Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

Senator Minchin 'looking uncomfortable', Paul? You're pulling my leg, eh...

I read Minchin's palaver on a news 'feed', but didn't actually see the Meet The Press interview (nor Insiders, etc.) as I consider after all that Sunday should be a day of rest from these people.

And Channel Ten's Meet The Press page was 'not available' ('Seriously Ten' they're calling themselves, if you can believe it, although I'm sure Mr Bongiorno tries his best).

But this I've gotta see, so I'll look out for a podcast or whatever...

After 3 weeks of travelling and no politics, I looked forward to catching up with the opinions of Webdiarists. Garrett did nothing wrong in the world of politics, you'd need nano surgery to separate truth from the fiction permeating the conjoined twins of the lib/lab coalition. Fighting about who is the best moron seems rather childish, as displayed by the programmed clones supporting both sides of politics who refuse to wake up to how gullible and controlled they are. Until then, all we will get is lib/lab supporters fluffing their feathers in attempts to cloak the depth of their ignorance regarding reality and what faces us in the verifiable future and not the delusional ones waved at us by lib/lab coalition.

It's simple logic to determine where the veracity of someone lies, just check their social credentials and you will have the answer. Garrett, lawyer and christian, all he does is display the same veracity and approach of all those who come into those categories, liars, deceivers and incompetent in the extreme. The same goes for all academics in public life, they show nothing but stupidity when addressing the future. Neither party has a clue about this country's security, nor how to implement policy which will give us more freedoms and safety instead of less freedoms and more insecurity. The only way you can ensure the lib/lab don't get your vote is to preference them both last, otherwise you are voting for them in all respects. If you put greens or independents first, then you should put independents next to diminish the grab for preferences by the lib/labs. I start at the bottom and work up, lib last, lab second last. The current way the lib/labs have forced us to vote in the senate is a prime example of how unrepresentative it is, you are forced to either number over 100 hundred names on the ballot paper or vote above the line and how a particular party dictates, not the candidate, nor the voter. But no alarm bells seem to be ringing in the minds of the enslaved about this non direct, clearly fraudulent, disenfranchising voting system is.

The real facts are the libs have totally stuffed the economy, along with our future and the labs are no different. As to Malcolm Duncan's assertion the legal profession stands between us and tyranny is factually and demonstratively wrong. The true facts are, the legal profession is tyranny in its ultimate form, along with religion it devises, writes and forcibly instils social controls for the benefit of elitist, wealthy and brain bureaucratic incompetents to enslave the people. We need a complete new system if we are to survive as a society during the next ten years. But I doubt anyone is listening except to their egocentric refusal to recognise where this debauched political system is taking us. We live in a fascist state, implemented and controlled by the legal profession and religion. There are no freedoms, rights or free vote and Garrett is only emulating what his peers inside and outside politics do. Fully verified by the evidence before us, throughout society. I could not trust anyone who after spending most of their lives advocating change and planetary survival, for power and money, does a complete U turn. Throwing away all you stood for against all the evidence and ravenously replace it with emptiness, is not the display of a trustworthy or competent soul.

Following Prime Minister John Howard’s disavowal of a further wave of industrial relations reforms should his government be returned to office, Finance Minister Nick Minchin has disavowed his avowed view of last year that a further wave of IR reforms is desirable.

As is well known, Senator Minchin touted the need for further IR reforms in a speech last year to the H.R. Nicholls Society. But now we can confidently rewrite history and confirm that he didn’t say it, he never did say it, and he never will say it — well, certainly not during the present election campaign.

This is important, indeed momentous, because Senator Minchin is a man with an uncanny sixth sense about what the voting public thinks, wants and feels.

Defending the convention that politicians may claim travel allowance on the election trail right up until their formal party launches, the Minister oraculated:

I think Australians understand they want to hear the political messages from both sides of politics and to do that you’ve got to get around the country.

Given the fuzziness of Senator Minchin’s avowals and disavowals, we can’t be sure whether this is actually a defence of that particular convention, or laying the groundwork for jettisoning yet another convention.

We can only anticipate with bated breath further communiqués from this enigmatic articulator of the zeitgeist.

"I should consider a new career path'

Hey, you'd make a damn lot more doing that than moderating at WD. But then again you'd have to put up with weird clients such as legal professionals dressed in skirts and no knickers and stuff...oh dear.

Anyway I have heard around the traps that Alexander Downer is lashing at his bits to get the job, and you know what these private school lads are like, and where they've been.......no...  no... not going there Fiona.

Oh deary my...

I saw the Lash in action once, it was election night in 1972, Uni of NSW Roman Recovery Ball; the Lash was somewhat pathetic, even embarrassing; may have had something to do the cheap scotch and good dope, or the far better visuals projected on the adjacent wall of the Three Stooges in action; much preferable, even if I wasn't a Stooges fan.

Anyway AD would be perfect for the job and Australia would be far better off if he took it.

Actually in all seriousness I would argue that Australia would be better off if all our politicians took up positions in the sex industry, rather than fucking our country.

We could then replace them with legal professionals with degrees of law (less - Ness) and skirts and stuff. Could be fun really because they'd would do it for love.....especially the Scottish ones......

aye they would ...

BTW, Whitlam won that night, and what a rogering we got after that one, and Gough was a public school guy.

Fiona, the original Matron barb was decidedly Duncansian. The "sniffing" was inspired. Your sniffing comment, that is; the actual sniffing was insipid.

He won't be missed by this Sassenach. Comes across a lot like another Malcolm B Stuffedshirt to me, and one of those is more than plenty. Not enough text to run a full prose style analysis, but enough to begin to look pretty suss. Not by any chance setting up our own alter egos with whom to exchange our tedious witticisms, are we, Malcolm B?

Now the only wit in the entire exchange (the sniffing imagery) takes on a whole new meaning…

Messrs Duncan, McDermott, and McPherson, enough of this ritual sniffing, entertaining though it is. Back to the contest of ideas, please.

The "sickening" fear and loathing campaign is right and just. There is a lot to loathe and fear ! You leftie losers would seriously vote for a party that thought Mark Latham could run this country?  That can submit us to a decade of empty ecological symbolism regarding Kyoto, then change it in an afternoon? You do know trade unionists killed Jesus don't you?

I honestly thought most lefties were either dead or quietly dribbling into their meals on wheels by now. Seems I was wrong! 

Margo: Indeed, Wayne. Welcome to Webdiary!

David Davis writes: 'In any time of trouble the electorate would naturally go for Howard.  Contrast it with that mad image of Garrett running around the Botanic Gardens. Madness and whimsy can be indulged when there is no threat. In times of threat you vote for the grown ups and the folk who know what they are doing."

The Coalition/Howard knows what they  are doing?  You say 'you are not into Iran and all that'. How about Iraq -  an illegal invasion, torture, rape murder, destruction of a country and its infrastructure and the looting of its treasury and  treasures of international significance and the  displacement of millions of people can be so lightly dismissed!

The incarceration of Australian citizens without trial and the deportation of one to a foreign country where she had no relatives, no support, and survived only because of the charity of a religious order.

In times of trouble you would rely upon this mob?!

Ian, thank you for the Bianca clip, she looks and is great.

Yes, I have often wondered what happened to the young girl, though of course she is a girl no longer, but I never saw her again.  Perhaps, as is so often the case where a person has a real talent they do not value the gift highly and go on to do other things.

For those who have never been to Tamworth, the reason that I stressed the simple dress so strongly is because a good rule of thumb is that the more extreme the ‘cowboy’ garb people are wearing, the less talent they have.

The best of them wear nothing out of the ordinary, and are much less ‘dressed’ than are many of the people who flock there in what they appear to believe are ‘country’ clothes’.

Richard, I am not into Iran and all that but I imagine if there is a major development with global ramifications, it would favour the government.

Australians trust the government more than Labor on the economy and national security.  Since Garrett they treat the environment as about equal for either party.  Garrett is pulp mill and all the rest of it.  He's me-tooed the government on environment all the way. That is unless of course he is a liar and plans to change it all after polling day.  Hard to tell with someone who can't be trusted.

In any time of trouble the electorate would naturally go for Howard.  Contrast it with that mad image of Garrett running around the Botanic Gardens. Madness and whimsy can be indulged when there is no threat. In times of threat you vote for the grown ups and the folk who know what they are doing.

Do you really think Iran is going to be interesting in the next couple of weeks?  What is your source?  Leftie blogs? If so, please spare me.  That manic stuff is not my cup of tea. I don't think bloggers have much insight into geopolitics.
 

Politicians in days gone by in Australia may have had charisma.  You forgot to mention Peacock.  He almost won once.  In this era though, the one we live in, and surely the one that interests us most, it has no meaning. Who cares about Hawke and Peacock anyway?  They were a generation ago.

Labor found the perfect leader in Kevin Rudd because he has a charisma bypass and suits the mood of this generation and Australia of 2007.  Rudd has modelled himself on Australia's second most successful PM - the most successful of course being Menzies.

Significant numbers of Australian voters have never experienced a recession as an adult.  You guys are living in the past.  A person of average age in this country wasn't even born when Whitlam was correctly sacked.

Ian you are not Green, you are Labor.  Green has zero meaning in the House of Reps.  Your vote is a Labor vote.  I regard your vote, as does our voting system and the laws of maths, as being totally inconsequential that your first preference goes to the Greens. You are a Labor man because the Greens do not effectively exist in the House of Reps.  When they average around 9% of the first preference vote they remain a joke and I accordingly treat your vote as such.  You're Labor, no more, no less.

Margo, for sentimental reasons I will back the Liberals in Ryan but do have my concerns.  I will bet a swing to Labor of around an extraordinary 8%. Enough for panic but not enough for the seat to fall to the socialists.  The winning will be a first class lunch or dinner in Sydney.  Well if you consider that a reward!! I love prizes where I sort of win as well.

Ryan is under threat because of the influential small L Liberal population.  There are also road threats and a tradition of taking prosperity for granted.  When prosperity is a given it becomes like Maslow's hierarchy of needs.  "Higher" order issues assume greater importance.

Frankly, my visit to Ryan was not very informative.  My mother says her remote control is wearing out as she presses mute every time Rudd appears. She's on the ground in Ryan but sees no reason to change her vote. Rudd is not her cup of tea.

My view on Ryan is based purely on gut feeling from growing up there and knowing the place so well, rather than recent intelligence gathering!
 

An "argument used since the dark ages". Well of course Ian, there is a reason arguments get repeated throughout the ages. That reason is because they are the arguments that WORK. The "it's time for a change" argument has also been used since the dark ages. Why? Because it works. As a red hot Labor man, you'd probably be more partial to that argument even if it has been used since the dark ages! It would behoove you to do a course in Politics 101.

Margo: Hi David. What was you feeling about your old stamping ground, Ryan, when you visited. Reckon it could fall. What are your odds - if they're OK, I'll have a bet with on Labor winning Ryan. 

I have no idea what you are on about, Ian. Australians don't like cool leaders. They don't much like charisma either. Rudd is one of the most boring and nerd-like leaders we have ever had and that is what attracts people. He is Howard-Lite. He is Captain Me-Too.

There is no "cool factor" in this election. Australians are terrified of cool. They scarcely know what it even means other than that it frightens them. Safe pair of hands is what turns Aussies on. That's why Rudd models himself on the master, John Howard. He looks the same, acts the same and me-too's every Howard utterance. Cool has no place in our politics and I am shocked you would even raise it.

Last time Labor offered a manic thug as leader. This time they offer a copy-cat, ex public service nerd with no original thought. Aussies will go for the nerd but cool does not exist here. Generally we prefer ungainly and gauche over cool. That is our nature. Get used to it. If you want cool, leave the country.

The support on Labor's handling the environment slumped 10 points in the past month to an 18-month low of 29 percent, only slightly higher than the Coalition.

Good old Labor and its star recruits. Nice work, Peter.  Thanks very much.  Keep it up old boy.... and I do mean old boy.

Which pulp mill did Peter me-too today?  Which US base did Peter approve of and me-too again today?  Which uranium mine will Peter me-too tomorrow? Which climate change policy did Peter forget to me-too only to be corrected by his master and subsequently me-too?

Have fun with Garrett if you like.  The whole country is.  He's an absolute joke.  If he annoys you then you can do the charade and vote Green first and then give it immediately back to Labor in your second preference.  It means nothing but go ahead and do it anyway.

Charades and me-too all round.  .

I want to see Garrett do a flustered Kernot-style airport scene.  You know, tears, lashing out at the media and suchlike. Labor's star recruits always chop, change, betray and do academy award winning airport performances

Then they take the London option and you never hear from them again, save perhaps a short profile in Womans Day.

Garrett can't be trusted.  Labor's not ready for government.

ALP primary 47% and stable, Garrett preferred environment minister.

Ho hum.

And here is the footage - just click onto the video link at the top of the story. 

HI Ern

I found the link to the story on Howard and the GST on food in The Age.

A federal coalition frontbencher says he was not calling for the GST to be introduced on food when caught on camera on Monday.

Local Government Minister Jim Lloyd was filmed telling Prime Minister John Howard that the "fairest thing to do is reimpose the GST on food".

The two men were walking through a shopping centre in Mr Lloyd's electorate of Robertson at the time. 

 As I have previously commented, the media's penchant for using every word, joke or comment by the pollies is becoming a bit raw.

 However, it is my opinion that the master deceiver is so used to wording his lies in such a way as to skew the real intention of his speech (only when not debating) must put him in front on this issue.

 It was interesting then to see that the mistake made by one of Howard's minions on Channel 10's 9 am today has NOT been reported on the net - as far as I can determine.

 When we tuned in to the station, Howard and his candidate (unknown to us) suggested that "We should re-introduce the GST on food"!

 Without removing his fixed smile, Howard continued with his "high fives" and suggested that "we sleep on it".  To cut off the subject?

 The article was Senators vow to block IR reforms  and Misha Schubert discloses that:

• Treasurer Peter Costello also refused to guarantee those rights in law, saying many workers would welcome the ability to trade-off lunch breaks for extra pay or shorter hours. 
• Mr. Costello also stood by his suggestion that all workers could eventually lose the right to unfair dismissal protections. 
• But Mr. Andrews said he had "no intention" of extending the exemption to all workers beyond the plan to scrap protections for companies with 100 or fewer staff.  But he refused to rule out further reform in future. 

Add these to the Minchin speech to the fascist H.R. Nicholls society that the Howard government has a long way to go on WorkChoices.

 And, the Chamber of Commerce's Peter Hendy said, as soon as the WorkChoices came out, that they do not go far enough.

 Does anyone think that Howard governs for the workers or the corporations?

 Let's keep our eyes on this subject.

 NE OUBLIE.

Margo: Hi Ern. no repeats of previous posts, OK?

Does anyone believe the so-called back flips of Howard and Costello and Hockey on WorkChoices?  Fair dinkum.

I did enter a similar post in April last where I commented that "With his 1400 pages of IR obfuscation, Kevin Andrews has, in the typical Howard procedure, acted like a Magpie without a sphincter, and then - moved on. And - the Abbott and Costello - 'whose on first' get in the act and I quote the latter from the above article".

Cast your minds back to the release of Mark Latham's book and the predictions of havoc it would cause the Labor Party - the end of civilisation as we know it or words to that effect.

Now it's Mark who?