Another year, another polly on the ropes over expense claims. Sussan Ley has been on the receiving end of a media pommeling and the collective wisdom is she’s been a naughty minister. She has been dispatched to Coventry and the view is she should settle down and grow accustomed to her new home.
As an observer of various entitlements farragoes over the years, I think Ms Leys’ spending puts her in exalted company, somewhere between Peter Slipper and the guv’nor, Labor’s Mal Colston. Spending $21,000 in a week or so on transport is extraordinary. I didn’t even think it was possible. With those frequent flyer miles, you can forget about the carrot sticks and chardy in the Qantas club. It’s foot-long lobster subs and Moët by the schooner. Hell, they’ll get you your own plane. Maybe even let you fly it.
The Minchin Protocol always sounded like a bad novel and now as it comes to its denouement, it is about as satisfying as an EH Holden Mechanics’ manual or anything knocked out by Clementine Ford.
Full column here.
People keep saying there are no jobs in renewable energy generation. They better tell the Chinese who are planning on investing US$360 billion on renewable energy creating about 13 million jobs between now and 2020. China also have a target of cutting coal use by 30% in 2017.
I luv aspirational
People are saying there are no Australian jobs in renewable energy.
Just 3 days away from his Inauguration as POTUS Donald Trump touches down briefly in Washington to attend a dinner. The excitement is mounting Mr Insider as Trump looks pretty sharp too for a 70yo. If he serves out 2 terms he will be 78yo just slightly older than was Ronald Reagan at the end of his 2nd term.
http://tinyurl.com/z6wv7g9
Their is a bit of Ronnie in him.
If you recall, at the end of Carter’s tenure, the Iranians were holding 60 or so Americans hostages. Carter tried everything but they knew he would never resort to force and kept throwing it in his face.
Reagan told them precisely what he would do on day 1.
They were released 4 hours before is inauguration.
The episode used be used in negotiation training,
Kathy
January 18, 2017 at 12:43 pm
says: “What a picky nasty type you are Carl on the Coast all your posts have nasty barb in them. Do you suffer some type of mental illness or behavioural disorder?”
It’s probably a brand of oppositional defiant disorder Kathy, but of course I’d never admit it.
You appear not to have twigged that mine is a sort of harmless display specially designed to test the validity of other peoples’ assertions. It is characterised by externalising repetitive inquiries, blended with subtle humour not normally visible to the naked eye but perceptive enough for those who hold the view that “life is mostly froth and bubble” (as Adam Lindsay Gordon once wrote). You may have noticed that I consider it important that famous words and phrases as the one I used above, not to mention whole paragraphs and chapters, should always be attributed to their authors.
Just as an aside, Adam Lindsay Gordon is one of my favourite Australian poets. I recommend you have a gander at some of his work; it might take the edge off some of your own snaky interventions and eliminate some of that apparent internal irritability that you tend to occasionally exhibit on this blog and elsewhere.
All the best with that, and I wish you well Kathy.
Adam Lindsay Gordons life may well have been mostly froth and bubble Carl.
Lets discuss the lines preceding,
“helping every feeble neighbour”
Excellent sentiment, doesn’t reconcile with your haughty fatalistic dismissal of the plight of the world’s poorest does it.
“seeking help from none.”
Which may be true, he didn’t need to ask for it, it was handed to him on a plate.
Word of caution to Kathy, avoid the colonial and Imperial Victorian poets less you be reduced to a nebulous carping jingoistic romantic dill and most probably a gin drinker.
http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/Gin-psychopath-test-alcohol-tonic-drink-truth-personality-favourite-beverage
Spurn Carl’s sly urging to discourage you from sharing your gift. Go for the New World Twain, Mencken, Bierce etc.
And above all Give ’em heaps.
I think you’re Kathy in disguise JB. Also Trevor Snott?
I rather like ALG’s poetry. Interesting if rather sad life.
Looks like Brandis has had his hand in the cookie jar again. Who doesn’t love going back to the place of your forebears, especially when you can take your son on the public purse? The old gold mining towns of Hargraves and Hill End in NSW do it for me
In The Oz today Michael McKenna tells us that last year Brandis took his son to western Queensland where they “explored their family connections to the region”. A bit more than $12,000 including the obligatory ‘staff member’. Of course Brandis covered the accomodation of his son – easy when you share a room.
Brandis visited a property once owned by his ex-wife’s family in the 1800’s and his great-great uncle’s grave.
Here’s the problem –
The Quilpie Mayor said that ONCE HE WAS INFORMED THAT BRANDIS WAS COMING he set up meetings and organised for him to open the Quilpie show.
On the other hand –
Brandis says that the purpose was to open the show and have meetings.
One of them is lying. Why would the Mayor of Quilpie tell fibs? Nothing in it for him. Caught out again George!
Also, what’s happening to the instincts of journalists? The obvious question of Brandis was “Is the Mayor not telling the truth, because one of you isn’t”. McKella thought just reporting the facts was doing his job. He needs to take the next step.
Hopefully someone will ask the question of Brandis and insist he answer it.
I am sure Milton will be the first to go out and get some new volleys.
I had to do a search Unmade as I thought you may have completely lost it. I checked out the ad and thought it a little ott for the volley. I’ve been a big fan for years, but haven’t worn them for awhile. They were my go to shoe for mowing the lawn (no one wants a squeaky clean and white pair of DV’s). And I’ve noticed their move into high fashion, with varying models displayed in K-Mart or perhaps Target, or both. I’m a ridiculous conservative, Unmade and as such a purist; when on a good thing, stick with it. An old, dishevelled drunk I drink with got his self a new (traditional, green) pair last year and he looked like a bundle of sidesteps. The transformation needed to be seen to be believed; they took days off his life.
Unmade – On another matter you mentioned on the previous post, apropos living standards better under labor – balls. Years and years ago I got into a whatever with Bassman about this and I provided him unambiguous and objective proof that under Howard the less well off were a lot better off than they had ever been. Certainly better off than they were under Keating, when many people and friends of mine either lost their home or struggled with 17% interest rates. Talk about rooted!
Milton, you should get your Volleyz from FSW or Payless etc, where they have the high quality variety (but more exxy). You can also get steel toes at atound $50-60. I just got some new black ones, wearing them to work. Unbeatable.
Dismayed hasn’t yet realised that volleys are back in fashion! You’re right up there, Milton! Good stuff.
Yvonne says:
January 18, 2017 at 3:40 am
“Seems Greg Hunt will be the new minister for health..
It always puzzles me when they switch portfolios like musical chairs. Sort of indicates to me that there are no ”experts in their field” running whatever portfolio they happen to have. No wonder it’s usually a stuff up.”
May I suggest your comment appears to be a hasty diagnosis Yvonne. Switching portfolios is not uncommon, nor is it a band-aid treatment. With Hunt at the Health helm the prognosis may be better than you think.
And you’ve got to remember, the boffins are the specialists.
True, Carl. In any event, its the bureaucrats below them that really run the show – while they travel! 🙂 Must say, I quite like Hunt. Can’t be easy taking on a portfolio that someone has left under a cloud.
After all, Hunt was just the BEST Environment Minister of all Environment Ministers.
Yes Yvonne bad you as Carl has told you and Carl’s an expert on everything isn’t he. Of course this exists only in his mind. I for one admire and respect your opinion.
good point, it hardly ever works out well when the Minister is or thinks he is the expert in the subject matter.
they become their own advisers, doing tow jobs at once, providing the advice and analysing and making a decision, they generally do neither well and it ends in tears.
The public service mandarins run the governments agenda…always have done. Ministers are just puppets briefed by the Ph.D’s in their portfolios.
Great blog today in the Murdock Press . ,…A government – appointed committee to oversee politicians travel expenses?… A bit like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank.
……or Rat in charge of Fender Stratocaster productions!
Colonel Sanders to mind the chooks!
JackSprat 10 :09am.
Very well said . You speak for the rest of us in all this wild unfounded stuff with putting a case of idealogy lies. The way he speaks to Yvonne ,is “absolutely atrocious , inmature, vindictive and personel hate “in his posts . He forgets the waste Labor spent on the 6 years opening up the illegal smuggling trade costing Labor or tax payers should say 11.7 billion from rounding up illegal smuggling,dead people in the water ,and boats to processing reported in the Murdock Press along with other media outlets years back still costing billions today on the backlog Labor left in detention centres . Short memories from these clowns JS! 4 Corners even clarified this with Sarah Freguson exposing the smugglers and their trade with asylum people admitted on camera they payed the smugglers $ 10 000 plus . It would be handy if Dismayed would remind us on this J S !
Rodent= Delusional. Sad. no other words just sad.
Every attempt by Labor to stop the flow of boats was blocked by the Liberals. In fact they cheered the boats in, kept a log and in the party room declared “the more boats that come the better politically for us”. Dobbed in by their moderates. Get real.
Carl on the Coast 08:00am
I checked with him .It was aimed at us like me as one of the pack listening to the media facts The media , that he really
hates.
Dismayed
I just had my first look at Brietbart – ever.
I understand completely why you are so upset with them as they give a completely different view of the news to the left wing rags from which you source your information. It counteracts the self-censorship and flagrant bias that goes on many in many of today’s media outlets e.g. “The Guardian”.
Of course I disagree with much of what you say because it is always from an extremely narrow ideological viewpoint that I happen to disagree with most of the time but not all the time.
Most things that you put on this blog are negative – I have never seen you post anything positive about any subject except those which align with your very narrow vision of the world.
It must be nice to be blessed with a mind that can never see or never bothers to see the other’s point of view – I have never had that luxury. I do make an exceptions to that rule when up against bigoted ideologists.
hahaha …google this… The Cheeto Cometh
quotes:
“What’s left in their trick-bag? Bake a poison cheesecake for the inaugural lunch?”
or
“The New York Times is acting like a Manhattan socialite in a divorce proceeding, with fresh hysterics every day”
JS. I post comments with research and data as evidence. If you decide to take an negative view that is your reaction and your response. Way past time for your to own your responses and your reactions. You like many here project your own failings and lack of understanding. That is not negative that is how it is. Whatever your reaction and response is yours and yours alone. Your attacks and opposition for the sake of it have become farcical. Your last paragraph highlights your own projections. You may have missed it because I have not told you so before. I am in the minority on this blog I have “the others point of view” perhaps you should consider why you and your con mates here have to attack everything that I post because it is definitely not confirming your already held bias which is the only way you can see things. Perhaps this why your project your own negativity any information that does no concur with your bias must be attacked.
Most of us are just plain fed up with your negativity,
Most of the time you just sound like a Troll from Labor Central.
JS. Irony is not your strong point. Read it again. Whatever you are reading into comments is YOUR problem.