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[Reudh]

British politics has acquired some Australian driftwood lately in the forms of John Mcternan, who is running the disastrous Scottish Labour campaign (looking at losing nearly ALL of their seats in early May), and Lynton Crosby, who is running the disastrous Conservative campaign for David Cameron. Can any Australians fill me in on their Australian careers?

Lynton Crosby was the bloke who suggested the Howard Government say during the "children overboard" scandal that the migrant ships had been throwing children overboard as they sunk, even though no such thing happened.

McTernan was apparently a british citizen on a 457 visa, or maybe he wasn't, he evaded every question. A radio host once asked him "are you working on a 457?" to which he said it was "hardly fucking relevant".

I hope that sums them up for you.

[Owlbread]

I'd heard McTernan had a "colourful" career while he was working for Gillard. Crosby sounds utterly despicable though - the fact our press hasn't skewered Cameron over the migrant thing shows how supine it is.

[Jimmy]

2013: The Australian Climate Commission, most well known for the very clear, concise amounts of scientific research they published supporting climate change and the need for action, is axed by the Abbott government on his first day in office. It is explained that the $1.6 million is needed elsewhere and their funding cannot continue.

2014: Tony Abbott and his chief of staff Peta Credlin personally drive the decision to fund a think tank headed by climate change contrarian Bjørn Lomborg. Lomborg’s work over the years has routinely underplayed the importance of climate change and its impacts.

2015: $4 million is given to the construction of Lomborg’s Copenhagen Consensus Centre (CCC) at the University of Western Australia. Lomborg has said that his Australia Consensus Centre will look at climate change, but it won’t be a big part of what it does.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/prime-minister-tony-abbotts-office-the-origin-for-controversial-bjorn-lomborg-centre-decision-20150423-1mrha2.html

 

[Morrigi]

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/philosopherszone/new-family-values/6437058

wtf australia

[wobbly]

Why the wtf? Do you take the ramblings of every random academic seriously? Notice the light style of the writing. It's not written to be taken particularly serious. It only made print because it's a controversial view point & thus mildly interesting.

[smjjames]

http://newsdaily.com/2015/05/australian-mps-adviser-says-u-n-using-climate-change-for-new-world-order/

Lolwut Australia.....

[sneakey pete]

Despite being a government funded organization luckily the ABC is very independent regarding what it produces, the government has no say. While it means you get occasionally weird blog pieces like that thrown up on there, it also means we get some wonderful news and programming, a net benefit in all.

Regarding the adviser?
I have no words.

[Andres]

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/philosopherszone/new-family-values/6437058

wtf australia

We're currently dealing with one of the worst governments we've had in a while. Shark culls in WA, selling the GBR for untaxable profit, etc. They're at a 30% approval rating at the moment, I think.

[Descan]

One thing I never understood- WHY is an NWO bad, as such? I mean, if they decide to commit genocide, blackmail and such, yes, but uniting the world under one banner would hardly be a bad thing itself...

Lizard people and they took dere guuuuuuns/jerbs/non-musselmen-peoplez or something. :v

It's conspiracy theorists, why are you expecting sense?

[crazysheep]

New world orders imply change, and most people don't like that sort of change I'm guessing?

Another plausible reason could be that a single banner typically suggests a totalitarian world government system, which many people aren't a fan of either.

[wobbly]

We're currently dealing with one of the worst governments we've had in a while. Shark culls in WA, selling the GBR for untaxable profit, etc. They're at a 30% approval rating at the moment, I think.

Yeah though unfortunately they were unpopular at the last election & people still voted them in. The opposition actually has to present a viable candidate.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

TONY NO

[Reelya]

Mixed feelings about that news. Where's the comedy gold in Turnbull?

One interesting theory is that the timing of the 12000 Syrian refugees was not accidental, and was designed to boost Abbotts image just before the polls.

~~~

British politics has acquired some Australian driftwood lately in the forms of John Mcternan, who is running the disastrous Scottish Labour campaign (looking at losing nearly ALL of their seats in early May), and Lynton Crosby, who is running the disastrous Conservative campaign for David Cameron. Can any Australians fill me in on their Australian careers?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

John Mcternan, Australian theatre actor, is a different bloke to the politician, who is not Australian. The English John Mcternan, was previously a Blair government guy, and worked for Australian Labour Prime Minister Julia Gillard as a staffer for about 18 months before she lost the leadership of the Labour party here. So he has minimal links to anything Australian ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McTernan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McTernan_%28actor%29

Lynton Crosby, is a political campaign manager for conservative parties in a number of countries, and oversaw a turn to very divisive and threatening tones in the electoral advertising by the Liberal Part of Australia during his time in charge. Crosby, has also worked for oil companies in the past, and is also an active lobbyist for the tobacco industry. You already know what sort of guy he is when you hear he's a paid tobacco company shill and plans right-wing political fear campaigns.

Lynton Crosby was in charge when the conservative government here spent millions of dollars on a naval blockade for a single boat full of refugees for absolutely no reason two weeks before the general election, claiming it was "vital" to stop the boats at that very moment (and not before, or after the election, supposedly). Uneducated working-class people were actually duped that this was in fact a necessary action, and voted for the conservatives. When the government suddenly decides to enact a policy right before an election that they had 5 years to put into place you gotta be pretty thick not to see through that. Especially when they spent tens of millions of taxpayers money on an unecessary military adventure, just to get reelected. That's borderline evil.

And that brings me into the wording of the bill to get rid of the refugees created at the time that Crosby was running the campaign: The "pacific solution". Any time you have the "X solution" to literally put surplus population into concentration camps, you have to worry about the nazi-like undertones to that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynton_Crosby

[redwallzyl]

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/14/440219232/tony-abbott-is-ousted-as-australia-s-prime-minister

Tony Abbott is ousted as Australia's prime minister

is a party in order?

[Reelya]

The icing on the cake is that he got ousted 4 days before his two-year anniversary, so the articles can truthfully say "after less than two years".