Regarding Ben Sandilands article on Airshambles Australia. The admission that the staffing crisis might be real, at lower management levels is very visible; it’s only the PR corporate spinners and the Senior Managers who say otherwise. The “free” three hours pay for agreeing to be available on a given shift, even though you might not get called, is a smoke screen. No controller has faith that they won’t be called by agreeing; thus they loose the three “free hours pay” because then they only get paid what they worked; exactly what you would have got without an agreement. Our current agreement has a minimum call out of any duration equals four hours pay. Under this new “deal” the minimum call out is three hours; thus they reduce their night shift staffing issues by an hours pay and get a controller who can’t say no to the shift when subjected to the deal. Win, win, hardly, typical.
You may wish to look at the effect the teachers strike and lack of a pay deal had an effect on the NT election. The teachers may not all be union members but they all vote.
The Australian equestrian team are probably going to win gold but I don’t think Channel Seven and SBS even know they are competing. Maybe you can be the only Australian news service to give us the latest news from Hong Kong? I had to go to Youtube for amateur footage of the first stage. Thanks.
The Victorian Government has commissioned a study into selling off their public trustee, State Trustees. Coincidentally a couple of banks interested in “growing” their trustee businesses had recently visited the ALP, before the study was commissioned. Wonder if Macquarie is looking to tap into the poor and those in state care?
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Nay-sayers.
Jonathon @ Crikey: EXACTLY! There are people in this world who think there is more to life that playing with ones balls. Hooray! Someone up there agree with me.
Jesus I hope the eventers will do it three days running.
Venise
The fact that Seven and SBS havent shown any equestrian is somehow worthy of inclusion in Tips and Rumours? Really? Slow news day for you guys then?
David Masters; Bollocks! The only reason I flick on the tube is to see the Equestrian events. Yesterday, thanks to the sickening coverage of Channel 7, I tried two flicks of the remote control. And at 1420 today I haven’t bothered at all. Those vomitus ‘own promotions of 7; where drooling mums and grand-mums look at small boys trying to be athletes, (One ethnic shot of an older, but amiable, Aboriginal lady), all played to an icky wickey sticky version of “We are one; we are many”. If this is not bad enough the commentators go through their ‘iron jockstrap ‘ routines: deep gravelly voices, shouting “Orstraylia hes dunit aguine Guld! (spelled gold) to Vicky, Annie, Joycee, Amie, Kirsty, Wickie, Nicky, Cally, Janie, Kimee, Applee.” I would love to hear the sound they would make in an attempt to drag the following names down to their own level, Xavier (I expect they’ll reduce that to Jamie), Huston, Hughie? Jason, Burges. A Peregrine who doesn’t want to be called Perry, Evelyn; as in Waugh. Anyway you’ll get my drift. Plus having sat through 10 minutes of fu*king advertising, I am less than electrified at seeing 5 minutes of Judo? For Chr*st’s sake. Having talked to quite a few people who share my opinions, I venture to suggest “Strike up the music. “WE ARE ONE, WE ARE MANY” of the people who would rather watch a mushroom growing competition: than 7’s ode to pap, mediocrity and sixth-rate jingoism, designed to enthrall the footy lovers. (pronounced fuudy levers)
We’re a very horsey lot in here.