One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts’ testimony in the High Court yesterday might have been a crippling blow to the 77 people who voted for him but let’s look on the bright side. We haven’t had a senator so amusing since Mal Colston and truth be known, Malcolm Roberts is far more trustworthy around a packet of Tim Tams.
While the senator left the High Court yesterday looking cheerfully optimistic, there was general agreement from most observers that perhaps things had not gone quite as well as expected. This was rudely confirmed when the overflow room, established to accommodate the large number of visiting journalists who couldn’t fit into the gallery of the Brisbane court, spontaneously burst into uncontrollable laughter on numerous occasions.
The case, as far as we can tell, revolves around Malcolm Roberts firing off missives into the ether seeking to determine his citizenship status prior to nominating as a candidate for the Senate. The emails bear the subject heading, “Am I still a British citizen?” which stands at odds with the senator’s belief he has always been an Australian despite arriving in Australia in 1962 as an eight-year-old.
Full column here.
My more extensive earlier comment has been deleted but to summarise; oddballs aside the problem with the senate is the apparatchiks, spivs and time servers that both major parties put up as senators. Fix that and you fix the senate. Ricky Muir and Jackie Lambie have both grown into the role.
Yeah must say UQ., she seems to have matured and spruced herself up somewhat. Abd goes on the cause of the battler
Jackie Lambie’s a fighter B Tassie is lucky she’s there. I’d like to see ten JL’s to no One Nation simpletons like Hanson & Roberts.
Agree Bella
I think RM has gone back to sawmilling sleepers.
He bought the mill
Good old taxpayers money
Good usage of it I’d say
It’s called salary
or alternatively, he’s a go-getter. good on him.
Yes, good comment UQ
Perfectly good idea Jack.
All we need to do now is get Dismayed to stand for the Senate. Could you do a bit of moonlighting as his campaign manager? It would guarantee him a spot, and no you don’t have to believe any of the press releases you put out.
Footy very good.
Not really.
No, really…
It’s all over for the cats now.
Interesting fact: I note that the Adelaide oval is pretty much sold out, with around 50 000 spectators, but the head count is twice that!!
Cats have some work in front of them but it’s doable. Unfortunately the young fella wants to watch the league.
Bruce last night: “ten minutes ago the situation for the Cats was hopeless. Now they’re a chance.”
Am I the only one who sees that as a contradiction? (Brucellosis)
Yep, I recall something like that. I wasn’t sure whether to classify it as a contradiction or just plain nonsense. I thought he said “ten minutes ago their task was insurmountable, but now it isn’t” ???????????? But at least he didn’t follow it with “you just get the feeling that the next goal is going to be very important”.
Yeah that was it. I don’t know why they don’t all just walk off after the next goal?
I am sure Bruce is a nice bloke, but i have gotten used to watching the friday night game in my local without the sound up, but plenty of sledging from the crowd.
i don’t miss the insightful analysis at all.
and we are spared the Brian Taylor rubbish.
Brian Taylor will be insufferable if he gets a gig for the GF, being a former Richmond player and all. He reminds me a lot of Doug Wade – both being fairly portly full forwards
Dougie only put food in his mouth,and let his boot do the talking.
I don’t know how Taylor got so fat with his foot in his mouth most of the time. When I get home I’ll watch the replay with the sound turned off. BT could well get the pain in the arse of the year award.
Agreed, Lou, and that’s a good suggestion about the volume. Taylor really is the worst AFL commentator on TV.
The National Party in NZ has discovered one of their candidates has spent 15 years in the PLA … aka the Chinese Army.
He apparently failed to mention it.
As to the current subject, I think it is the end result of voting for a party and not the individual.
Most people have never met their candidate let alone have an understanding of their belief systems.
How do you say “mole” in Mandarin?
Go Eddie yessssss!!
Eddie was very good wasn’t he (let’s face it , they all were). Sorry to see the end of Mackie. Always liked the way he went about things.
Mackie was one of the best – sledgers. And he was also a great player! I’ll miss the guy, too.
I see that Tony Abbott knows as much about the motivations behind his Liverpool Kisser as he did about running the country.
Notwithstanding that the thug should be charged, it was a cheap political stunt from Tony Abbott.
Some feral assaults the former Prime Minister of this country and you blame him? Sheesh.
I blame Abbott for assigning a motive before being in possession of the facts, for political gain – not for being headbutted.
Is comprehension not part of the curriculum at Griffith and Wisconsin?
TO you cannot be serious surely? The bloke, love or hate him, was assaulted by an idiot. How does anyone know what the blokes actual motivation was? You’re taking the
1. Yes, Abbott was assaulted by an idiot – this is very bad; and
2. True, no-one really knows what the idiot’s motive was; but
3. Abbott made up a motive to suit his political purpose – this is also very bad.
Razor, I agree with everything you’ve written. Then why did Abbott say he did know the guy’s motivation, if not to push his own barrow? The Kisser has denied it since. I hope the thug (not Abbott, but the one that headbutted him) gets what’s coming to him.
Thugs are thugs, whatever side of the SSM argument they’re coming from. This whole argument about Yes voters being bigger bullies than No voters is just nonsense.
Agree with you re Abbott & the thug.
Funny how Abbott had no hesitation in using the timing to push his message of fear though.
Also quite strange is that Abetz couldn’t wait to use the alleged incident, well before the arrest, to paint all pro SSM voters as violent.
The bloke was wearing a yes badge but I agree that does not necessarily infer motive. As for behaving in a thuggish manner the yes crowd, of whom I’m one, seem to be acting in a more intolerant and thuggish way than the no crowd. Just my observation. Richo’s article below is pretty spot on.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/the-yes-campain-is-becoming-plain-antireligious/news-story/63aa865dd9f06fd1451442552ea450bb
You write, Mr Insider, and I quote: “The senator’s barrister, Robert Newlinds SC submitted to the court the defence would accept Roberts was a British citizen at the time he nominated as a candidate in last year’s election. The good senator however disagreed with the man charged to keep him in Canberra.” Now surely the High Court must find Roberts an “alien” given his barrister, whom Roberts is paying mega dollars, has admitted that to the Court. The only fly in the ointment here is the wacky Roberts himself surely! Pauline sure knows how to attract them, like attracts like perhaps.
PS and OT from last blog. ‘Scuse if I haven’t replied to some. Have been touring the north in a ‘mixmaster bilong Jesus Christ’ , in the pursuit of the great cause of seismology and actually met up with Penny and Robin for dinner in Camooweal a few nights back (Post Office Hotel, I recommend the lamb chops). Burned a few ears that night I guess! Quite bushed at night, only get a little while free before crashing. Next stop has no internet at all (shock, horror – where’s the wireless NBN) and we aren’t carrying our own.
Thinking I’d like to see a Crows – Tiges GF, but GWS do deserve a crack I guess. Wouldn’t that make the AFL preen? But wasn’t it meant to be GWS and the Suns?
Hi wraith. Good to see you.
Oh, and I’ve seen just a little of this story about the shirt-front that Tony Abbott received. It’s not our way and should never have happened. I deplore it. But if it had to someone…
It sounds as though you’ve got another O&G gig, Trivalve. If so, that’s good news.
Better – applied geophysics for the public good!