Corruption in the Liberal Party

[noco]

I think we just have to accept the fact that corruption is a bipartisan matter.

The Askin , Burke and Bjelke Peterson years were some of the most corrupt in history, and it will take Independent bodies like ICAC to expose anything happening today.

The relationships between property developers and governments of all shades and at all levels needs to be thoroughly probed as well as the Obeid type of blatant rorting and the more subtle 'favours for mates' type of corruption.

I want to see a party (maybe the Greens) campaign strongly on public funding of political parties, which may go some way to ending political patronage and influence peddling on all sides of politics.

Don't forget the comrades of the Greens...Gillard, Shorten, Tony Burke and Steven Conroy.

Are you serious about giving the Greens more strength?

 

[SirRumpole]

Don't forget the comrades of the Greens...Gillard, Shorten, Tony Burke and Steven Conroy.

Are you serious about giving the Greens more strength?

If they can bring about an end to the corruption of the major parties, yes.

Once the Libs and Labor get their act together and show that they can govern for us and not their mates in the unions or business then they may be worth considering again.

 

[sydboy007]

All good ideas Syd, but it isn't going to happen while the two major parties hold sway.

Do I interpret your last post as an endorsement of the Greens ? (It's fine if it is, I just want to know)

I suppose the Greens are to me like all other parties. Some good ideas amongst the chaff, but no overall narrative i can follow that makes me believe that voting them in will see me and the rest of the country better off in 10+ years.

 

[banco]

I think we just have to accept the fact that corruption is a bipartisan matter.

The Askin , Burke and Bjelke Peterson years were some of the most corrupt in history, and it will take Independent bodies like ICAC to expose anything happening today.

The relationships between property developers and governments of all shades and at all levels needs to be thoroughly probed as well as the Obeid type of blatant rorting and the more subtle 'favours for mates' type of corruption.

I want to see a party (maybe the Greens) campaign strongly on public funding of political parties, which may go some way to ending political patronage and influence peddling on all sides of politics.

I suppose you're right. I grew up with Obeid and co so I take them particularly personally. I guess my problem is that Australians don't have as much contempt for certain politicians as they rightly should. Obeid should be spat on in the street yet he's swanning around Sydney still.

Sir Joh is still venerated by certain queenslanders without any brains.

 

[noco]

I suppose the Greens are to me like all other parties. Some good ideas amongst the chaff, but no overall narrative i can follow that makes me believe that voting them in will see me and the rest of the country better off in 10+ years.

You have to be joking Syd.......how could we possibly be better off..

No coal fired power stations.

Close down all the coal mines

Reliant on renewable energy.

Increase the carbon tax to $100 per tonne

Burn candles at night and no air conditioning in the tropics....no heating in the winter time.

Increase taxes to all business

Send more business down the gurgler.

Increase unemployment.

Control freedom of speech.

Control the media.

Create racial hatred.

Nationalize the banks, mining, manufacturing and agriculture.

Yeah sure we will be better off living in Ethiopia.....

Pigs might fly also.

 

[McLovin]

I suppose you're right. I grew up with Obeid and co so I take them particularly personally. I guess my problem is that Australians don't have as much contempt for certain politicians as they rightly should. Obeid should be spat on in the street yet he's swanning around Sydney still.

Obeid being a crook was an open secret in Sydney. I really don't know how he lasted so long. He'll get plenty of time to think about what he's done once he's wearing his green tracksuit.

 

[McLovin]

You have to be joking Syd.......how could we possibly be better off..

No coal fired power stations.

Close down all the coal mines

Reliant on renewable energy.

Increase the carbon tax to $100 per tonne

Burn candles at night and no air conditioning in the tropics....no heating in the winter time.

Increase taxes to all business

Send more business down the gurgler.

Increase unemployment.

Control freedom of speech.

Control the media.

Create racial hatred.

Nationalize the banks, mining, manufacturing and agriculture.

Yeah sure we will be better off living in Ethiopia.....

Pigs might fly also.

I think you need to reread syd's post.

 

[noco]

I think you need to reread syd's post.

Why do I have to reread Syd's post...it is perfectly clear to me.

 

[banco]

Obeid being a crook was an open secret in Sydney. I really don't know how he lasted so long. He'll get plenty of time to think about what he's done once he's wearing his green tracksuit.

I wouldn't count on it. I think for technical reasons a lot of the potential charges will be hard to get a conviction on. You'll notice the mount penny mining ICAC report came down in July last year and he hasn't been charged with diddly squat.

 

[McLovin]

Why do I have to reread Syd's post...it is perfectly clear to me.

Because he said we wouldn't be better off under the Greens.

 

[SirRumpole]

Obeid being a crook was an open secret in Sydney. I really don't know how he lasted so long. He'll get plenty of time to think about what he's done once he's wearing his green tracksuit.

I really hope it comes to that, but he's got the dough to pay the best lawyers, and I doubt he will end up in the klink.

 

[Julia]

If they can bring about an end to the corruption of the major parties, yes.

Dream on, Rumpole. The Greens themselves engage in a type of corruption re their insistence that we are all doomed unless we dump electricity for candles etc. (Yes I'm exaggerating to make the point).
They are economic illiterates. There is no reason to imagine they have any way of ending corruption in the major parties.

Corruption is endemic across Australian politics and in business. It just blew me away when I came here from NZ two decades ago. In a country where people celebrate an outlaw as a major hero, I suppose it's not surprising.

I suppose the Greens are to me like all other parties. Some good ideas amongst the chaff, but no overall narrative i can follow that makes me believe that voting them in will see me and the rest of the country better off in 10+ years.

As McLovin says, noco, Syd is not advocating for the Greens.

 

[SirRumpole]

It just blew me away when I came here from NZ two decades ago. In a country where people celebrate an outlaw as a major hero, I suppose it's not surprising.

You came from New Zealand ? Welcome(belatedly). Is NZ's political system any better ?

Your snide remark about worshipping an outlaw is in bad taste. Like everything similar those with a vested interest like running museums, making movies or writing books talk people's dubious exploits up for their own gain. The rest of us don't give a rats.

 

[SirRumpole]

Dream on, Rumpole. The Greens themselves engage in a type of corruption re their insistence that we are all doomed unless we dump electricity for candles etc. (Yes I'm exaggerating to make the point).
They are economic illiterates. There is no reason to imagine they have any way of ending corruption in the major parties.
.

The Greens are the only party that advocates public funding of political parties, the only way the power of vested interests like unions, business and lobbyists can be reduced. That's worth at least a preference vote to me.

 

[sydboy007]

You have to be joking Syd.......how could we possibly be better off..

You support a party that believes PPL is a great way to spend tax payer funds, that believes it's OK to allow bigots to spread their bile, and doesn't believe the Federal Govt should support public transport.

You support a PM who stood side by side with Don Randall and pretty much did his best to justify a $5K taxpayer funded 2 hour meeting.

Take off you blinkers noco. Start looking at the reality rather than having all your views shaped by Newscorp. Life is not all black and white. Most of it is varying shades of grey. No political party is all good or all bad. There's rotten apples everywhere and the harder we voters come down on parties protecting their corrupt members the better.

I've said repeatedly on this site I don't think any of the political parties are worthy of my vote. None of them are really about tackling the challenges we face as a country. It's all window dressing with the odd good piece of policy. We're a country that has something like $128B in tax expenditures each year, and there's so far not any political will to start looking at these massive holes in Government revenue. Our political leaders have wedged themselves into opposing introducing or increasing more efficient taxes, instead fiddling around the edges with the current very inefficient system we have. We rely too heavily on destructive corporate and income taxes, yet no party is willing to show / educate the public on why we need to start making changes NOW. 2010 was the peak worker to dependent ratio. It's all down hill from now, with the decline quite steep to 2030.

We have Hockey making some pleasing noise regarding the aged pension, yet still ignoring the fact too many people get more than half the cost of the aged pension each year in superannuation tax expenditures, then Labor trying to stir up fear and loathing about sensible pension reforms, with Abbott showing he has little to no ticker to do anything that requires getting the public to understand the difficult choices we face.

So if you're 100% happy with the Liberal party and everything they're trying to achieve at state and federal levels, well kudos to you. I might even be interested in which happy pills you've been prescribed as the way things are going I might need some to numb the disappointment I have with our political system. As for myself, and judging by the many postings from other members on this site, most of us are resigned to picking the least smelly option each election and long for TRUE political LEADERSHIP.

 

[SirRumpole]

... and long for TRUE political LEADERSHIP.

Yep, what we need is another Keating.

Or maybe the same one

 

[explod]

Yep, what we need is another Keating.

Or maybe the same one

Agree.

As a youngster my Mother was left wing but my Dad particularly admired Fraser who gave particular attention to the welfare of the less well off.

Politics have shifted so far from reality and the needs of the average Joe that one can only shake the head.

Noco, an eye opener for you would be a few hours a week doing voluntary for the Salvo's

 

[noco]

You support a party that believes PPL is a great way to spend tax payer funds, that believes it's OK to allow bigots to spread their bile, and doesn't believe the Federal Govt should support public transport.

Firstly, I have repeatedly stated that I oppose the PPL and if you are astute enough you would have noted that before putting your foot in your mouth.

You support a PM who stood side by side with Don Randall and pretty much did his best to justify a $5K taxpayer funded 2 hour meeting.

Yes and the comrades of the Greens do it so much better.

Take off you blinkers noco. Start looking at the reality rather than having all your views shaped by Newscorp. Life is not all black and white. Most of it is varying shades of grey. No political party is all good or all bad. There's rotten apples everywhere and the harder we voters come down on parties protecting their corrupt members the better.

Yes there is 95% rotten apples in the Greens comrades and 5% in the Liberals as we about to find out very soon.

I've said repeatedly on this site I don't think any of the political parties are worthy of my vote. None of them are really about tackling the challenges we face as a country. It's all window dressing with the odd good piece of policy. We're a country that has something like $128B in tax expenditures each year, and there's so far not any political will to start looking at these massive holes in Government revenue. Our political leaders have wedged themselves into opposing introducing or increasing more efficient taxes, instead fiddling around the edges with the current very inefficient system we have. We rely too heavily on destructive corporate and income taxes, yet no party is willing to show / educate the public on why we need to start making changes NOW. 2010 was the peak worker to dependent ratio. It's all down hill from now, with the decline quite steep to 2030.

I beg to differ with you that point...history keeps repeating its self ...Comrades of the Greens rack up a huge credit card debt and the Liberals have to find a way to pay it back.

We have Hockey making some pleasing noise regarding the aged pension, yet still ignoring the fact too many people get more than half the cost of the aged pension each year in superannuation tax expenditures, then Labor trying to stir up fear and loathing about sensible pension reforms, with Abbott showing he has little to no ticker to do anything that requires getting the public to understand the difficult choices we face.

It was Comrades of the Greens who wanted to increase the age of retirement to 67......You have to be realistic that the age of entitlement is coming to an end, given the fact that modern medical science and stem cell research is helping people to live longer and therefore should be able to work longer even at reduced hours....My grand children will be living to 100 and my great children will be living to 120......work is the best thing to help keep you alive...I was still working at 82.....now don't tell me I am crazy...it keeps your body, mind and soul in good shape.

So if you're 100% happy with the Liberal party and everything they're trying to achieve at state and federal levels, well kudos to you. I might even be interested in which happy pills you've been prescribed as the way things are going I might need some to numb the disappointment I have with our political system. As for myself, and judging by the many postings from other members on this site, most of us are resigned to picking the least smelly option each election and long for TRUE political LEADERSHIP.

We all have our own opinions and each and every one should accept the others opinion without prejudice or personal attacks.

I guess we will have to wait and see how the present government fairs in their remaining term and then judge them from there....I hope they do get another term because there is no way they can rectify the mess left by the previous Government in just 3 years.

 

[noco]

Agree.

As a youngster my Mother was left wing but my Dad particularly admired Fraser who gave particular attention to the welfare of the less well off.

Politics have shifted so far from reality and the needs of the average Joe that one can only shake the head.

Noco, an eye opener for you would be a few hours a week doing voluntary for the Salvo's

My friend I was on the Management board of the Salvation Army for 3 years...I am very familiar with the Sallies

 

[Julia]

You came from New Zealand ? Welcome(belatedly). Is NZ's political system any better ?

New Zealand is consistently rated in the top three of the world's least corrupt countries.

Your snide remark about worshipping an outlaw is in bad taste.

It's an observation made from many articles, radio programs etc over the time I've lived here. Nothing to do with museums, movies or books. There is a clearly widespread observable benign regard for Ned Kelly, often uttered in the same vein as the affection for the Australian 'larrikin' character.

My friend I was on the Management board of the Salvation Army for 3 years...I am very familiar with the Sallies

So funny. Explod, you really can't draw conclusions about people's character when you don't know them.

The irony is that if noco were to be similarly enthusiastic about Labor or the Greens you'd likely regard him as being something close to the archangel Gabriel.