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Welcome to The Political Sword 2011

Whereas in previous years we have taken a break at the end of the year, this time we have kept a thread going at the request of some users of The Political Sword. They have enjoyed the conversation with each other, and have missed it whenever the site was down, as it was recently as we upgraded to the latest version of our blog engine. We are about to resume usual activity tomorrow.

Lyn will be back with her daily links. She will post a large batch in relation to the flood levy. Thereafter she will, as before, upload daily links she has selected from her vast collection of websites that she peruses continually. We have missed her and look forward to enjoying her links once more.

Tomorrow a piece will be posted titled: The media needs to pull up its socks in 2011. It aims squarely at our MSM, which if anything is worse than last year. It is planned to post around two pieces a week. This is about as much as we can manage given the nature of our articles, for which considerable preparation is needed. Hillbilly Feral Skeleton will be a co-contributor; hopefully Acerbic Conehead will be able to contribute further items and Bushfire Bill will likely resume. Others who may be interested in contributing pieces should contact me. [more]

While most who comment here do so agreeably, just a few choose to make derogatory personal remarks about other commentors. This sometimes evokes a retaliatory response and the abuse can quickly escalate. Such remarks are out of bounds and will be deleted. While it may be acceptable to heap scorn on our subjects: politicians and journalists, and make pejorative remarks about them, it is not so for bloggers to treat other bloggers in that way. Dissent is acceptable, but we will not allow this site to degenerate into a slagging match, which characterises many commercial media sites. Courtesy is catching.

One of the attributes of this site is the richness of the links that adorn its pages. Apart from Lyn’s links, many who post here include links to the material being quoted. If material from another blog site or a media outlet is being quoted, it should be made clear that the material is a quote by including it between quotation marks and preferably using italics for emphasis. To do so highlight the text and use the ‘i’ or the ‘quote’ facility above the comments box to apply the code. With this blog engine square brackets are used in tags rather than the usual angle brackets. Also please acknowledge the source, the author and the date, and include any available link to the material being quoted. This is a simple courtesy.

2011 promises to be an absorbing and turbulent year politically. Much of the MSM, particularly News Limited outlets, seems determined to attack the Government and its leadership, and smooth the path to The Lodge for the Leader of the Opposition by taking an uncritical approach to his pronouncements. It is gratifying to see just a few journalists bucking this trend and forensically analysing his behaviour, utterances and policies. The political blogosphere seems to be the only mechanism we have for countering the misinformation and the bias we see day after day in the MSM. We have a duty to attack media disingenuousness, incorrect statements, unfairness and vitriol. No one else will.

I wish you a happy and fruitful year of blogging. For our part we will attempt to maintain the standard set for original pieces since the inception of TPS in September 2008, and invite you to continue to make your contributions through the ‘comments’ section. Indeed it is your contributions that have enriched TPS so much. As you will see when you look in the ‘Archive’ (top menu), the number of comments jumped noticeably during 2010. Now comments continue long past the end of the discussion of the particular piece, extending to contemporary events. As a result site traffic had escalated markedly.

Enjoy TPS all year.

What follows is a modification of what I posted a couple of days ago in ‘Comments’. I include it here for reference to enable you to derive the most from TPS.

The new-look TPS

The following is an explanation of the changes that have taken place within The Political Sword with the upgrade to the latest version of BlogEngine.NET. It is repeated here in case you have missed it.

First I should mention that because it is a free off-the-shelf product, flexibility is limited because one is restricted to one of a number of ‘themes’ for the site, most of which are unsuitable for a blog site on politics. I trust you will approve of the header, which was designed to give the message that this site is mainly about federal politics, politicians and commentators, which we put to the sword.

The top menu
The default position is ‘Home’. Under ‘Archive’ all the posts since TPS began are listed, with the most recent at the top, under the four categories in use: ‘Rudd/Gillard Government’, ‘Coalition’, ‘Media’ and ‘National events’. The same item may be listed under several or all categories. ‘Archive’ replaces what was called ‘Sword Watch’, so if you are looking for an article, it will be in date order, with the most recent first, under the appropriate category. As most, but not all pieces are under the category ‘Rudd/Gillard Government’, look there first. If you can’t find what you want in Archive, try the search facility.

‘Contact’ enables you to send me an email.

By the way, please ignore the ‘Sign in’ option at the top right of the header. That is only for site administrators.

The left panel
You will note that what was previously in the right panel is on the left. The ‘Page List’ has been restricted to Lyn’s Links, with LYN'S DAILY LINKS at the top and previous months below, in alphabetical rather than date order. At the top of the LYN’S DAILY LINKS page you will see a link to Australian Blog Sites, which lists all political blog sites. This replaces a similar listing on the previous version of TPS. You will also see a link to Political News Watch, which has links to Breakfast Politics and Wotnews Politics Channel where you can find reference to political material in the MSM.

Below that is the ‘Search’ facility, which I urge to use when looking for past posts. Using keywords you can search previous pieces and include a search of comments if you wish.

Then comes the ‘Calendar’ with the dates of posting linked to the posts.

Following this is the ‘Archive’ of posts in chronological month order beginning with the earliest month, all linked to the named month. The number in brackets indicates the number of posts that month. Within a given month the last post for that month is listed first.

Below that there are the five most ‘Recent Posts’, and the five most ‘Recent Comments’ on the current post, all linked.

The primary post
Occupying much of the width of the page, it has the time and date of posting of the piece and the author under the title, and above that, links to one or two previous posts. The text is wrapped around close to the right margin. If it’s too small, enlarge by holding ‘Control’ or ‘Command’ while pressing +.

Actions panel
In contrast to the previous version where the ‘comments’ link was at the top, to read and make comments, go to the ‘Actions’ panel at the end of the piece and click ‘Comments’. The number of comments to date follows ‘Comments’, in brackets. The comments box is as before but the symbols for bold, italics, underline and quote are separated for easier use. To use them, highlight the text to be emphasized, click the appropriate symbol and the code will be applied. reCaptcha is also in use in this version to reduce spam.

Some have commented that the width of the comments text is less than before. This is due mainly to the text wrapping round short of the right margin, and partly because of the largish font. We are investigating to see if the code for these features can be changed to allow a greater amount of text across the comments section. If you prefer a wider display of text, check the appearance of the text when you click ‘Comments RSS’. On my iMac the text is spread across the screen; but on my Dell laptop it is not so and is rather clunky. We are checking to see if that can be modified. Of course you can only read comments on ‘Comments RSS’, not make them.

In the ‘Actions’ panel you can also email the address of the piece, and access Yahoo’s ‘delicious’, which facilitates archiving of pieces in categories. You have to join to use it. ‘Permalink’ is also there; it enables you to bookmark the URL of any piece.

Social media
As requested, we have added Twitter, the button being at the top of the left panel. You can join Twitter, which is free, and follow me. Twitter enables you to direct messages to your computer, tablet or phone. Once you have joined, you can access Twitter to see the latest tweets I have made from The Political Sword. The name I use on Twitter is Adastra5.

If you haven’t already, I urge you to join Twitter and become a follower of my tweets. I intend to use it to highlight new posts, standout comments, useful links and information about TPS. It will be especially useful if the site is having technical difficulties, as it will be a way of notifying you of this.

Your feedback will give me a guide about how useful it is. It seems to be used widely in political and media circles; time will tell how well it plays out for us.

Feedback
You can rate a piece by clicking on the stars above the ‘Actions’ panel. It you click the fifth star (right) your rating will be recorded as 5; if you click the first, as 1.

Your feedback by way of comments is always useful. Thank you for the complimentary remarks you have already made about the header and the general appearance of the new site. Specific remarks, such as about column width, have prompted us to check if any improvement can be effected within the limitations imposed by this freebie.

We are still having some technical problems. One relates to the ‘Comments’ facility, which on two occasions has become non-functional overnight, although the rest of the site continued to function normally. We are working on a fix for this problem, one that resets ‘Comments’ overnight, but until we have found the solution, you may find sometimes that comments are not accessible and making comments impossible. Please bear with us; until we find a permanent solution, we will fix it as soon as we discover it, which is usually in the morning.

Please let me know if there is any way we might improve the appearance, functionality and usefulness to you of The Political Sword.

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47 COMMENTS

jj

31/01/2011AA, You asked me why it was that i prefer Tony Abbott to Julia Gillard, and here are my reasons: 1. He is a politician that does not seem to care about the issues of class and upbringing. Unlike Julia Gillard who has publicly attacked Malcolm Turnbull for his share portfolio and the suburb in which he lives, Abbott seems to treat everyone with the same regard. 2. Tony Abbott, unlike Gillard seems to have a greater understanding of Indigenous issues, and he seems to have personal ideas about how to address such issues. 3. he does not seem to be totally obsessed about politics; having his interests in running, swimming and riding, as well as spending time with his family; which is what you want in a leader. 4. He seems to answer the questions of journalists more often than his opponent does; which can sometimes get him into more trouble. 5. He is a strong believer in individualism; the role of society in helping the less well-off; the necessity for smaller government; he is a believer in that private enterprise knows best in business; he is a believer in his team playing a greater role in political decision making; and i believe he has in him the ability to curb union power, without going as far as the Howard government did. There are of course issues with Tony Abbott as well: he like what seems to be all politicians today is often too repetitive in his public statements; he can sometimes be too negative; and he is not so good at the political spin as his opponents (this is both good and bad). I know plenty of people that have met and had more than your average brief conversation with the man, and they all say that he is a very engaging person that always looks you in the eye when having a conversation, and who always participates. he seems to have the people skills that Howard didnt have.

Ad astra reply

31/01/2011jj Thank you. I could question whether the attributes you assign to Tony Abbott are genuine. I presume you believe these make him more suitable as PM. I won’t attempt to persuade you otherwise. You have your beliefs about Tony as I have mine about Julia. Let’s leave it that. BTW, a more congenial Gravatar might do great things for your image. The one you use looks quite grumpy.

Feral Skeleton

31/01/2011Ad Astra, Thank you for the outline of 'The Political Sword' for 2011. I'll try and get used to putting quoted material in italics and referencing it. We must have standards after all! Now, to the 'Abusers' problem. I was reflecting on the comment made by Miglo about a week ago when he said that, as Site Administrator, he could filter out the Usual Suspects by their e-mail addresses. With this in mind I was wondering if we might be able to institute a '3 Strikes and You're Out!' policy whereby an initial instance of abuse is noted, the 2nd is warned, but after a 3rd flagrant flouting of advice offered to tone it down then you might just have to block whoever it might be by IP number or e-mail identification? Secondly, is it just not possible to have a facility on the blog to link to all the social network outlets? Usually it is a facility that is included under the heading 'Share This', followed by Widgets that link to Digg, facebook, Twitter, del.icio.us, Reddit, Newsvine, whathaveyou. Finally, I don't think you have answered mine & Acerbic Conehead's question about being able to directly embed You Tube videos in our comments. I know it's possible when we submit an original blog, but it's fun to do it with our comments as well. However, I guess it may not be possible with this 'Off the Shelf' blog engine. :)

Ad astra reply

31/01/2011HFS Thank you for your comment. Putting text in quotes can be done by adding ‘i’ or ‘quote’ in square brackets at the beginning and ‘/i’ or ‘/quote’ in square brackets at the end, or by highlighting the text to be placed in italics and clicking ‘i’ or ‘quote’, which will add the necessary code. Regarding identifying abusers by their email addresses, I can do that but don’t seem to have a mechanism for automatically deleting them on arrival. I’m happy simply to delete any abusive comment as it arrives. The offenders will soon get the message. The ‘share this’ panel is available as a widget. I’ll check if and how we might be able to incorporate it. Regarding embedding a YouTube video as we do in original posts, I’ll check whether this is possible to do in a comment. To do it in an original piece we have to use the ‘Raw HTML Editor’ which I doubt would be possible via ‘Comments’. Do you know of any site that enables direct embedding rather than just using the URL for the YouTube video?

NormanK

31/01/2011Ad astra This may be of help with regard to YouTube. [quote]UPDATE 05.11.2010: Version 1.2 Released. Includes heavily-requested feature to add YouTube videos to BlogEngine.NET "Pages" (as well as Blog Posts)![/quote] http://al.bsharah.com/post/2008/10/25/BlogEngineNET-Extension-YouTube-Video.aspx

Ad astra reply

31/01/2011NormanK Thanks. I can embed YouTube videos in the text of a piece using the Raw HTML Editor, but it's embedding it in a comment that presents a challenge. I'll get my son-in-law to look at your reference.

Patricia WA

1/02/2011Ad Astra - I love the new format, particularly the page width. It is much easier to read now, particularly with the more defined print. So please don't change again. On definition b.t.w. the 'Captcha' is often confusing. Still it usually accepts me so I guess it is effective.

Patricia WA

1/02/2011Thank you jj for outlining your reasons for liking Tony Abbott. As Ad Astra has said he holds a different view, as do I and most of the people who write in to comment on political issues here. We share a basically left of centre political perspective which makes many of the actions and statements of Mr. Abbott and his party anathema to us. What you see as a positive will often be a negative for the people writing here. I'll mention one or two examples of that. You cite his interest in things aboriginal and his more personalised ideas about how to solve problems there. In fact, his very paternalistic, supposedly 'caring,' attitude was the sort of thing which led to the Northern Territory intervention by the Howard Government. Most Aboriginal people, apart from Noel Pearson and a few others, did not want that Intervention. It has not helped at all and has had a hugely disruptive impact on the social fabric in the north, resulting in higher imprisonment rates and unemployment levels as communities have been broken up and people migrate to the bigger towns. Instead of ending the Intervention, sadly, Labor has continued with it for now, but many of us in the ALP would like to see that change, as do the Greens, to more constructive grass roots initiatives. We don't know much about Julia Gillard's preferences in her leisure time, but we do see a bit too much of Tony Abbott's which he uses a lot to enhance his public image. So we all get a bit sick of that and make fun of it. No one here at this site could agree with you about Tony Abbott answering questions in interviews, since we think he is notoriously evasive and has been caught out in untruths many times. Unlike you, we see him as the master of spin. You obviously think that curbing union power is a good idea. For most of us here the unions are what protect our way of life and standards of living. Our political and economic power has been achieved through our industrial unions where the Labour Party historically had its roots. So Tony Abbott's ideas about limiting the rights of working people and their unions don't sit well with us. As for his people skills, perhaps you should talk to Tony Windsor, Bob Katter and Rob Oakeshott about that. Had his people skills been better he could well have become Prime Minister of this country last August. I'm very glad that he lacks any negotiating ability whatsoever. I don't usually take you up on your frequent comments here, jj, because I don't come here to argue and debate so much as share common feelings both negative and positive about what's happening in the world of politics with people who generally agree with me. But I thought your contribution this time deserved a response, however limited, as mine has been.

Rx

1/02/2011Doin' well, Ad. Looking forward to the return of all the regular commenters and article-writers. (Well, most of the regulars, that is. I wouldn't include the likes of those who jump into a thread at Post One with derailing comments that have no relation whatever to the topic, but are intended only to spin at the readers the alleged positive aspects of radical right wing political leaders). Can't wait for the 'media' article. I hope it is read widely by people working in the media. It's certain that some of them do 'watch' this blog to see what's being talked about: So please, Media People, tell your colleagues and workmates about the constructive criticism offered for free at The Political Sword. We are here to help you to lift your game and enhance the esteem in the community for your and your profession. Selfless lot we are.

Lyn

1/02/2011"TODAY'S LINKS" Cyclone Yasi: the uninvited Qld Guest, Greg Jericho, Grog's Gamut I just say to those in the north – keep safe, and here’s hoping the worst thing you’ll need to do is clean up your backyard. http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com/ Instant Controversy, Mr Denmore, The Failed Estate why do Gillard and Swan and other key ministers bother granting interviews to Neil Mitchell or Alan Jones http://thefailedestate.blogspot.com/ Essential Research: 51-49 to Coalition, William Bowe, The Poll Bludger Essential Research poll shows no change on last week: the Coalition is on 45 per cent of the primary vote, Labor is on 37 per cent and the Greens are on 11 per cent, http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/ The Wrecker…or Mr. Negabore comes to Canberra, Nasking, Cafe Whispers barking in parliament imitating a rabid dog as he criticises any opponents leaving no “hyperbole stone” unturned http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/the-wrecker-or-mr-negabore-comes-to-canberra/ Compulsory Democracy, Super opinion, The Notion Factory many people don’t know how preferences work, or how the Senate is elected, http://notionfactory.net/2011/01/31/compulsory-democracy/#comment-643 News Limited Are Continuing the Conservative attack on the Labor Government, Saynotony, [b]Say No To Tony Abbott[/b] “RURAL independent Tony Windsor has lashed out at Tony Abbott every single publication owned by News Limited which included Sky News and NOT ONE was telling the story, http://sayno2tonyabbott.wordpress.com:80/2011/01/31/news-limited-are-continuing-the-conservative-attack-on-the-labor-government/ News Limited Rumour Mill, Neill, The Bannerman Rumour, innuendo, falsehood and character assassination for the benefit of ideologically driven editors-in-chief, and in direct support of conservative politics in Australia http://www.waddayano.org/blog/2011/01/news_limited_rumour_mill.php#more Inoculated with Sour Grapes, The Bannerman Not a reasoned policy response among them and certainly not from the federal coalition itself. Bob Menzies would disown the lot of them. Liberals they most certainly are not. http://www.waddayano.org/blog/2011/01/inoculated_with_sour_grapes.php Unpacking Gillard's green program cuts, The Conscience Vote an extraordinary display of patronising false humility, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott even volunteered to help Gillard http://consciencevote.wordpress.com:80/2011/01/31/unpacking-gillards-green-program-cuts Warick McKibbin has challenged Wayne Swan to reappoint him, Nicholas Gruen, Club Troppo criticises the government – or anyone else – and it’s deemed newsworthy, it will be so-and-so ‘slams government’ http://clubtroppo.com.au/2011/01/31/warwick-mckibbin-has-challenged-wayne-swan-to-reappoint-him/ Making the rich feel better, Joshua Gans, Core Economics The rich are willing to part with ridiculous amounts of money for not much. Think about fashion, luxury hotels http://economics.com.au/?p=6658&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+com%2FJUlM+%28CoreEcon%29 Politics as Usual , Gary Sauer-Thompson , Public Opinion opposing everything to make life for the government as tough as possible. The Coalition's belief is that the fall of Gillard is inevitable. http://www.sauerthompson.com/archives/opinion/2011/01/politics-as-usu.php#more The Townsville Bulletin delivers again for the Mad Katter, Island View, Blogging Townsville As I noted some time ago - having (gutlessly) dealt himself out of the game in September last http://bloggingtownsville.blogspot.com/ Quiggin, the Musical, Peter Martin he is already considering the movie rights. John Quiggin at the London School of Economics in November http://www.petermartin.com.au/ The 2011 Political Landscape, Alex Schlotzer, The Angle We shouldn’t forget that the Leader of the Opposition refused to answer questions at press conferences that he had called http://theangle.org/2011/01/31/the-2011-political-landscape/ Abbott’s “Extraordinary Lack of Judgement”, Reb, Gutter Trash “To be calling for a change of Government essentially on the back of one of the biggest disasters that Australia’s ever seen is a failure in terms of his capacity http://guttertrash.wordpress.com:80/2011/01/31/abbotts-extraordinary-lack-of-judgement/ Gillard Announces Free Qantas Evacuation Flight from Cairo, Malcolm Farnsworth, Australian Politics no Australian would be denied a seat on the chartered flight http://australianpolitics.com/ Gillard: prisoner of the two-party system, The Piping Shrike if Abbott and The Australian says that there is “furore” or “backlash” over the schools program or the flood levy http://www.pipingshrike.com/ The Tea Party has Arrived in Australia, We Say No to Tony Abbott for PM Yes Australia it has arrived but under [b]a new name “Menzies House” [/b]http://www.menzieshouse.com.au “http://sayno2tonyabbott.wordpress.com:80/2011/01/29/the-tea-party-has-arrived-in-australia

Feral Skeleton

1/02/2011Woot! Woot! lyn's back! :)

Lyn

1/02/2011Good Morning to all my friends on TPS Happy New Year to Everybody. Gee, it is good to be back amongst the best, on the best blog. The most magnificent hobby is belonging to "The Political Sword". I have really, really missed all you guys, but I've been watching you. Looking forward to an exciting, if not interesting Political year for us all, only one week until Parliament resumes, as Talk Turkey says, Julia Gillard should have collected some pretty deadly blows by now to blast Mr Abbott fair into thin air. Cheers

Feral Skeleton

1/02/2011Hang in there, NormanK. Or, should that be, 'Hang On'? :) I heard Anna Bligh say that you might be without power for 3-4 days! The Mayor, Mike Brunker, said you should go to friends on high ground(I live on the top of a hill!), or book into a brick Motel. Anyway, suffice to say, Cyclone Tony didn't end up scaring anyone and came and went with a whimper not a bang; however, it will be a Cyclone that has the female gender that will really shake things up!

Lyn

1/02/2011Hi Hillbilly A huge big thankyou to you for keeping "TPS" open over the break, for everyone's enjoyment. Your Articles were most enjoyable and have attracted the best, marvellous, comments from our wonderful loyal readers. Hillbilly you are magic, with all your efficient, informative, replies to TPS commenters, Wow! we will never be without good reading while we have you, Ad Astra with "The Political Sword', (my book shop is missing me) not to mention the brilliant reading our commenters provide. cheers

janice

1/02/2011Good morning all. Great piece to start off the 2011 blogging year Ad Astra and I must say it is great to see our Tweety Bird back suitably refreshed, I hope, after your break away Lyn. Ad astra, I love the new format, the larger font and the page width and add my plea to Patricia WA that you don't change it. jj, Thank you for enlightening us as to why you like Abbott. I don't see him the way you do as to me he comes across as an arrogant, self-serving opportunist who dismisses opposing views negatively and uses untruths, mis-information and blatant mis- interpretations in order to win support to his way of thinking. He is a self confessed liar who thinks the end will always justify the means and I doubt he ever spends a minute of his time to reflect on what is best for the nation and its people and/or the consequences of his opposing stand on everything a Labor government proposes. In short, I wouldn't trust him with control of the nation's public toilets.

Feral Skeleton

1/02/2011jj, Tony Abbott's 'connection' with Indigenous Australians is limited to jumping into the tent of a couple of Long Grassers in order to get his photo opportunity in the NT sorted, same with his pushing the wheelchair of a Dialysis patient in Alice Springs; voting for the NT Intervention, which stripped the 'Racial Discrimination Act' of its power so that the Howard government could put the Army into the Ancestral Lands of the Indigenous People of the NT, which also leads me to think that, as Prime Minister, he would not be averse to sending in the Army to quell unrest wherever it manifested itself in Australia; and, meeting with Noel Pearson in Cape York to strategise about how to get at the Bauxite deposits that are in the vicinity of the Wild Rivers which Anna Bligh is trying to protect from rapacious Miners and the Private family company of Mr Pearson. As for Abbott's superior communication skills, that may well be so when you compare him to Julia Gillard. However, it's the causes that he puts them to work for that devalue the worth of that acknowledged skill. Also, you can't believe a word he says. You just can't trust the dude. To use the infamous words of his mentor, John 'The Rodent' Howard, "Who do you Trust?" Well, I can't trust Tony Abbott not to mandate Bible Classes in Public Schools. I can't trust Tony Abbott not to overturn Ethics classes in Public Schools, which have been introduced in NSW, by holding back General Purpose Education funding, in the same way Howard used to do to get his way with the States. I can't trust Tony Abbott not to put in charge of the Health portfolio an Evangelical Christian who will continue on the path Tony himself was on when the Howard government was defeated, of channelling Abortion Counselling funding towards those religious groups who were fronts for the anti-abortionists. I can't trust Tony Abbott not to starve the Public Hospital system of money again, in order to make it a 2nd class alternative for the indigent, in comparison with the Private Health system which got all the well-trained Australian doctors while the Public system, aside from a hardy few stalwarts who believe that we all should have the same level of healthcare, was staffed with graduate doctors from 2nd and 3rd world countries whose medical school standards are nowhere near as high as ours, despite their best intentions. I also could not trust Tony Abbott not to bring back 'WorkChoices' by stealth. I have already analysed Liberal Party Industrial Relations policy which proves just that, plus Abbott's slippery phraseology, when he repeatedly said when asked, "The phrase 'WorkChoices' is dead, buried, cremated". However, not the legislative enactment of same, with a few of its more harsher edges sanded off, it seems. Finally, I definitely could not trust Tony Abbott and the Coalition to manage the economy effectively. I have over 11 Billion reasons to support that assessment, plus the knowledge that the Coalition would scrap all of Labor's worthwhile social initiatives. The Coalition's pre-election list of 'Savings' showed me that. Now, why was it again that you preferred Tony Abbott? Could it be because he would put his mates, and their hangers-on, in the National Party back on the Agrarian Socialist teat?

Acerbic Conehead 2

1/02/2011Lyn, it's great to have you back again, keeping us up to speed with the many informative sources out there. Best wishes for 2011.

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011[b]Welcome back Lyn[/b] We have missed you. LYN'D DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/Lyns-Daily-Links.aspx

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011Folks Lyn has also collected a batch of links related to the flood levy. Three are already posted on LYN'S DAILY LINKS. The rest will be posted later this morning.

Feral Skeleton

1/02/2011Hi lyn, Tweety looks very sweet up there above your links. :)

Lyn

1/02/2011Hi Feral Hillbilly Thankyou, it's great to be here. I left you a message up above. Cheers

Lyn

1/02/2011"BONUS LINKS" Links to what our other, friends, the amazing, wonderful blog owners had to say about the Flood Levy". They are all the best, these blog owners providing constant brilliant information, along with brilliant opinions, just like "The Political Sword" When we said “poor Queenslanders” we didn’t mean we’d be happy to pay to help rebuild, Jeremy Sear, An Onymous Lefty pathetic some people are being about the idea of paying a levy to help rebuild Queensland http://anonymouslefty.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/when-we-said-poor-queenslanders-we-didnt-mean-wed-be-happy-to-pay-to-help-rebuild/ Dry but not high, Andrew Elder, Politically Homeless the fitness-freak imagery counts for nothing if you're going to shirk getting up to your eyebrows in mud http://andrewelder.blogspot.com/2011/01/dry-but-not-high-i-think-flood-levy-is.html#comment-form Mitchell and Gillard: talk back at its most pathetic, Greg Jericho, Grog's Gamut Gillard snapped: “Neil,you don’t need to patronise me” which quickly had him back peddling, http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com/2011/01/mitchell-and-gillard-talk-back-at-its.html Levy or Tax, Joni, Cafe Whispers details of the Flood Levy have been officially released, the coalition is on the war path. What did Tony Abbott say? http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/levy-or-tax/ Flood levy – the best packaging from Labor for a long while, Bernard Keane, The Stump. The Prime Minister has switched the Government’s campaign for a flood recovery levy from a fiscal to an economic focus, http://blogs.crikey.com.au/thestump/2011/01/27/flood-levy-the-best-packaging-from-labor-for-a-long-while/ Snowy Hydro tops up floods with environmental flow, Jennifer Marohasy, On Line Opinion. Of course these men in suits don’t live in the Murray Darling Basin and they will continue to receive a salary, http://www.onlineopinion.com.au:80/view.asp?article=11555 Reality check on the Flood Levy, The Conscience Vote most egregiously – the Opposition claimed that because of the levy, people would be less likely to donate http://consciencevote.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/a-reality-check-on-the-flood-levy/ What's a 1.8 billion levy look like?, Possum Comitatus, Pollytics We’ll all be rooned by the Great Big New Tax Levy – it will put pressure on http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollytics/ What have we all done to deserve this? Clarencegirl, North Coast Voices everyone knows government does not need opposing political parties' permission or endorsement to make budget cuts. http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-have-we-all-done-to-deserve-this.html Flood levy – media wins big again, massivespray, Spray of the Day he continued to call it a slush fund she pulled him up short and gave it to him in no uncertain terms. As you can expect he didn’t like this one little bit http://sprayoftheday.wordpress.com:80/2011/01/28/flood-levy-media-wins-big-again/ The Politics Of Rebuilding , John, True Politik But they supported the levies introduced and imposed by former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard: http://truepolitik.blogspot.com/2011/01/politics-of-rebuilding.html Gillard’s Flood Levy Gamble, Reb, Gutter Trash In a speech which Laurie Oakes described as “the most prime ministerial Gillard performance so far, http://guttertrash.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/gillards-flood-levy-gamble/ Mateship and the Liberal, Michael's Space Your politics reeks of opposition for the sake of opposition. There is nothing Liberal about the Liberal party. http://mickoh27.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/mateship-and-the-liberal/ Taxing Tony, Dave, Dave's Archives Abbott's own "temporary levy" to fund his parental leave scheme would have raised more money than the Gillard's flood levy http://davec.org/2011/01/taxing-tony/ Financial markets applaud Gillard’s flood package, Christopher Joye, The Drum the truth is that the Government’s package is thoughtful and responsible. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/43308.html Tony Windsor has lashed out at Tony Abbott, accusing him of playing a ”petty … game”, Saynotony, We Say No To Tony Abbott for PM. game” with the tragic circumstances of flood victims and trying to use them as a ”skateboard to government”. http://sayno2tonyabbott.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/tony-windsor-has-lashed-out-at-tony-abbott-accusing-him-of-playing-a-petty-%E2%80%A6-game/ ABBOTT SAYS AUSTRALIANS ARE SO MEAN THEY WON'T BUY A CUP OF COFFEE FOR A GOOD CAUSE , Steven Read, Stroke of Luck Tony Abbott has only one home in mind, he has his eyes firmly set on The Lodge, and I think frankly that's disgusting he is playing politics.. http://www.goodluckstroke.com/2011/01/abbott-says-australians-are-so-mean.html 28/02/2010,Tony Abbott interview with George Negus, Channel Ten - Julia Gillard’s flood tax I mean, I wrote it down because I like it, I know you like it when people write things down. why the gun buy-back levy, the pay-outs for the Ansett workers, the sugar industry, the dairy industry, when your government, when you were in government first real chance that you’ve had to actually roll the Gillard Government ahead of the three years and wouldn’t it be a bit pathetic, a pathetic irony if you like, that it was a thing as awful as the flood that gave you this opportunity? http://www.liberal.org.au/Latest-News/2011/01/28/Interview-with-George-Negus.aspx TRANSCRIPT OF THE HON. TONY ABBOTT MHR 29th January 2011 ADDRESS TO THE 2011 FEDERAL YOUNG LIBERAL CONVENTIONGOLD COAST http://www.scribd.com/doc/47754501/11-01-29-Address-to-the-2011-Federal-Young-Liberal-Convention-Gold-Coast

Lyn

1/02/2011Hi Ad Sorry about the duplication, the bonus links wouldn't jump out of the comments box, the box probably thought it was overloaded. Ad could you delete one lot for me please.

kerry

1/02/2011Hi Ad Astra I do like your new design - one question if I may: Is it possible to tweak it just a bit to put a line between the end of one comment and the start of another? Maybe it's just me but, for example from above, janice's comment finishes and then there's a dateline, an avatar and a comment. It looks like the comment following the avatar is janice's but then it turns out to be FS, which in turn suggests his comment is in fact AC2's. Hi Lyn = I wondered what had happened to you. I'm glad you're back, saves so much time being able to access all the hard work you've done.

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011kerry Thank you for your kind comment. There is already a double faint blue line below each post (except the last one where there is a single faint blue line). It shows up on my iMac and the Dell laptop. I guess it is not showing up on your computer. I wonder why. In any case the comments are separated.

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011Lyn Duplicate post deleted.

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011Folks Lyn's links about the flood levy have been added to LYN'S DAILY LINKS: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/Lyns-Daily-Links.aspx

Lyn

1/02/2011Hi Acerbic Conehead Thankyou for your very nice comment, I appreciate you very much. A huge big thankyou to you for you last post Toe-Knee's Australia Day, amazing talent, you made my day. Also Wow! to you, 168 comments well done. You must have plenty more for us go on admit it, keep writing I adore your work. Toe-Knee's Australia Day , Acerbic Conehead http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2011/01/28/TOE-KNEEe28099s-Australia-Day.aspx

Lyn

1/02/2011Hi Kerry Thankyou for your kind comment. Thankyou for your informative political, current affairs comments, I always enjoy what you say, and please stay here on TPS for a couple of years and years. Cheers

Patricia WA

1/02/2011Lyn! Great to have you back To get us all on track To give those pollies flack! But first let's have a crack At Murdoch's media pack. Rupert looks a real sad sack! Seems his mood is all pitch black. Let's not cut him any slack. Even pray for a heart attack? Wouldn't that be crackerjack! PS I'm sure TT can add a further 'Whack!'

kerry

1/02/2011Thanks Ad, must be my computer. I wonder how I can fix it, being in Abbott's territory of untech-headedness. Wish I had your son-in-law to help.

Lyn

1/02/2011Hi Janice Sweet as ever, TPS friend aren't you, thankyou for missing me Your comments as always, definately a "power tool" in TPS's tool box.

Feral Skeleton

1/02/2011kerry, I have 2 lines between each comment on my computer and it's an old Windows XP clunker. :)

Lyn

1/02/2011Good Morning Ad, Thankyou too for missing me. TPS looks magnificent, bonus after bonus from our CEO, thankyou for all the brilliant work you have done, I am positive there would have been frustration, and hours of concentration, I appreciate your work very very much. I hope our readers use the Twitter Link, such a great way to advertise "The Political Sword". Oh! the links are a thousand times easier to post now, no more adjusting lines, they do it themselves, magic eh! Must not forget,thankyou for this post,absolutely fantastic valuable, information. Cheers

Per Ardua

1/02/2011Welcome back all. As a "lurker" this is the first site I go to each morning (even since you closed down for the festive season break - just in case).Look forward to another year of wonderful insightful and courteous conversations and especially LDL.

NormanK

1/02/2011Hi Lyn, Welcome back. I hope you have had a refreshing break. You've been missed. http://www.flickr.com/photos/linsmi/5222330833/

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011Lyn Thank you for your kind comments. Welcoming you back is like celebrating the homecoming of a dear friend, and you have lots on [i]TPS[/i]. What a lovely bunch of flowers NormanK has presented to you to mark your return. I'm so glad you have found your links easier to post with the new version of [i]TPS[/i]

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011Per Ardua Welcome as a commentor on [i]TPS[/i]. Do come again. Thank you for your kind comments. I’m glad you enjoy the discourse and LYN’S DAILY LINKS, as thousands of others do.

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011Folks Now that [i]Twitter[/i] has been installed on [i]TPS[/i], to avail yourself of this facility you need to ‘join’ this free service, and choose to follow Adastra5. When you do you will be able to receive my tweets. You can direct them to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Twitter will be of most value if there are many followers who receive timely messages from me about [i]The Political Sword[/i]. The link to Twitter is http://twitter.com/

Patricia WA

1/02/2011Ad Astra - Kerry has made a good point there. Those two thin blue lines are almost invisible on my screen. I found the identifying name at the end of the comment very confusing when I first visited this site when I didn't know the gravatars at all. I still find myself having to stop and confirm who is commenting when the name appears so far down on longer comments. Why can't the commenter's name go alongside or above the dateline near the gravatar anyway? That's standard practice elsewhere and I think it's what visitors look for when they drop in.

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011Folks I've just posted [i]The media needs to pull up its socks in 2011[/i]. http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2011/02/01/The-media-needs-to-pull-up-its-socks-in-2011.aspx

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011Patricia WA I'll check whether the lines separating comments can be made more prominent. The format the blog engine dictates that the date and Gravatar are at the top, and the author at the foot. It was the same in the previous version. I doubt if we will be able to change that as it is likely hard-coded into the program. Soft-codes can be manipulated somewhat, and we have done that, for example to change the format of the 'b', 'i','u' and 'quote' options, but there are quite severe limitations to what tweaking is possible. I guess I know many of the Gravatars by now and don't need to scroll to the foot of the comment to see who the author is. I recognise your lovely Gravatar immediately.

Patricia WA

1/02/2011Agreed, AA, that we regulars know each other well, but even I double take sometimes with the gravatar of the next comment so close to the sign off name above. Particularly when I've just been at other sites where, as is usual, name, dateline and gravatar are all close together and not separated by comment. It would help if that's 'soft' and could be tweaked, but I guess it's a problem if it's hard wired into the program. Thanks for your prompt response.

Ad astra reply

1/02/2011Patricia WA We'll do what we can to remedy the situation, but I'm not hopeful we can do much. Another way round the problem might be for those writing a long comment to type in their blogging name at the top of the comment, so that it is immediately visible under the Gravatar.

Lyn

1/02/2011Hi Patricia WA, Thankyou so much for your very clever poem, you are indeed another valuable Power Tool in Ad Astrs's TPS tool Box. My blue lines are invisible on windows XP too, even with my magnifying glasses on. Cheers

Lyn

1/02/2011Hi Norman K You took my breath away, thankyou for the delightful posy of roses, aren't the exquisite. I can see Double Delight, Princess Margaret,Blue Moon, Mr Lincoln, the red one might be Montizoomer, not sure of the correct spelling. You are another Power Tool in Ad's TPS tool box, Ad's tools are very valuable, priceless. I had a lovely holiday, but it really is so nice to be back amongst the action on TPS. Cheers

Lyn

1/02/2011Hi Per Ardua A big welcome to TPS, I am so happy you have left us a comment and congratulate you for kicking the habit of lurking. Looking forward to hearing a lot more of your points of opinion,over the next 10 years or so. Thankyou for your welcome compliment [quote]("this is the first site I go to each morning ")[/quote] we are very proud to have you here. Cheers

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