Auspol February 2017 - Choo choose your candidates wisely..

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol February 2017 - Choo choose your candidates wisely..

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Tokamak: Dec 22, 2004

Starshark posted:

stdh.txt. Why do young Libs and teenage political tragics always have a bullshit story like this?

It was simply a movie ticket he was seeking. He�d popped down to the [University of Sydney�s] Student Representative Council, where the woman at the front counter had dismissed his query. He thought she was rude. She probably thought he was an upstart, but Joe was furious. His fees were paying her salary and that meant she was in his service. �I would have liked her to be nice to me,� Joe says, �so I thought I should give politics a go.�

# ? Feb 18, 2017 11:45

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# ? May 15, 2024 12:30

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

Nibbles! posted:

I read way more of that than I should have.

You should read all of it, it's good.

# ? Feb 18, 2017 11:46

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

Tomorrow�s West Australian has a ReachTEL poll showing the two parties at level pegging on two-party preferred, after the pollster�s two previous results both had Labor leading 52-48. All we have to go on at this stage is the front page image, which says Labor and Liberal are up slightly on the primary vote, but the bigger mover is the Nationals, who are up 2.4%. The implication seems to be that some air has gone out from One Nation, who were on 10.8% in the previous poll. More to follow.

UPDATE: After exclusion of the 5.5% undecided, the primary votes are Liberal 35.4% (down 0.6%), Nationals 8.4% (up 2.3%), Labor 35.0% (up 0.1%), Greens 6.0% (down 0.6%), One Nation 11.7% (down 0.1%), others 3.4% (down 1.1%). So I was wrong about One Nation being down � what actually happened is that undecided fell from 8.5% to 5.5%, and The West Australian�s report was citing raw numbers. Based on these figures, the two-party result of 50-50, which is based on respondent-allocated preferences, seems generous to Labor � giving the Liberals 75% of Nationals, 60% of One Nation, 20% of Greens and 50% of others preferences, they have a lead of 51.7-48.3 (51.2-48.8 in the previous poll). A lot depends here on the One Nation preference flow � reducing it to 50% cuts the lead to 50.5-49.5. A related complication here is that One Nation is only running in 35 out of 59 seats, but the option was available to all respondents. Another peculiarity to be noted is the low Greens vote, which has been on a downward descent in ReachTEL�s polling over the past year � something that hasn�t been reflected in Newspoll, which has had the party on 9% in its last two polls.

Other findings: Mark McGowan�s lead as preferred premier is 53.1-46.9, down from 55.7-44.3 last time, and the lowest it�s been in the five ReachTEL poll conducted for The West Australian over the past year. The Liberal-One Nation preference deal has 30.8% approval and 54.2% disapproval, and 43.2% say it has made them less likely to vote Liberal, versus 22.5% for more likely. One Nation respondents were asked what made them tick: 27.1% said they disliked the major parties, 2.6% that they liked the candidates, 23.4% that they liked the party�s �overall vision for WA�, 29.2% that they liked �anti-Muslim policies�, 7.3% that they liked anti-privatisation policies, and 10.4% for �other reason�. The poll was conducted Wednesday night from a sample of 1652.

Liberals betraying the Nats causes the undecideds to vote for the Nats causing Barnett to win?

What the gently caress???????????????????????????????????

Anidav fucked around with this message at 11:56 on Feb 18, 2017

# ? Feb 18, 2017 11:53

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

This is a most confusing poll movement ever. Lmao.

# ? Feb 18, 2017 11:56

Griffball: Sep 6, 2010

gently caress Gareth Ward.

# ? Feb 18, 2017 11:58

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

How old is that Young Liberals article? Isn't Alex Hawke a MP these days, and the way they are talking about Fraser as if he was still alive and hadn't split from the Liberals (which he did)

# ? Feb 18, 2017 12:22

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

2005.

It's sad because i recognise some of the names from parliament.

I wish someone would elaborate as to why the NSW division of the Liberal Party is practically a gay club, it sounds like something I would be interested in.

# ? Feb 18, 2017 12:49

WhiskeyWhiskers: Oct 14, 2013; "هذا ليس عادلاً."
"هذا ليس عادلاً على الإطلاق."
"كان هناك وقت الآن."
(السياق الخفي: للقراءة)

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

2005.

It's sad because i recognise some of the names from parliament.

I wish someone would elaborate as to why the NSW division of the Liberal Party is practically a gay club, it sounds like something I would be interested in.

You wouldn't because anyone's who's in bed with the liberals is going to be a pretty lovely root and an even worse partner.

# ? Feb 18, 2017 13:23

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

Men who are out and proud - about their support for Tony Abbott.

# ? Feb 18, 2017 13:32

Solemn Sloth: Jul 11, 2015; Baby you can shout at me,
But you can't need my eyes.

I'd be interested in starting a war

Starting a nuclear war

In the Liberals Liberals Liberals

# ? Feb 18, 2017 13:38

Tokamak: Dec 22, 2004

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

You wouldn't because anyone's who's in bed with the liberals is going to be a pretty lovely root and an even worse partner.

I'm sure there's a guy out there who would be willing to consider George Christensen as a charity case.

# ? Feb 18, 2017 13:39

do it on my face: Feb 6, 2005; °

Solemn Sloth posted:

I'd be interested in starting a war

Starting a nuclear war

In the Liberals Liberals Liberals

I want to spend all of everyone's money, can I join?

# ? Feb 18, 2017 14:06

AgentF: May 11, 2009

That young liberals article was amazing - what a pack of zealous, petty and unscrupulous clowns. So if this article is from 12 years ago, what are the chances that a lot of these young libs are important liberals today? That the right-wing takeover that they were worried about has lead to our political environment today.

# ? Feb 18, 2017 16:06

tithin: Nov 14, 2003; [Grandmaster Tactician]

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

Men who are out and proud - about their support for Tony Abbott.

I have a distant family member through marriage, who's welsh, who's gay, who's a liberal - and loving loves tony abbott.

# ? Feb 18, 2017 23:38

hooman: Oct 11, 2007; This guy seems legit.; Fun Shoe

I've been kicked out of a class for refusing to stop arguing with a teacher. He was trying to teach us at an all boys school in 1999 that AIDS was a gay only problem (using data from the US from the 1980's). One of my friends also got kicked out for refusing to let it go. I also got kicked out of class once for shooting spitballs, so I guess I'm only a 50% young liberals candidate.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 00:11

ewe2: Jul 1, 2009

Who cares if it's true or not, either way the guy is a dickhead.

The Loon Pond had an amusing aside about Foxtel:

quote:

The pond is long over Catholic confession - down there with transubstantiation - but after encouraging anyone who'd listen, and many who don't, to have nothing to do with News Corp, the pond now has Foxtel in the house.

How did this treachery, this betrayal, come to pass? No matter how it tries to pretend otherwise, the pond feels cheapened, soiled, dirty, worn and used.

At the same time, the pond has a new landline in the house too, and nobody knows the number and nobody calls it, and the pond has lost its lifeline of being able to have friendly chats with kindly Indian folk who call in to discuss the worrying way gambling has corrupted Indian cricket (well, they also try to help with the computer, but that never goes well).

Here's the deal. For absolutely no cost, a man turned up with a box and hooked the pond up, and thereafter, the pond receives a reduction of thirty bucks a month in the cost of obtaining broadband, it having given The Optus The the flick, though Optus keeps on trying to bill the pond for a service that was supposed to be cancelled. To put it in German, Die Optus Die ...

This thirty bucks is cash in the bank, for a wretched low rent service of some 40 totally useless and dire channels that Foxtel has priced below thirty bucks, and for good reason. The picture quality is appalling, below a good pirate YouTube service, and with absolutely zilch by way of content, as access to the Bolter counts for zilch with the pond.

Now there's a reason for the deal. Pure desperation ...

Foxtel lost around 100,000 subscribers in the six months to December 2016, underlining why News Corp chopped the value of its stake in the pay TV operator of A$300 million (US$227 million) in the quarter.
News said in this morning�s financial results release that Foxtel had �more than 2.8 million subscribers as at December 2016. That compares with �approximately 2.9 million� reported at the end of the first quarter at September 30 last year and �more than 2.9 million� at the end of June 2016. Foxtel said closing cable and satellite subscribers numbers were flat compared to the prior year period. In the second quarter, cable and satellite churn was 15.6%, �which was comparable to churn in the fiscal first quarter, primarily driven by newer customers under no-contract offers and seasonal sports disconnections.�
And that subscriber weakness, increased competition in the Australian market, plus weak revenue and earnings growth, or falls, helped drive the big non-cash write down in the final quarter.
�As a result of Foxtel�s performance in the first half of fiscal 2017, the competitive operating environment in the Australian pay-TV market and management�s revised projections, the Company determined that the fair value of its investment in Foxtel declined below its $US1.4 billion carrying value to $US1.2 billion. The carrying value had previously been written up in connection with the acquisition of Consolidated Media Holdings Ltd. (�CMH�) in November 2012 and at that time a non-cash gain of $0.9 billion (US$900 million) was recognized on the Foxtel investment.�
Looking at the results for Foxtel, News said revenues for the second quarter increased US$4 million, or 1%, to US$602 million from US$598 million in the prior year period, But in Australian dollars Foxtel revenues fell 3%. But Foxtel�s net income of US$24 million is more than halved from US$52 million in the prior year period, primarily due to a US$17 million loss resulting from the change in the fair value of Foxtel�s investment in Ten Network Holdings and US$5 million in losses associated with the continued operation of Presto. (more here).

That's why the Chairman is paying the pond to keep the facade, the farce, of numbers up.

No doubt the bean counters hope that the pond will upsize - a better HD signal costs more, channels that have actual content cost more. But by the time the pond gave up counting, the pond had well over 10,000 movies in the house, and YouTube delivers any other content it might want - no wonder the chairman hates Google - and if there's any time left over the FTA's are always there, and not via the shoddy, silly, antiquated Foxtel remote control and interface.

The logarithms feed the pond classical music, Air Crash Investigations (what need of Nat Geo?) and CNN, with all the useful American hypochondriac medical and drug ads that have allowed the pond to discover many new ailments, without any of the international editions useless insights into the world. Anyone wanting to discover what a weird insular cultural bubble Americans live in needs to watch the domestic service ...

As soon as a better broadband deal comes along in the street, the pond will be out of there, and it'll be goodbye landline and goodbye Foxtel. Anyone who subscribes, thereby paying for the pleasure of watching advertising they can watch on FTA for free, and any advertiser who thinks they're buying genuine eyeballs as opposed to faux pond eyeballs, should think again. Like the lizard Oz's blather about its readership figures - as they throw away newspapers wherever they can find a perch for the tree killer product - it's a gigantic hoax, a Ponzi scheme of nonsense ...

In the meantime, the pond has clicked Foxtel on once, clicked it off, and said sayonara suckers, as it took the discount and ran, a sordid, shabby exercise in fraudulent bundling. But hey whenever the pond sees a free copy of the lizard Oz, it picks that up too ...

Murdoch is presiding over dying media, the very elite he pretends to disdain, and all he can offer to people is a discount on broadband for a service no one wants.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 00:39

hooman: Oct 11, 2007; This guy seems legit.; Fun Shoe

I sure am glad we let his influence on the LNP to save his dying business gut the NBN.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 00:41

AgentF: May 11, 2009

Old piece of poo poo; hurry up and die. The reason why left-wing politics gets no airtime and right-wingers are everywhere. The reason why the Overton Window has shifted so much to the right. The reason why now, when people are generally looking for answers outside the establishment, that idiots like Trump and Hanson are seen as the answers, because groups like the Greens who have been there the entire time might as well be background noise. Right-wing economics are gutting the middle class and lowering our standard of living, and then right-wingers are presented as the solution that will fix it. Exposure is everything and the left fight against a stacked deck each and every election.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 01:19

aejix: Sep 18, 2007; It's about finding that next group of core players we can win with in the next 6, 8, 10 years. Let's face it, it's hard for 20-, 21-, 22-year-olds to lead an NHL team. Look at the playoffs.

That quote is from fucking 2018. Fuck you Jim; Pillbug

I am looking forward to the gigantic street party when that poisonous old lich finally does his first and only service to humanity and just loving dies.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 02:15

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

aejix posted:

I am looking forward to the gigantic street party when that poisonous old lich finally does his first and only service to humanity and just loving dies.

Liches don't die they reincarnate as their sons

# ? Feb 19, 2017 03:08

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

Anidav posted:

Liches don't die they reincarnate as their sons

Thank God his sons are completely useless at business, and that Rupert has pissed off or disowned the daughter who is actually a smart business woman.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 06:11

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

https://twitter.com/josh_jerga/status/833214163149164544

# ? Feb 19, 2017 10:37

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

omg google homo sapiens

# ? Feb 19, 2017 10:46

ewe2: Jul 1, 2009

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

omg google homo sapiens

holy poo poo.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 10:56

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

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

omg google homo sapiens

What the gently caress?

# ? Feb 19, 2017 10:59

ewe2: Jul 1, 2009

In case it goes away too soon:

# ? Feb 19, 2017 11:00

Recoome: Nov 9, 2013; Matter of fact, I'm salty now.

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

omg google homo sapiens

n o i c e

# ? Feb 19, 2017 11:02

hakimashou: Jul 15, 2002; Upset Trowel

whatever happened to that brony ASMR meltdown guy from australia?

# ? Feb 19, 2017 11:13

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

hakimashou posted:

whatever happened to that brony ASMR meltdown guy from australia?

ScreamingLlama posted:

My mother once admitted to giving me Valium when I was a baby for the same reason.

(DO NOT DO THIS TO YOUR CHILD.)

# ? Feb 19, 2017 11:23

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

quote:

ABA, Anna Bligh collateral damage in ScoMo's Sasha Grebe shocker

Given the intensity of the brouhaha that erupted in Canberra on Thursday evening at the news of Anna Bligh's appointment to run the Australian Bankers Association, you'd be forgiven for thinking Lee Rhiannon had been named chairman of BHP Billiton. I mean, come on! It's not like ABA chairman Andrew Thorburn gave the job to Brian Loughnane or George Wright (BHP got there first). What a little-minded country we prove to be when a former premier and state treasurer, five years into a private sector career and a director of Medibank Private, is met with only derision by Liberal warriors.

The Coalition has lost a lot of political skin advocating company tax cuts while Labor has hammered away at the perceived avarice of the big end of town. But the bankers � much like the Business Council of Australia � can't win. Liberals from Malcolm Turnbull down lament corporate Australia's inability to sell a pro-business message in support of the government's agenda, then the Tories explode in anger when the banks hire an accomplished political communicator to do precisely that. Which way do they want it?

And on Friday, Scott Morrison's office abruptly cancelled meetings with big four executives scheduled for the coming fortnight. And the message has been delivered: Morrison's director of communications and strategy Sasha Grebe won't meet with Bligh. Probably the best news she's had all year.

But rather than an entirely counterproductive ScoMo dummy spit, wouldn't a politically savvy Treasurer go on the attack, turning this on Bill Shorten and pointing out that even Bligh, a leading Labor light, thinks a royal commission is a bad idea? No wonder Chris Bowen is gleefully perfecting his somersaults.

Perhaps an enlightening exercise, then, would be to mention another candidate who lobbied furiously for the role: Sasha Grebe! Grebe, a former toiler at the Australian Wheat Board, has been job hunting for months and will be smarting he was passed over for this plum gig. Thorburn must have met him in person.

And what a superb week of strategic and tactical communicating Team Morrison has had! It started with tying NDIS funding to welfare cuts, moved to front-running on (now abandoned) capital gains tax changes and finished, most spectacularly and now explicably, with the pitiable threat to excise banks from the government's proposed (but gridlocked) company tax cuts. It all curdles nicely with the Treasurer's desperate crawling to The Australian's Paul Whittaker and Simon Benson (the dream team reunited from The Daily Telegraph's halcyon days chronicling Rear Admiral ScoMo's Operation Sovereign Borders triumphs) and to a host of conservative backbenchers � the likes of Tony Pasin, Melissa Price and Rick Wilson � whose favour he comprehensively squandered in the removal of Tony Abbott.

Full farce was achieved by the contribution, via social media, of Mark Textor, who railed against National Australia Bank chairman Ken Henry ("failed on tax policy") for appointing "a thrown-out politician who left an $80 billion debt for Queenslanders". Notwithstanding the fact that Bligh was appointed by the ABA Council, comprising the banks' CEOs, not chairs, we would all do well to remember Textor is also smarting at being dumped by the ABA as a consultant in favour of rival Newgate Communications back in September.

Textor's point, widely made, on Bligh's fiscal record is fair criticism, but where was the Coalition's candidate? Last time we checked neither Peter Costello nor Mike Baird would've spat on the job, and Jeff Kennett seems to have his hands full (of poo poo) at Seven West Media. And if the Treasurer's office feels snubbed by Thorburn's last minute heads-up, perhaps it ought to ask itself why secrecy around Bligh's selection was necessary.

http://www.afr.com/brand/rear-window/aba-anna-bligh-collateral-damage-in-scomos-sasha-grebe-shocker-20170219-gug71f

# ? Feb 19, 2017 12:35

DancingShade: Jul 26, 2007; by Fluffdaddy

It's funny seeing people in finance trying to mimic the daily mail writing style.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 12:46

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

I love Joe Aston's columns.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 12:55

WhiskeyWhiskers: Oct 14, 2013; "هذا ليس عادلاً."
"هذا ليس عادلاً على الإطلاق."
"كان هناك وقت الآن."
(السياق الخفي: للقراءة)

# ? Feb 19, 2017 12:57

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

hakimashou posted:

whatever happened to that brony ASMR meltdown guy from australia?

He went to syria to form a group in between Isis and pro-assad forces, but got shot by the kurds.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 13:12

hawaiian_robot: Dec 5, 2006; And I'm happy just to sit here,
At a table with old friends.
And see which one of us can tell the biggest lies

ewe2 posted:

In case it goes away too soon:

Friend's partner is related to Tim Wilson. He called Tim a piece of poo poo, to his face, at a family gathering. He's basically my hero because of this.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 16:58

ewe2: Jul 1, 2009

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

http://www.afr.com/brand/rear-window/aba-anna-bligh-collateral-damage-in-scomos-sasha-grebe-shocker-20170219-gug71f

This shows the widening gulf between the managerial class and the Liberal Party. You couldn't imagine Howard's regime allowing such political idiocy out in public, but worse: they are becoming unsuitable for the revolving door, not for any failures while in office (as Bligh's appointment demonstrates), but their inability to keep their cool and leave their political affiliations at the boardroom door.

It also demonstrates Turnbull's powerlessness, that he can't manage his own Treasurer. He might have issues finding a gig after this himself.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 18:38

BBJoey: Oct 31, 2012

rumble in the bunghole posted:

He went to syria to form a group in between Isis and pro-assad forces, but got shot by the kurds.

rip

# ? Feb 19, 2017 21:37

Kafka Syrup: Apr 29, 2009

Some more news on the Abortion Reform campaign in Brisbane. There's talk that Tim Nicholls is backing away from his previous committment to a conscience vote after Dickson jumped to PHON. A couple of insiders seem to think that Robinson (who's leading the anti-choice campaign from inside the LNP) might be threatening to also jump to PHON unless LNP binds to an anti-choice vote. And given we know of at least five ALP members who are either definitely or probably going to vote down the legislation if given a conscience vote and that KAP is likely also going to oppose, it looks like the legislation isn't going to get up anymore.

In other news, the Human Rights Act for Queensland campaign should be kicking back in in a couple of weeks since that should be back on the Parliament's agenda for debate. A little drier and more technical than the abortion reform stuff, but pretty much essential to prevent any particularly brutal indulgences a PHON/LNP government might bring.

Similarly, if anyone's in Peter Wellington's seat of Nicklin, VOLUNTEER (or hell, run as a candidate)! It's basically a coinflip between PHON and LNP now, but we desperately want another independent there.

quote:

A PUSH to decriminalise abortions in Queensland is in limbo, with the LNP Opposition yet to guarantee MPs will exercise a conscience vote on both pieces of legislation on the issue.

Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls said LNP MPs would discuss their approach to the laws at their partyroom meeting next week.

With not all Labor and crossbench MPs expected to support the reforms, several LNP MPs would need to exercise a conscience vote and back the laws for them to pass.

LNP MPs agreed to a conscience vote on the first Bill, the Abortion Law Reform (Women�s Right to Choose) Amendment Bill 2016, introduced by independent MP Rob Pyne last year.

But Mr Nicholls said a decision had not yet been made on whether a conscience vote would also be held on Mr Pyne�s second Bill, the Health (Abortion Law Reform) Amendment Bill 2016.

The second Bill was introduced by Mr Pyne in a bid to fix issues identified in the first, but a parliamentary committee on Friday could not reach agreement on whether it should pass.

A vote on the Bills will take place on March 1.

�The first one is going to remain as a conscience vote,� Mr Nicholls said.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad last week accused the LNP of doing a deal to vote down the Bills in order to stop Cleveland MP Mark Robinson, a vocal opponent, defecting to One Nation or becoming an independent.

The Opposition has rejected that claim, but Ms Trad said the lack of commitment to a conscience vote on both Bills was proof the fix was on.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 22:33

Schlesische: Jul 4, 2012

What did my local member do this time?
(Local member is Tim Wilson, did not vote for him)

# ? Feb 19, 2017 22:36

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# ? May 15, 2024 12:30

The Before Times: Mar 8, 2014; Once upon a time, I would have thrown you halfway to the moon for a crack like that.

ATO admits working hours inefficient after staff backlash over request to work nine more minutes

There has to be something more to this story.

# ? Feb 19, 2017 23:03

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol February 2017 - Choo choose your candidates wisely..

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