I’ve said it many times before. Australia is the best damned country in the world with the exception of some island nations in the Caribbean with some very liberal banking laws.
For all that Australia can be a confusing place, especially for Australians. There are three tiers of government, all pretty much worthless and in various stages of decrepitude shuffling between inertia, chaos all the way along to abject failure. We have a corporate world blagging its way around a laughably cobbled together regulatory system while trying not to snigger too much. There’s a mutant media that routinely crucifies people, more often that not for no apparent good reason and a taxation system that, frankly, I gave up on a long time ago.
Last week the Turnbull government announced a range of changes to the 457 visa scheme and rounded it off with tightening requirements for citizenship. At a presser and then again in an interview with Leigh Sales on the ABC, our Prime Minister, resplendent in an electric blue suit, equivocated in response to what were some fairly mild inquiries on his thoughts on Australian-ness and what he considered might be Australian values.
Full column here.
OVER the WALL:-I know I talk about grandchildren a lot and Jacksprat made a good point ditto. When i think of you I think of Richo. He had the surgery not for himself but for ‘my wife my children’. 5yrs when you can get 20 or more? Your daughters, wife and others? I know what they would opt for……he 20yrs with their man. I am a shocking white coat syndrome guy but I would have the surgery for them…oh and US. Now that IS selfish. Granted! I want to be reading Jack for many many years longer.
Onya, Bassman.
If there’s any followers of the Sweet Science here, try and catch a replay or some footage somewhere of the Heavyweight bout between Vladimir Klitchko and Anthony Joshua. No spoiler, but it’s 11 rounds of good clean fun. It was one of the best fights I’ve ever seen. Slight spoiler, so close your eyes if you don’t want to know the heavyweight belts are now unified.
Bassman.
Well done Bass, what is the secret in planting the seeds at 70 you old bull ?
Good luck all bloggers and those issued kind comments on the occasion , he worked for it I guess .
Sorry can’t be with you lot anymore after enjoyed the past.
Cheers.
RODENT is BACK:-look out everybody!!
Congratulations, Bassman!
Who’d a thunk it?
Find a way or if you are a Gambler?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FywSzjRq0e4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj4nJ1YEAp4
A random prediction, regardless of my footy tips and considered before the events of yesterday.:
Collingwood will beat the Cats today and lose to Carlton next week.
You heard it here.
Halfway through the first leg and the Pies in front, TV.
And they went right on with it. Solid win to the ‘pies. They kept Selwood quiet. I think TV is right though. I’ll tip the Blues again next round. Their win-loss and percentages are identical to Collingwood and the ‘pies will take longer to recover from this encounter. A good win but it was a hard day at the office.
Dreadful game by the Cats.
Sure, they’ll win some games, but they’re not a genuine premiership threat.
‘pies kept a lid on Selwood and Mackie and the Cats didn’t have a plan B. My early tip for the GF is GWS v Adelaide.
Weren’t allowed to play well.
Well you got the first leg up TV, bloody clairvoyant!
If the second leg gets up, JTI will be a very happy vegemite. Two in a row was not on the schedule for the Blues this year.
First leg in for TV and I hope he’s right with the second. The Blues have done ok against the Pies even when there was a big difference between the sides. The Blues do struggle against sides with pace who run and carry through the corridor – Richmond, Adelaide, Cats, Hawks etc. Collingwood are in that group but fingers crossed, TV, the Black and White man has seen the future.
On the subject of pies I bought the best supermarket pie I have EVER had…no grizzle, heart valve or crtap to spit out. Four and Twenty Angus pure beef from Woolies…4 for $6 on special…usually $9. When I wanna pie I only go to a baker…but they are $5bux. No more. This is for me. mashed potatoe on top and peas…WOW what a floater!!
Aldi’s pies aren’t bad, Bassman and well priced.
Step 1 complete. Hope I’m wrong about part 2.
Good win, hey?
Yassmin Abdel-Magied made a silly mistake last week on her private account (Twitter or Facebook, I forget). She was pulled up and apologised immediately. Just about everyone is over it now but the Australian is clearly waging war against her. Personally, I think it stinks.
I think there’s a strong sense she has been her own worst enemy, TV. While I couldn’t care less about what she wrote on FB, I am all for her being allowed to type it in. This is not a free speech issue. She must have known there would be a backlash. Public figure, on the tit, appropriating ANZAC Day to make a political point. What did she expect?
IMO what Abdel-Magied did on Anzac Day, by using it to raise war-related political issues, was equivalent to those AWMs who insist on turning up at an event about violence against women and shouting “What about violence against men?”, or piping up during a discussion about racism with “What about racism against white people?” They are all entitled to raise those issues but there is a time and place for everything.
There are a couple of differences, though.
For a start, Ms Abdel-Magied quickly admitted her mistake, unlike the other funeral-crashers I’ve mentioned, some of whom have ongoing careers doing just that (Latham, Bolt, etc).
Secondly, none of the latter group will be subjected to several months of slow crucifixion by an entire media empire (in fact, many of them work there). It is clear that Yassmin will now become the next NewsCorp whipping-boy for the foreseeable future, a role unhappily played by a long line of predecessors including Robert Manne, Larissa Behrendt, Duncan Storrer, Roz Ward, Jake Lynch, and so on. Each of these people was selected as a cypher for “the Left”, and then subjected to a protracted campaign of personal attacks, instead of a debate on the issues.
What did she expect? Well, she _should_ expect full and frank discussion of the issues, including robust criticism of her timing. What she will get instead, however, is the NewsCorp treatment. It may not directly be a free speech issue, but it certainly has a chilling effect, and IMO is lamentable.
I also think it well and truly does become a free speech issue when we have members of the government calling for her sacking, and the Deputy Prime Minister darkly hinting at possible effects on the funding of the media outlet she happens to work for. They may not be invoking a _law_ to silence her, but in some ways that makes it worse, because they are using their power arbitrarily.
Excellent. It is absolutely a free speech issue.
The new meme.
” I will defend with my life your right to say it, and I will hound you the ends of the earth if there is political mileage in it for me.”
Cory Bernardi and a very funny “Star Wars” clip, Mr Insider, even has that goose Pyne in it too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxZNztTqwYg
I wish I had the talent to put things like that together.
Me too BLSW , alas………..
I read your story in the Australian, Mr Insider, where you tell us about your battle with Cancer and your life now and may I say we here wish you all the very best. You are a Gentleman and a smart one at that. None of us are promised tomorrow. Good cheer Mr Insider, bless you.
Jesus H Christ, Mr Insider, Big Kimmie of North Korea can get it up but cant keep it up as we see last weeks Missile Launch go horribly wrong! He is only a menace to himself and his people. Meanwhile the USS Carl Vinson has also arrived on Kimmie’s doorstep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbFhqWoIRzg
POTUS Trump’s first 100 days a massive success, so successful many World Leaders trying to copy many of his ideas. The USA is moving forward again, Mr Insider. Lets hope our own PM Turnbull doesn’t turn into a giggling gurly man when he meets Trump soon, his and Bill Shorten’s new hero plus!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBw_RhnCDZ8
This is good
So here’s a suggestion for the Prime Minister’s minders if they want his vision of where we are going to start cutting through. Clear the bloody fog around him! Tell backbenchers to limit their gibbering to their local media outlets. Ministers should stick rigorously to their portfolios, and put their heads up only for a genuine announcement. All party-political commentary and messaging should come directly from the PM.
In fact, the lesson party leaders need to punch through the skulls of their ministers, shadow ministers and backbenchers is a simple one, even if it’s not a very polite one:
No, guys, politics is not “show-business for ugly people”.
It’s just ugly people.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/when-it-comes-to-exposure-in-politics-less-can-be-more-20170427-gvu7e9.html