The site experienced issues yesterday that prevented comments from appearing, which are now more-or-less resolved. However, this involved a lot of plugin updates that might cause certain of the site’s features to misfire for a while. One issue seems to be that comments pagination wasn’t working on the previous thread, hence the need for a new thread despite me not having all that much to relate. Except:
• The Association of Market and Social Research Organisations has published its report into the 2019 opinion poll failure, which is important and a big deal, but such has been the pace of events lately that I haven’t had time to really look at it yet. Kevin Bonham has though, and he elaborates upon the report’s analysis of historical federal poll performance by looking at state polls as well, which fail to replicate a finding that polls have a general skew to Labor.
• Recounts in the Queensland cliffhanger seats of Bundaberg and Nicklin confirmed Labor’s narrow victories, by nine rather than the original 11 votes in Bundaberg, and by 85 rather than the original 79 in Nicklin.
• Simon Benson of The Australian reports privately commissioned post-Queensland election polling by JWS Research found 24% rated “economy, jobs and living costs” as the most important issue, with COVID-19 on 15%, the state’s border arrangements in response on 14% (one might well think the results for these two responses should be combined), environment and climate change on 9%, health on 8% and infrastructure on 6%.
Steve777 @ #793 Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 – 12:29 pm
‘you left out the outhouse’
I didn’t want to sound too defeatist.
Kakuru @ #791 Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 – 12:20 pm
Have to agree.
Roy
Booting Setka and trying to clean up the Vic ALP branch stacking mess could be a positive.
Andrews was to gutless to do it.
Roy Orbison @ #777 Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 – 11:41 am
Sure. Albanese has taken a party that was within a sniff of winning government, and turned it into a party that is now so useless, irrelevant and on the nose that it makes even Smirko look half-way competent.
You can’t tell me that was an easy task! In fact, I would have said it was virtually impossible … but that was before I watched it actually happen 🙁
Lynchpin @ #790 Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 – 12:16 pm
Actually, it’s attack Albo for doing a shite job as opposition leader.
Can’t you read?
Here’s a thought; when Scrooter retires he’ll either be the second or third longest serving Prime minister, making Hawke the only Labor PM in the top ten longest serving PMs. One Labor Prime minister who achieved more then the top three Liberals combined.
What a stupid little country we are.
why would anyone of sound mind want to lead a government in Australia anyway? The LNP have well and truly fucked the place up and anymore hiccups will render us a total basket case. Run dead I say Albo and let these corrupt and inept pricks stew in their own juice until our Chinese masters take the place over which is inevitable
Hang on, I forgot the little digger…two Labor PMs in the 10 longest serving…..and Billy was a rat anyway…..
Bulldust @ #806 Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 – 12:52 pm
Or … Labor could hand over the top job to someone who still has some fire in their belly.
munod
“What a stupid little country we are.”
If your aim is to make Australia less stupid, it’s not clear how you’re advancing that aim. Every comment you make is stupid.
United States :
Coronavirus Cases:
11,538,057
Deaths:
252,651
– 162,149 new cases and 739 new deaths in the United States
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
Scott Morrison, PM 2 years, 85 days and counting, passed Tony Abbott a few months ago and James Scullin a couple of weeks ago to clinch the number 19 spot (out of 30). By the time of an election in about a year’s time he will pass Barton, Rudd, Whitlam, Turnbull and Gillard to be at 14.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prime_ministers_of_Australia_by_time_in_office
It’s hard for Albo , he’s up against a government that’s only 2 years old.
MALSA: “Make Australia Less Stupid Again”
Has a certain ring to it … er … no.
Albo is up against a Government that is seven years old. They’ve just changed the front guy a couple of times, the first for being a bumbling fool and the second for not being right wing enough.
mundo: “Here’s a thought; when Scrooter retires he’ll either be the second or third longest serving Prime minister, making Hawke the only Labor PM in the top ten longest serving PMs. One Labor Prime minister who achieved more then the top three Liberals combined.
What a stupid little country we are.”
And his own party chucked him out, because the goofs of the NSW Right had to have one of their own in the job.
What a stupid little party the ALP is.
In series 4 of “The Crown” there’s a segment where Bob Hawke (played by Richard Roxburgh) bemoans the fact that Di became such a star on her and Charles’ trip to Oz in ’83. Hawke thought that Oz had a chance of becoming a republic once the public got to know Charles more closely. And the irony is that Di was chastised by Charles for not putting her heart into the visit. She accepted his criticism, outshining him by a country mile. He was pissed that she got most of the attention; Hawke was pissed that the public had fallen for her charms – all conjecture of course(?).
Kakuru @ #808 Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 – 1:03 pm
There you go KooKoo gettin’ all personal and abusive….have to start calling you DoKu.
(Mundo just made himself laugh)
Anyway, maybe my comments are stupid but a lot of the comments that result from my comments aren’t.
How’s that for boring! 🙂
In Australia we change leaders when the Liberal party decides.
I’m not sure where the ALP fits into that – it’s more of an interest group now.
President Donald Trump asked for options on attacking Iran’s main nuclear site last week but ultimately decided against taking the dramatic step, a U.S. official said on Monday.
Trump made the request during a meeting on Thursday with his top national security aides, including Vice President Mike Pence, his new Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the official said.
The official confirmed the account of the meeting in The New York Times, which reported that the advisers persuaded Trump not to go ahead with a strike because of the risk of a broader conflict.
“He asked for options. They gave him the scenarios and he ultimately decided not to go forward,” the official said. The White House declined comment.
In Australia we change leaders when Rupert decides.
I’m stuffed if I can understand why every opinion poll comes in within the margin of error, then.
Why fight it steve777?
Why not work on influencing the next generation? Lachlan may have a more benign outlook ?
“Anyway, maybe my comments are stupid but a lot of the comments that result from my comments aren’t.”
Yes mundo.
Mavis
Just this minute I finished watching episode 4 of The Crown. It is not showing Charles up in a very good light. Probable with good reason.
The actor does not make a believable Charles.
A believable Goofy perhaps, but not Charles.
KooKoo/DoKu @ #820 Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 – 1:30 pm
Thank you Doku.
You see, being nice isn’t so hard.
I’ll have to call you JoeKu now.
BK:
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 1:30 pm
[‘Just this minute I finished watching episode 4 of The Crown. It is not showing Charles up in a very good light. Probable with good reason.’]
Yes, Charles was portrayed in a bad light. The whole royal family is dysfunctional, which doesn’t come as a surprise. And although they won’t admit to watching the series, I reckon they do.
https://www.tatler.com/article/royal-family-upset-by-cruel-portrayal-season-4-of-the-crown-exploitative-inaccurate
Mavis
I thought Gillian Andreson was overegging Margaret Thatcher but, having had a look at Thatcher on YouTube I had to admit I was wrong!
Tobias Menzies as Philip was a good choice. He plays that type of stuffy role ever so well in so many programs.
“It’s hard for Albo , he’s up against a government that’s only 2 years old.”
Indeed, Scomo and his forty thieves do behave like 2 year-olds, taking everything for themselves. And voters who are parents probably cut more slack for 2 year olds than they do for mature adults.
Fulvio Sammut:
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 1:33 pm
[‘The actor does not make a believable Charles.
A believable Goofy perhaps, but not Charles.’]
Some would be of the view that Charles is a bit potty. I blame Laurens van der Post’s influence on him.
When you can’t manage to be ethical, there is always vindictive towards whistle-blowers to fall back on:
“Louise Milligan
@Milliganreports
BREAKING:Want to know why our @4corners
story in public interest? Want to know why women silenced? Here’s why: @RachelleJMiller
due to start new job w Defence contractor today. She arrived & they said they “need more time to consider” her contract given media appearance. #auspol”
Albo has the most thankless job in Australian politics, but even so he steered Labor to a win in Eden-Monaro and stuck to a Federal position that enabled AP to record a substantial win in QLD. In the meantime, Labor has roughly held its own in Federal polls, despite the rally-to-the-flag effects of the pandemic, which hav e have favoured incumbents everywhere.
Albo may not be sucking up to the green-tinted/Labor-phobic sacks of misery that populate PB. Good. Their whinges are entirely without merit. Labor’s path to Government consists of several things. One is to successfully differentiate themselves from the pop-left/Faux. The other is to rebuild their plurality in QLD. Labor is making some progress with this re-positioning. Fitzgibbon has not helped in either of these projects. He’s bailed out. Excellent. He is dispensable.
Am I to think that the knives are out for Albo inside his own party? First Bramston’s article getting stuck into him and now the accusations of bullying in his office.
And Plib has now joined Shorten in seemingly adopting the role of “shadow minister without portfolio”.
Will it be Plib vs Shorten? That seems to me to be in the same category as asking whether one would prefer hanging or the electric chair. Albo ain’t perfect, but Shorten is a proven failure and I reckon Plib would be close to being a certain failure: sure she’s pretty, but she struggles to hold people’s attention when she talks. And she won’t be able to keep up her strategy of refusing to be pinned down on her personal views about subjects such as boat people and coal mining.
They’d be better off sticking with Albo to the election IMO. I reckon Labor can only win if something goes seriously wrong with the Coalition (a major scandal, economic collapse, revelation ofthe full truth about Engadine Macca’s, etc.) If that happens, then Albo will appeal to voters as a relatively safe pair of hands. If nothing major goes wrong for ScoMo, I don’t think any Labor leader has Buckley’s chance of beating him.
“Sure. Albanese has taken a party that was within a sniff of winning government, and turned it into a party that is now so useless, irrelevant and on the nose that it makes even Smirko look half-way competent.
You can’t tell me that was an easy task! In fact, I would have said it was virtually impossible … but that was before I watched it actually happen”
I was hoping for a proper response, not one from Greens HQ. Don’t bother responding. Ever.
One thing I know for sure is that mundo, ever given the opportunity to directly confront Albanese with his litany of criticism, would go to water. I’d bet my house on it.
Unlike what I did, myself, last week when given that same opportunity.
Socrates: “When you can’t manage to be ethical, there is always vindictive towards whistle-blowers to fall back on:
“Louise Milligan
@Milliganreports
BREAKING:Want to know why our @4corners
story in public interest? Want to know why women silenced? Here’s why: @RachelleJMiller
due to start new job w Defence contractor today. She arrived & they said they “need more time to consider” her contract given media appearance. #auspol”
If the ABC really cared about Ms Miller, perhaps they could have delayed broadcasting their show until she’d actually started in her new job. As things stand, any potential employer was likely to be taken aback by her sudden rise to national prominence.
BK:
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 1:58 pm
[‘I thought Gillian Andreson was overegging Margaret Thatcher but, having had a look at Thatcher on YouTube I had to admit I was wrong!’]
Anderson did turn in a polished performance, as did Menzies. But the best actor in my view to play Thatcher was Meryl Streep, in “The Iron Lady”. How both Anderson & Streep perfected Thatcher’s voice and affectations are remarkable.
Could the Moderator please tell me why I am not allowed to edit my comments anymore when I notice a spelling error or word in the wrong place?
Mavis: “How both Anderson & Streep perfected Thatcher’s voice and affectations are remarkable.”
Well, it’s likely that Thatcher’s own voice and manner were largely the product of acting coaches as well.
Rumour has it that she started life with a bit of a cockney accent.
meher baba says:
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 1:18 pm
mundo: “Here’s a thought; when Scrooter retires he’ll either be the second or third longest serving Prime minister, making Hawke the only Labor PM in the top ten longest serving PMs. One Labor Prime minister who achieved more then the top three Liberals combined.
What a stupid little country we are.”
And his own party chucked him out, because the goofs of the NSW Right had to have one of their own in the job.
Bob Hawke was a very successful political leader. He ranks with Curtin, Chifley and Gough among the Labor legends. He’s persistently under-rated too. I’m with Beazley on Hawke. It was a great mistake to dump him. As talented as Keating is/was, he never had the political touch of Hawke. He should not have pushed his case…but, hubris and all, he did. Labor has never been the same since. That saga discounted leadership to a negotiable item….to a tradable good. Politics has suffered all the while.
Mavis
I do agree with you that Streep did a great Thatcher.
meher baba @ #831 Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 – 2:05 pm
.
Given enough time I think Chalmers would be a chance. The only caveat being his apparent lack of ‘dog’…but, given the opportunity, who knows.
Anyway maybe purging the old guard in a spectacular thrashing is the tonic Labor needs.
Pretty sure Labor is resigned to sticking with Albo and gettin’ a hiding at the next election.
Would explain a lot about their lack of rage and enthusiasm.
c@tmomma: “Could the Moderator please tell me why I am not allowed to edit my comments anymore when I notice a spelling error or word in the wrong place?”
I tried to edit one of mine and, as a consequence, it was deleted altogether as spam. It was a post in praise of Maggie T (who I think is undervalued by the political left), so perhaps fair enough.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/anonymous-dossier-alleging-bullying-hits-albanese-s-office-20201117-p56f7i.html
The full ‘dossier’ is a massive hit job on certain staffers in Albo’s office. Having seen it, the Labor factions brawling in NSW would see the allegations as mild in comparison.
Non @ #838 Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 – 2:12 pm
See what I mean JoeKu?
mundo: “Given enough time I think Chalmers would be a chance. The only caveat being his apparent lack of ‘dog’…but, given the opportunity, who knows.”
If Chalmers does become leader, I wonder if all the chardonnay socialists I know will be as scathing about his ocker accent as they were of Gillard’s? (“She talks like a moron, etc.”) Or does that only apply to female leaders?
meher baba @ #833 Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 – 2:05 pm
Exactly as I put it to the Tanya cheer squad the other night at dinner. She doesn’t do focused angry, she does flustered-seeming. Also, she’s been around so long that people in the electorate tend to look straight past her, I reckon.
Better to jump to the new generation of leaders, Clare O’Neill and Jim Chalmers.
Labor can only win by shifting PVs in QLD and to a lesser extent in WA. This applies regardless of leadership and just about everything else. Whoever leads Labor should spend 3/4 of their days in QLD listening to the voters in the regions and getting to meet them and building confidence. The remaining 1/4 should be spent in WA, doing the same thing.
Unless Federal Labor improves its franchise in QLD, it cannot win. This will entail demonstrating to QLD voters that Labor and the Greens are natural enemies.
c@tmomma: “Better to jump to the new generation of leaders, Clare O’Neill and Jim Chalmers.”
As I think you know, I prefer Husic to Chalmers. But I agree re O’Neil (the single “l “is tricky. And I always have to check whether it’s “Clare” or “Claire”: it’s the former, of course).