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 
I receive emails from Seniors Card – every email is trying to get me to buy their wine offerings, including enticements with free wine glasses. They’re currently flogging shiraz (it is usually a red). I assume all Seniors do drink wine but they seem fixated on flogging plonk to oldies.
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Flogging you say ! Shit, I mistook it for vote bribery. Does this mean I have a Centrelink robodebt?
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Pay them back with cheap wine.
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I get the same emails Viv, cheaper than bottled water. I’d be lucky to drink a dozen bottles of wine a year.
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Snow in Canberra after a day of 25 degrees, a sheep graziers alert in the Sydney Metropolitan Area, recently a total fire ban and a prediction of snow on the same day.
Bizarre.
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Climate change – not good.
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We have had 2 days of rain here, haven’t had rain for months.
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Now east coast lows in September and months worth of rain in a day.
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How are the remaining piglets. Please speak up.
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Hi Viv, okay now but had some medication issues that made me very unwell. How’s things with you?
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Considering everything, all’s good. Hubby doing well and Daughter No.2 has just bought first home in our nearby village. Still moving in – all their effects have been in our garage (it’s big). Having family gathering there this Tuesday for house warming and belated Father’s Day nosh up and bubbly drinking.
Sorry you were crook – medications do that all too bloody often. Recovery never seems to be quick.
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Happy to report that after two total shit projects where I got the arse, in two weeks I scored three interviews and got two job offers. I’m working in the Ministry of Health on two interesting projects – systems to support school vaccination program and NSW mobile dental clinics for socially disadvantaged schools. I am working for a brilliant and kind project manager, a small seasoned team with delightful clients.
Haven’t enjoyed work like this for ages.
FM is similarly placed. Tim the Cabin Boy is in the UK enjoying a Welsh summer. Emmlet 1 and 1.1 are great although the drought is very tough. Soon they’ll have to start buying water for themselves as well as their stock. Son in law is feeding out every day working 14 hr days.
Emmlet II and hubby moved to Hobart -which is where FM and I are for a few days.
Good to hear that Viv and hubby are well and Mark is on the up.
Fond regards to all our brothers and sisters at the pub. Emm.
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Well that is just great and no doubt a relief. I didn’t know one daughter and hubby were on the land – hope they keep their spirits up.
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That’s great news.
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Sorry to hear that HOO, you eluded to that at TGA. Hope your on the up now.
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Yeah, they changed one of my regular meds as I was having mood swings. Made me crook as a dog and lasted about 3 months. Back on the old ones now and see the specialist on the 25th.
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Good to hear, the younger had something similar with one of hers, its been changes and hopefully an improvement soon.
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Tickerty boo Viv, Mrs A and I have just had a month as empty nesters. The Elder arrived back from Africa, she enjoyed it. The youngers engaged and Junior thinks he’ll return home to save a deposit for a unit. Still enjoying semi retirement, but may go back and work part time.
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The English are a funny lot on the cricket blogs, don’t like what you say and it’s full on abuse, they don’t let up
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Hubby often comments to me on the comments he has read. You’re right.
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The English seem far more abusive than Australians. They don’t seem to read or understand comments.
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Guardian Pick on the Climate change, Anthony Castle blog.
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Well done – I missed it.
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Well done viv, another Guardian Pick! 🙂
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Yay – I saw it – went up seconds after I posted it. On a roll !!
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I am just back from town after getting air bag in Honda replaced (third time – put same faulty one in, finally got email saying I’m to get in pronto because I could get killed – been driving it for 18 years).
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Well there you go, one of those Takata airbags?
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Yep – a saga. First time I went in and waited (2013 I think) and finally they come and confirm the air bag needs replacing. I blew up – I said that I was here for it to be done and not told it needed to be done. Insane. Second time it got done. But we all found out that no Honda got a different one, just a newer one of the same faulty one. Complete waste of time and effort – driving in and waiting and waiting. Well this time it got done and they even washed and vacuumed the car. That was good. Car is 17 years old actually. 167k on the clock. Much less driving since the kids got their licence and own car etc.
Hope all is going ok with your family and semi-retirement. Hubby noticed you commenting on cricket on the Guardian.
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Well you’d think they’d get it right the first time. We find the same with the cars we have. One is 13 years old and the other for the kids mostly to drive. After the 13 year old car cost me $5k all up including rego in June and then registering the second car six weeks later, one that the Elder drives but not much, had us thinking we could cut to one car only.
Elder is in Africa at the moment, so Mrs A and I are empty nesters for a month. The Elders dish licker keeps me fit with her two walks a day. I’m finding semi retirement to my liking. Haven’t had any work since June but some is due in the coming weeks, need to save up for the car.
Yep having a go there about the cricket. Just like some of the other blogs really, some commenting without knowing the rules of the game. Hubby on the up?
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If nothing goes wrong with car it is affordable. Fortunately Honda’s seem to keep going and going as long as get a good service. I have a great mechanic – very thorough. We both have Hondas – living out of town means a car each is desirable. Hubby is on the up – doing very well. And he’s eating normally which is the best. Daughter No.2 moving into our local village at end of month – finally bought a house. Their furniture is in our garage. Grandkids now 4 and 1 – time flies.
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Same with our old burner, the recents were the perfect storm of normal wear and tear nothing more. It gets its regular services and the mechanic is good. It’s still a good car to drive and comfortable on long trips, unfortunately it slurps premium petrol around the city. We could do fine now with one car really, where two are needed there’s public transport and a gold Opal card. We’re looking at a hybrid for the next car.
Junior is moving home in the coming months, to save for his own place. It will be a token board for him, just to cover his share of the costs though he could pay a lot more. Told him he’ll probably climb the wall moving back. He’s been saving for years and only halfway to a deposit for a small unit.
Having daughter no. 2 return will be good.
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Both daughters were living in Wodonga – so not far away. But I will see more of No.2 as she had changed jobs and her work kept her away a lot. She wanted to build on our land but we can’t subdivide and a dual occupancy was just too complicated. If we had 4 ha we could have subdivided but we have 3 ha. The grass is growing and hubby on the mower. Looking out on my beautiful new retaining wall gives me much satisfaction – back the way it should be. Things don’t last forever! Next up is timber staining (not the wall) on the house.
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PS – it should be lovely having your son move back home for a while – year or two at least I guess.
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Yes it will be interesting having Junior home. A couple of years and hopefully he’ll have enough for a deposit somewhere. We won’t see much of him, he works in an over the horizon position and works staggered times to fit in with his European boss and his colleagues in Asia. They’re OK during the winter but noon til nine or ten in summer.
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That’s fascinating. Not much chop for his social life I imagine.
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No he’s fine just has to plan things. He has a day a week he finishes early.
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And I got one on the Geoff Lemon cricket blog. 🙂
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I am on a roll. Got another Pick 20 mins ago – on the Robodebt could target …..
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Big week all round.
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YAY – first time ever for me – got a Guardian Pick (on Conservatives Hate Red Tape)
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I was going to mention. Well done Viv, I think its your second. Looks like you had one on 19/1/2018. They’re out there today, making idiot comments.
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Did I – never saw it. I usually turn computer off around 5 pm. Ta
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Gave you an uptick Viv. Well done.
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new computer. just testing
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What did you get?
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A Lenovo ThinkPad P1 mobile workstation. Needed it to run some of my software.
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So I looked it up. Did you get the last of that model. No longer available. There’s a new one. Guess it has plenty of grunt. Are you freelancing from home and out and about.
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It was an end financial year buy, still available but a new model. Pimped up with plenty of grunt. Has a 4k touch screen. I think it was 35% off so a significant saving.
Not freelancing but working part time for a former work colleague who is based in Melbourne. Suits me, good rate, work for 2 to 3 weeks then weeks off. Work from home too.
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Algy – see bugalugs is at it again. What a drip.
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Yep saw that. We both commented after his non comment. I see I got pinged twice yesterday for calling Vanstone fat.
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I missed that. Good grief.
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Jericho has gone postal today, so have many of the commentators.
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Yes now even he is “but Labor”
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viv must of pissed of Jericho today, been pinged a few times.
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I was a bit rude to someone and another was off topic – asked if anyone else noticed how like Rupert Murdoch was Greg Hunt. I saw a photo of his which was uncanny in similarity.
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There is some right wing filth there, they crawl out from under their rocks late. Oh and our mate does much the same.
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The first step in communicating with the dead: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-19/google-a-grave-rookwood-cemetery-goes-digital/11320820
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Just what everybody needs
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Says it all
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And they’re up to more tricks and lies. Calling changing the deeming rate for pensioners a boost and a spend and giving them a $1000 a year more. The fact is they are no longer going to steal money the pensioner did not earn and there is no $1000 – some might get a few dollars and some might get lots more.
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More smoke and mirrors for this abomination of a government.
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This amused me.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-06/trump-blames-teleprompter-for-airport-gaffe/11284832
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This one as well.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/05/trump-revolutionary-war-airport-claim-memes
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Frightening stuff really.
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Hi Vivienne… Just checked out your link. It’s really hard, is it not, to imagine other than that the USA elects not its ‘brightest and best’, but its ‘dumbest and worst’ to the position of president. This would not worry me quite so much if Australia didn’t follow everything the USA does so slavishly…
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Not sure about the 18th century airports though and their defence.
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Hi Algae… I’m responding to my own post because there’s no ‘reply’ button on yours… Yes, the 18th century airports ARE ridiculous. Fortunately those people who are commenting on Trump’s stupidly serious mention of them are being ironic… and some of them are very funny. But Trump himself mentioned them in a way which makes one thinks he imagined them as being actually there for real. That is precisely the sort and degree of stupidity I was talking about… I mean… THIS from a PRESIDENT???!!!
It would be hilarious if he weren’t the President of the USA and the supposed ‘leader’ (however fictionally!) of the so-called ‘free’ world…
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Oops! One error I made though, was that I thought it was Vivienne who posted the link and it turns out it was you… (Looked different, somehow, in my email ‘inbox’…) Anyway, thanks for the link… and the laugh! 😀
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I see Walter is at it day in day out nowadays. I don’t understand his trolling.
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Missed it yesterday as had visitors most of the day. What a little shit.
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Happening daily. Just keep calling him a troll, point out his sick mind and ask what the infatuation is. Never a reply of course.
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Let me in on the conversation ! Is this over at the Guardian ? How can I bat for our team ?
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Yep its TGA. It’s Sea Monster 3000, used to be here making a pest of himself. There are a few others he comes out, viv’s one there are a few others.
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See Jacqui Lambie rolled over on a verbal promise for the tax cuts. Didn’t take much.
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Yep, I think Labor was damned if they did or didn’t on the tax cuts.
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“…But if you are a government elected unexpectedly and with no real agenda, it seems your only real option is to try to define yourself by what your opposition does or doesn’t do.
You’ve got to hope — perhaps rashly — that these habits of politicking are just a hangover from the election campaign and the Coalition’s internal difficulties before this, and that it will knuckle down to the task of actually running the joint at some point soon…”
This quote comes from Laura Tingle. Dear oh dear no wonder the MSM are guilty about the recent election.
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Yep – I read that and I also see similar sentiment expressed elsewhere. The ‘Government’ is still doing nothing and can’t get a sentence out with talking about Labor. It’s beyond ridiculous.
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One day the MSM need to stop playing with their collective nethers and start holding this clusterfuck of a government to account. These dopes need to realise that Labor is not the government. Scotty the Stupid leads them and they need to take him and his boneheads on.
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Worse still was the SMH editorial advocating those bloody top end tax cuts. Insane.
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Does Sea Monster trail anyone else around on the Guardian.
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He trolls me quite regularly, he’s a fantisist. IThere are other regulars at TGA who he trolls. He’s been doing it for years, I fail to see what he gets out of it.
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Just had Walter getting all uperty suggesting he’s a troll at TGA. I his eyes he’s not.
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Why are you sure Walter and Sea Monster are one and the same. I feel as though VoR is Sea Monster.
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Why is it awaiting moderation?
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Sea Monster was Sea Mendez and used to offer little here at the Pigs. I call him Walter as in Walter Mitty, hence the fantasist, goes over their head. I think VoR is a different person. They don’t get the hint. Sea Monster is male pops in every week or so when I post, usual nonsense, so I just keep calling them a troll, they seek me out not the other way.
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Right O. I needed that as I was never sure.
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Algy got another Guardian Pick. Bloody good comment too – got lots of ticks and more replies. Well done.
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Thanks viv, generated debate. Got pinged on one comment, referred to Dutton as Herr and some comments about Dickson.
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This is in my area: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-05-23/battle-over-the-future-of-prime-australian-agricultural-land/11140144
Two more are planned closer to me. One is at the back and the other a bit further away. Some property owners are dead against it and everyone else says nothing. I’m in favour. The one closest to us is on so-called prime ag land which has actually done nothing prime for yonks. I’ve met with the people doing the groundwork four times. They are consulting their bums off. The bigger one at Culcairn is further north and I’m not familiar with the land itself. They are all ideally close to existing power lines. The one near us is next door to the sub-station. In my area 100s of hectares of prime land has gone to small lot subdivision. Farmers like that money. I’ve commented that I’d understand their concerns if it was a coal mine. Luckily for me we don’t actually face the site – I have to walk to back fence to see it. Anyway, the protestors have gone national via the ABC. It’s been in local news a few times.
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So many folk are rabid Nimbies. Having upwards of 7 billion humans on the groaning planet makes it difficult to embrace a NIMBY stance.
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Farmers usually say it is their business what they do with their land. Adjoining owners will not be faced with noise and pollution. Just a lot of blue instead of green/brown grass with cattle or sheep or growing canola etc. They think the solar farm will devalue their land. Odd, considering how much the solar mob will pay for leasing the land. We suffer from drought here too – Culcairn is not drought proof. We just avoid prolonged drought. The area has sent a lot of hay up north.
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Some farmers like turbines because they still get paid even if it doesn’t rain.
How’s your bloke going ?
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No good unfortunately. Got my hands full.
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Sorry to hear, Dear Viv.
Much Metta to you both.
Fond regards, Emm.
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Bummer, sorry to hear that.
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Yes sorry to hear Viv, best wishes.
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Sorry about that, Vivian. all the best.
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The bastards fell over the line. We’re fucked.
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As I said to you at TGA , three years of shitfuckery.
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?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1129267247317307392&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Faustralia-news%2Flive%2F2019%2Fmay%2F18%2Faustralian-federal-election-2019-bill-shorten-scott-morrison-bob-hawke-polls-polling-vote-labor-coalition-liberals-australia-candidates-seats-odds-results-politics-live
Say no more.
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Vale Bob Hawke.
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Jesus, did the election kill him too ?
When I was a kid my Dad used to stand up when Gough or Bob was on the TV. Respect, man.
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We saw The Gospel according to Paul, last night. Brilliant show, during the performance Paul takes a call from Blanche where Paul tells her that he’ll have a draft of the Eulogy to her by Monday.
Art imitating life.
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I missed it. Hubby fresh home from another round of surgery. Been pretty full on. I organised a big dinner party for Bob and he propositioned my best friend. That was a year before he became PM.
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Really! The devil, fancy Hawkey doing that.
Hope hubby is well.
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It was a Hawke classic. My friend is very attractive but much taller than Bob and she declined he offer of a f..k. (yes, that is what he asked for)
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Sorry to hear that your old man went under the knife again. Hope he is OK.
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At times the mods seem a little humourless at TGA. This got pinged
There’s plenty of good people out there who can’t stand the thought of a Scotty the Stupid/Pauline Pantsdown/Clive the Dinosaur/Cory Bernardi Australian Neo Fascists/Fraser Anning government.
Think carefully Australia before we get lumbered with another term economically of illiterate Robin Hood style, chaos and calamity Liberal National government
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You got pinged for nothing. They can be weird.
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I was about 64 before I finally got polled. I remember it well – it was a Reachtel one. I’ve now been polled three time during the current campaign. One this morning – interesting as it had a section on Farrer and specifically wanted to know if I favoured the Independent Kevin Mack over Sussan Ley or the other way round. So I think this one might have been specifically a Farrer poll commissioned by the Libs. They’re getting worried.
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Great to see them shitting their own bed after years of doing it to us.
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I met Kevin Mack yesterday. I know who he is obviously. He sounds a bit of a lefty – he’s smart. He was filling up at servo next to me – on his way to Griffith. I gave him a thumbs up – he was talking on the phone. After I paid he was still there and I went over and he got out for a chat. It was an exchange of mutual thinking on the media and NDIS.
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PS – he had another bloke with him who was doing the filling up.
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It’s nice seeing the tories needing two wear brown trousers all the time isn’t it.
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Viv, I’d had maybe three in the lead up to the Bennelong Byelection, I answered 8 in two weeks during the by election. We weren’t in the country for 10 days of that election. In the end I was just making it up.
According to the bookies, Sussan Ley will have more time for her flying after 18 May.
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15 sleeps to go.
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It’s become a real drag. 60% already know how they will vote.
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Apparently there has been a record number of pre-poll votes already- which I interpret as people cannot wait to throw these counts down the stairs. I sure enough hope I’m right, but an alternative view is that people hate all politicians and just want this bullshit festival to be over.
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I tend to favor the latter opinion, Therese… it’s not as if it really makes that much difference anyway… they’ve all been bought out by the zbanksters. It’s their corporations which really run not just Oz, but the rest of the world these days. I wish I could say different, but ‘Democracy’ has become ‘Demockery’ and all voting does is let the bastards know their scam is still working.
PS: Have a nice day! 😉
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I agree.
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Omly 60% HOO
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That’s 15 too many for mine.
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Algy got to call them all ‘vermin’ on the Guardian. I got wiped for calling Angus Taylor a crook.
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Evidently ‘vermin’ isn’t seen as particularly insulting, Vivienne… but ‘crook’ is obviously far more insulting, and far too near the truth. Who is Angus Taylor anyway? 😉
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Well I was referring to all those shook the hand of that subhuman filth, Fuckwit Anning. Yes I got away with a few things this week, which might have got pinged at other times.
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I’m so completely out of touch these days, Algae, as I haven’t read a newspaper or watched television – not even the news! – for several years. So not only do I not know who Angus Young is, but neither do I know who that ‘Fuckwit Anning’ is… however, if Vivienne says Young is a crook, and if you say Anning is a ‘fuckwit’, then I’m quite prepared to accept Vivienne’s word and yours for it! 🙂
As for your ‘getting away’ with a few things… perhaps it depends who is on duty as a moderator at the Guardian at the time… but I wish you both the very best of luck.
Needless to say, I haven’t bothered commenting on any newspapers – no, not even on the ‘Drum’ – for several years either. But don’t think I’ve given up! Nowadays I reserve my comments for videos on YouTube, where I spend most of my days…
Nice to see you both again! (And you too, Therese!) 😀
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Angus Taylor is the Liberal Minister for Energy. He’s been part of a scam to get $80 Million dollars for a water buy back which didn’t exist and the money went to the Cayman Islands.
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Oh… THAT Angus Taylor! Yep… definitely a crook! Thanks for the info Vivienne. I hope you’re well. 🙂
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Anning is an accidental Queensland Senator, elevated after a One Nation senator fell foul of Section 44 of the constitution. Anning quit that party and sits as an independent. Anning is Alt Right, a nazi, in his maiden speech he quoted Hitler. He surrounds himself with Nationalist, many of them violent. He has a particular hatred for Muslims and a distaste for Asians. Yesterday he “launched” his senate team at Cronulla, in exactly the same place as the Cronulla race riots took place in 2005. One of his goon squad, chose to intimidate a female journalist there to cover the event for simply asking a question, he chose to allegedly harassed her as she walked away and allegedly assaulted a cameraman. The person was arrested. This happens regularly at “events” he attends. After 30 June he will no longer be a Senator.
During his maiden speech the coalition shook his hand and hugged him, Labor and the Greens walked out.
I was a little surprised that the vermin comment stayed up at the Guardian. At any other time it would have been moderated,
The Drum as we would have once known it, as a place for comment, no longer exists. The Guardian is similar in fact allows more robust debate than the Drum did.
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Thanks for the info, Algae… Anning sounds like a real ‘charmer’! Nothing like violence and attacking minority groups to get your name in the media, eh? With a little luck, maybe we won’t hear much more from him after June 30th… 😉
Maybe I should check out the Guardian… if I can be bovvered to make the effort.
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-21/open-sanctuary-church-for-all-religions/11001918
The Church of St Generic Brand finally arrives.
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-21/adam-western-go-mental-at-mentos-campaign/11025768
Biodegradable minty wrappers as predicted by Hung One On, it’s all happening.
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G’day Hung… long time no see…
Of course, the ‘Church of St Generic Brand’ had already been done… by the Freemasons, who really don’t care who or what you believe in as long as you recognize a ‘Superior Power’… ie. that you believe in some kind of deity or other.
The bio-degradable minty-wrappers do sound like a genuine step forward, though…
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Hi Asty, good to hear from you. Look I wouldn’t take it too seriously. The Church of St Generic Brand was invented by me over 10 years ago when I was writing the Chronicles of Father O’Way. It was meant to be a church where all could worship their deity of choice but were forbidden to proselytise.
The Freemasons and Alcoholics Anonymous are groups that aren’t religious yet have a clause in them about recognising a higher power. I think this is the key difference.
For me it was more of a dig at the strict catholic school I went to and that I had used my limited understanding of science to reach the conclusion that God more than likely doesn’t exist.
The minty wrapper story was more of a parody on the adage “make mountains out of molehills” however my core theme was to make the wrapper biodegradable. Funny as now you can catch fish with them.
Anyway hope this finds you in good health.
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I don’t think I was taking it too seriously, Hung… and I recognized the dig at the Catholic school system (as I went to a similar ‘House of Pain’ as a child, too.
But I might add that the Freemasons actually ARE religious in nature, for all that they pretend not to be; after all, they won’t allow atheists to join but insist their members believe in ‘something’! However most of their rituals are downright weird, and, word has it, actually Satanic, although their inner meanings are kept from those who are on the lowest rungs of the Masonic hierarchy, for obvious reasons.
I strongly suspect that the reason they insist on their members being ‘believers’ is because this cannot help but reveal that they are a) gullible and therefore, b) manipulable… very important qualities of great use to the leadership of the Masons… who are among the ‘puppet-masters’ of this poor, benighted planet. I also suspect that this is also true of all religions. (The gullibility, thing, not the ‘Satanism’ thing!)
I agree with your philosophical conclusion that, in all probability, god doesn’t exist (or if s/he/it does, then it’s pretty bloody obvious that s/he/it just doesn’t care…)
I’m glad to hear that minty wrappers are now bio-degradable… and about time too! It’s a small step forward, I suppose, if similar product manufacturers will follow this example, but it’s news to me that one can now catch fish with them. It would make a wonderful experiment for me one day when I take the kayak out. Do you have any information on which species they are most likely to attract? Or the best way to ‘present’ them on a hook?
Yes, all things considered, I’m more or less fit (thanks to my having discovered kayak fishing! It’s the only exercise I’ve discovered which doesn’t require two good legs!) and my latest visit to the quack has revealed that I’m in remarkably good health for my age and my mostly sedentary mode of existence… I hope you’re well too. 🙂
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