We are an unforgiving lot, Tony
One of the really big issues Australia faces is the apparent disillusionment with the political process. In the last election 3,000,000 people decided not to vote. Why? My guess is that they were sick of Labor’s infighting and detached from anything Tony Abbott had on offer.
They couldn’t forgive Labor and, despite having major misgivings about Abbott, decided to give him a go. After all he had promised a no surprises, no excuses government that would govern for all. Competent, and above all, trustworthy. When eventually he was elected and the electorate had vented their anger at Labor he announced that the adults were in charge and set about “reforms” never mentioned in the election campaign.
We all know now that that was nonsense. Those who were of the right dutifully gave him their vote whilst the non-political, although a tad suspicious, took a chance. Those of us more politically circumspect sat back with fingers on our keyboards ready to type ‘I told you so’ in the boldest typeface.
The question will not be answered for some time yet but in my view Abbott will be a one term government. He has squandered so much political capital that he won’t be able to recover. Although if they were to change leader it might be a possibility. Even taking into account the complexities that can arise from the political process it is difficult to imagine a transformation that might turn things around. The electorate is heartily sick of the endless sound bites so suited to the Abbott style of gutter politics.
The Prime Minister has been branded and proven to be a malicious liar. He has to carry that with him to the next election. Ask Julia Gillard how difficult that is. Not only that. People have formed a profile of their leader and it isn’t pretty. He represents all that is wrong with our political process, discourse and the illusive notion of the democratic ideal. In fact they see him as having vandalised it.
One of my Facebook friends put it like this:
Our system of government has reached a critical low point where the value of every aspect of humanity that is supposed to embody political representation as a tool of collective representation has been eroded, destroyed and devalued beyond relevance.
Abbot has trashed trust, epitomised incompetency, legitimised lying, validated vindictive vitriol, beget bad behavior, betrayed bipartisanship, destroyed democracy, eroded equality, divided diversity, killed consensus, sidelined science, and is contemptuously corrupt and erroneously elitist (Ricky Pann).
It has been a leaderless dysfunctional government of unfairness, more intent on undoing than doing. Vindictive and ideologically obsessed with self-interest. A government with ministers seemingly out of touch with the electorate and their expectations. More focused on their expense accounts than servitude. Instead of governing for the common good it has been intent on serving those who voted for it.
Now on Christmas Eve the Prime Minister has grudgingly acknowledged some fault in presentation, conversation and explanation. He cannot however bring himself to the point of admitting gross errors of judgment. That he has been wrong, instead insisting he is on the right track with the right policies.
“A year of great achievement”, he says. The polls say otherwise.
His answer seemingly is to have a bells and whistles cabinet reshuffle take a long break over Christmas, reset the political agenda, sticking with the same policies with some re-working and everything will be fine again.
This of course is a fallacy. The New Year will begin with most of the same problems, an unresolved unequivocally unfair budget, doctors co-payment, revised family welfare, RET, emissions target, university fees, etc., not having been resolved, another budget to cope with in a matter of months, and many more unpalatable decisions on the way. In fact events of a world scale seem to be creating a set of almost insurmountable problems. He cannot possibly hope to be an emissary of good news.
Yet he thinks this can all be resolved with a holiday, a natural sun tan and some fresh faces. The ministry re shuffle has some positives and negatives. Participation for women in the ministry has doubled. I’m glad you cannot hear my laughter. Science has been reinstated but that might be in name only.
“Sometimes it helps if you put these things in the title”, Mr Abbott said.
The appointment of Josh Frydenberg as Assistant Treasurer was a no brainer. Kevin Andrews as defence Minister is a mystery. If you were looking to be rid of old wood then he would be the first to go. Dutton out of health was a necessity.
And the appointment of Scott Morrison to the Social Services Ministry will be deeply unpopular with the electorate. The budget failed on the basis of its unfairness. 41% of LNP voters agreed. Now he will be asked to sell the next one having a reputation for draconian demonization. A man who personifies the word unfair. His character is already stained with the word cruel. Remember Morrison recently blackmailed the Senate with the lives of children.His appointment contains a sinister message.
Giving him a portfolio that requires the ability to show firmness together with empathy, in my view lacks political intelligence and the implication is about more inequality.
“He is very tough and competent political operator but he is also a decent human being”.
The inference, I think, being that only tough people can do humane things.
The Prime Minister has so branded himself in the personality of an unmitigated liar and fool that no amount of re branding will earn the electorate’s forgiveness.
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Sir ScotchMistery
Return to home pageThis petition: https://www.communityrun.org/petitions/stop-this-government-s-madness is finally, after many months, on its way to 300 signatures and seems at last to be gaining some traction. But we still have a long way to go and mustn’t let up. If this government goes to term it will have done almost irreparable damage to this country, its economy, its standing in the eyes of the world, its reputation as a free and fair country and one of the best places in the world to live in and its reputation as a safe place for those who, for whatever reason face persecution and worse in the land of their birth. We are travelling down a very dangerous road. History is replete with the lessons of dictatorial governments and their behaviour towards their own people. We only have to think of Stalin and Hitler as the stand-out examples, but in more recent times we have the terrorist regimes of Pol Pot, Mugabe, the Argentine Generals and the morally bankrupt string of North Korean leaders to name but a few. Whilst Australia might appear not to be in danger of descending into tyrrany and dictatorship, we are travelling that road because of an ideologically-driven minority government. It does not take long for nations to reach a tipping point where they descend uncontrollably into ungovernability thus creating the ideal conditions for overt dictatorship to take over from democracy. Indeed we are not being governed democratically now. Witness the increasing use of, and threat of use of, regulation instead of legislation to impose ideologically-driven economic doctrine and the imposition of draconian new State powers. This is a minority already imposing its will upon the majority and, like it or not, that is dictatorship and it’s fledging its wings here and now. If we allow this to happen, the road back will be long hard and dangerous. It must stop now. Please, if you haven’t already done so, sign this petition – https://www.communityrun.org/petitions/stop-this-government-s-madness now and pass it on to you know and respect as intelligent,decent and humane. Let’s give this government a Christmas to remember.
I was afraid that Abbott would use his reshuffle to put forward some kinder and more conciliatory people who would lull us back to being ‘relaxed and comfortable’. I needn’t have worried.
Nothing, I say nothing, could be more indecent than Morrison.
Tough love is bullshit.
Love is love toughness has a myriad of applications depending upon circumstances.
That these immoral fools could use words like love, ethical, empathy, morality, justice in the same breath is mind boggling.
Actions proceed concocted narratives as the philosopher of mind Daniel Dennet so ably demonstrated.
If the actions and narrative conflict then the narrative is a lie.
But this requires science and logic and now we have that fool Macfarlane as minister of stuff you shouldn’t talk about.
They hate science because they know they are standing upon very, very thin ice logically and rationally.
So actions do speak louder than the words of mythological retribution born of a vile judgmental fundamentalist God.
Facts can be so depressing.
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Only a war of epic proportions will save Abbott.
Right across the board Aussies loathe him.
“We are an unforgiving lot, Tony”
Yes, we probably are. And impatient too.
But it’s not always an indication of our kind spirit, empathy, generosity and/or altruism. I believe THAT is where the Abbott government overstepped the mark…. they pissed-off too many groups too quickly. Instead of demonising and weakening on group at a time… they (and their msm boosters) got a bit overenthusiastic.
There are far too many lazy, frightened, self-absorbed, mean, fickle, spoiled, narrow-minded, disengaged, mercenary, incurious “aspirational”, distracted or just plain dumb voters out there who will accept the persecution and disadvantage of others… as long as it doesn’t impact on them. THEN they start to take notice, and don’t forgive.
Clueless, ham-fisted Oaf Abbott’s mistake was in alienating too many groups too quickly. He should have studied his mentor, JW Howard. Now THERE was a cunning, toxic prime miniature who knew how to divide an conquer!!
Goo stuff John Lord. Much appreciate your facebook pal’s words.
Tony Dum Dum want’s it all now.
He is so confused that we are such a nasty lot of thankless swill.
Kick a pensioner a day and throw your second term away.
Too right we are unforgiving and you are a goner.
Little Johny is tearing what is left of his hair out.
So much for the master’s apprentice.
Certainly reflects well on Howard.
So many nasty little needles involved in a death by a thousand self-inflicted cuts.
I try not to laugh.
OK i’m fibbing cause Tony said its alright to lie.
All very well, so long as the idiot voters remember what the LNP has done.
Put the “N” back into “CUTS”.
Dear Mr Morrison, I am so excited by Abbott’s declaration that you will focus on economic participation. I take it that as a Christian you will create 750,000 well paid jobs. Your prays will heal the sick and disabled. A true miracle maker?
A LATE AFTERNOON THOUGHT
The PM continues to tell the blatant and obnoxious lie that households received $550 of their energy bill as a result of the repeal of the carbon tax. Total bull. Now on top of that he sees it as his greatest achievement for women. Words fail me.
Dear John Lord,
I have to say that words have not failed me.
My wife however says if I were to write those words here, the ironing and cooking and vacuuming would not be done this afternoon, as she would be chasing me about the house with her broomstick, asking “WTF will people think of us when you go public with such filth”.
SSM
John
Putting Morriscum into the Social Services portfolio is on par with putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank.
The team Tonetanic has just reshuffled the deckchairs the hull is smooth because all the barnicles are on deck settled in their deckchairs.
Our Tones inherited the dead wood from Nelson and Turdbull and with just one vote in it for him he was between a rock and a hard place, unable to jettison any flotsam and boy does he have lots to get rid of.
Terrified he might be deposed aka Game of Thrones, he can only get rid of one clown who was up the creek with out a paddle let alone a canoe all self inflicted. roll on the next election.
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@John LOrd
https://twitter.com/1millionwomen/status/546879409467056128/photo/1
Scott Morrison appointed Minister for Social Services. In his first interview he has announced a new logo for his department, instead of Social Security it will now be known as the SS. When asked further questions by reporters Morrison said that he could not comment about operation on-welfare matters. This reporter understands that Transfield is being contracted by the Gov to begin building employment training camps in the central desert to be staffed by G4S training guards. It is understood the government intends to fund each unemployed, disabled, aged, homeless, sick, mentally ill, and most of the youth of Australia to attend these camps so they can experience the joy of work. After all Morrison has a new motto for his department, WORK SETS YOU FREE. This was apparently suggested to him by cabinet colleague Eric Abetz whose uncle saw it where his party worked in Germany many years ago, ARBEIT MACH FRIE at a place called Auschwitz.
A conversation usually dissolves into anarchy at the juncture where a comparison is made to Hitler or the Nazi Party (National Socialists), which of course is ridiculous with these catholics.
Hitler was able to attract people to the party by the strength of his character and his vision and the hundreds of thousands of folk who stood and cheered at the Nuremberg rallies was proof of his attraction.
Tony Abbott has no such character and I am yet to see a plan outside of ensuring his chums are well supplied with fresh meat, via the chaplains in schools program.
Morriscum is just a jumped up little turd. No character, no plans, and no f*cking ideas.
My computer wanted to capitalise that “C” word, but my keyboard refused. I’m sorry.
Sir ScotchMistery,
Herr Hitler had no strength of character.
He had that dubious thing called charisma, which all too many people believe is strength of character.
No such thing – his variant of charisma is the same highly dubious quality as that possessed by sociopaths and psychopaths from time immemorial.
That you John for eloquently writing what many of us feel.
I have been writing about political matters for forty plus years, and the last year has been the first ever where the word “liar” has crept into what I write. Never in my opinion has there been so little interest in what citizens wish by the abbott gang.
In my view the term “government” is mutually exclusive to the current Coalition.
It is the ideology of growth that is the problem will nearly all governments everywhere.
We will have one term governments until one realises that, infinite growth is impossible on a finite planet.
Physical realities are trumping political and economic ideologies and it is the environment that is paying the price which, will be passed onto us.
Harquebus said:
Absolutely! My sentiments as well. Dependence on infinite growth on a ‘finite planet’ is an impossible future whether such a view is perceived from a (current) philosophical, scientific, or whatever perspective re a ‘finite’ planet.
But at a deeper, and perhaps, (hopefully), at a more significant level, and given we (most of us anyway) are advocating ‘renewable’ energy, then how ‘finite’ is this ‘planet’ we are dependent on?.
Is ‘wind energy’ finite? Sun energy ‘finite’?
Just askin … ?
Perhaps we are just too pessimistic re ‘finite’ and ‘infinite’ and the conceptions of same? At least in the short term?
I don’t know how to reconcile the idea of a “finite planet” against an apparently infinite amout of LNP stupidity…
Harquebus:
You might know these however could be useful to others. There are a lot of progressive academics working towards a steady state economy. Rog Dietz and Dan O’Neill’s book Enough is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in World of Finite Resources. Try CASSE link below and the Earth Institute at Columbia University which has a massive amount of resources geared towards economic equilibrium – second link.
http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/sections/view/9
Posted earlier by LEE; I think this is really worth a read including links. Bill Mitchell is intellectually rigorous yet readily understandable.
Great post Lee.
http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=29766.
For Economic Buffs a thoroughly good read on controlling corporate power.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/08/taming-corporate-power-key-political-issue-alternative
Growth-for-the-sake-of-growth is a natural function.
It is better known as ‘cancer’.
By John Howard out of Bronwyn Bishop. The love child proves that breeding will show every time. A genuine lying one-eyed bastard driven by ideology. Loves a rails run but stumbles at every hurdle. A plug with a well dressed jockey on his back.
John, very true 🙂
And late last night, I posted my final Christmas Poem;
“The LNP end of year party.”
———————————————–
The LNP end of year party,
Was quite a solemn affair
For Tony and Chrissy and Davey the johnson
And Julie and old Helmet Hair
And Malcolm and Scotty and Mathias
George Brandis and Sloppy Joe too
As their poll numbers slide, from bad to worse…
To dumping them right in the poo
😥
—————————————
As usual, the rest can be read here;
Merry Christmas John, Migs, Min and all 😀
Cheers 🙂
An LNP Christmas present for you brought to you by mumbles and bumbles.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/22/the-liberals-review-of-workplace-relations-is-critical-to-unmaking-our-social-democracy
Women are the big beneficiaries because now it costs less to do the ironing, and they can use the tumble dryer more often.
Abbott’s reshuffle is characterised by concessions to antagonists, throwing competitors in the deep end, and leaving the deadwood to atrophy.
Abbott’s reshuffle may superficially appear to be a reset in preparation for 2015, but in reality it is more about the PM’s paranoia and tenuous leadership than it is about his Government’s rejuvenation.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-22/matthewson-ministry-reshuffle-built-on-paranoia-not-progress/5982500
If politicians really cared about human rights they would outlaw political correctness Political correctness turns us into brainwashed idiots who cannot think logically for ourselves -Hirsi Ali grew up as a Muslim woman, reading and accepting the Quran and its teachings. But when her family prepared to force her into an arranged marriage, she fled to the Netherlands. She eventually became a translator, speaking on behalf of Somali women who, like her, were seeking asylum.
Hirsi Ali discovered many women continued to suffer under Islam even in the secular, liberal Netherlands. She decided to enter politics to bring attention to the plight of Muslim women and girls, and in 2003 she was elected to the Dutch parliament.
Her charisma and criticism of Islam as a member of parliament gained the attention of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh. She wrote and narrated his film “Submission” about oppressed women in Holland, a film that outraged Dutch Muslims. On Nov. 2, 2004, an Islamist shot and stabbed van Gogh to death in Amsterdam as he rode his bicycle to work. A letter was pinned to van Gogh’s dead body with a knife, a letter that included a death threat against Hirsi Ali.
So she is now heading an advocacy group to help oppressed Muslim women to escape and is under 24 hour police guard .This is Hirsi Ali womens support site for those who need to escape radical Islams Barbaric practices http://theahafoundation.org/
Maybe the people were sick of in fighting between labor ministers, who would know? From what source do we glean such ‘truth’ – say it enough times? Read it in murdochs papers? Oh must be true then
Maybe Labor got voted out because people never got to see or know the ‘good’ works being carried out & believed in Abbotts rhetoric – the destroyer of trust – & Rudds backstabbing childish tantrum throwing at Gillard.
We are so much the poorer, & will be ever so mistrustful because of it. No free press, a willingness to tell lies to the people for political gain & Australia’s services, utitilities & lands stripped bare
Wind and solar energy may be infinite but, the devices used to collect their energy are not.
Another sustainability site.
http://www.sustainable.unimelb.edu.au/
Morrison as social security minister? I guess a whole host of people who supported or turned a blind eye to his treatment of asylum seekers will get a taste of his medicine down the throats of their families.
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He will probably want the Army doing patrols around Centrelink offices.
Centrelink staff will probably have to refer to customers a "dole bludgers".
John Dunlop:
I already have a bad taste in my mouth.
John Dunlop, there’s some irony in that.
Michael Taylor:
Screw the irony!
I know it’s rather nasty of me… but I take some joy from that thought…
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Migs
Of subject but worth a look :
http://www.knightfoundation.org/features/nonprofitnews/
@John Dunlop – hadn’t thought of that. Since it was the “leaners” of Sydney’s west who put asylum seekers on the agenda, and since One Term had appointed his chief head kicker and devout christian to the role, of Chief of Operations – Operation Clean Up Welfare, it will be good to hear the cries of “poor us” emanating from St Marys until the next election.
At least none of their kids will be raped as a result of it, like happens in Nauru, at Morrison’s urging.
@John Fraser –
From the introductory page
“These organizations share many characteristics
with their counterparts in traditional media:
They are nonpartisan, and they follow
professional journalistic standards”
I have spent over 3 years looking at this issue of “non-partisan” and wondered if it might be possible to show a single exemplar of MSM in this country being “non-partisan”, and what should one do with the current MSM journalistic “standards” employed by any member of the “traditional media”?