BLOG: Beware Boadicea Gillard and her gang of Greens!
IN a forum of this nature, perhaps it is never a good idea to display one's political leanings overtly or forcefully or display partisan, opinionated leanings in any way, but as yours truly submits all his treatises and opinion pieces from the safe haven of a pseudonym, that basic rule of etiquette can therefore be dispensed with. Doubtlessly, like most of you, dear readers, I find politics (and its protagonists) relentlessly depressing, as it is a sphere occupied, for the most part, by cloying, nausea-inducing, narcissistic, devious, deceitful dropkicks who are, for the most part, as capable of securing proper, meaningful employment as Tahiti is of fielding an Olympic-winning bobsleigh team.
By and large, The Skipper usually regards politicians the way the British view the French (and vice versa): irritating, pathetically offensive, posturing and full of histrionic, arm-waving (but ultimately ineffective) hyperbole and inflammatory invective. This is why they (politicians; not necessarily the French and the British!) are best left to their own devices and regarded as lepers – alright in their own colonies but keep the hell away from people who don’t want to become infected. All of which brings us, dear reader, to the forthcoming election…..
As Bob Hope once remarked of a looming US contest between Reagan and – I think – Walter Mondale: “Whoever wins, it’ll be the evil of two lessers.” We have the thrilling spectacle of Gillard versus Abbott to look forward to – the Boadicea of the empty fruit bowl versus the Stan Laurel of the Northern Beaches. Two extremist zealots who understand what makes ordinary people tick the way George W. Bush understood the Arab psyche. But, despite the fact that Abbott perennially looks like a befuddled lay preacher who has blundered into the practical-demonstration session of an S & M convention, The Skipper will be voting for the Coalition. Read on and you’ll see why….
Just by way of setting the scene, anybody living in the Sydney area would be acutely aware of a totally unreconstructed, addled, myopic, spoilsport Green MP by the name of Lee Rhiannon, a Luddite and a NIMBY of the worst sort and an out-and-out “water melon” – someone who is green on the exterior but thoroughly red on the inside. The sort of person who, now that Communism has been shown to be as successful as a tofu take-away stall at a rodeo, has fervently embraced the environment as her sole raison d’etre. If you are (or were) an importer, retailer or user of personal watercraft, then this woman is to you what Enola Gay was to Hiroshima. For whatever reason, Bob Carr (a man who doesn’t even have a car driver’s licence and who has demonstrated as much love for the internal combustion engine as the French Navy did for the Rainbow Warrior) ended up needing the support of this painful, sanctimonious, self-important Rhiannon woman to stay in power some years ago and one of the results of this nefarious pact was that PWCs were banned from Sydney Harbour – a reprehensible, egregious act from which, arguably, that segment of the industry has never recovered.
If you have given the newspapers and news websites even a cursory glance this week, you will see that Boadicea and Bob Brown (Tasmania’s very own Ralph Nader) are cosying up to each other in relation to preference deals in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. One Labor apparatchik actually ventured the darkly portentous, ominous opinion: “We really need them (the Greens) this time.” If you are involved in the marine industry (particularly in the sale of any craft utilizing internal combustion engines), then hear this: “BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID!” It’s not so much the Green Party per se; it’s the rabid, irrational, frenzied fanatics on the sidelines - the peripheral groups of fervid, ascetic, pleasure-forswearing killjoys who will slowly, cunningly, deviously and insidiously peddle their cant and doctrine and who are just waiting patiently and salivating at the very thought of all the fishing areas they’re going to close and all the marine parks and “preservation areas” they’re going to create. And although the lunatic fringe greenies are as big as a danger as a loaded revolver with a sawn-off firing pin, a hair trigger and a chamber full of hollow-point explosive bullets rammed down the front of your shorts, don’t forget the current “danger within”. That moribund, moronic, maladroit galoot Garrett has called for a moratorium on all submissions regarding closure of the Coral Sea. Oh, is that right? What he didn’t say, but what is hanging palpably in the air like fallout from an explosion in a nuclear reactor, is the phrase “…..until after the election”.
Yes, dear readers, politicians are sources of ridicule, mirth and amusement but the unfortunate thing is that they form governments. We live, of course, in a democracy and it would be presumptuous and exceedingly arrogant of The Skipper to influence or dictate what way an intelligent person should vote. However, I have a pronounced, sickening feeling – a portent of doom and an impending sense of cataclysmic, irreparable, terminal destruction, actually – about the irreversible mortal damage that will befall our industry, our people and our livelihoods should Labor secure power on the back of Green support. As history has shown, there is no group more rapidly eager to call in a favour or invoke a desperately proffered quid pro quo than politicians, particularly politicians from marginal, non-mainstream, extreme and off-the-wall groupings. So vote as you see fit, dear reader, for whom you like, but vote with the wellbeing of your staff, your customers, your families and your competitors (actually your comrades in arms!) foremost in your mind.
The last thing any of us wants is to try to sell products that could eventually become as ignorantly maligned and as socially unacceptable as tobacco. You think I’m joking? Give the Greens any say whatsoever on August 21st and watch the “For Sale” signs start to appear on marine dealerships along the entire length of the eastern seaboard.
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reader comments
***Abbott's polling is not that much better*** What? The Lib/Nat coalition are four points behind the Labor/Green coalition, and Abbott is a real contender for our next PM.
Andy from the CJ on 27-Jul-10 12:28 AM
There are some good comments here. Australia needs some old fashioned economic, work hard - spend less, get off your arse and spare the bullshit leadership. Abbott should campaign as a proud economic conservative; after all Julia Gillard and Rudd before her tried to. Australia needs a hard bastard in the job that will take on the welfare state, drag off all the vested interests sucking on the public tit. Shut every wanker up about emissions in one swoop by converting 50 percent of base load electricity generation to nuclear - problem solved. Get rid of ALL income tax while you’re at it and have a 20% GST - that's it. No income tax returns, no tax dodgers, no tax accountants and no tax department. Less government, less welfare (especially middle class), more enterprise, more innovation, more wealth. Oh. Also. Lets stop propping up the giant, over inflated asset bubble called the Australian residential property market. Let it fall for gods sake. Far too much of our money is locked up in debt to banks as mortgages and speculative value in shelter. NEW FLASH: HOMES ARE COMMODITIES not real wealth generating assets. End of rant.
Tom J on 23-Jul-10 11:18 AM
Andy from CJ , So what ? Abbott's polling is not that much better, and the situtation that I have outlined with environmental policy still exists.. Lets face it ,a EST was first proposed in 1975. Thirty five years later no one has come up with a better alternative. Seventeen states in the USA have introduced it including the Republican adminstration in California. Countries through the world have introduced it. Abbott says he will come up with an alternative when he gets the time. Get real.
Brian on 22-Jul-10 09:12 PM
***Bring back Turnbull and the Liberals have my vote*** Brian, a reality check: Nielsen polls had Turnbull with a 60% disapproval rating in July 2009. Ditching him was the best thing the Liberals have done since the last election.
Andy from the CJ on 22-Jul-10 06:48 PM
I am not sure that we would expect anything better from the Liberals if they win this election. They would still have to compromise with the Greens to get any non environmental legislation through the Senate, otherwise Australia will stand still for 3 years. The big mistake that the Liberals made was to get rid of Turnbull, and stop the EST. The EST legislation was virtually what Howard took to the last election. Labour and Liberal voters supported it. Abbott reniged on it, which means now that any envoronmental legislation passed by the Senate will be with the Greens support whoever wins. Industry ,which is crying out for a firm position so that it can invest for the future, wll look back on Abbott and the sitution missed for ever, and the name Mad Monk will stay for ever. Bring back Turnbull and the Liberals have my vote. Trouble is the Australian people like him but the Liberal MP's hate him.What a mess.He just got there by one vote in te Party room.If Labour wins then any environmental legislation, passed with their support, will be different. I beleive that there has to be a price on carbon. We are a capitalist economy and only money counts. Business and consumers will only respond when hit in the pocket. As I say what an opportunity missed for selfish political reasons.
Brian on 22-Jul-10 04:12 PM
***compare the political clout of the Boating Industry with the big three of mining*** Agreed. Boaters and anglers have twice the voting numbers of the miners, but unfortunately our side's infested with compromisers. That's why Labor's so confident they can trample on our interests. Hopefully the fence sitters will be out numbered by the activists, like they were with the mako issue.
Andy from the CJ on 22-Jul-10 12:57 PM
Thanks, Brian. Totally agree. If we're going to say something, we need focus, direction and discipline - not different industry elements going off half-cocked. At the risk of sounding like a paranoid crank, though, we need to seriously realise that a Labor/Green carve-up will spell the certain end of many of the activities taken for granted by those of us who take to the water. You only need to look at what happened in countries like Switzerand and Germany, where the Greens managed to throw their weight around. These people viscerally resent others having disposable income to spend on "the trappings of decadence" such as fossil-fuelled leisure products. They are still reeling from the tumbling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 which resolutely marked the end of Communism and they have now channelled that irrational fervour into being self-appointed guardians of the planet. Anybody who sells an outboard, a lifejacket or even a fishing hook needs to grasp that we are in a fight for our very survival.
The Skipper on 22-Jul-10 12:49 PM
I do not think Oscar Wylde in his Wyldest ways would compare the political clout of the Boating Industry with the big three of mining, even including BBC.
Brian on 22-Jul-10 11:30 AM
***If a industry lobby group is ultra right wing,then they will be totally ineffective half the time*** Uh huh. The mining industry forced Labor into a humiliating backdown by going hard in defense of their own interests, Brian. Be careful when you're sitting on the fence? You might get nothing but splinters.
Andy from the CJ on 22-Jul-10 11:14 AM
You are right Skipper. Thanks for the info about yourself. No offence meant.Yes the Greens are a problem. The point I raise is about opposing them in the most effective way. We have to do better by being smarter, and better informed, and by keeping the boating and rec fishing community correctly informed.The Boating press has a role to play.My observations of magazines of late is that most articles are great but the editorials, when judged by the quality of editorials in overseas magazines, are far too political, and often show a lack of research through mis-stating the facts . I know research takes time and that monthly editorial comes around all too fast,however many editorials seem to me to reflect a desperate attempt to say something or anything to get to print on time.
Brian on 22-Jul-10 11:05 AM
Make your vote count - don't give them the satisfaction of preferences, pass on to all 1 in the box and no more - keep the Greens at bay.
Greg on 22-Jul-10 10:42 AM
No, Brian, I do not share Oscar's sexual proclivities at all and have a spouse and offspring to substantiate that. However, even if I were "queer" (such a quaint, archaic, benighted word nowadays), I would embrace the philosophy of that modern-day commentator and pundit, Jerry Seinfeld, by adding: "Not that there's anything wrong with that." As to my political polemic, it is mine and mine alone. I am a contributor to - not an employee of - Yaffa, and the editor chose to air my viewpoint. The last thing I am is ultra-right wing (although definitely right of centre, I grant you), but I have a terrible feeling about what will happen to our industry if the Greens have any say whatsoever in a Government led by dyed-in-the-wool Socialists like Gillard, Shorten et al.
The Skipper on 22-Jul-10 09:51 AM
Skipper. Oscar Wylde Mk2.? You are not queer are you? Your rantings are of Oscar's vintage. It is 2010. We will get a change of Governments at State and Federal level ever 6 to 10 years. If a industry lobby group is ultra right wing,then they will be totally ineffective half the time. Industry lobby groups have to be outcome focused and politically neutral. The marine press must not be a political moutpiece for the media owners. A recent outburst by the Federal Fishing minister about funding for Recfish where he said that Labour will not give funding to those that actively oppose Labour all the time ,is an example of the harm that has been done, and is continuing to be done, by strong political opinions interfering with objectivity. The labour white papers on Marine Parks,Recreational fishing, and the regional effect of Recreational Fishing ,when you read them, leave doors wide open for discussions. A lot of what is in them is the work of the previous Liberal minister. I have read articles from BIA's that are simply incorrect in what they say. In one case the editor wrote about what PEW wanted in a particular marine area, when what the white paper said was completely different, and left recreational fishing unchanged.It also left commercial fishing untouched but said that there will be no additional licences. Boating political lobbying should be to get both parties on side. That way Green groups can be better refuted. Marine Magazine editors should report the facts and leave their politics out.
Brian on 22-Jul-10 08:52 AM
Tom J, looks like you're a pretty decent wordsmith yourself. Do I really ramble, though, and is it tremendously inefficient? You seem to have caught the gist of it perfectly! You
The Skipper on 21-Jul-10 10:24 AM
I read your column each month! It just occured to me where I know you from... The S & M convention. Very interesting feedback from various bloggers this month, interesting points made by Richard about his Main Beach visits...Unfortunately I wish his comments weren't true, so many issues for an industry that has had a belting in recent years with very little assistance from the Government, local or federal. This election voters remember one thing! Make an educted decision before voting, dont encourage the bastards!
in the know on 21-Jul-10 08:53 AM
If you haven't looked well you should because the world is changing and if we don't get on board we'll be left behind. The interesting thing is that the us of a is embracing change and it is from here the we export so like it or not change will occur. It appears the resident blogger is not only ignorant but a luddite as well. His broader lack of understanding with respect to political ideals an philosophy does not qualify him to be a political commentator worth considering.
Marcel on 21-Jul-10 08:29 AM
Thanks Skipper, well said! and sadley behind the tounge in cheek 100% correct. I am told we are going to be moving on, in fact this is being said by Julia ad nausium! Well we can all move on to Julias dole queue because of the fraudulant policy that lockouts protect us from ourselves and the Green church just gets bigger. I think a vote below the line will be important this time round if you want to make a difference.
Doug on 21-Jul-10 05:31 AM
I don't wish to get involved in the election campaigning, other to say that we are very fortunate in this country to have the right to vote – our political system allows all groups to have their views well represented. Today the views of our major parties in many respects have been well balanced by minor parties holding a balance of power, particularly in the house of review. I’m not convinced, and to be honest I was not aware until you raised the issue, of PWC being banned on Sydney Harbour, is such a bad thing. I spent the past four years holidaying in Main Beach, Qld, where until recently my Father-in-law owns and operates a 3200 Mustang Cruiser. Oh my God! The Broadwater is a stretch of water that can only be described as ‘The World’s best Practice in Boating Paradise Disaster Destinations’, there is no such thing as relaxed boating on this stretch of water, forget spending a quiet Sunday on the Broadwater, the noise, wakes and close encounters from the craft you advocate should be on your harbour, contribute to the marine mayhem environment. In my opinion your adversary could well be your friend – don’t turn your harbour into a destination for PWC, my experience on the Broadwater suggests that areas subject to congestion, any restriction placed on these projectiles are in the best interests of safety and, as equally important, bliss!
Richard on 21-Jul-10 04:57 AM
I must confess I largely agree with your albeit tremendously inefficient rambling. Australians, like all their western cousins are being carefully and deliberately conditioned for scarcity. And the scary thing is – it’s not just the wacko pinko misanthropes in the Greens party doing it. Both major parties are stealthily, incrementally conditioning us with higher taxes, less privacy, and less freedom. The only thing getting bigger is government. Tell me I am wrong! Council rates are going up everywhere, electricity, gas, all our utilities and all in the name of saving the planet; “green levy” “sustainability” – what a con. Even collecting traffic fines, (the science of which exceeds the likes of NASA), governments everywhere are nickel and diming Australians for every last penny they can suck out of us. We are going to suffer from the above ailments no matter who gets into power short of a miracle. Sadly with all its potential wealth, Australia hasn’t had what can be remotely identified as a classically conservative government since probably before WWII. What about Howard you ask? Yes he wore the jacket of a conservative but in fact expanded the welfare state, expanded government, gave handouts like the worst of them, gratuitously intervened in markets most notably, the property market with the first home buyers grant. The Australian government spends almost exactly the same amount on welfare as what is taken in income tax. Yes that is right. Google it if you don’t believe me. None of that changed under Howard and only got a lot worse under Rudd (RIP). As for the Labor Party; do I need to warn you? J. Gillard is a Fabian Socialist, hung around and was employed by paid up, card carrying communists. Do your own reading. These people despise private property, individualism and most of all liberty. Labor with a Green Party liability will be the Marine Industry’s worst nightmare. It will go through it like a dose of salts. Do you understand what these people think of a Cummins circa 1000 hp Sterndrive or Yamaha F350 outboard? Forget about it! Need I say more to people who obviously value free enterprise, free markets, a limited government constrained by a constitution and a vigilant electorate that no doubt all Marine Business readers are.
Tom J on 21-Jul-10 12:25 AM
The PWC riders brought it on themselves due to the minority wrecking it for everyone. Fishers (of which I am one) have only themselves to blame for the minority who wreck it for everyone else. We will get the pollies we deserve, that's for sure. I laugh how few people would admit voting for John "There will never be a GST" Howard.
Amused on 20-Jul-10 09:21 PM
If the Greens had their way they would send us back to the Stone Age and charge us for the ‘privilege’. It’d probably be worse than the Stone Age as they wouldn’t let you have a camp fire because of the man made global warming hoax. They'd tax the hell out of us and increase the size of government by hiring people to enforce their environmental laws.
James on 20-Jul-10 04:53 PM
tell a friend
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