JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
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Statistics
Here is a very good video from Prof. Gad Saad about “suicidal empathy”, the concept that excessive, misdirected compassion or tolerance compromises logic, self-preservation or long-term societal well-being. He is a refugee from fully woke Canada who has recently moved to the United States and he has written a book about this.
https://youtu.be/ckh7XVrw0s8
180
Video about the lost craft of commercially making mouse traps by hand.
https://youtu.be/frdgbKLCd9E
30
There was one inventor who attempted to patent a mouse trap apparently, it was submitted as a small block of wood with a slot across one end and the patent office examiner was baffled until the inventor explained, he said place a piece of cheese on it and leave it and when nibbled or disappeared you know there is a mouse in the house. Then place a razor blade into the slot cutting edge up and no cheese, the mouse will come along and move its head side to side looking for the cheese.
120
There’s thousands of different designs out there, most along the same basic ideas though.
Shawn Woods is an expert on traps, designs and exposing commercial junk and knockoffs.
Well worth some time if you have rodent problems.
https://www.youtube.com/@ShawnWoods-Homestead
30
Dennis I believe you have come with an explanation for the currrent malaise affecting our Judeo Christian Western Democracies.
We are addicted to the cheese – Socialist Welfare
We are cutting our own throats – Taxing productivity to fund our desire for our piece of the cheese.
See DM’s Suicidal Empathy at comment #1
80
Addicted to “cheese”??
“The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese” – Willie Nelson
90
“A mouse dies in a trap because it doesn’t understand why the cheese is free.”
30
Mouse trap guaranteed to work. Two blocks of wood. Place mouse on block A hit smartly with block B. Apparently this was actually advertised and sold.
00
I think the increasing reliance of many people, especially the young and maleducated woke is only going to accelerate the dumbing-down of society and cause even less reliance on thinking for oneself, especially as it replaces or supplements critical services such as engineering, medicine, law, policing, education, interactions with government or commercial sevices etc..
Firstly, it makes mistakes; secondly it has inbuilt training biases which lean heavily toward a Leftist/Official Narrative interpretation of things; thirdly, it doesn’t reason and it doesn’t have feelings even if it’s capable of giving that illusion; fourthly it discourages people from thinking for themselves or doing their own research.
Aa they used to say back in the day, Garbage In, Garbage Out.
AI is a useful tool in some cases but only if you already have a basic understanding of the subject matter and can tell if it’s telling the truth, is being accurate or “hallucinating” and it is absolutely not a substitute for developing one’s own reasoning ability or knowledge base.
Society is already dumbed-down enough due to wokeism and the Leftist infiltrationof thr “educatio” system, now an indoctrination system, this is only going to make things so much worse.
Finally, in as much as AI does have certain legitimate uses in the right contexts, energy-poor nations like Australia will mostly miss out on the AI revolution due to the tremendous amounts of low-cost and reliable energy required for AI data centres. They are the aluminium smelters of the computer world and Australia is about to lose them as well due to the energy situation.
270
David,
I call AI “AB”
For Artificial Bull*hit.
You still need to “fact check” everything said.
Like using a calculator, you must have a fair idea about the answer
you expect get from the machine.
200
I should call it “IT” – for intellectual theft. In other words the automated plagiarism of other people’s work passed of as being “created” by “AI”.
AI is a parasite that doesn’t think for itself, but instead takes the work of other people and reformats it to hide its origins. And, it makes its money by diverting funding from those who created the work that is being plagiarized and letting the owner of the AI bot take it instead.
The original website doesn’t even get a page hit to say that anyone was interested, let alone any actual financial reward.
The result is going to be the total obliteration of all “factual” content on the internet … because AI takes all the reward and the producer gets none.
Maybe AI = IP (Intellectual parasite)
50
A thought that made me wonder; whether the UK is repeating experience during and after Napoleon.
Faced with a revolution in France the British Government tried suppressing this militarily while trying to stop “Liberty, Equality” ideas from spreading with drastic repression.
Even after military success, repression continued, with suppression or even worse e.g. the Peterloo slaughter, as the ruling class were frightened by the possibility of losing power.
Eventually ideas changed along with the government.
One wonders whether the current Government knows anything about history, especially the invention of the safety release valve.
150
Although I continue to be impressed with the usefulness of AI, my experience with Grok’s response to a query about the effectiveness of the Covid 19 vaccines modified my enthusiasm. It unequivocally reproduced the government line, insisting that the mRNA vaccines were effective. Indeed, it became quite contemptuous when challenged. I have since discovered that it has been programmed with this defence of the “official” policy.
272
And Grok was meant to be one of the least woke AI’S.
171
There are soon to be 7000 data centers in the US.
More than 600 in the DC Borg Hive Mind bedroom and retirement community of Virginia.
Copied rom the big Data Center AI.
Key States for Data Center Development
The following states are leading in the number of planned data centers:
State No.1 Virginia
Currently Operating 663
Planned/Under Construction 595
There are 95 counties in Virginia.
Methinks most of these things were planned and built before the average citizen ever heard the term ‘data center’.
Dumbing down math skills of the young may be the least of our problems
150
A thousand giant data centers per state.
Now add up the population counts and amount of data you could collect per capita per year.
A mid size data center holds around 10,000 TB (10PB).
In Australia the average family now uses around 500GB of internet per month, spread over a dozen plus devices, so around 6TB/year. Note that “household usage” rather than individual usage is used as ISP’s only have that.
Factor in external monitoring – shopping, surveillance and call it 10TB a year, so 1,000 families worth of data per year.
Family size is highly variable but say 10M families in Oz.
10M x 10TB = an awful lot of data!
Or let’s say 25M internet users pulling 500GB/mo each, a fair figure. 25,000,000 x 12 x 500GB = 150 million TB per year or 15,000 data centers.
Where’s the power coming from!?😆😆
Or just combine all the data centres and create your AI god.😎
71
John Connor II,
That immediately had the smell of a dodgy statistic, and sure enough it’s a mean, highly skewed by a fairly small number of power users and (I suspect) obsessives who get excited about downloading pirated movies that they’ll never find time to watch. The presence of more data centres isn’t going to boost the number of these fruitcakes all that much.
The 500+ GB is a figure it suits NBN to publicise, since it shows everyone how popular the NBN is. What’s more, since most homes will be well below average, quite a few might try to up their usage to be like everybody else.
The more appropriate average to use is the median. Apparently median household usage is ~108 GB per month (that article also puts the mean usage at 190 GB so I don’t know how that squares with the 500 — not that the rubbery figures matter all that much).
Doubt the NBN figures include people like me who ditched NBN and went with mobile SIM in a router for home internet. Less than 10 GB typical monthly usage.
50
NBN Current Usage 815.75 GB this month, with 18 Days remaning – 3 Generation Household. 7 People
On Phone lucky to use 20Gb a year
00
OldOzzie,
Heading for 2TB in a month? Impressive! You’re not in touch with shadowy figures in your own secretive OzzieLeaks organisation are you?
Otherwise, I don’t see how you could be responsible for *your* share in the household (1/7 x 2 TB per month). You contribute quite a few links here, and they are usually interesting, but mostly articles, not video. It takes a while to get through just a megabyte of text.
Quick calc: your household average appears to be about 3/4 MB per second for the entire month. Hmmm. Maybe you’re part of the bot-net that’s been attacking JoNova’s!
10
I did the same except I never tried NBN. I Went straight from ADSL to mobile SIM in a router. My usage is usually between 7 and 8 GB per month, and that includes having a VOIP home phone.
10
From the recent WUWT article “AI Revolution: Leaving Green Energy States Behind”, I note that Texas is the second-biggest builder of data centre. As the article points out, with few exceptions, data centres are mainly being built in states that don’t have net zero mandates.
40
The Data Center madness is about to get an education in reality.
Existing electrical generation and grids in the US do not have the capacity to support a massive increase in data centers. Same goes for water usage.
Transmission lines cost some USD 3 to 5 Million / mile and take from 3 to 10 years from proposal to completion ( permitting, enviro impact studies, land acquisition, access road construction, etc ).
The backlog on large transformers is about 4 years. Similar for HV switchgear. All required to build new power plants, interconnect them to the grid, and distribute that power. Unless the data centers are built alongside the (new) generation, which could take 3 to 10 years for gas plants or more for nuclear. The only way to avoid the transmission line issue is to co-locate generation nearby the data center.
There is no presently known load profile for these AI data centers. Hard to plan for that. It is estimated to require some 12% of total US generation by 2028. That’s about 140-150 GW of all existing US generation. But is it 24/7, 12/7 or what?
https://tech-insider.org/ai-data-center-power-crisis-2026/
The idea that all of this AI / Data Center stuff is going to happen in short order is very ignorant and clueless about the reality of feeding them. Building them is one thing. Supplying them is quite another.
101
PS: Lots of decent info in this MIT study, but one has to overlook the Leftist Climate drivel seemingly included.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1116327/ai-energy-usage-climate-footprint-big-tech/
Power consumption, chips and dependencies, etc, all good info. Power to train the AI, power per text question, power per image produced, etc. Quite staggering what we don’t know and blindly committing to build without knowing enough to make rational choices. Methinks there’s too much angst, hype, and hustle going on at the moment.
100
Thank you Lance. Always enjoy your posts, they are full of meaty goodness.
60
FWIW
Coming up for vote in Oregon
“Oregon IP28
People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions), is a proposed ballot measure for the November 2026 general election that would eliminate the statutory exemptions that currently protect hunting, fishing, trapping, and livestock farming from Oregon’s animal abuse statutes. [1]
Core Provisions
Criminalization: The measure would make any intentional act that injures or kills an animal a criminal offense, thereby effectively banning all licensed hunting, sport and commercial fishing, and animal agriculture (livestock, dairy, and poultry production). [1, 2]
Breeding restrictions: It would classify normal breeding practices—including artificial insemination and livestock breeding—as sexual assault. [1, 2]
Exceptions: Routine veterinary care and self-defense would remain exempt. [1]”
90
So, a State that wants to die.
Should then be ripe for a real take-over.
100
The Oregon legislature must all be vegans and want everybody else to follow suit.
100
PETA should get involved.
People Eating Tasty Animals.
140
If god didn’t want people to eat animals then why did he make them so tasty?
90
For every animal you don’t eat … I’m going to eat three.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3282/2852662944_29e5398a30.jpg
10
I beleive there is a well established campaign by the counties in the Eastern half of the State to secede front the loony coastal strip and become part of Idaho. This proposal should help their cause greatly.
160
Yep
90% of Oregon’s land is sparsely populated by rural folks who hunt. The problem is that the 10% strip of coastal land holds over half the state’s population, who believe meat just magically appears in prepackaged Styrofoam containers they find in the supermarket and not from killing and slaughtering the cute animals they love to anthropomorphize. The same is true in Washington and California.
20
As a boy I often beheaded a chook we had raised from a chicken before heading off to school. Still school aged I watched cattle pole-axed, hung up and gutted. Meat holds no mystery to me.
10
Sad to say, but the ‘secession’ movement has about as much chance as the Alberta initiative: a snowball’s chances in Hell. Not only would the Oregon legislature (and governor) have to approve a secession vote, so would the Federal legislature. The roadblocks outnumber the advocates by several orders of magnitude.
Mind you, I’m all for the various secession movements running around: there’s a similar idea in Eastern Washington State (same political demographics); in California; and near where I live, Weld County (Northern Colorado) has been trying to secede from the rest of Colorado (and become part of Wyoming) for almost a decade. The Colorado legislature says ‘no’ consistently; Sacramento is no more going to allow almost half of California to become an independent State, than to become right-wing conservative (U.S. terminology).
They are excellent ideas, and have merit; but amount to little more than wishful thinking.
Best Regards to all,
Red
10
Such a law would destroy many businesses in the State, and harm wildlife.
The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 imposes an 11% tax on firearms, ammunition, archery and other products. For the current round, Oregon reicieved a total of over $20 million, and since 1937 over $1.2 billion.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) would be gutted. Losses would cascade through the entire economy. Wildlife programs would suffer as would the animals.
50
As sad as it is to put a hunk of lead through Bambi’s mother’s heart, it’s nowhere near as sad as seeing starving deer suffering for months on end before finally giving up and laying down to die (where they will likely be eaten alive by a predator until their heart gives out). In America we’ve killed 99% of deer’s natural predators so those predators don’t predate on us or our pets/livestock. Without managed human predation, deer would rapidly overpopulate and then collapse due to disease and starvation.
10
Britons need to blow harder to generate more electricity otherwise their mobile phone usage will be rationed.
https://www.gbnews.com/news/mobile-phones-signal-rationing-iran
This shows how far UK industry has been degraded by following their globalist agenda. If only the wind would come and stay. POTUS Trump was right AGAIN.
251
I would have thought the mobile phone network is a relatively small power consumer in the overall scheme of things.
Perhaps the real reason is that Herr Stürmer doesn’t want people exchanging unapproved thoughts on social media?
170
All the Brits will soon be living in 15 Minute cities anyhow- they’ll be able to get by with walkie-talkies.
80
Except the culturally enriching mob with ceremonial daggers.
They’ll roam as they see fit.
Seen France today in the news?
71
Smells a bit like a scare campaign aimed at extracting some government largesse they see others getting.
30
FWIW
“POLITICO: ‘Climate hushing’ – ‘The sound of (climate) silence’ – ‘As Trump unravels U.S. climate policy, Dems & enviro groups have grown strangely quiet’ – Dems ‘may not aggressively pursue climate action if they win back power’ ”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/30/politico-climate-hushing-the-sound-of-climate-silence-as-trump-unravels-u-s-climate-policy-dems-enviro-groups-have-grown-str/
40
I expect this is nothing more than avoiding unpopular topics to get elected. Once back in the green/climate insanity will continue as per the comment attributed to Bandt about getting elected then do what you want.
140
Climate Armageddon is no longer for public debate. It’s law.
And it’s all about the (secret) money. As we have seen from the latest government actions, no one is going to talk about it any more. The money is flowing.
The EU/Australia trade deal is predicated on our following their climate rules. A few people have noticed, but it will be effective at controlling Australian carbon credits from the EU/UN.
Australia has the Safeguard Mechanism, 35% tax on CO2 output for the 250 major polluters. (which is everyone, say 35% on jet fuel) And they are talking about increasing it. No one knows it exists! All in Carbon Credits.
None of the climate money, like Howard’s Renewable Energy(Electricity) Act 2001 is going into General Reveue. So even the government claims it is not taxation.
But if it’s not taxation, why is the government enforcing it? And who gets the billions?
And at all times, science, logic and openness must be avoided. Our Australian government has worked out how to rob us and send the money to their friends. It’s all over.
190
As for Carbon Credits, as a big polluter, like the Tasmanian Ferry, you have to buy carbon credits. Cash. And you get nothing back. You are buying nothing. Farming carbon credits from people like this. and traders like this
You pay. You get credits. The government does not fine you for breaking the law. But the money does not go to General Revenue. This is the world wide trade in Carbon Credits. Companies who promise that they are doing saving CO2 somehow. And your ability to verify this is zero.
170
And as I keep pointing out, this whole operation is prima facie illegal in a Democratic government. Since Magna Carta, governments have been forbidden from forcing you to pay ‘protection’ money to a third party. It’s what the mafia do. And our Australian government. Taxation must go into General Revenue. And the government is then accountable. It’s still your money in General Revenue, to be spent as you decide and has to be explained to your MPs. Except all the carbon credit cash is gone outside government accountantability and likely out of the country. Somebody has to keep the merchant banks and EU and EN going. For example, after spending tens of billions on windmills, thanks to the RET law 2001, we don’t own them. They are all private. And expect us to pay for their dedicated single use transmission lines.
190
‘New research shows the planet is heating up more quickly than previously thought, which could worsen damage from a potentially historic El Niño, shrink Arctic ice cover to record lows and push a critical ocean current that regulates weather closer to collapse’
New research shows the planet is moderately warming due to a number of factors, nothing to do with industrial CO2.
Any suggestion that this El Nino is going to be of historic proportions is fantasy, making the teleconnection with Arctic ice cover unreliable.
The critical ocean current is the AMOC and it cannot shut down without a huge input of fresh water.
71
I am surprised that currents are due to salt differences and water temperature differences? “The circulation is powered by thermohaline circulation—driven by differences in water temperature (“thermo”) and salinity (“haline”)”
Prove it. It sounds like complete rubbish. As for fresh water? Who made that up?
When you look at the Gulf Stream, a major part of the cycle, where is the understanding that this is driven by simple mechanics? You have a washing machine spinning at 1,000km/hr with a lot of water and obstacles like the Americas. The ocean is not bolted to the planet. It is driven by simple kinematics as you would expect. Centrifugal forces. Water pushing on water producing massive circular currents called gyres. Which is what you would expect. CW for the Northern Hemisphere and CCW for the Southern.
The same is true for the atmosphere which is 1/350th of the mass. But there are very few obstacles, so the patterns move. For the ocean gyres, the continents refuse to move.
I find it ridiculous that anyone would explain the fastest ocean current in the world, the Gulf Stream, 9km/hr, 100km wide and 1km deep is driven at immense speed by salinity differences? How?
And it is carrying huge amounts of heat through a much cooler ocean of 3-4km depth. A river of heat which warms Bermuda, Cape Cod, Greenland, Iceland and half of Western Europe. But then again it’s NOAA. I don’t know who writes their PR Climate Catastrophe stuff, but it’s generally wrong. I am making a collection of all their absurdities, all supporting Climate Change. Their actual data though is good and valuable.
80
My understanding of the conveyor belt is that warm salty waters go north and become cold salty water, sinking to the bottom and travelling south.
Looking at the Younger Dryas, Lake Agassiz collapsed and sent a huge amount of fresh water into the Atlantic via the St. Lawrence Seaway, which stopped the AMOC in its tracks.
01
The understanding of simple physics seems beyond most of these climate commentators, like Flim Flannery. FOr example the gyres are supposed to be (in NOAA’s explanation) wind driven down to 1,000 metres. Have you every tried to stir water with a hair dryer?
No, the water on the top has a degree of freedom with nothing but air above, so it can move. And the ocean gyres correspond to the wind circulation so you have an instant explanation, wind is pushing the water around. That’s silly.
As for water under 1km, this water has incredible pressures constraining movement, say 350 or more atmospheres, not 1. To move in any direction, you have to move the water around you or it has to move first.
You see this with the circumpolar Antarctica current where movement is unrestrained by continents and over immense time the whole ocean moves East against the rotation of the earth, not just the top 1km.
As for the St. Lawrenceh waterway, at the end of the ice age starting around 13,000 years ago, huge volumes of water entered the washing machine from every direction from glaciers across the whole of Canada. Canyons were carved, changing the dynamics. I expect what is now the St.Lawrence is a remnant, not the mechanism and shallow in comparison, . Most land was covered in water 1km high and then over a few thousands years it was all in the ocean, raising levels 300 metres and changing estuaries, fjords, entire coastlines. All sorts of major water movements occured. And the changing coastline could change currents caused by coastlines.
We are not in that dramatic position today. Only Greenland is left in the Northern Hemisphere. Every other place, including the North Pole is only seasonal. And the ice at the North Pole is only 4 metres thick on average in winter, 0.1% of the depth of the deep ocean below.
It would be nice if some of these random conjectures were backed up with some reasonable kinematic modelling instead of opinion.
40
As for using centripetal force to spin water, it’s what you do when you swirl wine in a glass. You cannot do it by blowing on it, as NOAA suggests.
40
‘ … huge volumes of water entered the washing machine from every direction from glaciers across the whole of Canada.’
Thanks, that is really worthwhile knowledge for further research.
I was so convinced by the yarn that an asteroid (twice the size of Manhattan) crashed into Lake Agassiz, I ignored any other possibilities.
00
This is an article about the clandestine weather station the National Socialists placed in Arctic Canada during WW2. An early example of an automated weather station and presumably they were after actual weather data, not “homogenised” data to fit the Official Narrative although they were indeed early proponents of wind power and anthropogenic global warming, just like modern day Socialists.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_Station_Kurt?wprov=sfla1
Modern socialists even use the same propaganda as the National Socialists.
Also see Green Tyranny: Exposing the Totalitarian Roots of the Climate Industrial Complex. Rupert Darwall. 2017
100
FWIW
“Nature Turns Up The Sunshine”
“For the usual unknown reasons that are so common in my life, I got to thinking about sunshine hours.
Several people have noted that the decreased total albedo in the CERES dataset not only provides the additional energy necessary to explain a quarter-century of warming. It also gives changes in the total absorbed solar radiation (ASR, incoming solar radiation minus reflected solar radiation) that match up very nicely with the warming.”
More at
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/31/nature-turns-up-the-sunshine/
70
And “more tipping points?”
“About That Arctic Tipping Point”
“Charles Rotter A new paper published this week in Communications Earth & Environment reports that the Arctic Ocean crossed an irreversible chemical tipping point in 2009. The lead institution is the University of Edinburgh, the lead author is Professor Raja Ganeshram of the School of GeoSciences, and the press coverage has been the kind of coverage you would expect. Sample headlines: “Arctic Ocean passed a tipping point and scientists say it may never recover” (ScienceDaily). “Has Arctic hit…
This post is currently for VIP and Premium Subscribers Only.
After 30 days it will be available to all users.”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/31/about-that-arctic-tipping-point/
And
“A Grand Solar Minimum Has Arrived…Global Cooling Of At Least 1°C Is Expected by The 2030s, 2040s”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/30/a-grand-solar-minimum-has-arrivedglobal-cooling-of-at-least-1c-is-expected-by-the-2030s-2040s/
60
And
“Lets Hope Global Temperature Stays Elevated Until the Paris Agreement Collapses”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/31/lets-hope-global-temperature-stays-elevated-until-the-paris-agreement-collapses/
60
“Eh Gawd”!
A daily feast of “tipping points”!
30
Kharkova again, as noted by EG a couple of days ago. It’s interesting that her IPCC GSM model is considered by sceptics to be the only model that comes close to predicting global climate.
Although I raised the question two days ago, I’m still not clear as to whether Kharkova’s prediction is at odds with Rick’s predictions for the NH.
40
The second WUWT ref is Kharkova again, as noted by EG two days ago. Still not clear whether Rick’s NH predictions differ substantially from Kharkova’s.
40
Rick gave his answer on Saturday afternoon, but he couldn’t produce a link for this comment.
‘When interglacials terminate, they are preceded by an increase in temperature.’
Its a genuine request to help my studies.
41
Already there is tension between Pauline Hanson and the new House of Representatives MP David Farley and about him displaying two flags in his electorate office contrary to One Nation policy of Commonwealth of Australia Flag only.
Patterns of Departure
Internal Disputes: Most departures stem from conflicts between members and party leadership, particularly with Pauline Hanson.
Short Tenures: Many members do not complete their terms, often resigning or being expelled shortly after election.
This pattern of instability has hindered One Nation’s ability to maintain a consistent presence in Australian politics.
One Nation has lost more than two-thirds of its elected members before the end of their terms due to internal disputes and departures.
315
And there’s never any dissent among the Liberals is there Dennis! /S
RickWill has posted below at #10 how support for One Nation is rising. Whether this polling transforms into votes at the ballot box I don’t know, but I remain hopeful that it does.
Your beloved Liberal party needs a huge shakeup and it looks like it’s finally realising that.
140
Note 29 years since Pauline Hanson One Nation was established, party name changed to One Nation but clearly it remains PHON.
The point is that all political parties have problems with people from time to time, and the large parties with factions in disagreement, Labor controls their factions and members by demanding solidarity, Coalition allows democratic process and concience votes by individuals. One Nation has lost more than two-thirds of is elected members before the end of their terms due to internal disputes and departures.
And I am not a member of any political party, I am interested in defeating Labor governments, and I believe that we need the Coalition Liberal National (LNP QLD) to achieve it, and therefore minor parties on the conservatives side to cooperate because they, One Nation only two House of Representatives MPs, do not have enough elected members to gain the minimum 76 needed to form government 2028.
Also, I live in a country electorate not with a Liberal representative.
44
So just form a Right-wing coalition and put Pauline in charge of it. We already know the voters are keen on this, why can’t the Libs see it… or maybe thee are greater power-hungry Leftists than they tell us!
60
Did the New Zealand Government alliance major side invite the minor side leader to be PM?
00
The seat totals decide who the GG asks to form government. If there is no clear majority and ON get most seats Pauline will be asked if she can form a coalition, otherwise she will just have to wait and see if she is asked to dance.
But you know that, why do you talk sheet?
40
According to the polls One Nation is not a “minor party”. It’s only a minor party now because of the number of seats it currently holds. That could change dramatically in the 2028 election.
Maybe it’s time that the minor conservative party – AKA Liberal Party cooperate with the major conservative party – AKA One Nation.
110
As of May 2026, the Coalition consists of 41 members in the House of Representatives, including 17 from the Liberal Party, 16 from the Liberal National Party of Queensland, and 8 from the Nationals. The Coalition is led by Angus Taylor as the leader of the Liberal Party.
One Nation has 2 members in the House of Representatives and they were not elected at the 2025 national election, not one MP elected for One Nation 2025.
There are 150 seats in the lower house (House of Representatives) and a party requires 76 seats to govern in its own right.
11
Liberal Party cooperate with One Nation.
What are the contentious issues? Is it possible to bridge the gap?
01
According to seats held they are the MOST minor party. Polls matter for nothing.
Take off your short skirt, toss the pompoms.
30
One Nation and Libs are on the same page when it comes to immigration.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/20/one-nation-coalition-scapegoating-migrants-immigrants-says-race-discrimination-commissioner-ntwnfb
Their platforms are probably the same on climate change and energy, but may need tweaking.
02
I hope they exchange prefs, they should.
I just don’t see the cities [and Vic] which vote watermelon so convincingly swinging far, nor do I see Qld country which has voted NCP for years swinging. Vic kills the libs, Qld will stop ON. Don’t shoot me, I’m just the messenger.
We need regionally based polls to get a better idea.
00
NCP = National Country Party. Showing my age. 🙁
Of course I meant LNP.
00
Via the article, Australia’s federal racial discrimination commissioner says:
“The only way we’ll actually deal with that – I think that racism, effectively – is to build class solidarity … between black, brown, and white people,” he said.
“Because until you can convince a white worker that it’s in their interest to combat racism – that racism is actually one of the causes of their inequity – you’re not going to build solidarity”?!
Apparently racism is a one-way street and only white people can walk down it.
Class solidarity sounds like socialist terminology, which ideologically puts all people on equal footing. That’s fine, treat all races equally, build that solidarity between black, brown and white people (apologies to the “yellow” people not mentioned in the article). You don’t really need “class solidarity” if you can talk to your neighbours.
And if you are in the mood for making all things equal, devoid of racial distinctions, open up all national parks in Australia that are currently reserved for only one group of people. Equal rights, equal class and logically the next step is equal access.
40
A disturbing indication of independence.
https://www.bordermail.com.au/story/9255671/david-farley-one-nation-mp-to-fly-all-three-flags-in-his-offices/
The party is called One Nation, not Three Nations.
Hopefully they can come to an accomodation.
Farley is also big on immigration.
131
Simple & effective solution. All members shall support Party Policies. Alternatively find a party more conducive to your conscience, likes & dislikes. As practiced in a Democracy the majority wins!
30
We elect members, not parties. The libs have called themselves a broad church and tolerate differing opinions much more than labor. Are you advocating for a labor-like party?
00
We are just one country.
We have our national flag and that is the only one that should be displayed.
Any other flags are just meaningless tokens to appease the wokesters.
130
A Torres Strait Flag is an absurdity. Nation status on a few farmers on a few island in the Torres Strait. Even today only 3,000 people? Who created this nonsense? Eddie Mabo’s island even today has only 450 people. When was this even a country town?
The answer is simple. Eddie Mabo won his case because he was NOT an aboriginal but a Melanasian farmer on a tiny island. It was claimed by Queensland in 1872 and 1879. Most uninhabited. This was folded into Australia on Federation. But Eddie Mabo owned his land because he was settled and a farmer.
However Paul Keating seized on this and delcared that Australian Aborigines owned Australia which was not the judgement of the court. The only connection is that they were also black. And now successive Governments have handed 52% of Australia to nomads. Perhaps the first time in human history and makes no sense. Now we have to be welcomed to our own country. It’s just nuts especially as we have to pay rent, as Fortescue just did, $150Million for not asking permission to mine for iron ore, a sacred right of aborigines apparently.
As for the two flags, we created them both. And the whole legal framework to make a nonsense claim in a democracy, that whoever was in a country first and did nothing to improve it or build anything owned the lot. For the first time in human history. And that is costing us at least $42Billion in cash a year. Where does all this money go? Does anyone check to see if aborigines are actually better off? That’s one million per person for 42,0000 aborgines on the land. You could have to think the country might be different if they actually received the cash from one year.
40
Yes I expect there will be growing pains , just like a new hire stepping into a demanding role. There is a big difference between having real responsibility and having the luxury of sitting in the sidelines carping as some like to do.
I guess the voters will decide if the prefer the comforting stability of Lib/Lab or if they want to rock the boat.
70
‘ … comforting stability of Lib/Lab … ‘
The electorate is ready for change and a move towards European style democracy. Mid size parties forming loose coalitions to get into government, unstable but good for democracy.
02
Yes , I think many feel that alleged comforting stability is mostly self serving and want something different
00
Do you relax in chaos? Odd.
10
“The electorate is ready for change and a move towards European style democracy.”
Oh yeah.. How about they’re ready for first-past-the-post with no preferences and a voting card that says ‘Vote for one party from the list of 10’.
I reckon I could sell that faster than you can see the mess in Europe.
Maybe they’re ready for change and a move to a dictatorship, vote for one guy and let him sort out the country for 5years. Maybe they’re ready for a monarch and saving all this time and money every election, or even for a small Govt that has no power to raise taxes itself, it has to get money from the States…. Who knows, I’m sure you don’t.
10
ONP now the top polling political party federally:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjptqBuGY2E
Now ONP at 31%, up 4% since last poll and well ahead of Labour at 28%.
Still short of 50%, which I would like to see to prove to me that more than half the voters realise they are being lied to by governments and their bureaucracies all wedded to the UN globalist agenda.
Every week now, more people can see the mess that the UN-party is creating by de-industrialising the country.
I was talking to my son about taking part in the Vinnies social inequality webinar this week and pointed out how the low income earners are required to subsidise the wealthier people with rooftop solar and yet they still vote for Labor and Greens. He interacts with a wide range of people on a daily basis and stated that I underestimate their stupidity. I am hoping he is wrong because ONP will benefit from at least 50% support.
180
Yes, a serious problem.
According to Jordan Peterson the absolute minimum IQ to do meaningful work is 83 and roughly 10% to 12% of the population have that or lower.
And they vote.
Also, on top of that you have Labor’s mass importation of some of the world’s most violent and uneducated people, all future Labor voters who are rapidly breeding more and will mostly be lifelong welfare dependents.
It’s not going to end well.
241
“I underestimate their stupidity”
Understanding that the levels of intelligence through out a community are simply the luck of the draw, I am completely amazed at the number of people I know at what could be called the “top end” displaying all of the attributes of this same “stupidity”. In my cohort I have medicos, company directors and generally high achievers, some of whom display Trump derangement syndrome, Pauline Hanson syndrome, climate change obsession etc and these people cannot have a conversation that causes any critical thinking in relation to their beliefs.
It appears that “stupidity” may be more of a medical condition as opposed to intelligence or a lack thereof.
190
Maybe there BS detectors have been turned down. They spend so much time in a bubble that they do not realise it.
Both Trump and Hanson have well tuned BS detectors. They can see when the emperor has no clothes and are not afraid to call it out. They are not herd animals. They stand apart, observe and lead when needed. Great people.
130
Yes, there are still some people who simply want to serve their country. Donald Trump donates his salary to charitable organisations because he neither needs nor wants to be a paid politician. Nigel Farage repeatedly stated in the European parliament that his goal was to lose his job, along with everyone else in that pointless edifice, as he wanted it abolished. And there’s Pauline Hanson, suffering the slings and arrows for decades but never wavering in her aspirations for her country. All people who never wanted a life in politics, but just knew someone had to do it and it was better not left to professional political ladder climbers.
110
Tulsi Gabbard is stepping down from the DNI to help her husband through bone cancer. She talks about service here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP2VSdW0A9A
10
How long was she there?
Is oversight of a large organization taking place when the alleged director is rotating out every year or two?
An entrenched executive like J. Edger Hoover is another problem.
Even with his problems, things in hind sight might look better than what awaits.
Methinks the problem is less the IQ of the common folk, but the decline in the leadership intelligentsia.
During Pandemic, it was the educated that exhibited the most absurd behaviors.
They donned two face masks when Fauci directed them to do so.
They called one of the safest and most effective human drugs horse-dewormer.
They insisted their vaccine wouldn’t work unless I got one too.
This is after they believed that an average global surface temperature of a planet where 70% of the surface is barely observed ocean, can be accurately reconstructed to a tenth of degree over a period of thousands of years.
And that such an indirect construct average is as critical as their own body temperature.
50
Voting Liberal will result in exactly the same solar subsidies, plus additional handouts to big business as they repay their donors, and wages driven down by mass immigration usually directly targetting the jobs of low income people.
The reason PeaHON is on the rise is she is literally the only alternative policy direction available right now. Not saying she’s great but at least a bit different to the homogeneous uniparty. People are at the “give me anything but this” stage.
50
“People are at the “give me anything but this” stage.”
Dead right Tel! You deserve 50 green thumbs!
30
FWIW
“Small Nation Cut A Deal With China, And Now The Cost Is Becoming All Too Real”
“Residents of a small nation are getting a taste of China’s pervasive surveillance state after the country opened its doors to Beijing, The New York Times reported.
The surveillance began when Chinese police arrived in the small Solomon Islands community of Fighter One after residents requested help dealing with unruly teenagers, the Times reported. The island nation signed a security pact with China in 2022 after supporting Beijing’s development proposal in 2019.
The island nation serves as another example of China’s efforts to spread its influence across the globe through economic and security initiatives. China’s influence in the Solomon Islands has drawn concern from Australia, a key AUKUS ally.”
More at
https://hotair.com/headlines/2026/05/31/small-nation-cut-a-deal-with-china-and-now-the-cost-is-becoming-all-too-real-n3815458
40
“Small Nation Cut A Deal With China, And Now The Cost Is Becoming All Too Real”
That could be Australia.
Australia continues to de-industrialise with ever increasing reliance on China.
140
Rick, thankfully Australia doesn’t have ‘unruly teenagers’ so Chinese police ‘action’ won’t be required… much.
50
Mmmm who knows, pretty soon they will have military bases worldwide, dominate trade with their currency , dictatec trade between other countries and invade you if they dont like you. It will be unprecedented….oh wait..
83
Nice one!
22
Definitely some similarities, but you left out one thing. Americans built trust with most of the nations where they set up bases by shedding blood side-by-side with them in war. Even in places where we don’t share a common cultural inheritance, there is a bond forged in conflict. We helped Chang Kai-Shek establish the government of Taiwan after the Chicoms chased him off the continent, we liberated the Filipinos from Spanish colonial rule (and liberated them again during WWII), we kicked Saddam Hussein out of the United Arab Emirates, etc.
China has bonds of commerce, but it’s a watery substitute for bonds of blood.
10
‘ … residents requested help dealing with unruly teenagers … ‘
Unruly teenagers were the troublemakers back in the day when they looted and burned down Chinese commercial establishments.
This has nothing to do with ideology.
04
Albo gave himself a $57k pay rise. He’s not even worth 57c let alone a $57k pay rise.
170
Didn’t see that in the budget. With all their bollocks regarding cost of living, higher interest rates, inflation, etc. and their ‘We feel your pain, we know Aussies are doing it tough….’ platitudes, you’d think Al Bo would have waited until the budget hullaballoo died down a bit before donating himself more of our hard earnt. That’s what happens when you vote – you get politicians. Except for three notable exceptions.
One in each of U.S., G.B. and Oz.
60
No No David, decided by an INDEPENDENT committee on parliamentary salaries, you know nudge nudge wink wink.
Yes its easy to “feel the pain” of cost of living increases when tax payers provide your salary, food, first class transport, accommodation, etc all he has to worry about is if the capital gains tax will affect any new properties may accumulate in the future.
80
The latest polling puts the Coalition on around 20% of first preference intention.
Given that support for the Coalition consists of Liberal, LNP, and National party voters, and considering that at the 2025 election Liberal candidates nationally attracted less than one third of the Coalition primary vote, a calculating person might think this crosses an existential line for the Liberals as a senior coalition partner.
If these indications of preference were repeated at the next election, Liberal Party candidates could expect an average primary vote of +/-13%. Obviously that’s an average and there will be safe Liberal seats, but in most urban electorates, this would mean redistribution under our preferential voting system – and a small Liberal rump.
Will ON pick up sufficient seats to form Government?
Highly unlikely – a vanishingly low probability one might think.
But enough to be the largest grouping, or even lead the numbers of nominally conservative members?
Quite possible – particularly against the backdrop of the Albanese Clown Circus.
Tony Abbott might be well advised to work out how to develop policy to accommodate and support a larger, far more complicated, less controllable coalition. Nobody is interested in ‘rebranding’, or fiddling with the status quo – because, whatever voters really think about ON, that’s probably all gone.
60
The Liberal Party has an identity problem, and it shows.
It hasn’t been a conservative party for decades, probably since Menzies.
It sees itself as a middle class alternative to Labor with various governments being either even worse than most Labor regimes, like Turnbull’s or more conservative-style like Abbott, but still not truly committed to conservative values like freedom, liberty, personal responsibility, free enterprise, law and order, national sovereignty and small government.
Currently the Liberal Party is infested with the far Left faction which used to be called the Wets, now rebranded as Moderates who are fully woke and are happy to keep conservatives out of power even if it means keeping Labor in power.
I think the future of the Liberals is as a minor party who will probably end up in coalition with Labor or Teals.
101
…Liberal candidates nationally attracted less than one third of the Coalition primary vote…
Should be: ‘less than two thirds’.
30
Used to be the Libs looked after the cities and mostly the Nats look after the bush in terms of voting intentions.
But city voters look at the Libs and think Labor lite, so might as well vote for Labor/Greens. Which is why whether state or federal, the Liberal vote is sliding. The Nats were at least holding their ground. But, as a resident of regional Australia I really cant say the Nats have done much for the bush. Indeed, quite the opposite and the only Nat that I observed doing effective policy for regional Australia when in power, was Barnaby Joyce. He seemed to be a lone warrior. Even Canavan with all his bluster has not appeared very effective in pushing rural issues. Things like mobile phone blackspots should have been fixed and Live Export of animals somehow safeguarded because it was a viable, well managed essential market for a lot of primary producers.
Many other senior LNP members representing country electorates have been essentially useless and indeed regressive. So, Angus Taylor, Susan Ley, Michael McCormack (who at one stage became Deputy PM under Morrison?), Dan Tehan. All the members of that list have advanced renewable energy projects in their electorates (mostly wind) and dont seemed to have lifted a finger to question their usefulness. All oxygen thieves.
McCormack was quite famous when confronted by an angry farmer at a Canberra protest- the cockie recognised McCormack and said ” I recognise you, you’re useless”. ON have hit a nerve, no doubt and I think it’s good.
120
The time is right for what is essentially a populist movement from the bush. One Nation gives this grassroots movement a voice, but in capital cities they probably won’t get much traction.
Angus Taylor is a poor leader and must be replaced, but in the meantime I want to see a reshuffle and Hastie getting Tehan’s shadow portfolio.
24
Angus Taylor’s Position on Renewable Energy
Opposition to Renewable Investment
Angus Taylor, as Minister for Energy, has consistently opposed increasing investment in renewable energy technologies. His voting record shows a pattern of rejecting initiatives aimed at boosting renewable energy development.
Concerns About Wind and Solar
Taylor has publicly expressed concerns regarding the integration of wind and solar energy into Australia’s power grid. He argues that there is already too much intermittent renewable energy, which he believes could lead to economic issues, including “de-industrialisation.” He has stated that the focus should be on traditional energy sources like coal and gas to maintain grid reliability.
Advocacy for Fossil Fuels
Instead of supporting a transition to renewable energy, Taylor has promoted the use of fossil fuels. He has suggested that gas development could serve as a strategic economic stimulus, despite the environmental implications. This stance has drawn criticism from various environmental groups and experts who advocate for a shift towards renewable energy sources to combat climate change.
25
Matt Canavan’s Position on Renewable Energy
Opposition to Renewable Energy Policies
Matt Canavan is a prominent figure in the National Party known for his strong opposition to renewable energy initiatives. His voting record reflects a consistent stance against policies that support renewable energy development, particularly those associated with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
Key Actions and Beliefs
Voting Record: Canavan has consistently voted against funding and support for ARENA, which manages the government’s renewable energy programs.
Advocacy for Fossil Fuels: He is a vocal supporter of fossil fuels, especially coal, and has been critical of net zero emissions targets, arguing that they threaten the coal industry.
Leadership Impact: As the new leader of the National Party, Canavan’s leadership is expected to reinforce an anti-renewables agenda, aligning with his long-standing beliefs against renewable energy policies.
35
Dear Dennis,
I see your valiant efforts to “keep the fort”.
Too late !
This country needs J Milei, not another does not mater how good Liberal.
110
Vlad, in Australia we can’t vote for Argentinians. Pauline can’t swing a chain saw.
Besides Melei is an ER trauma surgeon [they needed that] we need a good dietician.
40
“we need a good dietician.”
Sure, that’s why you just get Labor-lite and nothing changes..
20
You prefer labor heavy do you?
02
Angus Taylor, as Minister for Energy, has consistently opposed increasing investment in renewable energy technologies.
In which case the Liberal Party energy policy is now strangely at odds with its parliamentary leader. Because the public facing statements are all about renewables and low carbon technologies:
“Our approach is technology-led. We will prioritise scalable solutions such as carbon capture and storage, commercial and industrial solar, low emissions metals, soil carbon, biofuels and advanced nuclear.”
https://www.liberal.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Oppositions-Plan-for-Energy_Nov2025-web.pdf
And by “technology-led”, the policy means a steady flow of OPM out of ARENA into unicorn technology development in the long term. In the short term, it’s more of the same – but with expensive OCGT gas, grid-scale battery backup, and subsidies to keep existing coal generators running as long as possible. Hopefully.
The whole thing reads like the handiwork of an intern using ChatGPT.
60
‘The Opposition is committed to the Paris Agreement and to doing our fair share to reduce emissions in a way that protects household budgets and keeps our economy strong.’
This is where One Nation could pick up votes, but its risky. The theory that CO2 causes global warming is flawed and we should pull out of the Paris Agreement.
12
Angus Taylor, and Matt, have to scrap the Paris Accord.
It might only be a piece of paper but it is a piece of paper, with writing on it. Net Zero isn’t even that and they can just go back to 80%, or whatever.
20
They call it stupid hot for a reason: Heat muddles animal brains
Some of the first hints that hot temperatures can mess up minds, however, came from studies on humans. Back in the 1800s, Belgian astronomer Adolphe Quetelet noticed that violent crime in France peaked in the summer. Later studies linked high temperatures with gun violence, mental-health-related hospital admissions, suicide and gambling. When it’s hot, people have trouble making decisions, and their memory suffers. For students at schools without air conditioning, a school year just one degree Fahrenheit hotter reduces test scores by 1 percent, a study found.
Increasingly there’s evidence that other species may also be more aggressive when mercury shoots up. A 2023 study that combed through nearly 70,000 reports of dogs biting people across eight US cities, from Chicago to Baltimore, found that such incidents were more likely to happen on hot, sunny and smoggy days.
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/living-world/2026/heat-waves-scramble-animal-minds-trigger-aggression
I like cool conditions.😁
30
“For students at schools without air conditioning, a school year just one degree Fahrenheit hotter reduces test scores by 1 percent, a study found.”
That is rubbish… Are we looking at one degree hotter every day, or an average of one degree hotter over the year, or hotter in the holidays and cooler in exam time? ..and a 1% drop for 1degF suggests the minimum score would be 32% by their logic.
“Student fixed effects models using 10 million students who retook the PSATs show that hotter school days in the years before the test was taken reduce scores, with extreme heat being particularly damaging.”
Ah, so these kids failed PSATs in the year before the second test,and then passed because the weather was cooler… not because they’d had their bums kicked by their parents and actually did some study before the repeat exam! That student fixed effects model is probably as good as any climate model.
” Hot school days disproportionately impact minority students, “… of course!
20
First day of Winter, fellow Aussies. Here’s a summary of a recent substack post by the Midwestern Doctor.
“For nearly 50 years (since the 1976 swine flu scare), the CDC and media have repeatedly hyped new “impending pandemics” almost annually. Most have turned out to be minor or nonexistent, primarily serving to secure ongoing funding for the biodefense industry.
A central driver of this cycle is the entrenched narrative that viral pandemics cannot be treated. In reality, effective broad-spectrum therapies exist but have been suppressed to protect markets for new proprietary drugs.
Most respiratory viruses first colonize the upper airway before potentially moving to the lungs (a pattern clearly shown with COVID-19). Early disinfection or treatment of the upper airway is therefore one of the simplest and most effective strategies for managing these infections.
Despite traditional medical systems worldwide developing overlapping approaches, there is surprisingly little mainstream awareness or adoption of upper-airway-focused treatments.
A major gap in conventional care is effective sinus cleaning and treatment. Many patients suffer chronic sinus issues that doctors struggle to resolve.
DMSO stands out as a particularly effective and accessible option: dozens of studies and numerous reader reports show it can rapidly improve chronic and acute sinusitis, sinus headaches, allergies, congestion, post-nasal drip, nasal polyps, eustachian tube dysfunction, and related breathing difficulties.”
In the post, MWD argues that practical, low-cost solutions for respiratory infections and sinus problems are available but remain under-recognized due to systemic and economic incentives. Even during the COVID bollocks Jo highlighted the nasal spray “Flo Travel “, which is a non medicated nasal saline containing carrageenan @ 1.6 mg/mL. I still use it when I feel a niggle in the nose or I’ve been in a crowded room of people for a few hours. Seems like cheap insurance to me, particularly as the low Vitamin D season begins. (note I didn’t say the cold/flu season)
As usual, I am not a Doctor ( of medicine) so don’t take my advice etc etc. Seek you own advice- you know the drill.
70
Yes, as usual – a great and independent article from Midwestern Doctor. Australian medical researcher into respiratory viruses, Prf. Bob Clancy, emphasised the process of virus infiltration from nasal passage and eventually into the gut. There is also another nasal spray available for corona viruses (AKA the common cold) – “First Defence” – available in pharmacies and supermarkets. That, and Betadine gargle were successful in avoiding Covid infections for many.
50
Do you think First Defence is effective Vick or do you like it because it’s Vicks?? 😀
00
FWIW
“The Real Story of the D-Day Weather Forecast”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/31/the-real-story-of-the-d-day-weather-forecast/
10
FWIW
An Update on the Harmonium Project 01 June 2026
Thanks to the internet I now know a lot more about harmoniums than I did when my sister raised the subject.
It was made by Alexandre Pere et Fils in Paris. I found a blog that deals in things musical including harmoniums which has a thread on reconditioning one from that maker and a catalogue from about 1870. It lists what looks like the model I’m faced with – by the makers label made somewhere in 1852 – 1870. My sister also provided a copy of the section on harmoniums from an encyclopedia of music so I am now more up to speed on what the official names of parts are and how they work. And of how horribly ignorant I am of what is involved in getting from sound to music. But I’m only the maybe fixer in this project, my sister is the musician.
So I’m now down to the problems. General condition is good.
The first major one is that there are cracks in the reed box top and thus air leaks. Fortunately the reconditioning project above involved fixing the reed box so I’ve got a start (seems a common problem with harmoniums). And it finishes with “If I can do it anyone can” which gives me hope!
The second is that the bellows need reconstruction with the hinge line leathers needing replacement. Research finds that chrome tanned kangaroo hide is used in musical instruments for its strength and air tightness.
The schedule is to see if I can fix the reed box first. If I can’t there isn’t much point in fixing the bellows.
The reed box top is 5 mm thick timber which has warped up maybe 5 mm in places and cracked the air slots. Which means it will have to come out for repair. The glue used should be hide glue and I should be able to dismantle using a hot air gun. And it needs to be brought back to straight for the platen valves to work and to get the air channel sides fixed airtight to the bottom surface. Preferably by straightening and gluing the cracks in the original – which will mean making a set of press boards to clamp it flat while the glue (wood epoxy gets mentioned for this). Making a reproduction would mean cutting 122 air vent slots. 5 mm aircraft plywood would fix any further cracking problems though.
First question here – has anyone had experience with straightening warped timber like this?
TIA
Ian
30
The maker was well known – Prince Albert had one of theirs – but a lot spiffier than this one
And they were a popular item – a different maker had a staff of 500 and turned out 200 a week.
00
Consider the South Australia State election recently and Labor returned comfortably to government with scattering of preference votes favouring Labor …
Overview of One Nation’s Current Standing
One Nation has recently gained traction in Australian politics, achieving notable electoral successes. However, several factors suggest that sustaining this momentum until the 2028 federal election may be challenging.
Key Factors Against One Nation’s Success
Historical Volatility
One Nation has a history of fluctuating support, which raises doubts about their ability to maintain current polling levels.
Past elections have shown that their popularity can quickly diminish, making long-term predictions uncertain.
Preference Flows
The dynamics of preference voting are crucial. One Nation’s ability to secure preferences from other parties is unpredictable.
In previous elections, their performance in preference counts has been inconsistent, which could hinder their chances in a close contest.
Divided Right-Wing Vote
The presence of multiple right-wing parties, including the Liberal-National Coalition, may split the conservative vote.
This division could prevent One Nation from consolidating enough support to win a majority in key electorates.
04
more anti One Nation propaganda Dennis. Do you want to continue in the direction we are headed?
80
The direction in which we are headed is dictated by labor. Why not give THEM a hard time?
30
If Labor and Liberals preference each other that only proves what everyone is already saying.
20
FWIW
“The ONLY Answer To Thugs, Thieves And *******s”
“India’s police just busted 11 people who sold over 100,000 false degrees in medical and engineering disciplines.
How many of those people are here? Most of them.
Is this the scope of the problem? No. When you catch one person scamming how many more are scamming? A lot. Same with every other crime; you catch one there are many more. So how many bogus alleged “doctors” and “engineers” (you know, people who can stamp building plans as “safe” among other things) in the United States right now?
Want to bet its not well north of a million? It is and you know damn well it is, so why isn’t the government going after every single one of these people and all of their employers?
Worse, even actual passing grades in most Indian universities are in the range of 33-40% correct. This is a universal grading system that the entire nation’s university system uses. In any civilized nation a 40 is a screaming “F”.
Further their “distinction” level (the highest) requires only a 75% score. That’s a C in any American university and is considered “average” — and barely passing.”
More at
https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=255494
60
Ian, when you wrote Further their “distinction” level (the highest) requires only a 75% score. That’s a C in any American university and is considered “average” — and barely passing” didn’t it occur to you that marking in American universities is far too lenient? If 75% is considered “average” then that is probably an example of grade inflation – a widespread problem in the West as university administrators nowadays want to keep their paying customers, previously known as “students”, happy.
00
Roy – that is a quote, not something I wrote
00
From personal experience I can point out something that Kurt has missed here.
When I did my bachelor’s degree exams were all written answers and I doubt anyone ever got 100%. Then there were those that operated on “50% is a pass, 51 is wasted effort” – and I was around that group apart from the distinction that defined most of my career.
About 10 years later I won a scholarship as a postgraduate student at a university in USA. In foreign student introductions we learned that, to remain a post graduate student, we had to maintain a “B” average and grading was translated as “A” more than 90%. “B” more than 80%.
And I thought “Eh Gawd! This is going to be interesting!”
Realise that the US system is much more coursework oriented than we were then – even a Ph.D. was about 75% coursework. Exams were generally punch card 5 questions.
And, to my relief, it was about as easy to get an “A” as it had been to get 50% here. All “A’s” was a GPA of 4.0. IIRC mine is about 3.8-ish – it isn’t something I polish regularly..
But he is right if standards get watered down in both.
00
” So how many bogus alleged “doctors” and “engineers””
Yep, they can’t even drive trucks!
Between them and the Chinese, this will the fate of NZ and Aussie in a decade or two, the immigrants will bring their own cultures…
00
Australia has a national “Sorry day”?
https://x.com/MattWalshBlog/status/2060332123911794802
Enough of this bulldust, enough.
WE, the modern citizens of this country, did nothing.
Those that did are long gone. Get over it.
90
There may be 100 mill (D) voters in the US. Let’s be generous and assume that a quarter of those aren’t bat sheet crazy.
How could those 25 mill not be dismayed at the quality of representatives and nominees their party presents? Time has shown Hillary to be much better than average of the new faces. Even if the candidate being presented in a particular electorate is OK, voting for THAT person may put a crazy in another state into power, not opposition. I would take that responsibility seriously.
The midterms are not lost for MAGA.
31
The punters have Republicans holding the senate but losing the house.
12
But you didn’t say their position is hopeless. That must hurt.
20
‘the midterms are not lost’ is conservative cope.
The midterms are almost always lost for the party in power. That’s just how American voters roll. The question is not whether the midterms are lost (they are), it’s just how big those losses will be. I don’t think we’re going to see the massive tsunami that progressive pundits are predicting, but even a gentle small wave lapping at the shore will be enough to flip the House.
Due to the ‘big sort’ (where like minded voters cluster together) I don’t think ‘wave’ elections are possible anymore. 80% of America’s congressional districts are solidly in one camp or another and EXTREMELY unlikely to flip, and about half of the remaining 20% lean strongly enough one way or the other that flipping them is no small feat either. That leaves about 40ish seats out of the 435 congressional seats that truly up for grabs in any election. Even if Dems hold on to all of their competitive seats and sweep the Republican competitive seats, that’s only a 20-something seat trickle rather than a wave. And given the recent Supreme court cases declaring racial gerrymanders unconstitutional and allowing mid-decade redistricting, it’s unlikely even that low bar will be cleared.
Just as Republicans were dismayed when their anticipated 2022 ‘red wave’ flopped, so will be Democrats be disappointed when their anticipated 2026 blue wave turns into a blue ripple.
00
ISIS bride Rayann El Houli renounces Islamic State and ‘violent Jihad’ in court.
I would find it more convincing if she wore a sleeveless sundress and open toed wedge sandals rather than full black.
80
Fatwa coming up?
20
Mouse trap guaranteed to work. Two blocks of wood. Place mouse on block A hit smartly with block B. Apparently this was actually advertised and sold.
00