Comments on: Get yourself a real issue, Brendan!

By: Nick Ryan

Nick Ryan — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Remember those words ‘protectionist drivel’ in a few years Bernard, when Cargill, ADM, Conagra and a few other (mostly US) grain trading majors have sorted out the marketing of Aust wheat. You dont think the profits will stay here do you ? You really should ask a few people in soft commodity trading and shipping what they reckon about an opened-up wheat market. My guess 90% would say our smallish production and specialty markets wont matter to the world traders, ,most of whom already enjoy huge production (and non-production) subsidies back home in Europe and the US.

By: Cathy Morris

Cathy Morris — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Just wondering if the same workplace rights you mentioned in the Crikey email were handed those ‘highly-paid hacks’ in the Press Gallery might be hived off to electorate staff like Melissa Batten and Gillian Sneddon. You know, the ones where you say f…k off when one of the Party minders or your MP threatens you – and you get to keep your job. Well, Melissa’s gone now setting a new precedent on dealing with MP behaviours. She cut with the red tape, got the satisfaction of giving lip to a bully now undergoing anger-management and was paid almost two year’s salary for short-time service. As Senator John Faulkner, Special Minister for State (and of MP electorate staffers that’s deplorable) will tell you, you’ve got to play the game according to the MOP(S) Act of 1984. That deal done about a quarter of a century ago was forged when vinyl records and Fruit Loops were cool and there wasn’t a computer in Parliament House. The same year a National Occupational Health and Safety Commission was established, that to this day, isn’t able to guarantee its then ideals to electorate staff. The media is on alert - get your cheque books ready, Neal sounds a pussy-cat to the MPs that still insist you Domestos the toilets!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Onya Bernard. Good to see you again fulfilling your promise to keep Rudd honest by launching at Nelson again. A couple of things for you, the honesty of Parliamentarians is of paramount importance, and the fact that Rudd hasn’t distanced himself from what looks like some pretty dodgy behaviour proves he is not different to any other Prime Minister - arrogant and above recriminations.
If you think petrol price is not an issue then you’d better go and talk to an average family. My question is, why your’s and the government hypocrissy over subsidies and protectionism for the famers, and then allow and endorse the OPEC parity pricing system. And all this from a bunch of guys who said GST (an indirect tax was evil).
Can’t wait until you take your rose coloured glasses of Bernard and start doing the job your promissed a few weeks back.

By: steve martin

steve martin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

” Yep, fellas, it might be unAustralian but it’s called the marketplace and it’s what everyone else in the country faces” - Really,how about pharmacists and the nobbling of Woolies entry into the pharmacy business.

By: Patricia Weston

Patricia Weston — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

The cockies are sharing the general frustration out here in voterland. We may not agree with them about the single desk, but we all have issues we want addressed seriously by our parliamentarians. All we are getting are the ridiculous posturings of Julie Bishop et al trying to make something out of nothing. We are coming into the third week of this Iguanagate stuff! Last night on Lateline she managed to be at once obsessive and evasive, on top of being irrational. Tony Jones was too gentle with her, but perhaps he got it right and so encouraged her into even more outrageous stupidity. Of course Kevin Rudd, the notorious micro-manager, was behind the Belinda Neal cover-up! Even if he was in Japan! He colluded with Julia Gillard! He must have slipped out of a state dinner to take her call! Imagine the conversation…. “Good thinking, 99!” When will we have a real Opposition with something worth saying and worth listening to?

By: Shell

Shell — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I’m confused. If it’s illegal to lie on a stat dec, shouldn’t earning $100,00 for admitting that on TV be called “the proceeds of crime”? … and isn’t that illegal too? Can anyone enlighten me?