1. Citizenship Chaos Could Be Terminal For Turnbull
That was Ben Eltham on 6 November. Then you can go anywhere, for example:
- Grattan: LNP’s Queensland election loss has implications for Malcolm Turnbull
- Jennifer Hewitt in the AFR – Most people have no idea what Malcolm Turnbull is trying to achieve
- Mark Ludlow in the AFR –Support for One Nation looms large over LNP seats in next federal election
At the extreme, take a look at Maryborough, where ON polled nearly 30% and the LNP were down around 17%. A message for Malcolm perhaps?
Eltham:
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Across multiple portfolios, government policy is a shambles. From the chaos of energy policy to the inertia on housing, from the stubborn unpopularity of Simon Birmingham’s education reforms to the own goal of rejecting the Uluru statement, the government has been flat-footed at best, self-immolating at worst. And that’s before we mention Turnbull’s very own policy disaster: the slow-moving train wreck of the National Broadband Network.
Grattan on the Qld election:
- Four implications are obvious in the result…
First, it elevates even higher the importance of the December 16 by-election in Bennelong.
Second, it will further unsettle an already depressed and jittery federal backbench.
Third, federal Queensland Coalition MPs will want greater attention from the Government.
Finally, the Nationals — in particular the Queensland Nationals — will accelerate a trend that’s been obvious recently, which is to differentiate their brand.
Then after Turnbull cancelled the HoR sitting, the shock jocks were, I’m told, laughing in his face.
The Turnbull experiment may well be over.
2. Roy Moore for the Alabama senate selection
You may recall that Roy Moore has run into more than static in his desire to become a Republican senator for Alabama:
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Moore is accused of engaging in sexual misconduct with teen girls when he was in his 30s. Though he has denied the claims, the multiple allegations have thrown a wrench into his election campaign. Moore has largely lost the backing of the national Republican Party fundraising apparatus. He has faced – and rejected – calls to drop out of the race. His communications director quit the campaign last week.
Trump thinks he’s OK, as do the Alabama state GOP. Some Republican Party officials from considering drastic measures should Moore win the Alabama special election on December 12.
What really shocked me was Yahoo News correspondent Andrew Romano telling the ABC’s Sarah MacDonald that a Republican asserted that an elected Democrat would do far more tangible harm to humanity that Roy Moore ever did, even if the allegations were true. Romano said that about 10 women had now come forward.
3. People go wild over Tony
Tony Abbott, that is. Mark Latham said (pay-walled) that the women were so wild they would have ripped their knickers off and thrown them at him – except that it was a rally of the Australian Christian National Association conference in Burwood, in Sydney’s inner west:
- The keynote speaker was Tony Abbott, for whom the crowd went crazy, treating him like a political rock star.
I’ve never seen anything like it. With hundreds packed into the room, he received three standing ovations and a wild outpouring of love.
Abbott generated the rarest of attributes in modern politics: energy.
People were genuinely moved and animated by his 30-minute speech — an impressive summary of the challenges facing Western civilisation.
Latham says:
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In knifing Abbott two years ago, Malcolm Turnbull jettisoned the party’s conservative base — an essential foundation stone for electoral success.
Latham says Turnbull should bring Abbott into the tent and make him treasurer.
One thing is for sure – if Tones is getting adulation like that he’ll come back for more.
4. Bolshie government members go for banking royal commission
Would a royal commission into the banks kill the government? Ian Verrender seems to think it might, but it’s hard to see why.
John Howard called the idea “rank socialism” so it must be a good idea.
I think people won’t let go of this one until it happens. Barnaby Joyce says he’s open to an inquiry, Turnbull says “no”.
Matthias Cormann said, remember, that the Government simply won’t pay for a royal commission, they can vote all they like.
Seems they might do just that, to perpetuate chaos in Canberra and keep us all entertained.
5. Triple J dumps Australia day
They are going to do it on the next day instead.
Minister Mitch Fifield slaps his head and thinks that is dumb. Tone Deaf think he’s, well, tone deaf.
- After a national survey and consultation with Australia’s Indigenous community, Triple J announced the official date change for the renowned Hottest 100 countdown. 60 percent of survey respondents were in favour of the date change, however, Communications Minister, Mitch Fifield seems to believe it was a ‘really bad’ decision because who cares about democracy, right?
I think we are seeing a cultural change developing. In a few decades time what, how and when we celebrate will be very different.
New Salon here.
My computer got fixed today. The basic issue was how a Windows 10 update affected the drivers on a particular graphics card, which is quite common, upsetting the monitor display.
As often happens with me and computers, I went the long way around and had some adventures along the way.
Family are up at Mt Glorious today, which is normally glorious, and our suburb is pretty much where you take off from to get there.
I didn’t think my loathing for JJJ could get any deeper.
But they proved me wrong.
How may I divest ?
Senator Dastyari’s departure from the Senate is long overdue IMO.
Mount Glorious sounds very special!
🙂
Jumpy, just turn it off. It’s clearly not meant for your demographic.
Ambi, here’s Mt Glorious. 30 km from the GPO and 23 from our place. We back onto bushland which is continuous to Mt G.
Genuine rainforest. Jolly’s Lookout along the way, about 15 mins from here, overlooking Samford Valley.
*Re Senator Dastyari*
Ms Plibersek just said on “PM” that he has now had his second dressing down from Mr Shorten and implied it will be “three strikes and he is out”.
If so, then IMO the ALP leadership is being too lenient with him.
Ambi, did you know that during the 2013 election campaign KRudd sent Dastayari down to campaign HQ as a fixer? At the time I thought he must be a whizz kid, but seeing more of him I’m increasingly underwhelmed.
On the banks, there was an opinion piece in the AFR today that said the problem is culture. I’d have to agree.
No amount of regulation, prosecuting and penalising is going to fix the problem. A RC is needed to lay it all bare so that the banks can see what norms are acceptable and what are not.
To do her credit, Anna Bligh told the banks that to gain respect their behaviour needs to change. No amount of PR will do it.
Brian
It seems that the Senator may be a “fixer” in all the bad ways.
Getting a donor to pay a personal bill!!!
Federal anti-corruption body with teeth ASAP.
Dastayari has been sacked as deputy whip. Labor can’t sack him as a senator.
Banks wrote to govt requesting a RC, to settle it all down. Turnbull and co have agreed, grumbling about Labor and Greens.
Expect industry super funds to get special attention, because they are union controlled and, it seems, successful.
ALP can expel him from the Party. It has happened several times over the last few decades.
It is always open to any Senator to resign .
On the banking Royal Commission, the PM has gone right up to the precipice of members crossing the floor. No lemming he.
Strong, decisive, prompt actiondragged kicking and screaming, after small correctives…..What a contrast to his acting within hours of that 4 Corners programme on NT youth detention!!
Here’s a thought for the day.
Trigger warning for Jumpy: don’t follow the link, it’ll just give you apoplexy.
Haha, that fool has no idea about economics, commerce or production.
Thanks for the warning, I should have heeded it.
Hope he gets better soon.
As usual Jumpy, your impeccably argued case supported by undeniably solid evidence has won the day.
And you’re so polite with it.
So the proposition on the table is ” you can’t be a billionaire without stealing ” is it ?
I didn’t know you wanted to debate it zoot.
OK, I’m in.
I’ll take the case against.
I’ll concede first opening statement to you.
Go.
Sorry there, I was being presumptuous as to the subject of friendly debate.
Is there anything right about the ” thought ” you felt so compelled to link to ?
No, no Jumpy. You destroyed any argument that might have been put up with your excellent response, “Haha, that fool has no idea about economics, commerce or production.”
I mean, who can possibly disagree with that. Your superior intellect and wonderful rhetoric have once again won the day.
Oh, so it was just a stir you admit was rubbish.
Weird, but hey, whatever, some folk get off in strange ways.
I do wonder though, at what exact dollar amount does ones income ( according to the author of zoot contribution ) make them a suspect of theft.
Or even a range.
The answer is implicit in the article.
But what do you care of the author’s thoughts? He or she is an unmitigated fool whose ideas can be dismissed without any counter E…Vid…Ence. Why waste our precious time and energy wondering what he or she thinks?
Meanwhile in the real world, it appears that when your city goes underwater NASA has a good idea of which glacier will be most responsible. What joy!
Zoot, that’s an interesting article from NASA, but I remember some research from around 2009, from memory, that found a meltwater pulse from the Antarctic would take 50 years to cross the equator. I’m not sure travel times are factored properly into this study.
It’s been full-on family over the last few days, except yesterday afternoon when I went out and did a few hours work.
I’ve got a CC nearly finished, and will do that first, while the visitors head towards Chinatown.
New Salon then from a standing start, hoping to largely avoid current politics.
On a more distressing topic, drop in pitches are ruining the character of cricket in this Country !!
They’re a disgrace to the memory of cricketers past.
Hhhhh, will we ever find another Julie Anthony
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PSSZI-2XwgU
It’s been a good year for Cameron Smiths, one of em just won the Australian PGA on the 2nd play off hole.