Operation Fortitude F***ed Up Farce Friday

Fiona Uncategorized

The press release, then the Twitter storm.

(Image Credit: Police will have ‘particular focus on people travelling to, from and around the CBD’. Photograph: Julian Smith/AAP)

From Formidable Fortitude to Farcical Force

(Image Credit: About 200 people protesting against the Australian Border Force operation block the intersection of Flinders Street and Swanston Street in Melbourne on Friday. Photograph: Melissa Davey for the Guardian)

has me wondering how soon it will be before a few “leaders” – you know, the ones whose family names start with a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a, *duh1*, and quis quaed – become

(Image Credit: Okokchina )

Most annoying – moi was really looking forward to being dragged into the paddy wagon dressed something like this:

(Image Credit: Styloss)

(and I would, too.)

What’s (and who’s) next for this flock of imbeciles?

(Image Credit: Pinterest)

505 thoughts on “Operation Fortitude F***ed Up Farce Friday”

  1. Section 3 . . .

    Bill McKibbin tells us that Newcastle gets what Abbott can’t (won’t?) and that is that coal’s time has passed.
    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/31/newcastle-grasps-what-our-federal-government-cannot-coal-is-the-past
    “View from the Street” on Hockey’s position and Cambodia’s windfall. The Border Force, Dyson Heydon and the prospect of a DD come in for attention too.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/view-from-the-street/view-from-the-street-government-to-decide-its-all-joe-hockeys-fault-20150831-gjbjoe.html
    Hugh White has a good look at our foreign policy development.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbott-and-bill-shortens-bipartisan-politics-are-putting-us-in-harms-way-on-the-global-stage-20150830-gjbblx.html

  2. Section 4 . . . Cartoon Corner

    Ron Tandberg has his view of Heydon’s logic.

    Cathy Wilcox with Abbott explaining his policy in Syria.

    A dark image from Alan Moir as the issue of Australia becoming a republic returns.

    Brilliant work from David Pope here as the 7-Eleven story provides an interesting contrast to the TURC.

    A nice little contribution from Ron Tandberg on long term politics.

    Matt Golding on 7-Eleven.

    Jon Kudelka at the TURC.

    David Rowe and the special type of pub test that Hockey is getting right now.

  4. That if these workers had been able to join an Union, this could not have happened. This is what happens to a non-unionised workforce.

    This is the world that the Liberals and IPA want, where employers are free to treat workers as slaves with no recourse.

  5. Compliant Media, compliant sections of the judiciary, compliant policing authorities…working toward destabilisation of the social fabric of Aust’…Corruption?..you bet you are.

  9. Motor-mouth morrison (ABC24 a few minutes ago) showing how to deal with an interviewer. All he does is put his mouth on the accelerator and blast them with word cannon fire. Does he have a solution for the budget… well sure, and that is why he is working on savings to be had from his social security portfolio. Brisenden didn’t break through the open mouth for long enough to ask a question, let alone get an answer.

  10. foreverjanice

    that is why he is working on savings to be had from his social security portfolio.

    Very self promoting.

  11. ” “They aren’t supposed to be political players, they’re supposed to be objective reporters of the news and I think many of them have morphed into frustrated politicians,” he said.”

    Now there..THAT’S how a quality comedian prepares the “ground” for a killer punch-line on a good joke…The punch-line , of course being:

    “Thank God that Rupert’s News limited is bringing some balance into the equation.”

    I think the Aust’ public AND the comedy sector could learn a lot from Mr. Potato-head.

  13. Labor should be having serious regrets about being so willing to support the government’s Border Force legislation. It was a stupid move at the time, just as Labor support for other nasty government policies has been incredibly stupid.

    We are stuck with a paramilitary goon force now. Labor won’t do a thing to rid us of this unnecessary mob when they regain government.

    The people that used to check your goods or stamp your passport when you returned from an overseas trip are now a black-shirted paramilitary organisation, armed to the teeth and trained in the use of force, and there are thousands more of them than there used to be. Just who are they supposed to control? Surely all that weaponry and combat training is not necessary for just searching through peoples luggage in search of contraband fruit.

    The MSM didn’t quite catch on to that word ‘paramilitary’. They should have.

  14. Diddums.

    Didn’t Dutton and Co just love it when Fairfax and the rest of the MSM did their very best to destroy the Gillard government. How they cheered when Fairfax journalists proudly ran with the latest leaks from Krudd’s Cardinals. How they applauded every time some journalist referred to Abbott as the ‘Prime Minister in waiting’. They guffawed every time Fairfax ran yet another nasty story about Julia Gillard.

    Now the same thing is happening to them, and just look at the whining.

    Peter Dutton claims Fairfax Media is trying to bring down the Abbott government

    Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has accused Fairfax Media of trying to “bring the government down” for publishing stories about division in its most senior ranks.

    “The reality is that there is a bit of a jihad being conducted by Fairfax at the moment”

    The attack comes after Treasurer Joe Hockey also accused the media of undermining the government and labelled cabinet colleagues who have been leaking against him as “fringe whingers”

    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/peter-dutton-claims-fairfax-media-is-trying-to-bring-down-the-abbott-government-20150831-gjc4j1.html

  15. jaycee@jaycee ‏@trulyjaycee now

    Now the MSM. uses ALLEGATIONS – UNPROVEN in a court, dredged up at TURC. from unreliable sources to accuse Labor & Unions ; Proof of intent.

  17. leone

    So true. It was far worse for Julia Gillard, and she hardly ever complained. Hope she is enjoying herself now. What a debacle this govt is compared to hers.

  20. A blast from the past, on media coverage of a government. Just change a name…..

    “The reason why this government gets poor coverage, at least in some areas of the media, is because it has been the worst government in our history,” he said.

    “If you want better coverage, be a better government.”

    Mr Abbott said a free media must be allowed to take a position, as many newspapers had done in 2007 when they supported Mr Rudd over then-prime minister John Howard.

    “I didn’t hear Mr Rudd complaining then,” Mr Abbott said.

    “I suspect that many of them will support a change of government this time, and that’s their right.

    “But fundamentally, if you want good coverage, you’ve got to perform well.”

    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/election-2013/better-coverage-be-a-better-government-tony-abbott-says/story-fn9qr68y-1226704995609

    “

  23. gigilene

    I guess the moral of my doggy etiquette story is young kids should never be left alone with a dog.

  25. As a FMBC (fair minded but cynical) person, this comment under Bob Ellis’s piece on the Heydon Decision particularly caught my attention.

    Heard a defence wonk interviewed over the weekend, would have been on radio, can’t recall where. He anticipates no more than two or three RAAF sorties over Syria – Canning Votes September 19.

    Turkey has 150+ fighter bombers on its soil and lots of support infrastructure . It flew its first sortie against ISIS in Syria over the weekend – more than a month since ISIS suicide bomb in Suruc. Yet they bombed Kurds in Iraq within a few days – Turkey Votes on November 1.

    Canada’s decision to join the Bomb ISIS in Syria Coalition is election driven. They too will fly no more than handful of sorties – Canada Votes October 19.

    Nah – if it’s true it must just be coincidence.

  27. Having a quiet snigger at the Australian way of naming the Liberal candidate in Canning this morning … “Handy Andy”
    I would love to be a fly on the wall in the SAS barracks and find out the actual opinion about this muscularly christianist young man from his company and commanders … especially as I have not yet found any published evidence that the enquiry into the incident in Afghanistan has been concluded.

    He does not make a good comparison with Mike Kelly or Andrew Wilkie as far as I can see.

  28. TLBD

    I’m with Ritchie McCaw and John Key in preferring the silver fern flag , It has been used as a symbol for sports teams since at least the mid 1800s and worn by soldiers since at least the Boerwar. Apart from the kiwi it is probably about the only symbol of the country that would be recognised by anyone outside of the country. At least for people at customs as the front cover of passports have some silver fern design features.

    The Maori symbolism about it was taken on board and probably why the silver fern was adopted by the young country in the 19th century. A coiled silver fern leaf ( koru) symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace , the circle of life. The Maori word for silver fern is ponga. Pronounced punga though 🙂 . The coiled leaf is the basis of all the “spirally” looking shapes .


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  29. Was Reach- tel polled last evening, ( so much attention now canning matters)from the questions I surmise that they might have been polling for the Greens.

    Sad so many silly old people( like in Guardian article) thinks the LIbs are for them- as for Don Randall – he said one thing in the electorate and then quietly went away and voted on the party line. So cuts to AC/SBS against better NBN etc.

  32. About Handy Andy –

    I would like to know how his ‘hasty’exit from the Army was arranged. Serving officer one day, Liberal Party candidate the next. You don’t just resign from the army in minutes. No soldier fronts up to their commanding officer and says ‘Sorry Sir, I’m out of here tomorrow, I quit’. And yet we are supposed to believe that’s what Andy did.

    It’s all very suspicious.

  34. l2

    You don’t just resign from the army in minutes.

    See bit bolded at bottom.

    Disqualification

    Any person who:

    (i) is under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power, or is a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign power; or

    (ii) is attainted of treason, or has been convicted and is under sentence, or subject to be sentenced, for any offence punishable under the law of the Commonwealth or of a State by imprisonment for one year or longer; or

    (iii) is an undischarged bankrupt or insolvent; or

    (iv) holds any office of profit under the Crown, or any pension payable during the pleasure of the Crown out of any of the revenues of the Commonwealth: or

    (v) has any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any agreement with the Public Service of the Commonwealth otherwise than as a member and in common with the other members of an incorporated company consisting of more than twenty-five persons; shall be incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a senator or a member of the House of Representatives.

    But subsection (iv) does not apply to the office of any of the Queen’s Ministers of State for the Commonwealth, or of any of the Queen’s Ministers for a State, or to the receipt of pay, half pay, or a pension, by any person as an officer or member of the Queen’s navy or army, or to the receipt of pay as an officer or member of the naval or military forces of the Commonwealth by any person whose services are not wholly employed by the Commonwealth.

  35. CTar,

    I was most disappointed when I found (and linked) that proviso the other day. Especially because once upon a time British MPs “honourably” retired by joining the Chiltern Hundreds.

  38. Oh, now I understand – it’s an administrative sinecure, not a military role, which is what I had always assumed.

  41. Fiona

    by any person whose services are not wholly employed by the Commonwealth.

    A change to the Reserve was no doubt organised in advance in the event he was pre-selected.

    Easy peasy.

  42. CTar,

    As if Handy Andy wasn’t going to be pre-selected . . . he ticks all the boxes: god-fearing, “ex” military therefore has the “right” stuff, fair-haired, blue-eyed. What’s not to like?

  44. Fiona

    What’s not to like?

    Another god bothering right winger. All we need to provide guidance to the great unwashed.

  45. Hastie was involved in another unpleasant incident in Afghanistan. He was cleared of any wrong-doing, he says. He has been closely involved in a couple of incidents and claims to have been totally innocent both time. How many more will come to light?

    I suspect Hastie is a champion at pushing his soldiers under buses – or maybe tanks.

    Andrew Hastie says he was cleared over accidental deaths of two Afghan boys
    http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/01/andrew-hastie-says-he-was-cleared-over-accidental-deaths-of-two-afghan-boys

  48. l2

    Hastie was on the ground during the 2013 engagement and soldiers under his command were in contact with the US Apache helicopter

    It’s always the subordinates. Never Handy Andy.

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