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.
I don’t know if Turnbull can last – probably in a similar electoral state as the Black Knight from Monty Python’s Holy Grail, but largely self-inflicted – until the next election, but those behind him seem even less talented, particularly the Abbottites who seem to have his goolies in a vice, figuratively speaking. Probably with their snouts scraping the bottom of the self-allocated pork barrels as well.
As for the latest allegations about Trump and Russia, the most salacious might actually be the least relevant. From what we know about the rest of the web of his businesses, current and former, and his dealings and methods over the last few decades should have disqualified him before the primaries. The conspiracy theorism, birtherism, and anti-vaxxer shit, likewise.
Hope Buzzfeed haven’t given the Trumpers a cudgel to use if their dump of the apparent report into Trump’s links doesn’t bear out in the end, but they’ll very likely use it to argue against any likely scandals that come up in the next four years.
I really do not want to see the proof of the story of Trump in Obama’s former hotel room, if it actually exists.
trumps son a couple of years ago stated they had a lot money going in and going out of Russia? trump now claims he has no dealings in Russia. trump is a pathological liar.
Rhys, I think MT may stick it out because, as you say, there is no obvious replacement. Which is not good news for me as I have a wager with plmo that he’ll he gone this year…
His votes will go to Xenophon or Hanson and Shorten will romp it in by default
Yes, poor old Truffles needs the Abbottites grudging and highly conditional support to stay PM, with the proviso that he not govern! The problem for the Libs is that the same can be said of the party as a whole — without the conservative rump they would not be able to form government, but said rump’s program is unsellable, they are not great compromisers and the resulting internal ideological tension is paralysing. Turnbull’s replacement would face the same issue.
IMO the healthiest outcome for Australian democracy would be to call Bernardi’s bluff: an LNP split into soft and hard Right parties. This would no doubt be followed by a One Nation-like implosion of the hard-Right group as they realise their hatred of everything extends to each other as well. It would also leave the soft-Right group (most of the existing LNP) too small to form government. Obviously that’s not a scenario the LNP can contemplate, so, stalemate.
Do you think that implosion would be similar to what is happening with the Greens at the moment or is it just a ‘right’ thing?
Notwithstanding any recent goings-on, the big picture is that the Greens have been a stable political force in Australia since the 80s, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. Meanwhile all sorts of colourful right-wing groups have popped up and promptly self-destructed.
doesn’t look all that stable, what with the battle between the coms and the environmentalists.
nothing terminal in that of course, it reminds me of my own days in the labor party, but stability might be putting it a bit high.
Tell me your kidding! Apparently their National conferences are a hoot except how would the average voter know because media are not allowed in.
By goodness this blog has got off to a flying start to the New Year. What with Jean B protesting too much methinks because he was called a “gurly man”; surely most would consider that a fairly innocuous comment by Trevor Snott (who not only seems to have JB’s measure but also outed his glass jaw and a tendency to get a bit punchy whilst behind the typewriter). And then we had old mate Unmade, in his endearing boyish enthusiasm almost swallowing MT’s Budgie. You go girlfriend(s)!
Alas JOH started the year playing the man, not tearing apart his points of contention, and then suggesting i’m a conspiracy freak. On that seek out JB, who deservedly is this site’s template for conspiracy nutters. Thankfully JB is always asking for contrary views (“Cone one bubbykins, debate me.” he says to me the other day; no doubt after a few billy’s). Like JB I am not an “expert” in this field and therefore in the same vein can only provide opinions on the matter from people who are employed in it, or enthused by it, and then provide their stuff in the same manner as Jean – cut and paste. No doubt he will provide a rebuttal to the Manhattan Contrarians questions etc.
A while back Jean provided this advice: “follow the money”, or words to that effect. Not bad advice, JOH.
plmo – Bundamba races, yes they were the good old days. 2up in the carpark, Gene Miles and Alfie on the punt, grog flowing and hot Ipswich girls who liked to laugh and partay! Regarding your determined efforts to discuss and argue dispassionately with the cricket expert, I think that game of chess is over as old mate has gone stale! Yet again he goes the personal (or his imaginings of it), regardless of its relevance to a matter, so as to avoid admitting he is out of his depth, or just plain wrong; and pigheadedly so.
Jean Baptiste – sorry to hear you are now sleeping in the library. On the up side you are protected from the dreaded climate and surrounded, womblike, by alls that learning and such. If it gets too much for you i’m confident Unmade would put you up for the night. Probably more if you could stay a little longer!?
Milton = Rodent= Delusional.
https://www.hellosundaymorning.org/pages/alcoholics-anonymous?gclid=Cj0KEQiAzNfDBRD2xKrO4pSnnOkBEiQAbzzeQZX0eyggCi2RqFTIagGzVT81ZjgvAxLrnatQe9nx-LsaAtkT8P8HAQ
Don’t know about the ‘others’ here but I don’t partake JB.
I don’t even do drugs! Makes me a weirdo I know….but hey, that link is terrific. Could be a big help to… the others.
Regards, Bella
No thanks, JB. I’d rather drink…….
No fair Milt. It’s not a victory for Mr Contrarian if I don’t spend all day personally fact-checking him, especially as his claims have already been thoroughly debunked by people much more capable than I. Namely, actual scientists. These little home-made denier blogs spring up like mushrooms, and I don’t have the time to “rebut” them all, or the slightest interest in doing so.
Milt, I don’t expect you to individually rebut every piece of research published by NASA or the CSIRO or any major science organisation you care to name. That would be just as absurd as what you’re asking me to do. But I would ask why you choose to give more credence to some lawyer in Manhattan than to all those organisations.
I’m also curious, if you don’t think AGW is a conspiracy, about how you think the entire international scientific community has got it wrong. Someone forgot to carry the one thirty years ago and no-one has thought to check since? Or some kind of gigantic coincidence?
As for “following the money”, which do you think is greater: science funding or fossil fuel profits?
Bassman .
Howard was in 11 years don’t forget , Rudd in 3 years ,naturally Howard would top the spending. This makes Rudd the real expensive goose we know him for . Rudd named “cheque book Rudd,” obvious reasons giving all our money away overseas with deputy Gillard in the chair half the time when Rudd on his junkets overseas setting himself up for a UN job, the wastefull crawler.
Can’t you read a calendar..I quoted the dates…they were NOT over 11years
Just when I thought my disgust with politicians had reached its zenith, this bobs up in the Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/anzac-day-marches-cancelled-in-blue-mountains/news-story/a480875503390c7e7cb006149d42b389
Blue Mountains Council take a bow. You are all as weak as piss.
Anzac Day marches cancelled in Blue Mountains
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/anzac-day-marches-cancelled-in-blue-mountains/news-story/a480875503390c7e7cb006149d42b389
Don’t quite no what to say about this–without joining Leak in changing locations.
I have just read Councillor Greenhill has backed down and the marches have been re-instated. The council will stump up the cash. I’ve put the elephant gun back in the cabinet and postponed the revolution to another day.
Just caught outgoing President Obama’s full farewell speech.
Putting everything else aside that man was/is a class act as POTUS.
“Change only happens when ordinary people get involved, they get engaged, and they come together to demand it.”
I like that.
Preparing for the following antithesis must be ominous indeed.
Hold on America, the ‘fam’ is coming to a White House near you.
Bella
Hear, hear.
Never a truer word.
RE: Carl on the Coast says:
January 11, 2017 at 6:41 pm
CotC,
When you are part of a group whose job is to nail miscreants to the cross; even thinking about ‘nefarious nibbles’ is tantamount to professional suicide and professional and public disgrace!!
Of course, that does raise the debate as to whether ‘saintly behaviour’ was a matter of choice or a dread of the impending axe!!
I must say that some of the ‘worthless’ administrative systems introduced in the claimed interest of efficiency & effectiveness, involving un-reconcilable flat payments, have proved the Dinosaurs correct.
Those old-fashioned Senior Accountant Officers (who had a PhD in Human Nature from the School of Hard Knocks) while a regulation pain the rear; did throttle most of the miscreant behaviour. Of course when one of their own used the Public Monies advance to supplement the float at the Bundamba races, intending of course to put it back from the winnings – it took a right Royal Bastard to catch him out and throttle his career and employment by the end of the week!!
Ah the Good Old Days!!
Thee and Me could offer our services to the PM – cash on the knocker I believe would be appropriate!!
The slide continues, Mr Insider, for big Rodney Culleton who has now officially lost his Senate seat. “WTF” screamed Rod fresh from a losing knuckle dust up on a city street, amongst other things. This poor bastard couldn’t pick his nose right now Mr Insider what is he to do, his self esteem somewhere down near the Antarctic ?
http://tinyurl.com/jyuoo5x
The big one for me is the audacity to try and say tickets to major sporting events and the associated corporate box freebies isn’t a gift. She should be sacked on that alone!
Renting the planes that she then piloted was the final straw for me.
If she hadn’t been caught out with the apartment purchase, she probably could have got away with buying a plane on the travel expense account.
That’s a very real possibility Yvonne.
Quite a save for our deficit ’emergency’!
If she gets the job back, let’s keep watch.
Bella
With the $100,000 plus she spent in six months on chartering planes — so she could have fun flying them — she could have bought a small Cessna.
Newest comments not on top JTI (:
Not a problem scrolling down on laptop, but towards the end of previous blog I was in danger of RSI on the smartphone!!
Yes, I am still internet poor and waiting my NBN connection. When it’s up I’ll attend to it.
They were supposed to have the NBN up and running on my street in November.
My new provider Telstra says I will be activated tomorrow. If not you will probably hear me screaming up your way.
Make sure you get refunded for the days you have bot had the contracted service for.
Good luck with that!
telstra eh? poor bugger
If you aren’t activated tomorrow contact the Communications Ombudsman JTI they get things moving & also arrange credit for the inconvenience.
Regards, Bella
Telstra is more expensive but in the end you get what you pay for. I have been with them forever and never had a problem. Many of the cheaper ISP’s etc rent off Telstra. When things go wrong (e.g. the Bass Strait cable here) the Telstra customers get priority.
Good luck. Enjoy the NBN. !
I agree Bella I’ve used the telecommunications ombudsman on a couple of occassions and they are like Milo; ‘It’s marvellous what a difference they make’.
Didn’t you ditch Telstra some years ago Jack? It’s always a case of scrapping whoever pissed you off most recently isn’t it?
About eight years ago, TV. Fingers crossed. The NBN should be on this morning.
My old IPAD doesn’t seem to cope after about 400 to 500 comments and keeps shutting down and flicking me back to the to top. I was sure Eddie the expert had hacked me!
not enough RAM