The Hypocrisy Of Aaron Harper: His Latest Lecture On FB Manners Is Akin To Scomo Lecturing On Ethics

There’s an old obscure saying ‘He’s so far up himself, he could whistle in stereo.’  Harpic’s vaulting self-regard and short memory cement his rep as a preening cockalorum, unfit for office. The Magpie jogs his memory.

But it’s our former PM who has provided the comedy gold for the week. … but he won’t be laughing along when he faces some pretty serious music.

The ‘hooray-oh-fuck’ of the week.  HOORAY, at long last, Magnis has started making batteries but OH FUCK  –  it’s in New York. And no mention of Townsville in future plans.

And it wouldn’t be a week without a belly laugh or two from the Bulletin …. this week, they outdid themselves with an apology that required – an apology!

Also, two videos that bring us up to date on the Trump Follies in the US … one serious, the other a bit of side-splitting silliness, plus our regular gallery of the week in the secure mental ward we call America.

UPDATE: Bit of a heads up, the new platform for the Magpie’s Nest is taking shape (not that you’ll see too much different at the outset) but if we fail to meet the deadline imposed by the current server, The Nest might go missing for a day or a week or whatever … just sayin’ maybe, so you don’t think this week’s birthday boy has dropped off the twig – unless of course he has dropped off the twig. Should that come to pass, triggering a run on champagne stock around town, any donation you make to help with new blog costs will instead go towards the final bonfire The Magpie wants upon his departure.

On that cheery note, onwards.

An Antipodean Trump: How Close Did We Go To A Morrison Power Coup?

Pretty damn close seems to be the answer, with the former Prime Minister secretly taking on five shadow ministerial roles, Department of Health, Department of Finance Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, Home Affairs and -unbelievably – Treasury. And one of the most alarming factors all these portfolios had in common was they are ministries that could act autonomously, without any mandatory cabinet discussion about decisions.

Astoundingly, Morrison has said on radio he ‘couldn’t remember’ if he had taken on the home affairs and treasury shadow roles, a claim that has met with universal blank disbelief. A censure by parliament is certain to be on the cards, and the ignoble career of member for Cook is all but cooked. Appropriately, let’s hope they give him curry.

The Governor General David Hurley who swore in Morrison on the clandestine shadow ministries, has been questioned about being complicit in the secrecy, and his claim that it was up to the government to make any announcement may not wash. But Bentley can see the frustration that the GG must have felt back in 2020/21.

The Canberra press gallery is also ducking for cover, saying little about their two year snooze on this issue, especially when it has turned out that two News Ltd journos knew all along about the power grab but said nothing. Color The ‘Pie unsurprised.

The serious side to all this is slowly unfolding, but the satirical side has been in full flight. If brevity is the soul of wit, this certain is the tweet of the year on our non-binary former PM.

The Chaser was wondering about the collateral damage.

And Cathy Wilcox reckons Morrison has put Australia on the global map with his new membership of an exclusive club.

And The Chaser had another thought …

Of course, if Barnaby had been in America, he would’ve been the Secretary for the Interior.

And This Bloke represents Us In Parliament?

He’s at it again.

It’s one thing being a thin-skinned snowflake, but it’s unforgivable when you’re a thin-skinned snowflake with a bad memory. This exchange between a constituent and Aaron Harper took place on FB recently.

Things were fine until those last two lines from the member for Thuringowa. Just how Harpic divined that he was in a position to lecture anyone – especially constituents – about online manners shows how selective his memory is. Because Harpic’s got form, with the boot firmly on the other foot. Remember this from a few months ago, an exchange that made state-wide headlines

But of course this comment from an MP in power to a politely disagreeing constituent wouldn’t be unkind and unwelcome, would it?

Harper, despite representing ALL the people of Thuringowa, is notorious for being a self-regarding sook, regularly blocking people from his FB page when they disagree with him or start debating issues with him, something we befuddled folks thought was what an MP was paid to do.  Of course, this goof-off is a very confused puppy, mistaking strongly held but politely expressed opposing views as personal attacks on him. On this particular issue, he said he refused to apologise because ‘I call it as I see it – I have lifelong mates who say my most endearing quality is that I have not changed since entering politics, and I will not start now.’  What a wanker.

And let’s not forget this, which forced an apology from the man who calls it the way he sees until lawyers get involved.

But no one else can call it as they see it, even politely and non-abusively, on your publicly funded Facebook page ,eh, matey? And we’ll put aside our scepticism about ‘lifelong mates’ – that really would be an interesting bunch, and concern about the lack of adaptability and willingness to a new role.

And The ‘Pie will love to hear how you disavow any responsibility for this wonderful reputation you have helped so greatly for this city to achieve. You’ve helped make Townsville an unenviab;e benchmark, according to today’s Courier.

If you seriously think this ios nothing to do with you, then you really are clean round the bend, Harpic.

Your full caps response BULLSHIT, YOU HAVE NO IDEA would seem a suitable epitaph for your looming political demise. Bad memory and bad morals, you’re an utter fraud, Mr Harper.

Even The Kattertonic Party Has Got In On The Act Issuing This During The Week

An Absolute Humdinger From The Daily Astonisher.

 

What a rib tickler, picked up by someone who would know, Ralph Henderson was one the best illustrators (and a genuinely nice bloke) at the Bulletin for many years, and like many of us, he is now resigned to just laughing, not much else we can do.

And perhaps it’s worth pointing out that when The Magpie criticises the paper, it is not as some pedant making lofty judgement on a misplaced apostrophe or ignorance of the Oxford comma, he is highlighting actual, inarguable mistakes and year 5  ignorance of language and layout. Like the use this week of the word ‘squash’ when ‘quash’ was required … two very different meanings. And the technical glitches are increasing, double printing pages is now a frequent occurrence, and even today, Saturday, for your recently whacked up price of $3.50, you got Friday’s cartoon again.

To most, this just doesn’t really matter, but it should, it is a reflection of the venal attitude of a multi-national corporation whose cost-cutting and allowing itself to be shamelessly compromised  has destroyed just about all credibility in what should be a centrepiece and champion of our community.

Mind You, It’s Not Just The Bulletin

Old mate and former colleague Stewart Richmond, a newsman’s newsman, posted this on FB during the week, more in sorrow than anger.

For those at the Bulletin looking mystified, the word is Navajo. Unless of course the bloke was an Achpae

Would You Believe It, Magnis Is Making Batteries At Last – Maybe

Sort of. And in New York.

Or so it says, The Magpie is wondering about the latest claims. The recently posted gushing paean to progress for the company desperately seeking market capitalisation is a curious document, and has a whiff of desperation about it, like all previous bits of flummery released by this company.

Sure there’s a factory at Endicott in New York, and it does seem likely  to start knocking lithium-ion batteries , well, soon, well, soonish. Everything about this latest announcement seems somehow premature. Or at least it seems like that, because , as in previous statements about this core operation, there’s a lot of heavy qualification … 84% completed as of the end of June, fully automated production can start when some sort of final stage is completed, and when local authority certificates are issued at some unspecified time, the project will be 88% complete. The remaining 12% will … oh read it for yourself, but this Australian operation has for two years had a mantra of being ‘very close’ to various ‘stages’, and so on.

And when Magnis boss, Frank Poullas talked enthusiastically about the company’s future two things stood out, one he said and one he didn’t sat. He pointed out that by far the biggest market for the lithium-ion batteries was America (which just happens to be where they’re being made) and what he didn’t say was the barest mention of Townsville and Lansdown. In fact, he didn’t mention Australia at all in the various interviews that The ‘Pie has seen.

So where’s the $3million in government confetti when Palaszczuk got married to the concept and paid the company to do a feasibility study at the behest of Mayor Jenny Hill? And the millions the TCC and the mayor have pledged for the eco-park that had Magnis as the anchor tenant?

The Hour Glass Keeps Running

The Magpie sadly notes that lawyer Kevin Rose has passed on. He died in his sleep last week, aged 62.

Kevin worked for many years in the Townsville legal fraternity, passionately defending those who could not defend themselves in the jungle of the law, and mentoring many of those coming up through the ranks. A late age student doing law, his life experience made him many friends in those formative legal years.

Although quietly spoken for the most part, and, in my experience, a gentle and genial person in social life, Kevin first and foremost was wholly devoted to seeking fairness for those he spoke for in court. He was so committed that more than once had got a rap mover the knuckles from the bench, when he voiced his opinion of a sentence he thought unfair. But for all that, he was respected for his tenacity and is well remembered fondly by many now successful practitioners he helped get a start.

Kevin moved south some years ago, to Ipswich, where he died last week.

One now successful Brisbane barrister said ‘He was a very nice man, with strong connection to the aboriginal community. He was head of ATSILS in Ipswich for many years.’

I both liked and admired Kevin.

Vale, mate.

Crushing Kushner

The ‘Pie has read some excruciatingly savage and funny summaries of modern politics and books, especially by the likes of Clive James and our weekly evil cackling at Marina Hyde in the London Guardian, all with memorable one liners. But this ball-shredding review of Jared Kushner’s new book, by NYT’s Dwight Garner, perhaps not as refined as the others, does contain this  eye popping line: ’Reading this book reminded me of watching a cat lick a dog’s eye goo.’  That is, unfortunately, not so much memorable as unforgettable, but the whole review is a demolition job par excellence. And the book trells us that although Kushner is jewish,  they only got married when she converted. Which makes a post by Trump during the week some what strange, marking him as an anti-semite  when his CFO was arrested in New York and has agreed to testify against him in property dealings.

Trump is such an oaf he probably blames the Titantic loss on the jews, because it was sunk by an iceberg … know what I mean?

But for straight forensic reporting, here is a fine piece from an Anglo-American commentator Mehdi Hasan that cuts through the bullshit and fairytales the Republicans are trying to spin about the treasonous former president.

Naturally the Mar-a-Lago raid and Trump’s floundering like a landed fish has been the main topic for American cartoonists. Here’s our collection for the week.

And Finally … Don’t Miss This One

The fey Kenneth Williams-style humour of the multi-talented American performer Randy Rainbow may be an acquired taste for some, but if you don’t laugh at this, the problem is yours. And the musical parody is one of the best of recent times.

……………………..

Hope all is well for next week’s blog, but if there’s a glitch, we’ll be working to get back into your good books and Jenny’s bad books asap. Cost is always a consideration in these things,  so if you can help out, the donate button is below (bit hard to miss actually).