Sunday, February 08, 2015

Another Captain's Call ...



Some thoughtful soul - who knows, but the long absent lord bless him or her - compiled this tidy montage of Murdochian headlines in the golden years of chaos ...

The Currish Snail headlines talking of clowns and announcing "The Circus is Over" are particularly poignant, because the circus is back in business and it's a big Barnum and Bailey three ring affair ...

As expected, the clumsy intervention by the reptiles of Oz in this morning's front pages - as recorded by the pond in a previous post, urging the dumping of jolly Joe Hockey and his replacement with Malcolm Turnbull, allegedly and supposedly as a way of fixing things - was just another part of the circus, with all the whittering columnists - Miranda the Devine and Akker Dakker amongst them - lining up to parrot the party line.

Inevitably it caused another clown to step into the ring, and parrot his denials, and for the record, the pond would like to record them:

Liberal Senate leader Eric Abetz on Sunday emphatically denied reports he had suggested Joe Hockey be replaced as Treasurer. 
"I continue to support the leadership team and I continue to support all of my ministerial colleagues, including the Treasurer," Senator Abetz said in a statement. 
Asked outside Kirribilli House earlier on Sunday whether Mr Hockey had his continued support, Mr Abbott said: "Certainly. Of course he does. Of course he does."

By golly, jolly Joe must be sweating. He's always struck the pond as looking and sounding like a used car salesman, but sadly all he's up to is selling a Trabant, or maybe the Tru-coat as an extra ...

The pond has no idea who runs the "let's keep Tony Abbott in power" division of the Murdoch rags - it seems every one follows the line more than the reptiles working for Pravda - but this one was a stupendous own goal.

And then there was the wonderful body language when Abbott announced his Captain's Call. As he turned to go, after a spectacularly short announcement, he looked like a man in deep denial and forty fathoms down in terms of pressure:


And then there was the abysmal rhetoric:

The only question, the only question for our party is do we want to reduce ourselves to the level of the Labor Party, in dragging down a first term prime minister.

No, that's not the only question. It's not about the Labor party, it's not about dragging down a first term prime minister. It's about leadership, government policies and captain's calls. It's not about navel gazing, or maybe it is:

(more Wilcox here)

Turnbull looked a little terse when calling out the Captain's Call, but later, frolicking with Julie Bishop, he looked amiable, as did she, as the reptiles turned bee-shape and flocked around the new honey pot.

Naturally Abbott's call produced the appropriate headline:


And that flushed out Arthur Sinodinos, and produced agitation in the backbench as well.

The pond hasn't had this much fun in a long time, and even the reptiles of Oz seemed to realise that maybe Sir Duke had done it again - the announcement went from the PMO to the media before heading off to the PM's colleagues:


Yes, backlash, inflamed critics, and Abbott, like a floundering shark, handing out warnings to his colleagues, as if that's the way to woo and beguile ...

And now the reptiles can't pretend.

See, there in the header for the collection of pieces.

It's a leadership crisis, or put it another way, the clowns are well and truly making mayhem in the circus ...

As noted in the last post, the pond was rooting for Abbott, rooting really hard, but now the pond has got a touch of the collywobbles and perhaps this might have been the last post in a completely different way.

As the pond pounds the keyboard, there's that blathering blowhard Jeff Kennett on ABC24 saying the public has switched off and a change is necessary, and the wounds are self-inflicted, saying everyone's wondering how a modern leader could be so tone deaf as to do a Sir Duke ...

Well yes, it's got so compelling that the pond simply doesn't have time for a Sunday meditation, but does thank the reader who offered up the atheist billboard - sheesh, the pond never pays attention to any form of advertising - and this comment on the religion which informs Abbott's attitude to science:


Now which song should the pond be playing on Monday?

Monday, Monday, so good to me; 
Monday morning, it was all I hoped it would be. 
Oh, Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee 
That Monday evening you would still be here with me. 
Monday, Monday, can't trust that day; 
Monday, Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way. 
Oh, Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be. 
Oh, Monday, Monday, how could you leave and not take me? 
Every other day, every other day
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah. 
But whenever Monday comes - but whenever Monday comes 
You can find me crying all of the time. 
Monday, Monday, so good to me; 
Monday morning, it was all I hoped it would be. 
But Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee 
That Monday evening you would still be here with me. 
Every other day, every other day 
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah. 
But whenever Monday comes - but whenever Monday comes 
You can find me crying all of the time. 
Monday, Monday, can't trust that day; 
Monday, Monday, it just turns out that way. 
Oh, Monday, Monday, won't go away; 
Monday, Monday, it's here to stay. 
Oh Monday, Monday Oh Monday, Monday...

Or should it be this one?

The silicon chip inside his head 
Gets switched to overload. 
And nobody's gonna go to parliament today, 
He's going to make them stay in the party room. 
And Margie doesn't understand it, 
She always said he was as good as gold. 
And she can see no reasons 
'Cause there are no reasons 
What reason do you need to be shown? 
Tell me why? 
I don't like Mondays. 
Tell me why? 
I don't like Mondays. 
Tell me why? 
I don't like Mondays. 
I want to vote 
The whole day down. 
The telex machine is kept so clean 
As it types to a waiting world. 
And Margie feels so shocked, 
Hubbie's world is rocked, 
And her thoughts turn to 
Her lyrca-clad man 
Sweet 57 ain't so peachy keen, 
17 months in the gig and everyone acting so mean
No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat.
They can see no reasons 
'Cause there are no reasons 
What reason do you need? 
Tell me why? 
I don't like Mondays. 
Tell me why? 
I don't like Mondays. 
Tell me why? 
I don't like Mondays. 
I want to vote
The whole day down, down, down. 
Vote it all down 
What's wrong with a dictatorship?
All the playing's stopped in the party room now 
He wants to play with his toys a while. 
One last Sir Duke before he goes
And the party room's out early and soon we'll be learning 
And the lesson today is how to resign. 
And then the bullhorn crackles, 
And the captain crackles, 
With the problems and the how's and why's. 
It's not about me
It's about being not the Labor party
And not picking on me
There's a little boy waiting at the counter of the party room
He's been waiting down there, waiting half the day
They never see him from the top
He gets pushed around, knocked to the ground
He gets to his feet and he says,
What about me, it isn't fair
I've had enough now, I want my share
Can't you see, I wanna be PM
But you just take more than you give
And he can see no reasons 
'Cause there are no reasons 
What reason do you need to resign?
Tell me why? 
I don't like Mondays. 
Tell me why? 
I don't like Mondays. 
Tell me why? 
I don't like Mondays. 
I want to vote
The whole day down, down, down. 
Vote it all down ...

By golly, the pond's not certain about the provenance of those lyrics, but if you made it to the end,
call yourself Sir or Dame Duke and join with the pond in celebrating the Liberal Party:


15 comments:

  1. Janet Albrectsen just on saying "unlike Labor and Kevin Rudd, something,something, something. I totally didn't help get a dog of a government elected, I wasn't at that thank you dinner, we still know best".... Or something along those lines.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I saw her too. She was also saying that, unlike when the ALP replaced Rudd, there's no 'bastardry' involved in the Libs' moves against Abbott.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, apparently the electorate both love and respect Tony, and totes don't think he is an Incompentent, thuggish knob!

      Delete
  3. Now, I finally understand that look on my parent's face, when I came to admit that ..: "You know..I made a complete botch up of that ..didn't I?".....and they didn't say anything, but just offered me a cup of tea. Those Murdoshians, whatever they say..KNOW that WE are wearing that "look of contentment" on our dials!
    Suck it up , Janet..suck it right up!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Having flushed opponents out the captain launched into a preemptive strike... and fell flat on face.

    Quite worried now, Smokin' Joe sings:

    "What About Me"

    Well there's a little boy waiting at the counter of a corner shop
    He's been waiting down there, waiting half the day
    They never ever see him from the top
    He gets pushed around, knocked to the ground
    He gets to his feet and he says

    [CHORUS:]
    What about me, it isn't fair
    I've had enough now i want my share
    Can't you see i wanna live
    But I just take more than I give

    [CHORUS:]

    So take a step back and see the little people
    They may be young but they're the ones
    That make the big people big
    So listen, as they whisper
    What about me

    And now i'm standing on the corner all the world's gone home
    Nobody's changed, nobody's been saved
    And i'm feeling cold and alone
    I guess i'm lucky, i smile a lot
    But sometimes i wish for more than i've got

    [CHORUS:]
    __________________________________________________________________

    Smokin' sometimes improvising sings along with several backers in the chorus line.
    Sometimes Asbestos gets a second verse all to herself (who else?) that goes:

    Well there's a pretty girl serving at the counter of the corner shop
    She's been waiting back there, waiting for her dreams
    Her dreams walk in and out they never stop
    Well she's not too proud to cry out loud
    She runs to the street and she screams

    [CHORUS:]

    ReplyDelete
  5. Appropos the Murdochians' Lot:

    http://www.zondervan.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Lot

    http://www.christianbooksaustralia.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=410732&keyword=zondervan&searchby=author&offset=0&fs=1

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zondervan

    http://www.alternet.org/story/151585/why_rupert_murdoch_love$_god%3A_world's_biggest_sleaze_mogul_also_getting_rich_from_christian_moralizers

    ReplyDelete
  6. CLOSING DOWN SALE - limited time only:

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9S5issCYAEmnCp.jpg/

    ReplyDelete
  7. Abbott says nothing of substance or value, but he says everything-everything (!) twice. Once is more than enough.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Dorothy,

    I am enjoying the last photograph (& caption) in the Laura Tingle item:

    http://www.afr.com/p/national/politics/tony_abbott_spins_out_of_control_SwZNiJckt5qaYay58NNxDK

    Caption Reads: Trade Minister Andrew Robb said this week the Cabinet “feel we’ve fingered the things that have unsettled people”. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

    Could he be referring to Toned Abs "budgies" - certainly seem to be about the right size as distinct from the size the F'Ugly Thug imagined he had when he threatened to shirtfront Putin.

    Dannosaurus

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cory Bernardi ✔ @corybernardi
    Follow

    For those that keep asking, I arrive in CBR at 1820 tonight. Will state my position on Liberal leadership matters then.
    2:07 PM - 8 Feb 2015

    I can't wait, the suspense is killing me

    ReplyDelete
  10. https://twitter.com/mearesy/status/564260937507418113/photo/1

    PM places a privacy screen over the window of his car - fear reactions can take many forms

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Dorothy,

    Well the "professional" (aka they get paid) political punditry are desperately trying to augur what they can from the random motions of politicians. Good Luck with that!

    It's fascinating to see how they suddenly get all excited (and unexpectedly start working weekends) when there is something extremely obvious to talk about (I wouldn't say report as they don't have a clue).

    We are now unexpectedly given a plethora of articles explaining how the savvy political journo's had become unfortunately enamoured by "The Most Effective Opposition Leader in Human History" and how it was impossible for them to realise that the Abbott wasn't just a right wing political dick head without a single understanding of economics or any real policies.

    Desperate crap from sub-standard political journalists who are more interested in reporting personal political battles than actually dissecting policy and how it might effect their readers.

    Five years of this crap.

    I don't just want to see Abbott and his shitty government go but the useless " political commentators" because by any standard they are completely and utterly useless at their job.

    Cheery days

    DiddyWrote

    ReplyDelete
  12. Aw DP - don't diss Sir Duke, on of stevie's greatest.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArgHvssVfF8

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And that's the great Nathan Watts on bass and Raymond Pound on the drum set from Jesus.

      Delete
    2. The pond will see you and up the stakes with Duke Ellington's Sir Duke:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArgHvssVfF8

      Best played late at night, perhaps by a Clint Eastwood DJ being stalked by a crazy psychopathic woman, as the pond understands all women are inclined to be ...

      Delete

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