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COSTELLO GONE
Peter Costello has announced he won’t seek leadership of the Liberal party.
UPDATE. Posted by the Age as Costello was speaking:
There is no danger the Liberal Party will unravel following Saturday’s heavy electoral defeat, its federal director Brian Loughnane says …
Mr Loughnane nominated the parliamentary party’s deputy leader Peter Costello as the person to heal party wounds.
UPDATE II. Imre Salusinszky: “I’m moving to New Zealand.”
Unfortunate - he definately served well as treasure (maybe leadership challenges and speculation excluded), and deserved his chance at the helm.
As noted before, I live far away, and woke up to the news of the election results, and though not surprising, it is still a very sad day. I’m glad I live far away and now am even more unlikely to return for a long time.
Interestingly, the discussion on Sunday with the ALP’s strategist indicated a considerable amount of fear about Costello.
While the usual neocommie suspect will caper and dance, this is all immediate post-election stuff, and pretty meaningless. Let us see what has happened in a year.
This whole thing will take at least a couple of years to play out. It will take them that long to truly cock up the economy, such is the brilliant condition Howard has left it in. Even this pack of luvvies and incompetents will take time to wreck it.
MarkL
CanberraHockey would rockey if he became the jockey.
I think Turnbull’s got the brains (by a factor of a hundred more than, say, Rudd) but needs more experience.
Posted by Abu Chowdah on 2007 11 24 at 10:16 PM • permalinkYes, Mark L. Even Hawke made the point that if Costello had been made leader six months ago, Rudd’s whole ‘new leadership’ campaign couldn’t have worked.
I suspect that Labor, smart bastards, kept on leaking those anti Costello polls (most of which are easy to rig) partly out of fear of Costello.
It really has to be Turnbull. He has the smarts and is still fresh - his inexperience is probably a plus because the others have all been in opposition before and are probably exhausted by the thought of going through it all again.
Downer said this morning he didn’t want to be leader, Abbot (whatever people say) would do a good job but looks like he needs six months off.
Or else someone to keep the seat warm until Costello changes his mind.
19. I thinky ou’re right. He’s gonna coast for a bit instead of working 17 hour days, and then come back in the last year and kick arse.
Posted by Abu Chowdah on 2007 11 24 at 10:36 PM • permalinkI’ll be interested to see how big a honeymoon Rudd gets.
He’s not a popular man - not even with the journalists, and now that Labor is in power they’ll feel less compunction to hold off on him.
And now he actually has to do stuff instead of talk.
My bet is that his popularity will be below 50% within six months and below 40% by next Christmas. Expect talks of a coup before the next election - especially if the US Sub Prime issue becomes the problem many economists suspect.
What a debacle. Complete implosion. Costello is one of the most gutless politicians around.
Posted by Alex of Canberra on 2007 11 24 at 10:44 PM • permalinkWhat’s everyone got against Turnbull? I think he’s the most exciting prospect in Federal politics over the last decade (second only to Kate Ellis perhaps). And hopefully now his talents won’t be wasted on a lame-duck portfolio like Shrubberies.
Oh, and if Downer even breathes a word of interest in the Liberal leadership, can the nearest person please stuff a sock in his mouth and bundle him into their car boot?
OT—Something to cheer you up.
Forget destroying the earth by global warming, now we can destroy the universe just by looking at it!
Posted by Evil Pundit on 2007 11 24 at 10:49 PM • permalinkWith wall to wall Labor governments, there will be no one else to blame. (Though, of course, they’ll blame Howard for a few years, but voters will get sick of that soon enough.)
The truth is, if the Federal Liberal government hadn’t been a handy whipping boy for the Labor state governments, a bunch of them would have been chucked out years ago. I’ll bet Iemma and Brumby were the most pissed off people in the country last night. NOw they’ve actually got to do something rather than sit back and say it’s all Howard’s fault. (Remember, Education and Health - two big election issues - are both state responsibilities.)
Instead of ending the ‘blame game’, the result will be more internal Labor battles than ever. Maybe Howard (and Costello too) can spend a bit of spare time whipping the state parties into shape.
By the time we have another Federal election, I’m predicting that at least three state Labor goverments will have fallen
The bright sparks who approved the Howard/ Costello “joint ticket” should be immediately dispatched to wherever the world’s greatest losers congegrate.
Team Rudd drove the 07 bus through it.
Labor wins by increased majority under Hawke in 1990.
1991 Keating is Prime Minister without having to face votersSpot the dummies!
Andrea, it’s quite clear gazaaaaa (however many a’s he wants) is nothing more than an obnoxious troll.
Flush ‘im.
Posted by Quentin George on 2007 11 24 at 11:05 PM • permalinkBB77 - How is he putting the party first? He’s the most experienced person they’ve got, and he’s leaving the party in the lurch when they need an experienced leader. How is that decent?
Posted by Alex of Canberra on 2007 11 24 at 11:05 PM • permalinkAlex - as Costello said, he wants to take a step back from the limelight, spend some time with family, and thinks its time for generational change.
The experience thing isn’t an issue really, since when you’re only just turfed into opposition you have plenty of ex-ministers hanging around.
Ten years down the track though…
Posted by Quentin George on 2007 11 24 at 11:09 PM • permalinkI certainly hope that Costello is only sitting back and resting for a while. Heard him on the news talking about a need for generational change and thought that was weird, he’s not exactly eligible for the pension.
Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2007 11 24 at 11:19 PM • permalinkHope he doesn’t do anything so stupid as quit parliament and cause a by-election. That will mean another seat lost (precedents Wran, Kennett, McNamara, Hawke).
Turnbull has proved a great disappointment, all wind and no sail. My choice would have been Brough - decisive and compassionate - but sadly he lost his seat.
After all that crap about Howard being a racist in his Aboriginal intervention, Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson, who admired Brough, had this to say about Rudd:
KEVIN Rudd has betrayed aboriginal people after abandoning a promise to pursue a constitutional referendum on reconciliation if he is elected Prime Minister, Noel Pearson said today. The director of the Cape York Institute, said he “dreaded a Rudd Prime Ministership” who he branded “innately contemptuous of indigenous people” after The Australian reported that the ALP would not pursue a reconciliation preamble to the Constitution.
It’s Labor at its left-wing best - accuse others of racism while being innately racist itself. It drove the White Australia Policy,
it fought against Vietnamese immigration. Maybe Rudd will be able to explain to the Chinese in Mandarin what Labor meant when it said “Two Wongs don’t make a white.”Yes, Costello is only around the same age as Rudd.
He deserves a rest. Maybe a year in the backbenches might be good for him.
Or else he could switch to state politics - he’d made a great premier and would be just what was needed in Victoria.
But alas, I suspect he might eventually decide to apply his skills to business outside politics and make a few zillion dollars.
Turnbull, of course, did the other way around, which is another good thing about him - he doesn’t have to worry about money, so he can focus on politics. Sure, he was a bit all over the place at times, but I think he’s the coming man.
Give Rudd a few months #41.
The aboriginals won’t be the only people betrayed by Rudd.
Rudd is for Rudd, of Rudd, by Rudd and his focus is totally on Rudd. He many have no ideas, but he has a good idea of what he’s interested in - and that would be Rudd.
I predict he will end his career in about 3 years as a Pariah.
owner said this morning he didn’t want to be leader, Abbot (whatever people say) would do a good job but looks like he needs six months off.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Abbott quit altogether too. He looked like he had enough of this shit over a year ago.
Costello will be off to private enterprise where he’ll clean up. I hope he becomes Australia’s richest man.
If Turnbull vs Rudd the best we can hope for, then it’s going to be a long decade.
And the first call for payback comes from...
Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2007 11 24 at 11:38 PM • permalinkAndrea
This gazza has committed the worst sin a troll can do here.
He is predictable, pedestrian, boring and dull. He is dimmer than a brown dwarf, as erudite as drying paint and has the intellectual capacity of a paramecium.
Even his comments are juvenile, and his best insults are of the ten-year-old-in-the-schoolyard type.
He’s all squish and no crunch. And trolls should crunch.
I blame KRudd for this and call for a parliamentary enquiry into why gazza the troll is so damned boring.
‘It’s Time!’ Andrea, for ‘New Leadership’ in regard to gazza.
MarkL
canberraI’m. Staying. Here.
But I’d move to the wonderful land of DOMAI tomorrow if they’d give me residency.
(Mildly norty)
Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2007 11 24 at 11:42 PM • permalinkCross-posted from OZ Votes 3 because I think this needs to be said.
“I might add the theme from a post I made some time ago.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are the realists of the conservative, realist side of the spectrum. With that comes the turf we saw John Howard show last night, dignity, self-control, realism and quiet good humour.
As we have seen on these pages here, the ill-mannered uncouth bogans of the left (spavined cretins like our little pet troll Moronda and that boring, pedestrian gazza) are petty, small minded, vicious and totalitarian in victory where they show their best characteristics. After their 11 years of defeat, we know them to be fantasist, spiteful, hate-filled, conspiratorial and totalitarian in defeat.
These are not winning attributes in Australia. To win, ‘people’ like Moronda had to be rejected and marginalised even by KRudd, himself a self-proclaimed ‘fiscal conservative’, God-bothering millionaire.
It must suck to be Moronda and her ilk, the inner-city whackjob.
And this is their turf. So let us retain our dignity, honour, realism and self-control, and leave them the hysterical spittle flecked invective, conspiracy theories, fantastical self-delusion and vile totalitarian dreams as they fantasise about revenge on the people who made them wealthy.
Do not know what I mean? Read Moronda’s bile-filled, spiteful, graceless rant in victory. Compare it to Howard’s dignified humour in defeat.
And strive to emulate the latter.
MarkL
Canberra “Yeah, I’ve grown bored of gaaaaaazaaaaaa. Byeee byyyyeee!
Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 11 24 at 11:55 PM • permalinkFor god’s sake, agile, there is a button above the comment boxes to use for links, named “links”. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist.
Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 11 24 at 11:57 PM • permalinkSure. Go ahead and ban me. You must have a pretty weak argument if you have to ban dissenting points of view.
But, hey. Anything to get a bit of that bile out right.
Out of interest this is an article on why Costello chose to abandon his party in its hour of need: Why Costello does not want the job
Actually I’m not displeased by the news.
While I think Peter Costello is a good man and excellent parliamentary performer I did have certain reservations about his deep down political substance.
He will however make an exceptional executive or CEO of any major corporation and his annual income should easily be 30 times the amount he has been getting paid as Treasurer.
I wish him the best of luck.Posted by Hank Reardon on 2007 11 25 at 12:13 AM • permalinkI’m surprised, but not too upset. Costello always seemed to lack the necessary killer instinct for the top job - if he had, he’d have challenged Howard for the leadership sometime in the last year. It’ll be interesting to see who gets the job - Downer’s too old, Abbott and Nelson too low-profile, Turner too much the primadonna.
Nobody’s talking about banning you, agile. Unless you’re just one of gazzaaa’s sock puppets. I can’t be bothered to find out.
By the way, I’m pretty sure the “I’m moving to New Zealand” comment is a joke (I believe that New Zealand’s government is even more leftist than your Labor party), but leftists don’t have much of a sense of humor so I’m not surprised you missed it.
Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 11 25 at 12:37 AM • permalinkagile
Obviously named for something other than your mind, Most of the comments im reading from long term posters are either hedging bets on money matters (eg, stay in UK for nest egg then return) or firmly tongue in cheek.
As a new poster you may not be familiar with the piss taking here.
NZ LOST 14,000 people to Australia last year alone, not bad eh?Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 11 25 at 12:37 AM • permalink#66: Was anybody here promising to move to New Zealand or elsewhere if Labor won? Aside from Imre at #13, who was clearly being ironic (in the correct sense of the word, by the way). So, if the Liberals here are steadfastly determined not to leave the country, where is the irony in their having made fun of Laborites who had vowed (or expressed a desire) to do so, had their candidate lost?
“Agile”, indeed.
Not sure I want Turnbull in the top job for the Libs, but the only other alternative - Brough - lost his seat.
Posted by AlphaMikeFoxtrot on 2007 11 25 at 12:49 AM • permalinkHopefully one of the two scenarios will occur.
1. Rudd actually walks the talk, and holds the left wing of the ALP at bay, using Gillard to buttress him against the unions and other unproductive ALP dinosaurs. He will sign Kyoto (a largely symbolic gesture), which will hopefully put the Greens to bed. This will generally shut Brown and his fellow watermelons up, because their other ideas are almost wholly unpalatable to Australians. Rudd will scrap Workchoices (2000 pages of legislation), and sell the electorate a union free, legislation lite workplace policy, freeing business to get on with generating money, and removing the unions’ potential knife from his back. He will follow through with Mal Brough’s intervention, and try to give the Aborigines a hand up. He will listen to Craig Emerson a little more and Union Hacks a little less. The State Labor governments, bereft of excuses, will either follow his path or suffer ignomious defeat.
2. Rudd falls on his sword after an open handed push from Red Julia. Julia runs the country, turning it into a Slater and Gordon stygian hellhole writ large. Greg Combet et al preside over Venezuela Mk II. The Liberals, now flush with quality candidates who are horrifed at what their votes have wrought, get back in in 2010, and implement voluntary voting and abolish the Upper Houses. The ALP will then follow other failed social experiments into the bin of history.
agile
And I made 400% on one property (sold at 1/2 list price to my sister BTW) and set up my brother in another which, if kept would have been worth 3 times what it cost to build. In addition I have one property I live in fully paid off and another which is currently worth about 500% what I paid for it. I might also add most of this was done on the average wage and savings. So unless your 60% was supposed to sound impressive I dont quite know why you quoted it?
Your 60% figure is reflective of strong flows of money from Australia to NZ by the many tens of thousands of ex-pats that have come to Oz in the last ten years to make money and (eventualy return home).
And good on them to, we tend to get the better workers, more focused on earning a fair quid.
NZ is a win-win for both countries, we get an extra % of workforce and NZ gets a vast influx of cash, which is available to keep their economy from the sclerosis which affects many other high taxing welfare nations.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 11 25 at 12:55 AM • permalinkAgile.
Have a look at what the All Ordinaries Index finishes at tomorrow compared to Friday and have a bit of think about the reasons as to why it may have gone down.
Also, a good friend of mine with a Business Broking company has already had a withdrawal of an offer to purchase this morning with a simple reason given “changed to a Labor government, I’m not proceeding”.
Look at history. Labor always screw up the economy and the Liberals always fix it. This time will be no different.Posted by Hank Reardon on 2007 11 25 at 12:56 AM • permalinkSome of us, agile, were around for the 1980s, when Labor governments across the States proved their economic smarts by losing billions of taxpayers dollars in various shonky schemes. Victoria lost its State Bank, South Aus the same I believe. Western Australia saw the selling back and forth of a ‘petrochemical plant’ for millions, said plant never more than a plot of land with a sign hanging on the fence.
Most of all about Labor’s fiscal fuckups, though, I recall a speech made by RJL Hawke:
There’s a lot of sloppy talk going around this country at the moment that there should be no place in the concerns of a Federal Labor Government for the Alan Bonds of this world. Now I want to repudiate that nonsense unequivocally. It would be an entirely perverse concept if we didn’t recognise the enormous contribution of the Alan Bonds and the other great entrepreneurs and risk-takers of our country...
There was more in the same vein, more sickening praise of a man who only took risks with other people’s money.
The socialists are so contemptuous of the capitalist system that very few of them take the trouble to understand how it works.
Rudd might have a smidgen more sense than the people to his rear, but sooner or later the dogs will insist on being unleashed.Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2007 11 25 at 01:01 AM • permalink81.
What you dont want to play with numbers because yours are unimpressive?
Or do you disagree with the idea that NZ gains can be largely tracked back to Australian cashflows?
You were the one that brought it up, if you cant handle a bit of mild critcism then take your bat and ball and fuck along now.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 11 25 at 01:03 AM • permalinkI find this whole “High Interest rates under Labor” line a little disingenuous.
It is not the interest rate that is the most important figure; rather it is the % of average weekly earnings that homeowners pay. And like it or not but housing affordabilty has never been lower than under your precious Howard Government
Now granted this may not affect a lot of people on this blog who bought their homes in the 80’s for 50 000. (Think ahead to how your children and grandchildren might be able to afford a home.)
However for people in Sydney and Melbourne on an average income it has never been harder to buy a house.
agile follows the script with:
Sure. Go ahead and ban me. You must have a pretty weak argument if you have to ban dissenting points of view.
You know, you guys ALWAYS use this sort of line.
Might want to get a little original rather than use cries of “crushing dissent” to guilt-trip people into letting you continue your antics.
Posted by Patrick Chester on 2007 11 25 at 01:12 AM • permalinkAs a screaming lefty, I want to say thanks to Tim and everybody here, I came here to sense out the other side’s politics in the comments column. It was clear mid-year that a massacre was on the cards. It was a fun campaign - I mean that without snideness.
I think that Tim’s questioning stance on climate change, even as a die-hard Greens voter, is worthy. We need questioning, and science, and hard work. Not sloganeering and diatribes about the end of the world. Climate change, sadly for the Liberal party, is very much on and visible. It will become more and more important to the electorate as the years go on. Most of all, it requires much less paper mache heads and shouting in the streets of Melbourne and more hard financial decisions, investment in technology, infrastructure development and a totally new national attitude to water management. We should be leading the world and exporting solutions, not talking rubbish on both sides of the aisle.
I hope that the Liberal party remains strong, because Labor has a track record for laziness. The party has to come to the centre, or face total annihilation - never again will the right be able to open their mouths on industrial relations. History repeated and its now written in stone; this country will not stand for the dismemberment of the rights of working people. A civilised and rich country should be adding to them, not cutting them back.
For the Liberals, the future is in good state governance. Iemma has to go - NOW.
Posted by Wolves Evolve on 2007 11 25 at 01:13 AM • permalinkI see that it was a full moon last night.
Queenslanders can now all be referred to as
MSQ
or
“Moon Struck Queenslanders”The Liberal party should have checked the calender before selecting the date.
Posted by Wotchathink on 2007 11 25 at 01:15 AM • permalinkWhoever the Libs elect he or she won’t be facing Rudd. Labor knows it won’t be able to trick the public with an empty showbag in 2010. By 2009 it will have blooded someone with true Labor credentials, maybe Shorten, maybe Combet, but definitely a top-level unionist. It will depend on which one the public warms to the most. Rudd by then should have popularity figures down in the low 30s. Won’t he be pissed to see Shorten/Combet being given all the popular jobs by Labor head office. Wonder if he will go quietly or whether he will throw a tantrum.
Some of us can remember the 70s as well when Gough’s gang - Murphy, Connor, Grassby, Cairns, et. al. introduced “the program”, an ambitious scheme for radical social change that just about wrecked the whole economy and ripped apart any sense of social cohesion that Australia once had. Since then most Labor governments have succeeded by acting like Liberal “wets”. But if the Left ever gains ascendancy again over the more moderating elements in the ALP it will be the Return of the Utopian Socialist Nightmare…
Now see, Wolves Evolve is an example of a civilized opponent. Make note, people.
Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 11 25 at 01:27 AM • permalink88.
400%, Owned for 7 years, no real growth till about 4 years ago. (remote area)
300% 3 years ago, massive gains in value before it was finished. (costal city)
Current residence 2 years ago. Has probobly gained a fair bit in value but havent checked for quite a while, its home.(remote area)
500% about 12 or 13 years. (same costal city)
Was most discouraged with that longest one, had it for about 8 years before any large gains.
And to be fair I brought 1 lemon about 3 years back (remote area) that I got rid of for about 5% less than I paid for it.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 11 25 at 01:36 AM • permalinkMaybe what Howard needed was one of these (with his own name on it, of course, not Ron Paul’s). On the other hand, maybe not.
This Labor victory has been a serious setback for Paco Industries, too. Processing Australians For Charters Overseas was in high gear, ready to carry anti-Howard people to any country in the world more to their liking (New Zealand, Venezuela, Cuba, you name it). Now, our flagship is all dressed up and nowhere to go. Oh, well. Maybe we can lease it to Greenpeace.
#91
It largely will already be factored in to it’s current level but I’m predicting the actual realisation of a Labor government will see a drop.Posted by Hank Reardon on 2007 11 25 at 01:41 AM • permalinkagile
I had looked at NZ a few years back after talking to a few NZ’s at work. Didnt dip my toe in mainly because I just dont know what areas are what.
Ive allways brought where Ive lived for a while, takes some of the risk out but probably limits the returns. Good luck with yours and never think you sold at the wrong time as long as you come out in front.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 11 25 at 01:42 AM • permalinkBugger, Matt Price has died.
Not a bad writer from the Australian newspaper.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 11 25 at 01:49 AM • permalink#51- I was thinking the very same thing, and it’d wedge the ALP by appointing a chick as leader before they’ve gotten around to it, despite Emilys List.
What’s more, if Kevni vaporlocks or gets shanked, it’s be one hell of a scragfight at the next election- I for one would be happy to see it settled with a bout of mud wrestling.
#73- Short term I wouldn’t put a razoo into anything here, unless the ASX tanks on monday and there’s some bluechips going cheap; they will however no longer be bluechip but medium risk, as the mongs who are in control now have made a lot of noise about fucking over the mining industry- likewise transport shares are risky due to the likelyhood of fuel price increases, waterfront and inland industrial disputes, a return to the good old days of wharf piracy and a likely credit squeeze when Swanee’s cleaned out the treasury and tries to bot some cash from Osama bin Laden.
I will however keep a reserve of black cash handy for the inevitible mortgagee sales that’ll be popping up withing twelve months- hopefully all the punters and their adorable urchins chucked out by the bailiffs voted for this rabble.
I feel very sad to see Peter Costello leave Federal Politics, however I think this same outcome would have occurred even if Mr Howard had been pushed out earlier- the media did a superb job of taking us to an election on a sea of lies and ommissions of truth.
But one man’s loss is another’s gain and I hope that Peter will be offered preselection to The Victorian State Liberals and be Premier- he has the knowledge, skills, experience and the ability to rebuild this States Liberals- God knows we need that and he will have learned from his own and Jeff Kennetts experience that you must encourage bright new talent and be a real teamMatt Price has died - FMD, what a weekend.
Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2007 11 25 at 01:54 AM • permalinkThere’s a silver lining in this defeat. Costello and Howard have had their time. Tony Abbott’s the new man. He’s a tough conservative catholic intellectual. And a boxer for Christ’s sake. He has always managed to get up Rudd’s nose, Gillard hates him and his aggressive style will make him a huge target. He’s perfect.
I will add that the only element of political revenge that needs to be extracted is a full and properly independent inquiry into the AWB. That story is yet to be written, and I suspect they’ll be a by-election in Mayo when it is.
Posted by Wolves Evolve on 2007 11 25 at 01:57 AM • permalinkagile, playing innocent croaks:
Patrick what antics do you mean other than having a different opinion.
Dunno. Perhaps it’s your timing on deciding when to post, not to mention the usual flush-with-victory crowing about “investigations” and such now that your faction has won some power.
So… Committee of Public Safety.
I’m also touched by the “I’m a swing voter” claim yet you seem to be using the talking points of a particular party act.
Let’s just call it gut instinct, and the fact that I’ve seen this pattern of posting from others before.
Carry on.
Posted by Patrick Chester on 2007 11 25 at 01:59 AM • permalink111 - As someone looking forward to many terms of Labor government, I would also like Abbott to take over!
Posted by Wolves Evolve on 2007 11 25 at 02:00 AM • permalinkDon’t blame me, I’m a West Australian. Don’t blame me, I’m a West Australian. Don’t blame me, I’m a West Australian. Don’t blame me, I’m a West Australian. Don’t blame me, I’m a West Australian. Don’t blame me, I’m a West Australian. Don’t blame me, I’m a West Australian. Don’t blame me, I’m a West Australian.
Quite a soothing mantra I’ve developed.
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2007 11 25 at 02:16 AM • permalinkThe lefties must be disappointed, the right lost an election and yet no tearful blubbering, screaming curses, condemnations of the voting public as brainwashed morons and predictions of the collapse of democracy and incipient police state.
Hey jackasses, take note, this is how grownups deal with a political setback.
117 - thanks, mind if I borrow that sometime?
Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2007 11 25 at 02:17 AM • permalink. o O (Don’t blame me, I’m American… oh wait, isn’t everything our fault?) ;-)
Posted by Patrick Chester on 2007 11 25 at 02:21 AM • permalinkPerhaps Kevin Rudd can lend a hand and fix the skills shortage and brain drain we are currently experiencing in the Liberal Party. Right after he’s cleaned my gutters and mowed the lawns of course.
I’m a little late to this party and its probably already been noted, but I went to the shops this morning, then went and got some fuel - still the same prices as Saturday. And its hot and muggy. Where’s my cheap gas, grub and temperate climate you lazy, C U Next Tuesday, Rudd?
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2007 11 25 at 02:26 AM • permalinkAgile, who is being disengenous here?
It is not the interest rate that is the most important figure; rather it is the % of average weekly earnings that homeowners pay. And like it or not but housing affordabilty has never been lower than under your precious Howard Government
Now, is it state or federal level which has control of land releases in the states?
State, yes? All of them ALP, yes?
Is it local, state or federal level which writes the rules and regulations to be applied to housing?
Local and state, yes? And all states are ALP states, yes?And it was the ALP which led to push to politicise the local level of government, yes?
Hmm. Does your mighty intellect get it yet? Or did not your bumper sticker view of the world cover that?
Now to a specific case, Catherine Hill bay in NSW. Now that this Wallerah pit has closed, this tiny little mining village )a local cheap rent area) has become a commercial target. problem, it is ALL well inside the coastal preservation strip and is an historic example of a late 19th century mining village, quite intact.
But the Sydney-based developers noticed it, cut a deal with the mining companies who owned it, cut in the ALP, and voila! BIG MONEY to be made. See the gory details HERE.
Did not you notice Union heavy’s house he bought in Newcastle? It allegedly cost him over a million bucks. Ever wonder where he got the dosh? Ever wonder why Keating is allegedly a multi-millionaire living in a Hunters Hill mansion? Ever wonder how Nev Wran allegedly got his first ten million bucks? Ever wonder just how Bob Carr allegedly became a millionare - while Premier of NSW?“ The development proposals being considered by the State Minister for Planning, Mr Sartor, and for:
1. 600 houses and 150 tourist beds at the southern end of Catherine Hill Bay , intruding onto the headland and into the heritage village (the RoseCorp proposal)
2. 300 houses at the northern end of the Bay, in the vicinity of Middle Camp about 1km north”.All of this is in direct breach of the ALP state government’s own planning rules. Rumours abound at Catho alleging massive kickbacks to certain ALP figures allegedly up to minister level.
No worries, Sartor just changes the rules and issues waivers. The whole tale is a nauseatingly familiar one of ALP hacks and functionaries up to and including the Minister allegedly getting ‘favours’ from developers.
Meanwhile, the State governments who were supposed to remove fees and charges from the housing industry because of GST income DID NOT, and are milking the cash cow of higher house process for all it’s worth.
And your gargantuan, awe-inspiring, towering intellect think this is all Howard’s fault?
This is why most leftards get short shrift on this site. Ideological blinkers and naive gullibility, combined with willful ignorance of the facts, combined yet again with simplistic thinking at no more than bumper-sticker and slogan level just makes it not worth the bother to talk to them.
Housing affordability? A State issue where all the ALP state governments and local governments are routinely doing allegedly corrupt deals with real estate developers.
But you can ignore all of that because “Me stupid lefty. Me blame Howard for everything dat wrong or dat me fink wrong. Dat way, me no have to use brain. UG.”
MarkL
Canberra#118 - That and with large quantities of alcohol. Having to go to work on Monday doesn’t leave much time to mope either.
#119 - I predict the revival of the WA secessionist movement. Might even support it this time, too. Fuck the eastern states. Or as I like to refer to them: Flyover country.
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2007 11 25 at 02:31 AM • permalink"The lefties must be disappointed, the right lost an election and yet no tearful blubbering, screaming curses, condemnations of the voting public as brainwashed morons and predictions of the collapse of democracy and incipient police state. “
Except if you go to news.com.au comments. Or some comments here. Irrational people on both sides are doing what they do best, ignoring the fact that broad consensus has been reached on most important issues and in fact, we live in one of the best governed countries in the world and will continue to do so.
We now have the opportunity to build the prosperous and fair nation we should have been able to. When the book is written on Howard, it will be called The Wasted Years.
Posted by Wolves Evolve on 2007 11 25 at 02:35 AM • permalink;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’
HI EVERYONE TYPING IN BLAIRLAND
;’;’’’;;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’;’
“I’m moving to New Zealand!” for the holidays.
Well, if you like, you can all stay with me at the folks holiday house in Ponsonby for Christmas if you like!If you don’t see me for a few weeks, it’s just because I’m overseas for alittle, but will send my NEW Zealand pictures for you to see and enjoy! Will post here a little later.xxxxxxxxxx
We’ll have a BLAIR CHRISTMAS PARTY 21st DECEMBER… SO come and enjoy the good Christmas Cheer.
El-cid you bring the beer, Paco the good stories, Kae the drinks Pogria-booze, Colonel the games, Dminor.yourself, Tiger more friends, Bolt can bring his music, everyone bring some dips and Tim B, bring your puffy pirate santa top.
Love 1.618 xxxxxxxx
I think Abbott will make a good battering ram as leader for the first half of the term in opposition. Turnbull has a problem with being perceived as too silverspoon by the punters in outer suburban bris/syd/mel/adel. Long term, I think there is a need to find a serious acceptable contender. Libs need to blood some younger, angry, realist, “worked their way to the top” people - especially those who have dug themselves out to prosperity during the Howard years. Older Gen Xers who aren’t sucked in by Rudd’s “youth” and old enough to remember life under Keating.
off topic, terror attacks occur around elections and changes in government. There will be some very twichy ASIS/ASIO/AFP folks out there for the next week or so.
Posted by CanberraNeoCon on 2007 11 25 at 02:39 AM • permalinkMarkL
Much like they just did in Geraldton in WA when the 2 shire councils were amalgamated.
One of the best little costal patches of property are leasehold, houses and rents were cheap, and many low income (you know ALP battlers) and pensioners lived there.
The 2 councils were replaced by an “indipendant board”, many of whom, purely by coincidence, happened to have close ties with the ALP, including and ex-Burke minister.Overnight they raised rates 500% (over 3 years) thus driving out many of the battlers. It will probably be swapped accross to freehold land as soon as they drive enough of the oldies out, and their mates have enough of the land at discount rates.
It stinks, and I fully expect kickbacks to have been paid to certan developers.Id consider it a template for Rudds quangoes hes promised to set up.
Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 11 25 at 02:40 AM • permalink#125 - “The Wasted Years”. They certainly were for most of your type, who rather than getting on with life and taking responsibility and action for their day to day well being, sat around bitching about the evil Howard.
Name me a fairer nation than Australia?
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2007 11 25 at 02:45 AM • permalink#131
Yeah, same MO, Mole.
Me, well I am a dunce at investing and we had a large family pretty quickly after getting married. Between that and moving every 2 years (ADF, you see) no damned financial chance to get on the real estate wagon via investment property.
So I have to get to a decent retirement on superannuation/savings/house While I’ll never be anything like as rich as an ALP politician or union boss, I should make it OK on current plans.
MarkL
CanberraLiberal leadership speculation.
So, I’m going to make the bold assumptions that:
a) The Rudd Gillard years stretch for atleast two terms.
b) The person who takes on the first Opposition leadership will never defeat Rudd.
I think we can safely rule out:
a) Abbott - extremist
b) Downer - too much baggage
c) Nelson - former AMA pres., well-liked, mature defence minister: but I’m not sure he has the Costello/Abbott killer instinct.
d) Bishop - If she’s smart she’ll bide her time till 09/10 - but a genuine contender. Former Education minister, presentable, charismatic, has the killer instinct (nickname was The White Pointer). But she’s a woman. A woman leading the Libs? Get real.
e) Turnbull. Would be good - except he’ll be defeated in Wentworth by Kerry O’Brien at the next election.which just leaves:
f) Alex Hawke. Newcomer for the seat of Mitchell. He managed to win preselection for one of the safest seats in Australia (with Howard’s public endorsement) at age 27. 27! True to the Liberal cause, and a former Army man, he’s got the guts to take the Libs through those early dark years of opposition, and he’s young enough to live down any damage to his rep. Furthermore, he can out-"new leadership” Rudd at the next election.
If the Libs are smart they’ll choose him.
Posted by AlexanderH on 2007 11 25 at 02:52 AM • permalinkWe now have the opportunity to build the prosperous and fair nation we should have been able to.........
Sorry Wolfie, that’s what we’ve already got. What’s in the pipeline is another failed experiment in social engineering, with welfare spending through the roof, over-regulated workplaces, thieves, incompetents, wastrels and pisspots lining their pockets while passing legislation a gibbon wouldn’t use to wipe its arse with, a defence force gutted, and talentless drones retiring from office one step ahead of indictment, to see out their lives on the public tit residing in a house that if it was up to their own talents and abilities the only way they’d enter same would be to clean it, or burgle it.
Funny how lefties regard “fairness” “equity” and a “fair go” as thieving hard-earned from unwilling contributors, usually to hand over to the feckless, lazy, chemically dependant and talent-challenged. Or the yartz community, which is pretty much all four rolled into one.
And how embarrassing is it to have a national leader called “Kevin” FFS.
I’m also more than a little concerned about how much input Mrs Kev’s going to have on policy matters- there’s gotta be a bill for ditching the employment agency scam.
Perhaps Australia could petition to become the fifty-first state (Or maybe four or five states). Hey, I’d like to see that. Puerto Rico is at the top of the list presently.
Of course, a couple of Canadian provinces are making noises about joining the US now too.
“We are the world...”
OK, so it’s a silly idea.
132 - Did you not read my comment where I said we were a fair country with good governance?
Don’t assume all lefties fit your stereotype. When I saw a problem, I went out with a shovel to fix it where I could. I decry paper mache heads and I’ve stood before governments in committees to say my piece. This won’t change.
It should be clear that underestimating the concept of fairness doesn’t wash. It was to the great dismay of the federal Liberal party that they found out that ‘we are doing a good enough job’ is not a platform.
Posted by Wolves Evolve on 2007 11 25 at 02:55 AM • permalink133. MarkL
Not a wizz myself, just a tightarse who decided Ms Palmer would do until I got myself set up. You cant put a price on a family though, and now having one I can see its much harder to save....
As long as you have a plan.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 11 25 at 02:58 AM • permalink#135 - I’d love to see Julie back at state level. They’re installing ashtrays on motorbikes of more use than the WA state Libs. She’d be a shoe in to become Premier. She’s never had kids, so she’ll never be PM.
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2007 11 25 at 03:00 AM • permalink135 - If Alex Hawke is made leader, there will no longer be a federal Liberal Party. The skeletons in his closet rattle long and deep. He said “The two greatest forces for good in human history are capitalism and Christianity, and when they’re blended it’s a very powerful duo.” Superimpose that with a picture of GWBush, screen it four times a day, and you have a 30 seat majority. Forget it. He’s mince. Christian conservatism faces a brick wall.
136 - The fact it comes down to name-calling is telling.
Posted by Wolves Evolve on 2007 11 25 at 03:06 AM • permalink# 27, hayesy, What’s everyone got against Turnbull?
Don’t know about everyone else but what I’ve got against him is the dummy spit he did after the Republic referendum - rather like what Amos said at #118. It makes me think he could be one of those old style, condescending, born-to-rule type Liberals. Plus there’s the way he got pre-selection. I don’t like him and I don’t trust him.
#145- “name calling”?? WTF are you on about?
Maybe you’re overdue for your distemper shots, matey.
I reckon Kevin’s rule will wax and wane.
Maybe he will do exactly as he says and won’t be too toxic, but I remember his tenure as Chief of Staff in Qld, and a more officious, ruthless and self-interested prick has yet to surface.
I’m not confident of everything being just peachy.
#135- A woman leading the Libs? Get real. More likely than with the ALP- the federal Libs seem to promote on talent, not on gonadal issue- like most conservative leaning parties, hence the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Golda Meir etc. The left makes a lot of noise but is staunchly phallocentric- speaking of which I for one am not looking forward to Phatty’s gloating gibberish come Tuesday.
Good Lord, Wolves Evolve?
Well… nope. They didn’t and they haven’t, except… at the hands of man. Where they became dogs. And, I love dogs.
Dogs pretending to be wolves? Mmmmm… not so much. You know what shepherds do who find their dogs have been dining on sheep? They drag them to the nearest ditch and shoot them, that’s what they do.
Humans evolve. Humans have evolved farther than any other species. Hope we continue to. I hope my children travel to distant stars. Wolves won’t be there.
#151
Do not think so. Unless he locates a spare pair of Howards testicles when he waltzes into the PM’s office, the factions will isolate him (that cat is already out of the bag - ask Graeme Richardson) then move th real PM in - Gillard.
THEN the payoff happens.
Reportedly well sourced rumours in this town:
The guts of the ACTU plan is simple. Everyone goes back on awards, giving the ACTU a critical role in ‘negotiating’ those awards.
If you are in a union, you pay your dues. That’s 15% of the workforce. Let us call that a 750,000 people (indicative number only) at $200 per annum each (indicative number only).
Unions get $150,000,000.
Now, if you are NOT in a union, you pay a ‘service fee’ for the ACTU negotiating your award for you. The service fee is a bit over the union fee: let us say $250 each.
That’s ANOTHER $1,062,500,000 in union coffers.
The ALP is now literally awash in ACTU cash, so the ACTU has the whip hand in the ALP and the ALP has the money to buy every election from here on in. You are, of course, absolutely free to join the union, or stay out of it. But no matter what, they get your money BY LAW. And with no workchoices/AWA, you have no option NOT to pay a union.
Game, set and match to the ACTU: a fully unionised workforce including those who do not join. This is why Rudd is stacked with union heavies if my sources are right.
Fun times. if this happens, I am
1. joining the union
2. joining the Liberal party
3. branch stacking like a loon to take my local union branch over with pissed-off LP members.Because that plan has a flaw....
MarkL
CanberraAbbott is an impressive guy all round. Any of you who might have run a half-marathon, or a marathon, will have some idea of what it takes to do the training and finish on the day. I picked up the other day that Abbott completed an ultra-marathon of 100km for a charity in 2005. That’s serious pain and incredible will power. Says a lot about the bloke.
They’ve threatened for ages that they’d charge union fees to non-members because non-members get all the benefits.
I tried to leave the union and was ‘threatened’, they couldn’t help me if anything went wrong if I left the union, there’d be a three month waiting period.
Bullshit. They only help people with high-profile problems.
They don’t give a flying fuck if you’re having problems with the transparency of job application, pay, leave or whatever.#155 I don’t know about that. Has this ever occurred in Australian IR history over the last 50 years?
What I do believe is that union membership will continue to decline. Many of the ppl who signed up to unions in recent times did so because of fears over work choices.
With a government elect that plans to reestablish the “fair go” for workers, many people will put their faith back into legislation to cover their rights and in time recind their union membership.
MarkL
Unless he locates a spare pair of Howards testicles when he waltzes into the PM’s office, the factions will isolate him (that cat is already out of the bag - ask Graeme Richardson) then move th real PM in - Gillard.
Maybe the left see Rudd as a trojan horse for getting into power. But dislodging him might not be as easy as it sounds. This guy grew up poor with no father. I hate to fall back on stereotypes, but that says to me ‘hungry as a junkyard dog’. He might look like a sap, but that’s just a cultivated image, in an attempt to become like those he envied.
Rudd’s campaign was tight as a drum and started a year ago. This says to me, fucking tough opponent. I think he will be no pushover for either the Coalition or the left.
Still, the left are sneaky and evil, so it will be interesting.
Because that plan has a flaw....
shhh, don’t tell me, let me guess.
It sucks?Posted by daddy dave on 2007 11 25 at 04:20 AM • permalinkDo you guys really think the country is going to financially implode so much that you wouldn’t invest here.
Eventually. I pick October 2010. Rudd to call early election March 2010 when he sees the inevitable results of his hijacked government’s policies. Naturally he’ll be returned for a second term - they all are - and then the bottom will fall out of the economy six months later.
Surely in this modern age of deregulation governments just aren’t that powerful.
Oh yes they are, they can still fuck things up way beyond their ability to fix them.
Or maybe you guys believed the Lib ads on interest rates?
Of course - that’s why everyone at work is fixing their interest rates - including the lefties.
by the way, I really, really wanted Costello to become PM. All this stuff about how “unpopular” he was was bullshit. Keating was way more unpopular than Costello and he won his first election as PM. And when he did lose, it had less to do with his unpopularity as treasurer as his prime ministership.
You can’t really know fpr sure how the public will take to a leader until you actually put them in, unless they’ve already demonstrated a propensity for fucking up.Posted by daddy dave on 2007 11 25 at 04:34 AM • permalink#90 Dog boy
... as a die-hard Greens voter ...
History repeated and its now written in stone; this country will not stand for the dismemberment of the rights of working people.A young, green Green perchance? (& Gaming reviewer, FFS?).
Labor were already moving to the Right - don’t recall ‘collective bargaining’?
#113 AWB
Kevni, as the shadow, ‘knew nothing’, a la Schultz? I went to a strip club but didn’t see any strippers?Vacuous slogans like:
We now have the opportunity to build the prosperous and fair nation we should have been able to. When the book is written on Howard, it will be called The Wasted Years.As a self-confessed Green, you are the extremist here.
#136
The Commonwealth of the masses’ purses redistributed at their discretion?
Socialism reeks of the nobility of the Middle Ages ...It will be an interesting time before the next election. Once the honeymoon period is over we shall see what sort of hard decisions that Rudd has to make. He has never had the blow torch of national scutiny put on him where the decisions you make are analysed and reviewed ruthlessly. It is easy being in opposition and playing the spoiler - “I wouldn’t do this, I would do this better and that blah blah blah”. Well now we shall see how he goes when there will be no one else to blame but himself.
egg, lingu4, kae…
it’s not even a troll, that’s just spam. Andrea will probably be along to clean it up in due course.
The claimed footage doesn’t exist, alas.Posted by daddy dave on 2007 11 25 at 04:58 AM • permalink168 - I think I’ve been quite polite so I don’t see why we have to go personal. I was quite happy for Labor to go right.
Posted by Wolves Evolve on 2007 11 25 at 05:00 AM • permalink#87 Re housinge affordability or not, I would have thought a lot of that was due to the state’s incompetence and stamp duty on top of GST and all the bloody local taxes.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I seem to recall something about the states repealing stamp duty in return for the GST windfall.
Taxes on top of taxes (and that includes the petrol excise as well) are guaranteed to push up prices exponentially.
Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 11 25 at 05:10 AM • permalinkWolves Evolve
I think I’ve been quite polite so I don’t see why we have to go personal.
you have, and Andrea gave you due acknowledgement earlier in the thread. However, if you’re arguing politics with people on the other side of the fence, it’s going to get rough-and-tumble from time to time. I don’t regard the comment you’re responding to as particularly offensive or egregious. I have had much worse thrown at me on left-wing and climate-fearmongering sites.
Posted by daddy dave on 2007 11 25 at 05:15 AM • permalinkO/T but given misstress Andrea has allready beaten at least one troll to death I think this video is in order.
I think its one of the funniest ive seen for ages, and can quite imagine a troll or 2 doing this. Maybe even Miranda if it ever gets its IP blocked.Only nazis ban posters. (stolen from the rottie)
Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 11 25 at 05:18 AM • permalink191 - Alright, fair enough. I don’t want to argue, though, much less gloat. As said, the two parties are best when close on policy issues; for me, ‘me-tooism’ (a terrible term) is good news.
Going back to the original post..can I ask whether people thought Costello really would have been the better choice? Downer and Goward definitely think so, and Gartrell thought he would have been an easy target - but at the same time so much of the party heavies seem to be unsure that he could win an election. Brough and Kelly were fairly strongly opposed to Costello, weren’t they?
Many on the left consider Costello easy meat, as if nobody could vote for him, but I regarded him as very much a threat. He would have been formidable in 2010, especially since he’s got a good track record on Aboriginal affairs reconciliation which is obviously going to cause Rudd deep trouble in the first term.
What is so interesting is that Turnbull fancies himself so early on. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K. The next 72 hours may determine a lot of things for the Libs. Bloodshed would not be a good look.
Posted by Wolves Evolve on 2007 11 25 at 05:27 AM • permalink#187, #185 - Hear! Hear!
If I recall correctly, state payroll tax was supposed to go as well.
Can anyone think of a more inequitable tax on employers and businesses than taxing them for the number of employees?
It leads to tough decisions when you are approaching the threshold..... not. The proposed new employee will miss out.
His treachery in forcing Howard to delcare that if he was elected this he would resign before the end of this term was THE cause of the defeat.
Howard made that admission after the APEC meeting organised by Downer. Costello had nothing to do with that, or with the fact that those at the meeting thought Howard should go. And it wasn’t Costello’s fault that Howard was outperformed by Rudd since Rudd turned up.
Many on the left consider Costello easy meat
They’re wrong. These are the same people who thought Keating was a winner. Their judgement is tainted by their prejudices. Costello is an awesome performer in parliament, witty, intelligent, hard working and a decent guy. That doesn’t equal “easy meat.”
Bloodshed would not be a good look.
Sometimes it is necessary. It says in Ecclesiastes,
“A time to love, a time to hate;
a time for sappy election speeches, a time for bloodshed.
A time for putting knives away, and a time for sticking them in backs.”
I think it was turned into a song at one point.Posted by daddy dave on 2007 11 25 at 05:41 AM • permalinkI immediately set to work when Howard conceded. I have laboured intensively around the clock making my Julia Gillard papier mache head for upcoming protests.
Disappointingly, no matter what I try it always seems to resemble Ronald McDonald. Must be something to do with the red hair.
Never mind, I’ll move on to Kevin for the time being. The only thing I may have trouble with is the “Mr Hat” puppet.
#145. Capitalism and Christianity? I’m there. :)
Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 11 25 at 05:52 AM • permalinkO/T but the previous thread has had a visit from old mate
HomerMike Hudson, gloating over the result and spouting some gibberish about ‘Gitmo. Anyone over in that neck of the woods like to pop around and give him a knee in the Niagaras for us?Our new Prime Minister makes his grand entrance.
Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2007 11 25 at 06:04 AM • permalinkRest in peace, Matt Price, and God be with his family and friends.
Back to the program, and Costello as PM?
I loved having him as my MP a hundred years ago when I lived in Prahran, but I don’t want him as leader of the opposition: he comes across as a bit of a sook at times when he doesn’t get his way.
I’d like Downer or Abbott. Mal Brough has done well in his brief time in the limelight, too.
Turnbull with his republicanism is a turnoff, and I’m not sure about Nelson.
He’s not too bad, but I’d need to look a bit deeper.
Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 11 25 at 06:08 AM • permalinkI just get a kick out of the fact that you Aussies have politiicans named Abbot and Costello. Well done.
Andrea, can’t you call gazzzzaaaa’s mom and tell her he’s flinging poo again? Some day he’s going to slip up and mouth off to an adult, in person.
Posted by Steve Skubinna on 2007 11 25 at 06:17 AM • permalink#207- Pity she’s a first class fuckwit.
Likewise dingbat Petro Georgiou slithered back in at Kooyong, despite over 7,000 luvvies voting for The Greens; why did they bother fielding a candidate, seeing as Petro makes Bob Brown look like Donald Rumsfeldt in comparison.
We’ve never needed a real conservative third party more- the Liberals will lurch to left of centre (as the Conservatives have in the UK) in the misguided belief that that’s where the electorate is; the Australian electorate is innately conservative, and Kruddy played on this, putting forward a view that he was more of a neocon eco-rationalist than JWH, and the suckers in marginals bought it.
You’d have to be pretty gullible to not see through his micron-wide veneer, but then again Nigerian 401s do pretty well here; Kruddy has already been on the ‘phone to Flightcentre and has booked trips for most of the rest of his term, so we’re going to be in the tender care of Kommissar Gizzard for the forseeable future- Caloo Callay!
Costello didngt have the gticker to take on Howard and he doesnt have the ticker to take on the leadership of the Opposition.
He’s no great lossPosted by dingdingding on 2007 11 25 at 06:32 AM • permalinkHabib,
had an interesting afternoon as the solitary Gweilo at the HK Air Cadets annual parade. The only thing Chinese were the people in the uniforms. The commands were in English, the uniforms were all RAF.(they want me to wear one, some honarary rank, to which I am declining). They get the Queen’s colours to train their main sqauds each year, the band, everything, RAF. (The guest of Honour from the Police had a British dres uniform with spurs!)Good to see that some things don’t change, nor do they want to.
#210 the main way that the public is left-of-center these days is global warming. Sadly, I think that’s a big part of why people voted against Howard. Their kids had been shown "An Inconvenient Truth" twice weekly at school, and gone home with heads full of propaganda. They then converted their parents to the religion. The religion holds Howard to be an apostate, because he did not sign Kyoto.
Even Howard’s own family was not immune. At the press club last week said his grandson had been ‘talking to him’ about global warming. So we have an entire generation that believes that the oceans are rising (they aren’t), famines are increasing (they aren’t), droughts and floods (likewise), and the earth is getting hotter (it’s increased by 1 degree in a century). In other words, they believe a fiction.
I think it decided the election.
Posted by daddy dave on 2007 11 25 at 06:48 AM • permalinkIf I read the tealeaves right… Costello’s banking on a Rudd second term, with the traditional Liberal leadership spill after they lose an election.
Meanwhile, I have enormous respect for Malcolm Turnbull, and I think he’ll perform very well indeed in Parliament if given his head.
Disclaimer: I went to school with him, and fought Tony Abbot in Uni Politics, as he was ineffectual in galvanising the Right. He’s improved a lot since then, but still no soap.
#212 daddy dave
I recall an interesting article where the author discussed the religions of the pre-written word age. These were superceded or co-opted by the relgions based on the written word - Christianity and the Bible, Judiasm and the Torah, Islam and the Koran. The ways of the old religions (celebrations in summer and winter, certain forbidden foods and practices) were just absorbed into the ways of the new religions. Is Global Warming/Gaia/Green’ism’ the first religion of the Media Age?
#210
Even Howard’s own family was not immune. At the press club last week said his grandson had been ‘talking to him’ about global warming.
His grandson, Angus, is a babe in arms. The question from the “journalist” about his concern for GW and had becoming a grandparent made this feature more in his mind.
I think Mr Howard was taking the piss. Bless his cotton socks.
#214- It’s certainly the religion of the media called The Age.
Really I think the meeja’s a lot to blame for this, they’ve been utterly shameless in boostering for Kevni, even the more conservative organs such as The Australian. I trust they’ll have the courage to apologise in 12-18 months time when the results of their promotion become clear. (Provided they haven’t been nationalised by then or carted off to a re-education gulag- Comrade Kevni’s got form for nobbling the media, having attempted to do so in opposition and succeeded in same while CofS for Goss. One slightly ironic result is that having gotten the nasty little bastard in they’re going to find getting incriminating info will be harder than getting wood over a picture of Margo Kingston- eat shit and die, fourth estate).
#215 Hah! In that case, it was very funny on Howard’s part. Such a pity it took me nearly a week to understand the joke.
Posted by daddy dave on 2007 11 25 at 07:22 AM • permalinkWell scrub her from the list then, but I still think conservatives are more likely to appoint females on merit rather than because of their chromosome allocation- the first woman in federal parliament (Edith Lyons) and also first female cabinet minister was with the UAP, later named the Liberal Party.
The ALP’s quota system results in such assets to the nation being elected as Julia Gillard, Tanya Plibersek, Nicola Roxon, Jennt George, Carmen Lawrence, Anna Bligh and Joan Kirner- not a looker amongst them, and all the ability and intellect of a single-celled zooplankton.
John Howard’s concessions speech in full.
Watch it and weep.
Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 11 25 at 07:56 AM • permalinkStill moving, kae. The big stuff is going tomorrow, and I’ve been too diverted by the election and moping to finish up.
I am a political tragic these days, and even my lefty friends are telling me I may as well start running for office lol!
Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 11 25 at 08:01 AM • permalinkMight have to hit the bottle-o tomorrow and lay down a three year supply of gin, before laughing boy gets the idea that excise rates are far too low, and only encourage reprobates to indulge in dissipation when they could be working and generating taxes. Mind you it’ll probably be cheaper than petrol shortly.
How arrogant was squirrel features’ victory speech "I will be a prime minister for all Australians...."what about the nearly 50% who didn’t vote for you and don’t share your values, aims, ambitions or odd dietary favours?
Smug git.
I’m still mourning the two gorillas I dropped on the election, but I would rather it went into my bookie’s pocket than the earwax muncher’s coffers.
Two gorillas could have financed at least one indigenous arts workshop lunch.
You will just have to eat a pie and sauce for lunch, you bludgers.
Posted by Pedro the Ignorant on 2007 11 25 at 10:13 AM • permalinkThat’s terrible.
He would have made a great Prime Minister.
Not if he’s going to run at the first setback…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2007 11 25 at 12:43 PM • permalinkPeter Costello aptly repays the Liberal Party for the courage it has shown by clinging to yesterday’s man by giving it the bird. Good on ya Pete - I’m sure the guys at Macquarie Bank are clearing out an office for you right now. I’d do exactly the same thing.
People of Higgins don’t put down your pencils just yet.
One question to ask, how much of an influence was Australia’s answer to Hyacinth Bucket in keeping Howard hanging around Kirribilli long after he should have gone?
Posted by Hump B Bare on 2007 11 25 at 05:08 PM • permalink#22 ‘He’s not a popular man - not even with the journalists, and now that Labor is in power they’ll feel less compunction to hold off on him.’
I think you’re whistling in the wind there.
Most journalists just LOVE Labor in power, and protect it at all costs to the truth. Who could challenge Kevni in the next three years anyway, after his slick performance?Shit.
We Lost.Oh well, after a day to consider the verdict and get some sort of relativity, it doesn’t feel as bad as losing the rugger world cup final in extra time in 2003 or the ashes in 2005 or the world cup rugger semi this year.
Whilst I didn’t get to hear Kerry O’Brien say “this can’t be happening”, I’ll settle, in the circumstacnes for “a big swing to the ABC”
On point, Christopher Pearson here on The Fourth Estate
Can’t blame Costello for pulling the pin, he’ll probably just get some shit job like running BHP.
How funny that those who have been howling for a “sorry” from Howard have missed an opportunity to have recognition of aborigines by way of a constitutional referendum? I note that Noel Pearson’s view is that such a move could only be done with conservative support and only JoHo could deliver that. Seems that those types who walk over the harbour bridge to show symbolic support for aborigines wouldn’t go so far as to vote for the only man who could get a referendum up. At least it will put paid to the moaning about reconcilitiation. Unfortunately, it’s dead and the supreme irony is that the left killed it.
Spewing that Mal Brought lost his seat, but that’s the way it goes.
Unfortunately, those who voted for KRudd due to the union workchoices campaign and housing affordability “crisis” will be the first to get the chop if things start to go crook.
Apologies to Mr I Tiger. I thought that Qld might hold out, but then again, the place that gave the country Joh Bjelke Petersen and Peter Beattie to push him around in a wheelchair, now presents it with Kevin Rudd.
As for JoHo, he emulates his hero Bradman, bowled for a duck in his last innings, but with a fantastic career and average.
Now Mr Rudd, have a bat.
PIckles - “As for JoHo, he emulates his hero Bradman, bowled for a duck in his last innings, but with a fantastic career and average.”
Best description yet.
I’m not as pissed off as I was on Saturday. The bright side: I fixed my interest rates a while back. Higher unemployment means better hospitality service as we drown our sorrows for the next 3-6 years. I also see a good earn in opening a pawn shop near high schools. Imagine how many cheap lap tops you’ll be able to pick up from the stoned students courtesy of Kev.
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2007 11 25 at 07:30 PM • permalinkAnd as for Peter Costello, why would he want to be leader now? It’s a bit like making love to the beautiful woman you’ve had your eye on… after she’s died.
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2007 11 25 at 07:33 PM • permalinkIT - It’s a bit like making love to the beautiful woman you’ve had your eye on… after she’s died.
Yes. Quite
Brings to mind: a fellow gets to work late and tells the tale of finding a beautiful girl tied to the railway track near his station. He unties her and they make love, right there.
A colleague asks: what colour eyes did she have ?
Fellow replies: Dunno, couldn’t find her head.
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Not a bad thing, but what sort of reptile’s going to get the nod? I’d almost rather see Kommisar Gillard elected for life than Malcolm Turnbull get the nod. What a git.