Politics is a dirty word

  Many countries around the world, including the U nited S tates . Europe, Australia and South America, a re c ur rently showing all the signs of heading for a revolutionary uprising. People have grown increasingly tired of incompetence and corruption demonstrated by politicians and bureaucrats. The groundwork has been around for some years but the incompetent handling of the coronavirus pandemic has brought the issues into focus. A disregard for long-established freedoms has bred resentment and aggression to the point where it could well boil over into full scale revolution.Massive demonstrations in major cities protesting against lockdowns, Covid passport requirements and other measures show no sign of easing. Despite al the lockdowns and restrictions imposed by politicians, infections in many countries are highere than ever, so what was the point in causing so much angst? People are angry, they may not agree about all the causes but they want change and it’s not just a bunc...

  The loss of a Conservative party seat in a By election in the UK should not have been a surprise to the Government. It’s likely that similar things will happen here, given the political handling of the Covid pandemic.It’s not the virus that has caused chaos in the community, it has been the ill-judged responses of the various Governments and bureaucrats which ripped apart families,businesses and communities. Helen Morgan, who won a seat from the Conservatives for the Iiberal Democrats said The re is a general sense of empty promises, a lot of hot air and nothing ever really tangibly happening on the ground." Given our relative population size, the Australian community has been hit far harder than residents ofmany other countries but here there is generally meek compliance with political directives. Hopefully people will eventually come to their senses.

  Problems with Governments and their agencies are not confined to the State and Federal arenas. We have been unable to obtain answers from Bass Coast Shire about breaches of planning permit conditions involving the clearance of native vegetation and siltation problems on land adjoining our property in Grantville. For years the land has been subject to a planning permit for sand extraction however no site activity has been conducted apart from illegal clearing along the river.. Vegetation clearing across the block, right down to Bass River was first notified to the Shire in May 2021 and again early in September 2021. We contacted the Shire office as well as local Councillor Clare Le Serve, President Brett Tessari and CEO Ali Wastie. Cr Le Serve responded on Sept 16 saying she did not know work had started but she would follow up with officers and fellow councillors. We received a phone call from a Shire Planner, a Mr Patrick Doyle on 15.11 seeking further information. We sent ...

 The Australian Government decision not to send diplomats or other officials to the Winter Olympics in China is yet another example of muddled thinking in Canberra. In the current situation, the Government should not be arranging boondoggles for any politician or bureaucrat. This decision is just a sop to the United States and it shows that Australia is not really a separate country. Recent events here, with borders closed have shown that we are a collection of independent states driven by self interested politicians. Rather than rework our constitution, Australia might as well beg to become the 51 st member of the United States. Successive Governments have always done anything the US wants, so it won’t make much difference. Our political system is stuffed anyway so the US version of democracy won't seem too bad!

 With State and Federal elections on the horizon, thoughts are turning to consider how to vote – or if it’s worth voting at all. Some people are indifferent or simply don’t care, but many who choose not to vote have legitimate reasons. motivations vary. They might think that people who vote naively believe that voting is a civic duty and that their ballot will make a difference. Our system of proportional representation means that some very strange people can be elected. We all know that politicians and would-be politicians make a noise about listening to the people and working for everyone’s benefit. It’s a myth that politicians represent the people. They represent only their parties but once they are elected, their focus changes to ensure they maximise their income and benefits before voters realise they are charlatans. Recent events in Victoria have shown that installing independents in Parliament provide no assurance of good government. Greens and other minor party members...

  Former Liberal MP and leader of the Australian Conservatives, Cory Bernardi says that other State Governments will push for their own extended emergency lockdown laws once the Victorian Pandemic Bill is approved, giving special powers to the Premier. Mr Bernardi said other jurisdictions will cite Victoria as “justification” for imposing similar laws after the legislation is passed. “ T his country has already taken steps toward tyranny that most of us could never have envisaged,” he said. His Sky News colleague, Chris Kenny, speaking about the latest Covid variant said: " now the Omicron variant has given them the excuse they wanted, the excuse to slide back into paranoia. “There is a sickness sweeping the nation, and it is not Omicron; it’s political overreach,” he added. It is remarkable how well the Victorian Government has succeeded in conning media outlets to pedal its propaganda and spread fear to convince cross bench politicians and a gullible public to support its v...

 Tight  international border restrictions have been re-imposed in Victoria after the discovery of a new COVID-19 variant Omicron, (Moronic) but Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton admits it will be impossible to keep out. A few weeks ago,the v ariant was identified in Botswana and South Africa . By Nov. 27, the variant had spread to Europe with cases detected in two people in the United Kingdom, two in Germany and at least one in Italy, according to health officials. Public health officials are studying the new variant but what level of threat it poses is not yet known. If the Victorian Government imposes ffurther strict lockdown measures iwill likely trigger serious repercussions.Thye State Government will take nadvantage of the fear and chaos it can spread to get its draconian emergecy reewgulations through parliament. In the legislative Council, so-called 'indepenent' MP's are likely to support the legislation granting extraordinary power to the Premier. Currently, aroun...

 T he decision by three Victorian Labor party MPs not to seek re-election is a clear indication of dissatisfaction with Daniel Andrews' actions as State Premier and his Government's continued bungling of COVID19 issues.There is a strong belief that his hard lockdown and mandatory vaccination policies will generate a huge backlash amongst voters and will complicate the election campaign. Mr Andrews announced  that former Attorney General Jill Hennessy will not re-contest her Altona seat. Ringwood MP Dustin Halse and Yan Yean MP Danielle Green, w ill al so quit politics at the next election. Politicians are already complaining about aggressive confrontations as a result of Government actions. Other Labor MP's including some current ministers are about to bail out following community anger at the Government's draconian behaviour.Jane Garrett is believed to be one.    Fellow MP's are deserting the ship of state as they realised that Andrews is more concerned wi...

  Scrapping petrol and diesel vehicles and switching to electric cars may reduce running costs and have some benefits, but there will be a cost for the environment. Car makers have revealed that the manufacturing process for electric cars creates 70 percent more emissions. It will be more beneficial for the planet if we reduce the use of vehicles and modify the fuel source – such as installing systems which convert water to hydrogen and oxygen. Running a  Car on water may seem like a pipe dream but I have a guide on how to do it.

  The prestigious Mayo Clinic in the US has published details about adverse reactions to the Covid19 vaccine. I t says there has been an increase in reported cases of myocarditis and pericarditis after M RNA COVID-19 v accination, particularly in males ages 12 through 17. Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle, while pericarditis is the inflammation of the lining outside the heart. Of the cases reported, the problem happened more often after the second dose of the  vaccine and typically within several days after vaccination  Adverse Effects have also been reported in the UK’s medical journal The Lancet. Symptoms include: Chest pain Shortness of breath Feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heart.

 With State and Federal elections on the horizon, thoughts are turning to consider how to vote – or if it’s worth voting at all. Some people are indifferent or simply don’t care, but many who choose not to vote have legitimate reasons. motivations vary. Some think that people who vote have a naive believe that voting is a civic duty and that their ballot will make a difference. Our system of proportional representation means that often some very strange and incompetent candidates are elected. We all know that politicians and would-be politicians make a noise about listening to the people and working for everyone’s benefit, but once they are elected, their focus changes to ensure they maximise their income and benefits before voters realise they are charlatans. In Australia, we have a broken Federal system with a bunch of independent states swallowing buckets of money and a national Government which duplicates all functions of the States plus defence and ‘intelligence gatherin...

  The confused approach to vaccine efficacy is causing concern in the community.  If vaccines work as well as claimed, Why are unvaccinated citizens reviled and ridiculed by the Government? It is unvaccinated people who are at risk of infection from vaccinated people carrying the virus. Governments have been spreading misinformation about the efficacy of Covid vaccines and  the mass media has willingly promoted the propaganda, assisting Government plans to control their communities by spreading fear and panic ehenever possible. Their conduct has been deceptive because they have aware that the vaccines are not  silver bullets against the virus. My wife and I live on an 80 hectare farm at Grantville and we currently have zero risk of contracting Covid or infecting anyone else. As we are effectively isolated on the farm and have no contact with others, it seems absurd that the Victorian Government seems to expect us to put ourselves at risk of infection by attending a ...

  A health campaign approved by the Australian Government appears to warn about the long term implications of giving vaccines to children. Shingles is a viral condition that results in a painful rash .  Television commercials sponsored b y the Australian Government reveal that Shingles is often caused by the reactivation of a chickenpox vaccine which was administered to many children. T he reactivation of varicella-zoster virus creates symptoms such as sensitiv ity to touch, itchy skin, numbness and tingling, as well as fluid-filled blisters all over the body . This can be taken as a warning about future dangers from the Covid19 vaccine.

 For anyone who has ever wondered how the Government develops policies. Here is a synopsis: Victorian State Government Planning.  In the beginning was the plan And then came the assumptions and the assumptions were without form and the plan was completely without substance and the darkness was upon the face of the workers and they spoke among themselves, saying "it is a crock of shit, and it stinketh" and the workers went unto Government bureaucrats and sayeth "it is a pail of dung and none may abide the odour" and the bureaucrats went to their Department Heads and sayeth unto them, "it is a container of excrement and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it", and the Department heads went unto ther ministers and sayeth, "it is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength", and the ministers spake amongst themselves, saying one to another, "it contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong...

  Concerns are growing that proposed Covid Vaccines for young children may not be as safe as we have been led to believe.. Politicians may may have been less than honest with us. a new review by international pediatric vaccine experts, reveals that any decision to vaccinate all children under 12 years of age against COVID-19 should be made “with due caution,” after detailed consideration of the risks and benefits. The review, led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (Australia) and the University of Freiburg (Germany), highlights points to consider and the complexity of policy decisions surrounding vaccination of this age group. “ More data is needed to confirm if the benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 disease in children under 12 years of age outweigh any potential risks,” the reserarchers concluded.

  Many Australians now feel they are living in a third world country following a spate of natural disasters – fires, flood and winds which have demonstrated the inability of our politicians and bureaucrats to meet basic emergency requirements. Part of the problem is the illusion that this is one country, In reality it is a group of seven states and territories, cobbled together in a Federation which ensures that they compete with each other and impose a huge cost on citizens with the duplication of services. Health and education are the responsibilty ofeach state in addition to department officers and ministers at the Federal level. More than 5,000 calls for help were made to the Victoria State Emergency Service on Friday after wild storms lashed the state.24 hours later, at least 200,000 homes remained without power. Residents in Vict o ria are amongst the most disillusioned as the latest failures follow the mismanagement of the Covid19 virus outbreak, earlier storm damage, ...

  Chinese magnesium shortages are impacting carmakers and other manufacturers with a wide-sweeping shortage of aluminum and steel. Magnesium is required in the smelting process as an alloying agent,  China has become a dominant supplier of magnesium but exports have dropped because it is suffering production problems as a result of its economic issues and power shortages. Other countries seem to be slow to step into the market and the magnesium shortfall. Countries such as Australia ands various african nations have significant magnesium deposits. In the past, Rhodesia used to supply much of the world’s requirements and the Zimbabwe mines are still operating.

  Victoria’s Covid 19 outbreak is back to record levels and demonstrates the failure of the State Government’s handling of the pandemic. Almost 2000 new cases yesterday and 25 deaths show the ineffectiveness of the Government’s response. If politicians, bureaucrats and academics really believe their hype that Covid 19 vaccines protect people from the virus, cases would not be growing and they would not be so vocal about people who choose not to be vaccinated. Using their logic, it is the unvaccinated who are at risk from vaccinated people. For the unvaccinated, the safest thing is to stay home rather than face contamination. But the politicians here seem to want the outbreak to grow as they are relaxing movement conditions despite the growth in contamination.

  If politicians, bureaucrats and academics really believe their hype that Covid 19 vaccines protect people from the virus, they would not be so vocal about people who choose not to be vaccinated. Using their logic, it is the unvaccinated who are at risk from vaccinated people. For the unvaccinated, the safest thing is to stay home rather than face contamination.

  Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is seeking new powers to declare pandemics and have public health orders enforced for three months at a time. It seems that the Government has made deals to win the support of key cross benchers in the upper house, including the Greens' leader, Samantha Ratnam and the Reason Party'sFiona Patten. New pandemic laws to replace the controversial state of emergency powers are expected to be introduced into the Victorian parliament. Under the new laws, the Minister for Health will sign off on public health orders, rather than the Chief Health Officer. If it becomes law, the premier will have an excuse to keep his daily propaganda television show designed to control the gullible public .

  Russia and China have mounted joint naval patrols in the western Pacific Ocean. Early In October, warship cooperation exercises were conducted in the Sea ofd Japan and additional exercises have been held since then. The moves are seen to be countering aggressive posturing by the United States and its allies, including Australia.

  This week the Victorian Auditor-General's Office (VAGO) released its report on Victoria’s biodiversity . In a damning report VAGO heavily criticises processes of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning( DELWP ) The major criticisms include : DELWP cannot demonstrate if, or how well, it is halting further decline in Victoria's threatened species populations. Much of the data used in the models is old and likely outdated, and has some critical gaps. This raises questions about the reliability of the modelled outputs and the decisions they support. DELWP’s cost-benefit approach can also miss endangered threatened species at extreme risk of extinction. DELWP has no transparent, risk-based process to prioritise these species for management. Further, DELWP continues to make limited use of available legislative tools to protect threatened species. Funding available to DELWP to protect speci...

  The Covid passport trial by the Victorian Government is a major disincentive for people without smartphones to be vaccinated. Non vaccinated people are only at risk if they come into contact with people who are vaccinated and carry the virus. If they remain at home, they suffer little or no risk. So they may as well stay home and be unvaccinated. If they get the vaccine but don’t have a smart phone, they will be discriminated against and won’t be able to go anywhere because they are unable to demonstrate a so-called “Covid Passport”. To make the playing field level the Government could provide everyone with a fully funded smartphone such as enjoyed by politicians and bureaucrats.

 There is ample evidence that the various Covid19 vaccines are not silver bullets.  Some may reduce the severity of an infection,  but fully vaccinated indiduals can still be infected and pass it on to others.  So why are politicians adamant about only allowing vaccinated people to access certain places.  If politicians believe the misleading information they spout that fully vaccinated people are "safe" and can be released on the world without restriction why do they propose to keep restrictions on unvaccinated individuals? This suggests they know the vaccines don't work. Vaccinated people are a risk for the unvaccinated, not the other way around! I don't trust the politicinas, but I took their advice and contacted my cardiologist as I have recovered from stoke and atrial fibrilation. He has not advised me to submit to a vaccine. CSIRO public health expert Dr Rob Grenfell agrees that Covid vaccinated people pose a risk to the unvaccinated.  "People who are...

Despite political and bureaucratic promises,  Covid vaccines are not a perfect shield. They may slow the spread of the virus, help prevent disease, and reduce the risk of dying. Bu they will not stop the apread of the virus or bring  an end to lockdowns and mask-wearing. Some politicians acknowledge that many thousands of people will be in hospital with Covid but they play down revelations that that more of those patience admitted will be fully vaccinated.

  Australia has agreed a new defence pact with the US and the UK which will allow it to access key technical war material – including building nuclear submarines. The new pact known as AUKUS will share advanced technol ogy between the partners.The agreement is likely to  isolate Australia from regional neighbours as it will be seen as increasing the level of potential conflict. It is not known how much this agreement will cost Australian taxpayers but it will clearly dwarf current defence spending.Whatever the cost, it will likely be a complete waste of money as a small number of nuclear powereed submarine will not enhance our military power.  Submarines are intended as an auxiliary force to protect a navy proper and civilian shipping. Trouble is we  have  no navy proper. We have a handfull ofdestroyers and eight frigates, plus a few coastal vessels. Our airforce is little better!

 Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews will almost certainly keep holding his interminable daily press conferences, because he never dreamed he would star in his own daily TV show. NSW Premier, Gladys Berajiklian has anounced that she will cease her daily public briefings and will only call  press conferences when she has something specific to announce.

  Scientists in the US have found that Short-term exposure to smoke from bushfires may have caused a spike in deaths from novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).  The study found that  daily COVID-19 case and death rates were higher on wildfire days compared to non-wildfire days.

  The US-led war against the Taliban in Afghanistan has been an even bigger mistake than its wars with Vietnman and Korea. All ended in ignominious defeat. The Taliban is back in control with renewed strength – both in military and propeganda terms. It demonstrates to all terrorist groups that western countries are vulnerable and have muddled military and political thinking. The UK and Russia (as the Soviet Union) were both kicked out of Afghanistan when they sent in troops. The countryt has a long history of conflict wirth various empires, including the Persians and Alexandert the Great.. Part of the current reason for such interest in the country is its great mineral wealth - particularly its huge reserves of Thorium.

  Scientists from the University of Oxford sa y that after four to five months, the level of protection offered by both Pfizer and Astra Zenika vaccines    is similar but the efficacy of the Pfizer product declines more rapidly. Th e findings suggest that those infected with the Covid19 Delta variant after their second dose had similar peak levels of virus to unvaccinated people. Based on their work, the researchers said that although jabs did not eliminate the chances of getting Covid-19, they did reduce the risk of death.

  It’s hard to understand the gullibility of the Australian public falling for all the Government propaganda dutifully spread by the media. Some people seem to believe that there will be no future community lockdowns once 70 or 80% of Australians are vaccinated against Covid 19. (I refuse to use the word JAB as that is more akin to a punch in the face with a clenched fist! Politicians and bureacrats will continue to use lockdowns as a weapon against communities because they see it as a useful tool to maintain their positions of athority. The COVID 19 vaqccines do not provide immunity against the virus nor do they stop people spreading it. Fully vaccinated people may not die if they are infected, but many who are unvaccinated also do noit die and recover from a dose of Covid.

  The Federation experiment has failed. Australia’s constitution has been trashed by State overnments locking down borders. It’s clear that the illusion of Australia being one country caanot be sustained. We are as loose group of indepoendent States. It’s time to reducve the cost of Government by accpeting reality and ending the Federation. WE don’y need the duplication of maintaining ba Federal Gove4rnment as well as a host of state politiciands and bureaucrats.

  Politicians and highly paid bureaucrats have turned their backs on 20% of the population by mandating that QR codes must be used when entering shops or other premises. Figures show that 80% of people have smart phones – typically asll politicians and bureaucrrats with taxpayer-funded models as well as business executives and salespeople with phones as part of salary packages – the rest of us just don’t count.

  Once again, politicians seem to have botched the administration of QR codes. Many thousands of Victorians do not have smart phones. If electronic clock-ins are required every time someone travels, the government will need to provide a phone and a plan for every resident of the State. Most mobiles are only used for making phone calls and have no internet capability. Politicians and bureaucrats have equal difficulty getting their heads around the realities of hotel quarantine.

  Australian Government paranoia about China culminated this week in jingoistic comments by a senior bureaurcrat that the “the drums of war were beating.” The Government needs to take a deep breath and pull in its head (or heads). Military adventures in recent years have shown that Australia’s armed forces are incapable of taking on serious combat roles. The Government thought it could partially overcome this by overspending on the F35 joint strike fighter. But the plane has not lived up to the hype of US arms salesmen. There are he a ps of unanswered questions about its combat effectiveness and suitability. Weapons testing reports show that the fighter is an incompletely designed and vulnerable aircraft that may never be capable of meeting its intended functions. Some of the problems are: its guns are inaccurate and damage the aircraft when fired. Its vital systems are vulnerable to cyber threats. T he aircraft fall s short of airframe durability standards which m...

  The  tv chat show by US  host Oprah Winfrey with Mr and Mrs Harry Windsor-Mountbatten was widely anticipated by royal-watchers around the world. But for many it was a disappointment. The interview with a selfish  man ho displayed feelings of entitlement and an actress who clearly finds it hard to live without following a script, demonstrated the pointlessness of their relationship.The appearance was not an interview, it had all the hallmarks of a carefully crafted reality show, designed to create controversy. It would have more appropriately been part of a Jerry Springer 'trailer trash' show or a Dr Phil segment. Meghan can't understand why life hasn't followed her script. She kissed her prince and he turned into a frog!

  It seems odd that Covid19 vaccines arriving in Australia are being flown in by Singapore Airlines.. Why isn’t the Government using our national carrier, Qantas. In these difficult times it would be good to support a home-grown business.