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Day to Day Politics: What stunning hypocrisy

Thursday August 18 2016

1 The mainstream media yesterday, as a precursor to an economics speech by the Prime Minister saturated their headlines with words of what Turnbull expected from Labor. Rather than an appeal for bipartisanship their words reeked of ultimatum.

What poor and corrupt memories they have. In similar circumstances Julia Gillard led a government that was bludgeoned with every available parliamentary tactic that would make governing the country as difficult as possible.

The same media outlets now demanding that Labor act responsibly are the same ones who bequeathed the title of ‘the best Opposition Leader ever’ on Tony Abbott for his ability to prevent good government.

The decades-long convention of pairing was tossed out the window. In an act of bastardy Abbott prevented both Simon Crean and Malcolm Turnbull from attending the funeral of Australian icon, artist Margret Ollie. Turnbull was a personal friend. Crean at the time was Minister for the Arts.

Controversial MP Craig Thomson was also denied a pair when his wife was due to give birth during heated debate on the Labor government’s carbon pricing legislation. So was Michelle Rowland when she wanted to look after a sick child.

Some things should be above politics but that made no difference to Abbott. He became known as Dr No. “Oppositions oppose, that’s what oppositions do” he said.

It now seems that it was okay for Abbott to play hardball and receive accolades for it but Shorten would be doing the country a disservice.

What hypocritical nonsense. Labor will pass enough legislation for it to be seen as playing fair. For its fairness it is entitled to receive a degree of economic compromise. After that it is entitled to give as much as it got when in government.

Even though it lost it can point to its economic campaign policies that got major support.

The government needs to look at its handouts to business and the rich and privileged before it asks Labor to get it out of a mess of its own making.

The point to be made on pairs of course is that Mr Turnbull has claimed he has a working majority. That being the case pairs shouldn’t be necessary.

But really, the hypocrisy from the Coalition is breathtaking.Turnbull needs to acknowledge that he really doesn’t have a working majority, Labor probably doesn’t have to nominate anyone for the speakers panel meaning that a Coalition member will have to be in the chair at all times, denying it a vote on the floor.

This is aptly demonstrated by this answer to a question by Kelly O’Dwyer. Asked about Ms Rowland’s experience, Ms O’Dwyer said the Labor opposition “should not play games” with similar situations. Staggering, isn’t it? Listening to the Government crying over the very tactics it employed after its 2010 loss is really nauseating.

At least Barnaby Joyce – with an uncommon voice of honesty – indicated that had they done so it was not the right thing to do.

2 If reports that the Prime Minister as part of an agreement to get the job, agreed to make changes to 18c then it only proves that he is a hypocrite of monumental proportions.

An observation

“Power is a malevolent possession when you are prepared to forgo your principles and your country’s wellbeing for the sake of it.”

3 Speaking of the media, isn’t it astonishing that the revelation by the Guardian of 2000 emails detailing abuse on Nauru wasn’t worth even a snippet of interest? Can you imagine the response if Labor were in power?

No wonder the Fourth Estate is in its death throes.

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.”

4 The Netflix latest broadband speed measurement puts Australia at 30th out of 60 countries measured. In other words we are still spending billions on a network for today when what we need is one for tomorrow.

5 Even government backbenchers are now showing their concern about the behaviour of the banking sector. Liberal MP Warren Entsch favours the establishment of a tribunal to assist the victims of what he calls the “bastard acts” of banks. Entsch says this would be preferable to holding a Royal Commission into the sector.

6 Is there a case for taking on more debt? Mark Kenny reviews Glenn Stevens final major address which he called “An Accounting”.

‘’Perhaps it is too subtle a message for our binary political culture, but the conservative Stevens seems to be saying we should take on new debt so long as it is in “long-lived assets that yield an economic return”.

7 This week’s Essential Poll has Labor steady on 52/48

8 According to NASA, the organisation that Malcolm Robbers says is corrupt, reports that its results, which combine sea-surface temperature and air temperature on land, show July was 10th month in a row to break monthly temperature records.

Roberts also believes that climate change science has been captured by “some of the major banking families in the world” who form a “tight-knit cabal”.

Please tell me I’m still sane. How does one manage 77 Primary votes and become a Senator?

An observation

“We all incur a cost for the upkeep of our health. Why then should we not be liable for the cost of a healthy planet.”

9 Did you know that Australia has fallen two places on the Global Innovation Index since 2015. Nigel Andrade, global lead partner at AT Kearney, says Australia’s 19th place in 2016 could be improved via greater emphasis on exporting innovation. Australia is among global leaders in tertiary education participation, infrastructure and IT, but it lags behind in spending on secondary education.

My thought for the day.

“Pass this onto your children ‘If you are not willing to learn no one will help you. If you are determined to learn no one can stop you.”

 

16 comments

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  1. stephentardrew

    Great post John. I think the points are glaringly obvious and the lack of any sort of critical response by the MSM is glaring.

    They will willingly destroy peoples lives, the economy and biosphere for raw unadulterated greed. Point is education, especially moral education, is failing as our children are drawn into a dystopian Malthusian cynicism bordering on psychosis full of ideological irrationality and neurosis supported by religious hypocrisy and innate meanness.

    Both sides of politics are infected though the L-NP must take the cake. Economics is not a science it is what the ruling elites chose to give them advantage at the cost to the whole society, world and biosphere.

    Thus surely is madness.

  2. Jaquix

    I seem to remember during the election campaign Turnbull spitting out “same old Labor” and denigrating them at every turn (in betwedn “jobs and grwth” of course). Now he wants to be buddies. Really he is so pathetic.

  3. Terry2

    If you want to “reach out across the aisle” and encourage your opposition in parliament to work with you on policy I would not think that the first best move is to harangue your opposition in the media and use a soap box to demand that they pass your “omnibus” legislation that has not even been drafted or circulated.

    I tend to agree with Shorten and Bowen that a first sensible move would be a phone call from the PM followed by a meeting to discuss how best you and your opposition can approach a difficult legislative program on ‘budget repair’.

    To bundle up all the “zombie” measures left hanging from the 2014 Abbott/Hockey budget and then demanding Labor compliance is just looking for a fight.

    As Shorten points out, the coalition have a majority in the House of Representatives so their “omnibus” legislation should “sail through” unless there are coalition defectors. The challenge for the coalition lies with the new Turnbull constructed Senate, not the Labor Party.

  4. wam

    turdnbull’s mob have just reached hyperhypocrisy with almost every statement reeking of it. Sadly, lord, as usual, the papers will not refresh memories with such information and there are few occasions where labor can go public. Shorten et al should make sure every member is armed with this hypocrisy and facebook has a laugh at the libs’/the rabbott’s WIOs(words in obstruction).
    first preferences
    wa green .06% labor .06 libs last 3 got .03, .04, .05. First preferences are but one of 12. 230000 voted for the party above the line in qld ie preferred one nation above the line. Making malcolm as legitimately elected as any senator.
    I support preferential voting and without it parliament would be much worse without independents.

  5. Möbius Ecko

    Waleed Aly gave who I think was the minister for small business Michael McCormack a real serve on The Project last night.

    The minister on having his party’s hypocrisy highlighted used the line that the people of Australia are sick and tired of this type of politicking and Labor shouldn’t engage in it.

    No matter how many times the sheer hypocrisy of this statement was thrown at him he just kept repeating that same line. Since then I’ve heard that same line used by two other Liberal politicians, one being Turnbull, so it’s obvious a talking point from a memo.

    Well the people were sick and tired of it when the Abbott government first engaged in using it but it didn’t stop that government from continuing to use it.

    This is another trait of the Liberals and their supporters I’ve noted several times in the past. Their hypocrisy in canning or bleating about others doing the things they engage in doing as if it’s their sole right to be underhanded devious arseholes, but not be pulled up for being underhanded devious arseholes.

  6. Michael

    LNP = Australian Laxative

  7. stephengb2014

    The same level of hypocrisy is evident from the LNP supporters on the social media. There is absolutely no thought that their comments are contrary.

    The Abbott supporters are absolutely RABID, their hero has been vanquished, their hate for Turnbull holds no bounds.

    Lets hope they tear themselves apart.

  8. lawrencewinder

    Having so quickly lost all credibility through its sheer hypocrisy and deviousness, when will be appropriate to eliminate this Ruling Rabble in a putsch?

  9. Wayne Manna

    I am afraid Turnbull (he of the prodigious intellect), is a fool. Worse, an arrogant fool capable of massive misjudgements.

    Like Abbott, his ascension to the PM role might have seemed obvious, but once in that role, his incapacity to demonstrate leadership and to unite a bickering and incompetent bunch of fools (Bernardi, Dutton, O’Dwyer, Abetz and Pyne to name a few); drone-like dullards (Dutton, O’Dwyer ……) and self-serving pratts claiming credit for achieving nothing (Hunt, Cormann, Dutton, O’Dwyer….) is staggeringly obvious to all. All that is except those who, in the manner of the mindless “football supporter”, continue to barrack for the LNP.

    Turnbull’s mismanagement of the NBN (his solution was a more costly, but less advanced system) was a pointer to what we now see from him as PM. Weasel words, denial, blame and the like, but sensible policy? Absolutely not. Held in the vice-like grip of the conservative factions? Absolutely. Are we getting government for the wealthy by crackpots? We most certainly are. Do we see any indication that the Coalition accepts that its proposals to repair the budget by attacking the poor and leaving the well-off and rich leaches alone are flawed? Absolutely no way.

    What we get instead is the same old shrieks that it is the left and the cross-bench that are holding the country back, when in truth, they are doing their job and rejecting ideologically driven and dangerous policies.

  10. bilko

    John another good serve. Can anyone name a couple of things that the Lieberals have done in the last 40 years that was in the interest of the country, exclude the gun byeback.

  11. helvityni

    bilko, I think that’s about the only good thing they have achieved. Fraser was OK after he left the politics. And they did not like moderate Hewson much, he’s the only Liberal politician I know with a sense of humour. The rest of them hopeless bullies and getting worse…..

  12. Harquebus

    “To conquer a nation, first disarm its citizens.” — Adolf Hitler
    “A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.” — Edward R. Murrow
    “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.” — Benjamin Franklin

  13. bilko

    Helvi
    that about sums up my memory bank details but Fraser over the Dismissal was a step too far IMHO and I cannot forgive him for that.

  14. Kronomex

    Oh jeez, I saw that photo of Malcontent at the top of the article and all I can think of is that the position of his hands and the look on his face leads me to…well, I’ll leave the rest to your imaginations…

  15. Susan

    Great article once again. Thank you

  16. roy stanley johnson

    we demand from the prime minister how long have you and your government been water boarding the refugees and using other torture as well

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