Samuel's Blog

Archive for May, 2012

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-31

I received some interesting news about something long-overdue yesterday. I'm off to Deni today, but hopefully I can make a blog post tonight #

May 31st, 2012 at 09:00pm

How do you know you’re not in the city any more?

When the cows take over the road and enforce their own set of road rules.

I took this video about 10 to 15 KM east of Conargo, while I was on my way to Deniliquin.

Incidentally, it took exactly five hours for me to get from the Shell service station in Dickson to the Centrepoint Motel in Deniliquin, and it was the first time I’ve made the trip without stopping along the way (I did go through a drive-thru, but that doesn’t really count). The distance travelled was 496.8 KM, making an average speed of 99.36 KM/H.

Samuel

May 31st, 2012 at 08:10pm

The Craig Thomson saga continues

There were some very interesting scenes in federal parliament yesterday when Craig Thomson, the self-suspended Labor member for Dobell suddenly changed his mind on how he wanted to vote, and sided with the Coalition. He did this at a time when it was too late for anybody in the Coalition to abstain from the vote, and therefore put Tony Abbott’s promise that the Coalition would not rely on the “tainted” vote of Craig Thomson in jeopardy.

Both Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne (the Coalition’s manager of business in the House of Representatives) bolted from the chamber to avoid the vote and cancel out Craig Thomson. Mr. Pyne made it out, but Mr. Abbott did not. Regardless, their goal was achieved; Craig Thomson’s vote was cancelled out.

But to the same extent, Labor got exactly what they wanted. There can be no doubt, despite Labor’s claims to the contrary, that this was a stunt aimed at making Tony Abbott unwittingly break a promise and that Labor got something even better. The footage of Tony Abbott running from the chamber was used in the mainstream media along with captions such as “mad dash” (referring to the media’s “Mad Monk” nickname for Tony Abbott) as some sort of evidence of erratic and unprofessional conduct on Tony Abbott’s behalf.

Those of us in the know are well-aware that Tony Abbott was trying to uphold a promise, but people who don’t pay quite as much attention or interest to politics would have come away from the coverage with the notion that Tony Abbott did something wrong and has questionable judgement. In the short term at least, I think Labor got more out of this than they ever could have dreamed of getting from having Craig Thomson break Tony Abbott’s promise on a fairly minor vote. In terms of the political point-scoring of the day, Labor won simply because the majority of the media ran the coverage in a way which was very favourable to Labor.

Tony Abbott did the right thing and got a roasting for it…and I dare say most of the public don’t even know it.

The thing which I’m left wondering now is, seeing as the stunt worked reasonably well for Labor, what’s to stop them from pulling it again? And if they do, how will the Coalition respond?

The vote, in case you’re wondering, was over whether the Labor government’s plan to increase the federal government’s debt limit should continue to be debated. A minor procedural vote on an important issue. Labor probably won on that point as well as we’ve barely heard a peep about the debt limit in the last 24 hours, when it should have been the Coalition’s main talking point.

As for Craig Thomson himself. Channel Nine’s “A Current Affair” has shelved plans to air an interview with a prostitute who claims to have been engaged by Mr. Thomson at some stage, but won’t say why. One can only wonder what pressure was brought to bear on Nine to prevent them from airing the interview which could have contributed strongly to the downfall of a government. I suspect they were threatened with the loss of revenue from government advertising. I also suspect that we will hear more about this in a few weeks…probably at the hands of “Today Tonight” who would undoubtedly like to find an angle on this story which paints “A Current Affair” or the Nine Network as being “weak”.

It’s amazing how Craig Thomson, one man, can have such a grubby reputation and make such a mockery of something as important as the parliament. Meanwhile, all of us suffer from having an inept government which is being kept in power via the mockery.

Samuel

May 31st, 2012 at 08:01am

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-30

I understand Tony Abbott not wanting Craig Thomson's vote, and I support that, but why not just abstain instead of running for the exit? #
RT @Jez_1985: @Samuel_SGS there was no time to abstain Samuel, Thomsons vote became clear late in the vote – no doubt it was a Labor stunt. #
@Jez_1985 Thanks Jeremy. That explains it. In that case, I understand and support Tony Abbott's actions. in reply to Jez_1985 #
@Jez_1985 My concern now is that this Labor stunt got the media attention they wanted, so what's stopping them from doing it again? in reply to Jez_1985 #
Good news (yes, there is some today): Julian Assange is being extradited. He gets to face court just like anyone else would have to. #

May 30th, 2012 at 09:00pm

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-29

Yay, Bulldogs beat the Roosters 30-12 🙂 #
Tiny boost for Labor, but it will revert with the infighting & ongoing mass job losses. Newspoll 2 Party Preferred: ALP 46 (+1) L/NP 54 (-1) #
When you look at the primary vote, it's still a wipeout. RT @SkyNewsAust: PRIMARY VOTE Labor 32% (+2) Coalition 46% (+1) Greens 12% (steady) #
Good morning. Little dog Pebbles is trying to get up on a chair for a better view of the @tenbreakfast finance report! http://t.co/lPjIwCHi #
RT @markparton: Tim Flannery is not a stupid man. R U surprised by the teeth filling call from the weekend. WTF ? #
@markparton not at all Mark. The only surprise was that Flannery didn't blame dentures for his predicted perennial droughts not occurring. in reply to markparton #
Least surprising story of the day. RT @Drudge_Report: STUDY: GLOBAL WARMING SKEPTICS HAVE MORE SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE… http://t.co/vM4mTR2k #
@Barnaby_Joyce on @tenbreakfast: whenever government utters the word 'environment', it gets omnipotent powers and you can't argue against it #
Sure does seem that way at times @Barnaby_Joyce, but at least some of us see through the nonsense they push in the name of the environment. #
@trentg85 If you tell Vision that story, they'll tell you that you were guided to listen at that time, and send you a program guide in reply to trentg85 #
@nat_forrest @lachlan_kennedy an embargo worked really well for me in radio in Deni once. Went badly when AAP released a story early though. in reply to nat_forrest #
It seems like there's been a spate of pileups in Canberra recently MT @ACTPol_Traffic 4 Vehicle Collision GDE Sthbound near Belco Way exit. #
Another one! RT @ACTPol_Traffic 3 vehicle collision at Hindmarsh Drive west bound lane, near Jerrabomberra Avenue. Expect Delays. #
Mark Davis, one of @rushlimbaugh's fill-in hosts, has signed with a competitor of a Limbaugh affiliate. Alas I guess he won't fill in again. #
Mark Davis was heard on Cumulus' WBAP Dallas Fort Worth, a Limbaugh affiliate, but is moving to Salem's KSKY Dallas. http://t.co/pMtafF2G #
Pity really, I like Mark Davis much more than Mark Belling, and Mark Steyn doesn't sit in for Rush anywhere near often enough. #
@trentg85 I like the idea of the format (both stations) but don't particularly enjoy the music. Glad they're there though. in reply to trentg85 #
Up next, Tim Flannery blames this on mercury in teeth RT @2CC: Local News: Coldest May in 50 years http://t.co/FC60Lwd4 #canberra #
@lachlan_kennedy @nat_forrest I think AAP believe in quantity rather than quality for their radio/TV text feed sometimes. Love/hate for sure in reply to lachlan_kennedy #

May 29th, 2012 at 09:00pm

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-28

@daniel_prime7 Can you make it one of the weather pictures this week? Aussie Stonehenge deserves a wider audience. in reply to daniel_prime7 #
Joel Fitzgibbon says nobody supports Julia Gillard more than him, but he's campaigning against her. So, does that mean nobody supports her? #
@trentg85 I get paid to watch, but it's still very painful. in reply to trentg85 #
I think I'm the only person who makes sure he has enough time left over in a meal break to write a letter to an editor of a newspaper. #
Some trivia for you: the road which the truck leaves to enter the drain in Terminator 2 is Hayvenhurst Ave. #
Blame shifting: Senior members of Fed Govt claim Gillard was given 10 days notice of foreign worker deal, refuting her claim of only 2 days. #
Even if you like the policies of the Gillard government, you have to admit it's dysfunctional, battling itself instead of real issues. #
6.4 magnitude earthquake in Northern Argentina. #

2 comments May 28th, 2012 at 09:00pm

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-27

I'm hearing it's 7 cars at Tilliyard Dr intersection. MT @ACTPol_Traffic: Ginninderra Dr west and east bound blocked by 2 veh accident. #

May 27th, 2012 at 09:00pm

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-26

Watching AFL. Go @westernbulldogs (vs Geelong) and listening to it on AFL Live (@talkthetolldown & @SandyARoberts7). + watching NRL scores. #

May 26th, 2012 at 09:00pm

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-25

@NRLgameplan Always good to watch you discuss the footy on a Thursday night. Even better this week that I'm not at work and can watch live. #
@NRLgameplan Tigers by a six. Two great teams, but I've never liked the Cowboys away from home, especially against a competitive side. in reply to NRLgameplan #
Not quite what I was expecting to see in an underground carpark. A bird perched on a bonnet. http://t.co/OvI8OaET #
Well that's the dumbest thing I've heard this week. The Woden @actgovernment shopfront can't make bookings for roadworthy inspections. #
And yet the Woden @actgovernment shopfront can book licence tests. Why not the roadworthy inspections?? #
I also don't appreciate being huffed at by government shopfront people just because I don't know all of their illogical policies. #
It gets better. @actgovernment call centre informs me that their website gave me a wrong $ amount for stamp duty. #
Also @actgovernment call centre says mystical formula for stamp duty is $3 in every $100, but not 3%, and only shopfronts can calculate it. #
In summary. @actgovernment vehicle registration system is a farcical debacle of a mess, and should be decimated and rebuilt from scratch. #
Headless chickens could run a better system! Can you tell that I'm very agitated right now? Hmmm, it's an election year too @actgovernment.. #
I decided to do something constructive with my frustrating ACT Government Shopfront experience. ACT Opposition MLAs have been informed. #
Many thanks to the @TheIPA for the great winter reading which arrived in my PO Box today: Chris Berg's 'In Defence of Freedom Of Speech' 🙂 #
@TheIPA Will do. I hope you have a great weekend. in reply to TheIPA #
Oh dear. I hope everyone is OK. RT @nataliejpeters: Christchurch has been hit by another earthquake, magnitude 5.2 #CHCH #

May 25th, 2012 at 09:00pm

Online gambling to have less regulations while pokies have more?

An email to 2GB’s Luke Grant

G’day Luke. Welcome to 2GB. We last spoke when you were in Melbourne and an ash cloud had grounded my flight…good to hear you again.

Anyway, online gambling, you’re absolutely right. It’s hypocritical of the government to be so opposed to poker machines while embracing online gambling which, as we all know, is exactly where folks will go if the pokies no longer satisfy their gambling urges.

Why doesn’t Wilkie ever talk about online gambling? I dare say that, if you can call gambling a problem (I don’t, I call it a choice), it’s a bigger problem than pokies. At least with pokies, you have to hand the machine your cash, whereas online, it’s your credit card number and it doesn’t hurt until the statement arrives and you realise you’ll be paying it back for years.

I suppose though, if the government are going to tax it, that might just get Wayne Swan his promised surplus.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

May 25th, 2012 at 04:21am

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-24

The fact that Pakistan have found a man guilty of treason because he helped the US find Bin Laden proves that Pakistan ate not an ally. #

May 24th, 2012 at 09:00pm

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-23

@Joe_Hildebrand Christine Milne and the Terminator have similar motives. But I refuse to believe they look similar as that would ruin it. in reply to Joe_Hildebrand #
I accidentally filled in a fake Twitter login page earlier this evening. Thankfully I had forgotten my password and gave it the wrong one. #
Sanctuary has been cancelled. @amandatapping needs a new show, so let's revive SGU and have Col. Carter save everyone from a stasis failure! #
If the Victorian Sport Minister wants a "state of the origin" match, perhaps we could give him Queanbeyan V New Zealand, then reclaim ours. #

May 23rd, 2012 at 09:00pm

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-22

@nat_forrest because you're ignoring the most important part of your wellbeing: the happiness of your taste buds! Tasty then equals good. in reply to nat_forrest #
Schapelle Corby's sentence reduced again. I really don't get the Indonesian system of having a President randomly reduce prison sentences. #
Yes, I would keep Schapelle Corby in jail for her full, original sentence. In fact, I'd like those sentences in Australia for drug offences. #
MT @Ross_Greenwood: Schapelle Corby's sentence. 2005 she got 20yrs. 2 yrs off previously; 5yrs now. That's 2018. So why talk about August? #
@Ross_Greenwood the Indonesian justice system makes no sense Ross. Sentences are good, but having a President randomly cut sentences is odd. in reply to Ross_Greenwood #

May 22nd, 2012 at 09:00pm

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-21

Oh dear. RT @tenbreakfast: BREAKING: Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb has died, following a lengthy battle with cancer #

May 21st, 2012 at 09:00pm

Twitter Updates for 2012-05-19

Watching the Essendon V Richmond AFL, while listening to NRL Cowboys V Panthers on @2GB873 and watching scores of AFL Bulldogs V Gold Coast. #
And I'll listen to the end of Bulldogs V Gold Coast at the conclusion of the rugby league. #

May 19th, 2012 at 09:00pm