In a long week of Punch and counter Judy-style punches, we saw our illustrious Kev promote population growth as if it was ice-cream on a cone to be licked — while the speedo-hairy kid pushed without conviction for a "sustainable" population for Australia. As anyone would know, a sustainable population for this vast country has been calculated at 12 millions humans max in order not to damage the remaining natural habitats... But the budgie-smuggler kid spoke like a magnificent fibbing oracle, selling second-hand china.

Beyond this, Kev-Robbing Hood decided to pay the poor (who are getting older) by confiscating cash from the rich miners who had it so good for so long they need to take a few cold showers. This pushed our SuperMarathon Kid, Tony Y-fronts, to instantly become the sherriff of Nothingham in order to support the miners in their up-coming struggle against the man in tights...

Meanwhile, our Malcolm decided not to abandon ship after all... possibly believing that one day he can become captain of this glorious country, after having had Tony white-anted. See, Malcolm also decided that Ruddie had no balls in regard to climate change policies, while Tony Abbott was a dangerous silly sceptic. Sure the Libs (who had dismissed Malcolm as their beacon by one loosy vote) and the Greens (who don't understand the tortuous journey to get somewhere) have defeated Rudd's ETS in spite, an ETS that would have "crowned" a Howard regime according to some scribes — but would have been scuttled like most Howardian non-core policies, according to Gus.

Thus, at the green factory, the Wilderness Society is shooting itself in the foot under the supervision of Hitler the greenie. But these travails have nothing to do with Bob Brown, the Green super-honcho who, as he's getting older, seems to be loosing the plot and collect the wrong cards from the pack...

Have a nice day. Peace...

From Hugh MacKay:

The Rudd government's decision to back away from its emissions trading scheme, on the pragmatic grounds that it couldn't get it through the Senate anyway, might look like cowardice to some. To me, it looks more like a government that had lost the battle to convince the electorate about the seriousness of climate change, and then thought it might as well join in the general retreat.

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Gus: sorry, Hugh... But this is a cop out on the real issue: Tony Abbott. Tony is a wrecker, an idiot and a smart street thug — all at the same time as being a catholic nut. The Rudd camp knows it... Should they go and have a double dissolution, they would be crucified by the media for not going full term, while Tony would be presented as the "mystery man with balls" for standing for "his" principles... Wrong principles but the media is not so choosey although cleverly devious.

What you've written here is crap and you must know it. Presently, more than 60 per cent of the people in this country know climate change is a worry and that something should be done about it. But the powers in charge (the media) can manipulate the issue as we've seen with Lord Monkton's visit in this country. He should have been left to die alone of a natural death from lack of exposure. But all the media — even the ABC (where the policy of "even-handedness" makes hell for its journos as they "must appear to give equal time to crap as to truth) — was eager to show judgement without really understanding the issues — basically turning the bad Lord into a personality. The man was a bluffing buffoon moron, and I stand firmly on this. Even Plimer — who belongs to the same global warming deniers sect — has also been helped by the ABC and other media outlets to push his erroneous (I believe deliberately so) views as explained on Media Watch below:...

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Meanwhile up in Sydney, 2GB's Jason Morrison was offering a fresh perspective on that unpronounceable Icelandic volcano we had so much fun with last week.

While the eruption was spewing ash and grounding planes all over northern Europe, Jason's thoughts turned to global warming:


Jason Morrison: ... this morning I'm driving to work and flicking around on the radio and I hear someone say, 'Isn't it amazing how much carbon pollution is going to be saved from getting into the atmosphere because all those planes won't be flying because the volcano's erupting... They're kidding aren't they? So I thought I'd try to get you some facts.

— Radio 2GB, The Jason Morrison Drive Show, 19th April, 2010

Ah, facts. Well they're always welcome.

Not that Jason Morrison, who's deeply sceptical about human-induced global warming, was able to elicit many actual facts from his source, Professor Ian Plimer, who's even more deeply sceptical.

Here's one fact the Professor did come up with:


Prof. Ian Plimer: ... we humans only put out about three per cent of the annual emissions of carbon dioxide. The rest comes from all sorts of other things, including volcanoes.

— Radio 2GB, The Jason Morrison Drive Show, 19th April, 2010

And here's one he didn't mention: volcano expert Dr Fred Jourdan of Curtin University told Media Watch:


... it has been shown by the US Geological Survey that current emissions from volcanoes are being dwarfed by human emissions to a ratio of 1/130...

— Response from Fred Jourdan (Prof. of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology), 28th April, 2010

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Gus: but Plimer and Monckton would be hailed as heroes by the media for providing the fodder they need to feed to the headless chooks... Meanwhile Hugh McKay carries on to the end:...

...

Climate change, like terrorism and the global financial crisis, is such a huge issue, so potentially disastrous and, to many people, simply ''beyond our control'', there's a natural tendency to disengage from it. People can't stay worried for long about issues as big as these - they either have to act, or put their worries to the back of their minds, if only they can find an excuse for doing so.

Now, of course, they have one.

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Gus: people at this stage are not "unified" in what they do or think on global warming. See the Jon Steward shows of Wednesday 5th May 2010... The generalism you write here is total crappo and you must know that most people have "understood" the problem but Tony Abbott took their voice away.

Back to square one. The fault resides in the Greens being so advanced in their strides they can't see the value of little political steps. But the major part of the fault resides in the Liberals who suddendly under Abbott-the-front-end-Bulgies saw their dunny turned into a palace — but it's still a golden dunny inside.

Look, the republic ideal for this country got sunk in a similar fashion by the same side of politics — the Liberals... The republican movement let by Malcolm (liberal) was an elitist pompous organisation that favoured a republican model that took the people out of the equation... Howard was thankful that Malcolm was there with his minimalist concept, otherwise Howard would have been sunk by popular vote... Thus the people rejected the minimalist republic that Howard had pushed towards them as the only option they could have, using Malcolm as a decoy... knowing the end result.

Here the climate change policy of the Rudd government got sunk by an opportunistic Tony Abbott... End of story. And we "all" now that. Well some of us do, anyway.

A former head of the Minerals Council is describing the industry's reaction to the super-profits tax as "hysterical", while an international mining lawyer says it is "complete rot."

Today the mining giants are digging into their sizeable pockets to fund a fight with the Government with full page advertisements in newspapers around the country.

"The minerals resources industry paid $80 billion in taxes and royalties in the past decade. The resources sector pays Australia's highest tax rate. That's a fair share," the companies' add read.

However, even the industry's supporters are saying its response is over the top.

"Quite frankly that is hysterical. Apoplectic responses of that kind simply don't help the cause in any realistic way," said David Buckingham, who led the Minerals Council in the mid-1990s.

"The threats to withdraw investment, to withdraw jobs, to withdraw exploration, quite frankly, these threats were never true and they are not true now."

Tony Sage, the chairman of Cape Lambert mining, was the first to claim that the new tax would force exploration offshore and the iron ore minnow would no longer spend 15 million on exploration in the Pilbara.

However, David Buckingham says the new supertax would actually assist smaller producers, particularly with generous tax breaks on exploration.

As an interesting exercise, I find that if we read - especially the misnamed "The Australian" - and substitute every mention of Kevin Rudd or his government with the words - "the Australian people" - one might get a true perspective of the two combatants in this enormously important challenge to our democracy.

Besides the fear compaign well funded by the multi-national mining companies, we unfortunately have an opposition, made up of Australians, who continually place the welfare and obscene profits of foreign companies ahead of our people and their right to share in the "super" profits of a "resources boom".

While we have, over the years however reluctantly, accepted the claims of indigenous Australians to share in the wealth of this psuedo democracy, we nevertheless have forgotten that mining is unsustainable and when the cupboard is bare - the profit regime will move on without a backward glance.

If it is acceptable that a nation may, at its own expence or with a contract to a Corporation well managed and experienced in the mining required, technically sub-contract to have that mining exercised with appropriate taxes, all seems well. 

However, it strikes me that, if mining is not a bottomless well and the sub-contractors are enthused to function as rapidly as they can for maximum profit and minimum cost - time is money - then the owner of the land is entitled to share in a "super profit" due to the rapid exhaustion of that nation's resource and the much publicised employment that it had created.   No double winners or losers.

This legislation by the "Australian people" is reacting as any other business would - the shareholders and stake-holders in this country are entitled to be represented as vigorously as the multi-nationals.

The greed of these people only creates world wide financial crises because, in the final analysis, a country is only entitled to that which it can defend - and if the foreign media in Australia decides to ostracise us, then we would be in good company.

I support this fair tax because it tends to level the playing field for the small companies and increases competition.

If the Australian Government of the people (Rudd government) loses this one, and we don't recognise what is happening, join the Greeks.  Their fabulous history is not helping them in Rumsfeld's new world.

God Bless Australia and all of our people.  NE OUBLIE.

I remember in the Menzies' era, a dispute occurred between the Federal Government and the Holden Company at, I believe, Fisherman's Bend Victoria.  The upshot was that the Foreign Company demanded that the Australian Government comply with their demands or, and this too is on memory, they would sack their 6 hundred workers.  As I recall, Menzies capitulated? History does repeat though.

Because of the diametrically opposed points of view of the two major parties in Australian politics such as the Coalition is a Corporation Party and Labor is the Australian people's party, this stouch as to who really runs this country, should make every voter stand up and be counted as an Australian before all others.

The hysterical attacks by the Conservative media and their Liberal spokespersons should raise the alarm bells in any reasoning voter's mind.  All the evidence and independent views of experts shows that this is a very fair distribution of AUSTRALIA's wealth in at least one area.

Over the last year or so, led by the Murdochracy, the media has exaggerated every problem that the "Australian People's" government has faced.  Like the predators they are, they have conveniently decided to look solely at the problems, not their causes nor the benefits ALL of them have given to the Australian people.  Hundreds of thousands of Australian households have enjoyed the solar panel and insulation rebates until the shonky business crooks found cracks in the armor (as they always do).  This began as an exercise to add employment and less pollution emissions to the Australian People's efforts in the Stimulus Package and the great majority of businesses both small and large have benefited as a result. 

The fact is that this much maligned Stimulus which the Corporation's parties opposed in their wisdom is now the envy of the financial world.  The foreign owned big Miners have taken their protection by the Australian People in their stride and, by golly, they do not intend to give any credit back, in any form.

The foreign mining companies with their Liberal advocates have used their media power to make this well balanced legislation appear to be the complete antithesis of what it really is.  Abbott, on behalf of his Corporation benefactors, has used his influence with Murdochracy to accentuate the “super profits tax” not its benefits to the Australian people.

As usual, I check the Conservative antics by reading the "not so" Australian misinformation paper and I still take umbrage at the stupid journalists who insult our intelligence by interviewing only those individuals who dislike the Government of the Australian people.  Shades of the old "True Confessions"?

I did however, find an article by that old media statesman Paul Kelly which I thought was fair enough and I quote an important part….

All complex policy is reduced to elemental politics. The essence of Labor's position was put by Kevin Rudd: "About a decade or so ago, for every three dollars in mining profits about a dollar went to the Australian people through taxes. Now for every seven dollars earned in profits by the Australian mining industry, one dollar comes to the Australian people in taxes. We believe the time has come for the Australian people, for small business and for workers and their super to get a fair share of the natural resources of this country, which are owned by the Australian people." It is a populist call for re-distribution based upon a justified principle.

COMMENT:  Any country who is entitled to vote must accept this as plain commonsense logic and an excellent principle that the Australian working families’ government is trying to give us a “fair go”.  Otherwise it's defeat will invite more plunder of our natural resources.  Make no mistake.

God Bless Australia and all who vote for her.  NE OUBLIE.

The Opposition says the government's proposed tax could drive up the price of food and housing through higher fertiliser and construction costs.

Mr Swan says those claims are ridiculous.

He says companies mining commodities like phosphate, gravel and sand are likely to be better off under a super profits tax.

"It just proves he hasn't got a clue about the tax," he said.

"The fact is many of these low value commodities might do much better in a resource super profits tax than they currently do, so we're talking to them to see whether they might be better off or not.

"Low value commodities are punished, absolutely punished by a royalty regime."

Financial Services Minister Chris Bowen has told Channel Ten the public backlash from the industry is not a surprise.

"You're always going to see a lot of brinkmanship in a big change like this, a lot of argy-bargy, a lot of claims and counter-claims," he said.

The Australian Workers Union today released a television ad in support of the Government's plan.

The AWU ad says it is time big mining companies gave something back to Australia.

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Let's be real here, the new tax is designed to eliminate the royalty regime... It is likely to share more equitably the prosperity that Abbott is so keen to talk about: "it [the new tax"] is a dagger aimed at the heart of our prosperity."... No... He is the sheriff of Miningham that does not want to share the loot acquired from the national estate. As far as everyone else is concerned so far, us, we get crumbs.

And, by the way, I know that some miners prefer the tax...

I am constrained to make one comment here of disappointment in Peter van Onselen, a young political commentator for who I had a lot of hope.  He immediately lost his lustre when he went to work for the Murdochracy - like deciding to build on a swamp - with good profit?  In line with his "Master's Voice" he has stooped to a new low by even bothering to oppose the Mining Tax to its wording!  Struth.

And I quote:

IF Kevin Rudd were a corporate entity instead of Prime Minister, he could be sued for misleading and deceptive conduct under section 52 of the Trade Practices Act for dubiously naming his new resource rent tax a super profits tax.

Fair dinkum young Peter - build your future on a good name, not on the largesse of a media parasite.

"What's it all about Alphie"? It's all about an excellent budget, endorsed by all world experts, which included some tax relief for small businesses and retirees' superannuation et al.  This is to be responsibly funded by a tax on Miners, foreign or not, who are gathering excellent increases in their profits due solely to the rising value of the resources they mine in Australia.  

Where once this tax returned to the Australian People (the sole owners of that resource) one ($1) out of three ($3) became one ($1) out of seven ($7)!!! Struth - "what about me"?

So the Rudd/Swan Australian government are wanting a share in the increased value of a resource to the Australian people - and I repeat - who totally own that resource.

Yet the main stream media (MSM) of one and a half Corporations, has decided to remove the Rudd Government and install a group of mixed capitalists and Howard New Order reps. 

In a masochistic way, I am personally grateful that the unelected decider of our governments has demonstrated just how powerful his monopoly is.  To take such a person as Tony Abbott and convert him into a saviour for our nation is some sort of a miracle - unless you understand the words of Mark Anthony viz: "Romans lend me your ears...I come to bury Rudd not to praise him". The Daily Telegraph?

To take Kevin Rudd's promises and try to allude that they have been broken when they were intended to be completed in a much longer time - is not only typical dishonesty by the Murdochracy but a clear indication of the frightening power of the "free to lie" media.

To influence people that the foreign mining giants had any major part in avoiding our recession is just plainly untrue - they continued as though nothing was happening and collected increased profits - thank you very much. 

It is said that Kevin Rudd (and he alone) failed to sell his reforms - and if believed by our People, is so ludicrous as to be insane. 

It is unusual for a first time federal Government not to be given a second chance - it almost happened to Howard in 1998 and yet, this media foreigner is yet again telling us who we must vote for because that is what he wants? That is what I resent most of all - the corrupt media in Australia would have put us at the bottom of the list of countries in recession - so let's play Coach and re-elect a proven government of the people before these Corporations take over for another backwards 12 years.

We have a choice.  We can try to amend the historic crimes committed by the media against the Whitlam government over thirty years ago by telling those who would take away our reason and logic, that we elect the government of the people for the people and by the people.  I kid you not.  

God Bless Australia and all of its citizens who have sworn allegiance to our Nation.  NE OUBLIE.