Saturday, July 27, 2013

A shambolic week, from the PNG Solution (Gawd, if PNG is the solution, what could’ve possibly been the problem?) to discovering why an infuriated Townsville RSL ripped down Townsville Bulletin advertising at it's big race day at Cluden.


A Mooney-era chicken comes homes to roost, a chicken so big it would keep KFC supplied for a year, but the ratepayer’s won’t be laughing when they hear the details ….

… and neither were ratepayers in Port Melbourne, footing a $9000 bill for dog biscuits …

… also, Bob Katter’s hilarious ‘mind map’ for a new NQ state …

Plus a local magistrate reflects community sentiment in our fine array of Quotes of the Week, which also includes one of the funniest radio slip-ups in years - and Bentley reports on Masterchef PNG-style, all here in the nest at www.townsvillemagpie.com.au


Tony and Kevvy on the campaign trail this week.


The floundering around on both sides of politics has taken up much of the week … well, bloody all of it, actually. The merits or the lack thereof of borders and boats policies have been bandied about with gay abandon (are we allowed to say that these days?).

Just one small sobering note. The Indonesians were upset they weren’t consulted by Kevvy about the PNG idea, because if it works and stops boat people heading south, they are moaning they will be stuck with 10,000+ refugees. That for The ‘Pie is a clear admissions that these double-dealers are aiding, abetting and turning a blind eye to the southern illegal migration. Exporting their problem in fact ... just like KRudd wants to do in PNG.

The Indonesians also say they won’t accept boats turned back by the Australian navy because they are no longer anything to do with them once they reach international waters. Really? They are Indonesian boats, crewed by Indonesians and emanate from Indonesian ports. They are your responsibility start to finish, you twisting little hypocrites.

But the concerns of the citizens were the delight of cyber space.

Bentley has gone all culinary for his take on the one of the PNG refugee outcomes.


And alas poor Mustapha.

And when and if settlement takes place, how long will it be before the new arrivals start demanding a change to the currency, certainly to the 20 kina note.
 
This is obviously PNG's special banknote for pork barrelling.

And then we received a sneak preview of a delighted PNG Immigration Minister arriving on Manus Island for some one-on-ones with newly arrived future citizens.
 
Actually, he may be from Horn Island.

Nostaligia for better times past were never far away. At least one movie could be revived as topical.
 
"Rammed another one, skipper!'

But within the political maelstrom here in Australia, The ‘Pie was most taken with a political billboard advertisement which appears to be in either the Philippines, Malaysia or Indonesia, which would be refreshing if adopted locally.
 
Wonder if got elected?
This is in direct contrast to Bob Katter's latest missive from Wonderland. The 'Pie at first thought it was a joke - and of course it is, but the Cut Snake is serious about it.

This is Bob's grand vision for a new state of North Queensland, with such advanced features of the location of a new purpose-built capital (just east of Charters Towers) and connected to Townsville by a six-lane 125kph super highway. A croc and an emu the likely animals for the shield, and Bob cheerfully allows that he won't be the premier but he'll be around to lend a hand - and then some. 




The blokes in the white coats and armed with butterfly nets can't be too far away, given Bob's final quote 'Whether I am or whether I'm not (premier), I can assure you, I'll be running the show.'  Memo Mrs Katter: The 'Pie recommends only plastic cutlery for Bob from now on.

Now to other Quotes of the Week.


'We've tickled all the boxes'
A hurried Senator Sue Boyce on ABC radio, scrambling to make her point before being cut off by the hourly news bulletin. The Magpie was tickled pink.



‘Where's the extra punishment for this (if it runs at the same time)? The sentence should be cumulative on the indecent treatment charges.’
Magistrate Peter Smid taking a refreshing view - rare in the judicial world - that concurrent sentences (serving sentences for different offences at the same time) are no sentences at all. The offender in this case was a child molester serving nine months jail, and the extra charges of assaulting police and breaching probation arose when gatecrashing a party while out on early release. He’ll now serve an extra six months for his violence.




'It’s just one of those things that happens now and then in an ever-changing economy'.
Economist and NY Times socialist columnist Paul Krugman's shoulder-shrugging assessment of Detroit's billion-dollar bankruptcy.

'Pollie Wants Crackers'
A clever Astonisher headline (well, even a stopped clock is right twice a day) on Senator Macca Macdonald's weird call for the re-introduction of 'cracker night' - an unexpected notion not judged to be a cracker of an idea by critics of the call.

But The Astonisher wasn’t so clever last Thursday with a lazy and sloppy piece of malarkey that has the local RSL incandescent with fury. When Jupiters ended their sponsorship deal with the local race club, the RSL decided to pick up this year's naming rights for one of Townsville’s most popular sporting dates, the ‘marquee’ event of the Winter Racing Carnival, the Townsville Cup, run at Cluden today. It has become the RSL Townsville Cup.

Last Thursday, there was a good little yarn covering the barrier draw BUT then someone dozed off and this was published ….


The RSL had paid tens of thousands of dollars to support the event and garner good publicity for the club, that’s the way these things are meant to work. So no wonder they were less than amused ....



... and a bit closer ...




The paper doesn’t give a continental about pissing off its shrinking audience of readers, but it is almost a capital crime with News Ltd to get advertisers off side. And RSL members who contacted The ‘Pie were generous in their wide range of language while issuing their character readings of whomsoever was responsible. With the sort of money they'd ponied up, the RSL brass were in no mood for honeyed words once the error was had been made. So maybe you didn't notice, but the usual Townsville Bulletin red and white logo was not to be seen in its traditional position on the winning post at Cluden ... the RSL had it removed. 

While in this inevitable neck of the woods, one would be excused for thinking that some staff have been affected by paint fumes in the Astonisher’s brand new offices on Flinders Street West known aka FSW (could stand for F#cking Silly Writing). This story from today’s (Saturday’s) paper started out:

‘Works will commence on Monday to upgrade the old four-lane Barnicle Street boat ramp in Railway Estate.
Townsville City Council is managing the upgrade with contractors CivilPlus Constructions Pty Ltd on behalf of the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
The $530,000 project will include reconstruction of one half of the ramp, an extension of the other side to lowest astronomical tide (LAT) level, as well as patching of the shoulder embankments.
Infrastructure Committee chairman Cr Trevor Roberts said the ramp would be unavailable during the works.
“The old boat ramp will close from Monday for approximately six weeks while the works are undertaken,” Cr Roberts said.

And so on for several more pars. Straightforward, tightly written, grammar and spelling fine … in fact, it was that lack of the usual twaddle made the old bird suspicious. So a brief troll around turned up this presser from the Townsville Council, which, as you will see, began thus:
Works will commence on Monday to upgrade the old four-lane Barnicle Street boat ramp in Railway Estate.
Townsville City Council is managing the upgrade with contractors CivilPlus Constructions Pty Ltd on behalf of the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
The $530,000 project will include reconstruction of one half of the ramp, an extension of the other side to lowest astronomical tide (LAT) level, as well as patching of the shoulder embankments.
Infrastructure Committee chairman Cr Trevor Roberts said the ramp would be unavailable during the works.
“The old boat ramp will close from Monday for approximately six weeks while the works are undertaken,” Cr Roberts said.’

And so on ....

Lazy and one of journalism’s seven deadly sins (or used to be) ‘Thou shalt always rewrite press releases and seek fresh angles, background and information - but, verily, if a release is printed verbatim, NEVER claim a re-printed work as your own - there should be no byline'.

So here’s the strangest part.

You may have noticed that this weighty yarn required two reporters, including our old mate Anthony Simpleton, (never heard of the other bloke, possibly a work experience kid … yup, even they get bylines in this paper). Nothing unusual in that, shared stories are a standard practice when merited.

But one falls into deep contemplation when you realize your two bucks has bought you, word for word, a Townsville City Council press release, which makes up 80% of the story. If you consider that another 15% was the result of a quick troll through archives for a couple sentences of background, our two news hounds managed to produce one or two far-from-riveting original quotes from Clr Roberts, no doubt over the phone.

If only you could write like that, Simpo, but well done anyway, no one will know, you ace revealer you, you must be exausted. A Walkley can’t be far away.

On council matters, here’s another heads-up for you Astonisher types (good to see you caught up with the Vine 21 story, folks, albeit three weeks after The ‘Pie put you on to it).

The ghost of Mooneys Past have started to re-visiting the current council. This week, they’ve voted for an absolutely necessary $8million upgrade to sub-standard pipes out at the Cleveland Bay poo ponds, aka treatment works. It transpires that this work is necessary because the initial work was not done properly. If The ‘Pie recalls correctly, Tony' His Radiance' Mooney was erratically presiding over the dying days of his empire and descending into his own demented world at this time. In an attempt to garner votes for the up-coming amalgamation election,  he pulled a substantial amount of money from the now faulty project for some other feel-good vote catching (possibly to boost his disastrous budget bottom line). The work now has to be done because the fumes are more than unpleasant – it’s feared chemical reactions will produce deadly gases.

That’s as bad as it is, but The ‘Pie reckons this could just be the tip of the iceberg, there’s worse to come, a problem possibly so big only the state government will be able to write the cheque for a greater overhaul – or change its environmental laws. That is merely speculation, but let's see how close the old bird is.

In the meantime, someone might like to ask Mayor Mullet and Messagebank Walker why back then, as a couple of Mooney’s Mousketeers they voted for such a ticking time bomb of pulling money from a vital infrastructure project. Just askin’, ya know (chew, twirl hair). One for you, Simpo heh heh heh.


Our deputy doo-dah, Vern Veitch, is an avid dog lover, as are many ratepayers around this burg. But one doubts that even he would go as far as our old chums down at the Port Phillip Council in Melbourne. This is the crowd that brought you the ‘smile police’ we discussed in a recent blog. They also printed a political booklet aimed at six-year-olds which was in reality dog-whistling dogma for adults. Now they’ve outdone themselves, recently passing a motion to allocate $10,000 for dog biscuits! Don’t believe it? Read it here.

They certainly do things different in the Sin City of the South, and if you think things couldn’t get worse than giving ratepayers’ readies for Rover to have a snack, try this. 

Yarraville Centre - sponsored by Centrelink.
Over at Yarraville, newly arrived migrants taking federal government-sponsored English lessons don't get ordinary text books, they have been given admiring and uncritical life stories of Kevin Rudd and … give us a bloody break  … the Greens Christine Milne. The course notes read like party puffs for the respective party leaders, without a single blemish. Some top-notch investigative snooping by the Quadrant outfit resulted in the story.
Some think this may explain why the electorate covering this area of Melbourne, home to many African and Vietnamese newcomers, is one of the safest Labor seats in Victoria.

Finally, in a thinly disguised pander to the base animal appetites of blokes, we last week gave you the Aston Martin ad featuring one of the longest pair of shapely legs seen for many a misty-eyed year. So as a square up this week, here's a larf for the gals, featuring the perennial dilemma faced by men ... the gulf between perception and reality.


And with that, it is away to Poseurs" Bar, to see what comes up or more likely, what's going down around the place.

38 comments:

  1. Nice read Pie and Simpo sure was caught out! As for Katter's brain snap and separate state scraggle - well no surprises the Bully lapped that old chestnut up - incorrect facts, drawing and all. It was a hook to get the desired irate response from readers - pure and simple. We all know Katter's well...short on neurons as does the Bully - sadly it's "journalism" gone mad for the sake of circulation!

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    1. Actually, it's the cultural norm for all the News Ltd editions.

      verbatim

      Delete
  2. Nice one, 'Pie.
    Also noticed that the Bully ran as its main story on page 1 on Friday, a yarn about the solar panels on Maggie Island that Paula The Mauler had covered on ABC radio days before.
    They certainly have their finger on the pulse down at The South's Own Paper.
    Fittingly then that the poster (you know, that sign in the wire cage they put out the front of newsagencies to try to entice punters to buy a paper) outside the Garbutt Newsagency on Friday screamed Buy Today's Bully.
    Obviously there was no news of real substance in the paper that day, so they went back to basics - just buy it anyway.
    Can it get any worse??????

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  3. For Bentley...the word is "kaikai".

    Phhffft!...Bob is most certainly not lacking in neurones. I understand he has a law degree (urban myth?) and you should never underestimate his cunning and guile. The problem, however, may be with the synapses - particularly the ones connecting brain and mouth.

    Bully Boy...sorry I did not ask your permission to post on someone else's blog. I was going to ring, but there was no entry for you under Manual Unassisted Stimulation Mechanics, and the Interpol Internet Squad had never heard of you. Perhaps you should leave it to "Pie to police his own blog...

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  4. Grumpy - it's time to get back on your happy pills mate - you'll have to change your name though and that wouldn't be such a bad thing would it?

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Orright, orright, knock it off, youse lot.

      AND that is the LAST word from this particular playpen. The Magpie has enjoyed the joust, it was a bit of fun, but he seems to have allowed it to stray too far from both fun and fact by not adding anything to the original point (ie the safety of PNG), so leave the name calling to The 'Pie - that's what he's here to do.

      Natually, further comments on matters in the blog will be welcome from all of you - so sit up straight, put pen to keyboard - and stop sucking your thumbs.

      Delete
  5. Parson BlossomnoseJuly 28, 2013 at 8:26 AM

    I reckon the best quote of the week was the the front page of Britain's Private Eye, which brought things into sharp perspective with just three words.

    'Woman Has Baby'.

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  6. If Rudd's party is elected, I'm hopping on a boat to Papua New Guinea. A good cartoon too.

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  7. I've noticed that it takes two journalist to write a small story recently in the Astonisher. Why? They get a press release handed to them. They have a photographic opportunity arranged for them. What else is there to do? Why two?

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    1. Since we're on the case of the Astonisher (how unusual!) a couple of matters The 'Pie did not mention in the blog for reasons of length.

      Although the old bird is loath to fall for the paper's honey trap and talk about their risible The North's 50 Most Influential People list, a couple of matters need to be redressed. Although half the twaddle in the potted bio's is spin and biased and baseless speculation, some matters deserve comment.

      1. Clive Palmer at 15? There is little doubt he should be Number 1, if current or potential influence on this community is the yardstick. If Clive lets Yabulu fall over for any reason, the Bulletin will soon find out who the most influential person in town really is (with no disrespect to the undoubted achievements of the paper's #1, Professor Harding).

      2. In the 'damning with faint praise' entry for #38, Senator Ian Macdonald, the Bulletin says .... '(he) is said to be encouraging other rising stars like Townsville councillor Trevor Roberts.' Huh? This is news to Trevor Roberts, who told The 'Pie he has spoken to the senator once, about two years ago, at a function on The Strand - and the conversation had nothing to do with politics. Clr Roberts made it clear that his ambitions go no further than running for council again next time AND definitely not the mayoral race -- a stance The 'Pie has known about for more than a couple of years, despite there being some requests for him to have a shot at the top job. If some people stayed better connected and respected in their rounds for the paper, they would easily know that a family health situation has, and will, keep Clr Roberts close to home as much as possible - federal or state would require too much travelling time away from Townsville. The demands on time is also the reason why any thoughts of the mayoralty (he'd have a real chance) are out.

      3. With the exception of Palmer, it seems all the 'north's' powerful people come from here - no one in Cairns or Mackay rate a mention?

      When this hopeful circulation booster stunt was first invented, the then editor Mick Carroll asked The 'Pie who he thought should be included, to which I replied 'If this is an attempt at a fair dinkum list, you'd have to put yourself in the top five as the boss of the only daily newspaper in the city and region'. But Mick said he'd considered that and decided to leave 'media' out of it. From that moment, the list became a plaything designed (unusuccessfully) to promote argument.

      Times have changed, and all the latest list has done is promote general derision, and from what The 'Pie hears, no boost to sales.

      So at least the Astonisher's Iditor Lachlan Heywood wasn't silly enough to include himself in the list.

      Delete
    2. Also a good tool for stroking the ego of people the paper wants to suck up to!

      Delete
  8. Yet again we see sexual abuse given a paltry 9 months but assault adult police in public and you get almost as much - 6 months. When is our socety and the law going to start making sex abuse of children a crime for which you get a long long stretch!

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    1. Well, hang on Hilda.

      Having sat through eight years of court, The 'Pie knows better than most that there are degrees of child abuse, from the wrong but momentary touching on the outside of clothes right through more serious degrees of offence to the truly heinous maintaining and rape. All get penalties tempered by the severity of the offence. The 'Pie has no idea what this bloke has done, but knows judges and magistrates are bound by comparative sentences handed down in the past, which if aren't acknowledged, leads to further appeal actions clogging the courts. Yes, some sentences are indeed shamefully inadequate, but conflating the penalty for assaulting a police officer and the penalty for an unknown sexual offence is a bit hard on the police, isn't it?

      At least, as I understand it from legal chums, assaulting a copper will soon attract tougher penalties and will also mean mandatory jail time, (about bloody time, too) as already do practically all child sexual abuse offences. In terms of community norms, both offences should not be compared but both are serious transgressions of society's values.

      Delete
  9. An easy solution to the illegal immigrant problem is easy to solve, apply and ensure the death penalty to the people smugglers and captains of the vessels they come in on. But that won't happen because the bleeding hearts and do gooders won't allow it, that's why we are in this situation in the first place.

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  10. Is it true that The Astonisher no longer employs a sports journalist to cover local horse racing?
    At the Townsville Cup on the weekend a local horse trainer told me the Townsville Turf Club now pays a journalist to write stories for The Astonisher, with the guarantee that everything will be published.
    No conflict of interest there, of course.
    It will be interesting to see what happens if the Turf Club does something wrong, or there is an crowd-related problem at the Townsville Cup. Will we get the real story, or a watered down version from the Turf Club's racing writer?
    Anyway, are things THAT bad at The Astonisher that they can't afford to employ enough journalists to cover local racing?
    Sad, very sad.

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    Replies
    1. The reliable racing writer Craig Baxter left the paper a few years ago for reasons unknown (but The 'Pie understands he wasn't sacked but he was known to be dissatisfied - he left long before the Wilkins purge), and it seems he is involved with the Turf Club.

      Doubt there's any such guarantee of publication not even The Astonisher would be dopey enough to head down that path (would they?) but The 'Pie sees where you're coming from. If the paper just uses general gee-gee stuff that (presumably) Craig writes - and he knows the sport well and is a good journo - if it is not controversial, there's not much wrong with that from an ethical point of view. But if the paper was dopey enough (they wouldn't be - would they?) to take as gospel anything emanating from the Turf Club over any contentious issue which requires independent reporting, they are heading into very dangerous territory indeed.

      But then again, News Ltd has twisted all the normal rules and ethics of information dissemination, so who knows what the hubris will lead them to do. Fortunately, none of the management crew up here is too bright, so they're likely to get their tits caught in the wringer if they try to be too cute.

      Delete
  11. I wonder if the conviction of Palm Island mayor Alf Lacey make any difference to his position. Or in otherwise does he have to stand down from the position or its not required. Was just wondering.

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  12. Good question. Anybody know? Pie will check LGA rules when he gets a chance.

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  13. On Saturday, we are informed in the Bulletin that Palm Mayor Alf Lacey DID HAVE a conviction recorded against him for sly grogging but today the paper says in fact NO conviction was recorded against Lacey.

    So how could the jounro get it sooo wrong? And it seems you can have a conviction recorded against you and be in local government - so the paper says - but wonder if I should believe that statement too.

    You also have to wonder about Lacey's ethics and morals - refusing to be interviewed by police repeatedly, not appearing in court and waiting for the side issue court challenge...all stalling by this little grub. And how he got back in as mayor is beyond me.

    Lacey is a sly grogger grub and is anti the Alcohol Management Plan. What's the bet the AMP is ditched and Palm returns to its drunken ways with Lacey as Mayor and then blaming all and sundry for the island's chronic social problems.



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    1. Seems we have another member of journalism's Not Not Club - omitting that small three letter time bomb has been the cause of much angst ever since hacks have been writing newspapers. (Yes, yes, The Magpie was twice - in 45 years - a member of that club.)

      What the old bird found amusing was, after recently 'revealing that a plagarised press release was printed verbatim with two journalists given the byline , we now have the situation that THREE journalists have been involved in a story which was initially incorrect.

      Here's how it probably went down.

      Lacey's matter went to court in Ingham (by letter - shy little chap that he is) and one presumes the News Ltd Herbert River Express trotted along in the form of one Christie Anderson to report . That info was given to The Astonisher, where Chief of Staff (still?) Jess Johnston added in some background. Ms Johnston, not a person in The Pie's experience to make many errors, possibly took Ms Anderson at her word - although double checking the matter of a conviction should be standard procedure.

      The incorrect statement that a conviction was recorded went in on Saturday, but today we have a third journo (Kate 'I Still Can't Believe I'm Not Married' Higgins) regurgitated the story with this explanation for revisiting the issue buried halfway down the story:

      'It was incorrectly reported in Saturday's Townsville Bulletin that a conviction was recorded, however, no conviction was recorded against Cr Lacey.'

      No doubt Mr Lacey had a few foaming words to say on Sunday when Jessica J had her day off, so it fell to Ms Higgins to write the story - and leaving those ignorant of Saturday's story to assume she made the cock-up in the first place.

      Quite unfair - she didn't and one is entitled to assume it was Ms Anderson at fault, because the basic rule of the NOT NOT Club is the word is omitted at source, not removed by subs. Anyway, all that was necessary was a correction note - from the Editor.

      Delete
    2. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/palm-island-mayor-alf-lacey-pleads-guilty-to-sly-grogging/story-e6frg6nf-1226687376084

      Delete
  14. Hey 'Pie, here's something for all those blathering pollies out there.

    Some time when you’re feeling important, 

    Some time when your ego’s in bloom, 
    Some time when you take it for granted 

    You’re the best qualified man in the room; 
    Some time when you think that your going
     
Would leave an un-fillable hole, 
    Just follow these simple instructions 

    And see how they humble your soul: 
    Take a bucket and fill it with water, 

    Put your hand in it up to your wrist, 
    Pull it out and the hole that remains 
    
Is the measure of how you’ll be missed. 
    You may splash as you please when you enter,
     
You may stir up the waters galore, 
    But stop - and you’ll find in a minute 
    
That it looks just the same as before. 
    The moral of this is quite simple: 
    
Do just the best that you can, 
    Be proud of yourself, but remember: 
    
There is no indispensable man !
     

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  15. Always good and always entertaining.
    Sagely Yours,

    Miss Lou.

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  16. "The Bulletin's managing editor Ann Roebuck says the new office offers a purpose-built architectural space designed around open-planned activity-based working areas."

    err, it's not reported that she's also a self appointed Hrrrrrr manager. http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2013/06/29/384538_real_estate.html

    I recall Ms Boldery crying in the carpark hating Atil.

    This gesture is possibly for the years that we have worked in a windowless building, built like a rabbit warren, and affectionately refer to as "the bunker".

    err.. asbestos.

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  17. Working for the Astonisher, is like working for a Chinese Factory if you're a photographer. Shonky rosters, no holidays, little pay.

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  18. I don't know about you Pie, but, did you feel sabotaged while working there?

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  19. Interesting pic in the news lately. Krudd in Afghanistan carefully posing for the cameras looking all macho and mean with his flak jacket, helmet and various other Kevlar adornments. Meanwhile, Teresa stands beside him with only her wonder bra for protection.

    Perhaps Kevin’s hubris and egomania makes him think that he is the only one in the room worth shooting.

    I totally agree.

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  20. Quote of the Week so far:

    'I love it when we have the V8s in Townsville, and then the Chamber Music Festival, both attract people with fat wallets - and then we can (rubbing his hands together) fleece them.'

    Member for Townsville John Hathaway, stunning the audience into a groaning silence with this clunking attempt at comedy at the recent Chefs of the North dinner at Jupiters. The 'Pie idly wonders if the motel owner who jacked up his prices more than 300% during the V8s was in the audience ... if he was, he probably didn't think it was humour, just fact.

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  21. Bloke in the asian political bill board looks a bit like Hathaway, ya reckon.

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  22. Lot of huff'n'puff about Mayor Mullet and council CEO Ray Burton getting 'senior advisers' to help them choose between Ice VoVos and Monte Carlo Cremes at smoko.

    Nothing new there - His Radiance started the adviser malarky, to tighten Labor's hold on Walker Street - he always had an 'adviser' - in his case, for years, it was an openly Labor number-cruncher in the looming form of one Craig Cuddlepie Wallace. Nice springboard for a galumphing career in state politics before retiring early on the public shilling. The 'Pie may be wrong, but Paul Askern - a longstanding Mooney mate who knew on which side of his Tip Top the Devondale is spread - filled that role in a de facto manner while on the council payroll. That's why Jenny wanted him in the first place, but apparently the money, conditions and tenure weren't grand enough. Shame, 'cos he at least has Townsville's intrests at heart, and would've been a brake on the rampant ego of the current incumbent.

    The office of mayoral off-sider bit the dust in the era of Farmer Les; he wasn't the sort of bloke who wated or took advice - he knew what he wanted, rightly or wrongly, and he wasn't going to have someone second guessing him.

    Now the position has been revived, and as for the current situation, so much for not politicising the quasi-independent mayoral role - chortle, snurrfle - especially with her choice of Patrcia Schluter - a Gillard cast-off who scuttled away before KRudd returned Joolya's cutlery. Presumably so desperate for a job until she can get back in the Canberra swim, Ms Schluter is apparently willing to take whatever she can for the time being.

    More to the point, as an adviser to Mayor Mullet, she will have an input into our affairs - yet another politically expedient southern carpetbagging blow-in who has not committment to community, just to furthering the (self) interest of her current political boss. Just hope she doesn't do too much damage until she buggers of south again.

    As for Ray Burton's selecting a foxhole buddy to help avoid the mayoral fire, the way the appointment was framed seemed a bit dumb - especially in the hands of Mayor Mullet's pet reporter Simpo - but therefore it won't be mentioned that the extra Burton buddy was needed because of the mayor's hostility prompted by her failure to stack the executive with Labor bum boys.

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  23. EVEN THE ELECTION DATE IS PART OF A RORT ON THE TAXPAYER, IF THIS JUST RECEIVED MISSIVE FROM 'CANBERRA GNOME' IS TRUE. SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD BE.

    Has it ever occurred to you that Rudd has been ‘stonewalling’ over the naming of an election date to enable promoted back benchers such as Albanese (DPM), Bowen (Treasurer), Bird et al to qualify for a higher pension and associated perks in their new ministerial appointments? When I worked in Canberra many years ago prior to retirement, the ‘rule of thumb’ used to be that, in order to qualify for payment at the higher rate, one had to be acting in that capacity for six consecutive weeks. If the ‘rule’ continues to be in vogue today – and, I’m no longer in a position to ascertain whether it remains extant or not - I suggest that government pollies transitioning from back to front bench will not qualify for a greater pension and associated perks until, at least, each has served in their new capacity for six consecutive weeks or longer.  The math tells me Albanese, Bowen, Bird et al will not qualify at the higher rate until, about, 7 August  13, which will be roughly six weeks since Rudd knifed Gillard to reclaim the prime ministership. If I’m right, Rudd will make the short trip to Yarralumla on or shortly after 7 August 13. Of course, it has dawned on me that I may be totally off tangent, and Rudd will go to Yarralumla before the 7th. But, when loyal ALP soldiers and acolytes such as Albanese are quoted today as saying today Rudd was in “no rush…” to take the short trip to Yarralumla any time soon, the ‘political tea leaves’ tell me he will stall the announcement of an election date until Albanese, Bowen, Bird et al can ‘walk’ can fully qualify for a ‘nice little earner’, should Labor be unwanted after the 2013 polls results are known. I imagine you’re wondering why Rudd’s visit to Yarralumla is becoming is important. The answer is fairly obvious. Aside to voter impatience, currently, Business is in a state of flux and uncertainty will continue to haunt them. As far as the actual polling date is concerned – well, my political antenna doesn’t extend this far….! I’ll defer this one to you and other political pundits to speculate upon!
     


     















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  24. I would have thought that the Milky Bar kid was trying to get as much out of the Government advertising purse prior to calling the election whereafter the well officially runs dry. He's trying to win over the swinging bogans who are considering casting their vote with one of the wild parties like the Mad Katter or the Palm - eat 'em party. He's also trying to give his fan club (the Y Generation) enough time to forget about themselves for long enough to register to vote, so they can push HollyRudd back into stardom.

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  25. For Anon. That may not be strictly correct. If you use the example of Herbert (I smell pork Ewan) if the Katter Party (who's candiate seems to have a few clues) and Labor swap preferances it will lead to the probably demise of Ewan... In other words you may not need to win over the swinging Bogans as you put it just obtain preferences in maginal seats.

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  26. A screen grab of today's Astonisher will show the header says 'Islands {Residnets} blah blah

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  27. Uh, Oh, the Townsville Whine's brigade will be peeping out shyly from under their rocks, blinking in the blinding light of the news from up north, and Dudley Do-Nothing boss David The Kipper Kippin will be green around the gills .... Cairns is get a mega-resort (second) casino project.

    Chinese developer Tony Fung's $4.2 billion Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort last night was given Queensland Government approval to allow it to get all the red tape fast-tracked if all requirements are met.

    Handsome looking beast, it is too - have a squizz for yourself

    http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2013/08/02/246086_local-news.html


    And why pray tell The 'Pie hears you asking, would that upset Townsville, the centre of North Queensland influence (according to a well known paper)?

    Because this project includes a 25,000 seat sports stadium, that's why. This could be part of the Cairns push for an AFL team up this way - good luck with that - but The 'Pie will let the local whiners work out where that could lead if the northerners' beady eye is on sharing the Cowboys, given that such a stadium component would not have been included without some backroom engineering about how to fill it. The Yorkeys Knob Throttlers v the Gordonvale Galoots won't do the trick, nor will a ukelele festival.

    What's more, one of Queensland's largest aquariums is included.

    Memo David Kippin: (if you can tear yourself away from polishing up your golden begging bowl before heading down - unprepared - to Canberra - to ask for handout for a super stadium) - Mr Fung brings a refreshing and original idea to all this, although the concept might be a bit hard for you to grasp.

    The Hong Kong-based developer said 'I ask no favours or financial input from the Queensland Government for its support of this project. I only seek investment certainty from an approval process.'

    Startling stuff, eh, Dave? Any truth in the rumour that it was so cold the other morning, you were seen with your hands in your own pockets?

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  28. there was an artical on page 5 of the T/B 1 Aug Top Time to Play Politics briefly TEL CEO says it is a perfect time to hit Federal Politicians with Funding Requests This was also on the the T/B web site For comment.. I intended to post a comment but when i got around to it about 1030 the entire artical had been deleted... Obviously both TEL and The T/B had been made aware of the artical in todays Courier Mail. Kippens wish list included More spending on Defence And Bruce Hgw funding both of which have S.F.A. do do with Townsville Enterprise. Why Kippens LNP mates don't wake up and disown this organisation i Connot Understand It is interesting to note that 3 Directors of TEL donated $5000. Each to the Townsville First Election Campaign So does a conflict of interest arise when voting on matters in Council.concerning TEL by the 7 Townsville First Councillors Well the Annual report will be presented soon I guess it will be invitation only F>>> the Rate payers who contribute via the Council Grant.to this non achieving organisation.

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  29. Pie in the Sky stuff Pie. Yes I read that story today and impressive pics and all - but 7,000 hotel rooms??? It has Daikyo all over it - hope it gets up but realistically I do wonder!

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  30. Yikes!!! as they used to say in the Popeye comic strip.

    DENTURES IS BACK!!

    Yup, the SMH is reporting that former Premier Peter Beattie is to run for the ALP in the federal seat of Forde south of Brisbane. The seat is held by the LNP's Bert van Manen, but with a wafer thin margin of 1.6%.

    Labor are jumping up and down, saying it is a great boost to the party's chances in Queensland, but perhaps that's because they hope voters have short memories. Or they've been fooled by Beattie laughably presenting himself in the past few years of the Labor Canberra debacle as an elder-statement commentator and adviser at large. The old twister, unencumbered by any electoral respponsibility, has been smarming his way across our TV screens as an ALP Mr Fixit - which he most emphatically did not do..

    Just about everyone of Anna Bligh's cock-ups were already contained in the poisoned chalice handed to her by the scutting Premier Dentures, heading for a nice taxpayer funded break as an oily pool-side lizard in LA supposedly boosting Queensland's stocks over there.

    Forde will be one to watch, with greater ramifications than most marginals. Because if Labor loses the election but Dentures gets up in Forde, KRudd will have to start looking over his shoulder at a very real challenger for party leadership. That is of course, if KRudd himself gets up - remember what happened to John Howard.

    Another downside for the good burghers of Forde is that they can expect to be infested with visits from a fluro-jacketed, hardhatted kiddy-cuddling Tony Abbott. Wingnut will be thinking hard about this development.

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