“I had opinions that didn’t matter, I had a brain that felt like pancake batter,” crooned Jack White. Did your comments cut through the clutter or spatter in the batter this week? Read on and find out. Let’s engage.
As Baaaaa-naby Choice breathed new life into dual citizenshipgate and proved the Coalition’s hardest button to button this week, Niki Savva stirred the pot suggesting it wasn’t poor old Baaaa-naby’s fault if our Kiwi cousins had stupid laws. Comment of the week goes to Jim, surely the voice of reason.
“Like Barnaby, I was born in Australia. My parents were from Poland and the former Yugoslavia. I’ve never been to either country, although I would like to before I expire. I would expect that I’m not a dual citizen. Why would I seek to check? I am Australian and don’t have a dual passport. If you have a dual passport you are clearly a dual citizen, otherwise who cares? This issue is getting out of hand. Leave it to our learned judges. Common sense must prevail.”
Werner wasn’t so sure.
“@Jim Leaving anything to our learned judges is often a guarantee that common sense will not prevail.”
Oh Mandy, you would have sent Joyce away.
“Visually impaired freddy can see that Turnbull should have had Joyce stand aside until the High Court makes its ruling. Just as Matt Canavan has done. (That Joyce is also acting for the stood-aside Canavan compounds the dodgy optics). Instead, there are months to endure before this is resolved, ensuring weeks of damaging headlines. Yup. It’s Turnbull’s lack of judgment that is the gift that keeps on giving oxygen to Labor. And irrespective of the rules for the party’s leadership, it is Turnbull who has made the Liberal Party a write-off for millions of erstwhile supporters, never to return as long as the treacherous Turnbull remains.”
Bob saw a far darker conspiracy unfolding:
“I’ve wondered when the idiosyncrasy in NZ law would be raised. It does seem rather strange that offspring are automatically Kiwi regardless of birth. Perhaps it’s a ploy to maintain the player base for the All Blacks.”
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Brad Norington revealed how Bill Shorten was busy donating $25,000 of union funds towards his own election campaign in 2007, when he wasn’t directing $100,000 of Australian Workers’ Union funds to help start up activists GetUp!Damian earned 85 likes for his take on whether the union was Shorten changed:
“This story is for people that live inside the Beltway. $25k? Chump change. Surely the ALP get millions off the unions every year anyway so no one cares about this. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a complete stink that comes off Bill Shorten because he will be the prime minister for the unions but if the average voter doesn’t already see the danger, then this story is not going to change anything.
“We need better connectors and sellers in the Liberal Party that can target the ALP stink. I’d start with Michaelia Cash and Julie Bishop. Malcolm hasn’t got the feral attack instincts that could properly start to expose BS’s union hypocrisy.”
Allan, with 76 likes, was unconcerned:
“What’s the problem? If you are a union boss, the workers’ money is yours to spend on yourself. Every union boss knows this.”
Jason, close behind with 74 likes, was concerned:
“By gum! Wouldn’t you be happy as a broom-pusher or a mushroom-picker who’d had their conditions traded away by Power Bill, only to find that he’s been dipping into your dough to fund his own tilt at the PM’s job? The workers! United! Will never be etc.”
Philip took a fond look back through the sands of time:
“My first memory of Shorten was when he turned up in Tasmania during rescue attempts following a mine collapse which killed one miner. Every time a camera appeared there was Shorten, who knows as much about mining as your average trainee chicken sexer.
“I remember thinking at the time that this is a man who could not believe his luck. Here he was, in a matter of minutes, transmogrified from a completely grey union nonentity into a talking head with a national profile. What better springboard into a parliamentary career! His performance since has confirmed my early impression that he is a self-interested mediocrity. The latest revelations are no surprise.
“Using his position to take union members’ money to fuel his own career is low enough but it less objectionable than employing a dead miner’s tombstone as a step up on the political ladder.”
Kath was of a similar view to The Australian’s political magus:
“Paul Kelly, on Sunday Agenda said what a lot of us have been saying for a while: Turnbull would do well to put Abbott in Cabinet and give him the job of attacking Shorten. Turnbull himself lacks the ability to shirt-front anyone, only working from the back.”
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As news broke that Kim Jong-un, who reportedly never needs to defecate, might dump nukes on us from submarines as well as from terrestrial launch sites, John said Aussies should be very afraid:
“The reason why we should be concerned about North Korea is because we sent one of the best, most effective regiments there in 1950. The Norks have long memories. The 3rd Royal Australian Regiment is one of the most efficient fighting forces in the world. The poor saps that the Norks put up against us were not very good, but they were very numerous.
“Australians killed a great many North Koreans. Not because we wanted to, but because it was our treaty obligation, and it was how the battle went. If you have no idea about all of the elements of a fighting force, you are going to have very large casualties in a war. The 3rd RAR is in the top rank, globally, of fighting forces.
“The poor peasants that were thrown in a uniform and given a gun were not even proper opposition, but they could still pull their triggers. That meant our boys had to use all the brilliant strategy and training at their disposal. I don’t think a single one of them liked killing 15 North Koreans, but he had to. That’s why WE are number 3. We have to solve this, because NK wants our blood.”
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The saga of beach house owners at Wamberal on the NSW central coast who have been forbidden by the shadowy Coastal Panel from building a retaining wall to stop their houses dropping into the ocean, stirred some strong feelings. John pointed out the inconsistency amid the hypocrisy:
“It’s interesting that farmers are encouraged to control or prevent erosion by such things as refilling eroded land or widening water channels to prevent soil gouging. One rule for farmers but another for non-farmers?”
As did Julie:
“I bet if they were vacant blocks of land and a development was planned there’d be no issue with building a sea wall. Developers seem to be a protected species and have open slather to do what they want, while ordinary folk who try to do the right thing at their own expense are thwarted by green-infiltrated local authorities. Heck you can’t even cut down a tree on your own property without permission, but developers regularly move in and flatten everything on the block.
“Brown paper bags perhaps? The mistake these people made was going through the proper channels in an effort to do the right thing. I’d be building that wall and arguing about it later.”
Ross agreed:
“Better the group learn the principle that it is far easier to seek forgiveness than permission. Simply build the wall then go to court.”
Raged Jeremy:
“These imbeciles in council would never agree to a seawall as they would prefer that the entire coastline is eventually washed away. This is the only thing that would actually support their stupid climate change and rising sea level dogma.”
To close off this week’s column, Richard earns co-comment of the week for his eminently sensible, historically-sound solution:
“The Wamberal people, like those at Collaroy and others along threatened beachfronts should hop in their cars and drive down to Prince Street, Cronulla. Back in the big storms of the summer of 1974-75 the sea destroyed the old sea wall and threatened to completely undermine the cliff below Prince Street, and the units and houses built upon it.
“The solution adopted was a was to use hexagonal concrete blocks, with a hollow centre, laid back at an angle of about 45 degrees. The biggest waves simply wash up the blocks, expending their force and dropping their sand in the middle of the blocks.
“For a council/state government effort it’s worked a treat. It’s been there now for 40-odd years, with no hint of the cliff ever being threatened. Furthermore, the beach is as wide as it ever was (I can remember it from my childhood) and the surf break still works just as well as ever, as I can attest from having surfed there numerous times. The solution is there, hiding in plain sight.”
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Each Friday the cream of your views on the news rises and we honour the voices that made the debate great. To boost your chances of being featured, please be pertinent, pithy and preferably make a point. Solid arguments, original ideas, sparkling prose, rapier wit and rhetorical flourishes may count in your favour. Civility is essential. Comments may be edited for style and length.
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Miners change tune on climate change
Peak mining industry body The Minerals Council of Australia has joined the fight on climate.
Easy to point the finger
Demanding we abandon coal for climate is akin to asking NZ to give up love affair with sheep.
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