMER WAS BROUGHT UP AGAIN STRAIGHT AFTER THE GANGSTER DISCUSSION. SOMETHING STINKS. N'

nasking

16/06/2013 AHHH...CHECK THIS OUT: [b]Ellen Fanning turns news interview inside out BY:SALLY JACKSON From: The Australian May 27, 2013 SHE says she didn't miss the cameras, but Ellen Fanning still jumped at the chance to get back in front of them when independent production company Shine Australia asked her to host the interview show it was developing for SBS.[/b] ----- [b]LET'S LOOK AT SHINE AUSTRALIA[/b]: In January 2010, Shine Australia was founded as a part of Shine Group, catering to the Australian and New Zealand market. It is jointly led by CEOs Mark Fennessy and Carl Fennessy, who had previously worked at FremantleMedia Australia and Crackerjack. Programmes MasterChef Australia (2012–), Originally FremantleMedia Australia (2009–2011) MasterChef Australia All-Stars (2012) Junior MasterChef Australia (2010–2011) The Biggest Loser (Australia) (2011–), Originally FremantleMedia Australia (2006–2010) The Voice (Australia) (2012–) Beauty and the Geek Australia (2012–) Originally Southern Star Group (2010–2011) and Endemol Southern Star (2009) The Shire (2012–) Location, Location, Location Australia (2012–) WAG Nation (2012–) Wife Swap Australia (2012–) Australia's Next Top Model (2011–), Originally Granada Media Australia. (2005–2010) Dating in the Dark Australia (2010–) Shine Limited (Shine TV) is a British media production company and part of the Shine Group with offices in London and Manchester. [b]Shine Limited was founded in March 2001 by Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch. The company was 80 percent owned by Elisabeth Murdoch, 15 percent by Lord Alli, and 5 percent by BSkyB, who signed a deal guaranteeing to buy an agreed amount of Shine programming for two years. Shine acquired Reveille Productions in 2008. News Corporation acquired the Shine Group on April 5, 2011 for £415 million. US pension funds who are shareholders in News Corporation are suing the company accusing the Mr. Murdoch of nepotism.[/b] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shine_Group [b]I CAN SNIFF OUT A RUPERT MURDOCH CONNECTION FROM MANY MANY MILES AWAY.[/b] THE MAN AND HIS EMPIRE ARE A VIRUS. [b]SHAME ON SBS[/b] N'

nasking

16/06/2013 LOOK FOR [b]SHINE[/b] News Corporation has reached a $139m (£91m) settlement with shareholders over a lawsuit claiming that its board of directors put Rupert Murdoch's interests ahead of the company over the phone-hacking scandal and the acquisition of his daughter Elisabeth's TV company Shine. The suit was brought against News Corp directors including Murdoch, his sons James and Lachlan and the former British Airways boss Rod Eddington. According to the shareholders the board had "disregarded its fiduciary duties" and allowed Rupert Murdoch to run News Corp as his "own personal fiefdom". The Amalgamated Bank, Central Laborers Pension Fund and City of New Orleans Employees' Retirement System first launched their suit after News Corp's 2011 purchase of Shine. They subsequently amended their complaint to include the hacking scandal. Shareholders alleged that the board had ignored "clear and unmistakable warnings that News Corp's business practices were not only unethical, but also illegal". The board was also "an outright accomplice to Murdoch's self-interested breaches of duty", according to the suit. The lawsuit accuses Rupert Murdoch of treating News Corp "like a wholly owned family candy store" and argues that a fair price was not achieved for Shine. News Corp paid $675m for Shine, the maker of Masterchef. Elisabeth Murdoch received $214m in cash from the sale, according to government filings. "Amazingly, at about the same time that the police turned up the heat on son James in early 2011, Rupert told the board that News Corp should buy a business owned by his daughter Elisabeth," the suit claimed, referring to James Murdoch's then central role in dealing with the hacking scandal as executive chairman of News International, News Corp's newspaper arm. "There was no pretence of negotiating the deal's terms," according to the shareholder lawsuit. As part of the settlement, which is awaiting court approval, News Corp agreed to tighten oversight at the company and to set up an anonymous hotline for whistleblowers to report misconduct. The settlement, which will be covered by insurance, was brought against directors on behalf of shareholders and the money will be paid back to the company by the insurer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/apr/22/news-corp-reaches-settlement-shareholders Hmmm... I TAKE IT THE SHRIVELLED OLD TURD OF MEDIA IS TRYING TO EARN HIS MONEY BACK BY USING THE PUBLIC BROADCASTERS TO PROMOTE HIS PROPAGANDA CRAP? HARPER COLLINS BY WAY OF ABC BOOKSHOPS TOO. CHANNEL NINE AND NEWS CORP...MOB BOSSES AND THEIR UNDERLINGS I RECKON. INFECTING AUSTRALIANS...AND THEIR CHILDREN. NOT SURPRISED PACKER INTO GAMBLING...MURDOCH INTO SPORTS. AMERICAN AND CHINESE AND SAUDI ETC CONNECTIONS. N'

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16/06/2013 THIS FELLA IS SUS: [b]Rod Eddington[/b] Roderick Ian Eddington AO (born 2 January 1950, Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian businessman. He is currently chair of the government body Infrastructure Australia, a director of News Corporation, continuing his long association with that company, and has served in other senior positions including as CEO of British Airways. YET ANOTHER RHODES SCHOLAR...AT OXFORD...HMMM... Eddington joined the Swire Group in 1979, working for its subsidiary Cathay Pacific, before being appointed Managing Director in 1992. Continuing his association with the airline industry; News Limited, subsidiary of News Corporation, appointed Eddington Chairman of Ansett Australia in January 1997, four years before the airline failed. News Corp had taken control of the airline with TNT in 1979. Eddington was appointed Deputy Chairman of News Limited in September 1998. He was further promoted to the News Corporation board in September 1999. In a timely manoeuvre, News Corp sold off Ansett; the airline eventually became insolvent in 2001. Eddington managed to escape blame for the poor financial state of the airline, apparently aided by his board membership of News Corporation, as others were loath to criticise him publicly. ALWAYS THOUGHT SOMETHING STUNK ABOUT THIS ANSETT INSOLVENCY...NEWS CORP/MURDOCH CONNECTION... British Airways Eddington replaced former BA CEO Bob Ayling on 2 May 2000. He removed many aspects of Ayling's corporate relaunch in early 2001: the unpopular ethnic-art tailfins were changed back to the traditional Union Jack tailfin. [b]He steered the company in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington D.C. which proved disastrous for many other airlines. [/b] Following a loss of £200m in 2002, [b]Eddington's "Future Size and Shape" cost-cutting programme allowed BA to report a profit of £135m in 2003[/b], despite a decrease in turnover. Eddington declared: "These are good results in one of the toughest years in living memory", and while this can be expected from a CEO trying to reassure investors, it was against a climate of the Iraq War and SARS. SUS... Eddington received a knighthood in 2005 for services to the aviation industry... Career as a company director [b]As of February 2006, Eddington was a non-executive board member of: JPMorgan - Non-Executive Chairman For Australia And New Zealand [/b] [b]News Corporation - non-executive director of publicly listed Delaware, United States, based company John Swire & Sons Pty Ltd. - non-executive director of Australian proprietary subsidiary of Hong Kong based privately held company, John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd.[/b] [b]Rio Tinto Group [/b]- non-executive director of both publicly listed companies in the group Eddington also [b]served on the board of Allco Finance Group,[/b] where he was [b]one of three non-executive directors to approve Allco's ill fated acquisition of Rubicon Holdings.[/b] [b]A previously-announced plan for Eddington to become Chairman of ANZ Banking Group of Australia and New Zealand was first delayed from February 2009 to February 2010; then finally scuttled on 9 August 2009. [/b] [b]It is possible that his Directorship of scandal-plagued Rio Tinto Group made such a position for him at ANZ untenable, as corporate espionage by Rio Tinto against the Chinese Government is at issue.[/b] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Eddington ---------- MEMORIES: [b]Sir Rod Eddington – the busiest man in corporate Australia[/b] STEPHEN MAYNE WRITES: | FEB 02, 2007 [b]Sir Rod Eddington is already a ridiculously busy man, but his role advising Kevin Rudd is the third gig he’s accepted from Labor in Australia over the past two years. Not content with sitting on the main boards of News Corp, Rio Tinto, John Swire and Allco Finance and chairing JP Morgan in Australia, Sir Rod accepted an invitation from Steve Bracks to replace Steve Vizard as chair of Melbourne Major Events and is also doing a review of Melbourne’s transport requirements.[/b] [b]This might seem strange in Australia but Sir Rod spent the last six years in the UK where all sorts of business figures are in bed with the Blair Labor government. [/b] It’s an important coup for Rudd given that Sir Rod is among the 50 most eminent Australian businessmen who’ve made it on the world stage. As the political donations figures for 2005-06 show, the Coalition has extended its lead over Labor when it comes to extracting cash from corporates as the likes of Gunns and the tobacco duopoly continue to punish Labor for Mark Latham’s policies and attitude. But that now seems to be changing. Opposition leaders always remember those who get on board early when it comes to dispensing favours – just look at how John Howard has looked after the Packer family. http://www.crikey.com.au/2007/02/02/sir-rod-eddington-the-busiest-man-in-corporate-australia/ THAT'S A NASTY SMELL KEVIN. N'

Casablanca

17/06/2013Make your objections known to Mark Scott, ABC [b]Petition to Prevent Piers Akerman from appearing on the ABC as a paid commentator. [/b] [quote]The questions raised by Mr Akerman on Insiders on Sunday about sexuality of the Prime Minister's partner were offensive and disrespectful to the office of the Prime Minister. The ABC is a publicly funded institution and, as such, should host paid commentators, columnists and guests who benefit the public interest; and who fit within the broad mission of the ABC. It is important that the ABC adheres to its Code of Practice (revised this year). [/quote] https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-managing-director-of-the-abc-mark-scott-prevent-piers-akerman-from-appearing-on-the-abc-as-a-paid-commentator

Casablanca

17/06/2013Denese Thanks for the reminder of Abbott's proposal to replace no-fault divorce with the tawdry melange of grounds [quote]including adultery, cruelty, habitual drunkenness and imprisonment. It would be similar to the defunct Matrimonial Causes Act. Currently people are allowed to divorce after a 12-month separation.[/quote] Last week, our Prime Minister did not specifically mention Abbott's [quote]Battlelines[/quote] proposal to resurrect the pre-1975 divorce laws but it is yet another policy that would wind back some hard won gains. [b]Make it harder to divorce, says Tony Abbott[/b] July 11, 2009 10:45PM http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/make-it-harder-to-divorce-says-tony-abbott/story-fn3dxity-1225748579056

Casablanca

17/06/2013Here are some articles arising from the sexist remarks about the PM [b]BACKYARD ABORTION A DANGEROUS REMEDY[/b] By Lucy Clark. November 1, 2012 Dangerous Remedy, an ABC-TV telemovie [quote]It’s also a sobering reminder that it is not so long since women’s repressed reproductive rights could lead to their deaths. There are still people who wish for this – for women’s rights to be repealed. Right to Lifers would have you believe that women and men fighting for a women’s right to terminate a pregnancy celebrate abortion. But as US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton once so very neatly put it: “I have met thousands and thousands of pro-choice men and women. I have never met anyone who is pro-abortion.”[/quote] http://thehoopla.com.au/backyard-shame/ [b]JULIA. CRAZY BRAVE WARRIOR WOMEN.[/b] Mary Delahunty. June 13, 2013 [quote]The thing you have to understand about Julia Gillard is that she has broken the mold. I don’t mean just smashing the ultimate glass ceiling to become Australia’s first female Prime Minister, I mean the way she has gone about her political business, particularly in the last twelve months. [/quote] thehoopla.com.au/julia-crazy-brave-warrior-woman/ [b]MENU-GATE PROVES THE GENDER WAR IS FAR FROM FALSE[/b] Ruby Hamad. 13 June, 2013 [quote]Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that many women in public office faced a "significant demeaning attitude, sexist questions, invasive questioning". "It's got to stop because we want women in public office, we want women to step up and be part of a decision-making of this country... [but] women and young women are put off by what they see." Ms Gillard on Friday echoed those comments. ''I want young girls and women to be able to feel like they can be included in public life and not have to face questioning like the questioning I faced yesterday,'' she said.[/quote] http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4751066.html [b]BRUTAL EDGE OF SEXISM REVEALED[/b] Kirsty Needham and Julie Power. June 16, 2013 [quote]Former NSW premier Kristina Keneally didn't want to get dragged into the sexism debate, but then an envelope arrived in the mail. It was addressed to ''The Approving Socialist Slut at Basketball Australia''. She gave a sigh of exasperation and tweeted a photo of the offending item, sent by someone upset with a planning decision she once made. There are a long list of former NSW Labor premiers who might be unpopular with voters, but do any of the blokes endure sexual slurs the equivalent of being called a ''slut''?[/quote] Read more: www.smh.com.au/.../...revealed-20130615-2ob23.html [b]TOP 10 SEXIST MOMENTS IN POLITICS: JULIA GILLARD, HILLARY CLINTON AND MORE [/b] [quote]The 'Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail' menu is the latest sexist attack on the Australian PM. But it's the same for women in politics everywhere. Here are 10 of the worst examples[/quote] www.guardian.co.uk/.../top-10-sexist-moments-politics [b]TREATMENT OF JULIA GILLARD SHOWS EXTENT TO WHICH SEXISM IS TOLERATED IN AUSTRALIA[/b] [quote]Prime minister is attacked relentlessly in contemptible, offensive terms. Gillard has consistently acted with dignity and grace and humour.[/quote] www.irishtimes.com/...rated-in-australia-1.1429432 [b] AUSTRALIA: YEAR OF THE WOMEN[/b] Nick Bryant BBC News, Sydney [quote]Mr Alan Jones, who has built a reputation and a loyal radio following on his bullying outspokenness, quoted Julia Gillard as saying that "societies only reach their full potential if women are politically participating".[/quote] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20794176 [b]THERE IS A STRAIGHT ROAD BETWEEN VILIFICATION AND VIOLENCE[/b] June 16, 2013 • by hobjobblesmum • in Policies [quote]Women don’t have anywhere near the power of men when it comes to resisting that kind of masculinity and its sour, ugly logic. This post is an attempt to expand on a frustratingly limiting exchange on Twitter, where @alisoncroggon, @domknight, @KathViner and others were exploring the ethical angle of intrusive tabloid media and the public humiliation of a Nigella Lawson being even further victimised. The complexity of the issues is difficult enough, without the added addling effect of my own fairly recent personal experience, in the case of Julia Gillard, the politicisation of what is clearly abuse, and the difficulty of demonstrating the relationship between speech (or print in the menu case) and its extreme but logical conclusion in the enactment of disrespect in the form of physical violence.[/quote] http://ausvotes2013.com/2013/06/16/there-is-a-straight-road-between-vilification-and-violence/ [b]NIGELLA LAWSON ATTACKED BY HUSBAND[/b] [quote]Her eyes are transfixed as she struggles to prise away the powerful hand squeezing around her throat. Glamorous TV cook Nigella Lawson looks stunned to be ¬attacked by her art collector husband Charles Saatchi during a vicious row at their ¬favourite London restaurant.[/quote] http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nigella-lawson-attacked-husband-see-1955564#ixzz2WOp0zBsh

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17/06/2013Changing the culture in the Australian military [b]AUSTRALIA'S ARMY CHIEF DEMONSTRATES HOW YOU ADDRESS SEX ABUSE[/b] Harold Maass | June 13, 2013 [quote]Why have no American generals been this bold? Morrison's direct, unflinching attacks on abusers have left observers slack-jawed. Morrison...promises to be "ruthless" in rooting out sex abuse in the ranks, and urges all soldiers to do their part if they witness abuse. "Show moral courage and take a stand," he says.... This bloke is the real deal."[/quote] http://theweek.com/article/index/245631/watch-australias-army-chief-demonstrates-how-you-address-sex-abuse [b]THIS SPEECH SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAD TO BE WRITTEN[/b] Sean Power 11 June 2013 [quote]Now, if you just read that name,[LtGen Morrison], with it’s military rankings, rolled your eyes, thought of a burly sexist wanker in camouflage who’s probably been a part of the boys’ club his entire life, stick with me, and get ready to go on a rollercoaster ride. You’re wrong.[/quote] http://www.mamamia.com.au/news/sexism-in-the-australian-defence-force/ [b]THIS IS HOW YOU TALK ABOUT MILITARY SEX ABUSE[/b] Mary Elizabeth Williams. Friday, Jun 14, 2013 02:12 AM +1000 [quote]A blistering message from a general gets everything right...American military, please take notes. This is how you address a sexual abuse problem.[/quote] [b] A TIMELY HALT TO THE WAR WITHIN[/b] Julia Baird June 8, 2013 [quote]It was one of the most important speeches in Australian military history, but not a word has been written about it. On an ear-bitingly cold day in New York this year, Australia's Army Chief, Lieutenant-General David Morrison, stood in front of several hundred people in an auditorium at the United Nations headquarters, in full uniform, with polished badges pinned to his chest. It was March 5, International Women's Day; outside women were marching in the snow, hats jammed on heads as winds whistled across the East River. Inside, the crowd stared at the military man who had come to talk to the UN women's council. Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, who was also speaking there, said they were ''astonished, taken aback''. First, that a military chief was there, and second, that he was so passionate about gender equality. [/quote] www.dailylife.com.au/.../...ry-20130608-2nwal.html

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17/06/2013 The Downer Age : Hakluyt & Co Posted on October 14, 2008 by @ndy Downer joins Eddington at ‘spy’ company Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie The Age October 14, 2008 FORMER Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has joined Kevin Rudd’s infrastructure chief, businessman Sir Rod Eddington, in advising a secretive British firm that sells intelligence on government policy intentions – including those in Australia – to big business. The firm, Hakluyt & Co, was founded by former officers of British spy agency M16. Hakluyt has been embroiled in several corporate spying scandals and was caught in 2001 paying a former German intelligence agent to infiltrate green groups in Europe on behalf of the oil companies Shell and BP. Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford, MI6 ‘Firm’ Spied on Green Groups, Sunday Times, June 17, 2001 Hakluyt employs many former British intelligence officers and provides companies with high-level business and political intelligence on investment opportunities. Mr Downer, the UN special envoy to Cyprus, was appointed to Hakluyt’s advisory board in May. As foreign minister, he oversaw the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and had top-level access to information from Australia’s spy agencies. Sir Rod has served on Hakluyt’s advisory board since 2005, but is not paid for his services. In February, he was appointed chairman of Infrastructure Australia, a Rudd Government body charged with modernising the nation’s water, transport, communications and energy assets through the $20billion Building Australia fund. The former British Airways chief now faces conflict of interest allegations due to his roles with Hakluyt and Infrastructure Australia. Greens leader Senator Bob Brown last night said Sir Rod should cut ties with Hakluyt because it was a “direct conflict of interest” with his Infrastructure Australia role. “We will move to amend the Building Australia legislation when it comes through Parliament in a few weeks to ensure there are no conflicts of interest on the Infrastructure Australia board,” Senator Brown said. A former high level Australian security official told The Age that Hakluyt was one of the more “aggressive and invasive” corporate intelligence firms and that it was a clear conflict of interest for Sir Rod to be advising both the company and the Australian Government. The company has ties with Liberal Party polling firm Crosby Textor. Hakluyt founder and former MI6 officer Christopher James was appointed a senior adviser to Crosby Textor in 2006. Sir Rod, who is also advising the Victorian Government on transport policy, last night denied any real or perceived conflict of interest, saying he had not advised anyone at Hakluyt on Australian Government policy. “There is no conflict of interest,” Sir Rod said. http://slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=1410 MUCH MORE TO COME... SEEMS LIB VICTORIAN GOVT ALSO INVOLVED WITH PART OF EDDINGTON INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN. AMONG OTHER THINGS. MELISSA SWEET @ CROAKEY WROTE AN ARTICLE IN 2008 ON CORRESPONDENCE SHE GOT FROM THIS Hakluyt & Co...CORPORATE SPY AGENCY. N'

nasking

17/06/2013 Turning journalists into spooks? MELISSA SWEET WRITES: | JUL 31, 2008 Are journalists being paid to provide high-level political intelligence to companies and consultancies seeking to benefit from such information? Judging by a series of emails that I’ve recently seen, it seems the answer might be “yes”. Several weeks ago, I received anemail which read as follows: I work for Hakluyt which is a London-based but global strategic business intelligence/risk assessment firm. We have clients all round the world and certainly with interests all round the world. Although we never divulge who are clients are, they will typically be top-level executives in multinationals or private equity firms. When they have a particular project in view — anything from a possible joint venture or market entry plan, and much in between  — they will come to Hakluyt for us to provide them with greater visibility on what they have in mind. We work independently of any other advisers they may have. We have a proprietary network of well-placed individuals around the world who are able to provide us, very discreetly, with intelligence on specific commercial or political issues that may arise. Typically, these individuals will be very well-connected, knowledgeable in a particular field or market and well placed discreetly to make inquiries. I should add that we are only interested in “human source” information - ie information that is freely sought and freely given  — and not documentary information at all. Also, just as we do not disclose the identify (sic) of our clients, we ask our network not to disclose the interest of Hakluyt. Hence this email! With your healthcare expertise, I wondered if you might be able to help us on a new project on the new Australian government’s healthcare policy  — how realistic their reform ambitions really are; the role of the private sector and whether its approach coincides with government; the profitability of various private sector area(hospitals; radiology and pathology service providers); and why government raised the tax penalty threshold for not taking private health insurance as far as it did. Our client is already knowledgeable in the sector. At first, I thought there had been a mistake. Perhaps the man at Hakluyt did not realise that I am a journalist. I emailed back pointing that I am not a consultant but a journalist, and asked, “wearing my journalistic hat”, who his client was. http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/07/31/turning-journalists-into-spooks/ [b]MAKES YOU WONDER ABOUT HOW MANY JOURNOS, INSIDERS IN AUSTRALIA ARE ALSO CORPORATE SPIES?[/b] N'

nasking

17/06/2013 NOT GOOD RUDDY: How about a Rupert tweet on Sir Rod’s surprise gong? STEPHEN MAYNE | FEB 06, 2012 As the Sunday morning political shows prepared for a return yesterday, an 80-year-old expat Australian sitting in New York sent the following two tweets to his 169,000 followers: “Gillard once good education minister, now prisoner of minority greenies. Rudd still delusional who nobody could work with. Nobody else?” “Don’t understand Aussie politics. Can Kevin Rudd really come back and knife Gillard? Weird place mucking up great future.” The fact that Rupert Murdoch has board approval to tweet away is surprising, if only because it is amazing that he still holds a leadership position at News Corp. Indeed, no News Corp director or member of the Murdoch family appears to have suffered any explicit sanction, demotion or penalty for the phone-hacking scandal. Bizarrely, as Britain stripped former Royal Bank of Scotland CEO Fred Goodwin of his knighthood, we went the other way and lauded News Corp’s lead independent director, Sir Rod Eddington, with an AO on Australia Day. The citation reads: “For distinguished service to business and commerce through roles with a range of national and international economic, trade, infrastructure development and transport organisations.” [b]Among the many references to his titles and positions is a mention of the Government Business Advisory Council — amusing because former federal finance minister Lindsay Tanner revealed in his 2011 book Sideshow that the committee didn’t actually exist and Sir Rod was the only member ever appointed. [/b] ”[b]No one ever worked out that it was a chimera,” Tanner wrote. ”A potentially highly embarrassing story was never written.”[/b] [b]The correct time to gong Sir Rod would be after he had stepped up to the plate and driven through some long overdue board and governance reforms at News Corp. Instead, it has been seven long months since The Guardian broke the Milly Dowler story. It has also been more than 100 days since 75%-plus of the independent shares voted at the News Corp AGM opposed the re-election of James and Lachlan Murdoch, along with long-serving former executives turned directors Andrew Knight and Arthur Siskind.[/b] http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/02/06/how-about-a-rupert-tweet-on-sir-rods-surprise-gong/ I [b]JUST DON'T LIKE THIS CONNECTION BETWEEN KEVIN RUDD AND RODD EDDINGTON AND RUPERT MURDOCH AND CORPORATE SPY AGENCIES...DOWNER TOO. NOT SURPRISED THE CORPORATE MEDIA IS TRYING SO HARD TO GET RID OF PM GILLARD...REPLACE HER WITH RUDD... AND EVENTUALLY GOLDMAN-SACHS ETC TIED MALCOLM TURNBULL. STINKS.[/b] N'

nasking

17/06/2013 [b]In May 2001, Christopher James of Hakluyt wrote to Enron's Jeff Skilling:[/b] "Following Phil Carroll's letter to you of April 16 I would be delighted to call on you to tell you more about Hakluyt. While [b]we have already done some work for Enron (Scott Tholan), virtually all our work for our clients is at a strategic level where our coverage of issues is of greatest value.[/b] With your challenging international objectives I am confident we could be of value to you. If you would find it useful to meet I will contact your office to arrange a suitable time." [b]We also have an association with Kissinger/McLarty Associates[/b] for although our work is very different the services we both provide can be complementary. Our US client base is increasing well but at the same time [b]we wish to remain small and discreet.[/b] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Hakluyt_%26_Company_Limited ENRON...KISSINGER TOO. VERY INTERESTING. N'

nasking

17/06/2013 CONTRIBUTORS MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT KISSINGER'S CONNECTIONS TO INDONESIA...AND PRESENT DAY PRESIDENT...AND PAST ONES. NO LONGER EYES WIDE SHUT N'

nasking

17/06/2013 WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 14-16, 2013 [b]Spying, Control and Murder Under the Imperial Presidency Surveillance and the Corporate State[/b] by ROB URIE CounterPunch [b]In fact, George W. Bush was warned of the September 11, 2001 attacks so many times and so loudly by U.S. and overseas intelligence agencies and prominent world leaders before they occurred the fact they did occur falls clearly on his failure of leadership, not on an absence of information the attacks were coming.[/b] [b]As history has it, Bush administration actions were so egregious Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney both refused to give legally binding testimony on what they knew prior to the attacks...[/b] [b]What building fear of low probability events into the monster that is going to devour us has accomplished is to facilitate the launch of poorly conceived military adventures and to effectively sell the evolution of the U.S. (the West, actually) into a corporate-fascist surveillance state. [/b] [b]The problem of ‘terrorism’ is microscopic compared with the expensive catastrophe of the private healthcare system and half the population living in poverty. [/b] Using social resources to reduce medical ‘errors’ would save many multiples of ‘American lives’ more than surveillance and control against a contrived ‘enemy.’ [b]And against history, the creation and funding of a large bureaucracy devoted to ‘security’ has produced a self-perpetuating political economy now instantiated into nearly all public and private institutions.[/b] [b]By reports, more than one million people, overwhelmingly civilians working for ‘private’ corporations, have top security clearance to serve the surveillance state. [/b] [b]As for-profit businesses, surveillance for state ‘interests’ is but one line of enterprise with similar information quite often serving ‘purely’ commercial purposes. [/b] As the FBI is in the process of demonstrating, paying large numbers of people to find ‘terrorists’ means they will either find or manufacture them to justify paychecks and profits. And one way the CIA reportedly got around its Church Commission prohibition against domestic spying was by purchasing the information from commercial sources—the agency ‘self’ interpreted the law to read it could purchase and use the information as long as it didn’t directly collect it. But this is legal sophistry—the intent of the original law was to prohibit government agencies from spying on U.S. citizens. And clever parsing of the language doesn’t convert lawlessness to law. To the uninitiated, Mr. Obama is either lying or ignorant of the facts of what ‘his’ government is doing regarding spying on U.S. citizens. The ‘metadata’ he admits is being collected is in fact the only ‘efficient’ way to find the ‘micro-data,’ the specific content of the phone calls, emails, text messages etc. being recorded and digitally stored to be turned into information ‘useful’ to the corporate-state. The NSA has been conducting keyword searches of digital communications for decades now. The analytical challenge with doing this is one of timing—once a communication containing a keyword has taken place it must be retrieved to be analyzed. Only content that has been stored can be retrieved. The metadata has analytical content by itself, but why would the NSA have foregone keyword and key-phrase surveillance when fiber-optic cable now carries digitized phone calls as well as data? [b]The reasonable assumption, and what has now apparently been exposed, is every digital transmission that is connected to external sources (e.g. Internet, phone lines, satellite) is recorded and reviewed by corporate – government computer programs and those ‘of interest’ are passed on to ‘analysts.’[/b] http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/06/14/surveillance-and-the-corporate-state/ [b]THE INCESTIOUS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOME GOVT AGENCIES AND CORPORATIONS IS VERY WORRYING. WE MUST TAKE BACK OUR DEMOCRACIES.[/b] N'

nasking

17/06/2013 05/31/2013 [b]Indonesia's president has accepted a statesmanship award from a U.S. interfaith foundation that says it hopes to encourage him to promote freedom of worship and tolerance in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. Human rights groups and Indonesian religious organizations were appalled by Thursday's award, saying President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has done too little to suppress a rising tide of violence against minority faiths.[/b] Rabbi Arthur Schneier with the Appeal of Conscience Foundation implicitly noted the controversy, saying, "You fully understand that the work is not complete. This is just a step in the right direction." Yudhoyono, who did not mention religious rights, accepted the award in the name of all of Indonesia, saying "statesmanship can be collective." He said he hoped for "a harmonious society founded in peace and prosperity." [b]The foundation has handed out its "world statesman" award for decades, without controversy, to leaders such as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Kissinger handed the award to Yudhoyono. President Barack Obama sent him a letter praising his award, as did East Timor's former president, Jose Ramos-Horta, who guided the country to independence from Indonesian rule in 1999. [/b] But Usman Hamid, a noted activist with the Indonesian human rights group Kontras, questioned the foundation's credibility in giving the award to the Indonesian president, who he said "is still far from protecting minorities from intolerance." http://m.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/05/31/indonesian-leader-gets-religious-statesman-award.html [b]LOOKING INTO HOWARD GOVT RELATIONSHIP WITH KISSINGER...INCLUDING DOWNER...VIA CORPORATE SPY AGENCIES...ETC... WANT TO KNOW WHAT DEALS WERE DONE WITH PRESENT AND PAST INDONESIAN PRESIDENTS.[/b] N'

nasking

17/06/2013 Blair revealed to be godfather to Murdoch's daughter Wendi Deng reveals that Blair is godfather to her nine-year-old daughter Grace. BY GEORGE EATON PUBLISHED 05 SEPTEMBER 2011 It looks like Tony Blair is even closer to Rupert Murdoch than anyone imagined. This morning it emerged that Blair is godfather to Murdoch's nine-year-old daughter, Grace, the second youngest of his six children. The secret was divulged by Wendi Deng in an interview in the October edition of Vogue. The magazine reports that Blair, who Deng described as one of Murdoch's "closest friends", was present at the christening on the banks of the River Jordan in 2010, at the spot where Jesus is traditionally believed to have undergone the same ceremony. The revelation goes some way to explaining why, unlike Peter Mandelson for example, Blair has refused to distance himself from Murdoch since the phone hacking scandal went global. As I previously noted, when asked about the subject at a press conference in Australia, Blair went out of his way to avoid criticising Murdoch and even claimed that the News Corp boss had taken "responsibility" for the scandal. In fact, Murdoch told MPs during the select committee hearing: "I do not accept ultimate responsibility. I hold responsible the people that I trusted to run it and the people they trusted." http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/09/blair-jordan-murdoch TICK TOCK... N'

nasking

17/06/2013 [b]Tony Blair: godfather of realpolitik – and Murdoch's daughter [/b] Polly Toynbee The Guardian, Tuesday 29 May 2012 But once in power, why didn't Blair stand up to Murdoch? "Frankly, I decided as a political leader that I was going to manage that and not confront it." [b]Since Margaret Thatcher set aside media ownership laws to let Murdoch acquire 40% of readership plus Sky, why didn't he break up overmighty empires? Impossible, Blair said, for any government: he left his "feral beasts" attack to his last days. [/b] Taking on the overmighty press would have meant an "absolute major confrontation" lasting years, while the public wanted action on health, schools and crime. "That's the political judgment you have to make." http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/28/tony-blair-rupert-murdoch-leveson GETTING TO RUDD SOON. N'

nasking

17/06/2013 THE UNITED STATES OF CHRIS MITCHELL The Power of Rupert Murdoch and the Australian’s Editor-in-Chief SALLY NEIGHBOUR July, 2011 Mitchell’s friendship with Rudd was cemented in 2006, when Mitchell married his second wife, Queensland journalist Christine Jackman. Jackman was also close to Rudd, whom she had known as a reporter at the Courier Mail and later in the Canberra press gallery. Kevin and Thérèse Rein were guests at the couple’s wedding and Rudd accepted Jackman’s invitation to be godfather to the first of their two sons. Later that year the Australian’s polling, which showed Rudd and Julia Gillard were the most popular team for Labor, helped Rudd topple Kim Beazley and take over as leader of the Opposition. The national broadsheet threw its editorial weight behind the aspiring future PM. “The Oz was incredibly important to Rudd,” says a former close colleague. “It was the single most important paper in building Kevin Rudd’s perceived influence.” Did that make Mitchell a king-maker? “He would have felt like that in 2006, and rightly so.” http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2011/july/1315015434/sally-neighbour/united-states-chris-mitchell [b]THE FACT THAT THE CORPORATE MEDIA IS SO KEEN NOW TO USE RUDD TO OUT GILLARD IS EXTREMELY WORRYING.[/b] [b]THEY ARE...PLAYERS OF GAMES.[/b] [b]AT THE EXPENSE OF DEMOCRACY. [/b] N'

Ad astra

17/06/2013[b]Good morning Folks Lyn has moved into her new home and will resume posting her Daily Links tomorrow morning.[/b]

nasking

17/06/2013 WITH CONCERNS ABOUT PRIVACY AND DATA MINING...MEMORIES...ANDREW ROBB, PACKER ETC: Kate Lundy (ALP) asked a question in the Senate. The ALP's Leader in the Senate, John Faulkner, also asked a question. Senator Lundy's Press Release stated that "This constitutes the most blatant declaration of intent to gather personal information for commercial purposes this country has ever seen ... [b]The PBL-Acxiom pronouncement about establishing a 'giant warehouse of all personal and financial information' serves as a critical wake-up call for a negligent Government that has failed to legislate to protect privacy of personal information in the private sector. ... The Opposition has called for an inquiry into the use of the electoral roll and called on the Government to implement private sector privacy legislation as promised".[/b] The ABC's Online News carried a report, at http://www.abc.net.au/news/newslink/weekly/newsnat-30nov1999-77.htm The Attorney-General, Daryl Williams, hastily called a press conference regarding the promised, delayed and still-unseen privacy legislation that afternoon, which was doubtless just a coincidence ... Williams' Press Release was characteristically timid, and reflected the Government's intense desire to facilitate business, whatever the cost to people. He appeared to have said in the press conference that the legislation would require Packer/Acxiom to get consent before using/disclosing any of its data; but the written words could easily be read as approving of Acxiom unilaterally collecting the data and storing it in a data haven like the U.S.: "Reports of a data warehouse of personal and financial information being developed by Acxiom highlight the importance of the private sector privacy legislation. The collection of information by Acxiom and its database will be covered by the legislation. The legislation will ensure the data quality, data security and openness of this type of database. It will allow people to access records about themselves and to correct those records if they are wrong". http://www.rogerclarke.com/DV/InfoBase99.html HMMM... [b]ANDREW ROBB HAS A VERY IMPORTANT POSITION AS SHADOW FINANCE MINISTER ON ABBOTT'S TEAM... HE ALSO HAS CONNECTIONS TO CHEVRON.[/b] N'

Bilko

17/06/2013AA Another fine post which if we are not careful will just disappear in a puff of smoke. Why is that one might ask? The country is sliding into a deep pit which makes a black hole look insignificant. Abbott on a crest of a media wave thanks to old Rupes, with six year of anti labor media tirades mostly smoke and mirrors, of which the last three years has been a full on anti Julia campaign which would make old Goebbels spin in his grave with joy. Tell a lie often enough and it is accepted as the truth. Labor needs to understand it is a war and the first casualty is the truth. Why did Julia let Abbott get away with “there will be not carbon tax under a government I lead to grow” when she and the rest of the government should have said “that statement WAS taken out of context” and NOT hammering the second part of the sentence. Pulling up the ABC & SBS every time they repeated that line would have been a starter. We here all know what was said why why did they not follow it through. The same goes for Abbott’s the Insulation industrial manslaughter comment which gave him his first gasp of air and he never looked back,that is down to Kevin who demoted Garrett to curry favour with whomever. I have posted many comments re Labor’s media handling where both Kevin’s & Julia’s teams need a swift kick but alas in vain. We are now at a crossroads where the media manipulated polling is pushing the nervous Nellies in caucus to consider bringing Rudd back, which will be IMHO an election disaster, Julia is the best thing going for Labor. I foresee Abbott’s vote of NO confidence, with the independents abstaining because they are on the record as saying their agreement is with Julia and then Abbott’s call to the GG to dissolve Parliament followed by an election asap. All rushed no time to scrutinize Liberal policy's such as they are. Australia NEEDS to wake up quick smart.

nasking

17/06/2013 WHY DOESN'T IT SURPRISE ME CONROY IS BACK WITH RUDD AGAIN?: On Thursday the Minister will campaign with former prime minister Kevin Rudd in the latter’s Brisbane electorate. “Having Kevin Rudd campaign in support of the NBN is a good thing,” he said. On Monday, former ALP leader Mark Latham said Mr Rudd’s appearances hurt Julia Gillard’s polling... Speaking at an Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce event in Sydney on Tuesday, Senator Conroy acknowledged there were many critics of his time as minister under Labor. http://www.afr.com/p/technology/asbestos_scares_will_not_delay_nbn_sZSrimS4xKsVEduIBLewZN [b]I SUSPECT CONROY HAS NOT ALWAYS HAD THE PEOPLE'S AND THE ALP'S INTERESTS AT HEART AS COMMUNICATION MINISTER. WILL HE QUESTION THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SBS AND MURDOCH'S SHINE COMPANY? I DOUBT IT...I REMEMBER HIM SPRUIKING MYSPACE FOR RUPERT WHEN HE FIRST GOT INTO GOVT.[/b] HE'S SURE TAKEN LONG ENUFF TO ROLL OUT THE NBN...AND GIVEN HEAPS TO VARIOUS MEDIA BARONS. N'

nasking

17/06/2013 BILKO, YOU APTLY MENTIONED THE RUDD BACKSTABBING OF PETER GARRETT: In 2009, Garrett would not give the proposed $2 billion mill in the Tamar Valley the go ahead until more studies were undertaken on its potential impacts to marine environments. A new condition was put on the mill meaning Gunns could be liable for criminal and civil penalties if the mill is approved and breaks defined "environmental limits". In December 2009 Garrett made his final decision on the Traveston Crossing Dam (on the Mary River (Queensland), rejecting the proposal. Garrett determined that the impacts of the proposed dam on nationally listed threatened species (Australian lungfish, the Mary River Turtle and the Mary River cod) would be too great and unacceptable impacts on matters of national environmental significance. On 26 February 2010 the Prime Minister reduced his appointment to the Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts. This demotion was in response to Garrett's administration of the Home Insulation Program (HIP) which was linked to four deaths, over 100 house fires and allegations of fraud. [b]It was revealed in May 2010 that Garrett had written to the then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, on four occasions raising concerns about safety. Further to this, the Hon Gary Gray – Special Minister of State and Special Minister of State for the Public Service and Integrity, revealed that the environment minister was demoted, losing responsibility for the insulation program, because Rudd had a shocking interview on The 7.30 Report and needed a scapegoat. He states: "The majority of caucus felt he had been badly treated. For Rudd and his office to position Garrett as the fall guy was disgraceful, weak, sneaky, unprincipled and just plain wrong. All along, Peter properly put his objections to the administration of the program on the record. How can you have a situation where Rudd executes complete and total influence, micromanages everything, yet not the home insulation program? The shape and execution of the program was certainly designed by the prime minister's office, if not the prime minister himself." [/b] Garrett was re-elected at the August 2010 election with a substantially reduced majority, surviving a two party preferred negative swing of 8.1%.[ After the election he was appointed Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Garrett [b]YA KNOW, I'M BEGINNING TO THINK LATHAM'S ASSESSMENTS OF RUDD...AND LIB ANDREW ROBB ARE RIGHT.[/b] [b]RUDD IS NOT SUITABLE FOR THE PMship.[/b] NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT. [b]STICK TO GILLARD AS PM. [/b] N'

denese

17/06/2013dear ad astra what a great service you are doing for our country amazing piece and comments, what an education I have had.

Ad astra

17/06/2013Bloss Thank you for kind comment. I’m glad you find [i]TPS[/i] useful. We have many fine contributors here. Casablanca You have given us a great collection of pieces to read and the petition re Piers Akerman to sign, which I have done. Thank you. denese Thank you for your comments – you are always so encouraging. Bilko Thank you for your kind remarks. What you say is right. It shows that short slogans, even if incorrect or simply lies, trump reasoned explanations, as Goebbels found. J Fraser Thank you for the YouTube link to the Murdoch story, which shows how crucial to him are power and political influence, and how ruthlessness is why he succeeds. nasking Rogue Griffin is flying high this morning and has given us lots of informative reading.

nasking

17/06/2013 [b]On 19 August 2007, it was revealed that [b]Rudd, while on a visit to New York as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs[/b], had visited a strip club in September 2003, [b]with New York Post editor Col Allan[/b] and Labor MP Warren Snowdon.[/b] WIKIPEDIA WHO IS COL ALLAN YOU MIGHT ASK?: Colin "Col" Allan (born 1953) is an Australian journalist. He served as the editor in chief of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph of Sydney, Australia and has served as editor in chief of the The New York Post since 2001. Life and career According to a profile by Lloyd Grove, Allan grew up in Dubbo in the 1950s, preferring reading to the poor television reception in the rural area. After failing out of the Australian National University in Canberra, he took a job there at The Daily Liberal. In 1974 he moved to Sydney as a reporter for The Daily Mirror. In 1978 Allan was transferred to New York City to cover American news. His mentor Neal Travis introduced him to Rupert Murdoch during this time. In 1983, Allan returned to Australia, eventually rising to Editor In Chief of the Telegraph. [b]He met Lachlan Murdoch, who eventually told Allan he was to replace Xana Antunes as Editor In Chief of the New York Post in 2001[/b]. WIKIPEDIA -------- BACK TO THE SO CALLED FRINGE ISSUE OF SEXISM: [b]The New York Post Is a Hellish Cauldron of Racism, Sexism, and White Rage: Lawsuit[/b] A former New York Post editor who was fired last month for complaining about a ludicrously racist cartoon has filed a detailed complaint in federal court [b]accusing editor Col Allan of racism, sexism, and all-round dickishiness of the highest order.[/b] Sandra Guzman was an editor at the Post charged with running, among other things, a section aimed at Latino readers. After the paper published a Sean Delonas cartoon depicting President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee being gunned down by white police officers, she complained internally about what she saw as the paper's persistent and overt racism under the leadership of Australian he-man Col Allan. Then she got fired. http://gawker.com/5401475/the-new-york-post-is-a-hellish-cauldron-of-racism-sexism-and-white-rage-lawsuit?skyline=true&s=x NOT GOOD. THE NY POST IS ALSO BEING SUED BY TWO YOUNG MEN WHOSE PICS WERE POSTED ON THE FRONT PAGE DURING THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING SEARCH. RUDD CONNECTION TO NEWS LTD...NOT GOOD. N'

Ken

17/06/2013I think there are three aspects of this “disrepect”: one relating to the positon of Prime Minister, one relating to women, and one in everyday behaviour generally. Of course, they meet in a tsunami against the current Prime Minister. There has always been satire making fun of Prime Ministers. I heard once that much of what satirists do is legally slander or libel but no-one dares sue because they would become a laughing stock for not being able to take a joke. But what Abbott and the shock-jocks have done is, as has been discussed previously, pure vitriol with no hint of satire, total disrespect for the position of Prime Minister. What they have managed to achieve is not just to demean the position of Prime Minister but the whole political process and the role of politicians generally. I think there has been a cultural shift backwards in the past 20 or so years. Sometime about the late 80s there was a reaction against “political correctness” (not just in Australia but reinforced in Oz by Howard in the 90s). A simple example was the way English television shows and movies reintroduced smoking on screen. The rise of the shock jocks at the time fits the pattern. They were rude to guests of all sorts and to callers with whom they disagreed. In their efforts to “shock”, their language became more inflamatory and disrespectful to all and sundry. The movies at the time also included heros (or anti-heros) who, as a matter of course, were disrespectful and aggressive. It became acceptable that to assert oneself meant using abusive and aggressive language. And as Nasking has pointed out, the rise of rap, and especially gangsta rap, added fuel to this and, in particular, the disrespect of women, to such an extent that it became acceptable among some young males to refer to their girlfriends as “my bitch”, and some young women accepted this as normal. Because of this history, I am not surprised by the current problems regarding attitudes to women. I think we have been going backwards in the past couple of decades but no-one has dared talk about it perhaps because it is so pervasive in “popular culture”. The Prime Minister has walked into the middle of this and I think the most dangerous outcome will be the diminishing of the status of Prime Minister. Abbott, as the election approaches, is tempering his language but leaving it to Pyne, Hockey, et al to continue the disrespectful attacks. Unfortunately, because of the history/changes I have mentioned, there is a significant proportion of the electorate that now accepts this as “the norm” - a saddening, disheartening reality!!

nasking

17/06/2013 THAT SKY/SLY NEWS SLIMEBAG GRAHAM RICHARDSON IS ALSO BREATHLESS, LIKE BARRIE CASSIDY, IN TRYING TO CONVINCE LABORITES TO DUMP PM GILLARD... MY WIFE AND I DESPISE RICHARDSON...ANOTHER MELTED FACE TYPE...RIDDLED WITH GUILT AND CORRUPTION... MY WIFE SAID THIS MORNING THAT IF RUDD GETS THE LEADERSHIP AGAIN SHE WILL VOTE GREEN...THEN EXHAUST HER VOTE... I'M WITH HER ON THAT...I GOT RUDD WRONG...AND PLENTY ON HERE WERE RIGHT TO TELL ME SO A WEEK OR SO BACK... THE PATHETIC SYCOPHANTIC ATTITUDE TOWARDS RUDD THIS MORNING BY VARIOUS NEWS RADIO TYPES ACTING LIKE A HERD OF DRIBBLING DESPERATE PAPPARAZZI TOLD ME ALL I NEEDED TO KNOW. THIS ABOUT GRAHAM RICHARDSON...WHO I BELIEVE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED MORE THOROUGHLY FOR HIS DODGY LINKS: Post-parliament career[edit] Richardson is now primarily seen by the Australian public through election night television coverage. He is a currently a political commentator for the Seven Network (having previously appeared on the Nine Network) and broadcaster with 2GB. He has also authored memoirs titled Whatever it Takes, published by Bantam Books, Sydney, 1994. For the 2000 Sydney Olympics he was the chairman of the Olympic ticketing operations, Mayor of the Olympic village and had a seat on the Sydney Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (SOCOG). In 1999, as chairman of the 2000 Sydney Olympics ticketing operations, Richardson oversaw a deal where over 500,000 selected tickets were withheld from the public ticket lottery and reserved for high-paying package-deal customers. This resulted in considerable public criticism at the time and the tickets were eventually made available to the general public. He has continued a role as a broker in other aspects of NSW public life, including the high profile contract dispute between the National Rugby League player Sonny Bill Williams and his club, the Canterbury Bulldogs. Richardson now writes an opinion column with the The Australian, where he is highly critical of the Australian Labor Party. Cash for comment This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. (June 2009) Richardson was implicated in the Cash for comment scandal in Australian radio broadcasting, where prominent radio personalities – such as John Laws and Alan Jones – were found to have been promoting certain companies while on the companies' payroll, while keeping the deal secret from listeners to make it look like the comments were genuine opinion/editorial pieces, or that they had demanded payments from companies in exchange for refraining from making negative comments. Richardson was being paid by Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL), and spruiked for PBL-owned companies Channel 9 and Crown Casino during his radio show. Tax evasion In 2006, Richardson became embroiled in allegations of tax evasion involving the late Rene Rivkin.[45] On 27 September 2006, Justice James Allsop, of the Federal Court, released a document showing that Richardson had an undeclared Swiss bank account containing $1.4 million. He was one of the shareholders of the Offset Alpine Printing company. In October 2008, Richardson agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to end his ongoing A$2.3 million dispute with the Australian Taxation Office. The Tax Office took action against Mr Richardson in 2005 after the late stockbroker Rene Rivkin told Swiss investigators that Rivkin, businessman Trevor Kennedy and Richardson were the secret owners of a $27 million stake in Offset Alpine. The Tax Office had sought $700,000 it claimed was owed in unpaid taxes, along with a $1.6 million interest and penalty payment. WIKIPEDIA I [b]SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT ANY LABORITE WHO LEAKS AND HAS CONTACT WITH THIS DODGY CHARACTER SHOULD BE EJECETED FROM THE PARTY... ASKED TO STAND DOWN AT THE NEXT ELECTION...A CLEAN SKIN PUT IN THEIR PLACE. FRANKLY, THE ROT HAS TO STOP. NOW.[/b] N'

nasking

17/06/2013 I CAN TOTALLY UNDERSTAND WHY: [b]Garrett won't serve in Rudd cabinet [/b] Peter Garrett has put the future of school funding reforms into the Labor leadership mix, saying he will quit as Education Minister if there is a switch back to Kevin Rudd. On Sunday Mr Garrett said he would not serve in a Rudd cabinet... ''That's what I've said before and my position hasn't changed,'' he said. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/garrett-wont-serve-in-rudd-cabinet-20130616-2ocp2.html#ixzz2WQliKmXO THE ALP MUST IGNORE THE BREATHLESS, DESPERATE CALLS FOR CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP BY A MORALLY BANKRUPT MSM...WELL, PLENTY OF THEM. N'

nasking

17/06/2013 I AM PRESENTLY GATHERING INFO ON BILL SHORTEN AND PAUL HOWES...KEPT HEAPS FROM YEARS AGO. N'

Ian

17/06/2013Janet Albrechtsen ceased to be notable many years ago.

42 long

17/06/2013Some good information there. Garrett has every reason to NEVER want Rudd. Rudd is flawed, in many ways and will be torn to pieces if we are silly enough to think he will advance the show. I'm not turned off by the Gillard approach to women needing things to improve for them. The attitude created against Gillard is done by manipulating what is spoken and taking things out of context. This is one of the tricks used constantly. She did say don't write CRAP . Shouldn't be difficult. Well it's IMPOSSIBLE for the MSM as their agenda doesn't fit not writing crap. Writing crap is the only way you can elect crap. Gillard has resisted so much to get where she is and has more guts than anyone else in the parliament. The party should stick with her and not go for the pop style poser who has undermined her at every opportunity. There is no guarantee that he will achieve anything anyhow. There are too many unknowns in the equation. If they go down, go down with dignity. History will assess the damage done by Kev and the waverers and it will be seen as considerable and deliberate. People who will be really disadvantaged by LOTO's policies will remember who white anted a good prime minister.

nasking

17/06/2013 WHY DOESN'T IT SURPRISE ME THAT ROD EDDINGTON JOINED JAC NASSER AND THE ABBOTT LOT AT MURDOCH'S THE AUSTRALIAN CALLING FOR INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS REFORM?: Rod Eddington joins calls for industrial relations reform BY:RICHARD GLUYAS From: The Australian May 23, 2012 PRESSURE has intensified on Labor to liberalise the industrial relations system, after the head of the government's infrastructure advisory body said the system had "gone backwards" in some respects and made it more expensive to do business. Infrastructure Australia chairman Rod Eddington backed the hardline position of BHP Billiton chairman Jac Nasser, a former global head of Ford, who launched a scathing attack on the IR system last week, saying it had quickly become one of the big issues for business. "(Mr Nasser) has seen these issues around the world," Sir Rod said at a panel discussion during an Australian British Chamber of Commerce lunch in Melbourne. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/industrial-relations/eddington-joins-calls-for-industrial-relations-reform/story-fn59noo3-1226363936416 [b]I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT JAC NASSER RECENTLY. THIS FROM WIKIPEDIA...REMEMBER SKY NEWS UK'S CONNECTIONS TO THE MURDOCH EMPIRE...MORE ABOUT JPMORGAN LATER:[/b] Following his career with Ford Motor Company, Nasser joined One Equity Partners, the private investment arm of JPMorgan Chase. There, he led a number of deals, including the sale of Polaroid Corporation. In addition to chairing the Board of BHP, [b]Nasser serves on the Board of British Sky Broadcasting[/b], and is on the International Advisory Council of Allianz. ------ NO LONGER EYES WIDE SHUT N'

nasking

17/06/2013 [b]Rogue Griffin is flying high this morning and has given us lots of informative reading[/b] Ad, I HAVE COLLECTED A HUGE AMOUNT OF INFO OVER THE YEARS...SENT DISCS TO A NUMBER OF FRIENDS...AND ASSOCIATES...JUST IN CASE. I'VE BEEN ON POLITICAL BLOGS SINCE EARLY 2000s...YOU START MAKING A LOT OF CONNECTIONS. N'

Ad astra

17/06/2013Ken I enjoyed reading your thoughtful comment, and agree with your opening argument. It seems that there is a strong residue of male chauvinism in our society. Some men have been slow to adapt to a female PM, especially this one, who refuses to be intimidated by them, and kow tow to them. She refused to court the media by putting favoured outlets on a drip feed; she told journalists: “Don’t write crap – it can’t be that hard”; and she tried to clean up the media via the Finkelstein and Convergence reviews. Thus, she is offside with much of the media. An image of club-frequenting male executives from industry and commerce huffing puffing about her over a long lunch is easy to conjure up. And her recent speech that highlighted the male dominance in Liberal circles, and their carefully hidden views about abortion has upset male voters, as evidenced by their swing away from Labor in today’s Nielsen poll. It looks as if there are still males out there who find it difficult to stomach a female PM. The same attitude is seen in executive ranks where women still lag well behind men in senior positions. The disrespect of our first female PM, generated by Abbott and his Coalition colleagues and reinforced by the MSM, has played out in the electorate. Can’t you see blokes at their watering hole echoing: ‘Bloody woman, bloody liar, useless bitch, kick her out and get a bloke back to run the country; at least blokes know what they are doing’! I see this blokeyness is rife in Rugby where the players are objecting to penalties being applied for punching an opponent. It’s a man’s game they plead; ‘throwing punches is part of the game’. It may seem a long bow I’m drawing, but male dominance, male behaviour, male aggression, and men against women behavior still pervades our society, and is seen manifest starkly in contemporary politics. I fear we still have along way to go to reach gender equality. And what I think stings men sharply is the realisation that women can do their job as well as they can, and sometimes much better.

gabrianga

17/06/2013Another day out for Australia's "useful idiots" who blame Murdoch, Nasser, Piers et.al for all their woes whilst the real culprit, Comrade Julia, is promoted to near goddess status. Some try to blame her pet 457 for her unwarranted often hysterical outbursts and accusations but as an active Socialist I suggest it's in the genes.

TalkTurkey

17/06/2013Ad astra you have an uncanny ability, unique in my experience, of picking the very nub of each issue as it comes up every week. It is a remarkable ability in itself, just to pick the subject, then you go on to nail the philosophical and practical considerations, dam, you do it every week! The two tributes below could be written by any of us after any of your musings, and indeed all the time. [i]dear ad astra what a great service you are doing for our country ... piece and comments, what an education I have had.[/i] denese [i]Another very well written article, Ad. I wish I could write half as well ! I dips me lid to you.[/i] MarkatPort Ad You have focused and centred us throughout this long and painful and scary 3-year campaign, and we are all better for it. We really feel we are part of a greater Praetorian Guard, yes, the [i][b]Fighting 5th Estate![/b][/i] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We must now find ways in this crucial period to maximize our effectiveness in driving the scourge of Abborrrttian Politics from this land forever. That's surely what we are about. We must fight them at the Golf Club, we must fight them in the washrooms, we must fight them in [i]and out [/i]of the schools. We must never surrender. [i]We are [u]everywhere[/u].[/i] [b][i]SOUND THE AIR-RAID ALARM![/i][/b] Don't be nice. I'm not nice. I say it loud and nasty because it stings them a little. Just a little, but mony a mickle mecks a muckle, and lots of little army-ant bites kill cobras. I am proud to have coined the term [i]Fighting Fifth[/i], I glow inside when anyone else bob uses the term because it unites us and it stings them. I love it when someone comes up with e.g. the term [i]Ginatalia[/i] because it stings. Ridicule, that's the ticket. Do your best Comrades, direct your minds to publishing shrewish or honeyed or Jason-pithy comments that make even a tiny bit of difference, remember that Ecuadorian Butterfly that caused the Chinese earthquake! Feel it Comrades, we must RESIST. Time to arc up!

TalkTurkey

17/06/2013Somewhere back in this thread someone (sorry can't find it but Right On whoever it was) commented particularly on the failure of the Labor MHRs to [i]give the lie to the Lie[/i] about "No Carbon Tax [i][u]but ...!"[/u][/i] That it has gone unchallenged has driven me to distraction, but Dam, *J*U*L*I*A* herself has repeatedly allowed the term Carbon Tax to get past her, and even USED the term herself! If it'd been me, I would have stopped the conversation right there and given the interviewer the hot word about Truth. It would have been the perfect sobering moment and put many commentators in their place. Yeah I know, I'd do a fat lot with a basket of eggs and a stick ... :~(

RodFairgo

17/06/2013Dear AA Have enjoyed your fifth estate this-morning & hope I too can make valued contributions. My thoughts are with Ms Gillard, as she battles the forces within and outside, plotting her demise. I only hope, once Gonski is signed, then she, knowing she can wipe the floor against Abbott in debating etc, has a better than 50/50 show, but Gonski still has to be delivered, and 2 weeks of Parliament could stall her attention here. So I would be exposing right now, Abbott's lack of commitment to Australia, and him being in bed with Murdoch and Rhinehart, and throw it to the people to overcome these challenges. All of this would be nice if KRudd was onside, but I would haul the inner caucus, including Kevin, and record a positive outcome, not with platitudes, but discussing future directions, and how important it is that the focus is the only way to keep all the magnificent reforms, is to defeat the Abbott wreckers, ALL against the might of Murdoch. Unfortunately, good guys don't always win!

TalkTurkey

17/06/2013Nasking, I'm truly sorry not to reply to you more often, you send so much I have trouble trying even to skim it - I'm not a very good or fast reader really - and it's a sort of case of [i]More is Less [/i], F U C W I M*. (I think this is what Pappinbarra Fox tried to tell you btw. She has not been back since your rather terse response. Perhaps you might find a few kind words to her?) But anyway I must tell you this, I HATE your new Rogue Griffin gravatar, LOVED the Bear, Why did you change? In my many tessellating designs, ~(one of which you may see in my little book [i]Brucie the Bilby [/i] - that you may get one of for FREE by merely asking Ad astra) ~I have very deliberately avoided fantastic creatures - flying griffogoyles are exactly what I don't do. Escher did many such, but the ones I like artistically are his few tessellations of real critters. It's sort of cheating in tessellations to use what amount to random shapes to fill in spaces. The real trick is to use credible shapes, and I try to show all their limbs. Yes Tricky. But anyway Bring Back the BEAR! *"If You See What I Mean" ... Like it? :)

nasking

17/06/2013 TALK TURKEY, YOU SPEND MORE TIME ATTACKING ME THAN READING. READING MIGHT HELP. AS FOR THE GRAVATAR...DO NOT INSULT MY GRANDMOTHER. FULL STOP. WORRY ABOUT YER OWN BUSINESS.

nasking

17/06/2013 DUE TO THE CONSTANT ATTACKS ON ME BY THE LIKES OF TT, PATRICIA AND MANY OTHER LABORITES ON THIS SITE I HAVE DECIDED TO LEAVE PERMANENTLY. N'

puffytmd

17/06/2013Tom of Melbourne Hello dinosaur. i thought i would remind you that laces have replaced button up boots, and there is also this new fangled thing they use on slippers, called velcro. You might want to update your footwear, and your attitudes at the same time.

TalkTurkey

17/06/2013gabrianga You are quite right, Comrade *J*U*L*I*A* is indeed the nearest thing to a Goddess I've ever seen, she will be delighted with your tribute. And you said, [i]as an active Socialist I suggest it's in the genes.[/i] Good to hear Comrade. Active socialists are always welcome on The Political Sword! :)

TalkTurkey

17/06/2013Nasking FFS Bye then.

Ad astra

17/06/2013[b]nasking I would be truly sorry if you decided to leave this site permanently. You have been part of it for so long, and have contributed so much. Take a break and return when you feel ready.[/b]

Ad astra

17/06/2013RodFairgo Welcome to [i]The Political Sword[/i] family, and thank you for your complimentary remarks and your thoughtful comments. Do come again. I share your sentiments: [i]”My thoughts are with Ms Gillard, as she battles the forces within and outside, plotting her demise.”[/i] We must give her the support she deserves, Puffytmd I like your Gravatar. Good reply to one of our knockers.

Truth Seeker

17/06/2013Ad, thanks for another fine piece, you really have covered a lot of good ground with these last few posts, and the culture of disrespect is something that needs to be addressed. But not only by us of the fifth, but by the MSM and more importantly the LNP who are by far and away the worst offenders. Nas, mate I have been dying to tell you that I absolutely LOVE the Rogue Griffin, but have been tied up with my latest post, and have only just found a few minutes. I think it appeals to my love of all things magical :-) :-) and would love to see it at my site. Just posted, [b"Hypocrisy = Tony Abbott, ambition without a real man!"][/b] :-) http://truthseekersmusings.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/hypocrisy-tony-abbott-ambition-without-a-real-man/ Cheers :-) :-)

Ad astra

17/06/2013Talk Turkey Thank you again for your most complimentary remarks. You are a great supporter of [i]TPS[/i], one who is always encouraging and loyal. Thank you again. Your rallying cry is splendid: [i]”We must fight them at the Golf Club, we must fight them in the washrooms, 
 we must fight them in and out of the schools. We must never surrender. We are everywhere.“[/i]

Ad astra

17/06/2013Doug Evans As at last I have some clear air I’ll attempt to respond to your comments on the last piece, which I have re-read. I have also read the Greens’ ‘Submission to the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers’, and am waiting for a response to an email to Sarah Hanson-Young seeking clarification on what the Greens would advocate once the humanitarian intake has been reached. They recommend the annual intake be increased to 25,000. I realize that I may not be able to change your mind about the approach of [i]TPS[/i] towards Labor policies, namely to not join the strident chorus of the many who criticize their policies, no matter how successful they have been. We saw this with the HIP and BER, both successful in achieving their particular aims, and at the same time avoiding a recession that would have brought rising unemployment and business failures. All we heard from the Coalition and the Murdoch media was lurid stories of ceiling fires and deaths, despite the unchallenged evidence that there were fewer fires with the HIP ceiling insulation than before; and ‘waste and mismanagement’ and ‘Julia Gillard Memorial Halls’ with the BER, despite a 97% satisfaction rate. [i]TPS[/i] not only declined to criticize these programs, but defended them as a counter to this media disingenuousness. Turning now to Labor’s asylum-seeker policy, unquestionably it has not achieved one of its major aims, to stop asylum-seekers undertaking dangerous journeys to Australia on boats. The boats still come. What policy might do better? I have re-read the Greens policy aims, and, as stated earlier, find them laudable, and not dissimilar to those I suggested in the text of the piece I wrote. What the Greens policy still avoids is indicating what approach they would take should asylum-seekers continue to arrive on boats once the quota they recommend, 25,000, is reached. Perhaps Senator Hanson-Young will fill that gap. The other factor that affects political thinking is what the electorate thinks. Those in power want to retain it; those who are not in power want to attain it. Power comes from the voters. For a party in power to stand on high principle may be laudable philosophically and ethically, but if that flies in the face of the wishes of the voters, it loses power and the capacity to do the good things it believes need doing. Parties in power, or seeking it, know this and modify their policies accordingly. As an aside, I hear today that the Greens are advocating leaving all but 20% of coal reserves in the ground to avoid catastrophic global warming, and they are right, but for the Government or the Coalition to advocate the same would result in the alienation millions of voters and scores of industries whose economic future resides in digging up and selling coal. Already Gary Gray and Greg Hunt have been out denying that their parties are in agreement with the Greens. My point is simply that the truth of realpolitik is that the electorate’s wishes, no matter how inappropriate, are part of the decision-making of politicians in power, and those who want it. They must take it into account or be punished at the ballot box. The Greens, knowing that at present they cannot be a majority party and assume power, can take what they regard as the high moral ground with little fear they will be punished for doing so. Back to asylum-seeker policy, while it is relatively easy to put together a set of acceptable aims, it is nigh impossible to construct a policy that on the one hand is humane and accommodating of asylum-seekers, which obviates the need for people to undertake dangerous sea journeys, yet aligns with the views of a divided electorate that includes some who want a more humane policy and others who are angry at each new boat arrival, want the boats stopped, and will vote down any party that seems unable to do that. The Government is implementing as best it can the recommendations of the Expert Panel. I for one was prepared to see how they worked. So far, it has not stopped the boats. What next? I am grateful for your contribution to this debate, and to all who have attempted to address the policy task I set. Some found the task beyond them, some attempted it but found the task daunting, even impossible. So to return to your challenge Doug, this site has not gone into hypercritical mode about asylum-seeker policy because the solution is evading everyone who has a view on the subject, except perhaps those who will never have to implement the policy, and because criticizing without offering a plausible alternative is unworthy of the critic. Nobody commenting here has offered a policy that would be capable of meeting the criteria mentioned above. Regarding the wider issue of the attitude of this site and this author towards policy, it has not, and will not be putting the boots into Labor policies unless a feasible alternative is available and could be offered. Generally, I have found Labor policies suitable and have found them in accord with my own thinking and political philosophy. Asylum-seeker policy is one where no one, no party, has the answer when all the variables are taken into account, when all the factors are considered. I am in no better position. I expect that my answer will not satisfy you, no matter how much time and effort I have put into formulating it.

Ad astra

17/06/2013DMW Thank you for your thoughtful comment on the last piece at 6.20 PM on June 16, and apologies for my slow response. I strongly agree with your aim: [i]”To change the national conversation on the issue that reflects the Aussie spirit of a fair go and help for the down trodden.”[/i] You make a salient point here: “[i]If xenophobia is a 'survival instinct' from times of old then it is still in all of us to varying degrees at an emotional level. No matter the intellectual argument against xenophobia (racism) there will be times that the emotional side of us will win out which is why it is so easy for the opposition to feed on the innate fears residing in us.”[/i] Sadly, that seems true today. Your conclusion: “[i]I pity the poor soul who as prime minister of this country that will have to offer an apology for the inhumane and indecent way we are currently treating asylum seekers and refugees.”[/i] is the sad reality. Until then, what?

Ad astra

17/06/2013Truth Seeker Thank you again for your complimentary remarks. I’m glad you enjoyed the piece. I enjoyed reading your latest: [i]Hypocrisy = Tony Abbott, ambition without a real man![/i] http://truthseekersmusings.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/hypocrisy-tony-abbott-ambition-without-a-real-man/ And your concluding words: [i]”So the only conclusion that an objective observer could come to is; Abbott is a man with ambition, not principles. Abbott is a man with ambition, not conscience. Abbott is a man with ambition, not scruples. Abbott is a man with ambition, not compassion. Abbott is a man with ambition, not honesty. Abbott is a man with ambition, not integrity. Abbott is a man with ambition, not honour.” [b]Hypocrisy = Tony Abbott, ambition without a real man![/b][/i]

Truth Seeker

17/06/2013Ad, thanks for that :-) I appreciate it very much :-) Cheers :-) :-)

Sir Ian Crisp

17/06/2013I think the bird of paradox is getting bad advice from her right-hand man John McVermin. She has declared war on 50% of the population because McVermin thinks that's the way to win. The polls today show not only are men insulted but women are deserting the bird of paradox as well. Is John McVermin a Lib-NP agent?

TalkTurkey

17/06/2013H'mmm, I don't get the connection between Rogue Griffins and Nasking's granny but if I missed the explanation in the stream well I already told him I can't read all his posts.(Does anyone? Honestly?) TS you like the design, I'm not arguing but to me it looks threatening and nasty as an image, and I see it as surprising usurper of its predecessor. Well that's just my reaction but, well, never mind. As for Nasking's reaction to me, well maybe his reference to [i]TT, PATRICIA AND MANY OTHER LABORITES ON THIS SITE [/i]is significant. Yep that's me all right, a Laborite and proud. If he's using it pejoratively, well, never mind. I have found quite a lot of people are only too ready to take things the wrong way, but I also know that it is the courageous act of a true friend to try to tell someone their breath stinks. Pappinbarra Fox tried, and got a nasty smackdown from Nasking, and I didn't respond fast enough in supporting her, I'm less than impressed with myself for that, but then, neither did anyone else, maybe that's why she hasn't been back. Foxy One, if you are feeling bruised and undersupported by the rest of us, well I'm really sorry, you are loved and valued here, please come back. Nasking could do well to take hints from friends. He has [i]swamped[/i] the site, and we few "MANY OTHER LABORITES" (?) have failed sufficiently stridently to plead that he limit his input, given his propensity to post copious quantities of entire slabs from others' pens. Over the years Nasking has been all over the shop politically, well not me Comrades, I'm pretty sick of his opinions as to just what the thinks about Rudd on any particular day, I've nailed my colours to the mast from the start, and it is my firm belief that it is the only proper stance. It is Ad Astra's after all, and I do mean, after all. It is *J*U*L*I*A*s too might I point out. So swinging around like a weathercock is anathema to me. And I take it as a bit insulting for him to use the term Laborites disparagingly. Anyway he's out of here, or so he says for the [i]n[/i]th time, and if he comes back this time I won't be bothering him directly again, now I know in what sort of light Mr Gryphon sees me. Oh, and PATRICIA AND MANY OTHER LABORITES ON THIS SITE. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ad I don't think my 'rallying cry' was entirely original somehow... seems to ring a bell ... As for your answer to Doug Evans, I suspect that the shrewdest sentence is the last. He's another I won't directly respond to, on the basis that he appears to relish the thought of a high-moral-ground to crow on were the Abborrrttians to win.

Casablanca

17/06/2013I'm sorry, but I've had to take humour off the menu Michael Leunig. June 17, 2013 [quote]Readers, it has all gone crazy; and to make matters worse there are some who are trying to spread the pernicious, infantile idea that this nation is engaged in a federal election. Well, hello people, it's time for a serious reality check. This is not an election, this is a man-woman shitfight - and anyone who tries to trivialise this crucial reality with distractions like environmental disasters, wars, human rights abuses or refugee children in detention etc is being grossly irresponsible and I suggest we take a zero tolerance approach to this ignorant behaviour; it is a tragedy of biblical proportions.[/quote] Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/im-sorry-but-ive-had-to-take-humour-off-the-menu-20130616-2ocfo.html#ixzz2WSbp7XcJ

42 long

17/06/2013the later Morgan poll is quite different. Bounce from the "sattler " event. Read on IA and smile a bit more.

Casablanca

17/06/2013GetUp and Go! [u]Play the Gender Card[/u] Here is an opportunity to make a stand against the tawdry gender politics that has been so overt this past week or so. http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/womens-rights/gender-card/play-the-gender-card?t=dXNlcmlkPTMzMzA3MCxlbWFpbGlkPTE5Mzc= [u]Rally for Clean Energy.[/u] Also, GetUp will be holding a rally in Garema Place tomorrow, Tuesday, at noon. It will run concurrently with a rally scheduled for Parliament Hill by a group protesting the clean energy targets and wind turbines. When I googled the Anti-clean energy protest rally the only result was an article in the Asian Correspondent. Go figure! http://asiancorrespondent.com/109269/largest-anti-wind-rally-storms-australian-capital/

Gordonwa

17/06/2013Here is the link to the Morgan Poll on IA http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/morgan-poll-shows-bounce-for-government-after-sattler/ MSM/ABC only want to talk about the bad Neilsen Poll taken before the full fall out of the Sattler interview was known.

denese

17/06/2013http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/federal-voting-intention-june17-201306170603 well well well how interesting lets see if this is reported

jane

17/06/2013NAS' LOVE THE NEW GRAVATAR. Liealot was in Shoalhaven last week lying to his deluded barrackers and during the course of events was asked about his policies. "Policies, Lielaot?" I hear you ask. Astonishgly yes is the answer. In reply to a question about roads, Liealot told his amazed listeners that he had this rooly fantastic organisation thingy called Infrastructure Australia which he would unleash presumably after 14/9. http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/1572751/abbott-show-rolls-into-town/ The only teeny weeny drawback to this [strike]announcement[/strike] pack of lies, is that it's a [b]government[/b] fantastic organisation thingy & the first one will open this weekend. Albo was very pleased to announce it at QT today. Although I didn't watch QT, I have been reliably informed that Albo & the PM were both extremely pleased inform the House that yet another government initiative had been achieved. I wonder how barrackers will explain Liealot's blatant on the record BIG FAT LIE.

Casablanca

17/06/2013[b]Shorten's wife locks in behind Gillard[/b] Daniel Hurst. June 17, 2013 - 4:44PM [quote]Chloe Bryce, wife of Bill Shorten and the daughter of Governor-General Quentin Bryce, is president of the board of Women for Gillard - modelled after the Women for Obama group that campaigned for Barack Obama in last year's US presidential election.[/quote] Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/shortens-wife-locks-in-behind-gillard-20130617-2oe51.html#ixzz2WSfsSaEn

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17/06/2013Gordonwa, denese [i]Morgan[/i] is interesting after the [i]Nielsen[/i] result. I wonder what [i]Newspoll[/i] will show tonight?

Casablanca

17/06/2013 [b]THE CONVOY OF CLEAVAGE. IN WHICH THE BREAST STRIKES BACK.[/b] [quote]The PM's decolletage popped up as a topic of discussion yesterday following remarks by Grace Collier on ABC Radio National's Sunday Extra. Today Destroy the Joint launched Convoy of Cleavage and has uploaded a montage of cleavages that is very witty.[/quote] https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ConvoyOfCleavage&src=hash http://noplaceforsheep.com/2013/06/17/the-convoy-of-cleavage-in-which-the-breast-strikes-back/ https://www.facebook.com/DestroyTheJoint

DMW

17/06/2013A coalition member I would have seriously considered voting for had I lived in her electorate today gave her farewell speech to Parliament and I gather it was a thought provoking and moving oratory. Judi Moylan was interviewed on PM tonight and this excerpt is telling: ALEXANDRA KIRK: [i]You spent much of your 20 years in politics campaigning for better treatment of asylum seekers. You said: [b]'What's gone on in our name stands as a matter of great shame. That is, indefinite mandatory detention and detaining children'.[/b] Do you think the Coalition, if it wins the election, will, as it says, stop the boats and therefore bring an end to indefinite mandatory detention and detaining kids?[/i] JUDI MOYLAN: [i]Well what I've called for is the building of a national consensus on this, because I don't believe that any of the recent policies are going to stop the boats. In fact, we have a stark demonstration of that. Since late last year we've had 20,000 people come.[/i] ALEXANDRA KIRK: [i]So why do you think a policy solution has evaded or eluded politicians for so long?[/i] JUDI MOYLAN: [i]Because I think this issue has been a matter of political posturing, and that is simply not going to resolve the weighty matters that are before us if we're going to manage it.[/i] ALEXANDRA KIRK: [i]It's been fertile political ground hasn't it?[/i] JUDI MOYLAN: [i]It certainly has, yes. And we've created really a bit of a behemoth, because, you know, where do we turn to now? And that is why I've said the way forward is to build a national consensus, stop the political posturing and begin an earnest engagement with the region of the Indian Ocean where these problems are emanating from.[/i] ALEXANDRA KIRK: [i]And if Tony Abbott wins the election do you think there's a chance that might happen?[/i] JUDI MOYLAN: [i]Well I would be hopeful that the Coalition might reconsider that this is a very, very tough problem to deal with, that Australia is not alone, and we can't continue with a policy that just resolves our immediate political problems in our nation because we are part of a region. Like it or not, we live in a region where other countries have a much deeper, more difficult problem to deal with than in fact Australia does. [b]If we can't get consensus between our political parties here in Australia, how on earth are we able to build a consensus within the regions as to how we deal with this?[/b][/i] (my emphasis added) http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3783564.htm In another way Ms Moylan has echoed my sentiment that the national conversation on Asylum Seekers needs to change before we have any hope of solving the 'problem'. Farewell Ms Moylan, you leave this parliament with your integrity intact and you will be missed by many.

TalkTurkey

18/06/2013Good Morning Lynnie! Hope you are happily ensconced in your new home. Comrades we are winning now. Abborrtt will keep losing now. He's completely run out of ammo and Emmo is firing broadsides back at him and he's going DOWN.

lyn

18/06/2013Today’s Links Morgan Poll shows bounce for Government after Sattler by @independentaus Gary Morgan suggested the reason why the poll differed sharply from the Neilsen poll released last night ‒ which showed a 47% – 53% result in favour of the L-NP ‒ was that Neilsen polled before the full impact of the Howard Sattler interview with Julia Gillard and his subsequent sacking was known. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/morgan-poll-shows-bounce-for-government-after-sattler/ The demeaning of Julia Gillard by @independentaus on ABC Radio National’s Saturday Extra, Geraldine Doogue called on some significant minds to tease out the place of at least one woman in Australian culture. Neither Wendy McCarthy nor Don Watson nor Michael Gawenda, could come to a comfortable concurrence about why Australia’s Prime Minister is being so demeaned in Australian public life. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/the-demeaning-of-julia-gillard/ @MsGraceCollier Cleavage fact check by @NoFibs Personally, as a reader and viewer, this exercise has made me question Grace Collier as a genuine political commentator. She’s also not shy of the odd media stunt as in the James Bond style microphone in her bra episode. http://nofibs.com.au/2013/06/17/the-truth-behind-the-cleavage/ Many men find gender debates too threatening to handle by @beneltham Whether you think Gillard has been a good prime minister or a poor one, the highly sexualised attacks against her person are on the public record for all to see. The avalanche of personal slurs against the prime minister has snowballed so far, overseas media outlets are starting to take note of it. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/17/feminism-australia-gillard-sexis What is the Gillard v Rudd civil war actually about? by @Jeff_Sparrow The leadership question has dominated the front pages for months, with the strategic possibilities for each contender studied from every conceivable angle. Yet we hear almost nothing about actual politics. Polls, yes – all analysed to death. But ideas? Not so much. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/17/gillard-rudd-battle-labor-leadership The Mate Media by Mr Denmore it is now blatantly obvious that a large chunk of the electorate - egged on by a overtly sexist media - cannot or will not deal with a woman in power. These mostly old men, trading off their reputation as 'authority' figures, http://thefailedestate.blogspot.com.au/ Sexism and false equivalences by @fakeedbutler It is the violence and sexualisation of the attacks that is shocking. It is the level of disrespect held towards ‘this woman’ that makes people like Howard Sattler ask – to her face – whether her relationship is a sham. To argue that this level of disrespect does not stem from her gender is an incredibly long bow to draw. http://ausvotes2013.com/2013/06/17/sexism-and-false-equivalences/ Would you want to be the next Australian Female Prime Minister? by @turnleft2013 this country’s parliaments and media is chock to the gills with middle aged white men who are threatened by anything that doesn’t reflect back themselves, a sorry lot of unevolved miscreants who only want power, prestige and money, the sole motivation, everything is for sale, including our international standing. http://turnleft2013.wordpress.com/2013/06/16/would-you-want-to-be-the-next-australian-female-prime-minister/ Albo fires up QT with infrastructure smackdown rant by Andrew Crook Abbott thusly: “If we’re elected we will form an organisation called Infrastructure Australia.”“WELL THERE’S A THOUGHT, THERE’S AN IDEA” screamed Albo, arms flailing crazily (Infrastructure Australia was established by the Rudd government in 2008). http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/06/17/albo-fires-up-qt-with-infrastructure-smackdown-rant/ Tongue of the Day By Ross Sharp If you had not managed to keep a minority government going the distance, we would not have had to resent a woman being in power all this time. If you had been decent enough to resign in abject apology for doing so badly in the polls http://smellytongues.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/tongue-of-the-day-66/ Do try to keep up, Tony. by @MigloMT Someone needs to point out that;: Infrastructure Australia is a statutory body, established under the Infrastructure Australia Act 2008 which came into effect on 9 April 2008 http://theaimn.com/2013/06/17/do-try-to-keep-up-tony/ What Happens When Women Aren't In The Frame By @newmatilda It is reasonable to conclude that, even in this social media age, sexism and misogyny in the mainstream media have a potentially significant impact on women as individuals, on society more broadly, on political discourses, and even on gender policy. http://www.newmatilda.com/2013/06/17/what-happens-when-women-arent-frame Abbott Takes Credit for Sweet F*** All by @AshGhebranious If elected Abbott is going to ‘create’ Infrastructure Australia! By the information he told the people at the meeting, it sounds exactly like the one Australia already has. Maybe what he will do is repeal the one that is there now, then create the new one which does exactly the same thing that the organisation the ALP govt placed in 2008/2009. http://ashghebranious.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/abbott-takes-credit-for-sweet-f-all/ Media spins the Rudd-Gillard merry-go-round by Kerry Anne Walsh In the last 10 days, News Limited and Fairfax have carried up to six separate stories of leaked, alleged internal ALP polling or research catastrophic for Gillard. All of it’s been unsourced, and appears to be unverified. It’s a bastard of a game that’s being played, and the media is part of it. http://coffsoutlook.com/media-spins-the-rudd-gillard-merry-go-round/ The Convoy of Cleavage. In which the breast strikes back by @NoPlaceforSheep The last straw (at least up to this morning) came yesterday, when AFR columnist and industrial relations consultant Grace Collier complained on ABC Radio National’s Sunday Extra that Ms Gillard had, offensively, according to Collier, revealed cleavage in the House of Representatives. http://noplaceforsheep.com/2013/06/17/the-convoy-of-cleavage-in-which-the-breast-strikes-back/ A Short Love Letter To Julia Gillard by @Liam_Carswell beyond her many policy achievements, there is perhaps something more visceral about my love for Gillard. As much as I admire her policy successes, she is an inspiration because she’s done what so many of us haven’t had the courage to do. A Prime Minister who, in the face of the most intense personal and political assault, has delivered the most stunning broadside: she hasn’t given up. http://whatistherundude.wordpress.com/ Gillard, identity and the limits of political discourse by Raymond Orr The legitimacy of gender as personal and political issue in the coming election is less natural. Should misogyny and unbecoming comments be discussed in public or around the kitchen table among friends? Certainly. How about as an issue central to an election? http://theconversation.com/gillard-identity-and-the-limits-of-political-discourse-15225 Seamless by @Piping_Shrike Three months after journalists were saying Rudd was finished and should resign for the good party, they are now saying that Gillard should hand over to him – for the good of the party. The contortions of political commentators over the last three months should give a clue that a transition from Gillard to Rudd will be no smoother than it has been in journalists’ heads http://www.pipingshrike.com/2013/06/seamless.html Gonski under Abbott by @LarvatusProdeo the Coalition waved the Gonski bill through the House of Representatives on the voices and without amendment. The common view in the press has been that Gonski is dead in the water because Abbott and Pyne have said that they will repeal it unless all states agree. http://larvatusprodeo.net/archives/2013/06/gonski-under-abbott/ The Rupert and Wendi Carve UP By Monica Attard It’s a good thing then that Rupert Murdoch and his third wife Wendi Deng (who are calling it quits on their marriage) aren’t asking for privacy. Even if they were, it’s unlikely to have been granted, given that in most high profile marriage bust ups, it’s often a Murdoch lens or phone tap or door-knocking reporter bringing us the http://thehoopla.com.au/rupert-wendi-bust-up/ How Abbott can keep carbon price, and slash power bills by Giles Parkinson IPART suggests that future rises will be lower than inflation in coming years, and from July 2015, when Australia moves to a floating carbon price linked to international markets, is expects that prices will fall by 6.9 per cent, as a result of significant falls in the price of European carbon permits. That kind of takes the heat out of http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/how-abbott-can-keep-carbon-price-and-slash-power-bills-68309 In Praise of a True Liberal by @MikeSeccombe The only hope for a solution, in Moylan’s view, was closer engagement with other countries in the region. Turning the boats around – the magical solution proposed by Opposition leader Tony Abbott and his immigration spokesman Scott Morrison – was both cruel and pointless. http://powerhouse.theglobalmail.org/in-praise-of-a-true-liberal/ Today’s front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 18 June 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/

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18/06/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx [b]Welcome back Lyn. We've missed you. What a bonanza you've given us today - 24 items! Thank you.[/b]

Lucy

18/06/2013Hi ad a very good article indeed, well done. One other point however. In typical sexist style and right on queue, when a person is a victim of abuse, the perpetrator always finds a way to blame the victim, in order to absolve themselves and feel a sense of justification for their actions. What we have seen is the MSM, the coalition including Julie Bishop all join in and find a way to turn this all around and blame Julia. Mass absolution, just like they now do in church. You no longer have to go to confession, just attend a single reconciliation mass and all is forgiven. And now to boot they have the polls out yesterday to verify their absolution. Its all the 'insert relevant insult here' own fault.

Michael

18/06/2013Surely the most recent Morgan and Essential polls on voters' voting intentions for a Federal election clearly show that Fairfax's Neilsen Poll was a bogus stitch-up. Neilsen, 14 points between Labor and LNP on two party preferred. Essential 8. Morgan 6. Somebody's lying about what voters are saying. Who do you think it might be?

42 long

18/06/2013The polls can't be trusted. You have to look at who owns some of them. They are a useful indicator of "something" that could be interpreted correctly by "someone". At present it is being manipulated to destabilise Labor and make it look "chaotic". The HOO HA is planned and orchestrated for a purpose and on cue the participants sing their chant and the sheep in the paddocks that the MSM feed go Baa Baa, which is sheeptalk for more more. The abc are up to their eyeballs ( the only ones they have) in this conspiracy to destabilise. IF you haven't signed the Piers Ackerman petition please do so. He's backpedalling at supersonic speed. WEAK .

Patriciawa

18/06/2013Welcome back, Lyn! Forgive me, I have to repeat myself. I'm sure you were pleased to get back here to find that [b]Julia Gillard Is Still Standing![/b] One paper told the truth today No matter what the others have to say. You know, about the PM being dead, Politically I mean. How often has that been said! But here she is alive and well, And with plenty of good news to tell. Her picture says it all dear reader. We couldn’t have a better leader. While leakers and gossip writers go to town, Character assassins bring her down, And Abbott does his stunts and struts, She keeps smiling. Yes! [b]Gillard has guts![/b]

Lucy

18/06/2013Hi again Ad I'm getting emails - How do I unsubscribe?

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18/06/2013Lucy Thank you for your kind words. Your comments about absolution are germane, especially with the constitution of the Coalition's front bench. To stop emails coming to you, uncheck the box next to [i]Notify me when new comments are added[/i] just below the comments box.

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18/06/2013Michael Good question – I think we know the answer. 42 long Do you have a link to Akerman’s backpedalling? He was still pursuing his line about the PM’s partner the next day in [i]The Daily Telegraph[/i]. The man is incorrigible; it would be pleasing to see him backpedal, as that would be rare. Patriciawa What a lovely pome you have penned. Your message is spot on.

42 long

18/06/2013Good to see you around LiR. Hope things are going well in WB> I think things are turning. You can't fool all of the people all of the time. How is Perret getting on with the AFP ( Brandis's Army) request?

TalkTurkey

18/06/2013Michael The BIG lie with these bloody polls is that they have anything to do with reality. Their true predictive power is as valid as anyone else's, because in the end it's a simple Labor/LNP* split, and [i]no-one [/i]knows that. But they spend billions on their noinsense, and they do critically change outcomes. Funny though, I'm predicting an effect that I haven't seen considered. The MSM eating its own protégés. Let's suppose for a moment there was no polls ... Just muse around the edges of the resulting situation, h'mmm, Stand back from the perspective of Ailartsua, a never-polled parallel society and look what effect they have had on Australian people. They have been used as tools of fear, of conflict, of grist for spin and speculation. And the worst of it is, they have only been able to achieve this by the fact that this is a hung Parliament. And with total complicity of the MSM. There's hardly a single strong reliable committed defending voice for Labor Government, I would have said Latham until the other day he bagged ALP for changing AS rules when plainly it has been in a strait-jacket re the hyped issue ever since before it came to power. Just as well there's Ad astra. And Bushfire Bill. And a few more of the Fighting 5th who between them have more nous and insight, more reason in what they say, than the whole giggling squabbling squawking Flailing 4th. The few who [i]see[/i] with their [i]Eye of Time[/i]. Let's get serious about the prospects. In the remaining ten days of this Parliament I don't know the Government's agenda and I can't even guess at any surprises. I have been hoping for powerful new initiatives on refugees, but I don't know if that's possible given the opposition. And we are all hoping for Victoria, at least, to Go Gonski. That remains uncertain, but I'll pray ... Oh no I bloody won't! :) I'll hope though. But then the War is ON. (Not the final Battle though, that's the actual campaign, the caretaker period, 2 months away.) But as soon as the Parliament is finished, Labor can turn all its focus on winning the election, with its formidable achievements and serious agenda behind it, and Abborrrtt's weakness on all serious matter before it - a cardboard façade which will not stand sustained attack. The funny thing is that this level of Media-hyped Media-Hype will feed into *J*U*L*I*A*s strategy - she's depending on it and so am I. The slavering Murdoch-pack will destroy its very owners simply by drawing attention to them, and she can exploit the weaknesses in their armour. There is a delicious irony here. Oh Morriscum now being given free hits re 457 visas on ABC1. (That sort of thing will help in the washout as people realise the Abborrrttian emptiness.) *J*U*L*I*A* is Mistress of the Unexpected. She doesn't get blocked by blockers, she finds a way. She will flatten Abborrrtt soon, and the world will gasp and applaud. All except for the Flailing Failing 4th and the dismayed pollsters. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *They really don't actually have a name. LNP is Qld. Coalition doesn't name it. Liberals and Nationals, but no one name. [i]Abborrrrrttians[/i] I calls 'em.

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18/06/2013The last I saw was the he was pretending he had not done anything AA. This was on top of the apology at the end of the insiders. I haven't seen the Terrorgraph as I don't buy papers( It only encourages them). How is the petition going? Do we have a link to this? I have said from the outset that his statements were worse than Sattlers, and he was quite coherent and persistent ( To Cassidy's annoyance) Ackerman must have realised he was on dangerous ground as the apology was similar to Murdochs HUMBLE moment that Murky must have told he HAD to say. Ackerman's had an urgency about it, at the time He might have regained his cockiness later. The man will never change his spots.

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18/06/2013Hi Lyn I hope your move went smoothly and that you are settled comfortably into your lovely new home. Your links this morning had a strong focus on the disrespect that Julia Gillard has had to suffer for so long. One can only hope that what has happened over the last week, and of course much longer than that, will awaken the electorate to what is going on. I enjoyed particularly [i]A Short Love Letter To Julia Gillard[/i]. Women will support her in her quest for a fairer go for all women. Some men will join them. But some grumpy middle-aged men, still pumped up with a sense of superiority, men who still cannot stomach the idea of a woman running the country, will fight a rearguard. Many of these are in the media – Piers Akerman, Alan Jones, Ray Hadley, Paul Kelly, Dennis Shanahan, Chris Kenny, and men of similar ilk in the Murdoch crew. And some women will go along with them: Janet Albrechtsen and Judith Sloan. Last night on Q&A Paul Kelly declared that Julia Gillard’s speech a week ago was a bad mistake, had alienated a heap of men, and had sunk the Labor vote. Of course he was basing that on the [i]Nielsen Poll[/i]. Had he looked at the [i]Morgan Poll[/i], or the [i]Essential Poll[/i] he might not have been so dogmatic. We can only hope that the electorate does wake up, realize what our PM and her Government has done to improve this country, see how she has been pilloried, and support her at the ballot box.

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18/06/2013Talk Turkey How right you are. Your must be reading my mind. Unless something dramatic crops up in the meantime, I'm planning my next piece will be about opinion polls as killing machines.

bob macalba

18/06/2013Morning Lyn, i hope all went well, welcome back now i can get back to my normal routine, cuppa tea lamington and your links..thankyou :-)

lyn

18/06/2013Good Morning Ad, Thankyou for my welcome back @ 8.17am and your comment @ 11.49am. There was a strong focus from our bloggers on disrespect for Julia Gillard, shows we on TPS are certainly not the only ones who are disgusted with the MSM . I am so pleased like me you enjoyed “A Short Love Letter To Julia Gillard”. The move was reasonably smooth, except for a squashed finger from the concrete bird bath, a bruised shoulder tripping up the step, a bruised knee, one hand peppered with cactus prickles from the previous owners cactus collection. I can understand why they left them behind. Nothing fits in the cupboards, and we have too much stuff. My office, desk and computer are perfect so really everything is fine. Thankyou Talk Turkey. Your encouragement is gold and you too Patricia. Thankyou to all for your good wishes. Bob Macalba ♥ ♥ Lamington Links sounds good. :):) I noticed Janie Gypsy has been doing a fabulous job hugs & ♥ ♥ Lucy thrilled to bits to see you here, best wishes to you.

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18/06/2013Hi Lyn I hope you soon recover from your moving 'wounds'. Having too much stuff is a problem we all know about.

MarkatPort

18/06/2013Hi Michael, Re your question about the difference between the poll results, Independent Australia ( sorry haven't learnt how to do links here yet) has an excellent article on the latest polls. In a nut shell, the Morgan poll was done after the notorious Sattler interview and shows a 2.5% lift for the ALP on TPP. Of course, there was not even a mention of that today on MSM.

Miglo

18/06/2013Is that you, Lyn?

Casablanca

18/06/2013AA Marius Benson on the Drum just said WTTE that they have to report on the polls because politicians watch them. Feeds into your next piece.

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18/06/2013Casablanca Agree - I heard that gem from Marius Benson!

Sir Ian Crisp

18/06/2013Just when the wise people of TPS thought that the ALP couldn't stoop any lower comes the news that Wayne Swan has been conducting planned raids on kiddies' bank accounts. The ALP even conducted a raid on a sick man's savings. Shame! [quote][b]THE Federal Government has raided the piggy banks of kids as part of its move to seize cash from inactive bank accounts. The Hadfield family were shocked to find the savings of their eldest children - Seamus, 5, and Eamon, 3 - had gone into government coffers last week. A combined total of almost $3000 was taken. Mother-of-three Shelley Hadfield, who is a Sunday Herald Sun journalist, described the cash grab as a futile exercise. "We were pretty shocked," she said. "Who expects their kids' account to be closed?" Treasury already had the power to take savings from bank accounts that have sat idle for seven years. Late last year, that was cut to just three years. Banks must submit details of inactive accounts to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission by May 31. ASIC then passes the money to the Commonwealth of Australia Consolidated Revenue Fund. Many accounts have already been plundered. But ASIC would not say exactly how much had gone through its hands. Reports suggest the legislation change will add $109 million to government revenue this year. Ms Hadfield's sons' accounts were set up by the boys' grandparents when they were born. Grandmother Sandra Hodgson said the grab was disgusting. "We should be able to leave the money in the accounts for the boys until they want it," she said. The Coburg family did not realise the accounts had been closed until they got a letter. "I think there are lots of people like us who will get caught out," Ms Hadfield said. Queensland pensioner Adrian Duffy was another victim. He emerged from a quintuple heart bypass to find $22,000 had been emptied from his Suncorp bank account. The 77-year-old had spent 14 years saving the cash with his wife, to help pay for major health-related costs. [...] http://www.news.com.au/national-news/victoria/government-grab-nets-boys-savings/story-fnii5sms-1226650567211 [/b][/quote] What a vile bunch of dysfunctional misfits we have in the ALP - the Australian Liars Party. Next they'll be robbing from the dead.

Casablanca

18/06/2013[b]Lyn,[/b] Welcome back. I hope that your downsizing battle scars heal quickly and that the cupboard space expands. I have always been appreciative of your Links. Now, having tried to cobble together a few links yesterday to fill the gap that you left, I can say that I'm going to have to add a lot more height to the pedestal on which I already have you firmly installed. We are indebted to you for your excellent links.

Sir Ian Crisp

18/06/2013From the 'enlightened' side of politics: [quote][i]Lois Lerner IRS: 5th Amendment Invocation Could Mean Scandal is Even Bigger Than Thought Last week, Lois Lerner told a House Oversight committee that she had done “nothing wrong” while serving as the Director of the Tax-Exempts Division at the Internal Revenue Service. Lerner then promptly invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to provide any information to the committee. Lerner is protecting more than her reputation. In 2010, the Lerner became aware that her division was targeting conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status. The flagging of groups thought to be right-wingers was changed to eliminate any partisan preferences. The change was not permanent since the IRS decided to scrutinize conservative applicants again in 2012. While Lerner states that she did nothing wrong, she was in charge of the division during the periods that were investigated. The idea to blame low-level employees for the targeting makes it seem that Lerner was an incompetent manager. The blame also insists that those employees could set flagging criteria independently without managerial oversight. It may never be known if Lerner was an incompetent manager or not. What is known is that she quickly approved tax-exempt status for an organization founded by President Obama’s half-brother. The approval also included granting retroactive tax-exempt status that was outside of the IRS’ guidelines. Since Lerner’s lack of testimony before Congress, she has been placed on administrative leave by the IRS. Lerner was asked to submit her resignation but refused, prompting the action. Lerner will still receive her pay and benefits while on administrative leave. Lerner may believe that she did nothing wrong and should not be held accountable for her subordinates’ actions. She may also be nervous about bypassing IRS regulations for the Obama family. In either case, her choice to take the FifthAmendment keeps her silent. What is known is that she followed orders to target conservative groups and to help Obama’s half-brother. [...] http://www.policymic.com/articles/44795/lois-lerner-irs-5th-amendment-invocation-could-mean-scandal-is-even-bigger-than-thought [/i][/quote] I'm sure the cognescenti here at TPS are disgusted by the antics going on in the USA under the banner of the Democrat's version of democracy. This must stop and stop now before the gold plated 'enlightened' side of politics gets a bad name. Is it possible that we have crooks and ne'er-do-wells in the 'enlightened' side of politics? Please tell me it isn't so.

TalkTurkey

18/06/2013Ad astra said [i]my next piece will be about opinion polls as killing machines.[/i] Ad just take into account the vas deferens in this particular case: just as you may kill a hothouse plant with kindness, with too much fertilizer or a couple of degrees temperature variation ... so Abborrrtt's been coddled so long, and he is about to be exposed to an icy blast to his arse and heat to his feet, and he will not be equal to the test. I see him clear. He is not up to it, he will fail. And we will have been right all along. And with him will go the credence we are conned into giving those "killing machines" the Polls, for by then we will have incomparably more credibility than they have ever had.

Casablanca

18/06/2013Sir Ian You excoriate the Labor Government for rolling over unused Bank accounts after 3 years of inactvity. You provided a link to an article with describes a Government grab of money from a couple of young kids and an age pensioner. [b]Government grab nets boys' savings[/b] Rebekah Cavanagh. Sunday Herald Sun May 25, 2013 9:24PM Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national-news/victoria/government-grab-nets-boys-savings/story-fnii5sms-1226650567211#ixzz2WYrTT5Al I must say that I have not tried to follow up the accuracy of this article. What I can say is that I had a bad experience with an account for my niece/goddaughter which I established when she was a few months old. I admit that I did not make any additional deposits after the first couple of years. Several years later, I was aghast to find that account keeping fees had greatly eroded the original deposit. When said niece was about 7 years the monies were 'grabbed' by the then Coalition Government, and placed in an unclaimed money account of the Australian Treasury. No interest was paid on that amount after it was "grabbed'. What I gleaned from the referenced article is that inactive accounts are now 'grabbed' after a mere three years of inactivity but that these accounts accrue interest and don't attract account keeping fees. Seems like a positive upgrading of the relevant legislation to me.

Sir Ian Crisp

18/06/2013[quote][b]Sir Ian You excoriate the Labor Government... [...] When said niece was about 7 years the monies were 'grabbed' by the then Coalition Government, and placed in an unclaimed money account... Casablanca [/b][/quote] But Casa, why is that a shock. We expect a Lib-NP gov't to behave like greedy bastards. But the 'enlightened' ALP, the workers' friend, the party with ALP 'principles'...dear me, what is the world coming to? The 'enlightened' side of politics behaving like greedy, grasping bastards. I just can't or won't believe it. It's not true.

Tom of Melbourne

18/06/2013I do hope Ad Astra will critique the actual methodology of the opinion polls, and not simply engage in verbose complaining about the outcomes. With every opinion poll indicating a serious ALP loss, for about 30 consecutive months, I hope Ad Astra will also comment of the probability of that happening by sampling error or chance. He might also amuse us by repeating his version of the type of question pollsters should use, remember when Ad Astra suggested they should ask questions like – [i]”The ALP safeguarded the country and economy from a recession with it’s stimulus and economic management, on the other hand the Liberals oppose the stimulus. Which economic policy do you support?”[/i] It’s hilarious that Ad Astra SERIOUSLY proposed that approach, and still talks about opinion polls without being laughed out of the place.

Casablanca

18/06/2013Sir Ian Crisp Blessed are the pure of heart...

TalkTurkey

19/06/2013I am very, very fond of some of the writers on this blog. Really, very fond. Comradely love, is what it is. It really feels like we are bonding virtually physically (!) in a genuine cyber war. Well we ARE! Horrifying, unbelievable but undeniable too. Casablanca what you said about Lynnie is so true - (A little bird told me Lyn [i]likes[/i] *Lynnie* btw ;-) ), but it also says how sincere a person you are too, see, and that makes me feel this *fondness* thing for you too. You people that I mean will know what I mean, (poor ToM and Limpy & Crappy can't grok it I suppose), and you are the sort of people that make this society worth fighting for. It's a new and different sort of war from those before but it is every bit as desperate, we are fighting with a new weapon for sanity and decency and freedom from injustice oppression and inequity and in that sense it's the same old war. I am proud beyond words of the Comrades of the Sword and the whole Fighting 5th Estate. Be firm of purpose and staunch of heart, creative and bold in spreading Truth amongst those around you, and we'll not fail. BTW women voters outnumber men around 51%-49%, and I'm told that they talk [i]two-and-a-half thousand times [/i]as many words per day as men do. No, no, sorry, no that's wrong, two and a half times I mean. (Marty Feldman joke somewhere!) But seriously, don't miss the huge point, WOMEN HAVE THE POWER AS NEVER BEFORE! GO GIRLS! MERE MALE ME CHEERS YOU ON! Better informed than ever before. Let's not get starry-eyed here, but why would fair-minded women want to vote for Abborrrtt now? And why, after 2 months more of Labor campaigning challenging him and spruiking Labor's wonderful wares, would they not support the gracious, tough, sincere, good-humoured, effective first female Prime Minister of Australia? They will Comrades, in numbers too big to ignore. And there will be many and many a good man and true at the women's backs, because the really foul males are actually quite exceptional. That there are some shames all men but there you are there are. Shakespeare had no heroes, only heroines. That has to mean something, he was very deep into the human mind. 'Course he also had Lady Macbeth, and Goneril and Regan, h'mmm. What lurks in all of us when willy-nilly we are cast headlong into the circumstances Life invents, well that's something else again. And I do acknowledge that, for example who can say we wouldn't all be cannibals on that freezing mountain air crash in the Andes, if we were there? Or what other devilry might be in us in exceptional circumstances? But these Abborrrttians, they are not in desperate straits, nay, but quite the reverse. They are greedy like little rich kids, and nasty like liking watching people being tortured, and corrupt in matters large and petty. That's what we don't want running our country. Gee Ad astra I do like the company on this blogsite. It's . . .It's ... [i]Inspirational![/i] Oh it's only me here! Oh My, my refection in the water ... so beautiful ... (Could it be the Port? Couldn't get any Mushcat ... ) I been up all night, Tweeting mostly. Speaking of which, Lynnie is probably shaking out her plumage ready for the day's peregrinations. Our noble little cybers~scout. Morning Lynnie! G'night All. To fight another day.

lyn

19/06/2013Today’s Links Peace, Love and Tony Abbott by @MikeSeccombe Truly. Abbott spoke of the need to unify the country. He lamented the fact that there was “too much venom” in the Parliament and in the wider political sphere. About Australia’s need for a leader who would heal the divisions. Laudable sentiments, of course … if they had come from someone else. http://powerhouse.theglobalmail.org/peace-love-and-tony-abbott/ The Arsonist of Democracy and Decency by @denniallen this new gutter level ugliness that has pervaded our political discourse from the day the Independents gave the nod to Julia Gillard to take the reins of Government, is. Abbott lit the fire, fanned the flames, became the gale that turned it into an inferno, sat back and watched it rage http://denniallen.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/the-arsonist-of-democracy-and-decency/ War on Women- The Reality by @NannaHannah The violent language used in reference to Julia Gillard included drowning, stabbing, throat slitting, hitting with a baseball bat, being fed to the sharks, putting a target on her, wishing she would lay down & die, its the killing season, strangulation, shot by the Taliban and finally cremated. Any wonder our attempts to end violence against women http://bettsie.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/war-on-women-the-reality/ One Hell of a Woman – Julia Gillard and Conviction by rodfairgo Julia Gillard has Conviction, and everything she does she believes in 500%The fact her Dad gave her the education, he never had, has put kids education, on the top of her priorities, followed by Disability Care, and worker issues. Watch her amazing understanding of every current affair, the legislation processes, the order, why this was done, followed by this then that, etc. this is NO ordinary woman. http://rodfairgo.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/one-hell-of-a-woman-julia-gillard-and-conviction/ The Sexism The Polls Don't Show by Catriona Menzies-Pike Gillard’s most immediate legacy will be one that you don’t need numbers to measure. We don’t need polls to tell us that many Australian men are not comfortable with a female prime minister. The indisputably sexist attacks against Julia Gillard forces us to acknowledge the deeply ingrained habits of sexism in Australian public life. If the Prime Minister is treated this badly, http://newmatilda.com/2013/06/18/sexism-polls-dont-show Beyond the Crap by @gabriellechan From the day the cross benchers signed up with Gillard, Abbott’s strategy has been to wreck the joint to bring on an early election.In this Parliament, that strategy has seen 78 suspension motions or censures. In 58 cases, that has stopped Question Time – the forum where the Opposition gets to ask the Government policy questions – the equivalent of 41 hours of debate gone. http://thehoopla.com.au/beyond-the-crap/ The polishing and buffing of Tony Abbott @independentaus It seems there is a well documented case to be made that numerous claims of the Coalition, over the last three years, were knowingly ‘false and misleading’. Many of their claims have been shown to be ‘untrue or incorrect’, they most certainly had ‘no reasonable grounds’ http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/the-polishing-of-tony-abbott-two/ Julia Gillard feels the edge of the Labor leadership gender divide by Simon Jackman Between 2001 and 2007 there was literally no discernible gender gap in the AES data; then the 2010 AES survey showed an apparent gender gap of "-7" points (the percentage of men reporting voting Labor minus the corresponding percentage among women). The tick-up in the gender gap surely has something to do with Gillard being the Labor leader http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/18/gillard-polls-gender-labor-election The Australian: more nonsense by Gary Sauer-Thompson The scenario is underpinning this is even more fantasy like---it is Kevin Rudd emerging like a butterfly from the chrysalis of his former disgrace and humiliation to take us all back to the paradise The Australian has planned for Australia. http://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2013/06/the-australian-15.php#more Julia Gillard I don’t know how she finds the courage to get out of bed in the Morning by @FairMediaAllian We have a hostile media controlled to a very large extent by one man who used to be an Australian, but is now an American citizen – Rupert Murdoch controls 70% of print media as well as Foxtel. He also owns Newspoll. And the Galaxy poll also appears in the Murdoch press. http://fairmediaalliance.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/julia-gillard-i-dont-know-how-she-finds-the-courage-to-get-out-of-bed-in-the-morning/ It’s Our Bloody Future! Not Our Ruddy Future by @HillbillySkill Only the Gillard Ministry seem to have a real clue about where to take the country, that isn’t to a place littered with mass unemployment and mining tenements pock-marking the landscape. Or dams every damn where, destroying the fragile environment as they try and http://pbxmastragics.com/2013/06/18/its-our-bloody-future-not-our-ruddy-future/ Imprisoning Stirton by Bob Ellis By his own calculation the Labor vote among the 18-24 year olds could be 39.5 not 32. The Green vote could be 20.42 not 19. The Others might be 5.267 not 5. The Independents 4.3 not 4. This means the Labor vote, two party preferred, among 18-24 year olds, could be, just might be, 62 percent. http://www.ellistabletalk.com/ No idea policy BY @OnLineOpinion The no advantage test is an idea from the Report of the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers back in August 2012. It was not really explained in the report and at most it was in the context of asylum seekers being sent to Nauru and PNG http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=15135 The view on: Australia’s economic future by Dr Ken Henry Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd – is more appropriate to lead Australia into an Asian Century?I don’t want to comment on that either. But I would say this and I hope you don’t think this is ducking the question. I actually think this point is more important. What’s going to matter for Australia is policies, much more than leaders. http://theconversation.com/the-view-on-australias-economic-future-with-dr-ken-henry-15303 Confessions of Twitter sceptic @SallyYmelbourne As a result of both 24-hour TV news and Twitter, stories seem to emerge faster and burn out faster (blue ties anyone?). I can see that this has implications for the ‘breaking news’ focus of modern media and the focus on the ephemeral and the episodic at the expense of context and perspective. http://nofibs.com.au/2013/06/18/confessions-of-twitter-sceptic-sallyymelbourne/ Today’s Front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 19 June 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/

janice

19/06/2013Good morning all. Firstly I apologise for being AWOL so much of the time. It is just that I've become weary of the going round and round in circles, and I'm simply disgusted at the way this nation has been conned into accepting the lowest of standards which the dregs of our society have set. Secondly, a big thank you to Ad astra for his thoughtful and inspiring posts. This site remains a haven for people who care and are willing to fight against the tide of nasty, crude and soul destroying rhetoric we are fed on a daily basis. I still remain optimistic that we can win on Sept.14 but it will be a hard battle and it must be won. To lose the battle means this fine country will have lost its sense of decency, the fair-go for all and the very democracy we have fought for over the years.

nasking

19/06/2013 December 20th, 2012 in Israel How the Australian Zionist lobby corrupts political process (and politicians and reporters join in) It’s nearly Christ­mas and that must mean yet an­other year of the Aus­tralia-Is­rael-UK Lead­er­ship Forum. The Aus­tralian media has vir­tu­ally ig­nored the whole thing be­cause they’re a) lazy b) not cu­ri­ous and c) clue­less how to write about the shame­less­ness of wit­ness­ing so many politi­cians pall around with pro-oc­cu­pa­tion Is­raeli fig­ures. These are the same sorry folk who in years to come will claim they were the finest op­po­nents of Is­raeli crim­i­nal­ity. As if. We won’t for­get. The pro­gram is run by Aus­tralian Al­bert Dadon (the man has a his­tory of being a younger face of the same, old Zion­ist lobby that re-hashes Is­raeli pro­pa­ganda over a few glasses of chilled shi­raz). This year for­mer Is­raeli min­is­ter Avi Dichter ap­peared in Lon­don de­spite his deeply trou­bling past. This off-the-record con­fer­ence re­volves around in­su­lat­ing against ever-grow­ing voices damn­ing Is­raeli vi­o­lence and colonies. Keep hav­ing your se­cret meet­ings, peo­ple, Is­raeli ac­tions are clear for the world to see. JWire: [b]Aus­tralian Op­po­si­tion leader Tony Ab­bott[/b], Is­raeli Vice Prime Min­is­ter Sil­van Shalom, for­mer Is­raeli Prime Min­is­ter Ehud Olmert, Min­is­ter for Home­front Se­cu­rity Avi Dichter and Sir Mal­colm Rifkind were among the high-pro­file politi­cians and power­bro­kers at a major con­fer­ence of Aus­tralians, Is­raelis and British [b]in Eng­land this week.[/b] The Aus­tralia-Is­rael-UK Lead­er­ship Di­a­logue, founded and chaired by Mel­bourne-based busi­ness­man and phil­an­thropist Al­bert Dadon, brought al­most 50 lead­ing opin­ion mak­ers and shak­ers to Lon­don for a two-day off-the-record con­fer­ence at the House of Com­mons. Among the is­sues de­bated in the tri-lat­eral di­a­logue were Iran, the UN vote on Pales­tine, the Arab Spring and the BDS cam­paign. Dadon said the idea for the con­fer­ence was to dis­cuss “is­sues of mu­tual strate­gic in­ter­est” and to help del­e­gates un­der­stand the “dif­fi­cul­ties fac­ing our democ­ra­cies”. Dadon, a Mel­bourne busi­ness iden­tity, founded the Lead­er­ship Di­a­logue in 2009 be­tween Aus­tralia and Is­rael. In Jan­u­ary, at the Lead­er­ship Di­a­logue in Jerusalem, he in­cluded British del­e­gates for the first time. [b]Among the Aus­tralian del­e­gates in Lon­don were[/b] Labor MPs Michael Danby, Mike Kelly and Bernie Rip­poll and [b]Lib­er­als Kevin An­drews, Josh Fry­den­berg, George Bran­dis, Kelly O’Dwyer and Christo­pher Pyne.[/b] Join­ing Olmert and Dichter among the Is­raelis were MKs Ron­nie Bar-On,Nach­man Shai and Ronit Tirosh. Sil­van Shalom and Avi Dichter had to re­turn to Is­rael early. The UK del­e­ga­tion in­cluded John Spel­lar MP, James Ar­buth­not MP and Stu­art Pol­lak, the di­rec­tor of the Con­ser­v­a­tive Friends of Is­rael. This is the sixth edi­tion of the Lead­er­ship Di­a­logue, with pre­vi­ous ses­sions held in Aus­tralia and Is­rael. It is the first time it has been held in Britain. The Jerusalem Post: Home Front De­fense Min­is­ter Avi Dichter will at­tend a gala din­ner in Lon­don on Tues­day night, as part of the Aus­tralia-Is­rael-UK Lead­er­ship Di­a­logue (AIULD), a forum de­signed to strengthen the three-way re­la­tion­ship be­tween Aus­tralia, Is­rael and the UK through bring­ing to­gether opin­ion lead­ers and de­ci­sion mak­ers from each coun­try. Dichter will travel to Lon­don with­out fear from ar­rest. Last year the British gov­ern­ment amended the con­tro­ver­sial uni­ver­sal ju­ris­dic­tion law, used by ac­tivists to ob­tain ar­rest war­rants for al­leged war crimes aimed at Is­raeli dig­ni­taries who visit the UK. The law pre­vi­ously al­lowed pri­vate com­plaints of war crimes to be lodged against mil­i­tary per­son­nel even if they were not British cit­i­zens and the al­leged crimes were com­mit­ted else­where. High pro­file tar­gets in re­cent years have been for­mer for­eign min­is­ter Tzipi Livni and out­go­ing De­fense Min­is­ter Ehud Barak. [b]Dichter will join MP Kevin Rudd, for­mer prime min­is­ter of Aus­tralia[/b]; for­mer prime min­is­ter Ehud Olmert; and Al­is­tair Burt, For­eign Of­fice min­is­ter for the Mid­dle East [b]at the pres­ti­gious din­ner in cen­tral Lon­don, or­ga­nized by the Lon­don-based think tank The Henry Jack­son So­ci­ety.[/b] The speak­ers are set to dis­cuss top­ics of mu­tual geopo­lit­i­cal in­ter­est, bring­ing to­gether per­spec­tives from all three coun­tries along with the global con­text. The Aus­tralia-Is­rael Lead­er­ship Forum (AILF) was launched in 2009 when Aus­tralian Al­bert Dadon took a del­e­ga­tion of lead­ing Aus­tralian politi­cians, aca­d­e­mics, busi­ness­peo­ple and media to meet their coun­ter­parts in Is­rael. The trip was led by Aus­tralian Prime Min­is­ter Julia Gillard, who was then deputy prime min­is­ter. In Jan­u­ary 2012, UK par­tic­i­pants joined the forum for the first time. The in­au­gural Aus­tralia- Is­rael-UK Lead­er­ship Di­a­logue in­cluded 15 se­nior politi­cians and de­ci­sion mak­ers from both gov­ern­ment and op­po­si­tion from all three coun­tries along with key jour­nal­ists. Sub­jects that the group have dis­cussed in­clude na­tional se­cu­rity, in­ter­na­tional re­la­tions, health, ed­u­ca­tion, water tech­nolo­gies and cli­mate change A two-day con­fer­ence will kick off on Tues­day in par­lia­ment, or­ga­nized by the Con­ser­v­a­tive Friends of Is­rael with AIULD del­e­gates set to dis­cuss an array of is­sues in­clud­ing the US lever­age in the re­gion fol­low­ing the pres­i­den­tial elec­tions; work­ing to­wards a two-state so­lu­tion; the bat­tle for Is­rael’s democ­racy, Arab Spring, Iran and the cam­paign­ing against Is­rael and how it is played out on cam­puses in Eu­rope and Aus­tralia. http://antonyloewenstein.net/2012/12/20/how-the-australian-zionist-lobby-corrupts-political-process-and-politicians-and-reporters-join-in/

Doug Evans

19/06/2013Dear AA Thank you for a serious response. I think it requires me to respond seriously. You write: ‘I realize that I may not be able to change your mind about the approach of TPS towards Labor policies, namely to not join the strident chorus of the many who criticize their policies, no matter how successful they have been.’ To do this you would have to present a reasoned argument. Unfortunately you haven’t done this. I interpret your position to be: 1. I believe a Labor government is more likely than the alternative to initiate policies that will benefit the Australian community as a whole rather than strengthening the entrenched privilege and wealth of a minority. 2. This Labor government has had to struggle against a particularly odious and unprincipled opposition that stands for nothing but gaining power and thereafter rewarding its financial backers. 3. This Labor government has had to endure scurrilous and disingenuous criticism from the self-serving main stream media. 4. Because of the above I see the role of my blog to be offering unstinting uncritical support for each and every measure undertaken by this government as a necessary corrective. 5. This offers hope in a dark and confusing time to other like minded people who read my posts and encourages members of the Party and even the government who may come across them by showing them that here at least there is support for what they do. I hope I am not misrepresenting you. I completely agree with points 1, 2 and 3 but there we part company. Points number 4 and 5 pose serious moral and ethical difficulties that you seem not to acknowledge. I will try to explain what I mean. As I have previously pointed out the policies of the Labor Party stem from widely differing points of departure. There are those relating largely to health, education and the environment that originate in the remnants of the social democratic program that the party originally adhered to. In today’s Party Plibersek and Faulkner seem to me to be among the inheritors of this strand of Labor thought. There are those policies stemming from the economic liberalisation undertaken by Hawke and Keating. These relate largely to the economy, trade and industry. In today’s Party Ferguson, Crean and Emerson seem to me to be closest to this strand of thought. There are policies that derive from the requirement to protect and strengthen the position of unionized Labor. Finally there are policies that derive solely from Party perceptions of what is necessary to shore up support in marginal electorates. The asylum seeker policies of this government fall into this category. The first category of policies encompasses most of the achievements of this Labor government. We applaud them as we should. The second category of policies deserve our closest attention. Times have changed since the 1980s and the free market has turned out not to be the panacea for all ills that was assumed at the time. Such policies need careful evaluation. The third category of policy deserves our contempt not only because of its total lack of principle but also because time and time again such policy is shown NOT TO WORK. You write: ‘For a party in power to stand on high principle may be laudable philosophically and ethically, but if that flies in the face of the wishes of the voters, it loses power and the capacity to do the good things it believes need doing. Parties in power, or seeking it, know this and modify their policies accordingly.’ Here you are not being entirely truthful. This not an accurate portrayal of these asylum seeker policies. They are not a pragmatic modification of a principled starting point. They start and end with the desire to shore up support in the marginal electorates of western Sydney by pandering to the perceptions of noisy bigots. They were initiated by Rudd before the ‘07 election in an attempt to negate a perceived advantage that the Howard government held over the then opposition. Their only purpose was political and targeted at retaining/gaining power in Western Sydney and it is a crushing repudiation of this version of ‘whatever it takes’ that they have failed so comprehensively in the area to which they were targeted. No example could better serve to illustrate the PRACTICAL as well as MORAL and PHILOSOPHICAL necessity of starting to build policy from a principled point of departure On issues of moral importance it is sometimes the duty of governments to lead opinion rather than being dragged around by the nose by it as this government undoubtedly has. Previously we have seen Australian governments lead opinion in this area. I am thinking of Malcolm Fraser and the resettlement of large numbers of Vietnamese refugees. There is an unquestioned underlying premise to the defence of such policy that stopping the boats is to do with saving lives and combating criminal people smugglers rather than appeasing bigots. Of course this makes us all feel better. It reassures us that we are right thinking, compassionate and just after all but the facts are the facts and are not altered because we choose to delude ourselves. Seen in this way stopping the boats is a moral imperative. It becomes our responsibility to STOP THE BOATS to save lives and combat crime. But while every death at sea caused by a sinking asylum seeker boat is a tragedy it is transparently NOT a tragedy of our making. Although boat arrivals will wax and wane due to a combination of factors no government policy will ever stop the boats. Abbott may claim that Howard did it and I note that even a thinker of the calibre of Robert Manne argues that the evidence is that the Pacific solution effectively STOPPED THE BOATS but it did not. Desperate people will always take whatever they assess to be the best course of action to shore up their future and that of their children. If they choose to get on a rickety old overloaded boat to risk the journey to Australia that is their choice and their legal right. If they die en route the responsibility is theirs not ours. This does not mean we should not do what we can to save people in distress. It does not mean that we should not do what we can to discourage such departures but they will happen – and when they do the responsibility is plainly not ours. Now you and Pikiranku have repeatedly asked me How the Greens would limit the humanitarian intake to the agreed limits. I am a Green supporter and a member but it is not my place to speak for the Parliamentary Party. However, if you ask ME then it does not seem to be such a problem. In any year we should accept irregular arrivals until the quota is filled then begin a queue strictly in order of arrival, for the following year. People arriving after the quota was filled would need to be detained (onshore in one or more of our capital cities – cheaper and more humane) until their place came free. If the quota and arrivals to date are known this becomes a factor affecting the choice of if and/or when to make this journey. If they choose to travel in this dangerous manner people will attempt to time their departure so that detention at the other end is minimised. Now you might object that the queue will rapidly become several years long. To which I would retort that no-one knows whether this would occur but if it did start to blow out then other factors (for example policies aimed at deterring boat departures) might need to be re-assessed or the quota might need to be adjusted. No policy can remain unchanged forever. As I have previously shown Australia’s irregular arrivals are small both in total numbers and on a per capita basis compared to just about every other asylum seeker destination and the facts, as opposed to the panicky perception suggest that it should be many decades before sheer numbers actually began to stretch the resources of this rich nation. To refuse to criticize this legislation that has no other justification than pure political self interest is to sanction an Australian government punishing, for its own ends, vulnerable people fleeing for their lives who have a perfect legal right to be here, by indefinitely incarcerating them. To be frank Ad Astra this is morally contemptible and ethically bankrupt. Labor which claims to aspire to uphold principles of fairness and social justice should be better than this. I expect it to be better than this. It is not as if the problem is especially large or intractable in Australia, quite the opposite, as I have shown. It is not as if there are no better asylum seeker policy models to emulate. There are as I have shown. A real friend would tell Labor that we expect it to be better than this. The philosopher Edmund Burke is reputed to have said something like ‘for tyranny to flourish requires no more than that good people do nothing’. Well our government is tyrannizing these helpless people and the good people at TPS not only do nothing, but actually try to defend them. You should be ashamed.

Doug Evans

19/06/2013Sorry I picked up a serious blooper. I said 'The third category of policy deserves our contempt not only because of its total lack of principle but also because time and time again such policy is shown NOT TO WORK.' I meant 'the final' or 'the fourth' category.

Ad astra

19/06/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

nasking

19/06/2013 [b]Why it’s dangerous to privatise America’s intelligence services The post 9/11 world has seen an ex­plo­sion in pri­vate com­pa­nies mak­ing a killing in both as­sist­ing and ex­ag­ger­at­ing the “threat” of ter­ror­ism. I ex­am­ine this deeply in my up­com­ing book, Prof­its of Doom...[/b] Finally, there’s the revolving door — or what President Dwight D. Eisenhower called “undue influence.” With few regulations and no questions being asked on Capitol Hill, hundreds of former top N.S.A. and C.I.A. officials have migrated from government to the private sector and back again. [b]The poster boy is Michael McConnell, [/b] who served as N.S.A. director during Bill Clinton’s first term, [b]then went to Booz Allen for a 10-year stint, became director of national intelligence for George W. Bush from 2007 to 2009, and is back at Booz Allen today.[/b] [b]We have no way of knowing how people like Mr. McConnell formed their business relationships, and what agreements or compromises they might have made to get their private-sector jobs (and vice versa). [/b] They may be honorable men, but as recent history has shown us, there’s no reason to take them at their word. And the current one-year ban on lobbying for former officials does little to prevent conflicts of interest. [b]Congress must act now to re-establish a government-run intelligence service operating with proper oversight. The first step is to appoint an independent review board — with no contractors on it — to decide where the line for government work should be drawn. The best response to the Snowden affair is to reduce the size of our private intelligence army and make contract spying a thing of the past. Our democracy depends on it. [/b] http://antonyloewenstein.net/

nasking

19/06/2013 [b]The Educational Deficit and the War on Youth: An Interview with Henry A. Giroux Tuesday, 18 June 2013[/b] By Leslie Thatcher, Truthout | Interview The book takes up the theme of the educational deficit by analyzing how [b]recent attacks on youth can be linked to systemic attempts by a corporate and financial elite, conservative think tanks, and other right-wing forces to dismantle the social state and undermine opportunities for critical education, civic courage, and actions that make a world more just and democratic. [/b] [b]These attacks range from the militarization of schools and the reduction in social services to the ongoing criminalization of a wide range of youth and adult behaviors and an increasing disinvestment in policies that would provide jobs, health care, and a future for young people. [/b] Examining the regressive educational apparatuses, conservative politics, and cultures of cynicism that have dominated the United States in recent years, America's Education Deficit and the War on Youth describes and analyzes how American society is [b]increasingly infused by real and symbolic forms of violence promoted by a range of intersecting forces, including neoliberal policymaking, militarization, religious fanaticism, corporate elitism, the violation of civil liberties, unconstitutional forms of surveillance, the disinvestment in public and higher education, and persistent racism. [/b] Despite widespread calls for electoral reform, the nation has arrived at such a crisis in governance that it cannot possibly begin to redress prevailing issues through political reform alone. [b]Education must be taken seriously as a matter of primary importance among anyone who believes in the promise of US democracy.[/b] In addition to documenting the authoritarian and morally malicious policies and actions of a government beholden to corporate, religious and military interests, America's Education Deficit and the War on Youth invites the reader to consider the possibilities for democratic renewal embodied by the ongoing actions of [b]various modes of resistance that are emerging among young people, workers, feminists, and other individual and social movements that are demonstrating the importance of critical education, hope, and peaceful resistance against a creeping authoritarianism.[/b] [b]All but abandoned by the adult generation, youth, with others are beginning to take matters into their own hands and are teaching themselves the power of democratic expression in a society that has all but relinquished its claim to democracy.[/b] [b]You dedicate the book to teachers everywhere[/b], but also to the memory of Roger Simon. How does that memory influence the book? http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/17047-laboratories-of-democracy-an-interview-with-henry-giroux

nasking

19/06/2013 [b]How Booz Allen Made the Revolving Door Redundant [/b] by Pratap Chatterjee, June 18, 2013 Edward Snowden, a low-level employee of Booz Allen Hamilton who blew the whistle on the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), unexpectedly exposed a powerful and seamless segment of the military-industrial complex – the world of contractors that consumes some 70 percent of this country’s 52-billion-dollar intelligence budget... [b]It is no longer possible to determine the difference between the two: employees of the NSA – along with agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – and the employees of companies such as Booz Allen have integrated to the extent that they slip from one role in industry to another in government, cross-promoting each other and self-dealing in ways that make the fabled revolving door redundant, if not completely disorienting. [/b] Snowden, a systems administrator at the NSA’s Threat Operations Center in Hawaii, had worked for the CIA and Dell before joining Booz Allen. But his rather obscure role pales in comparison to those of others. [b]To best understand this tale, one must first turn to R. James Woolsey, a former director of CIA, who appeared before the US House of Representatives in the summer of 2004 to promote the idea of integrating US domestic and foreign spying efforts to track “terrorists”.[/b] [b]One month later, he appeared on MSNBC television, where he spoke of the urgent need to create a new US intelligence czar to help expand the post-9/11 national surveillance apparatus.[/b] [b]On neither occasion did Woolsey mention that he was employed as senior vice president for global strategic security at Booz Allen, a job he held from 2002 to 2008.[/b] “The source of information about vulnerabilities of and potential attacks on the homeland will not be dominated by foreign intelligence, as was the case in the Cold War. The terrorists understood us well, and so they lived and planned where we did not spy (inside the US),” said Woolsey in prepared remarks before the US House Select Committee on Homeland Security on Jun. 24, 2004. In a prescient suggestion of what Snowden would later reveal, Woolsey went on to discuss expanding surveillance to cover domestic, as well as foreign sources. “One source will be our vulnerability assessments, based on our own judgments about weak links in our society’s networks that can be exploited by terrorists,” he said. “A second source will be domestic intelligence. How to deal with such information is an extraordinarily difficult issue in our free society.” One month later, Woolsey appeared on MSNBC’s “Hardball”, a news-talk show hosted by Chris Matthews, and told Matthews that the federal government needed a new high-level office – a DNI, if you will – to straddle domestic and foreign intelligence. Until then, the director of the CIA served as the head of the entire intelligence community (IC). “The problem is that the intelligence community has grown so much since 1947, when the position of director of central intelligence was created, that it’s [become] impossible to do both jobs, running the CIA and managing the community,” he said. [b]Both these suggestions would lead to influential jobs and lucrative sources of income for his employer and colleagues. [/b] The Director of National Intelligence [b]Fast forward to 2007. Vice Admiral Michael McConnell (ret.), Booz Allen’s then-senior vice president of policy, transformation, homeland security and intelligence analytics, was hired as the second czar of the new “Office of the Director of National Intelligence”, a post that oversees the work of Washington’s 17 intelligence agencies, which was coincidentally located just three kilometers from the company’s corporate headquarters.[/b] [b]Upon retiring as DNI, McConnell returned to Booz Allen in 2009, where he serves as vice chairman to this day.[/b] [b]In August 2010, Lieutenant General James Clapper (ret), Booz Allen’s former vice president for military intelligence from 1997 to 1998, was hired as the fourth intelligence czar, a job he has held ever since. Indeed, one-time Booz Allen executives have filled the position five of the eight years of its existence.[/b] [b]When these two men were put in charge of the national-security state, they helped expand and privatize it as never before. McConnell, for example, asked Congress to alter the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to allow the NSA to spy on foreigners without a warrant if they were using Internet technology that routed through the United States.[/b] “The resulting changes in both law and legal interpretations (and the) new technologies created a flood of new work for the intelligence agencies – and huge opportunities for companies like Booz Allen,” wrote David Sanger and Nicole Perlroth in a profile of McConnell published in the New York Times Jun. 15... Exactly what Booz Allen does for the NSA’s electronic surveillance system revealed by Snowden is classified, but one can make an educated guess from similar contracts it has in this field – [b]a quarter of the company’s 5.86 billion dollars in annual income comes from intelligence agencies.[/b] The NSA, for example, hired Booz Allen in 2001 in an advisory role on the five-billion-dollar Project Groundbreaker to rebuild and operate the agency’s “nonmission-critical” internal telephone and computer networking systems. Booz Allen also won a chunk of the Pentagon’s infamous Total Information Awareness contract in 2001 to collect information on potential terrorists in America from phone records, credit card receipts and other databases – a controversial program defunded by Congress in 2003 but whose spirit survived in the Prism and other initiatives disclosed by Snowden. The CIA pays a Booz Allen team led by William Wansley, a former US Army intelligence officer, for “strategic and business planning” for its National Clandestine Service, which conducts covert operations and recruits foreign spies. The company also provides a 120-person team, headed by a former US Navy cryptology lieutenant commander and Booz Allen senior executive adviser Pamela Lentz, to support the National Reconnaissance Organization, the Pentagon agency that manages the nation’s military spy satellites. In January, Booz Allen was one of 12 contractors to win a five-year contract with the Defense Intelligence Agency that [b]could be worth up to 5.6 billion dollars[/b] to focus on “computer network operations, emerging and disruptive technologies, and exercise and training activity”. [b]Last month, the US Navy picked Booz Allen as part of a consortium to work on yet another billion-dollar project for “a new generation of intelligence, surveillance and combat operations”.[/b] [b]Booz Allen wins these contracts in several ways. In addition to its connections with the DNI, it boasts that half of its 25,000 employees are cleared for top secret-sensitive compartmented intelligence, one of the highest possible security ratings. ([/b]One third of the 1.4 million people with such clearances work for the private sector.) [b]A key figure at Booz Allen is Ralph Shrader, current chairman, CEO and president, who came to the company in 1974 after working at two telecommunications companies – Western Union, where he was national director of advanced systems planning, and RCA, where he served in the company’s government communications system division. In the 1970s, Western Union and RCA both took part in a secret surveillance program known as Minaret, where they agreed to give the NSA all their clients’ incoming and outgoing US telephone calls and telegrams. [/b] http://original.antiwar.com/pratap-chatterjee/2013/06/17/how-booz-allen-made-the-revolving-door-redundant/

Lucy

19/06/2013Hi 42 long. Just got the "Truss Report" in the mail. Seven pages of rubbish and bagging the Labor government. $90 billion for braudband. Yep that's what he has printed not once but twice in his booklet of lies. And of course its full of his bile about the surplus and deficit nonsense. Beating up and scaring the pants off people in the electorate. And what does he have to say about Liberal/Nats policy I hear you ask? Well after 10 pages of bile and photos ops (two with Mal Brough, says a lot doesn't it? I plan to ask him if he supports Brough after ashbygate and then menugate) Anyway. On page 11.....we get a summary of the Coalition's top policy priorities. And would you believe it, yes it is a cut and paste job from the "Real Solutions" booklet Tony carries everywhere with him under his arm. Its full of aspirational mumbo jumbo, that says nothing....but apparently its fully costed. Can't tell the people what the actual policies are...but fear not it has a stamp that says..."Fully Costed". So its more of the same I'm afraid from the Libs. Attack, attack and more attack and why?.....because they have nothing but pain to offer the people. Their plan...and its written in just about every single page of "The Truss Report"...we have to get back o surplus and the only way to do that is to have a National Costello Audit and do a Newman. Anyone who thinks this is not the plan is living in fairy land. They plan to have such a large majority that they will be able to tell the electorate 'here s the bitter pill...open wide....and swallow'.

Ad astra

19/06/2013Doug Evans Thank you for responding so fully to my last comment to you. As I expected, we have not been able to reach agreement, and I can see us toing and froing on this subject for longer than either of us would want. So I will keep this response reasonably brief. Despite our differences, some of our ideas are quite similar. When you re-read the aims for asylum seeker policy that I set out in the original piece, you will see that they are not dissimilar from the aims of the Greens, and your own. I believe most who comment here favour a humane policy that facilitates genuine refugees finding asylum free from the danger of their country of origin. I can recall only one commenter here denigrating refugees and advocating a harsh policy. Many have expressed distress at the drownings, and a desire to see them obviated by stopping the boat traffic. I believe that for those who express this desire, it is out of genuine concern, rather than it being a cynical political manoeuvre to placate the rednecks who hate asylum-seekers and want none of them here. You continue your criticism of me and this site for not castigating the Gillard Government for its asylum-seeker policy. Yet I cannot recall anyone here extolling that policy. Clearly it is not achieving a central objective - stopping the boats. Clearly, the sheer numbers arriving and the volume of processing is formidable, and is lagging behind expectations. The situation is most unsatisfactory. It is so problematic that no one seems to have an answer. It was for this reason that I challenged bloggers to present a better policy. A few tried, most found it too difficult. It is in the light of what seems to be an almost insurmountable problem, that I have declined to offer strident criticism, especially when I cannot offer a reasonable alternative. You criticise me for that and come close to impugning my honesty and motivation, and questioning my morals and ethics. You say that in this blog I am "…offering unstinting uncritical support for each and every measure undertaken by this government…" I accept that is how you see it. You have suggested an alternative asylum-seeker policy which at the one time is both humane and naive. It has elements of the 'no advantage' concept of the Expert Panel. It assumes that when people see the 'queue' has become very long, they will defer their boat travel. The history of boat arrivals affords no confidence that this assumption is valid. So what do we have: an unsatisfactory Government policy, an even more punitive Coalition policy, one that I believe is impracticable in some of its elements and will make no difference to boat arrivals, and a Greens policy that will never see the light of day because the Greens are not in power. In my view, the only way a humane and welcoming policy could be implemented would be if there was bipartisan support for it, as seemed to be the case when Malcolm Fraser facilitated the arrival of refugees from Vietnam. There is no hope of that with the Coalition pursuing its punitive approach, one that has its origins in 2001 when John Howard saw the political advantage of playing the racist card when the Tampa sailed in and he uttered those infamous words: "We will decide who comes to this country, and the circumstances in which they come". It has been all downhill since then. Kevin Rudd eased some of the more punitive aspects of the Howard policy, but the boat arrivals increased. There will be an interminable argument about the extent to which push and pull factors were responsible. We will never know. When the Coalition seized on this, the pattern was set, and since then we have seen a steady deterioration. If this was a simple matter, free of political overtones, a solution would be in place by now. No solution seems possible in the foreseeable future. That's all I have to say, except to repeat that asylum-seeker policy is not the subject of a gentlemanly debate at a university debating society. It is a political weapon that is being ruthlessly used by all sides of politics to gain a political advantage, and in the case of the Greens, the moral high ground. Labor and the Coalition are in a battle to the death politically. Reprehensible though Labor's policy appears to be, Labor is unlikely to behave like the archetypical good guys did in the classical Western bar room fight in which the bad guys used every dirty trick in the book. In those fictional fights the good guys won although they fought cleanly. Contemporary Australian politics is in a bar room fight, a real fight that does not match the idealised Western bar room fight, so let's not be surprised at the tactics of the good guys, no matter how much we wish they could be different. As I said earlier, in such a fight to the death, we need to decide whose side we are on. You know which side I'm on. I have now to prepare the next piece, so my time to engage in further discourse with you is restricted. So let's call it a day. I doubt if we can advance our respective cases further. But I thank you for your original challenge which evoked the piece, and your subsequent thoughtful comments.

Ad astra

19/06/2013janice Thank you for your kind comments. You are always so encouraging. I share your weariness with the constancy of the political battle, and eneven battle with the Coalition and most of the media on one side, assailing the Government with every weapon they can muster. I agree that Labor can win on September 14, but Labor needs to be united against the Coalition, and expose the paucity and ingenuousness of Coalition policies and costings, and the policy shallowness of Tony Abbott. The air may clear after parliament rises and the press gallery has to disperse, instead of hunting in packs harassing parliamentarians about still more leadership speculation.

Ad astra

19/06/2013Talk Turkey Thank you for your inspiring words. You keep spirits high. You are right about the quality of blogging here. And also about the role of women in this election, which is turning into a battle of the curmudgeonly old men who can't stomach an XX running the nation, and the women. Let the women triumph.

Ad astra

19/06/2013Lucy The 'Truss Report' seems to be exactly what we have predicted. The Coalition hopes to skate in power without scrutiny and a bag full of paltry and poorly costed policies. All strength to your arm in countering this.

Ad astra

19/06/2013nasking I see you are back and in full 'Rogue Griffin' flight with lots of international intelligence.

Michelle

19/06/2013Dear Ad, Thankyou for introducing me to the Fifth Estate with your wonderful commentary. It is heartening to watch Lyn's Links list grow as more and more people seek to counteract the bias of the MSM. A low point for me last week was Julie Bishop on Meet the Press - I don't know how she sleeps at night. I find it ironic that she was criticizing the PM for playing the victim/gender card when there would be no card to play if she wasn't subject to their abuse. And how is raising abortion as an election issue playing the gender card? Anyway I shouldn't get started :) Thanks for another great article. Regards, Michelle

TalkTurkey

19/06/2013Ad astra If we were in Parliament there are some here that I would regretfully move be no longer heard! I do not see why any one contributor should use so much column space as to swamp the entire blog, especially when much of the material is cut-&-pasted rather than original or simply linked to. Furthermore I think Nasking's bucketloads are having a deleterious effect on the overall quality of this site, and I suspect that his snap at Pappinbarra Fox has caused her to desert us. His snap at me, entirely inappropriate as it was, will not faze me, but here's what I was privately emailed unsolicited by a respected long-time member of the Fighting 5th: [i]See what happens when you don't read Nasking's comments. He has a dummy spit.[/i] Yes well those are the words of another, but they speak for my feelings too. Here is a redacted copy of my reply: [i]Yes he can take a flying (d)uck now, that's it, him and Doug Evans both. They are Third Persons to me now, I won't ever talk directly to them again. Much of Nasking's posts are cut&pastes anyway, ... devalues TPS by his endless blab. I seem doomed to be [i]He[/i] when it comes to telling people about their bad breath. So be it. I'd rather make some enemies in order to make stauncher allies. And I know that several of the regulars on TPS will be quietly applauding me. Even as they say their not-quite-genuous [i]There, There![/i]s to Nasking! :) Thanks for the comradely support. [/I] I know that Nasking has problems with his eyes, and his cuttlefish-like instant changes of demeanour and intention, as manifest in his responses to P Fox and me, seem to suggest he might have other problems too. I do not and never have made a practice of attacking him, as he asserts of me and Patricia and others, but I do not wear uncalled-for abuse either and I have never shrunk from defending my own position. I would ask him, through the Chair, to start linking and to desist from posting frequent huge slabs lifted from elsewhere. And now re Doug Evans. I did myself the disservice of starting to read his rant today, got down to his point 4, that's it, he's an insulting lying mischievous disingenuous divisive creep and I'm proud of Jason Obelix and me for picking him as such in early 2011. I read a little more of his venomous nonsense, enough to know that he has nothing to offer at all, as Marilyn has nothing at all to offer, having been conspicuously absent, Ad, when you invited AS-strategy contribution. Evans ends up with these gems: [i]A real friend would tell Labor that we expect it to be better than this. ... You should be ashamed.[/i] He wouldn't know a real friend if he met one in the bath. And who does he think he is anyway?! He's sure not worth any of your time Ad astra. If Nasking were to be true to his word, and absent himself from this site at least long enough to sort his thoughts, - or even to draw in his posts by about 98% - I might possibly treat him a person again. I'm [i]not[/i] going to read all the stuff he posts, and if he's going ballistic because I don't, well that's not my problem. But will he be able to avoid meltdown on reading the foregoing?

Tom of Melboune

19/06/2013Ad Astra – [i]” It was for this reason that I challenged bloggers to present a better policy. A few tried, most found it too difficult. [/i] No, independently minded people provided a range of recommendations for humanitarian and effective policy. It is simply that you and others don’t like considering or discussing options. Those that didn’t bother to address the deficiencies in government policy or propose alternatives are mainly unthinking apologists for the ALP.

janice

19/06/2013Ad astra, Your Asylum Seeker debate with Doug Evans is, I fear, at a stalemate. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that any debate on this issue is pointless because there is only a small minority of Australians who understand or can get their heads around the whole complex issue. I would venture to say that the majority of people who are against the asylum seekers coming by boat are not against 'refugees' per se but are angry that people smugglers have snatched our power to decide how many people we can take in for resettlement. We are being forced to take in however many people want to come and have absolutely no say as to when 'enough is enough'. This nation has spent millions of dollars for sea rescues, have seen hundreds drown and still they come. And when they get here and they are not let loose within the community post haste - even though we provide reasonable accommodation and care - these people who've fled from so-called horrific conditions, complain and resort to rioting etc. Then, in a short time after a visa is granted, the complaints are then because they haven't succeeded in bringing the rest of their family here to enjoy their good fortune. My own view is that all political parties need to throw their hats on the table in a positive way to agree on an immigration policy that all can live with and then stick to it. I think the only way to stop those forcing their way into our country by arriving in boats, should never ever be given the chance of permanent citizenship - we could use the detention centres to accommodate them until such time as their own countries become safe enough for them to return home.

Ad astra

19/06/2013Michelle Thank you for your kind comments. I'm glad you find this site congenial. It is sad when in the face of strident condemnation and the grossly sexist insults hurled at our first female PM, she reacts to counter it, she is demeaned for playing 'the gender card'. That's the injustice of it all!

Ad astra

19/06/2013Talk Turkey nasking is a long-time participant in [i]TPS[/i]. He has found a congenial home here, and he is welcome. He has a vast repository of material, often on international affairs. He posts it for whoever finds it interesting and relevant. We are all different in our interests and the contribution we make to this blog. There are some who come here to irritate and abuse. nasking is not one of them. We need to be tolerant and accommodating.

Ad astra

19/06/2013janice I believe you are right - the asylum-seeker issue has reached a stalemate here. It is an issue for which nobody has the answer, and about which there many legitimate viewpoints.

Sir Ian Crisp

19/06/2013[quote][b] I'm sure T.O.M and S.I.C and I will become good buddies. We should have heaps to discuss, regarding the negative, evil LNP, MSM and the other hangers on that frequent the far right. cornlegend Thanks Bob. I haven't had any response from SIC or TOM regarding our new friendship. We have so much to talk about. And as you can see, I'm a talkative old shit. I get joy out of talking. cornlegend That gives me another reason to be firm friends with SIC, and share the love cornlegend [/b][/quote] Has anyone seen or heard from the garrulous one? Cornflaky wanted to talk but has since absented himself. Is he checking out the family tree to find out if the bird of paradox’s view was correct that his mother was/is a prostitute? Calling cornflaky. Are you there lurking in the background?

TalkTurkey

19/06/2013Ad You will not have overlooked my last paragraph in my last post. But Nasking savaged Pappinbarra Fox - nobody spoke up for her -and she hasn't been back. Then he bit me - and I speak up for myself as you know. I'm not about to tell you how to run what is imo the best site on the Australian 5th Estate but you might consider asking Nasking to rein in his input [i]if[/i] he wants others to read all he sends. As for "tolerance and accommodation" ... did you see what he said to me that occasioned the unsolicited DM - from someone I know you respect highly - which I quoted before? [i]"See what happens when you don't read Nasking's comments. He has a dummy spit." [/I] Well I spit back. I never claimed to be a Christian in the turn-t'other-cheek mould. I can take the aggravation OK but I won't take it lying down. With the greatest of respect to you Ad astra and you may be sure I mean that sincerely.

Ad astra

19/06/2013Talk Turkey You know that I hold you in the highest regard, and respect your opinion. What I was attempting to indicate in my last comment, perhaps inadequately, was that we all have our individual ways of thinking and operating, and that among friends we need to be tolerant of each other's ways. As I don't always have time to read every comment in full, I must have missed nasking's 'snap at PF'. I do not think we need to savage each other. There are too many enemies that savage us. Whether nasking's long and frequent posts detract from the site is a matter of opinion. As you point out, those who do not wish to read them can scroll past. What I seek is peaceful interaction between participants here. We know that is not possible with some of our bloggers, but I have found it easy and comfortable to interact with nasking So accept my regrets if I have upset you. I simply felt I could not let your comment about nasking pass without coming to his defence. It is sometimes problematic to be a fair adjudicator.

VinnietheDog96

19/06/2013Hi Ad - long time reader, first time commenter. Love your site. I am not a blinkered believer that Labor has done no wrong, but boy they sure have done a lot of right. Would love to hear from some of the tired old trolls on the site how they think Tony & his team will actually improve Australia - without a single reference to the "crimes" of Labor (as read in the Murdoch Press). Sadly repeating the same old mantra they have learned from Uncle Rupert is not enough. A handful of tragic deaths during the HIR did not make it a failed policy. A handful of rorts during the BER (with ultimately a 97% approval / success rating) does not make it a failed policy. Visionary policies for the future and for all Australians - NBN, Disabilitycare, Carbon Tax (that the PM DID say we would have)- etc all to be scrapped or rolled back. For what ? What does the Coalition offer us instead. Safe money in the bank (so they can claim budgetary success) does not move our nation forward or set us up for the future. Please Tom, Marilyn et al - give us your Liberal Vision of the future. Hope, Reward, Opportunity ? For who ? I see you lot pop up on sites everywhere with the same insane ranting against a strong and intelligent PM (with her own faults for sure) without offering any alternative except a man who can barely string a sentence together - unless it is written down for him.....

MarkatPort

19/06/2013Vinnie, Well said !

Janet (jan@j4gypsy)

19/06/2013 Hi Ad, as your other readers have suggested this week, another fine piece. As always you are so admirably brave in tackling a subject not many would and, as always, so perspicacious in analysing an issue in ways not many could. (My response is late, am sorry, because gypsying on the road in last several weeks.) As do you, I lay much responsibility for the last few years of 'discourtesy' that appear to be culminating in these last few wild weeks firmly at the feet of Abbott's refusal to place limits on his own horrible and childish behaviours and on his trivialising any examples of same from himself or others that make it into the media reportage. I noted this run of tweets from George Megalogenis on Twitter a few days ago: [i]George Megalogenis ‏@GMegalogenis13 Jun John Howard had 2 notable female opponents: Pauline Hanson & Cheryl Kernot. Can't recall shock jocks thinking it OK to go OTT in 1990s. 1/3 George Megalogenis ‏@GMegalogenis13 Jun Either shock jocks took their cue from John Howard, an old school gentleman. Or the culture has changed. If it's the former then ... 2/3 George Megalogenis ‏@GMegalogenis13 Jun Shockjockism aimed at @JuliaGillard may be partly due to @TonyAbbottMHR - his OTT rhetoric allowed 'em to think it OK to do their worst. 3/3[/i] When a Megalogenis states that 'even' Howard would never have stooped so low as an Abbott, and comes around to your way of thinking Ad, we would seem to be getting some agreement from the fourth estate that an aspect of truth is emerging, and is being observed. But the media in Australia may ultimately have to accept more responsibility than Abbott. They have worked in tandem with him to build a sense of 'chaos' and 'toxicity' around what has been on the whole an effective government. Ultimately, no excuse of a fourth estate under siege from its own disintegrating 'models' can/will save them from responsibility for creating in every over-the-top headline and graphic and every additional moment of 'going too far' the environment of discourtesy you dissect (and discourtesy can feel too courteous a word, somehow). To open any newspaper or turn on the teev or listen to even ABC is to feel as if one is stepping into the Colosseum, where the yelling for blood is wild and unceasing and everybody is an Emperor with the right to turn their thumb up or thumb down, and where all, with gay insouciance, have no compunction in ending the life of losing gladiators. Yesterday morning the ABC news on radio began a headline with something like: 'playing the gender card backfires on the PM who continues to crash in the polls'. One sentence with several parts, not one of which bears any resemblance to fact, or to 'speaking truth to power' – just an instant 'thumbs down'. It's unrelenting. One keeps returning to something discussed at TPS often since I've been popping in: how did we get here, to a point where nothing, but nothing, is out of bounds in what media does to anyone, even the holder of the highest office in this land. I suspect, as you and so many TPSers do, a huge chunk of the answer lies in this long (one hour+), but very worthwhile video: 'Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFDwdRXCg3I I really would recommend watching it. It explores, so precisely, how Murdoch has done what he has wanted to do through the empire he created and what he is now trying to do in Australia through every media outlet he owns. The analysis in this piece is in tune with the analysis of George Lakoff of the rise of the USA's rabid right (see his [i]Little Blue Book[/i], for example, available for Kindle on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Blue-Book-ebook/dp/B007WT31BM ) on how political groups frame their ideologies and promulgate these through specific control of language then taken up by media – with 'the right' winning this language game – at least in the USA, for now. (And I appreciate so much that Nas, the newly rouged griffin [really do like the new gravatar Nas :-)] has been bringing us information on Murdoch's power and influence for such a long time and may have already linked to this video.) And then ... There is something hugely primitive, primeval almost about the lashing that the PM, and her government and its issues, have taken in the last three years. The PM has been caught in a pincer movement between the fury of the man whose role she took over and the fury of the man who wanted the role she next won through fine negotiating and by demonstrating a more appealing character and a greater level of integrity to the two critical independents. Both those men/egos who were denied (as they see it) her role have been superb, if not consummate, exploiters of PR and media as they stepped along their respective paths just behind 'she', their target. The media has worked with both men. This piece [ http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4754598.html ], also posted as a link on Ad's last thread and reposted by Lynnie yesterday, is a taste, a chapter possibly, from the journalist Kerry-Anne Walsh who is about to publish [i]'The Stalking Of Julia Gillard: How The Media And Team Rudd Contrived To Bring Down The Prime Minister'[/i]: (it can be ordered at http://www.bookworld.com.au/book/the-stalking-of-julia-gillard-how-the-media-and-team-rudd-contrived-to-bring-down-the-prime-minister/40187246/ ). It's noteworthy that Walsh puts 'the media' before 'Team Rudd' in her subtitle. Whether the publication date of late July, early August, will help or hinder the PM, who knows? But I have another thought, and concern: if, and I do only mean 'if', we don't have a Labor majority or minority government that has again negotiated, with Labor leading after September 14th, I also fear that Abbott's revenge on the woman who 'took his job' will continue unabated. There have been disturbing 're-references' just in this last week to the so-called 'AWU scandal' drummed up and along in part by Hedley Thomas of [i]The Australian[/i]: see for example from the 17th June: 'Victoria Police seize files on AWU' [ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/investigations/victoria-police-seize-files-on-awu/story-fng5kxvh-1226664754177 ] and note, not paywalled! I believe that much of what Ad has gently termed 'a culture of discourtesy' owes a great deal to the Greek tragedy-like revenge impulses of two men. Trust me, a year ago I would never have believed I'd write that kind of statement. The culture of discourtesy comes as well from the culture of derogation of much that is female that is continuing to be picked up this week in superb pieces from the fourth estate, sliding into the fifth estate at last perhaps. See for example: Greg Jericho's 'Gender politics is a reflection of reality' at http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4762700.html and Van Badham's 'If Julia Gillard isn't safe from the Liberals' sexism, who will be? ' at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/19/sexism-australia-julia-gillard-witch Ad, I agree wholeheartedly with this point you made so well to Doug Evans: [i]Labor and the Coalition are in a battle to the death politically.  Reprehensible though Labor's policy appears to be, Labor is unlikely to behave like the archetypical good guys did in the classical Western bar room fight in which the bad guys used every dirty trick in the book.  In those fictional fights the good guys won although they fought cleanly.  Contemporary Australian politics is in a bar room fight, a real fight that does not match the idealised Western bar room fight, so let's not be surprised at the tactics of the good guys, no matter how much we wish they could be different.  As I said earlier, in such a fight to the death, we need to decide whose side we are on.  You know which side I'm on. [/i] Nothing could be clearer, Ad. I stand with you and with those who do, too. And admire your inestimable patience with all who come to TPS. Many cheers.

Ad astra

19/06/2013VinnietheDog96 Welcome to [i]The Political Sword[/i] family and for your comment. I agree with MarkatPort - Well said! Do come again. If he did not have the Murdoch media backing him to the hilt - Tony Abbott would be exposed as a nasty, belligerent attack dog, and an empty vessel who has nothing to offer this country except miserable austerity, the stifling of our economy, and a march back to the Howard era.

Ella Harvey

19/06/2013A thorough comparative analysis of current events. People are time poor, cranky and self focused. No blame intended. But those who do not have the respect nor the personal discipline to control their childish and belligerent behaviour should not hold office in this land, nor be in a position to affect our precious children's values and future.

Ad astra

19/06/2013Janet Welcome back and thank you so much for your thoughtful and insightful comments. Thank you too for the links and Tweets. It looks as if Hedley Thomas is determined to get his knife in to JG and twist it if he can, right near election time. I wonder though is there an awakening to what has been gong on among the more reasonable journalists. It is long overdue. I look forward to reading Kerry-Anne Walsh's book.

Ad astra

19/06/2013Ella Harvey Welcome to [i]The Political Sword[/i] family, and thank you for your kind comments and your telling remarks. Do come again. You are right - how could anyone put the belligerent attack dog in charge of our nation? Murdoch would, and he'll do all in his power to get his wishes fulfilled.

MarkatPort

19/06/2013Every time I see new fighters on this site making encouraging comments, my heart lifts a little. I'm a "lurker" and rarely make comments but visit every day to keep my spirits up . Thanks to all of you and especially Ad and Lyn for all your good work. I believe that decent folk can win out in the end !

Casablanca

19/06/2013Superb declaration by Phil Cleary in his role of Victim Advocate. Following the sentencing of Adrian Bayley, Phil Carey joined the dots between the abuse of women in the workplace, in the press, the sexist attacks on the PM and the crimes of violence against women. Such brutal crimes of rape and murder 'reflect the deeper malaise' he said. We need to reflect on what it is in our society that allows many men to abuse women. A friend reminded me that Phil Cleary's sister was brutally murdered by her ex-partner. His declaration today was so heartfelt that I'm not surprised that he had experienced the horror of such misogyny (yes, Cleary used the M word). See Just another little murder: http://www.philcleary.com.au/literature_linnell_just_another_little_murder.htm ABC24 played the Phil Cleary tape on at least 2 occasions during the earlier part of the afternoon. It has been dropped in reports since about 4pm.

Fiona

19/06/2013Ad Astra, Your writing, especially on this topic, is very powerful. I hope this piece in particular reaches - and touches - many people. Lyn, Your links, especially to the 5th Estate, are to The Political Sword as BK's Oz MSM and American links are to The Pub :) Many thanks for them. Nasking, Great new gravatar, and spectacular research regarding Murdoch's web of links.

Misst

19/06/2013"I lay most of the disrespect directed to PM Julia Gillard squarely at the feet of the would-be PM, Tony Abbott, and the rest of it at his front bench, his back bench, and his media supporters. By creating an aura of disrespectfulness, day after day, month after month, year after year, they have given ‘permission’ to every Tom, Dick and Harry to do the same, from school children throwing salami sandwiches at our PM, to shock jocks ..." Couldn't agree more!! Couldn't resist repeating it!! It is truly alarming that such a nauseating/impolite/disrespectful weasel (oops) could be the leader of our country. J.Fraser, you have a lot to answer for! I just spent an hour, I think, watching that youtube link on Fox News. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFDwdRXCg3I Recommended!

bob macalba

19/06/2013Janet..always worth reading your comments and checking out your links :) big thanks.. :) [i know how to do smiley now] MarkatPort at 6:07...'here here' the more the merrier, i enjoy seeing new folk sharing their thoughts, the more factual information that can be got out there to be shared, the better we all are for it, So give it a go i say, fair dinkum it feels good

nasking

19/06/2013 Cheers Jane and Fiona. Ad, appreciate the support. I shall endeavour to keep comments shorter. Always willing to compromise with people who approach me in a polite manner...rather than ranting and denigrating mental health of others. I do appreciate my tactics have been confusing for some...but all will be revealed post-election...as this will be my last one. And what a battle it is. :D TT, as I have supported you on the legalisation of marijuanna and made positive comments about your poems and such...I am surprised at your animosity towards me. Apologies if I was a wee bit curt previously...but I got tired of the attacks...I am just trying to get on with contributing to this fine blog...and hopefully playing one small part in changing the world for the better. As for the gravatar (as explained last thread) it symbolises the Irish grandma I never met who was forced to move to London to give her baby away by the Catholic Church and patriarchs back home. Hope that clears things up. As for DMW's comments...I am used to others backstabbing via email. Comes with the territory...tho we don't always appreciate it. You will see TT that I am attempting to win this election with Julia as leader the best way I know how...after many years of blogging. Sorry if confuses you...some of us play the chess-like role...others like your good self play differently. Hopefully it all comes out as a GILLARD win. :) Cheers N'

nasking

19/06/2013 [b]journalist Kerry-Anne Walsh who is about to publish 'The Stalking Of Julia Gillard: How The Media And Team Rudd Contrived To Bring Down The Prime Minister': [/b] Janet, I am looking forward to reading this. Thnx for keeping us up to date. You are a real asset. N'

nasking

19/06/2013 I hear that Malcolm Turnbull is sitting at the Foxtel table at the Mid-winter ball...just like he delivered his FRAUDBAND plan at Foxtel... tells you everything about this man...a corporate lackey who is in bed with one of the vilest media barons and propaganda merchants in history. What a morally bankrupt, MURDOCH kowtowing bunch this Abbott coalition are. Truly pathetic.

DMW

19/06/2013NASKING @ 8:34 PM [i]As for DMW's comments...I am used to others backstabbing via email.[/i] NOT GUILTY YER HONOUR ... I DO NOT KNOW TT's EMAIL ADDRESS NOR DO I WISH TO KNOW IT. IF I WISHED TO GIVE YOU A SERVE I WOULD DO IT UP FRONT AND ADDRESS YOU PERSONALLY. AT THIS TIME I HAVE NO NEED OR DESIRE TO GIVE YOU A SERVE.

Ad astra

19/06/2013MarkatPort Thank you for your encouragement. Casablanca I'll take a look at Phil Cleary's piece tomorrow. Fiona Thank you for your kind comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. Misst Thank you too for your complimentary remarks, and the link to [i]Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism[/i]. nasking Thanks for the explanation. Malcolm Turnbull is a smooth operator, but no less smarmy that his boss. I'm calling it a day.

MarkatPort

19/06/2013Bob, I know it does ! I've just got to learn how to do links etc. I'll have a lot more time to join in when I retire end of next week. Actually, not really retiring but getting back to my vocation (part time) and fighting to make sure the Mad Monk does not become our next PM ! We must do all possible to make sure this horrific scenario does not happen.

nasking

19/06/2013 DMW, appreciate that...sorry, must have misread TT's post. I thought it strange it would be you. I enjoy reading yer diverse and informative comments. ---------- [b]It is truly alarming that such a nauseating/impolite/disrespectful weasel (oops) could be the leader of our country. J.Fraser, you have a lot to answer for! I just spent an hour, I think, watching that youtube link on Fox News[/b]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFDwdRXCg3I Misst, the LNP seem to go out of their way to select vile creatures these days...I imagine the Murdoch, Singleton connection has something to do with it... I bet Abbott and team are hooked on Fox News... FAUX NEWS...FAIRLY UNBALANCED...THE BEST CABLE NEWS CHANNEL FOR THE GREAT DUMBING DOWN...BROUGHT TO YOU BY ROGER AILES REPUBLICAN PROPAGANDIST RIVALLING GOEBBELS...AND RUPERT MURDOCH...GOVERNOR OF ALL THINGS PHONE AND COMPUTER HACKING. FAUX NEWS...THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO AMERICA SINCE UNFAITHFUL BIGOTED TELEVANGELISTS ROOTED THE GULLIBLE PUBLIC. N'

Casablanca

20/06/2013Today in Question Time Greg Combet referred to China's new ETS scheme. This mention reminded me of the clever youTube spoof video of a few months ago. Check it out here: Tony Abbott finds out China is implementing a carbon tax (parody). Runs for just under 4 mins. [i]LNP Campaign Headquarters - Operation 'Carbongeddon' Despite Greg Hunt telling him otherwise Tony Abbott finds out China is implementing a carbon tax[/i] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSkGlEmrEIE

TalkTurkey

20/06/2013VinnietheDog96 I wrote you a welcome earlier but I touched whatever bloody Black Hole button it is that has swallowed LOTS of my unborn posts on this site and FWT! gone. I can never recapture gone posts at all. I'm sorry about that, it was quite nice, shame. I said wtte that for long-term lurkers at last to come out here on TPS was a bit like a timid wild creature finally coming to one's hand of its own accord. I said it gives joy to all us Loyals, it is like a tick of approval each time someone like yourself surfaces... Dog Albitey I can't say it at all the way I did first time, but anyway, Welcome, and Thank You for your kind comments. (There are many here who believe in the power of the love of the Living Dog. As an unreligion it has vast support worldwide. More than any religion. Billions of people from tiny to ancient, every day. So you have come to a very Dog-friendly site. My own dear last dog died at 14 a few years back, but he lives in my heart with the other 3 I have been blessed with in my life.) And there are so many new people to welcome! MarkatPort You said [i]Every time I see new fighters on this site making encouraging comments, my heart lifts a little.[/i] Comrade I would rather break my arm than make a downbeat comment here, I regard it almost as betrayal. Ad himself is ever sanguine, me too, what's the point of talking ourselves down? But I wouldn't say anything I don't feel to be true, and Yes, I have always believed firmly that we will win. I've got (for me) serious money on it, have had for nearly a year. We won't win by not believing in ourselves, I know that for sure. But here on TPS we help keep each other positive. so, welcome to you too. Wow, I just looked back over this last thread. Without including the few Illwillians, (and with probably a few Goodies that I've missed accidentally), here's what I found : Ad astra Lyn Janet(jan@j4gypsy) Nasking Misst MarkatPort CatchingUp Fiona Casablanca bob macalba Ella Harvey Janice Michelle Lucy N'ellie May Miglo 42 Long Michael PatriciaWA GordonWA Denese Jane Truth Seeker Rod Fairgo Puffytmd Ken Ian Bilko Bloss J Fraser Gravel Sorry for those Goodies I have missed but that is very impressive. Don't you think? I'm sorry not to answer all of you individually each time. But if we all were to do that, the number of interchanges would exceed the number of particles in the universe!

Casablanca

20/06/2013TT Thank you for your kind remarks to me.

Patriciawa

20/06/2013Just caught up with the last 24 hours. Nasking, you're off beam if you think Talk Turkey has shown animosity towards you. Please re-read the whole thread and the one before and try to understand what he and others, including myself, were saying. I agree with his objection to your treatment of Pappinbarra Fox and your response to the advice she gave. You owe her an apology.

jane

20/06/2013Another example of the puerile and vapid rubbish that the stupid use to demean the PM. I intend to write a comment, but am too angry atm. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/amber-petty-forget-blue-ties-equality-starts-between-the-sheets/comments-e6freabc-1226665850245

lyn

20/06/2013Today’s Links Gender politics is a reflection of reality by @GrogsGamut it remains curious to me that people act like gender politics apparently didn't exist before Julia Gillard made a speech praising the ALP's policies on women to a group of women ALPsupporters. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4762700.html There’s no such thing as public opinion by @timdunlop Racism. Sexism. Homophobia. Are they the dark stain on our national soul? Is this ‘just how people are’, or is there something else at play? http://www.kingstribune.com/index.php/weekly-email/item/1830-there-s-no-such-thing-as-public-opinion The Mal Brough trough and the James Ashby money tree by @independentaus I know how much campaigns cost. I know that unelected candidates don’t have their own offices, or huge billboards, or company cars, or staffers; in the normal run of things, they can barely afford to print their own how-to-vote cards. All this … stuff was not paid for by Brough http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/the-james-ashby-money-tree-and-the-mal-brough-trough/ PM and partner not the only victims of Sattler's questions by @OnLineOpinion Sattler and Ackerman's comments indicate the way in which Prime Minister Gillard as a woman politician has been accorded a reduced capacity to command respect for the private body that moves about in the private home in the context of a private relationship and private decisions over appearance, child-rearing and sexual behaviour. http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=15143 Why I won’t be voting for Julia Gillard at this election by @turnleft2013 People who live in Lalor (PM Gillard’s seat) and Warringah (LOTO Abbott’s seat) can vote for J Gillard and T Abbott in their role as their local member, but they can’t vote for either in their to be Prime Minister. http://turnleft2013.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/why-i-wont-be-voting-for-julia-gillard-at-this-election/ Dear media, write about something else by @crazyjane13 then there are the endless, endless discussions of polls – but only some polls. Only the polls that show the government heading towards an unprecedented defeat. Only the polls that show Rudd is more popular than the Prime Minister. Don’t worry about the polls that have consistently shown a different trend, http://consciencevote.com.au/ King Dick? by @AshGhebranious The hate stirred by Abbott and his minister for propaganda on immigration and fanned by the media has taken hold. Compassion replaced with apathy. Videos of people on public transport and at sporting venues began. http://ashghebranious.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/king-dick/ Jones' anti-wind rally flop by Tristan Edis Shock jock Alan Jones was clearly a little taken aback by the poor turnout at the anti-wind rally, stating to the crowd, “There aren’t a lot of people here. They don’t have time or the resources.” http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/6/19/wind-power/jones-anti-wind-rally-flop#ixzz2Wdv670Ob A tale of two rallies by @fakeedbutler A rally out the front of parliament house by a small cluster of ageing crazy people convinced that windmills are causing problems with their urination (this is actually what was talked about at the rally) and is fronted by a radio host renowned for saying ridiculous things http://ausvotes2013.com/2013/06/19/a-tale-of-two-rallies/ Murdoch’s Poll machines stuck on the spin cycle by truth Seeker as in this weeks polls, there is a Morgan poll that shows a lift in the ALP’s numbers and a major discrepancy between the Murdoch/Fairfax polls, but the much larger and more comprehensive Morgan poll which includes, internet and face to face content, and which is the most recent poll, is ignored. http://truthseekersmusings.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/murdochs-poll-machines-stuck-on-the-spin-cycle/ A trivial insight by David Griffiths Mr. Van Onselen seems to forget that the Prime Minister did not elect herself as Prime Minister. She was elected by a majority of the caucus and when Mr. Rudd challenged she won the poll decisively and when Mr. Rudd supporters called for a second leadership poll in March 2013, then, Mr. Rudd declined to challenge. http://www.australiasmassmedia.com/ The Honest Broker by @gabriellechan He told Lateline this week that Gillard had done “an extraordinary job” in the hung Parliament, which required much more negotiating work behind the scenes than a majority Parliament. Windsor has made no bones about his dislike of Tony Abbott http://thehoopla.com.au/honest-broker/ Coalition backs laws that will scupper its own coal seam gas policy by Lenore Taylor The Coalition's policy is to hand back environmental decision-making – including over CSG – to the states. It tried to change the legislation passed on Tuesday and then to defer the vote, but after failing on both counts, supported it. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/19/coalition-coal-seam-gas-policy The modern day Aussie woman is a phenomena, not a relic by @MigloMT Well, there’s my take, a simple view from a male. We have evolved into a society where women are now major players on the employment, economic, political and social landscapes. We need them there. We would collapse without them http://theaimn.com/2013/06/19/the-modern-day-aussie-woman-is-a-phenomena-not-a-relic/ What Will Tony Do: A Look At Some Worrying Policies by The Stirrer OK, so we’re all officially scared of Tony Abbott becoming PM. Why? Here’s a selection of his ideas that I find troubling. What do you think? http://www.thestirrer.com.au/what-will-tony-do-a-look-at-some-worrying-policies/ Panic Prone Pete and the News Ltd Cooked Goose by Utherssay “JULIA Gillard’s long-time nemesis, the opinion polls, may offer surprise salvation for her this coming fortnight if enough voters feel sorry for her given the increasing attacks she has had to endure. http://utherssay.com/2013/06/18/panic-prone-pete-and-the-news-ltd-cooked-goose/ The failure of electricity market reform by @JohnQuiggin2 looking at What lies behind the power price increases in Australia?. While there are plenty of factors, they are tied together by the misconceived reform of the industry undertaken in the early 1990s. http://johnquiggin.com/2013/06/19/the-failure-of-electricity-market-reform/ Why I See Bandwidth As Important by @sortius With this in mind, bandwidth makes a little more sense. Bandwidth has come to mean the down/up speed of a service. The bandwidth available to my current service is around 11Mbps down & 0.85Mbps up. The latency to the server is 23ms, I’ll talk about that shortly. The key is, my ADSL2/2+ service http://sortius-is-a-geek.com/ Today’s Front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 20 June 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/

nasking

20/06/2013 MEMORIES...OF SECRECY...PEOPLE EXPENDABLE...IN THE PURSUIT OF BECOMING GODS...THE ARROGANCE...THE ARROGANCE: [b]British nuclear tests at Maralinga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/b] en.wikipedia.org British nuclear tests at Maralinga occurred between 1955 and 1963 at the Maralinga site, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area, in South Australia. A total of seven nuclear tests were performed, with approximate yields ranging from 1 to 27 kilotonnes of TNT (4.2 to 110 TJ)... In addition to the major tests, a large number of minor trials were also carried out, from June 1955 and extended through to May 1963. Although the major tests had been carried out with some publicity, the minor tests were carried out in absolute secrecy. These minor tests left a dangerous legacy of radioactive contamination at Maralinga. The four series of minor trials were codenamed Kittens, Tims, Rats and Vixen. In all, these trials included up to 700 tests, with tests involving experiments with plutonium, uranium, and beryllium. Operation Kittens involved 99 trials, performed at both Maralinga and Emu Field in 1953–1961. The tests were used in the development of neutron initiators, involving use of polonium-210 and uranium, and generated "relatively large amounts of radioactive contamination." Operation Tims took place in 1955–1963, and involved 321 trials of uranium and beryllium tampers, as well as studies of plutonium compression.Operation Rats investigated explosive dispersal of uranium. 125 trials took place between 1956 and 1960. Operation Vixen was formulated to investigate what would happen to a nuclear device which burnt or was subject to a non-nuclear explosion. 31 Vixen A trials between 1959 and 1961 investigated the effects of an accidental fire on a nuclear weapon, and involved a total of about 1 kg of plutonium. Twelve Vixen B trials, between 1960 and 1963, attempted to discover the effects of high explosives detonating a nuclear weapon in a fire (typical of conditions which would occur in aviation accidents) and involved 22 kg of plutonium. They produced "jets of molten, burning plutonium extending hundreds of feet into the air." It was the subsequent disposal of the waste plutonium from these minor trials – Vixen B especially – which created the major radiation problems at the site. Cleanup and effects The initial cleanup operation was codenamed Operation Brumby, and was conducted in 1967. Attempts were made to dilute the concentration of radioactive material by turning over and mixing the surface soil. Additionally, the remains of the firings, including plutonium-contaminated fragments, were buried in 22 concrete-capped pits. By the 1980s some Australian servicemen and traditional Aboriginal owners of the land were suffering blindness, sores and illnesses such as cancer. They "started to piece things together, linking their afflictions with their exposure to nuclear testing". Groups including the Atomic Veterans Association and the Pitjantjatjara Council pressured the government, until in 1985 it agreed to hold a royal commission to investigate the damage that had been caused. The McClelland Royal Commission into the tests delivered its report in late 1985, and found that significant radiation hazards still existed at many of the Maralinga test sites, particularly at Taranaki, where the Vixen B trials into the effects of burning plutonium had been carried out. A Technical Assessment Group was set up to advise on rehabilitation options, and a much more extensive cleanup program was initiated at the site. The TAG Report plan was approved in 1991 and work commenced on site in 1996 and was completed in 2000 at a cost of $108 million dollars. In the worst-contaminated areas, 350,000 cubic metres of soil and debris were removed from an area of more than 2 square kilometres, and buried in trenches. Eleven debris pits were also treated with in-situ vitrification. Most of the site (approximately 3,200 square kilometres) is now safe for unrestricted access and approximately 120 square kilometres is considered safe for access but not permanent occupancy. Alan Parkinson has observed that "an Aboriginal living a semi-traditional lifestyle would receive an effective dose of 5 mSv/a (five times that allowed for a member of the public). Within the 120 km², the effective dose would be up to 13 times greater." A Department of Veterans' Affairs study concluded that "Overall, the doses received by Australian participants were small. ... Only 2% of participants received more than the current Australian annual dose limit for occupationally exposed persons (20 mSv)."However, such findings are contested. A 1999 study for the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association found that 30 per cent of involved veterans had died, mostly in their fifties, from cancers. Successive Australian governments failed to compensate servicemen who contracted cancers following exposure to radiation at Maralinga. However, after a British decision in 1988 to compensate its own servicemen, the Australian Government negotiated compensation for several Australian servicemen suffering from two specific conditions, leukemia (except lymphatic leukemia) and the rare blood disorder multiple myeloma. One author suggests that the resettlement and denial of aboriginal access to their homelands "contributed significantly to the social disintegration which characterises the community to this day. Petrol sniffing, juvenile crime, alcoholism and chronic friction between residents and the South Australian police have become facts of life." In 1994, the Australian Government reached a compensation settlement with Maralinga Tjarutja, which resulted in the payment of $13.5 million in settlement of all claims in relation to the nuclear testing. In popular culture Ground Zero is a fictional political conspiracy thriller about what happened during the Maralinga tests. The 1991 folk song "Plains of Maralinga" by Alistair Hulett describes the tests and their deadly side-effects on the Pitjantjatjara people. The Career Highlights of the Mamu is an Australian play by Trevor Jamieson and Scott Rankin, performed by the Adelaide Festival in February–March 2002. The play tells the story of the Tjuntjuntjara Aboriginal people, who lived in the desert country between South Australia and Western Australia, and their experience with British nuclear testing at Maralinga and Emu Field. Tribal elders describe being moved out of the area, and the death and illness of their people when they attempted to return to their contaminated homelands. Maralinga: The Anangu Story, by the Yalata & Oak Communities with Christobel Mattingley (Allen & Unwin, 2009), is an information book about the history and culture of the region, the controversy and its original owners. Aimed at young people, the book was awarded a silver Honour medal in 2010 by the Children's Book Council of Australia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nuclear_tests_at_Maralinga GOVERNMENTS HAVE A HABIT OF JUSTIFYING SECRECY... AND CASUALTIES ABOUND N'

nasking

20/06/2013 SPEAKING OF SECRECY...AND CASUALTIES: [b]HAMID KARZAI[/b] Hamid Karzai GCMG (Pashto: حامد کرزی‎, Hāmid Karzay; born 24 December 1957) is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 22 December 2001. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001. During the December 2001 International Conference on Afghanistan in Germany, Karzai was selected by prominent Afghan political figures to serve a six-month term as Chairman of the Interim Administration. He was then chosen for a two-year term as Interim President during the 2002 loya jirga (grand assembly) that was held in Kabul, Afghanistan. After the 2004 presidential election, Karzai was declared winner and became President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. He won a second five-year term in the 2009 presidential election. [b]Controversies[/b] In August 2011, Karzai pardoned dozens of child would-be suicide bombers, and in February 2012 some of the pardoned children were re-arrested attempting to commit suicide bombings in Kandahar Province.[99] The other main areas of criticism surrounding President Karzai involve nepotism, corruption, electoral fraud, and the involvement of his late half brother Ahmed Wali Karzai in the drug trade. [b]Electoral fraud[/b] Under Karzai's administration, electoral fraud has reached such a level that Afghanistan's status as a democratic state is being questioned. Furthermore, a special court set up personally by Karzai in defiance of constitutional norms has sought to reinstate dozens of candidates who were removed for fraud in the 2010 parliamentary elections by the Independent Electoral Commission. [b]Financial ties with CIA On 28 April 2013, the New York Times revealed that from December 2002 up to the publication date, Karzai's presidential office has been funded with "tens of millions of dollars" of black cash from the CIA in order to buy influence within the Afghan government. The article states that "the cash that does not appear to be subject to the oversight and restrictions." An unnamed American official is quoted by the New York Times as stating, "The biggest source of corruption in Afghanistan was the United States."[/b] [b]Corruption According to the New York Times, many members of the Karzai family have mixed their personal interests with that of the state, and become hugely influential and wealthy by murky means. Afghanistan is tied with Somalia and North Korea at the bottom of Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index.[/b] Mahmud Karzai, the brother of President Karzai, was implicated in the 2010 Kabul Bank crisis. Mahmud Karzai was the 3rd largest shareholder in the bank with a 7% stake. Kabul Bank incurred huge losses on its investments in villas in Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. The real estate investments were registered in the name of Kabul Bank chairman, Sherkhan Farnood. Mahmud Karzai bought one such villa from Farnood for 7 million dirhams using money borrowed from Kabul Bank and in a matter of months sold it for 10.4 million dirhams. Mahmud Karzai's purchase of the 7% stake in Kabul Bank was also financed entirely through money lent by Kabul Bank with the shares as collateral. Karzai has admitted that there is widespread corruption in Afghanistan, but has blamed the problem largely on the way contracts are awarded by the international community, and said that the "perception of corruption" is a deliberate attempt to weaken the Afghan government. [b]Drug trade Afghanistan supplies most of the world's opium, and its current production exceeds world demand, creating vast stockpiles of the drug.[/b] [b]The half brother of President Karzai, Ahmed Wali Karzai, was accused of being at the center of this trade.[/b] [b]Unocal connection There's been much debate over Karzai's alleged consultant work with Unocal (Union Oil Company of California since acquired by Chevron in 2005). In 2002, when Karzai became the subject of heavy media coverage as one of the front runners to lead Afghanistan, it was reported that he was a former consultant for them. Spokesmen for both Unocal and Karzai have denied any such relationship, although Unocal could not speak for all companies involved in the consortium. [/b] The original claim that Karzai worked for Unocal originates from a 6 December 2001 issue of the French newspaper Le Monde, Barry Lane UNOCAL's manager for public relations states that, "He was never a consultant, never an employee. We've exhaustively searched through all our records." [b]Lane however did say that Zalmay Khalilzad, the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, was a Unocal consultant in the mid-1990s.[/b] WIKIPEDIA KARZAI IS QUITE A PERFORMER... AT TIMES...A LIABILITY. PUPPET ON WHOSE CHAIN? N'

Ad astra

20/06/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

nasking

20/06/2013 YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW: Book Review: 'Kill Khalid' by Paul McGeough - washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com [b]KILL KHALID The Failed Mossad Assassination of Khalid Mishal and the Rise of Hamas By Paul McGeough [/b] McGeough documents how, two decades ago, [b]Israel encouraged the development of Hamas[/b] by allowing it to establish schools, health clinics and other social services. Israel's thinking at the time was that Hamas could serve as a religious counterweight to Yasser Arafat's secular Fatah movement and splinter Palestinian loyalties. But once it put down roots, Hamas quickly expanded its role, moving from peace-process spoiler in the 1990s, to suicide-bombing assembly line at the beginning of this decade, to rulers of the ravaged Gaza Strip for the past three years. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/03/06/ST2009030602806.html [b]BUILD 'EM UP...TRY TO...KNOCK 'EM DOWN. WHO BENEFITS?[/b] N'

nasking

20/06/2013 I IMAGINE A FEW WOMEN HAVE SAID THIS TO THE MORALISING, PONTIFICATING TONY ABBOTT OVER THE YEARS: https://www.google.com.au/search?q=mind+your+own+business+quotes&client=safari&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=UjLCUaa7JuLRiAfp5IDIDA&ved=0CDEQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=672&sei=hTLCUfeKK8KSkwX-kIGoBw N'

pappinbarra Fox

20/06/2013I see my name being bandied around a bit. Let me explain. I was very disappointed that my comments addressed to NasKing were so misread be her. I would have thought that a genuine and heartfelt plea might be seen for what it was. When I talk about depression I do so from a position of understanding that it affects very many people and can be quite debillatating. I had noticed over the last few months that N'Kings posts seemed to become more embittered and this worried me, but I kept my own counsel. I then noticed that her posts were also uncovering dubious conspiracies. Maybe there were conspiracies maybe not and maybe I thought depression when it was just character. Either way my concern was genuine, as aplin reading of my post and previous posts would have revealed. So I was astonished and dismayed that my post received the response it did. Rather somewhat reinforced my original impression, but I thought better leave it alone. A few comments by TT and others and now N'King herself referring to mental health have prompted me to try this explanation out for size. If it doesn't work well that will not be a reflection on me for trying. AA, keep up the good work and all the positive posters here keep at it. I hope that the government MPs do not crack under the pressure of the MSM and its chief king maker but go back to electorates and confront the naysayers with the facts and adopt a positive attitude to the next few months. I notice that you do not have my domicile in the country list Ad - Papua New Guinea.

VoterBentleigh

20/06/2013The Members of the Coalition promote this behaviour, because it takes the public's focus off policy or the lack of it. For instance, the Coalition's education policy can be summed up as Pyne's “noplan”. If the Coalition had wanted to show that “We are better than this”, they would have ensured that the Liberal supporter, Joe Richards, apologise to the Prime Minister for his obnoxious menu. Instead, they released his apology to the Liberals and Brough! The Australian Army Chief, the Fairfax Board and the NSW Liberals showed leadership on this issue. Meanwhile Tony Abbott went to hiding to avoid answering further questions about the tone set by the Coalition. The fourth estate propaganda unit is led by Murdoch, who gained the name of “the dirty digger” when he acquired newspapers which depicted near naked women on its front pages, so it is no surprise that his media outlets foster this type of denigration. What is surprising is that Akerman is allowed to appear again on the ABC.

nasking

20/06/2013 Lyn, I found Tim Dunlop's article a good read: As Sparrow says: ‘That’s not to dismiss anti-refugee sentiment (for instance) as a sleight of hand produced by unscrupulous pollsters. [b]But it does suggest that the debate depends a great deal on how politicians pose the question.’[/b] ‘[b]Today’s attitudes are not innate but rather were created by a series of political decisions, not least by the bipartisan embrace of the war on terror.’[/b] Let’s put it another way: if racism and sexism and all the rest of it really are just an intrinsic part of the national character, something eternal and elemental in our DNA; if, as Green and many others argue—or presume—politicians are simply reflecting our true selves back at us, then there would be no hope for change. But surely none of us believe that? Surely the whole history of the world shows that things can change? [b]The genius of The Wire, the reason it is great literature, is that it allows its characters to exist as fully-formed human beings who live in a particular set of circumstances and it shows just how hard it is—whether you are a police commissioner cooking crime stats or a corner boy slinging dope—to escape the logic and limitations of the structures in which you exist. [/b] It doesn’t forgive them their trespasses, or posit that ‘society is to blame’, but it does recognise that their good intentions are constantly challenged by the power of an institutional inertia much more powerful than the better angels of their nature. So great is that inertia, so powerful are those institutions, so difficult do they make it for alternative views to gain traction, that you start to understand why Thomas Jefferson was inclined to say, ‘[b]The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.’[/b] [b]It simply isn’t good enough to point a finger at ‘public opinion’ and suppose that that alone tells us all that we need to know.[/b] INDEED. N'

nasking

20/06/2013 SEEMS I WAS RIGHT TO QUESTION THE COALITION'S KNEE-JERK, BREATHLESS ACCUSATIONS: [b]Sayed Abdellatif breaks silence on detention row Egyptian asylum seeker whom leader of the opposition called a 'convicted jihadist terrorist' says he is innocent of all charges[/b] He added that he would be contesting all the remaining charges, of membership of an illegal, extremist group and of creating forged travel documents, that remain on the red notice: “There is no basis in truth to the remaining two charges against me. The charge of forging of travel documents does not exist in the court papers of the 1999 trial. “As for the charge of ‘membership of an illegally-formed extremist organisation’, I have never been a member of such an organisation. The only evidence that I was a member of an illegally-formed extremist organisation was evidence extracted by torture. There is no foundation to the charge.” Abdellatif added he was thankful for the work of his lawyers in Cairo, and the journalism of Guardian Australia for the charges eventually being revoked. “Thanks in particular to my lawyer in Egypt and to inquiries by the Guardian the truth about my situation is finally being told,” he said. He added: “I look forward to all the charges against me being withdrawn in the very near future.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/19/sayed-abdellatif-breaks-silence-detention SEEMS TO ME SCOTT MORRISON AND GEORGE BRANDIS ARE FAR TOO KEEN TO THROW ACCUSATIONS AROUND...DOG WHISTLE...POINT FINGERS...VILIFY... IN THE NAME OF...SCORING POLITICAL POINTS?...WINNING?...GOD?...WAR ON TERROR?...WHITE SUPREMACY?...MUSCULAR CHRISTIANTY?...PROVIDING RUPERT WITH HEADLINES?...SHOCK JOCKS WITH SOMETHING TO RANT ABOUT?...IRRATIONALISM?...THE ORDER OF HATERS?... [b]NOT APPROPRIATE DISPLAYS OF MATURITY AND RESPECT FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW CONSIDERING THE POSITIONS IN GOVERNMENT THEY HOPE TO HOLD... [/b] MORE LIKE [b]TRIAL BY MEDIA TYPES[/b]. N'

DMW

20/06/2013TT @ 1:38 AM bless you and thankyou from the bottom of my heart. I doubt you will ever understand what great joy it brings me to be left off your list of 'goodwillians'. I am humbled that such a fine mind as yours is able to misunderstand and misinterpret my contributions here and that it makes by implication an 'illwillian'. I genuflect to you and your superior wisdom. :P :) :P :) :P :) :P :) :P :) :P :) :P :) :P :) :P :) :P

Ken

20/06/2013Ad and pappinbarra fox, Nasking and TT Nothing wrong with a little friction occasionally as long as it is not ongoing nor too spiteful. Of course, we can all be "cantankerous old bastards" at times - and as I am member of the Australasian Order of Old Bastards, you can take that as a compliment or an honorary title.

DMW

20/06/2013Nasking @ 8:25 AM, thanks for the reminder about Paul McGeough's excellent book Kill Kahlid. Anybody who would like to gain a greater understanding of the politics of Palestine, the Gaza Strip and Israel and their interactions will benefit by reading it. It is written in a rollicking crime fiction whodunnit style that educates as it entertains by an Aussie who knows more about the region than most who live there.

DMW

20/06/2013Good Morning Ken, a bar steward you may be but you don't look that old to me :P reCaptcha says [i]ositgbo arguments[/i] that might mean something to someone

NormanK

20/06/2013A new video that Swordsters might enjoy: [b]Smiling for Australia[/b] http://youtu.be/CspRo8NZLcc And if you missed them earlier: [b]A Love Song for Tony[/b] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK5xDjT-jRU [b]Australia - The Happy Country[/b] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS_c-zVOEbQ

Ad astra

20/06/2013VoterBentleigh Welcome to [i]The Political Sword[/i] family, and thank you for your comment. Do come again. You are quite right in your assessment of the Coalition tactics. At present they are keeping their heads low regarding policy, hoping they can avoid revealing the nasty details and costings.

Ad astra

20/06/2013PF Thank you for your explanation. We value your presence here and admire your sincerity. I'm sure nasking now realises that. BTW, nasking is male, a big cuddly loveable bear. The country list to which you refer comes with the off-the-shelf blog engine we use. I don't know why PNG is not on the list. But I'm pleased we have a regular blogger from there.

Ad astra

20/06/2013Ken So long as we can be courteous and respectful to each other, we can tolerate difference of opinion. NormanK It's good to see your Gravatar again. Thanks for the YouTube clips. I won't be able to view them at present as I've used up my usage allowance for the month and am on dial up, and as I'm breaking in a new computer, I seem to need an add-on to make them play. I'll look when I can.

TalkTurkey

20/06/2013Pappinbarra Fox Yes I thought that was what happened, and I'm bit 'shame I didn't come to your defence sooner. I was quite shocked that Nasking had taken your friendly hints as "attacks", and I nearly spoke up then, but partly from inertia, and partly from diffidence, and partly from Maharishi's dictum [i]It doesn't help to stir a muddy pool,[/i] and partly from Desiderata [i]Remember what wisdom there may be in silence,[/i] and partly from curiosity to wait and see whether I was right, well you can see I am at least as wise as I am modest, but I wasn't very [i]shrewd![/i] Nor helpful, and I'm sorry about that. Nobody else spoke up for you neither. You didn't reappear and I began to fret. I said so too. Well then in a spirit much like your own I tried what I thought was gently and humourously to try to give him the very same hints. I half-apologised for not reading all his posts, told him my own reading is not real flash (slow, disjointed, unfocussed, inattentive,) and said wtte [i]Less would be more afa I'm concerned.[/i] But [i]because[/i] I don't read all his posts, I hadn't seen what he said about his grandmother and his new gravatar, which I gather is called [i]Rogue Griffin[/i]. Um. Heap big cockup. Funny thing, You may or may not know that I have done a lot of designs called animalesque tessellations, creature-like shapes that fit together as tiles do, with no gaps and no overlaps. They were first *invented* by Dutch draughtsman~artist M C Escher early last century, no-one had ever seen the like before. He did a [i]lot[/i], over a hundred; the first few that attracted me to his work were lifelike ducks and fishes and dogs, but in most of them the creature shapes are [i]monstrous[/i] in the proper sense, fantastic creatures of horns and batty wings and convenient headdresses to occupy difficult spaces. I've done a lot myself: 60 or so: several Kangaroo ones, ditto Elephants, Maps of Australia, Platypus, and many other creatures*. But the thing is, I have [i]avoided[/i] doing fantastic creatures, they're cheating myself of my aim of doing really lifelike tessellating designs. Gargoyles and gryphons are OK but they're not pretty to my eye and, [i]mea culpa[/i], I told Nasking so. But it wasn't really that I hated the Rogue Griffin so much but that I loved the Big Bear much more! I didn't mean to dump on Nas's granny. I thought I was being supportive really. That was instantly followed by an enraged Rogue Griffin, rather than the grumpy old Bear I was used to. And I too had "attacked" him (and so had Patricia he said). (You know the old song. [i]Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.[/i] I can't link to it sorry, I'm on dialup for a few days, Dam.) Well let's get something perfectly straight here, I wasn't, as you PF were not, "attacking" him, [i]we were trying to be his best friend,[/i] as (and I said so at the time) it is one's truly best friend who tells you you have bad breath. (We can't really smell our own.) As Robbie Burns had it, from memory - Oh Wad the Dear the Giftie gi'e us To see oursils as ithers see us! And another thing, Nas needs to recognize, is that he is no orphan when it comes to unhappinesses large small and anytime. We all need to look after each other here, some of us are quite fragile in many and various ways. And some might surprise you. I think I've told the story of Gigolo the Clown who became known as The Funniest Man in the World. He was a joy to behold, a great celebrity, feted by royalty, everyone loved him and felt uplifted by watching his antics and listening to his wise tomfoolery. One day a man came to Sigmund Freud saying that he was so depressed every day that he was tormented by thoughts of suicide, asking what he might do to lift his mood. Freud famously recounted having been to a performance by Gigolo the night before, and advised him to go and see the famous clown for himself, that it would give him a whole new outlook on life. The miserable man looked up hopelessly through brimming tears: [i]Doctor Freud, I am Gigolo.[/i] You're not the only one Nasking. Even those of us who seem most upbeat may have darker moments, I am no exception. I said I wouldn't direct comments to you ever again after your hurtful and wrong accusations that I was attacking you, (you made PFox feel the same way) but you have offered a kind of explanation which is halfway to an apology, I can live with that as long as you never accuse any of us again of [i]attacking[/i] you, that is in your mind not mine nor PF's nor PWA's. And now I mean neither attack nor insult, but you might think about that last clause. *If folks would like to see many of my tessellations on my own website, which I don't tout here, here's what to do: Go to the top of the page, click on Contact, and ask Ad astra to send you ABSOLUTELY FREE a copy of my wee BOOKIE, [i]Brucie the Bilby.[/i] My first tess, [i]OZZIE the Magic Kangaroo [/i] integrating Australia's twin icons, features prominently on the back, and inside the back cover you will find the URL of my website. Click on the Tessellations page and you'll see lots. The rest of the site shows some of my other creations. Not gargantuan in importance but interesting to some. To finish where I began: [i]Pappinbarra Fox I am delighted to see you again. [/i]

bob macalba

20/06/2013All of you, if you dont behave and be nice im turning this car around....hee hee hee, c'mon kids be nice

Patriciawa

20/06/2013"Pappinbarra Fox I am delighted to see you again." said TT. Ditto!

TalkTurkey

20/06/2013Casablanca said [i]TT Thank you for your kind remarks to me.[/i] Casa I am serious here - please answer seriously - I am not sure whether you are being sincere, or alternatively ironic, or indeed all the way to sarcastic here Comrade! Fact is I can't remember saying any particularly kind things in your direction lately, though your posts are always as tidy and reasonable as your gravatar, Front Bench material I think you are. Anyway if I have truly said some things that made you feel good, well I'm glad, and if I have failed to comment when I might have I'm truly sorry, and be sure, [i]You Are Welcome To Share My Trench Comrade![/i] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ But now for something I find quite horrifying. Last night I made a list, intended to be exhaustive but I knew it might have holes in it, of the people who have visited TPS in the last thread. It was indeed in a spirit of camaraderie, as I'm sure most would believe. Now [b][i]this![/i][/b] [b]DMW said[/b] [i]TT @ 1:38 AM bless you and thankyou from the bottom of my heart. I doubt you will ever understand what great joy it brings me to be left off your list of 'goodwillians'. I am humbled that such a fine mind as yours is able to misunderstand and misinterpret my contributions here and that it makes by implication an 'illwillian'.[/i] [i]I genuflect to you and your superior wisdom.[/i] [This billet doux was then followed by what appears to be a row of pix of Christopher Pyne as he passes the Speaker on his way out of the chamber on a 94A] OK let's try to deal with what I can only view as an unwarranted kick in the balls. I've said before, I don't take things like this lying down. In the [i]entirely good-willed post [/i]I put up this morning I included a list which I [b]prefaced[/b] thus: [b]Without including the few Illwillians, ([u]and with probably a few Goodies that I've missed accidentally[/u]), here's what I found :[/b] There followed a lot of names. No, DMW was not among them. [i]It would have been had I noted his one and only post when I trawled the stream.[/i] He may believe that or not. I will not now apologise for the purely inadvertent omission, because I pre-apologised for possible others I'd missed. And his case [i]was[/i] a pure oversight. Trust me. If I'd wanted to get my claws into DMW, I would have found less petty more poignant ways to do so. And so now, be sure, I shall! I have my pencilled list beside me. I have only 3 names I deliberately passed over, they begin with M, A & G. I might even have missed other Illwillians, I don't know and I don't care about them. I wouldn't be surprised if there were still other Goodies I've missed too and Yes I'm sorry if so. As I said again at the end. Nowhere on my pencilled list do there appear the fateful letters DMW. Fortunately I still have my pencil! ;-) Here's the list again, there are more now but [i]check my SECOND pre-apology for any I missed[/i]. Not enough for DMW though, who seems to have relished the chance to spit poison at me! Ad astra Lyn Janet(jan@j4gypsy) Nasking Misst MarkatPort CatchingUp Fiona Casablanca bob macalba Ella Harvey Janice Michelle Lucy N'ellie May Miglo 42 Long Michael PatriciaWA GordonWA Denese Jane Truth Seeker Rod Fairgo Puffytmd Ken Ian Bilko Bloss J Fraser Gravel [b]Sorry for those Goodies I have missed [/b]but that is very impressive. Don't you think? I'm sorry not to answer all of you individually each time. But if we all were to do that, the number of interchanges would exceed the number of particles in the universe! TalkTurkey June 20. 2013 01:49 AM Fortunately too I have a "fine mind" with "superior wisdom", and that allows me to find the silver lining in such situations. There is a wonderful if nasty irony here, as good and bad as they need to come. "Full many a shaft at random sent Finds mark the archer never meant" And it seems the very shaft I [i]never[/i] sent found by happy happenstance a new Illwillian UnPerson after all in the very person of DMW. His is the single most spiteful thing I have ever had said to me here, I will not forget it and I now [i]do[/i] have his name pencilled in. In the [i]short[/i] list. Funny, [b]I was right [/b]about DMW's Illwillianism [i]by default[/i], but by his preparedness to believe the worst of me, and his snide bitter venomous malicious attack on me, he has defined himself plain. Heh heh. I don't want him in my trench.

Michael

20/06/2013Talk Turkey, hi. That's the problem with lists, they always seem to have nose-out-of-joint potential in them. The 'on' who'd prefer not to be; the 'off' who are furious they aren't; the named who appreciate being listed, the also named who wonder if they've been mistaken for someone else... Lists can be minefields. There's only one list I stick by - the list of whoever wants to support, endorse, be seen in public with, or otherwise have a moment's time for Tony Abbott. It's a shifting list, but it's always a sh*t list.

TalkTurkey

20/06/2013bob macalba said All of you, if you dont behave and be nice im turning this car around....hee hee hee, c'mon kids be nice Yeah well truly sorry that I do bite back bob, but in this business of being personally misread misjudged and misdespised I jack up on principle, I'm like it in my 3D daily life and I will never resile from that as my stance. Perhaps it is why I am SO behind our feisty PM, because she is constantly misconstrued deliberately, I feel a lot of empathy with her on that, and if [i]I[/i] don't stand up for my rights - and others' too btw - why would anyone stick up for mine? And if no-one does - (as has indeed happened to me on occasion too believe me! :~{ )- then I know they weren't worthy of my trust anyway and I'm well shot of them. Here on TPS of course as in 3D life some people who feel wronged go away never to come back, well with sincere posters that is a shame to us all. Anyway I take it as a point of honour not to take maliciousness lying down, I don't just do it for me, it's my own belief system, I'll stick up for what I reckon is right on behalf of people who've been wronged. Albeit that might be unpopular even. And actually bob I reckon you know that too. It's a Labor stance, a proper stance, the morally honourable position. Fie on people who misjudge me or anyone else especially when it's a matter of their own warped agenda. I know my own motives. I wonder how long DMW has been waiting for a chance to stick that to me? Since before you joined us I believe. Well I see him clear for sure at last. Like an Xray of his motivation. Pity. I didn't feel like that about him before. I'm sort of over my anger now. But I have electro~echinoderm in my DNA and I'm neither proud nor ashamed of it, it just is. I arc up. But I reckon someone has to sometimes, to prevent tyranny. Oh and another thing, in the washout I take the uncompromising line I do [i]with the good of this site as I see it in mind[/i], where people aren't just allowed to post spiteful personal stuff about others, and where if they do they get all that is coming to them. [i]If I get my own judgments wrong re that[/i], others here will obviously let me know, and so especially will Ad astra whose word is Law here. I hear and obey him. In the meantime I have just one focus and that is to help in any tiny way I can to win the coming election, on behalf of the Australian Labor Party whose Member I proudly am. The Political Sword is the best mouthpiece we have and it's what I am here for not to squabble. recaptcha : occasionally rasmics ... I reckon!

TalkTurkey

20/06/2013Michael If I'd accidentally left YOU off that really random straw "list" with the 2 appended pre-apologies for possible omissions would you have gone for a venom spit to my eyes the way DMW did? No didn't think so. It wasn't even a meaningful list in any sense except it was a LOT was the point I was making, in your post you seem to think it was like missing out a name on a movie production list of credits, well it wasn't at all like that. It was more like being in a shop and keeping score and being able to say WOW look at all the people who have been in today! and indeed that's what I said, WOW. Well now I'm saying FIE! and, not for the first time, [i]honi soit qui mal y pense[/i]

42 long

20/06/2013It's easy to get things wrong on line. The meaning can be missed especially if you write things with a possible double meaning. Abbott specialises with the planned double meaning with the emphasis with MEAN. Like Julia should make an honest woman of herself. THAT was a LOW hit Don't generally note what is on signs outside churches but one saying that I thought had merit was "Mud thrown is Ground Lost" There's not a lot of ill will here and the ones that display it are obvious and some of them appear to seriously need help. I doubt there would be half a dozen regulars.

2353

20/06/2013You're right 42 long - there is only a few pockets of ill will on this forum, speaking as one that has been targeted at times I did wonder why I bothered staying around. Having said that I haven't been here for a while this time because of personal issues rather than what some anonymous person said to me on an internet forum but have been dropping in to read occasionally. With a slightly less familiar eye, some of the posts from regulars here reflect the posters strongly held views - and that is fine. Its when the same posters denigrate others because they have a different (or less forceful) view - that is a problem - and it happens regularly.

lyn

20/06/2013Hi Ad and Everybody Thankyou Ad & to all for your lovely kind words and best wishes . Talk Turkey @ 04:32 AM ♥ Michelle thankyou for your kind remarks, like you I felt the same way when I accidently found TPS , we do enjoy an incredible education here from each other, wonderful really. Casablanca thankyou so much for your post @ 6.51pm just so sweet of you Miglo , Hi to you our “forever friend” , your short and sweet comment @ 5.43pm yes that was me. MarkatPort @ 6.07pm , Thankyou to you, and gee we really are pleased you have given up lurking, you belong to us now. Fiona @ 6.12pm thankyou for your appreciation. Nasking thankyou to you ♥ 2353 good to see you. We have missed you, you know. Michael this is especially for you, if you have time tell me what you think:- [quote]Abbott, the thinking person's prime minister by Nicolle Flint [/quote] if we want a prime minister who will challenge us to think, then [b]Australians should elect an Abbott-led government[/b] if Australians want a prime minister with conviction, vision, a dedication to community and compassion, and [b]who leads by example[/b], then we should elect an Abbott government. Tony Abbott is the thinking person's prime minister, http://www.smh.com.au/comment/abbott-the-thinking-persons-prime-minister-20130619-2oj68.html#ixzz2WjmrbiD6

Michael

20/06/2013Lyn, hi. Luckily I hadn't had my dinner before I read Ms Flint's panegyric or I would have immediately lost it, first mouthful to last. I believe only one fact need be noted to indicate by extension just how bogus Abbott is in action and 'thinking' in every example of his pangender-attractive virtues trotted out in the article. Every day of every year he's out on his pushbike for the Pollie Pedal charity he's also collecting daily expenses at the taxpayers cost. Details here: http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/tony-abbotts-dodgy-pollie-pedal-expense-claims/ (I apologise for the photos of Action Man Abbott that illustrate the story the link leads to. Once again, glad I hadn't eaten!) This is the true Tony Abbott, a person who thinks only of himself, has done so from Day One on the public teat as an office apparatchik for the Liberals, a role apparently 'inherited' by Ms Flint. I wonder if Nicolle Flint is any relation to David Flint, Number One genuflector and forelock-tugger to the House of Windsor Down Under? The 'thinking' (such as it is) is the same. Genetically so? Oh Hell, why don't I just say what I think!? What the freak are you freaking thinking Nicolle Flint!?! PS When did studying for PhDs become as obviously cereal-pack handed out as Rhodes Scholarships?

nasking

20/06/2013 [b]HOW ABOUT WE ON THE POLITICAL SWORD INTERVIEW MURDOCH'S SKY NEWS' GOLDEN BOY DAVID SPEERS?... DO IT SPEERS' STYLE:[/b] TPS: DAVID SPEERS...THANKS FOR YOUR TIME...DO YOU STILL BELIEVE RUPERT MURDOCH IS THE BEST PERSON TO LEAD SLY NEWS INTO THIS ELECTION? DAVID: ABSOLUTELY. WE ARE FOCUSING ON THE THINGS THAT MATTER...LIKE POLLS...AND BOATS, BOATS, BOATS. TPS: DOES THAT INCLUDE THE SHAREHOLDERS OF NEWS CONPORATION...AND THE OTHER OWNERS OF FOXTEL...PACKER, TELSTRA AND STOKES? DAVID: WELL, WHAT THOSE OTHER MANIPULATIVE MORONS DO IS THEIR BUSINESS...I AM SPEAKING SOLELY FOR THE ORDER OF DARKNESS...THOSE MINIONS OF THE DARK ONE HIMSELF...RUPERT, KING OF MISOGYNY AND ALL THINGS TOXIC.... WE PREFER TO FOCUS ON OUR RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT...DISTORTING THE PM's WORDS...PUTTING THE WRONG SLANT ON PAUL HOWES' WORDS...ENSURING EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT POLICY LOOKS LIKE FAILURE...IGNORING GOVERNMENT ACHIEVEMENT BY FOCUSING ON LEADERSHIP SPECULATION... BASICALLY MAKING THE GULLIBLE VIEWERS THINK THIS GOVERNMENT IS A PIECE OF SHIT...AND THE SUN SHINES OUT OF TONY ABBOTT'S ARSE...BUT OF COURSE, WE WILL TAKE THE ABBOTT TEAM TO TASK NOW AND THEN... FAUX BALANCE IS SOMETHING WE VALUE HERE AT FOX NEWS...I MEAN...SKY NEWS. TPS: BUT CAN YOU HONESTLY SAY THAT THE OTHER SHAREHOLDERS AND MANY OF THE STAFF ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP? LET'S FACE IT, POLLS ARE LOOKING WOEFUL FOR THE OLD DECREPIT ONE RUPERT MURDOCH? EVEN HIS WIFE SEEMED TO RECOGNISE THIS AND JUMPED SHIP. DAVID: THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT INTERNAL STRIFE WHEN YOU HAVE AN ANCIENT LEADER WITH SUCH A TOXIC REPUTATION... ESPECIALLY ONE WHO HAS CREATED SO MANY ENEMIES ON HIS ROAD TO UBERVILLE. BUT...WHAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON HERE AT SLY NEWS...I MEAN SKY NEWS...WHAT WE AND THE ENTIRE MURDOCH EMPIRE OF DARKNESS IS FOCUSED ON IS SLOWLY, INCREMENTALLY GRINDING JULIA GILLARD AND HER GOVERNMENT INTO THE GROUND... AND DESTROYING THE NBN ONCE AND FOR ALL... WE ARE NOT GOING TO PERMIT ANY GOVERNMENT TO UNDERMINE THE SPREAD OF OUR MALIGNANT TUMOUR OF A MEDIA EMPIRE... FASCIST CORPORATISM HERR MURDOCH STYLE IS THE MAJOR PRIORITY. OH...AND CORPORATE TAX CUTS OF COURSE...NOT TO MENTION...NUCLEAR ENERGY...BUT NOT FOR IRAN...NEVER IRAN. TPS: OKAY, LET US BE SPECIFIC ABOUT THIS...HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO JAMES MURDOCH ABOUT THIS...ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP? IS HE HAPPY ABOUT BEING BRAINWASHED WHILST SITTING EATING FAMILY MEALS...AND BEING READ TO AS A CHILD IN BED? DOES HE NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BEING SCAPEGOATED BY HIS FATHER...THROWN UNDER THE BUS A NUMBER OF TIMES...TO KEEP HIM IN LINE? DAVID: OF COURSE WE TALK ABOUT A NUMBER OF ISSUES... TPS: INCLUDING THE LEADERSHIP...AND BRAINWASHING TECHNIQUES USED? DAVID: WE...AS IN ME...JAMES...AND THE OTHER SOFTLY SPOKEN SCUMBAGS...ARE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT BEHIND THE FUHRER...I MEAN RUPERT. BESIDES...JAMES IS A BIG BOY...HE CAN SPEAK FOR HIMSELF. TPS: AND IT'S YOUR VIEW HE IS NOT FOR SHIFTING HIS SUPPORT AT ALL? DAVID: NOT WHILST RUPERT HAS A TOP SURVEILLANCE TEAM ON HIM...STASI STYLE. YOU SEE THIS TIE I'M WEARING? PRIMO SPY GEAR. YOUR PHONE? HACKED. YOUR COMPUTER...WAS NEVER YOURS. YOU ARE BEING OBSERVED. RUPERT SEES...EVERYTHING. KNOWS...EVERYTHING. JOTS IT DOWN IN HIS LITTLE BLACK BOOK. TPS: HMMM...GETTING BACK TO THE POLLS...IT SEEMS THINGS ARE NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR NEWS LTD UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF RUPERT MURDOCH... DAVID: POLLS...BUGGER POLLS. TPS: BUT THE POLLS ARE CONSISTENTLY SHOWING THE PUBLIC HAVE HAD THEIR FILL OF RUPERT...AND HIS MANIPULATIVE, MACHIAVELLIAN, OPPORTUNISTIC, GREEDY AS FCK LEADERSHIP...AND THE STUMBLING OF COURSE...CONSTANT STUMBLING OF LATE...TRUE? DAVID: WE ARE DESPERATELY TRYING TO GET ON WITH THE JOB OF SPRUIKING OUR WARES...AND CRUSHING GILLARD...WE ARE NOT WORRIED ABOUT THIS OBSESSION WITH POLLS...THIS TSUNAMI OF HATE AND MISTRUST DIRECTED AT OUR TOXIC MEDIA EMPIRE AND ITS STUBBORN HOLIER-THAN-THOU LEADER....IS JUST SPECULATION. WE ARE DESPERATE TO GET OUR MESSAGE ACROSS...SPEAKING OF DESPERATE...THAT RICHO AND PAUL MURRAY...BOY...ARE THEY DESPERATE. TPS: BUT THE POLLS...? (TO BE CONTINUED) N'

nasking

20/06/2013 THAT WOULDA MADE A GOOD POST. :D N'

nasking

20/06/2013 LOL...DAVID MARR ON THE DRUM IS OH SO UPSET ABOUT THE WAY ASYLUM SEEKERS ARE BEING TREATED... MANAGES TO BLURT OUT THAT 'MOST AUSTRALIANS WOULD LIKE' THE LNP TO GET OUT OF THE UN REFUGEE CONVENTION... REMINDS THE VIEWERS THAT THE REASON BOAT PEOPLE SCARE EVERYONE IS THEIR TIMELESS FEARS OF BEING INVADED BY HORDES OF PEOPLE IN BOATS FROM THE NORTH... NUMEROUS TIMES SAYS THE PRESENT STRATEGIES TO STOP THE FLOOD OF BOATS ISN'T WORKING... AND ENDS WITH...IT'S TIME FOR... [b]REAL SOLUTIONS[/b] A REMINDER: Abbott releases policy plan offering “real solutions for all Australians” http://australianconservative.com/2013/01/abbott-releases-policy-plan-promising-real-solutions-for-all-australians”/ NEVER TRUST A SYDNEY TOFF...WHO THINKS [b]ABBOTT IS "FASCINATING"[/b] :D N'

TalkTurkey

20/06/2013Seems 1.I left off my very rough list my good mate Jason 2. Didn't even notice Limpy Crisp either not that I would've acknowledged him even if I had 3. And I included Nasking with whom I was quite cross So DMW can believe I singled him out as a special case as being an Illwillian, well plainly I [i]didn't[/i], but equally plainly, towards me at least, he [i]is[/i]. A fact he can hardly deny. 2353 Thank you for your support. It's good to see you are across the issues.

bob macalba

20/06/2013Talk Turkey.....never ever doubted your passion or integrity, its all cool, just sitting back and avoiding any shrapnel, and your correct i would have stood up for myself in the same position...thought maybe a bit of light humour might work as a circuit breaker [gotta work on that humour thingy] no offence intended and if i did interfere it was only done with good intentions, but families do bjcker cause its healthy to do so, get it out, sort it out, then back to the main game of helping to halt the ambitions of tony fucking abbott, evil murdoch, and that conspiracy that takes its orders from Rome, just a humble foot soldier with one objective...cheers ps..i know i wrote your instead of you're, i do it all the time but don't know how to go back and correct it without deleting the words that follow, so i just don't.. cheers

bob macalba

20/06/2013thats bicker not bjcker. cheers

nasking

20/06/2013 [b]Having said that I haven't been here for a while this time because of personal issues rather than what some anonymous person said to me on an internet forum but have been dropping in to read occasionally.[/b] 2353, sorry to hear you are having some personal issues...I hope they can be resolved to your satisfaction soon...I have missed reading your comments...as I'm sure many others on here have. Sending good karma yer way. :D N'

nasking

20/06/2013 [b]thanks for the reminder about Paul McGeough's excellent book Kill Kahlid. Anybody who would like to gain a greater understanding of the politics of Palestine, the Gaza Strip and Israel and their interactions will benefit by reading it. It is written in a rollicking crime fiction whodunnit style that educates as it entertains by an Aussie who knows more about the region than most who live there[/b] DMW, glad you appreciated it. THIS WAS QUITE A TIME FOR PAUL McGEOUGH: [b]Detainment in Israel[/b] See also: Gaza flotilla raid [b]In 2010[/b], McGeough travelled on a Gaza-bound flotilla, reporting for The Sydney Morning Herald and Brisbane Times from aboard the MV Samoud (also known as the MV Challenger I). When Israeli forces boarded the flotilla's vessels on 31 May, McGeough and Herald photographer Kate Geraghty were among those detained. In an audio transmission sent shortly before the MV Samoud was intercepted, he said: "At 4.20(am local time) (11.20am Sydney time) we realised all communications on the boat were jammed, 4.22 (am) – we see two zodiacs moving in, pressing through. Two more zodiacs. Now there are five of them astern of us. There's white wakes on black water. Search lights on one of the cargo ships and from the Turkish ferry are picking up the zodiacs now." The following day, Fairfax confirmed that McGeough had, along with Geraghty, been detained by Israel in the city of Beersheba. According to the Herald's editor Peter Fray, McGeough turned down the option of being deported immediately, in return for signing a form in which he would have admitted entering Israel illegally. When meeting with Australian and Irish consular officials in Beersheba's Ela prison, McGeough told them that he intended to challenge attempts by Israeli authorities to deport him. However, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Herald confirmed on 3 June that both McGeough and Geraghty had been taken to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv to be deported.[8] McGeough said that he had left "on legal advice that we will be able to appeal our deportation in absentia". [b]Speaking to the Herald from Istanbul, McGeough described his treatment as "an absolute disrespect by Israel", accusing Israeli authorities of "a total disrespect to the fundamentals of democracy, and the fundamentals of the rights of journalists under the Geneva Convention".[/b] WIKIPEDIA HMMM... I [b]HEAR THAT THE COALITION HOPE TO GET OUT OF THE UN REFUGEE CONVENTION... I WONDER HOW MANY INFLUENTIAL JEWISH AUSTRALIANS WOULD AGREE WITH THAT? SURELY THEY HAVE MEMORIES OF PERSECUTION...FLEEING ON SHIPS, BOATS...BEING REJECTED BY GOVERNMENTS AND XENOPHOBES...DRIVEN BY XENOPHOBIC MEDIA...??? VOYAGES OF THE DAMNED? SURELY SOME WILL SPEAK UP? FOR THE PERSECUTED. SURELY? [/b] N'

lyn

20/06/2013Hi Michael, Thankyou for taking the time to comment on the Nicolle Flint article. I just knew you would think the same as me. Proves what we say about the newspapers though. Ridiculous Editors, fancy even publishing the absurd piffle, yes I am glad you ate your dinner before reading. Also like you I was wondering the relationship to the [b] “David Flint”.[/b] Just decided to go to Twitter search & entered” thinking Abbott” seems there are hundreds of others that share our opinion:- RogueLabor ‏ This is quite possibly in the top 100 stupidest things @theage has printed all year http://www.theage.com.au/comment/abbott-the-thinking-persons-prime-minister-20130619-2oj68.html … Stephen ‏ Was reading through this thinking how dumb could the author be. Then I found out she's an LNP member David Lucas ‏ Tony Abbott, The Thinking Person's Prime Minister. Yes, I'm serious, Fairfax actually wrote that. joy cooper ‏ Abbott, the thinking person's prime minister via smh Looks like pure propaganda piece straight from Lib press office jan jay ‏ Abbott a thinking persons PM? Yup! I think I'm going to throw up! @smh hang your head in shame.. Cheers to you Michael

Ad astra reply

20/06/2013Folks I've been busy all day with family and computer issues, and writing the next piece. I've just caught up with your comments. Thank you for them. Lyn has set a pattern for us to follow: concern for all our colleagues here, and respect of the views of others. We don't necessarily need to agree, but mutual respect smooths ruffled feathers. Let's turn the page for the new day tomorrow. Is it some sort of record? I've not heard one word today on ABC about the leadership issue. Are they saving it up for next week when Newspoll bursts on the scene? The next piece is: Newspoll: the killing machine.

nasking

20/06/2013 JUST WATCHED A BIT OF THE NATION WITH DAVID SPEERS... GOING BY THE DESPERATION OF MICHAEL KROGER AND MIRANDA DEVINE...I RECKON THE COALITION AND MURDOCH EMPIRE ARE VERY WORRIED. THE LAST FEW DAYS I'VE OBSERVED A REAL DESPERATION ON THE PART OF MANY OF THE USUAL SUSPECTS TO SEE RUDD REPLACE GILLARD... WELL, IT AIN'T HAPPENING...IT'S BEGINNING TO DAWN ON THEM... AND THEY SURE ARE FRUSTRATED. PM GILLARD HAS GOT THEM SH*T SCARED... AND I RECKON THE LIMITED NEWS AND COALITION PROPAGANDISTS KNOW THEY HAVE LUMPED THEMSELVES WITH A REAL SMELLY POLITICAL TURD IN ABBOTT... HE STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN... AND THE VOTERS ARE INCREASINGLY BEING TURNED OF HIM...AND HIS TURD BURGER POLICIES. [b]ABBOTT AND HIS TEAM AND POLICIES...UNPALATABLE.[/b] N'

N'ellie May

20/06/2013Hi All, Just dropped in to say a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Ad, Lyn and all the wonderful people who work hard to make this site such a treasure trove and a sheltering port in the storm created by MSM/ABC and radio shock jocks. Don't let misconstrued words lead to grouchiness. We are so lucky to have found this special place, thanks to Ad and Lyn, and we will need its comfort even more in the days ahead. TT just want to say, what a delight your optimism is. Wish I had your faith.

bob macalba

20/06/2013BEEN WATCHING AND AM OF THE SAME OPINION AS YOU BIG BEAR, THEY ARE SHITTING THEMSELVES AND IT IS SO AMUSING TO WATCH.....GONE...ABBOTTS A GONER AND THEY KNOW IT, YOU CAN SEE FEAR AND CONFUSION AMONGST THEM AS THINGS DONT SEEM TO BE GOING THE WAY UNCLE RUPES ORDERED, CAN ONLY SEE IT GETTING BETTER FOR THE PM AND WORSE FOR abbott, AFTER ALL WHAT HAS HE GOT TO OFFER THE PEOPLE, AND THAT IS WHAT WILL COUNT IN THE END, NEVER ANY DOUBT POLICY BEATS BULLSHIT EVERY TIME ONCE THE PEOPLE REALLY WEIGH UP THE FACTS, SLOWLY BUT SURELY THE MESSAGE IS GETTING THROUGH AND WATCHING DICKHEADS LIKE SPEERS WILL JUST GET FUNNIER AND FUNNIER,...WHOO HOO...ITS ALWAYS THE BODY LANGUAGE,,ALWAYS A GOOD 'TELL' CHEERS

lyn

20/06/2013Hi Bob, Go Bob Go, good on you, you have cheered me no end thankyou:)

Casablanca

20/06/2013AA @ June 20. 2013 08:34 PM, you said: [quote]Is it some sort of record? I've not heard one word today on ABC about the leadership issue. [/quote] You clearly did not watch Leigh Sales interview Craig Emerson on 7.30. It was a classic where Leigh Sales shouted over the top of Dr Emerson. His come-back was WTTE that her approach just proved his point that she did not want to talk about anything but the leadership issue.

Ad astra

20/06/2013Casablanca I missed 7.30 as I was at a meeting. So the ABC had its fix of leadership tension then. It has a serious addiction. N'elie May Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I agree with your sentiments. nasking Thank for the report; I presume that was on Foxtel, which I don't have. The more worried the Coalition supporters get, the poorer their chances. I see big bear is back!

Casablanca

20/06/2013TT, @ June 20 2013 01:57 PM, you said: [quote]Casa I am serious here - please answer seriously - I am not sure whether you are being sincere, or alternatively ironic, or indeed all the way to sarcastic here Comrade! Fact is I can't remember saying any particularly kind things in your direction lately, though your posts are always as tidy and reasonable as your gravatar, Front Bench material I think you are. Anyway if I have truly said some things that made you feel good, well I'm glad, and if I have failed to comment when I might have I'm truly sorry, and be sure, You Are Welcome To Share My Trench Comrade! [/quote] The serious chronology to your conundrum is as follows: [u]@ June 18. 2013 06:51 PM:[/u] I praised Lyn for her endeavours on our behalf saying inter alia that [i] ' I can say that I'm going to have to add a lot more height to the pedestal on which I already have you firmly installed.... We are indebted to you for your excellent links. [/i] [u]@ June 19. 2013 04:32 AM:[/u] You said: [i]Casablanca what you said about Lynnie is so true - (A little bird told me Lyn likes *Lynnie* btw ), but it also says how sincere a person you are too, see, and that makes me feel this *fondness* thing for you too. [/i] [u]@ June 20. 2013 01:49 AM:[/u] I said, [i]TT, Thank you for your kind remarks to me.[/i] So, may I seriously state that my remarks @ June 18. 2013 06:51 PM and @ June 20. 2013 01:49 AM contained no irony or sarcasm but just a sincere thanks to Lyn followed by a sincere thanks to you. reCAPTURA: imputations berByff [lol]

Heather

20/06/2013Such a good article. You addressed everthing I believed to be true about the attack on what is a very good democratic govt. for our country. Probably the best ever actually. Sure it is the sexism, repressed actions and punchy nasty attitude of a guy who is a sore loser and renowned for this many times in the past. But it is also smashing down the tall poppy of a government striving to do so well, and doing it. I dont know what goes on in Abbott's psyche but it is sure not nice. He is just what Australia does not need as an example of a grown man, let alone a leader. Someone has said that the openly expressed misogyny by this man would have caused the murder of Jill Meagher. People do learn from example and no holds barred seems to be the message one gets when those in authority behave appallingly, not just once, but keep on doing it over and over and over, as Abbott has done. It was a very good omen that the top Army brass came through, as if in support for our PM and all of us women...during these dark times of the deranged opposition leader. What an angel! If one looks carefuly at the signs, it is not all that good for the Opposition. Things can turn around very suddenly, and the way Abbott is playing it, with all his disastrous hammering, brainwashing and shrieking out inanities of fear and loathing, I wouldn't be surprised if the tide does not turn on him very savagely. Yep it is like a catastrophe waiting to happen. Not the Labor catastrophe, like they all seem to think, but something else. I just dont want him wrecking our country with his madness, taking us all down the gurgler with him. He is like the proverbial Pandora's box with the mayhem he has unleased on the weaker people out there. Let's hope all the nasties he has let out, turns and backs up on him before Sep 14th.

TalkTurkey

20/06/2013Casablanca When I saw Ad's comment re no leadershitshit today, I thought "You clearly did not watch Leigh Sales interview Craig Emerson on 7.30"! She's a bloody disgrace, ABSOLUTELY INSISTED on REPEATEDLY talking over Craig Emerson who soldiered on bravely each time, hampered as he is by Good Manners, an impediment unrecognised by this b*tch. Craig is such a good bloke, it is infuriating to see earnest people like him treated so, Labor Members it seems need to take a course in monstering these agendaed media goons like Sales, shutting them up until the Members have got their point across. I know who could lead the course. Her initials are JG, and she NEVER lets the Saleses of this world talk her down. Perversely, I reckon her gender is a trump card.

TalkTurkey

20/06/2013bob, Yes I knew your position, we fit snugly into our shared trench. Thank you I appreciate it. Yes Abborrtt is in terminal panic mode, his efforts in QT today were pathetic and desperate. He is avoiding media, what fun it will be in the next few weeks watching the MSM starting to run after and in front of him demanding or at least trying to get some real answers. Cripes it's taken 3 years but at last they're starting to put the blowtorch to his unsellable arse. N'ellie May said [i]TT just want to say, what a delight your optimism is. Wish I had your faith.[/i] Comrade N'ellie If I never do anything more important than help keep people's spirits up, that by itself is quite enough for me. You mightn't know it but I'm sure you just did more for my mood than I have ever done for yours. Thank you kindly.

nasking

20/06/2013 [b]ITS ALWAYS THE BODY LANGUAGE,,ALWAYS A GOOD 'TELL[/b] BOB, INDEED. FOR INSTANCE, CHRIS UHLMAN SOUNDED LIKE A SNAKE OIL SALESMAN NARRATING THAT LEADERSHIP TUSSLE BEAT-UP ON 7:30 TONIGHT... I WISH HE'D PISS OFF AND GO WORK FOR MURDOCH OR CHANNEL NINE WHERE HE BELONGS. THE ALP NEED TO HOLD STEADY. MY WIFE SAID AGAIN TONITE THAT IF THE ALP DUMPS GILLARD SHE WILL VOTE GREEN AND THEN EXHAUST HER VOTE. SHE IS CONVINCED RUDD IS A MURDOCH PUPPET. I HAVE TO SAY I AGREE NOW AFTER DOING THE RESEARCH. SHE THOUGHT LEIGH SALES SOUNDED DESPERATE TONIGHT...I AGREE...LEIGH SALES ALSO WORKED FOR MURDOCH...WHEN SHE WROTE FOR HIS BLOG 'THE PUNCH' HELPING TO ATTRACT PEOPLE TO IT. [b]It was a classic where Leigh Sales shouted over the top of Dr Emerson[/b] CASABLANCA, SADLY, A TOP INTERVIEWER HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED BY THE MURDOCH VIRUS...SHE SOUNDED RIDICULOUS TONITE... LEIGH'S RANTS AGAINST PM JULIA GILLARD WERE SO BIASED AND TRAGIC TO WATCH. THE ABC HAS LOST IT. THE ODD USEFUL INVESTIGATIVE STORY...LIKE THE 457 VISA ONE...BUT ALAS, SO MANY OF THEM SOUND LIKE NEWS LTD CLONES. I FEEL JULIA WILL SURVIVE THE NEXT WEEK... AND LEAD THE ALP TO YET ANOTHER VICTORY. SOMETHING IS CHANGING...MY WIFE RECKONS SHE FEELS IT AT WORK. THE STORY ABOUT THE QLD LNP LEAVING A CHILDREN'S WARD IN REDLAND'S HOSPITAL UNOPENED...WITHOUT STAFF...SINCE LAST SEPTEMBER IS BUT ANOTHER NAIL IN THE LNP COFFIN...THAT WILL HELP BRING DOWN ABBOTT TOO. PARTICULARLY, IF WE DISCOVER THE FEDERAL LIBERALS VIA COSTELLO RECOMMENDED SUCH CHEAPARSE AND IRRESPONSIBLE ACTIONS. N'

nasking

20/06/2013 [b]Thank for the report; I presume that was on Foxtel, which I don't have. The more worried the Coalition supporters get, the poorer their chances.[/b] Ad, they are worried. I noticed fake banter and silly larfs from Pyne and Bishop in parliament most days...but they are not convincing. As for Foxtel...I have suffered this PAYTV for far too long in order to see what the enemy is doing here, in America...and the UK. The Sci-Fi Channel and UKTV and TV 1 made it bearable... But...Bacchus has been kind enuff to send me info about alternatives which I will take up immediately if Gillard is replaced... As for the Bear being back...I could not look at my Rogue Griffin anymore without feeling sadness. Enuff said. N'

nasking

21/06/2013 THE GOVERNMENT ARE RIGHT TO BE PUSHING THE 457 VISA LEGISLATION...WATCH THIS 7:30 REPORT: [b]Workers accuse IT giant of 457 abuse[/b] www.abc.net.au [b]The Federal Government says the IT sector is one of the worst offenders in what it says is the overuse of 457 visas, and industry insiders say the allegation is correct, singling out one company for special attention.[/b] [b]FORMER TCS WORKER: I believe it did. I was never asked to advertise for any Australians when developers were required. We just contacted the local area manager and he would send a developer on the next plane from Mumbai. [/b] HAYDEN COOPER: At Qantas, TCS is known as a tier one partner. It's held a $120 million IT contract with the airline for the past seven years. But its Australian based staff working on the account are almost all brought from overseas. This is the list of TCS workers at Qantas. Of the 211 names almost 200 are on 457 visas, filling roles like business analysts, project managers, even accountants. This woman doesn't want to be identified because she's looking for work in the IT sector, but the former business analyst was employed by TCS, and says she witnessed an open reliance on 457 visas at the expense of local graduates. HAYDEN COOPER: You're looking for work yourself, do you believe that the use of foreign workers has put you out of a job? FORMER TCS WORKER: Yes. HAYDEN COOPER: Hasan Mahboob also used to work for TCS on the Qantas account. He says the visa use mirrors a broader problem in the industry. HASAN MAHBOOB: I certainly see heavy use of 457 visa starting from the very top, the management level of people. All of which I question should be done by 457 visa. HAYDEN COOPER: The immigration minister says the example raised by 7.30 vindicates his claim of rorting in the IT sector. BRENDAN O'CONNOR, IMMIGRATION MINISTER: Well I just say that they should desist from acting contrary to the intention of the scheme. HAYDEN COOPER: Brendan O'Connor singles out some key statistics to argue his point of 457 abuse. The first is the blow out in numbers. Last financial year according to department figures, almost 11,000 457 visas were issued in the IT sector. That's an increase of 68 per cent since 2008. Yet over the same period, the growth in all 457 visa users across all industries was just 35 per cent. Then there's the issue of wages. In most industries they've been increasing for workers employed on 457 visas, but in IT they've fallen since 2008. A sign to the minister that foreign workers are being exploited to drive down company costs. BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I don't think I can be any clearer as minister that we don't want the scheme to be used in a way that's going to undermine employment conditions or seek to unfairly displace local workers. HAYDEN COOPER: The Government has struggled to get its legislation toughening up the 457 rules through Parliament. It wants stronger labour market testing requirements, so before companies look abroad for workers they must prove they've advertised locally. It's an approach taken in Canada. There too TCS has been in the spotlight, accused of getting around those rules. CANADIAN REPORTER: A former TCS manager told us the company went through the motions of posting jobs but mostly ignored skilled locals who applied. HAYDEN COOPER: And in the US a similar story. This video shows lawyers coaching companies on how to advertise locally but find no-one. US MC: Our goal is clearly not to find a qualified and interested US worker and, you know, that in a sense that sounds funny but it's what we're trying to do here. HAYDEN COOPER: Unions here fear the same will follow. PETER TIGHE, ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING UNION: If the market rate for someone is 70 to 80,000 dollars a year, then if you advertise at $20,000 below that market rate you're not going to get any applications. So it's very important that labour market testing really reflects the market. http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3786315.htm DISGRACEFUL...BLOODY DISGRACEFUL. SHAME TELSTRA,,QANTAS, WOOLWORTHS AND OTHER CORPORATES...DISLOYAL. N'

Curi-Oz

21/06/2013I amused myself this evening, by asking a question of a prominant tweep in response to his desire to see the #leadershit question settled, and he could care less if it were this week, next week or September. I asked[quote]"Why would anyone want to make it easy for Mr Abbott etc to have an easy ride into office? Given their CVs, why would I employ them?"[/quote] His reply: [quote]"why? because they hate her far, far more than they fear him. that's why. and it's about time people started facing facts."[/quote] I returned: [quote]"And they hate the PM because? I suspect too much propaganda and not enough information on what's really happened."[/quote] I doubt I will get a reply. I don't really care. But, by golly, if I have to go down, I'm going to go down fighting the crap that is being shoved down our throats by Mr Abbott's backers!

Curi-Oz

21/06/2013I would also like to refer you to ABC RN's Media Report (http://tinyurl.com/k43keob) this afternoon, which mentioned the number of job losses in newspapers, particularly mentioning News Ltd titles. They also mentioned that Mr Murdoch had been in town, and it was not unusual for such 'dismissals' to take place at this time! Can one wonder how it will affect the stock prices of the new News Ltd and 21st Century Fox?

jane

21/06/2013NAS' @5.59PM, ROFLMAO! WRT LIARS KNEE JERKING & BREATHLESS ACCUSATIONS, A GOOD WALLOP WITH A 20KG SLEDGE HAMMER MIGHT STOP THEM. :) lyn, all I can say to Nicolle Flint is "WHAT THE HELL ARE [b]YOU[/b] THINKING?" That sycophantic load of old cobblers nearly made me vomit. His DAP has been widely condemned for being a very expensive inefficient way of dealing with carbon emissions. Great links as usual & great reading. I still haven't finished reading them as I usually read all the comments as well, although I do balk at 300+. I can't imagine how much time you devote to providing us with this wealth of information, but it is much appreciated. And like Michael, I'm very pleased I didn't have a mouthful of tea when I read about his compassionate treatment of the sick, the disabled and the disadvantaged. Has this woman erased Bernie Banton & John Brogden from her apparently miniscule brain? Ditto his caring attitude to the homeless and disabled? He appears to think that paying wealthy women "of calibre" to have children is far more important than helping the disabled. As for policy development, he's a genius if you regard 3 or 4 word slogans as policies. They'll have to stop including PhDs in cornflakes packets; Nicolle will eventually find one for a discipline she can't pronounce.

TalkTurkey

21/06/2013Casablanca I think my short-term memory is shot! Thank you, that's a relief. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anyone watching the desperate idiocy of Abborrrtt's questions to *J*U*L*I*A* today, and the body language of his equally idiotic cronies, and anyone watching Sales on 7.30 tonight, could not fail to see a party in exponentially growing panic. The MSM ain't working for them like it used to, a few are starting to apply a bit of heat to Hockey and Morriscum, not much but Labor is not taking the heat now even given leadershit, a hyperconflated non-issue which in itself is a telling sign of the weakness in their position they are no longer able to hide. Abborrtt ... WON'T be able to Stop the Boats, WON'T be able to plant 70 billion trees, WON'T be able to repeal the "Carbon Tax" WON'T be able to repeal the MRRT, WON'T be able to cancel the NBN! Just in case anyone might think I'm unjustifiably upbeat, grok on that handful! Oh and then there's all the NEGATIVE things he WOULD do: Bring back WORKCHOICES Close TAFEs Starve State schools while porkbarrelling rich private ones Bring the $18K tax-free threshold back to $6K and so on. WE will harry and hunt this mob down like a rabid dogs, and we will see them exposed for the frauds they are, and we will bring them low at the Ides of September. Be of good cheer and bright countenance Amigos, [i][b]VENCEREMOS![/b][/i] :)

lyn

21/06/2013Today’s Links Why are turkeys voting for Christmas? by @Vic_Rollison Are the turkeys really so blind to what Abbott’s planning to do that they’ll vote for him just to get rid of our first female Prime Minister? And why do they say they will vote for Abbott when they don’t even like him? They can’t like what he is promising because so far he’s not promising to do anything expect say no and undo http://theaimn.com/2013/06/20/why-are-turkeys-voting-for-christmas/ Sexisms. “Men of the Right” by @saint13333 Remarkably, he has gone from gutter politician with an overwhelming negativity disorder, misogyny traits and pathological liar complex to world statesman in a matter of six months. The date of this transformation can be pinpointed to the Prime Ministers announcement of the election date http://theaimn.com/2013/06/20/sexisms-men-of-the-right In a nutshell: 457 Visas and Liberal ideology by @MigloMT the Liberal coalition blocked proposed changes to 457 visa regulations that would’ve protected Australian workers by making sure companies employed them before sourcing labour from overseas, skilled or unskilled. http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/in-a-nutshell-457-visas-and-liberal-ideology/ You're right to be concerned about Abbott and abortion by @AndrewPStreet Julia Gillard pretty much can’t open her mouth at the moment without being accused of playing the gender card, whether it’s expressing her ire at the opposition making explicit insults about her sexual attractiveness, denying she’s only where she is because of discriminatory gender quotas in the Labor party, http://www.thevine.com.au/life/news/youre-right-to-be-concerned-about-abbott-and-abortion/ Tony Abbott’s catalogue of failures by @independentaus New plan, force an election right now, while the electorate is still paralysed with an unquestioning fear. I’m still ahead in the polls , and there’s no messy policies out there for me to explain. “I know, I’ll table a no-confidence motion, and get us to the polls within the month … that will seal it for me.”Did he pull it off? Fail http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/tony-abbotts-catalogue-of-failures/ Is it too late to restore pride in Parliament? by Jonathan Green a three-year campaign to paint this government as dysfunctional, as a house of cards riddled with thinly papered cracks that might crumble under the slightest tension and provocation. It has been in the political interest of the Opposition to diminish respect among the broadest possible section of the public http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/green-can-pride-in-parliament-still-be-restored/4766352 Brough Takes To The Phones by @beneltham Amanda Boyd, who says she has received a personal email from Brough demanding an apology for a letter she wrote to him regarding the “menugate” affair. Brough also called her repeatedly in a sustained attempt to speak personally to Boyd that she says found “creepy” and “weird”. http://newmatilda.com/2013/06/20/brough-takes-phones Shame, Australia – no recognition for same-sex marriage by @crazyjane13 The Senate just voted against an amendment recognising same-sex marriages performed overseas, in countries far more enlightened than ours.The vote was 28-44. Overwhelming. one of the most mean-spirited votes I’ve seen. If ever there was a vote that showcased spite and prejudice, this was one. http://consciencevote.com.au/2013/06/20/shame-australia-no-recognition-for-same-sex-marriage/ Australia’s dreaded cost of living – manacle or myth? by George Negus The day the election was called, Abbott was ready to go. Whoosh! Out came his first, now regular promise to any swinging voters left out there. Elected, he would lower the cost of living faced by ordinary families. He would do so by abolishing the carbon tax and growing a "stronger economy.” Simple as that! http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/20/australia-cost-living Who is being defiant and why- by David Griffiths It is the mass media that is defiant – in publishing and and broadcasting lies and deceits to destabilise Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Labor Government. http://www.australiasmassmedia.com/ Who Needs 457′s- by @archiearchive Think of all the wonderful savings to be made. There will be no need to educate Australians. There will be no need for Superannuation. No need for 457′s because there will be no need for workers. Not even a need for Work Choices. Oops, they are extinct, already, aren’t they! http://archiearchive.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/who-needs-457s/ 457 workers in the IT industry by @LarvatusProdeo The LNP at first seemed OK with the amendments seeing them as some necessary tightening of conditions. Now they are in full oppositional mode. Abbott likened the PM to Pauline Hanson. http://larvatusprodeo.net/archives/2013/06/457-workers-in-the-it-industry/ Coalition MPs Unsure How They Will Describe Australian Economy If It Actually Does Go Into Recession by @The_Shovel_ satire Coalition MPs were locked in crises talks this morning after it became apparent they had run out of ways to make the state of the Australian economy sound any worse. http://theshovel.com.au/2013/06/20/coalition-unsure-how-to-describe-australian-economy-in-recession/ Today’s Front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 21 June 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/

2353

21/06/2013Lyn, Nas & TT - thanks. I'll be back but not as regularly for a while.

nasking

21/06/2013 Why on earth has The Guardian put this crap up from Nick Bryant...yet another Gillard basher? Good riddance to him...he's heading back to jolly old England: My 10 key Australian moments The BBC Sydney correspondent reflects upon events witnessed and lessons learned as he leaves the country after six years Focus groups also suggest that people baulk at Julia Gillard’s nasal ‘”strine” accent, not because of how it sounds to them, but because of how it is perceived by foreigners... I was a matter of metres away when the veteran prime minister gave his concession speech – “Howard’s End” was the headline years in the making. But his political influence, much like Lady Thatcher’s in Britain, remains pervasive. He has changed the Labor party almost as much as the Liberals, pushing both further to the right. To this day, the ALP remains spooked by border protection, and has revived his Pacific Solution. Revealingly, the leaders who have since prospered – Kevin Rudd, initially, and Tony Abbott, today – are those who’ve best understood his political legacy... Julia Gillard still suffers a problem of credibility from her promise during the 2010 election campaign not to introduce a carbon price... Paradoxically, the chief beneficiary has not been the Greens, but Tony Abbott, who is on record, of course, as describing anthropogenic climate change as “absolute crap”. Then again, the most passion and energy in Australian politics for the past three years has come from the climate-sceptic right. Witness the cheering hordes that greet Christopher Monckton on his tours of Australia, where a lord is feted like a messiah. Or stand amid the placards on the lawns of Parliament House at an anti-carbon tax protest. As for the most ardent climate change sceptics, they are usually to be found in farming communities surrounded by parched paddocks. Even in the face of a run of extreme weather events, such as the Victorian bushfires, linked by scientists to global warming, climate change scepticism has been in the ascendant... Perhaps she lost her prime ministerial voice when she set out, self-consciously, to sound prime ministerial. During the 2011 floods, international viewers could be forgiven for thinking that Australia’s first female prime minister was not Julia Gillard but the then Queensland premier, Anna Bligh, the far more natural performer. The bitterness surrounding Gillard’s elevation still poisons the Canberra air. Her failure to secure a decisive mandate at the 2010 election has made politics even more toxic. Just as she has struggled to present the “Real Julia” – a construct which appears to have gone through a few different iterations – she has failed to stamp her name on much of her government’s program. The carbon tax was the price of her deal with the Greens. The National Broadband Network was a holdover from Rudd. Bill Shorten, a possible future leader, now claims authorship for the national disability insurance scheme. Even the education reforms that should rightly have been her signature issue have the name Gonksi attached to them. Arguably, her singular achievement has been to remain as prime minister for so long, and to see off a challenge and non-challenge from Rudd. “Game on,” were her first words in the House of Representatives as she shook the hand of Tony Abbott on the day she became prime minister, two words that neatly captured her approach to politics. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/20/10-australian-moments-nick-bryant I RECKON IT'S NICK BRYANT WHO NEVER GOT OVER THE HOWARD YEARS...AND THINKS PHONEY TONY WILL BRING THEM BACK...AND HIM. HE OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR JULIA GILLARD... FAILS TO MENTION MANY OF HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS... THE AMOUNT OF LEGISLATION GOT THRU PARLIAMENT... EVEN LAWRIE ZION ON ABC 24 THIS MORNING POINTED OUT GILLARD BASHING ARTICLES IN THE NEWSPAPERS...REFERRING TO ALP HEADQUARTERS AS "THE BUNKER"...WITH PRESENTER BEVERLEY O'CONNOR CHIRPING IN WITH "HER DOWNFALL"... IT WAS IN FACT ZION THAT DIRECTED US TO THE BRYANT PIECE IN THE GUARDIAN. IS IT ANY WONDER WE HAVE [b]LOST TRUST IN THE ENTIRE MSM[/b]? N'

nasking

21/06/2013 ABC 24 TALKING TO PETER BEATTIE THIS MORNING...I CAN REMEMBER AN ARTICLE THAT LOOKED AT THE COAL OBSESSIVES YEARS AGO...BEATTIE WAS MENTIONED ALONGSIDE A NUMBER OF LIBERALS. THEN THERE WAS THIS IN MURDOCH'S THE AUSTRALIAN: Peter Beattie a good choice for resources champion BY:ROSS FITZGERALD From: The Australian August 25, 2011 IT may only be a part-time position but appointing former Queensland premier Peter Beattie to the newly created position of resource sector supplier envoy is a smart move by the federal government. Beattie has a strong history in resources and value adding. He changed Queensland's energy policy in 2000 by requiring 13 per cent of Queensland's generated energy to come from gas leading to the state's billion-dollar coal-seam gas industry. Another 2 per cent of generation had to come from renewables. It was a case of using a policy lever to achieve a very significant economic outcome for Australia. When Beattie retired as premier in 2007, Queensland had a AAA credit rating, mining was booming and its budget was in the black. His smart state strategy had seen the emergence of a whole new biotechnology industry and the research institutions it spawned at Griffith University, the University of Queensland, QUT and James Cook have become drivers of research and economic activity. Virgin Blue established its headquarters in Queensland as part of an aviation strategy that ended up employing 6000 people. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/beattie-a-good-choice-for-resources-champion/story-e6frg6zo-1226121525226 MY DAD ONCE TOLD ME THAT THE WORLD IS CONTROLLED BY RESOURCE COMPANIES...BIG ONES. HE FORGOT THE MEDIA BARONS...AND ARMAMENTS' COMPANIES. ALL THREE...A LETHAL COMBINATION... LEAVING LITTLE ROOM FOR TRUE DEMOCRACY. N'

nasking

21/06/2013 INTERESTING HOW THE MSM IS OBSESSED WITH LEADERSHIP CHANGE AND SO CALLED 'BOAT PEOPLE' AS THE WORLD IS IN A SLOW MELTDOWN... MASSIVE FLOODS IN INDIA...HEATWAVES IN AMERICA AND EUROPE... INDONESIA CONTINUES THE GREAT SCORCHING OF LAND POLICY...CONTRIBUTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE...UNCONCERNED ABOUT ITS NEIGHBOURS IN SINGAPORE CHOKING FROM THE SMOKE... WE SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO BILL McKIBBON AND AL GORE AND OTHERS ALL THOSE DECADES AGO... BUT INSTEAD WE CONTINUED BLISSFULLY LETTING FOSSIL FOOL COMPANIES WRITE OUR ENERGY POLICIES...CONTROL OUR POLITICS... THEY HAVE GIVEN US WASTEFUL WARS AND CONFLICTS...IMMEASURABLE AMOUNTS OF CANCERS, LUNG DISORDERS, RETARDED GROWTH OF CHILDREN...DESTROYED NATURAL HABITATS...KILLED GAWD KNOWS HOW MANY SPECIES OFF...LEFT MANY COMMUNITIES DEVASTATED, POISONED, TOXIC...UNDERMINED NUMEROUS CLEANER ENERGY PROJECTS AND CONSEQUENTLY ALTERNATIVE JOBS... OUR LAND AND WATERS HAVE BEEN POISONED OUR SEAS AND BEACHES FILLED WITH TOXIC SLUDGE... ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF MONEY WASTED ON CLEAN-UPS... AND THE CORPORATE WELFARE HAS BEEN CRIPPLING FOR GOVERNMENT BUDGETS ALREADY STRUGGLING UNDER THE OBSESSION WITH COMPANY TAX CUTS. PETER BEATTIE TALKS ABOUT INVESTING IN INNOVATION... WHAT KIND OF INNOVATION? WILL IT HELP OUR PLANET RESTORE ITSELF...AVOID THIS (INEVITABLE) CLIMATIC CRASH? HE LOOKS TO THE GROWING ASIAN NATIONS...TALKS ALARMIST ABOUT THEIR INVESTMENT IN INNOVATION COMPARED TO OURS...ABOUT COMPETITION. BUT HOW ARE THESE NATIONS GOING TO FAIR DURING THE CRASH...THAT THEY ARE CONTRIBUTING TOO...BY PERMITTING THEMSELVES TO BE FOOLED INTO TRANSFORMING INTO THE SAME FOSSIL FOOL RELIANT, HUGE IRRESPONSIBLE FINANCE AND RESOURCE CORPORATION DOMINANT SYSTEMS... NATIONS NOT COUNTRIES...NATIONS THAT BURN THEIR LANDS, DRIVE SUSTAINABLE FARMERS OFF THEIR LAND TO ACCOMMODATE THE LIKES OF COKE AND PROPERTY DEVELOPERS...TOXINS EVERYWHERE...CARS AND SMOG. SOME FUTURE. REFUGEES COMING. MORE AND MORE. DURING THE GREAT CRASH. N'

TalkTurkey

21/06/2013Did I post this here? I write quite a lot of limericks for Twitter, many really would like to be up to 200 characters but they get no more than 140. This one fits. I've coarsened over the years. I wouldn't have dreamed of publishing this 3 years ago. Tony Fuggin Abborrrrrtt see. He has coarsened and nastified the whole society. Tiny Target Tony Whatta fuggin Phoney! Runnin scared Arse all bared Just a NO-trick Pony!

nasking

21/06/2013 IF BILL SHORTEN AND ANTHONY ALBANESE AND STEPHEN CONROY MOVE AGAINST JULIA GILLARD AND TOPPLE HER I BELIEVE JULIA SHOULD LEAVE THE ALP AND CREATE A NEW PARTY. I WILL JOIN IT...AS WILL MY WIFE. WE SENT MONEY ALREADY TO THE ALP FOR THIS ELECTION BASED ON A REQUEST BY PM JULIA GILLARD. IF THAT MONEY IS USED BY A RUDD/SHORTEN GOVERNMENT I WILL ASK FOR IT BACK. IT WILL CRUSH THE HOPES OF YOUNG WOMEN TO SEE THE ALP CRUMBLE AGAIN UNDER THE PRESSURE OF THE MINING, FAST FOOD, BIG PHARMA, BIG TOBACCO, MEAT INDUSTRY, WAR ON TERROR INC AND MEDIA CORPORATIONS...AND THE ISRAEL LOBBY. I HAVE TAKEN BILL SHORTEN OFF MY LIKES ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/nick.king.1232760?ref=tn_tnmn N'

Ad astra

21/06/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

nasking

21/06/2013 MANY WOMEN RECOGNISE WE HAVE AN UNFOLDING PROBLEM WITH CLIMATE CHANGE...AND RAMPANT CORPORATISATION... I FOUND THIS TO BE AN INTERESTING VID: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sz_yQ4WtexI N'

nasking

21/06/2013 LYN, THNX FOR THE LINKS...I ENJOYED THIS TRUTH-TELLING POST BY THE TALENTED AND PASSIONATE VICTORIA ROLLISON: Why are they punishing Gillard? As Tad Tietze hypothesizes in this opinion piece, are they angry with Gillard because Kevin Rudd’s ego is destabilising the Labor government? Surely the turkeys aren’t that unwise? Surely they’re not turning their back on education funding for their children, a world-class National Broadband Network which more than 7 out of 10 of them want, an increase in superannuation savings, action against climate change which is actually working, a mining tax that shares wealth with everyone, a tax-break for low income earners, an economy the envy of the western world, the abolition of Work Choices and the party which brought them the National Disability Insurance scheme because they’re still angry at Gillard about Rudd? And why do the turkeys give a fuck about Rudd? What’s he ever done for them that Gillard hasn’t? In fact, Gillard has done more for them than Rudd could ever dream of doing. Because she’s a doer. And more importantly, her government runs properly http://theaimn.com/2013/06/20/why-are-turkeys-voting-for-christmas/ INDEED. N'

Jason

21/06/2013Hi Ad, A letter to Leigh Sales http://mhsts.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/dear-leigh-sales.html

Ad astra

21/06/2013Jason What a brilliant letter Michelle writes. It feeds in beautifully to the piece I'm now writing. Thank you for posting the link.

nasking

21/06/2013 I TAKE IT ABBOTT WILL BUILD AN ARK FOR THE NORTH. GONNA NEED IT. N'

nasking

21/06/2013 JASON, I AGREE WITH Ad...A TOP LETTER...WELL FOUND: I've never been a member of a political party, and in fact have probably avoided them. The whole environment seems macho and not really my scene. [b]The idea of Women for Gillard appealed to me as a way of getting involved in politics, without immersing myself in the deep end. The fact it has been mocked mercilessly bothers me. I'm sure there are other women who would like to get involved but are apprehensive. [/b] However, my post today isn't about that... [b]It bothers me enormously that as we approach an election so little is known of the policy position of the Coalition. [/b] What is direct action? How will it work? Why do all IT experts seem to advise against the Coalition FTTN and prefer the FTTH NBN? Do they have a health policy? An education policy? I rely on journalists to ask questions and to help us ordinaries become enlightened. How do we make a wise voting choice in September? A choice that is based on informed understanding of policy and ideas? [b]I know you are trying to do your job Leigh, but really, please don't suggest to an interviewee that you are asking leadership questions because ordinary Australians want answers. I speak as an ordinary Australian when I say, one question is enough, then move on to other topics.[/b] I tweeted just that very thing tonight and had been retweets, and saw many expressing the same sentiment. We do not have a microphone to ask our politicians questions, we are counting on our journalists, especially those of the public broadcaster, to ask questions that help us to understand. Thanks, Yours, Michelle Much more here: http://mhsts.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/dear-leigh-sales.html [b]COME ON MSM...DO YER JOB. IF YOU DON'T...WE WILL.[/b] N'

nasking

21/06/2013 President Vladimir Putin, in the days after the murder, said that Ms Politkovskaya’s “ability to influence political life in Russia was extremely insignificant”, and that her death caused Russia’s reputation more harm than her articles. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/chechens-face-second-trial-in-anna-politkovskaya-murder-case-8667415.html PUSSY RIOT...GULAGS RUSSIA...A MAN'S WORLD N'

nasking

21/06/2013 [b]Pussy Riot[/b] - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [b]Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk-rock collective based in Moscow. [/b] Founded in August 2011, it has a variable membership of approximately 11 women ranging in age from about 20 to 33, who wear brightly colored balaclavas and use only nicknames during interviews. They stage unauthorized provocative guerrilla performances in unusual public locations, which are edited into music videos and posted on the Internet. [b]Their lyrical themes include feminism, LGBT rights, opposition to the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they regard as a dictator, and links between the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church and Putin.[/b] On February 21, 2012, five members of the group staged a performance on the soleas of Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Their actions were stopped by church security officials. By evening, they had turned it into a music video entitled "Punk Prayer - Mother of God, Chase Putin Away!". The women said their protest was directed at the Orthodox Church leader's support for Putin during his election campaign. [b]On March 3, 2012, two of the group members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, were arrested and charged with hooliganism. [/b] [b]A third member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was arrested on March 16. [/b] Denied bail, they were held in custody until their trial began in late July. On August 17, 2012, the three members were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, and each was sentenced to two years imprisonment.Two other members of the group, who escaped arrest after February's protest, reportedly left Russia fearing prosecution. On October 10, following an appeal, Samutsevich was freed on probation, her sentence suspended. The sentences of the other two women were upheld. [b]In late October 2012, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were separated and sent to prison.[/b] The trial and sentence attracted considerable criticism, particularly in the West. The case was adopted by human rights groups including Amnesty International, which designated the women prisoners of conscience, and by a wide range of musicians including Madonna, Sting, and Yoko Ono. Public opinion in Russia was generally less sympathetic towards the women. [b]Putin stated that the band had "undermined the moral foundations" of the nation and "got what they asked for". [/b] Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he did not think the three members of Pussy Riot should have been sent to jail, but stressed that the release of the remaining two imprisoned members was a matter for the courts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pussy_Riot ENUFF...IS ENUFF N'

Heather

21/06/2013Further to the topic NasKing's brilliant post and my previous post on sustainability etc. in reply... The present ranting by Abbott re the big food bowl to be made in tropical North Queensland, seems to me to miss the point that very few vegetables will grow in the hot wet season up there. Having lived in Bowen, far North QLD for part of my life, I tried to grow veges during the wet but they just would not grow. My okra just before Xmas was a bumper crop but nobody ate it. There are heaps of bugs and a big fungus problems exacerbated by humidity, so most farmers trying like hell to grow would resort to using huge amounts of pesticides and whatever...that's if the plants would actually grow during the wet season. Might be okay during the dry if the water was plentiful. From what I noticed the wet period was a good 5 months, but these days it's probably longer and hotter due to global warming. This seems to be yet another beat up by Abbott, placating Reinhart and as a political diversion and ploy for him. Does he talk about the actually growing of food and for how long and whether people actually want to live up where it is hot, humid and debilitating?

Patriciawa

21/06/2013Nasking, Indeed! [b][i]ENUFF....IS ENUFF! [/i] [/b]

bob macalba

21/06/2013Whats going on? on Google news there are 3 separate stories about a catholic priest g ridsdale, one by fairfax, one by news ltd, and one on ABC online..tried each of the sites several times and all 3 kept telling me PAGE 404 NOT FOUND,..censorship? surely not

Ad astra

21/06/2013Heather Welcome to [i]The Political Sword[/i] family and thank you for your comment. Do come again. We won't really see the Abbott policy for developing the north until his 'White Paper' emerges in a year if he is elected.

Michael

21/06/2013Abbott's plans to turn the North of Australia into Asia's foodbowl are, by my understanding of region-savvy ecologists' responses to this 'policy' when it was first mooted months ago, through ill-considered damming and extravagant irrigation will make the North a dustbowl. What environmental balance there is now, from insects right up to large birds of flight and indigenous mammals, will be so thrown out of whack that the entire ecosystem will deteriorate into increasingly unproductive 'farmland' being year after year encroached on by surrounding desiccated wasteland... with fencing. Niche taxation regimes won't build this 'vision', they won't preserve it, they will be a tawdry legacy of it should Coalition wetlipped wishsayers prevail. Abbott PM? He's not up to it.

Casablanca

21/06/2013Sexist attacks shouldn't put aspiring politicians off Katy Gallagher.* June 21, 2013 [quote]A male-only ALP caucus is what initially motivated me to put my hand up as an ALP candidate back in 2000. In one election, and with a strong female campaign resulting in a strong female vote, the ACT Legislative Assembly went from 11.7 per cent female representation to 41 per cent.[/quote] Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/sexist-attacks-shouldnt-put-aspiring-politicians-off-20130620-2olxe.html#ixzz2WpLWH6Ks * Katy Gallagher is the ACT's 6th Chief Minister and 3rd female Chief Minister http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy_Gallagher

42 long

21/06/2013Man of gimmicks and crazy plans. the Ord river was years before the scheme settled down. I understand there are weed problems you wouldn't dream about on the rivers in that area. Monsoonal rain is seasonal and a bit unpredictable. Where are the deep river gorges suitable for damming? Where are the all weather roads? This sort of hair brained stuff would need a lot of research before any money was put into it. Lakes with large surface areas to water volume are just subject to evaporation at a rate that makes them uneconomic. Inland from the coast you get surface temperatures close to 50 degrees. Darwin has a fairly constant temperature of around 33 degrees. There is no summer or winter just a wet and a dry season with a lot of lightning and the odd cyclone. Cyclones can be expected to go further south down both the east coast and the west too, as the sea temperature rises. The humidity and temperature make the energy greater because of the latent heat of vaporisation of the water coming from the warmer oceans surface

42 long

21/06/2013404 page not found. Obviously the hand of GOD BOB. We have always been told HE moves in mysterious ways. And that would be Tony's gospel truth. Not his normal truth which he admits is not worth taking any notice of.

Casablanca

21/06/2013Michael, I seem to recall estimates that Abbott's 'Soil Magic' or Direct Action Policy will necessitate that ginormous swathes of our continent will be planted out with trees in order to reach the Kyoto targets. Also, John Howard set up a Taskforce to examine the potential and opportunities for further land and water development in Northern Australia. The Chairman, Senator Bill Heffernan, if I recall correctly, declared that it was not a goer.

Michael

21/06/2013Abbott apparently has no concern about looking like a fool. Is it because the noun means nothing when the verb is working so well for him with the electorate?

Heather

21/06/2013I found far north QLD just teaming with insects. Rather fascinating for the range, type, size and body. The trouble was when I got to grow something during the hot humid wet, there were heaps of leaves, no fruit or seeding, but big wipeouts by pests zooming in for a feed. They think with all this, that the big Chemical companies love it because they can sell heaps of pesticide product to save the crops. Yet what about the natural environment or the run-off in to the sea and reefs if this is the case. Very messy indeed. It's a double edged sword, and coming down to the wire, just a ploy to get big brute business onside. Abbott is employing the sideline strategy heaps at the moment. Not that he hasn't before. The LN Coalition are not big on transparency and the truth at all. They dont believe in it. This site is very good to give some insight in to what can be grown up north. http://www.nt.gov.au/d/Primary_Industry/index.cfm?header=Vegetables%20-%20Traditional New South Wales is probably the best all the year around growing area, and the Murray Darling with the irrigation. Why would the LN Coalition want to be sending the majority of the population up North for working. Because in the heat and humidity it would fag people our and make them insensible. The LN Coalition love insensible, unthinking, uneducated, easily duped people. Not to mention punishing people to reduce them to the lowest common denominator. Notice how Tony is doing this. Trouble is you punish people too much, they get stronger and rise up and overthrow you. And we all know who deserves this badly. Has anyone else noticed with the Shorten interview, how calmly he handled it. What he got was interrogation and torture if you ask me. Is this what journalists are like these days with what they perceive as their dominance? Note Sales the other night was the same...just a dreadful form of interview. If I went for a job and the interviewer spoke to me like that, I would up and walk out the door. Heather

Ad astra

21/06/2013Folks I've been busy all day finishing the next piece, one that I'll post Sunday evening: [i]Newspoll: The Killing Machine[/i]. I've enjoyed reading your comments and see Heather that you have well and truly mastered the knack of posting on [i]TPS[/i]. Do come often - your comments are very read-worthy. It's been a tiring week with family, computer and [i]TPS[/i] matters, so I'm taking tonight off, and most of the weekend too.

Casablanca

21/06/2013Cute photo of the First Dog, Reuben https://twitter.com/JuliaGillard/status/347262098872619008/photo/1 The Mid-Winter Ball Despite simmering leadership tensions, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard both attended, the PM's hair in a stylish do reminiscent of current cinema hit The Great Gatsby. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/julia-gillard-and-tim-mathieson-at-midwinter-ball/4767260

John Bloomfield

21/06/2013Love your work adastra. You eerily express my thoughts much better than I am able to. How do you snap a population hypnotised by the constant barrage of MSM propaganda out of their spell? I wish I knew how. I do now know how fascism came to power in Europe in the 1030's - resistance must have felt so futile then - as it does here now.

Casablanca

22/06/2013More in Anger: The politics of gender in Australia in 2013 Anne Summers AO PhD [quote]Emily’s List gender gap research has shown that when Labor wins the women’s vote, it wins government.[/quote] http://www.emilyslist.org.au/images/stories/pdf/Media_Releases/2013/orationspeech2013.pdf

Patriciawa

22/06/2013John Bloomfield you say, re the rise and triumph of fascism in the thirties, [quote]resistance must have felt so futile then - as it does here now.[/quote] Julia Gillard clearly thinks resistance is not so futile. She also seems to have been able to convince some good heads that indeed resistance is the only course. Wayne Swan, Bill Shorten, Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong, Peter Garrett, Bob Carr, Stephen Smith, Jenny Macklin, Anthony Albanese, Stephen Conroy, Mark Dreyfus, Joe Ludwig, Tony Burke, Gary Gray, Brendan O'Connor, Craig Emerson, Mark Butler, Greg Combet, Jason Clare - they are the kind of people I can imagine giving wise and fearless counsel and thinking through the impact of their collective decision on the well being of us all. It may be their collective calm and solidarity which can snap that seemingly hypnotised and self destructive section of the population out of its trance.

Crowey

22/06/2013The MSM are on the verge of insanity in their attempts to have Rudd returned to the leadership position.

lyn

22/06/2013Today’s Links Would Hockey have the courage if recession looms- by @LarvatusProdeo He does not, however, have confidence that an Abbott government would chip in with some pump priming. After all Hockey has bagged the Labor Government mercilessly for similar action from 2008. Bassanese reckons there is plenty of scope for priming, posting this graph from the budget papers: http://larvatusprodeo.net/archives/2013/06/would-hockey-have-the-courage-if-recession-looms/ In 2013 Australian politics has slumped to new low on the back of Sexism by @rattangreen the leader of the Liberal coalition who is not really a Liberal at all, playing the sex card with apparent confidence. He is a right wing Catholic Conservative and his lifelong idol has been the person who created the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) B.A. Santamaria http://rattangreen.aussieblogs.com.au/2013/06/21/in-2013-australian-politics-has-slumped-to-new-low-on-the-back-of-sexism/ No martyr’s mantle for Gillard by @btckr “She has never been seen as legitmate.” Says who? Mr Benson says it, but he doesn’t provide any evidence for that. I’ll fill in for him. The Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, says it. And Mr Benson, who’s as much as puppet as Mr Abbott is, both of them servants of Media Baron Rupert Murdoch, http://truthinmediaresourcecentre.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/no-martyrs-mantle-for-gillard/ Crisis? What crisis? A primer on looking glass politics by @alixpiatek The Governor-General could seek Rudd’s assurance that, as PM, he would call an election as soon as possible after the mandatory waiting period - a Saturday at least 33 days after the issue of the writs. That would make August 3 the earliest possible election date if the ALP leadership changed hands at the end of this week http://www.politifact.com.au/truth-o-meter/article/2013/jun/21/Crisis-primer-on-looking-glass-politics/ The campaigns that tried to break the climate science consensus by @independentaus So just in case anyone wasn’t sure, a major study of almost 12,000 scientific papers on global warming between 1991 and 2011 finds less than one per cent disagree that humans are the main cause http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/environment/the-campaigns-that-tried-to-break-the-climate-science-consensus/ New Matilda spins against Mal Brough by @NGruen1 Fortunately Ben Eltham’s reporting of this in New Matilda gives me enough information to deduce these things. But the article is ‘spun’ the other way. It rehearses Brough’s involvement in trying to do in Peter Slipper, reports Brough’s vigour in personally calling Amanda Boyd to protest his innocence http://clubtroppo.com.au/2013/06/20/new-matilda-spins-against-mal-brough/ Not a crisis of misogyny: a crisis of political authority By Tad Tietze In perhaps the boldest statement along these lines, my good friend Van Badham maintains that the Right has created a crisis of legitimacy for Gillard by attacking her (female, gendered) body. Van claims this has been the main reason for the government’s dismal lack of popularity: http://overland.org.au/2013/06/not-a-crisis-of-misogyny-a-crisis-of-political-authority/ Dear Leigh Sales by Michelle @PrimMich you asked whether he thought Julia Gillard would stay on as Prime Minister beyond next week. This has been asked of many ALP politicians this week (this year!) and I honestly don't know what answer you are all expecting. Do you expect him to say 'Well no actually, I think she'll be gone by Wednesday?' [ http://mhsts.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/dear-leigh-sales.html Michelle has something to say by @btckr Ms Sales is clearly biased against the federal Labor government. There is a stark contrast between the warm and friendly attitude she uses when interviewing members of the federal Liberal National Party Coalition* (LNP) and the unsmiling, aggressive and rude bullying she uses when interviewing government Ministers and MPs. http://truthinmediaresourcecentre.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/michelle-has-something-to-say/ The NT Intervention - Six Years On by @newmatilda We are all staring down the barrel of a Tony Abbott government. The Opposition Leader has said that income management should apply to all people on Centrelink across Australia. I truly believe he will be even worse for Aboriginal people than John Howard. I encourage everyone to vote for progressive parties http://newmatilda.com/2013/06/21/nt-intervention-six-years Australia – where your cleavage is your greatest political asset by @turnleft2013 What we have witnessed in Australia over the past month or so has heightened “democracy” to the truly absurd. We have not become a nation of what is fair, justice, sane, logical – we have become a nation of “whichever idiot shouts the loudest wins”. http://turnleft2013.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/australia-where-your-cleavage-is-your-greatest-political-asset/ Toxic Tony by @MigloMT He’s responsible for every sitting day of this Parliament descending into absolute balderdash and poison, as he attempted, day after day after day to bring the Government down. He’s tried every ghastly ploy he can muster to bend the Parliament and the media and the Australian public to his personal maniacal viewpoint: http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/ Women for Rudd? Possibly not on his caretaker front bench by Andrew Crook So what would a Rudd caretaker cabinet look like? One strategy would be for the incoming PM to offer all ministers their current gigs until the election and then, after the poll, let caucus decide the new ministry following a party room motion presumably moved by Steve Gibbons' successor Lisa Chesters (if she wins). http://www.womensagenda.com.au/talking-about/top-stories/women-for-rudd-possibly-not- The Great Northern Development: the Coalition’s dead horse by @Mothincarnate the Coalition is still planning for a great northern development – an idea that is time and time again demonstrated to be unfeasible. It will be a waste of money that will be remembered in the future as a grave folly of the Abbott era (should that occur), driven solely on greedy expectations of a few interested parties. http://newanthropocene.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/the-great-northern-development-the-coalitions-dead-horse/ Middle class welfare- a presentation by @MattCowgill My aim in giving this presentation was to challenge what I see as the two elements of the conventional wisdom around the Australian welfare system. The first is that our welfare system is too large and is growing rapidly as a share of the economy. The second is that http://mattcowgill.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/middle-class-welfare-a-presentation/ Old, Tired, Cynical and Arrogant (Part 1) by Doug Evans @MigloMT This is a tale of two political parties: the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Liberal Party of Australia. The ALP was founded in the 1890s and the Liberal Party in 1945 so as political parties go they are old and http://theaimn.com/2013/06/21/old-tired-cynical-and-arrogant-part-1/ Are the MSM really that stupid- by Truth Seeker the answer is NO, they are not stupid (Generally speaking, although there are some notable exceptions), they are dishonest, deceitful and complicit, and should be called to account for their part in trying to bring down a duly elected government. http://truthseekersmusings.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/are-the-msm-really-that-stupid/ Five ways Abbott could kill renewables in Australia by Giles Parkinson The failure of the so-called “wind fraud” rally to generate much interest among its supposed supporters or the media may indicate the influence of the “loony right” is not as great among the general public as is supposed. But the Coalition is full of rhetoric about renewables that is fed by ill-informed climate skeptic and anti http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/five-ways-abbott-could-kill-renewables-in-australia-75916 Tony Abbott to release vision for northern development by Lenore Taylor Tony Abbott is proceeding cautiously with the grand northern development policies strongly advocated by billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart and her lobby group Australians for Northern Development and Economic Vision. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/20/tony-abbott-northern-development-policy Abbott’s ‘visionary’ policies v Labor’s crippling dysfunctionality by Bernard Keane In fact, this deep north stuff is downright weird. It’s not just Tony Abbott’s own big government DLP mindset emerging — it’s shared by Coalition MPs with functioning brains like Andrew Robb, the small government types at the IPA and far-Right miners like Gina Rinehart. It’s straightforward, Whitlamesque regional development, http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/06/21/abbotts-visionary-policies-v-labors-crippling-dysfunctionality/?wpmp_tp=1 ALL SMILES FOR TONY'S BIG PLAN by nancyy All of which is in stark contrast to what he said in February: "There is absolutely no way that people in different parts of Australia will be paying different tax depending upon where they live."But consistency in policy is apparently less important if your consistency is in the polls. http://www.themonthly.com.au/node/9771 Coalition plans to move public service to the north Markus Mannheim Last year, multibillionaire Gina Rinehart argued in favour of a more radical plan to move entire departments, including Defence, to northern Australia. http://coffsoutlook.com.au/ Today’s Front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 22 June 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/

lyn

22/06/2013Hi Crowey, You are correct, how much more do they think the so called "ordinary Australians" can suffer. They are called the loony right and rightly so. Another sickening article and Simon Benson even links to his previous articles on Ruddmediagate:- [quote]Labor leadership hurdle gone - Kevin Rudd has the all-clear [/quote] Coalition sources have also confirmed the Opposition Leader had abandoned the idea of a no-confidence motion, on the basis that he believed the Coalition should not be dragged into the saga. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/national-news/nsw-act/labor-leadership-hurdle-gone-kevin-rudd-has-the-all-clear/story-fnii5s3x-1226667837843#ixzz2Wt1ePBqR

nasking

22/06/2013 THIS FROM LENORE TAYLOR @ THE GUARDIAN: [b]With polls showing Labor's primary vote has slumped to just 29%[/b] and Gillard facing serious internal questioning of her leadership, the government is working on a package of measures to implement the regional approach that its expert panel said was essential to solve a problem that could not be addressed by domestic policies alone. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/20/julia-gillard-regional-solution-boats#start-of-comments WHICH POLLS? WHY DOES LENORE GENERALISE? WHY DOES SHE RELY ON FIGURES THAT ARE THE LOWEST OUT OF VARIOUS POLLS? WHY DOES LENORE EVEN NEED TO MENTION POOLS? HOW RELIABLE ARE POLLS THIS FAR OUT FROM AN ELECTION? I RECKON LENORE TAYLOR IS ONE OF THE BETTER JOURNOS, COMMENTSTORS OUT THERE...BUT LIKE MANY IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA (MSM) AND GUESTS ON THE ABC SHOW [i]INSIDERS[/i] LENORE TENDS TO GENERALISE AND FALL INTO THE MURDOCH EMPIRE CLONES 'THE ALP UNDER GILLARD IS DOOMED' AND 'POLLS ARE HONEST INDICATORS OF PUBLIC OPINION, PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM NEWSPOLL AND NEILSON AND ANYTHING BIG MEDIA BARON RELATED' MENTALITY. FRANKLY, LENORE NEEDS TO RETHINK THIS APPROACH IF SHE WANTS MORE CREDIBILITY. TIME TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE [b]VOTER MANIPULATION TOOLS AND HABITS[/b] LENORE. OPINION WRITERS AND POLITICAL ANALYSES SHOWS TEND TO BRING ON GUESTS WHO GET ON THE 'GILLARD IS WOODEN' BANDWAGON...LITTLE INDEPENDENT THOUGHT IS DISPLAYED... I FIND THAT APPROACH...WOODEN. N'

nasking

22/06/2013 THE VOTERS NEED TO GET RID OF THE COALITION MEMBERS WHO DON'T SUPPORT SOLAR ENERGY... TOO MANY FAMILIES RELY ON IT NOW AND OTHERS WILL IN THE FUTURE TO HAVE THESE MEMBERS IN THE POCKET OF THE COAL INDUSTRY LEFT THERE: [b]MPs in solar seats generally less supportive of the sector www.guardian.co.uk 100% Renewable Energy's solar scorecard reveals MPs in seats with the highest take-up are less supportive of solar energy [/b] [b]Liberal Alby Schultz, who has called the renewable energy target "the biggest government sponsored fraud in the history of our country" came bottom of the rankings. The top half of the rankings are dominated by Labor MPs, with Graham Perrett, Julie Owens and former speaker Harry Jenkins all ranked as strong supporters of solar. [/b] However, there are [b]exceptions. Four Liberals, headed by shadow communications minister Malcolm Turnbull, are ahead of environment minister Tony Burke, who is deemed to have uncertain support for large solar projects.[/b] Interestingly, [b]in terms of electorates with the highest solar panel take-up rates, Wright, Mayo, Kingston, Grey and Fisher lead the way. Ironically, only one of these electorates has a Labor MP, with the rest presided over by Coalition members who are ranked lowly on the solar scorecard.[/b] [b]100% Renewable Energy said solar power in Australia has created 15,000 jobs, saved three million tonnes of CO2 and knocked $551.6 million off household power bills.[/b] However, Lindsay Soutar, national director of the advocacy group, said that many MPs were generally unaware of these benefits. "Politicians realise that solar is popular with people, especially as the price of rooftop panels has come down, but the coal and gas industries still have a huge influence over them," she said. "There isn't much understanding of solar among politicians. [b]Many don't understand that a 1.5KW solar system for your roof costs $3000 now when it cost $12,000 just a few years ago. The price drop is significant."[/b] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/21/mps-solar-energy-ranking I NOTED THE ARTICLE ALSO QUESTIONS THE NATIONAL PARTY LACK OF SUPPORT...CONSIDERING THE USE OF AND INTEREST IN SOLAR POWER IN RURAL AND REGIONAL AREAS. AND...ADAM BANDT FROM MELBOURNE TOPS THE LIST. N'

nasking

22/06/2013 A MUST WATCH: Cotton growers voice concerns over CSG 7:30 NSW...ABC Farmers and activists are furiously lobbying cross-bench members of the NSW Upper House over planned changes to the Petroleum Act and are demanding more protections around legal costs, entry permits and arbitration rights but the gas industry say NSW is already too tough and tighter regulations could make future exploration untenable. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-21/cotton-growers-voice-concerns-over-csg/4773128 I WONDER HOW MANY FARMERS AND PEOPLE IN THE BUSH WOULD PREFER A GROWTH IN SOLAR AND WIND POWER RATHER THAN THESE TOXIC COAL SEAM GAS PROJECTS? IRONIC AIN'T IT THAT LIBERAL AND LIBERTARIAN SENATORS SUPPORTING ALAN JONES IS ONE MOMENT AGAINST COAL SEAM GAS... THE NEXT AGAINST WIND POWER. FRANKLY, I THINK ALAN JONES IS A WELL-PAID OPPORTUNISTIC SNAKE-OIL SALESMAN... NOT UNLIKE THE AMERICAN TELEVANGELISTS OF THE PAST... FOLLOW THE MONEY...ETC. N'

nasking

22/06/2013 GOOD JOB QUENTIN DEMPSTER... THIS REPORT FROM ABC 7:30 NSW SHOWS UP THE LIES PUSHED BY LIBERAL AND LNP STATE GOVERNMENTS THAT 'EFFICIENCY MEASURE CUTS' (AUSTERITY MEASURES) ARE NOT TARGETING FRONTLINE PUBLIC SERVICE JOBS: NSW public sector braces for budget pain Posted 10 hours 49 minutes ago New South Wales Treasurer Mike Baird is determined to shave costs meaning more pain for hospitals, emergency workers, and government departments as tight budgets inevitably lead to a renewed round of job cuts and another state asset, the Port of Newcastle, to also be privatised. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-21/nsw-public-sector-braces-for-budget-pain/4773160 WE COULD USE A QUENTIN DEMPSTER UP HERE IN QLD...DESPERATELY...TO KEEP THE BASTARDS HONEST. SOMETHING THAT CONCERNS ME IS THIS MOVE BY LIBERAL AND LNP GOVERNMENTS TO SILENCE POTENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICE DISSENTERS AND WHISTLE-BLOWERS BY USING JOB SECURITY FEAR TACTICS...INCLUDING HIRING PEOPLE ON CONTRACTS THAT PERMIT THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT HEADS TO SACK STAFF WITHOUT A REASON. FURTHERMORE, I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE CUTS TO STAFF IN AREAS THAT DEAL WITH PAROLED INDIVIDUALS...AND FORMER INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS TRANSITION INTO THE COMMUNITY... LOOKS SUS TO ME... ONE MIGHT EVEN BEGIN TO WONDER IF THIS IS A NEFARIOUS PLAN BY CERTAIN CORPORATE-TIED LIBS AND LNPers TO ENSURE THAT CRIMINALS BECOME REPEAT OFFENDERS DUE TO ISOLATION AND NEGLECT...AND DUE TO CERTAIN PROCESSES IN PLACE IN THOSE CORRECTIONAL CENTRES...??? AND A SUSPICIOUS PERSON MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT WHO BENEFITS FROM SUCH A NEFARIOUS POLICY... - MAINSTREAM MEDIA...INCLUDING PAPERS AND SHOVK JOCKS...AS ACTS OF CRIME ARE COMMITTED AND THE SUBSEQUENT MORAL PANIC AND COURT CASE DEBATES POST-CRIMES - SOME IN THE POLICE FORCES -,CERTAIN LAWYERS AND JUDGES - CCTV CAMERA OPERATORS, MANUFACTURERS... - OTHER SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM COMPANIES AND PRIVATE SECURITY - PRIVATE PRISONS...AND THOSE PROVIDING GOODS AND SERVICES TO PUBLICLY-OWNED PRISONS - RELIGIOUS GROUPS WHO ARE BROUGHT IN ETC. HMMM... N'

nasking

22/06/2013 IF THIS KIND OF INFILTRATION BY SECRET POLICE OF GREEN AND ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST GROUPS IS GOING ON... YOU MIGHT WANT TO EVEN QUESTION IF THEY HAVE INFILTRATED PROTEST DEMONSTRATIONS...COULD THEY BE SOME OF THE VIOLENT ANARCHISTS? IT MAKES YOU EVEN WONDER ABOUT THE WAR ON TERROR...CAN WE BE SURE WE REALLY KNOW WHO THE ORGANISERS, PLANNERS OF THE DASTARDLY TERROR CRIMES ARE? THE NEFARIOUS ACTS OF THESE SECRET POLICE AND SECRET ESPIONAGE GROUPS HAS UNDERMINED PUBLIC TRUST. THEY HAVE NOT SERVED THE PUBLIC INTEREST: [b]A spokesman for the Met said the force "recognises the seriousness of the allegations of inappropriate behaviour and practices involving past undercover deployments". He added that a number of allegations surrounding the undercover officers were currently being investigated by a team overseen by the chief constable of Derbyshire police, Mick Creedon.[/b] [b]And in remarks that come closest to acknowledging the scale of the scandal surrounding police spies, the spokesman said: "At some point it will fall upon this generation of police leaders to account for the activities of our predecessors, but for the moment we must focus on getting to the truth."[/b] Lambert declined to comment about his role in the production of the McLibel leaflet. However, he previously offered a general apology for deceiving "law abiding members of London Greenpeace", which he said was a peaceful campaign group. Lambert, who rose through the ranks to become a spymaster in the SDS, is also under investigation for sexual relationships he had with four women while undercover, one of whom he fathered a child with before vanishing from their lives. The woman and her son only discovered that Lambert was a police spy last year. The internal police inquiry is also investigating claims raised in parliament that Lambert ignited an incendiary device at a branch of Debenhams when infiltrating animal rights campaigners. The incident occurred in 1987 and the explosion inflicted £300,000 worth of damage to the branch in Harrow, north London. Lambert has previously strongly denied he planted the incendiary device in the Debenhams store. Lambert's role in helping compose the McLibel leaflet is revealed in [b]'Undercover: The True Story of Britain's Secret Police', which is published next week. An extract from the book will be published in the Guardian Weekend magazine. A joint Guardian/Channel 4 investigation into undercover policing will be broadcast on Dispatches on Monday evening.[/b] http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jun/21/mclibel-leaflet-police-bob-lambert-mcdonalds MORE AND MORE YOU CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN TAKEN FOR A RIDE. LOOK AT THAT NSW POLICE OFFICER WHO DESTROYED EVIDENCE OF ABUSE IN THE CATHOLIC,IC CHURCH. COVERUP? WHO ORDERED IT? WHAT WERE THE MOTIVES? NO LONGER ARE WE...EYES WIDE SHUT. N'

Doug Evans

22/06/2013John Bloomfield above Philosopher Edmund Burke supposedly once said something like. "All that is necessary for tyranny to flourish is that good people do NOTHING." I reckon there has never been a point in our history where it has been more necessary to see things very clearly for what they REALLY are. Not what we HOPE they are or might become. Not what we WISH they would be. This was what too many good people in Germany during the 1930s didn't do. Not all there were many who saw what was going on and resisted but the power was not in their hands. If you agree consider this. Look around you. Think about the good people you know. Think about what you are reading - undoubtedly written by good people. Now does this reflect the world as it really is or as these good people WISH it was or HOPE it might be?

Ad astra

22/06/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

Austin 3:16

22/06/2013The culture of disrespect - didn't it really start with Keating ?

nasking

22/06/2013 VERY INTERESTING...MIKE BAIRD, NSW TREASURER HAS BANKING AND INVESTMENT BANKING CONNECTIONS: Mike Baird (politician) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Treasurer of New South Wales Incumbent Assumed office 4 April 2011 Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Manly Incumbent Assumed office 24 March 2007 Born 1969 Political party Liberal Party of Australia Alma mater [b]The University of Sydney[/b] Religion Christian (Anglican) Michael Bruce "Mike" Baird MP, an Australian politician, is the Treasurer of New South Wales in the O'Farrell Government since 2011. He is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Manly for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2007. Baird is the son of Bruce Baird, a former New South Wales Minister and Member of Parliament, and a former Member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing Cook for the Liberal Party. [b]His sister is journalist Julia Baird[/b]. Baird joined the [b]National Australia Bank (NAB) under a graduate program[/b], [b]working investment banking for Deutsche Bank as a senior manager[/b] before spending a year in Canada studying for the Anglican ministry. At age 29, Baird unsuccessfully sought preselection for Manly, and [b]returned to NAB, working in London, before returning to Sydney to work for HSBC Australia. [/b] Political career Baird was elected to the New South Wales Parliament in 2007. After initially serving time in a range of junior shadow ministries, in 2008 Baird was promoted to the position of Shadow Treasurer and [b]touted as a future Liberal leader.[/b] Following the election of the O'Farrell government in 2011, Baird was appointed Treasurer, although O'Farrell removed some of Baird's ministerial responsibilities, transferring the authority for land tax, gaming tax, payroll tax, public service superannuation and the Office of State Revenue to Greg Pearce, the Minister for Finance and Services. ----- HSBC, NAB, DEUTSCHE BANK...INTERESTING. N'

bob macalba

22/06/2013Bernard Keane is a farking tosser, a smug know it all git, well i read his shit and in my humble opinion he knows fark all about lots off things, part of the groupthink wankfest re captcha.....rankno respec

bob macalba

22/06/2013Might go and get myself a snickers..bit cranky this morning

nasking

22/06/2013 [b]HSBC CONTROVERSIES[/b]: On 19 July 2012, India assured to get to the bottom of alleged violation of safety compliance, in which Indian employees are presumed to be involved. On 9 November 2012, Indian activist and politician Arvind Kejriwal claimed he had details of 700 Indian bank accounts hiding black money with a total value of 6,000 crore (US$1.0 billion) with HSBC in Geneva. [b]In the report titled "In the Future There Will Be No Forests Left" produced by Global Witness, the bank is also being accused of supporting the seven largest Malaysian timber conglomerates which are responsible for rapid deforestation in the Malaysian state of Sarawak without any FSC certifications.[/b] However, [b]the bank declined to divulge its clients on this issue, citing the confidentiality of its clients[/b]; but the bank maintains that the accusations that its clients violate forestland and forest-products policy is not accurate. [b]Money laundering [/b] In 2003, U.S. regulators ordered HSBC to strengthen its anti-money laundering practices, and again so ordered in 2010 after finding the bank had continued to ignore suspicious transactions. In October 2010, the United States OCC issued a Cease and Desist Order requiring HSBC to strengthen multiple aspects of its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) program. [b]The identified problems included a once massive backlog of over 17,000 alerts identifying suspicious activity, [/b] failure to file timely suspicious activity reports with U.S. law enforcement, failure to conduct any due diligence to assess risks to HSBC affiliates before opening correspondent accounts for them, a three-year failure by HBUS from mid-2006 to mid-2009 to conduct any AML of $15 billion in bulk cash transactions from those same HSBC affiliates, poor procedures for assigning country and client risk, failure to monitor $60 trillion in annual wire transfers by customers in countries rated lower risk by HBUS, and [b]inadequate and unqualified AML staffing, resources, and leadership. [/b] It was noted that HSBC fully cooperated with the Senate investigation. [b]In November 2012 it was reported that HSBC had set up offshore accounts in Jersey for suspected drug-dealers and other criminals, and that HM Revenue and Customs had launched an investigation following a whistleblower leaking details of £700 million allegedly held in HSBC accounts in the Crown dependency .[/b] In December 2012, HSBC was penalized $1.9 billion (US), the largest fine under the Bank Secrecy Act, for violating four U.S. laws designed to protect the U.S. financial system. [b]HSBC had allegedly laundered at least $881 million in drugs proceeds through the U.S. financial system for international cartels, as well as processing an additional $660 million for banks in US sanctioned countries.[/b] According to the report, "The U.S. bank subsidiary [also] failed to monitor more than $670 billion in wire transfers and more than $9.4 billion in purchases of physical dollars from its Mexico unit." [b]As part of the agreement deferring its prosecution, HSBC acknowledged that for years it had ignored warning signs that drug cartels in Mexico were using its branches to launder millions of dollars, and also acknowledged that HSBC's international staff had stripped identifying information on transactions made through the United States from countries facing economic sanctions such as Iran and Sudan. HSBC has also been accused of laundering money for terrorist groups.[/b] [b]In early Feb. 2013, appearing before UK’s Parliamentary Banking Standards Commission, chief executive Stuart Gulliver acknowledged that the structure of the bank had been “not fit for purpose.” [/b] He also stated, “Matters that should have been shared and escalated were not shared and escalated.” [b]A Feb. 2013 article in Rolling Stone magazine, which was critical of what they regarded as the timid response by the U.S. Justice Department, stated “Yes, they issued a fine – $1.9 billion, or about five weeks' profit – but they didn't extract so much as one dollar or one day in jail from any individual, despite a decade of stupefying abuses” and further stated, “In this case, the bank literally got away with murder – well, aiding and abetting it, anyway.”[/b] A [b]Dec. 2012 CNNMoney article compared the 1.9 billion dollar fine to HSBC's profit "last year" (2011) of 16.8 billion.[/b] In December 2012, [b]Assistant U.S. Attorney General Lanny Breuer[/b] suggested that the U.S. government might resist criminal prosecution of HSBC which could lead to the loss of the bank's U.S. charter. He stated, "Our goal here is not to bring HSBC down, it's not to cause a systemic effect on the economy, it's not for people to lose thousands of jobs." [b]Following search warrants and raids beginning in January 2013, in mid-March 2013 Argentina's main taxing authority accused HSBC of using fake receipts and dummy accounts to facilitate money laundering and tax evasion.[/b] [b]In June 2013, a media outlet in India did an undercover expose where HSBC officers were caught on camera agreeing to launder "black money." HSBC placed these employees on leave pending their own internal investigation.[/b] WIKIPEDIA NOT GOOD...NOT GOOD AT ALL... YET NOONE GOES TO JAIL... AND THE FINE IS A PITTANCE COMPARED TO PROFITS... AND HSBC GETS TO SPONSOR ALL THESE SPORTS ORGANISATIONS... BAD DAYS INDEED. INTERESTING THAT FORMER STAFF ARE PERMITTED INTO THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF GOVT AND ELSEWHERE WITHOUT APPROPRIATE SCRUTINY... YET MUSLIMS RELATED TO MONEY LAUNDERING, CONNECTION TO TERRORIST ORGANISATIONS ARE VILIFIED AND SOME KILLED...OR PUT IN CAMPS, JAILS. DOUBLE STANDARDS? N'

Heather

22/06/2013Patriciawa & all, Resistance is certainly not futile. Look at all those good people in our Govt. What a team! I have been protesting and protesting Tony Abbott from way back and now I find all these people doing the same. I arrive here at your Blog and here is great writing that more or less tells it as I was seeing it right from the beginning. Why are all the people too scared to point the finger to the culprit of the present malaise in our country? If they had aberrant people in their own homes they would be up in arms. Although I have notice power broker parents let the bully kid run rampage as it is a toughening up for the world out there. What a way to go huh? Breeding little Adolfs for the future. One small voice of protest becomes a roar further down. I dont stay in safe ports so to speak. Was having a look at rightie Pickering's site yesterday just to get comfy so I can protest and tell them to be humans not animals. You have to wonder about all the News Ltd people. I have tweeted Murdoch asking to not back the Libs in Australia. That they would not be good for Australia. I go to redneck sites and have my say. and they wonder where I come front. Boy are they are nasty lot! Impossible to communicate with...their brains just functioning form the limbic part, very little frontal lobe operating. I am sure Abbott's frontal lobe gets very little action too. And the guy is addicted to adrenalin. They are very fight prone these people. I tend to go in, and then say "thanks for the sword fight". Something to throw them for a six, if I feel up to it. This is hard work. Being vocal out there where it is dangerous is waht is important, I find. Posting stuff all the time to Facebook is very good as you are getting it out there. And tweeting is the same. Passing on the good news is important because MSM has a real grip over everything trying to make out that LN Coalition and Abbott are all good news whilst Lab. Minority Govt. is not. I agree it is a totally blatant misconstruing of the facts and sadly the run of the mill people believe it. How many lies can they tell before it rounds up on them. We cant wait years for it to happen like under Howard. So many people were hitting the mute button back then. I could watch Howard but this Abbott takes the cake for being far worse...what a really scarey man, and how very very destructive. Big worry. However I have a strong belief that things may turn very quickly on him. There are not good signs and happenings around him...only Murdoch and News Ltd. Put the pressure on the latter, I reckon. It is nice to feel safe for a little while here though. But I must go off an slay the enemy. LOL :)))) Heather

James Adelaide

22/06/2013Ad Astra, My morning scan of Google news revealed that News limited was reporting that the Age had prompted PM Gillard to stand down. “The Age prompts Gillard to quit” http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=881829 However, when I went to the Fairfax site, I found that it was just a suggestion in an article by Mike Carlton, writing without comments enabled. “With regret, Gillard must go, for nation's sake” Mike Carlton http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/with-regret-gillard-must-go-for-nations-sake-20130621-2onnn.html Just like Michelle Grattan last year “Credibility gone, PM should fall on her sword” http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/credibility-gone-pm-should-fall-on-her-sword-20120429-1xt3a.html#ixzz2WthvJO5m” When will the MSM (Mainstream media) snap out of the delusion that they are players in the political process?

Ken

22/06/2013to those who have made reference to the rise of Hitler. Don't forget he was elected. As I recall, the Nazi Party (also don't forget the full name was actually the National Socialist German Workers Party) received almost 40% of the vote in its most successful election and was the biggest Party in the Reichstag but 31 votes short of an absolute majority. And when he became dictator in 1933 it was by an Enabling Act passed by the Reichstag - called "Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich." Obviously there were machinations and threats involved in this but the facts are it happened through a "democratic" process. Why? Because the German people were still suffering from the punishments imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, the effects of the Great Depression, and the threat of a Communist takeover (which was very real at the time). There was a strong anti-semitism which Hitler played on (and took to extremes). He won the support of the industrialists by telling them he would not implement some of the more "socialist" aspects of the original Nazi party policies - in other words he told different people what they wanted to hear. I'm starting to see a few parallels!!!!

Austin 3:16

22/06/2013Hey bob [quote]part of the groupthink wankfest [/quote] Oh yeah you gotta watch that group-think it's a real worry isn't it :)

TalkTurkey

22/06/2013Austin 3.16 said [i]The culture of disrespect - didn't it really start with Keating ?[/i] Yair, things like [i]Run over the bastards[/i] (Premier Askin) and military conscription by ballot have everything to do with respect.

Austin 3:16

22/06/2013Hey Heather, All the best out there.

bob macalba

22/06/2013That makes 'you' a worry then

Doug Evans

22/06/2013Ken Yes more than a couple of very interesting parallels. 1. The anti-semitism and rabid nationalism fanned by the tabloid press with the active support of a powerful entrenched industrial elite. 2. The 'good people' of the middle class either averting their eyes or predicting the unelectability of Herr Hitler and his henchmen because the electorate would see through his populism. then 3. Then they predicted the rapid downfall of this rabidly right wing government whose policies were so abhorrent to 'right thinking' Germans.

Doug Evans

22/06/2013Ad Astra We disagree over important points but this is a good post. Well written

nasking

22/06/2013 I DESPISE SIMON COWELL..AS MUCH AS I DESPISE THOSE SHOWS LIKE X-FACTOR, AMERICAN IDOL ETC... AND I'M CONVINCED THERE'S MORE TO THESE SHOWS AND COWELL THAN MEETS THE EYE... I NOTICED FOX IS A BIG SUPPORTER OF THIS CHARACTER: [b]Why I pelted Simon Cowell with eggs I made a Britain's Got Talent protest because I care deeply about the power Cowell and reality shows have over the music industry[/b] Natalie Holt guardian.co.uk, Monday 10 June 2013 I have no desire to be famous and I'm not an attention seeker. My actions were intended as a non-violent, egg-based protest because I think Cowell has too much power and influence in the entertainment industry. I also just wanted to make him look a bit silly. I hoped it would come across as a British panto-style jape, which might also generate some more serious debate. I have received many messages of support from well-known musicians who I've worked with in the past, who've contacted me privately, but who are unwilling to express their support publicly. Everyone is scared of standing up to people like Cowell. I don't dislike him personally; I just don't like what he represents. Reality TV talent shows are not the way to discover the next Beatles, or to nurture talented musicians and entertainers. The people who seem to benefit most from talent shows are the judges. The consequences of my prank have already turned out to be more serious than I had anticipated. I have already had work cancelled. I am also aware that some of the press are eager to label me as an unhinged, hysterical woman. I'm not. I did what I did out of meaningful consideration; I did it because I care, not because I do not. Like many other young musicians, I studied at educational institutions which I believe truly nurture talent rather than exploit it. However, the industry into which they emerge these days is too dominated by reality talent formats such as Britain's Got Talent, and real long-term opportunities for talent are stifled. So I felt that, on behalf of musicians everywhere, this is an institution and a man that needed standing up to. Given that I had been asked to mime on stage, it was not difficult for me to put down my violin and pull the organic eggs out of my tights, and take a direct shot at Cowell; he was smiling as I threw the eggs and he seemed to take it in the right spirit. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/10/simon-cowell-eggs-britains-got-talent I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THERE ARE PLENTY OF TALENTED AND INNOVATIVE MUSICIANS OUT THERE... YET TIME AND TIME AGAIN THE MASSES ARE DRIVEN BY OUR CRAP MEDIA TO FOCUS ON SHITE PROGRAMS LIKE THE ONES MENTIONED ABOVE. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE WINNERS HAVE TO AGREE TO??? MR. BULLY BOY COWELL IS A CHOSEN ONE WHO MAKES A HECKUVA LOT OF MONEY...APPARENTLY HE'S WORTH HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS... AND IT SEEMS FOX HAS PICKED UP THE AMERICAN RIGHTS FOR X-FACTOR. IT'S TIME MANY GOT BACK TO LISTENING TO REAL MUSICIANS...TRYING ALTERNATIVES... THEN WE MIGHT FIND A NEW BEATLES...INSTEAD OF TROSH LIKE 'ONE DIRECTION'...WHO HAVE SIGNED UP WITH COWELL'S CO. IT SEEMS. CORPORATE MARKETED BANDS AND ARTISTS...VOMIT. WHEN YOU ARE PROMOTED ON BIG BANNERS BY SUPERMARKET CHAINS YOU'VE LOST THE ARTISTIC SIDE... AND BECOME PART OF A BUSINESS...A CORPORATE MACHINE. SADLY, TOO MANY TALENTED FOLK ARE MUTATED BY BEING FORCED INTO THESE SHOWS AND CORPORATIONS BECAUSE THEY FEEL THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE. BUT THERE IS...CROWD SOURCING. AND SELLING FROM YOUR OWN SITE ON THE INTERNET. N'

nasking

22/06/2013 AND ARTISTS CAN USE YOUTUBE OF COURSE...MY MATE TONY AND I PUT SOME OF OUR DEMOS UP THERE... MY VOICE AIN'T GREAT... BUT GOT TO EXPRESS MY VIEWS ABOUT THE IRONY OF THIS FEAR OF BOAT PEOPLE...WHEN IN FACT IT WAS THE WESTERN EXPLORERS WHO HAVE COME TO THESE BIG AND SMALL ISLANDS AND IMPOSED THE CORPORATE ENSLAVING STATE: "They're a comin' "- Workin' 24-7 http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zyosNlaTyyQ N'

Tom of Melboune

22/06/2013Fairfax wants her out, so does Mike Carlton and the majority of the population. So what’s she still doing in the job? Time’s up, so find something else for Gillard to screw up.

bob macalba

22/06/2013yeah fairfax for pm, mike carlton deputy..the people have spoken, off with her head...come on fools cant you see..tom of melbourne knows[which one are you?] bad guvmnt

DMW

22/06/2013The Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) http://www.chass.org.au/ held its' National Forum at Parliament House last Thursday on the topic [b]Civility in Australia[/d]. Andrew Leigh gave a speech that relates to our current topic: http://www.andrewleigh.com/blog/?p=4404 He started with a selection of quotes from [b]Paul Keating’s Book of Insults [/b] and went on to say: [i]... I start with Keating to illustrate the basic point that defining civility is tricky. We know the extremes; absolute rudeness and genteel politeness, ... But in the middle there’s a grey area where one person’s incivility is another person’s witticism.[/i] A short but interesting speech that throws some historical light on the behaviour of parliamentarians.

Jason

22/06/2013ToM, Carlton is a bit like you! He likes to recycle old work as well. PM must go or the party will be over Date July 21, 2012 Category Opinion Read later Mike Carlton Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/pm-must-go-or-the-party-will-be-over-20120720-22fcl.html#ixzz2WuHGAWje

Tom of Melboune

22/06/2013Gillard is entirely unappealing, and that has nothing to do with her gender. She has a history of bad judgement and poor ethics. Some politicians can do with just one, but without either, it’s hopeless. Gillard deserves to be unceremoniously dumped. When she goes, she’ll blame the media, misogynists, blue ties, anti-abortionists…she will blame everyone before she accepts the huge character flaws that causse her to be a failure.

nasking

22/06/2013 NOW FLOODS IN CANADA...HUGE STORM IN NEW ZEALAND...WINDS UP TO 200 KM. THE SYRIANS AND IRAQIS AND AFGHANIS NEED TO STOP FIGHTING AND INSTEAD DANCE OFF. THEY ARE JUST BLACK HOLES...DISTRACTIONS...CORPORATE MONEY PITS. WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE BIGGER ISSUES. CLIMATE CHANGE...NEED FOR BROADBAND...CORPORATE CORRUPTION AND TAX AVOIDANCE...DEFORESTATION DUE TO ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES...DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN AND THOSE OF DARKER SKIN...INCARCERATION RATES OF INDIGINIOUS AND BLACK PEOPLE...ABUSE BY BIG PHARMA...OWNING OF GENES...PUBLIC SERVICE CUTS THAT LEAD TO TRAGEDY AND FUNNELLING OF MONEY TO PRIVATE INTERESTS...MONEY LAUNDERING...BOGUS WAR ON DRUGS...SEX SLAVERY...FUNDING FOR EDUCATION...DISABILITY SCHEMES...CONNECTION OF GAMBLING AND DRUGS AND BIG PHARMA TO SPORTS...SPORTS SPONSORSHIP AND ADVERTISING...GUNS OUT OF CONTROL...HUNTING IN NATIONAL PARKS...ANIMAL ABUSE...TOXINS IN SEAS AND WATER...CHILD ABUSE AND PATRIARCHY IN THE CHURCHES...MURDER OF JOURNALISTS...THE LIST GOES ON. N'

Algernon

22/06/2013Well that's OK then TOM. Fairfax wants her to go so that s what we must do then. And replace her with what the Frank Forde of the ALP Kevin Rudd or the Billy McMahon of the Liberals Abbott. When are the sorbents of the MSM going to do their job properly and report on facts instead to trying to be part of the game and stop delude themselves that what they think actually matters. Leigh sales being stomped on the other night on 7:30 was a case in point. You can have your opinion TOM but I fear for a country which could well end up with a violent abusive bullying leader surrounded by a ship full of buffoons and a B grade tennis player come 15/9.

nasking

22/06/2013 CHEEKY BUGGERS...THE AMERICANS ARE CHARGING WHISTLEBLOWER SNOWDEN WITH THEFT...FOR ONE... THEFT...??? IT'S THEIR SPY AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS...AND THOSE OF THE CORPORATE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES THAT HAVE ENABLED THEM...THAT SHOULD BE CHARGED WITH [b]THEFT[/b]. THIS LEADERSHIP CRAP PUSHED BY THE MSM IS JUST ANOTHER DISTRACTION FROM THE REAL ISSUES...SCREW FAIRFAX...GINA'S FAIRFAX: Britain's spy agency GCHQ has secretly gained access to the network of cables which carry the world's phone calls and internet traffic and has started to process vast streams of sensitive personal information which it is sharing with its American partner, the National Security Agency (NSA). The sheer scale of the agency's ambition is reflected in the titles of its two principal components: Mastering the Internet and Global Telecoms Exploitation, aimed at scooping up as much online and telephone traffic as possible. This is all being carried out without any form of public acknowledgement or debate. One key innovation has been GCHQ's ability to tap into and store huge volumes of data drawn from fibre-optic cables for up to 30 days so that it can be sifted and analysed. That operation, codenamed Tempora, has been running for some 18 months. GCHQ and the NSA are consequently able to access and process vast quantities of communications between entirely innocent people, as well as targeted suspects. This includes recordings of phone calls, the content of email messages, entries on Facebook and the history of any internet user's access to websites – all of which is deemed legal, even though the warrant system was supposed to limit interception to a specified range of targets. The existence of the programme has been disclosed in documents shown to the Guardian by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden as part of his attempt to expose what he has called "the largest programme of suspicionless surveillance in human history". "It's not just a US problem. The UK has a huge dog in this fight," Snowden told the Guardian. "They [GCHQ] are worse than the US." However, on Friday a source with knowledge of intelligence argued that the data was collected legally under a system of safeguards, and had provided material that had led to significant breakthroughs in detecting and preventing serious crime. Britain's technical capacity to tap into the cables that carry the world's communications – referred to in the documents as special source exploitation – has made GCHQ an intelligence superpower. By 2010, two years after the project was first trialled, it was able to boast it had the "biggest internet access" of any member of the Five Eyes electronic eavesdropping alliance, comprising the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. UK officials could also claim GCHQ "produces larger amounts of metadata than NSA". (Metadata describes basic information on who has been contacting whom, without detailing the content.) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jun/21/gchq-cables-secret-world-communications-nsa I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW MUCH THESE COMMUNICATION COMPANIES HAVE BEEN PAID TO PERMIT THIS...THEY ARE AIDING AND ABETTING ILLEGAL AND INTRUSIVE ACTIVITIES... WHO HAS GIVEN THE PRRMISSION IN THESE COMPANIES? HOW HAVE THEY BENEFITTED? HOW IS THIS DATA BEING USED? HAS IT BEEN SIPHONED OFF TO BIG CORPORATIONS ETC TO BE USED TO PROFIT...APPROPRIATE ORIGINAL MATERIAL? N'

Curi-Oz

22/06/2013Okay I'll bite (finally) Will someone please elucidate for me what Ms Gillard has done in her past that is so egregious that causes her to be so disliked. What has the PM done since she got into parliament that suggests that she is incompetent? And I could do without the laundry list supplied by the likes of Pickering, Murdoch or the LNP spruikers. Or reference to her life before 1998. Thanks, (I think)

Jason

22/06/2013 Some excellent tweets from Geaorge Bludger, sayiong it all so well. George Bludger ‏@GeorgeBludger #MSMfail Voter: “is stopping the boats really viable? what’s happening globally?” Media: “Rudd appears at shopping centre” George Bludger George Bludger ‏@GeorgeBludger #MSMfail Voter: “how will education differ under LNP? Is Gonski critical or a political ploy?” Media: “PM should resign for good of country” George Bludger George Bludger ‏@GeorgeBludger #MSMfail Voter: “Is NBN rollout really behind? How would LNP broadband solution be different?” Media: “Unnamed sources predict PM gone” George Bludger George Bludger ‏@GeorgeBludger #MSMfail Voter: “how will LNP’s climate change policy work? How is it different to the current one?” Media: “ALP leadership undermined” George Bludger George Bludger ‏@GeorgeBludger #MSMfail Voter: “will my pension be higher or lower under LNP?” Media: “Rudd may be leader by end of the week”

Tom of Melboune

22/06/2013Here are a few examples of her history of poor political judgement. I’ll leave her dishonesty alone for now. • Immigration Spokesperson - dishonestly politicised asylum seekers in 2004 – “another boat, another policy failure” • Incompetent in Health portfolio – Medicare Gold • Unsatisfactory in Industrial Relations portfolio – Rudd had to risk his own credibility in 2006/7 by personally renegotiating her IR policy stupidity. Gillard failed in each of her shadow portfolios. She is the product of the political machine, and her only capability is understanding how to operate the ALP machine. Time's up for Gillard.

Ad astra

22/06/2013Heather Thank you for your contributions to [i]TPS[/i], which make encouraging reading. I home you will find a home here. James Adelaide Thank you for the links. It looks as if the media is pulling out all the stops in an attempt to blast out our PM before parliament rises. That Mike Carlton has joined Andrew Holden, editor of [i]The Age[/i], in calling for Julia Gillard to step down, is a sad sign. Maybe he has had pressure put on him. It’s not like Carlton to bend under pressure, but then jobs at Fairfax are under threat! Doug Evans Thank you for the compliment. Jason Thanks for the Tweets. The media is pathetic and getting worse. The next piece spells out how this has come about.

bob macalba

22/06/2013This always makes me think of life under an abbott led govt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ikQQk8cJQ but not the 5th of Nov....for us the 14th Sept cheers

nasking

22/06/2013 FAIRFAX'S THE AGE GETS TOLD: [b]For the sake of the nation, the media should do its job[/b] The Conscience Vote blog [b]If the Australian people aren’t informed about policy, media, whose fault is that? The answer is very simple: yours. [/b] [b]Every time you choose to give space to yet another tired op-ed that attempts to convince your readers that a leadership challenge will happen any moment now, that’s one less article about policy, or legislation before the house, or even – heaven forbid – question why we’re still being polled about whether we’d prefer Malcolm Turnbull to Tony Abbott as leader.[/b] Forget the op-eds for a moment. What about the interviews, especially on television? There’s your chance to get some real back-and-forth going on policy. Get some Labor politicians in the studio with you, and make them answer the hard questions. There’s your ‘ideas and policies’ right there. Except that’s not what happens. [b]It’s practically formulaic by now. The script goes something like this: interviewer asks a question about the leadership; Labor interviewee answers and then tries to move on to policy; interviewer persists in asking the same leadership questions, ignoring anything else the interviewee has to say.[/b] Here’s a particularly egregious example – click through to 15:50 minutes. Craig Emerson, Minister for Trade, was Leigh Sales’ guest on ABC 730 last Thursday. Emerson did not avoid the initial questions about leadership. When he attempted to move on to talking about policy, however, Sales repeatedly interrupted him with what amounted to variations on the Rudd/Gillard theme. Even as this was occurring, Sales asked why Labor couldn’t get its message out. Emerson, rightly, pointed out that he was trying to do so. [b]And it’s in this atmosphere that Fairfax publishes its faux-reluctant editorial, blaming the Prime Minister for ‘distracting’ the Australian people. Breaking news, Fairfax: if we’re distracted, it’s not because of the Prime Minister. It’s because what we see and read, day after day, is what you and News Limited want to serve up to us.[/b] http://consciencevote.com.au/2013/06/22/for-the-sake-of-the-nation-the-media-should-do-its-job/ SPOT ON. SAME GOES FOR SKY NEWS... AND THE SHOCK JOCKS... AND SEVEN AND NINE MORNING SHOWS ETC. N'

bob macalba

22/06/2013Interesting http://www.batemansbaypost.com.au/story/1589788/leading-the-pack-on-recreational-drugs/?cs=7

bob macalba

22/06/2013tom of melbourne....'Thats nice' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JddNDtC-Yrs you too austin cheers

Jason

22/06/2013ToM, So Rudd comes back and then what? All the disunity just goes does it! Rudd's three year war on the party is not only likely to give us Abbott as PM but the morons you thought he could save their seat will be out of a job! This is a gift for the coalition and they know it! The only thing Rudd should get from the party at the caucus meeting on Tuesday is the sack from the ALP! Let him run as an independent but never let him be PM again.

nasking

22/06/2013 SADLY, ICE HOCKEY HAS CHANGED FOR THE WORSE OVER THE DECADES DUE TO THE FIGHTING AND AGGRESSION. WHEN I FIRST STARTED WATCHING IT IN CANADA YEARS AGO...BACK IN 1970...THERE WERE ONLY A FEW TEAMS...AND MUCH OF IT WAS BASED ON SKILLED STICK AND PUCK AND SKATING WORK. THEN THE ADVERTISERS AND CORPORATE SPONSORS GOT MORE CONNECTED...AND A TEAM CALLED THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS STARTED USING MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE, BULLYING, FIGHTING TACTICS...AND WON BIG TIME...AND BRINGING IN MORE DRUNK, AGGRESSIVE AUDIENCES... SO OTHER TEAMS FOLLOWED SUIT. RUINED THE GAME FOR ME. I HATE THE FIGHTING. I SEE IN AUSTRALIA THAT THE SAME IS HAPPENING WITH RUGBY AND SUCH... MORE CORPORATIONS...MORE ADVERTISING...MORE UNHEALTHY SPONSORS...MORE GAMBLING...BIGGER PAYCHECKS... AND FIGHTING TO BRING IN THE SICKOS...THOSE WHO LOVE VIOLENCE... NOT EXACTLY FAMILY FRIENDLY...NOT SOMETHING CHILDREN SHOULD BE EXPOSED TO. THESE PLAYERS AND THE STAFF AND OWNERS ETC WHO PUSH THEM TO FIGHT AND BE OVERLY AGGRESSIVE ARE....[b]PSYCHOS OF PROFIT[/b]... MORALLY BANKRUPT. N'

42 long

22/06/2013Have to agree with your sentiments Jason. Rudd is a scheming little traitor. he can't acknowledge that he was a disappointment and stuffed it. IF Julia is not elected. ( and I think it can still be done, but not with this constant white anting by this elf interested little twerp) HE KRUDD will cop the blame for damaging her chances. Once the real facts about the performance of the government contrast with the inept Monk. the nation(The ones who THINK) will see what a good opportunity was bypassed. There is little guarantee that Rudd will change many votes in all but a few places and he may well turn out to be a negative element overall

nasking

22/06/2013 bob macalba, that was an interesting article. We have some idiotic politicians in this country...and some I reckon connected to or at least supporting those who financially benefit from the war on drugs. The fact a few aren't legal and being taxed is disgraceful. It benefits the criminal underworld...like those who killed that politician in Griffith all those years ago... It benefits corrupt cops...the bikies and others who move the drugs... the surveillance apparatus too...increasingly being corporatised. I really don't trust some of these politicians. Their connections need to be thoroughly investigated. Same with some of these top cops and lawyers and judges. In America a number have been connected to the drug smuggling industry. Media too. N'

Ad astra

22/06/2013Folks I'll be away for the rest of the day.

Michael

22/06/2013Here's http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/editorial/for-the-sake-of-the-nation-ms-gillard-should-stand-aside-20130621-2oo6e.html#poll The Age's faux 'more in sorrow than anger' editorial about dumping Julia Gillard. Here, from the same paper just last Thursday week on June 13 http://www.theage.com.au/comment/big-national-debates-sink-in-the-sands-of-ignorance-20130612-2o49g.html a much more sensible article about just how insensible the Australian electorate has - largely - been made by the unremitting lies of Abbott's Opposition. Same point as has been made before - asked about specific Labor policies, voters give them approving high marks, and then turn on the very government that introduced them. Should Abbott become PM he will have to deal with a schizoid population who, as democratic electors, will find themselves in a place they've put themselves in they had no idea they were entering. Or voting against. Yes, "against", because a vote for the Coalition is a vote for destruction. Abbott will repeal, rescind, and eviscerate what many Australians now take for granted as parts of how Australia is. They seem to think programs and laws are set in stone, that Abbott can't touch them, but he has actually stated that 'what one parliament has enacted, a future parliament can remove'. The core truth of all Abbott's so-called policies for the next election (the costed and locked-in couple, not the commission and reviews flick-passed 'aspirations'), is that voters will be ignorantly requesting he throw out what polling companies find they approve of. Read both the links above, please. The editorial is sanctimonious twaddle, but the John Watson article is perhaps even more frightening. For while the editorial lays out narrow political agenda done up as social concern, the Watson article is about rank Orwellian social manipulation. And that should concern every Australian with the power, yes, our "power" to vote, at the Federal election. We will vote to advance this country with Labor, or reduce it, shrink it, and in one very real sense of our citizen's obligation in a democracy, throw it away by assisting the Coalition into empty-founded authority.

bob macalba

22/06/2013Nasking..i have tried the synthetic 'pot' thats being sold in the shops..not a fan, did i get high? yes...did i get stoned? no, the racing heartbeat and hot flush feeling said it all for me. footnote....my experiment was conducted purely for research.....mostly

Austin 3:16

22/06/2013Hey Bob, Yeah that's what about I thought - you'll bleat about "groupthink" yet you can't stand anyone who dares disagree with you.

Austin 3:16

22/06/2013Hey TalkTurkey Good point, it's not exactly a modern phenomenon we're dealing with.

Ken

22/06/2013Bob Not sure that ToM will understand the real Mrs Brown meaning of "that's nice". But I agree with the sentiment. A very appropriate recaptcha "redParl into"

Austin 3:16

22/06/2013Hey Jason and 42 Long, You might want to start preparing a little list for Sept 15 something along the lines of: We lost because of..... a) Rudd (yep one backbencher from Brisbane was enough to take down the greatest government in history) b) the MSM (Murdoch boo hiss enough said) c) the 'manipulated' polls (I mean the nerve of the MSM actually asking the voting public what they think on a range of issue) d) sexism e) any other answer except the real one. That wouldn't really bear thinking about would it guy

Jason

22/06/2013Austin 3:16, Yeah right! just because you think Rudd should be rewarded for his dummy spit doesn't mean I do! When your man had the balls and fronted for a ballot it was 71 to 31! Rudd had this vision that if he went to the back bench that like Keating he would be missed, he wasn't! and ever since he and his moronic supporters have been wrecking the party! As a party we have to stand for something rewarding Rudd isn't one and the only reward he should get is expulsion from the party! So I won't be writing a list of excuses if we get done it will be our own fault!Rudd is the problem not the solution.

42 long

22/06/2013Any one who likes rudd knows little of politics or people. WHO can work with him? What he did to Garrett is typical and unforgivable. I'm sure Crean and Mar'n think he should have stepped up. Anyhow they showed they didn't know the biggest lesson in politics. You must have the NUMBERS. Politics 101.

Jason

22/06/201342 long, If Rudd wants to be the "leader" he should demand on Monday that he thinks it's in the interest of not only the party but the nation that all positions be declared vacant, he can nominate and when he has his arse handed too him again, he and his foot soldiers can STFU get behind the PM and work in the interest of the party and nation. As you and I both know Rudd is just like Costello! all tip and no iceberg

Michael

22/06/2013Apparently, even after all his years as a Federal politician, Tony Abbott doesn't understand the Westminster system of government as practised in this country. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/people-should-be-ones-to-choose-pm-abbott-20130622-2oozh.html?skin=text-only Otherwise how could he say "In the end the Australian people should be choosing the next prime minister..." to reporters in North Queensland today? The only Australian people who, entirely coincidentally, 'choose' a Prime Minister of Australia, are those Australian people who vote in their local electorate for their local member to represent them, who is then elected by his/her fellow parliamentarians to be their party leader, and as a consequence, is Prime Minister of Australia. He (or she) may be 'chosen' by as few as 100 "Australian people" (members of the House of Representatives and the Senate), or by as many as 150'ish, but no other "Australian people" choose a Prime Minister. Is Abbott actually aware of anything other than collecting and maximising the personal advantages of office? Abbott for PM? He's not up to it.

Heather

22/06/2013Just got back in, and after a few quick tweets to the ghastly editor of The Age, who sides with a fellow journo who I know personally as a real creep, so I did my best with some good twitter grenades. Kaboomb! Can you believe it with Carlton? He is what I call, probably a nice guy once, and a tall goodlooking one too, but brain has kind of gone as soon as his looks went. Mind you this happens both sides of the genders. Oh! dear what a big mess. Good idea JG...human rights commission. Probably the UN is a good place to start to complain about the gender attacks on our Aussie PM here, which are going on far too long and far too much. It is the goose step of the gooses out there, if you ask me. Thanks for the YouTube video link. Twas a good laugh if a little on the dark side. It's unbelievable all this dreadful stuff happening. It is a like a re-run of some very bad movie when you come to think about it. However at least the cat is out of the bag about the state of the male gender...the good ones excluded of course. Alas my whole life have been a grim observation. Now we have the wikileaks of what the guys are really thinking about all the time. Can we call it the willyleaks or something just to bring some cheering humour in to it all. Thank goodness for Leunig and the brave men who tell the truth. And my goodness I do think the truth is coming thick and fast with all those other's too. What a melting pot of gender wars we are having here on the planet! Abbott's Pandora's box, but there is no HOPE for him. The guys have been playing the gender card for thousands of years, I would have thought. So what is news. At least lets get behind those who are trying to save the environmental mess on the planet, and those who are making a more fair society for us all. This is the least we can do. Heather

Lucy

22/06/2013Hi Michael @ 02:32 PM & 06:07 PM. Agree. Abbott's Hubris is ugly; he is a bully no doubt about that, and his real lack of emotional intelligence, and you have a terrible alternative PM. Hope the country can see thru the noise.

Catching up

22/06/2013Tom, and sadly she will be right.

nasking

22/06/2013 FROM THE UK: [b]Michael Gove redrafts new history curriculum after outcry www.guardian.co.uk More emphasis given to world history and drastic reduction in scope of primary curriculum under revised proposals[/b] The first draft of the history curriculum, to be taught to five- to 14-year-olds from next year, was published in February. The education secretary was criticised by historians including Simon Schama, Sir Richard Evans and Sir David Cannadine for its alleged over-emphasis on English history and insisting on too much detail. [b] Schama, a former adviser to Gove on the curriculum, told the Hay Festival that it was "offensive and insulting". The Historical Association carried out an online poll which found only 4% of respondents thought the February draft was a positive change, while 96% of 545 secondary school teachers taking part in a separate survey by the association said the proposed curriculum was too prescriptive.[/b] [b]The new children's laureate, Malorie Blackman, told the Guardian this month that the proposals were "dangerous". She said: "The curriculum needs to appeal to as many children as possible or a number of them could become disenchanted with education because they feel it's not relevant."[/b] The first draft expected seven- to-11-year-olds to be taught British history from the stone age to the union of parliaments in 1707, with 48 bullet points taking schools through historical events and personalities they must teach, while history for 11- to 14-year-olds would cover 1707 to 1989. But, although some historians – including David Starkey, Antony Beevor and Niall Ferguson – backed the move, the DfE seems to have been chastened by the reaction, with Gove indicating last month to the Commons education select committee that the curriculum would be changed for its next draft. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jun/21/michael-gove-history-curriculum [b]HISTORY LESSONS MUST BE INCLUSIVE... HERSTORY TOO... AND THE WORLD'S[/b] N

nasking

22/06/2013 WHEN FORMER PLAYERS WARN SOMETHING IS AMISS...CORRUPTION IS RIFE...YA KNOW CORPORATE SPORTS STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN: [b]Brazil's protests raise fears for World Cup as a million take to the streets www.guardian.co.uk Football becomes focus of furious outcry against corruption, police brutality, dire public services, high prices and street crime[/b] [b]More than a million people took to the streets on Thursday night in at least 80 cities in a rising wave of protest that has coincided with the Confederations Cup[/b]. This Fifa event was supposed to be a dry run for players and organisers before next year's finals, but it is police and protesters who are getting the most practice. The host cities have been the focus of furious demonstrations, prompting local authorities to request security reinforcements from the national government. The rallies, and the violence that has often followed, were not solely prompted by the tournament. The spark last week was a rise in public transport fares. Anger has since been further stirred by police brutality. [b]Longstanding problems such as corruption, dire public services, high prices and low levels of safety are also prominent among the range of grievances. [/b] But the mega-event has been the lightning conductor. [b]Many protesters are furious that the government is spending 31bn reals (£9bn) to set the stage for a one-time global tournament, while it has failed to address everyday problems closer to home. [/b] "[b]I'm here to fight corruption and the expense of the World Cup," said Nelber Bonifcacio, an unemployed teacher who was among the vast crowds in Rio on Thursday. [/b] [b]"I like football, but Brazil has spent all that money on the event when we don't have good public education, healthcare or infrastructure." [/b] It was all very different in 2007 when Brazil was awarded the tournament. Back then, crowds in Rio erupted with joy and Ricardo Teixeira, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, was hailed as he said: "We are a civilised nation, a nation that is going through an excellent phase, and we have got everything prepared to receive adequately the honour to organise an excellent World Cup." In the outside world, few doubted the wisdom of the decision. Football belonged in Brazil. In the home of carnival and samba, it would be a party like no other. [b]But euphoria has steadily faded as preparations for 2014 have drawn attention to the persistent ills of corruption, cronyism, inequality and public insecurity. Those who appeared to have the Midas touch in 2007 now seem cursed.[/b] [b]Teixeira was forced to resign last year amid accusations of bribery. Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been tainted by revelations of massive vote-buying by the ruling Workers party. Fifa too is mired in a series of corruption scandals that have led to the resignations of several senior executives.[/b] [b]The renovation and construction of most of the 12 World Cup stadiums has been late and over budget. Several have been pilloried as white elephants because they are being built in cities with minor teams. The new £325m Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasília – which hosted the opening game of the Confederations Cup – has a capacity of 70,000, but the capital's teams rarely attract more than a few hundred fans.[/b] Similarly, the lower-division sides in Cuiabá and Manaus will struggle to fill a fraction of their 40,000 plus-seater stadiums. The government downplays such concerns, saying the stadiums promote development and have been built for multi-purpose use so they do not have to rely on football for revenue. [b]But suspicions that the construction companies – a main source of kickbacks for politicians – will be the main beneficiaries of the tournament have grown, particularly in Rio, where the Maracanã stadium has been refurbished for the second time in a decade at a cost of more than 1bn reals (£295m). It was rebuilt with public money, but the concession to run it has been offered to a private firm, covering barely a fifth of the costs.[/b] [b]Meanwhile, Fifa has announced record revenues from broadcasting rights and corporate sponsorship for 2014 – none of which will go to Brazil's public coffers. With negative headlines also related to evictions and poor engineering quality, the growing public unease alarmed many in the sport even before the protests began.[/b] [b]Former national team players Romário, Tostão and Zico have been warning for many months that something is amiss. [/b] [b]"The population of Brazil seems distant from the World Cup because of what people see as corruption and the overspend on the stadiums and the lack of transparency," Zico told the Guardian.[/b] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/21/brazil-protests-football-world-cup THE WORLD IS WAKING UP... AND THEY'RE PISSED OFF. YOU CAN ONLY TAKE THE PEOPLE FOR A RIDE FOR SO LONG. THE GREATEST SCAMS AND CONS ON EARTH ARE GRADUALLY BEING EXPOSED. BUT WE NEED THE PERPETRATORS, ENABLERS AND PROFITEERS PUT BEHIND BARS...THEIR ASSETS SEIZED...MONEY AND ASSETS REDISTRIBUTED FOR THE COMMON GOOD. N'

John Bloomfield

22/06/2013The rise of corporatism in many ways resembles the rise of Fascism in Europe in the 30′s – but this time the vehicle best suited to achieve effective control is “conservatism”. With an Orwellian twist, they are harnessing peoples fear of change to fight off uncomfortable changes necessary in capitalist ideology to ensure survival of our common ecosystem. By opposing regulation of CO2 emissions using science denial campaigns and supporting tax minimising ‘free market’ globalisation they are basically going down the same road as European fascism did in the 1930′s; showing contempt for national governments/borders/regulations – all are able to be circumvented when the peoples source of information is manipulated. If you think that your democratic rights will ever be restored - think again- corporate power will never be surrendered to the people while ever vast profits can be made by exploiting the spoils of their latest victory. Have just watched the documentary “Outfoxed”- as painful as it was: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lFDwdRXCg3I I recommend it to all fair minded people, whether conservative or progressive. Those who share the human trait of morality, fairness and integrity will come away with a different view on corporate media control. The puppet masters are at play with our democracy.

Tom of Melboune

22/06/2013It’s a great party that Jason supports. He spews his vitriol at Rudd aligned ALP MPs with the same venom he directs to Liberals. It’s the same with many others here – [i]”Vote for the ALP even though I loathe about half the caucus”[/i]

Jason

22/06/2013It’s a great party that Jason supports. He spews his vitriol at Rudd aligned ALP MPs with the same venom he directs to Liberals. ToM as I pay my membership every 3 years! I think I've paid for the right to comment dont't you? As for your "other" wild claim "Vote for the ALP even though I loathe about half the caucus” The vote that Rudd showed any spine for was "71 to 31! So stop telling lies!

Jason

23/06/2013The Faceless Men of the Liberal Party By Father Kevin Lee I used to believe the Catholic Church stood for truth and justice but now I think it stands for power and global domination. It has strayed far from what Jesus aimed for, His small community of disciples to aspire to and that leaves me sad. I just want my story told, I believe in the truth and want people to know it too. OK I know people reading this are going to say, “He is suffering from ‘sour grapes,’ but please try to understand. It’s like when you are in love with someone you overlook their flaws (even though you recognise them) and you can become despised enemies after you discover attributes you didn’t realise the other had. My position has changed due to discoveries I never anticipated. So reserve your judgment of me until you read the whole story. http://francesjones.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/the-faceless-men-of-the-liberal-party/

Casablanca

23/06/2013[b]The silence of the moderates[/b] Julia Baird. June 22, 2013 [quote]A new study published in the journal Psychological Science found some crucial, fascinating insights into how extremists can shift their positions to more moderate stances. The researchers, from the University of Colorado Boulder, Harvard Kennedy School, UCLA and Brown University, found that people's positions became less severe once they were asked to actually spell out their policies, and once they realised they did not know as much as they thought they did on the subject. A shift in views would happen only if extremists were asked to explain the details and mechanics of policy. If they were asked to give only the broader reasons they supported them, their views did not move. In three separate studies, the authors found ''people have unjustified confidence in their understanding of policies''. The only way to expose that confidence as based on beliefs and not facts, was to ask people to explain them.[/quote] Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/the-silence-of-the-moderates-20130621-2onnp.html#ixzz2WxR2Z4uB

Casablanca

23/06/2013 [b]Beware the Ides of September & Abbott Austerity[/b] How Austerity Has Failed Martin Wolf. July 11, 2013 [quote]Austerity has failed. It turned a nascent recovery into stagnation. That imposes huge and unnecessary costs, not just in the short run, but also in the long term: the costs of investments unmade, of businesses not started, of skills atrophied, and of hopes destroyed. ..The right approach to a crisis of this kind is to use everything: policies that strengthen the banking system; policies that increase private sector incentives to invest; expansionary monetary policies; and, last but not least, the government’s capacity to borrow and spend. Failing to do this, in the UK, or failing to make this possible, in the eurozone, has helped cause a lamentably weak recovery that is very likely to leave long-lasting scars. It was a huge mistake. It is not too late to change course.[/quote] http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/jul/11/how-austerity-has-failed/

Crowey

23/06/2013MSM and Abbott's Gang are now in desperation mode, over the Gillard/Rudd leadership fiasco.

nasking

23/06/2013 [b]Tiny Target Tony Whatta fuggin Phoney! Runnin scared Arse all bared Just a NO-trick Pony! [/b] TT, SO APT. N'

nasking

23/06/2013 CASABLANCA, I NOTE THAT JULIA BAIRD REFERS TO THE NEED FOR MORE MODERATE VOICES... I RECOMMEND WATCHING THIS ENTIRE VID...NOTE HOW THE INTERVIEWEE'S VIEWPOINT EVOLVES UNDER ROBUST YET RESPECTFUL QUESTIONING BY A WELL-READ INTERVIEWER... AND PARTICIPATION BY ARTICULATE AUDIENCE MEMBERS... WITHOUT THE DISRUPTION OF SYCOPHANTIC OR SMART-ARSE TWEETS... WHAT IS WRONG WITH ISLAM TODAY?: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/headtohead/2013/06/201361091619207870.html FASCINATING. N'

Austin 3:16

23/06/2013Hey Jason, Wow what a stunning testimonial for Julia Gillard's re-election. She can't manage 1 back-bencher but she should manage the country. And what was Rudd supposed to do - get shafted in the back and then just lie down and die? [quote]Rudd had this vision that if he went to the back bench that like Keating he would be missed[/quote], And he's right he is being missed by the people that actually matter - the voting public. It's called "democracy" Jason come September we'll get to see it in action. [quote] he and his moronic supporters have been wrecking the party[/quote] Right so it was Rudd that went back on the "no carbon tax" promise. Must have been Rudd that said we'd send asylum seekers to East Timor. Rudd who promised a surplus no matter what. Rudd who promoted Peter slipper to Speaker. etc etc The party is in a precarious position because of a series of poor decisions - none of which were made by Rudd.

Doug Evans

23/06/2013Jason Hi. I read the account from Father Kevin Lee. Really makes you think that sort of stuff doesn't it. Not quite the same but this account makes me think it's sometimes not much different in the Labor Party. http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/06/07/holy-factions-batman-preselection-ratchets-up/

nasking

23/06/2013 JASON, ALSO READ THAT ENLIGHTENING ACCOUNT BY FATHER KEVIN LEE...I HAVE TO SAY I THINK THE LIBERAL PARTY IS A SHONKY OUTFIT WITH FAR TOO MANY WEIRD RELIGIOUS CONNECTIONS... AND THE FACT THAT BILL HEFFERNAN SAID THE LIBERALS WOULD NEVER CREATE A ROYAL COMMISSION INTO CHILD ABUSE THAT WOULD EXAMINE THE ABUSES IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS VERY DISTURBING. I AM ALSO DISTURBED BY LIBERAL CONNECTIONS TO JOE TRIPODI AND OTHER NEFARIOUS CHARACTERS... IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE MAINSTREAM PARTIES IN AUSTRALIA HAVE BEEN INFECTED BY UNDERWORLD FIGURES... AND LOOPY RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS... AND THE LIBERAL PARTY IN PARTICULAR SEEMS TORN BETWEEN THIS MUSCULAR, MISOGYNISTIC CHRISTIANITY (INCLUDING OPUS DEI TIES) AND MEGA-RICH BUSINESS INTERESTS... IT COMES ACROSS AS A DEEPLY DIVIDED PARTY...AND I CANNOT HELP BUT FEEL THAT OUR MAINSTREAM MEDIA HAS FAILED TO ADEQUATELY INFORM AND ALERT THE PUBLIC TO THE MAJOR PROBLEMS, DIVISIONS, CORRUPTION AND WEIRD, WORRYING TIES THAT LIE WITHIN THE AUSTRALIAN LIBERAL PARTY... AS SOMEONE WHO WAS BROUGHT UP PRIMARILY BY MILITARY, MONARCHIST SUPPORTING CHURCH OF ENGLAND BRITS...AND A VERY PRO-BUSINESS FATHER...WITH THE OCCASIONAL INPUT BY SOCIALIST VEGETARIAN EDUCATORS PART OF THE FAMILY (AN AUNT & UNCLE)...I FOUND IT ODD THAT I HAVE NEVER BEEN COMFORTABLE WITH THE AUSTRALIAN LIBERAL PARTY... OCCASIONALLY I RELATE TO VIEWS ESPOUSED BY FORMER PM FRASER, JUDI MOYLAN, JOHN HEWSON (ON SOLAR ENERGY PARTICULARLY) AND MALCOLM TURNBULL WHEN HE IS AT HIS BI-PARTISAN BEST AS HE WAS ON CAPITAL HILL A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO WITH MARK BUTLER... YET I FIND SO MANY OTHERS IN THE PRESENT LIBERAL PARTY...REPULSIVE. FAR TOO MUCH NEGATIVITY, SANCTIMONIOUS ESPOUSING OF VIEWS...SELF-RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION BY THE LIKES OF ABBOTT AND PYNE... ECSTATIC ANGER (AS MENTIONED IN DAVID BRIN'S LATEST INSIGHTFUL SCI-FI NOVEL, EXISTANCE)... I AM TROUBLED BY THE USE OF THE TERM 'LIBERAL' BY THIS PRESENT ABBOTT-LED LIBERAL PARTY... I SEE LITTLE 'LIBERAL' ABOUT THEM. RATHER, THEY COME ACROSS AS PONTIFICATING, NON-PROGRESSIVE MUSCULAR CHRISTIANS...IN BED WITH THE MOST EXTREME SUPPORTERS OF THE NEO-CONS AND ISRAEL LOBBY (AS IN THOSE WHO PERPETUATE WAR ON TERROR INC. AS OPPOSED TO MODERATE ISRAELIS AND MODERATE TO PROGRESSIVE JEWS)... AND THEY HAVE ALSO ALLIED THEMSELVES WITH SOME OF THE MOST AGGRESSIVE, XENOPHOBE-STIRRING MEDIA CHARACTERS... AND GREEDIEST AND EGOTISTICAL MEGA-RICH BUSINESS CHARACTERS. I FIND THE PRESENT AUSTRALIAN LIBERAL PARTY TO BE BOTH BIZARRE...AND DISTURBING... AND I DOUBT MANY REPRESENT THE AVERAGE AUSTRALIAN. I SAY THIS BASED ON MY PAST EXPERIENCE WITH BOTH HARDLINE CONSERVATIVES IN MY FAMILY AND BUSINESS-ORIENTED LIBERALS. N'

nasking

23/06/2013 JASON, THIS FROM FATHER LEE'S ACCOUNT REALLY BOTHERED MY WIFE AND I: Prior to my resignation from the Liberal Party I was a staunch defender of all that Tony Abbott stood for. I even defended his decision in 1997 to support a fellow seminary student John Nestor who had been accused of pedophilia while a priest in the Wollongong Diocese. The criticism levelled at Mr Abbott regarding his decision to support John Nestor without any personal knowledge of the allegations was an area that I needed to do some examination of my conscience. Paul Osborne wrote a story in February 8, 2013 questioning the motives of Liberal Leader Tony Abbott when he gave a character reference to the accused priest. In order to understand what irked Paul Osborne about Abbott’s actions you need to read the article: http://www.news.com.au/national-news/tony-abbott-linked-to-priest-in-web-of-intrigue/story-fncynjr2-1226573435456 I know John Nestor from my time in the seminary too and can vouch that he was a man of exceptional character. But there is one quality of his that must have motivated the future Prime Minister to put his reputation on the line to defend an alleged pedophile. John Nestor was a priestly member of Opus Dei. So it doesn’t surprise me that the then Parliamentary secretary to the Employment Minister described John Nestor as: ”An extremely upright and virtuous man. I guess one of the things that I like very much about John when I first met him was his maturity – intellectual, social, emotional. And he was, to that extent I guess, a beacon of humanity at the seminary.” I knew that there were a number of complaints by people within the local school and parish of the Wollongong Diocese that were opposed to Father John Nestor’s Opus Dei associations. I spoke with John at the time of the allegations and asked him to confide in me whether he did anything wrong. He said “the only wrong I did was to trust this particular family” whom he believes “set him up”. Anyway, innocent or guilty he is in Opus Dei and I believe this is the only reason that Abbott stuck his neck out to support him. Because he is an Opus Dei priest I am sure there are people in the Liberal Party who emphasised the need for John Nestor to be cleared. How many other pedophiles has Tony Abbott personally given character references for who are not in Opus Dei? That would be none. I am writing this not to be malicious but responding now to constant critics of Opus Dei interference in politics which I am now convinced of. My experiences prove that they exert significant influence over who is acceptable and who is not. NOT GOOD... NOT GOOD AT ALL. I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF CHRIS BOWEN...BUT I HOPE HE...OR A GREEN WIN THAT SEAT. I KNOW THE FORMER POLICEMAN RAY KING TOLD HIM HE ALSO DESPISES OPUS DEI...BUT HIS ROLE IN EVENTS IS ALSO QUESTIONABLE... AND IF ABBOTT DID WIN, KING WOULD HAVE TO GO ALONG WITH HIS AUTHORITARIAN VIEWS. AS FOR GEORGE PELL...AND ABBOTT'S CONNECTIONS TO HIM...DON'T GET ME STARTED. N'

nasking

23/06/2013 JASON, THIS PART OF FATHER LEE'S ACCOUNT DEMONSTRATED TO ME HOW UNPRINCIPLED AND SHONKY SOME IN THE LIBERAL PARTY ARE: Well, I made a similar mistake with Bill Heffernan but when he started using expletives and telling me Tony Abbott asked him to call, I knew he must be authentic. He talked for a long time and my ear was getting hot from the mobile phone radiation before he even mentioned the reason for his phone call. He told me he knew about my book exposing pedophilia in the Catholic Church. “You have no idea how deeply the problem has penetrated not just the Church, but the police and the judiciary” he said. “During the Wood Royal Commission into Police Corruption the topic of organised crime protected by police led into the topic of organised pedophilia rings in Australia. Suddenly Justice James Wood himself called a halt to proceedings and ordered a break for lunch. After lunch the topic was never returned to, or raised again. The issue would touch too many important people who have secrets they don’t want to be known. You will never get to the bottom of pedophilia in the clergy because too many people in high places are involved…” “What about if there was a Royal Commission into the Catholic Church?” I suggested as that was what I and many others had been agitating for, for years. “It’ll never happen” he said. “Labor don’t have the political will and when we return to power we’ll never initiate one. So what are you thinking about doing with your book?” Heffernan asked. “Well, if I am selected as a Candidate, I won’t publish it,” I assured him. “Good idea. That’s better at the end of your political career as part of your memoirs,” he said. I indicated that my phone battery might die at any time in order to prompt his memory about what he was ringing me to say. I assumed his questioning was something like a job interview. “Well the reason I am ringing is because you indicated to Tony that you wanted to be a politician. Have you any idea where you would like to run?” I explained the reasons why Lindsay would be the best place for me. “Well, that’s not going to happen. Fiona Scott has been given the nod for a second crack at it. I am informing you that nominations for pre-selection for MacMahon close tomorrow.” He then ordered me to put in my application for pre-selection for candidacy in that seat. The seat currently held by then Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen. “But I have heard that Frank Oliveri is running for that seat and is the branches’ local favourite.” I said, reiterating things my friend Ray King had confided. “Oliveri is going to withdraw. I can’t understand why he hasn’t done it already. He was ordered by the Party Executive to drop out, but he appealed and it was upheld. But he is yet to discover the amount of crap he is going to encounter if he intends to go forward. That’s why I’m ringing you and asking you to put in your application. Don’t worry about Oliveri, he is going to pull out”. As soon as I finished my call with Heffernan I rang my good friend and police Commander Ray King (who was by this stage stationed at Liverpool police) and informed him of my phone conversation. Ray had also developed political ambition and had nominated for pre-selection for the seat of Fowler. We went for a walk along the Nepean River to discuss what Senator Heffernan had spoken about during our protracted phone conversation. “Oliveri is not going to withdraw,” King protested. “I was talking to him yesterday and he has no intention of standing aside”. King then went on to confirm that the police “have a brief on Oliveri” which would bring him unstuck if it became public. He said, “Maybe Heffernan has that information. But you can’t win Kev. You’re not from the area. You’re an unknown”. When I looked at the application form I noticed I needed three signatures from current financial Liberal Party members. My first call was to new friend and state candidate for Cabramatta Di Le. I met Di at a campaign dinner where I impressed her with my fluency in Vietnamese. I learnt the language while volunteering as an English teacher in a refugee camp in Palawan, Philippines in 1989. She had asked me to join her team for the State election campaign which I readily agreed to. I wanted to learn from those who had been there in the fray of campaigning. “Hi Di, I need a favour” I said when I called. “I will do anything for you Kevin,” she responded generously. “You helped me with my ill-fated campaign,” (indicating that I had delivered some pamphlets for her during the State elections. I told her I needed her autograph. “What for?” she asked curiously. I then told her I was applying for pre-selection for MacMahon. She sounded annoyed when she replied, “Kevin, Frank Oliveri is going for that seat. Why are you applying for there?” I told her that Bill Heffernan had rung and told me to apply thinking that by mentioning his name she would be impressed with my connections ‘higher up’. Instead she became angry “Why the hell is he interfering? The branches have it all under control. We know who we want. Kevin, the guy is mad. Don’t have anything to do with him! You will lose all credibility!” she almost yelled at me. “So I guess I won’t be getting a signature from you?” I asked. “No, Kevin I can’t put my name on your application form because I support Frank” she said. I must say Di Le’s reaction took me totally by surprise. This was the first indication that I was looking at a party divided. Especially hearing the disrespectful way she addressed a Liberal Senator. My next point of call was Bernard Bratusa. He was someone in my local community who had also encouraged my political aspirations and was someone I trusted. He readily agreed to sign my application despite revealing some reservations in his body language. I am quite perceptive when it comes to sensing people’s honesty. It comes from decades of hearing confessions and running high school camps and retreats. Bernard Bratusa is media officer for State minister Greame Anersley and one time editor of the Western Weekender newspaper where I was a weekly contributor with my column, “Kev’s Korner”. I went referee for one of his nominations for the Board of Panthers leagues club as well as one other job application. He could not refuse my request even if he felt compromised signing my form. When I asked who else I might be able to get a signature from he suggested Councillor Mark Davies, currently Mayor of Penrith. Mark is married to Tanya Davies the local State member in Penrith and fellow resident of Glenmore Park. Although it was nine twenty in the evening I still dared to call him. “Hi Mark, sorry if I disturbed you” I apologised prior to ascertaining the possibility of receiving a signature that night. “It’s OK Kevin. We’re in the car coming home from another school presentation ceremony,” he replied. “What can I do for you?” I said, “Would it be OK to come over to your place when you are home. I just need one minute for a signature on my nomination for pre-selection,” I informed him. “Sure” he said, “We will be home in about twenty minutes. So where are you nominating for?” “MacMahon,” I said. His jovial voice suddenly changed. “Oh, that would be a problem for me Kevin. Frank Oliveri has also nominated for MacMahon and he is a close friend of ours. He was very supportive of Tanya when she nominated for the State election.” IF THE MSM DOES NOT START DOING ITS JOB I THINK WE SHOULD QUESTION THE CONNECTIONS AND MOTIVES OF THE JOURNOS AND TV PRESENTERS. THIS IS ATROCIOUS STUFF. THE AUSSIE VOTING PUBLIC NEED TO KNOW. I LOOKED UP THAT FRANK OLIVERI FELLA...HOW ON EARTH DID HE GET NOMINATED IN THE FIRST PLACE? WHO NOMINATED HIM? WHO SUPPORTED HIM? WHY DID THOSE INFLUENTIAL LIBERALS MENTIONED FEEL THEY NEEDED TO BACK OLIVERI? AND WHO ARE THESE HIGH LEVEL, INFLUENTIAL CHARACTERS THAT HEFFERNAN REFERS TO COVERING UP THE CHILD ABUSE? DISGRACEFUL!!! N'

nasking

23/06/2013 I AM TOTALLY CONVINCED NOW THAT JULIA GILLARD WILL LEAD THE ALP TO A RESOUNDING VICTORY. N'

KHTAGH

23/06/2013Ad Astra another great piece, I just wish there was something more we could do than just talking about the injustice in our society & the destruction of our political system being perpetrated by Abbott's goon squad & MSM cheer squad. It really does feel like a pointy stick a hill & what emanates from Abbott's mouth at the moment.

Jason

23/06/2013Austin 3:16 Thank for your response! it was total waste of time reading it.

bob macalba

23/06/2013Austin...'thats nice'

bob macalba

23/06/2013Jason....Father Lee, man im gobsmacked, but not surprised, the catholic church play the long game, for them the end always justifies the means, dangerous people,... ignore austin he's been banging on with his shite since day one of coming here..reckon he might be one of the rudds themselves...the daughter maybe cheers

jaycee

23/06/2013I’ll be honest with you all…on this entire “should she stay or should she go” debate…I’ve read at times that those who fervently want her to stay are deluded and the Party should at least go for trying to “save the furniture” I’ve thought on this point coming from every angle…: pragmatics, real politik, emotional and every time I come to the same conclusion..; No! , No!, No!…Firstly, The PM. stepped in, not took!..but stepped in to an emergency created…not of her creation… Up to the moment she looked and acted like a subordinate minister ; very professional….it was this capability that ushered her into the position. She had to grow into the position..we all saw those first hesitant steps..hardly the arrogance of a tyrant hungering for power…and she has since grasped the nous (a sure sign of intelligence ) or that singular position and now sits looking very competant in the green chair…the fact that she absolutely demolished both the MSM. shit-throwers and the Opp’n shit-kickers last sitting week last year thouroughly demonstrated her capacity for high office. And the big one that grabs and clenches my fist is the damn effrontary of the absolute bastardry of that bastard’s bastard : Murdoch and his crawling minions who are so low they would quite willingly dig and dig to lick the arse of the proverbial snake in a wheel-rut! The PM. has earned and earned again the leadership of both the party and the House and by the living Jesus Christ she should run with that banner right through to the election..that the winners place on the podium and beyond! “Give ‘em guts”………………..the low bastards!

nasking

23/06/2013 I NOTICED BRUCE HAWKER ON MEET THE PRESS TODAY DOING SYCOPHANTIC TAG TEAM WORK WITH NEWS LTD WANKERS INCLUDING SH*T STIRRER SIMON BENSON. THE RUDD TEAM NEED TO SHUT THEIR GOBS AND BACK GILLARD BEFORE WE DECIDE TO SCRUTINISE THEIR CAREERS TO THE NTH DEGREE...AND LEAVE THEIR CREDIBILITY IN THE DUST. HAWKER CERTAINLY DOES NOT HAVE A CLEAN SKIN BACKGROUND. AND I HAVE BEEN EXAMINING THE AMOUNT OF MONEY EARNT BY THE RUDD FAMILY DURING THE HOWARD YEARS...AND MORE ABOUT RUDD'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MURDOCH EMPIRE. FURTHERMORE, THAT DILL BOLT IS A COMPLETE BS ARTIST WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE CHANGE...BUT THAT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME COMING FROM RINEHART'S MEDIA TOY BOY... BOLT IS SHARED AROUND BY MURDOCH AND RINEHART. AND ISN'T THE WEAR AND TEAR STARTING TO SHOW UP ON HIS SMUG FACE? AS FOR MICHAEL COSTA FARTING ON ABOUT A POSSIBLE SHORTEN LEADERSHIP...I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE NSW ALP OLD GUARD THINK VERY CAREFULLY ABOUT SPRUIKING ANYONE BUT GILLARD IN THIS RACE. I DOUBT MANY IN THE FIFTH ESTATE HAVE MUCH TIME FOR THEIR OPINION...YET I HAVEN'T FAILED TO NOTICE NEWS LTD AND MURDOCH APPOINTED SKY NEWS STAFF SEEM TO TREASURE THEIR VIEWS. TELLS ME HEAPS. N'

Ad astra

23/06/2013KHTAGH Thank you for you kind comments. There are so many forces pitted against Julia, some of them internal, so many calling the coming election a disaster, that it is easy to become discouraged. Although the media is still hankering for prolonged leadership speculation, once this week is over there will be more clear air, Government policies will have a better chance of an airing, Coalition policies will come under more scrutiny, and the people will get a better picture of the choice before them. Of course that is if the media allows that to happen! jaycee I agree with your assessment. The media has for so long predicted a Coalition landslide, that it is pulling out all the stops to make its prophecy come true, especially the malicious Murdoch media. nasking I applaud your laudable optimism. There is a lot of water to flow under the bridge before the voters cast their ballots. For Tony Abbott this is the most testing time when his policies and costings will come under scrutiny, provided the media can get its focus away from leadership.

nasking

23/06/2013 THIS FELLA RINGS ALARM BELLS FOR ME...HE IS A LIBERAL IN WA...FAST-TRACKED INTO THE SHADOW MINISTRY: [b]Mathias Cormann[/b] On 8 December 2009 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Apprenticeships and Training and on 14 September 2010 (after the 2010 election) he was appointed Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation. Cormann earned a Belgian law degree from the Flemish Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and it was not until he was 23, when he studied Law at the University of East Anglia in England, that he actually first learnt how to speak English. As his degree was not recognised in Australia, he took a job as a gardener at Presbyterian Ladies' College. ...moved to federal politics, working for two years as a senior adviser to then Minister for Justice and Customs Chris Ellison. Between 2003 and 2008, Cormann was the state senior vice-president of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. He was also acting general manager of HBF, a WA-based health insurance company, until resigning in May 2007 to contest a Senate seat. On the ABC's Stateline program on 27 April 2007, Lightfoot stated that he considered Cormann (although he stopped short of naming him) an "inappropriate person" to replace him. [b]Lightfoot's main complaint was that there were "more appropriate people" to succeed him "who have served the party longer" and "who have been in the country longer".[/b] In [b]the Senate, other than his role as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health Administration, [/b] [b]Cormann is also the Chair of the Fuel and Energy Select Committee.[/b] He has [b]participated in the Senate Inquiries into Labor’s Workplace Relations ([/b]Transition to Forward with Fairness) Bill 2008 and the Wheat Export Marketing Bill 2008. Drawing on [b]his experience in the private health industry [/b]Cormann pursued the new Labor Government about the impact of proposed increases in Medicare levy surcharge thresholds on public hospitals. WIKIPEDIA HMMM... SEEMED TO COME OUT OF NOWHERE THIS FELLA. N'

nasking

23/06/2013 [b]And the big one that grabs and clenches my fist is the damn effrontary of the absolute bastardry of that bastard’s bastard : Murdoch and his crawling minions who are so low they would quite willingly dig and dig to lick the arse of the proverbial snake in a wheel-rut! [/b] [b]The PM. has earned and earned again the leadership of both the party and the House and by the living Jesus Christ she should run with that banner right through to the election..that the winners place on the podium and beyond! “Give ‘em guts”………………..the low bastards! [/b] JAYCEE, WELL SAID. MURDOCH WILL RUE THE DAY HE DECIDED TO OPPOSE PM JULIA GILLARD. INDEED. N'

Ad astra

23/06/2013Folks [i]Insiders[/i] this morning illustrated how the quality of the dialogue is governed by the panelists. In contrast to last week’s panel when the always-malignant Akerman spat out worse-than-usual venom, this morning there were three reasonably level-headed people who were capable of analyzing the situation, although in my view they spent an unnecessarily long time on leadership. Thankfully, there were no polls reported this morning, as that would have been grist to the leadership rumour machine. I notice that Barrie Cassidy has retreated from his prediction of a couple of weeks ago that JG was on the way out, and that most commentators, having been wrong countless times, are hedging their bets. This time, [b]nobody[/b] know what the week holds, so the pundits are avoiding being wrong again by having a bet both ways. They are confidently predicting that Kevin Rudd will replace Julia Gillard, or he won’t! I thought Brendan O’Connor performed well. He is quite impressive when he is well prepared. Of course, it will be this coming week’s [i]Newspoll[/i] that will set the media agenda. The piece I’ll post tonight is [i]Newspoll: The Killing Machine[/i] I’ll be out for most of the day.

Janet (jan@j4gypsy)

23/06/2013 Fabulous rant Jaycee :). Were Lucy Lady-in-Red not busy knocking Truss off his perch, she'd give you the Cranky-Pants award. Here are very sharp pieces on the Age editorial yesterday, one by Kay Rollinson: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1rkur30 and http://theaimn.com/2013/06/23/what-the-age-should-have-said/

nasking

23/06/2013 BOB MACALBA, I AGREE WITH YOU ON BERNARD KEANE. HE NOW POSTS WITH MURDOCH'S BUSINESS SPECTATOR...BOUGHT FROM ALAN KOHLER...HIS POSTS HAVE INCREASINGLY RIDICULED LABOR AND GILLARD. KEANE IS A MAIN POSTER ON BOTH CRIKEY AND BUSINESS SPECTATOR... MY WIFE AND FIND HIS POSTS AND BIAS HAVE RUINED CRIKEY.COM FOR US... CONSEQUENTLY, WE HAVE DECIDED TO NOT RENEW OUR SUBSCRIPTION WHEN IT RUNS OUT THIS YEAR. THERE ARE PLENTY OF ALTERNATIVE MEDIA SITES THAT COULD USE OUR MONEY. N'

Austin 3:16

23/06/2013Hey Jason, Wow what a rebuttal really took every point I made and just ripped em to shreds didn't you. [end sarcasm] Sorry to have so much of your time. :)

Austin 3:16

23/06/2013Hey Bob, Of course I've been banging on with the same shite - unless you're intellectually impared it's fairly obvious. Gilliard is going to lose to Abbott and lose quite badly. Simple as that - simple enough even for you and Jason to follow. IF you think Abbott as PM is a good thing then please continue with your steadfast support behind Gillard. Just don't complain about PM Abbott when it happens.

nasking

23/06/2013 [b]I thought Brendan O’Connor performed well. He is quite impressive when he is well prepared.[/b] AD, I TOTALLY AGREE. I LIKE THE FELLA. [b]Of course, it will be this coming week’s Newspoll that will set the media agenda. The piece I’ll post tonight is Newspoll: The Killing Machine[/b] ---- [b]NEWSPOLL[/b]...ÜBER ALLES: [b]Newspoll Market Research is an Australian market research and polling company, part owned by News Limited[/b]. Its founding Managing Director was Solomon Lebovic who led the company from 1985 to 2005. Martin O'Shannessy has been CEO since late 2005. [b]While Newspoll is well known for political polling, over 90% of Newspoll's activities are in commercial market research.[/b] [b]Newspoll's surveys of voting intention are published exclusively in The Australian[/b]. In addition, [b]Newspoll opinion polls...played an important role in industry campaigns to defeat the Mining Tax.[/b] WIKIPEDIA [b]STILL HAVEN'T WORKED OUT WHY THE NEWSPOLL IS SUCH A BIG DEAL FOR THE AUSSIE MEDIA... ARE THEY ALL NEWS LTD, MURDOCH EMPIRE CLONES OR SOMETHING? WALKING IN LOCK-STEP. WHEN THE VARIOUS MSM BREATHLESSLY ANNOUNCE THE NEWSPOLL RESULTS WILL THEY PLAY WAGNER IN THE BACKGROUND?[/b] N'

nasking

23/06/2013 MEMORIES: [b]Gotcha! Dominic Mohan lands dream job at the Sun • Appointment that matters from No 10 to the top 40 • Third showbiz editor to climb to tabloid top dog[/b] Stephen Brook [b]The Guardian, Thursday 27 August 2009 [/b] [b]Dominic Mohan is the new editor of the Sun, the UK's most popular daily newspaper and, in his view, "the best paper on the planet", it was announced today. With control of a paper that sells 3m copies every day and has the ability to shape the nation's views on everything from [b]the X Factor to next year's general election, [/b] [b]Mohan's appointment is of interest to everyone from Simon Cowell [/b] to Gordon Brown.[/b] [b]Mohan, a former editor of the Sun's showbusiness column, Bizarre[/b], was the [b]overwhelming favourite for the job, [/b] so the announcement was no surprise, despite a two-month interregnum [b]after Rebekah Brooks (née Wade) was elevated to the new post of News International chief executive in June.[/b] [b]Mohan, 40, becomes the seventh editor of the red-top since Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News International's parent company, News Corporation, bought the Sun and revolutionised British newspapers by relaunching it as a tabloid 40 years ago.[/b] The enthusiastic Mohan is unlikely to be quite like any of [b]his predecessors, who include the statesman-like Larry Lamb, the explosive Kelvin Mackenzie and the charming Brooks, who nevertheless was not beyond throwing objects in the direction of the Sun news desk if she felt they had been scooped by arch rival the Daily Mirror.[/b] "He's smart, [b]he's politically astute[/b] and he's a great motivator. It's great news for the Sun and bad news for the Mirror," said one source. [b]Mohan joined from the News of the World in 1996[/b] [b]and started his Sun career on Bizarre, becoming its editor two years later. This involved a steady stream of showbusiness exclusives and getting his photograph taken with as many celebrities as possible.[/b] While every other day in his Bizarre heyday, Mohan would be photographed with the showbusinesses great and the good, as he rose up the ranks his trademark quiff flattened and his profile diminished the more powerful he became. His weekly opinion column went, as did his Sunday afternoon gig as a DJ on [b]Virgin (now Absolute) Radio.[/b] [b]Mohan joins a pantheon of former Bizarre editors, including Piers Morgan and Andy Coulson who rose to become tabloid editors.[/b] [b]Mohan will hope that his newspaper career now stops mirroring theirs, which both ended in ignominy – Morgan leaving the Daily Mirror over fake pictures of British troops abusing Iraqis, Coulson resigning from the News of the World over the royal phone-hacking scandal which he denied knowing about. Mohan, who has been deputy editor for two years, takes up the post on 2 September, the same day that Brooks officially starts her new role. [/b] "I believe the Sun is the best paper on the planet. It is a privilege to take over as editor and I cannot wait to get started," Mohan said yesterday. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/21/the-sun-editor_n_3479758.html MORE TO COME... N'

Jason

23/06/2013Austin 3:16, Time to put up or STFU! show me the absolute proof that a return to Rudd means not only will labor win but will win with a majority! What is this based on? internal polling are you a staffer? Were you born with a crystal ball or are a bothersome troll who has nothing better to do? Rudd was wronged but he's had a chance twice now, and in one ballot he was flogged and in another he didn't stand! So weather he likes it or not on the evidence available the ALP would sooner get crushed in an election than have him lead it! So (if) you can furnish me with the evidence that says otherwise I'll happily admit I was wrong you were right and get right behind Kevin!

nasking

23/06/2013 [b]Sun Editor Dominic Mohan Quits, Replaced By David Dinsmore, Now Target Of 'No More Page 3' Campaigners[/b] The Huffington Post UK | Posted: [b]21/06/2013 [/b] [b]The current editor of The Sun Dominic Mohan, who has steered the tabloid through one of its most turbulent times, is leaving the paper.[/b] [b]Mohan, who has edited the red top since 2009, is to take up a senior role advising the chief executive of the new News Corp - formed after Rupert Murdoch decided to split the firm's newspaper and entertainment operations.[/b] He is being [b]replaced by former Scottish Sun editor David Dinsmore[/b], who will take the helm on Monday... [b]No More Page 3 campaigners called on followers to tweet the Sun's new editor to encourage him to scrap the topless picture.[/b] [b]During the Leveson Inquiry into press standards, Mohan was forced to concede that he could not be 100% sure that some showbusiness stories published in The Sun had not been obtained by phone hacking. Mohan, who formerly edited The Sun's showbusiness column, Bizarre, was asked about comments he made at an awards ceremony in 2002 in which he thanked ''Vodafone's lack of security'' for the showbusiness exclusives in rival paper the Daily Mirror.[/b] http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/21/the-sun-editor_n_3479758.html HMMM... A SENIOR ROLE ADVISING THE CHIEF EXEC OF NEWS CORP EH? HOW MUCH IS MOHAN EARNING FOR YET ANOTHER JOB WELL DONE? I GUESS THAT'S SHOWBIZ EH? PHONE HACKING...X MARKS THE SPOT. N'

Austin 3:16

23/06/2013Hey Jason, Gee the notion that the Labor would do better with Rudd than Gillard is that hard for you to work out?? Seriously ?? [quote]the ALP would sooner get crushed in an election than have him lead it! [/quote] AND - so in Sept 15 when Gillard leads the party to near annihilation you'll happily toast PM Abbott and say "you beauty we got what we wanted" Hope you enjoy it.

Curi-Oz

23/06/2013Heather, Ken, I'm glad others are recognising things from a different time and place. I thought it was just me seeing the pattern.

Jason

23/06/2013Austin 3:16, Don't reply with waffle! answer the question if you can't just say you can't!

Catching up

23/06/2013The PM has to stay. She has no choice. It is about time, this matter was addressed as a man, who has sought revenge over the last three years. A man that cannot accept that he lost the confidence of his caucus. The caucus, which has the right to elect and dismiss leaders. If the media, did not portray the matter as a party divided, but as it really is, a handful of discontents, talking out against the government, they are a part of. There are always discontents in any government. In fact one could see that as healthy. In spite of this consistent undermining for over three years, this has been a functioning and productive government. Time for all to call it as it is. Yes, this PM has well and truly earned the right, to continue to lead the party. For her to give up the battle now, is to give into bullies. Many bullies in fact. The media, Rudd and Abbott. Our government is not change by weekly polls, nor should it be. Being unpopular is not a legitimate reason for removing a PM. Sometimes they haver to do things that are not welcome by the voter, and are unpopular. Anyone that thinks Rudd would fix things up, have rocks for brains.

pterosaur1

23/06/2013@Curi-Oz <blockquote>I thought it was just me seeing the pattern.</blockquote> me too! I believe the extreme right, despite their protestations and ideological denialism, are well aware of the significant disruptions to society and the capitalist economy which will continue as AGW goes unchecked. As in Germany, they are seeking to capitalise on these factors, in order to entrench their position and power and profit from the misery of the millions who will suffer the most under BAU. The parallels between the rise of the third reich and that of abbott's unending campaigns of vilification and lies are truly frightening.

Casablanca

23/06/2013PM signals multiple debates with Abbott June 5, 2013 [quote]Julia Gillard has again confirmed she believes she is the ''underdog'' heading into the September election, by offering to grant multiple leaders' debates with her opponent, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. Incumbent prime ministers traditionally allow as few pre-election debates as they credibly can. This is to avoid hoisting the pretender to the stage on any more occasions than necessary. But in a surprise move in Parliament, Ms Gillard presaged numerous debates in 2013.[/quote] ''The government is committed to a leaders' debate commission,'' she said. ''I'll certainly look forward to debating the Leader of the Opposition on many occasions.'' Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/pm-signals-multiple-debates-with-abbott-20130604-2no9x.html#ixzz2X1PePIrN

Ad astra

23/06/2013Folks I have just now posted: [i]Newspoll: The Killing Machine[/i]. http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2013/06/23/Newspoll-The-Killing-Machine.aspx

Ad astra

23/06/2013pterosaur1 Welcome to the [i]The Political Sword[/i] family and thank you for your comment. Do come again. I agree with your conclusion: "[i]The parallels between the rise of the third reich and that of abbott's unending campaigns of vilification and lies are truly frightening.[/i]"

Jason

23/06/2013I think Austin 3:16 would have a better chance putting together Ikea furniture or working out a Rubik's cube rather than give me a straight answer on how Rudd will win the election!
How many Rabbits do I have if I have 3 Oranges?