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The Magpie

Sunday, July 25th, 2021   |   206 comments

Boy They Have Really Fucked Up This Time … Has The Townsville Bulletin Has Left Itself Open For A Very Expensive Damages Action?

….and even if they manage to weasel their way out of a thoughtless and hurtful misjudgment, a rare front page apology is merited – specially since the offending article was on the front page. But the victim is so filthy on the paper, that even a prominent apology probably won’t cut it.

The gloves are not only off , Herbert MP Phillip Thompson has picked up a mallet to hammer his point home about Jenny Hill’s secretiveness. He has taken out a full page ad in the Bulletin to ask the questions that the paper itself was too yellow and compromised to ask itself.

And that is only likely to accelerate Jenny Hill’s public melt-down in her other clash with Clr Fran O’Callaghan, which continues apace – with the latest in a series of official complaints to authorities so comical – constituents shouldn’t be encouraged to talk to their local councillor – so ludicrous it has apparently been rejected out of hand in Brisbane.

From champ to chump – Australia’s champion Olympic freeloader, John Coates suddenly becomes a gold medal knucklehead as he clumsily meddles in Queensland politics – as if we didn’t already have strife in that area.

Plus our regular gallery of the week in the USA, a few other bits of weirdness and laughs rom around the world.

We pause now for your one and only commercial break. The Magpie does his best to pipe the rats out of town, but as in the old fable, it’s a question of who pays the piper. If you can slip a couple of bob for blog upkeep, The ‘Pie will be able to pipe a merrier tune. The donate button is at the end of the blog. Thanks.

 

Now, ever onward.

“Let The Games Begin’? They Never Stopped

… and will only get more ridiculous over the next 11 years. As will the preening and point-scoring between of Anna Palaszczuk and the PM Smirko Morrison as to just who managed to bring this disaster to Australia.

But a picture is worth a thousand words, they say, and Bentley sees only a black hole, and brilliantly depicts how the ever present Queensland financial cyclone is about to go up a category or two.

Qld black hole flat

No matter how it is spun, the equation is simple and undeniable … as demand for skills and trades mounts, and – courtesy of the unions – a massive pay loading will be imposed, the regions will be denuded of skills already in shortage, and costs will skyrocket. Money that otherwise would have been used for regional infrastructure will go to servicing ballooning debt and rapacious labour groups.

And wildly optimistic forecasts doth butter no parsnips, as the pommies say. We will be tossed the promise of tourism crumbs that will go nowhere near being a fair and equitable cake for all of Queensland to share.

Anna in Q small

One interesting aspect, though … Anna Alphabet will be getting a first hand dose of her own medicine when back home an d into quarantine. Bentley is wondering if she will try to do a bedsheet bolter like the bloke in WA.

That Bumptious Buffoon John Coates, Could Do With A Bit Of Quarantining Himself.

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When our premier decided it would be a bad look back home if she attended a Games opening function, Coates made an ass of himself by having the temerity to publicly ‘order’ – Premier Palaszczuk to attend the function.

When the penny dropped that Aussies of all stripes did not like a minor Olympic factotum being so up himself as to tell an elected representative what to do, Coates promptly made it worse by saying he was ‘just trying to help the premier out of a difficult political situation.’

He said the idea was that if he ordered ‘his good mate, Anna’ to go, she could simper about wanting to skip the function, but what’s a gal to do when she gets ordered to attend. That would spike all those pesky bastards back home that are already pissed off that there is one set of rules for some, and another set for others.

Ahem, matey … the Premier’s political situation is none of your concern, a message he belatedly received after promptly being howled down for the fatuous fool that he has become – some even callinjg for this marathon grifter of five decades to resign.

This sort of thing always happens when you get so many freebies and you start to believe you are something you are not. Ask Les Walker and his prize fighting beliefs.

The Bulletin’s Costly Cock-up

But not costly to them, just someone who is the victim of piss poor and possibly illegal reporting.

It was a matter that The ‘Pie always knew would end in tears. Here’s what went down. This from Friday’s blog comments.

The Magpie 

 

July 23, 2021 at 9:57 am  (Edit)

Please correct The Magpie if he is wrong but is this a massive front page fuck-up, with the police also culpable?
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Putting aside the totally juvenile and lazy ‘House Of Horrors’ comparison to mass killer Fred West, the paper has named the charged man. Front page no less, as well as the inside story.

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Perhaps some hard and fast rules have changed since The Magpie’s time of loitering around the courts with intent, but the police naming, and the Bulletin printing the name, of the man arrested for alleged sex crimes before remand is itself against the law. The rule is – or at least certainly used to be – that a person arrested and charged cannot be named until remanded in court. In this case, that doesn’t happen until today, Friday. No matter that the police may have either inadvertently or over-enthusiastically provided the name, the rule applies to publication of any names until remand.

As with legal matters, there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip, and should the wallopers have somehow got it wrong (it’s been known), or applied the wrong charge … any number of spanners are available to chuck in the works … the legal ramifications can be immense. As can claims for defamation against the paper from a wrongly accused.

To believe, as The ‘Pie reasonably does, that the bloke is good for what the cops claim, is not good enough. The rules are there for a reason.

What The Magpie didn’t comment on was the actual name of the arrested man … Stephen Lane. Now, for anyone who has been around this town for a while … and that precludes the latest batch of staff through the turnstiles at all the Bulletin … the name Stephen Lane will familiar on several fronts.

Stephen Lane capi_3f881ea9e8ea147f71aee6e4c77919df_e6689f73c42bec6937e6e6c4198f0dc5

Stephen is the son of former TCC councillor Jenny Lane and her academic/artist husband Richard. But Stephen is known in his own right as a former political candidate (featured in the paper), mugging victim (also reported in the paper), outspoken advocate for car enthusiasts (again, in the paper several times) and a well known member of the local cycling community.

Even The ‘Pie, incredulous though he was, was just one of scores of people who have contacted Stephen to ask about the matter.

‘I haven’t had much sleep, mate, I can tell you. I’ve been pulled up in the street by people asking about it, some making jokes, others not. But people I don’t even know have been posting things online that have been very upsetting, ‘Stephen told The ‘Pie. ‘Mum and Dad were mortified, and spent much of last night messaging all their contacts assuring them it wasn’t me.’

Now, while Stephen has had legal advice from a Brisbane barrister that on the face of it, there is no prospect of a successful defamation action, what hasn’t been broached is that Stephen says he is well known to the paper, has had frequent contact with, many know him, he even went to school with one reporter– yet not one of them thought that a clarification that a relatively prominent local person had the identical name to an alleged child sex trafficker.

Stephen has fired in a concerns notice, and the paper late Saturday added a middle name to the offender, to the online story which in itself is a sort of admission that the initial naming was unfortunate. And of course, it cannot change what is already in the print edition.

It will now be interesting to see how editor Craig Warhurst responds – especially if The Magpie is correct and the arrested Lane should not have been named in the first place … at least not until remanded, when there would be less confusion. However, The ‘Pie doesn’t hold out much hope of anything much … he is well acquainted with the towering arrogance of News Corpse and its coffers … and that was back in the days when they had something to be arrogant about. Nowadays, their only power is to bugger of the lives of people with careless and possibly illegal reporting.

The Stoush Between MP Phil Thompson And Mayor Mullet Has Been Notched Up Spectacularly

The Bulletin has finally printed a series of very pointed questions, quizzing Jenny Hill on some very tricky matters. The questions are tough and uncompromising, just as tough, straight-talking investigative journalism should be.

But there’s a problem; the only way the paper took this character step was because Phillip Thompson took out a full page paid ad asking those questions and outlining the dodgy background to them.

Screen Shot 2021-07-24 at 9.48.57 am

This was a bit of an eye-boggler, The Magpie cannot recall any political dust-up in this town hitting the paid pages of the Astonisher. One waits to see if the Mayor will be required to take out a paid ad in reply … if she doesn’t and her reply simply becomes a reported news story, there seems to be a question about the Bulletin’s integrity. (gasp, wheeze, ah, stoppit, ya killin’ me, ‘Bulletin’ and ‘integrity’, two words that have never been seen together anywhere.) Making someone pay to ask public interest questions that the paper itself should be asking is an interesting revenue raising concept. Perhaps hat’s the way of the future with this publication.

But In Immediate Terms, Thompson Is The Least Of Mayor Mullet’s Worries.

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Fran O’Callaghan is surely driving Clr Hill to distraction. First, we saw this earlier in the week.

IMG_1343

But Jenny’s latest spiteful effort has suddenly raised ridicule to a new level – a breath-taking rewriting of democracy according to the mayor, so silly that the Brisbane authorities dismissed it out of hand.

IAnother FRAN complaint MG_1365

One can only conclude that what with all the different pressures, our mayor isn’t so much in a pincer movement between O’Callaghan and Thompson, but has, as The ‘Pie has said before, really got her own tits caught in the wringer.

And to help those unfamiliar with this now obsolete staple of households 100 years ago, it is this hand-cranked machine to wring out sheets which gave rise to the old saying ‘I haven’t laughed so hard since grandma got her tits caught in the wringer.’

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Ironyman Award Of The Week

 We have to hark back to the Olympic announcement for this week’s award, and this shot of a mob in Brisbane zonked out on the Olympic KoolAid.

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Not one of the young people in this picture realise that it is they who will be paying for this Olympic folly … for the rest of their lives. And they think Boomers are stupid.

Our USA Gallery

Many matters are now coming back into focus for a battered country, and among things catching headlines during the week were of course the Olympics allied to the pandemic, billionaires ego tripping into space (the bad news: they came back safely), biased media and anti-vaxxers. But we start with one that The ‘Pie felt was particularly poignant … and to the point.

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Screen Shot 2021-07-17 at 9.09.01 am Screen Shot 2021-07-23 at 8.59.24 am Screen Shot 2021-07-21 at 9.21.15 am Screen Shot 2021-07-22 at 8.19.02 am Screen Shot 2021-07-22 at 8.18.50 am Screen Shot 2021-07-22 at 8.18.22 am Screen Shot 2021-07-24 at 9.21.58 am Screen Shot 2021-07-24 at 9.20.02 am Screen Shot 2021-07-20 at 8.34.25 am Screen Shot 2021-07-23 at 8.59.59 am Screen Shot 2021-07-23 at 8.58.22 am Screen Shot 2021-07-20 at 8.35.56 am Screen Shot 2021-07-20 at 8.39.29 am Screen Shot 2021-07-20 at 8.38.44 am Screen Shot 2021-07-21 at 9.22.31 am Screen Shot 2021-07-21 at 9.22.03 am Screen Shot 2021-07-21 at 9.21.52 am Screen Shot 2021-07-21 at 9.20.12 am Screen Shot 2021-07-22 at 8.16.54 am Screen Shot 2021-07-22 at 8.17.16 am

We Aren’t Always Told The Whole Truth.

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See this during the week about the Olympic showjumper donkey kicked out of the Games after being caught with a hooter full of Peruvian marching powder.

But the story that he tested he simply tested positive to recreational use in a routine drug check doesn’t tell the real story about how he was sussed out.

Showjumper 2 IMG_3004

And not all Dad Jokes are that bad … are they?

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And a warning.

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And we end with a little wisdom from Dilbert, a view The Magpie endorses.

Dilbert pronoun Screen Shot 2021-07-21 at 10.04.38 am

……………..

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The Magpie's Nest is now more than five years old, and remains an independent alternative voice for Townsville. The weekly warble is a labour of love and takes a lot of time to put together. So if you like your weekly load of old cobblers, you can help keep it aloft with a donation, or even a regular voluntary subscription. Paypal is at the ready, it's as easy as ... well, easy as pie. Limited advertising space is also available.

206 Comments

  1. Mike Douglas says:

    Another great blog Pie and you should have put some branding on Bentleys Olympics cartoon because i can see that it will be used a lot over the next 11 years . In regards to Fran and Phil Thompsons social media and full page Townsville Bulletin ads is our Mayor simply Chair / Board member of too many groups and committees ( including the $100k + as board member of LGAQ) because she is always arriving late and leaving early at functions and the list of projects Council has received funding to complete that arnt even started is growing . The Ceo manages day to day operations of the Council so its understandable questions need clarification . The Mayors having breakfast on the Strand last week is probadly meeting for NQROC “North Queensland Regional Organized Councils ” which includes Burdekin , Charters Towers , Hinchinbrook , Palm , Townsville and is supposed to foster co-operation and resource sharing . If their website is up to date it lists Mayor Hill as a board member along with the other four Mayors and advisors like Prins and Adele and NQROC has an executive officer no doubt $ costs shared between Councils . You would think when your Council is budgeted to lose $1.8 mil maybe some job sharing with Councillors already on the payroll vs more costs which independent Councillors should have the right to query .

  2. Prince Rollmop says:

    Both Phil and Fran have proven by their actions that when it comes to good governance and transparency, two important traits that an elected representative should possess, they are a cut above our incompetent Mayor. In fact the reaction of Mayor Dill only strengthens the sentiment that she is a two-bob hack whose time has well and truly up. It’s time to consign her to the history pages and have sweeping changes out in place within the Councillor ranks. We need a team who can lead us through COVID and ballooning debt and get us out through the other side. If Hill ends up going we need the part time TCC CEO to walk the plank also.

  3. John Scrotes says:

    John Coates is an egotistic wanker. An overpaid slippery IOC footstool has gone two steps too far this time. His arrogance is breathtaking, especially the way he ordered the Premier around. No doubt this fool is also an avid monarchist as he seems to love outdated traditions that do nothing tangible for the majority, but benefit the minority. And everybody knows that their are massive bags of cash that are passed around through the IOC hierarchy to ensure certain outcomes are met. The Olympics create debt and cause pain to the underprivileged in whatever city they are held. Local people become displaced and battlers are punished. Then after two weeks of chaos the IOC mafia fuck off and leave decades of empty stadiums and insurmountable debt behind them. It’s time to put an end to this archaic concept and pain causing thing called the Olympic Games by telling them to stick their Olympic Rings up their asses once and for all.

  4. Russell the Other says:

    Can someone advise us if Mooney the Younger is still sucking on the public tit as the supposed council representative for division 9. He hasn’t been seen or heard of for months.

    • The Magpie says:

      Whatever you do, don’t ring him to find out what’s going on …. Jenny gets upset if punters ring up the operson they voted for to see how things are going.

  5. William H Bonney says:

    You can almost hear NMD crying with disbelief!!.The Borg is back as LNP President and The Kid has abolished the Presidents committee. These are a great set of changes. With the dumping of the lightweight Freckle some positive change has come about. The Kid is doing a party reset that will take it to Anna Alphabet at the next State election. Good stuff!

  6. Doug Kingston says:

    Phil Thompson’s full page ad in Saturday’s Bully is a sign of the times.
    To ask legitimate questions of our Labor politicians you now have to pay for space in the paper.
    Who would have thought it would come to this but, thanks to Phil and Fran, pressure is mounting on Hill’s puppet councilors to stand on their own two feet and do what is best for the ratepayers for a change.
    I know at least two of them are getting very nervous about their chances of getting another four years on the public teat.
    The impact of Thompson’s full page ad has got me thinking.
    For months now I’ve been pushing for changes to the way our NRL team is managed and run.
    I’ve approached both Cowboys football club chairman, Lewis Ramsay, and Daryl Holmes, chairman of the team’s owners the Cowboys Leagues Club, suggesting that after four years of failure the time has come for changes to be made to the closed shop way the football club’s board of directors is appointed.
    Both have indicated that they don’t see a problem with the Cowboys record of winning just 28 of the 86 games they have played since the start of the 2018 season.
    So perhaps the time has come to take out my own full page ad in the Bully.
    From what I’ve seen this week it would be worth the expense.

    • Prince Rollmop says:

      Doug, with all due respect, if you have the ear of two Councillors I would suggest you encourage them to grow a set. The dark clouds are swirling above the Mullet and when the walls come crashing down it will be very messy for not only her, but her supporters. Her arrogance and ineptitude are inexcusable. The voters aren’t stupid and people like Fran, Phil, even The Magpies Nest aren’t going away in a hurry. The pressure on her will not be disappearing anytime soon. The fish has been rotting from the head for some time in Townsville. The clock is ticking…..

  7. The Magpie says:

    Surely it is inevitable that this common sense idea is adopted by Australian internal airlines, trains and bus stations.

    “This is a measure to help streamline the border clearance process,” airport spokesperson Beverly MacDonald told the CBC. “There are different entry requirements for vaccinated and non/partially vaccinated travellers, which have been broadly communicated by the Government of Canada.”
    As of July 5, fully vaccinated travellers permitted to enter Canada are exempted from quarantine measures and testing for COVID-19 on their eight day post-arrival.

    • Scomosexual says:

      The Morrison government has no concept of ‘commonsense’. This has become even more apparent since the chief narcissist Malcolm Turdball was rolled. There is a recent article in Crikey that is titled – ‘how did we end up with such a dreadful cabinet’.
      It is a brilliant article describing the failings of the Morrison government through incompetent Ministers, rorts, scams and so the list goes on, including the vaccine rollout. It is a must read if you want to read a brief but well written article that covers the failings of this pathetic federal government;
      https://www.crikey.com.au/2021/07/23/how-did-australia-end-up-with-such-a-dreadful-cabinet/

      • The Magpie says:

        As a general rule, in order to prevent the blog comments from becoming too sprawling, The Magpie doesn’t on-pass articles of a politically biased nature. But in this instance, this is a well written, albeit colourful, recitation of facts that pull into sharp focus the current Federal leadership situation and how it reached this point. The ‘Pie also has great respect for Bernard Keane as a knowledgable, usually fair and very readable reporter.

        What The ‘Pie now awaits is a second article on what may await us with a Labor cabinet under the unlikely leadership of ANthony ALbanese. Because the sad thing is that by belonging to any political party, politicians are automatically compromised because bipartisanship is so greatly frowned on in the Westminster system … perhaps it’s time to change the mantra that ‘oppositions must oppose’ … a good example would be if there had been a bipartisan federal group set up to handle the vaccine roll-out and accompanying regulations. Because, let’s face it, give or take a few percentage points, even any opposition represents close to 50% of the population 100% of the time.

        • Scomosexual says:

          Thank you for allowing some wriggle room in your blog rulebook Mr Pie, much appreciated. I also enjoyed your response and your capitalisation within the name ANthony ALbanese. Quite clever.

          • The Magpie says:

            Well, The ‘Pie reckions if it’s ScoMo, then it’s AnAl.

          • upagumtreeperson says:

            I think it is unprofessional when particularly the ABC refer to our Prime Minister as simply Scott Morrison. He is the PM of all of us. Could you imagine the BBC referring to Boris Johnson simply as Boris Johnson? Respect should be shown to those who hold high public office. We should never demean those positions.

          • The Magpie says:

            Quite right, WE shouldn’t … but neither should the holders.

          • Steve, Belgian Gardens says:

            Heaven forfend that Dear Leader not be given a suitably deferential honorific!

        • Russell says:

          Might I respectfully suggest, Pie, that you continue to not “on-pass articles of a politically biased nature”. Not all of us share your thoughts on Crikey and it’s journalists. Thanks in anticipation.

          • The Magpie says:

            Care to enlighten us just what about the Keane article you are hyperventilating about? While you’re there, on a personal note, could you enlighten The ‘Pie just what his thoughts are on Crikey?

  8. Elusive Butterfly says:

    Can someone please muzzle Prince Mollop?
    He is such a tosser!

    • The Magpie says:

      Your no slouch with the caber, either, Flutterby.

    • Prince Rollmop says:

      How about you just ignore my comments you trollop. Or would you like blogs such as this only to contain your comments alone? Free speech and free will, so you are more than welcome to piss off if you don’t like what you see.

      • The Magpie says:

        Or how about we comment on your comments, or do you want a monoooly on free speech? You get the Ironyman Comment of the Day.

        • The Stasi says:

          We’re watching you Prince, be careful :) !

        • Prince Rollmop says:

          Comment all you want to Pie. It’s your blog mate. And if you don’t agree with the content I post I’m sure you will simply not publish it. Again, your blog = your rights. And for the record, I have no issue with people commenting on what I comment. It’s the fuckwits that call for a poster to be blocked or muzzled, that’s what I have an issue with. I think Elusive Butterfly, NMD, Belgian Steve et al are all fuckwits but I don’t call for them to be banned, blocked, muzzled etc.

  9. Elusive Butterfly says:

    Really, “free speech, ” Prince “God I know how to Bite” Mollop…
    Did you enjoy your march in Sydney yesterday??
    Hope you didn’t interfere with a horse!

  10. Elusive Butterfly says:

    Mr. Pie…the “Giggle Paper” lives up to its name….again!
    This from yours…and my…favourite reporter, Caitlan…

    “EMERGENCY services are rushing to the scene of an incident on Castle Hill after an abseiler is understood to have fell.”

    “to have fell??”

    I think Caitlan has “fallen” into bad habits!!

  11. Dave of Kelso says:

    Last year there was a certain smug cohort referring to Covid 19 as “Boomer Remover.” Quite offensive should you choose to be offended.

    Well, does this certain cohort still have that smug look under their masked faces?

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-25/young-people-warned-after-covid-death-of-woman-in-her-30s/100321924

  12. Dave of Kelso says:

    Well, well, well, fuckwit religious anti-vaxer dies of Covid! Who would have thought?

    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://abc7.com/stephen-harmon-covid-vaccine-covid-19-resistance/10907588/&ved=2ahUKEwj0sPKl5P3xAhUUfnAKHX-OBfAQo7QBegQIChAB&usg=AOvVaw0-lqlOd1lB5nBIKqxjkdas

    Have any of you had a discussion with an anti-vaxer? No, thought not. It is not possible.

    During my current travels I have had to endure a couple of members of my family (who live far from Townsville thankfully) who turn out to be anti-vaxers. When asked why the only reply was, “Nope!” over and over and over again to shut the conversation down. That’s it, just the word ‘Nope.

    I did not get a chance to ask these ‘people’ if they were in favour of tuberculosis, polio, cholera, whooping cough, and human papilloma virus running free through the community.

    Fuckwits can turn up where you least expect them. And they are allowed to vote!

    • Achilles says:

      DoK. Mate, all these people already have a serous virulent virus, its a mind virus, hidden under the “respectful” hallucinogenic name, religion.
      It allows them to believe and disseminate any crackpot idea with absolute certainty and devotion to its correctness.
      Reason and logic are its antidotes, but when our national leader is already infected, we mere mortals have no chance of ever being heard.,,,,,,Except on the Pie’s Oracle, p’raps?

    • Nickster says:

      They believe in “God”.

      Anyone who still thinks their is some type of supreme being who is the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority needs to be treated with contempt.

    • Achilles says:

      Are they from a Tasmanian branch of your tribe? When I’m confronted with people like that lot I ask them “were you born stupid or did you take lessons”?

  13. WhatIsThisTheSpanishInquisition? says:

    Great work as always. What is the latest on our defendant mayor’s criminal proceedings?

  14. winnie says:

    Magpie,

    keep up the blog and the wit

    best read at 4.50-5am every morning

  15. Interested observer says:

    The truth finally comes out.
    Here’s the latest on the Premier’s Olympic opening ceremony backflip with triple pike:
    “Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates has claimed Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk privately asked him to help her alleviate public pressure not to attend the opening ceremony in Tokyo.
    The Australian’s Media Diary reported on a conversation it had with Mr Coates on Friday, ahead of the opening ceremony. It said he was “keen to set the record straight”.
    Mr Coates claimed his remarks were actually instigated by Ms Palaszczuk herself. He said she had made it clear to him, in private, that she wanted to beat off public pressure for her not to attend the ceremony.
    “She said to me: ‘Give me a hand, John, will you?’” he told Media Diary.
    “So I did. She’s my very good friend. I might have done it too crudely. But I thought if I did it crudely, I would be taking the hit for her.
    “She needed help because she was being bashed up on the ceremony. So I helped her.”
    She’s a piece of work, our Premier.
    No wonder she’s besties with Jenny Hill.

    • The Magpie says:

      Colour The ‘Pie unsurprised. And what does this make Turn Coates.

    • Prince Rollmop says:

      Politicians will do anything to save votes and extend their life on the taxpayer teat. None of this is surprising. It gives more credence to the fact that these lying grubs are embellishing the COVID narrative also. They will do or say anything to keep their troughs. Maybe Crisafulli should do a Phil Thompson and take out full page advertisements exposing Nanna Anna and her spin doctors every time they sell the Queensland taxpayer a dud deal.

      • The Magpie says:

        The ‘Pie agrees with a very important point in your comment … politicians of all stripes are happy for media attention by crying wolf, so in the end no one believes them. And ironically, the same goes for certain sections of the media in how they report such bullshit. And then they have the hide to suggest the public is cynical.

        • Prince Rollmop says:

          A little bit like the comments from Elusive NMD and Belgian Steve. They speakerh with forked tongue and unload vast amounts of verbal (and written) bullshit.

  16. Alahazbin says:

    Does anybody else see the irony in the winner of the ephemera. The V8’s push the arts aside to run their ‘Super pests’ and here we have some sort of motor sitting atop a pole as winner of ephemera.
    Who were the judges? The mullet and Mark Skaife.

  17. Riley's Mum says:

    I am a new reader and would like to raise the following observations.

    Ephemera – $90,000 awarded to someone who piled a lot of junk together and called it art. Who is/are the judges of this event? What a joke!!

    Last night we went to Central Park for some of the live entertainment. I feel so sad for the performers as the venue is so poorly set up. Three performance venues all grouped at one end of the park – they are way too close to each other and the sound of each performance is intruding on the others. Who decided the set up for these events? The same noise invasion occurred at an event on the Strand earlier this month. Things are placed too close to each other and the sound intrudes into some wonderful performances.

    I also wonder about the decision to close the Thuringowa Library and transfer it to Riverway – to the building that was decimated in the monsoon. All the wonderful resources of the Library are being placed at such risk. This venue is not suitable for a Library – the car parking is so far away from the entrance. One group I belong to has ladies in their 80’s and one dear lady is 93. These ladies need ready access to the building. Surely the Council could have leased out sections of the Thuringowa Building like the new owner has, and kept the Library which is so easily accessible and well laid out.

    Have you heard about the TPAC concept? This is an incredibly good proposed addition to the wonderful Civic Theatre. Parking areas are there – not like in the city where the Mayor wants a concert hall. TPAC has more than one performance space and would be so wonderful for the incredibly talented musicians/performers who live in this region.

    • The Magpie says:

      Since asked about the judges, The ‘Pie spent sometime looking down a few rabbit holes, but could not find that information. So he asked – or should we say in modern kiddy-speak ‘reached out to’ – a chum in the arts area. And what a pleasant surprise to find that the task of slinging a cool $90k was all in local hands – mainly in the hands of one Councillor Liam Mooney.

      Clr Mooney, apparently well known and well qualified in judging the quality of artists – after all his father was and remains one of the great artists this city has ever produced – was joined in his deliberations by two other panel members, one Judith Jensen “Team Manager Arts Visual and Performing at Townsville City Council” – one sincerely hopes with grammar and syntax like that Ms Jensen not be appointed to judge any literary prizes – , and Shannon Chadwick, Community Cultural Development Officer at – you guessed it – the Townsville City Council.

      The Magpie finds it passing strange that a City Council – who are we fooling, read ‘the mayor’ – is willing to pay tens of thousands of ratepayer dollars to import celebrities to grace and judge fashion on the Field at the Townsville Cup or a celebrity gardener to tell us how to turn off a tap, and subsidise stadium events like Elton John and boxing matches, but when it comes to forking out a significant $90 000 plum of an arts prize, we get a down-table tyro councillor and two council dogsbodies, which no matter what they choose, will be met with a huge sneering yawn by the Australian arts community – oh, yes, that community will be watching, 90 grand goes a long way to refurbishing a garret.

      • Hello sailor says:

        The Mooneys have made an art form out of using taxpayer and ratepayer monies to benefit themselves (legally of course). Egotistical muppets who are so far up the Mayors ass that all you can see is their toenails.

      • Grumpy says:

        I hear a younger Liam did a wonderful driveway art called “U92 & Sooty”

    • NQ Gal says:

      The next question is; does the $90k prize include the cost of the buying the god awful installation, or are the ratepayers expected to fork out the extra $45k mentioned on the price tag for this piece of shite?

  18. Garden gnome says:

    Oh no, Can’t Do Campbell Noman has resigned from the LNP. And so has his barbie doll wife. It would appear that Campbells foray into state government is no more. One can only imagine that the 4 foot garden gnome will have a tilt at the federal level. Has anyone seen Lickspittle Albanese with Campbell lately? Interesting.

    • The Magpie says:

      Christ, CanDo becoming a Commie lover – Steve of Belligerent Gardens will have a meltdown.

      • Nickster says:

        CanDo will be announcing his partnership with Uncle Clive shortly.

      • Dave of Kelso says:

        I had high hopes for Can Do Campbell at the start, and was horrified and disappointed at the damage he did to Queensland and Queenslanders when he implemented changes over a 12 month period that should have been done over two electoral cycles at least.

        Can Do gave us the Puddleduck.

        Words fail me.

        • The Magpie says:

          During his premiership,The Magpie’s recurring theme was ‘too much, too soon’. He was Crash or Crash Through Campbell. Political ego married to political stupidity – something we know around this town only too well – is unforgivable.

    • Contributor says:

      Campbell suffers from a couple of afflictions; “little man” complex, and relevance deprivation syndrome.

      • Tropical says:

        I would suggest that Newman has been a lot more successful in life than you.
        I suppose rising to the dizzying heights of shop steward is something to crow about.

  19. Snowpeas says:

    Speaking of “fashion on the field”, I reckon in response to the Norwegian women’s beach handball team being fined for wearing shorts and refusing to wear tiny bikini bottoms in competition, it only fair the men’s teams should be made to wear thongs.

  20. Lady Byron says:

    Wonderful blog as normal Pie.

    I was wondering the other day, what has become of Miss Lou? I do not recall seeing a comment from her (or him?) for ages! Any news?

  21. The Gatekeeper says:

    I am very proud of Sydney’s protestors. It is seriously great to see the people starting to rebel against these ridiculous fucking lockdowns. With any luck the protests will spread farther afield. Quite simply 18 months of this utter bullshit is way too long. They keep changing the rules. They keep changing the goalposts. To hell with it. The time has come in which we need to unite against the complete farce and it’s time to tell the political scum that we ain’t going to take it any more.

  22. Interested observer says:

    All of the news comment/opinion tv shows ripped into Premier Puddleduck yesterday after Olympic big note John Coates admitted she asked him to provide her with an excuse so she could hoodwink the public, do a backflip, and attend the opening ceremony. Even Media Watch called her out and shamed her last night.
    To make sure Townsville Bulletin editor Craig Warhurst didn’t overlook the story, I sent him a copy yesterday, but not a word in today’s paper, or the online edition.
    Wouldn’t have anything to do with the millions Anna is spending on this fascial “Holiday At Home” media campaign, which was launched with an expensive double page ad and a glowing story in yesterday’s Bully?
    On the subject of this new taxpayer funded media campaign, I suppose it didn’t occur to Anna that with international and most of the state borders shut we can’t go anywhere else.
    What have we done to deserve Anna and our local thought-fart champion, Jenny?

    • The Magpie says:

      Voted fo her … in both cases.

    • Critical says:

      Anna’s holiday at home msg is appropriate atm. Since the border closures there’s a bit of available accommodation etc. in Western Queensland so support Western Queensland tourism guys.

      • NQ Gal says:

        Western parts will soon be enjoying the antics of a couple of hundred Variety Bash participants. I’m sure that every pub and servo between Winton and Birdsville has been warned to get extra supplies in. Navigating can be very thirsty work.

  23. Custard ass says:

    Palasczuk is a fraud. Don’t you love how Premiers, Prime Ministers and Mayors just love to soak up the glory when they think someone they are doing is a ‘winner’, yet when things turn to shit they run and hide and let others wear the blame. That’s what our pathetic Premier did. She knew that is peasants were unhappy with her going to Tokyo and she hatched a cunning and dishonest plan with her footstool John Coates. Dishonest, far from transparent and slight of handed. These two fools should be ashamed of themselves.

  24. The Magpie says:

    DAMN YOU, TROPICAL …. why didn’t you share this with us, you selfish bugger? Don’t say you didn’t know.

    https://twitter.com/kthorjensen/status/1419707399628369928

    • Tropical says:

      That comment is very droll, just like Biden and yourself.
      by the way did you watch any of Bidens town hall with that moron Don lemon from CNN. Forgot. You get your news form the ABC.
      It should get an Oscar for best comedy, if not for the fact it was excruciatingly sad to watch. Biden will not be president for long. His cognitive abilities are shot to pieces.

      • The Magpie says:

        Speaking of morons (apologies to all 8 year old, which is the diagnostic intellectual age for a moron) you are so ready with the school yard commentary on this blog, but while you are ever ready to batter (see what I’ve done there) the old bird because of your perceived biases, you really do not take in what the Magpie actually really says in this blog. During the American election campaign, The ‘Pie said more than once that whether they knew it nor not, with a Biden win a foregone conclusion (except for conspiracy theorists like him and yourself) what the American people were voting for was the first female president of the United States. That of course excluded Clare Underwood and Robin Wright.

  25. Prince Rollmop says:

    TCC have advertised for a ‘Principle Economic Growth’. What the fuck? Don’t we have a Mayor, support team at TCC, CEO and Frau Brummer doing that work? The position says it involves driving economic development initiatives and facilitating the delivery of strategic projects. Again, do we not already have a team that facilitates this process? Sounds like the lazy part-time CEO, Prince Ralston, is hiring more people to do work that he should be doing as CEO. Fools.

    • The Magpie says:

      Had a quick scroll through the Astonisher? Where is the ad?

    • The Grand Inquisitor says:

      Re council advertising for a Principal of Economic Growth…that sounds like a rebrand of David Lynch’s job. Lynch saw the light or was shown it months ago and moved on to AEC (thanks Dolan).

      Future Cities led by the Close Talker Brogan has been a duplication of TEL since Adelle created it. They have Placemakers -the geniuses behind the Strand lagoon, Central Park Light trees and the Castle Hill event space that was gunna be something else.

      For a year or so now Future Fuck Ups have had a Principal of Tourism. Someone named Gibson. No background or experience of note. Another Adelle servant. Isn’t Tourism a TEL role?

      The scent of more jobs for the boys/girls grows stronger

      Bring on the Inquisition!

      • The Magpie says:

        Absolutely correct about the position … it seems it has to be filled if for no other reason that if it isn’t, question may sooner or later be asked why it was created out of thin air, and produced similarly thin result. It is more than Jenny doing it in her dainties about losing office, because the featherbedding rorts that are sucking the place dry will be fully exposed … and axed.

        Always found it strange that so many people bleat about organisations like council’s should be run the same way similar sized private corporations are run, and therefore pay similar salaries. Which might be OK if they were run in that manner, but what has happened in that in the case of the TCC, it has amalgamated all the bad principles of governance that would never see the light of day in a properly run corporation, by taking all the destructive elements of rogue outfits making a heady blend of totally unjustifiable salaries, inappropriate and lop-sided staffing levels, back-room preference rorts on tenders, jobs for the boys and girls no matter what their qualifications, and unelected political party sway.

        Seriously, and in no way advocating Nous Mark 2, there really should be a massive and total clean-out and re-set in Walker Street, particularly at the middle- upper, and upper echelons of executives.

      • Hugh Jars says:

        The Job description seems to read as if it were written for a long time trough hound, advisor to the mayor and recently outed party drug user.

  26. Interested observer says:

    If what you say is true Prince, I’d like to think this new job is a forerunner to getting rid of the useless TEL.

    • Prince Rollmop says:

      Interested Observer, it is indeed true. I’m normally correct 99% of the time. They won’t get rid of TEL. To do so would give the ‘appearance’ of not wanting to put economic development first. I know I know, they don’t anyway. But most of the ratepayers do not know that.

      • Achilles says:

        It must be a burden being so humble and modest @99%

        • The Magpie says:

          On an interesting philosophical note, it is the 1% wrong that is crucial. Like the Italian bloke who wanted to be known as the greatest glazier in Tuscany, and he was 99% successful and always busy. But he always lamented that he was never known for his prowess, as he explained ‘You install 10,000 perfect window and doors, do people call you Paolo The Wonder Glazier? No, never …. but you just once get caught fucking one leetle pig …. ‘

          Paola’s one percent was crucial, so what’s your equivalent of pork poking, Prince Herring?

          • Prince Rollmop says:

            I enjoyed throwing in that ‘99 Percent of the time’ comment as I knew it would stir up and lure out those who dislike me.
            Job complete.

          • The Magpie says:

            Take heart, that’s probably only 99% of people who misunderstand your wisdom.

          • Jatzcrackers says:

            I’m quietly confident that we’ve found another 100% full on wanker to replace Old Steve at Belgian Gardens or No More Dredging !

  27. Interested observer says:

    Did it occur to anyone that Prince Rollmop could be the TCC CEO in disguise.
    He’s a big enough wanker to raise suspicion.

    • Prince Rollmop says:

      Ha ha ha. You are funny. But you know you raise a good point m, perhaps I am the CEO, perhaps I am not. One thing is for certain and that is our very busy part-time CEO would unlikely have the time to read the the articles and comments posted in the nest on a daily basis. Nonetheless Interested Observer, the next time you are underneath the CEO’s desk perhaps you can ask him if he is indeed Prince Rollmop?

      • The Magpie says:

        Yeah, yeah, very funny, move over, Oscar, and all that but time to earn your keep, my little herring … you too Barely Civil.

        The ‘Pie is hearing from a usually reliable source that the the reason the ferry terminal didn’t get off the ground was the fact that mayor refused to allow planning department to engage with Honeycombes. The source claims it is now at the point now that Honeycombes are selling potential Townsville development assets and investing efforts down south.

        Stick your necks out and find some useful information, will ya?

        • Cantankerous but happy says:

          Exactly, if we have to put up with the constant whingeing and bickering between you pathetic council tossers at least provide us with a bit of useful information once in a while.

        • Prince Rollmop says:

          Mr Pie, it is a little bit ‘yesterday’s news’ but you are correct, Honeycombes is scaling back in Townsville and scaling up in Brisbane. As ‘gentleman’ they are using the cover of “COVID” as the primary reason, but my understanding of the matter is that TCC and some of its ‘big’ personalities, one who likes to wear nauseating figure hugging purple doona’s, is the root cause. All of this, if correct, does beg the question; why would the doona wearer not want to see marine infrastructure in Townsville developed/improved/expanded?

          • The Magpie says:

            Add to the your comm ent that The ‘Pie knows without question that Lozza Lancini three or four years ago told a group of local bizoids he could no longer do business in Townsville while Jenny Hill was mayor … and acted on what he said. Seriously, when are people going to wake up around here.

        • The (barely) Civil Engineer says:

          Ffs, I was having a nap. I didn’t see any evidence of direct instructions from the Mullet, but it was obvious for a long time from the eye rolling and cutting meeting short that doing anything proactive for the lad from Ayr was not going to make for a long career.

          Look at cutting him out of the north rail yards deal, go slow on anything he touches and now this. Speaks volumes.

          Now that we have earned our passage on the good ship Magpie, do we get tshirts of something to demonstrate that we are not like the other freeloading passengers?

          • The Magpie says:

            Working on it. Have been in. touch with Clive to see how he got his deal on the Mercs.

  28. Interested observer says:

    Where’s Jenny?
    Two media opportunities yesterday but our media tart mayor was nowhere to be seen.
    Instead we were treated to some sugar coated spin from Frothy Molachino and Ann-Marie “Gushing” Greaney, whose performance in front of the Seven tv cameras was worthy of a seasoned politician. So many buzz words, so little information.
    Greaney took ducking and weaving to new heights when answering questions about why the flood damaged Riverway performance venue was being transformed into a library, instead of being repaired.
    After gushing about how wonderful the new library will be – it went along the lines of: People will be able to get books….err, err, and have a coffee, err, err, and….err have a swim, – our wannabe next mayor came up with one of her classics: “Watch this space”.
    It was cringeworthy.
    But yes, Cr Greaney, the local performing arts community is watching the Riverway performance space…disappear.
    Strange too that there was no mention of what happened to the $3.6 million in State Government funding for the Riverway splash pool that appears to have gone missing.
    Although they were already at the scene, neither Channel Seven nor the Townsville Bulletin bothered to ask that legitimate question.
    The stench of protectionism is overwhelming.

    • The Magpie says:

      Add to that most interesting question the next BIG UNANSWERED one …. what happened to the $3.5 million in state and federal funds coughed upo for the Honeycombe es/ferry company hotel/new terminal project that has now been ditched? In fairness, Tony Raggatt certainly asked the question of Phil Thompson (had no idea) and the three gormless local boofheads (no surprise that they didn’t know) and one assumes none have much curiosity as to where the public funds went. But interestingly, Peter Honeycombe gave Tony a big moaney interview but not once mentioned the dough, which it is almost certain the Honeycombe group received. Did they use it for architectural work that can be revived when matters a little rosier? If so, why not say so? Christ, so many people in this town think ‘accountability’ means someone has the ability to count up to 10.

      • The Wulguru Wonder says:

        And don’t forget the govt grant to QAL for the Townsville Airport terminal upgrade project, which also seems to be in the ‘no longer preceding’ basket.

        • Prince Rollmop says:

          The Government grant was a complete joke. As much as it is nice to see an improvement made to local infrastructure, QAL is a private syndicate owned mostly by hedge funds and the wall street white shoe brigade. Why the fuck should taxpayers spend a cent on it? If that is to be the case then the government shouldn’t have sold the fucking thing in 1998. QAL is a money earner and should pay for its own bloody upgrades.

  29. Achilles says:

    So that was a “red herring” wow, now you know that all the paranoids in town are out to get you.

    • The Magpie says:

      FFS WHO ARE YOU REPLYING TO? These comments fall automatically into a thread which helps keep everything in the context, but in The Magpie’s control panel, they just land in the order in which they are posted. Purleeese!!!

      • Achilles says:

        Price Rollmop, the “red” herring, there was no reply tag attached to his comment, so I went to the next available space, sorry your Pieness.

  30. Nobody’s Girl says:

    I see the American public health agency is now saying that even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors due to the COVID Delta variant. Fucking what?? Seriously, you just can’t make this shit up. Changing the fucking rules every day. I’m short, we are seeing this;
    Lockdowns – not working
    Vaccines – not all are working
    Masks – not working
    How long will this shit continue. It’s time to just get back to usual business and live with this fucking thing because nothing they are doing is working. Less than 1% of humanity has been affected.

    • The Magpie says:

      Now, now, don’t develop a complex, just because your short doesn’t mean yo have to be nobody’s girl. A bit of dating advice: if you go out on a date where masks have to be worn, keep giving him a tempting glimpse of nostril, you’ll be on your back in no time.

    • Dave of Kelso says:

      N.G.
      How long will this shit continue?
      Until the end.
      Covid 19 is the beginning of the end of the human race, starting with the anti-vaxers, it would seem.

      • Skid Marks says:

        Have you shit yourself Kelso Dave? That’s a pretty strange remark you’ve made there, about it being ‘the end’! ………

      • Dingleberry says:

        Christ Kelso, you sound like you are channeling Pete Newey. ‘The end’? I think you need to stop mixing your Scotch with ice (not the wet stuff), throw away your ouija board and take vacation away from Townsville.

        • Dave of Kelso says:

          Vacation? I have just got back! It was on the wind swept treeless plain West of Winton when it came;

          Being a dinosaur was all fun and games in a dinosaur sort of way,
          Then out of the blue bright glowing it came,
          It was a asteroid sort of a day.
          The End.

          …oooOOOooo…

          Being a human was all fun and games in a human sort of a way,
          Then out of China silent it came,
          It was a Covid sort of a day.
          The End.

          • The Magpie says:

            Dave, mate, RUOK?

          • Dave of Kelso says:

            Dear ‘Pie,
            Yes, I am OK. The comments above, for me, was more fun than when I buried the cat.

            Bloody thing kept leaping about, most uncooperative throughout.

  31. Interested observer says:

    The mayor’s publicity officer, Craig Warhurst (aka Townsville Bulletin deputy editor), has a wicked sense of humour.
    In today’s editorial defending the council’s freebie ticket fiasco, he jokes:
    “Like them or hate them, anyone who doesn’t think being a councilor is a 24-hour-a-day job is kidding themselves.
    “Events are part of the gig and a way for the people of Townsville to be able to interact and speak to their representatives in the flesh.”
    So, hands-up everyone who thinks Sue Blom, Liam Mooney, Suzy Batkovic, Ann-Maree “Gushing” Greaney and their colleagues work anywhere near 8-hours-a-day on council matters?
    And tell us Craig, how does Joe Public get to speak to Jenny Hill and her trough snouters “in the flesh” at ticketed events like the V8 Supercars and Cowboys home games when they are living it up in restricted area corporate boxes (with you for company)?
    While you’re at it can you please ask Jenny Hill how much ratepayers paid for giveaway tickets to the Elton John concert, to make it look like a success?
    I look forward to reading the answer to that question in your newspaper later this week.

    • The Magpie says:

      ‘Ask Jenny Hill a question’? Starve the fuckin’ crows, mate, underlings do not question their superiors. When Jenny says jump, Warhurst asks ‘when can I come down?’

    • The (Barely) Civil Engineer says:

      As someone who can’t remember the last time I got a free ticket to anywhere through work, it seems to make sense to have a central register of all “free” tickets and if a Councillor/staff member/Mullet needs one, it should be recorded in the register along with the reason it was work related.

      Freebies are a part of life (I am happy to accept if offered) but Council needs to use our much publicized transparency to make sure everyone knows what’s going on.

      Spare tickets should also be transparently made available to the public/staff rather than being slipped under the table to the family and friends of Councillors.

      • The Magpie says:

        Think everyone has overlooked that these tickets do not cost the ratepayer anything, and aren’t even requested by council, because the organisers are keen to seed our luminaries (oh, stoppit, ‘Pie!!) attend. These comments are moving into a loopy wish for some sort of egalitarianism which is both impossible and unmerited. The mayor’s utter bullshit aside, things are starting to a little like the politics of envy.

    • The Magpie says:

      Question for Iditor Warhurst: How the fuck would you know what a councillor’s typical day holds? BECAUSE THEY TOLD YOU, EH?

      Stop being a goose, mate, grow some spine, check out the responsibilities of a free press, and get your thumb out of your bum to become a citizen’s champion.

  32. The Magpie says:

    How about the CBD?

    • Lord Howard Hertz says:

      Or Lansdown?

      • The Magpie says:

        Or the SRA? When the rail link is built to the port, the bodies could be dropped off on the way. To save money, Jenny would suggest the train wouldn’t have stop, just a nudge with a boot out the freight door.

        • The Magpie says:

          Let’s do some lateral thinking on this CBD idea … like the ‘Pie already has on a FB post reply.

          Kate Hanran Chris Douglas.
          Our parking discussion
          Delete, hide or report this
          Like
          · Reply · Message · 2m
          Townsville Magpie

          Author
          Townsville Magpie
          Hey Kate, there’s the germ of a visionary idea a la Mayor Mullet. Citizens can BUY a CBD parking spot … and when they snuff it, they can be buried there in a tier arrangement. To allow on-selling by estates, 30 or 40 coffin spaces could go downward, allowing the new owner to benefit from his/her/its purchase. Could be marketed by Jamie Drurie under the campaign PARK AND CARK.
          Edit or delete this
          Like
          · Reply · Commented on by Malcolm Magpie · 1m

          • The (barely) Civil Engineer says:

            Plenty of room going spare in the multi-storey mausoleums developers built around the cbd to solve the mayor’s mandate that we bring life back to the city. Instead we could pack them with coffins and “bring death back to the city centre “.

        • Jatzcrackers says:

          I hear there’s a very nice building in Walker Street that would fit the bill ! Plenty of car parking at the rear, nice set of flag poles out front and the bonus is that most of the inhabitants are already dead !

      • Peanuts says:

        Walker Street Council Chambers.

      • Old Tradesman says:

        She is actually looking for a place to bury all the ‘Commercial in Confidence” matters so the rate payers know zilch.

      • OWL says:

        The “Hill Memorial Industrial Park” gets first dibs for water pollution at Lansdown!

    • Mr jinks says:

      Are they searching for a new one or just the one where they buried the bodies so far and they have forgotten??

    • Critical says:

      WTF why are they wasting money looking for a new cemetery site. I’m told that this exercise was undertaken about 4 years ago and a suitable site was identified and recommended for a new cemetery on Shaw Rd and that the site was crown land. The current councillors and bureaucracy should review those documents instead of wasting more ratepayers money and keeping a few shiny arsed bureaucrats in a job in Walker St. Ask a few questions Cr Fran.

  33. The Magpie says:

    NEW OCCASIONAL COMMENT THREAD:

    WORDS THAT ARE HENCEFORTH BANNED FROM COMMENTS ON THE MAGPIE’S NEST. Feel free to add, but just the word is preferable. A couple of starters.

    Game Changer

    Icon (unless they find a sliver Jesus cross in a tunnel under Castle Hill)

  34. Mr jinks says:

    “Let me just say” any politician

    “The health advice” every CHO

    “It will create thousands of jobs for Townsville” our mayor

    “Wear a mask” anyone who thinks they actually help

    • Prince Rollmop says:

      Some other nuggets if wisdom from the dross in their ivory government towers;
      – A great cohort
      – A rigorous and robust process
      – Let’s be clear about this
      – I don’t recall
      – The government acknowledges the situation.

  35. Ralph says:

    Mal, I’ve heard a few people complaining lately about the amount of military aircraft activity over Townsville ( noise mainly), from my point of view, I’m just so happy the bloody things are our own aircraft, Take Care, Ralph.

    • The Magpie says:

      The Magpie has written a stiff letter to the RAAF hierarchy on behalf of all us old duffers at Rowes Bay. Surely those planes could work around tee off times for the various comps we have. One lady in the Thursday comp collapsed after missing a two foot putt, blaming a passing jet. But her companions weren’t buying it, ‘Dulcie’s always fucking up her short game,’ one said.

      But The ‘Pie isn’t too fussed … seriously, he’s worked in war zones where the sound a such aircraft sent people into justifiable panic … here is Townsville, if nothing else, they are reminder of just how lucky we are.

      • Dave of Kelso says:

        Well said. Evidence of out taxes being well spent, as opposed to land rights for gay whales.

      • Sergeant Gunny Highway says:

        All of you stop ya whinging. So what, it’s just a little extra noise from the TS exercise. We have an unfriendly China talking trash against us, Dear Leader has nukes and he is a loose cannon, and 280 million Muslims live just a stones throw away from Darwin. We need to have these exercises to keep our people lean and mean just in case one of these fucking lunatic countries around us decide to play hardball. Stop sooking.

      • Jatzcrackers says:

        Pie, I’m very concerned that you use the words ‘stiff’, and Dulcie the golfer in the same sentence. And another thing…how come you were on the course during the women’s Thursday Comp ?

  36. Critical says:

    $18.5 million in government tourism grants lost because proposed ferry terminal and hotel didn’t proceed. I say, let this $18.5 million be handed to Philip Thompson for redistribution to other worthy projects. Do I hear TEL and Mayor Dill having a chocking fit on this idea?

  37. Elusive Butterfly says:

    Mr. Pie…there is a lot of confusion in the media today that, people, apparently, don’t know how to wear a mask properly.
    I would suggest that Steve Price volunteer his services to demonstrate how a mask should be worn?
    The reason for that is quite obvious…Ooo Rooo!

  38. Little Miss Muffet says:

    https://ntindependent.com.au/this-is-why-the-northern-territory-needs-independent-media/

    An article about the importance of having media sources other than News Corpse and the like. It’s written about the NT, where the current government stinks to high heavens. Turns out that the cocaine filled sex romp with political staffer, MLAs and a sex worker was the least of their worries…

    Despite the NT slant, it still relevant and important, especially at the moment.

    • Tony says:

      Little miss muffet, same debauchery at tcc, I suppose that’s how the nickname slutting assassin came about.

  39. Strand Ghost says:

    Hi Magpie
    Looks like all our little indigenous crims must be out of detention as video from houses in Hermit Park shows their up to their old tricks again, one night video shows them checking gates in Roberts street and then the next day they were Back , four of them with two dogs trying to find out which houses had dogs in broad daylight, so residents of Hermit Park lock up as the merry go round is ready to start again.

  40. The Magpie says:

    There’s a job waiting at the Townsville Bulletin for US fruitloop politician Marco Rubio.

  41. The Magpie says:

    Can any one out there either get in touch with Dave Daly (apparently a media powerhouse influencer in Townsville, a fact that has sadly bypassed The ‘Pie) and ask him to email the blog with what he said on radio that elicited such an over-the-top woke outrage. In the name of free speech and as a kick in the crutch to the anti-free speech brigade, The Magpie will be happy to publish it, so people can make up their own minds (novel idea in this day and age).

    Let’s be clear, The ‘Pie holds no brief for Mr Daly, who may, in all likelihood given his trade, be a prize chucklehead, but even idiots are entitled to opinions that aren’t illegal (even Tropical and Steve of Belligerent Gardens get an occasional run here in comments, both prize chuckleheads).

    The ‘Pie is mightily pissed off with the station manager Paul Woodhouse, who, on available evidence, comes across as some hanky wringing, knock-kneed cringing fuckwit after ONE …. yes UNO … a single solitary pursed-lipped listener made a complaint about a comment that ‘may’ have offended some in the Chinese community.

    Or alternately, did any one hear the comments and care to relay them to the blog. They or Dave can reach The ‘Pie at email hidden; JavaScript is required

    • NQ Gal says:

      DD did like to play a looped audio clip of the Orange Ejit saying Chi-nah, but I can’t remember anything particularly offensive during his last week on air. He had a great not particularly PC show.

      Has the call be made to Mother Hubbard to fill in until they find a full time replacement?

      • Achilles says:

        Yes! bring in Hubbs, and get some intelligent, wit, meaningful, subtle banter.

        • The Magpie says:

          Great idea, just like back in the old 4TTT days … unfortunately, The ‘Pie is no longer available to supply all the intelligent wit and meaningful subtle banter that listeners used to enjoy, but sure Hubs can find some nice songs to play heh heh heh.

    • Steve, Belgian Gardens says:

      How do you know it was over the top woke outrage if you don’t know what was said?

      Also the manager’s apology was pretty mealy mouthed if you read what was said.

  42. Achilles says:

    A Paradox! Malta has silenced a journo, for exposing the truth; Townsville has a Maltese r who would probably like to knock off a journo too.

  43. I’ll be plucked says:

    G’day Sue Ridge! Nice handle you have there Sewerage! What a hoot :)!

    PS – You stink! :)

  44. Alahazbin says:

    I hear some of the ‘woke brigade’ are going to indentify as indigenous in the upcoming census, as a form of apologising for being white.
    What are going to do Steve BG.

  45. Ralph says:

    Mal, a phrase thats get under my skin, is when a question is asked to someone being interviewed and the answer given starts off with YEH NO, really makes no sense , I’ve said it myself at different times and then thought to myself I deserve an uppercut, take care, Ralph.

  46. Interested observer says:

    Steve, you’re back!
    After the week you’ve suffered I thought you’d be licking your wounds.
    Can’t keep a good man down, hey?

  47. The Magpie says:

    This just posted on FB.

  48. The Magpie says:

    The careless writing at the Astonisher even extends into what used to be the most heavily scrutinised item in the paper, the editorial. This from yesterday’s effort about the KAP’s anger over what they see as misdirection of Reef funds.

    It would seem not much has been spent and this has raised the shackles of KAP.

    While the words ‘shackles’ and ‘Katter’ in the same sentence raise interesting possibilities, such bloopers coming from the iditor himself tend to … well, raise the hackles for some. (Yes, yes, stones and glass houses and all that, but The ‘Pie doesnt have even a second set of eyes – let alone five or six, – to scan his stuff.)

  49. One legged tap dancer says:

    Will be interesting to see what, if anything, the police and the Premier do about this latest alleged drunken assault by Les “Rocky” Walker.
    If the allegations are proven he has to be sacked.
    Wouldn’t that set up an interesting by-election.
    We live in hope.

  50. Dave of Kelso says:

    Message Blank the Unmasked fighting drunk in the street at 8.04PM. Love to know what time he started on the booze and his movements for the afternoon and evening.

    • The Magpie says:

      His movements were probably unsteady if he was on the turps, but that is far from proven … and unlikely to be, no tests taken apparently.

      • Bundaberg ScRUM says:

        I have no issue with a person getting on the piss. And certainly even if Muhammad A’Walker is an alcoholic that’s his vice to deal with as we all have addictions. But it’s his role in public office as a representative of the people that disgusts me. This clown was covered for by the spineless Palasczuk Government once before, they can’t do it again. And if he isn’t summarily dismissed then perhaps fearless Phil can make Walkers latest discretion very public indeed. After all, the LNP are the only ones doing anything of value locally.

  51. Nickster says:

    So less than a month ago CHO Young took a to the media to scare the youth of Queensland away from COVID vaccinations with lies https://7news.com.au/sunrise/on-the-show/queensland-premier-and-chief-health-officer-blasted-for-astrazeneca-vaccine-claims-c-3275147

    Now SEQ is in lockdown because of an infect youth, with the CHO be held accountable- has this State Government ever held anyone accountable?

    • Bundaberg ScRUM says:

      And fuckwit Morrison reckons that once we hit 70 or 80% vaccinated then we will be back to normal. Yeah sure. I call bullshit. With an evolving virus all it takes is for one new strain to appear, even if we were 100% vaccinated, these knobs would lock us down again. This madness has to end. Time for more protests.

      • Dave of Kelso says:

        You are either more educated and experienced than Australia’s chief scientist, or you are a dangerous self-opinionated fool.

        I suspect the latter.

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