Talking Politics | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Talking Politics

TT33

Yellow & Black Member
Feb 17, 2004
6,815
5,802
Melbourne
And now I've heard everything, Potato head Dutton has called the Queensland Govt "corrupt & chaotic" because they're thinking about buying into Virgin Airlines.
Obviously he doesn't have a mirror in his house.
 
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Sintiger

Tiger Legend
Aug 11, 2010
18,199
17,593
Camberwell
And now I've heard everything, Potato head Dutton has called the Queensland Govt "corrupt & chaotic" because they're thinking about buying into Virgin Airlines.
Obviously he doesn't have a mirror in his house.
Corrupt is a word he as a senior minister needs to be very careful in using. People may disagree with the QLD Govt bidding for Virgin but it's not corrupt
 

tigerman

It's Tiger Time
Mar 17, 2003
24,150
19,618
And now I've heard everything, Potato head Dutton has called the Queensland Govt "corrupt & chaotic" because they're thinking about buying into Virgin Airlines.
Obviously he doesn't have a mirror in his house.
I wonder whether Potato Head realises that before the Corona virus Virgin’s Bowen Hills headquarters had 1,200 workers and that there were 5,000 Virgin employees in Queensland.
I wonder what he would say if Virgin relocated to Victoria, he'd be sooking it up big time I reckon. He should concentrate on his federal responsibilities, he tried his hand at QLD state politics, but they wouldn't have a bar of him.
 

Brodders17

Tiger Legend
Mar 21, 2008
17,661
11,699
I think one group disrupted traffic whilst the other didn't.
One group risked the further spread of a deadly disease, one upset traffic.
One group's protest has a scientific basis, one groups did not.
One group's protest disagreed with Morrison, one wanted the same outcomes as Morrison.
 
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MD Jazz

Don't understand football? Talk to the hand.
Feb 3, 2017
13,329
13,712
One group risked the further spread of a deadly disease, one upset traffic.
One group's protest has a scientific basis, one groups did not.
One group's protest disagreed with Morrison, one wanted the same outcomes as Morrison.

Clearly scomo doesn't like traffic disruptions.
 

DavidSSS

Tiger Legend
Dec 11, 2017
10,523
17,874
Melbourne
Dutton currently showing the right's authoritarian tendencies by slipping in some more surveillance and detention powers.

Typical.

DS
 

MD Jazz

Don't understand football? Talk to the hand.
Feb 3, 2017
13,329
13,712
Why so much criticism of the State Premiers by Federal Gov Ministers in recent weeks? This isn't by accident. What's the bigger agenda here?.

Scomo and Hunt have had nothing but praise recently for state leaders. It was Scomo & Hunt that doused criticism of Andrews and VIC health dept over Cedar meats.

Ultimately aren't they all politicians (as someone on PRE pointed out) and looking for any advantage they can get? Surely you don't expect them to be exclusively working in the best interests of the public?
 
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mrposhman

Tiger Legend
Oct 6, 2013
17,850
21,180
Corrupt is a word he as a senior minister needs to be very careful in using. People may disagree with the QLD Govt bidding for Virgin but it's not corrupt

Agree its not corrupt but its a terrible decision. Just take a look at the british government bailing out the banks in the GFC, they owned them for 5-10 years and sold at a loss particularly when taking into account the borrowing cost. QLD does not have a pile of money, they are in debt so would buy an airline that has barely made a profit over 10 years and wants to buy that using debt!! Maybe leave the investing to the private equity firms who will make Virgin profitable. Whoever buys them needs to be ruthless, initially for what they pay in the $ for the debt, but secondary from changing them to a purely Domestic only airline, they do not need the International business which is loss making, if the government buy them then IMO they will not make these ruthless decisions as it will inevitably lead to job losses.
 

Sintiger

Tiger Legend
Aug 11, 2010
18,199
17,593
Camberwell
Agree its not corrupt but its a terrible decision. Just take a look at the british government bailing out the banks in the GFC, they owned them for 5-10 years and sold at a loss particularly when taking into account the borrowing cost. QLD does not have a pile of money, they are in debt so would buy an airline that has barely made a profit over 10 years and wants to buy that using debt!! Maybe leave the investing to the private equity firms who will make Virgin profitable. Whoever buys them needs to be ruthless, initially for what they pay in the $ for the debt, but secondary from changing them to a purely Domestic only airline, they do not need the International business which is loss making, if the government buy them then IMO they will not make these ruthless decisions as it will inevitably lead to job losses.
Private equity firms are generally vultures who don’t actually create anything imo . They strip businesses to sell them and that’s not the type of buyer virgin needs.
That being said don’t take that to mean I think the Queensland govt should buy it because I don’t. Evidently they don’t either as they are offering $200 m in some form ( may even be a loan) if the buyer keeps the HQ in Brisbane according to their treasurer.
 

Brodders17

Tiger Legend
Mar 21, 2008
17,661
11,699
Why so much criticism of the State Premiers by Federal Gov Ministers in recent weeks? This isn't by accident. What's the bigger agenda here?.
i think they are just loosening up after a couple of months of only talking about Covid19- mainly through Morrison, Hunt and Frydenberg. All sticking to their lines, and mostly following policies directed by experts.

As they lose discipline the likes of Dutton will do all they know-talk *smile* and attack their opponents.

Labor are currently staying disciplined- disagreeing with policy but maintaining civility. it remains to be seen how long they can maintain this.
 

AngryAnt

Tiger Legend
Nov 25, 2004
27,017
14,792
Private equity firms are generally vultures who don’t actually create anything imo . They strip businesses to sell them and that’s not the type of buyer virgin needs.
That being said don’t take that to mean I think the Queensland govt should buy it because I don’t. Evidently they don’t either as they are offering $200 m in some form ( may even be a loan) if the buyer keeps the HQ in Brisbane according to their treasurer.

Debt is incredibly cheap now, so if there was ever a time for governments to borrow for stimulus or infrastructure it's now.
 
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DavidSSS

Tiger Legend
Dec 11, 2017
10,523
17,874
Melbourne
Shifting blame for what?

Anything and everything: closing down too fast, opening up too fast, opening up too slow, the infection rate, the death rate, the fact the infection rate is low and some states aren't opening up. You get the picture.

As for the Queensland Govt bailing out or buying Virgin, this is not about owning the airline, it is all about trying to make sure their tourism industry survives as they need travelers to be able to get to Queensland. Tourism is a very big contributor to the Queensland economy.

DS
 

mrposhman

Tiger Legend
Oct 6, 2013
17,850
21,180
Private equity firms are generally vultures who don’t actually create anything imo . They strip businesses to sell them and that’s not the type of buyer virgin needs.
That being said don’t take that to mean I think the Queensland govt should buy it because I don’t. Evidently they don’t either as they are offering $200 m in some form ( may even be a loan) if the buyer keeps the HQ in Brisbane according to their treasurer.

That's a misconception of private equity firms. My company is owned by one (and was previously owned by another). They are certainly ruthless but their aim is not to strip companies back, its to identify the best course of action for a business. That could mean stripping assets back (and to be honest that's what Virgin needs) or it could mean targeting other businesses that can be bolted on to the business and generate a better return than a sum of all the parts. My dads business went through this same process also.