Kevin Rudd Launches New Range of Men’s Shaving Gear

Another example of Kev’s cut throat style. I’m sure the voters in Lalor will be very chuffed with this possible candidate

LOL

Kev has not changed one bit………….

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/diplomat-and-extreasurers-daughter-look-set-to-contest-lalor-20130710-2pqfl.html

They should stop parachuting people into safe seats, its unpopular.

No reference to super glue.

Unemployment has now risen to 5.7%

Tasmania has gone upto 8.1% the first time over 8% in a decade.

Kev will now no doubt point to rising unemployment as a good thing.

‘Opening up the North’ is just a fetish of grossly wealthy monopolists & deluded, semi-literate rockshifters.

Not much benefit to the rest of us at all.

Ockertard Cricket Team top order shamefully crumbles, in a sign of things to come! 😆

GO ENGLAND

Rudd has finished his National Press Club speech

Seems the Ruddster has a plan which states that ”

“The cost of electricity is too high by international standards and is affecting both business and consumers;”

ROFLMA @ the sheer hypocrisy of what the ALP states as opposed to the policies it vomits out

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/the-pulse-live/politics-live-july-11-2013-20130711-2prgx.html#ixzz2YhffysRZ

The Zonal Tax System might seem a bit strange however it already does exist for some individuals working in remote areas already. I never encounter it being in the “City” and all however it is there as an added incentive for some to attract them to unattractive areas.

Singapore used to use (could still do I cant be bothered looking) a low tax rate to attract skills as well. As do a number of Arab countries to attract engineers and multiple language teachers.

Economically speaking there are multiple tax zones all over Australia. There are any number of individuals paying different average rates of tax due to marginal rates being in use and then there is the 30% Company Rate and Zero Rate for trusts and partnerships.

So the idea of killing off something just because you’d start development with an incentive rate is pretty irrational. You could even kick start a region with a 15% rate then as it develops push the rate up.

If it doesn’t work then you have lost very little anyway.

Anyway the whole “North” thing neds to be looked at closely to see if it can work on a economic and social basis without reference to tax decisions.

Tax rates are only part of any investment decision. They should never drive the entire decision.

‘Anyway the whole “North” thing needs to be looked at closely to see if it can work on a economic and social basis without reference to tax decisions.’

I totally agree and Infrastructure Bonds might be the way to go. Rudd’s speech today avoided detail.

‘Infrastructure Australia is doing great work.

‘For the first time in the nation’s history, a national infrastructure priority list has been developed on the basis of a rigorous cost-benefit analysis.’

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/kevin-rudds-press-club-speech-full-transcript-20130711-2prqg.html#ixzz2YhkjISHm

“I know who looks shit scared and it ain’t Rudd … ”

Yeah………………….Bruce Hawker

This one grates on my ear …

aws-TRAY-lee-uh

(And everyone forgets the Godwin Grech “incident”.)

Rudd fooled the population in 2007 (i am an economic conservative), lets hope he doesn’t do it again.

You can see how dictators reach the top. People like charismatic leaders and a large percentage of the population will follow them over a cliff.

Nanny-statism meets market forces.

New York school drops Michelle Obama lunch standards: Kids too hungry

“Rudd is a popular politician and able to ad lib effectively, while Abbott’s performance is more rigid.”

I actually think Abbott needs to finally snap out of his “I’ll go easy on the PM she’s a girl” attitude. He’s letting Rudd set the tone of the campaign.

He needs to expose Rudd on Boat policy and the Economy being Debt and Deficit. Rudd gave a complete non answer on Boats today. In fact he said he was specifically not going to answer the reporters question and they let him get away with it.

Abbott has to start shooting back hard

A lot more mongrel is needed.

He tore Rudd down before with that attitude. He can do it again

Obviously some uncompassionate wingnut …

“If you have got an argument about persecution, there is no case for burning your passport,” he told ABC television.

“And there is no case for being rehearsed in a story of persecution so that everyone on a vessel tells the same story word for word, leaving the impression that the people smuggler in charge of the process has put them through this.”

‘I reckon we should send the SAS into Indonesia and blow up all the boats …’

It would be far cheaper to buy all the old fishing boats, in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, then scuttle them to make a fishery.

“No mention of the other 80% … presumably all with passports and less than $10,000 … ”

Ahem……………………….you do realise Senator Bob Carr is one of your Lefty heroes ?

Or are you listening to Radio Pyongyang Drivetime Talkback again ?

‘He’s letting Rudd set the tone of the campaign.’

Yep, Abbott will have to lift his game in a positive way. Rudd’s strategy is to say “Yes We Can” without actually saying it and I’m unconvinced pointing out the government’s failures will help Abbott’s cause.

Remember the leftoid retard who said it would take 20 years to fill the MCG with boat people. Well at 35,000/year it would only take 3.

And Bob Carr is right. These people are coming here for the same reason Mexicans want to live in the US. Better to clean toilets in Texas than to live in a slum in Mexico.

But we have immigration schemes for those who want to come here for a better life. Having said that I can understand the motive. If I was living in a Mexican slum and getting food from a rubbish can I most probably would try and get a job cleaning toilets in California.

“Ahem……………………….you do realise Senator Bob Carr is one of your Lefty heroes ?”

Looks like lurch, to me.

“If I am returned as the leader of the party and the government and as Prime Minister then I will be very clear about one thing – this party and government will not be lurching to the right on the question of asylum-seekers as some have counselled us to do.”

According to Carr there is an “assessment” “process”. Very subtle indeed.

Rudd stumbles…

Rudd has proposed a high level meeting between government, business and unions to figure out how to improve productivity! Very innovative!

Here are some of the suggestions unions will make-
• Greater emphasis on collective bargaining (via unions)
• Joint consultative groups at business and industry level (via unions)
• More industry level training, overseen by peak industry bodies (ie unions)

Good luck with your approach Kev, it will lead to increased productivity via application of a handbrake.

Let’s see what the Union does for the workers at Holden in Elizabeth.

I reckon that if they agree to take a $200pw pay cut, Big Manufacturing operations all over the country will be trying to pull the same shit.

I can understand taking a pay cut, if you think it’s going to guarantee your employment’s future viability. Only problem is, there will be no guarantees of remaining open for business…& if they then shut down, say in a year or two, then all you’ve done is reduce the base rate that your redundancy package will be paid out at; not very smart or forward thinking.
This could even be GMH’s strategy in demanding the pay cuts; insulating themselves against larger redundancy costs when they (inevitably) shut down.

Better off telling them to go fuck themselves.

‘Better off telling them to go fuck themselves.’

Cutting wages should be a last resort, used only in times of economic depression, with the whole country in a deflationary spiral.

Once you give up entitlements, you never get them back.

It wouldn’t matter if Holden outsold every other car company in the world.

The company is trying to scare the horses into undermining themselves. And they should be scared (I’m sure they are).

Whichever way it goes, precedents are being established.

“The other thing is, I can only imagine the plummeting morale & bitterness of a hardworking non-government subsidied taxpaying population who is forced to perform the same job for considerably less, all the while wondering when they’re gonna get locked out of their company’s gates.”

Fixed it for ya

LOL

Yet…

* and I note it’s workers , those who are actually productive, being curtailed, not management.

“Fixed it for ya”

I guess it probably does seem funny, when viewed from an Ivory Tower. 🙄

“Yeah, but not everyone in Australia is being asked to take a pay cut like Holden workers.”

There does seem to be pressure to cut wages in a lot of industries.

But I have read that Holden workers are on 94K/year. That is a lot of money. A $200/week pay cut means they will be on 84K/year which sounds like a more reasonable wage.

But people may say the PM should set the example. An Australian PM is now on $500K/year. Perhaps management should set the example and take a pay cut first.

However the fact is on Australian salaries very few manufacturing industries will survive. We have a first world standard of living but are heading to a third world economy with no manufacturing and living off mining and farming.

“But I have read that Holden workers are on 94K/year. That is a lot of money. A $200/week pay cut means they will be on 84K/year which sounds like a more reasonable wage.”

All of the people here, prognosticating about pay cuts for others, have NO FUCKING IDEA what those workers do, regarding shifts, public holidays & the like. Also, there is a vast difference between sitting in a fucking chair & actually being on your feet, doing something tangible, repetitively, every day.

Forgive me if I ignore the opinions of those who have no concept of ‘work’.

Not for them to decide what is fair or reasonable.

My main point, if you want to read it again, was the danger of agreeing to a pay cut, only to have the company shut up shop anyway, just so they have a cheaper termination bill with regard to redundancies.

Elizabeth is a shithole now. Eradicate Holden & it will be a ghetto.

*competitive

“I imagine I will face the same thing soon enough.”

Sorry to say, I think you can plan on it.

“Sorry to say, I think you can plan on it.”

I am. 😉

At the moment, it is a war of attrition between the tissue manufacturers in Australia. My lot are hoping for a competitive advantage with the CoGen power plant (about to fire up in island mode this week, as it happens).

I’m under no illusions. I think it will prolong things for a while longer, but not indefinitely.

‘Elizabeth is a shithole now. Eradicate Holden & it will be a ghetto.’

Relocation and a change of occupation might not be so bad for most of the workers, our situation is nothing like the creation of ghettos in the US when their manufacturing went offshore.

Elizabeth should begin to reinvent itself before the end.

You’ve probably never been to Elizabeth, el gordo, based upon that comment. 😉

“Holden workers are on “high” wages, but so are the workers at the companies that manufacture parts for them, so are the truck drivers that bring in the parts…”

I don’t believe so. And I have worked for a components manufacturer (for Holden, Ford & Mitsubishi) around a decade ago; so I’m not speaking from ignorance.

Your observation about ‘high wages’ is a relative thing.

Holden would be ‘top tier’, the component manufacturers are on less. Not too many truck drivers (who aren’t self employed) are on huge salaries/wages.

Easy for people to declare ‘high wages’ from afar.

None of that explains the raping of the population by the privatisation of the electricity market (also water, here in SA).

Reduce wages & watch the numbers of the ‘working impoverished’ sky rocket. People will be better off on welfare; then the downward spiral really gets some momentum up…

“I don’t believe so.”

Of course, even in a high-wage economy, some wages are higher than others (often due to unionisation) but we are all on relatively high wages internationally speaking. Even some first world countries like the USA don’t have wages anywhere near ours. But their cost of living is usually much lower because of it. It’s not until you travel a bit that it really hits home just how expensive everything on this big isolated island.

“I wonder what you are advocating, Tony?”

Nothing. What you are seeing is an internationalised manufacturing market at work. As long Australia can still create wealth, mainly through mining, there will be enough money sloshing through the economy to allow plenty of us to pay each other for goods and services, and import shit-loads of cheaply manufactured products from overseas. If that ever stops (say, government policy scares away further investment in expensive long-term mining projects 😉 ), then look out. The market is efficient and ruthless.

So, if you were a Holden worker. Doomed. Would you agree to a cut to your base wage rate that would see your impending redundancy payout slashed?

Where I work, we are constantly (especially in the last 12 months) reminded that we are paid twice as much as the company’s employees in the US. What they neglect to mention is that we run very Lean, personnel wise, and that there are more than twice as many employees running facilities of comparable size in the US.

For those who fell for the argument that miners don’t create wealth: Nobody – NOBODY! – will give you money for minerals while they are still in the ground. Except mining companies, who then invest billions of dollars, and decades of time and expertise to get those minerals to a stage where a China for example will value the minerals more than their own money, and the mining companies will value China’s money more than their own minerals. In the ground, minerals are, for all intents and purposes, worthless.

It’s a vicious circle.

On the bright side, investment in mining projects is highly sensitive to government policy.

I see Kevvie has established an Anti-dumping Commission.

Catallaxy: “In other words, Rudd Mark II and his Labor Party want Australian consumers to pay more … [A]nti-dumping is just a cute way of providing protection to some Australian manufacturers who don’t like to face foreign competition. Anti-dumping is harmful to the Australian consumer, weakens competitive pressures and reduces productivity growth. Ultimately anti-dumping harms living standards.”

The Litmus Test

‘Rudd has become a moving target, behaving more like a Black Hawk helicopter pilot over Baghdad, flying fast and erratically and firing luminous flares as distractions. He is constantly shifting ground, desperate to get off the topics that Abbott has made mileage on in the past three years – the carbon tax predicament, debt and deficit, the failed mining tax and, most of all, boats. This is not least in part because as prime minister and/or cabinet member he was directly responsible for every one of them.’

Shanahan in the Oz

The Gillard government had 2 basic problems-
• Nil credibility
• Policies that didn’t deliver

Shanahan might be right about Rudd’s involvement in failed policies, but-
• Abbott doesn’t have much credibility
• He doesn’t (yet?) have a set of coherent policies

Rudd now has-
• Credibility
• Tweeked policies, that will get a reasonable level of credibility

Therefore, Rudd has his nose in front and is likely to remain there.

Our Aussies against the might of the Poms, putting up a valiant effort, against the odds, with a partisan and hostile crowd and umpires.

OI!

130-9.

Pissing myself laughing

On The Tax Attractiveness Index, where 100 countries are rated between zero and one, the closer to one the more attractive a country’s tax regime, Australia is a measley 0.3361. The US is worse at 0.2432, whereas Great Britain is a respectable 0.5913. The usual tax-haven islands lead the way, however near-northern neighbours Malaysia and Singapore are in the 7s.

Abbott said he will throw $1 billion at the car industry but….

“We will want to ensure that Holden have a credible, serious plan to reduce costs and a credible, serious plan to boost volumes, particularly to boost exports because in the end what a flourishing car industry in this country needs is a serious export program.”

The new plan is for Agar to make a ton.

All tied up! 😯

Beefy sounds a bit less enthusiatic than at the start of play.

We reign supreme!

Where’s your pommie-barracking crow-eater now?

Lunch beckons. A pie, a few beers, and Agar will be looking at 200!

Quietly confident.

OI!

“I actually strongly disagree with that pro dumping view.”

It depends on whether you want to protect the consumer or business. You could argue that protecting business is protecting jobs. However that protection means all consumers pay more, using money that, if saved, could be spent on other goods and services.

(BTW, it’s not pro-dumping, it’s anti-anti-dumping. Who can actually say if a product is being “dumped, anyway. The unions will always claim dumping when they’re being outpriced.)

Protectionism is anti-free-market.

(BTW, it’s not pro-dumping, it’s anti-anti-dumping. Who can actually say if a product is being “dumped, anyway. The unions will always claim dumping when they’re being outpriced.)

Mmmmmmmmm !

But it’s not the Unions that are the noisy ones on this. It’s Industry screaming.

He may be otherwise engaged, productively.

GO ENGLAND !

Haha, night shift. 😯

What’s more, he did it off just 101 balls. He could be Australia’s next champion all-rounder.

But we have immigration schemes for those who want to come here for a better life. Having said that I can understand the motive. If I was living in a Mexican slum and getting food from a rubbish can I most probably would try and get a job cleaning toilets in California.

So tell us again how much you care about the lives of these people neil, how worried you are about them 🙄

All of the people here, prognosticating about pay cuts for others, have NO FUCKING IDEA what those workers do, regarding shifts, public holidays & the like. Also, there is a vast difference between sitting in a fucking chair & actually being on your feet, doing something tangible, repetitively, every day.
Forgive me if I ignore the opinions of those who have no concept of ‘work’.

me too, and no concept of fairness and decency either.
great to pontificate from afar about lower wage for others while quaffing wine and bragging about their own high paid jobs. Of course, mention any of them should be taxed more or have their wages reduced and the red-faced screaming starts.

We could all have lower wages but not just for some, for everyone from the top down, CEO’s and managers should have wages equal to that of CEO’s/managers of the third world countries they want workers wages to equal. When these people are happy to lead by example, other workers might be convinced to accept lower wages.

“The market is efficient”, that’s the best laugh of all!

Masters of the universe and the efficient markets myth:

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/business/finance-2/masters-of-the-universe-and-the-efficient-markets-myth/

…After people have Occupied Wall Street and other financial districts around the world, as Europe still teeters on the edge of bankruptcy, as homes lie empty after being repossessed by avaricious banks while their previous owners are jobless and homeless – after Governments somehow decided that the banks were the needy ones – the thought that the markets are working well goes beyond absurd and strays into the realms of the grotesque. Only economic ideologues with a vested interest in maintaining the grim status quo could possibly persist in promoting such a travesty of the truth.

The truth is, there is no “invisible hand”; what there is, however, is a whole lot of real hands – and heads and bodies and other parts of human beings, as well as computer programs, these days – that actually guide investment decisions. And if people had a better idea about many of the people guiding the investment process, they might be far less sanguine about the chances of markets consistently making sensible investment decisions…

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/philosophy/economics-2/the-impossible-ideology-of-free-trade/

https://twitter.com/KieraGorden/status/355322479016804352

‘Why buy stuff manufactured here when you can get it three times cheaper on Ebay.’

If this cynical approach is adopted more broadly, then the industrial wing will get shafted eventually.

I agree dianne, perhaps people should be thinking about other careers, the service industries, health etc.
Some go into manufacturing especially because of the higher wages and the union control by male dominated unions that give more benefits to their industries while female dominated and service industries are ignored.
People have to think about where we are headed in the future, not what we have done historically and then expecting huge subsidies to keep them in jobs.
Should be plenty of jobs coming up in a green industry too!

Hopefully green jobs are coming AO. I agree with what you have written. It is hard to see the future through the wrong end of a telescope, rose-coloured glasses, blinkers, eye patches and that thing they tie around your eyes when you face the firing squad – term escapes me.

Blindfold!

David Donovan is also into tweeting “career ending” rumours about “the poodle”, but won’t provide details for fear of being sued. He shouldn’t be scared if what he knows is true. He should man person up and tell the twittersphere all the sordid details.

“So once Mr Rudd clarifies for all of us – and he knows when the election is – we can all make plans,” Barnaby Joyce said.

“Also, there is a vast difference between sitting in a fucking chair & actually being on your feet, doing something tangible, repetitively, every day.

Forgive me if I ignore the opinions of those who have no concept of ‘work’.

Not for them to decide what is fair or reasonable.”

What a load of CRAP !

Why should the Taxpayer continue to heavily support an industry where the workers are paid well above average than pretty much every other manufacturing industry.

Why dont we subsidise the food can businesses that have gone to NZ ?

How about the Northern Cattle Industry that the ALP has completely fucked which employed thousands of indigenous workers ? Why dont we subsidise Australian Agricultural Company ?

How about the Qld coalminers now out of a job ? Why dont we subsidise BHP Billiton ?

It also employs your “workers” on a helluva lot less that those “poor downtrodden sods” from Holden.

If they want taxpayer money its time they took a f**king “haircut”

“It’s Unhinged Friday, with our special Guest Star Evil Wally of Sydney!!”

If “unhinged” is pointing out the gross ridiculousness of taxpayers forking out $Billions in funds to support Companies whose workers have a track record of inflexibility then I’ll wear that badge with honour.

There are plenty of other industries that don’t get anything near that degree of long term assistance.

And I’m talking looooooooong term assistance.

If Holden workers want a job then its time for them to act like it.

“If Holden executives want a job then its time for them to act like it.”

I agree

As soon as you start accepting tax payer handouts then the ordinary rules no longer apply.

As far as I’m concerned if they dont like it they can f**k off as well.

There are too many road, schools and hospitals that need funding. So if you dont want to “bend over” then just F**k Off.

There are far too many better and economically justifiable projects to be undertaken not too mention, social*, and environmental* projects

Rant over………………………..I feel better now.

* Optional insert ( not because I actually believe those bits) but it stops the Lefties who “want to live in a society” going all shrill

“Holden really needs to make cars that people actually want to buy…”

And I agree with that too.

Where is the market research ?

The Mazda3 size and all the various SUVs and 4WDs are where the Market has marched.

We should be producing the best 4WD and SUVs in the World given the size of this joint and the different terrains and climates.

But we don’t.

Sure Holden and Ford produced SUVs but they still don’t stack up in quality against the Toyota RAV4 and Hi Lux,Mazda CX7, Honda CRV.

We still insist on producing Commodores and Falcons for “family motoring”

Is it the Union’s job to “play chicken” with its members’ jobs ?

*****************************************************************************************
Dow Jones:

“A meat processing company says 800 Brisbane jobs are at risk after wage talks broke down.

Teys Australia says it’s considering closing its Beenleigh processing plant after a union refused to put its final wage offer to workers.”

******************************************************************************************

“but they still don’t stack up in quality against the Toyota RAV4 and Hi Lux,Mazda CX7, Honda CRV.”

My American friend tells me that Toyota makes better quality cars than say Ford or Chrysler in the US. And these are Toyota’s made in USA. I think he said they had a plant in Kentucky. So Toyota’s made in the USA with American labor were of better quality than Fords made in the USA with American labor.

Americans who want to buy American made have a problem. Do they buy Toyota’s made in the US or Fords made in the US.??

“My American friend tells me that Toyota makes better quality cars than say Ford or Chrysler in the US.”

That does not surprise me Neil.

I know a couple of people who have bought new fully imported from the USA Chrysler built Jeeps. They both say they are the biggest piece of automotive shit they have ever driven let alone had the misfortune of owning. Bits of the interior in both keep falling off and the dealership treatment is pathetic.

I’d prefer to have an auto industry than not. It provides an economic benefit beyond the jobs in it.

Technical capability, training, apprenticeships etc. It wouldn’t be so great to have the auto industry and mining in steep decline at the same time.

Unions have to get rid of all the process crap in their agreements, too much ‘consult and agree’ and not enough decision making and management accountability.

With an international economic downturn, saying ‘we need to cut spending and return to surplus’ probably won’t resonate with the voters.

Everything is going in Rudd’s favour!

I’d prefer to have an auto industry than not. It provides an economic benefit beyond the jobs in it.

I think that we are forced to prop up the auto industry at the expense of decent public transport and hours spent in choking gridlock. I know lots of people [including myself] who drive to work but would happily take the bus or train if it was better serviced to the suburbs and safe at night. People shouldn’t have to take a train and two buses to get from place to another either. A world class public transport system would provide jobs too.

They won’t even think about decent public transport when the entire auto industry from buying the vehicle right down to repairers/mechanics/maintenance has to be proppped up.

‘A world class public transport system would provide jobs too.’

Not necessarily for Australians, the Chinese want to bring their own crew.

We are years behind in this country.

Because of protectionism.

It can’t all be due to less population here. The high prices we pay for everything and the lack of decent public services. Somewhere, some people are making huge profits and ripping us all off. The govt acts in their interests, the rent seekers and the industry lobbyists have their profits protected and delay our national progress and innovation [the NBN is one example, as murdoch doesn’t want aussies to download video online, he demands they pay a small fortune for his stinking payTV/foxtel]

Don’t forget the eye shadow…!

I know, it’s laughable how there is never any mention of abbott’s hypocrisy in attacking rudd for “a presidential campaign” while his own US style electioneering goes unnoticed. not a mention of his colour co-ordinated supporters holding and shaking professionally printed signs behind him as he speaks to the rusted ons at his invitation only ‘public’ meetings.The way he wants people to think he’s action man, poncing about pretending to do the jobs of manual workers and then rushes off to apply the pancake make-up, hair additives and botox.

Saw ross cameron on the drum yesterday and I thought he looked quite the dandy, wondered if reb thinks so too!

An efficient transport system would be popular in all the cities, but is there enough money to get the job done quickly?

The Chinese offered to build a new Sydney harbour bridge at a very good price and the tender was rejected out of hand.

‘Even better, it could be built using Chinese labour, at a fraction of the cost of the proposed $10 billion second harbour rail crossing, Mr Cameron says.’

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/visionary-spruiks-floating-bridge-plan-20130629-2p3vc.html#ixzz2YnxLBlYb

Novel idea building the bridge in China and probably they’ll sell the old one to an American.

That German system is called Mittelstand and is still the major employer in Deutschland. It is also Part of the economic system of Austria and Switzerland. I think it is so important for countries to make things.

I understand its past its used by date.

I just looked at wiki TB, didn’t know his history, you’re right it is a riot. I nearly stopped reading after:

“…Cameron ran regular prayer meetings for politicians in his office in Parliament House…
and
…”Cameron, along with several other Australian Politicians, has been associated with the American evangelical Christian organisation, The Fellowship/The Family.[12] US Senator Mark Hatfield, with whom Cameron served an internship, is a significant leader in the secretive organisation.[13][14][15][16]…”

Why do we have to have all these religious nutters in parliament? Can’t they just be content with church and godbothering, why do they seek to control the lives of everyone else through legislation? I’m starting to think their over representation in parliament poses a threat to our democracy and way of life 😉

then I finally made it down to the end where it says:

“…In September, 2011 Cameron said he may run for a seat at the next federal election and had discussed the matter with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott…”

I thought, now I see why the dandy’s on the drum all the time!

“(… he had an extra-marital affair and was booted out! – 10th Commandment I think – “thou shalt not covet they neigbours wife” LOL!)”

Well………………..maybe he wants to get back in and have a Private Member’s* Bill to make an amendment to the 10th.

* Pun intended

Ashbygate: the great disappearing scandal about to roar back into life:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/12/ashbygate-peter-slipper-james-ashby

“Ashbygate: the great disappearing scandal about to roar back into life:”

I started to read the link but the article was too long so i gave up. I made it to this point where it said this

But it is about to roar back to life. Online activists have paid more than $50,000 into a fund called the Ashbygate Trust to engage lawyers, journalists and a private detective to investigate how far the plot against Slipper extended inside the opposition.

I cannot believe the efforts TEAM ALP/GREENS go to to try and trash a persons reputation. See i look for motive when someone tells me something. The motive is not to seek the truth. The motive is to attack the other team. If my team is doing the same thing I don’t care.

And you ALP/Greens supporters are all the same. This is the strategy.

1. attempt to trash the reputation of 40% of the population that votes Coalition
2. if that does not work tell baldface lies
3. if that does not work go back to 1. and start again.

Spending hours and hours trying to trap a Coalition politician in some conspiracy. And then the allegation is usually wrong.

I just assume ALP supporters are telling lies unless proven otherwise. It makes things simpler.

“The German Tiger and Panther were much better quality* but the T34 whupped ‘em with quantity!”

Dont forget this often forgotten “little” beastie

http://ww2today.com/23rd-june-1941-the-germans-encounter-the-kv1

“I suspect they are getting higher wages than people doing similar work. Most probably because of Union demands and management giving in. However i will admit I have no idea of the skills needed to work on a production line at Holden.”

A lot of guessing.

Your last sentence says it all.

And this still stands, for you & Evil Non-worker…

“All of the people here, prognosticating about pay cuts for others, have NO FUCKING IDEA what those workers do, regarding shifts, public holidays & the like. Also, there is a vast difference between sitting in a fucking chair & actually being on your feet, doing something tangible, repetitively, every day.

Forgive me if I ignore the opinions of those who have no concept of ‘work’.”

I doubt you can comprehend what such jobs are actually like. It’s pretty clear you’ve never had to earn a living that way. Just standing up for 8hrs would probably incapacitate y’all.

Note. I never once defended subsidising the car industry. The industry I work in doesn’t get one red cent of assistance from the government.

My agitation is with people who, in ignorance, rant about their concept of what’s fair pay for workers whom they don’t know & will never understand. Easy from afar. Most of the workforce isn’t in a comfortable chair.

And, fuck you, Neil. I earn way more than a Holden worker…& I resent your half witted implications.

Go Crows. (My enemy’s enemy is my friend. Tonight.)

Back in Canberra

Only total f??king low life turds would bother living in this vomit inducing joint

It is here for those who need to hide their mediocrity !

During the Great Depression the bureaucrats in Canberra were the last to take a pay cut.

Just sayin’

IPA,

Watched it live….Love this girl…

“We’re making cars better than ever before, but our auto industry is on the brink. Gideon Haigh visits Holden’s last vehicle assembly line.”

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/uphill-battle-20130708-2pl0v.html#ixzz2YtMgNMfP“

Mark Latham: shame on the Canberra press gallery
http://www.afr.com/p/national/arts_saleroom/mark_latham_shame_on_the_canberra_unhJxxsoQjtvJaZT7QVIVO

Media bunnies become the hounds:
http://www.kingstribune.com/index.php/weekly-email/item/1840-media-bunnies-become-the-hounds

Hey there egg….

Egg,

Oddly, those two are in the top 5 here as well and just about everywhere else in the West…I say oddly but I am not surprised…What I find madness is our politicians whose only answer to our fiscal woes is to import people? Trying to pass a massive illegal immigration bill here that is loaded with the importation of endless numbers of visa workers, temporary workers (who are never temporary) and at the same time “legalize” around 20-30 million people with a repeat of legislation and promises of 1986.

This while we are going through one of the harshest economic times in recent history…Millions out of work and no longer looking yet these clowns want to import more; on top of increasing entitlement programs? Eco 101 touts labor but not as the end all be all? Without spending restraint, labor controls and some taxation we are never going to get anywhere over here; from what I can tell about Australia it isn’t much different…It is overwhelmingly SPENDING that is killing us here…Obama has been an abysmal failure as we all felt he would be and the only thing the guy seems capable of doing is delivering a descent speech…Wish we could “oust” him like Julia but anyway…

So today Bowen will more dismantling of Gillarad’s dishonest legacy- the carbon tax goes and the ETS comes in from July.

With this decision Rudd and Bowen get rid of the taint of Gillard and sideline Abbott’s ‘green army’

If Rudd concentrates on the political high ground like this, he could be quite successful. No one likes whingers or liars, particularly among leaders.

‘…the carbon tax goes and the ETS comes in from July.’

Pragmatic, but I won’t be voting for him on that basis…. the man’s a tosser. Abbott will dismantle the tax altogether, along with the Klimatariat and Green Energy Shit.

The monk has the bottle …. go you little bewdy.

“my old party” my arse!’

I distinctly remember shaking hands with Jim Spigelman at a Whitlam rally and I voted for jools at the last election.

For christ’s sake, I was rusted on.

According to current corporate/political-speak, we don’t have discussions about topics anymore, we have conversations around issues.

Fine, but if Rudd wins he’ll have a clear mandate. If Abbott wins so will he, so hopefully there will be a publicly accepted legitimate outcome.

…and that’s the significant difference.

But does it make sense to have a $6 price or 150,000 people wandering around with rakes and garden shovels?

That’s nice so it’s an economic stimulus via landscape gardening!

Gillard’s legacy is dishonesty, if Abbott starts to justify his rakes and shovels policy on economic grounds, he’ll struggle (even more) with credibility.

‘if Abbott starts to justify his rakes and shovels policy on economic grounds, he’ll struggle’

Possibly, but it might dove-tail nicely with his northern development scheme.

Ps the above was for Tom

I don’t know TB. I am waiting for the definitive book about this period. I have given up reading newspapers because of the inanity, group- think and bias. JG may have made some poor decisions but so do they all. I think she was no more a liar than any of them. I think Voterland doesn’t want the truth a lot of the time. The other day I heard the interview with Lisa Clutterham, the 29-year-old diplomat seeking Pre-selection for Lalor. I was so impressed with her. She was articulate and straight-forward. No lies, spinning, dodging or weaving. What did she get for it? Criticism. Now she has withdrawn. It was not her fault that she did not meet the criteria for the trumpeted return-power-to-the-rank-and-file push. I bet she is smarting.

Yes Dianne, I am pretty well set about Gillard. I think she has set back the leadership aspirations of women by a decade.

She was a puppet of the hacks, incapable of reform of the ALP, put her political interests above compassion and equity. A poor role model in just about every respect.

… her Women for Gillard rant aimed her wrath at men like me who had been fighting for women’s rights for decades … not once have I heard any feminist say … but without the help of enlightened and honest men we could not have achieved what we have …

I’ve heard plenty of feminists thanking the men that support women. What is particularly galling is this idea that women have have not had to fight for everything they’ve got today [and there is STILL not equality] that they have only got it because enlightened men helped them, that enlightened, honest men allowed them it 😡

Women can’t even be allowed the credit for driving their own activism and advancement without men claiming we owe it in part to them and where’s the thanks!!

All I can say is if men were really behind women’s advancement, we wouldn’t be having the sexism/misogyny debate because there would be no need to!

Just a reminder that there are many women who men have helped to vote in – I spoke to one this morning!

And there is the one woman who held the highest office in the land who men have helped to vote out!

And a reminder that men still run and control all systems of power, men still dominate, you don’t need to feel slighted that feminists haven’t thanked you personally for ‘helping’ women by doing the right thing.

just sayin’ 😉

If it remains this close, I will put the ALP higher up on my ballot paper.

Fuck, Abbott, & those who think he’s a solution rather than a potential problem.

I wasn’t even going to bother voting this time, but deposing Gillard & the subsequent turnaround has me thinking that an Abbott government landslide isn’t the inevitability it was very recently.
This is a very good thing.

I imagine I’m not alone, as evidenced by the change in the polls.

I still think the ALP will lose, but balance & accountability of the conservatards may yet be achievable in defeat.

It would be funny watching them writhe & make deals with indys to form a minority government, TB.

Abbott has all the charisma of a spurwing plover.

Snacty, is predisposed towards Abbottian philosophies, Dianne.

They tend to return to the same place to nest each year. Unfortunately, that is in my large backyard.
They make a horrifying, unpleasant & incessant sqwarking banshee sound if anyone goes within eyeball range of them.
Once they have eggs (always in a nest on the ground) they become ridiculously militant & it then becomes a two person effort to mow the lawn…one to push the mower & one to keep the pair (one runs interference while the other attacks) of swooping plovers at bay with a tennis racquet.
They are called spurwings because they have sharp, bony protrusions which jut from the joint on their wings; and they’re not afraid to use them.

My old Jack Russell, deaf & blind, used to come in bloodied up after having been outside when the eggs were hatched & the infant monsters were running around (this is when the adults are at their aggressive worst). The spurs poked holes in her hide.

Needless to say, they are loathsome creatures, reviled by most, just like Abbott.

All of the cats I’ve ever had (or currently have) are quite capable of dispatching plovers.

The poor old dog however, couldn’t hear or see them coming, so was a sitting duck for the nasty miscreations.

Even against bird-mangling cats, the plovers are brave to the point of reckless stupidity & don’t back off an iota.
Protecting their offspring is a compelling instinct, apparently. But, the world (this part of it at least) doesn’t need more plovers.

It is much harder for a career-minded woman to climb a corporate ladder if she is also a wife and mother. By and large it is women who must juggle a career with the care of children and later on, elderly parents.

You are absolutely right. It is much harder. That is because climbing the corporate ladder requires a commitment to work that is often compromised by the commitment to one’s partner and children. I am a hands on father. Far more so than most. Because I truly love it. Let me absolutely assure you that I suffered far worse in my previous job than my female peers for my commitment. It is not an issue of sexism. It is an issue of conflicts of interest. I am a man. I lost out because of my family responsibilities. Women in a similar situation were given far more leeway and the cost to their career was far less. Shit, even on the study front I was treated differently. This was even acknowledged when I left.

You are quite wrong that women destroy other women.

No I’m not. I have been in the workforce for over 20 years and I have seen at first hand what women will do to destroy their female peers. Men, whilst competitive, are in general terms far less aggressive towards their peers. Now I understand that there may be an element of “catching up” that drives that. A feeling that one has to be aggressive (assertive) to get ahead in a traditionally “man’s world”. But at the same time that competitiveness is played out socially. Women will constantly criticise other women on their appearance, on their weight, on their parenting methods etc etc. Men will criticise other men on their conduct. I know women can be very supportive of each other. That’s great. In general terms they play that role far better than their male counterparts. But just look at the aftermath of the Darling Harbour tryst if you want an example of women with competing interests……..

*Obviously this is a blog and I write in VERY general terms about this stuff.

I cannot believe how bad the LNP tv advert is.

FaaaaAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafk !

Too fucking much too read

It’s like watching fucking SBS

Salt what is the Darling Harbour tryst. I do not read newspapers so I miss out on some things sometimes. Interested in what you wrote about your experiences in work place. I agree too that blogs only allow you to talk in very general terms.

You’re right, they never sleep.

It’s virtually impossible to take them by surprise. I’m pretty sure that’s an innate characteristic of nesting on the ground. They’re highly exposed to predators like cats & dogs (and disgruntled tennis racquet wielding home owners).
They’re not real clever about where they put their nests. As I said, they return to the same place each year. You often see them right beside a busy road or on a school oval. That doesn’t stop them from attacking any man or beast in their vicinity though.
Their offspring’s mortality rate is quite high on account of their belligerent confrontationalism.

And the noise! It’s not something you can ever forget. Horrendous.
They are cunning. The one running interference will screech & goad you, while it’s mate silently circles above & behind you for a stealth attack on the back of your cranium.

Thoroughly unpleasant…

Just heard that the Fairfax poll has parities neck and neck and that TA’s personal ratings have suffered a sharp attack by Kevin Plover. Interesting. If the ALP wins it will be a clear indication that the mainstream media – which has had a clear Abbott bias – is not as powerful as some think it is.

Even if I didn’t believe JG was demonized and faced impossible odds, I would still find it difficult to comes to grips with Kevin’s undoubted appeal. But then I have never watched TV shows like The Voice, Big Brother or anything with chefs. I must be an outrider.

Exactly right Reb. The big flaw with democracy is that everyone can vote.

I am inundated with crows at my place the raucous noise drove my neighbour crazy, one day I heard him outside yelling for them to shut up!

I feed the kookas though, start off with one and all of a sudden there are 10 of them on the fence.

Thanks for the astute remark Armchair. I suspect we see many things similarly.

“I suspect we see many things similarly.”

Holy Fuck

TWO of them…………………..!

I now all the 29 to 31 year old women hang out at over at Teh Cafe (guffaw), but some here might find this mildly amusing anyway (rude language warning, if you’re at work turn the volume down a bit) …

“I have never watched TV shows like The Voice, Big Brother or anything with chefs. I must be an outrider.”

FWIW, I hate all of that plastic voyeuristic staged crap as well. I’d stab out my eyes with a teaspoon before I’d watch it.