The latest fortnightly Essential Research poll includes the regular monthly leadership ratings, their principal item of interest in between their quarterly dumps of voting intention numbers. The pollster included a bonus result for Scott Morrison’s leadership ratings in the last fortnightly poll by way of discerning any emergent gender gap in light of recent events. The results chart a steady decline for Scott Morrison, from 62% a month ago to 57% a fortnight ago to 54% now, and a corresponding rise in disapproval from 29% to 35% to 37%. While he remains well in positive territory, a distinct downturn can be observed in the BludgerTrack polling trend. The gender gap that opened a fortnight ago, which you can read about here, has neither narrowed nor widened.
Anthony Albanese records his weakest personal ratings in a while, with approval down two to 39% and disapproval up two to 34%. GhostWhoVotes, who monitors these things, points out that breakdowns by voting intention have him down five on approval among Labor voters to 55% and up six on disapproval to 22% – this is from a sub-sample of 483 and a margin of error of about 4.5%, so make of it what you will. In any case, he has taken a reasonable bite out of Morrison’s lead as preferred prime minister, which narrows from 52-26 to 47-28.
The remainder of the survey is mostly about COVID-19 and the vaccine rollout, including the regular question on the quality of the federal and state governments’ responses. The federal government’s good rating is down eight points to 62% and its poor rating is up five to 17%, though this isn’t a whole lot different to the situation before the government’s numbers surged in mid-November for whatever reason. The ratings for the five mainland state governments are down as well, by two in the case of New South Wales to 73%, four for Victoria to 58%, three for Queensland to 72%, seven for Western Australia to 84% and ten for South Australia to 75% (with progressively increasing caution required for small sub-sample sizes). As with the federal results though, these numbers don’t look that remarkable when compared with their form over the longer term.
Respondents were also asked how confident they would have been about COVID-19 management “if a Labor government under Anthony Albanese had been in power”, with an uninspiring 44% rating themselves confident and 37% not so. Fifty-two per cent felt the vaccine rollout was proceeding too slowly, with 19% happy with the situation and 20% signing on to the seemingly odd proposition that it was happening too fast. For those in the former category, 42% held the federal government mostly responsible, 7% state governments, 24% international supply chains and 18% “unavoidable delays in the production of vaccines”.
There are a whole bunch of further questions on the vaccine rollout, interstate travel and the end of the JobKeeper and JobSeeker supplements, plus one on paid parental leave, which you can read about in the full release.
This caught my eye in the smh letters today:
If true then it’s interesting that some media organisations are more interested in chasing ghosts from the distant past than what’s in front of their eyes now.
clem attlee says:
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 1:53 am
If my brother Greg is anything to go by, Labor will fail to garner any benefit from the ‘Holgate Affair’.
The are educated female aspirationals too. The fact that you consider the view of your brother relevant may indicate your problem.
Thank goodness it had nothing to do with you eh Arfur ? Arskehole.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/australia-to-use-biden-summit-to-repair-climate-wars-damage-20210413-p57iqx.html
The Holgate affair has nothing to do with Labor , as it is newsltd,Morrison and his cronies doing for putting Christine Holgate into the public arena, by Morrison in parliament telling her to go
Morning all. I say again from last night that this policy announcement from Labor on climate (via Chris Bowen) is an excellent decision that is sensible for both the environment and jobs. The gas led recovery is nonsense and the transition/recovery should be from coal to renewables, not coal to gas. There are more jobs and fewer costs with renewables.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/labor-to-target-jobs-growth-with-clean-energy-avoids-gas-fired-recovery-20210413-p57iwg.html
This policy looks even more sensible in light of the Four Corners episode on Monday night, which Labor should put on free download on its website.
poroti
What a load of nonsense. It was/is not the “argy bargy” but the fact we’re not doing anything. They could repair the damage by actually doing something.
And here we go again: “promote global investment in low-carbon technologies”. Says it all, really. Do they believe their own bullshit?
Wrt the Holgate resignation. Did not Christine Holgate say yesterday that she was told by the chairman that if she didn’t go then more dirt would be released about her? Not that I am saying it would have been true but the way it could have been construed by the media would have likely further humiliated her.
Though it is also correct to point out that it seems that the resignation letter wasn’t signed by her.
Was she smart enough to say at the time, okay I will resign and you can release the letter, knowing that it would be invalid without her co-signing it?
Meanwhile the vaccine spin-out is not going away. Bupa says it has not even been contacted on when staff in its 60 nursing homes will be vaccinated.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/14/australias-largest-aged-care-provider-left-in-limbo-about-staff-covid-vaccines-six-weeks-into-rollout
It isn’t just the under 50s for whom there is no plan. There is no plan for anyone.
More Elon Musk light/space pollution:
What were these lights in the sky over eastern Australia?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-13/what-were-these-lights-in-the-sky-eastern-australia/100064630
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome
How the Liberal fossil fuel maaates operate…
‘A rust-riddled oil vessel anchored in the Timor Sea has cost Australian taxpayers $86 million since February 2020, and independent Senator Rex Patrick believes the final price tag for its clean-up could spiral to $1 billion.
“This is a government bungle that will make the Leppington Triangle saga look like pocket money,” Senator Patrick said.
“There are just so many strange aspects to this particular saga … it warrants much, much closer observation by the parliament.”
The Northern Endeavour is a floating oil production storage and offtake facility connected to the Laminaria and Corallina oilfields 550 kilometres north-west of Darwin.
The vessel was owned and operated by Woodside until 2015.
After extracting about 200 million barrels of oil, the company decided to shut the Northern Endeavour down and remediate the oil fields.
Then Woodside changed tack and sold it to a small, inexperienced company called Northern Oil and Gas Australia (NOGA).
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-14/northern-endeavour-oil-vessel-could-cost-taxpayers-1-billion/100044914
EU seeking ‘urgent clarification’ on Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine delay
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/13/eu-urgent-clarification-johnson-johnson-covid-vaccine-delay-europe
Christine Holgate has a good PR team – after yesterday’s marathon effort, up early to go on Ch9 Today from Parliament House, presumably to dump more on the ‘embattled cf Chris Uhlmann’ ScottyTheBully..
On Holgate I do not see it as black and white. I have little respect for either side. A fight for believability between corporate executives and politicians is laughable. Neither side has or deserves community trust.
I did some economic research years ago that demonstrated executive salaries and bonuses have virtually zero relationship with performance. In most jobs, bonuses do not exceed 10% to 15% of salary, and that is sufficient to motivate anyone. Large bonuses are an abuse of power. In the executive bubble they are sometimes a way of concealing the real level of remuneration and possibly avoiding tax.
Even then there is no systematic evidence the highest paid members of any profession are the best performing. Low pay leads to poor performance, but good performance is linked to other things.
That being said, Holgate has been thrown under the bus in cynical fashion. The whole AP saga confirms perceptions of the dishonest, bullying and highly sexist nature of the federal government. #ScottyThe Bully trends on twitter for a reason
sprocket_ says:
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 7:13 am
Christine Holgate has a good PR team – after yesterday’s marathon effort, up early to go on Ch9 Today from Parliament House, presumably to dump more on the ‘embattled cf Chris Uhlmann’ ScottyTheBully..
If it was the USA she would have written a book.
@Jaeger
Starlink will not cause a long term kessler syndrome.
Their orbits are so low that debris would fall out of the sky in years.
Socrates – sensible Labor policies count for nothing when contrasted with tax cut and a bit of a poke of the xenophobia bear.
Cat
It is all irrelevant, if the chairman hasn’t got a signed document he doesn’t have a resignation.
‘Secret’ drone videos of military operations kept in Ben Roberts-Smith’s backyard
https://www.theage.com.au/national/secret-drone-videos-of-military-operations-kept-in-ben-roberts-smith-s-backyard-20210413-p57ipk.html
Jaeger
“ Accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith kept more than a dozen Department of Defence drone videos of Afghanistan military operations buried in his backyard, including videos watermarked as “secret” and only to be shared among certain NATO forces.”
As any federal public servant knows, keeping secret government documents or data is a crime in itself (with significant jail time if convicted). You are supposed to hand them all back upon leaving the service.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters provide us with more information of the serious legal problems Ben Roberts-Smith is facing.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/secret-drone-videos-of-military-operations-kept-in-ben-roberts-smith-s-backyard-20210413-p57ipk.html
William De Maria asks, “Is Ben Roberts-Smith the Biggest Anzac Story since Gallipoli?”
https://johnmenadue.com/is-ben-roberts-smith-the-biggest-anzac-story-since-gallipoli/
Scott Morrison and state and territory leaders will hold an urgent national cabinet meeting next Monday to deal with vaccine rollout problems. He has put the national cabinet on a war footing and will meet twice weekly.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/problems-with-the-program-urgent-national-cabinet-meetings-to-fix-vaccine-delays-20210413-p57iwj.html
Greg Hunt has suggested Australia’s international border closures could stay in place even if the entire population had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/international-borders-might-not-open-even-if-whole-country-is-vaccinated-greg-hunt-20210413-p57ixi.html
Chris Uhlmann says that the vaccine rollout casts a long shadow over the Morrison government’s competence.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/vaccine-rollout-casts-a-long-shadow-over-the-morrison-government-s-competence-20210413-p57ip1.html
The almost-total absence of criticism for Australia’s decision to preference Pfizer’s vaccine over AstraZeneca’s for under 50s is remarkable, says Liam Mannix.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/did-australia-get-it-right-on-astrazeneca-20210413-p57its.html
Christopher Knaus reveals that Australia’s biggest private aged care provider, BUPA, says the government gave it no plan for the vaccination of its aged care workforce prior to last week’s AstraZeneca announcement, and says it is now waiting on authorities to finish rethinking their strategy.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/14/australias-largest-aged-care-provider-left-in-limbo-about-staff-covid-vaccines-six-weeks-into-rollout
Australians are increasingly frustrated at the slow vaccine rollout – and they blame the federal government, explains Peter Lewis who draws on Essential Poll results.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2021/apr/13/australians-are-increasingly-frustrated-at-the-slow-vaccine-rollout-and-they-blame-the-federal-government
The Canberra Times editorial disagrees with the government, saying the vaccination rollout is a sprint, not a marathon.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7207843/vaccination-rollout-a-sprint-not-a-marathon/?cs=14258
According to Ben Butler, experts are saying that if the vaccine program drags into 2022 and the international border stays closed, Australia ‘will miss out on first demand’
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/14/mighty-bleak-economists-warn-delay-in-vaccinating-australians-could-devastate-tourism
The Pfizer vaccine is now crucial to Australia. Why the secrecy about how much we have, asks Melissa Davey.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/13/pfizer-covid-vaccine-is-now-crucial-to-australia-why-the-secrecy-about-how-much-we-have
Nick Bonyhady writes that new NSW legislation will mean people and companies that breach an array of tax laws will have to pay much higher fines if they don’t keep proper records or lie to tax inspectors.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-to-introduce-tougher-tax-laws-to-target-wage-theft-20210413-p57ipv.html
Australia’s ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos says “the argy bargy of the climate wars in Australia” has damaged our global reputation and Matthew Knott reports that the Morrison government hopes to use a summit next week organised by US President Joe Biden to repair the damage
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/australia-to-use-biden-summit-to-repair-climate-wars-damage-20210413-p57iqx.html
Lisa Visentin reviews Christine Holgate’s impassioned and explosive appearance before a Senate committee yesterday. Visentin writes that Holgate has piled more pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison over his government’s treatment of women, alleging he bullied her out of a job as the first female chief of the postal service.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/i-have-done-no-wrong-christine-holgate-says-her-gender-was-a-factor-in-being-forced-out-of-australia-post-20210413-p57iwr.html
Make no mistake, says Elizabeth Knight, there were generous and inappropriate gifts handed out at Australia Post, but they weren’t the Cartier watches awarded to senior executives by Christine Holgate. Instead, they were the Australia Post directorships handed to the federal government’s friends. In a governance sense, making politically motivated board appointments is a recipe for disaster.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/the-gifts-that-were-really-responsible-for-australia-post-s-woes-20210413-p57iwa.html
Michelle Grattan says that Christine Holgate presented a compelling story of Morrison’s bullying.
https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-christine-holgate-presents-a-compelling-story-of-morrisons-bullying-158895
Christine Holgate was targeting the Australia Post chairman, Scott Morrison and the patriarchy, writes Katherine Murphy.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/13/christine-holgate-was-targeting-the-australia-post-chairman-scott-morrison-and-the-patriarchy
Jennifer Hewett believes that Morrison must regret his stinging Holgate rhetoric. She says that yesterday Christine Holgate did not miss any of her very large targets as she sprayed around fiery blame for the “bullying and humiliation” forcing her out of Australia Post.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/holgate-returns-fire-and-hits-government-20210413-p57irc
Cait Kelly outlines the key moments from Christine Holgate’s Senate testimony.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/04/13/australia-post-holgate-senate/
If Scott Morrison’s government had hoped the dire days of strong women producing evidence of appalling treatment at the hands of powerful men were over, or even moderating, Christine Holgate wearing “suffragette white” is here to provide a reality check, says Tony Wight.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/once-suicidal-christine-holgate-re-emerges-to-damn-powerful-men-20210413-p57iul.html
Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters provide us with more information of the serious legal problems Ben Roberts-Smith is facing.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/secret-drone-videos-of-military-operations-kept-in-ben-roberts-smith-s-backyard-20210413-p57ipk.html
William De Maria asks, “Is Ben Roberts-Smith the Biggest Anzac Story since Gallipoli?”
https://johnmenadue.com/is-ben-roberts-smith-the-biggest-anzac-story-since-gallipoli/
The Canberra Times reveals that the agency running the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme has set up a new taskforce to “slow growth” in participant numbers and spending, as it attempts to avoid a looming budget blowout.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7208177/plans-for-ndis-razor-gang-revealed-in-leaked-memo/?cs=14225
More on this story from Luke Henriques-Gomes.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/13/ndis-cost-cutting-taskforce-told-to-reduce-growth-in-participants-and-spending
And Paul Bongiorno says that the NDIS vaccine failure unmasks the government’s disability agenda.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/04/13/paul-bongiorno-ndis-vaccine-failure-disability/
Business trading conditions have hit record highs as the nation’s economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic but analysts are warning there are signs of weakness in sectors such as construction that could lead to insolvencies, write Shane Wright and Jennifer Duke.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/quite-fractured-recovery-for-next-few-months-despite-business-condition-uptick-20210413-p57is6.html
SA has recorded eight new COVID-19 cases in hotel quarantine today as SA Health reveals 15 per cent of medi-hotel workers have refused vaccination.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/coronavirus/eight-new-covid-cases-in-sa-quarantine-hotels/news-story/1d64c9554483fd11f555377d7ade1dee
More than $21 billion could be saved over the next four years from a reduction in unnecessary hospitalisations and emergency department presentations if the federal government improves access to doctors and nurses across the aged care system, explains Rachel Clun.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/improving-healthcare-for-australians-in-aged-care-could-save-21-billion-ama-20210413-p57itj.html
John Collett tells us that a good portion of superannuation fund members who dipped into their super last year would be left with a significant shortfall in retirement savings when they stop work.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/hardship-withdrawals-leave-black-hole-in-retirement-savings-20210408-p57hjq.html
Remember the $105m Plutus Payroll fraud perpetrated on the ATO? Fergus Hunter tells us about yesterday’s court case.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/journalist-knew-blackmail-plotters-wanted-5m-from-plutus-targets-witness-claims-20210413-p57iu5.html
Victoria’s business lobby wants Treasurer Tim Pallas to make a major leap in next month’s budget and finally scrap the ‘inefficient and distorting’ tax.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-urged-to-rip-up-the-budget-rule-book-and-ditch-stamp-duty-20210413-p57ito.html
The rise of White supremacist and right-wing extremist movements in Europe and the USA, with even conservative ruled Australia admitting that it may have such a problem, is a nasty feature of our pandemic world, writes Bilal Cleland.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/how-to-deal-with-the-problem-of-far-right-extremism,14981
The AIMN explains how certain documents show the NSW police changed their minds over the Porter investigation.
https://theaimn.com/documents-show-nsw-police-changed-their-minds-over-porter-investigation/
Mike Foley reports that regional electorates will be targeted under Labor’s pitch to grow jobs with clean energy, setting up a clash with the Morrison government’s gas-fired recovery. Today Chris Bowen will tell a webinar that the “moral case for strong climate action is strong”, but to increase emissions reduction Labor must first persuade people that “good climate policy is good jobs policy”.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-to-target-jobs-growth-with-clean-energy-avoids-gas-fired-recovery-20210413-p57iwg.html
The AFR explains how the federal government is just $38 billion shy of achieving the Herculean $230 billion funding task set for the fiscal year after raising $14 billion through the sale of 11½ year bonds.
https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/government-closes-in-on-funding-deficit-after-14b-bond-sale-20210413-p57irr
John Mc Donald accuses Berejiklian of splurging on pet projects but stinting on the basic upkeep of the arts.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/berejiklian-splurges-on-pet-projects-but-stints-on-the-basic-up-keep-of-the-arts-20210413-p57irj.html
While the USA moves towards war, anti-China rhetoric grows on a daily basis and the idea of war is being sold as the “right” thing, writes Dr William Briggs.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/not-sleepwalking-but-marching-with-eyes-wide-open-to-war,14982
Cartoon Corner
David Pope
David Rowe
Matt Golding
Cathy Wilcox
Alan Moir
Andrew Dyson
A magnificent gif from Glen Le Lievre!
https://twitter.com/i/status/1381865171107282947
Mark Knight
Fiona Katauskas
Simon Letch
John Spooner
From the US
I’ve often thought that all bonuses do is simply foster loyalty – people will stay in a job where they are rewarded. Their performance might just be static, year in, year out.
Thanks BK.
I recall that Holgate’s predecessor also departed Auspost under a salaries type scandal. It was Turnbull though who was the bully boy PM during that period.
Interesting to note with regards to the essential poll. There was a larger weighted sample of Labor voters than Coalition ones, indicating that Labor has overtaken the Coalition (at least in this poll) on the primary.
Excluding undecideds – The numbers led to roughly:
Labor: 39%
Coalition: 38%
Greens: 10%
Others: 13%
So whilst it wasn’t the best performing poll for Albanese, it was for Labor. If the bats are swinging for the government by March, as long as Albanese is in net positive territory and perhaps in net high single digits – it should be enough. (For reference John Howard in the final Newspoll in 96’ was +8 (50-42))
This rings a bell. Wasn’t BCG’s report the one recommending privatisation of post offices that Ms Holgate was fighting against?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-25/ahmed-fahour-walks-away-from-australia-post-with-$10.8-million/8841226?
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/the-gifts-that-were-really-responsible-for-australia-post-s-woes-20210413-p57iwa.html
Newsltd and Lib/nats tactic now is put the states/territorys in charge of the vaccine rollout , like with the border closures ignore the lib/nats state governments and blame Labor if there is still a delay
“Jaegersays:
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 7:30 am
‘Secret’ drone videos of military operations kept in Ben Roberts-Smith’s backyard
Accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith kept more than a dozen Department of Defence drone videos of Afghanistan military operations buried in his backyard, including videos watermarked as “secret” and only to be shared among certain NATO forces.”
TPOF
The above is an example when an individual does not represent the organization, in this case ADF. And Didn’t he receive highest military medal for valour in Afghan war?
You can’t just have a subjective rule that turns innocent criticisms into unlawful utterances, especially criticisms critical of optional behaviour and beliefs such as speaking accent, dress sense, personal hygiene, political and religious views and so on. Such criticisms might be obnoxious, rude, and often embarrassing but they are not racist.
I’ve always understood racism to be limited to adverse conclusions based on aspects of a person’s make up based solely on their race at birth. For example saying that African-Americans have inferior brains to white Europeans by virtue of the color of their skin is “racist”. Saying you don’t like gangsta rap is not (or not necessarily) “racist”.
There are obviously grey areas and overlaps and the above examples are not designed to be a PhD dissertation on racism and all its nuances.
I would have thought that if you wanted to criticise Holgate’s plummy accent (and I agree with whoever suggested that it sounds like “posh” grafted onto the top of something altogether more humble) you’d be suggesting it was fake, and that therefore Holgate was pretentious. Or perhaps that if it was 100% real this indicated a privileged upbringing, and that she couldn’t possibly have been the champion of the working class mums and dads that she makes herself out to be. But they are NOT racist comments. Stupid maybe, possibly wrong, obnoxious, prejudicial, unfair… but not racist.
“Scottsays:
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 8:04 am
Newsltd and Lib/nats tactic now is put the states/territorys in charge of the vaccine rollout , like with the border closures ignore the lib/nats state governments and blame Labor if there is still a delay”
Sounds like a plan. 🙂
Cognitive dissonance is brewing, brewing, brewing…
B R-S has not been convicted of anything.
He has not been convicted of sending threatening letters to ADF whistleblowers.
He has not been convicted of murder.
He has not been convicted of several other illegal acts in Afghanistan.
He has not been convicted of burying secret material in a lunch box in his back yard.
Therefore it is OK for the Chairman of the Australian War Memorial to funnel funds (possibly in the form of loans) and a job to B R-S.
Therefore it is OK for B R-S’s uniform to keep its very prominent place in the War Memorial.
Therefore it is OK for Hastie to comment that the ADF is getting a little bit too woke. It is, after all, the main purpose of the ADF soldiers to kill people when required so to do.
Therefore it is OK for Dutton to restore morale after the Brereton Report by announcing that he has the soldiers’ backs.
Therefore it is OK for Lambie to mumble something about letting it all go, the poor sojers.
Therefore is is ALSO OK for Quilty to point out that the the real number of ‘incidents’ is much closer to 139 than to the 39 canvassed in the Brereton Report.
Therefore it is also OK for Quilty to point out that the ADF officer class in Afghanistan knew that some war crimes had been committed.
Therefore all the journalists who were embedded in the ADF during the Afghanistan War should give their pay back. Because, despite widespread knowledge outside and inside the ADF in Afghanistan the journalists failed to report this until very, very late in the war.
Therefore embedding ‘worked’ for the ADF and for the various governments who were content with the embedders’ outputs. (Yes, yes, yes… embedding was one of the command and control responses to the role of the MSM in the Vietnam War.)
Therefore first it was, and then it was not, OK for the ADF to take back unit medals. These are medals given to all members of a unit cited for either merit in a particular action or a period of meritorious service. Think of unit decorations as a corporate bonus.
Therefore the tricky thing that will arise is that, providing that some of the 39 cases currently being worked up for possible prosecution lead to actual convictions, some unit decorations will encompass war crimes. Sort of giving a team a best and fairest team medal after a back pocket knocked another player unconscious with a king hit.
BTW, and in case any of youse had tended to focus on China’s threat to invade Taiwan and missed it, the Afghanistan War continues to this very day.
lizzie:
Yes, Ahmed Fahour is who I was thinking of.
After Laura Tingle’s interview with Holgate, friends of mine are starting to share this t-shirt on Facebook.
https://parliamenthouseofcards.com.au/product/laura-tingle-womens-tee
Ingenuity helicopter first flight delayed until next week at the earliest.
Work Progresses Toward Ingenuity’s First Flight on Mars
https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/status/290/work-progresses-toward-ingenuity-s-first-flight-on-mars/
Thanks BK for the Dawn Patrol.
Morrison has just sent the bullsh*t meter off the scale. On the vaccine debacle, the national cabinet is to be placed on a war footing and meet bi-weekly (is that fortnightly?) to presumably spread the blame onto the states. Tehan is being sent to the EU to attack them over vaccine supplies.
This should all lead to everyone being vaccinated quickly and efficiently and Australia can go back to normal, open our borders and be carefree and happy. Sounds like a fairytale to me.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-13/morrison-government-national-cabinets-fix-covid-vaccine-rollout/100067204
UK Cartoons:
Steve Bell on inquiry into #DavidCameron and #Greensill scandal #BorisJohnson #Lobbying #GreensillScandal #ToryCorruption:
Dave Brown’s Independent cartoon… #DavidCameron #BorisJohnson #Greensill #Lobbying #GreensillScandal #ToryCorruption:
Patrick Blower on the easing of England’s Covid restrictions:
Guy Venables on #lobbying #cameronscandal #ToryCorruption:
Morten Morland on #DavidCameron #MattHancock #lobbying #cameronscandal #ToryCorruption:
Christian Adams on #LockdownEasing:
Morton Morland on #lockdownlifting #lobbying:
PAUL THOMAS on the changing of the guard:
Twice a week.
The interview by Laura Tingle with Christine Holgate is compelling viewing.
Justin Stevens
@_JustinStevens_
·
12h
Missed tonight’s
@abc730
&
@latingle
’s interview with Christine #Holgate?
Catch up on iView here
7.30: Tuesday 13/4/2021
In an exclusive interview, Christine Holgate speaks out about her departure from Australia Post. Liberal MP Andrew Laming’s bid to stand again for preselection is blocked. Regional aged care homes…
iview.abc.net.au
I cant link the interview. Best to go directly to ABC iview on line
Apparently it can mean twice a week or every two weeks. For example, the Cambridge dictionary on “bimonthly”:
If authorities dig much more in Roberts-Smith’s backyard, what else are they going to find? This man’s in more trouble than the First Fleeters, bringing it all upon himself. There have been some fine holders of the VC; Roberts-Smith is
not one of them, his action to silence those who witnessed his alleged war crimes is a low act. And it can’t be said that his war service mitigates his aberrant conduct, as it appears it’s based on an attempt to avoid accountability and moreover it was premeditated, hardly conducive to, say, a man suffering PTSD due to the horrors of war.
It is also a useful distraction from the accusation of bullying.
Joe Biden Is Driving Republicans Crazy By Being So Positive And Nice
The Independent reported: < The GOP campaign consultant — a veteran of both presidential and congressional politics — said Biden’s relative reticence, combined with his age and race, has made it harder to launch culture war-based attacks on him.
“You’ll never get anyone to admit this on the record, but it’s really f**king hard to drive down the negatives of an affable, gentlemanly white man who says nice, positive things most of the time,” he said.
Republicans are trying to wage a culture war, but Joe Biden is decent and nice that they aren’t getting anywhere. Instead of dividing America, Republicans find themselves screaming to each other inside the conservative media/Fox News bubble as the rest of the country continues to support the President and his popular policies.
Republicans are going nuts because they can’t handle a decent president who most Americans like and trust
https://www.politicususa.com/2021/04/13/biden-republicans-crazy.html
Oh, I see the Guardian says national cabinet will meet twice a week. That is ridiculous – what can they talk about twice a week? The premiers and chief ministers will soon tire of that routine, since it only takes once to tell Morrison to pull his finger out.
Victoria @ #37 Wednesday, April 14th, 2021 – 6:32 am
thanks Vic, I’ll catch it later.
Fess
Cheers
citizen
I agree. Ludicrous. Just Scotty pretending to be busy.
Psst. Biden’s mother was a Kenyan and Biden is a muslim. Pass it on.