Former journalist and ABC employee, Geofrey Luck, writing that "media excitement" about Scott Morrison's "supposed incompetence" threatened to exceed the actual coverage of bushfires this month, suggests a job description for applicants wishing to be Prime Minister of Australia:

SKILLS - Ability to make it rain (not negotiable)
Ability to multi locate (ie be in several places at once)
Possess hindsight bias
Must be a public punching bag.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA - Prepared to be mistreated and misrepresented daily.
Take advice from the general public concerning Government spending.

RESPONSIBILITIES - 25 million people

REMUNERATION - 1/50th of Alan Joyce's salary.

HOLIDAYS - with public approval only.

The ABC loved that totally useless poser Turnbull. Hell they even liked the 2 idiots KRudd & Gillard before him.

Do we really need anyhthing else to show us what a useless bunch of tossers they are

Dear Hasbeen,

Oh for cry out loud. This bloke said he didn't need to come back to Australia because "I don't hold a hose, mate, and I don't sit in a control room" all while happily ensconced in Hawaii.

Yet now that he has been forced back there are far more ADF assets which are under his direct control being deployed, he has announced payment relief for firefights and now called up thousands of reservists to assist. It seems there was a hell of a lot he could do.

This is the same bloke who gave Christine Nixon a toweling for going to dinner during the Black Saturday fires.

He was missing in action, and lied about it, then made excuses for it and you haven't got a bad word to say about the clown. How does that happen?

This is one of the biggest stories to come out of Australia and is featured heavily in international media. To have our lump of coal loving PM sitting on a Hawaiian beach during this catastrophic event was an embarrassment.

He really does need to give it away. As much as I detest Abbott I'm damn sure he wouldn't have been swanning it on a tropical isle while this was going on.

Mate, you are backing a dud. Time to move on old cock.

"This is the same bloke who gave Christine Nixon a toweling for going to dinner during the Black Saturday fires."

It was actually Christine Nixon's job to command the firefighting in Victoria, and she squibbed it for personal reasons. It wasn't, and isn't the PM's job to perform the work state premier's and officials. That is most certainly not in his job description.

Screwballs like SteeleRedux are just another reason to ask by the hell would anyone want to be PM of Australia? Why would any politician at all want to work for such nutters?

As usual SR is totally wrong.

The defense force can not be sent into a state unless the government of that state directly asks for it to happen. Defense force assistance can only them be employed.

There may be some difference with reserve personal, so perhaps that is why the PM offered them to assist.

It is all rather silly, & pretty ineffectual as it happens. I don't believe reservists can be "called up" for other than war service. My son, a navy reservist was contacted by secure channels asking him to volunteer.

Unfortunately it is a bad tine for the defense force, most of them are on Christmas leave. They do not have enough staff on duty to make or take phone calls regarding this action. He volunteered to be available from yesterday a week ago, but has had no further communication. I most definitely hope the emergency will be over for the poor buggers effected long before assembling of reservists occurs.

From previous experience he reckons it would take another week for the necessary travel documents & other bumph to be assembled. God help those in the fire line, if they are dependent on rapid deployment of reservists.

for years now Trump has left egg over the face of every lying liberal left journalist in the Western world. As haters, the lying liberalleft media are now on steroids when it comes to Morrison. Hopefully he will take a few lessons from the Trump text book.

As usual Hassy is clueless, yet speaks like he has some knowledge, heaven help us. Look up the powers of the Governor General, that might fill you in on who can do what.

Dear runner,

Oh don't worry, our PM is taking your President's example very well.

Trump routinely berated Obama for playing golf famously saying “I’m not gonna have time to go play golf.”. Turns out this was just another one of his lies with the vast number of his golfing sessions leaving Obama for dead.

He was at the course again during hurricane Doran although unlike Morrison he had the decency to cancel a planned overseas trip in order to be somewhat available.

NO such devotion for duty from our tosser of a PM.

SteeleRedux,
It shows your intelligence when you call the person you see in the mirror a tosser !

Btw, The Qld Premier went on leave too during the Bushfires, not a word from her fellow Insipids there !

Yeah we know Steelie the Greens have been out fighting (sorry laughing) at mills and people's livelihoods being ruined. And still you have the nerve to criticise the PM. Oh well hypocrisy and hatred is the Greens predominant traits. I wonder if you will be joining the fools with placards protesting the next lot of prescribed burns?

interesting watch the abc turn on Morrison. When the smug mob of leftist journalist were convinced that Shorten was going to win the last election they did not go to hard. They were to busy getting their champagne ready. Egg all over the face, all they can do now is use their spiteful, hateful tactics hoping they can do what they did to Abbott. I hope the Liberal party is not so stupid again. Mind you with Turnbull, Banks, Bishop, Pynne and other backstabbers gone its unlikely.

Barnaby Joyce.

He is representative of Liberal National Party supporters.

I think the real Australians should combine in a Petition to clip the wings of the ABC. Lying & forcing opinion is not journalism, it's treason !

Morrison is far too polite, far to gentlemanly. He will never take a leaf out of Trump's book, as runner hopes. I believe Dutton would have dealt differently with the Left: ex-copper, used to dealing wih scumbags. The Left will only take notice of people who fight them with the same tactics they use. There is no room for niceties in dealings with Green Labour. Morrison's "quiet Australians" will be expecting him to toughen up if he wants to keep the job.

Dear runner,

As an avowed supporter of a thrice judged pedophile you really have zilch moral standing to criticise anyone here.

Dear individual,

What is this?

"I think the real Australians should combine in a Petition to clip the wings of the ABC. Lying & forcing opinion is not journalism, it's treason !"

It seems so out of kilter with the discussion. Were you just venting? I know runner pops in regularly to squeeze his bile duct over the threads but you appeared to have at least some direction. Nobody can compete with runner's hate of the decent and the moral such is his evident loathing of anyone who even slightly criticises his disgusting president. You really shouldn't try.

So please explain why you have deemed criticism of Scomo to be treasonous?

as usual Steelie you revert to lies and smears. You Greens/Marxist are a pathetic mob.

runner's lies and smears; "the Greens have been out fighting (sorry laughing) at mills and people's livelihoods being ruined."

The bigoted religious fundo's claim the bushfires are gods wrath. they subscribe to the bunk that "vengeance is mine sayeth the lord". Those that are impacted by bushfires are paying for their sinful ways according to your average religious fruitcake, right runner?

Yes Steele, runner has never fessed up as to how many devos have been found in his church. He wont even say what wacko religion he is a devotee of. Must be ashamed of his church and what goes on behind closed doors.

Hey individual,

When are you going to get back to me? I hope you're not trying to avoid our little Q&A sessions.

Loudmouth is willing to show you how to cut and paste from Wikipedia to make it look like you know about all of those Arts things like history, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, philosophy, etc.

I nominate Soot Morrison for Prime Minister of Hawaii.

Would anyone like to second that nomination?

Let's not forget our labor heros such as Dan from Victoria and Anna from Queensland, who while being directly responsible for fighting fires in their states buggered off to a resort for some personal time.

Or the Greens whose anti back burning and fuel reduction protests greatly contributed to the ferocity of these fires.

Or Labor statesmen Krudd and Juliar who in the absence of a crisis created one that killed far more people and cost far more in the illegal boats crisis.

Yet all we here from these selectively amnesiacal left whingers is how Morrison (who is not directly responsible for fighting fires) took off a few days in Hawaii after a year of working 80hr weeks.

Poor Paul as a Green trying to take the high moral ground. Its a wonder he even knows paedophile is wrong. Giving that their moral basis comes from the sewers one wonders with all his virtue signalling how he knows right from wrong.

And Shadow don't forget the PM who once warned did nothing, sat on his hands with a "nothing to do here attitude", before buggering off to Hawaii where it cost the taxpayer $20K to fly him back home in a hurry as the country burned.

runner, you are a joke, carry on about the Greens while protecting filth down at your church. Did you shake hands with the dirty old man last Sunday?

'Did you shake hands with the dirty old man last Sunday?'

wow Paul you Greens decided their is such a things as gender after all. Amazing!

Who's the dirty old man you're talking about above?

As some posters have taken it upon themselves to veer away completely from the subject, I'll do the same:

In news breaking today (January 11), our ‘most influential indigenous historian’, Professor Uncle Bruce Pascoe has been referred to the AFP for investigation into possible fraudulent behaviour, the accusation being that he benefited from falsely claiming to be indigenous.

Not before time!

'Who's the dirty old man you're talking about above?'

Probably Weinstein or Epstein who were champions of the left and woke issues. Dirty minds make up dirty lies as shown by Paul trying to out do Steelie.

Hi Runner,

Weinstein or Epstein .... champions of the left and woke issues .... " ?

Sorry, I have to disagree - both were extremely wealthy, Weinstein may certainly have exploited pseudo-left issues in the films that he financed; but Weinstein surely was a lap-dog and ponce for the most wealthy ? Unless Prince Andrew has become a coal-miner or barrow-boy, a left-wing icon of some sort, maybe a barista ?

Just saying,

Joe

Maybe Harry and Meghan want to break away from the firm because they don't want to attend Xmas dinners knowing a certain uncle with a certain alleged penchant will be sitting at the table.

come on Joe. Being rich is no barrier to being woke. In actual fact after totally trashing every form of morality the rich then often become woke virtue signalling to workers. Look at all the rich gw alarmist telling others not to fly. Heard of Michael Moore, Al Gore. Megan Markle. Yes certainly rich and chief hypocrites.

My goodness, has anyone seen the royal news.
'Sussex humiliation: Prince Charles ‘to withhold cash’ from Harry and Meghan in bold move'

You know what I think would be great?
If Harry and Meghan said:

"Well, since were just commoners now, then you can can go and get stuffed you miserable old bastard"

There seems to be a competition to see who can get further away from the subject of this thread. How about some of you starting threads on things you want to talk about, instead of being parasites or leeches, too lazy or too gutless to contribute something new. OLO is getting stale and mundane because only a few of posters are willing to put up sometime new.

OLO is getting stale and mundane because only a few of posters are willing to put up sometime new.
ttbn,
I was thinking exactly the same lately. Many Threads are about irrelevant pseudo-intellectual tossing & diahorrea.
I'd much rather see important issues brought up, issues that concern our declining social values & the loss of common sense due to these pseudo-intellectuals !

individual,

I've pretty much decided not to start any more threads; there is too much piggy backing. There's no point in raising a subject just to have it go off the rails after the first few responses. People can say what they like, how they like on the topic - that's what it's for. What pisses me off, in this instance, is that something specifically about the PM degenerating into comments about:- the Governor General; Trump and Obama; bigoted religious fundos; religious fruit cake; 'devos' in churches; dirty old man; Prince Andrew and wealth; Harry and Meghan, and pointless, childish sparring between posters who don't like each other.

It's not worth the effort

ttbn,

Is that a promise or a threat?

ttbn, the prolific thread starter is Belly, has put over a dozen in the last 3 months. Looks like Belly has taken time out. The others who start a fair number of threads include you, Is Mise, Hassy and me. Belly's "Climate Emergency" has almost 700 post by far the biggest. There are a few with 200/300 posts.

ttbn, you might not like the way the forum operates, but maybe you are bit wrapped up in your own self impotence, and can't take the lighter side at times. Spoken like a true crusty old conservative.

I rather like threads that develop a life of their own, & go wandering off across subjects.

So you can all fee free to hijack any I start, any time you like.

Hi there STEELEREDUX...

Your politics my friend is so far to the Left, it's a wonder you don't fall off the edge and become a card-carrying communist! I always thought you were a Labour acolyte, but I was wrong, ol' mate, you're a dyed in the wool commie. And yes, to answer a question you posed to me, years ago now, if when I was still in South Vietnam, and I had that fellow in my sights - I would've emptied my entire magazine of 7.62 right into the traitors seen centre mass! I hope you and yours have a very happy 2020 Steele.

Dear o sung wu,

And a very happy 2020 to you good sir.

Now after reviewing my posts on this thread it appears the only thing you might be referring to is my defense of the ABC. That apparently in your eyes deserves the charge of a card carrying communist. Well I hate to break it to you but there are literally millions of Australians who value and are prepared to support our national broadcaster.

Therefore old chum, it looks like there might well be one under every bed after all. It might pay you to employ a couple of vigorous thrusts with the garden fork before slipping under the covers tonight. One can never be too careful.

Reading through the comments to this thread, I am reminded of the parallel between anyone who criticises decisions made by the Israeli government is quickly derided as being 'antisemitic', so too is anyone who dares criticise ScoMo from Marketing immediately cast as a "Marxist/Greenie" by right wing zealots. Both accusations are becoming boringly predictable, lack intellectual rigor and are simply wrong.

It is amazing that I seem to be the only one on here that has any idea
how the emergency management system works.
The army does not need a GG permission to respond to a request.
My understanding is that only applies to the Reserve.
That is done, historically, to prevent a politician from calling out
his own army.
The Federal Govt has NO PART in the operations unless a request is
received form the Emergency operations centre. The State government
does not need to make the actual request it can done my the Emergency
management commander. Normally the state minister is consulted.

We are plagued by two or three of the pileon brigade.
You know who they are, just don't reply to them, they will starve to death.

Comrade SteeleRedux, Greetings from Comrade Stalin,

I know a lot of things are said on the Forum, that are not meant, and are not true, being more of the cut and thrust of the debate, but to perceive Steeleredux as a "card carrying communist" and believe it is ridiculous. It wouldn't be so bad if the bloke making the accusation was just another one of the old dotty posters, who when not making those kinds of rabid comments was out pottering in the garden, and had done so for all of his life.

However I understand the now retired gentleman who made the comment was once a gun carrying military man, and a copper of some rank, I shudder. Now I can understand how easy it was in the past to lead some Australians by the nose into wars and such like when you have "thinkers" in society like this particular gentleman.

Going by Sunday's Newspoll I don't think Soot 'Beam up me Scotty' Morrison is looking like a contender come the next election.

If the LNP is smart they'll dump him asap. He's definitely a liability from here on in, especially if there is another bushfire catastrophe come 2020/21 and 2021/22. People will see him as someone who just doesn't care about taking action against AGW.

He could turn the tables by challenging the big emitters on this issue but I doubt that will happen.

Climate Change doesn't cause lightning strikes or arsonists.

AC not correct,

Severe bushfires can create localised weather conditions, including dry lightening. As for arsonists, yes given the right fire conditions they can be a problem. We can't put these horrific bushfires down to the work of a few arsonists, there is much more to it than that

The ratbag media has finally got around to the ratbag polls that 'show' - no question about it - how Morrison's popularity has dropped. But, when they get to the final 'result', the usual 51/49 persists. And, of course, the bloke who has never been PM, and probably never will, is more suitable for the job than the one doing in.

All the usual horseshite two years out from the next election. 80% of people allowed to vote don't remember what they thought two days ago, let alone what they thought in 202O when they vote in two years time.

when 185 were burned under Rudd's watch he got no negative press. Our journo's are so pathetic along with other haters.

The main stream media should be categorised as a political organisation; they no longer just report, they proselytise. They might say that they are just reporting figures, but it is the way that they do it that influences people who rely on the MSM for all information. Most of the hacks on TV are just B-grade actors posing as people who actually know what they are talking about.

Hi Runner, would that playbook include being impeached? I love the sheer rudeness of all of you keyboard warriors, but it is a bit sad. Writing an article requires research, knowledge, an intention to learn, persistence and the ability to spell, and to use grammar. It also requires courage, because keyboard warriors say some dreadful things. Yesterday I posted my first article on this forum, and I was variously called a bedwetter (not any more), a greenie, an ABC groupie?, a mutt, a vindictive and envious blowhard, bitter and biased, amongst other things. Possibly the most important thing needed to write an article is the willingness to discuss, civilly, the issues. Not one's personal courage, not the colour of his or her vote, but the substance of political discourse. As to the question about who wants to be Prime Minister, they are usually, from their biographies, power hungry narcissists, who believe they were born to rule. That is why we should insist on quality in their work, because I would bet London to a brick that they probably are not nice people. And I include those from both sides of politics. Good talk!

askbucko

yeah take the high moral ground. In your rant you referred to those who don't believe in your version of man made gw as 'deniers'. Typical leftist ploy of using disgusting language to those who disagree.

You said of the PM 'Your meanness is noted' as if you really know how tight or generous the PM is. You referred to 'your weael words will not save you'.

Yeah keep slagging on about full stops and punctuation as well as the effort you put in. Problem is your article displays sheer rudeness, arrogrance and bias. To then complain about others taking another opinion is very rich indeed.

Methinks you do protest too much. Punctuation is frightfully important, old chap.

'Methinks you do protest too much. Punctuation is frightfully important, old chap.'

actually askbucko I think the PM did quite a good job throughout the fires. I thought it was your article that was doing all the protesting. You know the lack of action on gw, going on a 5 day break, being a 'denier', the distrubition of funds. Were there any other whinges?

runner, I'm sure you're sincere in your admiration for the PM. But maybe you should try reading media outlets outside Murdoch's empire; you know, the Age, the Guardian, the dreaded ABC; see what lots of your fellow citizens think. I'm not saying I'm right, I'm expressing what I think, shared with lots of other people. I live in regional Victoria, and I do not sip lattes all day. As to the PM & his holiday, have a look back. Whitlam was in trouble for being out of the country during Cyclone Tracy in 1974, but you can go back to Billy Hughes visiting Mackay after a cyclone in 1918, Stanley Bruce in 1926 visited Victorian bushfire victims, it goes on and on. No-one wants them to hold a hose, we want them to be there, and to care. And the main point is that Morrison was out of the country when the country was burning, but he apologised, and he has attempted to salvage his reputation ever since. So why did he apologise, if he had done nothing wrong? It is about perception, and it looked bad, so he acknowledged it. So possibly a good reason to stop defending him, if he thinks he was in the wrong. There are so many more important issues going on atm, and I will continue to express my opinion as I choose, and hopefully in complete sentences.

askbucko,

You wrote:

'Writing an article requires research, knowledge, an intention to learn, persistence and the ability to spell, and to use grammar. '

So what is your background? Do you have these qualities?

askbucko

yeah mate you can continue with your cheap political scoring but don't try and make out you are objective or impartial. I think I have clearly shown that you are not. Reading the Guardian, the Age or the abc and their narratives are boring, woke and predictable. I don't really give a stuff about what the majority think. Personally I think Morrison showed weakness by apologising due largely to the wolves howling. If he did something wrong he should apologise. If he did not, he should look to how Trump treats the lying liberal media (such as the abc, Guardian. Age etc).

runner you don't show anything clearly, because you confuse passion (yours) with clarity. He either erred, or not. The fact that he apologised means that he accepts fault; you can't have it both ways. He apologised, and it was sincere, or he apologised, and it wasn't. Which narrative do you prefer?
As for Mr Opinion, what do you think? "Writing an article requires research, knowledge, an intention to learn, persistence and the ability to spell, and to use grammar." (Sorry I replaced your punctuation marks.)
You read it, what do you think? Your call!
It's not for me to claim qualities in my writing, you either recognise them in the actual written piece, or you don't. My background is in History and Politics, and yet I earn an honest living, not at a university, so how good's that? An Aussie bloke earning a living, and not an academic.
What you should do is read people's work, and decide on the internal logic within it, and then form an opinion. It is called informed opinion. You might even change your nickname to "Mr informed opinion" . How does that sound?

askbucko,

I assume you are an Arts grad like me. Am I correct?

Hi Mr O, judging by Mark's blog, it was well written and he's a thinker. I suspect he has been to school at some stage in his life. runner tends to do as his nick indicates, he often does the run through's with a dopey comment. Him and I actually agree on abortion on demand, we are both opposed, but we don't agree on the remedy. runner is there anything else we agree on? Do you like beer, or do you just stick to the sacramental wine on Sundays?

Mark (askbucko) please realise not only is this a political forum, its also a bit of a social forum as well for cast offs and general nutters. Anyway smile if you can, and don't get to sillyarse about whats said, and whats not. We do have a serious side, and 1 in 10,000 of my comments are serious, the rest, well, they fall in between totally mad cap and oh so serious, regardless have fun.

askbucko,

You said;

"Aussie bloke earning a living ...........". (I'll stop being lazy and start holding the shift key down.)

Not many of those left anymore in Sydney. I play Count the Aussie when travelling to and from work on public transport.

Years ago no one on a train or bus would notice me but now everyone looks at me as if I'm not Chinese.

PS I meant to say 'Spot the Aussie' instead of 'Count the Aussie'.

I'm sure everyone knew what I meant, I just wanted to clarify it.

Bt the way, where is Soot 'Beam up me Scotty' Morrison? He seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth.

I see his other born-again climate change warriors popping up on TV but no Soot. This is strange. Hmmmm ............. I wonder if he is in Hawaii?

Where's Soot? Has anybody seen Soot? This is a worry!

Mr 0,

You should park your racism and go back to flipping burgers.