The coronation was a lavish exercise in painting by numbers, with all the carefree spontaneity of a moon launch, and many ‘beam me up Scotty’ moments by the main players. One wonders if the millions of downtrodden were uplifted by this glimpse of their betters.
Budget blues: apprehension, anger and disappointment are guaranteed … no, no, not Tuesday’s federal budget … The ‘Pie is looking ahead to Jenny’s annual japery for Townsville which is just weeks away. She could learn a thing or two from Darwin … but probably won’t.
More community memory is lost for the Townsville Bulletin, with veteran journalist Tony Raggatt retiring.
… and from America, one of the funniest (and scariest) bits of unintended numbskullery that will have you in stitches.
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When You’re A King, There’s Always A String Attached.
A dry-eyed Bentley imagined a tender private moment after the coronation.
The ‘Pie dare not imagine what sort of post-coronation canoodling went on in Buck palace.
The pervading feeling for The Magpie was a sense that these folks really didn’t know how absurd they looked and behaved … everyone seems to have lost their sense of the ridiculous. But let’s talk coronations and commodities.
Carrots are the commodity in question. After last night’s Chuck 3 spectacle, there could be a shortage this favourite veggie, when it appeared that every single person taking part in the slow-motion drag show moved like they had a carrot up their crevice and daren’t move too quickly for fear of unclenching it. The expressions of many a quivering jowl betrayed this potential for social disgrace. Or maybe it was just the British upper class susceptibility to constipation.
Then there were the cue cards. We haven’t seen that many since Joe Biden sang happy birthday to his wife.
Instead of lines grandly learnt for a grand occasion, the clerics and Chuck himself had them openly held to the side for them to read. On more than one occasion, the rev holding the card actually employed a ‘follow the bouncing ball’ finger on the required words. This heightened the sense of boredom and doing ‘this damn thing’ all by rote, as eyes were on the cards and averted from questioner and responder, and exchanges gabbled quickly. It was very like a first reading rehearsal for a Christmas panto. One wouldn’t have been very surprised if the lads in the choir started yelling ‘Look out, she’s behind you.’
Then, to emphasise this ‘God, I’ll be glad when this is over’ flavour of the proceedings, Charles was seen on a number of occasions sighing, fidgeting and looking anxiously to see what he was meant to do next. One got the impression that the justified outrage at the cost of this ego-fest had him having second thoughts but too late, the abbey wouldn’t return his booking fee.
And our own Mayor Jenny Hill would be furious, because adding insult to the injury of not making the guest list, there was a hefty brunhilde who was – shall we say – built to heroic proportions who favoured a purple outfit that puts Jenny’s fav little doona number to shame.
But a few military types had a nice day out. One hopes it warmed the hearts of those millions who can’t afford electricity in Britain to warm up anything else right now.
Not That We Can Talk
We Aussies are faced with the twin whammies of energy AND a rental crisis, that see families sleeping in their cars. But hey, we’ve got a caring, sharing Labor Government in power, and they’ll know how to fix things, won’t they? Bentley isn’t so sure.
Politics is all about perception, and whether its footy or fancy dress frivolity, it ain’t a good look – especially for a Labor outfit.
A couple of interesting parallels between Hobart and Townsville. The proposed Tassie arena will hold 25,000, same as Total Tools stadium here in the ‘ville.
Hobart already has a very good footy ground that already holds 25,000, just like the Willows did here in Townsville.
And in both cities the argument was and is for economic benefit of local business. Let’s hope Hobart has better luck than we’re having.
Now About That Budget On Tuesday
Alan Koehler is someone who tends to see things pretty clearly in the economic world, so this article in The New Daily is worth a quick squizz before Tuesday night. If the headline doesn’t raise a few hackles, a few of the ideas in the Koehler analysis sure will. Some samples:
Drop Stage 3 tax cuts now
Specifically, now is the time to do something about the Stage 3 tax cuts, not next year when they’re about to happen.
Albanese and Labor are miles ahead in the polls and everyone understands the spending pressures on the government and the absurdity of $20 billion per year in tax cuts when the budget is in deficit and inflation is a problem.
Also, what has to be done is obvious and doesn’t need an inquiry – just keep the 37 per cent tax bracket rather than abolish it, as proposed, while keeping the reduction in the 32.5 per cent bracket to 30 per cent, as well as the increase in the top marginal tax threshold from $180,000 to $200,000, although that could probably go as well.
The Grattan Institute says those tweaks would save $8 billion a year, and although it would be a broken promise, it should be easy to sell.
Apart from that, Chalmers should confine negative gearing to new houses, not existing ones, and go back to capital gains tax at the full marginal income tax rate, adjusted for inflation, instead of the flat 50 per cent discount.
Smelling salts, anybody?
This Budget Season, Perhaps Mayor Mullet Might Take Leaf From Darwin’s Book.
Closer to home, when it’s handed down, Jenny’s budg … ahem, sorry, that’s the TCC budget … will have had minimum input from councillors or the public, it will be no more than now annual hubristic Memorandum from Mayor Mullet. It is well known that in recent years, it’s been a one-woman show. Sure Kim Il Jen gets loads of input, most of which stays in her in-tray and she finds reasons to raise rates.
So it was with great interest The ‘Pie noted a couple of paid ads in the NT News taken out by the City of Darwin Council.
But not just that, there was a second page, even more startling -well, to anyone in Townsville.
Yes, believe it or not, he city administration is inclusiveness and confident enough to go one further, and actually list projects, great and minor, ticketed for specific suburbs. This is an act of supreme confidence and responsibility, the sub-text being that these projections are on public record and provide indisputable measurable goals for the council.
Can we expect something similar from mayor Mullet? (Ha ha, don’t answer, just The ‘Pie’s little jest.)
Maybe mayoral hopeful Fran O’Callaghan might introduce something along Darwin’s lines should she make it to the mayor’s office, because this is shining openness and inclusivity.
Tony Raggatt Retires
The Magpie managed to get in more than two days ahead of the Bulletin during the week, with a development that isn’t good news for the paper, or for Townsville.
Ando did a nice spread on him in the weekend Astonisher, and funny thing, of all the previous editors quoted, Peter the Plagiarist Gleeson didn’t get a guernsey. Strange, that.
Heard In Passing
The ‘Pie is hearing that the blokes behind the Driveit track at Lansdown at unhappy chappies – in extremis – with Mayor Mullet because they have no access road to the completed site. Seems driving force behind the very worthwhile project, Pat Driscoll, is about to blow a gasket.
And while we’re in that neck of the scrub, this the latest map of the area.
Not a single mention of Magnis. Mayor Mullet is obviously hoping we have short memories.
Judging The Judges
Gallery America this week is much taken up with further revelations about the grifting Clarence Thomas, his wife Ginny and other Trump-appointed judges.. But there were plenty of other targets too, including the upcoming contest likelyb to be between a creaking old codger and a madman.
This Is Both Hilarious And Scary
You may recall the classic Abbot and Costello routine ‘Who’s on first?) – the confusion about baseball players names. If you haven’t, here’s the best version of the classic routine.
Well, here’s the updated version from Fox news …. only this wasn’t intended. It was about a TV show called You. The scary part? This woman has a major influence on a big chunk of American voters (the moron lobby).
In Passing
Wonder if there’s an equivalent list for Australia.
The Bulletin might soon have to set aside a whole regular page at this rate … two in one go. And putting them together is dumb.
And one from the ‘Ain’t That The Truth’ file:
And The ‘Pie Leaves You With This …
Once you’ve seen it, you’ll never unsee it. Uncanny.
………….
That’s it for the week, comments running hot. Join in.
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June Council budget prior to March 2024 Council elections . Council press release 22nd March ” Council is embarking on extensive consultation in preparing the budget ” . The nest has a diverse range of commenters so has anyone one had any consultation with Council or Councillors on next years budget ? .
Does this release … or any prior ones … suggest in broad terms or even specific terms about which groups and perhaps even individuals it is ‘consulting with’?
I can’t speak for other Council people here but this stake-holder has not been consulted. Probably because the stakes we are holding would end up plunged through the black and shriveled hearts of the Rotten Mullet and Little Prick.
Do we assume you are not a fan?
Hey Barely, I see on LinkedIn he’s now “Dr. Prins Ralston” … a doctor of what, do you know?
Bit slow Dave. Stinky Prins had the title of Dr long before he was appointed at TCC.
To Ducks: Useful contribution as always mate … forgive me, haven’t been on LinkedIn for a long time … do you actually have an answer to my question … what does he have a doctorate in?
Dave, I looked at online newspaper articles, dating back a number of years. You could also do this if you wish.
Thanks Ducks
I’m a bit confused (nothing new there) about this weeks Blog title reference “Squidgy” wasn’t that James Gilbey’s “pet” name for Dianna?
Maybe Prince Harry world know?
An (unsuccessful, on reflection) attempt at a too tricky back joke … not to worry, amended. Thanks, good point.
King Chas is also wearing a purple doona under his white fur coat, first and last time; unlike spinning Jenny’s doona that has regular outings.
Hey, has anyone got the recording of the whole shebang? You, Heel? Can you find that massive hoofer in the audience … the one in glasses and that fetching number that looked like it was straight out of the bottom of a wine press? There were at least two distinct shots of her, with another eye catching female in green behind her.
Consultation and Jenny Hill should never be mentioned in the same sentence.
Unless a psychiatrist is involved.
A basic element of all humour through history has been twitting your ‘betters’, and the coronation was a gift to those of a savage humour now allowed to have their instant say on social media. Twitter is awash with such comments. Here’s a small collection, the last being very poignant, clash between traditional Aussie values versus English tradition … the Poms won this one after what the tabloids would call ’Sam Kerr’s Agonising Decision’.
Thanks, Achilles, but not there. Will have a beak around elsewhere.
Crowd hysteria in London on the weekend, all branches of the military called in to assist the police with the panic stricken crowds as an elderly T Rex (Tampon King) roamed unrestrained at many tourist sites.
It was finally cornered at Buckingham Palace where it looked down upon the masses gathered to observe this very ancient purple doona clad relic.
RUOK?
Empty stands at the Reds rugby game last night, whole town was empty, so why on earth would the brainless fuckwits at the council block off Flinders St East all day and night, interrupt traffic and causing all the cars to go up over the hill and along the Strand, this place is seriously run by some of the worlds dumbest human beings.
The traffic management associated with the stadium is just ridiculous. The whole city is affected and the traffic flow completely disrupted. The drop off zones are miles away and public transport pathetic. No public carpark. And Mayor Mullet wants to build more infrastructure in the area? The city can’t cope as it is. Terrible planning.
I went through town at lucnchtime Saturday, the traffic heading north was backed up to Dean St Car Park, it took 20 minutes and at least 10 changes of lights near the brewery to get through that intersection, why the fuck would you block off a key road in the CBD at lunchtime, for an event that doesn’t start until 8.00pm, is everyone at Townsville council so ignorant that basic failures like this dont get recognised.
Councillor Food Truck Greaney , won’t be getting too many votes from cbd traders for disrupting their businesses . Rarely seen or speaks to the traders in the cbd unless their is a media camera around or set up interview .
Probably she doesn’t care all that much, because maybe a lot of those traders don’t live in her division.
Mike it’s a long walk from Bell St to the CBD.
The traffic control on the Denham St Bridge is associated with the works further up Denham St but I agree that it should have been removed on Friday well before the other closures were put in place. But greater minds than mine managed all that.
What the hell is traffic going to be like if Jenny gets her Arts Centre built in Dean Park and there’s an event at both the Stadium and the Arts Centre.
Watching the fashion statements will be interesting, Arts mob dressed up, footy mob in boardies and t-shirts.
HEAR! HEAR!
We won’t see any new arts infrastructure of any kind built until we’re rid of Jenny. The theatre/gallery ideas have been punted about for years now with zero movement.
Mr Magpie. I am a republican but also a historian. A lot of the coronation ceremony was written and ordered by law when the throne had pretenders like the Catholic Stuart’s. Hence the cue cards. Even one official statement read wrongly could give cause that the rightful king etc was not crowned. The Jacobite Franz Duke of Bavaria is still to some a true claimant. The last one was 1953. Long time between productions!
Th ‘Pie bows to your arcane knowledge, Sir Cobber.
The ‘Pie used the term cue cards to enable his best original gag in ages …’haven’t seen so many since Joe Biden sang happy birthday bto his wife.’
Well I laughed anyway.
So did I, ‘Pie. AND my terribly English husband.
Spot on, Cranky.
For the second time, the rah rah failed to draw even an average crowd. In fact one southern newspaper described the size of the crowd as “unimpressive”.
Which raises the question, how much did all this cost? Not just the road closures, but the Townsville Eats flop, and the amount of our dosh Jenny Hill dished out to the rugby barons to try to look like North Queensland’s answer to Michael Chugg.
Mark it up as yet another dismal failure by our joke of a mayor.
The attendance was so bad, not one of four sites The ‘Pie visited even hazarded a guess.
Hey Magpie, instead of tax increases every time, how about cutting the public service by 25% (from CEO’s downward) and require a 50% efficiency dividend and a halving of red tape. Australia already has the highest taxes in the world and we are fast approaching max debt levels. Qld alone is rushing towards $200,000 million in debt (that’s $200 billion).
You’re an idiot … nort for your comment itself, but that it is so easily shown to be bullshit in three clicks.
Is Australia the most taxed country?
Based on 2019 data and including state taxes, we are the eighth-lowest country in the OECD for tax collection relative to our economy’s size, with tax revenue at 28% of GDP compared with the OECD average of 33%.12 Apr 2023
Selective crap out of the Guardian there Pie, maybe read something a little more reputable in the field of economics and business and by the time you include income taxes, Medicare Levy, Medicare Levy surcharge if applicable, GST, state taxes and levies, city taxes, fuel excise, tobacco and alcohol taxes, and one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world at 30% plus a long list of some of the worlds most expensive Govt charges and levies and it is very clear to see Australians are one of the highest taxed peoples in the world, as tomorrow’s budget will clearly show.
Quoting the source of factual information as an argument refuting fact-based claims is lazy tripe, mate, and you know it. We all know to take certain sources a Lake Eyre of salt, but you still need facts to counter them. So you may care to peruse the following, which shows in three categories of taxation, Australia doesn’t even make it into the top ten. There is a another site (not linked here) that makes us 17th on their list. And there is a 9 News story – a source I don’t fully trust – that says we are fourth in income taxing countries. Your sense of social equity is a suitable reprimand to we old age and jobless bludgers, freeloaders and hangers on that hinder your negotiations with your helipad builder and spinnaker makers. Thoughts and prayers.
And this from the World Economic Forum
Sean and Cantankerous both talking out of their arse in this thread. The Magpie has provided evidence. Respond on the same basis or bow out.
https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/australians-pay-top-tax-rate-earlier-than-comparable-countries-20221006-p5bnpq
Depends on what set of figures you want to quote I guess, don’t know why you wouldn’t trust the AFR, maybe not far enough to the left for you but seldom are they inaccurate and generally have a good perspective. Anyway enjoy your $500 tomorrow night and maybe spare a thought for the poor bastard working their arse off to pay for it and won’t get a cent.
I must take issue with the WEF as a reference. For anything at all.
https://theconversation.com/amp/do-australians-pay-too-much-income-tax-6-charts-on-how-we-rank-against-the-rest-of-the-world-185223
The main reason Australia ranks so highly on individual income tax levels is because Australians don’t pay separate social security taxes.
Poor cankers. Still complaining about taxes. Maybe you should go start your own sovereignty.
He already has in his head. Grumpy, too.
Huh?
This is what happens when you diminish public service capacity:
https://amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/05/morrison-government-spent-208bn-on-consultants-and-outsourcing-public-service-in-final-year-audit-finds
Ditto TCC.
That, of course, assumes that the Public Servants would have had the skill set to do the job contracted out to Consultants. Not necessarily the case, unless there are lots of shiny bums on payroll doing nothing much of the time.
You’ve answered your own questions, Russ.
I suspect the king will, like his mummy, will be instrumental in keeping wayward politicians in line. So let’s respect the institution. But for heaven’s sake stop obsessing about their social, sexual, financial interaction and pay attention to the running of THIS country. It’s much more important and entertaining.
Good to see you still on top and taking a I mean the piss, Malcolm.
It was a different view from Old Blighty, of course. The bloke and I stayed in our dressing gowns, seeing as it was morning, although he eventually put clothes on and went out. I didn’t do either.
By the end of the day and for no reason what-thoever Himthelf and I were thpeaking with lithps (one each, obviouthly). He upped the ante by pwopothing we be unable to woll our Rs ath well. I must thay I find that more challenging, ethpethially on public tranthport.
You quack on, ‘Pie. You’re all wight, no matter what anyone thayth about you.
Ah TUH the story that keeps on giving and has so much more to give. So So Much more to come. Watch this space.
Yup – I heard a story about the incompetency at TUH this morning. Lots of “not my job”, staff not giving correct information to patients and departments not talking to each other. Nanna Anna put on how many extra health bureaucrats and they still can’t collectively organise a root in a brothel.
there is so much more to come
Of course, the Townsville Bulletin editor will be all over Jenny Hill’s waste of money on the rugby.
After all, it cost ratepayers a small fortune, and the paper is “for us”.
Footy, exactly who do you think TCC pays this ratepayers money you say is changing hands at some or all events at the stadium? The building and all its maintenance, cleaning, turf farming, ticketing etc is all run by Stadiums Queensland whose last annual report seems to indicate that ours has a similar performance to similar stadiums down in the SE. Or do you think we should all be invited to the Council’s corporate box – if they even have one?
Sunday Wanker, you ask posters on this blog a lot of questions. Why don’t you fuck off and do your own research or put forward your own ideas for a change. You’ve been wanking on a Sunday far too often.
PS – obviously, Footy Fan is referring to the incentives paid to persuade event organisers to hold their event here. But you knew that, didn’t you? Oh, and give some details of the performance you refer to. Bloody good return on the investment, no doubt. (Smiley face, smiley face) And, another thing- exactly who does get invited to the TCC corporate box? Jenny is notoriously shy about giving us names.
Of course, Commercial in Connivance.
How can people (the lowly shit kickers) be so ignorant and naive in regards to King Charles coronation that they actually celebrate this shit? The ceremony was filled by freaks and fucktards in an embarrassing display of ceremonial tomfoolery. It was so lame that it makes Jenny Hill in her Mayoral robes look normal! Tens of millions of dollars spent putting lipstick on a pig. A murderous royal heritage filled with pedophile, philanderers and murderers. The celebration that should’ve taken place was millions of common folk burning the Royals at a stake while reclaiming their stolen wealth and then having it distributed to the poor. Fuck the Royals.
PA
Brutal,but sadly so very true of this Fleet of Weirdos…………
Your Royal Highneth, I mutht beg to differ.
Mothed of we “tho ignorant and naive” people who were rather clother to the thpot than people in Townthville were (alath!) are not tho ignorant ath to think it might not be … damp out-thide. The more intelligent among uth even knew that without benefit of windowth or tv.
Hardly anyone in Old Blighty wath thelebrating, numerically thpeaking. The only genuine evidenth of Life in London wath the horth thit on the route. The R-eth-P-C-A ought to have thtepped in (it) to halt the DITHGUTHTING CRUELTY toward the hortheth, while moronic commentatorth bragged about how far they (the hortheth) were forthed to walk in clear agony and more-than-juthtifiable terror given that apart from being phythically thackled they wore blinkerth and painful mouthcontrolling gear while being thubjected to every contheivable deafening noithe.
Too late the hortheth realithed that if they had turned left when they turned right on the evoluthionary tree, THEY instead of we might by the wunth with both language and handth.
But perhapth I have mithunderthtood you. If tho, I apologithe profuthely.
At latht I thee that the R of R-eth-P-C-A maikth thenthe.
Come on Prince Al, tell us what you really think; don’t hold back
So Albo practically blubbering whilst announcing the billion dollar increase for single parents. Not your money Albo – it’s the hard working generous Aussie – supporting those in most need. My question has always been (except in the case of a deceased parent) if there are two parents – why do they need our support? If you want to split the family up – your choice – I just don’t want to pay for your choices. I’m finding it increasingly difficult just to support my own family.
Tearjerk, what do you have to say for the situation where one party makes the ‘choice’ to split the relationship and you are left holding the baby/ies? Assuming they have no money and no home, in your world is the abandoned now-sole parent a person ‘in need’ or just another bludger?
Sunday Wanker, the so-called abandoned now-sole parent person is more than likely just another bludger who couldn’t keep their legs together. Why give trailer park trash more money?? I would rather my tax money be spent on nuclear submarines, improved roads, upgraded medical infrastructure and a larger police force.
Might be more worthwhile to hold the bloke who pushed her legs open to take some responsibility, but being a bloke, he’ll just piss off. So it’s him, and not the recipient of support that you should targeting. Seeing children neglected snd born into tauma not of their own making is always worth a dollar or two, don’t you reckon? (Cantankerous, don’t even both sticking your beak into this ….again, you’ve had your scummy say.)
Some seriously ignorant opinions here. Many sole parents are not sole parents because someone “couldn’t keep their legs together”
Boys and Girls, in the real world, relationships break down for a myriad of reasons. Sometimes it’s actually a better outcome for the children when they do. Also for the adults. A violent relationship, or a relationship where the children are neglected, is much worse than having a single parent who provides a loving home. And dads, have just as much responsibility for children as mums. The courts say so, and in most cases enforce it. Unfortunately there are still a lot of parents who think that even though they fathered or birthed a child, they are not responsible for financial upkeep of that child and refuse to pay. There seem to be many ways to get out of paying child support. And unfortunately, that’s one of the reasons single parents, mostly women but some men, need help.
LIKE
If you create an underclass of the desperate poor you’re going to end up paying for it one way or another, Clown
Crime comes to mind. Or they become politicians.
Altogether now:
The working class can kiss my arse,
I’ve got the bosses job at last.
Shame that one of Tony Raggatt’s last stories for the Astonisher is a warmed-over ‘if-maybe-but’ no-hard-quotes story about Aldi … this series of ‘will they-won’t they’ about Aldi started more than two years, and this doesn’t move the matter forward much.
But hey, must be good if it’s on page 3, eh?
Well, actually, no, it’s on page 4.
The old saying is so true: if a paper can’t get the little things right, why can we trust them on the important things (like pelicans swallowing dildos.)
The Aldi will they or won’t they has been going on for a lot longer than 2 years. I remember the rumour going around over ten years ago and a local Woolies manager saying it wasn’t happening.
Love that the only one confirming Aldi was coming was the “Rasmussen resident who had been told about it”.
For this paper, that’s solid evidence.
And BTW, much of the hold-up for Aldi has been caused by lobbied opposition by the big supermarkets.
Years ago my wife wrote a submission to the then CEO of Aldi outlining suitable land for a distribution centre. At that time Aldi’s reason for setting up outside Brisbane that the supermarkets must be approximately 400km from a distribution centre.
The suggestion made was for the land at Cluden already subdivided near the Puma now Caltex servo.
The land is adjacent to a railhead and close to the port access road. Never ever got a reply.
That parcel of land is still vacant.
And nearby Fairfield Central or whatever it’s called is now booming.
Sorry Magpie but I have to advise that Pelicans are the apex predator for dildos.
Dildos make for dead dodos?
Oh Palm, you are an uninformed idiot.
The ratepayers money I was talking about was:
– the incentive paid by Jenny hill to the rugby bigwigs to get the games in Townsville
– the cost of setting up all the road closures
– the ridiculous cost of staging Townsville Eats for 2 blokes and a dog (I understand we ratepayers actually pay the food vans to turn up, plus the entertainment, plus staging)
Of course, we have Jenny Hill and her two loyal sidekicks, wannabe promoters Greaney and Mooney, to thank for this total waste of our money.
Ff, what “incentive”? Who exactly got what money? If you can’t locate a source for this gossip then it is bullshit.
Maybe, but a reasonable hypothesis, given this mayor’s previous pyrrhic policies.
Weekend Wanker – that would all be commercial in connivance wouldn’t it? How can ratepayers provide details on money spent if the Rotten Mullet hides it in her cowards castle. While you are under her and the Little Prick’s desks doing your work, why not help us out and go through the bin to provide some detail. On one hand you have incredible levels of detail only available to an absolute insider and on the other hand you demand members of the public with no such access to provide detail.
PS – are you seriously suggesting that council does not make incentive payments to event organisers? Not that there’s anything wrong with that…provided the bet is laid on the right horse. As someone said to me today, “The Reds can’t get a decent crowd at Ballymore, how the fuck could someone think that they could get a crowd in Townsville?” And which senior TCC executive is a committed Rugger Bugger?
Released at 4.30 this afternoon.
Read this and try to stop that throbbing vein in your temple from bursting.
Whoever wrote this absolute twaddle … no, let’s be blunt, it’s a pack of deliberate bloody lies … should be fired. And the Mayor should be front and centre about how much ratepayers money was wasted on this debacle. The ‘Pie has been seeking attendance numbers all afternoon, but Stadium Queensland site is a nightmare… they wanted $2 (refundable!) just to answer a fucking question.
Unbelievable even in this unbelievable fucktangle of a city.
Further proving the the idiocy of author of the Council’s codswallop release – even ardent Trumpsters would blanche at the dumbfounding claim that the ‘Townsville community turned out in full force’ – is that if that and other claims were true, it was lost on Jenny’s publicity machine at the Bulletin. The Qld side getting walloped by the NSW Waratahs got a small report buried on the inside sports pages.
next to it on the same page, even the NQ Rugby Championships at Hugh Street in Sunday got twice the coverage …
… but let’s zoom out now for further perspective. the Reds/’Tahs match was at the bottom of the page dominated by …. netball??
Now, it may surprise you that in fact the Bulletin has got it absolutely right in terms of what interests the local readers, but The Magpie is wondering if the Bulletin stenographers, directed by the most destructive dolt of an editor of recent times, will have the gall to publish the council’s (read mayor’s) claim of a resounding success.
Dare you, Mr Herbert … Townsville is waiting in full force to see what you do.
Tosser.
I’m amazed that there’s not a major sewerage mains blockage outside 103 Walker Street. This should be called out for what it it, bullshit and absolute bloody lies.
I know someone who went to the game and he reckons that it was an absolute dismal crowd and no atmosphere. He wouldn’t be surprised if the organisers try to find an alternative venue next year. Says he won’t be going to another game.
Damage control at Council over the Qld reds dismal turnout and clear waste of rate payers $ on food trucks , disruption caused closing the cbd . Clearly comments by various in the Magpie has resulted in the Council press release trying to justify their actions . Things are so woke at T.C.C . there are questions whether one of the Mayors advisors actually lives in Townsville or Queenslsnd but it appears it’s inappropriate to ask where a Council employee lives .
After that press release, it’s clear they all live in their own heads.
Wrong end of the body Magpie
Wanker Street is certainly a breeding ground for something but it is not talent.
I keep wanting to acknowledge Tony Raggatt who, unlike one or two of us here, looks as good now as he always did.
I suppose it’s too much to hope that he might drop something into the Magpie’s Nest now and again?
Saw the real story of the rugby disaster on Seven News tonight.
The crowd that turned out “in full force” at Jenny Hill’s rugby nightmare was about what you would get for a Cowboys training session during a cyclone.
Whoever writes this council bullshit must have a good imagination, or they are using the Rabieh Krayem method for estimating crowds – count the heads and multiply by 4.
In this case it was multiply by 400.
Here’s a tip Jenny Hill: forget about trying to be an event promoter and start fixing up our roads, water and sewerage problems.
And while you’re at it, stop wasting our money on trying to be a developer. It also isn’t working. Flinders Lane is a great example, and as for Landsdown – it seems to be missing a battery factory.
Stop now before you send the city bankrupt, or is it already too late?
You’d imagine in times gone by that the Bulletin would do one of it’s pointless ‘galleries’ of flag waving rugby fans at a big interstate clash. But no, we haven’t been treated such delights. So here’s a small Magpie gallery of Townsville ‘out in full force’.
But the paper did run to the expense of a freelance photographer to record the town ‘coming alive for the Townsville Eats: Reds Edition’. And full points to snapper Jessica Sheppy for gamely fighting a losing battle to make the place look even vaguely crowded. This is the FB post that they didn’t dare put in the print edition.
https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/photos-from-townsville-eats-red-edition/news-story/e63842cf9a82075ff34c0c07bff5da81
But in the end, even Ms Sheppy said WTF and gave us one shot that summed up the whole bloody farrago – and was robably a good analogy of how Townsville ratepayers felt about this wasteful disaster..
Re the hilarious Townsville City Council blurb on Saturday night’s rugby union non-event, I’m surprised that Cr Greaney didn’t put in her two cents worth and rave on about the “fantastic vibe” at the game.
That’s what she said last year about a NAFA event in Central Park that cost $1 million and attracted 30 people on a Saturday night.
That little media stunt earned her the nickname “Gushing Greaney”.
I’m starting to think our three resident promoters – Hill, Greaney and Mooney Jnr – actually believe the tripe they dish up.
And by the way Jenny, when are we going to find out the crowd figures for last year’s V8 Superpests? You know, the event ratepayers shell out millions for every year.
Surely we’re entitled to know just what we are getting for our money.
You do? Then silly old you.
It will be interesting to see the TCC 2023/24 budget once it is approved by her royal highness Madam Mullet. The purple doona wearer and the part-time CEO/full-time fuckwit, Prince Ralston, have been busy together, crunching numbers and trying to put a program of works together. Fools. I’m hearing that there will be more cutbacks to essential services and staff Council numbers, and the excuse of higher energy prices and inflation is going to be trotted out for a run. Meanwhile, I imagine more money than ever will be allocated and wasted on sporting events that tickle the Mayor’s fancy. I hope that somebody will
grab that albatross dildo and smack both of these clowns in the head with it. And Fran, watch your back, the bullies are coming for you.
Regards your warning to Fran.’Coming’? That would be ‘still coming’. Mullet and Blight have been relentless in their vendetta for two years now. Just hope Fran’s now battle-hardened.
Fran fires up.
This is an excellent idea, Cr Fran, but why wait until you are elected mayor? Why not start your monthly meetings now? Plenty of low cost. venues in the suburbs, plenty of talent onside to organise, manage and MC such an event and no shortage of people looking for the leadership and direction an alternative mayor needs to demonstrate.
The ‘Pie agrees in principle with you Palm (we’ve got to stop this or get a hotel room) but need to pick you up on ‘plenty of talent onside to organise, manage and MC such an event’. Right there you have unwittingly spelt out an underlying problem in this city …. there is virtually nobody willing to publicly speak out against the mayor, the puppet council (-1 … maybe 2) and the bullying, threatening third rate shiny bums among the executive. Let alone actively support an open mayoral rival and personal enemy of Jenny’s.
Mayor Mullet has been allowed to do the damage she has done to Townsville because of two classes of people … those cowed into silence because of her famous and active vindictiveness, and those who take the ‘I’m all right, Jack’ attitude of not rocking an albeit sinking boat. The latter group are the ones that will eventually take their dough and scuttle off to better climes.
Jenny Hill is only the visible manifestation of the real malaise in this city … it is equally the result of no one being willing to step up because most of those qualified to be responsible and financially educated leaders fall into one of the two aforementioned group.
“ . . . . there is virtually nobody willing to publicly speak out against the mayor . . “.
Well, Cr Fran has put up her hand so that’s no longer a problem. But Fran needs exposure and for that she needs a couple of no nonsense issues to raise and ride on the back of. No good bitching about the stadium – which came pretty much free of charge. To ratepayers (they think). Forget about the 2019 floods – JHill didn’t bring the record rains and is backed by a positive government inquiry. Maybe there’s something in the Lansdown road access thing but that has state and federal money behind it and might be hard to trip up the incumbent. Better to look for something new and unsexy in the roads, rates and rubbish area or yes, transparency, but don’t get lost looking for a killer blow. Try to be nice and get Fran’s mug out there from under the hat.
Palm, it is the general consensus by our regular commenting group that you bare a Jenny plant, and this comment – supposedly couched in friendly chummy terms to hide your real intent – tends to support that view. A round of meetings with specific groups and business interests could, should and probably will be held, but in this way, the tough questioning of Fran’s policy responses will take place in a controlled environment that will avoid the disruption by audiences stacked with Labor and Mayor Mullet trolls who can quickly turn general ‘town hall’ events into chaos and spun into unfavourable headlines about orchestrated gotcha moment. The meetings you suggest are ideal for Jenny’s purposes, because the set up is such that there is an expectation that there will be policy-on-the-run responses to an unexpected question, and this is always fraught with pitfalls. Dolan, which will probably get more involved if the Mullet starts to flounder, is a past master at this sort of disruptive ALP tactic.
Fran would have rocks in her head to take up the town hall meeting idea. She has apparently set up an suitable arrangement to hear from the general ratepayer on various issues that concern them, and give them appropriate replies.
Magpie, the ultimate “town hall event” is a regular council meeting chaired by the elected mayor. Such meetings are open to the public and media (in all its rabble rousing diversity) and the chair has to suck it up however it comes. If Cr Fran wants to don the ermine and sit in the big chair she needs to demonstrate that she can handle the cut and thrust of a crowd of curious and demanding residents and ratepayers. After all, as mayor, she may well be chairing a council of some indie, some party, sometimes hostile divisional members who might not play nice.
Nice try, Gollum, but chairing a council meeting with rules that can enforced in a public hall or wherever it is held is a very different proposition to what you want – essentially a campaign rally by an independent candidate with no ‘team’ as such and wide open all the possible chaos and mischief that can attract. Your dream scenario.
What you are seeking is – in your own words – a scenario that invites ‘rabble rousing’ and time wasting partisan disruption except an adverse headline.
And, me ol’ darlin’, perhaps you can tell us all where and when Jenny Hill last deigned to hold such a meeting so she could ‘handle the cut and thrust of a crowd of curious and demanding residents and ratepayers’. You can’t because if ever that occurred, the faithful would be stacked there to intimidate anyone who raised a dissenting voice. That’s how Jenny Hill handles the electorate … when not empty glad-handing in the occasional shopping mall or having her attack chihuahua Tony Blight threaten insistent inquirers to her office, this political Griselda casts her spells from the heights of her Hermit Kingdom office. All with a firm grip on the balls and pussies of her paid-off councillors. And you, too. no doubt.
Magpie, it begs the question – have you ever attended a community information function? A few months ago while on Maggie Island I attended one of their monthly ratepayer community meetings at the RSL hall (gold coin donation for the hall hire), this one attended by the mayor and a TCC engineer or some such. They talked about the multimillion stormwater and roadworks and other stuff. The audience of about 50 locals hassled the mayor about everything from parking to public toilets and the lack of a dog catcher. The chairman, a local solicitor, indulged the audience not the guests and there was plenty of good natured cut and thrust. I’m told that the state member (Stewart) and the federal member (Thompson) are regulars as are people from Ergon, Sunbus and sometimes TEL My guess is that the pollies turn up and face the music because it wins them votes. Surely there are similar groups around the town (TRRA?) that could host such a function? All it needs is a half-competent chair and you’ve already listed a couple who are helping Fran out. Isn’t this Politics 101?
An incumbent is different to a candidate.
An incumbent must account for actions and policies that have been implemented, mor which the incumbent intends to introduce. A community information function has a defined and narrow agenda.
But love ya work, matey …‘while on Maggie Island I attended one of their monthly ratepayer community meetings at the RSL hall etc’.
Palm Sunday takes a break:
Ah, think I’ll take a break on Maggie, bit of snorkeling, look at some koalas, few drinks at the Arcadia, maybe pull a backpacker or two, and can’t wait look in the monthly ratepayers meeting, too, wouldn’t miss it.
And you want us to believe your just an disinterested, unbiased observer. Mate, your cover is cracked open like an egg dropped by a tall chicken.
Perhaps you might start up a collection to fund this, or should Fran pay out of her pocket while the Rotten Mullet uses ratepayer funds?
Engineer, following from my response to the Magpie, I gather that the Maggie ratepayers would be only too happy to hear from a mayoral candidate any time, no charge, just for the experience. But hey, what would I know? According to various Nesters, Cr Fran has media heavyweights advising her so I’ll bide my time to see her in person. If she avoids public exposure for fear of unexpected questions or inane demands well shit Sherlock, public life is not for her.
You really are desperate to set Fran up as an Aunt Sally, with your carefully crafted conditions and self-important rubbish conclusions, aren’t you? Your dogged insistence … and dismay that no one is buying it … for your plan is pretty obvious. Jenny’s little helper.
And The ‘Pie is not sure that in any currents sense that Max Tomlinson and Doug Kingston could be described as ‘media heavyweights’.
I might take you up on a point you made during this thread. Jenny hill having a town hall meeting and filling it with people to overthrow those who dare to speak out. I would hazard a guess that Jenny would need a very big hall and perhaps have to fly in slot of labor party members then reserve their seats. I think at this point in time the hall may very well fill up quickly with disgruntled ratepayers outnumbering her plants. A couple of elections ago it might be other way round but time is not on her side now. I would buy tickets just to go watch lol.
Some of my favourite things, some data, a bit of Murdoch bashing and an analysis of how the Voice is being represented in the media.
https://independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/voice-debate-exposes-a-broken-australian-media,17494
Good Day Ducks
Welcome to our Australian world
Mainstream Australia owes nothing to the Hunter Gather small clans.
They should be thanking us for bringing them into a modern world system.
Oh winni… poor you… not winning at all today are you. You’ve entirely missed the point. This is about how the much time the yes or no is given by the media. It’s not actually about the topic itself.
Good Day Ducks
So how is the “First Nations Australians” Concept satisfied by the Hunter Gather small Clans who had no common government and language
“The four characteristics of a nation-state are sovereignty, land, population, and
government.
A nation is a territory where all the people are led by the same government.”
Sounds like a genuine quote. Who said it?
Winni just out of curiosity how old are you? And is this your Social Science homework?
Also these have nothing to do with the article I linked.
“The four characteristics of a nation-state are sovereignty, land, population, and
government.”
https://homework.study.com/explanation/what-are-the-four-characteristics-of-a-nation-state.html
Winni, you absolute fucking dunce, nations is plural.
Sorry, your point?
Winni is arguing that the First Nations (plural) couldn’t have been a nation (singular) because they didn’t have a shared government and language.
But they each individually had land, population, government, sovereignty and language.
It’s also worth mentioning that the concept of nationhood predates and is not restricted to that defined by Westphalian sovereignty
I know what winni is trying to argue. But it’s irrelevant to the comment winni responded to. Winni is also sourcing quotes from online homework helpers. Pretty fucking tragic way to argue anything unless you’re still at school.
What? Facts must come from a source you approve of for you to accept, although they are the same unaltered facts? Scrambling there a bit, Ducky.
Lol not scrambling Magpie. Winni could try providing sources for their own quotes and keep on topic.
For example this article discusses the crap job a lot of journalists are doing in reporting with impartially
https://theconversation.com/journalists-reporting-on-the-voice-to-parliament-do-voters-a-disservice-with-he-said-she-said-approach-204361
A very useful and mostly excellent analysis.
The ‘Pie says ‘mostly’ because there was one element in it that doesn’t gel with my five decades of journalism. Perhaps I’ve misinterpreted it, but the following excerpt appears to encourage journalists to be commentators in the news columns, to be players rather than reporting observers.
QUOTE:
So far so good in terms of coverage. But achieving impartiality in news is also challenging the media to abandon some bad old habits, and not everyone so far is up to the task.
There are plentiful examples where journalists have succumbed to the temptation to fall back on the simplest, safest yet professionally inadequate way to achieve impartiality: by simply reporting what someone says and then finding someone else to oppose it.
It is tempting because it saves time and does not demand independent evaluative thinking. It is professionally inadequate because it is journalism as stenography, rightly dismissed nowadays as “he said, she said” journalism.
The result is that absurd or far-fetched propositions go unchallenged other than by an opposing political voice. When this happens, journalism’s evaluative element goes missing, leaving the audience to figure out the rights and wrongs for themselves.
Maintaining impartiality does not require the media to publish nonsense, and certainly does not require them to publish nonsense without drawing attention to the facts or contrary evidence.
UNQUOTE
I was surprised to read such an evaluation about what is derisively called ‘he said she said’ journalism. It ignores the fact that the reporter’s job is to ask questions that clearly arise from whatever arguments or proposals are put forward … and place them in context within a story, but not to express a personal – and unavoidably partisan – opinion within the framework of a news report. (One of the ‘Pie’s main beefs with the Bulletin is that they don’t exercise the obligation to ask such questions, and they a really are just stenographers on many local issues, particularly in the political, business and council probity areas. The reasons for this attitude is open to speculation, ranging from laziness, incompetence to more venal considerations.)
But for The Magpie, pushing barrows is for proponents of an issue, examining the barrow’s load is the reporter’s job, which may result in questions being asked of either side. But it does not call for the reporter’s opinion, that is for clearly identified commentators in columns.
Ducks I was just pointing out the stupidity of winni trying to argue that pre-contact Australia wasn’t a single country when no one ever said it was.
So what was ‘invaded’? 390 countries in one hit?
More or less, yeah.
Ferdinand pre contact by whom? There’s evidence the Chinese, the Dutch, the Indonesians, all had contact with aboriginal tribes long before Captain Cook got lost and bumped into Australia. Or are we strictly talking about the English version of history here?
All the above?
If you have any evidence that the continent was politically unified prior to 1 January 1901 please share.
Ducks and the Bull
it is “First Nations” in this context.
Do a search yourselves on the subject.
“The current web page context provides
some information about First Nations
peoples in Australia. “
Here is another result just in case you cannot search .
“Other pluralised terms such as First Nations or ‘First Peoples’ are also
acceptable language, “
Can you put that in context please? Acceptable as what? Being regarded as a single nation?
What is “the current Web page” you are referring to Winni?
Ducks and Bull,
Use the new additions to the Browers to ask questions.
Google “Brad”
Microsoft Edge “Chat”
ask an example
“first nations Australian OR first nation Australian”
Where’s this all leading? What is the core point?
Enough of the socratic search engine silly buggers, Winni, state what you’re trying to prove.
Winni if you’ve discovered the AI addins for the search engines congratulations and welcome to big school. I think you’ll find most of them even facilitate Voice to Text to save you all that typing. Perhaps while you are testing out new things you could go experiment with ChatGPT and get it to write some coherent sentences on a relevant topic for you.
Ducks and Bull,
the original comment is repeated below.
we owe nothing to the First Nations movement.
you two smart blokes jumped in with name calling.
“Welcome to our Australian world
Mainstream Australia owes nothing to the Hunter Gather small clans.
They should be thanking us for bringing them into a modern world system”
I don’t want the Mullet getting voted out. This blog is too entertaining and without her. much of the entertainment in this blog would disappear!
Never fret, The Magpie lives in a target rich environment.
To remove all doubt, Shane Drumgold is an unethical, lying piece of shit.
As The ‘Pie said months ago, and he’s now proved it. The legal authorities should have a good look at this.
Ah Grumps, there’s still an ongoing investigation. At this point, the only person that we truly know is a big fat liar, is Bruce Lehrmann. His appeal to sue for defamation exposed that.
And I’d save my judgement because there are a lot of people who really aren’t looking squeaky clean in this whole debacle, including the AFP.
That comment simply doesn’t make sense. Lied about what?
This Magpie… Lehrmann had to admit to lying. And yes, they weren’t massive lies, but show he was prepared to deceive his intimate partner and others. Which means he would be prepared to deceive other people in other situations.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-16/bruce-lehrmann-appears-in-federal-court/102105490
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/16/bruce-lehrmann-told-a-friend-he-could-receive-millions-if-named-by-media-in-higgins-reports-court-hears
And he’s been excused by Justice Lee because he might have been drunk. Which is why he was in the whole bloody situation to start with.
https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/courts-law/key-decision-made-in-lehrmann-defamation-case/news-story/4cc5605e3f72f7e3001b88a0367d69cd
Convenient argument, but ‘would be prepared’ is an unsupportable phrase in this context … the very definition of making a mountain out of a dunghill.
Re drunkenness … so was she.
I think this case has a lot of dunghills, and a lot of convenient arguments. That’s why the conduct of all involved are being investigated. It’s not just Drumgold in question, the AFP have serious questions to answer about their behaviour.
Without a doubt.
Ducky – You must understand the very high standards to which the Crown, and its representatives as prosecutors are held. Defendants are expected to be self-serving. Drumgold already admits to what is deserving of approbation and censure. I doubt whether he shall be a lawyer in 18 months.
Grumps, genuine question on protocol: why 18 months?
‘Pie, because I have no idea how long their equivalent of the Legal Services Commission would take to bail his hide to the wall for deliberately trying to mislead the court and lying to another practitioner.
The wheels of justice grind slow and all that, eh.
So Palm, when and where did O’Callaghan speak out against the stadium?
From what I’ve seen and heard she is against council wasting ratepayer funds on big events, which are attended by only a small percentage of the population because most can’t afford it – like the V8Superpests and more recently Saturday’s rugby flop.
By the way, most Magpie blog readers and contributors are well aware that you’re a Jenny Hill plant, so don’t bother trying to pretend you’re not.
Phil Thompson – don’t worry about returning our three emails and three telephone messages that we have sent you requesting a meeting. Keep wishing yourself a happy birthday. Our group (and apparently other members) are fed up.
FU.
What group would that be, Frank? Bit pointless and sus posting such an anonymous criticism. If you decline to answer, then we are entitled to think you are just another Jenny troll, out after a politician she hasn’t been able to lay a glove on.
Phil is always ‘absent’. And you are correct Frank, the elusive member does not answer emails or phone calls. He is the quintessential ‘ghost’. What we need some commitment from him to be accessible to our cities people. From where I stand all I see is a pompous individual hellbent on making Jenny’s life hell. Phil is plain soft.
All that is as may be, and you’re entitled to your possibly correct views (gosh, this fence hard on the cloaca).
But the previous point remains: you, Flutterby, have made no specific claim of neglect, but Frank U has, and that tactic is in the best of partisan party politics. So the actual organisation that he claims is snubbed tends to be essential for credibility. What was it, Paedophile Rights United? Upper Ross Book Reading Club? The North Queensland Club’s Socialist Collective?
Up this way we just look at the pictures.
Elusive butterfly , Phil Thompson is constantly seen at business / community events talking to people in his electorate standing up in Parliament and media about his concerns on crime and other issues in the City . If you are talking Ghosts Aaron , Scott , Les are rarely seen and how long did it take the Mayor to finally challenge our 3 State MP,s on crime .
EB – I have communicated with Phil on several occasions and he has responded quickly and comprehensively. A number of people I know have told me the same thing. I think you and “Frank” are liars.
Or maybe it was the manner of the approach … people in public life do not respond well to a too-strident approach, they have to decide if it is worth their – and therefore the time of the public who pay them – attention. Sometimes to the point of ignoring it. As The ‘Pie enquired of Frank U(without result so far) what was the group which was apparently snubbed?
And…no response is a response !
Flutterby, I think you’re talking about ‘Les the Mauler’
Frank, if your emails contained only statements and complaints, with no actual questions then there is no obligation for Phil to respond to you. In my experience correspondence like this is read and filed accordingly, as it contains no call to action.
If you want a response, from ANYONE, then you must include a call to action. What are your plans for addressing this situation? How do you intend to ensure this doesn’t continue to occur? What assurances can you give me that your party takes these matters seriously?
In response to the latest proposed superannuation changes I would imagine anyone working for small or medium size businesses and currently paid weekly or fortnightly should start preparing for a change to a monthly pay cycle, which for many will be rather problematic.
On the budget, The ‘Pie was relieved and delighted to see that Grumpy is still with us … watching Chalmers last night, The ‘Pie was disturbed by the thought that Grumpy would be having a seizure after choking on his foie gras amuse bouche and Bollinger (his version of beer and popcorn).
Huh? I’m a beer and prawns fella
Only because all us freeloaders and bludgers have taken all your tax money, depriving you of the lifestyle to which you aspire.
Our deepest apologies.
I didn’t watch, I too find the bloke nauseating to the extreme, just flicked around the various channels after for a general reactions and read the detail online myself, but I noticed Townsville Enterprise came out today full of praise for the budget, makes me think my opinion of it then is spot on.
That was also meant for Cantakerous.
Cankers, Superannuation is deducted from the employee’s pay whether they are paid weekly or fortnightly. It’s the employer who keeps the money for a month.
Yes but with the new legislation super will have to be put into the super account everytime the person is paid, for many SME businesses that is a manual process so the weekly or fortnightly compliance just got more time consuming so an option is to move pay to a monthly cycle. This will also effect bonuses, commissions etc, some employers would be tempted to move those payments to quarterly or annually, it will effect many people.
More likely any businesses manually processing super payments will upgrade their processes with little ultimate impact on payment schedules.
On an international note, the Orange Ejit has been found guilty in a CIVIL trial of sexual assault and defaming the lady that he assaulted by saying it never happened and that she “wasn’t his type”. His goose was cooked as soon as he mistook the “not his type” lady for one of his ex-wives. Unfortunately no jail time, but having to hand over $5M to his victim has to hurt him.
He’s appealing … and there’s only one way you read those two words.
He’s a’peeling, like mildew, and now he’ll have to part with some Mouldy Old Dough
Will be interesting to see what the grounds are. He was given ample opportunity to appear, but chose to be anywhere but the courtroom for the duration of the trial. The judge even gave him a second chance to appear (after defense rested) when he said that he would be returning early from his golf trip to Ireland & Scotland to “confront this woman”, but still didn’t show. Roll on all the criminal cases that will soon be raining down on him.
His appeal will be the usual self-delusion, paranoid whining about being picked on because he’s such a wonderful guy.
Can’t wait for Trump: The Musical. It will hopefully include among its show stopper ‘Jailhouse Rock’.
There’s a vacant jailhouse rock in San Francisco harbour, enough room for him and his mob that stormed the Capitol Building.
Jenny Hill was on Seven News last night spruiking about what she wanted from the Federal budget. Top of the list was cost of living relief.
Jen old girl, the Treasurer announced that days ago and anyway what were you hoping to achieve by urging for budget initiatives less than 2 hours before the budget was delivered?
Pure grandstanding.
Hope she’s not going to start boasting about her influence in getting cost of living relief. Federal Labor gave her the flick long ago.
But she’ll soon be offering free rides in nuclear submarines from the ‘Ville to the footy stadium.
Long Suffering Ratepayer, Jenny has lots of tricks in her bag. That trick, number 72 in the ‘Politicians Handbook of Deception’, is where you wait until an announcement is made or about to be made, of which you already know the outcome, but you then jump in and make demands or piggyback off the announcement and pretend you have done some of the work. That’s what Mayor Shrill did. Typical Public Serpent trickery that’s been used many times before. Team Hill are magicians who know lots of party tricks. One good trick was making $700k disappear!!! Poof…….
Let’s see how sincere Mayor Mullet is about cost of living relief when she brings down the TCC budget. I’m not expecting that there will be any relief on my rates bill.
Hmmmm ….
Thanks for the public service Magpie
HEY!!
Are you calling me a public servant?
Stupidity reigns supreme at the Bulletin. Where they’ve only just figured out you need to shower at night and are now doing a social media poll to check if the general public were aware of this.
https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02Vojaq77kNnTGRjnEeGyGpUGZJxFWCTBPhyPtw9vMTFnR8xkTfEVjvA9P415ybgBHl&id=100063665571387&mibextid=Nif5oz
Even more disheartening were many comments taking this crap seriously … but also a few good put downs.
Anyway, The ‘Pie is told that the blokes at the Bulletin did quiz of each other to find out there was a knob on the end of the dicks … it took a weekend retreat on the rum and coke to discover it was to stop your hand slipping off the end.
Federal budget . Has the penny dropped yet that Labor has abolished the $1500 tax offset for low and middle income workers ? . There is also lack of clarity on the $500 energy rebate promoted by Aaron + Scott on their facebook sites as it may not apply to single workers or dual income families . Low and Middle income workers going backwards .
Unfortunately the last budget there was a one off increase of $480 to the existing $1080 of the LMITO. But the removal of the LMITO of $1080 was a part of the stage 3 tax cuts. So all those supporting the stage 3 cuts can go get stuffed.
Ducks is right it was the Coalition government which ended the lamington.
So Nanna Anna is going to build “Home like accommodation and purpose built units” for the untouchables when a Magistrate finally has the guts to sentence them to detention. Sounds like more luxury accommodation for these pieces of scum.
https://inqld.com.au/news/2023/05/11/queensland-to-build-two-new-youth-detention-centres-to-combat-crime-wave/
Not big on rehabilitation, eh, Crits?
Anna ‘three chins’ Palasczuk has been busy visiting Cairns this week. She will be busy visiting the regions for the remainder of this year trying to shore up support for her ailing party.
Of interest is that she has created a monster by lobbying for and winning the Olympic bid. I’m hearing that many poorly funded Queensland government departments are demanding huge spending budgets and are calling it ‘Olympic budgets’. In other words they are saying; ‘if you can afford to spend billions on the Olympic Games, you can afford to give us more money for our underfunded departments’. Education and health are two areas that are currently twisting her tuckshop lady arm. Interesting days indeed.
Been watching this inquiry over the rape trial. Firstly is that it has now been proven that police thought Higgins was not credible from the start. I’m sorry but I know police do make mistakes like we all do but this drumgold is based his opinions on the number of rape/sexual assault cases that have gone to trial and is championed himself as the saviour because the numbers don’t fit there narrative. That’s very dangerous in my opinion and I can’t help but wonder if men will now start videotaping their sexual encounters in secret so that when the lying cows call rape they have proof. Obviously then they get charged for no consent for recording. How did we get here. I might also add that just as much publicity is being shown at jarred Hayne who is now convicted for rape under the same circumstances as what Higgins claimed. So I might judge that one is lying and the other isn’t based on evidence. You would think that police on both cases are using the same methods to prove?
Crudely put, but in there somewhere is grounds for legitimate concern.
It is quite possible that this revised law could put women in more, not less, danger of more serious assaults and even worse outcomes if someone is boozed and panicked enough
But your comment gives rise to another concern The ‘Pie has about the new law allowing the media to name SUSPECTED sexual assault perpetrators before they are committed to trial. This is a cynical and indefensible political move that invites the phenomenon of ‘cry rape’ for other – possibly political – secret agendas. Because mud sticks, so what if on the occasion a charge is laid but is then dismissed (it rarely happens but it does happen) … and in all these instances, the woman involved is shielded from publicity. The ‘Pie believes such anonymity is right and correct, but the same privilege should be extended to the accused in the early stages of a matter.
The media howls of ‘the people’s right to know’ rings hollow nowadays on this issue, it is really a call for the media’s right to sensationalized headlines and skewed stories at the earliest possible point. Suggesting, as has been done, that identifying the accused is to protect the public is absolute illogical codswallop …. because that argument automatically assumes guilt.
The public have no need to know about the identities in the early moves towards prosecution, and it is a safeguard against the unjust ruin of someone’s life should new evidence to the contrary come to light.
What I would like to know is how Drumgold, in his usual arrogant way, can say he knew what the jury vote was. And, if he was so sure it was 11-1 in favour of a conviction, why he refused the re-trial on such spurious grounds. No wonder he is despised by most of the ACT legal profession.
Agree, Grumpy, and The ‘Pie will allow himself a little humblebrag here – he was onto this strut noddy right from the start … vain glory even seeped out of his photographs. His attitude is more suited as an odd jobber for Barry Taylor.
I already do record my sexcapades.
Micro lens camera? Anybody else involved, or are you going accuse yourself of abuse?
Lol. Nobody else with me, just myself and my left hand.
HEY, PSSSST!!!
Cameron ‘Master’ Bates has got a secret … and he’s not gunna tell ya!! So there.
The Astonisher’s ace stenographer copied this little bit of advertorial today.
An lifestyle expo … what fun, sounds terrific. Only one thing missing from the story … a little tidbit which you would usually find in the opening sentence. He doesn’t tell us where it is is. The showgrounds? A closed off Flinders Street (don’t laugh, it’s not out of the question with this mob in Walker Street). The Cowboys training ground behind the stadium? Alligator Creek?
So much for the old paper dictum … how when and where.
MAGPIE SPOILER ALERT: It’s at Reid Park. No dogs or pets allowed. So the mayor won’t be taking her councillors or the editor of the Astonisher along.
Pie,
Australia Events does these types of shows throughout the state,nothing like charging people to look at stuff they can look at anytime,and charging the exhibitors an arm and a leg.
Like everything these days,all about the elusive $.
And on Page 16 ,titled News ?
Sheeeeesh !
The Astonisher is notorious for this. Lots of puff pieces for new businesses, events etc and never an address.
Another scam by out of town ‘Promoters’ The exhibitor pays, the visitor pays, and you can see it all at the various LOCAL showrooms.
Council have appointed an ex police sergeant to ” to prioritise investment where there is poor lighting, pathway black spots, graffiti busting measures, and look at introducing further community patrols in areas where residents are most concerned.”
Got nothing. This money wasting stupidity wrapped up to sound like progress.
https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/about-council/news-and-publications/media-releases/2023/may/council-appoints-former-top-cop-to-boost-community-safety
The appointment raises some questions, but as The ‘Pie will opine further in Sunday’s Nest, this is Mayor Mullet realising she’s way behind non this issue and has been outmaneuvered by Phil Thompson. With no disrespect to the appointee, it is a pointless exercise she can be carried out by any competent shiny bum liasing with police … being an ex-copper in no way makes such liaising ‘easier’.
Main question: is the position a paid employee, or a consultancy? If the latter, we have the right to know, as it is just another clandestine use of ratepayers money for campaigning. (Cue a foaming response from Palm Sunday.)
The Mullet said; “Council doesn’t have a policing role, we play our part at the grassroots”. That’s her way of saying the problem isn’t Councils fault, so go fuck yourselves”. She knows the community is pissed off with TCC over the issues with crime in the region,, and just like Palaszczuk, Hill is sitting on her hands.
Then the Doona girl said; “Council already has a significant community safety focus with a $6 million network of CCTV security and surveillance including 550 cameras across the city and suburbs as well as a community response vehicle undertaking 24-hour patrols 7 days per week”. She failed to tell us that on average 10% of these cameras are unserviceable at any given time, others are offline due to vandalism, and then another portion of them have distorted visibility due to cobwebs, dust and bird shit on them!
MEMO PRINCE ROLLMOP
Nope, nothing showing here. Time and date pls.
Also failed to tell us that the CCTV Camera feed is not monitored 24/7 and goes to some council officer who is not a first responder, has had no training and is unreliable at responding to phone calls or emails. So what’s the point?
Pie , 6 mth role $90,000 funds redirected from a ” number of unfilled positions ” page 3 the Astonisher today . Exactly how many ” unfilled positions ” are there in Council under the toxic culture Team Hill is responsible for ? . Must be concerning for Team Hill Councillors Mayor Hill gets slammed by so many on Council social media posts . A resident came up with this after they blasted Mayor Hill for keeping quiet on crime for so many years . ” show them the door in 24 ” . Lets hope that is the result .
This along with the non story about Wilson Street West End feel like the start a campaign of non stories before the election. Spending $90,000 of ratepayers money to buy a string of photo opportunity with her new police friend posing in front of rocks and streetlights and cameras and terrible murals will fill the pages of the Bullsheet for mo tenths to come. Maybe the councillor for Woodstock should invite hims out to look at her area and get some pictures for social media.
Ducky – “Community Patrols”? Didn’t they just try that in Rockhampton?
I don’t condone vigilantes for one minute, but a few “community patrols” on Walker St wouldn’t go astray.
Jarrod Hayne, off to jail for bonking a woman who invited him over “in writing” for a bonking session; he accepts the invitation!
I was under the impression that the woke mob had succeeded in their “asking for it” campaign’ clearly the complainant” had complied with that courtesy!. Obviously its only a one way proposition.
We have a female MP who thinks she has to wear a T shirt reading WOMAN emblazoned in large friendly letters on her generously proportioned bust.
Incidentally I am in no way suggesting rape as justifiable under any circumstances, I’m just commenting on the irony of this case.
Sounds like you are suggesting that.
I read this as the Heel suggesting that saying yes at the time and no after the event might be taking seeking permission a bit far. As the father of a young woman out in society I worry about sexual crime, but this might be a step too far.
Can I also say that I do not support Haynes in any way. He has continually proven that he is an odious human being and jail is probably the best place for him. But the mechanism here seems rigged.
Mundingbird is correct regarding the life style expo why should have to pay to see something you can see for free anyway, I’ve commented on the Magpie before with regards to the NQ field day, it used to be free entry now you have to pay, that lost me and plenty of my mates also gave it the flick, greed I reckon has stuffed events such as these. a shame really.
Ralph….. It’s like Woolworths and Coles charging you to come into the Supermarket.
he’s employed by Council on a 6 month contract
CLR Margie Ryder is giving tickets away to the Cowboys game tonight, how does that work? Where did she get them from? Have they been declared? Soooo may questions
Sorry, you know this how?
Emailed evidence
Maybe Cowboys give Councillors a certain number of free tickets each year through the TCC / Cowboys Sponsorship Deal. I bet Mullet and her guests don’t pay to go to Cowboys Games. That’d be Commercial and In-Confidence though so we’ll never find out.
Thought those sorts of arrangements had to be included on the relevant register of interests and gifts?