Re: Aus Federal Politics thread (XII)

[JGK]

Meanwhile, from Fairfax:

12:58pm: A trailer for 60 Minutes this Sunday has been raising some brows in Canberra today.
It promises to go "inside the Peter Slipper scandal" with a "secret plot that will ROCK the Abbott government".
It also promises "new sexual harassment claims" and "what happened behind closed doors".
Liz Hayes has talked to former Slipper staffer James Ashby.
"Finally, the whistleblower reveals all."


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/the-pulse-live/politics-live-september-4-2014-20140904-3euic.html#ixzz3CJWUrQ9l

[horace]

gazooks!....amazed the 60 Junkets program is still going

has the slipper case concluded?....if not would program be sub judice

I think the libs were intent on sinking the slipper

[horace]

last night I saw footage of the lying little rodent - ljh - huffing and puffing at some exhibition paying homage to Ming the Merciless....the punters look unlikely to have to queue to get into that one.

[JGK]

Oops...

LINK

First dixer is to the acting Prime Minister.
Can you update us all on the government's achievements on fast tracking infrastructure projects?
The Labor benchers almost collapse when Truss momentarily refers to the East-West Link being in South Australia.
"Sorry, Melbourne," he corrects himself.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/the-pulse-live/politics-live-september-4-2014-20140904-3euic.html#ixzz3CJt3w7YF

[JGK]

4:23pm: Don't say that MPs aren't innovative.
During question time, you may recall that Albo asked Truss to name "one" new infrastructure project that the Coalition has initiated that has a bulldozer on it today.
This lead to Labor MPs waggling one finger at Truss, until Madam Speaker decreed, "if I see any more single fingers in the air, they can leave immediately".

[skully]

Deary me

Heard this on the wireless yesty arvo...

" “I think we need to find better words than ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism’ because, to me, this implies a very one-sided view of the world,” Whish-Wilson said. “Often our forces could be seen by Iraqi civilians as being terrorists. ‘Terrorist’ is a word that is very commonly used against us by those same people in Iraq who have been radicalised — anything that creates terror is, by definition, terrorism. We use that word because it is a very simple word to use and it demonises people.” "

-----------------------------------

FMD, the dozy two-head is worried about offending the decapitators??

[horace]

S - she has a point...survivors of families in Iraq whose rellos have been blown to bits are likely to define the seppos as terrorists...loathe the greens and she made the point badly but the fact remains the survivors of US/westie bombings are hardly likely to say "hey that was a legit action from a westie govt and we recognise the loss of family members was unavoidable collateral damage"...thanks for the fish...we really appreciate the efforts of you guys to help us out

[skully]

"She" is a he. Peter Whish-Wilson. Jeez, did he select that name himself? Silly Greenie.

[embee]

S - she has a point...survivors of families in Iraq whose rellos  have been blown to bits are likely to define the seppos as terrorists...loathe the greens and she made the point badly but the fact remains the survivors of US/westie bombings are hardly likely to say "hey that was a legit action from a westie govt and we recognise the loss of family members was unavoidable collateral damage"...thanks for the fish...we really appreciate the efforts of you guys to help us out

We regard the Resistance in WW2 as heroes.

What is the German perspective?

[horace]

and they were...dunno how todays germans regard the french and other resistance forces

[embee]

[horace]

you guys seem to think the wests plans and actions in the middle east over the past 2 decades have been a respounding success......maybe I am confiusing cause and effect here but it is hard to not draw links between the fall of secular govts, the rise in numbers of jihadis and the actions of the west...

I note in the Australian today that Oz is bravely going to provide training for Ukey military....they may wish to look at some groupings within the current Ukey govt of the swastika supporting variety and consider the risks of some of the Ukey military they are training might hold similar beliefs.

this is a bit of a throwback to 60s and 70s when Oz allowed the Ustashe to train kids here who went off to blow up trains (and sadly themselves -the training was inept) in the former Yugoslavia

[skully]

Er, what? I seem to think [a pile of bullshit typed by h] because I inferred Peter Whish-Wilson was a dill?

[horace]

of course WW is a drop kick...not my point ...for days I have been trying to spark some sort of debate on the sense or otherwise of the west's intervention in the m/e...not a shot at you S

[WideWally]

I'll ignore that, horrie.

[horace]

muchos apols widey...unforch you share the same initials as the greens person

[skully]

You rude and heartless vomit.

[Hass]

There's been a lot of hand-wringing (justifiably so) about America's decision to invade Iraq back in 2003 and the effect it has had on the region. "Learn from the mistakes of the past" people say. But there's been less hand-wringing about America's decision to get out of Iraq in 2011 and the effect it has had on the region. And I think there are mistakes to learn from on the latter point as well.

If the United States had kept a sizeable force in Iraq (which I think they were obliged to under Colin Powell's "you break it you own it" doctrine) then I find it very unlikely we'd be seeing Islamic State controlling large swathes of the country now.

The US still has troops in Germany, Japan and Korea decades after World War Two and the Korean war finished. By 2011 the US had made great gains in Iraq. It was still a very violent place, but the insurgency had been reduced to loose groups causing havoc rather than a real and present threat to the state. America got out for political reasons and threw all those gains away.

It's not a case of should we have a standard policy of intervention or non-intervention. Sometimes intervening makes things worse. Sometimes not intervening makes things worse. Each response to each individual conflict needs to be judged on its merits.

[horace]

sensible thoughts...tho the Americans ultimately stayed in Japan, Korea and Germany for reasons other than the betterment and stability of the 'host' country...

the same will no doubt happen in Afghanistan....sooner or later the Taliban or equivalent will pop up there..

The problem with Powell's position is how long the US and otjher westies will have to stay there....easy to break - harder to fix.

a by-product of chaos in Afghanistan and the m/e is that the price of opiates and oil will skyrocket

[JGK]

a by-product of chaos in Afghanistan and the m/e is that the price of opiates and oil will skyrocket

Maybe Tassie has a future after all.

[lardbucket]

The medicinal opium poppy industry is being outsourced to the mainland.

[horace]

yep...Victoria is going into the bizz

[JGK]

The medicinal opium poppy industry is being outsourced to the mainland.

I wasn't talking about the medicinal one.

[lardbucket]

Well if the local growers are being undermined by government ...

[JGK]

Any ideas who these people might be?

Media organisations have joined forces at a corruption inquiry to fight a suppression order over a controversial chain of emails involving a "very well known person" and a Liberal identity.
The emails, headed "Re Carbon Tax", were suppressed at the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Thursday after questions were raised about whether publishing the documents would breach parliamentary privilege.

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