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Campaign countdown, now with more balderdash

David Penberthy

by David Penberthy

02 Jun 05:52am

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Filed under: Campaign Countdown, Election 2010, Kevin Rudd, Politics, Tony Abbott

51 comments

While the Greens are busy measuring the office furniture and haggling over ministries in a future Abbott-Brown Government of National Unity, Kevin Rudd has been giving his saucebottle a fair old shake again and reintroducing some archaic, hokey slang into the vernacular.

If you liked the press conference, you'll love the board game.

The words for the day were “balderdash” and “bunkum”, used by Rudd at a (rare) Canberra gallery press conference to describe the mining industry’s claims about the Resources Super Profits Tax. And while it might be the kind of stuff you normally hear from Nanna, it made a refreshing change from the PM’s recent acronym-dependent attacks on the miners, such as his evocative claim last week that working families didn’t believe what the MCA was saying about the RSPT.

As Paul Kelly writes today Kevin Rudd has clearly decided that he must muscle up against the miners, whatever backlash he is currently facing over the shameless backflip on the $38m government advertising to promote the benefits of the tax.

The Age’s political doyen Michelle Grattan nicely took aim at Rudd’s dissembling on the advertising issue when fielding questions on his policy reversal.

At his news conference he was dogged by what became a non-core promise - to stop the outrageous rort of government advertising for political campaigns - that ‘‘cancer on democracy’‘, as he called it in 2007. Would he be more circumspect with his undertakings now? ‘‘Look, I try to be as absolutely … passionate as I can about what I believe to be a real cancer … which was just the sheer volume of that stuff at the time’‘.

As for now, what’s a mere $38 million between friends?

If the journos weren’t getting into him his own MPs were, not over the mining tax but the inroads the Libs were making by politicising the asylum seeker question. With so much misinformation being spread via bogus emails and talkback, South Australian backbencher and occasional Punch contributor Nick Champion politely suggested the PM needed to stop playing the issue with a straight bat, and to come out and hit back. The SMH’s Phil Coorey gives a good account of the meeting here.

And even though he won full marks for energy, Tony Abbott probably did neither the Libs nor Labor any favours moving two unruly censure motions yesterday, which were obviously voted down on party lines.

Watching Question Time - or what was actually telecast due to the delays caused by the Abbott motions - you almost wished that you’d been swallowed up by that extraordinary Guatemalan sinkhole. But again, Bob “17 per cent” Brown would have enjoyed it. He actually sounded like a politician yesterday, at one point he almost said the only poll that matters is the one on polling day. 

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51 comments

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    • stevie says:

      07:09am | 02/06/10

      The Lie Clocks -

                    A man died and went to heaven.

                    As he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates,
                    he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him.

                    He asked, ‘What are all those clocks?’

                    St. Peter answered, ‘Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on
                    Earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie the hands on your
                    clock move.’

                    Oh,’ said the man, ‘whose clock is that?’

                    ‘That’s Mother Teresa’s. The hands have never moved,
                    indicating that she never told a lie.’

                    ‘Incredible,’ said the man. ‘And whose clock is that?’

                    St. Peter responded, ‘That’s Abraham Lincoln’s clock.
                    The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abe told only two
                    lies in his entire life.’

                    ‘Where’s Kevin Rudd’s clock?’ asked the man.

                    It’s in God’s office. He’s using it as a ceiling fan.’

      Reply

    • T.Chong says:

      08:12am | 02/06/10

      Laugh, chortle, very funny Stevie. Just leaves the problem of Abbott and his admission that he has / does/ will lie.
      Is there a punch line about Abbotts lie spinning and cyclones?
      PS just where does yur branch of the Libs get such fabulous material, ? Sarah Palins writers, perhaps?

    • Brian says:

      08:24am | 02/06/10

      lol got a good laugh at your post, well done

    • Super D says:

      08:34am | 02/06/10

      The problem with trying to pin lying on Abbott is that for every one of his you can find 10 from Krudd.

    • Rob r Charteirs says:

      09:09am | 02/06/10

      T.Chong says:08:12am; The military are using Abbott’s clock on one of their aircraft

    • Rob r Charteris says:

      10:32am | 02/06/10

      Super D says:08:34am; ok name 10 lies from Rudd, real lies and not liberal spin, lies that he has actually told. I bet you cant match any of that remark you have posted. Against Abbotts A) there will be no new taxes B) workchoices is dead C) Rudd has no climate change policy. There are just a few from Abbott now where’s your 30 lies from Rudd. Come on champ dont let us down now, you dont want to look like a bag of spin.

    • Nicole says:

      12:03pm | 02/06/10

      @stevie, that was bloody hilarious! But you now owe me a new keyboard. The coffee I spat out ruined the other one.

    • antiperspirant says:

      01:51pm | 02/06/10

      “ok name 10 lies from Rudd, real lies and not liberal spin, lies that he has actually told.”

      I will have a crack Rob.

      1. Being chucked off the farm by a cruel landlord and then being forced to live in the car.
      2. Promised to takeover hospitals.
      3. Keep petrol prices down
      4. Keep grocery prices down
      5. ETS…lets just say he hasn’t confronted “the greatest moral and economic challenge of our times”
      6. Err, end the “cancer” of government advertising, just look at Swan last night on the 7.30 report and tell me this is Liberal spin. Even Kezz the Red was laughing at the convolutions Swan got himself into.
      7. Turn back the boats
      8. Build 260 childcare centres.
      9.No changes to medicare rebates
      10.Not living at Kirribili House

      And of course we can go on but there is a quick list of 10 off the top of the head.

      All lies.

      All proven false meaning none of the promised action or event either has/had/will/might/is going to/is completed/is meaningfully the same as first discussed/looks likely or will ever be seen to be finalised.

      In other words all lies. All a joke. All form Rudd.

      I invite others to expand on this list. It is a fun game to be honest. Thanks Rob

    • Super D says:

      02:32pm | 02/06/10

      Ok Rob I’ll bite:

      1. Promised to end political advertising - LIE
      2. Promised to turn back the boats - LIE
      3. Promised not to means test the private healthcare rebate - LIE
      4. Promised to help the NSW government privatise electricity - LIE
      5. Promised to build housing for indigenous Australians in the NT - LIE
      6. Promised a referendum on health - LIE
      7. Promised to build childcare centres - LIE
      8. Promised action on climate change - LIE
      9. Promised to be an economic conservative - LIE
      10. Promised to govern for all Australians - LIE

      Overflow: Fuelwatch, Grocerywatch

      Didn’t even need google!

    • Rob r Charteris says:

      03:41pm | 02/06/10

      Super D says:02:32pm; Just a thought just waffle and spin with the odd so called back flip thrown in. Got anything of real substance, obviously not but I did give you a real chance but you failed

    • persephone says:

      03:44pm | 02/06/10

      Er, guys.

      The challenge was to name real lies, not Liberal party spin.

      I remind you that a ‘lie’ is something which you know is untrue when you said it, not a change of mind due to changing circumstances.

      A broken promise is not a ‘lie’ it is a broken promise.

      So with that in mind—-

      Mark

      1. Sorry, you’re lying about this one.
      2. No.
      3. Measures to do so knocked back by Senate.
      4. Attempted to deliver (therefore not a lie).
      5. Knocked back by Senate, still labor policy.
      6. Yes. Govt advertising massively reduced under govt, and no longer party political. (Read the actual ‘promise’ made).
      7.  Again, depends on intention at the time.
      8. The intention at the time was to do so. Changing circumstances.
      9.  Changing circumstances.
      10. No, because all PMs in recent times have lived at Kirribilli. The pledge was not to make it the PM’s primary residence.

      So no cigars there.

      SD:

      1. No, sorry, the lie is yours. Never any suggestion that govt advertising would end, which would be just silly. For example, no govt advertising means no advertising of govt jobs.
      2. See above.
      3. See above.
      4. Um, source unreliable. Certainly not a ‘lie’ to the Australian people.
      5. Er, no. Happening.
      6. No, sorry, you’re lying.
      7. See above.
      8. See above.
      9. Yes, and he is - it is an economic conservative notion that governments should spend to counter cyclically. Angela Merkel is an economic conservative, as was George W. B - they both borrowed heavily to mitigate the GFC.
      10. Well, that’s your opinion. If he believes that that’s what he’s doing, then that’s not a lie.

      And I’ve dealt with your overflow above, too.

    • H of SA says:

      04:02pm | 02/06/10

      To be fair on the lie about turning back the boats - history shows us that both leaders are lying about this.

      If you believe that any political leader will stop desperate people from arriving here by boat then you are either blessed or cursed by adult naivete that rivals that of children who believe in fairies.

      For those of you that advocate using the force of the navy…..see how Navy recruitmant fares when you tell applicants their duties will include using force against non-combatants.

      Lovers of either leader turning back the boats….tell em they’re dreaming

    • Grumbles says:

      05:01pm | 02/06/10

      If you’re going to label every lie as a good intention at the time, how about an example of one of Kevin’s good intentions, that actually became policy, that benefits the average Australian (therefore Saying Sorry and ratifying Kyoto don’t count at all)

      When will people with good intentions realize they are paving the way to hell?

    • Super D says:

      05:36pm | 02/06/10

      Persephone you really are hilarious.  Your rebuttals are just wrong on every point, particularly and most topically the first one.  Rudd absolutely promised to stop using taxpayer funds for political advertising, not to stop all government advertising.  Nice try at a straw man, unfortunately no one (except perhaps you) swallows ALP spin anymore and thats all you’re parroting.

      He’s not delivered anything on my list, not live up to his promises, hence rendering them lies.

      Sorry but this government is an abject failure on any objective estimation.  They talk a strong game but just can’t deliver on the spin.

    • Super D says:

      06:27pm | 02/06/10

      Just to correct the record I was wrong about the promise of a health referendum.  The promise was to fix the public hospital by June 30 2008 or take it over - which he hasn’t done.  The referendum threat only came this year when he threatened one if he didn’t get agreement on his new health reforms form the states - which he hasn’t (WA).  I’m guessing the passage of time will show this to be an empty threat which could well be considered a lie.

      My apologies for getting the two different undelivered health promises mixed up.

    • persephone says:

      06:45pm | 02/06/10

      ‘Not delivering’ and ‘lying’ are two different things, much though you’d like the definition of the word to change.

      I’ll stand by my list until you actually provide:

      (i) the verbatim quotes of the various ‘promises’;
      (ii) evidence which shows either (a) Rudd knew he was not going to be able to deliver on these at the time he said them or (b) evidence that he could deliver them if he wanted to but is just being ornery.

      Happy to provide evidence for any of my claims, but to save great big long replies, please nominate specifics.

    • Super D says:

      08:00pm | 02/06/10

      I take the view that an undelivered promise becomes a lie.  Perhaps when Kevin releases his memoirs he will describe his state of mind when he made the promises he subsequently didn’t deliver on.

    • persephone says:

      08:35pm | 02/06/10

      Super D

      good to see an admission of fault, but you’ve still got it wrong.

      Rudd said he would present the states with a series of reforms and that if they refused to sign up to them he would then take it to a referendum (which would be needed if they didn’t agree).

      The reforms were put on the table later than he expected, partly due to the GFC and partly due to the complexity of the task (Rudd apologised for this).

      All the states except WA signed up.

      Now he could (technically) have taken that to a referendum, but it would be a silly situation to ask all the states to vote as to whether one state should give up some of its health system responsibilities to the feds.

      So this one is a bit of a grey area.

      Again, it depends how hardline you want to play it.

      Should Rudd have come out with his health reforms last year, even though he knew that the details hadn’t been worked out properly, simply to keep his word?

      When the majority of the states signed up, should he have gone to the expense of a national referendum, just because one state didn’t?

      In both cases, commonsense says that it was better to break the strict letter of the ‘promise’.

    • Super D says:

      07:45am | 03/06/10

      So Rudd shouldn’t have rushed out his health reforms because he didn’t have all the detail worked out?  I couldn’t agree more.  I’m sure you would also agree that he shouldn’t have rushed out the economy destroying mining tax without working through the details either!

    • Adam Diver says:

      12:39pm | 03/06/10

      Perse you are at it again, fighting over details which seem strangely missing from most labor policies smile. Your description of a lie seems fair but totally unneccessary in this context. But to really apply your description on this debate mitigates Tony Abott from almost all of his lies as well. We will call this one a draw as both sides lose.

    • Steve says:

      07:34am | 02/06/10

      Of course there are two ways to compete in a foot race (1) you can strive to run faster or (2) you can foul up your opponent at every opportunity. The first strategy leads to the best outcome for the most people, the second gets very ugly and becomes a race to the bottom.

      Reply

    • Gary Cox says:

      07:48am | 02/06/10

      Ha. An Abbott-Brown Coalition. For starters Tony would be ‘threatened’ by Bob, and secondly… well I haven’t got time and you haven’t got room.

      Reply

    • OldGirl says:

      08:11am | 02/06/10

      Penbo can’t we just chuck the whole lot out and start again? we could pick up a few homelss people and give them the job and I am sure they would be less argumentative and might even actually do some work.

      Reply

    • Emma says:

      11:24am | 02/06/10

      I semi agree, not about the homeless but about chucking out the lot. The current option of voting for Mickey Mouse if you don’t like any of the candidates is not fair or democratic. Fair enough if it were only a handful of people but currently opinion colums everywhere are saying we don’t like Labour we don’t like liberal and that only leaves the nut job parties.
      I do like the idea of a national register where you can read an article about an issue informing you of the pros and cons and then vote on it. If Banks can do secure websites the government could do the same. That collective people vote could count as 1 vote in parliament when the politicians are deciding things.

    • Super D says:

      08:13am | 02/06/10

      Balderdash and Bunkim describes the governments misinformation campaign regarding their economy destroying mining tax.

      The ads claim that in 2000 - which was not a good year for the mining industry profitability wise - for every $3 in profits $1 was paid in royalties and fees.  This has now blown out to $1 in every $7 of profits.  This may or may not be true, the government has not shown the numbers on which these calculations are based.  Even if it is true it is irrelevant.  It is comparing apples with oranges and ignoring an elephant in the corner.

      Firstly royalties are calculated against volume or revenue.  They may either be a volume based charge of $x/tonne or and ad valorem x% of revenue.  To measure the level of royalties and charges as a percentage of revenue over time would be a meaningful statistic, to measure as a percentage of profits simply is not.

      The elephant in the room that the government has wilfully omited from its numbers is corporate income tax.  This is levied at 30% of profits.  Corporate tax as a percentage of profits over time would once again be a meaningful statistic.  It would vary over time due to depreciation associated with large capital expenditures.

      It is simply outrageous that the government is using a taxpayer funded information campaign to promote misinformation.  No wonder they had to bypass their own constraints.

      One other thing, in question time over the past few days the government has systematically attacked Clive Palmer.  Clive Palmer stands accused of no crime except disagreeing with the government and he is hardly alone on that front.  Why is he being singled out?  I would suggest its because the ALP focus groups have found its easy to paint a fat man as greedy.  Consider also the description of Joe Hockey as sloppy joe.  It seems to me that this government has something against the portly.  This never would have happened in Kim Beazley’s day!

      Reply

    • Rob r Charteris says:

      09:19am | 02/06/10

      I think Steve Ciobo when interviewed on AM Agenda let the cat out of the bag when he claimed BHP paid only 15 billion dollars in tax over the last 5 years saying that was a huge amount for a company to pay then later in the interview slipped the mining industry have made 100’s of billions…. 15 billion dollars didn’t sound so big anymore.

    • Poseidon Burke says:

      09:29am | 02/06/10

      Well it did happen in Beazley’s day in that the then Government branded Kim as lazy and lacking ticker as I recall which synched well with the proposition that his weight was the physical manifestation of his character flaws.

      Its a time honoured thing done by both parties and is common in a more primitive form in most school yards.

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      08:31am | 02/06/10

      Using ” the cancer on democracy ”  even if it ” stinks ”  has become acceptable to our pious P.M. as he faces a rising wave of disgust from the electorate.  It seems his high moral stand against using taxpayer dollars to fund political advertising was ” balderdash ”  and ” a fair shake of the sauce bottle ” is just a load of ” bunkum “.    Hmmmm ?

      Reply

    • nosthow says:

      08:50am | 02/06/10

      Great stratergy by Rudd Penbo - Abbott trued to get on side with the electors by telling them he tells lies but as the polls show that fell flat - they already knew that !
      Rudd government on course to win this election and take Tony off to a long overdue retirement - time all the old Howard clan gave it up. Andrews, the Bishop woem, Tuckey, Hockey and uncle Tom coblers and all - retirement looming chaps !

      Reply

    • fehowarth says:

      08:55am | 02/06/10

      You can watch Question Time and Parliament as well as the committee hearings all day on the web.  I suggest that the best of Question Time is after it goes off air on the TV.  Committee hearings can be boring but the often show the true characters and worth of many of our politicians.  Taking the time to view on line ensures that you know what occurred, not the media’s version.  The downside is the anger that sometimes occurs watching the later inaccurate reports of parliament events in the later newscasts.

      Reply

    • Tails says:

      09:01am | 02/06/10

      I look forward to the reintroduction of the following: Hooey, piffle and poppycock. Turrah!

      Reply

    • More says:

      11:53am | 02/06/10

      I can’t wait for Huzzah and jezebel bring back the old shakespearean (apologies for spelling) insults
      “Sweep on, you fat and greasy citizens” from As you like it, could refer to the current obesity epidemic
      “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” Macbeth - Used by each leader to insult the other at every policy announcement.
      “You whoreson cullionly barbermonger” - King Lear;  Insults for Question Time.

      Just a thought

    • persephone says:

      03:46pm | 02/06/10

      I’m personally fond of ‘Egad!’

    • Rob r Charteris says:

      09:26am | 02/06/10

      Super D says:08:13am; didn’t Clive palmer over the weekend claim he was paying 70 percent tax, maybe he’s copying Abbott and it wasn’t written down and/or scripted. With him running around WA no wonder Indonesia is suffering from continual earthquakes.

      Reply

    • Willy_K says:

      10:06am | 02/06/10

      Krudd was actually laughing at that press conference too - the grub just doesn’t get it.

      Remember when he was sworn in?...  He said to media he was “feeling chipper”.

      The bloke is a deadset uber-nerd.  A rolled-gold odd ball.

      Reply

    • Denis Ives says:

      10:15am | 02/06/10

      The Rudd Government advertising campaign about the proposed RSPT raises some serious governance and ethical questions of national significance.  No legislation about this tax has been passed.  Legislative proposals have not even been introduced into the Parliament and it is now clear that legislation will not be introduced before the forthcoming election.  The RSPT is therefore no more than an election policy proposal.  Why are we as taxpayers paying for an advertising campaign to promote an ALP election policy proposal? That doesn’t seem right to me, and I would think, to many other Australians.

      Reply

    • Jane says:

      12:01pm | 02/06/10

      Absolutely spot on Denis….and the main differentiation that seems to be ignored.
      The GST and ‘Workchoices’ were already legislated, massive new changes effecting everyone and needed infomercials. The extra infomercials for ‘Workchoices’ needen’t have been so neccessary had the Unions not hit the election campaign with a massive DISinformation and lies campaign to the tune of $40m that legitimately had to be negated.

      This ad campaign for a ‘new policy idea’ only was being worked on weeks before and miners ads were thought about..before the new tax proposal was even announced.

      Unions paid for their last campaign…tax payers for this.

      Lying, deceiving Labor - “Whatever it takes”

    • Rob r Charteris says:

      12:08pm | 02/06/10

      Denis Ives says:10:15am; So your saying that the Rudd government should be condemned for not following the unethical standards of the Liberal party….lol nice one champ

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      12:45pm | 02/06/10

      Dennis Ives : Ethical Questions indeed ! 
      ” Why are we as taxpayers paying for an advertising campaign to promote an election policy proposal ? ” 
      It isn’t right Dennis. This excuse for a P.M. railed at his predecessor prior to the last election , claiming he would never use taxpayers funds to blatantly campaign for the A.L.P. It was an out and out lie. !
      In fact , the advertising has been brought forward to maximise impact prior to the election . ( see interview by Kerry O’Brien and Treasurer Swan on the A.B.C.‘s 7.30 Report 01/06/10)  What a bunch of slimy slugs we have posing as a government.

    • John A Neve says:

      01:28pm | 02/06/10

      Wayne,
      You are bending the truth again!! This is not “an election policy proposal”, it is explaining prefered government policy.

      To the best of my knowledge there is no election, just wishfull thinking on your part.

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      05:42pm | 02/06/10

      John Neve :  Now that is a play on words if ever there was one .
      What is the differrence between an ” election policy proposal ”  and ” preferred government policy. ”  ?
      Don’t be daft John !  There is no existing legislation before the House ,
      nor has it been drafted . !  The govt. knows the election date and that is why they brought forward the timing of the ads. , to get maximum taxpayer funded campaign coverage for their election policy proposal.
      Your comment makes you look rather silly in trying to defend what you know is an act of hypocrisy on Rudd’s part . He is not a Prime Minister’s bootlace.

    • Bob H says:

      10:40am | 02/06/10

      Rudd is an ex diplomat, and in that historical re-enactment society, mimicking early 1900s english private school behaviour is compulsory.  He is a master at having a disdainful sneer on hand when dealing with us pezzies and he even had a butler!!!!

      Reply

    • harry says:

      11:11am | 02/06/10

      how on earth is there such a dearth of talent at the top?

      what odds of a hockey-turnbull ticket to the next election? who cares how able they are really - relatively likeable fellows, relatively politically unscathed, and couldn’t possibly be more incompetent than the rest of the current crop.

      best of a terrible lot in my opinion.

      Reply

    • H of SA says:

      02:59pm | 02/06/10

      I tend to agree with you Harry. Spare a thought for Turnbull – just about the only guy in the room who is not some hack who got their due to “service to the party” and constantly being told he must show “patience” with those around him to succeed. A successful man sent out to work alongside the factions…..poor guy

      Or for Hockey, asked in front of his colleagues “What the F*** do you stand for Joe?” by Abbott prior to the leadership ballot - then handballed the budjet reply and being fed to the press club. His ability to be loyal in public astounds me.

      The two of them would get my vote if they took over the leadership. But I don’t think it will happen.

    • Anjuli says:

      11:21am | 02/06/10

      I have come to the conclusion that every time Rudd touches his glasses while speaking he is going to tell a lie or a half truth.As for his use of the English language he murders it.

      Reply

    • Andrew says:

      02:00pm | 02/06/10

      I to have noticed some of Rudd’s telltale signs that he is about to tell a lie, firstly he opens his mouth and secondly he begins to speak, generally a lie follows.

    • Luke says:

      02:02pm | 02/06/10

      Lol…Abbot- Brown…
      Together in government!
      What are we… England?

      Reply

    • Emma says:

      02:20pm | 02/06/10

      Why do the parties get to pick their own leader? That is not very democratic either

      Reply

    • JR says:

      03:51pm | 02/06/10

      Because the Prime Minister actually has no more power than any other MP in terms of the constitution (dont think a Prime Minister is even mentioned). They have no special power of veto like an American President, and their vote still only counts as one. They are no more important than any other MP (in terms of the constitution). What has given them their (in reality quite limited) power is the party system, not our system of governement.

    • Hot 4 Punch says:

      03:40pm | 02/06/10

      One of the things I love about The Punch is you don’t mind dothing thy hats to the competition from time to time. With the devine Ms Grattan always worth a read, I am glad you’re happy to quote her.

      Credible, witty, young, popular., punchy (of course).  I wonder if I can start dating The Punch?

      Hmm

      Reply

    • H of SA says:

      04:28pm | 02/06/10

      Also knowledgable enough about botique beer to occasionally tell me about new ones…..yes it would be a fine woman. But sorry Punch I’m spoken for, and you might not like my beard….particularly you Penbo

 
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From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go

Tim says:

They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]

From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go

Kel says:

If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]

Light weight

Gentle jabs to the ribs

Superman needs saving

Superman needs saving

Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more

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