The week in Australian federal politics was headlined by the triumphant return of ‘Bad’ Malcolm Turnbull.
Australians had become accustomed to the pinkie-extended punctilios of Pleasant Malcolm and it has become clear they don’t much care for them.
So with nothing left to lose, Bad Malcolm got a run and delivered a withering character assessment of the Opposition leader. It was a terrific spray, no doubt, so full of harsh burns Bill Shorten may well still be plastering himself in aloe vera.
Bad Malcolm left his best line to last: “This sycophant, blowing hard in the House of Representatives, sucking hard in the living rooms of Melbourne — what a hypocrite.”
Understandably, lovers of the pugilistic arts weren’t about to get too excited. Should the People’s House ever become the House of Stoush with ‘Truffles’ Turnbull and ‘Wee Billy’ Shorten coming to blows, it would make last week’s Danny Green-Anthony Mundine fight look like the Thriller in Manilla.
Full column here.
We arnt hearing much so far from the 1st Lady, 46yo Melania Trump, Mr Insider, but suppose when you are married to the “mouth from the south”, as she is, its hard to get a word in. Likened already to the famous Jackie O , lets hope she doesn’t end up married to a big fat old fart like Jackie O was in the end.
But she’s already married to a big, fat old fart.
The handsome debonair POTUS Trump Tracy? Not a bad catch I would say unlike greasy Onassis, then again I am not a female.
Zinger!
…and i dnt want to hear anything from her. Hmm the visuals will do very nicely thankya Sir.
A few comments yesterday suggest that some people have some odd beliefs about income. Among others, JS suggested that an MP’s $200K base-rate is not enough to attract “talent”, and Robin thought that $150K was for “cleaning toilets” and suggested poor intelligence.
This suggests being out of touch with what people actually earn in this country. Average full-time earnings in 2016 were about $75K, and average for all employees was about $60K. Even these figures are higher than the median (i.e. what most people actually earn) because a small number of very high earners artificially inflates the average.
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6302.0
Those comments also suggest a mistaken belief that income correlates with intelligence. There is no evidence for that at all:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289607000219
It seems that some take their own good fortune for granted, and also read too much into it!
As an example of how life-changing a six-figure income can be for the average person, Ricky Muir’s brief spell in Parliament enabled him to buy the sawmill from which he was made redundant just before his election.
Cleaners working on boats do get these sort of figures Last vessel I worked on in Australia the cleaners were getting $1280 per day which worked out to be 35K per 4 week swing. as they only spend a max of 180 days offshore this means they are getting 200+K a year if they work full time which rarely happens of course Thanks to the AMU the workers on vessels are well paid compared to even politicians.
Some offshore construction workers were on 400K a year before the big crunch come
The cleaners and catering staff work every bit as hard as anyone ( besides robin I would think) if not more so offshore. They make life a little easier for others on the installation/vessel. Most people work over cycle so to say “max of 180” days is false. By the way on an even time roster it is 183 days. These people do NOT get paid on their time off and pay taxes at the highest rates with very little tax minimisation available to them apart from other investments they make. The people on these projects get higher rates due to the short term nature of the projects. Working 12 hours a day and more in all conditions. Some of those offshore construction workers probably have not worked in the last 12 months. You claim to have worked offshore I think you just heard about it from the bloke over the fence next door. Or you were one of those who pissed and moaned all the time about what everyone else is getting.
Most of their tax breaks are negative gearing
What makes you thinks they work any harder than the cleaners on Terra firma?
Most of the cleaners I have come in contact with, work the same hours but with dlll shorton selling them out get 500-600 a week.
Changing the story again robin? sigh.
NO YOU BRAINLESS DICKHEAD.
just because you are unable to read and comprehend basic English does not mean a thing
When talking about ‘average earnings’ forget it…talk about the MEDIAN wage son.
Older people have been going on for centuries about the young. I don’t see very much difference between the young people of today to when I was their age. And if we are going to go on about their smartphones, ever watched people in a coffee shop? It sure isn’t just the young people addicted to them.
I learn a lot from the GenY/Milleniums…..one of the reasons they don’t like politics? Could be the politicians we’ve got do you think?
Oh they do like Trudeau…….wonder why.
Good pecs Penny!
Yvonne & Penny,
Trudeau’s a pussy do you want to see Razor’s pecs?
No…
Wise choice. They aren’t what the used to be……..
Slow/no posts throughout the day today. I’m off to the ABC this afternoon to tape a Richard Fidler’s Conversations on the topic of Chow Hayes. Not sure when it goes to air but will let you know.
A heads up on the interview would be great thanks mate.
Yvonne 08:54pm.
Strange as it sounds from an ex Labor PM Bob Hawke . He is all for nuclear as well as storage of nuclear waste deep underground in SA to clear debts and said they could be in surplus every year ahead.
The old in plants is out and in with the new hi-tech nuclear plants 1/10th the size now with near twice the generation efficiency output in developed countries.
Penny…12:36am Yep you correct ,we have our priorities upside down in this political world . I am sure the countries outside here , pollies don’t get the freebies like our extravagant lot get.
Just having a little drift moment here after digging up a Dick Smith quotes on his never ending explosive mouth I take down from time to time.
Yesteraday we had a high of 46 degrees in Penrith , 42.7 degrees here in Chipping Norton,Smith added the facts further back that his travels ,now Sydney , we deserve all we get building concrete jungles of bricks , cement and glass all attracting heat while killing off parks and sporting ground to developers . Same goes for Penrith in the rising zones of satellite cities springing up everywhere. I agree with him after whats now occuring , even though he called me a hothead some time back , idiot he was and wrong at that. He is correct on this massive infrastructure killing our planet and over population he often barks about now depriving the dwindling supply of vegetation and prime land that it lowers temperature .All this grab for the sake of heat explosions and greed from government and developers . His last call was we are the world running out of finite materials yet 2030 we will have polulation 9 billion and that requires massive cheap energy as BillGates agreed on.
Lack of a national energy policy which would set out rules for distribution and regulate the market a bit better and we wouldn’t have these brown out threats. Profiteering of the type allowed in our energy markets would not be possible on the stock market, for example. This is the downside of energy privatisation. The Turnbull govt needs to get its act together, pull the states into line, set base line standards and oversee it.
Maybe scrap the states and have one central government. Imagine how many zillions that would save – not to mention interstate wars!
Why we are losing our best and brightest teachers. Everybody should listen to this. A brilliant Honours graduate on the scrapheap and disability pension at 22. Now for her to qualify for this type of pension means she must have been REALLY ill. If you have kids listen to this:-
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/keeping-teachers-in-our-schools/8260608
While we’re at it, let’s stop allowing people with ATARs around 60 to teach.
Spot on TV
The unis are making up for budget shortfalls by filling up courses that are cheap to deliver.
Dwight,
You read about some of the courses and it makes you think some of them are the reality tv of the Academic world.
Another interesting quote from this article I’m reading :
“the French always vote, in a presidential election, in the negative. They give their vote to the one they least dislike”
Sound familiar?
And they’re stuck with them for what, 7 years?
I think it fair to say that Shorten is an aspirational type.
Definitely not inspirational
Naturally aspirated Milton? I would have described him as a turbocharged windbag, or windsock, as he goes whichever way the wind blows.
More like an oscillating fan I’d recon Mack. Certainly not reverse cycle, and useless when the heat is really on.
Shorten needs to change his particle filter.
Hmmmm. Macron the next president of France? Plenty of scandals – how titillating!
Once married a woman 24yrs his senior-a teacher at his school – rumours about his sexuality – and he’s still young and good looking.
Heck, this is France – who cares! 🙂
He’s a bit of an economic reformer too.
Or the delightful Right Winger Marine Le Pen, Yvonne. “Oui Oui”. Poor old Socialist Hollande totally stuffed up, as Socialists normally do, and wont contest this upcoming election. Good riddance.
Still the ominous signs around in media today that Malcolm must depart the political world with reverberations growing internally as well as externally accross Australia over his ‘sloppy’ leadership not coming into public support. All this ambiguous waffering does not wash in this resilient country , especially his links into opposition agenda politics lacking the integity to fight off challenges just like we seen him in his lame election policy speeches .
Turnbull a goner for sure Rodent, 7 negative Newspolls in a row sending him a clear message. Australia no longer listens to Trumble.
….and replace him with who?
That’s the problem in a nutshell Bassy.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been warned not to be a “Malcolm” when he visits the White House, Mr Insider. Wise advice to anyone methinks who would want to be a Malcolm Trumble. a total bag of hot wind!
http://tinyurl.com/jxxbtq2