Partisan economics

If the election is to be decided on who are the best managers of the economy, which the polls tell us is at the top of the electorate's concerns, how on earth are voters supposed to make that decision? As Edgar R Fielder said: Ask five economists and you'll get five different answers - six if one went to Harvard.

This is just what we are seeing day after day from economists as they comment on the pronouncements of politicians and announcements on economic policy.

It is unsurprising that politicians put their own spin on the same situation. Take the RBA’s lowering of the cash rate to 2.5% this week. Chris Bowen and Kevin Rudd pointed out that this would mean a saving of $45 on the monthly repayment of the average $300,000 home loan – good news for homebuyers – and it would be good too for small businesses seeking loans. On the other hand, Joe Hockey was out there preemptively knocking the rise before it was announced, and after the announcement, adamant that the lowering of interest rates was a sign that the economy was weak and weakening, and of course that was because the Government was mismanaging the economy.

How then do economists, all grappling with the same factual evidence, rate this change to the cash rate? If you thought the evidence would speak for itself, and that it would lead to the same assessment, you would have been disappointed.

Around four years ago, at the time the Government was applying its stimulus package, I wrote this in What value are economists to our society?One of my longstanding gripes has been about the influence on economics writers of their preferred economic model. Henry Ergas’ reference in the Current Account Blog to his beloved Friedman in response to the upbeat GDP that just about everyone else attributed to the stimulus packages, is a case in point. I wrote about this on TPS in The problem with economists back in February 2009. Referring to the contemporary debate about when and how the stimulus should be withdrawn now that the economy seemed to be recovering, Crikey’s Bernard Keane said: “There are no - no - economists or business groups who think it is time for the stimulus to be wound back, except for those on the far right or Liberal shills such as Henry Ergas, who opposed the stimulus package in the first place.”

“Another grumble is the way journalists allow their political leanings to influence what ought to be an objective analysis of the undeniable facts. Michael Stutchbury of The Australian [now of The Australian Financial Review] is an example. Bernard Keane said in Crikey: “After the March quarter figures, anti-Labor commentators like Michael Stutchbury tried to argue that the modest growth was a consequence of exports only, ignoring the fact that the stimulus packages had prevented domestic demand from collapsing the same way it had in the US, the UK and other developed economies. Today’s figures blow the Stutchbury argument clean out of the water, with exports a trivial contributor to the overall growth figure – although like the Coalition, Stutchbury has now switched to urging that the stimulus has been too successful and needs to be wound back.”

“With commentators of the likes of Ergas and Stutchbury, what can readers who lack a profound knowledge of economics, really believe? As Keane put it in a piece on Crikey, ‘Nothing more stimulating than press gallery groupthink’: “The ‘debate’ over whether the Government should pull back on the stimulus package is a classic case of a press gallery trying to frame a real-world issue into a narrow, political framework that suits its own reporting purposes. It is a collective illusion being foisted on the mainstream media’s ever-smaller audiences by journalists and commentators unable or unwilling to see outside the gallery prism of winners and losers and political personalities.”


This past week we saw the same phenomenon – economists using their preferred model of economics to argue their case, and worse still, allowing their political bias to colour their assessments.

On the ABC’s The World Today on August 7, Eleanor Hall interviewed economists Stephen Koukoulas and Henry Ergas. Stephen Koukoulas is the Managing Director of Market Economics. He has been chief economist for two global banks and was the senior economic advisor to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard for a year after the last election, having moved there from a senior role in the Commonwealth Treasury. Henry Ergas is a professor of Infrastructure Economics and senior economic adviser at Deloitte Access Economics. He was an economist at the OECD in Paris and on returning to Australia in the mid-1990s, he chaired several Howard government inquiries on regulatory and competition issues and more recently advised the Coalition on tax reform.

Hall introduced the discussion with: “So just how responsible is the Coalition's $2.5 billion a year promise to cut company taxes at a time when the Reserve Bank of Australia has now cut interest rates to their lowest level in half a century?

“While Labor is describing yesterday's RBA board decision as a gift to struggling households – and to the Government in the middle of an election campaign – the Coalition says it's more evidence of Labor's mismanagement of the economy.

“So is the Australian economy in dire straits, is the budget in crisis and is Australia's triple-A credit rating under threat?”


The background of these economists gives an inkling of what their responses might be to Hall’s first question: “The Reserve Bank Board has now cut the cash rate to its lowest level in half a century, below what Kevin Rudd described, when he was last Prime Minister, as an emergency level.

“First to you Stephen Koukoulas? Is Australia's economy now in a state of emergency?


Note Koukoulas’ adamant response:

STEPHEN KOUKOULAS: "It's nowhere near it. It's absurd to think that it is the case. We're growing at about 2.5 per cent. The unemployment rate is 5.7 per cent. Inflation's nice and low. And we're looking at the forward indicators, things like housing, it's clearly on something of an upswing. And of course with the lower dollar we're getting an export boost.

“So look, the low interest rates are there because inflation is very low because we're part of a global economy where inflation is low and decelerating so that's given the Reserve Bank scope to move interest rates lower.

“The difference between now and back in 2009 when we did have an emergency, is that fiscal policy is now being tightened quite aggressively whereas at the time we had a very, very aggressive stimulus measure, which moved fiscal policy to a very accommodative phase.”


ELEANOR HALL: “So was yesterday's rate cut necessary?

STEPHEN KOUKOULAS: “Oh yes it was necessary because we had the inflation numbers just a couple of weeks ago that confirmed inflation was in the bottom part of the RBA target range.

“We do know that the unemployment rate is drifting a little bit higher and I think we just need that final little bit of an impetus to make sure that the recovery that seems to be underway gets some traction and that when we get to 2014 the economy's back at trend.”


So Koukoulas, Ex-Treasury, who has advised Labor, has a positive view about the rate cut. Now let’s see what Henry Ergas says. He regularly writes anti-Labor articles in The Australian.

ELEANOR HALL: “So Henry Ergas, what's your sense of the state of the economy? Would you describe these as emergency-level interest rates?”

HENRY ERGAS: “Well they're certainly very low interest rates. I think the important fact is that despite recovery in the US, the international outlook is highly uncertain with uncertainty about China and where the best that one can say for Europe is that perhaps it's bottoming out. And that, together with increases in global supply, means that we've had a reduction in commodity prices and a fall in the terms of trade and that in turn is reflected in what seems to be the end of the investment phase of the resource boom.

“And as that plays itself out domestic growth has flowed below the levels that it's capable of achieving and looks likely to remain below those levels for a little while with unemployment rising. And so in that situation it was obviously sensible for the Reserve Bank to try to stimulate the economy a bit through this interest rate cut.”


Note how he rates the economy as slowing and in need of the stimulatory effect of an interest rate cut. Hall gently tries to pin him down:

ELEANOR HALL: “Henry Ergas, to try and understand the politics of this a little bit, are low interest rates a sign of good economic management, as the Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey said in 2004, or of government mismanagement as he's saying now?”

Note how Ergas digs himself out of this more pointed question.

HENRY ERGAS: “Well they can be, in a way they can be both right. You can have low interest rates because you've gotten everything working properly, you have low inflation, growth is strong, but the economy has scope to continue to grow at those levels, or grow even a bit more rapidly without inflation picking up.

“In that context, there's clearly scope for low interest rates. Equally, low interest rates can be a response to a situation where the economy is growing by significantly less than potential. And perhaps where growth rates are looking uncertain and in that context a move to lower growth rates, to try to stimulate the economy through monetary policy can be an appropriate response to weaker economic performance.”


These are cleverly spoken words that align him with the Hockey view. Hall tries again to pin him down.

ELEANOR HALL: “So is the Coalition right when it says this low interest rate is because Labor has mismanaged the economy?”

HENRY ERGAS: “I think the current low interest rates reflect a growth outlook that is not as strong as it should be. And an important factor in that growth outlook is obviously the uncertainty about both fiscal policy and important areas of structural policy which may be having the effect of both reducing the economy's potential growth rate and preventing it from achieving even that potential in the immediate term.”

Ergas is edging even closer to the Hockey view. Note how he points the finger at “…uncertainty about both fiscal policy and important areas of structural policy…," clearly impugning Labor. Note too how he completely fails to mention the slowing global economy, which is impinging on our economy.

So Hall turns to Koukoulas with a different question that explores this reality:

ELEANOR HALL: “Stephen Koukoulas, to what extent does the Government need to take responsibility for the weakening economy?”

STEPHEN KOUKOULAS: “Not a lot. I think the issues, when we look at why the economy has cooled off over the past six to nine months, we've got an unexpected cooling in China where growth has slowed from above 8.5 per cent to around about 7 per cent on the latest forecasts. And that's dragged the terms of trade down as we saw in the Government's update on Friday. So we've got this negative shock that's coming from our biggest trading partner and a fall in commodity prices.

“We've also got this scenario that I mentioned before that global inflation is very low and that translates into a more broadly based fall in commodity prices. So there are areas that are outside the control of the Government. And in fact one of the issues that we saw from the Government is that it's allowing the automatic stabiliser in the budget to work, which has caused the budget deficit to be a little bit bigger in the current financial year 13-14.

“And that's actually going to be providing a little bit of extra stimulus to the economy as well. So we've got fiscal policy moving to a more neutral to a slightly stimulatory stance. We certainly have monetary policy at very stimulatory levels which will be definitely the groundwork for the economy to pick up over the course of the next 12 months.”


Clearly, Koukoulas points his finger at: “…areas that are outside the control of the Government…" to explain our current situation, and sees a favourable future when he points to: “…monetary policy [being] at very stimulatory levels which will be definitely the groundwork for the economy to pick up over the course of the next 12 months”, a positive outlook.

These excerpts illustrate partisan economics. The political leanings of the two economists influence their ‘opinions’. The ‘facts’ are interpreted in quite different ways: Stephen Koukoulas presents all the facts and draws a conclusion positive for the Government; Henry Ergas cherry-picks the facts that suit his partisan views and draws negative conclusions that align with Coalition viewpoints. Whom do we believe?


George Bernard Shaw said: “If all the economists were laid end to end, they'd never reach a conclusion.” This piece of dialogue illustrates that well.

Hall then addressed the other burning question of the day – Tony Abbott’s promise of a 1.5% reduction in Company Tax to 28.5%.

ELEANOR HALL: “Well let's look at the Coalition's big spending promise today. To you Henry Ergas - three days ago Mr Abbott said he would deliver company tax cuts "when affordable". Today he promised to deliver them in 2015. Is this $2.5 billion a year tax cut affordable and responsible?”

HENRY ERGAS: “Well I believe it's ultimately affordable. What it really depends on is getting the fiscal policy settings right and the problem is that over recent years what we've seen and had is a government that has a deficit when times are good, has a deficit when times are extraordinarily good, and now has a deficit when it says times are not bad, but not as good as one would like.

“So it seems that under all circumstances, we are running a deficit. And clearly were that to continue, then tax cuts would not be feasible. But if we can get the overall settings of fiscal policy right and return to a situation where we take fiscal rules seriously and try to achieve structural budget surpluses over successive cycles, then cutting the corporate tax rate makes very good sense because as the Henry Review emphasised, the company tax rates are relatively highly distorting and they both reduce our growth potential and reduce Australian living standards in the long term.”


ELEANOR HALL: “You mentioned the former treasury secretary Ken Henry there. Yesterday he said that whoever wins on September the 7th will have to cut spending or raise taxes or both to deal with the deficit problem, and yet here we've got the Coalition with a big spending tax cut. Do you think that is a problem? Do you agree with Ken Henry?”

HENRY ERGAS: “Well clearly the situation is that if we are to return to a sustainable fiscal position, then that will require some tough choices. And those tough choices have to be in the first instance, choices about spending.

“The reality is that if you look at the period from 2007-8 to the present, revenues have risen very sharply. I mean, revenues have increased over that period by almost $80 billion. And this is the source of the deficit. The problem is that payments have increased by close to $130 billion...and so what you need to do is look at that and say how much of that spending really does pass a sensible cost benefit test? If you don't do that you will never bring a fiscal situation under control.”


Ergas sheets home the blame to Labor’s spending. He points out, as do Hockey and Abbott, that revenue is rising, but fails to acknowledge that it is not rising as rapidly as projected because of the global economic situation, leaving a large shortfall.

Hall then tackles the elephant in the room – the GST.

ELEANOR HALL: “And we've just heard both sides emphatically rule out an increase to the GST. Of course that's expected during an election campaign, but Stephen Koukoulas from an economic point of view, should they be looking at increasing their Goods and Services Tax rate?

STEPHEN KOUKOULAS: “Well they need to do something on the revenue and I think Henry [Ergas] just got an error there – the tax receipts have actually fallen by around about 2 to 2.5 per cent of GDP. We've got a very, very low tax take at the moment from the Government which is causing the fiscal concerns, that the spending to GDP ratios did increase obviously during the depths of the financial crisis but have now sort of scaled back to roughly the average of the last 30 or 40 years where the tax to GDP ratios are only in around about 21, 22 per cent. Where as recently as 2003,4,5 they were about 24 per cent of GDP.

“So…if there is a problem, and I don't think there is one,…to the extent that we need to balance the budget over the cycle it's got to be the revenue side that does it. And with an income tax cut sort of throwing away a couple of billion dollars a year, while of course we'd all love to have lower income and company tax rates, it is a desirable medium term objective? But at the moment when we've got perhaps a higher priority of balancing the budget it seems to be perhaps the wrong time to be talking about it or implementing it." 


ELEANOR HALL: “Well there's a lot more to talk about on the economy. But we'll have to wrap it there.”

So there it is. We have two economists looking at the same data set, yet seeing causes and effects quite differently. Economists have a strong tendency to see the facts through the prism of their preferred model of economics. Some, such as Henry Ergas in this instance, see the facts through the optics of their partisan biases, and choose those that suit their argument. This is ‘Partisan economics’ writ large.

How can the average voter decide who is telling the truth most accurately? Economists would argue that what we are seeing is simply different points of view. But it’s not just that. What we are seeing is economists trying to persuade readers to their own viewpoint, instead of doing what they ought to do: present the facts and then argue the case for this interpretation or that, and only then draw a rational conclusion. In the dialogue above, one came close, the other didn’t.

Are such debates, despite their potential, worth the effort? If all we get is another dose of political spin, and from those who are supposed to be balanced, the answer sadly is NO.

Ross Gittins sums up the problem for economists: “Business economists long ago learnt to keep their heads down and their lips buttoned during [election] campaigns, for fear something they say is taken up by one side, prompting the other side to blacken their name. Too many people's careers have become collateral damage in the political fighting.”

They could avoid that outcome if they simply gave a balanced exposition, but that seems beyond most.

What do you think?

If you decide to ‘Disseminate this post’: it will be emailed to the following: Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz, Anthony Albanese, Julie Bishop, Chris Bowen, David Bradbury, George Brandis, Doug Cameron, Kim Carr, Mathias Cormann, Josh Frydenberg, Joe Hockey, Greg Hunt, Ed Husic, Barnaby Joyce, Andrew Leigh, Christine Milne, Sophie Mirabella, Christopher Pyne, Andrew Robb, Kevin Rudd, Arthur Sinodinos, Warren Truss, Malcolm Turnbull, Penny Wong and Nick Xenophon.

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11/08/2013Folks As recent polls have revealed that ‘The Economy’ tops the list of items that are concerning voters as they approach the Federal election, it is crucial that sound information about the state of our economy be made available to the electorate. Without it, a decision about which party is best equipped to manage the economy will be uninformed. Yet sound information is not what the voters are offered in most parts of the media. Politicians put a partisan spin on every morsel of economic data, whether it is interest rates, unemployment figures, participation rates, national debt, deficits, terms of trade, or the Budget bottom line. Deliberate distortions are offered in the guise of trustworthy commentary. Often, downright lies are told to make a political point. Although politicians do this as a matter of course, political journalists too join in the same deception. What is most reprehensible though is when professional economists deliberately distort their interpretation of economic data to match their preferred model of economics, or worse still to align it with their partisan orientation. This not only brings the economics profession into disrepute, but by willfully using data that is inherently complex to confuse and deceive the public, it casts economists as players in the political field, manipulative players who use their superior knowledge illegitimately to gain political advantage. The very ones we ought to be able to rely upon for balanced opinions are so often the ones who not only let us down, but also feed us faulty interpretations and incorrect conclusions. As most of the public is unable to, or is disinterested in challenging their conclusions, people are left largely ignorant and often misinformed. This is serious. How would the public regard the medical profession if it deliberately and knowingly misinformed the public about health and illness? This piece presents an example of the misinformation that professional economists are able to promulgate. It illustrates yet again how cautious we need to be about accepting the opinion of economists, how wary we ought to be about the partisan bias that too often distorts their opinion, and how deceptive those opinions are to voters trying to make decisions about which party is best suited to manage the Australian economy in the highly volatile and complex global economy of which this nation is a small but significant part. Your comments on this somewhat academic, but crucially important subject will be welcome.

jaycee

11/08/2013Milton Friedman economics is best suited to a smooth, well-paved road on a gentle slope downhill....The ultimate dream of right-wing economics...no competition, no social responsibility, no environmental responsibility, no wages rises, no worries for the fat pigs an a forever growing market!....ah!..so much for fantasyland!

42 long

11/08/2013External factors rate high with this outcome. you have some countries printing money and others with "unnatural interest rates. Clear indication that things generally are far from normal. Everyone wanted the dollar AUD valued down. Well it is but is always unstable. The effect will take time to move through the figures. As I see it mining ore prices are rising so while the investment Phase is supposed to be over the production phase is still going and that is where returns come in and expenses reduce. There doesn't seem to be all gloom and doom/ Tourism will increase and Australians will take some holidays here. Imports will cost more. Business is slow as people are hanging on to their money. How much of a brake on spending is a result of the austerity and job cutting of the LieNP states and how much to the excessive negativity of Phoney and Co using words like "EMERGENCY" about everything every second day?

jaycee

11/08/2013I like Thorsten Veblen's title for that mob..; "The theory of the leisure class".

E

11/08/2013Exactly. Thank you for that. And thank you to Ross Gittins. I think that unfortunately people tend to only accept information that reinforces an opinion already held. This is illustrated by way one piece of research that throws doubt in say climate change is leapt upon by climate sceptics. They can conveniently ignore the weight of opposing evidence. I am also starting [well I have been thinking it for some time], to think that a lot of people are amused byTony Abbott's ability to lie. The end justifies the means. And then there are others who don't even bother to think about it. 'Poor fella my country'

42 long

11/08/2013Actually I believe Capitalism as it is practiced is a flawed system either that pushing the boundaries with derivatives and such where Billions of dollars can just disappear is not a place for an honest person. If you can destroy and/or create currency without work on a large scale, it's a mug's game

E

11/08/2013Oh, and GO CATHY MCGOWAN in INDI !

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11/08/2013jaycee, 42 long, E Thank you all for your thoughtful and informative comments. jaycee You are right about the Milton Friedman dream being illusory, built on a set of unlikely set of parameters. 42 long I have long argued that the talking down of the economy by Abbott and Hockey has contributed substantially to the depressed consumer and business confidence we see even today. E You make a good point about how evidence is ignored if it conflicts with the preferred position. Climate change deniers are a classic example of this.

Ken

11/08/2013Economics is astrology in drag!! There are so many theories and approaches that any piece of information can be interpreted in a number of different ways. Economists are very good with hindsight but their predictions rate along with astrology. But I will admit, occasionally they get it right. Before the GFC I read an article that pointed to the dangers of derivatives, futures trading and hedge funds. As I understand it, none of those are based on solid foundations. This particular article pointed out that the value of all these things pre-GFC was greater than the amount of money that actually existed in the global economy - so something had to give. Yet these things still operate as if they are dealing with tradeable commodities but they are dealing with what people think things are worth, not an actual worth, and with the unpredictable future.

Ken

11/08/2013FB2 Sorry, a belated response to your response to me in the previous thread. I take your points (almost mentioned them myself but didn't merely for the sake of brevity). They actually support my point. The extent of our legislation was extremely limited. We didn't enforce segregation at the community level by law. I'm not saying racism didn't exist but it existed in a very different form to apartheid.

E

11/08/2013Tony Abbott pointed his finger and narrowed his eyes at me, shudder.

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11/08/2013Ken I like your analogy. Yes, they did get the concern about derivatives right. Nobody listened, E I felt the same when I saw Abbott's narrowed eyes. I watched Channel Seven's broadcast with its 'Like' 'Dislike' running record. It turned out to be useless. It is like an online poll and because the sample in these polls is not representative it is of no significance. Every time Rudd opened his mouth, before he said anything that could be rated at all, the score went very negative for him, often down to 30%, and the opposite occurred when Abbott opened his mouth. Ignore this type of poll completely. It adds another useless poll to the collection of unreliable polls that now exist. Everything depends on the criteria that one uses to judge who did what in this debate. In my view, if substance was a criterion, Rudd won hands down. If a vision of the future was the criterion of superiority, Rudd won easily, If formed and positive plans were criteria, Rudd won comfortably. If consistency of slogans was the criterion, Abbott was well ahead; much of what he said was no more than regurgitated old slogans. If confidence was the criterion, Abbott may have had an edge. If cockiness is added in, Abbott won easily. These structured debates, run by journalists, are of doubtful value. How many of this type of debate do we have to endure?

nasking

11/08/2013 ABBOTT POLICY LIGHT. WEAK ON AGED CARE AND DEALING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE...AND ON COSTINGS. GST TOO. RUDD TOO NERVY LOOKING AT CAMERA. TOO MANY DISTRACTING HAND MOVEMENTS...AND WAFFLE LIKE 'CAN I JUST SAY?'. NEEDS TO BE MORE REAL AND MORE CERTAIN...AND DON'T JUST STAND THERE LIKE A LUMP...FIRE BACK AT ABBOTT SOMETIMES...CONFIDENTLY: I WOULD HAVE QUERIED: WHAT DID THE COALITION DO ON INTERNET SPEEDS FOR TWELVE YEARS?' GST ARGUMENT COULD BE A GAME CHANGER...ABBOTT WAFFLED AND TRIED TO DISRACT. ABBOTT HAS A LOT OF MOTHERHOOD STATEMENTS BUT NOT MUCH DETAIL CAME ACROSS AT TIMES LIKE A SNAKE OIL SALESMAN IN A POWER SUIT. IT'S A PROBLEM FOR ABBOTT NOT FUNDING STATE PUBLIC TRANSPORT BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE HE WANTS TO RELY ON JUST PRIVATE INVESTMENT...AND THE STATES...FUNDED BY A GST INCREASE. PM NEEDS TO MENTION MORE RECORD PENSION INCREASES...CANCER CLINICS...AND INVESTING MORE IN HOME-BASED AGED CARE,..NO NEED TO SELL HOME. AND TRADES TRAINING CENTRES. AND LETTING THE ECONOMIC LEVERS DO THEIR JOB...WITH SOME CAREFULLY TARGETTED INCENTIVE PROGRAMS (GIVE EXAMPLES)...BEFORE RUSHING IN AND GIVING COMPANY TAX CUTS. MENTION HOW ABBOTT TALKS DOWN THE ECONOMY...AND STATES UNDERMINE IT BY CUTS. THE PM MADE ABBOTT LOOK POLICY VAGUE AND LIGHT BY THE END. AS DID THE QUESTIONERS. N'

nasking

11/08/2013 GARY HARDGRAVE REMINDS ME OF A RABID ANIMAL...LIKE SOMETHING DALE FROM 'KING OF THE HILL' WOULD DEAL WITH. ODD FELLA.

lyn

12/08/2013Today’s Links Tony Abbott's full support by @awelder Most Coalition MPs, and the Senators up for re-election this time, have secured their own preselection without any support or hindrance from their "leader". This is why the subtle and multi-faceted attempt by conservatives in Indi to knock off Sophie Mirabella is so fascinating http://andrewelder.blogspot.com.au/ New Tony — the hollow man by @independentaus We won’t hear from the real Tony — the socially conservative, political head-kicker. What we see instead is the stilted, hesitant, slogan reciting alternative Prime Minister, night after night. We see a guy with too much make-up and suspiciously smooth skin, engaged in an inner battle to remain calm and rational. We see someone at war with his true character. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/new-tony-the-hollow-man/ All square after first week of campaign. ALP & L-NP locked at 50% two-party preferred by Roy Morgan Today’s Morgan Poll shows the ALP (50%, unchanged) even with the L-NP (50%, unchanged) on a two-party preferred basis as the two leaders prepared for last night’s Leaders Debate – the first of the Federal Election campaign. http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/5100-federal-vote-morgan-poll-august-11-2013-201308111354 Leaders' debate Twitter chatter peaks during gay marriage discussion by ABC More than 500 responses were received; half an hour after the debate ended 72 per cent of respondents said Mr Rudd had won, compared to 28 per cent for Mr Abbott. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-11/leaders-debate-kevin-rudd-tony-abbott-twitter/4879146 Rudd wins Australian Leaders’ Debate by Election Debates The format was heavily skewed towards answering questions and in that respect Rudd engaged in a meaningful way with more of the questions and had significantly more substance to his answers. For that reason I have awarded Rudd the debate by a narrow margin. http://electiondebates.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/berglund-rudd-wins-australian-leaders-debate/ Old dogs, old tricks: When talking points trump the facts by Politifact Labor is running hard on a scare campaign that the Tony Abbott will pay for his policies by increasing the GST, a rumour that got no rest in the debate. We ruled as False Richard Marles’ statement that a GST hike is the Coalition’s "only" plan. But if they wanted to, the states would not need to agree, contrary to Abbott’s statement last night http://www.politifact.com.au/truth-o-meter/article/2013/aug/11/2013-leadership-debate-rudd-abbott-politifact/ Kevin Rudd’s message: it’s time for marriage equality by @MigloMT From the Prime Minister this evening: If I am re-elected Prime Minister, I will support marriage equality legislation in the first 100 days of Parliament. http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/kevin-rudds-message-its-time-for-marriage-equality/ Politics is even more boring than I thought! (I just watched the debate…) by Rossleighbrisbane Every now and then, Abbott would smirk as though he remembered what his coach told him about not using this gesture or remembering to look at the camera. So, who won? And in terms of it, who cares? http://theaimn.com/2013/08/11/politics-is-even-more-boring-than-i-thought-i-just-watched-the-debate/ On Rupert Murdoch and Col Allan: Why the Australian press needs counselling by @derekbarry What it shows is that the Press Council is a joke again, in a year when News successful fought against its reform. When it comes to the nitty gritty of what the council demanded when it comes to “unfairness and lack of balance”, News simply were abysmal failures. The APC calls for equal space for parties, equivalent photography, http://woollydays.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/why-the-australian-press-needs-counselling/ How important is the Australian Election? by @DalastKimbasabi ,Murray Hunter There is less bipartisanism today than there was in the past, government has less ability to manipulate the economy than ever before, and who wins government will most probably be decided more on personalities than any major policy choices. http://nsnbc.me/2013/08/08/how-important-is-the-australian-election/#.UgYUxY1BbBg.twitter Tony Abbott is paying people to like him. by @llewstevens It's just too perfect an increase in likeability, particularly when combined with the people talking about it, and the curve over time. What it adds up to is somebody paying a bot to mass-like Mr Abbott's page. Alas for the image at the top of this post, and for Mr Abbott's ego, the likes are illusory. http://llewstevens.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/tony-abbott-is-paying-people-to-like-him.html?spref=tw Tony Abbott's office denies purchasing Twitter followers after numbers spike by @gabriellechan On Sunday, the opposition leader's number of followers on the social media platform Twitter were changing rapidly, increasing by 3,000 in the morning, rising to 192,300 followers by 3pm, then dropping back by 5,000 in the next hour. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/11/tony-abbott-twitter-followers-spike Nuclear lobby’s Aboriginal stooge, Warren Mundine, joins Tony Abbott’s campaign by Christina Macpheson Warren Mundine, National Vice President of the Labor Party, has well and truly jumped political party ship, to head a new Liberal party indigenous advisory council . http://nuclearnewsaustralia.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/nuclear-lobbys-aboriginal-stooge-warren-mundne-joins-tony IPA agenda to re-shape Australia by @btckr It is one of the bodies that came together in 1943 to form the Liberal Party of Australia and is rightly seen as an arm of the Liberal party. The IPA is disproportionately represented on the ABC's tv shows The Drum and Q&A, although the ABC denies it and quibbles about who's who. http://truthinmediaresourcecentre.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/ipa-agenda-to-re-shape-australia/ Abbott attacked in fresh brace of union ads by AFR They have recently completed telephone surveys of 120,000 union members nation-wide, identifying 25,000 activists ready to take part in election campaigning over the next four weeks. These activists will have direct contact with union members who are seen as swinging voters living in 38 seats. http://www.afr.com/p/national/abbott_attacked_in_fresh_brace_of_zogIqhiddIf2cW1wVEdv2I Trust me, I do Volunteer ‘Stuff’ by @YaThinkN Prime Minister Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott are both trying to pull the “Trust me, No! Trust me more...” ploy. In fact, considering how stage managed, PR massaged & focus group studied political campaigns are now, it would be pretty bloody hard to even know what either bloke was really like http://yathink.com.au/article-display/trust-me-i-do-volunteer-stuff,87 Who Tony needs to visit by @MigloMT Tony Abbott has committed to spending one week each year in a remote Indigenous community. Offering encouragement from the sidelines, Warren Mundine informs us that: http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/who-tony-needs-to-visit/ Mindful ethics for election bloggers and citizen journalists - by @JournLaw, Mark Pearson Bloggers and citizen journalists come from an array of backgrounds and thus bring varied cultural and ethical values to their blogging. - No Fibs asks its citizen journalists to follow the MEAA Code of Ethics - http://nofibs.com.au/2013/08/10/mindful-ethics-for-election-bloggers-and-citizen-journalists/ The facts you need to know about Tony Abbott’s negative cuts agenda and Kevin Rudd’s positive plans by Reality Check Top four Abbott deceptions to watch out for in the debate http://www.alp.org.au/realitycheck1_110813 Why the coalition is duding the nation with their 2km boxes plan by @AshGhebranious The coalition version of the NBN will see NBNco have another company look after a critical part of the NBN that without, no service can be delivered. But for Telstra, this copper is not as vital. Any telstra delays to the copper will not be seen as telstra delays but NBNco delays by their customers http://ashghebranious.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/why-the-coalition-is-duding-the-nation-with-their-2km-boxes-plan/ NBN: Turnbull and lawyer jokes by @SteveJ_CBR Not only did a Liberal Government create this whole mess, but Turnbull was personally involved in it, as a Minister in the Howard Government that sold Telstra without being structurally separated. Telstra, in the words of Liberal MP, Paul Fletcher, "is a monster".The Liberals sold Telstra in 2006, so why are they now working so hard to protect and upgrade its copper assets? http://stevej-on-nbn.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/nbn-turnbull-and-lawyer-jokes.html#more Today’s Front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 12 August 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://goo.gl/ry0bqn

nasking

12/08/2013 WHILST THEY'RE AT IT, WHY DON'T THE ABC 24 CREW STAND IN THE STREETS AND SELL THE DAILY TELEGRAPH? BASICALLY WHAT THEY'RE DOING ANYWAY.

nasking

12/08/2013 MICHAEL ROWLAND IMPLYING A NUMBER OF TIMES IT WOULD BE BETTER TO WATCH FOOTY ON OTHER CHANNELS THAN THE LEADERSHIP DEBATES. HOW DEMOCRATIC OF THE ABC. WHY DOESN'T THE PUBLIC BROADCASTER RENAME THEMSELVES: [b]THE MURDOCH/NINE NETWOK LITE [/b]...??? N'

nasking

12/08/2013 FOR THIS COUNTRY TO BE DECIDING SUCH AN IMPORTANT ELECTION DOMINATED BY ASYLUM SEEKER CRAP THNX TO THE MORALLY BANKRUPT MSM WOULD BE LIKE THE AMERICAN ELECTION BEING DECIDED SOLELY ON TEXAS, ARIZONA, FLORIDIAN ISSUES. IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. DUMBED DOWN AUSTRALIA IS BACK. [b]ENJOY YER INCREASED GST, AUSTERITY MEASURES, REDUCTION OF WORKERS' WAGES & PROTECTIONS, PRIVATISED HEALTHCARE, PRIVATISED SCHOOLS, CRAP INTERNET SPEEDS, RECESSION, HIGHER INTEREST RATES, ENVIRONMENTAL VANDALISM, FLOOD OF TOXIC GOODS, UNDERMINING OF OUR REP ON DEALING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, INCREASED ANIMAL ABUSE, DEATHS ON THE ROAD...AND DOG WHISTLING OVER MUSLIMS AND BLACKS 24 HOURS A DAY PEOPLE. [/b] THAT'S YOUR ABBOTT COALITION FUTURE (A TABLOID, SHOCK JOCK FUTURE) WHATEVER THAT FRAUD ABBOTT AND HIS LNP STATE MATES TELLS YOU. HE'S NOT IN CONTROL. N'

2353

12/08/2013Put 100 economists in a room, give them a problem and they will give you an answer. When the answer is proven to be wrong, they will give you 150 "good" reasons why. Told to me by an Economics lecturer some 20 years ago. I hate to say it, but Michael Rowland was right (Nasking's comment above refers). The debates and format was extremely stage managed, both participants were heavily schooled in exactly what to say and effectively didn't deviate from the script. David Koch this morning suggested it wasn't a debate - just competing speeches. Hate to say it but he has a point. It would have been interesting to see a different format with some input from people that are not in the "Canberra Club" - but not hand picked by a media organisation with an agenda either.

nasking

12/08/2013 TO THINK LINDSAY WOULD DUMP SUCH A BRIGHT MAN AS DAVID BRADBURY FOR A POLICY IDIOT LIKE FIONA SCOTT DOES NOT BIDE WELL FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY. "THIS IS NOT A DUMPING GROUND" SHE SAYS...WTF IS SHE, A RACIST HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT? SHE FARTS ON ABOUT NEEDING MORE INFRASTRUCTURE...YET HER LEADER IS LOATHE TO INVEST IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT...WANTS TO LEAVE IT TO THE STATES. CODE FOR 'INCREASED GST TO FUND IT'. GAWD HELP US. SHE THINKS THE SCHOOLKIDS BONUS IS "A CASH SPLASH". WTF WAS THE HOWARD GOVT UPPER MIDDLE CLASS WELFARE? N'

nasking

12/08/2013 JUST TURNED OFF ABC 24. NO LONGER INTERESTED IN WATCHING [b]MURDOCH LITE 24.[/b] I WILL PUT UP YER LINKS ON FACEBOOK LYN. THE REST OF THE DAY I AM TURNING POLITICS OFF. THE MEDIA IN THIS COUNTRY CATERS TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATORS. NO BETTER THAN FOX NEWS AND UK's THE SUN. THOSE WHO BROUGHT THE WORLD THE IRAQ WAR. N'

Ad astra

12/08/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

nasking

12/08/2013 BTW, IF ABBOTT GETS IN I AM GOING TO ENJOY [b]ROASTING[/b] THE [b]COMPLICIT AUSSIE MEDIA[/b] AND COALITION POLITICIANS LIKE WE DID THRU 2005, 2006, 2007 WHEN THINGS TURN TO SHIT AS THEY INEVITABLY WILL. BE WARNED MSM AND LYING POLITICIANS. WE KNOW YER SECRET AGENDA. N'

janice

12/08/2013Good morning all. The Great Debate is over. IMHO Rudd has handicapped himself because he is still unable to acknowledge the achievements by the Gillard 3 years. All he is comfortable talking about is HIS record yet there is a heap of material he could use against Abbott regarding his negative obstructionism post 2010. The abbott and Joho spent three years dissing the economy and disrupting the parliament in attempts to bring down the government. He voted against every effort of the government to solve the boats issue and in the process, caused the taxpayer to fork out millions of dollars that need not have been spent, and all because the abbott and his mob wanted to make sure there was no hope of balancing the budget. I suppose Rudd is afraid the spotlight will also shine on his own part in the destablisation of the minority government. Rudd rabbits on about the GST and slash and burn, so why not remind voters the coalition’s penchant for privatisations and selling off assets. Australia still has some gold reserves and there are the public schools and hospitals and the ABC (no loss really). Rudd also did not counteract the abbott’s company tax cuts shite. Surely he could have pointed out that in times of falling revenue it wouldn’t hurt big business much to shoulder some of the weight by paying all their taxes (instead of finding more clever ways of minimising their tax responsibilities) and by investing in the nation rather than crying poor that their profits are not rising at the rate they’d like. Why is it that when times are tough big business are not prepared to do any heavy lifting to help the nation through the hard times, but line up at the head of the queue squealing for every cent they can gouge out of an already tight budget that is spread all too thinly across the nation to provide the services and infrastructure needed to keep the nation afloat?

nasking

12/08/2013 BTW AD, TOP POST PER USUAL. AS ONE OF THE FEW COMMENTORS IN AUSTRALIA WHO PREDICTED THE GFC...AND REVEALED THE EXTENT OF THE CORRUPTION, BAD PLANNING AND LONG-TERM DAMAGE ON THE COUNTRY ITSELF AND AMERICAN, AND GLOBAL FINANCES OF THE IRAQ WAR...I SEE LITTLE BUT UNNECESSARY TAX CUTS INTERVENTION BY THE COALITION...AND A GROTESQUE UNDERMINING OF THE ESSENTIAL TRANSITION PROCESSES AND SCHEMES REQUIRED TO PREPARE US FOR A SANER, MORE SUSTAINABLE, MORE RESPONSIBLE FUTURE. [b]PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN LALA LAND IF THEY THINK WE CAN GO BACK TO THE OLD WAYS. THE ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND GEO-POLITICAL STORMS COMING WILL MAKE THE GFC LOOK LIKE A SHORT-TERM BOUT OF THE CLAP[/b]. AND THE LACK OF PREPARATION AND HEALING AND PROGRESSIVE TRANSITION REQUIRED TO DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES CAN PRIMARILY BE PUT AT THE ROTTING DOOR OF MURDOCH AND SCUMBAG FRIENDS...INCLUDING ABBOTT. N'

nasking

12/08/2013 A TWEET FROM TOM WATSON: [b]BBC News - UK wages decline among worst in Europe[/b] THERE'S YOUR ABBOTT TORY FUTURE AUSTRALIA. NUFF SAID. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. N'

Ken

12/08/2013I didn't watch the debate and from what I've read this morning my decision was justified. It went exactly as I thought it would - not a real debate, but a carefully staged event with the participants staying "on message" no matter what. If someone actually wants to win this election, rather than not lose it, they will have to show a bit of humanity, a bit of flexibility, an ability to respond off the cuff, not just according to their script for the day. It is similar to the problems Julia had in the 2010 election which led to her comment about "the real Julia" - too much sticking to the script, and not enough showing that they are a real person with a vision and a conviction to achieve. While both Abbott and Rudd are describing their "vision" for the next few years, it comes across as a script, not something they genuinely believe in. In my view, the electioneering (at the moment) is very flat and uninspiring - and totally boring!!

nasking

12/08/2013 YOU WANT TO FIND OUT WHO IS REALLY BACKING THIS SNAKE ABBOTT...LOOK AT RUPERT MURDOCH AND HIS SAUDI AND OTHER SCHEMING GULF STATES BACKERS...AND MURDOCH'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TEXAS OIL BARONS AND KOCH BROS. IF ABBOTT GETS IN THE WAR-MONGERING SAUDIS AND OIL MEN WILL ENSURE WE ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TO CONTINUING THIS INSANE AND COSTLY WAR ON THE SHIAS...AND THEY WILL ENSURE CLEANER ENERGY PROJECTS ARE DUMPED. THE SAUDI KINGDOM HAS BEEN MANIPULATING THIS WORLD ALONGSIDE THEIR CORPORATE ARISTOCRATIC ALLIES FOR DECADES NOW. THEY ARE NOT TO BE TRUSTED. THEY HAVE A LOT TO ANSWER FOR. THEY OWN MURDOCH. N'

nasking

12/08/2013 WHOOPEE FCKN DOO!...TONY ABBOTT IS GOING TO RELEASE AN ANNUAL INFRASTRUCTURE STATEMENT... WHAT? WRITTEN BY ROD EDDINGTON...WORKING AS PART OF THE MURDOCH EMPIRE...OWNED BY THE SAUDI AND TEXAN OIL MEN... NO WONDER ABBOTT'S OBSESSED WITH ROADS. WILLING TO FCK OVER RAIL PUBLIC TRANSPORT. IMAGINE NY AND LONDON WITHOUT THEIR SUBWAY SYSTEMS? EUROPE WITHOUT ITS RAIL? ABBOTT SHOULD BE SHOT. METAPHORICALLY. N'

nasking

12/08/2013 WHERE IS RUDD? MIA? N'

nasking

12/08/2013 WHEN I HEAR ABBOTT PROMOTING HIMSELF AS FUTURE 'INFRASTRUCTURE PM' I THINK [b]'YOU CHEEKY BASTARD[/b]!'... ALBANESE'S EFFORTS IN SIX YEARS AS INFRASTRUCTURE MINISTER HAVE DWARFED THE HOWARD GOVTS EFFORTS OVER TWELVE YEARS... ABBOTT LIKE HOWARD IS ALL TALK AND WILL BE BUGGER ALL ACTION. AND BTW, TANYA PLIBERSEK MAKES TONY ABBOTT LOOK LIKE A MENTAL MIDGET...AND SCROOGE. SHE AND ROXON WERE SMART TO PUSH FOR MORE CANCER CLINICS...A WAR AGAINST THE SCOURGE THAT IS BIG TOBACCO...MORE TRAINING OF DOCTORS, NURSES AND DENTISTS IN THIS COUNTRY... ABBOTT AND HOWARD LET THE ELITE DICTATE...AND THE FEES GO UP. PRIVATE COMPANY AND MEDICAL ELITE KOWTOWERS. NOT SURPRISING HOWARD WAS SITTING IN FRONT OF A BMW SIGN THE OTHER DAY...THE LIBS LOVE THEIR ELITE DOCS WHO DRIVE BMWs. N'

Truth Seeker

12/08/2013Ad, thanks for another fine post. :-) yes it seems that the experts are divided along party lines, which closely resemble their lines on most areas of public policy, that is either; Let's tell it like it is, and give the people a chance to form an informed view, or; Let's tell it as we want it to be and hope that people believe us. Now I know that both sides will put a spin on information, but the rabid right have turned it into an art form. BTW posted on the weekend [b]"The man in the arena"[/b] :-) http://truthseekersmusings.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/the-man-in-the-arena/ Cheers :-)

nasking

12/08/2013 EFFECTIVE FOCUS BY RUDD ON THE SO CALLED 'KENNETT GOLDEN AGE' APPLAUDED BY ABBOTT. WHAT KENNETT DID TO SCHOOLS, TEACHERS, PUBLIC HOSPITALS AND OTHER PUBLIC SERVICE AREAS WAS A BLOODY DISGRACE. WE KNOW TEACHERS FROM VICTORIA WHO CAME UP HERE...TALK ABOUT MASS DESPAIR BACK THEN...SOME ARE STILL TRAUMATISED. AND NOW QLD LNP BRAGGING ABOUT ITS AUSTERITY MEASURES. LIBERALS ARE BASTARDS. YOU CAN HEAR THEIR LOUDMOUTHED PROPAGANDA BRIGADE ATTACKING RUDD DURING THE PRESSERS...LIKE A BUNCH OF STORMTROOPERS...AND MURDOCH YUNGEN. N'

nasking

12/08/2013 I DIG RUDD AND CARR'S FOCUS ON THE HI-TECH MANUFACTURING FUTURE...SAME WITH THE CANDIDATE FROM BENNELONG.

nasking

12/08/2013 GAY MARRIAGE ANNOUNCEMENT GOOD...SUPPORTING EQUALITY...WILL ASSIST BUSINESS, TOURISM TOO.

nasking

12/08/2013 THIS IS THE FELLA CHOSEN TO BE THE [b]ALP's CANDIDATE FOR BENNELONG[/b]...CERTAINLY NO SHIRKER...DEFINITELY A BRIGHT SPARK: [b]Jason Yat-sen Li[/b] http://www.saxton.com.au/jason-yat-sen-li/ BTW, [b]JOE BOOFHEAD HOCKEY AS FUTURE AUSSIE TREASURER...BWAHAHA... IS THAT A JOKE MR. ABBOTT? MR. MURDOCH? MS. RINEHART? [/b] N'

nasking

12/08/2013 JOE HOCKEY'S QUALIFICATIONS TO BE TREASURER?: [b]Hockey defends criticism of WorkChoices study [/b] Australian Broadcasting Corporation [b]Broadcast: 02/10/2007[/b] Reporter: Kerry OBrien KERRY O'BRIEN: Well, what parts of the report do you like? Or that you accept? JOE HOCKEY: Well, there are parts of the report ... well, for example, it says that Australians are happy at work. I accept that. I think overall, Australians are happy at work. This report says that Australians overall are happy at work, and that's a great thing. It also says it's not an analysis of WorkChoices per se, it's an analysis of working life. But there are parts of it that are questionable, for example... KERRY O'BRIEN: So, you're taking out the bits that suit you and saying, "Yeah, that's ok", but then you're criticising the bits that are potentially embarrassing for you. That's certainly the way it sounds. JOE HOCKEY: Well, it could be the case Kerry, but look, you know what? I mean, we want Australians, I want Australians, John Howard wants Australians to earn more money and to have more job opportunities. I mean, there's no good politics in people earning less money out there. We want Australians to earn more money and to have more job opportunities. That's why over the last 18 months, 417,000 new jobs have been created, 85 per cent full-time and real wages are up three per cent. [b]KERRY O'BRIEN: And yet at the same time, this study has found after trawling through the collective and individual agreements of 8,000 workers, more than 8,000 workers, it found that people on AWAs earn an average of $106 a week less than those on collective agreements, and it also found that a majority of the 8,000 workers reported that more and more is expected of them at work for the same money and that nearly half the workers on AWAs had no opportunity to negotiate their wages or conditions at all - in other words - that many low-paid workers simply don't have the power to negotiate on their behalf. [/b] [b]JOE HOCKEY: Well, it also says that people on AWAs are more likely to negotiate a deal with their employers than people on collective agreements. [/b] [b]KERRY O'BRIEN: But it's not just this report that's potentially embarrassing for you, is it? Your own Workplace Authority has confirmed to the Weekend Australian that it's had to reject 25,000 workplace agreements involving up to 4,000 employers because they didn't have information that met the standards. Even if we give all 4,000 employers the benefit of the doubt in terms of their treatment of workers and their intent, what does that say about your claims that the system is very clear and working smoothly? [/b] JOE HOCKEY: Well, this is a checking mechanism that the Labor Party won't have, Kerry. We've never had this before in Australia. Previously, the unions were the only people checking whether Australian workers got proper pay, and there were major flaws in that system. We set up a system to identify whether Australians are being paid properly. KERRY O'BRIEN: There's another report, originally commissioned and funded by your government's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, and backed by the then commissioner, Pru Goward, who is now a Liberal member of the New South Wales Parliament, which found that [b]women in low-paid industries like retail and aged care, have lost up to $100 a week in earnings since the introduction of WorkChoices, and that report highlighted an increased climate of fear. Now, you've said that report was also subsequently contaminated by state government involvement, but it all seems to be part of a pattern, doesn't it? [/b] JOE HOCKEY: Well Kerry, look I want people to earn more money. In fact, the wages gap between men and women has narrowed under the Howard Government, and we welcome that. We know the gap remains too large, we are looking at ways we can continue to try and narrow that gap. [b]KERRY O'BRIEN: But coming back to this report, the basis of this interview, Peter Costello said on ABC Radio today that "Once you see Unions New South Wales putting up money for a report, you know it is contaminated". He didn't say that when he promoted the Econtech report paid for by business groups and used by them in their anti-union, anti-Labor policy on WorkChoices and pro-WorkChoices advertisements that they ran. Why is a report contaminated if it has some union funding but it's credible if it's funded by business? [/b] JOE HOCKEY: Well, it's interesting isn't it Kerry, that no one raised complaints about Kevin Rudd's vicious attack on Peter Hendy, the head of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, when he attacked Peter Hendy for involvement with Econtech, and yet somehow I'm excoriated for my pointing out that these academics have had long-standing involvements with the union movement. I mean, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. KERRY O'BRIEN: Who is excoriating you? JOE HOCKEY: Well, I mean some of the academics and some opinion leaders out there. But Kerry, you know, fundamentally the question is: how can we get people more jobs and higher wages and that is what my job is. If I do my job properly, there will be continuing low unemployment in Australia and people will have more money in their pockets and that's my main focus. http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2049308.htm WE WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN. YEA...[b]RIGHT[/b]!!! [b]COSTELLO STILL PART OF THE SECRET PLAN. [/b] ALREADY [b]CAME HERE TO QLD TO FCK US OVER.[/b] OPEN YER EYES VOTERS...OPEN YER EYES. [b]ASYLUM SEEKER ISSUE A DISTRACTION TO HIDE SECRET LIB AGENDA.[/b] N'

nasking

12/08/2013 ABBOTT AND HOCKEY'S TORY FUTURE: [b]Wages in the UK have seen one of the largest falls in the European Union during the economic downturn, according to official figures. The figures, which were requested by the Labour Party and collated by the House of Commons library, show average hourly wages have fallen 5.5% since mid-2010, adjusted for inflation.[/b] [b]That is the fourth-worst decline among the 27 EU nations .[/b] "These figures show the full scale of David Cameron's cost of living crisis," said shadow Treasury minister Cathy Jamieson. [b]The money left over at the end of each month is getting less and less because our salaries have been flatlining while shopping, petrol and energy bills have been rising steadily.[/b] Politically, this is fertile ground. Ed Miliband talks of a squeezed middle and feeling poorer while the government talks of a nascent recovery that will eventually raise living standards across the board while [b]putting pressure on benefit dependants.[/b] "[b]Working people are not only worse off under the Tories, we're also doing much worse than almost all other EU countries. "Despite out-of-touch claims by ministers, life is getting harder for ordinary families as prices continue rising faster than wages."[/b] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23655605 ABBOTT AND HOCKEY HAVE BEEN TAKING SOME OF THEIR IDEAS FROM THE UK TORIES...REMEMBER THEIR TRIPS THERE. LYNTON CROSBY A KEY CONNECTION. ASYLUM SEEKER ISSUE A DISTRACTION. A SECRET AGENDA COMING OUR WAY IF WE VOTE ABBOTT AND HOCKEY IN. N'

nasking

12/08/2013 REMIND YOU OF THE IDEAS OF ANY AUSSIE TORY LEADER?: The idea was launched in the 2010 Conservative manifesto and [b]described by The Times as "an impressive attempt to reframe the role of government and unleash entrepreneurial spirit[/b]". Nat Wei, one of the founders of the [b]Teach First charity[/b], was appointed by David Cameron to advise the government on the Big Society programme. The plans include setting up a Big Society Bank and introducing a national citizen service. The stated priorities are: [b]Give communities more powers (localism and devolution) Encourage people to take an active role in their communities (volunteerism) Transfer power from central to local government[/b] Support co-ops, mutuals, charities and social enterprises [b]Publish government data (open/transparent government)[/b] It is supported by a Big Society Network, which says it "exists to generate, develop and showcase new ideas to help people to come together in their neighbourhoods to do good things." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Society [b]ABBOTT IS SO UNIQUE...NOT! [/b] [b]WITH THE BIG SOCIETY SCHEME CAME...AUSTERITY MEASURES.[/b] BTW, [b]THE TIMES IS A MURDOCH PAPER IN THE UK.[/b] OPEN YER EYES. N'

nasking

12/08/2013 DON'T TRUST THE AUSSIE TORIES: [b]4 January 2011 Labour and Tories clash over VAT increase VAT rate rises from 17.5% to 20%[/b] [b]Chancellor George Osborne has defended the VAT increase from 17.5% to 20%, saying it could boost employment and was better than raising income tax. But Labour leader Ed Miliband urged the government to apologise for suggesting that the rate rise was a "progressive" policy. [/b] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12110945 [b]NZ TORIES PUT UP GST TOO. DON'T BELIEVE THE ABBOTT SPIN. HOCKEY GAVE THE GAME AWAY ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS. [/b] [b]THE ASYLUM SEEKER ISSUE IS JUST A DISTRACTION...IT'S WHAT LYNTON CROSBY, LIB THINK TANKS AND MEDIA DO...A STRATEGY. SO THE AUSSIE TORIES' SECRET AGENDA IS NOT DISCOVERED BY THE PEOPLE.[/b] N'

nasking

12/08/2013 OFT NATIONAL PARTY VOTERS LIKE MY FATHER-IN-LAW HATE THE GST...NEVER FORGAVE COSTELLO FOR IT. HOW CAN THE NATS BE IN COALITION WITH THIS LYING LIBERAL PARTY? IN BED WITH FARM WRECKERS, FREE TRADERS ON STEROIDS, DEREGULATORS (MILK), GST INSTALLERS, ANTI-NBN TYPES...WHO DID FCK ALL ABOUT THE MURRAY-DARLING ISSUES WHEN IN POWER. N'

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12/08/2013Hi Lyn I’ve now looked through your informative links. What an eclectic lot they are, supplying me as they did with lots of information for the following assessment. The ‘Great Debate’ features in several of your links. In my opinion it was not great at all. Here’s my brief analysis: [b]Format[/b] I feel the format used last night is faulty. It was not a true debate between two individuals. It was tightly stage-managed (presumably to satisfy the TV audience) with four journalists running the show: David Spears (News Limited) as moderator, Lyndal Curtis (ABC), Simon Bensen (News Limited) and Peter Hartcher (Fairfax). They formulated the questions and the latter three posed them. I thought that several were too long, ponderous, even pontifical (Hartcher), seemingly designed to exhibit the erudition of the questioner as much as to probe the debaters. I wonder how many viewers listened to each full question and understood what it was driving at? Then Rudd and Abbott responded, but there was no real debate. The format of an introductory statement and a summing up is pretty standard, but cannot guarantee enlightenment. We needed more than a regurgitation of tired old slogans, Abbott-style. I believe we would derive more from questions directed from the audience (community cabinet style), without the involvement of partisan journalists. I would prefer the topics to be quite limited in number for each debate so that there could be in-depth analysis and debate, rather than the superficial skating across or around topics we saw last night. Superficiality suits Abbott because there is little depth in his utterances, which are predominantly platitudinous slogans and motherhood statements. For example why not have one debate devoted entirely to the economy and the leaders’ vision for the nation in the decade ahead; another on education and health; another on immigration; and another on infrastructure. There would be overlap of course, but at least in-depth discussion would be more likely. [b]Measuring performance[/b] This is very contentious. Channel Seven used the new downloadable app that enables users to select Rudd or Abbott and in so doing send a message to an aggregating device at Channel Seven. In my opinion this is not just useless, but deceptive. Like an online poll, the voters self-select, and therefore make an unrepresentative sample. Clearly, many more Coalition voters had downloaded the app than Labor voters, and kept their fingers busy pushing for their preferred man. Their exuberance gave the game away. As soon as Rudd opened his mouth, even before he said anything of substance the score went negative, and reversed as dramatically when Abbott opened his mouth to speak. It’s just a Channel Seven plaything, a gimmick that misleads rather than informs. At the end of the Channel Seven broadcast there was a series of questions posed by Mark Riley to which viewers had two minutes to send in their answers, which were aggregated as they came in and totaled at the end. The results were: WHO WON THE DEBATE TONIGHT? Rudd: 32% Abbott: 68% (Mark Riley agreed with this assessment.) RANK FROM 1-5 THE ISSUES MOST AFFECTING YOUR VOTE 37% economy 19% health 16% leadership 14% education 14% immigration 11,293 votes WHO WILL BE THE NEXT PRIME MINISTER Rudd: 28% Abbott: 72% This polling is as unreliable as any online poll. The high score for the importance of issues was consistent though with other polls. The economy was considered around twice as important as any other issue, with health, leadership and education following, and immigration bring up the rear, not as important as previously it was thought to be. I see that there was a ‘worm’ on some channels. I didn’t see it. The movements of the worm result from pushing buttons on a device that is used only by audience members. A comment by Bob Evan on [i]AIMN[/i] gave these figures about voting on the four channels: Channel 7 – Rudd: 28% / Abbott: 72% Channel 9 – Rudd: 59% / Abbott: 41% Channel 10 – Rudd: 61% / Abbott: 39% ABC – Rudd: 71% / Abbott: 29% His comment is germane: “[i]Conservatives predictably are claiming victory……..must have been watching channel 7.”[/i] Evans adds a touch of humour: “[i]News.ltd poll prediction tomorrow for outcome of debate as determined by polling commenters. Abbott 98%
Rudd 2%.”[/i] Lyndal Curtis of the ABC reports that there were 1.3 million viewers of the debate, mostly via the ABC. The other channels used their alternative channels so that their viewers could watch their usual programs, the ones that carry ads! She deliberately avoided naming a ‘winner’, and opined that this debate would have little influence on voters, while the later debates might. Mark Riley had no such inhibition, and readily agreed with his Channel Seven gimmick’s result, the one that gave Abbott the win 72/28. On [i]Election Debates[/i], Fenja Berglund scored Kevin Rudd the winner: Rudd 73, Abbott 72. That is an equivocal result. The assessments of who won and lost are meaningless unless the individual criteria for making the assessment are detailed. Most of the spontaneous voting would be emotional, and as we saw with Channel Seven, likely preordained as evidenced by the extreme pro-Abbott, anti-Rudd vote. For myself, the criteria that are important are: Substance Vision Sound background information Sound argument Rational conclusions A cohesive, detailed, accurately costed plan for the nation’s future An emphasis on the economy, infrastructure, health and education Articulateness Ability to debate, to convincingly argue one’s position, and to rebut contrary arguments Likeability Appearance Confidence. [b]Having watched the debate I would rate Rudd higher than Abbott on all except confidence. Abbott had the added attribute of arrogance and cockiness. On my criteria Rudd ‘won’ comfortably. Let’s hope the other debates are of higher calibre, more open and honest, less evasive, and more revealing of policies, plans, and accurate costings, especially from the Coalition.[/b]

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12/08/2013janice It was good to read your comments, so germane, so to the point. It’s always pleasant to see your lovely Gravatar. Ken I agree that the debate was lacklustre, as you say “[i]… very flat and uninspiring - and totally boring!!”[/i] nasking Thank you for you complimentary remarks and for your many informative posts today. Truth Seeker Thank you for your kind words and your comment. I’ll read your post after lunch.

lyn

12/08/2013Hi Ad, Thankyou for another fantastic article, you continue to amaze us every week. Hi FB2 , How nice of you , thankyou for your kind remarks. We are so pleased to have you here on TPS, & better still thrilled to bits to hear you enjoy our work.

nasking

12/08/2013 PETER WICKS: ...[b]Abbott refused to rule out expanding the GST into other areas that are currently GST exempt like food, medical equipment and supplies, and pharmaceuticals for example, and refused to take it off the Coalitions list of things to review.[/b] [b]This should make people wonder about where the Coalition are headed with the GST, I mean we all eat and we all occasionally need medical supplies or prescriptions filled. Further doubt is raised when Abbott blatantly and repeatedly lied during the debate about needing the approval of the states to make GST changes. Even after he was corrected he continued to tell the lie. [/b] Abbott’s refusal to rule out putting GST on medical supplies could be a bitter pill to swallow… By the end of the debate Rudd had given an open response to the questioning and Abbott had gone the opposite direction. [b]Abbott as mentioned refused to rule out changes to what is GST exempt and to take GST off the Coalitions list of reviews. Abbott also refused to say where savings were coming from in his already dodgy figures saying they will come “in good time”. The last election “in good time” meant at the last-minute so the numbers could not be scrutinised properly, when they were scrutinised the private firm that put them forward were fined by the industry watchdog for such shoddy work.[/b] Planet News Ltd may have pre-picked their winner, I choose to base my winner on what actually happened. http://wixxyleaks.com/2013/08/12/waiting-for-the-worms-the-leaders-debate-and-the-ignored-result/ INDEED. N'

FB2

12/08/2013Ken @ August 11. 2013 07:01 PM This will be my final and only response, Ken and it is posted because you've missed my point entirely, unfortunately. Let me be clear please. Discrimination in Australia was enforced by the 1901 legislation, which was designed to keep Australia white, hence the phrase "White Australia Policy". Given that the legislation mandating discrimination was in force from 1901 to 1975 when the Racial Discrimination Legislation making it illegal was enacted I'm at a loss to understand how you can, with a straight face type: "We didn't enforce segregation at the community level by law." I wish you well Mate. Thanks for your warm welcome Lyn and Ad Astra. Some time ago when I first became aware of this place, the Political Sword, I thought Ad Astra must have had an Air Force background given the RAAF's motto of Per Ardua Ad Astra (Through adversity to the stars). Upon reflection, the translation is relevant to the aspirations of this site and its denizens. Sorry about that original misunderstanding Dr Astra of the Ad variety. By the way. I'm not an ex-RAAFie. Regards

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12/08/2013Truth Seeker That is a touching tribute to our Julia. 'The woman in the arena' is so apt. It is the one who is in the arena, actually striving, actually doing, actually achieving against the odds, that deserves our applause. Not the critics, nor the commentators, mostly journalists, certainly not the adversaries. There's an old saying about teachers that with modification applies here. "[b]Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach, critique.[/b] Julia was in the arena doing, but surrounded by un-doers trying to teach her what to do, and worst of all, critics who have never done what she has done, could never have even taught her what to do, yet presumed to 'know better' - journalistic arrogance writ large.

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12/08/2013Folks I thought you may be interested in this piece from [i]Crikey[/i] that brings into play the opinion of experts in debating; “[i][b]The debaters' verdict: Rudd the winner, debating the loser[/b] Sally Whyte, Crikey election reporter: “Citing a static format and "creepy" hand gestures, Australia's debating experts were unimpressed by last night's leaders' debate between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. “Chris Hibbard, president of the Australian Debating Federation, says the format itself is "such a contrived structure that it is completely unlike that which could be described as a debate," and that "every aspect of structure seemed to be designed to impede any actual debate". On their debating style, Hibbard says the Prime Minister claimed victory, but only "very, very slightly". “Hibbard, having just resided over the National Schools Debating Championship, believes that if they came up against school-age debaters they would find stiff competition. "Even the weakest debates there were so much more able to construct an argument and interact with each other than either Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott were last night." “Stephen Moore is president of the Monash University Association of Debaters, the reigning world champions. Moore and his teammates called Rudd the winner, but debating itself the overall loser. "Unfortunately we'd have to say that debating was not the winner tonight, with the canned responses and short speaking times harming ideas from developing. As for the speakers, we'd credit the PM for having more substantive material in the debate and developing his ideas further. However, from a presentation perspective, he was outshone by Mr Abbott's more engaging manner and more controlled limbs," he said. “Wayne Jocic, former president of the Debaters Association of Victoria, also gives Rudd the win. "On presentation, Abbott won the debate. His manner was more natural and hence more appealing. This manifested itself in a slower pacing and more convincing tone, and in more natural gesture and eye contact. On the questions of substantive argument, though, Rudd was superior." “According to Hibbard, Rudd's debating style was strong. "He was able to respond to questions reasonably well, but little things like [using notes] didn't really help him, his own style was fine". “On Abbott's performance, Hibbard says the combination of speaking slowly and "strange finger-wagging" was "frankly, a bit creepy". “Jocic was more positive on Abbott's debating style: "His body language was open and expressive, and this was coupled with thoughtful pauses and a sense of authenticity. This, however, was insufficient to counter his inability to deal with vital questions, in particular regarding budgeting." “The leaders had different strategies when it came to engaging with the audience, to Rudd's advantage, says Hibbard. "Kevin Rudd directed his entire speech to the camera, whereas Tony Abbott spent at least the early part of the debate trying to engage the audience in the room as well. I think this gave Kevin Rudd a very slight advantage in terms of engaging with the TV audience. Ultimately, the audience in the room was not really participating in the debate," he said. “The use of hand gestures and posture was a differentiating factor in the debate. According to Jocic: "Abbott's gesture was generally natural and open. Rudd, by contrast, seemed somehow mechanical, particularly in his opening speech, where unnatural fisting motions and repeated, menacing finger-pointing prevailed. The effect of this difference was that Abbott seemed engaged in conversation, whereas Rudd was lecturing, and doing so awkwardly." “The leaders are fortunate they don't have to face up to Moore and his world-class debating teammates at Monash though. "We couldn't help but admire both speakers' love of pushing timing of their speeches and trying to sneak in as much as possible after the chime," Moore said. "Combined with this, their unparalleled ability to use rhetorical flourishes to cover a lack of actual response means they'd both be very welcome members of our club. However, unfortunately, should they come up against us in a debate, our speakers' tendency to actually respond to the topic presented means we may just edge over them."[/i] [b]Note the emphasis on substance, which earned Rudd endorsement. Note too that in their view, debating was the loser[/b]

Truth Seeker

12/08/2013Ad, thanks for your kind words, :-) I haver to share the credit though with one of my commenters "Russputin2", as it was his idea that inspired me to write what I did. :-) Cheers :-) :-)

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12/08/2013Folks I'll be out for a few hours.

Ken

12/08/2013sorry FB2 but you have missed my point entirely -but as you say no point in prolonging the misunderstanding

Michael

12/08/2013Ad Astra, hi. Since you didn't watch a "worm" in particular, and I did watch at least one, I can report how Channel Nine's 'all in one place, all using the same technology at the same time', audience responded to the debate. Firstly, the technology was a small smartphone-like screen, which the holder could finger-scroll to one side for "Agree", and the other for "Disagree" - a sliding scale: like moving a bead along a horizontal track in pre-digital terms. When the first shot of one of these devices was shown I thought the screen looked a little small, not enough 'give' along the horizontal slide for any likelihood of subtlety - too tiny for a fingertip to get specific, if you get what I mean. Specificity (programmatic or otherwise) wasn't needed! Why? Well, we were told, and I can't imagine Channel Nine having any reason to lie or stack the audience with lefties, that all the people in the studio were 'uncommitted voters', each of them one of those famous swinging voters. If this is so, and as I say, unless the Coalition's favourite conspirators, the faceless men, pulled off the biggest conjob on Channel Nine since Alan Bond reckoned he could make the place turn a profit... Keven Rudd hardly ever dipped below mid-point on the audience's approval scale, and spent most of the debate high up on "Agree", sometimes so high he 'flatlined' against the 'ceiling' - the audience couldn't agree with him more for the majority of his response on most questions. However, Abbott had the audience reacting absolutely the reverse: he was almost always under or just on the mid-point of audience agreement, and never got anywhere near a ceiling peak, let alone flatlining on maximum approval for any extended period of time. In fact, the immediate and general response to him opening his mouth was so negative right through the debate that I DID believe for a while Channel Nine had been hijacked by Labor's head office. It was manifestly visceral in these 100 or so 'swinging voters' that they didn't believe a word Abbott said, and the disbelief started with 'Word One' of each response he made - not, I decided because of what he was saying alone, but because of how he was saying things. People were reacting to his tone, his diction, his body movements, and his smirk. They didn't like the look of him, they didn't like the sound of him, they didn't buy his 'message'. So, what worth the worm? Endless arguments on that one, of course, but when a room full of 'ordinary' voters looking to have their opinions sharpened by hearing politicians make their arguments turned so comprehensively against Abbott, and were prepared to rise high in regular agreement with Rudd, it felt real. It felt like telling us what all those polls out there aren't delivering in their numbers - Abbott's a turnoff. In a polling booth, pencil poised, will voters think the same way? I believe 'yes', yes because he's skew whiff. He's walking skew whiff, fair dinkum, just look at him. The Channel Nine audience did, and told us what they saw. PS It wasn't a Rudd love-athon - they weren't over the moon about his Sydney's second airport response, they sat fair in the middle on asylum seekers (although sank Abbott on that one, too), so, once again, it felt real, not Labor-hijacked. The audience end-debate rated Rudd 59%, Abbott 41%, which, incidentally Channel Nine only displayed in long shot and quickly took off-screen, so I think that gave them a shock. Certainly Karl Stefanovik looked quite dyspeptic about Abbott trailing so badly.

42 long

12/08/2013He's the sort of thing only a mother could love. Or someone who finds him malleable, like "I hope he likes me" Murdoch. In other circumstances I would feel some pity for him except for the fact he has no regard for other's feelings or reputation. All are sacrificed for the end result. ( His want for the PM job).

Bacchus

12/08/2013Here's another POV on the "debate" from Roy Morgan. I was invited to participate, but was unable to take up the offer... http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/5099-federal-election-leaders-debate-august-11-2013-201308111313 [quote]Tony Abbott won the debate by a narrow margin according to the Roy Morgan Reactor, but a snap SMS Morgan Poll gave it to Kevin Rudd. This evening as the two leaders debated, around 1,000 electors gave their reactions by mobile phone from their homes – many also watching on their ‘second screen’. [b]The key findings were:[/b] Both leaders spoke to their own supporters – ALP voters generally reacted positively to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and negatively to Tony Abbott; while Liberal voters generally reacted positively to Tony Abbott and negatively to Kevin Rudd. The general public who ‘opted in’ to react – presumably more politically, interested and engaged gave clear support to Tony Abbott (the Channel 7 poll showed the same result). However among the carefully balanced sample recruited by Roy Morgan Research, the reactions were much more evenly balanced – and their reactions were close to the mid point for much of the debate. Nevertheless even among this balanced sample, Tony Abbott scored slightly more time in the positive zone than did Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. A quick content analysis showed Tony Abbott’s commentary on aged care was well received – but the specific point of reduced paperwork was not so appealing. Roy Morgan Research has seen this situation before ie the electorate responds well to positive general statements but once the detail is articulated it is not so well received. On the issue of climate change the electorate divided very strongly on party lines, Tony Abbott gained traction with the electorate when he talked about delivering a 5% reduction in carbon emissions but lost the ALP and Green voters when he talked about other countries and intimated that we can only work as far or fast as they are. Prime Minister Rudd began the discussion about Climate change in relatively negative territory but gained positive engagement as he made his arguments. Kevin Rudd also gained support with his discussion and explanation about the transition from the old to the new economy; Tony Abbott lost ground as he tackled Kevin Rudd over having said all the same things six years ago. On the issue of same sex marriage Tony Abbott held his own with his view that the issue was important but not an immediate priority, however he lost ground when he did not agree to a ‘conscience vote’. Although Kevin Rudd came out clearly in support of ‘marriage equity’ and a bill that would come forth and that would allow a conscience vote the electorate did not react strongly either way. [b]Closing Comments:[/b] Although Kevin Rudd did not gain resonance with the electorate when he talked about having kept the economy strong, he finished well gaining positive reactions to his comments about social issues like supporting families and education. Tony Abbott finished less well. He was well received in his comments about building the economy but ended on a somewhat negative note with the final one-liner ‘stop the boats’ which most realise is a complex issue. This is confirmed by a special SMS Morgan Poll taken immediately after the debate was concluded asking an Australia wide cross section of 1,200 electors 'who won the debate'. The results show 24% said Prime Minister Rudd won, 23% said Tony Abbott won, 5% said it was a tie, and 48% did not watch the debate. Further details will be available tomorrow by age and gender.[/quote]

BSA Bob

12/08/2013Ad Astra "Superficiality suits Abbott because there is little depth in his utterances" Congratulations on one of the most concise summations of Australian politics' last few years. But with this topic it also suits the media's need for shallow spectacle as opposed to substance. I watched 10 minutes or so, thought it bland in the extreme & found something else to do, secure in the knowledge that a significant portion of commentary would declare Abbott the winner because he'd arrived in the correct building. The little I did see was uninspiring, just prepared lines with not much in the way of argument. For example, Abbott said he'd "make a decision" about Sydney's airport. As opposed to not making a decision. Which seemed enough for the panel. No need to enquire what that decision may be. Likewise his risible climate change policy was regarded as a box ticked off, not the slightest hint of a question as to whether it might actually, sort of...work? Of course as an ALP supporter I have to be prepared to cop the same criticism, if warranted, of my guy. And I thought Rudd waffled himself on the airport question. Anyway, this post has been less concise than that comment of yours, so yes, it was a bit of a superficial affair. But that suits Abbott.

Michael

12/08/2013Did anyone else watch Channel Nine's coverage of the Leaders' Debate?

nasking

12/08/2013 ABC QLD PROMOTING COURIER MAIL BS POLLS...WE HAVE HIT AN ALL-TIME LOW. THE QLD ABC NEWS PRESENTER SHOULD GO BACK TO WA. AS FOR USING THAT FELLA FROM SOME CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY TO DUMP ON THE ALP HERE IN QLD...THE ABC MIGHT THINK ABOUT ADDING SOME MORE BALANCE. EVERYONE I'VE SPOKEN TO DETESTS NEWMAN AND THE LNP GOVT. THAT INCLUDES TWO COALITION VOTERS. THE ABC QLD NEEDS TO STOP ACTING LIKE A MURDOCH PUPPET...AND STOP TRYING TO SPIN THINGS TO BENEFIT THE LIBERALS. N'

Truth Seeker

12/08/2013Michael, I also watched 9, and saw the same as you. Couldn't believe it when Oakes said that Abbott won, and it was embarrassing when he said that he won on style, to which the audience reacted with laughter. It was obvious that they couldn't believe it either. Cheers :-)

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12/08/2013Michael Thank you for the information about the worm. No, I didn’t see Laurie Oakes. I’m glad. Bacchus Thanks for the Roy Morgan link, and the key findings, yet another poll that shows Rudd at least holding his own with Abbott, not losing spectacularly as Channel Seven asserted. BSA Bob Thank you for your kind remarks. It seems that you are right in your assessment of ‘the debate’. I suspect Channel Seven structured it more for entertainment than to inform the electorate. It really was awful as a debate between two national leaders. Let’s hope that they can do better next time.

TalkTurkey

12/08/2013Michael said [i]Did anyone else watch Channel Nine's coverage of the Leaders' Debate?[/i] Yes I did Michael, agree about the vertical latitude being very shallow, which meant it was not as spectacular and there appeared to be a strange lagtime of some 12-15 seconds between last point and next, but yes, Rudd was almost always in positive territory, often at the top of the scale, with Abborrtt either just in the positive or mostly in the negative, often deep in the poo. I also flipped to Ch 7 several times, the story there was exactly the reverse! Someone said on Ch9 Labor was +14, on Ch 7 it was -14. It was nonsense to any fairminded person, Abborrrrtt sloganning, Rudd detailing policy, but Toady Oakes gave the honours to Abborrrtt, what a fat farce. The Ch7 wormdrivers MUST have been nobbled in some way because it was so blatantly obvious that Abborrrtt was flailing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JEEEZZZUZZZ I despise Tom Iggulden.SUCH a Liberal shill on the ABC. He should be snotted in his sneering smarmy bigoted nose.

Catching up

13/08/2013" WOULD HAVE QUERIED: WHAT DID THE COALITION DO ON INTERNET SPEEDS FOR TWELVE YEARS?' " Come up with a dozen or more schemes that all failed, just as Labor first effort. All tried to do it on the cheap. Remember Conroy did call the tenders. If Howard had separated the two arms of Telstra before selling it off, we might now have fibre. I believe that Turnbull was involved in the selling off of Telstra. Maybe if they got it right, we might now have fibre. After all, Telecom over twenty years ago, said that the copper was crapped, and they need to replace it with fibre. Long I believe before the Internet was important. Yes, it is also improved phone services that come with fibre. It is not all about high speed Internet. I believe that Albanese was on top of it tonight, and that Turnbull was shown to be the liar, he seems to have become. He made threats during that debate, that he would have much to say tomorrow. I believe that Turnbull has a source inside NBNCo. This was after being challenged by both Albanese and Emma.

Catching up

13/08/2013Watching Al Jazeera. They have sent Abbot up re the suppositories. ABC 24. Not too complementary on our new asylum seeker laws as well.

lyn

13/08/2013Today’s Links Election 2013- Day 8 (or, Too many suppositories, not enough wisdom) by @GrogsGamut Oh wait, no we had to worry about whether or not Kevin Rudd cheated by using notes. It apparently went to his character. Geez. Just when you think commentary can’t get any more up it’s own arse. At best I’ve read people describing it as a silly rule, but that it’s the rules and therefore… snore. http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com.au/ Tom Watson coming to Australia to take on Murdoch by @ngungun@independentaus BRITISH LABOUR MP and anti-Murdoch campaigner Tom Watson is preparing to fly to Australia to talk about the conduct of Rupert Murdoch’s, the British newspaper The Guardian is reporting in its Australian on-line publication. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/tom-watson-coming-to-australia-to-take-on-murdoch/ The Coalition’s company tax promise – does it add up? by @ConversationEDU Until we learn more about the underlying assumptions, it’s hard to judge the validity of the Coalition’s $5 billion price tag. It depends on the view taken of how future terms of trade, growth projections, company tax policies (and how businesses react to those policies) impact on the company tax base. http://theconversation.com/the-coalitions-company-tax-promise-does-it-add-up-16882 Tony Abbott makes embarrassing gaffe by New Zealand Herald No one, however smart, however well-educated, however well-experienced, is the suppository of all wisdom."The saying is supposed to be the repository of all wisdom.Mr Abbott's mistake came after he was judged a narrow loser in the first Leaders Debate with Mr Rudd. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10911435 Australian election debate: Tony Abbott makes 'suppository' gaffe by Telegraph UK Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott inadvertently calls Prime Minister Kevin Rudd a "suppository" while attacking his leadership style. http://goo.gl/eFu8gT Murdoch wages media war against Rudd by Rob Telecommunications analysts don't doubt Labor's NBN, rolling fibre cable into almost every home, threatens Murdoch's most important Australian asset, Foxtel, jointly owned with phone giant Telstra and near unchallenged in pay TV. Broadband, in general, undermines the business model that Foxtel and others have, where you have to buy a package http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/9030355/Murdoch-wages-media-war-against-Rudd 'Notegate': political scandal or storm in a teacup? by Oliver Laughland Stop the notes" exclaims Monday's Daily Telegraph, which quotes the Sky News political editor and Sunday night's debate host, David Speers, as saying: "Kevin Rudd had notes. That wasn't allowed under the rules." If the allegations, which have been fervently denied by Rudd's camp, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/12/rudd-notegate-scandal-or-not Rudd versus Abbott: Observations on a Lacklustre First Election Debate By @Vaughann722 Abbott refuses to move on the National Broadband Network. Refusing to concede an inch to Labor, or give the government credit for anything, Abbott is playing a fundamentally destructive role here. The NBN has the potential to radically renew our economy in areas as diverse as education, health, information, communications and recreation http://leftfocus.blogspot.com.au/ Crowdsourcing the worm: the Aussie start-up tracking the election debate by James Riley Channel 7 said last night that more than 10,000 people from around Australia - presumably sitting on their lounges - participated in the network’s real-time Viewer Vote worm. At one point the system was receiving more than 1,000 data points a second - that’s 1,000 viewers per second providing feeding. http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/8/12/technology/crowdsourcing-worm-aussie-start-tracking-election-debate#ixzz2bjDkFbo8 Leaders’ Debate 11/8/13 – style, not substance? by @crazyjane13 Generally, Abbott’s answers tended to be either riddled with slogans, or entirely composed of criticism of Labor. At one point, he referred to Labor’s policies as ‘waffle’, and at another, laughed derisively during Rudd’s answer. Rudd, as sitting Prime Minister, had the advantage of being able to base his answers on the government’s achievements, http://consciencevote.com.au/2013/08/12/leaders-debate-11813-style-not-substance/ Waiting For The Worms – The leaders debate and the ignored result by @madwixxy Today News Ltd are touting that Abbott is the preferred choice to manage the economy. The debate I watched saw The Worm in the negative almost the entire time Abbott spoke about his pseudo economic scheme (no plan was announced). Rudd in contrast never went into the negative at all when speaking on his plan for the economy, in fact most if the time it was as high as it can go. http://wixxyleaks.com/2013/08/12/waiting-for-the-worms-the-leaders-debate-and-the-ignored-result/ The Debare: Who Got The Gong by @TheHoopla I’m baffled as to why we’d want to see a straight-jacketed Rudd and Abbott right now. Perfumed and coiffed, speaking in modulated tones as if they were your aged headmaster.When Laurie Oakes declared Abbott the winner because he’d said fewer words, I… Truly… Despaired. http://thehoopla.com.au/debate-gong/ How big is Tony’s budget black hole? by @macro_business The Coalition has to find a lot or savings if it doesn’t want to blow the budget. If we take out the environment and water policies, it’s still $25 billion in savings needed and that’s before we get to further very likely revenue write downs next year as Treasury forecasts prove optimistic once more. http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2013/08/how-big-is-tonys-budget-black-hole/ The Case For Voluntary Voting in Australia by Turnleft 2013 The IPA (Institute of Public Affairs Australia – right-wing think tank who refuse to publish their donors) have been encouraging the Liberal Party to move to voluntary voting under a Liberal-National Government. http://theaimn.com/2013/08/12/the-case-for-voluntary-voting-in-australia/ How exactly will Abbott employ one million people?' by Robert Gottliebsen Abbott's people believe that removing regulation road blocks will encourage employment despite the industrial relations job discouragements. In addition the Abbott camp believes that the way around the IR roadblock is to foster independent contracting. Abbott will reverse the current independent contracting impediments introduced by the Gillard government. http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/8/12/politics/how-exactly-will-abbott-employ-one-million-people How controversial change can still be achieved by @1RossGittins look at the way Abbott opposes Labor's overt subsidies to the moribund motor vehicle industry but then opposes its reform of the fringe benefits tax on company cars because it would remove a hidden subsidy to the industry. http://www.rossgittins.com/2013/08/how-controversial-change-can-still-be.html The Interest Rates Storm In A Teacup By Ian McAuley Although the Murdoch media and the Opposition would have us believe we face a crisis brought about by economic mismanagement, that is not the case. There is no need for drastic action, and that leads to the third point real interest rates the rates that influence our standard of living have been reasonably stable since the Reserve Bank became independent http://newmatilda.com/2013/08/12/interest-rates-storm-teacup The Kim Williams legacy: a lesson in who runs News by @mumbrella Over the weekend, News’s arch rival Fairfax Media has had tremendous fun trawling over the details of the departure of the iconoclastic News CEO and indeed there are many stories about what happened and why Williams was left with no choice but to pull up stumps http://mumbrella.com.au/the-kim-williams-legacy-172136#more-172136 It’s Not Illegal To Lie (About Most Things) in an Election Campaign (Nor Should It Be) by @djackmanson The urge to make political lying illegal is an unhealthy one. We already have the power in our hands to punish political liars – we can vote against them. That is our privilege, and we should guard it jealously, rather than trying to escape our responsibilities by handing them off to a legal system that isn’t set up to deal with them. http://ausvotes2013.com/2013/08/12/its-not-illegal-to-lie-about-most-things-in-an-election-campaign-nor-should-it-be/ NBN: What can Fibre do that Copper can't? Make a profit and pay off the investment. by @SteveJ_CBR Turnbull, an experienced Merchant Banker and independent investor, has created a full Business Plan out to 2040, but has failed to make it public. In his Policy Background document [pg 31], we get figures for just 5 years of a 30 year investment, 2014-2019. The only statement Turnbull makes on his "Return on Investment" is 'must be cashflow positive', http://stevej-on-nbn.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/nbn-what-can-fibre-do-that-copper-cant.html More Than 3m Premises Miss Out On FTTN by @sortius So Mal’s 3 word slogan has been picked apart, with “faster” disappearing in the early days 25Mbps can’t really compare to 1000Mbps, let alone be faster. Sooner is obviously a lie, they will not have the network upgraded by FY 2017, they will only have 65% of what their plan covers done by then, leaving 35% to crawl along with HFC speeds or ADSL2. http://sortius-is-a-geek.com/?p=3237 Today’s Front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 13 August 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/

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13/08/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

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13/08/2013Good Morning Lyn I’m beginning to read your great set of links, but have to go out for a while. I did enjoy Grog’s amusing piece. Looking at ‘that handshake’ after the debate, was that another ‘Latham moment’. Abbott man looks pretty aggressive to me, jaw jutting and all!!!!

nasking

13/08/2013 “One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion. So now people assume that religion and morality have a necessary connection. But the basis of morality is really very simple and doesn't require religion at all.” ― Arthur C. Clarke

BSA Bob

13/08/2013I saw (by accident) some of the NBN debate on Lateline last night. As someone who doesn't understand technology & whose eyes glaze over at the mention of numbers I consider myself well qualified to judge Turnbull's performance. And I think it was a Gish Gallop. He projects an air of authoritative gravitas, dismissive of anything his opponent says whilst letting loose with a barrage of impressive sounding numbers that nonetheless disappear in the stream before they're properly looked at. Fraudulently appropriating the title of NBN for himself while never being asked why he's so enthusiastic about something he's supposed to be destroying.

nasking

13/08/2013 RUPERT MURDOCH: "[b]What does he really feel in his stomach? Is he going to be a new Thatcher, which is what this country needs?" – on Cameron, 2009[/b] http://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/mar/10/rupert-murdoch-best-quotes ---------- [b]Tony Abbot describes Conservative categories: “1. ‘Activist’ conservative: “..include Ronald Ragan, Margaret Thatcher and John Howard.”[/b] http://www.tonyabbottexposed.com/2010/07/tony-abbott’s-highlights-from-his-book-‘battlelines’/ --------- "[b]Margaret Thatcher was one of the greatest British prime ministers and one of the most significant world leaders of our times," Mr Abbott said in a statement. "She was the first female prime minister of Great Britain and ranks with the greatest of prime ministers because of the quality of her leadership and the impact she had on Britain and the wider world." [/b] Mr Abbott said the conservative leader, known as The Iron Lady, was responsible for restoring Britain's place as a global powerhouse. He said she gave Britons "renewed confidence" and ensured they "no longer simply dwelt on the glories of the past". http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/former-british-prime-minister-margaret-thatcher-di/1822286/ CONSERVATIVE MALE VERSION COMING TO A NEIGHBOURHOOD NEAR YOU? N'

nasking

13/08/2013 [b]Couldn't believe it when Oakes said that Abbott won, and it was embarrassing when he said that he won on style, to which the audience reacted with laughter.[/b] TS, NO MATTER HOW MUCH INTEGRITY A JOURNO MIGHT SHOW ON OCCASION...IF THEY WORK FOR A COMPANY, CORPORATION THEY HAVE PUPPET MASTERS. SOMETIMES THE STRINGS ARE PULLED...THE JOURNO BECOMES A PUPPET... THE PUBLIC GOOD AND INTEGRITY ARE LOST. LIFE IN THE CORPORATE MEDIA WORLD. ABBOTT WAS POLICY LIGHT...IS LYING ABOUT THE GST. THEY WILL EXAGGERATE THE DEBT...THERE WILL BE SOMETHING LIKE A 'STATES AND FEDERAL BUDGET EMERGENCY' ANNOUNCED... THE COMPLIANT CORPORATE MEDIA (THAT INCLUDES THE ABC) WILL GO INTO OVERDRIVE PROMOTING THIS BS. THE GST WILL BE INCREASED...BROADENED...THE COMPANY TAX CUT INCREASED...AUSTERITY MEASURES BROUGHT IN FULLBORE AT BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS. THE COALITION HAVE NO PROBLEM MANIPULATING THE MEDIA, CONTROLLING THE ABC, GETTING RID OF PUBLIC SERVANTS WHO DON'T SUIT THEIR AGENDA, PRIVATISING AND CLOSING SCHOOLS...MAKING LIFE HARDER FOR THOSE ON WELFARE... THEY ARE RUTHLESS, MOCKING, ARROGANT, AGGRESSIVE, COCKY BASTARDS. IT'S IN THEIR DNA...AND THEIR PUPPET MASTERS. N'

nasking

13/08/2013 JAPAN'S ECONOMIC RECOVERY IS FALTERING...AMERICAN FAST FOOD COMPANIES WILL ONLY MAKE THINGS WORSE THERE BY HAVING MORE NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON THE HEALTH OF THE POPULATION INCREASING HEALTHCARE COST BURDENS... AND NOW THIS: BROILING temperatures in Japan has seen the mercury hit a record 41C, after at least nine people died from heatstroke over the weekend. The nation's weather agency issued heat warnings for 38 of Japan's 47 prefectures, telling people to keep hydrated and use their air conditioners. Sweltering temperatures contributed to the deaths of at least nine people from heatstroke on Saturday and Sunday, Japanese officials and media reports said. Another heatwave last month claimed at least a dozen lives. Japan's record temperature on Monday was registered at 1.42pm (1442 AEST) in Shimanto, a Pacific coast city on the western island of Shikoku, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. That broke the old high of 40.9C in August 2007 registered in two central Japanese cities, the weather agency said. Temperatures have soared above 40C for the third straight day across parts of Japan as a Pacific high-pressure system covered most of the country. Energy costs have rocketed after Japan shut down its nuclear reactors in the wake of the Fukushima atomic crisis two years ago. The move forced Tokyo to turn to pricey fossil-fuel alternatives to plug the gap. Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/japan-swelters-in-heatwave-nine-dead/story-e6frfkui-1226695930080#ixzz2boAEp4l1 THERE IS A [b]GLOBAL DISASTER UNFOLDING[/b] THAT HAS A GREAT DEAL TO DO WITH [b]SABOTAGE OF NECESSARY PROGRESS AND REFORMS[/b] BY [b]PSYCHOPATHS[/b] WHO ARE CONSERVATIVES, SOME [b]RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS[/b]...PURPORTING TO BE LIBERALS WHEN IT COMES TO ECONOMIC DECISIONS. IF SOME IN THE CORPORATE ARISTOCRACY ALONGSIDE UNIONS, PROGRESSIVE GROUPS DO NOT MOVE NOW TO REMEDY AND PREVENT THEIR ACTIONS WE WILL END UP IN [b]DECADES OF DESPAIR.[/b] N'

nasking

13/08/2013 CHRISTINE MILNE IS RIGHT TO BRING UP THE MINING TAX. THE BIG DIGGERS ARE CONVINCED THEY CAN BULLY POLITICIANS INTO HITTING THE REST OF US WITH AN INCREASED AND BROADENED GST...WHILST THEY ESCAPE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE COMMUNITIES.

42 long

13/08/2013Vested interests doing what vested interests do. Hang onto their inefficient and inappropriate techniques as long as they can. They have the CAPITAL to do it. A properly conducted RESEARCH of the effect of getting rid of the Carbon Tax (price) would be to INCREASE the PRICE of electricity. All Labor needs is for more FACTS to come out and their position becomes stronger. The more facts come out the LieNP look like a mob of con men, LIARs and spin doctors ( which is what they ARE)..

nasking

13/08/2013 JUST WATCHED LAST NIGHT'S LATELINE. TURNBULL NOT CONVINCING. HE CANNOT PREDICT REVENUE OF THE FUTURE FROM NBN. THE USE OF 'COST' BY HIM AND MEDIA IN THE PAST MISLEADING. WE NEED QUALITY NBN FOR ALL. THE HIGH SPEEDS WILL ATTRACT LOTS OF INNOVATION HERE...AND BRAINS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES. A MUST.

TalkTurkey

13/08/2013Abborrrt's an Aussie Tory Whose wording is absurd: If Rudd's a Suppository Then Tony is a Turd! Aussie Tory... Suppository ... Patricia I thought you'd like that. :)

nasking

13/08/2013 ANDREW ROBB...THE REASON THE CONFIDENCE IN THIS HOUSE HAS DROPPED IS DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY YOU AND YOUR SHONKY TEAM COULD GET INTO POWER...AND THE LNP IN QLD WILL SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO MAD WITH CUTS, FREEZING WAGES, PUSHING UNIONISED WORKFORCES INTO STRIKES, CLOSING SCHOOLS, REDUCING ADMINISTRATIONS AND ANNIHILATING WORK CONDITIONS...AND CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR A FUTURE RECESSION WITH THE HELP OF YOUR DOPEY AUSTERITY MEASURES THAT YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH DUE TO EXAMPLES SET BY TORIES IN THE UK...AND CONSERVATIVES IN PARTS OF AMERICA.

nasking

13/08/2013 HOCKEY LOOKED BAD RUSHING OFF MAKING SURE ROBB COULDN'T SAY ANYMORE WHEN THEY WERE BEING CHALLENGED OVER COSTINGS AND PYNE'S STATEMENT THERE WOULD NEVER BE A GST INCREASE UNDER AN ABBOTT GOVT. I DO NOT LIKE THE GW BUSH, AMERICAN STYLE ADDRESSES TO SELECTED AUDIENCES BY ABBOTT. HE NEEDS TO BE QUESTIONED INTENSELY...SCRUTINISED INTENSELY.

nasking

13/08/2013 BY SAYING '[b]THERE ARE DEFICITS AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE' [/b] ABBOTT IS USING INCREMENTAL STEPS, PAVING THE WAY, FOR A FEAR-MONGERING 'DEBT EMERGENCY' HYPE THAT WILL SEE HIM MURDER PUBLIC SERVANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES...AND CUT TAXES TO THE SO CALLED 'WEALTH CREATORS'...WHILST PUSHING THE CASE FOR INCREASING AND BROADENING THE GST...AND MAKING THE LIVES FOR PEOPLE ON UNEMPLOYMENT AND DISABILITY PENSIONS HELL. [b]BY NOT RELEASING THEIR COSTINGS THE COALITION WILL LOSE MANY VOTERS SOON. THEY DON'T TRUST ABBOTT...REGARDLESS OF WHAT MANIPULATIVE POLLSTERS TELL YOU.[/b] THE [b]COALITION ARE TRYING TO DUPE THE PUBLIC[/b]. N'

nasking

13/08/2013 WE KNOW ABBOTT IS A BULLSHITTER: [b]Tony Abbott has publicly slapped down Canning MP Don Randall after the Liberal backbencher said a coalition government could be forced to dump unaffordable election promises.[/b] http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/18478965/abbott-rebukes-wa-lib-mp-over-budget-claim/ MR. GOSPEL TRUTH...MR. IRONCLAD PROMISE IS FULL OF IT.

nasking

13/08/2013 [b]The Medicare Safety Net Broken Promise – 2004 Election Promise [/b] [b]During the 2004 Federal Election, Tony Abbott, the then Minister for Health and Ageing, made a promise that the Medicare Safety net would not be raised. [/b] This is part of the interview that went to air on the ABC’s 4 Corners, on September, 6, 2004. TICKY FULLERTON: Will this Government commit to keeping the Medicare-plus-safety-net as it is now in place after the election? TONY ABBOTT: Yes. TICKY FULLERTON: That's a cast-iron commitment? TONY ABBOTT: Cast-iron commitment. Absolutely. TICKY FULLERTON: 80 per cent of out-of-pocket expenses rebatable over $300, over $700? TONY ABBOTT: That is an absolutely rock solid, iron-clad commitment. Source: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2004/s1193609.htm However, in 2005, Tony Abbott and the Howard Government raised the Medicare Safety Net threshold from $300 to $500 for lower income families, and $700 to $1000 for everybody else. In an interview with Laurie Oakes that took place April 17, 2005, Tony Abbott defended his broken promise by stating: “Well, Laurie, when I made that statement, in the election campaign, I had not the slightest inkling that there would ever be any intention to change this. But obviously when circumstances change, governments do change their opinions, and that is actually the responsible course of action.” The problem for Tony Abbott is that he made a promise that he knew he couldn’t keep. The interview continues: http://www.phonytonyabbott.com/lies-and-deceptions/medicare-safety-net-broken-promise-–-2004-election-promise HMMM... ABBOTT CAN'T BE TRUSTED. DON RANDALL KNOWS IT.

nasking

13/08/2013 IT'S A PATTERN OF BEHAVIOUR: [b]Tony Abbott tries to lie about meeting with George Pell in the lead-up to the 2004 Federal Election In the lead-up to the 2004 Federal Election, Tony Abbott appeared on the ABC’s Lateline TV Show. Towards the end of the interview, Tony Abbott was asked a relatively straight forward question:[/b] TONY JONES: Tony Abbott on another matter, have you met Archbishop Pell during the election campaign? TONY ABBOTT: Not that I can recall. TONY JONES: Not that you can recall, because we believe that you've had at least one meeting with him quite recently? You don't recall that? TONY ABBOTT: Well, when? Where? TONY JONES: At the presbytery in Sydney. TONY ABBOTT: Ah, actually now that you do mention it, I did met with Cardinal Pell. So what? Why shouldn't I meet with Cardinal Pell? TONY JONES: Why couldn't you recall meeting him, I think, 10 days ago? TONY ABBOTT: Look, whenever it was, so what? Why shouldn't I meet Cardinal Pell. Cardinal Pell is a fine man. He made a very good statement the other day about the Labor Party's policy, why shouldn't I meet with him? TONY JONES: Well, the reason we're asking about this, obviously, because your behind-the-scenes activities in the '98 election were quite renowned and I'm wondering is there any possibility that in your discussions with Cardinal Pell which you couldn't recall a moment ago - in those discussions did you actually bring up the issue of private schools? TONY ABBOTT: Nup. TONY JONES: Not at all? TONY ABBOTT: Nup. TONY JONES: What issues were discussed? TONY ABBOTT: Well, Tony, I may well have been going to confession to Cardinal Pell, I may well have been seeking pastoral counseling from Cardinal Pell. What's so sinister about that? Cardinal Pell is one of the greatest churchmen that Australia has seen. I am a very imperfect Catholic. Why shouldn't I go and seek counsel? Why shouldn't I go and trespass on the time occasionally of someone like Cardinal Pell. If you spent more time with Cardinal Pell, your life might be more interesting. TONY JONES: I haven't spent any time at all with Cardinal Pell as it turns out, but that's beside the point. You're a political operative and the question is not whether he gave you counseling but whether you gave him counseling because only a short time after your visit out came this letter signed by two Archbishops condemning Labor's education policy? TONY ABBOTT: So you think that I put words into the mouth not only of Cardinal Pell but of Archbishop Jensen? TONY JONES: I'm simply asking whether that was a matter of your conversations which a moment ago you didn't recall? TONY ABBOTT: That's a bizarre suggestion. TONY JONES: Tony Abbott, we'll have to leave it there, thank you very much for joining us tonight. http://www.phonytonyabbott.com/lies-and-deceptions/tony-abbott-tries-lie-about-meeting-george-pell-lead-2004-federal-election I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF TONY ABBOTT EVER SPOKE TO PELL ABOUT CATHOLIC CHURCH ABUSE COVERUPS? AND IF HE HAS SPOKEN TO PELL ABOUT THE ROYAL COMMISSION? N'

nasking

13/08/2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT_rR0Ryatc IT'S TIME FOR SOME

Pappinbarra Fox

13/08/2013Last Sunday night’s leader’s debate for the Australian Federal election was disappointing at a whole host of levels. But mainly on just one: The wrong person was debating for Labor.

nasking

13/08/2013 TIME FOR BROADSIDES. TURNBULL, HOCKEY, ABBOTT, ROBB ALL VULNERABLE. RUDD CAN DO THIS. IGNORE THE DOUBTERS. SOME LIKE TO SOW THE SEEDS OF DOUBT...FOR HIDDEN MOTIVES. THEY LIKE TO SPREAD THE SAME SICKNESS THE MURDOCH EMPIRE AND SHOCK JOCKS DO. INCLUDING DAILY TELEGRAPH, COURIER MAIL, THE SUN...FOX NEWS. NOW IS TIME TO GO ON THE FRONT FOOT. [b]BELIEVE[/b]! N'

nasking

13/08/2013 EVERY TIME SCOTT MORRISON IS ROLLED OUT IT TELLS ME THE COALITION ARE SCARED.

nasking

13/08/2013 YEP, MORRISON BREATHING VERY SHALLOW, EYES FREAKED...THE COALITION ARE WORRIED...USING THE SAME OLD DISTRACTIONS... NOW ABBOTT RUSHES IN. THEY ARE TERRIFIED OF REAL SCRUTINY. THIS COULD BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR THEM. THE MEDIA WITH GUTS AND INTEGRITY WILL NOW HOUND THEM...TEAR THEM APART BIT BY BIT. THEY CAN SMELL BLOOD...THE LIES...THE COWARDICE...THE HIDDEN AGENDAS. WHAT ARE THE ABBOTT COALITION HIDING? N'

nasking

13/08/2013 INTERESTING THAT THE LIBERAL ABC IS ONLY SHOWING CLIPS FROM COALITION PRESSERS...NOT SHOWING THE QUESTIONING. MARK SCOTT IN CHARGE OF THE ABC ONCE WORKED FOR GREINER.

Jason

13/08/2013A day in the life of Bushfire Bill! bushfirebill August 13, 2013 at 1:25 pm Just been having a chat with the electricity meter reader guy. He is a total denier of the science of Climate Change. In fact he says he doesn’t have to deny it, because it’s not even science. How can you deny something that doesn’t exist? * The US wants Julian Assange, not because he leaked secrets that would help terrorists, but because some of what he stole exposed Climate Science as the fraud it is, and they want him dead for it. (Asked why he hasn’t leaked this startling fact already, the guy had no explanation). * When the Greenland ice melts, it will form a huge freshwater lake, because Greenland is a giant bowl. So the water won’t run off into the sea. * The East Anglia University emails were final evidence that Climate Science is bunk. No-one has ever disputed this, or proved otherwise. * All scientists are liars and bludgers, sucking off the public tit. Not just Climate Scientists, but ALL scientists. * The last ten years have been the coldest in history, not the hottest. * The Earth is heading for an Ice Age. * A “bloke he knows” at Manly Sea Aquarium told him sea levels are falling. * The Bureau Of Meteorology and the CSIRO are part of an international conspiracy to misrepresent temperatures. Everyone knows that temperature records taken 100 years and more ago were wrong, due to primitive equipment, and that thus comparisons of modern temperatures to historical temperatures are fundamentally flawed and deliberately misleading. * Even if Climate Change is real – which it isn’t of course – only brown people, Muslims and Asians will die, which will make things better for “us white people”. Other gems… * Julia Gillard is a lesbian and Tim is a homosexual. * Kevin Rudd is bi-sexual. * We have bribed the financial ratings agencies to give us AAA ratings, by duchessing their executives with prostitutes and money when they come to Australia to… read the meter, I suppose. * Craig Thomson was part of this conspiracy. It’s amazing that I didn’t know any of this. It’s all on the Internet, if only you know where to look. He gets his info from “secret” web sites where you have to be a member and be checked out by other members before gaining access… and of course from Andrew Bolt and Michael Smith’s blogs. The above is all a giant conspiracy between homosexuals in America, Australia and Europe to make homosexuality compulsory across the world, with Australia as its major laboratory. AND THIS MAN VOTES.

nasking

13/08/2013 OF COURSE JOHN SINGLETON BACKS TWO SPORTS CELEBRITIES...HE HAS MADE A LOT OF MONEY OUT OF DESTROYING AND MANIPULATING GOVTS THAT WANT TO TAX HIS PRIVILEGED LOT MORE: [b]Singleton, who made his fortune in advertising, has a long association with the central coast, where he owns private real estate, a number of resorts and the Strawberry Hills Stud, a multimillion-dollar racehorse operation.[/b] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/12/singleton-funds-sporting-candidates-election I FEEL LIKE I NEED A HOT SHOWER AFTER EACH TIME I SEE OR HEAR FROM THIS CRUD WHO HAS CONNED THE AUSSIE PUBLIC FOR DECADES... PARTLY VIA HIS RICH COCK JOCKS. TIME GETS THEM ALL. N'

nasking

13/08/2013 THEY THINK THEY ARE 'UNTOUCHABLE' THEY ARE WRONG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu2FekMaTQc [b]THIS OUR DEMOCRACY DON'T FORGET IT[/b] N'

nasking

13/08/2013 JASON, IT'S NOT SURPRISING THERE ARE MANY VOTERS AROUND WITH KOOKY IDEAS...THINK ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE IN SUCH BS AS ANGELS AND AN INTERVENTIONIST GOD, DURING TIMES OF HUGE TRANSITIONS...TECHNOLOGY, ENERGY, BORDERS, WHAT CONSTITUTES FAMILY, TRANSPORT, CITIES, JOBS, COMMUNICATION MODES, ECONOMICS, MEDICINE, HUMAN RIGHTS, PERCEPTION OF OTHER SPECIES, CLIMATE, POLITICS, RELIGION, MEDIA...YOU GET A LOT OF UNSETTLED, CONFUSED, INSECURE PEOPLE WHO HANDLE THE CHANGE IN A WOBBLING WORLD BY GRABBING ONTO EXTREMIST AND CYNICAL VIEWS...LOTS OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES...AND FEAR-MONGERING... THEY NEED SOMEONE TO BLAME SO THEY LISTEN TO THOSE WHO BLAME GOVT...OR OTHERS WHO ARE AUTHORITY FIGURES... SHOWING SIGNS OF PARANOID DELUSIONS. THIS CAN IS OFT EXPLOITED BY CORPORATIONS AND POLITICAL AND MEDIA FIGURES TO BENEFIT THEIR OWN GOALS. HITLER AND GOEBBELS AND THEIR CRONIES WERE VERY EFFECTIVE IN DOING THIS, MURDOCH'S EMPIRE TOO. CHARACTERS LIKE ANDREW BOLT, RUSH LIMBAUGH, PAT ROBERTSON AND ALEX JONES TOO. IT'S HIGHLY IRRESPONSIBLE. THESE WOBBLY CHARACTERS LIKE THE METER MAN THO HAVE NO PROBLEM EXPECTING GOVT TO BAIL THEM OUT AND PROVIDE FREE HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION, TRAINING WHEN NEEDY. N'

nasking

13/08/2013 Should be: SHOWING SIGNS OF PARANOID DELUSIONS. THIS CONDITION IS OFT EXPLOITED BY CORPORATIONS, POLITICAL AND MEDIA FIGURES TO BENEFIT THEIR OWN GOALS.

nasking

13/08/2013 WOULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTING TO SEE THE 'VOTE COMPASS' QLD RESULTS IF THE ABC HAD SPRUIKED IT FROM THE MOMENT KEVIN RUDD TOOK THE LEADERSHIP. INTERESTING THEY TIMED THE SPRUIK JUST AS THE COURIER MAIL AND DAILY TELEGRAPH STARTED THEIR BOMBING MISSION ON RUDD...WHICH THE ABC REPORTED IN GORY DETAIL LIKE THE GOOD PUPPETS THEY ARE. NOT LONG AFTER THE PREDICTABLE "SUGAR HIT" COMMENTS BY THE USUAL MEDIA SUSPECTS. :D YAWN. N'

nasking

13/08/2013 [b]Peter Beattie on the day of September 11 attacks[/b] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImfWkcyXeM8

Michael

13/08/2013There's this website called 'Connect the Dots', and if you go there, there aren't any secrets left. So, of course, you vote Abbott. Simple as.

nasking

13/08/2013 THNX FOR THE LINKS LYN: [b]The Guardian describes Tom Watson as one of Murdoch’s most vocal critics, who was dogged in his pursuit of him through allegations that journalists at one of his newspapers, the News of the World, had illegally hacked phones to get stories. Watson has published a book about Murdoch called Dial M For Murdoch, which is available in Australia. Watson said he would meet members of the ALP. He has not been in contact with Kevin Rudd. He said he would be happy to meet the Australian Prime Minister.[/b] http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/tom-watson-coming-to-australia-to-take-on-murdoch/ --------- [b]DIAL M FOR MURDOCH[/b] Book Description Publication Date: 29 Nov 2012 [b]For years Rupert Murdoch's newspapers had been hacking, spying, blagging, bribing and destroying the evidence. They thought they were untouchable. They were wrong.[/b] [b]This is the book that exposed the shadow state at the heart of Britain[/b]. Now fully updated with the very latest in the News Corp scandal, it tells the story of how a criminal conspiracy involving politicians, the police and the press was revealed; the smears and threats they used to cover it up; the brave whistleblowers who cracked open the case - and what it now means for all of us. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dial-Murdoch-Corporation-Corruption-Britain/dp/0241961041/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/278-4486658-1171705 [b]MURDOCH BACKS ABBOTT TOO MANY IN OUR GUTLESS MEDIA DO LIKEWISE. SHAME[/b] WE WILL NOT FORGET SLEEP WELL WHILST YOU CAN N'

Michael

13/08/2013Can't give you the website address, but, not yet. In good time before the election. Fair dinkum.

nasking

13/08/2013 MICHAEL...LOL. A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME FROM THE MAN OF STUNTS?: The opposition leader, Tony Abbott, has described a Liberal candidate as having "sex appeal" when asked to list her traits on the campaign trail. Abbott was in the New South Wales electorate of Lindsay with the candidate, Fiona Scott, when he was asked what the similarities were between her and the former Liberal MP for the seat, Jackie Kelly. "They're both good, young, feisty – I think I could probably say have a bit of sex appeal – and are just very connected to the local community," he replied. Abbott's daughter Frances was at the press conference along with Scott, who did not respond directly to the comment. The western Sydney seat will be crucial in the upcoming election and is held by Labor's David Bradbury on a margin of 1.1%. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/13/tony-abbott-candidate-sex-appeal ABBOTT IS BEYOND WEIRD. THIS IS MURDOCH TABLOID WEIRD. WILL HE AND COL ALLEN PUT FIONA SCOTT ON PAGE THREE OF A BRAND SPANKING NEW DAILY TELEGRAPH SOON? HAVING SUCH RESPECT FOR WOMEN AS THEY DO. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_3 N'

nasking

13/08/2013 ON SKY NEWS LIB MATHIAS CORMANN COULDN'T ANSWER WHEN ASKED BY DAVID SPEERS IF THE COALITION'S 12,000 JOB CUTS TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE WOULD INCLUDE THE GOVT'S 5,000.

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13/08/2013Hi Lyn I’ve looked at your links piecemeal today, and enjoyed them all. The ones on the so-called debate confirmed how useless it was as a mechanism for informing the public about matters related the election. There must be a better way. Maybe that could be a good theme for the next post! There have been comments by BSA Bob and nasking about Malcolm Turnbull’s performance on [i]Lateline[/i]. Every time he confuses even well informed viewers with the complexities that roll off his lips, he illustrates brilliantly the virtue of KISS – ‘keep it simple, stupid’. Shuffling his papers last night, he attempted to show how he had arrived at his $94 billion estimate of the cost of Labor’s NBN. He said it was based on four Coalition assumptions that were different from those of Labor. As he worked through them, attempting to explain how they resulted in the $94 billion price tag, I suspect he lost most of his audience, especially when he introduced revenue aspects, about which Emma Alberici pulled him up. He did a typical Turnbull – confused his audience with complexity instead of informing them with simplicity. And in the process, he became flustered and annoyed, and thereby less convincing. For many years I have also noticed that when Turnbull’s heart is not really in what he is arguing, he looks phony. If he doesn’t really believe in what he’s saying, it shows. In contrast, Albo was much more to the point: simple, unwavering, definite, and thereby convincing. In my view the only time he stumbled was in answering Turnbull’s accusation that the cost of a pipe that guaranteed one gigabit per second download speed would cost the user $20,000 per month. Albo’s response was that the price would be the going commercial rate, but didn’t elaborate. So we are none the wiser. Anyone who missed the comedy show can see it at: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2013/s3824057.htm Thanks again for another marvellous collection of great reading.

Catching up

13/08/2013nasking, it seems like I am among a minority, that believes that Turnbull was not great last night. Cannot see him convincing to many young people, who are in the know and have expectations. I would have advised Albanese not to agree to that debate, but he did much better than one would expect. It is hard to argue against one that tells bare faced lies, and the rest of what he says, is twisted facts. Yes, when Turnbull spends so much time trying to prove that Labor says it would cost nothing to connect the fibre under NBNCO. We all know we are talking about the fibre, not connecting to the server, which we will pay for, as we do now.

nasking

13/08/2013 PRETTY APT TO HAVE ABBOTT ON TV PLAYING GAMES WITH FOOTY PLAYERS... HE'S PLAYING GAMES WITH THE VOTERS TOO.

Bacchus

13/08/2013[quote]connecting to the server, which we will pay for, as we do now.[/quote] Actually Cu, iiNet are offering $0 installation to connect with them to the NBN now. As this ramps up, more and more ISPs will be offering deals like this. I remember when the Foztel cable was installed in our street, they had a deal where you could connect to the cable, get Foxtel free for one month, as long as you signed up for another month. Likewise, when Telstra was offering BigPond over the Foxtel cable, we go $0 installation because we already had the cable in situ. IMO, free "connection" to the NBN will become the norm as competition ramps up...

nasking

13/08/2013 [b]Cannot see him convincing to many young people, who are in the know and have expectations.[/b] CU, INDEED. I'M SURE QUITE A FEW NOT SO YOUNG VOTERS SAW THRU HIS BS TOO. YOU, AD, BSA BOB AND ME ABOVE INCLUDED. AND OBVIOUSLY EMMA ALBERICI. INTERESTING THAT TURNBULL FARTED ON FOR AGES DEMANDING THE GOVT PUT OUT A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS...YET HE FAILS TO DO SO HIMSELF. I DO BELIEVE THE NBN WILL BE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE GOVT IS SAYING...BUT I BELIEVE THE REWARDS FOR AUSTRALIA ARE IMMEASURABLE IN A POSITIVE WAY... YOU ONLY HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT PROGRESS IN HI-TECH AREAS HAS DONE FOR THE USA...AND PLACES LIKE STH KOREA. IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT THE INTERNET? AND IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT JOBS AND MONEY. HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS WOULD'VE SPENT THEIR LIVES ALONE SUFFERING IN BOREDOM AND QUIET DESPAIR WITHOUT THE INTERNET? FEW WAYS TO BE HEARD...EXCHANGE IDEAS, THE NBN WILL CHANGE THIS COUNTRY IN WAYS WE CAN BARELY IMAGINE AT THIS POINT. IT'S SAD TO SEE A ONCE VISIONARY CHARACTER LIKE TURNBULL SIDING WITH THE LUDDITES AND SABOTEURS AND GREEDSTERS. N'

nasking

13/08/2013 [b]LIBERAL ALAN TUDGE WAS SAYING ON CAPITAL HILL THE COALITION WILL HONOUR THE FUNDING COMMITMENTS FOR INDEPENDENT AND CATHOLIC SCHOOLS... WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS?[/b] LABOR'S STEPHEN JONES DIDN'T EVEN PICK IT UP...NOR LYNDAL CURTIS... WHAT A DISGRACE! N'

lyn

13/08/2013Hi Ad, Thankyou for your 2 posts to me today. I agree the debate was useless, but really what would you expect organized and presented by David Speers. Was just a discussion not a debate at all. Turnbull continues to look foolish. Perhaps there will be some writers informing us of the Policy today regarding mobile phones & black spots : [quote]Tony Abbott says if elected the Coalition will fix mobile phone black spots in bushfire and flood-prone areas [/quote] http://goo.gl/KZ4kww I have had a really busy day today setting up our new garden. Lots of work but looks lovely like a little rain forest or glen , mostly ferns. I love rock orchids/lillies, birds nests, tree ferns & Elkhorns/Staghorns . At the moment all I can hear is Abbott, Abbott & more Abbott, seems 24 hours after his suppository gaffe he has gaffed again with a sex appeal comment. [quote]Tony Abbott highlights fellow Liberal candidate Fiona Scott's 'sex appeal' during campaign event [/quote]http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-13/tony-abbott-highlights-fellow-candidates-sex-appeal/4884346 [quote]Federal election 2013: Tony Abbott talks up the 'sex appeal' of Lindsay candidate [/quote]http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/special-features/federal-election-2013-tony-abbott-talks-up-the-8216sex-appeal8217-of-lindsay-ca

nasking

13/08/2013 STEPHEN JONES WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOLS...TYPICAL. NOT SURPRISING HE DIDN'T BOTHER CORRECTING AND QUESTIONING TUDGE. DO THE ALP EVEN GIVE A SHIT ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS? THEIR EDUCATION MINISTER SHORTEN IS A CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOY...HE GOT AGREEMENTS FOR THE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS... BUT NOT THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN SOME STATES. AND THE ALP WONDER WHY SO MANY TEACHERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL VOTE GREEN. N'

nasking

13/08/2013 [b]MY WIFE RECKONS THE MEDIA DON'T SEEM TO HIRE ANYONE WHO ISN'T FROM SOME TOFF SCHOOL. I WONDER IF THIS IS WHY THERE IS SO MUCH BIAS AGAINST PUBLIC SCHOOLS...LITTLE SUPPORT FOR THEM ON THE MEDIA...NOT PICKING UP POLLIES ON THEIR PRIVATE SCHOOL BIAS?[/b] I [b]ALWAYS WONDERED WHY SO MUCH MONEY AND LATITUDE WAS GIVEN TO THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS DURING THE BER. FRANKLY, I'M BEGINNING TO THINK THAT BOTH RUDD'S ALP AND ABBOTT'S TEAM ARE WILLING TO FCK OVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS... [/b] NO MATTER WHO WINS. NOT SURE I WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE.

42 long

13/08/2013A much more affluent society has moved somewhat to the private school concept. It shouldn't be necessary and the PUBLIC ( a word the Libs hate) system must be maintained and improved. SELECTIVE Private schools have an easy ride as they can "eliminate" kids who would lower their standards and enable them to promote their school as a High Achieving School. Every parent would ostensibly wish their child to be a high achiever but this may not always be the best for a given child in the classical sense. Nor all kids can be community leaders or genius status in their field. Mixing with disabled and more normal average,and diverse kids might well be a good result aim in the sense of awareness of societal inclusiveness, that some aware parents may wish their kids to participate in

nasking

13/08/2013 MY WIFE JUST SAID THAT NEITHER OF THE MAINSTREAM PARTIES GIVE A CRAP ABOUT HER VOTE. SHE PAID 27 GRAND IN TAX THIS YEAR... THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE GST...AND OTHER FEES, TAXES, RATES. SHE'S A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER...NO KIDS...ONE DEPENDENT SPOUSE WITH NO HELP FROM GOVT BECAUSE NO DEPENDENT SPOUSE REBATE. SHE'S A VEGETARIAN. I WONDER HOW MANY OF THESE BIG WIGS OUT THERE PAY THE TAX SHE DOES? SHE DOESN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT PAYING THE TAXES... BUT IT DOES IRK HER THAT THE MAINSTREAM PARTIES THINK SHE'S NOT WORTH REPRESENTING, AND IT DISGUSTS HER WHEN SHE SEES MURDOCH, SINGLETON, RINEHART AND FORREST SCHEMING OVERTIME TO PAY LESS TAXES... WHEN THEY WERE EITHER BORN PRIVILEGED... AND/OR GOT THEIR MONEY THRU UNSAVOURY MEANS. N'

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13/08/2013Hi Lyn The ‘sexist’ remark by Abbott has got some airplay, but dismissed as insignificant by the Liberals. On ABC’s [i]The Drum[/i], Kerry Chikarovski flicked it away as a small matter during a long day of campaigning by dear Tony. Poor old Tony. The other panelists were not so accommodating. Anyway, we know that unless it’s written down, we can’t take anything Tony says as gospel.

nasking

13/08/2013 [b]SELECTIVE Private schools have an easy ride as they can "eliminate" kids who would lower their standards and enable them to promote their school as a High Achieving School.[/b] 42 long, MY WIFE HEARD ON THE GRAPEVINE THAT CERTAIN PRIVATE SCHOOLS ARE TELLING LOW PERFORMING STUDENTS TO STAY AWAY...MARKING THEM ABSENT SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE COUNTED...DURING THE NAPLAN TESTS. PRETTY DISGRACEFUL IF TRUE. I'VE HEARD THAT PLENTY OF PRIVATE SCHOOL KIDS IN SENIOR YEARS HAVE TUTORS WHO WRITE THEIR ASSIGNMENTS FOR THEM TOO. IT'S NOT A 'FAIR-GO' SYSTEM... BUT MOST OF THE MEDIA DON'T GIVE A STUFF BECAUSE THEIR BOSSES ARE PRIVILEGED TOFFS PROTECTING THEIR SCHOOLS...AS ARE MANY IN THE MEDIA. OLD SCHOOL TIE CRAP. SO MUCH FOR 'CLASSLESS AUSTRALIA'. It'S A JOKE. N'

nasking

13/08/2013 LOL. ALAN KOHLER RECKONS THE CHINA BEARS ARE WRONG. I'VE HEARD THIS CRAP BEFORE WITH THE USA...THEN CRASH. THE CHINESE CAN MANIPULATE THE FIGURES HOWEVER THEY WANT. THERE IS LITTLE TRANSPARENCY. CHINA HAS MASSIVE UNDERLYING PROBLEMS. FULL STOP. N'

Catching up

13/08/2013I love the reply that Albanese gave. Yes, the Opera House was treated with like contempt, bought down the Labor government, the cuts destroy much of the design and usage, saving very little , if anything. Yes, and Albanese is correct, a billion dollars is now being spent, bringing it up to standard. Who, when they look at the building, remembers the so called political scandals of the time. The Lib, in time have been proven wrong for their actions. What is new in that. After Whitlam was deposed, no one heard anymore of the alleged scandals that bought him down. Same goes for Gallard. How can something be so scandalous one week, and forgotten the next, with no further action being taken? Last night, Turnbull made a veiled threat that he would have more to say about that tomorrow. Has Turnbull made any statements today. I suspected he has an inside source in NBNCo, and would be releasing more private information, maybe that report he claims exists. The comment seem to be in anger, and more like an aside. Something I suspect, he wished he did not say. No one seem to have picked up on it. Wonder how Abbott would react, if asked if his daughters had sex appeal Would also like to see him asked, if he believes they should have. Now that would be news. Anyone game to try, on his twitter account.

Catching up

13/08/2013+ Who are responsible for those mobile black spots. What responsibility do the mobile servers have. Who provides the towers. Why is the government involved.

nasking

13/08/2013 EVEN A NUMBER OF KEY MEDIA WHO ATTENDED PUBLIC SCHOOLS SEEM TO BE SEDUCED BY THE HIGH LIFE...RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE PRIVILEGED FEW. HOW SOON PEOPLE FORGET THE SYSTEM, THE EDUCATORS THAT GAVE THEM OPPORTUNITIES. SO SAD. INTERESTINGLY, MY WIFE WENT TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL...BUT SHE FELT COMPELLED TO TEACH IN A LOWER SOCIO-ECONOMIC PUBLIC SCHOOL THAT HAS A DIVERSE CULTURAL POPULATION. SHE IS THE LEAST RACIST PERSON I'VE EVER KNOWN. I FIGHT FOR HER...AND THE KIDS. AND THE EXPLOITED AND ABUSED ANIMALS. N'

Truth Seeker

13/08/2013Nas, thanks for your reply earlier, sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner, but I've been busy getting back into making leadlight windows for our en-suite, and I posted another poem this morning which has kept me busy in between times. Yes you are right, but it's sad to see someone that I used to have at least some respect for (a while ago now) make such a fool of himself. Keep up the good work mate, as I follow your comments, whenever I can, and it's good to see that you are going strong. Look after those eyes mate, and give my best to "S" :-) Cheers :-)

TalkTurkey

13/08/2013OHHHH YEAHHHHHH! You GOTTA watch this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx9eH3qOJXw&feature=youtu.be I have laughed till I cried! :)

lyn

14/08/2013Today’s Links Election 2013: Day 9 (or, Hit ‘em with the old PEFO) BY @GrogsGamut Everyone except those in the Liberal Party looking at the Budget grassy knoll knew the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook was going to be almost exactly the same as the Economic Statement released the Friday before the election. We know this because it was clearly one of the reasons why the Economic Statement was released two days before the election was called. http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com.au/ Something is missing by @Vic_Rollison missing from 95% of the political coverage of this election. Something is missing from the policy discussions; something is missing from the detailed analysis of who spoke better in the debate, who had the best three word slogans and who read off notes. Something is missing from the articles written by journalists http://victoriarollison.com/2013/08/13/something-is-missing/ FactCheck: how strong is Australia’s economy? by @ConversationEDU Verdict: The data indicates that the Prime Minister’s statement about the debt position of Australia is correct. The economy is doing relatively well by international standards. The new information recently released by the Treasury depicts a somewhat softer short-term outlook, but it does not substantially change the overall positive assessment of Australian http://theconversation.com/factcheck-how-strong-is-australias-economy-16716 The Mystery Of The 'Five Pillar Economy' by @beneltham In a tougher and more substantial media environment, this lack of detail would be called out, as Colebatch does today on Opposition costings. But on the whole, the media continues to obsess over trivia, like Kevin Rudd’s notes in Sunday night’s leaders’ debate, or Tony Abbott’s unfortunate turn of phrase about suppositories. http://newmatilda.com//2013/08/13/mystery-five-pillar-economy A pre-election budget on the sober side by @TheKouk The PEFO should once and for all kill any mischievous discussion that Treasury is leaned on by government or forced to 'cook the books' to suit the narrative of the treasurer of the day. This is because the PEFO numbers and economic parameters are exactly the same as those released by Treasurer Bowen, aside from there being 11 days extra news to slot into the spreadsheets http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/8/13/economy/pre-election-budget-sober-side NO CHANGE IN THE FORECAST by Nick Feik The Coalition has been all over the place on the issue. Early this year Hockey said that all its costed policies would be released after PEFO; then he said Treasury's figures couldn't be trusted, so the Coalition wouldn't adhere to them; then Abbott said they were the best figures available, and the Coalition would be working from them; now the Coalition has flagged that it won't announced http://www.themonthly.com.au/politicoz Treasury sticks with disputed forecasts in pre-election report by lenore Taylor But the shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey, said the PEFO document "contains significant commentary" about "exceptional" downside risks for the economy, and needed to be "carefully considered" by the Coalition.He said the Coalition would release the costings of its spending and saving measures when it had received all the advice http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/13/treasury-disputed-forecasts-pefo-election PEFO fiscal update: nothing to see here, folks by Bernard Keane Well, as conspiracy theories go, it didn’t last that long. For the last couple of years, the federal opposition and its cheer squad in the media have been saying the government’s budget numbers and growth forecasts couldn’t be believed, that Treasury had been corrupted by Labor and was producing numbers to fit Labor’s political agenda. http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/08/13/pefo-fiscal-update-nothing-to-see-here-folks/ PEFO shows few changes by @macro_business The Australian Treasury has just released the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO), which shows minimal changes changes to its economic, budget and revenue forecasts since its economic statement released on Friday 2 August (see here for Houses & Holes’ earlier analysis http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2013/08/pefo-shows-few-changes/ Liberal Figures Don’t Figure and, Whichever Way You Add It Up, It Doesn’t! by rossleighbrisbane in spite of Hockey saying earlier in the year, ”the only numbers than we can rely on are the PEFO numbers released by the heads of department during the course of the election campaign”, we know find that the Coalition can’t use those figures and consequently can’t add up their own figures. http://theaimn.com/2013/08/13/liberal-figures-dont-figure-and-whichever-way-you-add-it-up-it-doesnt/ PEFO slap in the face for the Coalition by @darinsullivan09 The bottom line of their Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) is effectively identical to the one published 11 days ago in the government’s economic statement. Where it differs, the forecast budget outcomes over the next four years is actually $209 million better than the previous estimate.via These numbers are a slap in the face for the Coalition. http://darinsullivan.net/2013/08/13/pefo-slap-in-the-face-for-the-lnp-coalition-auspol-ausvotes/ What is Appealing About Media Coverage So Far- It’s Certainly Not Sexual by @prestontowers This out and out stealing and rebadging of a Government initiative has gone unreported and unnoticed by the embedded media. And also by Phil Gould, the General Manager of the rugby league club, who probably should have known the truth of this matter before tweeting that it’s Abbott who supports the community and Panthers, rather than the initial people responsible for funding the initiative. http://ausvotes2013.com/2013/08/13/whatisappealing/ Reporting without context can be guilty of bias by Ruby Hamad The blatant anti-Labor bias of the Murdoch press during the first week of the federal election has put journalistic integrity back on the agenda. As reports circled of Murdoch's envoy Col 'Pot' Allen directing editors to go hard on Rudd, News Corp unapologetically declared it was exercising its right to free speech http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-13/hamad-bias-israel-reporting/4881582 All the news on News’ blues by @independentaus Fairfax and News are clearly at war, but neither may survive the coming Australian election. The election, in fact, will be an important guide to the remaining power of the media barons and their cleverly contrived opinion polls. Both companies place their reliance on a Liberal-National government led by Tony Abbott and his obnoxious and grovelling crew. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/business/media-2/all-the-news-on-news-blues/ Suppository gaffe makes Tony Abbott the butt of the world's jokes by Oliver Laughland And so it was that Abbott's first real moment on the global news stage was probably not what the carefully media-managed politician would have wanted.Come the election on 7 September he'll be hoping for more positive headlines. Until then, he might have to clench hard and enjoy the ride. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/13/tony-abbott-gaffe-world-stage Refugee Boats; The Timeline – Updated to August 13th by @archiearchive AUG 12th; No boats reported in the MSM.SHOCK REVELATION:- The Shadow Minister for Refugees and Racism has revealed that uncounted hordes of people will now begin swarming across the Torres Strait. Four reported arrivals on Saturday are apparently just the beginning. Now there will be thousands of illegal arrivals in the Torres Strait. http://archiearchive.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/refugee-boats-the-timeline-updated-to-august-13th/ Mr. Abbott last night, said that . by Fed up Now let’s look at the Better Schools Scheme. Yes, this is also the infrastructure, to enable us to have a highly educated and skilled workforce, that we need to take our place in the Asian century. Another one that you want to claw back, saying the present system is not broken. Sadly Mr. Abbott, you and Mr. Pyne are the only ones that believes that http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/ The Suppository of Wisdom! by Truth Seeker I will take this opportunity to apologise in advance for anyone that might be offended by some of the language in this little ditty, but as most that know me would understand, this was the poem that was begging to be written :shock: http://truthseekersmusings.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/the-suppository-of-wisdom/ On the campaign trail by @btckr On the election trail with Marcus Priest, political reporter with The Australian Financial Review. Marcus shows us the bits of the campaign publicity opportunity (the photo op) that we don’t usually see. http://truthinmediaresourcecentre.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/on-the-campaign-trail/ $20,000 for 1Gbps: Turnbull’s Lateline lie by @renailemay Malcolm Turnbull appears to have made a deliberate attempt to mislead the public about the cost of connecting to the National Broadband Network’s upcoming 1Gbps fibre service, claiming on national television last night that such connections would cost “at least $20,000″ a month, despite the fact that the Shadow Communications Minister is aware the cost is likely to be much less. http://delimiter.com.au/2013/08/13/20000-for-1gbps-turnbulls-lateline-lie/ Dedicated Bandwidth Has A Story To Tell by @sortius I suppose we can’t seem surprised at Mal bending reality to suit his own misinformation. His arrogant attitude & flat out refusal to accept his policy (& the fictional background documents) have been torn to shreds by every tech journo worth their salt. It was up to paid shills to stand up for the ham-fisted policy. http://sortius-is-a-geek.com/?p=3245 Today’s Front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 14 August 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/

nasking

14/08/2013 ABBOTT RECKONS HIS IMPETIOUS REMARKS CAME FROM BEING 'EXUBERANT'... YES, IRRATIONALLY EXUBERANT... I THOUGHT THE COMMENT INSULTING TO HIS WIFE...AND HIS DAUGHTER HAVING TO HEAR THIS ALPHA MALE CHIMP GONE SEXUALLY BERSERK WITH HIS MOUTH MUST HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTING FOR HER...PROBABLY FEELING HE WAS BEING DISRESPECTFUL TO THE MUM. ABBOTT'S UNDERLYING GRANDIOSITY IS SHOWING UP NOW HE THINKS HE HAS IT WON... HIS TRUE PRIMAL URGES AND MOTIVES BEING REVEALED FOR ALL TO SEE...KISSING WOMEN ON THE LIPS...MAKING LEWD COMMENTS...INTERRUPTING OTHER POLITICIANS' PRESSERS...RACING AROUND LIKE A CHIMP IN HEAT... WE ARE BEGINNING TO SEE THE REAL TONY ABBOTT...THE REPRESSED RELIGIOUS FREAK IS GOING ROGUE...BURSTING FORTH IN ALL ITS PRIMAL APE UGLINESS... BREAKING AWAY FROM THE HANDLERS. THE TRUE MOOD DISORDERED NARCISSIST...DRIVEN BY PRIMAL URGES, INSTINCT, LUST... CREATING THOUGHT BUBBLE POLICIES BASED ON GRANDIOSE IDEAS...AND A SENSE OF DESTINY... NO WONDER MURDOCH SUPPORTS HIM. THE TUFF, BOISTEROUS ALPHA MALE HE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE...ALWAYS SEEKING ATTENTION...NEEDING TO FEEL THE KOWTOWING OF OTHERS...BUT NOT TRAPPED BY ALWAYS NEEDING A PAPER EMPIRE TO HIDE BEHIND...DO HIS BIDDING. NO WONDER THE OTHER COALITION POLLIES ARE LOOKING STRESSED, EXHAUSTED, WORRIED... ABBOTT GONE ROGUE IS A SCARY PROSPECT...THE LACK OF FORESIGHT AND APPROPRIATE COMMUNICATION AND CONSULTATION MUST BE FRIGHTENING... THE EXPOSING OF CONTRADICTORY, ILL THOUGHT OUT POLICIES...THE LACK OF DETAIL...THE HIDDEN AGENDA...EVEN FROM THEM... THE WAITING...FOR INEVITABLE IMPLOSION. N'

Ad astra

14/08/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

nasking

14/08/2013 I DON'T OFTEN DISAGREE WITH VICTORIA ROLLISON...BUT I DO ON THIS STATEMENT: [b]Tony Abbott’s Liberals care about the rich getting richer, and the Labor Party aims to reduce the gap between rich and poor. [/b] THE ALP HAVE NOT GIVEN A DAMN ABOUT THOSE WHO FALL THRU THE GAPS...THOSE UNEMPLOYED WHO MENTALLY STRUGGLE. THEY HAVE DONE STUFF ALL ABOUT REMEDYING THE NEGLECT AND ABUSE PROBLEMS IN AGED CARE. THEY HAVE PROVIDED MONEY TO TOP PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT IS UNNECESSARY... THEY CAME UP WITH A DISGRACEFUL MINING TAX THAT HAS PERMITTED THE RICH EXECS AND SHAREHOLDERS TO KEEP THE MONEY FLOODING IN... THEY HAVE DONE STUFF ALL TO BREAK THE DOMINATION OF THE BIG SUPERMARKETS, FAST FOOD COMPANIES... AND MURDOCH'S EMPIRE. THEY HAVE MADE SINGLE MUM'S LIVES HARDER. YES...ABBOTT IS A KOWTOWER TO THE RICH. HE WANTS TO ENSURE WELL-OFF WOMEN ARE PAID TO HAVE BABIES...AND CAN HAVE NANNIES SO THEY CAN SPEND THEIR HOURS HAVING SHOPPING SPREES AND DAYS OF BEAUTY... AND HE WANTS TO GIVE THE MINING BARONS THEIR MONEY BACK... WE EXPECT THE LIBS TO BE A-HOLES. BUT THE ALP? NOT SURPRISING THAT BOTH THE LIBS AND ALP WILL NOT BE PREFERENCING ADAM BANDT IN MELBOURNE... THIS IS A FELLA WHO REALLY DOES GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE POOR, THE MENTALLY ILL, THE HOMELESS, THOSE NEEDING AFFORDABLE DENTAL CARE, SINGLE MUMS... THE ALP AND THE LIBS IN SOME WAYS ARE JUST THE SAME. MY WIFE SUSPECTS, AS DO OTHER TEACHERS, THE INTRODUCTION OF NAPLAN AND MYSCHOOL ARE JUST INCREMENTAL STEPS TO SELLING OFF AND PRIVATISING PUBLIC SCHOOLS...CREATING A CHEAPER, MORE MALLEABLE, LONGER HOURS WORKFORCE... I THINK SHE MIGHT BE RIGHT. N'

TalkTurkey

14/08/2013Thank you Lyn

nasking

14/08/2013 Should be: [b]THEY HAVE MADE SINGLE MUMS' LIVES HARDER.[/b]

Michael

14/08/2013Tony Abbott is William McMahon on steroids.

nasking

14/08/2013 SO RIO TINTO MAKES OVER A BILLION IN PROFITS DURING HARD TIMES YET PAYS NO MINING SUPER PROFIT TAXES...HAS MONEY REFUNDED. GREAT JOB PENNY WONG AND TEAM. WHILST MY WIFE PAYS TWO GRAND MORE BECAUSE OF LABOR'S CHANGES TO THE DEPENDENT SPOUSE REBATE BY THE ALP. AND THEY WONDER WHY PEOPLE HAVE LOST TRUST IN THE MAINSTREAM PARTIES.

2353

14/08/2013Does anyone else have a concern when the goings on at Essendon and Brisbane AFL Clubs is getting coverage that actually is attempting to look at the issues - while the Federal Election coverage is more concerned about "illegal" notes and suppositories? Are the sports reporters better than political reporters?

nasking

14/08/2013 THIS MAKES THE BELIEF THAT CHINA AND AMERICA GIVE A CRAP ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING LOOK LIKE COMPLETE BUNKUM: BEIJING: China is set to overtake the US as the world’s largest net oil importer from October, according to US figures, due to a combination of rising Chinese demand and increased US production. Next year, China’s net oil imports will exceed those of the US on an annual basis and the gap between them will continue to widen, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. China is already the biggest energy user in the world and the second-largest oil consumer after the US. http://www.arabnews.com/news/461138 MAKES YA WONDER WHY THE REST OF US EVEN BOTHER? I'M CANCELLING MY WIND POWER DEAL WITH OPTUS NEXT TIME. OUR LEADERS ARE FULL OF SHIT. THEY ARE KOWTOWERS TO THE RICH...DUPING ALL VOTERS THEY CAN. N'

nasking

14/08/2013 BEATTIE AND BLIGH GAVE A CRAP ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS...PARTICULARLY ANNA BLIGH. RUDD AND GILLARD DID FOR AWHILE...AS EVIDENCED BY THE STIMULUS DURING THE GFC...BUT THEY STILL GAVE HEAPS TO WEALTHY PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT DIDN'T NEED IT...AND GAVE THEM MORE LATITUDE ON HOW TO USE THE MONEY. THESE DAYS THE ALP ARE ALL TALK. THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT CATHOLIC AND INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS. THE ALP ARE PRIVATISERS AND GST BROADENERS AND INCREASERS IN GUISE...HELPING THE RICH STAY RICH... WHILST SCREWING OVER THE POOR. GILLARD DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO PUT UP THE AGED PENSION DURING THE GFC...SOME COMPASSIONATE SOCIAL DEMOCRAT SHE WAS. I LIVE IN ONE OF THE POOREST AREAS IN STH-EAST QLD...TELL ME WHERE THE IMPROVEMENT HAS BEEN IN HEALTHCARE HERE? MY DENTAL SCHEME HAS BEEN CLOSED DOWN. MY DOCTOR DOESN'T GIVE A STUFF ABOUT MY EYES. IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR AND I STILL HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THE HOSPITAL ABOUT AN INTERVIEW FOR LASER SURGERY... THAT'S JUST THE INTERVIEW...APPARENTLY I COULD BE WAITING ANOTHER YEAR OR SO FOR ONE EYE TO BE LASERED. THE SYSTEM IS A JOKE. N'

nasking

14/08/2013 [quote]I'M CANCELLING MY WIND POWER DEAL WITH OPTUS NEXT TIME.[/quote] OBVIOUSLY THAT SHOULD BE [b]ORIGIN[/b]. FCKN EYES!

nasking

14/08/2013 A NOW WE HAVE TO WATCH ALL THESE WELL-PAID SYCOPHANTS ON THE CORPORATISED PUBLIC BROADCASTER BACK SLAPPING EACH OTHER... SUCKING THE TAXPAYERS DRY FOR THEIR MEDIOCRE OFFERINGS... THEY HAVE DONE STUFF ALL TO HELP GET FACTUAL, ESSENTIAL NEWS AND INFO OUT... HAVE DONE BUGGER ALL TO IMPROVE THE LIVES FOR THE MANY... OFFERING UP THE SAME BORING ELITE DAY IN AND DAY OUT SUCKING ON THE TEAT OF THE TAXPAYERS. AT LEAST EMMA ALBERICI GIVES A TOSS... HER LATELINE TEAM HAVE DONE A TOP JOB... YET AGED CARE NEGLECT AND ABUSE IS IGNORED. N'

nasking

14/08/2013 AND IF YOU WONDER WHY I'M PISSED ABOUT MY WIFE PAYING MORE TAX WHILST RIO AND GINA AND FORREST GET AWAY WITH MURDER... THAT MONEY WAS USED TO HELP SUPPORT ARTISTS LIKE DAVID BRIDIE... GIVEN TO HELP ORANGUTANS... TO ASSIST SAVE THE CHILDREN...AND VARIOUS OTHER CHARITIES... USED TO ASSIST VARIOUS ANIMAL WELFARE GROUPS... USED TO BUY GIFTS FOR CHILDREN FROM POORER FAMILIES... USED TO FEED ABANDONED ANIMALS... SURE, WE CAN DO WITHOUT IT... I STOPPED DRINKING...ONLY ONCE THIS YEAR... SO THE CHARITY WILL RAMP UP AGAIN SOON...ONCE THE HEALTH BILLS ARE DEALT WITH...AND THE MORTGAGE IS DOWN A BIT MORE (HELL IS COMING)... BUT IT SURE DOES IRK ME TO THINK THAT THOSE BLOODY GREEDY MINING BARONS ARE GETTING MORE REWARDS FROM THE ALP... AND THE COALITION WANTS TO ENSURE THEY GET EVEN MORE. AS FOR PENNY WONG GOING AFTER ADAM BANDT THIS MORNING...ONE FELLA WHO WANTS TO SEE THE BASTARD RICH MINING BARONS PAY MORE... GRRR... AT LEAST BOB BROWN DIDN'T GET STABBED IN THE BACK TO KEEP RIO AND BHP-BILLITON HAPPY. N'

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14/08/2013TT That YouTube clip was really worth watching. Thank you.

nasking

14/08/2013 ABBOTT REALLY IS A SLIMEBAG. 'A DAD MOMENT' MY ASS. A CREEP MOMENT. THE WAY HE USES HIS WIFE AND KIDS TO BAIL HIM OUT EACH TIME IS SICKENING AND EXPLOITIVE. CREEP. N'

jane

14/08/2013Jason, did you ask your meter reader if he goes to the quack, has ever taken any medication, if he or anyone he knows has had treatment for any illness, or indeed been diagnosed with any illness, driven a car..........oh ffs! Was the idiot driving a car? And he was reading the meter!!! Makes you despair, doesn't it? Idiots like him are surrounded by the products of science everywhere but haven't got the wit to comprehend it. Pity we can't send them back to the middle ages for a little taste of life sans science. NAS' HOW RIGHT YOU ARE. I'M FINDING COMMENTING DIFFICULT ATM. STILL HAVING TO USE PHONE AS M-I-L STILL SEEING DRS. RAY TREATMENT BEING ARRANGED. PALLIATIVE. I

TalkTurkey

14/08/2013JOKE of the WEEK. Just to lighten the mood ... Sent to me by my friend Paul Scott Professor of Pure Maths and clever in lots more ways. Paul is an expat KIWI himself - (I kinda think Kiwis might be a good bit smarter than Aussies - Remember Piggy Muldoon's great bit of wit about how the Kiwis migrating to Oz would raise the IQ of both countries? One of the funniest quips I've ever heard!) but this is how the joke goes: A Kiwi and an Australian go to a pastry shop. The Kiwi whisks three cookies into his pocket with lightning speed. The baker doesn’t notice. The Kiwi says to the Australian: You see how clever we are? You’ll never beat that! The Australian says to the Kiwi: Watch this, an Australian is always cleverer than a Kiwi. He says to the baker, give me a cookie, I can show you a magic trick! The baker gives him the cookie which the Australian promptly eats. Then he says to the baker: Give me another cookie for my magic trick. The baker is getting suspicious but he gives it to him. He eats this one too. Then he says again: Give me one more cookie... The baker is getting angry now but gives him one anyway. The Australian eats this one too. Now the baker is really mad, and he yells: And where is your famous magic trick? The Australian says: Look in the Kiwi’s pocket!

nasking

14/08/2013 THE FACT THE PRESS LAUGHED LIKE A BUNCH OF SYCOPHANTS WHEN ABBOTT JUSTIFIED HIS IMPETUOUS, GROTESQUE AND LUST-DRIVEN COMMENT BY USING HIS DAUGHTERS' WORDS TELLS ME WHAT A PATHETIC GROUP THEY REALLY ARE. [b]ABBOTT IS A CREEP.[/b] [b]WHAT KIND OF ROLE MODELLING IS THIS FOR KIDS?[/b] [b]YOU CAN IMAGINE EVERY SEXIST BOOFHEAD THINKS IT WILL BE OPEN SEASON ON WOMEN IF ABBOTT GETS IN.[/b] IRRESPONSIBLE CREEP. USELESS MEDIA. N'

nasking

14/08/2013 IS THIS WHAT WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO?: [b]Berlusconi's sexist jibe[/b] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KBLyoiw5Lk DONE WONDERS FOR ITALY. NOT. N'

TalkTurkey

14/08/2013Michael said [i]Tony Abbott is William McMahon on steroids.[/i] Umm I think he's on loco weed! But right now, all this morning, the world on ABC is all bout Tony.

nasking

14/08/2013 JANE, S AND I WISHING YOU AND YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW THE BEST...YOU'RE A GOOD PERSON.

TalkTurkey

14/08/2013Ad @ABCNews24 played one part of that you-tube clip - Guess which bit? Yeah the poor dopey One Nation sheila that spoke of the Nation of Islam and the "Haram". Not a mention of all the [i]Abborrrrtttian[/i] gaffes, which all the others were. Trivioli and her petboy Rowley were so amused, they must have made that woman feel terrible. It'd be OK if she were still running -[i]but she has already resigned![/i] I just remember a UK nurse who suicided because she was made to feel terrible by that Royal Baby hoax by 2 media fools. Bloody pecking parties like Trivioli and Co should be sacked before they cause something similar.

nasking

14/08/2013 SAW CREEP ABBOTT CRITICISING LABOR ON THEIR TRADES TRAINING CENTRES. WHAT A FCKWIT! DOES HE HAVE THE SLIGHTEST IDEA OF THE POSITIVES THAT HAVE COME OUT OF THESE CENTRES AT OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS? I WILL GIVE THE ALP A THUMBS UP FOR THIS SCHEME. DAMN SITE MORE THAN THAT RODENT HOWARD AND HIS TEAM OF PUBLIC SCHOOL DRAINERS DID. THE BLOODY LIBS ARE EVEN CLOSING TAFE IN THE STATES. YA CAN'T BELIEVE THE HORROR STORIES I HEARD WHEN HOWARD URGED YOUNGSTERS TO LEAVE SCHOOL EARLY...BECOME APPRENTICES.... HOW MANY WERE EXPLOITED? INJURED? TRAUMATISED FOR LIFE? HEAPS. ABBOTT...YOU ARE A CREEP. N'

nasking

14/08/2013 OH MY GAWD, THIS FROM RICHARD MARLES: [b][quote]YOU KNOW WE ALL LOVE SKY NEWS...FOR THOSE OF US IN THE TRADE THIS IS THE CHANNEL TO WATCH[/quote].[/b] THIS FROM A LABOR FRONT-BENCHER. I DESPAIR. WE NEED A NEW LEFT-WING SOC DEM PARTY. SERIOUSLY. N'

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14/08/2013TT That's the ABC, a loyal echo of the Murdocracy. I think that's called selective reporting. I enjoyed your Kiwi joke.

nasking

14/08/2013 GROAN: Attitude towards gambling In the decade from 2000 to 2009, Youth Off The Streets received $3.5 million in donations from the Australian gambling industry, particularly poker machines. Riley lobbied against the taxation of gambling, stating that "the Government won't fund services like mine and are now also attacking the revenues that we previously did have available." With respect to his position on the effect of gambling on society, in 2003 he stated in a radio interview "I acknowledge that the great problem facing the community is people who are addicted to gambling and I call for the clubs to put in place systems and supports to help people fight this addiction." In December 2011 it was revealed that Riley had lent his name in support of a campaign by Clubs Australia against proposed mandatory pre-commitment limits for poker machines. Riley expressed his concern saying that a better way to tackle problem gambling was treatment and counselling, not legislation. WIKIPEDIA

Michael

14/08/2013William McMahon had nothing between wideflapping ears. William McMahon used the public display of his wife to assert he was just a regular bloke. William McMahon was a desperate choice by a party in desperate straits. William McMahon had a weird voice and said the weirdest things. William McMahon was a PM who added exactly nothing to the development or maturing of Australia. William McMahon has morphed into Tony Abbott.

nasking

14/08/2013 SEE HOW IT'S THE ABC REPORTER WHO STARTS THE ASYLUM SEEKER DOG WHISTLING QUESTIONING... URGED ON EARLIER BY JOE O'BRIEN WHO SAID 'I BET YOU'LL BE KEEN TO QUESTION MR. RUDD'

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14/08/2013Hi Lyn I'm partly through your links, and enjoying them thoroughly, but have to go out for the rest of today. I'll be back this evening.

nasking

14/08/2013 [b]YES[/b]! FINALLY A PARTY THAT HAS THE GUTS AND INTEGRITY TO ANNOUNCE A POLICY TO [b]BAN SEMI-AUTOMATIC HAND GUNS. [/b] [b]THIS COUNTRY HAS BEEN GOING DOWN THE SAME INSANE ROAD AS AMERICA[/b]. UNLESS WE HALT THE PROGRESS OF THE GUN LOBBY MANY MANY PEOPLE WILL DIE AND BE INJURED...TRAUMATISED. ENUFF IS ENUFF. GOOD ONYA GREENS. N'

nasking

14/08/2013 I WILL SAY THE ALP AND THE GREENS DESERVE RESPECT FOR BRINGING IN THE DISABILITY SCHEME...THE INDEPENDENTS TOO. SHORTEN AND MACKLIN PUT A LOT OF WORK IN THERE. THE HAWKE/KEATING GOVT STARTED THIS PROCESS IN THE LATE EIGHTIES. THE HOWARD GOVT SAT ON THEIR HANDS FOR TWELVE YEARS. NOW THE LIBS WANT TO PIGGYBACK...TAKE THE CREDIT. PATHETIC. N'

nasking

14/08/2013 ABBOTT IS AN IDIOT...BY PISSING ON THE GREENS AND GOING AFTER ADAM BANDT MORE PEOPLE WILL PUT THE GREENS FIRST. HE IS A CREEPY MAN WITH AN UGLY NATURE. OUT OF MY SIX MATES IN SYDNEY I'VE BEEN TOLD EVERYONE WILL BE PUTTING THE GREENS FIRST...AND THEN THEIR CHOICE OF OTHER PARTY...THO, NOT ONE HAS SAID ANYTHING KIND ABOUT ABBOTT. MY WIFE WILL DO SAME. I'M CONSIDERING IT AFTER THE ATTACK ON THE GREENS BY BOTH LIBS AND ALP. N'

TalkTurkey

14/08/2013Geez I can be a nasty bastard sometimes. Well some people would take it so. But it's just really that this man Abborrrtt is so bloody awful and such a threat, and he parades his wife and daughters all the time, and because Murdoch routinely uses the most outrageous sleaze against the Left, e.g. Rudd's son allegedly smoking a cigar, that prompts me to write such a nasty little rhyme as this one designed for Twitter. Tony bred him a daughter A luverly Labor supporter! If he'd'a' knowed it Be4 Margie growed it Would he have tried 2 Abbort'er? Fair dinkum I'm ashamed of myself. That I should stoop to using Limericks as weapons. I won't do it any more when we've got rid of Abborrrtttianism.

Curi-Oz

14/08/2013TalkTurkey, please do not restrict your admirable ability to create limericks to this passing election. I'm reasonable sure that the pomposity of politicians will continue to require the pricking of such sharp words well into the future ::innocent::

nasking

14/08/2013 JUST RANG MY BEST MALE FRIEND IN SYDNEY...TOLD HIM WHAT ABBOTT SAID ABOUT NOT PREFERENCING THE GREENS IN ANY SEAT...HE WAS LIVID. [quote]WHAT A NASTY PERSON HE IS[/quote] WAS HIS RESPONSE... HE TOLD ME THAT AT A DINNER ON THE WEEKEND ONE OF HIS FRIENDS SAID HE THOUGHT ABBOTT WOULD BE THE BETTER PM... APPARENTLY THE COMMENT WAS RECEIVED WITH DISGUST BY ALL THE OTHERS AROUND THE TABLE. MY FRIEND TOLD ME HE CLEANS A LOT OF HOUSES AND MEETS A LOT OF PEOPLE IN HIS OTHER JOB AND WHEN HE GOES TO LIVE MUSIC AND OTHER SOCIAL EVENTS IN SYDNEY AND THE DISTRUST OF ABBOTT AND THE MEDIA IS GENERALLY HIGH. HE RECKONS A FEW TOFFS THERE SUPPORT HIM AND HOCKEY...BUT MOST OF THEM ARE PEOPLE WITH LOTS OF MONEY WITH BUSINESSES AND OWNERS OF BIG PROPERTY...LOTS OF SAVINGS. OBVIOUSLY SOME OF THE WORKING CLASS IN WESTERN SYDNEY ARE ABOUT TO VOTE AGAINST THEIR OWN INTERESTS BECAUSE THESE TOFFS ARE MORE INTERESTED IN HIGHER INCOMES TO KEEP THEIR PLUSH LIFESTYLES GOING THAN IN CREATING JOBS. N'

nasking

14/08/2013 TRUTH SEEKER, THNX FOR THE KIND COMMENT. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I THINK THE EYE PROBLEM IS MAKING ME MOODY. FRUSTRATING. FEEL A BIT LOST SOMETIMES...HARD TO SEE ANYTHING CLEARLY. I FOCUS MORE ON THE WORDS OF THE MEDIA NOW. WHAT A BUNCH OF CORPORATE SCUMBAGS. MY MATE IN SYDNEY RECKONS THEY ARE WAY TOO BIASED...SUPPORTING OF ABBOTT. HE THINKS ABBOTT GETS AWAY WITH MURDER...IF HE WAS IN THE ALP HE'D BE DESTROYED BY NOW. N'

nasking

14/08/2013 GOT UP FROM THE BLOGGING AND MY VISION WAS SO BLURRED...I TRIED TO WASH UP THE CAT DISHES AND DIDN'T SEE I WAS PUTTING IT TOO CLOSE TO THE EDGE TO DRY... [b]SMASH[/b] ALL OVER THE FLOOR...CUT MY FEET...CAN'T SEE WHERE THE SMALL PIECES ARE. HAVE TO LEAVE FOR STACE. TALK ABOUT FEELING USELESS. I YHINK IT'S TIME I GAVE UP BLOGGING. SORRY FOLKS. I WISH THE LEFT THE BEST IN THIS ELCTION...THE REAL LEFT. KEEP UP THE GOOD FIGHT AD, LYN AND THE OTHER CONTRIBUTORS. CHEERS N'

nasking

14/08/2013 BTW, SORRY IF I OFFENDED ANYONE THESE PAST MTHS...MY MOOD HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN GOOD ON THE BLOGS...I SUFFER FROM BI-POLAR AND MINOR TS...IT'S BEEN HARD TO KEEP MY MIND STRAIGHT SOMETIMES. MEDIA FRUSTRATE ME SO MUCH. I TRIED MY BEST...BUT PROBABLY FCKED IT UP. SORRY.

Catching up

14/08/2013nasking, just a thought, compose your comments in word or similar programme and copy to this site. That way you have control over the size of font, and bigger area to write in. Also some programmes allow you to change from capitals to normal font. Have a look at the accessibility tools you have in windows, including the magnifier and voice Anything that makes it easier, ensures that you can contribute longer. I do respect your efforts at giving us your view.

Pappinbarra Fox

14/08/2013Mr N'King, try purchasing Dragon naturally Speaking, then you can dictate your comments, and as Catching up suggests - if you use Word you can make a very big font to draft your points then scale down, copy and paste.

Catching up

14/08/2013Yes, they do share similar ears. Not much between them either.

Catching up

14/08/2013Abbott's clanger for today. sexual orientation, in regard to same sex marriage, as a fashion of the moment, or words to that effect.

Catching up

14/08/2013There are already many programs built into windows that might assist. Do recommend that you approach the Blind Society. You might be surprised at what is available. I had a elderly aunt of mine was. Sadly, she is now dead. There are many aids available, and today, not that expensive. We love hearing from you. I believe, you need to be able to write My sight appears to be deteriorating, and I might soon have to take some of my own advice.

Jason

14/08/2013Mark Latham on Tony Abbott's "sex appeal" claim! COLOURFUL former Labor leader Mark Latham has leapt with both feet into the Tony Abbott "sex appeal" controversy, saying the Opposition Leader must have been drunk to think candidate Fiona Scott attractive. "It showed very bad judgement and it shows he has low standards," Latham told Melbourne radio station 3AW of the comments. Mr Abbott caused an uproar on Tuesday when he described politician Fiona Scott, his candidate for the seat of Lindsay, as having "a bit of sex appeal" when he was comparing her to former Liberal member Jackie Kelly. The Oppostion Leader was accused earlier today of sexism by Kevin Rudd, but Mr Latham took his criticism further and in a suitably strange direction this afternoon. "I had a good look at Fiona Scott on page eight ... and she doesn't have sex appeal at all. "She's not that good of a sort Interviewer Tom Elliot interrupted the one-time wannabe PM to tell him his comments were worse than the ones that landed Tony Abbott in hot water on the campaign trail yesterday. "That's worse than what Tony Abbott said," radio announcer Tom Elliott said. "You just can't call a woman plain like that." But Latham was not to be dissuaded, accusing Mr Abbott of trying to win over male voters with the "daggy dad" moment. "She's a rather plain ordinary-looking woman and Abbott has exaggerated massively to try and win her vote among the blokes ... " "Tony had the beer goggles on and in politics they say it's showbiz for ugly people and I don't think she'll (Fiona) be out of place." "He's gilding the lily here, he must have had the beer goggles on". http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/special-features/sex-appeal-controversy-tony-abbott-had-beer-goggles-on-says-mark-latham/story-fnho52jo-1226697322107

Catching up

14/08/2013Just worked out what the opposition is up to today. Abbott is attempting to destroy the Greens, so he has control of the senate, or least minor parties or dependents that he can manipulated. That was not good under Howard. Much less so under Abbott.

nasking

14/08/2013 CU AND P FOX, THNX FOR YOUR ADVICE. AND THE KIND WORDS CU. BUT I CAN'T GO ON. I HAVE NOT SLEPT WELL FOR A LONG TIME BAR A COUPLE OF DAYS...MY HEALTH HAS DETERIORATED EVEN WITH NOT DRINKING...THE STRESS HAS BROUGHT OUT AN OCD ELEMENT WHERE I FEEL COMPELLED TO COMMENT AND READ ON GLOBAL POLITICS 24-7. I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FULLBORE SINCE LATE 2004 AND FEEL MENTALLY WORN OUT...AND DEPRESSED BY THE STATE OF THE MAINSTREAM PARTIES ACROSS THE PLANET. I AM NOT INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING ANY LONGER TO A POLITICAL ARENA THAT IS DOMINATED BY POLITICIANS OBSESSED WITH SAUSAGE SIZZLES, LIVE EXPORTS, FOOTY, POKIE CLUBS, CASINOS, WAR MEMORIALS, SPORTS FIELDS, BASHING ASYLUM SEEKERS, THE WAR ON DRUGS, CARS AND ROADS...AND CATHOLIC EVERYTHING. THIS COUNTRY FEELS VERY NARROW IN ITS THINKING TO ME...IT SEEMS TO ME WE HAVE A PLACE DOMINATED BY MEAT, SPORTS, GAMBLING AND RELIGION...NONE OF WHICH INTEREST ME. I HOPED TO SEE MORE SCIENTIFIC, MEDICAL AND HI-TECH RESEARCH AND INNOVATION EMBRACED BY THE PUBLIC...MORE INTEREST IN MULTICULTURALISM...OTHER LANGUAGES...AND ANIMAL RIGHTS...AND SCIENCE FICTION...AND DIVERSE GARDENING AND ORGANIC AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES...MORE FOCUS ON STRATEGY GAMES FOR THE MIND...ASTRONOMY...CLEANER ENERGY....TREASURING OF ARTISTS OF ALL KINDS... AND YES, THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASED FOCUS ON THESE AREAS SINCE THE ALP CAME IN... BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL MANY AUSSIES EVENTUALLY GO BACK TO DEFAULT SETTINGS... AND EVENTUALLY THE ALP FEEL THE NEED TO CATER TO THEM... THE COALITION AND THEIR ALLIED DO NOTHING BUT SHOVE THE PUBLIC BACK INTO THOSE SETTINGS... IT BORES ME SHITLESS...FEELS STALE, ARCHAIC, DESTRUCTIVE, BIGOTED, MISOGYNISTIC, REDUCTIONIST...UNEXCITING...BUT FOR BOOFHEADS AND OCKERS AND BOGANS. I DON'T WANT TO CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO A POLITICAL ARENA THAT PERMITS THIS DEFAULT SETTING TO EXIST. IT FCKS TOO MUCH WITH MY HEAD. I PREFER TO WITHDRAW. AND TRY TO DEAL WITH MY DEPRESSION...TURN OFF THE DEFAULT SETTING MEDIA. THO I DO WISH THE FIFTH ESTATE WELL. IT WAS QUITE A JOURNEY. FOR AWHILE THERE I THOUGHT AUSTRALIA WAS TRANSFORMING. THEN CATHOLIC ABBOTT CAME INTO THE PICTURE...AND HIS UGLY AUSSIE MOB...SUPPORTED BY THE BERSERKERS AND DEMOLISHERS...THE SHOCK JOCKS AND MURDOCH MAFIA. THEY'VE FREAKIN' RUINED EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. ABBOTT WILL BE THE MOST BORING BACKWARD LOOKING PM IN AUSTRALIA'S HISTORY I RECKON...WITH THAT IDIOT JOYCE. AND THAT'S SAYING SOMETHING CONSIDERING SOME OF THE DUSTY OLD BORES WHO HAVE RULED HERE. JUSTIFIED EVERY DAY BY THAT A-HOLE MURDOCH'S MOB...DOG WHISTLING, FEAR-MONGERING...VILIFYING...TO DISTRACT FROM HIS CRAP ARCHAIC VIEWS AND POLICIES THAT FAVOUR BIGOTED CONSERVATIVE FAMILY VALUES AND THE OLD DESTRUCTIVE INDUSTRIES. I CAN'T BEAR TO THINK ABOUT. HAVE TO GO. Keep well all. N'

Bacchus

14/08/2013LOVE YER PASSION NAS' - BOTH A BLESSING AND A CURSE?

Catching up

14/08/2013Yes, we threw out a one that ignore the noise and got on with the job. Why is Rudd falling in behind Abbott, when up to today, it has been Abbott that was playing catch up. I think that Gillard would have left that one go through to the keeper. Rudd has to learn to pick the fights, he needs to win. Rudd should have ignored Abbott's ridiculous challenge re minority governments and the Greens. It would have left Abbott looking silly by the days end. Now we have Rudd appearing to agree with Abbott. Yes, saying he along with Abbott will not respect the will of the voter at the election. Rudd by agreeing with Abbott has reinforce the false perception, that this minority government has been a failure. That is not true, but it puts Rudd in Abbott's camp. Rudd best chance of winning, is proving Abbott wrong, by defending the governments record. For the last six years, if necessary. The last three years did exist, and Rudd would do well to acknowledge that fact. In fact, that is all he has going for him. nasking, check with the Blind Society, not for here but for your own sake. I suspect you will hate not being able to read or write.

Catching up

14/08/2013PS nasking I expect there is a similar body in your state.

nasking

14/08/2013 [b]Rudd should have ignored Abbott's ridiculous challenge re minority governments and the Greens. It would have left Abbott looking silly by the days end. Now we have Rudd appearing to agree with Abbott. Yes, saying he along with Abbott will not respect the will of the voter at the election. Rudd by agreeing with Abbott has reinforce the false perception, that this minority government has been a failure. [/b] CU, I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY. THE MINORITY GOVT BROUGHT A MUCH MORE INNOVATIVE, IMAGINATIVE, FRESH ENVIRONMENT WITH IT... I HAVE MY CRITICISM OF JULIA...BUT SHE CERTAINLY BROUGHT A SENSE OF CHANGE WITH HER BELOW THE SURFACE...SOMETIMES TRANSFORMING THE ABOVE...THERE WAS A FEELING THAT DEBATE AND ALTERNATIVES MATTERED...AN INCREMENTAL MOVE TOWARDS ANOTHER ERA OF ENLIGHTENMENT... BUT ABBOTT WAS THE PLAGUE...HIS PUSS-FILLED RANTS AND NEGATIVITY SPREAD BY THE MEDIA THE WAY RATS AND PRIVILEGED CLERGY SPREAD THE BUBONIC PLAGUE. THERE IS A SICKNESS IN OUR AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITIES AGAIN...[b]A DYING OF THE LIGHT. [/b] CHEERS CU AND BACCHUS. TRY TO SLEEP WELL. AND KEEP THE WRAITHS FROM YOUR DREAMS. THE LONG NIGHT COMES. N'

lyn

15/08/2013Good Morning Talk Turkey Thankyou for your cheery Good Morning Yesterday & a Good Morning to you today, I hope you have a nice day. :) I think the MSM is depressing everyone or I should say disgusting everyone. Gaffegate, three days, three gaffes from Abbott. I think hubris and ego is taking him over. [quote]Liberal Strategists Frantically Trying To Remember How To Stop Tony Abbott Talking[/quote] by The Shovel Since he started talking again this week, Mr Abbott has made a constant tit of himself, claiming no-one can be the suppository of all wisdom, judging the worthiness of one of his candidates based on her sex appeal and writing off gay marriage as a passing fad. One Liberal insider worried that if Mr Abbott wasn’t switched off soon, there was every chance he could blurt out a costed policy http://theshovel.com.au/2013/08/14/liberal-strategists-frantically-trying-to-remember-how-to-stop-tony-abbott-talking/

lyn

15/08/2013Today’s Links Sexygate: how Tony Abbott should have complimented Fiona Scott by Rebecca Shaw I can’t think of many places where a boss is allowed to comment on an underling’s physical attractiveness without repercussions. Perhaps Abbott has been watching too many episodes of Hugh Hefner’s reality show, because I imagine the offices of Playboy would be one of the only settings to condone this kind of behaviour.y Rebecca Shaw http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/14/tony-abbott-sexygate-fiona-scott? Election 2013- Day 10 (or, I’m 70% confident there’s a a preference for bias) by @GrogsGamut Preference deals only matter if the Greens are going to finish above the LNP. Other than that it’s all show. And that show is about telling voters the LNP won’t ever work with the Greens and that they don’t want a minority government. http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com.au/ FactCheck: Australia’s economy is strong by @independentaus Verdict: The data indicates that the Prime Minister’s statement about the debt position of Australia is correct. The economy is doing relatively well by international standards http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/factcheck-how-strong-is-australias-economy/ Liberal Preferences and their Impact on Green Prospects in Melbourne by @AntonyGreenABC The Federal Liberal Party will now follow the policy of its Victorian branch at the 2010 state election of treating the Greens as a party ideologically to the left of Labor, and therefore recommend preferences to Labor ahead of the Greens. http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2013/08/liberal-preferences-and-their-impact-on-green-prospects-in What is behind Tony Abbott's attack on the Greens? by Tad Tietze, @Dr_Tad Abbott is the leader the Liberals installed to reinvigorate their core support base, a mixture of right-wing social conservatives and IPA-style market fundamentalists. Yet the support for this agenda in voter land is far too narrow to win an election. Even many conservative voters prefer policies well to the left of the LNP’s, and Abbott remains a deeply disliked opposition leader. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/14/greens-abbott-attack The power of Liberal preferences: how will it impact on the Greens? by @ConversationEDU the Liberals’ decision to preference against the Greens is consistent with opposition leader Tony Abbott’s narrative that another minority government would be a disastrous outcome for the nation. The Liberals are simply putting their money where their mouth is, so to speak, and daring the ALP to do the same. http://theconversation.com/the-power-of-liberal-preferences-how-will-it-impact-on-the- Abbott challenges Rudd on Greens deals by Tracker he’d decided to make this “captain’s call”, and Mr Rudd should be “man enough” to do the same.This election is about producing a strong government, a majority government, with a clear majority in the parliament,” he said. http://tracker.org.au/2013/08/abbott-challenges-rudd-on-greens-deals/ Could a future federal government override the States on GST changes? Check the facts by Facts Fight back The facts: The Coalition had promised a ‘comprehensive White Paper on tax reform’ which includes the GST. The legislation creating the GST includes provisions for only making changes subject to the agreement of the states and territories. However, new legislation could repeal those provisions. http://www.factsfightback.org.au/could-a-future-federal-government-override-the-states-on-gst-changes-check-the-facts/ Libs reap budget whirlwind by @macro_business So Joe, what are you going to do when you’re in government? I have no great issue with failing to project a specific surplus date but the budget process does it every year. Perhaps we’ll revert to range forecasting which would be no bad thing? http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2013/08/libs-reap-budget-whirlwind/ City and country problems all demand higher taxes by @1RossGittins Tony Abbott keeps telling us about all the taxes he plans to abolish but not how he'll cover the loss of revenue, except to say he'll get rid of government waste. Sure. http://www.rossgittins.com/2013/08/city-and-country-problems-all-demand.html Hollow promise - Abbott announces $12M funding promise for Penrith Sports Centre which has already received this oney from the Rudd Government by @no_filter_Yamba media release, 11 June 2013: The Federal Labor Government today announced it would contribute $12 million towards the development of the Western Sydney Community and Sports Centre in Penrith http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/hollow-promise-abbott-announces-12m.html News Limited Go For Jog With Tony Abbott; Excitedly Reveal Tony Abbott Can Jog by Steph Harmon it was actually just reporter Lauren Novak joining Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on a morning run through Brisbane.Here is a list of actual sentences actually approved by the editor and then published on news.com.au. Read the whole thing here. http://junkee.com/tony-abbott-jogging-news-limited/17214 Last chance to save the future by @MigloMT In the run up to the 2013 Federal election that will determine government for most of what remains of the ‘critical decade‘, it’s timely to remind ourselves just what our political parties plan to do about the most overwhelming issue of our era and one that will profoundly affect us all. http://theaimn.com/2013/08/14/last-chance-to-save-the-future/ Hey Tony , the 1950’s called By Tracey Spicer The Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Business and Master of Business Administration, volunteers at local disability groups, and belongs to one of the oldest farming families in the Nepean But according to her boss, her greatest asset is that she’s “young, feisty” and has “a bit of sex appeal http://thehoopla.com.au/hey-tony-1950s-called/ Latest LEMONs – (Liberal Endless Mantra Of NO) by @otiose94 Abbott & Hockey flee GST change promises – confusion reigns, Abbott – Sexist (Again) - gets unfavourable International coverage (Again). Abbott – Social Medie lies - paying people to “like” him - the telling FB statistics - also fake Twitter followersAbbott - Rudd’s “spend-a-thon” has the budget “blowing out by $3 billion a week”? Fact checker http://otiose94.wordpress.com/ Tweets, Apocalypses, Rupert, Hockey, The Rat, Twitterers And Kid Stuff by @knarfnamduh No wonder I’ve taken to relying on my industrial deafness (thoughtfully provided by a newspaper composing room many years agone) and looking at the Twitterverse to block out most of the visual electoral sordidness! Which introduction naturally leads into where I wanted to go! http://deknarf.wordpress.com/ Abbott’s infrastructure tunnel vision by Tristan Edis Abbott is enthusiastically backing another entirely urban transport project in Melbourne – the East-West road tunnel. But the business case for this project is yet to be released and Abbott admitted he hasn’t seen it. Nor has it been evaluated by Infrastructure Australia. http://goo.gl/FU5R4G NBN: Answers to Emma Alberici. by @SteveJ_CBR Turnbull is selling an inferior product, both technically and commercially. He must cast the opposing product in as poor light as possible. So of course, he'll magic up fantastical and exaggerated numbers to make himself look good and the other look bad. http://stevej-on-nbn.blogspot.com.au/ Today’s Front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 15 August 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/

TalkTurkey

15/08/2013Good Morning Lynnie (because you'll be next here any moment now, probably beat me before I'm ready to post this), And Good Morning all the other Comrades of the Sword. Catching Up I realised that I've addressed very little comment to you - You are a great contributor, I think the reason I have been so remiss in your direction is that you are always so reasonable, it's just like yep yep yep all the way. Sorry to hear about your eyes tho', Lyn Nasking and I all share a bit of aggravation in that direction; mine water a lot after too long on puter but I see fine as long as I have bifocals. Nasking I do sympathise with your plaints, you point amongst much more to [i]A POLITICAL ARENA THAT IS DOMINATED BY POLITICIANS OBSESSED WITH SAUSAGE SIZZLES, LIVE EXPORTS, FOOTY, POKIE CLUBS, CASINOS, WAR MEMORIALS, SPORTS FIELDS, BASHING ASYLUM SEEKERS, THE WAR ON DRUGS, CARS AND ROADS...AND CATHOLIC EVERYTHING[/i]. Very well put, and I suspect many here will feel vast sympathy with the sentiments. Well it's like remnant roadside vegetation. All we can hope to do is to save and defend what we can. And that's why we're here, because it's a sort of last-ditch stand. Anyway last evening I went to Annabel Digance's War Room in her fight for Boothby, there to phone constituents on her behalf. I'm pretty hesitant and not real clever at this, but in only I guess about 15 live calls I did get two separate people to say very sincerely that, [i]Well Yes they rather thought now they will join the ALP[/i] We sent them papers and I got a fevver in me cap from the War Chief who said he'd never got anyone to decide to join on the phone. Well of course they still have to follow through but it was nice they felt so simpatico. One just-retired old Greek bloke "Labor in the Blood" he said, really didn't like *J*U*L*I*A*, but then we got onto Steve Georganas, my local Member, and the old fellow was very happy with him. NOBODY was rude. A few didn't want to talk but they weren't abusive. A few were appreciative and a couple quite eager to talk. Rudd didn't excite anybody much. One or two regretted *J*U*L*I*A*s loss. But, (and here's the kicker), NOBODY had a good word for Abborrrtt! Labor has many fine cards in its hand: NBN NDIS Gonski and more - But oddly enough our trump card is the Joker!

TalkTurkey

15/08/2013Curi-Oz I did say when we're rid of Abborrrttianism - the whole rotten philosophy, not just its guru. [Actually Guru means 'light-dark', i.e. bringer of light from darkness, so I guess Abborrrtt is really a [i]rugu![/i]]

2353

15/08/2013Saw a Getup ad this morning on TV. Why can't the ALP trumpet it's history of achievement the same way? I fear the ALP campaign will be of the same level as the one they used for the Queensland election - in other words useless.

Ad astra

15/08/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

TalkTurkey

15/08/2013Time4Hemp ‏@Time4Hemp 1h I uploaded a new episode, "Time 4 The War 2 End", on @spreaker #casper_leitch #diane_goldstein #free_mp3_download http://www.spreaker.com/user/time-4-hemp/time_4_the_war_2_end?autoplay=1 …

Michael

15/08/2013Keeping it in the family.... ignorance, that is. Here, Bridget Abbott, daughter of Shouldabeen, http://www.news.com.au/national-news/federal-election/rudd-abbott-daughters-to-play-key-campaign-roles/story-fnho52ip-1226675046549 is written about by Gemma Jones, including this section of the story: 'While Mr Rudd is appealing to younger voters, Ms Abbott said she was supporting her father with her sisters because "he has a vision for us and that's what he wants for everyone else, too''. That Mr Rudd was the "second unelected Prime Minister'' was also driving her, she said.' ""second unelected Prime Minister"". Now, who might have told her that complete piece of nonsense? Someone who after two decades plus in Australian politics still doesn't understand the Constitution or the election system for federal governments, or how parties choose their leaders? Someone who just trundles out BS like it means something, when all it is... is BS? Ignorant, lying, Shouldabeen. PS Do recall that in all this 'sex appeal' chat, someone here asked in the last 24 hours how Abbott might like it if something similar was said about his daughters... On TV in the last year or so Abbott was seen at some bike-riding get together, in the midst of his mates, leering and supporting their looks and 'appreciative' noises as they observed his daughters in their lycra riding tights. The man will perv on his own kids! Or as Bridget might put it: "he has a vision for us and that's what he wants for everyone else, too".

nasking

15/08/2013 [b]Well it's like remnant roadside vegetation. All we can hope to do is to save and defend what we can. And that's why we're here, because it's a sort of last-ditch stand. [/b] TT, SO TRUE. SORRY TO HEAR THAT YOU, LYN AND CU ALSO SUFFER WITH EYE PROBLEMS. YOU HAVE ALL BEEN BRAVE SILENT SUFFERERS... UNLIKE MYSELF...I THINK IT'S THE TOURETTES...I TEND TO BLURT EVERYTHING OUT...PROBABLY VERY ANNOYING FOR OTHERS... I'D MAKE A LOUSY SPY. :D APOLOGIES TO P. FOX FOR MY RUDE RESPONSE WAY BACK WHEN...NOT CALLED FOR. BEEN WAY TO TENSE THE LAST FEW MTHS...THE LACK OF SLEEP MADE ME OVERLY PARANOID AND GRUMPY. SORRY TO AD FOR SAYING YOU WERE 'MOPING'...I GUESS I WAS FRUSTRATED WITH THE LACK OF PASSION ACROSS THE BLOGOSPHERE SINCE JULIA WAS DEPOSED AND I TOOK IT OUT ON YOU...I SHOULDN'T HAVE...YOU READ YER CONTRIBUTORS WELL...I JUST WENT RUSHING INTO THE FIGHT LIKE SOME HOT HEAD...AND FORGOT TO EMPATHISE WITH OTHERS...SPURRED ON BY THE FEAR OF AN ABBOTT GOVT. I DID COMPREHEND PEOPLE'S SENSE OF LOSS AND FRUSTRATION...THEIR ANGER TOWARDS RUDD FOR CONSTANTLY UNDERMINING PM JULIA...IT PISSED ME OFF TOO...BUT BECAUSE I'D BEEN ANNOYED WITH THE GILLARD GOVT ON SOME ISSUES IT WAS EASIER FOR ME TO MOVE ON...THO, AS YOU AND CONTRIBUTOR SANDRA KNOW I WAS NOT KEEN TO BRING RUDD BACK...I FELT HE HAD CAUSED US A LOT OF PROBS OVER THE YEARS...AND I DID FEEL AT TIMES GILLARD MIGHT BEAT ABBOTT IN THOSE LAST FEW WEEKS ONCE PEOPLE REALISED THE POLICY DIFFERENCES. YES, I TRIED TO BE GUNG-HO FOR RUDD THE LAST MONTH...IT FELT LIKE SOMEONE HAD TO BE...AND I'M USED TO COPPING THE BLAME IF THINGS GO WRONG. DONE IT ALL MY LIFE...EVEN WITH MY FAMILY...I MAY SEEM FRAGILE...BUT I'VE SHRUGGED OFF A LOT OF CRAP IN MY FIVE PLUS DECADES...AND I'M WILLING TO COP IT FOR ANY MISTAKES I'VE MADE ON HERE AND AT THE CAFE. I USUALLY WORK OUT OVER TIME WHEN I'VE PUSHED THINGS TOO FAR...JUST TAKES ME AWHILE TO GET THERE SOMETIMES. KINDA LIKE ABBOTT I GUESS. SPEAKING OF ABBOTT...HE'S PLAYED THIS SMARTER THAN RUDD SO FAR...BUT I GUESS WHEN YOU'VE GOT THE MAJORITY OF THE MEDIA EITHER DOING YOUR DIRTY WORK FOR YA...OR GIVING YOU THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT, PLAYING APOLOGIST AFTER EACH SCREWUP, IT'S NOT THAT DIFFICULT TO LOOK SMARTER THAN YER OPPONENT. BUT THERE'S NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT, RUDD HAS LOST HIS MOJO. MY WIFE RECKONS HE'S BEEN SICK. BUT I RECKON IT'S MORE THAN THAT...IT'S LIKE THE MURDOCH EMPIRE GAVE HIM A WARNING THEY'D RELEASE EMBARRASSING INFO ON HIM IF HE DIDN'T STUFF UP THE CAMPAIGN. EVEN WONG AND BOWEN HAVE GENERALLY BEEN OFF THEIR GAME. AND IT'S OBVIOUS THE TEAM SEEMS TO HAVE LESS DEPTH WITHOUT THE LIKES OF GILLARD, CREAN, EMERSON, COMBET, CONROY, GARRETT ETC... VERY SAD REALLY. CONSIDERING WHAT A GUTSY LOT THEY GENERALLY WERE UNDER FIRE DURING THOSE THREE YEARS. THO, I DO WISH THEY HAD PUSHED THRU MEDIA REFORM, A BETTER MINING TAX AND AN INCREASE IN NEWSTART ALLOWANCE. AND TRIMMED THE RICH BUGGERS SUPER BENEFITS. STILL, YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YA WANT. GOOD THO TO SEE A MILLION HOMES WITH SOLAR...AND MANY THOUSANDS NOW CONNECTED TO THE NBN...AND LOW INTEREST RATES SO WE CAN PAY THIS MORTGAGE OFF FASTER...AND THE TRADES TRADE CENTRES...THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH IMPROVED MORALE AND BETTER SCHOOL LIBRARIES, SCIENCE LABS, HI-TECH EQUPT AND HALLS TO UTILISE... AND OF COURSE THIS GOVT HAS DONE POSITIVE THINGS IN THE AREA OF CANCER...FROM DEALING WITH TOBACCO-RELATED ISSUES TO HELPING PEOPLE LIKE MY WIFE BY WAY OF GENETIC TESTING AND PREVENTATIVE SURGERY, TREATMENT. WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY JUST IN SIX YEARS...EVEN INFRASTRUCTURE-WISE...WHEN YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WE HAD TO DEAL WITH THE GFC...AND WINDING DOWN BUSH AND HOWARD'S WARS... AND DEAL WITH SYSTEM-WIDE ABUSE IN THE CHURCHES AND MILITARY. AND THE ESCALATING USE OF GUNS FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES. AND DRUGS IN SPORT. AND ANIMAL ABUSE...INCLUDING LIVE EXPORTS. NOT TO MENTION, THE BIG FLOODS AND FIRES. THE CLEANUPS...FLOOD LEVY. IT WOULD'VE BEEN NICE TO HAVE MORE BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT... BUT ABBOTT WAS IN IT TO WIN...AS WAS MURDOCH...WRECKERS. ANYTHING TO GAIN MORE POWER...EXPAND THEIR INFLUENCE. POLITICS IS A RUTHLESS GAME. MEDIA BARONS CAN ALSO BE RUTHLESS. AND WHEN THEY ARE DRIVEN BY RELIGIOUS FERVOUR...ALL RATIONALITY AND COMPASSION IS LOST AS THE BATTLE ENSUES. WE'RE MUCH MORE LIKE AMERICA NOW THAN WE REALISE... FOR BETTER...OR WORSE. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 GOOD MORNING LYN. THNX FOR THE LINKS. I THINK YOU MISS MY THNX SOMETIMES...THAT'S COOL. I KNOW HOW BUSY YOU ARE. SOMETIMES I GET THE SAME...AND FORGET TO SHOW MY APPRECIATION...USUALLY FATIGUED...PUTTING UP SO MANY LINKS MYSELF SOMETIMES...CAN RELATE TO THE EFFORT YOU PUT IN. HAVE TO SAY, YOUR CONSISTENCY AND STAMINA AMAZES ME. YOU ARE A REAL ASSET TO THIS BLOG. I HOPE THE READERS APPRECIATE THE VOLUNTARY EFFORTS PUT IN HERE. AND THROUGHOUT THE BLOGOSPHERE. I THINK SOMETIMES WE SHAME THE MSM...FOR ALL THEIR REMUNERATION THEY SURE PRODUCE SOME SHIT SOMETIMES...AND MISS KEY ISSUES, EVENTS AND ARGUMENTS. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK LYN. YOU DO US PROUD. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 LYN, THAT REBECCA SHAW ARTICLE IN THE GUARDIAN IS SPOT ON: [b]Oh, Tony. Oh dear, dear Tony. It’s almost as if he is producing his very own election-campaign advent calendar, but instead of a chocolate treat, behind each little door is a gaffe-covered treat for the ALP. [/b] The uproar in response to "sexygate" (the description currently trending on Twitter because we still creatively add "gate" to literally everything) isn’t suggesting that Kelly or Scott don’t have sex appeal. It also isn’t to say that being attractive doesn’t contribute to a politician’s success, no matter how irrelevant it is to their credentials. However, [b]Abbott’s latest comment about a female candidate for office does conform to a demonstrated pattern of using problematic language to describe women.[/b] When asked to come up with some positive qualities about a woman he is endorsing to be elected, two of the three words Abbott produced were to do with age or physical qualities – and the third is debatably even a compliment. And let’s not forget, this was not a comment made by Mr and Mrs Elderly Voter or Mr Young Bearded Voter at the local lawn bowls club while enjoying a cheap pint. [b]The person who commented on Scott’s "sex appeal" is essentially her boss. At the very least, he is in a position of power in relation to her.[/b] [b]I can’t think of many places where a boss is allowed to comment on an underling’s physical attractiveness without repercussions[/b]. Perhaps Abbott has been watching too many episodes of Hugh Hefner’s reality show, because I imagine the offices of Playboy would be one of the only settings to condone this kind of behaviour. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/14/tony-abbott-sexygate-fiona-scott? WHEN FEMALE POLITICIANS ON THE RIGHT AND MEDIA SPIN THIS TO JUSTIFY ABBOTT'S LUSTFUL AND IRRESPONSIBLE APPROACHES IT MAKES THEM LOOK PATHETIC...CONSIDERING THIS IS A PATTERN OF BEHAVIOUR...AND GIVES AN INDICATION AS TO HOW WOMEN WILL OFT BE TREATED BY ABBOTT AND HIS WOMEN WARY RELIGIOUS AND OCKER SUPPORTERS... IT'S HORRENDOUS ROLE MODELLING. AND PER USUAL WE GET THE RIGHT-WING PROPAGANDA MACHINE TRYING TO MOVE CRITICS ON...AND EVEN GAG CRITICS...AND MANIPULATE VOTER PERCEPTION...BY SAYING IT'S POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAD. BS! WOMEN GO TO COURT OVER THESE ISSUES. WOMEN DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH MORE RESPECT BY THEIR BOSSES. BTW, MY WIFE ALSO FEELS ABBOTT IS EXPLOITING HIS DAUGHTERS...USING THEM TO SEXUALLY ATTRACT MALE VOTERS. IT SHOWS HE'S A CREEP. LACKING POLICY DEPTH. AND AN UNPRINCIPLED...INCONSISTENT RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVE. ANYTHING GOES. N'

lyn

15/08/2013Good Morning Nasking our favourite Bear, Nasking you are so nice thankyou. Thankyou as always for your appreciation. No I don't miss your thanks ever or anyone's it is just that sometimes I just don't have time left to enter a post. Since Kevin Rudd took over the writers have been in fast forward. Most days are taking me close to 4 hours to collect their articles. I have fallen asleep at my computer many times anyway at least I can't complain about having trouble sleeping. My Mum used to say never wake a sleeping body it is a gift to enjoy a good nights sleep. This is an interesting article in fact I have thoroughly enjoyed the read maybe you will too:- [quote]Abbott's gift of the gaffe no joke for women [/quote] Abbott claims to be able to deliver better ''leadership'' to Australia. But what does it say about him that he thinks sex appeal and ''feistiness'' are relevant qualifications for a young woman to be able to fill a position of leadership? Abbott hasn't just committed another gaffe; he's reinforced the view that women must offer something in exchange for being given a place at the table. when you pair such obtuseness with a demonstrated track record of foolish errors and verbal mishaps, you have all the makings of a political farce … but none of the laughs. http://www.smh.com.au/comment/abbotts-gift-of-the-gaffe-no-joke-for-women-20130814-2rwqy.html#ixzz2bzTi5aQv

nasking

15/08/2013 INTERESTING THAT ABBOTT IS IN DENIAL OVER THE CLIMATE CHANGE INSTITUTE REPORT THAT HIS 'DIRECT ACTION' PLAN WILL COST ANOTHER 4 BILLION. I DON'T THINK ABBOTT INTENDS TO DO MUCH AT ALL. BUT THE IDEA OF PAYING THE POLLUTERS DOES NOT GO DOWN WELL IN THIS HOUSE. ABBOTT HAS CORNERED HIMSELF ON A LOT OF ISSUES...BUT HE DOESN'T CARE. PEDDLING LIES LIKE A SNAKE OIL SALESMAN OR CATHOLIC PRIEST IS NO PROBLEM FOR THIS GRANDIOSE EGO-MANIAC...HE THINKS THE MEDIA WILL HELP HIM SPIN THRU ANY PROBLEM... LIKE THEY OFTEN DID WITH JOHN HOWARD. BIG MONEY BEHIND THESE SPINNERS AND APOLOGISTS. NOTICE HOW ABBOTT PROJECTS ONTO THE ALP AND RUDD HIS LIES, HIS BAD APPROACH, HIS HIDDEN AGENDA. I'M PLEASED THAT SOME JOURNOS ASK ABBOTT IMPORTANT PROBING QUESTIONS...AND DON'T JOIN IN ON THE GROSS OCKER JOKING THAT IS MEANT TO DEFUSE TENSE ATMOSPHERE AND REAL SCRUTINY. TOO MANY JOURNOS THO PROVIDE ABBOTT WITH LIB TALKING POINTS...THEY'RE SO OBVIOUS...AND PATHETIC. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 LYN, THNX FOR YOUR LOVELY SUPPORT...HAS BRIGHTENED UP MY DAY. YES, I CAN IMAGINE YOU FALLING ASLEEP AT THE COMPUTER GOING BY HOW MUCH YOU MUST READ THRU... I FIND I OFT FALL ASLEEP WATCHING ABC 24...USUALLY WHEN ABBOTT OR MORRISON OR SOME OTHER NEGABORE COMES ON IN THE ARVO...THEY ARE LIKE A SLEEPING DRUG FOR ME. :D THAT IS AN EXCELLENT OPINION PIECE YOU PUT UP BY CLEMENTINE FORD AT THE SMH: Women are no longer content to accept ''exuberance'' as an excuse for the kind of antique humour that finds itself at home in 1973. They don't want to be used as glittering props, their talents reduced to their sexy youth and how tingly they make constituents feel downstairs. Most importantly, they don't want to feel like their protestations are being minimised or ignored as the hysterical whining of a niche group belligerently refusing to get the joke. Abbott claims to be able to deliver better ''leadership'' to Australia. But what does it say about him that he thinks sex appeal and ''feistiness'' are relevant qualifications for a young woman to be able to fill a position of leadership? Abbott hasn't just committed another gaffe; he's reinforced the view that women must offer something in exchange for being given a place at the table. As a political aspirant to the highest office of governance in the country, Abbott needs to respect the fact that it impacts on his leadership prospects. That he refuses to or simply can't isn't just a sign that he's unwilling to listen to the voices of Australian women, it means he lacks the pragmatism to be a prime minister. And when you pair such obtuseness with a demonstrated track record of foolish errors and verbal mishaps, you have all the makings of a political farce … but none of the laughs. Clementine Ford is a writer and speaker. INDEED...INDEED. ---- I WISH YOU A NICE LONG SLUMBER FOR TONITE LYN. YOU DESERVE IT. :D N'

Ad astra

15/08/2013Hi Lyn I’m just now catching up after a day away from my computer yesterday. The diverse collection of links you present day after day never ceases to amaze me. No wonder you fall asleep at your computer putting together such an eclectic set. Please don’t stretch yourself too far during the election campaign. We’ll all need a rest after this tortured period is over. The material you present is far more substantial than what the leaders are offering. Their superficiality represents a new low in the quality of political discourse. And with a media that for the most part eschews probing for depth, we are left floating superficially in froth and bubble, seldom able to look into the depths below at the real issues. We are being treated like mugs by most of the media, and by those organizing so-called leaders’ debates, as we saw last Sunday. So awful was it that it set me thinking about what such debates ought to be. Thus, the piece I’m beginning today is [i]The Great Debate Debacle[/i], which I’ll post on Sunday.

nasking

15/08/2013 OH, ONE LAST THING...I RETRACT MY OUTBURST RECENTLY WHERE I WROTE 'THNX FOR NOTHING ON HERE!'... THAT WAS PETTY AND DEMONSTRATED THE LEVELS OF ANXIETY AND LONELINESS ONE CAN FEEL ON A BLOG SOMETIMES...PARTICULARLY IF YER A BIT OF AN ICONOCLAST, NON-MEAT EATER AND TOO FEISTY FOR YER OWN GOOD SOMETIMES. THIS BLOG HAS PROVIDED ME WITH PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO VOICE MY OPINION AND I HAVE RCVD MANY A KIND COMMENT OVER THE YEARS...WHEN EXTREMELY ANXIOUS AND FATIGUED I FORGET THAT SOMETIMES. AD, THNX FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES. I DO APPRECIATE THEM. YOU RUN A GREAT BLOG AND PUT A HUGE AND CONSISTENT EFFORT IN. AS DOES LYN, AND MANY CONTRIBUTORS LIKE TT, MICHAEL, JANICE, 42 LONG, JANET, PATRICIA, KTAGH, DMW, BSA BOB, JAYCEE, KEN, CASABLANCA, 2353, JANE, CU, BACCHUS, E, TRUTH SEEKER, LADY IN RED, NORMAN, GRAVEL AND MANY MANY OTHERS. CHEERS N'

42 long

15/08/2013Labor have nothing to fear about more FACTS coming out. LieNP try to twist facts and avoid scrutiny. Time favours Labor and threatens LieNP. I signed up for Morgan polling. Are there any others better? When does Tom Watson get here? (The one who grilled Merde Ock) in the UK).

nasking

15/08/2013 [b]The material you present is far more substantial than what the leaders are offering. Their superficiality represents a new low in the quality of political discourse. And with a media that for the most part eschews probing for depth, we are left floating superficially in froth and bubble, seldom able to look into the depths below at the real issues. We are being treated like mugs by most of the media, and by those organizing so-called leaders’ debates, as we saw last Sunday. So awful was it that it set me thinking about what such debates ought to be. Thus, the piece I’m beginning today is The Great Debate Debacle, which I’ll post on Sunday[/b] AD, WELL-TIMED. I AGREE COMPLETELY. THIS HABIT OF RESORTING TO THREE SLOGANS...INABILITY TO PUT THE POLICIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS TOGETHER INTO AN EASILY COMPREHENDIBLE VISION FOR THE FUTURE...THE LACK OF DETAIL ON COSTINGS...AND AVOIDANCE OF EXPLAINING IN DETAIL THE REASONING BEHIND CUTS AND MODIFICATIONS TO SCHEMES (PARTLY DUE TO INTERRUPTIVE, GOTYA QUESTIONING TACTICS BY INTERVIEWERS...PARTLY DUE TO THIS TENDENCY FOR SPIN IN A POLL AND HANDLER-DRIVEN MODERN POLITICS)...THE LACK OF OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS...THE OBSESSION WITH A NARROW GROUP OF TOPICS, THE AGENDA OFT SET BY THE SHOCK JOCKS AND MURDOCH MEDIA BASED ON USE OF HYPE, DISTORTION, FEAR-MONGERING, CHARACTER ASSASSINATION, SENSATIONALISM IN ORDER TO HOOK-IN AUDIENCES WHILST OFFERING LITTLE SUBSTANCE THAT COULD POSSIBLY REVEAL THE EXTENT OF THEIR INFLUENCE, THE LACK OF REAL COMPETITION AND LEVEL PLAYING FIELD...AND UNCOMFORTABLE ISSUES LIKE 'WHY DO A PRIVILEGED FEW OFT GET OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS THAT THE MANY DON'T?'...AND 'WHY IS THERE ONE LAW FOR THE FEW AND ANOTHER FOR THE MANY?'... FURTHERMORE, WHY IS KEVIN AVOIDING CRITICISM OF THE HOWARD ERA? WHY ARE PAST CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES RELATING TO ABBOTT AVOIDED? WHY DO THE MEDIA CONVENIENTLY IGNORE THE FACT THAT ABBOTT'S LIBS WILL NOT HAVE A STRAIGHT OUT MAJORITY IF HE WINS BECAUSE, AS APPROPRIATELY POINTED BY CHRISTINE MILNE THIS MORNING, THE LIBERAL PARTY NEEDS THE NATIONAL PARTY TO FORM GOVERNMENT... THE LIBERALS ARE IN A COALITION WITH A MINORITY PARTY THAT HAS A BIG INFLUENCE ON HOW THE LIBERALS FORMULATE AND IMPLEMENT POLICY. WHY ARE THE ALP CRITICISED FOR WORKING WITH THE GREENS AND INDEPENDENTS BY OUR APATHETIC AND TOO OFT COMPLIANT NEWS MEDIA...WHILST THE LIBERAL PARTIES RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL PARTY IS TAKEN FOR GRANTED? WHY DO WE HEAR NOTHING ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND GEORGE PELL ON TONY ABBOTT? HAVE THEY SPOKEN ABOUT THE ROYAL COMMISSION? DID THE FEDERAL LIBERAL PARTY IGNORE PREVIOUS CALLS FOR A COMMISSION? AND SO ON. WHY CAN'T WE HAVE A DEBATE WITH THE GREENS AND NATS INCLUDED? WHY CAN'T WE HAVE A DEBATE WHERE THE LEADERS ARE ASKED QUESTIONS ON SPECIFIC NATIONALLY IMPORTANT ISSUES OVER A NUMBER OF DEBATES FOCUSING ON ONE OR TWO FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD SO WE GET MORE DETAILS AND SCRUTINY? A CHANCE TO SEE HOW THE LEADERS' MINDS WORK WHEN IT COMES TO TESTING THEIR UNDERSTANDING, POLICIES AND MOTIVES WHEN IT COMES TO SUCH IMPORTANT ISSUES? AND WHY ARE WE NOT PERMITTED TO SEE THE LEADERS EXCHANGING VIEWS WITH EACH OTHER...A TEST OF TEMPERAMENT, MENTAL AGILITY, COMPREHENSION OF THE OTHER'S VIEWPOINT AND ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY REBUT...WHICH WOULD GIVE US SOME IDEA TOO OF HOW THEY COPE UNDER PRESSURE WITH OVERSEAS LEADERS, COMPANY EXECS AND OTHERS WITH INFLUENCE. N'

Ad astra

15/08/2013nasking I empathize with your situation and admire your willingness to carry on despite your medical problems. You provide us with much additional information, particularly from overseas sources. We value you, and your contribution. We don’t want you to overly stress yourself in posting here. Do take breaks to draw breath. Remember, you will always be welcome here.

nasking

15/08/2013 [b]I signed up for Morgan polling. Are there any others better?[/b] 42 long, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD SIGN UP. WHAT ABOUT [b]ESSENTIAL POLL[/b]? I PREFER WHEN THE POLLS GUAGE THE VARIED RESPONSES TO SPECIFIC ISSUES AND POLICIES... AND NOT JUST FROM POLITICAL PARTIES. THERE ARE PLENTY OF ACADEMICS, THINK TANKS, INSTITUTIONS OFFERING UP IDEAS. WE ARE STUCK IN A RUT DUE TO THE DOMINANCE OF NEWSPOLL AND THE TABLOID, SHOCK JOCK APPROACH TO POLITICS. IT'S NOT SERVING THE PUBLIC INTEREST. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 CHEERS AD, I DO NEED TO GET AN HOURS SLEEP NOW. THNX FOR THE SUPPORT. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. YER ASSESSMENTS OF ARTICLES I FIND HIGHLY USEFUL...I LEARN A GREAT DEAL FROM THEM...AND YER POSTS. SOMETIMES IT TAKES DAYS, WEEKS TO SINK IN. N'

42 long

15/08/2013He is blindly following murdochs dictums. The views of the Greens are anathema to Murky, so get rid of them. It doesn't matter that they represent the will of the PEOPLE who exercise their right to vote the way they wish to.( Not the way HE wishes them too). This denial of democtratic right to have you views represented by how you vote in the parliament is pretty indicative of how these people (The LieNP) think and wish to run the show. Of course the convenient alliance between the NP and the Lieberals is ignored by them on the basis being anti Capitalist is not tolerated. As they move more to the rabid right they shrink in numbers. A problem they have not addressed. Plenty of Farmers believe in global warming. They have seen their climate change on their properties. They don't live in airconditioned offices, and read selected propaganda like Kroger Minchen and Co

nasking

15/08/2013 BTW, I THOUGHT GROG'S POST HIGHLY INFORMATIVE...A MUST READ: http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com.au/ LYN POSTED IT ABOVE TOO. N'

42 long

15/08/2013Nasking I think all it does is allow the Morgan people to send stuff to me on a regular (mailing list) basis.

E

15/08/2013AND WHY ARE WE NOT PERMITTED TO SEE THE LEADERS EXCHANGING VIEWS WITH EACH OTHER...A TEST OF TEMPERAMENT, MENTAL AGILITY, COMPREHENSION OF THE OTHER'S VIEWPOINT AND ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY REBUT...WHICH WOULD GIVE US SOME IDEA TOO OF HOW THEY COPE UNDER PRESSURE WITH OVERSEAS LEADERS, COMPANY EXECS AND OTHERS WITH INFLUENCE. Hello Nasking, this actually made me chuckle.. I realized that you had put into a clever nutshell the characteristics that Kevin and especially Tony don't possess. I just don't think that either of them are very clever. Nimble minds, I don't think so. (Have tried to find out Tony Abbott's field of study for his Rhodes scholarship to no avail.) Neither of them have open curious minds which you would think to be a prerequisite to be able to navigate the complexities of life, let alone run the country. Sometimes I think we would be better off purchasing a couple of those new robots from Japan. But then I think that these remarks could probably also apply to overseas leaders and company execs. One of the drawbacks of growing up is discovering that there is not a group of wise people in the world. Humans are very flawed. But I still see glimpses of hope. If anybody can take the time to watch on iview a lovely doco 'Sunday Best: Bill Cunningham New York' you will enter a lovely space of joy for a while. Of course you need to have enough download ability. Thankfully we are not in Egypt

Bacchus

15/08/2013Yes 42 long, I was signed up to Morgan about a year ago. The initial contact was one of their face to face interviews after which I was invited to sign up for their online panel. From this large panel, they randomly select people to take part in their surveys (not just political). Having such a large panel means they get a good coverage of all demographics for their polls. From memory, I think I've only been selected for one political poll since I signed up... For any who want further info or wish to sign up: http://www.ozpanel.com/communities/default.aspx?p=p895088976

Bacchus

15/08/2013[quote]WHAT ABOUT ESSENTIAL POLL?[/quote] I'M NOT 100% SURE NAS', BUT I THINK ESSENTIAL USE OTHER EXISTING SURVEY COMPANIES (PURE PROFILE, VALUED OPINIONS, LIVE TRIBE ETC.) TO RUN THEIR SURVEYS.

nasking

15/08/2013 [b]This piece presents an example of the misinformation that professional economists are able to promulgate. It illustrates yet again how cautious we need to be about accepting the opinion of economists, how wary we ought to be about the partisan bias that too often distorts their opinion, and how deceptive those opinions are to voters trying to make decisions about which party is best suited to manage the Australian economy in the highly volatile and complex global economy of which this nation is a small but significant part. [/b] AD, I'M PLEASED YOU BROUGHT THIS ISSUE UP...IT REALLY DISTURBS ME THAT WE CONTINUALLY HEAR FROM POLITICALLY ALIGNED ECONOMISTS... THAT'S NOT TO SAY ECONOMISTS WHO HAVE WORKED FOR A PARTY AT SOME POINT DON'T GIVE AN INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS AT TIMES...BUT IT'S LIKELY DURING THESE HEADY ELECTION TIMES THAT THE CHOSEN FEW WILL USE COMPLEX DATA AND SPIN IT TO BENEFIT THE ARGUMENTS, APPROACH AND FISCAL POLICIES OF ONE PARTY OR THE OTHER... THE FAULT LAYS WITH THE MEDIA WHO ARE WILLING TO FALL INTO THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM DEFAULT SETTING...PERMITTING THIS NONSENSE TO GO ON AND ON... SADLY, VIEWS THAT TAKE AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH ARE OFTEN IGNORED, SIDELINED...AND IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME TO START LISTENING TO VARIED AND FRESH VIEWS ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THIS IS IT... OUR SYSTEM HAS BEEN MEDIOCRE AT BEST...IT DEPENDS SO MUCH ON WINNERS AND LOSERS...AND WE SEE THESE LOCKED BOXES SUCH AS SUPERANNUATION... THE PREDICTABLE TAX CUTS MANTRA...CALLS FOR INCREASES IN GST... YET THE BENEFITS RECEIVED BY WEALTHY SUPERANNUANTS ARE UNTOUCHABLE... THE SAME GOES FOR SUBSIDIES TO THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRIES... IT IS HIGHLY DISCOURAGING...AND CAN MAKE ONE WEEP WHEN YOU SEE THE SAME FAILED METHODS USED AND REFERRED TO OVER AND OVER AGAIN... THE GLOBAL ECONOMIES STUMBLING FROM ONE DISASTER TO THE NEXT...SHIFTING FROM IRRESPONSIBLE BOOMS TO MASSIVE CONTRACTIONS ON THE BASIS OF A HINT OF INCREASED REGULATION AND TAXATION...LEAVING US HOSTAGE TO THE WHIMS OF THE CORPORATE ACTORS. NO WAY TO RUN A WORLD...IF YOU PURPORT TO RESPECT ALL OF ITS OCCUPANTS. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 42 long & Bacchus, Thnx for the info. Thinking about it, I belong to Pureprofile and have been polled on politics once or twice...not much at all considering I've been with them for a decade. I think we were asked questions about the QLD election once on the phone a few years back...no other poll tho. I guess we would need to live in Western Sydney or read The Courier Mail to be considered WORTHY. :D N'

nasking

15/08/2013 [b]Neither of them have open curious minds which you would think to be a prerequisite to be able to navigate the complexities of life, let alone run the country. Sometimes I think we would be better off purchasing a couple of those new robots from Japan.[/b] E, could well be. They seem to want to out 'special economic zone' each other today. I guess that's Rudd's idea of 'targeted tax cuts'. Still, won't judge them too harshly until I see the finer details...but it does look like an Alpha males' fight in the economic ALL-SPIN ZONE. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 ALL WE GET FROM LYNDAL CURTIS ON CAPITAL HILL IS A SPRUIKING OF THE BENEFITS OF DEVELOPING THE NORTH BY A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE NATIONAL FARMER'S FEDERATION WHO BRINGS UP LIVE EXPORTS, AMONGST OTHER THINGS...FOLLOWED BY TWO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MAINSTREAM PARTIES. WHERE ARE THE DISSENTORS? WHERE ARE THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IDEAS? YOU ONLY HAVE TO LOOK AT THOSE GROUPS WHO DOMINATE THE NFF AND THE OCCUPATIONS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT PRESIDNT TO KNOW THAT ALTERNATIVE VIEWS ARE UNLIKELY TO GET A LOOK IN: NFF Policy is set by the NFF Members’ Council, which comprises the Presidents of the NFF’s 26 Member organisations. The NFF members are: Australian Dairy Farmers Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association Australian Pork Limited Australian Veterinary Association Beechworth Honey CANEGROWERS Corporate Agriculture Group Cotton Australia Cattle Council of Australia Goat Industry Council of Australia GrainCorp GrainGrowers Northern Territory Cattlemens’ Association Pastoralists’ Association of West Darling Ridley Corporation Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia Ruralco Sheapmeat Council of Australia Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association Western Australian Farmers Federation (WAFarmers) WoolProducers Australia Jock Laurie, a grazier from Walcha in the New England region of NSW, was president of the organisation from late 2010 until April 2013, when he resigned to run for preselection for the NSW National party in the NSW seat of Northern Tablelands. At Laurie’s resignation, Duncan Fraser, former NFF Vice-President became President. Fraser will remain President until the next AGM, scheduled for November 2013. Past presidents and officers of the NFF are: Presidents The late Sir Donald Eckersley OBE, WA dairy farmer. NFF President, 1979-1981 Michael Davidson OBE, NSW grazier. NFF President, 1981-1984 Hon. Ian McLachlan AO, SA, VIC, NSW woolgrower and pastoralist. NFF President, 1984-1988 The late John Allwright AO, TAS grazier and poppy grower. NFF President, 1988-1991 Graham Blight, rice, corn and grain farmer. NFF President, 1991-1994 Donald McGauchie AO, VIC grain, dairy and merino stud farmer. NFF President, 1994-1998 Ian Donges, NSW cropping, prime lambs and beef producer. NFF President, 1998-2002 Peter Corish, NSW/QLD cropping, prime lambs and beef producer. NFF President, 2002-2006 David Crombie, QLD cropping and beef farmer, NFF President, 2006-2010 Jock Laurie, NSW farmer and grazier, NFF President, 2010-2013 Duncan Fraser, NSW farmer and grazier, NFF President, 2013 – present WIKIPEDIA --- MY WIFE JUST SAID THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A SLIP OF PAPER BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES LATELY. UNINSPIRING...AND WORRYING. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS I HAVE WITH THESE 'SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE' TAX CUTS IS IT REMINDS ME OF THE DREADFUL TAX CUT COMPETITION TO ATTRACT BUSINESSES THAT AMERICAN STATES PARTICIPATE IN... LEADING TO BANKRUPTED STATES...LACK OF REVENUE TO FUND ESSENTIAL SERVICES... YOU'D THINK RUDD AND ABBOTT WERE LISTENING TO MURDOCH AND CO. ON THIS. N'

42 long

15/08/2013That part of the world is so far from the rest of Australia. Why do we think we could process stuff and sell it to Indonesia. they have plenty of workers and are good farmers. The only reason the "live" cattle appeal is the lack of need for refrigeration The thunderstorms cyclones and the "wet" and "dry" seasons, weed control evaporation road serviceability reliabilty cost of transport of produce and the things needed to do the infrastructure. Bloody dumb idea. That is one thing that private investment should tackle on its own with no government meddling, IF it IS worthwhile. Just because abbott is an opportunistic idiot no reason for KRUDD to just copy him.

nasking

15/08/2013 AND YES, I KNOW THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AMERICAN STATES LOWERING TAXES AS OPPOSED TO THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL GOVT LOWERING TAXES FOR A SPECIFIC LOCATION...BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THIS IS SETTING A PRECEDENT THAT COULD LEAD TO MUCH LESS REVENUE AUSTRALIA-WIDE...INCREASED SOCIAL DARWINISTIC, USER PAYS APPROACHES...AND FORCED ESSENTIAL SERVICE CUTS, PRIVATISATION AND OUTSOURCING. I FEEL LIKE WE ARE BEING TAKEN DOWN THE AMERICAN ÜBER CAPITALIST ROAD...INCREMENTALLY...STEP BY BLOODY STEP. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 FURTHERMORE, LYNDAL CURTIS WAS EXTREMELY CONTROLLING OF THE DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE TWO CANDIDATES...HOWEVER, THE ALP CANDIDATE BEGAN TO INTENSELY DEBATE KELLY O'DWYER ON THE ISSUE OF GAY MARRIAGE... THE SPINNING AND DODGING FROM O'DWYER WAS EMBARRASSING TO OBSERVE...AND REVEALING... SADLY, LYNDAL CURTIS CAME TO HER RESCUE LIKE THE OBEDIENT CORPORATE ABC MODERATOR SHE IS AND KILLED THE DEBATE DEAD. WE ARE NOT BEING SERVED WELL BY OUR MEDIA. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 HOW PATHETIC IS IT WHEN PRESENTERS LIKE ANNABEL CRABBE ASK LIBERALS TO CRITICISE THE ALP...LIKE SHE JUST DID WITH NICK MINCHIN. WHAT THE HECK DOES SHE THINKS SHE'S GOING TO GET FROM THE LIBERAL BUT OBEDIENT CRITICISM. IT ADDS NOTHING TO THE DEBATE. THE DRUM IS OFT A VACUOUS SHOW...WITH POLITICALLY ALIGNED CHARACTERS ASSESSING POLICIES AND EVENTS RELATED TO THEIR PARTIES OR THEIR OPPONENTS...WITH THE ADDED BONUS OF MURDOCH EMPIRE CONNECTED INDIVIDUALS. IT HAS THE SUSTENANCE OF CANDY FLOSS. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 RE: DRUM...NOT SURE WHO THE PANELIST IN THE MIDDLE IS...MIRIAM SOMEBODY...BUT SHE DOES MAKE A LOT MORE SENSE THAN MINCHIN...I'M PLEASED SHE CORRECTED MINCHIN WHEN HE MADE THE OUTRAGEOUS CLAIM THAT THE EU HAS GONE BROKE BECAUSE OF HIGH TAXES... IN FACT, IT IS THE GOVTS SUCH AS GREECE THAT HAVE FAILED TO TAX AND COLLECT TAXES APPROPRIATELY THAT HAVE PARTLY CAUSED THE PROBLEM... THE PROBLEMS IN THE EU THO ARE FAR MORE COMPLEX THAN JUST TAX ISSUES...AND MINCHIN DEMONSTRATES A LACK OF INTEGRITY MAKING THIS CLAIM. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 HER NAME IS [b]MIRIAM LYONS[/b] SMART CHARACTER: [b]Miriam Lyons is the Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Development (CPD), an independent public interest think tank set up in 2007. Formerly the Policy Coordinator for newmatilda.com, Miriam has a long history of bringing innovative policy ideas and debate to new audiences.[/b] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam_Lyons N'

42 long

15/08/2013Corruption in Greece was the root cause. Avoiding tax was the national pastime. The downfall started at the time of the Olympics. No-one watching the events. The cost of putting it on would be the beginning of the end. It's such a small economy.

nasking

15/08/2013 IT REALLY IS DISGRACEFUL THAT THE MURDOCH EMPIRE AND SHOCK JOCKS HAVE SO MUCH IMPACT ON POLICY FORMATION AND DECISION-MAKING. IT NEEDS TO END. THE MURDOCH EMPIRE'S LINKS TO BIG OIL NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED. IN FACT, I WOULD LIKE THEIR LINKS TO ALL MAJOR INDUSTRIES,CORPORATIONS AND WEALTHY SHAREHOLDERS EXPOSED...THAT GOES FOR THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SHOCK JOCKS TOO. IF YER GOING TO HAVE THAT MUCH POWER AND INFLUENCE...THAT MUCH ACCESS TO POLITICIANS...THAT MUCH ACCESS TO AUDIENCES...YOU NEED TO FESS UP TO YOUR MOTIVES, INTERESTS AND WHICH CHARACTERS ARE DRIVING THE AGENDAS. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 42 long, Taxation, spending and endemic corruption were indeed partly to blame...as was the influence of investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and the deals done in relation to interest and such on borrowings... but it also had to do with the demands put on Greece and other Med countries by Germany and France as part of the EU package...and let's face it, Germany has a much more diverse economy when it comes to manufacturing...long standing family structured businesses...innovative education system...far more efficient finance and transportation systems...developments in cleaner energy...some effective urban and industry renewal. Greece had generally been apathetic and relied on the same old staple goods and tourism. Tho, I do hear they have a useful INTERNET system. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 42 long, this from Wikipedia: Tax evasion and corruption in Greece Another consistent problem Greece has suffered from in recent decades is the government's tax income. Each year it is several times below the expected level. In 2010, the estimated tax evasion costs for the Greek government amounted to well over $20 billion per year. To keep within the monetary union guidelines, the government of Greece had also for many years misreported the country's official economic statistics. At the beginning of 2010, it was discovered that Greece had paid Goldman Sachs and other banks hundreds of millions of dollars in fees since 2001, for arranging transactions that hid the actual level of borrowing. Most notable is a cross currency swap, where billions worth of Greek debts and loans were converted into Yen and Dollars at a fictitious exchange rate by Goldman Sachs, thus hiding the true extent of Greek loans. The purpose of these deals made by several successive Greek governments, was to enable them to continue spending, while hiding the actual deficit from the EU. The revised statistics revealed that Greece at all years from 2000-2010 had exceeded the Eurozone stability criteria, with the yearly deficits exceeding the recommended maximum limit at 3.0% of GDP, and with the debt level significantly above the recommended limit of 60% of GDP. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_government-debt_crisis BLOODY INVESTMENT BANKS AND TAX DODGERS. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 EXACTLY WHY WE DON'T WANT TO UNDERMINE OUR REVENUE RAISING SYSTEMS...ENSURE WE INVEST IN DIVERSE INDUSTRIES AND JOB SECTORS...HAVE FULL TRANSPARENCY WHEN IT COMES TO GOVT DEBT AND SPENDING...AND THE OPPOSITION'S...AND A TRANSPARENT, ROBUSTLY REGULATED FINANCE, SUPERANNUATION AND SHARE MARKET STRUCTURE... AND FIND ALTERNATIVE WAYS AND AREAS TO RAISE REVENUE FROM... KEEP ASSISTANCE SPENDING TO THOSE WHO REALLY REQUIRE IT... AND ENSURE WE APPROPRIATELY TAX THE PRIVILEGED...AND ENSURE TAXES AND FEES ARE COLLECTED EFFECTIVELY: Evolution[edit source | editbeta] In the early-mid-2000s, Greece's economy was strong and the government took advantage by running a large deficit, partly due to high defence spending amid historic enmity to Turkey. As the world economy cooled in the late 2000s, Greece was hit especially hard because its main industries — shipping and tourism — were especially sensitive to changes in the business cycle. As a result, the country's debt began to pile up rapidly. In early 2010, as concerns about Greece's national debt grew, policy makers suggested that emergency bailouts might be necessary. WIKIPEDIA

nasking

15/08/2013 RUDD REALLY DOES HAVE TO GET HIS FACTS AND FIGURES RIGHT BEFORE HE OPENS HIS MOUTH...IT UNDERMINES HIS CREDIBILITY EACH TIME HE IS PROVEN WRONG. YOU'D THINK HE'D HAVE THE EASIEST AND MOST RELIABLE ACCESS TO GOVT FIGURES ON ASYLUM SEEKERS BROUGHT TO AUSTRALIA FROM NAURU AND SUCH... GROAN. N'

Online Geldverdienen

15/08/2013Hey there would you mind letting me know which web host you're working with? I've loaded your blog in 3 different browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most. Can you recommend a good internet hosting provider at a honest price? Kudos, I appreciate it! Feel free to visit my weblog: Online Geldverdienen - http://www.online-geldverdienen-tipps.de/

nasking

15/08/2013 VERY QUIET ON HERE...I THOUGHT THE 7:30 INTERVIEW WITH ABBOTT WOULD'VE GENERATED SOME COMMENTS. THOUGHT LEIGH SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ABBOTT TO TASK ON THE CLAIMS THAT THE STATES AND TERRITORIES MUST ALL AGREE FOR THE GST TO GO UP...AND HIS CLAIM THAT THE LABOR STATES HAVE A SECRET AGENDA... IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE SA WILL SOON BE IN THE HANDS OF THE LIBS...AND WE KNOW THE ACT HAS DECLARED IT'S INTEREST IN INCREASING THE GST. THE 'WA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS ARE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL AND STAFF ARE HAPPY WITH THE OUTCOMES' CLAIM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED. I WAS ASTONISHED THAT LEIGH LET ABBOTT GET AWAY WITH THE OLD CANARD THAT THE ALP's NBN WILL COST 90 BILLION...DID SHE NOT WATCH LATELINE THE OTHER NIGHT? I HAVE TO SAY I WAS PLEASED SALES TOOK HIM TO TASK OVER THE COSTINGS...AND LACK OF POLICY ANNOUNCEMENTS...ABBOTT LOOKED VERY UNCOMFORTABLE...BEYOND THE ILLNESS HE WAS DISPLAYING. REGARDING THAT ILLNESS HE'S OBVIOUSLY PICKED UP...HOW DUMB IS IT OF A LEADER AT THE HEIGHT OF AN ELECTION CAMPAIGN DURING FLU SEASON TO NOT ONLY GO AROUND KISSING EVERY WOMAN AND BABY HE CAN GET HIS LIPS ON...?... BUT TO ALSO PARTICIPATE IN A LONG RUN THAT COULD HAVE A DELITARIOUS EFFECT ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM? IRRATIONALLY EXUBERANT INDEED MR. ABBOTT...QUITE IMPULSIVE AND IRRESPONSIBLE. I DON'T KNOW HOW HIS PARTNER AND TEAM PUT UP WITH HIM. N'

nasking

15/08/2013 WAS JUST SKIPPING THRU CHANNELS...THAT PAUL MURRAY LOOKS LIKE HE'S GONNA HAVE A HEART ATTACK...LOOKS DECIDEDLY UNWELL...BAD COLOUR. LOOKS LIKE HE EATS TOO MUCH CRAP AND DRINKS TOO MUCH. PERHAPS NOT...BUT HE REALLY LOOKS CROOK.

BSA Bob

15/08/2013Making my usual dips into the MSM television news tonight I was shocked to learn that Labor had GONE NEGATIVE!!! Expecting to see images of a swaggering Rudd in front of placards screaming "Murdoch's Moll", "Junk the Monk" & suchlike filth, instead I saw a segment of a political advertisement asking the present Leader of the Opposition why he's suddenly adopted a new image & where he'd be cutting expenditure if elected. Negativity soon eclipsed by Mr Abbott on 7.30 as he effortlessly segued into accusations of lying by his opponents on several occasions. Inured as it is to Coalition negativity, the commentariat only seems to notice or care about it when practised by someone else.

Catching up

15/08/2013Can anyone remember what Abbott did in his four years as health minister. Hospitals to be run by local committees. Independent Public school model School councils and principal runs all. Does not work. Also, who decides on the amount of money.Handing over all responsibility to principal GST cannot change, Still saying it cannot change without the agreement of the States. Lie Lie He has repeated that lie over and over. It is a federal law, therefore the feds can change it when ever they like. Once again on budget emergency PEFO proved that is another lie. One should not forget that many people now vote long before voting day. In fact they start to vote from next Tuesday He need to identify the waste in the system, what he is going to cut. After hearing lie after lie to day, how dare he keep saying, Labor tells fibs. I love Abbott when it comes to debate. Rudd agreed to Abbott;s first demand. Abbott wants them all on his terms. The one on his inability to remove the GST is a beauty.

BSA Bob

15/08/2013You'd have to look at a transcript to find the exact wording, but I suspect Abbott's telling the truth when he says that you can't alter the rate of the GST without the states' approval. It's Howardian dissembling & he'll get away with it. Currently yes, there's a law saying you can't change it. As for a new law saying you can, well, that wasn't the question was it?

Bacchus

15/08/2013I would suggest that there isn't a law saying the GST rate can't be changed by the federal parliament BSA Bob. Read the fact checking on this - it's unlikely for [b]political[/b] reasons, but there's no legal impediment. http://www.politifact.com.au/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/jun/09/tony-abbott/tony-abbott-says-gst-cannot-be-changed-without-all/

BSA Bob

16/08/2013Bacchus Thanks for that. Quite interesting, even at this late hour. But I think my statement stands, which is of course that Abbott can point to an agreement that happens to suit him at the moment, which is all he cares about. And then, under changed circumstances, having to deal with the unspeakable mess left them, etc, etc... Something that sounds right up Tony's alley.."parliament does not have the constitutional power to limit or abdicate its power by saying that such an act can only be changed if someone else, such as the states, agrees." Arr, Geez.. youse all know I'd really really like to keep my word but... He's had a bit of practice at this.

lyn

16/08/2013Today’s Links We really must talk about this debt nonsense by @independentaus Tony Abbott decries Australia’s “skyrocketing debt”. Murdoch’s tame economists condemn the “spiralling debt”. Economists and observers abroad regard these attacks as just bizarre. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/we-really-must-talk-about-this-debt-nonsense/ Grass Roots Politics, Global Money Trees by @MikeSeccombe Only Australian citizens are allowed to vote in Australian elections, yet anyone in the world can contribute to Australia’s political campaigns. Is this foreign intervention in Australian domestic politics good for our democracy?It’s a question worth pondering, because as things stand, millions of dollars of foreign-sourced money are being employed to fund Australian political campaigns http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/grass-roots-politics-global-money-trees/680/ Scrapping the carbon tax will lead to electricity price rises: report by ABC An independent report released today has found that ditching the carbon price in Australia will hit investment in the renewable energy sector—and almost certainly lead to an increase in electricity prices. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/axing-carbon-price-will-hit-power-prices/4882394 Tony Abbott's climate plan has $4bn funding gap, new modelling shows by Lenore Taylor Embarrassingly for Abbott, the modelling shows that with its current capped amount of money his own policy would in fact result in 40% less domestic emission reduction than Labor's. Under Labor, domestic emissions would fall by 287m tonnes of carbon dioxide (with 184m tonnes bought offshore by the big polluters). Under Direct Action domestic emissions would fall by 204m tonnes, the modelling shows. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/14/funding-gap-abbott-climate-plan Abbott’s carbon plan another black hole by @macro_business Monash University’s Centre of Policy Studies and The Climate Institute have released findings that show the coalition’s Direct Action plan would see Australia’s CO2 emissions increase and the costs of failure would be somewhere between $4 billion and $15 billion. Regular readers will recall that in my recent calculations of Abbott’s budget black hole http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2013/08/abbotts-direct-action-carbon-plan-another-black-hole/ Australian Emissions Up 9% Under Conservatives: Study By Agence France-Presse Sydney. Australia’s carbon pollution would increase by at least nine percent by 2020 under the policies of the conservative opposition, breaching global commitments, new pre-election modelling showed Thursday. The modeling, published by Australia’s independent Climate Institute thinktank, showed that “under all [opposition] coalition scenarios Australia’s emissions continue to increase to 2020 and beyond http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/australian-emissions-up-9-under-conservatives-study/ Abbott’s $4 billion climate budget blow-out by Tristan Edis Time for the Coalition to reveal their cards. The Coalition has been repeatedly saying it will reveal its budget costings and detailed explanations of policies in “good time before the election”. If Greg Hunt and Tony Abbott are so confident then they surely must have http://goo.gl/8ifG9t The black hole in Tony Abbott’s frat party climate policy by Giles Parkinson as the polls now suggest Abbott will form the next government – and may well be dependent on the “loony right” – the policy is worth a serious look. And the Climate Institute has done just that. The TCI analysis reveals Direct Action to be what most suspected: a lot of hocus pocus that fails on just about every conceivable measure, http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/the-black-hole-in-tony-abbotts-frat-party-climate-policy-26074p Comparing the parties' climate change and renewables policies by @ConversationEDU Serious discussion of climate change policy has been noticeably absent this election campaign – while the issue was allotted a portion of the first leaders' debate, little time was devoted to it. Nonetheless, there are significant differences in the climate change and renewable energy policies of the ALP, Coalition and Greens. http://theconversation.com/comparing-the-parties-climate-change-and-renewables-policies-17057 FactCheck: have power prices gone up 94% under Labor? by @ConversationEDU Technically true, though it is wrong to imply that the federal Labor government has been responsible. Most of that rise has been due to much higher network charges, which are set by state-based regulators or by the independent Australian Energy Regulator. http://theconversation.com/factcheck-have-power-prices-gone-up-94-under-labor-15701 Kevin Rudd's ad on Australia's debt, credit rating checks out by ABC The verdict: This advertisement is accurate. Australia's government debt is relatively low compared with other advanced economies, and Australia is one of only eight countries given the highest possible sovereign credit rating by the three major rating agencies http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-14/kevin-rudd-debt-ad-check/4866236 Is It Crunch Time For The Greens? by @beneltham Are the Greens “in trouble”, as the ABC News website confidently asserts today? That depends on what you mean by “in trouble”. It may be that the obituaries for the environmental party are being written far too soon. http://newmatilda.com/2013/08/15/it-crunch-time-greens Are they liars and clunkheads still- by @LarvatusProdeo By the way, this makes a complete fool of Peter Hartcher, who couldn’t understand at the debate that Labor’s plans were already out there in all the detail he could ever ask for. He says that “neither man would level with the voting public on how he would repair the nation’s public finances” and that Rudd was somehow running away. http://larvatusprodeo.net/archives/2013/08/are-they-liars-and-clunkheads-still/ Seven “Fashions Of The Moment” More Radical Than Marriage Equality By Liam Carswell Perry “interviewed” Abbott on 2DayFM this morning– a hideously cringeworthy exchange set up by Kyle & Jackie O,which Abbott opened by asking the singer when she’d be touring Australia next. “Ah, c’mon,” she replied. “That’s not a political question, let’s talk about gay marriage!” http://junkee.com/seven-fashions-of-the-moment-more-radical-than-marriage-equality/17289 It’s not a “gaffe”. It’s a trend. by @fakeedbutler this is a man who admitted to being threatened by homosexuality. And when confronted by the question of his support for marriage equality in the debate, immediately name-dropped his half-sister. I’m sorry, but gay siblings (and wives and daughters, for that matter) are not props to be wheeled out as a firewall against criticism for retrograde attitudes. http://ausvotes2013.com/2013/08/15/its-not-a-gaffe-its-a-trend/ “Get a life” by @MigloMT Former Prime Minister John Howard has told anyone offended by Tony Abbott’s controversial comment that a Liberal Party candidate had “sex appeal” to “get a life” http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/get-a-life/ Last updated 14 August 2013. Arranged by month, may not be chronological within each month Tony Abbott Gaffes Based on this list of gaffes since August 2010, Tony Abbott is no more fitto be PM or to represent Australia on the world stage now than he wasthree years ago. Between August 2010 and July 2013 Abbott insulted,offended or annoyed to varying degrees Africans, Irish, Indonesians,Chinese, Finns, Papua New Guineans & Luxembourgers http://www.scribd.com/doc/133134121/Tony-Abbott-Gaffes Tougher Than Leather – Craig Thomson and his accusers wild spending of HSU funds by @madwixxy Craig Thomson has put up with years of harassment and a pile of political smear so high that the mightiest of conquering mountaineers would struggle to scale it. The Coalition have attempted to drive him to bankruptcy with legal proceedings, the media have hounded him and printed lies, and he has become a human punch-line, the butt of a million jokes. http://wixxyleaks.com/2013/08/15/tougher-than-leather-craig-thomson-and-his-accusers-wild-spending-of-hsu-funds/ Tony Abbott, is the LNP’s gaffer! by Truth Seeker As the second week of the election gets under way, Abbott shows himself to be the LNP’s “Gaffer” but not in the traditional meaning of the word (Boss or Leader), but rather the one who makes “Gaffes” . http://truthseekersmusings.wordpress.com/ Neither everything nor nothing by Jane Goodall day after day in parliament, the attack was sustained at this pitch, and in these terms. Gillard was incompetent, presumptuous, dishonest, out of control, an embarrassment. The censure motions came thick and fast. - “That’s right. Run away, why donchya. Run away!” Gillard took to leaving the chamber when Abbott started an attack, and his invective is accordingly peppered with taunts. http://inside.org.au/neither-everything-nor-nothing/ Coalition Avoiding NBN Policy Costing Review by @mwyres In another piece of double standard rhetoric from the Coalition, Malcolm Turnbull has refused to submit his policies for his alternative National Broadband Network (NBN) to the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) for costing, prior to the September 7th election. http://michaelwyres.com/2013/08/coalition-avoiding-nbn-policy-costing-review/ Coalition NBN policy goes uncosted by @renailemay Should Turnbull get the policy costed by the private sector, at the Coalition’s own expense? A lot of people probably think the Liberal MP should — after all, if you want to make massive changes to Australia’s largest ever infrastructure project, a project which will see tens of billions of dollars of public money invested, http://delimiter.com.au/2013/08/15/coalition-nbn-policy-goes-uncosted/ A Letter From The Big Mal by @sortius It has taken months to get a response (the questions were submitted days after Turnbull released his policy) & I have been given approval by the MP who is assisting me to release both the questions & the response from Turnbull. I have redacted the names, however the content hasn’t been changed. http://sortius-is-a-geek.com/ Business Economics of Fibre vs Copper- a slam-dunk win for Fibre by @SteveJ_CBR THIS is the primary difference between Fibre and Copper. Fibre makes a lot more profit, while offering consumers features they value. "Speed" allows consumes to put a value on their time. Those with the need and means can elect to pay a premium, other can choose the entry-level service. http://stevej-on-nbn.blogspot.com.au/ Today’s Front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 16 August 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/

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16/08/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

Michael

16/08/2013Abbott does appear to be 'measuring the curtains', doesn't he? I wonder if they will extend to cloak his closet?

nasking

16/08/2013 GOOD MORNING LYN AND ALL, COLD MORNING...BUT IT WAS PLEASANT STRETCHING IN THE SUN. STARTED PUTTING MY LARGE SCI-FI AND HORRER NOVELS COLLECTION TOGETHER BY AUTHOR...SINCE WE MOVED HERE IN 2002 THERE HAS BEEN A RANDOMISATION OF PATTERNS...ENTROPY HAS HAD ITS WAY WITH ORDER...AS IT DOES...ARTHUR C. CLARKE SITS ATOP A FREDERICK POHL HERE A POUL ANDERSON THERE...A CJ CHERRYH, HARRY HARRISSON, GREG BEAR, GREGORY BENFORD AND DAVID BRIN FOUND IN EVERY ROOM OF THE HOUSE...ISAAC ASIMOV AND DAN SIMMONS IN A STRANGE EMBRACE ON THE BEDROOM SHELVES...LOIS MCMASTER BUJOLD TRIES TO DOMINATE DEAN KOONTZ...WHO WILL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH?...CERTAINLY NOT ORSON SCOTT CARD BANISHED TO THE LOWER LEVELS SINCE I DISCOVERED HE WAS A MORMON BIGOT...PHILIP K. DICK AND PHILIP JOSE FARMER HANG TOGETHER IN PARANOID CORNERS...CHINA MIEVILLE ACTS LIKE THE ODDMAN OUT...LARRY NIVEN GETS AROUND WITH POURNELLE AND OTHERS...URSULA LE GUIN LOOKS UNCOMFORTABLE NEXT TO STEPHEN KING...I SHOVE HIS STACKS NEXT TO PETER STRAUB, JOE DONNELLY, PHIL RICKMAN AND ROBERT R. MCCAMMON...HP LOVECRAFT TAKING PRIDE OF PLACE...HE BEFRIENDS BRIAN LUMLEY...AND IT'S NICE TO SEE ROBERT HOLDSTOCK, ROBERT SILVERBERG AND MICHAEL SWANWICK ENJOYING EACH OTHER'S COMPANY...BUT KIM STANLEY ROBINSON, TIM POWERS AND IAN M. BANKS ARE BEING DIFFICULT...WHILST DOUGLAS ADAMS IS HAVING A JOKE AT EVERYONE ELSE'S EXPENSE...PLENTY MORE AUTHORS TO GO...LIKE THAT BRILLIANT EGOIST MICHAEL CRICHTON...LOTS OF FANTASY AS WELL...ALL FOUND USING MAGNIFYING-LIKE GLASSES...INSTINCT...RECOGNITION OF COLOURS AND PATTERNS THRU THESE BLURRED EYES...AND THE LOVE FOR BOOKS...AND THE OCCASIONAL MUSTY SMELL. GLORIOUS. LYN, SOON I WILL BE SKIMMING THRU THE POSTS YOU'VE BEEN KIND ENUFF TO LINK TO...DILIGENT AS EVER YOU HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY PROVIDED US WITH A FEAST OF POSTS...FAR FROM THE ALP BASHING MSM CROWD. :D HAVE A GOODIE N'

nasking

16/08/2013 GAI BRODTMANN DID A TOP JOB THIS MORN OF SPREADING THE FEAR ABOUT THE ABBOTT COALITION'S SECRET AGENDA... UNDERSTANDABLY...WE COULD BE SEEING A MASSACRE OF PUBLIC SERVANTS AND SERVICES COMING. AS FOR LIB JAMIE BRIGGS, WHAT A DEFENSIVE SNAPPY CHARACTER HE IS...LIKE MOST OF THE COALITION THESE DAYS HE SPINS AND BASHES GOVT BUT IS UNWILLING TO EXPOSE HIS TEAM'S ENTIRE AGENDA TO THE LIGHT OF SCRUTINY... WHAT FOUL BEASTS LURK IN THE SHADOWS OF ABBOTT'S INTENTIONS? N'

nasking

16/08/2013 THIS ABOUT JAMIE BRIGGS FROM 2011: ...Jamie Briggs has been making a real pig of himself, according to scandalised Tory insiders. [b]A notorious leaker of personal smear and innuendo to the likes of boned Gallery dwarf of poison Glenn Milne, Briggs has continued a public and private campaign of attacking anyone in his path.[/b] Briggs has been knowingly concerned in fuelling rumours about a very senior Liberal having an indecent liaison with his very senior female staffer that have been burning through the tinder-dry smut-minded ranks of the Canberra Press Gallery like wildfire. We cannot repeat his false, and salacious, claims, for legal reasons, because both of the targets of his attack are married. We believe happily... “It’s an occupational hazard here (at Parliament House) for anyone not morbidly obese or a ‘confirmed bachelor’ to be accused of having a fling. It sucks, but it’s just part of Parliamentary life, mostly because we spend so much time away from home. When it comes to rumours like this, usually there’s much more smoke than actual fire,” one explained. “Often it’s the real stories, like (Sophie) Mirabella sleeping with someone forty years her senior that don’t get told until years later. But what Briggs is doing is just deceitful and wrong and very dangerous. For the party but also for him.” [b]Briggs has also been publicly tormenting the Party leadership by “freelancing” on delicate subjects like reinstating individual contracts and extending the GST on food...[/b] Party insiders say it’s all a desperate – and sad – attempt for attention and an expression of rage and frustration that he isn’t in the Shadow Ministry. Briggs is said to be particularly aggrieved at the Leader’s office communications to “Shadow Ministers and the chair of the Wastewatch committee” which he feels highlights his exclusion from this non-exclusive group. He has loudly remarked on the inadequacy of several shadow ministers and compared his number of Media Monitors clippings with several lower-profile and arguably more-disciplined colleagues. “It’s easy to get a run in the media dissing your own crew,” one remarked. [b]Briggs’ attacks on senior colleagues at a personal level are considered especially risky and devious. It’s believed that Press Gallery members as diverse as the Fairfaxista Phil Coorey, Aunty’s Chris Uhlmann, Lyndal Curtis, Seven’s Abbo-hater Mark Riley and the hard-hitting Samantha Maiden from News Limited are aware of the claims and have, for reasons of decorum, opted not to publish them.[/b] http://www.vexnews.com/2011/10/mouth-from-the-south-liberal-mp-jamie-briggs-in-hot-seat-over-forked-tongue/ DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A VERY NICE CHARACTER... NOT SURPRISING HE'S IN THE MODERN DAY LIBERAL PARTY. [b]THEY SEEM TO LIKE NASTY CHARACTERS. THINK PYNE, MIRABELLA, ANDREWS, BRANDIS, MORRISON...ABBOTT HIMSELF. SOMETHING NASTIER THAN THE HOWARD GOVT THIS WAY COMES. [/b] N'

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16/08/2013Hi Lyn I’ve read through your links. I’ll be busy for the rest of the day. Again, they are informative and comprehensive. It looks as if Abbott and Co will thumb their noses at the electorate and release policy costings too late for public scrutiny. They are so cocky that they will win that they don’t care if there is a backlash against them for doing this. As I read the items on the state of the economy, what I am seeing is the triumph of lies and deception over facts and evidence, aided and abetted by a supportive media which wants Abbott in power and doesn’t care about the awful consequences. What a sad state our democracy is in when the Fourth Estate becomes a partisan political player! Thanks again.

nasking

16/08/2013 THE ABBOTT COALITION'S 'STOP THE BOATS' PLAN SOUNDS SHONKY. DOESN'T SOUND LIKE THEY ARE GOING TO 'STOP THE BOATS' OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. ABBOTT REFUSES TO RESIGN IF HE DOESN'T 'STOP THE BOATS'... CONSIDERING WHAT A BIG DEAL HE AND SCOTT MORRISON HAVE MADE ABOUT THIS ISSUE SHOULDN'T THEY AGREE TO RESIGN IF THEY FAIL? I RECKON THE WESTERN SYDNEY, QLD AND WA XENOPHOBES ARE BEING CONNED BY ABBOTT AND MORRISON. N'

nasking

16/08/2013 LYN, WHAT AN ENLIGHTENING POST: [b]Grass Roots Politics, Global Money Trees[/b] By Mike Seccombe, Clare BlumerAugust 15, 2013 [b]Sembler is the very epitome of the American establishment. A rich shopping-centre developer, former finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, controversial anti-drug campaigner, ambassador under George Bush the elder, pillar of the American Enterprise Institute and of other right-wing causes...[/b] Furthermore, we can assume that the motivations of those giving the money are ideological, rather than mercenary. In this last aspect, the same probably goes for Mel Sembler’s $10,000 donation to the Liberal Party, on August 15, 2007. No doubt he was motivated by affection for his ideological soulmate John Howard, rather than by any intent to gain some commercial advantage. Mark him down, though, for hypocrisy, given that he must have been aware that accepting such a donation would have been illegal in his own country. But does it make a foreign donation OK, just because a donor is motivated by ideological affinity, rather than by the baser motives of personal or corporate advantage? [b]Take the case of the billionaire British Tory peer, serial entrepreneur and controversial money mover Lord Michael Ashcroft. In 2004 he gave $1 million to the Australian Liberal Party, and in 2010 he gave another $250,000. That’s the sort of money that could buy serious influence. Not that we’re suggesting Ashcroft sought any personal or business advantage. This was a rich Brit with tight links to conservative parties, giving to the conservative cause that is the Australian Liberal Party.[/b] But one can see the possibility of government policy-making being affected even so, on the basis of where the money came from. [b]In 2010, for example, £5.1 million donated by one of Ashcroft’s companies to the Conservative Party in Britain was sourced to a secretive corporate entity in the tax haven of Belize. You have to wonder if a political party which benefits by the use of tax havens might not as a result be less determined to close down such loopholes.[/b] And anyway, at a time when governments everywhere, including in Australia and Britain, are wrestling with the threat to the integrity of their tax systems presented by international corporate profit shifting, do we want to see international corporate donation shifting? [b]In 2008, to cite another example, US billionaire Peter Briger kicked in US$50,000 to the Australian political process. His donation to the Liberal Party was specifically made out to the party through Malcolm Turnbull’s electorate of Wentworth.[/b] [b]The donor and recipient were previously linked through having worked for Goldman Sachs, and Turnbull had previously held shares in Briger’s Fortress Investment Group. For Briger, whose salary plus bonus from the company was reported to be US$26.2 million for last year, the donation was small change. Hey, he was just helping out a mate.[/b] Other foreign donations raise even more difficult questions. [b]Among the many foreign donors who collectively direct millions of dollars to Australian political parties, one of the biggest is an outfit called Hong Kong Kingson Investments, which has declared donations of $1,503,500. Of this, Labor received $771,500, the Liberal Party $450,000 and the Nationals $282,000. The company is Chinese, but it is run by Dr Chau Chak Wing, a Chinese-born Australian citizen. He has contributed other money, too, via other companies, as a Fairfax Media investigation showed.[/b] The details are not so important, except inasmuch as they show the difficulty, in an increasingly globalised environment, of deciding what is foreign interference in our political system and what isn’t. The company is Chinese, the bloke directing its donations is Australian. [b]Should we be suspicious?[/b] http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/grass-roots-politics-global-money-trees/680/ [b]TONY ABBOTT FARTS ON SAYING 'WE ARE IN CHARGE OF THIS COUNTRY...AND WE WILL DETERMINE WHO COMES HERE'... BUT FEW VOTERS SEEM CONCERNED ABOUT DONATIONS COMING FROM OVERSEAS... NOR THE INFLUENCE OF RUPERT MURDOCH FROM NY... NOR THE MEGA-WEALTHY WHO ARE GIVEN VISAS AND CITIZENSHIP IN THIS COUNTRY WITH WORRYING CONNECTIONS TO UNDERWORLD FIGURES, AUTHORITARIAN COUNTRIES AND HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL CORPORATIONS.[/b] THE ASYLUM SEEKER ISSUE IS A PATHETIC DISTRACTION... [b]THE REAL CRIMINALS AND CORRUPT AND RAPERS OF THIS LAND AND ITS COMPANIES COME THRU THE FRONT DOOR WELCOMED ON THE RED CARPET...OR BUY WAY OF THEIR MONEY[/b]... WE WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN...YEA...RIGHT! N'

Curi-Oz

16/08/2013Is it my imagination, or am I starting to see a more "amurcan" style of "presidential" political campaign? It's starting to make me feel quite cross. But when I try to raise why I'm irritated to others, I'm told I'm imagining things, that I don't know what I'm talking about (and I wouldn't if it weren't for the links and conversations here), and that I'm getting overwrought. I don't think I'm overwrought - yet. I am getting frustrated at the quality of the reporting in all the MSM, and it is worse that I'm based in WA and on a two hour delay listening/watching media broadcast from the east coast. What to do though? And how to find a way to explain my concerns to those who resent being informed of the quality of those who want us to hire them to represent us?

nasking

16/08/2013 [b]It's starting to make me feel quite cross. But when I try to raise why I'm irritated to others, I'm told I'm imagining things, that I don't know what I'm talking about (and I wouldn't if it weren't for the links and conversations here), and that I'm getting overwrought.[/b] Curi-Oz, there are indeed aspects of this election that are American in style...I just wish they'd take the American debate road rather than some of the other rubbish... like the Abbott team telling Kevin Rudd to 'Man-up!'... this is Sarah Palin, Fox News crap... THO INTERESTINGLY, THERE IS ALSO A CAMPAIGN GROUP: OUR MISSION To engage youth in a global movement to end gender-based violence and advance gender equality through programming and support of youth-led initiatives intended to transform communities, nations and the world, by promoting gender equality and sensitivity among global youth building a community of like-minded individuals, initiatives and organizations http://manupcampaign.org/ [b]YOU MIGHT THINK THAT THE 'MAN UP!' COMMENT MIGHT HAVE TO DO MORE WITH ABBOTT THE WALL PUNCHER PROJECTING HIS OWN GUILT ONTO KEVIN RUDD. RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS HAVE A HABIT OF PROJECTING THEIR OWN GUILT AND NEGATIVE ACTIONS ON OTHERS.[/b] N'

TalkTurkey

16/08/2013A FALCON NESTING IN A TREE I’ve received many remarkable nature photographs over the years but this photo of a nesting Falcon is perhaps the most remarkable Nature shot I’ve ever seen. http://i.imgur.com/YW6Fufm.jpg

nasking

16/08/2013 THIS WAS SARAH PALIN: "[b]Hey, politicians who are in office today you, some of you, need to man up and spend some political capital to support the tea party candidates instead of doing this, waiting to see how everything is going to go. You know that tea party candidates are constitutionalists that got the common sense. So, some of these politicians, the big-wigs within the machine, they're driving me crazy because they're too chicken to come and support the tea party candidates!," Sarah Palin said at a Tea Party Express event in Nevada.[/b] http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/10/18/sarah_palin_to_republican_machine_man_up.html PRETTY WORRYING THAT ABBOTT USES IT... TEA PARTY/ANTI-CARBON PRICE RALLIES... NEVADA, GAMBLING/NSW, GAMBLING, PACKER, CHINESE INTERESTS WAS EVEN USED BY A KOOKY WANNABE REPUBLICAN WHO WAS A RELIGIOUS FREAK WHO ADMITTED WHEN YOUNGER SHE WAS INTO BLACK MAGIC. GREAT COMPANY MR. ABBOTT. CREEP. WEIRDO. N'

nasking

16/08/2013 AHHH, AN INDICATION OF OUR ABBOTT/PALIN FUTURE...UGLY AUSTRALIA HOW LIKE YOUR TEA PARTY MATES YOU ARE: [b]Carbon tax protest turns angry - ABC News[/b] http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kQweL9XC0Uc [b]WELL DONE AUSTRALIA'S MSM...WHAT A WONDROUS GIFT YOU HAVE GIVEN THIS COUNTRY BY LETTING ABBOTT AND JOYCE HAVE A FREE RIDE.[/b] N'

nasking

16/08/2013 THAT LINK SHOULD BE: [b]Carbon tax protest turns angry - ABC News[/b] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQweL9XC0Uc N'

TalkTurkey

16/08/2013 Have a laugh eh. Here's an email I just pass on. Glad I wasn't Judge #3 ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For those of you who have lived in Kwa-Zulu Natal, (a Province of South Africa) you know how typical this is. They actually have a Curry cook-off about June/July. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at their Royal Show. Judge #3 was an inexperienced food critic named Frank, who was visiting from the US. Frank commented later: "Recently, I was honoured to be selected as a judge at a Curry Cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for directions to the beer garden when the call came in. I was assured by the other 2 judges -- Natal Indians -- that the curry wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted". Here are the scorecard notes from the event: CURRY # 1 -- SEELAN'S MANIAC MONSTER TOMATO CURRY... Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick. Judge # 2 -- Nice smooth tomato flavour. Very mild. Judge # 3 (Frank) -- Holy shit, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint off your driveway with it. It took me 2 beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These people are crazy. CURRY # 2 -- PHOENIX BBQ CHICKEN CURRY... Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of chicken. Slight chilli tang. Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavour, needs more peppers to be taken seriously. Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich manoeuvre! They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face. CURRY # 3 -- SHAMILA'S FAMOUS "BURN DOWN THE GARAGE" CURRY... Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse curry. Great kick. Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of chilli peppers. Judge # 3 -- Call 911. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drain Cleaner. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting pissed from all the beer! CHILLI # 4 -- BABOO'S BLACK MAGIC BEAN CURRY... Judge # 1 -- Black bean curry with almost no spice. Disappointing. Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a curry Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Shareen, the beer maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 100kg woman is starting to look HOT...just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chilli an aphrodisiac? CHILLI # 5 -- LALL'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER... Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong curry. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive. Judge # 2 -- Average beef curry, could use more tomato. Must admit the chilli peppers make a strong statement. Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. When I farted 4 people behind me needed paramedics! The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chilli had given me brain damage. Shareen saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the jug. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really pisses me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw them! CHILLI # 6 -- VERISHNEE'S VEGETARIAN VARIETY... Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety curry. Good balance of spices and peppers. Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb. Judge # 3 -- My large intestine is now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulphuric flames. I am definitely going to shit myself if I fart and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Shareen. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my arse with a snow cone ice-cream. CHILLI # 7 -- SELINA'S "MOTHER-IN-LAW'S-TONGUE" CURRY... Judge # 1 -- A mediocre curry with too much reliance on canned peppers. Judge # 2 -- Ho hum. Tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chilli peppers at the last moment. I should take note at this stage that I am worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably. Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in 1 eye, & the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with curry which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least, during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing - it's too painful. Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my gut. CHILLI # 8 -- NAIDOO'S TOENAIL CURLING CURRY... Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending. This is a nice blend curry. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence. Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced curry. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 farted, passed out, fell over & pulled the curry pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor man, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot curry? Judge # 3 -- No Report.

nasking

16/08/2013 WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF NICK XENOPHON THAT HE'S THINKING OF GIVING HIS PREFERENCES TO THE MAINSTREAM PARTIES...PARTICULARLY THE LIBERAL PARTY...WHEN HE PURPORTS TO BE AN ANTI-GAMBLING CAMPAIGNER? NSW LIBERALS APPROVE PACKER MEGA-CASINO. N'

nasking

16/08/2013 TT, ROFL. I HAVEN'T LARFED AS MUCH SINCE THE ONGOING VOMIT SCENE IN TWO EPISODES OF FAMILY GUY...AND THE SEQUENCE IN MIKE AND MOLLY WHEN VINCE HURTS HIS BACK AND GETS STUCK IN THE BATH AND MOLLY HAS TO PULL HIS BUTT ACROSS THE LIVING ROOM FLOOR. SOME GOOD DOPE JOKES IN MIKE AND MOLLY TOO...HER SISTER WORKS IN A FUNERAL HOME AND IS A SWEET CHARACTER WHO JUST LUVS HER WEED. THAT 3rd JUDGE COULDA USED SOME RAITA...YOGHURT HELPS WITH THE SPICE HEAT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raita FREAKIN' HILARIOUS THO...THNX FOR THE LARFS. :D COINCIDENTALLY I WAS EATING LEFTOVER BLACK CHICK PEA AND VEGE CURRY FOR LUNCH. CLASSIC! N'

Michael

16/08/2013Abbott does spend a lot of time fixated on other males' virility, doesn't he? The "be a man" and "man up" stuff indicates a lot more about him than his targets.

nasking

16/08/2013 HERE'S THE ORIGINAL FAMILY GUY VOMIT SCENE...I IMAGINE IF ABBOTT WINS THIS IS HOW MOST OF THE POPULATION WILL REACT THE MOMENT HE DECLARES VICTORY: Family Guy - Who Wants Chowder? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eYSpIz2FjU TELL ME IT AIN'T SO. N'

nasking

16/08/2013 AHHH, TONY ABBOTT...HIS PAST IS SOOO REASSURING: [b]Oxford also appeared to be the kind of England that the deeply conservative Abbott idealised, ever since his mother bought him Ladybird books about Francis Drake and Henry V as a child. Ancient, resilient, ritualised, the university aroused what he described at Queen's last year as his "instinctive respect for values and institutions that have stood the test of time".[/b] [b]In 1981 his college was 640 years old: almost five times older than Sydney university. With its honey-coloured quadrangles, complete with towers and colonnades and roof statues, sited right in the medieval heart of the university, Queen's looked like a dream of Oxford made real. [/b] Abbott quickly started spending time in the Middle Common Room, a handsome social space for graduate students. A contemporary remembers him "sitting in an armchair, legs slung across, holding court, pleased with himself". Abbott's actual living quarters were a little different. Like many of the foreign students at Queen's, he was accommodated a 10-minute walk away, on the edge of less-exquisite east Oxford, in the Florey Building, an angular 60s fishbowl that looks like a Martian spaceship cut in half... At Oxford, Abbott did not look that charismatic. Heavier-set than he is now, he wore middle-aged trousers and V-necked jumpers with out-of-date, 70s-style shirt collars poking out. His voice was a little tight and needling. But he was loud and good fun. "He was a larger-than-life Aussie Ocker," says Crowe. "Beer-drinking, rugby song-singing, thick accent." [b]The other Australian Rhodes scholars avoided playing to the stereotype but "Abbo" embraced it. "You could hear him from across the room," says another Oxford contemporary. "Abbo always liked to stir the pot and say outrageous things." Half-jokingly, he told the college's Anglican chaplain that he ought to have chosen Catholicism instead. On this and other occasions, some at Queen's felt Abbott "went over the top a bit", says Brian McGuinness, a philosophy tutor there. [/b] Like Sydney university in the 70s, Oxford in the early 80s had a vigorous leftwing culture: even the gilded student magazine Isis ran articles about the horror of nuclear weapons. Although the provost of Queen's was Lord Blake, a renowned Tory historian and supporter of the prime minister Margaret Thatcher, its students consistently voted Labour in university elections. [b]Abbott's politics stood out: "He loved Maggie Thatcher," says Crowe. "He was even more conservative than he is now." [/b] In [b]May 1982, six days after the British sinking of the Argentinian warship General Belgrano, with 323 killed, an Oxford demonstration took place against Thatcher's military campaign in the Falklands. Hundreds of chanting students and locals, led by chained figures made up as corpses, converged on the Martyrs' Memorial, a traditional gathering place for protesters. [/b] [b]Abbott hurriedly scraped together a dozen fellow rightwingers from Queen's, rushed to the memorial, and mounted a counter-demonstration in favour of the British war effort. Provocatively, he stood beside the peace protesters, one hand in his pocket, bellowing pro-Thatcher slogans. Eventually, the university newspaper Cherwell reported, there were "police attempts to disperse [his] unofficial meeting", but these "met with little response".[/b] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/16/tony-abbott-at-oxford-university [b]I TAKE IT CRUSADING CONSERVATIVE TONY WILL BE CHEERING ON POLICE ATTACKS ON UNIONS...AND STUDENTS...AND VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTESTORS...HAND IN POCKET...CAN OF BEER COURTESY OF JOHN SINGLETON HELD UP IN OTHER...POSING FOR NEWS LTD PICS? SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO FROM OUR THATCHERITE CULTURE WARRIOR...P/T BULLY BOY. [/b] N'

Bacchus

16/08/2013@ TT 12:19 PM and 12:33 PM :D http://www.soundjay.com/human/man-giggling-01.mp3 :D

nasking

16/08/2013 FROM ABOVE ARTICLE: [b]Abbott quickly started spending time in the Middle Common Room, a handsome social space for graduate students. A contemporary remembers him "sitting in an armchair, legs slung across, holding court, pleased with himself".[/b] THIS COULD BE ABBOTT IN 2010 NEGOTIATING WITH WINDSOR AND OTHERS IN A FAILED ATTEMPT TO CREATE A GOVT...BUT NOT SELLING HIS ARSE. ALMOST. N'

nasking

16/08/2013 WELL, YOU CAN'T SAY RUDD ISN'T PUTTING FORTH POLICIES AND SCHEMES TO CREATE JOBS ACROSS AUSTRALIA...WHETHER YOU LIKE THEM OR NOT... WHY ON EARTH THE VOTERS WOULD GO FOR ABBOTT NOW IS BEYOND ME... HE'S AN OVERLY CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS WEIRDO WHO UNDERMINES AUSTRALIA WITH HIS CONSTANT GAFFES...HAS A PATTERN OF BEHAVIOUR WHEN IT COMES TO TREATING WOMEN LIKE A MACHO DICKEAD FROM THE 50s...AND SEEMS TO BE ADDICTED TO MURDOCH TABLOID AND SHOCK JOCK FEAR-MONGERING AND DOG WHISTLING IN ORDER TO AVOID SCRUTINY OF HIS LACK OF COSTINGS AND DESIRE TO MAKE CUTS IN HEALTH AND EDUCATION...WHILST PRIVATISING SCHOOLS AND CREATING A LESS UNIONISED MORE OBEDIENT, PARTLY LOWER PAID WORKFORCE...AND PUTTING UP THE GST. WHY WOULD YOU RISK ABBOTT AND HOCKEY? AND THEIR HIDDEN PLANS? N'

nasking

16/08/2013 ABBOTT RETURNING TO USING TPVs (Temporary protection visa) MAKES YOU WONDER ABOUT WHAT ELSE FROM THE HOWARD ERA WILL HE EVENTUALLY USE? THINK WORKCHOICES...GST...WAR-MONGERING...DOG WHISTLING OVER MUSLIMS TO DISTRACT FROM BAD POLICIES,,GAFFES AND SCORE CHEAP POLITICAL POINTS...SET DOGS ON UNIONS...LIE ABOUT ASYLUM SEEKERS (CHILDREN OVERBOARD)... I HEARD FROM A FRIEND OF A JUDGE THAT ABBOTT WAS ALWAYS BEING GROOMED BY HOWARD TO TAKEOVER BUT THE LIBS DIDN'T WANT MANY TO KNOW IT. I RECKON ABBOTT WILL BE EVEN HARDER ON YOUNG PEOPLE THAN HOWARD...MORE AGGRESSIVE TOWARDS UNIONS...AND PUBLIC SERVANTS...WILL NOT BROOK DISSENT FROM INTERNAL LIBERAL CRITICS...AND IS ABOUT TO TAKE THIS COUNTRY BACK A HUNDRED YEARS IN REGARD TO MORAL AND WORKPLACE ATTITUDES... WILL PROBABLY AT SOME POINT INTRODUCE COMPULSORY SERVICE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE... AND REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TO 3 OR 6 MONTHS COPYING ATTITUDES IN AMERICA...YOU CAN SEE SAME HAPPENING WITH TORIES IN UK. HE'LL CREATE A CHEAP MINING AND GRAZIER WORKFORCE...FORCING LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED TO TAKE THOSE JOBS... AND INDIGINEOUS PEOPLE WILL BE URGED TO OPEN CASINOS ON THEIR LAND... I REALLY FEAR FOR THIS COUNTRY...IT WILL BECOME A DARK HARD PLACE. DOMINATED BY ABBOTT AND THE BULLYING PSYCHOS IN THE MURDOCH EMPIRE AND SHOCK JOCK MEDIA. N'

nasking

16/08/2013 BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE DIE OR ARE MANGLED IN CAR AND TRUCK AND BIKE AND MOTOR BIKE ACCIDENTS DURING THE ABBOTT YEARS IF HE WINS. I WONDER HOW THE ALP YEARS STACK UP AGAINST THE HOWARD YEARS? N'

nasking

16/08/2013 I ALSO WONDER IF THERE IS A CORRELATION BETWEEN INCREASED DOMESTIC ABUSE AND DEATHS AND RIGHT-WING PERIODS OF GOVT WHERE LEADERS FAVOUR MEN, HARD DRINKING AND OCKER SPORTS OVER WOMEN AND RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR IN SPORTS? WE LIVE IN FORDE AND SURE WON'T BE VOTING FOR BERT VAN MANEN.

42 long

16/08/2013More social hardship will create more crime. The "hard on criminals" technique will mean boom times for PRIVATE prisons where your board is 100,000 per annum each inmate. This is always a growth industry under Right Wingers. Privatise schools. This is part of their DNA. Privatise everything, then there is no room for government and there will be no say for the people too. IF there is dough in it ( for those with the means) it will be done and user pays (and pays and pays) and IF there is no dough in it, it won't happen. Australia has somewhere near the right balance now. Don't let this anti science, dumb it down mob, make dough, above look after the earth, growth forever and exploit it all till it is just one great garbage tip, lot, get the reins. They don't deserve to and we don't deserve the damage they will inflict.

Bacchus

16/08/2013And so the scare campaign by those who lose out from having their noses removed from the trough begins. This is part of a supposed $10 million anti-government campaign by this industry. Remember the $20 million pokies campaign? The mining tax campaign? Are we ready to fight back with facts? http://www.raedium.com.au/fbt/ Why should ordinary PAYG workers' taxes pay to subsidise the fraudulent claims for "business use" of motor vehicles? If a vehicle is not used for business at all, there should be no ability to claim there is. If a claim is legitimate, there is no problem - what are these people bleating about?

BSA Bob

16/08/2013nasking @12.46 I'm not sure what lies behind Xenophon's refusal to preference the Greens, but it'll have been carefully thought out with himself in mind. Is he simply refusing to preference anyone or is he directing them to others?

jaycee

16/08/2013Does anybody else see this asylum seeker demonisation akin to the "Jewish Problem" fixated upon in the thirties? We have a minority group, mostly of a different religion, with different cultural habits, being portrayed as bludgers on hard-working Aussies......the only thing missing is the accusation that they are dragging "our" clean-living society down...oh!, wait!

Michael

16/08/2013Call me stupid... well, preferably don't, but... This is the end of Week Two of a five week election campaign. Does Abbott have any big guns left in his locker after this return to the psychological gulags of Howard-era asylum-seeker policy? Three weeks to go, and he's already stomped out with the jackboots and knuckledusters, and that IS Abbott and that IS the Coalition since Howard ratified the bullyboys as not only the consiglieri of Conservative politics in Australia, but also, by pushing out the so-called (relative) 'wets', left the formulation of Conservative policy to them too, the only ones still in the party room - the cauliflower-eared, brains-loose-and-rattling, crutch of the pants hanging, thugs. (Not gender-specific or limited use of that word, either. Hello Sophie, hello Concetta, hello Kelly.) And that's it. That's all they can do. They don't have any other concepts to work off or with, or alternate voices to pretend are the moderates who might slightly restrain the leader's love of grandstanding. Although that ridiculous manqué Malcolm Turnbull does present himself as such a lost being. Brown shirts bleached white to show off the blue ties a little brighter, but nothing else in their lockers. With three weeks to go! I have to believe that Rudd has suckered the Coalition out into letting off all their big bungers this early, so they can sashay around looking like we're told Hockey is, the game sown up, it's just tick tick tick till popping champagne corks and settling back into the leather soft chairs time. Three weeks to go for a Coalition with nowhere else to go. Call me stupid, but if this isn't Rudd's play to exhaust the Coalition through early triumphalism, then, that only leaves someone else to be stupid. I don't think he is, Kevin from Queensland.

VoterBentleigh

16/08/2013Thank you Ad Astra for a good article. Some of the economists are partisan, but the media seem to prefer very partisan coverage of issues and others have been very remiss in scrutinising the Coalition's economic policies. Nevetheless, Abbott is very cunning at manipulating the media. The fourth estate has been much better at analysis of Abbott's manipulation and deceit. While political fact checking sites have may have some minimal value, they are limited as a basis for analysing policy and also for detecting deceit. While Richard Marles' claim on Abbott's policy on the GST was assessed, there has been a failure to expose the more ubiquitous, but subtle and insidious deceitfulness of the Coalition. The Coalition's deceits are difficult to “quantify”, especially as Abbott has been cunning at vagueness, qualifying everything he says or deflecting by saying it'll be better than under Labor, which is no answer and a statement which cannot be quantified until after the election. Here are two links from “Phonytonyabbott” about the manner in which the Coalition presented economic policy depending upon the audience and also changed the narrative or the substance. Note Abbott throwing up the idea that somehow there is no transparency regarding the GST. Abbott claims, no-one knows what is in “the black box” of the Commonwealth Grants Commission (yet another of his vacuous metaphors which create an impression without there being any substance to it). If so, how does Colin Barnett claim that he is being unfairly treated if he does not even know what the Commission does? Note, too, how Abbott changes from saying (in WA) a per capita arrangement “makes a lot of sense” and “ought to be very seriously considered by the Government” to denying (in Tas) that he actually said this, pretendingthat he was sympathising and that it is the unfair perception which need to be corrected. There''s one way to clear up an unfair perception - explain to the complainant how they are wrong! He accused the journalist of misrepresenting him, when it was he who was being deceitful. He is as two-faced as they come and nothing he utters can be taken at face value or as representing his real view. Again the Coalition has been deceitful on the Coalition's costings, claiming all $17B savings were costed in Abbott's budget reply speech or elsewhere, when they have not been. Note that the Coalition has not detailed where the new $12 B of savings will be achieved. In fact, the Coalition is reducing revenue (by removing company, mining and the carbon taxes) while adding new spending, so clearly the Coalition will have to make further spending cuts (“savings”), but is not saying where these cuts will be. Below are the links: Coalition “savings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn_YJj-U7Eo&list=UUa85DcHz93ug5jLfWWHN5Yw and on the GST http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaywRMhXpBc&feature=c4-overview&list=UUa85DcHz93ug5jLfWWHN5Yw

42 long

16/08/2013The abbott is a real con man. he knows what to say and what to infer. It is not actually clever to be deceitful because you are trading on an impression of sincerity, (which he certainly doesn't deserve). He cannot be believed on anything, and has been caught out endless times. The "image" is what he goes for. Notice lately he continually refers to KRUDD being MAN enough. He is obviously considering that HE (the abott) has a superior standing that way because he is more "Physical". Action man is the way be views himself. I think "male ness, women and priests and ghosts in the mind are part of the abbott persona and This guy needs analysis and probably help. The " TOUGH GUY" is certainly out there today with the latest "illegals lie" treatment. Oh and have a few shots sitting in a big truck too. What a MANLY fellow eh! The more I see the more concerned I become.

Ad astra

16/08/2013VoterBentleigh Thank you for your kind remarks and your comments. The YouTube videos, particularly on the Coalition's 'savings' is a comical recital of inaccuracies, inconsistencies and lies. 42long You are right - Abbott is a conman, a snake oil salesman, and he looks like one. Michael Your comment is very interesting. Let's see what transpires in the remaining three weeks.

lyn

17/08/2013Today’s Links Joe Hockey’s war on Treasury is bad for democracy by @timdunlop Whether it be in their ambivalence to the science on climate change or their arrogance in refusing to cost their economic program in the traditional way, the LNP are raising their middle finger to the electorate and to the practices of governance that have helped make us one the world’s great democracies. http://workinglife.org.au/2013/08/12/joe-hockeys-war-on-treasury-is-bad-for-democracy/ Ellis: Newspoll antics escalate in Dobell and Robertson by @independentaus amazingly, shows Abbott as preferred prime minister on the front page, but not in the details: on page 6, under Better PM, are the categories Satisfied, Dissatisfied and Uncommitted, with no names attached. Once again, a Newspoll has been cobbled together at the last minute and shows panicky typos. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/ellis-newspoll-antics-escalate-in-dobell-and- Are We Really Doing It That Tough? by Ian McAuley First, is the political beat up. The Coalition and the Murdoch press have missed no opportunity to add to the din of complaint, particularly in relation to the carbon tax. The Government too bears some responsibility, because, rather than engaging with the community in a mature way, it has embraced the rhetoric about cost-of-living pressures, presumably in an attempt to show empathy with “battlers”. http://newmatilda.com/2013/08/16/are-we-really-doing-it-tough Direct action examined and found wanting by@LarvatusProdeo not to mince words is a complete crock, will increase emissions and ruin our reputation on climate matters in the world. The report, based on modelling by Sinclair Knight Merz-MMA and Monash University’s Centre of Policy Studies, was then declared by Greg Hunt to be “one of the silliest reports” he has ever seen prepared by “a clear partisan political organisation” which backs the ALP. http://larvatusprodeo.net/archives/2013/08/direct-action-examined-and-found-wanting/ Battle brews over Direct Action costings by Business Spectator by Mr Hunt said the Climate Institute had got “their basic facts wrong” and was “clearly a partisan organisation”.Obviously, we reject it," he told ABC Radio's The World Today. "We'll achieve our targets, we'll do it within budget, and I think the Climate Institute has some serious explanation to do http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2013/8/16/policy-politics/battle-brews-over-direct Coalition's carbon budget shortfall will be $4 billion unless by @electionwatch_ The Coalition has dramatically under-budgeted its Direct Action plan on climate change by $4 billion. On the Coalition’s current budget the plan will fail to meet Australia’s emissions target of 5% by 2020; and, instead, emissions are projected to grow by at least 9% above 2000 levels by 2020. http://2013electionwatch.com.au/analysis/coalitions-carbon-budget-shortfall-will-be-4-billion-unless Tony Abbott moves to reopen asylum debate with tougher policy by Lenore Taylor Legal experts immediately questioned the policy – which would require a single departmental case officer to review failed claims – because there is a constitutional right of appeal to the high court which would remain even if appeal rights to other courts and tribunals were removed under legislation. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/16/tony-abbott-asylum-tougher-policy Election 2013: Day 12 (or, this sewer has no bottom) by @GrogsGamut The policy announced today by Scott Morrison and his second banana, Tony Abbott, has nothing to do with asylum seekers. It has to do with refugees. It is not about “stopping the boats” – to use that most contemptuously condescending phrase – it is about being cruel to people who have been granted refugee status. http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com.au/ Indecent, Inhumane, Unhappy – the Coalition’s asylum seeker policy by @crazyjane13 Scott Morrison says the Coalition will deal with people ‘in accord with basic human decency’.And yet Tony Abbott says the Coalition will ‘discharge its humanitarian obligations’. This plan is neither ‘decent’ or ‘humane’. And for Abbott to describe it as bringing about a ‘happy situation’? http://consciencevote.com.au/2013/08/16/indecent-inhumane-unhappy-the-coalitions-asylum Tony Abbott and his supporters set a dangerous precedent for women By Georgina Dent Tony Abbott could have used this opportunity to demonstrate humility. To admit that highlighting his employee's attractiveness rather than her political accomplishments or her intelligence or her ability strategise was not merely a daggy dad joke or an innocent moment of exuberance http://www.womensagenda.com.au/talking-about/editor-s-agenda/tony-abbott-and-his-supporters-set-a-dangerous-precedent Paid Parental Leave – WTF by @MyCommentBlog Maybe we are looking at the wrong end of the stick. Maybe women on higher salaries produce more valuable babies according to the Liberal view. Perhaps that was what Tony Abbott meant when he said the PPL scheme is “all about” encouraging women of “calibre” to have children. Stop the peasants breeding!!! http://mycomment.com.au/2013/08/paid-parental-leave-wtf-3/ AbbottPM brings back Stasi ABCC police against all unions. by Chris White Tony Abbott when Howard’s Minister for WorkPlace Relations began the anti-union attack with the Building and Construction Act repressions becoming law when Howard won the Senate. The ABCC repression against building unions was established as was the union campaign opposed and followed on this blog. http://chriswhiteonline.org/2013/08/3621/ Absolute power by @Billablog Abbott insists that the hung parliament has been a failed experiment – an assertion that is clearly incorrect if only because of the fact that it went full term despite the opposition’s insistence that it wouldn’t last and all their efforts to ensure it wouldn’t. http://the-billablog.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/absolute-power.html Abbott’s attack on our democracy by @SimonCopland my real ire is with Abbott on this one. His attacks on minority Government have been running for years now – labelling the latest Government as ‘illegitimate’ and the last three years as completely dysfunctional. It has been a great political ploy – one that I think has worked strongly it Abbott’s favour. But in doing so I think he fundamentally attacked our democracy http://themoonbat.com/2013/08/16/abbotts-attack-on-our-democracy/ LNP Feeding Off The Dead by @wrb330 But lets get factual on at least one subject, worker deaths during the Pink Batt’s scheme. This has been the most malicious, ignorant and hurtful attack by the Coalition, Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop have both regularly been long, loud and nasty on this subject. http://wrb330.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/lnp-feeding-off-the-dead/ John Lord’s Election Diary Update No9 by @saint13333 I am apt to wonder just what sort of a country Tony Abbott intends turning us into. What a disgusting excuse for a human being he is. This racial hatred has gone too far. Are we to be the laughing stock of the world.’’ http://theaimn.com/2013/08/16/john-lords-election-diary-update-no9/ Newspaper circulation results shocker: the contagion edition by Matthew Knott no wonder Col Allan has been shipped back from New York to wave his supposedly magic wand. The Australian fell by 9.8% on weekdays year-on-year to 116,655; The Weekend Oz slumped by 10.8% to 254,891. A full 19% of the Oz’s sales are still in the accommodation, airline, education or bundled categories (compared to 13% at the AFR). http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/08/16/newspaper-circulation-results-shocker-the-contagion-edition/ Turnbull lying- Has had his Plan challenged many times since April by @SteveJ_CBR For Turnbull or his staffers to claim "nobody has challenged our figures for the last 4 months" is a ridiculous lie: An intentional and knowing attempt to mislead. http://stevej-on-nbn.blogspot.com.au/ Today’s Front Pages Australian Newspaper Front Pages for 17 August 2013 http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm News headlines http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/

Ad astra

17/08/2013LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

janice

17/08/2013Good morning all. For me, the Labor campaign so far is depressingly lousy. So much for Mr.Popularity's magnificent campaigning abilities and the abbott still has no pressure put on him. I've received a number of emails from Labor on issues like SSM or calling for donations etc. The senders of these emails vary but when I press the 'reply' button all information/feedback goes to "Therese Rein". It seems the Rudd family are running the campaign and Rudd is up to his old tricks of having everything pass through him and his. No wonder Shorten didn't know about the NT Development brainfart until after the big announcement. And, it seems to me as a watcher on the sidelines, all the polularity Rudd enjoyed since he was shown the door back in 2010 was a lot of contrived mist that is dissipating fast in the sunlight. Yes, I am depressed because Labor was conned into dispatching a great leader in order to save some furniture.

TalkTurkey

17/08/2013Come on Aboriginal folk! Come on Gays, get going! Teachers, Nurses, Public Servants! Gotta make a showing! Disabled People! Folks with Kids! Union Comrades All! YOU WILL ALL REGRET IT SHOULD THE LABOR GOVERNMENT FALL! To Abborrttt's NOTHING's sacred! Pigs care not a whit for pearls! Those swine will sell Australia out! So STAND UP Boys and Girls! Don't let our lovely Aussie Become the Land of Hate! JOIN THE LABOR PARTY NOW! THREE WEEKS WILL BE TOO LATE! Call your local Labor Party! Give what help you can! There's something you and you can do: Each woman, every man! Many hands turn work to fun So lend a hand, Me Hearty: Now's the time for Everyone To come to aid the Party!

Ad astra

17/08/2013janice I share your disappointment. It’s sad that Julia, who was so much a part of our political life, is now ‘banished’ by the media, which having harassed her for three years, has now turned its attention to Kevin Rudd. With screeching headlines and shonky polls, it is trying to demean and depreciate him at every turn. To win, he has not only to beat Abbott; he has to overcome the negativity of the Fourth Estate, a formidable task. Who really knows what September 7 will bring? Australia’s future swings in the balance. TT Those are stirring words. [b]VENCEREMOS[/b].

Ad astra

17/08/2013Folks In Lyn's Links, there is an startling piece in [i]Crikey[/i] about falling print sales. http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/08/16/newspaper-circulation-results-shocker-the-contagion-edition/ Matthew Knott’s article begins: “[i]Newspaper circulation figures are out for the quarter and it’s bad, bad news across the board. No paper is immune from the dramatic decline in sales. But there are a few magazines holding their own … “The latest newspaper circulation results offer a grim reality check for both Fairfax and News Corporation Australia. Fairfax’s metropolitan papers continue to bleed sales, despite the shift to commuter-friendly compact formats. News’ biggest-selling papers recorded unprecedented double-digit circulation drops year-on-year. And monopoly status is offering no protection for regional papers, which are rivalling their big-city brethren for circulation declines.”[/i] There’s lots more facts and figures.

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17/08/2013Hi Lyn I’ve looked through your links – again, a wellspring of useful information and opinion. Once more, we are bracing for another round of Shonky Hockeynomics. He tells us he has three experts to certify that the costings add up, but any schoolchild can do the sums. What we want to know about are the assumptions upon which the figures are based. That’s what Perth accountants, HK Howarth never checked last time, and it was the assumptions that were questionable. The experts are reputable, but we need to know what they were asked to check. Were assumptions included, and will they report on them? They are the basis for costings; without them, costings are simply back-of-the-envelope. Thanks again Lyn. Have a relaxing Sunday. We are heading back to the south coast after lunch.

lyn

17/08/2013Good Morning Ad, Thankyou for your comment to me yesterday @ 10.17am . You are correct when you said [quote]“It looks as if Abbott and Co will thumb their noses at the electorate and release policy costings too late for public scrutiny”. [/quote]I see Laurie Oakes devotes a love Abbott & Co article this morning. Flying with the Angels I mean really. “Shonky Hockeynomics” well said Ad.. The bootstrappers follow Laurie. I don’t know what to think of Mike Carlton’s article below link. Pleased you enjoyed the piece in Crikey about falling print sales. www.crikey.com.au/.../ [quote]Joe Hockey is flying with the angels on Coalition policy costings by Laurie Oakes [/quote]http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/joe-hockey-is-flying-with-the-angels-on-coalition-policy-costings/story-fni0fha6-1226698713410 [quote]Trio of experts tally Liberal pledges by Mark Kenny [/quote]http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/trio-of-experts-tally-liberal-pledges-20130816-2s2qq.html @LorraineHyde Don't quote me, says Tony, but maaate …http://www.smh.com.au/comment/dont-quote-me-says-tony-but-maaate-8230-20130816-2s1zy.html … Mike might have needed a shower after interview with Tony Abbott! PM material? Good Morning Nasking, thankyou again for your loyal support and thankyou for your comments yesterday. A special one for me at 9.34am thankyou .

nasking

17/08/2013 CHEERS LYN, GOOD JOB. TONY ABBOTT'S NEWS SLOGAN: [b]STOP THE BOATS...BAR THREE[/b]

Bacchus

17/08/2013 [quote]I've received a number of emails from Labor on issues like SSM or calling for donations etc. The senders of these emails vary but when I press the 'reply' button all information/feedback goes to "Therese Rein". It seems the Rudd family are running the campaign and Rudd is up to his old tricks of having everything pass through him and his.[/quote] I think you'll find that's just a function of your email client janice. For some reason it's remembered that one of the emails came from Therese Rein. You'll find the return email will be labor@australianlaborparty.emailnb.com though. Agree about the lousy campaign (so far) though. Maybe it's out of the Obama playbook - start off badly and get better towards the end. Remember the first Presidential debate? We can only hope there is a plan anyway...

nasking

17/08/2013 LYN, YOU HAVE OFFERED UP ANOTHER FIFTH ESTATE FEAST...WELL DONE. THIS FROM TIM DUNLOP: Democracy is fragile. It is built on cooperation between ideological opponents and only works when both sides are willing to compromise in the name of a greater good. Part of that compromise is an acceptance of certain basic facts and institutions, and once any party loses sight of that framework, good governance suffers. US scholars Norm Ornstein and Thomas Mann have said about the Republican Party that it “has become ideologically extreme; contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime; scornful of compromise; unpersuaded by conventional understanding of facts, evidence, and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition, all but declaring war on the government.” We are seeing the same thing here with the LNP: an approach that goes well beyond the bounds of normal opposition and has become a sort of corrosive contempt for the underlying structures of our democracy. Whether it be in their ambivalence to the science on climate change or their arrogance in refusing to cost their economic program in the traditional way, the LNP are raising their middle finger to the electorate and to the practices of governance that have helped make us one the world’s great democracies. We should demand better of them. SPOT ON. THE COUNTRY DESERVES BETTER. THE ABBOTT/HOCKEY TEAM ARE PROBABLY HEADING TOWARDS AN EASY VICTORY...PARTLY DUE TO OUR LOUSY MSM...AND PARTLY DUE TO A CONFUSED ALP THAT SEEM IDEOLOGICALLY DIVIDED, UNCERTAIN, LACKING A COHERENT MESSAGE AND PAYING FOR IMPETUOUS POLICY ANNOUNCEMENTS OVER SUBSTANCE. NOT TO MENTION, THE NSW ICAC DAMAGE. HOWEVER, THIS SHOULD NOT BLIND VOTERS TO THE IRRESPONSIBLE POLICIES AND MOTIVES OF THE LNP...AND THE ANTI-DEMOCRATIC APPROACH OF THE COALITION AS DUNLOP POINTS OUT. TO IGNORE THE ROT THAT EXISTS WITHIN THE LNP WILL ONLY SERVE TO SEE OUR COUNTRY BEING TAKEN FURTHER DOWN AN UGLY PATH WHERE CORPORATE AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS DICTATE AND THE POLITICIANS OBEY...AND THE PEOPLE FIND THEMSELVES CAGED...AS CIVIL RIGHTS AND THE FAIR-GO ARE INCREMENTALLY UNDERMINED IN A RAMPANT CAPITALIST SYSTEM THAT HAS NO TIME FOR DISSENTERS, ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLES AND THE NEED FOR TIME TO RELAX AND PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES BEYOND THE OBSESSION WITH 'GROWTH', 'PRODUCTIVITY', 'PROFIT-MAKING' AND 'EFFICIENCY'. WE ARE NOT MACHINES N'

nasking

17/08/2013 [b]I'm not sure what lies behind Xenophon's refusal to preference the Greens, but it'll have been carefully thought out with himself in mind[/b] BSA BOB, SELF-PRESERVATION EH? TRYING TO SURVIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY? FAIR ENUFF. BUT WHAT DOES HE HOPE TO ACHIEVE IF HE DOES SURVIVE? N'

nasking

17/08/2013 LYN, BRIAN'S POST @ LAVARTUS PRODEO IS USEFUL: I think Phillips is being a bit severe on Rudd. He inherited a policy from Gillard and the group of parliamentarians she worked with which provides a robust and flexible platform from which to move to increase our effort in the future, as the need becomes obvious and accepted. In particular the institutional framework, the Climate Commission, the Climate Change Authority and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, all to be swept away under Abbott, are to be kept under Rudd. The whole package, termed Clean Energy Future, a label which didn’t stick, was light years ahead of Rudd’s CPRS and whatever Gillard took to the 2010 election. The CPRS did not provide a flexible platform for enhanced effort; indeed it secured the place of fossil fuels into the 2030s. [b]Given the mood of the electorate (swinging voters in marginal seats) it appears the liars and clunkheads will prevail here too. Once again Australia will become an international laughing stock. [/b] GOING BY THE PEOPLE I QUESTIONED IN BEENLEIGH YESTERDAY I'M NOT SURE THE VOTERS ARE ENGAGED...THEY SEEMED BORED, CONFUSED AND DISINTERESTED. TOO MANY ARE ACTING LIKE A HERD...VOTING A CERTAIN WAY BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF NEWS PRESENTERS HAVE TOLD THEM THE 'MINORITY GOVT WAS A FAILURE'...AND THOSE INVOLVED MUST PAY... IT'S TRULY PATHETIC. [b]TOO MANY VOTERS ARE SLEEP WALKING INTO THE VOTING BOOTH. I'M SURE MURDOCH, RINEHART, SINGLETON WILL BE DELIGHTED. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED[/b]. HMMM.... N'

Crowey

17/08/2013As much as I hate to say it, but Abbott's LNP public relation machine are quite a few steps in front Of Rudds.

nasking

17/08/2013 HEARD A LIB WOMAN ON ABC 24 SAYING THIS MORNING THAT MANY PEOPLE WILL BE HAPPY GOING BACK TO THE PROSPEROUS HOWARD ERA OF ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT... I COULD DWELL ON THE GAWD KNOWS HOW MANY INTEREST RATE INCREASES IN A ROW...AND THE INTRODUCTION OF A GST LOATHED BY MANY... BUT I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING TO POINT OUT IS THE FACT THAT IT WAS ONLY A FEW YEARS AFTER HOWARD WON THAT THE STATES HAD BECOME LABOR. IT WAS THESE STATES THAT BEGAN TO IMPROVE WAGES AND JOB CONDITIONS AND JOB SECURITY FOR MANY MANY WORKERS. DO THOSE ALP STATES GET ANY CREDIT? IF YOU BELIEVE THE AUSSIE ECONOMY WAS MANAGED WELL. SEEMS TO ME THE MINING BOOM WAS WASTED...AND HOUSE PRICES WERE PERMITTED TO GET TOO HIGH...AND TOO MANY FINANCIALLY UNSTABLE PEOPLE WERE URGED TO BUY INVEST HOMES AND FLATS. LEAVING FAR TOO MANY YOUNG AND MIDDLE AGE PEOPLE IN UNSUSTAINABLE DEBT. MANY ARE NOW JUST ABOUT BANKRUPT. IF HOUSE PRICES CRASH...IT WILL BE THE HOWARD/COSTELLO GOVT PARTIALLY TO BLAME FOR CREATING THOSE IRRESPONSIBLE CONDITIONS... AS THEY DID BY INCENTIVISING SO MANY POOR YOUNG ADULTS TO HAVE BABIES USING THEIR BABY BONUS AS CARROTS. A HUGE BURDEN ON SOCIETY, THE PARENTS AND THE BUDGET. IF ABBOTT WINS WE WON'T HAVE THE ALP STATE GOVTS THERE TO HELP CREATE JOB SECURITY...NOT IN MOST STATES... WE WILL HAVE LNP JOB CUTTERS...AND PRIVATISERS. WE ARE BEING SOLD A LEMON BY THE LIBERAL PARTY SPRUIKERS... BEING TOLD AN OUTRIGHT LIE. N'

nasking

17/08/2013 Should be: [b]UNDER HOWARD, IT SEEMS TO ME THE MINING BOOM WAS WASTED...AND HOUSE PRICES WERE PERMITTED TO GET TOO HIGH...AND TOO MANY FINANCIALLY UNSTABLE PEOPLE WERE URGED TO BUY INVEST MENT HOMES AND FLATS. [/b]

DMW

17/08/2013I need to fully check the 'facts' but I can only think of two PM's who never lost an election. J Gillard and K Rudd Soon there will only be one.

DMW

17/08/2013oops three, some bloke called Hawke

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17/08/2013Hi Lyn Thank you for your additional links. It seems that Hockey is determined to not be saddled with shonky figures again. The three men are reliable. So we await breathlessly to see how the Coalition is going to fund its promises with less revenue. Surely Mike Carlton's piece must be a send up! If it's not, Abbott is a gross a sexist as he's made out to be. We're now getting on the road for the south coast.

nasking

17/08/2013 MUCH BETTER SPEECH FROM RUDD. SHOWS YOU SKY NEWS IS WORRIED WHEN THEY FOLLOW THE FIERY CAR INDUSTRY SPEECH WITH A DUMP ON RUDD AND THE ALP BY THAT MURDOCH NEWSPOLL CHARACTER. MIGHT ADD, THE HOST OF THE SHOW IS A WORM WHO USED TO WORK FOR RUDD. IF MARTIN S. WHO RUNS NEWSPOLL HAS BEEN USING EXAGGERATED POLLS THERE SHOULD BE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES.

nasking

17/08/2013 I HAVE MY SUSPICIONS THO THAT THERE IS A GAME GOING ON HERE...I STILL WONDER IF RUDD IS IN MURDOCH'S POCKET? THE CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN ODD...FLAT...TO SAY THE LEAST. RUDDSTERS REGULARLY SHOW UP ON SKY NEWS...EVEN HOST. IF RUDD AGREES TO THE NEWS LTD SPONSORED FORUMS ABBOTT WANTS MY SUSPICIONS WILL BE CONFIRMED. I STILL THINK IT SUS THAT THE ALP SABOTAGED THEIR OWN MEDIA REFORM BILLS... NEVER GOT RID OF MARK SCOTT AT THE ABC WHO HAS PERMITTED THE MURDOCH PEOPLE HUGE ACCESS...INCLUDING HARPER COLLINS...AND THE ABC SPRUIKS NEWS LTD PAPERS AND IDENTITIES CONSTANTLY. WE KNOW RUDD TRIED TO HAND THE AUSTRALIA NETWORK OVER TO SKY NEWS. MURDOCH HAS DEEP POCKETS...AND LOTS OF INFLUENCE. I THINK HE HAS BASICALLY SCREWED THIS DEMOCRACY...USED IT AS HIS PLAYTHING...WITH THE HELP OF HIS WEALTHY FRIENDS AND ALLIES. THE SOONER MURDOCH AND SOME OF HIS TEAM ARE OUTED AND JAILED, HIS EMPIRE BROKEN UP, THE BETTER FOR DEMOCRACIES ACROSS THE GLOBE. THE PUPPET MASTER HAS TO GO. N'

bob macalba

17/08/2013G'day Ad.. G'day Lyn.. G'day all, what an excellent day it is, been busy doing battle with a mangy black mongrel dog over the last couple of weeks, a right shitfight but i won, dont know why he wanted to stay with me again after i made it perfectly clear last time he visited that he wasn't welcome back[thick skinned cur] anyhoo have still 'bin lurkin' and trying to keep up, so with cry of VENCEREMOS i return to mock those that would want to make my life harder TT....12:33 yesterday..thanks, read it twice,larfed and larfed cheers

nasking

17/08/2013 ANYWAY, LET'S HOPE RUDD IS FOR REAL. GOOD TO SEE HIM SURROUNDED BY WORKERS AND DINKY-DI UNION BLOKES.

nasking

17/08/2013 bob macalba, WELCOME BACK! YOU'VE BEEN MISSED. GLAD YA SUCCESSFULLY FOUGHT OFF THE BLACK DOG...CAN EMPATHISE. KEEP WELL. FIRE UP. N'

nasking

17/08/2013 WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THE MAINSTREAM PARTIES THAT THEY WON'T HAVE A DEBATE ON THE PUBLIC BROADCASTER... YET THEY WILL FOR SKY NEWS? HOW MANY HAVE FOXTEL? MY WIFE AND I WILL BE VOTING GREEN. BOB BROWN FOR PM. AT LEAST HE'S NOT IN MURDOCH'S POCKET...NOR RUNNING SCARED OF HIM. CHRISTINE MILNE SAME...THE ONLY LEFT-WING WOMAN LEADER LEFT AT A FEDERAL LEVEL. NOR IS ADAM BANDT IN MURDOCH'S POCKET. WE WILL NOT VOTE FOR THOSE WHO KOWTOW TO CRIM MURDOCH AND HIS BULLYING CRONIES. OVER...AND OUT. N'

nasking

17/08/2013 BTW, THE MURDOCH EMPIRE PEOPLE'S FORUM WAS A DISASTER FOR ANNA BLIGH. I SUSPECT SOME OF THE SAME PEOPLE RUNNING RUDD'S CAMPAIGN RAN HERS. THE ALP LOST SOON AFTER IN A LANDSLIDE.

Michael

17/08/2013Just quietly... Mike Carlton's article was satirical. In intent. Too bad it rings so close to the bone that people can believe it's... fair dinkum. It is "fair dinkum". As "fair dinkum" as anything Abbott assures us is "fair dinkum'.

Michael

17/08/2013Re Laurie Oakes "flying with the angels" Hockey story... I'm sure he hasn't seen it for years, I doubt he can reach it past his tum-tum, but he sure knows how to jerk it. Apart from anything else, if these three number-verifiers for the Libs are 'eminent Australians', that supposed ennobling status didn't do anything solid for the unassailability of the result delivered by the three 'em-Aussies' who finetooth-combed refugee policy for Labor. The entire exercise is smoke and more smoke, cigars and cow-pat effluvia, which will leave the three wise men gulled into this by Hockey and Abbott with personal odium for every Coalition backflip and financial screw turned on the nation should the hollow mob be elected in September. Of course, the three sum-totallers might actually be signalling their faith in the Australian public not to fall for Abbott and Hockey's BS, and know that their exercises in arithmetic will never face real-world tests.

TalkTurkey

17/08/2013 ONYA Graham Perrett! SOOL Ashby Pyne & Brough! Pyne's a Chutney Ferret: Ashby's his bit of rough! The above it seems is TRUE. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/ashbygate-emerging/#commentspost Was it only a beer they had together in Slipper's office? [I owe the term *chutney ferret* to Stephen Fry who claimed that distinction for himself on Parkinson once.] Bob Macalba Jeez I'd like Pyne's ferret to sample the chutney resulting from those curries at 12.33 yesty eh! A quick dip in red wine at room temperature wouldn't help much ... It'd take dry ice I reckon ! Oh and Bob: [i]Most Dogs are best friends to their masters, But one Dog is a pain: The Black Dog of Depression When he's master of your brain![/I] (From my unpublished book of animalesque tessellation designs, Tessellation Farm.) See him a bit fuzzy on the Tessellations page on my website http://www.ozzigami.com.au/tessellations.html The black dog's name is Shuck btw, I know him quite well too. Been my enemy so damn long that he looks like a friend to me! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BpsxczxNFo Oh and there is a White Dog too, the exact positive to Shuck's negative, his name is Bunsen. He is wonderful and I tear up when I think of him.

lyn

17/08/2013Hi bob macalba Good to see you our friend, so pleased whatever that dog was has now buzzed off. Nasking said you have been missed and you surely have been. Cheers to you :):):) You know mike Carlton's article is a send up as Ad said but it could be real sure is the kind of talk Loto would carry on with I think. A couple of Tweetopinions on Mike Carlton's article: Gaffeman Creeper ‏ GOLD from Mike Carlton. Thought it was serious for a while! Don't quote me, says Tony, but maaate … http://www.smh.com.au/comment/dont-quote-me-says-tony-but-maaate-8230-20130816-2s1zy.html … Kaye Sera ‏ Mike Carlton gets inside Abbott's head: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/dont-quote-me-says-tony-but-maaate-8230-20130816-2s1zy.html#ixzz2cAYQ7Anp … #auspol #ausvotes Michael Stove ‏ALP About to take a short break from campaigning. People are telling me I should read Mike Carlton's column in today's SMH. Tony The Geek Rulz ‏ Mike Carlton's funny Abbott interview: ''It's not the Indons' fault they're not in the Anglosphere,' http://bit.ly/14QMvsb Adam van Rooijen ‏ @MikeCarlton01 can't decide if your comment piece in SMH was real or satire ... Scary either way - can you confirm for the ppl on FB?

jaycee

17/08/2013I suppose many have already read this. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/ashbygate-emerging/

bob macalba

17/08/2013THANKS ALL..GREAT BEING BACK, AND WHILE ITS ALL ABOUT ME..TURNED 50 TODAY..THINKING ABOUT GETTING A RED SPORTS CAR..NOT CHEERS

42 long

17/08/2013That's my Tony. Did anyone see the short lived skit called "That's my Bush" Didn't go for long but excruciatingly funny.. How would Carlton get away with it IF it wasn't correct?. Fits perfectly the person I believe he is. Good thing he didn't end up a priest. Very flawed person to be our esteemed leader. When I hear him being introduced as the HONOURABLE LOTO I feel ILL.

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17/08/2013bob macalba Welcome back. Congratulations! I suggest a red Ferrari.

Jason

17/08/2013Hi Ad, It might be best to watch insiders tomorrow on an empty stomach. Insiders ABC ‏@InsidersABC 3h On #insiders tomorrow: @ScottMorrisonMP plus panel @GMegalogenis David Marr & Gerard Henderson. A big show after #ausvotes week 2

42 long

17/08/2013Scott's a man of god isn't he. They don't do awful things to anyone. Just when you think they have scraped the bottom they plumb new depths. Watch how tough we are. They are in good company though. Are they reacting to what the people want? Seems so. Jones and Hadley have done a good job.

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17/08/2013Jason Thanks - I'm warned!

Truth Seeker

17/08/2013Hey Bob, good to see you back, you've been missed :-) BTW, I have just posted a look at “Tony how far back do you want to take us” :-) http://truthseekersmusings.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/tony-how-far-back-do-you-want-to-take-us/ And also “The Lounge” is now open :-) Cheers :-)

bob macalba

17/08/2013Indulgence....the folk who come here are the salt of the earth cheers

bob macalba

17/08/2013One for the material girl[its her bday also] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3ov9USxVxY&list=PL48BFB161A426060F off to light up the sky now..cheers

Jason

18/08/2013bob macalba Good 2 see you back! Fought the same beast myself in the past!

TalkTurkey

18/08/2013Bob You & [i]La Demoiselle Materielle [/i]share the same birthday? Double happiness to you!

nasking

18/08/2013 BOB, BELATED HAPPY B'DAY...HOW ABOUT A RED CORVETTE?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bZSC-av8t4 I TURNED 52 LAST MONTH...WATCHING SUCH VIDS MAKES ME REALISE HOW FAST TIME FLIES... 'LITTLE RED CORVETTE' CAME OUT IN 1983. [b]30 YEARS AGO.[/b] SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY. :( N'

bob macalba

18/08/2013Thanks Jason..the 'beast' is very mortally wounded, TT..cheers mate

Michael

18/08/2013Abbott's nod and a wink parental leave scheme... Nod (to business) - we tax you 1.5% Wink (to business) - we cut your tax 1.5% The bill - to everyday income-tax payers. The Coalition "gets it" all right, it "gets" how gullible voters are. The 'Coalition of contempt' rewards women of calibre, and charges all the others.

nasking

18/08/2013 I SEE THE GAME HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO GET LARGER TAX CUTS FOR COMPANIES...THE MURDOCH EMPIRE'S MALCOLM FARR PUSHING THE IDEA OF A 5% TAX CUT TO TONY ABBOTT ON MEET THE PRESS... I THINK WE CAN SAFELY SAY THAT RUPERT MURDOCH'S GREED HAS NO BOUNDS...AND HE HOPES TO TAKE IS DOWN THE ROAD TO THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE WHERE LIBERTARIAN POLITICS MANAGES TO FCK THE POOR AND UNDERMINE EVEN THE MIDDLE CLASS WHILST THE SAME POOR APPLAUD THE INCREMENTAL DESTRUCTION OF ANY FAIR-GO ATTEMPTS BY GOVT AS THEY ARE CAUGHT UP IN THE WORLD OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES, VIOLENT DYSTOPIC SOCIETY TV SHOWS, MANUFACTURED SPORTS, FAUX NEWS AND DOPEY REALITY SHOWS. THE FUTURE FOR A FAIR-GO AUSTRALIA LOOKS BLEAK... AND THE ALP ARE PARTLY TO BLAME FOR NOT HELPING TO CREATE A BETTER ABC 24... AND NOT PUTTING THE KNIFE INTO MURDOR ENTERPRISES (NEWS LTD) WHEN THEY HAD THE CHANCE. PEOPLE ON HERE GET ANNOYED WITH MY CRITICISM OF THE ALP... BUT IF A PARTY FAILS TO RECOGNISE THE ROT THAT WILL UNDERMINE IT AND DEAL WITH IT WHILST IT HAS THE CHANCE...IT DESERVES LITTLE PITY WHEN THAT ROT CONSUMES THE PARTY (THINK NEWS LTD FRONT PAGES, EDITORIALS, SKY NEWS INCL RICHO AND ALAN JONES...YOU NAME IT)... THE ALP ARE ONE OF THE DUMBEST PARTY I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH IN POLITICS. EITHER THAT, OR THE MOST INFILTRATED BY SABOTEURS...OR PARALYSED BY NEWS LTD THREATS AND BLACKMAIL. WHATEVER. THE ALP FAILED TO DEAL WITH THE BIGGEST PROPAGANDA MACHINE THAT WOULD DAMAGE THEM THIS ELECTION WHEN THEY HAD THE CHANCE...A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO...THEY LEFT MEDIA REFORM TOO LATE..,AND FCKED IT UP. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT MURDOCH WOULD BE IN DIRE NEED OF TAX CUTS, LESS ABC COMPETITION, MORE GOVT REVENUE FOR HIS PAPERS AND SITES...AND WOULD OPPOSE THE NBN AS COMPETITION TO FOXTEL...THAT WAS OBVIOUS YEARS AGO... YET THIS GOVT DID NOTHING TO PREPARE. NOTHING. IT DIES IN THE VINE OF ITS OWN INACTION...AND INABILITY TO CUT OUT THE ROT BOTH INSIDE AND OUT. FRANKLY, THE ALP SICKEN ME. THEY WHINE NOW...WHEN THEY COULD HAVE 'DONE' THEN. I FEEL SYMPATHY FOR THE DECENT PEOPLE IN THE ALP WHO TRIED TO DO THEIR BEST FOR THE PEOPLE...AND OFT THEIR VIEWS FELL ON DEAF EARS. AND EVERY INDIVIDUAL IN THE FIFTH ESTATE WHO FOUGHT NEWS LTD TOOTH AND NAIL...YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT SHOULD BE DISGUSTED WITH THIS MAINSTREAM PARTIES INACTION AND KOWTOWING. THE SAME GOES FOR THE ABBOTT COALITION. APPALLING! THE MURDOCHRACY IS INCREMENTALLY TAKING THIS COUNTRY DOWN THE ROAD TO THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE... N'

bob macalba

18/08/2013CHEERS BIG BEAR..WENT TO SEE PRINCE EARLY 90S [FUZZY DAYS, FUZZY MEMORIES] GOOD SHOW THOUGH, MMMMMMMMM BACK-UP SINGERS 'DIAMONDS' AND 'PEARLS', I REMEMBER THEM....GOOD DAYS

nasking

18/08/2013 Should be: I [b]THINK WE CAN SAFELY SAY THAT RUPERT MURDOCH'S GREED HAS NO BOUNDS...AND HE HOPES TO TAKE US DOWN THE ROAD TO THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE WHERE LIBERTARIAN POLITICS MANAGES TO FCK THE POOR AND UNDERMINE EVEN THE MIDDLE CLASS WHILST THE SAME POOR APPLAUD THE INCREMENTAL DESTRUCTION OF ANY FAIR-GO ATTEMPTS BY GOVT WHILST CAUGHT UP IN THE WORLD OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES, VIOLENT DYSTOPIC SOCIETY TV SHOWS, MANUFACTURED SPORTS, FAUX NEWS AND DOPEY REALITY SHOWS...[/b] [b]YET THIS GOVT DID NOTHING TO PREPARE. NOTHING.[/b] [b]IT DIES ON THE VINE OF ITS OWN INACTION...AND INABILITY TO CUT OUT THE ROT BOTH INSIDE AND OUT.[/b]

nasking

18/08/2013 bob macalba, I WAS INTO THE ALBUM PURPLE RAIN...HAD A LOT OF ENERGY. GOOD TIMES. :) I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN ABOUT 'FUZZY DAYS, FUZZY MEMORIES' :D LYN, G'DAY TO YOU TOO. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. IF THE ALP HAD MORE PEOPLE LIKE LYN, AD, BOB, TT, TS, MICHAEL, 42 LONG AND OTHERS IT WOULD BE DOING A LOT BETTER. I HAVE NO IDEA WHO TO TRUST IN IT ANYMORE...AND WHAT IT STANDS FOR. AS FOR ABBOTT'S LOT...IF THEY WIN, I DOUBT THERE WILL BE A MORE DESPISED GROUP OF POLITICIANS WIN GOVT...EVER. AS FOR THEIR ALLIED MEDIA. DUNG ON A BUN, N'

jane

18/08/2013More proof, if any was needed, of Turnbull's mendacity and dishonesty wrt NBN & connection "costs". http://stevej-on-nbn.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/why-turnbull-is-so-incensed-over-free.html

42 long

18/08/2013In fairness Mr Bear. No one else in the world has beaten the international money having and wanting to have more creatures either. It's personified greed. A political party has to maintain a majority of the populace to stay there in a democracy The CONTROLLERS are fewer, more single purpose, have nearly all the money and influence and can easily BUY a for sale Party Like Phoney's LieNP. It's called corruption. Been around since the beginning of history. Phoney is a false everything, a bad actor, with everything for sale. In the end a LACKEY who will be discarded when he has served his purpose

jane

18/08/2013More on Ashbygate from IA http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/ashbygate-emerging/

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18/08/2013Folks I have just now posted: [i]The Great Debate Debacle[/i]. http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2013/08/18/The-Great-Debate-Debacle.aspx
T-w-o take away o-n-e equals?