Let me take you back. Way, way back to the evening of December 2, 2017. The Prime Minister and his deputy stood arm in arm at the West Tamworth Leagues Club. Joyce had just won the New England by-election by a thumping margin and Turnbull declared he was “putting the band back together.”
Ah, good times.
Alas, rock stars and politicians are, if nothing else, a difficult and unpredictable lot. Velvet Underground reformed and got halfway through a European tour in 1992 before the band’s two enormous egos, Lou Reed and John Cale, remembered why the band had split up in the first place. The two men hated the sight, let alone the creeping presence, of one another. The tour and the reunion ended abruptly, and Reed and Cale went their separate ways.
The Turnbull-Joyce combo did not come to grief because of crippling personality conflict. although it may do so at some time in the near future. But back then the band had only broken up when Joyce discovered his unfortunate New Zealand-news. We subsequently learned the High Court did not so hold and Joyce was off to a by-election that on the parliamentary numbers at least, threatened the Turnbull government’s majority.
Full column here.
take2
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-22/more-to-jobs-and-growth-than-a-corporate-tax-cut/9471856?pfmredir=sm
Here is one cross posted from The Conversation.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/there-isnt-solid-research-or-theory-to-support-cutting-corporate-taxes-to-boost-wages,11231
Armed schoolteachers! I’m lost for words. Do they really think that will fix the problem ?☹
Yes. They do.
First person to shoot is the schoolteacher.
So what’s the big deal? Everyone packs heat in the good ol’ US of A.
Probably saves teachers time with detention. ‘You feelin’ lucky kid’.
Does George Christensen have a Dip Ed?
Billy Buckmeister just pushed the science teachers buttons once too often.
She outed the roscoe and put one between Billy’s eyes.
It wasn’t pretty, but Ethel did more for respect for teachers in that one passionate moment than any individual had done previously in the history of education.
Well except for Mrs Robinson……
Nice one, Razor!
Indeed, Boa.
Here’s Jim to explain how stupid it is. Some colourful language though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rR9IaXH1M0
Sheesh! Of course it won’t. They should arm the janitors and crossing ladies and bus drivers too.
btw I think Gryzly should put you on a handicap in the tipping comp this year. After (unreliably) claiming to have “no football knowledge”, you went on to blitz the field last year. I tried to catch you up but I ran out of money to buy goats and chickens, and fell away mid season. Word to the wise, chickens provide a really unreliable entrail. Perhaps I used the wrong breed.
“I’m lost for words.”
Well Jesus Christ, Mary, Joseph and all his carpenter mates, it’s a miracle!
Never try to catch a snake!
Miracles do happen, JB. Told you
Now, now. You’re better than that JB. Just because your protoge is obsessed with her, no need for you to run the ball.
JB doesn’t worry me, MtK.
He can get a bit mean when he teams up with his protege, but I quite like sardonic humour.
Underneath it there is a heart – unlike the protege.
And besides, you weren’t really “lost for words” at all were you? If I hadn’t instinctively known that you were merely employing a figure of speech I might have had died from shock.
We’d miss you – so i won’t try harder to shock you then
“You’re better than that JB.” Don’t you defame me Mack! I am not better than that!
God, don’t you start that nonsense!
Ok, we’ll keep it secret for now, don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea
Wrong idea? I’m a geezer I am.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8_U0q1jpzo
Some major companies are ending their association with the NRA. Bank of Ohio, largest private bank in the USA are dumping their NRA Visa card product, and 3 large car rental firms are ending their NRA members discount. Here is something that might have some success in blunting the influence of the NRA. A well planned boycott could work wonders. The hip pocket nerve is the most sensitive. GOP Governor of Kentucky, and NRA member, Matt Bevin stated the Florida atrocity was caused by violent video games.
http://www.newsweek.com/parkland-school-shooting-second-amendment-gun-control-video-games-movies-nra-809681
It would need to be a big boycott. I think the NRA is the biggest single interest association in the US.
http://money.cnn.com/news/cnnmoney-investigates/nra-funding-donors/index.html
The AARP and the National Association of Realtors spend more lobbying than the NRA
Doesn’t mean the NRA spent little.
Where are you on arming all the teachers Dwight?
Now you know no one has said “arm all the teachers”. It’s why I avoid these debates as people make stuff up about their opponents on both sides.
So how about arming the teachers who are competent with guns then?
jack says: FEBRUARY 19, 2018 AT 6:19 PM AND Dismayed says:
FEBRUARY 20, 2018 AT 9:31 AM (Relating to BIG /SMALLgovernment)
The fairest way to measure big/small government is to compare expenditure to GDP. Cormann always accuses Labor of being ‘big government’. Like most of what he says, especially relating to debt, is lies. Under the Rudd and Gillard governments, the average size of government was 47.4% of GDP. Under Howard it was 49.2% of GDP. The Labor government was 1.8% of GDP smaller than the Coalition under Howard. That’s the equivalent of $30 billion per annum in today’s dollar terms. This is BIG government no matter what Big Arnie Cormann says.
You can do that when you legislate programs and put the spending out past the forward estimates.
Sigh. PEFO before the 2013 election under labor’s policies and settings had debt peaking at 12% of GDP and dropping from 2015. the budget was to be back in balance 2016/17. Spending was at 24% of GDP. Debt is presently at 19% of GDP and Growing. The budget is still $35 Billion in deficit. spending has been at 25.8% of GDP for the every year of the coalition government. The coalition proudly claims over 80% of their legislative agenda has been passed.You are wrong as usual. You refuse to accept facts. You continue to make dishonest comments. You are ridiculous. No surprises.
goodness me, we weren’t discussing anything as grand as the size of government, it was about the numbers and cost of political staff.
i don’t think this is a partisan political issue as all political parties in Australia, state and federal, have pumped up the numbers and cost of staff over the last fifty or sixty years, which is the point Adam Creighton was making in his excellent article.
I have observed this growth, under both Liberal and Labor governments, with interest.
I can recall a brother in law being the only electorate staffer of a Labor MP in the late 1970s, each MP has four now, I can recall Ministerial offices with just a handful of people during the 1980s and a few more in the 1990s, and many more by the time i was visiting them regularly in the mid-2000s.
Now the PM has fifty and SA JA nearly that many, including 17 media advisers.
17 media advisers in a one-paper town, just quietly, they can just about hand deliver the Tiser to anyone who wants it, and have enough left over for a radio station each.
Yes Jack, my sister was the electorate staffer for a certain Brunswick Labor MP back in the early 80s and moved into his Ministerial office when they got into power. There were about 5 of them all up….bit different now. Even in the Northern Territory there are about 15 advisors in the CMs office alone. With a population of about 190,000 every Territorian’s well-being is covered by at least one advisor from State, Local and the Public Service…..pity that all they want to do us go fishing and drink beer.
Fishing? Beer? Can’t fault that!
Yes, that’s all they want to do. And that’s why we have so many advisors. It’s not cheap, but it is what must be done to keep them there. Biggest and most cost effective looney bin in the world. Imagine the cost of building a wall around it!
Razor Feb21 6.37pm
You think the whalers felt ‘threatened’ by Sea Shepherd?
Au contraire. Wrong way around Razor, it’s the Japanese who use all the firearms, we use non-lethal tactics like throwing rancid butter on the flencing deck to stop the butchers & the harpoons or we chase them so they can’t hunt or we foul their propellors to stop their hunt.
In our entire SO campaigns nobody has been seriously injured, no thanks to those Japanese liars who’ve rammed our ships, sunk the Ady Gill & tried to sink the Bob Barker between their Korean refuelling vessel & their factory ship. How convenient for them to leave out confessions of shots fired at our zodiac patrol boats.
But you go on ahead & bag us & the Greens mate cos it makes no difference to how proud I am to be doing my bit to save those magnificent creatures that the cruelest nation on this Earth likes to murder every chance they get. You may not know that in Taiji Japan they drive entire pods of dolphins into a cove where they select a ‘cute’ one to sell then ram a steel rod down the blowholes of the rest including the babies. The cove turns red with their blood.
If I was offered a million bucks to visit barbaric Japan, Norway or Iceland I would happily refuse cos I have unshakeable standards.
You know I hate whaling Bella, but what about the Japanese people on the ships who are only trying to earn a living even though they don’t like whaling?
What about them mate, they have a choice to make.
Be a cog in the filfthy wheel of illegal whaling & aid in the killing of hundreds of sentient beings every year or work somewhere else.
Beats me how they look in the mirror.
Bella would that be like Dismayed working in fossil fuel and campaigning against AGW? I’d be interested in your view.
Nice try Razor but I’m not jumping into the middle of this blog’s endless tit-for-tat. Gets a bit too nasty for me mate.
Just ease up on each other; life’s too short. 🐳
%$%& “em.
I’ve never been that desperate for a job Razor and I did work as a plumbers mate for a couple of months. Unblocking the old sewers that come down from Wickam Tce when demolishing the old Central station was a real blast, literally.
Australia’s permanent skilled migrant intake is significantly higher today (128,550) than it was at the peak of the mining boom in 2011 (113,850). Plus the permanent migrant intake of 220,000 per year. Why? Unlike then, labour shortages are “limited”, wages growth is running near the lowest level on record, and labour underutilisation is high. What is the economic rationale for running the highest permanent migrant intake on record when economic conditions do not warrant it?
The Australian Government’s Intergenerational Report projecting population growth of nearly 400,000 people a year – equivalent to one Canberra – until Australia’s population reaches 40 million mid-century
Never thought I’d see you on Tony Abbott’s side of the ledger Dismayed.
Abbott’s side?
It’s a big Ponzi scam, giving the illusion of real growth.
The highest intake was under Rudd….by about 90000……
“skilled migrant intake is significantly higher today (128,550) than it was at the peak of the mining boom in 2011 (113,850” comprehension deficit razor. No surprises.
Quote your source when cutting and pasting.
Macroeconomics. Are you a subscriber? No ? that would require you to be able to absorb information that does not fit your narrow ideology.
It would be nice if you cited your sources sometimes too Boa.
If i give a direct quote i always do
She does Penny. Pull the claws in.
trumps plan to stop shootings? More Guns. republicans claim students are actors. trump and those that support him are regressing society and human civilisation. No Surprises.
No…..lunatics claim students are actors……
Yes republicans. You refused to see it because they are on the same side as your disgusting ideology. No surprises.
Dismayed, I’m no Coalition voter and I don’t agree with many, many of their ideas. But disgusting?? We’re not talking about North Korea or any number of worse outfits.
The current Democrat representative for Pennsylvania is anti-gun control. Ideology? You really have a problem. Bet you don’t answer this post.
That’s one. Are you constructing a case on one outlier?
An excellent piece on Australia’s immigration policies.
https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2018/february/1517403600/james-button/dutton-s-dark-victory
Thanks Mac. Top link. Last line ominous.
41 coal fired power station failures this year to date. Talk about intermittent power. “The Australian Energy Regulator has cited the failure of the Loy Yang B coal generator (one of 41 coal unit trips so far this summer), for sending wholesale electricity prices sky-rocketing in the middle of a heat wave in Victoria and South Australia on January 18′
Something I’ve been saying for many years! Love him or hate him Bolt has nailed this.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-bolt/andrew-bolt-kids-are-dying-to-validate-myth-of-the-stolen-generations/news-story/4dc673352d05ffea2e11b19b75475519
Here is just one piece of fact to shoot to pieces your ridiculous post. You are wrong and refuse to face facts.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/tesla-battery-solar-now-significantly-cheaper-grid-power-51011/
Did you read what I posted? It had nothing to do with Global warming. Do you need a doctor?
Great article exposing the true cost of renewables!
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/deregulate-energy-market-and-go-back-to-coal/news-story/1aac05b3a81530160e0ee14ecbd1f60e
Ridiculous article with blatantly false and wrong $ used for solar wind, coal etc as usual. Seriously razor get some facts. What is your aversion to facts and honesty. The fact you would post this type of dishonest opinion piece continues to prove you fail your own “character test’ again. No Surprises.
Right on Razor! Lets charge full tilt into oblivion fat and drunk. Save the planet? Bugger that, I’d rather pay someone to polish my car.
You’ve won me JB. I’m not actially fat right now, pretty lean to be honest, as opposed to mean for someone who might be dismayed. But at this stage of life, and I’ve borrowed a few, tilting into drunk sounds good.
The car’s not too dirty, but come around whenever you like, I pay Walmart casual rates plus free homemade lemonade, but bring your own recyclable container. If I feel generous you’ll get a bonus, and I’m sure you’ll be over the moon.
What part of “I’d rather pay someone to polish my car” do you not understand?
Have you tried reading from the last word backward to the first?
There has to be a simple solution to this problem of yours Lou.