Posts

Showing posts from August, 2018

Coup culture and Australia's low-grade reality show

Image
Grattan on Friday Michelle Grattan , University of Canberra Australia’s “coup culture” has become so entrenched that it now holds serious dangers for our democracy. Not that the politicians seem to give a damn. For all the talk of “listening” and being “on your side” the voters have once again been treated as little more than a gullible audience for a low-grade reality show. A decade or two ago, many commentators advocated four-year federal terms, to encourage better policymaking. Now we can’t even count on a prime minister lasting through the three-year parliamentary term after the election they win. In less than a decade, we’ve had four prime ministerial coups: from Rudd to Gillard (2010); from Gillard to Rudd (2013); from Abbott to Turnbull (2015); and, last week, from Turnbull to Morrison. A couple of these seemed politically savvy. I admit to thinking them so. In 2013, Kevin Rudd was reinstated to “save the furniture”, and he did. In 2015, Tony Abbott’s government appear

Tony Abbott"s prepares for a life after politics as an attendance officer

Image
Tony Abbott has accepted the invitation to become a special envoy on Indigenous Education. “What I expect to be asked to do is to make recommendations on how we can improve remote area education, in particular, how we can improve attendance rates and school performance because this is the absolute key to a better future for Indigenous kids and this is the key to reconciliation.” The experience should prepare the former Prime Minister for a life after politics with the Owl noting vacancies around the world for jobs that he will soon have the necessary experience for. Advertisements on the web put the wage for attendance officers as: The job description says "Attendance officers track student attendances and enforce rules about truancy, which vary according to each school's guidelines and local laws. They sometimes even track down specific students who have a habit of missing school."

The revenge of Julia Banks

Image
United they stand, divided they'll fall. The recriminations within the federal Liberal Party go on. "I have always listened to the people who elected me and put Australia's national interest before internal political games, factional party figures, self-proclaimed power-brokers and certain media personalities who bear vindictive, mean-spirited grudges intent on settling their personal scores. "Last week's events were the last straw." The full statement: STATEMENT pic.twitter.com/ldScV2nJxu — Julia Banks MP (@juliabanksmp) August 29, 2018 And what will the consequences be?

Singalong as Christine Abbott seeks to join her brother in the House of Representatives

Image
Christine Abbott I find a song or two helps make reading about Australian politics bearable. Maybe this should be Christine Abbott's campaign song as she stands for Wentworth.

The reluctant special envoy

Image
Tony Abbott is not rushing in to accept the offer to become the special envoy for indigenous affairs and no wonder. Prime Minister Scott Morrison seems to have baited a dangerous political trap for the Liberal Party's plotter in chief that is up with the best from the House of Cards. The PM, while pretending to show Mr Abbott that he cares and the public that he is generously forgiving, would be dispatching him to the frontiers of heartbreak and despair. Without any real responsibility for doing anything, the special envoy would still become the fall guy for all the problems besetting our first citizens. The response for any future pleas to Canberra for help would surely be “phone Tony he’s your man”. Little wonder the monk is hesitant about “accepting a title with no job”. The former prime minister this morning said he would consider the proposal but wanted to find out more about what it would entail. “Let’s see what this new role entails, obviously I have been going to ind

Advice to Liberals from The Australian's Chris Kenny - Always look on the bright side of life

Image
Hardly surprising... check back in a month for any real sense.... https://t.co/1VExhMkjEg — Chris Kenny (@chriskkenny) August 26, 2018

Julie Bishop for Governor General? Surely they wouldn't

Image
Within the media the rumour mill keeps grinding on. Take this example from the Telegraph  column of Miranda Devine: Fierravanti-Wells is believed to be angling for the job of Foreign Minister, assuming Bishop is moved on, perhaps to become Governor-General , since General Peter Cosgrove’s term is up. Now I have no idea about the future of Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells but she was an assistant at the foreign ministry and her appointment might appease some of the right wingers in the NSW Liberal Party. But Julie Bishop to the big house at Yarralumla? That would involve a bit of controversy. Welcoming a new vice regal pair A Governor General, while appointed for an indefinite term,  is generally expected  to serve for five years subject to a possible short extension. His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) took office on 28 March 2014, so his five years will be up around about the time the Prime Minister calls an election. Asking Sir P

Spare a thought for the Bonnie and Clyde of Australian politics

Image
At least someone at Sydney's Daily Telegraph  is still in there trying. Here's Shari Markson giving advice this morning: But over the page it seems they do not expect her advice to be taken. In a prediction about who will be in the Cabinet: So spare a thought for the Bonnie and Clyde of Australian politics who fought non-stop for 1074 days to get their revenge on Malcolm Turnbull. On Friday it looked like the end for a successful campaign. The enemy was deposed. But then ... Scott Morrison, a Malcolm Turnbull mark two, rode in to the Lodge. Another man who helped run them out of the perks of office. What a cluster f..... Outlaws still!

A political singalong for the hour - There's a man going around taking names

Image

The Owl lotto numbers

Image
Tonight's numbers: Turnbull 45 Dutton 39

A political singalong for the fingered and bitter Health Minister Greg Hunt

Image
A bit sad for Greg Hunt, the Cabinet Minister who was desperate to become the Deputy Liberal leader, that he was outed for supporting Peter Dutton.  He muse asking himself whether he should stay in the Cabinet or quit. That deserves a song.

The revenge of the Ninja cockroach? The Deputy Liberal Leader arrives to survive

Image

Appeasement does not work

The liberals in the parliamentary Liberal Party should be learning one thing from the attacks on Malcolm Turnbull. Appeasement does not work. The Prime Minister has contorted himself for months now to try and placate the mad fringe of his party. He has failed spectacularly. The liberals - and there are more of them than the renegades surrounding Tony Abbott - should now embrace the same tactics. Rather than caving in to the pressure to replace Turnbull they should make it clear to their wishy-washy centrist colleagues that they will be just as disruptive as the Turnbull opponents if there is a change of leadership.

A preview of Peter Dutton addressing the next meeting of the Parliamentary Liberal Party

Image

Malcolm Turnbull's NEG problems

Image
Grattan on Friday: Malcolm Turnbull's NEG remains in snake-infested territory Michelle Grattan , University of Canberra Malcolm Turnbull had a party-room victory but a god-awful week, and it wasn’t because his approval plunged in Monday’s Newspoll . His energy policy is back in the mire, and Tony Abbott is being – as one colleague neatly describes it – the agent of chaos. It’s nearly unimaginable how the Coalition chooses to replay that old self-destructive record. In Bill Shorten’s office they’ve been digging out the 2009 headlines, such as “Battered Turnbull faces mutiny” and “Abbott leaves leader in crisis”. Well, Turnbull is not “in crisis” but things are quite a serious mess, as those who hate him, plus others who don’t, sharpen their attack in another round of the climate wars. In Tuesday’s Coalition parties meeting, where Turnbull won strong support for his energy policy, several reserved their right to cross the floor on the emissions reduction legislation, and

A preview of Labor ads in the election campaign to come

Watching the Royal Commission is making my blood boil. Every day reveals more ripoffs, rorts and misconduct. Yet after everything we have seen, the Turnbull Government wants to reward the big banks with a $17b tax cut. Aussies, don't let them get away with this. #bankingrc pic.twitter.com/tKepdLqpll — Clare O'Neil MP (@ClareONeilMP) August 13, 2018

Government by referendum - let the people decide

Image
Katter Australia party senator Fraser Anning pays tribute to the white Australia policy and says “the final solution to the immigration problem is a popular vote” during his first speech this evening in the senate @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politicslive https://t.co/i679Tw8CC1 pic.twitter.com/wNun23pxv8 — Mikearoo (@mpbowers) August 14, 2018 The future of popular votes:

Australia Post changes its mind about not advertising on Sky News. Did the government intervene?

Hi Cath - This content was not acceptable to us, either, and certainly does not reflect our brand or community values. When it was aired, Australia Post immediately pulled all advertising from Sky News. - Bec — Australia Post (@auspost) August 11, 2018 That reply by Bec does not seem to appear on the Australia Post Twitter page any more. And it seems the ads on Sky are back on. Dear @auspost sadly it seems your media representative or Sky News has not executed your instructions. Today your ads appeared on OUTSIDERS, whose host recently suggested he uses the "N" word in full and discussed the sexual activities of an Australian Senator #Auspol #AdShame pic.twitter.com/mQFU4N73Lg — Sleeping Giants Oz πŸ“£ (@slpng_giants_oz) August 12, 2018 Surely it would not be related to this: We are excited to announce that former News Corp digital chief Nicole Sheffield will be the new community and consumer chief at @AusPost : https://t.co/duH6vcHFC8 pic.twitter.com/0Nd

A song for Barnaby "Looking for Love"

Image
Singalong

A new theme song for Sky News as its love affair with right wing extremists grows

Image
The former Country Liberal Party Chief Minister Adam Giles trying his hand as a television personality with the United Patriots Front leader Blair Cottrell who has a criminal history, including being found guilty last year by a magistrate of inciting contempt, revulsion or ridicule of Muslims Sky News deserves all the opprobrium it’s getting. But let’s also not forget this is a supposedly mainstream Australian conservative politician happy to pose and grin next to a neo-Nazi Something has gone terribly wrong in this country pic.twitter.com/BCOP1344VV — Adam Gartrell (@adamgartrell) August 5, 2018 Perhaps this jolly singalong should be played as an introduction to Sky's political programming.

Russia appoints a diplomat with some things in common with President Trump and that deserves a singalong

Image
Steven Seagal @sseagalofficial , who is a Russian citizen, has been appointed as a special representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry @mfa_russia in charge of the πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί #RussiaUS πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ humanitarian ties ➡️ https://t.co/JxYrEdqoig pic.twitter.com/9Mo6CDxLF7 — Russia in USA πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί (@RusEmbUSA) August 4, 2018 BBC news reports Russia has appointed the US actor Steven Seagal as a special envoy to improve ties with the United States. Seagal was granted Russian citizenship in 2016 and has praised President Putin as a great world leader. Born in the US, the martial arts star gained international fame for roles in the 1980s and '90s like Under Siege. He is also one of the Hollywood stars accused by several women of sexual misconduct in the wake of the #MeToo campaign, which he has denied. Steven Seagal faces sex harassment claims Steven Seagal denies Bond girl assault Harassment in Hollywood: Who's been accused? @realDonaldTrump has not commented.

Not bearing the Bear

Image
The new Disney film Christopher Robin has been banned in China .  Chinese censors began blocking pictures of Pooh Bear, the essential star in the Disney film, after their country's social media circulated this picture: Juxtaposing Xi Jingping standing in his presidential limousine and Pooh in his toy car forced the censors into action. They reacted badly too when President Xi as Pooh was depicted with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as Eeyore Trending on Weibo: Abe as Eeyore and Xi as a smug Pooh #APEC pic.twitter.com/lx53FzkVzu — Deirdre Bosa (@dee_bosa) November 10, 2014

Singalong with Scomo as he blames us, the customers, for Australian banks' greed and largesse

Image
In fine Tory tradition Slomo blames consumers for corrupt Bank culture #auspol #bankingRC Scott Morrison tells Australians to be better consumers - The New Daily https://t.co/IsSI318Aqv — Brendan O'Connor (@BOConnorMP) August 4, 2018 And this great quote from the Treasurer trying to prove he is really a comic: “It’s the bacon and egg principle. The chicken is involved, but the pig is committed”.