The post-election Liberals just can't help themselves

It seems the bloody nose received by the Liberal Party on election night is acting like burley tossed into shark-infested waters.

Shadow-Treasurer Malcolm Turnbull's latest contribution to the violent feeding frenzy is to let it be known that he now disputes the legitimacy of the recent Liberal Party leadership vote.

Once extensive media coverage was achieved he then issued a hair-splitting denial. An unedifying spectacle.

If this internal wrangling continues Brendan Nelson's leadership might be over by mid-2008.

However it will take much longer for the general public to take this political party seriously after all the recent dummy spits.

Brendan Nelson - a man for all seasons or is he just another political con artist?

It would seem that Brendan Nelson has become the latest fashion accessory on the Australian political scene.

Yes, Brendan can rise to the occasion, whatever the occasion. Want a Labor voter in your midst? Just call on Brendan. He'll be happy to accommodate your needs. Want a Liberal voter? Then don't hestitate, give Brendan a call.

Brendan has the rare capacity possessed only by fair dinkum political chameleons. He can change political colour, no matter what the occasion.

The Australian (December 8) carries a report headed " Nelson admits 'wrong, stupid' lie"

Read it at: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22889501-5014046,00.html

Will John Howard become the 'Guy Fawkes' effigy atop North Coast bonfires in the future?

After almost eleven years of stubborn denial and laggardly response to climate change, the former Howard Government has left Australia in a position where the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics December 2007 report can state that this country's wheat, beef, dairy and sugar commodities "could decline by an estimated 9-10 per cent by 2030 and 13-19 per cent by 2050" due to the effects of climate change.

With our export of key agricultural commodities likely to "decline by 11-63 per cent by 2030 and 15-79 per cent by 2050".

Australia is predicted to be one of the worst hit countries in terms of reductions in agricultural production and export, and because such a lot of our wool, wheat, sugar, beef, veal and lamb goes for export our balance of trade is going to resemble a third world country's economic outlook.

It seems almost inevitable that John Howard's personal attitude to climate change will result in Australia ceasing to be the lucky country within a generation.

It is by no means certain that the new Rudd Government will have the luxury of time to turn this situation around or to make a significant impact on this gloomy scenario. 

The NSW North Coast sugar industry would be unable to survive if the percentage decline in production was uniformly distributed, as there would not be a reliable harvest to keep the Broadwater and Harwood mills viable.

It is likely that North Coast residents will see John Howard as the same type of folklore bogeyman as the English Guy Fawkes - stupid and destructive.

His likeness will deserve to burn in effigy whenever a local bonfire is lit.

ABARE December 2007 report - climate change section:

http://www.abareconomics.com/publications_html/ac/ac_07/a1_dec.pdf

The Australian article on ABARE report:

 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22883995-11949,00.html

 

The new broom in Commonwealth-State health policy

The new Federal Minister for Health, Nicola Roxon, has given the states and territories one week to come back with answers on how they will clear their elective surgery waiting lists so that people are not waiting for surgery beyond a medically acceptable time.

One has to hope that last Friday's meeting between Ms. Roxon and her state counterparts was as productive as reported.

ABC News yesterday:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/07/2113212.htm

 

The NSW North Coast also has to hope that specific health funding promised by Labor during the recent federal election campaign flows quickly through to the NSW Dept. of Health and onto the local area health service, so that our district and base hospitals will see the practical results of a much needed catch-up in infrastructure and services.

Will the Cowper electorate see even less of Hartsuyker now?

Nationals MP for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker has just joined the Coalition outer shadow ministry with the portfolio of business development and independent contractors.
The esteemed Mr. Hartsuyker never did live up to his promise to regularly visit areas across his Cowper electorate, and once Yamba was slated to move out of his seat at the 2007 federal election he effectively abandoned this small town.
So it will be interesting to watch how he performs as a North Coast MP holding his federal seat on a reduced margin. Especially as he takes the junior ministry carrot and tries to parley this into a higher profile within the Coalition.
I'm tipping that Cowper will see even less of its MP than before.

Luke Hartsuyker - the Nats' "one true potential star"_ _ _ _ _ ????

One has to wonder how many voters on the north coast of NSW, but especially those who have the privilege of having the National Party's Luke Hartsuyker as their local member, are even faintly aware of his celebrity status.

The Australian's Denis Shanahan wrote on Friday (December 7), "The Nationals’ sorry state and adherence to inflexible seniority has kept the Nationals’ one true potential star, Luke Hartsuyker, in the outer ministry".

Sorry, come again Denis. What's this business about Hartsuyker being the Nationals’ one true potential star?

What evidence does Denis have that causes him to write such stuff? The locals in the electorate of Cowper have every right to know 'cause as sure as eggs they haven't seen any such evidence that would give support to Shanahan's view? Perhaps Luke saves up his best performances for when he's wining and dining with members of the parliamentary press gallery in Canberra.

Read this and other comments about the mob Brendan Nelson selected to make up the numbers in the Opposition's shadow ministry at:
http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/dennisshanahan/index.php/theaustralian/comments/shadow_ministry_cast_by_brutal_arithmetic/