The pond is aware that all the real action is happening elsewhere, but a few cartoons can take care of that while the pond attends to the suffering of local reptiles …
You see, the lizards of Oz dreamed the impossible dream, only to have the super Saturday delusion smashed on the rocks of electoral indifference, and naturally the always gloomy nattering "Ned" has been flung into a super funk … because in "Ned's" world, catastrophe is never far away ...
While any sane person might think the land of Oz's current troubles are only worth a few heel clicks up against the disaster zone known as the United States, "Ned" loves to stew in his and Malware's juices ...
The hysterical and mad climate that is Australian politics?
That's not mad and hysterical, this is mad and hysterical …
But if you spend your life shouting at clouds and then suddenly on a super Saturday, the clouds shout back, you're not likely to want to count your blessings… you'll be determined to cast a jaundiced eye on the local scene, and do your best to read the chicken's entrails in a way that still leaves some hope for Malware and his benediction of the big banks ...
By golly the pond loves nattering "Ned's" endless Chicken Little, 'sky is falling' routines, even if it feels the need to throw in a few cartoons about doings elsewhere …
But enough of American fun, it's time for a final gobbet of gloomy Ned ...
Modify the policy? Is that code for not giving the banks a hearty tax cut?
After all that angst, all that's left is a little policy revision?
As if there hasn't been time already for an abundance of decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse … for the pond has known all Malware's endless failures, have known them all, and experiences NBN drop outs in the evenings, mornings and afternoons ...
Now the pond realises that it probably would have been better off just running a Rowe cartoon and saving itself the pain of enduring "Ned" in full featherless flight funk, but where would be the fun in that?
Do the reptiles need to be reminded that nattering "Ned's" endless navel-gazing can be skewered by a single Rowe image, with more skewering Rowe here?
Neddles: "...if the Senate still refuses to honour the government's 2016 election policy..."
ReplyDeleteI don't think Neddles actually grasps the concept of a 'House of Review' at all. Here's a wee hint, mate: a 'House of Review' is under no obligation to "honour" the government's anything. It's under an obligation to 'review' any and all government policies, whether taken to an election or not, and to prevent any that it deems unwarranted and/or unwanted. That's "any and all policies", mate.
Ned again: "The idea that Australia can endure an uncompetitive company tax system without damage to investment, growth, and jobs is untenable."
Ok Neddy, so what you're saying is that Adani will not invest in Australia because of our uncompetitive company tax, right ? And that Sanjeev Gupta won't take up ex-Arrium steel in Whyalla, yes ? Well that fixes up that problem tout de suite, non ?
My take: "The idea that Murdoch reptiles have even the faintest idea about economics and business is untenable." I wonder if Neddy, in his heart, somehow believes that unless company tax is reduced, the big four Australian banks will have to close down and go overseas ?
And Ned again: "The government can complain about lies ..."
Yep, basically it can complain that it just can't tell any winning lies because nobody believes it any more. In America, Trump can live by the rule that "You just tell them and they believe you", but here in Australia, Mal and the LNP just can't seem to make that work.
The Pond has got me in the habit of checking whenever the reptiles seem too positive about some assertion. "Newspoll in recent months suggesting the corporate tax cut policy was gaining far more acceptance" caught my attention. A more rational take is found here:
ReplyDeletehttps://theconversation.com/poll-wrap-newspoll-asks-skewed-company-tax-cut-question-as-labor-gains-97314
"Newspoll asked whether voters wanted the company tax cuts as soon as possible, over the next ten years, or not at all. This is a skewed question, as two of the possible responses were favourable to the tax cuts, with only one unfavourable.
The question also suggested a “when”, not an “if”. That is, voters were asked when the tax cuts should be introduced, rather than if they are a good idea."
"The hysterical and mad climate that is Australian politics?"
ReplyDeleteI think what Ned actually meant was "The hysterical and mad circle-jerk that is the Canberra Press Gallery?".
And just what _is_ the problem with Shorten? According to Ned, on the one hand Shorten is "vulnerable because of overreach and poor credibility" (whatever that means). On the other hand, Comrade Bill's "immense skill" is his "populist exploitation of public emotion and resentment" and ability to "frame the Turnbull Government" while "always anticipating the next political step". I'm not sure that these two sets of attributes - one negative, the other positive - are consistent with each other. If Bill has poor credibility, how does he manage to successfully tap into public feeling and "frame the Government" to his side's benefit? If he manages to anticipate the next step, how is that overrreaching in a negative sense?
Poor old Ned - he's in more of a muddle than ever. And what's his solution for the Government? Why, communicate better, of course ! I'm sure they've never tried that in the last five years! Hang on, isn't Mal supposed to be the Great Communicator? Will it ever occur to Ned that maybe, just maybe, a turd of a policy remains a turd regardless of how much you roll it in glitter?
Yeah, spouting things that aren't consistent with each other is something of a chronic and persistent reptile trope. It generally comes from having to approvingly repeat whatever "truth" one and others of their tribe throws up from day to day and moment to moment.
DeleteBut I grant Neddy is a particularly egregious practitioner - he happily contradicts himself all the time. It owes just a bit to his incipient senility, I think. Though actually it's just a bit more than incipient now, as his effort here attests.