Tag: ALP

More lies …

Ross Gittins in the Sydney Morning Herald, a Fairfax paper, starts …

I guess you’ve heard the news: the Gillard government has obtained new analysis of data from the Bureau of Statistics showing that Tony Abbott’s election commitments inflict brutal damage on working families, particularly those in western Sydney, increasing taxes and cutting support to families.

Then he does the maths …

Terrible, eh? There’s just one small problem. This stuff is so misleading as to be quite dishonest.

For a start, this is just politically inspired figuring, which doesn’t deserve the aura of authority the government has sought to give it by having it released by the Treasurer with a reference to ”new analysis of Bureau of Statistics data” and allowing the media to refer to it as ”modelling”.

He reveals the Fairfax pro-labor bias here by suggesting that a statement from the treasurer has an aura of authority, but let’s not dwell on that …
The headline … Lies, damned lies and Labor claims.

Rootin’ tootn’ …

Just prior to the last federal election Julia was in Rooty Hill making promises. I wonder how good their memory is …

Did she consult on climate change, cut taxes, deliver surpluses, reduce unemployment, deliver the Epping to Parramatta rail link, provide cash rewards to good schools and bonuses to good teachers, and increase the money in their superannuation?

in search of true believers ....

Gillard’s greatest sin …

James Allan, Garrick Professor of Law, University of Queensland is on sabbatical at the University of San Diego School of Law and writes …

I tried a little experiment here at my sabbatical university in California. I asked a few members of the law school (from across the political spectrum) to guess which country in the world wanted to: stop speech that offended, insulted or humiliated some people; that for other matters applying to more potential people, just humiliated them; that reversed the onus of proving when this had happened so that the self-proclaimed victim could basically just sit back and force the accused to prove he hadn’t done this (good luck on that); that makes defendants pay their own legal bills, even if they end up winning, and more.

I got guesses ranging from various South American countries through African ones, and on to Singapore and godawful authoritarian countries in Asia and elsewhere. Not a single one of them guessed Australia. It presumably never entered their heads.

When I told them they couldn’t believe it.

As I said, it’s embarrassing being an Australian right now. And what we all need, all of us regardless of our other political views on other issues, is to fight this awful government proposal tooth and nail.

Sure, there’s been a partial backdown. But it’s only partial. And sure, Ms Roxon is now gone. But even what remains is an egregious attack on free speech. Mr. Abbott and the Coalition need to do more than just oppose this bill. They need to promise they will go to a double dissolution election if necessary to rid us of an outrageous mess.

And that cannot be all. For there already exists s.18C of the Racial Discrimination Act and all of that needs to go too, however much certain lobby groups that matter to the Coalition might be opposed to its repeal. This is about a key matter of principle. Mr. Abbott and Mr. Brandis, seeing where complacency on free speech has led us, need to be firm and make it clear that the whole proposed and existing edifice must go.

If anyone complains that that’s an extremist position, you can tell him or her that in California there would still be much more scope for people to speak their minds than in an Australia purged of these odious Nicola Roxon proposals and purged of s.18C. Even then you would be more constrained in what you can say in Australia than anywhere in the US.

The entire article can be read <HERE>.

Owned and operated …

If you ever harboured any doubt that the ALP was owned and operated by the unions for the unions her are Ms Gillard’s own words …

”I’m not the leader of a party called the Progressive Party, I’m not the leader of a party called the Moderate Party, I’m not the leader of a party even called the Social Democratic Party.

”I am leader of the party called the Labor Party – deliberately because that is where we come from, that is what we believe in, that is who we are.”

Her own boast is that she is not there to serve the people of Australia, she is there to serve the unions.

Cruise ship adrift …

Latest report from the Costa Gillardia …

Food and water running out, the toilets are flooded, the electricity cut off, Where are the tugs?

It seems the navigator, Aurora, has been making up the coordinates, several of the crew have abandoned ship, today they can’t find Scotty McClelland. Will there be any lifeboats left for the rest of us.

Nonetheless, Mr Swan, the first mate, is still promising to make port on time even though the fuel is all gone.

Captain Julia hopes to raise everyone’s spirits with a pass close to the shore … as soon as the engines are running.

 

 

 

Where is the health inspector … ?

Nothing shonky here, folks, move right along.

Mr Sheldon, secretary of the Transport Workers Union and Labor’s national vice-president, recently had this to say about the scandal-plagued NSW Right faction of the ALP …

“Like cockroaches, B-grade politicians are able to thrive on the corruption and detritus that lies under the dishwasher,”

“Our crisis is more than just a crisis of trust brought on by the corrupt behaviour of property scammers and lobbyists,”

“It’s a crisis of belief brought on by a lack of moral and political purpose.”

Now, friends in high places, or under the dishwasher can be very valuable. A gift from a close personal friend could earn a well placed guy a $1oom, say. And a gift from a close personal friend wouldn’t need to be declared on the parliamentary register of pecuniary interests.

Eddy and co own a resort at Perisher, in peak season apartments at the Stables can cost as much as $2690 for a weekend.

Senator Conroy, on his first full day as the Gillard government’s Senate leader, admits he and his family enjoyed free hospitality at Perisher, not declared because it was a personal gift, which must make him a good friend.

There are a few good friends around, I notice former senator Arbib gets a mention. Tony Burke, minister for sustainability stayed a couple of times. And of course Mr MacDonald was a very, very good friend and honoured guest.

Mr Shorten denies being a friend, apparently skiing is among the things he can’t do.

 

Light at the end of the tunnel …

If we can believe the prime minister, the federal election will be held on September 14th.

She couldn’t stuff that up, could she?

Just when is Yom Kippur, day of atonement, holiest day of the Jewish year? Hope they’re not offended.

Christine Milne, meanwhile, suggests that it will be an opportunity for the electorate to endorse the Green influence on this nation’s direction. Bearing in mind that the main criticism the Greens have of the government is that they didn’t spend enough of the taxpayer’s hard-earned money, let’s endorse them all the way to oblivion.

Land rights for gay whales …

Poor Nova, she has outstanding sporting achievements under her belt and was in a position to reflect on the honour that she had earned by her own hard work and talent.

And then came affirmative action …

She has been picked for the senate for three reasons, her race, her gender and her celebrity.

And that from a team that yells racism and sexism at every turn.

Not surprisingly the local ALP members and volunteers, the very people who will be called upon to do the work that will get her elected, feel aggrieved at not being consulted.

I find it quite easy to believe she is more intelligent than Wayne Swan, more honest than Julia and unlikely to blow the branch funds at a brothel but any evidence of political nous is nowhere to be seen. It’s hard to imagine Ms Scrimgour bursting into tears at the honour done her by our prime minister.

It’s a sad turn of events … from home town hero to the gay whale of Australian politics.

The bronze rat …

A chap walked into a curio shop in Chinatown . While looking around at the exotic merchandise, he noticed a very lifelike, bronze statue of a rat. It had no price tag, but was so incredibly striking the fellow decided he must have it. He took it to the old shop owner and asked, “How much for the bronze rat ?”

“Ahhh, you have chosen wisely! It is $12 for the rat and $100 for the story,” said the wise old Chinaman.

The guy quickly pulled out twelve dollars. “I’ll just take the rat, you can keep the story”.

As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, the tourist noticed that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and had begun following him down the street. This was a bit disconcerting so he began walking faster.

A couple blocks later he looked behind him and saw to his horror the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds, and they began squealing.

Sweating now, the tourist began to trot toward the Yarra .

Again, after a couple blocks, he looked around only to discover that the rats now numbered in the millions, and were squealing and coming toward him faster and faster.

Terrified, he ran to the edge of the river and threw the bronze rat as far as he could.

Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped in after the bronze rat and were drowned.

The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown .

“Ahhh,” said the owner, “You come back for story ?”

“No sir,” said the man, “I came back to see if you have a bronze statue of  a Labor politician”