Gloating Croats, psychic pigs and racist Kumbaya — farewell FIFA for four more years
Gloating Croats! Aleksandar Holiga, The Guardian, July 12:
Robert Prosinecki … said: “We murdered the English in the second half!” Josko Jelicic … added: “The English were unbelievably inferior” … Zeljko Jankovic … (wrote) Croatia and France will now decide “who plays the best football on the planet at the moment” … adding: “It’s Croatia, don’t even doubt that!” Vecernji’s website devoted an unusual amount of space to gloating over the fate of the losing team … a photo gallery titled “Look how the English cry after losing to Croatia”.
Who’s crying? Reuters, July 15:
After watching their football team lose 4-2 to France in the World Cup final … some Croatians wept with sadness.
Psychic scapegoat! Rod Liddle, The Sunday Times, July 15:
Mystic Marcus, the psychic pig … earned fame by predicting World Cup results. He had a 100 percent success record until … he forecast England to beat Croatia. “He isn’t psychic … he’s a fraud,” one fan (said, as other) fans posted nasty photos of pork chops and bacon sizzling in a pan.
Racist Kumbaya! Guardian writer Ruby Hamad tweets, yesterday:
Best part of this world cup victory is how it has magically erased France’s colonial history & now it will be okay next France bombs the Middle East under that flag bc (because) hey the team has lots of PoC (people of colour). Celebrate by all means if it’s your jam but ease up on the kumbaya please.
Who doesn’t engage with people they don’t agree with? Jessica Irvine, The Sydney Morning Herald, July 13:
Whereas former Treasury secretary Ken Henry was famously a strong proponent of rigorous and open debate within Treasury ranks, (outgoing Treasury secretary John) Fraser is observed to have been less inclined to engage with people he didn’t agree with. Under Fraser, Treasury published a paper by economist Tony Makin dismissing the effectiveness of the Rudd government’s stimulus during the GFC — an argument which Treasury had previously refuted in another paper published under Parkinson’s reign.
Tony Makin’s research interests. Researchgate.net:
Professor of economics and director of the APEC Study Centre at Griffith University … International consultant economist with the IMF Institute … economist in the Australian federal departments of Finance, Foreign Affairs and Trade and Treasury … (and contributor to The Australian).
Great research moments in Irvine’s career. Irvine tweets, May 7:
Wow. Just read the attendee instructions for budget lockup … Treasury has quietly axed the free tea and coffee urns and will be charging $4 per coffee and $3.80 per muffin. I’ll need that tax cut, after all.
Irvine tweets, May 7:
For those of you following the great Coffeegate scandal of Budget lockup 2018, here is the offending paragraph from Treasury … Get set to be slugged $3.25 for water. Fancy pants people (aka AFR staff) can pay 55c more for carbonated bubbles.
Irvine tweets, May 7:
Hi Treasury! Is it possible to clarify the arrangements for me to make a mid-arvo cup of tea? I can BYO tea bag, if necessary, but will hot water be available? Best wishes and thanking you in advance.
Irvine tweets, May 8:
Guys, I paid $3.60 for a cup of tea in lockup #urngate #Budget2018.