Comments on: Crikey story: Is WorkChoices Beattie’s secret weapon?

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 12:27:09 +0000

Sorry, that’s wrong – it should be 2% think he is performing best out of the three leaders.

By: Graham Bell

Graham Bell — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 08:29:56 +0000

Mark:
2% approval rating? Wasn’t there a leader of a certain federal minority party who got an even lower score in recent decades. Dunno; guessing; just an impression. It would be a pity if the Nationals vanished altogether from the political scene.

Rog:
20 aimed shots should be suffient, of course …. or were you thinking of a truly awful situation?

Dobbers? Our tradition did come from overseas …. with the First Fleet!

SteveAtThePub:
Disagree with you on many things but you were absolutely spot-on about the news media on Flegg and Beattie [at 4:55pm]

By: rog

rog — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 07:34:44 +0000

50 rounds.

Dobbers? as in Dirty Orange Bastids?

By: Graham Bell

Graham Bell — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 04:52:22 +0000

SteveAtThePub:
Don’t inflict your prejudices on everyone alike. I’m definitely NOT “anti-firearm” as you seem to imagine, though I don’t own or need a firearm at the moment …. but I am anti-yobbo and anti-d*ckhead. [What do you think would be the worst thing that could happen because a carload of gun-nuts blasted away with several hundred rounds into windmill, tank, trough, pipes and everything else?].

Rog:
And from memory, 5 rounds of ammunition. Though I would prefer 20 at least.

As for any RW Death Squads, they probably have more undercover coppers as members than actual wingnuts; this is Australia and we do have a long-standing tradition of dobbing and infiltrating to uphold, haven’t we?. .

By: steve at the pub

steve at the pub — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 18:55:50 +0000

The Qld Liberals have been a joke forever.

Bruce Flegg is guilty of not (yet) being a smarmy politician.

Sometimes, just for fun, I mentally swap his & Beattie’s names in the TV news reports.

Indisputably, Beattie is fawned over by the media, whilst Flegg is given a much undeserved caning.

(for example) I just can’t help wondering how the news media would report it if Bruce Flegg’s hat blew off & was rescued by a boy.

“Idiot Flegg humiliated in public by not being able to handle a simple such as keeping his hat on”…”kid does job better than Flegg”…. ?…. sounds about right, compare it to how the ABC handled it when Beattie’s hat blew off.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:57:42 +0000

Does this mean that, in failing to adapt to the new realities in a new century, the Nationals are doomed?

Perhaps now in the medium, not the short term, Graham.

If anyone can find me a leadership approval rating even in the same remote ballpark as the 2% (yes folks not 20 but 2 percent) that Flegg has in Australian political history, I will be massively surprised.

The Qld Liberals have to be the biggest joke in Australian politics. Unfortunately for Springborg and his mates, the laugh is well and truly on them.

By: rog

rog — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 12:44:21 +0000

My definition of an “intelligent, well-managed scheme” is the one in Switzerland, where everyone is obliged to keep a gun.

By: rog

rog — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 12:40:53 +0000

..probably armed right-wing death squads just waiting for their big day..

Shhhh! Its supposed to be a big surprise!

By: steve at the pub

steve at the pub — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 09:02:38 +0000

Graham Bell: I imagine many things make you unhappy. However the thread is about the Queensland election, not your personal anti-firearm prejudices.

By legislating to remove guns from law abiding citizens, the Nationals have offended (in many cases for life) a not insignificant number of their previously rusted-on voters.

Just as you are entitled to your views, the great mass of gun owners are entitled to theirs. And in a display of more principle than many of us have, they have changed their vote because of it.

Brian: The loathing by members of the senior federal leadership is very noticeable.

The selection of a Nationals as a minister by the ruling Labor party in South Australia would lead one to think that agrarian socialists & the ALP are not necessarily diametrically opposed.

By: Graham Bell

Graham Bell — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 06:42:13 +0000

SteveAtThePub:
I wasn’t happy that untrained, careless and drunken civvies were running around with temporarily-semi-automatic military weapons ….. but the federal government’s bungled response to the Port Arthur massacre was downright idiotic. It helped criminals and black-marketeers; it probably armed right-wing death squads just waiting for their big day …. and, as you pointed out, it offended a lot of traditional Nationals supporters.

An intelligent, well-managed scheme would have got the firearms off the street a hell of a lot faster and more completely as well as having all the traditional Nationals supporters eating out of the government’s hand ….. and all without a single firearm being destroyed either.

Brian:
Does this mean that, in failing to adapt to the new realities in a new century, the Nationals are doomed?