politicalowl

They’re telling us they’ll be the same as Trump!! #auspol [image or embed] — Denise Shrivell ( @deniseshrivell.bsky.social ) 7 February 2025 at 20:39

Sir Lunchalot Owl did a little calculating at lunch yesterday on the wondrful potential of the Liberal Party's plans to allow small businesses to each claim an annual $20,000 for lunches and other entertaining. With his calculator and immaculate printing on a restaurant napkim he worked out that Australia's 2,589,595 small businesses  could get a tax free $51,791,900,000,000 from this planned government generosity. The shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor reckons the cost will be far, far lower - perhaps just a couple ofhundred million. The real Treasurer Jim Chalmers is atill learning the politicas game and is lumping for an annual cost of $1.6billion. Sir Lunchalot, with 50 years experience as a small businessman behind him, has much more faith in his peers than these other-worldly polliticians. Aided and abetted by accountants who know the ability to clip a ticket from a rort when they see one, will surely encourage small businessmen to jump at this opportunity to have a cheap day ...

 The baby Penguins of Bicheno are dying of starvation and federal Environment Minister Tania Plibersek remains silent about the crisis. Plibersek has failed to mobilize veterinay nurses to provide emergency feeding. Photo from Reddit The helpless chicks urgently need mashed fish to survive. Normally parents of the  world’s tiniest penguins wade ashore on eastern Tasmania’s mid-summer nights to feed their young, hidden within the dunes. But a month ago, the London Times reported, adults of the Little Penguin species, which count Australia’s southern island state as their stronghold, suddenly ended their nightly visits, leaving their infants to starve. "The cause of the abandonment of their young is unclear but scientists believe a rapid warming of waters surrounding eastern Tasmania in recent years has robbed adult penguins of the small fish that they feed on." That this story of shame has become international only increases the reputational damage being done to the Anthony Al...

 A danger sign for those believers confident Peter Dutton is on his way to victory. Heather Ruddock, wife of Liberal stalwart Philip Ruddock, has quit the Liberal Party. The reason, the Financial Review reported, was disenchantment with the Party for    losing touch with its base including professional women.   Mrs Ruddock will now be supporting  the community independent for Berowra at the federal election. The views of the former Immigration Minister on the desertion are not known.

There's a first time for everything even for an 82 year old. Today it was Tik Tok. Finally ventured to this much publicised site after a friendly referral to a story titled Spud Stands on his Record . It told how " Peter Spud Dutton, the joyless eeew tuber and social media phobe, has taken to TikTok." I could not resist and went searching. I was disappointed at not finding one of those glamorous all-singing all-dancing clips that have crossed my path on other sites after being down-loaded from Tik Tok. Instead there was this : An Opposition Leader explaining “… I really joined TikTok for one reason. It’s to tell you that we do not have to live in a country where you spend your whole life renting,” (Spud. Sept 2024). A very serious politician indeed. But one to lure younger voters to the Liberal Party? Perhaps if they are moved by a photo of the would-be leader as an outdoor man. Footnote The Australian Inependent Media Network has what it calls "a  far from comprehe...

I could not agree more with this verdict on Trump in today's Times : "Donald Trump is a slob, a cheat, a lawbreaker, a bully, a careless liar, a cheap jingoist and a very dangerous politician indeed. He appeals to the dark side, the chaos in human nature. His presidency may prove a disaster for the United States and a threat to the free world."