tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post565708437884162792..comments2023-12-06T00:23:28.790+11:00Comments on Press gallery reform: Budgetary assumptionsAndrew Elderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-52815724485588625752014-07-08T21:32:48.385+10:002014-07-08T21:32:48.385+10:00The federal Liberals have been gloating for a whil...The federal Liberals have been gloating for a while now that they have, basically, completely overruled the federal Nationals on the back of Abbott's margin.. For this parliament the Nats are just passengers on the right wing Liberal express. Can just hear cabinet now...unemployed regional youth...argh...we Libs knew somewhere out there those rural types were just not pulling their weight...!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-59850802633176058932014-06-01T22:54:10.543+10:002014-06-01T22:54:10.543+10:00Mr Abbott's faceless men in the I.P.A are gett...Mr Abbott's faceless men in the I.P.A are getting some decent and interesting press especially in The Saturday Paper.<br /><br />A nasty bunch of people who have some extreme ideological arguments that they care to inflict upon an ignorant polity<br /><br />These people are dangerous and shallow greedy brats..<br /><br />It's a scary articleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-11213523965312202952014-05-29T07:55:08.457+10:002014-05-29T07:55:08.457+10:00No, that is just the figure for Essential. One pol...No, that is just the figure for Essential. One poll, and one that is deemed to lag quite slowly behind the others. Even that figure hides the reality of at least 7 seats falling from the LNP. 7 in 8 months! Just in Queensland. That voter sentiment could reverse so quickly is testament to the un appealing nature of the government. There is absolutely so wide ranging appetite for "reform" the way the LNP envisages it . They gave misinteptreted the election as a mandate to enact sweeping changes on the social fabric of the nation. I'm shocked that there are still enough folks that actually 'believe' in things left in the LNP to support such a reform agenda, although we shall see how that pans out! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-63247511025548498432014-05-29T05:35:15.769+10:002014-05-29T05:35:15.769+10:00Part 2 (text seizure)
I can hear their reedy false...Part 2 (text seizure)<br />I can hear their reedy falsettos. Ye will all be saved if you follow The Book.<br /><br />Self-denial. Hard work. Self-reliance. mortification of the flesh is required.<br /><br />Otherwise ....<br /><br />The scorching flames of Hades will torment you for eternity. <br /><br />Oh dear. What a turn around. No wonder people are resentful and suspicious.<br /><br />The govt abbott was part of encouraged us all to leave live life high on the hog, to aspire, to spend. Get those registers ringing. Ka-Ching. Ka-Ching. Spend for the nation. Here is some cash. Loosen those purse strings.<br /><br />Gillard tried to claw back a bit of middle class welfare and Abbott's mob yelled class Warfare. He was going to fix up everything. No price to be paid by anyone. Magic wand stuff.<br /><br />Some clearly believed him. And our leader and others have boxed their ears soundly for being so stupid as to believe him.<br /><br />Now that is the strangest part of all.<br /><br />Comrades is it any wonder people do not trust Abbott.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-70960096060398598862014-05-29T05:23:32.335+10:002014-05-29T05:23:32.335+10:00When I see Abbott and Andrews in full cry I think ...When I see Abbott and Andrews in full cry I think of that Hollywood epic Hawaii which starred sweet Julie Andrews who married a zealous Christian and went off to the Pacific to save souls.<br /><br />I can see them there hectoring the poor natives about hell and damnation, making them wear scratchy serge suits and blue ties and corsets for the ladies which, of course gave them the vapors.<br /><br />I can Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-71212504484318329442014-05-28T23:13:01.476+10:002014-05-28T23:13:01.476+10:00The 48/52 numbers are the same as what they were b...The 48/52 numbers are the same as what they were before the budget. What's changed is a stiffening of resolve that these guys have to go, and that there are alternatives other than Labor.<br /><br />Interesting about the mining industry. Once both the Coalition and Labor start wondering "why are we sticking our necks out for these guys?", things will be different.Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-58206715007307077582014-05-28T23:06:25.928+10:002014-05-28T23:06:25.928+10:00I always find it amusing to recollect that it was ...I always find it amusing to recollect that it was John Hartigan, former CEO of News Corp Australia, who made the, at the time, 'radical' suggestion that the Press Gallery was unnecessary in Canberra and it should be devolved to Holt Street. Well, that went down like a lead zeppelin with the Murdoch media 'doyennes' in Parliament House and it turned out that 'Harto' went and they didn't!<br /><br />Also, I'm working on Jamie but I am told that he doesn't want to dismantle the edifice that supports him. Or at least, not completely. Who knows, his own path to further achievements may be thwarted by a candidate chosen by less arcane means! Hillbilly Skeletonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-18980510848199062862014-05-28T23:05:48.790+10:002014-05-28T23:05:48.790+10:00Thanks, fixedThanks, fixedAndrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-1494814756395181852014-05-28T21:42:49.473+10:002014-05-28T21:42:49.473+10:00I think this is worthy of further analysis myself....I think this is worthy of further analysis myself.Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-64099941294269592662014-05-28T21:42:23.368+10:002014-05-28T21:42:23.368+10:00This: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-09/alp-se...This: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-09/alp-secretary-rejects-calls-for-party-reform/5378622Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-5361536288677509522014-05-28T18:02:25.745+10:002014-05-28T18:02:25.745+10:00Hi Andrew,
I think it is really interesting(from...Hi Andrew, <br /><br />I think it is really interesting(from the quoted Mumble piece as an example) the way sections of the media continue to claim that THE overriding concern of voters is "debt and deficit", and that this concern trumps every other concern. They especially like to say that this was the defining message of the last election. Even if we buy into this(which I don't, for reasons I'll explain below) is it really the case now, some 8 months from the last election, that this is the main concern in voters minds?<br /><br />Clearly it isn't. If Mumble had shared the rest of the Essential poll(or even Newspoll or Nielsen....funny how he skipped those) we would see that the main concern of voters now is a scarily deep erosion in their's(and others) economic position, brought about by grossly unfair government policy changes. <br /><br />It is one thing to champion 'fiscal responsibility' when the economy is putting along nicely, but when our economic position is eroding? That is very different. I put it to writers like Mumble that voters had the LUXURY of decrying our faux budget crisis in September last year, but now that the cake is shrinking and their economic position is in jeopardy, the mood is very different.<br /><br />It is why this government has cocked it up so badly. They had ONE chance to craft a fair and reasonable response to the structural budget hole. Instead they have attacked everyone but those who can afford to pay the most. I could not believe that they went ahead with the petrol excise increase AFTER the leaks about the miners rebate! Who are these people? And why are they so stupid? <br /><br />I very much doubt the miners would be able to mount a successful campaign this time around(if it even was successful the first time around seeing as how we now know Rudd's polling was still above 50% and the factional bosses had it out for him in any case for months previously)<br />Buying into their bullshit the first time around was only possible with a successful economy and and ever growing economic cake. Now that that cake is shrinking, and many are about to go without? Very different conditions, and I imagine close to ZERO empathy for cashed up foreign owned multi-nationals. The gas boom will play out very differently, you can be sure of that. <br /><br />Its also hilarious how Mumble and others seem to think that the NEXT election will be fought on the issues of the LAST election. When has that ever happened? Yes, elections are always about the economy, but what will economic conditions be like in three years time? The way the economy is deflating I doubt people will be talking about 'debt and deficit' in three years time.<br /><br />Here's an anecdote: O.S friends of mine recently travelled up the NSW coast to Brisbane, hoping to find jobs in Queensland's capital for a few months, before continuing up to Cairns. They couldn't find any work. None. Zip.<br /><br /> After applying for close to thirty jobs EACH, the only replies they had heard back was from two employers explaining to them that because Brisbane had such high unemployment they were no longer hiring back-packers because they were spoiled for choice with locals( longer term, no visa issues) This is Brisbane, not some one horse coasty town. This is why when you look at the poll numbers for the LNP in Queensland they are so dire. Sections of Queensland are probably already in recession, which will only get worse as the mining boom really does wind up.(we ain't seen nothin' yet)<br /><br />Another anecdote pertains to my partner, who works in the mining industry. People in the know are talking about the mothballing of MASSIVE sections of the coal and iron ore industry....not because of climate change but because many of the mines invested in during the boom are simply not profitable at current prices....prices that are expected to continue to fall.<br /><br />There are a great many town's in Qld and WA that will be in a world of pain this time next year. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-30831974488136228082014-05-28T02:39:11.040+10:002014-05-28T02:39:11.040+10:00Shirking to think tank guys and then using that Hu...Shirking to think tank guys and then using that Human Rights role as outsourcing for x.y.z....<br /><br />Bloody ridiculous to think it works in the real world<br /><br />When you piss of the Jewish lobby, , it's political suicide for that individual<br /><br />You are not GOD...<br /><br />The polity has spoken.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-24403610617682053982014-05-28T02:30:06.066+10:002014-05-28T02:30:06.066+10:00There is a divide that I see amongst our social ci...There is a divide that I see amongst our social circles with wealthy second and third generation children of migrants and those Australian born of Anglo parents<br /><br />They favour the Greens amongst the University educated grandchildren. <br /><br />They've seen their grandparents work hard and be discriminated by the <br />conservatives back in the good old <br />White Australia policy days<br /><br />They dislike Mr Abbott immensely. (Female demographic)<br /><br />The political class have never known what to do with this demographic abd how they think.<br /><br />They're a complex group of very<br /> successful people.<br /><br />Budget aside , you've lost them altogether dear establishment.<br /><br />The m.s.m don't know what to do either.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-69749084393882668372014-05-27T19:48:45.748+10:002014-05-27T19:48:45.748+10:00Your first sentence is an ad hominem, the tactic o...Your first sentence is an ad hominem, the tactic of those unable to enunciate a cogent counter-argument so they attack the person, not their reasoning.<br /><br />Secondly, the debate isn't about whether the budget needs structural reform, but the way to achieve. The Lib's method of kicking the guts out of the poor, the infirm and the disadvantaged, or addressing the many issues with our tax system that favour the well-off (and ABS stats put me firmly in that latter camp): negative gearing, concessional CGT, superannuation taxation and access, and the fact that superannuation policy and pension policy are in conflict. And don't feed me the hysteria about negative gearing and rents: many rental properties are neutrally or positively geared, which means negatively geared landlords cannot react to the loss of negative gearing by raising rents, aside from the fact that what tenants can and will pay sets rents. And then we could talk about the taxation of trusts...<br /><br />In addition to the Coalition's attacking the poor and letting the wealthy keep their massive welfare, they've seen fit to introduce a ridiculously expensive and discriminatory PPL at massive tsxpayrr expense, plus massively ramp up Defence spending. Complete hypocrisy and inconsistent with their 'budget emergency' narrative. <br /><br />This media have abrogated their responsibility as impartial commentators, and are suffering hugely for it. I know it's bad because even relatives who are politically disengaged are staying that they don't take notice of any of the main papers because they feel that they're pushing an agenda. Surprise, surprise, surprise. cantbeeffedhttp://twitter.com/cantbeeffednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-78469030025501221182014-05-27T13:29:34.953+10:002014-05-27T13:29:34.953+10:00By the way, it was Jan Masaryk (Czech Foreign Mini...By the way, it was Jan Masaryk (Czech Foreign Minister in 1948) not the Hungarian Imre Nagy who was chucked out the window; Nagy was executed by hanging. But either method would do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-25671652483645953992014-05-27T13:27:39.024+10:002014-05-27T13:27:39.024+10:00The updates are coming thick and fast from Andrew ...The updates are coming thick and fast from Andrew Elder following the budget. Some might think you are even enjoying this press gallery schadenfreude. DavidRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-23206964717097381282014-05-27T13:03:06.230+10:002014-05-27T13:03:06.230+10:00I note the credentials of Mr Elder include his ‘li...I note the credentials of Mr Elder include his ‘libertarian-punk’ diploma but there is no mention of any financial whiz-bangery. Perhaps we should leave comment on the illth of our nation to Parliamentary Budget Officer Phil Bowen who has expressed the need to start the painful process of repairing our national economy. Mr Bowen wisely avoided the word ‘assumption’ in his dry assessment.<br /><br />KabonesaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-39563337378982728892014-05-27T11:11:01.460+10:002014-05-27T11:11:01.460+10:00Interesting you single out fraccing as an issue fo...Interesting you single out fraccing as an issue for Labor to take a firm view on. From a populist view it would be easy to just ban it but the advice it would have received while in Gov't is that it's not as bad as it's portrayed to be. Sure, there needs to be more confidence around the science related to groundwater impacts but the reality is, coal seam methane extraction and fraccing in Australia isn't a big environmental risk. The biggest issue is dealing with the make water once it's on the surface, not with the underground impacts. Even Tony Windsor acknowledges this.<br /><br />As for the issue of media missreading this, there are two points: For all their reading of the Poll tea leaves, you'd have thought that the MSM would have picked up the vibe that Hockey and Abbott's deriding of Labor's legacy wasn't being reflected by poor numbers for the ALP, instead, their numbers were rising. Even if you don't believe polling data, it is a reasonable metric for the 'feel' of the people towards a party and the demonising of Labor and Debt hadn't adversely affected Labor's polling.<br /><br />The second issue is that I just don't think the LNP understand 'fairness'. Aussies understand what a 'fair go' is and have an innate sense of fairness. Howeverever, when the LNP use the work fair, it doesn't gel with what the average Aussie understands to be fair - the same happened with WorkChoices. Howard's fairness test simply wasn't for most Australians. The same is happening with this budget, particularly in regards to the unemployment benefits changes. People might not like dole bludgers but they don't think what is proposed is fair either and most people know it's not as easy as simply doing some study? And why aren't the Nat's up in arms about this - this will destroy country towns who are already doing it tough - particularly going into an El Nino ...<br /><br />Dave55noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-34286783069745452002014-05-27T10:47:38.437+10:002014-05-27T10:47:38.437+10:00What I don't get is why the Press Gallery has ...What I don't get is why the Press Gallery has such a herd mentality. Surely it is more beneficial career-wise in the ling run to make your own mark instead of sticking with the pack? In any case, they have shown that they are nothing more than transcribers these days, and any form of trying to set the "narrative" is no longer working.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-50391643892577865902014-05-27T08:27:48.242+10:002014-05-27T08:27:48.242+10:00Another astute analysis, thanks Andrew, but who is...Another astute analysis, thanks Andrew, but who is Jamie Clements?JBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-88478199182081202032014-05-27T06:55:58.663+10:002014-05-27T06:55:58.663+10:00And further to above ....
If I were Bill Shorten I...And further to above ....<br />If I were Bill Shorten I would plug myself into the national mood, in a positive way.<br />It seems to be the strategy of the government and their media supporters to chastise the country and particular groups for being lotus eaters, short-sighted and selfish.<br />Well! My goodness me.<br />I for one feel quite heartened that people are repelled by the inequity of this budget and it's crude attempt to lay down the concrete slab upon which to build a US style Oz. All piecemeal of course. Bit of this. Bit of that.<br />If I were Bill I would recognize the refusal of most of us to be reshaped by people we do not trust and start talking about the things which bind us. In a coherent, nation- building kinda way.<br /><br />Ms YossarianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-47203850607555183552014-05-27T06:20:29.533+10:002014-05-27T06:20:29.533+10:00Thanks again Andrew. You are on fire laddie.
I won...Thanks again Andrew. You are on fire laddie.<br />I wonder what some of our big-name journalists think when they sit down with a chilled Pinot Grigio to watch Sarah Ferguson of an evening.<br /><br />I wonder if they shift restlessly when they observe her forensic questioning, her command of detail, her ability to ask follow up questions. I wonder if they recognize that Sarah is a journalist with the self-confidence which comes from nurturing her high intelligence with diligent preparation for her interviews. It should be self-evident to all that she is a person who takes pride in her craft and honours it by taking its responsibilities seriously.<br /><br />How different she is from the giggling gerties who think politics is a comedy show, the interviewers who think entrapping a politician to trip over a small detail thereby producing a gotcha moment for Youtube is a journalistic triumph and most of all from the supine, craven lot who have been writing the same turgid columns in support of Tony for years.<br /><br />The journalists who have taken it upon themselves to 'explain' Tony for us are the absolute worst. 'It is Tony being Tony'. 'Ah Tony is having a baby boomer Dad moment'. 'He is pragmatic'.<br /><br />This is NOT all about Tony. It is about Our Country to use Tony!s current attempt to bond us. Stop making excuses for him, stop puzzling over his current difficulties and recognize that you helped create those, stop trying to dig him out of the hole he is in.<br /><br />In my opinion there is no coming back from the Budget disaster. Abbott has been exposed despite the efforts of his supporters in the media to shield him, explain him blah blah. People forget that the Budget is not one hurdle to overcome and that we can all move on. Next year hockey will have to produce another one. It is lurking like Jack-in-the-box.<br /><br />Ms YossarianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com