adelcrow wrote on Feb 15^th, 2014 at 5:05pm:


This is your conspiracy theory imagination at play only eh.
The government has not flagged any intention to do this whatsoever.

UnSubRocky wrote on Feb 15^th, 2014 at 4:51pm:



I am not sure exactly what  it is... about changing a system that wasnt broke.. so that over 50.000 welfare recipients and over 1000 adults and children drowned...all in the space of 6 years.....

what on earth makes that DECENT?????

what makes making people smugglers wealthy... DECENT......what makes children getting bashed to death on rocks.. DECENT...

If the Indonesians and the progressives are unhappy then I'm in heaven. Them being unhappy is always a great indication.

It has to be noted that Indonesia's taking to lecturing Australia on its obligations under the Refugee Convention is pretty rich given Indonesia is not a signatory.

("In the past when they have turned back the boats, or pulled the refugee boats back to Indonesia, that alone is a violation against their international commitment under the Refugee Convention." - Indonesia's foreign affairs minister Marty Natalegawa).

Would Indonesia prefer that Australia withdraw from the agreement?

Or is it an early indication that Indonesia will sign on itself?

By signing up itself, Indonesia could then fulfil its (religious) obligations to its Muslim brothers who seek asylum who are in transit or in detention within Indonesia escaping persecution.

St George of the Garden wrote on Feb 16^th, 2014 at 9:24am:


Love to see the lefties suffering emotional incontinence. That alone has made electing Abbott worthwhile. The rest is bonus.

St George of the Garden wrote on Feb 16^th, 2014 at 9:24am:


hopefully deathridesahorse will leave because of the internet problem and all the trade unionists who killed manufacturing can go.
and since we are a pariah state , all the do gooders will leave.

me and campbell newman, gina and twiggy forrest should then have the place to ourselves to do some tunnelling.

sounds like bliss

chicken_lipsforme wrote on Feb 16^th, 2014 at 11:13am:


Labor never rose the quota to 20,000 - it was an election promise.

Abbott would have been smart to raise the quota. Sure, no one notices numbers in this debate, and the rise would be yesterday’s news within 24 hours, but Abbott could have claimed the high moral ground and brought the churches into the tent.

At present, they’re damning the Libs to hell.

If Abbott can shake the racist Howard-era boat policy stigma, he can begin to reform himself. He’s already trying to soften his image with his take on Aboriginal issues. If Abbott wanted to be the conviction politician Rupert Murdoch thinks he is, he could do a David Cameron and take the edge off blunt policies like Nauru/Manus Island and his veiled Indonesian taunts.

Abbott could reach out to the centre by making some very small, if not symbolic, concessions. Raising the refugee quota would give his tough border action some heart. Abbott needs desperately to show there’s something nice about him.

Let’s face it, Abbott’s not making any friends with farmers, business, unions, and after the budget is leaked, everyone else. None of the impending long-term economic woes are Abbott’s fault, but the boat issue is entirely his own making. No one would have noticed refugees if Abbott, Alan and the Tele didn’t stage a joint opera for 5 years over 60,000 boat people.

But they did, and Abbott is now reaping the rewards. The navy are now getting results, which is starting - ever so slightly - to make Abbott look less like a flat foot. If the Navy succeed in preventing boats entering without any deaths, popular opinion may well come around to the idea that there was always some sense in turning back boats.

But Abbott won’t be forgiven if he doesn’t give the luvvies something. They never forgave Howard, and in the end, their criticisms came home to roost. A large "not happy John"  minoririty in 2003 became a landslide in Kevin 07. Ultimately, Workchoices did it, but the electorate still smelt something fishy over Children Overboard, the Pacific Solution, and of course, the Iraq War. Howard’s demise would not have been so jubulant without the sins of his Tampa past.

The same will happen to Abbott if he doesn’t claim the centre. With economic dark clouds on the horizon, he is shaping up to be one unpopular leader if he doesn’t develop a conscience.

This is, after all, why he’s in politics. Abbott’s not a dry, he’s a social conservative. Abbott doesn’t have the faintest care for economic issues. His bent is his own take on social justice and reclaiming the country from the sinister forces of the left. Abbott’s soul is in the church, but he is rapidly alienating this group. When the cuts come (and the charity sector loses valuable contracts), he’ll push them even further away.

If Abbott’s smart, he’ll soften up. If his natural instincts for biffo aren’t buffeted , he will be a two term PM - at best.

Not bad, but this is not what the Libs are settling in for.