What's what?
I have no problem with you being on the dole, Blowin. It's the best form of stimulus there is. I've said before out little business back in tassie relied on pensioners and the like.
My problem is you're a smart arse. A know it all. And a hypocrite of the highest magnitude.
Your "treaty" thread is an absolute smoke screen. Patronising bullshit. It only took a couple of pages for the "real" blowin to surface. Trumpeting the "we white people gave you everything" line.
But anyhow.....
Carry on.
Till next time.
The tax avoidance argument absolutely needs an international solution Happy, but unfortunately its a race to the bottom in which cuntry can offer the lowest tax rate or highest veil of secrecy with the lowest amount of compliance. Can't see Vanuatu coming up with any better ways of attracting the big bucks, or the same could be said for almost any island nation with less than a million people.
As Blowin said, "But Australia is not a hub nor a large consumer base , merely a quarry or a drill hole or a margin market for existing product. There is no grand scale reinvestment resulting from lowering corporate tax rates in Australia ."
All true. They don't want our staff (too expensive) or our skills, only our raw materials and marketplace full of overpaid consumers dumb enough to pay high prices. The tax return aspect of company reporting is woefully basic compared to the financial reporting side and the ATO only sees a tiny fraction. You can't benchmark companies of that size against an industry standard, and even less reliably if you only see one side of the equation (the Australian side). So I can't see how the ATO comes up with these imaginary numbers based on companies sending money offshore. I'm 99% convinced they just choose an astronomical imaginary number and then try and get multinationals to settle outside of court.
Even better is the fact that the energy companies and most of the extractive commodities companies are only held to account for the exportation of product volume on quantities only they are aware of and which they are supposed to self assess.
Not dissimilar to your local Chinese restaurant only accepting cash payement then being expected to honestly inform the ATO of how many sweet and sour porks they have sold.
Except the product the commodities companies are selling belong to the commonwealth.
"....Klein asked whether, in order to fight global poverty, the U.S. should consider “sharply raising the level of immigration we permit, even up to a level of open borders.” Sanders reacted with horror. “That’s a Koch brothers proposal,” he scoffed. He went on to insist that “right-wing people in this country would love … an open-border policy. Bring in all kinds of people, work for $2 or $3 an hour, that would be great for them...."
The minions of the liberal left have been feverishly beavering away , doing the dirty work of the koch brothers and microsoft...oh the hilarity!
"...Many of the immigration scholars regularly cited in the press have worked for, or received funding from, pro-immigration businesses and associations...."
"...'Academics face cultural pressures too. In his book Exodus, Paul Collier, an economist at the University of Oxford, claims that in their “desperate [desire] not to give succor” to nativist bigots, “social scientists have strained every muscle to show that migration is good for everyone.” George Borjas of Harvard argues that since he began studying immigration in the 1980s, his fellow economists have grown far less tolerant of research that emphasizes its costs. There is, he told me, “a lot of self-censorship among young social scientists.” Because Borjas is an immigration skeptic, some might discount his perspective. But when I asked Donald Davis, a Columbia University economist who takes a more favorable view of immigration’s economic impact, about Borjas’s claim, he made a similar point. “George and I come out on different sides of policy on immigration,” Davis said, “but I agree that there are aspects of discussion in academia that don’t get sort of full view if you come to the wrong conclusion.”"
That's academic speak for 'the cunts have been lying to you'
You can bag trump all you want but one thing he has done is save us from the dogma and delusionment of the liberal left.
Their 'best and brightest' just have not been living in the real world, and their academic arguments were reflecting the land of fairys and magic dust they inhabit.
And they think it's the public that have no idea...
https
://www
.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/07/the-democrats-immigration-mistake/528678/
Foreign Correspondent tonight .
I see the supreme spiritual leader of the right in AU is now up on child rape charges.
Lets see if the truth or should I say the facts now come out.
Don't you think it's incredible the way an association of people with a declared devotion towards treating others with respect , love and kindness gravitated towards the traditionally heartless side of politics ?
If you've ever sought a definitive contrast between spiritualism and organised religion then the answer is - politics .
And isn't it fantastic to see Miranda Devine sweep in to defend ol' Georgie boy?
The Victorian police should be out there catching the real criminals, hey? Let the paedophiles and their enablers go FFS.
Its an attack on Christianity.
As Jesus said : " Let my kiddie fondlers go unto others ."
So George made way for God's chosen rock spiders.
Its a bad bad day for the righteous born to rule side of politics today.
Pell charged with sexually molesting and raping children, Abbott and his allies still running amuck in opposition to Turnbull and former Qld premier Campbell Newman is calling on Turnbull to resign.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/former-queensland-premier-cam...
Pell's response to the charges opened with an attack of the media .... fancy someone on the right attacking the media, now that's never happened before!
I thought the corporate media were quite sympathetic.
http://www.betootaadvocate.com/headlines/pell-lend-hand-fighting-gay-mar...
We've all been conned, even the politicians.... Multi nationals and HUGE media organisations have realised the idiot politicians and governments enjoy being "on tv"..... Ego..
So, this "controlled political chaos" in all western democracies allows big corporations to "do their stuff" without being in the spotlight.. If governments and opposition are more interested in weekly polls and survival, then the likes of Murdoch, big oil, big pharma etc go on their merry way. The more in fighting, the more elections, the more "political reality tv" , the better.
It's ingenious, really
Wow! A revelation?!
You read any Chomsky at all, Doggo?
Turk.... No.... I like picture books.
anyone with a basic understanding of local politics would put the catholics on the left ( keating, DLP etc) and with a little more intelligence would separate this abhorrent behaviour from political pointscoring altogether.
(and btw guy, its "amok"..moron)
Putting Santamaria and his gang on the 'left' seems spurious to say the least. Especially after the split. He may account for the weirdness of the political affiliations now though. Abbott was his acolyte after all. Then again Emmet Costello was another one of Tony's mentors. And Shorten was educated a Jesuit to boot as well! Complex!
I agree the 'point-scoring' is distasteful, and not helpful.
lounge lizard,
ouch, that's the first time I been called a moron since, errr, yesterday.
historically I reckon you are bang on but it would pay to look closely at the preselections for safe liberal seat under Howard and since. Reckon there were very few joy joy down in my heart catholics in the liberals up until Howard but he saw in them and those preselected the economic and social conservatism that he was after. There are now large numbers of catholics in the so-called liberal party. You might remember the war that raged early on in Howard's prime ministership over so called "wets" and "drys" or small "l" and big "L" liberals and his "battle of ideas" that saw the defence of an Anglo/Celtic version of the history of Australia and thus always the denial of an apology to our Indigenous nations (see other forum topics for that chestnut). Howard opposed Marbo. Howard and his close allies saw the Fraser years as a waste of government because Fraser didn't really cut government expenditure nor introduce the sort of political and economic reform that would become the hallmarks of the Hawke/Keating years.
What is happening with the conservatives here and elsewhere shows there beliefs and values as it manifests as policy is in terminal decline. New battlefields like the definition of marriage further highlights how they are increasingly ill relevant, just like their church and its predator priests.
What sort of pictures sheepy? Don't tell me. Now I know where all my centre folds of Dame Edna went.
Dave..... Well you can't go past Dr Seuss... lol
I personally liked marcel marsoux's talking books.
Capcha is a cunt
I reckon my $100 bucks is looking pretty safe
"Even news producers at CNN, the chief engine that drove the collusion fairy tale, were caught on camera admitting that the entire story was mostly “bulls—t”. And one producer added, “And so I think the president is probably right to say, ‘Look, you are witch hunting me.’"
From a CNN producer no lass!
https://theintercept.com/2017/06/27/cnn-journalists-resign-latest-exampl...
https://amgreatness.com/2017/06/28/late-great-russian-collusion-myth/
http://www.carvemag.com/2017/06/brazilians-save-aussie-surfers-life-dese...
Lucky , lucky fella.
Sometimes the crowd is the best thing that's ever happened to you .
Thats a worthwhile one to read .
He was getting shacked longtime before the accident , Must have been a big one down the grower ? Hope he returns to ride again.
Wow, glad he's ok.
Good news on Nathan at deserts.
That's heavy...it's scary the reality of what can happen surfing anywhere but especially in Indonesia over shallow coral reef and especially in remote tropical locations.
Hey Sheepdog, any views on the current health of the Liberal Party and their chances of reelection?
"Holy preferred pm poll", guy smiley!!!!!!
Wow..... Where do I start...... As long as Bilge Shortbread is leader of labor, Malcolm has a remote chance.
In regards to Abbott and his nutty ways, there is a silver lining. As everyday passes, the soylent green consuming primates in voterville realise that dumping Abbott was the right choice. If I was in the moderate camp, I'd be pushing this all the way..
So even though Turnbull disgusts me now, trying to be as objective as I can, if the moderates in the Liberal party are brave, they could possibly fall in to power...
However, bravery and Turnbull are rarely mentioned in the same breath. I know what i would do if Malcolm Dawg was leader..... There'd be all hell breaking lose.... And you'd be back at the polls in about 8 weeks. bahahahahaha
I haven't totally figured this shit out but the current disunity in the Libs is ripe for exploitation. Think of the way Howard wedged Labor over boat people splitting the camp into traditionals and progressives, well someone smarter than me should be looking for an issue that does the same to Libs.
Stu..... There's a big difference... Howard was in government when he wedged Labor.
But here's what I'd do if I was PM..... I'd sack Abbott... I'd sack Kevin Andrews, Tony Pasin, and Michael Sukkar, sending the strongest message to the liberal party far right that their days are over. I'd call an election, and...... Well..... Australia would see a strong leader standing up for the people.
I'd say that when in opposition, I watched Shorten, Combet and Howse tear the Labor government apart, and I will not sit here as leader and watch a bunch of extreme ideological terrorists do the same thing to the Liberal party. Our party is for the "majority with the quietest voice", not the minority with the loudest.
In this next election you have a choice - Bill Shorten and his weak underhanded ways, or My new government, and government that does not put the reputation of a few before than needs of the many..
That's how I'd deal with it....... All or freekn nothing lol
hey Sheepdog & Stu, my 2 cents worth ....
With Rudd, Gillard, Rudd it was all about who was going to be PM i.e. very little difference in policy positions. With Abbott and Turnbull its also about who will be PM but mostly about "the soul of the Liberal Party" i.e. policy. This Abbott/Turnbull war therefore has the potential to be way more destructive. Further, I would argue that its not just Abbott in the conservative corner as per Sheepdog's list other conservatives include Abetz, Hastie, Dutton etc etc within the Liberal Party plus the Nationals and Bernardi. I'm unaware of the exact numbers of true conservatives within the Liberal Party but it would be significant: it is interesting that Abbott is arguing that conservatives must "take back" their party .... WTF the Liberal Party (Menzies tradition) was centre right with a focus on supporting families so his statements show how delusional Abbott really is.
So if Turnbull tackles Abbott over an issue like gay marriage or Finkle suddenly its not just Abbott it maybe 10-15 Liberal MPs or Senators plus the Nationals he is taking on.
It is also interesting Abbott sees e.g. Finkle/energy as an issue he can "wedge" Labor at the next election to "achieve government" rather than an issue the country needs sensible policy debate/development ... same old pugilist that made a brilliant opposition leader but made an appalling PM.
From Labor's point of view I would think its in their interest to have Turnbull survive to the next election with the 2 current oppositions all the while highlighting policy difference / conservative infighting.
Anyone else sees the possibility of ALP/DLP like spilt in the LNP after the next election?
That split proposition was put a while ago on here somewhere. Abbott was a Santamaria acolyte to boot.
Fuck Hanson. Let's get behind the Tones resurgence!
Guy, when Turnbull rolled Abbott, the vote was 54 to 44.
Even less support Abbott now. And many in the party know that if Abbott was to challenge, and the unthinkable happens (Abbott wins), Turnbull would quit , creating a bi election.. And I think the voters in Turnbulls seat would punish the new liberal candidate.. So liberal mp's could find themselves in opposition.
Either way, we're fucked..... In fact we're fucked over 3 ways..... Turnbull, Abbott, or Shorten.
2nd saddest time in Australian political history..
yeah, too true Sheepdog, lets hope we wake up from this nightmare sometime soon. When did what's good for the country get dropped from political life.
Another perspective. Number one. Polling shows little interest
So, you create interest. Not an election year so you create hyperbole about something that don't matter, dress it up to appear it does, hype this to journalist when other journalist are getting sacked meanwhile cross ownership laws are being diluted all at state of origin time and well, cynicism, does it have its place in murdochiam society?
Dave... I think this Liberal shit fight is far more serious than you think... Witnessing a Shakespeare tragedy of epic proportions.
Didn't T Rabbit originally roll the bull for opposition leader by a single vote? Tony's cactus he's just dragging his death out slowly and painfully. Turnbull's statement that he would leave parliament if he lost the job sent a big statement this week, as I heard that his seat has a real chance of falling to a more progressive party ie the greens.
I don't think anyone should underestimate how much damage the conservative shit-storm will do to the libs. The nationals are extremely conservative and many country Liberal seats would happily swing to the nationals without the voters batting an eyelid.
You make an important but scary point about the country electorates currently held by Liberals Gaz1799. The libs could be reduced to blue ribbon metropolitan seats but there would be large numbers of true conservatives in parliament wielding it mostly unworkable unless perhaps Labor got good majorities it both houses (good or bad thing depending on where you sit). And here I was clinging to the romantic notion that politics is best played in the middle.
I don't know how many regional seats would be in question but a renewed national party with no formal alliance could possibly do some real damage to the Liberals at the moment. There's a lot of progressives from all sides making ground in the inner city seats but very few remembering the regional voters, the traditional nationals heartland.
People are also still trying to choose a protest party from amongst the scraps on offer and the Nationals definitely wouldn't be any worse than One Nation or Bernardi.
Gaz, I've been saying that for ages..... A new middle of the road SENSIBLE party is desperately needed... There is a massive vacuum.....
A totally agnostic, non extreme left/right, pro environment but not as militant as the greens, anti war, pro manufacturing, non secretive, anti offshore detention, no more privatising, demonizing the poor/minorities, personal privacy respecting party would get a few votes lol
Any one seen what the French did in creating a new party and in 12 mths , took power!
A "Human" party that see's how all issues affect people's lives without the garbage that comes from generations of ideological baggage like the existing major parties. One that draws candidates away from both ALP & LNP who are centrist and don't want to be held hostage by the extremists on each side of the spectrum.
It would take guts and it would take at least 5-10 lower house candidates to work. And it would be crucial that a few defect from BOTH sides otherwise people will just consider it ALP/LNP 2.0
Unfortunately the collect energy source of egoism railroads this. Love to see it happen. But it would take a saint to do it. Maybe a st kilda?
new party(ies), a new system, a kinder gentler machine gun hand.
yeah, it might be the answer but i would think reforming the existing shit stained mess might be easier.
it wasn't all that long ago that politics here (and elsewhere) was played in the middle and on many many policy positions there was consensus between the government and the opposition "for the good of the country".
hawke/keating and (early) howard prime ministerships/governments mostly enjoyed bipartisan support on all key policy platforms/areas. objectively the reforms these governments introduced set Australia up for the prosperity the country has enjoyed to date. howard's gst didn't enjoy opposition support and infamously his dog whistle on refugees released the hounds that torments the country's soul to the present day.
howard enjoyed bipartisan support for many policies under crean and beasley but the last term of his prime ministership and his gollum-like clinging to power (refugee policy and middle and upper class welfare - 1/2 cgt, super tax concessions) seriously saw the two major parties diverge perhaps best loosely described along ideological lines.
the rudd/gillard/rudd/abbott/turnbull years have seen even more lashings of shit applied to the sandwich.
in summary, i suggest bipartisan support was once the norm and politics was once played in the middle, we all argued about the increments rather that the wholesale (ideological) change.
my leap of faith ..... if the existing place was reformed as follows (please add to the list if you wish) we would have better government.
1. fixed 4 year terms of government.
2. former PMs must resign from parliament on defeat at an election or in the party room.
3. federal ICAC.
4. realtime and online register of all political donations.
5. all policial donations to be recorded on register.
6. a limit of $1,000 for any political donation.
7. no foreign political donations.
8. banning all 3rd party "think tanks" or "friends" organisations that funnel political donations.
9. banning all PMs and senior ministers from accepting any position related to previous policy portfolio area or an area of significant government business for a period of 10 years after leaving parliament.
10. real-time register of all lobbyists.
11. real-time register of parliamentarians showing which lobbyists they meet with.
12. allocated 20-30 of a parliamentarians time where they must meet with ordinary voters from their electorate.
.... that will do for starters, just reckon a shiny new movement is as corruptible as what we have now (FFS Trump is beyond belief) and better to nail down reform on what we have first.
ps dave, st kilda is still a not a place for the faint hearted
.
@Smiley: One of the issues with most of the "new" parties popping up is they seem to based on the popularity of a single person and then branch out from there. I would like to see a collective of half a dozen or so make the decision and do it as a team.
I would also add the following to your reform:
13. Limit the number of terms any person can be an MP to around 3-4.
This would allow for fresher faces and allow enough time for politicians to spend time on both sides of the bench. Sitting in a safe seat for 20 years on the back bench shouldn't be an option. Perhaps politicians may act differently if they have to consider their professional reputations a bit more once they leave parliament. Or perhaps that's just wishful thinking.
14. Bump up their pay and slash retirement perks/ travel perks.
They would get 9.5% super like everyone else into a PRIVATE super fund not this government super-fund one big bucket bullshit that lets someone work 20 years then somehow get $80k-$150k pension for the rest of their lives. The equivalent private sector super for the same pay and time would be worth about $15k-$20k per year at today's interest rates. It's a scam.
15. Give the federal ICAC powers over parliamentary integrity in addition to maladministration & corruption.
Willfully lying to the parliament by an MP should be treated the same as a CEO willfully lying to shareholders. Treat them the same as white collar corporate criminals and throw the book at them.
@gaz, agree with all your points
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