I like this cartoonist - a lot

John Sherffius in the Boulder Daily Camera

This is all the more poignant if you happened to see and hear Richard Dawkins on Q&A last night

The ghost who sits....and sits....and sits

News today that this is the anniversary of Phillip Ruddock’s 36nd year in federal parliament.

Will the man who brought us Tampa, children overboard, Haneef, the Pacific Solution, the refusal (as Minister for Reconciliation) to recognise the stolen generation, the labelling of refugees as “parasites”, “queue-jumpers” and “double dippers” and the defence of the Northern Territory's racist mandatory sentencing laws to the United Nations Committee On The Elimination of all Forms of Racial Oppression never go away??

As the then One Nation member of the New South Wales upper house, David Oldfield, once said:

“When I see Mr Ruddock talking on television about [refugees], he looks and sounds like somebody from One Nation”

Is it Latham resurrected or Turnbull reincarnate?

The Mad Monk can’t seem to decide on the persona that he’s going to run with.

First there was all of the macho “check me out in my speedos” – a bit reminiscent of Mark Latham’s “Macklin is as useful as pockets in your underpants.”

Now today we learn that, in the tradition of MalcontentTurnbull, his party knew nothing (and don’t much like) his (lets shift the focus off of health reform) Maternity Leave Plan - the plan you have when you’re not having a policy.

Mind you, he could be channelling either of them (and Barney-the-rabble Joyce as well) with the whole homophobic "Gays" thing!

Me thinks this is going to be a very long weird year

Local insulation installer speaks-out

I received the following press release from a local insulation business and thought it was worth reprinting in full.

Fortunately some of the shonky insulation operators are now facing the full force of industrial law (see for example, here and here). I’m sure there are a lot more convictions to come – as there should be!

Long established insulation provider AllSafe Energy Efficient Products has spoken out in support of the federal government’s cancellation of the Insulation Rebate Scheme. The company’s senior management claim that many have lost sight of the goal of the Insulation Rebate Scheme.

Has Crisafulli cooked Les’ goose (and maybe his own as well)?

News that debt-ridden Townsville Council has put $1,000,000 on the stump to help rescue the North Queensland Fury won’t go down well with ratepayers forking out the highest rates in Queensland.

Those who regularly drive past Council’s $5,000,000 “investment” in the V8 dinosaur racing track and see it vacant and disused for 360 days of the year will be livid – along with the 164,484 or so locals who don’t go to soccer matches.

And it seems from the reports that this was a decision made solely by mayor-in-waiting Cr Crisafulli – apparently without reference to full Council, any committee of Council, possibly any official of Council or even the Mayor.

Perhaps it was all part of a clever strategy to sink Les’ re-election chances if he’s game enough to stand again? If so, I don’t think young David thought it through very well. I suspect that he’s cooked his own goose along with that of Les.

This seemed appropriate

I finally cancelled my subscription to the Australian today.  I simply couldn't take the bias and blatant attempts to set the political agenda any more - See for example this post from The Political Sword ). 

This toon seemed apt:

Newsflash: Athiests responsible for the world’s religious wars

Well, that’s the logic of this little gem:

Monash University Sociology Professor (and Anglican priest ) Gary Bouma says people without a specific faith are fuelling sectarian conflict and cause division in society.

By-and-large, wars are, and always have been, fought over either religion or property and, by this logic, all of those fought over the later have been the fault of the poor.  Weird

Noel Pearson under attack by Coen Parents

I’ve often wondered when Noel Person’s fiefdom and his dominance as the Right-wing's preferred voice of blackfellas would start to unravel. Perhaps this story in the Cairns Post heralds the beginning with the mob in the Cape questioning his approach on education:

"Nearly 30 parents, guardians or carers of students at Coen State School have threatened to withdraw their children from classes unless there is a return to the "mainstream education system".

They have slammed the teaching method, called Direct Instruction, and called for "Noel Pearson’s group" to leave."

Perhaps sooner rather than later we will hear others from around the State publically voicing their concerns about both his approach and his track-record of sucking a disproportionate share if "Indigenous affairs" resources into his organisations and his mob’s country.

Rumours heard this week

Heard around town this week:

Rumour #1
Mayor-in-waiting David Crisafulli has put the kybosh on any of his “independent” Councillor colleagues putting their hand up for the LNP preselection race for Herbert.

It’s not that he’s particularly concerned that the punters will twig to the fact that the “independents” were actually a LNP ticket all along. Rather he’s worried that if someone like Cr Dale Last (just for the sake of argument of course) were in the Herbert race and lost, as Crisafulli and everyone else (including Peter Lindsay) expect they will, the profile they would gain in the process would provide a platform for Dale them to run against him in the Mayoral race and he’s determined to keep that one for himself.

In a similar vein, I bet Crisafulli is pis*ed of at the Bully’s parking ticket story today – despite ¾ of the article quoting his press release, Dale Last gets the three-column photo!!

Rumour #2

What was important today in that small mining city somewhere west of Townsville

In case you're interested, the lead (online) story in today's North West Star was:

Report finds pound policy not followed

MOUNT Isa City Council (MICC) has finalised the report into the accidental death of the Jack Russell-cross, Biscuit.

Biscuit was put down in February by the council despite her owner, Georgie Martin, identifying and paying for her beloved pet's release.

(The report) found Biscuit was not held at the pound for the required three days before being killed, and noted that this was a direct contravention of the council's policy.

I guess we should be thankful that they didn't run with the headline "Council bully nailed" or similar