On the 347th day since he was sworn in as Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott has this country participating in someone else's civil war

 Abbott announcing he is taking Australia to war - again

Prime Minister Tony Abbott was a minister in the Howard federal government when Australia formed part of the unlawful invasion force in Iraq 2003.

This invasion created the circumstances which led to the current Iraq civil war.

Now Tony Abbott has abandoned any pretence of reluctance and on 31 August 2014 has committed this country to entering this civil war as a military participant delivering weapons to one side in the sectarian armed conflict.

Hypocritically calling this entry into the war a humanitarian mission.

All because he and his government are increasingly unpopular with the majority of voters at home and he hopes to deflect them with jingoism, fifes and drums.

Is fast food giant McDonald's finally paying the price for its arrogance?

There were probably many Yamba residents muttering “I told you so” under their breaths after reading this in The Sydney Morning Herald on 10 August 2014:

Sales at McDonald's have recorded their worst results in over 10 years.

Global sales at the fast food giant dropped 2.5 per cent in June and July.

Not since March 2003, when global sales plunged 3.7 per cent in consecutive months, has the world's biggest restaurant chain suffered such losses.

Australia is part of McDonald's Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa operation, which was the worst performing sector in the second quarter of 2014. Its sales declined 7.3 per cent.  

After similarly disappointing first quarter results, Australia was singled out as a poor performing market in April…..

One aspect of the Australian psyche the multinational fast food chain, McDonald’s, never grasped – if you force yourselves on our communities we tend not to buy your product.

In particular I suspect that the amount of national publicity the Telcoma protestors managed to garner is beginning to impact on many household fast food choices around the country.

Which makes one wonder if the fast food giant’s McDelivery trial will also fall flat on its face in Australia.

Background

http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com.au/search?q=mcdonalds+yamba

The Abbott Family spin cycle continues - this time about the clothes they wear

 Second-hand rose: Margie Abbott in the Salvation Army store in Manly after launching National Op Shop Week on Saturday. 

Photo: Daniel Munoz/Getty Images. The Sydney Morning Herald 23 August 014.

"Op shopping is something that the Abbott family has enjoyed for many years, and may I say, we do it very well” states Margie Abbott, member of a privileged Australian family.

If Margie Abbott regularly purchased clothing at op shops it was a long, long time ago.

This is an image of the Abbott family on federal election night in September 2013; in garb which had come straight from dress designers and probably a bespoke tailor.

Margie Abbott is wearing a custom made Veronica Al Khoury dress, the daughters apparently wearing outfits from Toni Maticevsk and, the man in the centre of this photograph has of course been receiving tailored suits and high quality shirts and ties as ‘gifts’ from one of his supporters, Les Taylor, for a number of years.

All one has to do is trawl though Google Images to find multiple examples of the fact that op shops are alien to the Abbott family.

Quote of the Week

Tony Abbott has obviously learnt nothing from last year's travel rort scandals. He and his Team Australia bombard us with brainwashing messages like the age of entitlement is over, budget emergency and that the country can't afford leaners. He then attends at private function in Melbourne and  arranges a quick "work" visit and press conference to conveniently justify claiming entitlements rather than paying his own way. It's a shameful, brazen abuse of his position and a contemptible waste of hard-earned taxpayers' money. 

[Glen op den Brouw of Liverpool in a letter to the editor, The Sydney Morning Herald 28 August 2014]

The ugly face of Abbott's Team Australia

Letter to the editor in The Daily Examiner on 26 August 2014:

Aussie Islamists

Given the unhappy world situation at this time and the present exposure of the unholy and bestial practices that Australian Islamists, amongst others, are pursuing in Arabia, a whole rethink of where we stand in world affairs is overdue.

At this stage the United States of Australasia, incorporating our Christian neighbours, is worthy of serious consideration.

Thomas Macindoe

Yamba

The Great Coastal Emu Hunt 6-7 September 2014 Clarence Valley & Bungawlbin