Look, we all do it. We hurl about terms like psychopath and narcissist with reckless abandon and almost always without fully understanding the nature of the terms and the subtlety and nuance that goes into a clinical diagnosis.
Former PM Kevin Rudd was labelled “a psychopath” by former MP Steve Gibbons, and “a psychopathic narcissist” by former NSW premier Kristina Keneally. Peter Garrett ratcheted it up a notch by calling Rudd “a megalomaniac”. And that’s just the diagnoses from within Rudd’s own party. Why, the man must be a veritable walking copy of the psychiatric bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
It is arguably true that Canberra is a magnet for narcissists of various stripes. In fact, anyone who wants to get into the caper knows that getting elected to parliament involves a bevy of posters featuring their name and smiling face being nailed to lampposts and wedged in front gardens all over their home suburb. It has to be more satisfying than looking in the mirror for hours.
The trouble is, once these narcissists get to Canberra, they find themselves outgunned by bigger, badder, more vain, more hollow, more manipulative narcissists. Interacting with narcissists more narcissistic than they are must be a real blow to their bloated egos.
Full column here.
We nee more journalist’s like Westy highlighting the corporate thievery going on.
http://www.michaelwest.com.au/how-goldman-sachs-and-australias-biggest-brewer-sab-pay-no-tax/
We need more Westy’s Mr Dismayed. He understands people like you and I and doesn’t bow to the pressure of the Murdoch press.
Westy is at least trying to keep the bastards honest
http://www.michaelwest.com.au/corporate-tax-reform-stalled-while-government-axes-welfare/
One observation from the first test. The Hindu god Ganesh, much loved across India but especially in Pune, brings good fortune and success. But even Ganesh struggles with that when you deliberately “prepare” a wicket that isn’t up to test standard with the intention of ambushing the visiting team. Higher deities prevail in that instance.
So the current state of the test series: Cricket Gods 1, Ganesh 0.
I see that Casino Mike (Baird) has found that his family don’t want him to hang around at home so instead of nabbing a job at GBOTA he’s gotta a family friendly job at NAB.
Sensible move. Probably lucrative salary with none of the crap associated with being a politician these days.
Geez – what’s going on? Some guy on the board of QBE has had a massive bonus cut – why? because he had sex with his secretary or something. And he wasn’t having an illicit affair in a marriage. For heaven’s sake, what has his personal life got to do with his boardmember duties.
That is seriously astonishing. When men and women are thrown together in an work environment does that mean that it’s a celibate area?
If having a root at work, well not AT work but with a workmate, was a finable offence Bo there’d be some seriously out of pocket people in my corporate experience. In some companies I worked at it was hard to keep up with who was having it off with who. That applied from the top down and the bottom up, so to speak.
In this case however, Neal is the CEO, and his PA also did work for the Board. He failed to disclose in a timely manner the nature of their relationship, which became the subject of internal chatter, then throughout the financial circles external to the company. He was done by gossip I guess, but the company has a clear statement of values which happens to be issued to all staff under his signature.
The female party is leaving the company, prompting the usual sexist rants. It wasn’t compulsory to get involved with the boss, and she would have known the consequences. I don’t think they’ll be on beer rations any time soon.
The one I remember well was the CEO, who eventually became Chairman, who hooked up with the Company Senior Counsel. No one was going near that one to raise any question about proprietary behaviour.
Maybe there needs to be a ”pre-affair” contract to decide who gets to leave the company when it is exposed! (no pun intended) The last sentence in your first paragraph is very funny!
Lou oTOD…..I agree, of course stuff like that goes on in the workplace, but as you say when a company has a clear statement of values (as most companies should) then this situation is unacceptable.
Such a pity Channel 7 didn’t apply the same values
Yes it does Milton, it’s a workplace not a club.
I tend to agree with Lou, Bella. Put attractive young things in a workplace with possibly, and I say possibly advisedly, bored husbands – or vice versa – and it’s inevitable. That’s the sad truth. After all many of these people probably spend more time at work than at home.
In my time at the office it was fairly common and allowed for plenty of gossip around the photocopy machine! If company secrets or national security are compromised it becomes an issue I guess – and it’s the least important staffer that is sacrificed – although that might not necessarily be the woman …
Eh? I know it had to with sex and someone’s massive boner being cut, Bella but honest injun it wasn’t me. Probably some workplace health and safety law against it too. Talk about a unionised workplace.
That’s it mate, you have sex on the brain.
Fifty Shades of Obsessed = Milton
usually a sign he is not getting any.
I still think he lost every last bit of interest in his job when he was made to kowtow to the Greyhound abusers rather than go with his gut after reading that appalling report. He should’ve stood his ground & his body language that awful day showed a broken man. A lot like Turnbull looks now, having to spruik the opposite of everything he believes in.
smoke says:
FEBRUARY 27, 2017 AT 7:36 PM
.
Forgive them. Yep, just like that. The pope is a joke, and if there was a Jesus, he would be weeping. I’d like to see long term incarceration for the worst pack of organised child rapists there ever were. But that would be real justice, and you will never see it.
I cant abide priests. They all knew. A bigger bunch of liars you will never meet, and now the biggest hypocrite of them all, has just said its all okay.
Well, that’s nice.
cheers smoke.
I didn’t know much about George Christensen but saw him on Lateline last night. My immediate impression was that the world of male modelling isn’t any the poorer for George pursuing a career in politics. He looked like he’d been poured into his suit. You could say his cheap suit was all over him like a cheap suit.
However, I did know that he had a reputation for being half mad. But there’s half mad and then there’s Queensland Lib/Nat half mad. The madness bar is set very high there. In that sense he didn’t seem to be out of the ordinary.
GC’s body is a metaphor for how the government is going, Perentie – pear shaped.
Prescient comment, JTI — he’s just stepped down as National Party Whip so he can focus more on being a “rebel”. Looks like he’s hoping that if he apes One Nation without actually defecting, he might hang on to his seat.
Astute comment JOH.
I have a Queensland friend who is involved in politics. She is actually the person who suggested I start on a political blog whilst recuperating from surgery. She advises that most National party politicians will be wiped out in a Qld state election. Outer urban Labor politicians will not do any better. What a strange life we lead. On one hand we have people sweltering away denying the planet is getting warmer and on the other hand others who say the loss of two dollars an hour will cause the roof to cave in!
Interesting talks on RN this morning.
Ken Henry taking a shot at politicians and warning them that they should stop using parliament to take shots at each other and start governing the country – particularly in relation to energy policy and prices – unless they want to see companies start moving offshore.
Seems ridiculous that we pay the highest prices in the world for our gas – most of which is exported to other countries – who will, it seems, start poaching our industries.
Really beautiful day here for the last day of Summer.
Absolutely correct! It’s chicanery worthy of 19th century robber barons!
BTW. Isn’t it time you tell Razor and Robin to come back, or was that just some peculiar ploy to get rid of them?
Signed.
Mystified.
I’m here, JB, because as a matter of principal, I was not going to be got rid of, even though it was not very edifying. I guess the others will come back if, and when they feel like it. Nothing to do with me buddy!
Oh my the wind has changed again down in oakey oaks. The phone, the lap top or this blog it is always someone else’s fault. Even when you oaky oakians make your own choices and threats. HAHAHAHA. Confuion reigns in oaky oaks for chicken little’s. (ask your grandchildren)
Stop it. I was the Principal!
principal? .. COD I take it
Yeah was too lazy to look up whether it should be “le” or “al” – always gets me, that one, smoke!
Geez I make MANY more stuff ups than THAT!!
haven’t you heard Bo? If you have no principle, all you have are principals.
Conversely, if you have a principal, you have no principles.
I’ll leave it to you to work out which is worse.
Well, they said they were leaving in solidarity with you. Then you doubled back. That was the only point I was making. Maybe they don’t know that.
Whatever.
No one tried to get rid of you. Razor and others fell on their swords in your defence. Nut jobs are as they do. You went nowhere. If you can find a principle in that, on ya.
Are you sure you’re not misty-eyed me old mate?
Quite sure, you silly boy.
I thought it was only JTI that made the decision whether anybody is got rid of or not. I always think it’s best if you feel annoyed with anyone or that the discussions become to much for you, or as TBLS says boring as bat shit, it’s best to take a small break, or a long one depending on your level of piss offedness
We sure did see some “fake news” at the Oscars yesterday, Mr Insider. Barry Crocker would be proud of that balls up, surely not too hard to read from the right envelope, unless it was done deliberately to promote 2 Films!
http://tinyurl.com/jpnsks8
“In turn workers are adopting a much more cautious approach to spending and firms are demonstrating that they will not lift the investment rate while sales are flagging.” (26/2 – 2.59pm)
” Note the bumper profit season business has enjoyed this year. ” ( 27/2 – 11.38am)
Flagging sales = bumper profits.
How does that work?
Sigh. The sales data was for December. I did not mention sales data though so not sure where you bring that in from apart from wanting to change the things to suit yourself. No surprises. Did you miss the report on record personal debt each time the coalition is elected Have you missed the record profit reporting season for the last year that has been in the media for the last 2 weeks? Massive drop in Capital expenditure, job cuts and no real wage increase. Big Company profits. Big Executive bonuses. Now cuts to penalty rates supported by the coalition to the lowest paid and mostly female workers who will no work more hours for the same or less pay. There will be no extra jobs created just more profits. You really have no clue what is going on in the world.
Dismayed says:
“I did not mention sales data though so not sure where you bring that in from … ” “You really have no clue what is going on in the world.”
It was in the http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=35424 link you offered in your 2.59pm 26/2 post. You especially highlighted the reference to “flagging sales”.
Perhaps you have you forgotten?
I’m not attempting to be critical, and you’re right, I don’t have a clue how “flagging sales” equate to “bumper profits”. I thought you may enlighten me, but sigh ….., perhaps you don’t have a clue either mate.
Don’t defame me Carl. Finally you admit what we all know. Just talk for yourself only. I don’t need your help. Again this is how it works. “Massive drop in Capital expenditure, job cuts and no real wage increase. Big Company profits. Big Executive bonuses.” The Business channel on FOX (Sky) stated as much today. You and a couple of others here are so busy trying to attack me but all you do is highlight your own lack of comprehension and knowledge on matters you still want to comment on and prove you run purely on ideology. Go back to your knitting circle your kind of negativity and being the opposite and opposing view for the sake of it along with your piss weak passive aggressive bullshit is like your ideology, outdated and pathetic. Move along.
leaving aside the merits of the argument, do you not think this is aggressive?
not that i mind a bit, have a dip at me and i will happily swing back, but don’t run the victim line when you post like this.
not sure you have the oomph to tell someone to move along, in fact i am pretty sure you don’t.
Thanks for that Dismayed. But my initial question was quite simple and it appeared you were you were confused about “how it works” when you linked flagging sales with bumper profits in your two separate posts.
There’s really no need for you to spray your personal invective just because you’re unable to untangle yourself from the apparent intense dislike you have for the way private enterprise operates.
Chill mate.
FFS Carl. I have NO confusion what so ever it is you that cannot remember your own comments form one comment to the next even when they are in front of you. I did NOT link “flagging sales” to “bumper” profits YOU did. You are incapable of prosecuting a discussion without false misleading and dishonest statements. The link posted had a lot of information you have picked one line that suits your argument your ideology. You like many other here are so incapable of understanding data and what is going on all you have is weak attempts to have ago at me. To highlight your dishonesty is not invective it is a public service. To you and the other sniper who are incapable of an honest discussion Move along I don’t want to waste my breath on dishonest things like you.
Dismayed, we know you have a habit of randomly attaching links to your posts that you don’t fully understand. But you should not be ashamed to occasionally admit it mate.
I suppose the difficulty for you arises when you unwittingly attach contradictory links.
A bit more research and discipline, including an ability to appreciate both sides of the “story” may pay off.
CotC. your continued efforts to illicit a certain type of response only continue to highlight your dishonesty.
Dismayed, its quite apparent that when questioned, your constant vituperation and your translucent evasive tactics are a sure sign that you struggle to offer a meaningful reply to some of the most basic of questions.
There’s no shame in just admitting it mate. We don’t expect you to know everything.