Brogden sorry he was caught

August 29th, 2005

When asked at his press conference whether the two (possibly more, Brogden couldn’t remember the second woman) had a case for sexual harassment against his actions he dismissed it as,

"They are acts that were meant in jest."

Clearly, the former leader does not understand what constitutes sexual harassment. He believes because he has known one of the women for a long time she would understand that he was joking. He says he is guilty of being too familiar, and of caring and engaging with people.

"I let some steam off, and clearly I let that steam off in a completely inappropriate manner after having about six beers over a three-hour period…it was the week of Bob Carr announcing he was resigning from politics."

Well, John Brogden, aren’t the arses of women up and down NSW now grateful and safe that they will not have to endure your belief in your right to a celebratory, sexually assaulting and harassing grope…or three.


Images from here

The bull-calf deposits at the sperm bank

August 25th, 2005

He’s young, it’s Spring and it was always going to happen.

Any decision that makes John HoWARd and Helen Coonan happy is worrying and HoWARdspeak will ensue.
Watch for the non-core promises to fall over…

"It’s hopefully…it’s a once in a political lifetime decision, because it’s such…it’s something that’s absolutely crucial in people’s lives, and you’ve got to give that all the respect it’s due. You just don’t want to be railroaded into a decision in Canberra, which you regret." -Barnaby Joyce.

The bull-calf won’t put out

August 11th, 2005

The new Senate sat for the first time on Tuesday of this week. Cohesion and unity were nowhere to be seen.
Senator Barnaby Joyce has been threatened with expulsion from the party and of treading a thin line between horse-trading and blackmail.

Nationals MP Bruce Scott gives us this analogy,

"Perhaps it’s a little bit about an early spring in Canberra, the young bulls are out there with some of the old bulls and they’re all looking around."

Independent MP Bob Katter offers this advice to Barnaby,

"He’s demonstrating to all of them what a bunch of cowards and idiots and lightweights they are. Two to the valley, son, because there ain’t anything that they can do. You hold all of the aces."

Senator Bill Heffernan, Liberal Senator seems to be aroused by it all as this statement suggests,

"Everyone knows I’m not a pansy and neither’s Barnaby, mate. That’s all part of the fun. Colour and movement you call that."

The Nationals’ leader, Mark Vaile, said outspokenness was tolerated until the crunch of the vote,

"when we expect, and want to see, the family stick together."

The bull-calf does not disappoint with,

"If anybody was to go into the Senate and to put out that they would never ever consider crossing the floor, then you’re basically useless, aren’t you?"


Image from here

I love my job it’s the work I hate

August 4th, 2005

GetUp! is an online organisation that inspires voters to think up their own campaign ideas and lobby politicians by email and SMS.

In a display of profound ignorance of both the responsibility inherent in holding a public office and what spam actually is, Andrew Robb Liberal backbencher told all voters exactly how he wants his work day to progress and who he thinks is responsible for the terrible botheration that will ensue from GetUp!’s presence.

"?There are hundreds of emails arriving in Senator’s offices. They’re beside themselves, just to clear the screen. They get back to their office from meetings looking for important communications from whoever, and they’re confronted with screen after screen of these emails, in some cases over 200 emails. This is highly irresponsible, this is spam, this is spam."?

"It’s first and foremost, let’s not mince words, it is an anti-Government group and it’s not there to keep us accountable. It’s there to run an alternative policy agenda. It’s a front for the Labor Party, it’s a political front. They’re quite entitled to do it, it’s a free country, but it’s a political front. That’s what it is."

Two points Andrew.
1. The labor party is far too unimaginative for this venture and
2. Politicians cannot possibly expect not to get unsolicited communication including e-mails from their constituents. Such voter concern is not spam.

I cannot think of a better reason for Getup! than the presence of such a lazy, uninformed, unrepresentative politician.

Place of Birth: Australia. Homeland: Korea.

August 2nd, 2005

Right now there is an appeal seeking to have Australian citizens recognised by birth right.
Naively, I thought that if you were born in a country it became your homeland. I think most reasonable people would assume the same.

"The law says a child is recognised as a citizen if either of his or her parents is an Australian resident or citizen, according to an amendment to the Australian Citizenship Act in 1986."

"If we win it will backdate the law to before 1986. There would have been thousands of cases of foreign nationals who would have departed or [been] forcefully deported within that time. US, Canada, and New Zealand have no problem declaring everyone born in their country to be a citizen."
Michaela Byers, Lawyer.

What’s the problem here? Is the government worried that people will give birth in Australia to claim the Maternity Payment which is currently $3079 per child?
Are they worried about too many children? Was the treasurer referring to bi-cultural or Asian or Muslim families when he said:

"You should have one for the father, one for the mother and one for the country. If you want to fix the ageing demographic, that’s what you do."

Or is this just another sinister, thinly veiled racist policy enforcement from this government through DIMIA?




Images from here