lightwood said...

log man said...

News flash....... Gillard back in front of Abbott in preferred prime minister stakes!!!

We don't vote for a Prime minister mate, we vote to elect a party(most of us anyway). Yours is still at 30%

I think you'll find that the leader poll is important in the minds of the voters. and 2 party preferred is at 45/55......getting closer

It's a trap!

kiteboy dave said...

^^^Anyone but Abbott

The whole Thomson things gone quiet, the Liberals are up to something!

Larry Pickering wrote this on his Facebook page a couple of days ago:



RICHO:

Graham Richardson (Richo) claimed on Sky this morning that Craig Thomson's activities were a one-off anomaly. “All other ALP officials are hard working honest people”, he said, trying to keep his face from going five shades redder.

Crumbs, I nearly choked on my Weetbix.

Richo is a product of the infamous NSW Right faction and his hands are filthy to his elbows in ALP criminal grime.

The only difference between Richo and Thomson is that Richo is smart and Thomson has an IQ of four.

Richardson's hookers were always arranged by a third party. He never signed credit cards. Those “third parties” were notorious Gold Coast and Sydney crims.

He had serious connections to Lenny MacPherson, Rene Rivkin, Rodney Adler's FAI insurance company and Swiss bank accounts that held the insurance payout from FAI for the Offset Alpine fire. The payout was $53 million. The fire was arson.

[Offset Alpine was a Sydney printing company. I used them to print my calendars until, one dark Christmas eve, they were no longer there.]

This question was asked in the NSW Parliament: “Who were the persons responsible for the Offset Alpine Printing company fire, which resulted in a $53 million insurance payout for printing machines worth only $3 million, and whether any of those persons who purchased shares in this company, such as Messrs Rivkin, Richardson, Kennedy, Martin, Wood or any other persons, had advance knowledge of this fire and the anticipated rapid million-dollar insurance payout by Mr Adler's FAI insurance company?”

Gordon Wood, Rivkin's driver and confidant had been convicted of the murder of Carolyn Byrne.

The CJC, ASIC and NSW Police had tried for seven years to nail Richardson, Rivkin and Kennedy but failed.

What happened is this:


Senator Richardson, Rene Rivkin and Packer's Bulletin editor, Trevor Kennedy, curiously became controlling shareholders in the Silverwater printing company. The company was worth no more than $3.5 million. It was insured through Rodney Adler's FAI for $53 million. Rodney Adler purchased almost 10% of the company shares two days before the fire.

The $53 million insurance was hurriedly, and without protest, paid to a Swiss bank account. But much more was made as a result of the soaring share price. Even the ASX was aware of the insurance policy and the real value of the printing company.

When (front-bencher) Richo looked certain to be sprung he went to Keating and promptly resigned.

So please, Richo, don't sit there on SKY TV and explain that Craig Thomson is an anomaly.

What you really mean is that Thomson is just stupid enough to get caught... you weren't.

Cambodge said...

I believe there would have been deeper implications in the voting system if Thompson had successfully "crossed the floor" and the Libs had thereby won the vote to have the gag order lifted. (Which was prevented by Pyne managing to escape before the doors were closed).

If the Libs had won the vote based on Thompson crossing the floor then they would be obliged in the future to grant Thompson a "pair" when (/if?) he has to leave parliament and misses a vote. If Thompson is granted a "pair" then the Libs won't gain anything when Thompson is away from Parliament and misses a vote because someone on the Lib side would miss their vote too and thus cancel out the effect of the Labs having one less vote.

Make sense? Parliamentary system...archaic, confusing, childish...Yes, but a sh!t load better than any other system that's been devised.

Let the games continue...

(One positive from all these antics is...It shows just how stable and mature our system of government is if these are considered to be the important events of our day...No worries about military coups, assassinations, etc. A pretty comfortable life here in Australia).

Errm.. an interesting take with two major flaws:

1. Thomson DID successfully cross the floor and vote with the opposition

2. The opposition DID win the vote and vote down the gag. In fact that was never in any doubt - they'd have won that vote even if Thomson had voted with the government. That's because the independents will ALWAYS vote against a gag motion unless it's something pretty flamin' major and there's enough of them to swing the vote whichever way they want as long as Lib/Labs vote against each other

..I see someone else has already shot holes in the "pair" theory. But you're right, our "issues" here are pretty puny compared to much of the rest of the world.