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Tuesday

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88 comments to Tuesday

  • #
    David Maddison

    It’s clear that Canuckistan PM Mark “Carnage” Carney who is just as bad as the worst Australia has to offer, is trying to realign his country away from the United States and toward the Europe he idolises.

    Does he actually believe the BS he spews?

    “It’s my strong personal view that the international world order will be rebuilt – but it will be rebuilt out of Europe”.

    Say what? Europe will collapse, sooner rather than later, under the weight of the millions of Third World illegal immigrants/invaders it admits under open borders and then pays for with generous welfare benefits and who are mostly uneducated, violent and anti-Western in their outlook.

    What’s “Carnage” smoking?

    TRUMP will soon need to build a northern border wall as well.

    Canadian PM Mark Carney:

    It’s my strong personal view that the international order will be rebuilt — but it will be rebuilt out of Europe.

    https://x.com/i/status/2051238437928210792

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    • #
      Greg in NZ

      Here in the far reaches of empire, aka civilisation, Carnage’s words were translated as

      “the new world order”

      which was the same phrase George Bush I used when kicking off his foray to reclaim Abraham’s birthplace, Iraq, 35 years ago.

      Meet the new boss – same as the old boss
      (apologies to The Who).

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      • #
        Dennis

        The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. It is related to radicalism, a left-wing liberal tradition.

        As one of the founding organisations of the Labour Representation Committee in 1900, and as an important influence upon the Labour Party which grew from it, the Fabian Society has strongly influenced British politics. Members of the Fabian Society have included political leaders from other countries.

        The Fabian Society founded the London School of Economics in 1895.

        Today, the society functions primarily as a think tank and is one of twenty socialist societies affiliated with the Labour Party. Similar societies exist in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Italy.

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        • #
          Dennis

          Not to be confused with international references to “liberal” …

          Sir Robert Menzies and the Liberal Party of Australia
          Founding Principles
          Sir Robert Menzies was the founder of the Liberal Party of Australia, established in 1944. The party was created to provide a strong alternative to the Labor Party, focusing on:
          Individual Freedom: Promoting personal choice and autonomy for citizens.
          Limited Government Intervention: Advocating for minimal government involvement in the economy and society.
          Political Philosophy
          Menzies’ political beliefs were rooted in liberalism, which emphasizes:
          Social Justice: Ensuring fair treatment and opportunities for all individuals.
          Economic Freedom: Supporting free enterprise while maintaining a balance with necessary government oversight.

          30

        • #
          David Maddison

          And their original logo was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

          10

    • #
      Steve

      Insanity

      Western European economies have been moribund under-performers for the past 20 years and their economies are spiraling down the drain as industries flee astronomical energy costs, seemingly infinite webs of red tape regulation, and abysmal productivity. In 2006, the UK had a higher per capita GDP than the United States. Today, if it were ranked against the 50 American states, it would rank 51st. The story is similar with Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the rest. The only economic success stories in Europe over the past couple of decades come from the recalcitrant eastern European countries that fight tooth and nail against the dumbest ideas to come out of Brussels. Western Europe is twiddling it’s thumbs as it’s economic power decomposes.

      And as bad as it is economically for Europe, it’s even worse in geopolitics, where the migration crisis and the Iran war has exposed them as completely toothless paper tigers who can’t even secure their own borders, much less project power beyond them. Nobody respects them or their military power anymore.

      How Carney sees that as a recipe for future success is beyond me, and I am completely baffled to why he is choosing to distance himself from his country’s #1 trading partner. Nearly three-quarters of Canada’s international trade is with the United States. He wants Trump’s attention but is too stupid to realize that you don’t want the attention of the 1000 pound pissed off grizzly bear in the room. Trump could slap a 100% tariff on Canada tomorrow and Americans would barely notice, but it would absolutely CRUSH Canada’s economy. Best just to leave the Bad Orange Man alone and hope he doesn’t notice America’s Hat.

      Global geopolitics and economics will be dominated by the United States and China for the foreseeable future, and hopefully both of them find a way to coexist without coming to blows. Western Europe is well on it’s way to becoming nothing more than a tourist attraction for wealthy people from around the globe to see the past accomplishments of once great fallen empires. It’s influence will only decline in the decades to come.

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      • #
        KP

        “Western European economies have been moribund under-performers for the past 20 years and their economies are spiraling down the drain as industries flee astronomical energy costs, seemingly infinite webs of red tape regulation, and abysmal productivity. ”

        Well said! The predictable trajectory of all empires is taking place in front of us. We have done our bit to advance humanity and now we enter the dissolution phase, living off the capital built up by our forefathers.

        Who’s next?? The hungry young societies of SE Asia or the South Americans? The job is more difficult these day, Europeans could take over places where primitive peoples reigned, like the whole British Commonwealth, but to take over any country now will be costly as all are far more equal, as both America and Russia are finding. We might finally get to a world where one country does not rule over many.

        51

        • #
          OldOzzie

          Volkswagen Group is facing increased pressure from its board to further cut costs despite already announcing radical measures, such as axing around 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 and reducing production capacity by up to 3 million units per year to 9 million, which would make it very difficult to avoid plant closures or sales. Overall, Europe’s largest automaker aims to reduce costs by 20% by the end of 2028.

          In an attempt to mitigate the effect of these measures, the automaker appears ready to do what not too long ago would have seemed unthinkable, namely selling China-developed cars in Europe and even sharing its underutilized plants in the region with its Chinese partners.

          SUMMARY:

          Volkswagen went to China to sell cars. Volkswagen opened EV auto plants in China bringing in German industrial technology and equipment. China learned from Volkswagen and started their own EV auto companies to compete. Volkswagen EV sales in China started dropping dramatically, and the Chinese EV brands took over.

          Due to internal climate regulations in Europe, Volkswagen in the EU then begins giving money to China that subsidizes their competition. China exports their EVs to Europe. Volkswagen EV auto plants start closing. China now takes control of the Volkswagen EV auto plants to build Chinese EVs in Germany.

          With operations now inside the house, the Chinese government extract European wealth and pump subsidies into their EV operations in Germany, flooding the European market with cheap EVs that will undercut the German auto manufacturing sector.

          You cannot make steel with windmills and solar panel energy. Germany has destroyed much of their coal and nuclear power plants. German energy prices have skyrocketed. German steel is expensive. German cars are expensive as a result. Where do you think the inexpensive steel for the ultra-cheap Chinese EVs will come from?

          Now, replace [Germany] with [Canada].

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        • #
          Steve

          Who’s next?? The hungry young societies of SE Asia or the South Americans?

          India and SE Asia, and it’s not even close. Most of South America is still a dysfunctional mess while India is on the trajectory China was a quarter-century ago and the rest of SE Asia has spent the past decade picking up all the spillage from China’s economy and have grown like weeds in the process.

          The old saying about Brazil still holds true: it is the country of the future …. and always will be. It never turns to the corner to become the powerhouse it should be because it’s government is a basket case. Which is to be expected when they try and throw every former president in jail as soon as his term ends (and even re-elect them sometimes after their jail term). Columbia and Mexico are basically narco-states run by cartels.

          Argentina and El Salvador are finally moving in the right direction, but will their success outlast their current administration or will they go back to being a mess once leftists take power again? Venezuela has a chance to return to it’s glory days of the 1990s when it was the wealthiest country in South America, but what happens once Trump is gone in a couple of years and someone else has to hold their feet to the fire? And what will they do if America takes the boot off their neck? They already killed the golden goose once 20 years ago. They already voted for the politics of envy (collectivism) once and went from being the richest to the poorest country on the continent. Whose to say they won’t do it again?

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        • #
          el+gordo

          Don’t write off the EU just yet, they are preparing to expand.

          ‘The EU is sending a team of experts specialised in combating Russian propaganda and interference to Armenia, as it increases its support to the former Soviet republic in a tense political period.

          I’n a highly symbolic sequence of events, EU leaders will hold their first summit with Armenia on Tuesday, after a pan-European gathering of about 45 leaders at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan.’ (Guardian)

          16

          • #
            KP

            They never give up trying to poke the bear..

            So Armenia will be in NATO soon? Part of their “NATO will not expand East” plan?

            When Russia retaliates against Europe all I can say is ‘They bought it upon themselves’.

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            • #
              el+gordo

              These countries are breaking away from the Russian Federation and embracing European values.

              Once the Federation is broken up into independent states and are trading with the outside world there will be no going back.

              NATO can then be disbanded, along with the EU, opening up the whole continent to free trade and prosperity.

              On the other hand, If Putin is cornered he may order a ballistic missile strike on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It’ll be Orwellian, the anarchists would be in their element.

              05

    • #
      Tonyb

      Australia is now one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world with more han 30% of the population born overseas.

      That is far beyond most European counties. It seems our elite all over the west are determined to change the once dominant white communities with those from other countries

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      • #
        KP

        Its a general agreement Tony- City Councils do what State Govts tell them to. State Govts do what National Govts tell them to. National Govts do what United Nations tells them to..

        Nobody does what the voters want!

        Maybe they watch the demographic collapse of the White race, along with its fall in moral values and individual responsibility, and figure the only way to save any heritage is to replace the Whites with immigrants starting now,and hope our culture rubs off on them before we are gone. Who knows what goes on between the ears of a bureaucrat or politician?

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      • #
        yarpos

        Similar to Switzerland but they have a much tighter grip on who can come and also what citizenship vs permanent residency means.

        10

    • #
      another ian

      With that –

      “New Governor: Would You Like A Side Of Word Salad With Your Decline?”

      “Carney at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Yerevan, Armenia where he is speechifying and sloganeering at speeds not seen before

      With all of his Top-Tier Slogans
      “Canada is the most European of non-European countries.”
      “We share a triple alignment of history, of values and trust.”
      “Nostalgia is not a strategy.”
      “The value of our strength” (contrasted with “the strength of our values”)
      “We have to actively take on the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.”
      “We don’t think that we’re destined to submit to a more transactional, insular and brutal world.”

      And his newest one “It’s my strong personal view that as the international order will be rebuilt, but it will be rebuilt out of Europe.”

      So slogans are good now or or is it only Carney slogans that are good?”

      https://x.com/cbcwatcher/status/2051302167596748921

      Via https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2026/05/04/new-governor-would-you-like-a-side-of-word-salad-with-your-decline/

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      • #
        el+gordo

        “It’s my strong personal view that as the international order will be rebuilt, but it will be rebuilt out of Europe.”

        Carney is a brilliant tactician and correct in saying that Europe will be leading the charge in the rebuild at the end of hostilities.

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    • #
      el+gordo

      ‘Europe will collapse, sooner rather than later.’

      That is complete nonsense, the EU is expanding and they have been repatriating undesirable aliens.

      016

      • #
        yarpos

        The very last thing the EU needs now is to expand. They probably need a decade to just get control of what they had.

        30

        • #
          el+gordo

          The rebuild in Ukraine and Russia at the end of hostilities, using Kremlin gold and other assets, will give Europe a boost in productivity. Also, the monies earmarked for defence spending over the next decade won’t be needed, so it can be spent on something more productive.

          The Russians people, after a hundred years under the yoke, will need to be debriefed.

          12

    • #
      Ted1

      How many nukes does Canada have?
      “Just sayin”‘

      00

    • #
      Lance

      I would encourage everyone to read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s essay “On Stupidity”.

      While “incarcerated in Tegel Prison, he meditated on the question of why the German people—in spite of their vast education, culture, and intellectual achievements—had fallen so far from reason and morality. He concluded that they, as a people, had been afflicted with collective stupidity.”

      https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/on-stupidity?utm_source=publication-search

      It explains a great deal about why so many people today think, act, vote, protest, etc, so very stupidly.

      00

  • #

    IPCC scraps climate catastrophe scenario: The great alarm machine loses its favorite instrument

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has withdrawn its most dire doomsday scenario for 2100. This undermines the foundation of many climate lawsuits, government forecasts, and media reports that have used extreme threats to drive policy for years.

    The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is removing one of the most popular scare tactics used in climate policy. The extreme scenario of global warming by four to six degrees Celsius by the year 2100 is to disappear from the next IPCC report. The very prediction that has been used for years to generate fear, justify policies, keep courts busy, and fill media pages is now no longer considered a viable guiding principle for this century.
    This doesn’t mean the climate debate is collapsing. But a very significant part of its most dramatic backdrop is beginning to crack. The new upper limit of the IPCC scenarios is around 3.5 degrees of warming compared to the pre-industrial era. That remains high. It remains consequential. But politically, it’s something entirely different from the four to six degrees that were used in headlines, expert opinions, and legal briefs like an official seal of doom.
    This correction will be particularly unpleasant for all those who had long since accepted the old extreme value as a certainty. Many climate lawsuits of recent years were based on precisely this catastrophic scenario. Even dire projections of a sea-level rise of more than one meter by 2100 were heavily supported by it. Now, forecasts, tables, and political justifications must be re-evaluated.

    Only partly translated.

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    • #
      RickWill

      I like SSP585 because it helps show one of the key flaws with climate models – their inability to limit ocean surface temperature to 30C. The linked chart shows actual measured temperatuer with ACCESS model prediction in the western Equatorial Pacific:
      https://wattsupwiththat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/image-107-720×405.png

      After 2050, the temperature sustains above 30C, which everyone now knows is physically impossible.

      140

      • #
        Geoff Sherrington

        Rick,
        You make a very good point with models and 30deg+ oceans.
        Has anyone offered you an explanation yet?
        Or is it more of the trendy tactic of ignoring a criticism that has serious damage potential?
        Geoff S

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        • #
          RickWill

          Geoff
          The 30C limit is now widely accepted. Grok, Google and Copilot AI chatbots all now verify that.

          I have determined that the actual mechanism is the size of ice particle. As you go higher into the atmosphere, the air pressure drops off as well as temperature. The ability for the air to hold moisture diminishes rapidly. The size of ice particles diminishes with altitude (this is well known) and their terminal descent velocity is very low; measured in cm/s or less.

          When the surface temperature over oceans exceeds 30C, any resulting convective instability causes what is known as convective overshoot. In this circumstance, micron size ice particles form above 14,000m and they are persistent because they descend very slowly. It results in high cirrus cloud that is not necessarily visible from the surface.

          Convective overshoot mostly occurs with cyclones and is also observed with tornados. But you will also find it occurring over warm pools at the onset of convective instability. It is easy to identify because it results in very low daily OLR. If you find daily OLR less than 180W/m^2 above a 30C ocean then you know the ice that is emitting the OLR is very cold and at very high altitude.

          Essentially it is the result of micron size ice particles forming in thin air.

          This is not yet well known. But the evidence is there for anyone who wants to look for it. The 30C limit was buried for 30 years.

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        • #
          RickWill

          Geoff
          My first answer misinterpreted your question.

          I have been thinking about having another tilt at CSIRO/ACCESS. I am not certain they have any real funding for AR7. I think they may have had US funding in the past that is no longer available. This link discusses AR7:
          https://www.access-nri.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Final-Report-CMIP7-Workshop-1.pdf

          I read the last paragraph with interest:

          There was broad support for greater community involvement in Australia’s CMIP7 submission, given the potential
          for CSIRO to work with the ACCESS-NRI, NCI and other partners to facilitate that community involvement, potentially
          through a consortium approach. The meeting participants identified the following next steps:

          I am not sure of the meaning of this but I would like to participate in a meeting if that opportunity comes up. The fact that the 30C limit is now well recognised and I know the process so gives me unique insight. I have also a good handle on solar activity; again a unique perspective that is bearing fruit.

          The real issue confronting AR7 is the lack of warming in the SH.

          You question reminded me that I should see if they are interested in my involvement. I have a couple of good articles that I could send them. It would be good te see Australian scientists challenge the agenda now that USA is out of the picture.

          10

          • #
            Geoff Sherrington

            Thanks, Ric.
            My question was about bodies like CSIRO and whether they are addressing the models that pass the 30C SST boundary. Geoff S

            10

    • #
      Ted1

      Did you notice that from the start of thi year the “warmists” have been promoting conservative motherhood as if they always owned it?

      And did you see “us” falling for it?

      00

  • #
    Dave of Gold Coast

    Do these eco morons who present such rubbish ever worry about the African children who work in rare earth mines? They must live in a bubble of fantasy over CO2 and pretend that is the sole reason for their manufactured crisis. I have never read anything about the outrageous, so called green products that all use vast amounts of bi products of the much hates oil. Like the manufacture of wind turbines, electric car batteries etc. Yet suddenly worry about a poverty produced fall of zinc in chick peas. Weird!

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    • #
      Geoff Sherrington

      Dave,
      As a retired miner, I am sensitive and responsive to criticism. But I refrain from comment about children in African mines because I had no experience with it. I wonder what would happen to these children if the mines locked them out. There is a theoretical possibility that some children would starve because there was no alternative employment income.
      You have to be sure of your criticisms when you set out to knock mining. Knocking mining has become a trendy activity for the mindless repeaters of pap who have no realistic idea of the trouble we would experience without mining.
      Geoff S

      161

      • #
        Earl

        There is a theoretical possibility that some children would starve because there was no alternative employment income.

        Seems Congo revalued their tax on the mining back in their 2018 Mining Code legislation increasing it from 2% to 10% on strategic minerals (obviously rare earth ones). The following AI answer highlights the apparent rip offs the mining companies are doing by supposedly under declaring their mining returns. The country is still racking in billions and one would think therefore that child labor could be replaced with a child allowance/support system while those children went to school….

        AI
        “The $16.8 billion shortfall refers to underreported revenue between 2018 and 2023, not the total value of mining. The DRC government was paid based on the $81.4 billion that companies declared to tax authorities, while the companies’ own financial reports to investors showed $98.2 billion in revenue from DRC operations.

        The Discrepancy: A 2023 audit by the DRC’s Court of Auditors found that mining companies reported $98.2 billion in revenue to tax authorities (DGI) but only declared $81.4 billion to community development funds, as required by the 2018 Mining Code. This $16.8 billion gap represents the shortfall in potential government and community revenue.
        Total Revenue: Therefore, the total revenue generated from mining in the DRC between 2018 and 2023 is estimated at $98.2 billion based on company financials. For 2023 alone, total mining revenues were $5.85 billion.”

        30

        • #
          Steve

          one would think therefore that child labor could be replaced

          Tough decision for African kleptocrats and warlords.

          Pay market wages to adults and spend millions/billions investing in educating children that won’t pay off for a generation

          ….. or …..

          Pay children a pittance today, invest nothing for tomorrow, and put those millions/billions in their own pockets.

          80

      • #
        Dennis

        The CH7 Spotlight documentary recently exposed one example of a village taken over by Chinese mining interests (corrupt official involved) and effectively forcing the village people to work the mine. They have no support from the government.

        10

      • #
        MeAgain

        Mining is energy is mining is energy is mining is energy….

        I do reckon Australia should have a shot at an EITI reconciliation though. Just to help check if the kids can’t be paid a little bit more….

        https://eiti.org/

        10

    • #
      Steve

      I don’t particularly worry about African child labor, because the alternative is their families starve if you get rid of those jobs.

      Would it be a better world if those kids could have what modern westerners view as a ‘normal’ childhood where they have their basic needs met and can dedicate over a decade to education without having to worry about contributing financially to their family’s well being? Sure. But that’s not the world they live in. They live in a world that is closer to the early industrial revolution in Europe, where little kids worked in factories, as chimney sweeps, and a bunch of other jobs because their families couldn’t get by without their income. Or pre-industrial revolution when large farm families relied on the labor of their children to keep the farm productive and profitable.

      100

      • #
        KP

        “Or pre-industrial revolution when large farm families relied on the labor of their children to keep the farm productive and profitable.”

        But THAT is the normal way of growing up, not our faked endless childhood of the West! Africans don’t have ‘kids’ over 30 playing computer games in the bedrooms of their parent’s house. They have children out learning how to be an adult by helping their parents in the fields, or running errands, or doing the simple jobs. That is how you learn about work ethics and money and savings, not from some Govt-paid TAFE course…

        Seems the West is doing it all wrong!

        “Western European economies have been moribund under-performers for the past 20 years and their economies are spiraling down the drain as industries flee astronomical energy costs, seemingly infinite webs of red tape regulation, and abysmal productivity.”

        51

      • #
        Dennis

        Travel to Jakarta Indonesia and see makeshift dwellings in side streets on footpaths constructed from whatever the people can find as shelter material, one I observed from a hotel balcony was alongside a canal and against the security wall of a police station, people scrambling up and down the canal sides to collect water, do their washing, etc.

        Driving in a 4WD with driver and security offsider provided by our landlord owner of the office premises we came to the end of a main road alongside a raised motorway, and to turn right the vehicle had to pass on bare ground under the motorway where large numbers of children gathered directing traffic wanting a tip and other trying to sell water in bottles known to be refilled after retrieving from dumps, old magazines and many other goods taking the opportunity while traffic was stopped or moving very slowly.

        Australians generally have no idea how well off we are, even our homeless who are below the poverty line are better off.

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        • #
          Robert Swan

          … how well off we are…

          The BBC (a couple of decades ago) had a good documentary series: Toughest Place to be a…, with each show choosing a tough job.

          My favourite was the Bus Driver episode, where a London bus driver went to live with a family in Manila and drive a Jeepney during the days.

          The most poignant moment was when our London fellow is *disgusted* with the “pagpag” that they get for dinner one night (pagpag being discarded scraps taken from bins, crumbed (or whatever) and deep fried again. Yum.) Our hero insists on visiting the people selling the pagpag. He arrives at her place, all set to give this profiteer a piece of his mind, and it turns out that she’s *really* poor. Her husband is sick and she has to support him and buy medicine. All becomes quite tearful. The odd thing is there was also much happiness amongst the poverty.

          They were all lovely people, including the British guy.

          30

  • #
    david

    Yes David people such as Carney are very naive. In my opinion our PM and his cabinet are liars and hypocrites and their policies do not benefit our country at all.
    Trump is the only Western leader who is prepared to argue against mass immigration from inappropriate cultures and the climate change scam.
    Pity my country.

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      David:
      Are you talking of Canada or Australia?

      40

      • #
        Ted1

        A lady, wife of a coal driller who rose to management in a power station, told us of the people in Aceh: They do’t know how good they have got it.

        Prosperity is a comparative thing.

        00

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    Another idea for “ElBowen” to grab for saving the planet

    “The Politics of Tumble Dryers”

    The video is magic

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/03/the-politics-of-tumble-dryers/

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    • #

      See also Canadian power-trio, “Rush” and their on-stage “white goods”.

      https://guitar.com/features/artist-rigs/7-rush-gear-facts/

      00

    • #
      KP

      There is one good route in life, and some bad routes must be blocked…

      Its blocking those other choices that leads to tyranny, it starts off by banning heroin and ends up banning vapes. There is no way our modern Western society can contemplate a Libertarian Govt, never mind move towards it. I’m afraid his Conservatives have proven to be no better than the Socialists at all!

      01

  • #
    Peter C

    Project Freedom provokes immediate response

    President Trump announces humanitarian Project Freedom to escort commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran warned not to interfere.
    Within hours Centcom announces that 6 or seven IRGC small craft have been sunk. Iran has attacked UAE and there is a picture of an oil tanker on fire.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/breaking-us-sinks-seven-iranian-small-boats-harassing/

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    • #
      RickWill

      Freedom has a better ring of kindness and consideration rather than Epic Fury.

      Overall it is a good test of defensive weaponry now. A great proving ground for directed energy weapons. 1MW lazers now being developed. USA has tested microwave on drones but China has upped the game with microwave now up to 20GW that can target satellites.

      It appears the Arab nations are now taking the offensive stance because Iran has been targeting them.

      IRGC are now placed themselves aa middle rank piracy organisation not much different to the Somalis. The USA navy is only protecting commercial shipping, which it has done across the globe for decades.

      USA took out 5 small fast attack boats today. I think the IRGC is now unable to find boat skippers because they are nothing more than ducks in a shooting gallery and they know it.

      Two US flagged commercial ships went through the Strait today without incident but a couple of British ships got hit. That could be a message to Starmer to get some naval capacity to the Gulf. A Korean ship had a fire in its engine room but do not know if that was caused by an attack.

      The USA is prepared to let Iran eat itself but cutting it off. However the Arabs may not be prepared to wait it out.

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      • #
        Dennis

        It would be scary to be operating a small vessel and to see an Apache Attack Helicopter heading towards your position.

        Or an approaching warship equipped with Phalanx auto targeting rapid fire gun designed for protection from small vessels, low flying aircraft and drones.

        00

    • #
      John Connor II

      Project Epic Fury became Project Epic Failure pretty fast. 🙄

      With the latest strike on UAE, things are hotting up with Iran now threatening to target ALL alternative routes to DOH.
      Spare a thought for the dolphins…

      24

  • #
    David Maddison

    New laws to be voted on. No doubt the Liberals will vote for them in collaboration with Labor.

    Just another disadvantage to these companies doing business in Australia, apart from draconian censorship laws they are expected to comply with or suffer huge fines (e.g. “age verification” / biometric ID and “take down” orders).

    Plus I thought there was very little Australian “journalism” worth paying for, except Jo’s on this blog of course and Sky News Australia.

    https://reason.com/2026/05/01/a-journalism-tax-is-a-new-front-in-australias-war-on-american-tech/

    A Journalism Tax Is a New Front in Australia’s War on American Tech

    A new bill would compel Meta, Google, and TikTok to pay for Australian journalism.
    Meagan O’Rourke | 5.1.2026 12:38 PM

    The Australian government, which has already imposed strict regulations on American tech firms operating in the country, now expects these companies to pay taxes to support Australian journalism.

    On Tuesday, Australia unveiled draft legislation for a “News Bargaining Incentive,” which would require major tech companies, including Meta, Google, and TikTok, to make commercial deals with news organizations or face a 2.25 percent tax on local revenue, reports The Wall Street Journal. Companies would be incentivized to comply by receiving offsets of either 150 or 170 percent, effectively reducing the tax. The legislation would not apply to AI companies.

    SEE LINK FOR REST

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    • #
      KP

      “The legislation would not apply to AI companies.”

      …and why not pray? They will steal more from a culture than anyone else! Once again our Govt shows itself to be a craven coward in front of industry pressure, AI being the flavour of the month to throw taxpayer’s money at. Then they double down by offering a 150% offset, which to me says they will take 2% in tax and give a 3% tax rebate back…

      I’d be quite happy if overseas news media never mentioned Australia again, who bothers to read an article about some small country that has no international effect and one they will never visit?

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      h p

      Every single dollar will go back to journalists?
      Find me a journalist who will believe that !!!!

      30

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    another ian

    FWIW

    “HOW IT STARTED: What’s really behind Trump’s clash with the Pope?”

    And updates – “How’s it going?”

    “It took the pope all of what? Two weeks? To completely and totally vindicate Trump’s criticisms of him with this boneheaded move
    Quote
    The Washington Post
    @washingtonpost
    ·
    2 May
    Pope Leo’s pick to be bishop of West Virginia is a formerly undocumented immigrant who was smuggled into the U.S. in a car trunk.

    Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala has called for Catholics to speak out against President Trump’s treatment of immigrants. https://wapo.st/3PgW94e

    https://x.com/mboyle1/status/2050749179945689304

    “Deace’s tweet concludes, “Barely 2% of West Virginia is Hispanic. Barely 1% of the state speaks Spanish. This is a purely political appointment by a woke pope trying to shoehorn his open borders agenda into a state Trump has won by 40 points three times. There’s nothing prophetic here, but it’s all shamefully political. An open borders agenda the pope himself isn’t forced to abide by, because Vatican City has strict enforcement policies and walls. This is like if MSNBC picked offices in the church, all the while never allowing the illegals in Martha’s Vineyard where their primetime hosts spend their summers.” ”

    Via https://instapundit.com/794377/#disqus_thread

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    another ian

    FWIW

    “Change”

    “But: “Good job! But it came too late; if it had happened 20 years ago, it would have solved many problems. For today’s Sweden, only remigration will solve it. The immigrant population of non-European origin accounts for 16%, one of the top 5 highest in Europe.” ”

    Via https://instapundit.com/794413/#disqus_thread

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  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    Native title in Canada

    “Left Coast, Lost Cause”

    https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2026/05/03/left-coast-lost-cause-4/

    10

    • #
      KP

      Yes, all on the go throughout the Commonwealth-

      ‘There isn’t even any quid pro quo in any of these treaties which means the negotiations can simply continue for more reinforcement and inversion of apartheid to fully enslave all non indigenous suicidal empaths. Race-based communism will come to (New Zealand and Australia) not through the ballot box but from the negotiating table and robed legislators. Any real reversal now will likely include bloodshed, decades of lawfare, constitutional amendments, or separation / civil war.’

      Well on the way in both those countries now, and no reason for it to stop.

      ‘NDP government struck a treaty deal with the Nisga’a Indian Band (NW BC coast). That treaty included the provision that if any other BC band got a better treaty deal, the Nisga’a treaty would automatically be amended to include those more advantageous provisions.’

      NZ has that enshrined for some of the tribes too. Some politicians deserved to be strung up for what they negotiated, not that they had any incentive to look after the country’s money, they just wanted peace and quiet while in power.

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  • #
    John Connor II

    California zombies

    https://youtu.be/g1_HXB8OPQw?si=HLEm5GD-Ej21uWya

    Drugs are for those who can’t handle reality.

    10

    • #
      KP

      Yep, what were we saying about the end of the West and the rise of hungry young societies who have places to go… San Francisco has reached its peak and now its all downhill. It really does illustrate the peak of Socialism and how to completely waste people’s lives.

      Makes me wonder just how many people we need to run a modern society and how many extras we are carrying.

      31

    • #
      Captain Dart

      That crumpled-over stance of the addict is called ‘The Fentanyl Fold’.

      30

    • #
      Ronin

      Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of drugs.

      00

    • #
      Honk R Smith

      I live in a Democrat Ruin city.
      See this everyday.
      It seems like the fold happens after the morning rush at the Methadone clinic.
      Amazing thing is, I’ve never seen one fall down.
      They seem able to stay on two feet, while functionally passed out.
      I’ve often wondered if there isn’t some science potential there for elderly that develop balance problems.
      The other weird thing is they instantly snap out of it and appear suddenly normal.
      I actually observed an attractive young woman walking down the street, suddenly fold over, then minutes later unfold and continue down the street as if nothing happened, then suddenly stop and fold again.

      30

  • #
    RickWill

    I have to give credit where it is due. I have always admired what Button and Keating achieved during the Hawke years. They kept the lid on ruinous union power. Will pilots ever forget Hawke? For my part, Keating enabled the elimination of State run monopolies in the electricity industry. Achieving record low base load power cost in 2003 of $23/MWh.

    I might just have found a new Labor politician I could admire:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pbOfZmlt6A

    Michael Danby says things that would be intolerable in polite Labor company these days. Or even the UN-party. It would be fascinating to see him align with One Nation. Could you imagine the impact that an ex-Labor politician would have aligning with One Nation – after all it is One Nation. It should encourage diverse views on Australia as long as they are not coming out of the UN in New York.

    To have his voice in the immigration arena would be helpful I am sure.

    110

    • #
      Froggy

      RW, he is a very sane voice from the Labour right and yes, I would love to see him jump on board the ON train also.

      50

    • #
      Robert Swan

      RickWill,

      imagine the impact that an ex-Labor politician would have aligning with One Nation…

      There was this fellow named Mark Latham…

      As for electricity, have to disagree with you. The 2003 low point must have rankled with Keating when Howard was to bask in the glory, but that was a sugar hit. We’re well into hangover territory now.

      There is nothing that any state does so badly that the Feds couldn’t find some way to do ten times worse. Should we not be cursing every step of the path that led to NEM and AEMO (and a federal energy minister)?

      20

      • #
        RickWill

        Howard managed to screw it up with his RET. That was the beginning of the end for the grid.

        But the low electricity prices boosted Australia’s productivity up to the Gillard years. The carbon tax was the final nail that started the productivity reversal. Australia now approaching reducing productivity.

        I do not know if Keating ever realised how important the freeing up of the electricity supply industry actually was. Howard didn’t, Rudd didn’t, Gillard didn’t, Abbott did, Turnbull didn’t, Morrison didn’t, Sleezy doesn’t.

        40

        • #
          Robert Swan

          RickWill,

          Sure the RET has made our electricity a basket case, but it was the existence of the phony NEM that gave the Feds the power to enact the RET. Once they’d concocted the NEM it was *inevitable* that they’d screw it up one way or another (if not in every possible way).

          I like your listing of prime ministers, but you might be ascribing more power to them than they actually had. I picture them as commander of a large ship. *Every* order they issue goes through a chain of command. Captain says “ahead standard” and a junior on the bridge rings that up on the ship’s telegraph, and it goes ding in the engine room, where the engineer on duty might be having a smoke when he hears it and walks over and makes the actual adjustments to the machinery.

          Obviously the great machine of our federal government is the federal bureaucracy. So picture Mr Howard issuing the command: “Come up with a mechanism to encourage renewable energy”. The great machine leaps into action. Committees are formed, consultants invited to tender their advice, and so on, until some grand new policy emerges for the parliament to enact. The vast majority of the outcome depends on the competence of the machine. It has little to do with Howard making the order in the first place, and even less to do with the parliament approving the act afterwards. They are all non-experts and rely on the competence of the bureaucracy.

          That’s where it all falls down.

          Like you, I think the states didn’t cover themselves in glory running electricity generation. They needed to clean up their act, and I think that was in process part-way through the ’90s. What I *won’t* forgive the states for is washing their hands of it all and handing it over to the Feds.

          00

    • #
      Hanrahan

      I used to vote labor in those days. Today I wouldn’t hiss on them if they were on fire. Kev and the ranga cured me, and they are even worse now.

      40

    • #
      Dennis

      Polling aside, the next by election result will be interesting to see the preference distributions and the successful candidate.

      However the One Nation Federal representatives are only 4 Senate and 1 House of Representatives and he was elected again as a National MP 2025.

      The Hawke years were of course when PM Hawke, former President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, negotiated the Accord with the Unions to secure economic prosperity. It was undone by Rudd-Gillard Labor when they created industrial relations legislation Fair Work Australia that took industrial relations back to times before Hawke Labor’s Accord. And replaced the Howard Workchoices legislation that was a blueprint for the now but then future of IT Age and contractors, internet businesses, work from home and so on.

      Hawke and Treasurer Keating also received praise for the from 1985 major economic reforms they implemented with full Coalition cooperation, New Zealand Lange Labor also adopted the reforms but unlike Hawke Labor Lange Labour completed it in full …. it being the Campbell Report (Professor of Economics) review and recommendations for the Fraser Coalition Treasurer Howard economic reforms created with Head of Treasury Stone who later recommended it to Treasurer Keating who convinced Prime Minister Hawke to proceed with it.

      Treasurer Howard had managed the Whitlam Labor Government recession and by 1983 handed over economy returned to growth to Hawke Labor, by 1990 Labor had created the worst recession in 60 years that began 1990. Noting similarities with 2026 being that late 1980s Victoria was called The Rust Belt economic basket case State.

      23

    • #
      David Maddison

      Michael Danby was extremely tolerable even though Labor. He used to be my local member in the seat of Melbourne Ports as it used to be called. He is probably more conservative than a lot of woke Liberal politicians.

      Labor shafted him because he was too conservative and also because he was pro-Israel which didn’t suit the antisemites in the Labor Party.

      Melbourne Ports was an odd gerrymander of a seat which included the wealthy champagne socialists of Albert Park, South Melbourne and Middle Park and regular conservatives of StKilda East, Elwood, Balaclava and parts of Caulfield. It is now called Macnamarra.

      20

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW – would you believe?

    “Volkswagen Likely to Allow Chinese Automaker to Build in Shuttered Volkswagen Auto Plants
    May 4, 2026 | Sundance | 283 Comments”

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/05/04/volkswagen-likely-to-allow-chinese-automaker-to-build-in-shuttered-volkswagen-auto-plants/

    10

  • #
    david

    Graham No 3
    I meant Australia. Poor English by me.
    However I reckon it applies to both countries!

    00

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “Amicus Brief of Naomi Oreskes … er, “Expert Report” Redux 5: the Conservation Law Foundation v Shell version”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/04/amicus-brief-of-naomi-oreskes-er-expert-report-redux-5-the-conservation-law-foundation-v-shell-version/

    00

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “Why Iran hit UAE so much. Plus Israel defended UAE?”

    https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2026/05/04/why-iran-hit-uae-so-much-plus-israel-defended-uae/

    10

  • #
    Dennis

    EU Government an unelected federation of states type of arrangement government for all member states, recently the Albanese Labor Australian Government signed a Trade Agreement with the EU Government signing on behalf of the member states of Europe and terms and conditions include, noting that for eight years the Coalition negotiated but was unwilling to accept various terms and conditions the EU Government wanted to include;

    The agreement emphasizes sustainability and includes several important commitments:
    Paris Climate Agreement: The FTA includes binding commitments to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement, promoting actions to mitigate climate change.
    Green Goods and Services: It liberalizes trade in green goods and services from the start, supporting Australia’s transition to renewable energy.
    Enforcement of Environmental Standards: The agreement features strong enforceability of sustainability commitments, ensuring that environmental protections are upheld.
    Zero Emissions Goals
    The FTA aligns with Australia’s broader goals of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. By promoting renewable energy and sustainable practices, the agreement supports efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a greener economy.
    This trade agreement represents a strategic move for Australia, aiming to enhance its competitiveness while committing to environmental sustainability and climate action.

    11

    • #
      KP

      “aiming to destroy its competitiveness ”

      Fixed the typo for you… Anytime a Govt interferes in trade it only makes things more expensive, it cannot, by its very nature, make anything cheaper.

      Why would we want to sell anything to the EU when there is all the rest of the world out there? There is only an advantage if other countries have tariffs on our goods that make them too expensive for the locals to start with.

      Why would the EU want to buy our stuff if it wasn’t the cheapest or the best? They have the rest of the world to buy stuff from.

      No, this is just bigger Govts telling smaller Govts what to do and how to run their country, all to the detriment of the taxpayers. A true free trade agreement would have no Govt paperwork written about it at all, businessmen would just buy and sell between themselves.

      80

      • #
        Dennis

        Yes it is, and noting that for eight years the Liberal National Coalition Government negotiated with the EU Government but refused to accept many of the terms and conditions the EU Governmemt wanted in the Trade Agreement.

        So much for uni-party

        02

        • #
          el+gordo

          Realpolitik

          ‘The trade agreement will result in 98 per cent of the current value of Australia’s exports entering the European Union duty free.

          ‘Australian farmers and producers will benefit from the elimination of almost all European Union tariffs on agricultural products. This includes wine, nuts, fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil, most dairy products, wheat and barley, and seafood.’ (Anthony Albanese)

          02

          • #
            Bushkid

            The problem is that all the regulations around the net zero and Paris agreement stuff is already an imposition on agriculture, both in time and $ cost.
            Only produce that has satisfied all the mad rules imposed by government in the name of net zero etc will be part of that “free trade”.

            00

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    An example of the pain of being a “non expert” –

    “DataRepublican Looks at Death Threats on Miles Taylor’s Leaky UndoTrump Website”

    “As Sam reported on Sunday, lefties were in a panic after DataRepublican revealed that a website called GTFO ICE, started by Miles “Anonymous” Taylor, was anything but anonymous. Taylor, former Google Head of National Security Policy, launched a site that collects your full name, email, phone number, and ZIP code to join an anti-ICE “rapid response network,” and then shares that information via a public API. Lefty actor Mark Ruffalo was one of more than 17,000 people whose data was made public.”

    “”The man who ran the third-largest federal department (250,000 employees, $60 billion budget) who oversaw election security architecture and led counterterrorism operations, then served as Google’s Head of National Security Policy, can’t secure a sign-up form,” she wrote.

    Now, DataRepublican is back with a look at another of Taylor’s leaky sites, this one unveiled as a prank on April 1.”

    More at

    https://twitchy.com/brettt/2026/05/04/datarepublican-looks-at-death-threats-on-miles-taylors-undotrump-website-n2427849

    30

  • #
    RickWill

    Here you go. The reserve bank raised interest due to Trump’s war:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFCHop8sXdM

    Charlmers squeezes more “Iran War” into 13 minutes than anyone could imagine.

    60

    • #
      Dr Faustus

      As predictable as next Saturday.

      When your ‘economic policies’ are almost exclusively dictated by magical thinking and party politics, this passes for smart strategy.

      20

    • #
      Dr Faustus

      As predictable as sunrise.

      When your ‘economic policies’ are formed by a mixture of power politics and magical thinking, it’s pennies from heaven.

      00

  • #
    David Charles

    Politicians make laws that affect us all. Some of their laws may be good, but the vast majority are lousy, particularly those that have an economic impact. That is the result the ignorance of many of those politicians, since most of them, especially of the Labor persuasion, have never worked in the private sector, in which environment their rulings have the greatest impact!
    There needs to be a comeuppance. Politicians need to be financially accountable. If their decisions, and rulings, result in adverse outcomes, they need to be held responsible. If their decisions produce their intended outcomes, they should not be penalized. Otherwise, they have to face up to the facts of life. Their salaries, and their superannuation, should be impacted.
    I suggest that this would reduce the numbers of unqualified people – other than the clueless – putting their hands up to serve in fiscal roles, while giving opportunities to more-qualified candidates.
    Might that be a win-win situation?

    30

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    another ian

    FWIW

    “THE ENERGY BAD BOYS

    Isaac Orr and Mitch Rollings are The Energy Bad Boys and they have been making waves to support energy realism because they are really good boys. They have super graphics as well!”

    https://energybadboys.substack.com/

    Via Rafe Champion

    10

  • #
    yarpos

    Nice time of year around us with Autumn leaves turning bright red and yellow. Its also the time of year that tourists (primarily Indian tourists) cluster on the roadside to get that social media worthy shot of a long row of memorial poplars leading to a town nearby.

    They usually show little or no road sense milling about on a 100kph limit road. Peak stupidity was reached a year or two ago when one of them put a baby on the centre line for that must have shot for the baby album.

    10