Another random assortment of polling and preselection news to tide us over until the federal polling season resumes:
• Essential Research has broken the poll drought to the extent of releasing state voting intention results, compiled from the polling it conducted between October and December. The results find Labor ahead in all five states, with Tasmania not covered. This includes a breakthrough 51-49 lead in New South Wales, after they were slightly behind in each quarterly poll going back to April-June 2016; a 51-49 lead in Victoria, after they led either 52-48 or 53-47 going back to October-December 2015; a 52-48 lead in Queensland, from primary vote results well in line with the state election held during the period; and a new peak of 57-43 in Western Australia. In South Australia, Labor is credited with a lead of 51-49, from primary vote numbers which are, typically for Essential Research, less good for Nick Xenophon’s SA Best than Newspoll/Galaxy: Labor 34%, Liberal 31%, SA Best 22%.
• The Age has ReachTEL polls of two Victorian state seats conducted on Friday, prompted by the current hot button issue in the state’s politics, namely “crime and anti-social behaviour”. The poll targeted two Labor-held seats at the opposite ends of outer Melbourne, one safe (Tarneit in the west, margin 14.6%), the other marginal (Cranbourne in the south-east, margin 2.3%). After excluding the higher-than-usual undecided (14.5% in Cranbourne, 15.5% in Tarneit), the primary votes in Cranbourne are Labor 40% (down from 43.4% at the last election), Liberal 40% (down from 41.3%) and Greens 7% (up from 4.2%); in Tarneit, Labor 43% (down from 46.8%), Liberal 36% (up from 26.4%), Greens 10% (up from 9.0%). Substantial majorities in both electorates consider youth crime a worsening problem, believe “the main issues with youth crime concern gangs of African origin”, and rate that they are, indeed, less likely to go out at night than they were twelve months ago. The bad news for the Liberals is that very strong majorities in both seats (74.6-25.4 in Tarneit, 66.5-33.5) feel Daniel Andrews would be more effective than Matthew Guy at dealing with the issue.
• Rachel Baxendale of The Australian reports on the latest flare-up in an ongoing feud between Ian Goodenough, member for the safe Liberal seat of Moore in Perth’s northern suburbs, and party player Simon Ehrenfeld, whose preselection for the corresponding state seat of Hillarys before the last state election was overturned by the party’s state council. The report includes intimations that Goodenough may have a fight of his own in the preselection for the next election, with those ubiquitous “party sources” rating him a “waste of a safe seat“, particularly in light of Christian Porter’s dangerous position in Pearce.
• Not long after Andrew Bartlett replaced Larissa Waters as a Queensland Greens Senator following the latter’s Section 44-related disqualification, the two are set to go head-to-head for preselection at the next election. Sonia Kohlbacher of AAP reports that Ben Pennings, “anti-Adani advocate and former party employee”, has also nominated, although he’s presumably a long shot. The ballot of party members will begin on February 16, with the result to be announced on March 26.
The LNP trying to out-Hanson make as much sense as Labor trying to out-Green the Greens. It’s bound to fail. All that will happen is the LNP will forfeit their claims to be a party of government. They really have no scruples at all.
CTar1 says:
Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 12:45 am
briefly – The 2 politicians I most like to see ‘gone’ are Dutton and Porter.
I expect your wish will be granted, CT. Certainly, Porter is a goner. Fine thing too. His Labor opponent, Kim Travers, is everything he is not. I think she will easily take Pearce. She will be relentless….no doubt at all.
Now we have this on Trumps ‘shithole’ comments that he has denied. Senator Dick Durban says yes he did. –
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/368686-durbin-fires-back-at-trump-denial-he-said-those-hateful-things-and-he-said
Spinning out of control. This is being reported by numerous US main stream media including CNN.
This most powerful Minister, ostensibly in place to protect us, does not (or refuses) to understand the separation of powers. Joh would be proud of his offspring.
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/axing-negative-gearing-would-boost-economy-and-home-ownership-rbacommissioned-study-finds-20180112-h0hjwz.html
I guess this is why Trumps lawyers don’t want him to be interviewed by Robert Mueller
President Who Has Lied Over 2,000 Times While In Office Claims He Never Made “Shithole” Comment
According to The Washington Post, Trump crossed the 2,000 lie threshold on January 9, 2018, during his 355th day in office. For Trump, lying comes as naturally as breathing
http://www.politicususa.com/2018/01/12/president-lied-2000-times-office-claims-shithole-comment.html
briefly (AnonBlock)
Saturday, January 13th, 2018 – 12:46 am
Comment #1051
The LNP trying to out-Hanson make as much sense as Labor trying to out-Green the Greens. It’s bound to fail. All that will happen is the LNP will forfeit their claims to be a party of government. They really have no scruples at all.
I hope your right. Dutton’s behavior is unacceptable by any measure.
US ambassador to Panama resigns after saying he can no longer serve under Trump
In his resignation letter, Feeley wrote: “As a junior foreign service officer, I signed an oath to serve faithfully the president and his administration in an apolitical fashion, even when I might not agree with certain policies. My instructors made clear that if I believed I could not do that, I would be honor bound to resign. That time has come.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/us-ambassador-to-panama-resigns-after-saying-he-can-no-longer-serve-under-trump/
‘Thanks, but no thanks’: Norwegians reject Trump’s immigration offer
Many Norwegians rejected on Friday a suggestion by U.S. President Donald Trump that they would be more welcome to move to the United States than immigrants from “shithole countries” such as Haiti or African nations.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/thanks-but-no-thanks-norwegians-reject-trumps-immigration-offer/
Haitian government claims ousted dictator ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier laundered stolen money through Trump Tower
President Donald Trump insulted Haiti during an Oval Office meeting with lawmakers, but he once signed off on a shady real estate deal with the nation’s ousted dictator.
More than a fifth of Trump’s condominiums in the U.S. have been purchased since the 1980s in secretive cash transactions that fit a Treasury Department definition of suspicious transactions, reported Buzzfeed News.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/haitian-government-claims-ousted-dictator-baby-doc-duvalier-laundered-stolen-money-through-trump-tower/
frednk
I’m hoping that Labor will reverse the grouping of “Home Affairs” but I fear not. No single minister should have such power.
imacca (Block)
Saturday, January 13th, 2018 – 12:42 am
Comment #1048
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/jan/09/the-imminent-mini-ice-age-myth-is-back-and-its-still-wrong
Weather to stay warmish i see. Flat Earthers predicting imminent global cooling will be disappointed.
I would still like to know why the earth has rapidly cooled after every global warming event.
The weather is chaotic system; the records for the last million years show that it is pretty dam unstable and that is if you over heat the system it freezes; I would like to know why. The other thing the records show is the swings in temperature over the last million years have got larger. I think pushing the weather out of it’s current chaotic state is something humanity is going to seriously regret.
The other thing of note historically is the current state has been historically short; the current event which has been about 1oooo years; nothing in the scheme of things; has been the longest.
Good Morning Bludgers 🙂
My son didn’t pass his Driving Test yesterday. 🙁
Oh well, back to the drawing board.
Though it wasn’t entirely his fault, someone saw that he had L plates on the car at a roundabout and sped up to cut in front of him and the examiner had to slam on his dual control brakes to avoid an accident, so that was an automatic fail.
Not that it was strictly my son’s fault because he was assuming the person in the 4WD would sedately fall in behind him, not speedup to get in front of him. And it happened literally within sight of the finishing line after the rest of the test had gone pretty well.
*Sigh*
He hasn’t given up hope though. 🙂
C@t
Very bad luck. A lesson learned about assuming another driver will behave well, perhaps?
Don
‘There have been times when I have returned to Oz and literally fell on my knees and kissed the ground. What a wonderful place we live in.
The Oz customs/immigration officer was not in the least disconcerted, I got the impression he sees it all the time.’
It is what they have come to expect under the Death’s Head.
‘Off the rails’: White House staffers are getting sick of dealing with Trump’s ‘sh*thole’ problems
White House aides intended for President Donald Trump’s Thursday interview with the Wall Street Journal to be a boon for the administration. His “sh*thole” comment, printed in The Washington Post the same time the Journal ran their piece, ruined those plans.
“It’s very frustrating,” a senior White House aide told Politico. “We keep going off the rails with this other stuff.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/off-the-rails-white-house-staffers-are-getting-sick-of-dealing-with-trumps-shthole-problems/
C@t
It pays to be philosophical. Lots can go wrong. The daughter of a friend of ours failed several driving tests. The penultimate failure involved running over the toes of one of the testers while she was backing out of the car park to start her driving test.
SkyNews right up there with Jason Wood. Aggression breeds aggression.
https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_5695992947001
Boerwar
A fatal error. 😆
Trump’s “shithole” comment reminds me of the Jim Hacker – Sir Humphrey exchange
“Why do I need to see people form these TLAN (Tinpot Little African Nations) Counties” to which Sir Humphrey repies they at TLAORN (tinpot Little African Oil Rich Nations).
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
Fergus Hunter reminds us that Turnbull has been more unpopular than Trump.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-three-australian-pms-who-were-even-more-unpopular-than-donald-trump-20180111-h0grlp.html
Peter Martin explains how a paper shown to the RBA says that axing negative gearing would lift home ownership to as much as 72.2 per cent of households, cut home prices by just 1.2 per cent and lift rents “only marginally”.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/axing-negative-gearing-would-boost-economy-and-home-ownership-rbacommissioned-study-finds-20180112-h0hjwz.html
Trump acknowledged on Friday that he used “tough” language during a meeting on efforts toward a bipartisan immigration deal, but appeared to deny using the term “shithole” to refer to some countries. Sure Don!
http://www.smh.com.au/world/donald-trump-denies-language-used-amid-fury-over-shithole-countries-remark-20180112-h0hrh5.html
This Washington Post columnist comes out and says that racial tension is why Trump is president.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/racist-rhetoric-marks-donald-trumps-candidacy-and-presidency-20180112-h0h93p.html
Richard Wolffe says that Trump’s use of the words “shithole countries” is worthy of a racist-in-chief.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/12/racist-in-chief-shithole-countries-donald-trump-bigotry-historic-racism
Meanwhile the US ambassador to Panama John Feeley, a career diplomat and former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, has resigned, telling the State Department he no longer feels able to serve President Donald Trump.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-ambassador-to-panama-resigns-says-cannot-serve-trump-20180112-h0hrvt.html
And he’s being globally rebuked.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/12/unkind-divisive-elitist-international-outcry-over-trumps-shithole-countries-remark
Downing Street has accused Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan of jeopardising relations with America for telling Donald Trump he is not welcome in Britain, after the US president called off a planned visit to London in the face of likely mass protests.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/12/boris-johnson-attacks-labour-in-row-over-cancelled-trump-visit
A U.S. Democrat Senator on the Judiciary Committee this week released a 300-page committee report after two Republican committeemen requested a Trump-Russia whistleblower be investigated for possible prosecution.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/trumps-golden-dossier-and-the-perils-of-whistleblowing,11100
Members of the nationalist True Blue Crew are planning to “take a stand on the streets” in response to Melbourne’s so-called ‘African gang crisis’. Thankyou Potatohead!
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/far-right-group-threatens-to-take-a-stand-over-african-gangs-20180112-h0hcha.html
Jess Irvine tells us why interest rates are likely to rise in 2018.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/why-interest-rates-are-likely-to-rise-in-2018-20180112-h0han1.html
Crispiin Hull continues his examination of why the stepping away from equality in health and education is hurting us badly. Another very good contribution from Hull.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/australias-steps-away-from-education-and-health-equality-have-harmed-us-deeply-20180111-h0h74y.html
Signs in the market that power prices are still heading north have increased scepticism about the modelling from the Energy Security Board and other regulators that tariffs will decline over the next few years. Google.
/business/energy/electricity/power-price-drop-forecast-questioned-as-retail-tariffs-still-head-north-20180111-h0h706
The SMH editorial looks at how political posturing might unfold in 2018.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/let-2018-be-the-year-political-competition-starts-to-work-for-nsw-20180111-h0h3qw.html
The ACTU has begun collecting information from customers of banks and financial institutions to pass to the royal commission. Google.
/news/unions-gather-submissions-for-banking-royal-commission-20180112-h0hbpk
The global electric car revolution is coming to Australia, Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has declared, likening the scale of technological disruption to the introduction of the iPhone. Nicole Hasham reports.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/disruption-from-electric-car-revolution-will-rival-the-introduction-of-the-iphone-josh-frydenberg-20180112-h0hajv.html
Misha Zelinsky from the Australian Workers’ Union rightfully explains how paying a little extra upfront is better than tipping.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/pay-a-little-extra-upfront-is-better-than-tipping-20180112-h0h9ij.html
Shopping centre landlords are starting to feel the disruptive power of online shopping as an increasing number of troubled retailers rebel against exorbitant rents. This is just the start. Google.
/brand/chanticleer/landlords-feel-the-power-of-online-disruption-20180112-h0hmlx
The Australia Institute’s Ebony Bennett explains how the greatest threat to our energy security is the extreme het which affects the continuity of operation of coal and gas generators.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/solar-energy-shines-as-heatwaves-switch-off-gas-and-coal-plants-20180112-h0hfkj.html
The nation’s major sports codes, including the AFL, NRL and Cricket Australia, have joined the fight to secure controversial exemptions to the Turnbull government’s looming siren-to-siren ban on daytime gambling advertising.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/major-sporting-codes-seek-to-ease-siren-to-siren-betting-ad-ban-20180112-p4yyf9.html
Elizabeth Farrelly explains that it’s because of childbirth that women don’t go to war.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/childbirth-is-why-women-dont-go-to-war-20180111-h0h28e.html
A union for tax officials is appealing an industrial umpire decision letting the Australian Taxation Office roll out hot-desking across the agency.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/asu-to-appeal-fair-work-commissions-ato-hotdesking-decision-20180110-h0g3mj.html
Kate McClymont says the Doctor Blake series is hanging in the balance.
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/more-craig-mclachlan-allegations-emerge-as-dr-blake-hangs-in-the-balance-20180112-h0hliz.html
Julia Baird writes about another form of harassment.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/my-experience-of-the-harassment-thats-been-missing-from-the-metoo-debate-20180111-h0h5kd.html
Cartoon Corner
These two from Mark David really hit the spot!
&w=1484
Here’s the real shithole.
Paul Zanetti takes us whale watching with Sarah.
At the winter Olympics with Cathy Wilcox.
Three beauties from Matt Golding.
This one on the proclivity some people have for large families.
Glen Le Lievre on Rocket Man and interest rates.
David Pope gets stuck in to the latest welfare reforms.
Pat Clement and Assange’s “personal hygiene” issues.
https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/f58b2e249c10faf4889f24a174d200d9
Cat
Not sure how old your son is but I think it is almost a requirement that young men fail their first driving test.
Mind you someone near and dear to me failed four times. Eventually went in a driving school car and passed.- go figure.
lizzie @ #1064 Saturday, January 13th, 2018 – 7:17 am
You bet! Just assume someone like Donald Trump is driving the other car. 😉
daretotread @ #1072 Saturday, January 13th, 2018 – 7:46 am
Luckily he was in the Driving School car! That’s what I said, just as well you were in a dual control car because things may have turned out much worse than simply failing your test. You could have been involved in an accident!
Thanks BK,
Members of the nationalist True Blue Crew are planning to “take a stand on the streets” in response to Melbourne’s so-called ‘African gang crisis’. Thankyou Potatohead!
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/far-right-group-threatens-to-take-a-stand-over-african-gangs-20180112-h0hcha.html
“True Blue Crew”, sounds like some sort of gang!!! 🙂
One of the prblems for the impeachment enthisiasts is the polling data.
While it is certainly true that Trump’s approval ratings are very low compared with the approval rates fro congress they are stratospheric.
For example
Reuters
Trump approval/Disapproval 41/55
Congress approval/Disapproval 23/66
Econ/Yougov
Trump approval/Disapproval 42/54
Congress approval/Disapproval 14/67
What this is saying is that the disquiet with the US governing system goes far deeper than just Trump. It also probably means that the Congress lacks the goodwill and popular respect that is needed to successfully impeach a President,without generating much wider public unrest.
C@t,
RE: driving tests
Been there, done that, the sun still rises in the morning.
If that’s the worse thing that happens to him this year, he’d have had a fantastic year!!! 🙂
Cat
I think driving testers have skill sets in rapidly grabbing the steering wheel and applyimg the hand brake (at least I hope so)
Barney in Go Dau @ #1077 Saturday, January 13th, 2018 – 8:01 am
He’s just worried because he starts his first real job, aka not one provided by one of the dreaded Labour Hire companies, in a couple of weeks and it involves, eventually, driving a small truck for deliveries. But we were just having a laugh about the test yesterday, so all good. 🙂
daretotread @ #1078 Saturday, January 13th, 2018 – 8:02 am
Slight problem there, a lot of cars these days have foot activated ‘hand brakes’ way down next to the normal brake! Not enough time to put his foot over the centre console and jam it on!
The reason Turnbull is more unpopular than Donald Trump is because he is neither fish nor fowl.
By cosying up to the Hard Right of the Coalition he has peeved all his Moderate Liberal supporters in the centre, and yet he is unable to convince the proto-Hansonites that he is the real deal. Pauline will outmaneuver him with populism every time.
It seems that Tropical Cyclone Joyce was well named.
Like its namesake, it has not amounted to much and degenerated into a bit of piss and wind! 🙂
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/tropical-cyclone-joyce-to-renew-flood-risk-in-western-australia-into-this-weekend/70003800
Thanks BK
“This one on the proclivity some people have for large families” cues in another Monty Python gem :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI2AGFKhlYw
Trump being a racist pig needs no underlining, but here’s a bit more background :
https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/trump-shithole-comment-racist-in-the-oval-office?mbid=nl_Daily%20011218%20Nonsubs&CNDID=50169544&spMailingID=12736804&spUserID=MjAyNDE1NzYxMDQ4S0&spJobID=1321138695&spReportId=MTMyMTEzODY5NQS2
C@tmomma @ #1081 Saturday, January 13th, 2018 – 8:13 am
Fish nor fowl sure, but basically he’s piss weak. That’s the bottom line. Piss weak.
Frydenberg is useless.
Given our current balance of trade and the probability that our main trading partner will reduce its imports from us, we may not have the cash to buy any car whether electric or petrol
I think investing in cart horses may be wise.
Good Morning
Citizen
I see Frydenberg is doing with Electric cars what it has done with the NBN and Renewable Energy.
We know its inevitable disruptive change. However rather than help Australia get the most benefit out of it we will get in the way and ensure the worst outcomes for Australia as we look after our vested interests in the old failing sectors that are being disrupted.
If you’ve ever tried to fix one of those gas-powered convection fridges used in campervans, you’ll know how bloody complicated a cooling system can be.
While what’s in the box looks like the entire workings, it’s not of course. The Earth’s atmosphere, into which heat from the pilot lamp is eventually passed, via the coil, is the rest of the system. With a little gas fridge we make a minimal contribution to the overall heat of the atmosphere. With millions of cars and coal-fired power stations triggering a greenhouse effect getting rid of the excess heat ain’t such a small deal.
Sure, after reading the explanation of the theory of gas fridges three times, it started to make sense, but as soon as I got the back off the damn thing I knew from looking at the mass of pipes and feedback loops that it could never work… yet it did (once I cleared out the old wasps nest I found stuck in one of the coil tubes).
I guess the Earth’s climate system is slightly more complicated than a camper fridge, but I think your answer (like with the camper fridge) would like along the lines of creating a heat imbalance between one part of the circulation system (in the case of the Earth, it’s oceans) and another.
Stuff around with the Gulf Stream and the Atlantic Conveyor by warming the atmosphere too much (then inevitably the oceans), and the system that distributes heat around the globe just stops.
Once that happens, all bets are off.
Turnbull’s dodgy banking RC – no way for the public to lodge submissions but the ACTU is taking care of that.
The RBA report on home ownership soaring with reductions in negative gearing being reduced is a kick in the teeth to the majorly regional LNP mantra.
Especially in LNP electorates where home ownership is high and rentals are low.
When you don’t have the option to rent cost of home ownership is a major concern. Investor outlook not so much.
citizen @ #1087 Saturday, January 13th, 2018 – 8:44 am
With North South highways pretty well covered, charging stations are heading west. Tesla have just announced chargers at Bathurst.
Anyone wondering how the Tesla 3 is going, apart from going slow in the production line, here’s another glowing review:
https://electrek.co/2018/01/08/electrek-review-tesla-model-3/
Morning bludgers
Bummer with respect to your son and driving test.
My youngest is due to go for her licence in a couple of weeks and she is very anxious about it. Told her that it is no biggie if she has to go for licence again if need be.
I was speaking to a few people yesterday who actually are buying into the African gang crisis mantra being put out by the msm and the fiberals.
I responded to them about a few facts and figures and whilst I did say from the get go that the home invasions, car jackings and armed robberies are very problematic and need to be dealt with, the fiberals and media politicising it was disgusting.
They agreed, but I am not sure if they were just being polite to avoid being thought of as racist.
‘Covering Trump’s White House is like being tossed inside a washing machine’
A year ago, Guardian Washington bureau chief David Smith watched Trump win. Here he shares the unique challenges of covering the strangest president in US history:
https://www.theguardian.com/membership/2017/nov/08/donald-trump-david-smith-white-house-us-election
Itza
Governments wanting electric cars to work would first do charging stations in high population areas and high traffic routes between cities.
Unlike with internet landline use its like mobiles. IT the numbers of units sold to the public that counts. So get the cities and major towns covered first.
Thus in NSW Sydney should get charging stations first followed by Newcastle and Wollongong and the highways along the way.. Then you work out the rollout to other areas.
Most cars do not go outside of thees areas. Same in other states.
Eventually all will have electric cars and charging stations. This is how it worked with cars replacing the horse and cart. The rich in cities and major regional areas had cars. The country areas came later.
Not too much later but later.
Lorne Pier to Pub day. One of my favourite days of the year.
Lining up for my 20th straight swim this year so up on stage at the end to get presented with a little medallion and will become a member of the famous sharkbait club.
vic,
Yep. The sun will always rise again the day after a failed driving test. 🙂
Why does this US ambassador remind me of Dutton, and why doesn’t the Dutch media remind me of the Australian media?
https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/951858314916188161
Taylormade @ #1097 Saturday, January 13th, 2018 – 9:12 am
…unless you become sharkbait. 😀