The Gillard Government

[drsmith]

Kevin Rudd was almost as bad as Gillard and millions know it, no respect is required.

In the end, he got no respect from Wayne Swan nor Julia Gillard.

They gave him very much the opposite.

 

[So_Cynical]

Notice how Gillard has got her head on TV a lot today, first the Tassie fires then the cricket and the McGrath foundation , election year ? You betcha

She's as cunning and calculating as sh******* rat.

Well wonders will never cease...a Prime Minister on TV.

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Actually has anyone else noticed her ear lobes...weird.

 

[drsmith]

I dunno about the ear lobes, but the vast majority will be happy indeed when she's finally no longer gracing the idiot box.

 

[So_Cynical]

I dunno about the ear lobes, but the vast majority will be happy indeed when she's finally no longer gracing the idiot box.

LOL 1 vote Tony and the idiot box seem to be a match made in a Catholic heaven.

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Seriously have a look at her ear lobes next time she's on the telly.

 

[MrBurns]

Well wonders will never cease...a Prime Minister on TV.

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Actually has anyone else noticed her ear lobes...weird.

Funny I didn't see her on tv to announce the breaking of the surplus promise

 

[sptrawler]

Burns is a serial offender.

Anybody with a memory will remember Burn's insidious character assasination of Kevin Rudd. His new target is Julia Gillard.

I am no big fan of Julia Gillard, but a bit of respect is in order.

How can you say that, when Swan and the boys character assasinated Rudd worse than any of us could do on a public forum.
By the way Swan was his deputy, Burns'y just doesn't like him, obviously MrBurns is a better character judge than yourself.LOL

 

[Calliope]

Seriously have a look at her ear lobes next time she's on the telly.

The cartoonists picked it up ages ago...the hair, the butt, the nose the legs and the ear-lobes.

 

[sptrawler]

Look you have to give Julia credit where credit is due, she has the 'hide of a Rhino', reminds me of Carmen Lawrence.
What I would really like is an journalist to ask Swanee " what's 7 X 8 " out of the blue, I think he would gag.LOL

 

[MrBurns]

Notice how Gillard has got her head on TV a lot today, first the Tassie fires then the cricket and the McGrath foundation , election year ? You betcha

She's as cunning and calculating as sh******* rat.

Just heard she's flying to Tasmania today
As if they didn't have enough to put up with at present without Gillard using their misfortune as a political opportunity

 

[Logique]

Here's an interesting letter from Keating to Hawke....http://www.theage.com.au/national/paul-keatings-letter-to-bob-hawke-20100715-10cfx.html

Interesting indeed, and should be read for posterity. Keating understands Hawke's character well. The content of the letter tallies with my recollection of events. There was a long period where Hawke was barely functioning, and Keating was a rock for the government.

 

[chiff]

I think that David Lange summed Hawkey up fairly well when he claimed that Bob was his own point of reference.

 

[Ves]

That's a very reasonable observation, vesupria, sadly.

Why do you think it is so?

I believe that there is a disconnect between the illusion of importance that we give politicians within society and the reality of what they actually achieve. There is a certain feeling of disappointment when we put so much value on these people and they do not deliver anything substantial. The problem seems to with the system or at least what it is becoming, but this gets lost within the blame games, cheer-leading and finger pointing towards "the other side." So it just seems to hopelessly perpetuate itself.

 

[MrBurns]

I believe that there is a disconnect between the illusion of importance that we give politicians within society and the reality of what they actually achieve. There is a certain feeling of disappointment when we put so much value on these people and they do not deliver anything substantial. The problem seems to with the system or at least what it is becoming, but this gets lost within the blame games, cheer-leading and finger pointing towards "the other side." So it just seems to hopelessly perpetuate itself.

I think the system is badly flawed and it's fuelled by the media, we should have our best and brightest in Canberra but he "system" favours those who manipulate best.

 

[drsmith]

Labor's budget fantasy and how we pay for it.

a) It's most unlikely that budget surpluses to 2016 will materialise

b) Forward budgets increase spending to 17% PA more by 2016

c) The plan is to pay for that by 25% increased income from personal taxes, and 37% increased GST income among other major increases

http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/201...y-pierpont-a-bigger-scandal-that-the-awu.html

 

[sptrawler]

I believe that there is a disconnect between the illusion of importance that we give politicians within society and the reality of what they actually achieve. There is a certain feeling of disappointment when we put so much value on these people and they do not deliver anything substantial. The problem seems to with the system or at least what it is becoming, but this gets lost within the blame games, cheer-leading and finger pointing towards "the other side." So it just seems to hopelessly perpetuate itself.

At last, Ves a post that I agree with.

 

[sptrawler]

Labor's budget fantasy and how we pay for it.



http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/201...y-pierpont-a-bigger-scandal-that-the-awu.html

A great link Doc, interesting reading.
One thing for sure is the only thing saving our ar$e, is the fact our minerals are on the surface.
For the government to believe we are going to 'leap' ahead of the world with technology and 'new energy' projects, is the silliest thing I've heard in years.

Look at it logically, when we discovered all the raw materials in the mid 60's, governments placed conditions on the mining companies, that they value add.Kwinana, Whyalla, Newcastle etc were built.

Well 50 years later, we mine more than ever and value add less than ever.
So now we are going to be the clever country, I think that was the Hawke/ Keating call.
Now we have a literacy problem in universities.lol
We probably need the unions to push for more student free days for teachers to brush up, bring back Carmen.

When I played sport (many years ago) I was allways told be carefull you are not dragged down to the oppositions level.
Well the problem I see is the only difference between us and the other raw material producers is the lack of population.
Once that's fixed, watch out.

 

[sydboy007]

A great link Doc, interesting reading.
One thing for sure is the only thing saving our ar$e, is the fact our minerals are on the surface.
For the government to believe we are going to 'leap' ahead of the world with technology and 'new energy' projects, is the silliest thing I've heard in years.

Look at it logically, when we discovered all the raw materials in the mid 60's, governments placed conditions on the mining companies, that they value add.Kwinana, Whyalla, Newcastle etc were built.

Well 50 years later, we mine more than ever and value add less than ever.
So now we are going to be the clever country, I think that was the Hawke/ Keating call.
Now we have a literacy problem in universities.lol
We probably need the unions to push for more student free days for teachers to brush up, bring back Carmen.

When I played sport (many years ago) I was allways told be carefull you are not dragged down to the oppositions level.
Well the problem I see is the only difference between us and the other raw material producers is the lack of population.
Once that's fixed, watch out.

Problem is the private sector hasn't invested to maintain their competitiveness in a lot of the resource industries. There nearly as bad as the US congress on trying to sort out infrastruture issues - just see how long it takes them to agree to new port infrastructure int eh coal sector

Australian aluminium smelters are some of the most inefficient in the world. They use around 50% more energy than a lot of the new plant. Same goes for the steel making industry. Without a lot of investment they can't hope to compete. The domestic market is so small as to make it hard to build up the appropriate cost competitive scale.

We'd be better served using some of the natural gas we have to produce a lot of the chemicals required as feedstock for a lot of the basic of modern day life. The US is already seeing a large growth in these kind of industries with teh cheap shale oil there. At least investing in this would use a natural advantage rather than trying to prop up industries that will keep their hands out till we're bankrupted.

If only a political party could come up with a way to encourage an Australian Mittelstand they would get my vote!

 

[sptrawler]

Problem is the private sector hasn't invested to maintain their competitiveness in a lot of the resource industries. There nearly as bad as the US congress on trying to sort out infrastruture issues - just see how long it takes them to agree to new port infrastructure int eh coal sector

Australian aluminium smelters are some of the most inefficient in the world. They use around 50% more energy than a lot of the new plant. Same goes for the steel making industry. Without a lot of investment they can't hope to compete. The domestic market is so small as to make it hard to build up the appropriate cost competitive scale.

We'd be better served using some of the natural gas we have to produce a lot of the chemicals required as feedstock for a lot of the basic of modern day life. The US is already seeing a large growth in these kind of industries with teh cheap shale oil there. At least investing in this would use a natural advantage rather than trying to prop up industries that will keep their hands out till we're bankrupted.

If only a political party could come up with a way to encourage an Australian Mittelstand they would get my vote!

Companies only invest in what has a commercial return, they have no social responsibility.
The Government has a social responsibility to impose financially viable costs on the company to further the countries prospects.
The domestic market doesn't matter if the process cost is low and the raw material export cost is increased.
This would reduce the enticement for a company to sell ore to a parent company overseas and process there.

 

[sptrawler]

Australian aluminium smelters are some of the most inefficient in the world. They use around 50% more energy than a lot of the new plant. Same goes for the steel making industry. Without a lot of investment they can't hope to compete. The domestic market is so small as to make it hard to build up the appropriate cost competitive scale.

Well then up the cost on the tonnage royalties on feed stock untill it makes sense to value add here.
Also increase the export cost on feedstock( buaxite)
Lets not forget most of these companies are overseas owned.
Why the hell would you put in place a tax on profits, when overseas mining companies are selling to parent companies.
Why wouldn't you work out the recovery cost compared to competing countries and tax accordingly.
Then allow them a discount if they are prepared to value add in Australia.

 

[sydboy007]

Companies only invest in what has a commercial return, they have no social responsibility.
The Government has a social responsibility to impose financially viable costs on the company to further the countries prospects.
The domestic market doesn't matter if the process cost is low and the raw material export cost is increased.
This would reduce the enticement for a company to sell ore to a parent company overseas and process there.

So your proposing the Govt pick winners?

I thought the person willing to pay the highest price gets to buy? As a shareholder in BHP or RIO would you be OK forced to sell your product to a local company at a discount? That kind of system just leads to inefficiency.

Not exactly sure what you mean by if the process cost is low and the raw material export cost is increased

Sounds not too free market to me.

After $30+ billion in handouts to the car industry they still can't compete. I'd argue that money would have been better spent on funding biomedical research, agricultural crop improvements (along the lines of BT cotton or wheat that can grow in saline conditions) building infrastructure to improve economic growth, funding the CSIRO and other institutions doing basic scientific research. Heck, investing it so that the brilliant ideas generated here can also be commericalised here, rather than sold off cheaply to overseas companies.

The great things with IP is you don't need to make it. Come up with a new drug, new drought resistant form or wheat / soy and you then team up with a global company that has the marketing and production resources to sell it around the world. License the IP to them and rack in the royalty cheques for years to come. The CSIRO is going to get half a billion in royalties for their patents for wireless communications.

I don't see anyone offering those kind of solutions for the next engine our of economic prosperity.