What's what?

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Shatner'sBassoon started the topic in Friday, 6 Nov 2015 at 7:48pm

AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING KALEIDOSCOPIC JOIN-THE-DOTS/ADULT COLOURING BOOK EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT IN NARCISSISTIC/ONANISTIC BIG PICTURE PARASITIC FORUM BLEEDING.

LIKE POLITICAL LIFE, PARTICIPATION IS WELCOME, ENCOURAGED EVEN, BUT NOT NECESSARY.

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factotum Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 5:15pm

It's a wild guess, Lizard, but comedy isn't your day, night, even PaTH 'job', is it champ?

Community service?

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factotum Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 5:18pm

Hey Al Jazeera, please tell us there isn't any footage of Ashby's drunken overseas night movements!

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GuySmiley Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 5:18pm

... news just in from the National Party

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stunet Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 5:19pm

Your birth certificate may say Ronald McDonald but surely you'd call yourself Ron.

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indo-dreaming Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 5:27pm

My poking and prodding looks like it's worked.

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factotum Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 5:30pm

Was that comment Ashby related, Indo?

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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 5:49pm

OK brains trust, what's the best way to structure a vote to put a spanner in neoliberalism at the election? Lower house, it will be ALP landslide and many of the minor parties don't field reps in many of the electorates - yet. Locally, no matter how I vote the Lib will be out and the Lab will be in and policies will largely continue to be the same: juice the economy with people because it's the only game left in town, to the detriment of the environment and wages, living standards of people already here.
In the senate, apart from putting Lib/Lab/Grn last, is there a better way to structure it to vote in favour of sovereignty at the expense of neoliberalism?

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factotum Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 6:39pm

"I guess the crux of the believability that Labor will follow through with this is if you believe that Labor is "beholden to the (dun dun daaaaa!) unions" or they're not.

Speaking of which, where does that 'beholden' narrative originate, and why does it get 'traction'?"

Another one of the ties that bind the UK, the USA, and us is Rupert Murdoch.

The insiduousness of his giant reach is overwhelming. Where do the enlightened types on here (hah!), the ABC breakfast team, political staffers, people like the woman in Tassie who called Bill Shorten a prick then apologised because she thought he was Scott Morrison, me repeating this Tassie 'story', yes, where do all us VOTERS get our 'news' from? Either directly, indirectly, it doesn't matter. The cold dead (if only! C'mon Jerry, you too can do your bit for humanity!) hand of Rupert touches everything!

Even by critically deconstructing his purposeful mis-perceptions and ideological 'common knowledge' (like I am right now!) is to acknowledge his powers of persuasion.

But don't hate the media, become the media! Deconstruct away! Look for the fissures and cracks in corporate media 'news' of all stripes and shine a light on them and up them!

On here!!!!

Interrogate, don't regurgitate.

I think Jello Biafra said that. Or should've.

He definitely came up with the 'become the media' thing.

There's always room for Jello!

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factotum Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 6:34pm

"Juice the economy with people because it's the only game left in town, to the detriment of the environment and wages, living standards of people already here."

An age ago, I tried to tease something out of the great 'immigration-of-all-stripes-is-the-root-of-all-evil' proselytiser, or rather I slyly directed him towards a more nuanced direction. Nothing. Well, he did mistakenly produce a link to an academic study via his new (only?) go-to Leith Van O's MacroBUSINESS. They had done their now infamous cherry picking stunt of pasting a paragraph or two from a couple of chapters in a 20 chapter, 5 part, 328 page book. It was called The Wages Crisis in Australia: What it is and what to do about it. You may remember it? Or not...whatever.

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/press/titles/wages-crisis/wages-crisis-ebook...

Actually, speaking of MacroBUSINESS, a trip down memory lane on here...WEDNESDAY, 10 OCT 2018...

strap yourself in.

"Hang on, your Macro Business stuff? Of course!

But wait, we may be able to tie some observations/obsessions together here. Join-the-dots. Maybe.

Let's go back to what Shorten proposed.

A bi-partisan taskforce that would look at temporary work visas, infrastructure development, service delivery such as health and education and settlement policy.

That's a lot to unpack. If you just look at TWVs, there's a lot to unpack. Historically. Were they ever needed? What regulations around them were relaxed or just plain 'de-regulated'? Who by? For whose benefit?

Another interesting angle that always gets a run. The international education and training sector. Actually, let's just focus on the university sector. Again, who pushed for full-fee paying international student participation, whilst de-funding the sector? Again, what regulatory frameworks were relaxed or abandoned? Who benefits?

And that's not opening the bigger can of VET worms! Who fucked TAFE again? Whilst allowing dodgy private providers in, out, and about?

De-regulation as an end in itself isn't healthy. The much-fought against banking RC shows us that in stark terms.

I don't know about spittle-flecked abuse, but "creating a bi-partisan population taskforce that would outline recommendations both parties could accept, and that would look at temporary work visas, infrastructure development, service delivery such as health and education and settlement policy" seems reasonable to me.

As Shorten wrote in the letter to the PM, "population policy runs the risk of being politicised by those seeking to divide Australia, and (who) see political opportunity in polarising opinion in the community”.

Yes?

"But my friends we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come."

(Refos, nah, immigrants, well, nup, un-regulated and exploited backpackers, dodgy and exploited TWVs, dodgy and exploited OS students, dodgy OS private training providers, dodgy OS labour hire, yeah?! And all whilst bashing TAFE, unions, unis, and 'un-Australians'!!)

Yes, brothers and sisters, all roads lead back to the 'Big Un-Australian'!

John Winston Howard.

And to know thine enemy is to defeat them."

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factotum Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 6:38pm

And yes, brothers and erm, brothers, even more from the 10th Oct 2018. Busy day!

Macro Business.

Interesting site, and business.

Relatively recent mover & shaker start-up by Leith van Onselen and others. Interesting battle over the journey for differentiation and market-share in the 'economics/property' web-site/blog space.

And he seems to have found his niche. All things immigration. Has got him media gigs now with the usual suspects, including the Sky After Dark roster. Bolt in particular.

Anyway, have a squiz.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/25/australians-are-ge...

"...we do not feel like they’re getting any richer, and we’re looking around for people to blame. Australians are indeed, on some economic measures, getting noticeably poorer. One explanation is that we haven’t quite worked off the hangover from the mining boom: as the economist Ross Garnaut predicted, the end of the boom has led to stagnant incomes and a restless electorate. In addition, as Greg Jericho has argued, unions that used to fight for wage increases have become weak.

However, other people have taken to blaming Australia’s high immigration rates for the slide. Leith van Onselen, for example, on the Bolt Report, noted that Victoria, which has seen the highest immigration rates in Australia, has seen the lowest per capita income increase in the country since the global financial crisis. Isn’t that evidence that immigrants are lowering our living standards?

The problem for Van Onselen is that he’s got his economics wrong, and he’s measuring the wrong thing. Changes in gross state product per capita – the indicator they’re using – can’t tell you anything about the impact of immigration on living standards.

It’s like comparing oranges in 2009 with a mix of apples and oranges in 2016.

Let’s call one group of people the “original” group – people who were already here in 2009 – and the other the “immigrant” group, who’ve moved here since then. Van Onselen compares the living standards of the “originals” in 2009 with the living standards of both originals and immigrants in 2016. This tells us nothing. What we want to measure is the change in the living standards of “originals” from 2009 to 2016 (and, if you like, the change for immigrants, but this would mean finding out what those were in their country of origin).

This is much harder to measure, but there is some evidence to suggest that if you did the analysis properly, it would change Van Onselen’s conclusions.

Data from the 2016 census shows that income for recently arrived immigrants in Melbourne is on average substantially lower than it is for Australian-born residents. This means that the recent arrivals will “drag down” the average, even if they’re better off than they were before moving to Australia, and even if they’ve had no impact on the living standards of those who were already living in Melbourne.

The academic literature supports the idea that immigration is not likely to make non-immigrants any poorer. Studies suggest that, on average, immigration has little to no impact on wages. On employment it’s much the same: the consensus of research is that, statistically, immigrants either create more jobs than they “take”, or that they have no impact on jobs at all."

The 'dismal science', hey?

Blowin's picture
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Blowin Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 6:54pm

You were wrong the first time.

You still are.

Unpack that.

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factotum Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 7:05pm

Parp!

You're not a chain-smoking Buddhist monk are ya, Blowie?

And don't tell me you subscribe to the Big O's MacroBUSINESS?!

I'd rather admit voting for, I dunno, One Notion!

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Blowin Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 7:06pm

Mate.....you’re wrong.

Deal with it.

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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 7:07pm

So what do you reckon Blowin?

SA in place of the greens, if your vote concerns the environment, so up they go. Figured that bit out.

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2019/02/02/greens-spli...

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Blowin Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 7:15pm

If the environment is the primary driver of your voting decision then consider that there is not a single environmental issue that won’t be worsened by increasing Australia’s population.

Not a single one.

Greens intend to maintain the current rates of immigration. Therefore their stance on the environment is a wash out.

Sustainable Australia all the way.

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indo-dreaming Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 7:29pm

^This

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sypkan Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 8:20pm

"...Let’s call one group of people the “original” group – people who were already here in 2009 – and the other the “immigrant” group, who’ve moved here since then. Van Onselen compares the living standards of the “originals” in 2009 with the living standards of both originals and immigrants in 2016. This tells us nothing. What we want to measure is the change in the living standards of “originals” from 2009 to 2016 (and, if you like, the change for immigrants, but this would mean finding out what those were in their country of origin).

This is much harder to measure, but there is some evidence to suggest that if you did the analysis properly, it would change Van Onselen’s conclusions.

Data from the 2016 census shows that income for recently arrived immigrants in Melbourne is on average substantially lower than it is for Australian-born residents. This means that the recent arrivals will “drag down” the average, even if they’re better off than they were before moving to Australia, and even if they’ve had no impact on the living standards of those who were already living in Melbourne.

The academic literature supports the idea that immigration is not likely to make non-immigrants any poorer. Studies suggest that, on average, immigration has little to no impact on wages. On employment it’s much the same: the consensus of research is that, statistically, immigrants either create more jobs than they “take”, or that they have no impact on jobs at all."

The 'dismal science', hey?"

Dismal science, whether it's van onselen or your 'academic' mates.

".. This is much harder to measure, but there is some evidence to suggest that if you did the analysis properly, it would change Van Onselen’s conclusions."

Sounds a lot like some pretty select cherry picking from those who make the accusations of 'cherry picking' to me...

Dismal science indeed.

The problem is either side can make an argument either way. They could also make a counter argument to their counter argument if they really wanted to, such is the nature of contemporary academia and the associated corrupted institutions either side choose to use.

The problem is a crisis of confidence. Just like the media, the public has no confidence in their 'studies', as both sides have tied themselves in knots trying to make their points to suit their respective agenda's.

All anyone cares about is their own 'lived experience'. And that is telling them they are under pressure from all angles. Even focussing on wages is misleading. I would say most people aren't technically any worse off than they were ten or so years ago. But fuck are they ever feeling the pressure. This comes from tenuous employment, contracts and casual employment and underenployment. Those that have good jobs are working more than ever to keep them. Those that have shit jobs are doing shitty hours they don't want to, for petty or no penalty rates just to keep their shitty jobs.

You can deny it all you want but that pressure is coming from even more desperate people willing to do the work for less - migrants - your own little cut and paste ccinfirms this.

Growth figures, and even wage figures show us very little about 'quality of life' in the modern context. Clive Hamilton has been rattling on for years that we need better methods to measure 'quality of life' ....all to no avail...

It's about conpetition, and not just for jobs and wages. It's over the top competition for everything, houses, rentals, car parks, competition even for a shitty place to be stuck in traffic, supermarket checkouts, the running track, a nice spot on the cliff. Fucking over the top competition for everything!

It's a fucking hamster wheel, and the hamsters are tired!!

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factotum Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019 at 10:30pm

"Mate.....you’re wrong.

Deal with it."

Wait...that's it?

Hahaha. FFS.

For clarification, that means 'for fuck's sake'.

I only qualify because really who knows what the fuck you know or rather, don't know.

All bets are off.

After all my erm, opinionated work, this is your takeaway?

Fark, back to the future.

Again.

Whinge away, gronks. About opinions and shit.

No bookie would take the bet that you won't.

Again.

It's your raison d'être.

Your good ol' Aussie skill.

Oi!

And VJ...Shemp, mate, Shemp. Helluva head of hair he had, I guess. Head like a foot, but.

You wanna go there?

Nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk

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truebluebasher Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 12:55am

All comments on what we should or could be doing regards immigration are fine.
Let's not lose track of the situation at hand that Libs themselves wan't stopped.

Scomo is ramping 270,000 bridging Visas / yr while tinkering perm' to 160,000
Scomo minimum immigration is still way higher than all parties 1/2 million>(2021)
Libs get record new Job creation stats,low wage economy,farmers are wrapped

Visa immigrants are Not permitted work in Greater Sydney/Newcastle or Brisbane.
2021 Scomo will flood 1/2million more into (1)Melbourne (2)Adelaide (3)Perth
Regions also have minimum 90 day turn over per year for each immigrant.

All parties including Libs condemn Libs Skyrocketing outta control Bridging Visas.

tbb won't argue good or bad or who to vote for, just rearranging the deckchairs.
Recommend you spin the wheel again. You can't win a prize but it boosts their ego.

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sypkan Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 7:20am

Good points tbb,

I read a figure of 880 000 migrants last year under scomo's watch. To be honest I find that figure unbelievable. Again, I guess it comes down to how you count it, which institutions do you trust?

If we take a fairly conservative figure of 500 000, I don't know how any responsible government can expect a country of 24 million people to absorb those sorts numbers year after year after year. But that's what both sides of politics have done to us for the last 20 years.

Blowing our own government projections out of the water. Blowing the peoole budget 20 years too soon!

It is iiresponsuble no matter which way come at it.

Scono's buying into this debate is not even lip service, it's down right deceptive.

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sypkan Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 10:02am

Praise the gods for the independents...

"...Seven potential lower-house independents have signed a joint statement pledging to pursue a number of climate change actions in the event the election makes them kingmakers in the next parliament – including working to stop the controversial Adani coalmine."

Fuck labor, they're a fucking disgrace...

"..Di Natale will argue the Liberals have been a “disaster” for the climate but he will also castigate Labor for failing the test of ambition.

“For all of Labor’s talk, they are proving to be a real disappointment,” he will say. “As if supporting new coalmines like Adani in the Galilee Basin isn’t bad enough, Labor has just committed $1.5bn in public finance to frack the gas of the Beetaloo basin in the Northern Territory."

The LNP are a disgrace too ....but we already knew that...

Vote independent, vote sustainable australia....fuck even vote for the greens or clive palmer if you must...but don't vote ALP LNP

andrew wilkie and rob oakehott must be the most under appreciated people in australian politics...for years and years now...

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/01/independents-pled...

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GuySmiley Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 10:10am

.... more news just in from One Nation

A tearful Pauline Hanson has told A Current Affair that choosing a bankrupt, a crazy conspiracy theorist, a homophobe, a drunk racist and an actual Nazi to join your party could happen to anyone. “Other than personally choosing and approving the candidates, I’ve got nothing to do with this at all. I don’t know how I could’ve avoided it – it’s a terrible run of bad luck,” Ms Hanson said.

Wiping away tears, Hanson said she couldn’t see any reason why her party would keep attracting crazy fucking nutjobs. “Apart from victimising Muslims and gays, claiming vaccinations cause autism, and inciting race fears for twenty years I can’t think of any reason why these fringe lunatics would keep asking to join One Nation,” she said.

But the unluckiest part, Hanson said, was that these people kept getting accepted into the party. “I’m not sure what idiot is running this show, but the buck stops with me”. #auspol #ausvotes #ausvotes2019 #paulinehanson #onenation

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factotum Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 10:11am
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factotum Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 10:15am

Guy Smiley, here's a clue why.

$$$$

Pay to play in Hanson's special needs kindergarten.

Ol' Pauline did learn a thing or two whilst she was in the political wilderness.

Blowin's picture
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Blowin Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 10:21am

Facto - are you affiliated with a political party in any way ? Have you ever been ?

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factotum Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 10:47am

Hahaha. Why do I feel like I'm in front of the ol' HUAC anti-communist hearings, and you're Senator Joseph McCarthy?

I was a member of Class War once. Does that count?

My union is also non-affiliated. You may have to look that up. Actually, it may be a good educative exercise.

Also, while you're 'researching', look up co-determination in Germany, say. It's a policy idea that the Labor party here have been vehemently criticised for. Though not for being "hardcore neolib"?!

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AndyM Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 12:17pm

"This mindset of not rocking the boat, glorifying pragmatic compromise (almost always with the right, not the left), shaming other left-wing democratic opponents, and calling for #changefromwithin is a weak theory of change.
It is exactly this capitulating and righteous attitude that has alienated many of the party's traditional and progressive voters and contributed to the ALP’s long-term decline."

https://www.floodmedia.org/articles/in-neoliberal-australia-labor-party-...

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factotum Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 12:26pm

Hey Andy, I threw you a "frickin' bone" yesterday. Nothing?

Whatever.

Anyway, here's the literal Mr Creosote! And our Prime Marketer ProMo serving it up...again.

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AndyM Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 12:44pm

Busy with work and study at the moment Facto, will get there.

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factotum Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 3:34pm

"If you can’t manage money, you can’t run the country."

Prime Marketer ProMo.

Erm...

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2018/11/10/exclusive-a...

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blindboy Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 3:47pm

The Dancing Fool

What a great thing it has been over recent days to see our wonderful PM prancing around the nation with all the enthusiasm of a bloke who knows he has struck it lucky, smiling, grinning, shaking hands, patting backs, doing the blokey bloke thing better than anyone since Jack Someoneorother.

'Struth digger me old mate, what a bloody bonzer day up here in Bullamabloodykanka, Not even Bill Shorten could ruin a day like today.... Oh shit, off message there for a second. Bloody Bill Shorten could ruin anyone's day. Here in Bullabloodymakanka he plans to shut your coal mine, open a women's refuge, impose Sharia law, steal your utes, cut off the electricity and close the pub, and I'm not going to do any of those things! In fact my plan is to do nothing and I have the team to do it.

So here I am to tell you all about MY policies. We hate Bill Shorten, that's it. Bill the bastard we call him, let me say it again bloody bastard Bill Shorten, don't vote for him he's a real bastard. But don't worry I have rounded up all my mates, Clive and Fraser and that good sort Pauline. They're all going to help us beat bloody Bill and then there's Rupe and Lochie, great bloke the old Rupe and Lochie well he's a real shit off the old block I reckon. So easy for young blokes to get led astray these days with those LBGT, radical feminist, Greenie, commie, types babbling away on Farcebook and Instamum, but not young Lochie. No sir just like his dad, a real true blue Aussie even though they don't live here anymore and aren't even citizens, no you can't beat either of them for dyed in the wool bloody true blue bloody patriotism, absolutely behind Trump and working hard for Brexit but still true bloody blue.

So that's why it's my lucky day, well my lucky couple of months really. Here I was a poor bloke down on his luck, behind in the polls, no policies to work with and surrounded by a bunch of clowns, shit off message again, a bunch of hard working, caring humanitarians. Nothing to work on but my smile and my blokey, blokey, blokiness and then along come Rupe and Lochie and start sticking it to Bill all over their front pages.

"Bill's car-bon tax"
"PM warns of Labor's $380bn tax grab"
"Labor climate plan hits food costs"
"Scomo ready to go: Morrison into poll position"

All good clean balanced reporting by decent journos who know who butters their bread and where they are likely to get their next pay check if they don't play along. Bloody long queues in Centrelink and some of those pensioners get shitty when you push in eh? Anyway all fair balanced stuff. You remember these?

"Mindless morons destroy entire river system"
" Hello world, I'm an idiot!"
"Rip off parasites waste reef dollars"
"Liberal thug threatens disabled candidate"

No, don't remember? Ha ha ha ha, that's 'cos Rupe's me mate and wouldn't do that to me unless there was a decent quid in it. So off to the woodshed to sharpen up my line-dancing style. The beat goes on and I'm so wrong, The beat goes on and I'm still wrong, I may be totally wrong, but I'm a dancing fool.

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garyg1412 Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 4:10pm

Can anyone enlighten me on the logic behind the negative TV advertising campaigns these fools run every election. If I saw a political ad on TV that told me what they were going to do for me, not what the other bloke wasn't going to do for me, then they have my fucking vote regardless. It's like the barrage of christmas advertising for numpties at the moment every time you put the telly on. They should have a box on the ballot paper labelled "apathetic voter party" - it'll fucking romp home.

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velocityjohnno Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 4:59pm

Maybe you present a small target and just throw mud at the other. Negative feedback being rememembered as more significant? The same reasons businesses freak when someone post a bad meal review, etc.

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Westofthelake Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 6:05pm

Re political advertising on tv.

Only 2 options I reckon.

1. Turn off telly.

2. Only 2 or so weeks to go.

I don't think there has been many elections where the old attack ads don't make a re- appearance. It's like Daily Telegraph for tv, with both sides shooting for the lowest of low.

Funny thing is that they don't seem to make much of a difference (according to link below)

At the same time we have Clive Palmer carpet bombing the tv with his version of 'vote for me', and whilst kinda entertaining they are bloody annoying due to their regularity.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://theconversa...

AndyM's picture
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AndyM Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 6:08pm

Throw the tv out the window - I haven't had a tv for 25+ years and it's one of the best things I've ever done.

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Westofthelake Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 6:21pm

Hahaha Andy, pretty sure you mentioned that fact before.

Should probably include a third option for the above post,

3. Be like Andy - chuck tv out window.

For me, I'm not quite ready for that option. Time will tell.

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factotum Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 6:24pm

I got a fucken text from Clive Creosote today! WTF? How??

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Westofthelake Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 6:26pm

You been donating to his campaign?

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factotum Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 6:28pm

I spray painted one of his posters...just quietly.

Sigh. Just like the good ol' days...

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AndyM Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 7:31pm

Just a few thoughts on the "should I vote for Labor" topic.

First of all, I accept that Labor have had some extremely important wins in recent years. As Guy Smiley says, leading in the calling of the banking royal commission, the introduction of the NDIS and a general commitment to health care are key among them.

As for other issues Guy mentioned, Labor successes are either debatable or yet to be seen.

Policies on climate - Labor has little credibility given their recent efforts on Adani and also fracking in the NT. It's tempting to accuse them of lip service/window dressing.

Tax avoidance action - Labor plans to get another $1 billion in tax revenue from multinationals; this is a tiny fraction of the money earned in Australia by multinationals and also fails to recognise how easy it is for companies to restructure their finances and get around rule changes. A cynic might say this failure is not an accident. More window dressing?

Plans to reform the Fair Work Act - Labor plans to up the minimum wage from $18.93/hour. Up to $19.00/hour? Kinda means nothing till we hear more

Franking credits & trusts and negative gearing - if they axe and modify these respectively, it could signal the turning of the corner for Labor heading back to the political centre.

Basically, I don't accept that things are too far gone and Labor can't do anything. They've proposed doing things, they need to make the proposals stick.

And I'll say again, Labor has barely been a brake on LNP extremes and neoliberalism in general, the TPP being an obvious example.
If you want a real brake, I suggest voting so that Labor is kept honest while they keep the LNP honest.
Obviously this means thinking carefully about the makeup of the Senate.

With regards to population growth: Facto, you can make it an economic argument and you might just be on some vaguely solid ground and then only in some respects. From an environmental perspective, there is nothing positive about massive increases in population.
Labor is pro-big Australia for reasons that have been discussed many times.

On another note Labor's support for anti-terrorism laws are a concern.

"Only one party is coming to the party right now and inviting all of us along."

Is it Labor? Yeah, nah.

Labor still isn't in it for the punters and until I think they genuinely are, I'll be casting my vote for someone else.

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AndyM Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 7:35pm

Seriously Westie, it's a revelation! ;)

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AndyM Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 7:36pm

You'd be surprised how much attention a bit of political graffiti can get Facto.

Better than a tag.

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I focus Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 8:23pm

@ GS ".... more news just in from One Nation"

That made me smile.......

@ garyg research shows negative stuff works unfortunately.

@ BB think you summed it nicely

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garyg1412 Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 8:34pm

Andy M - did you hit the fucking Caddillac or the Mercedes???

AndyM's picture
AndyM's picture
AndyM Wednesday, 1 May 2019 at 8:49pm

Please explain?

When I threw the tv out the window?

At the time I narrowly missed my '75 HJ.

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Thursday, 2 May 2019 at 8:37am

So after years of vehemently denying it - and throwing up doctored figures to back their fallacious claims - the real estate industry has finally admitted that foreign buyers of housing vastly contributed to the ridiculous increase in real estate prices .

Only now they are saying we should be grateful.

You couldn’t make this shit up.

https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/foreigners-helped-pop-our-pr...

factotum's picture
factotum's picture
factotum Monday, 20 May 2019 at 10:46pm

In a sorta real estate bollocks connection, and definitely in a more important further 'dumbing down' media one, here's another potential nail in Australia's coffin.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-30/nine-sells-fairfax-community-news...

Add it to Nine (chaired by Peter Costello) owning the major Fairfax papers; WIN broadcasting Sky After Dark on all free-to-air regional stations; the further degradation (can it get any dumber??) of the other commercial tv station's 'news' coverage; a kow-towed, scared. shivering and underfunded ABC and SBS; and a Murdoch who is as far from going anywhere as ever in all media departments, if not getting more emboldened (and watch out for the even further-to-the-right Lachie!!).

Yeah, but, the internet, hey?

Erm...

Dumb media = dumb populace = dumb politics.

Be vigilant, kids.

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GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley Friday, 3 May 2019 at 9:03am

On a quiet news day for One Nation

factotum's picture
factotum's picture
factotum Friday, 3 May 2019 at 10:02am

“Pauline doesn’t speak for everyone in One Nation,” said Latham. “You know those billboards she has up at the moment? The ones that say, ‘I’ve got the guts to say what you’re thinking!’? Yeah, well I spend most of my days fantasising about flogging swans and geese to death with a cricket stump but I doubt you’ll hear Pauline say that out loud,”

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Friday, 3 May 2019 at 10:08am

Postal Plebiscite was compulsory for school kids to vote with dead folk's ballots.
Compulsory Oz Elections voters must choose from preferred expelled candidates.

2018 US: Republican Pimp "Dead" candidate won election with 68% of vote?
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-hof/dead-republican-brot...

VOTE4QUIDZ writtenandauthourizedbystanddownpartynoaussiedreamhome.