The West Australian had a poll on Tuesday from Painted Dog Research that put the exact question to be featured on the ballot paper at the Indigenous voice referendum found a 60-40 of its WA-only respondent base coming down in favour, with sharp distinctions by age (71-29 in favour among 18-to-34, 63-37 in favour among 35-to-54 and 53-47 against among 55-plus) and gender (69-31 for yes among women compared with 51-49 among men). The poll was conducted over the weekend from a sample of 1052,
The only other poll news unrelated to Aston that I have to hang a new open thread off is the regular Roy Morgan result, which has Labor’s two-party lead at 57-43 from primary votes of Labor 35.5%, Coalition 32% and Greens 13%. The poll was conducted last Monday to Sunday, so may have picked up static from the New South Wales election, with an unreported sample size.
Thanks BK, lots of very pleasurable reading today.
Player One @ #648 Sunday, April 2nd, 2023 – 10:50 am
Anyone would think Boerwar wants the Labor party to rule in the authoritarian style of the Chinese Govt.
I know it has been said a million times, but shoring up/motivating the base relates to voluntary voting races.
In compulsory voting, you basically take the base for granted and try to grab 51 percent of the centre.
Is it really that hard for the Libs to understand that? Apparently.
goll says:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 10:16 am
Wheeling out Phil Coorey to appear on Insiders is very 1950’s retro focused.
————————————–
Waiting for a Coorey article on Peter Dutton the man who saved Australia
Something to look forward to. I’ll take a guess and say that the ex president will be accompanied by an armed official (no idea from which service) whose job will be to deliver the former President to the courthouse.
A YouTube video (I can’t find it now) made the point that the ex-President is effectively “on the run” in Florida, because the indictment is by the State of New York. Under the terms of the federated United States, no State may block extradition by any other. It doesn’t apply in federal cases. That gets De Santis off the hook.
Another interesting bit is how few supporters he has left. If the photos are anything to go by, it’s fewer than a dozen. Mr “Lock her up.” is in trouble.
The rise of unregulated social media has had a massive effect on our politics in Australia.
The control and effect that traditional corporate MSM has had on the public has been severely weakened.
With friends like these etc,etc
“(The Age)…also read the most melodramatic story of all, from no less than the state political editor, which claimed that Daniel Andrews’ trip was the most secretive by a politician since Henry Kissinger went to China in 1971. This laughable claim ignored the facts that Andrews’ trip was announced, an itinerary was released, and he answered questions from the media about it. It also ignored Scott Morrison’s secret trip to Hawaii, which wasn’t announced to the media or the public, and was then denied for days while the Prime Minister was secretly out of Australia, on a tropical holiday, as large swathes of the country burned.”
https://capturedstates.substack.com/p/the-age-accidentally-helped-labor?utm_medium=email
“Another interesting bit is how few supporters he has left. If the photos are anything to go by, it’s fewer than a dozen. Mr “Lock her up.” is in trouble.”
The Fool from King Lear comes to mind: “Let loose thy hold when a great wheel runs down hill, lest it break thy neck with following. But the great one that goes upward, let him draw thee after…When a wise man gives thee better council, give me mine again, I would have none but Knaves follow it, since a fool gives it”
For those who might be interested, the EU rejected the attempted watering-down changes to the vehicle emission standards and move to no ICE vehicles by 2035 put forward by Germany and Italy, yay.
Disappointed that Speers didn’t press harder for details from Dutton!
From the SMH live blog:
Returning to Peter Dutton’s interview on Insiders now, and the opposition leaders says Australians with conservative views about gender should not be silenced because many people in suburban and regional areas are “very worked up” about transgender rights issues.
As the Liberal Party was fighting to hold onto the seat of Aston, it suspended controversial Victorian state MP Moira Deeming for attending an anti-transgender rights protest in Melbourne that was crashed by neo-Nazis.
Deeming later accepted that attending the “Let Women Speak” event outside the Victorian Parliament may have been an error of judgement.
Appearing on the ABC’s Insiders program after the Aston defeat, Dutton said he would not tolerate any discrimination on the basis of gender but added: “I think people should have respect and the debate runs two ways.
“There are very strong views within many parts of Australian society.
“Maybe not right here in the inner city areas of our country, but in the outer metropolitan areas this is an issue in terms of women’s rights and the gender issue that has parents and others very worked up.”
Either Dutton does not do logic (very possible) or he fears a leadership coup from people further to the right in the Liberal party, but there is no evidence that people in Aston “are “very worked up” about transgender rights issues”.
This is an American right wing fear issue, meant to scare people into voting Republican, and motivating the Republican to actually turn up and vote.
I cannot see any concern in Australia about trans-gender issues, just a fear campaign by Pentecostals (less than 2% of Australians) and the Murdoch media. On the other hand, those two interested parties are definitely very worked up about the issue not changing votes.
It has played well with my 88 year old mother, who now complains about the lack of separate “Ladies” toilets in flights, and ho will not go to any restaurant unless there is a separate “Ladies” toilet.
It drives me crazy, and makes my life difficult, but it is not changing any votes.
I think Dutton and the Liberals are also using it to distract from the fact that they have no policy, other than to destroy as much of Government as possible, except for the bits where they give money to their mates for contracts that did not go to tender, or for lucrative positions like AAT appointments, or culture warriors like Lorraine Finlay as Human Rights Commissioner.
Edit: Above, Torchbearer does a TL;DR of my rather long comment.
I tend to agree P1. The smart move is for Hastie to wait for Dutton to lose the next election. However, if the government suddenly looks vulnerable (and its a matter of record that first term governments in Australia going back to Howard- so that would be four governments in a row – have appeared shaky towards the end of their first term) then he may wish to strike late next year.
@Andrew_Earlwood
If the government is looking vulnerable then Peter Dutton’s leadership won’t be in jeopardy. Andrew Hastie waiting for his time to strike where the ‘government suddenly looks vulnerable’ isn’t going to happen. When Tony Abbott successfully challenged Malcolm Turnbull as opposition leader the Rudd government was far from looking vulnerable when it happened. Liberals polling was diabolical at the time.
“ If the government is looking vulnerable then Peter Dutton’s leadership won’t be in jeopardy.”
Well, the wheels were starting to fall off, or at least look shaky, for Labor in 1989 when Peacock struck down Howard, again in 1995 when Howard replaced downer and in late 2009 when Abbott replaced Turnbull [and yes the government had the wobbles – CRPS was stuck in the senate, Rudd defeated and exhausted from Copenhagen, cost of living and economic pressures from the GFC were still there and folk within the government were starting to get jack of Rudd’s autocratic leadership style and had – for the first time in two years – started leaking stuff. Further Turnbull had lost credibility over Utegate and his support for the concept at least of the CRPS. So he was underperforming].
To my reckoning, if a government has got the wobbles, THAT is the time that an underperforming opposition leader is most vulnerable. In fact that was the reason why the CPG tried to create a “Labor Leadershit” story in both 2018 and 2021. Labor didnt take the bait, but I reckon it is in the Liberals nature for Leadershit in such circumstances.
Cronus says:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 10:54 am
Socrates says:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 8:21 am
Morning all. Beautiful day, sun shining, birds chirping, cats snuggling for warmth, and an extra hours sleep. I might only wake up this happy once every hundred years
….
+1, I’ve only taken to briefly watching Credlin and Co for the election last week and last night. I get such extraordinary pleasure from their misery, my bad. It amazes me that these people are incapable of seeing what the vast majority of us can see. There are none so blind.
Schadenfreude. Better than licorice. Better than short black. Better than chocolate. Much better than gin. Better than cognac. Better than duck and plum sauce. Almost as good as grilled sea bass with ginger, chillies and shallots, for lunch under the shade of the oak tree near the beach in Lisbon. The regrets of Reactionaries are to be enjoyed slowly, with friends.
‘Griff says:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 10:36 am
…
Boerwar, the delay of democratic negotiations is a utilitarian outcome if more people are able to be helped for a longer period of time.
…’
—————————————
Sure. The Greens should go ahead with their million houses program. Starting today.
“To my reckoning, if a government has got the wobbles, THAT is the time that an underperforming opposition leader is most vulnerable.”
—
That sounds most plausible. Why bust a gut when you can simply wait and snatch your prize from the person who’s done most of the work?
Late Riser @ #666 Sunday, April 2nd, 2023 – 11:35 am
Exactly. What better way to demonstrate your deep understanding of the Liberal philosophy?
Dutton’s leadership is not at risk because he is doing an excellent job of representing the LNP.
Disgusting.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/01/iran-chief-justice-says-unveiled-women-will-be-prosecuted-without-mercy
Nobody in the right mind would want to lead the Libs. Theyre a complete shambles and I think their Queensland support is floundering too.
The Queensland argument was brought up last night by Tony Barry and today by Phillip Coory in competitiveness in Liberal polling. Barry suggested LNP state leader David Crisafulli was competitive in Queensland. I’m skeptical on how competitive Crisafulli really is in winning government.
The last federal election the coalition were helped in Queensland by the margins were built up in outer suburbs seats and inner regions. Thanks to Labors diabolical performance in Queensland in 2019. The coalition won’t have that advantage next election where the margins buffers have been cut.
Coory only relevant point though the coalition has been coloured with a conservative LNP type feel in the opposition. Because of the numbers of MP’s they have in their ranks from Queensland. David Spears corrected Coory that the LNP won’t be able to squeeze out further gains in Queensland. And its in other states such as New South Wales and Victoria where the Liberals needs to make inroads.
Asha says:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 9:26 am
The brainy specs are actually a good look for Dutton. They give him a somewhat softer appearance and create the illusion that he still has eyebrows.
————————————-
They’re a necessary distraction from the very plain potato palette.
Mostly Interested says:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 9:37 am
Nikki Sava:, wait until after the result of the referendum is known, if a yes outcome expect a killing season in the Liberal party
———————————————————————
If Aston was the final nail in the coffin then a YES vote for The Voice would be the crucifix affixed to the top.
Andrew_Earlwoodsays:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 11:26 am
“ If the government is looking vulnerable then Peter Dutton’s leadership won’t be in jeopardy.”
Well, the wheels were starting to fall off, or at least look shaky, for Labor in 1989 when Peacock struck down Howard, again in 1995 when Howard replaced downer and in late 2009 when Abbott replaced Turnbull [and yes the government had the wobbles – CRPS was stuck in the senate, Rudd defeated and exhausted from Copenhagen, cost of living and economic pressures from the GFC were still there and folk within the government were starting to get jack of Rudd’s autocratic leadership style and had – for the first time in two years – started leaking stuff. Further Turnbull had lost credibility over Utegate and his support for the concept at least of the CRPS. So he was underperforming].
To my reckoning, if a government has got the wobbles, THAT is the time that an underperforming opposition leader is most vulnerable. In fact that was the reason why the CPG tried to create a “Labor Leadershit” story in both 2018 and 2021. Labor didnt take the bait, but I reckon it is in the Liberals nature for Leadershit in such circumstances.”
=========================
Don’t forget the most striking example: Bob Hawke, Feb 8, 1983.
Daniel Andrews just gave it to Dutton with both barrels re the Libs culture wars.
I noted the Insiders commentary re Dutton being safe in his leadership position despite the Libs clearly desperate position. Supposedly the Lib MPs are generally happy with his performance suggesting an extremely low bar given the poor results and almost universal negative feedback.
Interesting too was Dutton’s retort that essentially LGBTIQ+ ideological issues were important to his more regional constituents. All good but let’s face it, these constituents are a significant minority of Australia’s population and entirely unrepresentative of the majority views.
Good to hear Speers categorically refute Dutton’s comments re the AG’s and SG’s advice re The Voice as articulated by these individuals and forcing Dutton to admit he wasn’t in the room to hear their views. He’s essentially calling them liars or lying himself.
Andrews on Dutton WTTE – Victorians have worked him and the Libs out, they’re all about themselves and the Liberal party.
Cronus
That was what Daniel Andrews ripped into him on.
McGowan on Dutton:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEw6i_WP3dA
Boerwar
“ The notion that Ley is in the race to replace Dutton is absurd.”
————————————————————————————-
+1, Ley is a subject of mirth, a parody, she’ll never be taken seriously.
Coorey completely dismissed a replacement leader of the Lib party when other names were brought up on Insiders this morning. He would know. He is the Libs chief insider.
The glasses make Dutton look less like a skinhead.
Remote education is one way Australia is helping schoolchildren in Ukraine whose lives have been severely disrupted by Russia’s invasion:
“Education was an early major casualty of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with 60% of children leaving their homes and schools. Amid shuttered classrooms, parents and teachers sought unlikely partners on the other side of the world – including the city of Melbourne.
Monash University established its virtual school to improve educational equity, employing a few hundred volunteer teachers to help young people in conflict zones who risked drastically falling behind in their education.
In the turbulent months since the invasion, some 70,000 primary and high school students displaced from schools in Ukraine by the war have attended its classes from bomb shelters and bedrooms.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/02/algebra-under-air-raids-children-in-a-ukraine-war-zone-who-attend-class-in-australia
This is the sort of assistance to be enthusiastically applauded – bravo, Monash University! Also, recognising this sort of work draws our attention to the all-pervasive nature of the impact Russia’s persistent strikes against civilian population centres is continuing to have upon Ukrainians of all ages, over 13 months into this dreadful invasion.
I posted this in response to John Cee on the Aston thread. I’m so pleased with myself, I’m imposing it on this thread, too! How good am I?!
…
John Cee says:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 11:08 am
I’m bewildered by the argument that the liberals need to move further to the right to recapture their base.
Such a view is not compatible with the Australian system of compulsory and fully preferential voting. It’s an argument which has been picked up from the US and attempted to be applied here without thought.
Pray tell, who are these disgruntled right wing voters preferencing over the Lnp?
____________
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: what we’re witnessing is a Liberal Civil War.
Their Right factions are ethnically cleansing out the Moderates.
Never in my life have I seen the Liberals pay less attention to the science of winning elections.
The proof of my Civil War theory comes from several years ago: when Turnbull toppled Abbott, the electorate breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Within a short period of time, the Coalition went from losing 30 Newspolls in a row to leading handsomely (57-43 territory? – at least 55-45, IIRC).
Turnbull was sounding presidential and talking about Innovation.
Rumour had it Dutton said (in party room) Turnbull should focus more on Immigration than Innovation.
Then Turnbull seemed to step back from his Moderate pronouncements. They couldn’t agree on energy. They shelved the Uluru Statement – for which they’d asked!
Clarke and Dawe produced their “Guys in the locker room” sketch…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV_HxDVP5Io
Coalition poll numbers began slipping…until they almost lost the 2016 election.
RWNJ media blamed “Mediscare”…and Turnbull(!)
Yes, Turnbull, who was urged to become less Moderate and saw a deterioration in the Coalition polling position as a result, was the one responsible for near-defeat!
BTW, Labor needs to be eternally vigilant: the electorate skews slightly conservative (especially economically), the media should also be viewed as pro-Coalition propagandists, the Coalition could easily win ANY election.
It’s just that, for the first time I can remember, the Libs are consistently doing things to make themselves LESS electable. They’ve ditched their pragmatism.
Unbelievable.
This is what Dan Andrews said
—–
Andrews says Aston voters have “worked out” the Liberal party is a “nasty, bigoted outfit” focused on their own “insipid, nasty little version of bigotry”.
The Liberal party are a nasty, bigoted outfit and people have worked them out. That might be why they keep losing. They don’t want people focused on the persecution of trans people. They want people focused on the cost of living.
Andrews says he watched opposition leader Peter Dutton on ABC Insiders this morning discuss the result in Aston and said he believed the Coalition had fundamentally misread the electorate.
I saw Mr Dutton this morning, give an interview and frankly, some of the most extraordinary commentary I’ve heard for a long time. This notion that families in the suburbs are up in arms about trans issues.
Andrews said he believed that voters in Aston “might remember what happened last year where in the state election, the Liberal party cuddled up with racists”.
Don’t pretend that you’ve got anything to offer other than your own insipid, nasty little version of bigotry.
[…]
To sit there on Insiders this morning and say in his judgment, his finely tuned political judgment, families in the suburbs are out about and are fundamentally concerned about transphobia.
No. It tells you everything you need to know.
Well, the wheels were starting to fall off, or at least look shaky, for Labor in 1989 when Peacock struck down Howard, again in 1995 when Howard replaced downer and in late 2009 when Abbott replaced Turnbull [and yes the government had the wobbles – CRPS was stuck in the senate, Rudd defeated and exhausted from Copenhagen, cost of living and economic pressures from the GFC were still there and folk within the government were starting to get jack of Rudd’s autocratic leadership style and had – for the first time in two years – started leaking stuff. Further Turnbull had lost credibility over Utegate and his support for the concept at least of the CRPS. So he was underperforming].
To my reckoning, if a government has got the wobbles, THAT is the time that an underperforming opposition leader is most vulnerable. In fact that was the reason why the CPG tried to create a “Labor Leadershit” story in both 2018 and 2021. Labor didnt take the bait, but I reckon it is in the Liberals nature for Leadershit in such circumstances.
@Andrew_Earlwood
Alot of the examples you have used were not first term governments though which was your original point. Liberals were vulnerable when Tony Abbott challenged Malcolm Turnbull. Let’s not rewrite history. Kevin Rudd has been whacked many times for not calling a double disillusion when he had the chance. The Liberals polling was in the toilet.
Tony Abbott reframing the debate with a ‘great big tax’. And Rudd looking for a circuit breaker which came to be more of a ticking time bomb with the mining tax all happened later.
Boerwar says:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 11:38 am
Dutton’s leadership is not at risk because he is doing an excellent job of representing the LNP.
———————————
Again +1, he’s doing what the base wants and the base wants what he’s doing. It’s a bit like watching the bath water run out, the vortex, get’s stronger, the volume get shallower then suddenly there’s nothing left.
The Libs won’t go out with a bang but a whimper. The Libs demise is a self-fulfilling prophecy. They will never change direction, can’t change direction regardless of who is at the helm. Their path and fate are set in cement of their own mixing.
We, the broader public advise the Coalition and its supporters to move to the centre for their own survival but they have no intent of ever doing so. They’ve tried moving the centre to the right and failed dismally. They’re stuck in the 1960s and will forever remain there on all issues.
Washington | Australian shipbuilder Austal could be barred from bidding on future US government contracts after current and former executives at the company’s American arm were charged with misleading shareholders and investors.
Austal, which is 19 per cent owned by Australia’s richest man Andrew Forrest, builds ships for the US Navy and is working on parts of the nuclear-powered Virginia class submarines that Australia is to purchase under the AUKUS agreement.
The Securities and Exchange Commission accuses Austal USA’s former president, Craig Perciavalle, its current director of financial analysis, Joseph Runkel, and former director of the Littoral Combat Ships program, William Adams, of orchestrating an accounting fraud scheme from 2013 to 2016. They artificially reduced cost estimates required to complete certain shipbuilding projects for the US Navy by tens of millions of dollars to meet Austal USA’s revenue budget and revenue projections. The directors allegedly knew that Austal USA’s shipbuilding costs were rising and higher than planned, but they directed others to arbitrarily lower them.
The SEC also alleges that Australia-based Austal Limited prematurely recognised revenue and as a result met or exceeded analyst estimates for earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), a key financial metric for the company. “We allege that Austal USA’s executives manipulated its financial results, causing harm to US investors in the securities of its parent company, Austal Limited,” the SEC’s Denver Regional Office Jason Burt said.
https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/austal-20230402-p5cxbq
Victoria @ #684 Sunday, April 2nd, 2023 – 12:23 pm
Video – https://twitter.com/ChristyDanFan/status/1642348208822300672
Under Iran’s Islamic sharia law, imposed after the 1979 revolution, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes to disguise their figures.????
Obviously Iranian men are easily sexually aroused at the sight of the Female body or parts thereof !.
Pathetic!
Political Nightwatchman 11:46
“ Coory only relevant point though the coalition has been coloured with a conservative LNP type feel in the opposition. Because of the numbers of MP’s they have in their ranks from Queensland. David Spears corrected Coory that the LNP won’t be able to squeeze out further gains in Queensland. And it’s in other states such as New South Wales and Victoria where the Liberals needs to make inroads.”
————————————————————————————-
Thus my comment last night on the Aston thread that the Libs will be reduced to sandbagging seats (particularly in QLD) come 2025. There’s very little chance of them gaining seats elsewhere around Australia but there’s a real chance of them losing further seats. This over-representation of QLD in Federal Coalition politics will cause ructions throughout the party nationwide over time imo. QLD doesn’t represent Australia.
I get no sense whatsoever that the Libs are reflecting on the underlying causes of their stream of losses because to do so would force them to confront their reality.
The IOC’s deplorable decision to not bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics is not going to be easily swept under the carpet and moved on from:
“Ukrainian athletes’ human rights have “not been addressed” by IOC president Thomas Bach and a UN expert in weighing Russia and Belarus’s readmission into global sports events, a leading authority on human rights says.
Patricia Wiater said “unfortunately” neither the International Olympic Committee (IOC) nor UN special rapporteur in cultural rights Alexandra Xanthaki had addressed protecting the rights of Ukraine’s athletes.
Wiater was behind the German Olympic Sports Confederation’s legal opinion justifying the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition.
She spoke to reporters — alongside Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian athletes — following the IOC’s recommendation on Tuesday to allow athletes from Russia and Moscow ally Belarus to compete as individual neutrals in upcoming international competitions.
They have been largely banned since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
“The question is, are the proposed conditions of readmission enough to guarantee the human rights of Ukrainian athletes are being respected,” Wiater said during the press conference via zoom.
“Are they proportionate and are they adequate to prevent (that) sporting events are abused for war propaganda,” added the professor for Public International Law and Human Rights.
“Unfortunately, it was not addressed in the statement by the IOC nor by the special rapporteur but it is very important when we look at the question of readmission.”
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/15233
This is the key point Thomas Bach and the IOC simply ignore: how to prevent the Kremlin from using the performances of Russian athletes in Paris – even without the adornment of a Russian flag – to reassure Russians that their government has not, in fact, led to their country becoming a pariah state due to its completely unacceptable invasion of Ukraine?
If the IOC could secure from the Kremlin a binding and enforceable commitment to not allow the display over any media of any image, sound or reference to any Russian athlete anywhere in Russia, that would go some way towards addressing the concerns of Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and many other countries. If the IOC showed any recognition at all of the horrendous difficulties Ukrainian athletes face in their much-disrupted efforts to prepare for the Games themselves, and came up with a plan to restore some preparatory fairness for those athletes, that would be even better. If the IOC gave some prominent recognition to those Ukrainian Olympic hopefuls who have been killed by the Russian invaders, and committed to some very prominent memorial to them in the Opening and Closing ceremonies, and also perhaps during the medal presentations at those events the Ukrainian Olympic Committee assesses such a killed Ukrainian athlete had a chance at a medal, that would be great as well.
But the IOC has offered none of this. All their concern is for the safety and rights of Russian athletes. The IOC could not be more overtly biased towards Russia than they are displaying thus far.
Hastie has no publick profile he might be shadow defence minister but is as conservative as dutton suporter is a low key media performer because he was a solgier and sky news talks himup suddinly he is leadership matearial murdock talked up dutton for years saying he would apeel to the outer suberbs aston proves this is rong
Followers of the Russian Orthodox Church here in Australia, you need to confront your own Church leadership about their stance on Moscow’s unjustified and cruel invasion and occupation of Ukraine, and make sure they are on the right moral side. The Moscow-affiliated Church in Kyiv is facing its reckoning over its support for geoncide:
“On April 1, the Kyiv district court placed Russian-led Orthodox Metropolitan Pavlo (Petro Lebid) under house arrest.
He is charged with inciting hatred and justifying Russia’s war against Ukraine. The arrest will last for the next 60 days.
The court also ordered the metropolitan to wear an electronic bracelet.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it gathered enough evidence to charge to Moscow-backed religious figure.
Earlier, SBU Head Vasyl Malyuk stated that Russia keeps “trying to use the (Russian-controlled) church to promote its propaganda and divide Ukrainian society.”
According to the SBU, Lebid repeatedly offended the religious feelings of Ukrainians, humiliated the views of believers of other confessions, and supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including the occupation of Kherson.
Lebid has held consistent pro-Russian views and called for “unity” with Russia. He has also stated that “Crimea has never been Ukrainian.”
https://kyivindependent.com/moscow-backed-orthodox-priest-under-house-arrest/
It is beyond time for warmongering clerics to be yanked away from their bogus cloaks of ‘religious freedom’, which they cynically use to deny accountability for the crimes against humanity they spiritually and morally try to aid and abet.
Cronus @ #672 Sunday, April 2nd, 2023 – 11:54 am
Let’s not rush this, let them do themselves slowly! 🙂
I recall too that Patricia Karvelas actually articulated the term “The Nasty Party” on the ABC last night when talking to one of the Coalition commentators about the Liberal Brand. This moniker may be starting to take hold more broadly and publicly.
Rex Douglas
Snap re Dan Andrew’s. And the Libs can’t argue that he hasn’t got his finger on the pulse.
if any thing matt kean is the only reason the nsw liberals held on to there socalled teel seats and pesutow campaigning as a moderit liberal in hauthorn how ever the independent can get the blame hear becausethey split the anti lib vote so dutton does not realise the the hard right in vick libs might be the reason they have only won a state election in 20 years now sa libs are going to hard right following there defeat after the party was sttacked with conservatives leecer has little credability claimed to suport the voic e for years but when it finaly happins aposis it even so called moderits like bermingham have not saidmuch about the right wing shift maybi the federal libs need to find a seat for kean
Tom says:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 12:48 pm
Cronus @ #672 Sunday, April 2nd, 2023 – 11:54 am
Mostly Interested says:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 9:37 am
Nikki Sava:, wait until after the result of the referendum is known, if a yes outcome expect a killing season in the Liberal party
———————————————————————
If Aston was the final nail in the coffin then a YES vote for The Voice would be the crucifix affixed to the top.
Let’s not rush this, let them do themselves slowly!
——————————————
Tom
And I should clarify that I was referring in particular to Dutton’s leadership.
Cronussays:
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 12:03 pm
Interesting too was Dutton’s retort that essentially LGBTIQ+ ideological issues were important to his more regional constituents. All good but let’s face it, these constituents are a significant minority of Australia’s population and entirely unrepresentative of the majority views.
————————-
Really i just don’t believe this because these same regional areas voted overwhelmingly yes to SSM and country people couldn’t care less about this issue and would be more worried about the cost of living and commodity prices.
Recalling Dutton’s comments that the Aston by-election would be a test of both his and Albo’s leadership, I think Speers could’ve given Dutton a bigger grilling. It was a dumb comment to make in a 2-horse race.