Jerry_Atrick

Also, in politics, when you vote for someone, you are saying I want that someone to be elected. You arenot saying you are the least worst option. You are endorsing someone. Therefore, if there is noone you wish to endorse, you shouldn't be forced to even come to the booth to have your name struck off. It should be the default position.

I am not sure about the reasons for compulsory voting,but it being the best assurnce to stop a despot is absolute poppycock, in my opinion, and I have lived under both compulsory and voluntary voting. Australia had the most on the nose government for 13 years and they had, at least up until 2022. The LNP have since dropped further as a party - not government. Albo won power by a single seat because the LNP supporters who could not fathom a Labor govrnment could not bring themselves to vote anyone else. Think about it.. Across Austalia, all it would take is two seats not to flip, and the will of the majority of the people would not have happened and what had become close to the most despotic government in Australia would have remained In the UK in 2024, remarkably similar circumstances ended up with a Labour landslide. Why? Because the Conservative supporters that couldn't support a Labor government didn't turn up to vote. At the same time, the loony protest party, Reform got their first seats in the House of Commons - 4 of them on the same primary vote as the Lib Dems got their 15 or so seats. Now, if the LNP voters who couldn't fathom a Labor government turned up to vote - and Pauline had th run she was having now, who do you think they would have voted for? Suddenly, your despotic governent is more likely with compulsory voting. Of course,the UK is fist past the post v. Aus's preferetnal system, but if you want to guarantee one nation a look in while the LNP is still unelectable, force those LNP voters to vote. What is saving you is preferental voting, not compulsory voting. And some of those choices is to do nothing. And when you have that choice and its valid, why not to do it? And even with your analogy. if they occasionally f up,m but you are likely to get the outcome you want, then you will take them. .that is the same with political partes and anything else for which there is limited choice. But, using your airline analogy, if you had a choice of 10 airlines, and they promise to take you to your destination, but everything tellsyou you are likely to not even get off the ground, and even if you do, you are most likely to end up in a burning wreck or a destination so far away from where you want to be, it is not worth it, will you still book your flight because that's all that is available? If so, that is your choice. My choice would be to not bother.

I don't understand what th number of women, men, black, white, Muslim, jew, or swahili have to do with anything in terms of quality of government or workforce for that matter. You want the best team.. Tanya Plibersek is in the team, but I get the feeling Albo doesn't like her, so she is probably there because of her factional wars and not being utilised to her full talents (or what seems to be). So, that is a waste of a mministerial appointment. Claire O'Neil, in what I have seen seems to be completely useless. I could be wrong, of course, but from what I have seen, I wiould prefer someone better. If the minstry is 100% men or women, as long as they are the best for the job, is the important measure.

I am just catching up on this thread, so a looooong post... Because I can talk the leg off a chair. As RandomX said, I am not the only one. It is fair to say my son at 23 is politically engaged, and although not wedded to an ideology, is a little to the right of me (and I try and treat each issue on its merits - I rather than right or left). My som and I do have many thoughtful and deep conversations on may political, socological, and economic issues. Like me, he tends to treat each on its merits (or try to - because our values determine how we treat the merits, I guess). He gets all of his information from social media - mainly Youtube, but is careful to cross reference within that platform. I encourage him to at least go to the offical sources of information. On each issue, I steer him to review the purported facts. Where we disagree, and it is often, sometimes he brings me around to his way of thinking, sometimes I bring him around to my way of thinking, sometimes we agree to respectfully disagree.. But to his credit, he works to inform himself thoroughly and many discussions have ended up with me being thoroughly educated (even on aviation things - that did hurt). What he tells me of his friends though, is that in reality, it is a mix. There is one that is a reform voter, and one that is Greens. The reality is there are more leaning to the right at the moment, because the new left (Starmer) has failed them big time in what he promised versus is deliveriing.. And i am not talking handouts and an easy life, but a fair crack at it. That is what is letting the protest parties and votes, such as Brexit it. Also, immigration is an issue.. but that is another conversation.

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

I'll drink to that, except that drinks fizzy beer can give you gas

Yes I did see that this morning. Thankfully I am no longer a developer, but also coming up to retirement, anyway. I had a catch up with a friend of mine who is a developer and he is very concerned. They are required to use Claude (https://claude.com/), whichis a specialist software development platform. If they don't ring upa big enough biill in Claude, they are considered underproductive and not adept to change, and the door will be shown to them. Hi is absoltely gobsmacked at how far the paid for version has come. He can literally do in minutes what was done in days. And itis all highquality code and consider the edge cases without being prompted. We concluded that there will be far, far fewer, but higher quality developers managing the delivery by prompt. I have said for a while now that AI has hit critical mass and jobs are going to go.. Software development is a clear one. As are solicitors and even barristers (not baristas, though), accountants, even financial engineers (quants) are going to find it hard going. Project management, etc.. It is all Not to mention interviews are becoming more grulling as the questions are created by AI. Development interviws give you an AI set and a timelimit and you have to build a fully functioning app in the technology stack using the AI tools within an hour. I have said it before and will say it again.. Unlike other labour disruption technologies in whhich people could redeploy, AI will replace without the redeploy option for most.

Given I had to top up my heating oil tank and the price quoted doubled from the last fill about 6 weeks ago, if I didn't laugh, I would have to cry. In fact I am thinking of cancelling the order... As I canrun the hot water on electricity.

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.

On another note, I finally got a very brief chat with one of my reports, who is Iranian - and holidays in Israel - well, when I say holiday, attends to the capital of her faith, which started in Iran and was thrown out I believe.. B'Hai faith.. I didn't have time to speak to her in detail about it, but to sum up her view, regime change was needed as there were zero human rights outside of a clique.. Those vids you see of modern day Iranian life that depict tolerance aren't the norm, apparetly. She is sad that it has come to what it has and that the current situation is far from perrfect, but something had to happen. I didn't get around to whether she supports Chump and Net on this matter.. And I slept in this morning so won't be in the office until tomorrow, when hopefully she will be in the office, and I will ask more. Of course, she represents one person's view..but a person who from a religious perspective is in the minority, but has direct experience and still has family there.

It's an interesting decision to say the least. OK.. there were 3 Aussies on the submaring that sunk the iranian vessel. Dfeence personnel exchange is common The Aussie government may or may niot have been informed of ther planned strike beforehand but the US Navy is hardly going to surface, drop of 3 submariners and then return to its mission... Sending our assets us entirely different. And given how slow Australia was in sending assets to Ukraine, us sending as solitary asset to the ME so quickly indicates one of two things (or something in between): Australia was strongarmed into it or Australia supports it. Either way, a small - almost symbolic contribution drags Australia into the thick of it. And the Iranan regime has operatives globally, so if you don't live in a big city, be thankful. No doubt there will be a terrorist attack in London soon. I am sure the security agencies are working overtime preventing and intercepting attempted attacks, and they are generally excellent in this role. But they only have so many resources at thir disposal. I returned to London not long after the Tavistock bus was blown up in London in 2005 and it was then I started work in banking in London. Conscious that the banking sector may well be a target (we were once locked in the building while protestors condascended on a competitor's building next door, but we were also targeted), I started coming into work very early and leaving late - and used the motorcycle as they are likely to a) blow up some concentrated mass transit vehicle or b) ram into crowded areas for most damage. My route was circuitous, but minimised concentratio of population. The London Bridge attack, admittedly during social hours so I would have unlikely to have been there at the time, took place on part of what would be my normal route, however, I would go over Soutwark bridge instead and around a ring road - adding about 5 minutes or so to the trip on a motorbike, but only sprinkings of people on the street. My purchase and return to motorcycling for work was coincidental, and to be honest, the times I normally travel to work on public transport would minimise the risk, but I am glad I did get the motorcycle now as it gives me almost complete control of timing and routes.

Behind a paywall,but it looks like the Iranian women's soccer team have taken a like to Australia: https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/sos-hand-signal-as-bus-drives-iranian-women-s-soccer-team-from-final-match-20260309-p5o8mq.html

One if the issues is not the actual closure of the Hormuz Strait, but the unavailability of insurance. Most shipping is financed and every maritime finance agreement (usually leases) includes maintaining insurance as a covenant to the lease agreement. No insurance, no sailing - it is as simple as that.With the US rather stupidly torpedoing the Iranian warship, as far as Iran is concerned, if they weren't already, all bets are off. The other problem is most cargo/freight shipping is sold as futures contracts, which have specific terms and conditions. In theory, the freight has to be performed according to the standard terms and conditions, which I think includes route stipulation. So, if the route markedly changes, and it's really not profitable to reroute, under the standard terms, force majuere may be able to be invoked and the futures contract voided. If there is no force majuere clause, the shipper may have to reroute, but een then it can be an issue,because the freight contract will specify a time to deliver. In either case, the shipper may well go broke - or at leastdeclare bankruptcy. In the former case (lease agreement), two things happen. The lessor/s take control of the ship - which is an unusual occurence, or the lesee will moor the ship in a dangerous area (e.g. Somalia) and let the lessor/s know they can pick it up there (more often). This will take out shipping capacity. And with an absence of supply while demand goes high... and costs increase... frieght spot prices which are not subject to the same constraints as futures contracts will skurocket. Yeah, they can reroute and the supplies will take a week or two longer to get to where they are going, but you are going to pay for it.

Go with the flow

I understood your point. I don't think it adequtely addressed OTs. And, maybe I didn't make mione clear enough. There is a difference between baddies in a population of people, than the population systematically preaching bad. Yep, I am sure the crazy gunman who killed the 56 Muslims in Christchurch as a Christian. But he didn';t do it in the name of Christianity - and if he did - it was his delusion that Christianity these days promotes it. I don't see too many Christians wearing only one type of cloth these days and I don't see too many Christians stoning their fellows for doing it. Nor am I threatened for being an athiest, nor are those living in fear of being gay out of religious hatred, or if you are in the tragic position of being a woman who has been raped!. Now, go into some of the countries or regions where Islam is preached and see how long people of the above disposition would last - preciseley because of the religion. Yep, the MSM may inflame it, but it seems to tbe there. But hey, maybe spend time in these countries to affirm it. I spent some time in a moderate country, UAE (Abu Dhabi), and I can tell you, I will never, ever go back, so much so that all middle eastern countries are off my layover list travelling to Australia. And that is a moiderate country.

It's hard to react to that post.. Sad for Piastri.. But a Carltion loss is always sweet 🙂 Hawks flopped as well..just not so spectactularly...

He idolises smarties

As far as I am aware religion was not the core foundation and justification of Hitler, Franco, no Mussolini's barbarity. And even if it was, it is fair to say that as a vast majority, Christian faiths have modernised a bit and at least preach inclusivity and not that their God will kill infidels, etc. It may be that the press over egg it, but for some reason, there appears to be more of it under Islam than any other mainstream religion

Back to topic. This is an interesting report:

I am not into F1, but a mates son is in college doing engineering and has an placement on a scheme run by the F1 teams to bring on the next round of engineers. All he has wanted to do in his teenage years is work on F1 cars, so best of luck to him. I saw a headline on the Age' website quoting Piastri as sayingthe Mercs are just too quick.. Not sure in what context, but that doesn't bode well for McLarens. A bit of trivia.. My old home airport, Fairoaks, was right next to the McLarens Technology centre, where they did most oftheir F1 development:

Hasn't the ACCC warned servos and oil companies not to price gouge? Heaard someone on the radio day they are pretty much a toothless tiger, though I do remember them forcing Qantas, I think to refund fares over some scam of some sort. Over here, the prices are fairly stable. at the moment, which is a surprise. They usually jack it up straight away, and when the oil and gasoil prices settle back to normal levels, it allsort of takes a very long time for the retail price to retract and then no where near what it was.

Indeed! Reminded me of the first time SWMBO came out to Aus on holiday with me. We werein Melbourne and I decided to take her to Brown Brothers in Milawa. Sadly, she was not into flying in the big jets let alone a rented PA28, so it was to be by car. I told her we had to leave at 7am to get there by 12. She didn't believe me but went along with it anyway. not 2 hours into the trip, she was visibly frustrated, even though I still had what was a young VS commodire, which was comfy for those drives. By the time we got there, she was virtually a nervous wreck. "Who on the face of theis bloody earth travels that far by car just for lunch.. and how f@cking big is this counrty???" Then she went and ordered roo while I had beef. Guess who ended up eating roo? When we moved to Melbourne, she declined my offer of a drive to Mildura to have dinner at Stehano's.

How far away is the average shop or school or mates place in London urban areas? When you go across town to visit a mate and have a few drinks, public transport is byu far the best opton (unless they're on strike).

You have to watch it on YouTube as it contains adult language..