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The List Of Strange Bedfellows – If You’ll Pardon The Expression

Sorry, but I’m off to New Zealand in a couple of days and this may be my last post for a couple of weeks. The trouble is that I’m having difficulty working out which of the interesting potential targets to write about. I’ve started to compile a list.

  1. Peter Dutton calls asylum seekers, “Armani refugees” and tells us all that they’re not fleeing war but are, in fact, economic refugees. How then have they been judged to be worthy of asylum? Surely this is a failure of his government to identify them and send them back.
  2. The “No” Campaign expresses outrage that people are being sent one text message urging them to vote “Yes”, labelling it an invasion of privacy. Cory Bernardi announces his intention to robocall a million homes with a two-minute recording of him speaking, which he then follows with a survey of voting intentions. I suspect that he’ll achieve a 100% “No” vote with his survey, as nobody else would listen to him for three minutes. Actually I suspect that he’d get close to 100% if the question was are you my wife or a paid supporter?
  3. Tony Abbott has a column in the paper telling us that Australians don’t like being told what to do and think and the fact that the “Yes” campaign is trying to influence us could backfire. Leaving aside the obvious point that the “No” campaign is also telling us what to think, this could be a valid point. Abbott follows it up, however, by telling the NRL that they shouldn’t have Macklemore at the Grand Final. Apparently, only ex-PMs are allowed to tell us what to do… And only if they aren’t members of the Labor Party.
  4. Malcolm Turnbull goes on “The Project” and gloats that Waleed Aly was wrong about suggesting that Australians couldn’t conduct a civil debate on marriage equality. When Waleed says hang on and points out that there’s been violence and bullying and some really nasty comments, Turnbull bristles and tells him that this has only been from a minority and most people have been ok. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think that anybody was suggesting that the majority of people would conduct themselves badly; it was always about the minority.
  5. Tony Abbott, a free enterprise champion, suggests bringing in the army to take over gas supplies.
  6. Malcolm Roberts argues that a) he believed that he was never a British citizen and b) that he attempted to renounce any claim by sending of an email headed “Am I Still A British Citizen?” This is akin to arguing that I’m not guilty of bigamy because I never believed that I was married and sending off an email with the words, “Has the divorce come through yet?”
  7. Andrew Bolt. Almost anything he says about the Liberal Party/Churches/big companies when compared to anything he says about the Left/Bill Shorten/The Greens/companies that aren’t doing what he thinks that they should.
  8. Turnbull tells us we have a gas problem. Then he tells us it’s Labor’s fault because they should have done something about it four years ago even though, nobody in his government has done anything about it in the past four years. Then he tells us that it’s worse than he thought. Then he tells us he’s solved it because the gas supplies have agreed to sell to Australian companies for only a little bit more than what they’re selling to overseas companies.

The list goes on…

I have a plane to catch.

See you in a week or so!

 

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19 comments

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  1. Peter F

    That’s right, when things get tough you fly away. Enjoy your break.

  2. Joseph Carli

    “Economic refugees” is easy for someone like Dutton to throw around, coming from a line of forebears who either hung or transported a person for stealing a loaf of bread to eat. Ask a Greek who came to Aust to get away from the starvation.. Great Famine (Greece) – Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Greece)
    The Great Famine (Greek: Μεγάλος Λιμός) was a period of mass starvation during the Axis …. rate reached a peak, while according to British historian, Mark Mazower, this was the worst famine the Greeks experienced from ancient times.
    Total deaths‎: ‎Est. 300,000 (mortality rate reach…
    Period‎: ‎1941–44
    Country‎: ‎Greece

  3. Frank Smith

    “Economic refugees” – there can be no such thing. People are either refugees OR “Economic Migrants”. And I would venture to say that most present non-indigenous Aussies owe their presence in Australia to being descendants of “economic migrants”. There will also be some who have descended from convicts who were forcibly removed from their country of birth and transported to the other side of the world as “convicts”. But during the 1800’s huge numbers of people from Europe migrated to Australia as “economic migrants” in the hope of a better life in the face of famines like the Irish potato famine or the rigours of life in an industrialising England and Europe. And of course Australian Governments after World War 2 actively encouraged migrants from Europe to come and find a “better Life” down here as “White Australians” under our policies at the time. So, I fail to see what this present demonisation of present “economic migrants” is all about other than a dog–whistle to further dehumanise, demonise, villify and slur the genuine refugees who make up the overwhelming majority of this target group.

    I could carry on about that evil creature Peter Dutton, but I will leave that to another post. Suffice to say I do not regard that despicable individual as a fellow human so I can only refer to Peter Dutton as an “it” rather than a “him”. – no real human would villify those few refugees who have been accepted by the USA in the way that “IT” has.

    Enjoy NZ Rossleigh and be on the lookout for any raving, ranting, unintelligible beetroot faces over there.

  4. Glenn Barry

    Dutton is a caring understanding nineties type that I wouldn’t urinate upon in the case of his combustion – the rest are also beneath contempt and would not merit my urination either in identical circumstances.

    I sincerely hope the GetUp campaign in Dutton’s electorate facilitates the loss of his seat come the next election

  5. helvityni

    Dutton would not know his Armani from an old army jacket…

    I have a wardrobe full top Italian and French designer gear; all found in charity shops and bought at very low prices…

  6. Andrew Smith

    Like the IPA hit list, the old Nixon approved Rockefeller population policy list and of late a UK, US, and same influence (lots of old GOP operators running round) in Russia, Hungary, Turkey, Poland etc. where governments and/or states following similar hit lists and tactics for the 1%, while shouting at immigrants, refugees and the EU.

    Think goes to prove conservatives and/or nativists are short of ideas, and there are only 6 degrees of separation in this world.

  7. Ricardo29

    It is very hard to politely express just how contemptible I consider Dutton to be. He is a prime example of the worst elements of the Queensland Police Force of an earlier era. Like Glenn I too hope the getUp campaign for his defeat is successful, particularly as I am a contributor. I may be living in the so-called echo chamber of my own beliefs but I am optimistic that, when the time comes, this LNP rabble will be dispensed with. First step, the High Court and Bananaby, then a by-election loss, then a no confidence motion, then an election. SOON.

  8. Matters Not

    wardrobe full top Italian and French designer gear; all found in …

    Sometimes wonder who buys my wife’s third hand ‘cast offs’. Apor Bernardi

  9. wam

    the rohingya fleeing to bangladesh shows women, children and the aged in terrible scenes. I have long been suspicious of the character and status of men seeking asylum in comparison.

    As for dutton a look at facebook or at a bbq with defence, police or the godly, will show him to be typical and his beliefs the norm in that section of our society.
    ps
    Helvityni, about 30 years ago, we learnt about oxfams and frugality when my darling had a scholarship to london uni we also learnt the english didn’t like the ends of meat or squid heads so the women at waitrose saved the ends at 50/60% off and all the squid heads and other unwanted odds and ends for the aussie family. They also added offcuts and quality mince so we ate well, clothed ourselves well for a reasonably cheap cost

  10. Terry2

    These so called economic refugees in designer clothes and sunglasses have been found to be refugees by the Australian government and the US Immigration authorities.

    The clothing they were wearing was largely donated by charities or was knock off designer kit picked up in the Lorengau market (Manus).

    Dutton is an absolute disgrace !

  11. Terry2

    The Trump administration have vowed to do a better job in Puerto Rico post Hurricane than the Bush administration did after Katrina. A better job in SPIN that is :

    “The mayor of Puerto Rico’s capital city has slammed a senior Trump administration official Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke for telling reporters on Thursday that the relief effort is “a good news story,” comments that came amid mounting criticism of the federal reaction to the hurricane.”

    “San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz appeared visibly taken aback during an interview on CNN, calling the remarks “irresponsible” and saying they upset her.”Maybe from where she’s standing, it’s a good news story,” Cruz said. “When you’re drinking from a creek, it’s not a good news story. When you don’t have food for a baby, it’s not a good news story. Dammit, this is not a good news story,” Cruz said. “This is a people-are-dying story. This is a life or death story. . . . When you have people out there dying, literally scraping for food, where is the good news?”

    Save us from spin doctors !

  12. helvityni

    Terry2, of course ,those refugees are wearing the two-dollar-shop ‘ designer’ gear, and the mean-spirited Dutton sees REAL Armani…

    wam,If hubby manages to get me to join him for the local pub’s Tuesday- night steak dinner, I usually take most of it home for our Jack Russell…he loves it, and I’m not so keen on big slabs of meat…

    Where’s John Lord by the way…?

  13. Rossleigh

    A late addition to the list from Theresa May who told us that she did so badly because her party weren’t ready for the snap election that she called.

  14. Terry2

    Rossleigh

    What was Turnbull’s excuse ?

  15. paul walter

    I’m afraid no.8 for me- gas and electricity.

    What a detestable long term debacle.

    Since no 8 deals with wasted money on an exponential scale, add the submarines. We could also add, for sheer perversity, the “survey”.

    Much of the rest is used by the tabloid press and meeja for its distractive potential, to obscure the reality that with the $billions saved, there would be money to solve the refugee problem, ease up on the persecution of aborigines and the unemployed and in a calmer atmosphere, encourage an adult conversation rather than hysterical one on the preceding points.

  16. diannaart

    Have a brilliant sojourn in the green, green fields and snow-capped mountains of ~Middle Earth~ of New Zealand, Rossleigh.

    Can’t really add much more as Helvityni has stolen my thunder – I too have a wonderful and inexpensive wardrobe thanks to a lifelong devotion to Op-shopping.

    …and I can only agree if the “Dutton” observed refugees in Armani, their attire was due to the generosity of others donating clothing… although, as a former QLD cop, I doubt he can discern Armani from Target.

    PS

    How to do a “strikethrough” I thought it was a ~ or two?

  17. Aortic

    Hev fin!

  18. Max Gross

    Ross, safe journey, enjoy the fashion chups and come back soon… However, if you decide never to return to Monstralia, we will understand… Two more glorious years!!!

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