Summary: THE FOCUS GROUP As the AFR reports that Tony Abbott’s having the worst poll start for a new government in 40 years, Finally some real polls checks in with the voters casting actual votes. SA and Tasmania Local voters lunge to the right Are the Liberals now ready to consider Jeremy’s multi member electorate requests and save SomethingWonky listeners from ever having to hear about it again? Alexander Downer whinges that the Liberals in SA were “blocked by unfair boundaries” (under their own silly scheme) WA Senate. Preferences announced Labor and Greens do each other no favours Let’s See Them Scrutinise 8000 At Once checks out the Liberals’ “Repeal Day” on March 26. It costs money to cut spending as Tony splashes out on expensive but cheap-looking “red tape” brochures and a shiny new website. And Tony slashes funding for yet another class of shameless moochers… children of veterans. ANZAC ANZAC ANZAC tries to make excuses for “larrikin” commandos filming themselves doing dumb stuff that puts themselves and other people (inside and outside the army) in danger Can We Have A Blokes Question Now cringes with Tony Abbott as year nine students ask him much tougher questions than the Canberra Press Gallery. (Also: is it alright for students to still be leftists in Year Nine? Should they all be sent for some more religious education? Another thirty hours on the ANZACs perhaps?) We Have Signs Too checks in on the lefties as they try to fight back with - March in March. Why we march The Nuts and Bolts of contemporary Australian political discourse John Birmingham is unimpressed by the media’s inability to now even cover local news like protests and asks Will you miss us when we’re gone?. Are protests counter-productive when they’re too broad? Stop Embarrassing Jeremy visits his home state of Victoria Discovers that under the Victorian LNP’s “tough on crime” policy branding, crime rates have increased, as have prison populations (at vast additional expense, $625m in 2012-13). Is appalled to learn that the Grand Prix wasn’t loud enough Pretends Bernie Finn isn’t actually an MP actually in parliament actually declaring that abortion should be prevented even in the case of rape. (Link to that story about where the nasty anti-abortion claims come from.) Friends And Enemies admires Liberal governments’ democratic commitment to punishing critics The principled stand of George Brandis taking on ungrateful artists who don’t want to be sponsored by unprincipled corporations. (And no fewer than three articles in the Weekend Oz trying to call hypocrite first on artists taking money from an equally unprincipled federal government.) NSW Aboriginal Land Council shuts down its magazine Tracker after state Libs object to an article criticising Tony Abbott. Arthur Sinodinus resigns over his choice in friends (Tony Abbott’s earlier declaration, “The matters in question happened prior to his entering parliament and becoming a minister”, which is why he didn’t make a big deal out of Craig Thompson.) The financial planning industry doesn’t want to be friends with Arthur either. Three minutes of Oh God Manus Island Oh God Syrians suffering “severe mental health issues” offered repatriation to Syria “despite prospect of certain death”. 18yo refugee on Christmas island sets her plight as poetry, “I Will Live and Survive and I Will Be Asked” (BUT WOULD SHE ACCEPT A GRANT FROM TRANSFIELD) Scott Morrison tells his local paper that locals in Cronulla support his viciousness to refugees and have been telling him to “keep giving it to ‘em and don’t back down”. Also apparently criticism of his schemes is merely “personally motivated”. Cramming refugees into vomitous liferafts and punching them. PNG advises that Manus Island guards do not have security
