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Punch on: Open thread 01/02/2011

Lucy Kippist

by Lucy Kippist

01 Feb 05:00am

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Filed under: Boris Yeltsin, Cold War, George Bush, Open Thread

23 comments

George Bush and Boris Yeltsin signed a joint statement that symbolised the end of the Cold War today in 1992.

Not exactly sure what they are doing in this picture. Photo: AFP.

It’s Tuesday at The Punch. What’s on your mind? Share it here.

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23 comments

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    • acotrel says:

      06:36am | 01/02/11

      Before the Cold War was concluded, anyone raising even legitimate concerns in our democracy, was in danger of being labelled a ‘pinko’!  Thanks to the catholic church for causing the wall to collapse! Now we can have genuine participation!

      Reply

    • ian f says:

      06:53am | 01/02/11

      I worry that our future as a peaceful nation is being compromised by both sides of politics. Its not about skin colour its about the ability and the willingness to assimilate to the Australian way of life.  I look at the UK and terror raids are now a monthly occurrence and it doesn’t seem our politicians and media take it seriously that this is most likely our future.
      In the weeks leading up to Xmas 12 men were taken into custody as they prepared for a Mumbai style attack on Xmas shoppers across the UK. And in the same week a budding actress was badly beaten by her Moslem family for dating a Hindu. She has since gone into hiding under death threats.
      I really wish our leaders would pay serious attention to our immigration policys, but maybe its too late here also. We have Afghan asylum seekers now citizens taking down Australian flags and destroying them and pressuring Mosques to preach Jihad now.

      Reply

    • TChong says:

      08:56am | 01/02/11

      Yes ian f, be afraid, very afraid, cause theyre coming after YOU.
      12 men have been to trial, ,found guilty? Like Haneef?
      Which Afghan asylum seekers? are removing which flags?
      All of them?
      Were they speaking as one group, or just individuals mouthing off?
      Give it a rest ian.
      BTW ian -jihad means crusade,  just like Billy Grahams, and sundry other christian evangelists.

    • iain f says:

      09:54am | 01/02/11

      mr chong have you been to europe ever, i go every 12 to 18 months and will be in paris, hamburg, rome and London through may/ june this year. non assimilation is a major problem throughout all of the major cities in europe. its started to happen here in melbourne and sydney but thankfully not to the extremes yet. and the Jihad i talk about is a crusade against western culture this was brought to my attention about 2 years ago by Imam ziyad of the gold coast. And he had to stop flying our flag exept on special occasions like australia day where it is protected from vandalism.

    • MarK says:

      06:59am | 01/02/11

      So Gillard and Conroy both lost chief of staff.

      Labor seem to turn over key staff at a rapid rate. Lots of family reasons for the turnover.

      Hmmmm.

      Reply

    • Eno The Wonderdog says:

      10:14am | 01/02/11

      ROFL!! Somone’s waiting for Polly-ticks Season!

    • acotrel says:

      02:37pm | 01/02/11

      I thought we would have left Tony Abbott in the lasr decade.  It seems we are to have a continuation of this depressing garbage?

    • Kebabpete says:

      07:36am | 01/02/11

      Why is it that I’ve worked hard, paid my taxes, donated generously to the flood relief, spent my money in order to keep the national economy ticking over, and yet because I earn a good wage I am going to have to pay a Flood Tax?

      Surely the extra tax generated from the ridiculous price of fuel at the moment could cover any emergency relief funding. Retail price this morning of 143.9c/l, which equates to approx $29 in tax (on a 55l tank). At the pre xmas price of 124.9c/l its approx $27 in tax. That’s $2/tank or roughly $2/wk extra they are making out of me now. And for what? The price of crude oil is actually still trading at around $90/barrel, the same as it has for months.

      If just offering to add taxes to everything, and sounding like a cashed up bogan on the international stage is all it takes to be PM then maybe I might give it a crack. Couldn’t be that hard.

      Reply

    • fairsfair says:

      09:03am | 01/02/11

      KP, I agree with some of your thoughts in that there are other ways. I don’t earn enough to pay the levy and I don’t think that right. If it is going to apply to some, it should apply to all - including those directly affected and those who earn $32000 a year. It is not fair that only the middle to high income people are the ones who shoulder the brunt of this. Also - yes, federal infrastructure has been damaged, but I am sure most of it is state. I think it is good that the federal govt is assisting where possible and knowing that it would do so to any state makes it seem less rediculous - but shouldn’t some of the focus also be on the poor economic form of the QLD state govt? Where is their natural disaster contingency - it must be there, but nobody is talking about its size or lack there of. We have just had a massive assets sell off and where has that money gone? Can’t debt payments and grasps as surpluses be delayed? Yes, being in so much debt is bad - but in a situation like this, it is required (poor management of the money they already get from us aside).

      I think the problem is that we struggle to comprehend the values that are bandied about in modern times. $43b here, $5b there hundreds of millions here. As individuals we simply cannot grasp how much money that is. How many Hyundai Getz would that buy or hospitals would it build. Values are never delivered to us with perspective.  For that reason I am finding it a bit hard to understand how $1.8b can’t be pulled out of somewhere when it seems like such a small amount in the scheme of things.

      WTF do they plan to do if Yasi lands at a major centre and causes Larry type damage in a more densely populated areas? It will do worse damage than flooding and there are 120000 people in Cairns and more in Townsville crammed into only a few suburb range of Brisbane/Sydney. I hope to hell it doesn’t eventuate, but where are they going to get the money to pay for this?

    • Kebabpete says:

      10:32am | 01/02/11

      @Fairsfair, couldnt agree more with the poor economic form in QLD. Cyclones and floods happen every bloody summer and yet they have no contingency for it. Anna Bligh has been praised for her response and effort during the flood. But one good deed in years of bad management does not make her worth voting back in. She’s sold everything and blown all the money. Crying on TV doesn’t give people back their house.

      Where’s the money from the sale of QR gone? That was supposed to raise billions!

    • Adam Diver says:

      08:40am | 01/02/11

      I am sick of the line “its only a dollar a week for most families” in regards to the levy. We are taxed at 27% of our GDP which means the various levels of government take over a quarter of all the money generated in the economy (which is actually quite low by OECD standards).

      But I don’t care about comparisons with other countries, I find it sickining with an annual budget of over 300 billion a year we cant even afford to rebuild after a natural disaster. Its gross mismanagement of funds and far too much beauracracy wasting what is hard earned money to the tax paying public.

      When the current government waste 1 billion fixing up a stupid policy (insulation) we dont really give it much thought its just a number. But for 1 million I would never have to work another day in my life. This one administration error could equate to the working life of 1000 people and no-one is held accountable. Thats 30,000+ years of full time work wasted and not only did the person responsible not lose their job, the party responsible didn’t even lose power.

      Partisan media need to have a good hard look at themselves, I don’t care what you think of the opposition, our governments need to be held to account, if we have to trade parties every 3 years until we get what we want, so be it.

      1000 media managers helps no-one in society other than the politicians themselves and we are all paying for it.

      Reply

    • fairsfair says:

      08:42am | 01/02/11

      http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml

      Going to be an interesting day :( It is starting to track more generally west which is certainly not what it was doing yesterday. Local radio is still reporting it crossing the coast between Townsville and Mackay - not what BOM says and in light of my comment yesterday still has be scratching my head as to what they do and don’t report.

      Send good thoughts our way punchers and pray Yasi does a U-ey!

      Reply

    • The Badger says:

      02:19pm | 01/02/11

      Batten down the hatch fairsfair, looks like it’s heading straight for you.

      Be safe, find one of those WW2 bunkers up in the hills.

    • fairsfair says:

      07:26pm | 01/02/11

      Thanks Badge. I just got home from helping my parents tie down their stuff and I am not sorted also. I am just south of Cairns and it looks to be headed right for my town. Slightly worried, but all packed up, car filled with petrol, bath filled with water (I even cleaned it first!) important docs in a box and a bag packed. Not much more we can do I suppose. Thankfully our buildings are built for it and we are as prepared as we can be. Your right though - but perhaps should have left for Mt Isa this morning!

    • Eno The Wonderdog says:

      10:20am | 01/02/11

      I’ve been noticing more and more pent up anger in the regulars here in Punch-ville. Every little thing sparks off reams of argument all getting more and more rabid. It’s just like the pre-season nerves for footy season!

      Are we just getting would up waiting for our Question Time Barracking and “Making fun of everyone” sessions?? I think so!!

      Btw = C’Arn the Reds!

      Reply

    • Edward James says:

      11:42am | 01/02/11

      I have been “at it for over ten years”  Eno, what you point out is a sad reflection on me not being up to getting the message across.  I have paid for over forty full page ads,  written more than fifty thousand words. Plus around twenty published comments each week on internet sites like the PUNCH. I back my published allegations up with instructive photos. I put my full name and sometimes even include my phone number. The money i spend on advertising I could be sitting under the shade of a palm tree reading a book. But I believe it is worth the effort to try and pull the political weeds from our garden bed of democracy. I feel sad you feel people who cry out for honest open government are rabid but I understand we may seem to be like that.  Because most people while they have an opinion they are not willing to actually stand outside NSW parliament for well over four hundred days seeking honest open government. I believe i was the only protester doing my thing outside NSW parliament on new years eve with protest signs. Personally I don’t believe i am “rabid ”  but I am know in some circles as the Gosford foghorn. Cheers Edward James 0243419140

    • Mitch says:

      02:36pm | 01/02/11

      I am strictly right wing and of course I voted Liberal in the last election. I also am originally from Port Macquarie and have voted for Rob Oakeshott in the past (so I’m a little disappointed with him). But the truth is I believe that the ALP and the LNP both currently have a dismal lineup. Gillard’s doing a poor job and I don’t think Abbott could run this country well either. I think his religious values cloud his judgement at times but I would like to think that his Liberal fundamentals would pull through and deliver something of worth.

      I know most would disagree with me, but I’d like to see Turnbull in power. Yeah, he’s a bit of a knob and I think he made a fool of himself during the “utegate” non-scandal but don’t forget that he got the boot for the same reason as Rudd - he was too “out of touch” with the (swinging) voters. They were worthy adversaries.
      But do you think Apple CEO Steve Jobs would be “in touch” with the public? He is very rich, and he is so because he has managed the finances of large companies as well as his own very well. This is how I see Turnbull.
      I would like to see a personally successful person take power and run the government like a business. Stop wasting money, use it efficiently so you can cut taxes and give it back to the shareholders (you and me) like dividends. Place commercial pressure on suppliers (rip-off retailers) to adjust their pricing if they want to do business with you. Cut ineffective schemes that do not deliver rewards and deliver surpluses that can be held for emergencies or divided up amongst the shareholders.
      Of course I am not saying that the government should cancel schemes just because they don’t make any money on them. It is not a governments job to make money. Its job is to look after its country’s people and I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on any services under such a system.

      I just want more bang for my buck.

      Reply

    • Eno the Wonderdog says:

      07:19pm | 01/02/11

      I’m a leftie - but I actually wouldn’t mind your lot being in power if the ‘liberal’ Liberal side of the party held the cards. We had a bloke up here (Swinger Seat) that said “Geez I hope not” when I asked him if the libs were gonna dump Turnbull for Abbott.  Unfortunately the “Conservatives” that are running the Libs now are totally unpalateable up here and he was voted out..

    • NicoleG says:

      07:54pm | 01/02/11

      fairsfair, please stay safe. I’ve been thinking of you. Let us know if you’re ok. I’m worried about you…...

      Reply

    • fairsfair says:

      08:41pm | 01/02/11

      Thanks NicoleG - haven’t heard from you in ages - hope all is well smile
      I shall keep you posted as best possible and will see if I can take some photos for Lucy. I have decided to go to my parent’s house tomorrow as though it is right where the cyclone is to hit their house is stronger than mine so I think it will be safer. Cyclones usually pass wthin a couple of hours (the worst of larry was about 3 hours and we were on the edge of it) but they are telling us to prepare for anything up to a 24 hour event of winds at 200oddkm/hr. It is four times the size and moving slower. OMG. Shall keep you posted and trying to stay positive!

    • Sam Chowder says:

      09:48pm | 01/02/11

      Can you imagine being invited to a party that had Boris and Berlusconi together.

      Reply

    • Cement says:

      08:46am | 02/02/11

      <font color=”green”>How did you go fairsfair. Did the Cylcone touch down yet?</font>

      Reply

    • guenstige flugreisen says:

      03:57pm | 15/02/11

      Carry No-one,imagine represent better to success writing comment selection gun mark round out charge fit offence hair park emphasis institution in good disease partner refuse decision down slightly average total parliament official deal care various promote technical shut order chapter income narrow finance my extra stop weapon wait pool properly possibly west illustrate pool condition follow college every else turn factory middle county keep noise interesting love search computer we dark western decade the capable below news request care particularly fine usually liability several call advice appropriate reject doctor sequence hit sport main river satisfy fish

      Reply
 
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