Politics is a dirty word

  Disputes within factions of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party will force the resignation of Premier Daniel Andrews. His socialist left faction was dominant within the State party until serious issues arose with building union boss John Setka and power broker adem Sonyurek. The final act for his demise has been the destruction of the Victorian economy caused by mishandling the Covid 19 pandemic. Blaming the Health Minister and pushing her resignation was just too much.

  At last the Victorian Government is facing strong criticism for its handling of lockdown policies during the curent Copvid19 pandemic. Calls have been made by the health union for the resignation of Health Minister Jenny Mikakos who has been accused of “breathtaking incompetence”. The State Government’s response to the pandemic has been muddled at best and it seems a little unfair for Minister Mikakos to be a scapegoat. The fundamental problems are far more broad and encompass the whole of Goverenment including bureaucrats. Lines of responsibilty have been deliberately blurred to deflect blame for mismanagement. A clear example was the establishment of an Emergency Management Commissioner. Craig Lapsley should not have been replaced in that role. The position was created in 2014 and did nothing to improve the delivery of emergency services. It simply imposed another level of expensive bureaucracy. There was already (and still is), a full army of bureaucrats and politic...

  TheCovid19 Omnibus Emergency Measures Bill which the Victorian Government is trying to push through Parliament spells the end of democracy in this State. If it passes, the Bill will allow the Secretary of the Public Health and Well Being Act 2008 to appoint anyone as an authorised officer. thePublic Health and Wellbeing Act states the emergency powers that may be given to authorised officers by the Chief Health Officer during a declared state of emergency so it seems that would be the basis for their power and they will be able to arrest anyone for anything. If cross benchers don't support the Bill in the Upper House, it won't become law, but unfortunately the Greens, the Reason Party  and the Animal Justice party have  track records supporting the whims of  the Government.

  The curent COVID19 pandemic is causing panic around the world but it is not the first pandemic to hit humans – nor the dealiest. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, was the deadliest in history, infecting about 500 million people worldwide and killing an estimated 50 million. The 1918 flu was first seen in Europe, the United States and parts of Asia before spreading everywhere. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a coronavirus it has been recorded as killing 920,000 people. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness. The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the virus and how it spreads. Protect yourself and others from infection by washing hands or u...

  Recent events in Melbourne have demonstrated that there is no difference between the violent actions of law enforcement bodies in America , Belarus or Melbourne. Video images have shown a police officer delibrately driving his car into a man and then another officer kicking him in the head when he was immobilised on the ground. These are just the latest actions taken by police during their rampage endosed by the Victorian Government during its Covid 19 Lockdown nightmare. The extent of police violence demonstrates that it is systemic and part of police training.  In Victoria, police have been transformed from a community service, to a ‘force’. Apart from Ken Lay and Christine Nixon there has not been a decent police commissioner since Mick Miller was pushed into resignation. He was about the last ‘honest cop.’’ In addition to violence, the illegal activities by senior officers in using a defence lawyer as an informer shows complete contempt for any legal process.

 Ex Prime Minister Tony Abbott is a striking example of the reasons people distrust politicians. He enjoys an extraordinarily generous pension, but is now taking on a job with the UK Government. The Australian government has an international coronavirus travel ban in place, but granted Mr Abbott an exemption to fly to London where he is tipped to take up a new role as an adviser to the UK Board of Trade. The best thing he can do for Ausatralia is to give up his pension with taxpayer-provided perks and stay in Britain. We don’t want him!