#auspol

[andyturbo]

I see house prices are collapsing in Sydney. The burst of the speculative bubble, or just more bubblegum?

House values tumble and could drop faster as rates set to rise

Sydney’s property values are falling at their fastest rate since the mid-1980s, while in Melbourne, they are falling as fast as during the global financial crisis.

www.smh.com.au

Melboune has been one of the fastest growing cities in the would the past 2 decades (as in population growth) so that doesn't really surprise me. I think up until covid it was averaging +3.1%..at that rate it was expected to pass Sydney's population by 2023 but i believe its looking like 2024 now. My point being perhaps having less population growth lowers house prices?

 

[Dansteely]

Melboune has been one of the fastest growing cities in the would the past 2 decades (as in population growth) so that doesn't really surprise me. I think up until covid it was averaging +3.1%..at that rate it was expected to pass Sydney's population by 2023 but i believe its looking like 2024 now. My point being perhaps having less population growth lowers house prices?

Rising interest rates and people mortgaged to the hilt looking to offload lowers house prices.

 

[Dansteely]

I'll have to reply in more detail later but I've been hoping Albo gets replaced by someone with more leadership ability (and there's at least one in the ranks).

His speech yesterday really impressed me though. The ALP are corrupt as well of course, but not AS corrupt. I have hope!

That would be nice, Albo's dead set lazy and not the sharpest tool in the shed, kind of reminds me of Joe Biden & Kamala Harris (Is this the best the Democrats could do?). There would hopefully be several with more leadership ability, who is your choice of replacement? Plibersek would do well I think, but she doesn't have enough support as evidenced by her being passed over for the education ministry. Surely can't be one of the "mean girls' who hounded one of their own to death rules out Katy Gallagher. Billy Shorten's a no. Chalmers too inexperienced, Husic - don't think so, Marles has the stench of numerous visits to China while in opposition hanging over him he's a no, Bowen's a clown, Mark Butler - don't really know him but he's an arse for encouragining people to wear masks indoors last month. Can't say I know too many others.

The ALP & LNP are as corrupt as each other, one is not less so than the other. We are talking in the most part about career politicians and in the ALP's case union leaders/officals. Add to that Dan Andrews must lead the most corrupt state government in recent memory, whats more I expect Victorians will still vote him in later in the year.

 

[Dansteely]

Are you referring to this?




Fuck I'm glad he's gone. Our PM was a member of an evangelical megachurch

I'm glad he's gone too, I'm skeptical about anyone tied up that closely with those money grubbing prosperity gospel spivs.

On a side note did you know the now disgraced one time leader of hillsong Brian Houston actually wrote a book titled "You need more money", talk about a charlatan.

If you are interested https://www.amazon.com.au/Yoy-Need-More-Money-Pb/dp/0957733607

 

[n3ophy7e]

The ALP & LNP are as corrupt as each other, one is not less so than the other. We are talking in the most part about career politicians and in the ALP's case union leaders/officals. Add to that Dan Andrews must lead the most corrupt state government in recent memory, whats more I expect Victorians will still vote him in later in the year.

This is exactly why I've lost interest in Aus politics. I used to give a shit. Now I just vote Greens and go about my business.

 

[Dansteely]

that man was a true prick.

no good to anyone and the amount of serious mistakes he made both with corona and china he should have been ousted ages ago.

Generally he lacked leadership as evidenced by the bushfire debacle, couldn't get the states to work together during COVID-19 hysteria etc...

If we are being fair, I think most leaders in Australia fucked up big time with regards to COVID-19. It definitely bought the worst out in politicians, that fucker of a Premier Mark McGowan taking glee in Victoria and NSW covid numbers, and lockdowns - for christ sakes we are all Australians. You can thank the QLD premier and CHO for fucking over the rollout of the AZ vaccine here with Jeanette Young pronouncing at one of her live press conferences that she wouldn't recommend anyone under 40 take it, turns out it is probably as good as if not better than than the Pfizer vaccine. If you do a bit of research you will find that Jeanette Young's husband worked for Pfizer on advisory boards (shares or share options, conflict of interest anyone?), nothing to see here move on.

I have a question for you would you have signed up to the pfizer deal when they wanted an upfront payment which could have been as high as 240 million, before the drug was approved as safe to use, proven to be effective against covid with no guarantee that a dose would be delivered as well as being only 50% refundable, or would you have signed a deal for AZ vaccine which was approved, proven to be effective, licensed at cost (not for profit) and could be produced here in Australia?

I will back him for giving china the big finger though, he showed some balls there and we came through it pretty much unscathed. Why should we or any other country bend to another's will especially when they pull every trick in the book to try and fuck you economically when you dont do what they want or call a spade a spade?

 

[lonelyDude]

christ sakes we are all Australians.

something that I thought as well but to take joy in the death of others just because they are in another state is sick.

I have a question for you would you have signed up to the pfizer deal when they wanted an upfront payment which could have been as high as 240 million, before the drug was approved as safe to use, proven to be effective against covid with no guarantee that a dose would be delivered as well as being only 50% refundable, or would you have signed a deal for AZ vaccine which was approved, proven to be effective, licensed at cost (not for profit) and could be produced here in Australia?

I think it was worth the gamble.

240 mill is nothing compared to the cost of this pandemic and I think the investment worth it if there was a chance of it working which it did to some extent.

 

[Dansteely]

I think it was worth the gamble.

240 mill is nothing compared to the cost of this pandemic and I think the investment worth it if there was a chance of it working which it did to some extent.

Fair enough

something that I thought as well but to take joy in the death of others just because they are in another state is sick.

One thing is for sure though especially with regards to the state based politicians, they elevated political interests above the interests of Australian citizens, it was disgusting and divisive.

I don't think anyone should forget how some state politicians behaved, for example:
"People living in New South Wales have New South Wales hospitals. In Queensland we have Queensland hospitals for our people” ( this lack of common sense/compassion and political grandstanding lead to the death of an unborn twin whose mother was denied entry for over 16 hours (in the meantime the mother had flown to Sydney) because she lived on the wrong side of a line on a map) even though taxpayers of other states including NSW contributed to the funding of those QLD hospitals and we all paid an extra (1/2 % tax ) for a flood levy in FY11/12 to bail QLD out when floods wreaked damage across the SE corner - primarily because they didn't have ample insurance. Interestingly a google search doesn't return much when searching for that quote from the QLD premier.
Or Dan Andrews ordering or condoning the firing of rubber bullets, smoke bombs etc on certain protests during lockdown, while other protests were allowed to proceed without such action.
Similarly some protests were treated with kid gloves in NSW while individual transgressors of COVID health order were treated like criminals.

To stick the boot into one politician who may be of a different political persuasion while ignoring the actions of others during the pandemic who may have been of the same political persuasion and that were arguably callous and political in nature is no doubt partisan.

 

[AbbeyLee]

This is exactly why I've lost interest in Aus politics. I used to give a shit. Now I just vote Greens and go about my business.

I'm back on board. Voted ALP #1 in the House of Reps and the Senate. I haven't voted ALP in a while but I felt desperate times called for desperate measures. I was pessimistic and expected the Libs to get back in but we did it!!

It was the Independents who kicked ass eg. Josh Fredenberg's seat. Also Western Australia (WTF?) and I think even Queensland made a difference.

Albo's cabinet is almost half women

His Indigenous policies are looking good

He needs to step up his game environmentally and stand up to the likes of Woodside, but all in all he's a gem compared to Scotty (from backbench)

 

[AbbeyLee]

I'm glad he's gone too, I'm skeptical about anyone tied up that closely with those money grubbing prosperity gospel spivs.

I investigated Hillsong during the bushfires (when he disappeared, then did a deal with India to build a big-ass coal plant in Qld).

Not only are they an Evangelical Megachurch, they differ from other evangelical churches in that they believe "the wealthy will be saved". This is controversial even among those churches.

People don't know this though. It's only because of my interest in religion that I dug pretty deep and read this stuff. I still can't believe we even had a PM that *prayed for farmers* at this thing


I haven't seen this. Is he on drugs?

 

[Dansteely]

I'm back on board. Voted ALP #1 in the House of Reps and the Senate. I haven't voted ALP in a while but I felt desperate times called for desperate measures. I was pessimistic and expected the Libs to get back in but we did it!!

It was the Independents who kicked ass eg. Josh Fredenberg's seat. Also Western Australia (WTF?) and I think even Queensland made a difference.

Albo's cabinet is almost half women

His Indigenous policies are looking good

He needs to step up his game environmentally and stand up to the likes of Woodside, but all in all he's a gem compared to Scotty (from backbench)

Scotty was a goose, won the unwinnable election and wasted whatever opportunity he had because of his woeful lack of leadership.

I still can't stomach Albanese, I think, his comradeship with jeremy Corbyn, the makeover (be interesting to see how long that lasts) and his crappy performance in the lead up the election cloud my opinion. It'll be interesting to see if the knives come out sooner rather than later.

 

[Dansteely]

I investigated Hillsong during the bushfires (when he disappeared, then did a deal with India to build a big-ass coal plant in Qld).

Not only are they an Evangelical Megachurch, they differ from other evangelical churches in that they believe "the wealthy will be saved". This is controversial even among those churches.

People don't know this though. It's only because of my interest in religion that I dug pretty deep and read this stuff. I still can't believe we even had a PM that *prayed for farmers* at this thing


I haven't seen this. Is he on drugs?

Those rumors of heading to manhattan for the opening of their megachurch? I had a chuckle reading about the shenanigans of the "pastors" shortly after...

Money will save you, I thought it's what all those singing, dancing wave your hands around in the air "churches" that have gained popularity in the last couple of decades preach. Always thought they were suss, I can remember reading about them in an article in the smh's good weekend when it still required a couple of trees to produce the weekend version. Couldn't believe my eyes when I read that they took peoples money by credit card if you didn't have the cash. Prosperity gospel wtf.. I'm always skeptical of grinning salespeople with slick hair, bleached teeth and a solarium tan sprouting crap about Jesus and asking for your money that you may or may not have.

When you travel out to the middle of nowhere and have to pass through a shit hole like Wilcannia (even though it has a rich history - 3rd largest port in NSW at one time, Resches 1st Brewery in Oz, A couple of Charles Dickens sons lived there for a while etc..) with no employment, alcohol problems, no prospects for young people if they want to stay etc.. do you see these prosperity gospel "churches" doing any of their "good work", trying to help a community that needs all the help it can get? fuck no. They are more interested in sucking money out of folk who are much better off. I'm not a fan of religion (i find it interesting as well) and churches in general but at least the "traditional" religions/churches are there trying to do something to improve the town, when I passed though there earlier this year and in need of a coffee the only place that was open was funded (partly I guess) by a "traditional" church, run by and employing locals, trying to do something to help the community...

 

[AbbeyLee]

I still can't stomach Albanese, I think, his comradeship with jeremy Corbyn, the makeover (be interesting to see how long that lasts) and his crappy performance in the lead up the election cloud my opinion. It'll be interesting to see if the knives come out sooner rather than later.

There is someone in the ALP who a little bird told me may take over (she really doesn't know but has connections with top execs in the trade union movement). Who the hell it is idk. I keep forgetting the name! Albo isn't that popular with anyone is he?

 

[AbbeyLee]

It's not Penny Wong lol.

 

[December Flower]

Im not a fan of how right-winged ideas are getting more and more of a factor in Austria.

 

[AbbeyLee]

Me either

 

[December Flower]

Me either

it's just crazy how the FPÖ is at 16% now the third-strongest political party
a right-winged party in Austria, and that after giving the world Hitler, wtf

 

[December Flower]

Me either

oh he says Säubern and Rache? doesn't sound like it

Trey Parker's German pronounciation is very good, I don't think he would butcher those words so much

to my ears it sounds like "zu sterben" the first time, which means "to die"
and then a either deutsch or Reich the other times, he switches a little

he makes lots of grammatical errors speaking German, so I'd rather think he made those here,
but his pronounciation is too good to pronounce those words so wrong, he's even making sounds most English-speakers have difficulty with

 

[AbbeyLee]

oh he says Säubern and Rache? doesn't sound like it

Trey Parker's German pronounciation is very good, I don't think he would butcher those words so much

to my ears it sounds like "zu sterben" the first time, which means "to die"
and then a either deutsch or Reich the other times, he switches a little

he makes lots of grammatical errors speaking German, so I'd rather think he made those here,
but his pronounciation is too good to pronounce those words so wrong, he's even making sounds most English-speakers have difficulty with

I got a perfect score for Lesson 1

 

[December Flower]

I got a perfect score for Lesson 1

I think learning German is one of those ways you can lose your mind
gendering words is a bitch, and to be honest we have no fucking idea how we do it,
there's no "this is always der, this is always die, this is always das", it's utterly random
everything with -zeug at the end is das, if that helps