News thread

Yeah, pretty much.  I can't even remember the last time we had a government that wasn't constantly at war with itself, a time where more than a month or two would go by without some sort of damaging leak or sniping from one faction against the PM in a media interview would go by.  Maybe the early part of Rudd's term when the public was still in a honeymoon period and the party hadn't decided it hated working with him yet, which was over nine years ago.  

If things have sounded crazy and exaggerated when I post about what's happening in Australian politics I can tell you it's actually not even half of the bizarre show that goes on in Canberra.  It's taken one of the craziest things in modern British political history to cause a civil war in the party, over here that's just business-as-usual.  

At least it sounds interesting to follow...?

Aye, it is that at least.  You guys have had three major party leaders in the last... Six years?  Cameron and May as the Conservative PM's, and Corbyn as opposition leader (if I recall correctly, or did Corbyn knife his predecessor in that timespan?)  Here we've had five different Prime Ministers (and only one of them attained the position via election victory) and two different opposition leaders in that time, and that figure looks set to increase next May after the election.  

To put it another way we have general elections every 3 years at maximum.  In the last eleven years not a single Prime Minister has won an election and lived long enough to see the next one.

I can't imagine Corbyn knifing anything that wasn't grown on his allotment. Think his predecessor (Milliband?) got chucked out after failing miserably in the last-but-one general election. But yes, think it's just been him and May since - May because negotiating Brexit is actually going to be chuffing awful for anyone, Jeremy included, who tries to do so; and Corbyn because despite losing the GE he did better than everybody sticking the knife into him thought he would do, and I think they took a few weeks to go 'what if...?' before sticking the knife in again.

Remember how I said Australian politics be crazay?  Well, we've ended the year with a bang!  Someone couldn't keep it in his pants (only the second politician this year to be disgraced for such a reason, our former-Deputy PM earlier this year stepped down from the position after knocking up his secretary).

Y'see Scott Morison thought he could announce the mid-year budget update and end the year on a semi-high note for the people still watching the news this time of year.  He'd tout that we're on track for the first budget surplus in nine years, and then chuff off to spend christmas away from the misery of Canberra.  

BUT NO!  Things are never that simple here in Australia!     On the very day he was releasing this information a sex scandal came out about a member of the Nationals (the secondary party that is allied with the Liberals to form the Coalition Government).  See it turns out one Andrew Broad has been travelling to Thailand for rendezvous with young women, and this came out on the same day as Morrison released his information.



What makes this so hilarious is that this politician, not five years ago when he was first elected, billed himself as a family man that believed in no higher cause than family values.  He was staunchly against things like marriage equality citing the potential consequences of ruining the family dynamic for example.

And yet here he is, travelling on the tax payers dollar to Thailand to pork young women.  

It gets better though.  Turns out the guy brought this to the attention of the leader of the Nationals over a week ago because he suspected it was going to come out in the media sooner rather than later.  Did he, the Deputy PM, think to inform the actual PM of this?  Nope!  

And so just like that all the small amount of oxygen in the room Morrison was intending to use to spruce his economic credentials (stolen from Turnbull's work) gets sucked out by another controversy exploding in his face.  

This honestly sums up the year rather nicely.  A big farce that is equal amounts hilarious and depressing.  One thing politics here in Australia never is?  Boring.  

I was sat over from a Kiwi at Christmas dinner, and their politics seems to be similarly amusing. Basically they've got Jacinda Ardern as PM, who's centre-left; and then the Deputy PM is essentially Nigel Farage with the edges sanded off. Strewth. No sex scandals as yet though.

It's not going to go to No Deal, is it?  Somebody tell me it's not going to go to No Deal.  It shouldn't, I know, but I can't help worrying.

Incidentally: confirming what we all thought.

If we've any sense, it'll not go to No Deal.

So, judging by the last two and a half years, we'll be going to No Deal.

I don't know the ins and outs of the deal May is trying to get through, but I have to say it is fun to watch the fireworks over here. I'm honestly surprised May doesn't just resign, it's clear she can't get this sorted at this point, and her stubbornly hanging on is likely just making things worse. So is the parliament constantly voting the deals down, but at the same time it's not lost on me who is responsible for such a hostile parliament being voted in. . .

Either way it's making for engaging news over here. More interesting that whether Barnaby "Inbred Tomato" Joyce retakes his leadership of the national party after last years sex scandal (he knocked up his secretary while he was still married, the party he was leading is big on family values so it went down rather well with them), that's for sure.

I was gonna make a Noel Edmonds gag but then it occurred to me that those of you actually in the UK probably hear that shit loads, right?

Anyway, if the pound could drop as low as possible that would be ideal for me paying off the little bit of tax and bank debt I need to deal with.

I try to hear as little as possible about all of this. Recently, though, it's become borderline impossible to avoid. I can see that it's probably interesting to watch if you're not in the eye of the storm. The brown, foul-smelling storm...

It just feels like we're going around in circles also a few weeks ago I had to hold my tongue because the customer is always right.

A lady asked where something was, which was something sort of straight forward I think it might have been dried onions. Anyway, they're in the polish section, well you can guess what came next.

Oh dear. Stream of racism?

I get that on a daily basis as some of our technical support teams are based in mainland Europe - Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, mainly - which tends to draw the ire of some people who I'd really rather not be talking to after they reveal their viewpoints on anyone "not from round here".

Modern Britain, ladies and gents!

I noticed that this thread is approaching its imminent doom, much like the UK, as we're nearing the 1000 post limit. Onwards to a new thread and fresh misery...