The NEXT coming Oz election thread!

He doesn't strike me as anywhere near as ethical as Harridine - and Harradine's politics aren't mine by a long shot - but he took his position and responsibilities seriously.

Anyone got a take on the Tuckey/Beazley verbal stoush?

I'm kind of happy with Kim's 'weak & worthless' response. Tuckey's 'fat so and so' is so kindergarten. The man is a tool (figuratively and literally). To think he's actually been a minister - and that he's been elected so many times, he's the best WA can do?

How would JH feel if Greg Combet leant over his shoulder half way through his door stop and started asking questions?

Source

'Iron Bar' wins on points: PM

August 10, 2006 - 12:58PM

A public stoush between Labor leader Kim Beazley and Liberal backbencher Wilson Tuckey reflected badly on both men, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

Mr Howard said neither man had bathed himself in glory, but Mr Beazley had come off slightly worse.

"I don't think that altercation reflected well on either of them,'' Mr Howard told reporters.

"Bear in mind of course that Mr Beazley does aspire to be the prime minister."

Mr Tuckey, dubbed "Iron Bar'', clashed with Mr Beazley outside Parliament House this morning in a fiery toe-to-toe verbal confrontation over changes to migration law.


With their faces within centimetres of each other, Mr Beazley labelled the government backbencher "weak'', prompting Mr Tuckey to call him a "fat so and so''.

"Oh here's Kim,'' Mr Tuckey said as he spotted Mr Beazley.

"This is not about Liberals, this is about you mob,'' he said, referring to Labor.

Mr Beazley, with a faint smile, first told Mr Tuckey to "take your tablets''.

"Don't you insult me with tablets,'' Mr Tuckey shot back.

"I'm asking you why you are defying the Australian people on border protection.''

With a hand on Mr Tuckey's shoulder, Mr Beazley urged the Liberal MP: "Off you go mate, off you go, off you go mate.''

But Mr Tuckey refused to move, saying he was entitled to stand outside the doors of parliament.

"Now I'm interviewing you, I'm asking you why your entire party is going to kill off legislation that the Australian people want,'' Mr Tuckey said.

The clash then became more heated and the two West Australian politicians closed in on each other, chins thrust forward.

Mr Beazley said Mr Tuckey was supporting "weak sop legislation''.

"Why don't you take your weak, worthless self in there with the weak, worthless piece of legislation,'' the Labor leader said, pointing towards the parliament doors.

'Don't you call me weak'

Tuckey fired back angrily: "Don't you call me weak ... you fat so and so.''

He then left Mr Beazley to make his morning address to reporters.

Mr Beazley urged government MPs opposing the bill to stay the course.

"I would urge all patriotic Liberals, Liberals with a nationalistic spirit top get in behind a bit of strength and oppose this worthless, weak legislation.''

The House of Representatives will today vote on the changes, which force illegal boat refugees into offshore processing centres.

A small group of Liberals have voiced opposition to the changes and have said they will vote with Labor.

Mr Beazley said the group were being bullied by some in their party.

"Following Wilson Tuckey's extreme behaviour this morning, I can only imagine the sort of pressure those MPs and senators would feel they are coming under,'' he said in a statement.

"The ugly face of this bullying was on display this morning.

"It has no place in the Australian parliament.''

AAP

Yep, I agree with that, hinge. Fielding seems to me rather a political opportunist, hedging his political bets till eventually becoming a Family First senator. Whichever way into government didn't appear all that important. I have no doubt that his vote will suit his interests & his career. But someone should tell him that asylum seekers are often the most vulnerable families! As for Harridine, I'm certain that he had personal integrity,to, but I absolutely loathed the way he used his power!

But Tuckey is a disgrace, I agree. I guess the Libs have retained him because every now & then they need his er "special oratory skills"? But you sort of have to wonder about the folk in WA who keep voting him back in. Jeeze, I'd want someone better that that to represent me in parliament! Must be a super safe seat!

... & while I'm in this grumpy mood I want to tell those too-clever-by-half ALP supremo wheelers & dealers that I have not forgotten how their shoddy, incompetent deals were responsible for Steve Fielding being elected to the Senate in the first place! He was not exactly elected by a groundswell of voter support! Look where we are now, as a result!

Last Update: Thursday, August 10, 2006. 7:31pm (AEST)



Anger over Indonesia's role in migration debate


Critics say the Bill was drawn up to appease Indonesia after Papuans asked for asylum. (File photo) (ABC TV)

There is new controversy about Indonesia's role in the latest migration Bill.

The Bill passed but Liberals Petro Georgiou, Judy Moylan and Russell Broadbent crossed the floor and Bruce Baird abstained.

It is the first time in 10 years that Liberals have voted against the Government in the Lower House but the Bill still passed and now the focus is on the Senate.

Labor's Tony Burke say the Bill is aimed at appeasing Indonesia, because it was drafted after 43 Papuans arrived on the mainland in January.

"Instead of the Australian Government standing up for the Australian legal system John Howard said 'OK, if you don't like our laws we'll change them'," he said.

This Bill will test the Coalition's one-seat majority; if a government Senator opposes it then Family First Senator Steve Fielding's vote will be crucial.

Earlier today he discussed the issue with the Indonesian Ambassador and the Prime Minister.

Greens Senator Bob Brown has condemned Senator Fielding's action and says he should rename his party 'Jakarta First'.

Meanwhile, a senior Nationals MP in the House of Representatives has resigned from his position as party whip because he abstained on today's migration legislation.

Victorian MP, John Forrest, abstained because of his concerns over the Bill.

He then gave his resignation as whip to the Nationals leader, Mark Vaile.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200608/s1712096.htm

FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!!!



Can't get over it.




















Who just watched Mori on Denton?





I admire that man (Mori).....wonderful interview.

Blood boiling.

I did Deb - it was amazing - I'm nominating him for Australian of the year. Seriously. I'm tracking down how they are nominated.

Guys like him make me know that the US isn't all bad - it's just drawn that way (OK, it is mostly bad, politically). If he can operate that ethically within their military systems is there hope they will step back from the edge?

Much boiling of blood in our TV room too.

I missed the Denton programme - but will download it as podcast - I have a spectacularly boring job this arvo! Could use a diversion.

Wah!!! Not available on podcast yet

Probably censored by Albrechtsen and Windschuttle on the ABC board.

Have we really celebrated the defeat of the ******* asylum seeker bill?



REALLY?????

Well, it wasn't defeated - just withdrawn because JH can count and he doesn't like the idea of having a defeat registered against him ( I think this is cricket tragic obsession with 'statistics').

No doubt he will be doing some backdoor deals with fielding to ensure his vote next time (like promising not to include birth control in Oz aid programs and such like).

It is rather odd that the bill wasn't good enough to attract floor crossers from the left....

I see he's modifying his stance on stem cell research too. Pretty easy to shift around your point of view when you have no ethics.

I watched Denton's interview with Major Mori on Monday night ... it reinforced my opinion that he (Mori) is a thoroughly principled & courageous man. I was most impressed though with how skillfully Denton conducted the interview (complete with the Howard snippet declaring how thoroughly reprehensible David Hicks was. Only to watch Mori effortlessly debunk Howard's words.) Given what must be a rather paranoid climate at the ABC right now I thought Denton was quite brave to cover the Hicks/Guantamano issue in this way. Check out out this bit of nervous self-censorship by Helen Razor on ABC radio (Melbourne) a couple of weeks ago.:

......... Razer noted that the film compared Weis' family's history as Holocaust survivors to the plight of Aborigines. Weis said that he would like to make one more "conceptual leap", to which Razer replied, "Be my guest".

Weis began, "That while David Irving, the Holocaust denier, sits in prison …", and was then cut off. He said later that he had uttered the words "… the Australian Government …", but these were not broadcast.

Razer hit the dump button, saying on air: "I can't possibly let you say that," before switching to recorded audio.

Weis and Saunders allege Razer then said: "I will lose my job." This did not make it to air.

Weis has revealed that he had been going to say: "That while David Irving, the Holocaust denier, sits in prison, the Australian Government put our chief Holocaust denier on the board of the ABC."

The radio manager at ABC Victoria, Steve Kyte, disagrees with Weis' account. "The program team felt the guest had said something potentially defamatory," he has said. "We reserve the right to dump guests and callers for legal reasons.".......

Pity the national broadcaster:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/pity-the-national-broadcaster/2006/08/13/1155407666174.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

eugh. Windschuttle rears his ugly head. Poor Helen, she's had a bad trot since the heady days of doing TripleJ's heavy metal program back in the day. Hadn't realised she'd ended up Melbourne. not much of a move for a Canberra girl I guess.

The ABC is being turned into the government's political tool, much as the BBC has been in England since Thatcher (read Pilger).

Webpage See the Adams piece on Chris Masters' biography of Alan Jones blocked by Windschuttle, Brunton and Albrechtsen through the ABC Board?

He simply can't afford the embarrassment of more backbench defections so soon after humiliation of having to withdraw the migration bill. Withdrawing the bill was a face-saving exercise (which hasn't quite worked!) (Those backbenchers are getting mighty tetchy!) Allowing a "conscience vote" on stem cell research gives the impression of a democratic process in the Coalition. Ha! Besides, I don't think he cares all that much about this one. He went out on a limb over the migration bill & was done like a dinner! This is all about Howard saving face.:

Bitten by the back bench

The reversal on asylum seekers has forced the Prime Minister to rethink a conscience vote on stem cells, writes Michelle Grattan.... <cont>

http://www.theage.com.au/news/michelle-grattan/bitten-by-the-back-bench/2006/08/15/1155407807547.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Yes, it's all awful, and I want to strangle myself with my own innards and all....



BUT Howard suffered a major political defeat whilst having a clear majority in both houses!

And is now speaking of a conscience vote on stem cell, to avoid the appearance of another.

let's have a wee moment of joy in all the gloom...please?


A weak huzzah? A half smile? Something?

Yep, poor Helen Razor. <sigh> A long way from Triple j, hinge. <sigh>
And poor (soon to be rich from the sales of his book! ) Chris Masters!
But mostly poor us! We're going fight for the integrity of poor old Auntie. If the Board isn't censoring what's published, the poor bloody broadcasters are self-censoring ....
Maybe some there'll be a backbench revolt against the excesses of the Board ....? :wink:




Oh & John Pilger is always right! My hero!

OK, Deb. Of course I'm mightily relieved that the migration bill was defeated .... despite it being officially called a withdrawal. But me, I'm just waiting for the next boatload of dangerous "illegal queue jumpers" via Indonesia, the next "terrorist threat", the next whatever that'll cause mass panic & angst & convince us all that JH is the Man of Steel we need in these dangerous times! When's the next election again?

still no "Enough Rope" podcast!

I think hingehead may be right! Censorship!?

Rats