Gnu Hunter

The Gnu Hunter is retiring from the fray.

Tired from the hunt the Gnu Hunter is going to have a rest.

It has been a hoot and I've enjoyed my time with you all, but times have changed.

The forces of naughtiness are in disarray, and basically no Gnus is good Gnus.

The federal Labor Party has moved to a new level of dysfunction, one that is febrile and highly unstable. It now finds itself at a place where personal ambition and the settling of scores have a higher premium than finding a sense of common purpose or dealing with the realities created by John Howard's thumping fourth election victory.

The internal hostilities that raged between November 2001, when Simon Crean took on the leadership unopposed, and last December, when Mark Latham replaced him, have resumed.

The lark is on the wing
The snail is on the thorn
God is in his heaven
And all's right with the world.

Maybe, if times change, the Gnu Hunter will return.

Maybe I'll post an item now and again, but basically I can't see it happening, for a while at least.

Australians are now richer than ever before, new figures showed today, thanks to a buoyant sharemarket and high house prices. On average Australians are TWICE as wealthy as when Labor last ruled the roost eight years ago.

Private wealth rose 18 per cent to a new record high of $5 trillion in the year to June, or $250,000 a head, while debt averaged $19,000 a head.

Stock broker CommSec's analysis of Treasury and Australian Bureau of Statistics data found wealth doubled in the past seven years and rose almost 120 per cent in the past decade, beating the record set in the late 1980s.

"The gains in wealth over the past decade have not been equalled in at least 40 years," CommSec chief equities analyst Craig James said.

"Rising income and wealth levels combined with historically low interest rates and unemployment near 23-year lows will ensure that consumers keep spending in coming months of record petrol prices."

Mr James said the rise in wealth was due to the sharemarket - which hit successive record highs this week - and house prices, despite a dip in the early part of this year.

The will of the people was heard last weekend when they made it plain that they wanted John Howard to legislate and govern the country.

The Labor Party's apolitical arm, the ACTU, and its other affiliated unions, are being primed ready for action, to achieve Labor Party policy by proxy.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is preparing for a battle, as the re-elected Coalition Government targets industrial relations reforms.

Prime Minister John Howard is proposing a raft of changes to industrial laws governing award flexibility, unfair dismissal laws and work practices.

Some changes have already been blocked in the Senate, but the Government is likely to overcome that resistance in the Upper House with an outright majority or Family First support.

ACTU secretary Greg Combet says John Howard has made his agenda clear.

With this the ALP and the ACTU have also made their agenda clear.

Can anyone send me a list of the 6 or so current serving Labor politicians who have been "promoted" to (rewarded with) seats in parliament, rewarded for their workings in the ACTU or in Labor's other affiliated trade unions?

Simon Crean (ALP shadow treasurer and former ACTU President) is one,

Martin Ferguson (ALP shadow minister and former ACTU President) is another,

Jennie George (ALP shadow minister for Workplace Relations and former ACTU president) is yet another,

Can anyone name the rest...?

Of course in the past we had PM Bob Hawke (ACTU President) and Bill Kelty (ACTU President) etc.. etc...

Here's an ALP front-bencher of the future (the current ACTU President).

EDUCATION unions will campaign against the Howard Government in marginal seats, saying 98 per cent of schools would benefit under Labor's education policy.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow today said a union analysis had revealed every government school would be better off under Labor's plan, along with 2499 out of 2677 independent schools.

Ms Burrow said education had been chronically underfunded under the Howard government, and a fairer model was needed.

Ms Burrow could be our first female Prime Minister, if she does enough good works in support of the ALP during John Howard's term in office.

With the election over, and another chance at governing more than five years away, one of the few effective options left is to affect public opinion and government policy via the unions.

Did I mention the media? or rent-a-crowd street demonstrations? or snap strikes at Christmas ?

Update:

Julia Gillard (ALP Shadow Health Minister: rewarded for her work in the Australian Union of Students)

Update II: via Felis
1. Stephen Michael CONROY(Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate): Superannuation Officer, Transport Workers' Union
2. Kerry O'BRIEN (Shadow Minister for Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs and Shadow Minister for Tourism, Regional Services and Territories): Vice-President, Miscellaneous Workers' Division, Australian Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers' Union 1991-96.
3. Lindsay Tanner (Shadow Minister for Communications): Assistant Secretary, Federated Clerks' Union (Vic) 1987-88; State Secretary 1988-93
4. Nick Sherry (Shadow Minister for Retirement Incomes and Savings): State Secretary - Federated Liquor and Allied Industries Union (Tas) 1979-90
5. Kate Lundy (Shadow Minister for Information Technology, Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation and Shadow Minister for the Arts): Member, ACT Trades and Labour Council Executive from 1988; President 1993-96.
6. Thomas Bishop (Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs): Union Secretary 1984-96.
7. Chris Evans (Shadow Minister for Defence Procurement, Science and Personnel): State Secretary, Fire Brigade Union (WA) 1987-90.

If the Labor Party's fortunes were reversed last weekend and the fervent wishes of the majority of the press were realized then Labor would have controlled both houses of parliament (either directly or with the help of the Greens). The Labor Party would have controlled every State government, the Federal Government and the Senate as well.

This was not a problem for the learned members of the Press Gallery.

Suddenly, with Howard's win, it has become oh, so, scary, that a party should have the numbers in both houses of Federal Parliament.

A sixty year old woman leapt onto the back of a four metre crocodile to rescue a male friend.

The pair had been asleep in their tents on a beach in far north Queensland when the saltwater crocodile attacked and dragged the man from his tent.

The man, aged in his thirties, and a woman in her sixties, were at a remote spot about 300 kilometres north-west of Cairns.

Early this morning, the woman woke to her companion yelling as he was savaged by the crocodile in another tent.

She went to his aid, jumping on the back of the four-metre reptile.

When the croc turned on her, another camper shot the animal.

The injured pair was airlifted to hospital with wounds to their arms and legs.

Dr Mark Read from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service says the outcome could have been worse.

To see how big a 4 metre croc is click here.

Update: In the darkness and confusion Nanna thought the croc had the baby so she wasn't going to put up with any of that nonsense and leapt on the croc's back.

KENYA'S new Nobel Peace Prize winner believes the virus causing AIDS was a deliberately created biological agent unleashed on Africans.

In August Kenya's daily Standard newspaper quoted Ms Maathai saying HIV/AIDS was created by scientists for the purpose of mass extermination.

"We know that the developed nations are using biological warfare, leaving guns to the primitive people," the Standard quoted Ms Maathai as telling a public workshop in the central Kenyan town of Nyeri on August 30.

"AIDS (is) not a curse from God to Africans or the black people.

"It is a tool to control them designed by some evil-minded scientists, but we may not know who particularly did."

We know who to blame, don't we...

Australians have re-elected John Howard as Prime Minister for a near-record fourth term in office.

The shrieking from the Left and from the media gave us all pause to think he might be kicked out - removed for providing us with strong border protection and for supporting the US alliance in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Instead Australians have re-elected Howard with an increased majority.

Voters appear to have also given the government a majority in the Senate. This is the first time this freedom has been bestowed on a government for decades and is a significant development in our politics.

Clearly the voters have delivered a strong mandate for the government to govern.

Australians did not appreciate the Labor Party's (and the Greens') constant opposition for the sake of it.

Australians did not appreciate them calling the Prime Minister a liar. Being proven wrong, after the fact, about some things does not make you a liar.

Our contribution in Iraq may be small but we will not cut and run on our allies.

Howard has been a man of principle who has consistently made the correct political decisions rather than politically-correct ones.

The Opposition on the other hand have had a record of appeasement and of sniping, opportunistic politics.

Over the years, in the face of enormous opposition and media pressure, John Howard has stuck to his principles. Sometimes the polls favored him and at other times they most definitely did not. Despite this, his critics said his decisions were "poll driven".

During this election campaign he appealed to voters to respect his governments record and future judgement.

He asked that they not vote out good economic managers and strong national security defenders - just to elect unstable unknowns.

His appeal worked.

Howard is an astute politician and a man of principle. He really is, as George Bush described him, "The Man of Steel".

Much fuss is being made of the small boost in votes for the Greens party, but here's the first piece of analysis that matters:

The Greens lost their only seat in the House of Representatives.

The Greens have three seats in the Senate but have lost their share of the balance of power.

It's three years in the (political) wilderness. The best they can hope for is to attempt relevance by creating sensations in the media. A Democrats' future awaits them.

Have you noticed something missing from this election coverage?

No explosions or carnage?

It's not as if we don't have a shortage within our country of those who would wreak havoc upon us and our way of life.

Someone has, more than likely, done a very good job.

We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us.

- George Orwell

Thanks.

I'm off to sleep now.

So what mistakes did the Labor Party make? What do they need to know?

The mistakes they made are these:

The ALP chose Mark Latham.

Trees are not more important than people. The unions still hold the ALP in thrall.

Australians want to decide who can get into this country.

Australians are not ashamed to be Australian.

The Doctors' Wives are generally pissed all day, screw the pool guy, and do not know shit.

The Prime Minister was right to ally with the USA to invade Iraq based upon the perceived threats and knowledge pertaining at the time.

Who gives a shit about whether WMD's exist in Iraq. Arab muslim extremists flew two passenger loads of civilians into two buildings also full of civilians. Arab extremists have been butchering Western civilians for four decades. It's time for pay-back. Modern politicians can't say that explicitly but we still can. 150,000+ coalition troops and Western hardware in the heart of the Middle East gives the Wahabbi and Sunni mullahs something to think about.

Australians did not appreciate the ALP and the Greens calling the Prime Minister a liar. Being proven wrong, after the fact, about some things does not make you a liar.

Australians do not think Peter Costello is evil. They may even think him to be a better Prime Minister than the taxidermist (Mark Latham), in which case all those expensive Labor ads were in fact Liberal party advertising: comparing Latham with Costello.

Australians do not want their Prime Minister to be a man of low character who brawls drunkenly with taxi drivers in the street.

The ALP should not blame its woes on Tampa, a scare campaign, the stupidity of the Australian people, or the trickiness of the naughty Mr Howard. Instead, they must profer policies that will make us want to vote for them.

Mr Howard, Liberals and us voters may actually believe (and could even be right about) some of the things we say.

Sneering at the beliefs of your fellow man does not endear you to him.

The fact that the ALP was not elected to govern does not mean that Mr Howard tricked us stupid voters again.

The ALP, and its two-thirds of the media, underestimated again.

The Left seem to focus, not on facts, but on images and impressions. They thought they were dealing with "Little Johnnie" but were denied power for the FOURTH TIME by a wiley little nugget, the consumate politician, "The Man of Steel".

The Gnu Hunter is not pissed off. The Gnu Hunter is just pissed. (**USA readers - this does not mean that I am angry).

Thankyou.

I love us.

Australians.

We cut through the crap and together, collectively, as mates, we see it how it is, and we go over the top.

Together.

God bless us all.

Even Phillip Adams and Mark Latham.

Update: Control of the Senate! Thankyou Australia. The Greens are irrelevant.

The Chief Bastard has a nice chronology of events!

The Currency Lad instructs us on the advantages of Four on the Floor.

New Zealand is interested.

Senator Nick Minchin tore strips off Kerry O'Brien, in prime-time, on the ABC tonight about Kerry's quips concerning the legitimacy of the Family First Party. Minchin pointed out that the party is as legitimate, in every way, as any other democratic party. Kerry just sat there, po faced, and took it. O'Brien has looked like he's been biting on lemons all night.

Pollster Gary Morgan put his reputation on the line and .....

Slatts reports that Centrebet is on the money again.

Uncle Kim Beazley says it could have been worse. How?

Tasmania has been a Labor nightmare. Blue collar workers supporting the Liberals.

A unique treat. An ABC website photo of a pleasantly smiling John Howard. Normally their photos of him depict him almost with horns.

Neo-Conservative just means newly-conservative.

A neo-con is a small-l liberal who has seen the light and now votes conservative. This is why neo-cons attract so much vitriol from small-l liberals.

A new neo-con writes:

Hi, Gnu Hunter.

I read your post gladly. It got me charged up to do something I intended to do anyway, but which I'd never done before: I voted the straight Liberal ticket in the lower house and above the line in the Senate.

My reason: if we hold one principle sacred in this country it's mateship. We are not going to buckle and run out on our American, British and other friends, not at all, not against murdering scum like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, not when we're winning, and above all not in a global war against terrorism that we can't avoid and will have to fight anyway.

Today is a beautiful day for trying something new.

The Professor appears to this Gnu Hunter to have hit the turps early, so confident is the bunyip.

Mar-go! Johnny, go! go!
Mar-go! Johnny, go! go!
Mar-go! Johnny, go! go!
Mar-go! Johnny, go! go! Johnny B. Goode

And he is in good company. John Howard was asked last night on a Current Affair if he'd be having a scotch tonight and he said, "either way he'd be having more than one.".

The Greens have alleged that a Liberal candidate in the marginal seat of Melbourne Ports hired young people to dress like Greens supporters to hand out fake vote cards.

You may wonder what mode of dress identifies Greens supporters, but wonder no more because the Gnu Hunter has tracked down some pictures of the offending Liberals caught in the act of masquerading as Greens supporters.

Please feel free to add your own evidence in the comments.

Update: On the other side of the ledger up to 100 booth workers, mostly backpackers, were paid up to $200 each to impersonate Liberals and to hand out fake vote cards. A bar of soap and instructions were also provided to each booth worker.

If next year the Western world is caught up in another S11 attack, or one that is much worse, or one closer to home, who would you want weighing up all of the alternatives and making the life and death decisions?

John Howard and the Liberals? or Mark Latham and the Labor Party ?

Howard, the proven leader, who guided his party and the country through the perilous events of East Timor, of Bali, September 11 and Afghanistan ?

Howard, the statesman with the ability, nerve and principle to stare down the Indonesian generals over East Timor ?

Howard, the cool man of steel, who eased Australian troops into Timor under the very noses, and right alongside, the same Indonesian troops who were perpetrating that slaughter?

More than likely East Timor was as close as you've come to war.

Or would you rather elect a Prime Minister who recently decided to brawl, drunkenly and in the street, with a taxi driver, over a fare?

I'll vote for John Howard not just because I can't contemplate voting for the other guy.

I'll vote for John Howard because he is a proven leader.

I'll vote for John Howard to preserve our way of life.

Who will you vote for?

Under John Howard, at home in Australia, our nation is prospering and our nation has remained at peace at home.

The fight has been taken to the enemy abroad.

Forget the shit about whether Afghanistan or Iraq had WMD, or whether there were provable links to Osama bin Laden and S11. The islamo-fascists ploughed two jets laden with passengers into the heart of modern civilization and the arabs danced in the street.

The yanks took the fight to bin Laden and the Taliban and then on into the midst of the islamo-fascists - and Australia went too.

Mid-east theocrats and dictators are on notice. There are now 150,000+ pairs of yank boots on the ground, and as many tonnes of high-tech hardware situated in the middle of the middle east. Right in the middle: between Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria and Jordan. Each capital about thirty minutes away, as the Tomahawk flies.

There have been no S11 attacks since we went.

Despite our current peace and prosperity, post 11th September 2001, we live in a very dangerous world.

We still have a choice of voting.

We can vote for a proven leader who has guided our nation through some very difficult situations; or we can vote for the mercurial man with a history of poor judgement and a lack of character.

I will not vote for the ALP, or the Greens, both of them with their sad record of appeasement and their sniping, opportunity politics.

I will not vote out good economic managers and elect unknowns.

I will not vote in favor of finger wagging correctness, or a black armband view of history, or for parties riddled with, just for the sake of it, opposition to everything.

That's why I'm voting for John Howard, and that's why you should vote for him too.