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Meanwhile....Israel in razing buildings in Lebanon with impunity and killing masses of innocent civilians. Doing exactly what they have done to Gaza. More of the same war crimes.

I know you're coming from an enlightened place here - so if the best people were a mix of women and cultural minorities, with not a single middle-aged white man in view, you'd be fine with that. That's admirable and in that respect I agree with you. There's a "but" coming. Please bear with me a little as I try to elucidate my thoughts. Firstly I think that a mix of differences in life experience is hugely important in any senior role, especially government. Just like you don't want all Labor politicians to be ex-trade union bosses, and you don't want all Liberal politicians to be ex-IPA, I would argue that EVEN if the "best" candidate (and what does that mean for government?) happened to be, in every electorate, a middle-aged white man, it would not be a good thing for the government to be compiled of them. With the best will and intentions in the world, a group of men cannot make the best decisions regarding the welfare of women, for example. And the reverse is true. They simply do not have the lived experience of the gender to inform their decision-making. Something they consider a good policy, having considered its impact on the other gender, may in fact turn out to have a subtle component which is negative in the long term for the other gender. If there was someone of the other gender on the team they may pick up on it immediately and say "Hey - but what about..." Obviously the same goes for gay/lesbian (not saying you have to have a transgender person in government - but at least someone who knows what it's like to be in that non-traditional bucket), immigrants, cultural background, religion (including lack of). Secondly is visible representation. Australia is a multicultural society. We say that, but I think for many people they still think of Australia as a mainly white "christian" country. According to Wikipedia, northern European accounts for between 55 and 70% (the 15% who put "Australian" in the ancestry census question are probably mostly white). So at least 1/3 of the population is ethnically diverse. As for religion, as at 2021 "Christianity" was 44%, followed closely by "No religion" at 39%, then around 3% each for "Islam" and "Hinduism" and about 2.5 for "Buddhism". (I think I read somewhere that "No religion" had actually overtaken "Christianity" in a later census). Now obviously it would be almost impossible for the government to be a true representation of every ethnicity, gender, sexual preference and religion. There are only so many seats in each house for a start. But, I would argue that if 50% of the population (women) look at the major parties and saw 0 women in cabinet positions, they would probably think that politics is not a healthy place for ambitious women. Same for ethnicity/religion (and disability). If you see only white people in government, no hijabs (not including Pauline), no Jews, no Asian/Indian/Arab/Indigenous faces - then you would probably feel somewhere deep inside that you're not truly being represented. The (relatively) recent same-sex marriage laws would probably not have happened if there weren't gay people in Parliament who initiated, pushed for or supported bills. Of course you have internal fights and factional plotting. You mentioned Plibersek - pushed out because Albo doesn't like her (I think more likely, he correctly sees her as a threat). Same with the Libs. After a series of disastrous leaders (Abbott, Morrison, Dutton) they finally choose their first female leader who was probably the best of a bad lot, only to tear her down in 6 months and put up another useless twat whose biggest claim to fame was posting an applauding comment to his own Facebook page. Anyway - the point is, I think there are subtle benefits to having a variety of personal attributes and backgrounds in leadership groups. Sorry it took such a long post to say this!

I can't think of a single place the US has gone in to to protect their interests where they have been successful. Korea, Panama, Nicaragua, Chile, Vietnam, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan to name a few. The CIA has been involved in overthrows of democratically elected (mostly socialist) governments causing major problems resulting in chaos & confusion with thousands killed when before the US got involved everything was working except those countries shunned the US. Trump managed to pull off the capture of the Venezuelan leader ostensible to get control of their oil under the guise of stopping the drug trade, but the country is still run by the original regime and their military is intact. We have been pulled in to all the American wars due to treaty obligations. If it isn't in Trumps interest would the US come to our aid in a local conflict? Given his rhetoric, threats to pull out of treaties and threats to others I think the answer is a definitive No.

I think this will go on for weeks and months if not longer. Trump has lost control of the war and despite all the destruction in Iran, the regime is now in the driving seat. The US knows roughly how much enriched uranium Iran has but not where it is, so that’s a big problem. Khamenei had issued two fatwahs in the past stating that having a nuclear weapon was not compatible with their religious beliefs, so it’s a moot point as to whether Iran would ever have developed a bomb. Iran achieved its goal with the threat alone, which was enough to get the West’s attention. Now however, with a new leader all bets are off. They apparently have enough uranium for between 11 and 16 Hiroshima type weapons, although not the long range delivery systems. That doesn’t really matter because they just have to set off one or two underground to prove the point. Trump could likely have got a deal had he continued negotiating instead of going to war. Contrary to their ambitions the US and Israel have not wiped out all Iran’s drones and rockets, and they can make more. They don’t have to import them. They have a couple of thousand sea mines and a fleet of fishing boats and midget submarines that can lay them. They have already attacked the neighbouring countries aiming to get them to pressure the Americans to abandon their bases, which may happen as it’s now clear the bases are putting them at risk rather than being a deterrent. The US and Israel are also at risk of running short of expensive missiles themselves pretty soon too. In the meantime Russia has stepped in to help the Iranians giving Putin a bargaining chip to use on Trump - “We’ll stop helping Iran if you stop helping Ukraine”. Iran has successfully bottled up the Strait with severe consequences for world energy supplies and other products such as fertiliser. The US and Israeli attacks on infrastructure and historically important sites is turning the population against the US and Trump in particular. Trump and Hegseth have got most of the US population offside as well. Trump has no off-ramp here and it’s his nature to just make a bad situation worse by never wanting to be seen to be a loser, but he’s already lost this war. All that remains is to go through the process of losing.

I've only got 12klm to drive to vote, but fairly safe from wombat and roo hazards. The biggest hazard is when you get to the polling centre and our dickhead local member tries to grab your hand to shake it.

Theer are visionaries who join Parties with teh hope of making a difference, but the first thing that they learn is that politics is a game of compromise.A person might have the idea to brighten a room by turning on the light with a switch, but then has to compromise on wiring, switch design, lumen output and positioning.

I can understand why young people are turning away from the major parties. Over time Australia has become a country where a whole generation of young Australians will never be able to own their own home. It doesn't matter how hard they work and save, it gets them nowhere. A lot of people make excuses and give various reasons why the country is like that, but the fact remains that it degenerated to this under the stewardship of one of the major parties or the other. Whether or not they are totally to blame, they have that job and the buck has to stop with them and they carry some responsibility for letting it happen.

To say Albo is the Aussie version of Chump, IMHO, is a bit rich. I agree with @nomadpete - he represents the less ship party, but it so far is not making some of the fundamental changes needed. I sympathise with Albo et al.. and I imagine, given his history in Labnor where we was firmly on the socialist left faction of the party, having to walk the balance of a small but powerful set of vested interests versus what is in his mind better for the community would not be an easy job. And between him and anything that the LNP have served up from Howard onwards, I would prefer him and his team and suggest Australia would poltiically and economically be in a lot better shape - assuming hubris didn't set in like it normally does. While the media play its part, in the second election of Labor, they increased their majority - so Aussies aren't quite as beholden to the media as we like to think. But the reality is for the majority of Australians, life is getting worse in a material sense while for the elite, it seems to be getting disproprotionately better and Labor are perceived as not doing enough to change things for what they promise and/orstand for. There are challenges in making change - defiinitely. And in a global economy, it is very difficult to stand up against vested interests without some real ramifications. If you think QANTAS taking its maintenance facilities to a low cost country is not representative of threats that are made to governments who want to introduce changes to even things up, think again. Many companies here have moved operations overseas because they could get a better deal and the government stared down their threats. If you lose employment as a government, there is a backlash. GBut that still does not mean we should not crticise poor judgment or performace,because it is not as poor as the other mob. That just permits the race to the bottom and people get fed up and the nutty protest parties flourish. The UK has shown this, and now, unbelievably for a country such as Australia, One Nation is getting a look in beyond rabid loonies. Of course, the US has made the protest person their leader on some chumped up promises.. but so detached from the real world are the political elite, that people have had enough. Its sort of what my Iranian employee said, it's sad it has to come to this, but something has to change.

Your right to Vote is the Best assurance of your ability to be rid of a despot. Most of the World would love to have what we have. Compulsory voting came in to stop the Bosses from preventing you voting.. (like Trump wants to) Boasting about NOT voting is like Wearing a Jumper with " I'm the Village Idiot" on it. Nev

Why endorse anyone if in your opinion they aren't up for the job?

Yep! He's a slimy bastard. And I'm not saying that simply because of teh Party he is in. He's puolled some pretty shonky deals in his life.

Scottish Company Stuck With 10,000 Bottles of “Minge Repellent” After Catastrophic Typo A small Scottish outdoor products company has found itself in a rather awkward situation this week after a printing error left them with 10,000 bottles of insect spray labelled “Minge Repellent” instead of “Midge Repellent.” The product, intended to protect walkers, campers, and anyone foolish enough to stand still in the Highlands for more than three seconds from midge attacks, was due to launch this spring as “the most powerful midge repellent in Scotland.” Unfortunately, somewhere between the design team and the printing press, was one unfortunate letter mistakenly inserted. The result? Shelves full of bottles claiming to repel something entirely different. Company founder Dougie MacRae addressed the situation at a press conference yesterday, “Look, we want to make this absolutely clear. These bottles do not repel minges. They repel midges, which are sometimes far worse in most parts of Scotland. Believe me using the spray will not have any impact on your ability to get your leg over." MacRae explained that correcting the mistake would cost thousands in reprinting and relabelling, which for a new company could be catastrophic, so the company is now appealing directly to the Scottish public. “Please understand,” he continued, holding up a bottle while visibly trying not to laugh, “this is still one of the best midge repellents on the market today. The spelling mistake does not affect the formula in any way.” Early reactions online suggest the error may actually boost sales. Several outdoor shops have already reported customers pre ordering multiple bottles “for the laugh,” while one Highland camping store reportedly sold out of future orders within an hour after posting the label on social media.

Trump shoots his mouth off big time. It's his Crude style and HELPS nothing but his insatiable EGO. He's good at Lighting fires but not Putting them Out. He's utterly TIED to Netanyahu and certainly NOT the brightest Bulb in the Chandelier. Most of the World views Trump as a very dangerous Idiot who is completely Unpredictable. Nev

I well remember Abbott saying this: "Abbott claimed that the vast majority of Australians did not need, nor want to pay for, the high-speed fibre network proposed by Labor, suggesting it was simply a tool to allow people to watch movies." In 2020 during Covid fast internet was the saviour of the economy and many, many workers, including me. Today, many people work either full or partially from home, freeing up roads and public transportation and improving people's working lives.

I think we are a long way from a One Party system and that is the last thing anyone should wish for but there should be a decency and common Purpose limit to the sabotage some opposition antics can be. T Abott cost this Country Billions and set us back years when He instructed Malcolm Turnbull to "Destroy the Internet". We are still reeling from the effects of that One. Mate of Pell and Murdock and using Credlin for his Brain and absolute zero for Scientific Know How. People like HIM are scary IGNORANT. Nev

I topped up my heating today..... The sun came out, so my heat pump runs for..... Free! 🙂

You know you are getting old when your kids start talking about choosing an old folk's home..... for themselves.

Back to the latest Middle East conflict.... Sorry to post a meme but I couldn't resist. I once thought Dubya was the worst, but not any more. Being a sociopath means never having to say 'sorry'.

The good thing about dating a woman our age .......... you don't have to worry about meeting her parents.

Scomo and Abbot were a lot worse.

That's a certainty. However i cannot give him credit for single handedly destroying a global civilisation. Civilisation (not always civil) will stumble on regardless. The tangerine toddler has simply acted out all the hidden failings of the world order. Failings that were previously dormant, or simply hidden, and until he came along, weaknesses were slowly eroding the moral fibre of world order. For instance, governments of most countries have always suffered from CEO type rot. The job description calls for a ruthless, results driven psychopath, usually overpaid. It doesn't call for a considerate egalitarian, fairminded person. The USA has a history of overt selfishness. Their glorification of capitalism overrides the welfare of the populace. Politics and War is all about making money. It's just that tRump makes it so obvious. As with our Australian system, both major parties are plainly in the pockets of the megarich. That is certainly not ethical.

The ancient Greeks invented everything, even sex. But it took the Italians to think of involving women.

Is anybody counting down the "FOUR WEEKS" end time for this great war?? Like everything that comes out of the Tangerine Toddlers mouth - unadulterated, pure BS. America will still be bogged down in this war in 6 months time, and the hardline Iranians, and Hezbollah and Hamas supporters, will ensure it goes on for as long as it can. Neither Trump nor Hegseth has a co-ordinated plan to ensure this war ends swiftly and results in a regime change for the better. As fast as they kill new Iranian leaders, the hardliners will produce new ones. I note Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, said recently, "There is no experience that shows an air campaign alone will result in positive regime change." Trump will soon find himself arse-deep in crocodiles, while he thought he was simply wading in to drain the swamp. He'll soon find out that running a successful war is a whole lot different to cheating at golf, and those crocodiles have got a vicious bite.

Maybe he didn't want his combover to blow around.

I would consider the mass killing of civilians including children and hospitals, the flattening of entire cities across GAZA and now Lebanon, the harassment and murder of farmers in the West Bank as meeting that criteria. Also they are genocide actions as declared by the UN.

Trump bombed all the military installations on Kharg Island today which Iran uses to export 90% of its oil, nearly all to China. He has also threatened to bomb the oil infrastructure on the island if Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz. I think the Iranians will call his bluff. They can’t stop him, but it would just give them more incentive to hit back and keep the blockade up if he does go ahead. The regime will fight to the bitter end because they have nothing to lose. Trump is also supposed to meet with Xi Jin Ping at the end of the month. Xi won’t be happy if Trump has demolished his main source of oil.

Pull over and see what the cop does.

Yeah , exactly what l was thinking. Matter a fact the Alphagan Leaders words when the yanks went home, rang n my ears when Rump started this. He said the Americans have all the fancy weapons, but we have time, 100s of yrs if needed. Same thing again here l'd say.

Just another thing that makes me feel better is in the case of this guy The South Australian Liberal party is standing by an election candidate who said same-sex marriage is not real, homosexuality can open up “demonic realms” and gender transitioning is an “illusion”. I don't want to merely punish (if I lived in his electorate) with 0 vote, I want to vote strategically against him. I always vote strategically and number every square. For many years, I lived in Eden-Monaro, a so-called bellwether seat. This meant the winner of the seat was always (mostly) from the party that won the government. This seat was sometimes pivotal, so it did really matter.

No, not according to my information. New off the shelf. It may have been forged in Turkey and finished off in Germany - or it just might have been fully manufactured in Turkey, and stamped "Made in Germany", or just sold as "German made". I recently did a deal with another major Czechia parts supplier, they supplied new Perkins aftermarket fuel injectors and claimed they were made in Italy. When they arrived, I realised they were made in China, as there were no markings on them that identified them as "Made in Italy" (as the Italians always do). The injectors only had a part number stamped on them, and that stamping was identical to the Chinese injectors for sale everywhere. So I got back to them and gave them a good serve for misrepresentation and fraud. They apologised profusely, and said it was due to a website error, and they refunded all my money (including the freight charge), so now I get to try out some Chinese injectors for free. I'm not overly concerned, because injector nozzles are easy enough to change, if they don't provide satisfactory service. But I prefer European, British or American-made products where possible, the Chinese lie through their teeth about the quality and performance of their products, and it is often highly variable. If the crankshaft ends up being Turkish-forged, I can live with that, I think the Turkish products are superior to Chinese-made stuff.

Yep, engine rebuilding is something I can do with a degree of skill, after having done it for over 60 years. Lifting equipment is necessary when you'e working on bigger diesels. This is a 6cyl Perkins. Yep, that's what I reckoned, too. The local suppliers wanted anywhere between AU$2,200 to AU$2,500 for a crank - this one I bought is made in Germany, too.

Pauline is Just someone offering what she Cannot give, Brazenly. she doesn't believe RULES apply to Her and uses racism openly (adjusted over time) She just an opportunistic $#1t stirrer and Trump worshipping CON Artist collecting Misfit Candidates and Rinehart financed. . She will fall foul for some Law for sure and claim she is being victimised guaranteed. She's no Benevolent genius dedicated to helping Australina get ahead. She's capable of doing a lot of Damage and has to be considered a very risky Proposition based on Form and Performance so far. Nev

Shipping costs and disruptions, both air and sea, are the hidden costs of this American bombing expedition. It's going to have a major impact worldwide. Not to mention the number of people curtailing their holidays because of airspace and airport closures. A lot of people have forgotten that Russian airspace is already closed to all civilian aircraft, and that is impacting air freight and passenger movement and costs. Doha, Dubai, and Bahrain are big transport hubs and are currently closed, so flights are being diverted all over the place. Oman is presently reasonably secure, but that could change. Here's the latest news on air freight shipping. The news is not good for drugs and pharmaceuticals moving from India to Europe, they are forecasting major shortages in Europe, shortly. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/air-cargo-shippers-scramble-to-mitigate-iran-war-impacts I was a bit nervous as regards a new tractor crankshaft I'd ordered from Czechia, but ended up surprised at how the shipping cost was still reasonable, and the transit time was fast. The crankshaft is made in Germany, but it was shipped from Tuchomerice, Czechia (from Vaclav Havel Prague airport) on the 10th March (Tuesday) - from there it went to Koeln in Germany, thence to Shenzhen in China, then on to Singapore early yesterday morning. It landed in Perth early this morning, and they say it will be delivered this afternoon. Can't complain about that service! The crankshaft is big and heavy and weighs 47 kgs, and it cost me US$185 in freight cost, just under AU$260. I acquired the crankshaft for less than half the cost that local suppliers charge, including the airfreight cost. The total cost was AU$950.

lt's just a real shame in this country there's no true visionary anywhere to vote for. A true leader with real vision real ideals, to fix what needs fixing and set us up in a brilliant direction , to truly look after their people and country and hold everything we have here dear. There's no one, hasn't been since ld even know. Hawk maybe could've been such a special leader on the surface , not sure how he went though. Hanson at least has very very strong ideals, to at least point our country to somewhere but ofc she'd also be scary as hell at the helm too in most other ways, Aus wouldn't risk it and l'm not saying l think they should- just before anyone jumps all over that one. My only point is that there's never one truly special, made for the job once in a lifetime someone that's dreamt of the job their whole lives for the right reasons and visions bc of what they want for for our country and people. There's no one, never is, such a shame. Most of the Majors are just politicians, people that just seem to end up falling into the job, like Angus has, Lee. All the other leaders on both often just end up getting voted in bc they have no one else at the time. l think Albo had some sort of real vision but we see where that's landed but he's never been a truly talented leader though anyway.

Now who does that 3 fingered billionaire remind of?

A strength of our system is the fact that the PM can be ditched by the party. There are many examples in recent history where PMs have been ditched (Gorton, Hawke, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott, Turnbull). Whilst people may find this annoying, it is much better than the US system. Republicans know that Trump is a disaster and will cost them at the midterms, but there is nothing they can do about it.

He actually said people would watch PORN.. It would have permitted surgery to be Performed remotely and bring us to a First world system of Fast Fibre-optic Connectivity.. What an outright CRETIN. Nev

For generations in Europe People can NEVER own their Own home and cope with it fine. Because of John Howard's Push for Investment in Houses, which are Not productive, we now have Overcapitalised and Have some of the Biggest Houses in the entire world. IT did Not have to be that way. Steps are being taken that will gradually change that but if it Happened quickly it would not be the desired effect without consequences. Nev

Judging by what your Past Posts contain re Trump etc, sorry, but I doubt your opinion reflects a great mental effort towards a working solution. You'd vote Hanson I would guess. Apart from being a stirrer and rampant opportunist racist, what aims bar getting in Power and lining her own Pockets can you suggest she Might Bring? What great bank of talent is she bringing to the Parliament. So far it's just rejects, malcontents and right wing weirdos who will have a rough time vying for Positions in the Pecking order. Imagine the Damage a person like Hanson could do to this Countries reputation? She already considers herself beyond the Law. Imitation of Trump who she Worships, and backed by Gina Rinehart's Money (which she will have to be very careful how she Manages , as well as where she spends taxpayers money, which she also receives.. How Happy will James Ashby be with the new expansion.? Don't forget she has NO legitimate person in the Lower house which is the Place where things Happen. The fruit loops are Mainly in the senate where the Party decides who gets there, not the People directly in the electorates who they represent, proportionately. Nev

The price you pay is determined by supply & demand, nothing to do with the government. The Australian public has far too many panic merchants. I saw line ups the other day with people filling Jerry cans flat out. So the demand goes up & so does the price all based on fear and greed. Not only that fuel companies base their price largely on the cost of replacement in todays dollars not what they pay when the fuel you are using was paid for. It takes from 2 weeks to over a month from leaving the crude export point to being refined into useable fuel and then transported to petrol stations. Australia being a long way from most of the supply points is at the end of the time frame, so at least a month.

The 60's were the best decade for rock/n/roll. Sept 1963, we heard the first Beatles song on the old AM radio - "From Me to You" (she loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah) - and before that, we were listening to Del Shannon, the Beach Boys, Col Joye and the Joye Boys, Cliff Richards and the Shadows, Johnny Tillotson - and a lot of even earlier 1950's American rock/n/roll-C&W (Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry, the Four Tops, Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline - and Elvis, of course!) Once the Beatles started hitting the airwaves, by early 1964, their songs were on the radio every day, and their new songs just kept on coming. They came to Australia in June 1964 and the teenage hysteria, especially amongst the girls, was something that stunned the older folk and brought great disapproval from them. But there was no looking back, and the rock/n/roll bands and individual singers just kept on coming, with some of the greatest rock/n/roll songs ever. The Rolling Stones appeared at the same time as the Beatles, and it was a rock/n/roll feast! I turned 17 in May 1966, and nothing brings fonder memories than roaring around in my '64 EH Holden ute, with the "big" 179 cu in engine, and playing all those great rock/n/roll songs on the radio, while we tried out our best pickup lines on girls!

Different pollsters ask slightly different questions, but a lot of them lately seem to be polling primary intentions and not preference direction. Gender and age group is usually asked for analysis. A lot of it is probably swayed by immediate events. For example, in the latest morgan poll, the Greens have picked up 3% and Labor is down 4. Morgans think that 3% Green gain at Labor's expense is because of Albo and Co. going all the way with DJT and the Greens taking a stance against the US/Israel strikes. Some of the analysis is interesting. There's been a trend for a while now of the youngest age group, 18-24, moving more to the right. The Greens and Labor have lost support in that group to One Nation, independants and others, but the Greens have gained in all groups 25+, whereas Labor has lost in all age groups and both genders. One Nation gained support in all age groups under 65. Some polls a couple of weeks ago showed ON gaining among young women more than young men. A bit of a reverse from it's historical male dominated support. I think One Nation is the wild card, and come next election, they will have either fallen on their face or put egg on a lot of other faces. The Greens are what they are. What you see is what you'll always get, 10 to 12%. If Labor stuffs up enough, the Greens might get 15% briefly but they just don't appeal to enough of the population to acheive anything higher than balance of power in the Senate. Nev, you're right about the Nats/Libs being in big trouble. At the moment they are well and truly wedged. All Labor has to do is sit tight and win. Of the small amount of Labor primary votes bleeding to the Greens, most would return in preferences. Labor would feel a lot more comfortable having the Greens on the left than the Coalition would feel having One Nation on the right. It's like the Coalition has driven their Ford Ranger into a parking space designed for little noddy cars, and now they're stuck and can't get out. Go to the right, they lose the centre, go to the left and they lose the right. Interesting that the Nats have elected a Victorian moderate as deputy. More than likely for balance. Matt Canavan can talk the talk to try to woo voters back from One Nation, and Chester can try to butter up the Libs. Smoke and mirrors.

I don't think dear leader/comrade Albo has anything to fear from her. Labor's a shoe-in for a third term the way it's looking.

We went to a Post Modern Jukebox stage show at the Astor Theatre in Perth about 18 mths ago. They put on quite a show, but I prefer the original golden oldies. SWMBO loved them, she was the one who saw the show, and booked the tickets.

Yes, Nev. And labor signed off the obscene Woodside gas deal, and also passed special laws to enable the foreign owned salmon fish farms to have special pollution exemptions. So I say, 'both major parties.'

How do you separate the Men from the Boys in Greece? With great difficulty. Nev

Now Australia has been dragged into this mess. We are sending a surveillance plane to Saudi Arabia, ostensibly to help protect the Gulf countries. I wonder who asked us to do that.

The ceremony would have been a lot more respectful if he hadn't shown up at all.