Channel Nine’s dirt-loving critter only dived lower, and faster, when the Prime Minister’s heir apparent, Peter Costello, chimed into the great debate from the cheap seats.

But, what does it all mean? This is a multiple choice question and, by way of preparation for November 24, the options are: a) bugger all, b) sweet FA, and, c) not a lot. See, isn’t democracy wonderful.

What we got in the great debate was two boring white men, chanting the party line to an audience of sycophants who weren’t supposed to interject, boo, or, even, clap politely. Not exactly the material for a ratings winner. Little wonder the majority of Australians flicked to Kath and Kim or did something relevant, like checking the Melbourne Cup form, or going for a walk.

Those who sat through the bore-a-thon, however, would have understood what this federal election has come down to – cretins at 20 paces – or 2000km, depending on the campaign schedule.

The 2007 contest is more an auction than a contest of ideas and, it raises the question, what are modern governments supposed to do? Pretty much nothing, if you listen to Howard and Rudd.

Handouts are at the centre of their worlds and they were slap-bang in the middle of the debate. Our choice, apparently, is about what disguise we would prefer them to travel under.

Howard and Rudd love Australian families. They express this devotion by lavishing short-term handouts and completely ignoring the nation-building, society-strengthening options that could make a real difference to the way they live.

Howard rocked into the debate swinging multi-billion tax cuts like an engorged todger. Rudd responded with a quick peak at shapely computers that will flicker in kiddies bedrooms across the continent, courtesy of some tax-break or other, before he signs off on Howard’s programme.

By the time this pair have finished, we’re going to have tax breaks, vouchers and Christ-knows what other form of individual subsidy, coming out our ears. All means-tested, of course.

How does this mentality flourish under “economic conservatives”, wedded to the ideals of personal responsibility, hard work and aspiration?

Wouldn’t it be better if you just restored our rights to negotiate our own wages, and working conditions, instead of pushing everyone onto the public teat?

Fellas, in case you haven’t noticed, the country’s got a health crisis; a housing crisis; the technological revolution is passing us by; public transport, in the big cities, is rooted; the bush is short of water; and the whole joint is going to burn up if we don’t do something substantial about global warming. Meanwhile, our armed forces are off pouring petrol over the fires of international terrorism.

Multi-billion surpluses mean a government worthy of the name could make significant inroads into some of these problems. Unfortunately, on the evidence of the great debate, such a government will not an option at this election

The only time, in 90 dreary minutes, anyone came near nation-building was when Rudd spoke about his plan for high-speed broadband, across the continent.

Even the worm perked up and looked, briefly, for a better world.

The post Worms And Other Low Lifes appeared first on Manic Times.

Lindsay would be a rural seat if Sydney grew like a normal city, instead of growing with tentacle-like strands of suburbia along the Great Western, Hume, Pacific and Princes Highways. Lindsay is neatly bisected by the Great Western Highway, with its borders reaching as far south as Wallacia and as far north as Agnes Banks (both of these suburbs, along with many others, were excised in a redistribution after the last election).

The heart of the seat is Penrith, and both major candidates’ have their local offices there, no more than 300 metres apart on the city’s High Street.

If the main street of a suburb is any reflection on its inhabitants, then High Street paints an interesting picture. A man’s haircut goes for $14, but with extra charged for longer hair. ‘For Lease’ signs are common, and even what appears to be the street’s most popular store, Meredith Music, advertises a ‘closing down sale’. The massage parlours are discreetly identified by their street numbers – ‘373’, ‘423’ – with the exception of the delightfully named ‘Oh Zone’. The St Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church tells me that ‘God answers knee-mail’, whilst Odin’s Oath Biker Accessories does a strong trade in bandanas, balaclavas and belt buckles.

Lindsay is also home to the University of Western Sydney, though the university also has satellite campuses at Parramatta and Bankstown. The Liberal member for Lindsay, Jackie Kelly, famously angered many local residents in 2004 when she rejected the notion of more funding for UWS on the basis that “no one in my electorate goes to uni”, adding that the seat was “pram city.”

“There’s this ‘westy’ culture where people think we’re all a bunch of bogans who just drink, get stoned, and do burnouts”, says University of Western Sydney student Whitney Eagle when I meet her at the university’s expansive Werrington campus.

Eagle moved to the area from Manly to attend UWS, ignoring the looks of consternation she received from her Stella Maris College classmates. Eagle shares the embarrassment felt by many locals at Kelly’s characterisation of the area as the domain solely of poorly-educated yobbos, which was exhibited most prominently in 2004 when she presented the Prime Minister with an “I Love Penriff” t-shirt.

Eagle points out the more sophisticated aspects of the area such as the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre – which regularly stages classical music concerts and stage plays – and the recently expanded Penrith Regional Gallery. Lindsay was, after all, named after famed artist Norman Lindsay.

Nevertheless, High Street lends pretty strong support to Kelly’s hypothesis, with the ‘westy’ stereotypes out in force. There are mullets everywhere. The women wear either too much make-up or not enough, and many of them are indeed pushing prams.

Like most of suburbia, however, the majority of commerce has moved indoors to the local Westfield, in this case Penrith Plaza. With the usual suspects on show – Cotton On, JayJays, Starbucks, Portmans, Supre, Myer, Boost Juice, JB Hi-Fi – you could be anywhere in Australia.

Penrith itself is almost a perfect reflection of the leisure outsourcing which has swept through suburban Australia, where business districts don’t just happen anymore, they’re given a designated 50 acres with a 1500 spot carpark. So too the nightlife has shifted away somewhat from the pubs which dot the main drag and towards Panthers, the mini-casino which sits opposite the local NRL team’s home ground.

The Australian Arms, Penrith and Embassy Hotels are practically empty after 6pm when I stop in for a beer. Whilst admittedly I have made my visits on a Tuesday night, Panthers, I find, is packed with post-work traffic. American travel writer Bill Bryson was quite impressed with “the vast tinkling interior” of Panthers in his book on Australia, Down Under, describing how “hundreds of pokies stood in long straight lines, and at nearly every one sat an intent figure feeding in the mortgage money”, but I am left somewhat cold by the faux glamour.

I shouldn’t worry too much about High Street, according to David Bradbury – Labor’s candidate for Lindsay – who points to NSW Government plans to turn Penrith into something of a regional city rather than a suburban outpost.
“There will be a fairly significant re-development of the town centre over the coming years”, Bradbury said. “So one of the focuses of that exercise will be to try and ensure that there’s as much vitality – not just during the day but also in terms of nightlife – in the city centre as possible.”

Bradbury is contesting Lindsay for a third time, having been defeated by Kelly at the 2001 and 2004 elections, though the signs are better for him this time. The Liberal Party currently holds the seat with a 2.9% margin over Labor, with Kelly’s 5.3% lead after the 2004 election cut down with the recent redistribution.

The redistribution should help Labor further at the coming election with the incorporation of suburbs like St Marys and Colyton on its eastern side, and the exclusion of the more rural suburbs to its north such as Londonderry. As you would expect, Labor has tended to poll better nearer the Labor-held seats (Chifley, Prospect) on its eastern side than it does in the booths nearer the Liberal-held seats to its north and west like Macquarie and Greenway.

More importantly, however, Lindsay is one of Howard’s ‘battler’ seats. It is very much a part of the aspirational mortgage belt vote that Labor is seeking to capture. As Crikey points out, “on demographics and on state results Lindsay looks as if it should be a Labor seat … Labor won’t win government if it can’t win seats like Lindsay”.

Kelly was originally elected on the back of ‘Howard’s massacre’ in 1996, with the seat recording an 11.8% swing against the ALP, the second largest in the state. However, the Liberals will be without Kelly’s star power this time, with the former Parliamentary Secretary quitting the “harsh, unforgiving, relentless” world of politics to spend more time with her family.
This time Bradbury will face off against Karen Chijoff, a local resident who curiously did not respond to my frequent requests for an interview. Her website, however, emphasises interest rates as a key issue for her.

“Like many other local families, my husband and I work hard to raise our family and pay the mortgage”, the message on her homepage reads. “That is why it is important to us that the economy is well managed. We certainly could not afford the high interest rates we had when Labor were last in power.”

Interestingly, Bradbury also identifies interest rates as one of the key issues for Lindsay.

“The local issues are very much the national issues, but with their local dimension”, he says.

“We’ve had nine significant interest rate increases. They call it a mortgage belt seat and that’s a fairly accurate description. So the increases in interest rates, along with the other increases in the cost of living, mean that many local families are really finding it tough at the moment.”

DANIEL FITZGERALD

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Richard Broinowski, a former senior Australian diplomat and author of Fact or Fission – The Truth about Australia’s Nuclear Ambitions, said the amendment “clearly could open the way to nuclear weapons-related research at ANSTO.”

He’s not alone. Academic and Friends of the Earth Nuclear campaigner Jim Green agrees that the amendment is intriguing. “I’m not a lawyer, but it seems that the explicit ban on weapons research/production in previous legislation has been replaced by a statement that ANSTO can work on nuclear weapons.”

Steven Freeland, Associate Professor of International Law at the University of Western Sydney was more moderate in qualification, “In an extreme reading the words are extremely broad. Though this is typical in matters regarding security and defence [related legislation], because we just don’t know what is going to happen.”

While ANSTO could develop nuclear weapons for the nation’s safety, it may well provoke our neighbours rather than protect us. Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand all plan on developing nuclear reactors, and if weapons development goes ahead in this country it could force neighbouring nations to step up to the next level. It could be a case of Mutually Assured Destruction ASEAN Style.

“Any or all of them would feel threatened if Australia embarked on an enrichment program, and would be prompted to develop their own weapons-capable programs. We couldn’t possibly keep such an endeavour secret, and as soon as it leaked, our neighbours would put the worst possible interpretation on it,” said Broinowski.

Australia has quite a record regarding the nuclear non-proliferation treaty it signed in 1973. Most recently, Prime Minister John Howard announced an intended commitment to sign an “in-principle” agreement to sell uranium to India, a country that has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and detonated its first nuclear weapon in 1998.

Australia’s disregard for nuclear non-proliferation grows with this latest ANSTO amendment. “In my view, the amendment to the ANSTO Act is clearly in breach of Australia’s obligations under the NPT. We are treaty-bound not to acquire or develop nuclear weapons, yet this amendment gives us the right and capacity to pursue such a course under domestic law,” said Richard Broinowski.

Luckily Australia doesn’t have to worry about repercussions outside the region. Yet.

Dr Mohamed El Baradei, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General, realised the potential for a nuclear insurance policy under the NPT in a December 2005 lecture: “Under the current [NPT] regime, there is nothing illegal about any State having enrichment or reprocessing technology, or even possessing stocks of weapon-grade nuclear material.”
“If a country with a full nuclear fuel cycle decides to break away from its non-proliferation commitments, a nuclear weapon could be only months away,” said Dr El Baradei in expanding on the theme that this backdoor to nuclear insurance was a dangerous loophole under the Treaty.

Even without the push for a tightening of the Treaty by the International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General, Australia’s nuclear insurance policy is under threat. Many are concerned locally. The Wilderness Society sought advice from the Environmental Defender’s Office (EDO), seeking clarification as to what the amendment actually meant as “there is no corresponding definition” of what purposes relate to the defence of the Commonwealth when it comes to ANSTO’s nuclear research activities.

EDO made clear in its response that ANSTO has no military power, and could only provide advice to Australian State and Federal Governments in the event of a terrorist attack.

It would seem that the amendment would most likely be used to allow ANSTO to clean up after a terrorist attack. Both EDO and Associate Professor Freeland have come to a similar conclusion. EDO said: “it would be contingent on the need to respond to a threat to national security from nuclear waste.” For Steven Freeland: “[The amendment] is highly unlikely to do with nuclear weaponry. It probably has more to do with combating attacks against Australia.”

It is unlikely the Federal Government will want to clarify the intention of its policy until after the election, but, for now, Australia has acquired a level of nuclear insurance through the legal system. When the legislation will be addressed again by a future Government, be that Labor or Liberal, remains to be seen. As Steven Freeland explained: “This law could later be challenged in the courts to rectify any concerns”.

I don’t have the cash for that, but I think we all deserve some assurance.

BLAKE ARTHUR

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Mr Warner can no longer partake in such frivolity, as he is now dead. He was killed from an enema administered by his wife. A sherry enema. Or, as it is referred to in the business, a shenema.

Brazoria County Court dropped charges against Mrs Tammy Jean Warner for negligent homicide in the May 2004 death of her husband, with the court citing a ‘lack of evidence’.

It appears Mr Warner had a throat ailment, leaving him unable to swallow alcohol. The next step was to find an alternate opening. Tammy Jean claimed that her husband was addicted to enemas, often using alcohol in his adventures.

Records show that Mr Warner inserted two bottles of sherry into her husband, raising his blood alcohol level to 0.47 percent, six times the level considered legally drunk in Texas. They are hard men in Texas.

The post Sherry Surprise appeared first on Manic Times.

Honour. Loyalty. Pride. All traits the Japanese cherish. In a land where business is conducted like warfare, codes must be upheld. For what have we, if we don’t have our dignity?

It’s therefore perfectly understandable that, upon learning that his employer had ignored his gift of jelly desserts, a Japanese worker took a truncheon to his boss’ office, destroying 22 computers and, possibly, the delicious jelly treats.

Many in Japan maintain the tradition of imparting gifts to important business contacts when the season changes, an act of respect that, apparently, should not be taken lightly. That being said, not everyone likes jelly, and perhaps chocolate swirls would have been a safer option.

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Printed on the back of a letter, from the only minister to be stripped of their portfolio after the last election, the poster features such suggestions as “You’re A-OK-my buddy”, “What an imagination” and “You’ve discovered the secret”.

“We all know the thrill of receiving a word of kindness, encouragement or appreciation every now and then,” the former Minister for Veterans Affairs writes. “Yet because of our hectic daily lives, we often forget to compliment others; even when they deserve it.”

“A father who praises his children can have such a positive influence in their lives. If he calls them champions, they will think the whole world regards them as champions, and that is exactly what they will become.”

“This poster is sent to you with my compliments with some suggestions in praise of the special people in your life. I am sure you can improve upon this. And if you do not have any children at your house, cross out the word ‘child’ and write the name of your special someone and watch the power of praise work its magic at your place.”

“P.S. A hug is worth a thousand words.”

Vale, who was such a popular Minister for Veterans Affairs that someone even formed an Ex-Service, Service and Veterans Party to run against her at the last election, is probably best remembered for her opposition to the RU486 abortion pill on the basis that it would lead to a Muslim takeover of Australia.

“I’ve actually read in the Daily Telegraph where a certain Imam from the Lakemba mosque actually said that Australia is going to be a Muslim nation in 50 years’ time,” she said in February 2006.

“I didn’t believe him at the time but when you actually look at the birthrates and you look at the fact that we are aborting ourselves almost out of existence by 100,000 abortions every year. “

“You multiply that by 50 years, that’s 5 million potential Australians we won’t have here.”
However, many will also remembered Vale for placing herself at the centre of the Alan Jones/ABA scandal in 2004, when she mistakenly faxed a letter of support urging Jones to “stay brave and true” to Jones’ rival John Laws, who then read the letter out to his listeners.

Hughes resident Daniel Fitzgerald was delighted to find that Vale had since moved on to sending less controversial, though no less flowery, letters.

“This is the first letter I’ve received from Danna, and I have to say it was worth the wait”, Fitzgerald said. “I thought it might be something about what she’s been doing for the electorate, maybe telling us what she’s actually achieved in three years, but this is just so much better.”

“Some people will say this is a shameless attempt to build up a positive image in the lead-up to the election or to divert attention away from the fact that she’s a crap politician, but I don’t see it that way. The fact is, people not praising their children is probably the greatest problem facing the electorate right now, and it’s Danna’s responsibility to make sure we do these things.”

“It’s nice to get parenting advice from someone who only sees their kids about six months of the year.”

Vale has been relatively quiet since she was one of four ministers in August to publicly voice their doubts over the existence of global warming.

“There’s great contention amongst the science community about if indeed there is contribution from human beings, or indeed the degree to which there is,” she said.

Many, however, are still looking forward to another few years of Vale, with the 62 year-old expected to retain her seat at the coming election.

“People say she’s an embarrassment to the electorate, but I don’t agree” Fitzgerald says. “If anything her bizarre outbursts have put us on the map. Questionable grammar aside, this letter is a return to form.”

“My one criticism would be that the compliments aren’t in Danna’s idiom. Maybe next time she can have stuff like ‘I’m glad I didn’t abort you out of existence, champ’ or ‘Stay brave and true, little buddy’.”

“I worry too that she’s fishing for compliments a bit, maybe encouraging people to praise each other a bit more because no one has praised her for anything in so long.”

“If I can quote her poster: Danna, you make me laugh.”

The post Danna Vale: PIN-UP GIRL appeared first on Manic Times.

They understand the Kyoto Protocol is the real deal, even if they are hazy on the details. Gentlemen’s agreements for nations to reduce emissions are as useless as voluntary ‘rules’ to stop big polluters dumping poison in a river, or the global atmosphere.

But what is not yet clear is how the September leaders’ meeting in Sydney is a smokescreen for other, non-ecological threats to pax suburbia.

The nineteenth century struggle between Britain and Russia over control of Afghanistan and its neighbourhood was referred to as The Great Game, in polite company. Peter Hartcher describes the current regional game in The Diplomat this month, ‘the world has never seen the rise of new great power without war. Yet today we see the rise of two great powers in China and India.’ While John Howard is promoting his impending world leadership gala, China and India are mixing it up with fellow nuclear gang member Russia, and its aspiring homies, Iran and the ‘Stans, in the woefully under-reported Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The SCO arose in the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse, to demilitarize the border between its successor states (Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan) and China. Western experts said it was not important.

In 2001, the organization added Uzbekistan and renamed itself the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Mongolia won observer status in 2004 and Iran, Pakistan, and India became observers in 2005. The SCO proclaimed its intention to fight terrorism and Western experts said it was now a bit important, but not in a military sense.

Then earlier this month, SCO heads of state met in Kyrgyzstan at a joint-military exercise involving fighter jets, helicopters and about 6000 troops, called ‘Peace Mission 2007’. Russian President Putin proclaimed regular flights by ‘strategic’ bombers, deep outside Russian airspace in the Pacific and Europe. In this context, ‘strategic’ is policy-wonk for ‘carrying, or able to carry, nuclear weapons over vast distances for the purpose of killing tens of millions of innocent civilians’. But ‘strategic’ is more relaxed and comfortable.

None of the experts are saying that Russia actually intends to bomb anyone, or even load nukes on the bombers, but you do not build strategic weapons out of a DIY urge. As APEC’s architect, former PM Paul Keating pointed out last week, war is a looming cloud over our region and, ‘The nuclear genie which was set free in 1945 can now be possessed by any number of half-competent states.’

Nuclear weapons are the biggest bling that can be bought, in the gang war known as the international system of states. Uranium is the only absolute constraint on bomb building and selling it to the SCO proper, or fellow-travelers like India, is an invitation to proliferate nukes.

While APEC is run on the eBay model – if you got it, sell it – the real ‘strategic’ game is being played out elsewhere. Lets hope none of the Aussie uranium that home-boy Downer pimps at APEC ever rains down in a mushroom cloud over New Delhi, Taipei, Tokyo or Sydney. Until then, be alert not alarmed old chums, your government is here to protect you. Trade is peace.

Dan Cass works for Greenpeace. These are his own personal views.

image : https://www.2gb.com/

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The scalping came with the NSW Supreme Court decision to block access to records that would unmask lenders behind escalating house repossessions.

Basis Capital Yield Master Fund, an offshoot of hedge fund Basis Capital, went tits up on Thursday with the appointment of a liquidator to freeze overseas assets. Joint liquidators were named in the Cayman Islands, Britain and Australia.

Problem investment in collateralised debt obligations have been identified. These instruments have been savaged in the credit market slide.
Non-bank mortgage lender RAMS Home Loans Group has also seen its share price plummet.

Basis Yield news broke as the NSW Supreme Court refused the Australian Bankers Association and the Consumer Credit Legal Centre access to records that would finger the real lenders behind the surge in home repossessions.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported, last week, that $500 million in Australian subprime loans were technically in default. The vast majority of this finance is arranged through the non-bank sector.

Repossessions are enforced through Supreme Court actions. Last year, the NSW Supreme Court, ordered 5363 repossession writs. But Supreme Court Justice, Jim Spiegelman, said about 18,000 court files would have to be reviewed, raising issues of privacy and practicality.

The post Home Repossessions and Liquidations…The Financial Crisis Continues… appeared first on Manic Times.

Experienced union officials, including one fingered as a bully by politicians, have been taken aback by abuse and threats hurled by a Sydney boss.

Independent producer, Brad Diebert, cut up rough after Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance official, Simon Whipp, told performers on his gangster movie they were entitled to a better deal.

“Listen here, Simon Whipp, you slanderous motherfucker,” Diebert warmed up. “You are up for it buddy … so, fuck you … listen here, motherfucker, you and me see each other in the street and you better walk away, you cunt, because I am going to rip your fucking eyes out.”

We know this is exactly what Diebert said because, not being the sharpest tack in the drawer, he left his message on the MEAA answerphone.

Victorian ETU secretary, Dean Mighell, said Diebert’s negotiating strategy was flawed.

“Profanity without principle is worthless,” Mighell told Manic Times.

“He (Diebert) sounds like the sort of guy who would benefit from some union training. I think he would find that a little more professionalism would go a long way, and get better results.”

CFMEU mining division secretary, Tony Maher, said Diebert’s approach was not unique among the employing class.

“We have all had experiences of being stood over by employers,” Maher said. “Personally, I have had the CEO of a mining company try to intimidate me in a courtroom.

Employers are not beyond this sort of thing and never have been.

“But, it’s not very smart and it lacks professionalism. I think Kevin should throw him out of the party.”

Whipp told Manic Times he had been shocked and a “little bit amused” by Diebert’s grubby tirade.

“We had had a couple of exchanges of emails and a couple of conversations that hadn’t been particularly heated. What got him upset was that, based on the budget he had supplied, we had told him there was enough money to pay performers the minimum rate for turning up on the day.”

Unions NSW assistant secretary, Mark Lennon, said the Diebert outburst highlighted the hypocrisy of the federal government.

“We haven’t heard boo from them,” Lennon said. “If this had been a union official talking to an employer, there would be hell to pay.”

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