That time Laborites attempted to kill the entire Howard ministry

24 Responses to That time Laborites attempted to kill the entire Howard ministry

1. C.L. says:

   3 November, 2022 at 7:56 pm

   Anthony Albanese says the hammer attack on US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, is a symptom of the increased polarisation and extremism of political discourse across the West.

   “The attack on Mr Pelosi was horrifying – to think that something like that could happen,” the Prime Minister said in an exclusive interview.

   Mr Albanese described dem­ocracy as “fragile” and said the contest between democracy and authoritarianism was part of the broader strategic competition between democracy and the various different types of authoritarianism around the world.

   “Democrats have to stand up for democracy; we can’t duck these issues,” he said.

   Mr Albanese was critical of his predecessor, Scott Morrison, for not denouncing the riots on Washington’s Capitol Hill on January 6 last year by supporters of former president Donald Trump, who believed the presidential election had been stolen from him.

   “Then prime minister Scott Morrison was alone, really, among democratic leaders in not calling it out; in the UK, France, Germany, Canada, it was called out and it should have been,” he said. “The circumstances in the US, with people almost in paramilitary gear, is a concern. That concern has been expressed, quite rightly, by President (Joe) Biden.”

   Mr Albanese said he has been worried for years about increasing extremism and intolerance in political exchanges.

   “Much of the debate in politics generally has got far worse” during the quarter of a century he had been in parliament, he said.

   Mr Albanese has drawn attention to increased polarisation, to people suffering “conflict fatigue”, and to the role of social media.

   “The way political discourse is being conducted is far less civil. I think it is of real concern,” he said.

   “I can look at any time at a ­social media feed of mine and find something (in response) that is completely over the top.

   “You see the rise of social media where people, sometimes anonymously, behind anonymous handles, will say things that they would never say face-to-face.

   “That then leads to responses and to an escalation that is ­extraordinary.”

   All of this, he said, had a damaging effect on politics itself.

   “It undermines people’s participation in the process,” Mr Albanese said. “I think for young people considering going into politics, they’ve got to worry about what will be said about them. They’ve also got to worry about what’s on their social media feed from 30 years ago.”

   Such entries furnished “gotcha” moments to be used against people, he said.

   “We’re going to end up with no one who has ever done anything interesting participating.”

   The Prime Minister also called for media companies to take a more discriminating attitude to what they allowed to be published and broadcast: “Some of the media commentary is far more aggressive and I think that media operators have a responsibility to be more responsible about that.”

   He contended that much of the political debate carried out on social media was far too ­simplistic: “A lot of these issues don’t have a 24-hour time grab, or don’t have an easy sound-bite grab. Dealing with the energy crisis, for example, is not a simple thing.”

   Most of all, he wanted people committed to democracy from all parts of the political spectrum to behave with civility and to defend democratic principles.

   “Sophistication in political dialogue is an asset,” he said.

   “It’s something that we have that differentiates us from the lack of political discourse in Russia, for example.”

   Mr Albanese made his remarks as part of the most wide-ranging and forthright interview he has done on foreign policy and national security since coming to office in May.

   ———-

   Greg Sheridan in The Australian
2. jupes says:

   3 November, 2022 at 8:14 pm

   Oh please, can Donald Trump win in 2024. Watching Albanese’s reaction would be priceless.
3. Buccaneer says:

   3 November, 2022 at 8:15 pm

   Albanese stopped fighting Tories momentarily and made a twitter post when David Amess was murdered. https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1450589602075475974

   Not clear he condemned polarisation and extremism of discourse, perhaps hard to do that when you keep telling everyone you fight Tories all the time?
4. C.L. says:

   3 November, 2022 at 8:19 pm

   This is the new hotness in left-wing extremist apologetics, by the way.
   Voting for the Republicans/LNP is a “threat to democracy.”

   Albanese was eating ice cream at the weekend and now this.
   He is becoming Joe Biden.
5. C.L. says:

   3 November, 2022 at 8:26 pm

   I now think it’s very possible Albanese’s government will be thrown out at the next election. He must be starting to get that feeling too.
6. Cassie of Sydney says:

   3 November, 2022 at 8:28 pm

   Goodness….

   I missed Albanese’s press release when Steve Scalise was gunned down at a baseball game.

   I missed Albanese’s press release when Fraser Anning was physically assaulted from behind with an egg.

   I missed Albanese’s press release when Scott Morrison was physically assaulted with an egg.

   I missed Albanese’s press release when Tony Abbott was physically assaulted, headbutted actually, in Hobart in 2o17.

   Oh and as for this trite garbage from the member for Grayndler…

   ““The way political discourse is being conducted is far less civil. I think it is of real concern,” he said.

   “I can look at any time at a ­social media feed of mine and find something (in response) that is completely over the top.

   “You see the rise of social media where people, sometimes anonymously, behind anonymous handles, will say things that they would never say face-to-face.”

   Oh and I missed Albanese’s press release condemning Jeremy Corbyn for his Jew hatred, but given the the Albanese’s government’s attitude towards Israel, particularly over Jerusalem, announcing the decision on a major Jewish holiday, I shouldn’t
   be surprised he wouldn’t condemn his buddy Corbyn, and you wanna know what? Birds of a feather flock together.
7. howardb says:

   3 November, 2022 at 9:03 pm

   FWIW…

   The Awful Truth: Paul Pelosi Was Drunk Again, And In a Dispute With a Male Prostitute Early Friday Morning.

   David Depape is said to be a Castro Nudist. “The lunatic who allegedly assaulted Paul Pelosi is a Berkeley resident and a ‘Former Castro Nudist Protester’ and hemp ‘jewelry maker’ …sounds totally MAGA Republican to me. 🤣🤣”

   Ok, so here’s the theory, as related to me by a source: “Castro Nudists are a group of really radical gay male prostitutes that parade around naked with c–k rings. First of all, the Police did not come in response to an alarm. They come in response to a “wellness check”. So someone called them to check on Pelosi.”

   “When he didn’t answer the phone, the cops broke the sliding glass door to get in. Pelosi was struggling with the suspect, who was in his underwear.

   Pelosi owned the hammer. Not Depape. Or, the male prostitute was doing something Pelosi didn’t like.”
8. NFA says:

   3 November, 2022 at 10:02 pm

   C.L. says:
   3 November, 2022 at 8:19 pm

   This is the new hotness in left-wing extremist apologetics, by the way.
   Voting for the Republicans/LNP is a “threat to democracy.”

   Albanese was eating ice cream at the weekend and now this.
   He is becoming Joe Biden.

   But has he started ‘sniffing’ hair?
9. C.L. says:

   3 November, 2022 at 10:06 pm

   LOL. That will be the biggest tell. 🙂
10. C.L. says:

    3 November, 2022 at 10:15 pm

    Cassie, your excellent inventory is easily extended. It’s really just a matter of how much spare time is available. The shocking mob attack on Julie Bishop at Sydney University, the Labor hate campaign against Katherine Deves, the harassment of Kimberley Kitching, the assault on Cardinal Pell etc etc.

    As for the fragility of democracy, I’d be interested to hear former “Bolshie” faction member Albanese’s defence of Soviet spy H.V. Evatt and the many communist traitors that infested the Labor Party for decades.

    Joe Biden has wilfully incited more domestic political violence than any other President. To this day, he hasn’t condemned the assassination attempt on Justice Kavanaugh.
11. NFA says:

    3 November, 2022 at 10:31 pm

    The Democrats — Mass Psychosis or Pathological Lying?
12. Tel says:

    4 November, 2022 at 7:24 am

    Can we name all the times Albanese has condemned union thuggery? Leaving a shovel on the doorstep of Health Services Union national secretary Kathy Jackson, ain’t exactly civil political discourse.

    The left wingers have always leveraged political violence to achieve their ends … the phrase is “by any means necessary”. That does not justify doing more of the same in retaliation … but sure as heck the major perpetrators have lost all claims to cry victim.

    Besides that, the leftists also have a long history of hoax crimes … Albanese has yet to bother saying anything about what Jussie Smollett got up to … and these hoax crimes are clearly intended to be divisive and create the right environment for political violence.
13. Buccaneer says:

    4 November, 2022 at 7:39 am

    Richard Marles was on Today this morning telling people that they were just following the advice when it comes to ISIS brides. The excuse of or exaggeration of violence is just an extension of the propensity to lie both to themselves and others. Marles looks like a grinning idiot when he does it, but he still probably thinks he’s doing the right thing even though it’s obviously not true. Particularly when he backed that claim up with the we are only doing what reduces risk for the Australian community line.

    Once one believes that if you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth, it’s not a big journey to nothing I say is a lie.

    That’s how we can get inane trolls come here and tell us things like no one welcomed the Nazis. Once you’ve lied so many times by painting the actions of others as Nazis who cannot compare to the Nazis, it’s easy to lose connection with what that actually means.
14. Cassie of Sydney says:

    4 November, 2022 at 9:04 am

    “The left wingers have always leveraged political violence to achieve their ends … the phrase is “by any means necessary”. That does not justify doing more of the same in retaliation … but sure as heck the major perpetrators have lost all claims to cry victim.”

    Yep. I would hazard a good guess that everyone here condemns political violence. But the simple fact is that the left don’t and won’t because firstly it’s useful and secondly, they like it…violence works.

    There’s a clip of a parliamentary session, where the slayer of Tories is sitting screaming “smash her”, “smash her” at Liberal Sussan Ley yet he now bemoans the lack of civility.

    I also recall how the slayer of Tories, until he was called out in parliament last year, never condemned the atrocious stalking, hounding and vilification of Nicolle Flint yet he now bemoans the lack of of civility.

    Such chutzpah from a hypocrite who cuddles up to Jew haters.

    Besides that, the leftists also have a long history of hoax crimes … Albanese has yet to bother saying anything about what Jussie Smollett got up to … and these hoax crimes are clearly intended to be divisive and create the right environment for political violence.

    Yep. I recall the night of the Lindt Cafe siege, when that ghastly “nobody’s girl” Kristina Keneally spread the hoax that Muslim women were being targeted on public transport. It was a lie.
15. Shy Ted says:

    4 November, 2022 at 11:24 am

    “Smash her”
16. Lee says:

    4 November, 2022 at 11:52 am

    The left wingers have always leveraged political violence to achieve their ends … the phrase is “by any means necessary”.

    I remember seeing the MSNBC anchor back during the very destructive and violent George Floyd riots of 2020 who opined that “who said that protests have to be peaceful?”

    I bet dollars to donuts the hypocrite has changed his tune since Biden became president.
17. C.L. says:

    4 November, 2022 at 11:55 am

    Richard Marles was on Today this morning telling people that they were just following the advice when it comes to ISIS brides.

    Why do we even need elected governments these days?
    Interest rates – following advice.
    Covid – following advice.
    Klimate – following advice.
    Terrorists – following advice.
18. C.L. says:

    4 November, 2022 at 11:59 am

    You can’t hide behind a makeover, Albo:
19. Lee says:

    4 November, 2022 at 12:00 pm

    Yep. I would hazard a good guess that everyone here condemns political violence. But the simple fact is that the left don’t and won’t because firstly it’s useful and secondly, they like it…violence works.

    We’re not allowed to remind left wing hypocrites of leftist violence because of “whataboutism” or some such nonsense, Cassie.

    It’s okay when they do it.
20. NFA says:

    4 November, 2022 at 12:02 pm

    Come on C.L.

    He was just ‘young and naive’ back then.
21. Buccaneer says:

    4 November, 2022 at 12:36 pm

    Why do we even need elected governments these days?
    Interest rates – following advice.
    Covid – following advice.
    Klimate – following advice.
    Terrorists – following advice.

    The problem for the grinning idiot is that the previous government used that excuse too, and only credulous idiots think that returning people who left to support isis is a risk free arrangement. Frankly, I’d like to see people start to tell the imbeciles from both parties that do this, ‘if you’re not prepared to release the evidence stop lying and tell us it was your decision.’ And if they do release the evidence, ‘stop hiding behind experts and make decisions.’
22. NFA says:

    4 November, 2022 at 12:45 pm

    And if they do release the evidence, ‘stop hiding behind experts and make decisions.’

    ROFLMAO
23. Tel says:

    4 November, 2022 at 7:48 pm

    Why do we even need elected governments these days?

    No care taken and no responsibility.

    Government is just an alternative religion for people too educated to be Christian … but too weak minded to be a devout Atheist.
24. Rockdoctor says:

    5 November, 2022 at 10:20 am

    Would love to claim this but comment is not me…

    Don’t even have a sub to the Australian, haven’t read it much since it went behind paywall unless for free when Qantas used to give out paper copies in the terminal.