GAMECHANGER!! Will A Council Policy Change Be The Catalyst Many Have Been Waiting For?

Responsible financial oversight been a sometimes thing for our council, but things changed dramatically at last week’s meeting

Popular Townsville games: pin the tail on the donkey, blind man’s bluff, cast a vote in the Division One by-election. Noms now closed but the field narrows itself down. Stick the pin wherever you like,  let’s face it, the by-election isn’t a big deal compared with to recent polls.

Hope you’re sitting down for this one , dear reader,  but The ‘Pie has praise for a couple of Bulletin reporters (stop your fist pumping and sit down, Lighton,  you’re not one of them.)

The Sydney Swans management uses the Sergeant Schultz excuse ‘I know nudding.’  And like Sergeant Shcultz, they’re lying.

And America’s week, as told in our regular US cartoon gallery.

A hefty bill for web hosting for this free blog landed in the Nest this week. As always, a voluntary hand with the blog’s financial obligations is always needed and always appreciated. If you can that lend a hand, the donate button is at the end of the blog.

For Some, Townsville Council’s Generosity Giving Away  Ratepayers Money Now Comes With Strings Attached. But For Others,  None.

In a long overdue move, last week’s TCC meeting ditched one of the more cynical Labor-inspired council rorts, that of heavily linking grant requests to the promotion of a particular councillor.  It was blatant vote buying with public funds and was instrumental in keeping Jenny Hill and her Team Uphill  in power for such a long time. So this move is a significant game changer and not just an overdue policy correction … and in more ways than one.

Looking down from on high, the late Clr Fran O’Callaghan would be applauding.

But that last line  from the Bulletin excerpt is the real kicker for change, although it brings its own bureaucratic baggage, too – policing those ‘explicit guidelines’  will probably mean more shiny bums in Walker Street to do the forensic overview.  Mind you, there are some very ticklish question about just how any outfit could prove it’s responsibility for a tourism boost or increased overnight stays. The council itself will have its work cut out … did you know that there is no industry body in Townsville that gathers accurate overnight stay information across the whole city?  All current claims can only be guesstimates.

Anyway,  at least the new policy  should ensure no overseas family jaunts to the homeland,  and no more BBQs and swimming pools suddenly appearing in the backyards of certain ‘organisers’.

But let’s consider that opening line again: ‘Townsville community groups seeking local government funding will have to prove their economic worth (linking) directly to their economic worth’. 

Yes, yes, Nesters, you’re way ahead of The ‘Pie, you’ve already got the $750,000 question in mind: if these responsible guidelines of integrity apply to one area of council largesse, why not all such support?

Specifically,  will these guidelines apply Townsville Enterprise Limited?  And if not, why not?

Councillors and shiny bums will have a hard time justifying an exception if TEL is not subject to the same stringent oversight that community-minded groups face.  Sure, the TEL set-up is different, and the annual hand-out well established  but  never justified in any terms, let alone reported in plain language that can be understood by the public. TEL insists that its books are not open because they are a member-based organisation (which is a whole load of hot cock). And if community groups can’t pull the old Commercial in Confidence trick, then the Dudley do Nothings shouldn’t be able to either.  And they shouldn’t have to, they only have to account for how the ratepayers portion of their income is spent,  ensuring it is not used for operational costs including staff wages, office rent, electricity, catering nd long-term equipment purchases. (Or, The ‘Pie might add, not on long Mojito-fuelled cocktail hours schmoozing with the Bulletin’s editor.)

Or has the ‘Pie jumped the gun here, is this the opening shot from councillors that TEL needs to be more accountable for their ratepayer support?

Is The ‘Pie mistaken when he says he detects an appetite for change in the council of late, a desire to clean house?

If so, this policy change is a bloody good start.

With That In Mind ….

Wonder if we’ll get a bit more clarity out of this.

No industry is expected to be up and running at Lansdown before 2030,  if then, and there have been some tenancy hiccups in the past, so the information session will presumably just let ratepayers know how the council is progressing its role in the development. And if we’ll be up for any more dough.

Anyone who can afford the petrol and is attending, drop The Nest a line about proceedings.

Divvy One By-Election: What A Big Fat Nothing Burger

The most infuriating thing about this political footnote in Townsville’s chequered electoral history is that Troy Thompson has again gone against widespread public sentiment and has refused to nominate for the council seat. He has thus selfishly deprived thousands of voters with their clear choice of not voting for him. What a prick.  Said he’s going to concentrate finishing the three books he is  writing … working titles are Lying For Fun And Profit,   then It’s OK To Feel Cheated: how to release your inner victimhood, and his manifesto as a Sovereign Citizen Truth: Why it is overrated.  He tells The ‘Pie his best work How I Beat Neil Armstrong To The Moon was canned when he discovered that the moon landing was faked in a Mojave desert warehouse.

Dunno ’bout you, but The ‘Pie has worked himself up into a frenzy of apathy about this by-election (as demonstrated by the foregoing drivel). But one supposes one must talk about it, so …

The ranks of viable candidates have mercifully thinned themselves out,  with front bar social dingbat Steve Clare virtually guaranteeing failure with his weird insistence that all candidates, indeed all sitting councillors,  be forced to take drug tests. This bit of mild lunacy brought a brilliantly succinct putdown from a leading candidate Michael Pugh who told the Bulletin yes, he would willingly take part in a drug test ‘if it was a requirement of the role,  but absolutely not if it was just because someone with no authority had asked.’ Mr Pugh then settled Clare’s hash when he added ‘I think it would be much more beneficial to the voters if candidates were required to undergo a basic aptitude test.’  OUCHA!

Ironically, it was Clare who pushed another candidate, Michelle Hobson out onto the fringes of success with his creepy, bullying public demand that she agree to a hair follicle drug test. Hobson was so freaked out by this ludicrous encounter, she literally fled the markets where the incident too place, vowing never to return because she was so rattled. Thus she demonstrated  that politics, even at the local padded political playpen is never going. to work for her.  Making matters worse for herself, she blubbed she was put off Clare because she apparently enjoys ‘spidy’ intuition about people – a talent that apparently didn’t extend to her former criminally-linked partner.  She also gabbled on about a severe health problem, from which she ‘nearly died three times’.  Given they’ve had multiple elections at various levels in a short period of time, the poll weary voters of the division will no doubt have the longevity of who they select as a major consideration.

So we are left with putative front runner Pugh, a rehabilitated violent crim who is Katter connected,  the Lucky Starr I’ve Been Everywhere  perennial campaigner Joanne Keune and educator  Shayne Blacklock, who also has a side hustle of hustling pool tables to local pubs and clubs.  The emphasis on backgrounds is important here for each ones chances, because they are all singing from the same hymn book about local connection, local focus and putting  the division’s interest foremost.  Damned handsome of them, if you ask me, promising to prioritise what they are meant to prioritise anyway. The sprawling electorate offers some unique problems of public transport and the other needs of an ageing demographic, and all three candidates reference this before gingerly tiptoeing around larger issues not directly connected to the area where an excess of enthusiasm might appear to dilute their local interest.  And none  have been silly enough to make anything more than hopeful noises and vague promises they can’t keep about rates.

So, using his own spidy senses to judge the vibe,  The ‘Pie thinks this may well come down to preferences, .So Blacklock, with the most solid local connection to the division, and the least controversial background could get up in a poll where no one appears ready to grab a stand-alone majority.  But who know how things will twist and turn as the campaign trudges on. One thing appears certain, that given the wide negative aspects of various backgrounds,  it seems unlikely there will be any sensational revelations of the like we have experienced over recent years.

Even given the largely rural nature of the division,  it seems unlikely there will be any vote changing revelations of illicit interspecies activity. or the like.  As much as the Bulletin may wish.

Speaking Of Which …

Overall, the Daily Astonisher remains like the curate’s famous egg, good in parts. And it is those recent good parts that deserve a mention here, because the sentiments about the paper in The Nest are generally less than complimentary. In fact, the first story, although originating in Townsville, is lifted locally from the Courier Mail. The Magpie has admired the reporting of this one, a bit of a tag team effort between reporters Shayla Bulloch and Janessa Ekert.

News Ltd flew in both these journos in for the Bogie murder trial,  former Bulletin journo Bulloch from the Courier in Brisbane where she is now the chief crime reporter, and Janessa Ekert, who has ranged across a number of News Ltd publications, specialising in crime and court reporting for the past 10 years. 

This is the story that’s been running in the paper for several days. 

Earlier this month, Darryl Young went on trial in the Townsville Supreme Court for allegedly shooting dead neighbours Mervyn and Maree Schwarz, and Maree’s son Graham Tighe. He is also charged with the attempted murder of Tighe’s brother, Ross, who was wounded and has been giving evidence. The Bulletin has been running daily reports on proceedings,  and The ‘Pie, who understands the difficulty of this sort of reporting, has been impressed with the linked and coherent narrative Bulloch and Ekert have managed to sustain each day.  These big stories don’t ever ‘write themselves’, and the average reader wouldn’t be aware of the long stretches of tedium and interruptions to any narrative flow in court cases.  And picking up the thread, and filtering out extraneous legal matters that always pop up in jury trials, takes constant concentration. For The ‘Pie (slightly nostalgic, he’ll admit) found this well told, cracking yarn riveting reading.

So full marks to Bulloch and Ekert (and possibly a diligent sub somewhere in the background) . The ‘Pie will be following this one right to the end, there’s already been one surprise twist – a half-arsed alibi that seems to have disappeared – and you never know with these things.

The other reporter worth mentioning is a relatively new name to the Astonisher.  Andrew Mackaysmith has only been with the Astonisher for about three months, but from the outset, he has shown he knows his business, across a very wide range of subjects … his reporting of TCC meetings shows a professional grasp not always present in other’s coverage.   His subject matter and bylines on business and politics, often state stuff that affects NQ,  make it seem he splits his time between Townsville and Brisbane, but in the electronic age,  nothing too remarkable there.

OH, All Right, Stop Pouting, Leighton, You Are Getting A Bit Better.

Poor old Leighton ‘Lighton’ Smith,  he’s copped a bit of a pasting in the Nest, and The ‘Pie will admit, not always fully deserved.  But too much fun to resist.

But our man has been doing some more substantial work of late. His recent stories on the plight of the stalled private hospital at the old West End School was not only informative and covered most salient points, but he dived into the world of backup video reporting,  which means we are now graced with his image.

So all in all, there are some bright spots in the paper, squeezed in between the ads,  dad-joke punning headlines and regular cock-ups.

Now if Jill can just realise what editorials are for, the sky’s the limit.

Swan Dive: The Club Management’s Intelligence Insulting Claims Haven’t Helped

The player behaviour at the core of this spectacular fall from grace is potentially serious enough, and will play out elsewhere in coming days,  probably weeks. But for the club’s management to say the suspension of the five players had nothing to do with alleged sexual offences and was solely because those involved had broken a curfew and had. been drinking was simply a brazen attempt at arse covering. And was most certainly a lie. Thing is, it didn’t work anyway, with sponsors now contemplating the risks to themselves and looking shaky. This, and the loss of any chance of a lucrative run through to the Grand Final, could cost the Swans millions.

But do the Swans board and management seriously want the public to believe that they deliberately torpedoed the strong possibility of this year’s flag – and the rewards that go with it – simply because of – they say – a disciplinary breach by its match-winning top echelon of players? Apparently they do, to which the ‘Pie says bollocks.

Let’s put it this way: if NO  complaint of sexual misconduct as made, does anyone believe these suspensions would’ve occurred? That the membership itself would not have demanded the heads of those who made such an unbalanced decision ?  There would have been a closing of ranks, and lots of waffle about fines and ‘all handled internally’ – which the public wouldn’t have cared much about because no actual laws of the land had been broken.

No, the board and management knew what was coming, they probably actually knew some details, but made the simple disciplinary claims and actively repudiated any link to the sexual allegations, to try to stem the sponsorship shit storm inevitably heading their way.  In short they lied and thus insulted the public.  And guess what? If for any reason those allegation don’t stand up, the board and management will suddenly be facing some very angry demands for accountability – that the polite word for saying they will most likely be rissoled themselves.

Of course, the most interesting thing for anyone who understands both the money and the passion involved in Aussie Rules, especially around finals time, is whether anyone will openly ask the question on many minds: Was this a deliberately planned honey trap to encourage bad behaviour and thus nobble a club that maybe a bookie was carrying too much risk on?  Even so, trap or not, it doesn’t make any offending right, but the players might not be the only villains in this off-field drama.

Unlikely? Maybe. Possible? Certainly.

Hey, Maybe The Swans Board Could Plead With Trump To Intervene.

The Orange Abomination has a good track record in sorting out sporting misdemeanours.  But probably too busy right now, as the war he started and that he said would be over in two weeks is now entering its second year.

And finally ….

One we can relate to here in Oz, too.

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