Now that things are wrapping up for Christmas-New Year in 2025, this might now be a good time for a new post.
We’ve been here for 13 years now, so while politics are about as relevant as some random wasp nest that can frankly sort itself out at this moment, let’s just maybe hold this time to be something of a break and wish everyone a good holiday season.
13 is an unlucky number, yes, but perhaps with superstitions like this, we can overcome that by openly defying it by not paying any meaningful attention to it? 2026 has a lot of potential one way or another.
Hopefully everyone here has a great Christmas-Holiday-New Year period in the next month.

Link to previous thread here: https://pbxmastragics.com/2025/10/05/newspoll-57-43-to-labor-october-2025/
Resolve Victorian state level poll
TPP: ALP 49 L/NP 51 (respondent allocated)
Primaries: ALP 28 (-2) L/NP 39 (+6) GRN 12 (0) IND 9 (-1) other 11 (-4)
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/victoria-enters-election-year-on-political-knife-s-edge-as-opposition-support-surges-20251208-p5nlso.html
(+/-) changes from October, last time a TPP was not provided in the reporting
More here
https://www.theage.com.au/national/resolve-political-monitor-20210322-p57cvx.html
This poll seems similar to the last DemosAU VIC poll.
https://demosau.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DemosAU-Victoria-Poll-Oct-25.pdf
And the last Newspoll
https://www.pollbludger.net/2025/11/22/newspoll-51-49-to-coalition-in-victoria-3/
It doesn’t have to be “13”
Roman: XIII
Binary: 1101
Hexadecimal: D
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/dec/09/australia-news-live-aukus-submarine-wong-marles-rubio-hegseth-anika-wells-family-travel-benefit-social-media-ban-ntwnfb#top-of-blog
Well, colour me pink!
Gosh,when did this start happening ? 😦 Same old same old ‘news’ that has been appearing since at least the Noughties and yet somehow never fixed. Yet another example of the bullshittery involved in privatising public services. Nice one Rodent and Hammock Dweller.
????? Re under 16s social media ban. This seems weird.
Meanwhile Albo gives two thumbs up to this deceased crook.
No ewlogy?
This lengthy article should be what Albo read out at the funeral.
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/11/richos-grave-should-be-extra-deep/
Hurrah ! A 50 year gravy train. What a shame it has the overpowering aroma of the ever popular military lobbyist’s favorite aftershave, Eau de Boondoggle. Charles Marles’ post political sinecure is in the bag.
Meanwhile back on earth a look at who Albo,Penny and Charles got us into bed with for the next half century. ……
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/06/britains-nuclear-submarine-fleet-no-longer-fit-for-purpose/
Shorter: don’t stop the kids: stop the rubbish.
And stop their increasing habit of telling us being seen to ‘do something‘ = reform/progress.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/dec/10/under-16s-social-media-ban-reaction-victoria-vce-atar-results-queensland-parliament-mcphillamys-goldmine-federal-court-hearing-anthony-albanese-labor-sussan-ley-coalition-migration-policy-ntwnfb#maincontent
Speaking of unveiling, Spike Milligna (the well-known typing error) has it:
“Tonight she will perform the Dance of the Seven Army Surplus Blankets”
As the sensuous creature sprang to the centre and one by one the blankets fell to the floor, I moved to her side.
ARABIC MUSIC. NEDDY’S HEAVY BREATHING.
“Oh sensuous creature, what tempts you to dance in this den of vice?”
“I’ve gotta make a living too!”
“Eccles! You’re not a woman!”
“I know. But don’t tell the manager!”
“Why not!?”
“We’re engaged!”
And at the end of it………….
This council worker takes the cake the biscuit and everything else for this effort. One time security cameras were very useful. Now to decide whether to laugh or cry 😆
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/croydon-council-parking-fines-disabled-bay-car-b2880868.html
Like comedy, timing is everything.
The new Essential poll mentioned here.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/10/guardian-essential-poll-one-nation-records-highest-ever-primary-vote
The new Essential Report with all the issues questions is here.
https://essentialreport.com.au/reports/10-december-2025
Voting figures including TPP, primaries and approvals, should appear at this link later.
https://essentialreport.com.au/reports/federal-political-insights
Orangegutang won’t be happy 😀
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/miami-mayor-election-winner-eileen-higgins
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2025/dec/10/australias-kids-are-saved-the-social-media-ban-is-here-and-all-the-teens-are-outside-touching-grass
With all the latest kerfuffle over pollies travel expenses the inevitable cry of it being ‘within the rules’ gets a run. Even Albo gave it a spin.
As for reforms LOL nothing much will happen. At most a ritual tossing of a designated sacrificial goat into the volcano will happen .Hi Anika. There’s bipartisan support for all the ‘creative’ ways travel allowance can be used.
Now about those travel <strike>rorts</strike> rules……………
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/09/mp-family-travel-allowance-rules-entitlements-anthony-albanese-anika-wells-melissa-mcintosh
Visitors welcome to the USA of A. NOT!
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/10/tourists-social-media-trump
The ‘Welcome to Murica’ ceremony also includes……………
Duck, they are however tackling the big issues head on…..
https://gizmodo.com/marco-rubio-orders-state-dept-to-stop-using-calibri-font-in-anti-dei-push-2000698012
The Serif v the Sans-Serif battle is a bit like the Big-Endians v the Little-Endians of Lilliput.
Mind you, Calibri is a lot easier to read.
The man’s as nutty as Caligula
“About six months into his reign, Caligula fell seriously ill, after which his behavior reportedly changed dramatically.
He became known for extravagant spending, political purges, and bizarre acts, such as allegedly promoting his horse to consul and demanding worship as a god.”
Thought provoking article from Amy Remeikis.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2025/12/06/labor-discontent-government
The full Redbridge Vic poll is here.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZpnBc78yPhXQaCALe6AXdIntIakZ0TUR/view
Getting blood out of a stone from the ‘Feds’ for this………………………….
But they were faster than Usain Bolt running to sign this 😦
Ah, priorities.
Money for tax ‘minimizing’ multinationals ? No wuckas,
T
That was fortuitous for them 🙂 . Lots of this sort of dirty laundry being aired right when we peasants are paying even less attention than normal due to Xmas.
The good news is that it will increase the rate of the removal of stoopid from the gene pool.
https://github.com/Mike-Honey
“Jacinta Price, the ON MP for New England.”
Cool!
Won’t happen.
Good to see the tried and true methods of yesteryear live on. This time the old turn failure into success by redefining success got a run. Have a problem with some (many?) pollies taking the piss when it comes to what is able to be claimed as travel expenses ? Easy fix, change the definition .So they quietly….. “Updated wording expands definition of ‘party political duties’ Hey presto ‘It was within the rules’ .
Not surprised to see it was Farrell who changed the definition. 😦 Bowen made the lol worthy excuse for the changes, the change was needed so as to simplify the rules to make it easier. Which I suppose is accurate, it makes it simpler and easier for those who want to abuse the ‘entitlement’ .
There’s ‘plain’ bad luck and then there is ‘baroque’ bad luck.
Man caught rabies from organ transplant after donor was scratched by skunk
2025
A Michigan man died of rabies despite having no recent exposure to a potentially infected animal
https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/diagnostic-dilemma-man-caught-rabies-from-organ-transplant-after-donor-was-scratched-by-skunk
No surprise to find this but nice to hear it getting some air. Justice ,Agent Orange style.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-12-13/former-doj-attorneys-university-of-california-ucla-antisemitism-investigation
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/dec/14/australia-news-live-michelle-rowland-family-travel-entitlements-labor-liberal-coles-woolworths-price-gouging-nsw-vic-wa-fire-weather-heatwave-warnings-albanese-sussan-ley-ntwnfb#top-of-blog
In a previous existence, I would make a claim for expenses and someone would check whether it was legit.
Those who check pollies’ expenses are doing a very bad job or are non-existent.
And by god if anyone knows what a ‘culture of entitlement’ it’s those bustards. Truly a magnificent effort to maintain a straight face whilst making such a claim. That said some of the cases suggest there is a wee bit of a problem. With the shit people are enduring re affording the cost of housing the pollies better not bank on the peasants being in a forgiving mood when they hear of some of the lurks and perks of being a pollie.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/14/michelle-rowland-to-repay-part-of-family-trip-to-wa-ipea-watchdog-finds-spending-breached-rules
It’s not as if the little dears on 200k plus can’t afford to pay for the “extras.”
Can’t really blame the rats for deciding to ‘Abandon ship !”
https://www.smh.com.au/national/ex-liberal-party-powerbroker-says-the-party-is-over-20251211-p5nms7.html?js-chunk-not-found-refresh=true
This is absolutely horrifying. A mass shooting event happened at Bondi Beach tonight.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-14/active-shooter-bondi-beach-sydney-nsw/106141580
Verified info is slow to come out at the moment.
TGA is on it https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/dec/14/nsw-police-responding-to-reports-of-shooting-at-sydneys-bondi-beach-follow-latest#top-of-blog
As you say, anything coming out has to be verified.
Sussan has jumped the gun:
NSW police just confirmed 10 people are dead after the shooting, including 9 victims.
1 shooter has been killed.
Bastards!
You who are without sin …
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/15/benjamin-netanyahu-blames-anthony-albanese-for-bondi-beach-terror-attack-as-world-leaders-express-horror
The genocidal war criminal sure goes all out……..
Thank dog for the guy who took the gun off one the gunmen. Not only for the lives he would have saved but also because of who he is will prevent a shit load of ‘rabble rousing’ from Newscorpse and all the other usual suspects.
I suppose we will now have to endure ‘dueling pollies’ as they have a ‘tough response’ competition.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/bondi-beach-shooting-heroic-man-disarms-gunman-turns-weapon-on-him/4d5e1253-c12c-4a84-9d42-b92fa175744b
A brave man. Deserves a medal.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/dec/14/bondi-beach-shooting-live-updates-victims-terror-attack-jewish-festival-hanukah
… kicking and screaming …
She probably used the term ‘on the table’ in a literal sense. As in just sitting on the table laying there doing nothing,untouched.
There will be some epic verbal contortions from the NATS as they try to do a Schrodinger’s Cat. Trying to appear to their constituency as fighting for their ‘gun rights’ while simultaneously trying to appear to support controls. Unless they’ve gone full Gina and so no longer feel the need to pretend.
I notice that while the religion of the shooters is displayed widely, the news reports somehow neglected to mention that brave hero who saved so many lives by tacking one of the gunman was a Muslim man from Syria. Did something not fit a narrative?
I think that Ahmed al Ahmed deserves a Cross of Valour for what he did yesterday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_Valour_(Australia)
Only 5 people have been awarded this honour, the most recent were 2 people for saving lives in the Bali Bombings in 2002.
He surely achieves this criteria.
Ahmed was shot twice for his troubles in disarming one of the shooters.
Worse still,, the guy was a……gasp…….. refugee.
Lucky he wasn’t on Nauru.
I wish they would stay away
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/dec/16/bondi-beach-shooting-live-updates-victims-terror-attack-jewish-festival-hanukah-al-ahmed-hero-gun-control-ntwnfb#top-of-blog
Israel has no good reason to involve itself.
Kirsdarke
Edit
That he deserves to get one is a “lay down misère”.
He may also be up for the Royal Humane Society’s Gold Medal. Although that depends on if what he did fits the bolded bit below . The ‘another’ may refer to the rescue of specific individual(s) rather than ‘generic’ saving people.
There’s at least one non agenda/barrow pushing article from a journo.
https://www.watoday.com.au/national/i-told-a-friend-the-world-was-trembling-then-bondi-erupted-20251215-p5nnrm.html
Good one. Well written.
And “the ABC spectacularly missing in action”
TLBD
It was truly a big surprise to find such an article being published. Rare as hen’s teeth at the moment.
Re ABC. Truly depressing listening to ABC coverage on the radio as I drove to work. It was so dire I ended up switching to one of those dire commercial music FM station 🙂