The Democratic Labor Party senator John Madigan is a former blacksmith who would like shops to close at midday on Saturday so families can spend more time together.

He is a personable chap, but as of Tuesday Madigan probably won't be invited for scones with any of his upper house colleagues. Not this Saturday arvo, nor next.

''This place is rotten to the core … I'd like to see it implode,'' he told a Victorian newspaper on the subject of the 43rd parliament.
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''They wonder why people hate their bloody guts and we have a high informal vote.''

And then: ''I've run over better rabbits than these people.''

Madigan, a Ballarat resident who is sometimes referred to by the affectionate epithet of ''Mad Dog'', has no doubt flattened some pretty nasty vermin in his time.

Madigan's comments were in reference to a cheeky bipartisan move by politicians to hive off millions of extra taxpayer money for the ''adminstration'' of their own parties, despite the budget looking less than optimal when it comes to the ''administration'' of the deficit.

Despite the disquiet of the Nationals, the Opposition Leader has directed his party room to ''reluctantly'' support this measure. This makes things rather awkward - after all, Abbott had promised to move a motion of no confidence in the government, but when Treasurer Wayne Swan brought down his rather demure budget, there just weren't enough measures in it in which to have no confidence.

Thankfully there are some issues over which we can always rely on politicians to brawl.

Tuesday's question time was dominated by asylum seekers and whether the government's idiosyncratic approach to the processing of boat people has compromised national security. This was linked to cuts to the budget of security agencies.

''What guarantee can the Prime Minister give that [Australia] is as safe today as it was under the former government?'' Abbott asked.

Julia Gillard responded that the Opposition Leader was engaged in the ''politics of fear mongering'' but ''no amount of playing this kind of despicable politics will change the facts''.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/ive-run-over-better-rabbits-than-these-people-senator-20130528-2n9mg.html#ixzz2Ul7iahXF

Mr Madigan is most likely pissed off because he can't get his hands on any of the cash. Considering he got elected with only 2.3% of the primary vote (surprise did that many Victorians vote for him?) needed 4% to cash in, bad luck.
"Mad Dog's" (Madigan) the tag seems apt, big claim to fame is his suggestion for the economic good of Australia that shops close at midday on Saturday, along with the usual "I'm against policies" as one can expect from a reactionary like Mr Mad Dog.

I liked the Chuchillian speech by Mr Mad Dog, which I post in full here;
"I've run over better rabbits than these people."

I also note Mr Mad Dog is a Catholic (that surely gets my vote). John Madigan must be the greatest senator this country has seen since Peanut Joh gave Albert Field the nod in 75.

I am aware frankness often see other think of me as rude.
So be it, this thread its authors style or lack of it, his heated but unfocused words.
Leave me questioning why I continue to come here.
DLP once home for Tony Abbott as a youth,and other now Liberals, and the Catholic Churches once anti communist party.
Has every bit as much as my Union CONTROLLED ALP, failed to move in to the present.
Living on its past, an inglorious one, Bob Santamariea, yesterdays left of center Bolt or any shock jock, they are a living fossil.
Imagine our Saturdays, in the name of a God named avagoodweekend , with no place to go boring as A 1950,s Sunday.
DLP do we understand how they got that seat? how not their vote but preferences of others put them there.
Australia awake, we know Liberals and their pet are about to win .
Do we understand? that the senate may cripple them/the will of voters? that like Labor, spoilers may stop an elected government doing anything?
I can not bring myself to post in such a ranting screamers thread again, but this subject if it respected truth, could be a good one.

Paul1405

I don't have any problem at all with shops closing at midday Saturday, but then I've never been one for 'shopping experiences' or 'retail therapy'. Consider however the poor mugs chained to cash-registers (apart of course from the blue-uniformed ones for whom I have no sympathy), surely they have a right to weekends off ?? Mind you Madigans greatest claim to date is undoubtedly his Citizen Initiated Referenda bill, that alone warrants a knighthood. I wouldn't award him any points for being a catholic (if indeed he is such), note that the RAbbott is / was a catholic priest & morality isn't exactly HIS strongest point. Same goes for ex-Brisbane mayor Surley Jim who was reportedly defrocked by the then Pope for openly consorting with a married anglican woman. Another failed priest albeit only part catholic, Slippery Pete is a perfect case for banning ALL priests from politics in perpetuity. All that aside, I LOVED the spray Madigan gave his fellow politicians, he definitely wins a bunch of brownie-points for that.

Wasn't Pat Field that mousey looking character who once got indundated with thousands of litres of water & ended up looking even more like a drowned rat than he usually did ?? If its the individual I'm thinking about, I would have sworn he was mayor of Brisbane for a very short period.

Belly

I don't know that 'living in the past' is necessarily a bad thing, certainly our elected officials in times past had a somewhat closer acquaintance with morality than the vast majority of the present crop. Both your ALP & the Liberals / Nationals had some halfway honorable folk once, but that breed is frightfully thin on the ground these days. Do you deny shop assistants the right to weekends with their family ?? Thats hardly the mark of a do-gooder is it ?? As for your comment ' we know Liberals and their pet are about to win', I suggest that after the RAbbotts little election funding fiasco with the red-headed witch, his chances have been somewhat diminished. For what its worth even though I've traditionally leaned ever so minutely toward conservative politics, I'm seriously thinking of giving the ALP a slightly higher number (albeit still right at the bottom) on the ballot paper than the LNP. The RAbbott was already in my bad books as a result of his despicable involvement in the One Nation business, this latest rort is just about the last straw. When I phoned Madigans Canberra office to express my heartfelt appreciation for his comments (well after the media interview that initiated this thread), the staffer told he he was still spitting chips about the crookedness of the RAbbott & the red-headed witch. Whether or not one 'likes' Madigan personally, it can hardly be disputed that his criticism of his compatriots is exceptionally apt.

Bely,
Surely you remember those wonderful 1950s Sundays when the whole family headed off to the appointed cricket paddock where the RSL had set up a keg and the women created really healthy salads and the kids did what kids do and came back to have their wounds patched before returning to their adventures.
Surely you remember those life-time factory workers and loyal govt employees recently returned from the battle fronts of Europe and Borneo or the prisons of Germany and Changi draped in their ill fitting cricket whites with a beer in one hand and a bat in the other.
Surely you remember your Holden Special and your Admiral TV and the washing machine and Victa mower that got their turn on Saturday afternoon.
Surely you must remember.

Yes chrisgaff1000, I can but agree. I could never quite figure out why people thought 24/7 shopping was a good idea.

I suppose it makes life easy for the government employee, always with weekends off, but for the rest, just a change in circumstances could see any of them working nights or weekends.

Not only that, but it made everything so much more expensive. People only have the same amount of money to spend. 24/7 can not get any more out of them, there's is nothing more to spend.

By spreading the time given to shop, the retailer has 2 days & 5 nights more to staff, for no more turnover. Perhaps the big chains do get a bit from the little bloke, who can't afford to pay extra staff, & is too tired to open more hours themselves. If they do it is so little that prices had to go up to cover the extras staff, earning penalty rates for the extra hours.

Yep a bad idea no matter how you look at it.

The whole point of extended hours opening was so the big traders got more than their share of what business was available. Its not quite the done thing in big-business land to let anyone else get even the dregs.

I have a pair of "rose coloured glasses" for sale, letting them go for only 4/6 1/2 (four and sixpence halfpenny).
Prox you rang his Canberra office. HE'S GOT A TELEPHONE! I'm mortified. Next thing I'll know you'll be telling me he has the electric light, heaven forbid.
I certainly have sympathy for low paid (adults) and extremely low paid (children) shop assistants and the hours that they are forced to work to boost the mega profits of the super rich retailers, Gerry Harvey included.
The honest politician died the day Robin (brown Paper Bag) Askin, carked it in 75. Changed his name to Robert, thought Robin was to girlie, he was right, he was an old sheila, and a member of the Liberal Party.

chrisgaff 1000 yes I remember , my day was welded to the keg at local cricket, back turned to the game.
We should understand the loss of that Saturday and Sunday blindingly boring, made new jobs.
Some work only on weekends, some shops do most trade on weekends.
Tourism local and international, thrives on shopping then or just having a coffee.
DLP? Catholicism at its most controlling.
No as I have no choice but to do my own shopping I want the 24/7.

Anti DLP or anti Mad dog Praxi?
I think it is a perfect time to consider a third party for the lower house. Given the DLP policy platform is really just old Labor common sense with a strong streak of nationalism, a load of disillusioned Labor voters may send a tick their way?

I agree with many of the DLP policies, but who would they align with?

Praxi, forget about Mad Dog, he's got a touch of the Bob Askins. I am happy to hear a candidate or politician say what they think. The major parties are so stage managed that they may as well flip the autocue and let us read it for ourselves.

Paul1405,
Here we go again. You can't keep an old copper down. I once busted Robin's (ol' cock robin)'bag-man' I real social prat called Malcolm Johns. He was a debarred solicitor who lost his brief for his part in the business migration scams. He drove a white Rolls Royce and carted his Diana Dors around with him every Friday to collect the 'brown paper bags'
If you think old Jo knew a bit about 'brown paper bags' Robin left him at the post.
Anyway the bird started singing too much (the weed was just getting a hold on society) at a party in Mosman so they threw her out onto Avenue Rd in a blinding rainstorm, stoned out of her brain, to get run over. Unfortunately for them we came along from a job down the road and picked her up. She finished up in Witness Protection and he finished up in the "Bay". You really couldn't get more "liberal" than Robin.
Just an insight into Politicians either side. Then there was Lionel Murphy, ALP stalwart. He managed to pass on just as he was about to be charged before the bar of the parliament.

Obviously the DLP mob are 'also rans' rather than front runners, nevertheless they may well have a place in a coalition headed by Big Clive with a bunch of rats & mice parties to make up the numbers. I've never voted informal to date, but I'd seriously consider that if the only other option was supporting either the RAbbott or the red-headed witch. I'm chasing up info on preferences & the results might change my strategy, however my present preferences are for the Palmer mob first, LNP last, ALP just ahead of LNP, and the space in between filled with the rats & mice. Whilst the red-headed witch is disaster personified, I figure the RAbbott is a significantly more devious & scheming and hence even lower on the desirability scale than witchfeatures.

"I've run over better rabbits than these people" How does a slug drive a car? just wondering, he has no arms or legs, Maybe he was driving a horse and buggy.

I disagree with Senator Madigan on many things but admire that he spoke out about increases in salary and allowances to politicians, while they were telling everyone else to pull their belts in. In fact didn't he give his payrise away to charity?

He reminds me a bit of Bob Brown in his steadfastness whether you agree with either of them on their beliefs and policies. I cannot support his strong Catholic view of the world but like everyone in politics you can agree even with your opponents on some issues.

I am also glad to see a blacksmith amongst all the lawyers in Parliament. We need a few more people with different backgrounds. Bob Brown and Brendan Nelson were doctors and had a more compassionate approach and involved themselves in less politicking than many. Maybe we need more GPs to go into politics and less lawyers.

As for 24/7 trading, things changed when women started going back into the workforce. There is no longer many windows of opportunity for shopping when the majority of people work 9-5pm. I work shift work so it doesn't matter to me but for the majority I imgaine they would be stuck to get the groceries done in their lunch hours, go home unpack the cold stuff and race back to work once a week. And imagine the queues.

pelican - We need a few more people with different backgrounds

EXACTLY, in fact I'd happily ban both lawyers and priests completely. A legal background trains people in lying, obfuscation, twisting words into totally incomprehensiible forms, avarice on a grand scale and probably a lot more evils as well. Both lawyers & priests seem to have a level of megalomania that is rarely found in any other industry / trade / profession / occupation. Look for example at Slippery Pete, the RAbbott & ex Brisbane mayor Surley Jim. The lack of ANY lawyers or priests in the 39 candidates endorsed by Big Clive has really impressed me, to date they all have 'normal' real world backgrounds & if he manages to keep that up with the whole 150 that will be a huge step forward. I would however love to see Madigan with a place in the next gubmunt, his Citizen Initiated Referenda bill alone warrants his inclusion. Same goes for Pauline Hanson, if only to give the RAbbott a much needed slap around the gills.

Pelican, it's easy to be the 'good guy' and grandstand in politics when you are a party of one. Compare the contribution of Nick Xenophon has made to this parliament and that of Mad Dog. Until his rabbit comment little has be heard from the good senator over the past 3 years.
I don't know what kind of 'political' advice some politicians got on this $20m deal, incidentally the rest of the package was a vote winner, now the whole lot is trash. As one who has acted as an "adviser" to candidates in the past I must say this would have been a "gimme", I would have said "In the light of the present political climate, denounce the cash grab and praise the rest as great stuff, so easy."
One of Gillards failings has been her total lack of political savvy, she is constantly falling in holes.

....Leave me questioning why I continue to come here.

So why do you come here Belly, as all you do is put others down, by either saying, or implying we are il informed, or, you whinge and carry on, yet when challenged, you piss off.

So tell me Belly, why are you here?

Then this...Do we understand? that the senate may cripple them/the will of voters? that like Labor, spoilers may stop an elected government doing anything?

My tip is that Abbott will find a trigger for a DD election, shouldn't be hard, then we will go off to the polls again and throw the whole senate out and start afresh.

No more greens.

Of cause both Rudd and Gillard had their chances to do this, they just didn't have the balls.

Continued

Continued by Rehctub

As for shopping hours, I have been involved in retail my entire life and I can assure you that extended hours have robbed many families of quality time, not to mention eroded profits for many small businesses, as they simp,y don't have the resources to compete.

Praxadice is right in saying it was all about big business and their relentless push for market share.

With online shopping being what is is today, there is simply no need for extended hours and it is my view that we should go back to one late night per week and close at midday Saturday.

I remember the start of it all (in QLD) when Sat arvo hours were extended, it was 1989.

My Sat sales were about $2400 and my sales never increased on Saturdays after that day.

Of cause my wages increased, but the law makers didn't care about that.

It also caused hassles with rosters, as prior to this, a common week was Monday to Friday and sat morning with an afternoon off mid week.

EVERYONE WAS HAPPY, except the interfering labor law makers.

What these stupid people don't get, is that money can only be spent once, so extended hours hurt small business and hurt families for the benefit of a few shoppers.

Now days, we almost have shopping centers within walking distance of each other, all competing for the same amount of dollars, so retail has become a dog eat dog world, all in the name of increased competition.

If I had my way I would go back even further and have specialty shops where meat, bread and produce can only be purchased from specialty stores, I would allow supermarkets to sell only the basics, sliced bread, white, wholemeal and grain, very basic produce and dairy and no pharmacy, stationary or new agency goods.

This will create jobs and help protect fakirs lifestyles.

Of cause, that just a dream, but all this could have been protected.

paul1405 - the rest of the package was a vote winner, now the whole lot is trash

Thats what happens when too smart for their own good politicians who attempt to delude the sheeple into accepting sugar-coated faeces on the pretext of 'Take this, its good for you' & 'Trust me, I'm a politician'.
Maybe they got away with it once, but even the sheeple wake up sometimes.

praxidice
Agree, the Citizen Initiated Referenda is a worthy goal and I hope similar gets passed in the future. I think the Pirate Party were working on something similar. My vote won't be going to the two major parties even though inevitable my preferene will have to mark one over the other, but it is important to vote IMO to push the message that the majors have lost the plot - and to keep doing it until the message gets through and politics stops being about mindless team sport and back to an important aspect of the democratic process.

There are other parties and independents looking to make a mark to improve democracy and transparency who are getting my vote over any of the majors. They include The Greens and fairly new on the block - The Pirate Party and The Wikileaks Party.

I don't buy the hype that both major parties are putting out about the importance of winning a clear majority in both houses based on the hyped up failures of minority government.

Minority governments have been successful in other countries for years. Last time Australia had a clear majority in the Senate, we got WorkChoices which was a policy foisted on Australians and which was not put on the table prior to the election. Whether you agree with WorkChoices or not, or the Carbon Tax etc etc all plans, policies and programs should be on the table fully costed before an election. The Opposition's nonsense about the Carbon Tax was verging on histrionics when it was well known that Abbott was willing to do 'anything' to get the top job including a CT.

There also needs to be reform on political donations and power of influential lobby groups which ruin the very premise of a grassroots democracy.

Paul
I get your point about it being easy to be the good guy when you are an independent or a party of one. However having independents and minor players in Parliament is a good thing if nothing more to keep the government and opposition honest, and to bring legislatoin where the major parties have been reticent eg. Wilkie and Xenophon with the pokies, sports betting/televising reform pushed by the Greens.

The recent decision to exempt parliamentary departments from freedom of information relating to expenses is mind boggling and it is only the Greens and Independents calling out both sides of government on this travesty. In fact the legislation is being pushed through despite the review findings not yet being tabled. Something not right there.

The fact is it is going to take voices of 'one' so to speak to turn democracy around and stop the vested interest groups taking over. We are more and more like the USA where money and influence make policy. The 1% do not deserve a greater share of the democracy pie than any other citizen.

I think you will see a very small amount of support for ind, unless of cause they show their hand prior to the election, as anyone who voted ind last time, will be gun shy, and who can blame them.

I think we will see a white wash this time around, and it wouldn't surprise me to see the likes of big Clive out poll labor.

As for the boats, we need to throw out the softly softly approach and bring out the big stick.

Furthermore, we need to stop all aid to Indonesia until they stop the boats leaving, because if they do this, we don't have to stop them from arriving.

In any case, we are Simon,y BORROWING MONEY to add to their bank account, because unlike us, I believe they are in surplus, you know, how we used to be.

Finally for those labor lovers out there, dont bother telling me to give it a rest, because I will be paying for the past five odd years for the rest of my life,thanks to you lot, and even then, I will probably have to pass my share of the debt on.

Thanks heaps!

I think the bottom line is that we desperately need a quantum change & that won't occur with ALP or LNP holding the reins. Both major parties have shown total lack of ethics. Other than that mysterious 30%, I'm not aware of one individual who supports the red-headed witch. RAbbott seems to still have some following although none of my circle was even slightly impressed with the vote funding fiasco & if thats representative, it could well translate into a major setback. My particular electorate could well be a gift for Big Clive as the sitting (LNP) member is arguably the laziest & most useless fat-gutted ex cow-cocky slob who ever drew breath, if there is an ALP drone, he or she has never been seen or heard from in living memory, and the Palmer candidate is relatively young, very presentable, speaks exceptionally well, has plenty of relevant business experience, is full of beans, and to date at least is getting well received in the electorate. We'll probably get a few rats & mice candidates, anyones guess how they will poll in a mixed bag region which includes middle to upper class workers & retirees, tree-hugging greenies, assorted bushies / hobby farmers, eco-tourism & an assorted mob of 'proper' farmers. State & local members are, and always have been conservatives but then the boundaries are completely different.

Another electorate in which I used to live a while back has a sitting ALP member, a lame duck LNP candidate & a quite impressive Palmer candidate. Its been an ALP stronghold traditionally, albeit with slim margin, but recent state & local elections brought conservative members. For one reason or another, the sitting federal member got embroiled in state / local affairs that were well outside his brief and hence he copped quite a bit of flack for not fixing something over which he had no influence. I suspect that electorate will go to Palmer as a consequence of a continuing move away from the ALP, a substantial ethnic shift that certainly won't benefit the ALP & the weaker than water LNP candidate.

praxidice
The 2013 election will be an interesting one. I am no expert but I don't think the LNP will win over as many votes as they believe even with the disillusionment of many grass roots ALP voters. Most of those votes will go elsewhere but like all elections the impact will depend on the demographics of the electorate and where preferences fall. Many die hard Labor voters won't preference the Liberals no matter what they think of the current government.

Frankly where I live there won't be much change, it is always a Labor stronghold although we tend to put a Liberal in the Senate. Given the shenanigans of the LNP in Canberra a Green may even get that spot (numbers were close in a couple of elections). The new LNP Senate candidate does not have the same reputation as the current incumbent.

rehctub
I agree with you about the difficulties of weekend and long day trading for small business. As you say people are still spending the same amount of money but just spreading it over the day. It would be difficult to compete for many reasons. I don't know what the answer is as I imagine most people have become accustomed to longer shopping hours.

Pelican, the answer is to listen to the people who know in The first place, the traders.

Every small business retailer knew well in advance that extended trading hours would hurt them.

In the beginning of the late night trading, mon to fri, the majors simply used check out staff to perform the duties that were previously performed by night fill staff, with the result being many jobs lost in that role.

Once shoppers became accustomed to the extended hours, and after hours sales improved as a result, the night fill jobs started to increase, but unfortunately for small retailers, so did the market share for the majors.

The rest I am afraid, as they say, is history.

Rehctub, you manage to be a capitalist and a communist all at the same time. "EVERYONE WAS HAPPY, except the interfering labor law makers." We don't want any interference in the free market, especially when you were making the "laws" the market knows best and so does butch.
Then there is this; "If I (rehctub) had my way I would go back even further and have specialty shops where meat, bread and produce can only be purchased from specialty stores, I would allow supermarkets to sell only the basics." Now when it suits the commo' raises his head, there goes the free market, I demand state intervention, where are those pesky law makers when you need them, and who would be running the specialty meat shop and charging what he likes with anti-compertion laws in place, comrade rehctub.
Like my old man used to say who is the greatest capitalist on earth "A cow cocky in a good season" and the greatest socialist "A cow cocky in a bad season". Can't have it both way, or can you.

Yes, fair point Paul, not sure how to respond, but I can assure you I am not an unfair person, or employer.