Australian Politics General...

[basilio]

This could have gone anywhere really but I plumped on Australian Politics.

So how did London deal with the Great Plague in 1603 ? Are there any history lessons we might learn when considering the current approach to pestilence, plague and COVID ? Or do we just enjoy the joke ?

If you ever enjoyed Upstart Crow you will dive into this special . If you havn't been introduced consider the opportunity.

Upstart Crow: Christmas Lockdown 1603

Will and Kate are in lockdown thanks to the plague of 1603, and bemoaning the fact no one is wearing their 'Bubonic Plaguey Beaks' right. Will hopes to pen a new classic, while Kate is attempting home baking and needlepoint.

iview.abc.net.au

 

[mullokintyre]

Krudd is Ambassador to the US.

Didn't Labor criticise the Liberals for installing ex-Libs to diplomatic posts?

Hypocrites one and all.

And of course, we should not forget this headline from back in August during the election campaign, during an interview on 4bc radio back in April 2022.

The Opposition Leader has rejected claims he’s considering Kevin Rudd as Australia’s next US ambassador if Labor wins.

The Australian today reports Anthony Albanese has told senior party colleagues he would favour appointing the former prime minister.

But Mr Albanese says he’s had no discussions of the sort and there’s no plans for Mr Rudd to even join his election campaign.

“I’ve had no discussions about anyone being an ambassador to any place,” he told Neil Breen. “Complete nonsense!

“Yesterday, it was ‘Kevin Rudd isn’t going to be on the campaign, he’d gone missing’, the same journals today are appointing him ambassador.

I am sure that the Albanese camp will put their hand on their collective hearts and swear that at the time of the interview, the statement was true, and that the consideration of Rudd was only made after the election.
The trouble is, I can already see this as the first in string of adds where the coalition do the "you can't trust them line".
Mick

 

[mullokintyre]

There must be an election coming time.
Someone should tell the nSW opposition leader (soon to be premier) that he does not need to do stupid stunts to get to be the new premier.
From Evil Murdoch Press

NSW opposition leader Chris Minns will today vow to make New Year Eve fireworks free to view if Labor is elected at the next state election.

If elected in March, Mr Minns said revenue generated by ticketed events at the NYE fireworks event will be waived.

Currently, tickets can sell for up to $70 per person in popular locations like the Royal Botanic Garden, Barangaroo and Hickson Reserve.

Mr Minns said Sydney residents should be able to enjoy Sydney as well as fireworks without cost.

Yep, I am pretty sure that If I were given the opportunity, free access to the best spots to view a once a year event that may or may not be cancelled due to fire restrictions, would definitely cause me to change my voting habits.
Mick

 

[SirRumpole]

There must be an election coming time.
Someone should tell the nSW opposition leader (soon to be premier) that he does not need to do stupid stunts to get to be the new premier.
From Evil Murdoch Press

Yep, I am pretty sure that If I were given the opportunity, free access to the best spots to view a once a year event that may or may not be cancelled due to fire restrictions, would definitely cause me to change my voting habits.
Mick

Let's hope he comes up with more than that !

 

[mullokintyre]

Let's hope he comes up with more than that !

Well, its hard to tell whether the good citizens of NSW are that dumb, Minns and his minders are that dumb, or that Minns and his minders THINK the NSW citizens are that dumb.
Mick

 

[PZ99]

Whoever wins will mean the right choice is made even if the winner presents a blank page.

There's no such thing as a dumb electorate in a democracy

 

[mullokintyre]

And of course, we should not forget this headline from back in August during the election campaign, during an interview on 4bc radio back in April 2022.

I am sure that the Albanese camp will put their hand on their collective hearts and swear that at the time of the interview, the statement was true, and that the consideration of Rudd was only made after the election.
The trouble is, I can already see this as the first in string of adds where the coalition do the "you can't trust them line".
Mick

And right on cue, the ruddster is straight in to giving his hosts lectures on how to run their country.
From The Evil murdoch press

Kevin Rudd has urged the US to stop throwing “allies under a bus” and open its economy to Asia-Pacific nations to limit Chinese influence.
The incoming ambassador to the US said the Biden administration was working with “one arm tied behind its back” in trying to ensure nations in the key strategic region did not become allies of China.

“What is the missing element in US grand strategy? It’s called the economy, stupid,” Mr Rudd told Bloomberg TV.
“And that is: you cannot continue to assume that there’ll be collective solidarity on security questions, but on the economy, the United States (is) happy to throw some of its allies under a bus.

“And for those reasons, the United States congress needs to embrace, instead, a different strategy, which opens its markets more to its allies in Asia and in Europe, despite the over-riding protection sentiment of the US congress and political class in general.”

Mr Rudd signalled he did not believe the strategic strategy of US President Joe Biden could succeed unless the world’s largest economy liberalised its trade policies.

“You cannot have a strategy which has one arm tied behind its back – namely, trade and the economy,” Mr Rudd said.

“You must, in fact, have both wings flying – otherwise this bird doesn’t take off.”

Mr Rudd’s comments suggest he will lobby hard for the US to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade agreement between most Pacific Rim economies.

The Yanks must be so grateful.
Mick

 

[mullokintyre]

Why is it that there always seems to be different rules for China?
From The Evil Murdoch Empire

Labor Minister Murray Watt has swatted away accusations that China is being hypocritical for condemning countries who plan to temporarily screen its travellers for Covid while planning to also make Australians take a PCR test ahead of travel to China.

“I don’t think it’s really helpful for politicians to be getting into labelling the actions of other countries,” Senator Watt told Sky News Australia, adding it was a "matter for other countries to decide what they do" about foreign travellers.

“What we’ve decided to do on behalf of the Australian people is take a decision about entries into Australia.

“Obviously it is a fact that China is requiring a similar requirement of Australians entering the country, and again I guess that reflects the kind of policies that they've decided to take in relation to their own country.”

Australian Strategic Policy Institute senior fellow Peter Jennings said double standards were being displayed by Beijing after a Chinese government spokesman said the regime was preparing to retaliate against nations that were forcing its citizens to undertake a Covid test ahead of entry.

“That is very much how they operate, it is always to shift the blame on to another country,” Mr Jennings said.

I did not hear Mr Watt say anything about K Rudd telling the Americans what they should do.
Double standards by China, no it can't be.
Mick

 

[PZ99]

Why is it that there always seems to be different rules for China?
From The Evil Murdoch Empire

I did not hear Mr Watt say anything about K Rudd telling the Americans what they should do.
Double standards by China, no it can't be.
Mick

Why would he? What Rudd says at the moment has zip to with the Govt.

Ever heard of freedom of speech ? Or do we have to be hypocritical about that as well ?

 

[mullokintyre]

Why would he? What Rudd says at the moment has zip to with the Govt.

Ever heard of freedom of speech ? Or do we have to be hypocritical about that as well ?

Free speech is usually bought up when it agrees with the bringer upperer's political bias.
otherwise its Disinformation, or a RWNJ, or LWN or maybe A christian NJ.
Mick

 

[PZ99]

Free speech is usually bought up when it agrees with the bringer upperer's political bias.
otherwise its Disinformation, or a RWNJ, or LWN or maybe A christian NJ.
Mick

Ok so which of those descriptions fit the article from The Evil Murdoch Empire ?

The Australian people voted to reject the "drums of war" narrative from Peter Dutton and replace it with at least some level of sensible diplomacy and that's what Murray Watt was obviously instructed to do.

Any connection between that and Rudd's comments seem spurious at best and politically biased at worst.

 

[mullokintyre]

Ok so which of those descriptions fit the article from The Evil Murdoch Empire ?

You will have to point them out, I see none.

The Australian people voted to reject the "drums of war" narrative from Peter Dutton and replace it with at least some level of sensible diplomacy and that's what Murray Watt was obviously instructed to do.

Any connection between that and Rudd's comments seem spurious at best and politically biased at worst.

Rudd holds a diplamatic post. Are you suggesting that his bagging the US is now sensible diplomacy?
We will just have to keep our biases to ourselves.
Mick

 

[PZ99]

You will have to point them out, I see none.

Not sure why you brought them up then

Rudd holds a diplamatic post.

Rudd doesn't start that post until March. Until then, he still runs the Asia Society. He can say whatever he wants, just like any other ex PM.

Are you suggesting that his bagging the US is now sensible diplomacy?

Yes, when taken into context. Telling the US to stop throwing allies (including us) under a bus does sound sensible to me. Starting with dismantling some of their economic protectionism.

We will just have to keep our biases to ourselves.

In which case this thread would be a fraction of its current length.

But yes, it is a good idea

 

[SirRumpole]

Yes, when taken into context. Telling the US to stop throwing allies (including us) under a bus does sound sensible to me. Starting with dismantling some of their economic protectionism.

Yes.

"In 2019-20, the United States was our second-largest two-way trading partner in goods and services, worth $80.8 billion. Australia's goods and services exports to the United States were $27.4 billion. Australia's total imports from the United States were $53.4 billion."

https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/in-force/ausfta/australia-united-states-fta

The US is doing pretty well out of Australia in the "free trade" game.

 

[IFocus]

I think Oz loses in most of the so called free trade agreements maybe not so with the Britts.

 

[mullokintyre]

Yes.

"In 2019-20, the United States was our second-largest two-way trading partner in goods and services, worth $80.8 billion. Australia's goods and services exports to the United States were $27.4 billion. Australia's total imports from the United States were $53.4 billion."

https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/in-force/ausfta/australia-united-states-fta

The US is doing pretty well out of Australia in the "free trade" game.

From Worlds Top Exports

Australia’s biggest export products by value in 2021 were iron ores and concentrates, coal and solid fuels made from coal, petroleum gases, gold and crude oil. In aggregate, those 5 major exports account for 64.7% of overall exports sales from Australia. That relatively large percentage suggests a concentrated range of exported goods.

Australia is a world leader for exporting iron, coal and petroleum gases.

The problem is, we need more of their stuff than they need of ours. They don't need our iron ore, our coal, petroleum gases gold or crude oil.
They produce enough of their own.
The top exports from the US to OZ

We do not have the industries to make so many of these products, even if we wanted to.
We closed down so much of our manufacturing, including cars.
Our spacecraft/aircraft industry has been completely ruined by the "we know better" mandarins at CASA, so we import everything.
We don't manufacturer any chips, high and or low end , the last solar panel factory closed years ago, all of our wind farms are imported , as are most of our battery storage systems.
It is no great surprise then that we run a deficit with the US, but I would argue that tariffs are not the main reason.
Mick

 

[moXJO]

From Worlds Top Exports


The problem is, we need more of their stuff than they need of ours. They don't need our iron ore, our coal, petroleum gases gold or crude oil.
They produce enough of their own.
The top exports from the US to OZ
View attachment 151358

We do not have the industries to make so many of these products, even if we wanted to.
We closed down so much of our manufacturing, including cars.
Our spacecraft/aircraft industry has been completely ruined by the "we know better" mandarins at CASA, so we import everything.
We don't manufacturer any chips, high and or low end , the last solar panel factory closed years ago, all of our wind farms are imported , as are most of our battery storage systems.
It is no great surprise then that we run a deficit with the US, but I would argue that tariffs are not the main reason.
Mick

Wages and associated costs are just stupidly high here.

 

[sptrawler]

Business as usual, only the faces change. ?

The PM, the premier and a billionaire’s private helicopter: What Albanese did at the weekend

The prime minister arrived in Lindsay Fox’s private helicopter for a barbecue at the billionaire’s mansion before he flew to the flood zone in Western Australia on Saturday.

www.smh.com.au

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was flown in Lindsay Fox’s private helicopter to a five-hour barbecue with the business magnate and Premier Daniel Andrews at the billionaire’s seaside mansion in Portsea last weekend.

The meeting between two of Australia’s most powerful politicians and one of the country’s wealthiest families was quietly held on Saturday afternoon after Albanese finished his official business in Victoria, and before he flew to the flood zone in Western Australia.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond over several days to requests for comment about his attendance at the social gathering and his use of the billionaire’s helicopter.

When the issue was raised with Albanese by a Nine News reporter during a press conference on Wednesday in Rockhampton, Queensland, he said: “I have private meetings all the time. And I have private meetings which are private meetings.”

 

[moXJO]

Business as usual, only the faces change. ?

The PM, the premier and a billionaire’s private helicopter: What Albanese did at the weekend

The prime minister arrived in Lindsay Fox’s private helicopter for a barbecue at the billionaire’s mansion before he flew to the flood zone in Western Australia on Saturday.

www.smh.com.au

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was flown in Lindsay Fox’s private helicopter to a five-hour barbecue with the business magnate and Premier Daniel Andrews at the billionaire’s seaside mansion in Portsea last weekend.

The meeting between two of Australia’s most powerful politicians and one of the country’s wealthiest families was quietly held on Saturday afternoon after Albanese finished his official business in Victoria, and before he flew to the flood zone in Western Australia.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond over several days to requests for comment about his attendance at the social gathering and his use of the billionaire’s helicopter.

When the issue was raised with Albanese by a Nine News reporter during a press conference on Wednesday in Rockhampton, Queensland, he said: “I have private meetings all the time. And I have private meetings which are private meetings.”

Same old same old.
Don't hear much from this government- which is good. But there's a lot of under the table deals that seem to be going on.

 

[sptrawler]

Same old same old.
Don't hear much from this government- which is good. But there's a lot of under the table deals that seem to be going on.

It's just that the Govt is on the right side of the narrative, at the moment.