It’s December

joe6pack Uncategorized

It’s December which is my favorite time of year.images-6

Be prepared for some sudden changes and different looks

left-vs-right

Everyone needs to have a deep breath and relax after this not so very great year.

218263-take-a-deep-breath

 

So buckle up and get ready for The PUBS Christmas Month.

Starting with.

571 thoughts on “It’s December”

  3. Melbourne’s temperature has dropped from 31C at 5pm to 21C now. Plus a little rain.

    The crickets are rejoicing loudly.

  6. One of many reasons I get so very frustrated and angry with Labor.

    First we had Shorten making incredibly ill-informed remarks about people needing penalty rates so they could pay for their kids’ private school fees, a stupid statement he eventually back-tracked on, using the weak excuse he was referring to Catholic parish schools.

    Now we have this nonsense from Tanya Plibersek, herself a product of the NSW state system.
    http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tanya-plibersek-says-no-case-for-cuts-to-overfunded-private-schools-20161201-gt2fl2.html

    Another difference with the Liberal Party ignored, another golden opportunity squandered. Come the next election marginal seats and working class suburbs like Sydney’s west will again be plagued with politicians of all flavours after votes. Labor would win a lot more of those votes if they stopped pandering to the wealthy and started looking after what used to be their core voters.

    Whoever advised Labor on these idiotic statements needs a brain transplant.

    • Labor tends to be too tentative, too cautious. Labor lives in fear of being criticised by the media, even years before the election. It baffles me.

    • Gigilene the ALP is justifiably afraid of mistakes because of our biased media which has given the Liberals a hospital pass in all the years I have been alive.

      The middle class media see labour as the enemy

  7. Today US officials began interviewing refugees on Nauru who had expressed an interest in being settled in the US. Part of the deal – if it ever eventuates, and that’s now doubtful – was this. Refugees have to start repaying the copst of their airfares to the US within three to six months after arriving and must have paid back the whole sum in five years. It’s an interest-free loan.

    Would it really hurt the US to divert a few million dollars from bombs for Syria and instead spend it on flights for refugees?

    • Jaysus, a charter airfare PNG to US is maybe $500 and Australia spends $400000 per year locking up each asylum seeker

      The Liberals are NOT economic managers

  9. Tanya Plibersek is engaging reality politics with her remarks. She will well remember the Lib calls of TheALP Hit List during the last elections. At no stage must any ALP politician mention cuts to funding of private schools.

    • The ‘hit list’ is back. This time it’s Birmo with the alleged ‘hit list’. He has been looking at cutting funding for some of the wealthiest private schools.

      From September this year –
      http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/private-school-funding-labor-says-simon-birminghams-admission-means-some-will-be-worse-off/news-story/70580b9f49efcbca0ad04a846c35f89e

      Labor was upset about this, lord knows why. It was Labor/Julia Gillard who came up with the incredibly stupid ‘no school will be worse off’ when Gonski was being introduced. Instead of that rubbish Ms Gillard should have stood proud and said something like ‘Of course some wealthy schools will have their funding cut. We think there are better ways of using that money than providing a third swimming pool for an elite school when state schools need so much gelp with basic facilities.”

      It’s rime Labor dropped the pandering and started being realistic. Losing votes by being equitable and fair? How?

      How many parents at these very expensive schools would vote Labor? Not many, I think.

  10. Quite a few parents at those very expensive schools believe in “State Aid for State Schools” and can’t believe the the high levels of federal funding

  11. Good morning Dawn Patrollers.

    Urban Wronski writes that despite win-spin the Turnbull government ended the week in chaos and contempt for the people.
    https://urbanwronski.com/2016/12/04/despite-win-spin-turnbull-government-ends-week-in-chaos-and-contempt-for-the-people/
    This light rail project is getting to be quite a handful for Bird.
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/more-delays-dog-sydneys-21-billion-light-rail-line-amid-backroom-squabbling-20161201-gt2cq8.html
    The Law Society adds to Baird’s woes by slamming the proposed sell-off of the Land Titles Registry.
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/law-council-of-australia-speaks-out-against-baird-governments-land-titles-registry-sale-20161202-gt2gl9.html
    According to the SMH editorial It is difficult to do what is right AND what is popular. Sadly, amid a surge of anti-establishment populism in the past year, the Premier has too often veered away from doing the right thing for NSW.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/bairds-triple-backflip-with-poll-hike-20161123-gsw9yk.html
    David Wroe on Turnbull’s insistence that the US refugee deal will survive Trump’s inauguration.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-insists-us-deal-to-resettle-refugees-from-nauru-and-manus-will-survive-trumps-inauguration-20161204-gt3oe3.html
    In a move likely to inflame passions Turnbull is eying off a $1b loan arrangement for the Adani coal project.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-government-eyes-1-billion-adani-loan-backed-by-new-infrastructure-fund-20161204-gt3joz.html
    The Productivity Commission has elements of government salivating over more opportunities for privatisation.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/hospitals-housing-and-dental-services-ripe-for-privatisation-says-productivity-commission-report-20161204-gt3llf.html
    How local councils in Sydney are showing the way on affordable housing.
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/inner-west-council-outshines-government-on-affordable-housing-20161130-gt1gp5.html
    Well who would have thought! Carbon pricing is back on the table.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/power-prices-energy-security-emissions-cuts–and-carbon-pricing–on-the-table-in-climate-review-20161204-gt3n7v.html
    Is Sam Dastyari making a comeback?
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/a-cathartic-experience-out-of-exile-sam-dastyari-becomes-an-author-20161201-gt2fcj.html

  12. Section 2 . . .

    The trouble with our essentially binary electoral system.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-pollies-on-offer-just-dont-float-your-vote-what-now-20161202-gt34n8.html
    If Treasury wants to start acting more like economists than accountants, a good place to start would be to urge its political masters to seize on the opportunity presented by the school funding “compact” proposed by the Grattan Institute writes Ross Gittins.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/education-efficiency-should-start-with-grattan-compromise-20161203-gt3h14.html
    Peter Martin previews as speech Andrew Leigh will be making today in which he will posit that Bob Menzies would be ashamed of the modern Liberal Party.
    http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/menzies-would-be-ashamed-andrew-leigh-takes-on-turnbull-over-unions-home-ownership-20161204-gt3ks4.html
    Projections are showing that Australia is blowing its carbon budget.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/05/australia-is-blowing-its-carbon-budget-projections-reveal
    Greg Jericho uses the ABCC legislation to show the sloppiness of the government’s policy process.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2016/dec/04/rushed-sloppy-and-failing-to-deliver-the-abcc-sums-up-the-coalitions-policy-process‘
    Just ten of the 103 APVMA scientists have agreed to move to Armidale under Barnaby Joyce’s ill-considered pork barrelling.
    http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/just-10-scientists-expected-to-stay-with-apvma-under-forced-relocation-to-armidale-20161204-gt3ity.html
    The government is trying to claw back $4b it believes has been overpaid to welfare recipients.
    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/welfare-debt-squad-hunts-for-4bn-in-overpayments/news-story/e19c5b0d4a39aa07364a41269fdc11c9
    Turnbull has killed off Abbott’s Green Army. So that’s where the Greens’ $100m bargaining chip came from. But hang on, the Green Army was partially funded by swingeing cuts to LandCare in the first place! Google.
    /news/tony-abbotts-green-army-gets-its-marching-orders-20161203-gt3eg2
    The latest increases to Melbourne’s public transport prices have put the family car back into consideration.
    http://www.theage.com.au/comment/myki-fare-hikes-favour-some-users-punish-others-and-increasingly-encourage-driving-20161204-gt3nrs.html
    Paul Krugman says that the white working class has been seduced and betrayed by Trump. Millions of Americans have just been sucker-punched. They just don’t know it yet.
    http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-white-working-class-has-been-seduced-and-betrayed-by-trump-20161204-gt3ivq.html

  13. Section 3 . . .

    Relief in Europe as Austria rejects the far right in its presidential election.
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/austria-elects-independent-alexander-van-der-bellen-president-rejects-the-farright-20161204-gt3t97.html
    Never mind the Adlers!
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/brothers-for-life-figures-offer-to-hunt-down-stolen-rocket-launcher-for-police-20161107-gsjp94.html
    Isn’t this an indicator of what a lot of employers would do with a company tax increase? Straight into the pocket!
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace-relations/employers-are-underpaying-24m-workers-superannuation-report-20161202-gt2wtl.html
    Norm Abjorensen on the woes of George Brandis who, he writes, is not the only A-G to land in hot water.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/george-brandis-not-the-first-ag-to-land-in-hot-water-20161201-gt1lqz.html
    George Williams proposes a straightforward fix for 18c.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/there-is-a-straightforward-fix-for-section-18c-20161201-gt251a.html
    Amanda Vanstone has a meltdown over protestors. Those of the left anyway!
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-look-at-me-narcissistic-politics-of-the-left-20161202-gt2y0j.html
    SML’s Alex Baldwin brilliantly responds to Trump’s criticisms of his impersonation.
    http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/alec-baldwin-to-donald-trump-release-your-tax-returns-and-ill-stop-impersonating-you-20161204-gt3t77.html
    Jess Irvine invokes game theory to inform her Christmas shopping.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/how-to-exploit-game-theory-to-stuff-your-stocking-this-christmas-20161202-gt2vva.html

  14. Section 4 . . . Cartoon Corner

    Matt Golding gets it.

    Cathy Wilcox gets to understand the draining of the swamp in the US.

    Ron Tandberg whips Big George into shape.

    Andrew Dyson brings out the superglue.

    Cathy Wilcox with more for George.

    And from Matt Golding.

    • I’ve just had an almost Damascene moment.

      There is an eerie facial similarity between poorleen and big george.

  16. Urban Wronski,

    The Wyatt Roy Toy show.

    I think you should write the scenario and send it to uncle rupe’s Michelle.

  17. Advisers for Donald Trump have sneakily swapped the President-elect’s phone with a plastic Fisher Price device, which they say he can use while he is still learning how to be an adult.

    “He’s probably not quite ready for a big boy phone just yet,” one aide said. “With this one he can play around and pretend, without having to worry about accidentally making any actual calls or accidentally severing ties with China”.

    The aide said the ‘My First Phone’ had lots of fun sounds and colours, which Mr Trump was already enjoying. “We’ve even put in some pretend ‘speed dials’ to people like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, so he can get tips from Russia or ‘re-establish ties’ with North Korea whenever he feels like it”.

    She said there was no need to tell Mr Trump that he wasn’t actually speaking to foreign leaders. “It’s just a bit of harmless make believe. We’ll get the adults to do all the important diplomacy stuff in the background. It’s much better for everyone that way”.

    http://www.theshovel.com.au/2016/12/04/aides-secretly-replace-trumps-cell-phone-with-toy-phone/

  18. Fizza goes to the beach –

    Don’t go to the beach that often, then? Malcolm Turnbull stands out in a business shirt and suit pants at Bondi to raise awareness about surf safety (but at least he’s not wearing budgie smugglers)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3998186/Prime-Minister-Malcolm-Turnbull-wears-business-shirt-suit-pants-Bondi-raise-awareness-drowning.html#ixzz4Rul2tDAE

    Doesn’t he own any casual gear? A polo shirt maybe? Some chinos?

    • Now that Teflon John’s on the way out we’ll be able to see if NZ Labour can start making inroads again.

  23. No surprises for me either as it’s this type of show where everything is predictable. Elizabeth is stuck with that villain. And we all guessed as soon as we found out she was pregnant that the baby could be Ross’ s. And of course the other 2 lovers were to be reunited at the end … All is well but for Elizabeth and Jeremy.

    • Elizabeth is like the turkeys here who voted for Abbott then for Turnbull, thinking they will both change. They didn’t and George won’t either.

  29. Let’s get Heather Ewart on to force them to say it’s a “Tax”. It won’t happen. It’s a price and not a tax anymore. I’m sure Julia is still a bit angry.

  30. Excuse me Carers, the NDIS is not for you. The NDIS is for the person with the disabilities.

    Carer support is a different set of programs. As a carer myself I always say that if my cared-for one had enough services I would not be a carer in the first place!
    Don’t fund me, fund him.

    i have great respect for carers, being one, but i know it is a politically active group. Their needs are recognised more than the people with the disability or health condition, as I see it.
    Governments would rather subsidise reasonably inadequate programs for carers than put the right money into directly meeting the needs of people who need carers to access independent support and care options.

    Not everyone wants to be beholden to a relative for their very existence or life outside of a care facility.

    • The Green Army paid kickbacks to the Job Network Agencies that provided Green Army “volunteers”
      The Green Army paid supervisors were often less knowledgable than the Landcare workers they replaced
      That said, the garden where I volunteer has offered apprenticeships to 2 of the Green Army
      My overall impression was EXPLOITATION

    • Why? What have I done?

      Off to tonight’s Xmas party, a sober affair as it’s 19 km from home

  36. Good Grief!

    He wouldn’t ……….. would he?

    Yarralumla could be Malcolm Turnbull’s solution to the Tony Abbott problem

    Understandably, Turnbull doesn’t want Abbott in the cabinet. It would be awkward personally and complicated politically. Abbott could become a leader of Liberal conservatives again, pulling the government further to the right.

    Abbott doesn’t seem interested in being a diplomat or chairing an agency.

    There is another path open: secretly promise to appoint him Governor-General.

    Sir Peter Cosgrove has three years left in the job. It could be like the Kirribilli pact between Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, only for Yarralumla.

    If there is one promise that would silence Abbott, it is the prospect of being the Queen’s representative in Australia

    http://www.afr.com/news/politics/national/yarralumla-could-be-malcolm-turnbulls-solution-to-the-tony-abbott-problem-20161202-gt2hvl#ixzz4Rw9AqlJ4

    I bet Tony has read that by now. I bet a copy is stuck on his fridge door, and another on his office wall. I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘someone’ has sent an anonymous copy to Fizza.

    • Its a christmas time puff piece, clickbait – designed to get a rise out of lefties, so not to be taken seriously, imo,
      This would be a worse “captain’s pick’ than knighting Phil the greek.
      And since Turdball’s unlikely to still be PM when the decision needs to be made its all academic really.

    • It does have a faint chance though. With Fizza’s fondness for giving in to the loopy right nothing is impossible.

      I would hope this government would be long gone by the time Cosgrove’s term expires, but again, nothing is impossible where Australian voters are concerned. I have no faith in them at all now.

  37. Abbott knifes Truffles (again) and it’s Truffles for GG. You know it makes sense 🙂

    • GG would be far more suited to Truffles than being PM is.

      It’s a tailor-made job for Mr Harbourside Mansion. A pointless position where the incumbent does bugger all, except for being wheeled out on ceremonial occasions and royal visits. No decision making, no responsibilities, just lots of posing for photos.

      It would be delicious to watch the alleged republican Fizza having to grovel at the feet of whichever royal sprogs decide to visit.

      The only problem would be where he should live when in Sydney. Admiralty House would – to him – be slumming it.

  38. If anyone here is following the events around the Dakota Access Pipeline, an issue our parochial MSM are ignoring, here’s some good news –

    Dakota Access Pipeline to be rerouted
    http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/04/politics/dakota-access-pipeline/index.html

    And –
    Standing Rock: US denies key permit for Dakota Access pipeline, a win for tribe
    Army Corps of Engineers will not grant the permit for the Dakota Access pipeline to drill under the Missouri river, handing a major win to environmental activists
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/04/dakota-access-pipeline-permit-denied-standing-rock

    It’s just a battle won though. The war continues.

    • In academic circles Saudi princes had a reputation for flying passes because it wasn’t worth being gaoled for marking them properly in Saudi Arabia

  40. I agree, leone, about T. He would also be better suited as GG than Abbott. And just imagine how Lucy would be happy. I just recall how Mrs Hayden was. So discreet.

  43. Barnaby Joyce listened to a ‘celebrity gardener’ over veterinary industry experts: Labor

  46. Scrott said a gazillion times over many months any new expenditure must be met with an equivalent in savings ? No rocket science to work out that the portfolio getting extra $ will be first in line for cuts to match those $ . Obviously Di Natale not paying attention or was in it for the publicity.

    • $118,000 on office expenses?

      If I were an auditor (as I was, of IT) I would check exactly where that money went.

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