Six years ago, talking about Iraq, I wrote;
a democracy in the middle of the shit-hole that is the Middle East would give birth to hope and all the Mullahs and Kings and Princes would be feeling uneasy
Since the Arab Spring bloomed I’ve been waiting for someone to put it all together and give George Bush some credit for the changes, all to no avail.
Until today that is.
Today’s
The Australian editorial opines;
Clearly, the Arab Spring has been triggered, at least in part, because people of the Middle East and North Africa have seen Arabs proudly casting ballots in Iraq and taking control of their own destiny.
For all his mistakes in the post-invasion phase, it was former president Bush’s foresight and courage in implementing the surge in 2007 that saved the Iraq venture, turning a conflagration of defeat and sectarian terrorism into a solid basis for a secure and democratic future.
And this to close;
So while the end belongs to Mr Obama, the success belongs to Mr Bush
The Left would have to agree, wouldn’t they?
The Indons are going to halve their live cattle imports from Australia and who would blame them.
The move demonstrated the need to change governments that wipe out an entire industry based on a TV programme. Of course, that’s not how ALP talking heads see it.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said the move demonstrated the need for beef producers to diversify locally as well as expand international markets.
It’s not expanding markets, it’s trying to recover from destroyed markets
A government taskforce, set up after the ban on live exports to Indonesia earlier this year, is looking at building a new abattoir near Mt Isa.
“Producers in north Queensland may in fact be able to develop a domestic market in response to changes in the Indonesian market,” she told Sky News.
Who in their right mind are going to spend capital on a project when all it takes for the government to close it down again is for someone to take a video of cattle being slaughtered.
Selective and ideologically based editing can make a Brahman dying of old age an emotionally charged vision. The people who make these type of videos don’t want us eating meat full stop.
This afternoon I am boarding the P&O cruise ship ‘Sun Princess’ for a circumnavigation of the southern most island of the shaky isles.
I’m not big into cruises but my wife is so picture me on the sundeck, beer in hand watching the scenery, both on-board and off. By the time we get to the southern most point of the voyage I’ll most probably be forced to drinking warm rum toddies but the scenery in Milford Sound should make it all worthwhile
See you all in a couple of weeks.
Qantas has revealed the recent
industrial dispute wiped $194 million off its bottom line in the first half of 2011-12
To be expected. Elect a Centre-left government in debt to unions and just wait for the obvious result.
It’s not over yet with Qantas and the Unions have plenty of campaigns running and in the pipe line, whereby they can really drag down the country.
There is positives abound with the new political order. We have off-loaded Slipper with all his baggage and set up a clear path for Mal Brough to reenter the fray in the next parliament.
Gillard expects us to believe that she knew nothing untill 7:30am yesterday. Some will but some swinging voters won’t and they will add to the tally of Australians just sitting waiting for a chance to sack her.
The Left and rusted on ALP supporters are all over the LNP “shooting themselves in the foot” over Slipper. Tell me, what were we to do with him? He was a lead weight, confused about his loyalties and without any sense of economy or justification for his travel and phone expenses.
Why would we hang on to him when we have winners of the class of Brough waiting in the wings. He was never going to be a LNP team player.
I say good riddance and good luck to Julia. From experience I know you need luck to survive a hand grenade with a loose pin.
If I was an ALP true believer I wouldn’t be feeling all that secure with grenades labelled ‘Peter Slipper’ and ‘Craig Thomson’ rattling around the bunker.
Locals at Margaret River, WA are
furious with Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and they should be too. Who, in their right mind still has burn-offs functioning in mid November. I come from that area and generally speaking ‘Hot and windy’ defines November, December and January weather.
I’ll be furious as well if these fires slow down next years vintage. I’ve become quite fond of Margaret River reds.
Gnarabup man Peter Ryan said: “I’m bewildered as to why you would be burning off at this time of year. Questions will have to be asked.”
Indeed.
Harry Jenkins has resigned as Speaker of the house and Peter Slipper appears to the ALP’s preferred replacement. Having Slipper in the chair would give the government the additional vote of Jenkins.
Yony Abbott comments;
“It is a remarkable thing for this parliament to witness out of the blue the resignation of the speaker,” he said.
“One must assume that’s something extraordinary is happening in the Labor party at the moment for the speaker to resign his office,’’ he said
This will be interesting.
UPDATE: Slipper confirmed as Speaker which, coincidentally, most probably presages Mal Brough’s return to the federal arena.
Colour me skeptical but with the ALP gaining two votes with this maneuver I am going to take some convincing that the whole thing isn’t part of a plot driven by the need to gain a clearer majority in the House, rather than Harry’s sudden burning desire to join the debate on the floor.
GREENS MP Adam Bandt has been named Australian
politician of the year by men’s magazine GQ.
I’ve never read GQ and I’m definitely not going to start now if they or their readers think Brandt is the best there is.
Mr Bandt was unable to attend the award ceremony at the Sydney Opera House because he was engaged in last-minute talks with the Government screwing the government and Australia out of $200m as the Greens price for supporting the ALP’s mining tax legislation.
From
News.com
THE Federal Government has been forced by outrage over an extraordinary secrecy pact to reveal details of its multi-million dollar deal with the Greens to get a law passed.
It will defer concessions for foreign banks to get $20 million a year in revenue the Greens wanted spent on public facilities.
When will this debacle end?
A ROGUE Afghan National Army soldier is on the run after
shooting Australian instructors at a remote base in Afghanistan’s Oruzgan Province.
BRENDAN NICHOLSON says Attacks on Diggers by rogue Afghanis threatens withdrawal strategy
Fourteen Australian soldiers have now been shot by members of the Afghan National Army’s 4th Brigade they were training.
Four have died since May and 10 are being treated for serious wounds.
This is a terrible outcome but it is war after all.
Brendan is not alone in mentioning the withdrawal strategy as many are now calling for our withdrawal because of these rogue attacks. It is reasonable to debate our presence in Afghanistan but not to call for our withdrawal just because we are taking these sought of casualties.
I too have feel threatened by allies and can recall telling a Vietcong
Chieu Hoi that if he lead us into an ambush I would shoot him first.
He behaved himself.
The Army will have already changed tactics and protocols to deal with this but the aim of the mission needs to be maintained; not changed because the degree of difficulty increases.
Only the ALP/Greens coalition could come up with a plan that will adversely effect our economy and not help the environment and then brag about it.
Climate Change Minister Greg Combet told the ABC’s 7.30 program the climate change package was a Labor reform, not a Greens’ victory. “When you are successful in something, there are a lot of people who claim authorship,” he said.
Yeah – right.
Senator Bob Brown thinks “even the heavens are clapping” and that “it’s a great day for the human race and planet earth”.
It’s a pity that it’s not a great day for Australia! Sure as night follows day, if the Greens think it’s good then it’s catastrophic for the economy.
Piers Akerman likens it to Year Zero of the Australian economy and tend to agree.
Treasurer Wayne Swan labelled the vote as historic, claiming the reform would be a “victory for the optimists and it will be a defeat for the deniers.” He still doesn’t get it. He is suggesting that people only fall into two categories; those who believe in the ALP’s carbon Tax or climate deniers. He is forgetting the majority of people who recognize climate does change but don’t think the ALP have the answer. He will be reminded of that fact at the next election.
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