Plenty of fascinating electoral/political action going down at the moment – in Britain. Adrian Beaumont has the latest on that in the post below. Back home though, just the following:
• Following last week’s chatter surrounding Mark Dreyfus, another round of “speculation” concerning the future of a federal Labor MP: this time Mike Kelly, who has a precarious hold on the former bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro. According to Renee Viellaris of the Courier-Mail ($), Kelly is “frustrated he is not opposition defence spokesman”, and has been telling colleagues he has been “offered a job based in Australia for a Silicon Valley firm”. Even more strikingly, unidentified Nationals have put it to Viellaris that John Barilaro, who leads the state Nationals and holds the corresponding seat of Monaro, is hoping to contest the seat with a view to deposing Michael McCormack as federal leader, and that Kelly is more than comfortable with the idea.
• The Guardian reports the latest Essential Research poll once again has nothing to say on voting intention, but does feature the pollster’s monthly leadership ratings. These record negative movement for Scott Morrison, who is up down two on approval to 47% and up two on disapproval to 38%, and positive movement for Anthony Albanese, who is respectively up four to 40% and down two to 29%. Similarly, Morrison’s lead on preferred prime minister is at 42-28, narrowing from 46-25. The poll also features a semi-regular question on the attributes of the major parties, which are discussed in general terms in the report – hopefully Essential will publish full results later today. Essential’s website has further results on attitudes to family violence, which are of sociological interest (older respondents were considerably more likely to take a broad view of what constituted family violence) but have little to offer the party politics obsessive.
• The Daily Telegraph ($) had a YouGov Galaxy poll last week showing 70% support for “a federal government trial for unemployed people newly claiming Newstart or Youth Allowance to undergo drug testing and for those who test positive being put on an income management program involving a cashless welfare card”, with only 24% opposed. The poll was conducted last Wednesday to Monday from a sample of 1075.
It’s great that Rick Wilson never went away. Sadly, Steve Schmidt did, to work on the Starbucks CEO’s putative tilt for the Presidency. Now that that is over, however, he is back. With a bang!
https://youtu.be/c3yCYmfgmx8
Quoll:
[‘The gutless fear of labor about the LNP is astounding and facilitates, imo, the sense that what is the fucking point for many.’]
Please stop being a catlike carnivorous marsupial with short legs and a white-spotted coat.
And please stop using strong adjectives on a family site – wanker!
C@t:
Thanks for sharing! I’ve been waiting for Schmidt to return after the campaign die off.
Labor are not afraid of the LNP. Not at all. But there is a great deal of respect for voters – for those who vote for us as well as those who vote against us. Labor exists only to serve the voters and will only govern when it has their trust. These are the axioms of democracy.
It is instructive how a pre-occupation with internal USA politics dominates this blog.
There is zero interest in Europe, brexit, Catalonia, nor Scotland fight for self determination….. nor any interest in Syria, and the Kurds fight for self determination , nor any interest in Asia, and Hong Kong’s fight for self determination, nor interest in West Papua’s struggle for self determination.
I assume that’s because those human struggles have no commercial value to the US and therefore, obviously, have no importance to the ALP (American Labor Party).
swamprat,
Your biased broad generalisations, do not a valid point make.
Confessions @ #1403 Saturday, October 19th, 2019 – 10:35 pm
My pleasure. 🙂
You should follow the blog more often Swamprat. It would help with your flawed assumptions.
(Just checking in whilst the Commons Brexit debate is bogged down a little)
C@t/Fess
Yes I caught up with Steve Schmidt earlier tonight – he certainly mentioned McRaven’s point about Trump being an threat to the Republic from within’ several times. Another articulate NeverTrumper GOP voice can only help.
You’ve got to give it to the Greens: they come here defending their position, exampled by Quoll, who probably has never experienced the pangs of life. Maybe briefly’s right?
C@t:
I’ve puzzled as to why he absented himself from commentary all this time, even esp after Mr Starbucks CEO campaign failed.
Bullshit!
I have read this blog for over 10 years.
It is so obsessed with one country in the northern hemisphere and has almost zero interest in anything to do with the southern hemisphere or the west Pacific, apart from events that may impact on the USA.
The irony is that most of these USA loyalists bemoan our existing constitution as not being “independent “.
sprocket_:
[‘Yes I caught up with Steve Schmidt earlier tonight –’]
We take delight that you’re not pissing in your own pocket.
Yes swampy acute observation on the obsession with US politics and lack of any genuine interest in the events and circumstances in this country or other parts of the world or parallels with events and circumstances here.
Aside from ALP carping about how unfair it all is.
Family site? #Auspol? What a joke.
The puerile and inane excuse for debate that some appear to wallow in on daily basis here is not imo what is helpful to contemporary Aust imo. No-one is forced to read or believe anything posted. For many comments it is certainly wise to ignore them.
Once the Dems in the house have done the Ukraine, they should follow up right away with emoluments, the Mueller report and the Turkey mess. Its not going to be all done by Christmas.
swamprat
“ There is zero interest in Europe, brexit, Catalonia, ”
That’s just not true.
THEY CANCELLED EL CLASICO BECAUSE OF THE CATALAN PROTESTS!
It doesn’t get any more serious than that!!
Mavis
Are you referring to something akin to Morrison’s Fiji incident?
If so, not guilty.
Oneof the most telling expressions of the Yankee dominance is the main blog is ostensibly on Australian politics but is almost all about minor USA politics.
Has there ever been an exclusive USA thread?
Of course not.
It’s because youse all see the USA as your imperial Master.
It’s just “natural”.
Roger Miller @ #1415 Saturday, October 19th, 2019 – 7:58 pm
For whatever reason Dems are concentrating the impeachment articles on Ukraine. Is there a reason for this, other than the Trump corruption caravan moves on so quickly?
swamprat @ #1418 Saturday, October 19th, 2019 – 8:04 pm
And yet you aren’t talking about what you want to talk about, but instead are talking about what you supposedly don’t want to talk about.
I’m sensing the problem you’re experiencing isn’t with others, but with yourself….
Mavis
Apologies for my tardiness.
I almost missed your post at 10:14
Yes, I also had aunts with names of Dulcie and Florence. No Mavis, unfortunately.
But ‘made you the man you once were ‘?
Do I sense a gender change in your past?
If so, congratulations. I trust all is now well.
Diogenes
“ That’s just not true.
THEY CANCELLED EL CLASICO BECAUSE OF THE CATALAN PROTESTS!
It doesn’t get any more serious than that!!”
——-
Haha
thank you.
That illustrates the point.
Because the yanks can’t play proper sports, none of the American Labor Party groupies on on here can even spell rugby.
Quoll:
[‘Aside from ALP carping about how unfair it all is.’]
Stop it! Youse Greens have no idea, other than to split the Labor vote.
swamprat
There has been a dedicated US thread for US primaries and elections. It was way more vitriolic than the RGR or Green-Lab wars.
Oops, the Spanish don’t play rugby either.
Maude:
[‘Do I sense a gender change in your past?’]
Gender change afoot?
Diogenes
“ There has been a dedicated US thread for US primaries and elections.”
———-
But aren’t the USA “primaries” a perpetual occurrence? They go forever, and ultimately are pretty much an anti-climax as they are meant to be.
Ah, I see.
Progressing?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting
Obama’s thrashing of Hillary was a bit of an anticlimax but there were a few poor souls here who acted like necrophiliacs and couldn’t accept reality.
Dedicated PBers may find this article about paywalls quite interesting.
The writer does say readers who consistently use particular sites should, out of fairness, pay the subscription.
This us just for the occasional interested browser.
https://medium.com/paywall-hacks/how-to-bypass-virtually-every-news-paywall-705602c4c2ce
Maude:
I’m well adjusted to my maladjustment – too old to worry about it.
Democrats need another Obama in the mix. Sadly there isn’t one.
I am happy to hear this, Mavis.
At peace with oneself is the best way to be
itsthevibe
says:
Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 11:23 pm
other than to split the Labor vote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting
______________________________
And if it wasn’t like that the ALP would be a rump of about 4o seats, never able to get a majority without Greens support. And not even a thanks to the Greens for getting the ALP all those seats.
Confessions
“ And yet you aren’t talking about what you want to talk about, but instead are talking about what you supposedly don’t want to talk about.
I’m sensing the problem you’re experiencing isn’t with others, but with yourself….”
—————
About problems with myself is a good point as i do have difficulties with that.
But it does not explain the observation that the overwhelming majority on here are preoccupied with local USA politics and little interest in the politics of the other 194 countries.
That is surely an illustrative point?
https://www.pollbludger.net/us-politics/
Thanks, Maude – you’re certainly a compassionate person. I think I might have inadvertently outed myself as a….?
Lord William de Bowe
When i go to that link it says:
“Brexit minus eight weeks: is it election time?”
Are you trying to say there is nothing outside the USA?
Shudder
Anyone read The Earth Abides? I’m reading it for the third time. Human extinction can be an enjoyable read.
There would appear to have been 73 exclusive US politics posts on this blog, give or take.
I think we all just want to see the end of Trump and become convinced wishing will become reality. Truth probably is we here have much less idea of what may happen to Trump than the Americans who likely have no idea at all.
Davidwh
I think we all just want to see the end of Trump..
———-
Of course, but there are more immediate evil basterts than Trump.
Erdogan in Turkey, Widodo in Indonesia, Johnson in England, etc
Do You nominate Trump because he is from the USA?
William Bowe
There would appear to have been 73 exclusive US politics posts on this blog, give or take.
————
Thank you.
It does not seem necessary to have USA exclusive threads/posts because the posters/members of the American Labor Party will, like bacteria, colonise any and all threads. 🙂
MPs have inflicted a humiliating defeat on Boris Johnson by passing a backbench amendment withholding their support from his Brexit deal.
Instead of giving Johnson their backing for his Brexit deal in a “meaningful vote”, MPs passed an amendment tabled by a cross-party group of MPs led by Oliver Letwin by 322 votes to 306 – a majority of 16.
The prime minister will be legally obliged to request a Brexit delay at 11pm under the terms of the rebel Benn act, after the government lost the critical vote.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/19/mps-put-brakes-on-boris-johnsons-brexit-deal-with-rebel-letwin-amendment
The people who Johnson best, the other MPs, clearly do not trust him. They have just pulled the rug.
Swamp….there is nothing at all that would prevent you from posting Oz-politics 24/7. But you don’t. You whinge about Labor. You post Scottish insurrection. You deride the English Right. Hear hear!!!
The DUP’s backing was key to the success of Letwin’s amendment, after they rejected Johnson’s Brexit deal on Thursday.
In a passionate speech to the Commons, DUP politician Sammy Wilson said that the agreement cut off Northern Ireland from the country “to which we belong”.
“We will not give in to this agreement which we believe does damage to our part of the United Kingdom and which will lead to the focus of attention away from London, towards Dublin.
“Because don’t forget we will be tied into an arrangement where the laws for Northern Ireland are made in Brussels, the British government will have no input, the Stormont government will have no interest … so we move towards a united Ireland.”
On the Letwin amendment, he said: “We would be failing in our duty if we do not use every strategy which is available to try and give guarantees, changes and alterations which will safeguard the interests of the United Kingdom, our constituents and the interests we represent.”
The Orange faction foil the Tories. Who would have thought that would ever happen?
RI
“Swamp….there is nothing at all that would prevent you from posting Oz-politics 24/7. ”
——-
I was not complaining about me being censored at all.
I was merely observing that the American Labor Party dominates this blog and that this is a sad reflection of Australia’s failed political class.
Over sexed, over paid and over here!
One day they will wake up and discover there is a lot happening near Australia more significant than what happens in that northern hemisphere failed state.
Really….the DUP have said they prefer intact and entire union with the UK inside the EU to an exit from the EU and a de facto annexation by Ireland. This is insoluble for the Tories. The North of Ireland is opposed to Johnson’s Brexit. The numbers will not be there for Brexit, no matter that the Angles voted for it.
RI
“The Orange faction foil the Tories.”
—–
They may regret that move 🙂
I am on the more radical wing of the SNP and argue that the SNP should support Boris’s Agreement, in exchange for a permanent transfer tp Holyrood of the power to hold a referendum.
This will give the English and Welsh what they voted for and allow Scotland to determine its own way.
But alas the SNP bigwigs prefer to spend their political capital opposing Brexit for the whole UK.