Humble servant of the Nation

Politicians sucking hard in our living rooms

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The week in Australian federal politics was headlined by the triumphant return of ‘Bad’ Malcolm Turnbull.

Australians had become accustomed to the pinkie-extended punctilios of Pleasant Malcolm and it has become clear they don’t much care for them.

So with nothing left to lose, Bad Malcolm got a run and delivered a withering character assessment of the Opposition leader. It was a terrific spray, no doubt, so full of harsh burns Bill Shorten may well still be plastering himself in aloe vera.

Bad Malcolm left his best line to last: “This sycophant, blowing hard in the House of Representatives, sucking hard in the living rooms of Melbourne — what a hypocrite.”

Understandably, lovers of the pugilistic arts weren’t about to get too excited. Should the People’s House ever become the House of Stoush with ‘Truffles’ Turnbull and ‘Wee Billy’ Shorten coming to blows, it would make last week’s Danny Green-Anthony Mundine fight look like the Thriller in Manilla.

Full column here.

842 Comments

  • BASSMAN says:

    Jack…please do us all a favour and ban these terms from the blog:-
    1. Fake news
    2. Alternate facts

    All they really serve is for someone to use these terms when they don’t agree with something. Put bluntly it means they are too gutless to argue their case cogently with FACTS.

  • Henry Blofeld says:

    Looking good Melania, the new “Jackie K”, Mr Insider, as the attached article shows. This new Trump Presidency sure is looking good. The 1st Lady no doubt will champion many causes herself in time and hubby Donald sure is shaking up the Establishment. May I venture a “touch of Camelot”.
    http://tinyurl.com/gvpc2r6

  • Carl on the Coast says:

    Jean Baptiste
    Feb 16 10.23AM

    says in part: ” … the increased C02 levels can affect our atmosphere which in scale is no thicker than a balloon stretched around a basketball. ”

    Thank you JB for your simple notes explaining how you understand this relatively recent AGW caper works. Without your colourful ‘greenhouse effect on the balloon around the basket ball’ analogy I would still be in the dark.

    Of course, we both know that what you have provided is not the complete story. There are some obvious gaps.

    However, I suppose there is no space left in our carbon constrained conversation on here to fully explain for instance how at least five major ice ages were able to transit from the glacial to the interglacial periods. And at least one such interglacial has been reported as having caused virtually all of the then earth’s ice to completely disappear. Melt, gone, kaput! Certainly much, much more than just a few buckets of your Greenland ice cubes down the drain one would imagine.

    Just think of it JB!

    Just think of the increased global temperature that must have been required. Where did it come from? And no industrial revolution to blame. Causes one to wonder what sort of balloon was around that basket ball in those days.

    Yes, there’s certainly so many more rabbit holes still left to explore. We might even find a golf ball in one or two of them me old mate, eh.

    • Jean Baptiste says:

      No Carl, I’m sorry to inform you but what you are experiencing as brilliantly original and challenging thoughts have long ago been examined in great detail and discredited as silly by science. You can explore all the abandoned rabbit holes you care to Carl, but you might consider learning how to read a simple graph and make an association that even a child could easily make. It could save you a lot of time.
      Speaking of rabbit holes, from the quality of your logic I suspect you may have been in the business of making hats.

      As a precursor to understanding the following link you will need to acquaint yourself with difference between the terms “abrupt” and “slow”. When changes happen over thousands of years they are said to be slow, at least in relation to changes of the same magnitude which take place in mere decades. To which we apply the term “abrupt.”

      https://skepticalscience.com/climate-change-little-ice-age-medieval-warm-period.htm

      and heres those graphs again.

      https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11638-climate-myths-human-co2-emissions-are-too-tiny-to-matter/

      For the next step I think we should seek a referral to a specialist to find out if there is a clapper in that little bell in your head. Something’s just not right here.

  • Jean Baptiste says:

    JTI
    That talk with Fidler this morning was excellent. Highly recommended.

    • Jack The Insider says:

      Here’s the link: http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/conversations-jack-hoysted-chow-hayes/8257526
      Also available on iTunes, Spotify etc for nowt.

      • Nick says:

        Jack, heard the broadcast today. As usual you and Richard had a riveting ‘Conversation’ and I loved it. You two work brilliantly together over the airwaves. As good as your Fine Cotton piece which I previously commented on.
        Crossing many threads, I must apologise that I only recently got ‘Unholy Trinity’ from the library. Sorry about the royalties; I read it in two marathon sessions.
        There are still real heroes out there and Denis Ryan is one. Thank you for telling his story.
        I’m a couple of years older than you and brought up in South Aussie with Scouts but no church involvement.
        My Mum 80+ (years of Guides involvement) is still perplexed as to how she, and so many others, were charmed by Bob Brandenburg but isn’t that one way these grubs (being polite) operate.
        I was never personally affected, didn’t know the extent and could only imagine the ramifications but your book certainly has filled in that gap.
        What an utterly shameful part of our history when children were so vulnerable to those who should have been caring for them.
        And I don’t single out the RC Church in that condemnation. I count myself as fortunate!
        Cheers, Nick

    • BASSMAN says:

      Yes I never miss Dickie Fidler and when Jack is on it is even more riveting!!

  • Dismayed says:

    Whoa guys. I appreciate all the support. I absolutely believe and have always believed everyone has the right to an opinion. I also believe in presenting evidence to give people the opportunity to review. If people decide to not accept the evidence presented that is their decision. There have been times where I have responded to personal attacks with very forthright responses. I do not want people to change their ways for me. If people choose to leave that is their decision or JTI’s. I do not think it is right to apportion blame for the choice of people to stop reading this excellent blog under the stewardship of JTI. This blog has always been likened to a Front bar. Robust discussion presented in each contributors own way. It would be very disappointing if those that don’t like someone’s delivery leave because they cant get their own way. I have enjoyed JTI’s articles and the argy bargy on this blog for close to a decade. It would be very sad to think people would leave and blame others for it. I hope it continues strongly for as long as JTI cares to offer his services to this community. I do not want to be the catalyst of a major split or worse JTI giving up on this community.

    • jack says:

      ohh, get over yourself.

      and Yvonne, stick it out, you make a good contribution.

      changing topic to something less tiresome, i watched q&a last night, are you aussie taxpayers really paying for child care for folks who don’t go to work?

      • Lifter with a broken back says:

        Tiresome! I’m sick and tried of paying tax to cover every poor impoverished child rearing, ice tooting, loco juice guzzling, IVF needing, political party sucking, CGT optimizing, everybody but me, needy cause!

      • Dismayed says:

        Early childhood education for the most vulnerable children in society. You have an issue with that? The only way to help these most vulnerable children is to give them better educational opportunities to try and break the cycle. Far out man. True colours shining through now. We actually subsidise the children of the wealthiest people even more. But you don’t seem to have an issue with that?

        • Jack says:

          What, children are the most vulnerable children in society because their parents aren’t working?

          What sort of test is that?

          If you want to look after the vulnerable do so, but don’t make the test for that, hey we are sitting at home.

          • Dismayed says:

            Jack so you still prefer to subsidise the wealthiest but don’t want to help break the poverty cycle by giving early childhood education to those that need it most. What is you suggestion then? You attack and blame and shame those struggling in an economy where work is increasingly casual and part time. The latest underutilisation of labour rate is over 15% of working age people over 1 million working Australians cant find enough hours to work, underemployment is over 9% another nearly 800K cant find any work. These are ABS stats so the real rate is higher again because to be considered employed you only have to work 1 hour per fortnight. But you state people are sitting at home through choice. The Governments own data shows that 0.06% of people choose to stay at home again 0.06% of people choose to stay at home and yes most of these have some sort of addiction or dependency and mental health issues. Even if you double that it still is only just over 1%. It is no longer 1950.or 60 or 70 where there are full time jobs around. Your neo-liberal mates and their voodoo trickle down “economics” too those jobs out of the equation. so instead of hating the world what do you suggest the country does to break the poverty cycle and give Every child a chance?

      • Milton says:

        Numbnuts missed your point, HK Jack. But you also missed the point of childcare subsidies for the unemployed parent. How the hell are Narelle and Chantelle and their cohort expected to enjoy their bubblies and nibblies, whilst conversing on all manners child nurturing with the little shits underfoot? Get with the times Jack,
        Remember it takes a village full of taxpayers to raise a child.

        • Dismayed says:

          Milton, “Numnuts” If I respond you will cry victim status. Weak weak effort. Now to your usual ignorance. Unemployed don’t get people get subsidies, no income no subsidy they are provided a certain amount of hours per week of early childhood education. The government wants to cut this access to those children that need it the most. you are happy to subsidise the most wealthy but not those who have the least. It is clear you have missed the point of most things. The only way to get more people off Welfare is to Educate them from the earliest time in life so they can break the poverty cycle. They can then start earning and paying taxes you are then happy to subsidise them apparently.

        • Dismayed says:

          Milton for once you are almost correct, It does take all of society working together to progress the nation. this is why under your conservative the country stagnates every time.

        • jack says:

          thanks milton, i am a bit out of touch, but i can see the sense in it now.

          • Dismayed says:

            your eyes and your mind need to be open in order to see. Myopia and blinkered vision is not seeing it is justifying your bias.

    • Mark Antony says:

      OMG Hail Caesar

  • Rodent says:

    Yvonne,..
    Stay close Yvonne and remain on the blog with your opinions to read.
    Jack will sort out Dismayed keeping an eye on him .Keep your chin up and remain on the blog with both sides of bloggers here differing in opinions will feel the same as I am stating.
    Cheers.

  • Henry Blofeld says:

    Spicer-ize your name! How White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer would say your name, Mr Insider. Light-hearted stuff, just type your name in and Sean Spicer will interpret it.
    http://tinyurl.com/j3dodc3

  • smoke says:

    someone was interested in this the other day…one of these below suggest the tower uses 45t of steel reo…a little low I think.

    https://stopthesethings.com/2014/08/16/how-much-co2-gets-emitted-to-build-a-wind-turbine/
    https://debunkhouse.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/how-much-coal-goes-into-a-wind-turbine/

  • Rodent says:

    Robin . Just on your blog about fake news ,much fake news has accelerated since the American elections , particular Yank news services filtering through the internet . When you here more into it , much of the news services take the cheap option taking news from facebook and other opinions . News from some outlets according to this American journo talking weeks back , is worrying the qualified editorists having themselves shoved aside. I was listening to John Laws talking about this saying much of the internet now is filled with “ünqualified reporting ” saying anyone and anything can appear on the internet these days. This old bugger may have his critics as I am one , but he was backed up by another I listened in on. Fake news is everywhere now and social media is leading the way with media like the Guardian pick up on it.

  • Dismayed says:

    A major enquiry is required into the AEMO. Their own report highlights how badly they administered the Energy market last week. “But another 300MW of gas plant was lost, some of it just minutes before the blackout. (That compares to a gradual loss of 100MW of wind energy below expectations).”
    “Three other gas units also suddenly dropped out of the system just over an hour before the load shedding”
    http://reneweconomy.com.au/s-a-blackouts-dud-forecasts-lousy-software-failing-gas-plants-46047/

    • smoke says:

      this my submission …gouging

    • Razor says:

      Of note is the fact that part of the problem was the wind dropped out too quickly this not allowing them to plan adequately. At the moment renewable technology is not sufficiently advanced. Wind, due to its variability, in particular can unbalance the system. The current network is such that a 50% mix is unreliable and the ability to bring on significant amounts of base load power very quickly is needed. That doesn’t exist because of the reliance by SA on the interconnector.

      • Dismayed says:

        Sigh . Pretty clear. “The System Event Report for February 8, released on Wednesday afternoon, reveals that wind energy was not the culprit, despite the efforts of the Coalition and certain vested interests to make it so. This was a case bad management, and failing technology”
        “AEMO’s forecasts for temperatures and wind energy in South Australia on the afternoon of February 8 were hopelessly wrong. And when the crunch came after the operator realised its mistake, key fossil fuel infrastructure failed or melted down in the heat.”

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