Menzies House

Turnbull—square peg in round hole

Perhaps Malcolm Turnbull’s self-appraisal sets him distant, if not at odds with his Party colleagues? Maybe he views them as less sharp and less accomplished in commerce by comparison? Undeniable, however, is his unrelenting quest for success—Turnbull style.

Malcolm’s form has a repeating factor—what he wants and who he wants to be is variable. The goal posts are movable. Hardly the cohesiveness and consistency suited for political policy and the Me, before Us presents as a constant in the man’s character.

Where would Malcolm be today had Kerry Packer not leapfrogged his legal career to various boardrooms of mercantile moguls? Turnbull showed his appreciation by dumping on Packer over a business deal in 1991. Acrimony between the two was palpable.

Turnbull later told Sydney newspapers that, “He [Packer] did threaten to kill me. And I said to him: ‘Well, you'd better make sure that your assassin gets me first because if he misses, you better know I won't miss you.’ He could be a complete pig, you know. He could charm the birds out of the tree, but he could be a brute.”

The Worm Factory

Jonathan Holmes, the ABC’s supercilious presenter of Media Watch is stepping down. I suggest only rusted-on supporters of ABC bias will miss his pompous leer and greasy persona.

While the ABC has many excellent and well-researched programmes I point to Media Watch and the appointing of presenters that flag their leftist ideology from the Worm Factory rooftop. Media Watch has cycled a muster of seven presenters, all of them cloned in like ideology beginning with Stuart Littlemore, Richard Ackland, Paul Barry, David Marr, Liz Jackson, Monica Attard and, Jonathan Holmes.

Trying to broach the subject of bias with anyone inside the ABC’s Worm Factory incubator is futile. Sidetracking the tunnel-visioned political correctness would be like  converting the Pope to Islam. No amount of complaining or lobbying bears fruit or consideration from the executive, including managing director Mark Scott as all seem programmed to ignore the corporation’s own Editorial Policies to “… support the diversity of perspectives.”

Scott is quick to defend all epithets of bias by wheeling out his host of Counterpoint, former Liberal minister Amanda Vanstone as would a pathologist present his favourite specimen, a shrivelled appendix in a bottle of formaldehyde, That an enigma like Vanstone is permitted to tread the corridors of Labor greats must have countless production managers gagging on their mung bean wraps.

Will history repeat itself?

Billionaire Clive Palmer wants to be the Prime Minister of Australia and judging by some of Clive’s acquisitions he seems to be rather adept at getting what he wants. Fairfax, the masters of lopping heads from tall poppies, plays the “class” card, “Palmer’s just another big, rich kid.”

Clive is a media favourite for sticking his neck out for the chop. His plan to build a replica of the Titanic has brought much criticism, mostly from those who achieve little except sniping from the sideline. But Palmer’s presentation on last Sunday’s Meet The Press will have many voters thinking about his, although vague, policy outlines, and more so his propensity for the unorthodox. Thinking outside the square draws enemies.

Palmer’s leap to the political stage could be parallelled to the emergence of Pauline Hansen and One Nation in 1997. Now, like then, a large chunk of voters are dissatisfied with the performance of both major parties. The Labor Party with unprecedented incompetence and a leader that lies, and the Coalition with a leader of insipid nature. When a vacuum of inertia exists, someone will try to fill it.

If Clive Palmer is indeed fair dinkum about rekindling the old United Australia Party as he said he had done (not so according to the AEC at time of writing) he might remember what happened to Pauline Hanson and One Nation, and how he might avoid the same fate.

May our forbears forgive us

Anzac day is upon us and those who fought in the Great Wars and paid the ultimate sacrifice would be turning in their graves as they look at what their hard won legacy begat.

Those solemn words by John McCrae,“…Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep…” now sound hollow.  A mere murmur in the night as a gentle breeze sobs through the great pines that stand sentinel above the soil that gorged the blood of 9,000 Australians and Turks at Lone Pine.

Rise from their eternal rest they would to the call of Cooee and once again march in the streets of our cities and towns vowing damnation to those, the sworn protectors of country and kin who handed social unity to the divisive architects of multiculturalism—a government sponsored apartheid, no less. 

Bitterly weep would those men and women that never grew old while protecting Australia as they see our borders flung asunder in contempt and defiance of popular opinion where those who would harm us multiply as surely as their loathing for us. “We shall not sleep,” our fallen whisper from the grave. “We threw the torch but you have not held it high.” And they are right.

How would they who perished view Political Correctness, an insanity that accuses those who console an injured child as a molester?  And, a society where government pays people that refuse to work? “Don’t be silly,” they’d laugh—“impossible!”

Escaping persecution or Sunday cruise?

The arrival of 66 “illegal immigrants” who brazenly sailed into Geralton Port WA last week might have been part of a blockbuster movie production directed by that senate buffoon, Greens member Sara Hanson-Mung Bean.

44 days at sea, men, women, some pregnant, and children dressed in clean, mostly white casual attire stepped onto Australian soil parroting their lines and feigning their intended destination as new Zealand. Only the seriously deranged would dare entertain that.

Their appearance and conviviality might have been an immigration promo-ad showcasing prosperous and happy immigrant families debarking the Manly ferry at Sydney’s Circular Quay after a fulfilling day of taxpayer-funded multiculturalism.

Published images of their transport, the MV Deutsche Bank, poses many questions.  Things like how the boat rides in the water, general state of the craft, deck space minus deckhouse structure and how many people can be counted standing on free deck space.

According to the manufacturer, a division of Solas Marine Lanka, this tuna boat was built in 2004 under contract from Deutsche Bank for Tsunami aid to Sri Lanka.

Gillard's scorched earth policy

Who could fathom the machinations within Julia Gillard’s mind, and indeed her advisors? It appears Julia has adopted an alter ego in the image of Marshal Kutuzov—the Russian commander who routed Napoleon’s 1812 Russian campaign.

Historians say it was “General Winter” that vanquished Napoleon. That is partly so, but it was mostly Russia’s tactics of burning and destroying everything of value. Nothing remained to sustain Napoleon’s troops in their retreat so they starved and froze to death. That tactic, although ancient, became a military textbook action known as, “Scorched Earth.”

Labor under Gillard is inflicting an economic Scorched Earth policy upon all Australians by leaving a national debt of about $300 Billion, plus many secret rewards for supporters.

Irrational fear and an eye fixed upon plummeting polls drive Gillard’s daily announcements that seek favour with a jaded audience. This “promise them everything” is the road to political suicide and should any of her implausible stratagems come to pass they will be nothing short of an intended “scorched earth policy.” Like a jilted lover, “if I can’t have you, nobody will!” BANG!

Politics defined and reviled

Opinion

From which to choose? For whom to vote?

Two musty old parties that boredom and disinterest has rendered indistinguishable in many ways. Such is the sorry state of politics in Australia caused by what is essentially a two-horse race. Horses too haggard for the glue factory.

The remedy is simple but to date unachievable. A few parties have tried to break the vice-like grip held on the levers of power so long held by the Labor and Liberal duo. The Democrats, One Nation, and the Greens were the more recent contenders, only the Greens have survived—for now—for what?

The two major parties are like old furniture, they don’t take kindly to being moved or threatened by an interloper to their patch. In fact, Labor/Liberal, supposed political enemies by nature, will unite in villainy should their positions be threatened by an outsider. Their sense of entitlement has become a genetic imprint.

This assumed inheritance is also a savagely protected right to the taxpayers’ purse and the only change tolerated, reluctantly, is a parliamentary swap from one side of the house to the other. Either way, salaries, pensions, and perks are assured.

Charge of the Crean brigade

Opinion.

It was déjà vu as the parliamentary circus unfolded last Thursday. Simon Crean’s move to be “circuit breaker” might have been magnanimous had he not finished up electrocuting himself and is now a discharged capacitor on the back-bench—a lifetime of dedicated Labor service evaporated like ozone.

Images of the Western Front came to mind where soldiers were massed in the trenches, ready to pour over the top into no-man’s-land to face the deadly rake from enemy fire.

There stood Captain Crean amidst the smoke and noise yelling, “follow me men, let’s charge to Labor glory” But, glancing over his shoulder not a man followed, they remained, cowering in safety.

Armed only with his tin whistle, and felled by a barrage of lead, Simon’s last words: “you bastard Kevin.”

And so went a day of Australian politics that ricocheted around the world.