General chat with Bobi – May 12

Many thanks to Bobi for sending in a new general chat post – I’m focusing on posting this on TTV while MasterChef contestants fawn over Nigella – Juz

Just a reminder to all that it is election month. I recognise the leadership debates have been riveting – Right? Right, guys? – but now that they are over, I don’t need any more emotionally fraught ads. In my defence, I am an early voter and, having made my decisions, I am now in blah, blah, blah territory. It’s such a relief.

I don’t have any Netflix recommendations. I am thinking of cancelled my Netflix subscription out of pique (they cancelled two of my favourite shows) and I am watching more and more off ABC iview and SBS streaming.

I am loving Mum (ABC). It is one of those delightful short and sweet British shows with fabulous actors that can use their faces to show emotion; a little bit over the top in parts but it adds to the humour. I don’t actually laugh out loud but I smile a lot.
(Juz’s note: You can read more about Mum
here at The Guardian

QI (ABC) is one of my favourite go-to’s. I am sure everyone is familiar with the concept but it never fails to delight. The spin-off podcast (No such thing as a Fish) by the QI elves is one of the best for walking the dog. I am always open to podcast suggestions – the tedium of walking the greyhound for half an hour every day around the same couple of blocks is only mitigated by a good podcast.

The Good Fight (SBS) is so much fun. Again, I seem to be late to some of these shows. I can’t possibly be alone?

I am watching Sally and Possum (ABC Kids). I know – I said it would be random. I am learning Auslan and it’s good practice. And some of these kids shows are charming: if you have a spare half hour, try Hardball (ABC Me).

I am tuned in to Agatha Christie ABC Murders. It’s not a fabulous story line but it has John Malkovich. It’s worth watching just for him.

More randomness; we went to Melbourne to see West Side Story. I was disappointed, not so much in the play – which hasn’t changed in 60 years – but in my reaction. To recap, almost-engaged girl meets boy father-wouldn’t-approve-of, boy kills girls brother, girl sleeps with boy, almost fiancée kills boy (revenge/jealousy? : who knows/who cares), almost fiancée goes to goal (or jail because it’s American), girl says it’s everyone else’s fault, everyone’s remorseful, they kiss and make up. And let’s throw in a rape scene just for laughs. What a fun night out.

If we are going to ban Michael Jackson, then I think we need to revisit musicals like this, and can we throw in Rigoletto just to round things off? So offensive. Rigoletto, that is.

Feel free to correct my use of : and ;. My grammar is iffy at the best of times and more so when I become annoyed.

And to finish on a lighter note, yay to Harry and Meg. I was getting a little tired of them and then Harry was such a happy-chappy when the baby was born that I could only be happy too.

Bobi



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166 Comments

  1. I’ve enjoyed “Lego Masters” more than I thought I would.

    But tomorrow night? Lego Masters, House Rules and HYBPA?, all on different channels, all with clashing time-slots. I’m so glad that I figured out how to get my Foxtel box to record shows and watch them later, because I’d be sunk, otherwise.

    And the second-last-ever Game of Thrones episode tomorrow.

  2. Thanks, Bobi. A great Maycap and I look forward to trying some of your viewing recommendations. I hadn’t even heard of Mum.
    Our most significant date for May was the wedding of one of my beautiful nieces. It was a gorgeous wedding and lots of fun.
    Things have been working out on the family front, thank goodness. We have been reunited with our grandkids. In the meantime I dropped more than 10kgs with the stress so I was nice and slim for the wedding. Life is a rollercoaster, not a highway. It has ups and downs.
    Anyhow, it’s up atm, and we head off to Europe in 4 weeks.
    I went with Woolif and two older gks to see Hustle. They had already seen the Marvel movies, and that only left Hustle for young teens. The original (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) was better, but I thought Anne Hathaway was entertaining. Rebel Wilson did Rebel Wilson. She needs a change or she will become like Jim Carrey; doing Jim Carrey.
    As for netflix, I am tired of waiting for some new series there.
    I hope all the mothers and grandmothers had a great mothers’ day, and the rest of you also.

    • They have remade Dirty Rotten Scoundrels?????? NOOOOO! I love that film so so much. One of my favourite comedies.
      I do think Anne Hathaway is pretty good so I probably will go see it.

        • thanks Daisy – LOW expectations!
          By the way, wonderful that you are coming out the other side of the terrible grandkid problem. That is really good.

          • Thankyou. Not too low. I kind of enjoyed it. Anne Hathaway was great. I laughed at Rebel about 3 or 4 times.
            It made me want to watch some more AH movies.

  3. We are currently watching season 4 of Lucifer on Netflix. It is really good. Happy that Netflix picked it up!
    Also on Netflix is Dead to Me. I can absolutely recommend it. 🙂

    I also am desperately waiting for season 4 of The Expanse. Best scifi since the reboot of Galactica. Thankfully I had Star Trek Discovery while waiting for it. The second season was so much better than the first. Pike and Spock were really good additions to the show and I hope they will do a Pike show.

    Regarding The Good Fight, it is do much better than The Good Wife and I hope we have season 3 soon on Prime. I binged through the first 2 seasons and I love the intro with the exploding Trump. 😀

    • I watched Dead to Me last week. Imo, it started well but I wasn’t thrilled with the last episode. But that’s just me.
      The mil played a good part.

    • I have watched the first Dead to Me and will continue with it once GoT is done. I wat ged the first few eps of The Expanse ages ago so will have to try again. Agreed Discovery s2 was sooo much better, with less focus on Klingons and the Spore drive. Spock made Michael less boring.

      • The Michael actress really tries her best with that character and I think a lesser actress would really show how flat Michael is as a series lead. I think she is really, really good and her scenes with Spock were amazing.
        Btw, Spock lost a bit of his appeal when the beard came off though.

  4. Thank you, Bobi. I agree about Mum. I wish I were as equanimous as the Mum character is, or appears to be. Her face says so much more than her spoken lines.

    QI always makes me laugh.

    Is that doggy sleeping in that position, or giving you the squint-eye over some imagined slight, like not sharing your lunch?

      • Aww. I have a needy boy, too. He’s never far from me when I’m home. Fortunately he did learn that I always return, so there is no longer a loud barkathon when I’m away from home.

        • Same here. Follows me from room to room . My dog learned not to bark but he initially had terrible separation anxiety and needed Prozac to sort his behavioural probs out.

          • Harry and Maggie like to latch onto us….unless they see a rabbit or runner. Then they are off. They lost our trust off leash.

      • Good idea – I might try an adaptil collar.
        He’s been extra stressed lately for some reason that I cannot fathom. When I left this morning, he peed on the floor. Poor baby.
        I have tiled floors, so no big deal on my part.

  5. Lee Lin Chin, encouraging people to vote, just called herself PrimeChinister. 🤣🤣🤣
    Pun of the election.
    I am easily amused.

    • And there’s not much, about this election, to *be* amused about, so take it where you can get it :).

      • I’m enjoying the snippets of House Rules in between the Clive Palmer commercials.Clive wants to be Prime Sinister.

          • There’s two Clive Palmer ads in every ad break. If I didn’t hate the man before this, I certainly do now.

  6. So, apparently killed Doris Day. 🙁
    Yesterday at work I asked if Doris Day is still alive because I was too lazy to google. We all agreed it is great she is still alive. Well, today…. “Zhee killed Doris Day. She jinxed it!!! You witch!”.
    Next Thursday after my week end, I will ask if Trumptard is still alive. Let’s see if I am a witch.

    Rest in peace, Frau von Kappelhoff!

      • And Rock, Carey Grant, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. When I was a kid, if Tony Curtis, Walter Matthau were on at the Movies, count me in. I also loved the original Nutty Professor. Natalie Wood. Ah, those were the days. 60s movies. 💖💖💖💖 Matt Helm with Dino. So many.

    • While I don’t wish for anyones death, if you could work your black magic on trump, that would be lovely, thanks Zhee. Maybe for him to wake up to himself and resign. Ha.

  7. I never wish a very old person didn’t die. Otherwise my wonderful grandmother would now be 140. Oh WHYYYYYY can’t she still be alive. 😭😭😭😭😭
    I do miss her but the poor old thing would be a mess.
    A good innings, with a few people who love us is the best we can ever get, if we are lucky. RIP Doris.

    Oh, the other best thing would be that Heaven is real, and we’re invited. 😄

      • Demonic intervention?

        Did you see Fraser Anning actually put out an ad saying, “If you want Muslim neighbours, vote Labor!”? That kind of horse-shit makes me embarrassed to share a planet with that piece of garbage.

        • I just had a blow-up with an Anning supporter on a local FB page. His quote (and I took a screen-cap, because it sounds so unbelievable), but his direct quote was, “Nothing wrong with the Nazi party anyways.” He went on to add that there’s always agendas in wars and Hitler went on to fight Stalin so he wasn’t really a bad guy.

          I don’t even know how to respond to that. I told him he was an insane, dangerous, lunatic.

          How do people think like this? How are people this deluded? I don’t get it. This is horrifying but we can’t stop people from thinking this way.

          I need to go listen to some music or play with some Lego or something. I can’t cope with this at all.

          • Oh Windsong, you poor thing. It’s very distressing being attacked (it usuall get’s personal) on sm.
            Sadly, you can only discuss politics with the like-minded. But it shouldn’t bd that way. There is a lot of shooting down of ppl with different opinions.

          • I don’t care that he had a go at *me*. These people generally don’t like anyone who isn’t white and straight (and male, come to think of it). If you fail any of those three criteria, then according to them, you’re not a true blue Aussie. I’ve been called worse.

            But this grown man, in the 21st century, just gave me a long lecture about how great the Nazis were, and what wonderful things they did, and so what if they’re friends with a senator. And I can’t cope with that.

            Because it’s not political. See, that’s the real, insidious danger of white supremacy and racism. If we start treating it like it’s just another political viewpoint, then it becomes normal. Racist hatred becomes just a normal, and acceptable, part of the political spectrum. “The Greens are good for the environment!” Okay. “I think the ALP is better with the economy!” Okay, sure. “Let’s round up the ethnic group we don’t like and shove them into gas chambers!” No. No no no. That should never ever be just dismissed as a political viewpoint. It’s dangerous, and it’s awful, and it’s the kind of thinking that leads to massacres and bodies in the street … and people like this lunatic I dealt with this morning think it’s just normal and acceptable to think these things.

            And that is terrifying, to me. Absolutely terrifying.

          • Ah Windsong, I agree that we can disagree about politics.
            At worst, that’s just an argument, or at best a difference in priorities – or upbringing (some people just vote in line with their parents/grandparents).
            The worry about these people, like the Anning supporters, is that you suspect that they could/would slip into violence. And scarily, there are more and more of them every year in their little tiny echo chambers, – – – and occasionally one bursts out.
            And that’s why I am so anti-egging (stupid, unthinking extremists on both sides). It’s just the first step on the rung.
            And interestingly (to me, anyway), that’s the reason the AFP (Commonwealth Police Force at the beginning) was set up in the first place.
            So I do try and remain calm and remind them that it’s called murder for a reason. I do have to repeat myself on occasion but it does tend to shut them up (Racist meet brick wall).
            Then I have a gin and tonic, or two. Okay, three. I can get wound up.

  8. Cant believe they cancelled Pointless for thst rubbish last night. Grsnt all over the airwaves this afternoon, 7Two and repeat on channel 10. Is there no one else available. Watched Mastermind on SBS instead.

      • We were a couple of people behind Mark Humphries in the Virgin check in queue on Friday 3rd at Sydney airport. Also saw Michael Caton, and the GWS football team, all within about 20 minutes of each other. Embarassed the DH by fangirling everywhere!

  9. DH and I have just enjoyed a very special ten days in Cairns. Beauty beyond imagination and gorgeous weather (got out just before the cyclone came along). The main part of the trip was the Undara Lava Tubes, as part of the “Undara Experience” – a two day package sleeping in an old railway carriage for the night. If you can get there, one of the best experiences.

    While staying in Cairns, we had access to some Foxtel (home is fully FTA). Loved the extra sport, although they do have to fill the footy channels with a lot of rubbish filler between the games. We encountered lots of movies: we loved the Aussie one The Merger. We also saw John Tucker Must Die, which is a bit of American teen fluff, but the best was Basmati Blues. The critics hated this, but we thought it was great fun. It is a bit of an American/Indian blend with a dash of musical theatre and bollywood. It also has a serious undertone about western countries trying to trample over local cultures. I plan to watch it again, and persuade some of the kids to watch. We saw about a third of a movie where Matt Damon was shrunk to a mini person, but had to leave so don’t know how it ended.

    They played a lot of Calamity Jane this morning, and I discovered that I have neglected the education of my younger children. The older ones know this musical almost by heart, so I will be strapping the babies to the lounge to watch it a couple of times soon. Loved Doris. Recently saw a movie with her (not a musical) that I enjoyed was Lover Come Back. The title makes little sense to the actual story, which is really funny. It is a little ahead of its time as Doris plays a high flying executive.

    • “The main part of the trip was the Undara Lava Tubes, as part of the “Undara Experience” – a two day package sleeping in an old railway carriage for the night. If you can get there, one of the best experiences.”

      That sounds seriously awesome and I’m super-jealous.

      • It is not particularly expensive, well within reach of the average person. But, of course, you have to get to Cairns or Innisfail to start with, and then it is a 3.5 hr drive. The drive itself is interesting, several changes of landscape within a short distance (rainforest, tablelands, red dirt outback, then volcanic granite and termite mounds). We also went to a place called Coffee Works (at Mareeba) which has unlimited coffee and chocolate tasting plus one of the best museums we have ever seen. That is saying a lot considering it was mainly coffee-making equipment, and I am not a coffee-drinker!

      • Paheeli and Kal Ho Na Ho are two of mine. You can’t beat a super cheesy Sharuk Khan.
        There was another one I loved where the beautiful girl was widowed.

  10. Has anyone watched Mr. Black? I have enjoyed previous work of the dude who plays the dad, but the premise sounds stupid and sexist. I’ll have plenty of chance to watch a bit if I want, because it seems to “encore” every damn night.

    • The ads made it look pretty awful. I wasn’t going to watch it.

      Although the new drama on Wednesday, “Five Bedrooms”? I’m intrigued about that, I’ll probably watch it.

      • I’m not interested in that, or 5 bedrooms.
        Ha ha, I was going to write because it reminded me of offspring… 40 something’s acting like teenagers. Then I saw it was from the makers of OS.

      • I will try Five Bedrooms because of Offspring writers.
        I love Stephen Curry so can’t bear to watch Mr Black. It looks seriously woeful.

  11. Fijane, talking of random brushes with fame, we got in the lift with Pat Dodson when we were in Melbourne.
    He was charming.
    Much taller than I expected, very friendly and softly spoken, surprisingly elegant with an amazing beard. If I was a guy, I would have some serious beard envy.
    I expected something slightly more aggressive (without being in your face). Difficult to explain but you know what I mean?

    • I love Patrick Dodson. I used to see him quite frequently when I lived in Broome, just to see and say hi to on the street, I don’t know him. He made me feel immediate respect and like for him. Again, I don’t know why, it’s a feeling I had and still have. I am a good judge of character, and nothing he has done since those days has changed my mind about him. I’ve never seen him speak aggressively and that is probably one reason why he can get his points across so effectively.

      And, yes, his beard is awesome.

    • My first reaction was – who? Having checked google, I am ashamed of my eastcoast ignorance. Yes, I do know him, but hadn’t registered the name with the face.

      I have seen him speaking on tv, and was very impressed. And what a treat to be so close to that lovely beard. Your hands must have been itching to reach out and touch it.

  12. EUROVISION SPOILER ********* don’t read on if you do not want to know semi final result
    *******
    >
    >
    Australia made it through to the next round with Kate Miller Heidke’s swaying in the air song thingy

  13. Not looking. Thanks for the warning header. 😄
    The music is terrible so the not knowing is the only reason to watch.

  14. Can anyone please tell me how can i find out the final vote count for Lego Masters finale?
    Absolutely loved this show and though Hamish was a ripper host.
    Was really surprised to hear that a couple of the teams actually didnt even know eaxh other…I did wonder before how anyone could have been friends with kale! And even the winners actually entered as solo competitors! This is a really interesting concept and it certainly worked a treat for them!

    • I wanted to know the scores too, but like many of those shows they don’t tell you. I thought the right team won anyway. Poseidon and that wave (plus the previous Grand Canyon) were obviously superior.

      I suspected that Cale and Bilsy didn’t know each other. The show was very careful to never reveal a common background. But I didn’t know about any of the others. Are you sure about Cade and Henry? I thought they were mates through family friendships (ie Dads of kids the same age). I liked (and even loved) all the contestants except Cale, including Hamish and Brickman. But even Cale was not really vindictive or mean, just arrogant and self-focused.

      I hope they do another series, but it will be an even bigger challenge to come up with more ideas.

      This show pushed House Rules and Masterchef off my viewing schedule. I have HR recorded to try to catch up on, but I have given up on chasing MC and will just dip in from now on.

      • “I suspected that Cale and Bilsy didn’t know each other.”

        They didn’t. Kale is from Melbourne, Bilsy is from my area up in Queensland. Bilsy’s original partner had to drop out (when his wife went into early labour), ergo, Bilsy got lumped with Kale as his back-up. That’s what happened.

        But I’ve been chatting to him, the last couple of days, and Bilsy only has pleasant things to say about the experience.

  15. Oh, these Clive Palmer ads are driving me crazy. Well, crazier.

    Truth be told, I’m not even sure who I’m going to be voting for, come Saturday. My family is die-hard LNP supporters (I personally know our state and federal members, I’ve met them all personally. They’re nice guys). And I recently introduced my dad to the joys of FB, so his page is nothing but him eating up clips from Sky News and Peta Credlin (who I personally can’t stand, since her only qualifications seem to be spending years as Tony Abbott’s lick-spittle. Gosh, I wonder what her angle always is?), like, with a really (almost worryingly-so) fervent passion.

    And while I like that he’s trying to make cancer treatment cheaper (cancer is many things, and one of the things it definitely is, is very expensive), I’m one of those people who finds Shorten just pretty unlikeable. But does it even matter? What election is about actually helping the Australian people? They’re making promises they can’t afford to keep, not to make anyone’s life better, but just to *win*. It’s like the Bachelor, but the guy waiting for you in the final episode is the honeybadger, so, nobody actually gets anything. It’s just winning, just for the sake of winning. Maybe I’m feeling too cynical today, but I dealt with an actual Nazi, this morning, and that turned me right off the whole thing. But I gotta pick someone. Well, at least 6 someones.

    I did that “where do your preferences align?” thing, some years ago, and I always tend to get shunted into the Greens base, which is weird, because I don’t consider the environment a huge issue for me personally. And then you’ve got Pauline’s party (thanks Pauline, for attracting sexist racist monsters into your party, then turning them loose so the rest of us have to deal with them), Fuhrer Fraser’s Fascist F***wits, Clive’s $60M ego trip, and those wacky little ones that you can’t trust (the “Health Party”? Yeah, they’re all about anti-science and anti-vaccination. Bit of an ironic name), or the fundamentalist religious parties that are only interested in hate and fear (does anyone else remember how Jesus was all about, “be nice to each other”? Because apparently I’m the only one).

    I get why people refuse to vote, out of sheer protest, but I think that stinks, I’d never do that. It’s awfully hypocritical to not have your say, and then spend four years complaining about the result.

    So I’m still undecided.

    • It’s okay to be undecided, Windsong. You’ll make up your mind by Saturday, and I’m sure you will figure out why you want to vote for whoever. I ignored the ads from the start, they’re all bullshit. I find it more helpful to read policy statements and some newspaper articles (with large grains of salt included), than to listen to any promises spoken by some guy who just wants to win.

      As for likability, that doesn’t count for much for me. Again, I go back to the policies stated. Used to be I could dislike a pol and still vote for him/her because of their agenda. These days, well, you have to vote, so better to think it through.

      Clive Palmer, heh. First time he was running for something a few years ago, he sent out a cd to all mail boxes. The blurb was about keeping jobs, manufacturing, etc. in Australia. The cd was made in China. Way to go, Clive, you moron.

    • It will all come together on the day Windsong.
      I sat in the polling booth, hating all the choices, and then made my decision. And I’m comfortable with my outcome.
      It turned out to be odd things that finally made up my mind. I’m not in an electorate that has a high profile independent, so if I chose one then I would just have to go through the whole agonising thought process again. It goes without saying that Clive/Pauline and the Christian Supremicists are out. So it is one of the major three. Hard part done – no wasted protest vote here.
      So it came down to pure self interest: what’s in it for me.
      I decided that it was in my interests to live in a marginal seat. I want pollies to try and buy my vote at every election. I know, selfish of me, but it was the only way I could decide. Otherwise it was just bad or badder.

      • My dad, now, is including me in group Facebook messages with videos about the “Shorten conspiracy”, and I’m just like, oh my gosh. I’ve had my fill of this internet conspiracy nonsense with all those anti-medicine types, I don’t need anymore. There’s a reason I quietly unfollowed him. I wonder if his friends appreciate his passion as much as I do.

        But I don’t have much patience for Chicken Little style, “this party will destroy Australia!” fear-mongering. Oh sure, I don’t want fascists and racists to be running the country. But the democratic process is designed to be as slow and lumbering as possible … to prevent these sort of things from happening. And sure, if the process moved faster, that might be better for some things. But the world’s gonna keep turning, regardless. Whoever wins on Sunday, I’m not gonna lose much sleep over it.

        Although I’ll tell you now, if the ALP eeks out a win? Morrison’s gone by June.

      • When it’s family, it’s doubly hard. Perhaps you could send him stuff on Morrison conspiracies. I suspect there’s a bucket load on the Christian right wing subversion (which is a real thing in America. Hopefully we are too laid back for it to be here. Omg, maybe I’m the nutter 🐿🌰. I hate it when my mind does that. 🤪).
        Have you tried this?
        http://theconversation.com/why-people-believe-in-conspiracy-theories-and-how-to-change-their-minds-82514
        It’s a long but easy read.

        • There was a family get together, back in January, and some of my cousins and their spouses quietly said to me that they had no idea my dad was so political and so passionate about it. That’s when they admitted to quietly unfollowing him … about three seconds after I admitted to it.

    • I feel your pain, Windsong. I am in the difficult position of being in an electorate where I believe the current member seriously betrayed the community, and I would like nothing more than to see her gone. But she is in the party that I am more aligned with generally. That makes it hard.

      I note your comment about the Greens. I heard one of their candidates saying that they want to be a real party, with policies beyond the environment. So I went and looked at their other policies, and I have to say they scared me. On the basis of those “hidden” policies, they are off my list. I suppose my point is that we need to be careful of the pretty facades of all the parties, and look for the policies that they don’t want to advertise because they know they will be divisive.

      Like the recent state election, I couldn’t split the major parties because I liked half of each of their policies, so again I have gone back to ignoring the policies and looking at the morals of the people involved at high levels in each party. That’s where my decision will go tomorrow.

      • I still honestly don’t know.

        I don’t think I really believe that one vote will make a crucial difference (particularly in a large area, with preferences and deals being so complicated and twisted), but not voting out of protest is just wrong, I could never do that.

        I do think it’s interesting that all the polls predict this will be a tight, close race. It’ll make for interesting viewing, tomorrow night.

  16. And Windsong, PS on Peta Credlin, scarily more people watch her than some of the morning shows. There’s a huge audience out there for these extremist right wing views.
    I know.
    I have hope that some of these viewing numbers are just people tuning in so that they can keep an eye on them rather than seeking news. .
    And I think Kerri-Anne Kennel is angling for her own show on Sky. Either that or she’s just mad as a basket of red jellybeans on a high ladder.
    We can only fight them by refusing to allow their views to become normalised.
    Image attached to cheer you up because we all need reminding that these nutcrackers are the minority.

  17. I finished the handmade bead necklaces for my grandgirls yesterday. I mixed it up with coral, lapis and amber.

    • I had no idea he was such a fighter against apartheid in South Africa.

      Yeah, the guy could drink half the continent under the table, sure, but that just makes him a whole ‘nother level of cool. On ya Bob. I’ll have a cold one for you.

      • Is he gong to be buried in his white bath robe? I do miss the days of charismatic political leaders, on a pure entertainment level

        • Charisma is lacking lately, in all parties and in all party leaders. I don’t have to love a leader to vote for him/her, but I’d prefer not to die of boredom listening to their speeches.

          The contest now seems to be about who can make the most nasty comments about their opponent. Lift your games, pollies, the people expect more of all of you.

  18. In two minds about Bob. I don’t really remember him as PM (old enough but much less interested in politics at the time) but I do remember the fallout of his marriage/affairs etc. Those didn’t endear him to me, and I always felt very sorry for Hazel.

    Regardless, Australia has lost a big figure of public life, and I wish his family lots of sympathy for losing their Dad/Grandpa etc.

    • I know, I know – infidelities.
      But on the other hand, he did stuff. He and Paul Keating between them (from my time in the PS, I’m a big Keating fan) did a whole bunch of significant and important stuff – too many to list here.
      It’s hard to name much that matters these days.
      I sure I could remember a couple of things done by others (like guns by Howard and the royal commission into the church by Julia Gillard) but I’ve had a long day, a G&T and it’s too much hard work.
      That’s the difference between politics then and now.
      Sad, innit.

        • I am so sad for people who are distressed by the way marriage equality was brought in, but good on Turnbull for feeling strongly enough to take the only road possible. I wish he could get some credit for that. He was fighting a no-win battle inside the Liberal/Nats party (on many issues) and the religious are only increasing their hold on the agenda. I also think it was a now or never time.
          Lucky, hey?
          And I always try to point out that I know of people whose mind was changed For during the process. That can only be a good thing?
          I’m not only a glass half full type of person, but the glass is filled with champagne.

          • Whoops. Wrong place. The above should be down below for Windsong.
            And this for Juz.
            I have always been disappointed that I missed the musical. I heard it was excellent.
            I also heard that Keating went along to see it and enjoyed it immensely. You’ve got to love someone that can laugh at himself – in public.

      • Thank you, Bobi. Admitted infidelity always comes up when someone is getting a lot of praise. No one knows what goes on in a marriage except the couple in it. While I don’t condone infidelity, I think a couple’s problems are their own and not my business.

        We didn’t elect Bob and Hazel, we elected Bob. As PM, he did so much for this country. Neither am I going to list his accomplishments, but there were many. I have a lot of appreciation for what Bob accomplished.

        I also have a problem with the usual perception of a poor put-upon partner when the famous half of a couple leaves the marriage. Hazel, Noelene, others, may or may not have been distressed by the end of their marriages. I doubt they were surprised. We don’t know, do we?

        Anyway, Bob is dead, Hazel is dead, neither of their stories is enhanced by speculation. The dead can rest in peace, and the rest can mourn.

      • I want to say marriage equality from Turnbull, but he did that in the shittiest way possible (but he had to, because his conservative colleagues wouldn’t have allowed that through, so he had to force the issue with the plebicite). I’m sorry, I’m happy for the end result on that one, but I guess I’m still bitter about the road there.

  19. Yeah , Hawke was an arsehole for doing that. Same with Paul Hogan.

    The media calls them legends and icons.

    • Funny; Paul Hogan sprung to mind. Got too big for a homely wife. How can a person lie to their wife but be honest with a country. But that’s just how I feel.

      • I might be opening a can of worms here, but my (totally unscientific) analysis seems to say that woman are less forgiving of public figures who cheat on their spouses. Men seem to be willing to overlook that sort of behaviour when they can see other achievements in public life. I found that during the Barnaby Joyce stuff.

        Personally, I tend to feel that an immoral private life negates many good policies.

        • Character is character. If you will lie and cheat, you will lie and cheat. That is why Bill Clinton could tell the public, “I did not have sex…..”.

  20. I have to be honest, I’m normally a guy who loves voting. I take my time, I buy some food, I really enjoy the process. But it felt so … disheartening, today. Like, looking at the seven names on that green slip of paper, I have never felt as hopeless about this country, as I did right then. It was an awful feeling.

    Like, 7 candidates. Racist, racist, Nazi, and Clive Palmer’s $60M ego trip. Once you eliminated them, you just had the Greens and the two majors left, and that leaves you with not many options at all.

    I bought some democracy muffins, and I hope I can at least enjoy those.

    • Me, too. Me, too. And don’t forget Anyone-that-has-Christian-in-the-title Party. That would be the party that is anti-abortion, anti-marriage equality, anti-LGBTQI, anti-women’s rights, in fact anti anyone else’s rights.
      I am going out to get fish and chips and ice-cream. Lots of ice-cream. Chocolate with chocolate sauce.
      This has been an incredibly nasty campaign but I will be glued to the television (ABC – I love Anthony Green) …. and the iPad so I can watch the latest episodes of Nailed It on Netflix at the same time.

      • The muffins were quite lovely, for the record.

        I was chatting to a Vietnamese girl I went to school with, on FB this afternoon. Part of me is almost relieved that there are other rational people in the country (like some friends, like you guys), who are just as horrified and bothered by the general political atmosphere in the country. You know, I’m not the only one looking around, thinking, “What the frickin’ hell is going on here?” It’s still a little disheartening.

        I need to go and have the rest of those muffins.

        I think I Will be glued to the TV tonight, because the end result probably will be pretty interesting, either way.

  21. You think that’s tough. I had eight candidates/ freaks/ gun nuts/racists to choose from. Makes it easier if the Animal Justice Party is in there. Voting at lunch time worked for me. No line up whatsoever. You come away feeling Australia’s not worth a sausage.

    I’m like Woolif, seen the light on the hill.

    • But remember, Woolif’s voting is family tradition.He’s locked in. No light was involved. 😂😂😂 Just Daddy and Mummy’s footsteps.
      Mine voted for who looked the best and seemed the handsomest, most charismatic. If they were American, it would have been the Kennedys and Obama.
      Unfortunately for my mum, there are no handsome candidates now.

  22. Woolif goes on policies, or so he says because he has only ever voted Labour and his father was such a staunch Labour voter that mealtimes when he discussed politics were like, “Woh”. So Woolif was indoctrinated since birth and has never wavered.
    Me, since politicians lie and go back on their promises, Ivote more on practice/history than policy. I look at their history. Of course that doesn’t apply to newcomers. And I am sick of the majors so I was looking at newcomers this year. I went with the Tupperware Party. 😁

    • My family was always very strong LNP voters.

      But I did that vote compass thing, this morning before I left? I was still having trouble making up my mind, so I thought, this can’t hurt.

      I skew towards the Greens and the ALP more than the others.

      Although the survey told me, I rate Pauline 0 out of 10. I just felt like, it’s good to have that acknowledged, but I didn’t need to take a long online survey to find that out, you know?

  23. It’s looking like Tony Abbott is going to lose his seat (early days).
    Irrespective of your political leanings, that can only be a good thing.
    And the interview with Warren Entsch was interesting. I’ve always liked him. He’s a straight talker. He said that there was a high informal vote. I wonder if its that newbies don’t know what they are doing? The issues are fairly straight forward up there.

    • I’ve just turned on the tv, but they are saying definitely (don’t understand how they can call it so early) that Abbott is out. Whoever gets into government, I will be happy to see the back of that nasty little man.

      I’ll also be interested in who wins Julie Bishop’s seat, but it’s 615 here, so way too early to call. She is on one of the commercial channels giving some honest answers to questions – also maybe using the opportunity to give some payback.

    • Good riddance to Abbott. Social media has nothing but people wildly rejoicing at the idea that he’s gone. Can’t say I blame them. He never stopped being angry at being deposed and wanting to go back. That itself was obnoxious, but his politics were odious.

      I’m watching 10, mostly. I dip into 7, every now and then, but Alan Jones as a commentator makes me want to punch something.

    • ABC is okay, Windsong. Both Penny Wong and Arthur Sinodinos are rational and civil. And can be interesting.
      But there’s not enough Anthony Green.
      And no Barrie Cassidy.

    • Maybe we’ll have a female opp leader, and then it follows that at the next election we’ll have another female PM.

        • Don’t think so. I think when the leader lose the election, anyone can challenge. They don’t need a rank and file approval. If Albo has been the leader, Labor would have won hands down. BS is a liability

        • I think the new rules are, when you lose you’re out.
          Don’t quote me on that but I think Rudd brought in something that said the change of leadership was after an election.
          Now if they would just bring in fixed terms ….

        • This was confirmed this morning, that the rank-and-file rule still applies, so the choice of a new leader will be a little more time-consuming. IMO, this change of policy is one of Labor’s best in recent years, truly trying to address the perception of chaos in Aus politics.

    • No. Polls were way out of whack. My seat (Boothby SA could still go either way – currently Liberal but has been swinging to Labor little by little each time)

  24. And the question of the night. Given that the polls got is sooooo mega wrong, should the Liberal party stop sacking its leaders based on them? Much hilarity ensued.
    🤣🤣🤣🤣 Me, too, until I think about this government and climate change. We are in so much trouble.

    • Who ever wins this election will not have an easy term. The economy is weakening. Interesting times ahead.

    • The only poll that seems relevant is the preferred Prime Minister poll. That’s, like, the only one that actually bore out the results.

    • I can’t see the Libs ignoring the issue from now on. The biggest problem is that no one knows what is really meant by “action” – everyone has a different idea, and nobody knows whether anything will work. It is all very well to yell for something to done, but there is no consensus anywhere about what that should be.

      • There is general consensus amongst scientists (and businesses that are not in resources), but far be it for pollies to follow independent analysis.
        It doesn’t play well in resource job dependent states. And I’m not being critical here – in the end, we are all driven by self interest.

    • Antony seems to be stressing about how high the pre-polling vote is and how it is impacting his calculations.

  25. Bill Shaton. He’ll be aliminated soon.

    I’ve been watching the ABC coverage. Better than a kick in the arse, which is what the pollsters need. I had my head up my arse when I wrote comment 22. Grieving for Hawkey.

    Barrie Cassidy is on now , declaring that’s all , she wrote. Pronouncing the death rites.

    Oh well, the public embraced Scott Morrison as if he was Jim Morrison. Labor left the Doors ajar. This is the end.

    • Heh, heh.
      And you (and I) were listening to the pollsters and the commentators. You’d think that after Trump we’d learn. But no.
      Or maybe we were listening to all those loud and vocal millennials (what comes after them?) who were shouting about franking credits, the housing crisis, and Adani, and then probably spread their votes thinly amongst the independents in protest.
      Difficult to know. I didn’t have many options in my electorate. See Windsong’s and my comments at 26.

    • Yeah, Bill’s a goner. Regardless of how difficult the Labor party made it, to knife their leader? They’ll knife this guy, probably by the end of the week.

      It’s really quite interesting that they lost what should’ve been an unlosable election. Was it just Bill Shorten, that people still didn’t warm to? Was it the money stuff (because he was promising a lot, and not explaining how he was going to pay for it all, a fact that Scott reminded us constantly)?

      The fall-out is going to be interesting. There’s going to be a lot written about why the ALP lost.

      I guess I’m a little disappointed. Not because I deeply hate the LNP, but because the minority of angry conservatives who confuse “freedom of thought” with “hate speech” are going to feel justified to keep on hate-speeching, and that pisses me off more than the thought of a destroyed environment. A lot more, actually.

      • Me, too on the Hatey McHateFaces that seem to have taken over normal civilised disagreements. What are they teaching n schools these days?
        Barrie will put it in perspective for us tomorrow morning and all will be well.
        And then we can watch The Voice.

    • Thanks, Dave for the good laugh!

      Funny old thing, politics, isn’t it. While I understand the passion behind the words, for me, the things that have made you angry, Windsong and Bobi, are the things that have turned me away from Labor. The temptation to dismiss those with genuine concerns about changes that are described as progressive just drives people in the opposite direction.

      • I keep asking, why do people *want* the right to abuse and condemn minority groups, simply for existing? Why are people fighting so passionately for the right to be needlessly cruel and horrible to people who’ve wronged them in no way, for things those people had zero control over?

        And nobody ever seems to be able to answer me.

      • Well said, Windsong.
        Yes yes, yes, and yes.
        And I just can’t say more than that.
        Isn’t that sad?

  26. Can we start the postmortem?
    1. Civil blood makes civil hands unclean. BS carried too much baggage from the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd years. There was the underlying feeling in the electorate he could not be trusted.
    2. Dissembling on Adani. Tried to sit on the fence on this but came across as dishonest.
    3. Tax Policy. No-one is denying that there needs to be tax reform but framing it in terms of class warfare is not selling the policy.
    4. Climate Change. BS never really recovered from his inability to answer the question on how much is this going to cost. Ignoring the question or calling it a ‘dumb’ question again reinforcing the impression that BS is shifty.

    Will the Labor Party spend years in the wilderness? No. The Coalition is in a weak position. It has loss prominent members of its front bench. People are not happy with either party with minority Government the new normal. The abstract concept of Clime Change will need to be addressed in a concrete manner. Kicking the can down the road will not be an acceptable solution…maybe start with providing the infrastructure to allow Australia to process its recycled waste on shore. Investment in solar power to make it more efficient may be a start.

    Guess we will now be on Albo weight watch. When he losses enough weight he will make a play for Shorten’s job.

    • 5. Taking north Qld for granted. We were there last week, and I was surprised at the very opposite feeling to NSW (where the whole state is labelled by city attitudes). Not at all surprised that many voters up there probably changed lifelong allegiances.
      6. Daniel Andrews Labor govt in Victoria showing the rest of Australia what they could expect. From a conservative point of view, Victoria’s situation is really challenging.
      7. Hiding social change policies behind economic ones. I think a lot of their economic ideas were sound, but there was a reason they never talked about some of their other ones.

      Despite all these, I believed the polls, too, and expected this morning to be terribly depressing. Combined with a win by the Swans, happier today than yesterday.

      Tony Abbott: While I never bought into the media campaign to paint him completely black, I think Warringah have done the Libs a favour, as it will be easier to build the new cabinet without him hanging over. He may never have intended to challenge again, but just by his presence, the media would never give up and that would have been difficult.

      OTOH, Warringah (like Wentworth in the byelection) have turned their electorate into a ineffective voice by electing an inexperienced celebrity independent. I gather Wentworth is currently still uncertain, so that might change.

      • My folks are house sitting in Qld at the moment and said the support for the right wing parties up there was huge – and they are near Noosa, which has a higher socioeconomic demographic than most of the state

        • The Sunshine Coast has always been conservative. Deeply so.

          The ALP generally doesn’t even try, up here. The Labor candidate for my electorate (the south end of the Sunny Coast)? He’s a nobody, nobody’s ever heard of him before. I couldn’t have told you his name or what he looked like, until I saw his placards yesterday when I went to vote.

          It seems like QLD in general took a baseball bat to Shorten’s chances.

      • Can I respectfully disagree on two points?
        I lived in FNQ. They’ve always hated Labour – it’s the union connection. They swing around Nats, Libs and, oddly, are often supportive of some Greens policies, but I never met anyone outside one of the larger cities who could/would vote Labour. I never doubted that they would go to the coalition. I just worried about the Pauline Hanson/Anning/Clive effect. There is a lot of support for racist views, in spite of the lack of migrants up there.
        I think that Zali will do an okay job. She’s a clever bunny, and I have a loathing for career politicians. They are just the worst to deal with (arrogant and demanding, in not a nice way). And all pollies are inexperienced at some stage. It’s like saying “I’m not giving you a job unless you have experience but neither am I going to give you experience”. And most importantly, she’s listening to the electorate: in droves, they said they wanted marriage equality and they said they wanted a climate change policy. Tony said no, so he deserved to go. He forgot that it’s your electorate first, and your personal views second. And she’s more right leaning than left, so no great stretch to change.
        A number of Independents over time have been very effective. I have mixed views but I am For in this case.

        • No, I was watching Zali’s acceptance speech, last night, and I was thinking, gee I wish she was *my* representative. I hope she does well.

        • Fair enough, Bobi. Your experience of Qld would be much clearer than mine, as we were only visiting. It was just interesting to us, to get such a strong impression in only a week’s visit.

          Zali’s issue is not necessarily her inexperience (as you say, all new pollies are to start with) but the combination of that with being independent. She will have to find good mentors and it will probably take time before she can do much. The advantage of career politicians (along with many disadvantages) is that they are already aware of how the system works.

          I do have to point out something regarding the postal vote, though. It is often quoted that Tony abstained when his electorate voted majority yes. It is rarely mentioned that many pollies voted yes in the house when their electorates voted majority no. Western Sydney this was common. These MPs did not represent their electorate’s opinion at all, they followed their personal preference, just like Tony is accused of. Tony Burke is an example, he voted yes, despite his electorate’s yes vote being around 30%. It is a bit unfair to blame someone one way, yet ignore those the other way.

          • Tony Burke? Really?
            I always liked him because he’s so pragmatic. He’s one of more likeable pollies.
            I guess I got that bit wrong (you know what I mean).

  27. Bill Shorten hasn’t even lasted the evening without falling on his sword. Off like a bucket of prawns.

    Consigned to history as Bill Shizen.

  28. And the good news is that it looks like Clive didn’t pick up a single seat.
    I’m tuning out now but, fingers crossed, nothing has changed for Clive by the morning except that he is a bucket-load poorer.

    • Given the racists and Nazis who were angling for seats in parliament and the senate, Clive is middle-ground on where my worry is directed, to be honest.

  29. We watched on ABC.
    Anyone else find it odd the way Shorten’s wife was hanging off his every word by breathing over his shoulder? She looked like a ventriloquist

    • I think it’s the wifey thing – started with Nancy Reagan? A bit OTT.
      But then I look at my dog that way.

    • To be fair, I think both wives did that.

      I was bemused by why Chloe had been aged twenty years by dressing her up like a 60s fashion plate. It is a pity because earlier in the day, her natural look was more of a winner.

    • Does anyone else find the red and blue thing obnoxious? Like, I get it, political causes are connected to primary colours, but sometimes it’s just like, c’mon.

      • At one stage on Ch 7 coverage, they sent their reporters to the wrong functions. The one at Labor HQ wore a blue tie and the one at Lib HQ wore a red tie.

      • Yes, I agree. It is like when kids invent a game, they always make one team blue and the other red. No subtlety about, and very overdone.

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