The Guardian reports the latest fortnightly Essential Research poll includes its monthly leadership ratings, showing further improvement in Scott Morrison’s standing. He is up three points on approval to 66% and down four on disapproval to 23%, while Anthony Albanese is respectively steady at 44% and up two to 30%, and his lead as preferred prime minister is at 52-22, out from 50-27.
The small-sample breakdowns on state government performance finds the Victorian government still holding up reasonably well, with 49% rating it good (down four on a week ago, but well down on a 75% peak in mid-June), while the New South Wales government’s good rating is down a point to 61% and Queensland’s up a point to 68%. Results for the federal goverment are not provided, but will presumably be in the full report when it is published later today.
Fifty per cent now rate themselves very concerned about COVID-19, which is up seven points on a fortnight ago and has been progressively rising from a low of 25% in mid-June. Fifty-six per cent of respondents said they would seek a vaccine straight away, 35% less immediately and 8% not at all. Twenty per cent believed that “hydroxychloroquine has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment”.
UPDATE: Full report here. The federal government’s good rating on handling COVID-19 is down a point to 63%, and its poor rating is steady at 16%.
Other news:
• We had a rare opinion poll for the Australian Capital Territory, which holds its election on October 17, conducted by uComms for the Australia Institute. It offered no indication that the Liberals are about to break free of their status as a permanent opposition, with Labor on 37.6%, Liberal on 38.2% and the Greens on 14.6%, compared with 2016 election results of 38.4%, 36.7% and 10.3%. This would almost certainly result in a continuation of the present state of affairs in which the Greens hold the balance of the power. The poll also found overwhelming support for “truth in political advertising” laws, with 88.5% supportive and 4.9% opposed. The poll was conducted on July 20 from a sample of 1049.
• The preference distribution from the July 4 Eden-Monaro by-election has been published, offering some insight into how much Labor’s narrow victory was owed to a Shooters Fishers and Farmers preference recommendation and a higher than usual rate of leakage from the Nationals. The former was likely decisive: when Shooters were excluded at the final count, 5341 (56.61%) went to Labor and 4093 (43.39%) went to Liberal, which includes 5066 first preference Shooters votes and another 4368 they picked up during the preference distribution (including 1222 from the Nationals). When the Nationals were excluded earlier in the count, 4399 votes (63.76%) went to the Liberals, the aforementioned 1222 (17.71%) to Shooters, 995 (14.42%) to Labor and 283 (4.10%) to the Greens. This includes 6052 first preference votes for the Nationals and another 847 they picked up as preferences earlier in the distribution. That would be consistent with maybe 20% of Nationals votes ending up with Labor compared with 13% at the 2019 election, which would not quite account for Labor’s winning margin. At some point in the future, two-candidate preferred preference flow figures will tell us precisely how each candidate’s votes split between Labor and Liberal.
sprocket_ @ #2688 Saturday, August 15th, 2020 – 10:04 pm
This comment is classic comedy gold!
Jon Millstein
@jmillstein
Is Mike Pence eligible to be vice president? His father (Woody from toy story) was not born here, neither was his mother (ten napkins)
😆
In June 2015 when he officially announced he was running for president, Mr Trump famously said: “I will build a great wall on our southern border, and I’ll have Mexico pay for that wall.”
That promise never came true.
While there have been some building works on parts of the southern border wall, by February 2020 less than 200 kilometres of construction had been completed. The border is nearly 3200 kilometres long. And despite Mr Trump visiting the construction site himself, there has been no cheque from Mexico to pay for those works.
I’ve been largely missing from the blog in recent days. What has happened? Have some survivors been voted off the island? Have some tributes been felled in the hunger games?
Trump is debauchery itself. He is sexual, financial, ethical and political debauchery. Nothing is sacred for Trump. In a fundamentalist culture, that’s cool. Everything can be spent if the result is a win. Winning counts. Losers can pay.
Just read the gobbledygook technobabble below and tell me Merv and Doreen, worried at being about to enter the local shopping mall, are going to make any sense out of it worth a damn.
Parliamentary democracy?
Parliamentary Education Office?
Michaelia Cash and curry?
Nath?
The years of living recklessly!
AE, yes and yes.
I reckon the purge may continue just quietly.
BB
It wasn’t intended for people about to trek off to the shopping mall, but for PBers, most of whom like to be treated as if they are intelligent.
Andrew_Earlwood @ #2703 Saturday, August 15th, 2020 – 10:28 pm
Michael and his sock puppet, ‘nath’ are gawn.
Bushfire Bill @ #2627 Saturday, August 15th, 2020 – 8:31 pm
Christ, are you still on about this? You made some very racist comments, and got called out as a result. What else would you expect? That you should get a free pass because you are sometimes erudite and witty?
has somebody got a link to video of harris, k. speaking her name? it the 21st century, after all. -a.v.
Civil war is breaking out in America amongst the Conservative and Progressive Indian-American communities 😯
Dinesh D’Souza
@DineshDSouza
· Aug 14
This article in Buzzfeed accuses me of being a butt-kisser for conservative whites. It’s written by an Indian woman @scaachi who is desperately trying to build a career as a butt-kisser for liberal whites https://buzzfeednews.com/article/scaachikoul/dinesh-dsouza-kamala-harris-vice-president
Scaachi
@Scaachi
·
Aug 14
actually i called you a boot-licker.
“ Michael and his sock puppet, ‘nath’ are gawn.”
When and on which thread did that spectacular fall from grace occur?
Bushfire Bill,
My name isn’t Doreen. rhwombat was replying to a question of mine. He knows I am a retired pharmacist and I know what he was on about. Even though I do go down to the shops frequently. 😐
Andrew_Earlwood @ #2713 Saturday, August 15th, 2020 – 10:34 pm
Last Saturday night’s Newspoll thread, I think.
AE
You must be the only one that doesnt know. Even Shorten knows.
“ Last Saturday night’s Newspoll thread, I think.”
I’ll make some popcorn and review tomorrow.
I’m just hoping I don’t infarct on the schadenfreude.
Steve Davis:
Considering that nath is Mr Shorten, how could he not know?
“ AE
You must be the only one that doesnt know. Even Shorten knows.”
I’ve been rather busy trying to keep a certain property developer out of the clink. Taxing.
A sizeable chunk of that are just hyperpartisan Republicans who blindly support him because he’s currently their candidate. As soon as he isn’t, they’ll lose interest in him.
It’s troubling but in a different way. Although I don’t think Democrats (or supporters of any other political party) are completely innocent in this kind of regard either.
This is good to know:
Laurence Tribe
@tribelaw
Trump can fire the USPS Inspector General for blowing the whistle on Louis DeJoy, and he can pardon the federal crimes DeJoy is overseeing by sabotaging the Postal Service, but he can’t fire state AGs or local DAs whose grand juries nail the goons for state felonies. Go get ‘em!!
“Nath gawn”
You’re dreaming!
Goll
If he turns up as someone else, then a mention of Shorten will out him immediately.
Briefly, the Soviet agent line was tongue in cheek.
I get this point, and C@t made a similar one.
But eventually this Double-Dutch has to be put into plain English.
MILLIONS of people have been infected, with coming up to a million dead, including untold numbers of medical professionals, because every time we think we know something for sure about this virus, it proves us wrong.
Up-thread we had Wombat castigating me because I made a general point that aerosol infection was a risk, while he had originally denied it in order to belittle my postulating that fact.
Now he tells us that in certain circumstances (without revealing precisely which) aerosol infections ARE a reality.
The goal posts keep getting shifted.
To combat this the only solution is Stage 4 or 5 lockdown: near total isolation. Maybe that’s going too far, but even if it is, there’s no excuse for calling those who advocate it or follow it fools for doing so..
In the absence of certainty you’re going to generate uncertainty. We have seen the consequences of politics getting mixed up with medical science (e.g. Brendan Murphy), bureaucracy ditto, and ego ditto. People have died as a result.
I’d love to be able to follow the science on coronavirus, but the message coming from science is that they hardly have any coherent advice to offer, they’re so busy arguing amongst themselves, peer reviewing each other andbinvoking exceptions and qualifications.
To my mind the best advice is “Stay away”. But then you run the risk of being accused of all kinds of anti-social sins. We still see P1 and Wombat unrepentant on this score, and Bowe playing the role of benign nihilist.
If the best that the Wombats of the world have to say in public is the babble referred to above – which basically just said “take your pick” – then we have a lot to worry about, still.
If nath is lurking, this should flush him out (or down, as the case may be..)
Albo and team very impressive the last few days that I have seen. KK presents very well. Maybe Albo heard what is possibly the only slightly enlightened thing that has ever tumbled out of scrotum the sack’s verbose orifice ” you have to have a go to get a go”.
Sprocket
Ha Ha.!!
I wonder if Speers will back over Shortens comments he made on the Today show earlier this week about the video those fuckwits at Global Victoria made.
E. G. Theodore @ #3054 Saturday, August 15th, 2020 – 10:19 pm
Fair enough. This is an opinion blog, not the real world (thank Dog & OLAMWB). Not everyone is as blithely certain in their insecurities as BB.
As I bleat below, my experience in the real world suggests that neither physics nor anaesthetics does much to alleviate the consequences of unreasonable anxiety that misunderstanding the inoculum effect (ie how much virus is actually delivered to receptors and when) works. It’s multiple stochastic processes, partly perceived and incompletely understood occurring in individuals in real time. It’s Biology, Jim, but not as we know it.
Scott Morrison has given a strong signal he is no longer wedded to increasing the super guarantee to 12 per cent, acknowledging it could suppress wages and potentially cost jobs, as the government weighs up the findings of an independent review into retirement incomes.
The Prime Minister on Friday noted the coronavirus pandemic was a “rather significant event” which had occurred since he pledged at the last election to continue with the scheduled increase in the super guarantee, due to reach 12 per cent by 2025.
Another fucking Liberal excuse to rip off workers
steve davis @ #2729 Saturday, August 15th, 2020 – 9:12 pm
So what’s his excuse then.
It has been this Government’s policy to suppress wages for a long time, just ask Cormann.
Frankly, given the choice between the observations and conclusions of wombat and BB, my bludging dollar is on wombat every time.
Pandemic is going to be Smokos excuse for a lot of shit to come.
steve davis,
The criminal under investment in the sciences, TAFE and basic research in the country and the fact that every other dollar that people have spare is spent at bunnings is what’s keeping wages low.
No one willing to take a risk on new businesses in Australia.
Keeping super low or killing it is just a neo-liberal dream. And the RBA is staffed by a bunch of timid simpleton hacks who all engage in staggering levels of group think.
Government policy will keep wages low. That’s the real news.
The game being played here is that whilst Absent Albo is playing it safe and silent on the sidelines, the liberals are using this moment to drive forward an agenda that fits with their pre covid desires.
Albo and the ALP should rush through some agreement on say a green new deal and start pushing the government to create investment certainty and create the conditions for new high paying jobs.
As always the ALP is allowing the government to wiggle out of an easy wedge.
Wiggling
https://www.thewiggles.com.au/
Bushfire Bill @ #3085 Saturday, August 15th, 2020 – 10:58 pm
Whatever BB. You still won’t get SARS-CoV-2 from breathing in Dixon Street (which was your original contention and the source of (some of) your troubles) – you have to stick enough virus in your mouth or nose with your (or, I suppose, someone else’s) fomite – be that finger, fork or fag. Clear enough for you ?
You’re not stupid or unreasonable, but you sure do a good impression of it.
(No anaesthetists were harmed in the making of this contention).
RL,
Kamala is pronounced “comma-la” if you pronounce “comma” like a Californian. This is remarkable close to how a typical Australian says “karma,” but not much like we say “comma”.
The Wiggles work continues to be based on current thinking in early childhood development and learning. Children need opportunities to develop a sense of their own identity, to become connected with their world and to contribute to it, to develop a strong sense of wellbeing, to become confident and involved learners and effective communicators. The Wiggles are well aware of these desired outcomes and keep them in mind as they plan and perform.
The Wiggles understand that children learn best through play and seek to provide appropriate frameworks for learning that builds on this approach to learning. They engage children in a partnership and, recognising the importance of pro-social learning, remain vigilant in ensuring that the values they present work for children, not against them. Violence is shunned. Dangerous activities (that children might be tempted to copy) are never modelled. Health and safety issues are important. Helping others is a prominent feature of their work. Supporting and assisting those in trouble is stressed. The contributions of other characters are always recognised and acknowledged. A natural politeness is a feature of all interpersonal interactions. In other words The Wiggles demonstrate the importance of developing and fostering relationships. They, together with families, carers and other significant people, become co-contributors to the lives of children.
There’s speculation around that Shorten will test the numbers if parliamentary democracy emerges from the Covid doona with a cameo by Nath, as the George Cole caricature from the original St Trinians.
Briefly:
However, BB has a comedic talent in his writing (squarely in the comedic rant genre) that exceeds that of everyone else here, which exceeds that of everyone else here.
South
As far as i know Labor have said nothing about it yet. They need to jump on it quickly. It should have been at 12% ages ago.
E. G. Theodore @ #2741 Saturday, August 15th, 2020 – 11:34 pm
That, which or both?
steve davis,
Labor doesn’t say much about anything these days.
rhwombat:
My praise was fulsome
Non @ #2733 Saturday, August 15th, 2020 – 11:19 pm
My money is on the one that didn’t get sucked in by a clearly fake Tim Smith tweet yesterday, and claim it as a confirmation of his latest theory, and by extension his superior insight and perspicacity.
Now that was embarrassing.
So now it’s stupid and unreasonable to have any concerns at all about getting infected by inhaling the virus directly.
Can’t believe you could write that with a straight face, not with the mounting evidence to the contrary.
NOT. Gobbledygook. Technobabble.
There’s about three words in that entire post (by rhwombat) that the average person in the street would need explained to them (“inoculum” is the one you want on a triple word score). I guess it doesn’t have enough paragraph breaks for BB, who uses them to puff out his posts into single-sentence paragraphs in the way a peacock puffs out his tail.
Science communication is a particular skill, and we need people like Dr Karl who are good at it – both on TV and in the classroom. Science is inevitably filled with long technical words, and those who do it aren’t always good at translating what they do for a general audience. That fact does not give you an excuse to attack the scientists because you personally (or your semi-literate strawmen Merv and Doreen) couldn’t understand them.
BTW, if you want some real “technobabble”, try this for size. (Pulled at random from the tabs I’ve got open apart from PB.)
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/08/13/nanobodies-against-the-coronavirus-something-new
We’ve all been sucked in by fake tweets, bad polls, even by trolls acting as sock-puppets.
I don’t know which is more embarrassing: one of the three above, or believing that trouble in the Liberal Party is some kind of crackpot theory that can only be made fun of.
They’ve had three PMs in 6 years, the Victorian Libs are infighting, ScoMo is famous for his double dealing, Dutton is waiting for a mistake and the economy’s about to go to shit under their watch.
The delusion that, each time they have a spill, the new bloke will bring peace, prosperity and stability, is the exception of late, not the rule.
Yet naive souls like Spray fall for it every time.
Bushfire Bill @ #2749 Sunday, August 16th, 2020 – 1:46 am
Nice deflection, but I wasn’t the one that got sucked in. Come on mate, you have to admit that was embarrassing. Can’t imagine Nath ever falling for something like that.