Straya thread part 4 - culling the chazzwazzers population

[Vlad n U 2]

 

[cobl04]

Not at March in March. I think it's a little silly, given there's no unifying theme other than 'we don't like Tony Abbott'. Very confusing. And if that sign had appeared at an anti-Gilliard protest we'd all be up in arms.

 

[Axver]

Yeah I'm honestly not a fan of the March in March. It lacks coherence and so much of it is blatantly hypocritical. I can't believe some people are actually suggesting this government is illegitimate. I may hate the government and what it's doing, but it legitimately took office after a free and fair election. Plus, calling it illegitimate is just lazy, using the same braindead rhetoric of the anti-Gillard morons.

There are so many specific things to protest that I feel the March in March just confuses, blurs, overlooks, or neglects what actually matters. Let's not muddy the waters. We need well-focused, incisive opposition, not petulant "wah my side didn't win" protests that are an echo - a more strongly attended echo, but still an echo - of the base and scurrilous "ditch the witch" drivel.

 

[cobl04]

Yep spot on. One of the signs today said Fuck Democracy.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

My main issue with March in March is that I don't see it being followed up any time soon, it's something that needs to develop if it wants to further gain relevance rather than being a one off.

 

[cobl04]

But even if it gained traction, it's not going to achieve anything because everything about it is so arbitrary. Pick an issue and formulate some solid literature on it.

Look at some of the signs the crowd were holding. Half the ones I saw were "Abbott's a dickhead" or "fuck off Libs" or shit to that effect. You and I may disagree on this, you might like it, but that's just incredibly dumb. Gives fuel to the people saying that the protest is full of airhead lefties, achieves nothing but a couple of cheap laughs among like-minded people on social media and just cheapens the whole thing. In other countries tens of thousands of people marching and holding signs might mean something, but here, unless there's a clear mission statement, it's all rather hollow... I mean it shows that a lot of people are dissatisfied, which is great, and it will get reported of course but I sincerely doubt the Abbott Govt would be worrying much all.

 

[cobl04]

On another note, what do we think of the new Spicks n Specks? Josh Earl is certainly no Adam Hills (who is?), but he's quite fine, I love Adam Richard, and Ella Hooper is a good fit and also hot.

 

[Kieran McConville]

The only thing that will bring down the Abbott government is the same thing that put it there; the ballot box.

 

[cobl04]

Ayup. Democracy has a reasonably strong foothold in this country, from my observations.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

For better or worse.

 

[Axver]

But even if it gained traction, it's not going to achieve anything because everything about it is so arbitrary. Pick an issue and formulate some solid literature on it.

Look at some of the signs the crowd were holding. Half the ones I saw were "Abbott's a dickhead" or "fuck off Libs" or shit to that effect. You and I may disagree on this, you might like it, but that's just incredibly dumb. Gives fuel to the people saying that the protest is full of airhead lefties, achieves nothing but a couple of cheap laughs among like-minded people on social media and just cheapens the whole thing. In other countries tens of thousands of people marching and holding signs might mean something, but here, unless there's a clear mission statement, it's all rather hollow... I mean it shows that a lot of people are dissatisfied, which is great, and it will get reported of course but I sincerely doubt the Abbott Govt would be worrying much all.

Yeah, totally agreed. Plus it's pretty much just a leftie circle jerk. If it focused on issues, it might be able to reach out beyond just those of us who never voted for Abbott anyway. At the moment, if you did actually vote for the current government but are disappointed or shocked by what they've done, these sorts of protests aren't for you. However, a protest focusing on, say, sweeping job cuts could reach out and be inclusive - and that would be far more threatening for the government, because it would show even their supporters are unhappy. They don't care if thirty thousand lefties made a lot of noise showing they don't like a government they would never have voted for, but they do care if that protest encompasses one or two thousand swing voters from marginal electorates who are having serious second thoughts.

On another note, what do we think of the new Spicks n Specks? Josh Earl is certainly no Adam Hills (who is?), but he's quite fine, I love Adam Richard, and Ella Hooper is a good fit and also hot.

Adam Richard and Ella Hooper are good team hosts and should settle in well. I'm still not sure about Josh Earl though. He feels like a slightly-too-loud mate who's a bit funny but not as funny as he thinks he is.

 

[cobl04]

 

[cobl04]

Attorney-General George Brandis: 'People do have a right to be bigots'

And yes, he said exactly that.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Much as I loathe the little fucker, he's not strictly incorrect. They do. It's acting on it that is the problem.

 

[cobl04]

I know. But it's a truly idiotic thing to say.

Personally, I'm excited. I've never been a bigot before, can't wait to give it a go.

 

[The Sad Punk]

Let's get down to the real talk: I would love to hear Palmer attempt K-Pop.

 

[cobl04]

Real talk. I said that very thing on Facebook.

 

[Kieran McConville]

You know who else compared the green movement to the Nazis? THE NAZIS!

Brandis is completely unfit to hold the office he holds, which means, he fits right in.

 

[The Sad Punk]

There's going to be a March in May.

Can't wait 2 see all the signs of king joffrey abbott as miley cyrus on a wrecking ball and also theres benedicto cumberbash saying something smug!! Politics

The main thing I got out of the March in March is that it reminded me how much I hate protests. I was never expecting anything of importance to happen with it, but I wasn't expecting to leave feeling resentful of people I agree with.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Pretty much everything this government does so far is the red-meat equivalent of click bait. That holds true partly because of the senate situation, admittedly.

 

[Alisaura]

I know. But it's a truly idiotic thing to say.

Personally, I'm excited. I've never been a bigot before, can't wait to give it a go.

Does being prejudiced against (other) bigots make someone a bigot? Or just a hypocrite? Or both?

That screen shot of news.com.au was gold.

 

[cobl04]

Thommo sentenced to a year in gaol, nine months suspended, will appeal.

 

[Axver]

Much as I loathe the little fucker, he's not strictly incorrect. They do. It's acting on it that is the problem.

One of my friends put it rather well when he said that people already have the right to be a bigot under existing legislation, they just don't have the right to be a bigot and to be wrong at the same time. Bolt wasn't found guilty because he was a bigot; he was found guilty because he was factually incorrect (and the error was not made in good faith). Brandis's proposed changes are simply a law for liars.

 

[cobl04]

Good tweet yesterday : the right to be a bigot should be inextricably linked to the responsibility not to be one.

 

[cobl04]

Tone has brought back knights and dames.

 

[Axver]

Chalk that down as another broken promise, as another trivial announcement to distract from the fact this government has surprisingly little business for parliament to consider, and as another sop to the monarchist conservative dullard base.

All that said, I can't say I'd mind it if somebody made me Sir André.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Hard to decide if it's just as well this government hasn't much on its plate (well, apart from vengeance of course, but that doesn't take three years).

 

[Kieran McConville]

One of my friends put it rather well when he said that people already have the right to be a bigot under existing legislation, they just don't have the right to be a bigot and to be wrong at the same time. Bolt wasn't found guilty because he was a bigot; he was found guilty because he was factually incorrect (and the error was not made in good faith). Brandis's proposed changes are simply a law for liars.

Well yeah, there's this thing call defamation.

 

[cobl04]

Twitter's been pretty funny this arvo.

I'm laughing because Malcolm Turnbull.

 

[Axver]

Well yeah, there's this thing call defamation.

You might want to prepare a short briefing on what that is for Andrew Bolt.