True Blue Barnaby

Some people are never happy The greens and the animal justice people have had their chance ( via Carbon Tax and Ludwig's ban )  to change how we/they  deal with carbon dioxide and how we should try to manage other countries  cattle . It used to be said of  Christians  that they were the ones that were so heavenly minded they were of little earthly use..  Working for another country?

  Yes they disagree with the coalition's approach to CC but time they took time to study and work things out for themselves . It's all very well talking to the Coalitions policy - Time to have one of your very own  Greenlabor will have the next 3 years ;; to work out a  workable one of their own.

If "strong action" is all they can name they might as well join TRUMP .  he supports strong action on everything --but we,  just like Bills indeterminate tax , don't know what the real action is. What fools vote for another tax ( presumably that's what Windsor's crowd are voting  for)     Labor are a joke for not naming the issue they have in mind .

The rest of Australia,  at best , think GreenLabor need at least another few years to get heard again on their expensive  failed ideas of what works

Some people are just themselves . They are those rare bods we look for  --we call them independents , But more than many with this badge, this independent is capable and proven in cooperation . HE is among  those rare polys that people trust , Sure  Barnaby doesn't tell us all the areas he disagrees with his partners on , but that is not a fault . The ability to work together and keep mum  is  something the isolated standing  "independant" is not tested .
Many independents are just stooges ; standing in for Labor or the Greens . Barnaby is well tested .
Arguably Barnaby is a more poplar leader than the  Trifecta ( Malcolm, Bill and Richard )  that are usually trotted out ,

It would be a huge and mistargeted loss if we lost this great team player .

His support across Australia is huge
We mexicans paint his name , criticize his hats and know him as one who can , not only wear lots of hats  with great credit  and humor,   but do it well
Great that finally ABC breakfast  will finally give him some time this morning.

Contempt for the Country is real on the ground

Whatever the real issues in the CFA-UFU divide, one thing is clear on the ground here , Contempt for the Country by the City is real on the ground here.

 The ABC won't come here ( even though its a marginal seat ) and there is plain disrespect coming from the cities over many things happening here .Epstein had a session in Torquay  where the biggest job growth seems to be -- over 400 people are required to run the Shire  ( How many outside staff?).
Where the Labor candidate , not only works but is guaranteed her job back there - on Council Not democracy as our forefathers saw it .

"The simple matter of getting to know candidates  NOT   The parties waste millions and yet we can't even interview the candidates without the risk of some party hack putting the shitters on our broadcasters .Its happened here !

Heard yesterday on the Hustings that Geelong people got to hear the candidates debate at Torquay/ Ocean grove on Radio but only for a minute,

,As we know ABC casually interviews and lampoons who they like and where they like ( left end around Torquay thanks raf epstein ) .

Libby Coker was one of the few who refused to take up the offer of a long interview to fully explain herself and then we hear " we cannot broadcast" . No cooincidence

Believe me, if you live in the west the contempt for the views of Country people is very real,

FYI my main aim in the 20 years we have broadcast election candidates is to give them TIME to fully explain their qualifications for office . One great advantage of COMMUNITY RADIO not one offer of support from ANY candidate!

For all the millions wasted on advertising we still do not get to know the candidates - Its an outrage ! Same with issues like Super "They are trying to force you into voting in ignorance," Neil Mitchell said.

Same with issues like City telling the country what to do ... If it wasn't for @MarciaLangton on Q and A ( talking about bureaus) noone would have twigged that fly in flt out governance is a huge issue in regional australia see below her honesty so welcome in a drought of cynical subdivision and pedantry over what :"defines : an issue" : see my definition of IDUIT

Then there is the vandalism . Symbolic Some party followers seem to think it OK to vandalize our posters , Do your homework ABC and find out why/where . We are not rich . we are not a proper target for Robin hood type raids and comparisons with Rhinehart .(New england damage recently) The city is cultivating the thievery and the destruction of private property , You are always asking why - ask this question for us Apparently we can't do what you (The ABC) do freely in broadcasting anymore ( Ring 3CS and 3OCRFM)

A young persons guide to voting

It's like choosing your parents . Which is the best qualified , can show a record of success and pays the bills consistently . Their ideas are less important than their experience and competence Dad may be an easy take and mum the disciplined one. Dad may be the hard one and mum the big spender Either way you would never let your INEXPERIENCED elder brother or any child run your family . Don't vote for a party that have no experience, who tempt you because they know what YOU like to hear, do a lot of talking and who carp at all the mistakes others are making What is well qualified?. I am saying relevant experience and relative success in that field If the member has kept his place for years - you can probably rely on that person , Richard Di Natalie is a qualified doctor but his party has in all its may years only ever held one house seat . Going on the unproductive and expensive influence they had on Labor in framing carbon taxes and their reputation for talking and holding up things in The Senate, I can see sensible people losing patience with them and their high minded chatter and limited practical experience, Can no young person therefore be a good candidate ? I think it s rare , But if the younger person is really willing to listen and learn that's a really big plus . The big advantage of age and experience is that you know WHO to listen to . Ok well "You haven't helped " I hear you say , I hope you are NOT tempted like some are , to think there are better parents than the ones you were given. Yes its possible there are but know your own before you move from the frying pan into the fire ' Even if your parents fight at least they know what team means if they stay together . This is what happens in the bigger parties - they are often full of divided opinions. . I have narrowed it down to two though . In Australia its Labor or Liberal as Niall Ferguson said so well in talking to whom/ what we can trust . he says " the admired leaders of all time " they say its a choice between the lesser of two evils ". Again if you can;t decide --whose experienced and competent Their CV How long have they been in leadership of real ministries Your smart Don't worry ITS HARD Parents are the lesser of other evils ". Little dream of my own On their CV all candidates should be required to state what their parents think . "Spoilt brat " "meglomaniac etc etc" Boy we would be blessed if we knew. Many of you are smart ,,, If it helps you decide IMAGINE , If you have come this far be pleased with yourself ! Think" lesser of two evils +still working together." I don't know your candidates so I cannot go further just yet . One of the reasons for this site and the links therein is to encourage you to know One or more of the candidates. Be pleased with yourself whoever you chose BECAUSE it won;t be a perfect choice for any of us - at least you weighed it up . + you didn't fall for the child in the family NONE OF US FIND IT EASY BUT YOU ARE DOING YOUR PART What about independants? Sometimes they are very important , If you don;t know them leave em alone . They may have bigger egos than most and will have no party to answer to their own enthusiasm for themselves . Who they preference will tell you lots about them . Listen out and leave em in some order down the track . test their qualifications as above. In mots cases you can put a good minor choice first as long as your preferred major party is nearby .
Filling out the whole lot of numbers YES You can lose your vote if you don't . Thats even though most parties HOW TO VOTE CARDS won't go past 6 or 12 ( on senate ticket esp)

My position

It’s clear that as our society has become more and more urban, we have lost touch with the country. While no country should be dominated by one group, our choice for leadership is not so much about trust because we know so little about the people involved,
 The city must be very careful because it is increasingly telling us how to do things . Because  regional people  are less than 15 % of the population its easy for that to happen in a maths dominated democracy . 

The decision we must ALL make between the lesser of two evils is about real competence to manage and encourage sound economic growth and sharing of those returns.

City folks may wonder but those of us who have listened closely to the Greens ( 3 decades) know they don't listen . We call on you,  however well intentioned they are,   to not vote for them anywhere . The Greens  also don't dig deep enough to cut it where it counts.  They of course will cite climate change- a topic too big for them and too big for this page  see here 

While no party of combination is perfect , the LNP is clearly more competence based than the very lose thinking GreenLabor coalition. G&L  too are historically reactionary meaning they are willing to risk the future using their revolutionary ideas and our money:   is this the time for experiments ?  

  Labor’s vulnerability to the Greens has meant they spend money on things that don't work and take causes that risk or in reality undermine their identity and then their credibility.
Few people who follow Regional would survive out here if they did that. The Country can not afford them and should not give their current largesse ( because they sit heavily in the Senate) more ground. 

Regionals have been fighting to hold their influence for a long time but the numbers each year for us get worse .  

The only way the Coalition can work is if the country as a whole stops the stalling in the Senate.

I have been reminded many times that even though I have only one main issue, I have to join a team to get it happening. Too many independents are just that - too independant

Barnaby Joyce has said it well  in this address to The Press Club today

 I leave you to his summary. Powerful and pointed. 

http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/national-press-club-address/NC1606C022S00

Vote strongly for the Majors  in both the Reps and especially in the Senate .Clearly I will put the Greens last. So far no independents and most minors I know seem worthy of the honor of joining the Senate team.  

The Deputy and the Dark Horse

A balanced report on The ABC by Ben Knight and co --well worth watching . ABC  makes one huge mistake by not reporting the science on coal mines,  peats and the organic soils of the area ,

ABCTV turns itself into a shallow headline only populist movement-- more emotion than substance as Dalrymple has noted.
The threats repeated like yaps from little dogs  are NOT demonstrated so why the fear? A polluted aquifer risk is a very BIG deal - if its going to happen . Its not going to happen , water one is not even mentioned yet its trumped out -Noise !  .
Sadly another area where the ABC's so called commitment to science falls short . Not one scientist was interviewed for the program .

I would tell you to piss off if you didn't listen either !  esp as  Barnaby's clearly very tired , You are lucky to have as much access to him - just as we are. 

Why in the world does the ABC  limit convincing arguments to those made by polys?????? - its highly hypocritical as well as being  downright stupid .This dumb driven dumbing down will be written down in their history.

The reasonable and convincing applied scientists  would be there somewhere Ben but you have to invite them because they like farmers are in "no talk " mad mode after decades of  careless prattle between two world war areas universes apart (AGW and CC)    CC is so PC you yourself can't talk about it.

The " must do something right now"   climate critics don't understand that methane exudes from the earth and that they have no solution The Tax  they tried ( GreenLabor) cut deep in the wrong places  , If they were genuine they would WORK on a solution to CC ------not just talk about it.

All around the country.  we grieve that finally( in the day of Saint Crispians) the distrusting kids in the playground may finally deny us the right to know what we are talking about .... when they don't ....but only think they do. ,http://childrenincharge.blogspot.com.au/2016/06/greens-at-dinner-table.html

Significance of the Senate changes. Is this the first DD that won't work?

 If you know of a better discussion of this of  mine below let me  know  because  I don't claim to fully understand the consequences. I  too am trying to make sure the Senate isn't being stalled by large numbers of unrepresentative persons.

Draft for comment    Who knows what will happen - its not quite anyone's guess

A big issue as yet undiscussed     ALL Voters should try to fill in whole form esp in the Senate 
My prediction is that the numbers of exhausted votes will be the most serious preventable disease of this moment - if we don't address it  B4 saturday

eg most HTV cards only list 6 in Senate suggesting that's ALL people need to do . Its evident it will only affect discerning voters ( what a disgrace by the wannabes!) 






What  numbers are critical where in the Senate ?

1. Its important to number all the boxes to avoid the risk of your vote exhausting itself and not being counted at all for any of the 12 ( If for example people only list 12 very minor groups )

1. GREENS if your "minor "party is actually a " big group' AND easily gets its quota like the Greens , your vote will be used to get at least one of the 12 greens into power , Once you vote Green its unlikely to help anyone else but Greens  ( or maybe Animal Justice Party ) if people follow their recommendations .   
2. NON GREENS If its unlikely any of your preferred minors is likely to get a quota you can add quite a few of them before your vote for the major party of your choice is counted .
   This IMO is what protest voters should  do . Get at least 2 or 3 votes in before you vote major if those minors mean something to you ?

Background 

The Decision , it seems to me , by the house of reps to not have groups allocating your preferences in the Senate, seems to be one we can, on balance , all welcome .
However,  there have got to be some unintended consequences. One of which is the  possibility that an already large group of unrepresentative people will have their people with great influence in the Senate on the basis of numbers alone .
The framers of our constitution anticipated this possibility  that the Senate could become the more powerful of the two  houses  ? They allowed for it by creating Double Dissolutions .

With the prospect that we will have an even more powerful Senate  AFTER the ELECTION. We may  to  change how DD work. but that s after the election .  
What  can we do now before the election?

That awefully long ticket   

Few of us know what it now means for our numbers . If you know of a better discussion of this than mine below let us know  because  I don't claim to fully understand the consequences. I   too am trying to make sure the Senate isn't being stalled by large numbers of unrepresentative persons. Tell me otherwise but instead of reducing the power of The Greens this DD  risks that minor represenataive groups like the Greens or the Animal Justice Party  will get  lots more seats ----if WE do not vote very carefully in the senate

What  numbers are critical where ?
This is only my idea but I think it respects the opportunity for minor parties to be heard ( very important ) but also to stop major groupings from getting control without seeking proper  representation ( the above named risk)

Always include the majors in the right order so that eventually your vote will count  ,If you vote for the greens early they will absorb your opportunity to vote for anyone else but them .

The war is on with local government

Raphael Epstein of ABC's  #774melbourne asked what the issues are this election when he visited the safe territory of sea change territory in Torquay last week .
I said one really hot issues you won't  hear a lot of is the  cocooning of highly paid administrators  from the real world ,the fly in  fly out nonsense perpetuated by conservation incompetence is killing people and bloating the public service. The city in the form of Green brilliance think they know what's needed out here ."That lovely light green in not natural - we need more trees " 
The media incorrectly think that if they hear no noise,  there is no problem . What they don't hear is that the screaming has stopped long ago ( Corangamite  National Party met last over 7 years ago )
 In my profession , if people go quiet its a dangerous time not a " no problem " time . Its a time that reminds me why the suicide rate amongst farmers is so high  and all why many more will die quietly --.
there is no bigger trigger to this mental madness that someone is who isn't listening .The city isn't really listening to the country so they wouldn't know that the Greens don't know what they are trying to do there either.

The Greens aren't listening . I know because I know R. Di Natalie . He lives on a hill in our area  and looks down preoccupied with his own thoughts and ideas about how to look after the great earth that is before him . .
Only one man ( Ian Turnbull)shot the messenger from the ignorant Green alliance this year  ( Moree)  but many felt like it .(I know one who died tried to explain why a shire employee was talking rubbish only a few years ago . The Green party messengers get shot ,while the emperors and their bureaus  free ! UtopiaABC  should be compulsory viewing on the  que in to the booths .

"Lock the gates" is how we feel about the pressures out West . We try to talk to these people but they don't talk to us - they talk at us , The new evangelists they read chapters and verse out of the Greens bible about how to get  nirvana on earth  and why we can no longer weed our gardens 

The Torquay  cats might be fed Optima ( which does contain cream)  but my friends at this time are on obstetrics duty to over 200 cows . While they are busy caring  and watching  em in the nights before and after , they don't need animal justice people criticizing them on the steps of parliament when we wanna be heard  about 14 cents per litre for milk there  .

The hypocrisy is blatant,
Labor candidate Libby Coker is part of the team at Surfcoast Shire .So much so that they have offered he her job back if she fails to be elected (I don't think thats right and have sent a note to AEC) .
SurfCoast leadership team seems to be laws unto themselves with over 400 employees .

The growing base of unaccountability in Regional areas
WE note with profound regret that people who we can't talk to,  get people underneath them  so that poor ignorant well intentioned raw recruits WILL then  risk their lives at the interface; . not unreasonably there are a lot of casualties and lots of growth in Shire employees .



I can only hope the voting public think a bit more deeply that they often do when faced with well painted and nice talk that covers a multitude  of rubbish . At least the majors on't expect to get their way like the growing numbers of pesky children in the upper houses .


See Representing South west Victoria Facebook .
I've got work to do and even tough its tough and  its raining i 'll get out there and show I care !

Blocked Arteries July 2016

The Greens have no credibility with the people ( I rep in 150) and yet
they reckon they have a right  to hold up the desires of the other 149.

N Ferguson suggests, as history shows,  that a single moral imperative can  lead to tyranny over implementing that imperative .Its not the theoretical  imperative that most practical scientists are concerned about - its the  preoccupation of most wannabes with their OWN ways of doing things.  The greatest evil has always been done in the name of the best intention.
It's the deep lack of Greens and associated idealists ability and commitment to workable solutions that most frightens those of us who tried to advise them

PERSPECTIVE 
It doesn't look good for those in the country . Our ageing farmers are already at war with those who would tell them what to do   .  Having an RSPCA vet is something farmers support but what will a Senator/s dedicated to rid industry of anything they think cruel means ? How close to vegan culture will they insist we go ? How much frustration can the House of reps face before all the good people leave to do more productive things ?
Are we heading,  like America towards leadership by TRUMPS? --To a dysfunctional parliament

The Senate is meant to ensure small voices get heard . Many of the true independents do that , To use the Senate as a de facto power base for a major party is plain wrong .
In July,  the adults must insist that only those committed to competence should have voting power .

We love our children's passion but we would be mad to put them in charge of our household .But that's what we have done.   JULY 2 is  time to change that
.


The Greens reckon they  have the best interests of the other 149 in mind .
Like some noisy teenagers,  the Greens  have good intentions.  But they also have more than their fair share of inexperience ,  ignorance and the arrogance that should prevent them taking office.
The age may well be renamed the age of the windbag.









We must be mad if we don't remove many of them from the Senate  in July -Yet the opposite looks like happening .


Ignorance and arrogance
- They say they're the only ones who care when they are not .
- When they are game enough to talk action, they claim competence when the competent in environment call them plain careless.
-Greens do a lot of talking,  especially now they sit there on mass in the Senate  and block decisions. That's what you do when you don't know what to do.You sit, talk, ctiticize and  monitor .

High minded talk is fine in its places, but our houses have business to DO .

What do the greens think we should DO about coal bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef . We need to know if 500 million dollars offered by Labor would meet their stringent oversight.

Green Actions so far this election . ( apart from 2 degree talk and closing down industry- so normal)
 Di Natalie does not have the wisdom of experience to realise that the only people who follow him  don't want lollies here on earth . He doesn't need to lower his game like he did the other day  when he talked about a tax on food to help farmers . .
He doesn't need to solve our farmers problems - he doesn't need to settle down superannuation speculation  or deal with bleaching coral .  Dicks copy book is all white - Why blot it with testable local solutions?  He's really too busy solving the world problems .


Whether we like it or not we must choose a team with a bit of know how  - feet on the ground stuff  .
We love our children's passion but we would be mad to put them in charge of our household .But that's what we have now . The Green dominance of the Senate is not only their problem but our problem ( in not voting more carefully)
The major political parties may struggle to be credible on the environment , but at least they work as a team and talk to and are accountable to real people with their feet on the ground.

The Greens  sit there blocking things and playing blocking games ---- and its got to stop
REject their plain power game wich turns out to be Stalemate .
No votes for them in the Senate

Apathy is the norm, but Labor's right to rule mentality is plain obnoxious

A good rollout and a good idea of who the candidates were; a credit to Colac DCC . People listening to discussion on OCRFM would realise what a wide range of comments were made, making the evening a really worthwhile way of thinking about who to vote for . I can only wonder why considering Brian Crooks and other Councillors concern to improve local government and accountability ( the talk on many lips) why most Councillors were not there . Maybe they think nothing will happen here while Labor is in power . The absence of Labor suggests they believe less in the effectiveness of a good old democratic discussion in, like last night , and more in their right to rule . I hope Polwarth sends the message that its not going to be taken for granted - certainly this was the feeling at this excellent candidates meeting.

Don't forget the free train trip today - Thanks to David O'Brien - putting all the TALK about extar trains on the real line between Colac and Geelong.

The media wet themselves

ABC talk damningly of Liberal leadership all week and or earthquakes in Queensland .Talk about overreaching themselves with rhetoric.The ABC, unlike SBS, are not interested in the reality of the erosion of our democracy and the drip feeders on the tax system .
Uhlman and his crew are so welded on that they cannot see that we too do not like much that Qld Liberals think- they are too busy going for the jugular of individuals.
Since the electoral system has been changed its not worth voting and eventually Australia will see it - changes of government will not fix what only tough medicine in the areas Labor is weakest ( education and welfare and environment) Comfortable ABC  forget they just ran a program on the demise of the National Party and the dangers of minority views making a laughing stock of what was our democracy . City controls the country and that' s as deep as it goes. Media offer solutions instead of real people who work the country
Sure we will be patronized - suddenly the city knows how to run the country - give everyone more money
And any reasonable reflection will show the changes in government in the States over the twenty  years show the same dominance of suburban brilliance over the business of keeping the country growing and alive .

Don't preach democracy;  some of no longer believe it operates here .
We are more like Greece everyday  - hoping that a new government will give us back what we think we  deserve..  next post Same old stuff NEXT ELECTION

What will it be TODAY? My hope is that the Greens get a reality check - I trust it's on the cards

While there still seems a great risk of minor group dominance, in this The VIC ELECTION DAY


The Greens have candidates in all electorates and it will be the most interesting aspect of this election to see how they poll,


Despite their popularity and high spirits ,I am hoping the electorate will see through them as i think many young people are too


I hope it translates to a reluctance to let Labor have another go


I am hoping that if Labor get in , Andrews makes clear he is breaking with the Greens. If there is to a positive side to a Labor win this could be one


However the down side is that

• The bureau will be refueled with reactionaries . 
• Those who want to make the world a better place by taking people to court ( equal opportunity court review) 
• Those who want to make the world a better place by just throwing out old and bringing in latest fad 
• Those who want to make the world a better place by giving people money to behave better 
• Those who want to make the world a better place by putting themselves in charge ( the state of advisory service to members of parliament would be in some quarters ( env and edu be unreliable) 

There is a good old Aussie expression 'takes one to know one ". Wood -headed is the authors problem .The greatest evil is done in the name of the best intention --Now that's a even bigger and brighter bit of world wide wisdom that Bracks might have heeded before he got conned by Green labor into his/their godlike skills in making water.

These noisy and marginal advocates have god like wisdom and power - and all we have to do is to do nothing
All these wonderful ambitions mentioned in the article about Greater Eastern National Park about forest and ecological management would be supported if they actually occurred .
Apparently all this good work starting at Healesville and going east is so easy to do . Apparently it will all happen because we do nothing .
Too bad half the assertions about all the wonderful things that will happen are just plain wrong . As if doing nothing is always the right thing to do .
I hope no readers conduct their lives this way , because its the way of blinkered cowards, full reality deniers and ignorant worriers ,
The rotting of forests will not sequester carbon and the protection of water quality will not occur if you allow acid to degraded the soils and water in over-mature forests.
Let the readers wait for a response from them before they get sucked in again to another Green labor proposal to save the earth by the simplest of tricks . The reality is that this new easy low effort religion is so heavenly minded its of no earthly use--
Simple faiths sound good , but when you test some ( Greens have no history apart from Pedder that works ) - In their case as the arguments show it will just go thud when tested and at our expense.

Lets hope and pray for Andrews that ,  if he gets in , that he makes a clear break with the wacky do gooders.
Dogooders in my book includes the dummies who think reviving trial by loose tribunal is the way to deal with discrimination ( Equal Opportunity Act)

So symbolic of the praxis failure of the left is this : they leave effectiveness to the one eyed looseness of legislation; having no faith in their fellow man and the traditional levers of the soul they are at the mercy of mere politics and legal leverage.

Poll result

with only 2 votes the result is more than  a bit sus . However if the Napthine govt fails today , it should take note re consulatnts,  not listening,  not locally accountable .Things we see not just at State level but in the parlous state of our local Councils.

So much easier to do nothing

If you know nothing .
We locals are off to Forrest this arvo to celebrate the life of a man who knew what he knew and knew a lot about what he didn't know - a wonderful bloke .

The city pretends it knows a lot about the environment ; we know different about who knows what and what the city really knows --- almost nothing.
Who do you vote for? Someone who respects locals or someone who lets someone else (say from the city) make decisions for us. 
Jim Speirs , whose life we celebrate this week,  was one local who knew what he was talking about  . As a result he did a lot to build understanding and respect for his work in and amongst the complex issues of managing Otways resources; He used a friendly, competent  and reasonable conversation that made sense .He knew the 3 crops of timber and the damage done to West Barwon catchment, so he wasn't afraid of history or a risky land use . His own study on the ground showed that we often burned too much ( for sound forest ecology ) and were doing it again   
He wasn't indolent in promoting decision making . He wanted our grandchildren to make houses, furniture and Maton guitars out of the bounty, rather than just let things rot ,die or burn or make acid water ....as some now do.  
Many of us long for the day when our leaders don't just spend all  our resources waiting for a decision from those who don't really know what they are talking about, are too afraid of others,  or are too afraid to admit they don't know the complex beast of environment: 

We have enough leaders who can open up a bridge or a new road.
We want leaders who,  instead of years of indecision and fear , can reopen a simple walkway through the bush to Marriners Falls ,or make a safe place for vehicles to go in a bushfire , or just give us our dogs back . All in a days work for Jim

Why is Napthine worried? His party are dreaming?..... of just how rich they are ?

I mean they have done everything.  Offered us new roads&  railways .   They are raking it in like never before on Stamp Duty .Are they just Kennett style - leave it to business BUT with soft gloves . Bet they don't offer to reduce the number of holidays .  Do we trust them ?----East west link and more - not even costed .  Hard hitting or just let business do what it likes ? Talk big pay later
Surely they can't have gone too far ? Surely the Libs infrastructure talk isn't failing like some crack in their mindboggling ambitions to give us things we want.
Surely the Libs infrastructure talk isn't failing ----- the tangible concrete  is so much easier than real government work

Surely they can't have gone too far ?  something sus  in their mindboggling ambitions to give us things we want  ,
Are we all dummies or do we want our children to have houses , not gloat on the prices of them. Those of us that have them .
Maybe we have seen through all this market and business knows best . After all it just exploits people ?
Are we all dummies or do we want our children to have dreams , not live in boxes while they sell off old public land sites.
Are we all dummies or do we want our children to have dreams to live and work in what was once the most livable suburbs  or just get an 4WD SUV and some new roads so we can get outta here.

Are we all dummies or do we not sense that our biggest problem is the entitlement culture , our vulnerability to debt , throwing things out for new and BUYING in to the commercial . The way some parties play up to it --- and the dumb talk of how wealthy we are .
If I was a teenager I would be reluctant to vote for a government who does not activey recognise its own historical woosiness and playing up to rich in our culture .( spend billions to save commuters 10 minutes on a an an EW link  when the growth probably should be onto  trains )

Its tough for rural people to be represented in the land of the fair go

For all the effort we put in locally here in Corangamite to get the conservatives back , you wonder about the Libs. Their go it alone mentality is too much like the children in charge stuff from the other side- a symbol again of the disease that's creating even more careless reactionaries in new parties around us .
The most scary thing here is to see The Libs back to their old comfort zone. Somehow they didn't realise ( Like Labor does with the Greens) that they NEED to do a sensible ( makes more sense than many silly deals this election ) deal with their allies (esp FF who they failed to get favouring them well- maybe it was FF fault ?). While the Libs got Nationals to put them 2nd here in Corangamite they still spent a lot of money trying to win the unwinnable Mallee off the Nats . Stockdale needs to get his head read by his own followers .
With only a handful of rural seats and a mad mixture of monopoly games around our cities its clear than nooone is really listening to rural people . FF polled better than the Nationals in Corangamite and that not right . Today in the paper our Mayor ignores the farmers clear wisdom ( on salinity ) for the incompetent meddling and non science  of the Bureau.  

Election Issues are not real, but even the ABC aren't seeing it

Its very hard to take even The Drum seriously when Steve Cannane is not aware that he's taking " the issues " too seriously;  4 days before the big day.
Both J& John Dela Bosca had to tell the him the obvious - You are asking us - you shouldn't be asking us! " no we are not qualified to say whether the new carbon market model will work"  - good on them  I say . Too much noise by those who know nothing . So why do we have to listen to Labor move from one word to another  from "tax",to" pricing" and expect to actually engage; ABC is so predictable .
It was only common sense a few decades ago to say - "no I am not qualified " hasn't stopped the ABC trying to qualify itself ( including the light and shallow economic quarter after which thankfully showed Labor to have failed completely - confidence in " the innovative society" has dropped dramatically over the last few years )

 If only the chatterer's would take the complexity of carbon cycling and achieving change seriously they wouldn't be remembered for leading our society into excessive worry about things they know nothing about and don't want to know that they nothing about - want to believe one side rather than properly present both.  Still backing some semblance of "a market mechanism" - IS a trite piece of doctrinal simplicity and careless talk that not even an undergrad in economics would be guilty of .

In an other bit of combined common sense from the panel,  J&J had to remind Steve that the asylum debate hasn't happened - the people still confuse immigration and asylum so what hope have we got when even the ABC haven't pushed the point - now 4 days before the election

One could go through the list of excitements about nothing :  gay marriage and many others which are just talk for the media .
This election is not about the marginal noise but the central failure of Labor to get it ideas working . Rudd's and ABC sycophants  fanaticism is obvious to some of us who observe all the old prejudices , over emotion and thought bubble progress method that is drug driven and simply " hot air "

No more children in charge

Told the story of Labors incompetence in investing in the education revolution in our town.  Got little respectful response from a largely city crowd . We had no choice about getting a " new sec school"; we were part of an experiment . A city based experiment that caused us to lose most of our best teachers and kids to other towns and schools . an experiment that leaves us with 2 unused facilities that could be used by us but that may well be bulldozed and sold to pay for the experimenters failures. 

Millions of dollars of public money wasted, and who will pay for all the broken windows in buildings we once used , now.  We are clearly at risk even now of losing this great opportunity to KEEP the existing capital and cultural assets of our town - let alone build on them . 

Labor is teaching our children, if it isn't working, bulldoze it ;  sell the family assets to pay for your mistakes;  if its stops working, buy a new one; The bank account has money in it , spend it .

Its not clever ; its childish cloning ---market cloning "being a good consumer ". if that means anything but that we are living on the never never . 

We are only ever complete when we encourage each other to be a productive people!  Lets say so clearly at this election 

Told the story of Labors incompetence in investing in the education revolution in our town. Got little respectful response from a largely city crowd . We had no choice about getting a " new sec school"; we were part of an experiment . A city based experiment that caused us to lose most of our best teachers and kids to other towns and schools . an experiment that leaves us with 2 unused facilities that could be used by us but that may well be bulldozed and sold to pay for the experimenters failures. Millions of dollars of public money wasted, and who will pay for all the broken windows in buildings we once used , now.

ABC only pretend to give alternative ideas a go

 Except for The Drum at times . Miriam was no match for Minchen on The Drum tonight and the other guest Aaron tries to reign the disbelief in her long winded  " answers ". She like Kevin talks too much and says little but generalities and defence of "failures ".cf forthrightness of Nick .  Obviously she knows all the ideas to talk to , but can't argue any depth on them ."more food , erosion risk , this here this that ".

Labor party clearly influence what appears to be an independent". Centre for Policy Development. Nick doesn't have to defend himself because he 's practical and honest - unlike so much Labor politics - talk talk talk and Centre for Policy Development  that is not independant ..Centre for Policy speculation?

Labor's kid gloves

The ongoing deceptive projection of either Gillard or Rudd as fronts for Labor says something terrible about Labor - we don't know what they stand for , and its not clear they know either. Moving so easily from left to right suggests, not that they are a broad church , but that  there is nothing in between the images. No doubt they will be busy pre election trying to talk broadchurch and stability of policy.
Let's assume, as is our bent here,   that the issue is not issues ( the substance thereof  --as the desperate reactionary rhetoricians would have it ) but impressions. Clearly just  toughness imaging  is not the issue, but toughness undermined by substituting left for right is the credibility cruncher for thinking people - terrible twin concatenation  to many.
None of us like the hidden extremes in Labor ( glove and fist ) but we MUST always be aware of them - such extremes suggest a vacuum in between. Their ongoing attempts to use the glove is a hypocrisy and thinly veiled tragedy of emptiness  we best reject forever.
The mass exodus of Julia's operatives ( 1/3 of cabinet have just quit) suggest this overblown balloon of rhetoric about "world shattering" has no real their commitment to being implemented ; belated arguing for world changing policy --eggshell thin excuses and "I, me and my exit speeches " . Watch Rudd soften the hard edge of this shallowness and lack of substance!
Is it only an impression that Gillard's cabinet were never as convincing as Rudd's - 2 years of birdbath depth defences for heavenly policies that we will see washed clean or even empty  over the next few months ?
If anyone gets the prize for lightweight and narrow focused, it is this natural association between the left and the greens. 
Julia may have labelled herself and the party "as god like" but she surely she went down because she has not performed like god -let alone sound like.
So how deep does the god like imagery in Rudd run?  Clearly Rudd's alternative humility cop will be attractive to many.
Before anyone else gets carried away,  all parties ( including the most pretentious godlike Greens ) will be judged , not on the power they presume, but there respect for their limited power .
Rudd clearly has an advantage over some in the Liberal party who have never doubted they are infact godlike and always were.
The big question is : Will we be fooled to accept for a second time that Rudd is the kid glove type  covering the iron fist of the fanatical in behind him  . Labor's  hold on the intellect and internal substance is as shaky as their long term reliance  on Barry Jones as a symbol of it . Behind Labors policy is not substance of the many but interest of the few[ Totally ineffective industry and employment development policy and a clever country policy as shallow and shaky as the walls of their hypocritical building education buildings policy .  
Abbott would do well to focus on the facade.

What blatant hypocrisy amongst the remaining Fabians

What shocking desperation is being shown by those would pay themselves by robbing the country .
PM Gillard, this week wants to fund election advertising even before the normal campaigns begin .
We know that its sometimes ignorance ,sometimes arrogance , sometimes both .Their stupidity is unfathomable even unto themselves , let alone the onlooker .

There is no rationale to fabianism except the worship of power itself - government power . These dumb reactionaries  would have us believe that their doctrines have evolved upwards from the Jacobins . The reality is that grabbing a snippet of science to Shaw up a totally unworkable mix of "man is bad , government is good or "man is good,  government is better" will never work . Man is capable of both bad and good and  good government has its limits and is never "better " .  

If anyone should get some money back it could be those of us who only got 3% of the vote and bore the cost ourselves -all that largesse..... and  at our expense ;
The major parties and Labor in particular are a disgrace - drowning out small voices . What BLATANT hypocrisy and arrogance.

Liberals are on the nose in the bush

Nothing stinks worse out here in the bush than arrogance . Sure, the Labor party have done the normal thing and blown the budget , but to say that you blokes know what you are doing is to ignore your own reactionary people and half baked incompetence .
I mean you don't even get it do you . Napthine , whose dad wouldn't cope with where Kennett has taken his own Council, and who has now been given the chance to fix things--- will do what??. Independants everywhere are taking over your right to rule in the bush -right under your noses.
You don't even care that the Nationals have given up on you out here !

Why, because you are as thick about what you have done wrong as what you are about the few things you have ever have done right .


If the Liberals want to win the next election, they will have to restore the damage done to democracy in the Kennett Era. The conservatives have no option but to restore the ability of local government to act in the interests of its ratepayers.That includes the huge ongoing damage done by growing unaccountable bureaus-esp consultant driven high cost confusion planning modelled by ......the State . VCAT was once the jewel in the crown - now its the costliest clown in law that any State has ever had ( you heard it first on blogger!)  .  All the fanfare about saving money is just so much hot air out in the bush if our Councillors aren't in a position to control how Local Government spends its money and does the job.The Liberals can spend as much money as they like in Corangamite,but it won't put them back in power if they don't restore power to the people.


Give us a rest please . Tell us something we don't know -
WE KNOW you are often better at managing money than Labor , but that doesn't take much .You should see how we manage a spare dollar .No one will go into Victorian history  having done more permanent damage to this the once best planned place than the planning jackhammer Jeff and his mates . It may take us 30 years to pay for a useless desal plant , but the way the libs are going they will never reform local government so it works again. You used to worry about quangos , now you just create them or let them grow.  Business led Bullsh .
Get this -You think your members " manage things " - storehouses perhaps ?  We manage businesses that produce things  - that are high risk low margin every day of every year ---having to sell our perishables this week or never .
Most of your lot wouldn't be happy unless you got a cheque each week and a margin of 50% on everything that sits in your import shed adding asset value- too comfortable to see the unsustainability and worse , capitalizing on the value of products WE produce !

In short ------Arrogance !

Tough leadership

Julia Gillard is today trying to say No ; About time ! It comes after years of providing succor to the noisy and immature in her hearing.  Too much bleeting from the bleeding hearts clubs?
Mother Julia , Mother Bligh and Mother ABCTV should not try to take all the calls and Julia has finally realised it . ( you heard it first on blogger 8th March 2013)
The problem then for Father Abbott and Father Napthine , Like Father Balllieuu.  is the tough ask of saying no to some  of the noise .
But which noise?  - some distant noise about slavery today or some close loud noise that noone wants to talk about ! ( like a simpleminded policy to change the atmosphere using a market driven miracle. You watch them pull down their gloriuos imperatives over the next few months!    The Labor party needs a few more miracles but definitely not a man made miracle and a man made miracle based on a power myth that means they presume power they haven't got .
Let's hope the Liberals don't get carried away with their perception of power again either  I believe in mircales but the former idea takes a lot of faith to believe possibel eh! .  One bulldozer a century is definitley too many. You can tell Jeff's got it running again with his appearances this week,
In a strange twist Ian Smith's mate is talking about more railways infrastructure when Smith wanted to close down rail.
The point is , the right noise has often been sat on by the big loud and colourful positive only quickfizers 

In Victoria this week we have leadership from the wonderful Western District ? This may mean we  have we have much to offer OR that we don't quite know what we have been offered .My guess - bit of both! At least we do know what a fair go mate really means --- on the ground .
Well either way,  we have the job,  so here are some suggestions. We have had the bulldozer from the big smoke  and  we all know out here  that bulldozer drivers are still in there in the big smoke; PLUS we know that such singleminded dummies have no idea about the sensitive matters of household .
Maybe the tractor is a better analogy Denis Napthine and Tony  - It ploughs the ground to show up the weeds.
Maybe if you asked us, you might learn something ?

Dams are bad and thats all there is to it

Like humans,  Dams are bad . Good on the Libs for playing Labor and the Greens at a game they love - categories of evil; pedantic simple word games !  Dams like  harvesting,  are sins and there  is no doubt in church about that .
So do the conservatives know what kind  of dams they want , or more importantaly, do they know what  types of dams they can justify? .No,  they want votes but STILL fail to earn them .  Its all very well for Tim of The Wentworth group ( of that rare breed of conservationsit) to say "this and this" but somebody only last year let people build on floodplains in every State - despite all the Care and concern of Greens about real world conservation,  the right advice was not even on the radar screen.  Green labor are as everyone except them knows,  too heavenly minded to be of almost any earthly use . The missing ingredients are  a tiny minority of experts called geomorphologists production ecologists and soil water plant use planners  
Not that I think the Libs know exactly what they are doing when they talk about dams. They may well just be wanting  to support the growing number of engineers to find work out there in infrastructure land.  One hopes that,  like having Tim from the concerned sceintists groups on The drum last night that all the shallow splashing by the religiuosleft  is soon demolished by a bomb from real experts ( makes for a nice change)No the pwoer groups arre still too big to move just because on one chat on the ABC .
The real probem is that engineers on their own can't sort out the broken filters of sound judgement at a local and basic preplanning level . State governments have created all these " high level planning groups"like CMAS ( which put out pontif type edicts )  only to find that local governemnet can't manage without decent independant advicee on geomorphoogy and landscape and ecosystem  protection. Even the most well heeled engineering orgs with a strong rate base in my youth ( like the State  Rivers and Water supply commission and water authorities ) didn't do ecostuff at all well. ( they won't still unless you make them . Engineers will survive the green onslaught,  but scientists who think bigger than the trite green popular plitics of our day have been and will remain the most endangered species for decades to come as well .Why?  Because the GEOM rather than engineers directly define excatly which type of dam and infrastructure is environmentally sound  Abrave me he be if he thinks he can unseat the power of a engineer or an accountant . .
A small group of experts hold the key to better decsion making and credibility of dams ( I am not going to wet the powder too far out from election by elaborating on detail here )
The election will be held without considering the key ingredients  again , but LOCAL  GOVERNMENT  INEPTNESS, now that's an election and reform issue just waiting to blow up .
Does the new legislation address the festering sores of planning and LG role i it ?  - don't make me laugh.  

Unrepresentative sentimentality

The Greens will go into history as a group with some great ideas. Like those who identify with them,  their failure will be to put sentimentality with substance . Politics is the art of the possible and while its good to dream and to have slogans, members of all parties and positions must do their homework.

Advocates of the latest Green push to give gays more rights failed in parliament this week to address even the most basic of questions about law and liberty for children . Our local member Mr Cheeseman claimed his electorate  as highly progressive and liberated from the past  even though more established representatives of Labor like Mr O' Connor would not go that far .But its only one group making all the noise -typical childrenincharge stuff from Labor .

I wonder which of these people below who claimed to be on the edge of history will be still in parliament next time around. I wonder too whether they will quite so lyrical about their fine cutting swords in dealing with bullying,  intimidation and simple sentiment against others. Its been a  great day for the people and parliament when the great majority of them stood and sat quietly against the noisy intimidation and  careless talk that in the last few weeks clearly involved unrepentant  playing of the man and not the ball .

Ayes, 42Mr AlbaneseMr DreyfusMr S. P. JonesMs RoxonMr BandtMrs ElliotDr M. J. KellyMs Saffin*Ms BirdMs EllisMs KingMr ShortenMs BrodtmannMr GarrettMs LivermoreMr SidebottomMr ButlerMr GeorganasMs MacklinMr S. F. SmithMr ChampionMr GibbonsMr MarlesMs SmythMr CheesemanMr GrayMr OakeshottMr SnowdonMr ClareMs GriersonMs ParkeMr C. R. ThomsonMs CollinsMr GriffinMr PerrettMr WilkieMr CombetMs Hall*Ms Plibersek Mr CreanMr JenkinsMs Rishwort

Baillieu's stew

Nothing really radical about the Vic Libs, and it shows . I don't see how they can even win the next fed election because they can only sack PS's  - they are not serious about MANAGEING THEM
Ballieu's ministers clearly don't know what to do.
Walsh, Stockdale, Smith and half the sleepy breed of retail and real estate therapy agents in the Lib party continue to convince themselves that a business approach would restore order; It hasn't and won't . Libs business led recovery since Kennett has cost the Country lots cause its just been handing out tickets to ride to more and more agencies that are not accountable - esp to rural Australia who can seee it more celarly than most ( eg Windsor) .
Water charges just go up and up as the smarter ones in these departments exploit the  hands off Lib dummies  who only ever claim to lead- Their departments  use the taxes to  do what they like.
Just as they did under Labor .
How long before Labor realises that their mistake in creating the wonthagi white elephant was not really just their problem. Walsh and his careless failure to really support the hard working people of this country must be recognised before Libs can win the next election .
The country doesn't need another restructure of DSE and DPI and more clones and quangoes like CMA's - it needs departments who speak for sustainability and for the farming people who know what it is ( neither department at the moment ) .
Clearly they don't have,  cause they don't ask .

Too heavenly minded to be any earthly use - Greenlabor

Yes , for those of us with our feet on the ground,  Bligh and Carr talking about their green credentials in the last week is a  sign of their being completely out of touch with long term practice change in the area.Like so many "resilience" is just a word .  Green labor is not working and it will never work ,because it doesn't understand the subject. The Greens are not serious contenders on conservation practice ; The Greens are not serious contenders for credibility on resilience either - they hardly know what the word means -( even though like all quick fixers and meredescription merchants , it won't stop them being the first to throw the word into the hubub -774 today )
Good intentions are never enough in politics and those who celebrate its ascendancy should leave politics ; leave it to those who practice in the area .
At the heart of Labor's loss in Queensland is a con. While it takes 2 to tango , no government can EVER continue to employ public servants who clearly can't cut it on the ground; ground they so carelessly now control.  Biodiversity protection requires the ultimate commitment - a proper education.  Not the sporting stuff of marginal politics.    More here http://quickfiz.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/queensland-electoral-result.html

Labor - short term gain - long term pain

The conservatives will take Queensland ( 5.30 pm Saturday 24th March 2012)
Last time Labor strategists won an  electorate they did it by putting up a candidate who appeals to conservatives . By pulling him out they showed themselves to be totally untrustworthy . Why does the Labor party put up with such amoral strategists.
Members of the Party need to ask themselves not only whether the end justifies the means ,but more importantly, whether there is indeed a God worthy of the name .
Can't see them doing that - can you ? Does that mean they will be stuck in reactionary mode for eons? .Confession is good for the soul,  because  the party then could finally and in reality, really move on .
Surely people who think Labor is making historical decisions in Parliament each week are confused about how clever they are,and the sort of God like power they are able to muster.

The Katter phenomenon

It was said by the most thoughtful people in Europe even before WW2 that "if we didn't get Adolf we would have got someone like him" . Someone who could only see the power for himself and not the danger in the mob .Tis true wisdom to face this . Malcolm Turnbull is not wise,  as are those who welcome his free wheeling independant mind talk. : If you try to stand for everything,  you stand for nothing .. mate !


Its therefore really stupid and simplistic to think Katter is a wacko to be ignored/isolated .  Brecht said . "The bitch is in heat again "and bright boys from the past "strange disguises "
Just like its stupid and simplistic to think (As farmer of year O"Brien said on Qanda last night
- the city suddenly knows what the country needs
- the city knows so much and is in such a rush that it will squash the voices of those who cry " get the facts first, get it right before you fight "
Its of course most stupid and simplistic of all to think that the problem is "one person a long way from ourselves" . Katter represents his constituency . Did you not notice the Windsors and the Oakeshotts doing the same , while the rest of parliament  play position games in the kindergarten and the club.
 Qanda prefers games to really answering questions - think of how few questions they deal with well.
 Turnbull thinks he can win power by sidling up to Greenlabor and they love him for it. O"Brien would have taken a real man out of the audience last night instead of Turnbull,   but  the "not me mate " questioner who unfortunately for the smallgroups in our society , had no time for politics and representation really . Sad when the silly game of ignorance they play on qanda is about personalities and not people and competence - what fools they all made of themselves trying to talk about something they didn't understand (CC AGW) .
The audience would have welcomed just one honest person in that sycophantic collection who said " best you ask someone who understands this stuff '-( where is the climate commissioner when you need him ?) " Malcolm is winning assent in the club, but losing it where it really matters.

(Mitchell described Katter as dangerous - what  a joke ! Takes one to know one . He lets a really dangerous man like Kennett back to talk . The truth is dangerous if you want to be pedantic ; just make sure your accusations well or they will come back to bite you .- remember Kennett like us knows the problem the problem is that such an arrogant person who thinks they know the answer is very attractive and therefore much more dangerous than one who just insists on the truth being told )

Will the ignorant and arrogant win the next election ?-who knows
well it certainly won't be the current lot---not in Queensland  one: the deeper truth is " short term gain long term pain"  Malcolm and Bligh living the dream .

Greens represent only themseleves

Contrary to the crass simplicity promoted by the Greens , you destroy respect for diversity if you destroy definitions . Children in Australia in 2011 know what marriage means and means for them ( my father and mother) ; they may not in 2020 when all the worlds problems will be solved by proactive Greens .

Suddenly, as if by some miracle, the Greens have the answers and they will impose them as they have been doing since they made deals with Labor ( presumably because they as a small group know more than we do ). They claim to be respeonsible but they insist on imposing their wills and word games .

If we need to be more inclusive, why not include polygamy with monogamy , homosexuality with heterosexuality , contract with commitment , divorce with seperation , promiscuity with fidelity .

Adam Brandt would change the world by changing a word . Love has just become just a word . *I have no problem with homosexuals being accepted and their commitments registered ( esp as the evidence is that promiscuity divorce and polygamy are likely to become features of any such definition ) ,
I am just not supportive of one small group changing the meaning of a powerful and clear concept for one which is unclear providing no clear choice for our children and those who clearly want to respect diversity and the unique character and needs of diverse groups .

The attractiveness of this simple and unthought through idea is quite understandable amongst those who want simplicity .

There will be nothing new in the NSW election result

The dummies in charge have fallen for the same trick as Victorians. They believe too much of their own bull.. I mean they said we were going to run outa water but look what happened after they built these white elephant ( desal plants ) that our kids must pay for. The person in charge let it rain .
Any fool farmer can tell them they wouldn't know what water conservation looks like .
As for tax to solve problems - I thought they'd tried that before ?
Unfortunately the  pile often has to be pretty high before it starts flowing out from under the doors where the people have to deal with it .

There will be nothing new in the NSW election result

The dummies in charge have fallen for the same trick as Victorians. They believe too much of their own bull.. I mean they said we were going to run outa water but look what happened after they built these white elephant ( desal plants ) that our kids must pay for. The person in charge let it rain .  
Any fool farmer can tell them they wouldn't know what water conservation looks like .
As for tax to solve problems - I thought they'd tried that before ?
Unfortunately the  pile often has to be pretty high before it starts flowing out from under the doors where the people have to deal with it .

Politicians MUST not pick winners to try to wIn

The day after Victorian Elections; November 28th 2010

Labor is in trouble across the board for signing into coalitions of incompetence . Underneath smart meters , Myki , Desal, Energy policy turnovers and the many big moves of Vic labor are false presumptions of power and direction aided and abetted by incompetence in their ranks . The Greens have some great ideas , but hell breaks lose when good intentions only are what justifies your actions.( no discussion yet of Labor's outrageous idea of picking winners in technology )  The Children should never be left in Charge.

Vic Labor's failure to hold office will set this desperate coalition of the incompetent with the very incompetent on a self destruct course .

Genuine conservationists now  need to insist the major parties get on with the job of making investments in conservation competent ,consistent and reliable .Its not hard - you just make sure scientists  and technologists advise the Department Head - not ambitious powerbrokers who are so heavenly minded they are no earthly use 

How can anyone support a government that allows minority views to dominate

What’s wrong with this country is that a minor party, that doesn’t know how to implement sound ecological and economic policy has far too much influence. 

Value-based decision making, in all areas, must come first.

It’s not the amount of money Labor spends on school buildings, but how much it spends on teaching and the quality of it. 

It’s not about how much money the Liberals spend on tree growing, but how that party stands up effectively for those who farm and live sustainably. 

By being competent, rather than reactive in ecological, economic and environmental planning matters, the Liberals could settle down the worry warriors.

Say clearly to the majors that it’s wrong to play up to the Greens when they clearly don’t know about the “how” of implementing what they are talking about . Worrying about things they know little about has lead Labor to impose completely unnecessary taxes on water and energy that will cost the earth and not achieve one single water conservation objective.  

What do the campaigns lack ?

None of us who care for the future of the country like to see lack lustre campaigns - yet we seem to have them now in Victoria . Brumby appears to get a lot more points for playing cricket than the Opposition treasurer spokesman seems to  get  for reminding the public that Brumby's crew are fast sending us broke- these are the children in charge who are ever learning and Lenders admitted as much on Stateline.   John Brumby is too good for the current government -  his departure won't say as much about Brumby's contribution,  as it will say about what he's been covering up and what a mess that leadership group is in . What a mess  Victoria is in . Watch him leave after the election ( whatever the result)
But who really cares ? - do the people understand or care enough to stop them wasting our money.  I certainly hope,  so but I don't feel so . Too many will stick with old parties cause that's all the choices they think they have got . Why are n't there more alternatives ? FF is at least one of them , whatever prejudice is dropped on them .
Most of us who know how things are not working in some areas of government ( such as environment ,planning, water and transport investment ) in Victoria wonder why there seems to be so little passion in the political performance .To be fair, to those passionate enough to go into politics, I know its hard to bring the people with you . There is a sense in which the election on Nov 27th maybe just like the fed election - more a reflection of the silent selfishness and sense of helplessness of the largely silent majority rather than the determination of those of from all sectors who know that removing the children in charge is absolutley essentail to  bring the sort of change that will help our children - rather than destroy it , as Labor are doing . Watch Brumby leave after the election ( even a trusting teacher can only stomach so much of the bullsh)
I just hope the people will do more than let the children run wild for another term.

What silly things will the wish list contain

While I will be the first to congrats the former nats  because they sought to improve parliament first , the intense power and intense pressure can be expected to lead to mistakes . How do all these ideas work out ? I for one don't care how long it takes - better to get the agreement  right rather than rush in in haste on a promise that can't be delivered  .There has been enough of the power going to their heads stuff .  There is safety in much advice , and no more critical time than now to take it - whichever party gets the nod .

How well represented are we ?

Well there is no need to be smart here . Rural regions are getting less and less representation. Otherwise why would 3 RI snow sit as stable reps in the house .
Is anyone else in Australia even remotely as well represented as those blokes are for their areas?
Look at how they talk freely about things that concern them and their electorates . What a breath of fresh air .
If these people represent reality in the real world,  what does your bloke do?
Surely most of our reps  look , smell and act like compromise - is that good for them or for our  democracy ?

We share deeply on the hustings with real concerns only  to find those who say they represent us produce piles of crap and spin that's enough to make ever single voter throw up.
Something has to change -

Go the representative Independants: National Press Club Today

The reason we have to change the current system is because we are losing the ability to have a person  represent us .The parties have sold their souls to please the marginal and noisy elements in a way which has lost them the credibility to lead .
Can any of them speak the truth any more  Oakeshott summarized the heed at the National press Club meeting this arvo by saying
the sky will not fall in just because we disagree . The 3 representative  independents " are not here to break but to  build"  - what a leadership team !

Caretaker role

Its 9:30am Sunday 22nd August , its clear to me that the independents will not form a government with Labor .
Greenlabor are too heavenly minded to be able to keep the caretaker mode going for long, making this the second election in a row to be greatly influence by religion - certainly not the last!  . Confession might just help the media and the people deal with the real dangers that ongoing denial over these matters holds for all of us .

6pm Saturday predictions

Been on the hustings all day, and I could be wrong. ( Won't say why and what I prefer --it would take too long)
1. Biggest informal vote ever in Australia's history
2. Hung parliament ( I hope not )
3. Back in 3years time or less wondering why we all allowed the Greens to take control the Senate ( all of us partly responsible because the Greens are trying to gain a stronger foothold .  As for that foothold in...yrs time , more like a toe hold.  
Enough said.  Its Six O'clock Saturday 21st August 2010 ,  and the polling booths are starting to count .

Nothing could be worse than the Greens in control

A lot of people at the polling centres won't think that . The long suffering public will meet well intentioned young people who think the Greens will do great things for the country -  talk about the future and the environment in exciting new ways which make the major parties  look almost backward in focus ( not true ,just looks that way) . Presumably too,  many will see them as an option apart from the major parties,  who never seem to stop squabbling .( the current ads don't help )

If only a few of those well intentioned people stood as independants instead of with a party whose primary l agenda items  is not what the majority of Australians want , let alone can accept .As Voltaire  might have said "I will fight to death to make sure their voice is heard .........but not to those few run  the country"  .

Julia Gillard doesn't recognise she has no credibility in education

Her performance pay idea is so out of touch it isn't even acceptable to the teachers she thinks she's helping. As Pyne, said the money will be lost , and she would know it too if she wasn't the only one running their policy on the run .

How much tax does it take to turn the lights off?

Most troubling for the electorate , and especially green and labor supporters,  must be the way Penny Wong wanders all over the territory of solutions , when she wants us to take "the problem" seriously .Can't go anywhere if you haven't worked on both convincingly .
Change she certainly believes in ( her own mind) , but has she opened her mouth too soon in  moving from hot air talk  to...... hot , cold and unpredictable talk ? "The first thing we will do is tax you" - then we will decide who to give the money too .  Mere technology of tax talk is simple compared to being confused about what to do ( and not saying so )  Sounds like she has as big a problem about change as any out there in the atmosphere.

As Tom on the panel of qanda implied last night,  she can't sit still and be convincing; Tony Jones is not the only Australian in the audience  whose now very aware of it .  

Unstable, unreasonable, unrepresentative governance

OK people ( no polys online here ) , despite all the hype - I suggest
"The most unsatisfactory outcome from the coming Federal Election would be for the Greens to hold the balance of power" .
Do you not agree?  What are you going to do about it ?

Are we really that stupid ?

Since when has the length of deliberation justified one member of Parliament adopting the role of Governor -General   ?( Julia Gillard justifying her dismissal of PrimeMinister Rudd ).
Since when is the government serious about helping us pay less for energy  ( Don't you hate those annoying energy watch ads and those very annoying agents of the government who ring up or appear on the doorstop to encourage us be as moral  as possible -Trying to bribe us with gifts  that we actually pay for !!!!

The independants: We love you , whether we like you or not .Nick, Steve and ..........

While  Bob Brown might smile that his party has the advantage of being able to take the high moral ground ( who said it he could hold it!)  many of us will try to support THOSE  independants  and members in the SENATE who actually research and put their BACKBONES into what they can do .
The problem looming is we get more wannabes and less wanna work's
How can we keep these hardworking people  in,  and get new ones ?
Where are the Libs and Nationals on this ?

We don't need more airy fairy edge dwellers with more power than common sense ; Their  quick fiz confidence is about as useful as it is for Rudd .  - one day when conservation is just a lot of hot air in political footballs  will some greens realise that life/ progress is a lot more complex than Bob says it is .

After all if RUDD loses , he could well blame all the dummies around him who follow Browns lead into well intentioned incompetence . 

Is Rudd really the problem?

Yesterday's Australian newspaper seems to reflect widespread unhappiness with the leadership. But is it really Ruddy's problem ?More here  

New Minority Parties - My Cherry Pickin Party

What do you think ? The existing ones are at risk - whose going to fill the gap ?
Surely we care who fills the gap in the Senate at a Fed level . What would you call them?
Should the liberal party consider having a muslim leader ; a woman leader-After all their conservative status has been grabbed  from them and any more woosing out to the cynical materialists in the congregation is losing them votes outside

My new party is called the "Cherry picking party "the CPP " Not so much about more beer,  but better beer . Not about partisan politics,  but consensus politics" .I have no creed , I'm just about results ! ( and unfortunately I'd have lots of followers!!!!) Missed out on the 4% last time - wouldn't miss this time!

Nice theory you say ? Well the thing I like about the CPP is it its INTO fine tuning to the practical. If it doesn't work,  I 'm not interested. If it doesn't work,  ditch it .
Its the encapsulation of all things quick fix . no knives policy; zero tolerance policies; shutup and listen policies , get everyone together and agree with me policies, no drugs policy ; more taxesand we will solve everything policy, justdo it policies , nomore strategy papers policies ......add some for us go on ........
I'm joking of course .
But what do YOU really think - I was obviuosly off my leash just then. 

 I could make money,       and I need it !But we prayed this morning at the start to keep our eyes on public good policy . What a downer!

How much can the Federal government really do?

What's going on here ? Why is Labor trying to do the impossible ? another god delusion? Hasn't Labor had enough grand plans of atmospheric proportions?   From what realm did the heavenly minded  health and education policies announced last week come from ?.
Can Labor really maintain the myth that it can do the impossible . Why do they ?

An education revolution and now a health revolution . Who do they think they are ? 

Who do we think they are ?

Good to see some talk about confession and other esoteric control words . 

Do us all good as a community to recognize our sense of powerlessness- might make for  more practical bipartisan and less knee-jerk politics before the election . 

What do you think ?

Turnbull - Lets pray he knows/shows what real leadership is

Sometimes leaders have a choice . Sometimes they have no choice.....Often either way its hard . .Sometimes leaders have a choice . Sometimes they have no choice but to do the right thing.
Turnbull doesn't really have a choice this week , not unless he wants to prove,  like Latham,  that he's a leader like no other; A liberal leader who  doesn't really follow the lead of liberal and liberated democracies ; One who can drive the party further with his version of everything and  his version of "what needs to happen" .