Free money!!!

Bob Ellis is offering HSU members free money. But don't rely on him too much, because he has made this kind of offer before and not paid up.

Euro crisis coverage

The problem with the Eurozone is that a Central Bank regulating fiscal policy for 17 nations with very different economic conditions was never going to work.
As The Australian reported on Wednesday, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain are in recession. But the European Central Bank is Frankfurt is still expected to set monetay policy for these nations, while at the same time the economies of Finland, Germany, Austria and Belgium all grew. France remained stagnated. The idea of one Central Bank is absurd.

Meanwhile:

• European and US markets collapsed over further fears about Greece and Spain as reports emerged customers of Spain's fouth largest bank, Bankia had withdrawn nearly 1 billion euros (A$1.279 billion). Shares in Bankia have collapes 27%
• Spain has been forced to sell bonds at less than half their value
• European Central Bank has stopped loans to several Greek banks, while shares in financial institutions continued to slide after reports that they stand to lose £335 billion (A$533.274 billion) in a Greek default
• Public support for the UK remaining in the EU slumped to record lows. 54% now call for a withdrawal, while only 34% want to stay in
• Excellent speech by Nigel Farage MEP, leader of UKIP on ''Europe Day''

Joyce a liability

Barnaby Joyce is a passionate man. He is passionate about Queensland and passionate about who he represents. I thought he was passionately against the Labor Party. Which is why his attack on James Ashby is all the more strange. Mr Ashby is a victim, who is alleging he was treated badly by a Liberal rat.

Senator Joyce on May 6 told a press conference that Mr Ashby was ''only slightly less dodgy than Slipper''.
Mr Ashby has now lodged a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission alleging victimisation under the Sex Discrimination Act. This relates to both Senator Joyce's statement and Senator Carr's tweet that ''This Ashby seems more rehearsed than a kabuki actor''.

Senator Joyce is clearly a liability to the Coalition. The Coalition cannot attack Senator Carr for his comments, when Senator Joyce has made comments which are just as bad.

Tony Abbott should sack Barnaby Joyce, particulary if the complaints turns out to be true. There is no place in politics for personal attacks of victims, or indeed sexual harassment.

This all comes after this blog revealed Victorian Labor candidate Mandy Kirsopp's Twitter attacks on Ashby.

 

Labor candidate caught out attacking victim

The Emily's List endorsed Labor candidate for Lown, Mandy Kirsopp has been caught out endorsing personal attacks on victim of alleged sexual harassment, James Ashby. Amongst the postings she re-tweeted to her followers was one which claimed Mr Ashby's case was ''bullshit''.

Mandy Kirsopp

The Tweets:

No doubt many other vitriolic Tweets have been posted by her. She also Tweets various other bizarre things herself like ''Balance’ in the ABC ... a kind of tyranny...[giving] ultra-constve views more credence than they deserve. Hmm?'' and ''Once again the media reveals its bias by providing any airplay of this kind of rubbish (On a story about opposition to gay marriage)'' Basically, she is saying anything she doesn't agree with does not deserve air time.

On her Twitter page, Ms Kirsopp says ''I believe in social responsibility, honesty & respect. We have an obligation to care for those amongst us who do not have a voice'', yet is attacking a victim. What a hypocrite.

Would she endorse sexual harassment of a female staff member?

Victorian Labor Leader Daniel Andrews and Federal Minister for Workplace Relations Bill Shorten have been approached for comment.

Teachers to strike again

NSW Public School teachers are set to strike over school devolution - the National Empowering Schools Iniative.
This iniative gives schools control over finances and staffing.

What a shame the militant teacher unions are putting themselves in front of their pupils.

Moore pays climate extremist to rant

The City of Sydney run by Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP, is using ratepayers money to spruik her ''green villages'' programme. The programme, which includes expensive website ads culminated on April 30 with a talk by Paul Gilding, a noted extremist. Mr Gilding, during an interview published on the  greenvillages.com.au website, claims ''The earth is full'' and ''a crisis is looming'' The former Greenpeace boss also made the following statements:

• Question: Are the cracks starting to show? Gilding: ''They certainly are and can be measured in things like extreme weather, higher than average temperatures, food supply shortages, spiking oil and produce prices, diminishing arable land''
• Young people are waking up. Movements like Occupy and Bill McKibben’s 350.org show that young people are not going to ignore the crisis but are going to respond

The Greenvillages website also contains some helpful advice about using the Council's stupid and underutilised bike lanes.

What has this got to do with local government, Mrs Moore?

The wasteful ad

Why is a wholesaler advertising to consumers?

The NBN Co is a wholesaler, which will sell it's services to Telstra, Optus, etc. So why are millions of dollars of taxpayers money being wasted on pointless advertising?

Facebook ad:                                              



Google ad

These campaigns are actually being conducted by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

And remember when Labor used to deride the Howard Government for political advertising. Hypocrites.

UPDATED: Twitter defamation of Abbott & correction issued

UPDATE:

Gump5000 has issued an apology to Mr Abbott for his comments. I commend him for that.

A left-wing Twitter user has been caught out spreading defamatory lies about Tony Abbott. The user, known as ''Gump5000'' posted the below Tweets on 14 May:

The user makes various other false claims about Tony Abbott's personal life, but I won't give them oxygen. This is someone who sucks the juice of stronger plants, someone who wants attention.

In relation to the above Tweets, Gump relies on this article, which he links to:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/17/1089694611809.html

Deliberately, and maliciously, Gump selectively picks a line from the article

''This was one of two court appearances for Mr Abbott at Sydney University.
In celebrations after passing his final year economics examination, he was challenged to bend a street sign. As he did so two policemen spotted him.
The offence was proven but no conviction was recorded''

The charges of indecent assault were actually dismissed. The offence WAS NOT proven. The correct quote from the article: ''Mr Abbott said the case in January 1978 (indecent assault) was dismissed''

I will be passing this information onto ''Gump'' who will hopefully correct his tweets and apologise. If not, he should be facing defamation action.

UPDATE:
Under the Crimes Act, Gump may have commited a criminal offence. ''Offence of criminal defamation A person who, without lawful excuse, publishes matter defamatory of another living person (the "victim"):

(a) knowing the matter to be false, and

(b) with intent to cause serious harm to the victim or any other person or being reckless as to whether such harm is caused,

is guilty of an offence.

Maximum penalty: 3 years imprisonment.

Having gone back further through this gumps Twitter feed, I have seen yet more evidence of his false claims:

Interestingly, one of the above posts contains the complete link to the Sydney Morning Herald story which makes it clear the charge was dismissed. This liar obviously know that, but is setting out to mislead and libel. 

UPDATE:

Gump5000 has issued an apology to Mr Abbott for his comments. I commend him for that.

The out-of-touch judiciary strikes again & freedom of speech inconsistencies

It is well known that the judicial system is often well out of step with community expectations, not least in regards to paedophiles.
But the latest insult to reason comes from Justice Christine Adamson who has ruled that a Pro-Palestine rally attended by extremists from the ''Palestine Action Group'' and ''Socialist Alliance'' is similar to ANZAC Day or Christmas.

Justice Adamson also cited freedom of speech. What a shame Justice Mordecai Bromberg did not speak to his colleague when he ruled Andrew Bolt's columns on white Aborigines were ''illegal''

Civil liberties under threat from control freaks

The Communist control freaks within the anti-smoking lobby are at it again. This time, the do-gooders are attempting to prevent people from smoking in their own homes. Smoking is already banned in common areas in a vast majority of unit buildings, including public housing.

What right do these elitists have to impose their will upon other people in their own homes? When will this nanny-state garbage stop?

Woodberry P&C saga: Totally disgusting

The Woodberry Public School P&C need to hang their head in shame. The idea that parents and the broader community wouldn't mind kids being asked to hand their parents chocolates shaped in penises, breasts and buttocks is patently absurd. Children need to be protected from this vile behaviour, and these arrogant idiots on the P&C should resign and apologise.

Some parents have leapt to the defence of the P&C, reports the Newcastle Herald. Adam Moon, a parent claimed ''There are some personal issues involved with it all''. Yes, Mr Moon, if I was a parent I'd be pretty angry at the P&C personally.

Another parent, ''Jen'' wrote on the Herald website that ''The kids see worse on television on a daily basis''. Well, your kids may Jen, but most parents want to protect their seven-year-old from sex.

Sadly, we know that most school P&C committees are out of touch, and embrace left-wing causes, such as Anti-Christian ethics classes and supporting illegal teacher strikes, which are an inconvenience to parents.

Stacey has suffered enough

Liam Stacey, the 21-year-old university student who was jailed for ''racist'' Twitter comments is now facing further sanctions. Stacey will appear before a Swansea University disciplanary hearing. The two year biology student, who had hopes of becoming a forensic scientist has suffered enough for his stupid St Patrick's Day comments.

I'm sure he has learnt the lesson that free speech is well and truly dead in the UK.

Good argument

The NSW Labor Party (yes, the the corrupt party that lost the NSW state election in a landslide) has called on supporters to help ''build an Abbott proof fence''. Launching a rather bizarre and seemingly hurried attack on Tony Abbott, NSW State Secretary Sam Dastyari said in an email ''...Tony Abbott, whose flip-flopping on key policies would make an Olypmic (???yes, that actually how the dropkicks spells Olympic) pole vaulter dizzy''.
Wow, what a wonderful vision for the future. And what's that about Tony Abbott being ''negative''?

Craig's World

Excellent article by Kate McClymont in the Sydney Morning Herald about Craig Thomson's parrallel universe.
As Kate writes, ''Welcome to the world of Craig Thomson: a parallel universe in which what is real for the member for Dobell bears remarkably little resemblance to reality''
Read it here.