Humble servant of the Nation

In the Canberra space, no one can hear anybody scream

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You may have heard the phrase, much-beloved by corporate types and politicians alike, “in the space”.

During question time this week, the Minister for Social Services, Dan Tehan, in receipt of a Dorothy Dixer from the member for Tangney, Dan Morton, lauded his colleague for having “a keen interest in the welfare space”.

If you keep an eye on reporting of the corporate world the same phrase pops up with monotonous regularity. A bloke who works in a bank is almost invariably described as having a “long history of working in the finance space”.

It’s an annoying phrase, vague and faddish, and I regret having to use it – but I fear I must because there is something deeply, deeply wrong in the Canberra space.

Come yesterday, the crazy-meter was already quivering at the red extreme after government senator Michaelia Cash’s outburst the previous day. It slipped into “dangerously unhinged” when Labor senator Kim Carr reached deep into his Godwin’s Law sack of epithets to refer to Liberal senator James Paterson as a member of the Hitler-Jugend.

Full column here.

465 Comments

  • The Outsider says:

    Sarah Sanders does have a sense of humour, after all.

    When asked what she thought of a former White House staffer calling her a fat slob, she replied that she didn’t want to “weigh in” on non-White House staff!!

    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/former-trump-aide-denies-being-drunk-in-bizarre-tv-interviews-20180307-p4z356.html

  • Henry Blofeld says:

    Strewth hope Mr Baptiste doesn’t see this, some frothing fool says the NASA Moon Landings were staged in Hawaii and offers “proof”. Be gone with you Mr David Bryant get off the “turps” dear fellow.
    https://tinyurl.com/yak4uc65

  • jack says:

    I think someone, perhaps Yvonne, mentioned the price Tassie Labor paid for it’s past alliance with the Greens.

    it’s a tricky one, as a good deal of the Greens support is the old Socialist Left, of which i was a part back in the day.

    I’m proud that we were generally the repository of most of the sillier progressive policies in our day and if Troy Bramston’s article is correct the SL still does some good work in that area, even if the Greens are easily the Clubhouse Leaders in the field.

    the Challenge for Labor is to get itself into government by appealing to the centre of the electorate and using the support of the Greens where necessary, but not entering to any formal agreements with them.

    I shudder whenever I see the wedding photos, bad enough doing a public signing, but a wattle corsage, WFT?

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-09-01/greens-labor-seal-deal/966044

    I always thought Julia G had the makings of a great PM, but why was there no-one saying, Err PM, no, we don’t need an agreement, they will votes with us anyway when it counts, and seriously, a civil marriage ceremony, why, it will turn off the centre big time.

    • Boadicea says:

      Down here it was a disaster – for both parties really.
      I still don’t know why the Greens vote went to Labor this time. The Greens could be left with just one sitting member after the count is finalised, even though there are plenty of issues they are involved with here. They are probably trying to work out what happened too.
      They lack leadership I think

  • Dismayed says:

    The PM stating today wage rises are bad for the economy. We now have more irrefutable proof the coalition are deliberately trying to create working poor. No surprises.

  • Jean Baptiste says:

    Bare minimums, For a protracted siege I think 10,000 rounds at least for your main battle rifle. You could risk running less if you are certain you can capture some ammunition. I would recommend checking out the residents in nearby areas by casually enquiring how big their cache is for purposes of requisitioning replenishments when the SHTF. It is not a bad idea to encourage those liable to be more co-operative in stressful situations to increase their stocks.
    http://www.theprepperjournal.com/2013/12/11/much-ammo-need-shtf/

    • Henry Blofeld says:

      I say Mr Baptiste, that post caused your humble correspondent to pour another pre dinner whiskey it did! Of course if the SHTF in a big way one indeed would want to be well prepared as per your humble advice on equipping ones “armoury”. May I add a small “extra” in 6 cases of Jim Beam to help out during the “lulls” these siege things seem to always have. Many thank for your handy advice dear fellow shall follow same and stock up. Cheers

    • Bella says:

      Feeling proud ATM. Right away I knew SHTF! #LifeGoals
      I’ve conquered urban shorthand JB, the firearm stuff – not so much.

    • wraith says:

      Currently building the re-enforced armory. No, seriously. Thick concrete walls and floor, steel door being made at the local engineering guys, special hinges. My hubby and his boys are having a lovely time (out of my hair!) putting this thing together.
      Male bonding, (sigh…..), tis a beautiful thing.
      I mean, we have our own shooting range, and we need to comply (we already do) with laws about weapons storage, this is just the lads having it because they can. If you’re going to do it, go whole hog I say.
      cheers gun nuts

  • BASSMAN says:

    MORE BONKING…..but the wrong person gets sacked! A staffer to Turnbull, Caitlin Keage has lost her job after using social media to out Innovation Minister Matt Kean, of infidelity with state MP Elini Petinos. Text messages show an intimate relationship between the two.
    The media adviser used Instagram to share screenshots of Kean’s very explicit texts with state MP Eleni Petinos. Asked if Kean misses her, he responded: “Yup, really need to f–k you.”

  • Milton says:

    Have the unions ever created just any jobs, except those within the union? They seem be a nursery for labor politicians. And the people from whom the unions get their coin from, sometimes in the lower paid sectors, get sold down the river by the likes Shorten and co; or have their money spent on junkets and prostitutes and bikie thugs.
    At least Hawke had the ability to exert influence over the unions [think Kelty] and at other times stand up to them. Shorten couldn’t stand up for an old person on a bus, let alone stand up to anything.
    His best work was in filling up media time at Beaconsfield. Sadly for them, labor can’t get rid of this dud thanks to Rudd and all they can do is endure, and support stuff that will come back to haunt them, until the next election is over. Then the Albanese, Plibersek and Bowen bunfight will begin.

    • Boadicea says:

      Haha. Once heard a comment re Beaconsfield that the most dangerous risk there was to get between Bill and the television camera!

    • Trivalve says:

      I don’t remember job creation being the raison d’etre of unions.

      • Milton says:

        True, your memory is correct, but employment is the main raison d’etre of the unions. The unions are essentially parasites on the employed. The unions are also the puppet masters of the Labor party – they own them and thus are owed by them. Work, which they don’t create, is vital for the unions existence, hence they are reliant, dependent even, on the very institutions that they publicly undermine. Due to their activities the number of people that could be employed, if the cost to employ wasn’t worth the carrot, is not as great as it could be, therefore the worker is less important to them as the employer. That is where we are at now at that is why the unions have positioned themselves, via obstructionist power, to ensure their [not the worker’s] survival through what is basically extortion. That is they get their cut and the employer gets the job done and the worker in the middle is shafted. My point being that the unions are a threat to job creation and therefore the economy and it is they who are the Labor party. Would they be against Adani in the big scheme of things?

        • Trivalve says:

          There were unions before there was a Labor Party Milton. They decided to form a political party, remember? I am constantly bemused by the way Coalishun politicians and others (ahem) point out that Labor is in the thrall of the unions when the party is their creation. Shock, horror! True, the party has broadened over the years but it’s the union’s party.

          Whether they are good, bad or ugly, unions exist to protect workers and look after their interests. if they didn’t exist, we’d have to invent them.

    • Jean Baptiste says:

      You are in a sad place.

  • Dwight says:

    Apparently, some folks who couldn’t find rural Australia with Google Earth–including the senator for Moscow–think there is a roo shortage.

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