My perception of an ever-increasing suspicious media led attempt to foist upon the Australian people a Corporation’s Libera government which just twelve months ago was split right down the middle for the purpose of removing their negotiating leader for the unlikely and accidental giving an infamous “attack dog” the opportunity to lead their fragmented party.

Never before has either major party, to my knowledge, taken the chance of including state politics with a Federal election.  In this case the Abbott mob have taken advantage of the state situations in NSW; Queensland and Western Australia.  One for being too poor and two for being too rich.  Struth.

Where did that opinion come from?  The Murdoch media.

I quote from Stephen Mayne in Your Democracy…

The other destabilising element is the coming High Court challenge to two new Coalition MPs who foolishly failed to resign their positions on local councils before being elected.

Former Campbelltown mayor Russell Matheson, the new Liberal member for Macarthur, is even promising to stay on Liverpool council despite serving in the Federal Parliament.

And George Christensen, the new CLP member for Dawson, only formally quit the Mackay Regional Council last week after it was clear he'd scored a political promotion.

Both these chaps could fall foul of section 44 (iv) of the Constitution which prohibits anyone enjoying an office of profit under the crown from nominating for Federal Parliament.

Independent Phil Cleary and Liberal Jacqui Kelly both faced by-elections after coming a cropper in court challenges relying on this constitutional provision, but the High Court has never been asked whether this includes councillor stipends. (Fight Labor fight).

As a councillor in Victoria running for the Senate, I received very strong advice to quit before the election but this was ignored given there was no prospect of success.

The Coalition holds Dawson by just 2.08% and Macarthur by 3.17% so Labor sympathizers would definitely have a crack at the High Court given success would trigger two by-elections in winnable marginal seats that would bring down a minority Abbott Government.

End of quote.

Without too much interpretation it is obvious that the Main Stream Media only con the people into the evils of Labor and the “never ever proven” goodies of an Abbott government of our nation.

So far, my instincts are leaning towards a “G.W. Bush” election that didn’t happen by any measure of “democracy”.  Don’t let it happen to us.

IMHO, the MSM and their foreign investors are playing every dirty card that they can to unseat our Labor government – and I ask our much maligned oldest political party (Labor) to fight for us and our future even if your crime is to be honest.

God Bless Australia and may the Courts that the Liberals avoid with Murdoch’s media, prove that the Judiciary and the foreign Corporations are not a conspiracy by ruling according to law without fear or favour. NE OUBLIE.

 

 

How often have we heard those words from the warmongers of the western world?  Open ended; non explicit; uncommitted and damn insulting.

Well - how about turning the  tables on those wars of choice participants by saying that, in Australia, at this point in time, we are facing an election which the media portrays as a chance of survival of the Corporation's foreign control of Australia's natural resources and the Liberal party which protects that situation, and the Labor party who for goodness sakes, has the best economic performance of any other nation in the industrial world. Have I missed something?

Just imagine.....that our Labor government -still intact and experienced - whose economic credentials have been lauded by all, not some, but all of the economic experts in the entire world.  In addition to the most respected economic guru the mild and shy Professor Stiglitz.

Not only do I believe that this election is class based, but I also believe that they feel they are losing control of our high standard in the international arena - thanks to Kevin Rudd.

As much as I admired him, and I noticed the need for Murdoch to either control him or execute him - his legacy has been one to be admired.

So much so in fact that the once champion of Kevin Rudd (Murdoch) suddenly turned against him even after his magnificent management of the the world's financial meltdown.  Maybe that was it?  "Whatever it takes"?

Now we have a situation where the Murdoch media has tried and in some ways succeeded in turning a "sour's ear into a silk purse". Is that a fair comment or, does the Leopard really change its spots?

This post in itself is a p...s in the ocean but, for what it is worth I would like to see a Labor govenrment re-elected not only for the anti-Murdoch achievements during their first two years, but also because they have my support if a "double dip" meltdown really occurs.

We should keep our nation protected by the Labor party by "whatever it takes".  NE OUBLIE.

 

 

Section 44 of the ConstitutionE-Brief: Online Only issued March 2004; Ian Holland Politics and Public Administration Group Introduction

On 10 May 2002, Senator Nigel Scullion wrote to the President of the Senate identifying the possibility that a contractual relationship between his family company and the Commonwealth might put him in breach of section 44(v.) of the Constitution, making him ineligible to sit as a Senator (see the discussion in the Senate Debates of 14 May 2002)[1].  The Senate however has proven reluctant to deal with the case.  It took 16 months for the Senate even to decide to seek external legal advice (see Senate Debates of 18 September 2003, p. 15532).  It was another five months before the legal advice was tabled in the Senate, which concluded that Senator Scullion had avoided breaching section 44. As Senator Ray remarked on the day the advice was tabled, this may have been a matter of some good luck on Senator Scullion's part.

This E-Brief outlines how section 44 of the Constitution works and why cases like that of Senator Scullion seem to arise so regularly.

What is Section 44?

Section 44 of the Constitution sets out restrictions on who can be a candidate for Federal parliament.  In full it reads:

‘44. Any person who -

(i.) Is under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power, or is a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or citizen of a foreign power: or

(ii.) Is attainted of treason, or has been convicted and is under sentence, or subject to be sentenced, for any offence punishable under the law of the Commonwealth or of a State by imprisonment for one year or longer: or

(iii.) Is an undischarged bankrupt or insolvent: or

(iv.) Holds any office of profit under the Crown, or any pension payable during the pleasure of the Crown out of any f the revenues of the Commonwealth: or

(v.) Has any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any agreement with the Public Service of the Commonwealth otherwise than as a member and in common with the other members of an incorporated company consisting of more than twenty-five persons:

shall be incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a senator or a member of the House of Representatives.

But sub-section iv. does not apply to the office of any of the Queen’s Ministers of State for the Commonwealth, or of any of the Queen’s Ministers for a State, or to the receipt of pay, half pay, or a pension, by any person as an officer or member of the Queen’s navy or army, or to the receipt of pay as an officer or member of the naval or military forces of the Commonwealth by any person whose services are not wholly employed by the Commonwealth.’

The above emphasis is mine and is intended to bring attention to current situations.

COMMENT.  Tony Abbott claims that anything Labor does to improve its electoral position is an indication of “desperation”?  And he is not?

I cannot speak for the Prime Minister but yes, I feel desperate that - a person with contempt for protocol and a history of aggression with subsequent failures in several portfolios - could be elected by the multi-national Murdoch media.  This, along with his confession that he has no interest or knowledge of economics and climate change is crap.

Yes Mr. Abbott, you started as a nothing – you are still a nothing (with enormous IOU’s to Murdoch) and I for one am extremely concerned that such a clown as you could become Prime Minister of my country.

In the meantime Labor, let’s stop this “good old sport” attitude because, to be a good sport you have to lose!!!

NE OUBLIE.