Q&A 23/8/10

Let's see if the blood flows....

Oh wait.... who's on?

Tonight's panellists
Mark Arbib - NSW Senator will not appear tonight, a comment from the PM
Malcolm Turnbull - former Liberal leader
Sarah Hanson-Young - Greens Senator
Tony Windsor - Independent Member for New England
Janet Albrechtsen - opinion columnist
Graham Richardson - Labor identity

Oh, look... Arbib's (been) pulled out.

Comment from the Prime Minister. The PM has written him a note.

Comment from the Prime Minister

I have made it clear that this is not a time for campaign analysis. The focus of Labor’s ministerial team must be on providing stable and effective government and discussing Labor’s positive plan for the nation’s future.

Consequently I have requested and Senator Arbib has agreed to not appear on Q & A tonight which is focussed solely on campaign analysis. I have requested Labor Backbencher David Bradbury to represent the Labor team on the panel.

I don't know if I can tolerate Hanson-Dumb. When asked a second question by Tone he asked her to stick with the question. A drinking game. Every time she says "kinda", chug!

Richo - the Q&A audiences are unpredictable. Richo, what Q&A are you talking about?

Turnbull's statement about removing donations except from individuals - a good idea, but how will they stop the unions from their advertising? They're bottomless pits of money.

Tweet of the night...

@To accurately represent Mark Arbib that empty chair should be spinning.@

On dear, Windsor is a supporter of doing something about AGW, just in case.

QandA

It's on now.

Julia Gillard is the sole interviewee.

I really can't bear to watch it, I'll just get cranky about the lies, evasion and spin.

Does that make me a bad person?

Q&A 12/7/10

"There should be a price on carbon*."

There's already a price on carbon dioxide - it is listed in the markets as $0.10c/ton.

*they mean carbon dioxide...

Hemphill is a typical lefty.

Q&A 280610

I taped it.
Maybe it was worth watching? I'll know later in the week.

Tonight's panellists
Bill Shorten - Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services
Barnaby Joyce - National Party Senator
Magda Szubanski - Actress and Comedian
Harold Mitchell - Advertising Mogul and Philanthropist
Janet Albrechtsen - opinion columnist
Christine Wallace - journalist and commentator.

The short cartoon at the end was particularly funny. Transcript should arrive here tomorrow?

I'm curious as to what was being thrown at the host at the end of the program!

Update:
Here's the link...

And look at next week's guests... what is happening?

Coming Up
Tony Burke - Minister for Sustainable Population
George Brandis - Queensland Liberal Senator
Annabel Crabb - Political Commentator
Cheryl Kernot - Former leader Australian Democrats
Graeme Morris - former chief of staff to John Howard

QandA

Interesting tonight.

About religion.

Fifteen minutes to go and we get onto how hard done by the illegal immigrants are. All the mental anguish they suffer being locked up.

Fielding "I let Rudd's boatpeople legislation through. I didn't expect thousands of boat people to arrive..." dickhead.

link

Q&A

Tonight's panellists
Bill Shorten - Labor's Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Childrens' Services
Tony Abbott - Shadow Minister for Families and Community Services
Jonathan Biggins - Satirist
Catherine Deveny - comedian and columnist, The Age
Bettina Arndt - commentator and author, The Sex Diaries

Oh please.
Bill Shorten said that it would be interesting in these circumstances (the boat load of Tamils), to see what the Libs would have done had they been in government. He spoke of dog whistling... etc.

Mr Shorten, had the Libs been in government the Tamils wouldn't have come or, if they had decided to come, they would have been on Nauru or Christmas Island. There wouldn't be a problem.

Don't these lefty nitwits understand that people waiting to be found to be true refugees are doing so in detention centres after destroying their paperwork... and then if they are found to be refugees they have to wait to be found a place in a country which will take them.

Deveney is a nong. But we knew that.

It's all about the policy of the Libs... ask Bill Shorten.

Climate change, climate change, climate change. Arrgh!

Deveny is a dickhead. "Get your rosaries..."

Should Tony A push Deveney down the stairs I wouldn't convict him.

The ALP is in government in every state except WA. Surely, if you want abortion to be de-criminalised in your state you should be approaching your state government, not the opposition!

Jonathan Biggins - about Henson and the art, he was making sense until he said, paraphrased, if you find a problem with Henson's art it's your problem.

Could I ask what the laughter in the background was from when the deaf and blind person was signing her question?

Tone suggests that Bill approaches Therese Rein and has a word in her shell pink about the people's problems where disability is involved.

Climate Change, water restrictions in Sydney, blah, blah, blah.

Next week:
Bugger me, they've found Maxine McWho? Joe Hockey should be good. And Kerry Chikarovski - hey! That's TWO conservatives... what's going on!

Graham Richardson - legendary Labor identity
Joe Hockey - Shadow Treasurer
Maxine McKew - Member for Bennelong
David Marr - journalist and commentator
Kerry Chikarovski - former State Liberal leader

Question they won't ask...

Two questions tonight:

Tone

Ange from Ovations, again. Conrad Jupiters say they want the lamp and the ashtray back. What should I tell them?

Bill

I think you will agree it is crucial that workers are represented at all levels of government. My question for you: have you done it in Government House?

I wonder if they'll be posted (I doubt they'll be answered!)

Thanks, M's M.

Q&A

Tonight's panellists
Annabel Crabb - Journalist
John Elliott - Businessman and Blogger
Craig Emerson - Minister for Small Business
Peter Dutton - Liberal MP
Louise Adler - Publisher

Next week:

Coming Up
Bill Shorten - Labor's Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Childrens' Services
Tony Abbott - Shadow Minister for Families and Community Services
Bettina Arndt - commentator and author, The Sex Diaries

Question they won't ask...

I am delighted to carry on the tradition inaugurated by Margo's Maid on ABC's Q&A.

Why is it that Louise Adler gets a regular gig on Q and A, while no-one from our organisation ever gets invited? Our views are much the same.

Ferret, Stormfront.

I wonder if it'll get a guernsey.

Like, what a dumb ditz, like - and, like, more!

DEEPA GUPTA: I think with any - like, when you get - are in a war, like there's so much hurt done on both sides that you can keep arguing for one side or you can keep arguing for the other side and I don't think you actually get anywhere, and that's what's been happening. Like, people don't understand the hurt that has been done on the other side. And, furthermore, like on the issue of cultural boycotts, like I understand the effectiveness of cultural boycotts but, at the same time, like I think music plays a really big role in bringing peace. Like earlier this year in India we did a climate solutions road tour and we had a solar powered rock band travelling with us and a dance troupe and - and these people were from America and they sang songs in Hindi and the most amazing thing was - you know, often, especially with rural communities, it takes weeks to build up trust with them and to help them understand what these issues are with music and dance we were able to break down these cultural barriers within 30 minutes. Like people were happy and dancing and open and really open to listen and I think that we need to acknowledge that music plays a really big role in connecting with people's hearts and helping then understand each other.

Someone explain to this greentard warmy twit what "base load" is, because she has no idea what it is and why it is necessary.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well, I think what we've got to do is not - it's not a matter of either or. The reality is that we have a great opportunity in Australia to expand the renewable energy sector massively. But when I go to international conferences I, with due respect, don't see the Chinese and Indian representatives saying, "We're not going to have any more coal fired power stations." What, in fact, they're doing, is building them at a rate that is scary. Because unless clean coal technology can be made to work, then we are going to have a real problem. So we need to invest in new technology and research and get it right, whether it's clean coal technology or whether it's renewable, the problem is that developing countries will want, just as we have benefitted from base load power, they will want base load power and there is two options at the moment: coal and nuclear. They're the two options that are around. We need to invest in renewable technology to make sure that we - to see if that can be developed and there's great prospects with solar thermal and geothermal, et cetera. But I don't think we can afford to say, "No, we'll just cut off that option and not worry about it.

DEEPA GUPTA: I don't think it's an issue based on power though. It's an issue of the fact that it's cheap electricity.

NIKKI WILLIAMS: No, it is an issue of - you have to have base load power because, you know, if you look at a developed economy, probably about 20 per cent of the electricity use in that economy will be residential. The rest of it is industry and business, the things that actually employ us, that keep our economies going. So for that kind of electricity demand, you have to have base load. So you need a reliable energy source...

Then perhaps a lesson in economics, regarding supply and demand, and economies of scale so that when supply of electricty exceeds demand we will have to pay!

DEEPA GUPTA: To be honest, it just feels like non on here actually cares about the issue of climate change. Like this is threatening the survival of - like the future of my generation and all future generation and you're sitting here debating - you know, one party debating like 10 per cent for 2020 and another party debating whether we do anything or not, full stop.
...

DEEPA GUPTA: But to ensure the survival of like all nations and people and to stop - like, you know, to stop countries from going underwater, we need to aim for like 350 parts per million as a safe - like the upper limit of safe carbon - carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And for that, like, Australia needs to be taking targets of like 40 per cent of more by 2020 and none of you guys are even talking about it.

and this from another deluded audience member:

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yeah, look, I want to know why we're still sitting around here talking about clean coal and spending billions of dollars on research on development when the technology is years off - the dangers are huge from this technology; it's completely untested - when we have got the answers in our hands in renewables?

More like, depth, from Deeepa:

TONY JONES: So where did you see the solution coming from, because Nikki is absolutely right. I think it is 80 per cent of China's power comes from coal. In India 66 per cent of carbon emissions in India come from coal. Both huge countries, both developing countries. Both want more electricity.

DEEPA GUPTA: Yes, I understand that they do both want more electricity but I think that that lies in renewables. Like, for Australia it is one of the windiest, one of the sunniest countries in the world. It's surrounded by ocean. It has the best hot rocks and, you know, for Australia - the CSIRO's study, I think, says that in the next 15 years we can actually generate 1 million clean energy jobs. So in Australia it is definitely possible. Now, secondly, you raised India. Similarly, India is also one of the sunniest countries in the world and, you know, India is really exciting in the sense that they have the opportunity to develop sustainably, if possible. But the question is is that India has two challenges on its hand. It has that of development and that of climate change. India has 800 million people living on less than $2 a day so that needs to be addressed simultaneously with development and so I think what we need is we need developed countries to support countries like India and other developing nations to develop cleanly so that they can avoid the problems that developed nations have created, and I think that's totally possible.

The whole shemozzle is here.

This exchange between Albanese and Pyne:

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well, that doesn't mean it's true. Most of what is reported on these issues is distorted and I note we've had Philip Ruddock and Kevin Andrews and people out there, once again, because the Coalition don't have a policy - our policy is pretty clear.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: You're in government, so why don't you fix the problem.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: We have done - well, because...

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Why don't you do something yourself.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Why don't you just fix Afghanistan and fix Sri Lanka.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Why do you keep talking about the Opposition all the time?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: Because that is...

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Why don't you do something?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: ...that is - that is the source. There are push factors there that lead...

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: (Indistinct) the Opposition.(I am sure that you can hear what he says in the audio.)

ANTHONY ALBANESE: ...that lead to people seeking asylum. It is not about Australia's policy. It is what is going on overseas.

TONY JONES: Okay.

Q & A - tonite

Tonight's panelists
Alexei Sayle - British comedian
Anthony Albanese - Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
Christopher Pyne - Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
Deepa Gupta - Executive Director, Indian Youth Climate Network
Nikki Williams - CEO, NSW Minerals Council

Newsflash Ant Albanese et al:

CARBON DIOXIDE IS NOT A POLLUTANT

Dang. Missed next week's guests!

OK! Here's next weeks panel:

Annabel Crabb - Journalist
John Elliott - Businessman and Blogger
Craig Emerson - Minister for Small Business
Peter Dutton - Liberal MP
Louise Adler - Publisher

Q&A

Tonight's panellists
Germaine Greer - feminist author and commentator
Todd Sampson - the Gruen Transfer's Ad-Man
Belinda Neal - Labor Party MP
Cory Bernardi - Liberal Party backbencher
Janet Albrechtsen - opinion columnist

Youse southerners'll be settling down to watch now...

Who knows, it might be worth watching with Cory and Janet.

Regarding the Hey Hey Its Saturday Jackson send up on Red Faces, points to Germs, get angry about real shit. Yay. Brits critical of Aussies and racism in Aus because they can't play cricket.

Janet Albrechtsen - we should laugh more. It wasn't funny and only was looked at because of the furore.

Question about racism, gee what a surprise. Not sure if he means whitey's are racist or non whiteys - he's Sri Lankan I think so....

Carpe, I think JA is much prettier than you in those glasses.

Todd thinks that Australia is full of racists. How is that manifest asked JA.

Transcript will be interesting.

Make up your mind, Todd. Oh, good you're speaking for all those people who suffer racism.

Oh, it's subliminal racism, covert, not overt. Sure.

Blenda is talking about her experiences with racism, coming back to Aus in the 70s, speaking Italian and doing things like shaking hands which others didn't in the 70s. The 70s.

Germs talks about Anxious racism.

Thank God Germs didn't breed.

Aussies tolerate different races, but don't embrace their cultures... um, what exactly does that mean?

That's news, opposition is opposed to an ETS.

Oh, wait. Just Rudd's.

Gruen is a True Believer - he doesn't know much about politics, Australian politics, but he's a True Believer in AGW. Idiot.

Gruen doesn't understand politics. Shows he doesn't understand anything.

Nuke power. Gruen calls it Nucular power. RAOTFLMAO. It's not only George Bush who calls it that... he he.

Germaine thinks that we haven't done anything with nuclear power because we have been too scared. Shit. That's news to me.

Funny how Belinda Neal speaks about her personal life and her husband's infidelity and her handling of it and how we all grow from adversity... but nothing about her meltdown.

Germs knows all about raising children and their problems. Children are not born free.... She's right about kids being free to learn from their childhood mistakes, rather than being overprotected by their parents.

Janet's agreed with Germs about kid's overprotection and their lack of doing stuff.

Belinda says that kids are wonderful and can do anything.

Corey's with Germs and Janet. Learning about taking risks and being able to make decisions using their judgement.

Yawn
it's over

Next week:

Alexi Sale
Anthony Albanese
Christopher Pine
Deepak Gupta
Nikki Williams

Last week's transcript is here. Search for BASAK YILDIZ for the question from the Iraqi who Christopher flamed.

BASAK YILDIZ: Why is it that the Islamic country, Iran, is the threat to the peace in the world and not the Zionist? Is it America’s support of Israel, while hundreds of people are getting killed in Gaza and West Bank, everyday with the support of America. The Israel and Palestinian war has been going on for 61 years and we are not actually looking at what is actually happening and we're fearing about what is not happening? We're fearing about something that hasn't happened.

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: It's become a familiar thing. I should perhaps preface this by saying that with Edward Said, the late professor Edward Said, I wrote a book about the rights of Palestinians and the way in which these have been negated by Israeli policy. But I know a lot of people in the Arab and Muslim world who are fed up with having the subject changed to Israel whenever human rights for them comes up. A very good example of this just last week in Tehran, where the government has an official Al-Quds Day, as it's called, the day of Jerusalem, where school children and others are paraded. It's a more or less compulsory demonstration to say they'll give their blood and their lives for Palestine and hundreds of thousands of Iranians turned up to say, no, we'll only give our blood for Iran, thanks. We're fed up with being told by the regime that they represent the oppressed of Palestine. That we can't talk, and they are having to shed their blood because the regime keeps on killing them for wanting to have a say in their own internal affairs. And a regime that does this and has just pulled off a blood stained military coup. It's overturned the results even of an already pre-determinedly fraudulent election that says that a woman's voice is worth that of only - sorry, it takes three women in a court against one man; that uses torture and rape as policies in prison and so forth. If you want a regime like that to have nuclear weapons, you're welcome, but you should say that's what you don't mind. Are you going to say that? Are you going to say you've no objection? That the real problem is the Jewish state? Come on, be serious.

BASAK YILDIZ: Sir - sir, you're - sir, the Jewish state doesn't have nuclear weapons. Is that - is that what you're saying?

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: Well, now, I appeal again to the fair mindedness and intelligence of the audience. Did I say that?

AUDIENCE: No.

BASAK YILDIZ: No, but you say...

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: Did I by - in any way imply it?

BASAK YILDIZ: No, but...

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: No. Did I not begin with a throat clearing, which I'll amplify if you like, about my long record of work about this, my defence of the Israeli dissidents who publish the news about Israel's illegal program and have gone to jail for it. I can refer you to all that, if you like.

BASAK YILDIZ: What...

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: My point was directed specifically to you.

TONY JONES: Yeah, okay.

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: I said, "Does this, in your mind, make the destruction of human rights in Islamic countries okay or not?"

BASAK YILDIZ: No.

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: Good.

BASAK YILDIZ: No, it's not.

Then he goes on to flame out Aly.

And then this (Hitchen's replies and retorts are worth reading, too):

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Look, my one question is basically - or my one comment or passing comment is that so many times you've brought up women and Islam. I'd just like to correct that I've read the Qur'an and all Muslim scholars would agree with me that Islam gives women a lot of rights. We over and over give Islam women - in Islam, through the Qur'an, I may not say it through individuals who preach the religion but Islam, through the Qur'an, gives women a lot of rights and I need that to be heard. I need to have everyone to understand and hear that. I mean, I am a young Muslim woman myself. I sit before you. I have a voice and I can speak to you and I can look you in the eye and I do have my rights. And when I go to Iran - I'm actually Iranian, as well. So when I go to Iran I also have my rights. I need it to be heard that the Qur'an - the Qur'an, Allah, (indistinct) Allah, gives us our rights. People - individuals in countries and people who represent our religion may not and they may do the wrong thing to sort of stand in front and show us religion and preach us religion, but Islam does.

TONY JONES: All right. We're going to take that as a comment.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you.

TONY JONES: And a very passionate one. Okay.

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: Oh, no. Oh, no we're not. No, we're not going to take that as a comment. I can see your face. I can see your hair and I can you sitting there in the audience with young gentlemen. Don't you tell me you can do any of that in Iran.

Q&A Next week

Germs Greer
Todd Samson
Belinda Neal
Corey Bernardi

I did blog on tonight's show but I disappeared it. Dunno how.

Update: Transcript of Thursday 1/10/09 program here after 2pm Friday.

ABC Q&A

Tonight's panellists
Alexander Downer - former Minister for Foreign Affairs
Kate Ellis - Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare, Youth and Sport
Natasha Stott Despoja - former Democrats leader
Peter Sutton - anthropologist
Megan Lloyd - editor of the Sunday Mail

For or agin early elections?

Spot Destroyer - 4 year terms, no early elections. Policy in the public interest as opposed to saving their political skins? LOLZ, ALP are skin savers Australia wide!

Megan Lloyd - noone knows what an ETS is, the government should involve us and enlighten us.
Alex Downer - Rudd should show respect to those who may not agree with him and negotiate.

Peter Sutton - oh, he's a "we must do something" job. And then there's population....

Kate Ellis - real and meaningful action on this serious problem... we must push this through the parliament.

Bugger me, it's a Bob Beige clone asking Alex about an ETS and agreement... why won't they agree, it's too important... parliament needs to work together on it.

Good on you Alex... no cheap political points scoring in parliament.

Question: is Rudd using the ETS as a platform to make himself famous with Howard, Keating & Hawke and known as a great reformer... Kate Ellis says no, it's too serious, we must take action to reduce our emissions.

She should cease and desist her emissions by putting a sock in her pie hole. Dillbrain.

Spot Destroyer is an idiot too, believing in the ETS, etc. Baaaaaad targets, "piss weak" she said. Some people, even in her old party, were talking about some kind of ETS & CPRS in the 80s.

God help us! They're all morons.

Megan... climate change... ETS... sensible decisions, not by politicians.

Yawn. First black president in the US... that's fucking amazing, I hadn't noticed.

I hadn't noticed that he seems to have got in on that singular qualification.

Yawn.

Ralph Nader's criticism of Obama, from the - EEEEEK - left. Is this racist? Harking back on the accusation by a Congressman that Obama was lying. Alex disagrees with many of Obama's policies... but he wouldn't agree with all of the criticsim by Nader.

Ellis, racism is bad. Gotta stop it. waffle waffle waffle...

Obama is going to be one of the best Presidents that the US has had.... Arrgh. He doesn't swear!
Der.

)))By the way, manky toes might be fixed, more later.(((

Tone: "Can Obama be pres for the world rather than for the US...?" God help us again, he and Kevvie'll be arm wrestling for the top job... once Kev takes over the UN, then... THE WORLD.

Good question about the Government being an employment agency.

This is a shocker. (Gee, that's unusual for QandA, huh?)

Kate Ellis. Meh.

Fixing the aboriginal problem. How can we do it...
I can answer that. Shut down the industry. More people like Noel Pearson to show the people that they control their own destiny. Pissing and moaning about how hard done by they are won't cut it, or pull them out of the shitful situation they are in. There are plenty of aboriginal people who do well and manage to get along in the white world. The industry of victimhood and blame needs to be shut down. It's done nothing for 40 years.

I think that they should have performed a welcome to country and smoking ceremony before the show. To show who owns everything.

Downer's right. Unless they move into the now, they're doomed to fail.

Spot Destroyer. Did the government ever really want to assist aborigines... any government? Non indigenous decision makers. Yeah, ATSIC was such a success. The shonky dealings in local organisations given the responsibility to look after public money earmarked to help their people... don't start me!

Megan... arrgh!

Peter Sutton... people should do their own research, learn about the problem, think for themselves. What does he mean? Is he black armband? I haven't read anything of his before. (Peter Sutton, Unleashed 12/2007.)

Owch. Explain to me question. We must save the children from physical abuse.

Sutton is explaining how the loyalty to clan and so on works, that's interesting (I know about this already). Link to lateline interview with Leigh Sales 6/2007.

Kate Ellis knows nothing about what's going on.

Football thugs. Punishment. Bad examples.

Sutton is correct. It starts with the parents.

Q&A

Tonight's panellists
Tom Keneally - acclaimed author and historian
Larissa Behrendt - Indigenous academic
John Roskam - conservative commentator
Tanya Plibersek - Minister for Housing and Status of Women
Joe Hockey - Shadow Treasurer

Might be worth a look, just for Joe Hockey...

First talk of the paedophile in Sydney which has been the topic of news reports all week.

Tanya must have another migraine, or do her eyes always look like she's got a headache? What parent wouldn't be concerned to find out that a convicted and now released paedophile is living nearby.

Joe Hockey, quite sensibly, wouldn't want one living near him. Zero tolerance. Oh, so now Tony says it's happening in families, so I suppose that's saying that you can't save kids from paedophiles... dumb argument.

Chemical castration... will it work? Does remediation in prison work? I doubt very much that paedophiles can be "cured".

Tanya thinks that it's like rape, a crime of power... but I don't think the paedophilia is... OK, maybe in some cases it is. Tanya's right about the chemical castration, good points now.

It's OK, Carpe, Keneally's banging on about how badly whiteys did by aborigines.

Larissa talks about history.... Larissa, Larissa, Larissa... It all depends on where you get your history from... "we get it from our parents and grandparents...", yes, Larissa, and what a fracking cockup that is.

Oh Lord. Australia was founded on the backs of licentious crims... or perhaps with them on the backs of criminal slappers.

Indigenous history. WTF is that? Before white man, or after white man? LOL Larissa finds it hard to attract Aussies other than indigenous ones to study Aboriginal history - well, most people realise that it's a load of made up crap. Stolen generation? Pfft.

Well, good on John Roskam. His speech about history. Well said, and his gentle barb at the questioner was excellent.

What's a d1(kh... ahhh, I get it... thanks, Carpe in comments.

Larissa has studied aboriginal history and she's got all the answers. She's an acadimic, after all, and that's her speciality.

Question from an Arnhem Land woman about preserving indigenous languages... Good on her. But the language should be taught at home... there are so many languages, what sort of preparation will be given to kids to be productive members of Australian society if they mostly speak their own language, (strewth, Joe's reading my mind!), and not English, which is the language of Australia. And tell me, which language will be taught at school other than English? There are hundreds only spoken by tribes in differernt areas.

Good dig from Joe, "You're true to form tonight, Tony", when Tone tried to shut him up.

Oh, here's Larissa. Speaking about bilingual education. Fuck me. What use will their own language be unless they're going to be an Acadimic studying it on the public purse.... writing their own language, in English! Haw. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

I agree with Joe and Tanya.

Are Conservatives infiltrating the Q&A floor? "Talk spin and speak Mandarin"...

Language discussions... speaking second languages is good, but sheesh, Aboriginal languages for minorities (even whites living in areas with Aboriginal presence, the language is only spoken by very few in a certain area).

YAY, every child should leave school speaking English. (John Roskam.)

Oh bugger, it's over. Mashup was funny.

O/T, anyone else watch Catalyst about the imaginary friends? One child, an upmarket little Phoebe, was speaking about her imaginary friend's rights. Her imaginary friend has the same rights as she has... Noone bothered to ask miss six or so what her responsibilities are.

Q&A

Tonight's panellists
Geoff Gallop - former Western Australia Premier
John Marsden - award winning author and teacher
Anthony Ackroyd - Australian comedian
Melinda Tankard Reist - social commentator
Sophie Mirabella - Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education

Tankard Reist - what a 'tard. Particularly her views on war and so on. (It's man made and all futile, and women suffer disproportionately in war.)

Plans go or-ree? WTF? Does this person asking the question mean awry?

Anthony Ackroyd. He's funny? Seems to method channelling KRudd.

Women in body bags, women raped? Sheesh. Give your mouth a break you stupid woman.

Geoff Gallup. WTF is ray-bid? Oh, he means rabid.

These people are too powsh for me.

Onya Sophie, she's spoken some sense, and I agree with her about the 16 year old going sailing.

The old bloke (Old Jack) on the mashup is a scream!

QandA

Tonight's panellists
Helen Liddell - British High Commissioner to Australia
Tony Burke - Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Bill Heffernan - Senator
Anne Summers - author and feminist
Tim Wilson - Director of the IP and Free Trade Unit at the Institute of Public Affairs

Is it worth it?

It's all about corruption and morality. And Della Bonka.

Tony Bourke. "There's always been a price on carbon and what we've been doing it passing it on to the next generation..." Bourke is an appropriate name.

Next week might be worth watching. Maybe.
Bill's going for the throat. But what's he saying about 9B people on the planet?

This episode is shyte. Mostly drivel about AGW and how we have to save the world.

If you think the world is dying perhaps you should prepare to move out?

Q & A - OMG, they've found Max McWho?

Tonight's panelists
Anthony LaPaglia - Australian actor
Maxine McKew - Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
Candy Bowers - Hip Hop Artist, Youth Engagement Officer and Theatre-maker
Judge Felicity Hampel SC - Victorian judge
Tony Smith - Shadow Assistant Treasurer

Will I or won't I??

Okay, I am.

A medal to that East Timorese chappy who said "Gough Whitlam, Australia's most overrated Prime Minister."

And Anthony Lapaglia's comments about the Australian ambassador to Indonesia (?) complaining that bringing this up again after 30 years is just like what was done to the nazis in Germany.

Oh dear! Not the right thing to say about anything.

It's all about Maxine, isn't it?
Five reporters died, but thousands and thousands of East Timorese died... er, well sunshine the problem is that the thought is there that Gough et al knew it was going to happen.

Carpe in comments:

I like Lapaglia's style, doesn't let mein host cut him off when he's talking. Ooooh Tony Smith chucks in a Gough barb.

McWho=Weapons grade stupid, the applause from her comment about Whitlam gives me an inkling of the audience makeup.

But it wasn't only a Gough barb from Tony Smith, but a KRudd slap.

McWho reminds me of Geoffrey Robinson... pompous windbag.

Oh, my. Did you see the young bloke asking the question of the Hip Hopperette, Candy, when he spoke of male chauvenism?

teehee

I don't like Hip-Hop, or rap. Why don't Australian indigenes create themselves some style of their own?

Unasked question from The Shadowlands...

Lapaglia has lost me. He survived eight years of the Bush Administration. Talking about the Bush Administrations coopting of the MSM, comedians, etc. silencing criticism. What the hell news was he listening to?

Oh dear. We made them do 9/11 because we invaded Iraq.

He's a Kumbayah idiot.

Onya, Smitty.

Has the 'tard Who been training at Kevvie's knee? I wish she'd stop saying ah. Ah. Ah. Someone should scream at her when she does - did she do it when she was a reporter? Ah, um, arhm.

Tuned out... and Candy is banging on about aboriginal victims and.... she's an idiot.

OMG! McWho shot her down... but it hasn't worked.

Lapaglia is defending the culture... arrgh!

Next week live from the Melbourne Writers' Festival... or is that Melbourne Writer's Festival? He said who's on, but I missed it, he was talking way too fast.

Hey, Carpe, thanks for watching that with me!

Q&A ABC 30/7/09

Anna Bligh - Premier of Queensland
George Brandis - shadow Attorney General
David Penberthy - journalist
Tania Major - Cape York indigenous leader
Simon Sheikh - National Director of GetUp
Watch a live stream here, 9.30pm Thursday.

ABC Q&A 28/05/09 - Final, returns in 8 weeks.

Tonight's panelists
Kate Ellis - Minister for Youth and Sport
Brendan Nelson - Former Liberal leader
William McInnes - actor and author
Peter Holmes à Court - businessman
Miriam Lyons - Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Development

I'll be watching this programme and I'll be commenting on it here...

The TV guide says that this is the final programme. Don't know if it's just for 2009 or forever!

So, I'll meet anyone who's interested back here at 9:30pm-ish.

LOLZ
I think I found a fellow blogger's question:

For Kate Ellis
I understand you are engaged to a union official. Why are you apparently so willing to submit to something that the rest of us are so tired of?

Oh, that's sooooo bad!

See you back here later.

OK I'm here.

They're talking about Sol.

Where did Holmes a Court go to school? He was punched in the head as a kid and accused of being a "boong lover".

(I think that Rudd's "Adios" was a "and don't let the door hit you on the arse....")

Sol is a sook.

NEXT!

More about the footy. NEXT!

Clare. NEXT! Racist, bogan... blah, blah, blah. Who the F is Miriam? She's a bit up herself.

Onya, Brendan. Rudd's using Australia's credit card to finance his projects... and we'll be paying for it for 13 years or so.

Are Kate Ellis and the PM {SNIP}, she seems so... starry eyed about him. Ick.

How interesting. Brendan's asked how much he'd be willing to go into debt if in government. HULLO? The ALP is in government, and the opposition has already said that they'd spend on infrastructure.

I like William McInnes... most of the time. I'm pretty sure he's apolitical.

Oh dear, Miriam is upset that Climate Change has been politicised. Um, yeah. Box. Of. Rocks.

Brendan's right about the ETS. Straddling the fence, but he's right. An ETS in Aus will NOT achieve anything as far as reducing CO2, and will send Australia further down the chute.

Why are all these lefty women so daft?

Natural disasters caused by climate change. Arrgh!

Who do these nitwits think will be paying for a carbon tax? Strewth!