Rudd has "spat the dummy"

Mr. Rudd has "spat the dummy"
He has announced his resignation with "Great Sadness" - what utter bullshit.
Everything else in his statement is tainted by that very opening statement.

He is saying to Caucus they need to choose who is best placed to defeat Tony Abbott.

In answer to the query is he jumping or being pushed?
He is doing the Jumping, even if Simon Crean and others were behind him on the Diving Board, bouncing the Board up and down - urging him to jump.

The good thing is that if it goes badly for him (I hope so, but cannot be sure) then at least he will be seen as the one to have triggered the disaster.

Not that it really makes much difference in the end.

Bring on Penny Wong and Tanya Plibersek I say.

Both good hard-working serious politicians.

Personally I can not ever forgive Rudd for repudiating his statement that "Climate Change is the greatest Moral Challenge of our generation".
That was the last thing he said WITH which I agreed.
He walked away from it, in the face of pressure from the Miners.

THAT WAS A GUTLESS DECISION, LACKING IN LEADERSHIP.
LACKING IN INTEGRITY.

All that has happened since has been a sad decline in standards, judgement.
His lack of political leadership was terminal, and remains so.

I don't think so. DJW

All political comments are my own.
I stand accountable for them.

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?

Bloody Martin Ferguson AM, MP.

Bloody Martin Ferguson AM, MP has no shame - or no understanding:

• The Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP said, “The positive exploration figures are good news and reflect the continued strength of the industry.
• “They are a sign of confidence in our economy and demonstrate the continued interest in Australia for investment.
• “Our natural resources, skilled workforce and balanced policy framework will go on prompting exploration on a vast scale.
• DJW asks: If it is about our skilled workforce, why are we agreeing to import short-term Migrant Workers from Philippines, etc, as slaves to work here???
• The publication also presents summaries of Federal, State and Northern Territory government initiatives which assist the mineral exploration sector.
• Source:

This guy will single-handledly (well, he and the Miners anyway) destroy Australia's rural lifestyle.

The city-dwellers will mostly be OK, as long as they can still get jobs somewhere, or the State can pay them to sit on their arses, and watch TV.

But the Farmers will be driven off their lands, but the Grape-growers in the Hunter, and the Racing Stud Farms will both be OK.
But broad acre farmers are stuffed. CSG mines will strip the water away, or poison the rest.

Death of Democracy - Indeed - but the Murderers were the ones who were disrupting Parliament

Today  - the protestors in Parliament were protesting the so-called "death of democracy".

Indeed.

But the Murderers of Democracy were the very people proclaiming the Death of Democracy -  themselves!

They were the ones who were disrupting Parliament.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-12/protesters-disrupt-question-time/3553864

Is that too harsh?

Just ask yourself, what would the Conservative side of politics and the Far Right supporters of the Nationals and Tony Abbot and the Climate-Change Deniers say if the Parliament had been disrupted by so-called "long-haired hippies", OR Lesbians and Gays protesting inaction on Gay Marriage, or any other Left Wing cause?

Alan Jones, Ray Hadley and other demagogues would probably be screaming "Shame, Shame, Shame", from their microphones.

But will they denounce these disruptive practices in the Media tonight and tomorrow? We shall hear, tomorrow morning.

• Is that the sound of silence I hear?

I note the involvement of the previous "Convoy of No Confidence" organiser (which rally had the support of Alan Jones).

This is part of what The Australian's website tells us:

• "About 80 protesters chanted 'democracy is dead' and 'no mandate'.
• "They included Peter Madden, who helped organise the anti-carbon tax Convoy of No Confidence in August.There were two teams of protesters, seated on each side of the lower house chamber.They stood up one group at a time to disrupt Ms Gillard as she attempted to answer a question from a Liberal MP.
• The protesters were escorted from the chamber by security guards but could still be heard as they left the public area."

My only comment to the protestors today - look in your own mirror!

You and only you distrupted the Parliament of Australia.

Comments authorised by Denis Wilson

Robertson NSW 2577

Enrolled voter in the electorate of Throsby.

I am posting a link to this page on Stephen Jones's Facebook page. He is the Member for Throsby.

Poking holes in the Pokies bullshit Debate.

Personal declaration:
I HATE POKER MACHINES AND THE GAMBLING ADDICTION THEY FOSTER.

Consequently, I gagged when Virginia Trioli failed to interrogate Helen Coonan last night on QandA, when she weighed in to the Poker Machine Debate without declaring her obvious conflict of interest - as a person who has accepted a recent offer to join the Board of James Packer's Crown Ltd, owners of the Melbourne's Crown Casino.

I do hope Jonathan Holmes takes Virginia Trioli to task for that screamingly obvious lapse of standards - next week on Media Watch

Today I am pleased to note that Crikey has put together a list of many more such omissions of declarations of conflict of interest. In honour of Stephen Mayne's excellent work on this subject, I am quoting it, our of respect.

1. The conflicts of interest muddying the anti-pokies campaign

Stephen Mayne writes:

Jenny Macklin, the federal minister responsible for implementing the pokies deal with Andrew Wilkie, is complaining that the industry is refusing to offer up any venues that will trial a mandatory pre-commitment system with $1 maximum bets. Jenny, ask your own party in Canberra. The Canberra Labor Club operates about 500 machines in the ACT and it represents the single largest investment asset owned directly by an ALP branch. Labor’s role as the only major political party in the world that fundraises through operating gambling venues is just one of many conflicts of interest which dominate the pokies reform debate. Here are a few other favourites: Jeff Kennett: As The Australian reported today, the outgoing Hawthorn president is obviously conflicted in defending AFL clubs operating several thousand machines given his chairmanship of Beyond Blue and the known connection between depression and problem gambling. Kennett is further conflicted by his paid gig as chairman of Amtek, a private company aiming to becoming one of the biggest service providers to Victorian pokies venues after Tabcorp and Tattersall’s are kicked out of the system in August next year. Colin Carter: The Geelong president has come out supporting the Wilkie reform package, even though he is seemingly conflicted as a Wesfarmers director given the retailing giant operates close to 2000 machines across Australia. Richard Goyder: The Wesfarmers CEO is in a similar position after it was announced yesterday he would join the AFL Commission in November just as Andrew Demetriou was inaccurately claiming the proposed federal reforms would see AFL club gaming revenue fall by between 20% and 40%. This excludes the windfall gains Colin Carter has pointed to courtesy of many clubs picking up 10 years entitlements for a pittance in the Brumby’s government’s botched pokies auction. News Ltd: Heavily conflicted given that it relies on pokies at NRL club venues to try and stem future losses on its 50% investment in the NRL which has so far cost it more than $500 million with little prospect of any recovery, save for the profits enjoyed on the NRL broadcasting side of the equation through Fox Sports and Foxtel. Eddie McGuire: Conflicted through his brother Frank being a Victorian Labor MP and also from his history as the man who took Collingwood heavily into the pokies. Eddie also has a history as a gambling entrepreneur through a failed footy tipping joint venture with Tattersall’s 10 years ago which was sanctioned by the Bracks Labor government in Victoria. Also paid millions each year by Channel Nine, which is the rights holder for the NRL and open to pressure from Clubs Australia. Roger Corbett: The Fairfax Media chairman is conflicted as it was his controversial decision to take Australia's biggest retailer into the joint venture with Bruce Mathieson which made it the biggest pokies operator in Australia with about 12,000 machines. It is also the biggest manager of venues for AFL clubs through secret management agreements . Corbett is involved in other non-pokies ventures with Mathieson and retains an interest in Woolworths shares. However, anyone who read The Australian Financial Review’s strong editorial endorsement of pokies reform today should be comforted that the Fairfax tradition of directors not influencing editorial remains in place. Andrew Bolt: News Ltd’s most widely read and powerful columnist was the man who kicked off the bogus line about the AFL joining the anti-pokies campaign in this September 21 column in the Herald Sun. He is clearly conflicted courtesy of being on the payroll of MTR owner John Singleton, the pokies venue owner who came up with the "licence to punt" advertising campaign for Clubs Australia as we explained here and here. Helen Coonan: The recently retired Liberal Senator Helen Coonan was conflicted on Q&A last night as she expressed doubts over whether mandatory pre-commitment would work while failing to state that she last month accepted an offer to join the board of James Packer’s Crown Ltd on a package worth more than $100,000 a year. This will involve attending seven board meetings a year, plus some additional committee work. Karl Bitar: Coonan’s colleague at Crown was appointed head of government relations in May on a generous six figure salary sanctioned directly by billionaire James Packer. Bitar is calling in favours from various NSW federal Labor MPs that he supported through pre-selection in his previous roles at the top of the NSW and federal ALP machines. Bitar showed off his pulling power with various right wing Labor heavyweights in a piece published by The AFR in June. Daryl Melham: The federal Labor MP for Banks is chairman of the Revesby Workers Club which operates more than 500 pokies and has bankrolled and provided resources for numerous Labor candidates across all tiers of government, according to The Australian today. As with any public debate, the challenge here will be getting participants to put all their cards on the table and declare these conflicts as they arise. So far, such declarations have been few and far between. ****** Right on, Stephen. Denis Wilson

Babcock and Brown - SOME WINNERS - most are losers

This post is in honour of the nameless Robertson resident who was once a Director of Babcock and Brown.

• There will be a few happy faces this morning after the settlement of liquidator Deloitte's $160 million damages action against the directors and auditor of Babcock & Brown, the whizz-bang financier that collapsed in 2008, wiping out $12 billion of creditors' and shareholders' funds. 
• Happiest of all will be B&B's co-founder Phil Green, who won't have to dig into his pocket to pay any of the estimated $25 million to $30 million damages awarded in the confidential settlement.

Read more of that story here.

In case you cannot be induced to visit that site - here are the punch line(s)

• Those who have less reason to be cheerful include B&B's noteholders, the key remaining creditors, who are still owed $620 million. They'll be lucky to get 2 cents in the dollar, if our calculations are right.

• And there's still the small matter of the other $11.38 billion that B&B managed to vaporize. Plus, whatever happened to ASIC's investigation?

Ain't it marvellous how some people can keep on tip-toeing all the way, just ahead of the disaster and pain they cause to others?

Thanks to Paul Barry and his new e-publication The Power Index.

Fwd: Can you believe this Pretentious Git?

Can you believe this Pretentious Git?

This was forwarded to me by the PR staff of Greg Combet.
Why?

Who gives a shit about Danny Morgan being "wired for sound".
I didn't email him.
I don't care what he thinks.

Who is trying to impress whom?

Greg Combet ought sack the staffer responsible for this stuff-up.

Denis Wilson

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <climatepublic@climatechange.gov.au>
Date: Fri, May 27, 2011 at 5:36 PM
Subject: [Climatepublic] I heard your email
To: climatepublic@climatechange.gov.au

www.DriveSafe.ly read it to me.I will get back to you soon.
Sent from Danny's Blackberry
Kind Regards

Danny Morgan
Managing Director
Enact Energy Pty Limited
Suite 407, 15 Lime Street
King Street Wharf
Sydney NSW 2000

T: +61 (2) 8239 8861
M: +61 434 270 226
F: +61 (2) 9279 1378

www.enactenergy.com.au

______________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT: This message, and any attachments to it, contains information
that is confidential and may also be the subject of legal professional or
other privilege. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you
must not review, copy, disseminate or disclose its contents to any other
party or take action in reliance of any material contained within it. If you
have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by
return email informing them of the mistake and delete all copies of the
message from your computer system.
______________________________________________________________________

Denis Wilson
"The Nature of Robertson"
www.peonyden.blogspot.com