Tony Abbott is Prime Minister of Australia – go figure.

December 5, 2014
Written by: Kaye Lee
132 Replies

Tony Abbott is Prime Minister of Australia. It is one of those things that you know is true but remains incomprehensible. Like the concept of infinity. It’s hard to get your head around.

In most jobs you need to satisfy key criteria to even get an interview. To get a managerial position you must have experience and proven expertise. Along the way your success in meeting key performance indicators will be assessed.

Leaders should be people who inspire others, they should be role models and protectors, they should listen and empower, they should have good people skills and be able to negotiate, they should be trustworthy and able to explain the reasons for their decisions.

Or you can just agree to say climate change is crap, and become the leader of the nation.

But how did Tony even become a contender?

He attended a Catholic boys school where he bemoaned the fact that he was never chosen for the First XV rugby team. Apparently this was not due to a lack of talent but to selectors who did not recognise Tony’s ability.

Tony then went on to study economics/law at Sydney University (for free) even though he never worked in either field and described economics as a boring “dismal science”.

Tony was active in student politics, eventually becoming an unpopular leader of the Student Representative Council.

“During my term, despite my objections, the SRC, continued to give money to feminist, environmental and anti-nuclear groups. I never managed to have the feminist and homosexuals’ slogans on the SRC walls painted over nor to open the ‘Womens’ Room’ to men, nor to make the SRC more accountable by ending compulsory SRC fees.”

Contacts within the Jesuit network secured a Rhodes scholarship for Tony to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford even though he had campaigned fiercely against the Philosophy and Political Economy courses at Sydney University describing them as a waste of resources and a hotbed of Marxist feminists.

The selectors for the Oxford rugby team also failed to appreciate Tony’s talent, dropping him after one game and suggesting that his ability had been overstated.

When he returned to Australia, Tony entered the seminary to train for the priesthood but quickly became disillusioned with a church who had “lost its way” in his opinion.

“Looking back, it seems that I was seeking a spiritual and human excellence to which the Church is no longer sure she aspires. My feeble attempts to recall her to her duty — as I saw it — betrayed a fathomless disappointment at the collapse of a cherished ideal.

In addition, a “cooperative” style of management ran counter to the Church’s age-old hierarchical structure.

The more they played up lay ministry and ecumenism and played down the unique role of the priest in the one true Church, the more the struggle seemed pointless and the more I wanted to participate in worldly activities which were much more to my taste.

l felt “had” by a seminary that so stressed ”empathy” with sinners and “dialogue” with the Church’s enemies that the priesthood seemed to have lost its point.”

Of his time at St Patrick’s seminary, vice-rector Fr Bill Wright wrote of Tony that many found him “just too formidable to talk to unless to agree; overbearing and opiniated”.

“Tony is inclined to score points, to skate over or hold back any reservations he might have about his case.”

Tony had been writing the occasional article for the Catholic Weekly and, when he left the seminary, he began writing for the Packer-owned Bulletin where, interestingly, he instigated strike action over the sacking of photographers.

“When I was at the Bulletin, ACP management one day, quite unilaterally, decided to sack the entire photographic department ….we were all shocked, stunned, dismayed, appalled, flabbergasted – when management just came in and said they were sacking the photographic department. So we immediately had a stop work meeting. There were various appropriately angry speeches made and I moved the resolution to go on strike, which was carried, as far as I can recall, unanimously, and we went on strike for a couple of days.”

Tony only lasted about a year before he was writing to wealthy contacts looking for a job. Through the Jesuit network, he got one managing a concrete plant and very quickly found himself causing a total shutdown through his inept handling of employees.

In a 2001 interview with Workers Online Tony explained what happened. Interestingly, some time between me quoting the article in August and now, it has been removed. I guess we now know what all those people employed to trawl social media are being paid to do – erase history. It is happening to an increasing number of links but it is too late, the information is out there.

“I got to the plant in the morning, marched up and down the line of trucks like a Prussian army officer, telling owner-drivers who had been in the industry for longer than I had been alive, that that truck was too dirty, and that truck was filthy, and that truck had a leaking valve and had to be fixed.

Naturally enough, this wasn’t very popular, and I had been there a couple of months, and a phone call came through one morning from the quarry manager, saying that there was going to be a strike starting at midday.”

Tony then took it upon himself to take delivery and run the conveyer belt on his own.

“A phone call came through at 5.30 the next morning from the senior plant operator saying: “Did you turn the conveyor belt on yesterday?”. I said “Yeh”. He says “Right – nothing moves – this plant’s black – like to see you get yourself out of this little fix Sonny Boy!”

I thought that there’s really only one thing to do, and that’s to beg. So I got over there and I said to the senior plant operator. I said: “Stan I’m sorry. I’m new in this industry. I appreciate that I’ve been a bit of a so-and-so, but you’ve made your point and I will try to be different.”

He said to me: “It’s out of my hands. It’s in the hands of the union organiser.” So I said, who’s the union organiser and what’s his number? I rang him and I sort of begged and pleaded. I said, well, look why don’t we put the old final warning. That if I ever do this again, I’ll be run out of the industry. And there was silence on the end of the phone, and after about ten seconds he said: “I’m putting you on a final warning mate, if this ever happens again you will be run out of the industry.”

Abbott soon quit the job as it wasn’t paying enough money and accepted a position with The Australian as a journalist. When they went on strike over pay and conditions, Tony was by now campaigning on the side of management, arguing in front of six to seven hundred people at the lower Trades Hall in Sussex Street that they shouldn’t go on strike. His speech did not meet with a particularly warm reception and the strikes went ahead.

He continued writing at The Australian until John Howard recommended him for a position as the then Federal Liberal leader John Hewson’s press secretary. Tony was responsible for the infamous line in a Hewson speech saying you could tell the rental houses in a street.

Is it any wonder that Hockey thinks that “poor people don’t drive” and Pyne thinks that “women don’t take expensive degrees”?

In 1994 Tony was gifted the safe Liberal seat of Warringah in a by-election and has been skating ever since.

He has changed his mind on innumerable things, lied and contradicted himself countless times, and then denied lying, even changing his words and removing online links.

He is a man whose convictions are dictated to him by polls and focus groups in marginal seats and by marketing teams. Peta Credlin has increasingly centralized control failing to learn the Rudd lesson.

Tony learns his script but does not bother reading actual reports, relying on others to just tell him what to say. His Star Chamber silence dissent, pay hacks to produce reports saying what they want to hear, refuse to release any that may be critical or negative, while arrogantly and blatantly rewarding their political donors.

Tony is not a leader by any stretch of the imagination.

It is not the Labor Party who is stopping this from being a decent government.

Darren Lockyer, the Pope, Tony Abbott and a school boy were all on the same plane when the engine failed and started to plummet towards the Earth.

They all realised that there was four of them and only three parachutes.

Darren Lockyer got up and said, “I am a sporting superstar and must live so that I can please my fans and continue my career to beat the Kiwis and the Poms in the tri-nations series.”

So he grabbed a parachute and jumped out of the plane.

Then Tony Abbott got up and said, “I am the smartest Prime Minister Australia has ever had and I need to live to continue to govern the nation.”

So he grabbed a parachute and jumped out of the plane.

Then the Pope said to the school boy, “I am old and have lived my life so you should take the last parachute instead of me.”

The school boy replied, “No, it’s okay, the worlds smartest Prime Minister took my school bag so there’s one for each of us!”

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ShunrataDecember 5, 2014 at 11:33 am

Very thorough, and so very depressing…..

Deena BennettDecember 5, 2014 at 11:34 am

But he is the Prime Minister, and to all intents and purposes, the Australian Labor Party must carry a considerable portion of the blame. Their pathetic and self damaging in-fighting that undermined one of the most intelligent Prime Ministers this country has seen condemns them for their culpability

John LordDecember 5, 2014 at 11:34 am

Good read Kaye. Enjoyed it.

MarglDecember 5, 2014 at 11:52 am

Well written Kaye

AntiLibDecember 5, 2014 at 11:53 am

I’m sorry Deena, but Julia Gillard was not one of the more intelligent Prime Ministers in my honest opinion. She wasn’t all bad though. Her funding of Gonski by undermining the funding of tertiary education was disgraceful. She should have been closing tax loopholes to fund it.
She was infinitely better than abbott of course, but then so is my neighbour’s dog.
Labour’s problem is that they simply won’t touch the corporates and the wealthy despite this being an easy sell to the electorate.

Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 12:04 pm

ummmm….mining tax? carbon tax? FBT tax on novated leases? Tax on rich superannuees?

LEIGH: “One of the things that Labor did last year, in our final year in office, was for Wayne Swan and David Bradbury to sit down and put together a multi-billion dollar package of measures to crack down on multinational profit shifting. What was disappointing to me was that when the Coalition came to office, they didn’t say ‘well, what’s the next thing we can do beyond this?’ Instead, they began to wind it back. So they shrunk the size of that package by $1 billion, effectively losing $1 billion of revenue which went back to multinationals in the form of extra tax breaks.

GREEN: Talk us through that – artificial debt loading, debt shifting, what’s that all about?

LEIGH: One way of thinking about it is that you’ve got an offshore subsidiary and it makes a loan to the Australian arm at an artificially high interest rate. The Australian company is then able to deduct the interest payments as a tax deduction, so it brings down their tax bill here and at the same time moves profits over to the low tax jurisdiction. That’s a loophole that would have been closed under the Labor reforms that we announced last year, but is still possible for companies to pursue now. I think that’s one the government ought to re-think. If they’re going hard on jobless twenty-somethings – saying they can’t get income support for six months – then it seems pretty rich to be telling multinationals that it’s alright to be shifting their profits offshore.”

I agree Labor need to do more but something was better than nothing

LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 12:05 pm

“Labour’s problem is that they simply won’t touch the corporates and the wealthy despite this being an easy sell to the electorate.”

None of them will. This group includes all the major media owners in the country. We’ve already seen what Murdoch did to Labor before the last Federal election.

Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 12:21 pm

Scott Morrison is now the most powerful person in the Australian government.

The passage of the migration and maritime powers legislation amendment (resolving the asylum legacy caseload) bill 2014 has given the immigration minister, while he holds that job, unprecedented, unchallengeable, and secret powers to control the lives of asylum seekers.

With the Senate’s acquiescence, Scott Morrison has won untrammelled power.

No other minister, not the prime minister, not the foreign minister, not the attorney-general, has the same unchecked control over the lives of other people.”

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/dec/05/senate-gives-scott-morrison-unchecked-control-over-asylum-seekers-lives?CMP=share_btn_tw

Apart from Credlin that is.

DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 12:22 pm

http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/tony-abbott-risks-recession-as-his-infrastructure-pledge-falters-20141205-120oty.html

DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 12:25 pm

Time for a revolution Australia…….. its time “to change or die”

Shevill MathersDecember 5, 2014 at 12:26 pm

Kaye, as ever, hits the nail on the head, love your articles.

Incompetent people get into power because good people sit back and do nothing, “she’ll be right, mate” as the saying goes in Oz. Well, those days are well and truly past and it is time to get rid of this miserable bunch of self serving tamkers before the country is totally ruined.

Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 12:28 pm

Better crack down on those public servants and give them some re-education about backing the Party line.

“The Abbott Government should reverse its decision to strip millions of dollars from Indigenous legal aid services, a report from the Productivity Commission argues.

The cuts to Indigenous services, worth $13.3 million, were part of the Government’s first budget and came despite Tony Abbott declaring he would be the Prime Minister for Indigenous affairs.

They came amongst broader cuts to legal aid services worth about $40 million.

Far from cutting services, the report said the Government should add another $200 million a year for legal aid services.

The Productivity Commission said there was a widespread need for legal aid services.

North Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency principal legal officer Jonathon Hunyor said the cuts would hurt some of Australia’s most disadvantaged people.

“The evidence shows that the Government is on the wrong track in cutting funding to Aboriginal legal services and cutting funding to services to the most vulnerable people in the country,” he said. ”

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-05/indigenous-legal-aid-cuts-productivity-commission-report/5945864

Wouldn’t it be great if they actually sought expert advice BEFORE they slash and burn.

NickDecember 5, 2014 at 12:37 pm

Tony Abbott represents everything that is broken, corrupt and just plain wrong with our current ‘democratic’ form of government. I believe this country cannot move forward until all the corrupt elements in parliament are rooted out and punished within the full extent of the law. We then need a mature dialogue on what form of democratic process the country needs to embrace for the benefit of us all.

Anthony ShorterDecember 5, 2014 at 12:39 pm

I deplore my tax dollars being spent on religious chaplains at public schools and to subsidise the training of priests.
Abbott is a product of a religious education and he has turned out to be the most vile, bigoted and vindictive PM in our history.
If his god runs heaven the way Abbott runs the country, I’ll go for the other option.

Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 12:43 pm

Great link DanDark

To summarise,

Public spending on capital works has actually shrunk in each of the past three quarters. Public investment was one of the biggest drags on the economy in the third quarter, when growth came in well below expectations at just 0.3 per cent.

“We’re getting to the pointy end of the mining pullback, and a burst of spending on public works would be a great help to the economy,” said David de Garis, a senior economist at National Australia Bank. “So far, it’s been a missed opportunity.”

With borrowing rates near historic lows, he said there was a good case for the government to step up.

“Right now the government can borrow for 10 years at 3 per cent. There have to be plenty of public projects which would make greater financial and economic returns than that.”

Like the NBN or high speed rail or solar roof panels for example?

LOVODecember 5, 2014 at 1:03 pm

Kaye, Tony may have to erase himself soon, a better way, I think, to cover his numerous errors 🙂 , he may be able to run……etc
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/121584/20100819-1632/tonyabbottrevealed.org.au/wiki/category/the-economy/feed/index.html
http://trove.nla.gov.au/result?q=tony+abbott+and+Sydney+university

DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 1:14 pm

Kaye, I just rang Phoney Tonys office and said, Tones can move the deck chairs around all he likes, but it wont stop the ship sinking, and it is sinking and fast, but on the upside my son passed all his subjects at Uni this year no thanks to this gutless gov and Poodle Pine and the threats to our kids future education”
I then said “I have just been reading how Tones closed the concrete company down he worked for because he couldn’t run a chook raffle in an outback dunny, he neads to change his head, one word sums it up a revolution and its coming, he has shot himself in the foot” she hung up, but I got what I wanted to say in first 🙂
MAINTAIN THE RAGE AUSTRALIA………..

Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 1:22 pm

No excuses?

“Joe Hockey has pointed the finger at ministerial colleagues angry about having to find savings in their portfolios to explain speculation Malcolm Turnbull could replace him as Treasurer.

Mr Hockey also said it was up to the other members of the Abbott government, not just him, to do the hard work in selling the budget to the public.”
_______

“Treasurer Joe Hockey this week conceded things needed speeding up.

“These national accounts confirm necessity for the delivery of our plan to significantly increase infrastructure spending over the next few years,” he told reporters.

He blamed the state governments, which have responsibility for building much of the country’s infrastructure, for dragging their feet.”
_______

“Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop blamed Labor and said the government was doing all it could to repair the damage.

“We’re begging Labor to take some responsibility for leaving us with the worse set of financial accounts of any incoming government in Australia’s history,” she told ABC radio.

She rejected suggestions Hockey had been sidelined by the appointment of the new head of the prime minister’s department, Michael Thawley.

Thawley has reportedly been asked to rethink the government’s economic strategy – interpreted by some as a loss of confidence in Hockey.”
_______

The Foreign Minister this morning told reporters if the government has to find further savings in her department — including foreign aid — she will point the finger at her Opposition counterpart.

“If savings are found from my department, I will hang that around the neck of Tanya Plibersek each and every day until the next election,” Ms Bishop said.
_______

HOCKEY (in his Final Budget Outcome report for financial year 2013-14): Of the $30 billion deterioration 60 per cent was from the write-down of receipts and in particular, tax receipts. This comes down to the fact that Labor continually overestimated the amount of tax that they would collect; they continually got it wrong. (NB The Coalition were in power for 9 months of that year)
_______

Cormann also blamed Bill Shorten for the delay in increasing the compulsory superannuation contribution. Hockey said the outcome wasn’t the government’s preferred position but that it was the ALP preventing it delivering on its election commitments.

Annie BDecember 5, 2014 at 1:23 pm

Kaye Lee ——– a very well written article again.

Not all new news, but a compilation of the history ( as known ) of a ‘ personality ‘. …….. and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture at all. It is not meant to show ‘pretty’.

This PM – at the head of Government, is an extremely fractured soul. ….. and is not fit to be running this country – or any country.

I doubt that he knows who he is, what he is, or what next he is going to do. …… He doesn’t plan, he doesn’t listen – to the people, yet incredibly, for all his mysogynistic tendencies, he has at his back a woman – Peta Credlin on whom he relies it would seem, for almost his very ability to breathe ?

That ( morbidly ) fascinates me. ………. seems though ( from your article ) it is MEN in power that he has trouble relating to. ….

Of the many examples you have given from his life – as we know it, and we certainly don’t know everything ….. the one that stood out to me – and probably I will never quite get over was :

………….. ” My feeble attempts to recall her to her duty — as I saw it >>>>> ” ….. He actually had the arrogance to WANT to ‘recall the Catholic Church to her duty …. as HE saw it ” …… Hellooo ? …. Maybe he should have tried to line up all the cardinals in Rome, to give them a piece of his ‘age-old hierarchical’ mind ???? And tell the Pope where to go, as well.

He was against ecumenism, against ‘co-operative’ style of management within the church, against ’empathy with sinners’ and against the church’s dialogue with it’s ( perceived by him ) enemies. … he has most likely not changed his mind on those aspects.

Putting that together shows a person who is totally against EVERYTHING that might even hint at being progressive – in any way. He is in fact against people ….. and that ain’t a good way of thinking and being, for the leader of anything. Government, business, sports teams, professional groups, theatrical productions – – – in fact, ANY endeavour…….. they all have ‘people’ in them.

This individual exists in the past, has no thought for the future, and is not present in the present. …

Medical intervention might help. …. and I am not being cynical with that remark.

JexpatDecember 5, 2014 at 1:31 pm

“l felt “had” by a seminary that so stressed ”empathy….”

Well, there you have it.

Christine BekkerDecember 5, 2014 at 1:31 pm

I can think of a few world leaders who have had the same or more powers than Scott Morrison. The outcomes were equally dire. Australia is in deep doodoos.

DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 1:34 pm

Oh yes I did get in “can the fools stop blaming labor, they have been in power for over a year, and it dosnt wash anymore but they have nothing else but blame Labor”
I am so over this year and this foul gov, and I am going to tell them everyday until XMAS…….”Don’t get angry get even”

captain51December 5, 2014 at 1:35 pm

I am at a loss as to the reason for Abbott’s successful application of a Rhodes scholarship bearing in mind his fairly average marks at Oxford. His employment record seems unremarkable. I think a Rhodes scholarship is granted for “leadership ability including for sport but even here, he is unremarkable. On the whole, a dud

DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 1:42 pm

http://media.canberratimes.com.au/video-news/video-national-news/the-buck-stops-here-6057999.html

claire hughesDecember 5, 2014 at 1:42 pm

Just wondering …. given Tony’s attitude to the Church … is he a member of Opus Dei??

Annie BDecember 5, 2014 at 1:49 pm

@ claire hughes ………..

Oh my !! ….. now THAT would not surprise me …. not one little bit.

It has a controversial history – and has ( apparently ) elements of elitism and misogyny, within it’s ranks.

DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 1:49 pm

http://media.canberratimes.com.au/video-news/video-national-news/a-question-time-christmas-special-6058491.html

DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 2:02 pm

http://www.watoday.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-government-cuts-university-support-funds-priests-training-20141205-120a3c.html

RossDecember 5, 2014 at 2:04 pm

We will have to wait for the results of next years state elections but my bet is a tipping point has been reached.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Victoria is the start of one term governments. Hopefully voters will keep keep getting rid of the so called professional politicians. These are the ex staffers being gifted so called safe seats and the ones causing much of the discontent. People with with no vision, no talent, people who don’t rock the boat, who repeat verbatim what ever three word slogan appears in the morning “in box” and who push policies they know are against the best interests of the very people who elect them.

32.5% was the swing to an Independent in the once very safe National seat of Shepparton in Victoria, I wonder why it has largely passed under the radar of the main stream media.

The bush is revolting, a one off or another Indie, what is happening out in the sticks?

I read where John Howard of all people said recently once the Liberal party was full of people who were in it for what they could give but now is full of people in it for what they can get. So true, have we reached the bottom of the barrel with this unpopualr prime minister and the sorry lot behind him.

You would like to think the only way is up after the worst prime minister of the worst government certainly in my 62 years but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Politicians will have to dragged kicking and screaming from the bubble they live in and then and only then they might start doing what the voting public wants, not what their backers want.

John Quiggin sums it up very eloquently on his blog, it’s well worth a read.

Broken promises and budget anger …

KerriDecember 5, 2014 at 2:19 pm

Claire Hughes I think not a member of Opus Dei but the one they worship!!!
Instead of his misinterpretation of the Churches attempts to be progressive and relevant, he wants to tell them they have lost their way and he knows better!
His hypocrisy regarding unions.
Hates them, but calls a strike when it suits him. Provokes union action and then begs like the pathetic imbecile he is. I would love to have heard his actual words in these heavily “Abbottomatic” examples of how his superiority triumphed over those dirty truck drivers and union officials.
Incidentally my money is on Matthias Cormann as the new Treasurer. Turnbull may be a case of keeping enemies closer, but Abbott lacks the subtlety to manipulate that situation. He is a bully and will banish Turnbull to presenting the voters with as many shit sandwiches as possible.
Not that that absolves Malcolm.
He is as bad as the rest of them and deserves to have his true ideology outed from his urbane millionairre profile.

mars08December 5, 2014 at 2:30 pm

Proof, that in our version of democracy, literally ANYONE can become the nation’s leader. Glorious innit?

lenbotterillapollo13December 5, 2014 at 3:45 pm

No one can or should stand in the way of anyone nominating for a membership of Parliament. But to seek a ministerial position, there should be a requirement that the prospective applicant be formally qualified in a field relevant to the portfolio sought. And further, that a minimum level of practice professionally also be demonstrated.
This would go a good way to stopping the incompetence in government that we are now more regularly seeing on both sides of the chambers. Otherwise we are destined to repeat the same mistakes. It would also have the effect of making candidate selection committees more aware of the greater responsibilities to select able candidates for all Australians, not just to satisfy local obligations.

But further than that. Even when a Party secures government, it should be a requirement that it’s major policies ( a defined number selected by the populace at the election ) should then be re – submitted back to the voters individually and presented with a suitable time interval during the first year of incumbency. The ability now to have electronic voting makes this a viable option.

The public then can take a measured and considered approach to governance, rather than having to accept a grab bag of policies, not all of which they may want or be aware of in the haste and turmoil of a single election. It would have other advantages, such as the inability of governments to go back on their promises, and put more commitment on our public service to make the fiscal position of the country known to all parties before elections. They also will not be able to add or delete aspects of a policy unless approved by a majority of the voters.

Naturally, current politicians will hate this approach, but we are all the shareholders of Australia Inc. , and it is time to change the board and the business model!

stephentardrewDecember 5, 2014 at 3:51 pm

Another hole in one Kaye.

silkwormDecember 5, 2014 at 3:56 pm

Dan Dark, glad you posted that link about the funding of priest training. It seems people have overlooked it, so I will post the link again.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-government-cuts-university-support-funds-priests-training-20141205-120a3c.html

This is a striking blow against the secular nature of our society. I am really angry about this. Surely this contravenes s.116 of the Constitution?

lawrencewinderDecember 5, 2014 at 4:39 pm

A sad read…. what I don’t understand is that Rabid-the-Hun’s ambition is only tearing a country apart and he and his rabble seem to enjoy that.
Perhaps having such a bad, you could justifiably call him an evil, prime minister, it’s frightening to think if we will ever get back what he is destroying.

Morpheus BeingDecember 5, 2014 at 4:43 pm

You forgot to add that he was born in United Kingdom, and is thus a British citizen, and as never having renounced his British citizenship, is ineligible to be a member of the Australian parliament as detailed in our constitution.

DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 4:50 pm

Thanks Silkworm for reposting it, yes sometimes things do get lost in a fast moving spread andYes they are going to flog religion to death, and use it to push it to push the propaganda, well I reckon they will be pushing shit up hill but what else would we expect from a pack of catholic crusaders, with Tones as Captain Catholic leading ” team Straya” to set war on the Australian public anyway they can.

I saw a comment other day and Tones was described as the “Slime Minister” rather suits the slimy pathetic excuse for a man…

TruthLoverDecember 5, 2014 at 5:01 pm

John Lennon – “Give Me Some Truth”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlzrNKN3rZI

Erotic MoustacheDecember 5, 2014 at 5:20 pm

I am at a loss as to the reason for Abbott’s successful application of a Rhodes scholarship bearing in mind his fairly average marks at Oxford.

I’m sorry. What?

corvus boreusDecember 5, 2014 at 5:23 pm

I am at a loss for a reason for Abbott.

Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 5:49 pm

DanDark and silkworm,

The John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, which offers course units including “Theology and Practice of Natural Family Planning” and “Marriage in the Catholic Tradition”, would also be eligible for federal support.

A member of the Catholic Pontifical Council for the Laity, Kevin Andrews is an Adjunct Lecturer in Politics and in Marriage Education in the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne.

Kevin’s on a roll.

Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 6:13 pm

Erotic Moustache,

Cecil Rhodes’ goals in creating the Rhodes Scholarships were to promote civic-minded leadership amongst young people with (in the words of his 1899 Will) “moral force of character and instincts to lead”, and (as he wrote in a 1901 codicil to his Will) to help “render war impossible” through promoting understanding between the great powers.

Rhodes’ legacy specified four standards by which applicants were to be judged:
Literary and scholastic attainments;
Energy to use one’s talents to the fullest, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports;
Truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship;
Moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings.

I too am at a loss as to why they would choose Abbott.

john o'callaghanDecember 5, 2014 at 6:22 pm

Thanks for a great read,you have a great sense of humour and your article gave me a good laugh,his life reads like a bad university comedy routine,and you have shown through the magic of humour just what a third rate piece of crap Abbott truly is and will always be. Thanks.;”””

DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 6:34 pm

http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/culture/all-men-are-liars/that-doesnt-sound-very-christian-to-me-20131115-2xjfm.html

stephentardrewDecember 5, 2014 at 6:58 pm

I use to think Ruddock was a stinker and vermin but this guy Morrison gives a bad name to excruciatingly revolting pongs.
Just wait until he stretches his hand across whistle blowers with the complicity of his mate Brandis. Put them together and what have you got? A great interwoven usurpation of law that undermines democracy at every level. It’s not just one or two bits of legislation it is a tangled confluence of insidious mendacious interlocking manipulations. Police state anyone. Cops are looking more and more like the military every day. Had a look at what is going on in the land of LNP awe and wonder, the US, lately? Bloody scary.

Onward Christian soldiers marching off to the Brave New World.

The seeds of theocratic, corporate, military, dictatorship.

We’ll get those Pastors into the door of every shopping center and workplace if it kills us.

Please!

Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 8:39 pm

These guys really know how to negotiate. And this is how they treat their friends……

“THE Prime Minister may wonder why he has serious problems as the political sanctuary of Christmas approaches.

Behold the events of Tuesday night in the Senate, shortly after supper.

The renegade Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan enters the chamber, walks over to a vacant seat usually occupied by the NSW independent, sometimes referred to as the accidental Senator, Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm.

He picks up the phone to connect to Leyonhjelm’s office and proceeds to give him a gob full about his gay marriage bill and then demands that he drop his threat to vote against Government bills unless the Coalition party room allows a conscience vote on the issue.

No dice.

So Heffernan resumes his attack when Leyonhjelm appears in the chamber and brands him a “terrorist”.

The mild mannered libertarian responds, to the shock of other Senators close, by telling Heffernan to “f— off”.

Three times.

“Yes, that’s true,” Mr Leyonhjelm admirably confessed to The Daily Telegraph when asked about the incident. “I told him to f— off”.

“He didn’t listen to me the first time, so I told him again”.

Leyonhjelm who is the least of Abbott’s problems in the Senate — as he supports around 80 per cent of the Government’s economic reform — blames the Government’s negotiating tactics on not being able to get legislation through.

The run in with the veteran Coalition head-kicker was a symbolic end to the frustrations within government.”

CMMCDecember 5, 2014 at 9:37 pm

Does anyone recall Norman Gunston?
The hapless, annoying reporter of the Aunty Jack series
That is Abbott.

DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 10:18 pm

What Malcom Mr Broadband said about Phoney Tony back in December 2009
Second, as we are being blunt, the fact is that Tony and the people who put him in his job do not want to do anything about climate change. They do not believe in human caused global warming. As Tony observed on one occasion “climate change is crap” or if you consider his mentor, Senator Minchin, the world is not warming, its cooling and the climate change issue is part of a vast left wing conspiracy to deindustrialise the world.

So after reading that Turnbull is now working too for “the people who put him in his job”
and is happy to spin the bullshit now, what an idiot Malcom is, he has a short memory ,
its the same disease they all have amnesia, one cant remember even getting a 3000 buck bottle of wine delivered…WTF

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/abbotts-climate-change-policy-is-bullshit-20091206-kdmb.html

stephentardrewDecember 5, 2014 at 11:00 pm

This is a global problem and the LNP represent the Banking and Finance sector that have been terrorizing countries into debt through the GFC and derivatives then forcing them into austerity. We escaped so what Abbott and his ilk are doing is making sure that we join the gravy train of the 1%. This is no conspiracy theory if you follow the history of the GFC and the complete lack of criminal sanctions, too big to fail banks, derivatives, libor rigging, money laundering (primarily done through London and New York for major Mafia drug cartels), trillions in offshore accounts while the financial sector are gifted with quantitative easing and fines which are only a small fraction of the criminal gains which just encourages the financial sector to keep up with their corruption as they lobby for deregulation and buy off politicians. And then there are the trade agreements signing off sovereign rights to corporations to sue us the people.Furthermore Hockey’s wife is part and parcel of the same corrupt Financial sector.

Have any doubts. Well just read what David Cameron, with the complicity of Labor have in store. This is really getting beyond a joke.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/18/growth-destructive-economic-expansion-financial-crisis

The second link is a long article from Alternet which goes in depth into the corruption of the financial sector world wide. Somehow this has to stop or else the next recession will be a full blown depression and we will all suffer while the 1% sit on their misbegotten gains.

Good heavens people its been 6 to 7 years form the GFC and these brilliant bastards are just making things worse.

I rest my case the LNP is corrupt, greedy, immoral, totally dysfunctional and primarily criminal.

They should not be allowed to govern.

http://www.alternet.org/economy/no-conspiracy-theory-small-group-companies-have-enormous-power-over-world?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark

stephentardrewDecember 5, 2014 at 11:07 pm

To add some interest a list of Australian gold reserves held in London from Reserve Bank of Australia

http://www.rba.gov.au/foi/disclosure-log/rbafoi-131418.html

Florence nee FedupDecember 6, 2014 at 12:47 am

Yes Deena, never Abbott’s fault.

Thanks for telling us how cement job played out. Just as I imagined it would.

Florence nee FedupDecember 6, 2014 at 1:03 am

““If savings are found from my department, I will hang that around the neck of Tanya Plibersek each and every day until the next election,” Ms Bishop said.”

You left out all the “she” she used during that interview. It was she this, she that, she knows nothing on and on it went.

Kept denying she has been asked for more cuts.

I do not believe she likes Tanya

There is no love between Bishop and Hockey/ She over ruled him on the Chinese bank proposition

Rob031December 6, 2014 at 3:15 am

@CMMC said “Does anyone recall Norman Gunston? The hapless, annoying reporter of the Aunty Jack series. That is Abbott.”

I don’t think so. Gunston was a brilliant character. When he interviewed Frank Hardy (of Power without Glory fame), a deadly serious Marxist scholar he asked Hardy: “I believe you are interested in Marx”. To which Hardy replied “Yes”. Then Gunston asked: “Which One?”. Hardy was perplexed. “What do you mean?”. Gunston replied: “Well, Grouch, Harpo, etc?” Whammo. Gunston was infinitely cleverer with a superior sense of humour than Abbott could ever have.

LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 6:26 am

@DanDark,

Fred Nile’s 4 children are reportedly unhappy that their father became engaged to another woman quite soon after the death of his wife. I cannot comprehend how someone would be doing this soon after the passing of a beloved partner. Were we just keeping up appearances? http://www.smh.com.au/national/niles-happiness-not-shared-by-children-20130608-2nwrv.html

LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 6:51 am

“This is a striking blow against the secular nature of our society. I am really angry about this. Surely this contravenes s.116 of the Constitution?”

Agreed, Silkworm. We’ve seen massive cuts to science but there’s plenty of money during a budget emergency to fund fairy tales. Notice too how all of the named eligible institutions are Christian? Will any non-Christian religious teaching organisations be eligible for this funding?

LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 7:06 am

@ Florence

The Liberal females’ claws are definitely out for Tanya Plibersek. Bishop had a go at her a week or so before this threat to cut foreign aid, calling her a lightweight on foreign policy. Janet Albrechtsen has been having a go too.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/petulant-plibersek-cant-hold-a-candle-to-sensible-cando-bishop/story-e6frg6zo-1227097814446?nk=431b951c066db22431e060b42bbbd80b

I think Tanya conducts herself very well and certainly in a far more mature way than anyone on the LNP front bench. She displays a very warm, caring personality and is certainly highly regarded by non-Labor voters that I know personally. Harpie’s Bizarre magazine might be able to knock 40 years off Bishop with extreme airbrushing but no one can present her with a beating heart.

BrigalowLostDecember 6, 2014 at 7:45 am

Ross,

You wrote, “I read where John Howard of all people said recently once the Liberal party was full of people who were in it for what they could give but now is full of people in it for what they can get. So true, have we reached the bottom of the barrel with this unpopualr prime minister and the sorry lot behind him.”

Given that most of the current cabinet previously sat on Howard’s front bench one could attest that the rot started with his government. Further, America’s cowardly little puppet was the man responsible for bringing Abbott into the halls of parliament by recommending he fill a position as parliamentary secretary for Dr. Hewson. And, when PM promoting him to the cabinet. Put your hand up Johnny Coward, this rabble of so-called adults is directly attributable to you.

Apple far from the tree much?

Great article Kaye. I very much enjoy your writing, albeit anguished most of the time.

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 8:04 am

BrigalowLost,
Howards’ nostalgic comments about the integrity of intent and conduct in the Libs of yore also flies in the face of dealings that occurred in his own cabinet ministry regarding disclosure and separation of conflicts of interest, and Howards’ personal verbal convolutions, obfuscations and semantics on the subject of compromising conduct(ministerial code of conduct/guidelines, core and non-core promises etc).

LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 8:06 am

I don’t know that Labor is much better when it comes to being in politics for what they can get. Ditto for Clive Palmer.

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 8:11 am

Wonder if Clive would favour a federal ICAC? Someone should ask him.

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 8:19 am

Tony,

I first saw on television
lips a-flap, taking crap,
defending rule by monarch,
as the will of the divine.

Next seen, unashamedly,
telling lies over shady deals
and plots to scuttle a rival
chip-shop party(please explain?).

Then conduct in parliament,
of interjections, ejections,
gratuitous bellicosity
and intransigent dogmatics,

Ascendance through betrayal,
and sabotage of consensus,
promotion of ignorance
and hateful division.

Calling science excrement
to pander to drool-fools.
parroting parrot on subject
of death by disgrace.

Contradictory commitments
without details or figures,
‘axe the tax, fix the debt,
halt the broadband and boats’.

Male Minister for Women,
‘With-holding sex is not a right’,
Pommy Minister for D’originals,
‘It weren’t peopled till the white’.

Dullard speech with finger counts,
and punctuations of “um”,
questions hard remain unanswered
“I’ve dealt with that. Move on.”

Thwarted or challenged,
blusters, snarls and bristles
sullen glares and vicious stares,
a silently shaking psycho goanna..

PM. Facepalm.

LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 8:23 am

The title of the page refers to the section above this.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/senate-v-pyne-a-victory-for-the-people-20141205-11zd9v.html

I made a mistake in last week’s column about the ABC and CSIRO cuts, when I emphasised how awful it would be for the hundreds of people who faced the Christmas season not knowing how they’d pay their bills.

Somebody mentioned in the comments that the greatest loss for many would be the work itself. Not the pay cheque that came with it. And the sad truth of that revealed itself this week in the story of Dr San Thang, an organic chemist with 30 years of honourable service to his adopted country. The CSIRO scientist has been tipped at short odds for a Nobel Prize based on his research, which has already been exploited by companies like Dulux, L’Oreal and IBM.

His reward for this service? The arse.

Dr Thang was made redundant in September. The 60-year-old researcher was “rewarded” with an “honorary” fellowship, however, allowing him to keep using his lab and teaching his students, but not for anything so tawdry as a pay day. The shame of this grows hotter because Thang refuses to express anything other than humble gratitude for the opportunities extended him by the CSIRO.

“In Australia,” he told Fairfax this week, the doors opened [for me] and I still want to be part of CSIRO and elsewhere to make use of my knowledge, I want to inspire people. Being a scientist, that’s what I love to do.”

One final turn of the screw?

San Thang arrived here as a refugee. A boat person, whose family fled Vietnam and fetched up in a Malaysian refugee camp before being resettled here.

It makes you wonder how many potentially great Australians Morrison has locked up in his Pacific Gulags. How many scientists, how many teachers? How many pages in the national story never to be written?

Kaye LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 8:46 am

And how many people are returned to persecution, torture or death?

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 9:09 am

Definitely demented and daft, deliberately duplicitous, disjointed in discourse, destructive, divisive and dictatorial, a dribbling, drooling, dirt-dealing drone.

LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 9:12 am

From Roseanne in 1992. http://youtu.be/TS_aaBTO32c

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 9:18 am

+ dogmatic devotee of a dick-deity.

Terry2December 6, 2014 at 9:25 am

Whilst Morrison was able to get his deceitful, punitive and dishonest legislation through the Senate to the dismay of many of us, there was one bright note when Lambie and Muir were able, without the gag of partisan self-deception – looking at you Michaelia Cash – to voice the disgust that so many Australians feel about the way our political ‘leaders’ have treated and continue to treat detained asylum seekers, for base political purposes.

There is a lot to be said for ‘ordinary’ people putting themselves forward for public service in our parliament – think how it could be if we had a GP as our Minister for Health, or an Attorney General who actually understands what meta-data is before he legislates on it, or a tech-savvy geek as our Communications Minister or perhaps an objective economist as our Treasurer or even a Prime Minister with no religious or ideological burden to carry.

ManfredDecember 6, 2014 at 9:26 am

CB D: Just keeps giving. Dreadful, Depressing, Disgusting

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 9:49 am

It seems ‘former political power-broker’, professional lobbyist and Sky ‘news’ opinionator, Graham Richardson is now a person of interest to the NSW ICAC.
One recalls that charming photo of the lizard king leering from under a rug at the footy, flanked by ‘Richo’ and Alan Jones.

ManfredDecember 6, 2014 at 10:05 am

Poor Richo! could be quite Damming.

Happy sackDecember 6, 2014 at 10:17 am

Hysterical dribble, Kaye! Surely, if a word of that was true, labor would have exposed him years ago? He doesn’t really believe that there are exceptional women who deserve equality with men, does he?
It must be recognised that he is an accomplished actor who is playing a part to be close to those workers and labor politicians, who deserted labor and voted for him.
Still he has given schoolies and the unemployed $96000 (notice little billy is on about $100000 degrees???) to spend on education that should send the ‘pink batts’ style shonkies into feeding frenzies for signatures!

Colin Stuart-CampbellDecember 6, 2014 at 10:18 am

Yup CB a disgracefully deranged despot, he is despicable and determined to destroy a doomed demographic.

randalstellaDecember 6, 2014 at 10:22 am

They’re spooky and capricious
And altogether vicious..

The Abbott family

Colin Stuart-CampbellDecember 6, 2014 at 10:22 am

Why do all the right wingers contributing to this conversation conveniently forget the media generally hide views opposite to the position Murdoch represents.

RoswellDecember 6, 2014 at 10:41 am

Bravo Kaye. Another top post.

Wayne TurnerDecember 6, 2014 at 11:50 am

The MSM sadly proved they could take ANY idiot and promote them into office.It happens when most of the public are non-thinking,easily manipulated,ignorant and gullible.

Abbott is Australia’s Prime Moron.Thankfully these Libs can be voted out (the sooner,the better,but when is the question? The next federal election? The one after that? Two after that? Polls can change.),but we can’t vote out the masses that are asses….

Joe BanksDecember 6, 2014 at 12:25 pm

Wayne Turner, “…we can’t vote out the masses that are asses”. So very true. They are mainly influenced by the Murdoch media and the vile shock jocks. We have a COALITION OF THE INSANE at work in this country. Until work such as Kaye Lee’s can reach the ‘masses that are asses’ it is hard to see much change. Although, I do believe MSM journalists are surreptitiously reading social media for a new direction.

Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 3:03 pm

Wayne ………

……….. ” The MSM sadly proved they could take ANY idiot and promote them into office.It happens when most of the public are non-thinking,easily manipulated,ignorant and gullible. ”

There’s desensitisation – – – – and there’s desenitisation.

20 years ago, if the MSM ( television ) had shown blood on footpaths, tarp. covered dead bodies, bits of torn clothing – at the scene of an accident, we’d have been truly shocked – and would have complained loudly to whoever would listen. ( we did not then have the abiity to object to something like the ACMA, as we do today ).

Today, however – we are largely desensitised to viewing horror stories of war, road accidents etc. I don’t think we are quite as blasé to stories of immense cruelty to children and animals – – yet.

……….

20 years ago, reporting on politics – from either camp ……. had us listening earnestly, and wringing our hands in fear if some political item that might bring small distress was being reported ….. and conversely, if some new measure was brought in to benefit all. Yaayyy – hand clapping and cheering in the kitchen.

Today, however, many many people simply ‘switch off’ ( in their minds ) when any political reporting is done ….. and THESE days, it is mainly garbage, as most of it is focussed on the ‘camera-hog-extraordinaire’ …… Abbott. Die-hard Liberals will hang on his every word – if they can understand what he’s on about, that is. …… the remainder of the population no longer can listen or see.

So – rather than people being ” non-thinking,easily manipulated,ignorant and gullible. ” … and …. ” masses that are asses ” …….. I believe there’s a whole heap of desensitisation floating about the electorates. From all sides.

Many people just don’t take any of it in, any longer. ………. All seen as just variations on themes – ‘ been there, done that’.

That is …. desensitisation.

We need to sensitise ( or re-sensitise ) – and very quickly.

Kaye LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 3:30 pm

People are tired just coping with the daily struggle of life. Their news might come from headlines hurriedly read at lunch or on the train, or nightly tv when they finally flop down on the lounge, or talkback radio as they sit in the commuter carpark euphamistically called a freeway. They don’t want to think about the economy or climate change, they are too hot, tired, and worn out from working. That is why our media are so important and must bear much of the blame for our current situation.

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 3:33 pm

Newton high nails Tony Abbott,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBZwu5bAEdo&sns=em

stephentardrewDecember 6, 2014 at 3:37 pm

It appears that the third estate is in the hands of the bankruptcy receivers.

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 3:45 pm

Corvus……..I found a video with Tones and co in it, and their habitat 🙂
I reckon their more like deadly dragons as this clip shows LOL

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 3:58 pm

Roflmao, DD!
The specimen shown at 0:52 to 1:07 was an absolute dead ringer for Tones.
Varanus tonii with the septicemic bite.

I thought at the time that the photo of G Richardson, A Abbott and A Jones(hanging out under a rug at the footy) looked like a goanna lounging between two cane toads.

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 4:32 pm

Corvus…..too funny pmsl
The liking is absolutely striking I thought,
Komotones is definitely recognisable in the den of dragons 🙂

Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 5:01 pm

DanDark ……..

Ref. the video – Newton High nails Tony Abbott.

Apart from the usual hysteria that goes with young to mid teens …… there were some probing questions to the Abbott, which he answered – in a fashion. …. he wasn’t exactly comfortable.

What I was delighted with was that :

a) … they were not afraid to ask the questions,
b) … they were not overawed by ‘ the presence ‘ !!!!
c) … the students are obviously more up to date with politics than we might have thought.

all of which augers well, for this country. …….. Hope it means a brighter future, with those young ‘uns coming up.

( that’s if Pyne doesn’t bugger up their attempts to get into University – or the LNP doesn’t deny them jobs through Gov’t ineptitude. ).

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 5:12 pm

3:30, The Minister for Women takes his hand out of his hip-pocket and demands, “Let’s have a blokes’ question”. Classic Tone.

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 5:15 pm

Annie, our future are our children and these young folk in this video are smarter than our whole Fed Gov,
I used to clean a couple of schools, the secondary college had an entire class room with pictures covering the walls about the new way, renewable energy and everything sustainable,
I can’t remember seeing pictures of coal mines, because there weren’t any, I used to think to myself then, tones and a Co are so out of touch with our younger generation and I don’t think our young will gobble up the bullshit as much as he and Peta Credln think,
they give me hope along with my own kids, there is a better future and they will lead the way 🙂

mars08December 6, 2014 at 5:16 pm

Kaye Lee:

People are tired just coping with the daily struggle of life. Their news might come from headlines hurriedly read at lunch or on the train, or nightly tv when they finally flop down on the lounge, or talkback radio…

Oh I am so tired of this simplistic one-size-fits-all excuse!!! It might explain some of the foolishness in the electorate…. but …

Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters I’ve met fit that description. They are not “tired just coping with the daily struggle of life”… although they’ll tell you they are. In fact they’re very comfortable financially, have good job security, no disabilities, and plenty of superannuation. It seems to me that they believe the MSM because they are lazy, incurious, self-absorbed, disengaged, narrow-minded and obsessed with the trivial. I suspect they also like the way the “news” ensures their prejudices are regularly reinforced.

“I’m alright jack” has become our national mantra.

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 5:18 pm

Yea and that backfired on him too Corvus, these kids ate him alive, I thought it was strange how he had his fingers pointing to his budgie smugglers, usually his hands are waving around, or he is counting on his fingers, the body language from Tones is a bit disturbing I reckon….

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 5:23 pm

Haiku for the ‘Battlas of Straya’.

The daily struggle
Subsistence for survival.
No new car this year.

mars08December 6, 2014 at 5:58 pm

A limerick may be me appropriate than a haiku… Especially if you could use the word “Nantucket”

It’s become a standard for pollies these days to say they sympathise with the battlas… pronouncing that straaayns are “doing it tough”. This motherhood statement is a guaranteed winnah with puntas… even though many (most?) of them are in an entirely different neighbourhood to Struggle Street.

But I suppose that not having a holiday home, big 4WD, latest PlayStation, $500 sunglasses, or new fishing boat might be socially debilitating for some…

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 6:19 pm

There was a political playa,
a bigoted, shifty nay-saya,
aspirational bogans
bought his snake-oil and slogans,
and now he’s the king of a-straya.

Kaye LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 6:36 pm

Abbott is now our Prime Minister
With plans that we all find so sinister
He wants rich to breed
And poor to not read
Just let the coal barons administer

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 6:47 pm

“Most of all I think that the people of Australia can be proud of what happens here, even with our argy-bargy. It is a wonderful democracy.”

As she and the rest of the parliament returns home for the long Christmas recess, they’ll discover that the Australian people have another view entirely.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/fractious-leaders-play-an-old-tune-20141205-12170c.html

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 7:30 pm

Cheers, DanDark, good link.
I am usually a bit ambivalent to Mr P Hartcher, but that article hit home.

The tendency of the current conservatives to routinely refer to the conduct of representational governance in quasi-militarese terms usually reserved for describing the combative prosecution of destruction(war) is truly disturbing.
The reality of warfare is, in terms of the nature of the ground over which it is conducted and the people and other life there-on, general (and oft indiscriminate) death, destruction and despoilment with scant/no regard for the welfare of posterity.
‘Battlelines’, ‘verbal combat’, ‘not polite debating…but a battlefield’.
The negotiation and conciliation of legislation and regulation of administrative affairs conducted for the common good of the land and its’ society, reduced to reveling in terminology for organised murder and systematic violence and vandalism.
I would actually prefer a little polite debate from the supposed political representatives of our social collective, and let the deliberately belligerent mangle themselves in military service or MMA cage-fighting.

Ps, DD, I make a random recommendation that you ‘YouTube’ “She’s looking for something” by ‘Beats Antique'(official video).
Just a hunch you might like it, with gratitude for the informational links you have provided today.

Kaye LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 7:40 pm

Abbott outlines plans he had for me
While giving my money to Cadbury
He skates on thin ice
As he says it all twice
A PM a la Stephen Bradbury

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 7:55 pm

The Abbott, the lord and the king,
a repressed and conservative thing,
surprising to find
the broadness of mind,
to offer Tony Windsor his ring.

Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 8:29 pm

DanDark …..

You’ve blown another gasket !!

Your comment – – –

……. ” Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters I’ve met fit that description. They are not “tired just coping with the daily struggle of life”… although they’ll tell you they are. In fact they’re very comfortable financially, have good job security, no disabilities, and plenty of superannuation. It seems to me that they believe the MSM because they are lazy, incurious, self-absorbed, disengaged, narrow-minded and obsessed with the trivial. I suspect they also like the way the “news” ensures their prejudices are regularly reinforced. ” …….

…….

A dear friend of mine – lives in Sydney now, friends since the late 1940’s. ……… Still in touch constantly.

She is an absolutelly AVID …. AVID – Liberal Supporter. ….. thus we never discuss politics.

She also – ‘is NOT alright, Jack’ ………

She has pancreatic cancer – and has a short time to live. …… She battles it bravely, is a pensioner, and lives in reasonable accommodation. …. She has the support of her friends, and of some of her family. !! She spends her time, visiting the oncologist, and taking umpteen tests. ,,,,, and she does it with the help of her faith and a positive outlook on life. …. She still tries ( and does ) to help others ‘less fortunate than herself’. ………

So you haven’t met them ALL have you ? ……..

Your vastly sweeping statement “Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters >>>>” etc. etc. was waaaay way off base, mate, and was hurtful.

Kaye’s observations ” People are tired just coping with the daily struggle of life. ” …… was right.

You see DanDark …… not everyone who is not of our more progressive Labor persuasion are idiots, do not have problems, do not have battles to deal with, are self-absorbed, lazy, narrow minded and obsessed with the trivial.

I do wish you would ……….. GET THAT…. and don’t come back at me with ” ah but that’s only one”.

Please stop being so bloody negative.

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 8:42 pm

Annie B,
Correct your aim, please.
The comments you quoted were contributed by mars08(who will likely be happy to answer your objections to his statements), not DanDark.

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 8:47 pm

Annie if you are talking to me for making that comment, you are wrong, I am not sure what you are on about, I have commented today, but that was not my comment, it was Mars 08 comment as I have copied and pasted for you to peruse again…it was Mars commenting to Kaye..
You might want to retract your comment…

mars08December 6, 2014 at 5:16 pm
Kaye Lee:

Oh I am so tired of this simplistic one-size-fits-all excuse!!! It might explain some of the foolishness in the electorate…. but …

Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters I’ve met fit that description. They are not “tired just coping with the daily struggle of life”… although they’ll tell you they are. In fact they’re very comfortable financially, have good job security, no disabilities, and plenty of superannuation. It seems to me that they believe the MSM because they are lazy, incurious, self-absorbed, disengaged, narrow-minded and obsessed with the trivial. I suspect they also like the way the “news” ensures their prejudices are regularly reinforced.

“I’m alright jack” has become our national mantra.

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 8:47 pm

It’s ok Corvus we know Annie gets confused…….:)

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 8:51 pm

But she shore has an axe to wield, I am not sure why I copped it though, I am far from negative all the time
Annie writes 3 pages, but we don’t have ago at her, you need to calm your farm Annie…
But I won’t ever mention or comment to you again,,, your volatility is unbecoming 🙂

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 8:55 pm

And for Annie’s info, I have 6 kids and they ever acted like you do Annie and attacked someone for no reason.
I would knock their block off metaphorically of course……

Kaye LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 9:04 pm

A close friend of mine is the principal at the school that, according to the formula, is the most disadvantaged in NSW. She is astonished at how many of the parents feel that the Coalition are their only hope as “good money managers”. These people ARE consumed by the daily struggle and overwhelmed by debt. The Coalition “debt and deficit disaster” mantra rings home to them because they DO equate it with their own personal struggle. Abbott and Hockey are bastards for hitting these people, who are often incapable of understanding in-depth economic arguments.

Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 9:37 pm

@ Corvus ……. you are right ……. and again I have an apology to make. My aim was off – it was Mars08 I should have addressed, not DanDark. But at least you were polite in pointing out my mistake. Thank you for that.

……..

@DanDark …….. I can imagine why you are so ‘dark’ …..especially when I have accused you of something you didn’t say. But hey – to have such a go back at me ( have you NEVER made a mistake ????? ) …. was un-necessary. Referring to : ( and this time I will get it RIGHT ) :

” But she shore has an axe to wield, I am not sure why I copped it though, I am far from negative all the time
Annie writes 3 pages, but we don’t have ago at her, you need to calm your farm Annie…
But I won’t ever mention or comment to you again,,, your volatility is unbecoming 🙂

AND …..

” And for Annie’s info, I have 6 kids and they ever acted like you do Annie and attacked someone for no reason.
I would knock their block off metaphorically of course……”

…………

Jazus – what do I have to do – – – bow and scrape ?

As for no-one having a go at me ….. LOL ….. there’s been plenty. But I cop it sweet ( mostly !!! ), as anyone has to, on blogs.

So @ DanDark ….. my apologies. Sincerely. And no – you are not negative thinking – ( not any more than the rest of us on here at times ! ).

I will now ( God help us the commenters say !!!! 🙂 ) ….. repost that comment to the person it was intended for in the first place.

AND – my comments wiill be brief – if at all – in the future. ,,, I don’t fancy my block being knocked off ……

Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 9:47 pm

@ mars08 ………….

You’ve blown another gasket !!

Your comment – – –

…….

A dear friend of mine – lives in Sydney now, friends since the late 1940’s. ……… Still in touch constantly.

She is an absolutelly AVID …. AVID – Liberal Supporter. ….. thus we never discuss politics.

She also – ‘is NOT alright, Jack’ ………

So you haven’t met them ALL have you ? ……..

Your vastly sweeping statement “Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters >>>>” etc. etc. was waaaay way off base, mate, and was hurtful.

Kaye’s observations ” People are tired just coping with the daily struggle of life. ” …… was right.

You see, mars08…… not everyone who is not of our more progressive Labor persuasion are idiots, do not have problems, do not have battles to deal with, are self-absorbed, lazy, narrow minded and obsessed with the trivial.

I do wish you would ……….. GET THAT…. and don’t come back at me with ” ah but that’s only one”.

Please stop being so bloody negative.

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 9:52 pm

Annie, you can respectively stick your apology up your foofer valve for all I care ” GET THAT”
Think before you gob off next time, but go ahead have a go at Mars as you always do,
but it does get depressing when you are always loosing your cool at folk on here, especially Mars..

Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 10:03 pm

@DanDark ….

Your latest comment to me – – – – a totally un-necessary rejoinder.

Oh how precious it must be to be perfect ??? … you have obviously NEVER made a mistake in your life. ( LOL – bet ya have !! ).

I don’t ‘gob off’ ( any more than anyone else here does – won’t give a list of the regular ‘gob off’ posters ) and I do NOT ‘always have a go’ at mars08.

So sorry you are depressed, at my ‘losing my cool’ – as you put it.

Enough is enough …. but I AM rather surprised at your come-back. ,,,,, not really necessary – d’ya think ?

End of ( as far as I am concerned ).

And hey – you have the right of the last word now. !!!! 😉

Florence nee FedupDecember 6, 2014 at 10:14 pm

Worth reading

http://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2014/12/06/greg-hunts-hostile-attack-the-environment/14177844001333#.VILXMTgcQTA

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 10:19 pm

Annie B,
We ALL gob off, more or less, to varying degrees, relative to each other.
Gobbing off is kinda what we do when we comment.

mars08December 6, 2014 at 10:21 pm

Thanks for the comment, DanDark.

But it doesn’t rally matter… I gave up on reading anything spewed by Annie B long ago. Her rambling comments are less interesting to me than the steam from my piss…

Florence nee FedupDecember 6, 2014 at 10:21 pm

”

the treasurer sounded tired. It was another dispiriting day in a long succession of dispiriting days at the fag end of a dispiriting parliamentary year.

Naturally, Hockey fell to talking about the abolition of the carbon tax.

“Thank God we got rid of the carbon tax, which hit at the beginning of the September quarter,” said Hockey. “Energy consumption lifted, that is quite a stark indicator of how significant it’s been.”

Well, yes, the abolition of the carbon tax has been very significant, but not in the way Hockey suggested.

The true significance of the abolition of the carbon tax was shown in this week’s carbon emissions index report, from analysts Pitt & Sherry, which flatly contradicted the treasurer.

In fact demand had fallen, the report said. What had increased was emissions of carbon dioxide, the main contributor to climate change. They rose some 3.2 million tonnes. The abolition of the carbon tax resulted in the share of electricity generated from renewable sources falling and the share generated from fossil fuels, particularly the dirtiest of them, brown coal, increasing.

“If the trend continues,” says Hugh Saddler, who wrote the report, “by the end of the current financial year, it will amount to an increase of about 1.5 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions.”

Saddler notes Australia’s commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent by 2020.

”

http://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2014/12/06/greg-hunts-hostile-attack-the-environment/14177844001333#.VILXMTgcQTA

corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 10:31 pm

If there is not already a term already existing for the process of future divination based upon inspection of the patterning of the vapour tendrils arising from the application of warm urine upon snow under moonlight, there probably should be.

Omphaloskepsis is the practice of utilizing prolonged examination of ones’ own belly-button as an aid to contemplative meditation(navel gazing).

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 10:46 pm

Lol, Mars too funny, geee I am glad I am a woman, I don’t have the ” steam problem” you speak of 🙂

But I won’t be insulted for no reason even if the insult was directed towards someone else, but the insulter should Tone down the insults towards people on here, who needs enemies when you got friends like that….

mars08December 6, 2014 at 11:25 pm

corvus boreus… I have to make do without the luxury and extravagance of crisp snow. Cold stainless steel is good enough…

@DanDark… I stand by my observation that every Abbott supporter I have ever met is an immature, easily-distracted, self-absorbed, incurious “aspirational”. Maybe I should move in different circles…

DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 11:41 pm

Mars I agree with your “observation” about Abbott supporters, sums them up perfectly which is rather disturbing but is a fact..

DanDarkDecember 7, 2014 at 12:36 am

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbotts-coalition-not-a-happy-family-say-backbenchers-20141206-121pj4.html

Annie BDecember 7, 2014 at 1:15 am

Corvus …. thanks for your explanation of ‘gob off’ …. 🙂 …….I was not aware that it was a term used by forum users and bloggers.

Learn something new every day.

Annie BDecember 7, 2014 at 1:27 am

@mars08 ……..

You are very sad person, aren’t you. ….. I actually feel somewhat sorry for you.

……….

DanDark observed that I lose my cool. ? Yeah – right.

There seems to be one helluva a lot of people who do the same – lose their cool ( other than me ) on this website, many times over.

Case in point – a bloke referring to steam from his piss in an insulting remark to me …… VERY adult ( not ) !!!

………… You ( Mars08 ) said – ” Maybe I should move in different circles… ”

………… I so have to agree with you on that one.

——-

Enough is enough already.

End of ………

DanDarkDecember 7, 2014 at 2:05 am

Annie said to Mars “I do wish you would ……….. GET THAT…. and don’t come back at me with ” ah but that’s only one” Annie you goad Mars all the time and that statement backs it up.
Annie, you came flying in through from nowhere with a verbal cowards punch on Mars but got wrong person mmmmmmm
that’s where you went wrong , you involved me in your vindictiveness towards Mars
Out of all the comments on this thread you picked mars out and tried to humiliate his comment
I will go back in time and find the threads where there are plenty of verbal attacks by you towards Mars if you like, because its there in black and white.

But now you are making out your the victim of an insult, when you threw the first punch
By belittling peoples comments like you do, speaks volumes about you and your own self esteem issues, you have the issues here not Mars,
We were having a good day, lots of friendly banter on Aimn today till you came in to pick a fight with Mars
You ruined my day Annie, and I wont take a flippant “sorry” from you, and you think your attack is acceptable behavior
and to gob off means to mouth off when you think you are right but are very much wrong, like you were tonight about who wrote the comment you so nastily attacked
You should be apologizing to Mars, not turning the tables and making out you are a victim, when you are not……End of Story

Abbotts AustraliaDecember 7, 2014 at 2:07 am

Abbott was elected. That’s a fact. He was elected leader of his party and remains so, also a fact. His decisions as carried by a majority of votes in both houses, a fact also. What remains is a glaring constitutional illegitimacy that is unresolved. That is ignored by every other MP and the media. If it is this easy to sidestep Section 44 of the Australian Constitution, then which other Sections will we choose to ignore next? When does it stop? Abbott, until proven otherwise, remains a born British citizen (with dual Australian citizenship), and therefore ILLEGALLY in Parliament. Every single other issue that is raised here is akin to window dressing in a house built on a ramshackle foundation.
https://www.change.org/p/tony-abbott-show-us-your-papers-renouncing-your-british-citizenship-before-you-were-elected

corvus boreusDecember 7, 2014 at 6:39 am

AA,
Signed for change.
My personal preference would be to see Abbotts’ legitimacy(and that of other members) scrutinised as just one of the terms of reference of an independent commission into corruption in and around federal politics(ICAC).
That would mean Abbott, and many others, would have to give full and frank recount and explanation of their conduct, and face the possibility of full legal repercussions for any misdeeds they may have committed. Names with suffix “disgraced former” permanently attached, to be hence-forth referred to as ‘men of ‘convictions”(sniggers) .
But I would settle for the feral and rabid creature to be deemed to be alien, then caught, caged and shipped on a hulk bound for blighty.

mars08December 7, 2014 at 9:17 am

@DanDark “…and I wont take a flippant “sorry” from you…”

Hey… ease up there, Cochise! I understand what you’re saying. But as you yourself have stated… Annie B just blew another gasket. It’s sure to happen again. And it will still be as spectral as vapor on stainless steel…

Any chat about apologies is pointless.

corvus boreusDecember 7, 2014 at 9:24 am

As a child I was taught not to lick frosty metal, and not to eat the yellow snow. Still valid.

Möbius EckoDecember 7, 2014 at 9:45 am

From Insiders I’ve just learnt that in Coalition governments the PM is the real Defence Minister, the appointee is just a figurehead.

Wow, that just about makes Abbott the minister for everything. What a superhero, being able juggle so many portfolios and lead the country.

No wonder we’re so badly screwed in just one year and heading further down the sewer.

Kaye LeeDecember 7, 2014 at 10:12 am

Even more disturbing was Andrew Probin’s prediction (leak) that kevin Andrews is going to resign and Peta Credlin is going to run for his seat

DanDarkDecember 7, 2014 at 11:59 am

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/dec/05/five-things-weve-learned-from-the-year-in-politics

mars08December 7, 2014 at 1:14 pm

Annie BDecember 7, 2014 at 3:12 pm

@DanDark ……. ( your comment – December 7, 2014 at 2:05 am )

1) ….. I DID apologise to you for the wrongful post, but you apparently didn’t read THAT ? If you didn’t think it was a sincere apology, ( which it was ) then that is your problem – not mine. ( my post – December 6, 2014 at 9:37 pm )

2) ….. I cannot imagine anyone wasting their time going back over thousands of comments, in order to prove a point …. you said ” I will go back in time and find the threads where there are plenty of verbal attacks by you towards Mars if you like, because its there in black and white. ” But, if that’s what you want to do – go for it.

3) …. you have accused me of ‘belittling people’s comments;’ ….. and have raised a query as to my own self-esteem. ??? I would think perhaps your own self esteem could do with a bit of going over – by you.

4) …. you state that I have ‘ruined your day’ ….. which is not possible, in fact. …… No one can ruin another person’s day, unless the person who is allegedly affronted … ALLOWS … it to happen – especially when verbal matters are to the fore. PHYSICAL abuse could ruin your day and have you in hospital. Perceived verbal altercation, cannot ruin your ( or anyone’s ) day.

5) …. I have ADMITTED my original mistake ( the insertion of your name as recipient instead of Mars08 )

6) …. You would have seen, as I have ( and excluding us both for the moment ) ….. on this and other blogs, some of the the most disgusting insulting – and even filthy diatribe aimed at others, one could imagine. Yet I get the brick-bat thrown at me, ( on this occasion ) here. Apparently everyone else here can ‘have a go’ – and put forth an arguement in reply —- but not me. ……. I can’t ‘have a go’ once in a while ? ….. Not permitted ? ……

And you claim I have delivered a ‘verbal cowards’ punch’ to Mars08 …. ??? at the time of making a mistake and putting YOUR name on the reply ? ……. Well – no ‘flippant sorry’ from me for that – I have already apologised !!! .

…….

Your post of December 7, 2014 at 2:05 am, shows a nastiness, not often seen here. ….. If you TRULY believe that I involved YOU in my alleged vindictiveness towards Mars08 …. by MAKING A HUMAN ERROR – MISTAKE —- then that is again your problem.

I have made these points to stand up for myself – which is everybody’s right to do.

From your most recent rant, you just couldn’t keep your nose out of it any further – could you ?

Anything you post from hereon in, I will ignore in total.

I am done with you – completely. You are not worth following.

DanDarkDecember 7, 2014 at 3:24 pm

Annie said “I am done with you – completely. You are not worth following.”

That’s the best news I have heard all day 🙂

LeeDecember 8, 2014 at 11:36 am

“Even more disturbing was Andrew Probin’s prediction (leak) that kevin Andrews is going to resign and Peta Credlin is going to run for his seat”

Who will then be the Minister for Everything? Morrison or Cretin?

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ShunrataDecember 5, 2014 at 11:33 am

Very thorough, and so very depressing…..
Deena BennettDecember 5, 2014 at 11:34 am

But he is the Prime Minister, and to all intents and purposes, the Australian Labor Party must carry a considerable portion of the blame. Their pathetic and self damaging in-fighting that undermined one of the most intelligent Prime Ministers this country has seen condemns them for their culpability
John LordDecember 5, 2014 at 11:34 am

Good read Kaye. Enjoyed it.
MarglDecember 5, 2014 at 11:52 am

Well written Kaye
AntiLibDecember 5, 2014 at 11:53 am

I’m sorry Deena, but Julia Gillard was not one of the more intelligent Prime Ministers in my honest opinion. She wasn’t all bad though. Her funding of Gonski by undermining the funding of tertiary education was disgraceful. She should have been closing tax loopholes to fund it.
She was infinitely better than abbott of course, but then so is my neighbour’s dog.
Labour’s problem is that they simply won’t touch the corporates and the wealthy despite this being an easy sell to the electorate.
Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 12:04 pm

ummmm….mining tax? carbon tax? FBT tax on novated leases? Tax on rich superannuees?

LEIGH: “One of the things that Labor did last year, in our final year in office, was for Wayne Swan and David Bradbury to sit down and put together a multi-billion dollar package of measures to crack down on multinational profit shifting. What was disappointing to me was that when the Coalition came to office, they didn’t say ‘well, what’s the next thing we can do beyond this?’ Instead, they began to wind it back. So they shrunk the size of that package by $1 billion, effectively losing $1 billion of revenue which went back to multinationals in the form of extra tax breaks.

GREEN: Talk us through that – artificial debt loading, debt shifting, what’s that all about?

LEIGH: One way of thinking about it is that you’ve got an offshore subsidiary and it makes a loan to the Australian arm at an artificially high interest rate. The Australian company is then able to deduct the interest payments as a tax deduction, so it brings down their tax bill here and at the same time moves profits over to the low tax jurisdiction. That’s a loophole that would have been closed under the Labor reforms that we announced last year, but is still possible for companies to pursue now. I think that’s one the government ought to re-think. If they’re going hard on jobless twenty-somethings – saying they can’t get income support for six months – then it seems pretty rich to be telling multinationals that it’s alright to be shifting their profits offshore.”

I agree Labor need to do more but something was better than nothing
LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 12:05 pm

“Labour’s problem is that they simply won’t touch the corporates and the wealthy despite this being an easy sell to the electorate.”

None of them will. This group includes all the major media owners in the country. We’ve already seen what Murdoch did to Labor before the last Federal election.
Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 12:21 pm

Scott Morrison is now the most powerful person in the Australian government.

The passage of the migration and maritime powers legislation amendment (resolving the asylum legacy caseload) bill 2014 has given the immigration minister, while he holds that job, unprecedented, unchallengeable, and secret powers to control the lives of asylum seekers.

With the Senate’s acquiescence, Scott Morrison has won untrammelled power.

No other minister, not the prime minister, not the foreign minister, not the attorney-general, has the same unchecked control over the lives of other people.”

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/dec/05/senate-gives-scott-morrison-unchecked-control-over-asylum-seekers-lives?CMP=share_btn_tw

Apart from Credlin that is.
DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 12:22 pm

http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/tony-abbott-risks-recession-as-his-infrastructure-pledge-falters-20141205-120oty.html
DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 12:25 pm

Time for a revolution Australia…….. its time “to change or die”
Shevill MathersDecember 5, 2014 at 12:26 pm

Kaye, as ever, hits the nail on the head, love your articles.

Incompetent people get into power because good people sit back and do nothing, “she’ll be right, mate” as the saying goes in Oz. Well, those days are well and truly past and it is time to get rid of this miserable bunch of self serving tamkers before the country is totally ruined.
Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 12:28 pm

Better crack down on those public servants and give them some re-education about backing the Party line.

“The Abbott Government should reverse its decision to strip millions of dollars from Indigenous legal aid services, a report from the Productivity Commission argues.

The cuts to Indigenous services, worth $13.3 million, were part of the Government’s first budget and came despite Tony Abbott declaring he would be the Prime Minister for Indigenous affairs.

They came amongst broader cuts to legal aid services worth about $40 million.

Far from cutting services, the report said the Government should add another $200 million a year for legal aid services.

The Productivity Commission said there was a widespread need for legal aid services.

North Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency principal legal officer Jonathon Hunyor said the cuts would hurt some of Australia’s most disadvantaged people.

“The evidence shows that the Government is on the wrong track in cutting funding to Aboriginal legal services and cutting funding to services to the most vulnerable people in the country,” he said. ”

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-05/indigenous-legal-aid-cuts-productivity-commission-report/5945864

Wouldn’t it be great if they actually sought expert advice BEFORE they slash and burn.
NickDecember 5, 2014 at 12:37 pm

Tony Abbott represents everything that is broken, corrupt and just plain wrong with our current ‘democratic’ form of government. I believe this country cannot move forward until all the corrupt elements in parliament are rooted out and punished within the full extent of the law. We then need a mature dialogue on what form of democratic process the country needs to embrace for the benefit of us all.
Anthony ShorterDecember 5, 2014 at 12:39 pm

I deplore my tax dollars being spent on religious chaplains at public schools and to subsidise the training of priests.
Abbott is a product of a religious education and he has turned out to be the most vile, bigoted and vindictive PM in our history.
If his god runs heaven the way Abbott runs the country, I’ll go for the other option.
Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 12:43 pm

Great link DanDark

To summarise,

Public spending on capital works has actually shrunk in each of the past three quarters. Public investment was one of the biggest drags on the economy in the third quarter, when growth came in well below expectations at just 0.3 per cent.

“We’re getting to the pointy end of the mining pullback, and a burst of spending on public works would be a great help to the economy,” said David de Garis, a senior economist at National Australia Bank. “So far, it’s been a missed opportunity.”

With borrowing rates near historic lows, he said there was a good case for the government to step up.

“Right now the government can borrow for 10 years at 3 per cent. There have to be plenty of public projects which would make greater financial and economic returns than that.”

Like the NBN or high speed rail or solar roof panels for example?
LOVODecember 5, 2014 at 1:03 pm

Kaye, Tony may have to erase himself soon, a better way, I think, to cover his numerous errors 🙂 , he may be able to run……etc
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/121584/20100819-1632/tonyabbottrevealed.org.au/wiki/category/the-economy/feed/index.html
http://trove.nla.gov.au/result?q=tony+abbott+and+Sydney+university
DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 1:14 pm

Kaye, I just rang Phoney Tonys office and said, Tones can move the deck chairs around all he likes, but it wont stop the ship sinking, and it is sinking and fast, but on the upside my son passed all his subjects at Uni this year no thanks to this gutless gov and Poodle Pine and the threats to our kids future education”
I then said “I have just been reading how Tones closed the concrete company down he worked for because he couldn’t run a chook raffle in an outback dunny, he neads to change his head, one word sums it up a revolution and its coming, he has shot himself in the foot” she hung up, but I got what I wanted to say in first 🙂
MAINTAIN THE RAGE AUSTRALIA………..
Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 1:22 pm

No excuses?

“Joe Hockey has pointed the finger at ministerial colleagues angry about having to find savings in their portfolios to explain speculation Malcolm Turnbull could replace him as Treasurer.

Mr Hockey also said it was up to the other members of the Abbott government, not just him, to do the hard work in selling the budget to the public.”
_______

“Treasurer Joe Hockey this week conceded things needed speeding up.

“These national accounts confirm necessity for the delivery of our plan to significantly increase infrastructure spending over the next few years,” he told reporters.

He blamed the state governments, which have responsibility for building much of the country’s infrastructure, for dragging their feet.”
_______

“Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop blamed Labor and said the government was doing all it could to repair the damage.

“We’re begging Labor to take some responsibility for leaving us with the worse set of financial accounts of any incoming government in Australia’s history,” she told ABC radio.

She rejected suggestions Hockey had been sidelined by the appointment of the new head of the prime minister’s department, Michael Thawley.

Thawley has reportedly been asked to rethink the government’s economic strategy – interpreted by some as a loss of confidence in Hockey.”
_______

The Foreign Minister this morning told reporters if the government has to find further savings in her department — including foreign aid — she will point the finger at her Opposition counterpart.

“If savings are found from my department, I will hang that around the neck of Tanya Plibersek each and every day until the next election,” Ms Bishop said.
_______

HOCKEY (in his Final Budget Outcome report for financial year 2013-14): Of the $30 billion deterioration 60 per cent was from the write-down of receipts and in particular, tax receipts. This comes down to the fact that Labor continually overestimated the amount of tax that they would collect; they continually got it wrong. (NB The Coalition were in power for 9 months of that year)
_______

Cormann also blamed Bill Shorten for the delay in increasing the compulsory superannuation contribution. Hockey said the outcome wasn’t the government’s preferred position but that it was the ALP preventing it delivering on its election commitments.
Annie BDecember 5, 2014 at 1:23 pm

Kaye Lee ——– a very well written article again.

Not all new news, but a compilation of the history ( as known ) of a ‘ personality ‘. …….. and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture at all. It is not meant to show ‘pretty’.

This PM – at the head of Government, is an extremely fractured soul. ….. and is not fit to be running this country – or any country.

I doubt that he knows who he is, what he is, or what next he is going to do. …… He doesn’t plan, he doesn’t listen – to the people, yet incredibly, for all his mysogynistic tendencies, he has at his back a woman – Peta Credlin on whom he relies it would seem, for almost his very ability to breathe ?

That ( morbidly ) fascinates me. ………. seems though ( from your article ) it is MEN in power that he has trouble relating to. ….

Of the many examples you have given from his life – as we know it, and we certainly don’t know everything ….. the one that stood out to me – and probably I will never quite get over was :

………….. ” My feeble attempts to recall her to her duty — as I saw it >>>>> ” ….. He actually had the arrogance to WANT to ‘recall the Catholic Church to her duty …. as HE saw it ” …… Hellooo ? …. Maybe he should have tried to line up all the cardinals in Rome, to give them a piece of his ‘age-old hierarchical’ mind ???? And tell the Pope where to go, as well.

He was against ecumenism, against ‘co-operative’ style of management within the church, against ’empathy with sinners’ and against the church’s dialogue with it’s ( perceived by him ) enemies. … he has most likely not changed his mind on those aspects.

Putting that together shows a person who is totally against EVERYTHING that might even hint at being progressive – in any way. He is in fact against people ….. and that ain’t a good way of thinking and being, for the leader of anything. Government, business, sports teams, professional groups, theatrical productions – – – in fact, ANY endeavour…….. they all have ‘people’ in them.

This individual exists in the past, has no thought for the future, and is not present in the present. …

Medical intervention might help. …. and I am not being cynical with that remark.
JexpatDecember 5, 2014 at 1:31 pm

“l felt “had” by a seminary that so stressed ”empathy….”

Well, there you have it.
Christine BekkerDecember 5, 2014 at 1:31 pm

I can think of a few world leaders who have had the same or more powers than Scott Morrison. The outcomes were equally dire. Australia is in deep doodoos.
DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 1:34 pm

Oh yes I did get in “can the fools stop blaming labor, they have been in power for over a year, and it dosnt wash anymore but they have nothing else but blame Labor”
I am so over this year and this foul gov, and I am going to tell them everyday until XMAS…….”Don’t get angry get even”
captain51December 5, 2014 at 1:35 pm

I am at a loss as to the reason for Abbott’s successful application of a Rhodes scholarship bearing in mind his fairly average marks at Oxford. His employment record seems unremarkable. I think a Rhodes scholarship is granted for “leadership ability including for sport but even here, he is unremarkable. On the whole, a dud
DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 1:42 pm

http://media.canberratimes.com.au/video-news/video-national-news/the-buck-stops-here-6057999.html
claire hughesDecember 5, 2014 at 1:42 pm

Just wondering …. given Tony’s attitude to the Church … is he a member of Opus Dei??
Annie BDecember 5, 2014 at 1:49 pm

@ claire hughes ………..

Oh my !! ….. now THAT would not surprise me …. not one little bit.

It has a controversial history – and has ( apparently ) elements of elitism and misogyny, within it’s ranks.
DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 1:49 pm

http://media.canberratimes.com.au/video-news/video-national-news/a-question-time-christmas-special-6058491.html
DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 2:02 pm

http://www.watoday.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-government-cuts-university-support-funds-priests-training-20141205-120a3c.html
RossDecember 5, 2014 at 2:04 pm

We will have to wait for the results of next years state elections but my bet is a tipping point has been reached.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Victoria is the start of one term governments. Hopefully voters will keep keep getting rid of the so called professional politicians. These are the ex staffers being gifted so called safe seats and the ones causing much of the discontent. People with with no vision, no talent, people who don’t rock the boat, who repeat verbatim what ever three word slogan appears in the morning “in box” and who push policies they know are against the best interests of the very people who elect them.

32.5% was the swing to an Independent in the once very safe National seat of Shepparton in Victoria, I wonder why it has largely passed under the radar of the main stream media.

The bush is revolting, a one off or another Indie, what is happening out in the sticks?

I read where John Howard of all people said recently once the Liberal party was full of people who were in it for what they could give but now is full of people in it for what they can get. So true, have we reached the bottom of the barrel with this unpopualr prime minister and the sorry lot behind him.

You would like to think the only way is up after the worst prime minister of the worst government certainly in my 62 years but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Politicians will have to dragged kicking and screaming from the bubble they live in and then and only then they might start doing what the voting public wants, not what their backers want.

John Quiggin sums it up very eloquently on his blog, it’s well worth a read.

Broken promises and budget anger …
KerriDecember 5, 2014 at 2:19 pm

Claire Hughes I think not a member of Opus Dei but the one they worship!!!
Instead of his misinterpretation of the Churches attempts to be progressive and relevant, he wants to tell them they have lost their way and he knows better!
His hypocrisy regarding unions.
Hates them, but calls a strike when it suits him. Provokes union action and then begs like the pathetic imbecile he is. I would love to have heard his actual words in these heavily “Abbottomatic” examples of how his superiority triumphed over those dirty truck drivers and union officials.
Incidentally my money is on Matthias Cormann as the new Treasurer. Turnbull may be a case of keeping enemies closer, but Abbott lacks the subtlety to manipulate that situation. He is a bully and will banish Turnbull to presenting the voters with as many shit sandwiches as possible.
Not that that absolves Malcolm.
He is as bad as the rest of them and deserves to have his true ideology outed from his urbane millionairre profile.
mars08December 5, 2014 at 2:30 pm

Proof, that in our version of democracy, literally ANYONE can become the nation’s leader. Glorious innit?
lenbotterillapollo13December 5, 2014 at 3:45 pm

No one can or should stand in the way of anyone nominating for a membership of Parliament. But to seek a ministerial position, there should be a requirement that the prospective applicant be formally qualified in a field relevant to the portfolio sought. And further, that a minimum level of practice professionally also be demonstrated.
This would go a good way to stopping the incompetence in government that we are now more regularly seeing on both sides of the chambers. Otherwise we are destined to repeat the same mistakes. It would also have the effect of making candidate selection committees more aware of the greater responsibilities to select able candidates for all Australians, not just to satisfy local obligations.

But further than that. Even when a Party secures government, it should be a requirement that it’s major policies ( a defined number selected by the populace at the election ) should then be re – submitted back to the voters individually and presented with a suitable time interval during the first year of incumbency. The ability now to have electronic voting makes this a viable option.

The public then can take a measured and considered approach to governance, rather than having to accept a grab bag of policies, not all of which they may want or be aware of in the haste and turmoil of a single election. It would have other advantages, such as the inability of governments to go back on their promises, and put more commitment on our public service to make the fiscal position of the country known to all parties before elections. They also will not be able to add or delete aspects of a policy unless approved by a majority of the voters.

Naturally, current politicians will hate this approach, but we are all the shareholders of Australia Inc. , and it is time to change the board and the business model!
stephentardrewDecember 5, 2014 at 3:51 pm

Another hole in one Kaye.
silkwormDecember 5, 2014 at 3:56 pm

Dan Dark, glad you posted that link about the funding of priest training. It seems people have overlooked it, so I will post the link again.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-government-cuts-university-support-funds-priests-training-20141205-120a3c.html

This is a striking blow against the secular nature of our society. I am really angry about this. Surely this contravenes s.116 of the Constitution?
lawrencewinderDecember 5, 2014 at 4:39 pm

A sad read…. what I don’t understand is that Rabid-the-Hun’s ambition is only tearing a country apart and he and his rabble seem to enjoy that.
Perhaps having such a bad, you could justifiably call him an evil, prime minister, it’s frightening to think if we will ever get back what he is destroying.
Morpheus BeingDecember 5, 2014 at 4:43 pm

You forgot to add that he was born in United Kingdom, and is thus a British citizen, and as never having renounced his British citizenship, is ineligible to be a member of the Australian parliament as detailed in our constitution.
DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 4:50 pm

Thanks Silkworm for reposting it, yes sometimes things do get lost in a fast moving spread andYes they are going to flog religion to death, and use it to push it to push the propaganda, well I reckon they will be pushing shit up hill but what else would we expect from a pack of catholic crusaders, with Tones as Captain Catholic leading ” team Straya” to set war on the Australian public anyway they can.

I saw a comment other day and Tones was described as the “Slime Minister” rather suits the slimy pathetic excuse for a man…
TruthLoverDecember 5, 2014 at 5:01 pm

John Lennon – “Give Me Some Truth”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlzrNKN3rZI
Erotic MoustacheDecember 5, 2014 at 5:20 pm

I am at a loss as to the reason for Abbott’s successful application of a Rhodes scholarship bearing in mind his fairly average marks at Oxford.

I’m sorry. What?
corvus boreusDecember 5, 2014 at 5:23 pm

I am at a loss for a reason for Abbott.
Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 5:49 pm

DanDark and silkworm,

The John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, which offers course units including “Theology and Practice of Natural Family Planning” and “Marriage in the Catholic Tradition”, would also be eligible for federal support.

A member of the Catholic Pontifical Council for the Laity, Kevin Andrews is an Adjunct Lecturer in Politics and in Marriage Education in the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne.

Kevin’s on a roll.
Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 6:13 pm

Erotic Moustache,

Cecil Rhodes’ goals in creating the Rhodes Scholarships were to promote civic-minded leadership amongst young people with (in the words of his 1899 Will) “moral force of character and instincts to lead”, and (as he wrote in a 1901 codicil to his Will) to help “render war impossible” through promoting understanding between the great powers.

Rhodes’ legacy specified four standards by which applicants were to be judged:
Literary and scholastic attainments;
Energy to use one’s talents to the fullest, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports;
Truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship;
Moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings.

I too am at a loss as to why they would choose Abbott.
john o'callaghanDecember 5, 2014 at 6:22 pm

Thanks for a great read,you have a great sense of humour and your article gave me a good laugh,his life reads like a bad university comedy routine,and you have shown through the magic of humour just what a third rate piece of crap Abbott truly is and will always be. Thanks.;”””
DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 6:34 pm

http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/culture/all-men-are-liars/that-doesnt-sound-very-christian-to-me-20131115-2xjfm.html
stephentardrewDecember 5, 2014 at 6:58 pm

I use to think Ruddock was a stinker and vermin but this guy Morrison gives a bad name to excruciatingly revolting pongs.
Just wait until he stretches his hand across whistle blowers with the complicity of his mate Brandis. Put them together and what have you got? A great interwoven usurpation of law that undermines democracy at every level. It’s not just one or two bits of legislation it is a tangled confluence of insidious mendacious interlocking manipulations. Police state anyone. Cops are looking more and more like the military every day. Had a look at what is going on in the land of LNP awe and wonder, the US, lately? Bloody scary.

Onward Christian soldiers marching off to the Brave New World.

The seeds of theocratic, corporate, military, dictatorship.

We’ll get those Pastors into the door of every shopping center and workplace if it kills us.

Please!
Kaye LeeDecember 5, 2014 at 8:39 pm

These guys really know how to negotiate. And this is how they treat their friends……

“THE Prime Minister may wonder why he has serious problems as the political sanctuary of Christmas approaches.

Behold the events of Tuesday night in the Senate, shortly after supper.

The renegade Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan enters the chamber, walks over to a vacant seat usually occupied by the NSW independent, sometimes referred to as the accidental Senator, Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm.

He picks up the phone to connect to Leyonhjelm’s office and proceeds to give him a gob full about his gay marriage bill and then demands that he drop his threat to vote against Government bills unless the Coalition party room allows a conscience vote on the issue.

No dice.

So Heffernan resumes his attack when Leyonhjelm appears in the chamber and brands him a “terrorist”.

The mild mannered libertarian responds, to the shock of other Senators close, by telling Heffernan to “f— off”.

Three times.

“Yes, that’s true,” Mr Leyonhjelm admirably confessed to The Daily Telegraph when asked about the incident. “I told him to f— off”.

“He didn’t listen to me the first time, so I told him again”.

Leyonhjelm who is the least of Abbott’s problems in the Senate — as he supports around 80 per cent of the Government’s economic reform — blames the Government’s negotiating tactics on not being able to get legislation through.

The run in with the veteran Coalition head-kicker was a symbolic end to the frustrations within government.”
CMMCDecember 5, 2014 at 9:37 pm

Does anyone recall Norman Gunston?
The hapless, annoying reporter of the Aunty Jack series
That is Abbott.
DanDarkDecember 5, 2014 at 10:18 pm

What Malcom Mr Broadband said about Phoney Tony back in December 2009
Second, as we are being blunt, the fact is that Tony and the people who put him in his job do not want to do anything about climate change. They do not believe in human caused global warming. As Tony observed on one occasion “climate change is crap” or if you consider his mentor, Senator Minchin, the world is not warming, its cooling and the climate change issue is part of a vast left wing conspiracy to deindustrialise the world.

So after reading that Turnbull is now working too for “the people who put him in his job”
and is happy to spin the bullshit now, what an idiot Malcom is, he has a short memory ,
its the same disease they all have amnesia, one cant remember even getting a 3000 buck bottle of wine delivered…WTF

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/abbotts-climate-change-policy-is-bullshit-20091206-kdmb.html
stephentardrewDecember 5, 2014 at 11:00 pm

This is a global problem and the LNP represent the Banking and Finance sector that have been terrorizing countries into debt through the GFC and derivatives then forcing them into austerity. We escaped so what Abbott and his ilk are doing is making sure that we join the gravy train of the 1%. This is no conspiracy theory if you follow the history of the GFC and the complete lack of criminal sanctions, too big to fail banks, derivatives, libor rigging, money laundering (primarily done through London and New York for major Mafia drug cartels), trillions in offshore accounts while the financial sector are gifted with quantitative easing and fines which are only a small fraction of the criminal gains which just encourages the financial sector to keep up with their corruption as they lobby for deregulation and buy off politicians. And then there are the trade agreements signing off sovereign rights to corporations to sue us the people.Furthermore Hockey’s wife is part and parcel of the same corrupt Financial sector.

Have any doubts. Well just read what David Cameron, with the complicity of Labor have in store. This is really getting beyond a joke.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/18/growth-destructive-economic-expansion-financial-crisis

The second link is a long article from Alternet which goes in depth into the corruption of the financial sector world wide. Somehow this has to stop or else the next recession will be a full blown depression and we will all suffer while the 1% sit on their misbegotten gains.

Good heavens people its been 6 to 7 years form the GFC and these brilliant bastards are just making things worse.

I rest my case the LNP is corrupt, greedy, immoral, totally dysfunctional and primarily criminal.

They should not be allowed to govern.

http://www.alternet.org/economy/no-conspiracy-theory-small-group-companies-have-enormous-power-over-world?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark
stephentardrewDecember 5, 2014 at 11:07 pm

To add some interest a list of Australian gold reserves held in London from Reserve Bank of Australia

http://www.rba.gov.au/foi/disclosure-log/rbafoi-131418.html
Florence nee FedupDecember 6, 2014 at 12:47 am

Yes Deena, never Abbott’s fault.

Thanks for telling us how cement job played out. Just as I imagined it would.
Florence nee FedupDecember 6, 2014 at 1:03 am

““If savings are found from my department, I will hang that around the neck of Tanya Plibersek each and every day until the next election,” Ms Bishop said.”

You left out all the “she” she used during that interview. It was she this, she that, she knows nothing on and on it went.

Kept denying she has been asked for more cuts.

I do not believe she likes Tanya

There is no love between Bishop and Hockey/ She over ruled him on the Chinese bank proposition
Rob031December 6, 2014 at 3:15 am

@CMMC said “Does anyone recall Norman Gunston? The hapless, annoying reporter of the Aunty Jack series. That is Abbott.”

I don’t think so. Gunston was a brilliant character. When he interviewed Frank Hardy (of Power without Glory fame), a deadly serious Marxist scholar he asked Hardy: “I believe you are interested in Marx”. To which Hardy replied “Yes”. Then Gunston asked: “Which One?”. Hardy was perplexed. “What do you mean?”. Gunston replied: “Well, Grouch, Harpo, etc?” Whammo. Gunston was infinitely cleverer with a superior sense of humour than Abbott could ever have.
LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 6:26 am

@DanDark,

Fred Nile’s 4 children are reportedly unhappy that their father became engaged to another woman quite soon after the death of his wife. I cannot comprehend how someone would be doing this soon after the passing of a beloved partner. Were we just keeping up appearances? http://www.smh.com.au/national/niles-happiness-not-shared-by-children-20130608-2nwrv.html
LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 6:51 am

“This is a striking blow against the secular nature of our society. I am really angry about this. Surely this contravenes s.116 of the Constitution?”

Agreed, Silkworm. We’ve seen massive cuts to science but there’s plenty of money during a budget emergency to fund fairy tales. Notice too how all of the named eligible institutions are Christian? Will any non-Christian religious teaching organisations be eligible for this funding?
LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 7:06 am

@ Florence

The Liberal females’ claws are definitely out for Tanya Plibersek. Bishop had a go at her a week or so before this threat to cut foreign aid, calling her a lightweight on foreign policy. Janet Albrechtsen has been having a go too.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/petulant-plibersek-cant-hold-a-candle-to-sensible-cando-bishop/story-e6frg6zo-1227097814446?nk=431b951c066db22431e060b42bbbd80b

I think Tanya conducts herself very well and certainly in a far more mature way than anyone on the LNP front bench. She displays a very warm, caring personality and is certainly highly regarded by non-Labor voters that I know personally. Harpie’s Bizarre magazine might be able to knock 40 years off Bishop with extreme airbrushing but no one can present her with a beating heart.
BrigalowLostDecember 6, 2014 at 7:45 am

Ross,

You wrote, “I read where John Howard of all people said recently once the Liberal party was full of people who were in it for what they could give but now is full of people in it for what they can get. So true, have we reached the bottom of the barrel with this unpopualr prime minister and the sorry lot behind him.”

Given that most of the current cabinet previously sat on Howard’s front bench one could attest that the rot started with his government. Further, America’s cowardly little puppet was the man responsible for bringing Abbott into the halls of parliament by recommending he fill a position as parliamentary secretary for Dr. Hewson. And, when PM promoting him to the cabinet. Put your hand up Johnny Coward, this rabble of so-called adults is directly attributable to you.

Apple far from the tree much?

Great article Kaye. I very much enjoy your writing, albeit anguished most of the time.
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 8:04 am

BrigalowLost,
Howards’ nostalgic comments about the integrity of intent and conduct in the Libs of yore also flies in the face of dealings that occurred in his own cabinet ministry regarding disclosure and separation of conflicts of interest, and Howards’ personal verbal convolutions, obfuscations and semantics on the subject of compromising conduct(ministerial code of conduct/guidelines, core and non-core promises etc).
LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 8:06 am

I don’t know that Labor is much better when it comes to being in politics for what they can get. Ditto for Clive Palmer.
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 8:11 am

Wonder if Clive would favour a federal ICAC? Someone should ask him.
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 8:19 am

Tony,

I first saw on television
lips a-flap, taking crap,
defending rule by monarch,
as the will of the divine.

Next seen, unashamedly,
telling lies over shady deals
and plots to scuttle a rival
chip-shop party(please explain?).

Then conduct in parliament,
of interjections, ejections,
gratuitous bellicosity
and intransigent dogmatics,

Ascendance through betrayal,
and sabotage of consensus,
promotion of ignorance
and hateful division.

Calling science excrement
to pander to drool-fools.
parroting parrot on subject
of death by disgrace.

Contradictory commitments
without details or figures,
‘axe the tax, fix the debt,
halt the broadband and boats’.

Male Minister for Women,
‘With-holding sex is not a right’,
Pommy Minister for D’originals,
‘It weren’t peopled till the white’.

Dullard speech with finger counts,
and punctuations of “um”,
questions hard remain unanswered
“I’ve dealt with that. Move on.”

Thwarted or challenged,
blusters, snarls and bristles
sullen glares and vicious stares,
a silently shaking psycho goanna..

PM. Facepalm.
LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 8:23 am

The title of the page refers to the section above this.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/senate-v-pyne-a-victory-for-the-people-20141205-11zd9v.html

I made a mistake in last week’s column about the ABC and CSIRO cuts, when I emphasised how awful it would be for the hundreds of people who faced the Christmas season not knowing how they’d pay their bills.

Somebody mentioned in the comments that the greatest loss for many would be the work itself. Not the pay cheque that came with it. And the sad truth of that revealed itself this week in the story of Dr San Thang, an organic chemist with 30 years of honourable service to his adopted country. The CSIRO scientist has been tipped at short odds for a Nobel Prize based on his research, which has already been exploited by companies like Dulux, L’Oreal and IBM.

His reward for this service? The arse.

Dr Thang was made redundant in September. The 60-year-old researcher was “rewarded” with an “honorary” fellowship, however, allowing him to keep using his lab and teaching his students, but not for anything so tawdry as a pay day. The shame of this grows hotter because Thang refuses to express anything other than humble gratitude for the opportunities extended him by the CSIRO.

“In Australia,” he told Fairfax this week, the doors opened [for me] and I still want to be part of CSIRO and elsewhere to make use of my knowledge, I want to inspire people. Being a scientist, that’s what I love to do.”

One final turn of the screw?

San Thang arrived here as a refugee. A boat person, whose family fled Vietnam and fetched up in a Malaysian refugee camp before being resettled here.

It makes you wonder how many potentially great Australians Morrison has locked up in his Pacific Gulags. How many scientists, how many teachers? How many pages in the national story never to be written?
Kaye LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 8:46 am

And how many people are returned to persecution, torture or death?
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 9:09 am

Definitely demented and daft, deliberately duplicitous, disjointed in discourse, destructive, divisive and dictatorial, a dribbling, drooling, dirt-dealing drone.
LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 9:12 am

From Roseanne in 1992. http://youtu.be/TS_aaBTO32c
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 9:18 am

+ dogmatic devotee of a dick-deity.
Terry2December 6, 2014 at 9:25 am

Whilst Morrison was able to get his deceitful, punitive and dishonest legislation through the Senate to the dismay of many of us, there was one bright note when Lambie and Muir were able, without the gag of partisan self-deception – looking at you Michaelia Cash – to voice the disgust that so many Australians feel about the way our political ‘leaders’ have treated and continue to treat detained asylum seekers, for base political purposes.

There is a lot to be said for ‘ordinary’ people putting themselves forward for public service in our parliament – think how it could be if we had a GP as our Minister for Health, or an Attorney General who actually understands what meta-data is before he legislates on it, or a tech-savvy geek as our Communications Minister or perhaps an objective economist as our Treasurer or even a Prime Minister with no religious or ideological burden to carry.
ManfredDecember 6, 2014 at 9:26 am

CB D: Just keeps giving. Dreadful, Depressing, Disgusting
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 9:49 am

It seems ‘former political power-broker’, professional lobbyist and Sky ‘news’ opinionator, Graham Richardson is now a person of interest to the NSW ICAC.
One recalls that charming photo of the lizard king leering from under a rug at the footy, flanked by ‘Richo’ and Alan Jones.
ManfredDecember 6, 2014 at 10:05 am

Poor Richo! could be quite Damming.
Happy sackDecember 6, 2014 at 10:17 am

Hysterical dribble, Kaye! Surely, if a word of that was true, labor would have exposed him years ago? He doesn’t really believe that there are exceptional women who deserve equality with men, does he?
It must be recognised that he is an accomplished actor who is playing a part to be close to those workers and labor politicians, who deserted labor and voted for him.
Still he has given schoolies and the unemployed $96000 (notice little billy is on about $100000 degrees???) to spend on education that should send the ‘pink batts’ style shonkies into feeding frenzies for signatures!
Colin Stuart-CampbellDecember 6, 2014 at 10:18 am

Yup CB a disgracefully deranged despot, he is despicable and determined to destroy a doomed demographic.
randalstellaDecember 6, 2014 at 10:22 am

They’re spooky and capricious
And altogether vicious..

The Abbott family
Colin Stuart-CampbellDecember 6, 2014 at 10:22 am

Why do all the right wingers contributing to this conversation conveniently forget the media generally hide views opposite to the position Murdoch represents.
RoswellDecember 6, 2014 at 10:41 am

Bravo Kaye. Another top post.
Wayne TurnerDecember 6, 2014 at 11:50 am

The MSM sadly proved they could take ANY idiot and promote them into office.It happens when most of the public are non-thinking,easily manipulated,ignorant and gullible.

Abbott is Australia’s Prime Moron.Thankfully these Libs can be voted out (the sooner,the better,but when is the question? The next federal election? The one after that? Two after that? Polls can change.),but we can’t vote out the masses that are asses….
Joe BanksDecember 6, 2014 at 12:25 pm

Wayne Turner, “…we can’t vote out the masses that are asses”. So very true. They are mainly influenced by the Murdoch media and the vile shock jocks. We have a COALITION OF THE INSANE at work in this country. Until work such as Kaye Lee’s can reach the ‘masses that are asses’ it is hard to see much change. Although, I do believe MSM journalists are surreptitiously reading social media for a new direction.
Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 3:03 pm

Wayne ………

……….. ” The MSM sadly proved they could take ANY idiot and promote them into office.It happens when most of the public are non-thinking,easily manipulated,ignorant and gullible. ”

There’s desensitisation – – – – and there’s desenitisation.

20 years ago, if the MSM ( television ) had shown blood on footpaths, tarp. covered dead bodies, bits of torn clothing – at the scene of an accident, we’d have been truly shocked – and would have complained loudly to whoever would listen. ( we did not then have the abiity to object to something like the ACMA, as we do today ).

Today, however – we are largely desensitised to viewing horror stories of war, road accidents etc. I don’t think we are quite as blasé to stories of immense cruelty to children and animals – – yet.

……….

20 years ago, reporting on politics – from either camp ……. had us listening earnestly, and wringing our hands in fear if some political item that might bring small distress was being reported ….. and conversely, if some new measure was brought in to benefit all. Yaayyy – hand clapping and cheering in the kitchen.

Today, however, many many people simply ‘switch off’ ( in their minds ) when any political reporting is done ….. and THESE days, it is mainly garbage, as most of it is focussed on the ‘camera-hog-extraordinaire’ …… Abbott. Die-hard Liberals will hang on his every word – if they can understand what he’s on about, that is. …… the remainder of the population no longer can listen or see.

So – rather than people being ” non-thinking,easily manipulated,ignorant and gullible. ” … and …. ” masses that are asses ” …….. I believe there’s a whole heap of desensitisation floating about the electorates. From all sides.

Many people just don’t take any of it in, any longer. ………. All seen as just variations on themes – ‘ been there, done that’.

That is …. desensitisation.

We need to sensitise ( or re-sensitise ) – and very quickly.
Kaye LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 3:30 pm

People are tired just coping with the daily struggle of life. Their news might come from headlines hurriedly read at lunch or on the train, or nightly tv when they finally flop down on the lounge, or talkback radio as they sit in the commuter carpark euphamistically called a freeway. They don’t want to think about the economy or climate change, they are too hot, tired, and worn out from working. That is why our media are so important and must bear much of the blame for our current situation.
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 3:33 pm

Newton high nails Tony Abbott,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBZwu5bAEdo&sns=em
stephentardrewDecember 6, 2014 at 3:37 pm

It appears that the third estate is in the hands of the bankruptcy receivers.
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 3:45 pm

Corvus……..I found a video with Tones and co in it, and their habitat 🙂
I reckon their more like deadly dragons as this clip shows LOL
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 3:58 pm

Roflmao, DD!
The specimen shown at 0:52 to 1:07 was an absolute dead ringer for Tones.
Varanus tonii with the septicemic bite.

I thought at the time that the photo of G Richardson, A Abbott and A Jones(hanging out under a rug at the footy) looked like a goanna lounging between two cane toads.
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 4:32 pm

Corvus…..too funny pmsl
The liking is absolutely striking I thought,
Komotones is definitely recognisable in the den of dragons 🙂
Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 5:01 pm

DanDark ……..

Ref. the video – Newton High nails Tony Abbott.

Apart from the usual hysteria that goes with young to mid teens …… there were some probing questions to the Abbott, which he answered – in a fashion. …. he wasn’t exactly comfortable.

What I was delighted with was that :

a) … they were not afraid to ask the questions,
b) … they were not overawed by ‘ the presence ‘ !!!!
c) … the students are obviously more up to date with politics than we might have thought.

all of which augers well, for this country. …….. Hope it means a brighter future, with those young ‘uns coming up.

( that’s if Pyne doesn’t bugger up their attempts to get into University – or the LNP doesn’t deny them jobs through Gov’t ineptitude. ).
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 5:12 pm

3:30, The Minister for Women takes his hand out of his hip-pocket and demands, “Let’s have a blokes’ question”. Classic Tone.
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 5:15 pm

Annie, our future are our children and these young folk in this video are smarter than our whole Fed Gov,
I used to clean a couple of schools, the secondary college had an entire class room with pictures covering the walls about the new way, renewable energy and everything sustainable,
I can’t remember seeing pictures of coal mines, because there weren’t any, I used to think to myself then, tones and a Co are so out of touch with our younger generation and I don’t think our young will gobble up the bullshit as much as he and Peta Credln think,
they give me hope along with my own kids, there is a better future and they will lead the way 🙂
mars08December 6, 2014 at 5:16 pm

Kaye Lee:

People are tired just coping with the daily struggle of life. Their news might come from headlines hurriedly read at lunch or on the train, or nightly tv when they finally flop down on the lounge, or talkback radio…

Oh I am so tired of this simplistic one-size-fits-all excuse!!! It might explain some of the foolishness in the electorate…. but …

Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters I’ve met fit that description. They are not “tired just coping with the daily struggle of life”… although they’ll tell you they are. In fact they’re very comfortable financially, have good job security, no disabilities, and plenty of superannuation. It seems to me that they believe the MSM because they are lazy, incurious, self-absorbed, disengaged, narrow-minded and obsessed with the trivial. I suspect they also like the way the “news” ensures their prejudices are regularly reinforced.

“I’m alright jack” has become our national mantra.
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 5:18 pm

Yea and that backfired on him too Corvus, these kids ate him alive, I thought it was strange how he had his fingers pointing to his budgie smugglers, usually his hands are waving around, or he is counting on his fingers, the body language from Tones is a bit disturbing I reckon….
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 5:23 pm

Haiku for the ‘Battlas of Straya’.

The daily struggle
Subsistence for survival.
No new car this year.
mars08December 6, 2014 at 5:58 pm

A limerick may be me appropriate than a haiku… Especially if you could use the word “Nantucket”

It’s become a standard for pollies these days to say they sympathise with the battlas… pronouncing that straaayns are “doing it tough”. This motherhood statement is a guaranteed winnah with puntas… even though many (most?) of them are in an entirely different neighbourhood to Struggle Street.

But I suppose that not having a holiday home, big 4WD, latest PlayStation, $500 sunglasses, or new fishing boat might be socially debilitating for some…
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 6:19 pm

There was a political playa,
a bigoted, shifty nay-saya,
aspirational bogans
bought his snake-oil and slogans,
and now he’s the king of a-straya.
Kaye LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 6:36 pm

Abbott is now our Prime Minister
With plans that we all find so sinister
He wants rich to breed
And poor to not read
Just let the coal barons administer
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 6:47 pm

“Most of all I think that the people of Australia can be proud of what happens here, even with our argy-bargy. It is a wonderful democracy.”

As she and the rest of the parliament returns home for the long Christmas recess, they’ll discover that the Australian people have another view entirely.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/fractious-leaders-play-an-old-tune-20141205-12170c.html
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 7:30 pm

Cheers, DanDark, good link.
I am usually a bit ambivalent to Mr P Hartcher, but that article hit home.

The tendency of the current conservatives to routinely refer to the conduct of representational governance in quasi-militarese terms usually reserved for describing the combative prosecution of destruction(war) is truly disturbing.
The reality of warfare is, in terms of the nature of the ground over which it is conducted and the people and other life there-on, general (and oft indiscriminate) death, destruction and despoilment with scant/no regard for the welfare of posterity.
‘Battlelines’, ‘verbal combat’, ‘not polite debating…but a battlefield’.
The negotiation and conciliation of legislation and regulation of administrative affairs conducted for the common good of the land and its’ society, reduced to reveling in terminology for organised murder and systematic violence and vandalism.
I would actually prefer a little polite debate from the supposed political representatives of our social collective, and let the deliberately belligerent mangle themselves in military service or MMA cage-fighting.

Ps, DD, I make a random recommendation that you ‘YouTube’ “She’s looking for something” by ‘Beats Antique'(official video).
Just a hunch you might like it, with gratitude for the informational links you have provided today.
Kaye LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 7:40 pm

Abbott outlines plans he had for me
While giving my money to Cadbury
He skates on thin ice
As he says it all twice
A PM a la Stephen Bradbury
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 7:55 pm

The Abbott, the lord and the king,
a repressed and conservative thing,
surprising to find
the broadness of mind,
to offer Tony Windsor his ring.
Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 8:29 pm

DanDark …..

You’ve blown another gasket !!

Your comment – – –

……. ” Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters I’ve met fit that description. They are not “tired just coping with the daily struggle of life”… although they’ll tell you they are. In fact they’re very comfortable financially, have good job security, no disabilities, and plenty of superannuation. It seems to me that they believe the MSM because they are lazy, incurious, self-absorbed, disengaged, narrow-minded and obsessed with the trivial. I suspect they also like the way the “news” ensures their prejudices are regularly reinforced. ” …….

…….

A dear friend of mine – lives in Sydney now, friends since the late 1940’s. ……… Still in touch constantly.

She is an absolutelly AVID …. AVID – Liberal Supporter. ….. thus we never discuss politics.

She also – ‘is NOT alright, Jack’ ………

She has pancreatic cancer – and has a short time to live. …… She battles it bravely, is a pensioner, and lives in reasonable accommodation. …. She has the support of her friends, and of some of her family. !! She spends her time, visiting the oncologist, and taking umpteen tests. ,,,,, and she does it with the help of her faith and a positive outlook on life. …. She still tries ( and does ) to help others ‘less fortunate than herself’. ………

So you haven’t met them ALL have you ? ……..

Your vastly sweeping statement “Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters >>>>” etc. etc. was waaaay way off base, mate, and was hurtful.

Kaye’s observations ” People are tired just coping with the daily struggle of life. ” …… was right.

You see DanDark …… not everyone who is not of our more progressive Labor persuasion are idiots, do not have problems, do not have battles to deal with, are self-absorbed, lazy, narrow minded and obsessed with the trivial.

I do wish you would ……….. GET THAT…. and don’t come back at me with ” ah but that’s only one”.

Please stop being so bloody negative.
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 8:42 pm

Annie B,
Correct your aim, please.
The comments you quoted were contributed by mars08(who will likely be happy to answer your objections to his statements), not DanDark.
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 8:47 pm

Annie if you are talking to me for making that comment, you are wrong, I am not sure what you are on about, I have commented today, but that was not my comment, it was Mars 08 comment as I have copied and pasted for you to peruse again…it was Mars commenting to Kaye..
You might want to retract your comment…

mars08December 6, 2014 at 5:16 pm
Kaye Lee:

People are tired just coping with the daily struggle of life. Their news might come from headlines hurriedly read at lunch or on the train, or nightly tv when they finally flop down on the lounge, or talkback radio…

Oh I am so tired of this simplistic one-size-fits-all excuse!!! It might explain some of the foolishness in the electorate…. but …

Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters I’ve met fit that description. They are not “tired just coping with the daily struggle of life”… although they’ll tell you they are. In fact they’re very comfortable financially, have good job security, no disabilities, and plenty of superannuation. It seems to me that they believe the MSM because they are lazy, incurious, self-absorbed, disengaged, narrow-minded and obsessed with the trivial. I suspect they also like the way the “news” ensures their prejudices are regularly reinforced.

“I’m alright jack” has become our national mantra.
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 8:47 pm

It’s ok Corvus we know Annie gets confused…….:)
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 8:51 pm

But she shore has an axe to wield, I am not sure why I copped it though, I am far from negative all the time
Annie writes 3 pages, but we don’t have ago at her, you need to calm your farm Annie…
But I won’t ever mention or comment to you again,,, your volatility is unbecoming 🙂
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 8:55 pm

And for Annie’s info, I have 6 kids and they ever acted like you do Annie and attacked someone for no reason.
I would knock their block off metaphorically of course……
Kaye LeeDecember 6, 2014 at 9:04 pm

A close friend of mine is the principal at the school that, according to the formula, is the most disadvantaged in NSW. She is astonished at how many of the parents feel that the Coalition are their only hope as “good money managers”. These people ARE consumed by the daily struggle and overwhelmed by debt. The Coalition “debt and deficit disaster” mantra rings home to them because they DO equate it with their own personal struggle. Abbott and Hockey are bastards for hitting these people, who are often incapable of understanding in-depth economic arguments.
Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 9:37 pm

@ Corvus ……. you are right ……. and again I have an apology to make. My aim was off – it was Mars08 I should have addressed, not DanDark. But at least you were polite in pointing out my mistake. Thank you for that.

……..

@DanDark …….. I can imagine why you are so ‘dark’ …..especially when I have accused you of something you didn’t say. But hey – to have such a go back at me ( have you NEVER made a mistake ????? ) …. was un-necessary. Referring to : ( and this time I will get it RIGHT ) :

” But she shore has an axe to wield, I am not sure why I copped it though, I am far from negative all the time
Annie writes 3 pages, but we don’t have ago at her, you need to calm your farm Annie…
But I won’t ever mention or comment to you again,,, your volatility is unbecoming 🙂

AND …..

” And for Annie’s info, I have 6 kids and they ever acted like you do Annie and attacked someone for no reason.
I would knock their block off metaphorically of course……”

…………

Jazus – what do I have to do – – – bow and scrape ?

As for no-one having a go at me ….. LOL ….. there’s been plenty. But I cop it sweet ( mostly !!! ), as anyone has to, on blogs.

So @ DanDark ….. my apologies. Sincerely. And no – you are not negative thinking – ( not any more than the rest of us on here at times ! ).

I will now ( God help us the commenters say !!!! 🙂 ) ….. repost that comment to the person it was intended for in the first place.

AND – my comments wiill be brief – if at all – in the future. ,,, I don’t fancy my block being knocked off ……
Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 9:47 pm

@ mars08 ………….

You’ve blown another gasket !!

Your comment – – –

……. ” Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters I’ve met fit that description. They are not “tired just coping with the daily struggle of life”… although they’ll tell you they are. In fact they’re very comfortable financially, have good job security, no disabilities, and plenty of superannuation. It seems to me that they believe the MSM because they are lazy, incurious, self-absorbed, disengaged, narrow-minded and obsessed with the trivial. I suspect they also like the way the “news” ensures their prejudices are regularly reinforced. ” …….

…….

A dear friend of mine – lives in Sydney now, friends since the late 1940’s. ……… Still in touch constantly.

She is an absolutelly AVID …. AVID – Liberal Supporter. ….. thus we never discuss politics.

She also – ‘is NOT alright, Jack’ ………

She has pancreatic cancer – and has a short time to live. …… She battles it bravely, is a pensioner, and lives in reasonable accommodation. …. She has the support of her friends, and of some of her family. !! She spends her time, visiting the oncologist, and taking umpteen tests. ,,,,, and she does it with the help of her faith and a positive outlook on life. …. She still tries ( and does ) to help others ‘less fortunate than herself’. ………

So you haven’t met them ALL have you ? ……..

Your vastly sweeping statement “Exactly NONE of the Abbott supporters >>>>” etc. etc. was waaaay way off base, mate, and was hurtful.

Kaye’s observations ” People are tired just coping with the daily struggle of life. ” …… was right.

You see, mars08…… not everyone who is not of our more progressive Labor persuasion are idiots, do not have problems, do not have battles to deal with, are self-absorbed, lazy, narrow minded and obsessed with the trivial.

I do wish you would ……….. GET THAT…. and don’t come back at me with ” ah but that’s only one”.

Please stop being so bloody negative.
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 9:52 pm

Annie, you can respectively stick your apology up your foofer valve for all I care ” GET THAT”
Think before you gob off next time, but go ahead have a go at Mars as you always do,
but it does get depressing when you are always loosing your cool at folk on here, especially Mars..
Annie BDecember 6, 2014 at 10:03 pm

@DanDark ….

Your latest comment to me – – – – a totally un-necessary rejoinder.

Oh how precious it must be to be perfect ??? … you have obviously NEVER made a mistake in your life. ( LOL – bet ya have !! ).

I don’t ‘gob off’ ( any more than anyone else here does – won’t give a list of the regular ‘gob off’ posters ) and I do NOT ‘always have a go’ at mars08.

So sorry you are depressed, at my ‘losing my cool’ – as you put it.

Enough is enough …. but I AM rather surprised at your come-back. ,,,,, not really necessary – d’ya think ?

End of ( as far as I am concerned ).

And hey – you have the right of the last word now. !!!! 😉
Florence nee FedupDecember 6, 2014 at 10:14 pm

Worth reading

http://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2014/12/06/greg-hunts-hostile-attack-the-environment/14177844001333#.VILXMTgcQTA
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 10:19 pm

Annie B,
We ALL gob off, more or less, to varying degrees, relative to each other.
Gobbing off is kinda what we do when we comment.
mars08December 6, 2014 at 10:21 pm

Thanks for the comment, DanDark.

But it doesn’t rally matter… I gave up on reading anything spewed by Annie B long ago. Her rambling comments are less interesting to me than the steam from my piss…
Florence nee FedupDecember 6, 2014 at 10:21 pm

”

the treasurer sounded tired. It was another dispiriting day in a long succession of dispiriting days at the fag end of a dispiriting parliamentary year.

Naturally, Hockey fell to talking about the abolition of the carbon tax.

“Thank God we got rid of the carbon tax, which hit at the beginning of the September quarter,” said Hockey. “Energy consumption lifted, that is quite a stark indicator of how significant it’s been.”

Well, yes, the abolition of the carbon tax has been very significant, but not in the way Hockey suggested.

The true significance of the abolition of the carbon tax was shown in this week’s carbon emissions index report, from analysts Pitt & Sherry, which flatly contradicted the treasurer.

In fact demand had fallen, the report said. What had increased was emissions of carbon dioxide, the main contributor to climate change. They rose some 3.2 million tonnes. The abolition of the carbon tax resulted in the share of electricity generated from renewable sources falling and the share generated from fossil fuels, particularly the dirtiest of them, brown coal, increasing.

“If the trend continues,” says Hugh Saddler, who wrote the report, “by the end of the current financial year, it will amount to an increase of about 1.5 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions.”

Saddler notes Australia’s commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent by 2020.

”

http://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2014/12/06/greg-hunts-hostile-attack-the-environment/14177844001333#.VILXMTgcQTA
corvus boreusDecember 6, 2014 at 10:31 pm

If there is not already a term already existing for the process of future divination based upon inspection of the patterning of the vapour tendrils arising from the application of warm urine upon snow under moonlight, there probably should be.

Omphaloskepsis is the practice of utilizing prolonged examination of ones’ own belly-button as an aid to contemplative meditation(navel gazing).
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 10:46 pm

Lol, Mars too funny, geee I am glad I am a woman, I don’t have the ” steam problem” you speak of 🙂

But I won’t be insulted for no reason even if the insult was directed towards someone else, but the insulter should Tone down the insults towards people on here, who needs enemies when you got friends like that….
mars08December 6, 2014 at 11:25 pm

corvus boreus… I have to make do without the luxury and extravagance of crisp snow. Cold stainless steel is good enough…

@DanDark… I stand by my observation that every Abbott supporter I have ever met is an immature, easily-distracted, self-absorbed, incurious “aspirational”. Maybe I should move in different circles…
DanDarkDecember 6, 2014 at 11:41 pm

Mars I agree with your “observation” about Abbott supporters, sums them up perfectly which is rather disturbing but is a fact..
DanDarkDecember 7, 2014 at 12:36 am

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbotts-coalition-not-a-happy-family-say-backbenchers-20141206-121pj4.html
Annie BDecember 7, 2014 at 1:15 am

Corvus …. thanks for your explanation of ‘gob off’ …. 🙂 …….I was not aware that it was a term used by forum users and bloggers.

Learn something new every day.
Annie BDecember 7, 2014 at 1:27 am

@mars08 ……..

You are very sad person, aren’t you. ….. I actually feel somewhat sorry for you.

……….

DanDark observed that I lose my cool. ? Yeah – right.

There seems to be one helluva a lot of people who do the same – lose their cool ( other than me ) on this website, many times over.

Case in point – a bloke referring to steam from his piss in an insulting remark to me …… VERY adult ( not ) !!!

………… You ( Mars08 ) said – ” Maybe I should move in different circles… ”

………… I so have to agree with you on that one.

——-

Enough is enough already.

End of ………
DanDarkDecember 7, 2014 at 2:05 am

Annie said to Mars “I do wish you would ……….. GET THAT…. and don’t come back at me with ” ah but that’s only one” Annie you goad Mars all the time and that statement backs it up.
Annie, you came flying in through from nowhere with a verbal cowards punch on Mars but got wrong person mmmmmmm
that’s where you went wrong , you involved me in your vindictiveness towards Mars
Out of all the comments on this thread you picked mars out and tried to humiliate his comment
I will go back in time and find the threads where there are plenty of verbal attacks by you towards Mars if you like, because its there in black and white.

But now you are making out your the victim of an insult, when you threw the first punch
By belittling peoples comments like you do, speaks volumes about you and your own self esteem issues, you have the issues here not Mars,
We were having a good day, lots of friendly banter on Aimn today till you came in to pick a fight with Mars
You ruined my day Annie, and I wont take a flippant “sorry” from you, and you think your attack is acceptable behavior
and to gob off means to mouth off when you think you are right but are very much wrong, like you were tonight about who wrote the comment you so nastily attacked
You should be apologizing to Mars, not turning the tables and making out you are a victim, when you are not……End of Story
Abbotts AustraliaDecember 7, 2014 at 2:07 am

Abbott was elected. That’s a fact. He was elected leader of his party and remains so, also a fact. His decisions as carried by a majority of votes in both houses, a fact also. What remains is a glaring constitutional illegitimacy that is unresolved. That is ignored by every other MP and the media. If it is this easy to sidestep Section 44 of the Australian Constitution, then which other Sections will we choose to ignore next? When does it stop? Abbott, until proven otherwise, remains a born British citizen (with dual Australian citizenship), and therefore ILLEGALLY in Parliament. Every single other issue that is raised here is akin to window dressing in a house built on a ramshackle foundation.
https://www.change.org/p/tony-abbott-show-us-your-papers-renouncing-your-british-citizenship-before-you-were-elected
corvus boreusDecember 7, 2014 at 6:39 am

AA,
Signed for change.
My personal preference would be to see Abbotts’ legitimacy(and that of other members) scrutinised as just one of the terms of reference of an independent commission into corruption in and around federal politics(ICAC).
That would mean Abbott, and many others, would have to give full and frank recount and explanation of their conduct, and face the possibility of full legal repercussions for any misdeeds they may have committed. Names with suffix “disgraced former” permanently attached, to be hence-forth referred to as ‘men of ‘convictions”(sniggers) .
But I would settle for the feral and rabid creature to be deemed to be alien, then caught, caged and shipped on a hulk bound for blighty.
mars08December 7, 2014 at 9:17 am

@DanDark “…and I wont take a flippant “sorry” from you…”

Hey… ease up there, Cochise! I understand what you’re saying. But as you yourself have stated… Annie B just blew another gasket. It’s sure to happen again. And it will still be as spectral as vapor on stainless steel…

Any chat about apologies is pointless.
corvus boreusDecember 7, 2014 at 9:24 am

As a child I was taught not to lick frosty metal, and not to eat the yellow snow. Still valid.
Möbius EckoDecember 7, 2014 at 9:45 am

From Insiders I’ve just learnt that in Coalition governments the PM is the real Defence Minister, the appointee is just a figurehead.

Wow, that just about makes Abbott the minister for everything. What a superhero, being able juggle so many portfolios and lead the country.

No wonder we’re so badly screwed in just one year and heading further down the sewer.
Kaye LeeDecember 7, 2014 at 10:12 am

Even more disturbing was Andrew Probin’s prediction (leak) that kevin Andrews is going to resign and Peta Credlin is going to run for his seat
DanDarkDecember 7, 2014 at 11:59 am

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/dec/05/five-things-weve-learned-from-the-year-in-politics
mars08December 7, 2014 at 1:14 pm

..
Annie BDecember 7, 2014 at 3:12 pm

@DanDark ……. ( your comment – December 7, 2014 at 2:05 am )

1) ….. I DID apologise to you for the wrongful post, but you apparently didn’t read THAT ? If you didn’t think it was a sincere apology, ( which it was ) then that is your problem – not mine. ( my post – December 6, 2014 at 9:37 pm )

2) ….. I cannot imagine anyone wasting their time going back over thousands of comments, in order to prove a point …. you said ” I will go back in time and find the threads where there are plenty of verbal attacks by you towards Mars if you like, because its there in black and white. ” But, if that’s what you want to do – go for it.

3) …. you have accused me of ‘belittling people’s comments;’ ….. and have raised a query as to my own self-esteem. ??? I would think perhaps your own self esteem could do with a bit of going over – by you.

4) …. you state that I have ‘ruined your day’ ….. which is not possible, in fact. …… No one can ruin another person’s day, unless the person who is allegedly affronted … ALLOWS … it to happen – especially when verbal matters are to the fore. PHYSICAL abuse could ruin your day and have you in hospital. Perceived verbal altercation, cannot ruin your ( or anyone’s ) day.

5) …. I have ADMITTED my original mistake ( the insertion of your name as recipient instead of Mars08 )

6) …. You would have seen, as I have ( and excluding us both for the moment ) ….. on this and other blogs, some of the the most disgusting insulting – and even filthy diatribe aimed at others, one could imagine. Yet I get the brick-bat thrown at me, ( on this occasion ) here. Apparently everyone else here can ‘have a go’ – and put forth an arguement in reply —- but not me. ……. I can’t ‘have a go’ once in a while ? ….. Not permitted ? ……

And you claim I have delivered a ‘verbal cowards’ punch’ to Mars08 …. ??? at the time of making a mistake and putting YOUR name on the reply ? ……. Well – no ‘flippant sorry’ from me for that – I have already apologised !!! .

…….

Your post of December 7, 2014 at 2:05 am, shows a nastiness, not often seen here. ….. If you TRULY believe that I involved YOU in my alleged vindictiveness towards Mars08 …. by MAKING A HUMAN ERROR – MISTAKE —- then that is again your problem.

I have made these points to stand up for myself – which is everybody’s right to do.

From your most recent rant, you just couldn’t keep your nose out of it any further – could you ?

Anything you post from hereon in, I will ignore in total.

I am done with you – completely. You are not worth following.
DanDarkDecember 7, 2014 at 3:24 pm

Annie said “I am done with you – completely. You are not worth following.”

That’s the best news I have heard all day 🙂
LeeDecember 8, 2014 at 11:36 am

“Even more disturbing was Andrew Probin’s prediction (leak) that kevin Andrews is going to resign and Peta Credlin is going to run for his seat”

Who will then be the Minister for Everything? Morrison or Cretin?
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