Malcolm Turnbull Quits
Good. Strange that as recently as last week, he was vying for a front bench position… I never understood why so many libertarians liked the guy, but he may be better suited to state politics. Should Barry O’Farrell be nervous?
UPDATE: Link fixed (The Australian moved it’s location). The new headline, “Malcolm Turnbull quits politics after Abbott rebuff,” is an interesting take (emphasis mine):
FORMER Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull has quit politics after Tony Abbott turned down his offer to return to the Coalition frontbench.
I find it amusing that the media continue to cast his request for a job on the frontbench as some sort of generous offer – and Abbott’s rejection as a rebuff – but it confirms that he’s quitting because he feels his political capital has been spent with the Federal Libs. As CL says over at Catallaxy, his sole political “success” was to ban the very symbol of the bright idea.
There is Hope
The SMH had a story about a “virtual rape” computer game, and ended off with poll: “Do you support mandatory internet filters to block material such as the online game RapeLay?”
Even with a leading question like that, 65% of respondents (at time of writing) answered with a clear “No”. I know these polls are hardly scientific (and people who vote in online polls are arguably more tech-savvy, and therefore opposed to the filter,) but this does leave me with some level of hope that we can block this thing. The support for this filter just isn’t there, and it could be disastrous for Rudd if he tries to push through. I hope Abbott doesn’t screw this one up – this is a golden opportunity (and an easy goal for the Greens if he doesn’t oppose it completely and absolutely)
Time to start sending a clear message to the Liberals now! It worked for the ETS – it can work here!
Deadly Greens
A truly disgusting situation, but sadly not surprising:
The Gibe III dam on the Omo River in Ethiopa, once completed, will be Africa’s second largest hydroelectric dam. The third stage in a five-part dam project, Gibe III is expected to extend electricity access to large swathes of the Ethiopian population, to raise per capita income levels, and to save lives by reducing the impact of droughts and floods. And yet, some environmentalists are not happy about this income-generating, life-changing and life-saving project, and have this week renewed their campaign to bring it to a halt.
The environmental extremists really are deadly. Why is it always so-called “progressives” that are against progress?
[Via Semi Regular Libertarian]
Healthcare
Well, Rudd and Abbott had their big healthcare debate, and it was all predictably rather boring. Most pundits (even Bolt) are awarding the “win” to Rudd, but I’d say it was closer to a draw (and slightly in Abbott’s favour if anything – to me, he just made more sense). The worm has come in for some criticism, and rightly so. Channel Nine’s worm was rating highly for Rudd even before he spoke, and went into negative territory when the camera switched to Abbott.
Online polls show mixed results, with The Age and SMH readers giving it to Rudd, and News.com.au and The Australian giving it to Abbott. In the end, I don’t think the debate will change anyone’s vote.
This debate in Australia takes place 1 day after the US passed ObamaCare. John Stossel discusses the three worst ingredients of this horrible recipe on his blog.
Catallaxy Files- Why did this native born Hawaiian once describe himself as a Kenyan? May 18, 2012As the accompanying article on Drudge says, Obama was indeed born in Hawaii but asks why there has been so little vetting of the president. As they write: It is evidence–not of the President’s foreign origin, but that Barack Obama’s public persona has perhaps been presented differently at different times. The US is not really [...]Steve Kates
- Not all criticism of government is rent-seeking May 17, 2012Jess Irvine has an op-ed in the SMH where she makes the argument Meanwhile, business is acting like an adolescent, too, chucking hissy fits about workplace laws and taxation because it has learnt that this is an extremely effective parental manipulation strategy. In the teenage economy, the returns from rentseeking – or seeking special treatment [...]Sinclair Davidson
- Words from the wise May 17, 2012Graham Richardson has a must-read op-ed in the Australian today. He reveals the depths of hatred towards the PM. While it is clear Julia Gillard just doesn’t understand how bad things really are, she is at the very core of the disenchantment. These two MPs, who both voted for her in Kevin Rudd’s February challenge, [...]Sinclair Davidson
- Why did this native born Hawaiian once describe himself as a Kenyan? May 18, 2012
- inCISe
- Govt furphy on Indigenous homeownership May 16, 2012In a media release on the Indigenous Affairs part of the 2012 Budget, the federal government insists it ‘will continue to prioritise access to the new program for people seeking to move into home ownership on Indigenous land’ – but this is a furphy. The government is well aware that people living on Indigenous land will not be able to access money from the n […]Sara Hudson
- A move long overdue May 15, 2012At long last, services on Sydney’s highly inefficient rail network are getting some attention. Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian has announced that 750 jobs will be cut in a restructuring effort intended to reduce bureaucratic waste. Even more heartening is that RailCorp’s projected job cuts are relatively mild, consisting of voluntary redundancies to m […]Alexander Philipatos
- Generalising about racism May 14, 2012The Sydney Morning Herald is running a poll asking if Australians are Racist. So far 74% of respondents say yes and 26% say no. Some of the commentators include Larissa Berendt who argues that Australia is a racist country because Aboriginal people have a shorter life expectancy. However, there are many reasons why their life expectancy is shorter than the a […]Sara Hudson
- Govt furphy on Indigenous homeownership May 16, 2012
- IPA news
- The unhappy compromise of European 'austerity' May 14, 2012Has austerity worked in Europe? Well, if "austerity" means savage cuts to government spending, then there has been no...
- The politics of projection: there's a reason we can't all just get along May 12, 2012Politics is almost entirely in the eye of the beholder. Obviously conservatives, libertarians, progressives and...
- Great expectations vanish May 10, 2012The federal budget was entirely predictable. The dodgy accounting. The flimsy "surplus". The higher taxes on the wealthy....
- The unhappy compromise of European 'austerity' May 14, 2012
Oz Political Quiz
