The biggest electoral news of the week was probably the annual release of electoral donations disclosures, which has been widely covered elsewhere. From the more narrow concerns of this site, there is the following:
• Ben Small, who served in the Senate from November 2020 to June 2022, has emerged as the only nominee for Liberal preselection in the regional Western Australian seat of Forrest. The seat will be vacated at the next election with the retirement of Nola Marino, who has held it safely for the Liberals since 2007. The West Australian also reports Mark Wales, an SAS veteran, Survivor winner and former McKinsey consultant, plans to nominate for Tangney, a normally comfortable Liberal seat that fell to Labor in 2022. Others known to be interested are Canning mayor Patrick Hall and IT consultant Harold Ong.
• The Liberal National Party has chosen its candidates for the looming Queensland state by-elections for the safe Labor seats of Inala and Ipswich West, respectively being vacated by Annastacia Palaszczuk and Jim Madden: Trang Yen, a 28-year-old public servant in the Department of State Development, and Darren Zanow, president of the Ipswich Show Society. The by-elections will be held concurrently with local government elections on March 16.
• With former South Australian Premier Steven Marshall saying he will formally resign from parliament “in the coming months”, the Liberals have preselected lawyer and former ministerial adviser Anna Finizio for the looming by-election for his seat of Dunstan, which once had the more instructive name of Norwood. Labor is again running with its candidate from March 2023, Cressida O’Hanlon, a family dispute resolution practitioner.
Rainman, no doubt that move is just a set piece designed for internal consumption and signals to me that in fact Biden is going to stay and contest the November election. I wonder if the new batch of shock polling over the last week or so that in some puts him well ahead of Trump had anything to do with it?.
Insiders – Sunday, 4 Feb
David Speers is joined by Samantha Maiden, Karen Middleton and Phil Coorey to discuss proposed changes to the Stage 3 tax cuts, a larger than expected fall in inflation and what it means for cost-of-living pressures. (Return)
Guest : Anthony Albanese – Prime Minister
Lars Von Trier and nath didn’t tell me they’d been in a movie!
😆
I guess we’re in the countdown to Newspoll tomorrow night now?
… and Darren Zanow, president of the Darren Zanow.
President of a self-promotion business? No wonder he got pre-selected! Must be the way to do it these days. 😉
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
In an interview with The Saturday Paper’s Karen Middleton, the prime minister explains his thinking on the stage three tax cuts and names the four themes that will drive Labor as it prepares for the next election.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2024/02/03/the-albanese-reset-it-the-right-plan-the-right-time
As the Minns government approaches its first anniversary, Michael McGowan and Max Maddison spoke to dozens of MPs, staffers and advocates to gain an inside look at the first Labor government in 12 years. They write about information being tightly held and dissent being smothered.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/inside-the-minns-government-where-information-is-tightly-held-and-dissent-is-smothered-20240129-p5f0v7.html
Gambling companies have poured cash into the major parties ahead of a crucial decision in federal parliament on whether to ban advertisements for online bets, intensifying a debate over the influence of money in politics, reports David Crowe. “Democracy” at work?
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/gambling-donations-ramp-up-debate-over-influence-in-politics-20240202-p5f1ug.html
Peter Hartcher examines the rise of what he calls “angry money” in political donations. We are still waiting for Labor to introduce new legislation on political donations.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/in-the-arms-race-of-political-donations-angry-money-nukes-them-all-20240202-p5f1xu.html
If Peter Dutton’s opposition are true defenders of the working class, support for Labor’s stage-three overhaul may be their ultimate test, writes Paul Karp. He says that Dutton had warned messing with the stage-three tax cuts would end Albanese’s prime ministership. But the alternative has the opposition leader on the back foot.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2024/feb/03/stage-three-tax-cuts-peter-dutton-albanese-government
While some in the well-heeled crowd at last Sunday’s Australian Open men’s singles final indulged in the good old ritual of booing the prime minister when his name was announced before the trophy presentation, Treasurer Jim Chalmers was being congratulated by strangers at Brisbane Airport, writes Paul Bongiorno in his examination of the aftermath of the Stage 3 tax cut announcement.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topic/2024/02/03/the-aftermath-the-stage-three-decision
One in eight Australians live below the poverty line, and yet taxes in this country are the ninth-lowest in the OECD. The stage three adjustments are a start, but broader reform is urgently needed to address inequality and fund essential services, argues Cassandra Goldie.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/economy/2024/02/02/the-case-real-tax-reform
Saul Eslake regards the changes made to the carve-up of GST revenues among the states and territories by the Morrison Government in 2019, with the support of the then Labor Opposition, and continued (indeed extended) by the Albanese Government, as possibly the worst Australian public policy decision of the 21st century thus far. But very few people understand it. In this article he attempts to correct the situation.
https://johnmenadue.com/the-worst-australian-public-policy-decision-of-the-21st-century/
Labor’s task is to settle an unsettled nation. The nation’s mood hovers around knife-edge equivocation. While core economic indicators are set to improve, giving Labor its electoral recovery opportunity, the damage to living standards, suspicion of the Albanese government and fears the country is on the wrong track, are potent warnings for Labor that things could go wrong, writes Paul Kelly. He says, “As leader, Dutton has displayed great skill in the tactical decisions he has made. But he cannot afford a tactical blunder at this point. Voting against the tax cuts would be an extreme high risk. This is the trap Labor has set; it would be folly for the Coalition to fall into it.”
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/looming-tax-brawl-at-the-election-misses-the-national-interest/news-story/1b2e47d41e18f5926291d3ab191b9772?amp=
Penny Wong has hit back at Peter Dutton for insisting she be sacked if the federal government resumes funding for the United Nations’ key humanitarian agency in the Palestinian territories. Matthew Knott says the stoush between Dutton and one of the Albanese government’s most senior ministers came as Israel’s ambassador to Australia accused the government of appearing to forget Hamas’ responsibility for the October 7 attack, in the latest sign of tense relations between Israel and Australia.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/cheap-political-hit-wong-dutton-spar-over-cut-to-gaza-aid-20240202-p5f21h.html
The number of refugees and asylum seekers is approaching crisis proportions in many parts of the globe, seriously challenging governments and policy authorities. Unfortunately, the politics and public discourse on this issue has been unedifying, having brought out the worst reactions of many societies, ranging from racism to inhumanity, writes John Hewson who says, “While I am sure that many in the Coalition would arrogantly be proud that their asylum-seeker policy is now setting the pace in European and British discussions, I can’t help but feel some embarrassment for our nation about the fundamental inhumanity of the approach.”
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topic/2024/02/03/exporting-australias-refugee-policy
Ross Gittins outlines what Andrew Leigh has told us about what the rolling two-year taskforce review of competition within Treasury is finding. Merger reform is an emerging issue.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/the-next-thing-on-albanese-s-to-do-list-20240201-p5f1s4.html
Michael Koziol writes that a majority of Sydneysiders support building up – as well as building out – suggesting the state government is convincing some voters of its plans.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/what-sydney-really-thinks-about-high-density-housing-20240201-p5f1ta.html
The government wants to build millions of new homes across Sydney and NSW, many of them high-rise apartments, but many experts say strata laws are not fit for purpose, writes Caitlin Fitzsimmons.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/philip-has-been-waiting-10-years-for-strata-to-fix-a-leak-in-his-apartment-20240124-p5ezof.html
Meanwhile, Peter Hannam tells us that hopes the Albanese government will be able to revive housing construction are fading fast as new approvals sink to the lowest number in more than a decade, while soaring costs threaten to place any homes that are built out of reach for many.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/03/australian-housing-approvals-sink-to-lowest-level-in-12-years-amid-rising-costs-and-planning-delays
“Money, money, money. It’s a rich man’s world”, says John Lord.
https://theaimn.com/money-money-money-its-a-rich-mans-world/
Although having promised to clean up its act following thousands of breaches, Perth Mint has so far continued to break money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws, a powerful parliamentary inquiry has been told.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2024/02/02/perth-mint-still-breaking-money-laundering-laws
Following revelations in The Saturday Paper that Veterans’ Affairs shared personal medical records without consent with a university research project, the department has admitted to misleading the Information Commissioner about the extent of the breach, reveals Rick Morton.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/law-crime/2024/02/03/veterans-affairs-misled-information-commissioner-over-records-breach
Michaela Whitbourn tells us that Network Ten has told the Federal Court that Bruce Lehrmann acted “audaciously” in bringing his defamation suit against the broadcaster and gave “no remotely credible account” of the night his former colleague Brittany Higgins has alleged he raped her in Parliament House. Yesterday, the court released a tranche of written submissions filed by the parties last week after the conclusion of the trial.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/bruce-lehrmann-gave-no-remotely-credible-account-of-night-of-alleged-assault-ten-20240202-p5f23c.html
Australian law enforcement agencies tackling terrorism, child sex abuse and other transnational crimes will get sweeping access to electronic data held in the US by the likes of Microsoft and Meta under a landmark deal between the Albanese government and the Biden administration, explains Farrah Tomazin.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/australia-to-get-better-access-to-social-media-accounts-to-fight-crime-under-us-deal-20240202-p5f1w7.html
“As the incoming chair of the ABC, Kim Williams has the daunting task of rebuilding a ‘bland’ national broadcaster – but can Ita Buttrose’s explosive replacement arrest the systemic decline?”, asks Quentin Dempster who opines that only through a critical mass of quality Australian programs in news and news analysis, drama, documentary, information, entertainment, sport, music and the arts, can the ABC regain its place as a valued and loved cultural institution.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/media/2024/02/02/can-incoming-chair-kim-williams-save-the-abc
Intifar Chowdhury tells us that Australia’s young people are moving to the left – though young women are more progressive than men, reflecting a global trend.
https://theconversation.com/australias-young-people-are-moving-to-the-left-though-young-women-are-more-progressive-than-men-reflecting-a-global-trend-222288
The scope of a nationwide ban on engineered stone is being reviewed to guard against manufacturers finding loopholes as they switch to other products also containing potentially harmful crystalline silica, explains Angus Thompson.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/scope-of-benchtop-ban-under-review-to-guard-against-loopholes-20240202-p5f1uh.html
Ports operator DP World and its wharfies have clinched a deal for a 23.5 per cent pay increase over a three-year period, ending several months of industrial action gripping Australia’s container terminals.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/wharfies-clinch-23-percent-pay-rise-in-end-to-ports-fight-20240202-p5f20g.html
Australia’s peak science body CSIRO has refused to disclose its advice on Carbon Capture and Storage technology. Is it telling the ministers that it doesn’t work, or not? Rex Patrick does the FOIs.
https://michaelwest.com.au/csiro-hides-carbon-capture-and-storage-advice/
Tesla is recalling nearly all of the vehicles it has sold in the US because some warning lights on the instrument panel are too small. The recall of nearly 2.2m vehicles announced on Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a sign of stepped-up scrutiny of the electric vehicle maker. The agency also said it has upgraded a 2023 investigation into Tesla steering problems to an engineering analysis, which is a step closer to a recall. Ouch!
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/feb/02/tesla-recall-warning-light-font-size
Chinese equities are a screaming contrarian buy. Investor revulsion has become indiscriminate, a sign that the Shanghai and Shenzhen share markets are close to touching bottom, writes Ambrose Evans-Pritchard who says China’s economy looks more unstable than ever.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/china-s-economy-looks-more-unstable-than-ever-20240126-p5f0cx.html
US jobs surged in January adding the most workers in a year and pushing wages up further in a surprise re-acceleration that is likely to delay the timing of Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts. A massive 353,000 jobs were added in January outstripping forecasts for 185,000 gain leaving the unemployment rate at 3.7 per cent, reports Matthew Cranston.
https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/us-jobs-and-wages-surge-by-353-000-20240203-p5f23q
Joe Biden is hoping to be the oldest president in the White House if elected for a second term. He has the fear of Trump 2.0 and the superpowers of Taylor Swift on his side, writes Nick Bryant.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/joe-needs-the-fear-of-donald-2-0-to-trump-the-fear-of-biden-81-20240201-p5f1sc.html
Claims from the Murdoch media that Joe Biden will drop out of the 2024 US election race and be replaced by Michelle Obama are closer to fan fiction than reality. Cindy Adams, aged 93, claimed in her regular New York Post column that Biden will announce that he’s not running because of health concerns and be replaced by Michelle Obama, reports Parker McKenzie.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/us-news/us-election/2024/02/02/michelle-obama-presidency
Cartoon Corner
David Rowe
David Pope
Cooper
Alan Moir
https://theaimn.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/b597b1a6-6a53-7970-a5e2-88643d950a63-e1706773119296.jpeg
Leak
From the US
Carl Weathers, who starred as Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films and appeared in Predator, The Mandalorian, Happy Gilmore, Action Jackson and dozens of other films and TV shows, died today, his family announced. He was 76.
Will the dalliance continue? Or will Lars return serve with an equally colourful movie poster such a 1990s ‘Pretty Woman’ or the like to set the tempo for the day on pb
https://amp.abc.net.au/article/103423000, Rishi to the rescue [of the likes of fossil fuels companies] …?
https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/uk-judge-dismisses-greta-thunberg-protest-case/
Where are the Liberal women in all that preselection news? It just shows how nonsensical is the party’s insistence it is capable of achieving gender parity without using methods like quotas to get more women into their partyroom.
#weatheronPB
Primed for a warm day,
the rich earth waits patiently,
as the sun sweeps in.
A hot day today and an even hotter one tomorrow here in Melbourne, I’m not looking forward to it.
So far the hottest day in summer here has only been 34 degrees – mild by our standards.
LR,
What you meant to say was:
Cricket doesn’t start
for an hour but it is hot
as hell already
Smiles. A breeze would be nice, even now.
It’s the usual Sydney early morning. Overcast, about 22°, 200% humidity.
Confessions @ #10 Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 – 7:49 am
I think you get more ‘Merit Points’ if you’re a male. 😐
Leftie when they go low I go high.
Well there no being able to deny that c@t initiated this skirmish today if you did decide to go low!
While I’m not sure of your current marital status, I’m starting to believe more and more that c@t probably has a secret desire to court you in real life.
If you’re still here, thanks BK for the tip on Kavanagh QC. Very enjoyable.
leftieBrawler @ #17 Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 – 8:21 am
So what? Time is a continuum, and I’m just sick to the back teeth of Lars Von Trier and nath ganging up together to slime good people on this blog. Aren’t you?
So I gave them a dose of their own medicine. I am able to limit myself, let’s see if they have the same capability. I’m guessing not.
Will Fowles, the state MP for Ringwood, is not going to be welcomed back into caucus by Jacinta Allan.
There is one thing that the former president of the Monash Students’ Association could really do to further his political ambitions though. Given his background, he could switch parties and actually try for a tilt at the Liberal leadership in a few years. Being a private school person and a former leading executive of the Melbourne Cricket Club, and an auctioneer, surely he’s really a Liberal at heart. All that student politics was only meant to be a means to an end.
A titanic battle between Fowles and whoever succeeds Jacinta Allan (our very own wannabe Jacinda Ardern) could be very interesting indeed.
Fair is foul, and foul is fair!
Indian Navy Foils Another Piracy Attempt Near Somalia Coast, Rescues Crew Of Iranians And Pakistanis
https://m-timesofindia-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/m.timesofindia.com/india/indian-navy-foils-another-piracy-attempt-near-somalia-coast/amp_articleshow/107366078.cms?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17069021131786&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fm.timesofindia.com%2Findia%2Findian-navy-foils-another-piracy-attempt-near-somalia-coast%2Farticleshow%2F107366078.cms
“Fishing vessel Omari was located successfully by a remotely piloted aircraft of the Navy, which was undertaking surveillance in the area. INS Sharda, which was on an anti-piracy mission in the area, was diverted to intercept, the Navy said.
Around seven pirates had boarded the Iranian-flagged vessel and taken the crew (11 Iranian and 8 Pakistani nationals) as hostage, the Navy said, adding that the pirates were coerced into returning the hostages and the vessel safely after helicopters and boats were deployed.
Navy personnel then boarded the fishing vessel to sanitise and check on the well-being of the crew who had been held captive by the Somali pirates, the Navy spokesperson said in a post on X.”
If you’re still here, thanks BK for the tip on Kavanagh QC. Very enjoyable.
______
Late Riser
Yes, like good TV programs used t be.
Ven
US jobs surged in January adding the most workers in a year and pushing wages up further in a surprise re-acceleration that is likely to delay the timing of Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.
A massive 353,000 jobs were added in January outstripping forecasts for 185,000 gain leaving the unemployment rate at 3.7 per cent.
Wages rose 0.6 per cent more than double the previous month, marking the biggest increase since March 2022, Bureau of Labour Statistics report showed. The surprise jump could now keep the Fed back from cutting rates in May. “If the stock market is counting on a March or even May rate cut then it is bound to be disappointed,” Chris Zaccarelli, Chief Investment Officer for Independent Advisor Alliance said.
Financial markets were still pricing in a 59 per cent chance of a 0.25 percentage point rate cut in May, according to the CME Fed Watch Tool. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note surged to 3.989 per cent up from 3.862 per cent on Thursday. While the S&P 500 index futures pared gains while the dollar rose sharply.
Apollo Creed walking on stage
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2tEobvw8-A8
B1 stealth bombers are leading US strikes against Iranian backed terrorist centres in Syria and Iraq. 85 strikes so far.
”
Penny Wong has hit back at Peter Dutton for insisting she be sacked if the federal government resumes funding for the United Nations’ key humanitarian agency in the Palestinian territories. Matthew Knott says the stoush between Dutton and one of the Albanese government’s most senior ministers came as Israel’s ambassador to Australia accused the government of appearing to forget Hamas’ responsibility for the October 7 attack, in the latest sign of tense relations between Israel and Australia.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/cheap-political-hit-wong-dutton-spar-over-cut-to-gaza-aid-20240202-p5f21h.html
”
“Penny Wong has hit back at Peter Dutton for insisting she be sacked if the federal government resumes funding for the United Nations’ key humanitarian agency in the Palestinian territories.”
What a grub Peter Dutton is.
Apollo Creed. What a role!
Thanks, BK.
‘The number of refugees and asylum seekers is approaching crisis proportions in many parts of the globe, seriously challenging governments and policy authorities. Unfortunately, the politics and public discourse on this issue has been unedifying, having brought out the worst reactions of many societies, ranging from racism to inhumanity, writes John Hewson who says, “While I am sure that many in the Coalition would arrogantly be proud that their asylum-seeker policy is now setting the pace in European and British discussions, I can’t help but feel some embarrassment for our nation about the fundamental inhumanity of the approach.”
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topic/2024/02/03/exporting-australias-refugee-policy‘
————————–
Indeed. The list of failed or failing states is growing year by year: Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Eritrea plus any number of Sahel states now headed in the same direction. Civil war seems to be one of the common denominators of the failed states. This inevitably seems to generate both desperate poverty and large numbers of people fleeing for their lives. There is a gross inability to feed their own populations, coupled with rapidly increasing populations, in any number of other states. Authoritarian regimes maintaining gross injustices against minorities in any other number of states. A huge tranche of people to be displaced by global warming with the first to be forced to move already moving.
We are probably looking at a hundred million people now. Add maybe a hundred and fifty million as a consequence of sea level rise. Add maybe another five hundred million as commodity crops start reducing in production consequent to global warming. (There are realistic predictions of losses in the band from 5-15%).
What to do?
Morning all. Thanks BK for the roundup. Perversely I find Paul Kelly’s article most encouraging. If even the Australian is urging Dutton to roll over on modified Stage 3 tax cuts, then the battle for acceptance is won.
Perhaps he saw the results of polling of 2234 people by Zoe Daniels in her seat. The results speak for themselves.
Opposing the changes to Stage 3 would be Dutton’s political suicide note.
The US Department of Defense has confirmed American military forces have conducted airstrikes against targets in Iraq and Syria.
US Central Command says 85 targets have been hit. It says they’re linked to the Quds Force wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, as well as “affiliated militia groups”.
Targets have included “command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities”, Central Command says.
Lars Von Trier @ Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 8:17 am:
“Leftie when they go low I go high.”
===================
Really? This, from yesterday. I had not said anything yesterday either to or about you up to that point:
“Lars Von Trier says:
Friday, February 2, 2024 at 5:47 pm
Hard to see MacArthur disagreeing with an authority figure other than in the most craven terms.”
BK @ #6 Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 – 7:17 am
It doesn’t work. We know that. But by our stubborn refusal to reduce our use of fossil fuels, Australia has rather stupidly got itself into the situation where CCS is now absolutely necessary for us to meet our climate commitments, but there are zero (zilch, nada) technically or commercially feasible ways of doing it, and will very likely never be in the required time frames.
The government doesn’t want the punters to realize this, so instead of releasing the advice, they are pumping money into stupid CCS schemes that are little more than “greenwashing”, and unscrupulous businesses who understand the nature of the con are simply lapping it up.
Why there are some even proposing that Australia could become a “CCS Superpower”, importing carbon from other countries and storing it for them. And, as usual, as soon as you hear the word “superpower” used in this domain, you can be sure it’s a scam.
It is madness.
Just a reminder that a Tesla vehicle recall is a soft ware update. A message appears on your vehicle screen which means the massive effort to touch ‘update now’ with a finger tip is all that is required.
Paul Kelly. He says, “As leader, Dutton has displayed great skill in the tactical decisions he has made. But he cannot afford a tactical blunder at this point. Voting against the tax cuts would be an extreme high risk. This is the trap Labor has set; it would be folly for the Coalition to fall into it.”
This reeks of defending the Liberals if they vote for it. For all of Paul Kelly’s headlines “What tax cut betrayal reveals about Albanese”. And the Australian rubbishing Albanese and Labor for it, to the suggest Dutton had no choice but to vote for it. After the Liberals and Dutton have been trashing Labor over this is craven and lacking conviction.
Re Socrates @9:13. That income distribution indicates that Goldstein is an affluent area, given that median full time earnings are about $75,000. It would have a higher proportion of people that would have been better off had Stage 3 been left untouched.
Still hard to see Dutton just letting the changes to Stage 3 just sail through. He’ll be looking for a reason not to.
Steve
I think that is the point of the survey. It shows a clear majority of support for modified Stage three even in an affluent electorate.
It is also significant if it leads Teals to back the changes.
Never underestimate the value of incumbency.
While you have it.
“A crowd of just 16,342 turned out to watch. The West Indies, who travelled to Melbourne buoyed after last Sunday’s remarkable first Test win in Australia since 1997, fought back from the early carnage produced by Bartlett through Keacy Carty and Roston Chase.”
Just 16,342 at a ground that holds 100,000. Cricket is dying out, it seems. The tennis, on the other hand, had one million plus over 15 days.
Holdenhillbilly @ #30 Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 – 9:18 am
Jeez, Iran must’ve been planning this co-ordinated series of attacks for a long time. To get all of that infrastructure into place, manufacture the munitions, transport them to the other countries, put Quds Force trainers into those countries to train the operatives in tactics and operations, then plan the attack, I’m thinking back to the time when Russia came in to help Syria suppress the Arab Spring uprising in that country. I’d hazard a guess that, and I’m no expert on strategic alliances across the Muslim diaspora, but that this may have been when Russia and Iran linked arms, literally and metaphorically, via the Chechens(?) as intermediaries.
As a result, as there seems to be a continuing series of meetings occurring between Russia and China, and Russia and China and the Global South, and the co-operation between Russia and Iran, with Iran no doubt keeping Putin in the loop about its ground game in the Middle East, I therefore think that there won’t be a quick win for the West and this situation has a way to go yet.
So then MacArthur instead of crying over it wouldn’t one think of a witty and urbane insult in reply to Lars?.
Are you not capable of that, lacking the required basic cognitive prowess to do it??.
You could have at least counted the craven remark by highlighting that infact you did return to the Phillipines as promised?, for instance
Steve777 @ #35 Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 – 9:37 am
What I heard was that he’s going to put some Amendments, make his Custer’s Last Stand, then wave it through. Mainly so The Greens don’t get a say in making the S3 changes more Progressive/Progressive Tax System like.
Boer 100% agree with your thoughts re incumbency- it worked wonders for Howard, 4 out of 5 in an ashes series wasn’t too bad as he would say in later years post PM
P1@9:27 am
You discussed today about CCS. Here is the natural CCS called Amazon forest, which is destroyed.
Climate change behind extreme Amazon drought: study
https://phys-org.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/phys.org/news/2024-01-climate-extreme-amazon-drought.amp?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17069114472202&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fphys.org%2Fnews%2F2024-01-climate-extreme-amazon-drought.html
“The historic agricultural drought affected millions of people across the Amazon basin, stoking huge wildfires, shrinking key waterways and taking a calamitous toll on wildlife.
Some experts have suggested that the arrival of the naturally occurring El Niño weather phenomenon was behind the tinderbox conditions.
But a new study from scientists at the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, published Wednesday, found that climate change caused by humanity’s planet-heating carbon pollution was the main culprit. They said it had made the drought 30 times more likely from June to November 2023.
And they warned that the situation would only get worse as the climate warms, pushing the Amazon towards a climate “tipping point”.
Scientists fear that climate change and deforestation combined could intensify drying and warming in the Amazon. They say that would trigger an accelerating transition from tropical forest to savannah and reduce its capacity to store carbon.
The Amazon is estimated to store more than 100 billion tonnes of carbon in its trees and soils, over twice the worldwide annual emissions from all sources.
“The Amazon could make or break our fight against climate change,” said Regina Rodrigues, Professor of Physical Oceanography and Climate at the Federal University of Santa Catarina.
“If we protect the forest, it will continue to act as the world’s largest land-based carbon sink”
I read an interview recently with the head of Aust Open who said he’d introduced a whole suite of attendance options for the AO, including options for people to ‘go to the tennis’ without actually watching a game of tennis. Instead going solely for eating and other entertainment options within the precinct.
So how many of those 1M+ people counted as being at the tennis were actually watching games of tennis?
leftieBrawler @ Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 9:56 am:
“So then MacArthur instead of crying over it wouldn’t one think of a witty and urbane insult in reply to Lars?.”
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Because I left the school playground over thirty years ago. And pointing out others’ blatant hypocrisy is hardly expressing sorrow, as you seem to be saying.
I’m glad to see the Prime Minister has got some colour in his skin over Summer. Why have Italian heritage if you can’t take advantage of it in this Age of Appearances mattering almost as much as substance?
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/sites/default/files/styles/article_large/public/albo.jpeg
Well then mac there is always the option of applying for membership into the PB flake faction. However I must warn you there could be a delay and backlog of processing due to the record number of applications they have received of late
Macarthursays:
Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 9:23 am
Lars Von Trier @ Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 8:17 am:
“Leftie when they go low I go high.”
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Really? This, from yesterday. I had not said anything yesterday either to or about you up to that point:
“Lars Von Trier says:
Friday, February 2, 2024 at 5:47 pm
Hard to see MacArthur disagreeing with an authority figure other than in the most craven terms.”
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I guess it depends on your definition of high. For a creature of the sewer getting up to the gutter would be high.
Quote:
“You have shown me the sky, but what good is the sky
To a creature who’ll never do better than crawl?
Of all the cruel devils who’ve badgered and battered me
You are the cruelest of all…”