May 27, 2025 at 9:32 am (Edit)
This is good news, at least in one way, not that he trusts a single word any politician says, although in typical Courier fashion, the paper offers a scareum and misleading headline instead of playing up the obviously positive aspect – that is, the reason this came about..
But the move a bit of an eye-popper in terms of traditional political poses, coming as it does from a rightwing political party normally up to its ankles in the corporate colon.
Instead of weak-kneed government kissing the heavily subsidised Big Business ring, and riding roughshod over local views, the LNP is making it clear regional Queenslanders must be part of a genuine consultation process when massive and inevitably visually scarring projects like this are proposed for their area.
Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie underlined the community’s right to have a say by ‘unpausing’ three other stalled renewable projects that had followed the process correctly and so has given them the green light.
“I have ‘unpaused’ those three now because the community journey consultants are satisfied that the developers and the companies did the right thing by the community and took the community on a journey,” he said.
“All we’ve done, or we’re asking them through our new legislation, is you’ve got to take the community on a journey.”
But a Magpie memo to Bleijie’s spin doctor, who has obviously pounced on a fashionable modern buzz phrase to promote this change in legislation.
Buddy, the term ’take (local community representatives) on a journey’ is way to close to the more traditional phrase common when it comes to politics of ‘taking them for a ride’.
MAGPIE EXCLUSIVE: Sussan Ley Has Second Thoughts.
The new Liberal leader has privately expressed concern that the former deputy PM was so clearly pissed off with being sent to the back benches, he may become a disruptive element..
So in a move to avoid further internal dissent, The ‘Pie has unreliably heard hat Sussan Ley has had second thoughts, and has offered the exiled Barnaby the newly created Ministry For Footpaths.
Mr Joyce is yet to accept, telling reporters ” As I always do with big decisions, I’ll sleep on it.”
Why Don’t We Put The Bruce Underground?
This thought struck the Magpie while he was enjoying John Ando Andersen’s welcome weekly change-of-pace in the Astonisher. This small digression from his main theme (don’t ask) was this.
So why not get those Yanks on board, shoot a couple of local union bosses and half a dozen politicians, and do a four lane tunnel from Cairns down to Brisbane, with suitable off ramps along the way, so those current overfly towns will not be under passed. Have advisors from the builders of the Chunnel under the English Channel and also from the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, and voila, a flood proof economic bonanza
You lament the loss of the sea views? The ‘Pie has done the Townsville-Brisbane run a few times and by memory, the only fleeting glimpse you get of the Coral Sea is a few kilometres, if that, at St Lawrence, south of Bowen.
The Spooky Plastic Man Departs With All The Good Wishes Of The Orangoutang’s Bum
Amid all the forced pleasantries as Elon Musk departs his government job, The ‘Pie was reminded of the businessman’s joke about the bloke called into the bosses office.
“I have good news and bad news’.
What’s the bad news?’
‘You’re fired’.
What’s the good news?
‘I’ll never have to see your fucking face again.’
But The’Pie doesn’t understand the beat-ups about some big fall out leading to the departure. From day one, it was made clear that it was – thnk god – a short-term contract. He boasted at the start he would slash government spending by $2 trillion, and now leaves a tad shy of the mark … $1.86trillion to be exact, having knocked off a paltry $14billion through sacking thousands of ordinary, everyday non-billionaires. So there is much gleeful schadenfreude that this distasteful turkey has managed to trash his Tesla car brand and is now left plenty of time to set up a compound in Texas to house his many bastard children and their mothers. He has spent $35m on three properties, including a 14,400-square-foot Tuscan-style mansion, within walking distance of each other. The reported purpose of the compound is to allow his children and their mothers to live close together and to facilitate his interaction with them. He himself lives about 10 minutes, but will need a golf buggy to travel between houses, what with all that exhausting facilitating.
That departure head this week’s round-up of matters from across the Pacific. including Donald’s tariff stumble.
And Finally
The ‘Pie leaves you with exchange in comments.
ABS |
Submitted on 2025/05/31 at 5:36 am | In reply to ABS.
Another blunder today talking about Phil Thompson’s “‘Lil Girl”. What letter could the apostrophe be standing in place of? |
The Magpie |
Submitted on 2025/05/31 at 10:25 am | In reply to ABS.
Nothing. Yes, an error, with the technical answer to your question being the letters ‘tt’ in the word little. ‘Li’l’ has always been accepted contraction of ‘little’, as in the popular old comic strip, ‘Li’l Abner’, a Magpie favourite until it ended in 1977 – which probably had more to do with Daisy Mae than her yokel love interest. (Readers please note – especially you Achilles: some jokes are best left implied. Thank you.) … Enough for this week, which was relatively quite but some big surprises in store soon. That donation button is below.
|
The reorganisation of the DTM and others reminded me of the quote attributed to Petronius Arbiter about 2000 years ago:
“We trained hard-but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and what a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.”
Glad that you said “attributed to” because no one with half a brain would seriously believe that was a quote by Petronius.
How’s your percentage of brain, OED?
From the Good Reads site (one of many).
Goodreads also has the quote attributed to Charlton Ogburn Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9117494-we-trained-hard-but-it-seemed-that-every-time-we
Real source: Charlton Ogburn Jr., “Merrill’s Marauders: The Truth about an Incredible Adventure”, January 1957 issue of “Harper’s Magazine”. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/11/12/reorganizing/
Familiarity with the Satyricon should have raised a red flag immediately, but also familiarity with how the internet works:
“The domain of quotations is highly competitive,” O’Toole wrote. “Popular sayings and influential figures change over time. Hence, there is an evolutionary pressure that operates on the selection and replication process.”
He continued, “When an astute statement attributed to a minor figure is reassigned to a major name, it instantly becomes more fascinating, more memorable, and more transmissible. The new combination is selected and replicated at a much higher rate.”
https://bigthink.com/high-culture/how-viral-misquotes-evolve-and-replicate/
Very informative and a valuable caution in these internet times.
And also an indicator of your little man mindset … you could well have posted that educational comment rather than a strutting small-mind insult about having half a brain.
A bit like all the things that Winston Churchill never said.
I wouldn’t trust good reads myself, I think anyone can put quotes on there.
Another good blog Magpie, thank you for the time and research that you put in.
I had a thought this week, and that relates to how the Council seems to be getting along fairly cohesively since the pustule Mayor got sin binned. Considering that the new Council has carried over a financial mess from the previous Hill era, plus the Twonames saga taking place, and a change in the acting Mayor, they seem to be knuckling down and working well with Joe McCabe. Once Twonames is permanently out of the picture, this council might stand a chance at redeeming itself. The level of debt that Council holds is still a real concern as we are still in a cost-of-living crisis in which wages, materials, etc are still climbing and that has a negative effect on Councils bottom line, especially at a time when the debt level isn’t decreasing. Rate rises and fees and charges become Councils only option for extra revenue, and that’s not a good thing for the locals.
So Troy Thompson hasn’t even cracked the 1,000 mark on his dismissal petition! That’s hilarious. Talk about wasting your time and energy. This whole fruitless exercise shows how disconnected from reality he is. It would seem that this caped crusader is becoming less relevant by the day. Farewell Troy, you are slipping into the abyss.
Percy,
In term of fruitless exercises Twonames Thompson has a lot in common with Clive (how is my cholesterol) Palmer.
It’s a great shame that Paluma residents have to go through all this nonsense. Given how comparatively few people live up there, it seems arbitrary and cruel to limit the permits to one person / one car per household. I can’t imagine that anyone would want to travel along that treacherous road at the best of times unless they absolutely had to, so wouldn’t that mean that anyone doing so would by definition be making an essential journey? Especially if as you say the length of the road is sufficiently functional for TMR vehicles to use at will? Presumably while works are afoot, the road will be staffed with traffic controllers along its length. Might as well give them all something to do instead of sit in camping chairs and watch TikTok videos.
In many other respects, the Premier has come across as sensible and pragmatic. I can’t imagine he would knowingly stand aside and allow this to unfold the way it has. I would’ve thought that one or two phone calls would be enough either to get things moving as a priority, or at least communicate the situation to the community more effectively (something else the Premier is acutely aware of the importance of).
TMR’s Paluma Permit Phukup is not just poorly managed it is illogical. If contractors can safely drive large trucks and machinery on the road, how can it be a requirement that only one person be in each passenger vehicle permitted to transit? Nature doesn’t really care if it is night or day so why is night driving not permitted? Sounds like TMR may have used online AI to develop “a system of driving permits to isolate a community”. Perhaps Steven ChatGPT McDonald, the Main Roads mouthpiece might have some answers.
Message to poster The Real Troy Thompson.
Since the two deleted comments are using the name of a real individual (The Real Troy Thompson), those comments will not be published until there is proof that the writer is indeed Troy Thompson. (Plonking ‘real’ in front of a moniker means nothing. Happy have Mr Thompson engage on a blog he tried to have shut down, but there are so many jokers out there, real names are generally checked out.
If it is you, Troy, or even a ghost writer approved by you (the tone of the comments supplied suggests it could be either), an easy way to provide proof is to post the following message on your Facebook page. ‘I have tried to engage with The Magpie, but he has deleted my comments which I sent to his blog at (here name the times of your emails).’
The ‘Pie won’t see it directly, since you have blocked him, (free speech and all, eh?) but, as they so often do with your stuff, many in the Nest will be able to verify if the message has been posted. The comments will then be published.
“Happy have Mr Thompson engage on a blog he tried to have shut down, ”
Really Pie?
The Nest comments are a shining beacon of rational thought, beautifully crafted prose, with kindness and consideration between contributors. The Nest comments is the apex of written English as used in Australia.
To have Troy Thompson in the mix would result in entire Nest Discombobulation.
Hmmm, maybe. RUOK?.
Probably not.
I don’t suffer from madness. I quite enjoy it.
Welcome aboard.
Don’t like the notion of mega merger of departments etc, every Townsvillian would be aware of government parking lots, and also the lack of forethought to locating such a complex, then to be met with a reduced staffing capacity, and runamucks loose on the premises, less is more approach.
Has anyone put up a petition to get rid of Troy? Must be a good groundswell against him
The Magpie put up a half-hearted one, mainly to illustrate that an option was fighting fire with fire.
If anyone wants to do a serious one, the ‘Pie will give it as much air as possible.
Actually, have come across this one, seems legit. You might want to publicise it on your social media sites.
https://www.change.org/p/demand-mayor-troy-thompson-s-resignation-for-misleading-the-public
Will The Real Troy Thompson please stand up, please stand up.
One thinks they could write a catchy song for that one.
If twonames needs a theme song, then this one is good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFacWGBJ_cs
To me a major problem that is occurring with the residents of Paluma is the there appears to be no direct open and honest communication between Dept of Transport and Main Roads and the Palima and Hidden Valley residents.
This problem was experienced by residents of Cape Tribulation/Daintree last year after Cyclone Jasper caused several major landslides and the Alexander Range and the Noah’s Creek range.
This lead to much anger by residents against DTMR and the local council.
When regular meetings were eventually held and open honest discussions held minuted and published then sensible heads prevailed.
Some of the actions undertaken can be found here but remember that this road is a council controlled road but DTMR ended up managing and financing the repairs because of the scope and expertise needed to open up this road
https://douglas.qld.gov.au/cyclone-jasper/daintree-coast-road-update/
Spot on. The Magpie is in no way suggesting that there isn’t a massive repair job necessary, or that it won’t be done professionally (if a little slowly because of bureaucratic caution about liability).
As far as we know, there was no direct discussion about travel limits between the residents and Main Roads … just a touch of arrogant ‘we know best’ pedantry.
TMR conducted a survey of Paluma folk to determine demand for access to the Paluma road. Without any testing of responses, TMR relied upon that survey to identify full-time residents and then invited only those folk to apply for a single permit per household.
All other landowners have been denied permits – a special little “fuck you” from TMR.
In TMR’s usual way, it has refused to respond to most enquires, and withheld all relevant information. So much for the LNP’s claims about open government. Maybe the Minister might like to live up to the claim by stepping in to re-educate the long-term arseholes at TMR…
The claim that the limit on user-numbers is for safety is utter crap. Everyone using the road is at exactly the same risk.
The claim that the road is unsafe for use at night is utter crap. The road is safer at night because you can see the lights of oncoming vehicles, and hazards on the road are visible because of these new-fangled things called headlights. TMR just wants to save money by limiting the traffic control crew to one 12-hour shift per day.
Some residents can drive home in a bit over an hour on a sealed, relatively smooth bitumen road. Other residents must endure the utter crap of driving for about three hours over a part gravel road that is covered in wandering cattle and is suspect as soon as it rains. THAT distinction is doing wonders for the mood between friends and neighbours. Then the non-resident-residents couldn’t even go that way, because the bridge at Hidden Valley was closed to anything over 2.5 tonne because termites had eaten it to the point that support posts simply didn’t exist, so anybody in a reasonable 4WD could not use the bridge. Apparently the weight limit has now been increased.
TMR is – as always – utter crap.
Well well, Palm Island gave given Michael Bissell the arse. I imagine there’s not many dry eyes over that decision.
There certainly seems there is a back story there.
Regarding Troy Thompson, I enjoy the weekly updates in the nest. His actions are the actions of a complete fruitcake, a man whose mental health is in obvious decline. But he is also a crafty S.O.B and knows how to tear down a city, namely Townsville. Hopefully Crisafulli will finish him off by the end of the year, then Mr Troy will fade away like a fart released.
Ng,
Love your last sentence.
At the moment Troy Thompson is the fart in a crowded lift.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-02/private-e-scooter-injuries-two-thirds-of-hospital-presentations/105365722?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web
So, Food Trucks offers thoughts and prayers. The catch phrase for someone who does not give a fuck.
On Riverway Drive they cruise at 60kph. Their acceleration is such that as they dart in front of you they fill your windscreen with no time to effectively react. Frequently driven aggressively on roads, footpaths and supermarket car parks by grubs with a Fuck The World attitude.
Did I mention multi-tasking? In the traffic, and amongst pedestrians, texting, or affixed to their mobile bloody phones. One hopes that these models of rational behaviour do not get go spread their genius genes to the next generation.
Then in the suburban roads there are the primary school aged children dubbling on the things as they wobble in the middle of the road. Bloody Hell, where are the parents?!
I have no desire to have to have my car repaired having crashed to avoid one of these self entitled pricks, or worse still, run over one, which would still cause damage to my car.
Food Trucks, make yourself usefully for once in your life and advocate for the prohibition of escooters in any and all public spaces.
Natalie Marr, are you reading this. We have high hopes for you after that dead head Harper. You had better start making some noise.
30 scooter riders killed in Australia in 5 years
42 bicycle riders killed by cars
167 pedestrians killed by cars in 1 year
1300 people killed each year killed in car accidents
Seems you need to ban cars, save the country a fortune and help out the hospitals.
T.C.,
What is that by percentage of users. Please include passengers in cars as frequently escooters are ridden 2 up, occasionally with 3 on board.
I would rather focus on the emergency department data each week, specifically the percentage of people injured or killed by motor vehicles, compared to all other types of motorised accidents.
There may be a need for stricter regulations, more and safer bicycle lanes, and proper speed governors. However, your comments are pathetic.
We have become a society that tells every young person what to do and how to do it all the time. I remember riding scrambler bikes at 14 at approximately 60km on backroads. But then again some of us don’t have halo’s and harps.
That’s just silly. The issue is not the logical conclusion (which you will of course deny but then we all know about you and logic, Trops) of your opening line that cars should be banned or need greater regulation, it is about the introduction of a new vehicle class embodying obvious dangers, and allowed without proper regulation, restriction or policing.
Perhaps the council should have demanded a greater fee from from the scooters companies, the extra amount to fund a small force of ,say, six specially empowered council officers to enforce regulations. One power that might be given them is that is repeat offences or very serious misuse, taking details of the credit card used to activate the vehicles, which is then passed on to the scooter company to be put on a banned list.
This is not something real police officers should be solely burdened with.
And BTW, The Magpie’s concern here is for regular tax-paying law abiding drivers who have been handed a new, highly unpredictable and inevitably expensive hazard to handle.
While you vent at scooter riders and take cheap shots at local politicians that was someone’s kid.
He happened to be a pretty awesome kid who didn’t deserve to die so young. It’s an absolute fucking tragedy.
Bit harsh on Mororist, Ducky.
Of course it’s a tragedy, (from your comment it seems you knew the kid) but you’re missing the point, Ducky. Motorist may be somewhat colourful and fevered in his comments about scooter riders, but at no stage did he mention this particular matter. It was a general – and widely held – opinion on the issue of these poorly regulated vehicles, so easily accessible to risk-taking youth.
And no matter how personal this loss is to some (every death, particular of young people, always is to somebody, which invariably results in a mawkish Bulletin piece posing as serious news), the issue is a matter of legitimate public concern, and therefore Motorist’s view is one legitimate side of this debate.
And in the particular case you mention, it is reasonable to ask questions regarding the circumstances of a 18-year-old dying in a single vehicle accident (according to the cops) at 1am on a highway a great distance from where he lived. If orger scooters were involved, it’s a fact that they don’t leave forensic clues like regular vehicles.
And just a philosophical aside from a 79-year-old … with rare exceptions, everyone dies to soon.
Oh Magpie, it was hardly harsh.
I do understand that there needs to be a wider conversation about scooter regulation. And this conversation is overdue and it’s important. I also understand people should be allowed to express strong views.
However, when someone dies, especially a young person, how we express those views matters. Motorist didn’t just criticise scooters. He dehumanised the people who ride them, made assumptions about parenting, and ended with a sarcastic demand for a political ban. That’s not policy critique and its not constructive. It’s old man rage directed at a group that included the kid who just died.
I didn’t miss the point. I just don’t go around pretending that compassion and regulation are mutually exclusive.
Christ, you must love reading the Bulletin, increasingly known as the Daily Mawkish.
News platforms have – or used to have – policies about what news is, and except in exceptional circumstances, personal losses belong in the obituary and tribute pages. Instead nowadays, we get front pages FGS about people we don’t know and in truth couldn’t care less about, except for those few readers who might happen to know them. Sick kids, accident victims, miracle recoveries, smothered in adjectives that tell how we should feel … tragic, tragedy, sadly, brave toddler, spectacular, we are being coached into an emotional response by people with venal agendas, floundering around in this new electronic age into what they want us to consider news. Most of which is as trustworthy and of general import as a chat over the back fence on washing day. People don’t ‘tragically anything’ unless the reader feels it is tragic without any prompting from a cliche ridden child hack. A ‘beautiful, gifted (pretty awesome) trombone playing youngster sadly passed away in a spectacular highway tragedy’ ‘instead of “Boy dies in highway accident’, and gives the facts, adjective free, so we are treated like adults who can make up our own mind how we feel.
Thats what real news is, facts without opinion or judgement.
And if we take your yardstick Ducky, my advice is buy shares in Kleenex, we’ll be sobbing all day every day over people we know nothing about. For no fucking mature reason.
Personally it needs more work into those backyarders who supply a service which illegally enhances the power of electric bikes and scooters; and I don’t refer to any particular case.
I get that you feel you are in a position to critique the dismal journalistic efforts of the Bulletin. That’s fair. But you’re also using it to justify complete emotional disengagement from actual people.
No one disputes that facts need to be reported. But not all storytelling is manipulation and not all feeling is propaganda.
And no amount of scoffing about adjectives changes the fact that a young man is dead, and maybe, just maybe, public empathy might help prevent the next one.
First up, public empathy will only occur when the facts are presented unemotionally and adjective-free.
Second, you asking society to disappear up its own emotional vortex by getting worked up about people they don’t know and are entitled not to worry about their fate. No one is cheering that a young bloke apparently killed himself in a scooter accident, but the wider public didn’t know him, and therefore don’t vare at all on an individual basis. But they do care on a community basis, and are speaking out about the means (i.e. inadequately regulated scooters) that led to what they believe is an unfortunate death.
If your comments are driven by a personal connection – why else would you describe the dead youth as ‘a pretty awesome kid’ when the general public knew absolutely nothing about him except his age – your comments deserve to be seen in that light. And you should’ve been honest enough to share that.
If you have no personal connection, your wokeish hanky wringing stance is way off the mark, Ducky. You’re doing what the Bulletin does …telling others how they should feel.
Magpie, you’ve put a lot of energy into defending the idea that people shouldn’t care unless they’re personally connected.
Whether I knew him or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that a young man died. We should treat that with some basic decency out of respect for his family.
If empathy offends your sense of what belongs in public discourse, that says more about your worldview than mine.
And despite your assertion, I’m not telling people how to feel. I’m asking them not to dehumanise someone who just died.
You might call that “wokeish hanky-wringing”, but at least it’s not contempt.
You speak with forked tongue, Ducksman. First show where in the thread from Motorist or The ‘Pie where the dead bloke was shown disrespect.
Love it when folks dodge perfectly reasonable questions, but The ‘Pie will ask again, what prompted you to describe the dead youth as ‘pretty awesome’. How did you know to even form this opinion? And you aredead wrong that whether you knew him doesn’t matter, the value of comments depends on the motivation behind them.
The ‘Pie isn’t aware of any disrespect for the deceased, and we know very little about the entire matter, but you are clearly taking ridiculous faux moral high ground lecturing people like Motorist and The ‘Pie about our moral laxity, and to discuss a wider issue is showing ‘disrespect’. The answer to which is. an polite GFY.
You ignore the fact that other are levels of ‘empathy’, ranging from personal grief through various stages to end with public awareness of a fact and possible contributing circumstances that might require community action, like regulation. That’s the way the world is.
And BTW, although you make valuable contributions to Nest comments, Ducky, on this matter, no reply from you will be published unless you clearly declare whether you knew this person or not. You should do this out of respect for readers.
As fairly warned, your response comment is not published for the reason previously stated.
On kind of a side note to all this, why has the perfectly cromulent word “sympathy” fallen into such disuse, in favour of the stronger (but I would argue inaccurate-in-an-instance-like-this “empathy”). I may be wrong, but I always understood that there was a clear and important distinction between those two words. Sympathy is for people who feel sorry for the misfortune of others, while Empathy is reserved only for people who’ve been there themselves. So in this case, unless someone has also lost a child, it is not possible for that person to empathise with his parents. And the fact that most of us can ‘only’ sympathise does not mean that there’s any less respect for the grieving loved ones.
So Trump decree’s that we should increase our defense spending; at the same juncture threatening to hike the tariffs again.
Can someone prod that useless (alleged) Trade Minister, Don Farrell into informing the USA that we have committed and already delivered a huge amount of our “readies” to the white elephant (dead before its even born) nuke submarine snake oil brain fart.
His pathetic “not the action of a friend” must have sent guffaws all around the US administration. In the same way the EU (metaphorically) laughed him out of the room
What’s your issue with Farrell?
Apart from the fact that he is a lazy, drunken, unintelligent oaf prone to clumsy gaffes?
Can you link to any news stories proving these?
Couldn’t have put it better myself Grumps; So I didn’t!
For once.
Grumpy, you could be describing Warren Entche, Clive Palmer, or perhaps Troy Thompson?
Or, indeed, a number of contributors to this blog…
Pie, there’s many a good old Yorkshire expression that fits this town. “Fine words butter no parsnips” is a ripper. How about “where theres muck, there’s brass”?
According to the “intellectual” essay of guide lines in ‘Ecky Thump’ comes from both York and Lancashire dialogue.
“There’s nowt wrong wi’ owt” and a fuller version “While there’s tripe on t’pikelets, there’s nowt wrong wi’ owt,”
Mate do you mind, we have enough trouble with English around here.
Twonames Troy has posted a rant about NQSpark on his Facebook page. He is looking for anything he can find to stir up his posse. The best bit is that his petition is moving very slowly without much support. Awesome! The fuckwit is punching thin air, wasting his time he he he
Also doesn’t know the difference between a conflict of interest and just plain interest.
I’ve recently been watching some “Yes, Prime Minister” and after listening to Sir Humphrey Applebee’s verbal gymnastics, it is easy to decipher the the real intent of the long winded promotion of their new services sight.
According to Sir Humphrey, the last thing the Civil Service desires is greater access to their machinations. The Federal Govt understood this, creating MyGov. Minnikin, etc, have created a QLD version.
It’s so clear, you just have to know how to decipher the verbiage. Reading Orwell’s .”1984″ makes a good primer.
I just read this morning that there is no delineating blood percentage needed to proclaim Aboriginality. All that is required is claiming descent, self-identification, and community acceptance. I find that unfortunate because it leaves the door open for those of lesser moral attributes to manipulate to/for their own benefits. And the reason I was thinking about this is that the woman, Dorinda Cox, who was on TV last night having defected from the Greens to Labor, was very fair (although I think her hair was dyed) but this morning on the radio she described herself as “as proud Aboriginal woman”, and I was surprised to hear that. Not condemning her or being judgmental because I don’t know anything about her; but I did start thinking about the conditions related to the other business I mentioned above. Just sayin’…………..
Some time back there was a discussion about Neanderthal DNA being present, in minute amounts, in all of us.
Given the yardstick to assess aboriginality we could all claim to be a proud Neanderthal man or a proud Neanderthal woman; but there is no government handouts for Neanderthals, is there.
Willie; I think you’ll find being at least 85% Neanderthal is a pre-requisite for politicians and Rock musicians.
A,
You are correct, but do not be too hard on the Rock (so called) Musicians.
They cannot play melody. Cannot play dance music, for the enjoyment of others, and their lyrics are indecipherable. They are the mud wrestlers at the bottom of the musical gene pool.
I think the issue is being hard on neanderthals. They have been shown to be quite artistic. There has also been a case found of where neanderthals cared for an individual with downsyndrome. This idea that they were oafish cave people is a bit outdated. They were prehistoric, so we can’t know what they’d be like with modern day knowledge and technology.
All but sub-saharan african people have somewhere around 2-4% neanderthal DNA.
Not sure but I identify as a dinosaur so fuck off my land. That includes the aboriginals (2nd Nations people) who came here after me.
KK,
As a dinosaur, alive and well you must be a crocodile. Kenny Crocodile, not to be messed with?
Ducks Nuts, your obsession over the kid that got flattened by the e-scooter is concerning. R u ok princess? Or are you just voicing your feelings on the way that we are accustomed to in the Nest – emotional and arrogant?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-04/escooter-injuries-report-sunshine-coast-university-hospital/105373918
Tropical Cyclone,
You seem to have access to the statistics having given us the deaths.
What is your take on the attached news article and please provide us with the percentage of users injured including permanent life altering injuries. Thanks.
Twonames has gone the attack on Facebook today, in particular sticking it to the Councillors. He really is a nasty vengeful maggot.
He is a nasty demented fool.
Tautology of the week.
A free gift … as versus … what?
Pleonasm perhaps?
Certainly. Pleonasm is the $10 word for a type of tautology, and is sometime forgiven if used for emphasis. Like saying ‘stupid politician’.
I am not on Facebook, but yesterday I learnt there is a Facebook page set up just for folks who have been blocked from Troy Thompson’s Facebook page. About 350 members. Fantastic, funny, and on TT’s part, tragic.
The anti-cookers
Link or name please. Sounds like a great idea. Let’s all go and post on it.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/896775858998447/&ved=2ahUKEwiP0_zfxNmNAxU_klYBHTi5OSIQFnoECCAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2Q3FFXvg3d-xUC9HoVyqgg
Not sure this is correct. I just typed in Troy Thompson Facebook Townsville and up it came.
“Townsvilleans Blocked by Troy Thompson” is the ever so literal name. The group can be found at this link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/896775858998447
By and large it’s a single subject group, but it does give that subject a thorough workout. A read through the groups members (not all active posters, but definitely avid readers) is a mini “Who’s Who” for Townsville. It has entry questions to join and post or comment (although is free to view), which basically entails confirming that you’ve been blocked by TwoNames. Given that “Who’s Who” nature of membership, and they’ve all attested to being blocked……Well it makes you wonder why the guy is making such a nuisance of himself and sticking around. He’s determined to have zero working or workable relationships in the city.
Yes, Lee Marvin-in-disguise – its a hoot. Thompson’s weird meanderings are exposed and laid bare by incisive, intelligent and unsparing analysis. Thompson carefully follows the page and quickly amends silly mistakes pointed out by contributors – when he can. Like this blog. He also immediately blocks from his own page anyone who joins the page or “likes” a post on it, Stupid creature.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/896775858998447/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
Townsvillians Blocked by Troy Thompson FB group for reference. We are always happpy to see some more people with common sense and some level of intelligence ????
Here we go again. The libs are stacking the TSV DPP again. The person will end up being a candidate somewhere later https://www.seek.com.au/job/84667428?type=standard&ref=search-standalone#sol=a7cb48bfec08bbbad2c0f3607971112bd3d480d8
How’s that? Having read the attachment, it is simply an ad for a vacant position.
The logic escapes us, please enlighten … briefly.
What was that Sheila’s name again, uni lib , then DPP and candidate against Reynolds?
Are you talking about Jessica Weber, now Jessica Keir. Timely mention (although not in context of the thread), as a month or so ago, Jess was appointed as a magistrate. She will be rapping knuckles in Caboolture (and possibly Cairns) for her opening stint.
https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/102539
The ‘Pie considered his age, and decided he was quite comfortable in describing a magistrate Jess as a nice kid when he knew her. Pretty sharp, too. As The ‘Pie reported way back then, Jess had a uni penchant for topless table dancing. The ‘Pie did idly wonder if she celebrated her elevation to the bench with a reprise performance on it.
Sounds like a bitter old barrister who knows he doesn’t have a chance at the job. I think I may know who…
Whatever, but he’d really have to be a really, really, really dud barrister to lust after a paltry $160k a year, which offers few perks.
Sounds like a job Twonames could apply for. Just invent a few qualifications and, voila.
Yes Grumpy but you won’t supply any names. You’ve spent too many years in court to not want to be back there. Smart thinking.
Kenny – as my huge Islander drinking mate says, “True dat, my brother”
TEL are excited about the Destination 2045 Plan.
More than a decade after the Olympics, well done TEL…… what an embarrassment.
“Johnathan Thurston and his long-time controversial manager Sam Ayoub are embroiled in an explosive lawsuit involving a former employee of their organisation.”
Funny how a front page story about a prominent Townsville identity appears in the Sydney Morning Herald yet there is nothing in the Townsville Bulletin. Is JT a protected species in this town or is the TB playing dead, if not actually extinct?
The ‘Pie was wondering about that too … only saw the teasers headline and can’t afford an SMH subscription anymore, so was awaiting further revelations from the Bulletin. Alas, silly old Magpie.
BTW this is the same Bulletin that has screaming headers about BREAKTHROUGH in that missing girl case down – where? – Bundy? The breakthrough was the arrest of the housemate, who was given an Iced VoVo, a cuppa and quickly released with no charge. Courier was left behind as well, but it was the Brisbane Times (aka SMH with a banana) that had it up first thing.
And this morning we wake up to find out that they are both now charged with murder.
And in other news, Donny and Elon officially hate each other; Donny crosses off another friend off his list and Elon has started with the dagger texts. I’m excited!!
The orange idiot is in love with himself and his bank account. Watch this space when it comes to digital cash. He is pushing crypto and his spineless toad of a son-in-law has been over in the Middle East doing crypto deals. Nothing Trump does is of benefit to humanity, whatever he does benefits himself only. Oh I forgot he does do whatever Miriam Adelson wants him to do.
Money talks and bullshit walks apparently.
Saint Jonathan of Thurston is a deity of whom no embarrassing information will be reported.
The last time anything such was occurred was when th rozzers sprung him in a drunken state trying to break into his own unit. Much before he was canonised by The Astonisher.
Oh, where to start with this morning’s prize piece of bullshit from the Astonisher. OK, let’s start with the headline. We know defections are the current Canberra fashion, but this???
So Mr Willcox is now a minster? Has anybody told Albo about this? Does the GG know about this unusual, dare one say, precedent?
Or perhaps this is what was meant:
The Whitsunday mob got the crucial wording right … and got it right 9 days ago. Talk about yesterday’s news tomorrow.
It also turns out, as far as The ‘Pie can see, that there is no such thing as a portfolio – or as suggested two portfolios – for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability in the government for our tubby galoot to shadow. The current government appears to spread the rather ominous, Chinese-sounding ‘sovereign capability’ matters across several ministries, including manufacturing and defence,
Then there’s the rather tenuous hopeful clickbait line that Willcox is a ‘Townsville MP’, a designation rarely if ever given to previous members for Mackay-based seat of Dawson. The Astonisher’s presumtion is based on a sliver of Townsville falling into that electorate to make up the AEC numbers, but with little or no influence on any electoral outcome.
TCC slashes Community Grants program funding to community organisations to stage events.
Wonder if this lost funding to community organisations is being used to fund the TEL events program. The A/Mayor did say that the budget will be tight and savings have to be found so what’s a bit of moving funding around matter.
I like how TCC have sharpened their knives and cut funding to numerous stakeholders who deserved to be axed. There needs to be more of it. But it certainly shows how bad the finances are. Desperate times need desperate measures.
Ever since Wednesday’s meeting, The Magpie can’t stop thinking about TEL.
If TCC isn’t careful, TEL will steal all of TCC’s thunder. Mayors and Councillors don’t like that, they like to be front and centre. It’s becoming very obvious that Claudia Bum Smith is trying to lift her profile and will at some future stage take a tilt towards politics. After all, she has the must haves, she is full of piss and wind and enjoys engaging with political figures.
And Mopsy, she enjoys engaging with one former politician in particular!
The mind boggleth!! That would be like watching someone puting together an IKEA kit table.
Plucka, I can only imagine (or perhaps not).
From an interview with a councillor, who disagrees with the cuts. It was stated that the value of the funding pool remains the same. So it seems that all the funding limit will do is allow more applications to be funded.
There have been various group reps, complaining about the funding limit and lamenting the potential loss of “free” events to the public. (ie: ratepayers that are paying for the event to exist)
I’m yet to see anything free at a community event apart from some of the entertainment. Attendance still costs plenty for food, stalls etc
Exactly what The ‘Pie will be discussing in tomorrow’s Nest.