Viscount Christopher Monckton has become notorious for his climate change denial, despite scientific evidence proving him wrong time and again. Steve Bishop writes.
With a final, characteristically cringe-worthy valedictory speech in Parliament, Morrison leaves behind a trail of destruction and a political career devoid of anything even slightly resembling leadership.
If only he were Black, Muslim or a woman he’d be gone.
After Barnaby Joyce MP was filmed sprawled on his back on a Canberra footpath, managing editor Michelle Pini explains why Australian voters should indeed take a dim view of his persistently chaotic behaviour.
There is no doubt an inquiry into supermarket pricing is a positive step in light of crippling food prices. Certainly, instigating mandatory requirements instead of a voluntary code that sets out some nice suggestions can only be a good thing. Anyone familiar with the banking industry would know that voluntary codes of conduct are not worth the paper they’re written on.
John sent us articles whenever he could, with this piece,‘ We are Spartacus’, his last article to be published in Independent Australia on 12 November 2023.
As Bruce Lehrmann’s latest defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson plays out, Michelle Pini examines the hazy world of legal cases surrounding the former Liberal Party staffer.
If your business relies on ripping off staff, taxpayers and other assorted bystanders – or needs to prevent public access to affordable life-saving medication – in order to stay afloat, it should just close down, writes managing editor Michelle Pini.
Remember everyone The Coalition tried to ensure you don’t get cheaper prescriptions … because the Pharmacy Guild are big Liberal donors (Dave Smith )
The Sofronoff shambles, Robodebt Royal Commission, hijacking of the Voice Referendum and permeation by PwC (among others) of the public service cannot recur, write Dave Donovan and Michelle Pini.
Even when we consider Robodebt as dispassionate onlookers – that is, people who did not have a loved one take their own life, or otherwise have their lives irreparably marred by this vicious campaign – it is not possible to see it as anything but a crime against humanity.
More and more Australians are facing crippling poverty while many corporations continue to rake in the money while still claiming government handouts like JobKeeper, writes managing editor Michelle Pini.
The facts are that the Liberal Party’s lurch to the far-distant depths of Right-wing politics began during the ’90s, so if anyone should claim credit for the inevitable destruction of the Liberal Party, it’s probably John Winston Howard.
How Howard screwed the Libs How Howard screwed the Libs John Howard somehow made his way into power in Australia, staying PM for 11 long years, yet his divisive legacy may marginalise the Liberal Party for far longer than that.
It’s true that Dutton is holding firm to the Coalition’s core policy framework, rooted as it has been in fear, hate and otherness, which helped to get Howard elected an inexplicable four times. And yes, this essentially unchanged platform also helped propel Abbott and Morrison into power, with a short stint from the not-quite-as-Right Turnbull thrown in.
But this extreme Right-wing stance was not really in full view until Morrison took it to new evangelical heights and displayed its glory for all to recoil.
Referendum- Does the Constitution need to be changed? Or remain racial?
Peter Dutton and his media cabal notwithstanding, The Voice is a well-considered and “detailed” proposition put forward by Indigenous Australians — just respect it. Managing editor Michelle Pini provides the “detail”.
The abandonment of the Bruce Lehrmann trial, the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins, is a devastating blow for all women who dare to speak out. Managing editor Michelle Pini reports.
Scott Morrison, most notorious of all Australia’s prime ministers for his delusions of grandeur, offered up a sermon on the “politics of retribution” in answer to a parliamentary censure motion.
It’s budget time under a new Albanese Labor Government and never will there be a better time to gauge the media reset from pro to anti-government than now.
A few recent examples of the media gang – unfortunately all from the national broadcaster – going into mass hysteria with their “analysis” over Labor’s first budget include:
David Speers to Jim Chalmers:“You can’t keep blaming the Coalition.”
Andrew Probyn to Sarah Ferguson: ‘One clear winner … and millions of losers.’
And the current front-runner in baseless and nonsensical beat-ups, Stan Grant, to no one in particular:
‘The dirty secret at the heart of the Federal Budget…’
The latter is the title of an article by ABC’s Stan Grant, in which he discovers a sudden and most compelling urge to consider Australia’s poor and disadvantaged. It is a new and shocking experience that has clearly eluded Grant and most of his media mates for the past decade.
One of the key tasks of the media – for any younger readers who may never have experienced it – is to hold governments to account. But this, like the key function of governments being to govern, seems to have been AWOL for over nine, very long and dysfunctional years under Coalition reign.
Andrew Thorburn’s exit as CEO of Essendon Football Club has nothing to do with religious discrimination and everything to do with out-of-step bigotry, writes managing editor Michelle Pini.
The conservative side of politics may have Australia’s mainstream media on its side but the Andrews Government’s secret weapon is the Victorian Liberal Party Opposition.
Managing editor Michelle Pini takes a look at the Liberal Party fallout following its crushing defeat, including the politically departed and the remaining former glamour set.
“He said it, We read it, But didn’t believe it. Until we read it in Rolling Stone”
Is a song that might well be applied to the attempted Pentecostalist takeover of the Australian Government. A takeover that’s been stopped in its tracks for the moment but is not yet guaranteed ended. For them, the separation of powers between religion and the state is an anathema born out of multiculturalism and its attended beliefs that need to be stopped. Conversion and forced assimilation their desired path. Morrison’s second coming of Australia. Even Peter Dutton has taken it on as a core of the LNP’s opposition and strategy to divide the Left. Meanwhile, Scott Morrison is ready to reveal his true affiliation with OAN and its Pizzagate imaginings and origins.
Scott Morrison is continuing the Pentecostal agenda in Opposition, undermining the system of government he is still paid to uphold. Managing editor Michelle Pini takes a look at the former PM’s aggressively expanding cult.
When Australians are feeling good about themselves the LNP,Dutton, and Murdoch want it stopped and stopped immediately. However, they looks so bad doing it.
The new PM’s visit to war-torn Ukraine was equated with ScoMo taking off to Hawaii, while Peter Dutton continued to dominate media coverage, this week. Managing editor Michelle Pini takes a look at the latest anti-Albo campaign.
Australia’s media is back-snapped broken — but don’t expect the most concentrated media industry in the world to fix itself, writes founder and publisher Dave Donovan and managing editor Michelle Pini.
The press pack are acting as though the Coalition is temporarily exiled rather than categorically defeated, flooding the news cycle with the Dutton-led losing side and ignoring the Albanese Government, writes managing editor Michelle Pini.
Despite being underestimated by the previous regime and the Fourth Estate, Australians have swept away the side of politics devoid of empathy, “unfunded” or otherwise.
After 26 years in parliament, including a stellar economic record in government, we should know all we need to know about Albo. After all, Morrison’s one term as prime minister has given us more than enough cause to vote his Government out.
Faced with a tsunami of complaints Morrison foldsFaced with a tsunami of complaints Morrison folds
Scott Morrison has deserted Queensland flood victims, refusing to co-fund our $741million flood recovery package. This package would have helped thousands of Queenslanders rebuild their lives. The Prime Minister’s response: that’s not my problem.
Whether anyone seriously believes ScoMo’s claims of copping criticism for helping flood victims, this ridiculous sideshow manoeuvre by the PM can hardly be considered a credible excuse for the leader of a nation to refuse help to people in a catastrophe. Regardless, it should only be viewed with disgust and may well seal his fate. Because, hopefully, it will not only be the victims of floods, or the victims of bushfires who remember this Prime Minister’s callous disregard for his fellow Australians but voters nationwide.
Without Morrison almost blinding himself with a welding torch and then having him put himself away in isolation the nation feels safer. But will he be rewarded for it in the next polls?
When people are sitting on their rooftops and clinging to discarded car tyres to avoid drowning as they watch all their worldly possessions float away in a torrent of devastation, what is the leader of the nation to do? Meet with Murdoch-installed far-Right nut-job Piers Morgan — of course!
We are not ashamed to admit that at our last meeting with the Labor strategist, we were unconvinced that this slow, steady and largely uneventful approach by Labor would reap rewards. It has also sometimes been unpopular with their base. But if it is true that opposition parties don’t win elections but governments lose them and since, more than ever before, Australia’s establishment media fails to hold this Government to account, Labor’s strategy appears sound. Of course, whether it succeeds in unseating the Morrison Government remains to be seen.
It is fitting that the Prime Minister chose to strum away on a simple ukulele the tune of a well-known song this week, without having practised, learnt the words or informed himself of the subject matter, and without any apparent embarrassment. His performance is a metaphor for the Coalition Government he leads.
I believe Michelle is being too generous in her description on the current state and mindset of our mainstream media. Their long term investment and profit moving forward depends on a one sided quid pro quo relationship with the Big Swinging Dicks in the LNP Club in Canberra. The Election fix is in and has been for the whole of this century their rewards in cash flow due every election cycle. But it can’t be allowed to be that obvious or the punters just might bring their House of Cards down and become aware of the sting.The sting that we are an Oligarch Corporate Capitalist Democracy far far removed from a Socially Democratic one.
Elections don’t depend on what the majority of Australian’s think and the ALP, the most democratic of all the major parties with the broadest views, knows that. Yet, every election since Keating lost has been a battle with one arm tied behind their backs. A battle fought against concentrated spearhead of the IPA, undeclared corporate support their MSM state media message the muszak in our ears louder than our dimwitted L-NP leadership. Tony Abbott was an example he was little more than a student brawler all his political life backed by the LNP office whose mindset was to serve their donors. Morrison on the other hand is more the two-faced huckster, the ad man, who believes he can soft sell anything and anyone as long as he leads from behind and not out front. It only takes a small swing among voters not the whole nation. For Morrison “style is meaning” in Marshal McCluhan’s “media has to be cool not hot” and the MSM and Clive Palmer provide that. It’s media without detail, the constant photo-op, pictures without detail and where the MSM don’t give Albo elbow room. Morrison runs into hiccups when photos turn out like the one with Grace and Australians have access to social media and can spoil Morrison’s vaccuous I’m just an ordinary guy message. The Troll then panics and has to control the digital world by trying push through bills allowing MPs to sue and curtail the flow of Independant media and “facts”.
When the Big Swinging Dicks Club starts to turn against you, is your time at the helm numbered? And when you’ve burned so many bridges, what cushy roles will be offered once you’re ejected? Can it be that the majority of Australians (and much of the world)have joined Grace Tame in giving you the side-eye?
RAT TRAP Both Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Health Minister Greg Hunt have publicly denied this is the case. A spokesperson from Mr Hunt’s office informed IA that the Minister for Health categorically denies mandatorily requisitioning, redistributing or otherwise appropriating stocks meant for retailers.
Morrison has died a thousand political deaths only to be spawned again yelling “don’t look in the rear vision mirror. Don’t look at the history of his government his political life is reborn and starts again today and he has the media Murdoch, Costello, and Stokes paid to back him up. Look how well Harvey Norman, Housing and the stock exchange are doing. Unfortunately we have a leader whose been playing whack-a-mole, without any concept of the past or future merely trying to stay alive today with no real direction. 18 months ago the Government was approached by an Australian RTA mfger and rejected. Yes rejected by our Government. No need for such trivia.
Meanwhile the nation is systematically sinking at an accelerated pace because what Morrison has in fact been doing is nothing. Nothing to stave off the collapse of the essential workers in health, industry, retail, transport or education why because the unions just might have some advice. What he is doing is trying to change the laws to allow infectious workers to keep on working and spreading the virus. A virus that can be caught no just once but multiple times to a point of collapse. How the fuck did this happen? Because Morrison believes a healthy economy produces a healthy nation and not that healthy nation produces a healthy economy. Morrison said “It was China’s fault”,”it’s not a race”,”lockdowns aren’t necessary”, and it’s “our fault” never his. What has he been doing? He’s been ” doing a Trump and like a camp follower has brought us to where we are today. He’s even pulled the RATs out from the Pharmacies reach that not so “free market” because the fucker can’t deliver the ones he promised. Yes it’s Morrison playing whack-a-mole with our lives.
He’s given us the most expensive government in Australia’s history. He has taxed us more invidually than the ALP, cut welfare, while subsidising and lowering corporate taxes as if there were no tomorrow. Our standing in the world has plummetted on every social metric while allowing only 1% of the nation to prosper and government debt increase by 200% to a $1Trn. Now that’s not leader. Thats not for the common good of this nation by any measure imaginable that’s a snake oil huckster a vampire sucking the very marrow out of us by simply doing nothing or when doing something it’s far too late. Good Onya ScaMo
The answer to all the above questions is that this Morrison Government is not interested in rules. It’s not even concerned with the welfare of its own people in the midst of a global pandemic. Its interests lie only in getting re-elected and appeasing its donors so this can happen.
Andrew Bolt slams ex PM’s for criticizing ScaMo but not Liberal MPs joining crowds yelling “Lynch Dan”. We’ve heard about that Silent Scream
Managing editor Michelle Pini takes a look at the latest Melbourne protests, where society’s scariest gather, now fuelled by complicit Liberal Party politicians.
In a string of defamation lawsuits, Coalition MPs Barilaro, Dutton, Porter, Laming and others have let loose on citizens to suppress loose tongues, writes managing editor Michelle Pini.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has built a reputation for being a liar and a hypocrite, with his lies now causing tensions between foreign partners. Back in 2019, managing editor Michelle Pini pointed out ten reasons why Scott Morrison is unfit to lead and needs to be voted out as soon as possible.
Science has been cutback, 40,000 academics have lost their jobs. Yet, a free $40bn was handed to business via JobKeeper to save jobs. We have opened up and business is begging for workers workers Morrison claims to have saved. He simply gave money to businesses who simply”thought they might need it” and not directly to workers. Remember JobMaker that was a great Morrison Plan the plan to create 200,000 jobs. Millions were handed out to create 5,000. Now that was a Plan.
Now that caravan of Morrison wisdom, is heading to Glasgow and being called the “bumbling morons” by the likes of the NYT and the global media. With leaflet in hand these punk comics are off to present another Morrison Plan stolen from Frank Trump Sinatra. Morrison singing “We are going to do it the Australian Way” He has a Plan that’s not really a Plan but only a shitload of hope and that his bucket of hope isn’t recognized for what it really is. Yes, hope that someone else on the planet will provide the technology, the alchemy, that will solve the world’s problem. Not now, or tomorrow, but sometime down that 3 decade track and it’s hopefully too late for Morrison’s “Do-Nothing Miracle” to be remembered. The man with a Plan hasn’t even provided a first step to action that Plan. How often have we seen him bang the drum of nothing before? Morrison creates more wind than a nation of cow farts, more noise than Clive Palmer and offers nothing in the way of Australian cooperation with the rest of the world. Morrison has stolen MAGA from Trump and substituted Australia. Meanwhile even America has joined the rest of the world leaving us the stand alone lagard nation.
The Morrison Government is fobbing us off with a tissue of lies, a wink, a nudge and a glossy pamphlet, writes managing editor Michelle Pini.
Like most things the Morrison Government implements, recent sweeping changes to Medicare rebates affect our most vulnerable citizens and have been rushed through under cover of night, with scarcely a murmur from the Government or its media cheer squad.
PINI-ng the question, rightly and directly, on our MSM’s reporting. Along with amplifying Morrison’s, and a host of other opportunistic conservative’s, crowing florid bullshit about the seeming injustice done to the good LNP pollies of NSW by unelected vigilantes, and kangaroo courts like ICAC. Critical political theory has been unethically used against conservatives. That spells a replacement ideology that will not be tolerated by SloMo, his government, or the supporting Mainstream media. Unless of course it’s flipped and applied, without considered weight of evidence, just thunderous noise against Dan Andrews. Yes the idiot dirt brigade is out in force, and in our face.
The resignations of the Premier and Deputy Premier of New South Wales, blaming ICAC and Friendlyjordies, respectively, signal the worst time of mourning for establishment media writes managing editor Michelle Pini. WHY DID both Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Deputy Premier John Barilaro choose to resign within days of each other? Did the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (NSW ICAC) bring about the sudden resignations of either or both of these politicians? If so, does the NSW ICAC require further scrutiny, because it makes MP’s”terrified to do their job”, as the Deputy Prime Minister suggested?
GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN: Well, I don’t want to give too much away, David, but I will say this: after I pop down to Officeworks and pick up a bigger shredder, I may or may not be moving to Canberra to take up a front bench seat in my dear, dear friend Scotty’s Government.
Nothing says “we are the government for big business only” like doling out money for nothing to multinationals with one hand, while simultaneously clawing back cash from the impoverished with the other.
Is he being shot like a Marvel Production’s character on Green Screen? After all the money spent would suggest so.(ODT)
Since Scott Morrison pretty much governs in absentia, if he and his entire ministry disappeared, we would be unlikely to notice, writes managing editor Michelle Pini. PRIME MINISTER SCOTT MORRISON’s “leadership” is now so weak, he has all but disappeared.
Faced with a tsunami of complaints Morrison folds
olddogthoughts 
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