
A Nose for News
24 Wednesday Apr 2019

24 Wednesday Apr 2019
26 Wednesday Dec 2018
Posted Algernon, Politics in the Pig's Arms
inPlaylist by Algernon
I don’t wanna be without you – James Hunter Six
Whatever it takes – James Hunter Six
I should’ve spoke up – James Hunter Six
Matter of time – Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Sail on – Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Rumors – Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Bet Ain’t worth the hand – Leon Bridges
Beyond – Leon Bridges
Georgia to Texas – Leon Bridges
Say it loud – James Brown
(Don’t Worry) If there’s a hell down below we’re all gonna go – Curtis Mayfield
Instant Replay – Wanda Robinson
Summer madness – Kool and the gang
Call on God – Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
11 Sunday Nov 2018
Posted Emmjay, Politics in the Pig's Arms
inSunday Rant by Emmjay
Some days I think the whole planet needs a stronger anti-depressant. We humans are doing a pretty shit job – not for the first time either.
Here’s my 2 cents worth. The fact that complete counts* run things and that dickwits like Trump voters – poor people and every female Trump voter clearly did so AGAINST THEIR OWN INTERESTS, shows the massive lie about so-called democracy.
The Greeks did a far better job. Not perfect but better than this shit excuse for government.
In Ancient Greece, not every hominid was allowed to vote. Slaves and women, for example – not fair by today’s standards, but considering the wisdom of universal suffrage is a lot better than just opting for universal suffering.
Nowadays, people who are so dumb as to vote against their own interests do not deserve a vote because they clearly are not fit to have a say in how they are governed.
People buy any old bullshit.
And what do we have here in Australia ? Someone yesterday in the Saturday paper called Morrison “Trump Lite”. And I gather that the happy clapping Christian Scomo – who just suddenly appeared from the bushes while everyone was watching Abbott, was apparently sacked from his previous position of CEO of Tourism Australia for incompetence and dodgy dealing. It takes real talent to fuck up a shrimp on the barbie campaign.
So the Libnats made him Treasurer and then Prime-Minister and we all sat around and let it happen. The “we” is of course inclusive of “Showbag” Bill Shorten. Don’t even mention Luke Foley. FFS !
*remove the vowel of your choosing.
23 Tuesday Oct 2018
Posted Emmjay, Politics in the Pig's Arms
inRant by Emmjay
Dear patrons of the Pig’s Arms, no surprises that the rich cats of Wentworth gave the Liberal counts the hiding they deserve, but I want to remind everyone that this is early days for the fight for decency.
The good doctor Kerryn Phelps has a very spotty track record as far as things the traditional left might hold dear – she had a flirtation with preferencing the Liberals until somebody pointed out the wackiness of that idea and she dropped them to number ten on her how to vote card. Not low enough, I say.
Helen Razer (possibly the last living Marxist ‘journalist’) on New Matilda wrote a piece titled Pig Shit in reference to Kerryn’s win and highlighted some of Dr Kerryn’s previous achievements. Now, I’m no big fan of Ms Razer, but I reckon she’s more than adequately reminded us that replacing a deposed PM by someone who’s not a Liberal, but a quasi Liberal sympathiser is a very small step for mankind.
Helen Razer gives Kerryn the Big Finger !
It remains to be seen what Dr Phelps can actually achieve before (one hopes) the greatest Libnat thrashing since Federation.
But to finish on a more positive note, how hilarious is it that the Libnats response is to blame the guy they threw down the stairs for not supporting whatever or whoever the Liberal Candidate was ! I mean how stupid are these muppets ? As hopeless as the Libnats made Malcolm Turnbull (admittedly with a lot of participation on his own behalf), he was a million miles in front of Scott Happy Clapper – boat stopper extraordinaire.
And I sincerely hope that Jane Caro runs – and defeats Tony Abbothole in Warringah – I mean 30% of the Liberal party members did not vote for Tony in preselection – but the pissweak bastards stood nobody against him. Let’s hope that other bastion of Liberal voters , like Wentworth rich cats grows some moral spine and ditches the greatest self-interested fascist wrecker since Federation.
end of rant
26 Monday Feb 2018
Posted Emmjay, Politics in the Pig's Arms
inSimulated National Country Party Member
From the Pig’s Arms cub reporter Teddy Behr
In a stunning turdaround, the National Party of Counts has failed to replace a bombastic, bloated tomato-coloured, snaggle-toothed sexual deviant with a bombastic, bloated tomato-coloured gun deviant with sweaty under-arms, dressed by his mother.
Commentators were left wondering what this fat, bloated sunburnt brown land is coming to – and are awaiting with bated breath to see what kind of screw-up the deeply-considered alternative candidate will inject into the body politic. Something other than sperm or lead – they hoped.
—ooo—
11 Thursday Jan 2018
Posted Emmjay, Politics in the Pig's Arms
inTags
Chana Joffe-Walt, Ira Glass, Private School Education, Public School Education, This American Life
There’s a program that brings together kids from two schools. One school is public and in the United States’ poorest congressional district. The other is private and costs $43,000/year. They are three miles apart.
The hope is that kids connect, but some of the public school kids just can’t get over the divide. We hear what happens when you get to see the other side and it looks a lot better.
The podcast is audio only and comes in two complementary halves of about 20 minutes.
ED- I’d very much like our patrons to hear this first and then I’ll write my lived experience – this time in Australia – but at a time when education was far more than just preparing young minds for a job and a life on the treadmill.
06 Friday Oct 2017
Posted Emmjay, Politics in the Pig's Arms
inStory by Emmjay
First published as a response to Gerard Oosterman
Trump said that “this is not the time to discuss gun control” – OK, no more ridiculous than all his other moronic rubbish, but that merely proves IMHO, the incredible power of the gun industry and the industrial military complex on the larger scale.
In the second amendment, granting permission to “bear Arms” – the key phrase is “well-regulated militia” – which it certainly isn’t. And to even think that a three hundred year old “get out” clause is still considered useful is stupid beyond belief – but apparently difficult to fix.
I don’t understand why enough Americans cannot challenge the amendment on the basis of the obvious failure of regulation of the militia and the right to bear arms through the US Supreme Court. The evidence against “well-regulated” lies in pools of blood all over the streets of America.
I have felt, since Bush got elected that we (i.e. the rest of the planet) are the unwilling witnesses to the decline of the American Empire – only temporarily slowed by the stymied Obama administration.
On one level, it’s good to see the downfall of such a profligate, massively ignorant and self-centred nation. But on another level one shudders to think what might replace it – a Putin dictatorship, or more likely a China first superpower – already building strategic military bases off shore and dragging its feet over effectively dealing with the other fuckwit de jour Kim Jun.
It’s small comfort to be so far away from the major players, but I do think that we should enjoy what’s left of Australia while we still can.
—ooo—
17 Thursday Aug 2017
Posted Politics in the Pig's Arms
in16 Wednesday Aug 2017
Posted Emmjay, Politics in the Pig's Arms
inThey paved paradise and put up a parking lot..
02 Wednesday Aug 2017
Posted Emmjay, Politics in the Pig's Arms
in
Story by The Pig’s Arms cub reporter (Carlton United Breweries) and political communist columnist Ray Deoshockjock
This photograph was taken Monday 31 July, 2017 in Martin Place Sydney. How these good folk pitch tents on solid brick paving is beyond me, but good luck to them and their ingenuity
Not visible off the right of the photograph is their amenity block and kitchen where a formerly homeless chef prepares free food out of his working hours.
On the left, is Australia’s Reserve Bank.
Behind the photographer on the prestigious Macquarie Street is the NSW Parliament Building, replete with security shed out the front.
And on TV last night was the unedifying spectacle of the NSW Premier Gladys Bokonon bagging out the Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Leaf for not removing these inconvenient reminders to a government with a multi-billion dollar surplus (ironically raised from a rapacious and grasping stamp duty (aka tax rip-off) – to sort out their fucking affordable housing policy and implement the damned thing.
Clover, in her inimitably reasonable co-operative style (full co-operation just short of actually doing anything) asserted that she lacked the power to remove the tents and their occupiers. Hands clearly tied, shoulders hunched. Mea definitely not culpa.
Then we had the NSW Housing Minister – now part of “Community Services” Poo Goward, doing a dressed-down impression of Cruella de Vile, flashing her rat-like pointy teeth and saying, exasperated that “THESE PEOPLE had been offered temporary accommodation until they could find permanent accommodation – and spitting vitriol that they had not accepted the generous offer of 28 days’ respite” – off the street until they would be forced back out there.
The Rt Hon Minister for Housing the Poor was seething with anger that these inconvenient folks (aka her clients) were refusing to accept a bum deal. It looked like she really wanted to smack them and send them home…. no wait, that’s not going to work……
So, clearly, patrons de la salle de porc, these are not real people with a serious inability to cope with the ridiculous Sydney rental prices. These homeless people are a bloody inconvenience and an embarrassment.
Well, parliamentary representatives of the people of Sydney and NSW who would prefer to spend billions on new freeways that the residents of the Inner West absolutely do NOT want ……
This has been Ray Deoshockjock for the Pig’s Arms