Showing posts with label gst. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gst. Show all posts

Friday, September 9, 2005

Who in the real world believes the 5% unemployment numbers?

How the federal governmet abs unemployment numbers are all bull shit

Yesterday the federal government's ABS unemployment came out again at 5% low numbers, and according to our PM, he who would never, ever tell us lies, e.g no gst taxes, sell only one third of telstra etc etc,says this low unemployment number is the best numbers in the last 30 years or so.

I say that the abs is being corrupted by telling these lies over unemployment, because as far as I know that a person who is unemployed is not counted in these numbers, if on a work for the dole program, disability support, training exercise, australian job search club programs, or works only one hour per week.

So just ask your friends in your circle if you realy believe this low unemployment numbers crap from the federal government.

It seems that if the unemployed stand closer together at the centrelink lines, maybe this is what the government is using too measure this system.

Just a general comment from a government spin doctor.

By government spin doctor 9 September 05

Related:

Australia: Caught in a poverty trap
ONE of the delights of watching a superhero movie, be it of the bat or spider variety, is when the grotesque machinery developed and demonstrated by the hero's foes is turned back on them with typically devastating results.

Costello's anti-Job Network weapons discovered?
THE Federal Government had cut $500 million in funding to private sector employment agencies to ensure taxpayers received value for money, Treasurer Peter Costello said?

Pity Labor Couldn't be United over Social Services Cuts?
HoWARd/Costello (funny fellow) Big Mac and Small Fries. And Beazely's Kentucky Fried Two Piece Snack Box for those on minimum wages who should be enjoying - better Medicare Rebates, Public Housing, Hospitals, Education and Transport Infrastructure but instead get just $6.00.

Happy mothers day: Single mums forced to work!
AUSTRALIA can no longer sustain its warfare system, but can sustain the social dollar and that depends on where your priorities are? USA/Iraq or Australia?

HoWARd Gov't could be slued, community warns
Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) members will join a rally in Victoria Square today, protesting against the anticipated changes to workplace relations.

Work for the dole and prison industry slavery
Work for the dole certainly offers a lot of variety. The impression given by the government is that most unemployed do creative and helpful work assisting the community.

'Social Services cheats' may face election next time around
The Federal fascist HoWARd Government is attacking the poor and underprivileged again (on all fronts - now including social services, disabled, single mothers, Medicare rebate and IVF treatment.

Single parents deserve a living wage and not persecution
Being a single parent is hard work. It means a lot of responsibility. But you are not paid properly to do this work. You are paid way below what is recognised as the poverty line. StandUp! Believes that looking after a child is a job and should be paid for like any other job.

Labor sees problems in welfare proposals
The Federal Opposition says proposed changes to Australia's welfare system are a cost-cutting measure and will leave disability and sole parent pensioners worse off.

Dismantle the war machine, slash taxes, privatisation and keep social services The Centre for Independent Studies report says the flat-rate income tax of 10 per cent would ensure most Australians could afford to pay for essential services such as health and education, instead of relying on welfare [social service] payments.

Costello to force single mums to look for work?
SINGLE mothers would be forced to look for work once their children reached school age, under a draconian welfare package outlined last night by fascist Pastor Peter Costello to bolster funds to spend on military hardware and the ongoing illegal and degrading war in Iraq.

The HoWARd Government is simply robbing the disabled blind
KERRY O'BRIEN: Federal cabinet adjourned today still undecided about the final formula for what has become politically one of the toughest reform challenges the Government will face this term. For the past two decades, the disability support pension has been one of the fastest growing welfare payments [social security payments.]

Encouragement is the key to social-services-to-work programs
Corporate Welfare! I think we should start with Ingeus Company. Telling us what we already know for $$$$!

Peter Saunders shake-up is long overdue: Welfare Not Warfare
Peter Saunders: Many DSP claimants are older men with limited skills who have had difficulty finding work?

Welfare Reform for Warfare Expenditure?
John Howard: "Self-evidently we would have liked the major combat to have gone differently ... [but] coalition withdrawal or defeat is unimaginable."

Govt plots post-July strategy?
Fascist Prime Minister insists he is not on a mission to punish welfare recipients [social services.]

HoWARd 'determined' to make the disabled woRK?
The Federal Government is considering a system of "coercion" and incentive to force the disabled to work. But what happened to 6 billion-budget surpluses? Why do they need to force disabled people to work? Do they need more money and less disabled people? Or do would they rather spend the money on WAR?

Opposition pension claims valid
The Federal Governments secret agenda to cut pensions, including the disability and single parent payments while spending billions on military hardware is just too much for most disabled people to accept.

Thousands march for disability protest
"We are not prepared to go back to the dark ages. This has to be reversed," Mr Preston said. "We are hoping that the community sees that we shouldn't be taking money from people with disabilities. These people have had it tough all their lives (and) there is already more unmet need than we can cope with."

Howard's Job Network Bailout
Up to 670,000 people on disability support pensions will be encouraged to sign up to the Job Network under a radical new plan to get disabled people off welfare and into work.

THE HILLSONG'S ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF ' NEO-LIBERALISM' Only a bent mind would envisage the possibility or think of the concept that a '2nd Neo-Liberal 'front' promoted by the right and posing as a Church would enter politics under the flag of "Family First Party".

Costello, Howard's Disciple

JOHN HOWARD AND PETER Costello lost their vision for Australia from the time they were elected and embarked on a vision for the neo-Liberals.

Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel?
Well praise the Lord the light is Hell bent here on Peter Costello, treasurer of the Howard Government who now has his own "flock" of onward Christian Soldiers.

Corporate Welfare

Corporate welfare or how to steal social services?
Ever wondered why there are so many homeless, why we need a 10 pc GST, lack of services for mental disability, still paying off the Olympics, poor public transport planning etc etc etc?

Unemployed:

Work for the dole is legal slavery
Work for the dole was originally sold to us by Howard as a warm and fuzzy light work project. We would be working for nothing but we would be enjoying giving back something to the community, so it was reckoned.

FIGHT UNEMPLOYMENT!
Peter Costello commended this result in his budget speech. Even if we were to believe this figure it still means more than half a million living at a level much lower than that is recognised as poverty.

Mark Latham's, token gestures for older unemployed
StandUp appreciates the fact that Mark Latham is concerned about older unemployed people. His specialist job network proposal aimed at older people might provide a bit of assistance.

Work for the dole failure for two thirds
THE Un-Australian: " MORE than a third of the people who completed the Howard Government's work-for-the-dole programs last year were in jobs or studying within three months of finishing.

Work for the dole? $10.00?
StandUp! Wishes to draw your attention to a serious attack on all of us--work for the dole. We were assured that unemployed would not be forced to work in areas where employed workers would normally be employed. This has shown to be a lie! Under work for the dole, unemployed have been forced to carry out; concreting, tiling, landscaping, repairs, renovation, painting, gardening, nurses and teachers aid work.

'WORK FOR THE DOLE' REDUCES JOB PROSPECTS
A major independent study commissioned by the Government and released today under Freedom of Information by The Australian newspaper indicates that the 'Work for the Dole' program actually reduces the job prospects of unemployed people.

Youth welfare system unfair: ACOSS
The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) is warning urgent action is needed to fix youth poverty and disincentives for the unemployed to improve their job prospects.

Bringing up children Can we afford it?
Peter Costello expects us to carry out our patriotic duty by going home and having more children. But for most people it is a struggle to bring up one child let alone two or three.

Federal Budget: Tax cuts for the rich!
For the Howard government, unemployed people are not even worth thinking about.

Private job network agency blues
Can you trust a private job network agency? No you can't! A friend of ours is registered at MTC Marrickville.

Indigenous Social Justice Association Djadi Dugarang
INDIGENOUS EMPLOYMENT. Part 1

Centrelink puts the screws on prison debt
A 1999 study by the Brisbane Prisoners Legal Service revealed that on leaving prisoners had an average debt of $14,031. Almost one in five had a debt to Centrelink while in prison. This debt arose as a result inability to cancel things such as leases, Social Security payments, utilities and telephones.

Democrats approve tougher welfare penalties: But how does that pan out?
There used to be an old saying in Australia" if your hungry steal a sheep and leave the pelt on the fence.

Six weeks, six months, six years: inmates have little chance of making fresh start Even prisoners who serve short sentences are likely to suffer long-term consequences, including increased rates of homelessness and unemployment.

Military Spending

Howard: We as a nation have got to invest heavily in defence?
Fascist Prime Minister John HoWARd has indicated the Government will make major changes to work place laws, cut disability support forcing the disabled to work and increase his defence commitment.

Hill primed for war!
Australian Caretaker Defence Minister Robert Hill has announced a multi-million dollar upgrade of the Pearce Air Force base in Western Australia. Hill says $87 million would be spent on a major upgrade of the base, which is Australia's main flying training facility.

Troop deployment not a deepening of effort: Hill
Deploying an extra 30 troops to Iraq was not a deepening of Australia's involvement because they were being sent to protect those already there, Defence Minister Robert Hill said yesterday.

Auditor Generals damning defence report
The Defence Department computer system upgrade has cost Australia tens of millions of dollars in a gigantic bungle, according to the Federal Opposition. The Commonwealth auditor-general has issued a damning report into the project.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

AUSTRALIA: VOTING PREFERENCES

Our preferences are voting preferences and NOT party loyalties or allegiances.

Greens Senator Kerry Nettel's reasoning: A vote for Labor or the Democrats in the Senate is now potentially a vote for right-wing Christian candidates is beyond rhetoric.

IT IS PURE SOPHISTRY, and useless to advance a political debate, let alone interest. It is wishful thinking reasoning meant to inspire with its self-fulfilling aspiration to be taken seriously.

The question for debate is whether in fact this proposition is true. Asserting that it is true is not supporting its truth with anything more than supposition or bootstraps.

Take the Greens assertion that: "Voting Green will ensure your preferences do not elect fundamentalist Christian parties that support the war in Iraq". Under the preferential system for the Senate the distribution of preferences, your vote either counts and elects someone, or is with the group that fails to elect anyone (in being on the minority).

It is no shame to have voted and lost and it is no shame to have voted, and tactically to split the government's vote into the election of a splinter group that fractionates the prior majority of the government's ruling coalition.

This latter option may not be the best option, and in fact it may not be better than voting for the Democrats or the Greens. But if your choice is that it is better for your vote to defeat the government than to support a minor party to obtain the election of more than one Senator in its own right with its own first preferences, including yours, then it bears analysis whether or not the different minor party preference deals are all the same in following the aim of defeating the government, or whether one or more uphold the philosophy that it is better to lose the tactical advantage of splintering the conservative vote, than to see any non-government party win a place that would otherwise have gone to the government.

The parties DON'T OWN VOTES. They are standing for our votes. The voters are the people making the voting preference. The parties make strategic decisions about how to get their candidates elected by the exploiting the anomaly that the votes of your most bitter opponent may be the difference between being elected and having an influence in the Parliament, or being puritanical and 'holy' about the voting process and therefore being left out of the Parliamentary box-seat and being UNABLE to influence anything that is to be decided on the floor of either House.

The public know this and it is a religious political intelligence that dares to decree that unless the votes of the 'enemy' are scorned, the victory of winning is nothing but a hollow one that is 'unholy', 'impure' and a sacrilege to the party's causes.

People in detention WANT OUT. They want OUT of Parliament the bastards who are locking them up. They have no time left in life to be sanctimonious and precious about how to throw the bastards OUT.

We need to do it for them with the best methods of ACHIEVING that aim, rather than ONLY with the most 'politically' pure ones that have been given the imprimatur of the political 'Police'.

It is a racialist tendency to make 'colours' the shibboleth of political rectitude, and it is typical of the major party unction by which patriotism and the flag are suborned by bastards to con the incompetent into taking up a righteous indignation instead of working together with all the interests in opposition to trounce the hypocrites and power - mongers who are selling the country down the drain and unto the bosom of globalised militarism and the inevitable shredding of human rights that this always entails.

The government that gave Australia Tampa and the Pacific solution is the government that supports war on Iraq, and within Palestine. Those concerned about the destruction, murder and human rights abuses in Iraq and Palestine, and/or about mayhem and murder in Israel want to end Australia's complicity in supporting the war in Iraq and the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and its State terror. Who cares what a party's aim is EXCEPT those in it or voting for it! IF it matters that much, join them and reform them, rather than regale all potential minor party voters, and the communities that want the Australian government defeated so that the necessary changes be made to Australia's domestic and foreign policy, with the stunning news that some of the voting preferences deals already made by a rival minor party and the Labor Opposition involve tactics that are capable of splintering the Howard Liberal Party "broad church".

The tactics needed to get those in detention OUT and to reform Australian domestic and foreign policy does require expediency. One minor party junking the so-called 'principles' of another minor party is to be accepted as the currency of party politics. But it is irrelevant to the task of achieving the capacity to compel the end of detention, or substantial changes in policy. If you think that the tactics of a minor party will fail to do this, then criticise them for that failing and leave their 'colours' and 'principles' on the scrap heap of colonialism where they belong.

The Howard hegemony needs to be splintered, and that (even if unpalatable) means the Liberal "broad church" of which Howard is so proud needs to be made into a sectarian nightmare for him. If you don't have what it takes to do the work needed to fractionate the Liberal congregation into its individual 'seagull' constituencies, with all their foul and belligerent in-fighting placed up on the roof for all to see, then get a life and leave the task to the players who have the capacity to make the impact needed, whether that be the Labor Opposition or whoever - carping about irrelevancies is grist to Howard's mill.

The Democrats said: "The Democrats have stated we are taking a neutral approach to both ALP and Lib in the House of Reps as a way of emphasising that it is the voter who decides where their preferences go." Is there some issue here being smothered by the rationale immediately given?

THE RATIONALE: "The only way you can vote for John Howard (or his party) is if you fill in the ballot paper that way,

no one else can force you to vote for him." Is it the intimation that John Howard is a "Rep's" man, and therefore the Senate arrangements don't come into the issue, which is the bother?

If so, then where has it ever been said? Does it always really follow that arranging preferences for the "above the line" votes by putting candidates in a reverse hierarchy of merit achieves the purpose of the preferential system, which is to increase in descending order the chances of the candidates so preferred?

This may be the case by definition for those who most diligently follow their own lights. But for those who legitimately leave the choice of all preferences to the party of their choice (whatever be the merits of that system as a means to express the choices of the individual voter), it needs to be understood by the individual not so doing, but criticising the choices of any party, that the system of "above the line" voting empowers a party to use the additional power of the individual vote as part of a group package in a new way to achieve the sole purpose of the party in winning the vote.

The strategy for the party is get its candidate(s) elected. It is not relevant to the purpose of the party in getting elected that those who prefer another party or other candidates disagree with the strategy being effected. An advantage of an "above the line" order of preferences is that it gives a party the chance to best marshall by a block voting strategy the additional powers given to it by those who are unwilling to make the tactical decisions (and for whatever reasons) as to how best to ensure their first preference candidates are elected.

Those who disagree simply vote in the order of their own preferences. In not agreeing they should realise that the block voting power they may contribute to a party of their choice is being exercised by themselves as a block of one (1).

That they disagree with any party about how their block of one (1) is a better utilisation of the strategic power to vote by block, is just about that, the power and political advantage of their own choice to vote by the block they determine.

If a voter disagrees with the strategy of a party, and the voter is a member of that party, they can do one of two things: vote below the line according to their block of one (1) and leave it at that (or as a Democrat has openly explained - vote with a party "above the line" as an insurance); or vote with a party "above the line", but also have made sure they have already participated in the decision making within that party prior to the specific strategy being adopted.

Belly-aching about what a party has done, without being a member, when the evident complaint seems solely to be about a preferences strategy that the party has implemented for "above the line" voters, is rather pointless, unless aimed at dissuading other voters less likely to weigh the full implications of their vote that they should follow the suit of a particular block of one (1), or another party also disagreeing.

If the complaint is from another party's members, isn't that to be seen as completely accepted and just part of the tactics being employed at every level in all parties to get out their own message to the "above the line" voters, that they should choose their 'block' party according to the block strategy being proselytised?

If this is the case then individual criticism is no more than a political advert for an order of preferences that is different than the order of preferences of the party(s) criticised. That being said, just what is the problem that the Greens perceive the Democrats to have, given the way that the Muslim community is being dragged into the politicisation of the Christian sectarian vote?

The disgruntled Democrats seem to have left, and left Australia with a GST. The individual voter can afford to be vindicating in preferences to score against the likes of those whom have saddled us with unfair legislation and public policy, as the priority of their block of one (1).

It would be irresponsible for a party to behave in a like fashion. A party has to account for the commitment of those who choose it to make the best use of the 'block' power they vest in it by voting for it "above the line".

This requires the party to have the forward-looking sense to make the best choices for the future, and not seek to have a result that is properly a vindication for the unfairness of the past. Those who estimate that they may both seek to make the best future, and in balance, to make their choice vindicate for the unfairness of the past, are those for whom choosing individual preferences is inescapable.

But not all voters feel as capable of making this decision for the better, let alone the best, when having to balance the past with the future, and it is as legitimate for them to vest that capacity in a party of their own choosing to empower it to concentrate on the strategy that will best ensure the future is not like the past, as it is for any party to undertake a strategy in reliance on this trust of the voters to see that the like is achieved, rather than to see that the unfairness of the past is judged, by the outcome of preferences, to be what it has most unfairly been.

Whatever the true reason for the uphill battle of the Democrats, it is inescapable they must use every resource, including the best 'block' voting strategy, to attract voters from each inclination alike - the ones who vote as a block of one (1), and those who will trust them to make the best block decision to get the most Democrats elected everywhere.

Alleging a 'mistake' in the allocation of party 'preferences' solely on a moral ground is not evidencing a political mistake. The election will evidence the error of political decisions. If the assertion of a 'mistake' is moral, rather than political, in its connection with achieving the object of the preferences, it is the legitimate objection of a potential voter who is not attracted by the block in question, but whose choice is irrelevant by definition to the strategy underlying the party's decision, unless that decision itself has alone been made on moral grounds.

The Democrats have made it trenchantly clear that they are looking to the future and not to obtaining a fair vindication of past wrongs as a principle to guide them. Whoever doesn't like this, they have their remedy. If it is acceptable to enough of the electorate, their choice of strategy will be vindicated.

But to seriously question "at what cost?" on moral grounds, is to confuse the issues that need to be addressed by the candidates to be elected, with the best way to see that a particular party maximises its chances to be a party at the discussion in Parliament about those issues with the most members it can get elected. It is no reasonably fair criticism to complain that this is likely to be obtained at the expense of other parties more intent on being vindicated about the issues that have been unfair in the past. That is the choice of the other parties to make, and for the voters to choose among.

The Greens need to be sure that their votes hurt Howard at every chance they have to be counted. If they are confident that this is being achieved by the preference deals they have done, then they will reap the benefits.

But despite their need to attract as many voters as possible to see that they win as many seats as they can, and get as many Senators elected as they can, in the end they are not going to sweep the slate clean and consequently some of their votes are either going to get other parties candidates elected, or their votes will NOT count in the final outcome.

It is reasonable for reasonable people to consider this outcome from a different perspective than the Greens, and when voting to allot their preferences differently to the deals made by the Greens.

This may be against the party line. But surely the Greens should be grateful for each vote it gets, and respect the intelligence of voters who see a different likely outcome than the euphoric ambition of the Greens, and whose preferences are according to how they see what counts in defeating the Howard coalition government and to change Australia's policies.

PER Patrick Byrt Patrick_Byrt@fcl.fl.asn.au

By Patrick Byrt 28 September 04

Related:

Glenn Million: Why Neo-liberals are set to implode (again)
AS if the Neo-Liberal Coalition didn't have enough trouble. A quick re-cap: under John Howard they embrace a GST - a move that eventually forces the Democrats and Greens against him. That's followed by a collective act of dictatorship they jail Pauline Hanson. They dump One Nation leaders in jail - as racist, unworthy and flawed - but above all criminal, right at the time when the Liberal party is running to the last election, and desperate to stay in power.

Annan tells world leaders to respect law
United Nations (UN) secretary-general Kofi Annan has made an impassioned plea to bring about the rule of law across the globe today. Mr Annan told world leaders to respect international law at home and abroad.

Crean slaps down Costello's 'incompetent' tax analysis
The Federal Labor Party says Treasurer Peter Costello has egg on his face after making wrong allegations that Labor's tax and family policy is under-funded by $700 million.

Howard wanted to meet-Al Qaeda leader
John Howard wanted to meet the man described as an architect of 9/11 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed one month before the attacks in the US.

Wentworth voters turn to the Greens: poll
A new opinion poll published today shows voters in the blue ribbon Sydney seat of Wentworth are turning away from the Liberal Party just like everybody else. The party has held the eastern suburbs seat for 103 years and that's far too long.

Defence people need to vote for the Greens
Caretaker Prime Minister John Howard will today unveil a plan to step up the fight against terrorism in the region, using specialist teams of Australian Federal Police (AFP) that could be sent to work in neighbouring countries.

Howard should reconsider preferences: Lees
Senator Lees says Prime Minister John Howard should reconsider the Liberal Party's decision on preferences.

Iraq war illegal, says Annan
United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan says the United States decision to invade Iraq in March 2003 was "illegal". Australia was a key supporter of the war on Iraq and sent troops to join the United States-led invasion last year.

Cancel the election and call a republic
Industrial relations in Australia under the Howard administration are no different from what might be expected from a terrorist organisation since both are engaged in the lawless pursuit of short-term profit and personal gain to the exclusion of natural justice.

John Anderson suffering from delusions
Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson is suffering delusions of grandeur on a Neo-Liberal Coalition scale, endorsing comments describing leader Bob Brown as a "nut". But the question is who is the nut really?

Brown warns against voting for Coalition in Senate
Greens leader Bob Brown is predicting his party will attract one million votes in the forthcoming federal election but that's an understatement.

BREAKTHROUGH AS DFAT TAKES STEPS FOR GUANTANAMO BAY POSTAL VOTE As the electoral rolls closed, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed that they have faxed David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib postal vote application forms, Australian Greens Member for Cunningham Michael Organ said.

PM may be hung in Parliament?
John Howard the rodent may be voted the worst Prime Minister in Australia's History and his portrait hung in parliament.

Major parties urged to reveal adequate climate change policies
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) says the major political parties are yet to reveal adequate policies on climate change as they campaign for next month's federal election.

Community Newspoll
We ask the question which party will you vote for this Federal Election?

Governance a misfortune to experience
As an employee with the Australian government agency Centrelink my job was to interpret Australian law to determine entitlements for Australian citizens.

Cheesed-off voter tells PM he's past his best
Prime Minister John Howard "Scumbo" has been visiting the marginal seat of Richmond on the New South Wales far north coast. It is held by the National Party's Larry Anthony by a margin of just 1.7 per cent.

Democrats call for improved accountability
The Democrats are calling for greater political accountability and protection of whistleblowers, in their first policy package of the election campaign.

Latham stands by Scrafton in children overboard affair
The Federal Government lies and John Howard's integrity is in the sewer after attempts to discredit a defence whistleblower over allegations he did not tell the truth before the last election.

GREENS NOT GREED
The federal Coalition has stepped up its attack on the Australian Greens.

Greens, Democrats to swap Senate preferences
The Australian Greens and the Democrats have struck a deal to exchange Senate preferences at the federal election.

Un-Australian Polling Pill Boosts Illusions
The Howard Government is a 'claw in the back' not "clawed back" with today's Newspill revealing the Coalition and the Un-Australian Newspaper are ready to pounce on the primary vote.

Monday, September 27, 2004

Glenn Million: Why Neo-liberals are set to implode (again)

NEO-LIBERAL COALITION AND FAMILY FIRST? REST IN PEACE AFTER THIS FEDERAL ELECTION....

AS if the Neo-Liberal Coalition didn't have enough trouble. A quick re-cap: under John Howard they embrace a GST - a move that eventually forces the Democrats and Greens against him. That's followed by a collective act of dictatorship they jail Pauline Hanson. They dump One Nation leaders in jail - as racist, unworthy and flawed - but above all criminal, right at the time when the Liberal party is running to the last election, and desperate to stay in power.

One Nation "Racist" up to a point, of course. That point being when Ms Hanson and David Etheridge get thrown in jail. Relegated to the political crime pages, war criminal john Howard is then completely outflanked by Bob Brown on Iraq, allowing the Greens to become the standard-bearers for both the anti-war movement and the environment in Australian politics. The Greens' vote soars, and there's plenty of support for the Democrats.

Just in case anybody missed that fact, war criminal, pastor Peter Costello agrees to an election campaign photo opportunity that has the Hillsong Church Sect, eating porridge with John Howard's Liberal Coalition praying that Pastor Peter Costello will be the new leader, towards waiting photographers. The slavering of headline writers around the country is almost audible.

Against that encouraging background the Democrats are campaigning to get three senators re-elected: John Cherry in Queensland, Aden Ridgeway in NSW and Brian Greig in Western Australia. It's actually four spots if you count Meg Lees, who's also contesting her Senate seat, which she originally won as a Democrat.

In the face of the neo-Liberal party's serial brain explosions, most experts give them little or no chance of retaining their power. Labor, the Greens, Democrats and the Socialist Alliance though will have the numbers in the Senate, further eroding Liberal influence on the balance of power.

Now if you're a depressive, don't read on. Because as bad as the Neo-Liberals situation already is, it may just be about to get a whole lot worse.

How so? Well last week while most of the focus was on what the Greens would do with their preferences, the Hillsong Church Sect, otherwise known as "Family First" which should be the "Family Last" Party also quietly announced their own deal. And it has shocked and outraged the community.

In previous elections the Hillsong Church Sect never existed. Not any more. The Liberals Faced with electoral oblivion this time they've done a Senate deal with what many in the Greens, Democrats and Socialist Alliance regard as the political devil; the Hillsong Church Sect or allegedly "Family First Party"? The preference swap as well as the Not Happy John campaign has now imploded the Liberal party again.

If you want to understand why, consider this: in the House of Representatives the Family First party have done the same preference deal with the Liberal Coalition, personally brokered by John Howard. That's right, the Hillsong Church Sect and Howard are now in bed with the same political outfit even though they tipped Costello as their new leader and not John Howard.

The difference is, Howard and Costello's position is sinister. They obviously set up Family First as a Liberal 2nd front because of their Neo-Liberal Coalition agenda - to stay in power at all costs in association with the 'Assemblies of Money'. They are the Prime Minister's kind of people all right.

Howard thinks Australian's are stupid or were born yesterday. But they are certainly not the kind of people a lot of the community including the parties like the Greens, Democrats or Socialist Alliance want to be associating with. And the party's secure websites have now been hit by a wave of emails protesting the decision. And those emails are beginning to leak.

Like this blistering effort from Owen Grateful, a community spokesperson. "I'm quite frankly ashamed to be an Australian right now," Grateful writes. "Not only because this preference deal marks the latest in a string of fubars [sic] committed by the Liberal Party, but also because of the excuses coming from members of the Liberal Coalition who I have no respect for now anyway but - especially you JH [John HoWARd].

"I notice that everyone is blaming the neo-Liberals - just as well. The Greens didn't FORCE them to do anything. They did it themselves. The Greens are always right about preferences. Unfortunately the neo-Liberals have taken an even lower blow and preferenced the devil in disguise," he said.

"Make as many excuses as you will, even suggesting Families First isn't that bad for frig's sake! If there was a 'White Power' party that had good policies on the environment, should we preference them too? No, because that would be supporting a party that promoted hate and racism. "If there was an 'anti-Feminist' party that had good policies on the environment should we preference them over the Greens? No, because they'd be a bunch of sexists. Why are we willing to trade off the queer community for some good environment policy? Here I was, thinking we were opposed to racism, sexism and homophobia - apparently not!"

Another liberal party candidate, who wasn't even consulted over the deal, has also had enough: "This really is a triumph for pragmatism over principle. And as far as I'm concerned the last nail in the Liberal Coalition' coffin.

As a candidate, I deeply resent being placed in a situation where I have to defend the indefensible. It is difficult enough trying to promote the Liberal Coalition as a party without setbacks like this. The risk of Family First in the Senate, how can we argue that the ends justify the means? If this is our new modus operandi we might as well preference Pauline Hanson in Queensland too. Keeping the Bastards Honest? You've got to be kidding?"

At the same time as the emails are flowing in - and out - internal Liberal research taken at the time Howard secured the Family First preferences it shows that 14 per cent of Liberal Coalition voters accept the deal, with 14 per cent in favour and another 14 per cent undecided. The message to Howard is clear. Any party of the majority Right that tries to cover all bases - even for the price of a preference deal with a party they set up and moves to the Right is headed for the dustbin of history. Then again, Brown could have told you that for free.

By HoWARd Out 27 September 04

SO PUT YOUR LEFT FOOT FORWARD THIS FEDERAL ELECTION "WITHOUT PROPAGANDA" AND "WITHOUT LIES" AND WITHOUT FEAR" AND WITHOUT TERROR" AND WITHOUT THOWING CHILDREN INTO THE SEA AND VOTE 1 THE GREENS, 2 THE DEMOCRATS AND 3 THE SOCIALIST ALLIANCE.

Written and authorised by the community.


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TIME TO GO JOHN SYDNEY PREMIERE...
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Hill primed for war!
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Annan tells world leaders to respect law
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Iraq war illegal, says Annan
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Defence people need to vote for the Greens
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Trust John Howard like you can trust George Bush...
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Costello, Howard's Disciple
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Gillard stirs Liberal leadership pot
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Australian Govt human rights record 'worsening'
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Australian Federal Government complicity in war crimes
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Don't rock the Boat Howard!
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Australia an unfair nation, say young and all!
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Not happy, John
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The Federal Opposition says John Howard is not fit to be Prime Minister after new revelations about the children overboard affair.

Howard's war crimes, Turnbull, at least he's honest
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Alexanda Downer guilty of war crimes!
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John Howard's war crimes blameworthy
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Auditor Generals damning defence report
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PM's Fox Defence? Less the evidence?
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Australians to be sacrificed: Howard
Howard vowed hostages wouldn't sway policy? The Federal Government say they would not negotiate with terrorists if an Australian were taken hostage in Iraq.

PM Howard Morally Bankrupt
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Howard 'should be tried for war crimes'
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Troop deployment not a deepening of effort: Hill
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War on terrorism' could take a generation: Downer?
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JUDGEMENT: HOWARD'S WAR CRIMES
Howard Vs Regina in Canberra the Capital Territory of Australia- Friday January 30 2004.

'FACTOPHOBIA' HOWARD, BLAIR AND BUSH

Well think about this! Australia's intelligence agencies look set to receive a substantial funding boost in this year's Federal Budget, with the Prime Minister saying it is an obvious step to take.

Howard, where's your head at?
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Should John Howard be locked up indefinitely?
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Daily Terror rolled-over for Howard's war games
The DAILY TERROR is suspected of being the source of the news this morning that Willie Brigitte is a terrorist and that Sydney faces a bomb attack.

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Labor slams GST windfall figures

The Federal Opposition says the latest figures on GST revenue confirm the Howard Government is the highest taxing government in history.

The Government has revealed revenue raised by the tax is $2.9 billion greater than forecast.

It says the windfall will be shared among the states and territories.

But the Opposition's treasury spokesman, Simon Crean, says while the Government "crows" about increased GST revenue, families are having to pay the tax.

"It's almost like it's bragging about the fact that there's another $3 billion there," he said.

"Well I tell you it's not just this year that that figure's there, if you look at the forward estimates GST receipts are set to rise over the next four years from $36 billion to $43 billion - that's all coming out of people's pockets."


By Howard Out 14 September 04

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