News is on holidays. Abbott had a great expert on his side when he was elected. I thought Hasbeen would be all for expurts, after that exabition of scumbagery.

Hi there FOXY...

I hope you and yours are all well. I recall when I was just out of my teens people would tell me that journalism was a truly noble profession, and a guardian of literary morality. To become a journalist, one required high marks in all components of English, together with strong attributes in History, economics and even basic law (jurisprudence).

It's funny, when I was in the Army, a girl I was keeping company with was very keen to study the necessary subjects best suited for pursuing a career in Journalism. Here we are now nearly sixty years from those times; I often wonder whether she realised her ambition and became a media hack? I most certainly hope not, she was far too nice and too poised to become a mendacious 'b.tch'? Though far better than becoming a policewoman I suppose?

AJ Philips, how typical of the academic.

Fingers jammed hard into their ears, to avoid hearing any of those nasty facts.

You clowns are going to wonder where it came from when the great unwashed have finally had enough & lower the boom.

I’m not an academic, Hasbeen, if that’s what you’re saying. But thanks for the compliment.

<<Fingers jammed hard into their ears, to avoid hearing any of those nasty facts.>>

Who? Me? Now that is the pot calling the kettle black, given your frequent appeals to conspiracy every time the evidence contradicts your dearly-held beliefs.

Sorry, but you haven’t provided any facts. Just a questionable recollection of events that actually attempts to suggest that some dude driving a boat on the reef is going to know more about it than a marine biologist.

Dear AJ Phillips,

Don't get to fussed about our good old Hasbeen. It is his thing to trot out this guff and when properly challenged on it will say 'all I'm doing is stirring them up' and 'I don't really mean it'. Though it serves as a cloak to allow him to spew his ignorant shallow posturing while maintaining a get out clause.

I used to find it endearing but now more sad.

Anyway I made a comment on another forum about Indonesia going hardline Islamic and made the point that;

Part of this is what you get when you let Saudi money go unanswered. Gillard attempted to mitigate their influence by providing funding to bring hardline schools into the mainstream Indonesia education system. That funding was cut by Abbott. Those who call for no action to be taken in this area may well rue the day.

This was a reply I received;

You're dead right … Steele. I actually reckon it's most of it, the only part of this that is not Saudi money is Indonesian politicians not doing enough to counter or just stop its influence. It's ironic, in the late-80s, early 90s I was a naval officer and as part of my training at the RAN College, I had to work up tactical and strategic appreciations. One of the ones I did was Indonesia. I argued at the time that we may not be able to rely on 1. Pro-western dictators; and, 2. Indonesia remaining dominated by a relatively pluralistic, moderate Islam, in the long term. While I acknowledged that Christianity, Hinduism and even Buddhism has its extremists, I argued at the time that as Indonesia has a Muslim population there is at least the risk of radicalisation

Dear Hasbeen,

It is a little cheeky you accusing anyone of having their “Fingers jammed hard into their ears, to avoid hearing any of those nasty facts” when you have your head so far up your proverbial. You may well have cheered the sight of Trump doing a sword dance but the Saudis most of thinking people recognise them as the head of the snake and are deeply concerned about Wahabbi money putting so many in danger from terrorism. Well I suppose you get to be smug about the price of the petrol you're putting in your tank, which would indeed be higher if we properly boycotted them as we should.