Federal voting intention numbers from the latest fortnightly Essential Research poll have both parties down a point on the primary vote from a fortnight ago, with Labor at 33% and the Coalition at 30%, with the Greens enjoying a curiously timed three point surge to 17%, One Nation down two to 6% and undecided unchanged at 5%. Presumably reflecting the elevated result for the Greens, Labor is up two on the 2PP+ measure at 55% and the Coalition are down two to 40%, with undecided steady at 5%.
The poll also featured the pollster’s monthly “favourability ratings” for the two leaders, whom respondents rate on a scale of one to ten rather than provide straight approval and disapproval responses. Anthony Albanese’s results were little changed from late November, with 47% rating him seven or higher (up one), 27% from four to six (up one) and 22% from zero to three (down one), while Peter Dutton is respectively at 26% (down two), 31% (down one) and 35% (up two).
Support for an Indigenous voice increased two points to 65% with opposition down two to 35%, while 30% said they felt well informed about the proposal compared with 37% for poorly informed. Forty-three per cent rated that the country was headed in the right direction (down one), compared with 37% for the wrong direction (up one). The 300 respondents from New South Wales were again asked about approval of the state leaders, with Dominic Perrottet up four on approval to 51% and down three on disapproval to 33%, while Chris Minns at is steady at 38% and down two to 25%.
The poll was conducted Wednesday to Monday from a sample of 1000.
Paul Toole launches the NSW Nationals campaign today. I dont think his brother will be there in support. The Nationals certainly seem cocky. I wonder what the city folk think of a coalition Government reliant on a cocky national party.
‘wranslide says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 9:01 am
I dont get the Rowland controversy although I have only skimmed the story. She accepted a legal donation from a betting company? Is that it? But the perception is that there is a conflict in accepting a legal donation? So it is a perception rather than legal issue and perception is in the eye of the accuser? And Tim Costello is now that person? And we should all believe him because he is Tim Costello?’
——————————————————–
It is a bit like the corrupt Greens accepting funding from Nimbies and the Greens then turning around and attacking wind farms because they spoil the view.
“wranslide says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 9:01 am
…And we should all believe him because he is Tim Costello?”
I think it’s much, much worse than that, wranslide. According to the usual suspects, we should believe Tim Costello only when he criticises the ALP. When he congratulates the ALP, we shouldn’t believe him, as he is “obviously in the pocket of corrupt vested interests”….
That’s why is so important to keep De-Moronising as many voters as possible.
A Diggers Party masquerading as a Cockies party?
The shooters, farmers and fishers flank of the Diggers and Cockies has splintered.
The Cockies just delivered a more detailed Plan to thrash the MDB to ecological death.
I’m entitled to call it as I see it. Anyway, let’s go to the substance of Socrates’ complaint today, with accompanying cartoon.
* Australia may, and I emphasise may, end up with submarines from the US, in the beginning, that are not new. And we will have to pay for them.
Well, what would people prefer? That we not get any submarines until we can finish building our own? Whether they be from the US, the UK, France or South Korea? That’s a ridiculous position to take.
So, if we agree to a deal that initially sees us take submarines from somewhere else, then we have to pay for them. Ergo, that cartoon about throwing money at Joe Biden is a hysterical reaction to a what will be a normal transaction, and anyone who subscribes to the pov that the cartoon is trying to portray is subscribing to a non-sensical position as well.
Call it ‘jingoistic’ if you will, but I can’t understand the visceral dislike of anything to do with the American military industrial complex here? It just looks to me as if people are trying to find things not to like about it, instead of looking at it from the perspective of it being an ally that would be beneficial to work with for our country’s protection going forward into the future.
You may think that allying ourselves with France would be superior, or even China, but can I simply point out that, when it comes to the war in Ukraine started by Russia, the UK and the US have been doing all the right things and doing the heavy lifting, and France, via Emmanuel Macron, have been, whilst also contributing to the war effort for Ukraine, having two bob each way with Putin. So, look into your hearts and ask yourself the question, who would be the more reliable ally for Australia?
And I swear, if you try and say, but Donald Trump, then you have lost the argument.
I think there are other questionable Rowland decisions. Appointing a senior News Corp executive to be Chair of Australia Post strikes one as extremely bizarre to me.
The Chinese balloon that flew above the U.S. for eight days included “multiple antennas” capable of collecting signals intelligence, a senior State Department official said Thursday, and the balloon maker has proven ties to the Chinese military.
While China condemned the U.S. for destroying what it said was a weather balloon, the State Department official described the balloon as carrying equipment designed to collect communications and threatened action against Beijing.
According to the official, photos taken by high-altitude U-2 planes confirmed the presence of the equipment, including “multiple antennas … likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications” and “solar panels large enough to produce the requisite power to operate multiple active intelligence collection sensors.” The equipment was “inconsistent” with that aboard weather balloons.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/chinese-spy-balloon-carried-multiple-antennas-collecting-signals-intel-rcna69898
Re Michelle Rowland, everyone and their dog knows her behaviour was unacceptable, but as in so many areas it turns out the rules for Parliament, set by Parliament are such that good old Sir Joh could have avoided breaching them.
So the question is do you accept the rule of law and change the rules now, or do you change the rules AND Michelle has to go.
It is very harsh applying a new rule retrospectively, and it is also very harsh to apply a standard to this Govt that noone in the previous cabinet would have passed.
So it is a tough one but I think the cross bench have it right.
Another fine haul BK! Thank you.
Why did Rowland put herself in this position for a mere 18k?
Probably because both donations were below the 14k disclosure limit and she assumed it would never see the light of day.
I assume someone in Sportsbet has contacted Nine journalists with the details.
#weatheronPB
Cool, relaxed, moist air,
shapes emerging directions,
among rich dark greens.
From The Guardian, via Katharine Murphy:
“The second coming of Josh Frydenberg won’t be via Aston”… Apparently, he wants his old seat of Kooyong back (and he wants it now?).
I am afraid that on his journey to his political Calvary, Josh won’t be rescued by any cavalry…
Always respect and appreciate your posts We Want Paul but I am struggling to see the need for resignation here?
”
Pisays:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:00 am
zoomster: “A homo erectus found out of Africa is very unlikely to be an ancestor – they would have had to travel back to Africa to be so. ”
Ya got source for that zoomster? Methinks ya don’t, cuz that’s not true. The geneology of humanity has long since intertwined, many times over, from all edges of where we spread from. We are just as likely to have a common ancestor from Indonesia, China, or Europe. In fact, all humans have common ancestors from everywhere. When scientists say that humans came from Africa (still a bit of debate on that BTW) they are talking about homo-erectus. No-one knows where homo-sapiens first gained a foothold. The start of ‘civilization’ is generally thought to be where India is today. And that time since the birth of ‘civilization’ is the tiniest little fraction of humanity.
”
Pi
I don’t want to participate in PB debates anymore but you are forcing me. Juvenile delinquents like Nath (as he called himself) must be ROFLing right now after reading my name.
P. S. Please don’t start bun-fight on evolution again
Geology Professor Nigel Hughes explains how the collision of India with Asia changed evolution.
Originally India was part of Super Continent Gondwana, which contained Australia, South America, Africa and Antarctica. India broke off about 180 million years ago and appears to have changed the course of World. Watch below.
https://youtu.be/9zU1tr4YJYQ
(Back to my isolation)
“nath says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 9:14 am
Why did Rowland put herself in this position for a mere 18k?
Probably because both donations were below the 14k disclosure limit and she assumed it would never see the light of day.
I assume someone in Sportsbet has contacted Nine journalists with the details.”
Hey, wait a minute, don’t the Greens get legal donations from a professional gambler, Duncan Turpie? It’s all legal (just as it’s the case with Rowland), but does that look okay?
@zoomster:
“No species is ‘improved’ by evolution. It simply becomes better adapted to its current environment. Inevitably, it sacrifices something for that adaptation.
Upright walking, for example, led to complicated and dangerous births (as well as problems with feet and balance).
So no, I’m not a ‘aren’t we great, we’re the top of the tree!’ thinker.”
I haven’t read the rest of the conversation but this comment was a hoot, it feels like there’s something greater behind it – what is it you’re really salty that we evolved away from zoomy? Is it the tail? Prehensile tails would have been a pretty cool thing to keep I have to admit.
Or are you going even further back and thinking we should never have left the oceans?
Chinese made CCTV cameras to be removed. To be replaced by? American made? Another win for the ASPI and Wolverine cos players.
Boer
Years ago, I borrowed two books from the local library.
One was about a putative human ancestor, identified from a couple of teeth.
The authors were happy to give a vivid and detailed description of the ancestor – height, skin colouring, etc etc – based on these teeth.
The other book was on T. Rex, for whom several perfectly preserved whole skeletons exist.
The authors prefaced virtually every statement with ‘it seems’ ‘this suggests’ ‘it is possible..’
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation has reported a decline in earnings and revenue for the fiscal second quarter, with rising interest rates and inflation beginning to hurt the performance of the company’s assets.
Chief executive Robert Thomson described the challenges as “more ephemeral than eternal”, but said the company was introducing a range of cost-cutting measures, including a 5 per cent reduction in head count across the business.
About 1250 positions are expected to be impacted as part of the efforts, which Thomson said would help the company grow in the long term.
Second quarter total revenues fell 7 per cent to $US2.5 billion ($3.6 billion), largely caused by a 6 per cent negative impact from foreign currency fluctuations, lower revenues in book publishing and challenging housing market conditions in Australia and the US.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/news-corp-flags-job-cuts-as-revenue-earnings-decline-20230210-p5cjgi.html
UK Cartoons:
Peter Brookes on #fighterjets #RishiSunak #EmmanuelMacron #VolodymyrZelensky #Ukraine
Ben Jennings on the PM offering up his new deputy chairman #LeeAndersonMP
Andy Davey: Fighter planes then! Or not? Perhaps later? That’s all clear #fighterjets #RishiSunak #VolodymyrZelensky #Ukraine
Dave Brown on #Putin
Christian Adams on Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to the UK #VolodymyrZelensky #Ukraine
Peter Brookes on Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to the UK #RishiSunak #VolodymyrZelensky #Ukraine #BorisJohnson
Steve Bell on Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to the UK #RishiSunak #VolodymyrZelensky #Ukraine #BorisJohnson
Re Rowland – Albo should lay down the law about this kind of conflict not being acceptable in future. There’s no need to jump straight to firing people for first offences, especially when under the rules it appears to not BE an offence as such. But it shouldn’t just fly straight through either.
Arky
No, just making a point about evolution.
zoomster says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 9:25 am
Boer
Years ago, I borrowed two books from the local library.
__________
But you also once believed that the human species was created by God several thousand years ago and that God spoke through you as you were ‘talking in tongues’.
D’oh!
“Peter Dutton will campaign in Aston byelection
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has committed to campaigning in Aston to retain outgoing Liberal MP Alan Tudge’s seat.”
Can you imagine had Dutton decided not to campaign?
Socrates @ #898 Friday, February 10th, 2023 – 8:57 am
Soc,
Some heroic assumptions there. You seem to be equating the ‘done dea’ with the Far Right of the Coalition. How so? Do we need submarines or not? If your answer is yes, then we have to get them from somewhere. I get that you have been convinced that the French should be that somewhere. However, as I put it in my previous post, I have doubts about the reliability of the French as an ally that we can rely on in the future, for similar reasons to the people who go, but Donald Trump, about the Americans. So, what about Marine Le Pen, or her daughter, Martine (?) ? What if they become leader of France and decide, in concert with Putin, because that’s a known known about that family, to cut Australia’s defence and submarine capability off at the knees so as to advantage Russia and China? Your friends and the workers whose jobs you profess to care so much about, would be cast adrift mid-stream. Australia could be left with half-built submarines that would be as useful as refrigerators floating on the water. And if you don’t think that’s a viable proposition and another way of looking at the future, then you need more imagination.
Australia, the way things are looking to me, needs to be part of a co-ordinated submarine and naval warfare strategy going into the future with allies we can rely upon. Nickel and diming the cost ‘savings’ by going with a French build just doesn’t make logical, geostrategic, political or existential sense to me.
So I don’t think the decision will rebound negatively on Labor. I do think your friends will be guaranteed their employment, as will the workers in general who will build these things. I mean, do they not have jobs now? Can’t they just keep doing them until they can apply for the new ones? Isn’t that the nature of work in the 21st century? Moving from one job to the next as technology and the job market changes?
And this obsession with Hugh White! God give me strength! The guy believed the Iraq War was justified! And what exactly is the alternate position of Keating, Evans and Rudd? Not that Ambassador Rudd will be able to disagree now. I’d really like to know whether they have any other opinion besides the Chinese are not to be feared. Which, with the revelations of China’s massive global spying operation, that the spy balloon the Americans have shot down this week has proven, can be seen to be naïve, no matter how intelligent these people are.
… another pearl from The Guardian:
“Ley denies opposition is a ‘no-alition’”
Ha, ha, ha… spot the exquisite wording….
🙂
Arky @ #925 Friday, February 10th, 2023 – 9:28 am
Very sensible perspective.
“Ley accuses Labor of putting reconciliation at risk with voice debate”…
WTF, and what does it mean?… Keep reading:
“Ley is insisting that the Liberals are being part of the debate on the Indigenous voice to parliament but that it is the prime minister who is politicising the debate”…
Ha, ha, ha…. Oh dear…. Hey, Ley: ARE YOU SERIOUS?
Seating the newly independent Lidia Thorpe next to Pauline Hanson has got a rise…
nath
‘
But you also once believed that the human species was created by God several thousand years ago’
No, I never believed that.
In fact, I was brought up knowing that was nonsense.
”
wranslidesays:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:12 am
I keep seeing posts about a bludger fest in May? Is this a PB conference or event or something. What are the details?
”
Organised by C@tmomma. Enough said.
I would say the ROFL is because you are letting people into your head rent free. My advice; focus on you, be true to you, rather than react to others. We all have agency.
The blog needs politically diverse posters. So please feel free to offer opinion, information, links (yes, even DailyKos).
Now, the important issue is – how many months should Jadeja and Kholi be been banned for ball tampering?
“sprocket_says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 9:41 am
Seating the newly independent Lidia Thorpe next to Pauline Hanson has got a rise…
Great story sprocket… and now Pauline and Lidia will have the chance of engaging in a piece of National Reconciliation… Can’t wait to see it….
Good luck Pauline and Lidia!
C@tmomma @ Friday, February 10, 2023 at 9:08 am:
“You may think that allying ourselves with France would be superior, or even China, but can I simply point out that, when it comes to the war in Ukraine started by Russia, the UK and the US have been doing all the right things and doing the heavy lifting, and France, via Emmanuel Macron, have been, whilst also contributing to the war effort for Ukraine, having two bob each way with Putin. So, look into your hearts and ask yourself the question, who would be the more reliable ally for Australia?”
========================
C@tmomma, I think your point here about France’s (and especially Macron’s) support for Ukraine versus Putin is out of date. It was definitely true until mid spring last year, but is definitely not true this year. President Zelenskyy said as much yesterday:
“In an interview published in Le Figaro on Wednesday night, Zelenskiy said Macron had undergone a significant change on his stance towards Ukraine after the French president had sought to keep channels open to Russia in the early phase of the conflict.
Zelenskiy had at times over the past year shown impatience with Macron, who had held frequent telephone talks with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, even after the invasion and had expressed concern that Russia should not be humiliated in any final settlement.
But Macron in recent months had indicated that France wanted to support Ukraine “all the way to victory” and would send light tanks, in a move that prompted Germany to follow suit with battle tanks.
“I think he [Macron] has changed,” Zelenskiy told Le Figaro. “And he’s changed for real this time. After all, he opened the door to tank deliveries. He also supported Ukraine’s candidacy for the EU. I believe it was a real signal. We had a lot of conversations with France, Germany and other countries. I believe that trust is real today.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/08/zelenskiy-meets-macron-and-scholz-and-urges-delivery-of-planes-and-arms
‘zoomster says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 9:25 am
Boer
Years ago, I borrowed two books from the local library.
One was about a putative human ancestor, identified from a couple of teeth.
The authors were happy to give a vivid and detailed description of the ancestor – height, skin colouring, etc etc – based on these teeth.
The other book was on T. Rex, for whom several perfectly preserved whole skeletons exist.
The authors prefaced virtually every statement with ‘it seems’ ‘this suggests’ ‘it is possible..’’
—————————————–
Yeah.
Enough Already,
I get that, but I was looking towards a future where an avowed Russian ally, one of the Le Pen family, may be leading France.
Ven, good to see you back posting.
Funny coincidence from The Guardian today:
Did Paranthropus (an entirely different genus from Homo) use tools?
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/09/discovery-ancient-stone-tools-prehistoric-mystery-whodunnit
This can only be a good thing:
[‘Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation will slash its global workforce by 5 percent, after rising interest and inflation caused a steep decline in earnings and revenue for the fiscal second quarter.
Chief executive Robert Thomson described the challenges facing the media company, which locally owns The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and The Herald Sun as “more ephemeral than eternal”, but said the company was introducing a range of cost-cutting measures, including a 5 per cent reduction in head count – or 1250 positions across the business. This masthead revealed earlier this week News Corp Australia was planning to cut about $20 million in costs by 2025.’]
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/news-corp-flags-job-cuts-as-revenue-earnings-decline-20230210-p5cjgi.html
Ven @ #935 Friday, February 10th, 2023 – 9:42 am
No one is being forced to attend, Ven.
wranslide,
It’s simply a Sunday lunch on the 1 Year Anniversary of the election of the Albanese Federal Labor government. Also, to meet with UpNorth, who is coming to Sydney then. I’m organising it because I’m the only one with the time and the motivation to do it.
How about changing the donation laws?
Rowland did nothing illegal accepting the donation, as the laws currently stand. Until the laws change how can you condemn someone?
I am anti-alcohol — it causes more grief/death/destruction etc. to our society than most illegal drugs but I can’t condemn someone for drinking when it is a legal drug. And if alcohol was made illegal, I couldn’t support prosecuting people for having drunk alcohol in the past.
While it might seem to many it is ‘immoral’ to gamble, or receive donations for gambling — gambling is integral to our society. Everything from lottery tickets (remember the Opera House lottery anyone?) to a percentage of legal betting going to pay for our schools and hospitals etc.
In Hong Kong, horse racing taxes pay for their entire medical system afaik.
In our little “pool” of discussion, we sometimes confuse political point-scoring with reality on the ground.
”
Holdenhillbillysays:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8:03 am
The U.S. Justice Department has charged a neo-Nazi leader and his associate with plotting to attack Baltimore’s power grid, a plan the FBI thwarted with the help of a confidential informant.
Brandon Russell, of Orlando, Florida and Sarah Clendaniel from Maryland, were arrested last week, officials said in a briefing on Monday, and they have been charged with conspiring to damage an energy facility.
Russell is a convicted felon and founder of a neo-Nazi group called the Atomwaffen Division that works toward “ushering in the collapse of civilization,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization that tracks U.S. hate groups.
”
All the puss is coming out but there are lots of other boils about to burst.
Arky @9:28 “Re Rowland – Albo should lay down the law about this kind of conflict not being acceptable in future. There’s no need to jump straight to firing people for first offences, especially when under the rules it appears to not BE an offence as such. But it shouldn’t just fly straight through either.”
Agree. That plus change the rules so that it is clear that this type of conflict of interest is not acceptable.
Okay, the Russians are finally out of their trenches and are moving forward…
“Russia begins major offensive in eastern Ukraine, Luhansk governor claims”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/09/russia-begins-major-offensive-in-eastern-ukraine-luhansk-governor-claims
If true, let’s see what happens next….
Of course NewsCorp will have to cost cut — a Labor govt is unlikely to shovel money in their direction (unlike the Libs!)
David pope
Yes, Ven, that cartoon was posted earlier.
This is an unwelcome development for Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s genocidal invasion:
“A senior Ukrainian presidential aide has reacted with anger after Elon Musk’s SpaceX said it had taken steps to prevent its Starlink satellite communications service from controlling drones, which are critical to Kyiv’s forces in fighting off the Russian invasion.
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s chief operating officer, said at a conference in the US that the surprise decision had been taken because it had never been the company’s intention to allow Starlink to be used “for offensive purposes”.
That prompted an immediate complaint on Thursday morning from Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president, Volodymr Zelenskiy, who argued that Musk’s business had failed to recognise Ukraine’s right to self-defence.
Companies, Podolyak tweeted, had to decide if they were “on the side of the right to freedom” or “on the Russian Federation’s side and its ‘right’ to kill and seize territories” after its unprovoked invasion last year.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/09/zelenskiy-aide-takes-aim-at-curbs-on-ukraine-use-of-starlink-to-pilot-drones-elon-musk
First, Francis Dearnley regards this as potentially the biggest development in the war today, even though overshadowed by Zelenskyyy’s recent journeys to the UK, Paris and Brussells. His point on this starts about 9-10 min before the end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv3kWp-aN0U
Secondly, it shows one of the dangers inherent in all dependencies of a sovereign nation upon supplies from private corporations: being held hostage to their owners’ agenda and interests. It shows how important it is for sovereign governments to retain as much control as possible over the arrangements they enter into with privately owned concerns. Obviously, this is very difficult when that company has an effective monopoly over the supply of whatever such a government needs, but this just makes it all the more imperative for the government to identify some leverage to use against that company.
Thirdly, Elon Musk is obviously leaning towards hostility to Ukraine. This legitimately marks him out for opposition in my view.
JenAuthor @ #949 Friday, February 10th, 2023 – 10:03 am
$30 Million! To broadcast Womens Sports. Lol.
C@tmomma @ Friday, February 10, 2023 at 9:55 am:
“Enough Already,
I get that, but I was looking towards a future where an avowed Russian ally, one of the Le Pen family, may be leading France.”
=====================
C@t, a good concern to keep in mind. I just wanted to get an acknowledgement of President Macron’s ever-firming resolve for supporting Ukraine’s resistance and liberation noted here.