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Post by jack on Aug 12, 2012 15:45:59 GMT 10
MoC, as it happens, the tv was on so I switched over and actually watched some of the Pull Factor, even recorded it (er, I got side tracked and it was still recording when I read your post).
Andy's "independent telco consultant" was a Kevin Morgan, who "served on Kim Beazeley's ministerial committee on telecom reform representing the ACTU."
Morgan told Andy if they could build the NBN for $36-40bn "it would be a bargain."
Andy said he already thought $40b was "far far too much", but asked what would reasonable to expect to pay. Morgan floated a figure "if you're going to do it properly" of $70-80bn, but "no one really knows because no one's done any studies to prove what the costs would be."
Morgan is actually worth listening to, when he can get a word in around Andy's badgering for some shock revelation. (I mean, a shock other than that $40bn for an nbn is a relative bargain.)
Morgan's take-home point seemed to be that the main problem for NBN is "inability to identify risks" related to putting in the infrastructure.
Towards the end, Morgan mentioned a problem relating to duplication of some existing infrastructure, which Andy pounced upon, talking over his guest before closing the interview. Stand by for a searing column by the Herald Sun's resident expert on telco infrastructure.
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Post by angra on Aug 12, 2012 19:14:22 GMT 10
The Daily No Comment
Mr B. quotes approvingly from an article by Daniel Greenfield because he refers to Bolt over the great censorship of Free Speech in quaint old Australia.
Do a bit of digging and you find that Greenfield is a somewhat notorious right-wing Islamophobe with all the usual Yank libertarian/ tea party hang-ups (Guns, Obama, liberals, communists, black conspiracies, the evil of Islam, world socialist government being imposed by the UN etc.)
He was one of the first righties to squeal blue-murder about any links being made between Breivik and right-wing hate rhetoric.
Well I suppose birds of a feather flock together.
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Post by angra on Aug 12, 2012 21:41:21 GMT 10
I think Mr B. has offended his US rightie friends. Romney's choice as deputy (or actually the next President, as Romney gaffed at the announcement ) is Paul Ryan, whom Bolt describes as a 'wonk'.
Wonk- noun Slang.
1. a student who spends much time studying and has little or no social life; grind. 2. stupid, boring, or unattractive person. 3. person who studies a subject or issue in an excessively assiduous and thorough manner
Take your pick.
According to the Urban Dictionary also ” Australian slang for “white person, homosexual”.
Or maybe British slang "derived from Wank or Wanker"
Maybe he meant 'plonk'? "a fool or simpleton".
Nice one Andrew.
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Post by jack on Aug 12, 2012 22:42:23 GMT 10
angra, I haven't looked at Andy's blog for a day or so, but... do you think he's considered that his own preferred PM, Abbott, isn't exactly a "vote magnet" either? Rather, more a "policy wonk" in his own disturbing, unsettling, deranged way?
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Post by jack on Aug 12, 2012 22:45:36 GMT 10
btw, how does one get to become a "Full Member" of this here board?
Even if at the cost of some karma...
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 13, 2012 8:34:47 GMT 10
"Towards the end, Morgan mentioned a problem relating to duplication of some existing infrastructure"
That'd be the fibre-coax that telstra and optus laid (frequently duplicated) back in the 90s (I think it was the 90s).
They've both been paid a large amount of money to switch their broadband customers over to NBN fiber when it becomes available - the twist being that they'll then pay NBN wholesale fees so that NBN eventually gets that money back (with a bit extra). In return they've agreed not to market new broadband or telephony services over that cable, although they'll continue to run pay-tv over it.
Partly, I imagine it's to stop NBN's (now) partners from being wreckers and stealing customers by offering below-cost deals on equipment that's otherwise a technological dead-end (and only ever duplicated in the first place because there _wasn't_ a level-playing-field option). There's a bit of a fashion at the moment to represent that as a totalitarian "prohibition".
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 13, 2012 8:57:52 GMT 10
Could these people actually BE this ill-informed? PM's $150m spin doctor brigadewww.google.com.au/search?q=%22PM%27s+%24150m+spin+doctor+brigade%22TAXPAYERS are spending about $150 million a year on an army of spin doctors to sell the Gillard government's policies to voters.
Figures obtained by The Australian reveal there are about 1600 staff employed by federal government departments and agencies in media, communications, marketing and public affairs roles.Bullshit. Utter, complete, bullshit. Those figures refer to the people who run the websites, publish the pamphlets you pick up in shop-fronts, get the posters printed, send out the information to people who need it, answer requests for information. They're not spin doctors. For most of those people, spinning ANYTHING could be a very serious career-limiting move. In the case of defence, that probably includes commissioning and running the hiring campaigns - defence is (or used to be) one of the nation's biggest HR advertisers. Some departments have a lot of them, but there's a reason for that - they have to make sure they respond accurately to policy changes, they have to make sure their communication is accurate, and they often have to hit statutory deadlines. Yes, sometimes they commission TV advertisements, but the political ones tend to be run a bit closer to the minister's office. Bolta responds to this with: If the problem isn’t the policies but the communication, what are all these people doing?Well, I assume you're probably going to read this eventually, so I'll suggest something: HOW ABOUT YOU FIND OUT. You're a journalist. Not everything you write needs to be rhetorical, or wrong.
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Post by angra on Aug 13, 2012 9:54:02 GMT 10
The Daily No Comment
Poor me! I can't discuss Aboriginal pre-school programmes!
He links to a perfectly reasonable article about promoting pre-school education for indigenous kids.
(BTW he continues the farce of linking to the paywalled version, but just Google "early education is childs-play for indigenous kids")
Why can't you discuss it Andrew? Did you want to congratulate local educators on an excellent idea, or is your point that the kid in the picture isn't black enough for you?
What a plonk.
And jack - I think "full member" is just based on the number of posts.
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Post by jules on Aug 13, 2012 14:38:17 GMT 10
btw, how does one get to become a "Full Member" of this here board? Even if at the cost of some karma... Its based on how many posts you make jack. Once you get to 100 you get full membership. Tho I don't think it means anything really, but if you spam the board for a few days you should get full membership. From what I can tell once you post 500 times you become a god member, or simply a god. How promethean.
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Post by jack on Aug 13, 2012 20:11:40 GMT 10
Thanks jules, seems I still have a ways to go (at least I'm not being processed offshore).
"HOW ABOUT YOU FIND OUT. You're a journalist."
As a journalist, and not at all a Liberal Party right faction operative*, it would be very public interesty of Andy if he could look at "media, communications, marketing and public affairs" government staff in the present compared with, say, the Howard era.
I'd expect there'd be substantially more today, if only because of increasing focus on online interface between government agencies and 'customers'. I saw the other day one agency has a unit dedicated to helping older people become internet savvy to maximise their access to services.
* Still haven't seen any reviews about Andy's address to the Lib's right faction Federal Council dinner back in late June.
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Post by angra on Aug 13, 2012 21:53:27 GMT 10
Mr B. keeps gnawing away at the Gillard/Wilson connection. But he can't seem to find any meat to chew on.
Apparently there's a 6 month gap in Gillards biography (between when she left Slater and Gordon, the joined Brumby's staff).
Wow - a six month gap is surely incriminating!
But Andrew is getting wise to the lawyers. He desperately tries to link this to Wilson, but fails. So he's left with this innuendo - "But much remains obscure. Under what circumstances did she actually leave Slater & Gordon? "
He starts bum-scooting (an in-joke for dog owners) "Last year two journalists lost their jobs trying to cover this issue. It’s now going mainstream. "
Andrew - similar questions can be asked about your past, and have been, but were shut down by legal threats.
Plonk?
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Post by angra on Aug 13, 2012 22:03:51 GMT 10
Sounds very similar to the Obama birth certificate nonsense, dredged up by the loony/racist right. Andrew - you're not in very good company. Next step - I'd suggest you demand to see her complete certified CV. And require DNA proof that she's not a Muslim and has never worn a burga.
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Post by angra on Aug 13, 2012 22:11:00 GMT 10
I'd like a double cheese burga with extra dill pickles thanks.
(Well I'm at least trying to cover a linguistic malfunction with a joke.)
On reflection 'wearing a burga' is worth a try for Julia at the Spring festival.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 13, 2012 22:20:06 GMT 10
"Sounds very similar to the Obama birth certificate nonsense, dredged up by the loony/racist right"
It has a similar appearance, but a completely different motivation. I think most of the birthers really did believe they were on to something, and wanted to prove to the world that they were right. I don't think that's the objective of NEWS/afr. Actually proving things doesn't matter if you can generate the sound and fury without needing any proof. Hence we've had a string of disasters and scandals that weren't.
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Post by angra on Aug 13, 2012 22:34:30 GMT 10
MoC - Yes. Birthers were genuine believers (misguided and intellectually challenged as they may have been).
Rather like Jonestown.
But the NEWS slavers just promote the party line because that's what they are paid to do. I actually think that some of them are quite intelligent and have minds of their own, but are too scared to reveal them.
But for how much longer?
News Ltd is going to implode. Probably Fairfax too. Because they have failed to see the future, and adjust their business models appropriately, or give people what they want (ironic for 'journalists').
I don't really give a shit. Let's have a world without 'journalists' - maybe they can go and find real jobs digging ditches or something.
As you may surmise, I have no respect for them. Their day is done.
Automobiles have replaced horses.
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