"I suspect it may be dawning on a few white men as I write this that giving women the vote was a seriously bad idea."

 

Jane Caro at Crikey 9 November 2012:

 

Barack Obama won 55% of the female vote, meaning it was women who decided this year's presidential election. Politicians who refuse to take women's concerns and freedoms seriously are now on notice.

I suspect it may be dawning on a few white men as I write this that giving women the vote was a seriously bad idea.

Suddenly the constituency that used to rule the world — because they ruled America — are getting a sense of just what it feels like to be a minority group. And I don't think they like it much.

According to numbers that are being crunched as I write, Barack Obama outpolled Mitt Romney in every group except older white men. Based on these admittedly preliminary figures, the President won 55% of the female vote, 93% of the African American vote and 71% of the Latino vote. He also outpolled Romney in every age group up to 45 and won the votes of most Americans who live in cities.

But if these early figures are correct, it is women who have really decided this election. That's because they are 53% of the population, while blacks are 13%, Latinos 10% and Asians 3%. Even younger people only add up to 46% of the American population.

In other words, women voters in the US have become the kingmakers and let's hope one day soon, the queenmakers.

"A dog ate my policies and here is a note from my mum" - men don't get Tones either

 

1. “So the Abbotts fight over the telly on a Sunday night, she for footy, he for Downton Abbey. First, with their combined income surely they have at least two televisions in their home; second, there is no football on Sunday night at 8.30. Spin, spin.” {Kevin O'Rourke of Goonellabah in The Sydney Morning Herald on 8^th October 2012}

2. “Tony Abbott knows his leadership is terminal so he calls in the missus to spruik his "feminine side". What next? "A dog ate my policies and here is a note from my mum"? {Bob Torrens of  East Ballina in The Sydney Morning Herald on the same day}

3. "Tony Abbott’s approval rating has dropped over the last month. 33% (down 4%) approve of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader and 58% (up 4%) disapprove – a change in net rating from -17 to -25 over the last 4 weeks. This is Tony Abbott’s lowest rating since he became Opposition Leader.

65% (down 9%) of Coalition voters approve and 29% (up 7%) disapprove.
By gender – men 36% approve/56% disapprove, women 29% approve/59% disapprove. In net terms this represents a decline with men from -16 to -20 and with women from -19 to -30." {Essential Report 12th November 2012}

In which Clarence Valley Council Management politely suggests that Democracy and Elected Members of Council pee off

 

There is a hidden battle to save local government democracy underway in the Clarence Valley as I write. With a number of councillors supporting democracy and council management supporting rule by bureaucracy. 

 

Excerpts from the Minutes of Clarence Valley Council Ordinary Monthly Meeting of 16 October 2012:

 

COUNCIL RESOLUTION – 14.009/12

 

(Crs Simmons/Williamson)

That

A report be put before the November 2012 meeting to enable a review of all of the

authorities, other than those empowered by statute, delegated by Council to the General Manager.
 

Voting recorded as follows:

For: Councillors Williamson, Baker, Challacombe, Howe, Hughes, Kingsley,

McKenna, Simmons and Toms

Against: Nil…..

 

OFFICER’S COMMENTS

 

The decision not to report this application to Council rested with the Manager Development Services. In making that decision he considered that the objections were either unsubstantiated (loss of property value, not slab on ground brick and tile and loss of views) or could be conditioned satisfactorily (privacy).

Perspective is required in making such decisions.

Councillors would be aware that the proposals under the Green paper issued by the State Government in July 2012 is that Councillors’ involvement in decision making on DA’s encourages Councils to reduce their involvement in the DA decision making process and the Minister publically stated his preferred view is that the political arm of Council should not be involved in DA decisions.

Council submitted a contrary view to this in its submission to the Minister at the August meeting.

[my red bolding]

 

Excerpt from the Business Paper of the Civil & Corporate Committee Meeting scheduled for 13 November 2012:

 

The rolling blacklist is dead and our online privacy is once more protected - or is it?

 

The Age 9 November 2012:

 

Conroy has backed down but there's no shortage of people still pushing to invade our privacy and censor the internet.

It's almost five years since communications minister Stephen Conroy embarked on his crash-or-crash-through campaign to introduce mandatory ISP-level internet filtering for all Australians……

From the very beginning of the debate, outspoken filtering opponents such as Electronic Frontiers Australia and Mark Newton data retention to keep records of everyone's internet usage for two years. There's already a push to expand the scope of this plan.

Meanwhile anti-piracy lomade it clear that the real concern about the planned filter was its broad scope and veil of secrecy which left it open to abuse by those with an agenda.

It didn't take long for calls to expand the proposed filter. Family First Senator, Steve Fielding, called for the filter to cover legal hardcore pornography and fetish material, while Senator Nick Xenophon wanted it to encompass online gambling. The Australian Christian Lobby was also pushing to expand the scope of the filter to cover a wide range of sins…….

"Blocking the INTERPOL 'worst of' list meets community expectations and fulfils the government’s commitment to preventing Australian internet users from accessing child abuse material online," Conroy says.

"Given this successful outcome, the Government has no need to proceed with mandatory filtering legislation."

Only a politician could label such a backdown a "successful outcome", considering it's exactly what he should have done five years ago. Senator Conroy has been gradually backtracking on filtering for some time but only now does it seem safe to declare the plan officially dead. But that doesn't mean that free speech and privacy advocates can rest easy. Right now Australia is debating the proposal for blanket data retention to keep records of everyone's internet usage for two years. There's already a push to expand the scope of this plan.
Meanwhile anti-piracy lobbyists are threatening to bomb the internet back into the stone age with draconian plans which keep emerging under the guise of various proposals such as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)….

In November 2012 Australian citizens still struggle to get a definitive response from the Federal Attorney-General as to how law enforcement and intelligence agencies will ensure that they are not inappropriately gathering personal information on individuals when they wish to access to the following data without having to automatically apply for a warrant before each request to Internet Service Providers.

Definition of Telecommunications Data

From the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security

 Inquiry into potential reforms of National Security Legislation