Re: Aus Federal Politics thread

[skully]

What, no Graham Arnold??? Wasn't he a gun at NAC Breda??? FFS???

[JGK]

Craig Johnston (even though he didn't play for the Socceroos).

[skully]

Boof Head Emerton goes all right. Scared the bejezus out of the Scum on Satdy.

[Big Dog]

Craig Johnston (even though he didn't play for the Socceroos).

Isn't he the clown who said playing football for Australia was like surfing for Great Britain?

[JGK]

Yeah. That's him. Was a stoopid statement given that Martin Potter was probably the world champ surfer at the time.

[skully]

Apparently so, BD.

From Wiki - Early in his career in England he had described playing football for Australia as "like surfing for England." Johnston was called-up to the full England squad in 1988 but did not make an appearance at that level.

I had no idea he was actually called up to the England squad.

[JGK]

Is the Mad Monk painting himself into a corner on the tobacca plain packaging debate?

It would be hard to believe that the Libs would oppose this.

[Big Dog]

Is the Mad Monk painting himself into a corner on the tobacca plain packaging debate?

It would be hard to believe that the Libs would oppose this.

I think he is just pointing out the bleeding obvious that there is no evidence that plain packaging will work & it could advantage tobacco contra bandits.
As an ex-smoker i see the Governments attempts as nothing more than a cynical snow-job. If they were serious about the health risks of smoking I'm sure they could amend the poisons act to ban tobacco products completely, but of course they won't because they make so much money out of it. To that end i'll concede that the Libs would'nt ban it either.

[Mick Sawyer]

I think he is just pointing out the bleeding obvious that there is no evidence that plain packaging will work

I would have thought the bleedin' obvious was to at least do a simple google search before making such an absolute statement.

Er, there is evidence that it will influence smoker behaviour.

[embee]

My brother is a smoker ...you could give him all the statistics and photos of the health risks ...and he'll still smoke

You could package the cigarettes in sh!t and vomit ...and he'll still smoke

My nephew will probably take up smoking (if he hasnt already) ...either because his mum and dad smoke ...or because they tell him not to

Hopefully plain packaging works for other people

[Paul Keating]

What is the issue again with plain packaging? Is it costing the government money? Is it costing the tax payer money? If not, why is everyone up in arms?

[Big Dog]

[quote="Mick Sawyer"]

Er, there is evidence that it will influence smoker behaviour.

Rubbish. Its nothing but speculation. As embee said, it won't influence his brother & if i still smoked, it would'nt influence me either.
Its like the Govt saying that increasing the excise will stop people smoking when everyone knows its just a cynical taxgrab but the Govt will keep doing it because they know no one will have the guts to take on the all powerfull anti-smoking gestapo.

[Bradman]

Actually the last budget and tax increases did work much to the govt's detriment. So many people cut down, quit or went to the cheaper brands that it blew something like a $2B blackhole in the govt's forward estimates.

As for plain packaging as long as they keep the nicotine strength on the packets so you can tell what you're smoking I could give a sh!t. It could work like as above but I doubt it.

I don't know if the gory image thing worked but I know it worked overseas. You'd be in Canada the US or Britain having a quiet fog and the local next to you would be looking at your packet and then looking at the cigarette he was smoking and either turning green or putting the thing out half smoked.

[Mick Sawyer]

Rubbish. Its nothing but speculation.

Did you even look?

As embee said, it won't influence his brother & if i still smoked, it would'nt influence me either.

So the change shoudn't be made because it will have no effect on some amount of people?

[horace]

as a smoker, plain packaging will have no impact on me...hopefully it will have an affect on kids who do not smoke

it will have one minor benefit for me- improving the value of the smart and stylish looking 100,000 cigarette cases I have acquired for retail

[Big Dog]

Rubbish. Its nothing but speculation.

Did you even look?

As embee said, it won't influence his brother & if i still smoked, it would'nt influence me either.

So the change shoudn't be made because it will have no effect on some amount of people?

I maintain it will have little effect on most of the people. They'll be changing the Pink Batts to olive green next.

[G.Wood]

Rubbish. Its nothing but speculation.

Did you even look?

As embee said, it won't influence his brother & if i still smoked, it would'nt influence me either.

So the change shoudn't be made because it will have no effect on some amount of people?

I would think that if it didn't have much of an effect than the tobacco companies wouldn't be going so mental over it.

Kind of like the Parrott talking about the Clubs' right to prey on the misery of people who want to but can't control themselves near a pokey

[Mick Sawyer]

I would think that if it didn't have much of an effect than the tobacco companies wouldn't be going so mental over it.

Ain't that the simple truth.

Kind of like the Parrott talking about the Clubs' right to prey on the misery of people who want to but can't control themselves near a pokey

snorfle

[Mick Sawyer]

I maintain it will have little effect on most of the people

Agreed. So after implementing the plain packaging we then need to go hunting for the next disincentive.

[embee]

just farkin ban the sh!t

give everyone 5 years to quit

then ...total ban

.....

saw some spruiker for BAT claim loudly that prohibition wouldnt work ...which means it probably would


...

of course no politician ...not even Julia ...has big enough balls to try and get this legislation through

[Mick Sawyer]

just farkin ban the sh!t

give everyone 5 years to quit

then ...total ban

.....

saw some spruiker for BAT claim loudly that prohibition wouldnt work ...which means it probably would


...

of course no politician ...not even Julia ...has big enough balls to try and get this legislation through

Wouldn't that give the deniers & the vested interests that control them something something fresh to carry on with for a while. I note that the Monk is getting warmed up with his doubts about plain packaging.

[horace]

I'd ban smoking for people under the age of 30 and raise it each year

[Hass]

I'm a non-smoker.

I don't like it when I get smoke blown in my face and I'm glad that public bars and the like are now free of smoke. I'm glad the government has sponsored a campaign to help people to quit and I'm glad the government provides support to people trying to quit.

But when will it be enough? When less than 20% smoke, less than 10%, or when smoking is eradicated completely?

Can't we just accept that some people like to smoke and will keep on smoking despite the health risks? Introducing plain packaging isn't going to cause the earth to cave in, but I feel it's just another step in stigmatising smokers as a group.

We all have our vices. No one is holier than thou (and if you are, you're most likely a boring wowserish prig).

[horace]

as Kinky Friedman wrote...the secret to life is finding something you like and let it kill you

[horace]

I for one am heartily sick of having to subsidise the billy bogan state through the grants commission (let the alone the thickos in the NT)...I say plonk all the white billy bogan planks in the god forsaken wide bay burnett area with spillover to Ippy, take over the mines and feed the bogans xxxx and relax gun control - just for that area

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