Talking Politics

[AngryAnt]

The agrarian socialists are throwing their weight around.

Yep, that's the Nationals for ya.

Pyne is doing his best to come across as the most arrogant ass-hat since Kevin '07. He's been in job a couple of months and yet he knows more than an expert bipartisan industry panel and bipartisan state government support too.

Plus his plummy accent is almost as bad as Alexander Downer's.

 

[MB78]

The agrarian socialists are throwing their weight around.

I had to check Wikipedia to try and understand what you are on about.

 

[MB78]

Yep, that's the Nationals for ya.

So you wanted Graincorp sold then? And why?

 

[Baloo]

Plus his plummy accent is almost as bad as Alexander Downer's.

Plummy ? he always struck me as sounding like a male version of Jeannie Little

 

[mld]

So you wanted Graincorp sold then? And why?

Personally I don't have an opinion either way, who am I to interfere with who the owners sell to? More broadly, there is no way our current standard of living would be anywhere near what it is today without foreign investment, it is not something to fear no matter what baseless 'what ifs' get thrown around.

 

[AngryAnt]

So you wanted Graincorp sold then? And why?

No, I said the Nationals got what they wanted in contravention of the Libs claiming that Australia was now "open for business".

 

[MB78]

No, I said the Nationals got what they wanted in contravention of the Libs claiming that Australia was now "open for business".

And is this a good thing?

 

[mld]

The Nationals getting their way is never a good thing.

 

[AngryAnt]

Plummy ? he always struck me as sounding like a male version of Jeannie Little

 

[AngryAnt]

And is this a good thing?

Does it sound good to you?

 

[Azza]

I just want to clarify and understand this issue better.

Labor didn't finish the job because Qld and WA refused to be involved. WA at least has admitted it did so in consultation with the then LNP opposition. The WA money was then reallocated by the ALP govt. Pyne then 'found' a portion of it that's now being offered to WA.

The reduction in public school finding proposed by Pyne has been reported by the NSW and Vic LNP govts. Why would they want to cause trouble for the fed LNP if it's not true?

Whether you accept Gonski or not is up to you. Abbott supported it in opposition to help his election chances and is now reneging in government. I wonder how many votes he gained by that particular election promise?

 

[Azza]

http://www.theage.com.au/business/treasurer-joe-hockey-rejects-graincorp-takeover-bid-by-adm-20131129-2yf5f.html

What's your view?


I think it was a smart decision as I feel our Agribusiness Industries are undervalued and they will be a source of growth and security for our future generations.

Also interesting that the Green's support the Government move. While the ALP want it sold off.

As per usual, one rule for farmers, another for everyone else. They want protection from the free market, but everyone else subject to it.

 

[MB78]

Does it sound good to you?

As stated earlier I think it is a good decision.

 

[MB78]

The Nationals getting their way is never a good thing.

On what basis do you say that?

 

[AngryAnt]

Yeah, you think it was a good decision. Let's explore that.

I think it was a smart decision as I feel our Agribusiness Industries are undervalued and they will be a source of growth and security for our future generations.

Do you think denying foreign investment will increase or decrease their value?

How do you define "growth and security for future generations" or is this a meaningless motherhood statement?

Why do you think Hockey wants to "protect" the "national interest" in this case but is equally happy to flog off Qantas?

 

[mld]

On what basis do you say that?

On the basis that I disagree with everything that they do. I thought that was self-evident.

 

[MB78]

Yeah, you think it was a good decision. Let's explore that.

Do you think denying foreign investment will increase or decrease their value?

How do you define "growth and security for future generations" or is this a meaningless motherhood statement?

Why do you think Hockey wants to "protect" the "national interest" in this case but is equally happy to flog off Qantas?

I think it will make no differance to the value short term. Look at what is happening with Warrnambool Cheese and Butter.

I think sustainable agriculture will be a proven way forward for our country. And I think we under value our Agri sector as a country. With the increasing world population, and higher living standards our leading farming standards our product will be in demand like never before.

I think it fits their values, and their voter values. And at the same the ALP are the same in that they are happy to sell of Graincorp and keep Qantas.

Why the reluctance to answer my questions on this? Do you think the ALP have it right in that it should be sold? Or do you agree with the Abbott Government? Which makes you want to at the thought.

 

[K3]

I think it will make no differance to the value short term. Look at what is happening with Warrnambool Cheese and Butter.

I think sustainable agriculture will be a proven way forward for our country. And I think we under value our Agri sector as a country. With the increasing world population, and higher living standards our leading farming standards our product will be in demand like never before.

I think it fits their values, and their voter values. And at the same the ALP are the same in that they are happy to sell of Graincorp and keep Qantas.

Why the reluctance to answer my questions on this? Do you think the ALP have it right in that it should be sold? Or do you agree with the Abbott Government? Which makes you want to at the thought.

I think that both Graincorp, and Qantas, should be allowed to sell of a portion of it's business but this should only be to the point allowing buyers to hold a minority stake in whichever.

 

[AngryAnt]

I think it will make no differance to the value short term.

So why refer to value as a reason not to sell?

I think sustainable agriculture will be a proven way forward for our country. And I think we under value our Agri sector as a country. With the increasing world population, and higher living standards our leading farming standards our product will be in demand like never before.

Foreign ownership doesn't affect sustainable agriculture - it's a function of firm strategic approach and government policy. Foreign ownership doesn't change demand.

I think it fits their values, and their voter values..

So are the libs really about being "open for business" or are they all about protectionism, and against foreign ownership? Because all their public statements are to the contrary. So are these their spoken values or their "hidden" values?

Why the reluctance to answer my questions on this? Do you think the ALP have it right in that it should be sold? Or do you agree with the Abbott Government? Which makes you want to at the thought.

I honestly think it doesn't matter one whit if this company is sold to foreign owners or not. It won't affect "agricultural sustainability", Australia's capacity to grow and sell produce. It's all about the Libs pandering the agrarian socialist, protectionist elements of the National Party.

 

[poppa x]

It's not just medical procedures. More and more will be available online. The bottle neck to a lot of the technologies is download speed.

I remember when I jumped from 56k dial up to 256k ADSL. That was it, nirvana. I'd never need more than 256k download. Now I have 200Mb FTTH and while it's enough for now, soon I'll be able to replace my dedicated cable boxes and pull the channels via the internet. To have multiple streaming HD I will jump up to 500Mb because I like the thought of a buffer.

The more bandwidth, the more innovation it enables. Moving to FTTH is not putting Australia at the forefront, it's just catching up to the leaders. Stopping at FTTN is silly and will limit the innovation that high speed internet to the masses encourages.

I use Wireless and just did a Telstra Speed Test:
Download: 29.42 Mb/Sec
Upload: 4.41 Mb/Sec

I find the speed fine, my browsing is acceptable and I have few issues with emailing large files. It's also improved considerably since 4G reached my area. I foresee Wireless getting faster over time and with 50% of internet traffic now being performed on Mobile devices, then the whole business model of the NBN needs to be looked at again.