Auspol June: It's Time for Sodomy

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol June: It's Time for Sodomy

Bogan King: Jan 21, 2013; I'm not racist, I'm mates with Bangladesh, the guy who sells me kebabs. No, I don't know his real name.

All cities are just suburbs of Sydney and thus all cities are equally poo poo.

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Spectator posted:

May made Malcolm�s mistakes

Prime Minister May�s election campaign succeeded in the near impossible through turning a projected 100 plus seat majority into minority government, shocking the British political and media establishment. How could she do so poorly against such an extremist leader like Jeremy Corbyn?

But the flawed strategy that led to this outcome should have been obvious to all. Worse still, the two central mistakes of the British campaign are being committed by the Coalition in Australia.

In attempting to court the soft left vote, May violated a cardinal rule of politics: When you cede the intellectual argument to your opponents and play on their turf, you will always lose as a result. Not only are they much better at it than you are, voters will always choose the �real deal� to the pretender.

With a decade-long stagnation in wages and insecurity about the future, reformist pro-growth policies would have mobilised the base and provided voters with desperately needed hope about the future. Instead of this positive vision however, the Tory�s election strategy explicitly attempted to win the soft-left vote with a policy platform significantly to the left of Tony Blair�s Labor.

Rather than a platform of free market solutions to the problems genuinely have, the Tory Manifesto�s core messages included promising price controls in the energy sector, a crackdown on executive remuneration, controls on capital investment, significant increases in the National Living Wage, slashing the flexibility of �gig economy� workers, significantly expanded �rights� to leave, tax increases were not ruled out, and �workers representatives� on company Boards.

In addition to this, lines like �some people say that it is not for government to regulate when it comes to technology and the internet. We disagree� were positively anathema to younger voters, as was the overwhelming sense that the establishment believed in little other than their own power.

Is it little wonder then with neither party supporting free markets then that voters chose to vote for the candidate who at least appeared to believe in what he was saying? Yet this is precisely the approach taken in the 2017-18 Australian Budget.

Understandably praised by Anthony Albanese as an �overwhelming victory� for Labor�, the budget was a down the line shopping list of centre-left policies, from tax increases, attacks on the �evil� banks, and spending increases in almost every portfolio. Predictably, this budget delivered no polling advantage to the Coalition. And why would it? When presented with a �Labor Budgets� by both sides of politics, you might as well actually go with the original.

Furthermore, it is impossible to deny the international tide of discontent that politics as usual has failed, and voters were desperately seeking hope for the future. Yet rather than seeking to provide any sort of positive vision or to capture the yearning for change, rather than provide a powerful emotional narrative that would lift up the soul and provide the optimism so desperately yearned for, the antiquated campaigning playbook of fear and negativity was rolled out.

Almost all UK advertising focused on drumming up fear about dangers of Corbyn, whilst almost nothing positive about the Conservatives � or why you should vote for them � was said. And in this environment, there was probably nothing worse that could be done. Yet once again you look at the Coalition advertisements here, the same mistakes are being made. All fear, no hope.

It is testament only to Jeremy Corbyn�s repeated bungles that the Tories were able to scrape through with a minority government. Fortunately for the Coalition, the robotic Shorten does not pose the challenge a more authentic figure such as Albo would, yet unless the Coalition changes track and embraces the insights of the UK experience, at the next election the swing against them will be too high for them to overcome.

We have the opportunity to bring about a transformation in society. Big-government programs have clearly failed people and they are desperate for change. It is through demonstrating our vision and bringing them with us that prosperity shall be restored. So called �moderates� have consistently argued the necessity of being �pragmatic�. Yet history has demonstrated time and time again that this is a failing strategy. The conviction politics of Thatcher, Reagan, Howard won resounding electoral success. The attempts to pitch to the left have consistently failed.

Rather than being in conflict, the principled is the pragmatic. We have the ideas that have been proven time and time again to not only work, but to win. They connect deeply with the core values in our national psyches, with the disenchantment of governments, and will resonate with electorates. It is time someone in our political classes remembered this and actually gave them a go.

It's time for some Game Theory�

May leaned left as a deliberate plan to get a minority government with the DUP pushing them across the line to cull the unbelievers in Free Market Austerity. This means she now can rule from a purer conservative position rather than dealing with factional bullshit in her own party. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:09

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# ? May 14, 2024 01:40

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

GoldStandardConure posted:

besides who needs live music when you have friday night magic at tactics

Even I, a bunch of car eating rats taped together into the vague approximation of a human, am better than that.

Perth has gotten much better since the mid 2000's when upon the setting of the sun the entire city would retreat back into it's crypt like a reverse vampire.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:15

bowmore: Oct 6, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

GoldStandardConure posted:

besides who needs live music when you have friday night magic at tactics

fnm smells worse than an all ages moshpit in summer

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:21

Don Dongington: Sep 27, 2005; #ideasboom; College Slice

Guess he wagged his tail near a brown person,

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:22

asio: Nov 29, 2008; "Also Sprach Arnold Jacobs: A Developmental Guide for Brass Wind Musicians" refers to the mullet as an important tool for professional cornet playing and box smashing black and blood

NPR Journalizard posted:

No, you are wrong and he is correct.

Fringe, more food and wine and booze festivals than you can shake a stick at, more music options, more small bars, better nightlife (northbridge isnt quite the stabby shithole it once was) PIAF and this is by no means an extensive list. If you think perth is the same shithole it used to be, you would be sorely wrong.

I've never been west of longreach but that just means I'm in an even better position to make the claim that gentrification is bad

Small bars! Big festivals! Progress!

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:23

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

Don Dongington posted:

Guess he wagged his tail near a brown person,

Refused to snitch. Good dog.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:26

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

Don Dongington posted:

Come visit our socialist Labor utopia (sharks now welcome)

Yet the WA premier has a good cry about GST funds going to places like Tasmania and NT where they're needed more. He's about as socialist as Barnett was.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:27

Don Dongington: Sep 27, 2005; #ideasboom; College Slice

CrazyTolradi posted:

Yet the WA premier has a good cry about GST funds going to places like Tasmania and NT where they're needed more. He's about as socialist as Barnett was.

I especially liked him having a whinge about the refurb being done on one of Tassie's stadium's grandstands, while we're putting the finishing touches on our second gigantic boondoggle venue in 10 years.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:29

GoldStandardConure: Jun 11, 2010; I have to kill fast
and mayflies too slow; Pillbug

goons itt all falling over themselves to try and convince everyone that they aren't cheetos-golems with no social life by talking about things like "going out for dinner" and "live music"

you're not fooling anyone

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:30

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

Don Dongington posted:

I especially liked him having a whinge about the refurb being done on one of Tassie's stadium's grandstands, while we're putting the finishing touches on our second gigantic boondoggle venue in 10 years.

I'm not from Tassy, but I just think WA has always had this weird syndrome of whining about everywhere else getting funds it believes it rightfully should have got, threatening secession then backing down because it wouldn't have the guts to actually do it in the first place.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:32

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

GoldStandardConure posted:

goons itt all falling over themselves to try and convince everyone that they aren't cheetos-golems with no social life by talking about things like "going out for dinner" and "live music"

you're not fooling anyone

I just wanna be able to buy cheetos after 6pm on a week night.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:33

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

GoldStandardConure posted:

goons itt all falling over themselves to try and convince everyone that they aren't cheetos-golems with no social life by talking about things like "going out for dinner" and "live music"

you're not fooling anyone

If you think live music and piss up contents are the signs of progress of a city, congrats Perth is on the same level as Brisbane.

Just rename Western Australia to Western Queensland.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:34

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

GoldStandardConure posted:

goons itt all falling over themselves to try and convince everyone that they aren't cheetos-golems with no social life by talking about things like "going out for dinner" and "live music"

you're not fooling anyone

My social life involves talking to consoles and rats in a padded room

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:35

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

Where I work never closes and sells cheetos. Servos truly are the bastion of Australian culture.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:35

GoldStandardConure: Jun 11, 2010; I have to kill fast
and mayflies too slow; Pillbug

CrazyTolradi posted:

If you think live music and piss up contents are the signs of progress of a city, congrats Perth is on the same level as Brisbane.

Just rename Western Australia to Western Queensland.

no, progress is a competitive mtg and 40k scene

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:39

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

GoldStandardConure posted:

no, progress is a competitive mtg and 40k scene

We have a the guf

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:40

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

GoldStandardConure posted:

no, progress is a competitive mtg and 40k scene

In that case Perth is 20 years behind Adelaide, then.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:41

GoldStandardConure: Jun 11, 2010; I have to kill fast
and mayflies too slow; Pillbug

our bigmarines and magic cards are second to none

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:45

Bogan King: Jan 21, 2013; I'm not racist, I'm mates with Bangladesh, the guy who sells me kebabs. No, I don't know his real name.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:51

Starshark: Dec 22, 2005; Doctor Rope

GoldStandardConure posted:

goons itt all falling over themselves to try and convince everyone that they aren't cheetos-golems with no social life by talking about things like "going out for dinner" and "live music"

you're not fooling anyone

I saw Sarah Blasko last night and have the 2XL t-shirt to prove it.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 03:52

ewe2: Jul 1, 2009

Starshark posted:

I saw Sarah Blasko last night and have the 2XL t-shirt to prove it.

I'm jelly, she's awesome.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:19

Cartoon: Jun 20, 2008; poop

GoldStandardConure posted:

no, progress is a competitive mtg and 40k scene

Define "Competitive".

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:21

Schlesische: Jul 4, 2012

Starshark posted:

I saw Sarah Blasko last night and have the 2XL t-shirt to prove it.

I'm fucken jelly right now

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:22

Bogan King: Jan 21, 2013; I'm not racist, I'm mates with Bangladesh, the guy who sells me kebabs. No, I don't know his real name.

Schlesische posted:

I'm fucken jelly right now

Check out YLLS, there is a lot of helpful information regarding weight loss. You too could be down to a 2XL with a bit of effort.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:24

CATTASTIC: Mar 31, 2010; ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cartoon posted:

Define "Competitive".

There are stairs

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:24

Bogan King: Jan 21, 2013; I'm not racist, I'm mates with Bangladesh, the guy who sells me kebabs. No, I don't know his real name.

How cute, Queensland thinks it's all grown up and able to play with the big boys like NSW [ABC]

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:31

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

Bogan King posted:

How cute, Queensland thinks it's all grown up and able to play with the big boys like NSW [ABC]

There are property developers in logan?

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:44

GoldStandardConure: Jun 11, 2010; I have to kill fast
and mayflies too slow; Pillbug

Cartoon posted:

Define "Competitive".

Winner takes the losers cards/models, loser is shot and thrown into the Swan River.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:46

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

Let me one up you

Priced out of the country: Houses in Sydney and Melbourne are so expensive that Australian first home buyers are snapping up properties in JAPAN

The housing affordability crisis gripping Sydney and Melbourne is so severe some first home buyers are purchasing properties in Japan instead.

One such person is Paul Linabury, 30, from Western Australia, who has just purchased a three-bedroom house in Niseko, Japan for $90,000 with his partner and two other couples.

'I was purchasing as a bit of an investment opportunity in Niseko, Japan, along with with two other friends,' Mr Linabury told Daily Mail Australia.

'When you look at the comparative price of property in Japan, and then take into account splitting it three ways, it was an affordable option to consider.

'I don't have a property in the Australian market, which has a little to do with the fact that it seemed much better value for money in Japan.

Mr Linabury and the other purchasers plan to use the three-bedroom house in Niseko - which is in Japan's snowfields - as a holiday house as well as offering it as a short-term rental through Airbnb.

'I would potentially use the capital invested in the house as security, which the banks can lend against.

'I didn't buy with the intention of selling and using the capital gains to get into the property market in Australia, but even in the last six months the property has gone up in value, so you never know,' Mr Linabury said.

He told the Australian that he had bought the bargain in Niseko by splitting it six ways.

A check on property portal https://www.realestate.com.au found a three-bedroom house in the Sydney suburb of Balmain was going for $2.6million.

Meanwhile, in Melbourne a three-bedroom in Degraves Street, Parkville was going for $2.3million to $2.5million.

International transfer company OFX on Monday unveiled data showing that Australians aged between 18 and 30 were increasingly transacting in property deals abroad.

'OFX transfer data and the current strength of the Australian property market, when viewed in combination, suggest that that our millennial customers could be increasingly looking outside Australia when it comes to initial involvement in property investment,' OFX chief operations officer Adam Smith said.

'What's particularly interesting is that foreign property transactions appear to correlate with the strength of foreign currency rates, so when the Australian dollar is strong against the US dollar for example, we see an increase in property related transfers to the US.

'Faced with an affordability crisis in the domestic market, Australian-based millennials are pursuing overseas property acquisitions, particularly at times when the Australian dollar is strong against the US dollar and the British pound.'

OFX data shows that numbers have increased from 25 in 2011 to 123 per year, reaching a peak last June.

The popular reason for moneys transfers with OFX were for property, house, mortgage, apartment, villa, building, renovations and deposit.

This represents an average increase of 23 percent per year, tracked over a five year period.

Interestingly, while overseas property purchasing by most age groups of Australians has been on a gradual decline since 2013, there has been a steady increase seen among Aussies aged from 18-30-year-old.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:52

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

quote:

Melbourne Man Says Powerwall 2 Will Drop His Power Bill To $0

Melbourne's first Powerwall 2 has been installed at a three-bedroom, one storey house in Coburg. Brendan Fahey and his wife Josephine added Tesla's shiny new battery to their home to complement their existing solar panels, after Brendan calculated that the Powerwall 2 could take his energy bill down almost to zero.
Tesla's Powerwall 2 was announced in October 2016, a follow-up to the original Powerwall, launched in 2015. The new model has improved on the original in a number of ways. One of the biggest changes is a built-in inverter, where the original model required an external one. The Powerwall 2 almost doubles the capacity of its predecessor, upgrading from 7kWh to a full 14kWh (13.5kWh of which is usable capacity). With Australia's average household electricity usage estimated to be around 16kWh a day, or as low as 13.5kWh in Victoria, the Powerwall 2 is now offering enough storage for Aussie households to potentially offset their entire electricity bill, and perhaps even move off the grid.

This is what Brendan found when he crunched the numbers around adding a Powerwall 2 to his existing solar. "I did some calculations with Powerwall 2 by writing a little formula based on my solar production and electricity usage for each day from 1st December 2016," Brendan explains. "Starting with a 14kWh home battery I subtracted and added on the gains and losses as I went through the six months up until a few weeks ago. At no point in my calculations did the 14kWh battery run out. If I had owned Powerwall 2 during that time I would have had no electricity bill."

Of course while Tesla and the Powerwall are big names in home energy storage, they're certainly not the only players on the field. One of the big stories the week of the Powerwall 2's launch pointed out that Tesla's shiny new battery had already been beaten on price by a competitor � an Australian made battery called the Ampetus "Super" Lithium. Based on SolarQuotes' solar battery comparison table, the Ampetus, a $2300, 3kWh battery has the lowest cost per warranted kWh of all the batteries currently on the market, at 19c. Tesla's Powerwall 2 is a close second at 23c per warranted kWh.

Taking into consideration the Powerwall 2's larger size and included inverter, which the Ampetus model doesn't include, the Powerwall 2 is still competing closely with the super cheap Australian model. For Brendan especially, the Powerwall 2's size was one of its biggest selling points. "The Powerwall was much cheaper than other batteries," he explained. "And at 14kWh it was a good size, which by my calculations would leave our power bills close to zero." The price was also a tipping point � with the improved model it was finally worth the investment. "I had considered batteries for a few years but they were too expensive. The new Powerwall 2 made my mind up."

Another key advantage to the Powerwall 2 over the original (or even over its competitors) is its integration with the Tesla app. While the app was originally designed just for Tesla's electric vehicles, it was recently updated with the capacity to connect to Powerwall 2 modules. The app lets Powerwall owners monitor their home energy system from afar, while also allowing input such as setting a minimum energy reserve in case of a grid outage. "It's really good that you can see what�s happening any time," Brendan said. "And I will check it multiple times a day."

While solar panels alone can provide some offset on a household's electricity bill by selling back to the grid in times of excess, Australian feed-in tariffs are disappointingly low. With the end of government incentives such as NSW's Solar Bonus Scheme or the Queensland scheme that awarded a premium tariff of 44c/kWh, solar owners are being paid pennies for their excess power. Brendan is getting only 5.5c/kWh from the energy he feeds back into the grid, though it's set to rise to 11.3c from July 1st.

With feed-in tariffs now four or five times less than the cost of electricity households purchase back from the grid, batteries like the Powerwall 2 are vital to making the most of home solar power. One of the early adopters of the original Powerwall battery, Nick Pfitzner, shared his story with us earlier this year. With the help of his rooftop solar and integrated Powerwall, Nick managed to cut his electricity bill by a staggering 92.2 per cent.

Nick also integrated his battery with Reposit Power's GridCredits system � whereby energy stored in your battery is sold to the grid during price spikes driven by peak demand, at prices of up to $1/kWh. The earnings from these peak events are given back to Reposit customers as 'GridCredits', which provide a discount off their electricity bill. Brendan hasn't included any extras like this yet, but says that he is "currently looking at Reposit Power as a possibility."

With the fully installed cost of Brendan's Powerwall 2 sitting at $10,917, Brendan is confident in his investment. "The payback time I have calculated is around 7 years," he told Gizmodo. "But as energy prices rise this may lessen."

For Brendan, however, the incentive isn't just financial. As much as he wants to save money, he's also a supporter of Tesla's sustainable energy mission. "My motivation is to get my electricity bill as close to $0 as possible, and for the good of the environment, which is why I chose Powerwall."

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/06/melbourne-man-says-powerwall-2-will-drop-his-power-bill-to-0/

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:52

Bogan King: Jan 21, 2013; I'm not racist, I'm mates with Bangladesh, the guy who sells me kebabs. No, I don't know his real name.

GoldStandardConure posted:

Winner takes the losers cards/models, loser is shot and thrown into the Swan River.

Sounds to me like the smart way to play is to throw the game. You lose and you get sweet release from the hell that is Perth vs winning and you get more nerd cards and still have to go on living there.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:53

Don Dongington: Sep 27, 2005; #ideasboom; College Slice

Meanwhile, in Perth. methamphetamine use is down!

Looks like we're really making prog-

oh no

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:55

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

Don Dongington posted:

Meanwhile, in Perth. methamphetamine use is down!

Looks like we're really making prog-

oh no

So the take from this is that meth users in Perth have just adopted Cartoon's approach to sewerage and sanitation?

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:57

Don Dongington: Sep 27, 2005; #ideasboom; College Slice

I think the take from this is that if comment threads are reflective of a general population we're all turbofucked.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 04:59

MonoAus: Nov 5, 2012

Perth is poo poo but so is the rest of Australia. Nobody can argue with that!

MonoAus fucked around with this message at 05:06 on Jun 12, 2017

# ? Jun 12, 2017 05:00

gay picnic defence: Oct 5, 2009; I'M CONCERNED ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/06/melbourne-man-says-powerwall-2-will-drop-his-power-bill-to-0/

I suppose half the country moving off the grid over the next few years is one advantage of an incompetent national energy policy

# ? Jun 12, 2017 05:09

Bogan King: Jan 21, 2013; I'm not racist, I'm mates with Bangladesh, the guy who sells me kebabs. No, I don't know his real name.

Aren't you required to be connected to the grid and pay the connection fee for being connected though? Your power consumption bill may be zero but you still have to pay access fees.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 05:19

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

It also doesn't help if you're renting and solar panels are an unattainable dream.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 05:25

Don Dongington: Sep 27, 2005; #ideasboom; College Slice

hooman posted:

It also doesn't help if you're renting and solar panels are an unattainable dream.

Or under so much mortgage stress that dropping 5k on a solar setup let alone a battery setup is pretty loving unlikely.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 05:38

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# ? May 14, 2024 01:40

bowmore: Oct 6, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

10k added on to an initial purchase isn't unreasonable though, the cheaper energy bills would take pressure off your mortgage repayments

# ? Jun 12, 2017 05:53

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol June: It's Time for Sodomy

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