We are used to hearing about the Australian Tories as a "coalition". In common parlance this is simply a respectful way of acknowledging that the cyst on the side of the Liberal Party is still formally registered with the AEC.
Keating once called it "vaudeville", and commentators often refer to the National Party as the tail with the power to occasionally wag the dog. In truth however, the National Party is more correctly described itself as the dog, the dog with one trick: rolling over.
So it is when the National Party "draws battle lines". The last time they did it was Telstra. This time however climate change denier Barnaby Joyce is drawing the battlelines on the CPRS.
Malcolm Turnbull, keen too avoid an embarrassing division within the coalition wants to delay voting on the legislation until after after the Copenhagen global discussions, arguing Australia should go to the negotiations with no trading scheme and tell others to implement one. Joyce however, has said that like the Greens the Nationals want to have the vote immediately so they can shut it down.
Confusing? Here's a summary of positions:
ALP: Want vote immediately to pass the bill;
Greens: Want vote immediately to defeat the bill;
Liberals: Want vote delay to negotiate the bill;
Nationals: Want vote immediately to defeat the bill;
To complicate matters, the Liberals are still apparently negotiation with the Labor party as representatives of the coalition.
So while the coalition looks set to implode one question remains: will the dog roll over?
Read the full debacle here.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Turnbull claims he thought of the policy he opposes
Insulating houses has been a big ticket item in the government's stimulus package; a plan fought tooth and nail by the tory opposition as "fiscally irresponsible".
However, it now comes to light that the plan slammed by tory leader Malcolm Turnbull, was his own in opposition.
Turnbull approached then PM Howard who signed off on the scheme immediately, but it was shut down by Costello as a waste of cash.
Turnbull however, didn't ditch the plan there. He kept quiet about the scheme, until Kevin Rudd launched it as part of his stimulus package. Hearing "his" idea discussed in public Turnbull blurted out at a doorstop:
Its tragic to think that the tories got so close to an innovative policy, yet ran so far.
Read the full debacle here.
However, it now comes to light that the plan slammed by tory leader Malcolm Turnbull, was his own in opposition.
Turnbull approached then PM Howard who signed off on the scheme immediately, but it was shut down by Costello as a waste of cash.
Turnbull however, didn't ditch the plan there. He kept quiet about the scheme, until Kevin Rudd launched it as part of his stimulus package. Hearing "his" idea discussed in public Turnbull blurted out at a doorstop:
Days later he had changed tact somewhat. The policy he supported was now obviously still unpopular within Tory ranks, so he rephrased his comment on the matter:
[I] made the point that it represents probably the single biggest opportunity for straightforward, easy gains in energy efficiency. So it’s a very important area.
We would support an insulation subsidy of a lower amountBut of course they didn't. The Turnbull opposition opposed the legislation in its entirety in favour of a scare campaign. Turnbull cast off his own idea and a concept he had labelled the "biggest opportunity for ... easy gains in energy efficiency" as part of a "spending binge".
Its tragic to think that the tories got so close to an innovative policy, yet ran so far.
Read the full debacle here.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Sexist Tory babe recruiting strategy unveiled
The Australian Liberal Students Federation has a history of bigotry, but usually avoids the media spotlight by confining their activities or university campus shenanigans.
However, former president Tim Andrews took recruiting (tory-speak for stacking) to a new low today when he was exposed for unveiling his personal strategy on his blog (now password protected): the "Babe Theory of Politics" - essentially that where there are "hot babes" there are eager young male stacks.
Women lying on beds, posing in suspenders and even a bikini clad young Tory. "We have the hot babes" he posts, on a blog so appalling that even Howard government appointed sex commissioner Pru Goward, now Tory MP, has slammed it.
These pictures, uploaded to the blog, are used to support the contention that the young liberals will succeed. In the words of former Liberal Student's Federation President Tim Andre
ws:“However – there is reason for hope! For optimism! Definite proof that here in Australia we shall triumph!Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised at the conduct of an organization that once proudly sang "God Save the Queen" over an indigenous speaker at a national conference of students but you'd like to think - at least publicly - they have something more going for them than using photos of their own members in a degrading fashion.
“How do I know this? Easy – the Babe Theory Of Politics. To put it simply – we have all the hot girls.” - Tim Andrews
Read the full debacle here.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Liberal addiction to PPP's compromises defence
The Tory party has an addiction to the private sector. Sometimes it's possible to hide the crippling effects of addiction from those around you, sometimes when you go on a real bender the truth is obvious for all to see.
So it is with the recently discovered Howard era Bungendore defence facility. Defence media advises that this photo was taken at the "turning of the first sod" (no pun intended) at the facility. A recently discovered National Audit Office report has found that the government saved 0.4% on the project by going into a private public partnership agreement.
That's right, the Tories commitment to private public partnerships saved 0.4%, but only by substantially reducing the size of the facility.
This from the party who trumpets economic management and defence as their core business.
Whats more, the Howard government knew about this at the time because they were advised that compromising the plans of the facility by entering the PPP would save 4 million dollars only as a result of the fact they commissioned private consultants to audit it for them; a review that cost 14 million dollars (3.5 times the value of the "savings" achieved by reducing the size of the facility).
To compound the bungle, under the terms of the agreement, defence does not take full legal possession of the nations new defence HQ until 2036; in the meantime it makes annual payments to the private consortium which in the first year alone were valued at more than 39 million dollars.
The "first sod" on the facility cost defence ownership of the facility till 2036, compromised the plans for the facility and then spent 3.5 times the value of any savings they made to hear it.
Read the full debacle here.
So it is with the recently discovered Howard era Bungendore defence facility. Defence media advises that this photo was taken at the "turning of the first sod" (no pun intended) at the facility. A recently discovered National Audit Office report has found that the government saved 0.4% on the project by going into a private public partnership agreement.
That's right, the Tories commitment to private public partnerships saved 0.4%, but only by substantially reducing the size of the facility.
This from the party who trumpets economic management and defence as their core business.
Whats more, the Howard government knew about this at the time because they were advised that compromising the plans of the facility by entering the PPP would save 4 million dollars only as a result of the fact they commissioned private consultants to audit it for them; a review that cost 14 million dollars (3.5 times the value of the "savings" achieved by reducing the size of the facility).
To compound the bungle, under the terms of the agreement, defence does not take full legal possession of the nations new defence HQ until 2036; in the meantime it makes annual payments to the private consortium which in the first year alone were valued at more than 39 million dollars.
The "first sod" on the facility cost defence ownership of the facility till 2036, compromised the plans for the facility and then spent 3.5 times the value of any savings they made to hear it.
Read the full debacle here.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tory MP's husband gets full fine for electoral crime
Former Federal Liberal MP and contestant on Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice Jakie Kelly retired at the 2007 Federal Election. However, to try and help the new tory candidate - a good friend of hers, Karen Chijoff - get over the line she decided to try something unorthodox.
Admittedly this wasn't the first time she had engaged in electoral dishonesty. In 1999 she was involved in a scam whereby the Tories enrolled dummy candidates under the names of the "No Badgerys Creek Airport Party" and the "Marijuana Smokers Rights Party" to try and capture the leftwing vote; a tactic that was them subsequently slammed by a senate inquiry for trying to con voters which also revealed that she had silenced the concerns of fellow campaign committee members because she thought this type of electoral dishonesty would be "a lot of fun".
Kelly spent long enough in the political gutter to pick up a few tricks it seems, so when the party needed that little extra push, her husband was front and center of the next trick in the book. Fraud.
This infamous pamphlet, designed to whip up racial hatred and turn it against their opponents (a common tory tactic under the then Howard government). The pamphlet, cooked up by bumbling tory hacks, purports to be produced by an organization named the "Islamic Australia Foundation" and praises the Australian Labor Party for supporting the Bali Bombers; then Jackie Kelly's husband and allegedly a member of the New South Wales state Liberal executive did the rounds dropping them off in constitutents letterboxes.
Jackie Kelly's Husband was today handed down the maximum penalty for this type of electoral dishonesty, too gutless to even appear at court, didn't get to hear the magistrate commenting that it would be difficult to think of a worse case on the matter.
Cheats, cheats, cheats.
Read the full debacle here.
Admittedly this wasn't the first time she had engaged in electoral dishonesty. In 1999 she was involved in a scam whereby the Tories enrolled dummy candidates under the names of the "No Badgerys Creek Airport Party" and the "Marijuana Smokers Rights Party" to try and capture the leftwing vote; a tactic that was them subsequently slammed by a senate inquiry for trying to con voters which also revealed that she had silenced the concerns of fellow campaign committee members because she thought this type of electoral dishonesty would be "a lot of fun".
Kelly spent long enough in the political gutter to pick up a few tricks it seems, so when the party needed that little extra push, her husband was front and center of the next trick in the book. Fraud.
This infamous pamphlet, designed to whip up racial hatred and turn it against their opponents (a common tory tactic under the then Howard government). The pamphlet, cooked up by bumbling tory hacks, purports to be produced by an organization named the "Islamic Australia Foundation" and praises the Australian Labor Party for supporting the Bali Bombers; then Jackie Kelly's husband and allegedly a member of the New South Wales state Liberal executive did the rounds dropping them off in constitutents letterboxes.
Jackie Kelly's Husband was today handed down the maximum penalty for this type of electoral dishonesty, too gutless to even appear at court, didn't get to hear the magistrate commenting that it would be difficult to think of a worse case on the matter.
Cheats, cheats, cheats.
Read the full debacle here.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Turnbull implodes under the weight of own contradictions
We all knew the Tories would were morally flexible, but this latest backflips takes policy backflips to the level of Olympic gymnastics.
Malcolm Turnbull, after attempting to introduce a cigarette tax increase in order to avoid paying more for his health insurance, exposed his hypocrisy for all to see: on the one hand he argued that increasing taxes on a product, even as part of tax harmonization, was a cynical tax grab that wouldn't decrease consumption, and at the same time that tax increases are a valid method of suppressing demand.
It was a policy so stupid that even Bronwyn Bishop called it out (an MP well versed in policy contradiction; she once called for banning of the Muslim headscarf, but not the Jewish skullcap since Muslims apparently employ it merely as an "iconic emblem of defiance").
Today Malcolm Turnbull buckled under the weight of his own contradictions and performed a stellar backflip announcing he would abandon his argument copping criticism from the Labor party he attacked for announcing the policy as well as far right nutjob Steve Fielding.
To demonstrate the full desertion of principle here, I conclude this post with a list of comments made by the Tories as they advocate against their current position, fervently defending cheap sugar laced alcohol blatantly marketed to children as a principled stand:
- "The alcopops tax has got nothing to do with health measures. It’s all about raising revenue." - Malcolm Turnbull (here)
- "This is just a revenue grab – nothing more or less" - Malcolm Turnbull (here)
- "We do not support the alcopops tax. It is a fraud" - Malcolm Turnbull (here)
- "It is not a health measure. It’s a revenue grab." - Malcolm Turnbull (here)
- "One thing the Government could have done was choose to not put up the price of alcohol but it did and it has flowed into the inflation numbers" - Malcolm Turnbull (claiming alcopops cause increases in inflation, here)
- "[the alcopop tax is a] $1 slug on responsible Australians who happen to enjoy a pre-mixed Bundy and Coke or Scotch and Dry" - Brendan Nelson, a medical doctor, promoting alcopops (here)
To ask Malcolm Turnbull why his party now supports a policy that they (and they alone) believe is a "revenue grab" and a "fraud" that has "flowed into inflation numbers" and constitutes "a $1 slug on responsible Australians" why not email Malcolm at Malcolm.Turnbull.MP@aph.gov.au ; I have; awaiting response.
Read the full debacle here.
Malcolm Turnbull, after attempting to introduce a cigarette tax increase in order to avoid paying more for his health insurance, exposed his hypocrisy for all to see: on the one hand he argued that increasing taxes on a product, even as part of tax harmonization, was a cynical tax grab that wouldn't decrease consumption, and at the same time that tax increases are a valid method of suppressing demand.
It was a policy so stupid that even Bronwyn Bishop called it out (an MP well versed in policy contradiction; she once called for banning of the Muslim headscarf, but not the Jewish skullcap since Muslims apparently employ it merely as an "iconic emblem of defiance").
Today Malcolm Turnbull buckled under the weight of his own contradictions and performed a stellar backflip announcing he would abandon his argument copping criticism from the Labor party he attacked for announcing the policy as well as far right nutjob Steve Fielding.
To demonstrate the full desertion of principle here, I conclude this post with a list of comments made by the Tories as they advocate against their current position, fervently defending cheap sugar laced alcohol blatantly marketed to children as a principled stand:
- "The alcopops tax has got nothing to do with health measures. It’s all about raising revenue." - Malcolm Turnbull (here)
- "This is just a revenue grab – nothing more or less" - Malcolm Turnbull (here)
- "We do not support the alcopops tax. It is a fraud" - Malcolm Turnbull (here)
- "It is not a health measure. It’s a revenue grab." - Malcolm Turnbull (here)
- "One thing the Government could have done was choose to not put up the price of alcohol but it did and it has flowed into the inflation numbers" - Malcolm Turnbull (claiming alcopops cause increases in inflation, here)
- "[the alcopop tax is a] $1 slug on responsible Australians who happen to enjoy a pre-
To ask Malcolm Turnbull why his party now supports a policy that they (and they alone) believe is a "revenue grab" and a "fraud" that has "flowed into inflation numbers" and constitutes "a $1 slug on responsible Australians" why not email Malcolm at Malcolm.Turnbull.MP@aph.gov.au ; I have; awaiting response.
Read the full debacle here.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Tory economic credibility goes up in smoke
After being throroughly destroyed in the lead up to the budget, Turnbull had the unhappy job of dragging himself to the dispatch box and setting down his alternative budget for Australia. Unsurprisingly the hypocrisy was palpable.
After spending days banging on about how Treasurer Swan did not mention the bottom line during the budget speech, Turnbull took to the stand and gave a budget speech that amazingly did not contain any specific schemes, projects or indeed any specific figures at all. The Tories, after spending a week telling the Australian people that Labor was taking out more debt than they would have and criticizing Swan for not mentioning a publicly available figure, could not bring themselves to a fair fight and compare the figures.
Turnbull, who voted against an increase in alcopops, has unveiled a 12.5% increase in the cost of cigarettes, in lieu of the Labor party's cost saving measure: not paying a third of the private health costs of people earning over $150,000 a year. Immediately after hearing the speech, even Bronwyn Bishop lined up to laugh at Turnbull's rant.
Read the full debacle here.
After spending days banging on about how Treasurer Swan did not mention the bottom line during the budget speech, Turnbull took to the stand and gave a budget speech that amazingly did not contain any specific schemes, projects or indeed any specific figures at all. The Tories, after spending a week telling the Australian people that Labor was taking out more debt than they would have and criticizing Swan for not mentioning a publicly available figure, could not bring themselves to a fair fight and compare the figures.
Turnbull, who voted against an increase in alcopops, has unveiled a 12.5% increase in the cost of cigarettes, in lieu of the Labor party's cost saving measure: not paying a third of the private health costs of people earning over $150,000 a year. Immediately after hearing the speech, even Bronwyn Bishop lined up to laugh at Turnbull's rant.
Read the full debacle here.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Pre-budget tory economics: timeline of a disaster
Whilst you can't have sympathy for a Tory, the past week taught me that it is possibly to pity them. Turnbull has spent the past week taking preemptive strikes on the Australian economy and failing, time and time again. That's why I have compiled this short timeline of Tory failure on economic rhetoric over the past 2 weeks.
24 April - Turnbull claims economy moving backwards
Malcolm Turnbull slams the Australian government, claiming the stimulus packages had not "hasn't prevented the economy from going backwards".
6 May ~ Midday - Economy moves forward
Retail spending figures are released that are four and a half times projections, at 2.2% growth. Economists put this down to the stimulus package. Turnbull, without acknowlodging this key economic figure suggests the economy has gone forward, persists in claiming that stimulus has mostly failed.
6 May ~ 7:35 - Turnbull claims jobs real test of leadership
Turnbull tells Kerry O'Brien that the retail figures aren't the real game but jobs figures are saying "we can talk about retail sales figures as much as we like. Let's see what happens to jobs - that's the real test". He also claims the stimulus packages "didn't deliver one job".
7 May - Job figures go up
Jobs figures are released showing that unemployment is down. At this point, Turnbull, routed twice bows out of the economic debate and sends in Hockey, who, unable to contain his disbelief mounted two contradictory arguments at once: firstly claiming that the figures where wrong, and that the economy was getting worse commenting "Do you believe there has been a massive surge of job creation in NSW in the last month?", and then, in the same doorstop claiming that the positive figures showed that massive spending and stimulus was not needed.
8th May - 11 May - Tories AWOL
After opening their mouths three times and shoving their collective feet into them each time, the Tories adopt Martin Hamilton-Smith's tactic of bunkering down and saying nothing. The peacefull silence that had overtaken the intellectual wasteland that is the Coalition shadow cabinet is broken only by Tony Abbott to acknowledge that, in hindsight, now that Labor was doing it, the Howard government should have brought in paid maternity leave (this from the man who in 2002 quipped to a Liberal fundraiser "Compulsory paid maternity leave? Over this Government’s dead body, frankly").
12 May - Swan hands down budget
Swan hands down the federal budget. Game on.
The full debacle on this one, only available here.
24 April - Turnbull claims economy moving backwards
Malcolm Turnbull slams the Australian government, claiming the stimulus packages had not "hasn't prevented the economy from going backwards".
6 May ~ Midday - Economy moves forward
Retail spending figures are released that are four and a half times projections, at 2.2% growth. Economists put this down to the stimulus package. Turnbull, without acknowlodging this key economic figure suggests the economy has gone forward, persists in claiming that stimulus has mostly failed.
6 May ~ 7:35 - Turnbull claims jobs real test of leadership
Turnbull tells Kerry O'Brien that the retail figures aren't the real game but jobs figures are saying "we can talk about retail sales figures as much as we like. Let's see what happens to jobs - that's the real test". He also claims the stimulus packages "didn't deliver one job".
7 May - Job figures go up
Jobs figures are released showing that unemployment is down. At this point, Turnbull, routed twice bows out of the economic debate and sends in Hockey, who, unable to contain his disbelief mounted two contradictory arguments at once: firstly claiming that the figures where wrong, and that the economy was getting worse commenting "Do you believe there has been a massive surge of job creation in NSW in the last month?", and then, in the same doorstop claiming that the positive figures showed that massive spending and stimulus was not needed.
8th May - 11 May - Tories AWOL
After opening their mouths three times and shoving their collective feet into them each time, the Tories adopt Martin Hamilton-Smith's tactic of bunkering down and saying nothing. The peacefull silence that had overtaken the intellectual wasteland that is the Coalition shadow cabinet is broken only by Tony Abbott to acknowledge that, in hindsight, now that Labor was doing it, the Howard government should have brought in paid maternity leave (this from the man who in 2002 quipped to a Liberal fundraiser "Compulsory paid maternity leave? Over this Government’s dead body, frankly").
12 May - Swan hands down budget
Swan hands down the federal budget. Game on.
The full debacle on this one, only available here.
Friday, May 8, 2009
MHS dodges defamation bullet
Theres never a day I wake up and want to see Martin Hamilton-Smith on TV. Except perhaps today, when he dragged his political carcass onto the steps of parliament and gave the full apology that Mike Rann asked of him, as a precondition to dropping a potential defamation action.
MHS stood in front of the media and read a preprepared statement apologizing for any hurt or embarassment it may have caused the people he linked to scientology, using forged documents to prosecute his argument.
More oddly, he got away with this line:
What a tool.
Listen to the debacle here, from a dying horses mouth. Read the full debacle here.
MHS stood in front of the media and read a preprepared statement apologizing for any hurt or embarassment it may have caused the people he linked to scientology, using forged documents to prosecute his argument.
More oddly, he got away with this line:
... and I further accept that the documents on which I had relied, were forgeries and the matters referred to them, or referred to in them were fabricated by a person or persons whose identity is unknown to me - Martin Hamilton-Smith (emphasis added)MHS is still apparently running with the line that he had no idea who gave him the documents in the first place. Apparenly you just give this guy something defamatory and he reads it out in parliament before he even asks for your name.
What a tool.
Listen to the debacle here, from a dying horses mouth. Read the full debacle here.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
LIbs refuse to comment on the grounds that it may incriminate them
The South Australian Liberal Party has run to the bunker, after being caught out using forged documents to try and link Rann to Scientology. After they were exposed, Tory leader Martin Hamilton-Smith went through a series of humiliating interviews where tried to argue he didn't know where he got the documents from.
The debacle has left the Lib's speechless - by order of Hamilton-Smith's chief of staff John Lewis. Party sources have tipped the media off not to bother calling any Liberal MP's, since every Liberal MP has been told not to talk to the media about anything.
The state Tories' record of losing successive elections has meant much of their donations have dried up over the past few years, and party insiders have indicated that funding a defence to Martin Hamilton-Smith's defamation case would send them broke. Rann, against whom the most high profile defamatory remarks were made, tweeted that he was "simply asking MHS to make a proper apology and retraction".
Hamilton-Smith appears to have two options, issue a formal apology, or face a defamation suit that will send his party broke. As yet no reply has been heard from the bunker.
Read the full debacle here.
The debacle has left the Lib's speechless - by order of Hamilton-Smith's chief of staff John Lewis. Party sources have tipped the media off not to bother calling any Liberal MP's, since every Liberal MP has been told not to talk to the media about anything.
The state Tories' record of losing successive elections has meant much of their donations have dried up over the past few years, and party insiders have indicated that funding a defence to Martin Hamilton-Smith's defamation case would send them broke. Rann, against whom the most high profile defamatory remarks were made, tweeted that he was "simply asking MHS to make a proper apology and retraction".
Hamilton-Smith appears to have two options, issue a formal apology, or face a defamation suit that will send his party broke. As yet no reply has been heard from the bunker.
Read the full debacle here.
LNP bungles court challenge
Tories are of course losers, but usually with experience comes a kind of grace, a kind of attitude towards perpetual defeat that prevents a loser from becoming a sore loser, Not so for the LNP candidate for the seat of Chadsworth Andrea Caltabiano. After losing by around 100 votes, she has gone to the court of disputed returns and asked them to install her as the member, alleging every sort of fraud she could think of, not against another political party, but against the public generally and the electoral commission.
Bungle #1
Immediately afterwards, Caltabiano claimed double voting, a failure to distribute postal forms, and the independent electoral commission of striking eligible voters off the list. The Supreme Court, faced with only 'generalized allegations' and an absence of specific claims - let alone evidence - promptly threw the matter out today, asking the Tories to come back with evidence.
Bungle #2
The matter was suspended later in the day after it came to light that the LNP - presumably having so little faith in this vexatious complaint - hadn't even bothered to put down the $400 deposit required by the court when lodging documents. After this was revealed the Tories claimed they had misunderstood the clearly and precisely spelt out requirements for lodging the forms, odd from a candidate that listed her main concern going into the election as "declining rates of literacy".
For a party that campaigned so hard on court reform for harsher penalties on criminals, you'd think they would stop wasting the courts time, or, failing that at least comply with court fees.
Read the full debacle here.
Bungle #1
Immediately afterwards, Caltabiano claimed double voting, a failure to distribute postal forms, and the independent electoral commission of striking eligible voters off the list. The Supreme Court, faced with only 'generalized allegations' and an absence of specific claims - let alone evidence - promptly threw the matter out today, asking the Tories to come back with evidence.
Bungle #2
The matter was suspended later in the day after it came to light that the LNP - presumably having so little faith in this vexatious complaint - hadn't even bothered to put down the $400 deposit required by the court when lodging documents. After this was revealed the Tories claimed they had misunderstood the clearly and precisely spelt out requirements for lodging the forms, odd from a candidate that listed her main concern going into the election as "declining rates of literacy".
For a party that campaigned so hard on court reform for harsher penalties on criminals, you'd think they would stop wasting the courts time, or, failing that at least comply with court fees.
Read the full debacle here.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tory mayor gets down and dirty
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman refers to himself as "can-do campbell" - like just last month when he proved he "can-do" something about shopping trolleys, employing council workers to race Coles to stray trolleys and stealing about 1500 off local retailers in a month.
Everyone else refers to him simply as "Noddy" because of his appearance and an army adventure where he led a group of men down a road causing the expedition to get 199 flat tyres.
Unbelievably Newman has managed to lower his credibility further today after being exposed for running a political dirt unit.
The dirt unit has been operating for some time; just last month it detected that a fellow councillor was invested in Newcrest mining, and went on to argue that an councillor was hypocritical for investing in it, whilst opposing nuclear activity in Brisbane (more bizarre when you consider that Newcrest is in fact a gold mining company).
To make up for this embarrassing stunt, the Tories did what any vermin does when boxed into a corner - revert to primal instinct. Today the dirt unit circulated documents to media outlining personal details about opposition councillors.
Newman has responded by saying he was merely trying to "rip apart the tissue of misleading nonsense". Whatever that means.
Read the full debacle here.
Everyone else refers to him simply as "Noddy" because of his appearance and an army adventure where he led a group of men down a road causing the expedition to get 199 flat tyres.
Unbelievably Newman has managed to lower his credibility further today after being exposed for running a political dirt unit.
The dirt unit has been operating for some time; just last month it detected that a fellow councillor was invested in Newcrest mining, and went on to argue that an councillor was hypocritical for investing in it, whilst opposing nuclear activity in Brisbane (more bizarre when you consider that Newcrest is in fact a gold mining company).
To make up for this embarrassing stunt, the Tories did what any vermin does when boxed into a corner - revert to primal instinct. Today the dirt unit circulated documents to media outlining personal details about opposition councillors.
Newman has responded by saying he was merely trying to "rip apart the tissue of misleading nonsense". Whatever that means.
Read the full debacle here.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Baillieu's Budget Blustering: another tale of desperate state Tory opposition
Poor Ted Ballieu must have got the word from Federal top brass that when times are tough there is only one rule for the Tory's: oppose everything, even if its exactly what you asked for, and then some. Then blame Kevin Rudd. Then deny the existance or importance of inflation.
Before the release of today's budget Ted had a simple message: restrain borrowing and invest in "productive infrastructure". Today, in the midst of the global financial crisis the Victorian government delivered a surplus budget alongside the biggest investment in public infrastructure in Victorian history.
All his demands exceeded, Ted Ballieu should have kept his mouth shut, instead he plunged his foot into it, coming out with a series of bizarre attacks, including:
- Blaming Kevin Rudd for putting the Victorian budget in surplus, and then using this to argue that Labor were poor economic managers;
- Claiming Victoria would lose its triple AAA credit rating (either totally invented, or based on his misinterpretation of a statement from ANZ yesterday, which was clarified within 4 hours);
- Attacking the government for engaging in massive spending on infrastructure that he demanded;
And finally in a stunning display of economic prowess:
- Basing his arguments about future possible debt on what is apparently his own personal accounting method, which revolves around what he refers to as "raw dollar terms", which allows him to make comparisons between today and 17 years ago without the time consuming and disadvantageous process of taking inflation into account which would have destroyed his argument.
Read the full debacle - in the 'leader' of the oppositions own words - here.
Before the release of today's budget Ted had a simple message: restrain borrowing and invest in "productive infrastructure". Today, in the midst of the global financial crisis the Victorian government delivered a surplus budget alongside the biggest investment in public infrastructure in Victorian history.
All his demands exceeded, Ted Ballieu should have kept his mouth shut, instead he plunged his foot into it, coming out with a series of bizarre attacks, including:
- Blaming Kevin Rudd for putting the Victorian budget in surplus, and then using this to argue that Labor were poor economic managers;
- Claiming Victoria would lose its triple AAA credit rating (either totally invented, or based on his misinterpretation of a statement from ANZ yesterday, which was clarified within 4 hours);
- Attacking the government for engaging in massive spending on infrastructure that he demanded;
And finally in a stunning display of economic prowess:
- Basing his arguments about future possible debt on what is apparently his own personal accounting method, which revolves around what he refers to as "raw dollar terms", which allows him to make comparisons between today and 17 years ago without the time consuming and disadvantageous process of taking inflation into account which would have destroyed his argument.
Read the full debacle - in the 'leader' of the oppositions own words - here.
Business hitlisted Liberal suggests reinstating Bjelke-Petersonesque gerrymander to save own seat
It's been a busy day today. So much Tory corruption, so little time.
An MP hitlisted by the Liberal's puppetmasters may lose his seat in a rezoning by the independent Australian Electoral Commission, but Tory incumbent Alby Schultz has hit out at his own party arguing that the party should oppose a future decision of the independent commission because it is not in the their partisan interest.
Unbelievably he is now publicly arguing for an electoral gerrymander along the lines of Tory hero Joe Bjelke-Peterson's model, stating
Basically, saying goodbye to one value one vote to give extra weight to rural voters, the same sort of logic that turned Bjelke-Peterson into an virtually untouchable dictator who routinely won elections without getting anything like a majority vote.
Thankfully, this Tory's days are numbered, facing a pincer movement, with democracy moving in on one side and big business moving in on the other.
What a tool.
Read the full debacle here.
An MP hitlisted by the Liberal's puppetmasters may lose his seat in a rezoning by the independent Australian Electoral Commission, but Tory incumbent Alby Schultz has hit out at his own party arguing that the party should oppose a future decision of the independent commission because it is not in the their partisan interest.
Unbelievably he is now publicly arguing for an electoral gerrymander along the lines of Tory hero Joe Bjelke-Peterson's model, stating
We should be looking at perhaps reducing the number of people required to make up a seat in the rural sector and increasing the number of constituents in the urban base seats
Basically, saying goodbye to one value one vote to give extra weight to rural voters, the same sort of logic that turned Bjelke-Peterson into an virtually untouchable dictator who routinely won elections without getting anything like a majority vote.
Thankfully, this Tory's days are numbered, facing a pincer movement, with democracy moving in on one side and big business moving in on the other.
What a tool.
Read the full debacle here.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Late post - Martin Hamilton-Smith makes false and scandalous claims linking Rann to scientology
I know this technically happened before the blog started but its so outrageous it needs to be archived. 5 days ago SA Tory leader Martin Hamilton-Smith (proponent of a massive sports stadium instead of a hospital) claimed that Premier Mike Rann had organized a $20,000 donation from a Scientologist organization. Sound like an unbelievable hoax furthered by a desperate joke of a state Tory opposition? Thats because it is.
It didn't take anyone very long to discover the documents he relied on were false and forged. Whats more MHS then apologized, then alledged that he did not know where the documents came from, whilst simultaneously alledging they came from a labor source. Apparently, he just got documents from an unknown source and used them in parliament.
What a tool.
Read the full debacle here.
It didn't take anyone very long to discover the documents he relied on were false and forged. Whats more MHS then apologized, then alledged that he did not know where the documents came from, whilst simultaneously alledging they came from a labor source. Apparently, he just got documents from an unknown source and used them in parliament.
What a tool.
Read the full debacle here.
Turnbull confused on Carbon scheme (again) and ACCI attacks
Today, after spending months criticizing the government because it would not delay the introduction of the CPRS, Turnbull has criticized the delay of the CPRS demonstrating his firm commitment to opposition for oppositions sake.
In other news, the business donors that control the Liberal party have called in their debts, making future donations contingent on the Liberals axing the Howard era hicks and hacks.
The Liberals Big Business Puppet Master's Hit List:
-Philip Ruddock (the architect of modern immigration dehumanization)
- Wilson "Ironbar" Tuckey (an affectionate title he earned for assaulting an indigenous man with an iron bar)
- Kevin Andrews (Failed industrial relations minister and WorkChoice proponent);
- Bill Heffernan (famous for making the allegation whilst under parliamentary privilege that a high court judge was a pedophile, then retracting it and accepting it was baseless);
- Bronwyn Bishop (The talentless NSW right hack who suggested banning the muslim headscarf at schools, but not the jewish skullcap because "people of the Jewish faith have not used the skull cap as a way of campaigning against the Australian culture, laws and way of life");
- John Forrest (a member of the now defunct far right fundamentalist religious faction the Lyons Forum)
As well as nobodies: Alby Schultz, Joanna Gash, Margaret May, Bruce Scott, Michael Johnson, Alex Somlyay, Andrew Laming and Judi Moylan.
Read the full debacle here.
In other news, the business donors that control the Liberal party have called in their debts, making future donations contingent on the Liberals axing the Howard era hicks and hacks.
The Liberals Big Business Puppet Master's Hit List:
-Philip Ruddock (the architect of modern immigration dehumanization)
- Wilson "Ironbar" Tuckey (an affectionate title he earned for assaulting an indigenous man with an iron bar)
- Kevin Andrews (Failed industrial relations minister and WorkChoice proponent);
- Bill Heffernan (famous for making the allegation whilst under parliamentary privilege that a high court judge was a pedophile, then retracting it and accepting it was baseless);
- Bronwyn Bishop (The talentless NSW right hack who suggested banning the muslim headscarf at schools, but not the jewish skullcap because "people of the Jewish faith have not used the skull cap as a way of campaigning against the Australian culture, laws and way of life");
- John Forrest (a member of the now defunct far right fundamentalist religious faction the Lyons Forum)
As well as nobodies: Alby Schultz, Joanna Gash, Margaret May, Bruce Scott, Michael Johnson, Alex Somlyay, Andrew Laming and Judi Moylan.
Read the full debacle here.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Barnaby and Pru v Science
Barnaby Joyce and Pru Goward restated their positions on climate change on QandA this week.
We shouldn't be surprised perhaps at the National Party's Barnaby Joyce, who has long denied that humans are behind climate change (and to really prove his anti-environmental credentials, once suggested mining and fishing in Antarctica). On tonight's episode he complained of jobs losses that would be caused by the Rudd-Labor governments CPRS; to back up his argument he cited industry research based on economic modeling. Keep the 'modeling' part of that research in mind, it becomes important in a minute when the next Tory opens her mouth.
Not to be outdone, Pru went further, challenging one of the precepts of modern science altogether by claiming that 'modeling' is a new and dubious science.
We shouldn't be surprised perhaps at the National Party's Barnaby Joyce, who has long denied that humans are behind climate change (and to really prove his anti-environmental credentials, once suggested mining and fishing in Antarctica). On tonight's episode he complained of jobs losses that would be caused by the Rudd-Labor governments CPRS; to back up his argument he cited industry research based on economic modeling. Keep the 'modeling' part of that research in mind, it becomes important in a minute when the next Tory opens her mouth.
Not to be outdone, Pru went further, challenging one of the precepts of modern science altogether by claiming that 'modeling' is a new and dubious science.
PRU GOWARD: ... Now, if you think about the connection between cancer and smoking; if you think about the connection between alcohol and liver damage, you've got evidence. You've got evidence based on what you look at under the microscope. This is the first issue of this order which is based on projections, and that is why the scientific community, with respect, is more divided on it than is acknowledged...Read the full debacle here.
TONY JONES: Yep.
PRU GOWARD: ...and why the community is acknowledged. Because modelling is a very new science.
We Hate Tories is Born
Hello fellow readers.
For some time I have been trying to keep a record of everything the Australian Liberal Party and National Party have done to stuff up our country. It seemed like a good idea to share these, in an attempt to publicly archive the sad and evolving history of our very own Tory parties.
For some time I have been trying to keep a record of everything the Australian Liberal Party and National Party have done to stuff up our country. It seemed like a good idea to share these, in an attempt to publicly archive the sad and evolving history of our very own Tory parties.
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