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ABC is Political

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Julia said:
The most powerful commentator in the country????? You can't seriously think that, surely, Knobby!

I don't know anyone (except perhaps noco) who takes Andrew Bolt seriously.

And Andrew himself, of course.
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I agree not many at ASF take him seriously but we are well educated and follow the political process more closely than most.

Andrew Bolt has the backing of Gina Reinhardt who got him the gig on Channel 10 and I know quite a few older people who take him very seriously indeed. In Victoria, the Herald Sun has a large readership yet the paper is basically empty of news so he is a must read. As Noco says his ratings on TV are reasonable and he has all the resources of Newscorp behind him.
 
Yes, I suppose it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking people in general are discerning about what they see and hear.

It's the same as all the mindless devotion given to Ray Hadley and Alan Jones with the utter rubbish they spout on their radio programs. Their listenership thinks they are god's own oracles.

Last night the Delroy late talk back was on Clive Palmer. Just amazing the people who think he's terrific, who believe he's Australia's salvation, and only a few who recognise that for Clive it's all about Clive and see his populist rhetoric for what it is.
 

Clive is lucky.
He got voted in because we were all so disgusted with Labor and not very trusting of Abbott (and I think the public has been proven right on this). Greens are increasingly loony left so somehow he has become the alternate even moderate voice in Parliament. it shows how low we have gone federally imo.
 

What is disheartening is that intelligent people like yourself can be hoodwinked into turning to Clive Palmer as your political saviour. Your forlorn cry "my only hope is Clive Palmer" is a sad indictment on our society, that when one politician lies to us, we turn to someone so two-faced that that all he can mouth are threats, lies, platitudes and insults.
 

More a sad indictment of our politicians and present political system.
Clive Palmer would have been lucky to get a second vote (after his own) normally.

The Australian doesn't want to make it clear but the Others voting that excludes the Greens and the major parties is running near 15%. You can bet most of that is PUP. I think that says it all about the popularity of the major parties.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/polling
 
Knobby22 said:
I think that says it all about the popularity of the major parties.
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I think it says more about the gullibility of the electorate. Can you name any of his policies or principles that have attracted you to him?
 
Calliope said:
I think it says more about the gullibility of the electorate.
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Gullibility and this all pervasive creeping sense of entitlement that is washing over the country, and the reluctance to take responsibility for actions.

We want the Government to take control of the finances, but we don't want any negative effects.

We want the exploding Centrelink payments reined in, but we don't want the pain.

We point the finger at the whinging Greeks and their austerity measures, but won't move in that direction ourselves.

We want the best medical services, but we demand they be free.

Such an environment is tailor-made for someone such as Palmer who just jumps from wave of dissent, to the next wave of dissent, "fighting the good fight" for the "battlers and underdogs".

He is the perfect role model for the disenchanted, as Clive doesn't believe he needs to be accountable to anybody either.

Duckman
 
We want the best medical services, but we demand they be free.
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Medical services are not free, they are paid for by our taxes, income tax, Medicare levy and GST.

While I don't object to a reasonable co payment, the proposed designed is going to create a slush fund which this government will give to their friends in big pharma for 'research', rather than going back into the health system to make it more 'sustainable'.

The way the co-payment will be used is a con.
 

Spot on.
 
Calliope said:
I think it says more about the gullibility of the electorate. Can you name any of his policies or principles that have attracted you to him?
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What do policies or principals mater when they're thrown overboard and the real agenda is foisted on the public after the election is over and done with?
 

i don't believe this. i think if the budget hadn't been as draconian as it is - I mean no income support for unemployed under 30s is just beyond the Australian experience - there would have been a better reception by the public. Doctor co payment better targeted so as to not impact the poor would be palatable too, but the way the Govt is trying to cut $11 in payments to doctors mean they can't afford to bulk bill without the co payment.

The fact that our world leading 8% of GDP in tax expenditures were left totally alone is also a strike against fairness. If the Govt had actually done some real structural reform like limiting the cost of super on the budget, or quarantined NG to newly constructed housing, then most of us might have felt the burden of adjustment is being more fairly distributed.

The fact is pretty much any centrist economist sees the budget as expecting the poor to face a more than unfair share of the budget burden. Factor in the policy on the fly medical research fund that is funded by the doctor co payment (so that $7 isn't actually helping to get the budget back into balance) and it's not hard to understand the poor reception of the budget.

I say give the public some meaningful reforms, we're hungry for it. We'll whinge and moan about it, but if you fairly distribute the burden and make structural reforms that will over the medium term get the budget back to surplus, you WILL get the respect of voters and the time in power you need to see the reform process through.

the LABERALS are so far not up to the challenge. If the greens could chop out Milne and let Ludlam lead, and have policies that actually address the cost of housing and lack of competitiveness in the economy, well they could actually turn into the third force in politics we need to force the majors to come up with good policy, not rentier class policy that keeps us going backwards.
 
Hear,hear, Sydboy

The disgust of the electorate is all about the two faced behaviour of our present leaders.

If the budget had of been about balancing the budget, it would have got support from the electorate, like Howard's did. It is not about fairness in any way and is really about changing the way Australia works to more closely match the USA. It is social engineering without the mandate.

If it was about balancing the budget then why the company tax cuts??

Why have they not tackled any of the issues that bleed the economy as you mentioned?
If Abbott is allowed to get away with this then it is carte blanche for any politician to lie before an election. Get rid of him. New Liberal leader please (no point waiting).
 
If it was about balancing the budget then why the company tax cuts?
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And why squirrel away most of the bulk billing co payment into a slush fund instead of putting it back into service delivery ?
 
sydboy007 said:
What do policies or principals mater when they're thrown overboard and the real agenda is foisted on the public after the election is over and done with?
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Okay...you have taken it upon yourself to answer a question I put to Knobby. What then, is it about Palmer that attracts you and Knobby to him? His hatred of Abbott perhaps? It seems to me that it is the only common ground you have.
 
Syd, draconian budget?

Surely you jest, against what could have, should have been done, this one was unremarkable
 
Knobby22 said:
Why have they not tackled any of the issues that bleed the economy as you mentioned?
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The Coalition stupidly fell into the trap that Labour set for them before the election - by agreeing to maintain expenditure for basically this whole term. They didn't want to rock the boat, mainly because they realised they didn't have Mr Popularity running for PM. They agreed to maintain the status quo. As a result there was a clear disconnect between the rhetoric of the Coalition and their commitments.

You cannot scream and shout about budget emergencies and stopping the waste, and then go into an election saying ...."we promise to commitment to everything they do".

They are between a rock and a hard place now. They should have been much tougher in certain areas - but have been constrained by their pre election commitments, and where they have broken promises, all hell has broken loose, because they haven't kept their word.

It is ironic that Tony Abbott says the Government need to keep their nerve and resolve. The time they needed guts, resolve and nerve was some straight talking before the election.

Very disillusioned. Sorry off topic - back on the ABC.

Duckman
 
Duckman#72 said:
Very disillusioned. Sorry off topic - back on the ABC.

Duckman
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Yes, talk about thread drift.
Can't stop myself. I agree Duckman with your analysis.
....which is why the Libs need a reboot. New leader, new vision.. and if they want to achieve anything and have a chance of being re-elected...now. I am sure John Howard is thinking "I knew Tony wasn't up to it". There is plenty of talent in the party but Tony has mainly gone with the old hacks, the B team guys of Howard's era.
 
Too many General Chat posts from me this weekend.

However could I say, not every part of the ABC is bad. The ABC radio Classic FM - Classic 100: Baroque and Before is running this weekend, it's ..beyond description. Link: http://www.abc.net.au/classic/classic100/

What would our lives be without this national ABC classical music station. Week days Classic Breakfast with Emma Ayres, this excellent program has to be heard to be believed. When you hear the Kookaburras call at daybreak, turn on your radio, it will be Emma with some classical music.

No I don't work for the ABC. But you'll see me on the barricades if any of these programs are attacked.
 
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