The West Australian has a poll today from Painted Dog Research showing 34% out of 837 respondents from the state favour secession for Western Australia. However, the utility of this finding is limited by the report’s failure to offer any insight as to how many of the other 66% were actively opposed and how many uncommitted, if indeed the latter was provided as an option. The poll also finds “close to three-quarters” think the federal government has put the needs of the eastern states ahead of Western Australia during the pandemic. I wouldn’t normally consider such a poll front page news, but it’s past time for a new general discussion thread, so here it is.
There is also the following:
• Since Tuesday’s post from Adrian Beaumont on the extraordinary finding of a Reid Research poll of voting intention in New Zealand, the other regular pollster in the country, Colmar Brunton, has produced a somewhat more modest result: Labour 53%, National 32%, Greens 5%, ACT New Zealand 4.8% and New Zealand First 2%. It also finds Jacinda Ardern with a 54-20 lead over the new National leader, Judith Collins, as preferred prime minister. There’s an interesting discussion on polling in the country, the record of which is apparently very good, on Radio New Zealand’s The Detail program.
• As noted in my popular dedicated post on the subject, elections will be held today for two seats in Tasmania’s Legislative Council. One of these at least, for the Launceston region seat of Rosevears, includes both Liberal and Labor candidates, and might be seen as some sort of barometer for the state’s new-ish Premier, Peter Gutwein, who has been recording exceptionally strong poll ratings amid the COVID-19 crisis. Live coverage of the count will, as ever, commence here at 6pm.
Nath wrote:
Seems to have been taken care of
BB, you were not permanently banned for this, as clearly you should have been. Count your blessings and be less of a hypocrite.
William Bowe @ #1802 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 7:14 pm
If you lot don’t behave, I’ll get the spoon?
Bucephalus says:
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 6:53 pm
I’m still scratching my head at the fact that people diagnosed with the Virus were allowed to go outside to do anything at all in Victoria let alone go for a jog, ride or swim until today.
———-
Still scratching my head that Morrison and his federal chief/deputy health officals claim there were no reasons for the borders to be closed
No reasons for schools to be closed
No reasons not to go to the footy, cricket,golf, pubs
Just imagine if libs/nats and their corrupt foreign media propaganda unit got their way
Australia would be in deep trouble
William,
I never used the C-word (spelled out) and got away with it. And I never suggested another poster, or anyone else, be thrown down a mine shaft and killed.
And I’ve seen you personally use far more offensive language against your own posters than “GAGF”.
“Moron” and “douchebag” come to mind as examples.
Good on you, Scott – keep trying.
“Moron” and “douchebag” may indeed be more-or-less as offensive as “GAGF”. But they are nothing like as offensive as what you actually did say. Not only did I let you get away with the comment, I allowed you to continue rubbing Pegasus’s nose in it for months after the event, and going on about it as if you, through some unfathomable leap of illogic, had been the victim in the whole affair. Your objective seems to have finally been achieved: the board has lost someone I believe to have been the only regular female contributor whose outlook deviated from Labor partisan orthodoxy, but is stuck with you.
You’re a nasty, immature thug, and I let you get away with murder.
“No evidence for” were the weasel words, from memory. Classic Brendan Murphy toadying and denialism, when it was more obvious the virus was cheering from the sidelines.
Bucephalus says:
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 7:24 pm
Good on you, Scott – keep trying.
——————-
Yes or no it was incompetence of Morrison , federal chief/deputy health officials and the libs/nats corrupt foreign media propaganda unit , in playing partisan politics over the health of the citizens
William Bowe @ #1761 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 7:26 pm
Cui bono?
Bushfire Bill says:
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 7:28 pm
“No evidence for” were the weasel words, from memory. Classic Brendan Murphy toadying and denialism, when it was more obvious the virus was cheering from the sidelines.
—————————-
Yes , Brendan Murphy should be held accountable ,
William Bowe @ #1807 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 7:26 pm
May one (respectfully) ask why you do so?
So BB gets marked off and his satellites, including most surprisingly a female poster, come out in his implicit support. Being an old hand, I can cope with his & GG’S aggression, their put-downs. I’m not sure many others can be bothered?
“Your objective seems to have finally been achieved: the board has lost someone I believe to have been the only regular female contributor whose outlook deviated from Labor partisan orthodoxy, but is stuck with you.
You’re a nasty, immature thug, and I let you get away with murder.”
***
I was wondering where Peg went. Hope she is ok…?
GG
Thanks for posting that covid eulogy to the Texas victim. I can’t really blame his relatives for feeling that way.
Thinking about it, the penalties for breaching covid quarantines are IMO way too low. I no more condone jailing people becauase they are poor than not jailing them because they are rich. But whoever spreads is, this is a fatal incurable illness that is very contagious. The risk is not certain, but is real. Freedom is not an excuse To risk other people’s life and health..
By comparison, drink driving is another selfish behaviour that carries a lower but real risk of causing death to other innocent drivers. So we punish it, Fining and if needed jailing people for doing it again. Spreading covid is more dangerous than drink driving, but we are giving people wrist slaps by comparison.
Mavis @ #1767 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 7:33 pm
Piss and wind!
C@tmomma @ #1774 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 6:25 pm
That’s a nasty attack from a supposedly reformed poster.
Nicholas’ comment was completely accurate I thought.
Socrates @ #1769 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 7:35 pm
Despite the media coverage, my lived observation is that overwhelmongly, most Victorians are (grudgingly) in support of the current restrictions. People want it gone from their life and if this is the sacrifice that must be made, then so be it.
Can’t say the same logic will apply after the next six weeks, though.
Sadly the echo chamber is quite small tonight.
Could we please talk about politics? Or modelling. I like modelling.
Player One:
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 7:32 pm
That’s the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. BB is a thug, entertaining at times when he’s not attacking other posters, but nevertheless a thug to boot. GG is BB lite – both obviously turning old & new posters – especially female contributors off this site – to wit, Peg, and quite of number of others.
Fulvio Sammut @ #1792 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 6:52 pm
Sex/Reason?
The sort of poster the BCA and many in the Coalition would really like to post if they could.
Of all the commenters over the years who have spat the dummy and declared that they would never return to this site, I do hope that Pegasus doesn’t prove to be the one who actually meant it.
Winning a political debate by bullying has been an age old tactic.
In its extreme an example is the Catholic Church persecuting Galileo.
Today we are living in an age where experts and scientists are attacked by the right of politics as being partisan hard left warriors.
It’s no surprise with such a culture that some are trying to shut down alternative views to the major parties. This helps the right avoid scrutiny.
Yes I include Labor’s right in this. Labor has moved to the right since Gillard. So scared of Murdoch media power that mining taxes. Carbon taxes etc cannot be considered. You are labelled hard left and wanting a Venezuela authoritarian style economy.
This as we are or have almost succeeded in having an authoritarian government in this country. Labor has been appalling in not being extremely loud on accountability.
Apparently holding the government to account is being too shouty.
Biden’s campaign may be hiding in his basement but the Democrats have been very strong in calling out the GOP on issues like Russia. Yes they had the courage to go for impeachment. They have had the courage to call out Trump on the pandemic. They have had the courage to call out the GOP on failing with the stimulus package.
Trump is as predicted calling Biden a hard left socialist candidate.
The difference seems to be the Democrats will fight for human rights including refugee rights. They will fight for accountability.
I do not see Labor doing this. Instead I see Labor just surrendering on those issues and trying to pretend they too are a populist law and order party.
Nicholas suggestion – “Game of mates” is definitely worth a look at.
Introduction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ni2pAZ_k-w
Interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q35bx20A0dQ
Mavis @ #1774 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 7:51 pm
The Blackboard Monitor in full roar tonight!
Rex Douglas says:
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 7:38 pm
C@tmomma @ #1774 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 6:25 pm
Nicholas,
You’re full of it. Honestly, after so many embarrassing failures here, I don’t know how you can continue to show up. Especially spouting the sort of malarkey you are today.
Btw, how’s your support for Tara Reade going? Still believe her?
That’s a nasty attack from a supposedly reformed poster.
Nicholas’ comment was completely accurate I thought.
_________________________________-
c@t I’m really disappointed that you felt the need to post this.
i miss Pegasus. -sincerely, a.v.
GG
I agree in SA and Victoria the vast majority are doing the right thing. But that only reinforces the point that breaking the lockdown rules should be seen as a serious offense.
I miss Pegasus too. ☹️
The incessant nasty references to “horsey” just became too much. What a shame!
William himself has put me off his own website because sometimes he acts like a privileged, judgemental flog.
Do your worst. Can’t be worse than you bagging your own punters.
Get over yourself.
Socrates @ #1783 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 8:04 pm
I believe that is what is happening now in Victoria.
There will be little tolerance of contrary behaviour going forward.
Smart arses and self righteous zealots should move to a safe place.
Nicholas – “Game of mates”
Have you actually read it?
The Interview is not suggesting the solution is voting Green. Considering what the Green party has become in 25 years it is difficult see how they have any reverence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q35bx20A0dQ
Labor can win an election by being for not against human rights.
That means joining the Greens on refugee policy. Understanding the right including some inside Labor will call that being for open borders.
This is the same rhetoric used agains the Democrats by Trump.
Biden is losing in the polls by how much Labor?
Because William knows full well that, of all the posters on this blog, Pegasus was one if the few bloggers here whose comments were so vacuous and derivative (being mostly cut-and-pastes as substitutes for formed thoughts) that I never took the slightest notice of them or responded to them in any way shape or form, until she started needling me.
Until (from reading the preceding pages to the comment of mine William linked above), after two days of unrelenting horseshit from her AND from Labor robots, I suggested that the Greens and Labor stop hating each other and form a coalition against the common enemy: minus Briefly (as he was then known) on one side, and Pegasus in the other, as they were both too far gone to be of any use to a coalition.
From re-reading that thread, a quite lively, but constructive debate on that topic ensued, with several posters contributing, only for the heckling from Pegasus to continue, questioning my mental and physical health (as sanctimonious martyrs always end up doing eventually). Whereupon I made the suggestion that she might go and let off some steam by going and GF. A simple tit for tat, which she histrionically amplified into a barbaric attack on femdom.
Having been accused by women here of being senile, suffering from prostate cancer (with consequent dripping penile discharges), male, a Boomer, over 60 (none of which I have the slightest choice in, given my gender and birth year) homophobic, racist and all the rest, and after seeing the worst troll here get away with the c-word and wishing death upon other contributors (or at least trying it on to see what would happen), plus our own proprietor tell some of the people he relies on to support his blog that they are douchebags and morons, I reckon suggesting someone GAGF is, if not pretty tame, at least par for the course.
That William describes Pegasus as “the only regular female contributor whose outlook deviated from Labor partisan orthodoxy” shows how in the thrall of Wokeish humbug and Cancel Culture he is.
Pegasus has no outlook that goes further than cutting and pasting somebody else’s ideas and presenting them here as her own position.
Of all the contributors that he could single out here as being valuable, or even occasionally original, Pegasus is the absolutely least qualified.
itsthevibe:
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 7:57 pm
Peg never ‘spat the dummy’. I think most women don’t like alpha-male aggression. I suspect that if WB takes a stand by “snipping” posts that aren’t in keeping with his commenting guidelines,
many would resume posting.
Nicholas
Putting aside debates about Labor v Liberal, I have met Cameron Murray and am familiar with Game of Mates. He is a serious scholar and makes a lot of good points. So yes it was a good post of yours.
People In the political system may be unable to see or admit it, but the cronyism Murray speaks of is real. It has had a visibly negative effect on the transport infrastructure industry in my working lifetime.
A lot of public money gets wasted on projects that are solutions to cash flow problems in the finance industry, not infrastructure problems. If even some of that money ceased being wasted, we could employ a lot more people in health, education, or even aged care.
Here is SA, the South Road project is a good example. $5 billion already spent, and for what? It generates jobs, but at more than $400K per job (and the workers certainly don’t get that), twice as many jobs would have been created funding schools or hospitals (or public transport). So to me, its not in the public interest.
Australia is not as corrupt as Greece, but it is a lot more corrupt than when I first started working.
BB
You should let go of that cancel culture rhetoric. It’s used against climate change experts Black Lives Matter activists Gay rights activists etc by the likes of Ben Shapiro and Alex Jones.
Edit: An American rhetoric imported by some right wing pundits to Australia along with attacking city people as out of touch elites.
Can this blog get back to Polls / psephology, might be time for some regulars to take a break and go and do something else for a few days.
There is a life out there.
Why not something from the guy who wrote Wild Thing and Angel of the Morning.
.
Fuck All The Perfect People – Chip Taylor & The New Ukrainians
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt9GBafFzjE
If these people are as rich as you say, then nearly any fine would be a flea bite
_______________________________
It’s often the richest people who are most outraged and discombobulated by financial penalties. Because they love money so much.
frednk says:
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 8:10 pm
Nicholas – “Game of mates”
Have you actually read it?
The Interview is not suggesting the solution is voting Green. Considering what the Green party has become in 25 years it is difficult see how they have any relevance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q35bx20A0dQ
TPOF @ #1796 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 8:19 pm
They consider it a tax on stupid behaviour.
And, they don’t pay taxes,
FredNK
Both Labor and the Greens have suggested a solution on the Game of Mates issue.
Political donation reform and instituting accountability for politicians with a Federal ICAC.
Who woulda thunk it. Labor and the Greens agree with a policy. As do some on the right like Central Alliance
Life can be hard on the land….
Blogs generally decline when they are overly or even lightly moderated.
Frank and fearless is the way, even if stupid and repetitive.
That said, personal attacks need to be moderated if they are too mean or aggressive. That is unless they refer to useless politicians, of whom 90% are.
guytaur
He specifically said political donation reform is not the solution.
The solution is to identify the gifts and extract a return for the state.
For example the system used by the ACT to extract funds from rezoning ( a betterment tax)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betterment
guytaur @ #1840 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 – 8:23 pm
I’d want to check the fine print of Labors policy.
“Labor can win an election by being for not against human rights.
That means joining the Greens on refugee policy. Understanding the right including some inside Labor will call that being for open borders.
This is the same rhetoric used agains the Democrats by Trump.
Biden is losing in the polls by how much Labor?”
***
“You are worse than I am,” Trump told Turnbull.
…
“So we said if you try to come to Australia by boat, even if we think you are the best person in the world, even if you are a Nobel Prize-winning genius, we will not let you in.”
Trump was impressed.
“That is a good idea,” the President told Turnbull.
“We should do that too.”
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/very-strong-borders-turnbull-offered-refugee-advice-to-trump-20180621-p4zmrw.html
In case you missed that: Trump thinks the bipartisan abuse of innocent asylum seekers that Labor supports and has taken an active part in is “a good idea”.