http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/honesty/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/brutal-honesty-is-always-the-best-policy/ Dear god, please make more people like Sacha Baron Cohen. One of those rare human beings who goes through life with his filter firmly switched to “off.” He says what he thinks, when he thinks it. It’s off the cuff, astute and very, very funny. The world needs more people like that. Go easy on the lewdness though, because watching two grown men wrestling in the nude is not to everyone’s taste. Sacha Baron Cohen is the legend of the one-liner. Cast your eye over his advice for leaders, given in full costume upon his arrival at Sydney Airport yesterday, to get a feel for what he does. Explaining it is a bit trickier. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/brutal-honesty-is-always-the-best-policy/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/brutal-honesty-is-always-the-best-policy/#item8389 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Remember when Julia Gillard stood shoulder to shoulder with her two new allies in Government Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor and they declared, hand on heart, that this was the beginning of a new era in accountability? A new paradigm, in fact. Hard to believe it was just on 18 months ago that the Labor PM said that her deal with the Independents meant her minority government would be held to higher standards of accountability. “So let’s draw back the curtains and let the sun shine in, let our Parliament be more open than it was before,” she declared with flourish. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Aint-no-sunshine-when-shes-governing/ Remember when Julia Gillard stood shoulder to shoulder with her two new allies in Government Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor and they declared, hand on heart, that this was the beginning of a new era in accountability? A new paradigm, in fact. Hard to believe it was just on 18 months ago that the Labor PM said that her deal with the Independents meant her minority government would be held to higher standards of accountability. “So let’s draw back the curtains and let the sun shine in, let our Parliament be more open than it was before,” she declared with flourish. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Aint-no-sunshine-when-shes-governing/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Aint-no-sunshine-when-shes-governing/#item8252 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Remember when Julia Gillard stood shoulder to shoulder with her two new allies in Government Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor and they declared, hand on heart, that this was the beginning of a new era in accountability? A new paradigm, in fact. Hard to believe it was just on 18 months ago that the Labor PM said that her deal with the Independents meant her minority government would be held to higher standards of accountability. “So let’s draw back the curtains and let the sun shine in, let our Parliament be more open than it was before,” she declared with flourish. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/even-in-politics-it-has-always-been-a-matter-of-trust/ It is hard to argue against the fact that Australian politics is currently in disarray. What we have are two major parties that spend more time formulating insults to hurl at each other than negotiating decent policy outcomes. While Australian politics has always been adversarial – a direct result of our Westminster system – good policy outcomes have often risen above party politics. There are many examples that highlight this: from the opening up of the Australian economy in the 1980s, to John Howard’s gun reforms in the 1990s, and the joint response to the HIV/AIDS crisis as a health issue rather than a moral panic. Each one of these went beyond party politics as the two major parties ‘trusted’ each other’s intentions. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/even-in-politics-it-has-always-been-a-matter-of-trust/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/even-in-politics-it-has-always-been-a-matter-of-trust/#item8195 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Remember when Julia Gillard stood shoulder to shoulder with her two new allies in Government Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor and they declared, hand on heart, that this was the beginning of a new era in accountability? A new paradigm, in fact. Hard to believe it was just on 18 months ago that the Labor PM said that her deal with the Independents meant her minority government would be held to higher standards of accountability. “So let’s draw back the curtains and let the sun shine in, let our Parliament be more open than it was before,” she declared with flourish. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/take-off-your-boozing-beer-goggles-and-admit-the-truth/ Research released this week by the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR) shows that 95 per cent of people are unable to correctly identify safe alcohol drinking levels. This suggests that only a small minority of Australians is aware of or concerned about short- and long-term harms associated with excessive and prolonged drinking. Not only are people ignorant of the risks, they are reluctant to be honest about how much they drink – with themselves, their family and friends, and with their doctor. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/take-off-your-boozing-beer-goggles-and-admit-the-truth/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/take-off-your-boozing-beer-goggles-and-admit-the-truth/#item7954 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Remember when Julia Gillard stood shoulder to shoulder with her two new allies in Government Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor and they declared, hand on heart, that this was the beginning of a new era in accountability? A new paradigm, in fact. Hard to believe it was just on 18 months ago that the Labor PM said that her deal with the Independents meant her minority government would be held to higher standards of accountability. “So let’s draw back the curtains and let the sun shine in, let our Parliament be more open than it was before,” she declared with flourish. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Friday-dilemma-is-cash-on-a-casino-floor-fair-gaming/ A 22 year refrigeration mechanic walks into a casino… and what happens next defies belief. (You can read all about it here.) First, he finds $200 bucks on the floor. This in itself is remarkable. Have you ever been to a casino? There are starving seagulls who swoop on chips slower than gamblers dive for loose cash in one of those hell-holes. Anyway, the guys picks up the cash and before he knows it he’s in a holding cell for three hours. Next thing he knows, a magistrate slaps him with a $500 fine, plus court costs. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Friday-dilemma-is-cash-on-a-casino-floor-fair-gaming/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Friday-dilemma-is-cash-on-a-casino-floor-fair-gaming/#item6436 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Remember when Julia Gillard stood shoulder to shoulder with her two new allies in Government Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor and they declared, hand on heart, that this was the beginning of a new era in accountability? A new paradigm, in fact. Hard to believe it was just on 18 months ago that the Labor PM said that her deal with the Independents meant her minority government would be held to higher standards of accountability. “So let’s draw back the curtains and let the sun shine in, let our Parliament be more open than it was before,” she declared with flourish. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Nobodys-perfect/ Certain flaws are necessary for the whole.  It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks.  ~ Goethe It’s amazing how you can carry something around with you. Tic-tac teeth for instance. A number of years ago somebody referred to me as tic-tac teeth on National television and since that point I’ve carried the comment everywhere I’ve gone. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Nobodys-perfect/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Nobodys-perfect/#item2250 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Remember when Julia Gillard stood shoulder to shoulder with her two new allies in Government Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor and they declared, hand on heart, that this was the beginning of a new era in accountability? A new paradigm, in fact. Hard to believe it was just on 18 months ago that the Labor PM said that her deal with the Independents meant her minority government would be held to higher standards of accountability. “So let’s draw back the curtains and let the sun shine in, let our Parliament be more open than it was before,” she declared with flourish.