Author: Bearsy

A Queensland Bear with attitude

Juliar to put the High Court in its place

Look – and please do remember that I have a fervent dislike for our Prime Minister – there’s no way we’re going to go down the same limp-wristed route as the UK.

If our High Court decides to make an interpretative ruling that effectively negates the intentions of a law passed by our elected government, we’ll change the wording of that law to make it crystal clear to the judiciary who is actually in charge of our nation.   And it ain’t the Chief Justice.

Although the legislation has not yet been passed, Juliar has today convinced her cabinet and the Labor caucus to support her in the introduction of the requisite alterations to the Migration Act.

She has, sensibly and pragmatically, declared that the changes will not define any particular solution to our immigration problems, but will clarify the undisputed right of the current executive to take such actions as it considers necessary, irrespective of foreign legislation or the High Court’s view of our obligations under any foreign legislation to which we may be a signatory.   This should make it politically viable for Abbott and the opposition to support the amendments.

Continue reading “Juliar to put the High Court in its place”

Can she do it this time?


Last year Sam reached the finals of the Paris Open, but was defeated in an incredible display of unusual skill by her Italian opponent.

This year she’s stormed her way into the final of the US Open, to challenge the High Priestess of Tennis, Serena Williams.   She’s the first Aussie lady to make it to the American final since 1977 – that’s a long time between drinks!  Can she win her first Grand Slam title?

Frankly, I doubt it; Serena is some tough cookie.   But although logic says no, my heart will be cheering for Sam.

Nostra Culpa !!

Yesterday a comment was received from a new blogger – Doctoreunos – targeted, as we thought, for Ferret’s current post “What’s the difference?”.   We three moderators conferred and decided that since the content had nothing to do with Ferret’s post – it was off-topic with a vengeance – we should trash it rather than approving it for publication.

However, having received another polite query this morning, I realised that the comment was actually targeted at another post with exactly the same name that Ferret posted way back in January.

I have reconstituted the comment and posted it in the correct place.   To avoid further confusion, I have renamed the old post slightly.

On behalf of all three moderators, I apologise to Doctoreunos for mishandling his interesting observations. 😥

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Can’t resist it!

Those are Mike Hussey’s bowling statistics (yes, I did say ‘bowling’) for the first innings of the second Sri Lanka Test.  As perfect as they could be.

To make it even better, it was Kumar Sangakkara whom he dismissed, one of the best batsman around. 😀

For non-cricketers, you can read that as “one over, one maiden, no runs for one wicket”.

Juliar’s getting rattled

Given the astounding success of my last post about Australian politics (2 whole comments on topic, 19 correcting my grammar), I feel duty-bound to engage you with the latest goings-on down-under. 😀

Our High Court, as High Courts are wont to do these days, has declared Juliar’s “Malaysian Solution” to the “Boat people” illegal – as being contrary to the complex legislation (The Migration Act and Regulations) that addresses, inter alia, our responsibilities as signatories to the Refugee Convention (UNHCR).

Gillard is spitting chips, and accusing the court in general and The Chief Justice in particular of changing the entire face of immigration, and of being inconsistent.   Her colleagues are undecided as to whether they should –

  • support her,
  • support her publicly whilst arranging for her political assassination,
  • ask one of a number of old has-beens to take over (including Peter Beatty, ex-Premier of Queensland, a very popular chap, now retired, and, would you believe it, even dear old Kevin Rudd), or
  • push the young Commissar Shorten into the rôle before his time, a behind the scenes factional power-broker so ghastly, so doctrinaire, that he makes Juliar look honest and right-wing.

What Gillard should do, of course, is call a general election, but the chance of that is almost vanishingly small since they all – her party, the Greens and the three Independents who side with her – like power far too much to give it up before they have to.

She has demonstrated her lack of integrity and incompetence many times over, and her attack on the Judges is now highlighting her inner petulance.   Pity us, for we probably have another two years of this before we can throw her and her hard left, corrupt and bullying cronies out.

Gillard threatens legal action …

… and an article is immediately withdrawn from The Australian, and a cringing apology published.

Strangely, however, follow-up articles in other papers have (apparently) published the text that raised Juliar’s ire.   As a quotation, which they can (apparently) get away with.

When a Prime Minister threatens to sue a journalist for defamation, Boadicea and I usually reckon it’s tantamount to an admission of guilt – but this time we could be wrong.   What is undeniable is that this spat has spotlighted a grubby episode in Juliar’s earlier life; one that was in the public domain but played down, at the time, to such an extent that many of us had never heard of it.   Even if today’s accusation is completely false, it’s a reminder of the sort of crim that she used to knock around with.

The sleaze within some Unions and the ALP (Australian Labor Party) which has recently been revealed, makes me wonder just how corrupt Labor is.   Starting with Kev’s political assassination, we’ve seen WikiLeaks dob in Senator Mark Arbib as the Americans’ spy, we’ve seen Juliar unashamedly reverse her promise on the Carbon Tax and MP Craig Thomson finally exposed for spending many thousands of dollars of HSU (Health Services Union) money on booze and prostitutes (admittedly a grand old Australian tradition) and now Juliar’s youthful indiscretions are coming back to haunt her.

What a barrel-load of corrupt bastards!   I can yet foresee the AFP (the Feds) being summoned to arrest the entire chamber, and the Governor-General forced to order a second dismissal.   But her (the G-G’s) daughter is married to Bill Shorten, an ex-Union boss and Labor power-broker who currently holds the position of Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation.   No chance!

For a different slant on the brouhaha, try this article in Crikey.

They have a point …

Yes, I know it’s my third post of the day.

It is rare to find Sipu and Janus agreeing; it is almost miraculous for me to agree with both of them.   But on this occasion I have to say that they have a point.   Such a fundamental point that our honoured leader, Boadicea, might even consider it for inclusion in her site guidelines.   They have chimed a chord, they have struck the right note, they have sung in harmony.

“WTF”, I hear some of you cry, “is Bearsy on about?”
The rest of you might exclaim, with greater decorum, “My goodness!”

Let me ease you gently from those tenterhooks and explain.

S & J (or is it J & S) have recently concluded that the enjoyment of posting comes primarily from the writing; from that solitary feat of authorship.   Furthermore, they have jointly recognised that the success of a post is a matter to be judged by the author alone.

How liberating!   I heartily commend their philosophy. 😀

Yankee Chickens Panic at a drop of rain

When an area of Queensland larger than France and Germany put together was under water, did your image and video code still get corrected so that other Charioteers could view them?   Yes!

When our capital city was inundated under 30 metres of water, were your grammar mistakes and your typos still efficiently put right?   Yes!

When Boadicea and I sat for days and weeks under a metal roof pounded incessantly by tropical rainfall at six inches or more per hour, did the high quality of the Chariot degrade for even a minute? No!

When Cyclone Yasi thundered across our State, remaining at Category 1 for a thousand kilometres or more until it crossed the border with the Northern Territory, did we wimper?   No!

But when New York was threatened by no more than a tropical storm, the American nation reacted as though the Four Horsemen had teamed up with Al Qaeda to precipitate Ragnarök.   Certain cherished colleagues – Charioteers who inhabit the effete country and a timid canis lupus – so lost their intestinal fortitude as to suggest that grammar and punctuation were no longer important.   The editorial suite was shaken to its core.

A dose of stiff upper lip (from the Poms), and a laid back “She’ll be right” (from the Aussies) is what you guys need.   Forget punctuation?   “Tell ’em they’re dreaming” [The Castle, 1997].

Toby Harnden summed it up pretty well on the Telegraph.

No disrespect to LW, CO or OZ intended.   Well, not much, anyway. 🙂