Prediction - Nuclear Weapons in OZ (Followup)

Out of the blue, we're suddenly talking about Nuclear Power again in this country with this recent comment by Little Johnny. In it, Howard argues "I am of the view that we certainly should not turn our face against it as Mr Beazley has done. I can't understand why he did that".

Well sorry John, but we have a swaythe of free, non-polluting energy sources waiting/demanding to be tapped. Wind, Wave, Solar, Themal - you name it we got truckloads of it - but you just don't seem interested.

Why? Well, I still think it's because we're gunning to be a world player - Little Johnny (and the Liberals) want us hitting above our weight.

Of course, that can only take us in one direction - by becoming a Nuclear Power and if we have our own generating capacity, then we can enrich the output to make our own weapons.

Would you trust them to set up JUST a domestic power use nuclear facility? Not bloody likely mate...

Prediction - Nuclear Weapons in OZ (Followup)

Out of the blue, we're suddenly talking about Nuclear Power again in this country with this recent comment by Little Johnny. In it, Howard argues "I am of the view that we certainly should not turn our face against it as Mr Beazley has done. I can't understand why he did that".

Well sorry John, but we have a swaythe of free, non-polluting energy sources waiting/demanding to be tapped. Wind, Wave, Solar, Themal - you name it we got truckloads of it - but you just don't seem interested.

Why? Well, I still think it's because we're gunning to be a world player - Little Johnny (and the Liberals) want us hitting above our weight.

Of course, that can only take us in one direction - by becoming a Nuclear Power and if we have our own generating capacity, then we can enrich the output to make our own weapons.

Would you trust them to set up JUST a domestic power use nuclear facility? Not bloody likely mate...

Thoughts - The Most Powerful (and Dangerous) Union in OZ

...is clearly the AMA.

Just think what power this beast has:

1. Ability to limit supply of doctors to ensure the demand cycle is never met, thus ensuring spiralling health care costs.
2. Ability to dampen training doctor numbers for the same reason.
3. They battle ANY attempt to remove their power in making clinical decisions (that nurses make (usually better) every day).
4. They've actively pushed/encouraged the extension of the standard Medicine degree to become a pre-med + Medicine approach - thus increasing the time lag in producing doctors and then ensuring they want to be paid heaps to cover their HECS debt.
5. They lambasted the State Govt when it proposed a swag of bonded placed for Qld doctors - they'd have no debt but would be compelled to practice in Qld for 4 years. What a dreadful suggestion???
6. Happily turn a blind eye to the pharmaceutic company kick backs they receive DAILY.
   

This control over the supply of doctors has to end - so come on Johnny, lets see you union bust the worst union in the country - the AMA.

Thoughts - Why the Cruiseship Terminal IS Vapourware...

To me it's becoming clearer that this whole thing is a crock of shite. Why? Well, I think it comes down to some simple arguments:

1. Katrina

With 1200+ units/houses to be constructed, that's a damned lot of permanent residents to stick out in a disaster waiting to happen. Not that it will necessarily stop councils desire to make it happen, but the reality of Hurricane Katrina will surely put a bite in the tail for any poor sod who wants to take out insurance.


2. Infrastructure & Population

So, just imagine 1200+ cars and perhaps 2400+ residents all rushing down Sir Leslie Thiess Drive to go about their business. Then add to that a night at the Crocs. Sorry, but it ain't gonna happen! There just isn't a significant enough of a drain out of this area to warrant the population. I do, however, think it might be a way of pressuring higher governments to fund the Port Access Road, thus freeing up the existing rail corridor and a new bridge across Ross Creek (at the end of the Strand) - in 10-15 years time!!! None of this will happen overnite, and at the rate state and federal goverment fund anything in regional Australia, it will probaly take longer.

3. Security

Presumably we want to park American warships in the new berth. Two problems (as pointed out recently by a letter to the editor). Firstly, imagine the outcry from residents when they have to live up next to a (potentially as they never tell us) Nuclear Reactor? Secondly, can you imagine the security cordon placed around the Amercians in the current climate. Surely residents movement MUST be hampered with blockades, etc in place for the duration of the visit...???

4. Pollution

Dust has again come under fire from the Port - yet we want to build a massive housing development within the main airflow corridor? Are we mad? Then there's the noise and light pollution that will spill onto the new neighbours.

Sorry folks - but this is a pipe dream. Question is, if this is the distraction, what's the main fare?

Prediction: The Demise of The Nationals

You've got to hand it to Little Johnny Howard. One of his lasting effigies must surely be forever moving Australian politics into the (strictly) 2 party system. Under his tenure, he has surely seen off the likes of:

• The Democrats (thanks to the GST debacle)
• One Nation (by stealing their policies)
• Family First (thanks to VSU & anti-abortion support)

And now, of course, we have his latest victim - The Nationals.

Despite the Nationals facing a perfect opportunity to shore up support in the Bush, they are quickly imploding on themselves as they battle to split the party into two. There's the "wish we were more like the Liberals" Nationals and the "wish we were more like Barnaby" Nationals. It's almost very similar to what happened to the Democrats with a few nutters thinking that they could actually do more than hold the balance of power (I've always thought that Meg et al had been brainwashed by Liberal hacks telling them - come into the mainstream and make a real difference!!!).

Sorry folks, the minute you jumped into bed with the Coalition and backed the GST - this after it was not raised in the general election and had previously been ruled out by Howard ("we will never introduce a GST"). What happened to "keeping the bastards honest"? What, by letting pull the biggest rug over our eyes in history?

And now we're seeing the same with the Nats - Barnaby is trying to maintain the Nationals Agrarian Socialist policies going (AWB single desk, Bush Infrastructure, etc) while the other half is rushing to sign up with the Liberals. Personally I like the notion of an Agraian Socialist policy - I think it's been an important part of our egalatarianism in that no matter where you lived in the country, you could access core essential services - and at the same price as folks in the city. Yet the Libs (and Labour for that matter) have been pulling that notion to pieces to the point where soon, living in rural and regional Australia will be prohibitively expensive (perhaps another prediction for another time).

So good luck to the Nationals as they try to stem the demise of smaller parties in Australia. Their demise will be our loss and it will further entrench the two party system in the country and thus further focus power within the hands of the minority - and as we all now know - you've got a grease a palm to succeed in business and, thanks to Johnny, there'll be fewer palms to grease...

Thoughts - Time for IT Workers to Revolt?

For long as I can recall, folks working in IT have been pressed, cajoled, forced even into dumbing down their science for the poor plebs around us. And for much of this time, I've actively pushed back against the luddites (including those within) who insist we speak in dulcit tones so as to appease the poor gentle working minds of those to whom we work.

Bollocks I say!!!

How many Electricians or Builders "dumb down" their explainations of what needs to be done in their fields? How many anacronisms do accountants, electrical engineers or even teachers use EVERY day without question. But when someone in the IT industry says "you're going to need an 80Gb HDD to do the job" - eyes glaze over and people start with whine about nutty IT people.

I could understand 20 years ago when everything was new - but unless you've been living in a cave since 1980, every day of your live is surrounded by IT - so there is simply no excuse.

So people, lets stop living in the dark ages - either embrace technology (and live with the terminology) or shut the f... up and lets us get on and do our jobs...

Thoughts - Legislating from the Pulpit

It has been interesting watching the recent debate over RU486 and how it highlights how the merger of religion into politics is a bad move.

It also showed an interesting "contradiction" of sorts. For many years, the right has complained of Judges "legislating from the bench" yet in the current Abortion debate, we're seeing "Legislating from the Pulpit" as Tony Abbott used his position as Minister for Health to effectively put a new ban on abortion by blocking access to RU486 (and thus the subsequent uproar and vote overturning his decision in BOTH houses of parliament).

Problem is, Tony's implied rewriting of the laws around Abortion are much more insidious. You see, here we have an individual, backed by right wing evangelicals, making implicit rulings on what we, as individuals can or can't do. There's no legal basis for it (as a judge would do by interpreting the law), Tony just says "nah, I'm sticking to my belief and that means no RU486".

It's akin to Pharmacists denying women access to the pill or contraceptives because it goes against their faith. Look I have no problem with your faith, just stop imposing your beliefs on me.

Thoughts - Religion & Politics

I was rather annoyed this morning to hear Gerard Henderson (from the Sydney Institute) on Radion National's AM program arguing that it was shameful how the RU486 debate had become sectarian - mainly anti-catholic and that, because Abbot was exposuing a religious view he shouldn't be villified.

Well, I'm sorry, but if you're going to bring your religious moral values into a political debate - which is what many were doing by making it a debate about Abortion - then you have to expect to be dealt with in the rumble and tumble of politics.

How you can expect to make personal religious claims on an issue and then expect to be somehow treated with kit gloves because you're expressing a religious view is staggering.

No, if you don't want to wear criticism then don't bring your views into the political arena...

Thoughts - Ethics and Ideology...

It has been stunning to watch the crass double standards our conservative pollies have been expousing in recent weeks. In light of the scandalous AWB payments to Saddam, we've had a barrage of business leaders and conservative politician's arguing that the trade is more important than the ethics of all this. Basically, it's the done thing in the middle-east, so why the bigr hallaballoo?

Well HELLO!!! Didn't we go to war over this? Not just because of Saddam and Iraq (and his devious WMD), but because he wasn't toeing the UN line. And why wasn't he? Because he was all cashed up because we'd been paying him kick backs (so why would he toe the line).

If the business sector had shown any sceric of ethical behaviour and the government backed its rhetoric with enforcement - perhaps the UN would have been more effective and Saddam could've been swept from power without ANY need for substantial violence and death (certainly not 2 years of the stuff).

How can these people not see that they are completely two faced about this is incredulous to me...