Thursday 5 February 2009

Bullshit season coming up

Desley Boyle has just put up her election signs, which surely indicates that Captain Bligh is about to walk the plank, along with her out-of-tune colleagues.

Henry Poyntz snapped this today outside the Sitting Member (she's good at that) for Cairns.
Henry suggests that residents might well be advised to invest in a General Bullshit Detector.
I think he's onto something there.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think Anna and co. will want the election over and done with before the Jayant Patel & Gordon Nuttell court cases proceed. These cases will bring unwanted and damaging media attention to the Government every day.

The other issue is the Bligh Government has taken longer than anticpated to organise and select their candidates in seats like Indooroopilly. This has taken Bligh longer than expected. Get ready for the ALP machine to hit the road soon. A good shake up at this election will do them good.!

Anonymous said...

I must be going troppo from the wet season, but I look at Anna's hard hat and see a wonderful yellow space just begging for a few stencilled words that bring political truth into the electoral equation.

"OUR state, run OUR way"
"Cairns Yacht Club?"
swastikas
"Boss"
"Mutiny Now"
"Give the Ass the Arse"

How mean of Anna Bligh place such temptation before me. Nice smile though. Same for Desley.

Unknown said...

Why the hard hat Anna ? Where are all the construction jobs ?

KitchenSlut said...

Well I could attempt some profound comments but rather than that will just do a cut and paste on the latest Mayne Report and note the debt funding position of Qld relative even to the hapless NSW bruvvers!

I wont even say anything on the unintended consequences of some of the panic policies now adopted. Try www.henrythornton.com for a more cerebral alternative on economic policy opposition?



State government borrowing programs part of mad scramble for limited cash

The Australian Office of Financial Management sold $600 million worth of 6 years bonds between 10.15am and 10.30am this morning. The Rudd Government is now competing for limited cash with all those desperate corporates raising equity and all those banks hitting the international markets with their government guarantees.

The Future Fund's December 31 update reveals it has already ploughed $9 billion into bonds and has only $24 billion in cash left, which is barely higher than the forecast Federal Government deficit of $22 billion for this year. Here is a rundown of the borrowing challenges faced by the various state borrowing authorities in 2008-09:

Treasury Corporation of Victoria: $4.35 billion in 2008-09

Queensland Treasury Corp: raised a staggering $13.8 billion in 2007-08, lifting the overall debt figure to $43 billion and was orginally projecting a record $16.3 billion for 2008-09.

NSW Treasury Corporation: a 2008-09 funding requirement of $6.8 billion but all but $4.9 billion was pre-borrowed last financial year in a sensible move.

WA Treasury Corporation: latest update as of December 31 forecasts record $6.8 billion borrowing program for 2008-09.

SA Financing Authority: $8.7 billion in loans outstanding at the end of last financial year and is now expected to borrow more than $2 billion this financial year.

Surely, this huge borrowing load just makes it completely reckless for the Federal Government to join the party with a $22 billion deficit this year, rising to $35 billion next financial year.

The media and many financial commentators simply don't realise the huge borrowing challenges faced by the states and the fact that they've barely been able to raise a dime since the Federal Govenment guaranteed offshore bank borrowing.

Why would investors risk lending money to a debt-addicted state government when they can borrow the strong Federal Government's guarantee.

Rather than introducing this $42 billion stimulus package, the Feds should be guaranteeing state debt and focusing on helping the states deliver their existing infrastructure programs.

Anonymous said...

Thanks kitchen slut, me thinks you definitely have a slant to the right. Why not tell us all how the howard gov did not fund the states sufficiently, hence them going into borrowing. Things like hospitals, education, roads and the list goes on. Surely with your info you can give us some figures.

Anonymous said...

Just going back to Desley "Do Nothing" Boyle, & Anna "Hear Nothing" Bligh.
Just one thing I want to say:
Remember the Yacht Club
Maintain the Rage.

Anonymous said...

I can see our own Election markers up now.
Superimposed over photos of the carcass of the Aquatic at JCU is the “saviour” Stephen Withnothings.
Superimposed over the former Aquatic in Wharf Street is Demolition Desley Boyle
Superimposed over the skeleton of the Aquatic and the graveyard of other Historical, Heritage places, Platypus Jetty, Hales Wharf, will be Captain Anna Bligh. All under the caption, “Let us build your Future!”. Or “Debt is a four letter word, Chaos is a five letter word”.

Anonymous said...

Yes, sorry Rob, I forgot Steve "Smile & Do Nothing" Wettenhall. And whilst we're at it, bloody Jason O'Brien lives at Wharf St (apparently), & Warren Pitt is all of - what? - 20 minutes down the road at Gordonvale. And whilst we're at it, also, not a word from Turnour, I didn't hear much from Jan McLucas, & bloody Federal Minister for Environment & Heritage, Mr. Peter Garrett, lifted not a finger too.
In all - the Labor party is not starring at all at present.
I just hope in all this rain, that the remnants of the Yacht Club at JCU are at least under a tarp. Maybe a photo-op Mike?

KitchenSlut said...

Right? Left? Sounds like a march Barry whereas I like to think of myself as something of a freelance dancer!

Mate ... the internet is here and real ... go and do you own research stuffed if i'm doing it for you!

I posted two (2) references both of whom have reputations for partisan independence?

Anonymous said...

Lillian, I think many people have very little option but to maintain the rage re the Yacht Club debacle.

Daily we are reminded, courtesy of the ironic Q150 'celebrations', of what we have lost; a building with a phenomenal past, linked to the first European settlers, both World Wars and the social life of a tropical outpost, ranging from before the flappers of the 20's to the Rock 'n Rollers of the 60's and 70's.

The building had a wonderful past but it also had a 'present'. Even without the yachting activities, hundreds of people went there every week until just months before the end.

And, with a bit of vision, it had a great future too.

It is a bitter pill to swallow to hear of other historical projects getting funding, when this should have been a focal point for Cairns.

The old building wasn't all that pretty, but neither was much of early Cairns. However, it WAS authentic and it represented a time and way of life that abounded in that precinct for our first 130 years of European settlement. It was even special to many of the indigenous citizens of the region.

We must all never forget the arrogance of this Labor government that told thousands of ordinary Cairns people "We know better what to do with your heritage than you do."

I find it still quite unbelievable that a government can do this to its citizens.

I am usually a forgiving sort of person, but this repetitive denial of what the people wanted, accompanied by the patronising, conceited smirks as they kept ignoring the protests, angers me greatly and always will.

All I can say is "Can we risk any more of this behaviour?”

Forced loss of heritage, forced amalgamations, forced fluoridation, forced planning schemes such as 2025 - the list goes on!

Maintain the rage? You'd better believe it!

Wendy Richardson

Unknown said...

i asked Desley Boyle about what's happening with the CYC and got this reply :

"I know you are very unhappy about the Yacht Club but the news is not
as bad as some are saying.

JCU tell me they have engaged a contractor to move the building from
its current temporary location on the Cairns campus to its final
resting place. This has been delayed due to the bad weather but will
happen soon. JCU says that very little damage has been done to the
building in its current location and what has will be repaired when
the re-build takes place.

Apparently much of the building segments are in dry storage and
therefore they will not be damaged.

JCU's project will see the building renovated and incorporated into
the overall precinct development which will be completed by September
2009."

I also asked her what her government was doing to help us so we could keep all the apprenticed employed. After all they encouraged us to put on more people to beat the skill shortage.

I got this response :

"The Premier has allocated big money for a variety of initiatives to keep
apprentices going - and to support businesses with this in these tough
times. The number for the Apprenticeships info line is 1800 210 210 -
they will talk to you about your specific needs and our assistance. See
how you go and let me know if there is anything further I can do."

I rang the number and all they can offer me is a register where my apprentices can register their details to find other employment. That's it !! What a waste of time. I haven't had any further offers of assistance as yet.