Day to Day Politics: Wow. What a bloody week that was.
Saturday 5 May 2018
What a bloody week that was!
The week was again dominated by the Royal Commission into Banks, or the Commonwealth Bank in particular. Everyone is now aware of the Turnbull Government’s complicity in trying to hide the wrong-doing. We may not have known all that we know now had the cover-up continued.
The budget tried to make a few headlines but unlike other years there wasn’t much leaking going on. A shortage of urinals in the almost men only cabinet, I believe.
The week to come will be dominated by the budget of Scott Morrison but the address in reply of Bill Shorten offers more intrigue.
Also entering the political affray will be the subject of immigration. Some with a genuine desire to get the best outcome. Others like Abbott and Dutton with racism at the center of their worldview involve themselves for political reasons only.
Comment of the Week
Goes to Mr Denmore for his reply to Kaye Lee’s post; It takes a certain type of woman to join the Liberal Party.
I’m not sure it’s about gender. The Liberal Party has been overtaken by a nasty, greedy, vindictive ideology that attracts nasty, greedy, vindictive human beings devoid of charm or compassion. Perhaps some of the women seem particularly vile because, like women in many other walks of life, they have to exhibit the group values and attitudes more intensely than the average male politician to win acceptance and promotion. For instance, it seems pretty clear that O’Dwyer was thrown under a bus by Turnbull and Morrison to do that Insiders interview with a set of talking points that even the most astute political spinner would have struggled to sell. Cash, like Turnbull, seems to have no functioning political radar. Like many in the Liberal Party caucus now, the game is all about appeasing a dying and unrepresentative base of reactionary old white men. Mirabella, on the other hand, seems to be just a rotten human being, pure and simple. The Libs weren’t always like this. Judi Moylan, who retired from parliament in 2013 and who like Cash is a West Australian, was a moderate and progressive voice in the party during the Howard years, as was Judith Troeth, a Victorian. So I think the real issue is the takeover of the Liberal Party and its Coalition partner by a nasty, reactionary right-wing strain of US-style culture war politics. If you are a woman of political ambition in the Liberal Party, you are going to be tempted to exhibit the behaviours rewarded by that political tribe.
The Scandal Sheet
1 I hear Telstra was fined $10 million for ripping off its customers. I hear that the bank’s fines will be in the 100s of millions for ripping off its customers.
Why does the government get the money when its the public who get ripped off?
2 Government debt now $518 billion. Up $245 billion since the 2013 election. Wow. Best economic managers? Pull the other one.
3 The Labor Party has pledged to abolish the Goods and Services Tax on tampons if it wins the next election.
4 Half a billion for the Great Barrier Reef. That’s great but it’s a mystery as to where all the money is coming from. Is it new stuff?
5 “How can anything be fully funded while you are running a deficit?” (Barrie Cassidy).
6 Budget emergency is over. All in the blink of an eye.
7 The banks might lose more than their data the way things are going.
8 Will Abbott retain his seat?
9 Liberal MP Julia Banks’ claim she could live on $40 a day rebutted by Business Council.
10 Turnbull didn’t walk away from his beliefs, he didn’t have any. (Peter Lewis).
11 Macron has the unusual ability of making friends with leaders and then telling them exactly what he thinks of their policies. Refreshingly smart.
12 What is the real reason for Tim Hammond resigning from parliament.
13 As a result of the Trump tax cuts the US is experiencing the biggest share buy back in its history.
14 Trump changes his story yet again, The money was to prevent her from saying nasty things. I think he is better than Abbott.
Top Tweets
1 Chris Barrie:
“I blew a fuse when I read about the Aus War Memorial planning to spend $500m on another centre. For $500m we could buy a proper research + treatment centre for PTSD! We could treat our veterans properly” Chris Barrie #AnzacDay #TheDrum
2 Tony Windsor:
“Meanwhile back at the ranch our man Malcolm is still doing the Abbott waltz and missing the opportunity to be in the global renewable business ….nah let’s make a few guns instead’’
3 Kelly O’Dwyer takes a new position on the Royal Commission:
“With the benefit of hindsight we should have called it earlier. I am sorry we didn’t, and I regret not saying this when asked earlier this week.” #auspol #banks RC
4 Michael Kroger:
@AustralianLabor governments promise these massive schemes, like the NDIS and the NBN, with no funding to pay for them. Then of course the Liberal party has to clean up their mess as we have been doing for decades. What?
5 Linda Burney:
There you have it. Its clear vast majority of Australians do the right thing when it comes to #Centrelink. Recovered debts make up less than 0.01% of payments. Govt is simply hellbent on demonising vulnerable ppl. Welfare should allow ppl to live w/dignity –
6 Ray Wilton:
“Australia’s largest aged care providers are shifting profits offshore and paying minimal tax, all while receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in government subsidies, a new report finds.” Yet business has the gall to attack unions. Name & shame
7 Jim Chalmers:
BREAKING: The Govt is spending $500k of your money on opinion polls in the lead-up to the Budget. You shouldn’t need expensive market research to work out what is fair; you just need a functioning heart and an affinity with people who work and struggle. Please SHARE if you agree.
Read of the Week
“How the Coalition ran interference for the banks” (Peter Martin).
Tim’s Titbits
(Tim is a Facebook friend who sends me all kinds of curious comments).
1 Jim Chalmers was saying spending under this government is growing at a faster rate than it did under the previous government.
2 An August election makes it hard for Labor. With national conference in late July. National conference authorises the policy platform.
3 My view on lowering the voting age is l support it but only if voluntary.
4 Re Newspoll labor would probably win. But the view is labor should be further in front.
5 That’s interesting. Tanya from the Left is supporting Wayne Swan from the Right in the ballot for party president. Albo from the Left is supporting Mark Butler from the Left. Goes to show the depth of hatred between Tanya and Albo. Don’t know what that is about?
6 Labor said they will stop the live sheep trade. Coalition did not.
7 Whitlam said he never spoke to Kerr after the dismissal. Never forgave him.
8 Shorten said willing to negotiate on personal tax cuts. But not on measures to increase revenue. As not necessary.
9 The Treasurer has conceded there will be no medicare levy increase in the budget.
10 Fraser was right. He did not change. The party did. Moved to the right. So he appeared to be on the left. When in fact he had not moved.
11 Article about it today. Saying the return to surplus in 2019 is very optimistic.
My clown of the week
Julia Banks a Liberal politician says she could live on 40 dollars a day. What a clown.
My thought for the day
“If we are to save our democracy we might begin by asking that at the very least our politicians should tell the truth.”
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Kronomex
Return to home pageRE Women in Liarbral Party; there is a second similar move in the National$ Party where the declining number of geriatric members are having difficulty attracting new recruits to the Young National$ where the joining age has been lowered to over 65 years. Instead, the National$ head office appears to have been quietly occupied by the Rainbow regime from the LIarbral Party which has quietly improved their political position by maximising pre-selection of their supporters to presently “safe” seats in both state and federal Parliaments.
These “fresh” recruits are required to have the same attributes as Denmore’s “new wave” Liarbral women; self-centred, greedy, unscrupulous, self-serving, obedient persons whose ability is considerably less than their ego while necessarily committed to subservience to the unelected political hacks who control pre-selection in air-conditioned metropolitan party offices.
The Business Council of Australia (BCA) has signed on as a campaigner for the Liberal Party’s re-election.
They have given Rupert Murdoch’s Sky News $1million dollars to promote arguments in favour of corporate tax cuts (and it seems increases in the GST).
This will include the pay TV company providing favourable television coverage, newspaper articles in the Murdoch press and community forums which poor old David Speers will be asked to host.
Speers has been a standout beacon of impartiality and professionalism in a pay TV network that otherwise sings from the Murdoch hymn sheet with commentators like Bolt and Credlin leading the pack.
This is very disturbing at a time when we are seeing the rise of these associated entities who, no matter how we restrict the system of donations to political parties, will find ways of purveying influence and shaping opinion.
Terry2, the BCA is parroting the arguments from the IMF which said we should lower corporate tax and increase the GST and levy a land tax.
I have not heard anyone from the LNP mention the two later tax changes which means they intend to implement the first and then say whoops we’re out of money, increase the GST and here’s a land tax for you all.
Dishonesty by omission…
Why is it that a number of corporations are able to get out of paying tax altogether in Australia?
Half a billion for the Great Barrier Reef. That’s great but it’s a mystery as to where all the money is coming from. Is it new stuff?
My thought is, how much of the (still in limbo) magically created money, will actually get to the reef?
Will Abbott retain his seat?
I’m not holding my breath either way and taking no bets.
Terry2, I seem to recall the BCA saying they were completely “nonpartisan” earlier in the week. Then again it may have been a tiny crack in the fabric of realities and it was a message from an alternate universe where altruism and honesty reigns.
With the state of the world at the moment it leaves me wondering, if our universe is a simulation in an unimaginably large computer then the part of the part of the program that includes our planet has been hacked by some bored teenager (relatively speaking) with too much time on its tentacles and in a spiteful mood. It’s that or there’s been a corruption in the base program.
There never was a budget emergency John and never will be when our federal government creates money as it spends, not some of the time but all the time. There can be inflation caused by too much money chasing insufficient goods and services but money is never a scarce resource to be extracted either willingly or unwillingly in taxes.
We can afford anything we want, just not everything we want. We need to have a more intelligent debate about the budget.
https://futuretofightfor.org.au/policies/how-to-pay/
Turnbull showed his vindictive side by not supporting Rudd in his application for the UN position…
Now Rudd is paying him back by using Chinese social media to criticise Malcolm Turnbull in Mandarin…
Two narcissists methinks, or two five-yea-old boy in a sandpit….
Now Labor has at least three possible leaders: Albo, Tanya and Wayne…maybe more…? Shorten already is one…
The Coalition has to keep Mal, as there are no other serious possibilities…?
oops ,two five-year old boys in a sandpit
My highlight of the week was Kristina
An interesting series of a dozen or so Tweets,
The Business Council of Australia accused Kristina Kenneally of “conspiracies” and falsehoods over her statements that the were a less than honest Organisation
What follows is Kristinas systematic demolition of their argument.
Boy it’s good to have her in the Senate
Kristina Keneally
The BCA tweeted at me that they “disclosed” (their word, not mine) the ‘For the Common Good’ campaign on 27 March. Let’s unpack that word ‘disclosed’ and look at why the date 27 March is important.
Kristina Keneally
Here is the Facebook page for ‘For the Common Good AU’. It is described as a ‘community organisation’. The page’s first activity is Mon, 5 March as 11:55am.
Kristina Keneally
On 5 March at 12:42pm, ‘For the Common Good’ shares its first post, which is advocating for a change in South Australian trading laws. The post includes a link to http://forthecommongood.com.au
Remember that ‘For the Common Good’ website is authorised by Centre Ground, which is owned by the BCA. Some BCA staffers, including Andrew Bragg, are directors. Another BCA staffer runs the webpage. There is no BCA branding anywhere on the website or Facebook page.
A basic domain history search done this week shows that http://forthecommongood.com.au was last modified at 11:15am on Friday 16 March.
Kristina Keneally
The South Australian state election was 17 March.
So, the BCA created a front group, Centre Ground, which ran a campaign ‘For the Common Good’ during the SA election to change SA trading laws in a manner that would benefit businesses.
Any voters who saw the Common Good’s campaign’s FB page, website or videos during the SA state election would have had no idea it was funded and run by the Business Council of Australia.
The BCA tweets that there is no conspiracy because they disclosed the Common Good campaign on 27 March. Disclosing your involvement in a campaign 10 days after an election is not disclosure. It is not transparency.
Questions: Did the BCA comply with all relevant SA election laws regarding authorisation and funding disclosure? Does the BCA own any other front groups? Did the BCA use ‘For the Common Good’ as a way to collect data from FB users? Who collected the data for them?
Kristina Keneally
Further questions: Has the BCA run any other covert campaigns?
Will the BCA now put its branding on the For the Common Good website or FB page?
Your thought on truth fits the ‘we know what you mean’ category.
Let’s suppose:
You are in the youngest of baby boomers cohort a smartarse greek lawyer who grew up in the wog era with the bleached blonde dole bludging surfies with their ‘if the car is rockin don’t come knockin’ culture? They have a good life by pooling the dole and living out of a combi-van or shaggin wagon
Now it is a fact that record number of 20-34 year olds live at home making $40 without cost of food and shelter that is true.
It is then true that she could live in one of her 6 houses with her working husband providing meals and transport on $40 a day?
I think it is not honest because she ignores the hardship if you are not able to access free meals and accommodation but it is true.
Similarly, the dishonest words on the morning shows are true in that shorten went shopping in dubai when there was an ADF dinner planned.
Loved Dr chalmers’ speech, especially:
In fact, if you look at the monthly AOFM figures since they first began in 2001, Mathias Cormann has the worst record as Finance Minister, presiding over an almost $4.5 billion per month increase in net debt– over $670 million a month more than the next highest. It would make a good question for karl-baby to ask? Maybe Tanya could gone on today again and suggest it??
ps
‘hatred between Tanya and Albo. Don’t know what that is about?’
Albo and tanya are both ahead of shorten as preferred leader. In 2013 the party chose albo the caucus chose shorten
I feel sorry for Tanya because the demolition of gillard, like thatcher last century, means it is unlikely that a woman will become a pm for many years
pps have you no conservative friends??
The Libs, like the Republicans and UK Tories have been successful in gaining power, for now, with ageing and soon declining constituent demographics dependent upon traditional media and WASPs (including wannabees eg. those of Irish Catholic heritage). It’s why some conservatives eg. the Cafe con leche Republicans had been (till closed down) warning of demographic backlash against decades of (being manipulated into using) white nativist (‘eugenics’) policies and tactics; may come back and bite them in the arse long term?
https://openborders.info/blog/tag/cafe-con-leche-republicans/
I have always been impressed with Kristina….
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/05/suicidal-refugee-child-should-not-be-sent-back-to-nauru-psychiatrist-says
I wish I hadn’t read the above; we send an innocent boy who has been kept five/six years on Nauru to Taiwan when he ends up suicidal…
We also rather cheerfully send life-stock to far-away places to die in dreadful conditions on the way to their destination…
At least the treatment of the suffering sheep concerns some people; who is fighting for Hamed…? No one?
About reduction in taxes for business. The theory is that reduced company tax will increase jobs and growth and induce greater investment.
Many big companies pay no tax at all and most businesses seem to be able to reduce tax payable, there fore Oz must be steaming along with full employment, massive economic growth and oceans of investment coming in.
That is right, is it not? Hello?……… Hello?
I think Wam has some useful comments to make. Unfortunately his presentation is so opaque that I struggle to understand what he means to say.
thank you, rosemary, what i mean is personal what I say is for interpretation of others.
John Lord intones the word ‘truth’ as if he knows what the truth of a situation is.
He is unaware of kurusawa’s rashomon or he would know that his truth is what he believes to be true based on his interpretation.
The politicians need to have guarded honesty when giving recorded interviews, including a full transcript. But an honest politician is democracy at work.
The awful truth of the woman, who replaced the redoubtable (but poorly treated by labor) Anna Burke, is her acceptance that the need to punish the 0.1% of dole cheats(100000 Australian dobbers resulted in 118 centrelink ‘hits’ matt killoran oct 31 sunshine coast daily) is the driver of reform ignoring the vast majority.
The lnp have successfully brought the media and the public into the same frame of mind.
All people of my facebook know of welfare cheats both real and imagined therefore labor is wedged.
Consequently meaningful discussion requires trust and who, in labor, would trust the lnp or dinatale
ps
add the memory(truth??) of the disgusting unwashed druggies of nimbin.
I also think Kristina Keneally is a great asset and I am glad she is in the Senate rather than wasted in the bear pit of the HoR. She gets to ask real questions there with some degree of power to demand an answer,
Wasn’t there one or two people in the coalition, that were for endorsing Rudd for that UN position?
I think the rationale was that he wouldn’t get it, official endorsement or not and if they did endorse him, Labor couldn’t then hit back with claims that the government was being petty after he failed. So it would be a win/win situation for them.
Sam, in brief, to endorse or not became a contest between the forces of Dutton versus those of Bishop. Dutton, being the good hater he always is, had no time for Rudd – a fellow Queenslander. On the other hand, Rudd and Bishop enjoyed relatively cordial relations – then and now. Dutton’s pettiness won the day and revealed the power he had over Turnbull. Fact is, Rudd was never going to get the UN job but Dutton never lets a chance go by.
As an aside, Rudd frequently referred to Gillard and her partner as bogans. Accordingly, Bishop asked Rudd, the Foreign Minister, questions about developments in Bougainville. An insiders joke of sorts. For the vast majority, the reference flew below the radar.
My favourite one-liner was delivered by Gough Whitlam
“When Sir Winton Turnbull [who represented a large rural seat], a slow and sometimes stumbling speaker, was raving and ranting on the adjournment and shouted: “I am a Country member,” I interjected “I remember”. Sir Winton could not understand why, for the first time in all the years he had been speaking in the House, there was instant and loud applause from both sides.”
So we have Trump – still with his approval ratings among Republicans at 82 percent. One wonders how that is possible. Here’s an explanation of sorts:
An article that provides real insight. As the author concludes – In this time of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” commentators worry that people with different political orientations base their judgments of right and wrong on entirely different perceptions of reality. (Yep those dreaded perceptions of reality.)
Yep … a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. Or to put it another way – each and every person constructs their own reality. Just one further link:
https://everything2.com/title/If+men+define+situations+as+real%252C+they+are+real+in+their+consequences.
Not that I am trying to upset any personal mindset and cause them to think outside the square.
“ENERGY Minister Josh Frydenberg has ordered an urgent review of Australia’s liquid fuel reserves as the country dips below 50 days, but says it should “not be construed as Australia having a fuel security problem”.”
http://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/government-launches-urgent-fuel-security-review-as-reserves-dip-below-50-days/news-story/90a4e47c776fb505b9e14408d243705d
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/declining-fuel-reserves-prompts-turnbull-government-security-review-20180506-p4zdmq.html
Frydenberg lives in a strange reality where “…Fairfax reported on Monday that Australia has just 22 days of crude oil, 59 days of LPG, 20 days of petrol, 19 days of aviation fuel and 21 days of diesel remaining.” is not a problem. Then I remembered that the LNP’s reality is vastly different to our reality. Why should they care, they’ll make sure there’s plenty of fuel for themselves and the rest of the pollies and we can have what’s left. Never fear, the LNP will solve this, like the magic disappearing budget crisis, “Don’t panic! Don’t panic!” non-existent fuel crisis.