tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74517942012-02-07T03:19:33.048+11:00What election?Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.comBlogger1081100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1150710114031621652006-06-19T19:23:00.000+10:002006-06-19T19:41:54.056+10:00

I don't feel like I can make fun of freaky tourette's John on Big Brother, so instead I'm going to make fun of those nasty Brazilians.So, spot the difference:And again:I know it's hard to split them, but just do your best.

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1105510342133301802005-01-12T17:10:00.000+11:002005-01-12T17:13:15.923+11:00

I couldn't stay away for long, have moved my ramblings to Terminological Inexactitude and Stack.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1101780359280551002004-11-30T13:59:00.000+11:002004-11-30T13:11:03.346+11:00

I must take the opportunity to farewell Psephite. I was hoping the election blogging adventure would end in a somewhat different way I must confess. But this process has not been without its benefits. The boss was particularly impressed when I righteously claimed to be part of the blogging fraternity. I can now add blogging to the list of cool memories I have which have sprung from the

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1101716890258947642004-11-29T19:22:00.000+11:002004-11-29T19:28:10.256+11:00

We've decided to call it a day. Psephite was originally set up to critique the election and as that has now been and gone we have struggled to maintain the rage, so to speak. So, upon consultation, I am winding up Psephite. Thank you to all those who read and posted comments, it was amazing to realise that there were people out there actually reading Psephite. I can't speak for the others but I

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1101207288977891342004-11-23T21:49:00.000+11:002004-11-23T21:57:15.740+11:00

Via Arts and Letters Daily, an interview with Timothy Garton Ash about his dealings with the White House and his new book Free World: America, Europe, and the Surprising Future of the West. The interview includes the first contact the Whitehouse made with Garton Ash: It's the White House here, could you come and tell President Bush about Europe, uh, next Thursday at 1:45? Says it all really.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1101079740046245622004-11-22T10:25:00.000+11:002004-11-22T10:29:32.653+11:00

If you would like to nominate a blog for one of the awards on offer, do it now. There is a 'Best Australian blog' category. Tim Blair has a couple of nominations so I have named Backpages (even after its demise) to even the competition up. The number of nominations has no affect on the winner - voting will start in December.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100926062594978882004-11-20T14:49:00.000+11:002004-11-22T10:32:13.800+11:00

It's taken me a long time to come back to psephite - mainly because I didn't know how to respond to the Australian and US election results. When I think about politics I often think in terms of cycle - like the medieval wheel of fortune where you inexorably experience ups and downs. I think this way partly because of the way politics is described - by 'terms' and the electoral 'cycle', which

Polltergeisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13551057355022665619noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100922582704040602004-11-20T14:33:00.000+11:002004-11-22T13:33:36.690+11:00

Although I didn't make it to the 'colourful' part of the evening, a grand time was had by the surprisingly numerous bloggers who turned up to the Clock Hotel in Surry Hills last night. - > Got to meet the man himself, Darp, even if he can't spell Psephite he's still rather cool. - > Picked up me Pandagate shirt and have already worn it, the quizzical looks from passers-by alone are worth the 25

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100908355341310562004-11-20T10:47:00.000+11:002004-11-20T11:03:30.323+11:00

Check out Google scholar, the Beta is online now. It allows you to: search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find articles from a wide variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100772037725851702004-11-18T20:44:00.000+11:002004-11-18T21:13:38.480+11:00

I've been on a bit of a books/language bent in my last few posts so I thought I would continue it by pointing to a San Francisco bookstore that is allowing its books to be arranged according to colour. Someone has posted some photos, if you'd like to take a peek. It reminds of my years working in a bookshop where there were so many books they were piled on the floor. As well as the shelves

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100730069301789432004-11-18T09:16:00.000+11:002004-11-18T09:21:09.300+11:00

Chris Sheil has decided to close down Back Pages to focus on writing his book. A sad occasion for the Australian blogosphere, yes. The positive? Chris has given us his 10 rules for blogging. A must-read for all current and would-be bloggers.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100690657888913672004-11-17T22:17:00.000+11:002004-11-18T09:04:01.360+11:00

Language eh? It's a weird and tricky thing. Even though I may not always write so good, I am of the opinion that there are rules to be observed and there is such a thing as good English. Ok, call me a fascist but I assure you the rest of my tendencies are thoroughly to the left. I was absolutely thrilled then to read this extract from John Humphrey's book. Although it seems he may be treading

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100596738393044852004-11-16T20:14:00.000+11:002004-11-16T20:18:58.393+11:00

The Paris Review is offering fifty years of interviews with writers FOR FREE. Excuse me, I have some reading to do.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100571067246029652004-11-16T13:08:00.000+11:002004-11-16T13:19:13.496+11:00

I just read a very entertaining article from the Chronicle of Higher Ed about a man and his books. I was horrified to find myself agreeing with almost everything he said. You see, I may work on the web, do a bit of blogging, love my new iBook and have been known to use nearly 300mb in downloads a day, my true love though is books. The older I get the worse it becomes. Sometimes my interest may

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100516217968119152004-11-15T21:46:00.000+11:002004-11-15T21:57:26.070+11:00

Went to the Newtown Festival yesterday. It was absolutely huge, as usual. And also as is normal, the usual mixed bag of yuppies, goths, dykes and poofs, uni students, hippies and god knows what else. Also, the usual stalls run by Green Left and Socialist Alliance on King St. One of them was selling a t-shit with a rat on it and 'Don't blame me. I didn't vote for the lying rodent.' I had a

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100149792341562312004-11-11T15:49:00.000+11:002004-11-11T18:34:42.766+11:00

I don't know about fellow bloggers but I can't say that I have ever imagined myself as a journalist. (Except when I was in primary school and I conned my parents into helping me put together a photostatted 'newspaper' called the 'Hotline Herald'). Eric Engberg, a retired CBS journo has written an article claiming that bloggers like to think they break the news and that they are taking the place,

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100081909476329512004-11-10T21:17:00.000+11:002004-11-11T11:06:32.066+11:00

Two Cents is no more. Bummer. I was needing some fun this evening. Right now I am not going to have rant about this, I'll leave this to everyone else.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100080818532516362004-11-10T20:56:00.000+11:002004-11-10T21:15:35.813+11:00

After crazybrave generously shared the sealed Crikey section, it is now on Crikey with a reply from Andrew Bolt and Simon Hollins. Now I'm off to have a look at the Blogger templates. Getting bored with this one, too straight maybe, perhaps something more diagonal is in order...

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1100041140952162042004-11-10T09:57:00.000+11:002004-11-10T10:11:21.730+11:00

I have enabled the Blogger commenting facility and am going to phase out the current system. If you want to comment on posts here, please use the Blogger commenting link. When I figure out how to disable the other one without losing all the current comments there will just be one link. Cheers. UPDATE: Ok, now I seem to have lost all the &^%^ comments. Ah well, nothing like a clean slate is there?

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com495tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1099994833571533642004-11-09T20:43:00.000+11:002004-11-10T21:27:37.833+11:00

Ok, with my last post I resolved that I would leave the Panda-hairy-gate saga in peace. Then I decided to cruise on over to Two Cents. Call me a masochist. Anyway, the latest post is entitled: It's not ok to be gay. (I did have a link to this 'piece' but Two Cents have since taken their site offline and made it password protected so only the priviliged few Right people can look at it). So, being

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1099986859595982572004-11-09T18:44:00.000+11:002004-11-09T18:54:19.596+11:00

Hopefully, the last word on Pandagate has beeen posted in the form of an email expose by Rob Corr. For all those who have been following the sorry saga, the emails reporduced in Rob's post are truly entertaining. I must admit to finding great mirth in two things: - Andrew Bolt got involved in some petty student-politicking - Alex Lew thinks he's allowed to put (BA/LLB IV)(Melbourne) after his

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1099902994244245132004-11-08T19:34:00.000+11:002004-11-08T19:36:34.243+11:00

Zoe at crazybrave has posted a very brave and thoughtful piece about abortion. Go read it.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1099819782773002472004-11-07T20:21:00.000+11:002004-11-07T20:39:51.596+11:00

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1099793464448715422004-11-07T13:07:00.000+11:002004-11-07T13:11:49.183+11:00

At the risk of enraging the RWDBs (actually, in the HOPE of enraging the RWDBs), I would like to refer you to a wonderful little table that ranks US states according to average IQ. Oh, and it also notes whether the States are Republican or Democrat. Enjoy. (But get in quick, it has been hammered with hits and may have to be taken down due to blowing out the owner's bandwidth).

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1099605449143870002004-11-05T08:47:00.001+11:002004-11-10T19:57:31.196+11:00

There's some to-ing and fro-ing going on down south between some 'young' Liberals and some lefty bloggers. You may have heard of the frankly delightful Miranda Airey-Branson. Well, Miranda had a blog where she said some not-very-nice things and basically crapped on in a spoilt brat manner about horses, the races, shaving, Sex in the City, all the intelligent stuff. Some lefties started commenting

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1099518358622881732004-11-04T08:44:00.000+11:002004-11-04T08:47:09.973+11:00

Of course it did. And I have absolutely nothing to say. F**k. I'm off to read Ms Fits for some light relief.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1099363042740398752004-11-02T13:05:00.000+11:002004-11-04T15:49:10.126+11:00

Don't you just love it when you feel as if your whole way of life, your beliefs, are at odds with the majority of the country? After the 'stunning' election result, then the eventual take-over of the Senate by the Right I really didn't think it could get much worse. Of course, there was the gay marriage stuff before the election (who the hell was calling for it anyway??), now there's Abbott

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1098947317607050322004-10-28T17:00:00.000+10:002004-10-28T17:09:53.703+10:00

Ok, I'm gonna swear now so for those with sensitive ears turn away from the screen......that fucking John Howard has got control of the fucking senate and now the little bastard will not be stopped. Could it get any fucking worse....ok I think I have got that out of my system so those of you who don't like the swearing business can turn back to your screens. We knew it was going to happen but

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1098920354511017992004-10-28T09:36:00.000+10:002004-10-28T09:39:14.513+10:00

Haven't posted for a while and this is going to be short: Dubya's website now blocks visitors from outside the US. More at the BBC and the orginal source Boing Boing.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1098441270112983372004-10-22T20:27:00.000+10:002004-10-22T20:49:42.843+10:00

Via the Daily Flute, news of a get-together for Sydney bloggers (although, I am sure our cousins in the ACT could tag along). I am not sure how I feel about being outed as a Psephite (or a Blogballer, or Templatedata) and I have horrible thoughts of early web chat-room "flesh meets" that I witnessed (WITNESSED, was NOT part of) but there is something that is strangely drawing me to want to go.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1097744625692188142004-10-14T18:58:00.000+10:002004-10-14T19:20:18.913+10:00

A 'firestorm' is brewing in the US after claims that a private voter registration firm trashed registrations from Democrat voters. An employee of a private voter registration firm alleges that his bosses trashed registration forms filled out by Democratic voters because they only wanted to sign up Republican voters. Apparently in the US you identify as a Democrat or Republican voter when you

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1097666056337278742004-10-13T20:57:00.000+10:002004-10-13T21:16:11.580+10:00

Here we go again, Howard believes that voters want the troops to stay in Iraq. According to the SMH: Australians might be divided over the Iraq war, but the election result proved most backed plans to keep troops there, Prime Minister John Howard said today. The article also raised the point that the war in Iraq was not really addressed as an election issue. This has probably been spoken about on

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1097632937075955142004-10-13T13:00:00.000+10:002004-10-13T12:02:17.076+10:00

Now, this has probably appeared in your inbox already care of a 40-times forwarded email. Go look at it anyway, cheered me up no end.

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1097476662753177802004-10-11T15:58:00.000+10:002004-10-11T16:37:42.753+10:00

Howard won because the election was held during a period of prosperity and low interest rates. Most voters think this prosperity must be all the work of JWH and Mr Costello, and don't know/don't care that these jokers have just been lucky, presiding over this great land during a period of global [Western] good times. And I thought that most voters either didn't know or simply didn't care about

Darkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975171780179177884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1097450996914844432004-10-11T09:22:00.000+10:002004-10-11T09:34:13.670+10:00

I don't think I have the emotional energy right now to post long and analytical. But I just can't stop thinking about the Senate result. Australia will soon be in for a real shock as Johnny polishes up his jack-boots and pulls all the real scary legislation from the bottom drawer. And I'm not talking about Telstra. I don't think people much care about that. Neither am I sure people will care

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1097400949482987922004-10-10T19:17:00.000+10:002004-10-10T19:35:49.483+10:00

I have been a bad blogger. It is only now on Sunday evening that I have been able to bring myself to post about last night's events. Thankfully we never promised that Psephite would provide up-to-the-minute coverage... Last night I watched the election at an election party. And what a sad party it was. In attendance with me was comicstriphero who left early, once it became clear that things were

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1097215997069739442004-10-08T16:02:00.000+10:002004-10-08T16:13:17.070+10:00

Well, the big day is almost here and I can admit to feeling a shiver of excitement (perhaps I need to get a life). I was opinion-polled out some time last week so my predictions are going to be made purely on gut feeling, I have even less expertise in these things than comicstriphero. So, here goes: I have been feeling that Labor will not make it. I feel they may improve on their last efforts

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1097212016418051472004-10-08T15:05:00.000+10:002004-10-08T15:09:49.886+10:00

It feels a bit like Christmas eve round here, everyone’s just marking time waiting for the big event. Most of the papers this morning were screaming for a Coalition win, the Telegraph runs its editorial “The Daily Telegraph believes the Howard Government deserves to be re-elected.” That the campaign could be at this point after all Howard’s done, and how extensively its been covered in the

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1097123884037107972004-10-07T14:34:00.000+10:002004-10-07T14:38:04.036+10:00

Via Poll Vault, Nosemugger's Senate ranking tool helps you sort out your preferences should you wish to vote below the line. We all have parties we love, some we hate and some of which we know nothing. This little tool orders your preferences according to the parties you nominate as your loves and your hates. Well worth a go. (And it seems to be housed at Sydney Uni...)

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1097120396781613842004-10-07T13:32:00.000+10:002004-10-07T13:39:56.780+10:00

Well, I've just voted (advance voting - get in early!). I'll admit to being a bit nervous about it, but I think this was just an extension of my overall nervousness about the poll result. I was somewhat disappointed not to be harangued by party volunteers outside the polling place. I was only approached by the Greens volunteer. Perhaps my appearance puts the others off, I don't' know. Perhaps

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1096938825632479242004-10-05T11:09:00.000+10:002004-10-05T11:13:45.633+10:00

Five days left of campaigning also means there’s only 5 days left for pre-election blogging! I suppose now would be a pertinent time to get some predictive thoughts down on record. Its pretty obvious I don’t have the knowledge to be able to sit down and work through the electorates, analyse polling data and come up with a well researched picture of a likely House of Reps, Senate, or marginal

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1096685540058679952004-10-02T11:51:00.001+10:002004-10-02T13:12:50.830+10:00

This week I figured out who Mark Latham reminds me of - the Ancient Greek General, Themistocles (I mean, duh!). Like Iron Mark, Themistocles was a guy from the suburbs who made his way into the Athenian Parliament in his early 30s. Themistocles was the archetypal loner / outsider, who won his place on the proscenium through the force of his innovative ideas, rather than factional support. At

Polltergeisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13551057355022665619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1096507814463385792004-09-30T11:17:00.000+10:002004-09-30T11:31:17.120+10:00

This is a guest post by Gloomy, who wishes to merely dip his toe in the blogging waters.... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Federal election is boring me. Fortunately, there is another election campaign going on at the same time – the election for the illustrious ACT Legislative Assembly is being held on October 16. While this means that

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1096325254080016482004-09-28T08:41:00.000+10:002004-09-28T08:53:01.036+10:00

Seems like the campaign to sell the Latham ‘brand’ has only half succeeded:When the uncommitted voters of the marginal federal seat of Parramatta were asked to give their impressions of Mark Latham, they generally started with a gush of positives.The Labor leader was passionate, sincere, down to earth, determined, confident, self-made, youthful, a fresh face, intelligent, a fighter, a believer, a

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1096253084332003892004-09-27T13:41:00.000+10:002004-09-27T12:44:44.333+10:00

A quick link to another blogger, Ms Fits. Her post commenting on Howard's campaign launch made me laugh out loud, even if it was in the awkward stifled manner that results from being in a whisper-quiet office. Almost spilled me soup all over me keyboard. Go check it out.

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1096252266701243142004-09-27T13:20:00.000+10:002004-09-27T12:31:06.703+10:00

Ouch. This hurts: Support for the Coalition moved to a historic high of 54 per cent in two-party-preferred terms, eight points ahead of Labor and widening the lead by six points in just a week. I've been searching frantically for some informed comment telling me that this poll is inaccurate, or focuses on the wrong issues, or that there is now an 8 point margin of error. But there's nothing.

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095922035633430232004-09-23T16:46:00.000+10:002004-09-23T16:47:15.633+10:00

I’ve been lucky enough to spot a few electoral advertisements and I have to say that so far, I am pretty disappointed with Labor’s efforts. Seems like they’ve had one idea and carried it through several ads. And let me say it seems like they have one idea several years ago. I don’t think I’m imagining having seen the doctors’ waiting room ‘Hot Auctions’ style scenario. Other people have confirmed

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095906334649952202004-09-23T13:21:00.000+10:002004-09-23T12:25:34.650+10:00

I almost fell off my recycled office furniture chair when I saw this headline in the Australian this morning: “Costello's $700m tax debate backfire”I guess I never thought I’d see the day when a Murdoch paper revealed a Government mistake – and an economics-related mistake at that. Best not to get carried away though, one article could hardly make a dent in their ongoing campaign to have Howard

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095848706558128262004-09-22T20:11:00.000+10:002004-09-22T20:29:41.366+10:00

Remember that party that saw themselves as a viable alternative to the Big Two? Remember they had a couple of leadership coups, a couple of high-profile defections and some bloke with a drinking problem? Well, apparently they are still around. They're calling for more attention to be given to things like "the seachange." That's right, that phenomenon that sees rich, city people moving to the

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095721848364301172004-09-21T09:08:00.000+10:002004-09-21T09:10:48.366+10:00

I tried everything to avoid the news yesterday. No, I’m not ‘burnt out’ from the increasingly blanket election coverage, or exhausted from trawling the papers trying to ‘spot Crean’ (see if you can). I was trying to avoid hearing the results of the Japanese Moto GP so that I could rush home and watch my video recording of the overnight race coverage. Proving myself to be a techno-mortal, I

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095638652585829722004-09-20T09:56:00.000+10:002004-09-20T10:04:12.586+10:00

Kick and Scream has pointed out the coincidence that a letter-writer to the SMH, giving an almost-convincing sob story about his daughter being unable to continue at her expensive private school, has the same name as the Associate Director of Wealth Management at Macquarie Bank. If I wasn't already such a cynical beast I would be be vomiting all over my laptop. Well done Robert Corr.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095584837592489442004-09-19T18:58:00.000+10:002004-09-19T20:05:13.026+10:00

Many people in the circles in which I move* have recently expressed the opinion that Latham and Labor were not going to win this election. Some have talked about possible migration plans should Howard be returned. There is a sense of desperation but also a resignation that he just can not be moved. Today, for the first time in this election campaign I have had a sense that Latham is hitting his

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095397711064958852004-09-17T15:04:00.000+10:002004-09-17T15:09:50.703+10:00

I may be a bit slow on the uptake here but perusing Pauline Hanson's website today (which, incidentally, is right in line with other pollies sites, bloody awful), I noticed that I had missed my chance at owning a blue baby's jumper that was knitted by Pauline while she was in prison. That's right, Pauline auctioned off this potential piece of political memorabilia for the grand sum of $3500. The

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095302718672935232004-09-16T13:33:00.000+10:002004-09-16T12:46:02.096+10:00

So Pauline is back is she? A high profile campaign from Pauline might just distract the Murdoch press from its sadistic mauling of the Greens… Hmmm, we’ll see. With some predicting that the Coalition will end up with 38 Senate seats (that’s 50 per cent), the make-up of the sewing circle that is the ‘independent’ (yes, I’m having a go at Meg) Senators club, will be one of the more interesting

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095212923376394702004-09-15T11:32:00.000+10:002004-09-15T11:48:43.376+10:00

The ALP's school funding policy released yesterday managed to get second billing behind the hostage news stories. I'd be interested to know whether the ALP are happy with the reduced profile of the policy release, and to what extent this is of benefit to them.At any rate, there were certainly ideological tensions ahoy evident in the reactions to the policy.One private-school loving family,

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095070368616842162004-09-13T20:05:00.000+10:002004-09-13T20:13:43.923+10:00

A frivolous link but kind of fun (I'm in that mood tonight). My father sent me this pearler. Change Johnny's hair and change Latham's hair. You need Flash to see it.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095066918410103092004-09-13T19:13:00.000+10:002004-09-13T19:15:18.410+10:00

Sorry, not OUR election but I couldn't resist: check out Bush v Jesus. My excuse is that little Johnny is a good mate of Dubya and well, you know, we're trying to get rid of both of them.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095065908704081602004-09-13T18:55:00.000+10:002004-09-13T18:59:12.293+10:00

Opposition Leader Mark Latham said today he would be happy to debate both Treasurer Peter Costello and Prime Minister John Howard at the same time. From the SMH

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1095054887553693932004-09-13T15:45:00.000+10:002004-09-13T15:54:47.553+10:00

I'm beginning to think that the fresh-faced, hay-seed chewing deputy PM is actually an ALP stooge. I can't wait for him to open his mouth again - it's so refreshing to hear a Coalition government member tell the truth.

Darkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975171780179177884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094989362430391872004-09-12T21:13:00.000+10:002004-09-12T22:08:35.963+10:00

Watching the 'Great Debate' tonight it quickly became obvious why Howard wouldn't agree to more than one event, and was particularly concerned to face a room of swinging voters. According to the worm, they don't want to face him come October 10 either. The result isn't a surprise: Howard typically suffers in a debate performance. But I have to say he looked particularly uncomfortable tonight,

Polltergeisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13551057355022665619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094791339768210482004-09-10T14:24:00.000+10:002004-09-10T15:04:29.986+10:00

I have a lot of respect for Brian Deegan but must say that for a politician, he makes a very good magistrate. If he ever had a chance of defeating Downer on preferences in Mayo, he's certainly blown it now, with reports that he's advocating chats around the fire with JI. Clueless.

Darkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975171780179177884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094782088502038212004-09-10T13:05:00.000+10:002004-09-10T12:09:13.323+10:00

A couple of new sites people may want to check out: - The Greens continue their groundbreaking (for Australian politics) use of the web with a blog and - an online how-to-vote card of sorts imploring Wentworth voters to put Turnbull last.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094779469445420782004-09-10T11:15:00.000+10:002004-09-10T11:36:03.656+10:00

Now, lets not pretend for a second that producing a politically- skewed analysis of the Embassy bombing in Jakarta is evidence of a lack of emotional/compassionate response to the event. Blogs like Troppo Armadillo present political comment, opinion and analysis. The abuse that was directed at Ken Parish is astounding. It just seems to be further evidence that conservatives/right wing types,

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094769543444622742004-09-10T08:36:00.000+10:002004-09-10T08:39:03.443+10:00

Gee I love Cathy Wilcox. I thought I'd link to a few ripper Wilcox cartoons, in case we all need a lift this morning. Here's Wilcox on trust. Wilcox on Howard's hypocritical rejection of dicussion on his Government's past. This one is my absolute favourite. If you don't go to any of the others, at least click through to this rip-snorter.

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094727392879561152004-09-09T20:40:00.000+10:002004-09-09T20:58:15.993+10:00

Well, right now I am glad that Psephite's readership isn't as large, and/or as vocal as that of Troppo Armadillo. Ken Parish posted in response to the Jakarta bombing with words that were perhaps clumsily chosen but with a sentiment that many are thinking. Not so much that people are thinking that this was actually orchestrated by some Coalition-lovers but that the incumbent government will make

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094703067184330732004-09-09T14:11:00.000+10:002004-09-09T14:20:45.003+10:00

The SMH says Australian embassy in Jakarta 'bombed'. The ABC says Explosion heard near Australian embassy in Jakarta. Reuters says the fence of the embassy was damaged. In a couple of hours hopefully we will have the full story and hopefully this won't turn out the be this year's Tampa...

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094697617287020372004-09-09T13:14:00.000+10:002004-09-09T12:40:17.286+10:00

I’ve been thinking a little bit lately about a few things, which seem related, but which also contribute to an overall sense of doom that is festering within. Firstly, I make reference to my earlier post in which I wondered about the ability of the Coalition to spend the surplus till it’s nose bleeds, but still retain an image of ‘good economic managers’. All the while, the same actions render

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094687643490404362004-09-09T09:52:00.000+10:002004-09-09T09:54:03.490+10:00

Margo Kingston's Web Diary has had a makeover. It's now a bit more blog-style. Looking good.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094609144044603632004-09-08T11:59:00.000+10:002004-09-09T09:49:43.266+10:00

I caught a bit of SBS’s Insight last night – it carried an interesting short following Misha Schubert, a journalist from The Age on Latham’s campaign bus. We followed the bus to a school in Melbourne, where Latham was to make a policy announcement on education.Of particular interest to me in this story was its illustration of how journalists on the campaign bus access information. I wrote earlier

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094531479720719592004-09-07T14:26:00.000+10:002004-09-07T15:04:08.540+10:00

I don’t care what anyone says, the poll figures released this morning scare me (Howard surges to a winning position) (for a level-headed and well informed analysis of some of the latest poll results, best divert now to this excellent analysis at Back Pages). I know, I know, this is a long election campaign, and there is plenty of time for the polls to go up and down, many times over. But, as

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094472148064982532004-09-06T21:22:00.001+10:002004-09-09T11:12:13.340+10:00

I woke up this morning to hear that George 'Dubya' is steaming ahead in the US opinion polls. Admittedly he's coming off a Convention rush, but as it's hard enough to get out of bed at the best of times I'd like to blame this information for my late and groggy arrival at work. Anyhow, to compensate I thought I'd share a little fact I learnt recently from the July 2004 edition of Vanity Fair.

Polltergeisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13551057355022665619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094443633165148652004-09-06T14:07:00.000+10:002004-09-06T14:07:13.166+10:00

Counter Spin has pointed out that Peter King, the soon-to-be-ex-Liberal member for Wentworth sent out a media release with the URL for a site that doesn't work - the Wentworth Liberals. Ooops. His new site is consistent with those reviewed below - could try harder. Looks like the Greens are still leading the pack in the use of the web.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094432303693210992004-09-06T10:57:00.000+10:002004-09-06T14:12:23.050+10:00

The Greens seem to know how to use the web. They have just launched a site calling for the reform of political donations. Includes a searchable database of donations that goes back to 1998. They have used AEC data but put a friendly front-end on it. Strategically as well as stylistically, the Greens are leading the way online.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1093754980586238892004-09-04T14:29:00.000+10:002004-09-05T11:46:54.833+10:00

When I was back at Uni I read about a theory called cynical disbelief. The argument went that sometimes cynicism was an offical ideological tatic which allowed authority figures to hold an ideological position that they knew was untrue. Yet the authority figure would not be held accountable for the lack of sincerity or truth because everyone would implicitly know that the ruling ideology was

Polltergeisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13551057355022665619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094210700224107552004-09-03T20:42:00.000+10:002004-09-05T12:10:12.446+10:00

As comicstriphero frequently uses her expertise and position to pass comment on all things election I thought I would take the chance opened up here to make use of one of the few things I know about: websites. I have performed a very quick review of the websites comicstriphero has pointed out and will now torture you with my learned appraisals. This isn't as silly as it seems - in the US

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094191203742703172004-09-03T15:58:00.000+10:002004-09-03T16:00:03.743+10:00

In putting together my previous post on the Wentworth haps, I was particularly taken by the photo Malcolm Turnbull (or his web designer/campaign manager) has chosen to include in the page banner. Check it out here. It kinda says “Look! Your local candidate is really good at sitting around and doing nothing, like the wealthy eastern-suburbanite he is.” I’d also noticed the ‘salt of the earth’

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094188569726433272004-09-03T15:10:00.000+10:002004-09-03T15:16:09.726+10:00

Hearing news of Peter King’s decision to run as an Independent in the seat of Wentworth conjured up memories of another disendorsed Liberal candidate (although I note that Mr King is the sitting Member). While I have no doubt that there are no other similarities between Mr King and Ms Hanson, these kind of coincidences are always nice to note. You can read a couple of different commentaries on

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094167712431826762004-09-03T09:22:00.000+10:002004-09-03T09:28:32.430+10:00

Get a load of this. The Government using the current Russian hostage crisis to try and score points and rustle up some fear and loathing. This is really disgusting. My revulsion reached such levels I had a physical reaction (nausea) upon hearing this news. People have already died, and a further couple of hundred people are no doubt sick with terror and fear, utterly traumatised and no one is

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094091505268332072004-09-02T12:17:00.000+10:002004-09-02T12:20:40.516+10:00

Didn’t catch much of last night’s news offerings, but what I did see seemed to be a mix of the Brandis issue and the Scrafton issue. The novelty of seeing Howard and Latham sharing official duties at the return of the Olympic athletes and the farewell of the RAAF squadron also seemed to attract press coverage (it would have been interesting to see one of the journalists pick up on the

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094080490213340942004-09-02T09:08:00.000+10:002004-09-02T09:14:50.213+10:00

I know this is not (directly) related to the Oz election but this site asks some hard-hitting questions about Bush and his time at Yale.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094004498006711952004-09-01T11:59:00.000+10:002004-09-02T08:30:08.986+10:00

Daybreak on day 3 of the campaign, and our nation’s hardworking journos have chosen to focus today on such earth-shattering issues as Liberal Senator George Brandis and his rodent remark (perhaps he’ll come out and tell us that he was relying on advice from the Defence Department and thus not accountable for his words), the ALP’s response to the Coalition’s “Big Bad Interest Rates” scaremongering

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094003975470075022004-09-01T11:54:00.000+10:002004-09-01T12:12:26.966+10:00

I really don’t like the sound of the ‘subliminal’ cues being incorporated into planned Coalition advertisements attacking Mark Latham. The ads will feature images of Mr Latham accompanied by a particular sound aimed at triggering a negative memory response whenever it is heard. Talk about tricky and mean. Sounds too close to thought control for me. As I suspected, it sounds like nothing will be

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1094003662383481442004-09-01T11:50:00.000+10:002004-09-01T12:17:59.013+10:00

At 5.00pm yesterday, the House of Representatives was dissolved, marking the end of the 40th Parliament. One of the truly great benefits of this is the possibility that we will never have to see the moronic grin of Gary Nairn in footage of Question Time debates ever again. Not just because he is really quite irritating, but also because he is the sitting member for the seat Eden-Monaro. And, as

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1093918942398832182004-08-31T12:02:00.000+10:002004-08-31T12:22:22.400+10:00

There has been quite a degree of comment on the likelihood that the ALP’s biggest challenge in this election is to convince voters that Mark Latham would make a competent, level-headed leader. An example of what I’m talking about from Paul Kelly:“The main issue of this election is Mark Latham – and whether he can convince the nation to trust him as prime minister”This stands to reason, and one

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1093764001043670862004-08-29T16:48:00.000+10:002004-08-30T13:09:23.470+10:00

Now the real deal is upon us, I thought some initial thoughts might be appropriate. They'll be pretty raw, if you'll excuse my lack of polish. Firstly, may I say I was stunned by these words: "This election, ladies and gentlemen, will be about trust," - John Howard, 29 August 2004 Having zero knowledge of the art of campaign politics, I admit I am speaking from considerable ignorance on this

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1092812111382180532004-08-18T16:13:00.000+10:002004-08-19T09:05:47.346+10:00

I found this interesting piece from the Law Institute of Victoria. It’s a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee’s inquiry into the provision of the Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2004. I can’t add anything to it. It sets out comprehensive and thorough arguments against the Bill. It’s the type of stuff I wish I could reproduce in a calm and rational manner when talking

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-109262441532306112004-08-16T12:39:00.000+10:002004-08-16T12:46:55.323+10:00

I thought it might just be worth noting that according to the AEC, there is now no prospect of a double dissolution election: A double dissolution cannot take place if the term of the House of Representatives will expire within 6 months, ie after 11 August 2004. Is it not the case that an election could be called as late as April 2005? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1092215912731655782004-08-11T19:16:00.000+10:002004-08-11T19:20:09.826+10:00

Someone please remove this man from the education portfolio. I have had to spend some time after I read this article calming down, with the aid of a glass of red, in order to to get this out intelligibly, such is my rage. If you don't want to read the article here's the gist of it: Brendan Nelson believes that young Australians are obsessed with "a university education, and a mobile phone and a

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1091704175441873852004-08-05T19:55:00.000+10:002004-08-06T11:48:28.416+10:00

Ever since I've been able to vote John Howard has been elected Prime Minister of Australia. I recently figured out if John Howard wins the upcoming election I'm unlikely to see an ALP Government before I'm 30. Talk about a misspent youth. I well remember the fateful Saturday in 1996 when John Howard came to power. It was the night of my University O'Ball. Earlier in the day I'd slipped my ballot

Polltergeisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13551057355022665619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1091669356280453042004-08-05T11:28:00.000+10:002004-08-05T11:29:16.280+10:00

Check your enrolment details here before it's too late!

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1090748880256706212004-07-25T19:41:00.000+10:002004-07-25T19:48:00.256+10:00

I can't believe this is all over the papers today: Mark inhaled but Tony didn't. In fact, Tony assured us he doesn't even inhale 'normal' cigarettes. It wasn't clear whether this meant he was a smoker but didn't inhale or whether he was a non-smoker. But really, who cares?

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1090292191562559752004-07-20T12:44:00.000+10:002004-07-21T14:28:08.573+10:00

Not much movement on the election front, so here is a collection of links to some interesting reading (and watching) material, to tide us over. There is an interesting analysis of the polling data released by the Herald this morning on Ambit Gambit.And some more analysis at Crikey. The New York Times has a really engaging narrated slide show from its Washington Bureau photographer (called '

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1089948311988427462004-07-16T13:24:00.000+10:002004-07-16T13:25:11.986+10:00

johnhowardlies is back online and REVAMPED.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1089939464023441762004-07-16T10:51:00.000+10:002004-07-16T13:26:13.403+10:00

What I'd like to see is: johnhowardliesinbedcryingonthesundaymorningafterthefederalelection

Darkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975171780179177884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1089937498132982522004-07-16T10:22:00.000+10:002004-07-16T10:24:58.133+10:00

Johnhowardlies may be down for a (permanent?) revamp but these other sites may fill the gap: liarsforhoward and defeathoward. Further discussion can be found in Margo Kingston's Web Diary today.

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1089861124522855282004-07-15T13:00:00.000+10:002004-07-15T13:14:22.750+10:00

Some of you may have seen a website called johnhowardlies. Apparently the federal government has called for an investigation into it. From the SMH: "Senator Abetz said he had asked the electoral commission to investigate if the site breached a section of the Commonwealth Electoral Act which requires electoral material to be authorised." Needless to say the site has been taken down for a 'revamp

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1089786500445754222004-07-14T16:22:00.001+10:002004-07-14T20:17:02.953+10:00

Well, for all those who are desperate for any clues on election timing, the PM's announcement this afternoon of changes to the Ministry might spark further speculation. See this press release. (My favourite part: "These changes will further invigorate the Government and demonstrate the depth of talent available to the Coalition." Sure! Because Senator Helen Coonan looks very much like the '

comicstripheronoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1089711686535591142004-07-13T19:25:00.000+10:002004-07-14T20:17:28.986+10:00

Just who is going to elect the Australian government when the election is finally announced? I was under the, obviously mistaken, impression, that the 'Australian public' was to decide its leaders. Beazley has been added to the Labor front bench in what is obviously an effort to soften up the Americans. The US ambassador has given his approval, stating that he is looking forward to dealing with

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1089283025762320242004-07-08T20:26:00.000+10:002004-07-08T20:42:23.200+10:00

Still no election called but we could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. This will he/won't he thing is becoming as tedious as Freddy Fittler's endless Origin comebacks. John Howard today promised a "fair and decent society" should he be re-elected. (As some wag at work said: what, he'll only commit to that if he is re-elected, he doesn't want it now?) Howard went for the touchy-feely things

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451794.post-1089020532045725942004-07-05T19:39:00.000+10:002004-07-05T19:43:14.403+10:00

The revelations have been made, Latham has emotionally responded and the Labor Party has lashed out at what they term is a smear campaign that is taking orders from the very top. And what effect has all this had on the public perception of Latham as leader, and possible PM? To be honest, I don't know if it has made much difference. If any, it may have cemented Latham's position as the antithesis

Georg Hibberdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042823932172668960noreply@blogger.com0