tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post3629998726184370521..comments2024-02-11T19:28:27.997+11:00Comments on Personal Reflections: Saturday Morning Musings - Naledi Man, continued troubles in the Abbey, ministerial officesJim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-6423591044773400392015-09-21T16:46:12.116+10:002015-09-21T16:46:12.116+10:00Hi all. Thanks for the links, kvd. Still not sure ...Hi all. Thanks for the links, kvd. Still not sure what I think of MT. I'm biased. I have always thought that he was too remote to properly understand the variation in the Australian community, too blinkered by a divine belief in the rightness of his own ideas. Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-84662999101033966952015-09-21T14:45:40.295+10:002015-09-21T14:45:40.295+10:00Just a bookmark for Jim, upon return. Sheehan has ...Just a bookmark for Jim, upon return. Sheehan has a gushy style, and is frequently wrong, but he's writing here about a pol I have a bit of time for - as mentioned previously.<br /><br />http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-emergence-of-christian-porter-potential-prime-minister-20150921-gjr6kf.html<br /><br />Hope the travels contain no travails!<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-66909743926163554102015-09-21T00:52:43.915+10:002015-09-21T00:52:43.915+10:00I note Peta Credlin's comment that now she nee...I note Peta Credlin's comment that now she needs to find a voice of her own. My understanding was that too many Coalition MPs thought that she already had too much of one. But then, I am innocent and naive.2 tannersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-66275001343095532942015-09-17T10:38:00.941+10:002015-09-17T10:38:00.941+10:00Hi kvd: That paper provides an interesting persona...Hi kvd: That paper provides an interesting personal view of the NZ reforms. <br /><br />It has been instructive to observe how the NZ model of reform has changed over the last 30 years. When I first got involved in the 1980s, the NZ reform model was about deciding what needed to be done and getting on with it as quickly as possible. By contrast with Australia, there was not much effort to build political support for reform before proceeding. The NZ approach at that time can be explained in terms of the urgency of the problem and the political system (unitary, one house of parliament, first past the post voting).<br /> <br />The view of the political leaders was that the electorate would endorse the reforms after the event when better outcomes were apparent. It didn't quite work out that way. There was a lot of support for reforms in the early years, but later on there were moves for changes to the electoral system to introduce more checks and balances.<br /><br />These days the NZ model is about how reform can still be possible under PR if government can provide the kind of leadership necessary to obtain sufficiently widespread community support.<br /><br /> Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-1110978777099570862015-09-17T05:38:16.718+10:002015-09-17T05:38:16.718+10:00Hi Winton. Have been re-reading some old stuff abo...Hi Winton. Have been re-reading some old stuff about NZ, which I think should be required reading for MT and team - and in fact for every MP: <br /><br />http://www.waynedaniel.net/images/Document1.pdf<br /><br />NZ is smaller than us, but I think that just multiplies the monetary size of a problem, rather than the number of problems we face. Also, should add, we have these things called 'States' which don't seem to help much.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-40964718415484143162015-09-16T15:43:16.953+10:002015-09-16T15:43:16.953+10:00kvd: This looks to me like the best chance we will...kvd: This looks to me like the best chance we will have for a few years.Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-45855342996094119272015-09-16T13:13:07.311+10:002015-09-16T13:13:07.311+10:00I share your hopes Winton. It would be nice to hav...I share your hopes Winton. It would be nice to have such a government.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-39945108012487517922015-09-16T11:08:13.321+10:002015-09-16T11:08:13.321+10:00Hello all, my hope is that we will now see some le...Hello all, my hope is that we will now see some leadership in developing future economic policies rather than the ongoing game of trying to paint Labor Into a corner as big spenders who favour high taxes. (They will probably do that for themselves!) There is potential for MT to pick up the outcomes of the DIY Summit, put all tax reform options back on the table and develop some economic reform policies that might have some hope of gaining widespread support.Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-51139419573889858152015-09-16T06:39:26.952+10:002015-09-16T06:39:26.952+10:00All this happened while I was in the air. I was in...All this happened while I was in the air. I was informed of it by H when I arrived in Copenhagen. All very interesting, Have to find the time, more the internet access, to respond!Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-70969126708714409242015-09-15T17:59:25.307+10:002015-09-15T17:59:25.307+10:00To do that, he'd have to jump to the left of S...<i>To do that, he'd have to jump to the left of Shorten (easily done) and wedge Labor to the Right.</i> - you are jesting, surely?<br /><br /><i>Shorten could get knifed by Albanese</i> - yup. An improvement if one wished to have a credible 'alternative government in waiting'.<br /><br />Reverting the RBA money is small change; cutting back on Defence is an absolute no from either side - and most certainlty I would not personally support same - except for the JSF debacle in waiting. Any party running on that basis has a death wish.<br /><br />You are not addressing the basic point that either we accept less government funding for those things we expect like health and education OR we amicably decide upon which taxation sources we increase. <br /><br />However you massage around the edges, there will never be another government surplus until we face up to taxation increases. The only real discussion is how that might be fairly achieved - and I'm willing to listen. <br /><br />kvd<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-58909216068317832592015-09-15T17:12:09.418+10:002015-09-15T17:12:09.418+10:00I'm not at all convinced that MT can save the ...I'm not at all convinced that MT can save the liberals. To do that, he'd have to jump to the left of Shorten (easily done) and wedge Labor to the Right. Unfortunately for him, his own hard right probably won't permit that. Even if he did do that, Shorten could get knifed by Albanese and Labor could return the favour.<br /><br />But yes, one of the cartoonists nailed it with Shorten on his knees begging "Tony, please don't go!". It was a meme at around the time of the first budget that Abbott was Labor's biggest asset, and it's certainly the case that ad hominem attacks from Shorten are not really going to fly, not when MT is so much more popular than he is.<br /><br />If I were MT, I would pull all that money that Hockey threw into the RBA (they didn't request it), prepare an election budget that cut back on Defence (it was reported as receiving a huge Budget supplement this year), forget bombing Syria and instead put no-lose options up - law enforcement support (not refuges) for violence against women, revert funding for hospitals and education (to previous levels, but it will LOOK like an increase) etc. and even so record a small budget surplus. Play the banker/economist card to restore people's confidence in Liberals as economic managers. If I dared, I'd ask Defence to show how many subs it could presently staff and maintain, and put that number down as the "first order".<br /><br />But it's what happens in the corridors that will ultimately seal his fate. Do some hate him more than they like governing? The answer appears to be yes.<br /><br />Irony note: Kevin Andrews was saying yesterday that a party leader should only be changed straight after an election. Must've been a different Kevin Andrews whose challenge eventually brought MT down.2 tannersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-7154511036431471102015-09-15T12:31:32.284+10:002015-09-15T12:31:32.284+10:00Yes tanners, saw that too, behind the lecturn wait...Yes tanners, saw that too, behind the lecturn waiting for Mr Abbott's reply to MT's statement yesterday. "Only two flags" I muttered to nobody. Empty lecturns, empty corridors, empty roads leading to the GG's residence. Riveting tv - not - but nevertheless :)<br /><br />On the other side of the blogs, it's been funny to watch the malicious glee at this event turn gradually into horror at the now reduced prospects in twelve months' time. Winning battles, losing wars. The Labor way, for way too long.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-85687216960356290932015-09-15T11:03:20.429+10:002015-09-15T11:03:20.429+10:00Don't know if it was deliberate, but I only co...Don't know if it was deliberate, but I only counted two flags behind MT and JB. The number of flags the others had started wrapping themselves in had gotten so out of hand, one wag was talking about a 'flag-led' recovery.2 tannersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-18762383571096575512015-09-15T08:44:09.079+10:002015-09-15T08:44:09.079+10:00Agreed, and moreover the second statement was not ...Agreed, and moreover the second statement was not true. The Liberal Parliamentary party elected him by one vote. Over MT. Before either had a chance to prove themselves electorally and also in the chair.<br /><br />MT now has a hard row to hoe, but better than trying to do it from the opposition benches.2 tannersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-80765920949795472272015-09-15T05:10:06.349+10:002015-09-15T05:10:06.349+10:00A demonstration of democracy, with now hope that t...A demonstration of democracy, with now hope that the Libs will retain power at the next election. But I guess Albo will now roll Mr Shorten, and there will be a clearer policy division between the major parties. I think that is a good thing; no single party ever has all the good ideas.<br /><br />Using the same ministers? I think there should, and will, be some changes to portfolios. I hope to see a few more of the talented women come to the fore, and I'd be very pleased to see Christian Porter move into some sort of ministerial position; he seems like part of the future to me, if he stays the course.<br /><br />'tanners is right: even at the death, Mr Abbott's main reasons for staying were that "we are not the Labor Party" and "the people elected me as leader". <br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-25889269945793309232015-09-15T01:16:47.127+10:002015-09-15T01:16:47.127+10:00Some fairly timely calls in your section trouble a...Some fairly timely calls in your section trouble at t' mill. Now that MT is PM(D), the question is, can he, using the same ministers, avoid trouble? My answer is that probably if he does as he says and consults using the proper Cabinet process, he may avoid half the problem spots. I just don't think Mr Abbott 'got it' as regards the strengths of that process.2 tannersnoreply@blogger.com