Open Letter to Scott Morrison

DH is a regular recipient of Cookmail, the newsletter of Scott Morrison, currently Shadow Minister for all things immigration and population control. She met him on the historic occasion when she popped into Canberra during his stint as Shadow Housing Minister. She found him lacking in knowledge or understanding of housing issues, but personable and willing to listen. Perhaps his lack of understanding was due to his newness in the role. Besides, at that time, the Liberals were wedded to a very simplistic line on the housing crisis that they had so miserably failed to foresee or prevent during their decade of power. The Lib's simple mantra: blame the states for not releasing more land...  

Morrison to the rescue!
Safeguarding our borders

Mr Morrison's newsletter solicited  feedback, so DH couldn't resist the opportunity to influence Liberal Party policy. Here is her advice:

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Dear Scott Morrison,

Thank you for sending me your newsletter and request for feedback. As I consider you to be one of the more balanced members of the Liberal Party, I am pleased to give you a response.

Let me say that I was very disappointed by the Liberal Party's election tactics. In fairness though it was the Australian public who shocked me for responding so strongly to the negative campaign run by Tony Abbott.

From my perspective, the campaign pandered to the most ignorant and resentful members of the public. It lacked all substance, with figures in billions of $$$ plucked out of thin air, and a mish-mash of back-to-the-future and wild-leaps-into-the-unknown policies, chopped and changed to suit the moment.

I am now appalled to find that the Liberal Pary has switched from the nonsensical enough idea of being "kind and gentle" to an all out determination to destabilise the Australian government. We need an effective opposition to raise important, well-researched questions on the feasibility of the NBN, on a continuation of efforts to create affordable public and private housing. We need a serious debate about sustainable population growth and humane treatment of asylum seekers. We need to make up our minds whether people on welfare benefits should be at least lifted to the poverty line, or whether we should jettison them into a new caste of untouchables. And as a former Home Sustainability Assessor (unemployed), I am keen to see that an effective opposition keeps tabs on Labor's management of ambitious projects.

Instead, what we are hearing from people like Messrs Abbott, Hockey and Pine, is a barrage of sledging, wrecking and personal attacks reminiscent of the tactics of the mean girls at my high school.

I hope you will be a force for an Opposition committed to the long-term good of the nation rather than a short-term grab for power at any price.

Regards

DH

Rudd and Gillard cream Turnbull and Bishop.

Happened to watch Question time yesterday. Even DH's daughter who hates politics cheered at the way Rudd wiped the floor with a shamefaced looking Opposition. All poor Malcolm could do was to sit there smiling in a desperate attempt to appear confident.

But the cake had to go to the Leader of the Nationals, ... er... what's his name? who tried to dredge some political capital out of appealing to the Resentful Classes about the 80 million going to overseas pensioners. How pitiful. Every nation has reciprocal arrangements for payment of pensions because it's in their own interests, and besides its all about free markets and global flows. . To try and make hay out of something they themselves support shows how low they will go. Or is Mr W's H. Name just that ignorant?

No, DH is not in the Labor party, and she's incredibly dirty with them for not squarely standing up to the mistreatment of people on Newstart. But still...

Howard govt housing inaction still coming home to roost

So Australia is home to three of the most "severely unaffordable housing markets" studied by Demographia, an international policy group, and all of it happened under the imperial aegis* of those self-styled paragons of solid, responsible economic management, Howard, Costello, What's-his-name, and not forgetting the egregious young Hockey Minor.

Though DH is a timorous creature, she likes to think she cornered Hockey at her local "politics at the pub" approximately thus: "As one of the traditional renters of Sydney who are now doing it tough thanks to your govt's 10 years of neglect and failure to address housing policy, can you explain how this happened under your watch, when you had 10 years to anticipate it , and do you think you owe us an apology?". DH could swear he looked like a guilty rabbit caught in the headlights for a second, before he recalled himself and returned with the Liberal mantra: ... it's all the fault of the States, ... failing to release more land ... state taxes ...

"Clueless and lazy" sums it up.

And they're touting this otherwise amiable bozo as the future Liberal saviour of the NSW!

See also Hockey's Last Stand: A Buffoon Capers to Oblivion

*aegis (n), the shield of Zeus, bearing at its centre the head of the Gorgon, she whose gaze turns men to stone... Which is a very unkind thing to say about Amanda Vanstone

The Plight of Poor Malcolm

Heart-breaking isn't it?

Malcolm's got it all except underprivilege.

DH sympathises. She doesn't think she could live off more than $273 a week. It might cruel her claims to moral superiority.

Then there's our new Premier Nathan Rees, bignoting himself by claiming to be a garbo. Yeah right, while supporting himself through an arts degree.

Kevin Rudd's doing it tough of course, and who can forget instant Housing expert, Cherie I-grew-up-in-Minto Burton (until the family moved to Drummoyne, they say)

There's self-made landlord, Matt Brown, and who knows, or dare ask, what hardships the likes of Joe Tripodi and
Eddie Obeid have salted away offshore.

Hockey's Last Stand: A Buffoon Capers to Oblivion

All the Liberals have left to offer the Nation ...

The rump of the once mighty Liberal Party.

(Apologies to the relatively handsome and intelligent Billy Bunter)

And on what major issue of principle did Joey Hockey,
(egged on by young Abbott Minor)
choose to take his last stand?

He doesn't want to be made to work!

Eat your Workchoices, Ham Hocks!

And if Hockey refuses to work ?

What a pleasure it would be to see him breeched from Parliament
by the same cruel standards he imposed on low income Australians.

How sweet it'd be to see Hockey, schoolboy cap in hand, queuing up for Newstart!

Hocks demonstrating that even a cardboard Rudd has more brains

The pathetic fools! Now their true colours are there for everyone to see. Under the watch of these pitiful buffoons, the National housing crisis, now reaching tragic proportions was building. They knew it but they were too busy greasing their sectional interests with pork pies stolen from the national larder. No brains, no talent, no capacity for analysis, no vision, the only thing they knew to do was dogwhistle.

Skipping meals to pay rent
Sunanda Creagh and Phillip CooreyFebruary 22, 2008

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/02/21/1203467286233.html

RISING rents are forcing thousands of people to skip meals and admit they are too poor to send their children on school excursions, new figures reveal.
Housing experts warned yesterday that the home affordability crisis threatens to destabilise the economy and drive the country into recession.
And Labor says the Howard government knew more than two years ago that one-third of renters were suffering from rental stress but failed to acknowledge the problem.