Daily news commentary

I think I'll do this. Take snippets of the news, mainly from the ABC news website (it's the most readable), and make my comments. Expect this post to be edited several times throughout the day.


Coalition would reverse carbon tax cuts: Joyce

"Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce says the Coalition would repeal any proposed income tax cuts linked with a carbon tax if elected."

Reads to me like
"We oppose big new taxes, but support big old taxes. Which is why, because we are so incredibly anti-tax, we will increase taxes if Labor dares to drop them!"

Moving on.

Fury as Vic Government retakes lost vote

"The Victorian Government has cast the rules of Parliament aside to reintroduce a bill that will allow faith-based groups to discriminate on grounds such as religion, marital status and gender."

Seems to me like Victoria might be going through a bit of buyer's remorse. Perhaps they didn't realise that by voting for a Liberal government, they might actually get a Liberal government.

Still, with the Victorian parliament what it is, a single bi-election could see the Coalition out of government in Victoria. Though more likely it would result in a vote of no confidence in the Baillieu government and an election being called. One can dream.

While we're on the subject of fresh new Coalition state governments, NSW recently saw the biggest swing in Australian parliamentary history, against the incumbent Labor government towards the Coalition. No doubt, this election was not a mandate for a Coalition government so much as a dismissal of a long-serving Labor government. We'll likely see the second biggest swing in Australian parliamentary history in the first-term blues new governments often face. It's even possible, though highly unlikely, that Labor could win government in NSW at the next election, if they successfully rebrand themselves and if the Coalition make complete arses of themselves.

McDonald's to say sorry for bad coffee, plans to use baristas
"MCDONALD'S is planning to appoint specialist baristas following a huge customer backlash over the quality of its coffee."

THIS IS NEWS. PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THIS.

Chapter closes on Borders in Australia
"The last nine Borders book stores in Australia will close with another 315 jobs to be lost."

About bloody time. I hate Borders. It calls itself a bookstore, but then never has any books! At least, nothing but fiction bullshit. First place I would run to every time I go there is the maths and science section, because what better way is there to judge a bookstore than by the calibur of its maths and science books? Time after time after time, all I would find is overpriced rubbish. But then I would head down the road to Boffins, go to their mathematics section, and find a wealth of decent books at better prices than the crap at Borders.

I am very happy to see Borders go. All it ever did was promote dull, unenlightening, fiction books to the psuedo-intellectual who thinks that because they read books they are smart. The only books that make you smart for reading them are textbooks, because they contain actual, legitimate, peer-reviewed knowledge!

Hawke enters heated carbon tax battle
"Former prime minister Bob Hawke has labelled Liberal leader Tony Abbott "as mad as a cut snake" for his opposition to the Government's climate change proposals."

Bob Hawke, you are a champion among men, and a sane, reasonable voice in this political charade.

Religious leaders back carbon tax
"Monks and rabbis have stood alongside Catholics and Anglicans in Canberra to show support for the federal government's plan to tackle climate change."

Does Tony Abbott have anyone left supporting him? I mean, aside from the rich.