Meanwhile, at the retirement reception for Senator Larry Craig…
Meanwhile, at the retirement reception for Senator Larry Craig
Who is that in the picture? Tell us in the Comments
picture: dunno source, via our lol builder. lol caption: fastfood
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Oh my.
I know! What an awful picture. *shudder*
And I say that because I don’t like Costello. I love gay guys though!
Just thought I’d clear that up pronto before a virtual fight could get started. Toodles!
OW!
Sides splitting!
Larry says to W. “Please pardon me and/or my wide stance.”
*headdesk*
Quick…Brain Bleach!!! It’s just another visual image that months of therapy is going to have to help me with!!!! LOL!!! Milk coming out of nose!!!
Now I need brainbleach. *Mothergoose with “milk” coming out of nose*
Ditto that!
I’m damaged…
Yes, but how do you feel about the picture?
Ouch… *cough* The picture damages me further.
*hugs* You know I luvs ya!
In bed… *hugs*
with a pickle.
Well I certainly hope so! Only, maybe not so green.
I just wanna ride my motorsickle.
And I don’t wanna die, I just want to ride my motorcy.
cle.
I just wanna bang on the drum all day.
Let’s go up and see Ray.
lol!
GI JOOOOOOOOOOOO~E!!!
That’s actually Peter Costello and little Johnny Howard (Australia’s last PM and George W’s lapdog)
Didja hafta say “lapdog?” *snork*
Should he have been more suddle and said “dick sucking friend”?….waitaminute, that’s not more suddle is it?
subtle fail.
or LOLspeak WIN–Who knows?
Hey, I’ve got a question. Why does the “Simplified Spelling Society” have their name spelled “correctly”?
irony.
that is all.
Ah, Mr Costello, your slimey entertaining self is being sorely missed. And no one in the Liberal party knows what the hell they’re doing, hoorah!
This is a great pic by the way, but if there were any seedy shenanigans going on in the Liberal party leadership, methinks it would be the other way around, with Costello doing the dirty for Mr Howard. Although, Stranger things have happened!
ew…
Well it never actually happened therefore it is not as gross as Rudd eating his own earwax
Oh no, I missed that. Is it here somewhere?
~~shudder~~
Just search “kevin rudd eating his own ear wax” images. it comes up.
Former Prime Minister on Australia, John Howard and his Finance Minister, Peter Costello.
wrong – Costello was the treasurer. John Fahey and Nick Minchin were finance ministers.
*gag*
No, no… you’re supposed to suppress the gag reflex.
that’s true…
Why should she not gag? It’s a horrible picture.
I think you totally missed the point…
How? Was that an in-joke?
Fellatio humor.
Aw, jings…
I had to go and find the dictionary for “fellate.” I understand now and am busy wishing I’d never asked…
Ah, that was a mildly satisfying turn of events. I was amused.
I was as well, especially by the possiblities of “Was that an in-joke?” HA! Better ask Costello!
*activate virtual mom* Well considering AC’s age I should darn well hope she misses the point!
I agree. I often wonder if we are ruining her for life.
yay, I think this is the first Aussie lolpic on here =D
Lemon party!
& also the first pic of those two, where the position is reversed!
… and it’s captioned with the name of a US senator. US-centrism? Never!
I got excited about it being an Australian one, too! Hurrah.
Although the caption confused me.
we need more!! we have rather lol worthy stuff happening oftern, shair sniffing perth poli’s. kevin and his ear wax, john and his power walks. lol
It is the previous Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard (the one kneeling) and Peter Costello (sitting) who was the deputy to John Howard.
Actually, Peter Costello was Howard’s deputy (in relation to the Liberal Party) but not Deputy PM – the rules of the Coalition state the that Deputy PM is the leader of the National Party. Under Howard it was (most recently) Mark Vaile.
and before that… Mr Anderson
And it’s Australia so nobody cares….I kid, I kid, put away the boomerangs and angry looks.
Remind me to laugh next time
The only people in Australia with boomerangs are the American tourists ;P
So true
Thats John Howard and Peter Costello, the greatest team ever to grace Australian politics.
Yeah too true, and not since the White Australia policy have we seen more disregard for human rights than when these guys were in!
Seen it like a 1000 times on Aussie sites…. and it has a US reference because???
US-centered site, basically.
That, and, to be fair, the back of the guy’s head bears a Larry Craig resemblance.
What reminded you of Larry Craig, the hair, or the c*ck sucking? It was probably the hair, right?
*snort*
Hey, he only did all of the “gay code” things a guy is supposed to do in order to signal readiness for a whole lot of happy to ensue. He only admitted his guilt because the police said it would all go away. It’s a frame job!
*shows vehement outrage in an ambiguous way*
Because we Americans have no idea who Costello or Howard are. But I’m sure an Australian version of said joke would be just as funny!
I would wager that *most* Americans don’t know beans about Australian politics. What’s that joke…We don’t know where a country is, until we invade it?
Yes… right, which is why the majority of Australian not only voted them out of power but also voted John Howard out of his seat and politics, totally. Still I must say. Entertaining… but I think only in Costellos dreams.
And Rudd is oh so much better? Pffft.. The man is too busy flying hither and yon sucking up to everyone to be effective.
But Howard was never busy flying hither and yon sucking up to Dubya at all hours?
Not as much as Rudd!
Did too! (Sorry–just in it for the drama.)
Did not! (back at ya!)
LOL! Did too, infinity! : P
Did not! ad infinitum
You forgot infinity*infinity!
Oh!
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To infinity and beyond! (thanks Buzz!)
Did too ^infinity^infinity! Neener–Neener!! : P
Hey, Rudd and his government have just come through on their promises for equal rights for same sex de-facto couples and their families. *does a happy dance*
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/note.php?note_id=36467133471
Uhh…no they didn’t. There are not only many areas where same sex de-facto relationships have significantly less rights than heterosexual de-facto relationships, they also refuse to do any amendments to the definition of marriage.
Correct, but steps have been taken. Small victories are good, too.
I’m not denying that – but it certainly isn’t equal rights. We’re a long way from that – and Prop 8 certainly doesn’t deserve to spread a tolerant attitude.
Err yes I get that prop 8 is a crock but in Australia the federal govt is in control of “family law” including marriage. So allowing people to have defacto status is a big thing here. In australia something like prop 8 can be introduced without having to go to the polls there would be no public vote.
wow.. someone parrots the liberal party talking points.. well done you
Don’t ya know I’m a hardcore Republican?
And this puts you further right than some Australians think it is possible
to be.
.
Just a side question here: Which of the (further) right wing parties would you prefer to be in power here? Liberal, National or Family First?
I’d probably go Liberal..
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My comment was actually made in jest.. I’m more of a middle of the roader..
*Contemplates cropping comment, and finding suitable frame*
Wait, back the cropping trolly up.. Liberal here has a completely different meaning. Now if I said I support the Labor Party, then you would have cause to start framing (them guy’s being akin to Democrats and all).
Yes, you have explained the difference. However, after I crop your comment, there will just be name, date and comment, conveniently cropped just above your litte dash. (Thanks for spacing, btw.) Just wait ’til your U.S. pals get a load of your turn-coat ways! BUA-HA-HA-HA!!
I believe you owe me 1/4 internet…
Aw geez, blackmail of the foulest kind!
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*pays the 1/4 internet demand and tosses in a side of dial-up for good measure.*
*mwah* Pleasure doing binniss wicha!
*Grabs booty, uh, ill-gotten gains*
*dashes off into the night*
hes signed the kyoto protocol, said sorry to aboriginal australians, introduced new work laws to get rid of John Howards work choices crap… yeah definatly better. He might be a bit of a kissarse but at least he’s done a few good things too.
you just made me throw up in my mouth a little
Is this what you would call “Fast Food?”
ew
Well, that all depends. You see, when a fellow reaches a certain age, “fast” might not be the best descriptive term for his, uh, “experience.”
Yeah, but that’s a good thing, isn’t it?
Well, if there’s something good on TV, it could present a problem. : P
Same pic with a more appropriate Australian political reference (still as equally unfunny though): http://aussieblogs.blogspot.com/2007/10/lolhoward-costello.html Er, from about a year ago *cough*.
More than a year surely. It was the anniversary of his defeat yesterday.
the date of the post was about a year ago – october 2007
this link was from about a year ago (oct 2007), dunno when the original photo was taken… knowing howard, like everything else, probably sometime during the 1950s.
as per Keating! the musical ‘on the maaate ship’
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=NTrHy1AyUf8
A bit tough for non-aussies to get it but politics junkies like yourselves maybe?
That man was an embarrassment to our country with 2 saving graces:
He banned semi-automatics after the Port Arthur Massacre
He went into East Timor – although you could question his motives
Friggen redneck he was i tells ya
Make of that what you will, partisan or no.
Surplus means nothing when there is no spending where you need it, quality economic management my ass. Well. mind i don’t trip stepping down from my soap box……. hooray for an almost aussie lol – sorry for the Rant
You just reminded me to hunt down the soundtrack for Keating!
there’s a dvd out now
Oh Em Gee! :O
Can’t wait for Barney Frank’s retirement ceremony when he is bent over his desk and an intern …
Guess we’ll have to wait for that one.
For those who are wondering why the Costello/Howard picture, jsut a typical Republican bashing post by purist, more perfect huanoids of the “progressive” bent that is seen in this venue.
No, actually, It’s all a huge conspiracy to harass and demoralize you. Personally.
Yep. That’s what it said in the memo, alright.
*kicks under table*
~
Shudddd-upppp! You’re spilling the eans-bay about the onspiracy-cay!
OUCH! *whispers* Okay! Nobody told me there was an ecret-say!
Sorry, rho. I accidentally kicked the table leg, anyway.
`
*rubs dainty ballerina foot*
*marvels at Tessie’s dainty size 11 ballerina foot*
Australian Liberals, US Republicans – What’s the difference really?
1) More than a third of Australia somehow like the Liberals. But almost no Australians like US Republicans.
2) Republicans still have two months of power, rather than having been kicked out a year ago.
Does “liberal” really mean “conservative” down there? Is everything upside down in Australia? :s
You got it.. It took me awhile to get my head around that one when I moved here.
The Liberal Party only became the nasty conservatives they are today under Howard’s reign. Look at their philosophy — they are actually quite liberal, but Howard turned the party into a neo-con’s wet dream.
I won’t dispute that, but you can’t say the Labor Party is that much better.
Shouldn’t that be “Labour” Party? If not, I’m going to have to go soak my head.
Yeah, but I spelt it that way for y’all..
‘Labor’ is the exception – usually we have the extra U’s, but not in the name of the Labor Party.
Oh, thanks for that!
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rho – pffffffft!
Keep it up, Eds. I’m a lot closer to your old house than you are… How do you think it’s going to look if I invite a coupla Amarilloans to squat there? Hmmm?
Bring it on.. I’m sure it would enhance the quality of the State..
Bring it on, it can only enhance the quality of the State!
Actually, it would improve both states.
*Begins packing for road trip*
Sorry I won’t be there to meet you at the border, you would get a big *hug*!
Aww, shucks! *swirls dirt with toe*
Gee, now I feel mean for being mean to you. Maybe I should be nicer, be a…*friendly* kind of friend to you…Yeah!
Wait…NO: I have to be true to my inner b!tch. Otherwise, she’ll rebel, and kick me in the ribs–from the inside–total pain! She’ll also use up all the minutes on my phone…and order stuff I don’t want…and tell my boss what I think of him…
Sorry, Eds!
LOL! *hugs anyway*
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You be teh speshul!!
*hugs* No, you be!
Pfft. Seems like a waste of u’s to me. Give a hoot. Conserve yor u’s! In fact, I’m all abot getting rid of u’s altogether.
You west coasters ROUCK!
Funnily enough, when choosing the name party leaders went for the American spelling ‘Labor’, becuase they felt it was more modern and had less association with the British Labour Party.
That’s interesting. I don’t think the States will ever have a Labor Party, so you’re not likely to have any competition for the title from us.
Neo-Liberals, actually. Economically liberal, socially conservative. No, “liberal” doesn’t mean “conservative”. We have to distinguish between big-L Liberal and little-l liberal 9.9
Capital “L” liberalism makes sense when you realise it’s in opposition with the Labor party, whose origins were in the union movement….
the difference is not even fascists like Howard in Australia dare to use the word “conservative”. here, it’s douchebaggery of the highest order, not a badge of freaking honour… in word, at least.
They do, but only in the phrase “ecomonic conservative”.
I can honestly say I don’t have the history here as you might, but I was under the impression that the government under Howard wasn’t that bad, and that actually the country did pretty well.
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Bottom line is, so far Rudd hasn’t been all that impressive but the real test is whether he can stay in office as long without destroying the country.
The Howard govt may not have been too bad to start with, but after Bush was elected over there and after 9/11 (Howard was in Washington when the planes hit) he became even more right wing than before and we got Iraq, boat people being detained offshore indefinitely in places like Nauru, and the most regressive industrial relations legislation this country has ever seen. I could go on…
Liberalism was originally a combination of economic conservatism and progressive social policies. A former Liberal PM, Malcom Fraser, was a part of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group that played a part in ending apartheid in SA for example. Not something little Johnny would ever concern himself with.
*cough* tampa *cough* not TOO BAD??????!!!!
Still, from what I can determine, Kevin Rudd goes around preaching ‘Being Green’ yet can’t be bothererd to practice it (on the surface anyway.)
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And just to add fuel to the fire, how homely is Julia Gillard (click on name to see pic)?
Sorry, here’s the correct link..
She is fabulous… and you’re kinda right about Rudd… he IS a politician, did you expect him not to act like one?
Rudd is not the saviour, but at least he’s a tolerant man who sees himself as a servant of all australians, not just white ones.
Ok, I will give him kudos for finally apologizing to the Aborigines (it was long over due). But will it change anything? Has anything been done to correct the wrong? It’s been what, almost a year and I haven’t seen or read anything moving forward on it. Meanwhile, Rudd is STILL flying every freakin’ place in the world while still preaching ‘Green’.
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You think Gillard is fabulous?
We’re having a bit of a split conversation here. but I’ll still say it, i think Gillard is awesome and a brilliant role model for *Ambitious* women. I don’t think I could ever handle the level of crap she has taken just for being a chick… the whole ‘look at her kitchen it’s so sterile’, and ‘deliberately barren’ comments are extraordinary but seem to be part of our culture. You may not agree with everything she says but you certainly have to respect the way she has dealt with that kind of ad hominem attack so calmly. I think she’s great.
My two American cents here… I don’t think Gillard is ugly. Her hair color doesn’t quite match her skin tone, and, in this photo, her big smile makes her eyes go a little squinty. Otherwise, she looks fine. What about her appearance is kicking your butt, Eds?
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the lady just weirds me out. I have seen her on TV quite a bit, and sometimes she looks ok, but other times I think she could a month at the spa.
Ahhh…couldn’t we ALL??? *imagines cabana boys, hot tubs, etc.*
eddiepscetti, why the fuck does it matter what Julia looks like?? She is an accomplished, intelligent, successful woman – you are a pig.
Oh fine.. when the American elections were going on everyone went on and on about how ‘old’ McCain is. So now someone who doesn’t like Gillard voices their opinion, they’re a pig? Two words for ya, mate and it ain’t Fiscal Year..
Well there were people who criticised those criticising McCain based on age and appearance. Just as you can criticise her appearance, and people criticise you for doing so.
However, I think McCain’s age was more relevant than Julia’s looks. Being really ugly won’t prevent someone from being a politician, but being really old will (and when I say really ugly/old, I’m talking exaggeratedly so).
Ok, I’ll admit my comment was superficial and trollish (happy RedCat?). However, despite my personal feeling about Gillard, I still wouldn’t see her as that great at her job. If anything, she’s pretty average. But I will admit she’s better then Palin.
Yes, thanks.
I’m not happy. I’m still thinking about the month at the spa…
Eds, from my reading, before Howard, the Australian Liberal Party sounds like it was similar to the U.S. Libertarian Party. Is that boiled down correctly?
I wish I could say for sure, but I can’t. Maybe PiMan would know?
I wouldn’t know since Howard had been Prime Minister for almost as long as I can remember.
.
Perhaps Jeff Kennett (former Victorian Premier, most recent Liberal Party premier here) is what your looking for, I’m not sure. I mostly remember him as the one that cut funding so much and many hospitals and schools were closed. I was young back then, so politics weren’t that important to me (when he left, I was 10 years old).
Thank you! I think you’ve gotten me sorted out, or at least redirected.
No, the Liberal Party could more closely be compared to the British Conservative Party. Little Johnnie was a BIG fan of former British PM, Maggie Thatcher.
Thank you! I was thinking that the small U.S. Libertarian Party would be a closer comparison, as it promotes socially liberal and fiscally conservative policies, seemingly to go to both polar extremes, being more liberal than the Democrats and more conservative than the Republicans. If I’m thinking correctly, the Libertarians promote both legalizing marijuana and deregulating industry, for the same reasons: small, cheap government, and a return to freedom. With the Wall Street collapse just prior to the election, pushing for industry deregulation was a hard sell, so no matter. IIRC, the Green, Libertarian, other fringe parties, independents and write-ins combined to account for 1% of the popular vote.
no Australian Liberal Party are socially conservative and economically liberal (meaning privatisation, free market etc etc) ALP is not a fringe party, they are the other major party, Labor currently being in power. think Libs=Republicans, Labor=democrats
Thank you very much for putting all of the descriptions together like that! It gets confusing quickly, especially when I try to get a spin-free description from an Aussie on a LOL website. (Not you, Eds!)
)
I might add that, in theory, our Republicans are allegedly economically conservative, but with spending gone through the roof, and more due to fly out the windows, that’s a tough case to make these days!
See, see! I told you Liberal has a different meanting. But would you believe me? NOOOOOOOOOOOO! You had to get in your head that I’m like.. like.. *gasp* Al Gore!
*faints from the mere thought*
*meaning*
*pats top of hand rapidly*
Al! Al!! You’re having a bad dream!
You might want to ask a guy called David Hicks about how well Australia went under Howard: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hicks
I have never been more ashamed of being Australian. And frankly, after Rudd’s apologies to the stolen generations, he can issue a writ of “Puppy Rape is Fine With Me!” and i’d still be pressed to think ill of the man…
And you see nothing wrong with what Hicks did? It was ok for him to sit on a hill taking potshots at both U.S. and Australian troops, after being trained by Al Qaeda? As far as I’m concerned, they should have kept him at Gitmo. As for your citation of Wikipedia, I would guess it may be a bit biased.
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I can’t honestly believe that you think that scumbag wankstain Hicks is worthy of any consideration. He brings nothing of value to the country.
Oh, Eddie, you troll!!
Well geez, the dumbass was shooting at American/Coalition forces. I’m supposed to be forgiving?
Got ANY credible evidence of this claim? I heard he just sat at his post and surrendered as soon as the coalition forces were close enough to see a white flag.
He was initially employed by the Taliban when they were the legit Afghani government and considered a US ally. He was trained in the same training camp as all Taliban forces, not as a member of Al Quaeda, but as an Afghani government employee.
Then 911 happens and he finds himself in the employ of a government that has gone from being an ally to an enemy overnight.
Tell me, Eddie – if you were stuck in the middle of Afghanistan at the hieght of Taliban power, would you desert and trust that you could find your way out of Afghanistan with a traitor lable on your head, or would you just do as your told and hope for the best?
Actually, don’t bother telling me – just like me, you’ll never know until you find yourself in that situation, so anything either of us said would just be posturing.
*height*….*sigh*
*you’re…..*head desk*
*dessert….*gives up and slinks back to lair*
Only one problem…The Taliban was never a US Ally. They evolved from some of the more zealous factions of the mujahadin that the US helped to fight the Soviet Union, but they quickly seized control of the country and led it down an extremist path alowing al-Queda a place to organize, plan and train after they were booted out of Sudan.
They were the governing faction of Afghanistan, an aaly of the US, yes?
I’m not sure what the laws are in Australia, but in America if you go fight for another country, you can be stripped of your citizenship. So had it been me, I probably never would have gone in the first place.
You can ployed by a private security firm that is contracted by a foreign government, as is happening in Iraq.
Seems to me to be a case of semantics taking the place of ethics – like ‘enemy combatants’ not being subject to the Geneva Convention.
I don’t think the Taliban would qualify as a security firm. They were the controlling government in Afghanistan, hence, he was deemed a combatant. You can’t equate the Taliban with Blackwater because their function is completely different.
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You can call it semantics, but Hicks was a traitor regardless.
Judging by the number of grammar mistakes I’m making, I think I stayed at the guitar festival too late last night.
(Xavier Rudd and Ash Grunwald were awesome, BTW)
I think I’ll just crawl under my desk for a snoozle.
Thanks! I haven’t been called that in ages!!
Last I checked, he was held without trial and eventually charged with “providing material support for terrorism”. Something which wasn’t even a crime when he was first detained.
The US constitution prohibits ex post facto laws, but of course people in Gitmo aren’t subject to any sort of human rights guarantees like that.
.
I find it astonishing that anyone would support conditions in Gitmo for
criminals, let alone people whom aren’t proven to be criminals yet.
The problem with this administration is that because of their excessive disregard for the law of land warfare the resulting backlash will severely constrain future intelligence interrogations, just as the reaction to Human Intelligence abuses during the 1960’s continue to hamper Human intelligence operations today, that and Pres Bush’s and VP Cheney’s destruction of HUMINT by disclosing Valarie Plane’s cover.
The Republicans are a hell of a lot more conservative than the Liberals.
depends on how you look at it for one.
What an unfortunate placement of body parts.
we said that the whole 11 years Howard was in office *zing!*
MMWWUUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! That is PRICELESS!
it’s peter costello! and the guy bending down is john howard, former PM of Australia
As has been pointed out several times already now…
yeah, but i get a kick out of seeing “former PM” every time!
Not as much as seeing the words ‘Maxine McKew – Member for Bennelong’ 1 year ago yesterday
I’m impressed with your premonition skills. We didn’t know she would be the winner for at least a couple of days. Howard himself took about a week to concede his seat in the face of a close vote.
Antony Green predicted it, even by a small margin… I stayed up to watch it even though i had an exam the next day… clicked my heels, because the green man is the one with the premonitions
Howard pretty much conceded losing Bennelong when he conceded the election
I disagree entirely. The election wasn’t sitting on that seat alone, and a win for Labor was slightly more likely than a loss for Howard.
O_o my eyes! my eyes!
he did like to call himself the world’s greatest pleasurer.
why does it eat my posts, precious? Can I not post links to youtube? Check out Keating! the musical ‘on the mateship’
Howard was a moron. Fiscal genius my eye (i said a ruder word in a post swallowed by the punditmonster) a surplus isn’t always good!
Let’s just face it, most politicians are swines, but this one was particularly evil, and revelled in ignorance and twickerwy.
East timor was sort of a good thing, but oil Was involved
Banning the semiautomatics was also a good thing.
Hooray for the almost Aussie LOL
yay! finally
Also, thanks to ABC’s ‘the howard years’ (Fran Kelly Rocks!) I’m finding out that Peter Costello may have had some decent principles but lacked some serious backbone – And can I say how embarrassing howard is to us? REALLY… you really do get the politicians you deserve I guess… sigh
OK> stepping off soap box now… I promise
*trips*
ANd now you have Rudd.. yay.. /sarcasm/
Rudd’s not perfect, but he is the most popular first term PM in history.
I for one would prefer someone a little further left. The Greens perhaps.
Yeah, the Greens.. except for the whole dredging fiasco..
Did the Greens support the dredging or something? Because I certainly didn’t.
Ok, my mistake. Peter Garrett (frontman for Midnight Oil for the non-Aussies) approved it. I assumed since he is an environmentalist that he was a Greenie, but I see he’s actually a member of the ALP?
*Out where the river broke…*
Yeah, we got the memo.
Yeah but lesser of two weevils you know what I’m saying? Just can’t let him stay in for another decade, they all get whiffy after that. Plus more power went to other parties too, which is important
Yeah but Rudd’s a politician like everyone else… he’s not the best or the worst ever, but at least he isn’t working for one section of the population… as I tried to say in another post that got EATEN – I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, is it firefox? – he is the lesser of two evils, and by a substantial margin. There are a number of things not to like, he kind of makes me feel like an outsider as a non-religious person because he wears his faith on his sleeve a lot, but I also think he wouldn’t actively try to undermine my choices. He has a ****load of committees which are by and large unnecessary, and he’s now known as Kevin747 for leaving the country so much. But he’s NOT trying to take away my education system, he’s not making it worse for poor people, he’s not alienating entire continents with racist comments and actions (how about Howard saying ‘Obama is the alQuaeda candidate’??), and he’s not trying to pretend that he knows everything about economics and can trick us into thinking something about surplusses that isn’t true. I know you’re not saying that Howard was good, but really it’s about comparisons, and you also could say it was a good thing that a lot of people from minor parties got up last election – restoration of the balance, let’s make the pollies work for us again.
/rant
I will not dispute 99% of what you say. On the other hand, he has loaded himself up with so many Union people, I would think it would be difficult for small business to have a chance. As for Howard’s comment, it’s obvious he was trying to stay in Bush’s good books (even though I wouldn’t have a clue why he would want to stay there.) He probably should have been schmoozing McCain instead.
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I will say this, Pollies are pretty much the same no matter where you go. The difference with Rudd is, he wants to be take seriously, but nobody will. How did you like the cold shoulder he got from Bush? Not that Bush is all that great, in fact marginally intelligent, but Rudd really got himself into a jam with that whole G20 stuff.
I think that’s just Australia’s place in the world, a bit of a giggle (you know like on the simpsons ep). Probably akin to Canada… I dunno. I don’t think Bush would’ve said that about the g20, honestly. I think it was a bunch of labor staffers having a joke and whatsisface from the Australian decided to run with it. Solely an opinion. I don’t think Rudd makes those kind of jokes, he’s a very serious dude, and ex diplomat. he’s just too ambitious and control freaky to go there, mr micromanager he is.
Anyway, I’m off to dinner! night
Rudd wasn’t the one in the jam… it was Bush for being ignorant of how many nations were in the “G” who was landed in the sticky jam. hahaha
…uh… *sticky jam* slup slup slup “ooohhh! suck up my Bush gooood, Johnnie” (<— Peter Costello’s wet dream)
It as never confirmed that W didn’t know what the G20 was. It was started by someone under Rudd.
lmao. damn old john boy was a great prime minister and this picture is hilarious. what’s also funny is watching these guys in action. the way everyone in the aussie parliament throw down personal insult in the most polite manner is fucking brilliant
(but not as good at the Taiwanese who get into fist fights)
I think they throw shoes at each other too.
yeah, and johnny was a classy act too! i miss that guy so much!
Any one notice how much he looks like The Equalizer(sic)?
…to the extent that he looks like he’s about to be “equalized?”
He looks like a bunny?
LMAO–I think you mean the Energizer Bunny, from U.S. battery commercials?
our labour party started as a party to represent the working class people, but became overly complicated with union involvement, and is no better off defending the rights of the average australian then the liberal party.
John Howard managed to run the country fairly thoroughly, eliminate our national debt (i think at the time was a few trillion?) and steer us in good water during all international crisis.
if Howard sucked a c0ck, he did it for the australian people.
rudd would suck a hard one because his wife is too scary to be intimate with.
If by “eliminate our national debt” you mean “helped our national debt skyrocket to unprecedented levels” then yes! You’re right!
in 1996 there was $98B worth of debt which wasn’t paid off until 2006 and then by the liberal election loss there was a $20B surplus which the Labor party have already pillaged, next year we could be looking at deficit already. All of you who forget the previous Labor govt. are in for a real shock, look at the states to see whats coming.
Oh also in the future this site could be filtered by the govt. under their filtering policy.
That’s pretty much the way I heard it. I hate to see where we’ll be in a couple of years. I may have to move to NZ!
There are two different debts, but I’m not sure what the meaningful distinction is other than amounts.
One went from a few billion to nothing over the Howard years.
The other went from a few billion to half a trillion over the Howard years.
On the other hand, I’m sure Australia’s support for the War in Iraq would pretty much wipe out any surplus.
that would most likely be household debt… i.e. debt that all australians owe rather than just the government.
These people need to make a distinction between the national debt and the account deficit, which became a surplus under Howard.
The account is the national budget funding – what the government has to spend each year. Howard made a big deal of spending less then he had – a fairly easy thing to do when you slash welfare programs and sell off major government owned assets.
The national debt is what we owe to international banks and monetary funds, etc. This sky rocketed under Howard to never before seen levels.
If this is fiscal conservatism, give me socialism any day!
Jeez surplus surplus surplus – are you an economist? It’s not always a good thing you know. being in the black isn’t simple for a country – these things take a significant amount of analysis to work out, and people love to say surplus good deficit bad because they think it makes them sound smart.
You can’t distil the financial management down to having a savings account! He spent nothing on infrastructure, basically destroyed the education and health systems, you want to thank him for that because you think there’s still money in your wallet?
The current economic crisis would have any politician saying it’s brown trousers time if you ask me, so forget the notion of an isolated economic system that can get away with only caring about having a balance above 0.
I agree about the filtering system but in all fairness it was a liberal policy. I think it just demonstrates how useless it is putting OLD MEN in power who know nothing about the young person’s world. Maturity is good, sure but being out of touch can negate a lot of the benefits of maturity. Besides politicians are some of the most immature people, aren’t they? Think about how much use that money could’ve been in other areas! Rather than setting up some p!55y little filter that takes out 4% legitimate content at best. parents, take some responsibility for what your kids see, and how about giving them some respect and they’ll usually return it to you in spades. Ah diatribe again. sorry, this is a rare chance for aussies to have a moment in the sun here
It’s ok, I’m a stranger in a strange land (being American and all.) It just so happens I can relate to what you’re saying, even though I may disagree (but that’s ok, right? We’re among friends!)
it’s tough for americans in australia – they cop a lot of flack, it’s a bit unfair really…
My response was to the other dude btw
It’s even harder for Canadians.. they’re forever being asked if they are American!
Yes–It just adds to their bitterness. *sigh*
(My know-it-all, “you-U.S.-folk-do-it-all-wrong” brother in law is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.)
Leave the Canadians alone, eh? They’ve had aboot enough of your jokes!
Nah we just rip on the Kiwis, eh cuz. Cheers bro
My long suffering better half is American, and he only lived there a year… it’s just way too ‘hot right now’ to hate the yanks.
When I come across someone with a ‘yank’ accent, I’ve taken to asking if they’re Canadian first, eh, otherwise they spit the dummy, eh. Ask an American if they’re Canadian, eh, and it doesn’t really bother them. Talk about an inferiority complex, eh.
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As for the Kiwi’s, I’m just now getting to where I can tell the difference in the accent.
The real question is, how’s YOUR accent. Do you still sound like a yank, or are you picking up the “local flavor”?
There was a girl from New Zealand who was at our school (in central Scotland) for a couple of years. She ended up with the second weirdest accent I have ever heard….
Weirdest was a guy with an awfy, awfy strong Asian accent telling me to go and “dae” something…
Still the yank accent, but I’ve picked up the idiom:
When hanging up the phone, you end with either ‘cheers’ or ‘ta’.
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Everyone gets called ‘mate’ (yes, even the women, but mostly the guys.)
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You don’t go to the store, it’s always the ’shops’.
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And the best thing they have are ‘milk bars’. You’ll be driving through a residential area when you suddenly come upon a store. First few times I came across that I’m thinking, “What the..?”
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There’s lots and lots of other terms as well, but mostly it’s in the way you pronouce things. Case in point is the Nissan car. Here it’s Nis-sen, in the States it Nee-san. My wife is always correcting the way I say things.. *sigh*
Okay, so what are milk bars? Convenience stores? Under-18 night clubs?
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When I was a kid, an Australian couple stayed with us for a week. The husband took several pictures of the local “Burger King” restaurant. At that time, just below the big sign was a smaller sign that read, “Home of the Whopper.” He also took a lot of pictures at the Corvette dealership. To him, seeing 200 or so Corvettes parked together was a sight to behold.
Yep, a milk bar is a convenience store. They sell just about everything, just in small quantities. They also have newsagents which sell newspapers and stuff. But, a lot of them also double as a post office, so if you can’t get it at the milk bar, you can go to the newsagent.
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As for Burger King, here it’s called Hungry Jack. Same thing, same burgers, same menu, but a different name. They did have Burger King for a bit, but I think most of them closed down. Oh, and they have Wendy’s, but it’s ice cream not burgers.
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And last but not least, the company I work for owns both Target and Kmart (as well as a few other companies) which are exactly like the stores there. Although, I think Target here is a bit nicer. They have Big W which is like walking into Wal-Mart, but it’s not the same company.
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When you go to grocery stores, things look exactly the same, but different. Things on the shelves look similar, but the names are different. It’s almost like a parallel universe.
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Corvettes you will see a few around, but not many. I’ve also seen the new Mustangs, but they sell for a premium here. One that costs $26k there will sell for over $120k here.
Beached as, bro!
I know how you feel. I haven’t commented before this, but seeing Australian politicians just forced me to get in on the game.
The way things tend to work seems to be as follows:
The Libs get into power: we make a surplus, but society goes to Hell.
Labor gets into power: the surplus disappears, but social conditions are hella improved.
Based on this alone, I’m a bigger fan of the Labor party, despite my own reservations about them.
I have way too many opinions than what is usually considered a safe background level. this makes it a little difficult to maintain the finger in the dam wall…
I do concur on your sum up. Now if we could only stop the pollies being pollies, then totally FTW
I want to explain to you that going into deficit isn’t as bad as it seems for the economy but Van Helsing is distracting me :/
Heh. Cool to see a pic with Polish politicians on it here
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They’re Australian politicians.
AUSTRALIAN. I know no one thinks Australia has dumb-arse politics, but don’t just spit out country names when you see pollies that you don’t recognise.
…but I wouldn’t mind seeing a pic with Polish pollies!!
I think it was a joke relating to Howard giving Costello’s nob a ‘polish’. Lighten up!
The only time you should wear your baseball cap with the brim turned around backwards.
Okay, that was funny!
Peter Costello, Former Treasurer of Australia and John Howard former Prime Minister of Australia.
Perter Costello and Jhon Howard
Hurry no one’s looking!
I’m only commenting on the names ’cause I didn’t see it up there. That is former Australian Prime Minister John Howard and the guy receiving is Peter Costello. Point of interest, Costello actually released his memoirs recently. Even if you hate him it might prove interesting. Another point of interest, John Howard is idiotic and I’m glad he’s gone.
Did a SOOO much more appropriate caption for this pic (even if i do say so myself lol)
BUT only Aussies may get it. bwahahaha
http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/view.aspx?ciid=2724437&vk=L2DMSXVx%2baApWeV9Qrt5yKh8SKEO8qrhYAeGCmA7qYrdfL3Z2dl2TzguizqvgM0R6TKpJvPlKHf3YGMt9iHloQ%3d%3d
no. Just no.