Day to Day Politics: Did you miss it?
Friday 5 January 2018
I know the people who read this blog are ardent political followers otherwise they wouldn’t do so. However, have you ever considered just how much information actually passes you by?
I am in the habit of placing the stuff I haven’t had time to digest in my “to read” box with the intention of going back and reading it later. When you write a daily blog as I do one has to be across a broad spectrum of subjects. Leading up to and during Christmas my box got so full that yesterday I decided to empty it.
I started to do so when the thought occurred to me that I should be sharing some of this stuff with readers of The AIMN.
So I have edited it down to small snippets of the subject with a link to where you can read the full piece should you desire.
An observation
“I will have to stop reading all these books. It’s affecting my brain.”
1 The first one is a Quarterly Newspoll survey that points out just what a battle the conservatives face on several key fronts in the new year.
2 This piece in the Guardian points out how Labor is seeking to exploit divides within the Coalition, targeting the Queensland Liberal National party where it sees the greatest weakness.
3 This one voices the opinion of Peter Dutton that Victorians are boycotting Melbourne eating houses because gangs are roaming the streets looking in windows. If that’s the case why aren’t they staying away from major events when he scares them about terrorism.
4 The ABC asks what are Australia’s powerful pressure groups asking for?
An observation
“We should all read with an openness to the possibility of being radically changed.’’
5 I would have to agree with Tim Fischer when he says that the US is perpetrating a ‘diplomatic insult’ on Australia. Where is the US ambassador?
6 the mandarin.com.au tells us that three-quarters of Australians want a federal ICAC and a majority want a greater say in what government does. New research has been published just as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull entertains a corruption watchdog rethink of his own.
7 This one tells us how our Private schools are not accountable for how they spend government funds.
8 An excellent piece by Mike Seccombe in The Saturday Paper tells us that it’s all John Howard’s fault.
9 This article by Michael Gordon reveals that the cost of stopping the boats has been calculated at more than $9.6 billion since 2013.
An observation
“The pathway to the riches of knowledge is in the reading, the exchange of creative ideas and in the doing.”
10 foreignpolicy.co reports that: “The United States of America Is Decadent and Depraved” A recommended read.
An observation.
“The mainstream media will only ever print or say whatever is in its best interests. Then it might say something interesting and truthful”
11 This addition to my reading list was well worth the wait.
I study liars. I’ve never seen one like President Trump.
12 mph.com.au publishes the “First Speech: Hon Linda Burney MP Member for Barton, New South Wales”
13 The Essential Poll came up with some interesting numbers in its 17 December survey. Well, worth some deeper analysis.
14 Sean Kelly writing for The Monthly gives our leaders some explicit advice.
“Say it like you mean it.Our leaders need to spend more time considering their words.”
They speak without conviction.
15 Buzzfeed has a piece on Michaelia Cash’s Office “Refused To Release Communications With Her Staff On AWU Raids” She will have loads of questions to answer when the Parliament first sits in 2018.
16 I was also attracted to the web pages of the “Resilience Project”
17 As if to confirm much of what I write about vice.com comes up with a headline that reads. Australians-hate-our-politicians-and-political-system.
18 And Psychology Australia has a piece “Haters, haters everywhere!” Why is there so much hate still floating around in the collective consciousness, when we have evolved so much in so many other areas?
There we have it.I had many more but I understand you are on holiday or you only have the weekend.
My thought for the day
“What I know is only surpassed by what I haven’t read.”
15 comments
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Terry2
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Return to home pageJenny Mikakos Victorian Youth Affairs Minister has nailed Dutton and the coalition tactics on the African gangs beat-up.
She has accused the Liberal party of employing US president Donald Trump’s tactics of “manipulating the media by making outrageous statements guaranteed to get a run and then using their trolls to whip up social media”.
The question is, why are the media not holding Dutton to account. Frequently this man makes outrageous statements, usually about asylum seekers, grabs a few headlines and then goes missing when people start asking probing questions.
Well done Ms Mikakos.
I haven’t got past number 8. Yes, an excellent article in the Saturday re how we will continue to suffer from Howard’s era.
I don’t write even a weekly blog yet I feel I’m missing stuff that I never have the time to get back to. There’s so much of it, these days, one could drown just trying. Keeping up with events as well as conniving politicians is becoming a full time job
It’s always John Howards fault.
The media are ‘sellers’. What sells? ‘Sex’, ‘violence’ and, above all. controversy laced with ‘EXCLUSIVE’. Any truth is at best tweaked but usually given such a tenuous hold in the business as to mitigate the untruths into the ‘believable’. Once believed that is accepted as the gospel truth.
50% of voters are struggling to read a paper, beyond the headlines, much less any of your sources, Lord.
Can they see and hear? You betcha they can!!!
For all my life labor has been patient whilst the libs (and recently the loonies) trashed their brand. We waited, with good honest men, till a saviour gave the electorate a chance to remove the natural leaders.
Billy is warming the seat for the next hero. By the look of the talent in parliament, it will be a long wait!
ps
Terry2
Mikakos is amongst the most perspicacious of Labor politicians, albeit 5 years of head up the arse induced blindness, who are influenced by overseas heroes like trump.
But a simple look at the rabbott’s 4 years in the lib leader’s office will show that our morning shows reacted to his repeating drumbeats.
So to your question: why are the media outlets not reacting?
Because Labor leaves their drumming to latham, occasionally keating and hawke pop up.
Little billy does not appear on the media, nor tanya and neither have but the little tin drum of the ABC(the LNP is rapidly taking even that paltry outlet away from labor).
To rub salt into the wound, a ambassador has been appointed to NZ months ago. This in spite of the fact, they have not gone humping all the way with Trump.
I have a feeling it ain’t working this time with Dutton. All seem to be attacking him. Maybe Murdoch doesn’t back his desire to be PM. #auspol
What another excellent article Mr Lord! As usual your thoughts & ideas etc almost always coincide with mine. I just wish I was able to express them so well, as you always seem to do. Keep on keeping the rest of us informed on all the CRAP this Talkbull mob etc are doing. It is the only way to make sense of what this effing obscenely over-paid, lying mob of so-called “liberals” keep on doing to the Australian people–on a daily basis!
Great stuff JL. The link to Psychology Today goes to the Washington Post article?
The ABC has certainly dumbed down to the level acceptable to the government – it’s no longer a site worth visiting for a critical analysis of political news. Mostly an entertainment site now with lots of second and third hand content. Cheap and nasty like the LNP. Pity it has come to this. Labor better move Guthrie on immediately they win government and restore our Aunty to her frank and fearless former self.
Terry2: today’s The Age reports that Dutton was “grilled” on radio 3AW and asked to substantiate his allegations. There definitely need to be more hard questions asked instead of the too common tendency of journos to just accept what pollies say.
Brer Rabbit never liked being interviewed at the briar patch or 3AW. Anywhere but there; he would explain!
During the pool stint, I was wondering how many people it took to make dutton’s statement true?
It is certainly believable so to his followers in Victoria believe ‘he is telling it as it is’,
To the police officer kicked in the head by an African youth who, despite multiple offences and a history of violence, was out on bail, such words ring true and are supportive to the police??.
Dutton’s words were designed against the Labor government. Were the ‘words now and explanations later’ a successful tactic in attracting the media in support? Has it been used by LNP boys and girls before? Who remembers labor’s answers??
When will bill and tanya move?
Just after trumball calls an election?
Mr Lord you missed one unless it was in the links, which I didn’t read.
Our wonderful NBN, where Malcolm has said we will all be receiving 25Mbps by 2020 (originally 2016). This man is a big a liar as Tony Abbott.
I am in the process of changing over to the NBN not because I want to, I have to. Unable to connect because of a wiring problem in my premises, my service provider or NBN can’t tell me what it is I have to get a technician in to sort it out at my expense. Technician came around a couple of hours ago apparently my burglar alarm is the problem have to rewire this and that at great expense to myself, being on a pension this won’t happen.
Burglar alarm will be going, home phone going, NBN going, luckily I didn’t sign up on a plan will be updating my mobile phone plan with more data than I can use and plugging it into my computer with faster speeds and is reliable.
Thanks Mal and Tones. What a pair of idiots.
An the later slogan is “A rising tide lifts all boats”, this time not by Morrison , Turnbull or “Conman” but by Ruslan Kogan
Is another version of the “trickle down” slogan but more “elegant”
I hate these neoliberal resuscitated from the gutter individuals.
I can understand the US not sending an ambassador here after we sent them Hockey, it is only fair really