The final sitting day in the parliament yesterday provided a timely reminder that Labor has a long and illustrious history of finding itself in golden situations only to totally stuff them up.
Forget the next three years, Bill Shorten and Labor could turn the dumpster fire that is Canberra at present into an inferno that could engulf it and everyone in the general vicinity in less than 12 weeks.
In other, brighter circumstances it might be the kind of efficient service delivery the punters expect from government.
Presuming Shorten and Labor win the next election (and that requires a sizeable leap of faith if not logic after yesterday’s shenanigans), one can only speculate what disasters will come its way in government. My best guess is Shorten will do a Nick Greiner, establish a federal anti-corruption commission only to find multiple members of his cabinet and ultimately himself, ensnared in it, providing an alternative meaning to the term “conviction politicians”.
In what stands as an extraordinary political achievement, Labor managed to disappoint everyone across the political spectrum yesterday — people who vote Labor, people who don’t and people who were thinking of voting Labor but now probably won’t.
It was as if the tactics committee met, handed Shorten a ball-peen hammer and told him to belt himself over the head with it, on the basis that it would feel better when he stopped.
The telecommunications access and assistance bill became law yesterday, passing through the Senate 44 votes to 12, after being waved through the House with bipartisan support.
It is, of course, a bill of the government’s making. It is a disaster, created by legal minds with little or no apparent expertise in technology. The problems with it are numerous but the biggest lies in the fact the law would require technology companies to target a single device or small number of devices, but only in a way that does not introduce a “systemic weakness” that impacts all users.
The techs I have spoken to say this is all but impossible and may lead to tech companies feeling obliged to leave the country rather than run afoul of this putrescent law. One of our most prolific and profitable industry sectors may leave our shores in droves. Well done, everyone. Throw another log on the dumpster fire.
The other major problem with the bill is it is yet another intrusion into the privacy of the citizenry. Predictably the response from the government and the opposition is of the tedious, “if you done nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about” kind.
Labor’s favourite urger on Twitter, member for Gellibrand, Tim Watts, lectured a clearly unnerved Twitterdom on Tuesday night in an effort to bring some calm. “Wait and see our amendments,” the young MP promised. In the end Labor dropped its amendments altogether and waved the bill through.
It is a dreadful piece of law and by Labor’s own admission will need to be amended early next year, leading to the obvious question, and one that remains unanswered, why wave it through the lower house at all?
Timidity and cowardice
The old maxim that any day when the political debate turns to border security is a bad day for Labor seems to have Bill Shorten and his front bench spooked.
Labor is everywhere and nowhere on this issue. Jelly nailed to a wall.
Timidity and political cowardice are never far away with this mob.
The day started with Prime Minister Morrison facing a humiliating defeat in the parliament, with Labor and the Greens supporting a crossbench bill which would leave the decision on refugee repatriation to Australia entirely in the hands of those with medical expertise. Instead it was Shorten and Labor who were left pink-faced in embarrassment as the bill was filibustered to within an inch of its life in the Senate.
Everything Labor sought to achieve did not happen and everything it did not want to happen came to pass.
News reports today indicating Labor has softened its policy stance on refugee policy lends strength to the prevailing view that Labor is soft on border control while Shorten et al have simultaneously upset Labor voters who were hoping for a more humane policy response.
Faced with the prospect of multiple triumphs in the parliament in the morning session, all Shorten could do was lament the scoreboard at the end of the day. Win-win had become lose-lose.
As the House adjourned for the Christmas break, it was difficult to determine who felt more relieved — Scott Morrison or Bill Shorten. The only good news for both men is the parliament will sit so rarely in the New Year, they may as well call in the caterers and hire out both chambers for weddings, parties, anything. Maybe a funeral or two.
The focus in recent times has naturally been on the Morrison government and its travails. There appears to be no way out for the government, that is until we pause and turn our gaze to Bill Shorten and the Labor opposition.
And when we do, we are drawn to the conclusion that it would be madness to underestimate Labor’s capacity for political self-harm.
This column was first published in The Australian on 7 December 2018.
Goodbye Theresa, thanks for coming. Go hard Boris as we see Mr Insider that Politicians in British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party have triggered a vote of no confidence in her leadership.
The vote approx 7 am AEDT tomorrow.
https://tinyurl.com/ybebdxbv
She survived and she survived essentially because no one wants the job.
True Jack. Had they booted her out they would have been in even deeper poo. At least the majority of them had the sense to realise that. (Unlike our mob here 🙄)
The head of Google appeared before a Congressional Judiciary Committee.
Asked why is this so and the vague answer came back as to how their algorithms worked.
With 3 trillion inquiries, there is no manual intervention says he.
The question that should have asked is “Is there anything specifically is in your algorithms that creates this answer and when can they be independently audited”
Somebody is playing around with how the search engine works along the lines of how Google gets a lot of its revenue – ie companies pay paying Google to make sure their web page pops to the top when a general inquiry is made about their product. So the machinery is there to fudge the results for any enquiry.
I think he got off lightly.
These monopolistic companies are now so powerful their internal procedures should be subject to external audits .
We really all need to know how this stuff works so we can make objective judgements about what pops up in things like Google and Facebook
A line is missing from this – It was all about when you Googled “Idiot” Trump came up .
It is a wonderful example of how search engines can be manipulated even though 50% of Americans and 80% of this blog would agree with it.
The new God is Silicon valley and it is his/her/whatever will..
The algorithms might make mistakes, but it is sheer tinfoil-hattery to believe they’re politically manipulated.
The reason for the “idiot Trump” result is quite simple. If you start typing a word that is often paired with another in searches, the algorithms try to speed things up by pre-fetching results including the paired word. For example, start typing “bacon” and “bacon and eggs” will appear. Try it.
The algorithms learn this from the most popular searches. “Idiot Trump” is such a popular search that “idiot” on its own is enough to summon the Orange One.
The raw democracy of Google searches doesn’t lie. The marriage of “idiot” and “Trump” is the result of sheer global public opinion, not some Lefty plot hatched in the basement of George Soros’ pizza shop.
J O’H
I would suggest you stick to law – your answer is very simplistic IT 101 or possibly levels before that – the Guardian is not noted for its in depth technical expertise.
What you have just written just happens to suit you particular political bias and hence you believe it to be true..
I did not say that the algorithms are politically motivated – I said Google has all the machinery in place to pop any search to the top – that’s is the way they make their money.
If you think access to that particular piece of machinery is limited to a few people, think again.
A very large percentage of Google employees would do it if they could.
Following is not Google but it applies to most, if not all, Silicon Valley Companies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/technology/inside-facebook-employees-political-bias.html
Yes, yes all very well but it doesn’t alter the fact that Trump is an idiot.
But a very rich idiot – which kid of says he is not one.
Not sure about that. It has been suggested that if he had just plonked his inheritance into a fund and lived the life of Riley, he would be much richer than he is now.
Yes, it’s difficult to spot armchair anarchists and mouthy soothsayers for all the bulldust they create.
Anarchists yes indeed Carl I just couldn’t place the dear chap in the Political Spectrum but now all has been revealed. Cheers
Perhaps, but sniping old fossils who haven’t got a clue stick out like wedding tackle on a billy goat.
PLMO is off on a super high level secret undercover mission. He would know all about the trench of course but if it is classified he wouldn’t tell you anyway.
Bill Shorten live on the “Bolt Report” tonite 6pm on Sky, Mr. Insider I do think he will give a good account of himself and his agenda if and when he becomes PM.
Andrew has a top class bottle of Whiskey to give him for coming on the Show.
A good account of himself you say HB?
Pfft! His only claim to fame is dudding the mushroom workers.
Dear Carl, you must try and expand your Political Vision just a wee bit if I may be so bold to suggest. Credit, where credit is due, shows no weakness but a strength imho. Cheers my fellow QLDer
So you say, but he will make a splendid, rational and a great surprise to some, intelligent Prime Minister.
Look forward to Carl, it will please you no end.
According to the CFMEU.
Ha ha! Support for Bill Shorten is widening, suck it up.
Good interview imho Mr. Insider and both Bill and Andrew conducted themselves well given their different views. This is Democracy not “Anarchy” as another of our esteemed bloggers espouses “groan”. Wasnt live as first touted but feel Bill and Andrew will chat a lot more from here on and that’s good.
I thought he presented very well – totally different from the grabs one sees when he is making an announcement.
Indeed he did JackSprat and credit where credit is due but see dear Carl not impressed but most likely he didn’t watch it. Cheers
I thought Bill Shorten did exceptionally well mainly because he leaves gutter politics to the Fibs who try to defame him every time they speak because it’s all they’ve got. Shorten stayed on point and Bolt wasn’t half as bad as I expected Henry which was a turn up for the books.
JTI was right when he said that people have stopped listening to all the fearmongering Morrison & Co must be rehearsing in their party room as every lifetime LibNat voter at work is disgusted with their antics & disregard for our interests so will be voting Labor just to see them gone.
A few of them don’t know about Shorten but they like his policies over this government’s relentless drive to fatten the rich & forget the poor.
They can’t even wait until they are in government to dismantle the system.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/shorten-needs-to-explain-switch-on-border-protection/news-story/b637d3a29f182a956b6326eae566a0cc
sniff, sniff,sniff the air reeks of desperation, the coalition and its media mates have started the election campaign. The harder the cons run on their divisive mendacious platforms the worse the outcome for them will be. No surprises fair dinkum innovation and agility is needed in this Nation. The cons have none of it.
Some particularly interesting figures quoted here. Doesn’t stop us from denying long term, non construction, employment opportunities for our kids though.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/cutandpaste/whos-on-psychedelic-trip-as-trump-trumps-macron-paris-burns-and-coal-calls-tune/news-story/c4f3a991910c71417851020577b2fdbb
JS and a couple of others. Not sure if you saw this article this morning. Makes an awful lot of sense but doesn’t support those making a fortune out of the warmist honey pot.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/dont-be-alarmed-its-the-natural-rhythm/news-story/239f1adbd756f520e3ce7ccd6297f4cc
Judith Curry? Gets her funding from where? She is all over the shop, but she will write something really nebulous for a fee.
Rep Don Beyers commented when Curry gave evidence before the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology Hearing on the President’s UN Climate Pledge 2015.
He said “I found myself deeply troubled by Dr. Curry’s written and oral testimony, ….. I found the testimony just full of internally conflicting facts and opinions and in almost total conflict with everything I’ve read in the last 15 years in every journal I could get my hands on.”
Curry says the IPCC is alarmist yet she has said “The plausible worst-case scenario could be worse than anything we’re looking at right now,” The rise in temperature from a doubling of CO2 “could be one degree. It could be 10 degrees.”
She said warming had stopped in 1998, 2002, 2007, 2010 yet it is still rising.
She has said there is no consensus yet 97% climate experts agree with the recent IPCC assessment report which says it is ‘extremely likely’ that CO2 contribution to warming is ‘more than half.’
Curry says “Man-made CO2emissions are as likely as not to contribute less than 50% of the recent warming” but Stanford University’s Stephen H. Schneider said before he died. it (The warming due to CO2 )is only uncertain by a few percent, which simply is not enough to skew the projections Judith Curry?
Political scientists don’t count, Jean. Climate experts, my date!
Er,der, what part of …….. ” I found the testimony just full of internally conflicting facts and opinions and in almost total conflict with everything I have read in the last fifteen years in every journal I could get my hands on.” do you not understand?
Would that not sound to you like 97% of climate experts think Curry is a loon?
Where does she get her funding from?
https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Judith_Curry
One thing you might not get Razor. I *want* the deniers to be right. I have no deep-seated wish to see the environment that sustains us severely degraded or modified beyond repair. I have tried to figure out whether Judith Curry makes sense or not but it’s a slog to keep up with it all. Unfortunately, I expect that she doesn’t if you dig deep enough.
There’s a big long trench being dug outside the Russian Embassy in Canberra at present. Where’s PLMO with the inside intelligence when you need him? I wasn’t bold enough to venture up to level 1 of the funeral parlour opposite.
Yes, PLMO is missed. But he copped some frightfully offensive abuse here.
Russian moles. They finally found one.
Oh dear, I have just bitten my tongue clean orf! And still laughing.
Good one, Dwight!
I’ll check that out tomorrow. But don’t tell anybody…