Market research:
• My first of what will be regular contributions to Crikey each Wednesday through the campaign makes the case for taking opinion polling seriously again, though you may think that I would say that.
• Today’s Financial Review reports focus groups of undecided voters in Sydney and Melbourne found Scott Morrison to be “smirking, unkempt, immature and dishonest”, to which women added “annoying and patronising”. However, he was also considered a hard worker and “good orator”, and marked up for his response to the Ukraine war. Anthony Albanese was “dull, uninspiring and too negative”, and his failure to have made a clear impression meant Labor had failed to fully shake off perceptions it planned to abolish franking credits and introduce a death tax. The focus groups were conducted for the paper by Ipsos on Tuesday – there is no indication that Albanese’s stumbles over unemployment and the cash rate the previous day were raised.
• Miranda Ward of the Financial Review reports Nielsen Ad Intel data shows the United Australia Party has spent $3.49 million in media advertising this month, compared with $472,247 by Labor, $103,265 by Liberal and $42,991 by the Greens.
Candidate news:
• George Christensen’s plan to run for One Nation proved to be a damp squib for everyone but his accountant, the big idea being to run for the inconsequential third position on the party’s Senate ticket. This will entitle him to six months’ worth of their salary, or over $100,000, as part of a “resettlement allowance” paid to defeated but not retiring incumbents. According to Andrew Tillett of the Financial Review, Christensen’s claim that he would have been entitled to it anyway on the grounds that he was effectively knocked back for Liberal National Party preselection does not square with the rules set out by the Remuneration Tribunal.
• Fairfield deputy mayor Dai Le will run as an independent in Fowler, seeking to capitalise on discontent over Labor’s preselection of Kristina Keneally over a member of the seat’s substantial Vietnamese community. Le came within 2.1% of gaining the state seat of Cabramatta for the Liberals in the party’s 2011 landslide and polled 25.9% as an independent there in 2019. Her campaign is backed by Fairfield mayor Frank Carbone, who had earlier floated the possibility of running himself.
On the ground:
• David Crowe of the Age/Herald reports Scott Morrison will be in northern Tasmania today dispensing $219.5 million from a forestry industry fund, with a view to shoring up the Liberal-held marginals of Bass and Braddon and perhaps snaring Labor-held Lyons.
• Barnaby Joyce was in the Northern Territory on Tuesday to target its two Labor-held seats, promoting the budget’s $1.5 billion of spending on new port facilities in Darwin and promising to spend $440 million on logistics hubs elsewhere in the territory, respectively of interest to Solomon and Lingiari. According to David Crowe of the Age/Herald, this points to Coalition hopes it can “gain ground in the regions despite poor polling in the cities”.
• Katherine Deves, who is running for the Liberals against independent Zali Steggall in Warringah, was found to have deleted social media posts relating to trans rights issues, one of which referred to “vulnerable children surgically mutilated and sterilised in furtherance of an unattainable ideal”. This was evidently thought to have exceeded her brief as a campaigner for strict definitions of biological sex in women’s sport, but even here Scott Morrison now appears less keen than he did when he rated it a point in her favour after rubber-stamping her preselection last week.
“ You do realise the western half of the Roman Empire was conquered by “non-Roman barbarians”. The other half seemed not to have so many “murderers and suppressors of knowledge”.
There was no ‘conquest’ of the western empire, as such. There was a rolling internal collapse, whereby the so called conquerors – who had in most cases been invited into the empire for various reasons (but probably in large part because of plague induced labour crises) inherited various parts of it upon simply knocking on the door (and the building effectively falling over). By that stage ‘the non-Roman Barbarians’ you refer to were often Roman citizens and office holders, and were also Christians.
That said, Julian had effectively – if temporarily- set the west to rights before ascending from Caesar to Augustus a century and half before the final collapse.
The ‘other half’ of the empire contained the most vicious and devious of the the Christ cult: murdering Julian (after undermining his conquest of Persia), and my favourite episode – Cyril of Alexandria’s followers cutting off Hypatia’s tits with oyster shells before shredding her body. Emblematic of the whole awful shit show.
And the Romans needed 1000 years. Gough just three.
”
Upnorthsays:
Friday, April 15, 2022 at 9:58 pm
Speaking of religion, this moring I went to Mass at my local Church. It’s a Catholic Church but built in Thai architectual style. Mass is said in both Thai and English.
This afternoon we went to the Buddhist Temple to celebrate Thai New Year (Songkran). Suffice to say I muttered a prayer at both locations for Albo and the team.
There is a Synagoue just down the road and a Mosque not to far away – but enough for one day.
”
No Hindu temple nearby because their King is considered a reincarnation of Lord Rama?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajiralongkorn
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakri_dynasty
Pi says:
Friday, April 15, 2022 at 10:01 pm
Very important to pray in ALL of the churches Upnorth. Cover all of the bases.
“Satu” (Amen in Thai) to that Comrade. Then I shall go for another walk tomorrow. Not sure if my Catholic prayers work in Synagogues or Mosques. But I have seemed to have some luck at Buddhist Temples – with certain prayers seemingly answered!!!!
I was taught by Sisters of Mercy. I do remember around the time that Whitlam was sacked – I was in Grade 1. My parents and grandparents were outraged. Our old Irish Nun asked who we should pray for – I answered the Prime Minister as he lost his job!
Nath @ 9.17pm
“that we really don’t know what Morrison’s beliefs are”
Ya stumbled onto something Nath!
Who’d bloody thought!
”
Guykbsays:
Friday, April 15, 2022 at 10:01 pm
But what have the Romans ever done for us?
”
Ask Paul Wolfowitz, who called the Americans as New Romans while establishing pan Americana.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfowitz_Doctrine
It’s a mistake to believe that ‘Rome’ was somehow supplanted, and a new empire grew in its place to replace it. Rome has effectively been occupied since it was first founded. The kernel of the Holy Roman Empire was born out of the aristocracy of the Roman Empire before it. Same people. Same families. Different allegiances. They didn’t suddenly become a bunch of cloistered clerics.
It stopped being the centre of trade for centuries as the center of government moved west, but Rome the city was a typical medium or even large sized city in 700AD at the time at which it had diminished to its lowest point since first founded. Even at that time with a population of about 50K, the largest city in the world, Ctesiphon aka the capital of what was once Persia, only had a population of about 500K. Even at its smallest, it would have been one of the largest cities in Europe at the time.
There’s a real gap with a lot of people’s understanding of what is now called ‘the dark ages’.
Upnorth
Our old Irish Nun asked who we should pray for – I answered the Prime Minister as he lost his job!
———-
I’m obviously older than you.
I grew up in western Qld. Most of our nuns were Irish (and very young).
It was hilarious with nuns with strong Irish accents trying to teach Queensland kids with equally strong bush accents, the “Queens” English.
When the ABC is called left wing and is full of apologists for a hard right government….
@ Ven
There is a Hindu Temple – but it’s across the river and Mrs Upnorth doesn’t like to go there.
You are correct that all Thai Kings are indeed called Rama. The current incarnation is Rama X. His father of course was the then then longest serving monarch in the world and second longest in history at the time of his death. The Kings are however defenders of Buddhism and practice Buddhist theology.
Fun fact – there are currently over 400 Thais either in prison or about to face charges because of the charge of “less majeste” or insulting the Royal institution. Not only is it illegal to insult the current King and his family but also previous members of the Royal Family – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A8se-majest%C3%A9_in_Thailand
Also both “The King and I” and “Anna and the King” are banned in Thailand because of the impression they create about the former King Mongut (Rama V).
Salvage the Future
When the ABC is called left wing and is full of apologists for a hard right government….
————-
Indeed. But the thing i hate about most contemporary ABC announcers is not so much their right wing apologia but their bloody ignorance.
Most of them are quite uneducated and unintelligent.
@Rakali
I’ve always felt, what is a journalist but an Arts graduate who didn’t have enough brains to join the public service or the courage to go into teaching.
Rakali says:
Friday, April 15, 2022 at 10:36 pm
Upnorth
Our old Irish Nun asked who we should pray for – I answered the Prime Minister as he lost his job!
———-
I’m obviously older than you.
I grew up in western Qld. Most of our nuns were Irish (and very young).
It was hilarious with nuns with strong Irish accents trying to teach Queensland kids with equally strong bush accents, the “Queens” English.
I am from North Queensland – sugar cane and cattle country. Our Catholic School was quite small and most of my fellow students were of Italian Heritage as their parents owned the cane farms.
Many spoke very lttle English having spoken Italian at home until school. Our Grade 1 nun was from Tipperary and as per you experience had a very strong Irish accent. Teacher and student were often both equally dumbfounded with the “Queens” English!
Unfortunately the only Italian I can really remember are words you can’t say in Church.
I still unconsciously talk like a North Queenslander. Our evening meal is “Tea” and lunch for us is dinner. You drink a soft drink or beer from a “Tin” and an Ice Cream on a stick is a “by-jingo”. When you talk to someone and make a statement you must always add “hey” to the end of the sentance.
And like most Queenlanders of your vintage Rakali, I am sure you know there is no way Peanuts can make Butter – thats a job for cows. Ground peanuts make Peanut Paste.
One of the most confronting false memes that I believed until a few years back, was about the dark ages and the effect of the church/clergy on science. Like almost everyone who is asked this question, the great bulk of people think that the church held back science through the dark ages, at least in Europe. Reality? The clergy were the educated ones. The scientists. It would have been considered a sin to not investigate ‘gods’ world. The science wasn’t there, but it wasn’t there for anyone. It got there because of the logic being developed, and the education framework of testing it, required books and analysis. Without a printing press, the only people that could do that were the people that wrote the books aka the clergy. Roger Bacon is one of the most powerful examples of this; A Franciscan Monk.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bacon
Then there’s Copernicus, Magnus, and of course Ockham. The Jesuits created an entire order devoted to it.
The great christian anti-intellectual movement didn’t really begin until the 1800’s, and that had a lot more to do with power than it ever had to do with science or religion. Still does.
“their bloody ignorance”
yep and ignorance to basic decency, fairness and concern for the community and planet…. “journalists” working for the boss….
“Election 2022 live: Labor pledges national anti-corruption commission ‘first priority’
Anthony Albanese has pledged a national anti-corruption commission will be “first priority” if Labor is re-elected, while Scott Morrison has thrown a $2.8m lifeline to regional Aussies.
Labor will establish a national anti-corruption commission within six months of being elected, pledging to make it the “first priority” in contrast to three years of “delay” from the Morrison Government.
With integrity a key election issue for voters across the country, Labor’s announcement is expected to place renewed pressure on the Coalition just days after Prime Minister Scott Morrison tried to blame the opposition for not supporting his proposal for a federal corruption body.”
“When asked whether he would try to establish the CIC if he won this election, Mr Morrison said his priorities for his next term were clear.
“Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs,” he said.”
Morrison would have been great mates with Joh!
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/federal-election/election-2022-live-labor-pledges-national-anticorruption-commission-first-priority/news-story/7714ec17079bc220c530e7cbf2fabe10?amp
Saw more than a few nuns in Rome, especially in and around the Vatican.
They are of various ages. But it was as an international a collection as a Melbourne medical team. Few liberal European young women want the nun lifestyle anymore. Virtually nun!
Upnorth
And like most Queenlanders of your vintage Rakali, I am sure you know there is no way Peanuts can make Butter – thats a job for cows. Ground peanuts make Peanut Paste.
———-
It was against the law in Queensland to refer to Peanut paste as Peanut butter.
Rakali says:
Friday, April 15, 2022 at 11:05 pm
Upnorth
And like most Queenlanders of your vintage Rakali, I am sure you know there is no way Peanuts can make Butter – thats a job for cows. Ground peanuts make Peanut Paste.
———-
It was against the law in Queensland to refer to Peanut paste as Peanut butter.
————
Correct – don’t forget Joh was Peanut farmer from Kingaroy!
Upnorth
Correct – don’t forget Joh was Peanut farmer from Kingaroy!
———
I know… but this was well before Joh. I’m talking of the 50s…
I think I must be past my “use by” date, in this brutal neo-liberal Australia.
Yes and ETA super spread was a cooking margarine …. Supposedly. There was a limit on the amount of table margarine that could be sold in QLD.
The good old days.
If there were more Matt Kean’s, and less Scott Morrison’s, the LNP wouldn’t be bracing for a hiding.
https://twitter.com/Matt_KeanMP/status/1514924832684912648?cxt=HHwWkMDRmfyGjIYqAAAA
“There is no place in a mainstream political party for bigotry. Coming out as Trans would be hugely challenging, especially for kids, and political leaders should be condemning the persecution of people based on their gender, not participating in it.”
I wonder how many “journalists” are reporting on the divisions between the NSW libs and the federal libs. The NSW treasurer calling out the captains pick of the Prime Minister seems like it should make the news somewhere. I’m guessing zero chance.
Assuming this statement in Murdoch’s Oz is correct, it indicates a pledge by Labor to cleanse the public service of figures closely aligned with Morrison and the LNP.
Gaetjens would not be the only one to be shown the door. Then there are all the political appointments to statutory authorities who might be feeling uncomfortable.
This obviously ties in with Labor running hard on a Federal ICAC.
Growing up in WA in the 1970s and 80s, we had Kraft Peanut Paste. I assumed it was known as this everywhere in Australia, but perhaps not:
https://australianfoodtimeline.com.au/peanut-butter-ban/
It wasn’t only Queensland. Gough broke the table margarine restrictions by having 300 tons of table margarine ‘manufactured’ in the ACT and distributed around Australia using the s.92 free trade between states provision in the constitution.
We also called the evening meal ‘tea’, and the mid-day meal ‘dinner’.
I still use ‘tea’ but have adopted ‘lunch’.
citizen
It wasn’t only Queensland. Gough broke the table margarine restrictions by having 300 tons of table margarine ‘manufactured’ in the ACT and distributed around Australia using the s.92 free trade between states provision in the constitution.
:———-
I didn’t know that!
I used to love Gough but I am shocked.
I only use butter 🙂
DB Cooper @ #1728 Friday, April 15th, 2022 – 9:33 pm
It was always breckie, lunch and tea in our house.
DBCooper
We also called the evening meal ‘tea’, and the mid-day meal ‘dinner’.
——
We used to say “lunch” for midday and “tea” for evening dinner.
I’m originally from Sydney and we used ‘dinner’ and ‘tea’ when growing up.
Our 5yo grandson corrected me when I once called the midday meal dinner. I need to ask him what he calls the snack before lunch at school. For me it was ‘play lunch’ but then our daughters had ‘recess’. There is/was also ‘little lunch’.
Yes, as with Barny, brekkie, lunch and tea.h
Phew! Glad to have missed today’s religion wars!
Meanwhile, my conclusions about the mainstream media, based on the campaign so far…
1) Incurably corrupt. The sooner the edifice is swept away by social media the better.
2) Most infuriatingly disappointing award: the ABC. Even Tingle continually piling on the Albo gaffe while the organisation picks apart Labor and looks past the Coalition – not that they’d accept their biased.
3) Slight encouragement award: SMH (and a few others) ‘blasting’ Morrison on FICAC. Maybe Labor can work in the ‘Teal issue’ space to get some positive media impact.
4) Surprising encouragement award: News Corp is not 100% negative about Albo and Labor! Even running a puff piece on Albo & partner. Not a chance of this sort of thing in 2019.
5) A real FICAC might address 1), but more likely increased competition in the media market. Social media is one form of this. How to loosen the grip of a small number of traditional media organisations without losing the 10 following elections…?
Existential question for the evening: is it breckie or brekkie?
@ Rakali and davidwh
Yes it wasn’t Joh that made “Peanut Butter” and Margarine illegal in Queensland.
That was the job of the “Boards”.
Quango’s that had tremendous powers and were relics of pre war years – kept in place by those great agrarian socialists The National Party (socialise your losses and capitalise your gains).
There was of course the Peanut Board, Milk Board, Butter Board, Fish Board, Bread Board and the most powerful of the lot the Sugar Board. They decided on the price, tonnages, quality of each commodity.
You had to be a member of the National Party to sit on these Boards and remuneration of course was expected. It was the consumer in the end that paid. The Goss Government began the dismantling the Board system after its’ election in 1989.
The National Party also stacked local Ambulance and Hospital Committees whose members were also paid, often with the proceeds of raffles and other fund raisers orgainsed by local commuities as Ambulance and Health services were chronically underfunded by the Nationals.
Some Boards, like Water Boards, still exist and perform important work in terms of drainge and water retention across the State – but remuneration is no longer provided.
A quick read of tomorrow’s headlines sees the desperate Fourth estate bogged down and wheel spinning in a frantic attempt to generate some forward motion for the besieged and friendless PM.
The election now depends on the bullshit man and his army of marketeers, writers, organizers, minders and photographers getting it all moving in the same direction to prevent an inevitability of voter mistrust in a faultering regime.
The next polls being compiled need to show genuine support for a PM teetering on the edge of another miracle.
If the polls don’t reflect some positive movement for Morrison, the paper thin alliances within his ranks could split apart and open a juggernaut for change.
The 2019 results have created “reality show” atmosphere with the next episode being the post easter polls.
Hey,
So because I can’t remember recently seeing a referendum to reform section 44 and section 46 of the constitution.
Anyone going to go out and make some money, and bankrupt the poor young man Ben Small?
46. Penalty for sitting when disqualified
Until the Parliament otherwise provides, any person declared by this Constitution to be incapable of sitting as a senator or as a member of the House of Representatives shall, for every day on which he so sits, be liable to pay the sum of one hundred pounds to any person who sues for it in any court of competent jurisdiction.
Breakfast, lunch and tea. Dinner was lunch on Christmas Day.
I’m pretty sure we also has peanut paste. We also had polony in our sandwiches and Guest cool drinks: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1992059874198390
Snappy Tom says:
Friday, April 15, 2022 at 11:47 pm
Existential question for the evening: is it breckie or brekkie?
——————-
I would say “brekkie” but Barney does have a better command of the “Queens”than my good self.
As a kid out camping and fishing with my Grandad, he would often serve a “Dingo’s Breakfast” before we pulled the crab pots, that being a drink of water and a look around.
Grandad also taught us “always paint your house white and always vote Labor”.
Like I said, Scott Morrison is terrified of facing the public. Watch him high-tail it as soon as a young person asks a question about climate change. His photographer provides cover!
https://twitter.com/jadedaussie/status/1514814668568956928
Another unscripted event and it’s his best Brave Sir Robin impersonation. Pub test = fail.
Upnorth @ #1739 Friday, April 15th, 2022 – 9:57 pm
I just made it up. 😆
One Nation continues to attract quality talent.
“Former One Nation candidate Gerard Nicol has described the party that ditched him last week off the back of “repulsive” comments about women as “retarded”.
Mr Nicol, who was running in the federal seat of Eden-Monaro, was disendorsed by Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party a week ago after a series of inappropriate comments surfaced on social media.
The comments included “how many women have been raped and murdered walking home… F**k all”, and in relation to household chores that “men have better fine motor skills. They can do the work in half the time. The only reason I’d get a woman to do chores is so she felt she had done something”, and that some “insufferable” women’s only value was “their vagina”.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/former-candidate-gerard-nicol-calls-one-nation-retarded-after-being-booted/news-story/a01062dfd18bdf57eaba4268dce5bd6d?amp
@ Barney – your more honest than SfM!
Upnorth @ #1743 Friday, April 15th, 2022 – 10:09 pm
The truth is much easier to remember.
I’m not going to be particularly concerned about any poll tightening, should it come.
My concern will be the trajectory in the final 2-3 weeks.
One of the biggest consequences of the Abbott hyper-politicisation of APS Secretaries has been rotating officials, which does impact (positively and negative) the culture of the individual agencies and the APS as a whole.
Gaetjens is clearly unqualified to be Secretary of PM&C – but there has been a significant positive cultural shift. Others who are very much seen as being politically aligned, like Campbell at DSS then DFAT and Atkinson at Infrastructure have certainly negatively impacted their cultures.
Snappy Tomsays:
Friday, April 15, 2022 at 11:47 pm
Existential question for the evening: is it breckie or brekkie?
—
Breakie
Yes Pi it’s obvious atm that Morrison doesn’t want to risk being seen, and potentially accosted, in the general public. He is incapable of engaging in real discussion, as he’s mostly spin and obfuscation. The media’s take on it all has generally been pretty odd and shallow so far. Albanese has had some mistakes in the first week of the campaign, but Morrison has made the biggest substantive mistake in ruling out a FICAC. It’s basically an admission that his government has no concern for integrity and I think that has killed any hope of them attaining a majority in the House of Reps, they are going to lose seats to Labor and Indies with that position.
The polls as far as I’m aware are mostly running off assumptions that preferences will flow as they did in 2019, but you’d think non-major party voters will flow more strongly to Labor this time around. Albanese isn’t a particularly strong candidate for PM but he is seen as fairly trustworthy and most importantly he’s not Morrison. I think the only reason Morrison is still PM is that his own party mostly despises him and think they’ll lose whoever leads them, and so want him to own the loss so they can assign him to the rubbish bin and move on. If Australian voters truly are that daft and he is somehow re-elected I can’t see him serving out a full term.
Interesting that “Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!” was one of the three mottoes of Trump’s 2020 election campaign. The other two were “Keeping America Great” and “Promises Made, Promises Kept”.
It did not quite work out for Trump so I wonder if it will work for our Miracle Man Morrison.
And yes, if Morrison is re-elected I expect him to be replaced by Dutton or Frydenburg within 18 months.
Pi says:
“Hinze would have been off to the slammer if he hadn’t died too.”
As would Joh Bjelke-Petersen, if
(a) his first jury had not been dismissed after someone with access to court records contacted jury members after hours; and
(b) his second jury — by a remarkable coincidence, and undisclosed at the time — included a young member of the ‘Friends of Joh’ who eagerly volunteered for the role of foreman.
New thread.