Another way for Liberals to deal with reality is to deny actual reality:

from Bronwyn Bishop:

Julia Gillard won fewer seats than the Coalition and did not win a majority. She only got sworn is as a result of deals.

Whingeing won’t hide the fact that the Coalition won more seats than Labor, 73 to 72 and more primary votes.

She stitched up a deal with Labor’s factional heavies to execute Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister to take over herself and now has stitched up another deal, this time with 1 Green 1 Independent (ex Green, ex Liberal) and 2 Independents who are ex National Party members and she wants this to be known as a legitimate Prime Ministership.

Gillard said recently at the weekend that she would not move into The Lodge until she was “elected by the Australian people”. By any stretch of the imagination she was not so elected, but that has not stopped her moving in.

Heavens, she’ll even be able to invite Kloppers over for tea to celebrate his success and her unmitigated failure to put the interest of the Australian people first.

http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/spare-us-the-whingeing-julia/?from=scroller&pos=2&referrer=article&link=image

There you have it... framing of reality in a small window. Beautiful. Can only see Labor blocking the view and not the Liberal garbage heap they live in... And of course Marius Kloppers, BHP-Billiton head-honcho is a traitor...

And the interest of the Australian people? See comment above: SO, WHAT ARE THE TENETS OF BEING A LIBERAL? which should be the interest of the Australian people, as long as you are a teneted Liberal...

Isn't this stupid statement by the "Joker" of Parliament typical of her blind faith in the abuse of democracy by making accusations without any modicum of proof? And then waiting for her accused to defend them.  How cowardly Liberal of her?

Why oh why doesn't Labor use even an ounce of the proof they have of Coalition misdemeanours (or even if they haven't) to make Labor voters feel that we have as much artillery at least as the warmongers who diminish our international status and our personal pride?

I understand that, figuratively speaking, the Murdoch media closed the door on any positive achievements by the Rudd government being conveyed to the public.  No contest.

IMHO after indicating to the trusting Labor Party that Julia would be an ideal alternative - and the naivety of Labor to accept that - made Murdoch's mission much easier.

In simple but too often ignored terms - the media elects governments in democracies.  Simple as that.

It was fascinating to note the "bad press" that Labor received for a continuous period of perhaps six months when, in fact, all plans were succeeding by a significantly overwhelming majority.  The Abbott/Murdoch plan was to discredit any possible acknowledgement by the Australian people that Labor had saved us from recession and massive loss of employment.

Let's assume for a moment that I am wrong and Labor has just achieved a massive surge of support from the people of W.A.  Who would tell us?  Who would give us the facts? The Post Office - the ABC child care?  Fair dinkum, at least give yourself the credit of knowing that your information is as much filtered and adjusted as it would be during a state of war but - by an unelected and profit seeking conglomerate.

At the present time, the media is following the lead by Murdoch and delving into any possible weakness in the independents. These are elected persons and it should be up to their constituents as to whether they have served them or not.

IMHO there will be outrageous accusations by the Murdoch Liberals against the independents in the hope that the absolute pressure will make them cave in (this pressure comes from the media). There isn’t any public information centre to protect them and even now the ridicule of the good intentions of Rob Oakshott (is that right) will not bring him or Tony Windsor undone.  They have served their constituents effectively and with honour.

It is surely our duty as Australian citizens to respect and defend the right of Australian politicians to be independent – is it not?

Ashamedly, the Abbott adversarial and “destructive” intentions in our Parliament are being supported by the foreign interests.  A nation in turmoil is an easy target.

As I have previously mentioned – the abuse of clowns like Brandis to insult our intelligence regarding the constitution was a game breaker.

I believe that the current Murdoch controlled Liberal/National/ABC coalition is too organized to be an accident.

With all of the pain and sadness of our young people being involved in wars of choice simply for the loyalty to the US, then as Malcolm Fraser said, we are too servile to our American friends.

Simply put – never believe what you read in the newspapers and only half of what you actually see.  NE OUBLIE.

Careful Tony, the Liberals are talking over every other person again.  Sofia Mirabella was an example of "born to rule" in that the Liberals believe that any argument against them is almost treason.  Conversely, Stephen Conroy's dignity was an indication perhaps of the Labor policy of "moving forward".

May I say that the multi - variety of comments on the NBN really boils down to two "financially" opposed points of view.  Public and private enterprise.

Very few Australians would know the massive foreign debt that the Howard "New Order" built up by selling our assets and guess what, returning a surplus.

The value of the NBN will undoubtedly increase as time goes by but, the Liberals want foreign enterprise "investment" to take over and the Labor government wants no cutting corners or saving cents and pennies, to make us as good as the best in the world.  Who do you support?

The fragility of our progressive and National Interest ambitions is sadly abused by the foreign media with the assisted obstructionism of the Abbott Coalition.

Abbott and his left over’s are only examples of what could happen to our Parliament should it be handed over to the Murdoch Empire.

Media – media – media – that is the cancer of democracy.  NE OUBLIE.

The first Indigenous Australian elected to the Lower House of Federal Parliament has thanked former prime minister Kevin Rudd for the apology to the Stolen Generations.

Ken Wyatt, who won the West Australian seat of Hasluck for the Liberals, has made his inaugural speech in Parliament and again wore a traditional kangaroo-skin cloak.

He wore it at the official opening of Parliament yesterday.

Mr Wyatt says his mother was a member of the Stolen Generations but unfortunately did not live to hear the words delivered in the apology.

"When the former prime minister delivered the apology on February 13, 2008 in this chamber, I shed tears for my mother and her siblings," he said.

"My mother and her siblings, along with many others, did not live to hear the words delivered in the apology, which would have meant a great deal to them individually.

"I felt a sense of relief that the pain of the past had been acknowledged and that the healing could begin.

"On behalf of my mother, her siblings and all Indigenous Australians, I as an Aboriginal voice in this chamber, say thank you for the apology delivered in the Federal Parliament.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/29/3025330.htm

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See toon of Ms Sophie Mirabella in regard to that subject at top.. Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella has denied the existence of a Stolen Generation confirming she was among six Coalition MPs and senators who boycotted the apology...

My Wife and I watched Question Time in the House of Representatives this afternoon and we came to these conclusions.....

1.  Harry Jenkins did a good job as Speaker - as always - but for some reason the mincing poodle was all but hiding his narcissus image.

2.  Abbott has developed an air of total arrogance now that Murdoch has remade his appearance change by not facing questions - like continually refusing to be interviewed by the 7:30 report and Kerrie O’Brien.  It is safe to say that if Julia Gillard did that it would be front page in every News Ltd. and News Corp. media outlets with outrage and disgust.

3.  The neo-cons keep up the Howard "New Order" method of accusing the Government of doing what they the Liberals are really doing themselves.  For example Abbott DID renege on the deal that he helped "script and signed" like his no return of WorkChoice methods guarantee.  I agree with Tony Windsor, Abbott continues to prove that he is unsuitable to govern and cannot be trusted by anyone, even his own conned associates.

4.  It seems reasonable to me that the Prime Minister has been forced to review her promises since they were made with the expectation of a safe majority and now, must depend on the independents and the Greens (Senate) both of whom she is not empowered to speak for.

5.  The Liberal/Nationals coalition, formed by R.G. Menzies because he found it too hard to beat Labor on primary votes and he also introduced preferential voting to assist that merger.  Now the hypocrites are jumping up and down because the Menzies' method proved in favour of Labor by the barest of margins.

6.  Abbott’s body language and his constant repetition of claimed past failures by Labor seemed to us to be a little over the top.  Even Morrison was not so convincing with his interview about boat people.

COMMENT:  All in all it was not a very inspiring affair.  Julia kept her cool as always and made her statements and answers precise and unequivocal. The “smiling Joker” Mz. Bishop senior, was again forced to withdraw one of her smart arse remarks.  It seemed to us that the P.M. was right when she considered that the Liberal/National/ABC/Murdoch coalition is searching for something to argue about and is only going over its election tirades which did not deliver to them the power of government.

I guess that we will have to wait to hear what mistakes the Labor government has made according to Murdoch and his cronies.  After all, the Abbott/Murdoch method relies heavily on accusations without foundation and is given maximum coverage by the MSM.  Future legislation may well be decided by the Independents in the lower house and the Greens in the Senate.  Now WHO would Murdoch blame for that?

What a shame that the current situation of, what the neo-cons call the “Rainbow Coalition” of Labor/Greens and Independents - is hoisting the Abbott lot by their own petard.  NE OUBLIE.

...

Do we say ''small-l lap dancer'' to distinguish men's club practitioners from prancing nomads in Lappland? Why then do we need the phrase ''small-l liberal''?

Robert Menzies, colossus of conservative politics and master of irony, hoodwinked the electorate in 1944 when christening his newly minted anti-Labor party. Instead of naming his brainchild the Conservative, Tory or Loyalist party, he aimed for the middle-class vote, his ''forgotten people''. In 2010 we talk of ''mainstream'' or ''swinging'' voters. John Howard appropriated the term ''battlers''. Mark Latham spoke of ''aspirationals''. Pig-iron Bob mastered wedge politics before they had a name. That cunning linguist knew there'd be nothing liberal about his Liberals, and yet his new party's name hinted at a Whig tradition of moderation and common sense, evoking Lloyd George, Gladstone and Alfred Deakin.

Bob and his right-Ming followers succeeded in shanghaiing a political term that meant ''middle-of-the-road reformist'' in Britain, and in the USA was tantamount to ''socialist''. A hero to his forgotten people and a raging political success. That's how we like our irony served Down Under: well done. Liberal equals Conservative? Must puzzle the heck out of American psephologists. Now we witness the birth of an ironic coalition in Britain, the ConDems. And talk of proportional representation? Aussie Rules, OK?

http://www.nationaltimes.com.au/opinion/politics/how-we-like-our-irony-served-down-under-well-done-20100517-v9hc.html

------------------------

See toon at top. To Sophie Mirabella shame, also add the names of Wilson Tuckey, Don Randall, Alby Schultz, Dennis Jensen and NSW Senator Concietta Fierravanti-Wells.

Nothing liberal about the Liberals....

After apparently calling one of his own party's ideas crazy, Liberal MP Don Randall has also taken a swipe at the national broadcaster.

As cameras rolled the Federal MP from Western Australia made the odd remark about the ABC as he entered the doors of Parliament this morning.

Shortly before the doorstop interview began in Canberra, Mr Randall made the comment.

"Not my ABC. Gay-BC," he said.

Journalists waiting at the doorstop had instructed him to stand in a certain spot for the interview.

The spot they pointed to was marked out by card with an ABC logo on it.

Mr Randall reportedly stomped on the card, before making the remarks about the ABC.

Cameras and microphones at the doorstop captured the utterance and it was not long before Mr Randall's comments were published on Twitter and circulating the internet.

A spokesman for Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said Mr Randall's comment "was tacky and should not have been said".

The gaffe tops off a bad morning for Mr Randall, who earlier rubbished a Liberal Party idea in the mistaken belief it had come from the Greens.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/21/3044529.htm

---------------------------

Gus: Don Randall (see also above) should resign. He has shown he is not a worthy intelligent parliamentarian. Tony should sack him if randall does not want to go... If Tony has no leverage on Randall then Tony should sack himself. So should a lot of them Liberals (ultra-conservatives) as well... See toon at top and articles below it...

Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan says he is "appalled" after an Opposition MP compared Prime Minister Julia Gillard to embattled Libyan leader Moamar Gaddafi.

As part of the heated carbon tax debate, Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella said Ms Gillard was as "deluded" as Mr Gaddafi, whose sanity has been questioned in recent days.

"If Ms Gillard believes Australians want to pay higher electricity and higher petrol prices, she is as deluded as Colonel 'my people love me' Gaddafi," she said.

A defiant Ms Mirabella stood by her comments when quizzed over their appropriateness, but Mr Swan says it is unacceptable for politicians to be making such comparisons.

"I have been surprised and then subsequently appalled by what appears to be a very deliberate strategy from the Liberal Party frontbench to compare ministers and the Prime Minister to terrorists and murderous dictators," he said.

The Treasurer says the comments are symptomatic of a trend within the Coalition, which he fears is following the path of conservative US politicians.

"The sort of images they are using are outrageous and I think they are dangerous for our country," he said.

"There's been a debate about this in the United States. I don't want to see us go down that road. I don't want to be here talking about these things, and they should desist."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/02/3153298.htm

see toon at top and story under it...

Women in power

"We've seen people compared with dogs, we've seen them suggest they should be put down, we've had remarks about them being involved in cat fights if they're women and now we have this particular instance referring to a woman's dress," he said.

"I think what we're seeing here is an expression by the Liberal Party in South Australia that some of its members are uncomfortable with women in positions of power.

"I mean you wonder if the SA Liberals have caught up with the fact that women have got the vote?"

Media advisor to Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond, Nic Nolan, told commercial television he was sure heads would roll over the remark in the news release, which the party said was sent in error to one Adelaide media outlet.

Ms Redmond indicated later she was dealing with the matter but would be making no other comment.

Liberal agriculture spokesman Adrian Pederick is one of the only Opposition MPs to have commented in the wake of the latest matter, having been asked if there were a sexist culture in the Liberal Party.

"We have a female leader, Isobel Redmond, and she is doing a great job," he said.

Opposition MP and deputy leader Mitch Williams has previously been in hot water for a comment directed at Transport Services Minister Chloe Fox about her father.

Another SA Liberal Michael Pengilly was forced to apologise for calling Prime Minister Julia Gillard "a real dog" in a comment he posted on Twitter, later claiming he had not mastered the technology.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-09/weatherill-condemns-liberal-david-pisoni-for-black-dress-remark/4187460

see toon and article at top...

BOSSES are increasingly attending doctor appointments with sick employees - and in some cases trying to alter their medical certificates to get them back to work sooner, unions say.
The trend, observed by the ACTU, raises unions' fears that the privacy of ill workers is being eroded. ACTU assistant secretary Michael Borowick said the council had seen a rise in the number of workers being given false or misleading information about their rights when ill or injured.
''The treatment of ill and injured workers is a growing concern,'' he said. ''Employers, insurers and employer representatives are increasingly attending actual medical appointments with injured workers and, in some cases, forcing workers to attend company doctors.
''We've also had reports of doctors being pressured to change medical certificates and return-to-work plans.''

AMA president Steve Hambleton said the report suggested a shift from ''coercion instead of communication'' by companies dealing with work claims.
In one case raised with the ACTU, ''employee C'' lodged a formal complaint with her company, ''Q'', alleging that her manager had contacted her doctor without her knowledge and changed her medical certificate to say ''partial incapacity'' instead of ''total incapacity''.
Another report alleges an employee was told it was ''company policy'' for managers to attend doctors' appointments.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/bosses-intruding-on-workers-doctor-visits-20120925-26jh6.html#ixzz27Z1KHL9a

From Barry Everingham, IA

Way back in 2001, your correspondent asked Sophie what her mother would think if her daughter was running around with the likes of the [disgraced and disgraceful] former senator [Noel Crichton-Browne], who only that week had publicly told a female reporter from the Australian Financial  Review he would “like to screw her tits off”!

Her appearances on ABC’s Q&A have many Liberals squirming — as does her behaviour in Question Time in the House of Representatives, where here arrogance is given full poison vent.

Many of the more moderate Liberals were shocked when, on one memorable occasion, Mirabella called out as the beautiful Kate Ellis moved towards the Table to answer a question “here’s the weather girl”!

Her racism came to the  came to the fore when she absented herself from the House when Kevin Rudd made his famous apology to Indigenous Australians.

read more: http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/mirabellas-shaky-hold-on-indi/

---------------------------------

One of the major problem is that moderate liberals (conservatives) are a political dying breed in favour of the full-on rabid extreme right wing nutters.... Any small L liberal (conservative) out there in the population should vote for Mr Rudd, of course. They have no choice.

See toon and article from top...

The Australian Electoral Commission has confirmed it has found 1,000 misplaced votes in favour of independent candidate Cathy McGowan for the northern Victorian seat of Indi.

Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella is battling to hold on to her seat, which she held by a margin of 9 per cent in the face of a strong challenge from Ms McGowan.

The votes will see Ms McGowan's lead extended to 1,700 votes on a two-candidate preferred basis.

The votes were found at the Wangaratta pre-polling station after the AEC revealed there were 1,000 more Senate votes lodged at the station than those for the House of Representatives.

The AEC says the votes were counted on the night but not entered into the computer system.

Steve Kennedy from the AEC says an administration error is to blame for the discrepancy.

"On the McGowan box of first preference votes a one was put there instead of a two so it was 1115 rather than 2115," he said.

"In all the confusion in the early hours of Sunday someone has written the incorrect number, that's why we do this recounting and rechecking."

AEC staff are now counting pre-poll, postal and absentee votes, which usually favour the incumbent.

Labor and Greens preferences will flow to Ms McGowan.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-11/misplaced-votes-extend-mcgowans-lead-over-mirabella-in-indi/4951666

Former Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella has conceded defeat in the hotly-contested poll in the Victorian electorate of Indi.

Mrs Mirabella put out a statement saying she had contacted independent Cathy McGowan to congratulate her on her win.

The count is continuing but Ms McGowan has a lead of 387 votes.

The statement came just as the new Abbott Government was being sworn in in Canberra.

Mrs Mirabella had been expected to be a member of the cabinet but withdrew when the count dragged on.

"I want to thank the electors of Indi for their support over the last decade," Mrs Mirabella said in a statement.

"They have enriched my life and that of my family and, together, we have achieved so much for our community," she said.

Mrs Mirabella also thanked those who voted for the Liberal Party in this election and in the four previous elections.

"This election is over and the responsibility for the outcome is mine," she said.

"Despite the closeness of the count, I have decided not to seek a recount.

"I unreservedly accept the decision of the democratic process."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-18/another-500-votes-to-be-counted-in-tight-contest-in-victorian-s/4964708

------------------------------------------

Now that Mirabella has been booted out of politics, can she be given her marching orders out of being yet again a guest on Q&A, ABC TV...???. Are the "secured" promises of moneys of Mirabella to "her" electorate still "secure?

We shall see. 

The former Liberal frontbencher, Sophie Mirabella, has been appointed to the board of a federal government submarine maintenance organisation.

Mirabella served as the shadow minister for innovation, industry and science until the September election, when she lost her Victorian regional seat of Indi to independent challenger Cathy McGowan.

The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, issued a statement on Tuesday naming Mirabella as one of three appointees to the board of ASC – formerly known as the Australian Submarine Corporation. The organisation has responsibility for repair, maintenance and design upgrades through the life of the Navy’s six Collins Class submarines.

Cormann pointed to Mirabella’s past shadow cabinet roles as relevant to the appointment. “Combined with her legal background and her extensive experience working with the manufacturing industry, Mrs Mirabella will make a valuable contribution to the board,” he said.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/17/sophie-mirabella-to-join-board-of-submarine-maintenance-organisation

I have the feeling that Cormann tried to defuse the idea of a job for the boys... er, I mean job for the girls — as long as they are from the rabid-right rat pack... I could be wrong though...

Former federal Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella has been escorted from a lecture at Melbourne University after it was apparently overrun by protesters.

Mobile phone footage shows Ms Mirabella being guided out of the room while people chant.

They appear to be protesting against recent changes to higher education that could result in students paying higher fees and greater interest on loans for their degrees.

The university's computer system was also hijacked with photos of Margaret Thatcher loaded on the screens.

Ms Mirabella later returned to deliver the rest of her lecture on politics and the media, after police and security ejected the rowdy protesters.

The former MP was appointed a public policy fellow at her alma mater in March, in a role the university said would involve her assisting students, delivering lectures and organising public policy seminars and forums.

This year, the Abbott government announced Ms Mirabella would be joining the Australian Submarine Board.

Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop was mobbed by students when she visited the University of Sydney. Security staff had to usher Ms Bishop from the scene while students heckled her.

First-year arts student Kate Lawrence said students were notified last night that Ms Mirabella would deliver this morning's lecture.

She said a group of protesters entered the lecture theatre, including two with megaphones, and began yelling before the former MP was led away.

Some protesters confronted Ms Mirabella at the front of the theatre.

Ms Mirabella also took questions from the students at the end of the lecture. "She came back in and everybody was applauding," Ms Lawrence said.

Police confirmed they were called about 10am to the Grattan Street campus where about 20 protesters were demonstrating.

There were no injuries or arrests. Police have no plans to pursue the matter any further at this stage.

Sophie Mirabella suspects the Victorian Liberal Party campaign headquarters is behind a series of damaging leaks to journalists to undermine her as she battles to reclaim the regional seat of Indi from independent Cathy McGowan.

• Ms Mirabella says of former party:"It doesn't matter what Collins Street says"
• Believes Victorian Liberal HQ behind damaging press leaks
• Head to Australia Votes for more election coverage
  

When asked would it surprise her if last Monday's story in The Australian, with the headline, "Mirabella: she's cooked", actually emanated from her own camp, the former member for Indi, who lost by just 439 votes in 2013, laughed ruefully.

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-16/mirabella-suspects-liberal-hq-of-leaking-against-her/7419034

Read from Top...

Sophie has made the bed she's lying in. And I mean she's made the pigsty in which she was trying to do some pork barrelling  with cash she did not have or cash that was rescinded by her mates. Who knows. She has no credibility. She should stop trying to become a politician once more, not to say that most polllies have no credibility either, but she takes the cake.

The Federal Government has denied it is trying to silence environmental activists, as prominent voices in the environment and charities sectors speak out against a series of regulatory changes.

• Federal government is proposing changes to regulations dealing with charities
• Some environmental groups could face the loss of their tax-deductible charity status
• Charities concerned about appointment of coal seam gas company boss
• Government will not re-appoint charities commissioner

As Treasury canvasses a proposal to limit tax concessions for green groups, there have been changes at the top of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), including the appointment of Peter Hogan, chairman of coal seam gas company, Carbon Energy, to the regulator's advisory board.

That has raised the ire of environment groups, many of which are registered charities.

"We've got the Turnbull Government arranging to put the fox in charge of the chicken coop," former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown told 7.30.

read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-31/charities-crackdown-threatens-stat...

read from top...

Australian charities are avoiding political advocacy and “self-silencing” out of a fear that dissent will attract political retribution, a new report has found.

Published by Pro Bono Australia and the Human Rights Law Centre, the Civil Voices report found that charities and non-government organisations operate in an “insidious” environment where “self-censorship” is rife because of funding agreements, management pressure and the “implied repercussions” of political speech.

One of the report’s co-authors, University of Melbourne associate professor Sarah Maddison, said the findings were “fairly insidious”.

“We’ve moved away from the really overtly hostile period of governance of the civil society sector,” Maddison said. “Instead what we are seeing is that the sector itself has taken on board some of those concerns into a mode of operation that we’re calling self-silencing.

“Our once vocal, sometimes strident, advocacy sector, bringing the voice and the experience of Australia’s most marginalised communities to the fore and helping government make better policy, has been effectively silenced both by governments and now by itself.” 

The report surveyed 1,400 people in the charity sector, and found 65% of state-based NGOs feel restricted in what they can say publicly by funding agreements, compared to 42% of national organisations.

As well, 69% of organisations believe organisations that dissent from the government risk having their funding cut, and 53% believe NGOs are pressured to amend public statements to be in line with government policy.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/12/australian-charit...

Read above and from top...