Do the members of the Coalition government not realise what idiots they appear to be when they announce a decision and, within 24 hours, amend that decision?
Act first and think later is not a good look in a crisis!
What is abundantly clear, in all the current goings-on, is that those making the decisions do not have the first idea of what life is like for most of the population. Almost certainly they rely too much on political advice, designed to help them win another election, rather than truly expert advice, designed to benefit the electors!
If you have never been out of work for any length of time, have a more than comfortable income, and you also own your own home – or at least have assets, like major property investments, which could pay off your mortgage – plus you know you will get your next pay transferred into your account on the due date and have no worry about financial commitments, I suppose it might be easy to overlook the fact that thousands of people do not share your good fortune.
Apart from those below the breadline, who, if they are not already living on the streets, often go without food to pay the rent or to buy new shoes for a growing child; even for those in regular work, when they have the rug pulled out from under them overnight, because they lose their job, with no warning and with no likelihood of finding another, their whole world is destroyed in a flash.
They have no significant savings to fall back on, any government relief will not be instantly available but the regular bills still have to be paid.
Many employed in particular industries, such as entertainment, are used to a high level of job insecurity – but that is very different from the certainty that you will not be able to work at all for the foreseeable future.
Apart from the actual performers, there is a contingent of back-stage staff or, in the gig economy, the roadies, whose normal pay would leave them with little to save and whose work history is just as precarious.
A small, but significant, point – the largely male decision-makers clearly pay little attention to the females in their families, for them to be so blissfully unaware that a visit to the hairdressers is a more significant event than a short back and sides at the barber’s.
I was pleasantly amazed that Boris Johnson, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, was perceptive enough to realise that massive unemployment would not only be bad for the economy, but, more importantly, for the individuals most affected! His decision to pay 80% of the wages of those losing jobs because of the Covid-19 restrictions was clearly beyond the comprehension level of our Prime Minister.
Morrison seems to grab every opportunity to be in the spotlight, at the same time that he is casually closing down Parliament – a truly alarming eventuality – but making no move to share in the austerity conditions he is imposing on thousands.
Having excluded the Opposition Leader from his Emergency Cabinet, he is now behaving like a totally self-interested petty dictator. Small wonder that the Premiers of the larger states are making their own decisions about issues like school attendance.
The ‘experts’ who seem to be called on to back the PM’s policies are, a closer examination might show, not necessarily ‘expert’ in the fields in which their advice is sought.
Why, when so many are being thrown on the scrapheap for an unknown period, should we be paying full salary and entitlements to a collection of jerks who are not even participating in meaningful government activities for months at a time?
If you are a single parent, or you and your partner have young children and both need to work, the argument for immediate help is overpowering – and, under this government’s proposals, ignored.
The Age Pension was once seen as a merited payment, acknowledging a lifetime’s contribution to society. Coalition governments now grudgingly pay it as ‘welfare’ and treat the unemployed as criminals who are responsible for their own failure to find work.
As a part-pensioner, I shall receive a lump sum which I do not need and cannot, in any case, spend, because the shops for non-essential goods are closed! How good is that, Mr Morrison?
Because politicians can be elected to a cushy position, with a guaranteed salary, plenty of additional perks like comcars, accommodation and travel expenses, and a to-die-for in many cases superannuation scheme, they totally ignore the facts of life out in the real world.
For years, now, there have been about 19 people seeking employment for every job that becomes available. Many are counted as employed, even though they only work 1 hour per week. Many more are working part-time in 2 or more jobs in order to make ends meet. Few of them have a realistic superannuation scheme and the Age Pension will be essential for their survival after work.
The official retirement age is unrealistic in this climate as a person made redundant in their 50s, let alone their 60s has limited opportunities to find meaningful work.
Over the years, the Coalition has courted the global corporations and a concerning level of corruption has crept into the lobbying business.
We are experiencing a crisis for which no adequate preparation was made, as a result of the Coalition having starved of funds vitally important organisations like CSIRO.
We are still experiencing the effects of climate change, and masses of people have yet to receive appropriate assistance, following the disastrous bushfires, but the behaviour of the government implies that these issues are of no concern to them.
Normally, charitable organisations step up to the plate to assist those in dire circumstances, but, with so many losing their jobs, many will have to cease donating to charity, so that the charities, too, will be short of funds to help the needy.
The money we need to be in circulation is salted away in places like the Cayman Islands!
Well!! Thank you for nothing, Scott Morrison!
You have clearly demonstrated why you have quit every job you have ever had before your contract formally expired.
You do not have what it takes to lead – although, looking around the available material – it’s hard to see any of our elected Parliamentarians who could do the job well in present circumstances. The behaviour of too many of our elected members has meant that many of integrity, who have the appropriate skill levels, are understandably reluctant to join the rat race of politics.
Australia is in a mess and present policies and expectations are unlikely to see that mess cleared up any time soon. If the schools close, let’s hope our children are astute enough to use the extra time available to work out how to do a better job than the adults who are failing them!
I end as always – this is my 2020 New Year Resolution:
“I will do everything in my power to enable Australia to be restored to responsible government.”
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“His (Boris Johnson) decision to pay 80% of the wages of those losing jobs because of the Covid-19 restrictions was clearly beyond the comprehension level of our Prime Minister.”
Nooo. That will be NEXT week’s decision.
Just like there’s lifters & leaners there’s leaders & followers
Our Prim Monster as a “Petty dictator”? Now Rosemary, wash your mouth out with soapy water every 20 seconds to ensure that you are not infected with Scummiosis, the disease of the brain that causes the sufferer to believe that dreaming of something is exactly the same as actually doing something. Prevarication, obfuscation and straight out untruths will obfuscate and confuse just about every possible action except actually being seen to do something positive.
Oh, where are Kevin Rudd and Ken Henry when you need an economic strategy to go early, go hard and go families to drag Australia through this COVID-19 pandemic that we are told will make the 2008 GFC look like a kindergarten picnic?
Oops!! Silly me ….. we have instead Scummo and the Hungarian failed professional player mouthing platitudes and praying a lot. Don’t they realise that Dog helps those who help themselves?? OK, I know, Australian voters allowed themselves to be hoodwinked in 2019 and don’t expect anything better in the future from the COALition Liarbral Nazional$ misgovernment.
The Federal and LNP State govts are quietly abolishing various taxes that BigBusiness has been whingeing about for years – Land taxes and Stamp Duties, etc.
They are piss farting around trying to resolve the problem of their ideology not dealing with reality. Jobs are their number 1 priority, saving jobs. The health issue is secondary. Thats why we have the farce of incremental restrictions and money thrown at businesses with unknown resolutions. HOPING that things get back to normal soon. Tax rebates and investment allowances, f#ck me dead, which business in its right mind will invest in this environment or making a profit?
It should be health issues 1st and money later. Everyone on lockdown ASAP, provide a salary substitute to those who stay home. we can kill the virus stone dead quicker this way. And then the money issues can be dealt with. No point trying to plan for normal when you have no idea what normal will become. Its like they have realised that they have strangled the goose and are trying mouth to mouth. Brain death has already started . Its time to buy another goose.
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Yes i know i said it before, but it needs to be reinforced cause these dicks only understand the stick.
Not to allow parliament to sit seriously and not to put in place a real coalition government with Labor , Independents and the Greens as is done in war time is petty, shuts out intelligent people and invites nepotism and greed/self interest. All MPs should furthermore halve their salaries and perks. Most do not have the confidence of the people. If they did that and allowed Parliament do its job they might regain some respect.
They have this stupid notion that people can work in this environment and trying to keep as many as possible in work without spreading the virus. Let me make it clear to these numbskulls. The virus does not desciminate, young, old, colour , race, national borders, wealth, status or job. If your exposed, your a threat to everyone else. Its pretty obvious what needs to be done now, not incrementally, thats pure bullshit.
The procrastination will extend the time the virus is amongst us. It could have already been over if the effwits didnt let the passengers on the ship loose.
When you combine yes men with dont ask questions men and thats not my job, WTF do you expect? The time for bullshit ” scaleable” is over. They have to act now, sorry, yesterday.
Somebody needs to be sacked for this outrageous incompetance !!
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Morrison took some cover with the chief medical officer initially but one has to ask, was he the right person to be advising the government on what action to take? I mean he knows its a dangerous infection and we need isolation, but i have to ask what his mathematical and science expertise is. Social science graduates would have studied a bit of statistics and geography, a mathematician would have given info on the spread rate and border control a bit of info as to where people are coming from. I recon he was winging it a bit being in two minds stop the spread and keeping the government happy with the message.
I smell incompetance. I smell hubris. I sense they were not taking it seriously, aka Trump. I sense they thought we were immune to the stuff, oh yea.
Rosemary. Thanks for articulating what many are thinking. If only this would penetrate the trance state of the comatose in cardies aka the quiet Australians as they digest their pre chewed diet of main stream mediacrap.
Just a note about the charities not having enough money to help out during this crisis – certainly all of the big charities are pretty flush at the moment with all of their recently received bushfire funds. And given most (if not all) were being found out hoarding most of those funds for a rainy day I would say it is raining pretty heavy right now.
And a note on our incompetent and shifty government it has been noted most of the money being put forward in stimulus packages, rather than being paid immediately, has been pushed back until April or later in a feeble political attempt at avoiding a recession. This therefore highlights their priorities towards politics rather than those they are elected to serve. In the middle of such a crisis we now face that is simply unconscionable conduct from any government.
This political structure is completely illegitimate and won’t receive my cooperation. I’ll follow medical experts – with residual scepticism – but sadly it is not low-bar to call this lot political ”scum”.
@ Pagnol….. A fortnight ago a friend told me I was paranoid when I chastised them for not covering their mouth when they coughed in our living room, several day after returning from a Sydney hospital.
I trust that, by now, reality has sunk in for that person, but believe that many don’t expect that they will be affected.
The horror is that those being found infected on any particular merely reflect those found to have been infected some days earlier, not all those actually affected on the day of detection.
Those who think it is ‘slowing down’ in Australia, as some have claimed are in for a surprise.
I believe Palmer has much to answer for.
the pathetic committee staffed with ‘jobs for the boys’ including phil g and duttons pet rottweiller is a disgrace. none of the men on it (correct me if i’m wrong but i don’t remember hearing any women’s names) have ever looked for a job, lacked money for anything or have any understanding of how hand to mouth a lot of australians live and don’t care.
all they understand is how to graft money to and from the lying nasties and are now given ‘……….insert six figure number here $..’ to do absolutely nothing other than maybe get some of the blame when the disaster of a disaster plan becomes obvious
They talk about the infections doubling every three days – and that’s with our applying the brakes as best we can. Anything that doubles in a certain period only needs 10 of those periods to become 1000. Twenty periods and it’s 1,000,000. In the case of this virus, the period is 3 days. Therefore, one infected person moving freely in an unprotected and unsuspecting society, although he will only be responsible for infecting 10 people in a month, the total number of infections in the month will be 1000. In another month there would be 1,000,000 people infected. Of course if it’s doubling every 3 days, the 1,000,000 will become 8,000,000 in another 9 days and the whole of Australia would have the virus! This would have been the scenario in China when the first person was infected. After a month, there would have been 1000 people affected; many of these would have presented; the doctors would have been scratching their heads. I think they’ve done a fantastic job getting to the current situation with at least a month lost before they worked out they had a problem.
Famous chess story to illustrate exponential growth.
A wealth rice merchant asks his future son-in-law what dowry he would accept for marrying his plain daughter. The son-in-law, a mathematician, says, “All I want is one grain of rice on the first square of a chess board, 2 grains on the second square, 4 grains on the third square and so on. On the 10th square there’s a thimble full of rice. On the 20th square there’s a good cupful. The merchant is delighted: almost a third of the board covered and it’s only cost him two cups of rice.
By the thirtieth square there’s only a cubic metre but the merchant is starting to sweat. Fortunately, the son-in-law relieves him of the debt because he loves his bride and he knows that it could never be paid because the merchant would have had to find enough rice to cover 40,000 square kilometres to a depth of one metre, or 40,000,000,000 cubic metres.
Such is the power of the exponential (and compound interest). If St Paul was so bloody smart, all he had to do was invest one dollar at 1% pa and it would be worth over half a billion dollars by now.
In most countries the daily infection rate is about 20% of the total the previous day. There may be some turning down of the Australian infection curve, but it is very early, and may just be hope rather than fact.
It is obvious that:
1) the Queensland government is determined to spread COVID-19 as quickly as possible by failing to equip the Police at NSW border check-points with either face masks or gloves;
2) the AFP have no idea what is occurring at airports because passengers entering Australia do not observe the 2 metre rule;
3) the hairdresser decision is dangerous for hairdressers and a likely distribution point for increasing infections.
TuffGuy – my concern was more with the smaller groups and ones like the ASRC which offer massive amounts of help from very meagre resources to a criminally neglected group.
The PM has demonstrated once again that he has no clue on how to manage a crisis. You would have thought after the debacle of the bushfires, he would have tried a bit harder.
Fortunately we in Tas have a Premier with balls. And we live on an island surrounded by a lot of water.
Is there a remote chance that anyone will vote for this mob at the next election? Find them now and make sure they have a good long hard think.
To follow up on a stream of consciousness rant on another thread,is Morrison, a believer in the “end times/tribulation” DELIBERATELY trying to bring it on by his blatant dithering? The only other explanation I can come up with is, he is ferociously stupid.And why are the other like minded idiots(Robert, etc.) acting the same way?
Conservative politicians and their spouses must need more than thirty minutes at the hair dressers
For them to lift this restriction on such a essential service.
Yes Rosemary, let’s remember that politicians and big business always look after themselves first.
I would rather think about small business folk and unemployed, let alone the people, including medical staff who are this events “firies”, who are going to suffer and even die because of the ineptitude of the out of touch so called elite.
I wish there was some mechanism by which the Morrison regime could be ejected from office before the next election!!!!!
@ harry
there is………GG
Indeed!
However, we the serfs, find ourselves confronted by the Hillsong Imbecile, the Liar from the Shire. That daggy smirk sneerer who can’t accept that there is no premise to justify his pathetic rambling aloha nonsense. Christ on a crutch. Oz ends up with the Hillsong rapture freak at a time like this!!! Gimme Shelter!!!