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.
swamprat says:
Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 1:27 am
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.
You’re generalising. I for one very seldom post on US affairs. I over-do it on climate change in the local context. I bore everyone shitless with my anti-Green critique. I link to UK affairs because it’s fascinating.
You could introduce new material instead of whinging about Labor. But you won’t. You like indignation. It is a hit for you.
RI
“and a de facto annexation by Ireland. ”
”””””
Are you in the Loyal Orange Order???
The agreement is not a de facto “annexation” by Ireland, at all at all 🙂
I doubt that you’re more ‘radical’ swamp. You’re simply more nationalistic. Big fucking deal. I regret nationalism. We’re humans before we’re citizens. Dutton is a nationalist. Hanson is a nationalist. I want some internationalism – some post-nationalism – some polynationalism.
RI
You’re generalising.
——-
Yes, I was generalising.
I acknowledge. your pre-occupation is not the cabal on the Potomac but the green cabal in Australia.
To generalise again, I would say the blog seems to be 80% USA politics, 15% attacks on the Greens and 5% other stuff.
🙂
Johnson’s deal is precisely a de facto annexation of N.I., which would remain a de jure part of the UK, but in practice a part of the EU, obviously contiguous with the South. It has been proclaimed and praised as such by Johnson.
RI
“I want some internationalism”
——
Haven’t you got it?
Neo-liberalism is not enough for you?
You globalists have destroyed local public services, removed impediments to global (i.e. US) corporations taking over the world.
The result is poorly paid workers, insecure employmentk removal of environmental and employment standrads.
You still want it to go further?
This is why the former “left” is stuffed your love for your capitalist “liberal” values blinds you to the deprivation you support..
The Tories have walked out of the House of Commons. Extraordinary. The implied repudiation of Parliamentary democracy is absolutely unbelievable. It is an act of self-humiliation by the Tories – a proclamation of their inadequacies. They cannot escape the law, no matter that they might pretend to.
Extraordinary. If anything could signify the reactionary, the undemocratic, the petulant disposition of the Tories, this would be it. They are unfit to exercise power. They are a travesty.
The retreat into nationalism is not a solution to any of the matters of which you complain, swamp. They cannot be healed by an escapist/nationalist economic policy.
To fix these things we have to defeat the Right. The Right run a nationalist storyline. The impulse to nationalist revival will deliver power to the Right. Count on it.
RI
I have no idea what you mean by “nationalism”.
All i support is local self-determination.
As you oppose that, what is the level of autonomy you would support?
I assume only a global empire?
RI
I assume you would oppose the right of Scotland, Catalan, West Papua, etc to self determination and that they should be ruled by a national government dominated by English, Castilian, Javanise etc.
Why?
You can suppose anything you like, swamp. You invariably do.
Here is how Conservatives win elections. “Death tax, anyone?”
In the wake of May 18, does any of this sound familiar. And what can be done about it after the lies go viral on social media.
By the way, the GST mentioned is the federal share of the sales tax. In most Canadian provinces, the provincial share raises the effective GST to 13 per cent.
—————————————-
“Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is defending his party’s new claim that a hypothetical Liberal-NDP coalition would raise the federal goods and services tax (GST), even though neither of those parties have even mentioned the idea.
“Scheer was grilled by reporters at an announcement in Fredericton Friday, after his party issued a press release claiming — without any evidence or explanation — that a coalition government would hike the GST from five per cent to 7.5 per cent.
“Why dabble in this kind of misinformation campaign?” a journalist asked, also citing earlier Conservative claims that the Liberals would legalize hard drugs and introduce a capital-gains tax on home sales. The Liberal Party has said it wouldn’t pursue either policy and the proposals aren’t in the party’s platform.
“It’s not misinformation at all,” Scheer said. “[Liberal Leader] Justin Trudeau did a lot of things that wasn’t in his platform after 2015. And so you’ll pardon me if I don’t trust him on that.”
“The Tory leader said a GST hike would be among the “types of consequences” that would emerge if Liberals and the NDP team up in a minority scenario.
“The party is also claiming a coalition would cut health transfers to provinces and completely eliminate transfers for social programs and post-secondary education.
“Conservatives have alleged throughout the campaign that Liberals have a “secret plan” to impose a capital-gains tax of up to 50 per cent on Canadians who sell their homes. Liberals say the claim is totally untrue.
“The Conservative Party has also claimed, in Chinese-language ads, that a re-elected Trudeau government would legalize all illegal drugs.
“When a second reporter in Fredericton characterized the Tory messaging as “fear mongering” and asked if it was misleading, Scheer’s supporters booed to drown him out.
“The Conservative leader gestured for them to stop.
“We are showing Canadians the types of consequences that they will face with an NDP-Liberal coalition,” Scheer said.
“Earlier Friday, his director of communications defended the messaging on Twitter.
“Without Trudeau explaining to Canadians which taxes he will raise to buy the NDP’s support, we’re left to guess,” Brock Harrison wrote. “Could be the GST. Could be something else.”
RI
“You can suppose anything you like, swamp. You invariably do.”
——
Well. is that a response to the issues we discussed?
What contempt you seem to have for me.
Fair enough.
I can safely assume from your response and the fact that you are right wing that you think all people should be broght under the control of some undefined State regardless of their choices.
The Nation as a prison?
Is there a better example of what’s wrong with the stupid contemporary Labor Party?
Here is how Conservatives win elections (part 2)
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/matthew-ricchiazzi-buffalo-chronicle-trudeau-claims
The Canadian Election’s Surprise Influencer Is A Buffalo Man Targeting Canadians With Viral Disinformation
Matthew Ricchiazzi has written debunked stories about Canadian politics and once told a US candidate he’d publish “negative articles about [their] opponents” for $400 apiece.
How the Conservatives win elections (part 3)
Scheer won’t say if Conservatives hired consultant to ‘destroy’ People’s party
The Canadian Press Published Saturday, October 19, 2019 12:24PM EDT Last Updated Saturday, October 19, 2019 1:40PM EDT
TORONTO — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is refusing to say whether his party hired a consulting firm to attack the People’s Party of Canada.
The Globe and Mail reports that strategist Warren Kinsella and his firm Daisy Group were hired to “seek and destroy” Maxime Bernier’s party and portray its supporters as racist.
The newspaper cites a source with direct knowledge of the project as saying the client is the Conservative Party of Canada.
But Scheer answered repeated questions on the report today with the same refrain — that he doesn’t comment on vendors that his party “may or may not have engaged with.”
Bernier formed the People’s Party, which competes with the Tories for right-wing votes, after he narrowly lost the Conservative leadership race to Scheer.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
This government has abandoned economic logic – and no one seems willing to call them on it cries out Greg Jericho. He says it is time to ditch the surplus mania and force our government to stop worrying about some political con-job about economic management and to start facing up to the five years of falling living standards that have occurred under their watch.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2019/oct/20/this-government-has-abandoned-economic-logic-and-no-one-seems-willing-to-call-them-on-it
Judith Ireland reports that the Liberal Party’s federal council is calling on the Morrison government to force voters to show identification on election day and to have people’s names checked off on electronic lists. Right out of the Republican voter suppression handbook! Next thing they will seek voluntary voting on a work day.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/liberal-party-push-to-force-voters-to-show-id-20191019-p5328p.html
To win the middle – and particularly Queensland – the ALP must focus on the money argument when it comes to climate change says Jacqui Maley. It is quite a call to arms.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-needs-to-reboot-the-moral-challenge-of-our-times-as-economic-opportunity-20191018-p531yp.html
David Crowe tells us how Liberal president Nick Greiner has set a goal of doubling party membership to 100,000 to confront a rise in populist politics, while warning of the danger of election defeat if the Morrison government displayed hubris and arrogance.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/liberals-urged-to-double-size-to-deal-with-rise-of-populism-20191018-p5324r.html
Julie Perrin writes that Morrison’s self-assured Christian moral certainty makes her recoil.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-new-start-finding-christ-s-message-at-the-margins-20191007-p52yb7.html
Ian Warder explains how Greta Thunberg strikes fear in fuming fogeys.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6440833/greta-strikes-fear-in-fuming-fogeys/?cs=14258
Nick Miller reports on parliament’s rejection of Johnson’s Brexit deal. He has been ordered to seek another extension but will not actually negotiate for it.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/mps-reject-johnson-s-brexit-deal-telling-him-prove-you-mean-it-20191020-p532c6.html
John Crace explains how Johnson’s Super Saturday bubble burst.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/19/boris-johnsons-super-saturday-bubble-bursts
So what does the delay mean for Brexit now?
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/19/what-does-the-letwin-amendment-mean-for-brexit-timetable-boris-johnson
Peter FitzSimons disagrees with Berejiklian over pill testing.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/respectfully-premier-you-ve-made-a-big-mistake-20191018-p5324n.html
Hanson and Jones turn on the waterworks, but tears won’t end this drought -or prepare for the next one writes Paula Matthewson.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2019/10/18/hanson-and-jones-turn-on-the-waterworks/
Michael Koziol on the outbreak of war within Australia’s Anglican church.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/archbishop-says-anglican-church-in-a-crisis-over-sexuality-and-marriage-20191018-p531vw.html
Andrew West tells us why the Sydney archbishop’s same-sex marriage message has Anglicans rattled.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/20/please-leave-why-the-sydney-archbishops-same-sex-marriage-message-has-anglicans-rattled
On the subject of warfare the PHOM conference descended into farce as a former president is refused entry.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/entry-debacle-at-one-nation-conference-in-brisbane-20191019-p5328w.html
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/oct/19/pauline-hansons-one-nation-members-say-they-were-refused-entry-to-secretive-national-conference
Israel Folau has said at an ACL function he knew telling homosexuals they were destined for hell would be “offensive” but would “absolutely” repeat it, according to reports.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/oct/19/israel-folau-reportedly-tells-australian-christian-lobby-he-would-absolutely-repeat-anti-gay-posts
The New South Wales government is being urged to refer a Nationals MP to the corruption watchdog after the Guardian revealed that at least two farmers facing court said they broke land-clearing laws on his alleged say so.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/oct/18/calls-for-nationals-mp-kevin-humphries-to-face-icac-over-alleged-advice-on-land-clearing
Ross Barkan explains how his generals have had it with the feckless, reckless Trump.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/19/trump-military-generals
Boeing has given lawmakers a transcript revealing that a top pilot working on the plane had raised concerns about the system in messages to a colleague in 2016, more than two years before the Max was grounded because of the accidents, which have left 346 people dead.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2019/10/19/boeing-pilot-737-max/
Cartoon Corner
A ripper from David Pope.
From Matt Golding.
Matt Davidson on inequality.
Reg Lynch and Labor’s policy problem.
From the US
Rewriting history is easy when the Young Liberals take over.
Thanks BK For the Dawn Patrol.
Hanson and Jones turn on the waterworks, but tears won’t end this drought -or prepare for the next one writes Paula Matthewson.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2019/10/18/hanson-and-jones-turn-on-the-waterworks/
And a government raining money and prayers on farmers won’t help either.
From the BK Files.
Ian Warder explains how Greta Thunberg strikes fear in fuming fogeys.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6440833/greta-strikes-fear-in-fuming-fogeys/?cs=14258
One can only wonder what Victor Meldrew would make of this. 😇☕
One can only wonder what Victor Meldrew would make of this. ☕
_____
I can’t BELIEVE it!
Trump will inevitably abandon his GOP enablers ‘like a sack of rotten fruit’: NYT editorial
On Saturday, The New York Times editorial board published a warning to Republicans that it is time they took a stand on principle against President Donald Trump — because Trump himself will not protect the GOP when they need it.
“Some Republicans have clearly believed that they could control the president by staying close to him and talking him out of his worst ideas,” wrote the board. “Ask Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — who has spent the last two years prostrating himself before Mr. Trump in the hope of achieving his political goals, including protecting the Kurds — how that worked out. Mr. Graham isn’t alone, of course; there is a long list of politicians who have debased themselves to please Mr. Trump, only to be abandoned by him like a sack of rotten fruit in the end. That’s the way of all autocrats; they eventually turn on everyone save perhaps their own relatives, because no one can live up to their demands for fealty.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/18/opinion/trump-impeachment-republicans.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
‘Rudy is a lousy lawyer’: Ex-prosecutor reveals why nobody will hire Giuliani for legal work
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is getting rich selling his access to the White House, in spite of being a “lousy” attorney, according to a former federal prosecutor.
“Since he’s started to be his defense attorney, there’s a huge demand for Rudy’s services. And let’s face it, Rudy is a lousy lawyer. We’ve all seen him go on TV and by the time he goes off TV his client is in more trouble. So people probably aren’t hiring him for his legal skills, they want his access,” he explained.
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/rudy-is-a-lousy-lawyer-ex-prosecutor-reveals-why-nobody-will-hire-giuliani-for-legal-work/
phoenixRed:
Did you watch Real Time yesterday? I found the interview with Susan Rice very interesting. As was Bill’s offer to bribe Trump with $1M (plus the prospect of many more millions from other donors) if he resigned.
Because the yanks can’t play proper sports, none of the American Labor Party groupies on on here can even spell rugby.
swamprat, my son played Rugby Union for years. So, you’ll have to think up a new insult. 😐
KayJay @ #1471 Sunday, October 20th, 2019 – 7:57 am
Which brings to mind a really interesting point. That the Young Conservatives, such as James Paterson in the Senate, have put their ambition before their principles and their future. Hence why their name, the Young Fogies is so apt. They have absorbed by osmosis the opinions of the Old Fogies, to enable their survival. In another way.
James Paterson is every inch the very definition of young fogie.
Blimey
1 million protesters. Makes out 200 thousand efforts for climate change and against the various wars look like a lunch time gathering.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/19/peoples-vote-march-hailed-as-one-of-greatest-protest-marches-in-british-history
Why should Labor protect the govt?
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/national-emergency-albanese-writes-to-pm-with-drought-cabinet-plan-20191018-p531xu.html
Thanks BK. Jacqueline Maley emphasises the point I was making yesterday re Rudd’s abandonment of the CPRS.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-needs-to-reboot-the-moral-challenge-of-our-times-as-economic-opportunity-20191018-p531yp.html
https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2019/october/1569374459/bronwyn-adcock/rising-tide?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sunday%20Reads%20-%2020%20October%202019&utm_content=Sunday%20Reads%20-%2020%20October%202019+CID_68d477d0c4462a205c01306bd447b8a7&utm_source=EDM&utm_term=Rising%20tide
Why should Labor protect the govt?
They’re not. They’re putting in stark relief that the government are bereft of ideas but Labor aren’t. Or, to put it another way, Labor know how to govern the country and the Coalition don’t.
C@t
See Fitzgibbon’s opinion.
lizzie @ #1485 Sunday, October 20th, 2019 – 8:43 am
And? Last time I looked he wasn’t the Leader of the Opposition and had been roundly condemned for his opinion in the Labor Caucus.
And I’ve read Rising Tide in The Monthly, and if you want to know which coastal council is battling the Canutists, you can look no further than Central Coast Council in NSW. Chief Canutist is Pat Aitken. A deluded man but influential among low information voters, if ever there was one.
It seems to me Labor suggesting that they have had enough of campaigning on a reality based platform and losing has the scribes panicking. Perhaps if they wrote less bullshit.
More from the BK Files.
We move on from
to
Julie Perrin writes that Morrison’s self-assured Christian moral certainty makes her recoil.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-new-start-finding-christ-s-message-at-the-margins-20191007-p52yb7.html
I like the sound of Ms. Perrin’s 94 year old mother. On the other hand Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies may not have been pleased (although I understand
and he he may well have been delighted at the service.)
What is reported through what purports to be “newspapers” very often is a mangled, twisted, distorted and slanted parody aimed at (Zeus knows) sales perhaps.
An Easter Egg for Poll Bludgers to enjoy (or not) — (from “The Australian”).
Time to check whether my latest bulbs (planted yesterday) have sprouted and bloomed. Au revoir. 🌸🌼🌷 (the tulips have finished).
Boris Johnson has sent a request to Donald Tusk for an extension on the Brexit deadline, but as expected, has attempted trickery:
“Reports suggested Johnson had sent three letters: an unsigned photocopy of the request he was obliged to send under the Benn act, an explanatory letter from the UK’s ambassador to the EU and a letter explaining why Downing Street did not want an extension.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/19/eu-will-grant-brexit-extension-if-johnson-sends-letter-says-brussels
Trump is entering the critical election period in an increasingly weakened state, and it appears he is now losing his media allies.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-season-of-weakness-a-president-who-prizes-strength-enters-key-stretch-in-a-fragile-state/2019/10/19/0daa864c-f1d4-11e9-89eb-ec56cd414732_story.html
How unsurprisement that Tony Abbott is writing for The Australian!
Morning all
For those with Netflix, recommend The Laundromat. It is based on the Panama Papers.
Fess
Trump is going to get more angry soon. More revelations are going to be exposed.
C@tmomma @ #1394 Sunday, October 20th, 2019 – 8:42 am
Your use of the word “bereft” triggered a reminder (from ❓ knows where) – of –
Dorrie’s malapropisms became legendary as she talked about being ‘beresk’ instead of bereft, suffering ‘migrant’ headaches instead of migraines, and her …
Just random brain flashes – not intended to be other than vaguely amusing. 😻
Vic:
His attacks on Romney were ridiculous. Fancy calling Romney a Democrat when he’s never been a Democrat. But you know who used to be a Democrat? Donald J Trump!
Meanwhile Boris Johnson is quite rightly not trusted and therefore no surprise with outcome of the latest vote.
I am still hopeful that his arse will be kicked to the kerb.
Fess
Trumps strategy is attack anyone who challenges him. It is getting old and tiring.
KayJay,
Just call me Dorrie, luv! 😉
Malcolm Farr going all hairy-chested today on Insiders. 🙂