A Story About LBGTQI+ Rights. I so wish I was there...

So 3 friends, 2 guys and a gal. We'll rename them Bob, Dick & Dora.
Bob tells me this story. I got him to write down the quotes as best he could remember. Might be out but he reckons its "as close as a photo (whatever that means) but the background is...

All in there 50s, they've been friends since ever.
None are related, all are in happy relationships but not each other.
All sitting in the pub having a quiet beer talking crap as Australians are sometimes want to do

Then on the pub TV a news story about LBGTQI+ rights and/or inequality or such like.
Bob said everything was fine until Dick said "Ah for f**ks sake, spare me, put the bloody radio on"
The publican knows Dick & Dora very well and starts chuckling. But because he knows those 2 well, he's chuckling for a reason most wouldn't know.

To the publican we'll cal Fred, it was about to get funnier.
I didn't get told if it was a man or a lady or a person of some other gender etc but I was told a by Bob that "This loud screechy idiot with peircings, weird clothes & a half shaved head cam over & got stuck into Dick"

The abuse was pretty stinging, about bigotry, intolerance & bullying attitudes that cause deep offence, hate, division that can cause people to kill themselves.

Bob said Dora replied "F**k me, the way you're shooting yourself in the foot with a bullshitter's gun you'll bleed to death soon enough anyway ya f**k wit. Maybe try pissing off away from us you ****"

Dora is a great scout, but blunt. Never violent or threatening, just very straight forward and sweary.
Met her a few times. She's honest as the day is long & not a malicious bone in her body.it,

Bob said at this point a band of young unique looking youths in the early 20s were getting pretty loud and rude. To top it off and yes to make things worse the publican was in tears laughing trying "Stop, stop..."

Dick just kept yelling bullshit, eff off and the publican's wife heard the noise and rolled up. She is one formidable woman and all the noise promptly stopped and then it all came out. Some of the youth were not straight are were wild and the others came to back them up.

The Publican's wife called the young ones the stupidest turds to ever come out of an arse because Dick & Dora are both gay. There was some stunned silence. One of the youths tried to crank up but Dora said "Look there's 3 of us here enjoying a beer after work, talking crap and no body cares that we're gay or left f**king handed & we're over the bullsh!t rainbow colour victim parade from young tools like you. You're the one f**king it up for everyone & dividing everyone. Go find a f**king bandsaw & divide yourself"

The Publican is trying not to laughing, he's making weird squeaking noises as he's fully restraining to the point of bursting. His wife launches into him for letting this go on. He's the one in trouble now. She turns to the youths and says they can stay but stay in line or get thrown out & banned.

It was at this point Bob...the only straight one out of the 3 friends had to ask a question of the youths.
He asked "So now its all calm can I ask a genuine question is it good or bad to judge people by their LBGTQI status or not?" 

Apaprently the loudest & most verbally stabby youth said calmly said no it most certainly is not.

Bob says he realised afterwards that perhaps that was the perfect time to say "Ok Thanks" & then shut up but instead said one more thing...
"Well maybe if you stopped screaming about the differences maybe no one would know & no one would care"

Dora apparently said "A-f**king- Men, end of sermon d**kheads, now f**ck off"

Now this is where you might think all hell would broke loose and well it kind of did. Upon hearing Dora's comment the publican lost control roared laughing and fell back off his stool behind the bar.
His wife yelled at him once & just walked out as the youths went back to their table silently, finished their drinks and left.

Bob said the next session is going to be as boring as hell. He hopes there's something good on the TV.
I might go too but wish I'd gone last time. 
People pay top dollar for a good floor show, that'd would have be an unbeatable night out.

Dick apparently told Bob that it goes to show...male female, straight, queer or even a truckie's dog and make a total arse of themselves. Publican bought them three the next 4 rounds. Kept muttering  something about gold, Dora just told him "Thanks, cheers...ya d**khead"

Mass Shooting Raises These Questions...What do you think are the answers?

Anyone not shocked and appalled by another mass shooting in the USA has a problem as bad as the killer or perhaps its too far away & not real to us here where its unheard of. In any case despite the easy go to idea of  banning & removing guns to stop the slaughter & the gun crime...it's not that easy.

Here's what outraged Australian Media folk largely didn't mention. It won't eliminate it because legal access is not the actual cause of people deciding to kill another. If I put a gun in your hand, will it then cause you to stop & immediately decide whether to kill someone? I would hope not, but if it does then I think everyone agrees...you shouldn't have access. If we ban them all & you want a gun there's a good chance you'll get an illegal one.

Flashback. Small country town in regional WA in the 1970s.
Roughly 35 kids in the class & not all, but most went home to a house that had firearms. 
No mass shootings...ever.

Question 1 - Why no killings?

Nearly every of those homes had a shotgun & a .22 rifle. No handguns. Most common shotgun would have been a double barrel but some had semi auto Brownings & a very few pump actions. There were no magazine capacity restrictions like we have here today.

Question 2- No Killings, why?

Gun safes were unheard of. Locking them up was unheard of. Kept in the parents bedroom, behind the door & one might just live behind the seat of the farm ute. It wasn't until 1990s that gunsafes started to be a thing.
Very easy to access no matter what your age.

Questions 3 - Why no killings

By the time most of us were 10 or 12, kids were allowed to use the .22 if they asked. To shoot rabbits or tin cans. Either on their own or when relative kids visited, especially city kid relatives.

Question 4 - No killings why?

Back then, no kid would even think of taking a pocket knife to school to show our mates let alone guns. but I do remember some kids did bring bullets & made them into necklace pendants. No primers, no gun powder but it was a thing with some kids for a while. They got the bullets from home. They could access guns & ammunition easily in the home.

Question 5 - Why no killings?

Fast forward to mid 1980s, gun safes let along big heavy lock up ones were still unheard of. At the Ag Colleges in Wood Work, gun cabinets & gun racks weren't an uncommon project, they were a thing. Part of the cabinets (non lockable & all wood) was the rack where guns were virtually on display. The easier project was the wooden gun rack that mounted on the wall. So anyone had access to them in the home.

Question 6 - No killings why?

In the 1970s & into the 1980s you could buy guns & ammunition at K-Mart. There were no Nationwide Police Checks, no applications with written advice on the reasonable need to have the firearm.

Question 7 - Why no killings?

Guns were easy to get, very few people much of a fascination with them although looking at the design, engineering and machine work is very impressive. Many families had ex-army 303 rifles. Either for rifle range, cadets (some were SMLEs but in .22). You could buy & sell them via a newspaper advert. No regulation against it, no one was bothered or worried.

So, easy to get, many had them. Few if any were secured & locked away lke they are today. In fact most of us lived in houses that did have locks but few ever used the house keys. Kids could access the firearms if they really wanted to, most had parental permission to use them. Some kids rode their pushbike to the rifle range on the weekend with the rifle slung over their back.

Question 8 - No killings why?

Whilst access allows a person to grab the gun & shoot people it's very clear that access & possession is NOT the cause of gun crime or gun deaths. If you are a convicted crimimal, not a fit & proper person to own a fire arm, have a mental illness then you're in for disappointment when you try getting a firearm legally. 

You can however if you're a criminal with evil intent, you can always get one illegally.
There is, very sadly, no way in the world you can completely ban firearms & completely prevent bad people getting them if they want. Remember, hard drugs are equally illegal. They are quite assessible.

Something has changed since those days of the 1970s...and yes access has changed. In Western Australia they're harder to get, you have to prove you're a fit & proper person. You have to show you have genuine need & if you don't own a suitable size property, you need a property letter or prove club membership. Nowadays access is harder yet there is still gun crime, there is still gun homocide.
No matter what we do, we cannot eliminate homicide. We cannot eliminate murder no matter what we do, the best we can hope for is to reduce it as much as possible, everywhere we can.
Thankfully homicide, gun crime in WA is not common.

In the USA, even there in most states its not anywhere as quick and easy to get firearms as it used to be. In some states in the 1970s you could still own a machine gun. There are laws against that now unless it was made prior to 1986 & there is a strict permit system in place. There are not that many. People saying machine guns in mass shootings have all been wrong. 

It's just possible that the decay of society is somewhat more to blame.
Broken families, no moral structure, less than strong family values of decency & regard for your fellow man, no father figure, no moral code or compass that rejects the use of revenge, violence & life taking...bullying, young marginialised youth, outcast & fascination with gangster life portrayed in music, youth culture...
That might just be it. Society is crumbling & something tells a person its ok to grab the gun, point it at someone & pull the trigger. Add in drugs, alcohol, social isolation, grim sub cultures...

Yes I haven't come across either single homocides or mass killings perpetrated by the Amish.
There's a hint in there. Did I mention no moral code or compass with good firm structured family life with a strong father/father figure who sets the rules, ensures all others keep & respects the rules.

Have you come across shootings by the Amish?

Yes, decay, social decay with a loss of proper moral values of any type and a reverance for the sanctity of life should be one of society's highest aims. You cannot legislate that but the government can urge & encourage that. If they do, watch a possibly equal backlash. 

Meanwhile whilst no marriage in our home town in the 1970s & 80s was perfect but standards were high even if some were faked. Kids got a right royal gun instruction thing & the 2 things were near on belted into all kids. Never touch the gun without asking, never ever point it at anyone...never, no matter what, never point it even near someone. And the big one, consider all guns to loaded, treat them as if they're loaded even if they're not. The community was not perfect but it was a strong community, strong family values and people went to the aid of neighbours & others they didn't really know well when things weren't bad. Sanctiity of life was held as sacred. Yes there was the odd punch up at the pub but no one ever thought of going to the ute & grabbing the gun. 

Society standards meant something. Morals meant something.
That has changed. In the USA the moral descent is greater, deeper and more widespread. 
Marginalised youth, lessening family homes with proper structure of strong father figures, rules, morals, good parenting...consequences, punishment. A kid that is outcast socially & from that home life, plus dark websites, gang fascination & gaming where killing is rewarded.
And people wonder why there is a problem. The solution is not even slightly visible but pretty sure gun crime cannot nor will it or any other homicide ever be abolished. Nor will access to guns,

New Parents need to understand even the youngest child will see everythingt you do, they are more inclined to copy what you think, do or say than make a sensible moral judgement and be better than the parent. A wiser person than me said as far as a keeness to learn in school..."If they don't get it by 9 years old, they're not going to get it by 19"
That goes as genuine regard for your fellow man, to help & protect the weak and the vulnerable.

It just gets a whole lot worse if the child has been abused, bullied & may contribute to some mental health issues & the desire to spiral themselves with drugs & alcohol. There are certainly some fair opinions that suggest there is a fame culture amongst younger people, the internet gives platform and worse still, the darkest side of human nature is available online & it is very much amplified. Kids that end up mass killers certainly seem to be often deeply embedded in death cult fame culture & they're not (in the USA) the school's quarter back, head of the Cheerleading team, the popular kids. Go back to light hearted movies of the 80s & 90s. 

Revenge of the Nerds. One set is brutally bullied, outcast & pushed sometimes violently below the carpet and public crushed socially. The theme of the movie was not buy a gun and go postal, but it was Revenge & retaliation. Nearly all action films are unfair horrid actions, some intrigue then horribly violent revenge killings. Watch Rambo. An expert in jungle warfare. He could disappear without any confrontation, instead he kills many & the movie theme causes the viewer to empathise with him, gives him permission to kill other humans & its seen as noble. 
How many Hollywood films are really soft porn as in soft porn snuff films?
How many wives & kids are killed by baddies and the remaining widower parent puts together a plan to track them down & kill them all. Its an easy to sell sentiment but that's not how a lawful society operates.

Many say that its just entertainment.

Really? 

If that is correct then the entire notion of advertising is false, it cannot work unless it show product, advantages & price but any entertainment value added in, people won't be attracted to the product.

Having seen gun crime up close, too close I can assure you when it happens, there is no reason or logic involved.  

Oh, one final question & it's in light of the fact that every Radio Talkback Show, News & Current Affairs Show, every single Panel & Panel Discussion in this country has been pouring over the horrible senseless tragedy mainly on the angle on what needs to change, what is wrong, what laws need reform & what part of the culture is no longer relevent. And that's been non stop for two days now.

Why are we so far away, spending so much time talking about the laws that are structured completely differently to ours. Why are we diuscussing the need reforming in a foreign country & not also (not instead of, but also) talking about Uighar Concentration Camps in China, laws that need reforming & culture that needs cancelling in Africa & the Middle East. Or the huge number of grenade attacks in Sweden over the last 5 years? A friend in Illionis said the atrocity is beyond words but the another trgedy is complete radio silence on the numbers of gun deaths every day in Chicago, a US state said to have their nation's strongest laws. The weekend prior to the Texas School Atrocity there was another shooting spree in the Chicago. That's the capital of the state with the toughest gun laws. Its Democrat controlled. Gun sales are outlawed in Chicago but...

1) Where you can buy one in that State you need a "FOID" or Firearms Owners I.D. 
You apply to the Illionois State Police, costs $10 & there's a 30 day wait.

2) You need to do a Firearms Training Course. $120-150. 4 hour class with 1 hour on the range.

3) Apply to Chicago Police for a Firearms Permit - $100, up to 30 day wait

4) Once you've done all that & you have your permit THEN you can buy a firearm. You can't but it in Chicago because Gun Sales are banned there, so get in your car & drive to a gun shop elsewhere. There you're going to find you can select your gun, pay for the Background check costing $10 and you have a wait time of 72 hours for approval. Then & only then are you able to walk out with the gun.

5) Then you have 5 days to register the gun. If you fail that time, its deemed unregisterable. Do not leave your house with it until its registered. That will cost you another $5 and wait time for registration receipt...up to another 30 days.

Just Let's Just Repeat That For Emphasis - One Weekend In Chicago, 33 People Were Shot...no mention on the media here in Australia. 

Or fixing the drug addiction, homelessness, Domestic Violence, Health Sector Crisis, Organised Crime epidemic, here in Australia. I mean we are discussing it a bit. But less is likely to change with the focus on other countries in a quickening & spiralling Social & Moral Decline. 

Report the news, leave the commentary for change on things we Australians can change like outdated Australian laws, Australian issues, threats & our weak and vulnerable. Just a crazy thought.
What do you think? 

WA Labor/Mark McGowan Prediction

The beauty of predictions, you can jag it right without knowing a thing & look a king...or you can guess it wrong and most people bar maybe 1 outa 10 people will get crabby when you're wrong. Usually yelling "You got it wrong, you're just totally anti McGowan, blah, blah, blah..."

Who knows...but what the hell lets go out on a limb and see what happens.

Mark McGowan may not see out his full term. That ends in March 2025.
Its only a few WALabor State Conferences ago, a bunch of Unions all walked out when the Premier got up to address the State Conference. It was a stunning snub.
Mark Mcgowan is not a member of any faction. The unaligned set are not real big in numbers.

All of those MPs are in McGowan's cabinet except the new MP, Stuart Aubrey MLA who won the Liza Harvey seat of Scarborough with a 16% swing. Prior to parliament worked for Roger Cook MLA & John Carey...who are both in the Left faction, from the Uited Workers Union.

If Mark McGowan were to leave, you'd expect among his possible successors there might be Saffioti, Papalia also unaligned, maybe Buti who's in the Left faction. The Left faction is made up of the Unions that walked out on the Premier & boycotted his speech.
Quigley is a no chance. Ben Wyatt is long gone & Peter Tinley a past rival is way out on the back bench.

So there's some unions with some grudges. There's also those with theories that rising stars have to take (factional) turns but remains the fact some want McGowan under a bus.

Along comes the 2nd fact. The Albo/McGowan honeymoon is soon about to end. Eastern states premiers & treasurers considering they are bleeding badly whilst McGowan tells them to go jump in a lake. How Albanese will manage the pressure is hard to say but there's going to be a big base who'll angrily get about him. A clash is coming & it may be sooner if a recession approaches.

There is the chance that McGowan will step down before seeing his term out...
Or maybe he's that enboldened that he's highly self assured he can be re-elected in 2025 & will run.

Scott Morrison is gone, Albanese is now elected. For some time it might be very cordial but the gloves may come off. Here's the thing though, quite often when the winning is so big, so long, so deep that some get emboldened & perhaps confuse their abilities & their aspirations. The shift on the Popularity-Meter has begun, the shine has come off McGowan & if the Liberals get organised WALabor could lose a number of seats next State Election if not government.

If McGowan is Premier after the 2025 Election & a raft of WALabor seats are lost, even with a majority government the pressure will massive ramp. It will get very unseemly because the Premier does not take scrutiny, inquiry or failure to comply very well.

Will he go or not? I'll take a punt. His rise was fast & went high...he's burnt bridges and gathered internal ALP foes. I think he's got to surveying his options.

If Papalia, Saffiotti & Buti start to unusually elevate their public profiles, out of the blue...then yes, it's on, someone's leaving.

So, out on the limb I think 80% chance he'll leave early or announce he's not recontesting OR he runs again and if he wins he'll regret it. I'm trying to think of another Premier who announced their retirement before an election...usually Premier's stay until they lose then leave politics.
Mark McGowan isn't most WA Premiers. The size of to-the-death non supporters is also very high.

He's seeing that the pendulum will swing back, but Liberal/Nationals aren't either well enough themselves to seize government so maybe he'll run again, win then disappear later. 

I think there's no certainity...not until the other states amp up their disgust & push Albo into action.
It was very frosty between Albanese & McGowan until there was just a week or so of campaigning remaining. They may not be much of chums. But the Left here certainly aren't his chums.
And it might make a difference to how much heat the PM gets & remember which faction is the new Prime Minister is. Its not unaligned like McGowan.

This maybe gives you an idea of why some commentators are going to be watching, chomping on the popcorn. The Teals are now neutered in the lower house. The Senate may turn out to be a Greens Kill Box where the Nations suffers badly...but part of the placating will require money. Lots of it. Anthony Albanese may need little to no encouragement in bleeding off WA perhaps by a Mining Tax or some other mechanism.
Interesting times ahead & oddly Albanese leant towards USA today, last week McGowan, the China super fanboy, leant Beijing's way.
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...

Australian Federal Election 2022

Done & dusted...almost. Sunday morning and some things still set to play out. 
At this stage at least, Labor doesn't yet have the numbers to hold a majority government but they might yet.
What's best for the nation, despite not being pro Labor ideology it's likely that its better for the nation if there is a majority Labor Government. 

With a hung parliament & Labor having to negotiate with a group of independents it will be a mission, a long hard mission. First hump to overcome, which independents to join up with. I don't expect Bob Katter will get a phone call to arrange an appointment with Prime Minister-Elect. But will the Teals get called in & will they be treated as a group, a party or will they all be lining up seperately & will they policy wise be independent of each other. Admittedly I haven't looked at them deeply but it will be interesting how they will each sit on a range of matters policy wise & whether or not they will "coincidentally" line up identical or not. If the new Labor Government requires only one or two cross benchers to form government it will be a quicker & easier matter as no doubt the independents will rush to the PM-elect and jostle for position. The Government will have more of the upper hand.

If Labor fails to get the required 76 seats & in fact needs 6 or 8 or more cross benchers to join them, then it will slow because then the PM will hold lesser clout. In that case, he could just point out what he wants, that there will be little or no concessions and he will simply hold out until the required numbers are reached. That would be the Bob Hawke approach, inside close doors, never fold & stay until others do. 
I don't think that's Albo but I don't know if Albo is in full control or if he is, whether he & his cabinet will operate Hawke style or some other style. Albo has a long history & it's not a staunch, strong immovable, never surrender approach like Hawke or even to some extent McGowan.

I am very much convinced we are a number of years behind the USA. They have a rise of conservatism & a return to values of decency, using facts not feelings and a wider feeling of discontent. Obama was very popular but really didn't deliver anywhere near his expectations and was more the Hollywood/Rock Star POTUS. 
Trump was the great disruptor and despite not being a fan of him, employment was well up under him. Black & Hispanic employment was up to unseen record levels under him. They did not declare war on anyone, they had the best political calm in the Middle East, even North Korea defrosted & Trump was the first POTUS to set foot on North Korean soil. 

In stark contrast, Biden has been quite the let down. I could make a long list but short list, he's getting more muddled, his son's laptop scandal or scandals turns out to be real, charges will be laid & the MSM did fail to crack that walnut open instead in their zeal to fall Trump buried it & some MSM commentators dismissed it as a Russian plot. Biden also decided he would select a deputy president but it had to be a female and black. He selected a high level judiciary candidate to office, selecting her because she was a woman and she was black. I think she is probably suitably qualified but when asked what is a woman & replying she's not a biologist it was pretty jaw dropping and the Press Secretary is leaving her post where she's struggled when she hasn't failed completely & goes to a mainstream media position as a political commentator. Biden's comment "...you ain't black" was (to steal a leftist stabby comment) an old rich white man telling black people what they must be. Its unsurprising there is a slowly growing number of Black Conservatives. 
The voices of Larry Elder, Candace Owen, Thomas Sowell to name just a few are going to not let up, they're going to resonate & its not because they're conservatives or because they're black...its because they're going for facts not feelings and they're pushing independent thinking where all Americans are Americans & not group should be pushed into a definition which hinges on perpetual victim

Slowly they are de-woking.
Australia is very much years behind. We're probably stuck in year 5 of Obama. In fact I found it curious some members of Conservative Parties loudly praised Obama's first presidential win...and yet never mentioned any policies whilst the WA Parliament was completely in another dimension. It was follow the trend...it was woke-lite.

Conservtism is slowly rising from the ashes organically in the USA & slowly they're setting stronger criteria on what a conservative actually is. This will spill over into the Republican party. We will see more actual criteria as to what a Conservative is. 

When it finally hits here, there will be some faux conservatives and other theatre props revising history to save their borrowed time bacon. Some will shape shift to be exactly what they vigourously opposed behind the scenes to maintain power & control. For some it will be too late, some won't budge and blame game will begin before the quick & the dead are seperated. The corporate psychopaths will quickly more to next career stepping stone. Board seats, high paid company appointments. For those conservatives in opposition, retiring is not good because a retired opposition MP has little or no connection with a cabinet. Frankly if you retire from politics you should not contact sitting MPs, lobby them or have any professional engagement with them for at least 5 maybe 10 years.
It opens the doors to money moving into parties and favours possible

MPs from one party did mock me when I made the comment 'A campaign begins a week after the results of an election are made official, so it should run 4 years federal, 3 years in WA'

I got mocked politely but gas lit like a crematoriam. I pointed out in plainer language that its about the lay members & the electors...if you aren't talking to more of them & setting policy to suit you won't build branch members & you won't build votes for your candidates. I added you shouldn't bow to whatever wind they blow but you use your party's values and standards to construct the solutions to the problems they put forward...and you stick to your values & standards & sell from there.

Sadly many MPs stick to the 4 & half day news cycle. See what's trending, react to whatever pops up & never set out short & long term strategic plans...cos you might have to stick to it. Its currently same in every party. See what's trending, start trending amongst the trending.

Now there's a claim that Fran Kelly (ABC) & others have made that the Teals are what used to be part of the "broad church" of the Liberal Party, that they're Moderate Liberals. I'll wait & see but I cannot see how anyone could think Zali Steggalls, by accounts from her ex-husband, a life long Greens voter is part of the Liberal Moderate political mind set.

I am reminded US Commentators like Bill Maher, Dave Rubin who were previously well set in the anti- Republican zone, not conservatives have pointed out they're liberals (the US lower case liberals, basically progressives, hostorically left leaning). That they haven't changed much at all but the Democrats have changed and got much harder left & they now find their idea of sensible position has remained, except its now more at home and held not by the left by by Conservatives.

Hell, even John Lydon from PIL (aka Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols) who was very much freedom centred & of the left says he now finds his views & stance are threatened by the left & he finds himself feeling more conservative. 
Now his music isn't for everyone, nor his views but one thing about John that can never be taken away from him. He's been authentic, genuinely himself, never bowed or bent to others...right or wrong he said what he thought, he'd thought long and very deeply before saying anything. Whether he's right or not is not the question, the fact is he's been a strong independent thinker & a very courageous person whether he's an ally or an opponent. 

Speaks volumes if he's concerned about authoritarian rule dominating him & others.
I don't think he'll celebrate the monarchy but he is concerned about how left the left is going and how working people are being used, decieved and then left behind.

Meanwhile here, all conservative parties need to regroup, go through the things I called for back just prior to the 2017 election.

Stop, Review, Reform, Recalibrate & then Reboot as REAL Conservatives.

Looks as if the Liberal Party will lead the way now when all others have fought very hard against a Return to Real Conservativism & then hit Reboot.
This is what the smart money will go for, hold up & adhere to...whilst the others will not to maintain their position & keep their woke credits. (Go Woke, Go Broke)

 

Want Better Political Representation For Your Electorate? Try This & Maybe Start Fixing The Entire System. Starts With You

Mentioned before, the big reset most countries need began in the US & will reach our shores. Political parties will have to be clear, precise & up front about their organisation structure, their values, standards, goals & ideology. NOT THEIR CORE GOALS to allow massive wriggle room to do the opposite for political expediency but actually map out who really owns & controls their party & what hills they're prepared to die upon. It was starting before Trump but was a whimper trying to gain volume. Trump tried to drain the swamp & although he was in most ways the perfectly wrong person for that job, he did push good, perhaps timid people aside and breached the locked door. He's gone & the those good timids have gained their voice & their audience. The pendulum is swinging & resistence will be on both sides of politics.

There is no honest "Sensible centre" they're generally money seeking void fillers who are less likely to join major parties, sense the shift & go to the new push to make money & fame. They have to be vetted & only those with good STATESMANSHIP traits be encouraged to take up the cudgels.

Meanwhile in Australia, its beginning too. Identity Politics & Intersectionality is being called out as the vile poisonous cancer that it is. Lib/Nats & Labor are beginning to come under attack for being theatre props and the TEALS are just intellectual corruption via the side door. I mistrust them like serious sunburn. Many are of of the under 55 think-they're-affluent-and-influential-brigade. Some may well be Chardonnay Socialists, some may well see the huge opportunity to be crafty a different way as younger people, some younger people fall for thecurrently popular spell of New-Socialism, Democratic Socialism.

The shift here really won't come until all parties get their governance right & the values tattooed onto their foreheads & stop morphing into the next trending version of whatever-gets-me-elected-and-wins-government. The recalibration in the Political Classes, the ruling class, the reform of the bureacracy & reinstalling fully open and adhered to values will take some years, due the fierce opposition by those with hands on the gears, the wheel & the pedals. Its very clear, we need to return the idea of the parliament being full of actual representatives who represent. Parties controlled totally by lay members. A Public Service that serves the public, not ruling them & the people deciding where & how big or small the public service needs to be.

Politicians should bank on being in for one term & anything after that a bonus. They need to be able to pick a hill to die on if they're to represent their ideology. At present they can represent their leader, their party (which can & do differ wildly), their electorate but quite often they only truly represent that which elevates them & re-elects them.

We need Wise Progressives vs REAL Conservatives in all Parliaments. We're some way off that but we can creep it back. Parties are all hollowed out, it begins with them & it may require hundreds if not thousands of people not protesting in the streets but joining the parties, starting new branches & flooding proper change for proper improvement to allow actuall STATESMANSHIP to be revived, aspired to & maintained.

THAT is what draining the swamp really is, putting the Public Service in its place &removing all scoundrels by install world's best practice Governance & setting the out the not negotiable values & standards & keeping them with full noble intent...even unto defeat

That is what Wise Progressives vs REAL Conservatives look like That is where the noble honour lives So how do you make the change in the political class level from the ground level we live on? It could actually be easier than you think but will take some effort. Form a group of like minded friends...ensure you agree on the points above and the desperate need for change. Then, have a meeting. Yes, you're going to have to have a meeting. You don't need a leader, perhaps you don't want a leader but get someone to run the meeting and set out the aims & the plan.

1. Seek out as many like minded people as possible who want a party that is what its supposed to be & serves the lay members intentions.
2. Once you have enough people, invite the party MPs of the party you'd be ok joining.
3. When they're there, tell them you're all considering joining a party, possibly their party. Get them to outline there party, their values & standards. Then ask the questions...
   
4. Question 1 - What happens to those who fail to hold those values or standards?
5. Question 2 - Set out their Governance Structure, each level and/or official's fiduciary duty & the process & penalties for lapsing. That's all levels...branch President to State President, all elected officials, committeess, Members of Parliament and who they actually report to.
6. Question 3 - Copy of the constitution. See if it compares favourably to what they described when answering Question 2.
7. Question 4 - Ask what happens to those who breach the constituion, are they suspended pending an inquiry & is the decision, the fate of the alleged breacher able to be sent to the organisations AGM if the accused and/or lay members are not statisfied.
8. Question 5 - When was the Constitution last reviewed and last time it was altered. If it's 5 years or more, they have already hit a mark against their name & suggests there is a highly likelihood of very poor governance & the ability for crafty person or persons to manipulate & corrupt the system for gain outside the party/organisation's values.
9. Question 6 - People resigning from the party, do they have exit interviews? They must or whatever intellectural bankruptcy/corruption is going to continue. If someone leaves just because they didn't get their way...prove it & if so, so be it...fair bump, play on and best regards.
10. Question 7 - Do committees have performance reviews? Do MPs have regular performance reviews?
11. Question 8 - Who is the board? This is serious. They are the ones who are legally responsible for decisions being made. Not a small group on the side not reporting but instead endearing theatrical performances to get people squared away so to be quickly ignored. These are the people who are legally responsible for the decision making, they are the decision makers, they properly report their decisions. They do all the STRATEGIC THINKING, the executive/management do all the STRATEGIC PLANNING & then regularly report back progress to the board who then assess the progress, performance or lack thereof of the executive/management. If this is lacking...a political party will be controlled by Members of Parliament or a faction or a corporate psychopath/s...or all of the above.
12. Question 9 - Ask why the person or persons came to you meeting. It should be the State President and hopefully the nearest Branch President. If its a local MP or the Political Party's leader that's fine but Organisational Governance is not their wheelhouse, parliament is. They should stick in their lane & not comment on internal governance or any of the above questions or its a red flag. Serious red flag if they seem to be the big wheel running everything. If there is a governance problem from the above questions, you cannot ask the political leader what they're going to do to solve it. It's not their sphere of influence beyond approaching the state president, his/her other elected officals & asking for change. There must be a seperation of the Party & the Organisation and of the two, only the organisation is superior.

This is just the short list, but these need to be thooroughly fleshed out and sorted out seperately BEFORE you get onto to any political issue questions. If the governance isn't right, they cannot govern or represent. Call me cynical but many candidates in all parties were chosen because there were no others or because they reflected characteristics or popular local appeal in order to win a seat. It might be race, gender, age, physical attractiveness that is held as equally important than ability, skill, experience & the ability to speak up on tricky topics and defend the truth that might cause discomfort to some. Yes there are parties who've operated with out of date constitutions & only turn to them when its in a particular interest but side step the constituion when it suits. It's not a selective optional mechanism. Its the go to how-to-manual at all times. If they've not reviewed the constitution in ages...RED FLAG. If they say they have, ask what was changed. Sometimes a review says no changes required & a constitution in the rear should list the dates of each & every review. If there is no review list, RED FLAG. If their "board of directors' (they cannot not have one) have AICD trained members and things are in disarray, RED FLAG. They're either getting out numbered or they're complicit in the poor governance. If you get no joy on these matter RED FLAG. If the party officials don't want to come & meet with your group RED FLAG IF only MPs offer to come RED FLAG. Red Flag before a theatrical performance. Try it. Good luck getting any officials from any party to accept your groups invitation. Good luck keeping MPs quiet & only commenting on matters before Parliament & leaving the governance matters to the "directors & the chairman" Personally I'd be very wary of any political organisation that has ALL of its MPs on "the board" but chances are they've done this because MPs make an annual contribution to the party. Sounds good & legit...except if I dropped several thousand dollars into a party, do you think I'd get a Board Seat? I would bloody hope not, so nor should a MP...who, at any moment they crack the willies, just resign from the party, pocket their co-contribution to the party & going on financially better off for the rest of their term with no lay members keeping them to account with values & standards. TAKE HOME MESSAGE - You and your friends probably won't do all of this, you probably think you wont get party officials (not MPs) to visit. You might think you won't get good honest answers if they do come...but this explains why STATESMANSHIP is near on dead. It also sets out the best way of draining the swamp...you have to drain the swamp in each & every party first. There will be no democracy in Australia, no Statesmanship or nation first until you drain the swamp water out of each & every party. At present, each & every party is highly likely to be inundated in stinking water...excused by snake oil salesmen & gilded word workers.

Ban Live Export Again? What's the BS this week???

It happened with the 1998 Australian Constitutional Convention & now its happening with Live Export.

At the Consitutional Convention the speeches were mostly highly charged with excess cringe factor because everyone pro Republic was struck down with "Founding Father Syndrome". All jostling for position with what they hoped was the most remarkable speech that would be most remembered amongst them all, therefore cementing them in as pivotal pioneers, great players in the new era that would be ushered in.

Nearly a quarter of a century later we're still a consititutional monarchy, we're still not a laughing stock of the world, still not controlled by The House of Windsor nor the House of Lords. There is no real advantage now lost not any great disadvantage  being suffered by us staying as a member of the Commonwealth. Had we converted to a Republic mainly letterheads, flag & Head of State would have changed & not much else. It was a much ado about nothing. The fact we can become a Republic without England's permission or indeed the Royal Family's permission shows we are only in a constitutional monarchy by choice and it makes very little practical difference.

So too we see Live Export now being wheeled out again. We see some people wheeling out the same tired arguments & some new ones. Some of the rural players now pushing for a Live Export Ban I think are the new crop of duds suffering from Founding Father Syndrome.

So why ban it?
1) Because its a cruel trade?
Based on what, the vision & photographs a Live Export crew member took & was paid a lot of money for. I was told it exceeded $100,000. Well beyond his crewman's salary. I recollect it being further sullied as he'd offered to make it look much worse than it was. We don't know if he already had.
Thing to remember...the trade has gone through a massive transformation. We have ESCAS, have for a long time. There are vets on board. Shipping seasons are restricted to certain times of the year. There are fans & sensors with monitoring on every deck. Our overseas competitors doing Live Export...not so much.
 

And if we leave the industry many of the Live Export buyers have already stated they will just have to by from other Live Export sources. Like South America with an extra 5 weeks at sea, no ESCAS ar all, no reporting to regulators at all. Shipping can happen all year round. Seems a bit cruel to remove the industry best standard & deliver it to other sub standard countries. (?)

2) Because its immoral?
Each time this pops out it takes less than 5 minutes of me asking them questions to find out its not actually moral or immoral it's just their view and thats that. 
Not exactly a reason to end a vital export trade.

3) Because Australian jobs can be created?
Odd, I know of several abattoirs that are now closed & others that don't have more than more than one shift operating and none operating with 3 shifts (that is operating 24/7). Bear in mind, a abattoir set up for Lamb is a bit different to one set up up for ewes or wethers or cattle or goats, or pigs. Ideally you really need a dedicated lamb chain. Another would need to be a dedicated heavy wether chain. Even if every abattoir in WA were to be recommissioned tomorrow, could source enough staff to run them on one to two shifts a day they could not replace Live Export numbers. 
So its short on infrastructure to slaughter, process, pack and cold store it. Its short of the staff ability & would take 1-2 years to train & build a skilled workforce. At 4-5% unemployment rate now, there is a massive staff shortage nationwide in most industries...so where are these abattoir workers coming from? But wait, there's also live truck transport infrastructure present but no where near enough Cold Storing Freight from abattoirs to ports available to handle even 20% of the new massive amounts of export chilled & frozen. Nor the staff to manage it in storage or to drive it and load ships.

4) Because new markets can be developed to replace it?
Well I was at the meeting in Katanning when Minister McTiernan said this. Still waiting. Has there been any massive growth in Chilled & Frozen Exports? Some, not above organic increases though. In fact the WALabor Platform says they will develop new markets. They haven't done much, but it also says they will only develop new replacement markets. That's market distoration & manipulation. That is a very big no-no for any Government, VERY BIG NO-NO!!! 
It also says it will push & pressure foreign governments to lessen it's reliance on Live Product & not spend any of their own money, in the own country, on their own food supply for its people if its Live Export. That's foreign over reach, just when you think they couldn't get worse. They are happy to sabatege a vital Australian Export Market.
At this point if other markets are developed and they out compete Live Export to the point foreign customers want frozen/chilled then thats fair & thats fine. BUT NO MARKET MANIPULATION TO DESTROY A MARKET BY DIRECT INTERVENTION & OVER REACH...Let The Market Decide.

5) Because its in decline anyway?
No its not. If it was, I'd wonder why as customers can buy a much cheaper product when its live & they can slaughter it when they need it. Many livestock stay in feedlots over seas until they either hit a set target slaughter weight OR when the infrastructure has the ability to kill & process it.
If decline was the only reason, well wool exports are now lower than 2019, do we ban the trade? No, so why even say falsely say Livex is in decline & thats a reason to ban the trade. Wait, wool exports today are also much lover than 1988 as well. Do we ban it? No, so why even mention it & not mention wool & live export has fluctuated over the last 10, 20, 30 years?
To misrepresent things I guess.

Here's some thing Live Export Banners won't say.
What happens to Northern Australia? Nearly all the pastoral country will be shut & the removal of livestock from many millions of square miles means no money to maintain & improve pastoral lands & manage feral numbers. Remove livestock & you will have in the northern half of Australia possibly the biggest economic & ecological disaster in the Nation's history. It will be a tinder box with uncontrolled bushfires every season.

You also will see a removal of health services, education, policing & the RFDS will have less places to land as air strips no longer have bi-annual repairs.
 
If we have to double (double several times) the Australian based slaughter, processing, cold storage & handling infrastructure and the work force to operate it...who pays for that? Foreign customers won't. Do you factor that into the export price which is far more expensive without it factored, compared to Live Export? Do you make a more expensive product more expensive without improving quality to represent the price rise & expect 3rd world & emerging nation customers to buy it at that inflated price?

Perhaps we can set up a pool to build it. Those interested in banning Live Export might be interesting the magical huge profits that will be amassed by new chilled/frozen exporters & the new abattoirs? Perhaps they can get their super funds to invest now, build now & just out perform Live Export. Because y'know...you think it's a great new replacement market, the Live Export is in decline & there's profits to be made. We could also get politicians to opt in & invest all their political career superannuation into Domestic Chilled/Frozen Exports because, live export is in decline, the big money is coming to those who invest now & the replacement trade will be moral, ethical and not cruel. 
Why on earth would ANYONE sprouting these "values" and points not put their money where their mouth is?

Lead by example. Front up. Don't ban a currently viable market & deliver valueable GDP to another country...cash up & invest and get the replacement market going if its so good, so moral, so non cruel, so profitable & so coming anyway.

Nope, we instead get people struck down with Founding Father Syndrome selling untruths & misrepresentations along with false moral judgements who won't lead the way & pour investment money into the next big thing.

Such is the vile front of the Chardonnay Socialists and Fame Grabbers.
Build an abattoir. Find & pay the staff, reap the huge profits of the Chilled/Frozen Market that will somehow magically take over anyway.

Dear Livex Ban Supporters...put your money where you mouth is...front it, do it.

Bet you don't...
 

Anthony Albanese being mauled at a Press Conference.

You all will have seen it. Whilst "Albo" has had a number of gaffes & "self gotchas" the one on NDIS is a stark red flag thats glowing red with sparks & sirens pouring out.

One of the retorts was Albo was brought up in a housing commission house by a disabled single mother so he doesn't need to explain how he understands the NDIS. For a deflection that was a pretty bad one. The guy earns $380,000 a year, costs tax payers approximately $2,500,000 a year in expenses owns 4 investment homes. 

If you're the chairman of the board then you should be well across board business. If you have to refer to a script someone else wrote & you haven't read then you're not only the wrong person to be a leader, you might be the wrong person for most jobs. You're an actor. Get into acting, leave politics.
Now this is not an Albo sledge, this is nearly all politicians from all parties.

Aside from the NDIS gaffe itself, the thing to focus on was the actual press conference. Usually younger journos are trying to get somewhere in the trade & have a very short time to ask questions. They have their one question & do their best to fire it out...then the MP (every party is the same) quickly answers it their way.

A way to either switch to a point they want to make or announce or give a short tactical reply instead of an actual answer....then they pull the hand brake, it abruptly stops & the politician points to another eager journo with their one question and they quickly comply & fire their question to end the previous question completely.

There is no pin down, no supplementary question, no drilling down deeper and absolutely no chance to follow up. This is how highly stage managed its become. Its sharp, short, rapid fire & largely controlled by the politician with a minder standing by ready on the end button so it looks like the MP had to rush away not run away.

The NDIS presser had most of the journos sticking with the dropped ball & actually holding Mr Albanese to account & he struggled and drowned in his own pool of water. This has to happen regularly to all politicians, all of them. Push the red hot poker to the belly...not allow hapless thespians run through their lines, give token opportunity to reporters to shine a light they don't control the on/off button.

Press Conferences will have to evolve or we will continue to get highly controlled, highly staged managed sleight of hand stunts.

Its not just Albo, its all Politicians from all parties.

It has to stop or we risk keeping failing theatre props as legislators

Largely, the name "Scotty from Marketing" is fairly accurate but it's not confined to him. There's some who will roll up the sleeves and punch on regardless of the intensity of questioning...but they're generally not well liked by some. They're hard nuts to crack because they know their job, they know their issues, they can be held to account & they can be regarded as all over their portfolio or position. They are in the minority.

Press conferences have to change & pick up the slack. Otherwise we remain stuck with marketing drones acting out their lines without vigourous scrutiny.