Australia’s refugee problem has attracted global attention. This from the New York Times.
Parliamentary sin-bin: who makes the Tuckey hall of fame?
|
In what’s shaping up as a fascinating race between youth and experience, at about the halfway mark of this Parliament, Peter Dutton and Wilson Tuckey share the lead for the most number of times booted out of the House of Representatives Chamber. The young Queenslander Dutton has been sin-binned eight times, but veteran stayer and addled dotard Tuckey has managed six sin-binnings and two send-offs, including a “get out of Canberra free” suspension for three days. (Here’s some footage of the master at work last year just to set the right tone:) 
But neither man can feel comfortable, with Joe Hockey looming up like a star destroyer from Star Wars just behind with seven, although no longer being Manager of Opposition Business may cruel his chances of racking up some more. The now slimmed-down Bob Baldwin — has he used the same diet as Therese Rein? — Dennis “what global warming?” Jensen and Stuart “I have a very low profile” Robert are on five and there’s time enough if good enough. A real bolter is that nice young chap Greg Hunt, who sits there looking entirely innocent but has been turfed out four times, more than higher-profile troublemakers like Andrew Laming and Alby Schultz. View the full list here:
Special mention should also be made of Tasmanian man-mountain Dick Adams, who despite being a Government member has managed to be dispatched twice. Anthony Albanese — the Leader of the House — was kicked out along with Hockey when Harry Jenkins got jack of their incessant sniping at each other one morning last year. As for Christopher Pyne — only four sin-binnings plus this week’s one-day send-off. Must do better. |
|
|
8 Comments
Perhaps an in-house cheerleading squad would help our politicians aspire to new heights of bad behaviour
Yah, go Adams! Get up there big-fella, you can show them a thing or two!
After todays absurdities it is amazing the Speaker didn’t have half the Opposition sin binned. Rudd has been goading them all week and today they took the bait, totally. That prat Pyne showed just how childish and immature he is, with Hockey, a presumed aspiring leader acting like a moron. Rudd completely diverted the Opposition attack on the budget papers to ensuring the rabble merely got entangled in points of order and discussions (arguements!!) with the chair, and they were never going to win of course. Got to hand it to the PM he is a cunning wee chap, sneaky but cunning. It was interesting to see the looks on the faces of some of the older Lib and Nat party members during the childish antics, they were decidedly not amused. The Government are not angels and certainly enjoy themselves but after 12 years copping it in Opposition, the payback is more evident than ever. None enjoying it more than PM Rudd.
Angry white men - you gotta love ‘em.
Alternatively, you could dismiss them as a bunch of immature jerks.
Apologies to Dennis Jensen - we’ve misspelt his name
“The simple fact is that there is no ‘global warming’ of the kind claimed by the federal government and its cheerleaders in the green lobby” said Dr David Jensen in April from whence presumably we get Bernard Keane’s ‘witty’ nicknaming.
David Janssen, BAppSc (RMIT), MSc (Melb), PhD (Monash) is the only real scientist in Parliament with both an M.Sc. and a PhD. and four years of work for the CSIRO as a research scientist.
In December, Dr Jensen also said in Parliament that many of the climate models used to predict regional rainfall, including the CSIRO models (relied upon by Ross Garnaut), are highly unreliable.
When Dr Jensen asked to table supporting information in the Parliament by way of charts and tables, the request was denied by the ALP.
Dr Jensen is not a member of Liberal party front bench either.
So the one person in Parliament with the necessary training to reasonably make informed commentary on CSIRO and IPCC reports is effectively silenced and that silence is doubly enforced and his opinion belittled by journalists just like Bernard Keane here.
As P.J. O’Rourke wrote: “Some people will do anything to save the earth … except take a science course.”
If off his face Tuckey, big-mouth Baldwin and powder-puff Pyne stimulate interest in national political debate they’re value for money. Atlast the Liberals have shown a positive side to their presence!
I’m fairly new to the ins-and-outs of the House in action, but it seems to me the Chair wields quite a bit of power. I guess it gets lessened by impact of the votes, which will normally fall along party lines. I bet there’s been thousands of words written on the topic, so I might go read some of those now and let you know what I find out.