Australian Politics General...

[sptrawler]

I do think they often try but there are powerful interests with self serving agendas.

Both inside and outside politics.
In W.A both Barnett and McGowan made a stand, both decided it was too hard and chose to step down.

They both copped a lot of flack, but both did a hell of a lot for the State and the State is worse off for their early departure IMO.

 

[Smurf1976]

This video is about house building in the US but the same concepts apply to anything physical and they apply here in Australia.

It's the reason technical people like me cringe as soon as the non-technical administrator people get involved. They're nice enough personally but they just don't grasp or accept that direct constant supervision is required if you want it done properly. They don't accept that because if they did, well you may as well just employ your own actually competent trades and have them do it.



Now if you have competent people well then they realise things like, you know, if you're buying a boat then you need somewhere suitable to dock it. If you're giving someone a heap of money to do something then you need to check that they're doing it. And so on.

 

[JohnDe]

The stat's are that the Whyalla steelworks have been trashed by a capitalist, so if the government has to bail them out they might as well own it, otherwise the same thing will happen when the next capitalist tries to run the place into the ground then expects to be bailed out.

You are only following the headlines, Whyalla has been in trouble since the 80’s, when our markets were opened to cheap imports to help third world countries like China get on their feet. I have family and friends from Whyalla, the successful one all left in the 90’s.

 

[SirRumpole]

You are only following the headlines, Whyalla has been in trouble since the 80’s, when our markets were opened to cheap imports to help third world countries like China get on their feet. I have family and friends from Whyalla, the successful one all left in the 90’s.

That is certainly a big part of the problem, but times gave changed and we need to change with them. Obviously there is no such thing as a level playing field and the fools who thought there was have stuffed our industrial base.

 

[Smurf1976]

You are only following the headlines, Whyalla has been in trouble since the 80’s, when our markets were opened to cheap imports to help third world countries like China get on their feet. I have family and friends from Whyalla, the successful one all left in the 90’s.

I take the point but that's coming to an end. That's really what's going on in the US, the whole Trump thing is basically a firm rejection of that and the world order is rapidly changing at present.

Ultimately Australia needs some sort of viable economic base going forward and the clock's firmly ticking on mining.

 

[sptrawler]

Nah, Cook was stupid, Chalmers was smart enough not to say something stupid about someone who we are buying subs off, just dumb $hit.
I can see it now, Vance comes to Garden Island for a visit and the media put the mike in his face and say, this is the Premier he thinks you're a knob. Lol
Then we have a Rudd moment of trying to back fill the hole your mouth dug. Priceless.

Well at least he has realised his stuff up, or someone pointed it out.

Cook sorry for JD Vance comments, but notes ‘there was a lot of applause’​

“It was a light moment in the event earlier today, perhaps an unprofessional moment,” the premier admitted. Follow our live coverage here.

 

[moXJO]

Been reading a lot of political comments round the place and everyone feels like it's getting worse. Scratch the surface on Labor policies and they are not solving anything. Things like importing in 1 million immigrants while only 140000-160000 houses were built and zero government ones (they just refurbished apparently).

Anyway I stumbled across hypernormalization. I'd heard the term before but must have dismissed it as "brain too full". Write up here so I don't have to type it.

HyperNormalisation is a concept that describes how governments, corporations, and the media create a fake but stable version of reality to maintain control, even when everyone knows things are broken. It was popularized by British filmmaker Adam Curtis in his 2016 documentary HyperNormalisation.

Where the Term Comes From

The term was originally used by Alexei Yurchak, a Russian anthropologist, to describe the last years of the Soviet Union. By the 1980s, everyone—citizens, politicians, and even the government—knew that the Soviet system wasn’t working, but they all continued pretending it was normal because they couldn’t imagine an alternative. This fake "normal" reality became more real than the truth itself.

How It Works in Modern Society

Curtis argues that a similar thing is happening in the West today:

1. Governments & Elites Create a Simplified Reality – Instead of dealing with complex problems (e.g., global finance, wars, political instability), they create easy-to-understand narratives—like "good vs. evil" or “freedom vs. terrorism.”


2. The Media & Tech Companies Reinforce It – Instead of questioning the system, they amplify safe, controlled narratives that make people feel informed but actually limit their understanding.


3. People Accept It Because They Feel Powerless – Many know something is wrong, but instead of trying to change the system, they accept the "fake normal" because it's easier than confronting the chaos.



Examples of HyperNormalisation Today

The Financial Crisis (2008-Present): Instead of fixing the global economy, governments just printed more money and bailed out the rich, creating a fake sense of stability.

War & Foreign Policy: The U.S. and its allies portray interventions as spreading democracy, while critics see them as controlling resources and power. The public accepts the simplified version.

Social Media & News Algorithms: People are fed curated news that reinforces what they already believe, making it harder to see a bigger picture.


Why It’s Dangerous

HyperNormalisation makes real change almost impossible because:

It hides real problems behind fake solutions.

It makes people feel powerless to change the system.

It keeps corrupt elites in control by preventing mass resistance.


Bottom Line

It’s not about a single conspiracy—it’s about how complex systems maintain themselves by keeping people distracted and passive. Instead of solving deep-rooted problems, the system pretends everything is normal while quietly getting worse.

 

[moXJO]

Well at least he has realised his stuff up, or someone pointed it out.

Cook sorry for JD Vance comments, but notes ‘there was a lot of applause’​

“It was a light moment in the event earlier today, perhaps an unprofessional moment,” the premier admitted. Follow our live coverage here.

Why would he say this during tariff negotiations.

 

[qldfrog]

Why would he say this during tariff negotiations.

Low moral standards or IQ..i bet the first, TDS and believing following the propaganda distilled by both News limited and their ABC is risk free.
And it is: he could not care less about economy or financial cost to the state.
But if the bleating brainwashed sheeps agree with the well rehearsed carrot hair crazy story, he is a winner in local popularity, and that is all what matters for an Australian politician..of any side

 

[Smurf1976]

That this comedy is alarmingly close to the truth is a big part of why we're in so much difficulty.

Suffice to say I can relate to the half bald man who threatens to walk out just a little too well......