Has Clive Palmer gone loco?

[SirRumpole]

But maybe he is just off topic.

Maybe it is, but to get it back on topic, I think Palmer is a dangerous buffoon who is in Parliament for his own benefit, and the rest of his entourage are besotted with his obvious egotistical charms, although they may be good people in their own right. We can't be sure because Palmer keeps taking the limelight.

However, if Palmer et al can secure a better deal for those on low incomes who have been hit with this patently unfair budget before he and his party self implodes, then he will have at least achieved something worthwhile.

 

[Calliope]

 

[Calliope]

Palmer is indeed a friend of those on low incomes. He understands their problems.

ARE you on the dole and looking for empathy? It is OK, Clive Palmer has been there too. Worried about debt and public spending? Never fear, for Clive shares your concern. Hate budget cuts and think the debt challenge is overblown? Clive and his party are on your side too. After all, Clive knows what it is like to be homeless, without a nickel, and also knows how to export $20 billion worth of nickel. If you want to do business with Beijing, Clive has sat on Mao’s knee and will put you in touch with all the right people. But if you would prefer to denounce China and generate fear about foreign investment, Clive can be your man too. Billionaire or busker, investment spruiker or foreign ownership fearmonger, deficit dalek or spendthrift, Sinophobe or Sinophile ”” Mr Palmer is whatever he thinks you want him to be. Or whatever suits his purposes for the day. He denies a human influence on climate one minute and promise a “better world” with Al Gore the next. Like The Terminator, he takes a body blow, disintegrates before your eyes, then reshapes his sizeable personage to reappear in a guise to suit the zeitgeist.

Yet until this week Mr Palmer has escaped serious criticism and scrutiny from much of the media and, even now, the misfits on the Green-Left fringe (including publicly-funded journalists) continue to make excuses for him and revel in his antics.

(my bolds)

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opi...balance-of-power/story-e6frg71x-1227031239920

 

[Knobby22]

Well of course he is a man for all seasons. He is a politician. Even Joe Hockey feels for the small guy and knows what it is like and his budget is only to help them. Adam Bandt is one of the people to such an extent it is astounding . Bill Shorten is an ordinary guy who understands the ordinary person because he is one (yawn). As I said, they are politicians.

I can tell you that the ABC press in Victoria has not been kind to Palmer at all despite what the Australian says, not in the least.(but then the Australian have their own agenda's to push ....and they do in every single article (refer Goebbels quote).

 

[Julia]

For anyone not entirely sure what Clive Palmer's dispute with Citic Pacific is all about, the ABC RN Breakfast program has put together a good summary, their group think finally appearing to wake up to the need to expose Mr Palmer for what he is.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/clive-palmers-china-dispute/5685594

 

[Calliope]

I can tell you that the ABC press in Victoria has not been kind to Palmer at all despite what the Australian says, not in the least.

That must be very hurtful to you considering you look to Palmer as your last hope for responsible government, and also your admiration for Lambie and The Brick and Wang.

 

[drsmith]

Niki Savva in today's opinion piece on Clive Palmer in The Australian saves the biggest spray for the major parties,

Bill Shorten could help by stepping in to claim the mantle of opposition leader/alternative PM from Palmer. He should heed the colourful words of one of his own to describe what lies ahead. “The punters have been looking at Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey and saying: ‘You are a bunch of arseholes, plus you are not that good.’ Some time before the next election they will turn to us and say, ‘What about you guys? Hah. They are arseholes, you are tools.’ ”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opi...alition-a-chance/story-fnahw9xv-1227031182771

 

[SirRumpole]

Bill Shorten could help by stepping in to claim the mantle of opposition leader/alternative PM from Palmer. He should heed the colourful words of one of his own to describe what lies ahead. “The punters have been looking at Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey and saying: ‘You are a bunch of arseholes, plus you are not that good.’ Some time before the next election they will turn to us and say, ‘What about you guys? Hah. They are arseholes, you are tools.’ ”

Typical Nikki Savva piece that pushes the standard of debate further into the gutter.

What a disgrace she is.

 

[drsmith]

Typical Nikki Savva piece that pushes the standard of debate further into the gutter.

What a disgrace she is.

As a veteran and I what I generally regard a reasoned voice in Australian politics, she's expressing her extreme frustration with both the major parties, in particular the Libs.

 

[banco]

Typical Nikki Savva piece that pushes the standard of debate further into the gutter.

What a disgrace she is.

Think you are being a bit precious.

Tony Abbott's problem since forever is that he comes across to a substantial slice of the public as an asshole. John Howard never really had that problem and his policies were similar.

 

[SirRumpole]

John Howard never really had that problem and his policies were similar.

I think he got a similar problem after "children overboard", Siev-X, weapons of mass destruction and the AWB scandal.

 

[sptrawler]

I think he got a similar problem after "children overboard", Siev-X, weapons of mass destruction and the AWB scandal.

Somewhat like the problem Rudd and Gillard got, after pink batts, school halls, carbon tax scandals.
It would appear the perception of poor politicians isn't limited to the LNP, but as has been mentioned, thread drift is occuring.

 

[Julia]

Typical Nikki Savva piece that pushes the standard of debate further into the gutter.

What a disgrace she is.

What did you so disapprove of in Nikki Savva's article, Rumpole?
I found it a pretty intelligent and accurate summary of the current situation. She is not showing bias toward either of the main parties.

 

[Julia]

Tony Abbott's problem since forever is that he comes across to a substantial slice of the public as an asshole. John Howard never really had that problem and his policies were similar.

I agree, banco. John Howard had a calm assurance about him without being arrogant. He also had a genuine feel for how he was being perceived by the electorate.

Tony Abbott is, I think, getting a bit better at this, but Joe Hockey still hasn't a clue. Ditto Brandis and Abetz.
Meantime people like Sussan Ley and Kelly O'Dwyer are languishing on the back bench and Malcolm Turnbull continues to be sidelined in Communications instead of taking over from Hockey.

I suppose the internal politics are extremely difficult. We don't see any of that.

 

[Julia]

To get back onto the thread topic, this from today's "The Australian" on how things are not going so well for Mr Palmer.

CLIVE Palmer has suffered a *disastrous day in his multi-pronged legal war with Chinese corporate giant Citic Pacific, with judges in two states ruling against attempts by his flagship company to take control of a key iron ore port in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

Mr Palmer suggested on the ABC’s Q&A on Monday that he had won a series of recent legal judgments over Citic, describing his estranged business partner as “Chinese mongrels”.

In Sydney yesterday, the full bench of the Federal Court overturned a ruling in February that designated Mr Palmer’s vehicle, Mineralogy, as port operator for maritime security purposes at Cape Preston, a key infrastructure component of the $10 billion Sino Iron project. The state-owned Citic’s successful appeal means the federal Department of Infrastructure will decide on a new port operator at Cape Preston, which Citic has been using to export iron ore since December. When Mr Palmer won the first round of the port battle in February, he said: “I predict this will be the first of many judgments to come our way in the next 12 months.”

IN DEPTH: Clive Palmer

In a separate case in Perth, the Federal Court threw out Mineralogy’s application to become the security operator of Cape Preston’s facilities ”” a smaller area that includes buildings, installations and equipment used in connection with ship loading. Mineralogy was ordered to pay Citic’s costs for both cases, adding to a $1 million-plus legal bill that Mr Palmer sustained in a separate loss in the West Australian Sup*reme Court this month. In that case, judge James Edelman described Mineralogy’s courtroom tactics in its fight with Citic over royalties from the Sino Iron project as “absurd” and “unreasonable”.

Mineralogy’s law firm in both of yesterday’s cases was HopgoodGanim, which was named one of the biggest recipients from more than $12m in Chinese funds allegedly wrongfully siphoned by Mr Palmer from a bank account set up for expenses at Cape Preston.

The Australian revealed in June that Federal Court documents showed HopgoodGanim was paid more than $450,000, with cheques drawn on the bank account between March and December last year for legal costs related to disputes with Citic Pacific.

In a third case, before the Queensland Supreme Court yesterday, Mr Palmer argued a legal attack on him by Citic was an abuse of process driven by a desire to destroy his reputation. Citic subsidiary Sino Iron is suing Mr Palmer for $10m, alleging he knew of his company’s allegedly fraudulent and dishonest misuse of the $12m.

Mr Palmer’s barrister, Thomas Bradley QC, told the court Sino Iron’s claim was “founded on fiction” and was improperly claiming financial relief from Mr Palmer when there was no allegation he had personally received a benefit from the allegedly misused funds. Mr Palmer and his companies have denied any wrongdoing.

At Mr Palmer’s request, the judge ordered that none of the affidavits and supporting exhibits be released to media and other third parties until another legal argument next week.

In the Federal Court in Sydney, judge Robert Buchanan said the court had found in favour of Sino Iron, after its lawyers argued Mineralogy should not have been granted federal government approval to control the port as it failed to meet a string of key requirements.

Mineralogy lawyer James Peters SC rejected claims the company had been improperly appointed to run the port and said it had the “blessing of the state” to do so. In January last year, the Infrastructure Department announced Mineralogy would be the operator “for the security regulated port of Cape Preston”, but reversed that decision.

Sino Iron sued to gain control of the port but in February the Federal Court ruled in favour of Mineralogy. Sino Iron appealed and, yesterday, the court ruled the orders in February be set aside and that Mineralogy pay Sino Iron’s legal costs.

Earlier, in Perth, judge Neil McKerracher ruled against Mineralogy’s application to become the security operator for the facilities at Cape Preston. “Mineralogy’s complaints cannot be sustained,” he said. Citic said yesterday it was pleased the court had found in its favour in both cases. Mr Palmer could not be reached for comment.

 

[SirRumpole]

What did you so disapprove of in Nikki Savva's article, Rumpole?
I found it a pretty intelligent and accurate summary of the current situation. She is not showing bias toward either of the main parties.

Can't she write an article with the swearwords ?

 

[noco]

Well, Clive Palmer has done his dash with Chinese for ever......The Chows have now imposed sanctions on any further business dealings.


http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...re-extraordinary/story-fnihslxi-1227032317032

 

[Calliope]

Well, Clive Palmer has done his dash with Chinese for ever......The Chows have now imposed sanctions on any further business dealings.

Chows? This is the sort of language I would expect Clive Palmer to use.

Chow
[chou] Spell Syllables
noun, Australian Disparaging and Offensive.
.
a contemptuous term used to refer to a Chinese person

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chow

 

[Knobby22]

Well he definitely asked for it.

 

[Julia]

Well, Clive Palmer has done his dash with Chinese for ever......The Chows have now imposed sanctions on any further business dealings.


http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...re-extraordinary/story-fnihslxi-1227032317032

noco, do you actually read the story before linking to it? I referred to it yesterday. The Chinese have not imposed any sanctions. It's simply an editorial from a Chinese tabloid newspaper suggesting that is what should happen.

It might happen and if it did, he has - as Knobby has suggested - would have absolutely asked for it, but at this stage it's just a opinion from a person at a newspaper, probably designed - as with many of our papers - to create attention and sell more copies.