Last night's 'debate' reinforced my distaste and disdain for the things. A lot of hot air and disagreement about things which neither of the combatants can do much about. The only stand out was Albanese's failure to mention defence at all, and Morrison’s mention of it only in passing. Rusted-on Liberal voters will say that Morrison 'won', Green Laborites will say the opposite.

Anyone who relies on such juvenile nonsense to decide how they will vote - after 3 years of ignoring politics - are ignorant bogans.

My sympathies, Ttbn,

There is a solution for those debates: next time hide some small knife or scissors in your sleeve or socks, so when they tie you again to the chair to watch the debate you can cut the ropes, free yourself and flee!

Get well soon!

Poor old ttbn, he's been "crying in his beer" about Australia's political leadership ever since he got shafted by Mr Halfapercent from the Corny Banana Party at the last election. Plenty for you to vote for, Hanson 1, Palmer 2, Ducksh!t 3.

These "debates", no one wins, you just don't loose. According to Ch 7, Albo got 50%, Scomo got 35% and Mr Undesided got 15%, that tells you nothing. Okay they didn't mention war mongering enough for you, so what. I'm not going to loose any sleep if Morrison gets re-elected, or Albanese wins, that's not what I care about in politics.

I watched last night's debate with great interest
to see if I learned anything new. And I was not
disappointed.

"Scotty from marketing," surprised me. He seemed to
get somewhat rattled, dodged questions and showed
a definite mean streak with his persistent digs at
his opponent. Not very becoming for a country's leader.

Anthony Albanese on the other hand answered all the questions.
Spoke from the heart, and gave came out looking like both a
leader and a statesman. Quite impressive.

And a pleasant surprise.

No wonder many undecided voters tended to side with Albanese.
Morrison struck me as being a poor loser and a bully. Perhaps
the criticisms that were directed at him by his own colleagues
earlier were not exaggerations?

Not looking good!

Morrison just may turn out to really be the self-interested
mean bully that some of his colleagues say he is.

It looks like he's dropped the ball especially with only
his rantings about the economy and nothing else - showing
his limitations and incompetency.

The 'Australian' has come up with a poll that has Labor with 80 seats: a clear victory. Polls are generally BS, but this time things do look different. There is definitely a feeling of a boganesque change for change's sake. And who can honestly say that the Coalition and its "moderates" don't deserve to be kicked out?

I am glad that I am old, debt free, and don't need much. I do feel sorry for young families who don't seem to know what is coming for them.

News streaming service, 'Flash', has done a poll on Australians' understanding of politics:

.the debate didn't help
.only 11% of respondents felt that they understood the policies of the major parties
.60% did not know what 'pork barrelling' meant
.people want 'everyday' language used (semi-literates)
.young people didn’t even know their state premier

Not only do we need voter ID, we need a test for people's ability to cast an intelligent vote before they are allowed to do so.

Heard lunch time on News Radio that new methods of polling, pioneered in Europe, now being used here, have a 93% chance of being accurate. Who knows. But the old 'feeling it in your water' method indicates that the Coalition will go into opposition, from where they need to drop this 'broadchurch' nonsense , and work out what they stand for.

No skin off my nose. I am well insulated against Green Labor socialism. Unfortunately, I don’t think the same applies to most Australians - those working, bringing up a family, and paying off a mortgage. My concerns are for defence and security. But I haven't had much faith in the Morrisòn government on that score, either.

Even the idiots should wake up to Labor in one term; the Coalition can get a new leader; this election should weed out the 'wets', and we can return to sanity with two distinctly different parties.

Anybody who still hasn't decided how they are going to vote after the last several years and is depending on the outcome of some sort of slick showbiz performance deserves whatever happens next. It's no wonder so many get scammed nowadays.

Chances are that Morrison may yet be bailed out by Palmer and One Nation preferences as happened last time but whoever "doesn't lose the most" will be in for a difficult time.

It may be also be "Independents Day" in some seats but at least many of the new ones seem to be higher quality candidates than the incumbents.

"Not only do we need voter ID, we need a test for people's ability to cast an intelligent vote before they are allowed to do so."

You are on dangerous ground when you start demanding a test to be eligible to vote. What kind of test, who would conduct that test etc. This might suit someone with a totalitarian agenda, but its hardly democracy. Under the ttbn plan, lefties would be denied a vote, as would trade unionists, academics, all undesirables, right ttbn.

Democracy is only served when moderates are the only real choice. In Australia's case the two major parties disagree, but only on emphases and not on political direction. If Labor should win the election, and that's still only a possibility, then you will see no real change in direction, but they will tinker around the edges in some areas but leave the mechanism of power alone.

I'm not saying our system is a bad thing, in fact the benefits of stability outweigh the horrors of the alternative. What I want is as a nation, Australia to go further with reform than the two major parties are presently willing to contemplate. I want to see major reforms in education, health, housing, employment, taxation, external affairs etc. Australia can be a much fairer and egalitarian society without the necessity of overthrowing the present political system, but working within the boundaries of our liberal democracy to achieve better outcomes.

rache,

Yes. If they can't make a decision based on the past 9 years, they are voting only because it is compulsory to do so; they are not interested.

I love our tiered system of government and I firmly believe
that the voters do get it right in the end. BTW - I've
already voted!

"Not only do we need voter ID, we need a test for people's ability to cast an intelligent vote before they are allowed to do so."

Yeah that wipes out about 95% of voters
Hardly anyone even knows how to vote properly

So who's voting for Gollum?

What do you think is going to happen when AI starts making the decisions for our society based on sustainability?
People will get rated on their value to societ and then the AI will decides who gets what, and who lives and who dies.

A few points more indicative than anything coming from a debate:

.Andrew Bolt speaks of "the smell of death about the Liberals"
.Greg Sheridan says the Liberals have "given up"
.Compass polling finds that 55% of voters think that a hung parliament would be a good thing
.the same number of voters think that Australia’s C02 emissions are 10 times higher than they actually are

Ignorant and uncaring people should not be forced to vote. Most other countries are no off worse for having voluntary voting.

And, it is time for the Liberals to bend over and kiss their arses goodbye. Labor will not win: Liberals will lose, as they deserve to, thanks to Morrison and his mangey moderates. All we can hope now for is three years of horror from with Labor and the hope of a refurbished Coalition after even the dumbest of voters get the message.

Coalition to win.

anyone can win at this stage.

We larned from the last election that predicting
a winner is risky. Will the Coalition get another
"miracle" to win again this time? Perhaps what we should be
asking is - will it take a miracle for them not to
lose?

Our electorate has been a safe Liberal seat under the
leadership of the conservative - Kevin Andrews.
Kevin Andrews has been replaced by a much younger Liberal
with a very impressive background - Keith Wolahan.

Whether Keith Wolahan - who's relatively unknown will make
any sort of impact - I guess time will tell.

Our electorate is similar to that of Josh Frydenberg's - it's
a wealthy eastern suburb. I would have thought that
Frydenberg's seat would have been a safe Liberal seat but
it appears that the Independent Monique Ryan is making an
impact. Whether the Labor candidate can do the same in my
electorate remains to be seen.

One big thing Labor has over the Liberal Party is that it is not a "broadchurch" as the latter's politicians and former politicians (e.g John Howard) are fond of telling us.

Labor politicians stick together; they don't cross the floor (they would be kicked out if they did). No 'conscience' votes for them. All are behind Labor policy.

Not so with the Liberals, who have lost conservatives' votes - and probably this election - thanks to the likes of Dave Sharma, Trent Zimmerman, and other sitting members now targeted by 'Teals'. Even the Treasurer could get the flick.

As John Roskam points out, "A church, regardless of whether it is broad or narrow, can only exist if the congregation all believe in approximately the same God."

Roskam goes on to say, "Other than a liking for being in government and a dislike of “the unions”, it’s not obvious what a “moderate” Liberal, a “conservative” Liberal and run-of-the-mill “Liberal” Liberal now have in common. They all call themselves “Liberals” but that’s about it." Any classical liberalism is well hidden, and there is nothing much conservative about them.

The Liberal party has a lot of re-learning to do after it is put out to pasture on May 21st.

Dear Foxy,

«anyone can win at this stage.»

Please don't rub salt into our wounds - we know that we are going to lose, as always.
Whether Tweedledum or Tweedledee are elected, their whip will hurt us just the same!

Issy, no coming on here on the Monday morning AFTER the election and claiming you won a "sheep station" on the result. What was it last time, you won a "goggomobil", after the results were in.

Yuyutsu,

Being smart as a whip
includes knowing when not
to crack it.

Morrison, has declared himself to be a BULLDOZER, a wrecker, a mindless machine that destroys everything in its path. I'll go along with that, and lets hope the voters do to.

Hi Paul,

We also need to take a look at the way the media has
handled these election campaigns. Election campaigns
put many people under pressure. From the candidates
and their staff to political journalists as well.
But watching the recent activities perhaps we do need
to question whether there is a deep flaw in the
profession and whether journalists could do better?

We've seen the awful Gollum adds. We've seen how the
coverage of the NDIS has created an emotional and
physical distress for its dependents. And the list goes
on.

Sinking to the bottom of the barrel is turning many voters
off. Also what will the Liberal Party look like if it loses
Josh Frydenberg?

There's no surprise that the Independents are
gaining in popularity.

Paul,
I can’t tell you what zI win until after the election, wish I could really predict the future, but I do know that I’ll come out in front again as the betters who bet on emotions as just as thick on the ground.

Foxy,
I know that you spent time in the USA, was that where you larned?
Sorry, couldn’t help it!!

The Chinese warship prowling off WA indicates Beijing's pick for the election winner.

Australian politicians have frittered away years indulging in pathetic politicking while we, the citizens of this once free country, have been left with no long term energy policies, a weak Defence Force, a lack of industry, massive debt, an uncontrolled real estate market (which prevents young people from buying their own home), and state governments who ride roughshod over the Constitution with inexplicable Covid mandates and authoritarian police forces. Our public service bureaucrats are unresponsive to our problems and seem incapable of delivering anything.

Is Mise,

You didn't know I was that larned?

Well you larned sumthin and de day is not ovr.

One of the "independents", Allegra Spender, could not tell Chris Kenny what difference her 'climate action' would make to the actually climate; and she praised China for its efforts on emissions reductions, ignoring Kenny's comments that China's emissions were increasing all the time. She just kept grinning maniacally, spluttering, and waving her soft little hands around.

Gol danged, Foxy, you all is larned.

As an aside, I’ve had friends who visited the States and when in the Appalachians got so frustrated with the locals not understanding them that they resorted to ‘ Gomer Pile’ English, only to be asked “Whyan’t ye speak lark thet alla th’ time, so’s we kin unnerstan ye?

Is Mise,

The US today is very different from the US I remember.
But perhaps I was in an isolated bubble and was not
exposed to nor saw the underlying strife that we see
today. I am glad to be back home.

.

I was pleased to be able to contribute to the removal of Scomo and Dutton from office by voting at the embassy here in Paris last Thursday – though I can’t say I have a great deal of confidence in the people I voted for either.

It was a vote by elimination I’m afraid.

.

A bit of pork barrelling from the local LNP member, $4 million for the soccer club, where he is an active member. I'm not saying they are not deserving, but to make such a commitment off the bat, seems unfair.

American economist and writer, Thomas Sowell, visiting Australia in the 1990s, said, "Much of the social history of the Western world (including Australia) over the past three decades has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good"

The government officially opens its campaign today, after a million plus people have already - many illegally as the AEC doesn’t police the requirements - cast their votes. That's another thing needing to be looked at. Vote on the day, except for very special reasons.

Still, there are 17 million other voters ready and able to do the business normally next Saturday, so it probably doesn’t matter that much: principle is not important any more.

Also, while Albo has been telling us how much of our money he is going to spend on his mates, the 20% slump in global markets seems to have been overlooked; a slump that is already being seen as a harbinger for a world-wide recession.

Tough times ahead, which will likely see Albo's grand, but economically illiterate, plans come to nothing.

Labor has shown their total lack of principals with their "Not my job" adds.

They know very well they are lying to the population by quoting Morrison totally out of context, but are probably very proud of themselves for coming up with such a "clever" con.

It tells us they are just like their mates the US Democrats. Cheating is part of the plan, honesty & equity have no place in their ideology.

It is a pity we don't have someone really outstanding we could vote for, to give both the majors some time they deserve in the wilderness.

But Hassy, you have the Lovely Pauline, Fat Clive and "What's-His-Name" to choose from. That should keep you busy for half an hour at the polling booth. I'm sorry Adolf is not running this time to make your choice easy.

I knew you would approve Paul, & i guess the company you keep are dumb enough to fall for it.

God help us.

Hassy, which God are you referring to, there are so many to choose from. If you are not happy with a choice from the 10,000 or so God's available at the moment, simply make one up for yourself, lots of people have done so in the past, and very successfully I hasten to add. Give him some characteristics you desire, and don't forget to give him lots of power, he will have to reside somewhere, up in the clouds is a popular choice, but he could just as easily reside in your septic tank, it don't much matter. and don't forget to give him a real spicy name, it all helps.

.

Dear Hasbeen,

.

You wrote :

« It is a pity we don't have someone really outstanding we could vote for, to give both the majors some time they deserve in the wilderness »
.

He or she does not have to be “outstanding”, Has been, (I think that’s too much to ask) – just “honest” would be good enough for me. If he or she were honest he/she would have a keen sense of his/her own strengths and weaknesses – and choose the right people as members of the government team.

For that, he/she would need to possess two qualities :

• be capable of correctly judging people – and delegating authority to those who are judged worthy of trust

• be a natural leader

I don’t think that’s too much to ask, but I’m not sure that that is what’s on offer at this election.

We’ll have to wait and see. As they say : “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”.

Personally, I haven’t yet digested the last lot.

.

I think we might be trying to over value our politicians, the job requires no qualifications at all, heck, Barnyard Joy is a politician and his only qualification for the job is his ability to chase the chicks. A garbage truck driver requires more qualifications than a politician. Having said that, there are some very decent people in politics, I should know, I've met them.

I didn't watch the government’s campaign opening - partly because I'm sick of hot air; partly because it is absurd to do it a week before the election - the duds compelled to vote still won’t have their minds made up.

But, one commentator who did watch it thought that Morrison’s idea of getting into your super to get you into your own home was a good idea - self-help, and no government owing 40% of your house.

The other thing was that Morrison did not mention Albo. In contrast, Albo in response, whined: "Scott Morrison, Scott Morrison, Scott ....... ..".

The main yapping is now over, with neither side mentioning their bipartisanship on mass immigration. An average of 200,000 immigrants annually since 2017. Lower wages. Pressure on inadequate infrastructure. Both sides have decided that the electorate, a majority if which opposes high immigration, will not be listened to.

Just as they philosophically oppose Medicare, the Coalition think universal superannuation is also bad. The idea of dipping into ones supa to help fund a home deposit has its pitfalls, independent economists have panned the idea as lacking real benefit to first home buyers. This has been a last minute "thought bubble" by the frantic Morrison, no modelling, just a desperate pitch to voters.

"Minister for Superannuation Jane Hume has conceded the Coalition's recently announced first home buyer policy would increase house prices"

"Economist Saul Eslake said the Coalition scheme would do nothing to address the root causes of housing affordability."

"My initial reaction was that I wanted to scream that this reckless inflation of house prices must stop," he said.

One Nation is the only party with the courage and common sense to call for a reduction in immigration to "take the pressure off our overburdened health and education systems, reduce road congestion, improve job opportunities and wages for Australians, and improve housing accessibility and affordability".

.low emissions coal power
.restore 90 day fuel security policy
.nuclear power
.dams
.no land sales to foreigners
.critical thinking in classrooms; no gender rot or self-shaming
.no increases to GST
.no UN undermining of our Constitution
.responsible gun ownership
.Royal Commission into Covid bungle
.

ttbn, you shock me, I would never pick you as a far right One Nation supporter. All those hundreds of "progressive" thinking posts you've put up, bucketing on anyone whose not like you. I thought last time when you were backing Corny Banana, you were only pulling our leg. Was I wrong?

I agree with ttbn
Immigration MUST be cut to counter rising home prices.
It's real simple do you want homes for your kids, or homes for foreigners
Until we can build them faster than they are needed, immigration has to be cut.

Secondly we need a better system for housing affordability.
And the only way we can do that is find a way to build aduequete liveable dwellings cheap as chips.

Years ago we had caravan parks everywhere, they worked well for holiday makers travelling and a lower tier measure where people lived in them for longer periods until they could do better for themselves.

And back in the old days caravan parks were a lot more liveable than housing commission streets these days.

My friend lives in a housing commission townhouse in a street which has many of them. A few houses down from her there is what she calls the 'screaming house' everyday there's dramas, adolescents out in the street screaming and making threats and fights, often sounds of house damage, no end of dramas for the whole street just because of this one house.
Next door to that house is another housing commission house which has been empty for months. No one will take it because of the crazy people next door. Kick the bad people out make it liveable for the rest of the street, and someone would take that other house, cops are there all the time, but no-one does anything.

Make these people the ones to live in tents, help those that genuinely need / deserve it.

There's no reason why government cant buy up larger blocks of land here and there where needed, with a plan to sell them off in 7 years time.
They can make money on the sale and buy more land.
Do it right, and it will cost the taxpayer NOTHING.

In the meantime, there's no reason why houses like this can't be put down where needed to slowly build up a greater supply.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCOgMYuKv2o

All we need is to take a few good ideas and find some smart people to implement them.

Lets say we contract these ideas (design and implementation) out to private companies
- they will ALL add their profit onto it, then it won't be affordable.

So what do we do?
We go to the Universitys and say this is what we want.
Cheap housing solution out of the box - See link above

Hold competitions at university's for the best designs, materials etc.
You put the existing parts of our society to use.
Offer 50k prize for the winning ideas / designs and have the existing experts we have in our university provide industry specific advice.
Cut out all the snouts that want a piece of the government contracts, lower the costs.

Find the best way to build them on production lines at the lowest cost, then find other ways to implement at low cost.

1 minute look, and I find this
Cert III in landscape construction
http://tafeqld.edu.au/course/17/17699/certificate-iii-in-landscape-construction

Ok, youngsters, you'll now do the practical part of your studies ON THE JOB.
One hand washes the other.
Cut costs, and turn it into a certifiable learning opportunity.
They can dig holes, plant tress rake topsoil, throw lawn seed around.
get work for the dole people to help.

Turn liabilities into breakevens.

If we don't find solutions, then the problem just gets worse
Do we want this instead:
http://youtu.be/yRWmKh13b50

This is what we will get if we don't focus our policies on finding the right solutions to our problems.

It a GUARANTEE, tent cities and people living in their cars are already a reality.

If we don't start thinking smarter and using what we already have to get things done, we're haddit.

- And this isn't just about housing -

AC, sad but true. "what she calls the 'screaming house' everyday there's dramas" The fact is there are dysfunctional people in society, how on earth we deal with these people is a real problem. Dysfunctional adults come from dysfunctional families themselves, they have dysfunctional kids, and generally live in dysfunctional neighbourhoods, its a vicious circle. That's a fact of life, and simply moving them on is not the solution, it just transfers the problem onto someone else.

My older brother who is a boarder line Nazi and school teacher, said the solution was to go around at midnight and put overdoses of heroin in all the letterboxes, then in the morning send the garbage truck around and pick up all the dead bodies, PROBLEM SOLVED.

One method of getting cheap housing is to make bottles of uniform sizes that can be used as bricks.
Coca Cola agreed to do this about 50 years ago for cheap housing in South America it was knocked back by various Marxist regimes because it would have been demeaning to house people in discarded American waste.
The fact that millions were already living in sub-standard housing built largely of waste didn’t matter.
A system of prefabricated frameless housing was available in Australia 50 years ago and it was banned for domestic use but has been used in industry with great success.

Hey Paul1405,
It's not a bad solution, but there's drawbacks.
The smartest and most entrepreneurial of the young street tuffs is going to figure a plan to rob all those mailboxes, then he will start his own little cartel getting all the other kids in the neighbourhood hooked on the harry.

So it's like yeah-nar.
It has some merit though.

I told you my idea to fix all these problems.
In the same way we have base level (socialist) standards of healthcare and education, we add to that by creating a base-level (socialist) standard for employment.

'The job you have when you don't have a job'

Unemployment is at 4%, that's pretty good, but how many are in full-time employment?
We can bring that number down to ZERO, and provide extra employment for casuals who arent getting enough work already.

Capitalism requires a pool of workers to prevent wage growth, so turn that pool of willing workers into a breakeven instead of a liability.

[Cont.]
Think of your average Joe Blogs, we spend all this money on him on health and education, and he goes out into the world gets a job, nice car, a woman, kids & mortgage.
- Times change and he loses his job -
Then he's at home, can't get a job, woman's disappointed, tense environment so they start fighting, kids are going without, so they're playing up. He starts drinking and getting agro, can't take it, sells his nice car, can't pay the mortgage so he loses the house, relationship falls apart and now separation, starts taking drugs, missus and kids are now on welfare, he's off to alcoholics anonymous and anger management, got court coming up because he got caught with drugs, getting welfare too, occupational psychologists etc, etc.

NO, NO, freaking, NO.

See all that bad stuff that happens?
That big downward spiral.
All these costs and services that we all have to pay for.
You can wipe a massive amount of those costs to society out before they even exist.
If only the poor bloke was able to get a job when he needed it.
He wouldn't have lost everything.

Answer - 'The job you have when you don't have a job'
How else we going to pay for all this free healthcare and education?
Meaningful things that we value, if we don't offset those costs by including 'job' into these base-level standards?

Try not to think of problems as problems.
Think of them as an opportunity to use our brains and find a solution,
- Solutions that are just waiting to happen.

Turn liabilities into breakevens.

.

I must confess I don’t see why all this fuss about owning a house. I have never felt the need to own a house – or anything else for that matter. You can’t take it with you when you’re gone.

I never inherited anything either. My mother wrote me a letter many years ago telling me she was willing the house and everything else to my brother because I could always get by on my own.

She was right.

.

Paul1405
"Corny Banana" - I like it!

According to him we should now be marrying animals. After getting the boot from his own party he started his own, absorbed Family First and then managed to sink both without a trace by getting only 1.47% of the vote.

He now spouts his nonsense on Sky under the slogan of "Common Sense".

A true legend.

"The Greens are troubled people, not mad, but not normal either. Like all left-wing apparatchiks, they rely totally on ideological theory to project political and social reforms. In so doing, they reject rational thought. They are the latest, but probably not the last, in a long line of self-appointed prophets whose mission is to save the world. Their message is viewed as holy writ. Anyone who rejects it is condemned for apostasy." (Brian Wimborne, 11/5/22)

McGowan, the pro-Chinese WA premier, agrees with the Greens that China is no threat to Australia. The real threat, this halfwit says, is our own defence minister, Peter Dutton, for commenting on the CCP spyship!

We need a leader who can lead
Who'll be there for us in times of need
So choose wisely who you pick
Or you could end up with a real prick

Eenie. Meenie, Minnie, Moe
We don't want someone who's just for show
We don't want pain and lots of tears
And be stuck with a misfit
For the next three years

ttbn, this Brian Wimborne, who ever he is, seems to be just some opinionated nincompoop. What is his claim to fame? Does he even have one.

How about YOU define "normal". This is something the far right like to foster, that they, and they alone, are the "normal" folk in society. Can you name these so called "normal" people, other than this nincompoop Winborne.

http://www.billmitchell.org/White_Paper_1945/index.html

In 1945 the Labor Party released a white paper on full employment.
(I once saw the original but can't find it now...)

To date, I am the only person on the planet to have ever come up with any kind of idea that would make this even remotely possible.
If someone else can come up with a better idea than mine, I'd like to hear it.

- And I'm just a nobody -

Why don't they embrace such an idea?
The answers simple, they have a different policy

- Keep them poor -

AC,

'Pig Iron' Bob Menzies the founder of the LIBERAL PARTY believed in two things when it came to suppressing wages. One, there should be a pool of 10% unemployed, and two the value of the working woman to reduce wages. I don't believe Morrison has deviated from the founding fathers philosophy.

Some other quotes -

"A Conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward"-
Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Conservatism, however, is too often a welcome excuse for lazy minds, loath to adapt themselves to fast changing conditions"
Sigmund Freud

"A Conservative is a man who just sits and thinks, mostly just sits"
Woodrow Wilson

"There are no Conservatives in the United States.. They believe in a welfare state for the rich".
Noam Chomsky

"Conservatives say if you don't give the rich more money, they will lose their incentive to invest. As for the poor, they tell us they've lost all incentive because we've given them too much money".
George Carlin

Those are all just political opinions, but this one seems universal but always overlooked -

"In Nature there are neither rewards nor punishments - there are consequences"
Robert Green Ingersol

.

Dear ttbn,

.

You wrote :

"The Greens are troubled people, not mad, but not normal either. Like all left-wing apparatchiks, they rely totally on ideological theory to project political and social reforms. In so doing, they reject rational thought. They are the latest, but probably not the last, in a long line of self-appointed prophets whose mission is to save the world. Their message is viewed as holy writ. Anyone who rejects it is condemned for apostasy." (Brian Wimborne, 11/5/22)
.

Yes, I read that in the article Wimbourne published in the ultraconservative Quadrant magazine, this month.

Wimbourne publishes regularly in Quadrant. He migrated to Australia from the UK as a boy, studied at Monash and the ANU, became a public servant, then a visiting fellow at the A.N.U., and is now the ripe old age of 83 – possibly retired from active duty.

His conservatism has nothing to envy that of Keith Windschuttle, the editor of Quadrant who was appointed a board member of the ABC in the 1960s before making a spectacular 180° political about-turn in the 1970s – from far left to far right ! Windschuttle is 80 but still active as editor of Quadrant.

The IPSOS Climate Change Report in April 2022 found that :

• only 15% of Australians are not concerned about climate change. People aged over 65 years are significantly more likely to state they are not concerned about climate change. Males are also statistically more likely to say they are not concerned (18% compared to 11% among females) :

http://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/publication/documents/2022-04/Ipsos%20Climate%20Change%20Report%202022.pdf

According to an article published by “L’Express” in Paris today (17th May) :

“Climate change remains one, if not the first concern of 18–35-year-olds. According to an Ipsos poll published in November, 44% of young people placed it at the heart of their concerns, ahead of purchasing power. The general population rather follows the opposite pattern” :

http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/societe/climat-les-contradictions-de-la-generation-fin-du-monde_2173403.html?m_i=cNX8uGHpoVz45OOWce0OH9A_zZ8o0DgQ7xah9HoU6iKXc9P5e_uQAEDS7ooLb960NJCkTRa6AyyfzNwOpGfvXeQgobiPDB&#xtor=EPR-583-[NL_flash_info]-20220517&utm_source=lexpress&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=583-%5BNL_flash_info%5D&utm_content=EPR&utm_term=_&m_i=ApzlXCILPE7i9Yb8oE0UB5U_nY8w0VBgfxjpv9epAhba5OTwHEAmxQjuICcnLNnYKIzINZU3TPwvSm22QZhSIGQAVmdDPP&M_BT=473694891389
.

Wimbourne seems to be barking up the wrong tree by blaming it all on “The Greens”. Their influence does not appear to merit a mention in any of the surveys.

.

Self interest;

My grand daughter tells me the big issues at this election, are car ownership, the cost of cars, the price pf petrol, the cost of car insurance (for under 25's), the difficulties in getting a driving licence, the lack of assistance in getting young people into their own car, the sky high price of good secondhand cars, the condition of roads (pot holes), bad car drivers, animals on roads, thoughtless pedestrians, the high cost of driving lessons, decent google directions for those who don't know where they are going, etc, etc.

She said neither Scomo or Albo addressed any of these problems in their policy speeches. Why not a "First Car Owners Grant" of say $8,000 to get young people into their first little buzz box. Why not a bit of negative gearing where new car tyres are tax deductible, why not include driving lessons in the free education system, private lessons are $40/hr. Why not include free petrol for young people as a social benefit, she is even willing to drive public servants around if the government is willing to take 100% equity in her car, and after 3 years of thrashing it the government can trade it in on a better car for her.

Plan B; "Pop would you like to buy a new car for say $8,0000, nothing fancy a little 4 cylinder auto, I will look after it for you."

ps; My granddaughter just got her "Learners" permit.

Hi Paul1405,
'The job you have when you don't have a job'
its not really that hard to figure out, it's not like I've done anything amazing, just used logic in looking for a solution.

In truth though its only the age of internet, smart phones and apps that make my idea possible.

If apps, and for example airbnb can allow one to have 'the home you have when you don't have a home' then it's apps that can create the backbone of 'the job you have when you don't have a job'.
Its apps that could allow one to learn whats required / or provide the training required for a particular job shift, and confirm / accept a particular job shift with the use of both a smartphone and a digital resume that could determine what job tasks you are skilled to perform.

It's internet, apps and smartphones that make my idea possible, from where it was once impossible.

Other countries seem to want to go down the Universal Basic Income route, but I don't think thats the answer.
These ideas were dreamed up by other countries that don't have a good form of medicare like we have, so they don't really think about things in a way that we can.

Once you have base-level education and healthcare, it's much easier to see that the missing piece is a job to pay for these other luxuries.

But people who don't see the merit in my idea, or never considered it think the way to manage the budget is to get rid of medicare, and bring us back to a 1 legged barstool, when it needs to go the other way, education, healthcare, and a job.

[Cont.]
Cars.
Yes, cars can by the lynch-pin in which many adolescents 'fail to launch' properly.
I've known people whose whole lives were built around drugs and welfare, simply because they didn't get a car and some real independence to build on when they were young.
- Basically they couldn't even put one foot in front of the other in their lives and never got anywhere, just became a lifelong burden on the other members of society who were paying.
They ended up couch-surfing and bludging off others until they wore out their welcome, living a carefree life of drugs when they could get away with it in their teens and 20's, until they had no-one left anymore in their 30's and ended up in the half-way house / men's lodge.

If the government created some kind of plan to make it easier for adolescents to get licenses and cars (and independence) things could've been a whole lot different for them, and they may have become contributing members of society, instead becoming of a burden on it.
So yes, I agree with you cars are a big part of the solution.

And the government auctions off thousands of them every year.
I'm sure there's a workable solution there somewhere.

Just flicked on the news...
Scomos saying 'Labor CAN'T manage the economy'
Albos saying 'We NEED a change of government.'

Democracy's flawed, its not really working for us
We need to lock the whole bloody lot of them in Parliament House and say:
"You're not coming out!".
"You can all stay in there until you stop grandstanding and blaming each other and arguing for the sake of it;
When you can stop disagreeing and come up with some REAL policies that BENEFIT ALL OF US
- Then we'll let you out!
Until you come up with some good policies together, you can all stay in there FOREVER!"

A few days ago I heard about a terminally ill man who realised this will be his last opportunity to vote in a Federal election.

After a lifetime of voting for either of the main parties he decided to consult his adult grandchildren to see what was in their best long term interests rather than his own immediate ones and eventually declared this time he will be voting for the Greens.

Politicians only look as far ahead as the next election (except for China which thinks in terms of generations ahead) but voters are much the same. Up to 10% of voters only decide when they enter the voting booth and in a democracy it only takes two morons to outvote a genius.

This is no ordinary election. The decision Australians
make this Saturday will determine the path this country
takes through one of the most treacherous decades that
they will have faced. As Tony Windsor recently pointed
out: " We cannot afford a second decade of inertia."

This is the time for journalists to hold our politicians to
account, not only for their future promises, but for their
past deeds and failures. Neglect, corruption and incompetence
cannot be allowed to fester unseen.

Good journalism can also give us hope for a better future by
examining bold policy vision and giving credit for good
ideas when its due.

People have a right to make an informed choice at the ballot
box.

No matter which reptiles slither into government, it looks like they will be signing up to the globalisation of Covid control and regulation by the WHO. Another step towards loss of control by sovereign governments to World Government (UN). This will suit the likes of Albanese and Morrison of course, because they can dodge the responsibility, like Morrison passed the buck onto the states so that he would look better.

Do not think for one moment that anyone in the political class will fight for us against world government. They will still get the big bucks, but deny responsibility.

Anyone with a real interest in what will happen to their country pretty damn soon will search for this information. I am not going to waste my time detailing it just to have the usual bozos rabbit on about the 'far right' and publications they automatically deem incorrect because they are 'conservative'.

We have issues of global magnitude pressing in on
Australia, namely the threat from China, the cost of living
pressure and how to live with COVID. This is a time
when authoritarianism poses as such a threat to the liberal
international order.

The election feels more like a competition of political
strategies rather than being a contest of ideas. It would come
as something of an upset if the 2022 Australian federal election
became a rousing advertisement for democracy.

One can only pray and hope that it will.

It is going to cost your grand daughter a lot more than that for personal mobility if you lot have your way. Surely you told her that she must get a battery electric car, not one of those dreadful ICE things that are destroying the planet. Aren't little 4 cylinder things antisocial according to you Greens.

The cheapest battery car I could find for her is an 11 year old Nissan LEAF, with over 100,000 on the clock for $13250, before government charges. At that age it will be due for a $20,000 battery replacement now, or very very shortly, so could be a bit of a money pit. The next cheapest one I found was a 2017 Nissan e-NV200. A bit of a people mover at $35,000. At least at that age, & with only 18,000 on the clock it should be cheap running for a while.

Don't you lot reckon every one should be walking or riding bikes, rather than driving planet wrecking ICE cars anyway? I guess you just might let her have a battery assisted bike, as a special indulgence as you are a green member, but that does look like nepotism doesn't it.

Do let us know what she thinks of Green policy when you tell her no cars for kids today.

Foxy
I think the journalists themselves should also be held to account.

They seem less interested in getting and reporting the facts than scoring points and seeking self-promotion, looking for those "gotcha" moments to create their own headlines.

What should be an exchange of ideas is just a meaningless circus based on spin and scandal and in the end we all pay the price.

.

Dear ttbn,

.

You wrote :

1 - « No matter which reptiles slither into government, it looks like they will be signing up to the globalisation of Covid control and regulation by the WHO. Another step towards loss of control by sovereign governments to World Government (UN) »
.

The control of pandemics is impossible without strong and effective international cooperation.

As a founding member of the UN in 1945, Australia is also a founding member of the World Health Organisation which was constituted in 1948.
The current version of the WHO International Health Regulations (IHR) came into force on 15 June 2007. They are binding on 196 countries across the globe, including the 194 WHO member states.

So far, 227 Countries and Territories around the world have reported a total of 525,220,844 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a total reported death toll of 6,295,272.

Australia is not an isolated case that can be managed effectively by our own federal and state governments, with our own national resources or lack thereof. China and North Korea have attempted to do so with the catastrophic results that have resulted.

In my view, ttbn, the trade-off for Australians of (limited) loss of control of sovereignty – v – global covid protection, has been extremely positive. That is what we voluntarily signed up for back in 1948, and that is what the current generations are benefiting from – not just in Australia but worldwide, today.

I imagine any self-respecting conservative should be pleased with that – our ancestors had great foresight. At the end of the second world war, they knew the value of solidarity.
.

2 - « … the usual bozos rabbit on about the 'far right' and publications they automatically deem incorrect because they are 'conservative' »
.

Quite right, ttbn. Nothing wrong with conservatism – or progressivism, for that matter, either. The two extremes are the problem (far left and far right), the “ultras”, the systematically exaggerated one-sided view of things, the blindly simplistic point of view.

The natural world tends toward equilibrium.

.

G'day BP,

You wrote; " Nothing wrong with conservatism – or progressivism, for that matter, either. The two extremes are the problem (far left and far right), the “ultras”, the systematically exaggerated one-sided view of things, the blindly simplistic point of view."

I see the "ultras" as radical and they can only gain traction in society, when the social and political conditions are conducive. The radical under certain conditions becomes the normal.

Conservatism becomes a problem when it retards positive progressive development in a modern moderate society. I'm not saying progressive change should be accepted without rational debate and due consideration of the facts first taking place, but if there is no perceived impediments to change, and change is obviously for the good, then change should take place. Until its implementation change is always some risk, the risk of the yet unknown is real, but should not be the overriding reason to resist change.

What do you think?

.

Dear Paul1405,

.

I discovered recently that I tend to think along similar lines to those of the ancient Indian philosophers, the Jain philosophers. Though I do not employ the same terms as they did, the basic idea is very similar : there are two distinct categories of existence in nature – the evolutive and the static (as I express it).

According to the Jain philosophers, these two types of existence are constantly interacting with each other. They had no beginning and are eternal. As early as 520 BC, they considered that the universe and its constituents such as matter cannot be destroyed or created. They can only be transformed.

It is this philosophy that underlies my thoughts regarding the necessary coexistence of mankind’s progressivism (the evolutive) and conservatism (the static). In my mind, they correspond to the dual metaphysical building blocks of the natural world that are essential for its equilibrium.

.

Good Morning rache,

Of course journalists have to be held to account.
I remember the good old days when
great journalists like George Negus, Ian Leslie, and
Ray Martin did a splendid job. Today, we have journalists
like Patricia Karvelas, Laura Tingle, Fran Kelly, Peter
Hartcher, Stan Grant, Chris Uhlmann, Andrew Probyn, to
name just a few, who strive to lift the bar.

I guess its the newbies out to make names for themselves
that give the others a bad name.

G'day again BP,

"the evolutive and the static", I must disagree, I don't believe that anything in existence is "static", everything is constantly evolving, both in the physical world, and within the philosophical world of mankind. The great mountain evolves, granted, at a slower rate than the adult Mayfly but never the less it to is changing/evolving just as the Mayfly is, as do ideas and beliefs that exist within the human spirit. I see conservatism by its very nature as an impossible position, not as a complementary position to progress, but as a reactive position, where if the progressive idea has just merit it will eventually succeed.

Communism is a prime example of a progressive idea that failed, not because conservatism said it was a bad idea, but because it could not sustain itself in a practical sense.

Foxy,
I remember in the days of ‘good old’ when a leading ABC journalist rode intrepidly into the front line when the Afghans were fighting the Russian invaders, he shewed us a knocked out Russian tank and won great praise for his reporting.
Reality was that the tank was an old Indian Army Centurion that was a static target on an Indian tank and artillery range.
No one at the ABC was interested in the truth.

I forgot to mention that he rode in on a Ferguson tractor.

Hi Issy,

I suppose you'll be cleaning up after the election, just like last time. Have you got your mop and bucket at the ready.

ps; Are the Shooters and Hooters running? If so are they blasting away with their policy of "Free guns for everyone". I like what Elephant Bob said; "every child deserves a loaded gun", did you not find that touching, Elephant Bob is thinking of the little children.

If the Shooters and Hooters are running, lets hope they keep running and don't stop.

This is comming to you from God's Waiting Room, aka the RSL. Have had a few "blacks", good company, good band, good night.

.

Dear Paul1405,

.

You wrote :

« "the evolutive and the static", I must disagree, I don't believe that anything in existence is "static", everything is constantly evolving, both in the physical world, and within the philosophical world of mankind. The great mountain evolves, … as do ideas and beliefs that exist within the human spirit. »
.

Yes, I understand your reasoning, Paul, but I obviously owe you a more detailed explanation of what I mean by “the evolutive and the static” to enable you to put things in the perspective I am endeavouring to describe.

What I have in mind when I refer to “the evolutive” is Jacques Monod’s definition of life :

“Life is a spontaneous, evolutive, sensitive and reproductive process triggered by the fortuitous encounter of complementary elements of matter and energy in a favourable environment” (chance in this context means a “random variable” and necessity an “inevitable” event).

By “static” I mean non-living matter such as earth, rocks, and water, whose transformation depends on external factors.

As these two categories of existence, “the evolutive and the static” are mutually complementary and interactive, they combine in a harmonious equilibrium in the natural world.

It is this natural process that prompted my metaphor of the necessary coexistence of what I consider to be a form of mankind’s metaphysical dualism : progressivism (the evolutive) and conservatism (the static).

“Know thyself” commands the ancient Delphic maxim. I certainly don’t see myself as a paragon of wisdom, planted precisely in the middle between left and right on the ideological, moral, and political scale.

I tend to oscillate, depending on the issue under consideration, along a fairly broad band, ranging from progressivism to conservatism.

I am not scotched permanently and irremediably at any particular point on the ideological, moral, and political scale.

That is probably due to the fact that my weltanschauung and that of society do not always coincide as perfectly as they, perhaps, should.

I hope this helps clarify matters for you, Paul.

.

Paul,
Of course I’ll be cleaning up, as usual; all bets are in and neatly covered and if they are honoured, as they usually are, I’ll make a handsome profit.
People always let their emotions get in the way of reason when betting on elections.

Here’s a good tip for the dogs, any venue that has more races than starting boxes will have one box win more than once.
Don’t bet on the first race but back that winning box in the second and so on, can get a bit complicated mathematically so if no result by the fifth race it’s time to call it a night.
Overall it works.

My girlfriends down at the polling booths doing the 'how to vote' cards for One Nation,
- And she's working it pretty good too, got to give her credit.

A fair few people seem receptive to her down-to-earth in-your-face friendliness,
- whilst the other party's people are all standing around like bored and miserable mutes.

Her daughters there as well, I took down an umbrella, Allen's lollies, corn chips and KFC crispy strips and popcorn chicken to keep them going.

Then I voted.

Hi Issy,

You are putting forward a "multiplier" scheme, which in gambling always fails, as its built on the false premise that previous results have an influence on future results. Example; Toss a penny (Two-up), say, wait until 'tails' comes up 3 times, then bet 'heads' and should tails win again double your bet on the 5th throw, and so on until 'heads' wins. No matter how many times in a row "tails" is tossed, on the next throw the possibility of 'heads" is still even money.

This above is called the "Martingale" principle, popular in French gambling in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was again championed by 'Pittsburgh' Phil, (George Smith) noted American gambler of the latter part of the 19th Century. 'Pittsburgh' Phil did enjoy great success with it at times, but inevitably the system failed, but the guy then turned to "racing annalists", which did give him a competitive advantage over others, and 'Pittsburgh' Phil died wealthy, but of tuberculosis, and not gambling stress in 1905, aged 42.

But however, a bloke who declared ScuMo' a certainty in a two horse race is not a very good form annalists, and should end up in the poor house! Do you not agree?

Paul
It’s not a multiplier scheme, where there are fewer boxes than races it is a mathematical certainty that one box.will win more than once. It’s not gambling it’s printing money.

Issy of course it is.

Box 1 wins the first race, so you bet box 1, $1 the even money favourite in race 2, a loss, race 3 box 1 is again even money favourite, bet $2, another loss, race 4 box 1 again even money favourite bet $4, another loss, race 5 box 1 even money favourite bet $8, another loss, time to quit with total losses at $15. Gee, what a great system.

BTW; How did your Shooters and Hooters get on. I believe they scored about 0.01% of the national vote. They are as popular as ants at a picnic. More dosh needed from the NRA, the KKK, President Putin!

Paul,
No, that is following a box.
The system is box 1 wins the first race, in which you do not bet, you back 1 to win (or place) in race 2, box 4 wins, so back 1 and 4 in the third and so on, but not past the fifth race as the layout gets complicated.
If you don’t win then go home and continue at the next meeting.
It works.

Is Mise
So you stand to lose $1 in race 2, $2 in race 3, $3 in race 4 and $4 in race 5, meaning you're down $10 if they all lose?
It looks like the odds are against you, except perhaps if the boxes give some advantage that the bookies don't take into account. Do they?

Aidan,
That’s right, if it dosen’t come up 4 races then you go home and lay bets to get your money back plus ever target you set yourself to win each meeting.
The one thing that you must never do is try to recoupe your losses by gambling.

Some boxes are perceived to have an advantage and following a box can pay off, but that’s gambling.

Hi Issy,

Why are you talking about losses with your fool proof gambling system.

Now, Pittsburgh Phil, he would have been right up your ally, not only was he a believer in progressive gambling, which can only see the punter with his arse out of his pants, he was also a small business man, that is a contract killer. It seems when Pittsburgh Phil was not doing his dosh at the track he was bumping off people on a contractual bases, a bit like that contract businessman of yours.

Greyhound racing, a cruel and barbaric past time, well supported by the gunnie fraternity. Blooding dogs with live rabbits and possums, is that Shooters and Hooters policy?

ps; Do you have a photo of Pittsburgh Phil on the wall down at Gunnie HQ? If not, why not!

pps; You said the gunnies had a half a million storm troopers.(members), or some such number, ready to march the Shooters and Hooters into power, I checked the result, they got 0.1% of the vote, what happened? Is it the voters are not willing to accept concentration camps and summary executions. Just can't trust those bleeding heart liberals to do the (ultra) right thing.

Great result for the GREEN's the party YOU said was going to disappear, got that wrong as well. Not having much luck are you Issy.

But I still love you.

Paul,’Losses for that particular week, all such losses are recouped.

Love is blind.

Is Mise- The Ferguson tractor was a nice machine.