What we're talking about

Mal Kent on Can Millsy sing? You judge Go Millsy..on ya for giving it a go. I loved it. Nice to hear some happiness on the airwaves. more
Stacey on Can Millsy sing? You judge Yeah! Rock n Roll! Crank it up to 10 Millsy! What a fabulous, raw...very raw, talent you are. Reminds me of a young Billy ... more
Debra on Can Millsy sing? You judge I've always said that it doesn't matter if you can't carry a note in a bucket as long as you sing from the heart you will be ... more
Justin on Soldier murdered in London I nearly choked on what I was eating yesterday when I heard Jane's comments yesterday saying that the killing had nothing to ... more
Darryl on Can Millsy sing? You judge No. No he can't! more
bert on Can Millsy sing? You judge I understand that the Geneva convention bans water-boarding and Millsy's singing from being used as a means to extract ... more
Kojonup people on Farmers to fight wind farm Stop this wind farm. No body wants it. It's just a swindle more
Dean on Farmers to fight wind farm All wind farms corporate or community are on in it for the money. more
Phil on Soldier murdered in London I find it offensive that 6PR chose to play the recording of the terrorist during the news on the radio! You have ... more
troy on Graham Mabury's top award Grahem congratulations on your award my good man you deserve it.regards Troy more
Dellas on Being sad is OK You really know what?I am sick to death of Lifeline, Beyond Blue, Headspace and all those helplines which are funded only to ... more
bazza on Hey Prime Minister, take a stand! Fitssimons is full of crap. 98% are for getting rid of it where is that poll? most likley in his head.he needs to loosen ... more
Clare on Farmers to fight wind farm Wonder where was the report from the "other side"? more
Lynne Foreman on We'll sign NDIS on our terms I am a disabled adult I am so excited that DisabilityCare Australia (NDIS) is on its way it means I now can choice to move ... more
Matt on Would you vote for this guy? Clive will have my backing, he is a breath of fresh air, not beholden to financial powers that milk the public every which ... more
Dhanveer Gill on Steve Mills turns taxi driver I was reading comments here by other people. Most of them are owner drivers or winners of govt plates. In reality, the big ... more
Alec Strachan on Graham Mabury's top award A worthy recipient indeed.. Well done Graham, your blood is worth bottling.. Al more
Mick on Your suburb, your voice Colin Barnett, cut every thing to the bone for the average and needy. But large increases for your cronies and the wealthy. ... more
Dellas on Government staff pay rises Never thought Dixie Marshall would/could be bought to become nothing more than a cash cow.I thought a lot of her as a woman ... more
wayne bishop on Butt out yeah right increase the prices more to pay the govt. debt so the govt. can waste and blow away more money and the govt. ... more

The EX - Files

Posted by: Larry Graham | 29 March, 2011 - 10:24 AM

Click here for Larry Graham's opinion piece in at WAToday.

Gee knock me down and call me a sparkie! King Col’s old boss has given him a get out of jail free card.

What are you ranting about? I hear you cry!

The great electricity rip-off is what! The economic regulator headed up by a past champion of deregulation has put out a report that suggests householders’ electricity tariffs could go up by 23.1%.

Our regulating deregulator gives two major reasons for recommending ripping us off again. The Carbon Tax and a rather curious one that goes: Because the government did not put up prices a few years ago - they have to do it now!

What? Run that past me again…………..

Yup! Our Government, the same body that didn’t put up the charges for a few years is now being told to retrospectively increase our charges!

I wonder what the response of a normal person would be if Coles or Woollies said we put the prices down down too far last time you were here and now you have to pay us extra?

That loaf of bread you bought last week was too cheap and we want more money for it now?

What if the people you bought your last car from came back and said that because it was a sale when you bought your car they now want more money?

“Yeah right!” would be the politest answer they would get. Quite correctly you would not pay and your Government would come down on anyone who tried to act in that way like a ton of bricks. A contract is a contract they would say!

There are many other issues I could rant about with this, including dividend payments to the government, extra charges placed on us by government agencies and the very very very important fact that has been overlooked by our regulating deregulator that the market conditions are in over supply and if they and the government got out of the way prices should fall!

BUT, I suspect that the real purpose of this disgraceful report is to give our bumbling government a get out of jail free card in an election year. The game being played is that Old King Col will rule out these huge increases, only give us little ones, and look like the good guy.

The only real political choice we have is to vote for the Labor party who helped to cause the problem. Of course we could all vote Green and live in dim solar powered caves, but even I can see the odd problem with that! So it is back to voting for our saviour - old King Col!

I recall the old commo Mikhael Gorbachev once saying that an election without choices is not a democracy! Time for an outbreak of democracy I say!

Past Blogs

By crikey I thought I had heard it all at my age. It seems that I must have nodded off and woken up in some strange time warped land. For most of my life I have had to listen to big business telling us that welfare is bad and governments need to take more notice of markets.

Now the mighty BHP’s Special K Marius Kloppers joins FMG in the corporate welfare queue and is calling for corporate welfare because international markets are getting tight.

This is the same Special K who conned our “great negotiator” over her mining tax – remember that, the tax that collected nothing, but was going to pay for everything.

Good work K!

Fellas, your complaints about royalties are nonsense.

Royalties are what you pay the owners of minerals for the rights to those minerals – you know that. Your complaint is about as smart as a car manufacturer complaining they have to pay for parts to put in the car.

Royalties are the cost of doing business in the business you is in.

For years I have had to sit in meetings and listen to industry lectures about how good, efficient and proactive the mining industry is. I agree! It is a fantastic industry AND it is good, efficient and proactive AND it does operate in a world market.

BUT it doesn’t need handouts or assistance from the people it buys its produce from.

Get over it, get on with it, you had a ball when it was all boom - now do what you do best – mine and don’t whine!

Click here for Larry Graham's opinion piece in at WAToday.

Elections can be described as "A method by which the worst possible leader is chosen by the worst possible methods and that worst possible method has started very, very early for us; perhaps it is time for the media to begin reporting anything said by any pollie as a campaign announcement.

Planned in precise detail with "spontaneous" announcements that are prepared months, even years in advance, elections bring out the best and worst in our pollies. Once they get a sniff of an election they just cannot help themselves and you should trust me on this, I know the feeling. For me elections were like grand finals and I loved them; however that was when they were six weeks long, not six months.

We have been in that murky pre-election mode for some time with Unions running anti-Barnett government advertisements; the ALP presenting YouTube and mini issue based campaigns and for their part the Libs have Government plus big campaign signs in their tight seats. Being in Government gives the Libs the added bonus of being able to clear the decks of problem issues and break good news stories. Any doubts that it is game on were removed last Friday when the National Party launched its campaign for the March 2013 election in Toodyay.

Once this nonsense starts, the language changes and words seem to take on different meanings. Do you ever feel like you need an interpreter to understand the nonsense? Drawing on friends and colleagues with years of experience here is a political dictionary to try and help

Yes = Maybe

Absolutely committed to = Maybe

Rock solid budget commitment = Maybe

Core Promise = Maybe

We will work towards = Maybe

Maybe = NO

Approved subject to Federal funding = NO

Subject to the appropriate processes = NO

We want to work these issues through = NO

Examine the possibility of = NO

Good for WA = Good for the party

Fully funded policy = A guess

We are leading the nation/world = A Lie

Non core promise = A Lie

Budget surplus = Over taxation

Reduced Revenue – We guessed wrong last budget

Forward Estimates = Wish list

I am advised that = What the !@#$$@!@ happened?

Fight for = Stunt

Booming = Broke

Cut through red tape = Form a committee

Exciting new = Tired old

Partnership = Cost shifting

Sustainable outcome = Winning the election

There is not a definition for NO, because it will not be heard during the campaign and the same goes for DECISION. There will be none of those. Cut the guide out, keep it handy and when you hear a pollie or watch an advert; whip it out to find out what they really mean.

It may help to sort the verbal sheep from the goats - or as they say in the Department of Agriculture; sort the quadrapaedic ruminants from the cloven hoofed and horned mammals.

Blog comments

I think you should talk about the bills that have been passed since Julia Gillard has been PM.
How many bills have been put up by both the opposition and the government and how many have been rejected.
I note that the wheat bill was passed by the senate last night.
I would like to know which WA senators voted against the bill.

Tracy Austin Friday 30 November, 2012 - 8:09 AM
Btw, I have never been concerned if a croc is left or right biased. Just before he takes your head off the look in the eyes is the same.
If you could barrack for a political party like you do a football team, the whole thing would be far easier.
Unfortunately, when you ask average punters why they support either major party they can't give a quick answer. But they like or hate the respective leaders.
A worry really where ideology has been superseded by the personality.
The leaders both stand for nothing, except what the Newspoll says they should.
We are basically stuffed aren't we?

Glenn Wednesday 21 September, 2011 - 7:25 PM
System the swiss and others use for mini referendums ....same concept as your recall referendum you discussed with Bob. 5% or whatever percentage of electorate has a right for recall if parliament is partitioned. Stops the quislings from changing their positions once elected.

I think a small party with this as a major platform would have a stunning impact federally if well organized..or maybe trialled in a state first?

Glenn Wednesday 21 September, 2011 - 7:15 PM
YOU REALLY TELL IT AS IT IS .I TOTALLY AGREE WITH EVERY THING YOU SAID. I KNOW YOU WILL NOT GO BACK IN TO PARLIMENT BUT WA NEEDS A MAN LIKE YOU TO LEAD US WITH A NO BULLSHIT ADDITUDE .THANKS MATE HAVE A GOOD BREAK

PAUL Friday 2 September, 2011 - 10:10 PM