Talking Politics | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
  • 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

HR

Tiger Superstar
Mar 20, 2013
2,444
1,522
Well I would prefer that they investigating. As we need to have accountability in our political system. But it sounds like their leadership might need a shake up based on your comments.
Thumbs up
 

YinnarTiger

Tiger Legend
May 2, 2007
7,542
732
75
Gippsland
Q & A the other night allowed Bill to provide an excellent demonstration of how the Peter Principle was at work during his term as opposition leader.
 

Sintiger

Tiger Legend
Aug 11, 2010
18,569
18,550
Camberwell
Q & A the other night allowed Bill to provide an excellent demonstration of how the Peter Principle was at work during his term as opposition leader.
Bill has been reduced to what he in reality always should have been seen as, a very average fringe politician.
Fletcher was also pathetic. Virginia Trioli took him to the cleaners. She has been criticised for being too tough on him by some conservative commentators but she does it to everyone. I recall her being absolutely savage on the Victorian Health minister a while ago as an example.
She is waging war on political spin and it’s great stuff.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

Sintiger

Tiger Legend
Aug 11, 2010
18,569
18,550
Camberwell
More water problems for the Liberal party.
Is there a person who isn’t dodgy working for any political party in this country? It’s just depressing

 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

LeeToRainesToRoach

Tiger Legend
Jun 4, 2006
33,186
11,546
Melbourne
Luck running out for Daniel Andrews (paywalled)
James Campbell
Herald Sun
July 6, 2020


The state budget is drowning in red ink.

Major projects are billions over budget and years behind schedule.

Public sector pay is motoring along nicely while everyone else is either unemployed, on reduced hours or worrying about being laid off.

And even before it became clear the virus had got away from us in Melbourne, the economists were telling us Victoria is going to be belted harder in this recession than any other part of Australia.

For those of us who are old enough to remember it is starting to feel like 1990 has come again.

And while — just as in the last years of John Cain’s premiership — some of the things that have gone wrong were beyond Daniel Andrews’s control, his government’s incompetence has made a bad situation worse.

Andrews, who celebrated his birthday on Monday, has had a charmed run, first as opposition leader, then as Premier — thanks to incompetent opponents and a roaring economy that has enabled him to get away with profligate spending.

But with coronavirus his luck has run out, as it did for Cain in Paul Keating’s recession we had to have.

Listening to him rambling on Monday about “the inclement weather” and boasting of the “3000 meals and 500 hampers have been distributed to residents” imprisoned in their public housing towers, it was hard not to think of Cain at his press conferences explaining the collapse of the Victorian Economic Development Corporation or the closure of the Pyramid Building Society or perhaps why, after a month, the trams were still welded into the tracks all the way down Bourke St.

It is a look we have not seen on the face of a Victorian Premier for 30 years — the look of a man who has lost control of events and knows it.

All his old tricks seem to be deserting him.

Evasiveness, which in happier times ad been his good friend and ally, suddenly made him sound petulant.

Whose idea had been to close the border with NSW?

“I had a conversation with the Prime Minister, I had conversations with Gladys — all three of us agreed this was the right step to take.”

But whose idea?

“Well, I’m not going to get into silly games about who was the first person to mention the word ‘border’.”

Asked if he would resign if his judicial review found serious failings by his government, he affected not to understand the question.

He’s going to need an answer before this is over.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

MB78

I can have my cake and eat it too
Sep 8, 2009
8,016
2,173
I don’t think he will see out the term. It will be interesting to see who would be the next leader.

But I don’t see that Michael O’Brien is the answer as the next leader. He has a very low profile and doesn’t seem to make this government accountable.
 

MD Jazz

Don't understand football? Talk to the hand.
Feb 3, 2017
13,524
14,049
More water problems for the Liberal party.
Is there a person who isn’t dodgy working for any political party in this country? It’s just depressing


Depressing is the right word.

And don’t want to hear O’Brien trying to cash in on Andrews stuff ups in the current climate as they would likely have done no better. And don’t inspire any prospect of any change.

Talentless selfish hacks pervade most political parties.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

Sintiger

Tiger Legend
Aug 11, 2010
18,569
18,550
Camberwell
Luck running out for Daniel Andrews (paywalled)
James Campbell
Herald Sun
July 6, 2020


The state budget is drowning in red ink.

Major projects are billions over budget and years behind schedule.

Public sector pay is motoring along nicely while everyone else is either unemployed, on reduced hours or worrying about being laid off.

And even before it became clear the virus had got away from us in Melbourne, the economists were telling us Victoria is going to be belted harder in this recession than any other part of Australia.

For those of us who are old enough to remember it is starting to feel like 1990 has come again.

And while — just as in the last years of John Cain’s premiership — some of the things that have gone wrong were beyond Daniel Andrews’s control, his government’s incompetence has made a bad situation worse.

Andrews, who celebrated his birthday on Monday, has had a charmed run, first as opposition leader, then as Premier — thanks to incompetent opponents and a roaring economy that has enabled him to get away with profligate spending.

But with coronavirus his luck has run out, as it did for Cain in Paul Keating’s recession we had to have.

Listening to him rambling on Monday about “the inclement weather” and boasting of the “3000 meals and 500 hampers have been distributed to residents” imprisoned in their public housing towers, it was hard not to think of Cain at his press conferences explaining the collapse of the Victorian Economic Development Corporation or the closure of the Pyramid Building Society or perhaps why, after a month, the trams were still welded into the tracks all the way down Bourke St.

It is a look we have not seen on the face of a Victorian Premier for 30 years — the look of a man who has lost control of events and knows it.

All his old tricks seem to be deserting him.

Evasiveness, which in happier times ad been his good friend and ally, suddenly made him sound petulant.

Whose idea had been to close the border with NSW?

“I had a conversation with the Prime Minister, I had conversations with Gladys — all three of us agreed this was the right step to take.”

But whose idea?

“Well, I’m not going to get into silly games about who was the first person to mention the word ‘border’.”

Asked if he would resign if his judicial review found serious failings by his government, he affected not to understand the question.

He’s going to need an answer before this is over.
I read this and wondered if this was actually written by a journalist or is a post ? This is not journalism

As for the content I agree with some of the comments and not others but I couldn't give a rats about who first came up with the idea to close the border.

Over the past few years I have come to the conclusion (through experiencing it) that there are some things that Governments get blamed for that would have happened no matter who the Government in power is. As an example large scale projects go through exactly the same process in the public service and they are managed by public servants and panels of consultants, they are political party agnostic. If a project goes badly it is generally the fault of that process and the contract management , most times the Minister hasn't got the expertise to really influence it.

Where Governments affect outcomes is by doing things like pushing projects because they are election promises, speeding things up when it is unwise to do so, promising too many things and then finding that resource limitations make delivery impossible ( that's an ALP special IMO). Delivery of projects in my experience is less of an issue with a LNP government because they do less, they just spend less money on infrastructure. We set up a body like Infrastructure Victoria and then both parties basically ignore them when they are in government, it becomes about delivering election promises.

The public sector salary issue referred to is Andrews looking after the unions who got him his job. It's also why the two fire services were merged in the end, that was a payback for the union's support.

Trouble is that if we change the Government there will be another group of people who will need paying back
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

MD Jazz

Don't understand football? Talk to the hand.
Feb 3, 2017
13,524
14,049
I read this and wondered if this was actually written by a journalist or is a post ? This is not journalism

As for the content I agree with some of the comments and not others but I couldn't give a rats about who first came up with the idea to close the border.

Over the past few years I have come to the conclusion (through experiencing it) that there are some things that Governments get blamed for that would have happened no matter who the Government in power is. As an example large scale projects go through exactly the same process in the public service and they are managed by public servants and panels of consultants, they are political party agnostic. If a project goes badly it is generally the fault of that process and the contract management , most times the Minister hasn't got the expertise to really influence it.

Where Governments affect outcomes is by doing things like pushing projects because they are election promises, speeding things up when it is unwise to do so, promising too many things and then finding that resource limitations make delivery impossible ( that's an ALP special IMO). Delivery of projects in my experience is less of an issue with a LNP government because they do less, they just spend less money on infrastructure. We set up a body like Infrastructure Victoria and then both parties basically ignore them when they are in government, it becomes about delivering election promises.

The public sector salary issue referred to is Andrews looking after the unions who got him his job. It's also why the two fire services were merged in the end, that was a payback for the union's support.

Trouble is that if we change the Government there will be another group of people who will need paying back

Well spoken. How do we change it?
 

tigerman

It's Tiger Time
Mar 17, 2003
24,345
19,915
It's not what you know, it's who you know.

Particularly after Nationals leader and Transport Minister Michael McCormack quite inexplicably threw a $298 million lifeline to regional airlines in March – none of which is repayable, the lion’s share going to Rex – while refusing even to loan money to Virgin. Rex flies in and out of a lot of National Party electorates and its deputy chairman is former Transport Minister (and Nationals MP) John Sharp, who is concurrently a director of the federal National Party's asset manager and fundraising entity John McEwen House Pty Ltd. By comparison, Bridget McKenzie's a babe in the woods.

 

MD Jazz

Don't understand football? Talk to the hand.
Feb 3, 2017
13,524
14,049
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

Giardiasis

Tiger Legend
Apr 20, 2009
6,906
1,314
Brisbane
Neo-Liberalism:
  • neo-liberalism aims to bring all human action into the domain of the market.
  • neo-liberalism argues that value can only be measured in money terms, all value is commodified and financialised.
  • hence, ethical action and voluntary cooperation are not given any value.
  • neo-liberalism also posits that there is no such thing as public interest.

Neo-liberalism posits the notion that humans are rational actors and defines this as meaning that humans only consider outcomes in terms of direct personal advantage.

Seems to mirror your views on the world, not as simplistic as most of the definitions you prefer but neo-liberalism is not monolithic, it does have different branches with some common beliefs, just like socialism has different branches, with some common beliefs.

Mind you, “neo-liberalism” does make for a nice derogatory term to throw about, much like the right uses “socialism” to describe anything they don’t like. The difference between you and I is that I understand that I’m using it as a derogatory simplification
Thanks for the response. I'm interested to know where you have gathered this summary of neo-liberalism from? I'm not aware of anyone advocating for any of what you have stated. The aims you have outlined are certainly not what I advocate for example, yet you claim that I am neo-liberal.

Many people claim to be socialists, I think you'll find it difficult to find anyone that claims to be neo-liberal. It is very different in that calling someone neo-liberal is 100% a derogatory term and boogieman to attack, whereas calling someone a socialist would be seen as ok to many people because they would label themselves as socialist.
 
Last edited:

Sintiger

Tiger Legend
Aug 11, 2010
18,569
18,550
Camberwell
Many people claim to be socialists, I think you'll find it difficult to find anyone that claims to be neo-liberal. It is very different in that calling someone neo-liberal is 100% a derogatory term and boogieman to attack, whereas calling someone a socialist would be seen as ok to many people because they would label themselves as socialist.
Interesting. I am not sure I have met more than a handful if people in my life who claim to be socialists.
 

AngryAnt

Tiger Legend
Nov 25, 2004
27,168
15,037
Interesting. I am not sure I have met more than a handful if people in my life who claim to be socialists.

There's Socialism and also small "s" socialists. My parents would have called themselves socialists. Probably fewer would call themselves that now. I have socialist traits but would not call myself a socialist necessarily.
 

Sintiger

Tiger Legend
Aug 11, 2010
18,569
18,550
Camberwell
There's Socialism and also small "s" socialists. My parents would have called themselves socialists. Probably fewer would call themselves that now. I have socialist traits but would not call myself a socialist necessarily.
That is what is wrong with labels like these. One person’s socialist is just just someone who has social democratic tendencies to someone else, or even a sense of social justice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

Brodders17

Tiger Legend
Mar 21, 2008
17,818
12,013
That is what is wrong with labels like these. One person’s socialist is just just someone who has social democratic tendencies to someone else, or even a sense of social justice.
true. i have a friend who is an active socialist.- part of the socialist movement. some would call me a socialist, but my views often differ from those she shares from her fellow activists.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users