Parole Board

[Gozu]

I try to avoid crap like this. Sure it was terrible what happened and all that but this stuff can sometimes happen in the murky area of bureaucracy. IMO no Party that is in power at that time really deserves to wear the blame. It's a bit like attacking judges all the time (hello Andrew Bolt) just a bit too unseemly to me and reeks of rabid people on the fringes of society stuff.

[Jimmy_041]

I try to avoid crap like this. Sure it was terrible what happened and all that but this stuff can sometimes happen in the murky area of bureaucracy. IMO no Party that is in power at that time really deserves to wear the blame. It's a bit like attacking judges all the time (hello Andrew Bolt) just a bit too unseemly to me and reeks of rabid people on the fringes of society stuff.

Bit hard for them to get out of it now when they threw the first hunk of mud. Unfortunately, a whole pile of $hit came back, and deservedly so. They politicised it

[BobbyNeil]

I agree Jimmy. Atkinson is a fool. Silly idiot keeps getting in trouble by defaming people too!

[mick]

I try to avoid crap like this. Sure it was terrible what happened and all that but this stuff can sometimes happen in the murky area of bureaucracy. IMO no Party that is in power at that time really deserves to wear the blame. It's a bit like attacking judges all the time (hello Andrew Bolt) just a bit too unseemly to me and reeks of rabid people on the fringes of society stuff.

What a suprise! you never fail to disappoint Gozu. Maybe we can have Atkinson and Turbo Tom canonised along with Mary McKillop? As Jimmy said they politicised this issue for cheap gain.

[Gozu]

This is why I try to avoid this crap, full on right-wingers desperately looking to score some sort of cheap point. I haven't been following it so don't know enough to comment.

I've said before I don't rate Atkinson as a human being. He's a lunatic.

[Jimmy_041]

Yep - good to not be disappointed, and you really do show your true colours

If you'd just posted the second paragraph, your credibility would not be shattered.

[Squawk]

I try to avoid crap like this. Sure it was terrible what happened and all that but this stuff can sometimes happen in the murky area of bureaucracy. IMO no Party that is in power at that time really deserves to wear the blame.

Gozu, a six-person board hardly constitutes bureaucracy. They are effectively a panel of experts. They were any easy target but a few Ministers bit off more than they could chew it seems.

[Gozu]

Yep - good to not be disappointed, and you really do show your true colours

If you'd just posted the second paragraph, your credibility would not be shattered.

This coming from some unhinged right-winger on the internet. Maybe I should do what your mob usually does and try the old "hey everyone look over there!" routine like you did during the Liberal Party leadership saga with your "I hear too many SA Govt. ads on the radio" thread. But I won't because I'm not willing to lower myself to that level.

Stop being a bloody troll mate.

[Gozu]

Gozu, a six-person board hardly constitutes bureaucracy. They are effectively a panel of experts. They were any easy target but a few Ministers bit off more than they could chew it seems.

Ok cool. Like I've said I don't bother following crap like this because it's a slippery slope. I'll take your word for it so sack Atkinson whatever it really doesn't bother me in the slightest.

[Jimmy_041]

Yep - good to not be disappointed, and you really do show your true colours

If you'd just posted the second paragraph, your credibility would not be shattered.

This coming from some unhinged right-winger on the internet. Maybe I should do what your mob usually does and try the old "hey everyone look over there!" routine like you did during the Liberal Party leadership saga with your "I hear too many SA Govt. ads on the radio" thread. But I won't because I'm not willing to lower myself to that level.

Stop being a bloody troll mate.

Nice post - I'll let others judge who is unhinged, and as I've said before, of course I'd be right wing of you

[Gozu]

Go nuts Jimmy. I wouldn't be surprised if you were more right-wing than Andrew Bolt.

Reminds me of that line Chopper Read said to describe his political views as "to the right of Genghis Khan".

[Jimmy_041]

What happens if Tom gets caught speeding again? Does his govt limo get crushed

[Psyber]

This is why I try to avoid this crap, full on right-wingers desperately looking to score some sort of cheap point. I haven't been following it so don't know enough to comment.
I've said before I don't rate Atkinson as a human being. He's a lunatic.

Change those words to "full on left-wingers..." and it works the other way, Gozu.
That's how you look to me, as I see myself as rather in the middle ground.
I've always called myself the left wing of the Liberal Party, having actually joined with the aim of countering the general right wing march of both parties during the 1990s.
And, as I've said in the past, I challenged Alexander Downer about both how far the Workchoices legislation went, and the way our Terrorist suspect was treated by the USA.
Yet I'm sure you see me as on the far right - it's where we look from that changes the appearance.

[Gozu]

This is why I try to avoid this crap, full on right-wingers desperately looking to score some sort of cheap point. I haven't been following it so don't know enough to comment.
I've said before I don't rate Atkinson as a human being. He's a lunatic.

Change those words to "full on left-wingers..." and it works the other way, Gozu.
That's how you look to me, as I see myself as rather in the middle ground.
I've always called myself the left wing of the Liberal Party, having actually joined with the aim of countering the general right wing march of both parties during the 1990s.
And, as I've said in the past, I challenged Alexander Downer about both how far the Workchoices legislation went, and the way our Terrorist suspect was treated by the USA.
Yet I'm sure you see me as on the far right - it's where we look from that changes the appearance.

I'm not a full on left-winger. Far-left to me is chaining yourself to a tree or something. I've made no bones about being left-wing, I'm actually very proud of it but that's the difference between the two really. How many right-wingers ever admit they are in fact right-wing? It's always "No I'm just a centrist" or "I'm a conservative" like there's anything conservative about the likes of an Andrew Bolt for example. Going by what I've read on here I'd say you're a right-winger. Far-right? No. So yes, you would certainly be somewhere in between say me and the likes of a Jimmy or that Mick character. The Liberal Party are right-wing so being in the Left of that party doesn't make one a centrist. I don't think too many people would consider Peter Costello a centrist.

That's good to hear you challenged Downer about how extreme WorkChoices was. What is far-right? That's the likes of Nick Minchin apologising to the H.R. Nicholls Society (co-founded by Costello) for WorkChoices not going far enough!

[dedja]

Gozu, I think your political meter is a bit busted ...

I've read comments on this site for a couple of months now and while it's not hard too see what mast some poster's political colours are nailed to most comments I've read have had some sort of balance to them ... except one.

While your posts can be amusing at times, you are undoubtedly the most left wing radical poster on this site ... without exception.

Now that's OK as that's your opinion and political philosophy, and you have acknowledged your left leaning tendencies, but believe me, you are definitely far left on the scale.

Just as an aside, instead of classing myself as left, right, red, blue or whatever, I'd rather take every political issue on it's merits, regardless of which side of the fence it originated from ... but I do lean to one side of the pendulm, but I doubt whether it is that easy to pick.

[Gozu]

No it's pretty easy to tell dedja. If you look closely I included you in that response to Psyber. I have no doubt whatsoever I come across as "the most left-wing radical poster on this site"!

[BobbyNeil]

Gozu, comparing people to Andrew Bolt doesn't do your argument any justice. That man is to stupid to know his right from his left and deliberately lies.

Does anyone even consider the Labour Party as left wing anymore?

Redmond is starting to line herself up as running on social justice issues. Labour will win one more election then that's it. Go Redmond! I used to hate the Liberal Party too Gozu but if you support Labour know you are going against the principles that Labour used to stand for.

[Gozu]

Gozu, comparing people to Andrew Bolt doesn't do your argument any justice. That man is to stupid to know his right from his left and deliberately lies.

Does anyone even consider the Labour Party as left wing anymore?

Redmond is starting to line herself up as running on social justice issues. Labour will win one more election then that's it. Go Redmond! I used to hate the Liberal Party too Gozu but if you support Labour know you are going against the principles that Labour used to stand for.

Fair points. The comparisons to Bolt are made from the view that he is highly regarded by the Right. He has a lot of followers, his site is pretty popular and he has some close political connections (Costello). I disagree about him being stupid. I think he's actually pretty smart and deceitful. He learnt from being sued not to make direct outright accusations and now implies. He gives his followers the ammo and they do all the dirty work in his comments sections.

I don't really consider the Labor Party left-wing anymore. I've said before on here it has been a brilliant political move by Rann and then Rudd to move to the centre and it could be argued to become a centre-right party. It's alienated the Liberals and pushed them to the fringes. Lefty's will for the most part always vote Labor, they take over the middle ground and even get a few from the Right. It's why Rann worked so closely with Rudd on his campaign in '07. I can't see Labor here or federally losing an election for at least the next decade.

On my own politics I rarely ever talk up Labor or defend them, I just can't stand the Liberal Party and pretty much everything they stand for.

[Psyber]

BobbyNeil is right about the change in the Labor Party, as is Gozu about the Rann move to the centre.
Federal Labor moved to the right under Paul Keating in two ways - one, in its policies, and two, in its authoritarian approach, abandoning its words about "consensus" under Hawke.
The Libs moved to the right then too, and I think it was a mistake. That's when I became involved in party politics with the aim of opposing this general march to the right by both parties.
I joined the Libs rather than Labor because I thought their processes were more open and democratic, so I could have more access to the leaders.
As I result, I know more Liberal pollies, but I had lunch with former state Labor MP, Terry Groom, recently - I went to school with him.

Gozu, only the very far left would see you as anything but far left. As I said, "it's where we look from that changes the appearance."
The middle ground is the swinging voter who decides elections - I'm just on the right edge of that group.
I considered voting Labor at the last two elections but couldn't quite bring myself to, because I didn't quite trust them to keep their word about policy since the Keating experience.

SA state politics I don't know very well, as I've just moved back. The only state MP I've talked to so far is John Hill.

[mick]

Well Gozu, you certainly come across as an un-questioning supporter of labor that is why I see you as a sort of "minister for propaganda and public enlightenment" you are so predictable sport ! Obviously you think I'm extreme right wing, I probably am in comparison to yourself. For your information I was a in my early twenties a member of the Liberal party for a couple of years, however the career political types put me off and I didn't bother renewing my membership, although I still vote for them. The Federal Liberal government lost office because they embraced ideology (Workchoices) and abandoned pragmatism, as much as it pains me to say they deserved to lose. As far as federal Labor is concerned I havn't made my mind up about them yet, time will tell whether their policies are correct or not, even the likes of Julia Gillard have impressed me with her sober pragmatic approach. In contrast, the federal liberals have a long way to go before they win office, they may not be the rabble you paint them to be but it is close to the truth.
In our own state we are in desperate need of a decent opposition as the State Labor Government has well and truly reached its use by date, its use of spin to cover up poor decisions has reached an artform. I ask you in your philosphy is arrogance, secrecy, decisions made in haste, and spin decent attributes for a responsible government? We have this in full measure in this state.

1. Secretive, the plans for the new hospital was only known to a select chosen few. This hospital if it is ever built with be a financial mill-stone.
2. The new "Medical Research Building" in the rail yards will be started before the 2010 election, essentially forcing the builing of the new hospital, regardless of the outcome of the next election - Arrogance where is the consultation with stakeholders and the public?
3. The "successful" tram extension (its only successful because the free buses were removed) involved the purchase of new trams, this was done in great haste before the last election. These new trams are far from perfect, limited seating, ineffective airconditioning etc. Acting in haste with tax-payers money to shore up electoral support and the taxpayer is stil paying the price of this poor decision.
4. The water proofing Adelaide policy seems to be mostly stolen liberal policies like the desalination plant and storm water re-use.
5. Spin, attempted deflection of the problems invoving release of a prisoner onto the parole board who acted entirely appropriately. This is just one example.

Anyway you won't change my mind and I won't change yours sport, I do agree both state and federal oppositions are hopeless, unfortunately hopeless oppositions lead to arrogant unnacoutable government, so play on!