'Clean Energy Future': Gillard's WorkChoices?

I find it incredibly ironic that the woman who played such a key role in dismantling WorkChoices (and who revelled in it with smug joy...) is now facing an almost identical scenario with her so called 'Clean Energy Future' scam - I mean 'scheme' - otherwise known as the Carbon Tax. The key arguments which brought down WorkChoices, and the Howard Government, are as follows...

1. Pushing such a far reaching reform through parliament is undemocratic: Howard had what most government’s dream of, control of both the House of Reps and the Senate. However such a rarity proved to be a poisoned chalice; where the Senate was once a counter balance to the government's power, a place for review and debate, it was now seen as a rubber stamp, blindly approving Government legislation. This made a lot of Australians anxious, with some believing that due to the makeup of the parliament that the government had too much power and that there was nothing to keep it in check. Australians a pretty accepting of new reforms, provided that we believe it has gone through a proper, rigorous review.
2. Tax-payer dollars for party policy adverts: There is nothing wrong with a government advertising and educating the public on new policy and reform. However when that policy is viewed by the public as being more around ideology as opposed to national interest, it ruffles feathers. Australians do not like to see their hard-earned tax dollars funding party policy... especially unpopular policy. The more the Howard Government tried to sell and promote WorkChoices, the more cynical and jaded the electorate became. It was viewed as a shallow attempt to sell Liberal Policy as opposed to Government Reform.
3. Dial 'M' for Mandate: "How can you do this?!" The unions and Labor decried, "You have no mandate to introduce WorkChoices! How dare you make such far reaching reforms of Industrial Relations without first getting approval from the people!" Nothing had been said before the election about WorkChoices, so how could the Howard Government claim that it had a mandate to introduce? If all large, far reaching reforms need approval from the electorate the responsible thing would have been to go back to the electorate and seek their permission to do so... At least Howard did not say "There will be no IR reforms under any government I lead"; could you imagine the uproar if he had...?

Sound familiar? Gillard, with help from Bob Brown, is pushing this tax that will be felt across every sector, through the parliament with no discussion or debate (and certainly no consensus!) while spending over $200,000 PER DAY advertising this [Greens'] policy, all the while lacking a mandate! Instead of crowing over the fall of the greatest government we have ever had the privilege to have, Gillard should have been learning the lessons of WorkChoices...

Why Australia should abandon the 1951 UN Refugee Convention...

We live in a dynamic, ever-changing world, so it seems incredibly odd to me that Australia in 2011 is bound by 60 year old UN convention on refugees that was designed to deal with post-World War 2/Cold War Europe. It is absurd - ludicrous even - that the people of Australia must adhere to a policy that was built to solve a problem that existed before many of us were even born. At the heart of my distaste for this convention is how the term 'refugee' is defined, and how this must change to recognise the difficulties governments face now, as opposed to 60 years ago.

The convention defines a 'refugee' as a person who has a "well founded fear of being persecuted" should they be returned to their country of origin. This made sense in Cold War Europe, with the KGB willing to take care of any traitors to the great socialist cause. Those brave few who managed to escape over the Berlin Wall and break free of the Soviet Bloc would have without a doubt faced persecution and death if they had been returned to the Red Side of the Iron Curtain. That is in stark contrast to the so-called 'refugees' that we have piling up on our shores today.

While those fleeing communism faced the very real threat of death upon their return, do those who Bob Brown and Sarah Hanson-Young roll out the red carpet for face their untimely end should the boats be turned around? Of course not! These are not people fleeing death and destruction, these are not wartime refugees, they are economic refugees. It is not push factors leading them to our shores, but pull factors, such as Australia's economy, our work, our opportunities, our indoor plumbing. If these people can afford to spend over AUS$30,000 to a people smuggler in order to jump the queue, for the sole purpose of economic gain, then they are not genuine refugees. They are opportunists taking advantage of an inept government that leaks more than the boats carrying these people here and which fails at everything it attempts. These are people too lazy to work to improve their own country that they travel to, and exploit, ours!

Do these people look like genuine refugees?

Australia must swiftly abandon this 1951 UN convention, an out-dated relic of history, and put the interest of its own people ahead of those who seek to steal our jobs and our opportunities. If we continue down this destructive path that the Greens and Gillard have set us on, whereby any and all have the red carpet rolled out for them at the expense of the Australia tax-payer, we are going to be over-run with every third world opportunist who can point their raft in the direction of Christmas Island and cry persecution. The truly sad thing is that while these leeches con their way into this great nation there are genuine people in need, with the very real threat of death hanging over them, doing the right thing and waiting in the UN Refugee Camps. These true refugees are having their place in our quota stolen by selfish opportunists who are exploiting this stupid, incompetent government.

Gillard's true agenda...

Make no mistake, Gillard is as red as they come, and I am not referring to her hair colour! She is a socialist, an extreme Left-winger, a communist... She has not abandoned her roots, she has simply become addicted to power, meaning that she has needed to conceal her true colours or alienate middle Australia. While she may have fooled some, the harsh reality for those on the Centre-Left is becoming very clear: once a red, always a red.

This week saw the culmination of months of backroom deals, brokering benefits for vested Green interests, and a half-backed and unconvincing national campaign to promote the Carbon Tax. The 18 'Clean Energy' Bills passed through the House of Representatives with great fanfare, with the Labor party revelling in the self-congratulatory atmosphere. It was a surreal scene and reminded me somewhat of the eve of the French Revolution: the nobility dined and celebrated as if all was normal, ignorant and blinded by their hubris, they failed to see that the mob was growing... and that they were angry... Gillard and Co. are, of course, proudly supporting [King of the Nuts] Bob Brown in his quest for a global, socialist government. Many are sceptical, but the evidence is undeniable; Bob won't be satisfied until he and his ilk control the world...

Then we have the fiasco around board protection and the swelling flood of boat people showing up on our shores. Now Gillard's basic red instinct is to just open the boards, but that would have upset every single Australia who still has a semblance of love for their country. No, she played the pretend game, setting up a deal that she knew would fail (and accepting 800 more refugees in the process) and held out until it all collapsed, leaving her - and the Greens - preferred mode of processing: on-shore. Why is this preferred? Well it means that they can give the red carpet treatment, on the tax-payer dollar, of course... These foreigners who come here illegally will now be given comfortable tax-payer funded community based accommodation. That's right, while over a 100,000 AUSTRALIANS are homeless on any given night, Gillard, Brown and Sarah Hanson-Young want to treat these illegal entrants to a nice holiday, and they are even going to give them some spending money... That's right, while you and I have to work for our money and face ever increasing cost of living pressures, Gillard and friends are giving these people between $443 (for a single illegal boat person) and $570 (for an illegal family) a fortnight! Why work when you can grab a boat, paddle around in the water until the coast guard arrives, and Sarah Hanson-Young will be there to roll out the red carpet with giant sack of free money and the keys to resort-like accommodations?! Why reward hard work and achievement when you can tax it and use the money to treat illegal entrants to a luxury holiday?!

Seriously, whoever voted ALP or Green at the last election you need to take a good, long, hard look at yourself in the mirror. Your politically correct bullshit is quickly destroying our great nation and eroding the culture and values that I - and all freedom loving Australians - hold so dear. Speaking of political correctness gone mad, I have the results for the latest Right Side Poll where I asked for your verdict on the Andrew Bolt Federal Court ruling. The response was clear with the overwhelming majority believing that it was a dark day for free speech (82%). Those who believed that it was an important clarification of the law (11%) and who thought that it was a victory against discrimination (5%) were in the minority. Thanks to all who voted, the poll results mirrored that of many conducted on the matter. I only hope that Bolt appeals and that this stain is swiftly removed from the legal system. The current Right Side Poll is looking at the border protection. I look forward to hearing you thoughts!

So that is it for another week. I hope that your Friday goes quickly and painlessly and that you have an enjoyable weekend. Best wishes and I hope to see you all back here next week! Oh, and if the weekend is not coming fast enough for your liking, and you are in need of some random awesomeness, you might want to check out this new blog I have been reading. Have a good one!

The Grand Deception, the Ultimate Betrayal...

Only hours ago the Carbon Tax legislation passed through the House of Representatives and Julia Gillard completed her ultimate betrayal of the Australian Nation and its people. Gillard's unholy alliance with the Greens has now been sealed; irrevocable and beyond redemption. The government of Australia, regardless of its ideology, is charged with protecting and promoting the interests of this, the greatest of nations on Earth. By doing this deal with the Greens Gillard has demonstrated her casual disregard for the people, with her sole objective being maintenance of power, regardless of the cost. And make no mistake, there will be costs...

The Labor Heartland will bear much of the economic burden, as manufacturing is forced off-shore, unable to compete with economies that are not held back by this illogical tax. Families will find their struggle to keep their heads above water even harder, with this unnecessary tax simply adding more pressure to already tight family budgets. Scraping some money together for luxuries or treats for the kids will become impossible, as Gillard and Brown pursue their doctrine of economic suicide. The pair of economic illiterates will wring every last available dollar out of hard working Australians, all for the single-minded goal of advancing their socialist agenda. To borrow - and alter sightly - a quote from the great Winston Churchill: "Never before will so many lose so much because of the incompetence of so few..."


The kiss of death, for the Australian economy...

 That is the crux of the matter: economic pain. Make no mistake, there will be pain. Never before in the history of our nation have we seen such a legislative abomination, the likes of which will destroy the livelihoods of hard working Australian families. While the Green elitists, sitting in their inner-city cafes sipping soy lattes, may be happy and able to pay this tax that does not mean Australia families should be made to carry this burden. It must be nice to be an eco-nut, with no ability to see or confront reality. The economy is not as strong as you think! People are losing their jobs and families are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet! Why would you want to cause economic devastation?! For what, so that you can save the environment? I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but this Carbon Tax will do NOTHING to help the environment! Perhaps you should take your sanctimonious, self-righteous eco-propaganda and have a chat with you comrades to the North! Without China, India or the USA taking action there will be no benefit to the climate. Why embark of a program of economic self-harm when all you are going to end up doing is wrecking havoc on our economy, our way of life?

This is truly a say day in the history of Australia. Gillard and Brown will end up hurting all Australians with this poorly conceived tax. "There will be no Carbon Tax under any government I lead", the grand deception, the ultimate betrayal. One promise I know that will come true is that there will be no family celebrating this sad day.

How to throw a Labor Party...

I was going to write about the Tax Forum that is currently underway in Canberra... but I got about 1 sentence in and lost interest. It is a talkfest, plain and simple. For two days representatives from business and community groups, as well as the motley crew of the unholy Labor-Greens-Independent Alliance, will yabber on about how “the system is broken” and that there “needs to be change”, without actually doing anything. Bob Brown will undoubtedly have his stock standard tirade over big corporations and the evils of capitalism and freedom (can’t let the plebs have too much power, Comrade...). However the Tax Forum did get me thinking, not about the economy, but rather high-school politics and the ‘popularity game’. You see I have just caught up with some old friends from high-school and we were chatting about the good ol’ days and a few of the memorable parties that had been thrown... which is when I suddenly saw some parallels between alcohol fuelled teenage shenanigans and the current parliament.

Let us start, of course, with Julia Gillard. Within her circle of friends she is not nearly as popular as she once was and, in attempt to remain Queen of the Classroom, has invited everyone round to her place for a party. You see her parents are away and have been silly enough to trust her with their very expensive home which, given the global economy, is looking far better than the neighbours (especially that Greek family’s home down the street...). Wanting to ensure that her place at the top of the pecking order goes unchallenged, Little Miss Gillard invites not only her core social network, but a few others to shore up her power base...


"Why didn't I get an invite, Julia? I know how to throw a WINNING party!"

With the jelly shots setting in the fridge the first guests arrive exactly on time which is, of course, a social faux pas; everyone knows that it is fashionable to show up 1 to 1 and a half hours late... Who is at the door? Why, it is Bobby and his band of eco-whinger; you know the type, self-righteous, constantly lecturing you about recycling, annoying and very, very, uncool. They are socially inept, bringing organic snacks and rainforest friendly dip; Gillard doesn’t want what they are offering, but has to accept it if she wants their support. “So much for my promise of no tasteless bland snacks under any party I throw...” Gillard muttered to herself as the nerds come in, all the while complaining about the how difficult the drive over was and wondering why no-one has introduced a congestion tax.

Next we have one of the school’s most annoying pair, Oakeshott and Windsor. Little Miss Gillard was initially surprised that they showed up, given how badly they will get beaten up for even being seen in the same district as her. They don’t seem to mind all that much, they are just glad to have some new found popularity, despite not realising that most people hate them and think they are a pair of idiots! The little pesky kid Wilkie also shows up... demanding that there should be no gambling at this party and if there was he was leaving! For some reason he seemed to be under the impression that people cared about what he had to say...

"Just so we're clear, you are not invited to my party, Kev... Please don't cry again..."

Slowly Julia’s real friends started showing up... although there seemed to be far fewer than the last time she threw a party (that was before August 2010...). Her bestie, Wayne, followed her around the whole time, worried that his former friend Kev would beat him up. Of course Kev couldn’t make it to the party, he was too busy jetting around the world trying to get over his break-up with Julia... they had worked so well together... then she cheated on him with those damn thugs, the Faceless Boys. The Faceless Boys were there as well; despite being from another school they still thought that they could tell Julia and friends what to do...

While it would seem that Gillard had invited everyone she could think of, there were some notable exceptions, such as that lad from the Catholic School that she had been fighting with. Julia would always bump into Tony on her way to school, and he would always block the footpath and not let her pass. “You won’t get pass me! Ner ner ner ner!” Tony would taunt, laughing in an abrupt, course fashion. “Stop it Tony! You just get in the way for the sake of it! Be constructive for once!” Julia would complain, despite knowing that Tony was smarter and more popular than she was... and that was why she was secretly in love with him...

"I'm sorry, you think I'M crazy?! Have you SEEN Bob Brown?!"

As the night progressed the party degraded into a shambolic display. The Faceless Boys and their thugs tried to bully their way through the crowd, damaging and destroying whatever they could. Bobby and the eco-nuts hid out in the backyard and smuggled in a bunch illegal foreign gate-crashes, despite Julia telling them she didn’t want them in her party (she secretly did, but what would the neighbours think?). Garret jumped on the karaoke and belted out some tunes, while Craig tried to mount anything that moved. Eventually the party wrapped up; the house had been practically destroyed and Julia it seems emerged just as unpopular as before, despite making out with everyone at the party...

When Julia’s parents got home they were horrified to see the damage that had been done to their beloved home. The damage bill would be in the billions, all thanks to the foolishness of her and her friends. “Why can’t you be more like that Abbott boy?!” Julia’s parents scolded “Do you realise how much debt we are going to incur because of your stupidity, young girl?!” With that her parents went to see their friendly local banker, a Chinese fellow with a bright red tie and a big smile. Business had been booming for him lately; there had been lots of naughty liberal minded children causing a great deal of damage in the neighbourhood...

The Abbott Strategy: Election winning or doomed to fail?

I would like to preface this piece by stating up-front that there are times when I find it difficult to like Tony Abbott. Now do not get me wrong, I think that he is a very skilled, talented politician... but still there are days where I just have to shake my head, wondering why Tony just doesn't keep his mouth shut. Thankfully, those days are becoming fewer and farer between, which is a testament to the hard work that Abbott has put into controlling the inner larrikin that so often brakes free, making silly comments that are run to death by the liberal media. Tony Abbott has come a long way, developed as a leader and put his personal stamp on the party, which was incredibly important given the enormous shadow that the ghost of John Howard continues to project over parliament. Abbott took over the 'unelectable' Coalition and came within a hairs breadth of snatching victory in 2010... but the question remains: for all of the development and progress that Abbott has made, is he Prime Minister material? Can he convince the Australian public that he is the man for the top job? Well Abbott and the Liberal Party strategists would have to like their chances. It could be argued that this is because Gillard and Labor are doing everything wrong - spectacularly wrong! - but that does diminish the hard work and thought that has gone into the 'Abbott Strategy'; a cunning ploy that might just pull the Lodge from beneath the PM's feet...

What I admire most about Tony Abbott is that he is always out there doing something. This isn't your standard baby kissing and talking to families in shopping centres about grocery prices - none of that for Action Man Abbott! - Tony is out there lifting things, driving assorted machinery, gutting fish; you name it Tony seems willing to give it a go. This juxtaposes nicely against Gillard, who is always portrayed as standing about with that fake look of concern, nodding and speaking condescendingly, all the while constantly touching people. This helps frame Tony as a man who can get things done, which is a difficult thing for a leader of the opposition to pull off. However there is more to this than just appearing to have the energy of a hyperactive three year old... you just need to look at where Tony is doing all of these things...


"I swam out and caught it myself..."

"He is just trying to con dumb Labor voters into thinking that he gives a toss about them, even though he doesn't!" Complained one of my Howard-hating contemporaries (for obvious reason we do not discuss politics often...). This speaks to the heart of the Abbott Strategy and exposes two key Labor weaknesses: Gillard and the current dominance of the Greens over the ALP. These two weaknesses are clearly articulate when we look at the Labor Party's supporter demographic. Who support the ALP? Well, they are likely to be men working blue colour jobs. Abbott positioning himself as a man's man who swims marathons, lifts things and is generally blokey, will resonate with the ALP's traditional demographic and make him a relatable figure. Now this is only at a personal/human level, not at a policy level. But if you can identify with the salesperson you are far more likely to buy their product...

The second component of the Abbott Strategy, highlighting the submissive nature of the ALP in the current Labor-Greens-Independent Coalition, is where the true genius of this strategy becomes evident. Traditional Labor voters do not like the Greens. Why? Because they are the trendy inner-city crowd that sip soy lattes and seek to close down the manufacturing and mining industries out of some misplaced middle-class guilt. In short, these are the people who want to put your traditional Labor voter out of a job. The ALP's traditional base has been ignored and sidelined in the current political landscape in favour of the Greens and their inner-city crowd; the problem is that Labor and Gillard have just expected that they will simply tow the party line and continue voting ALP. Not so! Gillard is in political no man's land; those on the Left are deserting her in favour of the more radical Greens while the moderates are looking increasingly as if they are going to join Team Abbott. This is why Tony has been doing the rounds in workplaces that require one to lift things and drive forklifts. The message is quite simple: "Gillard has abandoned you! Gillard is conspiring with the Greens to take away your jobs and push up the cost of living through her many taxes! Gillard is more interested in keeping Brown happy than saving your jobs! The only way you can stop her is to vote for me, which I am making more acceptable by showing you that I'm just a regular bloke! Look at me, I'm gutting a fish! I am one of you!"

This is, of course, not a new strategy. The last time it was used was by former Prime Minister (and soon to be current Prime Minister) Kevin Rudd with his 'Me Too!' approach to John Howard. Rudd was often referred to as 'Howard-Lite'; enough like John Howard that he could entice the moderates without leaving them feel anxious about voting Labor, but not too much like Howard that he would lose his base support. With Gillard trapped between the Greens and that Centre, the Abbott Strategy looks like a winner: pick up the disillusioned Labor base courtesy of the current divide in the fractured Left while maintaining the traditional support base. Ironically even if Gillard wanted to counter this manoeuvre, it would spell the end of her reign in the top job. She cannot govern without the Greens and, while she has them on-side, she cannot hope to recapture Labor's traditional base...

The Liberal Party strategists are a smart bunch and, if the polls continue, we will see a resounding Coalition victory soon. The two key questions that remain however are: will the next Coalition Government be able to undo all of the damage caused by the Gillard/Brown Freak-show Government and, more importantly, can Abbott keep his mouth shut long enough to make it to the Lodge?

I do like Tony, I really do... I just wish he would think before he talks...!

Bob Brown is an idiot, plain and simple...

Tony Abbott is often criticised by Bob Brown, in fact it seems to be Brown's primary function (in addition to destroying the economy...). One of Brown's favourite lines of attack revolve around Abbott's 'thought bubble' policy ideas; uncosted, unplanned and unrealistic are usually the words used by Bob & Co. when trotting out this offensive strategy. However it is now becoming clear that if any federal party leader is guilty of not just unrealistic, but dangerous, thought bubbles then it is Bob Brown, the Policy Clown. So what is the Clown up to now, you ask? Why Bob (or should that be Bobo?), the leader of the 'Free Speech Haters Alliance', has decided that, in the wake of the Andrew Bolt ruling, all journalists should be licensed. That's right; if you want to have an opinion then you must first seek permission to express it from Comrade Brown.

What scares me the most is who Bob thinks should handle the registration body. No, not an independent licensing commission run, perhaps, by the journalists peak professional body - oh no! - Bob want to control it himself through a state-sanctioned authority. An authority that would have the power to award practicing licences to individual journalists with the flip side of this being they would also have the power to strip them of their licence. Censorship, anyone?


Coulrophobia: A fear of clowns...

This typifies the stupidity of Brown and the Greens. Now this may sound like a strange thing to say, but while I don't agree with ANYTHING that Bob Brown says I would do all within my power to defend his right to say it. Every person, regardless of how stupid, moronic and uninformed their views and opinions might be have the right to be heard. For example, Sarah Hanson-Young is an absolute half-wit who would be lucky to have to functioning neurons to bounce an idea between. Yet, despite how much I loathe the woman, I would gladly stand up and defend her right to spout her neo-Marxist nonsense. This is what it means to live in a free society. This is what it means to have true debate, where in the political forum any and all can stand and have their views and opinions heard. You may not like what is being said, but at least you have the right to, in turn, stand and rebuke the opinions of others. It just frustrates me when our elected officials who sit on the Left (i.e. those who hate freedom) seem to think that they can strip the citizenry of their right to speak their mind.

The national political discourse will be richer for having a wide debate where all can express their views. Bob Brown doesn't see this; he wants to silence the dissenters and create an Australia where the only opinions you hear are sanctioned by the state... While Bob has the right to speak his peace, he most certainly does not have the right to strip that fundamental entitlement from others, simply because he doesn't like what they are saying.

P.S: It should be noted that Bob Brown discussed this policy idea at the 'Intelligence Squared' event in Sydney on Saturday. If I was putting together a list of potential guests and speakers for an event called 'Intelligence Squared' I can assure you that Bob would be way, way, way, way down the list of candidates...