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.
Previous Diary: No 8 – For ‘lack of integrity’ the Morrison government scores an A+.
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.
Like what we do at The AIMN?
You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.
Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!
10 comments
Login here Register here-
Consume Less -
Williambtm -
Phil Pryor -
Henry Rodrigues -
wam -
Canguro -
Phil Pryor -
Terence Mills -
The AIM Network
-
Williambtm
Return to home pageWell said John Lord. Regarding climate change any “responsible” civilisation would be doing something decades ago. The information that regularly keeps appearing regarding the problems with heating up Earth is astounding and downright scary.
https://phys.org/news/2022-02-climate-begun-suffocate-world-fisheries.html
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/measuring-climate-change-heat-humidity-82585400
Excellent article Mr John Lord. Although some may suggest you let Scott off fairly Scott Free.
I believe if I saw Scott Morrison wandering aimlessly down the road I wouldn’t be too happy if my passenger missed him by not opening the door far enough.
Perhaps a whack in the ear for my passenger’s timidity along with the advice he could have done a whole better for Australia other than showing
himself to be a limp dick?
Oh yes, our only cause to be involved in such as the aforementioned action would’ve been to aid in hurrying him along for a bit.
Next time I’m driving down that same road I’ll make sure my passenger is a man with some solidness about himself.
Some people are just sluts for money and notice. Some deserve sympathy perhaps, if forced by life’s troubles to survive by any means, usually foul. Politicians are a peculiar lot, saved in reputation by the few who seem motivated to do good work, to serve honestly and decently. But, the vast majority are not so, and the extreme of ignorance, ambition, greed, self fixation and utter wilfulness is too apparent in many. We do not deserve to have a backstabbing, lazy, superstition and fantasy drenched fraud like Morrison in any position to choose for us. This is a perversion, a corruption, a humiliation. Corporate capitalist crony conniving corruption is filth.
This morning’s front page in all of Murdoch’s rags, Scummo conceding he has a few “regrets” No mention of Australians who have millions of regrets, for voting for the scum.
This is just the start of Murdoch’s campaign of rehabililitation of Scummo and the coalition before the election. When Murdoch feels enough has been done, he’ll call the election. Gina and Twiggy and the rest of the creeps must be watching nervously and approving.
A pleasant read this morning. Insider’s ‘shaft only, no point, speers and albo were negligent in not bringing up the copperman’s $440m cash in the bank gift to the gang of 4 @ $110m each that is a lot of interest over 6 years. The greenhouse effect of the greenhouse gases is evident in the hottest decade and will kill us. However how can a billion whites, who got rich on coal, oil and gas, deny the 6 billion non-whites their chance to get rich. Aust and CSIRO were leaders in renewables but howard et al have ignored their work leaving the multi-billions renewable profits to china. keep strong, lord, and free from covid, christianity and scummo
ps
the chance of a lib defeat is directly proportional to the more scummo talks and indirectly proportional to the words from the bandit.
Morrison, a tin-eared man with a flint heart. Lead-footed and shit for brains; net worth as an extractable resource, sweet f*ck all. Incapable of reflexive thinking. If he was for sale in slave market he wouldn’t warrant a single bid, the lazy lying turd, though I suppose you could cover him in molasses and hang him out on the verandah as a fly attractor.
For some reason the scene in Jodorowsky’s movie El Topo where the protagonist emasculates the Colonel, with the naked tyrant then committing suicide comes to mind. Graphic & bloody. The least he could do to atone for his sins.
What price will El Scomo pay for the pain, suffering and death he’s brought to this country?
Careers are at stake here, as conservative grubs consider the remains to be shared and devoured, with heaps of dirty corporate money around, all being desperate. It is entertaining to see professional liars, lying about not lying, about lying, about past lies with possible fingerprints, and the hot denials and approvals ejaculated for public consideration. They stink, they are untrustworthy, they have subzero character, intellect, quality, honesty, integrity. Morrison in particular, reeks as he squirms and dodges. Language is bashed as some do not recall or cannot, the old Reagan dodge (but he was dead in the skull) , and the betrayal of us goes on…
Morrison and Frydenberg seem to be hanging their electoral hats on a low unemployment number which they tell us will have a three in front of it by the time the election comes around and this is due to their superb economic management……………….I think it’s all a charade !
In my regional area we are seeing shops closed down, this morning at Woolies the shelves were sparse and for the first time in my local area we are seeing people sleeping in cars as rents go through the roof.
The ABS measures unemployment by collecting data from a monthly survey of about 26,000 dwellings as well as a selection of hotels, hospitals, boarding schools, colleges, prisons and indigenous communities throughout Australia. The ABS defines people as ’employed’ if they work one hour or more in the reference period.
Whenever the media covers our booming employment market they inevitably tell us there are critical shortages of fruitpickers and, for some reason. baristas.
We know that our international borders have been closed so itinerant workers, students and backpackers are not allowed in. So, it seems to me that the unemployment numbers are being skewed and manipulated to try and prove that as a result of the Morrison government’s economic management we are close to full employment and all is well in the wide brown land and that we should hasten to re-elect the coalition government.
Something we also know is that Scott Morrison is a habitual liar : we have been told this, not by the Labor party but by his own party and people he has had dealings with ranging from President Macron of France, Malcolm Turnbull and now Gadys Berejiklian.
President Macron : Do you think he lied to you ? I don’t think, I know !
Malcolm Turnbull (former Liberal prime minister) : ‘Scott Morrison is a liar and always had “a reputation for lying”. Scott Morrison had “lied to me on many occasions … Scott has always had a reputation for telling lies,” Mr Turnbull said.
Gladys Berejiklian former Liberal Premier : of Morrison a “horrible, horrible person”.
Unnamed current Liberal cabinet minister : called Morrison a “fraud” and “complete psycho”.
According to Newscorp and his LNP mates [mainly Stuart Robert] Morrison is a fine upstanding man and makes a great
leader : who do you believe ?
Courtesy of Gangey1959:
Phil Pryor, your comment that begins with both male and female sluts, covers the thoughts held by a great many others.
I like your style of commentary.
Williambtm.