• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

The Down Under Lounge

I have a book of political cartoons by Patrick Cook, called 'Fraser Country'. It's stunning how often the events of 40 years ago are being repeated, almost word for word. Mal (Fraser/Turnbull) tried to persuade the state to take over some of the tax burden, and called it New Federalism. The states weren't having a bar of it and shot it down almost immediately. Fascinating. I'll post some more tidbits when I bring it home.


Yeah funny thing that I remember Fraser and all that.

History often repeats itself, and often not the best bits, but the other.
 
Politics sucks. Doesn't matter what country you're in or what way you lean, you'll be disgusted by something. It's the nature of the beast.

Could be worse. We could have the US system.
 
The thread of Aussies lives!
Hope everyone is well as can be, and those having shitty days, that they soon pass.
Politics, indeed, is very dispiriting. But, as jazamul said, you'd not give our system up in a hurry. We seem to be cursed with dud after dud leading the country for a decade now, and our system continues to work a treat, ridding us of them before too much damage can be done by their actions (or inactions in the case of the member for Wentworth).

The thought of this election is extremely unappealing : tit for tat potshots about trade unionists and bankers for ten weeks...bleh.

Hung parliament anyone? Heading into that territory.
 
Hung parliament would be interesting. Not one of my favourite options but it could be interesting. That could split the LNP
 
Think you're right. They seem to be a house divided. The election is probably Abbott's to lose. Will he give into bitterness and bring the whole house down? So far it looks like he can't let go and might be happy to let Turnbull lose. History won't be kind if he does.
 
If he or his hard right faction keep leaking and reminding the electorate Abbott is still there, they'll probably tip Shorten over the line.

If Abbott gives up and concedes its over for him, Turnbull has to be the (narrow) favourite. I'm not convinced the public thinks Shorten is PM material, but the polls are showing they're flirting with the idea.

It's up to Tony.
 
If he or his hard right faction keep leaking and reminding the electorate Abbott is still there, they'll probably tip Shorten over the line.

If Abbott gives up and concedes its over for him, Turnbull has to be the (narrow) favourite. I'm not convinced the public thinks Shorten is PM material, but the polls are showing they're flirting with the idea.

It's up to Tony.

and abbott refused to accept that the libs were stinking in the polls because of his leadership and the policies being put forward by the government at the time.

The Liberal party is headnig down the same path as the Republicans in the U.S - thinking they need to get more conservative to win or retain office so Australians should be thankful that changes to the electoral boundaries for the most part can't be interfered with by the political parties
 
Yep well said. These things are won in the middle.

I've read two books about the Abbott government : "Credlin and Co" and "The Road to Ruin", and I just cannot fathom why Abbott couldn't see Credlin and Hockey were killing him. Why he felt so beholden to her. Were they having an affair, as was rumoured for years there? Its unlikely with her husband in the same office most of the time. Even if they weren't, the relationship was just plain weird. Should a Howard have stepped in more forcefully? He advised Abbott to dump Hockey in favour of Turnbull but he wouldn't do it. At least thirty people told him Credlin was an office psychopath and to get rid of her, but he wouldn't. And now, apparently Abbott tells people he understood where he went wrong, and will be better as PM next time. It's just so damn strange. Anyway, that lamentable chapter is over thank god.

How's everyone feeling about Turnbull seven months on?
 
Yep well said. These things are won in the middle.

I've read two books about the Abbott government : "Credlin and Co" and "The Road to Ruin", and I just cannot fathom why Abbott couldn't see Credlin and Hockey were killing him. Why he felt so beholden to her. Were they having an affair, as was rumoured for years there? Its unlikely with her husband in the same office most of the time. Even if they weren't, the relationship was just plain weird. Should a Howard have stepped in more forcefully? He advised Abbott to dump Hockey in favour of Turnbull but he wouldn't do it. At least thirty people told him Credlin was an office psychopath and to get rid of her, but he wouldn't. And now, apparently Abbott tells people he understood where he went wrong, and will be better as PM next time. It's just so damn strange. Anyway, that lamentable chapter is over thank god.

How's everyone feeling about Turnbull seven months on?


What if she had serious dirt on Abbott and that's why she had such a hold over him, plus her and her husband more or less run the LNP...

BTW thoughts on this anyone?

https://www.ag.gov.au/Consultations/Pages/Deferred-prosecution-agreements-public-consultation.aspx
 
It's a question of degree of seriousness for me. ASIC, the company watchdog has copped budget cuts, investigating white collar crime is expensive and convictions notoriously difficult to obtain. If an agreement cuts to the chase and gets the ultimately desired outcome (an undertaking not to let the issue never occur again...or else), without wasting ASIC's resources, well that's fine with me. But scumbags who set out to destroy mum and dad investors or do anything that shakes confidence in the financial system need the book thrown at them to deter others.
 
I saw something on FB earlier today about how Obama was praising our system of compulsory voting. Quite happy with how it is and wouldn't change it for the world.
 
Same.

The book I want to read is The Short and Excruciatingly Embarrassing Reign of Captain Abbott by Andrew P Street, as well as those two.

I'd add more but I'm terribly tired tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
 
It's called "The Road to Ruin", it should be everywhere -- as I understand it it's a runaway hit.

Just a warning, it's not prticularly coherent, more an endless stream of bitching about Credlin to an author who has an obvious axe to grind (and whose husband works for Turnbull), and it doesn't convincingly answer the question of why Abbott allowed Credlin (who was either totally out of her depth or is just an office psychopath) and Hockey to destroy his government.

Then again, "Credlin and Co" doesn't explain it either. I guess we'll be awaiting Tony's memoirs for that one.
 
It's called "The Road to Ruin", it should be everywhere -- as I understand it it's a runaway hit.

Just a warning, it's not prticularly coherent, more an endless stream of bitching about Credlin to an author who has an obvious axe to grind (and whose husband works for Turnbull), and it doesn't convincingly answer the question of why Abbott allowed Credlin (who was either totally out of her depth or is just an office psychopath) and Hockey to destroy his government.

Then again, "Credlin and Co" doesn't explain it either. I guess we'll be awaiting Tony's memoirs for that one.


Oh NIkki Sawas wasn't it, the author I mean?

I'll check Dymocks next time I am in town. But judging what other LNP people have complained about before the leadership spill everything in the Prime Minister's office had to first go through her then she decided if Tony would hear it. Everytime he did a public event she was always there as if feeding him his speeches or lines. That's the kind of thing people complained about, her total control of him and his office.
 
And feeding him his food, too, allegedly. Weird.

A few random things I found interesting this week :

A NSW Greens MP wants to strip police of their sniffer dogs on public transport because...wait for it...only 25% of the people sniffed were carrying drugs or explosives...okaaaay.

Consumer confidence is beneath the same leavel it was when Turnbulll took over promising economic leadership. I think the punters have given up on him, and he's in the fight of his life to win this election. Labor are going to come very close I think.

The new five dollar note is purple vomit...

Still think Mark Latham is one of the sharpest policital commentators going around. If somehow he hadn't rushed into the leadership far too young during Labor's wasted years, I think he could have been a very good PM (I know I am in the minority on this).

Government debt in Australia is increasing at a rate of $5,000,000,000 per month. That's $200 per Australian.

Graham Richardson is quite unwell. I always thought he was a likeable rogue and very sharp commentator. Hope for the best for him.

The entry level price for a free standing house in Strathfield, NSW is north of $2 million. Chinese buying anecdotally continues unabated. This is borne out in the latest annual report of the FIRB which shows Chinese investment in Australian property doubled in the last 12 months. China is now the number 1 foreign investor in Australian property. If half the stories you hear about auctions in Sydney are true, you suspect the official numbers are a bit low. If I were a Gen Y would-be homeowner I'd be marching in the streets.
 
Well maybe if corporations paid tax instead of getting to pay little to no tax and those pesky loopholes were closed there'd be more income to government.

Oh and a royal comission into the whole financial sector. I'd vote for that but that would likely spell the end of large political donations to you know who..
 
With the dog thing -

Wasn't it that only 25% of the people that the dogs indicated were carry drugs where actually found to be so after they were searched? That is, 75% of the time the dogs were giving false positives? These are innocent people who are being publicly humiliated. Also the police have been targeting the poor, the young and Aboriginals by only using these dogs at stations in poorer neighbourhoods.
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top