April Auspol: Better Nate than Lever!!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > April Auspol: Better Nate than Lever!!

Sulla Faex: May 14, 2010; No man ever did me so much good, or enemy so much harm, but I repaid him with ENDLESS SHITPOSTING

Doctor Spaceman posted:

Personally I'm okay with not forcing constitutional crisis just because the Coalition are in government.

We should trigger a double dissolution every time the coalition or labor are in power.

Also isn't the point of the GG to kind of function as a watchdog to make sure the people in power aren't loving everything up.

We have a government that's lied on every single promise, is taking steps to self-destruct the Australian economy and ratfuck the country and its citizens, and the traditional checks/balances are failing because its opposition is equal parts corrupt and incompetent.

Under what circumstances should a democratically-elected but damaging government be ousted by the GG? I mean just off the top of your head, what poo poo qualifies as "this is obviously the opposite of what a government operating in the country's best interests would do"? An unwinnable war with China? Debt slavery? Slavery in general? Reintroduction of the WAP?

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:17

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# ? Jun 9, 2024 10:09

Drugs: Jul 16, 2010; I don't like people who take drugs. Customs agents, for example - Albert Einstein

I'm glad to see the Bong Snortin has finally found his voice, valiantly defending the rich from the threat of a small tax increase.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:20

Sulla Faex: May 14, 2010; No man ever did me so much good, or enemy so much harm, but I repaid him with ENDLESS SHITPOSTING

I'm at work so that response was kind of slapdash but what I mean is, under what circumstances would you be happy to trigger a DD considering all the poo poo that a government in the right context could force through if the opposition party were either sufficiently incompetent or corrupt enough to not block its actions. I.e. if a lovely government were functioning unopposed. What checks or balances do we have to offset the damage they could cause in the 3 years prior to the next election? And with no guarantee that the next election would perform any differently given the aforementioned (hypothetical, naturally) absence of a legitimate opposition party.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:20

Doctor Spaceman: Jul 6, 2010; "Everyone's entitled to their point of view, but that's seriously a weird one."

Sulla-Marius 88 posted:

We should trigger a double dissolution every time the coalition or labor are in power.

Also isn't the point of the GG to kind of function as a watchdog to make sure the people in power aren't loving everything up.

IANAL, but I'm also pretty sure that there's not a clear answer to that question.

A DD before July 1 is a constitutional mess, and a DD afterwards is just doubling-down on the crazy senate.

As for when you'd want to block supply, I think at the very least you'd end need a strong inkling that you'd end up with a better government afterwards.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:21

Wrestlepig: Feb 25, 2011; my mum says im cool; Toilet Rascal

These liberal backbenchers are taking permanent opposition to the next level.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:22

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

Haters Objector posted:

I'm glad to see the Bong Snortin has finally found his voice, valiantly defending the rich from the threat of a small tax increase.

It worked for Abbott!

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:24

Skellybones: May 31, 2011; Fun Shoe

This is amazingly fukt.

Is there actually someone capable of replacing the ahhhh, charisma of Tony?

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:28

Sulla Faex: May 14, 2010; No man ever did me so much good, or enemy so much harm, but I repaid him with ENDLESS SHITPOSTING

Doctor Spaceman posted:

IANAL, but I'm also pretty sure that there's not a clear answer to that question.

A DD before July 1 is a constitutional mess, and a DD afterwards is just doubling-down on the crazy senate.

As for when you'd want to block supply, I think at the very least you'd end need a strong inkling that you'd end up with a better government afterwards.

I didn't mean in a legal sense really, more theoretical/philosophical. I was asking about the checks and balances that are supposed to stop a government from operating too far beyond of its 'mandate' (oh lord). As far as I'm aware the success of these C/Bs kind of hangs on the idea that the opposition party will have its own agency and will still be functionally capable of recognising and supporting public dissatisfaction with the governing party, and that if the people are satisfied with neither party, they will elevate the power of tertiary parties. But that's still waiting for the next election, and there are a lot of logistical and practical requirements that actually slows that inertia, no matter how dissatisfied people get.

But for those 3 years a government running unopposed can enact some pretty loving harsh measures that can take 40 years to repeal. What do we do then?

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:30

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

Shadeoses posted:

This is amazingly fukt.

Is there actually someone capable of replacing the ahhhh, charisma of Tony?

Prime Minister Hockey
Prime Minister Bishop
Prime Minister Turnbull
Prime Minister Pyne
Prime Minister Morrison

brb my keyboard appears to have been covered in bile

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:33

Negligent: Aug 20, 2013; Its just lovely here this time of year.

Troy Buswell got drunk at a wedding and crashed his government car into a bunch of other cars, a roundabout, the gate to his house etc.

Fined $3,100 and loses his licence for 12 months. Remains in Parliament and will probably return to the ministry.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-29/former-wa-treasurer-buswell-admits-to-driving-offences/5418122

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:36

Sulla Faex: May 14, 2010; No man ever did me so much good, or enemy so much harm, but I repaid him with ENDLESS SHITPOSTING

^ Probably came back from a party-showing of The Wolf of Wall Street

Lid posted:

Prime Minister Hockey
Prime Minister Bishop
Prime Minister Turnbull
Prime Minister Pyne
Prime Minister Morrison

brb my keyboard appears to have been covered in bile

A succession of knife-wielding Brutuses standing over a growing pile of flabby corpses lying on News Corp's floor

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:40

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

Sulla-Marius 88 posted:

^ Probably came back from a party-showing of The Wolf of Wall Street

A succession of knife-wielding Brutuses standing over a growing pile of flabby corpses lying on News Corp's floor

The Liberal Prime Ministership is like four politicians standing on the edge of a cliff...

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:42

Nuclear Spy: Jun 10, 2008; feeling under?

Lid posted:

Prime Minister Hockey
Prime Minister Bishop
Prime Minister Turnbull
Prime Minister Pyne
Prime Minister Morrison

brb my keyboard appears to have been covered in bile

Imagine a shake up of the Cabinet:
Prime Minister Hockey
Treasurer Bishop
Immigration Minister Turnbull
Foreign Affairs Minister Pyne
Education Minister Morrison

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:52

Cartoon: Jun 20, 2008; poop

Nuclear Spy posted:

Imagine a shake up of the Cabinet:
Prime Minister Hockey
Treasurer Bishop
Immigration Minister Turnbull
Foreign Affairs Minister Pyne
Education Minister Morrison

Like that's in any way worse than the one we have now?

# ? Apr 29, 2014 11:56

BogDew: Jun 14, 2006; E:\FILES>quickfli clown.fli

It would depend who wins out of Hockey, Bishop or Turnbull. Both have their grudges to bare against the others in the front ranks and it's clear that if Turnbull returns then Pyne could get sent to the back, at the least.

I could see a Hockey or Bishop administration kicking out Turnbull and any other related "dissenters" in order to keep as much of the Abbott bench intact as possible. It's clear that in their eyes the communication minster's position is pretty much a dunce corner, so anyone can keep the seat warm, it's almost the perfect spot to put Pyne as it keeps him to the side and he's pitiless enough to see it as defeating Turnbull.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:01

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

Ludlam-sama's Facebook says the Greens have the third slot in the Senate!

edit: Wait, misread it, thought he meant they got three seats.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:03

Splode: Jun 18, 2013; put some clothes on you little freak

Sulla-Marius brings up a very good point: our GG is useless. This is the absolute worst government by every conceivable measure, but the GG has no real power to do anything, and doesn't actually function as the emergency plug puller that they are supposed to be.

Remove the role of Governor General, replace it with an inquisitor?

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:05

CrazyTolradi: Oct 2, 2011; It feels so good to be so bad.....at posting.

Nuclear Spy posted:

Education Minister Morrison

"You will never see Australian schools.".

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:08

Amoeba102: Jan 22, 2010

This tax hike is probably the first thing Abbott's got right. I was afraid of the cut spending and taxes austerity approach that would surely slow the economy ultimately leading to it tanking. Maybe next he'll figure that the other taxes he wants to cut might help his budget, and that cutting some concessions for the rich will as well.

Edit: To accompany the Hillsong chat, some god botherer on my fb fawning over some hillsong song.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:14

Nuclear Spy: Jun 10, 2008; feeling under?

HAHAHA

quote:

Retail boss Gerry Harvey has slammed the Abbott government�s proposed ''deficit levy'', saying it will do nothing to fix the big economic problem facing Australia.

And the National Retail Association has urged the government to find budget savings elsewhere, saying the proposed new tax will ''damage consumer confidence at a critical time''.

The Abbott government plans to introduce a ''deficit levy'' in the May budget to help to bring the budget back to surplus sooner.

The proposed levy would likely apply to medium- and high-income earners only � for those earning more than $80,000 a year � and would work similarly to the Medicare surcharge, according to news reports.

It would see a deficit levy of 1 per cent for those earning between $80,000 and $180,000, meaning someone who earns $80,000 will have to pay a deficit levy of $800 a year.

A proposed levy of 2 per cent would hit those earning more than $180,000.

However, on Tuesday the Federal Coalition was facing a mutiny from its own MPs against the plan, with many receiving emails from constituents angry that the government was breaking a promise not to introduce any new taxes.

Coalition backbenchers in Western Sydney were calling each other after finding out about the plan in newspapers on Tuesday, wondering what they were going to do and how they would explain it to their constituents.

Late on Tuesday Coalition staffers were letting members of the media know that the planned levy would more likely affect only people earning $100,000 or more.

It comes after economists said the proposed tax would hit consumer sentiment at a sore time for Australian retailers.

Mr Harvey on Tuesday criticised the plan, saying it was nothing more than ''playing around the edges'' of a bigger economic problem that the government was unwilling to touch.

''A tax is the easy way out,'' Mr Harvey said.

''The harder way out is to do the things for the budget that are so obvious but that politicians won�t touch because they�ll get tossed out.''

Mr Harvey said the likely impact of the levy on the retail industry would be marginal.

That echoed the sentiment of Wesfarmers chief Richard Goyder, who said he did not expect the levy to affect spending in his stores. Wesfarmers owns Coles, Bunnings and Officeworks.

But economists said the levy would have a negative effect on consumer sentiment, and that in turn would hit retail spending.

''An announcement of a tax increase is by and large a negative for consumer sentiment. I don�t think there�s ever been one that has been positive,'' Matthew Hassan, Westpac senior economist, said.

''And weaker sentiment is usually associated with weaker conditions for consumer demand.''

Retail spending is one of the most important components of Australia�s economy. Last year it accounted for 17 per cent of gross domestic product.

''The biggest problem at the moment is trying to get this economy to grow,'' Mr Harvey said.

''Slugging people with a tax, it doesn�t help growth.''

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:22

Skellybones: May 31, 2011; Fun Shoe

Not one of the people who I expected to be better at economics than the PM.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:25

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

Nuclear Spy posted:

HAHAHA

"It's baddies vs baddies."

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:26

Nuclear Spy: Jun 10, 2008; feeling under?

Shadeoses posted:

Not one of the people who I expected to be better at opposition than the Opposition Leader.

EDIT:

Shadeoses posted:

Another person who I expected to be better at opposition than the Opposition Leader.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:27

tithin: Nov 14, 2003; [Grandmaster Tactician]

Lid, that post about possible future prime ministers made me gag.

Please don't do it again.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:28

Mad Katter: Aug 23, 2010; STOP THE BATS

This is too funny. Who would have thought the public would be mad at Abbott for introducing a great big new tax after he spent the last three years attacking the government for introducing a "great big new tax"?

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:28

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

Sir Rabia Tirnova posted:

Lid, that post about possible future prime ministers made me gag.

Please don't do it again.

Prime

Minister

Truss

(Blame Splode.)

Prime

Minister

Andrews

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:30

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

Oh and the NSW Liberals were literally money laundering using fronts.

quote:

ICAC witness admits fake invoice

A mechanic has admitted to the NSW corruption watchdog that he created fake invoices for an alleged NSW Liberal Party slush fund.

Ekarin Sriwattanaporn has told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) he set up a business called Mickey Tech, which invoiced property developers Angelo Maggiotto and Roy Sergi for IT services it never provided.

"It's a fake invoice isn't it?" counsel assisting Geoffrey Watson said of one document.

"Yes," the witness replied.

Mr Ekarin told the inquiry his partner Ray Carter - who worked under former NSW cabinet minister Chris Hartcher - had asked him to draw up the sham documents.

Mr Hartcher is at the centre of allegations that NSW Liberal Party figures orchestrated a massive rort of NSW electoral funding laws by funnelling these funds through front companies. The laws have banned donations from property developers since 2009.

In one case, Mr Hartcher allegedly duped the law firm of his nephew Sebastian Reid into laundering money.

Besides Mickey Tech, the Liberal-linked Free Enterprise Foundation and a firm known as EightByFive are said to have passed hundreds of thousands of dollars in tainted donations on to the NSW Liberal Party.

Authorities were tipped off after a federal political aspirant signed off on a $5000 payment to EightByFive, which he believed was destined for NSW Liberal Party coffers.

Matthew Lusted, who unsuccessfully sought Liberal backing to stand for the seat of Dobell, has told the inquiry he made the payment after Mr Carter asked him to contribute to a fighting fund for "the boys" - Mr Hartcher, NSW Central Coast MPs Chris Spence and Darren Webber.

Mr Lusted said he did not realise the money had gone to EightByFive until he attempted to declare the donation to the Electoral Funding Authority and a staff member was unable to find a record of it.

"I had a gut feeling something was not right," Mr Lusted told ICAC in a statement.

But he says Mr Carter reassured him about the apparent discrepancy, telling him: "No one's going to find out about anything. You've got nothing to worry about."

"I wonder if he thinks that now," Mr Lusted mused on Tuesday.

Though only in its second day, the ICAC's public inquiry has already claimed multiple scalps.

Mr Hartcher, Mr Spence and Mr Webber have all shifted to the NSW Parliament crossbenches.

On Monday they were joined by upper house MP Marie Ficarra, who is accused of soliciting a $5000 donation from property developer Tony Merhi.

Senior Liberal fundraiser Paul Nicolaou has stepped down as chairman of the party's fundraising arm, the Millennium Forum, after it emerged he was aware the Free Enterprise Foundation was being used to wash suspicious donations.

But the NSW Labor opposition says Premier Mike Baird must go further by shutting down both bodies and releasing the results of an internal Liberal audit into donation structures.

"The revelations at ICAC have shattered public confidence in politics and Mike Baird has an onus to be completely transparent," Opposition Leader John Robertson said.

So that's a thing.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:46

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Double down on the stupid, let's go Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce

I can't believe it has taken under a year for the Liberals to start to self implode. The shitfest with the NSW State Libs must not be helping

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:53

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

You Am I posted:

Double down on the stupid, let's go Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce

I can't believe it has taken under a year for the Liberals to start to self implode. The shitfest with the NSW State Libs must not be helping

Having gone through the entire Abbott ministry literally Barnaby Joyce is the best person for the job after Abbott. Not even being facetious.

If you can find a better alternative be my guest:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_Ministry#Cabinet

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:58

Zenithe: Feb 25, 2013; _{Ask not to whom the Anidavatar belongs; it belongs to thee.}

You Am I posted:

Double down on the stupid, let's go Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce

un-ironically think he would be better than half of the people already mentioned.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 12:59

BogDew: Jun 14, 2006; E:\FILES>quickfli clown.fli

Lid posted:

Having gone through the entire Abbott ministry literally Barnaby Joyce is the best person for the job after Abbott.

Is it possible to cross the floor as PM?

# ? Apr 29, 2014 13:01

Jonah Galtberg: Feb 11, 2009

Lid posted:

Having gone through the entire Abbott ministry literally Barnaby Joyce is the best person for the job after Abbott. Not even being facetious.

If you can find a better alternative be my guest:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_Ministry#Cabinet

I dunno, Prime Minister Andrews could make a fair go of it

# ? Apr 29, 2014 13:04

Gough Suppressant: Nov 14, 2008

Doctor Spaceman posted:

Personally I'm okay with not forcing constitutional crisis just because the Coalition are in government.

I'm of the opinion that the coalition being in government is inherently a constitutional crisis.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 13:05

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

Jonah Galtberg posted:

I dunno, Prime Minister Andrews could make a fair go of it

He's the only person in parliament more fundamentalist Catholic than Abbott. Also racist. Also

quote:

In 2011, as a Liberal Shadow Cabinet frontbencher Andrews published a critique of the Greens policy agenda for Quadrant Magazine in which he wrote that the Australian Greens' "objective involves a radical transformation of the culture that underpins Western civilisation" and that their agenda would threaten the "Judeo-Christian/Enlightenment synthesis that upholds the individual" as well as "the economic system that has resulted in the creation of wealth and prosperity for the most people in human history."

# ? Apr 29, 2014 13:08

Skellybones: May 31, 2011; Fun Shoe

Lid posted:

He's the only person in parliament more fundamentalist Catholic than Abbott. Also racist. Also

# ? Apr 29, 2014 13:09

Jonah Galtberg: Feb 11, 2009

Lid posted:

He's the only person in parliament more fundamentalist Catholic than Abbott. Also racist. Also

yes, yes, that's the kind of PM this country deserves

# ? Apr 29, 2014 13:14

Skellybones: May 31, 2011; Fun Shoe

Reminder, Tony dropped out of Priest School because he refused to accept the doctrine of kindness and mercy.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 13:17

Mattjpwns: Dec 14, 2006; In joyful strains then let us sing
ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FUCKED

# ? Apr 29, 2014 13:18

Coq au Nandos: Nov 7, 2006; I think I would say to my daughters if they were to ask me this question... A shitpost is the greatest gift that you can give someone, the ultimate gift of giving and don't give it to someone lightly, that's what I would say.

ABC Journo John Stewart posted:

Breaking: Cambodia agrees to take asylum seekers from Australia #Auspol Tonight on #Lateline 1030pm.

So. This is happening.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 13:18

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# ? Jun 9, 2024 10:09

Doctor Spaceman: Jul 6, 2010; "Everyone's entitled to their point of view, but that's seriously a weird one."

Jonah Galtberg posted:

I dunno, Prime Minister Andrews could make a fair go of it

Andrews is a horrible person. Also a possible vampire.

# ? Apr 29, 2014 13:18

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