Farewell to Clive

Jock Webb writes: Re. “Goodbye, Clive Palmer, goodbye” (Monday). Well, we see exactly the kind of man Palmer is as if we didn’t know. The corporate structure is no surprise and I’ll bet there are plenty of others. Where is the condemnation in the mainstream media for this shyster who has dudded his workers that he squawks so much about? My father would have said something about being unable to lie straight on a corkscrew. Our own version of trump.

On same-sex marriage state-by-state

Terry Mills writes: Re. “An incorrect death certificate and the irrefutability of bureaucratic bastardry” (Monday). The Marriage Act is a federal act and as such, South Australia had very little choice but to follow the political dictates of the 2004 act amendment introduced by the Howard government and passed with Labor support. The amendment to the act not only defined marriage as between a man and a woman but sought to frustrate Australians going overseas to be married by inserting a new section 88EA which, on this occasion impacted cruelly on visitors to this country, to our eternal shame :

“88EA  Certain unions are not marriages

A union solemnised in a foreign country between:

(a)  a man and another man; or

(b)  a woman and another woman;

must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia.”

Who’s the boss?

Les Heimann writes: Re. “Turnbull’s reform agenda: business profits first, national interest second” (Monday). Bernard Keane’s piece on the Turnbull government “working for their donors only” is absolutely spot on and needs constant repetition.

I am constantly frustrated by Australia’s political penchant for being the land of lost opportunities. Now we are on the cusp of another blunder into blindness because we see our lawmakers “working for the man”; and only the man. How do these roosters get to crow such garbage? How on earth does any sane person actually believe an increase in GST deserves a reduction in income tax and make us all better off?

The entire coalition “agile and innovative growth initiative” that will be rolled out accompanied by trumpets and cymbals emanating from industry groups and other stooges will add up to a further and depressing squelching of the Australian people. Not agile, not innovative but depressing, secretive and divisive governance under the guise of a plan that doesn’t exist.

We need more employment, more production and more social and economic inclusion. Yes we should spend on infrastructure, and yes we do need to manufacture and of course we need Australian’s to be employed before we displace then through ersatz 457 slavery schemes and we need those who sell things in this country to pay tax in this country.

We don’t need rich robber barons running the show grinning behind a slick bullshit artist. Abbott was clearly over the top but it was “clear” what he was doing. The current incumbent is, in my view, a hot air balloon filled with poisonous fumes. Where and who will take issue, Bill Shorten? Really?

Niall Clugston writes: Once again, Turnbullism trumps journalism. Bernard Keane writes: “Turnbull wasn’t doing any destabilisation, he was coming for Abbott and knocked him off, quick smart, in a lightning-fast coup.” True, if you ignore all the destabilisation previously. Turnbull’s refusal to stand in the proposed February spill was straight out of Rudd’s clammy playbook. It should also be noted that Turnbull had already had a stint as Opposition Leader before being replaced by Abbott in 2009. The enthusiastic musicians of the media spur on this conga-line of back-stabbing, and the punditocracy spikes the punch. The music will not stop playing until every MP has had 15 minutes as PM.