You can smell an air of desperation in the ranks of the Coalition government at the moment. Each week, it seems, we have a rich canvas of events and incidents involving incompetence, ineptness and stupidity to write about. It is coming from the Liberal side, of course, now utterly fraught with gaffe-prone ministers, ill-judged expectations, a stunningly arrogant assumption of superiority and a leadership that has become world famous for absurdity, foolish outbursts and a refusal to change tactics and direction. But, hey, I’m not saying anything we don’t already know.
Joe Hockey’s apology on Radio 2UE was excessive, bordering on Act 3 of a soap opera. He messed it up by trying to make it sound like he was the offended party. “For there to be some suggestion that I have evil in my heart when it comes to the most disadvantaged people in the community is upsetting.
“But it’s more upsetting for those people in the community. So I want to make it perfectly clear to the community that if there’s any suggestion that I don’t care about you or that I have evil intent toward you, I want to say that couldn’t be further from the truth and I’m sorry for the hurt.”
Very touching, Joe, but it’s not about you and the fact is you only did it because you were shamed into it. Hockey has exposed his own incompetence. He doesn’t seem to understand what the word, ‘regressive’ means. He doesn’t seem to get that when assessing the impact on the lower levels of affluence in society it’s the percentage of your income spent on fuel or food or transport that matters, not the actual amount.
Any flat tax is regressive, Joe. Progressive taxes place a more equitable load on the higher paid. It all makes sense if your eyes are open. But, if you subscribe to an ideology that is committed to preserving the wealth for the wealthy, then perhaps it’s not so clear.
Tony Abbott has put his foot in it (again), with his comments about the upcoming vote for independence in Scotland. “I think that the people who would like to see the breakup of the United Kingdom are not the friends of justice, not the friends of freedom, and that the countries that would cheer at the prospect of the breakup with the United Kingdom are not the countries whose company one would like to keep,” he said. Against freedom and justice? What was he thinking?
David Marr has an amusing theory behind this churlish outburst. Attacking the Scots will bump up the yes vote by enough for the Nationalists to win. Most Scottish parliamentary seats in the House of Commons are held by Labor. By removing them from Westminster, the Tories have a better chance of retaining power in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Tony Abbot saves the Tories. Wow!
While David chuckled his way through that little parody on Insiders, last Sunday, it was the reply Abbott received from Alex Salmond who showed remarkable insight into our Prime Minister that went viral. Salmond, who is Scotland’s first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party said Mr Abbott was “notoriously gaffe-prone” and he had “put his foot right in it.” Tell us something we don’t already know, Alex. The First Minister was clearly being kind to someone he must have perceived as an idiot and who needed to be handled gently.
There is also the matter of ramping up home security in the light of Australians joining the conflicts in Iraq and Syria and the PM’s concern for the Yazidis of Northern Iraq. There is a strange sense of Deja Vu in relation to this humanitarian crisis and the rescue of 4000 Kosovar refugees by John Howard in 1999. Church leaders are asking Abbott to protect Christians in Iraq and Syria.
Dr Freier, the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, has written to Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison asking that they offer refuge to Christians facing forced conversion to Islam or death.
One could be forgiven for thinking that a revised definition of ‘hypocrisy’ is about to be written. Will we see a sectarian airlift out of the Middle East protecting Christians while we traumatise predominantly Iraqi and Afghani Muslim and Tamil Hindu refugees in off-shore concentration camps in New Guinea and Nauru? One can only wait and see.
But the blunder of the week thus far, must go to the Prime Minister who blames the previous NSW Labor government for changing the law that now sees two Liberal MP’s resign and another six standing aside for accepting campaign donations from developers. Such an absurdly simplistic claim must surely have the more stable minds inside the Liberal party wondering how long they can continue to allow the party to bleed so profusely.
One gets the feeling that for freedom and justice to be served for the Australian voter, enough heads should roll to make ‘Game of Thrones’ look like a vicarage tea party.
Look Mum, look Mum… they’re doing it again!
Abbott may be onto something here – if you get caught out by the law, blame the law makers for it because they are responsible for making your actions illegal. It’s a take on causation I’ve never encountered before. Bizarre but oddly clever. Or, maybe just bizarre.
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Gerard "Uriah Heep" Henderson led the charge for blaming Labor for the N.S.W. Liberals trousering money from the developer ATM.
Why was this man removed from this weeks Witness List at ICAC :
John Hart – chairman of the North Sydney Forum, a fund-raising entity attached to the Liberal Party federal electoral conference in Australian Treasurer Hockey's seat of North Sydney and, CEO of Restaurant and Catering Australia, the national lobby group for the hospitality industry..
I was looking forward to some answers from him.
So we can blame the LNP’s existence to whoever made assassination illegal.
look ma they called inbred hicks!!! Yet listen to them in question time and they sound like inbred hicks themselves living off of family funds going back to the old world of 300+ years ago, with a paid educaqtion of a 5 year old..
The law that saw Andrew Bolt convicted was also at fault. It was great seeing Craig Emerson stick it up him on the Bolt Report (not that I have ever tuned in…..social media does a great editing job of passing on the good bits.)
It’s an interesting approach isn’t it. Wasn’t my fault officer, was the fault of the idiot that put up that speed limit sign.
Superb summary John. Have you heard the latest on Joe Hockey and his “poor don’t have cars” etc? He believes that he’s been misinterpreted! http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/joe-hockey-blames-misreporting-for-furore-over-poor-people-and-driving-comments-20140819-3dx9v.html
SMH 9:40am Aug 19, 2014
Islamic Council of Victoria to boycott ‘media stunt’ meeting with Tony Abbott Abbott
The Islamic Council of Victoria will boycott a planned meeting with Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Melbourne on Tuesday, saying his comments about migrants being part of Team Australia “indicated the meeting was a media stunt”.
Team Australia – Go Go Go
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/islamic-council-of-victoria-to-boycott-media-stunt-meeting-with-tony-abbott-20140819-3dx8v.html
Abbott trying to shut down the child abuse Royal Commission through funding cuts and uncertainty..
They asked for an extension of time and funding, the government is “yet to respond” so they may have to stop taking victim statements next month. They estimate 3000 victims will remain unheard.
Let’s not forget why they are running out of money early…
“The federal government met a third of the cost of its royal commission on the former government’s home insulation scheme by redirecting funds from the royal commission on institutional responses to child sexual abuse.
Attorney-General George Brandis has revealed that his department’s $6.7 million contribution to funding the home insulation inquiry came from savings in the child sexual abuse inquiry’s capital budget and from legal assistance that was not required for witnesses to that inquiry.
The revelation corrects a statement by Senator Brandis to a Senate committee in February, when he was asked if there had been any offsets from other inquiries to fund the insulation royal commission and replied: ”No.”
Senator Brandis took the question on notice after saying it was his understanding that ”no money has been taken away from anywhere else”. He has since confirmed that the $19 million cost of the home insulation inquiry was equally shared by his department, the industry department and the environment department.
In other responses, Senator Brandis has revealed that royal commissioner Ian Hanger will be paid $730,000.”
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/george-brandis-reveals-funds-for-child-abuse-royal-commission-were-diverted-to-home-insulation-inquiry-20140527-392gv.html#ixzz3AnjanqTD
And today watching Scott Morrison playing all touchy feely letting children out of detention – well some of them anyway – as if he’s Father Xmas. What the hell are any of them doing there anyway ? And too bad if you got there “ILLEGALLY” (there’s that word again) after July whatever random date they picked -you get to stay. How can they lie staright in bed ? Who are these people ? Do their mothers still love them ? I am not sure if I could.
They only pull back, or apologise, or change their minds when someone yells out “Hey, you made a mistake” or “Hey, that’s going to make us look bad”. Not because they actually think they have done something wrong . There’s no change of ideology here.
Wolves in sheep’s clothing. Mostly just wolves in shark’s clothing.
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The latest …. who does Abbott blame this time.
Abbott blames President Obama for putting Climate Change on the G20 agenda.
Another WTF ! moment brought to you by the moron Abbott.
And published by the American Murdoch.
Be warned this is a Murdoch publication Link :
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/will-brisbanes-g20-summit-be-turning-point-for-federal-government-on-climate-change-stance-as-us-president-barack-obama-seeks-to-stamp-legacy/story-fnihsrf2-1227028638865
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If Hockey resigns Abbott should make him Trade Attache in Gaza.
Hockey can use all his charm on his Palestinian relatives/connections.
Time for Palmer and Labor to block supply and force a double dissolution for the good of the country.
“Team Idiot’s” with us ONLY getting “excuses”.
These Libs are as bad as I thought they would be,a shame so many morons in the public are finding out the hard way (The one’s that have woken up that is.)
“… the more stable minds inside the Liberal party…” please raise your hands.
Who are they and where could they be? Does this mean Godwin’s mate Mal. I fear it does.
Mal – who is sabotaging the most important infrastructure development in the country’s history. That ‘stable mind’?
Please, please, please stop associating the Yazidis with Christianity. Their religion is linked to ancient Zoroastrianism and Sufism while other sources view their religion as a combination of Shia and Sufi Islam with indigenous regional folk traditions. Monotheistic yes but not Christian.
This is another Abbott blunder trying to save Iraqi Christians where the Yazidis are not.
The whole government is a total stuff up. From wots’is name environment minister allowing dredging near the great barrier reef, for mines owned by Indians, who would not give a rats about environmental issues. Wots’is face should make a trip to India and realise, values are not the same, to Joe Hockey, yes what was that all about, I half expected him to burst into tears, Abbott was near teary talking about Australians that were among many shot down over Ukraine. Julia Gillard had more balls than these punces. Barnaby Joyce is looking like a statesman compared to his mates and that is sayjng something
Please do not blame me, I voted Labor in the 2013 federal election……………..
While Morrison is busy saving the Yazidis he has been trying to send asylum seekers back to Syria.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/19/australia-going-to-unthinkable-lengths-to-return-syria-detainees-emails-show
And he has announced that children who have a W in their name and who are wearing purple may cross the golden river (provided they were born on a Tuesday and have never been on a boat).
This may qualify as a blunder – perhaps in waiting
Government ministers unite in condemnation of Clive Palmer’s ‘hugely damaging’ comments about China
Senior Abbott government ministers have blasted Clive Palmer over his televised tirade against China, saying it damages Australia.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/government-ministers-unite-in-condemnation-of-clive-palmers-hugely-damaging-comments-about-china-20140819-3dxef.html
Team Australia are coming to rescue us again – this time from possible reactions by the nasty Chinese Government occasioned by the very person that is causing Team Australia so much political grief. Perhaps I’m being a tad cynical.
Every now and then Clive makes Tony look intelligent. There’s your state of play in Team Australia politics. Is it any wonder a bloke just wants to get drunk and play Thief on the computer?
There are Christians in Iraq, also Syria,Lebanon. The yazidis are another group also targeted by Islamists, just as Sunnis also kill Shia ( and possibly vice versa)
Damn just when you think it cannot get worse another own goal. The LNP have become totally unhinged. Bad under Howard disaster under the tutelage of dumber Rabbit and dumbest Credlin. Who the hell put the fox in the hen house? It sure as hell wasn’t me? A bunch of Australians must be cringing to think they were conned by a complete idiot. My fellow countrymen and women please wake up before it’s too late. We are not even part way there and look at the mess. What the hell can they destroy in another two years. One lives in fear and trepidation at the next demented performance in the demonic anti-circus of privileged deranged fools.
Good heavens when is enough enough?
Sometimes in life it is useful to be given the benefit of doubt however this lot are beyond any doubt useless, greed ridden, immoral and absolutely infantile.
Apologies to infants.
We’re team Australia
We’ll never fail ya
Nothing we say is true
We’re team Australia
We’ll never fail ya
excepting when we do
We’re team Australia
We’ll never fail ya
We sucked you in real bad
We’re team Australia
We’ll never fail ya
We’re all stark raving mad
@ stephen … unfortunately, enough will NEVER be enough, for this Government mob, while it is at the helm. SURELY there is some way we can rid ourselves of these monsters ? Is there nothing in the Constitution ? Nothing ?
@ Graeme … enjoyed that one … “Team Australia” – as some slogan for us all, is …….. ( I cannot print in the spirit of decency, what I really think ). Use your imagination !!! Grrrrr to them all, sitting in their perceived lofty positions. Better than everybody else ?, because they hold some form of power ( tyranny more like ).
I doubt all bar a few now, want this travesty to continue. Even the Lib followers are embarrassed – and that’s saying something. !!!!
Let the motherf*cker burn, burn, motherf*cker, BURN!
Graeme Henchel. keep em coming, some laughter and levity in the Abbott madness.
Team Orstraya and the Abbott rabble..
Abbott is criminally insane.
Abbott Rabble: Can’t Count, Can’t Stop Lying, Can’t Govern.
Export Abbott Not Refugees.
After many years of membership of the ALP I have seen the light, thanks to the best Australian federal Government ever, that is of course A Abbott & Co. I shall resign my ALP membership of 30 years with no regrets . However I find I am facing a dilemma in that I have no information regarding the drinks of choice of LNP which is the party I have joined, and embraced, being an avid supporter until recently of the ALP, of course my choice
of drinks were Chardonnay together with Latte’ coffee.
I am anxious to know the favoured drinks of the Conservative Australian party members so as to avoid social gaffes, as well as publicly displaying my fealty and loyalty to my chosen political party.
freviss
Just thought you might like to see that nothing is changing with this mob of idiots.