Day to Day Politics: Scott’s on top of everything.
Friday 15 September 2017
1 One of the more bewildering aspects of Monday’s IPOS Poll was the overwhelming endorsement of Scott Morrison. One would have thought that the economy was chugging along at a remarkable rate. Respected writer Alan Austin took exception to this assumption and has written an excellent piece titled “Think Scott Morrison is a good treasurer? Here are 40 reasons you are wrong”.
In case you may not have noticed Australia’s national debt has exceeded $500 billion, more than double the debt Labor added during the global crisis but in a fraction of the time, forcing the Coalition to defend its claim to be the better economic manager.
Turnbull and Treasurer Morrison tried to blame it all on Labor’s “reckless spending” in years past but in the end were forced to defend their own economic management.
Annual wage growth is now 1.9%, the lowest rate ever recorded.
Net debt: After committing to cut net debt by $30 billion, the Coalition has doubled it from $161.3 billion to $325.1 billion.
Had a Labor Government reached a debt of that proportion the press might have hyperventilated.
2 Yesterday I watched the Prime Minister in Question Time try to, rather sadly, I would have thought, reason why he had so completely turned around everything he believed in, in terms of energy policy and the environment. I say sad because those on both sides of the political spectrum harboured thoughts that he might bring some sanity to the argument.
In the evening I watched Barnaby Joyce’s interview with Leigh Sales on 7.30 and I was left in no doubt as to who is running the country. He unequivocally made it clear that this Coalition was indeed, a coal-ition. He spoke in a conviction that would usually lead to a dressing down by his leader in normal circumstances. He also spoke with all the nonsensical certainty of one who dismisses out of hand the science that proves him wrong.
It all must surely lead to the question of what it is that the Nationals hold over Turnbull. It seems to me that if you had the balls you would confront them head on and test their courage.
Would they leave the Coalition and bring the government down? Would some of his cross-benches have the guts to forgo their seat in the parliament? If he doesn’t test their will, he silently comments on his own lack of intestinal fortitude.
3 Governor General Peter Cosgrove must certainly be the most invisible GG we have ever had. I hope he earns the enormous salary he is paid.
4 The Government cannot seem to let a week go by without highlighting the ineffectiveness of their governance. This week it has been its fight with AGL over the Liddell coal mine.
5 We received our survey forms today at 1pm. Posted by 2pm. Voted YES. I wonder how many people of my vintage (almost married 50 years) will vote positively with a tick in the YES box. Conversely, would people of my vintage be good enough to explain to the young what a post box looks like? Perhaps some pics on Facebook for identification purposes might also help.
6 Also on the Marriage Equality issue, it was good to see 14-year-old Eddie Blewett return to Parliament to lobby for the YES vote. He came to question time a year ago with his mums, asking why marriage equality still had not happened.
7 Nick has done it again. Using his normal method of self promotion Nick Xenophon played up the difficulty of the negotiations (this time the most difficult in 20 years) over the Media Ownership rules. As usual he tells us how hard he worked for the concessions. Then when we find out what he got we find it really wasn’t much at all.
Murdoch will no doubt will be happy, as to will Pauline Hanson who managed to get her way with some further backstabbing of the ABC.
Nick is a de facto Liberal and you only have to look at his voting record to prove it.
Anyway as Senator Lambie said in her defence of the ABC “This is crap. This is the worst lot of crap I have seen.”
8 In Question Time on Thursday Turnbull gave a spirited defence of the government’s plan to run a trial of drug tests for welfare recipients.
He says the Labor Party’s opposition for the plan is “shameful”:
“If they loved those people who on welfare, if they love them, if you love them, what would you do? Would you tell them to get off the drugs, get off the booze? Well, I’d hope so. We’d hope so. But, no, the Labor Party won’t do that.”
It sort of invites a rhetorical question about asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru.
9 On radio yesterday former PM Abbott said the government should forget about a Clean Energy Target and, instead, have a “100 per cent reliable energy target.”
10 Australia didn’t advance this week, fairly or otherwise. You will have to wait until the Government is replaced.
My thought for the day
“I think growing old should be done at your own pace.”
PS: Vote YES.
19 comments
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Clean livin -
Nathan -
Jaquix -
helvityni -
Ricardo29 -
nurses1968 -
jim -
win jeavons -
hilderombout -
Kronomex -
wam -
Freetasman -
wam -
Kyran -
John Lord -
Kyran -
John Lord -
John Lord -
Kronomex
Return to home pageIf Turnbull “loves” welfare recipients, why is he not drug testing pensioners, or managing their spending habits with a cashless welfare card? Does he not love them equally?
Or does it have something to do with elections?
Clean livin, it’s only a matter of time before all recipients of govt benefits are on the welfare card. Who needs personal freedom of choice when govt can dictate where incomes get spent? Short story – Neo-cons are destroying the concepts that helped form civil societies one idea at a time. Aust is in reverse gear and the working peanut gallery, aka mainstream media, applauds this kind of “progress”.
Good summation of the current state of the govt this week or so. Add the Cash/Hatchkiss matter to the mix. A comment on a Guardian article this morning mentioned that Mr H has 3 other appointments 9f interest, one being National Intelligence and another related to AFP I think. Curiouser and curiouser?
The Coalition does not know whom to turn to , who is left. Tones and Mal have turned out to be lacking leadership skills, Dutton is too scary even for them, and Julie happens to a female…
What’s left: Scottie with the grin. Yes, but what is he on about? Well, we don’t really know , he talks too fast for anyone to get it …and he doesn’t seem to know if our debt is increasing or decreasing….
No worries, it’s all secret white men’s business….like the boats…
Just to confirm, I am your vintage older whit male,married 47 years and we will be voting yes. Regarding the closet Lib, Xenophon, it looks like the concessions he won for giving Murdoch almost absolute sway are as good as those he won for supporting the ABCC. As did Hinch. Any regrets from either if them I wonder?
The scary thing about all this is no matter how bad this lot of miscreants are performing, based on those eligible {2016} to vote, and the current LNP position in the polls {2PP}with the polls at 54/46 there are 7,211,263 voters out there ready to give them another 4 years and would readily vote them back in. Got to be a lot of workers pensioners and welfare recipients mixed in there
“On radio yesterday former PM Abbott said the government should forget about a Clean Energy Target and, instead, have a “100 per cent reliable energy target”.”.
This reminded me of the 13 or so wars that America was “involved” in in 30years and how the yanks do it is by fighting “terrorists” targets ….so they are not fighting/targeting anyone in particular, just as failed pm rabbitt targets “reliable” energy.
Mrrabitt why does NASA cart tons of solar panels 1000s kms into space ? and noo its not a tax dodge either usicko.
I know of many over 50’s voting Yes, including myself ( over 80) . We also never vote for the LNP (also known as the flat earth party)!
I am another one over 70 who has voted yes and has never voted for the lib/nats either nor am i likely to do so in the future. Thanks for all the sane elderlies amongst us!
““If they loved those people who on welfare, if they love them, if you love them, what would you do? Would you tell them to get off the drugs, get off the booze? Well, I’d hope so. We’d hope so. But, no, the Labor Party won’t do that.”” Turnbull said this with a straight face, what a hypocritcal “do as I say, not as I do” wanker. He’ll go to the parliament bar then home and drink expensive wine and single malt whiskey while congratulating himself that he’s doing great things for the country.
Scott Morrison is a good treasurer? BWAHAHAHA…
Job growth up, wages will follow what more is needed????
Sadly Labor, Gillard and Swan were going swimmingly economically but the rabbott said at every opportunity at every live interview debt debt debt asylum asylum asylum deficit deficit deficit pink batts pink batts pink batts and juliar juliar juliar till it was believed.
Billy is still waiting for the right moment??
The X is a lawyer and has been slimey throughout his senatorial career his nest must now be worth millions and he wont complete this stint unless he is at the power corrupts absolutely.
ps Saw lipstick under my burkha last night and women are too powerful for religion and politics but what a great place India and the world will be when they eventually shake off their indoctrinated cultural millstones and man’s religion.
pps
tried this on the no mob?? Why are you voting to keep something decided by howard in 2004 with a majority in both houses, no conscience vote?
one answer notice london??
“The main reason why many, myself included, will vote NO in the London-awaited plebiscite.
The sneers, accusations of homophobia, racism, bigotry, the bullying that has emanated from the extremists on the YES side threatening to push for a doctor’s deregistration, renaming Margaret Court Arena and boycotting Coopers for posting a rational, polite debate of the issues online also contributed in some way, as they show the weakness in the current laws on the edges, sometimes closer to the middle, of the debate.
It really is a pity, as the basic concept is good, and I would much prefer to be supporting it.” ie I am not a homophobic but I think those poofs are disgusting.
ppps why does this vote NOT have anonymity? The government will know the name and address of everyone who votes yes or no and those who don’t vote.
I still waiting for the form to cast my vote for yes.
Hilderombout have you seen the seniors magazine poll??? We ‘yessers’ are in the minority with 54% no!!
we got ours this morning already in the post.
“(almost married 50 years)”
Really? Surely you have been married, or you have not been married, for 50 years. ‘Almost married’ for 50 years would have to be the longest engagement period of all time.
Apologies for the pedantry. But it sort of underlines this government. Almost! They have regarded their last four years as an ‘engagement’ period, a promise of better things ahead. With no idea, let alone care, that once they commit to something (indeed, anything), there is an expectation of performance.
With regard to the survey, mine came in this morning. Notwithstanding the question, which is clearly skewed, the instructions struck me as a tad odd.
“Clearly mark only one box”
And yet;
“A response may not be valid:
If both boxes are marked”
Surely, it would be invalid if both boxes are marked, rather than it might be invalid. The pedant in me ponders whether I could consider I ‘almost’ voted.
Whilst the letter was from the ABS, the address was obtained from AEC records. With regard to wam’s ppps enquiry;
“why does this vote NOT have anonymity? The government will know the name and address of everyone who votes yes or no and those who don’t vote.”
There is this from the ABS website;
“Once processed, information will be stored in two files:
• A file containing only your electoral division and response to whether the law should be changed to allow same sex couples to marry.
• A file containing only the unique codes of survey respondents, which will be used to ensure that only one response is received for each eligible Australian and to calculate the proportion of people who have responded.
Personal details will never be seen or stored alongside the answer to the survey question.”
http://www.beta.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/AMLPS+-+Privacy+Policy
Then there are intriguing stories of how this most basic survey may be corrupted, at a most basic level.
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/gay-marriage/abs-warns-against-posting-samesex-marriage-survey-forms-on-social-media/news-story/576c61c236aa2a8e4b770d255d2fd515
This political exercise, with no other intent than to extend the political careers of dutton and joyce, is an abomination. Neither their careers, or this exercise warrant any scrutiny.
‘Almost’ is worthy of thought, in an aspirational sense. We have had an ‘almost’ government for four years. Devoid of inspiration, unworthy of thought.
Now, here’s the thing. If I tick the appropriate box, and write a comment about the process, will my vote be discounted?
It’s a given that the ACL will be the scrutineer in this non vote. It’s only fair I sent a copy to;
‘ACL – Reply paid 83063, Deakin, ACT, 2600.
My bad. There may have been a few extra comments on the scrutineer’s copy.
Ah well, screw them.
Thank you Mr Lord and commenters. Take care
KyranPoints well maid.
It was tongue in cheek, to a degree, Mr Lord. If it has caused offence, I apologise, without hesitation or reservation. It was not my intention to disparage your relationship, or its longevity. Nor its legitimacy.
My comment on your relationship has no more, or less, validity than my right to ‘vote’ on someone else’s relationship.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been married twice (not at the same time) and both ended in divorce. I have two wonderful lads. Through their eyes, I have seen so much, learnt so much. Funnily enough, they won’t take advice from me pertaining to relationships. Other than ‘what not to do’.
Yet I get a voice on telling other people what relationship they can consider.
At some point, this madness has to stop.
Thank you Mr Lord. Take care
I didn’t take offence at all and I apologise if I communicated that way. I thought rather amusing actually.
Appreciate your comments. No offence at all. I thought it rather amusing.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/15/coalition-signals-it-will-negotiate-with-one-nation-over-curbs-on-abc
More projectile vomit inducing behaviour from Turnbull and cronies by sucking up to Princess Precious to keep her on side.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/15/turnbull-says-john-howard-could-help-coalition-fine-tune-marriage-legislation
Gorge rising and there’s no bucket in sight…