Politics 08

[the guy]

I'm just surprised that some of the young, ostensibly intelligent guys who come to this forum (sorry, Egan) are so empathetic with right-wing politics - especially of the Howard ilk. I trust that the same people are not among the number blaming Rudd for interest rate increases based on economic and inflationary figures derived from the last several months of the Rat's government. Even Malcolm Turnbull (7.30 report, Thursday, as I recall) acknowledges the relative irrelevance of governments in the interest rates issue. It's far too early for anyone to be making any judgements on the performance of the Rudd government. Been in for five minutes, something like that?

And as for the Rat's back-stabbing sojourn in addressing a HJNicholls-type cabel in the U.S., well one can only pity - at best - the miserable little weasel. Here's the same bloke that supported the Vietnam War, took us into an another unwinnable conflict in Iraq, has for a lifetime been committed to screwing over the worker and who clearly suffers from a "small man/small dick" syndrome that would have made him an even greater danger to decent humanity should he have been born in a less than democratic society.

He has always - and forever will be - a sh*t. A bean counter with a contempt for the less advantaged. A festering boil on the arsehole of humanity. Please do not compare him - or any of his embittered doozy cronies - to Paul Keating, who should still be Prime Minister of good old Oz despite his shortcomings. Under a Keating regime, we would be living in a far better, far more just and internationally far more respected community. But that's hypothetical.

We live in a democracy. A fine thing that we can vent our spleen from time to time.

kc

I don't know where you lost more credibility, when you called people stupid for their political leanings, or when you stated that Keating should still be PM.




Kids these days eh?

[dibo]

I'm just surprised that some of the young, ostensibly intelligent guys who come to this forum (sorry, Egan) are so empathetic with right-wing politics - especially of the Howard ilk. I trust that the same people are not among the number blaming Rudd for interest rate increases based on economic and inflationary figures derived from the last several months of the Rat's government. Even Malcolm Turnbull (7.30 report, Thursday, as I recall) acknowledges the relative irrelevance of governments in the interest rates issue. It's far too early for anyone to be making any judgements on the performance of the Rudd government. Been in for five minutes, something like that?

And as for the Rat's back-stabbing sojourn in addressing a HJNicholls-type cabel in the U.S., well one can only pity - at best - the miserable little weasel. Here's the same bloke that supported the Vietnam War, took us into an another unwinnable conflict in Iraq, has for a lifetime been committed to screwing over the worker and who clearly suffers from a "small man/small dick" syndrome that would have made him an even greater danger to decent humanity should he have been born in a less than democratic society.

He has always - and forever will be - a sh*t. A bean counter with a contempt for the less advantaged. A festering boil on the arsehole of humanity. Please do not compare him - or any of his embittered doozy cronies - to Paul Keating, who should still be Prime Minister of good old Oz despite his shortcomings. Under a Keating regime, we would be living in a far better, far more just and internationally far more respected community. But that's hypothetical.

We live in a democracy. A fine thing that we can vent our spleen from time to time.

kc

I don't know where you lost more credibility, when you called people stupid for their political leanings, or when you stated that Keating should still be PM.




Kids these days eh?

if keating shouldn't be PM, you'd have to at least agree that he's good on comedy - the treasurer in the hammock, the coconut araldited to the seat... gold!

[Egan]

Did anyone feel that the K.Rudd's press conference was the biggest load of political spin you have ever seen for a foreign dignatory in America?

He basically went there to show Bush he was just like Howard, when he was elected based on standing up to America on issues such as Iraq. The tone of the press conference was nothing like that at alll.

[dibo]

Did anyone feel that the K.Rudd's press conference was the biggest load of political spin you have ever seen for a foreign dignatory in America?

He basically went there to show Bush he was just like Howard, when he was elected based on standing up to America on issues such as Iraq. The tone of the press conference was nothing like that at alll.

he got bush to kiss his arse in public, but he's pulling the troops out. he showed we can have an independent foreign policy while maintaining the alliance. and through increased activism in the UN he wants australia to show how much influence middle-sized nations can have in multilateral forums.

sure he did some kissing up from the cameras, but would you prefer he spat in bush's face?

[Egan]

Did anyone feel that the K.Rudd's press conference was the biggest load of political spin you have ever seen for a foreign dignatory in America?

He basically went there to show Bush he was just like Howard, when he was elected based on standing up to America on issues such as Iraq. The tone of the press conference was nothing like that at alll.

he got bush to kiss his arse in public, but he's pulling the troops out. he showed we can have an independent foreign policy while maintaining the alliance. and through increased activism in the UN he wants australia to show how much influence middle-sized nations can have in multilateral forums.

sure he did some kissing up from the cameras, but would you prefer he spat in bush's face?

Its interesting the major issue that American newspapers took out of the alliance was the Doha Trade talks. Nothing really was mentioned about the pull out of troops as an important part of the discussions between G.Bush and K.Rudd

Dibo, I would rather Rudd be actually a representative of what the voters who voted for him believed in. That is a stronger line against the USA alliance and all I saw was Bush blabbing on how great Rudd was, Rudd saying about how I am a Queenslander and that means we have a lot in common with Texas. I read the transcript of the press conference and I have no idea why anybody would take anything of what they said seriously.

Bush has had the logic to turn Press Conferences these days into comedy sessions...which on the serious topics Rudd should have not fell into. \

The UN? It is a lost body of any international significance. Although it is an interesting change to the Foreign Affairs policy and Nelson's responce was not surprising at all.

[Jeffles]

Dibo, I would rather Rudd be actually a representative of what the voters who voted for him believed in. That is a stronger line against the USA alliance and all I saw was Bush blabbing on how great Rudd was, Rudd saying about how I am a Queenslander and that means we have a lot in common with Texas. I read the transcript of the press conference and I have no idea why anybody would take anything of what they said seriously.

The overwhelming majority of Australians voted for parties that support the US alliance. At the same time, they voted for parties that wanted to withdraw combat troops from Iraq. Rudd lived up to both.

[dibo]

Dibo, I would rather Rudd be actually a representative of what the voters who voted for him believed in. That is a stronger line against the USA alliance and all I saw was Bush blabbing on how great Rudd was, Rudd saying about how I am a Queenslander and that means we have a lot in common with Texas. I read the transcript of the press conference and I have no idea why anybody would take anything of what they said seriously.

The overwhelming majority of Australians voted for parties that support the US alliance. At the same time, they voted for parties that wanted to withdraw combat troops from Iraq. Rudd lived up to both.

QFT - i really don't see the problem. most liberal voters would see rudd as a safe pair of hands so far, even if he's not 10% their cup of tea. he's anything but reckless, but is doing what he promised to do.

quick, get the gallows ready...

[Egan]

There is definitely a link between getting troops out of Iraq and standing up to the American Alliance. The fear of American politics is adequately seen in the Republican referendum previously, when people thought we would turn our political system into an American model.

Look at the political cartoons of sucking up to America and the general mood within the climate change argument, which is generally critical of United States policy, the deep hatred of George Bush within Australian society is also evident.

Whether or not people voted for Rudd based on the US Alliance (which I doubt anybody did) the aspect is troop withdrawal, climate change is distinguishable differences to suggest that he should be activating more intense dialogue with the United States and not have the same cringe fest that John Howard and George Bush were renowned of having.

Rudd failed in his second test in the world of Foreign Policy. Trying to get a seat on the UN is making me pull my hair out...

[Egan]

Changing tact, Mugabe something that has dominated talk on austadiums...may be about to resign. Book the Hauge immediately for Mugabe

Negotiations May Lead to Mugabe’s Exit in Zimbabwe


By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: April 2, 2008
HARARE, Zimbabwe — The opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is in talks with advisers to President Robert G. Mugabe of Zimbabwe, amid signs that some of those close to Mr. Mugabe may encourage him to resign, a Western diplomatic source and a prominent Zimbabwe political analyst said Tuesday. The negotiations about a possible transfer of power away from Mr. Mugabe began after he apparently concluded that a runoff election would be demeaning, a diplomat said.

A resignation by Mr. Mugabe, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, would be a stunning turnabout in a country where he has been accused of consistently manipulating election results to maintain his lock on power.

There is no guarantee the negotiations will succeed, and the situation could still deteriorate. But a Western diplomat and a political analyst said the opposition was negotiating with Zimbabwe’s military, central intelligence organization and prisons chief.

“The chiefs of staff are talking to Morgan and are trying to put into place transitional structures,” said John Makumbe, a political analyst and insider in local politics who has spoken in the past in favor of the opposition.

“The chiefs of staff are not split; they are loyally at Mugabe’s side,” Mr. Makumbe said. “But they are not negotiating for Mr. Mugabe. They are negotiating for themselves. They are negotiating about reprisals and recriminations and blah blah blah. They are doing it for their own security.”

A spokesman for Mr. Tsvangirai, George Sibotshiwe, said, “I don’t know anything about such meetings.”

The diplomat said the joint chiefs had entered the negotiations after receiving feelers from Mr. Tsvangirai. The Western diplomat then said the leaders of the armed forces advised Mr. Mugabe on Monday to engineer a second-round runoff in the presidential race, but Mr. Mugabe responded that a runoff would be a humiliation to him.


www.nytimes.com

[Jeffles]

There is definitely a link between getting troops out of Iraq and standing up to the American Alliance. The fear of American politics is adequately seen in the Republican referendum previously, when people thought we would turn our political system into an American model.

Arguably Australians rejected the republic model because it wasn't American enough - it didn't provide for a Head of State elected by the people.

Anyway, re Zimbabwe, the MDC has denied there is a deal. International observers believe the results are all in and that ZANU PF is delaying an announcement, which raises the real possibility of rigging. In past elections, they've been quick to provide rigged results - these ones must be quite damaging.

[dibo]

Whether or not people voted for Rudd based on the US Alliance (which I doubt anybody did) the aspect is troop withdrawal, climate change is distinguishable differences to suggest that he should be activating more intense dialogue with the United States and not have the same cringe fest that John Howard and George Bush were renowned of having.

every time you mangle a sentence like that, god creates a hype n00b.

[Jeffles]

every time you mangle a sentence like that, god creates a hype n00b.

[Simmo79]

pure class

[Cheesie-the-Pirate]

If you were planning an electoral campaign against a former POW, what would your reaction be if you were endorsed by a woman who once said the suggested that you should "not hail the POWs as heroes, because they are hypocrites and liars" and that POWs "were not men who had been tortured. These were not men who had been starved. These were not men who had been brainwashed" whose claims of torture were the result of "exaggerating, probably for their own self-interest." Apparently, “Never in the history of the United States have POWs come home looking like football players. These football players are no more heroes than Custer was. They’re military careerists and professional killers” who are “trying to make themselves look self-righteous, but they are war criminals according to law.

Classy woman that Jane Fonda.

http://www.snopes.com/military/fonda.asp

[Egan]

The Fairness test applied to my AWA and it did not pass the test.

But I am very sceptical about how intelligent the person who put these agreements through the Fairness Test is. Because a lot of the rights they said I lost, I did not.