When will we ever be able to respect them in the morning?

 

When the Liberal Party allowed John Howard to trail his feeble political dementia through the last Australian federal election campaign, I thought surely things couldn't get any worse.

 

When a defeated Liberal Party elected failed former defence minister Brendan Nelson as its new leader, I hoped that there was nowhere to go but up for the party after that obvious blunder.

 

When the very rich ex-merchant banker Malcolm Turnbull plopped his rear in the leader's chair after Nelson's demise, I feared that the Liberal Party had plumbed to previously unimaginable depths.

 

Then the Liberal Party elected the rabidly conservative Tony Abbott as its leader going into the next federal election campaign and I discovered that the situation could indeed get much, much worse.

 

Upriver Bill

Northern Rivers

 

Guest Speak is a North Coast Voices segment allowing serious or satirical comment from NSW Northern Rivers residents.
Email ncvguestpeak at live dot com dot au to submit comment for consideration.

The Townsville Bulletin objects!

On 7 November 2009 the Townville Bulletin published a sports article; A-League is no sprint.

On 10 November it sent a takedown notice to Google Inc. complaining about the blog North Queensland Fury FC: the journal taking liberties with the newspaper's copyright exactly twice in around 939 posts about this football club.
The second time being on that 7 November Saturday.

Seems this News Ltd rag with a circulation of between 27,000-42,000 plus is toeing Rupert Murdoch's line with a vengence.

Though I have to admit that posting an entire newspaper column (using an identical banner headline) on a blog the very same day the print and online edition of the paper carried it was stretching patience a bit too far.

Rees acts on iconic River Red Gums - but is it now too late?

Unfortunately this scheduled post was overtaken by events and yesterday Nathan Rees was ousted as Premier by the right-wing faction of the NSW Labor Government. Planning Minister Kristina Keneally is now the state's 42nd premier and during her time in Parliament is yet to prove that she has a real
understanding of environmental issues or sustainability.
I hope that she might confound her critics by honouring the commitment set out below.

Image from River Red Gum Rescue

Some welcome news in the NSW Premier's media release of 3 December 2009:

Premier Nathan Rees today announced he would save River Red Gums in the state's south-west by declaring 42,077 hectares of the Millewa Group Red Gum Forests as National Park.
Mr Rees also announced the government would move immediately to implement a structural adjustment package for industry.
"Successive Labor governments have an unparalleled record of protecting natural resources in NSW and providing support to protect jobs and communities," said Mr Rees.
"Over eight percent of NSW is now protected in perpetuity in the form of national parks and reserves.
"These are areas that deserve preservation and protection for future generations. Part of that legacy is my commitment that mining and hunting will not be permitted in national parks.
"I add to that legacy today by acting to save the habitat of our precious River Red Gums in the Riverina.
"We will create a new National Park in the area currently covered by the Gulpa Island, Millewa and Moira State Forests. The new National Park will adjoin the Barmah National Park in Victoria, creating a huge protected area for River Red Gum habitat.
"Already under attack from the drought and climate change, this habitat is fast approaching a tipping point where we risk losing it for ever.".........

Political hypocrisy wears a skirt in New South Wales...

Kristina Keneally is NSW Premier as of late yesterday I see. HHMMM.......what a difference a few weeks make.

iPrime Woollongong 16/11/2009 11:58 AM
NSW Planning Minister Kristina Keneally has rejected suggestions that Premier Nathan Rees will suffer retribution over the dumping of Joe Tripodi from the ministry.
Ms Keneally praised her friend Mr Tripodi on Monday as a "hard working, loyal minister" who had demonstrated his loyalty by resigning when he asked by Mr Rees on Sunday.
She said Mr Tripodi's axing as finance and ports minister was unexpected, but she denied there would be any payback over the axing of the Right faction powerbroker.
"That's a ridiculous claim," Ms Keneally said when asked about possible retribution.
"There is no plan for that at all."
PM Thursday, August 27, 2009 18:38:00
"We have one Premier of New South Wales, his name is Nathan Rees and I want him to be the Premier that takes us to the March 2011 election."