A few pieces of state news before we move on to the hard stuff. The finalisation of Western Australia’s state redistribution is covered in the post above, and a new state poll from Tasmania gets the once-over in a the post below. In Victoria, the results from the Mulgrave state by-election were finalised earlier this week, and they defied Liberal claims on the night that they had improved on their state election performance to the extent of finishing second. In fact, independent Ian Cook amassed 9,122 votes (25.3%) at the second-last exclusion to take the silver ahead of Liberal candidate Courtney Mann on 8,964 (24.9%), the final score being 20,363 (56.5%) for Labor’s Eden Foster and 15,681 for Cook (43.5%), a swing to Cook of 4.3%.
On with the show:
• Sunday’s preselection to fill the New South Wales Liberal Senate vacancy created by Marise Payne’s retirement delivered an upset win for Dave Sharma, who held Wentworth from 2019 until his defeat in 2022 at the hands of teal independent Allegra Spender. Sharma won the party ballot at the final count with 295 votes against 206 for the widely touted favourite, former state government minister and federal Gilmore candidate Andrew Constance. The favoured candidate of Peter Dutton, arch-conservative former ACT Senator Zed Seselja, dropped out at the second last round with 155 votes to Sharma’s 177 and Constance’s 169, at which point his supporters seemingly fell in heavily behind Sharma. Earlier exclusions with non-trivial vote shares were, in reverse order, Jess Collins, James Brown, Monica Tudehope and Pallavai Sinha.
• Sue Bailey of The Mercury reports Clarence mayor Brendan Blomeley has failed in his conservative-backed to topple moderate incumbent Richard Colbeck from the business end of the Tasmanian Liberal Senate ticket, on which Colbeck will have second position behind conservative incumbent Claire Chandler, reversing the order from 2019. The third position, which has not availed the Liberals since 2004, goes to Jacki Martin, an electorate officer to Senator Wendy Askew.
• A Victorian Liberal preselection ballot on Sunday chose Kyle Hoppitt, former Baptist preacher and director of JAK Audio Visual, as third candidate on the party’s Senate ticket. The result was a snub to Greg Mirabella, who stood aside as the party’s state president to run. Mirabella served in the Senate from November 2021 until mid-2022, having failed to win re-election from the number three position at the May 2022 election. The Age reports Hoppitt prevailed with 187 votes to 173 for Mirabella, who lost conservative support as state president for acquiescing in the expulsion of factional powerbroker Ivan Stratov by the party’s administrative committee. Neither federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton, who backed Mirabella, nor state Liberal leader John Pesutto, who favoured Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Karyn Sobels, succeeded in getting their preferred candidate up.
• Pat Dodson, Labor Senator for Western Australia, has announced he will retire from the Senate on January 26 due to health issues. The West Australian reports Varun Ghosh, Right-aligned barrister for Francis Burt Chambers and the son of first-generation Indian immigrants, is the front-runner for the vacancy.
• Noel Towell of The Age reports the Liberals have preselected candidates for Higgins and Chisholm, the two Melbourne seats the party lost to Labor at the 2022 election. Katie Allen will again contest Higgins after winning a ballot ahead of Port Phillip mayor Marcus Pearl. Allen she served from 2019 until her defeat at the hands of Michelle Ananda-Rajah, who became the seat’s first ever Labor member. The candidate for Chisholm will be Monash councillor Theo Zographos, who was preselected unopposed.
• Roy Morgan has an online poll of 1006 respondents exploring the half-formed opinions of Australians concerning the Middle East crisis.
• The Australian Electoral Commission scored the strongest ratings of any government agency in an annual public survey conducted by the Australian Public Service Commission, with 87% saying they trusted it (either strongly, somewhat or somewhere in between) and 91% professing satisfaction with it.
During an interview with right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon on Thursday, Moore explained how Republicans in Georgia could scuttle the charges against Trump and 19 others.
“I’m working on a piece of legislation called the Stop Political Persecutions Act. This thing is going to be foolproof,” Moore said. “[The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act] in the state of Georgia does not have a monetary component like most states do. Some say if we added a monetary component to Georgia’s RICO, well, you know, Trump and everybody’s been indicted on election stuff, not monetary stuff.” “You know, if that doesn’t work, because some people could argue that maybe Trump was trying to make money by getting elected,” he continued, “we are going to list out every single charge that these people have been indicted with and just say those charges are not going to be associated with RICO anymore. And therefore, that would retroactively drop the charges.”
Moore insisted that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis “would be done” if he could pass his legislation. “All we need is 29 votes of 33 Republicans, and we could get this done, and we would set Trump free,” he said.
Several European countries have reported a sharp rise of cases of child pneumonia similar to those that have plagued mainland China. Medics suspect mycoplasma pneumoniae, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to be behind the horror wave of pneumonia cases that has led to thousands of children being hospitalised in China. Pediatric units have been swamped and many hospital wards are at capacity, with pictures of full waiting rooms being shared on social media. Beijing Children’s Hospital is receiving up to 9378 new patients a day and has been at full capacity for two months, according to government newspaper The Global Times.
Last week the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was monitoring “undiagnosed pneumonia in children’s hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning and other places in China”.
https://www.news.com.au/world/europe/european-countries-report-surge-in-cases-of-mycoplasma-pneumoniae-after-china-outbreak/news-story/e00bb99f177f8ed7d801caa4d81fddba
At Xmas:
https://youtu.be/j9jbdgZidu8?si=I7fDQtYGa7EscllU
Despite generous allowances from the IRA the US company NuScale ceases investment in SMRs and expands in wind solar and batteries.
SMRs returns on investment are calculated on a 92% capacity factor which they will never achieve in a renewables grid where base load is extinct.
One wonders where Dutton gets his confidence from, he is always wrong.
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2023/11/duttons-imaginary-small-modular-nuclear-future-cancelled/
Short read + Zeehan clip 2Min
“Bullseye for prosecutors”: Legal expert says lawyer’s testimony may mean it’s “game over” for Trump
Trump lawyer Jennifer Little warned Trump that refusing to turn over Mar-a-Lago docs after subpoena was a “crime”
ABC News reported that Trump attorney Jennifer Little told a grand jury that she “very clearly” cautioned Trump that he must comply with a federal subpoena for classified materials he took from the White House, and that she’s “absolutely” sure that he understood failing to turn them over would be a “crime.”
Trump’s former — and, by the way, current lawyer — has told the grand jury straight up, no ambiguity, ‘You have to comply, if you don’t, it’s a crime,’ and he said, ‘I got it, I understand,'” Honig explained, adding, “If the jury accepts that, game over, he’s guilty.”
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/30/bullseye-for-prosecutors-legal-expert-says-lawyers-testimony-may-mean-its-game-over-for/
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama signaled that he is backing off of his hold on all top military nominees – as soon as next week – and will instead be focusing his blockade on a smaller number of nominees he characterized as “woke.”
The move comes after bipartisan pressure to cease his blanket hold on military promotions over a Pentagon abortion policy, which started in March and delayed the confirmations of more than 300 top military nominees. Tuberville said he will not be lifting his hold on every nominee. Instead, he will be evaluating the “background” of each nominee whose confirmation has been delayed.
“This started out as, obviously, abortion overreach and those things. Now, since we’ve had all this time, we’ve had different groups across Washington, DC, and the country that have evaluated all these military appointees,” he told reporters. “This is not a private moving to a sergeant and getting one more stripe. This is people that are running our military. I think that we need to make sure that people that are our generals and admirals should be vetted to some degree, but also understand that we need to get these people promoted, and it’s been a long time for some of them.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/30/politics/tommy-tuberville-military-nominees/index.html
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/it-s-a-forever-problem-experts-say-rozelle-hell-is-here-to-stay-20231130-p5eo2o.html
Hmm. A Liberal government refusing to listen to expert advice? Say it isn’t so!
Russia’s Supreme Court effectively outlawed LGBTQ+ activism on Thursday, the most drastic step against advocates of gay, lesbian and transgender rights in the increasingly conservative country.
Ruling in response to a lawsuit filed by the Justice Ministry, the court labeled what the suit called the LGBTQ+ “movement” operating in Russia as an extremist organization and banned it.
The ruling is the latest step in a decade-long crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia under President Vladimir Putin, who has emphasized “traditional family values” during his 24 years in power.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-lgbtq-crackdown-extremist-supreme-court-1b8f4cd8708d1c6cf3486c5f27fd7354
A New York appeals court Thursday reinstated a gag order that barred Donald Trump from commenting about court personnel after the former president repeatedly disparaged a law clerk in his New York civil fraud trial. The one-sentence decision from a four-judge panel came two weeks after an individual appellate judge put the gag order on hold while the appeals process played out.
Trial judge Arthur Engoron, who imposed the restriction, said he now planned to enforce it “rigorously and vigorously.” Trump attorney Christopher Kise called it “a tragic day for the rule of law.” Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, complained that the order was “nothing but attempted election interference, which is failing terribly.”
https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-lawsuit-trial-gag-order-15304270ea3f61284a414f938155ae62
C/- Annabelle Crabbe
“words of Leslie Nielsen — a helluva week to quit sniffing glue”
Not Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges.
I wouldn’t believe a word that Christopher Kise or Stephen Cheung have to say. They are both steeped in gutter Republican politics and have been bought and paid for by the Republican Party and Donald Trump. But Trump appears to be running out of money, so there’s that, and if this case is judged harshly by way of financial penalty for Trump, then I’d like to see the battle between the RNC and Trump wrt continuing to subsidise him and his legal bills.
Although, Robert Kagan outlines how Trump will become all-powerful across the Republican Party after he secures the nomination to run for President again:
https://wapo.st/47QyFY1
(A long read but one which I have unlocked for you to read for free)
Vale Shane McGowan
https://youtu.be/pH1vNBL2y3w?si=Q1SONyvMhzkFsR1J
And the pearl clutching at the Daily Dutton shows a lack of self-awareness at the organ renowned for unhinged personal attacks of prominent progressive women.
A new low, even for this amateur crowd
This week’s unhinged personal attack on Peter Dutton left even Labor strategists to regard it as amateurish and laden with risk.
By SIMON BENSON
From Simon Rosenberg, Democratic psephologist:
Biden Leading in 4 New Polls – Since posting yesterday there is now a 4th national poll out this week showing Biden leading Trump. All polls via 538:
44-42 Economist/You Gov – 3 pt gain since mid-Nov
43-42 Morning Consult – 4 pt gain since last week
39-37 YouGov
37-35 Leger/The Canadian Press
A few notes on these new polls: 1) polls cannot tell you what is going to happen tomorrow, or next year. They can only tell you where things are now, and where things are now can and will change. National polling has clearly changed from a few weeks ago, with Biden gaining ground in 2 important weekly tracks, and leading in other polls too. 2) It can no longer be said that Trump leads, or is favored next year. That may have been true a month ago. It is no longer true. Joe Biden has a slight lead now in national polling. Period. 3) Why has this happened? Don’t know yet. Will it sustain? Don’t know. We will see. 4) Still think the most important electoral data out there is our very strong performances in the elections across the US throughout 2022 and 2023. Polling is only one piece of the data available to us to understand what is happening in our politics. It’s an important piece, but only a piece. 5) Been getting a lot of chatter that the only polls that matter next year are state not national polls. This is not true, as these polls often move together and data is data. We look at what’s available to us, and national polling matters of course. It is also not a given that Biden needs to win by 3-4 points to win the Electoral College in 2024. It’s just too early to know that, particularly given our strong performance in the battlegrounds in 2022 and possible third party disruptions. 6) While we have a long way to go in both the Israel-Hamas conflict and the 2024 election these polls are just good news, with no qualifiers – no ifs, buts, commas or semicolons. They are just good news and we take the wins here at Hopium when they come.
sprocket_ @ #13 Friday, December 1st, 2023 – 7:38 am
The Cons don’t like it up ’em. 😀
I am ignoring the US polls that do not have the likely independent candidates especially Kennedy.
The lib/nats propaganda media hacks are in overdrive in trying to attack Labor and Clare O’Neil for calling out Dutton and his cronies
Another legacy of 10 years of Coalition mismanagement in Sydney…
Sydney transport expert Mathew Hounsell said the congestion over the last four days demonstrated that the Rozelle interchange, which links to the Anzac Bridge, was “fundamentally a design flaw”.
“It is a forever problem because the system is funnelling too many people into a road that is too small. They assumed the Anzac Bridge could support more cars than was physically possible,” he said.
“Trying to shovel a motorway into the middle of a city was never going to work. The previous government and the roads department stuffed it up. They didn’t want to listen to anyone who would tell them it was not going to work.”
….
Before the Rozelle interchange opened, seven lanes merged into four on the Anzac Bridge. Now, 10 lanes are merged into four with the extra lanes from the spaghetti junction.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/it-s-a-forever-problem-experts-say-rozelle-hell-is-here-to-stay-20231130-p5eo2o.html
@meha
(context is Australian)
You know the story – three actors (one Hugo Weaving’s son, which means naught except to personalise the scene a bit) at first night curtain calls wearing scarves in support of the Palestinians. Massive back lash, including major sponsors and subscribers.
STC response:
Dear Itza,
We are writing to you as a valued member of our theatre community.
We acknowledge that this is a difficult and frightening time for people in our community and around the world.
During the curtain call for The Seagull on Saturday evening, three members of the cast wore Palestinian keffiyehs. Sydney Theatre Company and the other cast and crew members were not aware of this in advance.
We understand the actions at the curtain call and our immediate response has hurt many in our community. For this, we are deeply sorry.
We support individual freedom of expression but believe that the right to free speech does not supersede our responsibility to create safe workplaces and theatres.
We believe that it was not the intent of the actors involved to cause any harm or offence. We have emphasised to our performers that they are free to express their opinions and views on their own platforms.
STC is working to address concerns raised and to engage further with individuals and community groups. We welcome conversation and are committed to listening and learning.
Theatre is a place for exploring ideas with complexity and context. We recognise that artists bring their whole selves to our stages and in doing so, they bring a rich diversity of views and lived experience. We also recognise that when our audiences attend a production, they come to experience the content in that play and that play only, and that any exception to this needs to be done in consultation with the Company and consideration of our duty of care.
STC is reviewing our policies to ensure our artists, staff, audiences and supporters have a safe and respectful space to work in, and to share in theatre. STC is committed to inclusivity and respect for our patrons and artists and will continue to work toward that goal.
Sydney Theatre Company believes everyone has the right to live in peace and safety, and through our art we seek to foster a better and more compassionate world.
FUBAR says:
Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 11:23 pm
The only reason a nuclear power station takes longer than a decade to plan and build is a lack of political will. They built them quicker than a decade in the UAE.
……
Ya.
“It’s concerning that in a volatile area, these reactors are being built in what seems to be a relatively cheap and cheerful kind of way,” said Dorfman. “The Barakah reactor, although it is a relatively modern reactor, it does not have what is known as ‘Generation III+ [three plus] Defense-in-Depth’. In other words, it doesn’t have added-on protection from an airplane crash or missile attack.”
Those missing defence features include what Dorfman describes as “a load of concrete with a load of reinforced steel” for extra protection from an aerial attack and a “core catcher” that literally catches the reactor core if it melts down.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2020/7/15/nuclear-gulf-experts-sound-the-alarm-over-uae-nuclear-reactors
Feel like pulling a sickie and listening to The Pogues all day.
Re the Rozelle Interchange, I can’t find anything about the closure or strangulation of local roads and potential alternative routes, which has been a feature of Sydney toll road rollouts in recent decades. If that has been done, there’s one obvious action that can be taken to address the mess.
Scottsays:
Friday, December 1, 2023 at 7:47 am
The lib/nats propaganda media hacks are in overdrive in trying to attack Labor and Clare O’Neil for calling out Dutton and his cronies.
_____________________
She is a nasty piece of work.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
David Crowe says that meddling with stage 3 tax cuts would be PM’s most dangerous option.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/meddling-with-stage-3-tax-cuts-would-be-pm-s-most-dangerous-option-20231130-p5eo04.html
According to Phil Coorey, the states want annual GST top-up payments made permanent, in return for taking pressure off the federal National Disability Insurance Scheme, where costs are $42 billion a year and rising rapidly.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/states-demand-at-least-5b-in-return-for-ndis-help-20231130-p5enyb
The new chairwoman of the Productivity Commission has an opportunity to help reverse one of the most ill-advised public policy decisions of this century, writes Sean Eslake. He is referring to the changes to the GST revenue-sharing arrangements imposed by the Morrison government in 2019 to bolster its chances of retaining House of Representatives seats from Western Australia, and which Labor supported to bolster its chances of forming government after last year’s election.
https://www.afr.com/policy/tax-and-super/danielle-wood-must-help-undo-gst-deal-20231127-p5en6e
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has teed off on a claim that politicians are a waste of public money by accusing Opposition MPs of flying to a “cooker convention”, reports James Roberston.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2023/11/30/anthony-albanese-responsible-citizenship
Laura Banks reports that hundreds of NSW paramedics have lodged claims for psychological injury, as those on the frontline say the “guilt of patients dying” due to “an overburdened health system” is making them sick.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/patients-are-going-to-die-compo-claims-deplete-paramedic-workforce-20231127-p5en17.html
Job sites including Seek and LinkedIn could be integrated into the federal government’s $7.1 billion employment services program, helping job seekers take advantage of popular commercial platforms as part of major reforms, reports Tom McIlroy who outlines the lengthy parliamentary review of the Workforce Australia employment system which found it no longer represents a coherent or value-for-money way to help unemployed people find work, calling for some work by private operators to be completed by public servants.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/call-to-rebuild-australia-s-hunger-games-employment-scheme-20231130-p5enxn
Michelle Grattan also report on the parliamentary inquiry which delivered a scathing indictment of Australia’s employment services, finding it does not serve the interests of job seekers or employers and urging the privatised system be partially wound back. It found that the rigid approach to mutual obligation is killing unemployed people’s motivation, employers are flooded with inappropriate applications, and people are not adequately assessed upfront,
https://theconversation.com/parliamentary-report-slams-mutual-obligation-calling-for-total-overhaul-of-employment-services-218807
The time has come to reform the Australian political system and step away from the two-party structure that is keeping us from becoming a republic, writes Dr Klaas Woldring.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/progressive-politics-will-shape-a-better-future-for-australia,18124
Matt O’Sullivan writes that motorists are enduring hour-long trips over a stretch of Victoria Road through inner-city Sydney suburbs during the morning peak amid warnings there is no simple fix to gridlock caused by the opening of the Rozelle interchange. With ten lanes merging into four when previously it was a seven-lane feed, who would have thought? (Any comment, Socrates?)
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/it-s-a-forever-problem-experts-say-rozelle-hell-is-here-to-stay-20231130-p5eo2o.html
The Coalition’s contentious proposal to privatise visa processing will be examined by a parliamentary inquiry after revelations Infosys had 46 meetings with lobbyist Scott Briggs to discuss a bid for the work. Paul Karp reports that yesterday the joint committee of public accounts and audit announced the new inquiry, after Infosys revealed the meetings with Briggs, a Liberal powerbroker, in response to questions at an inquiry into the Synergy 360 procurement controversy.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/30/coalition-liberal-national-visa-privatisation-plan-senate-inquiry
Harriett Alexandra describes the moment Brittany Higgins began to break under Whybrow’s cross-examination.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-moment-brittany-higgins-began-to-break-20231130-p5eo33.html
Amanda Meade gives a fuller account of Higgins’ testimony.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/30/bruce-lehrmann-defamation-trial-brittany-higgins-tears-anger-accused-of-lying-ntwnfb
Calum Jaspan writes about Bruce Lehrmann’s landlords and the economics of chequebook journalism. He says the murky details of the Lehrmann deal, which included a year’s rent worth more than $100,000, add another layer to the already questionable practice of chequebook journalism – where a media organisation pays an individual for exclusive access to them.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/bruce-lehrmann-s-landlords-and-the-economics-of-chequebook-journalism-20231129-p5ensz.html
Sport is our nation’s great unifier. It’s the government’s job to protect it, urges Waleed Aly in a worthwhile contribution.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/sport-is-our-nation-s-great-unifier-it-s-the-government-s-job-to-protect-it-20231130-p5enyp.html
Peter Dutton is demanding an apology from federal Labor ministers who claimed he had voted to protect paedophiles rather than children, even as the federal government scrambles to secure his support for new laws that would return to detention the worst criminal offenders released after the landmark High Court ruling. (Reminds me of a remark from Dads Army’s Corporal Jones about the Germans – “They don’t like it up ‘em!)
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dutton-demands-apology-for-o-neil-s-claims-he-voted-to-protect-paedophiles-20231130-p5eo3l.html
If Dutton values democracy, he should lay off the Constitution, writes professor of law, Rosiland Dixon.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/if-dutton-values-democracy-he-should-lay-off-the-constitution-20231130-p5enzw.html
Tony Abbott added two new posts to his resume this month, debuting as Fox director and announced to be “joining the Danube Institute team as a guest lecturer.” Add these to the October news that Abbott is now an Advisory Board member of the far-right Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. Australians should be watching, warns Lucy Hamilton who says that Coalition politicians are embracing far right Orbanist ideology.
https://johnmenadue.com/coalition-politicians-are-embracing-far-right-orbanist-ideology/
The Department of Home Affairs’ troubling week has continued, a public service-wide survey revealing only one-third of the agency’s employees feel fairly paid for their work. The 2023 APS census, released on Wednesday, has provided an insight into what staff across all 104 public service agencies really think about their workplaces, including whether they are properly remunerated.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8443241/aps-census-only-one-third-of-home-affairs-staff-feel-fairly-paid/?cs=14329
Social and economic impacts on communities will be considered when decisions are made on returning Murray-Darling water to the environment. The amendment was one of dozens agreed to as the government’s overhaul of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan passed the Senate yesterday, with support from the Greens and crossbenchers. Thank you!
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8442506/senate-gives-watertight-tick-to-murray-darling-plan/?cs=27845
When the return of State Electricity Commission was announced, Labor said it would use $1 billion to buy a 51 per cent stake in Victoria’s energy and battery projects, giving the government control over how they are used to generate a return and bring down bills. But the announcement of the SEC’s first funded project this week shows the reality behind this state-controlled electricity ambition is significantly more complicated, writes Kieran Mooney.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-sec-is-now-an-energy-market-player-can-it-cut-power-bills-it-s-still-tbc-20231130-p5eo57.html
Dozens of ‘small modular reactor’ designs are being promoted but precious few will reach the construction stage and the likelihood of SMRs being built in large numbers is negligible, explains Jim Green.
https://johnmenadue.com/small-nuclear-reactors-a-history-of-failure/
A Greens-led motion for a price-gouging inquiry passed the Upper House of the Victorian Parliament on Wednesday, paving the way for testimony from supermarket chiefs and people affected by the cost of living if it passes the Labor controlled Lower House.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/consumer/2023/11/30/supermarket-price-gouging
It took just a day for two ministers to approve another Snowy Hydro $6 billion dollar cost blow-out and further delays to completion. Rex Patrick looks at how the project is travelling.
https://michaelwest.com.au/dear-ministers-why-do-costs-and-timelines-for-snowy-2-0-keep-shifting-yet-are-so-readily-approved/
The AI wars are heating up, writes Stephen Bartholomeusz who tell us why we should be worried.
https://www.smh.com.au/technology/the-battle-for-ai-is-heating-up-we-should-be-worried-20231130-p5enxi.html
The self-serve is frustrating, but it’s not the biggest supermarket privacy concern, explains Tim Biggs.
https://www.smh.com.au/technology/the-self-serve-is-frustrating-but-it-s-not-the-biggest-supermarket-privacy-concern-20231129-p5ensd.html
Henry Kissinger’s death draws to a close the epoch of intellectualism in foreign policy to which he was committed following his early study of and belief in a system of organised strategic balance and restraint of the kind that emerged from the Treaty of Westphalia in the 17th century. Paul Keating has written this about the man.
https://johnmenadue.com/the-death-of-henry-kissinger-statement-by-paul-keating/
Donald Trump renewed attacks on the wife of the judge in the New York civil fraud trial of his business empire, before and almost immediately after an appellate court on Thursday reinstated a gag order against him in the case. Words fail me.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/30/court-reinstates-trump-gag-order-fraud-trial
Cartoon Corner
David Pope
David Rowe
Jim Pavlidis
Cathy Wilcox
John Shakespeare with a gif
https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.43101482326111745%2C$multiply_3.8519%2C$ratio_1%2C$width_378%2C$x_0%2C$y_0/t_crop_custom/q_62%2Cf_auto/566cf61e58ca45ba5d9de2b3ac098859781121a9
Matt Golding
Alan Moir
Fiona Katauskas
Glen Le Lievre
Mark Knight
Leak
From the US
Taylormade says:
Friday, December 1, 2023 at 7:59 am
Scottsays:
Friday, December 1, 2023 at 7:47 am
The lib/nats propaganda media hacks are in overdrive in trying to attack Labor and Clare O’Neil for calling out Dutton and his cronies.
_____________________
She is a nasty piece of work.
——————————
Why is that Taylormade?
Clare O’Neil is doing her job,
Morning all. I don’t normally bother to respond to FUBAR’s obvious lies, but this is a whopper:
“ FUBAR says:
Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 11:23 pm
The only reason a nuclear power station takes longer than a decade to plan and build is a lack of political will. They built them quicker than a decade in the UAE.”
Nuclear power plant construction is complex. The build alone takes at least seven years. Add time for planning and design and you need a decade.
The start of the modern spurt of nuclear power plant construction was the Gen III reactor in Finland. There was no lack of political will – Finland has minimal coal and gas to speak of, and negligible solar for four months a year. It took over 15 years!
The Australian Electoral Commission scored the strongest ratings of any government agency in an annual public survey conducted by the Australian Public Service Commission, with 87% saying they trusted it …’
Reassuring.
A woman from the No campaign sat outside my local pre-poll centre for two weeks, dutifully handing out pens to arriving punters because ‘the AEC can change your vote’.
Most, thankfully, were content to take a pencil at the door.
Taylormade @ #23 Friday, December 1st, 2023 – 7:59 am
And Dutton wasn’t when he implied that the government were okay with letting those same people out of detention per the High Court’s Orders?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKURhqmSLmM
‘Infosys had 46 meetings with lobbyist Scott Briggs to discuss a bid for the [visa processing] work’
Pezzullo’s bestie Briggs? That Scott Briggs?
A very perceptive analysis of the Trump legal team’s legal tactics, and it’s truly horrifying:
https://youtu.be/0QxPnmNjTnU?si=1qKZcH2d6No__-6H
… who also suffers from “exceedingly bad judgement.”
‘Tony Abbott … announced to be “joining the Danube Institute team as a guest lecturer.”’
The full text of his first lecture has just been published:
“Guten Morgen meine Damen und Herren”
“Aaaah … we stopped the boats!”
“Danke.”
Alan Moir
”
Holdenhillbillysays:
Friday, December 1, 2023 at 6:22 am
Several European countries have reported a sharp rise of cases of child pneumonia similar to those that have plagued mainland China. Medics suspect mycoplasma pneumoniae, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to be behind the horror wave of pneumonia cases that has led to thousands of children being hospitalised in China. Pediatric units have been swamped and many hospital wards are at capacity, with pictures of full waiting rooms being shared on social media. Beijing Children’s Hospital is receiving up to 9378 new patients a day and has been at full capacity for two months, according to government newspaper The Global Times.
Last week the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was monitoring “undiagnosed pneumonia in children’s hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning and other places in China”.
https://www.news.com.au/world/europe/european-countries-report-surge-in-cases-of-mycoplasma-pneumoniae-after-china-outbreak/news-story/e00bb99f177f8ed7d801caa4d81fddba
”
Don’t tell me another epidemic with possible origins from China
Pueo @ #33 Friday, December 1st, 2023 – 8:17 am
Joe Perticone of The Bulwark on this matter:
Q: I can’t find anything about the closure or strangulation of local roads and potential alternative routes
Because of geography ( Victoria Rd crosses a peninsula with bays and coves on all sides) there are no other ways really in, out and across the area….
Oliver Sutton @ #34 Friday, December 1st, 2023 – 8:18 am
He’ll be welcomed. A quick check of their Facebook content shows the type of institute they are and the thoughts they promote.
Danube Blog: What significance can Geert Wilders’ victory be?
“Apart from the fact that it had no significant impact outside the borders of the country, the victory of Geert Wilders is still relevant, because this is one of the signs that Europe is slowly starting to realize the actual validity of the dangers posed by Islamic immigration.”
Danube Blog: What is the support of the Kremlin and with it Vladimir Putin?
“Continuous support following the Ukrainian invasion, confidence in the leader in case of a crisis situation – what is the secret of Putin’s stable popularity and how does the Kremlin manage society to “line up” behind the President in such a way?”
Danube Institute
23 November at 04:46
“Budapest has become the intellectual center of a group of English-speaking intellectuals who, in my opinion, were attracted by Hungary’s history and general cultural attraction, as well as the success of the Orbán government” – Tony Abbott, former Prime Minister of Australia, Honorary Researcher, Danube Institute
https://www.facebook.com/danubeinstitute/
Russell Balding has been scratched:
“The New South Wales government was forced to scrap plans to extend the term of Racing NSW chairman Russell Balding in the early hours of Friday after the Coalition and crossbench teamed up to try to strengthen oversight of the body.”
I’m not familiar with this chap. Is he a ‘colourful racing identity’?
Much appreciation BK!!
”
C@tmommasays:
Friday, December 1, 2023 at 7:10 am
I wouldn’t believe a word that Christopher Kise or Stephen Cheung have to say. They are both steeped in gutter Republican politics and have been bought and paid for by the Republican Party and Donald Trump. But Trump appears to be running out of money, so there’s that, and if this case is judged harshly by way of financial penalty for Trump, then I’d like to see the battle between the RNC and Trump wrt continuing to subsidise him and his legal bills.
Although, Robert Kagan outlines how Trump will become all-powerful across the Republican Party after he secures the nomination to run for President again:
”
2024 will be very interesting in US politics and we will know whether US institutions can with Trump and MAGA onslaught on those institutions and democracy.
He has really weakened the US Democracy Jan 6 onslaught on Congress.
The thing is Republicans and MAGAs have installed key people in key positions across USA. If push comes to shove then they will be unleashed to declare Trump as POTUS.
Me thinks that unless he dies Trump will be Republican nominee.
Republicans have unleashed their Frankenstein and we are waiting for the final assault.
Danube Institute
“Budapest has become the intellectual center of a group of English-speaking intellectuals …”
Interesting comment from someone who claimed not to be a ‘suppository of wisdom’ and whose own grasp of English is a bit wonky.
You bet you are! You bet I am!
What has annoyed me to no end, is why is it taking so long to hold Steve Bannon, Mike Flynn, Roger Stone, and others to account.
Trump continues to be the dancing bear that is distracting all from the super PACs, billionaires etc who are attempting to ursurp democracy using these bad actors.
Frankly the USA is already resembling an oligarchy in some respects.
The stuff-up on Sydney’s roads comes as no surprise to anyone who’s watched Utopia (apologies if already posted).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCzCJzwrB_c
In fact it’s noteworthy that real life turns out to be even more hilariously disastrous than what was supposed to be comedy.
”
Donald Trump renewed attacks on the wife of the judge in the New York civil fraud trial of his business empire, before and almost immediately after an appellate court on Thursday reinstated a gag order against him in the case. Words fail me.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/30/court-reinstates-trump-gag-order-fraud-trial
”
Unf#*$§ngbelievable.
Human garbage.
“He called Dawn Engoron a “Trump hating wife” and said that she and Arthur Engoron’s law clerk had “taken over control of the New York State Witch Hunt Trial aimed at me, my family, and the Republican Party”.
On Thursday, the gag order against him, which had been paused two weeks ago, was reinstated, but it did not stop Trump lashing out further. The order only specifies comments about members of Judge Engoron’s staff, not his family.
Trump posted screenshots of vulgar and profane anti-Trump messages on X, formerly known as Twitter, purported to have been made by Dawn Engoron – prompting her swiftly to assert that she does not have an account.
“I do not have a Twitter account. This is not me. I have not posted any anti-Trump messages,” Dawn Engoron told Newsweek.
“
‘Holdenhillbilly says:
Friday, December 1, 2023 at 6:51 am
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama signaled that he is backing off of his hold on all top military nominees – as soon as next week – and will instead be focusing his blockade on a smaller number of nominees he characterized as “woke.”
The move comes after bipartisan pressure to cease his blanket hold on military promotions over a Pentagon abortion policy, which started in March and delayed the confirmations of more than 300 top military nominees. Tuberville said he will not be lifting his hold on every nominee. Instead, he will be evaluating the “background” of each nominee whose confirmation has been delayed….’
—————————————
This, plus a Republican plan to pass legislation to ensure that Trump unconstrained in any way by the laws of the land.
Will the US supply us with ammunition during war time if our ADF is woke?
We need urgently to give some consideration to Plan B.
Thanks, BK.
‘Peter Dutton is demanding an apology from federal Labor ministers who claimed he had voted to protect paedophiles rather than children, even as the federal government scrambles to secure his support for new laws that would return to detention the worst criminal offenders released after the landmark High Court ruling. (Reminds me of a remark from Dads Army’s Corporal Jones about the Germans – “They don’t like it up ‘em!)
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dutton-demands-apology-for-o-neil-s-claims-he-voted-to-protect-paedophiles-20231130-p5eo3l.html‘
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Indeed. It stands to reason that his pattern of psychosexual politicization of minority groups is grounded in more than just nasty, vicious and cruel political ambition.
There is something seriously wrong with Dutton.
And I am not just talking about his persistent lying.
Boerwar
Just like previous PMs…. Morrison and Abbott come to mind
#weatheronPB
Glare fills the senses.
Heat firmly grips my shoulders,
and prickles my back.