Peter Dutton enjoys Comfortable Lead over the ‘Margin of Error’ in Shock New Voter Poll!

Looks like Australia has turned to the really dark side. Once again.

We were debt free in 2007. Australia voted LABOR in 2007 and now we have $1T of govt debt.

Who would have thunk it?

TomR

Labor destroyed our car industry last time in power.

What do you think ALP will destroy this time???

Yes Friendly, a Federal ICAC WILL be exciting 🙂

Not questioning the accuracy of the poll, but it’s powerful evidence that deep ideological commitment is sadly lacking.

The world is just cooked.

maybe by blowing them up, or something like that…?

By … selling them it appears? 😆

https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/2022-offshore-petroleum-exploration-acreage-release

How do you think they are planning to get rid of them, maybe by blowing them up, or something like that…

That is what happened in South Australia

https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/db70a2ba61a5a35d5f4b840a8685ec96

That was the coal fired Playford Power Station being blown up.

They are monstrosities despoiling the countryside and will lay there rotting and useless long after they have ceased to function.

yea

https://theconversation.com/disused-mines-blight-new-south-wales-yet-the-approvals-continue-39059

Success in politics is as much about ‘trying’ as ‘succeeding’. And that applies to going ‘green’ as well.

Lots of nonsense about the short timelines of transiting to electric cars. But again political actors must be seen to ‘try’.

Fairly sure that most of the punters can’t handle any objective reality. And politicians know it. (Try – who owns the money that politicians spend?)

By … selling them it appears? 😆

TomR

I never thought you would be anti-LABOR. But you are right for once.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/markets/federal-government-opens-46-000-sq-km-for-offshore-oil-and-gas-exploration/ar-AA111T0V?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=bbcc71f946404e29dd81e52d906e5b94

The federal government will allow the oil and gas industry to explore new offshore sites covering 46,758 square kilometres of Commonwealth waters.

In a video address to the NT Resources Week conference in Darwin, Resources Minister Madeleine King said the release comprised of 10 areas across the Bonaparte, Browse, Carnarvon, and Gippsland basins…….”Labor likes to talk big on climate, but when it really matters they’ll do exactly what their fossil fuel donors demand,” Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson tweeted.

LABOR anti fossil fuels in Opposition but digging for oil and gas when in govt.

Perhaps baseload can’t come (reliably) from renewables all the time, at least with the current technology? Therefore, isn’t there the real danger that the good might be sacrificed because the perfect is not yet attainable?

Or is it the case that there’s another agenda at work? Like – climate change is just bullshit anyway?

In similar vein is the emerging ideological line of – “Let’s develop small nuclear reactors – which will only take a decade or so and in the meantime let’s carry on as normal.” (In other words – keep mining fossil fuels.)

Lots of males fides at work? Or is that being unkind?

sigh nil

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-digs-in-on-support-for-coal-to-negate-damaging-climate-debate-20220418-p5ae8h.html

It really is looking like Labor won’t have any time to Govern. too much cleaning up to do.

And while on the matter of foreign policy disasters. Interestingly. Mearsheimer from the Right and Sachs from the Left (ideological locations on the spectrum are all relatively speaking) agree as to the history.

The war in Ukraine is the culmination of a 30-year project of the American neoconservative movement. The Biden Administration is packed with the same neocons who championed the US wars of choice in Serbia (1999), Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), Syria (2011), Libya (2011), and who did so much to provoke Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The neocon track record is one of unmitigated disaster, yet Biden has staffed his team with neocons. As a result, Biden is steering Ukraine, the US, and the European Union towards yet another geopolitical debacle. If Europe has any insight, it will separate itself from these US foreign policy debacles.

Now Australia is in this as well. Then there’s our irrational fear of China. Did you know that in Australia, the citizens have a greater fear of a Chinese invasion than do the people of Taiwan?

But perhaps we have no choice? Certainly a sad, sad state of affairs.

… wife Victoria Nuland was the US Ambassador to NATO under George W. Bush, Jr. Nuland has been the neocon operative par excellence. In addition to serving as Bush’s Ambassador to NATO, Nuland was Barack Obama’s Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs during 2013-17, where she participated in the overthrow of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, and now serves as Biden’s Undersecretary of State guiding US policy vis-à-vis the war in Ukraine

And the defence contractors (hello Bendigo) are loving every minute of it.

https://www.other-news.info/ukraine-is-the-latest-neocon-disaster/

lol

4.5Kw solar system …. solar hot water system (first lasted 25years) … haven’t paid a electricity bill for ten years!

All I need now is a battery … and prices are tumbling …

TB

I have a relative who lives off the grid. It cost him $30,000 to install his solar system. I think the main cost was the batteries needed to run the fridge, 24/7, washing machine, lights etc.

I guess you get a govt rebate and i have heard you can put electricity back into the coal fired electricity system. But renewables are not that clean. Toxic chemicals are used the the batteries and solar panels.

Paedophiles love it:

So … the ‘libsoftiktok’ decide to propagate it for ..?

Good!

Robodebt was an abomination. I hope the perps are jailed.

If the govt brings in what they think should be a good idea but turns into a disaster what should the punishment be? I guess it would depend on the level of knowledge. But if you jail pollies for a bad idea we would have nobody in Parliament.

the little weed thanks Australia for the help, in his own way

To be clear, I’m talking about the version of Robodebt introduced by the Coalition government.

And for the slower ones (looks at nil) there was no Robodebt before the libs externalized an internal averaging tool and used that, and that alone, to threaten people with jail.

I was there only to help with the correspondence and getting the evidence together and I felt the pressure.

That to me was the most devastating part of the process. People with knowledge and skills directly in that area found the process difficult and frustrating. So you could image the stress for people without those skills, and who were constantly applied pressure. And the pressure was huge, with demands with threats of jail and often no receipts to fall back on. Even centrelink had no record of transactions. It was truly evil, and it all lies at the feet of morrison.

In my view, we don’t just need to get to the bottom, but also for those who inflicted this on people need to pay a cost, in the same manner as they threatened their victims with

More for nil. Data Matching has been around for decades, it’s nothing new. Using it stupidly is

In a world being run by computers more and more it would have happened no matter who was in govt.

No, because, as said, multiple times, Labor were using the algorithm, just as a data matching tool, from which they then went through, manually, to determine if people had debts or not. The libs used the same tool, and just assumed they people had debts, and put the onus on the people. Against warnings from Bill Shorten (among others)

I doubt it was a Coalition idea.
It was dreamed up while morrison was Minister of the portfolio, although, not implemented until he had moved on. Almost every evil, dick move made by the libs has his slimy little fingerprints on it. He needs to be held to account, for all of them

The Coalition has a history of enabling public servants to behave inhumanely.

With some luck, a Royal Commission will address this

The pursuit of happiness

It always amazed me how the movie The pursuit of happiness was basically telling people to be the mouse. It was a perverse message, imo.

To whom do public servants report? The short answer is – it’s forever changing.. In some States, it’s the Minister who hires and fires. In others it’s the Premier who has the whip hand.

Increasingly, it’s the ‘top dog’ (the Premier or the Prime Minister) who rules the day. They argue that public servants serve the public through them and the notion that public servants serve the public ‘directly’ is an anachronism.

Suspect that Glyn Davis (Head of PM&C) will want to clarify that in his reign – along with the accountability of currently ‘unaccountable’ ministerial staffers.

Lots of former Public Servant CEOs chaffing at the bit to Chair that necessary task. Be interested to see if they persist with ‘performance pay’ which is but another undesirable trend imported from the USA.

The senior public servants who administered the system should be jailed as well as the politicians who are ultimately responsible.

Actually i do not know enough to comment but you seem to. But i do know that ALP/Greens supporters mislead and deceive people.

I suspect the new method to determine income was thought up by some bureaucrat and the govt of the day just went along with it. It most probably sounded like a good idea but ended up a disaster

PS TomR- what the Coalition did was introduce a new computer method to determine income which was against the law. Hence the court case. If it was just bad policy nothing would have happened.

Really? Some ‘bureaucrat’? Where is your evidence?

I have no evidence but our current bunch of Politicians are not that smart. They would just go along with Public Service advice. That is what they did during the pandemic.

MN

So during the current pandemic politicians both State and Federal told the health bureaucrats what to do? It would have been the other way around

MN

Did you know that the Public Service told Peter Costello that the govt installing roof insulation would be a good policy to help with climate change and reduce peoples electricity bills?? Costello told the Public Service to go jump. He told them the govt has no expertise in putting in pink batts

When the GFC happened the Public Service had another go. They told Rudd/Swan installing roof insulation would be a good stimulus program. The ALP govt went for it

Not sure what we were talking about but you are right. The Minister has the final responsibility

Re – “And Costello would have disagreed”

Sorry, but you don’t know that. You don’t know what advice Treasury would have given in changed circumstances – do you?

This is what Peter Costello said about the pink batts scheme in 2010.

“”” In the dying days of the Howard government, the environment department prepared a list of measures designed to reduce carbon emissions. One was to insulate houses. Back in those days, home insulation was dressed up as a climate-change policy.

I was against it. I couldn’t see why those taxpayers who had paid to insulate their own homes should subsidise insulation for those who hadn’t. The subsidy would only increase the value of a private asset – the private home.

Secondly, I could not see how the Commonwealth could hope to manage a scheme to insulate millions of homes with thousands of private contractors when it had no staff with experience to design and supervise such a scheme.

After some robust debate, the government decided against it. The taxpayers saved $2.5 billion. The then environment minister, Malcolm Turnbull, would have done a better job than Garrett, but he was saved from a potential disaster.

Then the government changed hands. Early last year, Kevin Rudd was determined to spend money as fast as possible to stimulate the economy. The Prime Minister asked the public service to think up spending proposals. The departments dusted off proposals previously rejected
. “””

What a fucking stupid observation MN.
The legitimate figure is to understanding that governments representing less that 3% of the world’s population supported Russia.
It is fucking disingenuous to try to portray an abstention as some for of either opposition or support.

ToM – Do try to keep up. And attempt to support your point of view with a few links (they do exist) because you are NOT a recognised authority. (And neither am I).

But while you’re here (and Joyce never is when it matters.:

Qantas managed to extract $2.7 billion of support, only $700 million of which was JobKeeper (passed through to employees). Joyce is an Olympic-grade charity mugger! … What regular businessman begs for $2.7 billion and gets it? Let alone forgets it happened.

In the year to June 30 alone, Qantas received $870 million of subsidies from the Australian government. The Qantas board turned around on Thursday and announced a $400 million buyback! Because they’re in such a healthy position, and the network needs no further investment?

… The reason Joyce has developed a warped perspective is the same reason he’s become such an unmissable public figure: he’s been in the job 14 years, which is at least five years too long.

https://www.afr.com/rear-window/alan-joyce-the-man-who-wasn-t-there-20220828-p5bdel

Does anyone remember Iraq? (You have to love those who have selective memories. Or who lack a moral compass.)

Remember Kissinger and what he said:

“To be an enemy of the US is dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal”. Former US president Jimmy Carter, called the United States “the most warlike nation in the history of the world”. Carter then said the US has been at peace for only 16 of its 242 years as a nation.

In days of yore, Christian nations invaded country after country spreading the Gospel because they had the TRUTH – the One True Way to salvation. The USA of today is little different.

Good Lord! ToM! WTF are you trying to say?

https://external-preview.redd.it/3U5Jq9H256E9X2CA5p-KAFbfW6kjbOLb3eWXKF3hEoc.jpg?auto=webp&s=db4d3fec16517a1a0a5fe92e8a7f43bd8c84043c

ToM – don’t ‘look over there’. Look right here, read and reflect:

war in Ukraine is the culmination of a 30-year project of the American neoconservative movement. The Biden Administration is packed with the same neocons who championed the US wars of choice in Serbia (1999), Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), Syria (2011), Libya (2011), and who did so much to provoke Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The neocon track record is one of unmitigated disaster, yet Biden has staffed his team with neocons. As a result, Biden is steering Ukraine, the US, and the European Union towards yet another geopolitical debacle.

https://www.jeffsachs.org/newspaper- articles/m6rb2a5tskpcxzesjk8hhzf96zh7w7

As for the author – He has served as adviser to three UN Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary-General António Guterres. (One of ToM’s ‘has beens’.) Hilarious.

(No wonder the conservatives/reactionaries don’t want students doing Arts subjects at Uni.)

Governments representing 99.3% of the world’s population outside Russia, didn’t support Russia

But Putin was able to understand when he could act with impunity based on the signals given to him.

One has to wonder if he got braver once he knew his good mate trump had a trove of classified documents, rather than any ‘message’ a President from a decade a go may have sent?

ToM – clearly you don’t read ‘links’. That Putin was provoked (doesn’t justify his resultant actions btw) is agreed by scholars from both the political Left (try Sachs) and the Right (try Mearsheimer) and by any number of others including some in Australia.

(As argued at the outset, try to understand his motivations. And it’s conceded that as with any History, it’s a ‘contest’ Never black and white. Never about the ‘truth’ – because the writing of History just doesn’t work that way.)

Putin warned them what the ‘red line’ was in Bucharest in 2008. That was understood by Merkel and the US Ambassador to Russia. But the ‘promises’ by the West (re NATO non-expansion) go back to 1990.

Professor Joshua Shifrinson said in a paper documenting the promises entitled “How the West Broke Its Promise to Moscow” citing 30 documents from the US national security archives that detail all key conversations Gorbachev had with Western leaders in 1990, including from European …

At a meeting between US Secretary of State James Baker and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze on February 9, 1990, Baker repeated not once, but three times, the “not one inch expansion of Nato east” formula, according to the official State Department write-up of the meeting, written the next day.

https://www.intellinews.com/gorbachev-and-the-verbal-promises-of-no-nato-eastern-expansion-231651/

Yes many (most) in the West have an understanding/point of view of Putin’s motivations. But again they could be in error.

According to the prevailing wisdom in the West, the Ukraine
crisis can be blamed almost entirely on Russian aggression. Russian President Vladimir Putin, the argument goes, annexed Crimea out of a long-standing desire to resuscitate the Soviet empire, and he may eventually go after the rest of Ukraine, as well as other countries in eastern Europe.

In this view, the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014 merely provided a pretext for Putin’s decision to order Russian forces to seize part of Ukraine.

But this account is wrong: the United States and its European allies
share most of the responsibility for the crisis.

Click to access Why-the-Ukraine-Crisis-Is.pdf

While Mearsheimer’s views are widely read in the wider world, not so in Australia.

I said to you previously MN, don’t bother to post a link and expect me to read it.
You’ll recall that you posted a 60 minute video. It’s arrogant in the extreme.
Form a view and post it in your own words.
I might read it.

Ukraine isn’t of strategic importanceto the US? So?
That means they aren’t entitled to seek their own government? Or their own international relations?

And remember to ask John Menadue-
* Why there isn’t a single former Warsaw Pact country that is now allied to Russia
* Why governments representing 99.3% of the world’s population didn’t support Russia

Really MN, you’re the one posting the nonsense about “51%…”
The fact is that governments representing 99.3% of the world’s population didn’t support Russia in the United Nations General Assembly
That fact makes an absolute mockery of the crap you post.

So Cuba was 60 years ago, at the height of the cold war.
USA didn’t fire a shot. It imposed sanctions.
Is that the best you can come up with?

Re the 51%:

“Mahbubani issues a pointed reminder that countries representing more than half the globe’s population – China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Africa, for instance – did not favour the resolution. The countries abstaining, in other words, had 51% of the globe’s population.”

https://johnmenadue.com/spears-in-place-of-bridges-australia-china-and-fashioned-ignorance/

In case you didn’t notice, the West is shitting razor blades re

BEIJING, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military exercises led by the host and including India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries, China’s defence ministry said on Wednesday.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-military-will-send-troops-russia-joint-exercise-2022-08-17/

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-military-will-send-troops-russia-joint-exercise-2022-08-17/

ToM – the over-riding principle is ‘might is right’ for most nations but only if they have it.

ToM – After your last post and re-reading (most) of the above, I really don’t know where to start re a response.

So I won’t.

Oh, you mean this tech:

yes

https://newrepublic.com/article/155471/weapons-america-leaving-behind-syria

A great piece to read. What is it with New Zealanders? (But you have to like reading because there’s 179 footnotes to pursue.)

https://mronline.org/2022/08/29/u-s-imperialism-reflections-from-a-ukrainian-mirror/

So “the government decided against it”. Indeed the government (Cabinet – part of the Executive Branch) did decide against it.

It’s the next bit ” The taxpayers saved $2.5 billion” that has me confused.

Did the “taxpayers” get a refund (from the savings)? Did BHP (Australia’s biggest taxpayer) get a refund as well? Did the Chinese Ambassador (an Australian taxpayer) get a saving as well? What about the Russian Ambassador?

Please explain.

What a balancing act looks like.

lol splats

🙂

Funny, from the mob who actually carried around Swastikas, calling Biden a Nazi. It really is bizzaro land 😆

When Putin engages (endorses) in extrajudicial killings (and he does), he’s described as ‘brutal’ but when Biden does the same, he’s not.

Guess, there’s ‘good’ brutality and then there’s ‘bad’.

Very easy to get ToM over his sulking. Just a mere mention of the American Empire’s hypocrisy and he comes-a-running.

Well done ToM – a very special pat on the head is already in the mail. Lol.

No, you’ll excuse it by talking about China’s century of humiliation.
That should solve human rights abuse

Would the American Empire have invaded Iraq if they didn’t have oil?

Is it possible to nominate a war where America has been successful in recent times (apart from Genada – operation ‘Urgent Fury’)?

Yes MN.
If only there wasn’t a western democracy that was a superpower. Then Putin and the CCP could divide the world into their spheres of influence
How happy and peaceful we’d all be then.
You have seriously stupid views

I see.
We’re a vassal state, and only people like you know.
Congratulations

Re ‘vassal state’ and

only people like you know.

No no ToM! – now you know too.

And this explanation for the non-reader.

Biden is abolishing (some) student debt. Australia is abolishing some TAFE fees and providing more assistance to early childhood education. All well and good as far as it goes but there’s a clear lack of an underlying rationale.

Education and training (expensive as it maybe) should be a metaphorical birthright. It should be funded by the State through one’s lifetime because it’s an excellent social and economic investment.

Governments at both the State and Commonwealth levels often reference the desirability of life-long education but do little to materialize same.

Only The Greens promise to wipe student debt and ensure everyone can access a free, world-class education from early childhood, through school to TAFE and University. But the chance of that happening through the electoral process is somewhat remote. Nevertheless it remains a worthwhile ideal.

Swan was prepared to spend and spend to keep the economy moving.

And we now have $1T of govt debt. In 2007 we were debt free. Anybody with a brain knew what labor would do to the budget. In their evangelistic zeal Labor has now convinced people that deficit budgets are OK

It is even worse than i thought it would be. I knew Rudd/Swan/ALP would trash the budget but Labor has now convinced everybody that deficit spending is OK

Russians can’t read American can they?

Would MN prefer USA opt out of geo politics and leave it to Putin and the CCP?

As for Putin and his popularity (or lack of same.)

https://www.levada.ru/en/2022/03/04/approval-of-institutions-the-state-of-affairs-in-the-country-ratings-of-parties/

You will see that his ratings have steadily risen.

V. Putin has increased: 65% in December, 69% in January and 71% in February 2022

With the New York Times now having him above 80%.

Shaken at First, Many Russians Now Rally Behind Putin’s Invasion,” New York Times, 1 April 2022.

https://mronline.org/2022/08/29/u-s-imperialism-reflections-from-a-ukrainian-mirror/#edn_7

You seem unaware that this history didn’t start yesterday. And when it is recognised (history that is) you dismiss it off hand. Because the “Cuban Missile Missile Crisis” happened 60 years ago it’s of no importance. And that maybe so to you (says much in itself) but the “principle” remains relevant today.

Can’t remember the last time you responded to a question so I’ll return the treatment.

Notice that:

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has taken a hard line that multi-employer bargaining must not swing the balance against employers amid criticism that business has been duped into radically reshaping the industrial relations system in favour of unions.

Appears that Joyce will be treated like “baggage” and abandoned (perhaps) in a hangar.

Certainly Alan Jones didn’t miss him.

Not good when Alan Jones abandons you like the missing “baggage”. Seems like his job will be soon outsourced.

Australia should be mindful of its “best interests”. Playing the role as the Vassal to the USA is not the way to go. Even South Korea understands that.

No appreciation of the march of history.

1. You’re apparently happy to leave the geo politics to Putin and the CCP.
What a peaceful and happy world you would achieve.
2. Why allow industrial action against a company that can’t settle the dispute on behalf of another employer?
3. Here comes a reply that is either wordy obfuscation or a long video of someone who is more coherent than you

It’s interesting that Tom R (and others) was so demanding of permanent government funding for overseas owned auto companies, but is so vociferous in his opposition to temporary funding of the Australian airline industry

Motor mechanics prefer the automotive industry.

so demanding of permanent government funding for overseas owned auto companies, but is so vociferous in his opposition to temporary funding of the Australian airline industry

yomm doesn’t support Government subsidies that save Australian jobs that return far more than the investment but is fine with giving away taxpayer dollars to an entity that returns nothing but contempt. What about all those years you harped on about ‘debt and waste’, yet now, pfft, throw money around like confetti

I also note that you, yet again, are able to provide a link, or even a verabl description of what specific case you were referring to re Industrial Action in airlines. Doesn’t matter, toss out a few more $billion, it’s only (tax payers) money

And maybe MN can explain why the world would be a better and more peaceful place if the geo politics and spheres of influence were just left to Putin and the CCP

if the geo politics and spheres of influence were just left to Putin and the CCP

While you’re at it, maybe a link to this claim too? I haven’t been reading yor discussion with MN that closely. Perhaps I missed it?

If Australia was a real democracy, our armed forces (probably) would not have gone to Vietnam (correctly labelled The American War by the locals) nor Iraq (another American War) nor Afghanistan (another American War).

To engage in speculation as how the world might be sometime in the future in different scenarios is just that – speculation. What IS known is the result of past actions. And America’s track record (post WW II) there is horrendous.

Typically you avoid the question.
And typically you have no regard for choice.
Every former Warsaw Pact country now opposes Putin’s regime.
But you’re relying on some 20 year old opinion that has been denied.
Would you prefer that the US wasn’t involved in geo politics, and left it to Putin and the CCP?

An American empire? Because western democracies have chosen to act collectively, in their common interests?
That’s not an empire. That’s an alliance if interests, which I thought you understood.
And it’s clear that you are mistrustful of democracy, probably because it doesn’t produce the results that reflect your narrow perspective.
Did you see the United Nations report on the treatment of the Uyghurs? That is your preferred leader of the geo political game.
At any point of conflict, you prefer to blame the west and seek to minimise the brutality of autocratic regimes

Re:

Because western democracies have chosen to act collectively, in their common interests?

Putting aside ‘chosen’ for the moment, and proceeding to the “common interest” claim. So what was this ‘common interest’ that caused Australia to go to Vietnam? (Certainly knew what the stated reason was.) But over to you re the claim of ‘common interest’ re Vietnam locally known as the American War.

Further, what was the ‘common interest’ that sent Australian troops to Iraq?
The outright lies that were told? Who believed them?

Ditto Afghanistan?

Re –

Uncle Ho is a hero

Indeed he is! In both life and death On the other hand Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev isn’t. At home at least. Yes he will be interred (with his wife) in Novodevichy Cemetery with so many of past Russian greats but currently he’s not a hero among the local citizens. Be interested to see how ‘history’ treats him. Suppose on who gets to write it over time.

Perhaps it’s because in his rush to embrace ‘capitalism’, he oversaw the sale of public assets to the very, very few for so very, very little. Who then proceeded to flee the country with their massive wealth in tow and become oligarchs living abroad, often in massive yachts. (As an aside, the USA had little compunction in confiscating those floating Palaces in ‘friendly’ ports. So much for private property.)

TB, when visiting Uncle Ho in Hanoi, it seemed like representatives of all the 54/55 different ethnic groups who populate the nation turned up to give a special welcome. Such were the ‘waits’. And those who didn’t follow the rules were sent to the back of queue.

Did you see the 4 Corners Report on Joyce?

Did they get all the “facts” right tonight? Would you have chosen different “facts”? If so – then why. Are there “wrong” facts? Are there “biased” facts? Are there “selective” facts? Are there “facts” that will emerge in the weeks and months ahead? Remember there was with Gulf of Tonkin and Saddam’s Nuclear Weapons.

More particularly. Is Joyce a “brutal” boss? (Some of the now unemployed think he was.) What particular “meaning(s)” do you give to brutality? When Biden ordered the killing of X was he being “brutal”? Was it justified? Care to define? Do Empires care about ‘brutality’?

As always, there will be different interpretations. Different constructions of reality. At least from me. Do you entertain that possibility? Or do you believe in “Truth” (when it comes to “history”)?

As for “facts’, they are a dime a dozen. (Necessary but NEVER sufficient.) The problem becomes not what “facts” to include but what “facts” to leave out. Or don’t you ever, ever leave any facts out?

An imperfect (but representative) democracy is enough reason for MN to excuse fascists
There was a time that people like MN would have referred to Scandinavian countries as models of stable international relations. No longer, because they (mainly) see the risk of remaining neutral in the face of expanding and ambitious autocracies regimes
Of course MN knows better

Some lite readin’ for yomm

Abolish the Senate by all means. It’s a historical hangover – (an unnecessary check on the ‘public will’. Queensland abolished an Upper House nigh on 100 years ago with no apparent ill effect.)

Yes many laws can limit freedom, just as many laws can enhance our freedom, Rare to see a sensible discussion re freedom. Even from the USA who shout the word like a mantra across the world but lack any ability to analyse same (as a generalisation.)

Re – “Educational institutions no longer teach people how to think but, rather, what to think.” Not in my experience! Rather the emphasis is in the other direction. “Rote Learning” (without understanding) used to be the norm, but not now. Father of Conservative educational philosophy was Plato who set the structure of philosophy e.g. Metaphysics, Epistemology and Axiology,

The progressive side of education is led by the American John Dewey.

“Critical Race Theory” has its roots in Marxism and anyone who lacks a basic understanding of Marxism can’t go very deep into the Social Sciences, given his insights. His works are seminal.

Re the FBI – you are aware the the current head, Mr C. Wray, was appointed by Donald Trump! (Did he fuck that up as well?)

Re “global warming” – much of the original thinking (in the political sphere) can be traced to M Thatcher who was a qualified Chemist(?).

Cheers!

You don’t get it, do you, Tom R.

Still think it’s funny 🙂

🙂

And if you thought that was funny, this is Hilarious

😯

It appears that the main function of the DoJ is the persecution of Biden’s political enemies

I mean, if you don’t want to be “persecuted” for stealing highly classified documents, maybe don’t steal highly classified documents?

Just a thought 😉

Should we tell Nick to go home? Or will Canberra refuse to accept him?

MN

Apparently the death rate due to guns is higher if you are involved in criminal activity in the USA. A lot of the deaths are due to people dealing in drugs.

But if you are not involved in crime the death rate due to firearms is much lower

each leak a crime

innocent until proven guilty

Mostly an example of black on black violence. But, whatever …

I lived just outside Washington DC for a while. I was terrified when i made my first trip into DC because DC was getting close to 1 murder/day. I did not want to be an addition to that. It has some nice leafy suburbs but few shops/supermarkets. It is a govt town so most workers drive in but do their shopping outside DC. Of course DC is a black town. I remember walking down one street being the only white person i could see.

The violence happens in only a small section of DC and it is crime related. Usually buying and selling of drugs. If you are not buying or selling drugs your chances of being shot would be about the same as here.

A tweet that has come back to haunt? the tweeter

” Q A N T A S ”

Did everybody from kooyong see 4corners on my abc this week? (-: (-: (-: (-: (-: (-: (-: (-: (-: (-:`

Splats valiantly googling ‘Draft Version’

Re: – “logical conclusion of critical race theory”

Please explain how the consideration/exploration of a theory must ‘logically’ lead to a supposedly undesirable action(s).

Is it because the application(s) of this theory leads to some horrible or pleasing ‘facts’ or ‘truth(s)’ that were unknowable beforehand?

Is it the case that this ‘theory’ is a ‘bad’ theory because it’s not testable?

Is it the case that this ‘theory’ is not generalisable beyond a limited number of instances?

Are there ‘better’ theories available? That is, these better theories identify more facts? Or better explain some ‘contradictions’ identified via the application of this critical race theory?

(As you would be aware, Darwin’s theory of evolution was ‘banned’ by the ‘religious’ for some considerable time because his ‘theory’ was seen to contradict the ‘belief’ that the (perfect) God could create the less than perfect Entity (animal, plant etc). It was heresy! Is ‘critical race theory’ also a ‘heresy’?)

Biden, living rent free in splats head, is almost worth having him there for 🙂

Yes they really are:

Did you (are he) read the thread?

Thought not.

John Menadue is so contemporary.
* Failed business executive
* Hasn’t had a job for decades
* 90 years old
* Embittered

Splatterbottom from your link.

The social worker spoke about privilege, pronouns and intersectionality.

Yes in many societies there is evidence of “privilege”, differential use of “pronouns” and if a more equitable society is a desirable social aim then discussing the concept of “intersectionality” seems relevant.

(Should point out that in some schools in the USA, recognising/discussing the reality of “slavery” is not permitted – presumably in the hope that the “past” will simply disappear. It doesn’t!)

And in our society, “privilege” etc is not universally enjoyed (otherwise it would not be “privilege”.) So who did the Social Worker (allegedly) identify (probably as an example)?

… boys who were straight, white and Christian to stand up in front of their peers

Seems to me that the Social Worker was pretty much on the mark. Or should the Social Worker have adopted a different strategy to identify the “underprivileged” black kids and have no-one on their feet – which would probably have been the case in a school like that? And miss the opportunity to promote conceptual growth?

Let’s be thankful that we don’t have parent involvement along the lines of the American model. While there’s much to admire about the USA, in the educational field in some States, it’s anti-educational.

ToM – Menadue always was an intellectual giant. That’s why his talents were always in demand not only across both the public and private sectors but also within those sectors. Look at his CV (summary only).

Order of Australia (AO) for public service. Japanese Imperial Award, (The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Kun-itto Zuiho-sho), the highest honour awarded to foreigners who are not head of state or head of government.) Centenary Medal ‘for service to Australian society through public service leadership’.

Distinguished Alumni Award – lifelong contribution to Australian society as a Public Servant, Diplomat, Critical Thinker, Board Director, Advisor and Public Commentator.

Private Secretary to Gough Whitlam. General Manager, News Limited , publisher of ‘The Australian’. Head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Worked for Malcolm Fraser.

Australian Ambassador to Japan. Head, Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. Head of the Department of Trade . Chief Executive Officer of Qantas.

Etc, etc.

In complete contrast, there’s Alan Joyce who is now best known for his administrative stuff ups earning him the nick name of “Mister Missing Baggage”.

If only Ukraine had surrendered 6 months ago, as MN wanted
If only the west hadn’t supported Ukraine, as MN wanted.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-11/russian-grip-on-northeast-ukraine-collapses-after-kyiv-severs-su/101426946

The “coup” narrative is the most stupid, bizarre and discredited one I can recall
It is the domain of the most ridiculous anti western democracy conspiracy theorists
Try some facts –
Former president Yanukovych tried to join the Russian trade zone, against his commitment and against the direction of the parliament
* The Ukraine legislature voted 328 to ZERO to remove him. Yanukovych couldn’t muster a single vote!
* The public had elected representatives to seek to join the EU, and saw other former Russian colonies improving their standard of living and democratic rights.
You have completely lost the plot.

As always – it’s no link ToM. Just unsupported claims. No refutations of points put by experts in the field.

Sucked in by the claim that Saddam had nuclear weapons. Lol. Believed it then and believes it now.

And while it doesn’t get a mention in the MSM, informed commentary puts (neo-con) Newland at the centre of overthrows in Ukraine which was long regarded as the most corrupt in Europe. (Sources provided).

Nuland magically vanished from the headlines after the post-coup phase of the now decade old Ukraine fiasco. Recall that Nuland, an abrasive neo-conservative, was instrumental in the 2016 Maidan coup which overthrew Viktor Yanukovych and a Ukrainian regime that dared to look East to Moscow as a potential ally.

Recall also, when Ms. Nuland was queried about European concerns, she replied; “Fuck the EU.”

https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/ukraine-tale-two-victorias

Then there’s Jeffrey D. Sachs (adviser to three UN Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary-General António Guterres.)

.. war in Ukraine is the culmination of a 30-year project of the American neoconservative movement. The Biden Administration is packed with the same neocons who championed the US wars of choice in Serbia (1999), Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), Syria (2011), Libya (2011), and who did so much to provoke Russia’s invasion of Ukraine … Biden has staffed his team with neocons.

… The United Nations is to be used by the US only when useful for US purposes. … called for extending the US-led security network to the Central and Eastern Europe despite the explicit promise by German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher in 1990 that German unification would not be followed by NATO’s eastward enlargement.

And so it goes. But some believe that “history” (if it didn’t begin yesterday – matters not).

viewed Ukraine’s NATO membership as key to US regional and global dominance. Robert Kagan spelled out the neocon case for NATO enlargement in April 2006: …

Nuland has been the neocon operative par excellence. In addition to serving as Bush’s Ambassador to NATO, Nuland was Barack Obama’s Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs during 2013-17, where she participated in the overthrow of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, and now serves as Biden’s Undersecretary of State guiding US policy vis-à-vis the war in Ukraine.

https://www.other-news.info/ukraine-is-the-latest-neocon-disaster/

Still can’t understand why some prefer to wallow in ignorance.

Here’s the challenge, because you’re incapable of establishing facts independently.
Find one of these statements that are incorrect –
* Yanukovych sought to join the Russian trade zone, against the commitment of the legislature
* The legislature already had a process in place to join the EU
* The Ukraine legislature voted 338 to ZERO to remove him from office
* He couldn’t get a single vote in support
* There is not a single former Warsaw Pact country that now supports Russia
* Every one of them shuns the autocratic regime
You’re a complete loser MN, because anyone can find an expert to reinforce their perspective, but only fuckwits think links are conclusive

I realise you’ll have trouble understanding this TB, but intelligent people read widely, consider the information,
distill this to form views and are then capable of expressing this (in their own words)
Only the very dull and lazy try crap like- ” here’s an expert that I agree with. Read/watch this and you’ll understand”
That’s lazy, arrogant, stupid bullshit

MN, you really are a stupid fucking idiot
Belarus was part of the Soviet Union. It wasn’t a country that was signatory to the Warsaw Pact.
Why do you think I expressed the point as I did
All you do is prove to be a smart arse, and not one that is very smart.

Re:

really are a stupid fucking idiot

Perhaps you have a link? Lol. Or is it more “projection”?

Then there’s this:

It wasn’t a country that was signatory to the Warsaw Pact.

Who said it was? Here’s your original statement:

There is not a single former Warsaw Pact country that now supports Russia

So does one take you at your original word? Or the revised version? So was Belarus a member of the Warsaw Pact or not?

Do you want a link or not? (The evidence suggests that you’re not into reading links or if you do you have trouble with comprehension.)

Dumb C*NT! (Apparently you only understand crudities so …)

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is Putin’s vanity project. The miilitary won’t give their lives for this futile invasion of their neighbour.
They know they’re not defending their own country, they know it’s about how Putin sees his place in history. It is the result of his hubris and arrogance.
That’s why the men won’t die for Putin’s war.
Do they want to become “worm food” for Putin?
They’re answering -NO!

During the presentation, the social worker is alleged to have asked for boys who were straight, white and Christian to stand up in front of their peers.

They were then told they were responsible for being “oppressors” because of their privilege.

Is there something incorrect with that statement? Are they being prejudiced against, discriminated against, or antagonised?

No, they are being taught that this is a simple fact simply because of their privilege

and that’s a good idea?

Yea, just teach ’em the nice stuff

All of it is a lie.

How so? It’s fairly accepted fact that straight, white and Christian males are, by the simple fact of being straight, white and Christian males, are priviliged. Do you disagree? If so, how, why?

It’s fairly accepted fact

NOTE:, except by straight, white and Christian males 😉

I prefer to disport my heinous anus here today!

Yor efforts do not go unnoticed 😉

Should parent(s) have the right to determine directly what should (or shouldn’t) be in the curriculum?

Hint. yomm is a parent 😯

What about the parent who wants the child to be taught that 2 + 2 = 5?

Send ’em to a xtian school

While the GG is there to do exactly as ordered (by the PM), there’s nothing like some insurance but ‘millions’ seems a tad too much. Lol.

A particular sentence from the article caught the eye.

Quality information is available everywhere, at any time, in any type of forum.

Indeed! Except of course when it’s not (available). Developments in the USA illustrate the point.

Sep 14, 2022 The U.S. State Department recently quietly announced that it will no longer issue annual reports on the sale and movement of munitions to foreign countries. A little-noticed clause in the most recent National Defense Authorization Act allows the State Department to pull this cloak across weapons sales.

Many are observing that this change is taking place just as the U.S. is shipping billions of dollars in arms to Ukraine, arms which don’t always wind up in the intended hands.

One wonders why the name Igor Kolomoisky doesn’t surface much these days.

Guess the result of the coming ‘mid-terms’ might be affected if the punters knew how much is being spent in Ukraine, particularly after the fiasco in Afghanistan. Why, the Citizens may even want something done about the US’s crumbling infrastructure and non-existent (national) health system.

And for those who don’t know who Igor Kolomoisky is. From the ‘right-wing’ The Spectator.

… one of the most notorious oligarchs out of the former Soviet space oversaw a trans-national money laundering scheme of historic proportions … a Ukrainian national named Ihor Kolomoisky, steered one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in world history, …

Kolomoisky seized asset after asset across Ukraine, reportedly paying off local judges and magistrates in the process … when Russian troops first began pushing into Ukraine, the oligarch then refashioned himself into a supporter of Ukrainian statehood.

Kolomoisky found it all too easy to hide his money for years. The U.S. directly sanctioned Kolomoisky in early 2021, announcing his ‘involvement in significant corruption.’ ..

And here’s the interesting bit from an historical perspective.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s now President, would not be where he is today without Kolomoisky. As an actor and entertainer, Zelensky had worked for Kolomoisky’s media network — which then gave him form support when he stood as a candidate.

Zelensky was seen as the Kolomoisky candidate: he appointed one of Kolomoisky’s lawyers as an adviser, and held meetings with the controversial oligarch even as he campaigned as the ‘anti-oligarch’. In early 2021, Zelensky reportedly breached his own Covid lockdown rules to have a birthday party in Kolomoisky’s Kyiv apartment.

The ‘lawyer he appointed as an advisor’, is now his Number 1 (Chief Adviser) even though Kolomoisky himself is no longer on center stage

They have a habit of “clipping the ticket” in Ukraine. Will all this money prove tempting?

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/who-is-ihor-kolomoisky-

One even yomm would approve of

The war located in Ukraine between Russia and the United States is now becoming much more serious. Until recent times, the Russian rules of engagement ruled out the targeting of ‘civilian’ infrastructure (broadly defined).

That didn’t mean that such infrastructure wasn’t damaged. It was. But it wasn’t targeted. That’s now changed. Russia disabled nearly 50% of the electrical network in the latest series of attacks. And it wasn’t accidental.

It’s now a new ‘ball game’. Seems like the metaphorical gloves are off and the rules of engagement have changed. Where it ends, no-one knows. But we know which Nation will be the likely loser.

Predictable and predicted.

Let’s hope that Turkey (a NATO member) which is still doing some negotiating has more success this time around.

Ita’s BAC. (How embarrassment)

“I don’t think, I know”

I see the ABC has sent 27 people to London to cover the the QE funeral.
What great use of taxpayer funds

Crikey reports:

the ABC sent to the UK to cover the death and funeral of Elizabeth II? It’s 27, according to the ABC — plus two extra journalists or former journalists who were coincidentally in Europe at the time, who have been roped in to help, including veteran correspondent Phil Williams,

In more detail:

“ABC News has a team of ‘around’ 12 journalists and nine production staff in the UK, it says. But ABC Radio has also sent six people — three presenters (we’re told Virginia Trioli and Raf Epstein from ABC Melbourne and Richard Glover, ABC Sydney Drive host) and three production people. Crikey has been told Trioli, Epstein and Glover travelled business class, but the ABC declined to confirm this.”

And with Gillard on the ABC this morning asserting that: Now’s not the time to discuss the move to a Republic the rumor that she will be appointed the next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom gains strength.

While on the subject of Gillard, it’s worth pointing out that (in addition to the Naplan fiasco):

As part of the deal to lock in an Obama visit, Gillard agreed to the rotation of Marines through Darwin with US hopes for more future basing in Perth and Cocos-Keeling.

This was the real door opening for the Americans to expand their Empire ‘down under’.

It’s always amazes me that so many are opposed to the notion of countries with broadly similar systems of government, similar democratic values, similar threads to this… dislike having a collective approach and co-operation between nations.
Meanwhile apparently the meeting between Putin and Xi didn’t get a result for Putin. He has some explaining to do.
If Putin is losing the support of the CCP, he’s lost.

Google it if you’re interested.
Putin said he had questions to answer.
Putin has successfully started an Israel vs Palestine style war right on his doorstep, within a couple of hours of Moscow.
Does John Menadue and his mates have anything to say about that? Best you check

The quality of Russian equipment on display for Putin-

I’ve just realised why ‘trickle down’ is trending again. For a good reason this time 🙂

Are we over celebrating the arrival of CHUCK the TURD?

Was Albo ever a Republican?

So many significant questions to ponder.

“” It don’t work, Liz … its actually suck it dry economics … stupid is … “”

OK we should do higher taxes and more govt deficit spending. That should work ??

RE:

lies about the 275 dollar relief on electricity bills

Yes! What a stupid promise. But you, being politically aware, didn’t believe it when it was announced – did you?

underhanded way Isis brides and their children were transported to Australia

Yes, our political leaders (both sides of the aisle) should have pointed out that they are Australian citizens and therefore Australia’s responsibility. And we all should live up to our responsibilities – shouldn’t we?

As for:

The leftie media are playing along.

Perhaps you have a link – to this ‘leftie media’? Lol.

With 50% of electricity generation from coal; 20% from gas and 30% from renewables; why is the price of electricity forecast to rise by 50%? (All figures are approximations.)

Anyone have a link to a relevant cost breakdown showing % going to generators, distributors, and those who simply ‘click the ticket’?

Mmmm………………….Mary makes a lot of sense