Monthly Archives: August 2014

To quote Sherman T Potter: “Horse Hockey”

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Joe Hockey.  Federal Treasurer.  The man who didn’t make the Budget as tough as he wanted to as his party would not support it.  The man photographed obviously enjoying a laugh and a cigar with Matthias Cormann the morning before delivering the most divisive Budget in at least my memory.

The man who said this today: “poorest people either don’t have cars or actually don’t drive very far in many cases” as a justification for introducing a fuel excise levy to target the wealthy.  Joe, here is a hint.  A lot of wealthy people have a company car.  Their business pays for the petrol.  And then pass the charges on to customers.  Generally poorer people don’t work in jobs that involve company cars.  Got that?  You can thank me some other time.  You goose.

 
What was in that cigar Joe?  I think you need to be drug tested.  Once upon a time I thought you were a good communicator, with a good general understanding of not just your Northern Sydney constituency but of the issues affecting Australians in general.  Sadly that no longer seems to be the case. 
 
And while the Labor Party just sit back and watch the train wreck that is the Coalition government continue unabated I just wish that this Coalition government had the balls to stand up for its ideals and say “screw you guys – we can’t get stuff through the Senate – let’s go the Double Dissolution”.  You know what I think?  You won’t.  You do not have the courage to stand by your ideals as you can see people running at top speed away from your party in droves.  You know you are unpopular.  And tragically you guys are not intelligent enough it seems to find a way out of this without resorting to the terrorism card.  And that is just about the lowest political depth you can sink to so shame on you, the lot of you.
 
The Labor Party are doing nothing at all.  No policy at all.  No charisma at all.  Barely even bothering to attack Coalition policy.  But they don’t need to.  Bill Shorten has all the credibility of a vegetarian shark when I watch him speak.  But I could send Molly Meldrum or Norman Gunston out with the fodder the Coalition are feeding their Opposition during “Operation Political Suicide”.  Hell, Barney the Dinosaur and Humphrey B Bear could run as a duo and beat the Coalition right now.  Without preferences too.
 
This government is all of the following:
 
Devoid of ideas.  Devoid of credibility.  Seemingly devoid of intelligence.
 
Please, please, please get rid of the PM.  Get rid of your Treasurer.  Get rid of Brandis and all the other cronies that think like those 3, and take Christopher Whine with you to whatever scrap heap you throw the first 3 onto.  Hand the reins to Turnbull and, heaven forbid that I am even thinking this, Julie Bishop (never been a fan of this lady but she has been a highly credible Foreign Affairs minister and I give credit where it is due – note that the whole MH17 bit has nowt to do with my favourable opinion – all credit accrued before that tragedy occurred) and build a party based on an ethos that is acceptable to the Australian people. Not just the wealthy and the interests of business.  Build an alternative to the absolutely offensive tripe you are serving up to us now.
 
Then all I need to do is to get Shorten and co to actual do some policy work themselves so we can actually have a choice.  Where there is a substantial difference.  I guess Joe is trying for that substantial difference now to be fair.  In the most stupid way imaginable too.
 
But right now I just see in my mind’s eye old M*A*S*H episodes of Sherman T Potter yelling “Horse Hockey” at Klinger and Radar.  And I’m thinking of Joe.  But not as the Colonel.  I’m the Colonel for sure.  No, Joe is more like Frank Burns.  Winchester could be Brandis, similar hair, maybe even slightly similar POV.  Klinger would have to be Whine – sorry Max.  Budgieman is out digging a latrine somewhere.  Or wooing Major Houlihan.  And Malcolm Turnbull is Radar, sitting back watching it all, knowing he can fix everything, but knowing he will never be in charge.
 
Vote 1 Radar O’Reilly.
 
Please?

I go a-rambling….

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I have been a gamer of one description or another pretty much since I was 11. I played board games with my school friends. I played Chess against my Dad so I could make that about age 8. Hell, if playing cards counts for anything I’ve been a gamer since before I went to Kindergarten. My parents were called to the school for questioning when I said I could count in Kindergarten and told the teacher “Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King”. I could certainly count properly then so I was probably shit-stirring even then. I dunno, I don’t remember it but my Mum used to love telling people that one.

But the point is that as a gamer you know you cannot win every time. Sometimes the dice go against you. Sometimes you are playing someone who is far better than you. Sometimes you just cock it up and cannot recover in time. But eventually you become gracious in defeat – or so I am told. I certainly can be a bad loser, especially when I am playing against a computer player, known as an AI. But I reckon I can recognise when I have been comprehensively outplayed, and some of my very favorite stories to tell about gaming are some of my most astonishing defeats. I do congratulate people when they beat me, though I may well sit there shaking my head at how they have managed to do it. Or how I could so colossally stuff up too. But they key thing is you know victory is never certain. And I think it is a healthy attitude to take. You go in balls and all, you give everything you have, and if it ain’t enough at least take pride in the fact that you did everything you could. That has been my attitude in my games and my sport. I’m nowhere near the greatest sportsman about, but I have never given less than 100% every single time I compete. And I’m like that in my work as well. Nothing half-arsed. I’m there to do the job and I do it damn well. Because I hate doing it a second time to fix it. So I get it right the first time.

So today I got seriously pissed off at what may be a misunderstanding or a change in plan or whatever. I’m still somewhat undecided and being the cynical arsehole that I am, for once, I honestly do not know what to think. But without going into a load of boring detail I consider that today, despite my best efforts, I lost. And as a gamer of substantial experience I can suck it up and live with it. It’s a handy talent. BUT. That doesn’t mean I like it. There is that little voice at the back of my head wishing someone would remove the “kick me” sign that I just cannot reach and cannot see no matter how many mirrors I use. I have been royally rogered in the past with opportunities sailing by me due to cronyism, incompetents above me and being in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time. I have been beaten by liars, cheats and fools in games, sports and in life. Talis est vita.

Today I may not have won but as Bono, who I admired once a long time ago though he seems to me to be a right tosser now, once sang “they could not take your pride”. I omitted the “they took your life” bit. Hoping that ain’t relevant for a long while yet. I have far too many games still to play. And win. Of course.