Day to Day Politics: When he gets fired up he impresses
Wednesday 2 May 2018
1. I am always impressed when Bill Shorten gets fired up about something. When the fire is in his belly is lit and he shouts out to the world that which he is passionate about, and truly believes in.
Such an occasion was on Monday when he addressed the McKell Institute at the Sydney University. I have tried to find a text copy but, Mr Google for the first time ever, has let me down. I had planned to post a few paragraphs of this impressive speech and critique them, however, the video might suffice even better.
2. This morning I watched as Scott Morrison again tried to make out that the Coalition were responsible for finding out that the practices of the Commonwealth Bank were below par. Well, let me take that back. Yes they did instigate the inquiry
Treasurer Scott Morrison has told Commonwealth Bank board members and executives to resign following a damning report by the banking regulator. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority found that the bank had insufficient oversight of the banks non-financial risks and a “culture of complacency” following a series of money laundering and terrorism financing scandals.
“It found there was a complacent culture, dismissive of regulators, an ineffective board that lacked zeal and failed to provide oversight, a lack of accountability and ownership of key risks by senior executives, a remuneration framework that had no bite and they were reactive, slow, and had under resourced systems and processes internally,”
There is nothing wrong with the findings or that the Government is not responsible. It is simply that had they not so stupidly rejected a Royal Commission two years ago we would have found out back then. What reprehensible hypocrites they are.
As it is now our Financial Sector and those leading it are being shown up as the greatest lot of buffoons around. And the Government is no better. And the CBAs punishment is a slap on the wrist with a feather.
3. The same can be said for those in leadership of Education Policy. Mr Gonski has now produced two common sense reports that have been, depending on who you talk with, either welcomed or rejected. Those who have rejected them, including Christopher Pyne, when education Minister didn’t even bother to read them.
This is one area where class really comes into it. There is an attitude amongst conservatives that if their kids are getting the best education at the best schools then why waste money on the rest of them. It has to end now,
There is no greater need than the need for equality of opportunity in education. Gonski’s first report was about this and his second about the classroom itself.
Both should be implemented forthwith without delay and in full. No matter the cost.
My thought for the day
‘We must have the courage to ask of our young that they should go beyond desire and aspiration and accomplish not the trivial but greatness.”
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Matters Not
Return to home pageI know what you mean, John. I can’t find the transcript of Shorten’s McKell speech either. The ALP site only has a 2015 speech.
Very strange !
There was no fire in Mal’s belly either when he spoke of fixing the education system;with ‘fixing’ he means more money to the already well-looked-after Private schools….
The more things change et cetera…
There is no miraculous time for people on New Start, as hounded recipients become even bigger targets from the cruel nasty spirited LNP.
Crikey has stated the LNP has known for a long time about the corruption and criminal activities of Banks ” … as early 2009, when Labor’s Bernie Ripoll convened a joint committee inquiry into the role of the financial services sector and the collapse of Storm Financial and other outfits. It spent nearly a year examining the industry and produced a rare unanimous report.”
Abbott was king of deregulation, we are experiencing the results of that harmful ideological position with the Banks. The GFC was also a result of de-regulation in the US.
Creating toothless regulatory Agencies is also a strategy used through starving those Agencies of financial resources.
Which ever way the LNP try to squirm, they cannot convincingly argue they were not trying to stop the Royal Commission, until finally they had to yield.
What a giggle today, monsieur seigeur. Another trumpless day, not even a word about the large scale N’s visit on his way home from trump.
Loved the photo??? Amy cynic would suggest that it typifies the shorten of beaconsfield whilst today’s image is best illustrated by one from Kiribati
Still I am sure your adherence to ‘the do as I say not as I did’ thinking is warranted as a type of apology from the boomers and a few pre-ww2.
Wonder if you can put that into an AP so gen X Y and Z can access your words?(john kennedy put it simpler)
ps got called a troll for suggesting the timing of tampons was poor oops stupid as it took focus from the heat generated from the royal commission. I read, a comment here??? with an insightful comparison between the rabbott’s wasteful jokes of commissions vs this effort
Helvetini, little johnnie’s keep kids to year 12 has had terrible consequences the worst being maths faculties with a majority of teachers with no universitty maths.
Kieth, I am no fan of Senator Whacko Williams (National$ NSW) but, since being elected to Federal Parliament by the about 13 geriatric surviving members of the Inverell branch of the National$ to fill a casual Senate vacancy, Whacko has been telling everybody and anybody that the banks are corrupt … ALL OF THEM … without exception!!
We must seek out and publicise the McKell speech because there are too few examples of Shorten displaying the leadership qualities of Beaconsfield being published in the MSM owned by a US citizen.
The trouble with Shorten is two fold. Firstly he reminds one more of a mild mannered reporter than Superman a reporter who doesn’t get angry about the things that one would expect a leader of a Labour Party to get angry about such as increasing poverty in one’s country. Secondly the general public understand that the reason he does not get angry is that he is not passionate about anything except the leadership of the Labor Party which increases his chance of being Prime Minister.
His past of selling out union members and changing positions on important subjects as well as right wing political skulduggery bringing down two sitting Prime Ministers in collusion with then AWU secretary Paul Howes and others don’t engender public confidence and Labor Party insiders know that the only way he gained the leadership of the parliamentary party is via AWU skulduggery within the party.
helvityni I agree wholeheartedly with your above statement, as more and more money is being diverted via Turnbull’s ultra right wing policies to those already well off people, we poorer people and our services are being denigrated or are ceasing to exist at all. I contribute $10 per month to GetUp as that is all I can offord, but with the cost of living increasing every day I’m not sure how much longer I can continue to do that.
townsvilleblog, maybe Bill too could take some dancing lessons,( something South American) to get a bit more fired; he’s got good policies, don’t let them go astray…and no waltzing, something with more oomph….
Once again it’s all about the personality of the leader and not the policies he espouses. How do we get past this ? Reporting needs to be about policy not person, focussing right in on how the Labor party will try to improve this country. Mal gets himself in front of the media just about every day at the moment, announcing all manner of gifts to anyone who wants them.
MSM will of course continue to follow along and publicise these, but we have to try with all our might to present Labor policies as the better alternative, no matter the largesse with which we will be showered in this coming budget.
I like Bill anyway. Maybe we need to replay his Beaconsfield speeches on a daily basis.
While noting that, barring LNP obstructionism, we could have had a Banking RC two years ago, I rather think the timing is is actually better being much closer to an election and hopefully the wash-up will remain in the public consciousness. Sadly, I feel the same as Townsville blog about Bill.
The Greens just unleashed a sabre-toothed tiger among the political pigeons, from The Conversation:
“The Greens plan would bring in “a Buffett rule” to ensure higher income earners paid their fair share of tax by limiting deductions made by those earning more than A$300,000.
In the Greens policy, another $14.3 billion would come from targeting property investors, with the capital gains tax discount phased out over five years, and negative gearing scrapped for future purchases and phased out for multiple properties.
Trusts would be taxed as large corporations, at a 30% rate, raising $3.8 billion over the forward estimates.”
https://theconversation.com/greens-urge-buffett-rule-to-get-more-tax-from-high-income-earners-95892
Well done to the greens then.
I agree with Keitha. I like Bill, though I voted for Alabanese in the leadership election. As a member of the party, I have been in the same room with Bill at workshops at National Conference, and you couldn’t ask for a more natural and engaging person. His management of the policy process has been exemplary, and, as was done in 2015, the whole approach is to build up to this year’s conference to settle the 2018 Platform, which will form the basis of the election campaign. He is a team player, with opposition spokespersons regularly appearing to comment on their areas of responsibility. Given the situation we were in after the 2013 election, one could hardly ask for a better team performance.
John Hew:
Well done to the Greens but the Buffett Rule and modifications to negative gearing are also in the ALP program… and I am sure more is to come. The take home message from the coming federal election campaign is that the coming Shorten ALP Government will be a transformative government that is going to shift the political, economic and social path for Australia away from Neoliberalism and towards Social Democracy. I don’t expect that the Shorten Government will also control the Senate, but I hope that the combined ALP and Greens senators will be enough to pass legislation. This means that Greens and ALP must be able to negotiate in good faith, honestly, REALISTICALLY!!!, and with the wellbeing of the People in mind. I know that Shorten is a good and reasonable, along with sensitive and realistic negotiator…. Will Di Natale be the same or will he adopt a “train wreck” attitude and strategy, as the Greens have done too many times in the past?
Re: Gonski….Why not look at the Finns and their model… ohh, hang on …that’s a secular, free and state run system where the teacher are highly qualified and paid well,,,, wouldn’t be possible here!
Good points made Keitha Granville. Too often critics of Bill are fast to attack him and ignore the Party’s polices he as leader is responsible for. Importantly the ALP’s domination of the last 30 polls by the notoriously one sided right wing Newspoll.
Certainly the Govt have contributed to their own pathetic results, however Labor are the driving force that keeps them in the public eye as the disorganised shambles of no hopers and liars they are. How Bill Shorten stands at the lectern, ties his tie has little bearing on how and where he enunciates policies.
The public are listening alright and the mood for change is very much in the air. If more of his left leaning critics concentrated on playing the ball and not the man, the even better he and Labor will be. Let’s not have anymore of the Julia Gillard debacle, when she was treated like a lump of refuse, yes even by the left.
John Boyd
I agree, labor have a very good team that you would never be ashamed of putting before a camera. I saw Tanya Plibersek the other day and was impressed with the way she has improved her delivery style and the wholesome image that she presents . Even on its best day the coalition could not hope to compete with the likes of Bishop, O’Dwyer and Cash.
I hope that Bill makes the most of his front bench, they are a mile ahead of the coalition.
By the way, I think you will see the Nationals vote falling away after Joyce’s shenanigans which have not gone down well with the CWA set in regional areas.
Tanya plibersek is a standout performer.
The New Zealand government has a minister for Climate Change. Are they streets ahead or what ??
Bill is getting the message out – In spite of MSM
Bill Shorten
Verified account @billshortenmp
“Standing room only at last night’s town hall in Riverwood. It’s great that so many people came out to not only hear about Labor’s plans, but also to tell me what they think. This is how politics should be done.”
True I was doubtfull about Bill Shorten but have supported him since it was obvious to me that changing ALP leadership was an infantile idea, that was back in 2015.
Since then Bill Shorten has grown in his style, sincerity and ability to get traditional Labor policy back on track.
Under this ALP leadership team the ALP is doing everything well and making serious inroads to regain government.
The path is going to get harder, the recent announcement of the BCA is a testament to the fear factor that is in the Right Wing camp. It tells me that business no longer trusts Turnbull or the LNP to keep power and therefore must take things into their own hands.
Expect a campaign that will make the kill Gillard campaign look like a kiddies party.
I like a leader to be able to give a measured address and calmly explain his ideas. If I wanted ‘entertainment ‘ I wouldn’t be looking at a political speech. I don’t understand why Shorten is criticised as being lacking as a performer.
Yes johno, NZ is miles ahead…but here US is our hero, so no minister for CC for us. Now that our other role model UK has sugar tax, we might follow…??
Johno as I have recently returned to NZ to live, I can confirm NZ is certainly more ambitious and active on the Climate Change question. Pm Jacinda Ardern is more than holding her own on many fronts despite the best efforts of the right including the supposed most read daily the NZ Herald and the once non political Newstalk 1ZB, of which I was proud to work on.
The right are realising the PM is no push over, is a straight talker and doesn’t tolerate rude fools in the media albeit with an always polite but meaningful retort, as required.
Good lord, all this talk of equality in education, and society generally, raises the spectre of class warfare making the ruling class play snollygoster incessantly.
It’s fatigues them greatly don’t you know and they deserve a break from the struggle to enjoy their privilege unchallenged
Re:
Why stop at equality of opportunity, given there’s an important principle of justice involved. More than two thousand years ago, Aristotle argued that: equals should be treated equally and unequals treated unequally. In similar vein, we have Jefferson asserting: there is no greater inequality than the equal treatment of unequals.
Perhaps we should be moving in the direction of greater equality of outcomes? If not for all individuals, then certainly for identifiable social groups as a starting point. Perhaps we could call this new approach needs based education but that label has been appropriated by those who think spending $30 000 per annum on a child from a high SES background and only $10 000 per annum on a child from low SES background somehow satisfies that definition.
Sad!