Ah, Australian Federal Politics.

[Matrix Dragon]

PM sighted in Hawaii, taking selfies with tourists and hanging out with members of QAnon. Following the deaths of two firefighters on the front lines, he has released a statement saying he 'regrets any offense caused' and will be returning to Australia as soon as possible.

*Sigh*

[classicdrogn]

Could be worse. He could have been taking selfies with a pig being roasted over a bonfire at a luau, for maximum bad timing and taste.

[Matrix Dragon]

So, a few days after my last post, our Prime Minister has returned. On a charter flight, not the private government craft that just had millions spent on getting it refurbished. His speech lacked any kind of apology for running out of the country, instead dropping the blame on his kids. See, he booked this holiday seven weeks ago (WHEN MOST OF THE COUNTRY WAS ALREADY ON FIRE) and he promised them! He couldn't disappoint them, right? Then halfway through, he changes the subject to go on about how wonderful coal power is, just in case we forgot who holds his leash.

Rather than do anything to contribute today, be it updating the media on where the fires are, where evacuation efforts are aimed, arrange emergency funding for the trucks and currently unpaid firefighters, maybe meet with the 23 former state fire chiefs who he's been avoiding since April, he staged a photo op where he's 'briefed' on the situation. You know that staged photo op Trump did after the IS leader was killed, with him and some generals all sitting around an empty table smiling at a camera? Mostly that. Although it was the newly arrived Canadian volunteer firefighters hustled into it, all looking awkward, because the Australians told him to fuck off and actually WORK.

*Longer Sigh*

[robkelk]

I didn't even know we'd sent volunteers to Australia... which means they probably went on their own dime, without government sponsorship. If you see any of them, be extra nice to them, eh?

[Matrix Dragon]

I didn't even know we'd sent volunteers to Australia... which means they probably went on their own dime, without government sponsorship. If you see any of them, be extra nice to them, eh?

There's a pretty sizable network of international firefighters. We send ours to help yours, you send yours to help ours, and the respect goes both ways. There's also a lot of equipment shared between nations, especially the expensive air cranes like Elvis. Sadly, fire seasons have become so fierce and long the overlap is starting to cause severe problems.

[Shader]

I didn't even know we'd sent volunteers to Australia... which means they probably went on their own dime, without government sponsorship. If you see any of them, be extra nice to them, eh?

There's a pretty sizable network of international firefighters. We send ours to help yours, you send yours to help ours, and the respect goes both ways. There's also a lot of equipment shared between nations, especially the expensive air cranes like Elvis. Sadly, fire seasons have become so fierce and long the overlap is starting to cause severe problems.

As a rule I don't get involved in politics online... however hats off to the fire fighters. Considering that most are unpaid and are using sub standard equipment. (Trucks without roll cages for example.)

[Matrix Dragon]

... So! Go to a town that has just been burnt to the ground, where people have died less then twenty-four hours ago. Show up in an shiny new government car, offering blatantly false sympathies and not even promising to do anything. Forcibly shake the hand of a pregnant woman. When she loudly says she's only tolerating it because she wants to hear how you're going to stop this from happening again, and what you're going to do to help underfunded fire services, don't answer her and have your protection detail shuffle her off. When other people get irate and shouty from a safe distance, flee back to your government car and leave.

Behold. Our prime minister. And that's not even his most pathetic moment this week!

[classicdrogn]

It occurred to me just now, maybe he's really glad that Australia is finally safe from ninjas? Japan has been clinging to the northern hemisphere right there for a while now, after all.

[Matrix Dragon]

In todays non-bushfire news, the Young Liberals storm a library and abuse a drag queen reading books to children with homophobic slurs and claims of pedophilia. Behold, future would-be politicians!

[Matrix Dragon]

Oof. The idiot kid behind that harassment yesterday was found dead, believed to have taken his life. Regardless of his actions yesterday, I'm sorry for him, and have sympathy for his loved ones.

[Black Aeronaut]

Yeeeeeeeiiiiiiii.....

I know that people that are the most vicious and toxic tend to have some pretty bad demons, but GOD DAMN. I honestly feel bad for this poor kid now - everything I can think of that would lead up to this chain of events is NOT GOOD.

[Matrix Dragon]

So, there's been Shit this past week. A lot of it based around an absolutely horrible domestic violence case up in Brisbane that makes me feel ill just thinking about it. So let's look at the other news.

The major opposition party is working on an agenda of zero net carbon emissions by 2050. Ambitious, but in terms of politics it's a long term plan and the sort of thing they're looking at doing in stages. The government, who are still trying to pretend that climate change isn't a real thing and even if it is real it totally isn't man-made and even if it is man-made so what the Rapture is coming soon and what about the coal WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE POOR COAL - ahem. The government has proceeded to start screaming that this hasn't been properly costed out and will totally bankrupt the country. One particularly demented senator is now proclaiming that Labour wants us all to be living in mud huts with candles. Never mind the fact that the governments carbon emission target for 2030, which we weren't meeting before half the continent caught fire, wasn't properly priced out. That's totally different.

[Labster]

The major opposition party is working on an agenda of zero net carbon emissions by 2050. Ambitious, but in terms of politics it's a long term plan and the sort of thing they're looking at doing in stages.

2050 is too late to hit net zero.  Is Australian Labour trying to bake the planet?  California's climate goal in 2050 is to be net negative on carbon dioxide emissions, and net zero by 2045.

[Matrix Dragon]

Oh, it's way too late, of that there's no doubt. But that's how.much of a mess the Liberal party has made of Australias climate efforts over the past near decade of being in power, while backed by a largely Murdoch controlled media. 2050 is being called extreme. Personally, I expect it to be a starting step to more ambitious plans, now that the past summer has exposed the Liberals uselessness in this area.

[Black Aeronaut]

I'm just waiting for the day when I can unabashedly say, "WE FUCKING TOLD YOU SO YOU GODDAMN FOOLS."

It seems to be inching ever closer by the minute.

[Matrix Dragon]

Half the damn continent burnt down and they tried to blame it on the people trying to deal with climate change. They'll never admit the truth.

[Matrix Dragon]

I should note, the reason my original post said it was ambitious is because there has been a serious lack of long term planning by Australian political parties over the last two decades. The constant rotation of leadership and shifting agendas has led to most parties barely planning past the next election, and it shows.

[classicdrogn]

If your government still plans past the next election sometimes, you're doing better than some.

[Matrix Dragon]

Well, next election if the government is planning on calling one in the next year. Otherwise it's the next leadership spill.

[Matrix Dragon]

... they say it's better to allow a guilty man to walk free rather then risk imprisoning an innocent. The concept of reasonable doubt is part of our justice system for a reason.

I know that. I understand and agree with it.

But today, it still hurts.

[robkelk]

It made the news in Canada, too. I know how you feel.

[Rajvik]

while i agree with the sentiment in that saying, they should have hung the fragger

now that i have that out of my system.

considering the hype that the media is putting into trying to turn the Wuhan flu outbreak into Trump's Katrina, the man's acquital barely got a ticker line notice here stateside, and that's in pretty much all televised media that i saw in the last 24 hours

[Matrix Dragon]

considering the hype that the media is putting into trying to turn the Wuhan flu outbreak into Trump's Katrina

No, Puerto Rico was Trumps Katrina. He fucked that up too. This is far far worse.

[robkelk]

Er... folks, Puerto Rico and China are not in Australia.

[Matrix Dragon]

Hey, I make mention of Australian politics over in the COVID in the US thread, I suppose it's only fair Rav gets to whinge about people being mean to Trump for being utterly fucking incompetent here...