Andrew Robb almost admits abuse of Senate power led to Coalition defeat

Did I hear right? Yes I did. On the tellie last night Andrew Robb came close to actually admitting that the Howard Government abused its Senate majority and carried legislation further than was prudent.

This is the first time anyone in the Liberal Party has come close to voicing the underlying cause of its electoral defeat.

Perhaps the Coalition is finally beginning to face the truth about its utter disregard of the wishes of the Australian majority over the last eleven years.

Well, I can hope can't I?

Who does Robert McClelland think he's fooling when it comes to David Hicks?

Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland has refused to confirm or deny that he has signed the initial papers authorising the imposition of an interim control order on David Hicks.

He tells us all that the Attorney-General only performs "an administrative function" in relation to any control order.

News.com.au today:
 http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22918115-29277,00.html

 

That's a heap of hot, steaming manure he is shovelling our way. Applications for interim control orders require the consent of the Attorney-General. In 104.3 of the C'wealth Anti-terrorism Act (No 2) 2005 as amended, there is a clear indication that the Attorney-General has choice in signing off on any interim application by the Australian Federal Police. This clause begins "If the Attorney-General consents". This phrase is repeated throughout the Act in relation to control orders.

See:

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/4ED7D914ED94BAC9CA2572960010BEF8/$file/1442005.pdf

 

To put it crudely - the new Attorney-General appears to be running scared and whipped when it comes to a very right-wing Australian Federal Police.

 

David Hicks broke no Australian law existing at the time of his original capture and detention. His sentence by a US military tribunal showed that this court clearly saw him as being a minimal threat.

 

Enough is enough Mr. McClelland. Australia deserves better than to have Federal Labor continue to impose John Howard's distorted view of our society and values.

Vote on Rudd's performance at Bali

The Sydney Morning Herald is running an online readers poll today on Kevin Rudd's diplomatic performance at the Kyoto conference at Bali this week.

So far this morning the vote is running heavily in favour of Rudd's performance being statesmanlike.

Voting is at:

http://www.smh.com.au/polls/politics/form.html

 

I have to say I was pleased that Kevin Rudd's address to the conference further differentiated Australia from the US position on climate change. However, he really needs to go further and stand up to America's attempt to force any mention of target percentages out of the final draft of the Bali declaration.

The Prime Minister would be foolish if he believed placating the Bush Administration will keep the US onside except momentarily.

The US will turn on Australia sometime in the next three years, because the Rudd Government has indicated that it will not play lickspittle and American's have never understood Labor Party philosophy.

With most American's believing in their heart-of-hearts that God is a white American male and that their country dominates by divine right, diplomacy by others is next to useless.

A show of strong leadership by our Prime Minister and a less narrow focus on climate change allegiances it required.

America is no longer a great and powerful friend, rather she is a major impediment to constructive change and international stability.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald article on Rudd in Bali:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/rudds-choice-be-diplomat-or-leader/2007/12/12/1197135557585.html

I keep hearing the Nats say that nothing has changed

The new urban myth for NSW North Coast Nationals appears to be that even though the Coalition lost the federal election it doesn't really matter, because Kevin Rudd won't change things much.

A strange way to console themselves for losing at the polling booths on November 24.

WorkChoices is being dismantled, Kyoto was ratified, the Code of Ministerial Responsibility was expanded, reporting of political contributions was returned to pre-Howard criteria, Australian Law Reform Commission recommendations on Commonwealth sedition laws are on the agenda to be revisited, the NT Intervention is to be reviewed, the Australian Government is going to apologise to the Stolen Generation, there is a broad timeline for complete combat troop withdrawal from Iraq and cooperative federalism is the order of the day under a Rudd Labor Government.

Everything the former Howard Government would have hated to see happen.

No matter how you huff and puff, that's big change fellas! 

Is Morris Iemma turning into the new John Howard?

Premier Morris Iemma waited, until New South Wales was preoccupied with the federal election and State Parliament had risen for the final time in 2007, to begin putting the building blocks in place to privatise this state's electricity suppliers.

He gave an unworkable guarantee that the sell-off of public assets would not affect ordinary consumers and then ignored regional NSW by promising that sale money would be first spent on giving Sydney a brand new metro rail system.

This tactic was worthy of John Howard at his best. It seems the example of his highhanded approach continues to contaminate politics at all levels.

During the last ten years NSW Labor has moved so far to the right that it makes middle of the road voters like myself seem positively Red.

Morris Iemma should take a good look at all those voters who swung against the Coalition at the recent federal election. They are the same voters who will sweep NSW Labor from government if he keeps this up.

Labor Party voters some of the happiest consumers in Australia right now

"CONSUMER confidence has rebounded in December, a survey shows, with Australian Labor Party voters some of the happiest consumers in the nation.

The Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index, released today, rose 1.8 per cent in December, reversing November's 4.2 per cent decline.
Not surprisingly, the biggest swings in sentiment was based on political affiliation.
Spurred by the party's return to Federal Government, sentiment among Labor voters soared 15.6 per cent in December.
Sentiment among coalition supporters dipped 16.2 per cent after it was condemned to the opposition benches on November 24.
The survey of 1400 people was conducted between December 5-9, following Labor's federal election victory and after the RBA left interest rates on hold."

News.com.au article today:

http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,22911727-31037,00.html

 

Have to admit there are a lot of people on the NSW North Coast who still cannot wipe a silly grin off their face. Even I, who haven't a penny to spare, threw another pack of bikkies into the supermarket trolley to celebrate!