Feb 13 2013

Don’t be invisible. Be stupid instead.

It was only a couple of days ago that I posted The Invisible Man in response to Tony Abbott’s hide and seek political ploy. It appears Tony has since drank some of the magical fluid that makes people visible again and he wants the whole team to gulp some down.

This is after telling them last week that they also had to go and hide. Yes, even the popular Malcolm Turnbull was ordered into the closet.

And now:

Mr Abbott told colleagues at a meeting in Canberra this morning. “Be ready, be visible and be in Australia.

“Each one of us has to be a person of the people and for the people in the lead up to polling day.”

This is a good thing as we might see more of this:

 

 

47 comments on “Don’t be invisible. Be stupid instead.”

  4. Imagine if he went ‘ the other way’… we might of had Cardinal Abbott vieing for that other top job……. it must constantly irritate him being the wrong man at the right time in history….. alas, poor botoxic Tony, …..destined to be just another footnote 😀

  6. I have given you the response you deserve, Tony, I wont vote for you… ever… The man is an idiot! And the photo op standing in front of the Holden engine plant which his pretend treasurer has said publicly they will close down! Liberals…. in name only!

  7. I see mention of an interview Abbott did this morning on the ABC with John Faine.
    Reports are that it was a tepid affair. This sort of visibility & lots of it will be OK for him & his. I wonder if the word’s gone out to ensure exactly that- visibilty? It doesn’t mean any questioning.
    It’s distressing to think, but perhaps the next round of questioning Abbott’s lot face will be from overseas as their government is examined. Locally their go to man for OhMyGawd moments, Peter Costello, can be brought in to explain that the debt they’ve been saddled with means that everything’s now ASPIRATIONAL!!!!! If you look really really hard you’ll see this word featured in really really small print in our “policies”. And his media allies will let him get away with it. By then the taxpayer funded section of his media allies will be his media servants.
    I really hope this doesn’t happen.

  8. This is the duplicity of the racisty right-wing…They proclaim they are not racist as they have no problem with the people of the nations that have a distinct national faith, but rather accuse that faith of being heinious!…THEN go on to say that “you cannot separate the faith from the people”…What a complete state of denial!!…If the people are “of the faith” and you condemn the faith, then surely you are at the same time condemning the people who hold to that faith. It is no different than anti semitism, where the people and the religion are both condemmed together.
    Racist, racist, racist!
    Thick, thick, thick!

  11. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott surprises Kevin Rudd as he says hello at Michelle Grattan’s farewell drinks Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Gary Ramage Source: News Limited

    A FINAL showdown between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd could come within weeks, as tensions in the Labor caucus rose yesterday over the leaking of a letter critical of the former PM.

    Supporters of Mr Rudd yesterday accused the Gillard supporters of circulating a damaging letter from a member of the public to the media and among the caucus.

    Claiming it was in retaliation for Mr Rudd’s public attacks over the failed mining tax, several Rudd backers claimed there was now a push within his ranks to “finish the thing before the end of March”.

    After today, Parliament is not due to return for a full sitting until March 12.

    Mr Rudd has been privately counselled by some of his key backers to pull back from his public campaign for fear it could spark another showdown before they are ready.

    And a source close to the PM said Ms Gillard would not rise to the bait and had no intention of goading the former PM while she still had the numbers behind her.

    But many in Parliament believe another challenge to Ms Gillard’s leadership is being hatched.

    MPs have been seen openly coming and going from Mr Rudd’s office A FINAL showdown between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd could come within weeks, as tensions in the Labor caucus rose yesterday over the leaking of a letter critical of the former PM.

    Supporters of Mr Rudd yesterday accused the Gillard supporters of circulating a damaging letter from a member of the public to the media and among the caucus.

    Claiming it was in retaliation for Mr Rudd’s public attacks over the failed mining tax, several Rudd backers claimed there was now a push within his ranks to “finish the thing before the end of March”.

    After today, Parliament is not due to return for a full sitting until March 12.

    Mr Rudd has been privately counselled by some of his key backers to pull back from his public campaign for fear it could spark another showdown before they are ready.

    And a source close to the PM said Ms Gillard would not rise to the bait and had no intention of goading the former PM while she still had the numbers behind her.

    But many in Parliament believe another challenge to Ms Gillard’s leadership is being hatched.

    MPs have been seen openly coming and going from Mr Rudd’s office .”

    http://www.news.com.au/national/ides-of-march-pm-rudd-set-for-battle/story-fncynjr2-1226577365065

    I wonder how much goodwill Mr. Rudd will have left. Maybe he has gone one bridge too far.

    Maybe Mr. Abbott believes he is Jesus Christ. How other does one explain his promise of a hundred dams. ThIs reminds one of the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

    If this fantasy was possible , how much water would that keep out of out river system. We are all to aware of the damage that does,

    Where is the scientific evidence, that tell us this will lead to great rewards. After all the Ord River has been far from any great success.

    Every time if has been raised in the last 100 years, it has been abandon as not feasible.

  12. Liealot, the non thinking brain dead’s hero. With the same old slogans to parrot to their fellow mouth breathers.

  15. The opp’n after the next election delivering on their promise of one hundred dams….”Damn! damn!..damn!….damn!………damn!…….damn!……….”

  16. !00 dams that are going to :-

    1Flood mitigation..

    2 Provide power

    3 Irrigate the country.

    The dams are going to do all this at the same time.

    Yes, miracles he is going to perform.

    A dam that one builds for flood mitigation, needs to be empty most to the time.

    A dam one builds for power needs to be flowing all the time.

    A dam built for irrigation, needs to be full.

    Now it will indeed be amazing if one can achieve all three with one dam.

    I believe one only has to recall the disaster of a couple of years, at that dam above Brisbane, They tried to provide water and flood mitigation at the same time. Did not work.

  17. Dam good idea . At least its public infrastructure.
    Never know, like the ambitious Snowy Mountains Scheme of its time – might
    just work!
    Might even create a few jobs and envigorate a few country towns.
    Just hope the Obeids have not bought any property in the footprints!

  18. MPI. We now we have a Liberal PM of breaking these problems.

    The PM is accused of breaking election promises that the member for Griffiths made.

    Once again sticking up for the wealthy.

    Once again ignoring the GFC.

    It is like the raising of Pink batts etc, that belong to the previous government.

    That was proven to be efficient.

  19. At least its public infrastructure.

    lol

    Apparently, the NBN is too 😉

    The only difference is, the NBN will actually prove useful.

    The damn idea has been floated since the turn of the century, and everytime, reality gets in the way

    Tony Burke summed it up well

    ”It’s completely wild in its size,’’ he said, adding that the Coalition was trying to do too many things with the dam plan.

    ”They say that they want to use them to avoid drought, they want to use them to avoid flood and they want to use them for hydro power. Now, if you want to avoid drought, you need to manage a dam that is always full.

    ”If you want to avoid floods, you need to manage a dam that is constantly empty . . . if you want to manage it for hydro it has to be constantly flowing.”

    Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/abbotts-dam-plan-completely-wild-20130214-2ee3u.html#ixzz2KqOyhHBH

  20. I wondered why murdoch would be ‘leaking’ policies/proposals/brain farts. This makes much sense, especially after he ran away AGAIN today

  21. Yes, the Snowy. One of the few places that does have a snow line. Does have rain throughout the year. That had to be pull back., to save a little river, that runs to the coast.

    We already have five hundred dams in this country. How many generate power. How many irrigate over any reasonable area.

    What was the party, that fought building that dam in Queensland. I believe it was the National Party.

  22. I’ve been reading Gecko having some fun today over at PB (and possibly preparing election adds for Labor at the same time)
    http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2013/02/11/essential-research-55-45-to-coalition-7/?comment_page=70/#comment-1545668

    Gecko
    Posted Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 12:23 pm | Permalink

    Big Ideas? Hmmm…
    ……….
    Labor: ETS, NBN, NDIS & Gonski
    Coalition: 100 Dams & Forced Migration.

    Ya gotta admit its a tough one. 😉
    ……….
    Labor: 18k taxfree threshold
    Coalition: 6k

    Gosh this is sooo difficult… what to do?
    ……….
    Labor: School Bonus
    Coalition: No School Bonus

    Cripes… this will be a close call.
    ……….
    Labor: Fibre Optics
    Coalition: 100 year old copper

    Wow… do I have to decide now?
    ……….
    Labor: Australians 1 Miners 2
    Coalition: Miners 1 Australians 2

    Oh come on… 35% of mining interests are Australian too!
    ……….
    Labor: Fair Work Australia
    Coalition: $2 a day

    This is a tough one.
    ……….
    Labor: Three AAA credit ratings
    Coalition: Eleventy times make-believe and carry the one.

    Too close… way too close.

  24. http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/thought-bubbles-belie-coalitions-ready-to-govern-claim-20130214-2eei6.html

    Meanwhile, Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce denied the idea was just a pre-election thought bubble, saying it had been worked on for years.
    Senator Joyce said water was wealth and its use from efficient environmentally-responsible storage gave Australia a great capacity to take the next step.
    The ”key policy” showed Australians the Coalition had been diligent in preparing itself for government, he said.
    ”It won’t just be the same disaster with different bums on the seats,” he told reporters.
    Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the only part of the Coalition dam plan that was environmental was the word ”mental’.
    ”It is another kooky idea by Barnaby Joyce,” she said, adding it was more about being anti-environment than it was about pro-nation building.
    ”This is an idea from the 19th century.”

    Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/abbotts-dam-plan-completely-wild-20130214-2ee3u.html#ixzz2KqXSlxLy

  25. Coalition defends dam strategy
    The opposition leader and his water and treasury spokesmen have all defended a Coalition draft plan identifying $30bn in potential dam developments nationwide.
    Autoplay ONOFFVideo feedbackVideo settings
    For a party that has been begging for an election ever since we had the last one, and insisting that it is ready to govern, some of the Coalition’s policy ideas look decidedly underdone.
    The latest leak – of a plan to build up to 100 dams across Australia and create a new foodbowl in the north – is the latest example of a thought bubble masquerading as a policy.
    Previous serious studies have injected a note of caution into the grand patriotic dream.

    Both sides of politics have at times waxed lyrical about the potential of agricultural production in the north to help feed the booming population of Asia, and the attraction of the idea is obvious.
    But in a curious reversal of their traditional ideological stances, Labor emphasises market-driven ways to open up the region and the Coalition talks about expensive big government intervention in building dams and providing new tax breaks and the like.
    Advertisement
    Previous serious studies have injected a note of caution into the grand patriotic dream.
    The 2009 Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce found that although the north received huge amounts of rain, topography and high evaporation rates made it difficult to capture and store.
    Rather than new dams, it proposed a mosaic ”of small-scale irrigation systems that have carefully combined arable land with available water” and intensification of pastoral land, to boost food production. A ”national food plan” green paper released last year made similar points.
    Coalition MPs said those studies had been tainted by the presence of ”green environmentalists” in the assessment teams, who were rabidly against all development and wanted to turn the nation into one big national park. Others said the studies hadn’t included enough on-the-ground research.
    Now the dream lives again – in a leaked discussion paper that we are told will soon be honed into a formal Coalition policy.
    Theories abounded about whether the leak was sanctioned – to try to show off ”the vision thing”, or was an attempt by those in the Coalition who are alarmed by the idea to kill it off before it is set in stone.
    Whatever the motive, it showed the Coalition has been busy gathering information but appears to contain no information about why we should ignore previous warnings about the constraints on water storage in the north, or detailed information about where the new dams might be built (frontbencher Greg Hunt said there were in fact no direct proposals for dams in the policy that lists 100 possible new dams sites).
    There is also no detailed costings about how much the federal government would pay, whether state governments would agree and how it would attract private co-investment.
    Coalition frontbencher Eric Abetz conceded that ”hopefully by the election, we will have all that together for a definite plan to put to the Australian people”.
    Hopefully. Definite plans really are a much better basis for voters’ decisions.

    Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/thought-bubbles-belie-coalitions-ready-to-govern-claim-20130214-2eei6.html#ixzz2KqYGKicv

  27. 3:47pm: From the desk of Bob Katter.

    Damn them magic dams.

    “It is not the intention of the Liberal National Party to actually deliver these projects. When they build these dams, who is going to use them? The farmers and graziers won’t because their industry is one that you can’t make a quid out of any more. It costs $400m to build a single dam so 100 dams will cost $40 billion. Where does the LNP suppose they will get the money from? And who will it help because it won’t help our dying agriculture industry.”

    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/the-pulse-live/politics-live-february-14-2013-20130214-2ee54.html#ixzz2Kqd8Bvyq

  31. So spending money on the public infrastructure is suddenly good again (after 11 years of Howard). I guess the BER program was a masterstroke then!

  32. Opposition Whip Warren Entsch asked whether they’ll need to raise taxes to fund their spending promises said “it depends.”

    Well isn’t that a turn up. And I bet the right wingers will make every excuse under the sun when an Abbott government raises taxes if they get in.

    They will do this despite falsely claiming this Labor government is high taxing. If Abbott gets in he will make the Howard government look like a low taxing one instead of the highest taxing government that it was in our history.

    Abbott will be the lowest taxing government, for the wealthiest in this country.

  33. “It was only a couple of days ago that I posted The Invisible Man in response to Tony Abbott’s hide and seek political ploy. It appears Tony has since drank some of the magical fluid that makes people visible again and he wants the whole team to gulp some down.”

    In your dreams. Get that cigar out of your mouth before you swallow it!

  34. Well Mr. Abbott was visible today. According to Laurie Oakes, her took himself once again off to Queanbeyam. He then parked in a disabled parking spot, in front of senior police.

    Mr. Abbott then set out to give a spiel on law and order. There were plenty of dire warnings of bad things to come, is this government is re-elected. Only Abbott can save us.

    What got me, was those high ranking NSW police where there to campaign on Abbott’s behalf. I do have some trouble with that. And yes, his driver should have been booked.

  35. I see that another policy discussion paper has been selectively leaked today. Been in contact with the executive concerning the so called dams and the feedback received today has been positive.

    Not positive from the left but that is expected as they are floundering and in the scheme of things will be irrelevant. Stage two is well under way, the next two stages will be critical.

    Looking forward to talking more with the executive and catching up with John from the IPA to further the vision. Loving Perth…in a few months the girls will be with me.

  37. Treeman, surely you recall Abbott pulling out of the Today Show and blocking Turnbull from appearing in his place. Surely you’ve noted the irony about Abbott now saying – a few days later – that he wants his team to be visible.

    But all you can do is have a go at me. For what? For pointing out the bleeding obvious.

  38. Migs, plus Abbott having previously banned Opposition members from using their social media accounts. Apparently to Abbott it’s mandatory to be visible..but just don’t say anything.

  39. Apparently to Abbott it’s mandatory to be visible..but just don’t say anything.

    You mean like a dog turd in the middle of the footpath, Min?

  43. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott claims there will be an “instantaneous adrenaline charge” to the national economy if the Coalition wins the election, because it will help boost business confidence.

    **dream on Tony..you expect everyone to have a fit of the vapours if they come within a metre of The Alpha Male. Tony do not hide your light under a bushel, this isn’t just a “boost” to business confidence, it’s going to be positively orgasmic.

    Mr Abbott says a Coalition government would “trim” the public service, arguing there are now 20,000 more public servants now than there were five years ago.

    Tony, in total? Are these all full time positions/if not how does that 20,000 equate with full time positions. Might it be job-sharing, temps both people and positions such as 3 month and other short term contracts.

    Plus and of course VIP which Departments so that we might know what is important to you..let us know if you believe that there should be culling of staff at say, The National War Memorial..

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-15/abbott-reaffirms-commitment-to-public-service-cuts/4521142

  44. A bit quiet around here. Looks like the House of Gillard is slowly burning to the ground. Swan looks like the dithering fool he is and I can not see him or Gillard lasting to the election.

    Must be tough being a Labor supporter…at least your vented hatred of Abbott gets you through these dark days. Most entertaining.

  45. scaper, wander over to No names, please. No one seems that bothered by today’s effort from the MSM. Maybe you would like to take up from were tree left off.

  47. scaper, the world is not black and white as you would like to believe. Maybe the PM did not have a good week, especially if one cherry picks. There is no way, anyone can say, Mr. Abbott had a good week. No way at all.

    …………………….Mining billionaires when it is now so obvious that Julia Gillard and Swan got comprehensively out-negotiated by the three big miners in the 2010 mining tax deal?
    And most tellingly, how does Gillard ”turn the blowtorch on Tony” – and his lack of credible costings (which was her whole strategy at the start of the election year and the reason behind her decision to name the date in advance) when at least until the budget there are so many questions over her own fiscal strategy.
    The meagre mining tax makes it so much harder for Labor to make what should be a strong economic case – that we have low unemployment (5.4 per cent), low inflation (2.2 per cent) and relatively strong economic growth (3.1 per cent).
    It makes it so much easier for the Coalition to avoid damage from revelations of half-thought through interventionist policies such as tax breaks for remote regions and hugely expensive thought bubbles about dams.
    This may change after the budget when the government will reveal how it intends to pay for its big ticket spending items on education and disability, both over the forward estimates and in the longer term, and the Coalition will have run out of excuses.
    But that assumes Labor has the will to push ahead with real spending cuts – for example in superannuation – against the already fierce opposition from the industry and from a position of political weakness.
    As things stand, both parties have promised their numbers will add up without yet producing evidence to prove that they can…………….

    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/and-so-street-theatre-begins-20130215-2eien.html#ixzz2L24cscqY

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