The Dump is:
For posting comments that don’t get up at the Drum, and for having a pleasant, mirthful or enlightening off-topic discussion.
It’s not for personal abuse of other commenters.
Please do that somewhere else if you must.
Play nicely or piss off.
However, why doesn’t a poster add a link for us to read and comment on here, much quicker. Maybe we can do a bit more bagging here, not that I speak for the moderators, yet.
NB: Being tiresome and boring, racist, sexist or just plain creepy is not playing nicely.
———-
The Pig’s Arms exists because a dozen or so years ago our other favourite playpen – the ABC’s Unleashed blogsphere started to go off. Like a sack of prawn heads in the sun. Something had to be done.
Moderation was taking forever. Comments seemed to be rejected randomly – outrageous ones appeared and reasoned ones were pinged. When they released the Drum / Unleashed ….. things actually got worse !
So many pieces from professional writers appear with no obvious merit. And the moderation has become, to put it frankly, appalling.
As a former contributor and a commenter, I was deeply disappointed at the plummeting quality from our pre-eminent media empire. And I resented so many challenging or dare I say, witty or funny posts in which we’ve invested seconds of our precious time – getting the chop.
So here, for all our benefit – is an open slather blog. Copy and paste your best rejected comments here for posterity. Does not matter whether you’re posting on the Guardian, First Dog on the Moon or wherever else.
And sprinkle pointers to the Pig’s Arms amongst your comments. Let’s try to rescue some of the old faithful.
Cheers,
Emm.
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
Even The ABC moderators are going bananas! Did you see what happened at ‘going bananas’ blog ? The moderators allowed and then scraped the first comment (which was somewhere along the line that this country is not ready for another Female PM) and a dozen or so replies under it.
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The Oosterpeople had a nice outing on that blog. Didn’t see any other regulars commenting on the half witted, goldfish stare of Bishop.
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This is a good description of her stare. Yet at times she thinks she is the legendary Medusa. I think she is not cut out for prime ministerial position. As for Gerard and Helvi, yes they did well. I was half expecting for kraken to pop its head up, but perhaps the mods tap it back in.:)
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Yes, surprised the Kraken didn’t pop in, he’s a Bishopophile
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No I didn’t mean him, BigM. Bishopophile and Kraken are two different individuals. I don’t make comments about Bishopophile here at the p-arms.
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Sorry, so many monsters of Grecian hue!
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Best have another look you two lovely little discussion about Jack Russell’s doing a better job being PM
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Yes, Algy, paying a Jr to be pm would be half a million bucks a year well spent.
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I forgot that hph had his fingers singed by the one who walks with canines.
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hah ha..I know what you’re trying to do….No comment.
🙂
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Tuesday is my shopping/errand day in town so I came to it late in the arvo and missed the chopping you observed hph. However, I have noticed that happening before. It’s up and then it’s gone.
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Stella Young has died. This is very sad news.
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How sad Viv, an honorable woman.
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Awesome, intelligent and funny. A huge loss.
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I think that she was probably a complete pain in the arse, and so obtained facilities for the disabled, which otherwise would not exist.
Vale Stella (appropriately named).
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It disappoints me that I can’t always answer down and out lies at times Yesterday this came up.
Of course with no ability to answer he make things up by amplifying by 5% what banks were charging. Also The Lizard of Oz comment is English and of course not used here. Being the economic refugee that he his he can be forgiven for not really having a correct understanding here.
Waterloo Sunset 2016dd:
02 Dec 2014 4:58:34pm
If only The ALP, never ever, got to run the country, there would be no need for cuts.
It’s as predictable as phases of the moon.
Algernon:
02 Dec 2014 6:17:19pm
Have a look at the Menzies years WS. 21 out of 23 with deficits. Look ad the Frazer years with the disaster with Howard as Treasurer. Went from no debt to a huge amount. Look at the credit crisis he created all by himself. Look at the interest rates 13.5% but banks couldn’t lend at that rate. Real rate for home owners 21% business closer to 30%. Unemployment nearly 15% and inflation at around 12%. Look at Labor fixed the economy that has given us 23 years of growth. Look at the profligate Costello effort , useless tax cut after useless tax cut. The countries wealth well that went up against the wall.
Of course most of that is pre history and conveniently ignored by you.
The LNP have a history of squander and mismanagement, just the way you like it
Alert moderator
waterloo sunset 2016:
02 Dec 2014 7:46:33pm
23% under Keating: The Lizard of Oz.
Alert moderator
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I saw this, 23% of what??
Great response from our Algy, BTW!
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He was out of order as usual
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My thoughts exactly Big M.
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Good effort Algy. What article was it under? I missed it. Of course the problem is that idiots never compare like with like. When Howard was upping the interest rates (under Fraser) we were ‘fortunate’ to have ours capped at 12.5% because we’d taken the loan out prior to a certain year. In a short space of time we’d gone from 8.9 to 12.5 which proportionately was a lot and it could easily have been more. Things were rather tight at the time.
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Stephen Parkers Where to start with the uni deregulation mess?
We didn’t get our first mortgage until 1987 . Rates were 15.5%. The bank manager told us to factor in a 2% rise. Well it down by 2 then up by 4 before collapsing by 7 or 8% fairly quickly. They were also fairly prudent about lending too. Of course he wouldn’t know arriving here in 1988. It was the capping that did untold damage though because banks couldn’t lend at the official rate. The knock on effect was watching 1/2 the people I worked with being made redundant and those of us left on a 4 day week for about 6 months. didn’t worry me at the time as I was single.
You just have to wonder where in his body he pulled the 23% from. At best it was 18% at its peak.
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Out of thin air like everything else. Or he is quoting small business rates, or even those off shore scams.
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He’s gone even more bonkers with his economic comments today. And he is a migrant himself.
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I saw that but wont have time to comment. He didn’t answer any of my comments from yesterday after I fired back. He’s forever dreaming of the old country and how superior it is, makes you wonder why he left.
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I am really annoyed that Steketee’s piece closed for comments so soon. Came back from shopping and I can’t reply to a couple – which I really would have loved to and slap them down. The defenders of Abbott and the climate change deniers are writing the usual lies but there’s a couple of rippers following my comment (cost benefit analysis !) – hysterical.
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Never mind, Vivienne. These clowns will always be there. You will have plenty of opportunities to slap these clowns in the future.
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I hope so but they stopped comments sometime after noon and the article opened this morning. Cost cutting ? Comments (half of mine anyway) take hours to come up. But, it seems the dickheads stuff goes up immediately and most of them don’t comply with the House Rules. Like Bron Bishop – Rules there to be bent, at all, ad hoc, whatever.
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Do you know that one of your comments is on the front page?
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Yes, I saw it yesterday.
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I found this at ‘boingboing.net’
Author and cultural critic Cintra Wilson’s book,
Caligula for President: Better American Living Through Tyranny
is a powerful, funny, and scary satirical novel about the nature of politics. The idea is that Caligula wants to help America on its way to becoming a “full-fledged totalitarian military dictatorship with a dynastic hereditary monarch as commander in chief,” and this book is his explanation as to why he’s the man for the job.
boingboing.net/2008/09/16/caligula-for-preside.html
read the first chapter for free. Very funny.
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It’s good. Tony Abbott would approve, you bet you.
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65 today and going strong. Celebrated yesterday. Great weekend in every way.
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Happy birthday Viv
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Happy Birthday, Sweet Vivienne.
🙂
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Thanks guys. Think I will celebrate again tonight. It is the day after all. Prawns and salad on the menu – simple and yum.
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Many happy returns vivienne
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Happy birthday, young Viv!
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Victoria – election result – wonderful.
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Yes it is Vivienne. One more seat, then Labor wins. I just checked, it’s 44 seats for the Labor.
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Nice to see, watched insiders this morning the tories just don’t get it. Won’t happen in NSW though even with brown paper bags a 1/4 of them facing ICAC.
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I see Hung got a good one in back at the dog walker.
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Is the pub open or not?
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I just dropped in for a quick Pink Drink.
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Sorry Vivienne just got back from Port Stephens after a few days away.
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My aunty lives there, Norahville
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I tried to take Foodge back to Emmjays, but he went off and joined the Salvation Army. He does look smart with a bonnet and tambourine (Foodge, not Emmjay).
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And what about poor old O’Hoo
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When I last saw O’Hoo, he was propping up the Main Bar, at the Pigs!
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Mrs A’s romanticising about retiring there (still between 4 and 9 years). Possibly buying a cheap place there and renting out the Casa del Algernon. Only 30-40 minutes to Newcastle with good hospitals and the like.
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You could always drop into Big M’s for a lager 🙂
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I could do that or an Ale perhaps
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Algernon, you, and the other Patrons are always welcome here for a Pale Ale, or an IPA, or a Pilsener….
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Strong reaction however it wasn’t for him
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That’s what I thought, Hung. You replied to the first poster.
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Yes my reply was to TNBB. I thought the Dog Walkers comment was innocuous. I have sent an email to Mike to send on hoping that the problem can be resolved.
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Do you want him back?
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I’ll leave that to Emmjay. I guess that if I’m gunna call someone a f&%king dickhead then it may as well be the right person. I’ve been barred twice and it doesn’t fell nice especially when you consider the PA Crew as your mates
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Just looking at it I thought the same given there was 3 minutes between the dog walkers comment and HOO’s. As for him returning, I agree its up to Emm however I’ve no interest in the tirade of abuse he freely throws at anyone.
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True
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I did take a quick look and seems I got it wrong.
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I’m with you however on the gutted HOO. I’m just as gutted for poor Sean Abbott, he was born the same 24 hours as Junior, I saw on the TV that he was holding up well. The blokes a mess the body language shows he need an awful lot of support.
I did notice the dog walker reckoned he watched cricket and that he’d never heard of him. Goodness knows what he watches then. He even played for three counties in his country.
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Is this pub open or what? It’s bloody hot and no cold beer. I’m going back home.
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I was thinking?
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Do go here and read the comments by those signing the petition. It’ll make your day.
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https://www.change.org/p/chairman-james-spigelman-ac-qc-and-the-board-of-the-australian-broadcasting-corporation-abc-the-abc-must-not-close-its-production-house-in-adelaide
Oops – here is the link
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The comments say it all. What a hypocrite.
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Heres todays latest jem from the drivel master
It’s probably easier than dealing with either of the two duplicitous former Labor leaders.
johnny2:
19 Nov 2014 5:15:18pm
WS are you an Australian citizen or just a British economic refugee? Either way I am tiring of your Thatcharity dialogue.
Waterloo Sunset 2016:
19 Nov 2014 7:01:08pm
I think that the whole forum is sick of your drivel, Algernon.
PS: I ma surprised that your post got up. let’s hope that the moderators have the decency to post mine.
For the record, I am an Australian, however, that is not, to my knowledge, a prerequisite of offering an opinion in The Drum, an ABC site that I ma happy to pay tax to support.
johnny2:
19 Nov 2014 5:18:08pm
Course Abbott hasn’t told any lies has he WS? Abott beats the last two”duplicitous Labor leaders” hands down to date wouldn’t you say?
I’ve put this up in my defence, let’s see if it gets up.
Waterloo Sunset, with all due respect johnny2 is not me. I only ever post here as Algernon, unlike your good self.
Unlike you however I don’t have time to deliver sprays across multiple posts at all hours of the day. I actually work for a living. I’m only able to post evenings and alternate Fridays. Something you should be quite aware of. Don’t believe me go and check.
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He’s insane. Imagine living with him or near him.
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I noted atamou had a go at Algernon.
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atomou !
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vivienne, I wonder if it was really Atomou. Dog walker wrote his usual ad hominem rubbish in this case directed at you. So I wrote a comment that was meant to be irony back. I did a quick search of all the posts there and that was the only atomou comment. The dog walker on the other hand has comments on 8 out of 13.
If it was atomou then I find that sad. If its someone else then I think they have serious issues.
The dog walker wrote
he leader of the world’s biggest democracy wrote (repeated here on ABC) that he was the perfecxt host, friendly, sincere and warm hearted.
As usual you are just making things up, that have no basis in reality.
Who has more credence, you; a party committee member from a tiny town in the bush or the leader of ‘The World’s biggest democracy’?
Sir Trent Toogood:
17 Nov 2014 12:37:13pm
Well, he is hardly going to call him an embarrassing fool in public, is he.
He will save that for the trip home on his aircraft.
Algernon:
17 Nov 2014 10:47:29pm
Or you Waterloo Sunset, a dog walker from an artificial city who is on awe of white shoed developers who you see as the engine room of the economy.
But then again I’m making that up.
atomou:
18 Nov 2014 7:30:35am
Writing scribble seems to be your only talent algernon.
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Sounds like the white shoed, walker of dogs, to me.
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The wordings more his style.
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If you can call it ‘style’.
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Cut and paste is more like it anyhow, he might have tried with eight words.
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You are probably correct. Dog walker is always full of the insults. It’s him.
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On a lighter side
Yakadeeyak:
13 Nov 2014 3:51:27pm
Where are they all? That is easy to answer that one, some very taleneted women with not much to do in the LNP, bring them forth.
John1:
13 Nov 2014 9:46:51pm
Bishop is the best performing politician in parliament, from ANY side of politics!
Algernon:
14 Nov 2014 9:34:03am
Which one Bronwyn perhaps?
Forrest Gardener:
14 Nov 2014 12:29:29pm
Nice one Algernon.
Who says their ABC moderators don’t have a sense of humour?
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Good one, but I thought it was a serious question, as I find neither Bishop impressive!
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Deliberately double edged a serious question and a funny one as well. Bronnie belongs in a different century. Julie is one dimensional for mine.
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Absolutely Bronnie was always dreadful both as a person and a politician but has capped it off with her dictator-chair-ship. Julie is just lucky she hung in there as deputy to every Lib leader post Costello. She had to be in Cabinet and had to get the Foreign Affairs gig. Her smart appearance and sly but winning smile is doing well for her. Her speech is not fluent and I am not impressed but of all the MPs in the Libs she is probably the best of a bad lot. She’s been very lucky and very mean in not acknowledging that all her luck has been down to Labor getting that security seat, the very seat they all poured poo on and then more poo on Labor for trying to win it. Smug lying deceitful bastards as ever.
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Waterloo Sunset 2016:
13 Nov 2014 3:43:19pm
Kelly, is an educated and resourceful women, that hasn’t had to experience the political polarization of The Australian Education system.
Those of us that have been fortunate enough to have been educated overseas have a broader perspective of the world and its interactions.
Unlike, say Gillard, groomed into the union ethos that pervades Australia. Or say, Pilberseck who has become increasingly vacant.
If that sounds like boasting or being a smart arse, so be it.
She (Kelly) is the proof of women’s potential. AND a competent mother!!
Reply Alert moderator
Stuffed Olive:
13 Nov 2014 4:23:50pm
Yes and perhaps a better education than you WS (your grammar is very bad today). Born in Pretoria and educated by nuns, Gail Kelly and her husband left the country for a better life here and for their triplets’ sake. Julia Gillard trained as a lawyer and rose to the position of PM which happens to be more important than being a CEO. Gail Kelly did very well and should live more than comfortably in her retirement. Both women are proof of what women can do.
I thought you were a wee bit gentle, here, Viv.
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I was – but I just managed to refrain from giving him a good kick between his legs where it hurts (I want my posts to be accepted !) Gawd he writes utter crap – it’s a skill he’s refined over some years. I can’t find out but I suspect Gail Kelly and her hubby had cheap black labour to assist in the home and with the babies. But it was her father who had the all important banking connections and got her a job in Banking in South Africa. Who you know, not what you know. She used those connections when the family came to Australia.
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Turning computer off now. Off to Rutherglen tomorrow for some good tucker with old friends.
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There are two types of South Africans here, those who hate slavery, and those who love it. Fortunately, most of the SAs I’ve met here, are from the former group.
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Dog walker opened his bowel and wrote this after SO’s comments
AndyM:
13 Nov 2014 4:45:21pm
Julia was proof positive of the mess that can ensue when you appoint anyone based upon a quota of any sort rather than competence.
Reply Alert moderator
Waterloo Sunset 2016:
13 Nov 2014 5:13:04pm
Gillard, is an example of the way women shouldn’t get to the top. She did it on the back of the unions and proved to be a damp squib and was sacked.
Her involvement with our governance was pitiful ad dysfunctional. That’s pretty much universally acknowledged.
Kelly, may have had a better education than I did. She’s also brighter and smarter.
Reply Alert moderator
My reply was this lets see if it gets up.
“Her involvement with our governance was pitiful ad dysfunctional. That’s pretty much universally acknowledged.” Where WS, can you give examples to back this statement up. I don’t want personal opinion I’d like to see facts.
She had negotiation skills that our current PM lacks. She was able to run a minority government and negotiate legislation through the senate. The current government can’t. She didn’t lie to the electorate at an election. The current government did and breaks promises regularly.
The economy kept growing under her. Unemployment is rising and the economy is stagnating.
We need a grown up government running the country, not a pack of private school snoots who have never had real jobs in their lives and think governing the country is their born right even though they don’t have a clue.
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Good one, Algy, yes, her education was better than his, if his grammar and spelling are anything to go by.
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Was he educated, I’d suggest he was abandoned, given he was shunted off to boarding school at an early age.
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Then WS finished his comments, when asked about HIS educational background, with this rambling, shambolic statement: I should add (for Dialbo’s info), that my daughter got 2 degrees here at Griffith (and also did some practical work in The UK for 24 months) and paid here HECS back. She is now the equivalent of an assistant HOD, and Head of English extension – so will be up for HOD shortly….And she loves Australia, despite its frustrations.
As an aside, I watched Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery recently, and she gave Bill Bailey the chance to explain how much he owed his teacher.
Julia is an example of a brilliant Australian girl; she is engaging, articulate, amusing and smart as a whip.
I seriously think he needs to be screened for dementia.
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Read all the rest this morning. Do you think it would help my argument if I mentioned that my husband has two degrees plus a Masters, one daughter has 2 degrees plus a PhD and the other has two degrees and is currently the Operations Manager of a large ‘hospitality’ business and will be The Manager next year while the owner boss takes a year off. I can see all sides.
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I’m at a loss why this Englishman lives here, he comments about how superior the Education system is in England. How Wonderful Margaret Thatcher is, how the people here seem to be a bunch of oafs. The “civil servants” are bludgers sponging off the taxpayer. He’s in awe of white shoe developers and borderline shonks. I said a year ago he needed medical help each day he blurts he just reinforces that.
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Yes, last time he was banging on about his ‘superior education’ he implied that he virtually had three and a half Masters degrees, because most of the course work by his family members was undertaken in his house. It may be a sequella of being butt-humped senseless in boarding school.
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Virtually being the word Big M, Perhaps he employed Mymasters to do the writing for him. I suspect he has a lot in common with Steven Fry regarding boarding school
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Meeting Julia was so good – I was on a high all night. Wonderful evening.
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What do patrons think of this little gem:
Stuffed Olive:
11 Nov 2014 3:50:30pm
Turns out all the religious mobs are heavily into child abuse. It began with the Catholic Church and the quote is Tony’s response i.e. Tony Abbott singled them out for exemption.
Reply Alert moderator
HaroldHopes:
11 Nov 2014 11:48:04pm
SO, you try to style yourself on this forum as some sort of open minded deep thinker. Yet here you are, so blinded by hate you spout a poorly thought out, inaccurate comment.
“Are into” are they? Where is the evidence of this? Hint, pointing to historical cases (while showing a shameful history) doesn’t actually back up your comment.
It began with the catholic church? What, child sex abuse in general, or CSA in institutions?
State run organisations have also failed in this area, is the state “heavily into child abuse”?
Fair point about the quote from TA, I guess he did single the church out. I think he was wrong to say that BTW.
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Amazingly, it continues:
Stuffed Olive:
12 Nov 2014 8:51:59am
If you won’t accept history then what’s the point Harold? It’s clear to me that the Catholic Church is the worst offender especially regarding its many and consistent efforts at the cover up with offending priests being moved around the country and allowed to continue their abusive ways. I don’t ‘spout’ Harold – I comment, just as you have.
HaroldHopes:
12 Nov 2014 12:26:18pm
Hi Stuffed,
I accept that history shows the church had a problem, history shows a shameful past. But you said the churches “are into child abuse”. Do you see the difference? Can you see my point now?
I said ‘spout’ because the tone of your comment gave the impression of a reactionary bit of bile spewing from your key board. But I accept that may just be my perception.
Stuffed Olive:
12 Nov 2014 1:25:55pm
Maybe I should have said that the priests are heavily into child abuse and the church is heavily into the cover up. You don’t have much of a point to make and I can’t for the life of me see how you read such a ‘tone’ into my words which you now have the gall to stretch to ‘a reactionary bit of bile spewing from your key board’. My perception of you is that you are just bonkers.
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Which article was this attached? I’ve been ‘off-line’ for 36 hours.
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Believe it or not it is under the Union corruption is no Unique Species by Paul Karp. There is now another from him. I’ve just responded and it probably won’t be up.
Have you been at work or lost the internet Big M? Hope all is well.
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All is well, thanks Viv, we went to Leura for the night, and had lunch with dad and step mother (the only way to see this antisocial couple!!). Stayed at a hotel, but wifi cost a fair bit for one night!
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Interesting – we had our getting married lunch at Leura. Restaurant called, I think, the Brown Dog. Don’t believe it is there anymore. In fact, there wasn’t much at Leura then !
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Don’t think there is a Brown Dog anymore. Went to Bon Ton, at the bottom of the Leura Mall. Stayed at Fairmont, which is an older hotel, that is in a constant state of being reconditioned/extended.
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The response of many Catholics to accusations of sexual abuse appalls me. ”All churches do it’ ‘Oh, but the Church does so much good” etc, etc. To my way of thinking, many rank and file Catholics have enabled this abuse to be covered up in the same way as the clergy. Having said that, I have Catholic friends who refuse to go to church, after the revelations of what went on in the Hunter.
I did see an American lawyer interviewed last year, who had worked in the Catholic churches sexual complaints division. He said there were many ways of avoiding the church, or the individual, being punished for sexual abuse. The easiest way was to send them to a country that didn’t have an extradition treaty with the states! He has left the church and now represents victims!
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That Harold twerp was also arguing with Algernon.
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I saw that. Not believing anything Algy says without a reference. The dogwalker is about, gloating that TA has ‘shirtfronted’ Putin, even though there is no evidence of that actually occurring.
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They’re both nuts. I’m off to get well dressed and head off to see and hear Julia. Hooray!
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Yes this Harold must be a practising dickhead as well as a Catholic. Organisations such as Broken Rites have been researching this for over 20 years as well as advocating on behalf of victims of sexual abuse by Churches. It is non denominational though those on the executive have Catholic backgrounds. They find that almost all of the abuse within Churches occurs with the Catholic Church. That’s one place I’d quote for stats straight up.
We live in more enlightened times as regards child sex abuse. Even 20-30 years ago the perpetrator would be protected rather than the victim.I was at a scout camp (a gang show) probably 30 years ago where one of the leaders took a small group of boys into a room. There were many around that noticed this. I recall that my father pointed out that something was amiss and was told by another leader that he’d need to be absolutely sure before making any accusations. Anyhow the leader of the camp go wind of what was going on stormed into the room gave him 10 minutes to pack his thing and leave the camp. This person was charged with child sexual abuse yet the “good” name of the cruise line he worked for was suppressed after the trial. No points for guessing which cruise line it was.
Now I’m not for a moment saying that sexual abuse has not happened in other denominations far from it, however the incidence is small. All other denominations have zero tolerance policies. The Anglican Bishop of Grafton was removed in recent years not for abuse but for not acting on an abuser which he had knowledge of. The Catholics on the other hand pretend its not happening, like Harold thinks its a witch hunt against the Catholics.
What has me beat is why people send their kids to Catholic schools, they are nearly all lapsed Catholics know that the abuse happens, yet name a school and I’ll bet abuse has happened there. All catholic schools around us have had incidences. On it was systematic over 40 years!
The big problem is that it’s endemic within society. It’s far more likely that child sexual abuse will happen within the family home by a relative. Far more than any church or institution. Where the Catholic church falls down is that unlike any other institution or denomination is that they deny that it has happened and will put any barrier in place to stop them being sued.
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Algy, as a kid I was never allowed to go to scouts. It turned out that my parents were aware that a local person high up in the scouts was a kiddie fiddler, but none of the kids would come forward for fear of being disbelieved and ridiculed. This bloke got away with it. Another local scout master was a convicted peeping tom, literally ladder against the wall and perving through the bathroom window. His wife was aware of this for years.
The current inquiry into childhood sexual abuse has unmasked so much abuse, in many organisations that it’s not funny. The standout organisation for suppression is the Catholic church, who had a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with the coppers. Unbelievable!
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I found scouts very good however and a safe environment and was unaware of any nonces to speak of. I was also a leader for about 7 years. This one incident that I spoke of was the only case I knew of. The removal was swift.
I agree with you. The Catholic just don’t seem to get it and until they atone it won’t improve. Its just incredible how systematic it was and how the police would somehow be implicated. Mate of mine fathers got out of the police in the 70’s due to institutional corruption that was evident.
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I see the dog walker is trolling Stuffed Olive as Neddie Osterman. Nutter!
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I answered the twerp but the Drum chose not to put it up – as they did for some of my best the whole week.
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Actually the quality of the comments from the Right are getting worse by the week. Nearly all are absolute garbage even on a matter such as the GST. I really should stop but I can’t help having a go. At least it is clear that they having nothing to cling to.
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I’m at a stage sometimes where I can’t be bothered. I can only comment most days when I come home from work as theoretically I can’t use the work computers to blog, doesn’t stop me from reading though. Alternate Fridays are different. Someone who used to come here chided me fro not using a tablet to blog with at work. Twit, works for work and blogging is for spare time not something you do at the same time.
I agree vivenne, there was a time when you could engage with good conversation with the Right, but many of those have gone to be replaced by lunitics who have little or no idea what they are talking about or political staffers with little to do.
A week or so back we had a visit from the Minister ultimately responsible for the organisation I work for. He’s a National. Had his walk around the office hello here and there, anyhow two of us ended up in a conversation with him. probably 5 minutes. He knew his stuff and was on top of an issue that we’d been working on and had been bought to his attention. His approach to the issue was the same as ours.
Had two minders a he and a she, spivs both of them. They seriously had no idea that a pollie could actually talk to someone on matters of substance. The spivs remind me of the dickheads we battle with.
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I’m with you, Algy, work is for work (and you can stick your bloody mobile phone/tablet in your locker, and leave it there!). If I’m on nights, there is sometimes less to do, so will blog at the ABC, but all other sites, including WordPress, are blocked.
I think that is the mark of a good politician, they can quickly read and digest information on what’s going on in their portfolio or constituency, and engage in conversation regarding the same.
We sometimes have pollies visiting the neonatal unit, as it makes a good story. TA came here once when he was Shadow Health. Wanted a photo of himself touching a baby. Refused to wash his hands, so was told in no uncertain terms that there would be no such photo. Reckoned he didn’t have time!
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I don’t agree with his side of politics but was genuine when talking to you. He was happy to get involved to solve a problem where needed. Adrian Piccolli impresses me, he seems to get education, disagrees with the twit poodles and wants the needs based education. Told the bloke next to me (member of the Labor party) that I thought he was the best Education Minister I’ve seen in 30 years he looked at me dumbfounded.
The point is doesn’t matter the colour its their ability to get things done.
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We’ve only had one decent pollie in Newcastle, and she was hounded out for refusing to take a bribe.
Of course, Greg Combet was our federal bloke, but he resigned, leaving some fat buffoon, who looks like he should be on the biggest loser.
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Our best local member walked away from the stench surrounding Obied and all credit to him for doing so, to preserve his integrity. Now we have a little boy who has been involved with some shonky land deals. Hold the seat be 26% which I hope he loses 25% at the election in March. 2015-6 should be good year for him fronting ICAC. The Labor candidate is a small business owner but still a bit wet behind the ears, however has the makings of a good pollie.
Federally we had a ray of sunshine with Maxine McKew, until the Liberal lie machine went into overdrive and the Labor Party overreached in the last week of that campaign. Now of course we have a B grade tennis player whose about as useful as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest. Turns up to things and smiles I suppose. He’s a fraction better than the beige coloured statesman and war criminal.
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Maxine would have been excellent. Jodie McKay (also a newsreader) was the local state member who refused bribes, and broke down in tears at the ICAC. Of course, crying was seen as a weakness, rather than an expression of great sadness and disgust at the way politics works in NSW.
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She was Big, She turned up to Juniors speech day days after being elected and the school was shocked. Howard of course had been invited to the previous 33 but never turned up. She was active in the area. Bennelong of course in 2010 the tories spent more there than the rest of NSW combined.
Newcaslte’s loss will be Strathfield’s gain I suspect. They’ll have a good member. Labor did the right thing in finding her a winnable seat.
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Jodie was cast in the same mould. Had done plenty of fund raising prior to going into politics, which continued after. Our loss.
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Yes, finding a pollie who is conversant with their portfolio is a bit rare these days. We think Piccoli is pretty good too. I’ve met quite a few pollies of all sides over the many years. The Labor ones were usually much better but I can tell you that people like Tim Fischer were effing hopeless. He really had a mental disability. Mirabella was a standout bad mouthed idiot. One of her predecessors, a Lib by the name of Lou Lieberman was fantastic on everything. So darn efficient, he carried a little tape machine with him and spoke notes into it to make sure he followed up on whatever it was – and he did.
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Good community based politicians are hard to find nowadays, regardless of the colour. Seems to me that we get career politicians nowadays work their ways up as staffers and then get parachuted into seats. No real life experience to speak of. Look at Abbott for example and most of his front bench.
This piece amuses me, someone who has seen the light.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-08/jackie-kelly-to-run-as-independent-candidate-in-nsw-state-elect/5876938
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Yes, the usual union bashing and raising the GST. Lazy thinking, really. Most businesses that I know of that have failed haven’t been because of the unions, it was due to laziness on the part of the owner.
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I agree Big M. Most businesses fail because they don’t really have a business plan or proper structures in place. Not engaging professionals when they need them like Accountants or Lawyers. Owning a business is hard work and generally in most cases has sod all to do with unions. Unions represent 1:7 or less in the private sector or 1:5 in the public.
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I don’t understand the right wing thinking that unionists all have their hands out looking for more money for less hours. many of us contribute to the union and expect nothing back, except to share in (usually) pay rises in step with the cpi. Of course, if you are not in the union, you still get the pay rise. I often ask non union members if they intend to pay the union for negotiating that pay. usuall met with animosity or blank stares!
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My current job is the first time I’ve worked where unions operate and even then they only represent a small percentage. I’ve no issue joining a union just that no one has asked me. We have an interim agreement going being put up at the moment for 14 months. The organisation has been merged with another so a common agreement will take place in 2016. That’s where I’ll get involved.
Prior to that I was always able to negotiate better pay rises than an award except the last 5-6 years before being retrenched. That wall 10-15 years ago. Then I was just hanging in for the golden handshake which I eventually got after our whole section was surplus to the new owners requirements.
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Algy, I agree, if you are in a position where you can negotiate conditions with management outside of the union, then fine. In health care no one is able to negotiate directly with management, so, in spite of the libs trying to break down collective bargaining, it is still the respective unions who to the negotiations. Plus, in health care, one will be involved in a legal case, and the union will provide advice and support.
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And that’s the important thing Big. That’s why I intend to get involved with this new merger. Different animal to what I’m with currently
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I certainly get tired of the union bashing. Some aren’t much chop but others are excellent. I see little wrong with the Union/Labor connection but would rather not see another Obeid ever ever. The business corruption does not seem to affect the Liberals – why ? They’re up to their necks in dodgy stuff, collapsed businesses leaving people paupers (of course some are just greedy investors too gullible etc etc).
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Some unions are appalling (like Health Services Union), whilst some are excellent. When I started nursing the NSW Nurses Association had the highest paid, and most ineffectual union boss in Australia. That has reversed over the last three decades, so that much of the time they quietly hum away in the background, maintaining conditions, supporting workers, etc.
My mother is aggressively anti unions and anti Labor, in spite of working in a heavily unionised job. About five years before she was to retire, she ‘accidently’ signed the wrong forms and received notice of her severance pay, etc. The boss couldn’t/didn’t have time to sort it out, so a union rep stepped in and spent eight hours sorting it out. I asked her if she was going to pay his wages for the day? No. What about joining the union for a year? No. But she maintains that the unions are roonin’ the country. This is what I’m up against!!
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Business corruption is far worse than anything the unions do but somehow it flys under the radar. I have no problem with the union/Labor connection, heck the Labor party was born out of the union movement. But 50/50 nowadays no I think not and that has to change. Forward thinkers like Combet and Faulkner to mention a few are saying that.
At least Labor is purging itself of rubbish like Obied. The Liberals well they bury their heads in the sand and pretend it’s not happening..
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The person moderating the piece on the Drum – Is there anyone to take up….. just will not allow me to say anything. Two teeny weeny short sentences got up early. Some comments, a few sentences in total, not up and I’m more than pissed off.
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One longer comment has appeared this morning – definitely after 5 pm yesterday. Couple of other tiny ones made it. Grrrr
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So this happens:
Stuffed Olive:
30 Oct 2014 10:22:13am
Students don’t ‘float’ along at university Freddie. They are all paying plenty already and work their guts out at casual employment at the same time.
Alert moderator
Freddie Frog:
30 Oct 2014 4:30:16pm
Stuffed Olive,
I’ve attended and worked at a GO8 university. Your assertion that there isn’t a large number of students who aren’t focused on their studies and obtaining a degree is incorrect.
And the bloody article is suddenly closed for comments. Hubby was a university lecturer for nearly 3 decades. There were very few non focused students. But he wasn’t at a Sandstone Uni. The unprepared and those with low ATARS usually dropped out in the first few months over the last 10 years-ish. Anyway I’m pissed off that I couldn’t answer Freddie back.
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The dog walker blurts this piece of manure on Mungo’s blog
“I wasn’t living in Australia, when he was in-charge. Every casual acquaintance that I have spoken to says he was incompetent.
Just an intelligent, however, misguided man it seems.”
Why does this it continue to comment on things it has no clue about.
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His comments on the day of Gough’s death were exactly the same. Why comment if you weren’t here and know nothing?
Another of his comments that week, was that, in his opinion, JW Howard was the greatest PM we ever had…hello, IMF report, Weapons of Mass Deception, Children Overboard??
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Big, it didn’t live here before 1988, claims anything was before his time and has no knowledge of it. Yet it can comment about Whitlam.
It’s pretty good at bum talk, wouldn’t acknowledge those I feel. On the other hand I’d prefer him currently to the Turd there now.
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I suspect TA is going to be rated as THE worst PM in our history, no doubt about it. Howard always looked like some lame, ill informed buffoon (that’s his defense), but was quick to push the boom boom button, and commit Australia to lives lost, and billions down the shitter in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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I already think he’s recognised as the worst PM in our history. That is some feat knocking off Billy McMahon.
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gerard oosterman:
22 Oct 2014 5:15:03pm
It is of great disappointment to me, that despite of over forty years of being subjected to cricket while watching the news, (especially on the ABC towards Christmas) I have not the slightest understanding of the game. It is worse, I become so lethargic during the apparently more exciting moments when grown men leap up and clap each others hands in mid air.
Is there some special gene lacking in me? Does it date back to upbringing or dysfunctional childhood
Please help!
All class Gerard, all class. 🙂
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I’ve offered up some advice to poor Gerard.
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It is true though Viv, much better when you are playing then watching
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Oh, was it you? I thought it sounded rather soft and friendly.!
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I’m always friendly to you Gerard and disappointed you may have forgotten my Drum pseud !
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Yes, I know. So much to remember Viv !
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The Beyond Blue organisation is looking for articles to be put on their on-line magazine, ‘ The Shed on-line.’ I have had a few of mine put on under members articles. Please submit some to;
http://www.theshedonline.org.au/articles
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Gough’s gone. Best three years of my life.
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Vale Gough, one of the very few statesmen to come out of Australian politics.
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Got first up on Cassidy. Wonders will never cease. The other Drum on Gough garnering as I predicted (to family) a number of loathsome bits of nasty shit.
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I see tthe dog walkers opened his bowels and commented. Has now idea what he’s talking about.
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Don’t know why a bunch of people are commenting who either, weren’t born, or hadn’t immigrated into Australia during the Whitlam era.
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Had it a work today with one of our people with an opinion on everything trying to explain to someone who was born elsewhere. At least he pointed he was a statesman and achieved much even if he got some of it wrong. DW is trying to make some political point that nobody understands.
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More of the usual carping, best ignored.
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He is just a hateful pommy drongo with a two string guitar. Life is short and he is wasting it with a mind full of garbage.
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Don’t know what’s in the dog walkers porridge today, but a Gold medal for stupid comment after stupid comment. The buffoonery has reached new levels.
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Got first up on Verrender this morning. I was up extra early as power being cut for that maintenace job which never happened 3 weeks ago. Yee Haa !
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Vivienne plays a master stroke, first ball, all along the carpet to the boundary, she’s in for a fine day.
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I think my innings just finished Hung. Got a lot of responses – basically all agreeing with me except for that idiot one from dog walker.
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Only the dog walker could turn an article on Australian banks’ dependence on government bailouts into a rant about unions roonin’ the country.
Congrats on first comment for the day!
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Yes he’s reaching new levels of sharpness that dog walker. Like a bowling ball.
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Big M and Algy – maybe he thinks he is still writing in the company of the PA. He certainly just makes himself look totally stupid every time he puts finger to the computer board.
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Like most self opinionated people, he sees everything as a Segway into going on about his pet theories (from Liberal Party 101), unions are all bad, employers are all good, Julie Bishop is just f*&^ing gorgeous, etc.
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