BF2S Forums Australian politics thread.

Spark wrote:

Neither do the Coalition haha.

No I mean the fact that the Coalition is Liberal + Nationals to form government is just fine. But Greens + Labor is totally unfair.

They are friendly when it comes to preferences though.

Thoughts on the new Cabinet?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-12/g … le/3726500

still think shorten is overrated. speaks well but combet the far more impressive performer imo.

arbib, feeney et al getting cabinet positions makes me want to puke.

Asylum seekers.

Government: Wants to hold talks. Willing to discuss possibility of backing the Opposition's Nauru solution. It is suggested that they would agree to it if in return the Opposition supported the Malaysia solution.

Opposition: Refuses to hold talks until the Government comes out with an entirely new solution, (other than the Malaysia deal.) Also has refused to back the Malaysia solution in return for the Government supporting the Nauru solution.

So let me get this straight... The Coalition has made it quite clear that they will only ever go for the Nauru solution and will never agree to a deal. Meanwhile they refuse to hold talks for whatever reason and are demanding the Government come up with a new solution that they have already made quite clear that they will not back.

To me it seems that Tony Abbott thinks his work is done by riding a previous government's asylum seeker plan, (Nauru.) He is completely unwilling to find an alternate solution on his own and seems even more unwilling to be involved in a bi-partisan attempt to find a solution everyone can agree to. Meanwhile he is demanding the Government come up with a new solution - it's like he fears any situation where he may be asked to come up with his own ideas. Is this guy lazy or just completely incapable? He drags up an old idea, refuses to make any new ones, (refuses to even help make new ones,) and criticises anyone else's ideas.

Come on Liberals, get this clown out of your leadership. He's an inept leader and an inept politician. Meanwhile he is destroying any credibility your party has as an alternative Government.

Interesting thing happening in at the moment. Ford has said it will continue manufacturing in Australia after a $103m contribution from the Victoria and Federal Governments. However GM is saying they are considering closing down their manufacturing plant in South Australia unless the Government(s) step in and presumably give a similar payment to them. They're saying it's because of the poorly performing retail sector and of course the looming Carbon Tax.

I'm not clear about the exact details but does it seem to anyone else that these companies are blatantly holding the country to ransom? "Give us free money or the jobs get it". I would be stoked if Jay Weatherill just went to the GM headquarters in Detroit and called their bluff, (spoiler warning: he's not and he won't.) If their company is failing to make ends meet it's because it's a shitty company and it needs to work to rectify this, not demand big cash payouts from Governments with the threat of making people unemployed. It's a worrying mentality and as soon as these corporations get the proverbial finger from someone with the balls to give it to them the better.

I know there have always been intensives to lure corporations with tax breaks and the like but this is just getting a bit blatant for my tastes.

Holdens are still selling well, Commodores are still the best selling car in Australia. I'd almost consider buying a Holden if 95% of their cars weren't just re-branded Daewoos made in Korea.

Last edited by Little BaBy JESUS (2012-01-10 00:40:20)

i swear for a laid-back sort of nation, we seem to be mighty good at whingeing. cf gerry harvey having a go at consumers for *gasp* looking for a better deal online.

Dilbert_X wrote:

Commodore and Cruze aren't rebranded Korean, I'd consider a Cruze but not a Commodore.

The Cruze is only Australian assembled as of mid-2011. Up until then it was Korean designed and built.

E: So most of the ones you see on the road would be Korean built. I didn't actually realise the Cruze had switched to Australian assembled, I don't really keep in the loop with Holden

Last edited by Little BaBy JESUS (2012-01-10 01:19:30)

The Coalition are just doing what an opposition do, hardly unusual.

I could write about a thousand's word worth of vitriolic invective for what I think about the Greens' reaction to the situation (and the broader "environmental movement" in general) which could quickly turn into many more words about why environmentalists get up my nerves so much nowadays.

So I won't.

Last edited by Spark (2012-01-11 21:55:49)

Because the Government doesn't want to do it. If Greens/Coalition/Independents pass a bill the Government would have to send a ship.

Edit: Actually I've worked it out, (Greg Hunt let it slip.) The Coalition is opposing the Greens bill because they are claiming the PM already has the power to send a ship. Never mind that the point of the bill is to force the PM to send a ship, the Opposition are keeping it as an issue of contention between the Greens and Government and want to keep it in reserve as an issue they can accuse the Government of inaction on later. It's more valuable as an issue of contention than an issue they helped resolve to the Coalition.

Yeah, gotta love it