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A lot of people can't see the woods for the trees. Some who are unhappy with the rise in popularity of One Nation delude themselves that the problem is all One Nation and it's supporters who their critics perceive as a bunch of ignorant, redneck idiots. Fact one: One Nation wouldn't be having this rise in popularity if the major parties were doing a half decent job. Fact two: The major parties have been complacent for too long, and as long as they have their comfortable two party system of your turn/my turn without any major threat to their voter base, they will never get any better. For sure, a lot of the rise in One Nation is a protest vote against that laziness, complacency, and disregard for ordinary Australians that a lot of people see in the major parties. The voter erosion to One Nation is the kick in the pants that the status quo needed and still needs. They won't voluntarily get any better, so they need a boot up the rear end like this to to make them get off their backsides and start performing better to provide Australians with what they want and need from a government. If the threat of losing voters in possible election losing numbers keeps the major parties on their toes, in my opinion that has to be a good thing and an incentive to provide good government. I'm not defending One Nation or any other party, but just trying to point out the small minded nature of just blaming One Nation and their supporters and dismissing them as fools. Throwing rocks at them is not going to make them go away. You need to ask yourself why. Why are so many people abandoning parties they have supported for years. The problem the major parties have is not One Nation. The problem is within themselves. They need to ask themselves why do so many people not want to vote for them any more. To be honest, nothing much in politics surprises me, but I have been surprised lately by the sheer numbers of people I run into who say they are changing their vote to One Nation at the next federal election. A lot of these people are the last people in the world where I would have expected to see that. There's a problem for the One nation critics who are stuck in that rut of name-calling, ridicule and stone throwing in their stereotyping of supporters. While they're so distracted doing that, they're not seeing what's really happening. There's a big groundswell of a protest vote building, and I think it will keep rolling. I don't personally think what's happening now is just a flash in the pan. The way I see it, the Greens are immune from it. The Coalition has already taken significant hits and a lot of it by their own hand. And Labor, well I wouldn't be too complacent about if I was one of their supporters. At the moment, they are almost guaranteed to win the next election, and that's about as far ahead as most pollies can think, but they are already starting to bleed blue collar votes and that loss will continue to grow. For anyone who doesn't want to see One Nation grow in size, the challenge is how to create an environment where those lost voters will return. That's where they need to spend their energy. Ridiculing and blaming those lost voters for leaving in the first place is unproductive, and as I said earlier, small minded.

A prodigee of Abbott? Be careful what you ask for.

The Moon Photos from Artimus II

Absolute shite. Trump couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery.

And for all the Trump and Netanyahu fanbois... Tell me again what "the master of the deal" has done for America? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-08/donald-trump-cedes-ground-to-iran-before-negotiations-even-begin/106541368 After being fooled into this war by a war criminal, Trump has: - caused devastation to life and infrastructure in Iran - spent billions of US taxpayers money on a war they didn't want or need - depleted the US armory - caused mayhem around the middle east - raised prices around the world due to fuel and transportation costs, along with associated shrinking of tourism etc - trashed America's reputation even more - put money back in Putin's coffers enabling him to continue the Ukraine invasion. And in return for all this pain, felt worldwide, what has he accomplished? Nothing. If anything, the Iranian regime will come out of this with more than they started with. Not only will sanctions be removed, they will be making money, Mafia-style, from any ship using the Strait of Hormuz. No regime change. No democracy. No stopping of their nuclear program. And you think this pathetic creature is doing right for the US? Don't make me laugh.

When the war finished they had a lot of Japanese held in pow type camps awaiting repatriation back to Japan. In a lot of them they didn't have allied soldiers guarding them, they were doing it themselves. One night my dad and his mate were returning back to camp from a local watering hole and walked past one of the camps. All hell broke loose, the sentry called the alarm and the camp commandant roused the whole camp of Japanese out of bed to form up on the parade ground. He got my dad and his mate who were full as a boot to inspect the troops. The old man said it was one of the craziest experiences he had over there, two private ranked Australians with the wobbly boot on walking up and down the Japanese ranks inspecting them. He told me they hammed it up a bit and did a fairly dodgy officer impersonation to give the commandant a bit of face.

It's been hanging over him for years. Kerry Stokes tried to assist him and I don't blame Kerry for that. We Train soldiers to Be effective killing Machines and expect them to still Be NORMAL. I see that as a quandary. What HE did was awful but WAR is not a Normal situation, A lot of returned Soldiers are Ruined by what they have seen and done. It used to be called Shellshock. The People who start the Wars are the REAL criminals. Nev

For sure that is what he says. But the easily found facts do not show any signs of USA improving the lives of ordinary people. However, the (minority) wealthiest are doing just fine, and Trumpy's family are achieving great wealth. So I choose to see him as a liar, motivated solely by self interest. No, I have neither rage nor agression. Only disappointment. Ours is a similar path to that which has led USA to it's present situation. One which Trump seems to be accelerating. We should take that as a warning. But then along came synthetics (oil based) and we fell off the sheep's back. Then failed to monetise our mining industry, which only benefits a minority. I hold both major political parties for this, as do a lot of USAnians for their situation. Thank you. I am not trying to convince you. I am only trying to explain why I feel the way I do, about current politics. My only proviso is that I believe if someone important tells lies or bullies others, it should be called out. Anyone, whatever race, gender, political party. It seems to me that Trump consistently makes himself an easy target, and I see no proof of him "Making America Great".

The problem with Trump is that beyond quoting a slogan, he has no vision that he can articulate as to how to achieve what he allegedly wants for the country. On the other hand, it's very clear what he wants for himself - power, respect or fear (doesn't matter which), and money. His personality is that of a liar and cheat, and the energy and drive he has is all aimed at his own political survival and personal enrichment. As for Australia, if we had an outstanding and far-sighted politician who had a clear vision for improving the country and making it more self-sufficient that made sense to the voting population, he/she would likely be given a chance to implement their agenda.

Well all I see is people losing their minds over a guy who only wants for his country to be the best. How you get there of course is the methods you use. Why dont you point all your agression and comments and pontifications to the dickheads who lead our country down into the shi#t chute we are heading into. We are a Island..we dont have nutjobs on any of our borders than can just walk in. We have done our best over the past 30 plus years ( thanks to keatings globalization push) to defang and deindustrialize to a point now where we are a joke. We used to be self sufficient in power and oil and manufacturing pretty much anything we wanted. Exported all around the world and had a balance of trade far in excess of the situation we have in this country currently. Now we are a weak pissy shadow of our former selves. Both political parties are responsible for this terrible decline the problem is they are still in that mindset. We need someone to come in and reshape us. I am not saying thats Trump but we need someone with a big set of khunas or boobies..I dont care who it is just someone with the conviction that Trump seems to have. Not his runaway mouth but his drive and vision for a better country. If that makes me a racist or a woke hater in your eyes then so be it.Thats your opinion !...I have a thick skin and sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. Oh and I am aloowed to still have a opinion dont I...I mean if I offend you with what I have said..then good...its not illegal to offend anyone...yet. well the current govt seems to want to try to even take that away from us. What ever happened to common sense and critical thinking to run your country. We have the resources here to be one of the wealthies countrys in the world and give the population here a lifestyle that could rival anywhere in the world. Wether you are born here or immigrated here I dont care. If you have immigrated here dont bring your shit here or try to convert what we are or the way we want to live. We are Australians..well we used to be...sometimes I really wonder who or what we will become in the future as I can not currently see any path forward to a better country under our current and ever former numbskulls Now you have a opinion in my view and I ont or probably wont be offended by whatyou say. I will listen and make up my own mind of what I keep on board what you say or discard it into the rubbish bin of ideas..be they sane or insane

Starter motor for wills Merlin powered bike

Pure right wing American, MAGA-land, unadulterated BS. This part is especially untrue - "The contradiction being that Europe’s energy systems, industrial bases, and geopolitical sermons 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝-𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭." Europes energy systems don't ALL depend on America. They get energy from Russia, from Norway, Azerbaijan, and Algeria for pipeline natural gas. They ship in millions of tonnes of Australian canola and turn it into transportation fuel. They ship in Uranium for nuclear power plants from Canada, Kazhakstan and Australia. They have huge hydro, windpower and solar energy projects. They have diversified their energy suppliers since the start of the Ukraine War. And at the end of the day, European consumers of energy use around one-quarter of the average American energy user. They drive fuel-efficient vehicles and EV's, not gigantic V8 fuel guzzling urban assault vehicles, and even their homes only use modest levels of energy because they're well insulated. It is pure American propaganda. The Europeans are primarily seeking a ceasefire, as they see massive global upheaval, a huge global recession, high interest rates, and vastly increased levels of unemployment, if this idiocy of Trump and his sycophants is left unchecked.

People often express disbelief that a gas making up only 0.04% of the atmosphere could have any meaningful impact. Consider ozone (03). Its concentration varies with altitude, peaking between about 15 km and 35 km at just 2–8 parts per million (ppm). By comparison, carbon dioxide (CO₂) sits around 420–425 ppm and is rising by roughly 2.4–2.6 ppm per year. Ozone exists in far smaller concentrations than CO₂, yet its role is critical—without the ozone layer, life on Earth would not survive. Small percentages can still have enormous effects.

When anyone presents a quote, I always look for its source. I can't find any evidence that this was ever said. 🔎 Where the “2 metres in 10 years” claim comes from There is no verifiable speech, interview, or document where Al Gore says: Sydney Harbour will rise 2 metres in 10 years What does exist is a mix of: 1. 🌊 Misinterpreted statements from An Inconvenient Truth In An Inconvenient Truth, Gore discusses: Potential multi-metre sea level rise But only if major ice sheets collapse And over long timescales (decades to centuries) Some critics later compressed that into “he predicted metres soon”, and then it got shortened again into “2 metres in 10 years”—which is not what he said. 2. 🧩 Blending with other exaggerated or wrong claims Online posts often mix together different claims, for example: “20 feet (≈6 metres)” long-term possibilities General warnings about future flooding Local places like Sydney or New York added in later Over time, these get stitched into a fake quote that sounds specific and outrageous. 3. 📱 Social media meme evolution Fact-checkers have looked at similar Sydney-specific claims and found: Memes often use photos of Sydney Harbour to “prove” no change These ignore tides and proper measurement Long-term data actually shows rising sea levels, not flat or falling Once those memes circulate, people attach a made-up quote to them (like the Gore one) to give them credibility. 4. 📊 Real data contradicts the narrative Sea levels have risen 15–25 cm since 1901 globally Sydney tide gauges show a clear upward trend, not just 2 mm total So the “only 2 mm” part is also misleading—it cherry-picks or misunderstands data. 🧠 What’s really going on here This claim is basically a game of telephone: Real science: “multi-metre rise possible over long timeframes” Simplified: “metres of rise could happen” Distorted: “metres soon” Meme version: “2 metres in 10 years in Sydney” By the end, it sounds like a bold failed prediction—but it was never actually said. ⚖️ Bottom line ❌ No evidence Gore made that 10-year, 2-metre prediction ❌ The Sydney Harbour example is added later, not original ⚠️ The claim is a fabricated quote built from distortions ✅ Actual measurements show gradual, real sea level ris

I think that's called having a nonsensical worldview then building fairy castle assumptions to support it.

Oh boy! When I zoom in on the reflection in his visor, I can see the film crew!

I think they should be banned & all political advertising taken down on election day. I was in NZ for a wedding last month & there were differing opinions of Jacinda Adern. She won a landslide victory in her second term but had become a victim of the very left and resigned early. She handled the Christchurch massacre and Covid very well and became well known around the world. She was a great leader when NZ needed one. The current PM is not a leader at all & the NZ economy is not doing well. Of course it is all Jacindas fault.

Shy Cancels are a good example of the failure of the Democratic Process. . Nev

Here's something really random. My son works from home 3 days a week and goes to the office on the other two. When he works in the office, he usually gets home between 7.15 and 7.30 pm. The dog starts barking at the door from 7.15, and yaps till Andrew walks through the door. Andrew is currently on 10 days holiday in Thailand with a couple of mates. The dog still barks at the door from 7.15 till we reprimand him.

They're not rants, just long posts putting forward a lot of points that can't be squeezed into a one-liner like a lot of replies on the forum are. I've seen rants on this forum in the past but none with Jerry's signature. And to clear one thing up, I'm not defending Jerry because I'm pro Israel, I'm not. I'm not pro either side and personally couldn't give two hoots if both sides battled it out to the end, as long as they don't bring their hatred here to our country.

The Greens never knew about the tailings dam at Mary Kathleen Uranium until I told them. That dam was on bare ground and was covered with a yellow foam, leaching into the ground and exposed to the atmosphere. The Qld State govt minister told the Greens it was monitored. Nothing happened after that, that I know of. I felt disappointed the Greens didn't fight to get it cleaned up. I walked in it as part of my job to fetch a pump, had gum boots on of course. The foreman stayed well back on the bank.

I wouldn't go quite that far but I do agree they often let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The prime example is when they knocked back Labor on the emissions trading scheme. We could have had a working ETS for almost 20 years now if they'd given a little ground.

Ahh.. but he is the master of the art of the deal... In his own mind

Actually, the swing to One Nation is probbly the best thing that could happen to the traditional governing Parties. They only have to ask Why?, and do a bit of soul-searching. Why is the electorate doing this? Why have we lost their support? Answering those questions should lead to a reassessment of their platforms and with reformed platforms they can hope to win back lost support. We would end up with our traditional parliamentary system - Labor -v- Conservatives.

He's a high profile person. Victoria Cross recipient. His uniform displayed in the War Memorial. I agree he's innocent until proven guilty, but he did lose a recent libel suit, because the allegations were judged highly likely to be true. So it's perhaps not surprising that these events are newsworthy.

Had some incredible luck today. In my previous post (last post previous page) I said that the appointment with the ENT specialist was on July 3. I decided to take the letter of referral and test results to his office this afternoon. The receptionist was serving another patient and said "Take a seat in the waiting room. I'll be with you in a minute and get some details." There was another patient in the waiting room. His door opened and she was called in. She was out again in 5 minutes. The receptionist came around and said "His next patient is not here yet, you can have a word with him now if you like." I went in and explained my situation. He checked my ears, looked at the test graphs and told me a few things to do before my scheduled appointment. Then the receptionist collected information like my pension number, medicare number etc., and said she would organise a pre-cochlear test. So effectively, moved things up 3 months. She said "Don't tell your GP. Nobody gets to see him on day 1."

Like I said, conspiratorial nonsense. Naveed Akram is on remand waiting for his trial to start. In other words, he's in jail. There no doubt he's guilty because the whole country witnessed it, but there is a legal process to follow and it takes time. He's not going anywhere. Linking the Ben Roberts-Smith arrest with the Akram reporting is more conspiratorial thinking.

Whilst a politician misquoting a figure is not the best look, it is also not unheard of. Many a treasurer has misquoted inflation or interest rates at a press conference. Politicians are not scientists, and their role is to take the best advice. The denier community gets all excited if Al Gore makes a mistake, etc., as if this somehow delegitimises the established science. When it comes to climate science, I stick to my usual methods. I am not an immunologist. There is no way I can, for example, prove or disprove whether or not there is a link between vaccination and autism. I can not do the actual research myself. All I can do is look at the published research and weigh it up against any dissenting research. I believe my approach to science is quite reasonable, and surely most would agree. Why then do people throw out the peer-reviewed science in just this one area? If the science is nonsense, then perhaps someone could explain why CSIRO, NASA and a list of the world's most respected science organisations are broadly in agreement. Are they poor at science? Are left-wing loonies trying to bring down the world's economy? Are they all getting together in some kind of conspiracy? I think deniers owe us an explanation as to how and why this supposed bad science or conspiracy is occurring.

Strategy has never been simpler....

Yeah, it's all good until that ride ends up at the vet for that little operation...

𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀’𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐓𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝟐. 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐍’𝐓 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖. Former Australian broadcaster Allen Jones asked Deputy Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek the simplest possible question about the policy her party wants to restructure the entire economy around. “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦? 𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘥𝘦?” “𝘠𝘦𝘴”, Plibersek replied. “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩’𝘴 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘥𝘦?” “𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸”. Jones’ response: “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸?” The answer is 𝟎.𝟎𝟒%. Not 4%. Not 0.4%. 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭. Of that 0.04%, human activity accounts for roughly 𝟑%. And of that 3%, Australia contributes about 𝟏.𝟑%. Jones put it in terms anyone could understand: “𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦. 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘱. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺”. And for that granule of sugar, Australia and every Western nation pursuing net zero is “𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘭-𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺”. This is the core problem with climate policy globally. The people demanding trillions in economic restructuring 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 about the science they claim to follow. They don’t know the numbers. They don’t know the proportions. They just know the conclusion — and they’ll rearrange society to match it. 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧.

The idea that our present government is socialist is a little hard to fathom. I looked up the definition of socialism. Socialism is an economic and political system based on public or collective ownership of the means of production, rather than private ownership. It aims to reduce inequality by controlling resources and distributing goods based on societal needs rather than profit accumulation, often managed through state planning or worker councils. Key aspects of socialism include: Distinction from Capitalism: While capitalism is built on private ownership, free markets, and profit, socialism challenges these by proposing collective management to eliminate class disparities. Ownership: Major resources, such as factories and natural resources, are owned by the state or cooperatives. Economic Goal: The focus is on distributing wealth equally among workers, as opposed to capitalist systems which allow for private wealth accumulation. Role of the State: Socialism is often seen as a stage where the government or working class takes control of the economy and planning. Distinction from Capitalism: While capitalism is built on private ownership, free markets, and profit, socialism challenges these by proposing collective management to eliminate class disparities. Australian Communist Party +6 Socialism varies from democratic forms that work within market economies to more centralized, planned systems. While sometimes conflated with communism, it is often viewed in Marxist theory as a lower stage of development preceding communism. I can't really see how our government fulfils these criteria. Businesses are not being nationalised, and the rich are definitely getting even richer. Wikipedia +4

Here's the Moon in 1969. I have a set of slides given to me by a photo lab for professional photographers in Sydney CBD. I've kept them all this time and only scanned them in Sep 2024. I can post more If you want to see them, there's 19 all up, different scenes.

Trump is an economic moron with zero maths skills, zero personal skills, zero diplomacy skills, and no training or education in economics. His primary aim is to get fabulously rich, get his rich supporters even richer and become King of the World. He's so full of BS and hot air, it's a wonder they don't have to tie him to the ground to stop him from floating away. He promised to Make America Great Again. He's done nothing like it. The U.S. national debt has soared under his Presidency. Inflation is taking off again in America, thanks to all of Trumps "economic policies", and his major decision-making directional changes that change by the minute, not by the day. Fuel prices have doubled in the U.S. (despite the fact he reckons "America doesn't need ME oil", the price is governed by oil futures traders and pure speculation). So much for stability in energy prices. He says, "Drill baby, drill", like that is going to yield a "GREAT" benefit to America. He's so thick, that he doesn't even understand that oil companies only live to make HUGE PROFITS for themselves, and f*** everyone else! When was the last time America had an "oil-company-led, economic miracle"? There never has been one. America got rich on dirt cheap oil in unlimited quantities in the 1920's and 1930's, and even at that, the oil companies were making huge profits. Nowadays, there's no cheap, plentiful oil - and even fracking is high cost - and lots of fracking wells are currently on care and maintenance. Look at Trumps tariffs - on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again - like a teenage girl changing outfits. His tariffs have only caused reciprocal tariffs, so Americans can't sell half the stuff they used to. He buggered American farmers more effectively than any President in history before. The Chinese simply refused to buy American soybeans and went and got what they wanted from Brazil. Now American silos are bursting with soybeans they can't give away. So he had to bail out American farmers with American TAXPAYER-PAID subsidies, to the tune of $37 BILLION!! "As of December 2025, the Trump administration announced a $12 billion aid package to assist American farmers affected by low crop prices and trade-related tariffs. This includes $11 billion in direct payments for row crops and $1 billion for other crops to provide financial relief for operating costs. Key details regarding the aid: Purpose: The aid is designed as a "bridge" to assist with financial losses stemming from ongoing trade disputes and tariffs. Funding Source: The administration stated the funds are generated from tariff revenues. Distribution: The funds are expected to be available by early 2026 to help farmers prepare for the next season. Additionally, it was reported that farmers had previously received $23 billion in separate assistance to manage trade tensions with China" And this is the MORON you want running your economy?? Give me a break, the bloke would go broke running a lolly shop outside a girls school. He'd put all his clients off buying anything, by abusing the s**t out of them first, then suing them for not buying anything off him!! This imbecile is the greatest embarrassment the world has ever seen, running the worlds primary superpower. He selects all his people by demanding absolute loyalty to him and no-one else, with no requirement to show any credentials for the job. He demands all foreign dignitaries stay in Trump-owned hotels, thus making him one of the most corrupt Presidents ever. He's turned graft into an art form. He ignores Congress at every opportunity, claims every decision he makes is based on some fabricated outstanding emergency, and only appoints judges to the Supreme Court that will make decisions in his favour every time. He is the biggest oxygen thief on the planet. Trump is going to go down in history as the President who brought America to its knees, economically, and morally and ethically.

Litespeed, just a suggestion, maybe tone down on the insults to posters you don't agree with and try posting on your position without playing the man. It's a bit disrespectful, and I've really noticed this forum getting quite toxic lately. Forumites can be polite and still disagree.

I am not shamed to say I am pro Israel. I admire their strength and tenacity in a region of evil and terror. I wish them complete success in defeating those who cry death to Israel.

The only similar experience I've had was not with the Greens, but with our local environment council which is an independent organisation. Back before the tree clearing laws came in, a landowner near me with a 20 acre block on the side of a hill got a dozer and cleared the lot, then got an excavator to terrace the whole block like rice paddies. It looked awful, like a giant rock quarry and could be seen for miles. Probably the worst eyesore I've ever seen in the district. I decided to let the environment council know without naming names, just to inform them of the type of thing the shire council was approving. I thought it might be in their interest. They were barely interested, and all they seemed interested in was shoving brochures and membership application forms in my face. I walked out of there fairly disgusted that all they seemed to want was membership money. I think it was probably individual staff on the day to blame rather than the whole organisation.

Albo has never held a real Job, always was a labor lackey, so what he lived in social housing and his Mum was a single parent, this did not set him up to be the prime minister of this great country, many of us emigrant(i came here 56 years ago), when you could walk to a new job the next day if you didnt like it always was more jobs than workers, then came the labor /socialist party to power ,downhill we all went , rents went up, morgage went up, fuel went up, labor spend like there is no tomorrow,taxes go up,yada yada yada, why do we as a nation keep voting these no talent pollies (on both sides) to power, we are not all fools, is it because the 2 party system splits us into different sides, the greens are a waste of taxpayers money to pay them, indepentants never achieve much at all ,One Nation seems to attract some strange people (but i do like the sentiments they espouse). we need strong politicians that see that our back is now up against the wall and take strong measures to counter this, relying on asia for our fuel is stupid, asians think we are all racist in Aus, they can bring us to our knees anytime they want, we as a country cannot survive without fuel and forget going full solar it is not ideal for the vastness of our great country, immigration should be stopped completely we are full up . As a country we need to go fully independant for our safety and advancement, yes i think we should go slightly isolationist for a while bring us back to a even keel, I am in the last years of my life , so wont see changes but i hope my kids and grandkids do

Houses that you Live in are Paid for with After tax Money and no deductions for anything, That Would be daylight robbery Inflation should be allowed for in ANY capital Gain.. Nev

Getting off topic a bit here, but this photo of my dad and his platoon making their way up through Balikpapan was taken on the first day of the landings. The same day, another platoon in their company got strafed by a trigger happy American plane. Lucky nobody was killed but some were wounded. They were right out in the open as well, in clearly visible land just off the beach.

I was referring to the Greens. The Greens don't consider themselves far left but a lot of the rest of the country does. Labor faithful probably don't. Most people right of centre do.

Trump complains no-one wants to help him when he said he didn't need help. Nato is a defence alliance. An attack on one is an attack on all. It has nothing to do with helping a member especially a malignant narcissist nutcase who attacks another sovereign state with no consultation with anyone except Israel. Now he is complaining that Japan, South Korea & Australia won't help either. Not our war Donny boy. Piss off & lie about something else. Oh and the 48 hours is almost up so tomorrow Iran will not exist. Yeah right.

It was Willie that said far left, not Peter.

The ‘technical malfunctions’ probably refer to the Iranians having blown the wings off.

Actually I support centre left.

That's all well and good, Willie, but it misses the point. Making a protest vote may be a way of expressing frustration or disenchantment with the major parties. But that vote has an impact, and the impact is to potentially replace a major party with a party that has no costed, valid policies, is chock full of despicable people, led by a racist opportunist, and financially supported by people who have very illiberal beliefs who will expect a return on their investment. If people truly wanted to improve how parliament works, they would research the policy positions and backgrounds of independents, and support the campaign of a good one. Simply lashing out won't work. The object lesson from the US showed that. Are the people in the Rust Belt better off now? They voted to "drain the swamp" but elected the biggest alligator around. You can call me "small minded" for considering anyone who votes for ON an idiot, or at best ignorant. That's fine. But I will maintain that voting against your own interests is not the most intelligent thing to do.

Idaho is a beautiful state. I know people in Idaho as one of my best mates was from there. He was out here last year visiting and we got to catch up after a lot of years, but sadly he died suddenly three weeks after he went home. When he left here we were discussing his next trip back here in a couple of years time and the possibility of me going over there for a visit in the interim, as I haven't been there since the mid 80's. It's a very scenic place with the mountains and rivers and a nice slow, relaxed lifestyle a bit like we had here several decades ago. Not a big popuation, the capital has only 235,000 people. According to the mate, it hasn't changed much since I was there 40 years ago. His family live on the Snake River; attached is one of his photos of a canyon near their place.