tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post1434658562944398365..comments2023-12-06T00:23:28.790+11:00Comments on Press gallery reform: Cory Bernardi's enduring valuesAndrew Elderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-58824910852742993602014-02-01T01:33:31.691+11:002014-02-01T01:33:31.691+11:00Alexander, the RSS feed for this blog is
http://a...Alexander, the RSS feed for this blog is <br />http://andrewelder.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default<br /><br />On a Blogger blog, an RSS feed link can usually be found at the very bottom of the home page - the link will usually say "Posts - (Atom)"David Jackmansonhttp://www.djackmanson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-78586356784420490342014-01-16T18:30:24.648+11:002014-01-16T18:30:24.648+11:00Andrew, just wondering;
Do you think you could se...Andrew, just wondering;<br /><br />Do you think you could set up a mechanism so readers can get your blog posts emailed to our inboxes? Or at least a notification that there is a new post on the blog? I find myself checking every couple of days for the next instalment... <br /><br />(forgive me if I'm missing some option like an rss feed or something)<br /><br />AlexAlexander Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01455149945535941507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-21622006654787525902014-01-14T23:02:04.384+11:002014-01-14T23:02:04.384+11:00You disappoint me: what about Mr Pyne? (Though I w...You disappoint me: what about Mr Pyne? (Though I will agree that PM Blood Oaf as Minister for WoMAN is a close contender.)Fionanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-11509839888740003312014-01-14T19:18:20.381+11:002014-01-14T19:18:20.381+11:00what about Tones or Erica Bets the only woman of c...what about Tones or Erica Bets the only woman of calibre in the cabinet..Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04935912461762759203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-68038903390244001222014-01-14T12:47:33.524+11:002014-01-14T12:47:33.524+11:00Tour de force. A small correction from one who w...Tour de force. A small correction from one who worked on the case - Abbott didn't destroy Hanson, though he briefly led on her pursuer.<br /><br />My take on Bernadi is that as a package he's a 'slanty eyed ideologue' as someone once said. Individually some of his positions aren't loopy, but together they are. <br /><br />Abbott (and any old DLPer) also knows there's a deep contradiction between advocating WorkChoices and perching family values.Graemenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-19103146620913597012014-01-13T17:33:19.029+11:002014-01-13T17:33:19.029+11:00I think if Bernardi did jump to Family First, he&#...I think if Bernardi did jump to Family First, he's highly unlikely to get re-elected. Bob Day was an abberation.David Irving (no relation)https://www.blogger.com/profile/05728918405973140125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-44511221105053473732014-01-10T07:34:15.760+11:002014-01-10T07:34:15.760+11:00Isn't that why Tim Wilson was chosen so quickl...Isn't that why Tim Wilson was chosen so quickly??<br />I agree that the gay lobby has been one of the best lobby groups in political history thus far<br /><br />Kudos to them and maybe like Alex Greenwich have more members in parliament as a result.<br /><br />The hollow b.s from the far right includes Tim I would say.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-14610881223346109772014-01-09T22:30:54.033+11:002014-01-09T22:30:54.033+11:00Support,at least on one of Bernardi's issues,h...Support,at least on one of Bernardi's issues,has come from exactly where you expected it: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/under-fire-senator-cory-bernardi-finally-finds-supporter-in-john-madigan-20140109-30k0o.htmlHillbilly Skeletonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-23469058770913953422014-01-09T22:27:18.710+11:002014-01-09T22:27:18.710+11:00Thank you for your reply. You may well be the wise...Thank you for your reply. You may well be the wiser head on this matter. :)Hillbilly Skeletonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-40588527210162084712014-01-09T21:29:10.116+11:002014-01-09T21:29:10.116+11:00Interesting to see Sharman Stone's critical co...Interesting to see Sharman Stone's critical comments about some of her colleagues who are opposed to financial assistance for SPC.<br /><br />Her insistence that there is no such thing as international free trade and that fellow MPs who are opposed to helping SPC have no understanding of economics, will have caused a bit of angst in the ranks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-63524047456784825442014-01-09T21:27:48.873+11:002014-01-09T21:27:48.873+11:00I think SSM advocates have done a great job in the...I think SSM advocates have done a great job in the slow and patient work of making it non-partisan (opponents have done the same), and am not sure this is the answer to a question whose time is coming.Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-57041860883811425362014-01-09T20:48:41.181+11:002014-01-09T20:48:41.181+11:00Re your comment to DavidR about Labor needing a mo...Re your comment to DavidR about Labor needing a more jiggy approach to the Same Sex Marriage/LGBT voting bloc(same thing really). If I was their adviser, now that Abbott has moved his pawn, his lesbian sister, Christine Foster, into place to attempt to block any further moves they may make, I would go for the Nuclear Option and start putting their openly gay party members on their tickets from now on. Penny Wong should be their ambassador into the community and champion in the caucus.<br /><br />The Liberals have their closeted homosexual MPs,and a few openly gay members of the Liberal laity, well, Labor have nowhere else to go but to trump them by overruling Labor's Catholic Right(whose influence is confounded anyway by the rise of the Catholic Left and thus, waning), and promote openly and without blush, good candidates just waiting to be asked, like Carl Katter.<br /><br />I think that would at the very least shame Abbott into sanctioning a Conscience Vote on Same Sex Marriage for the Coalition, as I am sure he lives and dies by the Howard maxim: 'It's all about the arithmetic.' Such that, as you say, he'd rather stay in power, so would go against his own firmly-held principles, to do that.Hillbilly Skeletonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-8105205371516552412014-01-09T16:19:51.937+11:002014-01-09T16:19:51.937+11:00There will be more from the far right, mostly holl...There will be more from the far right, mostly hollow bullshit but watch for the rare occasions when they really offer them something of substance.Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-55908143916188842572014-01-09T16:18:59.911+11:002014-01-09T16:18:59.911+11:00When your enemy is making a mistake it's best ...When your enemy is making a mistake it's best to give them free rein. You'll notice that when Rudd was going in hardest against Gillard, Abbott didn't need to stick his oar in.<br /><br />For those of us who aren't gay, same-sex marriage is a proxy for being open to new ideas about the future (a bit like the republic was in the '90s). Get used to the idea that such a vote won't happen while Abbott is PM, in much the same way that Howard was never going to apologise to the Stolen Generation.<br /><br />Labor need to find a way to be more convincing on same-sex marriage. The free vote under Gillard didn't have the desired effect.Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-4334019013032816352014-01-09T16:11:23.957+11:002014-01-09T16:11:23.957+11:001. You're right about the DLP and workers'...1. You're right about the DLP and workers' rights regarding Bernardi, something I overlook too often. Abbott might have been close to Santamaria but I don't believe the reverse was true to the same extent. <br /><br />2. Bernardi was elected at the last election, which means (DDs aside) he will stay in the Senate until 30 June 2020. He doesn't need to go up for re-election in 2016. <br /><br />Day is a millionaire businessman and pretty much runs FF. Bernardi will not want to go from being a small-to-medium operator in a major party to being second-fiddle elsewhere; he will want to run the show, and he will want it to sustain him, and will not move from his present paddock under the scenario you describe. <br /><br />The Liberal Party has stunted itself by depleting its left wing. If it depletes its right it faces the same predicament Labor faces now, squeezed by both the Greens from the left and the Libs from the right. Minchin is not going to want to outsource the Liberal right.Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-38285031046521362522014-01-09T15:57:42.869+11:002014-01-09T15:57:42.869+11:00A matter of weeks ago, the SA Liberals selected Be...A matter of weeks ago, the SA Liberals selected Bernardi as their number 1 candidate for the Senate. Neither Abbott nor Entsch have much pull in that state. For him to go from hero to zero for expressing views which were well and widely known would be amazing. As I said, his outbursts are not some orchestrated campaign on the part of the government, they're a sign of weakness. <br /><br />You're right about MRRT (or, God forbid, asylum seekers). Bernardi's own attack on Turnbull for his position on same-sex marriage is also quite illustrative. Taylor is deliberately avoiding the question of Abbott's character. <br /><br />Bernardi is not 'advancing' an agenda by airing it. That agenda has always been part of public life and has not advanced one iota since this time last week, in the same way that viewing figures for Peppa Pig are unaffected by Piers' recent intervention. <br /><br />I take your point about a shift in attitudes, but I disagree that Bernardi will be that effective in bringing that about, however indirectly. <br /><br />What is more likely to shift those attitudes is an ageing population, where fertile women become a smaller proportion of the populace than they are now, and where declining birthrates (and continued fear of immigration) put wilfully terminated pregnancies in a different light. This leads us into the territory covered by <i>the Handmaid's Tale</i> and I'm not going there at this stage.<br /><br />Farrell is scrambling to maintain his career after 30 June because at the last election the voters of SA elected one Labor candidate to the Senate, and he wasn't it. The RC Church isn't and never has been a democracy, and has been brought into disrepute. Bernardi might feel he's stepping in to prop up declining authority, but this is not the time for that authority to expand. <br /><br />We were both wrong about Abbott never becoming PM, but the idea that he's going to stuff up every aspect of government except this one deserves re-examining. Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-83142459818559512592014-01-09T15:14:46.824+11:002014-01-09T15:14:46.824+11:00Many non-observant religious people send their kid...Many non-observant religious people send their kids to religious schools because they are generally well-disposed to religion, and they elect religious MPs on the same basis. <br /><br />Thanks for the insight into SA - the lack of preselections suggests a fairly tight factional balance that might be upset with vigorous preselections. Be assured that the electorate is the least of their concerns :)Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-30759654935645114142014-01-09T15:09:41.495+11:002014-01-09T15:09:41.495+11:00A constant reason not assume those in office are k...A constant reason not assume those in office are keeping things going on your behalf, perhaps. Thanks for that.Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-50037354962120274282014-01-09T14:59:03.172+11:002014-01-09T14:59:03.172+11:00Is this just the beginning? Will there be more fro...Is this just the beginning? Will there be more from the right, speaking in a similar manner? Is this all part of a hidden agenda, veiled in secrecy? Who knows!<br /><br />I feel sorrow for those at the bottom of the food chain, as I feel it’s going to be a rough 3 years for them.<br /><br />It takes me back 6 months to the last increase of the minimum wage, and this cartoon . . . . . . <br /><br />http://cartoonmick.wordpress.com/editorial-political/#jp-carousel-731<br /><br />Cheers<br />Mick<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-81275822050765796352014-01-09T13:37:15.613+11:002014-01-09T13:37:15.613+11:00Any thoughts on why Labor has not latched on to th...Any thoughts on why Labor has not latched on to this in any real or meaningful way? <br /><br />They could have really piled the pressure on Abbott at this point to put his money where his mouth was on that gay marriage conscious vote he promised. The reasoning would be solid and likely gotten some significant traction from the usual mob. It would show Abbott putting Bernardi in his box and fulfil an election promise. All the while it would bend Abbott in a way that only he has been so successful in as an Opposition leader. DavidRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-54182527924352657982014-01-09T12:55:21.978+11:002014-01-09T12:55:21.978+11:001. Bernardi will never be able to be a Harradine p...1. Bernardi will never be able to be a Harradine proxy, or convince the Groupers in the DLP to accept him because he is anti-union and Workers Rights. Harradine, Santamaria, AND Abbott, get that much. Like the people are sanguine and have internally resolved their abortion position, so, I think, they want to retain a 'Union Safety Net', so to speak. I'm sure Abbott had that conversation with Howard after the 2007 election, and you could be guaranteed he had it many times with Santamaria. Is it not the case that Abbott was the only one in Cabinet that arced up against WorkChoices when it came before the Howard government Cabinet table? I could be wrong,but that's my recollection. Ergo, Bernardi,who also postulated the return of the Individual Contract aspect of WorkNoChoices this week, could not countenance Senator Madigan's stances as far as Workplace Conditions goes. So,no go there. I've read enough of the writings of Chris Curtis, another powerful DLPer from Victoria, to know they are staunch about it.<br /><br />2. It's my belief,based upon your theory, that Bernardi may more likely be courted by that other disaffected Lunar Right ex-Liberal, now a Senator-elect for Family First for SA, Bob Day. It's a more 'family-friendly', if you will, fit for Bernardi, with the added upside that if they can snag another Senator with the help of Glenn Druery next Senate election, and depending on how the PUPS pan out over the next 3 years, Bernardi, in such an arrangement, may end up holding the Balance of Power in the Senate, from where he could do some real damage. He, and Day, are both from South Australia, after all, and if Bernardi stood for Family First next election, if eventually dropped like a slimy,lukewarm potato by the Liberal Party, and Minchin OKs it, then he could conceivably be back for FF after the next election. Minchin would no doubt see the advantages of a Conservative-friendly block he could liase with, behind the scenes.<br /><br />Now, if I've thought of all this, and I've only played the computer game 'Machiavelli', don't you think they would have to? Why, they could even get Sister Sarah over to rev up the old white guys that are likely to vote for them, as an added bonus! Hillbilly Skeletonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-38380658661163337262014-01-08T23:52:53.995+11:002014-01-08T23:52:53.995+11:00Warren Entsch is in damage control. If members of ...Warren Entsch is in damage control. If members of the Liberal Party, including Mr. Entsch, really find Senator Bernardi's views objectionable, then they will ensure that he is relegated to the cross-benches on the basis that his views do not represent those of the Party. If he had promoted the carbon price or the MMRT, the Senator would have been sent to the cross-benches faster than one could say “toxic tax”. But that will not happen, because the Liberal Party has moved so far to divisive, sectarian, intolerance that it supports Bernardi. <br /><br />Lenore Taylor fails to understand Mr. Abbott's character and Andrew Porter's article is poorly argued., but they are both right to suggest that unchallenged comments by such as Newman and Bernardi make previously irrational and intolerant views more and more acceptable. While I agree that the Prime Minister will not do anything more than he has done, this is not because he cannot do anything, but because Bernardi is useful in promoting the PM's agenda and that of the fringe right. Even on IVF, where the PM supported Ms Credlin, this seems restricted to women “of calibre”. <br /><br />By the look of it, the only people to cast Senator Bernardi out will be the electorate. However, given the incessant propaganda through much of the media, it is doubtful. <br /><br />But I do differ from you, Andrew, regarding the consequences for public discourse, because attitudes can be substantially altered in a short period of time. Added to the propaganda from the conservatives and fringes is the fact that Labor MPs, like Don Farrell, who hold similar views, have such power, although his views are contained to some degree by his party's policy platform. The notion expressed sometimes that there are left-wing Catholics out there who would disagree with Bernardi is arguable - most genuine “left-wingers” have left the RC church - or you never hear from them. Despite the eventual acceptance of Vietnamese boat people, Howard quickly reversed the attitude of the community to refugees and who would have thought that Rudd would completely reverse ALP policy on refugees or that dismantling protection for National Parks and World Heritage areas could be so little criticised by the public? <br /><br />I'm probably wrong about this, because I was wrong in assuming that the electorate were sufficiently educated and “fundamentally united” (pure Abbott prattle) not to vote in someone who is so divisive, narrow-minded and selfish as Mr. Abbott.VoterBentleighnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-7250800173386425322014-01-08T22:39:10.479+11:002014-01-08T22:39:10.479+11:00I am tempted to regard Bernardi as just a bit of a...I am tempted to regard Bernardi as just a bit of a distraction during silly season except for one thing: He is fulfilling a role in the Liberal party, the role of the crazy ultra-conservative who nobody in the party really takes all that seriously but gives voice to some views that others hold but dare not say. <br />This role used to be held by Tony Abbott.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03412983524190021368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-13487887888030550362014-01-08T21:48:31.250+11:002014-01-08T21:48:31.250+11:00Andrew,
First, Happy New Year.
Second, thank you...Andrew,<br /><br />First, Happy New Year.<br /><br />Second, thank you for an incisive post.<br /><br />Third, Sally Neighbour's article was truly excellent. I've already cited and quoted from it elsewhere, but this particular paragraph made me puke:<br /><br /><i>Sinead, with whom he has two sons, aged ten and 12, says they have the perfect marriage because they’re <b>“both in love with the same man”</b>. “Cory obviously has this huge belief in himself … If you didn’t love a guy who was so in love with himself you’d have a lot of trouble living with Cory. Life – I don’t think he’d mind me saying this – it’s all about Cory. I am all about Cory, and he is all about Cory, so it makes it easy.”</i><br /><br />(my emphasis)<br /><br />I'm also in strong agreement with Anomander's analysis (from <a href="http://theaimn.com/2014/01/06/lets-hear-a-cheer-for-cory-bernardi-and-the-established-order/comment-page-1/#comment-49267" rel="nofollow">The Australian Independent Media</a> of Bernardi:<br /><br /><i>It is often said “the eyes are the mirror to the soul”. <br /><br />Over the years, I’ve deal with a lot of mentally disturbed people, particularly when they are angry, paranoid, delusional or violently irrational. When you encounter someone in this state, they have a distinct look in their eyes that often gives away their state of mind.<br /><br />Every time I see a photo of Bernardi I shudder because this very same look is always glaringly apparent in his eyes.<br /><br />There is real malevolent intent there and distinct traits that point toward psychopathy – zero empathy, an unbridled lust for power and control, an overwhelming passion and crazed belief within himself and his distorted ideologies, all hiding behind a flimsy façade that is always right on the very brink of unravelling. Truly disturbing.</i><br /><br />Here's the relevant pic: http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2011/05/06/1226051/434835-cory-bernardi.jpg<br />Fionanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-47915831767021358862014-01-08T18:00:38.381+11:002014-01-08T18:00:38.381+11:00Also, well done Warren Entsch. It's good to be...Also, well done Warren Entsch. It's good to be reminded that there is some sanity within the Liberal party, even if it is scattered thinly.JBnoreply@blogger.com