Julia Gillard – bobmcgee

A new contender …

… in the Politician of the Year contest has emerged in the Queen’s own state.

But first a walk down memory lane. A previous winner has withdrawn from a civil case against him on the grounds that defending himself is endangering his life. The man who concluded the lying defence of his venality with the assertion that Tony Abbott wasn’t fit to be in the parliament has decided not to contest the case brought by the Fair Work Commission. The Commission are seeking to recover $5000 of HSU funds spent on prostitutes and about $350,000 used for his campaign for the seat of Dobell. Craig Thomson asked the court to dismiss the case because it increased his risk of self harm. Not an entirely original strategy …

The new guy is Billy Gordon. As far as can be determined from the media a combination of malign influences exerted by Tony Abbott and the Catholic Church caused Mr Gordon to beat up a couple of his wives and his mother and avoid making child maintenance payments. His rap sheet includes some other minor matters such as breaking and entering.

Billy was first preselected for the federal election of 2013 and endorsed by Kevin Rudd as a seriously good bloke. This despite the fact that his extensive criminal history was known to the Bligh Labor Government at least as early as 2008.

It has to be noted with considerable approval that Premier Bucket of Queensland has acted decisively to excise this cancerous growth from the Labor body politic, waiting only long enough to secure his vote in last Friday’s confidence motion and for him to resign. It will be six weeks before parliament sits again. If that seems of dubious virtue, she is a paragon when compared with Julia Gillard’s handling of the Thomson affair or Ted Baillieu’s sheltering of Geoff Shaw.

It’s true …

Good news, Google is introducing a truth ranking algorithm to its search engine. I know this because I read it in New Scientist.

THE internet is stuffed with garbage. Anti-vaccination websites make the front page of Google, and fact-free “news” stories spread like wildfire. Google has devised a fix – rank websites according to their truthfulness.

The prospect of being spared the drivel emanating from the anti-vaccination brigade, the anti GM brigade, the anti-fracking brigade, the doom sayers, homeopaths and the other side of politics is highly desirable. What would I give up for that?

But, who is going to decide what’s true? What if big players decide not to play fair?

In early 2006 the BBC had a seminar to decide what was true in the realm of climate change. Executives met with a room full of invited experts and decided that the truth was evident and henceforth their coverage of this issue should be one-sided, presumably for the public good. The BBC Trust reported that this was on the advice of the best scientific experts. Subsequently the BBC spent tens of thousands of pounds in an effort to avoid revealing who these experts were. Ultimately it transpired that they were representatives of pressure groups such as Greenpeace and Stop Climate Chaos.

Our ABC also ignores its charter and campaigns for social improvement rather than report the truth. If you rely on the ABC for your news you are probably dismayed at how slowly the canonisations of St Julia Gillard and St Gillian Triggs are progressing.

As always we should be careful what we wish for, without fact free news the main stream media would go broke, New Scientist included.

And the world went crazy …

I only turned around for a few days and look.

Mr Abbott gives Prince Phillip a knighthood. Mr Giles, the Northern Territory’s Chief Minister thinks it must have been April Fools’ Day.

Then that particular day came early to the Northern Territory. The CLP party room dumped Mr Giles and installed Mr Willem Westra Van Holthe as leader. The press were invited to the swearing in of the new Chief Minister. Mr Giles, however, failed to resign. Confusion reigns.

The problem for Mr W W Van H is that he needs to command a majority in the parliament, it is possible that the Giles supporters, now a minority in the CLP, might be joined by the opposition to defeat the flying Dutchman (born in New Zealand) on the floor of the house.

In an effort to avoid that Mr Van H has welcomed back a couple of loose cannons, Alison Anderson and Larisa Lee, who left the party last year and joined the Palmer United Party. When they discovered that everything within reach of that party’s leader was likely to end up as another globule of fat around His Corpulence’s waist they discovered the joys of independence. You can imagine how disciplined Mr Van H’s team will be if he gets as far as the swearing in.

The far more sophisticated Julia Gillard also found the knighthood a subject for mirth. The Sydney Morning Herald reports …

“I had this clearly eccentric idea that Australian honours should be for Australians,” Gillard replied with a cheeky grin, as the crowd – which included federal deputy opposition leader, MC Tanya Plibersek and social commentator Jane Caro – roared with laughter.

The SMH did not remind us that Ms Gillard awarded an Order of Australia to Sachin Tendulkar.

Meanwhile, the Islamic State has beheaded Kenji Goto and burnt Muath el-Kaseasbeh alive in a metal cage. Nothing to do with Islam.

Back in Saudi Arabia, an Islamic State governed under sharia law …

Saudi Arabia had on Sunday beheaded a convicted murderer, bringing to five the number of people executed since new King Salman took office, continuing the kingdom’s use of the harshest punishment.

Although there might seem to be some superficial similarities “the difference is clear” …

When we do it in Saudi Arabia we do it as a decision made by a court. The killing is a decision, I mean it is not based on arbitrary choices, to kill this and not to kill this. Interior Ministry spokesperson Major General Mansour alTurki.

Greek tragedies …

Greece voted itself the contents of its treasury. It ended badly.

Now it’s voted itself the contents of the combined European treasuries. How will that work for it?

One Greek, not one much troubled by the great austerity, has been honoured by our Prime Minister. Arise Sir Phillip.

During the reign of Ms Gillard one got used to the notion that prime ministers would be cynical, lying, brazen, self serving, self indulgent, patronising, opportunistic and unpleasant. Our present incumbent is so earnest, it comes as a pleasant surprise. So earnest …

There has to be a brain in that earnest head somewhere, he was after all a Rhodes Scholar.

Nothing looks more stupid than someone so earnestly stupid.

Here is the news …

The course of my day took me from place to place.

The radio gives much solace as you deal with Melbourne’s ever increasing traffic, at its best it helps me cope with the scourge of the red arrow. I must vent at length about that one day.

Given the number of ABC channels, paid for out of our taxes and therefore light on the adverts that I do so loathe, I can usually find one where I can take refuge. It is largely a matter of avoiding the moronic (Red Symons, Richard Stubbs) and the raving left wing ratbags (Jon Faine, Phillip Adams, Rafael Epstein) and the cloyingly religious (Rachael Kohn) or all of the above (Waleed Ali). Plus the feminists and American Public Radio.

So maybe it’s the channel surfing that passes the time, until I reach Classic FM and safety in fine music.

The ABC wasn’t at its most balanced today.

Before 9 am ABC News Radio brought me a party political broadcast in favour of Kate Jones Labor candidate for Ashgrove, Queensland. Disguised as news, it had three gushing interviews bagging the incumbent. Julia Gillard followed, I bumped into two extensive extracts from a fawning interview. Oh, how she suffered at the hands of the increasingly schizophrenic, nay maniacal, Kevin Rudd, poor dear, not to mention the misogyny. Didn’t hear her claim that Kevin had ever been guilty of swindling low paid unionists. Had I switched to Classic FM at noon I could have heard the Honorable Julia Gillard make her selection of music hosted by Margaret Throsby.

The only thing worse than sitting at a red arrow when it would be absolutely safe to turn the corner, not a car in sight, is sitting at a red arrow listening to Julia Gillard blame the rest of the world for her incompetence.

The Gillard puzzle …

Julia Gillard worked in the industrial department of Slater & Gordon from 1988 to 1995. The Australian Workers Union was a client of S & G’s. Bruce Wilson was one of the officers of the AWU.

Jules seems to have forgotten the old saying about not getting your meat where you get your bread and entered into a romantic relationship with Bruce.

Th AWU Workplace Reform Association was incorporated in 1992. The legal work was done by Ms Gillard, off the books as it were. It was a slush fund controlled by a small coterie that included Bruce Wilson. A construction company, Theiss, were the principal donors to the fund, the coterie were likely the principal beneficiaries.

The AWU-WRA provided approximately $100,000 for the purchase of a house for another member of the coterie. Ms Gillard was involved in the legal proceedings in this matter as well. The lawyer with inside knowledge of the legal issues of the fund and the girlfriend of its mastermind, declares that she was not a beneficiary. Nor was she aware that anything untoward was afoot, nor did she do anything wrong such as sign off on a power of attorney in the absence of the individual involved or accept money for renovations to her house.Theiss probably thought they were buying industrial peace from a union. The Union itself knew nothing about it. A few officers of the union were moonlighting in style.Slater and Gordon eventually found out. I can imagine that the thought of one of its lawyers dabbling in a side-show behind an important clients back, to the disadvantage of that client and the benefit of her boyfriend might have had them thinking about ethical considerations, their reputation and their commercial future. On March 4, 1996 Jules found herself on the agenda of a meeting of the full partnership of Slater & Gordon…

Miss Gillard regrets …

Our former prime minister has a few regrets. Not dumping more thoroughly on that nice Mr Rudd at the first opportunity was one. Another was not piling another deception on top of the lie about the carbon tax, this little quote may help you follow her line of thought …

People have heard a lot of debate about a carbon tax, and today can I say to Australians the debate that they are hearing about a carbon tax is a debate about what Tony Abbott calls a carbon tax . . .

well maybe not. Hardly surprising that someone who hadn’t a clue where they were going isn’t really sure about where they have been.

One thing we can be sure of though, is that she was a great success. So much so that Julia Gillard the movie is on its way. Richard Keddle will be adding it to his string of blockbuster hits and sets the scene …

“She was extraordinarily successful in her performance as a prime minister but not in the media. The media didn’t like her. They went after her and killed her.”

I am particularly looking forward to the scene where the media kill her, the martyrdom of St Julia. I do wish the venture extraordinary success (as defined by Richard Keddle , of course).

Shaw thing …

“Victoria Police has charged a 45-year-old Frankston man with 23 charges of obtain financial advantage by deception and one count of misconduct in public office,” Victoria Police spokeswoman Cath Allen said.

“The charges relate to an investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office by a serving member of the Victorian Parliament in 2011.”

Mr Shaw has been summoned to appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court on 8 October. <HeraldSun>

The parallels between the federal government propped up by the execrable Craig Thomson and the Victorian state government and Mr Shaw are uncanny. The leaders concerned both put their government survival ahead of any thoughts of ethical behaviour, whilst both alleged miscreants will find themselves in court fairly soon.

Mr Shaw has apparently repaid $1250. Which brings us to another interesting parallel …

JULIA Gillard wrote a personal cheque for $4243 to the Department of Finance because her partner, Tim Mathieson, had misused her taxpayer-funded car to drive around Victoria selling shampoo and other haircare products in breach of parliamentary rules.

Documents released to The Australian under Freedom of Information laws yesterday show that Ms Gillard made the payment on March 9, 2007, as deputy leader of the opposition because of concern over a breach of rules forbidding the use of the car for commercial purposes. The documents were provided yesterday after a 10-month battle by the former prime minister and her office to prevent the Department of Finance from following through on its decision to release the material. <TheAustralian>

Can we look forward to Miss Gillard’s appearence on similar charges?

No brainer …

Miss Gillard will appear in the Women’s Weekly knitting a toy kangaroo for the royal baby …

The remarkable image … was not the magazine’s idea.

Instead, the concept of a cosy PM knitting a toy kangaroo – while in the company of her cavoodle Reuben – came directly from Ms Gillard’s own staff.

The Prime Minister’s chief press officer John McTernan is credited by the Weekly for coming up with the idea.

“It was a no-brainer,” Mr McTernan told the magazine.

No-brainer, what could I possibly add?

Ms Ogyny …

And perhaps then you will reflect on the darts of the pygmies who sneer at success.

Great line that, I must remember it.

Surprising thing is that it comes from the Labor side of politics. In fact it’s from John McTernan in defense of Kyle Sandilands. You will remember Kyle, of course …

The radio and television personality is well known for his controversial antics which include asking a 14-year-old girl live on air about her sexual experiences and calling a journalist a ”fat slag” after she penned a negative review about his television show.

He and Jackie O were fortunate enough to get the first media interview with Miss Gillard after the leadership challenge back in March. You will remember Miss Gillard …

Let’s go through the Opposition Leader’s repulsive double standards, repulsive double standards when it comes to misogyny and sexism.

Subsequently Kyle got to play the rabbit …

Since then Kyle, who is on first name terms with Miss Gillard, has offered to lend her his convertible Rolls Royce phantom.