Looks like Rowen favours the Dream Team |
The Labor leadership spill result will be known by the time I post this (update – fairly predictably it’s Rudd), so there’s no point in posting links to the predictably huge volume of blogosphere comment on Bomber versus Rudd. A couple of Photoshop efforts reposted here summarise the contending views, and Andrew Bartlett has links to much of the blogosphere discussion.I’ve reluctantly plumped for the Rudd/Gillard “Dream Team”, but my own views are best summed up by Helen ‘scepticlawyer’ Dale:
Kruddy used to be my local member, and was a hard-working MP. He struck me as having little real personality (possibly a prerequisite for political success these days), but also as being personally incorruptible. Despite what the polls say, I do not think he has it in him to knock John Howard off at the next election, but he is clearly a better option than Beazley. I actually suspect that Beazley is not well, and expect further revelations about his health to emerge after the ballot.
Darlene Taylor also sums it up succinctly:
If Beazer and Rudd are the best the ALP can literally and metaphorically throw up, it’s time to consider a third force that doesn’t involve tree huggers, Natasha Stott Despojas or Christians with a limited concept of what a family is.
Politics and stuff
Terry Sedgwick has a different view on Heavy Kevie … |
- Last refugee on Nauru to be free – Andrew Bartlett – “Some very welcome news has come through that the last of the original refugees on Nauru, Mohammed Sagar, has finally been offered resettlement in another country reportedly in a Scandinavian country. …”
- Haven’t mentioned Iraq in a while – what’s going on over there? – Anonymous Lefty – an illuminating (if depressing) post from Lefty.
- Brrrr, that other leadership race – Phil Gomes – “While we’re engrossed in leadership challenges for the next twenty four hours or so, I might as well point to one in Canada where the opposition Liberal Party has just concluded its leadership convention. …”
- But why aren’t you talking about “¦ – John Quiggin ‘unpacks’ some dodgy logic/political rhetoric from philosopher Norm Geras.
- Gary Sauer Thompson on Telstra’s broadband non-performance and the Jewish lobby’s targetting of Islamic Studies courses in Australian universities.
- Phil at Veni Vidi Blogi blogs an amiable ramble through the weekend papers, touching on various political issues.
- Journalists behaving badly – Paul Watson does a rather more misanthropic (but still entertaining) ramble through the weekend papers from his standard “babyboomers are bastards” perspective.
- Full house? (part two) – The Poll Bludger explores the complexities of Victoria’s Upper House election.
- Not quite beachy – Saint in a Straitjacket – “Pressure on Sania Mirza, India’s rising female tennis star, at the Asia Games in Doha. Not just to regain form after injuries saw her rankings slip. But to cover up. You guessed it. Sania is Muslim …”
- Citizenship and Nationalism – Cam blogs on changes to Australian citizenship laws and argues “Citizenship is a right. The fact that citizens allow the state to exist is a privilege. …”
- High Court revisited et al – Vee experiences every blogger’s nightmare, the dark night of the blogging soul …
- The limits of Green identity politics – Andrew Norton – “It’s not often that, during a state election, voters receive letters from an interstate federal Opposition backbencher. But that’s what happened to electors in the seat of Melbourne during the recent state election campaign, when letters from Peter Garrett arrived warning of the preference deal that the Greens had done with the Liberals. …”
Whimsical stuff
Wicking’s Christmas crocs |
- Where angels fear to tread – Football forums –
Daily FluteGuido goes on an anthropological excursion into the weird world of footie discussion forums. - “Troubles Come Not Single Spies But In Battalions” – not even slightly whimsical really, Don Quixote’s story of a friend’s serial tragedies reminds us …
- Tony the Teacher’s Friday morning post about the Second Ashes test turns out to be prescient – “1he toss has become TOO important. It’s not comfortable sitting here, fingers and toes crossed, hoping Ponting wins or Freddie loses. It shouldn’t be like that. Sure, luck is a large part of any sport, but cricket is too fantastic a game to be decided by pure tin-arse luck. Is there another way to decide who bats and bowls first? …”
- Adrian the Cabbie blogs a commonsense review on the Borat movie: “Borat employs standard sexist and racist devices which, like it or not, appeal to degrees of prejudice in all viewers. Yet rather than openly acknowledge this, the filmmakers seek to rationalise Borat’s appeal by transferring these prejudices onto his targets. Shocked subjects whose awkwardness and civility in front of a camera is cynically interpreted as hypocrisy, or acceptance of Borat’s outrageous suggestions. …”
- Adrian the Cabbie again with one of his frequent vignettes of life from the seat of a taxi:
‘How long have you been doing escort work ?’, I asked. ‘About a year’. ‘How old are you ?’. ‘Thirty six’. This surprised me as I’d assumed she was much younger. ‘How come you started escort work so late ?’. ‘Previously I was married for eight years’, she explained, ‘and only got into after that. Now I work hard through the week and on the weekends I work for pleasure’. It appeared she had it all worked out.
She freely revealed the sex was more than a job, it was a real desire for her. ‘If I couldn’t participate fully with a client I wouldn’t be doing it. I only have sex at work, never in my private life. It makes me a better worker’. Whilst this sounded truly professional, I was still puzzled. …
- Shaving privates? Right-on, say news.com.au readers – Caz at TSSH:
News.com.au has the “shock” news today that Australian women “are hairier than ever with 52 per cent admitting to shaving their legs only once a week.”
These findings come from some sort of dodgy marketing poll by shaving products manufacturer Schtick. No, they’re not just trying to get publicity and make a quick buck, no siree! The “National Hairy Legs Index” is important social research that we couldn’t live without. …
- T[↩]
Sorry Ken, but Flutey did not post the ‘Where Angels fear to tread’ post. I did (at Rank and Vile) I got ‘dailyflute’ in my URL because Daily Flute very kindly set up my WordPress on his server.
Daily Flute would have had provided a killer cartoon which I am absolutely incapable to do.
Ken, your link to Cam’s post on citizenship doesn’t work.
That Avengers photoshop is very very disturbing…
on WAYYYYYYYYy too many levels…
Gummo, The server and UPS had an accident with a vacuum cleaner which pulled SSR down and then the DNS went walkabout. It is right now.
If I had someone from crikey nearby I would probably push them :)
How great to have Ken back, though I guess it is a function of summer at Uni. Just sayin’.
I wonder if the new IP laws mean that our satirical flute has a defence against copyright violations?