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Day: April 30, 2016

A Modest Proposal

April 30, 2016 / / 0 Comments
Well I was wrong about 4,000 new jobs in Adelaide at a cost of an additional $18 billion to build the subs here. Christopher Pyne says it’s 2,800 jobs. Let’s be generous and say 3,000.
 
That’s $6 million per job.
 
I have an idea. Why not let the Federal government pay 3,000 unemployed people in Adelaide $100,000 per year for ten years to sit around and do absolutely nothing. That’s a million dollars each. That would cost $3 billion.
 
Then we could get the subs built in France and save $15 billion, and Christopher Pyne would be so popular he would still get to save his seat.
 
Why not? Because it would be absolutely freaking ridiculous, that’s why not.
 
But nowhere near as freaking ridiculous as paying $18 billion for the same 3,000 make-work jobs.

China Denies US Aircraft Carrier Entry to Hong Kong

April 30, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Hong Kong is part of China, so the Chinese are entitled to do that.

The concern is that the refusal is likely an expression of China’s disapproval of the US/Philippines alliance, and joint US/Philippine opposition to China’s expanionism in the South China Sea.

“Beijing denied a US aircraft carrier permission to make a port call in Hong Kong, a US consulate official says, a rejection that comes amid escalating tensions in the South China Sea.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry told the US on Thursday night the visit by the USS John C. Stennis would not be allowed, said the official, who requested anonymity.

US defence chief Ash Carter visited the Stennis earlier this month.

“[The ministry] needs to approve every ship coming into Hong Kong. [They] said ‘no’ to the carrier,” the official said, adding the reason for the denial was not clear.

In a written reply to the South China Morning Post’s inquiry, the ministry said on Friday night that port calls made by US warships and military aircraft were examined on a “case by case basis in accordance with sovereignty principles and specific circumstances”.

Carter flew to the nuclear-powered carrier for a two-hour visit on April 15, as it sailed about 100km west of the Philippine island of Luzon. Experts said the move likely irritated Beijing as Carter was accompanied by his Philippine counterpart, Voltaire Gazmin.”

If Trump Gets the Nomination …

April 30, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Trump may get the nomination. There are not enough delegates left for any other candidate to win the required number. If Cruz won every remaining delegate, he would force a contested convention, but still not have the numbers to win.

I have said from the first primary that the only way the Republicans could lose was to nominate Donald Trump. Not so much because there is anything wrong with him, but because of the extraordinary level of antipathy towards him in his own party.

Many of the criticisms of him in the video are unfair. Those who know whim and have worked with him, including women, blacks and Latinos, respect him and felt respected by him. With the right advisors he would make a good president. But will the Republican Party be willing to spend the money and do the work to convince people of that? It will be much harder after videos like this one.

https://youtu.be/lYJq02_Xyvc

 

James Roberts, Football and New Baby

April 30, 2016 / / 0 Comments
What the hell is all the whining about James Roberts clearing off to play football while his wife was giving birth??
 
Roberts played football on Friday night, the baby was born on Sunday morning. As well as looking after a new baby, Robert’s wife, Anna Jovanovic, is now having to spend her energy telling ignorant, time-wasting, loser journos to mind their own business and get their facts right.

Subs Scam Could Cost the Election

April 30, 2016 / / 0 Comments
Since the announcement that Australia’s new submarines were to be built in Adelaide by a French company, from the only poll that ever gets it right, punters:
 
• Labor closes in on the Coalition, odds cut into $3.25 to win the election.
 
• Coalition drifts from $1.25 out to $1.33.
 
• All the interest from punters this week has been for Labor to cause an election upset.
 
Labor, priced at $6.00 just over a month ago, has been cut from $3.50 into $3.25.
 
Punter interest in Labor has been strong over the past week, with Sportsbet taking five bets on Labor for every one bet on the Coalition.
(Those figures via Tim Blair)
 
People aren’t stupid. We could have had Japanese submarines with proven design and technology built in Japan for $20 billion. About $1,000 cost for every man, woman and child in Australia.
 
Instead we are going to have French subs, not yet designed, with software not yet written or costed, made in Adelaide, for $50 billion plus the extra cost to build them here, estimated at up to 30% more, so a total cost of nearly $70 billion. Over $3,000 cost for every man woman and child in Australia. That is $2000 less in the pocket of every member of your family to spend on what you want and need. To fund less than 4,000 jobs in key marginal seats in Adelaide.
 
That is not job creation. That $2000 less to spend in the pocket of every Australian means job destruction on a massive scale.

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