You make a fair point, but funnily enough we are (for now) far better at enabling the American Dream than America is. I can only hope we don't follow them off a cliff and manage to keep it that way.
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AusPoliGaf |Early 2016 Election| - the government's term has been... Shortened
- Thread starter Bernbaum
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Oh so not for most houses in Sydney or Melbourne.
Elaugaufein
Member
Well yeah, the ability for the most disadvantaged to achieve success is inherently limited if inequality is too great. That's how power spirals and institutional disadvantage work.
Also the idea that everyone can achieve anything reasonably called success if they try hard enough is a bit of a philosophical conundrum in itself since if everyone achieves success the net relative effect is a break even so did anyone actually succeed ?
bobnowhere
Member
Apparently someone called 000 in Canberra to report that Barnaby Joyce had gone bright red during question time and genuinely thought he was ill. They said he was an adult [Barnaby] and could call his own ambulance.
viciouskillersquirrel
Member
Being rich can be a point of strength. I've heard "running a billion dollar business gives him the leadership skills he needs to run a country" enough over 2016 to say that with confidence. But yes, he ran on anger at Washington... and racism. Anger motivated by racism too.
Also, this isn't a knock against you, but rather at political journalists who made it a thing. "Coronate" is not the verb form of coronation. The word everyone was looking for last year was "crown". The Democrats wanted to crown Clinton and make the primary a coronation.
Not normally a prescriptivist, but it always sounded wrong to me.
bobnowhere
Member
So Getup! are going after Peter Dutton's seat held by a slim margin of 1.6%. So is Dutton up for a fair fight? Nope! He's begging the AEC is re-distribute his seat to cannabilise all the conservative areas of two bordering seats to sure up his at the expense of those two seat's prospects.
Elaugaufein
Member
Its not Dutton, at least directly that was an LNP request. I'm guessing the Conservatives want to keep him around​ to the point they'll make Swan safer in exchange
It's just not fair the yanks get to gerrymander!
I'll laugh my ass off if they do that and he still loses his seat. Then they'll have lost 3 seats.
Elaugaufein
Member
They don't hold 2 of the 3 seats they asked to canabilize. One was Wyatt Roy's and the other is Wayne Swan's (ie ALP). Its only one sitting member they are potentially sacrificing, the rest is more sacrificing a seat that should have been relatively easy to take back and a seat that was drifting towards being winnable to shore up Dutton.
Candescence
Member
Adani has announced that its big mine has been given the green light... Except it's really just for show since they still haven't gained investment funding for the mine itself or the rail project needed for it. And those fucking quilsings in Queensland Labor says it'll be good for jobs... About a hundred jobs, maybe? Two-hundred? Very small amount of actual jobs, anyone who says otherwise is a fucking liar.
Seriously, why are they trying to build an economically nonviable mining project? Fucking insanity.
Seriously, why are they trying to build an economically nonviable mining project? Fucking insanity.
Elaugaufein
Member
Adani's own numbers were like 1650ish counting indirect jobs as well IIRC.
Candescence
Member
Yeah, I figured it was around that number, still pretty much a drop in the bucket.
bobnowhere
Member
Apparently Andrew Bolt got into a bit of a fistfight today when some people sprayed shaving cream and glitter on him!
It's Petrie, not Lilly, held by Lib Luke Howarth. He's on about the same margin of 1.55% as Dutton. Howarth actually got a swing to him at the last election making the move particularly brutal. I wouldn't be surprised if Dutton shifts to a safer seat before the next election if they don't get the redistribution they want.
Dutton was also going to make a "leadership credentials" speech on Monday to a big conservative study/lobby group but it was mysteriously cancelled at the last moment.
It's Petrie, not Lilly, held by Lib Luke Howarth. He's on about the same margin of 1.55% as Dutton. Howarth actually got a swing to him at the last election making the move particularly brutal. I wouldn't be surprised if Dutton shifts to a safer seat before the next election if they don't get the redistribution they want.
Dutton was also going to make a "leadership credentials" speech on Monday to a big conservative study/lobby group but it was mysteriously cancelled at the last moment.
Elaugaufein
Member
I thought Petrie was the 3rd seat they asked to cannabilse (and the one they held of those 3) ?
Mr. Pointy
Member
Theresa May tried to pull a Malcolm Turnbull... and ended up pulling a Malcolm Turnbull.
Candescence
Member
Meanwhile Chris Bowen is desperately misrepresenting universal basic income as a "handout to millionaires" despite UBW basically requiring higher taxes on the rich by necessity.
This isn't terribly surprising considering Bowen is in the right-wing faction and has been trying to shoo off demands for a Buffet rule as well, but it's low for him to also speak blatant lies about UBW.
This isn't terribly surprising considering Bowen is in the right-wing faction and has been trying to shoo off demands for a Buffet rule as well, but it's low for him to also speak blatant lies about UBW.
bobnowhere
Member
It might be time for Tories world wide to stop calling Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor. Massive loss in Canada, London Mayoral loss, Turned a safe majority into a wafer thin 1 seat buffer in Australia and now Maybot will likely be in minority or wafer thin majority as well and probably get rolled internally.
"Strong and Stable"
"Continuity and Change"
"Protect the economy"
pointless crap
Elaugaufein
Member
I mean it's true but misleading. Millionaire's would get the UBI. They'd just lose more on the necessarily more steep progressive tax system (since taxing below the UBI threshold would be nuts) than they'd gain from it.
Hey. While they are fucking up other people's Elections we don't have to put up with them. Encourage more use of them not less. Emphasize they got Turnbull and May government not the other part.
D.Lo
Member
What the fuck Bowen.
I get the ensuring dignity through work for Australians - that is an ideological position that can be argued.
But the millionaires thing is misleading enough to be a lie. I mean technically they would get it but they would pay far more than it in tax if they earn a lot.
They don't give out jobs on merit they give it to who they know. If they didn't do that they wouldn't be Tories.
D.Lo
Member
Lol.
Why the fuck would Apple do something that serious for a shitty little backwater government like Australia? or even the UK?
I would love to see the Australian government try to ban iPhones in the country because Apple did not comply with this Nonsense.
*Does not include right to privacy
Do they think all those NSA tools getting out was a one-time thing? Get a clue, pollies: What you're asking for is deliberate, built-in vulnerabilities. They will be exploited. People are going to suffer when they are. You cannot stand on a platform of cybersecurity and also advocate these measures.
Elaugaufein
Member
I really hate the magic key idiocy. First you assemble an atom without the strong nuclear force , then we can look into encryption that can be broken at will by an actor without sabotaging it's security.
Elaugaufein
Member
Oh something I did not expect and that makes the Senate even more "interesting" in terms of what kind of legislation can get through.
Lucy Gichuhi (the formerly Family First replacement for Bob Day and now Independent following Bernadi eating Family First) voted for looser* control on medical marijuana (moving it from Schedule B to A).
One Nation also voted for it, but that's unsurprising, since they've made previous moves / declarations in that direction.
The only crossbench allies the Government had were NXT and Bernadi.
I don't think any of the others are at all surprising though (maybe Hinch depending on how you read him ? But it didn't surprise me.)
*Technically I believe it was vote to disallow tighter control in regulation but tomato / potato.
Lucy Gichuhi (the formerly Family First replacement for Bob Day and now Independent following Bernadi eating Family First) voted for looser* control on medical marijuana (moving it from Schedule B to A).
One Nation also voted for it, but that's unsurprising, since they've made previous moves / declarations in that direction.
The only crossbench allies the Government had were NXT and Bernadi.
I don't think any of the others are at all surprising though (maybe Hinch depending on how you read him ? But it didn't surprise me.)
*Technically I believe it was vote to disallow tighter control in regulation but tomato / potato.
bobnowhere
Member
Looks like Greg Hunt, Michael Sukkar and Alan Tudge might be in a spot of bother. They are being required to front the Victorian Supreme court on Friday to explain why they shouldn't be charged with contempt over criticising the court of sentencing of Terrorisim charges.
Looks like the AFP are about to charge the entire Victorian Supreme Court with something
Elaugaufein
Member
Looks like the AFP are about to charge the entire Victorian Supreme Court with something
I think Dutton is getting Border Force ready to either deport or indefinitely detain them (the Judges not the AFP. Though if he though he could get Border Force to take over for the AFP as a result I suspect he'd do that too).
50% chance the three are in the poo according to Insiders this morning.
https://twitter.com/InsidersABC/status/876229253733376000
As someone for whom Sukkar *was* my representative until a year or so ago, and who I tried to contact about issues with zero success, I say bring it to the bastard.
bobnowhere
Member
I love how they eventually withdrew their comments but refused to apologise. "I'm a tory and I'm right under all circumstances" to the very end. I didn't have a chance to see Insiders this morning but even Barnaby wasn't his usual self and declined to comment. It's clear someone's legal advice in Government is for everyone to just STFU.
Candescence
Member
What happens if the three are actually prosecuted? Because I'm pretty sure it's illegal for a sitting MP to stay in their position while actively being prosecuted. While I doubt their seats will get flipped in a by-election, that's still three lower-house seats out of commission for a while, leaving the government without a majority.
bobnowhere
Member
Basically:
No way would anyone get 1 year for contempt, Hinch got 12 days, 5 months home detention and 50 days and on all three occasion he could have gotten away with an apology or paying a fine to avoid most of or all of the sentence but took a 'principled' stance. I can't imagine these 3 clowns not rolling over and grovelling an apology if faced with any time at all.
Elaugaufein
Member
Ineligibility uses the maximum sentence for an offence to determine if you're disqualified (which is why Culleton was disqualified despite not having a sentence let alone one over a year) . I'm not sure if contempt counts though since it's an odd duck duration wise (contempt can be indefinite if you persistently refuse to obey a court order). It seems like it would though since it eminates from a law and has a defined maximum*. The prohibition expires once the sentence is served though.
*Depending on jurisdiction and court seniority though, the maximum may be too short. Local courts in Melbourne are limited to 6 months for example.
bobnowhere
Member
The three ministers are now deleting any tweets on the matter!
Also apparently Hinch knows something about a bombshell development in ONP regarding a staffer, 99.99% chance it has something to do with Ashby, that will drop today.
Also apparently Hinch knows something about a bombshell development in ONP regarding a staffer, 99.99% chance it has something to do with Ashby, that will drop today.
Ooh, that's positive signs on both counts. Finally something exciting!
PS. Not surprising Sarah Henderson gets a mention there, such a gutless political opportunist.
bobnowhere
Member
Ex Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale has been arrested on corruption charges. Was caught with 50k in cash at Melbourne airport, resigned shortly after due to "medical reasons."
Candescence
Member
So George Christensen crossed the floor to vote with Labor on penalty rates, which caused the government to briefly panic and scramble to avoid another vote loss like that humiliating vote loss early in the term.
Also, Labor is likely going to oppose the proposed citizenship changes.
Also, Labor is likely going to oppose the proposed citizenship changes.
bobnowhere
Member
Not so far, maybe Hinch was hearing voices?
Hunt, Sukkar and Tudge having gone to ground this week have clearly realised that they could be in serious trouble and will offer a grovelling apology on Friday.
Elaugaufein
Member
Lulz, someone realised that in the unlikely event they lost all 3 by Elections it'd be Goodbye, Election at best.
I'm surprised they didn't rely on the Murdoch hound pack to make hitting them with contempt problematic though.
bobnowhere
Member
They are on margins of 7.77%, 5.68% and 8.59% respectively and considering since the election Newspoll is reporting about a 3.5% swing away from them I assume there has been just enough panic behind the scenes that there is a chance, however unlikely, of bi-elections and they have been told to take their medicine. I wonder if they will turn up in person this time?
Elaugaufein
Member
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...y/news-story/21124eab4e7748b82a1f588c27439ede (Paywall, you can bypass by googling the topic in incognito mode).
The Coalition is calling a campaign shortfall by them a democracy deficit.
I wasn't aware it was possible to be experiencing schadenfreude and rage at sheer self centred myopia at the same time until today.
The Coalition is calling a campaign shortfall by them a democracy deficit.
I wasn't aware it was possible to be experiencing schadenfreude and rage at sheer self centred myopia at the same time until today.
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