Friday 29th of March 2024

the art of doing a lot when not trying...

magic pudding

Only a few months ago Bill Shorten would have thought that if he won the election he'd be delivering same-sex marriage and a royal commission into banks early in his government.

Now Malcolm Turnbull is bringing us both — in each case, his hand forced by a (different) group of rebel backbenchers.

The marriage bill, which will go through the House of Representatives next week, has some disgruntled conservatives arcing up after the Senate rejected their amendments, but Mr Turnbull will mark it down as one of the achievements of his prime ministership.

It's another matter with the banking royal commission.

Seldom is a government's impotence and frustration as much on display as it was when Mr Turnbull finally capitulated and announced on Thursday that the Government would establish the inquiry it has so long resisted and denounced.

For quite a time political hardheads had been arguing the Government should accept the inevitable and "own" an inquiry. Well, now it does — and what a reluctant owner it is, miserable and bitter.

Mr Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison lamented that setting up the royal commission, which covers superannuation and insurance providers as well as banking, was "regrettable but necessary", driven by the political circumstances in which they found themselves.

In the end, there wasn't a choice.

read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-01/banking-royal-commission-governmen...

 

the grumpy magic pudding...

 

New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro has called on Malcolm Turnbull to quit, saying he should give Australians a Christmas gift and go.

Key points:
  • Mr Barilaro is the most senior Coalition MP to publicly call for the PM's resignation
  • He became NSW Nationals leader in November 2016
  • Mr Turnbull said Mr Barilaro has his number and "can call me anytime"

 

"Turnbull is the problem, the Prime Minister is the problem," he told Radio 2GB.

"He should step down, allow for a clean-out of what the leadership looks like federally.

"And whoever governs the country needs to make sure that they put the country and its people first.

"You've got a party in disarray, a Coalition Government in disarray and a community not unified and that is all at the feet of the Prime Minister of Australia," the state Nationals leader said.

Read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-01/barilaro-calls-on-malcolm-turnbull...

 

New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro has understood nothing... It's obvious that Malcolm isn't doing anything "screaming and kicking". Malcolm's inaction over the last few years is paying off. The naysayers in the Party of Menzies have helped issues along without Trumble having to do a single thing apart from counting the members number in the chambers.

Malcolm is the grumpy magic pudding that keeps on giving. 

loafing towards success...

 

only yoooo-ou...

Next week is the last scheduled parliamentary sitting week of the year. It's the so-called "killing season" for prime ministers. It will bring a heavy seasonal onset of speculation about Malcolm Turnbull's future.

The speculation likely will be feverish. It is not a media confection. There is a growing sense of hopelessness besetting Coalition MPs and senators.

But Turnbull is not about to be replaced. Why not? We've been conditioned to expect it as part of a political reflex when a prime minister is in trouble. Parties kill off leaders as readily as you might clear your throat from some irritant.

Turnbull's time in office of two years and two months is already longer than the average of the past four prime ministerial terms – one year and 11 months.

read more:

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/malcolm-turnbull-can-breathe-easy-this-wil...

no more deal with the devil...

 

Malcolm Turnbull has declared that his government will not be making any preference deals with One Nation at the federal election, saying they worked against the Liberal National party in the Queensland election last month.

He encouraged voters to expect personal income tax cuts before the next election, saying they are the “next priority” for his government.

He also hinted that intelligence and law enforcement agencies could be investigating Labor senator Dastyari, following revelations that Dastyari warned the billionaire Chinese donor Huang Xiangmo last year, who has links to the Chinese Communist party, that his phone was likely tapped by intelligence agencies.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/03/malcolm-turnbull-...

See also:

http://www.yourdemocracy.net.au/drupal/node/33082

In regard to Dastyari, the Trumble magic pudding hypocrisy prevails...

See also:

santa malcolm and the voting bunnies....