Today’s Courier-Mail has a YouGov Galaxy poll of federal voting intention in Queensland which gives the Coalition one of its best poll results in some time, crediting them with a 52-48 lead. This represents a two-party swing to Labor of only 2.1% since the 2016 election, although it’s only one point better than in the previous Queensland poll by Galaxy in August last year. The poll also provides further evidence that One Nation has gone off the boil, their primary vote of 9% being three points down on August. The Coalition is up four to 41% (compared with 43.2% at the election), Labor is steady on 32% (30.9% at the election), and the Greens are up three to 10% (8.8% at the election).
A perfectly even split of opinion is recorded on the Adani coal mine, with support and opposition both at 41%. This breaks down to 43-38 against in south-east Queensland, and 45-37 in favour in the rest of the state. The poll was conducted Wednesday and Thursday from a sample of 860.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/12/london-city-airport-closed-after-wwii-bomb-found-in-thames?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+AUS+v1+-+AUS+morning+mail+callout&utm_term=263693&subid=22688624&CMP=ema_632
With hindsight, it appears that there should have been 2 challengers to Rudd. An initial challenger, either a back-bencher or a disgruntled resigning minister, to outline the problem and required change at the Lodge and take the main heat of forcing a challenge and a second more senior challenger to actually win the leadership ballot. Gillard would have made a good second challenger.
davidwh @ #1687 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:05 pm
That is pretty irrelevant in this case. The fact is that if there is a personal relationship and public money and public employment are used inappropriately to benefit a person because of that personal relationship, then something stinks and it is unacceptable to the voting public.
Fine distinctions between what is the definition of ‘partner’ may work a treat when someone is charged with fraud or a criminal offence, but in the court of public opinion it doesn’t matter one hoot, except for the fact that a lot of people (perhaps the silent majority) will be unimpressed with the way that Barnyard has treated his family on top of an apparently gross abuse of public office.
C@tmomma @ #1698 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:17 pm
Why do you think Pyne is called the prancing poodle??? Surprised you didn’t know. I don’t know about Smith though.
Tom.
Departing Swan takes aim at Coalition “right wing thugs” over carbon price
http://reneweconomy.com.au/departing-swan-takes-aim-at-coalition-right-wing-thugs-over-carbon-price-54126/
Ratsack I agree that if the change in position came with an inappropriate pay rise then Joyce has a problem. However there has been a bit of innacurate reporting over this so we will have to wait and see what did happen.
The change in position is not a problem in my opinion and was the correct thing to do as long as there is no more to it.
TPOF agree regarding public opinion however relevant when applying government rules.
Fuckwits rejoice over screwing renewables and hiking power prices.
Bemused
A bit like ‘some of my best friends are …..’
I’d need more than surface mannerisms to prove Pyne was gay. Not a fan, tho.
Trog
I want to see all of their heads on the political pikes.
Trog Sorrenson @ #1091 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:30 pm
It was Rudd that terminated it.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/bill-shorten-queries-barnaby-joyce-partners-promotion/news-story/c91234a15a9df182a353a2bbfaf1e747
Now of course it’s The Australian so I never implicitly trust anything in it…
But the report is not just that she was moved to a newly created job in Canavan’s office, but that it was a significant promotion.
It has also been reported that Barnaby was initially unwilling to let his squeeze go.
So was the promotion the quid pro quo? Did the Beetrooter demand his new lover (who was not his partner oh no siree) cop an nice extra kick in the sky rocket as the price of him moving her down the hall a bit?
As we’ve mentioned before a straight swap for another Minister’s advisor at the same pay and role is completely defensible. But if as reported this was in essence a bonus windfall which could obviously have no justification beyond making Barnyard happy then he’s as gone as gone gets.
Trumble is an imbecile to be allowing himself to be so closely tied to the Beetrooter. ‘Not his partner’ FMD. Do these dopes have no one to stop them making fools of themselves?
Turnbull has no real control over who his deputy is although that will be lost or ignored by the public.
I have something rude to say(o) about that photo.
My memory Rex is that Rudd terminated the fixed price period early.
Then again I don’t have a perfect memory.
Greg Brown
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Labor launches QT assault on Joyce. Peppers him with tough questions on his infrastructure portfolio and exposes him as being distracted #auspol
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lizzie @ #1710 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:35 pm
Lizzie, many years ago it was strongly hinted (I just can’t recall by who) that he frequented saunas and bars of the gay variety. I believe that he may have a marriage similar in nature to Bob Carr…
Tom.
Rex Douglas says:
Monday, February 12, 2018 at 3:36 pm
The wreckage that is the energy market is the responsibility of your sponsors at Menzies House.
Pyne was whinging this morning on local ABC radio about how Adelaide Rundle Mall was dead quiet on a Saturday morning. All SA ALP fault.
The ruddy useless ‘journo’ interviewer completely failed to link it to low wage growth or any other federal policy failure.
Instead he backed up the Pye-ain with stats that 18-21 year old SA’s all want to leave the state.
Hopeless ABC.
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She was five months pregnant and spent the Christmas holidays with Barnaby Joyce, but Malcolm Turnbull claims Vikki Campion was not his partner and therefore he was not in breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct
Does it matter if Pyne is gay?
Turnbull has no real control over who his deputy is although that will be lost or ignored by the public.
No not directly. But if the Leader of the Nats is engaging in behaviour that is likely to significantly damage the Coalition he has the authority to pull them in and explain a few facts to them. Trumble has quite a reputation for explaining such things in shall we say passionate and colourful ways.
If the Leader of the Nats is engaging in behaviour that is borderline corrupt, then the PM is duty bound to make it clear to him and enough senior Nats to ensure the message gets through that it is time for the Nats leader to go and spend more time with one or the other of his families.
It is a gross failure of Leadership from Trumble that rather than doing this he has enabled Joyce. But then gross failure of Leadership is pretty much a defining feature of Trumble.
Campion wasn’t pregnant in April 2017. Not sure about August 2017 but she would have only been just pregnant if at all.
davidwh
careful. you are sure sounding very much like an apologist.
ratsak @ #1724 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:47 pm
I don’t think you could even see the border from Barnaby’s present position!
Aqualung @ #1103 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:41 pm
My memory is the Labor-Green Govt had a CEP legislated into law until Rudd tore it down enabling Abbott to repeal it.
I find the inquisition into Pyne’s sexuality irrelevant and problematic.
FWIW, firstly, I hear he is a devoted family man. Secondly I have heard some thugs thought he was gay during his school days and immediately post school days – but we should not give two hoots what these types (probably closet gays now inhabiting an ultra conservative quasi religious sect political party) thought of Pyne.
Barnaby can see the Border of Corrupt from his property ‘that’s not much use for anything’. You know, the one with all the CSG under it. 🙂
Murdoch sure did play Rudd for a fool.
Victoria why for expressing an opinion?
Let the opposition and press continue to dig and let the cards fall where they do but at least base it on facts rather than assumptions.
“Queensland’s electoral commissioner Walter van der Merwe has been suspended immediately by the state’s Attorney-General over “serious allegations” which she says could amount to misbehaviour under the electoral act.”
Please tell me Walter van der Merwe hasn’t fallen afoul of S44?!!
davidwh @ #1723 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:46 pm
No, it doesn’t actually, I just thought that it was well known, like JWH’s mistress.
Tom.
Simon Katich @ #1729 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:52 pm
Exactly. Plenty a man plays both sides of the street, and no one really cares. Especially if he is a good man to his family.
Sexy,
It was Rudd that terminated it.
My guess is he’s referring to the RET. But I’d also guess you can see whatever you want in it.
Simon Katich @ #1115 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:52 pm
Well said.
I thought we were all past this rubbish.
Trog Sorrenson @ #1705 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:30 pm
Hi Trog, I trust you saw my earlier post on Solar?
Or maybe you were deterred by my addressing it to our resident fossil fuel enthusiast.
Regarding more proportional representation over the single member system.
An example from Qld.
The 2016 elections resulted in the 30 MPs distributed as follows:
LNP: 21 seats with 43% of the formal vote
ALP: 8 seats with 31% of the vote
Bob Katter: 1 seat with 2.73% of the vote
The Greens got 8.83% of the vote with 0 seats
One Nation got 5.52% of the vote with 0 seats.
A more representative proportional system would result in, something like:
LNP: 14 seats
ALP: 10 seats
Greens: 3 seats
One Nation: 2 seats
Family First: 1 seat
i.e. The ‘right’ would drop from 22 seats to 17 seats;
the ‘left’ would rise from 8 seats to 13 seats.
I think the behaviour of MPs and the tenor of debate would be much improved if a wider range of people and parties were represented in Parliament.
Simon K
As far as I am concerned, Pyne is simply an irritating Liberal. He can swing any way he likes.
Does it matter if Pyne is gay?
In light of the Joyce shenanigans it is actually an interesting question, and one I’m not sure has an easy answer.
For instance, were it true, does that place a very different complexion on Pyne’s relationship with Ashby? Is, like Barnaby appears to be, Pyne having a relationship with someone that he is able to offer preferential treatment?
As with Joyce, it could be that picking up that end of the thread leads in unexpected directions.
If he is and it is another one of those common knowledge things in the CPG David Campbell might wonder about that pattern of double standards relating to Labor.
But maybe he is and his wife is fine with it and he is very discrete and doesn’t abuse his position in any way. Or maybe it’s all just vicious muck raking.
That’s the problem with the media culture of withholding information. We can never know what it is we don’t know or why we’re not allowed to know it.
Rex Douglas @ #1731 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 3:54 pm
Rex Douglas, completely unaided, repeatedly proves he is a fool.
Tom
Dropping little “I thought everybody knew” titbits is very provocative of you. 🙂 Not having any political/Canberra contacts, I live in ignorance, obviously.
Barnaby Joyce has risen to a position beyond his competence and he wields far too much power.
Barnaby should be held accountable for transfer of pests authority to Armidale, water theft in the Murray Darling Basin, promotion of Cubby Station, Shenhua, coal seam gas on the Liverpool Plains, god only knows what favours to Gina Rinehart.
His family values hypocrisy is nauseating, trying to stop Gardasil vaccination and same sex marriage.
He is a serial philanderer who lets pleasure guide his political decisions.
He deserves the curtailed career that now awaits him (if there is a just God) and that baby isn’t going to be born into a good home
I am most angry with the media. If the press gallery had reported his doings as forensically as they reported on Gillard, Thomson and Slipper he would not have been re-elected in the by-election in New England or perhaps elected in 2016
Trog:
Just wanted to say, your Rosemary’s Baby comment yesterday made my weekend 🙂
lizzie @ #1743 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 4:01 pm
It has long been the subject of rumour and innuendo.
His association with James Ashby was … ahem… unusual.
bemused @ #1128 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 4:01 pm
The Australia network delivered, Gillards removal delivered, carbon tax termination delivered…. and what did Rudd get in return ? 😆
lizzie @ #1743 Monday, February 12th, 2018 – 4:01 pm
Hi Liz, one of my bosses in years past used to have fortnightly meeting with DPM Tim Fischer (spelling?) and told us of things like this that he (and others) found surprising. He was especially surprised about JWH having a long time mistress.
Tom.
He’s gay, or at least same-sex attracted. I know someone who has observed him at play in his natural habitat (Adelaide).
Not that there’s anything wrong with that – perhaps if his career had begun more recently, around the same time as ZImmerman, he wouldn’t have felt the need to conceal himself. As it is now though, if was any deeper in the closet he would be a citizen of Narnia.
Very sly of Katharine Murphy outing Tony Smith, what did he do to deserve that?
Pyne being gay or not makes no iota of difference to his competence/incompetence as a minister or mp.