The only difference that Shorten will bring to government is open borders: the boats will be line astern over the horizon. All the Left lunacy of the Turbull government will still be there. Many conseravtive commentators agree that we will have to endure a Labor government for a term or two until something better than the Coaliton comes along. We can hope, of course, and that hope should be for a good showing by the Australian Conservatives to police whichever dead-head we get from Labor of Liberal.

We don't have a lot to look forward to in Australia, thanks to poor quality politicians who have sold us out.

I find very little to recommend this attempted analysis.

The Author comes across as a hidebound RR conservative for who reform and or pragmatism are dirty words?

It's a very long time since we had progressive conservatives in power. And when I say progresive I'm referring to that brand of conservatism that was guided by a now missing conscience. Which has been replaced, I believe, by rank self serving opportunism.

And I believe, the single reason why we no longer have affordable housing or affordable energy.

Progressive conservatives invariably voted with their conscience, ended child labour, slavery and introduced the emaciation act that took religion out of politics, at least that was, I believe, the original intention. Plus they gave women the right to vote?

What's missing in alleged conservative ranks, is minds coupled to scientific knowledge and rigour and in their place. I believe, are self serving hypocrites pretending to care.

Thus we have counterproductive negative gearing applied to the most expensive residential real estate market, awash with the white shoe brigade, an army of real estate agents, between them, the only ones receiving a real profit from this absurdity.

You know that obscenity, that turns up to church on Sunday, sits/stands at the front and quotes chapter and verse from a book they manifestly, only ever give lip service to.

And instead of powerful Disraeli like persuasion, coupled to genuine courage of conviction. Are limited to divide and rule politics that have been so successful, most western societies are now a house divided against themselves and where extremists once more are finding popular support!

I could refer you to what I wrote just yesterday to reverse this malaise, except it'd be an utter waste of time/casting pearls before swine, whose only goal is winning and whatever it takes to achieve that end. Even a hopelessly divided nation going backwards at a rate of knots!
Alan B.

The luv the abc has for Turnbull shows how regressive he is. His only achievements have been stopping the illegals and scrapping the carbon fraud. Oh that's right it was Tony Abbott who did that. Just imagine Labour was still in power. How many more Islamic terrorist and sympathizers would we have in Australia? The abc must be so proud they managed to protect their overpaid presenters by their hatred of decency and backing of Malcolm.Australia is stuffed.

If Turnbull is willing to dismantle the Liberal brand for his own ego, I won't shed a tear. Australia's not short of political parties, and if the Libs go then someone else will soon take their place.

What I find far worse is that Turnbull is willing to dismantle the NBN for his own ego.

True ttbn, it is only that enough members of the Liberals are moderately sane that stops Turnbull opening the flood gates of boat people as Shorten & Labor will if given the chance.

I even can agree with Alan that Oz is a "hopelessly divided nation going backwards at a rate of knots", unfortunately he has no idea of the reasons for this slide.

If he was to first blame the unions, & perhaps the radical womens liberation movement, it would be a useful start, but the rest is even worse.

We can blame many of our troubles on the fools of KRudd & Gillard, with the stupid policies of KRudd, & the actually vindictively introduced policies of Gillard.

The NBN, National Disability Insurance Scheme, & Gonski are stand outs, particularly when on top of the drunken sailor spending of Rudd after the great financial crisis.

It is obvious that Turnbull is a hopeless & gutless manager, who could not ever provide the policies to correct any of this, but Shorten will only give more of the same, or worse, along with open boarders.

God help our grand kids.

Some people have no shame. They'll support Labor no matter how incompetent Labor proves to be.

Here's our old far Left mate Aidan ignoring the only facts that matter about the NBN: it's already way, way, way over budget, with more waste to come, and it doesn't work as touted.

Those two reasons alone should have seen the NBN abandoned as soon as Turnbull became communications minister. The problem at that time, however, was that the communications minister was...Malcolm Turnbull.

Never mind, Aidan. Against all the evidence, just keep telling people the NBN is wonderful. Blow smoke in their faces when they complain about the cost and that it doesn't work as promised.

Dear Aidan,

«What I find far worse is that Turnbull is willing to dismantle the NBN for his own ego.»

Is this true or am I just dreaming? Will Turnbull indeed dismantle the NBN?

If he does, allowing me to keep my old phone-line, then I'm happy to kiss his ego, his feet, his bum - whatever, same for Shorten or anyone else for that matter who saves us from that terrible curse!

Hey Hasbeen, Given your alleged success as a multi faced businessman? And your current consequential bank balance compared to Turnbull's?

How would you rate him as a competent manager, when compared to your obvious reported success?

As for Shorten, he has to win a majority at the next poll that counts to win government? And given he does? God help my poor beggar country.

We are going backwards at a rate of knots because folk we elect to lead, don't or can't and are welded to 19th century technology along with 19th century, divide and rule thinking!

When personal considerations need to be completely jettisoned in favour of Australia's! Starting with genuinely affordable energy and consequent affordable water!

Perhaps you could read all I wrote here on OLO last thursday? Rather than skimming for something that suits a very obvious and demonstrably confirmation (extreme right wing) bias!
Alan B.

Alan I am so much richer, & more successful than Turnbull, in ways he, & probably you could never understand. Only one of my successes ever involved tax payer or share holders funds. That was flying jet fighters off an aircraft carrier. Thankyou taxpayer for that privilege. I was prepared to die defending you, but being given a lovely plane to fly, & a carrier to fly off, beats that hands down.

After finishing my degree I was at the forefront of the plastics industry development, when every day new technologies were allowing us to do things never done before. A fantastic time & experience.

Not being interested in becoming a rich old man, like Turnbull, I enjoyed my money. I have set Bathurst lap records, & am one of the very few who has even driven a Formula 1 race car at Bathurst, let alone won a Bathurst 100, in my case a Brabham Repco. Winning was not important, but driving such a fabulous car around such a fabulous place was really something.

I spent 8 years sailing the Pacific islands in my yacht, a truly fantastic experience, & then spent another 8 playing with tourist boats & exploring the Great Barrier Reef.

I have breed trained & ridden show jumpers & eventers, although not too seriously, as I was getting a bit too old to bounce when I fell off by then. Hell I even had enough earning time left to set myself up with a couple of lovely classic sports cars for my retirement.

Turnbull would be as jealous as hell if he knew how much more he could have done in his life, although I doubt he has the intelligence or physical attributes to have done what I have.

Turnbull is no more than a slightly luckier Bond or Palmer. Right time, right place, a bit of luck, & gamblers can become quite wealthy. The really lucky ones stop before they blow the lot.

Nothing would make me change my life for one as boring as Turnbulls.

“A superannuation policy that discourages thrift, a tax and spend budget, a same-sex marriage bill that steamrolls religious freedoms, an ever-expanding budget deficit and a Royal Commission into the banking sector. Still worried about a Shorten government?“ And there are more Turnbull quasi-Labor initiatives: Gonski II that ranks Catholic parish schools as being socio-economically equal to the Kings School; driving energy prices through the roof to ‘comply’ with the Paris Accord; installing unreliable, uncompetitive NBN

Raycom: Religious freedoms steamrolled? How terrible! I always believed anyone here in this country was free to practise any brand of religion. Always providing it excluded persecution of folks whose belief system differed from yours or mainstream.

Why we even allow asinine aberrations like scientology to exist and have relatively free rein, even when we believe that their practise might include cult like obedience and virtual slavery? No reasonable person could ever agree with!

As far as I'm aware no church service has been curtailed or cancelled and nobody has been prevented from venting an opinion, even some of the most robust ones. Nor can I find evidence of celebrant forced against their will to marry same sex couples?

Although a few may have unwittingly officiated, where one partner has been transformed by gender reassignment surgery? How could they know, when that surgery and HRT has changed the appearance of one partner so markedly?

Why they're even allowed to have their birth records altered to suit their new surgically and HRT arranged, gender appearance? And conceivably could be anyone inside or outside your organisation, workplace or school!

In any event all that has really been lost is an alleged right to discriminate against SS couples. And impossible to police wherever successful gender reassignment is in play?

Folk need to stop obsessing about this issue and their former ability to inculcate cult like falsehood, all of them inside allegedly religious schools.

I mean come on, it's time we understood homosexuality is not something folk chose but like left hand folk are the proven victims of the genetic code and transferred by a parent, mostly mothers? Who also have no control over the maker's handiwork!

And possibly created/allowed to test folk, who merely claim to be Christians or love their fellow man?

Albeit, any religion based on the musing of a child raping Peadophile has to be a brainwashed cult, rather than a God inspired belief, in my view!
Alan B.

Ho Hum, has everyone stopped listening to the politicians ?
I think we have all just put them in the appropriate box and nailed down the lid.

We will all just sit there and wait for someone to wake us up when
something new appears.
Yawwwnn, its New Years Eve, got a party tonight ?
Good, have a good time with friends, family etc and to hell with the pollies.

and here we are responding to an article beginning with 'if' puleeze

if I were Superman, how would the world be different?

If! If the sky should fall we'd all be runed. If the rains stopped we'd all be runed. If it don't stop raining we'll all be runed.

If those people who ask us to elect them to led don't! Then we will all be toast!

Simply denying climate change and record breaking heat waves while our alleged leaders deny the science that tells us during a normal waning phase of the sun, we ought to be experiencing something very, very different!

Tells us the worst thing that could happen is allowing the current right wing conservative controlled leadership or a shorten led Labor government to replace them? Tountermont to economic suicide and climate change that has to go beyond a tipping point beyond which there's no return.

The demand for electricity simply has to increase with our population numbers and a demand that aircon remains on almost full time!

Don't be fooled by colder winters either, given all that proves is increased global convection due to climate change, that sees one hemisphere getting hotter, while the other experiences unusual cold snaps!

And evidence of increased mixing of higher colder air as are hailstorms with golf ball/cricket ball sized hailstones!

It's time to take the blinkers of and tell foreign investors to take a hike or change our surrendered power generating model to a non carbon producing variety even the third world could afford, giving the way our manufacturing sector is being disassembled before our very eyes we'll soon be joining them!? TBC.
Alan B.

Frog in a slowing heating bowl stuff!

The demonstrable solution FORBIDDEN by the US! And it would seem, here?

We're not just addicted to coal, but chained and fastened to it!

Why?

Because, were thorium allowed, it could decimate the worlds most powerful vested interest, fossil fuel business model, a 3-4 trillion dollar PA industry and big nuclear, both would be completely decimated by its inclusion!

That is why!

THORIUM IS THE MOST ENERGY DENSE MATERIAL ON THE PLANET!

Why, just a handful of Mumbai beach sand contains enough CARBON FREE thorium to power a populous nation as large as India for a whole year.

Yes I am talking about a nuclear reaction! As I would be if we'd successfully achieved, possibly unachievable, cold fusion.

And in the former case as walk away safe molten salt thorium reactors!

Why?

Because just a handful of beach sand could power a nation as populous as India for a whole year!

And not as hypothorectical as some might have you believe, as they do intellectual handstands aimed at preventing the possibility of their investments being runed!

And to hell with climate change and our economic prospects going forward!

The problem with grinning like cheshire cats, con artists, is they believe every too good to be true story? Is more of the stuff they shovel often by the shipload!?

Just as long as they occupy the treasury benches and protect the status quo/vested protected interest!?

CO2 in uncharted territory, and the sun in a waning (cooling) phase!

Yes sure, the climate is changing, has changed! But how is that connected to hypothetical climate change, which believe it or not, is just not happening? is it?

And our economic prospects not disappearing before our very eyes are they? And in one of the allegedly wealthiest countries in the developed world?

A car building industry, affordable power, affordable water affordable housing, affordable life preserving aircon, affordable health insurance, affordable proper nutrition, affordable motoring, affordable/profitable freight forwarding etc/etc..

I rest my case.
Alan B.

Just finished reading a report on thorium, submitted to the Australian parliament. According to NASA scientist/nuclear technologist, Kirk Sorensen, the problems seemingly identified?

Don't occur in LFTR. Because thorium is blended with molten fluoride salt, FLIBE. And treated in another part of the plant, with electrolysis, hydrogen quenching, to hive off xenon gas?

So, can be used in neutron absorbing blanket/continually preparing median for use inside core!

Where criticality/reaction becomes self regulating, walk away safe, cycle or wave.

Moreover, given the built in, adjacent, immediate reprocessing, uses up almost all the fuel, one ton of which, would theoretically power a 350 MW reactor, for 100 years?

We with known 452 tons of it? Around 18% of the world's entire inventory? Very well placed for 1,000 years?

Much, much more if we reprocess nuclear waste, as "unspent fuel" and or more again, if we mine granite, where thorium is also found in sufficient quantity to be commercial?

Moreover, easily recovered via conventional crushing/gravity separation/concentration.

Yes one should burn uranium in a liquid fuel reactor, so as to burn much more of it, but only as waste from a conventional reactor, where it becomes just so much spent fuel for molten salt thorium reactor.

Finding commercial deposits only requires aerial survey, with side looking radar!

I commend the report, although would also venture, Kirk Sorensen would arguably find it a little misleading/marginally incomplete?

Just enough to prevent any serious study being undertaken?

If Labor should win the next election and the one that follows? Any such research with a R+D reactor, would likely be disastrously stalled for full term of their office?

Nuclear energy is not labor policy! Why not? Well because, nuclear energy is not part of labor policy! End of story!

Then we wonder why we have an energy crisis? Why the planet is heating up, even though we should be getter cooler, if natural cycles were still operating as normal!
Alan B.

Question......how did Shorten's character transition into Thorium?