The real reason as to why Labor is Dead, Dead, Dead

There is an extraordinary dichotomy in political donations.
Traditionally, industry likes to at least appear to be even-handed 

(or at least pretend to be).
No more.

This alone indicates to me that Labor is Dead, Dead, Dead.

Dichotomy in Mining Industry donations to major political parties

That chart comes to us, courtesy of Crikey.

The full article is available to be read here:

http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/02/21/the-rise-and-rise-of-mining-company-donations/

This has nothing to do with any supposed Challenge to the Leadership.

Really???

Well, just think about it.

It was Kevin Rudd 

who totally antagonised the Miners in the first place. 

Well, hardly  in the real "first place". 

Gough Whitlam had laid the groundwork of that, 

back in the Post-Menzian Days 

Links have been provided for any  

ABC Journalists who happen to read this -

 for they will have NO IDEA about whom I am talking.

But we all remember the anti-Mining Super Tax ads 

which were placed by the Mining Industry, 

and led directly to the sacking of Kevin Rudd.

So let us not kid ourselves that Kevin Rudd is likely to be the saviour of Labor. 

He killed Labor (as evidenced by that chart above)

before Labor tried to kill him.

Moir Cartoon courtesy of SMH 20 Feb 2012

And even that task has not yet been completed.

The "Undead" are emerging, again, it seems.

What ridiculously short-term memories the Media in Australia have.

And they assume we, the people, are as stupid as they, the media, are.

Well, they are probably right about that!

Its all enough to make me want to emigrate.
But where to?

A Well-hung Parliament - a psephologist's "wet dream"

If the last numbers from tonight's election count turn out to be accurate (or are not whittled down by the Scrutineers) then Australia will have a "Hung Parliament".

That means a balance between the major parties, where neither has a majority, and needs to negotiate (now there's an novel idea) with the block of three Independents who have been in the Parliament before, and with Adam Bandt and possibly Andrew Wilkie.

But the main impression I have from tonight's chaotic election broadcast is that there is no one more happy in Australia tonight than Antony Green, the ABC's resident psephologist. The fact that the results of this election might not be known for two weeks (thanks to our antiquated rules on postal votes, which are a hang-over from the days when mail carried by "Cobb and Co Coaches" around the country by horse and buggy).

So this prolonged electoral counting, and re-counting, and then, eventually the rounds of distribution of preferences must seem to Antony Green like a psephologist's "wet dream".

At least somebody is happy with the result.

Andrew Wilkie has been a hero of mine since he "Blew the Whistle" on the Weapons of Mass Destruction issue (in Iraq) when working for the Office of National Assessments. I personally would feel secure if he holds the Balance of Power in the next Parliament. What was it he said he hoped for an ethical Government.

What's that?

My brother Brian sent me a cartoon he has drawn

The ABC Local Radio in Canberra (666 - the Radio with the Devil's Call Sign) has a "Fierce Quill" cartoon competition running at the moment.

No National Rail Network in Australia

I am amazed that in the run-up to a Federal Election, we have heard not a peep out of anyone about this.

I first heard of it, when it was reported in The Age on 9 August 2010.

We have buses between Albury and Melbourne.

Buses!

That means changing over at Albury.

Small seats; double handling of luggage, etc

This is a 3rd world situation.

CountryLink website confirms this (downloaded this morning) with the following advice:

Sunday 8 August- until further notice

Southern Region - Due to delays as a result of substantial speed restrictions being applied by both the Australian Rail Track Corporation and the independent regulator on ARTC track in Victoria, CountryLink advises that all services between Albury and Melbourne will be replaced by road coaches commencing from Sunday 8 August 2010 until further notice. CountryLink apologises for any inconvenience.

6 August - 15 August 2010

Southern region - Due to amended timetables all Sydney - Melbourne - Sydney XPT services will experience delays of 20 - 40 minutes.

Please visit the Trackwork for more details. (From Sunday 8 August 2010 until further notice the XPT service will be replaced by a road coach service Albury - Melbourne - Albury).

Source: http://www.countrylink.info/service_status/service_changes

The explanation contained in The Age's report (below) blames Victoria for laying tracks in the middle of a drought and seemingly not allowing for wet conditions (reactive clay soils swell when wet).

The Age's report from 9 August.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victoriansw-train-travel-suspended-countrylink-20100809-11tc6.html

Victoria-NSW train travel suspended: CountryLink

August 9, 2010 - 2:57PM

Train travel from NSW to Victoria has been suspended because of safety concerns.

The decision was made yesterday afternoon after the NSW-based CountryLink transport service became worried about safety on rail lines between Albury and Melbourne.

Regional centres such as Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga along with smaller towns including Wangaratta, Cootamundra and Yass will be affected by the decision.

Speed limits on the lines, normally above 100km/h, have been reduced to 80km/h.

"This arrangement will continue until further notice," CountryLink said in a statement.

Safety has been jeopardised by the decision to lay concrete sleepers during a time of drought and not allow for rains, sources familiar with the issue told AAP.

One person said the safety worries would soon affect NSW tracks from Macarthur, on the southern outskirts of Sydney, through to Albury."

*****

This is a 3rd world situation, which is unbelievable in 2010.

And in the context of a Federal Election, we have heard not a peep out of any politicians on this issue. Nothing!

The role of Gall Bladders in Australian Politics

My brother, knows a thing or two about Gall Bladder surgery, has just sent me a cryptic message: "Leaking gall bladders spread bile through the system and cause stomach cramps."

I was pondering this very point this afternoon, when I heard that Kevin Rudd had been taken off to hospital for urgent surgery - for removal of his Gall Bladder. The connection between Gall Bladders and bile is very direct, clear and not at all "symbolic". Or is it?

And I was reminded earlier in the day of the link between bile, gall stones and pancreatitis, the condition which famously ended the career of the former Labor Leader Mark Latham. It ended his career, but not the flow of bile.

It all makes one wonder about the health risks of being a Labor Party Politician.

Rooster One Day, Feather Duster The Next.

Matt Brown, Member for Kiama has been sacked (or has resigned) as Police Minister, after the leaking of a story about a party he supposedly held in his Parliament House Office on Budget night. In fact, he was apparently sacked for being less than frank with the Premier, when first questioned about the incident. He supposedly denied the details about inappropriate behaviour, but Mr Rees checked with other sources, then fronted Mr Brown again, who then confessed (supposedly). At that point, he was supposedly sacked by Mr Rees for not coming clean in the first place.
"It appears the leaking of the story was timed to either discredit the Minister who was promoted on Monday to the police portfolio or to destabilise Mr Rees." (Source: Sydney Daily Telegraph website.)

The Age website was more direct - allowing you to join the dots, as it were:

• "Mr Rees .... refused to speculate who may have leaked the story, and rebuffed suggestions it could have been Frank Sartor, whom Mr Rees dumped from the cabinet. "It would disappoint me, but I don't believe that's Frank Sartor's style. He's a more direct person than that."

• "Mr Rees said he was not aware of a meeting yesterday between Mr Sartor and News Ltd journalist Imre Salusinszky, who broke the story. "It would disappoint me [if Mr Sartor had leaked the story], but I have got no idea what Frank was talking about to Imre [Salusinszky]."

Well, Mr Rees, The Body Politic's resident graphic artist can show you his conclusion.

Frank Sartor, a proverbial Feather Duster himself, after being sacked last week, is showing Matt the tricks of the trade.

Aaah, such is the way of NSW Politics.

Earth Hour is tokenistic nonsense

I am appalled at the way in which the large companies (and the ABC) have enthusiastically climbed upon the Bandwagon of Earth Hour. What? So the lights can get turned back on again, at 9:00pm on Saturday night? When they serve no purpose in being on.

It might look good as a "light show" for the Television and the Newspapers, but it is tokenistic, and a stunt.

It is good publicity for the marketing gurus of WWF, but they are flogging it as an ego trip for themselves (Earth Hour has "gone global"). It will do nothing for the planet. But it will do wonders for the CVs of the individuals in WWF.

Expect them to progress in Marketing, Advertising, and Politics and the other Trivial Arts of self-serving commercialism.

Denis Wilson

My fellow Australians disgust me (well, some of...)

Sorry to write about "sport" in what was meant to be a political blog, but sport is getting more and more like Politics.

Winner take all!

As that 1936 Punch cartoon illustrates, this is not new in Cricket.

But what is new (for me) is that the Australian Cricket team lacks honour, and certainly they all lack dignity.

Australia did not deserve to win the Second Test, in Sydney, against India. Our team cheated. It is as simple as that.

Thousands of words have been written, but few have come out and called it for what it is. Peter Roebuck has come closest.

People say that it was the Umpires making bad decisions, but the reality is that our players tried to claim that they were not out.

• "Bucknor (Umpire) was humiliated in the first innings when Symonds said he should have been out on 30 and went on to make 162, and the players have clearly lost confidence in him."

Hang on - it was Symonds who clearly nicked the ball, but stood there, pretending he had not hit it. Then, apparently he admitted the next day that he should have been out. He should not have pretended that he did not hit it. He has no right to blame the Umpire for a wrong decision.

Symonds scored 132 runs illegally. We beat the Indians by 122 runs. On that basis alone, we cheated our way to the win!

And Rahul Dravid was given out on a ball he clearly did not hit. OK - bad Umpiring decision. But let us not forget that the rules of cricket require an "appeal" - the legendary "How's that?" before the Umpire makes his decision. And in the Dravid case the appeal was led by Gilchrist, the wicket-keeper, who was in the very best position to see that Dravid's bat was nowhere near the ball. A calculated false appeal, designed to influence a weak and demoralised Umpire. It worked. One of India's best batsmen was given out (falsely) at a crucial stage of the game. Without that bad decision, based upon a dishonest appeal, India would almost certainly have managed to draw the game.

In the words of Peter Roebuck: "Once justice and fair play have been ejected there is no point in playing the game."

Perhaps you can now see the similarity between "sport" and Politics?

These issues are just some of those relating to this awful test.

There is the issue of alleged racial taunts against Symonds, which has now resulted in Harbhajan Singh being suspended for 3 tests. But what about what Symonds said to him, just prior to his alleged comment? Symonds "said something" to Harbhajan after he allegedly touched Brett Lee "on the bottom" as he walked past him. We can all guess what that comment might have been about, can't we? The Indians are too polite (or sexually repressed) to repeat what was presumably the use of a favourite Australian term of homosexual abuse "poof*ter". The Australian cricket writers are loathe to report that part of the story. No wonder the Indians are coyly claiming their man was provoked!

This match might yet have true "political ramifications" as well as sporting politics.