It's Sunday, time to meditate with the full furry fury of Polonius, and save the heathens with the Angelic One...

 

After all the climate science denialist nonsense offered up by the lizard Oz hive mind yesterday, some might have wondered why the pond didn't bother fighting back.

The pond assumes that correspondents have done their reading, and come across yarns like Jennifer Verduin in the Graudian, I just returned from Antarctica: climate change isn’t some far-off problem – it’s here and hitting hard.

Or stories such as More than 80% of the world’s reefs hit by bleaching after worst global event on record.

Or stories such as Texas swelters as record-breaking heatwave sweeps across state, Record-high heat so early in the season means state has been hotter than Death Valley, the hottest place on Earth.

Or April storms that killed 24 in US made more severe by burning fossil fuels – study, Study finds human-caused climate change made four-day rainfall across central Mississippi valley 40% more likely.

The reptiles aren't interested in ominous signs and portents and linking to a James Hansen led study is just likely to send the bulls frothing and foaming as they charge at the red flag. *

There's no point in arguing, in trying to help them through their fog of confusion, their mindless miasma of rote talking points. 

Confronted by heat in Texas, the dog botherer would likely head back in time to discover it was hot on a single day in the Civil War. 

Confronted by current storms, the dog botherer would hearken back to the great blow of '56, and conclude nothing has changed since then.

Put it another way ... (in full here)

All the pond can do is offer up the reptiles and their follies and move along.

For a similar reason, the pond is passing on MAGA cap devotee Dame Slap and her weekend offering ...

INQUIRER
Fact is, the national curriculum has done nothing but dumb down education in Australia
Barely half of all students are proficient in maths, science and reading. Could it have anything to do with a national curriculum where Indigenous dance, storytelling and basket-weaving are included in maths classes?
By Janet Albrechtsen
Columnist

There's only so much bashing of uppity, difficult tricky Aboriginal people the pond can stomach, though the pond understands what inspires the MAGA cap devoted Dame Slap:

Of course the pond might wonder why trains were always used to torment the pond with maths.

Question 7: Indrayani Express leaves Pune for Bombay at 17:30 hrs and reaches Bombay at 21:30 hrs. While, Shatabdi, which leaves Bombay at 17:00 hrs reaches Pune at 20:30 hrs. At what time do they pass each other?

WTF? How did the Indrayani Express end up in a maths class? (Answer and more trains here).

Next thing they'll be asking Dame Slap to calculate the time it takes for Ridjimirail's wife to return to camp.

Too tricky, and besides, it's Sunday, and that's no day for deep questions.

It's time out for reptile meditative moments, and the reptiles did a pass on all the other contenders, because there's no one better than prattling Polonius to help zone out ...

The header: Reports of the two-party system’s death are greatly exaggerated, When the teals face political reality they are just as capable of changing their minds as members of mainstream political parties, concerning whom the teals are wont to express moral superiority.

The caption for that terrifying snap of uppity, difficult women, enough to send Polonius screaming behind the arras: The Climate 200 teal independents.

The magical command, to help Polonius get away from the harridans: This article contains features which are only available in the web version, Take me there

What's interesting these days is just how much Polonius has self-radicalised. 

Back in the day the pond remembers him as a boring scribbler for what were then the Fairfax rags, the dullard "conservative" dressed in for balance.

Since joining the hive mind, he's inclined more to unhinged ranting at teals and such like, with a deep yearning to return to the 1950s, or perhaps his distinguished service in the 'Nam years.

This column is fond of the saying that it’s unwise to make political predictions, especially about the future.
Writing in The Saturday Paper on May 3, the morning of the election, well-regarded historian and former Labor Party minister Barry Jones commented: “The likeliest result on May 3 will be a small majority for Labor but it will almost certainly be the last victory for a hegemonic party.”
Jones’s piece was headed “The last majority government”.
Like the overwhelming majority of commentators, he believed Anthony Albanese would prevail over the Coalition. And, like most commentators, he maintained that any Labor majority would be small.
As we now all know, this turned out to be false.
Before May 3, many political analysts predicted the Climate 200 teal independents (Kate Chaney, Zoe Daniel, Monique Ryan, Sophie Scamps, Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall) would attain a balance of power outcome in the House of Representatives. And, consequently, put themselves in a situation where they could wield real influence over the Albanese government.
For example, writing in Nine newspapers on March 6, columnist Niki Savva opined: “Australians appear set to hand decisive power to a group of raw (mostly) female MPs.”
Savva added: “Not so long ago, if confronted by such a volatile, potentially dangerous environment, voters would have sought refuge with the major parties; not today.”

With the greatest respect to Barry Jones, who? T

he reptiles might just as well have dragged in Bob Dwyer, just to make sure no one under sixty had the foggiest clue...Barry Jones.

Come on reptiles, take us back ...

As for the savvy Savva, there's no way that Polonius could contemplate her much later effort, Dutton has led one of the worst election campaigns in living memory (archive link)

...In the final, critical days of the campaign, rather than zeroing in laser-like on cost of living, the economy or something remotely connected to a policy, Dutton ignited not one but two self-indulgent, whining culture wars – one against Indigenous people and the other against the “hate media” of the ABC and The Guardian.
These risky, Trumpian devices expose Indigenous people and journalists to abuse in an increasingly hostile environment. Both sides report a heightened level of aggro on the hustings.
It is a humdrum tradition for politicians to blame overly inquisitive media when things go wrong. However, Dutton should put a one-word note to self under his meditation pillow on the reason for his predicament: self.
On Friday, Dutton was appropriately outraged by the booing against the Welcome to Country at Melbourne’s Anzac Day ceremony.
On Sunday, he switched his outrage to the number of welcomes to Country. Come Monday he decided they should not even be part of ceremonies on Australia’s most sacred day because veterans didn’t want them. Never mind that this was not true, Dutton was busily filling his supermarket trolley with his deplorables. Indigenous, migrants, journos, EV drivers, greens, teals.

Why, that's the very same supermarket trolley Polonius uses ... it's always full of deplorables, always knocked down at a bargain price ...

In a way Polonius's fierce fear and loathing of the teals is a form of displacement and projection for his climate science denialism, which he keeps under wraps much of the time because unlike other reptiles, he understands that it's the deep end of the pool for him ...

You know ...

Sorry, it's Sunday, the pond must have its 'toons...

In fact, the teals also got a relatively low primary vote in seats they contested. For example, 33 per cent in Curtin (Chaney), 34 per cent in Kooyong (Ryan), 36 per cent in Mackellar (Scamps), 40 per cent in Warringah (Steggall) and 37 per cent in Wentworth (Spender).
As to the national vote, ABC chief election analyst Antony Green recently provided these estimates: Labor 34.6 per cent, Coalition 31.9 per cent, others (including teals) 13.1 per cent, Greens 12.1 per cent and One Nation 6.4 per cent. This suggests the Climate 200 teals are more dependent on Labor than Labor is dependent on them, since all the teals are in the House of Representatives as a result of Labor and Greens preferences.
Major changes await Anthony Albanese's second term as Prime Minister - here are the key names to know.
In the wake of the 2022 election, ABC television’s Four Corners did a program titled Independents’ Day. The program aired a conversation between Chaney and Ryan.
The member for Curtin had this to say: “I certainly am copping it from people in my electorate who said: ‘And now you’re powerless. You know? You didn’t hold the balance of power so therefore you can’t do anything.’
“That attitude of helplessness is what perpetuates the problems that we have.  All you can do is nudge. You can only nudge things in the right direction. And it takes a lot of nudges to actually make any change.”
Before the May election Chaney and her teal comrades could expect to be listened to on the basis that they might have the balance of power in the future. But now this could not occur before May 2028 and possibly later.

Cue a snap of more dissidents designed to agitate Polonius, Senator Larissa Waters, Max Chandler-Mather, Adam Bandt and Stephen Bates during a press conference in Brisbane. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Of course there's the awkward matter of the Senate, but Polonius has an answer for that ...

It is not just the teals who have lost political clout since the election. The same applies to senators such as David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie.
It is commonly said the Greens, who lost three seats in the House of Representatives – including their leader, Adam Bandt (Melbourne), and the high-profile Max Chandler-Mather (Brisbane) – now alone hold the balance of power in the Senate. This is not entirely correct.
It’s true that Labor needs the vote of the Greens to get legislation through the Senate. But only if the Coalition senators oppose any such legislation. If Coalition senators choose to support the Albanese government’s program, the Greens will be irrelevant.

Oh indeed, indeedy do, and if the Coalition keeps supporting government programs, it won't just be the Greens that are irrelevant. 

If you happened to vote for the opposition, did you think you were voting for a "me too" party?

Never mind, it's the ABC, it's always the ABC ...

That is the political reality, despite continuing soft interviews on the ABC after the election.
Ryan appeared on Radio National Breakfast on May 13 and Steggall on May 15, despite the fact, after May 3, the teals are not key players. Nor are the other small parties and independents in the Senate and House of Representatives.

On the upside Polonius didn't rant on about there being not a single conservative on view at the ABC, and then the reptiles interrupted with an AV distraction, Teal MP Allegra Spender says Wentworth still cares about climate action and “doesn’t like culture wars”, as she cast her vote at a scenic polling booth next to Clovelly beach. Ms Spencer said she was proud to be able to run on her record as an incumbent this time around, while criticising the negativity of the Coalition campaign.

Such is Polonius's inclination to perversity that in his pecking order, he's even willing to give the greenies a break, anything other than those pesky, difficult, uppity women...

Interviewed on the Sky News Weekend Live program on May 4, Steggall conceded that the Albanese government had a clear victory. But she also maintained the result “also endorsed community independents around positive politics, around policy”. She said in a comparison of “the independents versus the Greens – the independents have done much better”.
But have they? After all, the Greens – along with the Coalition, have real influence in the Senate while the teals and independents have scant influence in either chamber of the federal parliament.
While the teals claim success in influencing the Albanese government’s climate policy, they remain unhappy with the outcome so far – as Steggall stated in her Radio National interview.
And then there is Chaney in Perth. On one day she stated her support for banning live sheep exports – an industry essentially based in Western Australia. The next day she changed her mind.

Then came a genuine dilemma for the pond. 

Should the pond report Polonius for masquerading as a furry, a media dog no less? The reptiles keep on insisting on his doggie persona, as in Sky News Australia's Media Watch Dog Columnist Gerard Henderson says ABC continues to give the Teals “soft” questions.

Does Sky Noise keep a sleeping mat for their in-house hound? Do they have a kitty litter tray, as apparently they do in US schools where furries abound? Do they feed him hard tack, or kindly biscuits dipped in milk, better suited to his age?

Never mind, the furry is finally winding down ...

Also, Chaney initially opposed Woodside Energy’s North West Shelf project in Western Australia, describing it as “unacceptable”. The Curtin MP’s electorate contains many employees who work in the mining sector. Soon after, Chaney changed her mind, stating that she was “not opposed” to the venture provided it met “certain conditions” – whatever that means. In any event, her position does not matter much these days.
All this suggests that when the teals face political reality they are just as capable of changing their minds as members of mainstream political parties, concerning whom the teals are wont to express moral superiority. Spender has attained considerable coverage for her views on taxation reform. However, it is unlikely they will be embraced by government.
The lesson about Australia that emerges from the May election is that those predicting the forthcoming death of the two-party system along with the triumph of the teals and others who claim to be community independents is by no means certain.
In the House of Representatives the two biggest political groupings remain Labor and the Coalition. It’s much the same in the Senate, except the Greens also have real influence.
Jones writes fine history but, like many a prophet, his predictions have yet to be fulfilled.

And yet, and yet... aren't there enough players around to ensure lively moments?

The pond's prediction? Fun times ahead, and a deep sense of sadness and despair for reptiles.

And now to set the scene for the bonus ...

It's not just the Catholic Boys' Daily, it's also the Catholic Girls' Daily, and the Angelic One is the leader of the pack (vroom, vroom, down, down) ...

The header: Underground church one of Pope Leo’s first big tests, Cynics often think the influence of the church is overstated in the modern world, but they should think again.

The caption, which fails to explain whether the Pope is wearing a nice flowing white frock, or a more formal white gown (pyjamas are for security): Pope Leo XIV walks past a Swiss guard inside the Vatican. Picture: Getty Images

The injunction, better than transubstantiation, which only offers the chance to slurp on human blood, and much on human flesh, dinkum cannibal style: This article contains features which are only available in the web version, Take me there

It turns out that as soon as she heard the name, the Angelic One know everything there was to know ...

There is no doubt that the usual interest in the identity of a new pope reached unprecedented levels of feverish speculation before the election of a North American as Pope Leo XIV.
So, what are the influences on the new Pope and how do they affect the direction of his papacy?
The accession of a US-born Pope is exciting because he seems to be from our world, he speaks our language.
However, like his papal predecessor Francis, Leo understands the less developed, more tumultuous world of South America.
He served for two decades in Peru, where he became a bishop, and is a Peruvian national. In addition to English, he speaks Italian, French, Portuguese and Spanish – the last two the predominant languages of South America, the biggest group of Catholic nations.
The Pope understands the rich First World and the poorer developing indigenous world.
As soon as I heard what name the Pope had taken, I knew the significance and possible influences of his papacy.
Speculation is rife in the Catholic world that Leo has chosen his name because he wants to be the successor not only of Francis but also of Leo XIII, author of Rerum Novarum (New Things), Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour. That encyclical is regarded as the foundation document of modern Catholic social teaching, especially on the involvement of workers in labour movements and the repercussions for society. It came as labour unions across the world, especially in Europe, were beginning to have a broader effect on society and politics.

At this point the reptiles arranged an AV distraction, Pope Leo XIV has held his first media conference since being elected the new leader of the Catholic Church. Greeted by the world’s media, the US-born pontiff called for imprisoned journalists to be released and for artificial intelligence to be used for the good of humanity.

The pond should confess at this point that it doesn't give a toss about the papacy or the Catholic church, but is vastly amused at the way that the Catholic Boys' Daily keeps feeding its hive mind...

And one distraction deserves another ... with these celebrations of faith and morals ...

The Angelic one seems to think that unions might matter, which just shows how much religion can warp and wreck a hive mind ...

But the encyclical had special significance for Australia, coming at the time of Federation when the Australian Labor Party was founded. Catholic workers, members of unions, were influenced by ideas gleaned from Rerum Novarum. Some of these ideas eventually were incorporated into the structure of the new federation with the arbitration system championed by HB Higgins.
But Catholic social teaching is not about political ideology, as is communism or socialism; it is about justice – justice for workers and within society, the bones of the social fabric.
How Leo’s social justice views, so important in developing nations, will order his priorities is not clear. Some commentators, particularly those critical of Francis’s papacy, are concerned about the reform of Vatican bureaucracy and mismanagement of finances. This is a secondary issue, but ultra-conservative critics such as journalist Dan Hitchens, who writes regularly for American Catholic publication First Things, were also critical of Francis’s lack of clarity on doctrinal and faith issues. Hitchens has gone so far as to call Francis’s papacy “a disaster”.
The future of the church rests on the papacy. It is the pope who is the ultimate arbiter of faith and morals.

Cue another AV distraction, “It’s a mission going out from the Church, not in but out, what they call going to the existential peripheries.”

Ah, the existential peripheries where some lose their minds...

Then it was on with the difficult mission of converting the Chinese to Catholicism, already well down the track, with surveys suggesting a whopping 2% of the country identify as Christian, with 90% of those Protestant inclined, and the remainder mostly Catholic, and who cares? 

The Angelic one does ...

However, one area that Leo will have to put near the top of his list of priorities is China, where the fundamental clash between political ideology and religion is more dangerous for the Catholic Church than anywhere else. To the consternation of the Chinese Communist Party, the underground church in China, which adheres to the teachings of the faith and the pope, has been experiencing rapid growth and the big question under Leo is what will become of the agreement drawn up by Francis’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, giving Beijing a say in the appointment of Catholic bishops in China.
No one had more experience working with China than Parolin. He even was rumoured to be China’s pick for pope. Some Catholics want the agreement torn up because in China communist ideology invades every aspect of life and thought, and unlike religion there isn’t a choice. In effect, Chinese communist ideology is like religion, so the state becomes the supreme papal-like arbiter. Papal authority effectively is subsumed to the state. The Chinese government, not the pope, has appointed new bishops, notably in the biggest diocese of Shanghai. This is the problem Leo will have in sustaining any relationship with China.
Unfortunately, the attempt to bring the Chinese underground church in from the cold has backfired. The deal endangers faithful clergy in China. At least 10 bishops are in indefinite detention in China. Nevertheless, the Vatican, like Beijing, insisted the deal was working, and renewed it in October 2024 for another four years.

Time for a final snap, Pope Leo XIV appears on the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica. Picture: AP

And that snap deserves an existential question regarding identity ...

And so to the wrap up ...

China then immediately began using the agreement to pressure bishops into joining the government’s Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, whose members are required to make an anti-Catholic pledge of independence from the pope. However, tearing up the agreement is probably in no one’s interests. The Catholic population is growing, particularly in Shanghai, and the CCP is worried.
There is no doubt Beijing has taken advantage of the agreement and the Catholic Church is suffering for it. Early in May, Hudson Institute Centre for Religious Freedom director Nina Shea wrote in First Things: “A better policy – one that does not share the pope’s important power of appointing Catholic Church leadership with an atheistic government and that supports the perpetuation of the church through a faithful underground – is long overdue.” That is true, but as the Bard said: Don’t hold your breath.
How can Leo deliver such a policy? It will probably take more than a generation and further sustained growth of the Chinese Catholic population to do what needs to be done. 

Ah yes, sustained growth, perhaps all the way from <1% to mebbe >2%.

And with that, please call the pond an atheist and a cynic to boot, and let's hear it for barking mad religious fundamentalists, whether tearing Gaza apart, or assaulting Ukraine with the blessing of the Russian Orthodox church for the sociopath leading the charge...

Cynics often think the influence of the church is overstated in the modern world, but they should think again. This typically postmodern and narrow Western view of religion in general and Christianity in particular forgets that for 1.4 billion Catholics, and indeed for Christians of all denominations, the biggest religious grouping in the world, political ideologies play second fiddle to faith. It is religion, not ideology, that is the prime motivating force in the world.

Time for a final break, time to imagine the joys of avoiding the USA at the moment ...

* A cheery view ...

A cheery study ...

Global Warming Has Accelerated: Are the United Nations and the Public Well-Informed?

Hansen, J. E. et al., 2025: Global Warming Has Accelerated: Are the United Nations and the Public Well-Informed? Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 67(1), 6-44, doi: 10.1080/00139157.2025.2434494.