The Curious Contraption of Mr Abbott

"We are continuing to govern the country...despite Canberra gossip.."

Image taken from The Curious Contraptions of Heath Robinson

It won't go away..will it? The P.M. insists that all is well and there's nothing to worry about.Well he would,  wouldn't he? In the meantime, Mal's purring like a Rolls Royce running on aviation fuel as he softly denies any intended or even unintended treachery.

A Hairy experience

"A storm in a teacup" so says the P,M,

The rumblings continue with quite a number of backbenchers unhappy with the P.M's political adviser, Peta Credlin. Hubby is a senior Liberal party member . Credlin was Malcolm Turnbull's Chief for a while and there was no outcry at the time. However, the discontent within the party has quite a bit to do with the P.M's leadership, despite the slight rise in his favour in the opinion polls.

Hair - the new theatrical

Trouble and strife this way comes

He's the best pussy cat ,ever!

There''s trouble for the PM in polly land with him and his political adviser under attack from within the Liberal party. Boil and bubble, blah,blah!

Live Baiting

Quite a scandal with the revelation that many greyhound trainers have been using live bait to train their dogs. Not all of them but quite a few across Australia. Heads have rolled. The PM probably feels a bit like live bait at the moment.

Thought for the day

.Read this the other day on a Facebook post...

The thing about farts is not to hold  ' em in. If you do they rise to your brain and give you shitty thoughts.

The elephant outside the room

Love's Labours Lost

After a short time in office and their hard work to get re-elected, it's all a bit of a mess for the government.

It was probably not the economy which concerned the public , nor Mr Abbott indeed,  while campaigning, but more likely the debacle with the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd game of musical chairs.
In their first few months the coalition seemed to rush in like bulls in a china shop believing they had an absolute mandate to do what they liked. It would appear that the recent election results in Queensland  has dented that belief  Desperate to see himself as a  good guy, the Prime Minister is clutching at any straw that blows his way.
Can he recover? That is sixty-four thousand dollar question. In politics it is a question of knowing when to be patient and when not.

Captain's Pick

Trying out the new whip

Some other Australian news

Good news

After the dismal shenanigans of politics and in particular the Abbott government, it's nice to be able to report some positives on the Australian scene.

After their Asian Cup win over Korea, the Australian soccer team have shot up 37 places to No 63 in the FIFA world rankings. After years of languishing on the fringe of sporting interests, it seems that soccer or football, depending on where you live, has come of age. 

The Special Broadcasting Corporation , or SBS, has been promoting soccer for oinks and it seems ironic that the win over Korea was broadcast by the ABC whose interest to now has been perfunctory. But as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. 

Remaining on SBS programs, Australia has been invited to participate in the Eurovision song contest. Now beat that !

Let's hope Angela Merkel doesn't start to worry too much by these startling developments .

Needs must

"If sir doesn't like it, we have something else on the menu"

The latest mantra,  which the party faithful trot out at every interview possible , concentrates on the "mess inherited" from the previous Labor government.
y

With regard to the government's  attempts to implement draconian budget proposals, Mr Abbott insists they "hear what people are saying". To demonstrate his good faith, the PM argues that should any new, or old,  proposed budget measures not work, he will endeavour to serve up different options.Sounds like a deal? Probably more a question of mutton dressed up as lamb.

Inexplicology

Oppa!

A 'ferocious energy'

The current situation with Greece and the Eurozone members is intricate in many ways. Economically, Greece has a  credit history riddled with defaults.

.According to Matthew Lynn, a freelance columnist who has contributed to the Spectator, the Hellenic Mediterranean paradise, since its formation  in 1821 has defaulted four times .
In the post-war years Greece barely managed to catch up with the industrialised Europe. Cut off by the Carpathian mountains it was far removed from the mainstream of European culture and science. After the Nazi occupation, it endured a civil was followed buy the rule of the Colonels who, true Luddites to the core, resisted change and modernity.
Ash Omar, a journalist of Greek background, living in San Francisco wrote an analysis of the Greek character.In it she states that Greeks have a ferocious energy and being night owls ( the owl is the symbol of Athens) will bargain until the sun goes down or up.
Gregory of Nyssa, venerated as a saint ,  wrote of Athenians in the 4th century, "if you ask someone to give you change, they philosophise,if you enquire about the price of a loaf, they theologise,if you ask 'ís my bath ready?' they dispute doctrine with you. 
Given the sometimes pedantic nature of institutions , it is clear that the confrontation between new Europe and old Greece will be hard to resolve in a convenient way . But then again, they don't call Economics the 'miserable science' for nothing.
For an in-depth look see the links below:

http://www.historytoday.com/matthew-lynn/greek-economics-drachmas-debt-and-dionysius

http://thisismyhappyplace.net/2011/10/04/the-greek-personality-an-urban-study-of-a-people/

And some people have leadership....

................thrust upon them

It's over.The leadership spill has been and went and by two thirds roughly, the PM survived despite the gloomy predictions of some. Whether he will be the Phoenix rising from the ashes remains to be seen.
Reports of his pending demise have , in retrospect, been greatly exaggerated.  However, there it is. Such excitement.

Liberal Leadership Spill Monday

Is Tony Plucked?

Monday, Monday, can't trust that day
Monday, Monday, it just turns out that way
Oh, Monday, Monday, won't go away
Monday, Monday, it's here to stay

Oh Monday, Monday
Oh Monday, Monday

(The mammas and the pappas)

Mad Men

At least, in the early 60's, they weren't into drugs...

           Not really...

An Ohio man who sold fake urine and other products meant to help people pass workplace drug tests has pleaded guilty before a federal judge in Pennsylvania.

David Neal, 61 of Middletown, Ohio, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to defraud the United States and introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. He faces up to six years in prison when he returns to Pittsburgh for sentencing May 13.

Associated Press Feb 3 2015

http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/ohio-man-pleads-guilty-selling-fake-urine-drug-28686090

Doing Europe

Flexibility?

The new Greek government# has been on a soothing tour of Europe , trying to allay fears of a "grexit" from the Euro zone. It seems to have worked to some extent , however , in view of past events , there's a certain amount of caution in the air.
Conditions in Greece for its population are not improving out of sight and when the austerity measures were first introduced it was on the Euro zone's assumption that conditions  would be almost back to normal within two years. It is now three years and as of August 2014 the country's unemployment rate was 26%. Contrary to popular belief Greece has actually achieved a budget surplus.
There are a number of proposals on the table including restructuring of the loans or other measures but for the moment it seems that the European Central Bank's flexibility is the unanswered issue while the future of the currency is still a bit wobbly.

Peter Greste: Australian journalist on his way home