Joining the dots is not the forte of our hard-hitting fearless investigative stenographers at the Bulletin, even when there are two curiously linked media releases sitting side by side in front of them. Two separate stories in the Astonisher this week begged for linkage and some very serious inquiry, but no, all too hard. But not for The Magpie.
Labor’s favourite local backroom boy Dolan Hayes, saddles up to manage the ALP’s John Ring in his tilt at Phil Thompson in Herbert. And for Mr Hayes, this time, it seems it’s personal.
A small collection of the best social media ripostes to the anti-vaxx dimwits, plus somebelly laughs in our regular gallery from American penmen.
And as always, we end with some fun stuff, to leave you with a laugh.
Commercial Break: – especially ones thatAny chance of a hand to meet the expenses of this blog? The Magpie’s Nest will be forever free, but getting it out to you isn’t, and won’t ever be. If you’re of a mind to assist, the donate button is at the bottom of the blog. And to those have already helped out, The Magpie’s sincere thanks.
Now onward.
Have The Haughton Pipeline ‘Milestones’ Suddenly Become Millstones?
Closed council meetings do not inspire confidence in the management and progress of one of our biggest infrastructure projects. We are told the secret TCC meeting during the week was to check ‘milestones’ on the Haughton pipeline project, but the matter is confidential. Why, what’s going on? And the mystery goes deeper than just that.
In the past week, the Bulletin again morphed into The Daily Mulletin, as it unquestioningly pushed Mayor Mullet’s self-promoting agenda, without a single question posed to wrinkle the dainty mayoral brow. And the paper again confirmed its choice to play dumb and lazy when it comes to matters in Walker Street. Let’s do this in order. On Wednesday, The ‘Pie reported this in comments.
The Magpie
September 22, 2021 at 7:29 pm (Edit)
This treatment of a mundane announcement is as juvenilely stupid was it was predictable.
Despite how much the Bulletin wishes otherwise, the council approval of Edify Energy’s proposed hydrogen factory at Lansdown is hardly a story – and certainly not a front pager – it is just brown-nosing Mayor Mullet.
So why is this not a story? Because anyone with even a single aggie left in their marbles bag believe that the TCC bum polishers would NOT approve this application. They wouldn’t dare. It would be a real story if they had refused approval, but as it is, ho hum, let’s go and see what Hagar the Horrible and Garfield are doing.
This analysis is reinforced by the fact that there is not a single question asked about what is the next step for this project will be, what, if any, further state and/or federal approvals are needed, how is the project to be funded and is this funding finalised and the ‘well, duh’ question, when is work going to start? Edify Energy boss was there to ask, and as always, so was Mayor Mullet. But no, not one single fucking question.
But then, the very following day, the timing of the previous day’s pants-wetting enthusiasm for Lansdown suddenly came in to focus. Safely tucked inside Thursday’s paper, at the bottom of page 5 where the casually browsing eye could easily miss it, was a seemingly unrelated snippet of a story.
Spot it down the bottom there?
And you can guarantee it was related big time to the previous days three ring circus of absolute codswallop, but the mayor didn’t want any link like that. A swooping Magpie took up the cudgels again in comments.
The Magpie
September 23, 2021 at 1:09 pm (Edit)
Yes, this is simply disgraceful … and on the evidence of this uncurious reporting, here’s a question that must be asked – how does the paper know any milestones were reached? Because Mayor Mullet told you? Even a single cell amoeba could do better than that. Disgusting by all concerned, especially the spineless paper that is constantly proving to be a bigger part of the problem than part of any solution.
It seems people … and that that includes the gormless bunch at The Bulletin … are inured by the repetition of this Commercial In Confidence lying insult that they just meekly accept that the matter is indeed C in C. And again, it is The Fallacy of the Unasked Question by the Bulletin that raises its own questions.
Some things really are C in C, and it is a necessary statute in modern business, but political cowardice has allowed it to degenerate into a catch-all tool of convenient and possibly corrupt secrecy. Surely it is reasonable to ask, in this instance, WHY the matter is C in C? No intellectual property is at risk, and since it is a progress report, surely no commercial damage or disadvantage to contractors can exist. Or to the government, because it is public (i.e. our) money involved. And it’s clearly a matter of public interest to know how our city and its major projects are being managed and monitored. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT WE AE GETTING FOR OUR TICK ON THE BALLOT PAPER.
These are simple KPI’s discussed in the secret squirrel meeting, why the secrecy? Has the council not been meeting its obligations? And if so, are we not entitle to know?
But as always, our man Bentley doesn’t muck around with fancy words to express his indignation … his picture is worth more than a thousand words.
So, do we have here is a political cover-up of ineptitude and incompetence?
Or is this just The Magpie flying off on another whacky conspiracy theory, you think?
Then consider the following.
1.The production of green hydrogen, as proposed by Edify, requires massive amounts of water … it takes nine litres of water to make a litre of hydrogen. And all other proposed businesses for the eco precinct will also need varying amounts of water, likely candidates will include some heavy water users.
- The proposed Eco Precinct at Lansdown will get its water exclusively from as uncosted off-pipe from the main Haughton Pipeline now under construction (well, sort of … we just haven’t been told anything).
- No plans for this off-shoot from the main pipeline has been revealed, at least not The Magpie has ever seen or heard of.
- If Edify have signed up for Lansdown, there must be an agreement somewhere specifying a guaranteed water supply, as will be required by other potential tenants. And here’s the thing … if it is an uninterrupted and TCC guaranteed water supply that means that water must be pumped continuously through the Haughton Pipeline from the Burdekin to be siphoned off for Lansdown – at whatever cost that involves. And in sufficient volume to ensure Edify’s operations are not interrupted, or those of any other Eco Precinct tenant.
The Magpie need not go through the multiple questions this raises for the ratepayers and taxpayers, but he will bet a penny to an Adani airfield that the Wednesday closed council meeting might have contained clues that this is another Mayor Mullet clusterfuck special involving the pipeline she originally said wasn’t necessary.
Otherwise, she would be praising herself to the skies as per normal.
Rollin’ With Dolan
Federal Labor candidate John Ring is off and running, but much local interest is on the bloke with the cattle prod behind him, our old mate, Dolan Hayes.
The Magpie
September 21, 2021 at 9:38 pm (Edit)
Dolan’s Ringside Seat.
While newly minted Labor candidate for Herbert John Ring got off and running with a media conference on the Strand today, it is possible that the smart operators on Team Thompson were more interested in the bloke on the right of the picture, looking seemingly detached from the media scrum. If they didn’t notice, they should have, and soon will.
But hey, hang on a sec. That’s Dolan Hayes, isn’t it?
Yup, that’s our boy, and you can bet he ain’t ordering pizza.
‘
And now, The ‘Pie has confirmed that Mr Hayes has saddled up for the Labor campaign, (perhaps it could be called The Ring of Confidence campaign). And his presence as Ring’s eminence gris no big surprise, he’s never denied he’s a solid Labor man.
The ‘Pie has always said the team behind Phillip Thompson have really got their shit together (forgive the technical terminology) but they’ve mainly gone after Mayor Mullet and pulverised her on a number of issues. Two things are different here – the first is this will be a federal campaign, with federal issues overshadowing parish pump stuff. And the second thing that’s different – Dolan Hayes.
In a terse and barely printable email exchange late today, Mr Hayes confirmed that yes that was him ‘why is anyone surprised, that’s what I do?’ and he also made it clear that the gloves are off for this one. Apparently, although he refused to give any details, something has made this personal towards the Thompson camp, and he intends to stick it right to them. The ‘Pie reckons it might be something to do with references Thommo made about his brush with the law over a minor drug matter a while back.
A Brisbane contact suggests Labor won’t be chucking its treasury at this campaign, but pissing off Dolan Hayes is one way to guarantee a down and dirty scrap, and any Thompson complacency would be a big mistake.
Here’s a cautionary tale: when Jenny Hill went up against Dale Last for the mayoralty way back when, Dolan was the mastermind of timing when, on the day before campaigning in the media was suspended by law before the ballot (48 hours, if memory serves), he had Jenny suggest as fact that rival Dale Last and Townsville First planned a humongous rate rise if elected. It was baseless made-up lie – ridiculous really, double digit stuff, but the timing meant Last was unable to reply, because the paper didn’t ask for a reply to be included in the story. And it can be argued that move tipped the scales in Jenny’s favour.
So Thommo’s boys had better be on their toes, upsetting Mr Hayes does not make for a peaceful life.
This is gunna be fun.
Why The State LNP Is Doing It Tough In Townsville – A Magpie Pontification
There seems to one aspect of this inaction on our youth crime wave that hasn’t been addressed, and now the clock is ticking …. just who will the LNP field as opposition to our three disgraceful current state members? And with what promises they could be held to?
These question may sound a bit premature but it’s worth canvassing even this far out from the next state poll, and here’s why. Finding candidates for the LNP is much, much harder than finding ones for Labor because of the underlying difference in historical – and realistic – allegiances.
There is a strong and demonstrable financial motivation among Labor candidates who have climbed the greasy pole of unions, back-stabbing branch meetings, and the public service – the working class who these days are actually in the middle class, – plus a smattering of zealous power seeking academics. All of whom mistakenly perceive life on the benches as akin to life on the beaches … a lifetime of powerplay struggle rewarded by fully paid holiday full of step’n’fetchit staff, perks and spin doctors on call. Where everyday is a fun power play on any number of pet – and petty – political matters. When they meet the reality of political office of rules, party responsibilities, ethics (obeying or avoiding, there is always a choice) and the unpleasant requirement of having to meet mostly complaining people ALL the time, their performance falters and comes under closer scrutiny (hi Aaron, Les).
The problem for the conservatives is in many ways quite the opposite (many of The ‘Pie’s old fashioned leftish mates relish calling these folks ‘Torys’, which says everything about a social divide that has long been blurred by prosperity). Because suitable Tory people actually stand to lose – not gain – financially. Likely candidates are reluctant – especially when the outcome of a close seat offers the prospect of a loss being a very real setback to the productive life they had been leading in their business/profession. The reluctance is understandable because by and large, they already have the financial security and future that Labor candidates seek through the parliamentary plush. But these are the very folk who are the most vocal when their businesses and professions are threatened by Labor governments’ policies.
The Magpie personally knows of at least three such eminently suitable – and electable – people within the Townsville community, and all flatly refuse to even consider standing.
Paradoxically, it is financial motivation in both directions that bedevils our current political landscape.
No wonder independents are sometimes able to grab outcome-deciding chunks of the Townsville vote.
She’s Really Got It In For The Media, Has Our Premier
As if Palaszczuk and Berejiklian weren’t ‘word wrestles’ enough for journos to get right, in both writing and speech, Premier Alphabet’s choice of replacement for the (thankfully) departing Jeanette Young was probably partly her little jest to keep reporters on their toes.
We Grow We Learn We Change – Just Wish The Anti-Vaxxers Would Too
A letter to the editor of an American paper accurately summed up the anti-vax idiocy.
And The Shovel gave four and twenty reasons why anti-vaxxers aren’t deep thinkers.
And a note on the background of those Melbourne hooligans.
‘Pie On The Sky
Since much of The Magpie’s attention is regularly on the media, let’s talk about Sky News for a moment, which is now available regionally in Australia.
The rolling news service from breakfast through to late afternoon is a pretty solid product, fair and balanced reports, in. fact much like other commercial news services.
No, it is after 6pm, the sun lowering in the west, that the lids of the stone coffins slide back and the crypt door creaks open, and Jones, Bolt, Murray, Credlin, Dean, Devine, Latham, Gleeson and Bernardi slither up into the studio to begin their frantic nightly hunt for leftie blood. After 6pm, Sky becomes a different creature.
So don’t shy away from the daytime Sky News broadcasts, they hold their own with any other services. Just get home before dark, bolt the door and watch Netflix.
As the incomparable Marina Hyde in the Guardian recently wrote:
One of the great afflictions of this debased age is television commentators believing themselves to be both very serious people and “huge personalities”. Very few in this world are truly serious people and huge personalities, and the rest of us will always do much better if we embrace our relative irrelevance, take ourselves rather less seriously, and accept that mission statements and thunderous pontification and clinical self-regard are generally for the worst people at one’s workplace. We could all do with just getting over ourselves.
You reading, Peter Gleeson?
There’s Also A Big Question Mark Over Editors Who Think This Is OK
Craig Warhurst, you own anything that goes out on any medium that you publish and carries the Townsville Bulletin logo. This is just pointlessly disgusting.
This isn’t even a story, it is not funny and decidedly unpleasant – is obviously the work of some moist little zit-spotted teenager left alone to post anything he likes when not surreptitiously checking porn sites .
In the US, The Republications have scored an Hilarious Own Goal
They are the discombobulated goofs who blindly followed Donald Trump’s quest to find voting irregularities in Arizona, which the crazyman thought would hand him back the keys to the White House. Bad news, Donny, not only did you lose in Arizona, but the recount shows you actually lost by more than initially declared. Much to the delight of some.
And another genuinely deranged Republican ranter, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert set social media in to a comedic meltdown.when she suggested getting rid of Joe Biden. This is genuine, not doctored.
There’s a job at the Bulletin waiting for her if Boebert ever comes over here. NYT writer Bret Stephens most certainly had Bonkers Boebert in mind when he gave an accurate take reflecting how a lot of Americans are feeling in current times.
Well, leaving aside all the particular questions about the pandemic, I think the larger story is how these 18 months have exposed the shaky foundations of American civilization. Never mind the military-industrial complex. We’ve got a moronic-ineptitude complex.
I’m thinking about anti-vaxxers. About Jan. 6 deniers. About the Afghanistan exit fiasco. About conspiracy theorists on the right and the speech police on the left (and sometimes vice versa). About social media in general. About Congress’s unwillingness to get an overwhelmingly popular infrastructure bill to the president’s desk. About a border crisis in which the Biden administration can’t seem to come up with better solutions than the Trump administration did. About the Pentagon killing innocent civilians in a bungled attempt to stop another Kabul terror attack. About the French hating us yet again, this time for a perfectly valid reason.
Many of those issues were to the fore for the country’s cartoonists during the week.
And believe it or not, Snopes has verified that this is a cartoon from 1970 … even more relevant today.
And Finally, This Tends To Sum Up Our World Today
……………..
That this week’s mixed bag, but those comments run 24/7, pick a moniker and join in, lotsa fun.
If you’re looking to help The Nest out with a few dollars, the donate button is below.
Another great blog Pie and the simple answer on Haughton Pipeline stage 2 is that the Queensland Government shortfall is $110 mil because only $85 mil was announced in the Queensland Budget . The fact that the Astonisher falls for the Mayors ” commercial in confidence ” on this project , no detail plan on Lansdown using rate payers $ has to be challenged . A quick visit to the TaskforceNQ website you will see that her so-called Hydrogen plan hasnt been updated since July 2020 so what was presented to Phil Thompson that the Mayor claims wasnt acted on , CIC ? . On the State Government front , whilst Aaron Harper (in his all black jersey ) and Les Walker spent the week trying to get some positive pr on the Rugby double header Scott Stewart was at the Port for the photo op on the Bowen Rail ( Bravus ) locomotives delivery with a bevy of pollies including the purple dress .
The day can’t be far away when Mayor Mullet holds all council meetings behind closed doors.
After all, just about everything involving Jenny Hill is “commercial-in-confidence” these days?
Commercial in Connivance.
Commercial inCompetence
Clever – love it.
Or Convenience in Connivance?
Water ain’t just water and that’s not just smelly stuff in our pipes. Industry and people need treated water to operate and the Haughton Pipeline of any colour will provide bog standard Burdekin River water which is perfect for fish to frolic in or to spray on your crops but you wouldn’t want to put it into your expensive factory.
This is even more true for processes which are going to evaporate or spilt the water. Think of your kettle at home. If you are in Townsville our water is treated and you do not get mineral deposits build up and clog your machinery. Put bore or river water through it and you are going to be heading to Big W every few months for a new kettle.
Landsdumb has no reliable source or appropriate water, even though there is a dam near by and a pipeline will eventually run through it. All of this is raw water and until someone finds either the planned Toonpan Treatment Plant or runes a pipe back from Douglas there will be no water intensive industry.
Pretty simple really.
Not to worry, the astonisher’s hard hitting reporters will sort that out with Jenny or whoever she allows to talk about bit.
Barely CE. When they do get a pipeline out there. Will they charge those companies the same deal that Clive had out at Yabula. $3.00 a megalitre while the ratepayers are slogged $770.00 a kilolitre.
You could probably feed a hydrogen plant recycled water from the sewerage system. You wouldn’t need to build anything out west , most likely you could build something next to a water treatment plant.
Looks like someone did …. or he’s inn ICU … or dead.
The right man for the job.
The Magpie seriously hopes he isn proven wrong in this but give the old bird a hand.
He cannot find ONE SINGLE WORD on any platform about the rugby double header in Townsville yesterday evening on the Townsville Bulletin websites. No match report, no stats, no colour piece. Had a mate better at search than me, and …. nothing. Had to find out the results from an obscure rugby fan mag on line.
This from the very newspaper that honked on endlessly how we had to go along and make a success because it was almost our duty to do so and promote the event beyond the city limits. Nothing apparent in the Courier either.
Crowd: 23,126 …. so much for the Bulletin’s ballyhoo’d sellout claim, but still for this sport, a great turn-out.
You are absolutely correct Pie, also stories a week old are added to the new story, so that you cannot comment. Pending is a new word also. The digital version cannot even be used as Sorbent unless you print it off using your own A4.
Probably all watching the AFL GF!
The Astonisher also seems to have missed the NRL semifinal and AFL finals on their website.
Notes from last night’s rugby fest:
– penalties saved the All Blacks- the Springboks played a better game.
– 80% of the patrons were not wearing masks, despite it being compulsory
– ground staff were kept busy trying to repair the grass. Set scrums with 800kg contesting on each side destroyed the turf.
– usual problem with line ups for drinks and food.
Most of the spare seats were in the western stand. Bad weekend for trying to get Townsville corporate sponsors onboard when a lot of them were up at Ewen for the race weekend.
The turf management bloke is lucky this all took place end of season, otherwise there would some very unsafe and unsightly TV images of Jenny’s Townsville on display.
Watched part of the rugby and noticed that most commercial breaks had an advertisement promoting Townsville displaying the TCC logo. Also noticed that the commentator kept promoting Townsville so he was probably paid to do the same.
How much did these advertisements etc cost the ratepayer or is that cost commercial and in confidence too.
Where did you watch the games? Looked everywhere free to air and my limited Foxtel sports channels, couldn’t find a thing.
The games that The Wallabies are playing in are on one of the Nine platform (81 I think). All games are on Stan
Damn, had forgotten the Stan deal, which I have courtesy of mate including me in his family (who would be appalled if they knew).
I came across the second half of the Australia – Argentina game on Channel 9 about the same time the third quarter of the AFL GF was on. Maybe that was after the NRL game (Storm v Penrith) was over?
Long over at that time.
I think it was 80 but only because I was channel surfing and found the game. The TV guides stuffed up what was on air.
Ancient Tradie, the editor’s PENDING excuse for not publishing comment that may offend their advertisers is nothing new.
For months now all of my comments are PENDING and in fact never published.
And when it comes to Cowboys stories, I’ve been blocked from even making a PENDING comment.
I’m proud to say I hold the PENDING record. It’s something I’ve worked very hard to achieve.
Well IO, if you hold such a record can we safely assume that you disagree with most of what is written, if not all? Do you propose alternatives, or just throw mud???
So, name one positive thing about Jenny Hill or the Cowboys, my two fav subjects.
Come on, I’m sure you can think of something.
Observer, if you want the astonisher to notice you try responding to a social media post.
Point in case; back in early September I made a comment on a Cowboys’ instagram post in which they had applauded the feats of Kyle Feldt scoring 12 tries for the year. I commented by facetiously asking “How many missed tackles? How many kicks out on the full? How’s many dump penalties.”
It apparently hit a nerve with Feldt and he responded by saying “I thought you would be counting with a comment like that”.
A fairly ordinary response in my opinion but I left it at that as not to get into any social media chest beating, despite the barrage of abuse hurled at me by others who had contributed comments on the same post.
Low and behold, the next day the Bulletin decided they had uncovered an internet troll and outed me online with a article on how the Fan Favourite Feldt had shutdown an “online antagoniser” with a “digital shutdown”. They even classified me as a “stain on the game”.
I was a bit confused about their interest in the comments given I’ve read far worst, even derogatory comments in their Text to the Editor. Nonetheless they did however finished the article by detailing the rather non-flattering stats about Feldt’s poor achievement of the 2021 season so I did feel somewhat vindicated.
It’s still on their Facebook page if you want to have a read. https://www.facebook.com/212595461179/posts/10159898263646180/
You could say it’s gone viral (in Bulletin standards) with a earth shattering 37 likes to date.
Anyway, after having a chuckle about my 5 minutes of fame and deeming it a slow news day, the issue raised its head again the next day with the same article being published in the printed version of the rag. More Notoriety for this mild manner internet troll.
Again it was water of a duck back as I had to literally tell people about the article otherwise they wouldn’t have known of it’s existence.
What does piss me off though, is the same dipshit writer that decided he had a Walkley Award Winning article when he outed me contributed to a double page spread in yesterday Bulletin headlined with “THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY with the ugly detailing the shit season Feldt had by highlighting his many errors and missed tackles which “often led to points against them”.
Basically confirming what I had detailed in a simple instagram comment.
I’m just holding out now to see if I make the next list of “Townsville Sexiest Instagramers”
What has happened is that you gave them a story idea, which they sat on until your bashing was in the past.
IO, appears that your award for a record PENDING comments to the Astonisher is PENDING and reported to be possibly, maybe, could be in the post.
Anyway, hang in there mate !
Uninteresting Observer, they don’t print your dribble because it is exactly that, dribble.
And just who are the arbiter of what is drivel and what isn’t? Someone at the Bulletin? You jest.
And how would you know that? Work at the Bully?
Come on Doug, fair go. Given the comments and complaints you’ve thrown at the Astonisher and Cowboys in the past, why would they publish your negativity. I’m not saying you’re wrong but did you really expect them to publish them? Would you have given them the thumbs up when you worked there?
I gave up on commenting on News Corpse. By the end my comments were never getting through the hit and miss moderation. Their publication their choice I suppose but the funny thing is I haven’t bought a paper in years apart from the freebies Qantas gives out and I have flown twice since COVID boke out.
IMO Lachlan and James Murdoch aren’t a shade of their predecessors and when Rupert finally does go the curse of the third generation will strike.
Thanks for the latest read Pie. I have three questions –
1. There is a pipeline????????
2. Is that TB / gorilla story for real?
3. There is a pipeline????????
In order,
Unconfirmed
Yes, confirmed by the excellent Snopes fact checkers
Yes, at Bells Beach during the Surfing Championships.
Pipeline is in Hawaii not Bells Beach
Generic term, but thanks for tackling the big questions.
The reason candidates are hide to find for the LNP is the organisation is a pathetic joke, the merger takeover has never worked, even with a whopping majority it was discontent from the old Nationals that sunk the Newman Govt. Many of the old Nats came out of the woodwork to get Newman elected, then he and a few others pissed most of us off so we all were happy to watch him get kicked out. For most Nats politics is like a sport really, something you do to amuse yourself when you are not doing what you normally do, if things aren’t run the way you like them, just find something else to amuse yourself. Federally it’s a bit different, a lot more discipline at federal level, it’s why the LNP in Qld hasn’t been able to ruin things federally, they aren’t allowed to. Locally the LNP is a pitiful joke, most of the backroom talent has gone and not much left but amateurs with no idea of how to run and win elections.
This may be a bit of a tangent, but The ‘Pie says bring back the Country Party. Now, let those twitching fingers hover over the keyboard for a moment, and let The ‘Pie explain he is not recommending a return of the totally rural centric party of massive and unfair self-interest. In fact, rename it the Regional Party, because the divide is there for all to see … the urban SE corner v the rest of the state. Even growing communities like Townsville, Cairns, Rocky and Mackay would be strongly represented by such a party and well as a policy platform including treating farmers, graziers, anyone on the land as the community heroes they are. This is a far more realistic prospect for fairer distribution of the wealth the regions generate than the rats nest and rabbit hole a new state would offer (which will never happen.)
So in addition to the LNP and ALP that currently cover most, but not all, electorates you would like to bring a “Country Party” to contest a few seats already crowded with Nationals, One Nation, Katter, Palmer, Shooters and Fishers, Libertarians etc. Haven’t all these offshoots arisen because the original Country / Nationals abandoned the bush and tried to push into the cities? I doubt that Humpty can be put back together again.
The Magpie admits to error mentioning the Country Party – a misfired jest, sorry – but maintains that the divide between metro and regions is now so pronounced and unbalanced that there are two markedly different stratas of Australian society. and a Regional Australia Party (RAP … see what I’ve done there) makes perfect sense, especially with the drift from city to country becoming a steady stream. Such a grouping can and should cherry pick the sane and sensible policies of the major parties, the less loony and worthy policies of the fancy dress fringe and single issue parties could be sent to political rehab and become solid parts of a platform The ‘Pie is thinking KAP here). Add to that the ‘Fair Share’ argument, and a strong ethical policy of MPs behaviour, and that could catch the electorate’s attention. It would certainly catch the attention of the existing parties, where the only seismic shift in the past 30 years has been Labor becoming 1990’s Liberal and pushing the Liberal/Nationals into becoming wannabe Trumpist right wing loonies. (A deliberate and clever policy started by Hawke and continued by Keating.)
In fact, at the time he died, Malcolm Fraser was looking to do something exactly along the lines of this idea, but the spark of momentum went to the grave with him. The Magpie is convinced it remains a great idea, particularly in Queensland. And it has ba far better chance of happening than a a new state, which would come complete with its own set of grasping arsesoles in the mode of all other states.
All that is needed is someone with Clive palmers money but not his egregious personality.
RAP is already here. Bill Bates has been banging on about giving Brisbane the boot for quite a while now.
https://www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/story/7264775/party-for-regional-australia-launches-in-cairns/
Germany is going to elections. But remember they have a “Merkel” past.
That almost works.
Mr. Pie…what lunatic(s) organises and promotes two rugby union matches that clash directly with an NRL preliminary final…one of the best in history as it turned out…and, that little, secondary football match, the AFL grand final?
Hang on…that would be that dynamic duo, Jenny , from TCC, and, Claudia, from TEL!
Can’t union players take the field on a Sunday?
Or was that $300m “White Elephant” booked out today?
I presume the ARL was involved here somewhere, but, fuck, Jenny and Claudia, or, should we say “JAC of no trades and Master of fucking nothing” should get together with Scotty and organise…hmmmm…???
WE might have to wait for Scotty to get back from overseas where he’s been saving the world from the Chinese hordes, before we can answer that question!
Did Dolan, “The Seat of Herbert Dud” have any input into this fiasco Mr. Pie?
The ‘Pie agrees … and saw it coming …. about the unfortunate timing, but you may rest assured Mayor Mullet and Ms B-S had absolutely nothing to do with this. It would have offered to Townsville as a fait accompli after talks between Rugby Australia, the State Government, Stadiums Queensland and all relevant health officials. You can’t seriously imagine this local duo could even order a Chinese takeaway for four without fucking it up, let alone have the influence and nous to attract four of the world’s top Rugby nations to play a double header here. The whole COVID inspired show, never likely to be replicated, was all done by outside groups. And good on ‘em, a crowd of 23000+ was an excellent turn-out when so much more traditional fare you mention was available on TV. For free.
If one of the objectives is to encourage out of town visitors wouldn’t a Saturday night be the better option rather than Sunday ?
It was unfortunate the other events clashed but it was a great crowd and the city appeared busier over the weekend
Those two deviant gorillas reminded me of politicians at an election victory party, or perhaps drunk politicians at a Townsville nightclub.
Or a night on the tiles at the old Sovereign!
Or, given your chosen name, perhaps you are harking back to your days as Michael Jackson’s personal pet. As The Magpie once said on 4TTT, Jackson spent a great deal of his time blowing bubbles in the bath.
The never ending issues in Townsville date back to Tony Moon-me’s day. Successive idiot CEO’s including Mike Choadblower, Adele I’impaled’her and the current part-time CEO Prins The Prince Ralston have contributed to Townsville’s stagnation and increased debt. Mayor Mullet has done nothing but promote football and car racing because both of those activities are the only things that are of interest to a beer swilling bogan. Had the Mullet actively chased down large infrastructure projects or petitioned State and Federal governments to base some of their agencies in Townsville we would have seen a lot more progress for the region. But she is lazy and incompetent. Can you imagine the bogan wearing business attire and meeting with heavies? Ha. Hardly. What a clown.
With morons like Muhammad A’walker and Anna’s boy Colon Hayes doing SFA to represent the region, we are doomed. Phil Thompson is the only person who has done anything for the region in recent times.
The Wulguru Poonami may have an issue with shit in their street, but the whole fucking region has an issue with shit representing us on each street corner! As Prime Minister Gough Shitlam once said; “It’s Time”. Yep, it’s time alright, time to vote these dickheads out of office.
Saved you a major embarrassment there, MopHead. Quick edit in the first line. Refer to your original.
Question regarding the mayor’s claimed ‘sold out’ Rugby crowd of 23126 … do Stadiums Queensland count those through the gate or tickets sold? And can corporate boxes be pre-purchased for ALL events at the stadium?
How much debt is the TCC carrying and what is the deficit for this year. It seems that half a billion in debt is the trigger point for an enquiry. It seems the Mullet can run amok for a while yet.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-27/public-inquiry-into-central-coast-council-begins/100489444
This sleazy Landsdown deal has Dolan’s greasy fingerprints all over it. Absolutely disgraceful.
Isn’t Fran a breath of fresh air, standing up to Jenny Hill on the Landsdown fiasco.
And to think, we have Messageblank Walker to thank for finally getting a councillor with a mind of their own.
Moving to the State Parliament is by far the best thing Walker has ever done for Townsville, if not the only thing.
IO, Les Massagewank has done lots for the community;
– Contributed to pub and club profits by paying entry fees
– Supported local business by purchasing large amounts of alcohol
– Contributed to airline revenue by always flying to Brisbane
– Saved electricity costs and enhanced his carbon footprint by never being in his office
– Contributed to local business by using his corporate credit card on expensive lunch, dinners and alcohol
– Supported a reduction in slave labour by wearing the same 90’s clothing every day and not buying new
– Saved the environment by doing no work at all, saving on paper and printer ink
– Saved taxpayer money by never using his phone to make calls or answer calls.
Watch out for an announcement of the NRL final moving to Townsville after a truckie was Covid positive in the community for a few days in the ghastly SE.
Nah Gal, don’t think Nanna Anna will give it up that easily………
Hopefully this time, we can we manage to get both team Captains in the media photo.
THE ALARM BELLS ARE DEAFENING!!!
This is a threat to Townsville Council’s coffers bigger than the Adani Airstrip scam.
But whose money? YOURS, RATEPAYERS!
‘This genuinely alarming. This is our mayor at her prideful best, ruling by fiat without any approval from the electorate or fellow councillors, seeking a personal legacy through a highly questionable Eco Industrial Park. And this from a woman who can’t even manage an allocated $8million on a promised lighting feature leading to the stadium, and hides behind a coward’s non-explanation of ‘now is not the right time’. Yet she is happy to threaten to chuck around multiple times the proposed Adani Airstrip cost which could break this city’s financial back. Which is already severely bent, and take ‘bent’ anyway you like.
But praise be, whose lead should be followed by the rest of them.
This will be a real test for the Townsville Bulletin, because it cannot remain silent on such a dangerous suggestion. Let’s see where it lands.
All this from a Council that spent how many million dollars on a postage stamp sized park on top of Castle Hill?
You know, in the old days before begging for grants became the only way to pay for things and before councils decided they had to look after their developer mates, we in local government used to make project proponents pay for their share of trunk public utilities like roads, water and wastewater through Infrastructure Charges and before that Headworks Fees.
The idea of getting the snakeoil salesmen at Landsdumb to actually dip into their own pockets for services should be standard. We still charge mums and dads who want to put in a granny flat or a second crapper. Why has it come as a surprise to the stunned Mullet.
Headworks charges went by the wayside when certain Mayors tried get developers to work with their toxic bullshit and more so when certain CEOs were getting busy with certain developers.
DN – yes indeed.
Now there is no sensible process linked to each project to fund the required upgrades/extensions to the systems.
And these stark facts from yesterday’s Courier story (a nd today’s Bulletin) speak for themselves.
TOWNSVILLE CITY COUNCIL
Townsville City Council CEO Prins Ralston earns somewhere between $450,000 and $550,000, according to the council’s annual report.
This is more than Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has an annual income of $427,500.
There are three other senior executive management positions which are paid between $350,000 and $450,000 each year.
These are senior executive positions reporting directly to the CEO, the Director of Planning and Community Engagement Eber Butron, Director of Infrastructure and Operations Danny Lynch and the Chief Financial Officer Matt Thomson. – ALL THREE ARE GONE – TWO LEFT LAST YEAR???????????? Danny this year
Townsville City Council is listed as a category six council, which is the third highest category of council, means the Mayor is able to earn a base salary of $208,117 a year.
The most recent annual report shows Mayor Jenny Hill earned a total of $228,446 in the 2019/2020 year, including superannuation and allowances.
Deputy Mayor Mark Molachino earned $136,907, and councillors earned between $25,313 (newly elected councillors) and $149,002 (former Deputy Mayor Les Walker).
Three councillors Colleen Doyle, Paul Jacob and Verena Coombe, whose time with council ended on April 16 last year, earned between $109,271 and $111,766.
“EARNED”!!!!! PHARQ!!!!
Disgusting. The CEO Prince earns up to $550,000 per year, and for his first year he lived in Brisbane and was only in Townsville for around 3 to 4 days per week. The other thing is that his Board memberships as well as the Nous consultancy sucks up a huge amount of his time. This makes it impossible for him to work a 38 hour week at Council. So what is it – 30 hour week? 25 hour week? 20 hour week? For $550,000!!!! He has been seen and overheard on numerous occasions conducting business during Council working hours that doesn’t relate directly to his TCC role. And Hill on almost $250,000 a want a fucking joke!!!!
And just what does he do that a halfway decent middle manager promoted to the spot couldn’t do in half the time for half the money.
Then ‘Pie is guessing here, because he’s never been a public servant, only knows of their rarified universe by working contracts with various organisations, but leeches like Ralston and even experienced but grossly overpaid others in the upper echelons, actually get paid just to make sure all the relevant boxes are ticked … not a position requiring creativity, quite the opposite … and mammoth exercise in arse covering. Crucial decision making is rare, and often shovelled off to the elected goofs. (Deliberate flood, anyone?)
It is simply wrong that this sort of money is siphoned off because of both politics and egregious groups like the LGAQ run by people like Greg Pizza The Hutt Hallam.
Geez, I tell ya, come the revolution and The ‘Pie’s the boss ….
A quick note on the television program The ‘Pie rates the most valuable across all media … and that is the ABC’s Media Watch.
Yet again last night, they took their own program makers at Aunty to task for a very bad bit of lax fact checking that made them look like right old patsies, and host Paul Barry didn’t pussyfoot around, condemning it without reservation. This is something the program regularly does, highlighting deficiencies in the ABC’s own apparatus and programming. He has even had occasion to twit ABC supremo Ita Buttrose.
But The Australian and Sky in The Dark (they call it ‘After Dark’) are all over the gaffe and bizarrely calling tediously for the ABC’s privatisation. That means someone as rich as Rupert Murdoch could actually buy it. But imagine for a moment what the lightning fast result would be if one of their presenters made even the mildest criticism of Rupert Murdoch.
Sky’s Chris Kenny, Bolt, Jones and the whole cohort there would never dare to the public self-examination of their own programs like Media Watch, let alone make even the mildest criticism of Murdoch. It is a regular nightly spectacle of mixing and matching hosts from other Sky programs, not for criticism but for twanging pantie elastic and unzipping each other to show their mutual appreciation of themselves.
Thank-you dear ‘Pie for that last sentence. It leaves a most disturbing mind picture.
Allow The ‘Pie to emphasis that it is only hearsay for him … the butler did it.
In my opinion media watch is a pathetic joke of a program these days, serving nothing more than its own self opinionated load of shit, and just as guilty as the programs it criticises. I don’t think the ABC should be privatised, in its current format is would fail and go broke in 12 months anyway, but it should have its funding slashed severely, most of its capital city workforce sacked and focus on delivering a remote regional and rural television and radio service.
That’s a load of great steaming codswallop. If any program on TV is meticulous in its research and investigations presents its findings as checkable facts, it is MW. And yes, once those facts are put out there, Barry gives an opinion but makes it clear it IS an opinion, and not presented as fact. Sp what’s wrong with that, in your world view, Cankers?
What’s wrong with it Pie is using taxpayers money to fund his opinions, it’s a disgrace that these socialist fucking parasites are given public funds to air their opinions and beliefs, it would also be a disgrace if Alan Jones was given taxpayers money to voice his opinions and beliefs, but he doesn’t, subscriptions and advertising cover Jones cost. If I dont want to fund Jones, Kenny and Co I ring up tomorrow and cancel my Foxtel subscription, but I have no choice but to fund the ABC through the taxes I pay, something that I truly despise. If people want the ABC to continue then make it a subscription service, then they can pay the $1 billion a year to keep it going, which incidentally is about $100 a year for each of the 10 million taxpayers in the country, frankly I would prefer to give my $100 to you.
Accurate, skilled reporting on the media, all media, is an invaluable function in a democracy, even a flawed one like ours, and is not available in many countries (Hong Kong is the most recent glaring example, and Brazil). And trustworthy, well researched media monitoring is never going to come from any commercial organisation, especially from Rupertworld. And Barry’s opinions are only ever on whatever facts those investigations reveal.
In the overall media landscape, MW is a fair and worthwhile balance of the fascist far right agenda of the Murdoch press in particular. That you don’t agree with what Barry says simply means you don’t agree with him. And have you ever considered this: that some organisation, project or hand-out of public money of which you approve is not approved of by The Magpie. So should he demand that he get his $100 back, citing a different area of public expenditure?
There are many things for which individuals, including The ‘Pie, don’t like their taxes being used – paying the exorbitant salaries of politicians is one of the ‘Pie’s pet peeves. The ABC is yours. If you are realistically expecting that some sunny day, you will approve of everything your taxes are spent on, you will leave this planet a disappointed and bitter man.
Bottom line: there is plenty The Magpie doesn’t like about the ABC, plenty he could criticise, especially in the daily news area, and his initial comment was about Media Watch only. And he stands by it, despite your disapproval.
But The ‘Pie would never be so churlish to knock back your kind and wise offer of a $100 donation, now there’s something to look forward to.
The ‘Pie, and long time commenters will know that I am a deep thinker.
Regarding the ABC, the jewel in their crown is………
…….. wait for it……………
…………………….
……………….
HARD QUIZ!
And it is on tonight.
Kelso, a show hosted by a pompous ass who thinks he’s funny! About as funny as a funeral!!
Leaning your way, Plucker … liked as a mild diversion when it first started, but Tom’s a one-trick pony, his schtick of a few lame (he thinks daring) jokes at the ABC’s expense, and a few staged exchanges of insults with a decidedly very average set of contestants has become tedious and predictable – very much a seen one, seen ‘em all situation.
And for The ‘Pie of course, is surname is also a big downer in the nest.
https://www.betootaadvocate.com/sports/what-brisbane-outbreak-says-qld-premier-fronting-press-conference-in-ear-plugs-and-eye-mask/
“What Brisbane outbreak?” Annastacia Palaszczuk asked the media this morning, as she fronted her daily press conference with her ears blocked and a mask covering her eyes.
“I am not familiar with what you are talking about”
Dumbness from the Bulletin
https://www.facebook.com/212595461179/posts/10159953333446180/
Read in I-Queensland (presumably available in other subscriber sites) yesterday’s news that Phil Thompson is lending his support, and some of his $195 million pork barrel, to the Lansdown project:
“Infrastructure for the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct, a concert hall and a study to support Townsville’s hydrogen industry have won backing under the Townsville City Deal. Funding for the projects has been allocated from the Commonwealth’s $195 million commitment to the Haughton Pipeline Stage 2, which is now being delivered by the Queensland Government and Townsville…”
Interesting that the local member has thrown in a “concert hall” – that should get the Magpie on side, the same side as the Mayor as it turns out. Oolala! But will the “infrastructure” at Lansdown include some sort of storage, treatment and distribution facility to bolt on to the end of the newly installed Stage1 pipeline at Toonpan?
You are clearly not a student of the history of this blog, my discombobulated friend. The ‘Pie has railing about the cynical actions of the mayor is selling us the idea a stadium, entertainment centre and convention centre from the outset … done in stages. This was clearly bollocks form the outset, and all she was doing was unzipping Lancini to push his self-interested CBD stadium. Then, a few years on, she spitefully knocked back an ideal incorporation of the concert hall in the Hive project, because she apparently got knocked back when she tried to strong arm the Gleeson developers into a low rent deal for moving council offices there so she could sell of Walker Street to alleviate debt much of her bad management had created. So now what we see is the coming suddenly coming onside with The Magpie, not the other way around.
And the root of all problems here is the transparency issue and the failure to bring the electorate along with her, her arrogance finding that too hard to do with her cockamamie idea of governance. As for Lansdown, that little effort at jackbooting a segment of ratepayers backfired in a spectacular but totally unforeseen way … the never-ending Magnis con set the scene for a domino effect which started when Walker, with the urging of the mayor pushing him out the door, went to state, and the ultimate elevation of second placegetter Fran O’Callaghan taking over his seat on the council, an outcome that keeps the mayor’s panties in a frenzied bunch every single day (sorry about the imagery). Add in Phil Thompson swatting away her attempts and bullying and wouldn’t be at all surprised if Jenny is ringing Beyond Blue regularly to hold it all together.
And if Mayor Mullet wants to get us on side, why doesn’t she allay our suspicions and tell us where the massive amounts of water demanded of a hydrogen producer is coming from. And at what cost to council (i.e. ratepayers). But our financial/marketing genius has that in hand apparently … she says she will consider putting a levy on Lansdown tenants if she has to!!
What a saleswoman!!!
Presumably, any “massive amounts of water” needed for whatever is built at Lansdown will come from the Haughton pipeline which, after all, will have capacity to supply the whole city by itself when it is brought online. What I find fascinating is the willingness of the state and apparently now federal government to put up serious money for Lansdown. It might be council-owned land and Jenny Hill might be spread-eagling herself all over any publicity about it but I think it is now up to the federal government, through the local member who apparently has his hand on the loot, to account for some of the decision making here. Or is it the case that governments don’t do due diligence any more? Do they just hand over the money for any hare-brained scheme that will be popular in the electorate? If that’s the case then I guess we have to give credit to the mayor for landing the fat fish. Bob Katter and George Christensen eat your hearts out.
Overall, a thoughtful comment, but the pipeline was never intended orr designed to ‘supply a whole city by itself’. It was a measure initially and reasonably suggested by Jane Arlett to drought-proof residential/industrial Townsville. And all at a price, which cannot be quibbled with, it’s a bloody big project. Even when it comes on line, The ‘Pie very much doubts it would in itself supply Townsville at its normal levels for residents and industry in times of shortage. So what happens when we go into drought – which is inevitable n- and the city needs the pipeline? What will be the situation at Lansdown?
I was simply pointing out that the Haughton pipeline will be capable of moving a shitload of water, more than enough to develop an industrial zone at Lansdown and still back up the Ross River dam for many decades to come. Whether such an industrial zone is a good idea worth state and federal funding (at least in part to establish that essential water distribution ‘infrastructure’) is what I would expect those upper echelons of ‘government’ to elucidate. If they (as in federal and state governments) are OK with whatever TCC tells them it wants then it’s hardly surprising that the mayor big notes herself. And gets to sing the praises of one or all of the local member/s, state and federal, in her own concert hall. LOL.
That would be the Phil Thompson Memorial Concert Hall, as it will surely be officially named? Mayor Mullet to cut the ribbon.
To make any major development at Woodstock a reality (residential or industrial) TCC really needs to construct the Toonpan Treatment Plant and have a constantly pressurised pipeline to it.
This has been around for many years and the land is already identified in the area where the current and duplicate Haughton Pipelines cross the Flinders Highway and would bring potable water to residents in the area from Oak Valley to Majors Creek.
The current and planned Haughton pipelines are designed to top up the Ross River Dam when needed and the pumps are not designed to run continuously and the hydraulic head from the Burdekin is not sufficient to push water through the Toonpan Plant meaning that a redesign of the pumping capacity and operability is needed to make it all happen.
What we call engineering is sadly missing from this rainbows and unicorns discussion that the stunned Mullet is having with the paper.
Fran would be well advised to get someone to walk her through the processes and limits on the provision of water to that area. But as a resident she must have heard for years the many reasons why we cannot get town water to Woodstock so she should be asking how it will suddenly be possible for Landsdumb.
hang on
OK.
Sorry. Please ignore the “hang on” it was an accidental discharge
The ‘Pie can remember a few of them … which reminds him, must ring the daughter to how she’s getting on.
Addled, Why use the Houghton pipeline water for Hydrogen production when salt water is more desirable. Then why have the plant at Landsdown?
Wouldn’t the state government precinct bear the port access be preferable to pump salt water to it?
Alahazbin, why are you asking me? Ask the people who are putting up taxpayers’ money for these various projects. Phil Thompson the federal member has $195 million (not spent on Haughton2) to spend around the electorate and has decided some of that should go to Lansdown. To my knowledge, he hasn’t said why or what for. No idea what the latest thought bubble from the mayor is so perhaps it’s time to look further up the money chain for some explanation. That’s all.
Gas facts.
A by product when creating hydrogen by electrolysis is the release of oxygen into the atmosphere. Over time, as the level of oxygen increases, the atmosphere will thicken, allowing less sunlight to reach the earth and scattering most of the sun light that will hit the surface. The consequences of a high oxygen level will be lower vaporization and less production of water vapors, resulting in a decrease in temperature. Are we creating a similar problem as espoused by the green fringe on the release of CO2 into the atmosphere?
Has the science been checked?
NAW: You are implying that the electrolysis separation process will only secure Hydrogen and release Oxygen as a bi-product into the atmosphere.
If that were so, history would be repeating itself from when crude oil was first extracted and refined and a “useless” Bi-product Petroleum/Gasoline was discarded.
BOC will I’m sure cheerfully take up the “residue” from the Hydrogen extraction as a public service, gratis!.
Sorry mate but your comment looks more like its based on some Feces book info.
And while we are checking the science we need to be very careful of the dangerous and sometimes lethal dihydrogen monoxide.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.lockhaven.edu/~dsimanek/dhmo.htm&ved=2ahUKEwiI8rnkrKXzAhVb73MBHbMcBLoQFnoECCIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1uMz26Bgi89S_8RAuVNSwH
Dave makes a good point in jest – when you burn hydrogen fuel it recombines with atmospheric oxygen to form water again, so in theory the process is oxygen neutral.
It’s so good to see that bearded beauty Phil Thompson offering to throw money at Townsville. The Mayor and the Labor fuckwits certainly aren’t doing anything productive other than promise car racing and shitty Cowboys football matches. Go Phil!!!
P.S Fran, you are a legend. How good are you. You are virtually the only Councillor doing what they were elected to. Smart woman. Cheerio.
My analysis of oxygen pollution didn’t pass your scrutiny?
Disappointed.
To whom is that comment replying to? Please, folks, if replying, make sure you do it through the reply button.
In this case, it would appear that you, NAW, are replying to yourself regarding a unpublished comment that wasn’t posted quickly enough for your liking. Mate, The ‘Pie does have a life (sort of) and other personal commitments away from the keyboard and outside this blog despite the 50+ plus hours he puts into it each week. If your comment isn’t accepted, it should show that its been trashed. Otherwise, it gets posted when The ‘Pie is back in front of the screen.
As Boris Johnson told Macron recently ‘Donnez moi un break FFS.’
Harumph!
Be careful about mentioning Macron, Mr Pie. NAW might bitch-slap you or throw a hard boiled egg at you!
Mr Pie, sorry that I let my enthusiasm get in the way of waitng for you to finish your dinner.
Won’t happen again.
You take the trouble to post a reasonably argued point of view, so The ‘Pie will always try to post asap.
Non Aligned, I read your ‘factual’ treatise and decided you should have been a scientist. But then I realised that you are asking if the science has been checked. You are asking us! FFS.
Addled, Excuse my lack of clarity regarding the science. The Port of Townsville expect to be Shipping cica 120,000 tonne of hydrogen from the port, this means 960,000 tonne of Oxygen is released from the H2O molecule (water) in it production. This is simple chemistry.
My question is have there been any studies on the effect that this extra oxygen being released into the atmosphere will have on the planet.
NAW, excuse my lack of clarity. I haven’t got a clue, OK? I would be surprised if those thousands of tonnes of oxygen ‘by-product’ were simply dumped into the atmosphere.
NAW: Do you mean it doesn’t hold water?
Is Addled just Dolan in disguise?
Our chance of getting the NRL Grand final are being torpedoed by Qld Health they only did 11000 COVID tests yesterday. In August it was 50000 tests a day.
Can’t find any COVID if you don’t test for it.
From a trusted source:
Covid case at TGH 30 mins ago.
From Brisbane. Been in community for 2 days.
Info from senior shift nurse. Has not been officially released. All hush hush at this stage.
Premier Young and Anna will be having a confab to discuss how to break it to the media. NEWSFLASH; COVID is here to stay. Open the fucking borders and let’s get on with life. Almost 2 years of this crap. Enough already.
Fatty CEO – gotta stick to the party line;
“we are sticking with this COVID Clusterfuck until we get rid of SCoMo from the lodge”
or at least that’s what the Anna’s focus groups are saying (AKA “Health Advice”)
I’ve been vaccinated so I’m not worried. I can’t believe that no doctors are screaming the house down about allowing the virus out. Delta is NOT more deadly than original virus for fucks sale. Media blow this up. All other countries open now have seen that when the virus enters a body that is vaccinated it can be spread but spread at a weaker version. It mutates both ways. But good luck getting a doctor to voice this because you can bet Qld Heath will strip there abilities to practice immediately. Masks don’t work as much as they say either and it is proven is studies in UK and USA. I wonder if the “we’re for you” paper is about to reveal BREAKING NEWS from magpie???
Well, they’ve been informed and the appropriate stenographer no doubt assigned.
The TGH covid case raises the question of what happens if the NRL shifts the grand final to Townsville.
What will stop footy fans driving up from Brisbane to see the game?
Is Anna going to put up a border just south of the Sunshine Coast?
Interesting times!
The ‘Pie emphasises that that report is yet to be verified, and was only posted because the source is reliable and always well informed. If confirmed, should be no surprise, we’ve dodged the COVID bullet for so long, despite inviting the world and his wife to bread and circus footy games. Not knocking the stadium events, they have been -dare The ‘Pie pun – a shot in the arm for local business, but there was the cer present danger of ending our charmed run.
‘Anyway, have alerted the Astonisher so their hard questioning tough investigative stenographers are on the job. One hopes.
In a similar vein! Watching the morning news Victoria has massive increase in new Covid cases.
Surely it was to have been expected 5 days after the footy GF?
You are presumably talking about the tens of thousands of gatherings around the TV screen in Victoria … as you know, the game was in Perth.
Yes Pie; but more likely the illegal gatherings to celebrate and/or commiserate the result. There was one group of nearly 100 mentioned in the news.
Bet your life there were plenty more especially considering the contempt for both law and order displayed in Melbourne in recent times.
Nope, grand final house parties.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-30/victoria-records-new-covid-cases-and-vaccine-progress/100502450
IObserver, the way things are going the NRL Grand Final might have to be held (in Brisbane) without any spectators.
Dear Astonisher investigative stenographers, I can imagine the company cost cutting measures are starting to bite so here are the windows keyboard shortcuts to help you cut, copy, and paste the QLD Health media release when you get it;
Cut (Ctrl + X)
Copy (Ctrl + C)
Paste (Ctrl + V)
Undo (Ctrl + Z)
Make sure you don’t ask questions, nothing to see here.
Posted at 9.22am. Pretty quick acting on The Magpie tip tweeted to the Bulletin at 8.17am. Trust spotter’s fee will be forthcoming from The Astonisher..
A Covid-19 positive case has been detected in Townsville.
Two sources have confirmed to the Townsville Bulletin that a man was transported from the Hotel Chancellor to Townsville Hospital last night.
He subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.
It is understood that the man may have been in the community for the past two days.
The case is expected to be addressed during the Queensland Government’s 10am press briefing.
A list of exposure sites will be published as it comes to hand.
Thanks ‘Pie.
So the $45 mil pipeline duplication between Ross River road and Douglas water treatment plant isn’t ” commercial in confidence ” as tenders are out as per astonisher today . Yet an update on Haughton $195 mil pipeline stage 2 is ? . Nothing to do with $110 mil shortfall in the $195 mil our 3 State MP,s promised and Team Hill trying to keep it under wraps ? .
It’s a shame the CCC can’t investigate this ‘practise’ of councils like TCC picking and choosing what they want to be made public and what they want to be kept private. Has there never been a recommendation by the CCC or another government body that requires local government to follow a specific disclosure/not disclosure process? Because the policy is being severely manipulated.
To quotebthat nice Mr Loaf, ‘you took the words right out of my mouth.’
‘It must have been while you were kissing me’. Was it Pie?
“Normal” humans have been working on the replacement of the dam to Douglas pipe since the stink in the community some time ago and there isn’t much political glory in simply replacing an aging and well past its use by date piece of esential infrastructure we did not bother maintaining. There has been no real interest from those in the executive are on this project.
The mayor and her councillors seem to expect a participation ribbon for just showing up and box ticking plans and work done by the staff.
Credit where its due the TB has published details of the infected patient’s exposure sites in Townsville and not behind a paywall.
https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/all-the-townsville-covid19-case-exposure-sites/news-story/bb5ef259630967992f0b15f9c1da15b1
Saw this a couple of days ago and can’t stop laughing at the bullshit in this media release
https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/about-council/news-and-publications/media-releases/2021/september/transparency-key-to-townsville-city-council-operations
Saw that and was saving it for the blog but you have eyes everywhere. You really have to admire the Trump-like chutzpah of such a white-is-black bullshit claim. The TCC, madam mayor and the likes of businesswoman-cum-part-time-councillor Margie Potty Mouth Ryder reveal only enough to keep the regulators at bay. The most previous and still active judgement from authorities was that the Townsville City Council operates a culture of secrecy. Their only concern is that their secret is no secret at all, and more people are starting to get pissed off with this sham council.
The TCC and in this case specifically the Mayor and lap dog Ryder are de-ranged. If they believe they are open and transparent then they need to sectioned under the mental health act for their own welfare and the welfare of the Townsville community.
This is so serious now as not to be in the least bit amusing. This situation is dangerous and divisive and going downHILL at warp speed.
Thought bubble – but would it be an idea for Qld Health to have Pfizer/Moderna vaccines available at the testing clinics? Get your vax while waiting for the test?
Won’t work Gal. Folks have to wait for their test result if unvaccinated and if they end up having the virus, the medical advice is they wait around 90 days post recovery before they can be vaxxed.
Earlier in the week, NAW raised the matter of disposal of oxygen produced by industrial scale electrolysis for hydrogen production and export. I found that there’s a whole field of research in this area typified by this Japanese team report:
“If large quantities of hydrogen are required to be produced from renewable resources by electrolysis process, by-product oxygen also will be produced in large scale. In such the situation, by-product oxygen should be fully utilized, because oxygen is an important industrial gas utilized in many processes such as combustion, semiconductor production, wastewater treatment, etc. The effective utilization of oxygen would improve energy efficiency of some industrial processes [1]. While by-product oxygen in electrolysis hydrogen production can be harmlessly vented, it seems more prudent to explore its possible large-scale utilization.”
NAW might like to look up a study using by-product oxygen in a Yarra Valley wastewater treatment plant – very interesting science linked to significant economic benefits. And potentially applicable to Townsville’s wastewater treatment plants which apparently require significant (expensive) upgrades to meet GBR water quality demands.
Christ, and there was The ‘Pie thinking that Mayor Mullet and our three state drongos had cornered the market on hot air.
What a fuckwit – Non Aligned Worker and Addled are one and the same. 1 person with 2 usernames commenting to each other. You douchebag.
And you are the father, the son or the holy ghost?
Ka-boom!
Thanks Addled, I had a look for information on the by product and came up with nothing.
How dumb can you be to make an error like this … especially one involving a leading law firm, FFS.
A minor player on the local legal scene, Ralph Lake, decides to close down his little known firm Lake Legal for ‘retirement reasons’ (whatever that unusual statement is concealing). OK, a bit of a filler story , but hey, we need a pic of Mr Lake … so lets pose him outside the nearest law firm for a snazzy illustration … in this case, the handiest is one of Townsville oldest and most respected law firms, Connolly Suthers.
WTF? The clear visual impression at a glance is that Connolly Suthers is closing down. Which The Magpie can assure you will be surprising news to Connolly Suthers – it certainly isn’t shutting up shop. Will be surprised if a CS principal isn’t breathing down the phone to the iditor this very minute.
What’s the bet there’s an apology – certainly at least a ‘weasel-worded ‘clarification’ ‘- perhaps as early as tomorrow on at least their website.
And another Murdoch ‘workforce economy’ was on display … that of reporters as photographers. Professional photographers will be cringing at the composition of that sub-Instagram portrait, and ask why it wasn’t suitably cropped … its enough to drive you up a light pole.
I’m not sure if you spotted this but the picture is well over 10yrs old. If you noticed that the state government building that Campbell Newman built has not been constructed yet in the background. The Connolly suthers lawyers are on crn of flinders street and Stanley and the vacant block behind was the old T&G building. Was this on purpose this picture or just laziness
What a load of bullshit. Shutting down the business? If it was such a good business then why isn’t he selling it? Me thinks that old mate is in some kind of strife either financially due to being a muppet.
Well, that didn’t take long, did it? Seems The ‘Pie’s crystal ball is in working order. From today’s Astonisher.
Just in case you can’t read it …
Nothing creates instant action like a call from a lawyer to an iditor.
Nice one mate, but be careful when talking about balls, pissed off people may visit you with a battery and jumper leads and attach them to your less than crystal spheroids.
Sounds like something one of our local 3 blind mice would do.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/jg87wg/missing-drunk-man-spent-hours-helping-a-search-party-look-for-himself
Did he find himself and yell ‘Eureka, he’s over here.’?
Could it have been Messagebank Lettuce-Leaf Walker? Sounds like something he is capable of…???
Utterly PISS-WEAK!
This little snot on parole, house breaks, steals car, kills 4 other snots, gets only 5 years and only required to serve only 60%, and, due criminal history, unlikely to reform.
So much for protecting the public.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-01/qld-court-crash-sentencing-townsville-fatal-accident-teenager/100504218
And outrage from our local members asking for a judicial review due to the inadequacy of the sentence…….cue the crickets.
Tough on crime – not this State government.
Dave of the Far West, Not only is this government failing the general public, they are failing the little snots. If this snot had been locked up 18 days before the other 4 snots would be still alive. This is a result of years of ALP government stupidity. They have to start addressing the cause not the result.
SHAME SHAME SHAME ON GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN’S FOR HER VICIOUS TRASHING OF TIME HONOURED AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL TRADITION.
Outraged reaction has been swift in the wake of Gladys’s shock resignation over the investigation into her relationship with former colleague Daryl Maguire.
She has infuriated politicians across the country.
‘For fucks sake, she doesn’t have to fall on her own sword just because she fell on Daryl Maguire’s,’ one colleague fumed.
Dozens of politicians, both state and federal — including premiers – now risk having their behaviour called into question by Berejiklian suddenly and recklessly deciding to do the unheard of honourable thing and resign. ‘Thoughtless and cruel,’ one Sky News commentator said. ‘She did this abruptly and without a thought for hard working beacons of accepted political behavioural standards for those in public life. I mean, how does this make people like Christian Porter look.’
He said many would take this as a personal insult. ‘What an unfair reflection on Scott Morrison, Pauline Hanson, Bronwyn Bishop, Craig Kelly, Les Walker, Aaron Harper and Premier Anna Palaszczuk. I could go on. Who the hell does she think she is, Mother Teresa?.”
Power brokers on both sides are seething, one describing it as ‘a stab in the back’ of time honoured tradition of prevarication, excuses, blame shifting and outright denial of the obvious. Her harshest critics just can’t understand why she did not do the sensible thing and refuse to comment ‘while the investigation is on-going, but I will continue to serve the people of NSW’.
Another backroom heavy weighed in, saying ‘This is a slap in the face to all hard grafting – err … that is, hard working politicians. And how lame is that, claiming to step aside to allow an unhampered corruption investigation, and ensure the smooth operation of the NSW government. How the hell can you expect to nobble those nosey ICAC bastards if you’re not in power?’ one told The Magpie, adding that ‘this sets a terrible precedent.’
Humorous indeed, however (sadly) very true Mr Pie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxvnSS1vlsI
Sure beats “my dog ate my homework”.
The new editor at the Bully is on the ball.
One of the opinion stories about Australia becoming a republic is dated 3 June.
The new motto should be last months news this month.