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Post by pim on Jan 9, 2022 13:01:52 GMT 10
Lol
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Post by pim on Jan 9, 2022 11:51:15 GMT 10
Harvey Norman wins contract to run Australian hospitalswww.theshovel.com.au/2022/01/06/harvey-norman-wins-contract-to-run-australian-hospitals/Furniture retailer and rapid antigen test supplier Harvey Norman has been appointed by the Government to run the nation’s hospitals, in a deal Scott Morrison says makes common sense. The Prime Minister said under the plan healthcare would continue to be free for all Australians. “There will be no interest, nothing to pay. For the first 50 months. And then patients will be asked to pay a very reasonable fee for their healthcare, plus a $500 handling fee and around 1400% interest”. He said ordinary Australians loved shopping at Harvey Norman. “What we’re saying is, trust the guy who can give you a great deal on a washer-dryer combo to also give you a great deal on that open heart surgery you’ve always wanted but haven’t got around to. “It’s about convenience too. A lot of people tell us it’s a hassle to get to an emergency department. Under this plan you’ll be able to browse for a new sofa in the morning and then pop out the back to get your appendix out in the afternoon”. Mr Morrison said he got the idea when he heard that hospitals were running short of beds. “And then I thought, I know who has a lot of beds … Harvey Norman. A great range of beds at prices that won’t be beaten. It really is just common sense”. A spokesperson for Harvey Norman said they had plans for some CRAZY deals on reconstructive surgery. “Our half-yearly clearance starts next week. Shop instore for your kidney transplant and get a FREE $50 Harvey Norman gift card!”
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Post by pim on Jan 9, 2022 11:46:01 GMT 10
the tests cost $8 to manufacture .... that or rounded up to $10 should be what they cost. Government to allow Australians to dip into super to pay for RATswww.theshovel.com.au/2022/01/05/government-dip-into-super-rats/The Federal Government has finally addressed concerns that rapid antigen tests are unaffordable for those on low incomes, passing new legislation that will allow Australians to access their superannuation early to pay for the tests. Spokesperson for the new initiative, Tim Wilson, said Australians shouldn’t have the money they’ve earned locked away when it could be used for the fun things they want, like essential healthcare. “Sure, dipping into superannuation might ruin your future prospects, but then so might contracting COVID, so this is a sensible, balanced plan. If only there was a way to ensure people could have both their super and their health”. Critics say the plan won’t work, pointing out that the cost to buy RATs for a family of four is more than the average superannuation balance. But Mr Wilson said people could choose how they pay for the tests. “If you don’t want to access your super, that’s fine. Sell one of your investment properties if that matches your financial goals better”. Labor Leader Anthony Albanese has slammed the plan, saying his party would also allow early access to super to pay for the tests.
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Post by pim on Jan 8, 2022 16:42:58 GMT 10
I can understand swearing the oath on the Bible. An affirmation feels a bit like a Clayton’s oath. I say “feels” because it’s as binding in law as an oath. When I was sworn in as a teacher in Canberra in the early 1970s I was formally sworn in as a Commonwealth Public Servant (no longer the case for teachers in ACT government schools today but that’s another story) and I swore the oath rather than make an affirmation. The oath was prescribed by law in those days and the wording is “I (name) do solemnly swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her Heirs and Successors. SO HELP ME GOD!” The last bit is capitalised in the text you’re supposed to read from. This took place in the Principal’s office and he signed to say he’d witnessed the oath. And that was it! I was now a sworn officer of the service. But the way it happened felt right. Same as when my parents became naturalised Australians in the 1950s. They swore the same oath that I did 20 years later. I don’t agree with the anodyne Pledge of Allegiance that they have in citizenship ceremonies today. One’s got God in it and the other one doesn’t …
Pledge 1: From this time forward, under God, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey.
Pledge 2: From this time forward, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey.
Not all Australians have democratic beliefs and there are plenty whose “democratic beliefs” I most certainly do not share!
The old oath of allegiance to the Queen has the overwhelming virtue of truth in labelling: until a majority of voters in a majority of states vote to adopt a republican constitution this country is a constitutional monarchy. I’m pleased that the oath that police officers swear is to the Queen and to uphold the Queen’s Peace. I’m also sure that the oath you swear on joining the ADF would be to defend the Queen against her enemies. You know what you’re getting with an oath like that.
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Post by pim on Jan 8, 2022 1:30:50 GMT 10
Why should businesses who ordered the tests in lose out on selling them? If I was Gerry Harvey I would be furious if the government started posting them out to everyone.
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Post by pim on Jan 7, 2022 14:36:14 GMT 10
Impeachment is a two hurdle process: the President gets impeached in the House of Representatives and is tried in the Senate. It all goes on the votes of the Senators and that doesn't act like a jury. In a jury trial the deliberations of the jury are behind closed doors and in the case of a majority verdict in which there is minority dissent the vote is secret. Such is not the case during a Senate trial arising out of impeachment proceedings in the House. "Impeachment" is derived from French and its meaning is "prevention". To "impeach" a president is to stop him from doing something - in Trump's case from abusing his oath of office which is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. The British used to have impeachment proceedings and the most famous was of course the trial of King Charles 1 which was a trial of the King by Parliament. Usually these trials were held in the House of Lords. The trial of Anne Boleyn was held in the House of Lords. She quite lost her head over it. That was an impeachment trial. Probably for the past 300 + years, since the British Bill of Rights of 1688 established the supremacy of Parliament over the monarchy, so that the arena in which political battles were fought out became the Parliament, impeachment has fallen into disuse and we have the principle of the Executive being responsible to Parliament and enjoying the confidence of parliament. If Parliament doesn't like what the government is doing it can remove the government by passing a motion of no confidence. In the US they still have the old impeachment principle. It's one of the fundamental differences between the Westminster system (ours) and the Jeffersonian system (US). In terms of criminality the President has to be removed from office before he can be tried in a criminal court. That's where impeachment comes in.
Trump has so corrupted the Jeffersonian principle in the US that he's probably the best thing that's happened to the British system of constitutional monarchy in a long time. Trump has made the Windsors look good. If the issue of the republic ever gets revisited in Australia (highly unlikely and Charles will do OK) and the republican model that's put forward is of an elected presidency v stick with the monarchy, the monarchists will always be able to point to Trump and say to the Australian people: "Is that what you want?" Go figure.
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Post by pim on Jan 7, 2022 9:10:27 GMT 10
The only thing that’s true about Mad Matt’s waffle is that the US is a republic. As for royalty in the UK being above the law, the skull, separated from the rest of the the skeleton by the blow of an axe, of Prince Andrew’s remote Stuart ancestor King Charles 1st says “hi”.
The Sovereign is, on paper at any rate, not just above the law, she embodies the law. Stellar might confirm or deny and I’d defer to her closer knowledge of this, but the oath sworn by a police officer states that s/he will “well and truly serve the Queen in the office of constable”. I don’t know what the Australian oath says - it would vary from state to state - but I’m told that’s the UK oath.
But that’s the Queen and her immunity from prosecution is matched by her scrupulous probity in everything. We are talking about a lady who takes her role seriously and whose reign has been marked by her personal integrity and devotion to duty. I don’t think that Sovereign Immunity (in the UK “Sovereign Immunity” is a thing) extends to the Duke of York.
In the United States they have a type of “sovereign immunity” as well which Trump and the Republicans have rorted to the extent that they have totally debauched the notion of the separation of powers and presidential accountability. So don’t come pleading “republic” to me. The corruption of the impeachment process by the Trump enablers, which is what the Republicans have become, has trashed and brought into disrepute the very cornerstones of the notion of the separation of powers enshrined and laid out in the US Constitution. Give me the British system any day.
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Post by pim on Jan 6, 2022 17:13:58 GMT 10
No Mad Matt, but you are the laughing stock of at least two boards
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Post by pim on Jan 6, 2022 10:01:28 GMT 10
The Manus Island Open is thrilled to announce wild card entrant Novak Djokovicwww.theshovel.com.au/2022/01/06/the-manus-island-open-announces-wild-card-entrant-novak-djokovic/In a surprise announcement this morning, little-known tennis tournament The Manus Island Open has confirmed that world number one Novak Djokovic will play as a wild card entrant, and could arrive on the island as soon as this afternoon. Djokovic was expected to play the Australian Open in Melbourne, but his team applied for a wild card spot in Manus at the last-minute instead. The tournament – part of the ATP Challenger Tour – has never hosted a player ranked in the top 2,000 before, but organisers say they’ll make the Grand Slam champ feel welcome. “We’re expecting he’ll spend quite a bit of time here,” a spokesperson said. Djokovic is likely to take a ‘special charter flight’ to the island later today, with organisers confirming there will be plenty of personal security on hand during the star’s stay. “We have great facilities here. There’s a small concrete wall which he can use as a practice court. There’s food. We don’t think he’ll be able to leave”. The tournament is expected to last at least nine years. More to come.
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Post by pim on Jan 5, 2022 2:06:05 GMT 10
Knock knock noggin on heaven’s door?
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Post by pim on Jan 4, 2022 1:36:29 GMT 10
What happened to his Smirk?
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Post by pim on Jan 3, 2022 15:56:46 GMT 10
Oh? You believe this will clinch the election for the Morrison government? Good! Good!
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Post by pim on Jan 3, 2022 15:50:48 GMT 10
I'm glad RATs aren't being handed out free to anyone. The only people who should get them without cost are those with symptoms and genuine close contacts. Everyone else should pay. Diabetics have to pay for their blood glucose level strips! On the point of rapid antigen tests …
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Post by pim on Jan 3, 2022 15:28:53 GMT 10
Not yet, but they’d better do better ….
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Post by pim on Jan 3, 2022 13:48:58 GMT 10
Sounds like something from The Shovel. Here’s another one … Morrison finally responds to exploding case numbers by announcing delicious new korma currywww.theshovel.com.au/2021/12/29/morrison-case-numbers-korma-curry/With the nation facing its highest COVID case numbers ever, and testing facilities stretched to their limit, PM Scott Morrison made an urgent address to the nation this afternoon to announce a new Sri Lankan curry which he says is now one of his favourites. “It’s curry night!” Mr Morrison said, as daily national case numbers climbed towards 20,000 and lines for PCR testing continued to stretch to more than five hours. Asked whether his government would be coordinating the purchase of rapid antigen tests, Mr Morrison said this particular curry went well with jasmine rice, although basmati rice would work as a substitute if necessary. “Feel free to add your own personal touches – whatever works for you,” he said. Mr Morrison rejected claims he always ran away from a crisis, saying just last week his family had run out of coconut milk. “And I was quite decisive about it. I asked Jen to immediately buy some more,” he said. Adelaide resident John Radison said he had been in a testing queue for more than 6 hours, the perfect simmering time for a chickpea and vegetable masala, according to the Prime Minister.
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Post by pim on Jan 3, 2022 7:42:47 GMT 10
Toots you really want to go there? About insanity in the world? You, Toots?
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Post by pim on Jan 3, 2022 0:39:42 GMT 10
Were they actually built? And weren’t the car parks targeted specifically for Coalition held or marginal electorates? Are you seriously putting a fast train link that reduces commute time Newcastle-Sydney to 45 minutes in the same category of pork barreling and corruption as the car parks scandal and sports rorts? Really? This prosperity gospel plays havoc with your moral compass doesn’t it Mad Matt.
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Post by pim on Jan 3, 2022 0:25:09 GMT 10
Isn’t a Mum expected to love her son no matter what? Mad Matt if you start placing limits and conditions on parental love then you don’t support family values. I’ve always had doubts about you as a conservative. You’re a radical reactionary, an extremist.
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Post by pim on Jan 2, 2022 17:52:41 GMT 10
A 45 minute trip from Newcastle to Central (or is it still Broadmeadow as the main Newcastle station) puts Newcastle firmly within Sydney's orbit as an employment dormitory. That's interesting. Live in a beachside Newcastle suburb for a lot less than it would cost in Coogee or Maroubra and a 45 minute commute into Sydney. How many Sydneysiders would relocate? Of course if you already own a Newcastle property you'd be smacking your lips in anticipation.
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Post by pim on Jan 2, 2022 9:41:02 GMT 10
So still no arrests yet. Just racist finger pointing and blackfella-bashing by the usual suspects. OK got it. Carry on!
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Post by pim on Jan 1, 2022 16:55:52 GMT 10
#AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBeLidiasBottleOfGrog No answer to the question yet? Any arrests at this stage? No answer, just racist sledging.
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Post by pim on Jan 1, 2022 14:27:23 GMT 10
that is an excellent faked up photo... right down to the reflection on the desk. just goes to show how good fake photos can be. It must make policing that much more difficult. Ignore Mad Matt’s doubling down and his cognitive dissonance. It’s terminal with him I’m afraid. Toots is this pic the real deal?
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Post by pim on Jan 1, 2022 10:23:42 GMT 10
Mad Matt gets off on bad taste “jokes” about paedophiles. There’s his avatar and now the Queen. He’s unhinged.
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Post by pim on Jan 1, 2022 8:45:52 GMT 10
Theologians and NASA getting together? What took them so long? I love the idea!
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Post by pim on Dec 31, 2021 20:55:26 GMT 10
Any arrests yet in relation to the arson?
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