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21
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: Shawny’s concerns about Victorian and Australian Governments
Last post by dodge -
Quote from: Thryleon – on


Pauline appears to be doing enough to get herself a government pension which IMHO is all the politicians are interested in. 


As Pauline wasn't a member in 2004, she gets what the general public get (except super contributions are currently 15.4%).  No one has entered politics since 2004 for a government pension, as they don't exist.  Those that were in parliament prior to 2004 are still eligible for the old scheme.
22
The Sports Desk / Re: God help me - the Cricket thread
Last post by Milhanna13 -
win the toss and what????   i know we are on the other side of the world, looking at it thru the teev.  but did anyone else see a straw colured deck and blue skies   and wonder what the hell captain pat was thinking??

some of the journos were saying it was a shot at the batsmen - cummins saying, well we know you wont fire, so us bowlers will have to take the initiative.  but then they came out and bowled p00.     odd start to the match.

then to wake up and find it had taken a couple of further odd turns.   

i guess this is why t20 will never really take over
23
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: Shawny’s concerns about Victorian and Australian Governments
Last post by Thryleon -
You can usually tell where this will land, based on how the parties behave. 

Labor are bumbling and fumbling their way to the election.  Have they stuffed up too much to bring this back?  Arguably.  Thing is, public sentiment is a bit fickle.  Labor voters are labor voters.  Pensioners, and public sector employees.  The kids at school and uni are also more likely to lean their way these days (perhaps its always been that way).   Have things deteriorated for these groups enough to say that people have had a gutful?  Probably not.  Its probably a generational thing where one party gains ascendancy and the other loses it.  Support for them goes with it, just depends where we are at as a whole.  Some see Labors recent economic policies as good.  Some see them as scoring an own goal.  To me, it spells tax grab, to others distribution or redistribution of wealth.  Personally, once something comes in, it really goes, so the genie is out of that bottle.  No putting it back in.  It all smells like a the government are attempting to claw back a lot of money spent, and then pointing the finger at the public for inflation is not helping their cause.  Most people I know are spending on needs not wants and rising costs everywhere is crippling everyone from what I can see.

The liberals.  The only real viable alternative.  They are currently on the attack, making sure everyone knows Labor's shortcomings.  There are enough there to be able to do this successfully.  Thing is, they often forget they need to offer solutions, not just point to problems.  I'm not seeing enough language to suggest that they truly doing anything that is revolutionary, even though they talk a big game, I cant tell you what they will change, and that they will make a difference.  Sentiment might be enough to get them in, it will be a somewhat phyrric victory with one stint in office, if they don't really come to the party with anything though and the geo political climate is one that seems like we are in for years of disruption.  They might win this fight and lose the next one because there is currently nowhere to go in the geo political economic climate and us being at the mercy of foreign interests.  They would do well if they suggest we become more self reliant, but sadly, we all know its too costly to do this as our labor force and regulations are too expensive to compete with foreign interests.  The costs of being an advanced economy that looks after its workforce.  That wont change.


The others.  

The Greens are labor lite.  Their votes generally end up preferences to labor, and this area is where a lot of the social norms are pulling towards regarding LGBTQ, Green energy, sentiment, et al.   If people have had enough of them as a whole, you will get that silent shift.  Thing is, people already at the greens, will likely shift to labor, and im forecasting that due to rising costs, and most of it on the usual green energy etc, they will swing from greens to labor if anything and still preference greens secondary, as thats a more natural progression.  We may have seen this last election actually already.

The independents.  Guns for hire.  They purport to be a disruptor, but they are silently on board with one or the other, and a vote for them is all about the preference vote, and ensuring that the government cant do much more harm as they have to win over more seats to perform change.  Its a vote for the status quo more than anything. 

One nation.  Any votes they win preference liberal.  Them growing means the libs are more likely to get closer to winning over labor.  Thing is, they are also likely to steal votes from Liberal.   Not sure they are a truly viable alternative, but Pauline appears to be doing enough to get herself a government pension which IMHO is all the politicians are interested in. 

Given the average person doesn't actually get one on means testing, Im assuming that they are all pigs feeding at the trough and not much more.

The disillusioned masses.  Donkey votes default to the party in power, and im not throwing money away by not voting which would be my only way to send a message about what I think of the political parties of today.   I wonder if a donkey vote sends a message.  Does anyone even contemplate this?

All adds up to more of Labor really.  Probably a split room, with no clear majority and more of the status quo.  C'est la vie.  Thats where I see things going if anyone cares.  No doubt someone will try fight me on this, but I forecast a few things in our future.

1.  GST will go to 15% sometime in the next 3 to 5 years.
2.  More tax grabbing in the short term from the everyday person and all of us feeling poorer. 

We might see world war 3, or the people going into commmunes to live.  Who knows for sure.
24
The Sports Desk / Re: God help me - the Cricket thread
Last post by DJC -
The Saffies were in strife at 6 for 232, then they’re 7 for 327.  Fortunately, Starc was able to clean up the tail.

We lack the weapons to break partnerships but dismissing the tail cheaply was a nice change.

27
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: Shawny’s concerns about Victorian and Australian Governments
Last post by Lods -

Quote from: Baggers – on

Perhaps an important question is how do people of low intellect, poor morality, zero emotional intelligence and seemingly deeply mired in anger/rage, such as PH (and Trump), get into these positions of influence in  the first place?

Not only do they negatively influence other discontented lost souls wherever they go, they grow anger, discontent, fear and ethical degradation. All they achieve is creating, merging and growing a movement of social decay... cheered on by emboldened malcontents.

It's probably a model that's been used since the beginning of time.

When things are bad (high prices, a breakdown in law and order) you find someone to blame...be it a religion, an ethnic group or a political opponent.
You create a 'baddie'.
All your woes are the responsibility of the 'baddies'.
They're not individuals...they're all the same....they all think the same.
There are no good people amongst the 'baddies'...they're not the same as us.
And if they don't want to be the same as 'us' ...they can go.

But in amongst that division you've created, you throw in some 'appealing' populist ideas that make it seem like you have the answers.
Of course, in most cases costings don't really matter.
You will probably never be in a position to have to implement them anyway, so you can promise the world...and you may gain enough support to be in a position to have some influence over policy making.

In the unlikely event that you ever are in a position to govern...you'll eventually get found out, and it will all come crashing down.
It will then be the responsibility of those that follow to put it all back together, but more often than not there will be some damage that is irreparable.

The thing is though...the opportunity for the rise of these people and parties depends on things being pretty crook to start off.
And that falls back on the governments in charge at the time.





28
The Sports Desk / Re: God help me - the Cricket thread
Last post by Professer E -
Yea, at least 300 short of where they were heading.
The bloke trying to hit a six to bring up his maiden test century by charging Lyon got my prize for stupidity, trumping a strong field in good form.