With Galahs, Ning-Nongs and the Fascist Poltroons

With Galahs, Ning-Nongs and the Fascist Poltroons all running amok it might be time to gird for the forthcoming havoc.

Shane at John Curtin Hotel

G’day, you three…

Been for a bit of a wander around the  town...  and today it's all Wombat Droppings (or the chronicle of a  once Egalitarian nation sliding inexorably into Fascism).

We’ve had the G20…..  all $500,000,000.00 of it.

Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spiked “Rabid the-Hun’s,” We-will-not-mention-the-Weather” cannon by announcing a climate change deal and Australia announcing that that our territorial sovereignty is up for sale particularly for Chinese workers. 

Andrew “Reboxetine” Robb, Minister for Trading Off the Nation, denied that paying Chinese wages to Australians was also part of the deal and that Chinese investment in industry probably would not override O H and S, and environmental standards. “Look how we are caring for the Barrier Reef “ he said, “Besides you can’t make Popiah and not break eggs….I think.”

Rabid–the-Hun then enthralled the assembled 36 of the G20 (gate-crashers?) by bemoaning just how recalcitrant we all were in not wanting to fund private medical research out of our own pockets, or wanting to retire at 95, or not  turning the ABC into another Media psychological Basket Case like Foxtel or let his Pretend Education Minister Chwissie “The Whyne and Perfect-Prat-of-a-Prefect” Pyne charge $100,000.00 for a degree in barista-ology.

Busker with Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo

Which shows about as much sense as this picture.... 

How do you get a Busking Licence to have a bird spread it's wings?

I mean, that's all it did.

The mural is by Mirka Mora: born in France she arrived in Australia as a young woman and the French Romanesque influence is very apparent in her work.

 Lordy... if this government were a horse you'd have to put it down.... but at least “Rabid-the-Hun” came close for the first time, to admitting to the "free-market" agenda they never want to discuss publicly...and was forestalled in repeating that ”…. Climate-Change is crap.” 

"The Ugly American," Murdoch and his minions, “The-Coots-With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe” at the IPA must be apoplectic at his incompetence in "selling" their message and instead, exposing it to the full glare of public ridicule for the selfish anti-social medievalism it is. They even went to the ludicrous extent of allowing Rabid's business advisor and trenchant climate-change denier Maurice "Addled" Newman to quote some wacky American Senator called Inhofe who thinks that the bible refutes climate change.... all together now: Place finger on lips, wobble up and down quickly and blow!

John Curtin

This is John Curtin a Labor Prime Minister who led Australia through WW2.

He took over from the founder of the present day Liarbril Party, R.G.Menzies, one of whose claims to fame were his nick-names: "Pig-Iron-Bob" and "Ming."

The first was because as PM he was trading Iron to the Japanese at the beginning of WW2. Which apocryphal legend has it came back to us as bullets and shells! The second was based on the Flash Gordon Cartoon character "Ming-the Merciless."

See the similarity with the present Liarbril rabble? 

Curtin was born just up the paddock from the Wombat's burrow.

Two mares from “The Ugly American’s” stables, Janet Albrechtson and Amanda Devine were showing an unusual lack of confidence in their ability to stir an audience by refusing to be panellists on Q and A. which was a pity.  Granted, it may only inspire people to throwing rotten eggs, tomatoes, cow-pats and such like but it still is a genuine response. Perhaps if these women could only come across as intelligently civilised as Ms Wong or Ms Plibersek do and of whom, they feel they can’t compete, things might be different. But then, spitting vitriol from the Murdoch Bunkers and paddling in the bile of those who share their one-dimensional view of the world like Andrew ”Blot-on-the-Landscape” Bolt is far safer. 

In their opinion anything other than their view is “left,” and wrong. And like “The-Coots-With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe” at the IPA who falsely espouse free-speech and libertarian views; speech is only free when it agrees with them. Everything else is biased … and bias is wrong unless it’s their bias. These Neanderthal thinkers from the IPA have yet to discover the value of a pluralist society. 

Memorial to a notion that is sooooo C19th.

Although pluralism and fairness is what Senators Jackie “Bogan” Lambie and Ricky “Diff” Muir have been practising. 

 With other cross bench Senators they voted to repeal legislation thought up by the partially disgraced Arfur ”Da Spiv” Sinodinas and Matty “Atwerp-Horse-Shite” Coormann.

 I gave it a mention here http://shanewombat.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/quislings-and-pie-in-sky.html . 

 It was bad legislation made for corrupt people but at least there are some in Parliament who are thinking of “The People!”

People assisting refugee kids in Oz Concentration Camps

This is another interesting read as the ABC’s budget is being cut to ribbons and comes under quite furious attack from many sides for being impartial and pluralist thinking.  

http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2014/march/1393592400/don-watson/conservative-crusade-against

One of the funniest criticisms was one bloke on radio bemoaning how the ABC wasn’t “…lateral thinking enough” and …“we should all listen to Macca!”  

For you three overseas readers, Macca is a quite Right–Wing Bumpkin who travels by phone to rural areas to let them vent their hatred of anything smelling vaguely socialist. 

Except of course for Farm subsidies, Fuel Subsidies, and other agrarian socialisms. I’m not sure the caller had any real idea of what lateral thinking really means… perhaps he could ring Foxtel  or" Le Jongleur" Roskam and ask them for a definition.

 "Le Jongleur"  doesn't think the Government should fund the ABC  as not all use its considerable services.  But when a caller suggested reimbursement for the "Tax" he pays in advertising fees on the products he buys which fund commercial stations he doesn't use ... "Le Jongleur" went a bit quiet for once.

David Wilson Sculptures

These are sculpture by David Wilson in the grounds of the old Melbourne Jail. (DW was my tutor at Art School)

His "Romantic Brut"works look rather good in this setting.

Bar, Curtin Hotel

And this is the bar at the John Curtin Hotel, now known as just "The Curtin" and not really a place for Unionists from Trades Hall, opposite, any more but a live music venue...

Hoo-Roo Possums,

Shane.

PS, before we go one more graphic to put our conservative, right-wing government in its real perspective...

Australian

Prado, PUPS and Puerile Government

Shane Wombat with Prado pictures

G'day Petals,

Mrs Wombat and No2 daughter and self all took a jaunt to the National Gallery of Victoria t'other day to have a look at Italian masters from the Prado, Madrid.
An exhibition which contained a variety of surprises and oddly enough, parallels for this week's "Wombat droppings".

Pavi Sculptures and Children
There were in the Federation Court, sculptures.... well very colourful and big stuffed Polar Bear toys, that children of all ages were engaged by ... which was one of those odd parallels I mentioned...

Photographer with Pavi sculpture
....whimsical, one-liners and as said, the children enjoyed them but reflecting on them after viewing the Prado works a vague relationship to Australia's present social state and the religious iconography in the Prado show became apparent 

Italian Masters from the Prado, NGV
Although there was a very small sign and graphic meaning "No Photographs" on entering as my camera was in plain sight and no-one said anything .....I assumed it was mainly to deter people using flash.. which occasioned an amusing exchange...  standing next to a woman who was pointing her mobile at a work I said quietly, "I hope you're not going to use flash." "No,"  she replied as quietly, "It's turned off." "You saw the sign on the way in then?" I added,  "Of course." she deadpanned and proceeded to take her pic.
 I took few shots in the exhibition ...who want's a "scene"?

Pieta: Crespi
This work was one of my favourites. Lively paint handling, real weight of the figure of the dead Christ allied to the sense of Mary's supporting or lifting with the very expressive faces; and like others in this show an unusual composition that in this case rests on repeated squares within a subtle pyramid. Perhaps to avoid the liveliness that Baroque diagonals would have produced rather than this almost "Nature Morte."

Prado, Titian, Phillip 2
Titian is well represented and in the earlier works the influences of Bellini and the Florentine criticisms of the Venetian predilection for colour and paint handling rather than drawing as the basis of their art is very apparent.  The armor in this is beautifully handled but the portrait is almost too truthful of this arrogant, distrustful monarch and gives the work a hint of what is to come when Goya represents the Royalty of his times.

Doubting Thomas: Stom,
Matthius Stom (Stomer) presents another wonderful composition of a diamond within a circle and an assured hand.

Prado, Tiepolo
Tiepolo's son Domenico worked closely with his father and this is apparent in the "Crowning of Thorns" where the figure in the shadow on the left probably appears twice in Giambattista's "Banquet of Cleopatra"  at the NGV. Wonderful drawing again but the little work to the right "A New World" was a gem, a slice of Venetian life that perhaps signalled that had Domenico Tiepolo been born the the C20th he may well have been a Photo-Journalist.

Hugo Shaw
Then I was watching the real deal, Hugo Shaw an artist from Adelaide drawing  the people opposite him in fine fashion and a happy, willing conversationalist, too.

The NGV for those who don't know it, has a water wall behind the arch of the main entrance and I took a few shots as we were leaving....

Water Wall, NGV
A show well worth the effort of attending particularly as the works with most gravitas were not the religious pieces but the pieces like the 

Ribera: "Touch", the small Venetian Scenes by Tiepolo, and in the details of the cloth in Titian's Salome's dress and the pure exuberance and deftness of the paint handling in the late Baroque works. In contrast, the formulaic religious pieces became rather a lesson in why Monty Python humour exists...and why the monsters in Dr Who are as they are and have such resonance.... which brings us to 

WOMBAT DROPPINGS  or low-down Oz Politics.

The Palmer United Party or PUPS have been making merry with "Rabbutt-the-Hun's" excuse for a budget by inviting them into the kennel and giving them fleas. Demonstrating what an incompetent rabble these Liarbrils really were and are. 

With Our Second Biggest Miner and PUPS Leader, Clive, hogging so much of the limelight it has caused Nick "What's-my-Next-Stunt" Xenephon (SA, Right-Leaning Independent) and the "The Human Torpedo" to come down suffering Attention Seekers Deficit Syndrome. and doing whatever they can to get their faces in front of a camera and in Thorpe's case for a $400,000 fee. 

Both Mrs Wombat and I announce that we will both "come out" for a lot less... negotiations are now open. 

After years of accusing the Gillard-Rudd regimes of dysfunctional incompetence, stupidity, economic wantonness, arrogance and other sins, it should come as no surprise that was a case of "pot-calling-kettle-black-bum! "

They have turned as I always thought they would, into the very nasty, venal  incompetents they were in opposition and pathologically accused everyone else of being.

Their abject cruelty to the asylum seekers is making Australia a pariah in world affairs.

Their climate denial stance and soon to be legislated removal of Carbon Pricing with no effective Climate policy to replace it has Australia a laughing stock in the world.

Their final destruction of Australian manufacturing must have all those who take our raw materials laughing behind our backs,  particularly the Japanese, who 30 years ago were wanting this as an outcome for Australia.  

We, in their wishes were to be nothing but a hole in the ground and a source of raw food.  Now we have this rabble of a Government handing it to them and then praising their military of WW2.  

Shades of "Pig-Iron" Bob.... this mongrel lot is an embarrassment. 

(The only thing they're consistently good at)

Matthius "The Conman-of-HorseShite" Coormann has deregulated financial services so that the financial advisors DO NOT have to have the best interests of their clients at heart.

And they waste $60,000,000,000.00 on a Royal commission or two when the Commonwealth Bank has fleeced its customers of Hundreds of Millions of Dollars but this doesn't warrant investigation... guess who gets funded by CBA?

There's a FB page titled "The Worst PM Australia's Had".... of which I thought initially, that's a bit strong... but now... it's not strong enough. What is taking place is the destruction of democracy in this country being led by "The-Coots-With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe", The Institute of Public Affairs the thought-bubble tank for this rabble....Minions of Murdoch "The Ugly American" and Gina Rinehart (our Biggest Miner) and Tobacco companies.... we are in interesting times petals...

Into the Abyss...Night Movement


Cheers, Petals,
Shane