A week ago today, I attended the memorial for Bill Leak at the Sydney Town Hall.
As I scanned the crowd, an eclectic group of people who had known Bill one way or another, I had to ask where were the Labor people? Where was Shorten, Plibersek or Dreyfus?
In the wake of the 2004 election, with the Howard government enjoying a majority in both houses, there was no opposition in the parliament. For at least two years, the worst part of Coalition MPs’ days was opening up The Australian and flipping to Bill Leak’s cartoon, to see another hilarious lampooning of their leader.
I would have thought some of the Labor people might have made an appearance simply out of gratitude for those dark days. It bothers me they stayed away and it speaks of a faddish clannishness the old Labor people would regard with contempt.
Bill Leak embraced everyone he met. Ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, it didn’t matter. He genuinely enjoyed the company of people but it was more than that. If he spied someone feeling awkward or a bit uncomfortable, Bill would bound up and make a fuss of them. He not only had the ability to make people feel special but he brought a sense of fairness and equity to any table.
It is a politician’s gift but Bill was not on the ballot. He wasn’t trying to sell anything. He simply loved people.
Full column here.
This government is rooted – truly. When we have a situation where Pauline Hanson is holding the government to ransom over a state issue one has to wonder where the hell we are heading
Bring back Tony. Would be great fun!
My dear Boadicea its been “rooted” as you say for a long time now. Turnbull has no idea of how to be a PM in the mould of a Hawke, Keating or Howard. Methinks some quite “unsettling” times to come in the Federal Liberal Party and don’t forget the rot as it were set in in the early days of the hopeless Abbott government. The sharks are starting to circle, sure they will soon feast on another Liberal PM’s carcass. Cheers.
Yes, beautifully, wonderfully, joyously, hilariously rooted! It’s time for a spill and rehabilitation of the brilliant Tony Abbott.
He’ll sort things out with Pauline, those two go way back.
Chill Boady, life aint over yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuE12DaAWh0
Boadicea – language! Just because you’ve been out amongst the trees. I prefer root and branch reform, meself. And whilst I agree with the many that reckon Turnbull couldn’t tie his own shoelaces since getting the job he coveted (with no idea what to whence he got it), i’ll disagree with the many that reckon Abbott isn’t the person to replace him. This is the same Abbott that rid us of Rudd, culled Gillard and stopped the renewed and maniacal Rudd, again. Malcolm and his missus will live in self imposed exile after this ill thought out debacle. Truffles only chance at dignity and respect is to serve out his time as Abbott’s treasurer, and do the job well. We don’t need a populist contortionist at this time, we need someone most people hate. And that man is Abbott, and his time cometh sooneth. Sorry, my tongue got caught and my eye tooth couldn’t sthee what I wath thaying!
The only thing Abbott is any good at is bringing down governments, include his own and Turnbulls on that list.
Lets hope so!
Agree Tracy.
Old Gitto highlighting the cons con on corporate tax cuts.
http://www.theage.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/company-tax-cut-has-a-notsodirty-little-secret-20170325-gv6d6v.html
Crap.
http://dnews.com/local/sasquatch-chased-deer-onto-highway-woman-tells-deputy/article_4b83c394-589f-5a29-b54b-a9cc85f7554e.html
Crap? How the hell would you know? You weren’t there.
Impeccable source.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0628/More-than-one-third-of-Americans-believe-aliens-have-visited-Earth
Go figure.
Technical definition, you, plmo, Carl, anybody? Was Jesus an alien?
Spreaking of cryptozoology: http://tinyurl.com/l5aosk3
I’ve told deer stories in similar circumstances, but never dreamed of adding bigfoot.
My goodness gracious me.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/03/turkey-buy-russia-s400-missile-defence-system-170323131537509.html
Methinks Turkey can forget about joining the EU.
Maybe they have decided it is not worth joining.
Whatever the reason, their leader is a very dangerous man.
Story in the Wash. Post looks like Russia and Iran are becoming mates, now that will really confuse the Donald. You know , this is all part of Putin’s evil plan for world domination.
Yes, an interesting development. That was serendipitous too, I don’t normally visit the Jazz, but I hadn’t seen an update on Dwight’s condition for a couple of hours so I figured I might find something there.
Is it time for Rupert to return JB?
I think Rupert was a one trick pony with the Marxist shtick. You can give it another try Razor. Lets see if you have some depth and innovation.
I have to admit with the first post from “Rupert” I was quite excited believing it was Darren come back and taking the piss. I miss his input a lot.
It bought back happy memories of a union meeting when I was young. It was getting quite tense when a uni student on work experience, who was a real comedian, got up and addressed the comrades with a similar rant Had everyone in stitches,
Even the miserable naysayers relaxed and they pulled a 24 hour stoppage, making a long weekend of it.
*laugh*. Thanks JB!
They’re keeping me for a few more days. Possible infection. We’re onto it with broad spectrum antibiotics. Thursday is new EDD.
Go well. No plonk with the antibiotics.
Best wishes Dwight, as they say if you want to get a bug go to hospital!
Don’t take your eye of the medicos until they can assure you the infection is actually gone. I won’t bore you with war stories from mates who have been through what you are enduring, but leave nothing to chance. I shouldn’t say don’t trust the bastards, but just did.
You’ll be climbing Sandhills before you know it.
hey Dwight, good luck with the bugs.
erdogan just gotta putin for regional stability
Top comment smoke! But I wouldn’t be holding my breath for regional stability!
“Current” PM Turnbull thumped in the latest Fairfax-Ipsos poll, Mr Insider. If ever there was a time Australia needed strong effective leadership its now and sadly we have none at all as Malcolm is all at sea he’s bloody hopeless! Our “Nation Builder” from last week is our dud of this week. I see moves afoot to try and unseat ex ousted PM Abbott as well. Time these 2 failures left the political scene for good imho.
http://tinyurl.com/kakh6qc
Get rid of Tony from his seat and you will split the Liberal Party.
If he stood for the Senate as an independent he would be a certainty and would go a long way to getting a second Senator.
The internal battle going on in the Liberal Party in NSW is ripping it apart.
good…bastards
OK. Time for Mr Angry to go back in the box. Thanks for tolerating.
If you ever wanted to see mind-blowing technical perfection in modern music, here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64swVmq_XPk
You may live to regret this, but you got me onto music!
These guys aren’t too bad either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnIgXtE4K5U
Gawd, no bloody wonder!
Why?
Hmm…A quote from Bill Leak taken straight from The Australian “The Best of Bill Leak” :- “While trawling through a number of popular left-wing blogs recently, I realised I had to accept a painful reality: I have become a rabid right-winger and a Murdoch toady”. No doubt said in jest or….some poetic licence…or……..
Or, folks like you were throwing those epithets around? Just sayin’.
No doubt.
Bill didn’t change sides. The left started hating him the minute he put them under the same blow-torch he’d earlier applied to the conservatives. Only the conservatives didn’t piss and moan about it and set the Pygmies of Outrage on him.
I think you’re right about that, TBLS. Malcolm copped heaps from Bleak but didn’t get the sulks
That’s a simplistic perception which suggests you think you have an intimate knowledge of the feelings and motivations of those you unfortunately persist in criticising. It’s unseemly and opportunistic on such a sad occasion.
That’s the conservatives, damned if you do and damned if you don’t, never let a chance go by.
Didn’t hear you lot objecting to Tony Abbotts self serving nastiness when the marvellous Margaret Whitlam left us.
Just give it up for Christs sake.
Maybe it’s your views that are jaded JB. Ever thought of that? I am not biased. never have been. I look at a situation and comment. Don’t care which side of politics they come from. Couldn’t care less really.
No of course you’re not biased Boady, it’s just that the lefties are always wrong.
Got it!
I’m not sure that’s a fair comparison. I think the conservatives might have more sorely tested by cartoons attacking their more sensitive sacred cows rather than just their leaders; for example, portraying age pensioners as entitled bludgers, or Israel using anti-Semitic stereotypes, or championing Man Monis’ right to free speech when he was convicted of sending insulting letters to the parents of dead Australian soldiers.
I think that’s a pretty longbow you’re drawing there, John. I think any objective, or impartial view, would say that Leak was both willing and capable of tearing a new one into anyone of our high profile people, irrespective of their leanings.
Catches win matches Renshaw puts his second for the day down. FFS.
Support for the Looters has crashed, according to the latest Ipsos poll, and Labor now holds a commanding 10-point lead over The Adults in the two-party preferred vote. They would lose 24 seats in such a swing including to everybody’s delight the seat of …. DUTTS! Why would they be talking about Dutts as the next leader? I think Labor would luurrrve it. Dutts has been a disaster in every portfolio he has held. The Drs said he was the worst health minister in 35 years. Labor? Shorten thinks he is just going to ‘fall’ into govt. It ain’t gonna happen Bill. You are going to have to DO something! I still believe he could lose the campaign with someone like Abbott scaring the hell out of old ladies with their walking sticks about terror attacks, refugees and unions. You know…the same old stuff the Libs are expert at.
Here is more anecdotal evidence of the coalition doubling the debt and increasing at a faster rate than Labor did.
http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/finance-news/2017/03/26/coalition-debt-exceeds-labor/?utm_source=Responsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20170327_TND
north korea ballistic missiles mate…