We must keep a close eye on the vagaries of fate
We are being pulled in several directions by varying vested interests and moral issues.
There is absolutely no doubt that a lengthy lock-down will cause severe damage to the economy, while we need to keep in mind that we did not have a particularly healthy economy before the pandemic hit.
There is equally no doubt that, to attempt to return to any new version of normality, too soon, carries severe risks of a resurgence of Covid-19, followed by another surge of heavy demands on already stretched-to-the-maximum health services – and increasing numbers of deaths.
The government is urging us to accept a potentially dangerous loss of privacy, by installing an app on our smartphones to assist, in the event of further outbreaks, in later tracking down contacts of those newly infected. More on this later.
I read today, with deep dismay, that Scott Morrison has graduated from ‘daggy dad’ to father of the nation!
What a travesty of reality!
I do not normally value highly the process of character assassination, but we are living at a critical time in history where we have a chance, as never before, to turn the tide. To stop sailing into a maelstrom, dominated by global monopolists, but rather create a truly democratic system which values its weak and poor at least as much as its most skilled and capable.
I am not sure how intelligent this man, who became our accidental Prime Minister, is, but I do know he is full to the brim with rat cunning! (Sorry, rats! I know it might be survival of the fittest but your reputation for starting a pandemic is not untarnished!)
The grubby way he became a candidate for election in the first instance gives us a glimpse into a Machiavellian mind! And the relatively short times spent in each step of his employment history give rise to doubt whether merit was the reason for his rapid rise up the ladder or whether, instead, his reasons for moving on had no connection with meritorious ability.
You can readily research his progress, where his ability at creating a message far exceeds his ability to deliver an outcome that is truly beneficial, other than to his own career! The fact that he has seldom completed an employment contract, or been highly rated by fellow workers, should be ringing alarm bells.
You will note that it has long been a characteristic that he does not answer questions.
Yet, if we want to trust our leaders, we have a right to expect truthful answers to questions, transparency and only holding back information on genuine matters of national security.
A government that can countenance the pursuit of secret court hearings in the cases of Witness K and Bernard Collaery, and rake through a journalist’s underwear drawers on a dodgy warrant does not generate trust or respect!
Labor lost the 2019 election and ScoMo was the default winner – not on merit, not on outstanding policy – he had none apart from cutting taxes for the wealthy – purely through a fumbling campaign by Labor.
So now we have a pandemic and he is, on the face of it, in charge, while the Opposition has been sidelined, from where they dare not criticise, because things are too serious to allow distraction by political issues.
Without the National Cabinet we would not have any policies because, clearly, the ones we now have are, for the most part, completely contrary to ScoMo’s ideology.
The speed with which the policies had to be thrown together – another indictment of the Coalition that their stewardship since 2013 had left us bereft of any ready made policies to deal with a crisis – has left many significant holes.
They DID have the good fortune to get advice from Steven Kennedy, whose policy during the GFC underpinned Australia’s ability to emerge ahead of the rest of the developed world.
But significant groups have been totally denied assistance – either from the newly introduced schemes or from Centrelink!
The only advice they have been given, in many cases, is to ‘Go home!’ – an impossibility with borders closed and no transport!
And, referring back to the tracking contacts, mentioned earlier, the issue has not been properly thought through.
I am 84, but, in mid-1989, I was employed at the then Northern Territory University ITAFE section as a mathematics lecturer in technical areas, and – along with all mathematics and education lecturers – was provided with an Apple Mac for my exclusive use.
So my facility with technology is very different from many in my peer group, most of whom do not even have a smart phone, let alone feel comfortable using one.
Yet this is the group the members of which, given their being more likely to have compromised immune systems, are most likely to benefit from the contact tracking process and least likely to be in a position to use it!
And that is completely ignoring the fact that trust in government has sunk to such a low level, that there will be strong opposition to using the App, because of the potential of misuse it offers to government!
Those who make policy, fail to get advice from people who are familiar with problems encountered among the elderly and the poor and the homeless, so the policies that result are made in ignorance of how they will actually work with people from diverse situations.
ScoMo has arranged things so that – unless he calls on Greg Hunt, as Minister for Health, or either the Chief or Deputy Chief Medical Officer, on strictly health and pandemic issues – HE is the sole spokesperson on all other policy matters.
To those ignorant of the National Cabinet process, this creates the impression that the Prime Minister is responsible for all of the decisions on policy matters and he positively basks in the glow of attention that this provides him.
But look for a moment at the policies which, in the past, he has either promoted or condemned out of hand, and compare with the policies he is now endorsing!
A leopard does not change its spots!
Sooner or later, there are many whose apparent conversion proves temporary when they revert to type.
It is clear that the Premiers of both NSW and Victoria are not always in agreement with decisions voiced by ScoMo – and that is only natural, because State leaders have full authority, within their respective states, on many issues.
Education – to go or not to go to school – is a major cause for disagreement and the government’s attempts to ensure that Childcare Centres remain open has evidently not been thought through well.
Only time will tell how effective the policy making has been, and the real measure is, sadly, in lives lost.
But above it all, ideology is a driving force, which might step back in the face of circumstances, but seldom changes significantly.
ScoMo is allowing policies to be introduced to which he is ideologically opposed.
Please be aware that his concept of ‘snap back’ will be to get back on to the path of demonising unions and workers, supporting employers – particularly corporations – subsidising mining coal and other fossil fuels, ignoring global warming – and raking in the donations.
His ideology does not encompass helping those who genuinely need help unless it buys him votes.
A true wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I end as always – this is my 2020 New Year Resolution:
“I will do everything in my power to enable Australia to be restored to responsible government.”
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28 comments
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Roland Flickett -
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Bronte ALLAN -
RosemaryJ36 -
TuffGuy -
Harry Lime -
RomeoCharli29 -
RosemaryJ36 -
Michael Taylor -
Joseph Carli -
Michael Taylor -
Joseph Carli -
Michael Taylor -
Joseph Carli -
RosemaryJ36 -
Joseph Carli -
Socrates. -
Joseph Carli -
Kaye Lee -
RosemaryJ36 -
Miriam -
Joseph Carli -
Kaye Lee -
Miriam -
Joseph Carli -
Kaye Lee -
Joseph Carli
Return to home pageThe government should seize the opportunity of taking over Virgin rather than helping to bail it out, just as it should have re-nationalised the CBA after the GFC and the other recent scandals.
I take a vital interest in the affairs of government and am still living under the rule of fools.
I will not be availing myself of this tracking app however for those that do, are there any assurances that it can be removed from their phones post-pandemic?
Sadly, far too many ill-informed, or stupid ,or just plain ignorant members of the public have been hoodwinked by the about face that Slomo has now done, & just check the latest opinion polls for just how much more popular this failed bloody advertising executive is now (?)! After spending the last 5 or 6 years (or more) condemning the labor lot for almost “bankrupting” our economy when the GFC was here, the stupid, lying, flat earth, happy clapping, climate change denying lot of this COALition bunch of idiots has now done a backflip with all this money they are throwing around, & it is all ok now, because they are doing it, not Labor! They seem to have abandoned their right wing, conservative way of thinking & doing & have adopted a “Socialist” view! WTF? As for “snapping back” when the virus crap is over, I am afraid we will be reverting back to how they tried to govern before the virus! And we, the public will continue to be shat upon & treated like pariahs if we ever try to get a decent dole payment, get some form of climate change happening & be treated like decent human beings, not serfs to the COALition & their obscenely wealthy business, property, media, mining etc mates! God help us all, & I am not religious! Great article, Rosemary!
Among the many traits ScoMo and Trump have in common is acting expediently.
Holding on to power at all costs is the driving force so atypical behaviour is particularly suspicious!
Labor’s loss in 2019 was not just due to a “fumbling campaign”. Clive Palmer and his $80 million had a lot to do with it, as did sports rorts and all the other hundreds of millions the lieberals used for election campaigning such as “womens changing sheds” and such. Having the absolute majority of the mainstream media supporting the Lieberals did not help either. To top that off Labor ACTUALLY had policies they took to the election and they told the truth, but were destroyed by scare campaigns from Murdoch and Co.
Tuffguy,
Murdoch’s revenge for Shorten failing to turn up and kiss his ring.In this world of Good and Evil,it’s not hard to work out which is in the ascendant.
TuffGuy, I agree. We should not allow the shorthand for Labor’s 2019 loss to be a “ fumbling campaign” or any other term that suggests anything other than the points you have made. Otherwise an excellent summary RJ, another timely warning about the perils of being sucked into forgetting their unchanged ideological obsessions — as promulgated by the IPA and employer groups – and as you, once again, forgot your regular sign-off, can I do it for you? I undertake to do everything within my power to ensure that the LNP Government is never re-elected to Government in Australia, ever. Sorry, might have been some interpretation there.
I stand by my “fumbling” campaign because, IMHO, they had worked out their policy ideas and presentation without adequately considering how it would be attacked. One thing I learned from practising law in an adversarial arena is that you are a much better lawyer for the defence (which I have been) if you have also practised as a prosecuting lawyer (which I have not!). You have to predict the attacks and defences from your opponent and zap straight back at them with an appropriate riposte. It is like fencing (which I did for a while at my first university!) and speed is of the essence – which means having exhaustively examined the arguments the other side will put and how to counter them effectively. They also played silly buggers over Adani, appearing two-faced in the process. If you really want to oppose something, do it and say clearly why you are doing it. We do it all the time as parents with teen aged children!
Thanks RC29 – I have rectified the omissions of my sign-off on recent posts. I got lazy!.
Rosemary, this government reminds me of a game of draughts (checkers).
For decades I was unbeatable at draughts. I always preferred to have an experienced opponent instead of a novice. With an opponent who knew what he or she was doing it was easier for me to predict what they were planning or what move they were likely to make. It was impossible to get inside the head of a novice because they had no idea what to do and played accordingly.
This government is like some of the idiots I played in draughts. They were all over the shop, hopelessly outclassed, and would end up going down in a screaming heap.
” They also played silly buggers over Adani,”…You say that because YOU are a Greens supporter and saw no wrong in the deliberate undermining of Labor in the last crucial weeks of the campaign with that bombastic bluff of “The Convoy”…..an act of political bastardry for no other reason than to destabilise Labors tenous hold on the Qld’ voters and to ultimately deliver that state to the LNP….and I fully believe that it (the convoy) was covertly funded by the LNP or its backers….after all, it was a gift!
I’d hardly say that Rosemary is a Greens supporter, but if she is, I have no problem with that. This site is for anyone who opposes the LNP, of which Rosemary is very vocal about.
And lets get something straight about these “Greens”…you think about it…they have been “campaigning” for around twenty years or so, supposedly claiming to be of “the left” and you’d think their support would go toward helping Labor gain power…yet…YET..after twenty years they have still only ONE House of Rep’s member and have created many occasions to get Labor seen as “fumbling” or “inept” or have voted against Labor on crucial social issues so that Labor gets seen as “on the wrong side of popular opinion” and loses face or voters…and are continually on Twitter with a message that Labor is “selling out” to the LNP….so as to destabilise the left to divide…BUT NEVER RULE…never rule!!…no..they leave THAT to the LNP!…surprise, surprise!
I’d point to The Greens and say ..: “THERE…goes the Judas of social change!”….
Michael..I also have no problem with whoever wants to be a Greens supporter..we all make mistakes…the problem I have is with that disingenuous political party.
Was it really worth attacking Rosemary over?
Michael !!!???….Where was the attack?..It was a comment on a comment she made where she emphasised : “I stand by my “fumbling” campaign . . . ” and good luck to her…am I to be disallowed reply to what I see as a contentious statement?
And I thoroughly disagree Labor had a “fumbling” campaign…To me, it was one of the most well presented, policy rich and honestly delivered campaigns they have done for years…and the resulting chaos of the LNP govt’ proves that time and again.
Joseph Carli: you have no basis to claim to know who I support or how my mind works. Your assessment is as inaccurate as your views on class structure. You have an enviable gift for telling stories. Stick with that. I care about the welfare of people who have no champions to stand up for them.
RosemaryJ36…I recalled that I read on another post a while back where I believed you mentioned your support of The Greens..if I was mistaken, I apologise..it even raises my respect for you…I will leave your opinion of my opinion of class structure at the door where it belongs…(I believe the garbage is taken out every thurs’) and we will leave that subject there…have a good day.
Well said.. RosemaryJ 36 offers a good summary.
Joe, have a go at the REAL enemy.
” Joe, have a go at the REAL enemy.”….I believe I have..did you not notice my criticism of The Greens?…Have I not the right to direct my comments at those statements that I feel incorrect?…Was the only word that can be sheeted as “having a go” that ..: “YOU”…when reffering to the writer of the comment?…Tell me where you can detect any moment otherwise where I am “having a go” at an alternate “enemy”….I suspect the fail that must be delivered will demonstrate the cruel imposter of your usage of “Socrates” as a gravitar…..may I suggest “Will Sommers” as a replacement?
Rosemary,
“You have to predict the attacks and defences from your opponent”
That is the art of debating too. If you know what they are going to say, you concede what is inarguable thus taking the wind out of their sails, and you anticipate and deflate any line of attack.
Labor’s policies were good but they did not do well in deflating the attack against them. Plus they were beyond the experience and understanding of most workers.
They should have limited excess franking credit refunds, or grandfathered them. They should have stressed that negative gearing still applied to new properties which would mean more construction, more jobs, more housing supply. They should have amplified the limiting deductions for financial advice by stressing how many people pay millions to accountants but no tax. They should have committed to increasing Newstart by $50 a week pending a review on how to best deliver greater support.
I agree with Joe that Labor had the policies. I agree with you that their delivery (and defence) were lacking.
PS Labor lost 2 seats in Queensland and 2 in Tasmania yet only one overall. I think those who blame Bob Brown’s convoy are looking for excuses in all the wrong places.
PPS Personal attacks are such a bore
Thanks, Kaye.
I, too, thought Labor’s policies were good but they suffered from hubris, having enjoyed a lead in the polls for weeks.
It is one thing to develop policies, with a group of fellow believers, and work out the intricacies of how to pay for them.
It is another to craft an attention catching summary to use to sell them to sceptics and an equally attention catching set of responses to criticisms and questions.
I spent 3 years selling life insurance and superannuation but I am a maths teacher, not a salesperson. I was successful with professional people who understood my arguments and explanations but I went back to teaching!
To sell a policy, you need to get your listener convinced that they want hear what you have to say because they know you want them to benefit – and that is a hard ask these days for a politician.
Let them ask questions but come back with convincing answers!
I think Labor had the message right {policy} but the combined forces of the Lib/Nat/Palmer/One Nation/Green/Murdoch/MSM attack dogs was just a bit too steep a hill to climb
The lack of interest in politics by a huge swath of the population didn’t help
Those who decide in the last week from whatever is the main point on TV at the moment is what bring us unstuck.
Labor need a way to get the message through and it isn’t Social Media. There, you just get the choir gathering together that know the song without the songsheet and there are far too few newcomers ready to join the choir.
I chat with many Americans online and one pointed out {so much for social isolation} that a group of disinterested in politics friends expressed only yesterday that the were glad Trump was President and not Biden because Biden isn’t rich and they wouldn’t have got the COVID 19 relief cheques that Trump gave them. A couple also pointed out that as “long as they had their flu shots they’d be immune to COVID 19}. All seniors too
As my dearly departed gran used to continually tell me when she was frustrated with me “You can’t belt brains into a pumpkin”
I hope I outgrew the pumpkin stage but there a hell of a lot of pumpkins out there
” PS Labor lost 2 seats in Queensland and 2 in Tasmania yet only one overall”…but I would suspect AND see it proven that those high-risk LNP seats (like Dutton’s etc.) that Labor could have won were retained through that same destabilising of the convoy gimick and other misleading Greens adverts…..”The stain does not stop at the point of application”.
“You can get discouraged many times, but you are not a failure until you begin to blame somebody else and stop trying.”
The ABC political reporter pointed out some disturbing trends- and the weren’t all QLD
By political reporter Jackson Gothe-Snape
Updated 20 May 2019, 7:53am
Burnie, Tasmania
Labor’s Justine Keay lost the seat of Braddon
Ms Keay’s primary was down about 10 percentage points across the half a dozen Burnie booths.
Ipswich, Queensland
Labor’s immigration spokesman Shayne Neumann suffered a scare
Booths all over the major centre of Ipswich returned double-digit swings against Labor.
Grafton, New South Wales
Labor’s primary votes dropped by about 15 percentage points.
Rockhampton, Queensland
One Nation’s candidate grabbed 17 per cent of the vote.
That meant the swing away from Labor on two-party preferred was more than 10 percentage points.
Mackay, Queensland
But candidate Belinda Hassan lost thousands of first-preference votes, as some booths in northern Mackay returned swings of more than 20 percentage points.
It meant the LNP’s George Christensen claimed the seat with a swing towards him of 11 percentage points.
Cessnock, New South Wales
Local Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon looks set to narrowly survive a voter revolt against him.
Cessnock booths swung against Labor
In each of the four major booths in town, and among pre-poll votes, the swing on primary votes was around 20 percentage points.
” “You can get discouraged many times, but you are not a failure until you begin to blame somebody else and stop trying.”…..Was that another quote from that great humanitarian..; John Pierpont Morgan ?
John Burroughs
“an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the U.S. conservation movement.”
Phew!…that’s good…because my second pick was going to be that once shadow minister for immigration when asked to comment on the tragedy of so many refugees drowning in “Siev X” or on the wreck on the rocks of Christmass Island..where he said wtte; ” They have only themselves to blame for getting on a leaky boat”…..so..that’s alright then..good one!