-
IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
Talking Politics
- Thread starter Legends of 2017
- Start date
jb03 said:
Both Rudd and Gillard failed abysmally on this front - purely due to their advisers telling them it would be a point of difference that the Libs could exploit and that in Gillard's case the conservative unions wouldn't like it. This is modern politics. Sometimes you just have to stand up for what you believe in, whether it's popular or not.
Strangely Toned Abs wants to stand up for the thing that is unpopular when everything else he does is to try to be popular. Unfortunately for him 90% of the electorate knows what he's doing so of course it's ineffective and makes him look even worse.
antman said:
Not so sure about that, aside from his penchant for bogan slogans very few things seem popular. His obsession with coal and his distaste for wind is a case in point, his attack on the ABC another anti-populist move. Then there's the tendency to cling onto his cronies whilst they sink the LNP into electoral oblivion. Tones is loyal to his inner sanctum, when it comes to policy reversal he needs a sledgehammer embedded in his skull before he moves, he's slower than a slug on Mogadon.
bullus_hit said:
Yeah - there is a lot of placating the lobbyists and the far right of his own party Bullus, I stand corrected. It appears he's throwing all his hopes into the "fight against terrorism", "national security" and "Border Force" to appeal to the popular vote but even that's not going so great right now.
I can't see that the Royal Commission into the Labor Party and Trade Unions is probably that popular outside the inner sanctum either.
I actually believe this is correct.antman said:
Abbott is a political animal who will generally do the populist thing to get elected except when it comes to his deep seated Catholic conservative views which he simply cannot bend on. We saw it when he was Health Minister with the " morning after pill" (AZ....? ) and i believe we will continue to see it on gay marriage.
In these cases he is an idealogue and he won't bend. In his mind it is about God and what is right and wrong
Sintiger said:
Just a slight adjustment to your original post, the point about being an idealogue is true but this doesn't lend itself to swaying with the times. His list of pre-election promises has been shown up as a sham, whenever he doesn't get his way he just carries on a bit further and changes the laws of the land, often a direct result of incompetence. His main problem lies in the fact he surrounds himself with like-minded twits who egg each other on down a path of self destruction. Anyone who disagrees will cop a verbal knuckle sandwich, that includes the UN, the Pope, various heads of state and people in his own party who weren't fortunate enough to make the PM's 'star chamber' (I kid you not, that is the name bestowed upon the likes of Peta Credlin and the like).
I recall not so long ago he attacked the universities for divesting in fossil fuels, they were 'crazy', 'nuts', 'irresponsible', roll on a few months and these investments have shed 40%. Has Tones learnt a lesson? Nope, he's just doing more of the same only on a bigger scale, with foreign interests and with scant regard for the back benchers in his party. This is a man who is mired in the 50's, a retroland zombie who honestly believes he's the second coming of Robert Menzies. Paul Keating was spot on when he said 'God help us' if Abbott gets into power.
Can you still call "Godwin's Law" when your PM really does start to spew nationalistic rhetoric and creates a modern day Stassi?
Not a fan of rhetoric (okay I am but only when it is onomatopoeiaic or allitepative and it's me doing it :hihi) and i am especially weary of nationalistic behaviour ("who's side are you on?" etc.) and I mentioned "Godwin's Law" only to give myelf a free pass to have a shot at the dangerously xenophobic rhetoric and legislation coming from our current government and backed by, it has to be said, a spineless opposition. Most recently highlighted by the botched "Border Force" announce..ible? I am genuinely worried by this "trend" of policy/legislation from this government. So much so that as I write this I am taking a break from sunning myself (and downing the odd frothy - can you tell? - on the massive balcony of my upgraded room in Tenerife in the Canary Islands.)
Rampant nationalism scares the bloody pance (that's right P-A-N-C-E PANCE) off me. For gods sake you lot get rid of this mob would ya?! (who the hell would you vote for though not Bill the BackStabber?)
Rampant nationalism scares the bloody pance (that's right P-A-N-C-E PANCE) off me. For gods sake you lot get rid of this mob would ya?! (who the hell would you vote for though not Bill the BackStabber?)
Watching mono-Tony on the 7.30 report last night was excruciating. He's the worst PM this country has ever has by some distance.
antman said:
I think the modern term is 'asshat' mate
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-09/abbott-says-stopping-boats-has-helped-economy/6763240
I wonder if he talks like that at home? word, stop. sentence, stop. word, word, stop. word, stop. *facepalm*
God this clown just gets worse and worse. He is that bad he is going to make Shorten look good as PM!
I think the worst part of the interview last night was the unbelievable hypocrisy. The quip about not wanting to talk our country down and hoping the national broadcaster would be part of that just left me gob smacked. He basically said it was alright to talk the country down when Labor was in power because they were crap and what they did was wrong but not ok with them in power.
This guy simply doesn't understand the difference between a National Broadcaster and a Government Broadcaster !!
This guy simply doesn't understand the difference between a National Broadcaster and a Government Broadcaster !!
Sintiger said:
Au contraire mon frère. He knows the difference. The PM, like Bronny Bishop, thinks that they won so they get to do what they like. These are the spoils. They may never say it but the actions of many senior libs make it pretty clear. The PM doesn't see the contradiction because "I won". He's like a spoiled child who thinks it's okay to be a prick to his sister just because he beat her at ping-pong. But...but...but...I won?
For a while I have been hoping the Libs dump George Dubbya Abbott from the party and get someone in who just may make a good fist of being the leader of our great country BUT with the rumblings the Morrison would probably get the gig, and my member of Turnbull totally fluffing his shot at the Big Gig, I just can't feel at all confident that anyone the 'party' would put forward would be any good at all. Once you add in Dutton's comments, as listed below, more and more of the current government is looking like a big cow pat.
Man, what a sorry state Australian politics is in...
-----
Tony Abbott under rising pressure as more MPs see leadership challenge as likely
Date, September 12, 2015 - 12:39AM
James Massola, Nicole Hasham
Dutton's 'private conversation' by a microphone
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton refuses to explain his joke about the impact on Pacific Islands under threat of rising sea levels.
Dutton caught joking about rising sea levels
Hockey suggests colleagues don't like him because he cut their budgets
Tony Abbott's hold on the prime ministership is under mounting pressure, with another leadership challenge seen by a growing number of MPs as likely and growing anger within the ministry after a hit-list of Howard-era ministers reportedly in line to be demoted was published.
Mr Abbott moved to quash talk of a reshuffle on Friday, saying "reports of end-of-year reshuffles are absolutely a dime a dozen" and that "this is a government which is totally focused on jobs, economic growth, community safety – not Canberra insider gossip".
But even as the Prime Minister and other senior ministers including Joe Hockey, Christopher Pyne and Scott Morrison tried to hose down talk of a reshuffle, the government was hit by another gaffe when Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was caught on tape joking about low-lying islands being swamped by rising seas.
The 23-second exchange risked offending Indigenous people, ethnic community leaders and Australia's Pacific neighbours in one fell swoop.
Mr Pyne conceded renewed discussion of a reshuffle would further damage the government's political strategy and messaging but said ministers must "get on with our jobs".
Mr Hockey, who has been the subject of persistent undermining and suggestions he will be moved on by Mr Abbott, said colleagues including Julie Bishop, Malcolm Turnbull and Ian Macfarlane could be unhappy with him because he slashed their budgets.
He dismissed the idea of taking "one for the team" and stepping aside as Treasurer — likely to be replaced by Mr Morrison. Many MPs believe the fortunes of Mr Abbott and his Treasurer are inextricably linked.
Despite the public show of unity, MPs were privately seething on Friday after one of the strongest weeks for the government in some time — which saw the announcement of air strikes in Syria against Islamic State and the decision to take in 12,000 extra refugees from the conflict — was derailed by further airing of the government's internal tensions.
The Canning byelection, which will be held in a week, is seen as a key test and a possible trigger if the government loses the seat, which it currently holds by a margin of 11.8 per cent.
Some in the Abbott government now believe a challenge could happen regardless of the result in the West Australian seat.
Mr Abbott has long planned an end-of-year ministerial shake-up, and bringing forward such a move could be designed to head off a leadership challenge, which Liberal MPs have been discussing in Canberra this week.
Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Assistant Immigration Minister Michaelia Cash are tipped to move into the cabinet if a reshuffle takes place, while parliamentary secretaries Kelly O'Dwyer, Michael McCormack and Christian Porter are tipped to move to the outer ministry.
A report in the Daily Telegraph that Defence Minister Kevin Andrews, Employment Minister Eric Abetz and Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, all of whom served as ministers in the Howard government, could go triggered the infighting on Friday, as the newspaper is seen as close to the Prime Minister and his office and many MPs saw the report as a sanctioned leak.
A cabinet minister told Fairfax Media he was in no doubt the reshuffle story had come from the Prime Minister's office but said the office was so inept it had actually harmed, rather helped, the government.
"It designed to send a message to the party room, 'Don't worry, Abbott gets it, and nudge nudge, you might be one of the people promoted in a reshuffle,' " the minister said, but instead it had destabilised the government.
"Paranoia and conspiracy has replaced rational thinking."
Another Liberal MP said the leak "shows the total self-absorbtion at the highest levels of government, where they don't care what impact their actions have out in the real world, and the real world is Canning".
And a third political hard-head, who had supported Mr Abbott in the February spill motion, said simply that "whatever happens with Canning, he [Mr Abbott] is a dead man walking".
The Prime Minister's office denied any suggestion it was the source of the story. Some MPs, in turn, blamed the reported reshuffle on mischief-making frontbenchers.
Mr Dutton's unguarded comments were made while speaking to Mr Abbott, who earlier this week attended a meeting of Pacific island leaders in Papua New Guinea, where climate change was a key focus.
As ethnic and community groups prepared to begin a roundtable discussion on resettling Syrian refugees on Friday, Mr Dutton said: "It's like Cape York time," in an apparent reference to the stereotypical view that there is a fluid approach to punctuality in remote and Indigenous communities such as those visited by Mr Abbott last month.
Mr Abbott visited the Cape York region as part of his annual week in remote Indigenous Australia.
"We had a bit of that up in Port Moresby," Mr Abbott replied, to which Mr Dutton said: "Time doesn't mean anything when you're about to be, you know, have water lapping at your door."
Mr Abbott laughed awkwardly before Social Services Minister Morrison cautioned: "There's a boom up there", in reference to the microphone hanging just above Mr Dutton's head.
Mr Dutton noticeably stiffened in response and later brushed off questions when asked about the quip at a later press conference,
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said he treated a "report in the Daily Telegraph like a government press release" and that "this has become the Liberal version of the Hunger Games".
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-under-rising-pressure-as-more-mps-see-leadership-challenge-as-likely-20150911-gjkkdi.html#ixzz3lTTaaSrw
Man, what a sorry state Australian politics is in...
-----
Tony Abbott under rising pressure as more MPs see leadership challenge as likely
Date, September 12, 2015 - 12:39AM
James Massola, Nicole Hasham
Dutton's 'private conversation' by a microphone
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton refuses to explain his joke about the impact on Pacific Islands under threat of rising sea levels.
Dutton caught joking about rising sea levels
Hockey suggests colleagues don't like him because he cut their budgets
Tony Abbott's hold on the prime ministership is under mounting pressure, with another leadership challenge seen by a growing number of MPs as likely and growing anger within the ministry after a hit-list of Howard-era ministers reportedly in line to be demoted was published.
Mr Abbott moved to quash talk of a reshuffle on Friday, saying "reports of end-of-year reshuffles are absolutely a dime a dozen" and that "this is a government which is totally focused on jobs, economic growth, community safety – not Canberra insider gossip".
But even as the Prime Minister and other senior ministers including Joe Hockey, Christopher Pyne and Scott Morrison tried to hose down talk of a reshuffle, the government was hit by another gaffe when Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was caught on tape joking about low-lying islands being swamped by rising seas.
The 23-second exchange risked offending Indigenous people, ethnic community leaders and Australia's Pacific neighbours in one fell swoop.
Mr Pyne conceded renewed discussion of a reshuffle would further damage the government's political strategy and messaging but said ministers must "get on with our jobs".
Mr Hockey, who has been the subject of persistent undermining and suggestions he will be moved on by Mr Abbott, said colleagues including Julie Bishop, Malcolm Turnbull and Ian Macfarlane could be unhappy with him because he slashed their budgets.
He dismissed the idea of taking "one for the team" and stepping aside as Treasurer — likely to be replaced by Mr Morrison. Many MPs believe the fortunes of Mr Abbott and his Treasurer are inextricably linked.
Despite the public show of unity, MPs were privately seething on Friday after one of the strongest weeks for the government in some time — which saw the announcement of air strikes in Syria against Islamic State and the decision to take in 12,000 extra refugees from the conflict — was derailed by further airing of the government's internal tensions.
The Canning byelection, which will be held in a week, is seen as a key test and a possible trigger if the government loses the seat, which it currently holds by a margin of 11.8 per cent.
Some in the Abbott government now believe a challenge could happen regardless of the result in the West Australian seat.
Mr Abbott has long planned an end-of-year ministerial shake-up, and bringing forward such a move could be designed to head off a leadership challenge, which Liberal MPs have been discussing in Canberra this week.
Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Assistant Immigration Minister Michaelia Cash are tipped to move into the cabinet if a reshuffle takes place, while parliamentary secretaries Kelly O'Dwyer, Michael McCormack and Christian Porter are tipped to move to the outer ministry.
A report in the Daily Telegraph that Defence Minister Kevin Andrews, Employment Minister Eric Abetz and Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, all of whom served as ministers in the Howard government, could go triggered the infighting on Friday, as the newspaper is seen as close to the Prime Minister and his office and many MPs saw the report as a sanctioned leak.
A cabinet minister told Fairfax Media he was in no doubt the reshuffle story had come from the Prime Minister's office but said the office was so inept it had actually harmed, rather helped, the government.
"It designed to send a message to the party room, 'Don't worry, Abbott gets it, and nudge nudge, you might be one of the people promoted in a reshuffle,' " the minister said, but instead it had destabilised the government.
"Paranoia and conspiracy has replaced rational thinking."
Another Liberal MP said the leak "shows the total self-absorbtion at the highest levels of government, where they don't care what impact their actions have out in the real world, and the real world is Canning".
And a third political hard-head, who had supported Mr Abbott in the February spill motion, said simply that "whatever happens with Canning, he [Mr Abbott] is a dead man walking".
The Prime Minister's office denied any suggestion it was the source of the story. Some MPs, in turn, blamed the reported reshuffle on mischief-making frontbenchers.
Mr Dutton's unguarded comments were made while speaking to Mr Abbott, who earlier this week attended a meeting of Pacific island leaders in Papua New Guinea, where climate change was a key focus.
As ethnic and community groups prepared to begin a roundtable discussion on resettling Syrian refugees on Friday, Mr Dutton said: "It's like Cape York time," in an apparent reference to the stereotypical view that there is a fluid approach to punctuality in remote and Indigenous communities such as those visited by Mr Abbott last month.
Mr Abbott visited the Cape York region as part of his annual week in remote Indigenous Australia.
"We had a bit of that up in Port Moresby," Mr Abbott replied, to which Mr Dutton said: "Time doesn't mean anything when you're about to be, you know, have water lapping at your door."
Mr Abbott laughed awkwardly before Social Services Minister Morrison cautioned: "There's a boom up there", in reference to the microphone hanging just above Mr Dutton's head.
Mr Dutton noticeably stiffened in response and later brushed off questions when asked about the quip at a later press conference,
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said he treated a "report in the Daily Telegraph like a government press release" and that "this has become the Liberal version of the Hunger Games".
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-under-rising-pressure-as-more-mps-see-leadership-challenge-as-likely-20150911-gjkkdi.html#ixzz3lTTaaSrw