Killer of the IPA? An epic Groaning? Mein Gott at work? Who says the lizard Oz and the pond can't distract from what's going down?

 

Never having used TikTok, the pond is relatively immune to the news of the US version now being heavily Trumpified, with many now exiting, determined to make it the new MySpace.

Never having cared for the mad Mullahs of Iran, the pond doesn't much care that King Donald has seized on them as the perfect distraction from the murders in Minnesota and the continuing imprisonment of the Epstein files.

Also knowing that Thursday is always petulant Peta day in the lizard Oz, the pond simply gives a sigh to the heavens and sends her to the intermittent archive cornfield.

This really is Last Chance Saloon for the Libs
Polling showing One Nation outpacing the Coalition is no aberration. It signals a last-chance moment for the Liberals, whose leadership chaos and drift risk terminal decline.
By Peta Credlin

Just look at this dismal set of offerings this day ...

... so to keep PP in fitting company the pond also sent this to the intermittent archive ...

COALITION CRUMBLES
Liberal elders intervene in leadership tussle, as Littleproud leaves Ley hanging
Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne have stepped in over Sussan Ley’s future as David Littleproud declines to meet the Opposition Leader amid his own leadership challenge.
By Greg Brown and Lachlan Leeming

The onion muncher and the poodle are involved? Why then it's doom...

The only excitement?

According to Golding, the lettuce has a new competition going...

And the reptiles could only summon "Agencies" to deal with that epic Iranian Epstein files distraction, so that could be read anywhere ...

While making room, the pond also sent Yoni to the corner ...

Menace there for all to see in envoy’s words of warning
Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian’s remarks on Wednesday weren’t quite a return to the bilateral freeze-out of the Morrison era, but the warning was unmistakeable.
By Yoni Bashan
North Asia Correspondent

Yoni, Yoni, it's the height of reptile trolling cheek to make room for the Ambassador and then proceed to run around for days like hysterical scalded cats ...

Similarly the pond decided to ignore nervously clucking Cameron ...

To strike Iran or not to strike? Trump’s options are fraught with risk
US military strike on Iran could be days away as Trump’s ‘Armada’ arrives in region
As a massive US military force arrives in the Middle East, offering a suite of military options which include devastating strikes against the IRGC’s command centres, Trump faces one of the most important decisions of his presidency.
By Cameron Stewart
Chief International Correspondent

Cameron, Cameron, that epic Iranian cat has been out of the bag for weeks, what with the Minnesota murders not enough of an Epstein files distraction.

More to the point, where's the bromancer when he's desperately? (And where's the Minnesota murders coverage?)

And where's the reptiles covering the climate?

What with bushfire season in full flight, and critters being devoured by flames, the pond simply can't understand the reptiles new jihad, a war on the critters of the country, with maverick Mad Bob the latest to join the crusade ...

Our nature laws are devised by people whose shoe leather has never left concrete
There is a great evil stalking the land when dangerous animals are protected by law, yet the same set of laws say humans are not ­allowed to protect themselves.
By Bob Katter

Mad Bob attempted to do an Our Henry by dragging Lincoln and de Tocqueville into his opening flourish ...

It's true that the reptiles showed the most dangerous animal of him all, mad Bob in Rodin pose, ready to rampage and do critter dust-ups, as if a dinkum thought had ever emanated from that posing ponce attempting to imitate Caesar.

But the pond had to draw a line and quickly came after that snap with this Katterism ...

An estimated one person a year gets torn to pieces by a crocodile in North Queensland – quite literally eaten alive. You are still alive while you watch your leg being torn off, your stomach torn from your body. A young doctor, loved by all, watched part of his body torn away. Not far off, he could see his two children and wife watching. Their father, their husband being torn to pieces – eaten alive.
Each member of the Queensland parliament is responsible for this – yet another murder. I am pleased I believe in Jesus Christ and know these terrible politicians will ultimately be held to ­account.
The political party, the Katter Australia Party, and the Party’s Shane Knuth (and Robbie Katter) have moved continuously – not for culling (what I want) but for “safer waterways” – removal of crocodiles.

Sweet long absent lord, was Jesus intent in destroying all the critters? 

Was that why we're left yearning for long  lost dinosaurs? 

Watch out lilies of the field. Watch out wikis on Xianity and animal rights.

Must we burn down the whole house? Is the insurance up to date?

The pond will leave the musings of the rampant feral pig to those brave enough to chance the intermittent archive...because the pond simply had to make room for other dangerous critters, what with Killer of the IPA loose, and snuffling at inflation truffles ...

The header: Why latest inflation disaster might have a small silver lining; Australia’s rising inflation, now 3.8 per cent, is outpacing concern over falling unemployment, threatening household budgets, real wages, and the cost of living across the nation.

The caption for the sublimely, superbly illustrative snap, revealing a stunning insight into inflation. Amazing that shopping trolleys could mean and say so much: Rising prices hit Australian households as inflation climbs to 3.8 per cent, affecting the cost of food, fuel and everyday essentials. Picture: AAP

Killer could only muster a three minute read, but the pond always attends to Killer of the IPA's musings ...a perfect way to slumber through Thursday ...

Inflation and unemployment are often discussed alongside each other, but the truth is the former is far more lethal, politically and economically, especially when it’s high and increasing.
It is positive the jobless rate fell unexpectedly to 4.1 per cent in ­December. But no one – bar those newly employed and their immediate family – really much cares. Yet it is a disaster the inflation rate surged from 3.4 per cent to 3.8 per cent in the year to December because that reflects falling living standards for everyone.
Changes in the consumer price index reflect actual inflation far better than the official jobless rate, which includes individuals who work for as little as one hour a week and excludes anyone who has given up looking for a job.
The latest embarrassing rise in inflation almost guarantees that interest rates will rise in the coming months, ensuring a double whammy for hundreds of thousands of households with variable rate loans.
The latest bump is all the more concerning given the Australian dollar has been broadly appreciating throughout 2025, reducing the cost of imported goods and services.
On Wednesday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers blamed “price pressures” for “hanging around longer than we’d like”. As this paper’s former economics editor David Uren once said to me: “What the hell is a price pressure?” Inflation doesn’t mysteriously emerge; politicians use vague phrases to abrogate responsibility. Inflation is a choice, and it’s no wonder it’s rising given rampant state and federal government spending growth and ongoing budget deficits.
Exploding federal spending – the most rapid growth since the Whitlam years – on the NDIS and industry subsidies is bad enough, retarding productivity and directing workers away from more productivity activities. But the budget deficits add directly to inflationary pressure too by supercharging the creation of new money.
In a new book on monetary economics, The Age of Debt Bubbles, the government’s role in directly bolstering inflation – a rarely understood subject – is laid bare. “It’s worth reiterating this point,” writes William White in the opening chapter, “when a bank purchases government bonds, it typically does so by creating new money out of thin air”.

The reptiles were so bored they could only interrupt with one snap, even though Killer's ongoing Argentine fixation provided a great opportunity to flourish a chainsaw ...Treasurer Jim Chalmers acknowledges lingering “price pressures,” as economists warn government spending and deficits are feeding inflation. Picture: NewsWire

On and on he rambled...

Chalmers should read White’s book. As former head of monetary economics at the Bank for International Settlements (sometimes called the central banks’ central bank), he knows what he’s talking about. When the government runs budget deficits, they boost the money supply which in turn increases prices as it seeps into the economy.
Still, it’s not only the federal government. States have been spending recklessly as if they are still in lockdown. As S&P recently warned in a report issued earlier this month, public sector employee costs have been rising at an unconscionable 7 to 8 per cent a year.
State debts, typically ignored when Canberra boasts of its relatively low indebtedness compared with other countries, is set to hit $660bn this year, or 24 per cent of GDP – all of which is ultimately Canberra’s responsibility.
If there’s any silver lining to ­uncomfortably higher inflation in Australia, perhaps it’s that more of us will now be forced to understand what causes it.
Visiting Argentina last year, a country that has endured numerous episodes of hyperinflation, I was stunned at how many people blamed excessive growth in the money supply for the nation’s economic woes. Few economists will talk about money supply when analysing inflation, which is why their forecasting record has been so risibly pathetic – failing totally, for instance, to predict any of the multi-year post-Covid surge.

Say what reptiles? No snap of Killer's hero? So much more exciting than Jimbo, a real pose down:

And no news from Killer about the stunning progress of his hero?

Must the pond head off to Bloomberg for that?

Never mind, time for the Killer wrap up...

More than a quarter of all the Australian dollars in existence today were created in the past five years. In the 12 months to November, for instance, one measure of the sum of Australian dollars, known as M3, rose 7.3 per cent to $3.33 trillion. That’s a lot of new money (almost totally in bank deposits) chasing a similar volume of goods, services and houses and apartments, which is where most of the new money is initially spent.
The government’s misguided encouragement of first-home buyers to take out home loans with as little as 5 per cent deposits is another inflationary policy. Banks create new money when they issue loans, another very poorly understood fact, so more rapid growth in home loans underpins higher inflation.
Inflation is likely to get worse before it gets better. The latest December figures don’t fully reflect the removal of federal energy rebates for households, which had been artificially weighing on the CPI. Indeed, the fact that the ­government budget update before Christmas added almost $50bn in new spending – on economist Chris Richardson’s calculations – highlights a spending growth so brazen and reckless it can’t even be adequately counted.
While punters will be upset about looming interest rate hikes, at least it will lead to less money creating loans and make it more costly for the government borrow even more.
Adam Creighton is chief economist at the Institute of Public Affairs.

As for the rest? It would be absurd to expect Killer of the IPA to pay the slightest bit of attention ...

And having been economical with reptiles being economical with insights, the pond could find space for Dame Groan, promoted to head of class as the reptiles distracted from King Donald by waging war on Jimbo, with hundred dollar bills dropping from the sky in a gif the pond sadly failed to present in a way that showed off Frank Ling's incredible style ... and which didn't show at all in the archive version...

Never mind, Dame Groan was in the mood for a triumphant,  top of the hive mind world ma, groaning ...

The pond thought about doing a dull transcript of the verbiage, but anyone wanting the words can head off to the archive to see her croc bite in action...

Mistakes from Reserve Bank and Jim Chalmers starting to bite
Without an effective opposition, the Treasurer might think he can talk himself out of this tight spot but the punters will notice the higher monthly payments required to service sky-high mortgages.

The pond wanted to see just how many times the reptiles could work in a terrifying snap of Jimbo while Dame Groan kept up the keening and the wailing for a bigly three minutes ...

That's a two Jimbo count in the first alarmist flourish. 

Could the reptiles manage a trifecta? 

They could ...

The pond took the odds on the reptiles being able to score a quadrella ...

It was Jimbo mania, a visual feast of Jimbos amid the dire groanings ...

As for what's actually happening in the world?

Hush now, forget it Jake, it's hive mind town.

And now - trumpets, please maestro - for a final distraction, the pond decided to slip in a serve of Mein Gott.

It's one of the pond's greatest tragedies that Mein Gott always runs later in the day, and so the pond usually misses him.

In fact the pond can't recall noting Mein Gott this year, and January has already almost gone ...

Enough of that neglect ...

You see? Posted at 4.05 PM yesterday, long after the pond had downed tools and keyboard and had finished work for the day.

'Tis passing true Mein Gott struggled to put together more than a 3 minute read, but it was Mein Gott in vintage "we're all rooned" form and so it was a strong contender early in the year:

The header: Rising nationalism and rural anger create a new reality for Australian politics; The perfect storm of soaring power bills, rural rage and rising nationalism threatens to reshape politics and punish unprepared businesses.

The caption beneath the jingoistic AV distraction which started off the doom-laden apocalyptic vision (and the reptiles keep on complaining about the alarmism of climate science watchers): Support for Australia Day is on the rise among young people with more Gen Z indicating support for the day.

After clinging to Gen Z for a little hope, Mein Gott quickly went into a tail spin of his usual kind:

Leaving aside AI, fundamental changes are taking place in both the Australian society and the economy that are set to test the strategies of both politicians and business.
At the moment, the personal gymnastics in Canberra are overshadowing these changes, but that period will pass and I fear neither our traditional political parties nor our businesses are ready.
My list of society-changing events are: the electric energy disaster that locks in inflation and high interest rates; the white-hot anger of our rural communities; the increasing nationalism of Australians and their desire for reduced migration; and the linking of extreme First Nations activists with the Gaza protest movement (which includes elements that are pro-Hamas and anti-Jewish).
Federal and state politicians have been telling consumers that large wind and solar farms are the cheapest form of energy. Via their power bills, the population now knows that this is political rubbish. Power prices are set for a new round of rises in 2026, with more to come.
In turn, that means inflation, and therefore interest rates, will be pushed above what the economy actually needs. This will create anger among those with high mortgages once they understand why rates keep rising. It also means vast industry sectors will be unable to compete.

Could it be called a truly jingoistic reptile outing with yet another vision of the British Union Jack?: The national Australia Day citizenship and flag raising ceremony at Rond Terrace in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman

Why Mein Gott was up there with yesterday's sermon and jihad:

How Mein Gott raged and ranted:

Farmers’ anger at the high cost of renewable power is being multiplied many times over because their farms are being mutilated by windmills, panels, and transmission lines. In some areas, firefighting has been hindered.
The National Party’s split from the confused Liberals gained adverse publicity, but in fact it gives the Nationals a much-needed chance to avoid Coalition distractions and wake up to what is happening in the rural community.
If they do not, One Nation will take most rural seats because Barnaby Joyce, who left the Nationals for One Nation, understands that anger and what needs to be done.
Meanwhile, Australia will need much more gas-driven power (we have plenty of gas), and existing coal power stations will need to operate much longer than originally expected. This has already begun. We will also need to re-examine emerging nuclear technologies.
Companies investing in non-rooftop renewables need to be aware that Australians are waking up to the reality that large-scale renewable power is too costly, cannot be relied upon, and is doing real damage to farmers. Public sympathy lies strongly with farmers.
It is always dangerous to invest in such circumstances.
Another key component of these changes is that some Australians want migration reduced as part of a rising nationalism.

And then oh the shame, a wretched imposter flag hovered into view to ruin the vision splendid of the Union Jack (with a few stars attached): Flags at half mast on the National Day of Mourning. Picture: Monique Harmer

At this point Mein Gott went the polls. 

Garn, go the polls...

The first clue that this shift was on the horizon arose in 2024 when a call to boycott Woolworths over its Australia Day stance slashed consumer demand for the nation’s largest supermarket chain. It has found it difficult to recover momentum.
A Resolve Political Monitor poll showed support for holding Australia Day on January 26 has climbed from 47 per cent three years ago to 68 per cent.
A Herald Sun poll showed that 71 per cent of its readers believed Pauline Hanson was the leader who best represented Australian values. The Prime Minister managed 11 per cent – and forget the rest.
I emphasise that such a newspaper reader poll cannot be relied upon, but it should not be ignored given the evidence from other sources.

Um, why bother to quote a poll like that? It's entirely meaningless, especially considering it's from dotards who fork over their money on the HUN, and likely have nothing better to do with their time while on some stipend - the pension, the dole or some other form of government benefit.

This sort of polling is entirely biased and error prone, and yet Mein Gott sort to bolster a 71% result with a 22% total on a suspect Newspoll tape:

Newspoll showed that One Nation has overtaken the Coalition with a primary vote of 22 per cent – up seven points over the past two months. Something very big is taking place.
But other parts of the community are opposed to this rise in nationalism, which could take community conflict to a new level.
For example, in the wake of the Bondi massacre, we saw some First Nations activists on Australia Day burning the national flag and marching with Islamist-Gaza protesters.
If First Nations activists want to link themselves with Hamas supporters at this time of community change, they should be prepared for a backlash.

This sort of thing urgently needed a display to get the hive mind agitated, and what better way than to show difficult, uppity people taking to the streets and ruining the view of the Princess Theatre, About five thousand Invasion Day protesters have converged on Victoria’s Parliament House ahead of an 11am rally, prompting a highly visible police operation across Melbourne’s CBD.

That appalling crowd was the final straw for a gloomy Mein Gott:

Meanwhile, many senior executives in major companies come from affluent, inner-city areas where views are very different from those held across much of Australia.
Because they are out of touch with a huge section of their customer base, there will be many more Woolworths-type mistakes.
And while adapting to these changes is a life-and-death issue for the Nationals, both the Liberals and the ALP will struggle to adjust.
The Liberals must find a leader capable of inspiring the nation and developing policies compatible with a National Party fighting for its survival. It will not be easy, because they retain a rump of supporters with very different views.

All that, and yet, Mein Gott confessed at the very end in an italic foot note that he had left out the worst of the worst ...

I have deliberately left out of this commentary the fact that unions are beginning to use their expanded powers under the industrial relations act. This is an emerging topic.

Inspirational stuff ...

"There'll be unions on the street and in the courts for sure, me man,
There will, without a doubt;
Likely with a bloody Aboriginal flag leading an economic rout,
We'll all be rooned," said Mein Gottahan,
"Before the year is out."

And so to round out the day's proceedings with the immortal Rowe, and some bog pond swampy action ... what a time to be alive. Go lettuce, in all your many competitions ...