The Australian politics thread

[Spikey]

Aussie parity with $US a 'penalty', says opposition

[Spark]

Lolfail.

The crashing US dollar has nothing to do with it at all, nope. Unless that too is Gillard's fault.

[Jono]

Lack of Costello hurting any economic sense within the coalition atm. Making stupid comments.

[Top_Cat]

Anyone had a look at Gittins column this morning?

Welcome to the harsher, tougher economy

Originally Posted by benchmark00

How about the gooch load of money I have lost/am going to lose for having a significant number of mining shares?

Onya Rudd.

How those shares doing mate?

Originally Posted by stephen

Well the mining tax is still big news. Who cares about possibly offending a couple of friends (ahem look at what Smith/Rudd did to our friendships with India and Japan) when the government is planning on taxing the central core of our economy out of business.

It scares the hell out of me.

Still scared?

Bracken's posts look even better in hindsight.

[benchmark00]

Originally Posted by Top_Cat

How those shares doing mate?

??

Clearly you don't understand why share prices fluctuate when they do, so I'll be closing the cash register right about now.... Wait until the big miners go into reporting season after the tax + economic news takes effect.

[Redbacks]

Quantative easing in the EU and US must be a factor behind our dollar gaining strength.

What the article doesn't mention, at least in SA is that the public sector is now feeling the brunt of the GFC now that the government decides to no longer go into debt during a recovery, reduced services to those in need and unemployment will increase as a result. The Rann Government has lost some $8 billion in projected tax reciepts since 2007 and thus is looking at a slash and burn operation of services within the states economy which has resulted in their own wave of 'workchoices' type stripping of workers rights. Also the cutting of $600,000 in funding to my old high school which means 'keep maths and science, the rest can get ****ed for now.'

I think we have already seen a large movement of workers to the mining industry, I guess a second wave is possible. Our company finds that the work can get done in the city, but in some projects the 'best' or most experienced commissioning engineers and team will be tied up in the mining sector. The deal of the mining design jobs can still be done in the city, a few poeple will obviously have to do FIFO work whilst they can stand it and enjoy the extra money. What he of course doesn't mention is the environmental costs of expended mining; is chasing the $$ to maintain our economic prosperity going to have long term adverse effects on our environment and also traditional lands?

[howardj]

Hope some of these MPs fire up over Afghanistan.

****ing sick of hearing 'we must stay the course' as though that, in itself, is a justification.

We've pulled our weight for eight years, hardly much progress has been made.

Let's go.

[Jono]

Nah both sides are committed to it. Don't see anything happening until the US make their move.

[Burgey]

John Howard (not the actor) on Q and A next week.

[Redbacks]

If the four corners report from last week is anything to go by:

1) The local security forces can't necessarily be trusted
2) We are there in part due to a political fix by Tony Blair, to promote the 'good war' given the unpopular decision at home due to the iraq invasion.
3) Our current solution may be to negotiate with the Taliban even though the original war was to remove them I thought.
4) Oppressed groups with guns will seize any power vacuum left by a dictator.

I don't even think a term like "Home support for the war is decreasing" has any more weight than "We are 100% behind the troops", it's a propoganda term to stifle discourse on the real issues. Hopefully our leaders have the courage to make the right decisions involving the war and our troops. Claims like 'it's too costly' are a little bit late given we have now decimated a country.

[Redbacks]

In light of the climate sceptic being on Q and A tonight, here is a good link on the confusion behind Ocean Cooling which some skeptics seized on, and how in conjunction with the CSRIO is was corrected.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OceanCooling/printall.php

[Spark]

Originally Posted by Redbacks

In light of the climate sceptic being on Q and A tonight, here is a good link on the confusion behind Ocean Cooling which some skeptics seized on, and how in conjunction with the CSRIO is was corrected.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OceanCooling/printall.php

Ugh. Skipping in that case. Had more than my fill of nonsense science for a lifetime.

[Redbacks]

It was a fair disaster, with both sides pointing to studies thus it's hard to follow the debate on TV, even if one side is presenting dubious sources.
The MDBR coped a similar treatment.

The one plus was the MP Mike Kelly with his military law background he was able to speak quite authoritatively on the current issues involving the 3 soldiers to face a military court and Afghanistan. He was able to speak rationally with a former Vet who was quite disgruntled with the issue and unlike the Liberals he backed the integrity of the decision which would be held in a military court presided over persons with combat experience.

Tony Jones then got in a pop at Abbott/Liberal for 'passively' sitting by whilst Alan Jones unloaded an attack against military prosecutor Brigadier Lyn McDade based on a lack of combat experience etc. She was installed by Brian Nelson under Howard.

[Jono]

Mike Kelly's mo is so epic. What a guy.

[Burgey]

Originally Posted by Jono

Mike Kelly's mo is so epic. What a guy.

It's fantastic isn't it? One of the best.