Election diary No 10. Wednesday, 9 February 2022.
1 In one of the most insincere acts of contrition ever in Australian politics, Barnaby Joyce apologises to the Prime Minister for saying nasty things about him when he was on the backbench. Things he meant, but later under different circumstances, when he became leader of his own party again, found him more likeable.
Mr Joyce said he commented in a text last year when he was a backbencher and had no working relationship with the PM. He now does and has found the PM to be a man of his word.
Kevin Rudd, the recipient of some name-calling himself, was right onto this hypocrisy, tweeting that:
“Barnaby’s claim that he barely knew Morrison before last year is ridiculous. They’d spent 8yrs together in either cabinet or shadow cabinet – including in the pressure cooker of the expenditure review committee.”
In the leaked text, forwarded to the former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins by a third-party Joyce said he did not “get along” with Morrison:
“He is a hypocrite, and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time,” Joyce said in the message, dated March last year.
“I have never trusted him, and I dislike how earnestly [he] rearranges the truth to a lie.”
The Guardian reported that:
“… it was the second time private text exchanges, critical of the prime minister, have been leaked in a week. On Tuesday, Morrison was blindsided when the Ten Network’s political editor, Peter van Onselen, used a televised question and answer session at the National Press Club to reveal private criticism of Morrison.
Van Onselen told Morrison he had a record of a text message exchange between a party colleague and the former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian. She branded the prime minister a “horrible person” who was untrustworthy.
“The minister is even more scathing, describing you as a fraud and ‘a complete psycho’,” van Onselen said. “Does this exchange surprise you? And what does it tell us?”
Van Onselen later said the conversation was between Berejiklian and a federal minister.”
Barnaby Joyce was due to appear on Insiders last Sunday. Guess what? He declined the invitation. The home affairs minister, Karen Andrews, took his place. I’ll leave that to your own thoughts.
A Sunday night bombshell:
The minister who shared the text with van Onselen and gave permission to use it was Peter Dutton. If PM Morrison has one more week in free fall the prospect of a leadership change pre-election is real. Party rules don’t count if most MPs think you will lead them to defeat.
— Bob Carr (@bobjcarr) February 6, 2022
I expect his tweet to be splashed all over the front pages the following morning, but there was nothing. I can only find a note from a friend saying Dutton has asked for the tweet to be removed.
@bobjcarr's tweet is baseless, untrue and should be deleted.
— Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) February 6, 2022
It was the subject of some discussion on ABC News 24 but nothing much else I. What it does highlight, however, is the infighting within the Coalition if it’s not about the future of renewables versus coal, its leadership or revenge.
It seems there is more discussion about politicians’ welfare than the peoples’.
Whether Bob Carr is exploiting an already sick situation for Morrison and the Coalition is unknown. Is it just his opinion, or does he know for sure? We shall have to wait to find out.
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That Morrison is a liar is undisputed. Everyone knows it. That we now have two lying leaders makes a mockery of integrity and trust.
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2 Now at the risk of repeating myself, let me talk about the voters, the ones who decide who governs us. Their opinions are reflected in the numerous opinion polls that are regularly published, but we cannot be 100% sure. Polls are often wrong.
The great majority of people come together every three years to vote unthinkingly for the party their parents voted for. As bad as they have governed, they wouldn’t betray the party.
There are others who, from election to election, glibly take little notice of the affairs of the state. They stand by dispassionately, wondering why politicians are paid so much to do so little.
I would also think that a fair proportion of voters wouldn’t even know who is standing for election in their electorate. Many wouldn’t know who they might vote for until they close the curtain on the booth.
There will be those who will decide based on the scantest information; however, given the lifestyle they live, that’s of little surprise. A modern lifestyle leaves little time for thoughts on politics.
Yet, another group changes their vote according to what’s in it for them. “How will your policies benefit me?”
By far, the largest growing group are those who have opted out of the system altogether, saying a pox on both your houses.
Smack in the middle is a cohort of non-aligned thinkers who put all else aside, placing the country’s good at the top of their priorities. They are called the swinging voter.
This group was estimated at 10% of voters long ago without research. It is now thought to be around 20%. Well that, as I recall, was John Howards figure. However, polling shows that older voters generally support the right and the younger ones the left.
Today’s voters have been subjected to (in my view) the worst governance of any period I can ever remember. The reader should assume that I don’t have a high opinion of the average voter. However, why people continue to vote for a failed party in the face of abject negligence is a mystery.
Then I turn my attention to Labor and wonder about its prospects. At the moment Albo is sitting back, allowing the Coalition to dig its own grave. Since being elected as leader he has restored some of Labor’s traditional ideology but with a modern take. There is far less importance on unions and a concentration on fairness and traditional left values like equality.
Those who want to apply the first rule of politics – obtaining power – must realise that the electorate has had enough of far-right ideology. Many are disgusted with the methods used to acquire power at all costs and its retention. Better to gather the trust of the people with good honest politics.
The door has opened for Labor to fix the many wrongs perpetrated by this undemocratic conservative bunch of unscrupulous lawbreakers full of people with little regard for the constitutional dignity of the parliament.
With scant regard for empathy, fairness, righteousness, compassion, equality of opportunity, it is prepared to go to any end to retain the power it has. A power they say they were born to rule with.
But right now the government is falling apart… let’s hope the voters are paying attention.
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My previous diary post: A prime ministerial address or a media undressing.
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My thought for the day
We live in a time where horrible things are being perpetrated on us. The shame is that we have normalised them and adjusted accordingly.
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Like what we do at The AIMN?
You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.
Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!
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Bob Carr giving them some of their own medicine; if not LNP then NewsCorp etc. are always trying to find and promote weakness in the centre….
Another accurate but sad commentary from JL upon the too many failings of the incompetent fascist self-serving , borne-to-rule Liarbral Nazional$ COALition misgovernment.
1) The very too slow crawl towards the feral elections is excruciating. However, I am in very rare agreement with Beetrooter when he describes Scummo.
.
“He is a hypocrite, and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time,” Joyce said in the message, dated March last year.
“I have never trusted him, and I dislike how earnestly [he] rearranges the truth to a lie.”
.
2) But raging achieves nothing. We must get out there and challenge the corporate incompetence that is feral Parliament because we inflicted this disaster upon ourselves.
The first question Albanese should direct to the PM in Question Time should be along the following lines :
“Prime Minister, the nation has had enough of the nonsense going on within the Liberal Party. Can the prime minister here and now either reveal the name of the minister who described him as a ‘fraud’ and ‘a complete psycho’ or if the Prime Minister still doesn’t know which of his ministers made those comments, will the prime minister here and now call upon that minister to reveal himself or herself and instantly move them to the back-bench”
Seems to me that Albo must bring this thing to a head, what do you think ?
Is that the sharpening of knives I hear,or is it just my febrile imagination? The numbers men for Benito Dutton,Beanbag Fraudenburglar, as well as those led by ‘Brother Stuie’ must be in a lather of perspiration.Could the next act of public humility/futility be the washing of Benito’s tootsies? Who needs Neighbours when we have a real life soap opera, full of very bad actors.
Spudolini backing Scummo 100% is LNP speak for a potential political death sentence.
Terence… Agree 100%. If not now when these idiots are scrambling around to cover up their stupid misdeeds, and when the spotlight is on them and when the populace is at least somewhat interested, Albo should come out swinging, no holds barred. Its bare knuckles and damn the Marquis of Queensbury rules. Consider this, if Labor was in the same situation, would Murdoch and his stinking maggots even entertain a charitable thought ?? Would the fornicator and Scummo and Dutto stop to to show sympathy ?? Nice guys don’t win. They garner sympathy but nothing else.
( I hope someone in Labor is listening and reading this)
We must continue to encourage those we know to VOTE LABOR. Only those with some sort of thinking brain are reading these AIMN postings, the great unwashed are bumbling along on a daily basis not even thinking about anything. Bang, an election appears and they give it about as much thought as whether they’ll have coffee or tea.
Basically most people don’t care.
Plenty of sense here today, lord. I particularly agree with the idea of last minute influences. (nth Qld 2010/2019 and NT 2010)
Scummo has retreated to the pig-iron bob era to wedge labor with christ in the hope of a mini-DLP. The discrimination bill will give the bandit ammo and another miracle may ensue.
There is disarray in the libs giving albo plenty of ammo but, surely, the crux of this election should be on scummo’s attitude to women, covid negligence, rorts and emphasising the dodging of integrity and corruption.
Very much with you Terence. I will be glued to the Telly.
Morrison has said this in parliament this morning :
I am sorry. We are sorry. I’m sorry to Ms Higgins for the terrible things that took place here. And the place that should’ve been a space of safety and contribution, turned out to be a nightmare,” Mr Morrison said in an address to Parliament.
Just a word of caution Mr Morrison, the young man charged with allegedly carrying out the rape is yet to appear in court and until he has been found guilty and proven beyond a reasonable doubt to have been the rapist, he deserves the presumption of innocence.
Just saying !
Terence, I completely agree with what you said but would be very surprised if Albanese steps up and hits Scummo with such a question. Would like to be proved wrong but I fear the hamster will ask some sort of wimpy question and then scuttle off for a rest.
Oh for…(insert favourite swear word here) sake! Scummo’s in full on election, and desperation and panic, mode. Now he has to dig a tunnel to go under a snakes belly with this steaming pile of brown stuff.
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/australian-politics-live-first-sitting-day-of-parliament-in-2022/news-story/22ae24468117dbfaf7f22c1499c28ca7
A few more nails in the coffins of the “independent” ABC and SBS courtesy of Scummo and Crony Co. Inc.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/feb/08/coalitions-new-abc-and-sbs-accountability-measures-could-weaken-independence-labor-warns
If the voters give them another term I will retire from any comments and let the country sort or implode with well I told you so.
David Stakes
The coalition are so desperate that Frydenberg started up the old “Labor plans to introduce death taxes” at Question Time.
They won’t get away with that a second time.
Having endured the Australian electorate endorsing – the Coup of 1975, – the vile ‘children overboard’ campaign – the invasion of Iraq (despite several hundred thousand protesters marching) – Abbots ‘Carbon Tax lies – the ‘ditch the witch’ stunts – the theft of River Murray water – the naked corruption – rewarding of the least deserving people in the community et cetera et cetera, I have absolutely no respect for the Australian voter. I expect this bunch of malevolent, mendacious hypocrites to be returned. Sod the Australian electorate and all who sail in her. We get the government we deserve.
Jack… The so-called australian voter is but a greedy opportunist, a what’s in it for me, person. They take their cue from the polllies whom them despise but concede that being selfish gets you something. The higher up the pole you are, the more you get. In the face of all the damning evidence they still shut their minds, turn off their moral compass and vote the bastards in, again and again. So much for the ‘intelligent’ voter.
I don’t throw the word traitor around lightly but in this it seems warranted: Kelly and Christensen are traitors and vile despicable creatures. They have turned into hard right wing nutcases and should be removed from parliament. But, as we know, Scummo is scared absolutley shitless by even the thought of ticking the pair off.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-08/craig-kelly-escort-activist-parliament-threat-scott-morrison/100814222
I saw with mine own eyes the Miracle of Saint Gladys when the archangel ICAC revealed to us a vision of Saint Gladys caught in the act of corruption with her beloved. This caused her to hastily resign her gold standard holy kingdom and take up a more lucrative position in purgatory with one of the big four lucifers.
I am looking to the heavens for the second miracle of the coming of Saint Scumos when another glorious vision will reveal to all the non-believers just how callous and corrupt Saint Scumos really is.
We will glorify all saints for the vision of Saint Scumos roasting in hell to the sounds of a roaring coal, oil and gas powered fire.
Amen brothers and sisters. Amen
well done, waltz of the cuckoo, scummo and the bandit know the danger of women and the power of christ, do you and lord? Scummo and the bandit are as one on the voting power of the christ bill Anyone read these: “Maybe Labor should run that slogan in the upcoming federal election: ‘Vote Labor, for minor and technical amendments’.” or “Scott Morrison’s religious discrimination bill is a Trojan horse for hate.” “The Bill means more discrimination, not less. It overrides State and Territory protections and makes bigoted hate speech legal.”
The truth is the greens or, indeed, any party, should capitalise on every political situation but why does lord omit, even oblique, references to the antipathy of the greens to labor?
Lord’s fellow writer, Kaye Lee, has expressed her disappointment, at the attitude of the loonies oops greens. But I doubt even she has much idea of how advantageous the slogan ‘labor and the greens’ is to the bandit and scummo.
But do you have any idea of the method of capturing 9 seats, lord or even the basic operational plans for capturing cash from labor?
ps
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-07/ottawa-declares-state-of-emergency-over-covid-19-protests/100811988 or https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/08/australia-trucker-protest-canberra/
Wam
10% of the Australian Federal Electorate vote for the Greens, because there is no alternative political party that can be relied upon to treat the needs of the environment with the priority it requires and deserves.
Whether you agree with them or not, in a democracy they should be entitled to fair democratic representation, which would be worth 15 votes in the House of Representatives, and guarantee that no Coalition government could rule that did not have Labor support.
But doubtless wam, you are more relaxed and comfortable with John Howard’s firmly endorsed brand of democracy (Australia is even referred to now as a Liberal Democracy) where it’s not the number of people who vote for a party but the number of seats that are won that determines which parties will form government. Clearly you resent the fact that the Greens even have a single voice in parliament to speak on behalf of ten per of the voting population that are denied fair and equal democratic representation in how this country should ruled.
In the Liberal Democracy of Australia all voters are equal, but some are more equal than others because they all live and vote together in the same Queensland and Regional seats that entitles a minority of voters (about 14%) to 33 votes in the House of Reps, which is more than 20% of all the seats. Compare that to the ten percent of Greens voters who are dispersed across Australia with their 1 single MP to say no to all the environmental destruction that Labor and the Coalition are so careless about because their priorities are unsustainable pursuit of economic growth.
And wam, I would ask instead, why does lord omit, even oblique, references to the apathy of Labor to this unjust, undemocratic under-representation of the Greens even though it is the biggest factor keeping them out of government?
The prime minister has said that the Religious Discrimination laws have been referred to the Australian Law Reform Commission(ALRC) to look at ‘unintended consequences’ from the proposed legislation
The ALRC will report back within twelve months.
Morrison has got his party room to support the passage of this rushed legislation not because it is good legislation or that it is necessary legislation but because it shows unity within their party AND potentially wedges the Labor Party.
Sensible people are saying let’s wait for the ALRC to report back and then reconsider the need for this legislation. But that is too sensible and overlooks the fact that the coalition are playing politics, again.
Was it Robert Benchley who joked that politics is an aim to get into office, so as to reward one’s supporters and punish and rob one’s opponents.., if so it is a nightmare of everything against decent and civilised behaviour. But the Morrison political shitpot of brown logs is there, festering, in office.
duh, B Sullivan,
You are not a frequent reader or you would know lord is a repetitive purveyor of that which you accuse him of not being.
As for your ‘lying rodent’ reference, ‘doubtless’ you are handicapped by your lack of the ability to understand how a democratic electoral system works or you would understand the greens are over represented in parliament.
They are able to make economic decisions to attract voters with principles that the non-political party greens used to have and were supported by my family. (one of which lived in tassie and enjoyed the walk to pedder.)
The loonies are the party that provided the coalition with access to unlimited cash well wasted over the last 9 years
They are led by a changling lawyer whose 2010 and subsequent election is on liberal party preferences.
https://results.aec.gov.au/15508/Website/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-15508-228.htm
His verbage arguably led to the end of an excellent PM and his plans are helpful to scummo.
They use dedicated people with their own money as candidates. A ploy that garnered an extra $3m in 2019 and will be forward this election. It was a good plan and copied by PHON.
No bob or brenda stick blindly with the name of the colour of life till you are old enough to think.
What’s the bet that The Hamster will buckle and allow this sickening and vile travesty to go through? Have some courage and tell them to get stuffed, but they won’t because they don’t want to upset the rabid, almost entirely christian, religous nutters and, gasp, shock, horror, lose votes.
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/australia-politics-live-grace-tame-and-brittany-higgins-at-national-press-club-parliament-considers-religious-discrimination-bill/news-story/123bee467b1465f332de6a50b14b4942
wam,
It is noteable that your backsliding into your monotonous old sledging rut (“loonies…oops greens”) is accompanied by a return to deliberately disingenuous claims.
Adam Brandt did indeed first gain office with the help of Lib preferences (‘anything but Labor’ ) as well as flows from the micros, but has since increased his electoral popularity with each poll till last time around he was a point percentage off achieving 50% primary.
Did all of the 0.7% extra votes needed come from the libs and not ALP, Animal Justice etc?
As for senatorial over-representation, it could be argued that this is so regarding Tasmania, which has both high Greens support and hugely imbalanced senatorial representation by populace compared to, say, NSW, but there is no other mechanism in basic senate allocations that favours the Greens: they are subject to the exact same quota requirements as all the others.
Your constant attempts to impose your own dialogue of crypitically muddled hatred upon valued contributers like John Lord & Terrence Mills (disrespectfully called ‘cuckoo’) are not appreciated by either, as evidenced by the fact that neither bother responding to your constant harangues.
I do recall Mr Lord previously expressing bewildered hurt at your persistent attacks on his writing and character.
I suggest you start using proper words in coherent array and stick to the phuqqen facts.
I’m shocked I tells you, shocked that the gubmints RAT’s racket is ,”We must be nice to the 1 – 10%.” while at the lower end of the pay scale it’s, “Eh, whatever.”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/09/tax-deductible-rats-deliver-nothing-to-the-lowest-paid-how-very-morrison-government
I can almost hear Scummo’s rubber spine limbering up for yet another bend over backwards because election time is near, “Oops, the peons vote as well.” moment.
corvus, your ignorance is legion, young man,
The loonies, when I was a young teacher, was a term of respect but now refers to the labor intellectual idiots who think the bandit’s greens have the same honest principles of the loonies.
Similarly, I respect both T Mills and lord.
The cuckoo refers to his picture which is of one of my heroes and the excellent marvin hadley composition dance of the cuckoos, a theme that I used to amuse my children on the long holiday shopping walks.
Lord was insulted because my memory had him writing that melbournians and he didn’t notice Aborigines in the 50s until the shiny black Africans came to melb. His denial was sufficient for me to tender an abject apology.
Facts are:
Your party voted against action on climate twice. Your party voted to eliminate any limit to government debt.
Your party gagged the women and produced the diludbansimkims.
Your party was instrumental in the creation of ‘juliar’
Your party benefited from bobby’s harridan caravan timed to reach townesville just before the 2019 election with $9m AEC cash, an increase of $3m on 2016.
Your party, as do any extremists, has every right to chase seats by any means including glossy unattainable policies that titillate the latte set.
Your bandit has a plan for 9 seats.
My assessment is one more, green assisted, lib win will suffice.
The xstian bill might just be enough for the bandit to help labor lose the 2022 election. I sincerely hope albo and labor prevail.
My party?
Done with you, you are entirely incapable of listening or learning and operate on demented prejudice.
I shall join the majority and skip straight over your crap.
JL has my sympathy that you have fixated upon him.
Never address me again.
Gosh, what a great big non-surprise from The Hamster and LNP Lite! At the moment Scummo will be rubbing his hands in glee at once again wedging Labor.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-holds-emergency-meeting-to-discuss-religious-discrimination-bill-20220209-p59uxf.html
Scummos wedge play on Labor with the “Its Good to Hate Homos in our Holy Whorehouses Where we Protect Pedophiles” legislation distraction is backfiring with 2 of his backbenchers already saying publicly that they will cross the floor because they prefer the labor Party suggested amendments.
Even if the scumbags’ “Holy Orders of God Creating More Social Division” makes the Senate, its likely to fail with Scummos Psycho Scumbags having the lower numbers there.
What’s the next political distraction on the list to make voters forget how bad we are, Potato Head?
Dutton is, too put it mildly, a certifiable fucking warmongering psychopath!
@3.17 pm. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2022/feb/10/australia-politics-live-news-scott-morrison-parliament-coronavirus-covid-omicron-nsw-victoria-weather