Election 2010

[flippo]

BK 4 PM?

[youthful_implants]

what the absolue fuck?!

OMG. thats fucked. straight talking is one thing. being stuck in the last century is something else.

[youthful_implants]

Wikipedia tells me everything I need to know about Bob Katter. Hardly an ideal candidate for the kind of power broking he is now, unfortunately, at the helm of.

In November, 1989, Bob Katter claimed there were no homosexuals in his Charters Towers electorate. He promised to walk backwards from Burke if there were any.[1] Katter opposed the Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Act, 1994, which decriminalised homosexuality in Tasmania.[2]

In 1996, Katter supported his National Party colleague Bob Burgess's comments which described Australian citizenship ceremonies as "dewogging". Katter described critics of Burgess as "little slanty-eyed idealogues who persecute ordinary average Australians."[3] Two weeks later, Katter complained that it was "nigh on impossible" to send children from his area to boarding schools "unless you're rich or unless you happen to be of Aboriginal descent".[3] Pauline Hanson later said that Katter would be welcome to join her One Nation party if he wanted to leave the Coalition.[4]

In 1997, Katter advocated changing the Child Support Scheme to lessen the financial maintenance obligations for non-custodial parents. He claimed there was an "anti-male bias" in the scheme, and that "in 90 per cent of cases the bloke has done nothing wrong . . . (and) the woman was at fault".[5]

He is a climate change sceptic and has been an opponent against enacting legislations to control emissions. "I mean, if you could imagine 20 or 30 crocodiles up there on the roof, and if all that roof was illumination, and saying that we wouldn't see anything in this room because of a few croco-roaches up there," he continued stating that "Are you telling me seriously that the world is going to warm because there's 400 parts per million of CO2 up there?" [6]

Katter has supported ethanol fuel subsidies, is against the importation of bananas into Australia, and wants to smash the supermarket duopoly of Coles and Woolworths.[7]

[manofunreal]

OMFG... I can't even bare to hear/read/speak about this election anymore

[flippo]

Well, it may appears that some of his comments that made it apparent that BK was starting to come around on climate change were really just about growing more sugar.

Either way the guy is still a fucking lunatic. Unfortunately he's a very confident public speaker and that alone is enough for some people to put their faith in someone, even when they don't understand (or care) about what is really being said.

At least '...and wants to smash the supermarket duopoly of Coles and Woolworths' I can buy into - probably one of the biggest issues the country faces imo. These guys have the entire country by the balls. Their impact on everyone's day-to-day lives and broader economic and environmental implications is far far far far beyond that of ANY government department, and they have fuck all accountability to boot. They ruthlessly dictate to their clients and vendors. There is really nothing much more fundamental than food production and consumption and we're being taken for an absolute ride by these cunts. 'Free market' will sort it all out for us my fucking arse. Any issue that is not immediately apparent at the checkout, and has scope beyond the life of your average consumer or shareholder (let alone career of a CEO) will not be addressed by the market. Corporate Governance needs a complete overhaul because we are being fucked up the arse imo.

If anything this election has inspired me to get back into activism. Had a major burn out from it and have become much more apathetic than I'd like the last few years, but I think I really need to re-connect with my values to truly happy, even if it is depressing in practice. Strange paradox .

Does anyone else feel inspired by their dissatisfaction or is it more overwhelming helplessness? There is a pretty fine line between the two I think.

[JAMESSSS]

Are you serious Flippo?

Very confident public speaker?

Well I suppose he is confident, in that he does it often. I think he comes across as inept though.

Search for Bob Katter on vimeo, mad videos of him with "surprise questions" to various members.

[flippo]

well, confident in that he is absolutley sure he is right and any kind of conviction can be infectious, and doesn't appear to be parroting semi-scripted political rhetoic - and can be a bit of a verbal bulldozer.

He's a fucking idiot though, let's not get that confused! You can be inept and still confident.

[youthful_implants]

At least '...and wants to smash the supermarket duopoly of Coles and Woolworths' I can buy into - probably one of the biggest issues the country faces imo. These guys have the entire country by the balls. Their impact on everyone's day-to-day lives and broader economic and environmental implications is far far far far beyond that of ANY government department, and they have fuck all accountability to boot. They ruthlessly dictate to their clients and vendors. There is really nothing much more fundamental than food production and consumption and we're being taken for an absolute ride by these cunts. 'Free market' will sort it all out for us my fucking arse. Any issue that is not immediately apparent at the checkout, and has scope beyond the life of your average consumer or shareholder (let alone career of a CEO) will not be addressed by the market. Corporate Governance needs a complete overhaul because we are being fucked up the arse imo.

I'm not saying you're wrong but I'm not sure I understand what you mean. The sale, import and export of food is probably one of the most highly regulated, monitored and controlled industries.

Surely Coles simply re-sell products from largely Australian producers at a competitive rate keeping costs down with a healthy range of products?

I'm not about to argue that this makes it easier for local grocers, butchers and other food sellers but if you have a good product you can sell it to Coles non-exclusively.

I would personally rather buy meat and fresh produce from a local outlet and I do feel I get better value. However I have to say that over the UK or the US there are still more decent local food small businesses on any high street in Australia. Thats something to be celebrated.

There is always a danger of corporations controlling government policy you only have to look at the mining tax to see that, but at least with Coles you have an employer which creates thousands of jobs, and isn't taking the revenue overseas.

How they are fucking the country up the arse I dont know, can you explain?

[huge]

confident in that he is absolutley sure he is right and any kind of conviction can be infectious.

there's simply no debating with someone who is utterly convinced they are right. just look at people trying to argue with the westbro church loonies.

[apophenian]

there's simply no debating with someone who is utterly convinced they are right. just look at people trying to argue with the westbro church loonies.

or most people on the internet for that matter.

[ghetto kitty]

[Kaiproject]

Some decent skits from last weeks 'The Inquiry' ep:

Faceless Labor Man [quite prophetic it seems] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ2pe-e33yU

Watch the posted video on YouTube.

Papal People's Party - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTdcgcLlfu0

Watch the posted video on YouTube.

Explanation of the Senate - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paLGybGAawk

Watch the posted video on YouTube.

Next ep this thurs 10pm, C31

[quiet roar]

Does anyone else feel inspired by their dissatisfaction or is it more overwhelming helplessness?

The latter, unfortunately.

And if you think Katter is scary, don't forget that there is a sizeable portion of australia that are with him, all the way.

[fooishbar]

http://media.mytalk.com.au/3AW/AUDIO/240810_Katter.mp3

the mad katter strikes again - gets quite lols at the end

[deviant]

lol

http://blogs.news.com.au/jackmarxlive/i ... _politics/

[huge]

jack marx is awesome

[CoB]

mad katter is awesome!!
(the name, i never heard it before!)

[witty_pseudonym]

New elections should definitely be held imo.
The fact that we still don't have a result renders the whole thing a complete farce.
No clear majority and back room deals feels incredibly non-transparent and whoever forms government will lack any legitimacy to govern properly.
Utter bollox, but interesting that it parallels the recent situation in the UK. Perhaps this two party system should be re-thought?

[Kaiproject]

new polls = $60mil taxpayers$

but yeah, the independents and just about everyone else is going on about how we need 'stability' but that probably isn't gonna happen with the way it is now.

however with another election who's to say the same thing wouldn't just happen again?

unless some of the people who swung away from labor in NSW and QLD realise how close they came to putting Abbott in charge of the country and change their mind (we can only hope...)

[witty_pseudonym]

I think $60 million is money well spent compared to living with an illegitimate government that can't effectively pass any sort of new reforms over the next 4 years.

[Kaiproject]

you mean like the one we just had for 3 years cos the liberals blocked everything in the senate? :/
whole systems screwed

[witty_pseudonym]

Good point.

I'm staying in India.

[manofunreal]

I'm coming to India

[retzie]

Spit it the fuck out, man!

[Fents]

Spit it the fuck out, man!

i know! dribbleeeeeee.

labour you would think have it with that first guys vote.

[Kaiproject]

its labour fasho
windsor said it ages ago
thank fark no abbott! and decent parliamentary reforms no doubt, greens with a say. awesome

[retzie]

Thank fuck for that! Now, we've just gotta hope they don't do press conferences like this on everything

[JAMESSSS]

BOB KATTER FOR SPEAKER!

How does it work (I know this isn't the case) if the Government has one extra seat?

Does that mean they have to give speaker to a non-supporter in order to maintain majority in votes?

[Lizkins]

YIPPEEE!!!! And thank fuck for that!

[youthful_implants]

^^ what youse said.