Roy Morgan might plough on this week with a poll to be dropped next Wednesday or so, but what follows are most likely the last items of polling we will see for the year. The Australian traditionally drops aggregated Newspoll breakdowns in the dead zone after Christmas, but it will only have three polls to aggregate from on this occasion, unless it supplements them somehow.
• RedBridge Group has a federal poll showing Labor leading 52.8-47.2 (in from 53.5-46.5 in the last such poll in early November), though seemingly all reportage of the poll has painted it as disastrous for Labor because the small sample of respondents with trades qualifications has the Coalition ahead. The primary votes are Labor 33% (down one), Coalition 35% (steady) and Greens 13% (down one). The accompanying report includes extensive further questions on national direction, issue salience and immigration. The poll was conducted December 6 to 11 from an unusually large sample of 2010.
• The latest weekly poll from Roy Morgan has a tie on two-party preferred, erasing Labor’s 51-49 lead over the previous two weeks. The primary votes are Labor 32% (up one-and-a-half), Coalition 38% (up one), Greens 11.5% (down two-and-a-half) and One Nation 4.5% (down half). The poll was conducted Monday to Sunday from a sample of 1720.
• The Australian had further results from Newspoll on the leaders’ character traits, which it published in a comprehensive display showing earlier numbers for the results going back to 2008 which is worth seeking out if you’re interested in this sort of thing. Anthony Albanese had higher ratings for trustworthy (49% to 41%), in touch (46% to 41%), caring (61% to 45%), likeable (57% to 39%) and having a vision for Australia (59% to 55%), and was less likely to be seen as arrogant (45% to 57%). Peter Dutton led on experienced (70% to 66%), decisive and strong (58% to 48%) and understanding the major issues (57% to 54%).
• Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles resigned yesterday after nineteen months in the job, amid revelations she had failed to declare a conflict of interest relating to shares in mining company South 32. It presumably didn’t help that a RedBridge Group poll, conducted in the middle of last month from a sample of 601, had Labor trailing the Country Liberals by 40.6% to 19.7% (although the poll found Labor doing little better federally, and its age breakdowns included the implausible finding that the gap was 40% to 11% among the 18-to-39 age cohort). Names mentioned as possible contenders are her deputy, Nicole Manison, Infrastructure Minister Joel Bowden and Attorney-General Chansey Paech.
‘One poll with Labor ahead, the other with a tie …’
They’ve been doing that a lot lately …
‘…. seemingly all reportage of the [Redbridge] poll has painted it as disastrous for Labor because the small sample of respondents with trades qualifications has the Coalition ahead.’
‘Tony’s Tradies’ cast a long shadow.
The Liberals and their media boosters have locked on to the delusion that the party’s longevity lies in the outer suburbs. Keep following that Yellow Brick Road!
‘Anthony Albanese had higher [Newspoll] ratings for trustworthy (49% to 41%), in touch (46% to 41%), caring (61% to 45%), likeable (57% to 39%) and having a vision for Australia (59% to 55%), and was less likely to be seen as arrogant (45% to 57%).
‘Peter Dutton led on experienced (70% to 66%), decisive and strong (58% to 48%) and understanding the major issues (57% to 54%).’
Reading through that list, each of the results rang true to me, seemingly consistent with the leaders’ respective public images … until the last item.
Dutton pips Albanese (slightly) on ‘understanding the major issues’ (57% to 54%) … even though Albo leads on ‘in touch’ (46% to 41%).
On the face of it, somewhat contradictory. Or maybe I’m missing a subtlety of interpretation of those two attributes?
How could people think Peter Dutton was more experienced than Anthony Albanese? Anthony Albanese has been Deputy Prime Minister, Prime Minister, held multiple Ministries and been Manager of Government Business.
Peter Dutton has been a failed Health Minister, failed Home Affairs Minister, and failed Defence Minister. Sheesh!
Anyway…I’m generally happy with the results of the Redbridge attributes poll. It shows that people get it about the PM’s positive qualities and it shows where he needs improvement: ‘decisive and strong’ and ‘understands the issues’. So…more ‘fighting Tories’ and fighting inflation next year.
Morgan Poll
Is not using 2022 federal election 2pp preferences , see how close to the election result , morgan poll goes if it continues the same method it is using now to the 2025 federal election
Late Night Icelandic Fireworks
https://www.volcanocafe.org/late-night-icelandic-fireworks/
The Reykjanes Fires, 950-1240 AD
https://www.volcanocafe.org/the-reykjanes-fires-2/
It’s amazing to think what’s going on just beneath our feet. 😯
C@tmomma is right about the direction Albanese needs to go in next year.
If nothing else, federal Labor needs to start getting smarter about their messaging. The free TAFE policy is a great skills policy, and for a very small number of people in the scheme of things, it could be considered a cost of living policy. But trotting it out every single time as a cost of living response, when it does nothing for the overwhelming proportion of voters, sends a firm message that they just don’t have any answers and don’t realise it (which Dutton knows, which is why he made great headway the other day by specifically tearing into a Labor minister who trotted it out).
Rebecca,
If I was advising Labor I’d pitch the Free TAFE to Tradies directly. Along the lines of, ‘you reckon the Liberals are for Tradies, only Labor has made your courses free!’ And at $7000/year for some courses, that’s a big saving.
Labor needs to learn how to do the pitch better. Politics is about selling your ‘brand’ as Peter Dutton cringeily refers to it. Labor seems to think the quality of its product will sell itself. No, you have to tell the people how good it is. If that wasn’t the case then there would be no need for ads. As someone pointed out the other day, that’s what Dan Andrews Labor were great at, selling what they were doing for the people. Federal Labor need to do it on steroids.
Morning all. The Redbridge poll is not b ad for Albo. When asked to list Dutton’s best feature, most people say he has been around a long time. Meh.
I realise road safety is a second order priority politically, but it is an area that has been languishing for ten years. The end of improvement in our road safety performance started with a plateauing of crash data before covid. Now it is getting worse still, despite cars overall becoming safer.
There are lots of areas of policy neglect. One of the is eBikes and eScooters. There is no nationally consistent policy. What you can ride and where you can legally ride it varies from state to state in an irrational manner. Sure enough, crashes are getting worse,
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-20/e-scooter-injuries-rise-as-hospitals-struggle-to-treat-riders/103246314
I have criticised Ministers Marles and King for things they have done (Marles) and have not done (King). THis is another entry in category two.
Albanese was elected as an mp in 1996, Dutton was elected as an mp in 2001
Gas pollution could hit Iceland’s capital after a volcano began erupting late on Monday, the country’s meteorological office has said. The eruption, which broke out on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland, comes after weeks of intense earthquakes and tremors. Fumes could reach Reykjavik by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. About 4,000 people were evacuated last month from Grindavik, a fishing town threatened by the lava flow.
The smell of smoke and ash is being picked up as far as 30km from the eruption site and the BBC’s team could even feel occasional vibrations in the ground.
I try to avoid reading the courier/ Sunday mail but on Sunday saw a front page snippet outlining Duttons growing support from tradies in the toilet paper aisle at Woolworths. According to the Mail he was beginning to forge a coalition of support in the outer suburbs which would replace the old blue rinse seats of Sydney Melbourne and the inner Brisbane seats now turning green due to high levels of renters. This tradey support is nothing new though, a lot of tradies run small businesses and are the LNPs bread and butter. They have their massive utes subsidised, get also sorts of tax breaks, love petrol over over electric ( Michaelia Cash could be the shadow minister for tradies and maybe even be their pinup woman?) love going fishing on Fraser/ Kgari and for the most part are not progressive thinkers or support climate action. The courier and other murdochracy may think these guys will come to the rescue of the their favoured party,the LNP but I would maintain they are already there and have been since Howard and toned Abbs day. Another thing is the hardcore tradey lifestyle is at odds with the LNPs core support base , the self righteous holy rollers of the USA prosperity religions – how does Dutton coalesce these priorities? Finally regional Queensland and what is known as Far Q where orange shirts abound, are already LNP heartland, where are the gains to come from? Might be more wish dreaming from the murdochracy and their business model of blowing smoke up the whatsits of the 30% of hardcore right wingers.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
Ross Gittins tells us why Albanese probably won’t win majority government at the next election. He describes a background where a shortage of rental housing has allowed landlords to make big rent increases. Employers have helped the squeeze by ensuring they raise wages by less than they’ve raised their prices. And Treasurer Jim Chalmers has helped by allowing bracket creep to take a bigger tax bite out of wage increases.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/why-albanese-probably-won-t-win-majority-government-at-the-next-election-20231219-p5escg.html
Michael Pascoe reckons the RBA has been caught snoozing on stage-three tax cuts and inflation. He writes, “Via various Freedom of Information requests, it looked like the Reserve Bank of Australia has never studied, reported, briefed, spreadsheeted or generally put a thought in writing about the inflationary impact of the looming stage-three tax cuts” and says that “look” is now confirmed.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2023/12/20/pascoe-rba-stage-3-tax-cuts
Australians’ safety and economic prosperity will be secured by deepening ties with our Asian neighbours, Anthony Albanese said in a major foreign policy speech as his government opted against joining a US-led Middle East mission to defend against shipping attacks. Paul Sakkal reports that, in an address to the Lowy Institute last night, the prime minister said Labor had made Australia relevant in global debates on issues such as climate change and helped bring about improved relations between the world’s two superpowers, the US and China.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/securing-our-home-key-amid-wars-and-rise-of-china-albanese-20231219-p5eshf.html
The former chief of staff to Liberal senator Linda Reynolds felt that her boss and a second minister were covering for themselves when they urged her to make a police report after Brittany Higgins said she recalled fellow staffer Bruce Lehrmann “on top of me”, the Federal Court was told. Who would have thought?
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/former-chief-of-staff-returns-to-court-in-lehrmann-defamation-case-20231219-p5esdb.html
Amanda Meade gives us more about yesterday’s court session.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/19/coalition-ministers-covering-themselves-by-ordering-brittany-higgins-alleged-to-be-reported-to-police-court-hears-ntwnfb
Simon Johanson reports that power giant AGL Energy will construct a large grid-scale battery on the site of the former Liddell coal-fired power station as a slew of other renewable and storage projects gain backing from the NSW government.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/power-giant-agl-to-build-mega-battery-at-former-coal-station-20231219-p5esi9.html
“The Albanese government is losing its way on principle and high politics. There is no worse mistake for a government than confusion and irresolution on an issue of war policy. Yet this is happening – Labor looks equivocal, electorally intimidated and lacking conviction on the Israel-Hamas war”, pontificates Paul Kelly.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/labors-confusion-over-mideast-war-reveals-its-changed-character/news-story/32c6df30491e44850394e5934b1a8423?amp=
The Albanese government is under growing pressure to explain why it is not providing more help to the US and its allies as intensifying attacks from Iran-backed Houthi rebels shut down shipping in the Red Sea. The AFR says the rebel attacks drove a spike in energy prices yesterday and hastened a US-led regional security response, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, to a dangerous escalation of the Israel-Hamas war.
https://www.afr.com/world/middle-east/freight-oil-climb-as-red-sea-attacks-shut-down-shipping-20231219-p5esg0
According to Angus Thompson and David Estcourt, lawyers are canvassing challenges to orders keeping extremists behind bars or under close police watch as the release of notorious Muslim cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika from a Victorian prison yesterday prompted the NSW government to look at its own counter-terror regime.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/lawyers-mull-challenges-to-terror-orders-as-extremist-freed-20231219-p5esjm.html
Aisha Dow and Benjamin Preiss write that a secret overhaul of the state’s public hospital system is investigating possible forced mergers of local health services and the sharing of surgery waiting lists in what could be a major shake-up of how Victorians access care.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-secret-plan-that-could-transform-victoria-s-hospital-system-20231219-p5esd8.html
Favouring the wealthy over innate talent in the education system is no way to filter what a country’s human capital might have to offer, writes Adrian Blundell-Bignall who declares that tipping private schools out of boardrooms would be good for a more productive Australia.
https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/tip-private-schools-out-of-boardrooms-for-a-more-productive-australia-20231212-p5equl
Cyclone Jasper’s slow-moving progress across the Coral Sea exposed as much as 20% of the Great Barrier Reef to waves high enough to break apart corals, according to modelling from the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Graham Readfearn tells us that scientists are also concerned flood waters from ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper that drained out into the reef’s lagoon waters could affect corals and seagrass meadows close to shore.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/20/scientists-brace-for-possibility-of-severe-damage-to-great-barrier-reef-from-ex-cyclone-jasper
Self-employment has changed in recent years. It’s been both shrinking and becoming more precarious. Proportionately, there are fewer business owners and there’s more gig work, writes David Peetz who says the Closing Loopholes Bill confronts the new realities of self-employment.
https://johnmenadue.com/closing-loopholes-bill-confronts-the-new-realities-of-self-employment/
Jenna Price has a hard look at the ABC and the direction it is taking. She makes a lot of sense.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/why-the-abc-canned-the-drum-and-ita-saved-q-a-20231218-p5esbu.html
Lakeba Group managed a meteoric 25-fold rise in revenues, then went revenue negative. Michael West reports on the latest hijinks from the kaleidoscopically colourful tech entrepreneur Giuseppe Porcelli.
https://michaelwest.com.au/giuseppe-porcelli-lakeba-amazing-revenue-ride/
An expert witness paid handsomely by Donald Trump to testify at his New York civil fraud trial “lost all credibility” by “doggedly” justifying the former US president’s business records, the judge overseeing the case has said in a scathing denial.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/trump-s-million-dollar-expert-lost-all-credibility-judge-20231219-p5esgq.html
Cartoon Corner
David Pope
Cathy Wilcox
Mark David
Simon Letch
Andrw Dyson
Fiona Katauskas
Glen Le Lievre
Mark Knight
Spooner at his pathetic best
From the US
#weatheronPB
Thin clouds move slowly,
translucent gauze in the sky,
as the day unveils.
This is a Renewable Energy modality I hadn’t heard about before:
the Silver City compressed-air energy storage system in Broken Hill.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/power-giant-agl-to-build-mega-battery-at-former-coal-station-20231219-p5esi9.html
Andrews was and over here in the West Cook were/are up against rabble opponents.
Jacinta Price went the fed gov big time and labor went missing ,Dutton has since cranked it up and labor has also gone missing and drifting with issues popping up and no leadership being able to set an alternative narrative.
Own goals proliferate and do not assume they cannot lose and they will scrape in in a minority government.
The fed opposition are not great but they do not need to be to win as the polls show labor has policies that trash their own constituents/Voters.They refuse to change policies like immigration when asked if their recent changes were targets the fed government said no more like guidelines.
Oh Dear.
‘Ross Gittins tells us why Albanese probably won’t win majority government at the next election.’
Ah, minority government, hung parliament … so often predicted by the commentariat, so rarely delivered.
A little bit of Crispian St Peters in the morning:
“You, with your masquerading
And you, always contemplating what to do
In case heaven has found you
Can’t you see that it’s all around you?
So follow me …
Hey, come on babe, follow me
I’m the Pied Piper, follow me
I’m the Pied Piper
And I’ll show you where it’s at …”
https://youtu.be/9ehJ3wH_QHU?si=X8UUaBVffKRMXS7R
Princeplanet @ #14 Wednesday, December 20th, 2023 – 7:23 am
Well said, princeplanet.
To which I will add that Dutton is trying to poach the socially conservative, ethnically diverse Tradies from the suburbs who have generally voted Labor in the past as the Coalition carried on with their Islamophobia rants. They have toned it down recently, though the comments by Sussan Ley yesterday about Abdul Nacer Benbrika suggest they think they can walk both sides of that street.
“To which I will add that Dutton is trying to poach the socially conservative, ethnically diverse Tradies”
Which is indeed a masterstroke. Once they have settled in for a generation or two, they are the perfect people to politically poach. Migrants’ so-called opposition to racism (their one reason for not voting Liberal) only extend to racism perpetrated by whites on their own ethnic group. If you look at international surveys, many of their countries of origin are amongst the most racially intolerant places in the world.
Indeed, I heard my brother’s parents-in-law once say that they would never vote Liberal in Australia because they were anti-Asian, but if their country of birth (a non-democratic regime) democratised they would vote conservative if they lived there.
UK Cartoons:
‘Pueo says:
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 6:44 am
Late Night Icelandic Fireworks
https://www.volcanocafe.org/late-night-icelandic-fireworks/
The Reykjanes Fires, 950-1240 AD
https://www.volcanocafe.org/the-reykjanes-fires-2/‘
———————————
Thank you.
‘MelbourneMammoth says:
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 8:39 am
“To which I will add that Dutton is trying to poach the socially conservative, ethnically diverse Tradies”
Which is indeed a masterstroke. Once they have settled in for a generation or two, they are the perfect people to politically poach. Migrants’ so-called opposition to racism (their one reason for not voting Liberal) only extend to racism perpetrated by whites on their own ethnic group. If you look at international surveys, many of their countries of origin are amongst the most racially intolerant places in the world.
Indeed, I heard my brother’s parents-in-law once say that they would never vote Liberal in Australia because they were anti-Asian, but if their country of birth (a non-democratic regime) democratised they would vote conservative if they lived there.’
———————————
The reality is far more nuanced than this discussion. For example, one of the reasons the Liberals lost the last election was because of the dog whistling sinophobic racism.
There was just that one channel they could not control -Tiktok. (Morrison was kicked off that platform.)
Melbourne Mammoth:
“If you look at international surveys, many of their countries of origin are amongst the most racially intolerant places in the world.”
Maybe that’s why they left? 😉
I work with a bloke once a week who reads The Australian as a primary news source and he said to me yesterday that Fiona Brown has been harshly dealt with and that she has done everything that could be expected of a department head in the care of BH. The conversation dragged somewhat after that revelation.
Pied Piper
If things stay the same as it is now in the opinion polling right up to the 2025 federal election
Lib/nats combined primary vote 35/36%
Labor primary vote 32/33%
The lib/nats currently on 55 seats ,will be lucky to get 60 seats
Indeed, Dog’s Brunch: Fiona Brown generously offered Ms Higgins a tissue. And a brochure!
And when a woman says that a bloke was on top of her: well, who knows what that might mean?
OliverSutton, yes, it may be a reason why they left if they originated from a place where they were the minority, but it doesn’t mean they’re tolerant to everyone else.
Dog-whistling Sinophobic racism probably cost the Liberal Party three or four seats at most (Bennelong, Reid, maybe Chisholm and then Aston at the by-election). They held onto Deakin and Menzies. In its absence, the Coalition would still not have been able to form government and hence would have still lost the election.
Sinophobia might just be a POSITIVE in those seats with ethnically-diverse, lower-skill migrants in the outer suburbs – their demographics have some of the lowest opinions of China in the whole wide world.
“… he said to me yesterday that Fiona Brown has been harshly dealt with and that she has done everything that could be expected of a department head …”
Brown defied a direction — from not one, but two ministers — to report the incident to the police.
Then had the temerity yesterday to testify that “the police were consulted”.
Lotsa criticism in the press of Labor for not being nice enough to the poor folk of Gaza.
Dutton doesn’t get a mention in this. I wonder why?
https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1737159611252093136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1737159611252093136%7Ctwgr%5Eeb8f49d8c50a97e6334f1baf2d7d813ac2f82689%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailykos.com%2Fstories%2F2023%2F12%2F19%2F2212692%2F-FOX-News-Excuses-Trump-Quoting-Hitler-to-Bash-Immigrants-Because-Melania-is-an-Immigrant
“Justin Baragona
@justinbaragona
Fox News “hard news” guy Bret Baier can’t even bring himself to say Trump’s “poisoning our blood” remarks echoed Hitler, instead saying it “harkens back to some writings and its been written about in numerous articles” before defending Trump by saying he’s married to an immigrant”
(Watch linked video)
You want a climate change policy?
This is a climate change policy …
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-20/canada-zero-emissions-vehicles-2035-transport-industry-climate/103249176
Here in Australia, we will no doubt still be subsidizing fossil-fuelled SUVs.
India’s Economic Growth Surges, Defying Global Challenges: Asian Development Outlook
https://m-timesofindia-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/m.timesofindia.com/business/india-business/indias-economic-growth-surges-defying-global-challenges-asian-development-outlook/amp_articleshow/106090415.cms?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17030253531276&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fm.timesofindia.com%2Fbusiness%2Findia-business%2Findias-economic-growth-surges-defying-global-challenges-asian-development-outlook%2Farticleshow%2F106090415.cms
“According to Asian Development Outlook, recent data reveals that India’s GDP expanded at a robust rate of 7.1 per cent in the first three quarters of the calendar year, propelled by strong industrial production and substantial investment.
India’s industrial sector, including manufacturing, mining, construction, and utilities, experienced double-digit growth, contributing significantly to the overall economic expansion.
The data for the second quarter of the fiscal year 2023 demonstrated a noteworthy GDP growth of 7.6 per cent, underscoring the nation’s economic vigour.”
Tha Albo-Dutton 2 leader preferred is a joke given both are simply no good.
P1
It’s a cosy fossil fuel cartel deal that sees Australia take Japan’s ice cars and they take our fossil fuel resources.
”
Oliver Suttonsays:
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 8:56 am
Indeed, Dog’s Brunch: Fiona Brown generously offered Ms Higgins a tissue. And a brochure!
And when a woman says that a bloke was on top of her: well, who knows what that might mean?
”
Especially after she was later found naked. Could he have removed the clothes because they stunk with alcohol and lied on her to give her warmth from airconditioner coolness. Who knows?
Rex Douglas says:
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 9:45 am
P1
It’s a cosy fossil fuel cartel deal that sees Australia take Japan’s ice cars and they take our fossil fuel resources.
********
And we seem to conveniently try to find excuses why our road toll is climbing while ignoring the prevalence of Wanker Tankers being driven aggressively everywhere we go!
What does it mean to “sell better” political messaging a generally hostile media environment? Just because something is announced, doesn’t mean it gets reported.
Thanks for the roundup BK. I am pleasantly surprised by the foreign policy news this morning. Albo distancing Australia from involvement in a mid-east war is the most sensible thing I have heard in a decade.
By contrast, Paul Kelly thinks we are mad to pass up a good change of fighting war. There is no principle to appeal to in supporting one side of a struggle full of war crimes from both sides.
“The Albanese government is losing its way on principle and high politics. There is no worse mistake for a government than confusion and irresolution on an issue of war policy. Yet this is happening – Labor looks equivocal, electorally intimidated and lacking conviction on the Israel-Hamas war”, pontificates Paul Kelly.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/labors-confusion-over-mideast-war-reveals-its-changed-character/news-story/32c6df30491e44850394e5934b1a8423?amp=
How is Kelly any kind of expert on foreign policy? He gets it predictably wrong. Who can forget Kelly leading the cheer squad for Australia to invade Iraq in 2003?
https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/forget-bush-the-joke-is-on-the-kelly-gang-20031022-gdhmse.html
Bizzcansays:
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 10:07 am
What does it mean to “sell better” political messaging a generally hostile media environment? Just because something is announced, doesn’t mean it gets reported.
——————-
Blaming the media is an excuse because that same hostile media didn’t stop Daniel or any other successful ALP leaders from getting their message out.
“The Albanese government is losing its way on principle and high politics. There is no worse mistake for a government than confusion and irresolution on an issue of war policy. Yet this is happening – Labor looks equivocal, electorally intimidated and lacking conviction on the Israel-Hamas war”, pontificates Paul Kelly.
___________________________________________
It’s not our war.
‘Ven says:
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 9:40 am
India’s Economic Growth Surges, Defying Global Challenges: Asian Development Outlook
https://m-timesofindia-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/m.timesofindia.com/business/india-business/indias-economic-growth-surges-defying-global-challenges-asian-development-outlook/amp_articleshow/106090415.cms?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17030253531276&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fm.timesofindia.com%2Fbusiness%2Findia-business%2Findias-economic-growth-surges-defying-global-challenges-asian-development-outlook%2Farticleshow%2F106090415.cms
“According to Asian Development Outlook, recent data reveals that India’s GDP expanded at a robust rate of 7.1 per cent in the first three quarters of the calendar year, propelled by strong industrial production and substantial investment.
India’s industrial sector, including manufacturing, mining, construction, and utilities, experienced double-digit growth, contributing significantly to the overall economic expansion.
The data for the second quarter of the fiscal year 2023 demonstrated a noteworthy GDP growth of 7.6 per cent, underscoring the nation’s economic vigour.”’
========================
Driven by more and more coal burning by one of the world’s great coal burning nations.
Ain’t life grand?
If the monsoon goes pear shaped, and it is showing signs of perturbations in the pattern, then many
Indians are going to rue this false dawn. Famine.
Plus being flooded out of hearth and home by rising sea levels.
It is all a bit like the climate fools who were selling CO2 emissions by way of tourism in the far north.
Seriously, what did they expect?
That they would be magically exempt from the impacts of global warming?
Soc: “Who can forget Kelly leading the cheer squad for Australia to invade Iraq in 2003?”
Yes, we remember.
I cancelled my subscription to The Australian and never went back.
Potentially big news in the US, the Colorado Supreme Court has banned Trump from the presidential ballot.
https://news.yahoo.com/colorado-supreme-court-bans-trump-231600028.html
By no means is it going to end there, things may get very ugly. Probable end result is that it goes to the federal Supreme Court and they’ll rule 5-4 or 6-3 in Trump’s favour though.
TPOF: “It’s not our war.”
But … but … “if we don’t stop them over there, they’ll come down here!”
(Well, that was the ‘argument’ that got us into Vietnam in 1965 …)
@ Pied Piper 807am
Oh , dear.
Was that a Freudian slip?
Dozens of Jeffrey Epstein associates to be publicly named after judge’s ruling: report
Sealed documents naming associates of Jeffrey Epstein will be released following an order by a judge, reported The Daily Beast on Tuesday.
Manhattan federal judge Loretta Preska ordered documents unsealed Monday, according to the report.
The documents are linked to a 2017 civil lawsuit settlement against Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of facilitating the sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre, reports show.
Preska ruled not to reveal the names of victims who hadn’t spoken publicly but ordered sealed records linked to Epstein’s recruiters, staffers and other associates to be released, the report states.
This comes after the Miami Herald, the first publication to report the details of Epstein’s 2008 notorious plea deal, sued to secure the release of the documents.
Anonymous parties listed as “Does” include public figures and have 14 days to appeal, according to the report.
https://www.rawstory.com/jeffrey-epstein-names/
Full Report :
Judge Orders Release of Sealed Docs Naming Epstein Associates
NAME ‘EM
Dozens of people linked to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein won’t be having a Happy New Year after a judge ordered the release of their names in the first few days of January.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/judge-loretta-preska-orders-release-of-sealed-docs-naming-jeffrey-epstein-associates?ref=home?ref=home
‘Anonymous parties listed as “Does” …’
Surely ‘bucks’ rather than ‘does’ in this context? 😉