Sorry

What was it that Elton said: "Sorry seems to be the hardest word.."

More relevant is the next line: "It's sad, so sad, it's a sad sad situation, and it's gettin' more and more absurd..."

Of all the empty gestures, "The Apology" has to take the cake. I'm sorry (there's that word again) but Krudd's apology is pathetic - carefully vetted to ensure that there are no avenues for legal redress or claims for compensation...

We didn't start the fire, but we sure as hell are fanning the flames...

And by the way , there are still 58 pieces of legislation that treat me as a second-class citizen in this country even though I can't claim original ownership.

I can't sign my partners passport photo because that legislation recognises me as his same-sex partner... What the???

Sometimes this country is really fucked up.

PS Greg Hunt MP is a slimebag.

"Little brown babies, so many little brown babies..."

If you're in Sydney, go and see "Face to Face" and feel ashamed.

Then make a cracking big donation to the Australian Orangutan Project (http://www.orangutan.org.au/) or to BOS (http://www.orangutans.com.au/) or just "adopt" a baby orangutan. Because these little guys need your help:







It's sobering to think there is very little regulation of the destruction of the habitat for these guys: over 70% of the forest in Borneo has disappeared in 20 years - logging and palm oil are the major culprits. There are sustainable ways to maintain both industries, but they are ignored in favour of mass land clearing - usually by the slash and burn method. As their habitat disappears, the orangutans come into contact with humans, with usually fatal consequences. Each of the babies you see in these filmclips represents at least one dead orangutan: their own mother (hacked to death by machetes, buried alive, or even burned alive), if not five or six other mothers and babies who didn't make it. A female orangutan will not give up her baby - it is usually torn from her lifeless body - if it survives.

So next time you see the words "palm oil" or "vegetable oil" or even "sodium laurel stearate/sulphate" on any product you buy, ask yourself whether one of these guys was orphaned for your two-minute noodles, or your easy spread butter, or your shampoo. Then think about asking the manufacturer whether they source their palm oil from sustainable plantations, and asking the Government what it is doing to put pressure on Indonesia and Malaysia to reform their environmental practices and stamp out the internal corruption which sees so-called protectors and custodians of the forests handing out logging licences...

Together we can make a difference.

Still no movement

Cheers Queers!

Still no movement on the 58 pieces of discriminatory legislation. Not a whisper, not a murmur...

Swan-dive chucks a wobbly

Outside, all soft and economically conservative, but scratch the surface and an iron-fisted, interventionist leftie comes mewling into the light, coupled with an admission that he actually doesn't have the foggiest notion what effect the US subprime crisis is actually having(reproduced in full from the SMH):

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan is demanding the ANZ bank explain its "excessive" decision to raise home loan rates.
Mr Swan, who has summonsed officials from the central bank, Treasury and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority to a meeting in Brisbane, says the bank owes its customers and the government an explanation.
The ANZ on Monday became the second major bank to lift its variable home loan rate outside a decision by the Reserve Bank.
The 0.2 per cent hike was almost double that announced by the National Australia Bank last week.
"These rate rises are clearly a direct consequence of the United States subprime mortgage crisis," Mr Swan told ABC Radio.
"... but I also point out that Australian banks are very profitable and I certainly would caution them against additional and excessive pressure on Australian families.
"Customers will want to know why the ANZ's hike was almost twice the NAB's hike last week and that's a very good question."
Mr Swan described the ANZ decision as "excessive".
"Excessive rises won't be viewed favourably by the Australian government or Australian families," he said.
"This rise is twice the rise sought by the NAB and in that context I think they've got an explanation to give to their customers and to the government.
"It is excessive."
Mr Swan said it was important for the government to receive a briefing from key financial and regulatory officials about the likely impact of the US subprime mortgage crisis on Australia's economy at Tuesday's meeting.
"I think it was very important to receive an update about what's happening in the US subprime mortgage crisis," he said.
"The impact of that on the Australian economy and also the impact of that on the level of interest rates charged by our banking institutions."

The only people the banks need to explain anything to are their shareholders. And I would have thought a briefing on the effect of the subprime crash would have been fairly high on the pre-Christmas agenda...maybe I'm just silly.

The facade crumbles

How sad.

Interest rates get hiked and Treasurer Swan-dive burbles on impotently:

"I would still ask them to be extremely mindful of the impact of those decisions on average Australian households with mortgages and, of course, business,"...

All he really wants to do is put the brakes on the banks to save face - totalitarian socialist-style, but he knows he can't and that Government can do pretty much sweet FA if a commercial decision has been made by free market entities (and the Reserve Bank for that matter).

And the whales. Seems that the Rudd Government generally and The Great St Vitus Dancer himself, Peter Garrett, don't actually care quite as much as they said they did, pre-election. Trade agreements and the pragmatics of international relations seem to have affected their resolve.

Not that this blogger has much time for TGStVD's opposite number, given his past history - tawdry little ferret.

Cracks in the facade...

"Broken promise" Already?

Gosh, and they haven't even been sworn in:

LABOR'S proposed Department of Homeland Security, which would incorporate national security and border protection agencies, will be abandoned, say senior
figures in the incoming Rudd government.
The decision, expected to be confirmed as early as this week when the prime minister-elect, Kevin Rudd, announces his front bench, represents Labor's first broken election promise.

and:

"It's not going to happen," said one Labor frontbencher, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Another Labor source said: "I suppose you could put it in the non-core promise category. No one thinks it's a particularly good idea."

"non-core promise category"?!?!? What else besides?

The shape of things to come?

Just ram it through. Today Kyoto, tomorrow???

According to today's SMH, it looks like the Ruddiculous one is likely to start ratifying and signing left right and centre - especially if he takes this advice:

Roger Beale, who led the department for eight years of the Howard Government through the Kyoto negotiations, yesterday disputed legal arguments that the Rudd government would have to consult the parliamentary committee on treaties before it could ratify Kyoto. Waiting to consult the committee would delay the Australian decision to ratify Kyoto until next year, well after the United Nations Bali climate talks, which start next week.

"It involves a decision by executive council and a signature effectively by the Governor-General," Mr Beale told the Herald. He said while the Howard Government had a policy of referring treaties to a joint parliamentary committee, it was not a legal requirement. (emphasis added)

"That is only a matter of policy," he said. "If the new government wishes to go ahead and ratify before Bali, it is not essential to recall the Parliament and have a legislative view expressed, although it might be thought to be a good conventional approach."

Ratification at the Australian end could be done by early next week. The UN would then take 90 days to process Australia's request but the decision in Canberra would signal to the Bali conference that Australia had joined the countries who have ratified Kyoto, improving its standing at the talks.

I thought Howard was the one who was an evil dictator?

Cracks in the facade

It's all about compassion. Kevin Ruddiculous, our new Prime Monster, is going to revive it BUT "his compassion did not stretch to an overhaul of Australia's migration system which includes turning away illegal asylum seekers".

Hmmm.

58

That's apparently the number of pieces of federal legislation which contain provisions that discriminate against gay men and lesbians.



The ALP unequivocally stated that it is 100% committed to implementing the ALRC recommendations and removing/reforming these 58 pieces of discriminatory legislation - they were apparently unable to do this in their 13 years in office between 1983 and 1996 - including superannuation reform.



Kev and the Ruddicles, your time starts now. This is one poof that doesn't believe the hype.