Day to Day Politics: A battle of egos. But that’s beside the point.
Wednesday August 2016
1 The battle over who said what and when about Kevin Rudd’s desire to become Secretary General of the United Nations might be debated for years. Given Turnbull’s ego and Rudd’s capacity for vengeance it will continue to make headlines from time to time. But that’s beside the point.
An observation.
“There is nothing more self-destructive than the inability to forgive. Especially yourself“.
The point is the confirmation that the Prime Minister is not in charge of the troops. After analysing the opinions of many political commentators the obvious conclusion is that the right-wing of the party now holds sway on any policy issue it chooses. Mind you, that can be said of any individual who chooses to differ.
We even had the champion of “my way” Cory Bernardi bragging about Labor MPs congratulating him for effectively blocking Rudd’s global ambitions.
Sick, isn’t it?
It all makes for three years of lame duck leadership with Barnaby Joyce the one actually pulling the strings.
2 And now that Labor has won the seat of Herbert it leaves the Turnbull government with 76 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives. Labor and the crossbenches will hold 74 seats together.
After it supplies the Speaker it will become glaringly obvious just how difficult it will be to govern. Passing legislation in the House of Representatives will require great skill and compromise before even confronting a Senate full of self-interested individuals and minor parties. We are approaching 2017 and there are things from the 2014 budget still not passed.
How on earth Turnbull will manage the self-righteous right with loose cannons Christianson and Bernardi likely to cause havoc is anyone’s guess.
Getting things done for the best interests of the country might prove to be impossible and yet another three years will be wasted. Shorten might compromise to the point of saying, “well we did what we could, but after that it will be do unto others as they have done unto us”.
3 When Khizi Khan addressed the final day of the Democratic Convention anyone watching would conclude that it was a heartfelt moment. In fact a compassionate and powerful one. He spoke with passion about his son making the supreme sacrifice for his country.
Following some of the best political speeches I have ever heard I believed Khizi’s was the icing on the cake.
Khizr Khan spoke standing next to his wife. Their son, Army captain Humayun Khan was killed in Iraq in 2004 and decorated for his bravery.
Donald Trump’s response was vile and typically gutter Trump. He compared the son’s sacrifice of his life while serving his country with his sacrifice in creating jobs. The response by the American media was swift and naturally condemning.
Speaking at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania after the fresh polls Trump said that Bernie Sanders had made a deal with the devil.
“He made a deal with the devil. She’s the devil … I’m afraid the election’s gonna be rigged, I have to be honest”.
But this time instead of getting a bounce in the polls they have reacted against him. It’s about time the GOP stepped in and withdrew his nomination.
Victoria Rollison’s piece for The AIMN; ‘Trump: the re-establishment of white male privilege‘ took my eye yesterday and there is much truth in what she says.
“It is too simple to just say ‘why are all these Trump supporters so stupid’, or ‘how can they all be so nasty’, or ‘so easily fooled?’ The truth is, it actually doesn’t really matter who Trump is or what he says, or how he says it; all he has to is promise to put white men back on top of the pecking order, and they will fight tooth and nail for him to bring about this outcome. Rational facts, emotive appeals to reason, hope and dignity, are irrelevant”.
I recommend you read it.
4 The things that go, or seem to go unreported. Did you know that the Australian Press Council found that The Daily Telegraph was guilty of misleading its readers with its coverage of Bill Shorten’s appearance at the Royal Commission into Union Corruption?
It found that by wrongly using a large image of Bill Shorten in a way that gave the impression the Labor leader had been condemned rather than exonerated by the report, the press watchdog ruled it had violated the APC code of conduct.
What’s new?
An observation.
“Free speech does not mean it should be free from ethics. Like truth for example”.
5 Speaking of the ‘Tele‘ I liked this quote from the irrepressible Miranda Divine talking about the allegations against George Pell:
“Even if there were any truth in the allegations, trial by media is barbaric and achieves justice for no one”.
She should take the editor to lunch. Not bad from the newspaper where the truth goes to die.
6 When he believed there might be the slightest hint of a conflict of interest former judge Brian Martin showed ethics of the highest standard in standing down. His decision had the unqualified support of Attorney-General George Brandis. It’s a pity Dyson Heydon didn’t show the same ethics in the Unions Royal Commission.
Funny that George agreed with his decision too.
7 The positioning of the ‘no religion’ question on the census form is still attracting some flack. It is in my view where it should be. It seems some fundamentalist Christians want it returned to the bottom of the list and for people to answer ‘Christian’ even if they don’t adhere to it.
“Telling lies for God”, as someone once said.
An observation.
“Religion in many ways is akin to Politics in so much as it believes that telling the truth isn’t necessarily in its best interests”.
8 The Government is still saying that the plebiscite could still be held prior to Christmas. Much depends on the AEC capacity to cope with it on top of the election. It may also depend on a demand from Labor that a vote be taken by the Parliament. At a cost of $160 million and the social unrest it will attract they have a good case.
An observation.
“There is a need to be at the heart of one’s own life. Not on the fringe of someone else’s”.
9 If the Government represents its legislation to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission will need the support of several in the Senate. Good luck with that.
It’s very slim election win also means it will more than likely not present any significant industrial relations reforms this term.
My thought for the day.
“Having a true friend requires the experience of their pain as well as their joy”.
19 comments
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Carol Taylor -
1petermcc -
stephentardrew -
helvityni -
Carol Taylor -
Michael Taylor -
helvityni -
Mick -
Michael Taylor -
Florence nee Fedup -
Pedantic -
johnlord2013 -
johnlord2013 -
Kaye Lee -
helvityni -
John Lord -
wam -
Geoff Andrews -
king1394
Return to home pageOn Barnaby Joyce pulling the strings – everyone gains their own impressions and mine is that all that Joyce is doing is bleating from the sidelines. Barnaby used to be good for a few laughs, a few head slaps. These days he doesn’t seem nearly as amusing, more an annoyance trying to cast himself into some role of relevance.
However, as to who is pulling the strings. I don’t think that anyone is, as Turnbull lurches from one bout on indecisiveness to the next. In an effort to appear ‘in control’ by caving in to any form of dissent, it’s the loudmouths who are gaining power. A bit like a troll on a blog, he/she who shouts the loudest, he/she who does the most attention-seeking, gives the impression (at least in their own mind) that they’re running the show. And if Turnbull keeps pandering to them, they will be.
The Turnbull Rudd thing strikes me as pretty interesting. I can’t help remembering MT shooting himself in the foot over Utegate when he tried to take Kevin 07 apart. Julie Bishop was on the opposite side then too and effectively was the deciding factor in Malcolm being benched when she moved her faction to Tony.
Wouldn’t it be amusing if it happened again. I’m pretty sure Kev is up for it. (Only amusing if we don’t get another round of Tony I hasten to add)
It seems too bad to be true. Trump would have his own numbers people however one must ask why would he self-immolate. The Clinton’s and daughter are friends with the Trump family. Something absolutely stinks here. It is as if Trump was trying to lose. Picking up the far right is no way to win and he must know it. The only solution is that Trump is playing an insider game. The whole thing is too unbelievable. He cannot alienate that many people and win. I cannot imagine that given the resources and poll driven advice he is not deliberately limiting his chances of a win.
This is no conspiracy theory it represents the raw facts. Often the truth stares one in the face if one seriously evaluates the evidence. If it wasn’t for Clinton’s appalling treatment of Sanders she would be way ahead so it is her incompetence that is undermining her not Trumps platform. The elites in the US are a special case of deception, lying dishonesty, greed and inherent self-interest.
If it looks like a circus then it is a circus with a bunch of clowns playing pretend parts to secure global corporate oligarchic hegemony. Really they are all playing from the same book driven by personal avarice. There is no democracy in the US and the sooner we extricate ourselves from this farce the better. Regardless Wall Street and the City of London are the winners as there is no legitimate challenge to the status-quo.
I’m baffled again.
I read that Ross Martin was good at football, and that George Pell gave away his RUGBY career for the Catholic Church. Are these facts important, if so, why so?
Please explain.
Helvityni, apparently if you play footie (any code) it means that you’re a you’beaut good bloke and if Pell gave his RUGBY career away for the church omg, then he must be just so ‘amazingly’ dedicated. It’s bloke stuff..proves he’s ‘a man’s man’ and couldn’t possibly be guilty of anything which the Victorian Police are currently investigating. As far as Ross Martin being good at footie..umm..relevance?
Helvityni, if you meant Brian Martin (and not Ross), for some time he headed up the tribunal at the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
Oops, should that be Brian Martin.
Thanks for explanation, Carol 🙂
Walking will do for me, I got nothing to prove.
You lost me when you attacked white men. Comments that blame white men are racist and misandrist.
I must have missed something. I didn’t see where white men were attacked. I saw mention of ‘white male privelage’, which I hardly think is ‘racist and misandrist’. If I were to mention ‘Aboriginal disadvantage’ would you say I was being racist?
Maybe Turnbull has never forgiven Rudd whom he might blame for his naive utegate attack. Rudd seems to be coming out on top once again. It seems it was Turnbull not cabinet that rejected Rudd.
In utegate, a naive fool. This time, just a liar.
Truth appears to be, he encouraged Rudd to run with intention of knocking him down.
In the interests of accuracy, it is George Christensen and Miranda Devine.
Pell played for CARLTON RESERVES.
You lost me when you attacked white men. Comments that blame white men are racist and misandrist.
Mick I am not guilty of what you suggest.
Accuracy, Christensen and Devine don’t belong in the same sentence.
Kaye, put those two together and you have a divine couple.
In the interests of accuracy, it is George Christensen and Miranda Devine.
Lord knows.
And Kaye. I can see a relationship you may have missed.
hear hear mick comments that attack white men for choosing white men as CEOs and blue eyed blondes are missing the point that they are avoiding racism and misogyny
Interesting to consider that Turnbull’s government is predicted to be unstable even though he has a majority (and a handful of independents to call on if the ratbag faction spit the dummy, while Gillard’s minority government ran the full term with the support of the independents. I wonder what maority he would have needed to reduce the nutters to an irrelevant rump.
I went to the net to follow up your information about the Press Council finding on the misrepresentation of Bill Shorten. Strangely while in other parts of the world such as New Zealand and Israel, newspapers reported seriously about this, no Australian newspaper popped up on the top of the sites suggested. The Press Council said “The Council considers that the presentation of the article including the sub-headline, the large image of the Royal Commissioner and the screen shot of Mr Shorten giving evidence set out opposite each other, the presentation of the quotes in large font without an indication of who they referred to all combined to convey a misleading and unfair impression that the quoted adverse findings referred to Mr Shorten.”