Abbott's Attack on ABC - Yet another distraction

It appears that Abbott government has decided that the ABC is the enemy or at least an enemy sympathiser. Prime Minister Abbott speaking Sydney shock jock and government mouthpiece Ray Hadley of 2GB has told his Sydney audience it, “dismays Australians when the national broadcaster appears to take everybody's side but our own’’.

He statements are another sign that the Prime Minister is struggling with the transition from opposition leader to leader of the nation. Seemingly stuck in opposition mode the attack on the national broadcaster this morning while not surprising is the latest in ‘look over there’ tactics

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Asylum Seeker Debate Hits A New Low

The asylum seeker debate has reached a new low level with Shadow Immigration Minister Scott Morrison calling for a suspention of bridging visas for all asylum seekers, further suggesting that households where those seeking refuge are released into the community should be notified by authorities.

His suggestion comes after a 21-year-old Sri Lankan asylum seeker asylum seeker, charged with indecently assaulting a student at Macquarie University last week.

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Australian Politics - A Year in Review 2012

It’s hard to think of a more bitter and divisive year in Australian politics and the scary thing is that it wasn’t even an election, that will be for 2013.

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The rise of the far right in the UK...

In a recent Simpleton blog there was commentary on the rise of the far right in Australia. You’re not alone – and if you come to work in the UK you may well be affected.

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British Coalition Government Comes Under Attack for Increasing Retirement Age

When the Liberal Democrats formed coalition government with the Conservative party, they sort of knew what they were getting into. "The Coalition: Our Programme For Government" has drawn criticism from a number of major political analysts and of course the people of United Kingdom. The coalition has been pushing for stronger civil liberties, a significant premium funding for educating the poorer sections, and a marked resistance towards non-EU immigration. While many of these have found support with people, the Coalition has been criticised for many decisions that have been described as drastic.

The latest criticism that the coalition has come under is because of a new decision to increase the mean retirement age to 67 by 2026. The argument that people have a greater life expectancy today than the previous generation did, and that working for a year more or two would only enhance people's quality of life has been the coalition's favourite argument, which has also met stiff resistance from people who work in public sector. The decision would be enforced anytime soon, which means millions of people who are aged 50 or under at the moment would have to work for a longer time before they start receiving the pension.

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