Good for you Venise! You gave me a good laugh. As one who was brought up with the catholic dogma, I saved my biggest laugh for your comments re the Mad Monk and his mates - they all make me cringe. The word ‘sleaze’ was designed with them in mind. As a friend of mine used to say about a boss we had of similar type - be carpeted but never cornered? They’re like the school bullies at some posh private school who behave badly at term’s end but always get off! Or plead their case, or offer some soppy nonsense. Or pay someone to plead their case? Oh dear!

#
RaymondChurch

“Arghh Venise the thought of Chrissie Pyne’s falsetto being a permanent fixture at the Opposition despatch box brings on an attack of the dry horrors. Where’s the merlot when I need it?”

He reminds me of the summer. Like a mozzie zapping around me while I’m watering my plants on dusk - a damned nuisance! Not all of their seats are considerred ‘safe’ are they? Please?

Technically he was elected, but he was elected due to the preferences of Labor voters who would have been almost universally unaware of where the preferences from their votes would be flowing. Unlike say Nick Xenophon, he cannot reasonably claim to have a constiuancy or electorale mandate for anything, which makes his incompetant antics all the more frustrating.

I do feel a little sorry for him, I’m sure he never thought he’d actually be elected, and was clearly woefully prepared and clearly lacks any real support from decent team of staff and advisors. Plus I can’t see him getting a job back in Engineering once he’s shown the door from politics, given his demonstrated inumeracy when it comes to technical and scientific data…

Still, it’s supposed to be a representative democracy, or an approximation of one, and if the guy gets enough votes he’s in. He was elected, not appointed. It’s up to the Australian public to decide who gets returned to the Senate. The two party dominant systems of the Anglosphere are more than a little past their prime…

Well, I agree with Bernard. This person is at best having difficulty grasping the reason why he was elected in the first place. He argues re openess and honesty, and being fair dinkum and an assortment of other glib remarks, but he’s just a mouth piece for the conservative side of politics. I hope that Labor has learnt its lesson this time, and doesn’t give, swap or in any other shape or form, assists him or his party into the Senate.

John Hatton, a retired Independent who served in the NSW Parliament, is probably one of if not the person whose high integrity is well known - in NSW anyway. Only today,he was on local ABC radio speaking of this very thing - honesty and accountability by politicians. He ‘blew’ the whistle on forms of corruption in this State some years ago, and as a caller said today, ‘could we clone him, so he’s always here’? I say ‘amen’ to that.
He pointed out, that the Shoalhaven Council(since the last local govt elections)has the position of each Councilor on its website, in particular, documentation of all donations-it’s updated each 3 months. Now, if they can do it, then what’s the problem with the rest of them. If they have nothing to hide, then they have nothing to hide.

Many of us can recall the ICAC report into Wollongong Council. People will also recall the dinners etc organized by candidates of State Labor members(Labor, but the others do it too?)and the monies are organized in such a way, that it’s just reported as part of the ALP financial reports-and it’s not every 3 months either, it’s as Bernard has written here, so the individual donars are not published. State & Federal politicians get heaps of assistance re financing their campaigns-in fact, John Hatton said he’s amazed that a ‘lone candidate’ ever gets elected, as they just can’t compete with the monies sitting members have. They just got an increase in those monies, and remember, that Howard did weeks of politiking prior to the last election(and others before it)but the Liberal Party didn’t have to pay until the date of the election is formally announced, and the ‘formal’ launch takes place. What a rort that is - we pick up the tab in the meantime. The same will apply to the ALP this time of course, unless something has changed that I’m not aware of!

PEDRO - I’ve been to the supermarket buying some essentials. I was away from my computer. People do have another life you know? You’re showing your ignorance of the facts. The situation re the huge sums of money spent on elections is a disgrace. We’re going to end up like the US, where you need millions to even bother putting your name forward to be a candidate - for any tier of govt, but the President - forget it!

It’s telling, that Malcolm Turnbull uses derogatory terms to describe Kevin Rudd, but given the chance to show some spine, not to mention any semblance of accountability to the electorate re their hard earned, he chooses to weakly and without integrity support Howard’s slimy practices.
I’d go as far as to say, bring on a double dissolution, and let’s clean the federal parliament of these dinosaurs who are politely, choosing dishonest practices over full accountability - to us. How insulting!

For a shock writer, whose job is to get large numbers of people writing about him (either loving him or hating him), he has attracted just 4 comments.

His style is juvenile, the ‘facts’ are either completely absent or only half reported (which gives them new meaning), and people are now bored with him.

For me, I won’t be reading him in future.

But don’t worry Bernard - you still have 3 readers.

I’m suspicious of Fielding’s motives here. What does he have on his donation lists that he would prefer not to publicise I wonder?

Good to see Mr Keane is focussing on the big issues.

“…Why Steve Fielding rejected the bill is unclear. The man is hopelessly unfit for his position and the sooner he is turfed from the Senate the better for Australian public life…”

And with such bipartisan objectivity.

Well done Sir.

Mike