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Showing posts from July, 2017

When politicians lie because it helps win an election it gets harder to remember what it's like to tell the truth

Paul Krugman in today's New York Times  was writing about America's Republicans but the view strikes me as being applicable to a broad spectrum of Australian politics. A key moment came in the 1970s, when Irving Kristol, the godfather of neoconservatism, embraced supply-side economics — the claim, refuted by all available evidence and experience, that tax cuts pay for themselves by boosting economic growth. Writing years later, he actually boasted about valuing political expediency over intellectual integrity: “I was not certain of its economic merits but quickly saw its political possibilities.” In another essay, he cheerfully conceded to having had a “cavalier attitude toward the budget deficit,” because it was all about creating a Republican majority — so “political effectiveness was the priority, not the accounting deficiencies of government.” The problem is that once you accept the principle that it’s O.K. to lie if it helps you win elections, it gets ever harder to li

The anti-Muslim emphasis of the Australian Conservatives

Not much doubt about a major theme of the new Australian Conservatives when an election does come. Had enough? Take our survey and find #abetterway for Australia: https://t.co/5QdYNu4Q3Y pic.twitter.com/WUMaGGupUL — Aust Conservatives (@AuConservatives) July 28, 2017

Fine those ineligible MPs $200 a day

If, like me, you find all this discussion of what Section 44 of the Constitution actually means a bit confusing, Background Paper Number 29 Dual·Citizenship, Foreign Allegiance and s.44(i) of the Australian Constitution , prepared back in 1993 for the Parliamentary Research Service might help The author Sarah O'Brien brings together what the High Court has said about the section along with a summary of what our founding fathers had in mind. Just a couple of snippets that I found of interest. The idea floated by Christopher Pyne of an evil foreign dictator bestowing foreign citizenship on all MPs has been considered by the Court. In one judgment Brennan J stated that as a matter of international law and public policy the Court would not recognise the conferring of nationality by a foreign power which exceded the jurisdiction of the foreign country or which was not based on a bona fide relationship with the person in question. To take an extreme example, if a foreign power were mi

The wily legal wits of One Nation's Malcolm Roberts shown in a previous encounter

The letter below shows that the High Court could be in for the ride of its legal life if it were to come up against the wily wits of One Nation's Malcom Roberts and his perplexing citizenship issues. A movie along the lines of Chauncey Gardner meets Atticus Finch could be in the offing? Friday, 23 rd September, 2011 Malcolm-Ieuan: Roberts. Beneficiary, Administrator for MALCOM IEUAN ROBERTS 180 Haven Road, Pullenvale QLD 4069 The Woman, Julia-Eileen: Gillard., acting as The Honourable JULIA EILEEN GILLARD Prime Minister of Australia Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 FIAT JUSTITIA, RUAT COELUM Let Right Be Done, Though The Heavens Should Fall Notice to principle is Notice to agent. Notice to agent is Notice to principle. I, commonly addressed by the name Malcolm-Ieuan: Roberts., in my correct capacity as beneficiary to the original jurisdiction, being majority in age, competent to testify, a self realised and free sentient man upon the land, my yes

Mama said there'll be days like this -a political singalong for Matt Canavan

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Mama said there'll be days like this There'll be days like this, mama said (Mama said, mama said) Mama said there'll be days like this There'll be days like this, my mama said (Mama said, mama said) I went walking the other day and Everything was going fine Met a little boy named Billy Joe And then I almost lost my mind Mama said there'll be days like this There'll be days like this, my mama said (Mama said, mama said) Mama said there'll be days like this There'll be days like this, my mama said Read more:  The Shirelles - Mama Said Lyrics | MetroLyrics   And if you are in a singalong mood you might fancy some other Political Singalongs

Donald Trump, the Baron Munchausen of our time, brings back memories of Sir William McMahon

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At the weekend Kellyanne Conway, one of the US President's attack dogs, went on television to argue that lies told by her boss Donald Trump are ok because ‘he doesn’t think he’s lying’.   Think Progress described the amazing interlude: On Sunday morning’s broadcast of CNN’s Reliable Sources, White House advisor Kellyanne Conway continued to wage war on the media—and CNN specifically—by arguing the network shouldn’t be so critical toward the president because Donald Trump simply doesn’t know any better. Conway took umbrage with the media’s insistence on covering such “non-stories” as the president of the United States continually lying to the American public. After host Brian Stelter argued that his network was committed to covering the many scandals emanating from the White House, an incredulous Conway pushed back, demanding to know what “scandals” Stelter was referring to. “The scandals are about the president’s lies,” replied Stelter. “About voter fraud; about wire-tapping; hi

President Trump and his promises - a six month review

My question to Trump voters: Has he delivered what you wanted? Six months in, here’s an update on the promises he has failed to deliver. pic.twitter.com/DYA6xtDJPS — Robert Reich (@RBReich) July 23, 2017

Fixed four year terms - with Turnbull and Shorten it's the blind leading the blind

#Breaking Malcolm Turnbull has phoned Bill Shorten to offer bipartisan support for fixed four year terms #auspol https://t.co/yzIgDyLx2S pic.twitter.com/Vpq5IBY5UC — The Australian (@australian) July 23, 2017 In 1988 Australians voted on a referendum proposal to amend the constitution to provide four year terms for the House of Representatives. The change needed a majority of votes nationally and support in a majority of states. And the result? 32.92% in favour nationally with a majority in no states at all. Now admittedly there were a few additional factors back in 1988. Other items were on the referendum agenda and the four year fixed term proposal of the Hawke government included the reduction of a normal Senate term from a six-year fixed term to a four-year fixed term As well there was a plan to introduce simultaneous elections for both Houses of the Parliament. It was not possible for the voter to support only one of the questions being dealt with.  From memory Senators

Clever fellow that Nick Xenophon - actually appealing to the Australian centre

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Some evidence this week, if you needed it, that Nick Xenophon's Team is more in touch with your "average" Australian than any of the other parties in the federal parliament. Research firm JWS Research set out to find what Australians regard as the sensible centre . And it discovered the answer is slightly more ‘right’ than ‘left’ and slightly more conservative than progressive. Here are the key survey questions and the results: JWS summarised the results of its full survey as: Relative to how they rate the main federal political parties, Australians view themselves as sitting somewhere in the middle, as: more left leaning and more socially progressive than the Liberal-National Coalition and One Nation  more right leaning and more socially conservative than Labor and The Greens  more right leaning but similarly moderate on social issues to the Nick Xenophon Team (and this trend is even stronger in South Australia).  Similarly, relative to key federal poli