Retired infantry officer. Conservative by nature and politics; Happily married and father and grandfather of eight. Loves V8 powered Range Rovers, Golden Retrievers, good books and technology and think there should be open season on Greenies. Born in the mid forties and overdue for servicing but most parts still work.

Hypocricy of the ALP

After hitting business with the Fair Work Act, the Carbon Tax and RET they have the temerity to tell them to lift their game Speaking to The Australian, Mr Combet said business plans that were adapted with an Australian dollar averaging between US60c and US80c would have to face the reality that the dollar at or above parity with the US dollar was now the norm Does he really think that businesses haven’t adjusted their thinking to account for the high dollar – its been that way for quite a while now? As I understand it, aluminium smelting is heavily dependant on electricity as evidenced by this submission to the Senate Select Committee on Electrticity Prices;
Electricity use represents approximately 30-40 per cent of the production costs of aluminium and, in highly competitive global markets, the cost of electricity is a critical factor in determining international competitiveness. The long-term viability of smelters in Australia is under question. Continued operation of the industry will only be assured if significant production cost reductions can be achieved. The operators of Australia’s five continuing aluminium smelters will be forced to continue actions including reducing employment and foregoing investment in order to manage the loss of competitiveness that results from increasing electricity costs.
With a stated policy of increasing electricity prices to hurt the country and force us to use less, the ALP can hardly lecture business on how to adjust to problems, most of which are caused by the ALP.
Mr Combet would not be drawn on the new body to vet Australian content in major projects, through Australian Industry Participation Plans, but The Australian has confirmed resource and infrastructure giants will be told to spend more heavily with local manufacturing companies, such as steel suppliers, as the government seeks to head off further lay-offs in the manufacturing sector.
ALP managed increases in electricity prices also effects Australian steel suppliers so how are they going to be able to compete with steel from countries not saddled with an ALP government? They can’t, thus to help business Combet suggests they pay more for their steel. Figures.

I’m a union man and I’m here to help your business!

UNIONS are pressing the Gillard government to impose tighter obligations on companies that receive taxpayer handouts, forcing them to “give back to the community” by purchasing more Australian products and services. The toughened regime is on the agenda in the final talks over an industry statement due within weeks as Labor and the unions negotiate ways to shield manufacturing and construction companies from the damage inflicted by the higher Australian dollar. If ever there was a contradiction in terms it has to be that last sentence.  Labor and the unions Unions do not exactly have a track record of shielding manufacturing and construction companies from anything,  they are more inclined to milk them down the next-to-last dollar of profit.
“When people receive assistance from the commonwealth they have an obligation to give back to the community,” said Construction, Forestry, Energy and Mining Union national secretary Michael O’Connor.
Jesus, now they are quoting Michael O’Connor, one of the PM’s earlier bed mates. They do give back to the community Michael, they pay taxes, employ people who also pay taxes and where prices are competitive, buy local.  If you force them to buy local you could well be forcing them to operate in a competitive world with one hand tied behind their back. Talk to your political unionists, the government, and convince them to make hiring and firing easier, get them cut through the red and green tape and at least put on the appearance that they support small business as well as the workers.    

Mali

Loading the machine guns

Loading the machine guns

FRENCH soldiers pressed north in Mali territory occupied by radical Islamists, launching a land assault (paywall) that was to put them in direct combat with al-Qa’ida-linked fighters “in one to 72 hours,” military officials said. A former French colony, Mali once enjoyed a reputation as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies with majority of its 15 million people practicing a moderate form of Islam. That changed in April 2012, when Islamist extremists took over the main cities in the country’s north amid disarray following a military coup, and began enforcing strict Shariah law. Background reading Mali at World Atlas I note this morning Hollande was quoted as saying it will all be over in three weeks. This evening it has stretched out to six months and good luck with that Monsieur President

Stats

stats     What’s with China this month – should I be worried? The stats above indicate about 25,000 Chinese read my ramblings every week. Ni hao you guys – leave a comment so I know your not a machine.  

Interesting Mono wheeled bike

ryno Move through the world in a completely different way: RYNO Motors is in the middle of selecting a manufacturing partner for its production bike. As a result our production schedule is looking like late 2012 to be shipping. Target retail price for these bikes will be $4,500 US. Product will first be available in the USA with dealer networks being expanded into Europe mid to late 2013. South American distribution will be started late 2013. There is an interesting video here.  

What happened?

iggypiggy So, its come to this.  As a young digger in the sixties I would have had a pinup of Marylin Monroe on my locker door. Now I’m reduced to Iggy Piggy and Upsy Daisy on the side of my bar fridge. Maybe Upsy Daisy does has expressive eyes but seriously, I have no idea what Marylin’s eyes look like. You check them out  here (NSFW) ….Ok what colour are her eyes? The bar I built the week before Christmas looks OK but it is let down by the Fridge adornment and I seriously I doubt I will ever be allowed to wind back the clock. bar      

Another “Plan” from Gillard

RESOURCE and infrastructure giants will be told to spend more heavily with local manufacturing companies in a Gillard government plan due within weeks to aid struggling industries amid fears of a wave of further job layoffs. I presume that plan is in conjunction with her other plan that made products made by local manufacturing companies more expensive due to union control of the workforce, higher utility charges for the green dream and more regulation. Yeah…that must be it.    

Polls

Newspoll: 51 to 49 per cent, Essential Research: 54-46 to Coalition The first Newspoll survey for the new year, conducted exclusively for The Australian at the weekend, shows Labor’s primary vote rose six percentage points to 38 per cent compared to the last poll in early December.  The Coalition’s primary vote fell 2 points. 6 points – wow! The shift comes as Ms Gillard vows to press ahead with school funding and disability insurance reforms, both costing billions of dollars, after Wayne Swan dropped Labor’s promise to deliver a budget surplus this year. I wonder whether the fact that these reforms plus others are unfunded will eventually seep through into the voters minds.  Gillard’s greatest diversionary tactic at the moment is to announce a wonderful progressive reform and then tell the states that they have to fund it. Even if it does seem to be working at the moment, empty promises only go so far before people start asking for results.  

Guilty Bastards II

While Australians are still suffering and losing their houses and infrastructure, it is beholden on me to continually remind readers of the danger of the Green ideology that places us all at risk during the bushfire season.
“IT’S really simple,” says Brian Williams, captain of the Kurrajong Heights bushfire brigade. “Fires run on fuel. Limited fuel means limited fire
Simple to most of us but not to the Greens. They say that burning off in the winter or spring could impact on the wildlife that exists in the bush and what about the people having to put up with all that smoke? Whereas off-season burning might impact on wildlife, not doing it does impact on us humans-it kills us. Today’s Cut and Paste in The Australian underlines the twisted reasoning of climate extremists. If you don’t subscribe to The Australian and can’t get past the paywall I have uploaded a .pdf file for you to read. Its important that the public know about the damage they cause. Today’s Newspoll tells us there are still 9% of Australians who actually support the Greens. We all need to work on educating these people.

MP tweets caned

Coalition MP Andrew Laming reacts to inter racial riots at Logan Qld
Mobs tearing up Logan tonight. Did any of them do a day’s work today, or was it business as usual and welfare on tap?
Not very subtle but its most probably close to the truth. Wong and Emmerson attack, so for some reason Laming’s tweet which only comments on a riot is much worse than Gillard’s office tele calls that organized a riot on Australia Day in Canberra last year. Go figure.
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