Politics is a dirty word

  Bass Coast Shire councillors should be held personally liable for any costs resulting from their decision to reject an application by Heidelberg Materials to widen Stanley Road, Grantville, It seem likely that ratepayers will face a huge bill to defend Councillors’ decision at VCAT. The road widening has long been a requirement of the planning permit previously issued by the Shire and was approved by Shire planning staff as well as DEECA. Rather than make ratepayers foot the bill, councillors who refused the planning application should be personally liable. All councillors other than Jan Thompson, who had the sense to vote for the application should pay every cent.

  After weeks of speculation, the decision by The Reserve Bank of Australia to cut the prime interest rate by 0.25% may create more problems than it solves. It will be a real tragedy if it is forced to put rates back up in 6 months if they realise the cut was too early and kicked off inflation again. That w i l l damage the economy, and create turmoil for consumers and the Government . Interest rates have been historically low for several years which has allowed unfettered spending.Although some people grandstand about financial hardship, and complain they have difficulty paying their mortgage, rent or food bills, they have no trouble finding money for an airline ticket to Bali or some other destination. They clearly have no regard for their carbon footprint.

 We will soon be in the midst of a Federal election which pretends to allow us to express our democratic rights. The reality is that because  our electoral system allows preferential voting, the Government outcome will be a result of deals and favours with individuals who have little support in the community but are good manipulators. Will it make any difference? Whoever wins, the politicians will continue to look after their own interests and maintain their extravagant 'entitlements' while we lesser mortals are just expected to shut up and pay the bills. At least we will be able to dump the current bunch of no-hopers but it doesn't matter who forms Government – bureaucrats run the show anyway and their financial interests are  tied to  politicians.

  A standout feature of nuclear power is its ability to provide stable, continuous energy. The plants operate continuously, unlike coal fired stations which require consistent deliveries of fuel. Solar and wind energy plants  depend on weather conditions. Nuclear power plants allowed UK prime minister Margaret thatcher to keep the lights on during the infamous 1984/5 miners strike. Nuclear provides consistent and reliable energy output around the clock. There have been many developments over the years since The UK’s Nuclear Power Group was formed in 1955. Rolls Royce, Westinghouse and others have   proven S mall M odular Reactors a s low-cost clean energy solution s that use commercially available technology to deliver factory built nuclear power plant s anywhere. Further developments are already underway, including nuclear fusion plants which are expected to be far more efficient.

  Regime change in Syria with help from the United States may result in another ISIS or terror group such as Al Queada. Turkish officials regard the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed affiliate People’s Protection Units (YPG),  as terrorists  similar to the Islamic State (ISIS). Despite Turkey being an ally,the United States supported the YPG because it thought it was capable of retaking territory from the ISIS. This may be yet another blunder by the US which could encourage further growth in Middle East terrorism.

  Attempts to prevent the spread of false information are long overdue. However the Australian Government’s Bill should only be supported if if it covers all the deceptive propaganda spewed out by Government. We all remember the nonsense peddled by Ministers and bureaucrats over Covid 19 and The Voice referendum – all designed to panic the community and force compliance with the official line. The Government says that its Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024  aims  to reduce the spread of seriously harmful misinformation and disinformation on digital communications platforms. However, it is unclear if the Bill will operate in a manner compatible with Australia’s international human rights obligations related to freedom of expression. The definitions of misinformation and disinformation are not clear and create uncertainty. The Bill introduces transparency requirements for certain digital...

 The truth is at last starting to be revealed about the extent of the deception practised by politicians and bureaucrats to panic Australians into accepting draconian measures dreamed up under the pretext of tackling the Covid 19 pandemic. The damning Government report reveals that   there were no plans for the execution of key measures, such as closing our international borders and enforced quarantine. As a result, the pandemic response was not effective. The official response enquiry details many of the deceptive tactics used by politicians and bureaucrats in efforts to force the population into submission. One of the main culprits was Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews who revelled in a daily morning television rant telling all who questioned the Government line and refused to be vaccinated that the virus would “seek them out and kill them” Non believers were accused of being a danger to the community. He was often enthusiastically supported by the Chief Health Officer, Br...