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John has a strong interest in politics, especially the workings of a progressive democracy, together with social justice and the common good. He holds a Diploma in Fine Arts and enjoys portraiture, composing music, and writing poetry and short stories. He is also a keen amateur actor. Before retirement John ran his own advertising marketing business.

A prime minister devoid of principle, accountability and transparency

Election diary No. 18: Saturday. 12, March 2022

1 On Monday, 7 March, our Prime Minister used a speech to decry “that we face a world ‘devoid of principle, accountability, and transparency’.”

When he said those three words, my first reaction was to put myself in the position of a journalist at the function and on the list to ask a question. My question would have been threefold as follows:

When in your tenure as Prime Minister have you shown any principle? Secondly, when have you been accountable for your decisions?, and thirdly, when have you and your Government been transparent?

That he would use those three words in that context only confirms the opinion of Sean Kelly in his book; The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison. All these things apply to others, not Morrison. On page 349 (of the Apple Electronic version), Kelly writes that:

“When journalists began to challenge Morrison with their reporting columns and their questions, this must have been particularly confronting because of Morrison’s acute understanding of the power of journalists. He relied on them to tell his stories. Now they were resisting. This was the confrontation with the limits of his power that every powerful person hates.

It is unlikely to be coincidence that of the journalists who had made the most piercing critiques and asked the most piercing questions of Morrison had been women: Jane Cadzow, Julia Baird, Laura Tingle. Michelle Gratton, Niki Savva, Katherine Murphy, Samantha Maiden, it seems unlikely they recognised something in Morrison that men, at least at first, struggled to see- or perhaps were blind to, in the way, that Morrison himself is blind to so much.

During those months, this more sceptical view began to spread. Many columns made reference to aspects of the Prime Minister that had been visible for some time. – his lack of empathy, his tendency to manage situations rather than lead, his unwillingness to take responsibility-but that had never quite gained a foothold in the commentary about him.”

The fact is that he is never wrong and seeks to blame others. He never apologises. His callousness and unchristian behaviour toward those who are disadvantaged. His lack of transparency. Enquiries are always by his staff. His incapacity to understand how women think differently from men is a stretch too far. Even the philosophical difference between right versus wrong seems beyond him.

While this article does not critique Kelly’s book, the pages are scattered with references like this throughout. The author puts all the pieces together to show that politics is just a game to our Prime Minister, and he lacks the sensitivity needed to be a modern democratic leader. His lying has become legionary, together with his frequent denials of the mistakes he makes. Evidence shows that he lacks international diplomacy and has cost us dearly.

Character is a combination of traits that etch the outlines of a life, governing moral choices and infusing personal and professional conduct. It’s an elusive thing, easily cloaked or submerged by the theatrics of politics. But unexpected moments can sometimes reveal the fibres from which it is woven.

For those who study the minds of leaders like Morrison, whose only interest is his government’s re-election, it is easy to see that his speech was for a domestic audience.

National security has always been a touchy point with the electorate and subject to the most outlandish scare campaigns. This is but the start.

To read Sean Kelly’s is to become more or better informed about the personality and character of the Australian Prime Minister.

2 One of the more pleasing headlines I have read in some time is this one: “Anthony Albanese to embrace Labor luminary Bob Hawke’s consensus style if ALP wins election.” Political historians will argue that Bob Hawke had the most talented ministries of all time. Particularly his first.

It included Lionel Bowen, John Button, Paul Keating, Mick Young, Bill Hayden, Clyde Holding, Gareth Evans, John Dawkins, Susan Ryan, Kym Beasley, Barry Jones and Tom Uren. That’s not a bad bunch to have in your first ministry.

What made them so good was that Hawke gave licence to their collective heads. He believed that as a leader, one of his greatest assets was the ability to delegate. And why wouldn’t you with the talent he had at his disposal?

Anthony Albanese admired Hawke as a chairperson who got the best from his team. So, he will use Hawke’s consensus style politics if he wins the next election, breaking away from the leader who has all authority of recent decades.

Albanese used a speech to a business summit last Wednesday in which he presented himself as a consensus figure with a “renewal” agenda. Albanese also said if Labor wins office in May, he will revive “the dormant national project to create wealth in a way that produces benefits for all Australians.”

Albanese also told Wednesday’s summit Australia needs to end the climate and culture wars and look for collaborative opportunities between governments, trade unions, businesses and civil society around “shared aims of growth and job creation.”

Albanese also said that Morrison’s objective as prime minister has been “to sustain a sense of division,” a division that he had stoked to advance a partisan agenda.

He forthrightly argued that Morrison does not see a legitimate role for the Government in driving economic growth and distributing the benefits.

Because Morrison didn’t believe that the Government had a role to play, he said the Coalition has delivered “a decade of inertia.”

A week before the speech by Albanese, Katherine Murphy, writing in The Guardian, reported that the Prime Minister said:

“The overlay of an uneven global recovery from the pandemic, unprovoked military aggression in Europe, in Ukraine, an energy and commodity price shock, and continued geostrategic risks in our own region – this all creates a highly complex and risky external environment,”

“It’s no place for amateurs.”

Well, he certainly got that right.

This American conservative political strategy of painting everything as black as possible and then pretending it’s only they who have the answers is being duplicated in Australia. Could we fall for it again?

But that is precisely what Morrison is doing. He is diverting attention from his and his government’s inadequacies by fabricating a false sense of security to create fear and xenophobia and position his government as the only option to defend Australia’s national security. This, Morrison hopes, will enable him to stay on as prime minister. He is a desperate man.

3 Here is a snippet to tickle your fancy:

Victoria’s pathetic Liberal opposition party has shifted its stance on climate change, saying it now supports (pay-walled) a net-zero emissions target by 2050. It will take up to the Andrews government on its environmental credentials.

4 “Don’t get too excited by Australia’s rebounding economy – it’s a distorted snapshot of the true picture,” writes Greg Jericho. “The GDP’s 3.4% growth in the December quarter only occurred because in the September quarter the economy shrank by the third-biggest amount ever.”

5 On Wednesday, 9 March, the Prime Minister ended his seven-day Covid isolation and visited the flooded town of Lismore, where a hostile group greeted him. This time, there were no handshakes – just the usual blame-shifting, which has become Morrison’s core crisis characteristic.

I will write more about this day of disaster when I continue my election diary.

 

Cartoon by Alan Moir (moir.com.au)

 

My thought for the day

One of Scott Morrison’s most outstanding dexterities is his ability to sell his falsehoods and have people believe them. Unfortunately, too many voters consider him worthy of their vote at a time when change is badly needed. Australia cannot afford another term of this dishonest man and his government.

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In a week when war raged, the climate denialists fumed. Just ask Tony Abbott.

Election diary No. 17: Wednesday, 9 March 2022

In their seemingly endless twists and turns, the Queensland floods found their way into New South Wales, reminding us of the frequency of such events.

Indifferent of science, our prime minister could only describe the two drenched states as “natural” disasters. The death toll is now climbing, and the clean-up cost is expected to run into the billions.

We are on the threshold of a catastrophic period on this planet we call Earth – the home for billions of her inhabitants.

In the same week, the world witnessed the beginnings of a conflict in Ukraine begun by President Putin, that would leave us in a state of disbelief if not petrified that a third world war would eventuate.

During the invasion, a Ukraine nuclear power station narrowly avoided melting down after being attacked by the Russians. It highlighted the need to wean ourselves off fossil fuels and put all else aside.

Not just because the cost of petrol is now sky high, but also that our dependence on them is helping fund an invasion.

Notwithstanding the hell that these issues invoke, it is the timing that our climate change denier opponents would choose to focus our attention again, claiming in some fanciful way that our focus on climate is the cause of the conflict in Ukraine.

It is not only a bizarre suggestion to make whilst misery surrounds us. It is also an insulting accusation. The curtain on a tragedy is being raised in the theatre of their backyards, but they are willing to turn the spotlight onto the subject of climate change yet again.

Now, let me take you through the sequence of events that prompted me to write this article. On Monday, 28 February, Daily Telegraph columnist Tim Blair wrote a piece, Woke War III: Wokens stay on message amid invasion (paywalled) using the conflict in Ukraine to highlight their “pet causes.” Yes, that’s what they had been doing all week.

Over at The Monthly, Rachael Withers wrote this sequence of events:

“Writing in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday (and dutifully republished by The Australian), former PM Tony Abbott joined the raft of commentators trying to link Russia’s invasion to a “weakened” West’s obsession with social and environmental issues.”

Abbott wrote with all the knowledge that over 15 years of denialism presumably gives an acknowledged liar that “The West’s bigger surrender has been economical and cultural.”

Withers continued:

“He went on to criticise all three members of AUKUS for their focus on reducing emissions, implying that it was this that had emasculated the West (along with globalisation, “cultural Marxists”, COVID restrictions and the fact that you couldn’t even make Monty Python’s Life of Brian these days).”

Then Abbott’s former Chief of staff, Peta Credlin, yes, the one who confessed that Abbott had only ever treated climate change as a means to a political end, followed up the next day in The Australian with this load of crap. She suggested that Australians would be unlikely to stand and fight like Ukrainians and that the security crisis should prompt a “rethink” on climate change.

Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt never to be left out of a bit of truth bashing, was not far behind them, arguing that:

“… the war in Ukraine has exposed the lethal danger of falling for green myths … Russian president Vladimir Putin would never have dared invade Ukraine if the green movement hadn’t first made Europe look helpless,” he added.

All Abbott ever does when he enters the realm of serious discussion is highlight the fact that he was grossly unsuitable for the office of Prime Minister of Australia. However, the most pressing matters regarding climate action came out of all this unworldly nonsense.

Billionaire climate activist Mike Cannon-Brookes did us all a favour with this tweet:

 

 

Witty but true. On top of that, the US climate envoy and former Presidential candidate John Kerry pointed out the “massive emissions” the war would likely cause and distract countries from achieving the net-zero goal.

Peta Credlin, on the other hand, rather nonsensically reminded us that failing to achieve those targets would be a threat to our very existence:

“As though future generations have a greater right to life than the children of Ukraine,”

The far-right denialists continue to complain about the West’s obsession with emissions reduction, even though we’re not making any progress on that front.

The Government has been reluctant to mention the IPCC report even though climate change is reflected in the floods occurring along the east coast.

And even though both parties were still internally fighting over their party’s 2050 emissions-reduction targets. (2050 for the Coalition and 2030 for Labor) both have yet to indicate how they will urgently do it and, at the same time, cut whatever it is that binds us to fossil fuels.

Vic Labor recently announced a plan for an offshore wind industry, which is a highly commendable project.

The Greens last week also announced a policy to help coal workers transition to clean energy.

However, the reality is that all we’ve got to show for the deal that the Liberals struck with the Nationals to speak the words “net-zero by 2050” is more money for the regions that have nothing to do with climate change.

We may not be part of this shambolic war in Eastern Europe, but it’s evident that we are on several fronts facing matters of the gravest concern. They are matters that involve the lives and livelihoods of working people.

Regrettably, that the climate change deniers used a week when war broke out in Europe to peddle their bullshit is distressing.

The week was also bursting with examples of why we need to do more on climate and not claim that we need to do less.

My thought for the day

Perhaps a greater understanding of what I am saying might be obtained by exercising a greater willingness to think more deeply.

 

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If the rules are rotten and they don’t change them, so too will be the government

Election diary No. 16: Saturday, 5 March 2022

1 The problem with the government is the system itself. A system that will always remain imperfect so long as it is short of independent oversight. It’s called ‘politics’, and it will only ever reflect those rules that govern it. If the rules are imperfect and don’t change, then imperfection in government is what you will get. Still, if the rules are tight, drawn up independent of government and overseen by an independent commission, then you can derive some trust in those you elect.

If the rules or the requirements for election are not changed, you can expect more people of the ilk of Christensen, Joyce, Andrews Dutton, Kelly, Laming, Pitt, Porter, Taylor, Tudge, Wilson etc.

If the rules for question time are as ridiculous as we witness, then you get an hour of comedy with laughable answers to Dorothy Dixer’s questions equally silly. “Just pick up the phone and ask stupid.”

If the rules for receiving political donations remain as rotten as they are, they will continue to be broken.

If rules more generally are so open to corruption that you could drive a truck through them, then you must expect corrupt politicians.

If politicians don’t meet your expectations, perhaps it’s the rules that may lead them into temptation.

If hastily drawn up rules like Robodebt and Job Keeper result in further corruption, then it is the fault of the politicians who put the plan together.

If the rules were drawn up correctly, this might not happen.

As reported in the Brisbane Times:

“Australia’s largest construction company, CIMIC, (formerly Leighton Holdings) has been accused of underpaying hundreds of workers, subcontractors and banks in its troubled Middle East operations by more than $500 million in a scandal administrators warn could lead to criminal prosecution.”

I could go on with many more examples, from financial institutions to Deaths in Custody, Aged Care and bullying in schools. There are rules for everything. Kids grow with family rules.

Often it seems that the rules are made to be broken rather than be obeyed. Or is it that bad laws are made to be broken. Those that are surpassed by new and better science or time when influenced by better education or reason itself.

Regulations are an essential part of society. They make for a cohesive community. Good regulation serves us well when applied justly, but it can also be shaped to disadvantage.

I am not joking. We cannot underestimate the importance of our regulatory three-tier government system that make all the rules. Still, every department within the three tiers should review all the instigated rules. They could even start with our constitution.

The danger in looking back too often is that we lose the will to go forward.

2 February 28: Did you see that the United Nations Expert Panel on Climate Change released its latest report? You didn’t notice well; after all, a war is taking place, and we are still trying to cope with a severe worldwide virus.

The headline on SBS news read; “Major new report says it’s not too late to stop runaway climate damage.”

“Even drastic action to reduce emissions won’t completely halt the impacts of climate change – but it will limit the severity, the report finds.”

Headlines like this have been appearing for years now, and the flippancy with which we tend to overlook them never surprises me. Is it to happen yet again in this election or has the message finally gotten through?

3 Just a reminder that the Australian government sits on $4.7 billion in emergency response funding and have not spent a cent of it.

There are elderly pensioners on their roofs right now in Lismore needing to be rescued, and the Minister for Defence is running a GoFundMe.

Sorry, but there are no words I can put my name to with which to shout my disgust.

People often argue from within the limitations of their understanding, and when their factual evidence is scant, they revert to an expression of their feelings.

4 Wednesday, February 3: Penny Wong on Facebook:

“Happy birthday to my mate Anthony Albanese.

We’re still all working on your gift – hopefully we’ll get it to you by May!”

5 I suggest you read Kaye Lee’s latest piece, “What a complete waste of time the last nine years have been.”

6 On December 5 2015, I wrote:

“The Vladimir Putin Shirtfront won the Insiders Matt Price award in 2014. This year it was given to Christopher Pyne for his ‘I’m a fixer’ comment. There were some excellent entries. Abbott got the most nominations with his act onion eating (without tears). Knighthoods, Good government starts today, and in my opinion, he should have been a winner when he outrageously said that his ministers were performing exceedingly well, and it was all due to his magnificent leadership. Oh, I forgot one. ‘Good government starts today’ Others nominated were Hockey’s ‘Just get a job.’ Scott Morrison for ‘There’s a boom up there’ Bronwyn Bishop ‘It was within the guidelines’ Then there were mentions of ministers with large packages, even snakes. There were many others, but for the breadth of its audacity, I’ll stick with my choice.”

Never in the history of this nation have so many people been elected to serve us, but instead, help themselves.

7 The latest fortnightly Roy Morgan poll has Labor leading 56.5-43.5, in from 57-43 last time, from primary votes of Coalition 32.5% (down half), Labor 37.5% (down one), Greens 12.5% (up one), One Nation 3.5% (down half) and United Australia Party on 1.5% (steady).

For further analysis, go to The Poll Bludger.

Bookies have Labor at $1.32 and Coalition $3. 20

8 It seems that the man with all the money has decided that another four car parks in his electorate might be four too many. Or does it look like too much pork-barrelling?

How hypocritical the Morrison government is in withdrawing the $65m of spending on four commuter’s car parks it promised to build in the electorate of the Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg.

 

 

As reported in The Guardian in March 3, Labor’s shadow infrastructure minister, Catherine King, said the cancellation of four further projects was a “humiliating backflip” for the Treasurer and questioned how much money had been “wasted” on car parks that wouldn’t be built.

9 The Age (firewall) reports that a group of economists say that the government will never repay the country’s debt. It will be interesting to see how it responds to this problem in the upcoming budget.

Conclusion

While it might be true that truth is the first causality of war, I contend that it has become a significant causality of our public discourse over the past ten or twenty years.

If l were asked to pinpoint its beginning, l would say that since Tony Abbott’s appointment as opposition leader, political lying in Australia reached unprecedented levels and insinuated itself into our public dialogue, including the media.

So much so that it is almost impossible for the average punter to know just who is telling the truth.

My thought for the day

I think accepting and embracing change is one key aspect of what we try to define as wisdom.

 

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Bullying is symptomatic of world leaders, including ours, and war is the outome

Election diary No. 15: Wednesday, 2 March 2022.

That I’m using the word “war” in my heading is unfortunate; however, it is what it is. A war started by an egregious international bully, an egotist with a right-to-rule attitude, a plank over his own eyes, and a blurred nostalgia for times long gone.

The political bullies of our world use tactics intended to bully people into ignorance rather than a well-reasoned standpoint. They attack their opponents by bashing their character and painting them as villains and charlatans, whereas they are rational people.

The why of it is beyond me. But then, I have never understood the violence of wars: the lives it takes and the destruction it makes.

As I write, I am at the same time glancing at an article in The Guardian written by Pjotr Saucer and Andrew Roth: Thousands join anti-war protests in Russia after Ukraine invasion. It attempts to express the feelings of those Russians trying to understand why their President had begun a war with Ukraine.

I pause my writing, thinking that the article might be helpful to my own understanding, which of course, is limited – an incomprehensible war to those uninformed in European history.

The writing is dark and sad. It quotes a 30-year-old teacher Nikita Golubev:

“I am embarrassed for my country. To be honest with you, I am speechless. War is always scary. We don’t want this.”

“Why are we doing this?”

It was a view expressed by his fellow citizens, a sentiment of anger and hopelessness that was shared by many commuters

“At the Ukrainian culture centre just down the road, the mood was even grimmer.”

Lines of vehicles snake their way along the main roads. Interestingly the writers say Kyiv is just down the road, and the mood there was even grimmer. So much so that it is about to shut down.

A gigantic distance exists between those dictators who wish for nothing but the self-satisfaction they attain from bullying those less intense than them. The ordinary citizen wants nothing more than an equitable society where those who want to achieve can and be assured that those who cannot will be looked after.

The world’s bullies and the dictators insist that we conform to their thinking which is unnatural in a free democratic society where the contest of ideas is a constant. If they were alive today, all past dictators would attest to this truth.

The administrator of the Ukrainian culture centre says the centre:

“… aims to do nothing more than promote the language, traditions and identity of a country Vladimir Putin has denied legitimacy as a modern state.”

Around 3 million Ukrainian citizens live in Russia and have been told to leave immediately.

What happens in Ukraine matters everywhere.

Bullying in general means intimidating or overpowering someone weaker,” be it an individual or a country.

Does history identify the world’s bullies? It often depends on your political standpoint or your sense of right or wrong. The US has been accused of being a bully.

Recent history recognises China’s President Xi Jinping as a bully because others won’t confess to his country’s rightful place in the world. Iraq’s Saddam Hussein bullied his people and assassinated those who wouldn’t conform. Russia’s Vladimir Putin is currently forcing Ukraine to recognise his greatness. Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s ego needed to be fed, and he bullied those who didn’t realise it.

Benjamin Netanyahu was a bully of the Palestinian people. Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines, enjoyed shooting his people, and President Marcos, who preceded him, was just as bad. The sadistic Pol Pot practised genocide, and Augusto Pinochet of Chile terminated the lives of those who opposed him.

Recent history is littered with them. I’ve only provided a handful.

Domestically one doesn’t have to think for too long to recall an Australian bully like Tony Abbott, who taunted Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard as opposition leader. Then you can skip a heartbeat and find the current Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who one can only describe as a bully first class.

No, he doesn’t run around with an AK47 looking for those with a differing point of view looking to exterminate them. We are a little more civilised than that, and our politics is a little more civilised than that.

Last week, verbal diarrhoea flowed from our Prime Minister’s mouth like a bully in overdrive rightfully dedicated to his task.

 

Image from Twitter (@Emperors_Tailor)

 

The abuse of something usually causes it. In this case, it was bullying overload. The diagnosis said that Morrison stands up to “thugs and bullies” all too often, but more often, he acts like one himself.

He said about the war between Russia and Ukraine on the Sunrise programme that:

“This is about an autocratic, authoritarian government that is seeking to bully others.”

Then he moved on to the Today Show, saying.

“There are consequences for this threatening and bullying and aggressive behaviour.”

On the ABC’s AM show, he was asked about the Russian embassy’s claim that Australia’s sanctions are xenophobic; he let it go through to the keeper.

“I’m used to bullies saying those sorts of things when people stand up to them.”

In The Monthly, Rachel Withers responded that:

“In a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday night, the embassy disputed Morrison’s declaration that Australia always stands up to bullies, citing its silence on the discrimination of Russian speakers in Ukraine. While this is quite clearly spin, the embassy is right in one respect: the Australian government does not always stand up to bullying. In fact, the Morrison government is often the one doing it.”

“… The irony of the PM’s pushback against “bullies” has not been missed on Twitter, where a quick search of the word turns up a number of derisive tweets, noting Morrison’s treatment of everyone from Christine Holgate to trans kids to the Biloela family. Picking on women, children and refugees is obviously not the same as invading a foreign country. But is this really the kind of rhetoric that Morrison, with his reputation for bullying tactics, wants to rely upon?”

The theme is the bullying of women, children and refugees. He is not about to invade New Zealand, but bullying is uppermost in his thinking. He needs to keep his bullying reputation intact. A reputation for bullying that he needs? It is supposed to frighten people. He and Dutton are such like-minded souls.

 

 

On Wednesday of last week, the queen of savage words journalism Niki Savva served up yet another vicious column that said in effect that:

“Morrison spent much of last week’s meeting of his party’s federal executive – sorting out the NSW preselection drama.”

She said he was “yelling and thumping the table” as he sought to get his way while reminding members that “he was the prime minister.”

“I am the prime minister” or “as Prime Minister” is a phrase that will be familiar to political pundits who follow politics assiduously.”

 

 

It is the same one he reportedly used to assert his authority over former Liberal MP Julia Banks after taking the leadership. She recognised it when he condescendingly used it against ABC reporter Anne Connolly in a press conference about the aged-care royal commission.

Back to Rachel Wither’s article in The Monthly, she writes that:

“I previously catalogued much of Morrison’s bullying behaviour towards women after he turned the guns on Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer for having crossed the floor on integrity late last year, so I won’t go through it all again. But it’s safe to say that, in the opening weeks of 2022, little has been done to counter the notion that Morrison is a bully.”

“There are likewise numerous recent examples of bullying and aggressive behaviour from the Coalition as a whole.”

You can read them here.

To say that we are ambivalent about our politicians is an understatement. Now we are ashamed.

To rail against bullying is a strange tactic to use when you are at the top of the list. The lying Prime Minister has shown that he is prepared to play any card in the pack if it enhances his re-election chances. Nothing is beyond him. He is a bully.

My thought for the day

Power is a malevolent possession Prime Minister when you are prepared to forgo your principles and your country’s wellbeing for the sake of it.

 

PS: And of war…

Death abides

Love hides

Goodness vanishes

Suffering manifests

Truth a causality

Faith is lost

Humanity stumbles

But

Hope survives

And

Only the dead see the end of it

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Who will you vote for and why? Who would you trust to deliver good government?

Election diary No 14. Saturday, 26 February 2022.

Who will you vote for and why? You should remember why if you intend to vote for the Labor Party. What was your reason, or if there was more than one and you are a non-aligned voter, what are they?

If you cannot remember then, l can help you. Please be patient.

The latest polls show no indication of returning to the pro-conservative levels post-Christmas and what l call “The undressing of Morrison,” a period in which the public finally woke to the thought that they may have been wrong about the government and its lying leader.

You can fool the people for an extended period, some of the time, but never all of the time. Eventually, they wake from their extended mental hibernation and see the truth for what it is. You don’t need many reasons to be rid of arguably the worst, most corrupt governments in Australia’s history. However, if you need additional information to assist you in your decision-making processes, here is a categorised list of issues for your perusal. Who would you trust to deliver good government?

Government

1 A voice for our First Nations People.

2 Restoring trust in our political system.

3 International relations (see current Essential poll).

4 Reduce the influence of the far-right.

5 Disproportion of influence in the mainstream media.

6 Ministry for the future.

7 Levels of immigration/population. The reason for low job rates now is that there isn’t any immigration.

8 Become a republic.

9 Restore the public service instead of spending millions on consultants.

10 Stop AUKUS.

11 Ethics taught in primary to high schools.

12 Re-establish manufacturing to its former status.

13 Buy back all infrastructure and overseas-owned farms.

14 Primary industry and fix public housing.

15 End donations and lobbying.

16 Reconciliation (including Closing the Gap).

17 Fix Indigenous deaths in custody, land rights, etc.

18 Outlaw all avenues of political influence by church/religions, secular mandate enforcement.

19 Limit politicians’ pay, removing early retirement.

20 Access to pension rackets, super and banning/curtailment revolving door employment after political career.

21 Genuine taxing of all. Including individuals, and businesses, and multi-nationals.

22 Domestic/foreign corporations and securing honest royalties for Australia.

23 Elimination of government rorts like the Great Barrier Reef $444 million.

24 Species extension should also be considered.

25 Royal Commission into the bugging of the Timor Leste parliamentary offices.

26 Free the asylum seekers that are left on Nauru and Manus Island immediately, as well as those confined in onshore detention centres.

27 Stop the cashless welfare card.

28 Restoration of funding for all that the Coalition have defunded: The ABC, FOI, National Audit Office. etc.

29 Genuine real-time realistic taxing of all domestic/foreign corporations and securing honest royalties for Australia.

30 A world-class NBN (for business, research, health, education, science).

Mainstream Media

31 Media ownership laws are broken and adversely corrupt, as is the ability of citizens to become informed with truthful information. Social media pages also need attention. Stop giving public money to Murdoch.

Social Change

32 Urgently address inequality and equality of opportunity.

33 Reinforce empathy and compassion by using social media.

34 Legalise small amounts of cannabis for recreational use.

35 Address narcissism in the community through social media.

Housing Affordability

36 Take action on negative gearing and capital gains tax.

Health

37 Try taking action on illicit drugs with unpopular methods.

38 Address poverty and homelessness.

39 Add dental to Medicare.

40 Better quality aged care. Oversight of facilities run for the mega-profits of owners rather than the inmates.

Education

41 Ethics taught in primary to high schools.

42 Politics taught in years 11 and 12.

43 Free TAFE and tertiary education.

44 University funding and fees. Overseas students.

45 Early childhood education.

46 Genuine education funding levels for all public schools, free unis, and decrease/remove private school funding.

The Economy

47 Lower the retirement age to 60.

48 Reverse the cuts to research and development funding.

49 Payback government debt.

50 Scrap all subsidies to mining companies.

51 Scrap the tax-free status of all religions.

52 Scrap all tax advantages for the wealthy and privileged.

Women’s Issues

53 Address the gender pay gap.

54 Equal representation in Parliament.

55 Seriously address the problem of domestic violence.

The Environment

56 Fix the Murray Darling Water fraud.

57 Fix the Great Barrier Reef (if not too late)

58 Funding for natural disasters.

59 Meet all our global obligations.

Unemployment

60 Address unemployment funding and all disability/aged pensions, with empathy and compassion.

And Finally:

61 Implement a Hawke style Cabinet where authority is delegated to the Minister.

62 Give the Public Service back the prominence and prestige it once had instead of outsourcing to consultants and advisors.

Conclusion

Should they lose the next election, the current government will have left a legacy of deceit and dishonesty that political historians will note as “The Luddite Period.”

As seen through the eyes of the left, the list of wrongs is so long that it would take one term (at least) to restore our democracy before addressing some of the more critical points.

The list is impossible to triage. All have worthiness to one degree or another.

For a government that has failed to deliver on so much from the above list – and more – it would be a travesty of significant proportion if they win the upcoming election.

My thought for the day

In times of national security fears, the propagandists have successfully promoted the LNP as being best able to handle those fears. Or have they?

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Desperation manifests itself in many dangerous ways

Election diary No 13. Wednesday, 23 February 2022.

‘Desperation’ in team sports is different than in individual ones. We all react differently when under pressure. For those who see victory as the only outcome, how desperate you are is often the difference between winning or losing (collectively or individually)?

Desperation can be associated with many areas of life; sport, business, politics, or anything that requires a winning attitude. Therefore, it has been interesting to study Scott Morrison’s reaction to the somewhat unaccustomed pressure placed on him this year.

Desperation often brings out the best or worst in people. It can bring out a personal fear of losing – admirable qualities that bring victory or the use of unfair tactics. Morrison is desperate to maintain the power he has become accustomed to and chooses the worst of desperations qualities: Ruthlessness.

I see his personality in two parts. Firstly, his decision-making leaves a lot to be desired. Secondly, he needs to lie when he is in trouble or when being honest would be the better course. Both are, of course, in conflict with his faith and, as a consequence, prick his conscience. His religion tells him to believe his Bible literally; however, it is only the residue of things not understood and can never be a substitute for fact.

One and two combined are in direct conflict with his religion, and subsequently, this pricks at his conscience to the point that he becomes dangerously desperate. Imagine going against what your faith tells you to do so often. Indeed, the God he believes in and worships wouldn’t ask him to do the things he does.

I could enter a theological debate on that statement, but I would rather keep my argument simple.

But let’s get back to the sort of desperation he will most likely employ in the election campaign already underway. A few commentators have picked up on this aspect of Morrison’s demeanour in the past couple of weeks. Particularly when he attacks Albanese with this manner of desperation:

From 7 News:

“Billionaire businessman Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest says ministers’ rhetoric on China has entered ‘reds under the bed’ scare campaign territory.

The prime minister and defence minister have been leading the charge against Labor, accusing the party of being soft on China and labelling opposition leader Anthony Albanese as the communist party’s preferred candidate.”

Then Rachael Withers writing for The Monthly, reported that when:

“… speaking to RN Breakfast, The AFR’s Phil Coorey said that recent statements on national security by some government MPs were ‘fairly out there’, noting these were ‘desperate times’.”

Rachael Withers, in the same piece, reported that:

“In yesterday’s party room meeting, the PM basically admitted how desperate he was.”

Although he stopped short of using that word himself, his comments were nevertheless so direct that they surprised long-time political journo Katharine Murphy.

Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but just how low is this Government willing to go?”

The Australian’s editor-at-large Paul Kelly wrote that:

“… the prime minister’s partisan tactics on China “reveal a strand of desperation from the government”.”

 

 

On this day in 2020, I wrote on Facebook that:

“At this time in the electoral cycle, why would Labor want its internal policy debates to distract from a government running from crisis to crisis – from Hawaii to sports rorts to coronavirus to robot debt?”

Who’s soft on national security?

The Government’s outrageous comments have drawn condemnation from former ASIO head Dennis Richardson, who said:

“… when it comes to national security issues – foreign affairs head, defence head, Asio head, ambassador to Washington, our most important ambassador – he has said it only serves the rhetoric of the government, only serves the interests of one country: China, not Australia.the Federal Government was ‘doing the work of China’ by eroding bipartisanship on national security.”

Anthony Albanese responded to all the damaging personal abuse by saying:

“What I want to do is unite the country. I want to unite the country because unity is strength. What Scott Morrison is trying to do as a desperate political measure is to divide the country. It’s not in Australia’s national interest to have a divided country based on fake news.

We know what his own colleagues think about his capacity to not tell the truth. The fact is, his deputy prime minister has said that over a long period of time he’s observed that Scott Morrison is a hypocrite and a liar.

I say when it comes to national security, he should listen to what the director general of ASIO said this week. He should listen to what no less than the former secretary of the department of foreign affairs, head of ASIO, ambassador to Washington, appointed by John Howard – that’s Dennis Richardson’s credentials and he’s made some very strong comments this week.”

Twiggy Forrest – again – pleaded the message that the Government ought to tone down or scrap its security concerns over China, saying the “rhetoric on China has entered “reds under the bed” scare campaign territory.”

In his usual boofhead squire from the shire manner, Morrison made a complete mess of the public relations. Recent events have woken the public to the lying, Trump fake news and trash-talking. Using statements like “Labor doesn’t measure up to the mark,” Labor is on the “side of criminals,” reds under the beds, and “Labor is weak on national security” are just part of a scare campaign by the Coalition.

The Governments who have lost control of their public standing become desperate when polling shows them in danger of losing their power. Every time Morrison fronts the media, you can witness the desperation on his face. His speech quickens, as does his eye blink rate.

Of course, the Defence Minister, Peter Dutton, who ought to know better, has joined Morrison’s circus to sing from the clown’s book of desperate hits. To suggest China had picked Anthony Albanese as its election candidate showed why this very unpopular politician (he is the only one who doesn’t realise it) should never be given the leadership of anything.

That Morrison was prepared to trash our long-standing bi-partisanship in this area shows the depth of his desperation and how using gutter politics is just like kicking with the wind to him.

Former Australian Diplomat Bruce Haigh, a staunch government critic in a piece published in the Chinese Communist party’s tabloid, the Global Times last Monday, made an elementary point. He said that Labor might reset relations with China simply by not being Morrison and his Government if they win the election. And do so without necessarily making a substantial policy change.

Then came the deadest of dead cats:

“We now see evidence, Mr Speaker, that the Chinese Communist party, the Chinese government, has also made a decision about who they’re going to back in the next federal election, Mr Speaker, and that is open and that is obvious, and they have picked this bloke as that candidate,” Dutton said.

The art of diplomacy is not in their bag of political know-how.

 

Cartoon by Alan Moir (moir.com.au)

 

I wrote in my 2019 Election diary when referring to the Tony Abbott years:

“We need to know that what you are telling us is the truth. We want you to reform the system so that it is transparent, honourable and reflects your interest is in us, not you.

We want no more of the same old same old. You need not only restore our democracy but improve it. Change has to come.

The past six years has been shameful. If you cannot demonstrate that you can do these things at this election, we will come at you with baseball bats.

Those of my vintage will well remember Robert Menzies’ “Reds under your beds” scare campaigns.

We are to be invaded by the red hordes from the north,” he shouted loud and clear in every election campaign he participated in.

I remember as a young boy seeing pictures on posters in trams, in the newspapers, and news shorts at the cinema with images depicting the communist hordes thrusting their way towards us. There were others with hundreds of Chinese rolling across Sydney Harbour Bridge in their rickshaws with guns and communist flags.

Both the Trade Unions and Labor were pursued with vigorous anti-communist slurs and scare campaigns for decades.

Yes, the Carbon Tax was going to wreck the Australian economy. An insinuated crisis around every corner every day. Pathetically so, without fact or reason.

ISIS is coming to get us. And you personally. His scare campaigns were relentless dirty gutter politics. He stopped at nothing to frighten the shit out of people. So desperate was he that he promoted fear like a legitimate political weapon and wielded it unapologetically. It was like being on a permanent war footing.”

Not much has changed, has it?

The Prime Minister cannot sustain this desperate attack on the character of the Opposition leader. After national security, what else is there to attack? If Albo intends to play tiny target, Morrison will become more desperate. Will he trip himself up in the process?

My thought for the day

In view of the rise of far-right Neo conservatism I am reviewing my thoughts.

 

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The Coalition is backed into a corner – its white teeth anger is frightening

Election diary No 12. Saturday, 19 February 2022.

1 In 1996, John Howard, the then Opposition leader, offered the Australian people a “comfortable and relaxed” future. It worked a treat.

Labor had been in power for two periods and had achieved bold economic and cultural reforms.

In the 1996 election, the silent majority spoke, and Australia voted for a more peaceful future, and that’s not what they got. From Howard on, conservatives have given us cultural upheaval and political ratbaggery. It seems to work for them.

The conservatives have been in power for almost nine years. By their incompetence and adherence to ideology, they have stuffed up so many things that a likely mantra for Labor is “Let’s change for the better.”

So, in March 1996, Australia opted for a bit of calm. Years later, after a succession of failed prime ministers, the conservatives continue their abysmal flirtation with corruption and bad governance to the point where you couldn’t trust them as far as you could kick them.

Now, after two years of the coronavirus pandemic and three months into a third, delivering a comfortable and relaxed Australia might be unsuitable for the times because we have become a “do-nothing else” nation.

Repairing the many things that need to be mended won’t be accomplished with a “comfortable and relaxed” attitude.

The return of the Morrison government might give us continued “comfortable and relaxed” governance of the sort you are used to while electing an Albanese government would enable “Change for the better.”

Desperately seeking re-election this week has been noticeable for the Government’s unjustifiable attacks on the Leader of the Opposition. As its desperation grows, its shame escalates to a point of disgrace hitherto unseen in this country, leaving us in no doubt about the country’s future under them.

The attacks have honed in on national security and the character of Anthony Albanese.

Even Mike Burgess, the Chief of ASIO, found it necessary to appear with Leigh Sales on 7.30 to tell Dutton, Frydenberg and Morrison to basically shut up about Albanese being a threat to national security.

Rather timely, Rachael Withers wrote in The Monthly that:

“As deputy Labor leader Richard Marles said in an interview on RN Breakfast (in which he used the word “desperate” around 10 times in 10 minutes), the scare campaign about the ALP being China’s pick actually puts Australia’s security at risk – a sentiment backed up by the experts. “The attempt to politicise this is not only desperate, but it’s also not in the national interest,” Marles said, adding there has traditionally been strong bipartisanship in this area.”

The Government’s behaviour in Parliament during the past two weeks has been deplorable, and who knows how much lower it will stoop before it reaches rock bottom. When it’s backed into a corner, its white teeth anger is frightening. It acts like an animal in a fight to the death, and what a terrifying animal it makes.

The secret of change is to focus all your energy on not fighting the old, but on building the future. (Socrates).

2 I don’t read The Australian the Daily Telegraph, the Herald Sun, The Advertiser, the Courier Mail and the Mercury (all Murdoch journals) for the same reason I don’t eat out of the toilet.

3 For your interest, The ABC show “Vera” had a higher viewer ranking than the cringe-worthy Morrison interview on 60 Minutes with 587,000 metro viewers, just ahead of 60 Minutes on 574,000.

 

 

4 In the event of a Labor win in the May (?) election, would Treasurer Josh Frydenberg become the undisputed heir to the Liberal Party leadership, or would Peter Dutton claim it? Time will tell.

5 Deals with the devil or just buying votes?

Clive Palmer, who has previously likened the Prime Minister with Hendrick Himmler, now he is doing dirty deals with him. The Liberal Party has agreed to exchange preferences with Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party in a deal nutted out by the two parties last week. The deal could decide many marginal seats and give Palmer a fair chance of gaining a seat in the Senate and perhaps even the balance of power in a close vote.

According to Newspoll, Palmer’s vote is somewhere between 5% and 14%. Talk about buying votes.

6 The Prime Minister has had a report into allegations against Education Minister Alan Tudge since 28 January in his grubby little hands. Still, the Government cannot say if it will be dealt with before the coming election. Yet another cover-up that wouldn’t pass the pub test.

The ‘journalist for leaks’, Channel Ten commentator Peter van Onselen has revealed that Prime Minister Scott Morrison will soon cut Alan Tudge from the Ministry. Well, it’s a fair bet when you observe his name being taken from the door of his office.

Of course, Mr Tudge will be sacked, but Morrison cannot say when. You can bet it won’t be until the Parliament has risen.

7 After three years, the Conservatives confirmed today that they didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to legislate for a Federal ICAC. Incredible when you have had three years to do something about it. Yet to be seen if it will cost them votes.

8 Oh my God, not another one. Another Government grant’s scandal. This time, as reported in The Guardian, the Auditor General found that the Coalition used its $187m safer communities grants program to fund at least ten projects deemed “unsuitable” by the department.

This was after the project applicants were visited in person by Peter Dutton’s assistant minister, Jason Wood.

The Guardian reported that:

“… the audit, which found the program favoured Coalition-held seats in the lead-up to the last election, is critical of how grants were awarded more than half delivered without a “clear basis for the decision.”

9 Remember when? Memories of the last election?

With the knowledge we now have, it is perfectly reasonable to suggest that the Coalition won the last election in circumstances contrary to what people expect of our democracy.

Clive Palmer spent $60 million on advertising. This year it’s reported he will spend another $20 million. Why?

Street Signs were written in Chinese. Why?

Grants were given to sporting bodies in Coalition electorates, and the Auditor General found them out.

Unequivocally the Prime Minister lied repeatedly.

Then another $150 million scheme for government or fringe seats appeared without rules and no need to apply; just let us know how much?

If we had some form of ICAC, they would be out on their arse.

Have I made myself clear?

10 On the subject of winning, Eddie Otto, on 17 February, wrote the following Facebook comment:

“Thanks to Lynton Crosby, the Liberals have been winning elections since Howard in 1996 with the old “dead cat on the table” and contentless policies and vacuous platitudes.

And it happened again in 2019 with the Death Tax, Retiree Tax, and it has already started again…

Already creating fake Labor policies, fear-mongering, Labor “high taxing & spending”, economic mismanagement.

With no facts and figures, no justification, no validation… just lies…

And it was amplified repeatedly by the complicit mainstream media.

All the accusations are projections of the Liberal’s shortcomings.”

10 Broken promises.

In addition to breaking its promise to pass Religious Discrimination legislation this term, it can now add a bill for a National Integrity Commission.

Except on Wednesday 16 February, outgoing Liberal MP John Alexander, who reckons he would “seriously consider” supporting Helen Haine’s bill for a federal integrity commission if the independent member for Indi attempts to have her draft legislation debated by Parliament before the election.

11 Remember, $16 billion in the last budget for unallocated policies. Well, that’s code, meaning that its money put aside for Government giveaways in the election campaign.

12 The wash-up of the NSW By-elections was that large swings favoured Labor and the independents. No point repeating myself.

13 I received a message from an AIM reader asking why we don’t have donations with real-time online- and online voting. They are good points, and l will do some research.

14 The closure by Origin Energy of Australia’s most significant and largest coal mine says the 2,880MW black-coal generator in NSW is not well-suited to rapidly changing conditions in the national electricity market. Certainly, throws a cat amongst the pigeons.

My previous diary post: Let’s hear it for the ladies.

My thought for the day

If my judgment, my common sense and what my heart says is different from yours, then I might also be correct.

 

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Let’s hear it for the ladies

Election diary No 11. Wednesday, 16 February 2022.

The first thing to say about the National Press Clubs ladies’ speech day was that Albo turned up; Scomo didn’t.

1 In one of those moments you cannot manufacture, Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins at the National Press Club expressed themselves in terms that honoured their femininity. They articulated their anger in a manner usually reserved for the angriest of men. It’s the men who have to modify their behaviour.

Let’s hear it for these courageous ladies.

Conspicuous by his absence, the prime minister could have given the occasion the potency of his masculinity. He had the opportunity to display some leadership, but he seemed to belong to another era. Like Abbott, he allowed the opportunity to pass through to the keeper, reinforcing the point that it’s men who are the problem.

Sure, he would have had to experience the indignity of exposing his lack of understanding of just what women were telling him. But he could have made the statement that he cared and was prepared to listen despite the alleged embarrassment it would cause him.

Instead, again he paints himself as part of the problem and not the solution.

Tame and Higgins delivered what could be a final knockout blow for Morrison, labelling him an abuser. Now it’s up to us to ensure that the final blow is struck at the ballot box!

In a tweet, Barrie Cassidy, former Insiders presenter, described their appearance thus:

 

 

The ABC’s Dannielle Macguire and Georgia Hitch wrote an excellent summary of the two speeches at the National Press Club.

In my reading, listening on this subject, I must say that most people miss the point. That is that men are the concern. It doesn’t occur to them, so women have to tell it as it is. It is our actions that have implications for others. Some men have never grown up. It can be seen in every sphere of life, from war to rape. The rise of narcissism and inequality and the demise of compassion is a male trait.

Unfortunately, the audience at the press club was comprised mainly of females. Even male journalists failed to front up. Were they in their absence making a point, or were they too embarrassed to do so? Anyway, two better speeches you are unlikely to hear again. It was a moment in time when women of today told men of yesterday that they needed to change. Not today, not yesterday or tomorrow. But immediately.

Of course, Andrew Bolt had a different take on the event. Writing in The Herald Sun, he lamented that:

“There was “unbridled hate” for Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the National Press Club today, says Sky News host Andrew Bolt.

It comes as advocates for survivors of sexual assault and abuse, Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins, addressed the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.

“Unbridled hate, not the slightest attempt to reach out to the Liberals to join in tackling an issue that should concern all of us,” Mr Bolt said.

Bolt would have his supporters, but obviously, he also misses the point. Reaching out to Liberals has no future in it. Given their record, it would be the last thing you would do.

At some time in the human narrative … in our history, man declared himself superior to women. It must have been an accident, or at least an act of gross stupidity. But that’s men for you.

2 Scott Morrison warned his ministers (as all Prime Ministers do) that disunity spelt political death. He told the party room:

“I’m going to lead, and I’m asking you once again to follow me to an election victory.”

After an all-night sitting and as dawn approached on Thursday, five Liberals ignored the prime minister’s advice and crossed the floor to vote against Morrison’s baby; the religious discrimination bill.

The show of faces was more extensive than expected and left senior figures somewhat bewildered.

News from the Senate was no better. They didn’t have the numbers to get its religious discrimination legislation through the Senate. Liberal senator Andrew Bragg also intended to cross the floor.

It wasn’t Morrison’s only problem. As per The Guardian, a “Fresh leak revealed Scott Morrison was rolled in cabinet over a plan to win back the renegade MPs.” Now, he was facing a boilover on the right.

The over-represented Australian Christian Lobby was so aggrieved it called for the legislation to be withdrawn.

Remember Morrison had told the Christian right after seeing same-sex marriage pass through the Parliament that he would give them protection. Religious discrimination would be Morrison’s major reform, the legacy of his prime ministership.

He also saw it as a potent political wedge against Labor as ever playing the political game. But the legislation failed to protect vulnerable kids. Once again, his political judgement was found wanting. It would greatly diminish his ability to raise the voice of religious discrimination in the coming election.

The wedge had become a reverse wedgie with a two-hand grip.

 

 

Channel 10 and the Australian were reporting that:

“Scott Morrison was rolled by his own cabinet, after presenting them with a plan to save his religious discrimination bill by also putting a national integrity commission bill back on the agenda.”

3 By the end of the week, or should I say three years late, Peter Dutton sought to even the score by saying that the five (who crossed the floor) had given assurances. Any Government that takes 3 three years to pull some relatively simple legislation together doesn’t deserve to govern.

Dutton also raised the spectre of Labor being connected to China, bringing yet another scare campaign into focus.

4 Come Saturday, the headlines in mainstream media outlets confirmed that Morrison had suffered another horror fortnight of political chaos. The following day, all three journalists on Insiders were aggressive in their condemnation of our governance.

Here are some of the major headlines:

Familiar tune: Morrison opens up his home amid ‘kitchen sink’ strategy, but will it actually work? (The Sydney Morning Herald).

Scott Morrison says he ‘understands’ Canberra antivax protesters amid skirmishes with police (The Guardian).

Discriminatory ‘sword’ may spill Coalition blood (The Australian).

The government lost a dramatic showdown on religious discrimination laws overnight. So, what happened? (The ABC).

Why the Liberals will not dump Scott Morrison … but the voters might (The Sydney Morning Herald).

Our hard-ball next PM? Peter Dutton signed up ‘to play tackle, not touch’ (The Sydney Morning Herald).

The political week that ended in the toilet, literally (WAtoday).

Stood-aside MP Alan Tudge will recontest his seat, despite cloud of allegations (The Sydney Morning Herald).

5 George Christensen, the soon to depart extortioner of public funds, was found ripping off the taxpayer to the tune of $10,000 a month to feed like-minded nutters with conspiracy theories about “unelected global elites.”

 

 

In August last year, the federal Parliament condemned Christensen after describing COVID-19 restrictions as “madness“.

And the promotion of anti-vaccination, of course.

6 If you come across the word Cakeism (as used in politics), it means “You cannot be all things to everybody all the time.” Or “you cannot have your cake and eat it too.”

7 Monday 14 February, The Poll Bludger reports Newspoll 55/45 for Labor.

“Newspoll’s second poll for the year records no change on the major party primary votes since the Coalition’s disastrous result a fortnight ago, but a decline in Greens support and Anthony Albanese’s personal ratings.”

My thought for the day

Just because clowns govern us doesn’t mean it is a laughing matter.

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I write because l cannot remain silent

I awoke this morning with my mind in turmoil, foraging through “what ifs.” What if the Morrison Government was re-elected? What if they got an outright majority? The same leader with the same imbecilic ministers with cart blanche to do as they liked. What would be the consequences?

“It’s not possible,” I whispered to myself. But it speaks the voice of reason. They could be. We could easily see more cock ups like Robo Debt and Sports Rorts. They would claim a wide-ranging mandate that would see Morrison emboldened to marry politics and religion. And forget about doing anything about climate change, a National ICAC, an Indigenous voice or even a republic.

The decline in parliamentary standards of secrecy and transparency would further decline, and imagine Barnaby Joyce with the freedom to indulge himself.

The Government would give more incentives for mining coal than looking after the aged. No improvement has been made in Conservative governance for a decade. What makes you think they will improve sufficiently in another term?

They have been a decaying Government with a lousy leader for three terms. Would giving them another one see any less corruption – no, less harassment of women or any improvement in inequality or equality of opportunity?

The sheer bastardy of neoconservative thinking where a drip-down effect from the rich looks after the poor l find both shameful and revolting economics.

This is why I write about politics and social justice. You see, a lady on Facebook gave me a hiding last week for not ever giving some praise to the Government. I had to admit it was true. It was indeed something l needed to reflect on.

‘Reflection’ is a marvellous word. It means to contemplate, look back on or give serious consideration to what life throws at us, good and bad. The purpose of a diary is to record the events of the time and the emotions and circumstances surrounding said events.

Well, after four minutes on the egg timer, I had my answer. From where does my political philosophy stem? Well, l like to think that l was born with it, but that wouldn’t be true. The truth is that an ongoing observation of inequality over many years reassures me of what shaped it? Of course, it is much more complicated than that, but that will suffice for this piece.

As far as the lady who gave me a hard time goes, well, the reason that I provide no praise for the Coalition is simple. Regretfully, they are by far the worst bunch of men and women ever to govern our country. I hope that explains it.

Therefore, at 81-years-old my motivation is to see my country rid itself of by far the worst Government in my lifetime. To again become the true democracy it once was.

Am l being true to it? Sometimes in the daily grind of it all, one can easily miss the point, the why of what l do.

When confronted with the abuse the feral nutters dish out, why do l persist? Is it all worthwhile? Other writers at The AIMN, I feel sure, would attest to the time it takes to pull an article together.

Even when you want to throw mud because you are so offended by their persistent lies, it’s good to pause now and then and question one’s motives. Many questions arise for the author. Am I being objective or just biased? Is what I have written accurate and fair?

I started writing for The AIMN in November 2013 and have enjoyed some success by my standards. I don’t profess any ownership of excellent knowledge or self-righteousness. I am certainly of the left but believe that in a democracy, we should never be foolish enough to assume our opponents should never win.

I battle on, sometimes under trying circumstances, with words that are central to my life experience. I believe that the left of politics is concerned with people who cannot help themselves, whereas the right is more concerned with those who can.

But central to the purpose of my lingering observation is also to think about those who take the time, or to put it another way-make us worthy of the time they devote to reading whatever it is our minds dictate to our keyboards.

Of course, my indebtedness is extended to The AIMN’s editorial team, which devote their time to seeing that my words are in keeping with its standards.

Some years ago, a homeless man in Sydney messaged me to remind me of how important it was for me to also post my work in text form on Facebook because it’s the only way he could get it on his phone, so much he looked forward to it.

Another lady wrote about how much she enjoyed my writing. When she explained why I was filled with an immense feeling of satisfaction, the reason for what I do became clear to me.

I continue in clear conscience that I am on the right side of history. I write because l cannot remain silent.

My thought for the day

I don’t mind the criticism, but please don’t do it on an empty head.

PS: 8 Feb Question time… “The PM is a fraud,” interjected the Labor member. Withdraw, said the Speaker amid laughter. The PM makes a point that the Opposition is politicising the Pandemic. Well, l never.

 

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The government is falling apart… let’s hope the voters are paying attention

Election diary No 10. Wednesday, 9 February 2022.

1 In one of the most insincere acts of contrition ever in Australian politics, Barnaby Joyce apologises to the Prime Minister for saying nasty things about him when he was on the backbench. Things he meant, but later under different circumstances, when he became leader of his own party again, found him more likeable.

Mr Joyce said he commented in a text last year when he was a backbencher and had no working relationship with the PM. He now does and has found the PM to be a man of his word.

Kevin Rudd, the recipient of some name-calling himself, was right onto this hypocrisy, tweeting that:

“Barnaby’s claim that he barely knew Morrison before last year is ridiculous. They’d spent 8yrs together in either cabinet or shadow cabinet – including in the pressure cooker of the expenditure review committee.”

In the leaked text, forwarded to the former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins by a third-party Joyce said he did not “get alongwith Morrison:

“He is a hypocrite, and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time,” Joyce said in the message, dated March last year.

“I have never trusted him, and I dislike how earnestly [he] rearranges the truth to a lie.”

The Guardian reported that:

“… it was the second time private text exchanges, critical of the prime minister, have been leaked in a week. On Tuesday, Morrison was blindsided when the Ten Network’s political editor, Peter van Onselen, used a televised question and answer session at the National Press Club to reveal private criticism of Morrison.

Van Onselen told Morrison he had a record of a text message exchange between a party colleague and the former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian. She branded the prime minister a “horrible person” who was untrustworthy.

“The minister is even more scathing, describing you as a fraud and ‘a complete psycho’,” van Onselen said. “Does this exchange surprise you? And what does it tell us?”

Van Onselen later said the conversation was between Berejiklian and a federal minister.”

Barnaby Joyce was due to appear on Insiders last Sunday. Guess what? He declined the invitation. The home affairs minister, Karen Andrews, took his place. I’ll leave that to your own thoughts.

A Sunday night bombshell:

 

 

I expect his tweet to be splashed all over the front pages the following morning, but there was nothing. I can only find a note from a friend saying Dutton has asked for the tweet to be removed.

 

 

It was the subject of some discussion on ABC News 24 but nothing much else I. What it does highlight, however, is the infighting within the Coalition if it’s not about the future of renewables versus coal, its leadership or revenge.

It seems there is more discussion about politicians’ welfare than the peoples’.

Whether Bob Carr is exploiting an already sick situation for Morrison and the Coalition is unknown. Is it just his opinion, or does he know for sure? We shall have to wait to find out.

That Morrison is a liar is undisputed. Everyone knows it. That we now have two lying leaders makes a mockery of integrity and trust.

2 Now at the risk of repeating myself, let me talk about the voters, the ones who decide who governs us. Their opinions are reflected in the numerous opinion polls that are regularly published, but we cannot be 100% sure. Polls are often wrong.

The great majority of people come together every three years to vote unthinkingly for the party their parents voted for. As bad as they have governed, they wouldn’t betray the party.

There are others who, from election to election, glibly take little notice of the affairs of the state. They stand by dispassionately, wondering why politicians are paid so much to do so little.

I would also think that a fair proportion of voters wouldn’t even know who is standing for election in their electorate. Many wouldn’t know who they might vote for until they close the curtain on the booth.

There will be those who will decide based on the scantest information; however, given the lifestyle they live, that’s of little surprise. A modern lifestyle leaves little time for thoughts on politics.

Yet, another group changes their vote according to what’s in it for them. “How will your policies benefit me?”

By far, the largest growing group are those who have opted out of the system altogether, saying a pox on both your houses.

Smack in the middle is a cohort of non-aligned thinkers who put all else aside, placing the country’s good at the top of their priorities. They are called the swinging voter.

This group was estimated at 10% of voters long ago without research. It is now thought to be around 20%. Well that, as I recall, was John Howards figure. However, polling shows that older voters generally support the right and the younger ones the left.

Today’s voters have been subjected to (in my view) the worst governance of any period I can ever remember. The reader should assume that I don’t have a high opinion of the average voter. However, why people continue to vote for a failed party in the face of abject negligence is a mystery.

Then I turn my attention to Labor and wonder about its prospects. At the moment Albo is sitting back, allowing the Coalition to dig its own grave. Since being elected as leader he has restored some of Labor’s traditional ideology but with a modern take. There is far less importance on unions and a concentration on fairness and traditional left values like equality.

Those who want to apply the first rule of politics – obtaining power – must realise that the electorate has had enough of far-right ideology. Many are disgusted with the methods used to acquire power at all costs and its retention. Better to gather the trust of the people with good honest politics.

The door has opened for Labor to fix the many wrongs perpetrated by this undemocratic conservative bunch of unscrupulous lawbreakers full of people with little regard for the constitutional dignity of the parliament.

With scant regard for empathy, fairness, righteousness, compassion, equality of opportunity, it is prepared to go to any end to retain the power it has. A power they say they were born to rule with.

But right now the government is falling apart… let’s hope the voters are paying attention.

My thought for the day

We live in a time where horrible things are being perpetrated on us. The shame is that we have normalised them and adjusted accordingly.

 

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A prime ministerial address or a media undressing?

The Prime Minister’s National Press Club address

No, it isn’t the most straightforward job on earth. The hours are horrendous, and the expectations unimaginable. No one would take it on thinking it was a piece of cake. That’s why people are paid an enormous sum. Some do so for the power it gives them; others are genuine in their desire to create a better place. Whatever it is, you must accept the responsibilities that go with it.

Sometimes when things go pear-shaped, a leader has to stand before his distracters and confess his wrongdoings. Scott Morrison went partway in doing just that when he addressed the National Press Club last Tuesday. Did he show enough contrition equal to his deplorable governance? Well, opinions might vary, but for me, he showed little that would match his inability to govern with any quality of leadership.

His speech wasn’t an apology, nor was it a confession that he had made many mistakes and shown little foresight in confronting the issue of COVID-19. It was a grim speech, never mentioning climate change and produced little to excite a nation worn out by the invading pandemic and its variants.

Morrison had his back to the wall. One could cut a knife through the suspense. There was an expectancy on his part that the audience would be understanding of the difficulties of governing. He toyed with a self-desired sympathy for his efforts that weren’t forthcoming.

Then he suggested that the devil you know is better than the one you don’t. The Coalition was still the better money manager, and their born to rule right still applied.

For me, many factors explained his unpopularity. Before giving his address, I believed that the media in general only attributed his handling of the virus to his recent bad polling. After question time, I concluded I was wrong. The journalists were ruthless in their cross-examination of the Prime Minister, covering a wide range of subjects of a controversial nature.

The air between them and the Prime Minister was as thick as I have experienced. Maybe they were sick of being lied to.

The Guardian reported on one of those ruthless questions:

“Laura Tingle (not exactly a favourite of the PM) asked Scott Morrison if he was going to apologise for ‘the mistakes he has made as prime minister’, citing the Government’s handling of the pandemic but also Morrison’s holiday to Hawaii during the black summer bushfires in 2019 and cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).”

He didn’t directly answer the question but did admit that:

“I haven’t got everything right. And I’ll take my fair share of the criticism and the blame… We’re all terribly sorry for what this pandemic has done to the world and to this country.”

An excellent example of not answering the question.

The Liberal Party has always been a party of elites. The idea that economics and society are intertwined is abhorrent to them. Economics is the domain of the wealthy and privileged, and society belongs to those of class and privilege.

Defence involved in rollout of vaccine

The Prime Minister didn’t say sorry; he did say that if he had his time again, he’d have done the vaccine rollout differently:

“If I had my time over, I would have put [the rollout] under military operation from the outset, and not later in the year,” he said.

“As we went through those early months and we had the challenges that we had with the Health Department… I took the decision to send in General (John) Frewen and change the way we did it.

“[We] set up a change in the command structure, how logistics were managed, how it was planned.

“And it worked but I wish I’d done that earlier, and that’s a lesson.”

“Mr Morrison also said the confusion around whether and when aged care patients could be taken to public hospitals was another issue that proved challenging during the outbreaks in 2020.”

Lieutenant General John Frewen was responsible for the oversight of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

Safety in Parliament

The Prime Minister was asked what changes had been made to make Parliament and its political offices safer this year than last year.

Morrison answered that the most crucial difference this time around was the independent complaints body that was in place for anyone who was previously too worried about coming forward.

That, I think, assists everybody who works in that building,” he said. “Not enough,” l thought.

Unemployment rate

Mr Morrison was exuberant when talking about the difference in the unemployment rates between now and the last time he addressed National Press Club a year ago.

“Unemployment is at 4.2 per cent. When I stood here a year ago, it was 6.6 per cent,” the Prime Minister said.

I find the unemployment figures being thrown around at the moment almost unacceptable, including folk who work one hour a week as in full-time employment totally inappropriate. A new method of measurement needs to be found.

Cost of living

When asked about what his Government would, or could, do to ease the rising cost of living for millions of Australians. Mr Morrison’s answer was an off the shelf one:

“That is why good economic management was more important than ever.”

The truth is that the cost of living will be a significant item in this election.

When asked a standard stock question on how much a loaf of bread, a litre of petrol and a rapid antigen test cost, Mr Morrison replied that:

“I’m not going to pretend to you that I go out each day and I buy a loaf of bread and I buy a litre of milk.”

“The point is that I do my job every day to ensure that those things are as affordable as they possibly can be for Australians every single day.”

In any campaign, an answer is essential, and candidates should know it off the top of their heads. Indeed, he drives past a servo in his travels.

How do you know if he is telling the truth?

A long line of journalists asked further questions about the public anger with the PM, a few on aged care, a royal commission question on COVID-19 to which Morrison gave a non-committal answer.

Samantha Maiden asked about government members claiming expenses when staying in their own homes. He was okay with it so long as they weren’t breaking the law. David Crowe queried the availability of RATs.

Andrew Probyn asked why the prime minister thought he was the best person to lead the country. Still, the most controversial was by Peter van Onselen about tweets concerning the former Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian. It caused a bit of a stir that forced the Prime Ministers eye blink rate into overdrive. I’m sure there is more to come on that one.

All in all, it was a most unsatisfactory performance by a Prime Minister with his back to the wall. His Ministers, who would remain much the same if he wins the election, need shoulder much of the blame. It is as well the National Press Club address isn’t a viewing highlight of the week for the general population. They would have been very disappointed.

To those who say Albo doesn’t have charisma, I ask which of the following. Did:

John Howard, Julia Gillard, John Hewson, Bob Hawke, Gough Whitlam, Bill Shorten, Kim Beasley, Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Fraser, Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison?

There are three, and they are all Labor.

My thought for the day

Power is a malevolent possession when you are prepared to forgo your principles and your country’s wellbeing for the sake of it.

 

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Chalk up another couple for the Government

Election diary No 9. Wednesday, 2 February 2022.

1 All governments make mistakes, but this one’s capacity for cock ups is becoming legendary. So consistent are they that they are like a daily thunderstorm of crisis downpours.

This time, pharmacists have their knickers in a knot over the prime minister’s “free” rapid antigen test program.

News.com.au reported that they have dubbed the RAT test debacle as “reckless and negligent.” If this is so, it could cause trouble for the Government.

According to pharmacists, the so-called “free” rapid antigen test program with a $10 rebate that won’t cover the wholesale cost and won’t be refunded for weeks.

It means that the Government expects the pharmacists (small businesses) to hand out the tests free to concession cardholders, leaving them out of pocket.

The crux of the matter, according to the pharmacists, is that had the Government ordered the tests directly from wholesalers in November and December, it could have handed them out free or at a cost to taxpayers of $5 per test.

Conversely, the Government is:

“… offering a rebate of double the amount – $10 for a single test to chemists – when soaring demand means that the wholesale price is now more than the rebate.”

How stupid is that?

The wholesale price has risen to $12 “off the back of” huge orders placed by state and federal governments during January:

“Pharmacists say they are paying as much as $12 or more for the tests wholesale in some instances, as demand soared off the back of massive orders from state and federal governments in January.”

Adding to the frenzy, the scheme started last Monday with pensioners and concession cardholders unable to sauce the “free” tests.

It was last August that Scott Morrison first raised the issue of RATS tests. No excuses on this one.

Chalk this up as a massive fail.

Lies continue to flow from the Prime Ministers lips with all the frequency of opinions from Andrew Bolt.

The campaigns

2 The Prime Minister continues his preliminary Clayton’s campaigning, trying to convince all and sundry that he is responsible for everything good that happens as if it is a gift from a higher order. At the same time, he refuses to “risk his parliamentary majority” by condemning ministers in his party who cross the fine line of incompetence. The hypocrisy has not gone unnoticed.

3 Last Sunday, 30 January, the consensus on the first Insiders panel seemed to be that although Labor was well ahead in the polls and would win if an election were held now. The Coalition still had plenty of time to recover.

Later the same day, Newspoll released its first poll for the year and described it as a horror result for the Government. 56-44 to Labor. Read more at The Poll Bludger.

The importance of this poll is that it is the first one close to the election that signals how people will vote. Generally, in the election cycle, polls only measure how people are thinking at the time. From here on in, they measure peoples voting intentions.

Albanese speaks to the National Press Club

4 In a very down to earth speech to the National Press Club the Opposition Leader impressed with his sincerity.

During the questioning period, the ABCs, Andrew Probyn, asked Albanese to explain who he was. The obvious inference was that nobody knew him. He gave his standard stock answer that he will probably repeat a hundred times during the campaign, but I would make the point that there isn’t a lot to know. And I would add to that, that ALP campaign strategists should make a virtue of it.

Compare Morrison, a Prime Minister embroiled in corruption, an unhealthy attitude toward women with a fundamentally conservative narrow world view versus Alabanese, a clean skin with no hint of controversy, a progressive who sees things as they are and could be. A man for the times.

Just because clowns govern us, it doesn’t mean it is a laughing matter.

Accountability

5 Worth repeating this from January 2020, but a few months after the 2019 election, the McKenzie Sports Rorts scandal seems to be growing legs by the day. With the PM making a major speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday, he won’t want this on his head unless he wants to face a line-up of the best journalists in the land.

For me, it is inconceivable that in the process of making announcements daily during the election, he knew nothing of how they came about. He must have taken part in the process to have authority over his statements.

It still follows him everywhere here he goes.

Uncoloured waters

6 Another ongoing crisis has been the state of the Great Barrier Reef. It has been in crisis for as long as I can recall, yet the Morrison Government now decides on the eve of an election that they can spare a billion dollars over ten years to fix things up.

Pub test, anyone?

7 The response has been a resounding voice of disbelief from the scientific community, who with raised voices of a resounding crescendo saying, “you fix it when you fix climate change, you fools.”

And whatever happened to the $440 million Malcolm Turnbull gave to some little tinpot show up north with liberal party connections?

Telling the truth should not be delayed because we are not sure how people might react to it.

Responsibility

Let’s be serious. Richard Colbeck would not be the Aged Care Minister if a better person were available. Instead of giving his portfolio his full attention when asked to attend a Senate Enquiry, he said he couldn’t justify diverting his time. He was at the cricket for three days. There wasn’t a crisis at the cricket, but there is in aged care.

 

Cartoon by Alan Moir (moir.com.au)

 

Writing in The Monthly, Rachel Withers reported the Prime Minister’s response in unglowing terms:

“Morrison defended his minister against the “knockers”, insisting that Colbeck – who has been slammed in the past for not knowing how many aged-care workers had been vaccinated or how many residents had died – works very hard. Pushed on the fact the incident did not pass the pub test, the PM insisted that Colbeck had taken the feedback “on board”. “He will take that criticism on the chin,” Morrison said, “and he’ll get back to work, which he does every single day.” One wonders whether those “knockers” who have lost loved ones in residential aged care (415 residents have died this year alone) or the overworked staff will also be willing to take it on the chin.”

The left of politics is concerned with people who cannot help themselves. The right is concerned with those who can.

9 When he was elected, Tony Abbott was quick to have a Royal Commission into four pink batts deaths. Still, a more practical examination of the occurrences of covid would be to look at the separation of the politics from the event to find the best path forward should a future event occur.

My thought for the day

In 2011 Malcolm Turnbull didn’t think there was a need for an inquiry into the news media but agreed with the then PM Gillard that Newscorp should stop publishing crap. They still do.

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For ‘lack of integrity’ the Morrison government scores an A+

Election diary No 8. Saturday, January 29 2022.

As one summers day oozes into the next and the heat on small bald feet diminishes, kids, prepare for the start of another school year, having learned that it isn’t as bad as they thought.

Having downed his last stubbie and Mum having prepared her last meal in unfamiliar surroundings, both give their thoughts to returning to work.

Unlike most years, this one is different. Mum and Dad and all those 18 and over will have to vote, some for the first time. And others like my wife and I will be doing so for the umpteenth time.

Some take it seriously. Others do so because they are expected to. Most vote for the same party every time. Too many, because they are dissatisfied with the system, don’t vote at all. And then some vote after giving serious consideration to why they are doing so.

With a likely May election, now is the time we all pay more attention to what our politicians are doing and saying. Given that the stakes are so high in this election, people may give their thoughts over to things like integrity now that the current media focuses somewhat on politicians’ behaviour.

When l say the stakes are high, I’m not kidding. This Government collectively is a bunch of the most corrupt, self-serving politicians who will further destroy our democracy if given the opportunity.

There is an abundance of evidence to support my claims. Even now, we have a repetitive TV commercial that claims emissions have come down by 15%, whereas The Guardian reports they have risen by 7%. It might just be me, but I’ll take The Guardian‘s word over the Government’s any day.

The pre-election period is when the Government thinks it’s perfectly alright to spend our taxpayer’s money on falsehoods that make them look good. The budget for this lying rises considerably before each election.

If you live on a hill, look out for the pork barrels

There is always the temptation to use taxpayers’ money in marginal seats in the pre-election period. No doubt, most will recall the Sports Rorts affair when in the lead-up to the 2019 election, the Government used the $100m community sports grants program to prop up many seats. Later a massive scandal broke when the Auditor General found the grants were not awarded consistent with assessed merit and were biased in favour of marginal electorates.

This was followed by the revelation that the Auditor General also had a problem with $660m allocated to 47 sites for commuter car parks. 77% were located in Coalition electorates. Headlines like; Sports rorts on steroids’: scathing report finds Coalition car park program not effective or merit-based followed.

With a significantly increased war chest of $15.9bn in unidentified spending for “decisions taken but not yet announced,” a whopping increase on the previous year’s December budget update figure of $1.5bn.

We must be vigilant and watch out for the Government’s pork barrelling attempts in marginal seats. It is difficult to see them trying to put one over on the electorate again, but it isn’t beyond them.

The money rolls in

Political donations begin to roll in during the pre-election period to back the winner and buy influence into the future.

The big story in the 2019 election was Clive Palmer’s $60m to fund his own campaign. There wasn’t a suggestion of illegality, and he failed to win a seat; however, there can be no doubt that his repetitious anti-Labor advertising made a considerable difference to the Coalition’s vote.

Yes, you’re correct. Grattan Institute analysis tells us that the parties’ top 5% of donors account for more than half of their declared donations. And guess who they might be.

We all know of the subsidies given to the gambling companies property, mining and construction companies that would be better spent elsewhere. No wonder their donations are so sizable.

Something urgently needs to be done about political donations and their disclosure. An excellent first step to squashing this grey corruption is making it more visible.

Real-time disclosure is a must. The Grattan Institute reports that:

“… we won’t find out where the money came from until February 2023 because donation disclosures are only published annually. And even then we will only get a partial picture because high declarations thresholds and big loopholes mean that the major parties generally declare less than 60% of their total private funding.”

Taxpayer-funded political advertising

Governments frequently significantly bolster taxpayer-funded advertising in the months before election campaigns.

The guidelines are supposed to restrict taxpayer-funded advertising for political purposes. However, the Grattan Institute examinations tell us:

“… that over the past five elections, federal governments have doubled their spending in the two-to-three months before an election, compared to the previous three months.”

With a budget in March, goodness knows what they will throw into their electioneering.

The analysis published in The Guardian suggests another 59 million dollars will be spent on advertising.

The “positive energy” campaign and advertisements about the Government securing more rapid antigen tests have already hit our screens. Both are full of inaccuracies, I suggest. Or just plain propaganda.

Government appointments galore, or is that galah?

The Grattan Institute reports that:

“Ministers are responsible for filling hundreds of positions on independent government boards and agencies. In the lead-up to an election, there seems to be a rush to fill these spots – even some of the ones that aren’t currently vacant.

Governments like to control who sits in powerful positions, even more so when these positions are prestigious or well-paid. A forthcoming Grattan Institute report will show that appointing “political mates” to these positions is becoming more common.”

There isn’t much to be done except to highlight the hypocrisy. These appointments of former politicians and staffers need to be forensically examined by the media and Labor. Hopefully, the press will provide background on those who get a position.

We dislike and resist change in the foolish assumption that we can permanently make us feel secure. Yet change is, in fact, part of the very fabric of our existence.

Looking at a way to boost integrity?

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese, in his address to the Press Club on Tuesday, January 25, placed great emphasis on the restoration of the dignity that once was the Australian parliament. Making things transparent that have been allowed to disappear will take more effort, and still more challenging will be the replacement of those who have made it all possible. It won’t be easy to suppress the influence of money and corruption after it has flourished carte blanche for a decade or more. But all of it must be done.

Elections allow all of us a chance to change things. They afford us the opportunity to right wrongs and start afresh.

In his speech, Albanese said:

“A country and a people as extraordinary as ours deserve a government to match. A government of competence and a government of integrity. A government that doesn’t get out of the way but helps to create the way.”

Hear hear, Albo. Hear hear.

My thought for the day

Just because we are governed by clowns doesn’t mean it is a laughing matter. The first duty of any government, if they don’t already have it, is the acquisition of integrity.

PS: When actions speak louder than words. Congratulations, Grace Tame.

 

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The longevity of conservative bullshit clogs their veins with hypocrisy

Election Diary No7, Wednesday, January 26 2022

People need to wake up to the fact that Government affects every part of their lives and should be more interested. But there is a deep-seated political malaise that is counter to representative democracy.

Less informed voters, unfortunately, outnumber the more politically aware. Therefore, conservatives feed them all the bullshit they can. And the menu generally contains a fair portion of hypocrisy and lies.

Hypocrisy is one area where conservatives dwell on the unthinking individual who has no idea of the ideological beliefs of different parties: the hundreds of thousands of people that take little notice of politics.

The word hypocrisy means a pretence to have a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not possess. A façade of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude. Or a situation where someone pretends to believe in something they don’t, or the opposite of what they do or say at another time.

1 When as Treasurer Scott Morrison repeatedly said of negative gearing that there were “excesses in the system” and decided to do nothing about them, it would be reasonable to conclude that he is a hypocrite.

Not long ago, former Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull co-wrote a paper that suggested that negative gearing skewed “national investment away from wealth-creating pursuits, towards housing.”

Could we be blamed for saying “bloody hypocrite” when he did an about-turn on climate change policies that he had assured the people he believed in to attain the leadership over a long period?

Like when you profess to be fixing a problem when you are doing the opposite. Examples are many. In 2016 Malcolm Turnbull said that negative gearing was “tax avoidance”; it could be seen as gross hypocrisy in light of his support for it later on.

Another example of hypocrisy: In 2015, 500 workers who benefited from Gillard’s edict that non-faith-based workers be allowed in our schools were replaced by chaplains sourced predominantly from big Christian organisations. It is a secular public school system, and it is fundamentally wrong be you religious or not.

In 2016 it seemed that Evangelical Christians were gaining most from the National School Chaplaincy scheme, earning millions of dollars. Kirsty Needham, writing in The Sydney Morning Herald that year reported that:

Generate Ministries has won $4 million to provide chaplains to 202 of the 438 NSW schools participating in the scheme in 2016.

The Hillsong-linked Your Dream will earn $1.4 million for 70 schools (up from 50 last year), while Macquarie Life Church will provide chaplains in 20 regional schools.

We are supposed to have a secular public school system. Religious Chaplains in secular schools was hypocritical.

When in his maiden speech, the present Prime Minister alludes to good Christian commonplace values of compassion and love for his fellow humans and then behaves entirely differently toward asylum seekers; then again, I suggest he is being hypocritical:

“From my faith I derive the values of loving-kindness, justice and righteousness; to act with compassion and kindness, acknowledging our common humanity and to consider the welfare of others; to fight for a fair go for everyone to fulfil their human potential and to remove whatever unjust obstacles stand in their way, including diminishing their personal responsibility for their own wellbeing; and to do what is right, to respect the rule of law, the sanctity of human life and the moral integrity of marriage and the family. We must recognise an unchanging and absolute standard of what is good and what is evil. Desmond Tutu put it this way: … we expect Christians … to be those who stand up for the truth, to stand up for justice, to stand on the side of the poor and the hungry, the homeless and the naked, and when that happens, then Christians will be trustworthy believable witnesses. These are my principles. My vision for Australia is for a nation that is strong, prosperous and generous: strong in our values and our freedoms, strong in our family and community life, strong in our sense of nationhood and in the institutions that protect and preserve our democracy; prosperous in our enterprise and the careful stewardship of our opportunities, our natural environment and our resources; and, above all, generous in spirit, to share our good fortune with others, both at home and overseas, out of compassion and a desire for justice.”

A close observation of his words reveals the narrowness and simplicity of his thinking; his views seem to be closed to other people’s values, thoughts and ideas. His standards are those he thinks others should have, his family, church, and the community, so everyone should have them. His words seem to represent a world long gone without considering what the future offers. “Well, that’s what my father believed in, and he was a good bloke” seems to be what he is trying to tell people, but society is changing quicker than he can think. The hypocrisy of not seeing it is blinding.

Do you shape the truth for the sake of good impression? On the other hand, do you tell the truth even if it may tear down the view people may have of you? Alternatively, do you simply use the contrivance of omission and create another lie. I can only conclude that there is always pain in truth but there is no harm in it.

2 When will an election be held?

The Government has issued a parliamentary sitting calendar indicating that it intends to hold the federal Budget on 29 March 2022. The Government can change the sitting calendar, and there is no guarantee that the Budget will be held on that day however if it is that only leaves 3 possible election days (7, 14 and 21 May).

Any 2022 election held before 7 May 2022, would, according to the proposed sitting calendar, only have the Parliament sit during the February sitting weeks (and only the first week for a 19 March election). This means that any legislation the Government wants to pass in the current term would need to be passed by both Houses by the end of that sitting. An election on 14 or 21 May would potentially allow the March and April sitting periods to also go ahead.

A total of 10 sitting days before the election. Isn’t that deplorable?

The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, and sidekick senator Malcolm Roberts say the Coalition should not expect their votes until the Government rolls back the state-based vaccination mandates and border restrictions. It has never meant much in the past.

So, May 21 looks to be the date we will vote to see who will lead us into the future. One way or the other.

3 Weight problems.

Clive Palmer’s mind, like his body mass, is highly inflated, but he does carry a lot of weight into this election. I read recently that he plans an even bigger spend for the 2022 election. It will exceed $80 million. Yes, it is a lot of money to prevent the Labor Party you dislike from gaining power and electing a known fool instead.

As reported in the Brisbane Times, the unvaccinated mining billionaire says the United Australia Party “will run the most expensive political campaign in Australian history” at the next election. He would also lead the UAP’s Queensland Senate ticket.

4 Speaking of a strange character who is a member of the Coalition, George Christensen, as reported in The Guardian, will not be standing at the upcoming election. Still, it looks as though he will turn up the volume on his conspiracy theory and anti-vaccination commentary.

The Prime Minister has described his commentary as dangerous; however, nothing seems to discourage this thick head from his own stupidity.

In recent months, Christensen’s commentary has varied from the ludicrous to the idiotic.

His public commentary has included pushing anti-vaccination messages, climate change denial, conspiracy theories, and comments that have vandalised his own Government’s public health messaging. One headline in The Guardian read; “George Christensen advocates for civil disobedience as vaccine mandates rock Coalition.” Not a nice person.

5 On top of that, the other nutter Craig Kelly who thinks he knows more than those with the brightest minds, is set to join others to make the first sitting week of the Parliament a misery for the Prime Minister.

Neither of these (Christensen and Kelly) represent their respective parties in the usual way, speaking out against it at every opportunity. However, today’s circumstance dictates that Morrison cannot dismiss them without using some principle.

It remains to be seen who the nutters are who will replace them.

The mainstream media will only ever print or say whatever is in its best interests. Then it might say something interesting and truthful.

My thought for the day

A commitment to using critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, is the best way to solve human problems. That leaves conservatives out of the equation.

 

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There’s a sense of disbelief at Morrison’s ignorance, lying, arrogance and supposed Christianity

Diary No 6, Saturday, January 22 2022

1 When lying comes back to torment you, you cannot just tell another to make the first one go away.

Last week in familiar fashion, our Prime Minister, in answer to a question, said that those held in detention in Australia for eight, maybe 10, years had not been recognised as refugees.

Naturally enough, human rights advocates in this area quickly corrected the prime minister, Scott Morrison, telling him he was wrong.

The Djokovic case exposed our ‘dysfunctional and dangerous‘ Australian visa rules.

As I understand it, there are 25 refugees and seven asylum seekers currently held in the Park Hotel.

Once again, Australia’s draconian border policies have been forced into the spotlight since the detention of tennis star Novak Djokovic at the notorious Park hotel in Melbourne, where dozens of asylum seekers and refugees are detained indefinitely.

The Guardian reports that:

On 2GB radio last Monday, Morrison was asked by Ben Fordham how it was “acceptable” that refugees in the same hotel as Djokovic had been detained for almost nine years with taxpayers spending millions of dollars “to keep them in limbo.”

In response, Morrison suggested the detainees were not refugees:

“Well, the specific cases, Ben, I mean, it’s not clear that to my information that someone in that case is actually a refugee,” he said.

“They may have sought asylum and been found not to be a refugee and have chosen not to return, and … that happens in this country, people aren’t found to be refugees and they won’t return.”

However, the Australian director of Human Rights Watch, Elaine Pearson, said that:

“…most of those held in the Park hotel had been granted refugee status.”

“It’s an outright lie to say that these people are not refugees, when most of them have had their refugee status formally recognised for years,”

“They’ve been through that process, and it is established that they simply can’t return to their country.”

Late on Wednesday, January 19, Morrison refused any apology, saying he had “answered to the best of my knowledge at that time.”

Later he put on his old Minister for Immigration cap using the (words of the period) referring to people who had arrived in Australian waters as illegals – then omitting to say that it was legal to apply for asylum under international rules. Yet another lie of omission.

Nothing matters in life so much as to live it decently. And you don’t need any form of conspiratorial belief to do so. Just be as humane as you can possibly be.

Morrison’s reputation as a profound liar is now so entrenched in our minds that it is legitimate to enquire every time he opens his mouth, is he speaking an absolute truth or just his version of it.

My pages weep in disbelief at his ignorance, lying, arrogance and supposed Christianity.

You have made your point, Prime Minister, that you are inflexible and have been so to the detriment of people for many years. For me, the reality here is when we as Australian citizens will say to our Government that enough is enough. Just how long are these men and boys expected to live as symbols of your toughness. Is ten years enough? Is your intention 15 or beyond 20. At least have the intestinal fortitude to say it. Our Prime Minister didn’t seem to know.

They have been moved from place to place without revealing their supposedly committed crimes. If my Government cannot bring itself to do that, it is obliged to tell its citizens what these men and boys are being held for. When will my Government be honest and show some compassion? Alas, I believe it is beyond them.

As usual, the Prime Minister was conspicuous by his absence when the decision to deport the world’s number one tennis player was made.

He let others make the announcements. No matter whose side you are on in this argument, remember this: “We told the guy that he has got an exemption. We invited him here. We gave him a visa.”

On Wednesday, January 20, at a doorstop speech, come press conference, Scott Morrison denied ever saying what he did. And in the hour-long doorstop, it was the case that everyone else was wrong, and he held a sort of ownership of righteousness. It is appalling the way he won’t take responsibility for anything.

Humility is the basis of all intellectual advancement. However, it is the truth that enables human progress.

2 Is this the beginning of the end?

A survey showing that the Coalition has taken a significant hit in its popularity has slashed its primary vote from 39 to 34, per cent putting Labor in a strong position.

A Resolve Political Monitor survey has found that voters are rapidly losing confidence in the Governments handling of the economy, jobs, health, and the coronavirus response. Or anything for that matter.

I, for one, am not in the least surprised that Labor’s primary vote has gone from 32 to 35 per cent since November. The survey confirms what most people think of this disgusting Government.

Morrison still has the edge over Labor leader Anthony Albanese as preferred prime minister but leads by only 38 to 31 per cent and has lost the big lead he held on this measure just a couple of months ago.

“The contest has been quite close up until now, but Labor now holds a significant two-party preferred vote lead,” said Resolve director Jim Reed.

“The Coalition needs to be well in front of Labor on primary vote to win because they get a minority of preferences from minor parties and independents, and they’re just not there at the moment. In fact, this is the first time they have trailed Labor on primary vote in our tracking.”

3 Speaking of Hillsong (from Rossleigh’s article; “Why You Should Definitely Do Your Own Research“):

I guess you’re all wondering how “rules are rules” when it comes to a tennis player, but Hillsong can sing and dance and escape a fine because it’s not in the public interest. You’re probably wondering how they managed to corner the market on RATs as well, but you need to remember that the Lord moves in mysterious ways and such things are a mystery to the non-believer.

4 From the master back-flipper himself on George Christensen’s anti-vax stand:

”I strongly disagree with the message sent out by Mr Christensen regarding children’s vaccinations,” Morrison said in a statement. “It is contrary to the official professional medical advice provided to the government and I urge parents to disregard his dangerous messages in relation to vaccines.”

So strong were the Prime Ministers thoughts on Mr Christensen’s opinions on vaccinating our children that he refused to sack the Member. Now that’s authentic leadership for you. We need that in these times of crisis.

Christensen and a few other thoughtless members of the Coalition have become vocal critics of the Government’s vaccination program – campaigning against mandates. They are all dickheads of the highest order, and I wonder how many more of the ratbags will join the Coalition at the next election.

Previous Diary Entry: No 5Comparative justice: Djokovic Vs Seekers of it.

My thought for the day

When a political party deliberately withholds information that the voter needs to make an informed, balanced and reasoned assessment of how it is being governed. It is lying by omission. It is also tantamount to the manipulation of our democracy.

PS: A comment by Kaye Lee on my last post is well worth repeating:

“It’s not the comments that are the problem Scotty… it’s the lack of foresight of the Government in preparing for what would happen when they got rid of basically all restrictions at once and said to the unvaccinated go forth and party.”

 

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