Day to Day Politics: And another thought … his elitist arrogance is bewildering.
In our political history I don’t think I have ever witnessed an act of political arrogance to match that delivered by the Prime Minister at the National Press Club. At a time of societal dissatisfaction with the political process. The way in which governance is delivered. A time in which political donations have come under public scrutiny. A time when 82% of the population mistrust our politicians.
In the full knowledge of this our Prime Minister chose to use a loophole in the law to delay by another year, the disclosure of the amount he personally gave to his election campaign. And he did so with his customary gotcha charm. Grinning from ear to ear.
The effrontery of that decision shows that he has no idea why the mistrust exists. How could you honestly trust him to change the rules on MPs entitlements or indeed, donations.
All he really needs to do if he is to cling to any hope of credibility is to open his mouth and let the figure flow from his elitist tongue.
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Jaquix
Return to home pageI watched Truffles at Press Club… gosh, he blathers really well… presses all the right buttons and still leaves you with the idea that he hasn’t actually told what he’s going to do and what it will really mean.
And now I’m off to a Doctor’s appointment to get some scripts, a visit which now will cost me $70.00 because he said Short-Stuff was lying about medicare being dismantled ….
I was flicking around the TV stations. When I noted the PM was speaking at the National Press Club, I moved on immediately to the next station. I am afraid I stopped listening to Turnbull some time ago. He is, when all is said and done, a smarmy silver-tongue whose raison d’etre is to i) cover his own backside; ii)repay the debts due to those in the far right of his party who gave him their vote in the PM leadership spill and iii) protect his rich mates and donors and do their bidding – however bizarre.
I suppose it is possible that someday he could say something worthwhile that I miss as a result of my disdain for his every utterance, but your comments indicate that today was not such a day.
The abject hypocrisy of everything else he says about good governance comes into very sharp focus when he relies on loopholes to escape detection. I can only assume that the amount he donated was eye-watering and would only convince more that he is too wealthy to be in touch with the majority of Australians.
Innovation and agility = there is no reason why democracy can not be open to the market – also explains why MT has not been rolled up to now – the NLP right wingers are hypnotised into inaction in direct proportion to a donation’s size (magnitude mentioned in another comment and one which we will have to wait to confirm) – but being market and business savvy, capital sums are subject to erosion over time eg buildings, patents, low polling numbers, patience, etc
We do not deserve this!
Hopefully, a matter of time.
This morning’s SMH—-” easy for donors who knew their way around the system to exploit loophole. . .possibly a third of donations could fall into this category.”
Donors can split their donations as well, only required to disclose over $13,000, split donation into $12,999 increments and give multiple payments to more than one branch of the party. ” That means that donors can give six figure donations without it being made public.
Will this be sock puppet’s final bit of smart arsedness? More than likely.
Labor and the Greens voluntarily declare donations above $1,000, LNP don’t
” Last year almost 40% of the $173 million that flowed to political parties was considered ‘dark money’, meaning the source was not clear.”
No end to their cunning, morally bankrupt ways.
However he delivered it, there is nothing new. No vision, no change in direction, perhaps tinkering with expenses but no commitment to actually provide Australia with a vision of the future. Victoria will loose 2500 jobs, his answer is more trickle down. The proven way of boosting prosperity for all.
Climate change didn’t rate at all. Clean coal it is. WTF
And as you pointed out John, an arrogant little trick to prevent transparency of donations.
Lie followed by lie followed by waffle.
John Lord – Almost speechless (well word less). Astounding. Another achievement notched up by this government.
Also in the SMH – Liberal ‘washing machine’ makes record contribution
“A Liberal Party-owned company that bills taxpayers for computer services, Parakeelia, has made its biggest-ever cash transfer to the political organisation, sending it more than $900,000 last financial year”
“Nearly all federal Liberal MPs and state MPs pay Parakeelia amounts of up to $2500 a year in taxpayer-funded computer allowances to use of its proprietary Feedback software, used to monitor constituents”.
“A $2500 yearly cap on MPs’ software entitlements was recently lifted by the Federal Parliament, raising the possibility that more money can be spent on the software”
Interesting how the cost was set at the limit – who knows what will happen now that limit has been lifted. One thing we do know is that LNP “office expenses” claims have been increasing very dramatically in recent times.
Turnbull is such a smarmy bastard. Would not reveal his donation to the Party but turned on the charm and assured us not doing so was within the legal requirements.
He turned his answers to the media into speeches, waffling on and going off point as is his normal mode of operation. Limits the number of questions that can be asked. Should have been pulled up.
Mr smooth but with little substance.
Whether he is a politician or not, is open to question. What is true, he has no political nous or judgement. In fact little judgement of any type.
There was something new. Open to new coal powerhouse.
CEF and ARENA to fund it
That often-mentioned Turnbull charm has certainly evaded me, never witnessed it.
Obama has it, and even Bill Clinton did, and I’m now feverishly trying to find an Aussie leader , who has/had it . Any suggestions?
Keating was witty, Whitlam was impressive, Howard was boring to put it kindly…
Rudd and Turnbull border line narcissists, Trump a full-blown one…and the less said about Abbott, the better..
Mr. Lord, watching the so called address to the National Press Club, the silver tongue to me did not:
address the Press Club ,
nor the nation.
It was a disgusting crawl to sure up his position as a so called leader.
Looking mainly at members of his cabinet,
hardly ever looked directly at the TV camera.
ARROGANT, EVASIVE, as per usual.
Let’s not forget that again it is all Labor’s fault.
As for the dorothy dixes from the so called media …my grandson who is only 12 could have asked better questions.
So as far as MSM is concerned it is the same old same old…at all cost go easy on the LNP and their vested interests.
I am so sickened …where is our democracy when the agenda and policy is hijacked by vested interests?
I suppose it is possible that someday he could say something worthwhile that I miss as a result of my disdain for his every utterance, but your comments indicate that today was not such a day. …Ill Fares The Land. I wouldn’t worry about that too much. The only thing turnpuke is ever likely to say that is worthwhile is, “I resign.”
Ella, I totally agree.
What is the point of the National Press Club? Why wasn’t he asked how a third of multinational and large companies pay no tax , but giving them a tax cut is going to help with jobs, and benefit Australians?
I saw the last 20 minutes…. the Press so utterly failed in their role. Happy nappy little cheer squad. disgusting.
So now it is the ABC…I will not be watching the DRUM again.
Those of you who did not watch (very smart)
The 3 guests we someone from WA
The representative of IPA and 70 strong wish list to LNP
and an Aboriginal lady.
So how about a stacked deck of cards?
The Drum may as well have invited M. Turnbull to comment on his own speech.
SO MUCH FOR OUR ABC, no longer ours , no longer independent.
Let’s take “ideology” out of the energy debate, he says. We need to be agnostic, he says.
But taking the ideology out of something like that is impossible, particularly when your next breath is an ad for “clean” coal. He sounds like the Trump spokesman who said it was a shame that politics is being too politicised!
Sooo, wait a minute. The NSW Electoral Commission withheld $4.4 mill in cash (that Arfur Seenodonors bloke thingy) requiring a cash injection. One that talcum addressed, allegedly. In todays unimpressive presser;
“”My donations to the Liberal Party have been regular and generous, and I would encourage others to do the same,” he said.”
So, neither he, or the ‘Wentworth Forum’, contributed anything more than the $13,000 limit in the year leading up to 30th June. Neither regular, or generous, by any description.
The emperor has no clothes. And he’s spending a fortune on his wardrobe.
We have a long way to go, Mr Lord. Thank you, for your resilience. Take care
Agnostic means to a person who believes that nothing is known, or can be known (of the existence of God). Which means that he is purposefully saying we should ignore any facts when we discuss our energy policy. Seriously?
But lets not forget, whilst the media like to portray Malc as a successful businessman, the reality is that he is just another lawyer, who is willing to put forward whatever case his client tells him to. You simply cannot trust one word that is uttered from his cake hole.
Given its only a couple of weeks since he wanted to shine the cold light of day on entitlement claims, he is already covering up his donations to the Liberal party. He truly is a shyster, and a spineless one at that. The real Malcolm is the one we saw on election night, angry that the people didn’t fawn all over him, and unfortunately he intends to take it out on us for not being sufficiently supplicant to his wonderfulness.
Hi John, Just saw that Labor has opened a new website https://www.mymedicarestory.com/#medicarepostbox
It’s a portal where people can tell their Medicare stories and air their worries. Looks very user-friendly.
Aaand, there you go. talcum gave $1.75 mill to the Liberal party on the 1st or 2nd July. talcum, his wife and the Wentworth Forum did not contribute more than $13k each in the year leading up to 30th June. Check the register, none of them are mentioned.
Yet they give regularly and generously.
Yo, Arfur, wanna buy a used car?
Don’t get excited. It’s only a ute.
FFS, do these gits even know what ‘good government’ is? How will they ever know when it begins, if they don’t know what it is?
Take care
I don’t listen to known Liars aka LNP persons. BTW here in nth Qld Mr Shorten press club is on ABC in the wee hours of the morning funny that eh.
I always enjoy your writing John however I am concerned about the use of the word “elitist”. The use of the word
“Elites” in a derogatory sense has become a catchphrase of the redneck right and is bandied around with nary a thought to the complexity of what an “elite” actually is. There are it seems both good and bad sets of elites.
In my world view bad elites are people like, yes Turnbull, Rhinehart, Murdoch, Packer, Stokes in fact anyone from the monied power class who control governments. But then their are people I would consider intellectual elites like Triggs, Burnside, Flannery, even your good self. Intellectual elites are of course the bad elites from the point of view of the redneck right and their media shock jocks. Then there are the media elites, the sporting elites, the literary elites, the artistic elites.
My point that I have taken so long to get to is that the left should be wary of using labels that have already been so abused by the right that they become meaningless.
Better maybe to simply refer to Turnbull as a bullshitting wanker a simple term that is universally understood.
“The battlelines have been drawn: it is clear that the coalition stands for cheaper energy”
“Mr Shorten on Tuesday told the National Press Club there were real jobs – for blue collar workers, engineers and designers – in renewables.”
https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/34313732/pm-focuses-on-electricity-storage-prices/
Until we get politicians that actually understand physics, we will continue to hear crap like this. The era of cheap energy and economic growth is well and truly over.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that finite resources do not last forever. The idiot fools who think otherwise and who are governing the world’s nations must be branded as such and relegated to the lunatic fringe where they belong.
http://www.politico.eu/article/the-party-is-over-for-dutch-gas-now-for-the-hangover-groningen-netherlands-energy/
Cheers.
Politicians do not talk to the voters they talk to their supporters and the art is not to alienate their opponents. Bad speakers like Turn-bull can not devise a narative where they can assure the supporters whilst engaging the opposition in a positive way so they end up saying nothing.
Ella Miller
I also watched theDrum. Propaganda from beginning to end however, I will continue to monitor what has now become one of our enemies.
Cheers.
we got rich raping the invironment with coal. We can stay rich with renewables.
The 5 billion poor cannot get the power to be rich with coal or oil. QED renewables.
trunbull is a poor player, he has strutted, we have fretted. So soon, he will join little johnnie.
regardless my family will be alright jack.
Harquebus 11.25
Whilst watching the DRUM…and seething …contacted ABC and lodged a complaint…awaiting response.
Ella, so glad I missed the Drum, it’s been going downhill for some time now. I watched few episodes of 7.30, but only because Leigh has been away…
Ella Miller
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Cheers.
Love the word EFFRONTERY to describe Turnbull. He smirked when questioned after his speech, while refusing to disclose the donation, saying it would be disclosed in accordance with the rules. Though he was so clever. I thought at the time, that will give Bill Shorten something to whack him over the head with right up until it is disclosed. Even when he did disclose it on 7.30, claiming it was “philanthropic” (my foot) he also revealed his own deviousness. In handing over the money after 30th June (end of last financial year) he gave himself 18 months of secrecy. Dutton $50,000, Cormahn $29,000. What is going on? Nick Xenophon gave his party a loan. Did Dutton & Corman make loans, and then Turnbull’s 1.75 million pay them back – now or some other time? Dodgy, dodgy, dodgy. Watch the polls continue their downward slide. PS: Great, punchy short article John.