Much has been made of the Turnbull government’s successes in the last week of sitting in the federal parliament. Malcolm Turnbull is crowing but there is a broad understanding the hot ticket item, the ABCC legislation which passed through the Senate earlier this week, has been rendered a dud and that Derryn Hinch was played by the CFMEU to cough up concessions.
While being tricked by the CFMEU’s office bearers is hardly something anyone would want to put on their political resumes, Hinch would not see it that way. He may have his own explanation for it. I have no doubt he could spout some rationalisation at the drop of a hat. That is a talent he undoubtedly possesses.
More generally, I’d suggest voters should be leery of people like Hinch becoming representative politicians. Perhaps we should adopt a tacit rule that wherever a political party appears with the word ‘justice’ in it, that party is not worth the ballot paper it is written on. Where it appears featuring the name of a media personality before the word ‘justice’ you can put the house (or indeed the Senate) on it being a self-serving exercise in the sort of ‘look at me’ politics we have come to know and despise in this country.
Full column here:
Malcolm Roberts 9:50 AM
Theres no possibility of climate change in your mind. Continuing wet and foggy in a permanently depressed system with no outlook for brighter conditions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofodxNPwOHM
Geez Malcolm, look what you gone done and made me do. Talking pictures of people with brains.
Good link, JB. Have you read any of his books?
Carl on the Coast 3:29PM
Paradox! What I wrote was ” ……………. horrific for the vast populations of poor living in the deltas.” Which doesn’t sound much like the Murray Darling does it? And whilst it is correct to state that that ecosystem is vulnerable if seasonal flooding does not occur, it doesn’t require a Mensa score to fathom that if the system were permanently under water things wouldn’t be too bright for the habitat either.
http://time.com/4447252/greenland-ice-climate-change/
PS. I don’t think you are wet behind the ears Carl, why would you suggest such a thing? I think you are brilliant and insightful with an enquiring mind. You cannot know how much I appreciate your thoughtful enquiries. .
Cheers, Sponge ears.
Carl on the Coast 9:33 PM
A red herring in that context is simply a literary device to distract attention from the issue. If you thought I meant an actual fish your odd attempt at a connection still fails because neither arthropods nor crustaceans are fish.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-koch-brothers-toxic-empire-20140924
See if you can cobbler together a zinger from that one. Maybe rolling stones and moss?
Best wishes.
Give ’em heaps.
Jean Baptiste
says: “it doesn’t require a Mensa score to fathom that if the system were permanently under water things wouldn’t be too bright for the habitat either.”
Bit harsh JB, but I’ll cop it. I’ll also admit my error in not including “poor” in my initial note (which was really only an enquiry), but I understand the passion with which you rely upon to get your message across.
In contrasting the “poor living in the deltas” you refer to with the Murray mouth flood tidal delta, the traditional owners – the Ngarrindjeri people, were apparently fairly permanent inhabitants of the area. They obviously survived the “delta” environs okay. There was probably a lot more water around too prior to European settlement. I’ve deliberately not attempted to include your use of the descriptor “poor” in this context because it would be entirely inappropriate.
I believe there’s a reference book (or two) on the subject in the SA State Library with lots of maps, graphs, etc showing tidal flooding frequencies and so on before the arrival of the Europeans. I’ve not linked any for your perusal JB because I know you’ve always got heaps of them in your back pocket*.
Oh, and before I forget, I thought it was clever of you JB to use the word “fathom” in conjunction with “permanently under water”.
* it was only a joke me old mate.
Well today’s headline suggests that Turnbull reads this blog and my posts in particular. As well he should as I am probably the only chance he has, and I don’t like him. Let us just hope he doesn’t try the Gillard weasel words trick. Does Truffles realise one of the only reasons he became PM was through Abbott getting the coalition election on the platform of stop the boats, stop the carbon tax and stop PM’s being knifed in their first tour of duty.
It is clear the right wing denialist’s (a person who refuses to admit the truth of a concept or proposition that is supported by the majority of scientific or historical evidence) are running the country on their post truth anti civilisation ideology. FN disgrace.
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/backbench-forces-josh-frydenberg-into-humiliating-climate-policy-backdown-20161206-gt5f50.html
JB: I reckon Adani could spell the end for Turnbull.Time will tell.
I think I should go back to the Himalaya and hide. It’s all too much for me.
I would never protest vote. But for the first time in my life I find myself unable to vote.
See my rant re college rorts here somewhere. I’m over it, seriously over the appalling mismanagement of this country. As Peter Costello remarked today -” for Gods sake they spent they spent months arguing about bloody backpackers tax” – say no more. Okay I’ll stop….
My God – just listening to a report on shonky training colleges on Radio National. The billions of dollars poured into these “colleges” is simply incredible. One example: college received $45million – 2 graduates. That’s $23million per student! And that’s just one of many similiar rorts. How the bloody hell can this happen?
I’m sorry but this is outrageous. And this government has the hide to cut pensions etc in the middle of the game on people who earned an honest dollar and paid taxes all their working lives. This is my pet rant at the moment. It’s so unfair. I see a lot of it here – where there is an ageing population and a lot of folk find themselves in a position where they need to find employment. Impossible. That movie I saw yesterday, I Daniel Blake, just rammed it home even more. Not happy……..
Hey JB,
Just read a report that Buzz Aldrin, you know of the Hollywood drama piece Landing on The Moon, who fell ill while on a land and sea based adventure to the Antarctic (still iced up), has been repatriated.
He is being treated by none other than Doctor David Bowie. Surely you’ll get a laugh out of that you miserable fatalist. Major Tom over and out.
Unless Turnbull emphatically rules out a carbon pricing scheme tout de suite and no waffling for a month or 2, he will be out on his arse by ANZAC day 2017.
I rarely do anything in moderation despite my wife awaiting it for years.
If that comment looked out of place, or just plain weird, it was at the time my previous comment had mentioned under it “Comment awaiting moderation”, and I’ve not seen that before on Jack’s blogs.
The turnip must beware the Ides of March especially after the effort of the last few day
The idiot is totally inept when it comes to politics
see that crab bailey didn’t get any runs today………
Didn’t face a ball i don’t think
I’d like to rephrase that – I don’t think he faced a ball.
the craven wretch….
I don’t think his new batting “technique will help him. Bring in Maxi. Bring back Big John Hastings he is a very good bowler. The big quick twin towers need a rest before Pakistan series.
Someone mentioned I, Daniel Blake. This is a very good summation of the “unemployment” industry created by the conservative government. Shame, blame and pay private companies to dehumanise those doing it the hardest.
http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=34906#more-34906
Surprise surprise. It was me who mentioned I Daniel Blake, Dismayed. One of the saddest movies I have seen. The despair is palpable.
See my rants further down here somewhere. I am sick of this government taking from the vulnerable, (and I’ll include this generation of retirees who have had the game plan changed on them mid retirement) because it’s easy to do that) and yet billions upon are being thrown at shonky training schemes and other rorts- not to mention politician’s perks.