Comments on: Malcolm Turnbull haunted by Paul Keating

By: danny

danny — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:46:21 +0000

Not sure how Mal and PJK morphed into “I know what real pverty is” but I’ll go with it.
I can tell you this: if, instead of holing up in the secluded back courtyard of the nice local upmarket bookshop ( yes I’m jealous, I admit) to have a chat with Anna Bligh, our Prime Minister and she had plonked themselves in civvies, no minders, on any of the many sidewalk seats of Barista Boulevard, (that monument to the services economy that can disappear, with it’s jobs, just about overnight when things go bad,) there’s a very good chance someone who doesn’t read the papers would have put the bite on them before the froth was off their lattes.
Yes, there is real and very public and very plentiful begging going on in the Prime Minister’s and the Premier’s own electorates. And chroming. And all manner of human tragedy in plain view if you just look to the side when you walk past the park, or at who’s out to it on the bus stop benches. This in the midst of what looks a lot like extreme capitalism: it’s not unusual for a bentley, or a maserati, even a day-glo hummer, to pull up and just duck in for a quick hard-back and a takeaway delectable or three.
At least around here they don’t get told to move on unless they create a real ruckus, which is rare, it’s civilised all round. That’s not to say that if looks could kill, we wouldn’t have our begging problem for long. Now if they’d only bulldoze that St Vinnies hostel up the road, and liberate that substantial neo-CBD site to Teh Market, and the old boarding houses that dot the suburb, ….But we don’t see Kev that much around here any more, maybe he doesn’t want to see us. He, and Anna, ‘ll just duck in quietly and, miraculously, there’ll be someone there at that very moment to get a snap for the local paper. On a semi-regular basis, for the report card.
Careful with that background Eugene.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:35:34 +0000

“You have got a damn nerve to judge the circumstances of others you clearly know absolutely nothing about.”

hmmmm… seems to be a lot of that going on in the blogosphere.

By: adrian

adrian — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:40:42 +0000

Yes, Adrien’s logic is a little suspect there, which if taken to its (il)logical conclusion would suggest that nobody has a right to complain about anything when there exists someone worse off than themselves.

Maybe this is what Adrien believes, but since he’s apparently become a commenting institution don’t we have a right to expect better?:-)

By: Kat

Kat — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:30:25 +0000

But it’s not the same as someone in Darfur or Karachi okay. Just not. At all. Ever. And everytime I hear Aussies moan I can’t help despising their fat-arsed self-indulgence.

Nothing in Australia is like Darfuc or Karachi, or any of the other basketcases some always drag out when trying to convince others of how wonderful life is in Australia.

You have got a damn nerve to judge the circumstances of others you clearly know absolutely nothing about.

Why is that whenever we are talking about the circumstances of low skilled wage earners or welfare recipients some invoke the third world, yet they more likely than not, make comparisons to the US when defending corporate excess? (Well until recently anyway).

By: Kat

Kat — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:14:01 +0000

That’s my idea of a battler. In this country battler means we haven’t much by way of beer money after paying off the house, the car, the plasma screen blah blah blah.

Wow, what part of Australia do you live in??? Of course there are genuine poor Adrien. Further these numbers are on the increase.

And believe it or not for most of these people meeting everyday living expenses has become a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. They are constantly in deficit on utilities bills, because after all, one needs a roof over ones head and some food in the belly.

Tell any of the local charity organisations that there are no genuine poor in Australia.

In a country as ‘well off’ as we are there is no excuse for people being homeless or unable to meet there needs (food, accomodation, electricity, phone, clothing).

By: Paul Burns

Paul Burns — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:12:26 +0000

I think Swan caught something from Turnbull. Or is it just that all our pollies can’t touch something without stuffing it up, they’re all so incompetent.

By: Ambigulous

Ambigulous — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:54:07 +0000

“I’m surprised that the omniscient Malcolm Turnbull didn’t use his own purported financial expertise to spot the problem which is the occasion for the said furore. But I suppose his credit claiming for the bank deposit guarentee is so last week’s media cycle.”

Well, today’s news about some institutions putting a freeze on withdrawals, and the Treasurer’s advice to investors about going to see Centrelink (good advice, if an old person needs to get her assets or income re-assessed), will certainly flip this issue back INTO the meeja.

Cycle?

By: GregM

GregM — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:32:22 +0000

It should be about 30% of 30% of the total credit market.

Quite true if every dollar they owe was borrowed back in July when our dollar momentarily reached near parity wih the US doolar. However that is not the case. The vast majority of their borrowings were when our dollar was in the range US65-75c.

They’ve lost their windfall profits from brief US dollar near parity, that is all.

By: Blogreader

Blogreader — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:01:04 +0000

Malcolm is probably just providing a distracting talking point to help divert attention away from things like the precipitous fall in the dollar which could have devastating effects on the banks who get about 30% of their funds from the international money market.
Try working out how many extra AU$ they have to find to repay the US$ they borrowed on the back of your envelope.
It should be about 30% of 30% of the total credit market.
Total credit is about 170% of GDP which is about $1 trillion.
That comes to $1.7 trillion total credit.
We could easily be looking at needing an extra $150 billion to buy the US$ needed to roll over the international credit facility that we have come to rely on so heavily.
This is probably the capitalization of one or two major banks.

By: Adrien

Adrien — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:34:29 +0000

Everyone goes without – something.
.
Your ‘prism of fortune’ riff may or may not be some sort of inference based on the assumption that I’m enclosed in a leafy green bubble with baby leather seats on the Saab or whatever. If so don’t assume – ASS – U – ME etc.
.
Yes there are people who struggle. I have struggled. Maybe right now I am struggling. Considerin’ the floor fell thru the economy two weeks back I reckon I might soon be if I ain’t already.
.
But it’s not the same as someone in Darfur or Karachi okay. Just not. At all. Ever. And everytime I hear Aussies moan I can’t help despising their fat-arsed self-indulgence.