So let me get this right.  This is a government that gave us work for the dole, who reckons the disabled are shirking and through its IR changes is telling working families they must work longer and harder for less.   

Tim never looked this sharp on his reality show

Last one doesn't really fit?  Well that's what Liberal MP Jackie Kelly is doing – scheduling a third of a year to go on Torvill and Dean's Dancing On Ice.  Oh, these conservatives, I love them – there's one rule for the ordinary people and one rule for the ruling class. 

Fantastic hypocrisy. 

Hang on, maybe it's opposite day in Canberra? What's next? 

After not signing the Kyoto Protocol, are Coalition MPs going to start cycling to work in hemp suits?  After subsidising private health insurance, are they all going to go public?  After being an uptight old thin-lipped wowser is Bronwyn Bishop going to start selling essential oils at the Byron Bay Markets?  Probably not. 

Not that Kelly's stupid.  Expecting criticism, she's got herself some political cover.  You see, she's got sponsors who will give her money for every week she remains on the show.  The money goes to the local Sudanese community.  Fancy that, using vulnerable refugees for cynical political ends – this government hasn't done that since they won the 2001 election.  Anyone remember the ‘Tampa' and ‘Children Overboard'?   

Only difference is this time instead of being mean they're being all nice. 

And the biggest joke is her list of sponsors. They're not mums and dads, but the very local businesses who benefit most from her government's IR laws.  What a cosy little bunch. 

But maybe she just wants to raise money for a local refugee community group – oh, who by the way have just entered her electorate after a boundary redraw. Oh yeah?  Well why would she put this add in the local paper then "Go! MUM.  Jackie Kelly, 42-year-old mother of 2, NOW TRIMMER, FITTER, HOTTER". 

Leaving aside the bad grammar, do you think this is designed to appeal to the soccer mums in her electorate?  Hope they realise the ‘trimmer, fitter, hotter' was all done on their taxpayer time. 

Tim's punny placards aren't very ice

The Anti-Activist Activist 

So, the Treasurer's press flak and big business spin doctors have been consorting with a man who reckons ‘corporate responsibility is a weakness' and reckons big business ‘doesn't have the resources and capability that activists do'. 

This guy in question is called Ross Irvine and his mission is to even up the scandalous disparity of power between massively influential activist groups and poor little huge corporations. 

The Canadian was running workshops in Oz recently – read all about it here. It's worth a quick squizz – really scary stuff. 

Apparently in his workshops you learn how to create bogus community groups, false statistics, links with "far-right-wing nutso activists" and how to conflate "activist" with "terrorist" and "security threat". 

What's scary is an advisor of Special Minister of State, Eric Abetz was also there – as well as people form Rio Tinto, Shell, Dow Chemical etc. 

This whole thing is even scarier when you read Adele Horin's latest piece on a American peace activist, Scott Parkin, who was recently arrested, deported and then presented with a $11,700 bill for his detention and deportation. 

Is there a link?  Who knows.  Gee whiz, these people with independent thoughts and no profit motive are a worry aren't they?  They just don't' play by the rules.  Any of you right-wingers out there going to try and defend this?  Thought not.  

Last Blatant Advertising for 2006 

If you actually care about the outcome of Big Brother check out Australia's leading independent video podcast or a Who blog by a great guy who's name in reverse is Mit.  Oh – and the podcast has the only on-camera interview with John and Ash. Enjoy. 

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