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Platoon Reunion

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recceplThis weekend I’ll be at Coolangatta at a platoon reunion. 43 years ago next Tuesday we lost our first mate, Neil Richardson,  on operations in South Vietnam with 7RAR.  Our platoon, Recconnaisance (Recce) Platoon, had 62 soldiers go through the ranks with 3 Killed in Action (KIA), over 30 wounded or evacuated sick or damaged and 17 having died since coming home. Five days together with a break each day to recover from the previous day’s excesses we will commemorate our losses and celebrate surviving war and left-wing assaults on our honour. If you don’t respect our service we don’t care – we know we did the right thing The pic has us young and on our last day in-country.  So you know I wasn’t always grey haired, I am kneeling in the front with my arm on a mates shoulder. I still getting over malaria then so was skinny as well. Oh, the ravages of time.
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Vietnam

There’s a plan?

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THE federal government’s hardline asylum seeker resettlement policy is being implemented exactly according to plan, Immigration Minister Tony Burke insists.

The first group of families was sent to Nauru on Wednesday while three Iranians have chosen to return home rather than be resettled in Papua New Guinea.

The seven families sent to Nauru – each with a mother and father and including a total of 12 children aged between five and 15 years – will be housed away from the single men there in detention.

That’s going exactly according to plan? 26 People to Naurau, 3 elected to go back to Iran and 36 have been sent to Manus Isalnd. That’s 75 illegals have been relocated out of 3,000 who have arrived since Rudd announced his plan to get the problem off the front page . Only the ALP would call that ‘going to plan‘ on the same afternoon HMAS Parramatta is busy dragging more of them out of the water. Seventeen and a wakey!
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Border Control, Politics

Bob Ellis bans me for life

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Bob Ellis thinks it is unfair that the Libs aren’t releasing costings when the ALP want them to.

Their plan is to bring out their figures at midnight September 4, the minute when Labor can do no more advertising.

And trust their friends in the free-to-air and cable channels and RN and 2UE to stifle what Rudd, Wong and Bowen say in response.

Since there are no friends of Labor in the mainstream media any more, it well may work.

I left a comment;

Well it certainly worked for the ALP in 2007 – why not now?

Banned for life.

How unfair is that? Bob Ellis has to be the funniest blogger in Australia – he is trying to be funny isn’t he?
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Politics

TPVs back in vogue?

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THOUSANDS of asylum-seekers could have their bridging visas cancelled and be returned to immigration detention under a tough new asylum-seeker policy the Coalition is set to announce. Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott are expected to outline plans today to deal with the more than 25,000 asylum-seekers already in Australia, but whose refugee claims have not yet been processed.

The TPVs would allow refugees to work but would prohibit family reunion rights, a feature critics of TPVs have argued creates an incentive for men to bring women and children on boats with them. One of the biggest changes proposed by the Coalition relates to refugee processing in Australia, which was suspended from August 12 last year, when the Houston expert panel on asylum-seekers handed down its report, until last month. During that time more than 25,000 asylum-seekers arrived, creating a massive backlog most in the field expected would take years to clear.

Since Tuesday, three boats carrying 252 asylum-seekers have arrived.

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said the plan was simply a rehash of a discredited Howard government policy. He said boat numbers had dwindled since Labor announced its PNG offshore resettlement policy on July 19. Dwindled to three boats since Tueday!  Yeah…right Jason and I presume the “discredited Howard government policy” that actually stopped the boats is what you are referring to. Can’t lie straight in bed!  
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Politics

Suddenly it’s a good idea

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Six months agothe Coalition talk about northern development;

The Coalition’s white paper, released in June, centred on a 20-year strategic plan for northern development and proposed reviving Darwin, Cairns, Townsville and Karratha through lower personal and business tax rates, relocation subsidies and investment incentives, as well as a water project development fund.

When Abbott announced this the ALP rolled around the floor laughing and queued up to redicule the plan Gold footpaths in Karatha…grid lock in Sydney crows Bradbury and went on to describe it as “an absolute disaster” that would “divide Australia in two” and force higher taxes for people in western Sydney. That was six months ago Since then Rudd has decided it’s a good idea and all the ALP talking heads are forced to retract and remark on the brilliance of Rudd’s thought bubble. Yep…thought bubble- that’s what it is.  Rudd is in panic mode as polls go bad for him.  Remember I said all us conservatives need is for Rudd to be in the chair long enough for the country to remember why they didn’t like him last time. Well, it’s happening.  
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Politics

Distractions….distractions

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I’ve said it many times before – the ALP’s only possible plan is to attack Abbott as they certainly can’t campaign on their achievements. Abbott says;

“They’re young, feisty,” replied Abbott. Starting to grin, he added: “I think I can probably say they have a bit of sex appeal and they’re just very connected with the local area.

….and the ALP and media go into hyperdrive.  Rudd, who abused a RAAF flight attendant to the point of tears, thinks its terrible that Abbott should compliment a woman in a light hearted manner and Latham, ever the bombshell, says Abbott must have had his beer goggles on. Penny Wong says;

Tony Abbott’s “sex appeal” gaffe gives a glimpse into the opposition leader’s views on women.

Other than the use of the word ‘gaffe’ I tend to agree with Penny.  Like the majority of Australian’s, Abbott appreciates beauty and brains and isn’t afraid to pay compliments where due.  If the ALP and the media think that is a ‘gaffe’ and Australian’s will think poorly of Abbott  then they are mistaken. Now, back to the question.  How are you going to fix the $30 billion defecit.
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Politics

Bandt could be gone

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TONY Abbott says the Liberal Party will put the Greens last in every seat because of the party’s “fringe economic policies” and its belief in “open borders”. He said his “captain’s call”, which could see Greens MP Adam Bandt lose his lower house seat of Melbourne, was a principled decision, and he urged Kevin Rudd to match the pledge.

“There is a world of difference between the Greens and as far as I am aware, just about everyone else who is contesting this election campaign.

“Because everyone else in this campaign supports economic growth and supports a more prosperous economy. The Greens on the other hand, they want a bank levy, they want to bump up the mining tax, they want a wealth tax, they want 100 per cent renewable energy, they want $100 a tonne carbon tax. These are quite frankly, fringe economic policies, to put it at its kindest.

They also want the coal mining industry closed down and, in fact, all mining.  
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Green Insanity, Politics

Kennett on the danger of the Greens

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JEFF Kennett has unleashed a withering attack on the Greens, warning the minority party should be preferenced out of existence to protect the nation’s economic and social fabric. The former Victorian premier said the Liberal Party nationally should preference the Greens and independents last, even if it risked elevating Labor candidates. Can’t disagree with him.
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Green Insanity, Politics

Peter Beattie – wow!

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COURIER_thumb Paul Howes remembers Beattie talking about Rudd;

(PETER Beattie) told me plainly that “that bloke stuffed up the Goss government, stuffed up his own government and during the election did his best to stuff up Julia’s government. No one should ever forget the damage that he has done.

But all is forgotten now;

WE have had our differences but it takes a bit of strength and a bit of guts from the Prime Minister to rise above that and say ‘what’s good for the campaign, what’s good for Queensland’.

I, and all Queenslanders with an attention span longer than a lightening strike, also remember Beattie stuffing up Queensland then fleeing the scene and handing over to Anna Bligh who didn’t help at all. Newman is doing his best to bring us back on line but he continually has to fight the rusted on Labor voters and unionists who seem to think the state can keep on borrowing money to pay its bloated public servants. Beattie now thinks it would be good for Queensland and Rudd thinks Beattie is an answer.  I can only say -WOW!
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Politics
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