Comments for andrewmcintyre.org

Comment on ABC doesn’t understand polling? by FatherJon

FatherJon — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:08:10 +0000

I’ve long given up ever taking anything in ‘the polls’ seriously. There’s a poll for every occasion, and I’ve never understood how asking specially loaded question of 1200 people can possibly constitute ‘a scientific sample’. At best it’s merely a random expression of attitudes of the moment amongst a selected group. We’re left wondering what the selection criteria could possibly have been.

I’ve been around a long time and have never been approached by any pollster by phone, on my doorstep or on the street. Others I know have not either, although some have chosen to ‘self select’, voting in a newspaper or online poll. That’s hardly scientific either!

I don’t need polls anyway to tell me that Gillard or Rudd will lead the ALP to a resounding defeat in November, if not before – and you can quote me on that

Comment on Syrian imbroglio badly reported by the West by FatherJon

FatherJon — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:33:20 +0000

Yes, ‘the scorpion and the frog’ was the way I originally heard it…from a Jewish academic!!!
Little wonder that the whole region became a byword for ‘Byzantine’ politics.

I agree about the Syrian situation. Just another Pandora’s box in the making, full of intrigue and ambition. I never believed in the Libya solution and I don’t believe in the Syrian solution.

Comment on Unintended consequences … of playgrounds ! by sfw

sfw — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:28:34 +0000

Sad but true, see how many seesaws are in playgrounds now, virtually none. The fun prevention police have got their way. At the Dame Phyliss Frost Womens Prison the Dept of Corrections installed a hideously expensive childrens playground. Children are permitted to live with their mothers up to age 5. The playground has never been used, it’s locked. The reason is that the playground costing many of thousands of dollars is rated as suitable for five and over so the OHS rules in place prevent its use.

Why is everyone so scared of being sued that the tendency towards self protection overcomes common sense.

Comment on Unintended consequences … of playgrounds ! by FatherJonFatherJon

FatherJonFatherJon — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:00:45 +0000

My understanding is that playgrounds in Australia are being closed down, mainly because councils are terrified of the legal situation if some cloth-footed kid stumbles and hurts himself. Nowadays there’s always an ambulance-chasing shyster prepared to sell his arse to the devil to get a brief to sue. They’re winning across the board!!!

Comment on AUSTRALIA DAY 2012 by jjones

jjones — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:37:08 +0000

The Daylight Express train did not go through Tumblong or Jugiong. Neither of those towns was on any rail route though recently the Countrylink coach that links in to the main southern rail line changed from a 6 day per week service between Tumbarumba and Cootamundra via Gundagai to a three day a week service to Cootamundra via Gundagai and a three day per week service to Wagga via Gundagai then Tumblong. Jugiong remains with no rail service by train or coach

Comment on AUSTRALIA DAY 2012 by FatherJon

FatherJon — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:26:46 +0000

Well spoken Andrew, I agree with everything you said without boringly reiterating your many good points. As a migrant myself, enjoying many good migrant colleagues and friends, I have no problems with immigration, providing we engage in a more sensible scrutiny of whom our new neighbours are likely to be.

Small quibble, ‘que sera sera’ is an Italian song, not French, although there are similarities

I’m surprised about Clive James though, I always classed him as one of those overseas ‘diaspora’ Aussies, along with Pilger and Greer, who choose to rubbish the land of their birth for motives more aimed at sale of their books. It’s so easy to lower oneself to a popularist level where money’s concerned.

Anyway, fly your flags high, and have a happy Australia Day with us other loyalists

Comment on Steyn on an unholy Christmas by FatherJon

FatherJon — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:52:58 +0000

How saliently true! We seem programmed to always bring about the least desirable outcomes from our interferences in the politics of other nations.

Not only are the 10% Copts in Egypt under threat but the Nigerian Moslem hordes are killing and burning Christian communities there. And this morning I heard that al-Quaeda are establishing a new front in newly ‘liberated’ Libya.

Iraq’s clearly reverting to internecine killings and bombings which never happened under old Saddam. Say what you like about these guys, they knew their own populations and how far to go to control them.

Comment on Scrap UN Refugee Convention by Duncan Graham May Be A Left-Lib Kiwi, But He’s Aware of Aussie Anger! « rossrightangle

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:19:01 +0000

[...] muzzling those in its own ranks who know what needs to be done. There are good ideas around – http://andrewmcintyre.org/2011/09/08/scrap-un-refugee-convention/ – but a lack of guts in Parliament to enact [...]

Comment on Refugee disaster by FatherJon

FatherJon — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:44:32 +0000

I’m surprised to read Sarah Two-names comment “Of course not. Tragedies happen, accidents happen”. I would have thought she’d have blamed the Australian navy for not being there to provide a guiding escort to our shores.

Regarding the comments from Fairfax about the corruption at Jakarta airport, I’ve been pointing this out for years to MPs, letters to the editor, on the internet etc. It’ll be impossible to ID the dead bodies, if they’re found, because they’ve either destroyed their documents or given them to the people smuggler snakeheads for reuse for the next gang of hopefuls from Dubai to Jakarta.

Comment on Maurice Newman is dreaming on ABC balance by FatherJon

FatherJon — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:00:55 +0000

Ridiculous comment by Newman, but he’d have to say that, wouldn’t he, to appease the lefty journos on the ABC. They’ve almost all done yeoman’s service to one or other Labor Prime Ministers or in one of the lefty unions.