My tradesman friends earn twice what I earn and they live in nice houses in leafy suburbs and all HATE the Liberals.
I thought you had mentioned once before that you lived at home living on your parents wealth… when did this change?
Late,
grmpysmrf
The term liberal can be applied to both sides of the political divide. Lefties are liberal socially, Righties are liberal fiscally. I don’t like any parties in any country; as a rule I don’t trust a party that has liberal, conservative, republican, democrat, labour, progressive, worker’s, green, or nationalist in its title. I do not know of any great President or leader who was a party man first and foremost. Die hard partisans are nearly always dumb, irritating fucks. Certainly none of the few great U.S. Presidents were die hard party men; they either used one as a vehicle to get to the top or ended up reforming their party because it was shit and going nowhere.
Fuck parties.
But Australia is not fucked as long as Alf is still in town: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99cV3iAXDNE
I thought you had mentioned once before that you lived at home living on your parents wealth… when did this change?
I live at home but earn a respectable wage (around $45k).
Tradesman I know earn $90k plus in some trades. A guy I know who lays linoleum for a living earns $70k plus a year.
Much more than me.
Yeah, and Abbott and Hockey have been totally consistent with each other’s budget announcements and costings… let alone with handing them in.
At least with the Liberals it’s not all empty slogans and gimmicky one liners to try and sell us something they can never provide.
What a fucking debacle that party is - pink batts, education rorts, massive spending on climate and still no viable plan, a political assassination, budget blowouts, power wrangling, backroom deals, an eight billion dollar backdown on mining profits.
Yeah, I’d be voting for them.
If the Liberals get in, they’ll just ride Labor’s coattails and cut funding left right and center to satisfy the ‘me me me’ mentality of the upper middle class with two kids, four cars and a two story house in the leafy suburbs they generally seem to appeal to.
This is the kind of arrogant dickhead bogan mentality that really gets my goat. Get a life son. How exactly will cutting funding satisfy the needs of the upper classes (assuming that said upper classes are all Liberal voting ‘scum’ as you’d like to phrase it)? Explain yourself. Don’t just make off hand insulting comments like that and then run and hide behind mummy.
And who is this ‘me me me’ brigade exactly? Individuals who have done well in their chosen professions and who have prospered are greedy and selfish? That’s a big call. Aren’t they generally the ones who provide the employment in the first place? When was the last time you were employed by a poor person with no money?
What about the freeloaders in our society sticking their hands out and waiting for a freebie - the ones that Labor constantly cater for with their fucking ‘Money For Nothing’ schemes? Aren’t they the ‘me me me’ types you should be venting at? What about dole bludgers? Welfare rip offs? Workcover wranglers? You can have absolutely no money whatsoever and still be a selfish cunt and rip off the system.
Both parties aim at the middle classes when making their policies. It’s all done to suit the middle classes whether they be left or right inclined. It’s the poor people - the really poor people - who continually miss out regardless of what party is in charge. Have you heard one mention of helping the homeless throughout this entire campaign? I haven’t. All I hear is ‘how can we satisfy those who already have? How can we give them more?’
What a backward little nonce you are.
I voted Liberal this time as I’m sick to death of Labor fuckup after fuckup. As a politician I think Julia Gillard would make a great door to door salesman.
I don’t think the Libs are way better but I’d rather them than risk another term with the party that promises everything and delivers nothing. It was our mining boom which kept us out of recession not Labors (grossly negligent) spending sprees.
And as for this 43 billion dollar broadband plan the Labor party are promising, why should we believe them? They couldn’t even implement a 1 billion pink batts scheme effectively!
And saying that only ‘posh’ types vote Liberal is just stupid and irrational. Our neighborurs are staunch Labor supporters and they’re about the poshest people I know. They’re also greedy, selfish types so there goes that theory.
A guy I know who lays linoleum for a living earns $70k plus a year.
Holy crap! Any job that you can learn through youtube videos is not worth 70k a year, unless you’re making it on work volume rather than hourly wage!
How exactly will cutting funding satisfy the needs of the upper classes?
Well since I’m not from Australia and I know nothing of your specific politics I have no stake in this but from a purely economic point of view… you cut funding (what funding are we talking about here anyway?) to essential social programs (obviously climate change is not an essential social program but it cutting it does put researchers out of work which means more coin for those that already have enough coin) and the divide between rich and poor increases.
The playing field in economics become so distorted and backwards that anyone coming up has no chance at making it. So cutting any funding keeps more money in the pockets that need it the least. Money is power and when you have enough in reserves (I’m talking the upper 1% not governments here) for your grand kid’s grand kids you can afford to sit back and wait for the masses to sell themselves shorter and shorter, as far as wage goes.
Really it’s a slow march to aristocracy/autocracy. First the rich divide up the middle and poor classes amongst themselves (aristocracy) and then they go to war against themselves which ends in autocracy.
And who is this ‘me me me’ brigade exactly? Individuals who have done well in their chosen professions and who have prospered are greedy and selfish?
If they refuse to give back to the community/country then yeah. those people.
Aren’t they generally the ones who provide the employment in the first place?
Not necessarily, most people are employed by corporations. Small business makes up a fraction of businesses that employ people. not only that (these are American #s now) the private sector salary shows that the private sector vastly underpays their workers. Government workers make on average 20,000 dollars more a year compared to their private sector counter parts. Corporations don’t give back to the countries they work in, government does though, well it’s supposed to.
When was the last time you were employed by a poor person with no money?
About 15-20 years ago right before wallmart ran the music/stereo store out of business.Well I guess that doesn’t count cause they weren’t poor until major corporation showed up. Ask a conservative and they’ll say that that stereo/music store was lazy but in actuality it just couldn’t compete with the cheap prices walmart was able to sell.
So now 6 people are out of work… where they gonna work at? Wal mart’s employee roster is full, what now? I guess their hands are out until they can find something. Doesn’t make 'em lazy just in unfortunate circumstances and more and more people are finding themselves in these situations
What about the freeloaders in our society sticking their hands out and waiting for a freebie -
Again, if your #s are anything like the U.S.'s then those#'s are greatly exaggerated by specific political pundits with an agenda. Not only that, if your welfare programs are anything like the U.S.'s then the $ they get isn’t even close to anything anyone can live comfortably on or would even choose to live on.
It’s been the American Conservatives agenda to call anybody that can’t find work or needs monetary assistance “lazy” and with more and more people getting laid off, tossed out on their ass that argument is losing traction quickly (it’s about fucking time too!)
the ones that Labor constantly cater for with their fucking ‘Money For Nothing’ schemes?
more like $$ for your dignity. I can tell you that I had to take unemployment for roughly 6 months and that’s horrible. The people at the bank know your cashing a government check and that feels horrible, there’s still a stigma attached to it.
I can tell you specifically I didn’t want a check, I wanted a job!
My sister just got laid off from the lab she was at. She’s got a masters degree in micro biology. She’s no where near lazy and yet here she is gonna have to take unemployment… bad arguments you have what with the “lazy” and the “free loaders”
You can have absolutely no money whatsoever and still be a selfish cunt and rip off the system.
pretty low standard of greed… I guess I’m giving a double standard … OK to be greedy when you got nothing to spare not so much when you’re sitting on a pile of $$$
(Never ok to rip off the system whether your rich or poor)
Both parties aim at the middle classes when making their policies. It’s all done to suit the middle classes whether they be left or right inclined. It’s the poor people - the really poor people - who continually miss out regardless of what party is in charge. Have you heard one mention of helping the homeless throughout this entire campaign? I haven’t.
I got the impression that from your rant that you were sick of the homeless cause they were poor, lazy, and with their hand out… which is it? help them or ignore them?
All I hear is ‘how can we satisfy those who already have? How can we give them more?’
excellent point. that happens here too although our middle is shrinking FAST! so we actually need more to stay out of poverty
Late,
grmpysmrf
Well since I’m not from Australia and I know nothing of your specific politics I have no stake in this but from a purely economic point of view… you cut funding (what funding are we talking about here anyway?) to essential social programs (obviously climate change is not an essential social program but it cutting it does put researchers out of work which means more coin for those that already have enough coin) and the divide between rich and poor increases.
The gap between rich and poor has never been more evident as it is now under the Australian Labor Party. And all they do is spin the facts to let us all know what a wonderful job they are doing and how they are moving the country forward. For instance, they raised the average weekly pension by a few dollars which is good - but is made completely redundant because the price of gas, water, electricity and groceries has skyrocketed.
Labor pat themselves on the pat taking credit for funding a little of this over here but then quietly take a little of that over there.
It’s lying and deceitful and a false representation of what is truly happening.
The playing field in economics become so distorted and backwards that anyone coming up has no chance at making it. So cutting any funding keeps more money in the pockets that need it the least.
That makes absolutely no sense. If I earn $100,000 a year and I am considered ‘rich’ and the government decide to cut funding for, say, the disabled or for hospital or community programs, then how does that make me as an individual any better off? Why does that leave me with MORE money in my pocket???
Not necessarily, most people are employed by corporations.
…who are headed by CEOs who make large pay packets!
Small business makes up a fraction of businesses that employ people.
And Labor in this country has done sweet FA to protect small business - especially from overseas interests. Actually they gave small business a 2% tax break, but then raised the cost of superannuation an employer has to pay out from 9% weekly to 12% weekly. So any money saved on the tax break is spent on superannuation.
So now 6 people are out of work… where they gonna work at? Wal mart’s employee roster is full, what now?
No idea. I’m glad our jobless situation isn’t nearly as bad as yours. It must be frightening living in that kind of an economic situation.
more like $$ for your dignity. I can tell you that I had to take unemployment for roughly 6 months and that’s horrible. The people at the bank know your cashing a government check and that feels horrible, there’s still a stigma attached to it.
I wasn’t referring to the unemployed. I’m talking about the middle classes who want everything for free. Labor caters to this. People who CAN afford private health cover/education etc don’t take it and so clog up the system, so that the folks who really can’t afford it go to the back of the queue.
My gripe is with those who rip off the system not with those who can’t find work.
The ‘gimme gimme gimme’ crowd.
For instance, they raised the average weekly pension by a few dollars which is good - but is made completely redundant because the price of gas, water, electricity and groceries has skyrocketed.
Well that’s always been the argument against raising the minimum wage, and completely true. Raising the minimum wage isn’t a fix at all. It just means you carry more paper in your wallet/purse.
Labor pat themselves on the pat taking credit for funding a little of this over here but then quietly take a little of that over there.
That sux. Democrats over here are mostly guilty of this (well so are the Republicans but the republicans don’t bother trying to hide it like the Democrats do.)
It’s lying and deceitful and a false representation of what is truly happening.
clearly
[reply]The playing field in economics become so distorted and backwards that anyone coming up has no chance at making it. So cutting any funding keeps more money in the pockets that need it the least.
That makes absolutely no sense. If I earn $100,000 a year and I am considered ‘rich’ and the government decide to cut funding for, say, the disabled or for hospital or community programs, then how does that make me as an individual any better off? Why does that leave me with MORE money in my pocket???
[/reply]
Well first off, 100,000 a year is not “rich,” it’s upper middle class (is that rich in aus?). Actually, the bottom of upper middle. Monetarily it makes you “better off” because your taxes aren’t going to pay for that hospital. Meaning, you are not paying for some other “lazy” bastard’s free surgery, hand out.
Not paying for that hospital means that’s one less tax you have to pay, which means less money coming out of your check. Granted you, as 100k wage earner, aren’t really gonna see that much more on your weekly check, but for somebody who is wealthy and is taxed at a higher bracket, then yeah, they are gonna see way more money on their check. That’s where it hurts the most.
They play to the little wage earners, “they’re taking your hard earned money for the lazy!! you should get pissed and demand that money back!!” and when they all revolt in greed guess who keeps a shit ton of the money… The wealthy. the little wage earner get their 75 bucks back while the wealthy get their 7500. hardly a fair trade off
The tea party is seriously guilty of this right now. They are out there protesting to get their 75 dollars put back in their check meaning the 7500 in the check of the wealthy ill also be put back. They don’t understand that their 75 dollars also gets the 7500… Idiots! social programs are necessary to keep us from being a 3rd world country.
[reply]Not necessarily, most people are employed by corporations.
…who are headed by CEOs who make large pay packets!
[/reply]
still not small business. and again how much is that CEO who makes large pay packets giving back to the country that lets him live so lavishly? I suppose it comes down for the rich (the really rich… the ceo rich) how much does one need to live comfortably and at the expense of someones elses comfort?
[reply]Small business makes up a fraction of businesses that employ people.
And Labor in this country has done sweet FA to protect small business - especially from overseas interests. Actually they gave small business a 2% tax break, but then raised the cost of superannuation an employer has to pay out from 9% weekly to 12% weekly. So any money saved on the tax break is spent on superannuation.
[/reply]
Damn that’s shifty!! Your labor party sounds like our republicans too! Both your parties seem to embrace all of the worst parts of our conservative party here (AKA The tea partiers, certainly the tea partiers when it comes to the greed marches!)
[reply]So now 6 people are out of work… where they gonna work at? Wal mart’s employee roster is full, what now?
No idea. I’m glad our jobless situation isn’t nearly as bad as yours. It must be frightening living in that kind of an economic situation.
[/reply]
Yeah, but you guys were there 10-15 years ago, weren’t you? What did you guys do?
The japanese spent their way out of it but Repubs here are blocking all funding!! too funny cause at any other time in the history of the us the conservatives rally cry is "you gotta spend money to make money!! (just not when a democrat is in office!!)
[reply]more like $$ for your dignity. I can tell you that I had to take unemployment for roughly 6 months and that’s horrible. The people at the bank know your cashing a government check and that feels horrible, there’s still a stigma attached to it.
I wasn’t referring to the unemployed. I’m talking about the middle classes who want everything for free. Labor caters to this. People who CAN afford private health cover/education etc don’t take it and so clog up the system, so that the folks who really can’t afford it go to the back of the queue.
[/reply]
Got ya’! I’m totally agreed. You have more of a social conscience than I previously thought… I think it had to do with the translation of the parties. Liberal party means something completely different over here. so when you were bashing liberals … you know, I was thinking in us definitions.
My gripe is with those who rip off the system not with those who can’t find work.
The ‘gimme gimme gimme’ crowd.
we’re on the same thought here. Over here these people are called republicans/conservatives
Late,
grmpysmrf
Note: after having written this, I did not have the time to do my homework. Everything written is off the top of my head. I will not comment any further on the issue before this gets even more personal and because I simply do not have the time and should be working. No, that’s not a cop out and I’m amazed I found time to respond to this.
Second note; I have PLENTY of criticism for the Labor government. FUCKING PLENTY. But as the lesser of two evils, I voted for them. And I simply cannot see how anyone can see the Liberal party as any more qualified than them to run the nation.
Peligro
If? If? Cut funding to who? When? How much? Who is going to miss out? That’s an interesting theoretical scenario.
Mate, you only have to look at your preferred party of choice’s recent history to have a rough idea of who would lose out under their administration.
It was pretty cute the way Kennett single handedly destroyed our mental health institutions in favour of the ‘community based’ integrative approach championed by none-other than Margaret Thatcher. The cuts to the police force were fantastic as well. I like the way Liberal administration after Liberal administration, both state and commonwealth, have reduced the quality of education and health (or at leasted mooted it) for Australian’s nationwide who earn less than 60-odd K a year. I recall little Johnny wanting nothing more than to turn Medicare into an Amercian-modelled ‘pay-for-your-health’ institution with his bullshit surcharges and proposed levy. Then there was the FTA with the US. That was really nice how that basically left nothing in it for Australian exporters and producers, given it did not necessitate the Americans lifting trade tariffs on our goods. Basically, we got the shit end of the deal, and to placate these producers, notably the sugar cane farmers in North Queensland, what does he do? Threw a bit of cash at them. Generous.
Oh, and then there’s Abbott’s proposed levy on companies earning more than 5-10 million a year to fund his paid parental (and wholly unsustainable) leave plan. As well as cutting funds to universities to fund his 'volunteer-work-paids HECS plan. Cute.
Remember the Labor Party were left a massive surplus ($25 billion) by the previous economically sound govt and managed to blow it all and end up with an $85 billion deficit three years later.
And kept us, out of any Western nation, with an increase in consumer spending and jobs, with a decrease in inflation and interest rates kept steady and at a healthy level (relative to the rest of the world).
Why…? Perhaps putting a fucking lid on the sort of unfettered markets the Liberals were more than happy to allow to fester toward the end of their last tenure.
12% unemployment and a deficit of close to $100 billion. The ‘recession we had to have’? We didn’t need stimulus then and we didn’t need it now.
Would you care to tell me how we would’ve avoided that? Costello and Howard rode Keating’s coattails. The amount of engineering he did in terms of floating our dollar was something that would take years to reap the benefits from due to the global economic milieu at the time. Credit to Howard and Costello; at least they had their shit together enough to better articulate the GST in a way Hewson couldn’t.
Pretty interesting the way the most ardent of Liberal supporters will cling to the idea that they have this fantastic reputation for managing the economy whereas when there are real problems, where are they to be found? Seriously? The only issue the Howard administration faced was the Asian economic crisis, and well managed that was, I will wholly admit.
But then… what a stark contrast that is with Abbott and Hockey failing to hand their budget costings in on time, the level of contradictions between Abbott and Hockey’s pork barrelling and let’s not forget Julie Bishop’s immortal ‘we’ll just have to sit and wait’ when asked how she would manage the economy.
I challenge you to tell me what you, or the liberals would have done. Because all I’ve heard from Liberal voters is, ‘Labor have fucked us with debt’, and yet none of you ever seem to have a solution. And you have the pleasure of sitting there and being able to think about this, because when immediately faced with the question, I’ve not once come across anything resembling a suggestion, from young and old.
Well…
we could do what Howard was more than happy to do. Let’s look back to the unfortunate ABC Learning centre’s scenario. Wholly backed and supported by the federal government, Eddy Groves tried to dip his toe in the states and borrowed a shitload of cash to do so. Didn’t cover his arse, the industry faced downturn, and… collapse. Hang on; one problem; he was allowed, if not encouraged, by the government to completely monopolised the early learning industry. Beautiful. And who had to clean up that mess?
Yes.
We were kept afloat by the VERY INDUSTRY that Labor wants to pillage in order to curb the disastrous economic situation they dug for themselves. Fucking imbeciles. You trust that lot with yr hard earned and you’ve got rocks in yer head.
All they do is look after their fatcat union thug pals and give handouts and freebies to shut people up - while the economy goes down the plughole. You wait and see what happens when the mining boom takes a dive. It’s tipped to nosedive sometime in the next two years. Then all that reckless spending will come back to haunt us. Wait and see what happens to Australian jobs when iron ore/coal prices take a hammering in the foreign market.
Oh, those poor mining execs! Yes, we really are raiding their piggy banks in the dead of night to… shock horror… give money back to the very land they reaped it from.
There indeed will be a bust. It is inexorably bound to every boom.
So why not tax the industry and force it to recommit back to the nation it reaped it’s profits from? Why not? Tell me, seriously?
So they can keep their bank accounts healthy while the nation runs to shit without having given anything back when the boom is over?
Yeah, right. And the fucking conceit; turning up with their placards and protests, saying ‘this tax will filter down to the Australian every day worker’. Last time I checked, not in the same way a direct levy on the very retailers the everyday person buys their goods from would. Nor a shithouse free trade agreement that completely shafted our producers would (in terms of jacking the price of produce up).
That tax would hurt people at the top. A few million won’t kill them, not in the same way a couple of hundred dollars less every week would completely fuck over a family of four in Lalor or Mill Park.
Let me ask you Peligro, or Olsen… ever lived there? Or anywhere like it?
Ever go to a state school? Ever taught at one?
C’mon, be honest.
Actually, fuck that.
This is getting too personal. This is the sort of bullshit thinking that’s going to turn things ugly. I ain’t going to pretend: I started that and well, I’ll end it there. I could delete that, but I’ll keep it there because I’m treating this like a conversation; I don’t delete shit to make myself look good. I’m just being honest. And open to opinion.
Where have you been the last couple of years? The demographic to prosper most in the last 5 years are builders/tradesmen. They’re earning small fortunes and vote (almost unaminously) Labor! Toorak is over-run with plumbers and electricians. These guys earn more than my dad who has 40 years experience as a financial advisor.
Okay, I’ll say this much. You need to catch the Epping or Hurstbridge line, and go all the way to the end at 4.30-6.30 pm on any given weeknight. You’ll see how many tradies are ‘prospering’.
Not all of them are running their own businesses, mate. And even then, it’s a fucking shit industry, given to downturn at any given time and takes a while to get a decent return from.
Mick
Die hard partisans are nearly always dumb, irritating fucks. Certainly none of the few great U.S. Presidents were die hard party men; they either used one as a vehicle to get to the top or ended up reforming their party because it was shit and going nowhere.
Totally fucking agree. I’m Labor inclined, but I can see a lot of big fucking problems with that party and the recent administrations.
Peligro and Olsen, you seem to have your heart set on me being the complete political antithesis of both of you.
I’m just articulating what I consider to be the most rational and considered standpoint, having been part of a variety of social milieus. You’d both be surprised, and most people who know me well have said to me they don’t make much sense of it (re: the reasons why I dig Boyd Rice, Peligro). For starters anyway, one half of my family predominantly votes Liberal, the other Labor. They always let me think for myself.
Btw, glad the Alf videos are getting so attention worldwide, Mick… [laugh]
Olsen
This is the kind of arrogant dickhead bogan mentality that really gets my goat. Get a life son. How exactly will cutting funding satisfy the needs of the upper classes (assuming that said upper classes are all Liberal voting ‘scum’ as you’d like to phrase it)? Explain yourself. Don’t just make off hand insulting comments like that and then run and hide behind mummy.
You’re welcome, pussycat. [laugh]
Since when did I even insinuate Liberal voters are scum?
Are you suggesting I called my mother, nan, uncle and one of my best mates scum?
Are you fucking kidding yourself? This got ugly just as I predicted it would. I’m sitting here reading and responding as I go along and come across this.
Do I even dignify anything you’ve said afterward with a reply?
To be honest, I’ve little time for you, and I’ve spent enough time on this thread.
Everyone’s entitled to an opinion, and if you wanna slug me like that with those sort of bullshit assumptions, fine. I hope you feel really big.
If it sez anything, I have completely different political views to Peligro, yet I still respect his opinion and I don’t hinge our friendship on it.
Good day to you.
You make some good points Dildo. I still fail to see how working families are SO much better off under a Labor govt. You harp on about Kennett but make NO mention of the devastational FUCKUP of the Kirner govt that preceeded. Health and education is a toughie - and seems to stretch and buckle under any given govt. You could argue the finer points on this debate until the cows came home and still not get anywhere.
Regarding the ‘personal’ attacks - well I guess you KINDA deserved a flaming for the ‘posh cunts in leafy suburbs’ remark. Plenty of struggling families vote Liberal. Plenty of well off people vote Labor. You shouldn’t generalise. I also thought the ‘bogan’ remark aimed at you was crass and I’ll leave it at that.
Fuck it - don’t know why I’m defending Abbott as I’m not really sold on the guy - ironic really. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t agree with all of “little Jonny’s” schemes. As a country we did well under him (economically) but will concede that it came AT A COST for some sections of the community.
You harp on about Kennett but make NO mention of the devastational FUCKUP of the Kirner govt that preceeded. Health and education is a toughie - and seems to stretch and buckle under any given govt. You could argue the finer points on this debate until the cows came home and still not get anywhere.
Agree wholeheartedly.
Regarding the ‘personal’ attacks - well I guess you KINDA deserved a flaming for the ‘posh cunts in leafy suburbs’ remark. Plenty of struggling families vote Liberal. Plenty of well off people vote Labor. You shouldn’t generalise. I also thought the ‘bogan’ remark aimed at you was crass and I’ll leave it at that.
I accept that, and agree with those other two points.
Fuck it - don’t know why I’m defending Abbott as I’m not really sold on the guy - ironic really. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t agree with all of “little Jonny’s” schemes. As a country we did well under him (economically) but will concede that it came AT A COST for some sections of the community.
Best thing said in the entire thread.
[:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)]
What happened?
Late,
grmpysmrf
Two conservative independent MP’s from the country (pretty much the antithesis of Labor) backed Gillard (Labor) to form a minority government.
The Coalition wins the two party preferred vote (700,000 more) and the Alp slides in to power on the back of a bribe to two nonces no one has even heard of. That’s democracy for ya.
A victory for bogans everywhere - while decent folk have to put up and sut up with three more years of Labor fuckups, backflips and propaganda.
Hip hip hooray.
I will say this much:
Though I’m [u]delighted[/u] with the outcome.
It is a fair crock of shit the basis for the Independents’ decision was to avoid another election in order to ensure longevity of government.
Still, the result leaves me optimistic about a few things. And, equally pessimistic.
Ultimately, either outcome is the result of corporatist network governance at it’s worst.
It’s all a conspiracy, mon frere. It’s all a conspiracy.
<checks that no one is listening>
Left. Right. Middle Of The Road. It’s all the same. Just ask Maynard James Keenan. He has all the answers.
He may have done Henry Rollins out of a job.
Peligro, as soon as I heard the news my thoughts turned to you. I laugh, jovially at the image of you taking it from behind courtesy of Ms Gillard.
Tony can take his gift and shove it.
Peligro, as soon as I heard the news my thoughts turned to you. I laugh, jovially at the image of you taking it from behind courtesy of Ms Gillard.
You still here?
Thought you were dead.
Whatever gave you that idea?