@kevinbonham Plus Pauline is over 70. Would be the oldest PM starting in Australia's history...
The parties ground resources are also weak. The headlines of opinion polls make a good media story, logistics don't make a headline.
@TheKouk Yawn, the trend is the issue. Not the snap shot. Global context of old parties dying and new parties rising up from groups that governments have failed. Australia is no different.
@rebaillieu Wrong thinking. Stop looking at this in political terms. Australian society is split on education outcomes/job type and one group have developed policies that support their vision and excluded the others. The others are heading to a different vision based on One Nation's message.
@kevinbonham So the policy structures - need to change. Too many feel left out. ALP, Greens & Coalition all struggling to come up with something new and appeal to their bases. Unstable times. Victorian election will be really interesting... Hung parliament is a big possibility.
The main things I learnt working with @Nigel_Farage
1. His word is not his bond.
2. He does not write emails - no paper trail.
3. He has zero ability to do any detail: 1-hour meetings turn into 56 minutes of Nigel talking about Nigel and 4 mins on the subject the meeting was about.
4. Nigel has no real friends - everyone and everything is expendable.
5. Nigel has enormous energy, but a lot of it is wasted because he drinks and parties too much.
6. Nigel is not an intellectual - he thinks Jordan Peterton is boring.
7. Nigel has spies.
8. Nigel loves money and spends it like water.
9. Nigel surrounds himself with rather facile young men like the convicted posh George.
10. Nigel does not really like working if it is not him being a showman - I cannot even imagine him reading a policy paper.
11. Nigel dictates tweets to Dan Dukes.
12. Nigel has a powerful lawyer behind the scenes who keeps files on people.
13. Nigel is vicious - the plastic sheen is a facade that cons so many people.
14. No idea if Nigel actually has any morality or values or what he believes in except fame and money.
@RupertLowe10
My restaurant might get shut down by authorities.
Reason - not selling Halal food
For years, we’ve worked hard to build our restaurant. We are now facing ongoing harassment, nuisances outside the restaurant, and repeated complaints to the local council aimed at shutting us down and threatening to revoke our premises licence.
We believe this pressure is connected to our decision not to remove our “Non-Halal” sign.
No business owner should face intimidation or coordinated attempts to destroy their livelihood because of their beliefs, values, or business choices. To everyone who has supported us, thank you.
@kevinbonham Still like your insights but globally governments / parties that don't achieve better outcomes are being punished is the biggest political trend and voters are willing to move...
@educator4ever36 A solution to the lack of pay - stupid ideas that cost no money but leaders can pretend to be listening. Doesn't have to deal with behaviour issues - actually makes them worse but developing a weak environment ....
Grateful to Times columnist Giles Coren for putting to the sword a local council pipsqueak for trying to put out of business a restaurant in the middle of nowhere where owner Ruth Hanson does all the kitchen prep herself, the washing up, the bookings, the till, payroll and then cooks it.
The restaurant is called Hansom in Bedale, North Yorkshire. To give you an idea of its remoteness it’s 7 miles from Northallerton and 31 miles from York.
So, on occasions, her husband Mark, who had a job of his own, gives up his evenings to chauffeur some guests to and from their homes.
Coren points out when he reviewed the place last year ( he gave it a glowing recommendation) he had to hitchhike from Northallerton station.
No Bedale train, no metro, no Uber hanging around at the corner.
Enter Chris Doyle, licensing enforcement officer for N Yorkshire council, who has written to Ruth saying in his view Mark was operating a taxi service and that would require a raft of expensive and time consuming licences.
Ruth responded that Mark was her husband, he was unpaid and there was no separate charge for the journey.
Doyle said he didn’t care as there was deemed to be a commercial benefit and warned without a licence the council may take legal action.
Coren has a great last paragraph; “ Yeah, you sue her, you absolute local heroes.
“ You teach Ruth and Mark a lesson for being great at their jobs, for treasuring their customers, for trying to create a little joy and make ends meet in a collapsing world.”
PS Thought you’d like to see what a Ruth menus looks like. This is called the Sunday Sharing Feast.
Starters.
Smoked Leek and Pickled Croque
Monsieur
Whitby Crab Crumpet Pickled cucumber, Garden herbs.
Heritage beetroot, whipped goat’s Curd, Wild Garlic emulsion.
Main Course
Wensleydale chicken, Apricot and sage Wellington.
Honey and mustard mash, buttered spring , cider sauce.
Dessert
Yorkshire rhubarb and ginger trifle.
Cost; £55.
With publicity thanks to Coren’s column and this tweet I suspect the queue will be out the door and Mark can have his evenings off again.