Australian, State and Local Politics: October 2007

John Howard is converted on the road to Damascus

Fair dinkum.

If there was ever a hypocrite in Australian politics, John Howard takes pole position for the award.

As Prime Minister, he denied that climate change existed.

As our nation's leader, he refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Now, three weeks out from an election, he is a born-again greenie - embracing the environment and climate change and inching closer every day to ratifying the Kyoto Protocol.

And he has the bare-faced temerity to accuse the Opposition of stealing his policies!

Just like Saul who was converted on the road to Damascus and changed his name to Paul, a cynic might believe that John will soon change his name to Kevin.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 22 of the Search

URGENT MESSAGE FOR DR BRUCE FLEGG

Calling Bruce Flegg. Calling Bruce Flegg.

Has anyone seen Bruce Flegg?

John Howard wants your help in the Federal Liberal campaign in Queensland.

After all, you are the Queensland Leader of the Liberal Party, aren't you?

Bruce, where are you?

Who are you?

Queensland leads in anti-smoking reform

The Queensland Health Minister Stephen Robertson is spot-on with his plans to extend smoking bans in Queensland.

A tough, anti-smoking regime promotes good health, a better environment for non-smokers and a safer workplace for staff.

The current restrictions need to be seriously extended to ensure that people are not subjected to smoke being blown in their faces every time they venture out in public.

It does not make sense that smoking is banned at Suncorp Stadium while smokers are allowed to puff away at the Brisbane Exhibition, along the rides in Sideshow Alley, at the woodchop, the main arena and the crowded laneways of the famous Ekka.

So much for the RNA promoting a safe environment for families to enjoy this annual event!

At the same time, the Minister should outlaw smoking at places such as the Brisbane Weekend Markets at Rocklea where people puff away to their hearts' content, up and down the aisles of this crowded venue. Along with the clowns who regularly turn up with their dogs to flea markets, this makes an enjoyable experience turn into a smoke filled den covered in dog poop, ensuring that it is even more-memorable.

Extending the smoking ban to parks, malls, bus stops, ferry terminals and even telephone booths would be a major step forward by the Queensland Government.

The 4 metre ban from the entrances to buildings should be extended to 10 metres and smoking outside child care centres, schools and other similar places should be totally outlawed.

While the Act is under review, smoking should be banned in all vehicles, not just those containing young children. How often do you see a driver fumbling to light a cigarette or tossing butts out the window?

If you cannot smoke in a pub, why is it still allowed in cars?

If it illegal to use a mobile phone while driving, it doesn't make sense that smoking is still permitted in cars.

Stephen Robertson is on the right track to make Queensland a world leader in anti-smoking reform.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 21 of the Search

Turbull leaves Howard dangling

He might be one of the richest politicians in the southern hemisphere and he is not short on grey matter but the Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull is now resorting to desperate tactics to hold his blue ribbon seat of Wentworth.

Despite the fact that Federal cabinet deliberations are secret, an interview with Malcolm Turnbull in the Australian Financial Review mysteriously contained leaked details from an unnamed source claiming that Mr Turnbull was rebuffed six weeks ago in Cabinet when he tried to get the Australian Government to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

This guy is as slippery as an eel covered in molasses.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister John Howard was forced to publicly defend Mr Turnbull, notwithstanding the fact he regards him as the nation's greatest show pony.

The way things are going for the Liberals, Malcolm Turnbull will see the Kyoto Protocol ratified in the very near future - under a Rudd Labor Government, with Malcolm sitting on the sidelines as the ex-Member for Wentworth.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 20 of the Search

Howard's nuclear reactors coming to Queensland

John Howard has gone extremely quiet on Ziggy Switowski's grand plan to establish 25 nuclear reactors around Australia.

But they're still coming to a town near you - such as Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Sunshine Coast and Bribie Island - if the Liberals are re-elected next month.

John Howard told the House of Representatives on 27 February 2007: "I am not ruling out power stations anywhere in this country."

And he never has.

Fearing this policy could damage his re-election chances, John Howard hasn't said "boo" about his plan which could destroy Australia's environment with the failure of one button.

The Federal Resources Minister Ian Mcfarlane - based in the garden City of Toowoomba - was the first cab off the rank on 4 June 2007 to support a nuclear reactor in his own electorate.

He stated publicly at the time: "You can't be a NIMBY in this situation".

Yes you can, Ian. You can lead by example and stand up to the Prime Minister and become a NITBY - "Not in Toowoomba's Back Yard".

Surely, that's what the people of your electorate would expect, Ian!

On 24 November, the voters of Groom will have a chance to say "NO" to a nuclear reactor in Toowoomba.

The City voted to say "NO" to recycled water and should forcefully tell Mr Macfarlane that his old-style confrontational politics is no longer what's needed for the Australia's most-beautiful garden city.

Because a nuclear power reactor in downtown Toowoomba would be just an environmental disaster waiting to happen!

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 19 of the Search

John Howard: The Poor Man's Billy McMahon

Voters are now mesmerized by John Howard's latest idiotic statement that the Liberal Party's advertisement at the last election promising to "keep interest rates at record lows" had run for only 2 nights, therefore it didn't count as a real promise.

It's not clear if this bumbling fool means a "non-core" promise - which, according to his own criteria can be ignored after you win the election with lies and deceit - or a "core" promise, which now apparently means the same.

If the voters of Australia are not yet sure if John Howard should be unceremoniously dumped as Prime Minister on November 24, then his latest comments over this issue alone should be enough to convince them that he is no longer fit to govern Australia.

John Howard is now totally exposed as a "say anything", "do anything" politician who will stop at nothing to cajole the people of Australia with hollow threats and promises.

The Liberal Party is now clearly unfit to govern Australia.

And John Howard will go down in history as the poor-man's version of that other eccentric Liberal luminary, Billy McMahon.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 18 of the Search

Call for Mick Keelty's sacking over Haneef affair

A call has been made by one of Australia's leading lawyers for the sacking of Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty over his handling of the Dr Mohamed Haneef affair.

The call comes from none other than Tony Morris, QC - a former legal adviser to the Liberal Party.

Tony Morris has condemned Mr Keelty for attacking Dr Haneef's lawyers for publicly disclosing the serious weaknesses in the prosecution case - yet, this week Mr Keelty admitted that he was aware of those weaknesses all along.

Tony Morris was scathing in his attack by declaring: "On his own admission, as the chief law enforcement officer for the commonwealth, he was willing to allow a miscarriage of justice to proceed without taking any step to interfere - and then attacked Haneef's lawyers for their efforts to prevent that miscarriage".

Tony Morris was backed up in his call for Mick Keelty's sacking by the head of the Australian Civil Liberties Council Terry O'Gorman.

"It's reprehensible behaviour for any police officer, and it's particularly reprehensible behaviour from the head of the AFP," Mr O'Gorman said.

Commissioner Keelty has gone to ground over the issue, refusing to speak to the media.

He then had his spokeswoman Kate Bradstreet deny that he was avoiding the media claiming that he had no further statement to make.

Indeed. Why would he want to confront the media to explain how adept he is in cooking his own goose?

The Immigration Minister is continuing his scary approach to his portfolio with a spokeswoman declaring that Mr Keelty is an "independent officer who can say what he likes".

If that's true, Mick Keelty has now been given the green light by the Immigration Minister to reveal all.

Continuing silence is self-condemnation by Commissioner Keelty and given the sensational revelations this week, Mick Keelty should fall on his sword and bow out of his tarnished, dual role of police officer and part-time politician.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 17 of the Search

Mick Keelty has more explaining to do

Just when you thought that all the facts and political bastardry surrounding the Dr Mohamed Haneef affair had emerged, the Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty drops another clanger.

Commissioner Keelty confirmed this week that he had personally advised the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions Damian Bugg QC there was insufficient evidence to charge Dr Haneef and that the case against him was "touch and go".

He is quoted as saying: "I was surprised as anybody when the DPP advised that Dr Haneef could be charged, because I didn't think the evidence was strong enough".

But what is totally bewildering about this whole, sorry saga is that Commissioner Keelty didn't pass those same concerns onto the Federal Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews, who took pre-emptive strike action to unilaterally cancel Dr Haneef's work visa claiming it was based on secret information provided to him by Mr Keelty.

Commissioner Keelty now has a duty to Dr Haneef and the people of Australia to come clean over this whole issue.

But he has decided to hide behind his spokeswoman Rhiannon McAdie who told the media yesterday that there would be no further explanation or statements by Mr Keelty.

Commissioner Keelty must be deeply embarrassed by this whole affair, especially when we now know that he was telling the DPP one thing and either nothing - or something else - to the Immigration Minister.

If Mr Keelty knows of a political cover-up in this affair, he should speak up.

If Mr Keelty knows that the claim by Mr Andrews about relying on "secret information" from him is untrue, he must set the record straight.

And if Mr Keelty thinks he can hide in the corner and avoid future media scrutiny on this issue, he should realise that he is not a puppet of the Government but the nation's most-senior independent law enforcer, who owes a duty to the people of Australia to come clean for the sake of truth and justice - and, in the end - a "fair go" for Dr Haneef.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 16 of the Search

Clive Porritt: Scapegoat for DPP incompetence

The demotion of the Commonwealth Prosecutor Clive Porritt who handled the case against Indian national Dr Mohamed Haneef reeks of a public service scandal.

Clive Porritt is well-respected in the legal profession in Brisbane and has now been humiliated by being stripped of his rank, benefits and higher salary.

Bureaucrats are apparently intent on laying the blame at the feet of Clive Porritt rather than those responsible in the national capital.

The only bungling in the prosecution case against Dr Haneef was by the Australian Federal Police, who provided the DPP outrageously wrong information about Dr Haneef's alleged involvement in the Glasgow terrorism strike.

Now, the Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty has gone on the record to say that he had personally warned the Commonwealth DPP Damian Bugg QC that there was insufficient evidence to charge Dr Haneef and that the legal proceedings against him were "touch and go".

This suggests that the claims in July by the Federal Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews that he had relied on secret, undisclosed information given to him at the time by the Australian Federal Police to revoke Dr Haneef's visa - after he had been granted bail by Brisbane magistrate Jacqui Payne on the trumped up charge - were completely spurious.

The visa cancellation, which is still on appeal by the Commonwealth Government before the Federal Court of Australia, had the effect of keeping Dr Haneef behind bars.

The sensational disclosure now by Mick Keelty seems to prove beyond doubt that Kevin Andrews has mislead the people of Australia. There was no secret advice, there was no secret information - it was just a highly-charged political decision by the Australian Government in an election year.

Kevin Andrews owes Clive Porritt and Dr Haneef - and the people of Australia - a personal apology.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 15 of the Search

Anglican Church divisive on child abuse

The Anglican Church in Australia is planning to establish a register of church adulterers.

Adulterers will be named on an official suspected sex offenders' register.

Adultery may be immoral in Australia but it is certainly not illegal .

For the Anglican Church to equate adultery with sexual misconduct and sex abuse of children is quite outrageous.

It trivialises the insidious nature of child sex abuse, equating it with two adulterous lovers.

The Anglican Church should be treading very carefully to avoid any perception that it might be unwittingly suggesting that child sex abuse is no worse than adultery.

There is a massive difference between the two and the Anglican Church should be saying so, in no uncertain terms.

Say goodnight Johnny!

The latest Newspoll showing a margin of 58:42 for Labor over the Coalition must now have the pundits in the Liberal Party mortified.

John Howard stole a march on Labor over a week ago by launching his tax policy, only to be counter punched by Kevin Rudd with a fairer and simpler alternative.

The worrying thing for the Liberals must be that the Newspoll was conducted BEFORE Sunday night's disastrous performance by John Howard in the Leaders' Debate.

The way things are going, the Liberals and Nationals are facing near-annihilation.

On Sunday November 25, they should give themselves the mirror treatment by looking at themselves for as long as they can.

Then, the post-traumatic shock of the medicine dished out by the Australian public will sink in.

Only then might they begin to realise that their horrendous policies which have affected the average Aussie battler so much, were the sole cause of their well-deserved demise.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 14 of the Search

The worm turns for Rudd as Sky saves 9

Dirty tactics were in play last night, apparently by the ABC to stop the worm in its tracks and cut the live feed of the Leaders' Debate to Channel 9.

The "People's Worm" is a fantastic measure of what the average punter is thinking and the antics of the ABC leave a lot to be desired in a so-called democracy.

The debate was a boilover win for Kevin Rudd, despite one or two assertions to the contrary by the usual gaggle of political troglodytes.

If last night's wriggler is any indication of where the election is heading, John Howard should start packing his bags and make a booking for a removalist to come to The Lodge on Sunday 25 November.

7's National Bingo Night - "Nooooooooooo good"

Imagine playing a game of two-up at a casino and just before the pennies hit the floor, a cover comes across to conceal how the coins have fallen and the players are told to go for a toilet break and the result will be revealed on their return.

There would be a riot and they would never return!

That is basically what the punters are being served up with the launch of Channel 7's National Bingo Night, hosted by Tim Campbell of Home and Away fame.

He is assisted by what 7 describes as the "co-host" of the game, Renee Bargh whose only duty seems to be to bend over, pull the oversized bingo balls out of a concealed slot and hold them up to the camera, all the while trying to display a cheesy grin as wide as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The only positive thing that a discerning viewer might say about Renee Bargh is that she certainly has her future in front of her.

The clown act of the Sunday night show is "Tanny" whose real name is Tanveer Ahmed, who masquerades as the National Bingo Night Commissioner, strolling through the audience checking cards and nauseously declaring: "Noooooooooooo bingo". He sounds as genuine as a manager of an Indian call centre.

As the numbers are selected, they are sucked up a chute where a camera catches them hurtling along.

The television audience is not shown the balls making their entire way to the actual "pick-up point" where Renee stands dutifully awaiting their arrival.

Nor is the viewing audience shown exactly what contraption she is removing the balls from.

How is the "black box" from which she retrieves each ball actually connected to the suction chute? No one sitting in their homes around Australia would have a clue.

To make matters worse, a couple of times during the show - AFTER the ball had been sucked out of the barrel, it sat in the black box waiting to be picked up by Renee - and then 7 crossed to an ad break.

These shows need total transparency. Once a ball is selected, it should be immediately displayed to the public, not hidden from view.

Contrast this with Channel 7's Lotto Draw on a Saturday Night.

The television public can see the movement of each ball from the barrel, along the tube to the point where it emerges from the machine. It is visible at all times. There is no concealment and there can be no skullduggery. Each winning number is announced immediately.

Viewers are not treated like dills with concealed compartments and invisible ball delivery.

There can be a lot of money riding on National Bingo Night for home viewers, so every aspect of the game needs to be above board.

There is no suggestion of any manipulation of the actual game - but the television audience needs to be fully aware of what is happening, not cute camera angles and ad breaks between ball declaration.

National Bingo Night is officially licensed by the governments of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT.

If Channel 7 doesn't make some quick changes to the show's format and presentation, the ratings will tumble over future weeks.

Then 7 can blame poor Tim Cambell for one of the network's few failures in 2007.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 13 of the Search

Michael Johnson's supported by dummies

The Federal Liberal Member for Ryan is officially being supported by dummies.

Fresh from his antics of standing on Moggill Road at Indooroopilly waving at passing motorists, Michael Johnson has hit upon another brilliant idea to secure the votes of the people of Ryan who are still seething for selling them down the drain over the Goodna Bypass.

Obviously taking a leaf out of his beloved WorkChoices legislation, Michael is saving on labour costs by arranging to have a life-size dummy on the footpath resplendent in a Liberal Party T-shirt, underneath a Liberal Party umbrella next to a Liberal Party sign urging the good folk of Brisbane's western suburbs to vote Liberal.

Which basically proves that when you treat the voters like dummies and when you work with dummies, you really are one yourself!

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 12 of the Search

Government fiddles while Indian marketeers burn

It was just after 6pm last night when the phone rang.

A distinctive Indian voice - over a crackling phone connection - tells me that she is calling from "Australian Mobiles" in downtown Brisbane and that she has joyous news for me.

I had won a video camera which would be delivered tomorrow. Wow!

I was also "werry, werry lucky" to have been selected to receive a mobile phone package with also sorts of add-ons, freebies, cheap calls, flat-rate calls, free calls and a 12-month manufacturer's warranty. The list was endless. You name it, it had it.

Now, all she needed was my address to deliver all this great gear and my date of birth to verify that I was over 18.

I told her that I was over 18 but she said it was needed for a "soft credit check" - just to verify that it was all in order.

A "soft credit check"? Wasn't this all free?

I said that I would ring back her office to verify that I was giving my personal information to a genuine company.

She then assured me that they didn't need any personal information from me.

But didn't she want my date of birth?

I then said that I would not give my personal information over the phone without verifying the identity of the caller.

"I am werry, werry sorry but I cannot giv out owr cellfon narmber".

"I don't want your cellphone number, just your office number in Brisbane."

"I am werry, werry sorry............"

"Enoughhhhh," I said.

And then the rupee dropped!

Who in Australia has a "cellphone"? Even though she was supposedly calling from "Australian Mobiles" in Brisbane, her cellphone lingo let her whereabouts slip.

"I am about to terminate this conversation. Have a good night."

And then she no doubt started on another potential sucker.

The Federal Government allows this sort of crap, with thousands of Australians bombarded every day with dubious and untraceable calls from downtown India from so-called Australian companies which are not even listed on the Internet.

The Australian "Do Not Call" register is a joke.

This marketeer from India was calling me on a silent, unlisted number.

Does the Australian Government really think that silent numbers should have to be listed on this register?

I hear of people complaining about the "Indian Influx" every day. Some punters are getting 3 and 4 calls a day from overseas, flogging their wares to unsuspecting Australian consumers.

Maybe the Minister for Communications Senator Helen Coonan could put a ban on overseas calls from India, stopping them electronically at the Australian border, between 5pm and 9pm every day.

At least the average Aussie battler would get a little peace from these pervasive pests from the Indian subcontinent.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 11 of the Search

Costello gob-smacked!

You could have poked a hot dog into Peter Costello's mouth when he heard Kevin Rudd announce Labor's Taxation Policy today.

John Howard may have hit the ground running with the Liberal Party's Tax Policy for the 2007 election but he has been gazumped by the Labor Party with the promise of reducing the number of tax brackets from four to three.

And with the announcement of Labor's 50% Education Tax Refund to help the families of 2.3 million Australian kids, the Liberal Party's tax manifesto has created a depressing end to the week for the conservative side of Australian politics.

The Tories have been cock-a-hoop in the last 48 hours with a couple of election polls showing a slight drift back their way.

But with today's Labor Tax Policy launch, acute depression, paranoia - and ever rigor mortis - are the most-likely diagnosis for the Liberal Party.

Crikey: Australia Zoo's new restaurant police

Crikey, all of the good work undertaken by the late Steve Irwin and his Australia Zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast has been undone by one staff member complaining about the meals being served at the nearby Caloundra Bowls Club.

Terri Irwin's personal assistant reportedly complained about 2kg of crocodile meat being used by TAFE apprentices to cook up a few chicken and crocodile mornay pies as part of their training in preparing game meat.

By all accounts, it was a very tasty meal and well-received by the good folk of the Caloundra Bowls Club.

2 kilograms of crocodile meat is hardly going to be a threat to the species.

Now, it seems the environmental restaurant police from Australia Zoo are trying to tell Australians what they should or should not be eating.

If people want to devour kangaroo, emu or crocodile as part of their culinary experience, then it is no business of swell-headed staff from Australia Zoo.

They should stick to putting on trained animal performances for overseas visitors and stop sledging the people from the Caloundra Bowls Club and the hard-working apprentices who are only doing their job.

I suggest the TAFE apprentices prepare a nice round of desserts for the staff of Australia Zoo - big bowls of fresh raspberries which can be blown their way.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 10 of the Search

URGENT MESSAGE FOR DR BRUCE FLEGG

Calling Bruce Flegg. Calling Bruce Flegg.

Has anyone seen Bruce Flegg?

John Howard wants your help in the Federal Liberal campaign in Queensland.

After all, you are the Queensland Leader of the Liberal Party, aren't you?

Bruce, where are you?

Who are you?

John Howard: How can I forget you?.

Picture of John Howard flanked by Liberal supporters proudly wearing "Craig Thomas" T-shirts, blindly supporting the Tory candidate in the seat of Griffith. The only problem was that John Howard kept on calling him "Scott Thomas".

Three strikes and you're out.

Well, a lot of people will be hoping that this happens to John Howard in the next few weeks.

As he closes in on becoming a septuagenarian, in the space of three days John Howard has forgotten:

1. Australia's official interest rate;

2. The name of the Liberal Party candidate in the Brisbane metropolitan seat of Griffith, despite the fact that the candidate was right in front of him with his name emblazoned on his shirt.

What will be next?

More stumbles and fumbles, as John Howard lurches from one side of his disjointed campaign to the other.

And the chances of John Howard making another blooper in the next 5 weeks?

At this stage of his bumbling ineptitude, odds of 100 to 1 on would be a safe bet.

Bishop's bambino matches her promises!

Pictured at her Liberal Party campaign launch in Western Australia is Julie Bishop and the perpetual bridesmaid of Australian politics Peter Costello.

And what a car to take the nation forward on a bootful of outdated Liberal Party promises!

Julie Bishop is well-presented, well-educated and reasonably articulate.

It's just a pity that her promises and her political manifesto are always short on substance.

Does anyone know what she really offers the people of Australia in the hurly-burly of national politics?

She is big on political rhetoric and short on delivery.

A bambino vehicle looks like a perfect fit for this bambino politician!

Australia Post Ripoff

Australia Post is in the starting blocks for its own 2008 Olympics to scrap the standard 50c stamp and impose another ripoff on Australian householders and businesses.

Not content with its 11.1% increase in 2003, Australia Post is now badgering the Federal Government to approve another increase, possibly as high as 10% or even more!

This is despite Australia Post's record pre-tax profit of $561.7 million, representing an increase of 8.9 percent over last year.

Australia Post Chairman David Mortimer is squealing like a stuck pig claiming that the price of bulk mail letters has fallen 60% in real terms since 1992.

So what, the price of international telephone calls has fallen enormously in real terms during the same time, exposing Telstra's ripoffs which the people of Australia had endured for years.

Australia Post should not be allowed to have a 22% increase in the basic postage rate in 5 years.

But then Australia Post doesn't care about people, just profits!

The outrageous price rise bid follows hot on the heels of Australia Post's plan to close all of its mail delivery centres in the City of Ipswich at Goodna and Booval, as well as suburban Richlands, Rocklea, Acacia Ridge and Crestmead.

The six delivery centres will be replaced by one, you beaut, supposed state-of-the-art centre at Heathwood.

All of this without any key community consultation, advice or warning to community representatives.

Australia Post Manager Seth Grantley was in the press waxing lyrical about the new facility, claiming there would be no job losses.

There never are in the short term.

But Grantley said nothing about the social dislocation for Australia Post's loyal employees, particularly around Ipswich who have worked locally for many years.

Under this upcoming Australia Post disaster, staff will be forced to travel to Brisbane every day if they want to keep their jobs.

And of course, Australia Post doesn't care about local residents clearly evidenced by ripping the delivery centres out of the heart of local communities.

Based on its latest performance in southeast Queensland alone, Australia Post doesn't deserve an increase in the basic postage rate for its undeserved monopoly.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 9 of the Search

URGENT MESSAGE FOR DR BRUCE FLEGG

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 8 of the Search

Cameron Thompson's Motorway Madness

Just when you'd think that Cameron Thompson - the outgoing Liberal Member for Blair - would pull his head in on the Ipswich Motorway, he was mouthing off about it again.

He must feel that he is now in the twilight of his political career with his ridiculous claim on Brisbane television that it would take "decades" to upgrade the Ipswich Motorway, as promised by the Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd.

Cameron's Thompson's $2.3 billion plan is to build a Goodna Bypass, decommission the Ipswich Motorway as the National Highway between Goodna and Dinmore and then hand it back to the state.

Cameron Thompson was virtually frothing at the mouth in his 5 second cameo television appearance to attack Labor over its promise to upgrade the Motorway for a fraction of the cost of Thompson's Motorway Madness.

To claim that it would take 20 years to build the section from Goodna to Dinmore shows how desperate this man has become.

This former low-profile ABC radio journalist from rural Queensland knows that the current project from Gailes to Goodna - funded by his own government - will take 2 years to complete.

The Goodna to Dinmore section of the Ipswich Motorway could be upgraded in 3 years with a concentrated effort - well short of the "decades" of scaremongering engaged in by Cameron Thompson.

The bottom line with this man is that he will say anything and do anything between now and November 24 to cling to power in his seat of Blair.

The problem for you Cameron, is that the people of Blair are not as stupid as you think.

The Labor candidate for Blair, highly-respected solicitor Shayne Neumann will be laughing all the way to the election over Cameron Thompson's latest antics.

Howard's Tax Cut - another "non-core" promise?

Fresh from the phoney election campaign, how can the voters of Australia know that John Howard has not embarked on another round of phoney tax cuts?

The people of Australia recall his disdain for them when he classified campaign inducements into "core promises" and "non-core promises".

This meant that he was under no obligation to implement his "non-core promises", if he was elected.

The problem for voters was that he didn't disclose throughout the course of the election campaign which were which.

This Prime Minister is a dud and a phoney.

We can expect a big play in coming weeks on cuts in income taxes but what about cuts in interest rates, Mr Prime Minister?

We won't hear a whisper about this in the next 6 weeks but it is the millstone around the neck of the Liberal Party which is likely to sink it on November 24.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 7 of the Search

Howard running scared over TV debate

The cunning and conniving Wiley Coyote of Australian politics is at it again by setting near-impossible requirements for the Great TV Leaders' Debate.

In his bid to control the events leading up to election day on 24 November, Prime Minister John Howard is demanding :

1. There is only one televised debate between himself and Kevin Rudd.

2. The debate must put to air by Sky News, with full access by other networks.

3. The debate must be moderated by little-known Sky's David Speers.

4. There is no "worming" of a live audience to determine when the lies are coming thick and fast.

5. The debate must be held this coming Sunday.

6. The debate must be held in the Great Hall of Parliament.

7. There must a specially-selected and screened audience for the debate.

Plus another eight demands.

Fair dinkum, these demands are more like those coming from a right-wing military junta rather than from the supposed leader of a great democracy.

How stupid can you be - John Howard wants the debate BEFORE he has delivered his major policy launch.

The Labor Party is quite rightly demanding three televised debates so that the people of Australia can get a full appreciation of what the two leaders are offering.

Kevin Rudd should go ahead with the debate on Sunday and then arrange for the television networks to schedule two further debates during the course of the campaign and bugger John Howard if he doesn't want to participate.

If John Howard doesn't turn up, there should be a vacant chair on centre stage with his name on it, showing how gutless he was in not being prepared to debate Kevin Rudd more than once in the campaign.

Under those circumstances, you could bet London to a brick on, that John Howard would come scampering back at a hundred miles an hour to face the grim reality of his precarious political position.

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 6 of the Search

URGENT MESSAGE FOR DR BRUCE FLEGG

Calling Bruce Flegg. Calling Bruce Flegg. Has anyone seen Bruce Flegg?

John Howard wants your help in the Federal Liberal campaign in Queensland.

After all, you are the Queensland Leader of the Liberal Party, aren't you?

Bruce, where are you? Who are you?

Piers Akerman is totally piers weak!

Piers Akerman's descent into a crude, personal attack on the Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd is nothing short of some of the most disgraceful journalism ever witnessed in this country.

Piers Akerman is fast proving to be a political dunce who has managed to top his class with flying colours.

With the rest of Australia poised to move forward into a new era of political inclusiveness, this right-wing columnist lives in the past, supporting John Howard as the man of the future.

Piers Akerman should accept the inevitable, that John Howard is now a man of the nineties - the over nineties and the 1890's!

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 5 of the Search

Born-again environmentalist!

He is a born-again believer in climate change.

He now fervently works to save the planet.

He might even try to save the whales.

Or even join Greenpeace.

But he won't sign the Kyoto Protocol.

Because John Howard is still full of sh*t!

Where is Bruce Flegg? - Day 4 of the Search

DPP slams Australian Federal Police stuff-up

The Australian Federal Police have declined to comment on the review of the Dr Mohamed Haneef case by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The review found there were significant "errors of fact" made during the Australian Federal Police investigation which saw the Indian doctor wrongly charged on 14 July 2007, with charges dropped a fortnight later.

To simply describe the investigative stuff-up by the AFP as "errors of fact" is putting it mildly indeed.

The Commonwealth DPP Damien Bugg has displayed remarkable professional independence in this whole saga, significantly enhancing his reputation as Australia's most-senior prosecutor.

Despite the fact that this was a monumental stuff-up by the Australian Federal Police, despite the fact that an innocent man was wrongly incarcerated and despite the fact that charges against Dr Haneef had to be withdrawn, the AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty sits in his cubby hole in Canberra refusing to comment.

"The DPP review is a matter for the DPP and therefore it is inappropriate for the AFP to make any comment," an anonymous spokesman said.

Whoever is advising Mick Keelty must be a complete dill.

How stupid can you be. There has been a thorough DPP investigation into the role of the DPP in this matter which shows that the AFP had been responsible for a complete stuff-up and the AFP blithely tells the Australian media that it's got nothing to do with them.

Mick Keelty's stance is a continuing insult to Dr Haneef (pictured at right) and is a blight on the AFP whose Keystone Cops approach to this whole investigation 3 months ago reeked of total amateurism.

The AFP seems beholden to the Federal Government on this issue, despite the findings of the DPP and despite the Federal Court overturning the decision of the Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews to summarily cancel Dr Haneef's visa.

Why can't Commissioner Keelty just come out and acknowledge that the AFP got it wrong and apologise to Dr Haneef?

The DPP says you got it wrong, the Federal Court says you got it wrong, the people of Australia say you got it wrong.

It's not too late to come down out of your ivory tower and do something which John Howard cannot do and just say: "Sorry".

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