New results from Newspoll and Essential Research have failed to have any impact on BludgerTrack’s two-party preferred reading, but there’s one point worth noting on the primary vote, with the recent lift in One Nation’s poll ratings finally kicking into action on the trend measurement (more on that here if you’re a Crikey subscriber). Last week I noted signs that Labor’s surge in Western Australia was abating, with two seats flipping back to the Coalition on the seat projection, but this week they’ve flipped back again. However, this is counterbalanced by one gain apiece for the Coalition in New South Wales and Victoria. Newspoll and Essential both provide new numbers on personal ratings, which result in both leaders taking a uptick on net approval, and Malcolm Turnbull slightly improving on preferred prime minister.
Also of note:
• The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has published its third interim report from its inquiry into last year’s federal election, this time into modernisation of the Australian Electoral Commission. The report gives a sympathetic hearing to the AEC’s complaints that it has lacked the resources to keep pace with technological change, and is unduly straitjacketed by an overly prescriptive Electoral Act. Most significantly, it recommends trials be conducted of electronic counting of House of Representatives ballot papers, building upon the scheme introduced for the new Senate system last year, whereby manual data entry is supplemented by scanning and optical character recognition. The significance of apparent Russian efforts to hack into American electoral systems has been duly noted elsewhere.
• Antony Green has published his usual statistical review of the Western Australian election for the state parliament. This one is particularly interesting in that it features comprehensive data on preference flows for each minor party, which I don’t believe I’ve ever seen from a state election before.
first question: how to spend an awful lot of money and create more transport problems than you solve
answer is in NSW and its govt. govt is investing all in three systems who origins have not been systemically studied or integrated. where did idea for one light rail to randwick come from? or a rail from NW to chatswood and onto under harbour then replicating line to bankstown. why not a loop connecting NW through rhodes, strathfield, across sydney where its needed, to hurstville, then through sydney back to strathfield. cheaper.
2) why is fed labor getting into bed with catholic ed? Have they no shame? why no cherry pick and get best deal out of govt bill – it was passed anyway. catholic ed is creating a dual private school system that is destroying overall standards in this country.
i might have to get out of bed with labor on this matter. it’ll be quite cold there but what can an honest man do?
two solstice whinges
Trump Admits To The Crime Of Witness Tampering In Disastrous Fox News Interview
In a total disaster of a Fox News interview, President Donald Trump admitted to committing the crime of witness tampering.
this president could have made. It was also a crime.
In his rush to discredit Comey and the investigation against him, the President Of The United States confessed to committing a crime. The media confessions are piling up, and eventually, they are going to be what gets Trump thrown out of office.
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/06/23/trump-admits-crime-witness-tampering-disastrous-fox-news-interview.html
Bombshell Report Reveals Mitch McConnell Allowed Russia To Attack The US To Help Trump
In a tone that would become familiar in the following months, Republicans and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) allowed Russia to interfere in the election to help Trump by expressing skepticism about the intelligence that Russia was meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
The Russia scandal goes beyond Trump, and if Americans are going to prevent a future on our democracy, they must remove Russia enabling Republicans like Mitch McConnell from their positions of power.
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/06/23/bombshell-report-reveals-mitch-mcconnell-allowed-russia-attack-trump.html
Fox News May Have Gotten Trump Jailed Or Impeached With Question About Comey Tapes
Legal experts say Donald Trump added to his legal jeopardy and the potential obstruction of justice case against him during an interview on Fox News. The part of the interview that added to Trump’s woes was set up by a Fox and Friends host flattering the President by saying he was smart to lie about the Comey tapes.
By flattering Trump, and inflating his ego, Fox News may have added to evidence that Trump obstructed justice. If Trump goes down, he will have his own mouth and favorite television network to thank for his demise.
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/06/23/fox-news-trump-jailed-impeached-question-comey-tapes.html
o i write from northern hemisphere – so will write to the empty room
re waters and breast feeding on floor while debating. no. over the top. not in class room, or in medical suite, or in boardroom, or railway office – so why parliament? child care ok –
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
Kate McClymont further unravels the ATO tax fraud. What a cess pit!
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/lawyers-guns-and-money-the-ato-fraud-unravels-20170623-gwxho6.html
The scheme’s tentacles stretch into many shady areas.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/property-developer-michael-teplitsky-laundered-extortion-money-police-allege-20170622-gwwdof.html
Maybe the authorities stepped in before the players really turned upon each other.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/ato-tax-fraud-behind-the-alleged-extortion-scheme-designed-to-keep-fraud-going-20170622-gwwcza.html
Adele Ferguson has a special report on the rip-offs plaguing the aged care industry.
http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2017/retirement-racket/the-price-of-freedom/index.html
The government declares that the education war is over with the passing of Gonski 2.01 but the states (and others) indicate the war has just begun!
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/its-a-bit-rich-gonski-20-passes-parliament-forcing-state-governments-to-increase-school-funding-20170623-gwxbrf.html
Laurie Oakes opines that Turnbull should ignore the polls and get on with good policy, hoping that people will notice. Google.
/news/opinion/laurie-oakes/gonski-win-shows-malcolm-turnbull-not-without-hope-of-turning-coalition-fortunes-around/news-story/151ecf33eb43481d72bc2e31318034eb
Peter Hartcher says that Shorten shout get over it when it comes to Gonski.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/gonski-lessons-extend-beyond-the-classroom-20170623-gwxhyw.html
But Labor has suggested it would renegotiate separate deals with state governments and the independent and Catholic school sectors to reverse funding growth cuts in the Turnbull government schools plan.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/23/labor-pledges-to-undo-unfairness-of-coalitions-gonski-2
Paul Bongiorno examines the government’s poll woes as it heads into the long winter break.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2017/06/24/polls-unmoved-parliament-breaks-winter/14982264004816
Section 2 . . .
What in the hell is Potatohead up to with the new English test for citizenship?
http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/06/23/peter-dutton-citizenship-english-test-coal/
A scathing audit of the pesticides authority shows the Coalition government’s decision to move it to Armidale has undermined the beleaguered agency, Labor says.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/labor-union-leap-to-defence-of-apvma-after-scathing-audit-report-20170623-gwx0wk.html
Seven things the NRA will hate in the latest Pew survey on Americans’ attitude to guns. But nothing will happen will it?
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/world/seven-things-the-nra-will-hate-in-new-pew-survey-on-americans-gun-attitudes-20170622-gwwv1m.html
Jess Irvine tells us that the share of Australia’s national income being pocketed by workers has shrunk to its lowest in half a century, mirroring a decline in other countries which has sparked renewed popular interest in pro-union politicians like Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/education-not-revolution-our-best-hope-to-improve-workers-share-of-income-20170623-gwx8em.html
This parent of an autistic child was upset so much by Hanson that she launched into a Facebook barrage.
http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/06/23/pauline-hanson-autism-comments/
Amy Remeikis writes that Barnaby Joyce has been dispatched to Europe for seven days to help map out Australia’s trade future with Britain and the European Union in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave the EU. It’s a delicate dance that will involve ensuring Australia doesn’t lose agricultural trade market space in the United Kingdom, while simultaneously maintaining market share in the European Union.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/barnaby-joyce-dances-delicate-trade-line-in-preparation-for-a-postbrexit-trade-world-20170622-gwwwbg.html
Despite its population of more than 320 million, the weight of democracy in the USA now seems to rest on the shoulders of one man – the “self-effacing, immensely polite” Anthony Kennedy, often described as the swing vote between conservatives and liberals on the US Supreme Court. Gerrymandering in the US is rife and must be fixed.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/can-the-supreme-court-straighten-out-americas-misshapen-democracy-20170623-gwwxqm.html
The Australian’s David Crowe tells us that the Liberal Party is being warned of a $200 million “democratic -deficit” that could topple the ¬Turnbull government, as its ¬enemies raise more cash to fight the next election. They are whingeing that there is a “democracy deficit” . Google.
/national-affairs/cashedup-rivals-threaten-liberal-party/news-story/21124eab4e7748b82a1f588c27439ede
Simon Cowan explains that the government should stop trying to take issues off the table with more spending, and start taking them off because they are solved. It might find that’s a better election strategy anyway. He says that transactional politicians are on the nose and authenticity is hard to fake.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/transactional-politicians-are-on-the-nose-and-authenticity-is-hard-to-fake-20170623-gwx555.html
Section 4 . . .
Karen Middleton writes that while the dealings of the government’s Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility remain shrouded in secrecy, pressure mounts over funding for the Adani rail line.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/economy/2017/06/24/final-chapter-adani-loan-deal/14982264004830
A Melbourne lawyer has been found guilty of laundering dirty money allegedly given to him by a man accused of playing a part in the notorious Richmond road gang robbery of 1994. He would not talk about it and now will be sentenced.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/i-will-never-tell-guilty-lawyer-silent-on-source-of-the-400000-he-laundered-20170623-gwxb7j.html
Another great Liberal pre-selection!
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/wouldbe-liberal-candidate-for-prahran-pulls-out-of-race-after-sex-book-storm-20170623-gwxcz8.html
Michael Pascoe celebrates our population ticking over the 25 million mark by saying that with dog whistles busy in federal politics, either through proposed citizenship and immigration changes or amazingly blond “Australia First” advertising, never mind the overt One Nation xenophobia, it’s an interesting time to be recording a population milestone.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/australias-new-population-milestone-sure-to-reignite-debate-20170622-gwwtx2.html
Trumpcare is like a vampire set on sinking its teeth into the poor.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/23/trumpcare-vampire-sinking-teeth-poor
Thuggery in the building and construction industry has two dimensions. Will the lovely Michaelia Cash rail over this instance?
http://www.theage.com.au/business/workplace-relations/building-manager-arrested-charged-over-threats-to-attack-union-organiser-20170623-gwxas8.html
Federal politicians have slashed their overseas travel bill by half, cut up to a million dollars from car hire services and reduced their travel allowances by more than $500,000 compared with four years ago. It’s amazing what a bit of scrutiny can achieve.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/federal-politicians-overseas-travel-bill-slashed-amid-expenses-crackdown-20170623-gwx7pz.html
Police are considering manslaughter charges over the Grenfell Tower tragedy, after confirming the insulating cladding recently installed on the building had quickly burst into flames in a fire safety test. I would expect that just examining builders’ invoices for the cladding would be enough to tell the story.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/london-police-confirm-grenfell-cladding-failed-safety-tests-manslaughter-charges-considered-20170623-gwxlsv.html
‘Independence day’ in the UK, exactly a year since Britain voted to leave the European Union, has been greeted with bitter howls and smug celebration, showing the wounds left by the Brexit referendum are still raw.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/no-cake-ever-came-brexit-anniversary-opens-old-wounds-20170623-gwxnqj.html
Section 3a . . .
Jack Waterford goes further with a long contribution examining the “liteness” of the modern political beings.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-unbearable-liteness-of-todays-political-beings-20170623-gwwxtu.html
Rob Burgess complains that if the Coalition succeeds in using public money to fund new coal-fired power it will constitute a grave subversion of our democracy.
http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/finance-news/2017/06/23/finkel-coal-democracy/
Crispin Hull puts in his two bob’s worth on “off the record” nonsense.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/offtherecord-nonsense-at-the-press-gallerys-midwinter-ball-20170623-gwwx9a.html
The head of the CPA has been sacked. Google.
/leadership/cpa-australia-ceo-alex-malley-sacked-20170623-gwxn30
Mark Kenny writes that forces on the green-energy side are positioning for a renewed climate change debate in coming months, as the Turnbull government struggles to convince internal dissenters of the need for tougher carbon reduction measures.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/climate-forces-consolidate-as-coal-backers-rush-for-government-help-20170623-gwx3qy.html
Section 3b . . .
Phil Coorey writes that politicians have stopped growing the pie and are fighting over it instead. Google.
/news/politics/politicians-stop-growing-the-economic-pie-and-fight-over-it-instead-20170622-gwwon1
Professor Barry Hindess analyses the myth that economic management is better under conservative governments when history has shown they pursue appalling policies. He says the problem we face in the area of economic management is not so different from the problem we face in other policy areas: Tories pursue appalling policies, too often with Labor support — and our mainstream media, for the most part, let them get away with it. There is no short answer to this one.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/debunking-the-liberal-party-better-economic-managers-myth,10430
Bank fears that cash-strapped governments will target the industry with higher taxes are mounting, as another state says imposing its own levy on banks could be an “attractive option.”
http://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/the-precedent-is-very-significant–bank-fears-mounting-20170622-gwwx4f.html
The banks are in a bilateral sandwich writes David Grant.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/finance-meets-politics-australian-banks-in-a-bilateral-sandwich-20170623-gwxm17.html
Section 5 . . .
Mike Seccombe writes that an attack on the Victorian judiciary by three government ministers highlights a larger campaign against the powers of independent office. It’s the government’s war on the law.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2017/06/24/the-governments-war-the-law/14982264004832
In austerity Britain, can justice and accountability be served for the victims of the Grenfell fire? Or does the rule of law only serve the wealthy?
https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/one-law-for-the-poor-at-grenfell-tower,10433
Meanwhile people are being evacuated from five tower blocks in north London, to allow “urgent fire safety works” to take place, Camden Council has announced. They council said on Friday evening that the residents from 800 flats – potentially thousands of people – in the Chalcots Estate’s high rises would be temporarily “decanted” in the wake of the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, which killed at least 79 people last week.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/06/23/grenfell-fire-camden-council-to-evacuate-high-rise-amid-fears-c_a_22740014/?utm_hp_ref=au-homepage
Katharine Murphy has a good look at Dutton’s recent dog whistling.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/23/peter-duttons-dog-whistling-on-citizenship-is-a-dangerous-missed-opportunity
Here’s Peter FitzSimons’ Saturday column. He has something to say to Pauline Hanson in it.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/no-fuss-on-the-bus-for-powerful-polly-berejiklian-20170623-gwxdy9.html
Airlines will do anything to gouge extra money out of travellers.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/etihad-wants-you-to-pay-for-its-empty-seats-to-boost-sales-in-tough-market-20170623-gwxezg.html
Michaela Whitbourn was in court yesterday to see our mate Mehajer further exposed on electoral fraud.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/salim-mehajer-electoral-fraud-trial-hears-signature-forged-on-documents-20170623-gwx09t.html
In July the new first home buyers’ scheme will come into effect amid predictions that it will cause an immediate spike in house prices. We shall see.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/sydney-prices-to-jump-overnight-as-firsthome-incentives-kick-in-experts-20170624-gwubss/
Gee, if only there was a political party (and members thereof) in this country that had a close relationship with unions…
Section 6 . . .
Concrete barriers have been installed in part of Martin Place in Sydney’s CBD, in the first part of a plan to install barricades along the length of the pedestrian mall.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/concrete-barriers-installed-in-martin-place-near-lindt-cafe-20170623-gwxdov.html
What a self-centred pig is Trump!
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/golf/donald-trump-commits-golf-etiquette-atrocity-by-driving-on-a-green-20170622-gwwvyj.html
Section 7 . . . Cartoon Corner
Mark David has Turnbull going into battle for bipartisanship.
Broelman takes Pauline Hanson back to school.
Alan Moir reckons the Coalition is lost at sea.
have a look at the monster that David Pope has created!
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/david-pope-20120214-1t3j0
Moir drops in Hanson’s latest shocker.
David Rowe with a bus full of characters.
Mark Knight laments that the terrorists have won again.
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/9026713830f1c5838addf048177f717d?width=1024
Jon Kudelka suggests all is not over yet with Catholic Education.
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/333621f3f58dd8ff1107d8d83817f498
three questions: 1) how to spend an awful lot of money and create more transport problems than you solve
answer is in NSW and its govt. govt is investing all in three systems who origins have not been systemically studied or integrated. where did idea for one light rail to randwick come from? or a rail from NW to chatswood and onto under harbour then replicating line to bankstown. why not a loop connecting NW through rhodes, strathfield, across sydney where its needed, to hurstville, then through sydney back to strathfield. cheaper.
2) why is fed labor getting into bed with catholic ed? Have they no shame? why no cherry pick and get best deal out of govt bill – it was passed anyway. catholic ed is creating a dual private school system that is destroying overall standards in this country.
i might have to get out of bed with labor on this matter. it’ll be quite cold there but what can an honest man do?
3) re waters and breast feeding on floor while debating. why?
no. over the top. not in class room, or in medical suite, or in boardroom, or railway office – so why parliament? child care ok –
two solstice whinges
An entire station closed at Hurstville…
Geoffrey @ comment 1
I don’t live in NSW, and I haven’t looked, but the voting patterns might have something to do with it?
Thanks BK. The David Crowe story on the libs complaining that progressive forces will be outspending them on propaganda is an absolute hoot. No mention at all, of course, of the tens of millions of dollars of free liberal propaganda (called “news”) that the Murdoch press pumps out every year.
Morning all
Thanks PhoenixRed for the latest on the Trump Imbroglio.
and BK for today’s roundup.
I hope our authorities are taking the opportunity to check out cladding on our buildings thoroughly
And on the Trump Imbroglio. It is easy to see why the GOP are reluctant to act on Trump. So many of them are compromised. McConnell and Ryan are notable in this regard
BK
Trying to turn Australia immigration regime into an ‘OK’ or ‘No’ scheme based on Potato’s personal prejudices.
Not restarting the argument, just tidying up after last night’s bloodbath. I didn’t see Ides of March post till this morning – I’d gone to bed!
ides of march @ #1357 Friday, June 23, 2017 at 10:46 pm
I have no preference. Just use whatever you feel comfortable with.
Essentially, yes. Just replace “cheaper” with “practical”. In practice it will take decades to deploy enough renewables (+ storage) to replace our fossil-fuelled generation capacity, but if we are serious about minimizing emissions then we should be retiring coal plants in parallel. We know we can build gas plants (or convert coal plants) in 2-3 years, and that they will continue to have a role till around 2050 (depending on whose modeling you believe). Even after that, some will still be required as ‘peaking’ plants.
Thanks BK.
Funny little para in the article about the NAIF (Northern Australia Investment Fund), otherwise known as the JCCC (Joyce Canavan Cash Cow) by Karen Middleton.
No way Joyce would investigate. A bit like asking Hanson to investigate funding for her airplane.
ctar1 @ #21 Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 8:45 am
Resurrecting the White Australia policy in a different wrapper.
Yes, you really have to feel for the poor Liberal Party being outgunned by the likes of “Labor, the Greens, the unions, progressive think tanks and activist groups such as GetUp!” (Crowe’s words).
The Liberals only have the support of minnows like IPA and a raft of other RW bodies, Murdoch and almost the entire MSM, all the business lobbies, the mining industry and groups like Aust Christian Lobby.
It’s such a mismatch and so unfair. Perhaps the Liberals should apply for Centrelink benefits.
Thanks BK, I found the ‘retirement racket’ esp illuminating.
Vic:
Plus I wonder what dirt Trump has on his Republican colleagues? If he goes down he’d take them all with him.
Cheers bk.
This is just a distraction from the main issue, whether the test and level required is appropriate and fair.
It is not.
What the Potato says about the question is true, the subject is irrelevant.
What is being tested here is the ability to read a passage and then demonstrate your comprehension by answering the questions.
The complexity of the questions will vary, ranging from the simple recognising information in the passage to using different words in the question, so to answer the question you need to be able to recognise that two statements mean the same thing.
At the end of the test this all combines to give your an indication of your ability to use and understand English.
As I said before the subject of the question is irrelevant and this question was probably planted to act as it is, a distraction from the true issue.
The level they require is completely inappropriate and I would suspect that there are many native born citizens who would be unable to achieve this level.
Re Jess Irvine article on inequality:
Where the rate of return on capital exceeds the rate of economic growth, inequality will increase. This is Thomas Piketty’s central thesis.
The only ways to reverse this:
1) Progressive taxation on capital
2) Disruption of the assets of the very rich e.g. by war or some sort of major upheaval
Of course the “jobs and growth” resulting from top end tax cuts, promoted by the likes of Trump, Turnbull and the rest of the tories, are an illusion, and the exact antithesis of what needs to be done.
This illusion is accepted by the sheeple as an article of faith, mainly through conditioning by the likes of John Howard, dog whistling the threat of “the others”, such as Muslims, when the real threat are the holders of massive capital who pull the strings of government.
Shorten, I fear, has one foot in this camp, and, in the current environment, until he can demonstrably pull his fucking foot out of it, he will fail to gain the type of popularity shown by Sanders and Corbyn.
https://www.good.is/articles/coal-tycoon-sues-john-oliver-hbo
A few weeks ago I linked to a NY Times column reporting on exactly this, it named names and all including Murray and sitting GOP members who were at the time candidates.
Presumably Murray didn’t read that article because the paper isn’t being sued for its reporting.
Trog – I think that what Pinkety showed was that the inexorable march of capitalism is to greater inequality. Only two major wars during the last century disrupted that (for a while). It will be interesting to see though whether the internet (social media) will be another disruptive force. They really are turning the traditional deliverers of right-wing propaganda into stranded assets. I sense the Gillard Govt would have had an easier ride these days without the Australian et al having so much power.
Another crises..
aged care, education, health, energy, jobs and the list is expanding:
http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2017/retirement-racket/the-price-of-freedom/index.html
I think I’ll just put this here …
Trump Just Made The Worst Mistake Of His Life As His Tweets Are Turned Into Criminal Evidence
Trump and the White House made a giant mistake by responding to request from the House Oversight Committee for a formal letter denying the existence of tapes with a pasting to Trump’s tweets into a letter. This means that Trump’s tweets are now official presidential statements and can be used in the criminal case against him.
It seems that we have our answer, and by foolishly using the tweets as a response to an investigation, the White House has now opened the door to all of Trump’s tweets being examined for potential evidence in the obstruction of justice investigation, and the Russia investigations.
The White House should have drafted a formal letter. By getting cute, they just opened up Trump to a ton of potential legal trouble as all of his rants on Twitter may soon come back to haunt him.
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/06/23/trump-worst-mistake-life-tweets-turned-criminal-evidence.html
Mueller’s grade-A legal team ‘uncomfortably close’ to obstruction case against Donald Trump
A Los Angeles Times feature details the ways in which members of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s team have worked to prosecute obstruction of justice in the past — and how they’ll bring that expertise to the case of President Donald Trump.
“These are guys that have a particular skill set that seems uncomfortably close to a potential case against Donald Trump,” Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, told the Times. “This is a team with prosecutors who have not been timid in stretching the criminal code when it comes to prosecutions.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/muellers-grade-a-legal-team-uncomfortably-close-to-obstruction-case-against-donald-trump/
Robert Mueller’s team has prosecuted high-stakes cases — including obstruction of justice
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-mueller-team-20170622-story.html
‘Stop playing politics with people’s lives’: Kamala Harris rips GOP healthcare bill in scathing op-ed
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) on Friday penned an op-ed for the LA Times on the current draft of the Senate healthcare bill, charging her colleagues with voting “blindly on a bill that has life-or-death consequences for those we represent.”
“Republicans are trying to ram their healthcare proposal through the Senate with little to no transparency,” the former California attorney general wrote. “There have been no hearings, no debate, and hardly any time to examine the details of the proposal. We are being asked to vote blindly on a bill that has life-or-death consequences for those we represent.”
“The American people deserve better,” she added. “The American people deserve greater transparency.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/stop-playing-politics-with-peoples-lives-kamala-harris-rips-gop-healthcare-bill-in-scathing-op-ed/
“he will fail to gain the type of popularity shown by Sanders and Corbyn.”
Who both managed to to lose to apparently unpopular opponents.
Geoffrey
I would suggest that people with pathetic hang-ups about breast feeding should not be in the class room, or the medical suite, or the boardroom, or the railway office, or in parliament, or in child care.
Does Everything That Donald Trump Touches Die?
Months after talking up Carrier, Ford, and Boeing, all three companies are cutting jobs.
Even before Donald Trump was sworn in to office, he began declaring victories on behalf of the American worker.
Seven, five, and a mere four months later, how are things working out at those companies? Let’s take a look!
Carrier, CNBC reported this week, will be laying off 600 employees over the next five months. Ford announced on Tuesday that it would be producing its Focus line in China. And Boeing, 16 weeks after Trump stood in front of a Boeing Dreamliner and declared himself the savior of the Working Man, confirmed Friday that it would be cutting 200 jobs at that very South Carolina plant.
Still, it’s actually sort of amazing to behold the pace at which his stunts have fallen apart. Memo to the employees of the next company at which he shows up: take cover.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/06/donald-trump-boeing
Anton
There will be some major disruption in the next few years, e.g. the fossil fuel industries, transport and more. Democratisation of energy generation and distribution is a big one. This will affect the capital base of some big players through stranded assets. There is potential for this to reduce inequality, but just how much, policy implications etc, will require investigation. Automation could also work the other way.
Martin Place barriers –
Gee, the reporter must have the IQ of Einstein to think of asking this question.
martha farquahar @ #39 Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 9:55 am
I’d exclude the classroom Martha.
If they spent more time there they may not be so ignorant.
Kevjohnno
I would hardly call these two losers. Both of their opponents are in deep political shit.
Taking power off the tories is a process, not an event.
Pickety’s schema suggests that when the return to capital exceeds the rate of growth of the economy, the share of output available for consumption declines. This can become self-perpetuating. Relative declines in the consumption share retard demand, which in turn leads to the under-employment of economic resources of all kinds and thence to under-investment and faltering growth in both output and real incomes, including real wages.
This posits that excess returns to capital (which produces a rise in inequality because of the concentration of ownership of capital) leads to economic stagnation.
This all makes sense. It’s consistent with Keynes. Of course, if the ownership of capital were evenly distributed, this effect would not be so pronounced and would likely be self-correcting. The policy prescriptions are obvious. The income share of the economy should be protected. Concentrations of capital (monopolistic ownership) should be prevented or reversed. Excess incomes should be taxed and redistributed. Excessive financial hoards should be appropriated. These kind of policies will support consumption and employment and sustain economic growth. Of course, they are the opposite of trickle down. They are bubble up.
On ABC RN Saturday Extra, Geraldine Doogue interviewed Dr Andrew Charlton, economist, author, former adviser to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Director of Alpha Beta.
Leading with conviction in Australian politics:
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/saturdayextra/why-governing-is-so-hard/8638820
Briefly
Agreed.
P1
A potato skin? {grin} Bet ya it’s a white one!
Can Mitch McConnell kill more Americans than Osama bin Laden?
‘fess
The ‘retirement industry’ story is a joint 4 Corners/Fairfax story. So it’ll be on ABC on Monday night.