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    Barracking From the Sidelines 2021
    Barracking From the Sidelines 2021
    Barracking From the Sidelines 2021
    Ebook1,042 pages15 hours

    Barracking From the Sidelines 2021

    By Greg Tuck

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    About this ebook

    Dominated by a federal government, in a three-tier system of government, Australian politics is based on a constitution written in the 1890’s that is extremely difficult to change via referendums. It is a Westminster system of government that has two separate chambers that are dominated by two major parties whose ideologies differ and both the sides are very combative to the extent that agreement on issues except politician wage increase, are hard won battles. If one side thinks of an idea, the other side shoots it down in flames, whether the idea is good or not. The public have become disillusioned and feel impotent to change things and see most politicians as merely sucking on the public teat and lining their own pockets. A good few of the political rank’s behaviour does nothing to dispel that idea.
    Politics changed a lot in Australia from late 2013 onwards, although many will attest to the fact that it hasn’t changed at all. There are still lies, deception, obfuscation and manipulation and these have had to become more sophisticated as social media has come to the fore. I have been adding my own comments to mainstream media and my own political blog in those years and on reflection I am amazed at the types of characters that are regularly unearthed and come to the forefront in our political climate.
    Some characters have developed over that time. Some were just fleeting shadows on the political spectrum. Others rose from obscurity and some may have also have faded back into it. Characters and events overlap. Views change and political manoeuvres take place. Ideology dictates much of what goes on. Hopefully my blog entries and reflections will help paint a picture of these characters and events that dominated the political scene in this period. This is not a chronological history of the time, merely one person’s thoughts that he wanted to scream at the major players in Australian politics at the time.
    However, the disappointing thing about all these comments and research is what I still really don’t understand is, that with so many pricks in Canberra, why the Canberra bubble doesn't burst?
    This is the eighth book in the series and covers the year 2021

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGreg Tuck
    Release dateDec 18, 2021
    ISBN9781005799663
    Barracking From the Sidelines 2021
    Author

    Greg Tuck

    I am a former primary teacher and principal, landscape designer and gardener and now a full time author living in Gippsland in the state of Victoria in Australia. Although I write mainly fictional novels, I regularly contribute to political blogs and have letters regularly published in local and Victorian newspapers. I write parodies of songs and am in the process of writing music for the large number of poems that I have written.

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      Book preview

      Barracking From the Sidelines 2021 - Greg Tuck

      Barracking

      from the

      Sidelines

      (My personal political commentary on politicians and political events in 2021)

      By Greg Tuck

      © 2021

      Australian Politics

      Dominated by a federal government, in a three-tier system of government, Australian politics is based on a constitution written in the 1890’s that is extremely difficult to change via referendums. It is a Westminster system of government that has two separate chambers that are dominated by two major parties whose ideologies differ and both the sides are very combative to the extent that agreement on issues except politician wage increase, are hard won battles. If one side thinks of an idea, the other side shoots it down in flames, whether the idea is good or not. The public have become disillusioned and feel impotent to change things and see most politicians as merely sucking on the public teat and lining their own pockets. A good few of the political rank’s behaviour does nothing to dispel that idea.

      Politics changed a lot in Australia from late 2013 onwards, although many will attest to the fact that it hasn’t changed at all. There are still lies, deception, obfuscation and manipulation and these have had to become more sophisticated as social media has come to the fore. I have been adding my own comments to mainstream media and my own political blog in those years and on reflection I am amazed at the types of characters that are regularly unearthed and come to the forefront in our political climate.

      Some characters have developed over that time. Some were just fleeting shadows on the political spectrum. Others rose from obscurity and some may have also have faded back into it. Characters and events overlap. Views change and political manoeuvres take place. Ideology dictates much of what goes on. Hopefully my blog entries and reflections will help paint a picture of these characters and events that dominated the political scene in this period. This is not a chronological history of the time, merely one person’s thoughts that he wanted to scream at the major players in Australian politics at the time.

      However, the disappointing thing about all these comments and research is what I still really don’t understand is, how does the Canberra bubble still remain intact with so many pricks in it? Are there special properties of moral vacuums?

      CONTENTS

      January

      February

      March

      April

      May

      June

      July

      August

      September

      October

      November

      December

      The Australian characters

      The overseas characters

      The issues

      January

      Victoria closes border with NSW as a small outbreak of COVID-19 occurs after a person returns from a NSW hotspot.

      NSW belatedly introduces minor restrictions to stop the spread of the virus.

      Capitol building in Washington stormed by Trump supporters trying to stop ratification of Joe Biden as President. National Guard called in to stop what some describe as an attempted coup.

      Donald Trump impeached for the second time. This time for inciting the storming of the Capitol

      A more dangerous mutant variant of COVID 19 hits Australia

      Australian Tennis Open to go ahead in February with 1200 people being flown in while at the same time 36,000 Australians are stranded overseas unable to get flights home.

      Federal Government delays immunisation program while overseas countries begin massive inoculation programs.

      Joe Biden formally sworn in as President of the US

      Margaret Court receives one of the highest Australia Day awards despite her well-known bigoted views.

      Calls again made for a different day for Australia Day as the first Nations people see it as the day that their country was invaded.

      Australians are now 'one' and not 'young'. Does that mean that Richard Colbeck can no longer use the national anthem as a defence for his inept handling of Aged Care?

      So, now comes the guessing game. Just who will get awards in the Australia Day honours for what they did to help the community during the terrible year 2020? Politicians will be lining up, going Pick me! Pick me! There will be a lot of self-satisfaction when, as in the 'Guess Who' game, we turn those faces down. How many front-line workers will be ignored so that celebrities can get recognition? Donald Trump has given Scott Morrison a Legion of Merit medal, so surely Scott must be in the running for a gong, if not Australian of the Year/Decade/Century. Perhaps on Australia Day, we should all stop and think of those selfless individuals who helped get us through 2020. The supermarket workers, the people who made masks and gave them away for free, the health care workers, the non-'Karens' of the world and others who touched our lives with humour, love and empathy should not go unrecognised.

      Senator Matt Canavan asserts about the change from 'young and free' in our anthem to 'one and free' that We are a young nation that doesn't have the same historical hang ups of older cultures. Yet we do have historical hang ups about one of the oldest cultures in the world. We do not properly recognise the First Nations people of Australia. We allow mining industries to blow up their cultural sites. We took their land and even their children away from them. We failed to recognise them as anything more than fauna until the mid-1960's. Matt Canavan needs to walk a mile in another person's shoes or to properly read The Statement from The Heart and sit down and listen without a closed mind to the first nation people.

      People believe that the vaccine will be a cure-all and the virus will just go away. That is not how the vaccine works. It will stimulate protective antibodies that will help us be less affected by the virus. It will not stop us spreading the virus to someone else if we contract it. Once you have the vaccine, you may feel protected but you are just as dangerous to others. The more people who take the vaccine the less successful the virus will be in spreading. All the restrictions, quarantining, social distancing, masks etc will need to be kept in place. Travel to other places, either interstate or overseas, will still be dangerous until the vast majority of people in places you visit have had the vaccine. You may accidentally smuggle the virus back into the country. This is what has happened with other viruses such as smallpox, influenza and others in the past. The sooner Australia starts an inoculation process, the sooner our borders can open up. With the mass vaccination programs overseas underway, those countries will be better off by developing herd immunity first. Once established, that inoculation will be seen as important as a valid passport. You can understand why many airlines are introducing a 'no jab, no fly' policy. Australia has been able to manage the pandemic because it is an island. However, if it remains an island in terms of vaccinations that aren't being done, then it will find itself isolated as the world moves on. Predictions are that we won't have enough vaccinations done until October 2021 to develop herd immunity. Other countries have much shorter time-frames with larger populations. It is hard to understand why there will be a delay. The PM, Health Minister and the CHO have yet to explain why, once the TGA have approved it, why mass vaccinations can't happen straight away. They have had over six months to have all the infrastructure and processes in place, but we are being told they are still working on it.

      Does Scott Morrison believe that changing one simple word in the national anthem will be enough to say that he is doing something. 'One' signifies egalitarianism and equality, yet his government promotes the reverse. The divide between rich and poor is getting wider under his economic policies. Government services are not lending a hand to the most needy in our society, unless it is to slap them across the face and tell them to get a job. There is no proper equality between genders. His 'boys' club' attitude towards ministers merely heightens the good example these supposed role models aren't setting. Announcements on domestic violence with no proper programs and funding, do nothing. People seeking asylum are not treated equally. They are shunted off to far away places and locked up even though they have not committed any crime save to embarrassing the government. They are promptly forgotten as processing takes too much effort. Even the way he treats the states differently shows that we are not one united country. If you are a white, Anglo Saxon male with a job, you are god's gift to Australia. Anything different and you are much less in the eyes of this government. He has changed one word in an anthem which some find doesn't represent us, especially as visitors and most of us have no idea what 'girt' means. By contrast the song 'I am Australian' by Bruce Woodley encapsulates us better in the chorus.

      "We are one, but we are many

      And from all the lands on earth we come

      We'll share a dream and sing with one voice

      I am, you are, we are Australian

      To change a whole anthem would have been a better idea, but maybe that will happen under a less conservative government that recognises the first nation people of Australia, shows compassion to the needy and welcomes those seeking asylum.

      It has become obvious now that the NSW government have been playing Russian roulette with their citizens. They decried the harsh lockdown measures that Victoria brought in to curb its outbreak. The NSW premier was like the other premiers at the time that thought, there, but for the grace of god, go I. The hard borders in other states were working. The enforcement of harsh restrictions, social distancing and the wearing of masks in Victoria showed that they worked. NSW however, egged on by a PM who wanted the economy to improve and so labelled the NSW approach as gold standard, dismissed the practical measures used by other states. The NSW premier, if she couldn't see the bullet in the revolving barrel didn't worry about it; and if she could, thought the gun at her head would only cause a flesh wound. Victoria has a growing cluster caused directly by the outbreak that the NSW premier assumed would never happen.

      The answer to the question as to where the virus came from in the Northern Beaches outbreak is quite obvious, from overseas. The reality is that the checking of and quarantining of passengers and flight crew failed and that is really a federal responsibility even though Peter Dutton would say otherwise. Put simply, Border Force prevents you from bringing in illicit goods into Australia including food, drugs, too much money etc. We have all seen the program. The virus is no different, just harder to spot. It is hard to justify why, when so many Australians are stranded overseas, they are given a lower priority than celebrities and sports people. If the virus was brought in by a stranded Australian who fulfilled the full quarantine requirements, we would be far more forgiving than a visitor who flouted our quarantining restrictions.

      Victorians are having harsh restrictions imposed because of a failure by the federal and NSW governments. The PM and the NSW government need to lift their game because our economy will flatline again until the virus is controlled. The NSW, almost laissez faire, approach to containment is based on the belief that the economy and the suppression of the virus can be managed at the same time; that people need to be out and about in society to keep the economy active. That just leads to potential outbreaks and promotes the spread of the virus. The federal and NSW governments need to follow the science and not their ideology. Meanwhile Cricket Australia are playing another game of Russian roulette by allowing the Sydney Test to proceed. One infected person in the crowd, one person jumping the fence and coming out onto the ground and the whole series is over. All the cricketers will be locked away again for a fortnight in quarantine and the Brisbane Test will be cancelled.

      The slack approach by the NSW government has permeated through NSW society. The belief is that it couldn't happen to us. Well, it has happened, yet still the NSW government thinks it knows best and so many people will suffer because of it.

      The NSW premier is still going down the line that it is more important to keep jobs than restrict the spread of the virus. The simple fact that once the virus spreads, jobs are inevitably lost, seems to escaped her. However, this is the same mantra that Scott Morrison is following, and that is no coincidence. She insists the Sydney Test should go ahead because jobs are important, yet what she is possibly creating is a superspreader event. Her announcement that outdoor events will be limited to 2000 people may come as a surprise to Cricket Australia unless of course CA has made a secret side deal where the match is underwritten by the NSW taxpayers. I wonder how the cricketers are feeling knowing that for the sake of the pride of the NSW government, they are being put into danger. Will the betting agencies be offering odds on whether the total amount of runs scored will exceed the total number of virus cases created by the Test itself?

      You have to wonder how mankind got along before the economy controlled our lives. Maybe the frail and the elderly were looked after by the community? Maybe those who were ill were allowed to be ill and not forced to work for the sake of the economy? Maybe people cared more about their family, friends and neighbours rather than the gathering of material possessions? Maybe food (and toilet rolls) were shared? However, governments have created the beast called the economy and we are forced to idolise it, pay it respect, forego our natural caring and compassionate instincts and even our own safety and health to ensure its survival. As one PM all but says, God bless the economy.

      Despite being described as almost a paragon of virtue by the PM, NSW has become the epicentre for an outbreak of COVID-19 that has spread interstate destroying Victoria’s outstanding record of no new cases. Victorians were starting to breathe easier but a very lax attitude in NSW may send Victorians back into lockdown. In other parts of the country borders are slamming shut to the people of NSW and now Victoria. Scott Morrison was pretty presumptuous in his praise of the way that NSW was managing the conflict between economy and health. All that glitters is not gold. He had quite conveniently forgotten the Ruby Princess debacle. You just wonder how he will twist this latest saga into being all Dan Andrews fault again.

      Just imagine if Queensland had opened up its borders when the PM said that they should mid last year. The NSW premier banged on about the closed border all last year after the border was closed. Queenslanders were very well protected by their premier's actions. The same can't be said for the NSW people. Victorians also were let down, but rebounded in a manner that drew world attention and praise. The I don't want to upset people approach by the NSW premier isn't working. The suggestion of wearing of masks came too late, the mandatory wearing of masks came too late and it doesn't cover all the situations that Victoria proved worked. The harsh lockdown of areas in Victoria also worked but the NSW version is pretty wishy washy. Melbourne cancelled its fireworks even though there were no active cases, because it cared more about the health and safety of its citizens than the short-term employment that the fireworks gave and the advertising of itself overseas. Yet beyond all this there is no learning gained from the Victorian example. The federal government has not taken up its responsibility that it has for quarantine. It continues to palm off all the work and blame to the states, despite it having the power to intervene. It also has not got sufficient quantities available and on hand of the vaccine and has not done all the logistics and training needed to implement mass vaccinations once the TGA approves the vaccine. The front-line workers are showing great leadership to our community. The ones we have elected as leaders in NSW and Canberra are falling well short of that example.

      To the tune of Summer Holiday by Cliff Richard

      Our PM’s on a summer holiday

      Who can begrudge him a week or two

      But health care workers don’t get a holiday

      ‘Cause there’s so much still to do

      See the endless queues

      Scott’s not treating the situation lightly

      He’s learnt from last year’s blue

      He’s not going to Hawaii

      But he still hasn’t a clue

      Everyone deserves a summer holiday

      Doing things they always wanted to

      But how many will spend their summer holiday

      Stuck in long testing queues

      And isolation too

      He may get updates nightly

      By checking out what’s on Sky News

      Then he will praise Gladys

      For her gold standard view

      So don’t worry bout the pandemic

      Our PM has got it covered too

      He’ll deal with it after his summer holiday

      By blaming Dan Andrews

      But then, hey what’s new?

      Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm

      There is an outbreak in the Northern Beaches of Sydney. An outbreak occurs later in Melbourne that is traceable to the one in Sydney. How is it that NSW blames Victoria? That's backward logic and backward thinking, unless one believes that a de Lorean actually can do what we've seen in the movies.

      Did anyone at the press conference with Greg Hunt ask about why the federal government aren't stepping up to the plate and taking over quarantine? It is a federal responsibility but they have walked away from it and just bitch about what the states are doing. As for there not being domestic passports in Australia, what is a permit then? The only people who should be coming into Australia right now are Australians who have been stranded overseas. They should be the first and only priority. Instead, we have issues with others from overseas who are not quarantining properly, including flight crew. People arriving in Australia are a federal responsibility, but Border Force and Peter Dutton appear to be MIA.

      Howzat! Looks like Brisbane which is Covid free will lose the Test because of Sydney getting it. Hardly seems fair. Cricket Australia has made the wrong decision. Queensland is being penalised just so the Pink Test can happen. People going to the Sydney Test will be in a potential superspreader event and the stands at the Gabba will be empty.

      Darren Chester is bemoaning the quick response by the Victorian government to shutting the border with NSW. If there had been a quick response by the NSW government to the outbreak in the Northern Beaches, then the problem would not have arisen. There was no mandatory masks, no proper lockdown to contain the spread.... and typical of the Coalition, somehow, it is not NSW Coalition government's fault, nor the fault of quarantine arrangements that come under the federal government's jurisdiction, it is Victoria's Labor government fault.

      To paraphrase the approach in Sydney. We are suggesting that people from hotspots not go to the cricket. We are hoping that people will wear masks when they enter and leave the ground and when they line up for food and drinks. They don't have to wear masks when they are seated but we are thinking they might.

      Sounds like a Dusty Springfield song

      Wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'

      Plannin' and dreamin' no-one will come to harm

      We don't want to cause alarm

      So, if you're got some virus you can share

      All you gotta do is bring it, to the cricket and give it

      To anyone who is there

      People from around Berala in the Western suburbs will be banned from the SCG, but what about those in the more affluent but equally virus ridden areas around Avalon Beach. Haven't heard yet, but as the virus does not discriminate based on wealth, perhaps neither should the NSW government and the SCG.

      Sussan Ley, with her comments about border closures, is yet another sign that the PM has no control over what his ministers do or say. What she is saying is counterproductive to the health situation that governments find themselves in, but it also almost contradicts what the PM is saying. States and territories have the right to close borders and are doing so reluctantly to control the spread of the virus. The premiers and first ministers are well aware of the economic impacts, but are putting the health of their citizens first. All through this PM's tenure, ministers have ridden roughshod over Scott Morrison. There appears to be no cabinet discipline such as we have seen in the past by leaders such as Fraser, Hawke, Keating and Howard. The cabinet nowadays do not speak as one voice and in a time where strong leadership is required, Morrison's government shows that it is lacking federally.

      Governments are concerned about events such as a cricket test, a tennis tournament or a car race. They look at the revenue that would be lost if these are cancelled and how Australia and their state will look if that occurs. What they fail to realise is that money and appearance matter little if these events cause the pandemic to become more widespread. One person attending day 2 of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG has put 7000 people in jeopardy directly and perhaps thousands more from secondary and tertiary contact. You have to ask yourself why such events are allowed to occur. How safe is safe?

      One person in fifty has the corona virus in the UK. Their health system is being overwhelmed. This is the future for us if we don't clamp down on the outbreaks and pretend that life is normal and it couldn't happen to us. The federal government must take a lead role now. It must use its quarantine powers and help quell the rise in numbers instead of standing back and blaming the states. The federal government seem happy to 'quarantine' asylum seekers who have committed no crime, for years on end, but are reluctant to properly supervise the quarantining of overseas travellers for a fortnight. Where there is a will, there's a way; but this government seems to lack the will.

      George Brandis, In 2020, we made clear that our sovereignty, institutions and political systems were not for sale. What he didn't add was that most of it had already been sold. Our media is managed overseas. Our ports are controlled by overseas interests with only Darwin actually legally leased. Our universities are dependent on overseas students to survive, the covid vaccine is dependent on the whim of overseas companies despite us being 'first in line', our foreign policy is dictated by Washington, our political system is at the beck and call of the rich and powerful including Rupert Murdoch, most of whom are overseas. Our Telcos are dependent on overseas companies. Our gas and coal are bought by overseas companies who dictate prices and thus cause price hikes here. There is no need to add in refineries, supply of defence equipment and power and a myriad of other once government owned and run institutions. Companies we used to associate with being Australian such as Speedos, Driza Bone, AV Jennings, Tooheys, R.M. Williams, Arnott's, Billabong, Bundaberg Sugar and Uncle Toby's went ages ago along with Fosters, Cottees, Rosella, Aeroplane Jelly. We have nothing left to sell, except our soul and negotiations are under way with the federal government on that.

      We may bemoan the way some of our state governments have handled the pandemic and the way that the federal government has tried to heal the economy rather than the health of the nation, but we certainly aren't in the dire straits that the UK and the US are right now. The UK has had a bumbling fool in charge of the response and the US similarly. Is that a reflection on the leadership in Canberra? Sadly not, but more on the talent that we have in the leadership of our states and territories, and the common-sense approach that most Australians use - if there is a problem, let's fix it. Our federation is working perhaps better than the original writers of our constitution would have thought. The division of powers between federal and state has aided us no end. While the US is battling with political issues and is tearing itself apart, our premiers are getting on with the job, sometimes aided by the federal government, sometimes hindered by it. We don't have a President as some god-like figure who believes he has the final say on everything. In times of trouble good leaders rise to the challenge. We have them in our states and territories. Yes, mistakes have been made, but look at overseas countries and see what might have been. Our PM wanted to open up the borders and the economy in June 2020 but the states held firm. If they hadn't, well, we would have been in the same predicament as so many other places. Australia has been protected from the devastation of the pandemic, not just by it being an island, not just by having a very pragmatic approach by its citizens, but also by its constitution.

      Trump should be happy. He must look on at the Proud Boys actions with pride.

      Trump rose to power based on support of the US's so called free press. But just as a presidency can be bought and sold, the free press can be too. Many of that contingent fawned all over him during his presidency. They refused to believe just what he had done and was capable of doing. Now, as events unfold, in Washington, many of his allies in the media are running for cover and some denouncing him. Let's hope that they too will be held to account. There is blood on their hands and it won't scrub clean.

      Given how the latest outbreak started, it is quite obvious that people gathering for Christmas festivities and all Boxing Day Sales should be cancelled from now on, at least until near the end of 2021.

      The leader of the proud boys has quoted Thomas Jefferson. Yet there is no study that has found that Jefferson actually said When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government It is a quote that is also used by the NRA. The writer of the Declaration of independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, third president of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia would be spinning in his grave in Monticello where he was buried, if he knew that those words were being attributed to him and gave some sort of legitimacy to what took place in Washington today. The Thomas Jefferson Foundation based in Monticello is the ultimate resource of Jefferson documents and denies that he said such things. Yet the media keep publishing it and so the public believe it and groups such as the proud boys and the NRA use it to their advantage.

      Someone has put up UNWANTED posters in US Post Offices. The likeness of Donald Trump is very good.

      There's rain at the cricket in Sydney forcing patrons to group together undercover. God really can be quite heartless.

      Spot the difference. One state quickly to declares that there is a problem, makes masks mandatory, restricts travel, tightens border rather than calling for it to remain open, encourages other premiers to call its capital city a hotspot, doesn't worry about whether it might lose the rights to hold a cricket game and puts its citizen's health first. The other moves ponderously slowly on all actions except trying to retain a cricket game. One is NSW and the other is Queensland. Can you pick which one is which?

      It seems that once again the quarantining people returning from overseas has been the part that has led to outbreaks. When will the federal government take their responsibilities seriously?

      Section 51(ix) of the Constitution provides that the Commonwealth can pass laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to quarantine.

      The quarantine power applies to public health and ranges from the regulation of disease prevention to the regulation of tobacco and alcohol.

      The legislative definition of quarantine includes:

      the examination, exclusion, detention, observation, segregation, isolation, protection, treatment and regulation of vessels, installations, human beings, animals, plants or other goods or things; or

      the seizure and destruction of animals, plants, or other goods or things; or

      the destruction of premises comprising buildings or other structures when treatment of these premises is not practicable; and

      having as their object the prevention or control of the introduction, establishment or spread of diseases or pests that will or could cause significant damage to human beings, animals, plants, other aspects of the environment or economic activities.

      The federal government is failing us and the states are forced to pick up the slack. The federal government not only has the power but the staff and facilities to manage proper quarantining of people coming into Australia, be they returning Australians, flight crews, people on expensive yachts, celebrities, sports people etc. Why do they continue to pass the buck and then bitch about what a terrible job the states are doing?

      Normally I mute the Sky After Dark crew but I'd love to hear what they have to say as they defend Trump after the riots and also about how suddenly praise for the Queensland Premier came from Scott Morrison. Their world must be turning upside down.

      It seems that the rich countries go to the head of the queue in terms of supply of a vaccine for COVID-19 and one wonders whether that is actually going to help. This is a world-wide pandemic and each life is as valuable as the next. The virus doesn't discriminate according to wealth and neither should the vaccine distribution. If anything, the people whose countries who cannot manage the health care because of poverty, should be inoculated first. However, that is too logical an approach for the wealthy and the pharmaceutical companies. The latter will make a fortune from the richer governments and so they can afford to disregard the poorer ones. These third world countries will suffer even more as they will have no tourists visiting because the virus is rampant in their countries. They have had the crappy end of the stick for so long and it continues. Perhaps the foreign aid that is given to these countries should be in the form of vaccinations given directly to the people and not to any corrupt officials in the supply chain.

      Can you believe that our Deputy Prime Minister has told off foreign private companies for making commercial decisions? Twitter, Instagram and Facebook have disabled the President's accounts. (Making him a no-account???) Michael McCormack says that it is censorship and goes against freedom of speech. This is from a man who espouses the rights of private businesses to do as they see fit. Perhaps he should enter the Tokyo Olympics with such ideological gymnastics.

      Would Stephen Sondheim seriously object to his music being used to usher Donald Trump, his family, Rudy Guiliani and others in to give evidence to a Senate hearing? I'm sure Send in the Clowns is appropriate.

      I don't understand. Why do so many people who stand for nothing, stand for election. Case in point, Michael McCormack.

      Politics and cricket are so much alike. They are both seen as just a game by the general public, but, by those involved, they are seen as life and death matters. In cricket, batters go out on to the ground and are called in, until they go out and then they go back in to the pavilion. In politics, you have to stand so that you can sit in parliament where you can stand for nothing. No balls and you survive in cricket. No balls are also a good thing in politics for your survival. It seems in cricket that you can hang around all day and achieve nothing and that is called a good thing. The same applies in politics. Sledging is the way to talk to your opponents both in the chamber and on the field. However, the pandemic has brought in one sharp contrast. Many people were desperate for cricket and cricketers to return. The same couldn't be said for parliament and politicians.

      The NSW premier obviously believes that the virus will not survive in a vacuum...... a vacuum of common-sense.

      Josh Frydenberg said, I remind you that just yesterday Australia had 13 cases … no one in an ICU unit and no one on a ventilator. At the same time, in one day, there were 750,000 new Covid-19 cases around the world - nearly a quarter of a million new cases in the United States and 50,000+ cases in the United Kingdom. Was it not six months ago when Victoria and the UK had the same number of cases 700+ and one went against the Australian federal government's decree to open up the economy? The UK did open up the economy. Victoria now has no community transition cases and the UK has 50,000+. How does that humble pie taste Josh or is it tainted by the egg on your face?

      How do you fill a void with a void? Scientists have spent many years pondering that but the perfect example can be found looking at the leadership of Australia. McCormack will fill for Morrison.

      Australia was quick to call out the assault on democracy in Hong Kong. Not so quick to do the same after the attack on the Capitol in Washington. I have no idea why, because we are told that we have an even-handed diplomacy. Seems to be more strength and support for the right wing than the left wing.

      Who is out of step when it comes to the premiers and first ministers? The NSW premier seems off beat. She may say that she marches to a different drum, but the tune she marches to emanates from Canberra where goose-stepping is in vogue.

      Australia will never succumb to a populist leader and government. Given the talent pool at the moment, no-one in it currently could be called popular.

      Michael McCormack has quickly grabbed the spotlight, stepping out of the shadows to display his lack of intelligence and capacity to fulfil the role as PM. We cringe in horror at his outlandish statements. His latest ones being that the attack on the Capitol in Washington was nothing more than unfortunate and that Craig Kelly had every right to do wrong by spreading disinformation. The situation is similar to the one in the us but with one difference. Donald Trump's words, behaviour and antics make Mike Pence look relatively sane by comparison. Michael McCormack makes Scott Morrison look sane. We should be grateful that the Nationals didn't win more seats than the Liberals at the last election or there would be no difference at all. Imagine him as PM full time. That situation may stop the complaints from Australians stranded overseas and any asylum seekers. Who would want to return to or come to a country led by an ignorant klutz? There are plenty of other countries with less stupid ones, that would be more appealing. We should be grateful that Scott Morrison didn't put him in charge of managing the pandemic. All states and territories would have seceded including the ACT, leaving just a building on a hill. Even NSW would have opted out and that says a lot. Given what McCormack says and how little he does, all Australians wish Scott Morrison the best of health.

      John Barilaro is yet another example of someone who opens his mouth only to demonstrate that his brain and voice box are not connected. He has criticised the WA premier over border closures and then told him to stop lecturing and to clean up his own backyard. Mark McGowan has been looking after his own backyard better than any other state premier. By locking the borders, he has effectively protected the people of WA. It is NSW that is out of step and needs to look after its own backyard. John Barilaro has obviously attended the same school of incompetence and illogicality as that other National, Michael McCormack. The biggest question is, which one graduated with the higher score.

      Because of the high number of drownings of people over the age of forty, mainly men, rumour has it that Bondi Rescue, for the next week, will be based in Canberra. They will accompany the deputy PM as he fills in for the PM. There is a belief that Michael McCormack may drown in a sea of his own inadequacies and precautions should be taken. Already he is floundering and appears out of his depth.

      It seems that some of our deputy leaders in Canberra and NSW are not used to the dizzying heights that they are sometimes thrust into. They desperately seek the oxygen to show that they can handle the job and speak their mind, but fail to realise how thin the air is up there and the impact that it has on that same mind. There are times that these would-be mountaineers should realise that base-camp is a much better place to be. They think that they are speaking to their base, but the nonsensical words that tumble out of their mouths are heard by so many others as they echo down from the lofty heights that they are desperately clinging on to.

      According to David Littleproud, our federation is failing this country at the moment. The truth is that the federation saved the country from the ravages of the pandemic experienced by other countries. The Federal government were calling for borders to be opened just when there was a large outbreak last year in Australia. Having the states and territories stand up to the federal government and exercise their judgement and powers probably saved 1000's of lives. With the cutting back of support economically to those still in desperate need and the reluctance to establish proper federal government run quarantine facilities for Australians stranded overseas, "the federal government is failing this country at the moment"

      1,200 tennis players and staff coming from overseas for the Australian Open. That's 1200 Australians stranded overseas that have missed out on returning home. What great sports we are!

      Not sure whether McCormack and Barilaro should be called a Nationals' disgrace or a national disgrace.

      McCormack, like this time last year, is finding the task of acting PM really difficult. Like Nero, last year he fiddled while all around him was on fire. This year again his pigeons have come home to roost while disinformation spreads like wildfire. Can he do anything apart from being an Elvis impersonator singing, A chunk, a chunk of burning dove?

      I agree with most people that free speech is so very important, but our fill in PM needs to curb his. He can't decipher fact from fiction and now his use of the right-wing phrase all lives matter merely adds to the belief that I have that for him all lies matter. He is strutting the Australian political landscape without realising that he is merely an understudy and that this is not a rehearsal. May the curtain for this comic tragedy come down soon.

      The federal coalition are considering a kick start to the economy in the arts area after promising to do so eight months ago. Rumour has it that there will be jobs galore, but they will be filled by Australians overseas. They are seeking 36,000 extras for the new documentary about stranded Australians which has a working title of, The Expendables

      McCormack prides himself on being a down to earth politician. But he is digging a hole so deep in that earth, it may end up as his political grave.

      Could the deputy PM be charged with treason? His continual displays of high-grade stupidity could bring down the federal government.

      Since the beginning of the bushfires last spring/summer, Scott Morrison has been paddling a leaking canoe up that proverbial creek as far as engendering in the community some belief that the Coalition know what they are doing. Today, when Morrison wasn't looking, his deputy came up with a solution to fix the leaks. He drilled a hole in the canoe floor to let the water out.

      Not sure after Trump's incitement for supporters to storm the Capitol building, just how much Scott Morrison values the Legion of Merit award he got from Trump. It will be tarnished forever. It was always meaningless, but now it is also worthless.

      Last year Scott Morrison left Michael McCormack in charge and went on holiday burying his head in the sand (Hawaiian sand) over the bushfires and climate change. This year he has gone on holiday and he is burying his head in his hands because he left Michael McCormack in charge.

      The government continues to argue that they are following the science regarding the pandemic; so, the question must be asked, when did economics become a science?

      Because of an agreement between two parties that formed a coalition, we have, as our current leader, someone quite unable to fulfill the role. We are supposed to have a democracy where people are elected on merit. That doesn't happen down at the pre-selection level. It doesn't happen in an election because we tend to vote for parties not people. It rarely happens at the parliamentary party level and so we get the prime ministers and the deputy prime ministers that we don't deserve. Australia is not a true democracy under the political party system. It is a better democracy than most in the world, but there is room for improvement. Imagine the government we would have if the best and brightest stood for election; if we weren't constrained by the two-party system; if those elected worked together in the best interests of Australia........... one can but dream.

      We have an adversarial system of government. Who would have thought that we would have an adversarial system between states and territories? With most of them in agreement about how to manage the pandemic, NSW has formed a coalition with the federal government to fill the void of opposition. The only thing we are unsure of is whether Gladys or Scott is the leader of the opposition............. or maybe even Craig Kelly or George Christensen........... heaven forbid it is Michael McCormack!

      If Australia had indeed become the 51st state of the USA, imagine the political groups some of our current politicians such as Craig Kelly, Pauline Hanson, Matt Canavan, George Christensen, Michael McCormack might be able to become members of. The USA offers a much wider variety of choice than Australia including the NRA, the Proud Boys, QAnon, the KKK, the Boogaloo Bois, the Oath Keepers and more. Will we ever have people storm Parliament House as they did the Capitol building? It is hardly likely if the surf's up, there's footy or cricket on, or the sun's out.

      If there was truly free speech, we would not have libel and slander laws and people could say what they thought without fear of prosecution. The only ones now who have true free speech are our parliamentarians while in parliament and the wealthy who can say what they like because they can afford to pay for high priced lawyers or the fines if they lose. Commercial enterprises such as those in the main stream media and social media make commercial decisions about what they air. If it affects their bottom line, that's when a decision is made. They will disguise it as a 'conscience' decision, but it is an economic one in reality. He/She who owns the media outlet controls what is aired. The Murdochs and Zuckerbergs of this world control 'free speech'. It is as simple as that.

      Overseas, in the US, Mike Pence has said he will not enact the 25th amendment and seek to have Trump removed from office. He knows his political career is over and is trying to salvage something. He loses either way whatever decision he made. If he enacted the 25th, he would be found just as guilty as he continually stood with the President, politely nodding and at no time said that he was unfit for office, despite all the other things that Trump has done. If he doesn't enact it, he keeps what little credibility he has with Republicans. His biggest mistake was to be Trump's running mate and any good work he has done over the years will be overshadowed by that decision. The best thing he can do is to not agree to let Trump step down so that Trump can be pardoned by him. That would be unforgivable and he would go down in ignominy along with Trump. Just as McCormack makes Morrison look like a leader, Trump makes Pence look sane.

      There needs to be a complete renaming of many federal ministries. For example, the Ministry of Finance should be the Ministry of Debt given where we are at. The Minister for Trade is now dealing with our lack of trade. The Minister for Industrial Relations has got so many people offside with proposed laws that there are no relations at all. There should be no Minister for Industry as that has been killed off by this government. The same applies for the Ministry for the Environment. The Social Services Ministry with its Robodebt turned out to be antisocial. The Minister for Employment is the only one who doesn't need a name change as she is only concerned about those who are employed and her only advice to the unemployed is get a job.

      It seems that the election promises, the post bushfire promises, the ICAC promises, the support for people affected by COVID promises, the promises given to stranded Australians etc., are all being sent via Australia Post. They are still 'in transit' so don't expect delivery for a while yet.

      It seems that some politicians may soon make the causal link between suppression of the pandemic and the desecration of the environment. Australia has become a hotspot for deforestation and at the same time also a world leader in dealing with COVID 19. The great minds of Kelly, Canavan, Christensen etc will decide that the best way to get rid of the disease is to not rely on the vaccine but to destroy the environment. They may push for Origin's proposal to search for fossil fuels across 225,000 hectares of the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre basin in Queensland’s channel country to be approved as quickly as possible and have money allocated towards it from the health budget. We have geniuses in our midst.

      Canavan and Kelly are not stable geniuses as they claim as they have left the door open and the horse named Common Sense has bolted.

      Here's five simple hints for the Craig Kelly's of this world who believe that whatever they think, everyone else should agree with, whether it has any foundation or not. When you wish to argue your case, or dismember someone else's opinion, remember:

      1) Respecting another person’s right to have an opinion is essential. It may be contrary to your beliefs and be firmly entrenched, yet it should be acknowledged. Only when that opinion is valued, can it be argued against.

      2) Attacking the argument rather than the person allows others to rationally and logically see your viewpoint. It is often said that personal attacks indicate that you are missing the point, have a poor argument yourself or a different agenda.

      3) Cite only peer mediated studies and in full. If you merely pick certain parts of a study that will enhance your argument, you will be found out and your argument dismissed. It also demeans the work of the person who has done the study.

      4) Anecdotal accounts that are extrapolated to appear the norm can easily be contradicted or countered by opposite anecdotal accounts.

      5) Stick to the point or you will lose your audience. Your audience are the ones who may be swayed by your argument, not necessarily the person whose position you are challenging. A cogent, coherent line of thought is important. By all means be emotive, but be clinical as well.

      Last week there was a level of incitement in the Capitol building caused by Donald Trump. This week there is a level of excitement, also caused by Donald Trump. Last week it was all about him trying to keep his presidency. This week was all about him being stripped of it. It seems that a fool and his position may soon be parted.

      We do not have an impeachment process in Australia because there is no separation between the parliament and the executive. The best we can do is to move a motion of no confidence in the PM and that always fails on party lines. I am not sure that with Michael McCormack in charge, he would pass that motion of confidence as there are some sane people in the Coalition. Shame parliament is not sitting so my theory can't be tested. There needs to be a certain level of competence to rise to the top, but given the current and former leader of the Nationals, you have to wonder whether in their party a certain level of incompetence is one of the main selection criteria.

      The Treasurer wants us to spend our saved money to boost the economy. He seems to forget that the money he has at his disposal is our money. We have had it garnished in the form of taxes; taxes that are supposed to be used to keep our economy afloat and provide essential services. They are not to be banked so that a surplus can be celebrated; nor should they be frittered away on self-indulgent politician foibles. We have a flatlining economy that needs stimulus particularly in the areas of wage growth and employment opportunities. He needs to use far more wisely the money that has been collected in taxes and show some fiscal responsibility before begging for more.

      Can just imagine the first question that Donald Trump would ask when confronted with the rising daily death toll from the pandemic. How many voted for me? His sycophants would assure him that none had and so he would shrug his shoulders and say, No loss. I wonder whether he used to use a coloured spreadsheet similar to the sports rorts, before deciding which state/county he may offer federal government assistance and equipment to in order to fight the disease. Certainly the New York mayor thought so.

      Let lessons from the US be learned in Australia. A president incited a crowd to storm the Capitol building. This was a situation that should have galvanised all those in congress to uphold the constitution and vote for impeachment. Yet when the call came the vote passed 232-197 with only 10 Republicans crossing the floor to vote with the Democrats. The other Republicans still voted along party lines. This is the flaw in a two-party system of government. The belief that one has to put the party above the best interests of the nation is what holds back true democracy. We have whips in our parties whose job is to ensure members vote along party lines. If something is wrong, it is wrong, and all parliamentarians of all persuasions should be able to express their true beliefs on the floor of the chamber and when they vote. Every vote in parliament should be a conscience vote based on knowing all the facts. Every parliamentarian should have access to all information, so that an informed decision can be made; that way facts wouldn't be dismissed as 'contentious.' Could it be that political parties are holding back effective government?

      Rumour has it that when Trump was told of the break in to the Capitol, he responded to the statement, The people are revolting with, Yes, I know, but if they vote for me, I don't care what they smell like.

      Martin Foley, Victorian Health Minister, seems to have 'doubles' standard when it comes to allowing overseas tennis players into Victoria. Seems to be a 'racquet' that is being run. If there is an 'out'break, will he accept that it is his 'fault' or just stand on the 'sidelines' and 'let' others to be blamed. The 'net' result will be an economic boost for Victoria, but has he 'lobbed' a potential hand grenade into our midst.

      With all this focus on the COVID outbreaks and what is happening in the US which are vitally important, just what is being kept under the radar? How is our trade situation with China? our emission targets are at what? How much debt and deficit are we up to now? Is the Barrier Reef still alive? Have those affected by the bushfires last summer received money from the funds raised and announced by the government? Where is the recognition of our First Australians at? What is happening with the asylum seekers in detention in places like Manus, Nauru and Christmas Island? What has Angus Taylor been up to? I can get a blow by blow score of the cricket but there is nothing coming out from the government about other matters..... and it makes me worried.

      So, tell me just how ministerial responsibility and accountability works. Where does the buck actually stop? If a department does well, the minister grabs all the glory and says it is to do with policies. If there is a stuff up, then the policies are sacrosanct and the blame is put on underlings in the department. Why would people go into the public service? Any credit for ideas is subsumed by a politician and any mistake made by others falls into their laps. If the minister is the person in overall charge of the department, then praise or blame should fall directly on him or her. If the minister is not in charge of the department, then why have a minister, particularly one who says he or she is in charge? At senate estimates questions are raised of both the department head and the minister, but answers aren't forthcoming from either as they use the Scott Morrison guide to deflection and distraction. Taxpayers money is spent and the public don't really know why and how much. FOI is a farce and any questions receive no answers because information is suddenly found to be in cabinet confidence. It is ironic really, as the only confidence that we have, is not to be found in ministers, but actually in the public servants at the lower level who are spinning their wheels so fast to make the big wheels at the top look like they are doing something. They are the expendable ones. They are the ones who are made to look guilty for ministerial stuff ups. We see that in our health workers, our teachers, our diplomatic staff and so many others. We need to enhance our whistleblower laws so that people can stand up and explain what goes on and thus force ministers to accept responsibility and be accountable for what they do. Oh, for a proper functioning ICAC!

      The government is spending millions on advertising the need to have the vaccine, the quality of the vaccine and what herd immunity is. It could cut its budget by telling the likes of Craig Kelly and George Christensen to shut the f... up. They are getting so much airspace on social and mainstream media for free and they imparting untruthful messages. Scott Morrison needs to step in and censure these people. They may prove more powerful than the antivaxxers when it comes to putting people off getting inoculated.

      McCormack has all but indicated that Joe the pigeon is toast. For those of you with suspicious minds, the self-proclaimed Elvis Impersonator may sing at its cremation, A chunk, a chunk of burning love or such a flight, such a flight it really was, whereas Australians would relish a little less conversation from McCormack.

      The only things missing from Michael McCormack this past week in the role as acting PM have been a red nose and the obligatory clown shoes. It would be laughable, if it wasn't so tragic that he believes what he is saying. The Coalition needs to change its rules because the leader of the Nationals is not always the best person to be second in charge of the country.

      People would flock to the regions to work if they were guaranteed that they weren't going to be exploited. They are being asked to work for a pittance on farms and charged high rates for lodging. Backpackers and people brought in from the Pacific Islands have for years been asked to work almost as slave labour. If Michael McCormack wants to help farmers by providing incentives for people to work in regions, then the wage that these workers will be paid needs to set at minimum wage levels with no strings attached.

      Lost: two spines. One belonging to the PM and the other to the Deputy PM. Last whereabouts unknown as they haven't been seen for a long time. Desperately needed so that these people can stand up to members of their own parties that are bullying their way into the public limelight by pedalling disinformation on social media.

      How is it that a small segment of the Coalition, possibly only about four people can dictate policy, particularly that on climate change? I know that there is a slim majority in the parliament and that these people may threaten to cross the floor, but does that alone make their arguments plausible. There is no back bone in this PM. There was none in Malcolm Turnbull. Tony Abbott, well, he was just Tony Abbott. Do these people know where the bodies are buried? Why else would Craig Kelly get frequent endorsement from his seat by those in charge of the Liberal Party? It seems incredible that we are told that in Health we will be following the science (not sure economics is a science, but nevertheless) but in climate change, science is dismissed entirely. There is no economic reason to continue to subsidise fossil fuel energy in Australia, unless you and your party need the economic benefits that may come your way from fossil fuel companies. Our PM is a pushover and is being bullied into a non-policy on climate change. Either that or he actually believes the likes of Craig Kelly and George Christensen and their allies, and is a consummate actor.

      Facts are contentious and what you think is right, somebody else might think is completely untrue so says our deputy PM and he then can quickly brush aside anything including disinformation on COVID, the attack on the Capitol and climate change. Yet if you think logically, McCormack was stating as a fact, that facts are contentious. Therefore, the fact that he thinks facts are contentious, is contentious in itself. This means also that the fact I have just said, is contentious and so, the argument goes on ad infinitum.

      Cast your mind back to the 2007 election. Even

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