Howard sets sights on Bennelong seat

Prime Minister John Howard has announced that if he wins the election he will serve a full term in the seat of Bennelong.

He says if Treasurer Peter Costello takes over as leader of the Coalition, he will remain in Parliament and sit on the backbench.

"If I'm returned and the Government is returned at the coming election, I'll serve my full term as the member for Bennelong, the full three years, and I won't be inflicting a by-election on the people of my electorate," he said.

Earlier this week, Mr Howard said that if re-elected he would retire well into the term and hand over the leadership reins to Mr Costello.

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Gus: The PM may get re-elected in his seat of Been'eretoolong... but Maxine should be elected in Bennelong...

Although the rich morons of the neo-conservative Republican party will do much to deny it, Alan Greenspan admission that "I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil." is a BIG [HUGE] step in showing to the world how low our ethics, led by the US, have come down to since the turn of the century.

Sure, here on this site we are a small part of many who knew that the Iraq war was about oil, but this recognition by the man who used to "run" the US economy at the Fed Bank in the US, is massive. MASSIVE... It is not a senior moment... It is a liberation of Mr Greenspan own guilt in which he recognises the ills a George W Bush has inflicted upon a nation — and the whole world — just to acquire resources and line the pockets of the rich with indecent amounts of money.

In a cold analysis, the Iraq war is small potato... What's the death of 600,000 people (or is it 1,2 million deaths as recently reported in The Guardian), when one can control the supply of oil from that part of the world for another 50 years, to supply nearly three billion people at huge profits? Yes we're looking at about 4 or 5 thousand trillions dollars here in today's currency.... And as a bonus of killing people in Iraq we get closer to Iran, another very oil rich nation, to do the same thing under falser pretences than in Iraq... Slowly but surely, sanity is eroded under the spruiked banner of "if we don't act now we may suffer later..." But, hey, what can't we do to have a decent petrol price? And we do not care if the petrol companies milk the supply... and our consumption... A few extra cents won't make that much difference in our pocket but will make billions in the petrol supply departments...

In a little war like the war on Iraq — in which you directly kill say 100,000 max. (including Saddam's 40.000 half-hearted soldiers) and in which you then let the populace kill each other so you can control the source of the loot — you achieve maximisation of acquirement and help fill your own growing needs for oil (stuff that global thingy-warmy)... No, not olive oil here but fuel for Detroit's SUVs and Renton's Boeing planes loaded with tourists enjoying the other "free" parts of the world — those places where the economies are geared to suck out the moneys back to the countries of origins, through foreign ownership while the locals act as servant and slaves in their semi-nude pageantry with banana leaves around the waist to look like "authentic traditions"... Sure these locals desperately "need" our dollars but what they get in the hand is small potato compared to those rich bastards who get you there and maintain the illusion of holidays, while the locals have been made "desperate' by our own customs of modern pillage. Think about it.

In the mean time, as you run an illusion of wealth, you create government deficits that no one in their right mind can call on the poker table without shooting themselves in the groin. Your name is George W bush, the decider and Fed Bank robber... And you make sure, those who hold some of your currency take a bath should they rock the boat, the Chinese in particular...

Australia, itself, thus, benefited from this glorious invasion and — beyond the resources boom that fills the government coffers somewhat — there are other secret deals in which the US despite the mostly useless "theory of free markets and flow of money" — since the playing field is crooked — encourages Johnnee's government with the slash and burn of social services and energy supplies.

Because that's the main purpose of private enterprise: remove the ability of little people to fall back on something publicly shared, so they fall flat on their privates and pay through the nose for everything they need. In this situation they are bound to struggle a lot more than ever before and those who manage to keep their head above water are hit for six more with desire for greed and illusion of aspirational whatever.

Sad and dangerous spruikedly frothed up delusions from our leaders.

Johnnee lied about Iraq... He lied about many other deeds and brought shame upon us all by his soup kitchen economy that has discounted ethical and social values for the promotion of greed at all cost.

Kick Johnnee out. Bring back our troops.

Bradman out for duck in citizenship test

Phillip Coorey Chief Political Correspondent
January 29, 2008

A QUESTION about Sir Donald Bradman is expected to be dumped from the citizenship test under an overhaul by the Rudd Government to make the test fairer and more relevant to migrants of all backgrounds.

The question is one of several Labor believes was written by the former prime minister, John Howard. Another, which expects budding citizens to know that 1788 was the first year of white settlement, is also likely to be jettisoned, sources say.

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Gus: Had our John Winston Bradman of politics (see cartoon above) been re-elected, one question on the test was likely to be "Who is the longest serving Prime Minister?" And the answer could have been "the one at silly point..."

The Don handed test reprieve

It looks like Sir Donald Bradman will remain a part of Australia's citizenship test.

New figures show that 93 per cent of immigrants who take Australia's controversial new citizenship test pass it on their first or subsequent attempts.

The test was introduced by the previous federal government and tests the applicants' knowledge of Australian history, culture and values, and includes questions about cricket great Sir Donald Bradman, one of former prime minister John Howard's heroes.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans has ordered a review of the test, to be completed in April, and says the Bradman questions will be among those under scrutiny.

But he says while there is a bit of a bias in the sporting section to the 1930s, 40s and 50s, he thinks a question about Bradman is a reasonable thing to put in.

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Gus: Sporting section? 1930s? 1940s? 1950s? Bloody hell! A bit of Bias?... about 99 per cent of people born here would not have a clue, say, about who won the League premiership in 1934 although there is a good chance it could be Souths... Is it?

When our heroes are more celebrated for a cover drive than the fellows discovering a cure for infection, we've got BIG problems. If the question about Bradman has to be in the "test", it should be made optional... Any question about "sport" should be made OPTIONAL or removed forthwith... No points deducted if people have not a clue about the Bowral Boy... It's Bowral, isn't it? Sure? Pronounced "barrell", ain't it? Ah the complication of funny languages... Did I flunk?...

Cooking a barbecue should definitely be included in the test... 

Just joking... 

from the SMH

Former prime minister John Howard will become president of the International Cricket Council in two year's time.

Mr Howard fended off a strong challenge from New Zealand candidate Sir John Anderson to earn the nomination.

Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket jointly nominated Mr Howard to the ICC today after a tense few months in which both national boards fiercely defended their favoured candidate.

New Zealand Cricket pushed strongly for Sir John, its former board chairman and long-time cricket official, while Mr Howard was the preferred choice of Cricket Australia.

So contentious had the decision become that Sir Rod Eddington, the former British Airways chief, was called in to preside over a nomination committee charged with resolving the impasse.

A decision had been expected yesterday but, given the contentious nature of the debate, more time was required.

Under the ICC’s rotational policy, an Australasian nominee will take over the ICC presidency from 2012.

That role will now fall to Mr Howard, who will make his first strides into sporting administration.

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see toon at top.

Letter from Don Bradman to new PM Malcolm Fraser

15 December, 1975

Dear Mr Fraser,

Amidst the pile of congratulatory letters you will be receiving this may well be near the bottom, but it will be high in sincerity. A marvellous victory in which your personal conduct and dignity stood out against the background of arrogance and propaganda indulged in by your opponents. And if I may say so, the charm and bearing of your wife came through with great credit to you both.

Now you may have to travel a long and difficult road along which your enemies will seek to destroy you.

As a non-political person, but a passionate advocate of freedom from socialism (or worse) I do hope your Government will shun attention to trivial matters and concentrate on vital principles.

What the people need are clearly defined rules which they can read and understand so that they can get on with their affairs.

The Statutes Book is currently a nightmare for business, with the Trades Practises Act one of the worst in that even those administering the Act admit they don’t know what is and is not legal.

You have stated you will abolish the P.J.T. I hate it as much as you do and of course it ought to go, eventually. But you know Labor will rant and rave that you cannot have wage restraint if you don’t have control of prices.

Even though their argument is fallacious in that wages set by the Arbitration Court are the MINIMUMS one may pay, whereas prices set by the P.J.T. are the MAXIMUMS you may charge, the Union leaders are past masters at distorting the distinction.

The great enemy today is inflation which, if not brought under control and quickly, will ruin our economy and destroy private enterprise.

You cannot control inflation without controlling wage increases and of course people will object to controlled wages if prices go on rising. By some means or other a way must be found to preserve the purchasing power of money - today’s money, not tomorrow’s money - because otherwise savings, life assurance, superannuation and such like gradually become meaningless.

The way things are presented in the press is most important.

I am Chairman of Directors of a Company which had its years result portrayed in the press as a “bonanza”. I felt constrained to rebuke this description by pointing out that less than 7% on funds after all the work, risk, tribulations etc. was hardly a bonanza when Government Bonds would pay us 10% to do nothing.

The public must be re-educated to believe that private enterprise is entitled to rewards as long as it obeys fair and reasonable rules laid down by Government.

Maybe you can influence leaders of the press to a better understanding of this necessity of presentation.

I hope also your Government will be able to protect “freedom to work”. In society where men are compelled to lose employment unless they are unionists (which has happened recently in this State), where they are prevented from entering premises where they want to work by a handful of “pickets”, there is something radically wrong.

It will be wonderful if we can have three years of Government where you and your Ministers stand above petty squabbles and bickering, but instead concentrate on policies and principles.

Good luck and best wishes in the great and difficult task ahead.

Yours sincerely,

Don Bradman

READ MORE:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/dear-mr-fraser-don-bradman-s-extraordinary-letter-to-new-pm-20221223-p5c8m7.html

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