After his loss to Gough Whitlam in the 1974 election, Sir Billy Snedden, former Liberal Party leader and superlative psephologist of yesteryear pronounced: “We didn’t win but we didn’t lose.”
Sadly Sir Billy came and went in 1987 without having been pressed to peel back the onion on that paradox but in a far off windswept Mahayana monastery, clinging perilously to the northwest face of Mount Everest, a small army of orange suited monks are still trying to work it out.
Without wanting to add to their philosophical toil, last week’s UK election provided a rich rota of Sneddenisms. Theresa May lost but still calls No. 10 Downing Street home. Jeremy Corbyn had a thumping victory but fell 64 seats short of forming government. Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon lost a full third of the seats her party carried in 2015 but was still babbling in front of a bank of microphones like her every word was gospel. Even Nigel Farage put a cheery face on UKIP’s predictable slide into political oblivion.
Full column here.
Huge fire in London High Rise, just shocking, Mr Insider.
http://tinyurl.com/y97mp6ag
A cheeky segue from Billy to the latest elections JTI. I heard it on good authority (yeah I know) that he went before he came. All I can say about that photo is just as well the kilt had a substantial Sporrin.
Maybe however there is a little truth in the “we lost but we won” mantra. For the examples of Gough foward, narrow victories have been the beginning of the end for those hanging on by their toenails. No sheet.
You can’t go before you come, mate. Doesn’t work that way.
Can’t go before you come? Ho-ho-ho! You haven’t met my ladyfriend. As for losing being as good as winning, I’ve never left Unibet with a pocketful of losing tickets and felt good about it.
Thursday night footy again tonight tipsters. Go the Cats.
The Cats are the most inconsistent team in the AFL this season, and that’s saying something – witness tonight’s effort against an ordinary Weagles outfit. .
They’re consistent. can’t win on the road. Get ’em in Geelong and they can’t be beat.
Who are you calling ordinary you misery guts. Why even the fish Geelong rejects get a chance of success at the mighty Eagles, and grab it with both hands.
Scott Selwood is just a shadow of the man he was when VC at the Eagles, and all he can do now is pick on an old man who stuck it right up him.
Let’s see where they finish the year respectively, or that could be retrospectively
cats copped a depleted bench early in the game …. Tough to win then….how were the beagles gunnar match up on Cockatoo?
I think it is virtually impossible today to really pick any election result and all parties will twist same to suit their needs. The Greens are the experts at losing. Essentially their overall result hasn’t done much for years but you wouldn’t know that by listening to them on a Sunday morning after any election.
What is particularly worrying is Corbyn got so close! Particularly when you frame his history and comments against the recent London terror attacks. Are there any figures yet on voter turnout in so far as the Tories are concerned? Is this even possible to accurately gauge?
Yeah, yeah, yeah Razor, the Greens are not your cup of tea. Got it.
I say there’s nothing much that’s fair or right about this government or Labor for that matter anymore & it’s only the Greens who chose to standfast today on their promise not to abandon the human rights of the traditional owners of the land your precious megamine wants.
Shame on Labor for siding with the scammers. Again.
Bella
Oh almost forgot, your superheroes are in more strife.
https://www.michaelwest.com.au/revealed-adani-embroiled-in-african-corruption-scandal/
Outstandingly grubby stuff wouldn’t you think?
nice post. Wasted
Bella ,
I know a hell of a lot about traditional owners of this land having grown up with, worked extensively in the Aboriginal and TI communities and also being a descendant on my fathers side. The Greens are notorious for disregarding the future wealth, education and success of indigenous Australians and also using them to promote the Green agenda. We are talking about all but 1 single vote of the traditional owners wanted Carmichael so do not bullshit to me about rights of traditional owners. If everyone in Japan wanted to end whaling tomorrow and 1 person said no shoukd that persons vote be decisive? I know you will not answer this comment, you never do when caught out.
razor are you now saying you have become a Socialist. You want the government , the people of this nation to fund an unviable coal project? Traditional owners are fighting against the adani scam.
http://wanganjagalingou.com.au/our-fight/
Caught out? Please Razor.
Your yen for dirty coal mines has you clutching at straws. If I don’t respond to anyone perhaps you should consider a.that I still work b. I’m very busy/tired or c. I couldn’t be bothered.
My opposition to this Adani scam stands for all the right reasons.
http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/nitv-news/article/2017/06/14/corrosive-impact-traditional-land-owners-slam-native-title-changes
As Smoke has said recently, “Wasted” anyways.
You didn’t answer my question regarding 1 single vote being able to decide the fate of the rest.
Bella,
You may be interested to know ADANI has signed up to 7.5% of its workforce being indigenous and 10% of its apprentices and trainees being the same. Is this the abandonment of the traditional owners you are talking about?
Adani will sign up to anything for a free billion Razor. Good luck ever getting it back of the scheming little buggers.
Signed up? The project is unviable Razor so very unlikely to proceed at all.
All this percentage of jobs argument is, to put it nicely, contradictory & quite irrelevant anyway.
Knock yourself out on your majority vote question. Decidedly silly methinks.
Bella
Bella,
Decidedly demonstrates your hypocrisy.
The Greens have held their vote steady at double that of the Nationals for years. HAHAHAHAHA. Not a win but certainly not a loss. Um Er Ahbut, Um Er Ahbut may have “won” an election the Nation was the loser and still is paying ( read losing) due to his ridiculousness. The generational war undertaken by the coalition will lose them the next election.
“double that of the Nationals for years”
Haha indeed. Bet Barnaby finds that hard to chew on.
These days I’m hanging on by a very fine thread to Labor but the Greens policies always tend to speak my language so….
https://greens.org.au/our-story
I’d rather chew off my arm than give a vote to the Fibs.
Cheers, Bella
Roll on Christmas, only time of year we get any peace from the buggers
Hallelujah!
You write, Mr Insider, and very cleverly too and I quote: “Sadly Sir Billy came and went in 1987”. Indeed he did and for those not picking up on that the dear man died having sex with an “unknown” society lady, so the story goes. Whilst I lament Sir Billy’s untimely passing may I just add for we red blooded males “Billy you magnificent bastard!” I don’t know if you wish to add anything to that statement?
I had the impression that it was with his sons girlfriend (if so a no-no).
My modus operandi (such as it is/was) meant either sleeping afterwards or having a couple of frosties to celebrate my efforts. Just luck that a few of the ladies didn’t die from a surfeit of pleasure!
Is you is or is you aint my baby? That is the question.
He who dares wins.
http://www.theage.com.au/video/video-sport/video-rugby-league/french-face-down-haka-in-marathon-standoff-20170614-4v2y8.html
RONG:- he who SCARES wins.
Pay that one B’man. I hear you and agree the cons outdated dog whistle will need a new pea by the next election. But just as the pealess is preferred so will the progressive be by thinking people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBCpPGNDr1U
all you need to know about the haha
That really a picture of Snedden in kilt? Some folks can pull it off, like Sir Sean Connery.
When I was at St. Francis Xavier University, I got invited to join the Gaelic Choir–but it would have required a kilt. I thought that was a skirt too far for this country boy. My Prussian grandmother would have been horrified. *laugh*
Great read all, Mr Insider, and certainly we do see some interesting ways of “winning” and “losing” especially of late. Of course you, like me, being a Betting man who likes the neddies know the clear cut way a horse wins, even if by the shortest of margins. The cold glint in the eye of the Bookie a great lesson in winning and losing. As the late great Trainer Bart Cummings once said “a win by a short half head is as good as a win by 20 lengths” and spot on too. Ms May has just “won” by a short half head as did Turnbull too, but Trump by 10 lengths!
The pavlova comment was a little sticky JTI. Don’t be surprised if some here are disposed towards some some significant ejaculatory comment.
Settle down.