The PUB’s 12th Christmas Anniversary

Kirsdarke Featured Posts,

This year marks The PUB’s 12th anniversary on its opening.

Started in Christmas 2012, we still seem to be paddling along with content and discussion here in 2024.

A lot has changed in the world since then, for better or worse. But we do appreciate that this place is still around and gets actively posted on with comments.

Here’s an Open Thread to send off this eventful year. And with a Federal election due next year, looks like it’ll be a major one for Australia.

687 thoughts on “The PUB’s 12th Christmas Anniversary”

  2. Now this did give me a LOL. Hartcher must have been waiting since his student days to roll this stuff out.

    But reds under the bed is a game everyone can play. Is Hartcher acting on behalf of the Chinese communist party ? It had been boiler plate foreign policy since at least Henry Kissinger’s time that to protect US global dominance they need to keep Russia and China apart. That the ‘Yellow Peril’ is imminent for the US of A is currently flavour of the month in Thinktankistan. Now in this 3 way tussle who more than anyone would see any rapprochement between the US of A and Russia as a disaster ? Who has the most to lose ? Who would do anything to prevent it ? You’d have to think China. Peter you have questions to answer.

    <blockquote>Opinion
    It’s clear that Trump is an agent of Putin

    To anyone familiar with Marxist-Leninist political management, what happened between Trump and Zelensky was instantly recognisable.

    ………………..The struggle session had its origins in the writings of Soviet leader Josef Stalin on the subject of criticism and self-criticism. It was later embraced by China’s Mao Zedong against suspected “class enemies”.

    Mao’s youthful zealot Red Guards notoriously employed violence, torture and even murder in struggle sessions during the Cultural Revolution. The reformer Deng Xiaoping banned the struggle session.</blockquote>

    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/it-s-clear-that-trump-is-an-agent-of-putin-all-us-allies-should-be-alarmed-20250303-p5lghu.html

  6. A bit of history:

    The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas neatly divided the “New World” into land, resources, and people claimed by Spain and Portugal. The red vertical line cutting through eastern Brazil represents the divide. The treaty worked out well for the Spanish and Portuguese empires, but less so for the 50 million people already living in established communities in the Americas.

    531 years later, a bit closer to “home” …

  7. Further enhancing the ethical behaviour of the Victorian police

    Exams and psych tests to join an Australian police force will be relaxed in a dramatic measure to bolster frontline officers and fast-track recruitment.

    Victoria Police announced an array of changes today, as it battles low morale and seeks to fill more than 1000 vacancies statewide.

    These mean paramedics, firefighters, defence force personnel and those with an ATAR score higher than 65, as well as a study score of at least 25 in English, will no longer need to sit an entrance exam.

    Individuals who have completed a bachelor degree in the arts, science, humanities, business or law will also be exempt from the exam.

    The changes take effect immediately and apply to residents who studied or worked in emergency services in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom in the past five years.

    Also removed is the need for the majority of potential recruits to have a one-on-one psychologist appointment.

    Acting Chief Commissioner Rick Nugent said the changes meant quality applicants would no longer be held up with unnecessary obstacles.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/mar/04/australia-news-live-kevin-rudd-donald-trump-election-anthony-albanese-peter-dutton-cost-of-living-ntwnfb#top-of-blog

  10. So, just putting it out there that I intend to put up a new thread on Friday to cover the WA election on Saturday.

  12. I think it’s more than a coincidence that Trump’s official portrait turned out like this. Very similar to someone similar.

  13. Wow ,reality has FINALLY broken into his antivax pea brain.

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now leading the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has issued a powerful call to action. With nearly 150 confirmed cases and a tragic death already, this outbreak in Texas is rapidly turning into one of the most significant measles incidents the United States has witnessed in decades. This isn’t just another health scare—this is a crisis that could have been avoided. Kennedy’s message is simple: the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine is not just important; it’s essential for protecting your children—and everyone else around them.

    Kennedy doesn’t mince words. “The measles outbreak is a call to action for all of us,” he stated. It’s not just about protecting our own children; it’s about safeguarding the vulnerable—those who can’t be vaccinated due to medical conditions. The MMR vaccine plays a vital role in preventing one of the most contagious diseases known to mankind, and yet, we are seeing a resurgence due to gaps in vaccination rates.

    Mind you it did take a lot of dead people to do so. Check the date on this article from The Lancet.

    The perils of RFK Junior’s anti-vaccine leadership for public health

    January 11, 2025

    A stark example of the devastating impact of vaccine misinformation is Samoa’s 2019 measles outbreak.3 In this island nation of 200 000, more than 5700 people were infected and 83 people died, most of whom were young children. Samoa’s Ministry of Health cited Kennedy’s visit and his rhetoric as exacerbating vaccine hesitancy at a crucial moment.4 Kennedy’s non-profit, Children’s Health Defense, contributed to this atmosphere of mistrust just months before the outbreak.4 Samoa’s experience underscores how even one prominent anti-vaccine figure can ignite a public health crisis.

    In the USA, Kennedy’s influence could parallel the troubling trends observed in Florida under Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who has publicly questioned the necessity and safety of vaccines. Since Ladapo’s appointment in 2021, childhood vaccination rates in Florida have fallen precipitously.5 A particularly telling case occurred in Broward County, where a measles outbreak sickened unvaccinated children. Despite clear US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, Ladapo’s advisories contradicted science-based protocols, fuelling further mistrust in vaccines.

    https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02603-5/fulltext

  17. Well one thing hasn’t changed with the arrival of The Orange Man. The US government shaking down their South Seas satrap on behalf of their defence industry. Joe Biden’s crew were giving the same push right up until the end.

    LOL about the “first explicit…” claim though. The author must have been fast asleep for a number of years. From the AFR back at the end of Scrott Morrisons time. Oct 18, 2019 – US presidential candidate Joe Biden’s foreign policy adviser called on the Morrison government to increase defence spending to help limit China’s rise.

    Trump admin to Australia: spending $56 billion on defence isn’t enough by half

    One of Trump’s top Pentagon picks, Elbridge Colby, made the United States’ first explicit call for Australia to massively increase defence spending to counter China

    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/trump-admin-to-australia-spending-56-billion-on-defence-isn-t-enough-by-half-20250305-p5lh23.html

  21. These sort of numbers should make Albo’s crew sweat a bit. They make for a grumpy electorate looking to whack someone. Labor will be thankful they have Reichspud Kartoffelkopf rather than a more ‘non threatening’ type leading the barbarians..

    1. Disposable income 2020-24 is down on average $1200. The illusion of growth propped up by government spending and immigration.
    2. We just finished 9 quarters in a row of per capita GDP going backwards.
    3. The share of income going to mortgages is 38% higher now the 1990 “horror mortgage rates” .

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2025/mar/06/rba-interest-rates-australia-inflation-data-gdp-growth

  24. WA #Newspoll state level TPP: ALP 57.5 (+1.5) L/NP 42.5 (-1.5) Primaries: ALP 44 (+2) LIB 29 (-3) NAT 5 (+2) GRN 10 (-2) ON 3 (-1) OTH 9 (+2) http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/liber... ($)Last poll before the state election, +/- changes vs. 4 weeks ago.

    — Leroy (@leroylynch.bsky.social) 2025-03-06T21:40:30.569Z

    WA #DemosAU state level poll TPP: ALP 57 (+2) L/NP 43 (-2) Primaries: ALP 43 (+2) LIB 30 (-4) NAT 5 (+1) GRN 11 (-1) OTH 11 (+2) thewest.com.au/politics/wa-… ($) More poll info here demosau.com/news/wa-poll…+/- changes vs. last Demos WA poll in November #wavotes #wapol

    — Leroy (@leroylynch.bsky.social) 2025-03-06T23:09:04.373Z

    AAP article herewww.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politic…Its not yet on YouGov's site

    — Leroy (@leroylynch.bsky.social) 2025-03-06T22:21:10.267Z

    It's a policy designed to engender anger at the idea of highly paid public servants sitting in their PJs in a Canberra home when much of the policy has allowed the workforce to be distributed across the country, including regional areas they want to win votes in.Suspect this one might backfire.

    — Josh Taylor (@joshtaylor.bsky.social) 2025-03-06T05:31:54.920Z

    Australia's privacy commissioner giving a pretty firm rebuke to Peter Dutton's claim that public servants working from home hurts the agency's efficiency

    — CAMERON WILSON (@cameronwilson.bsky.social) 2025-03-06T00:50:51.000Z

  25. Best wishes to all Pubsters potentially vulnerable to Cyclone Alfred – I hope you and yours will be safe and unscathed.

    I’m in an inner northern suburb of Brisbane, and this will be my personal introduction to the power of cyclones. My house is in a relatively safe position and I’ve been able to take all the recommended steps. I’m impressed by all the information and contacts coming in from local and state organisations and governments.

    I’ll be catching up on a lot of reading/podcasts and a huge network of truly independent online media sources concerning the deranged and corrupt orange man and his local and global enablers 🙂 and, of course, :(.

  29. Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones is facing an additional charge of assault with act of indecency relating to an 11th complainant.He has now been charged with 35 offences after his arrest last year following an investigation spanning two decades. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03... #auslaw #ausmedia

    — Leroy (@leroylynch.bsky.social) 2025-03-07T06:03:46.394Z

    Trade war truce? Not so fast. Trump has Canada's auto sector in his sightsFentanyl was not his main target. His team has made that clearwww.cbc.ca/news/world/t…

    — Alex Panetta (@alexpanetta.bsky.social) 2025-03-07T04:04:55.632Z

    Police allege 17yo made Avalon Airport bomb threat after boarding Jetstar flight armed with shotgun http://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03... #auslaw

    — Leroy (@leroylynch.bsky.social) 2025-03-07T06:39:49.341Z

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