Much the same down here, been horribly windy for quite a few weeks
Venting, ranting, whinging and all things political
- Thread starter Crusty181
- Start date
@Drover the Phantom is in trouble, might die, the story continues, sorry you are missing out!
I know but my subscription hopefully cuts off after we see how he survives...just ignore rest of paper fir my sanity.
Looks like we all maybe in that boat, just the water level changes.................................. Have friends in rural areas of NSW and VIC, at least they manage to get to throw a line in at places no major roads nearby so no one bothers them......but the ones stuck in cities and major towns are stuck..... Our long stayers from down south have no intention of heading home as much as they want to, they can't see the sense.............
Thankfully I have Disney Channel.......................best way to sooth and numb the mind, too much and your brain can turn to mush I think but slower than watch moronic reality shows............
Fishing hasnt been affected in the last few lockdowns down here, Where I live the 5km limit allowed me to fish right throughout my usual no-catch area anyways. Thankful for the small mercies
Wherever you draw a line or boundary, someone will be on the wrong side as far as they are concerned. Remember, Covid does not move around by itself. People move it around to other towns by travelling, and pass it on to previously Covid-free areas. As country towns in NSW found out, and Victoria is now finding out!! Still, some tough calls are being made - stupid??? or otherwise!!
If someone has a better answer that meets EVERYBODYS' ideas of freedom during this pandemic, let them step forward and take FULL responsibility for the resulting increase in infections that our brave hospital staff are battling. And also the DEATHS! Even the "protesters" are now finding out Covid is NOT a hoax or Govt conspiracy!! Serves them right. All they do is help the Covid spread faster to you and yours.
Yep, your right @Boots in Action I just think its stupid that they won't move the border line where the line runs thru the middle of town, would make it easier to control the spread, a number of towns along the NSW/QLD border as well as NSW/VIC border where they should move the line, thats the political nonsense coming to the fore....... The Tweed Heads debacle shows up the stupidity in their outlook and places like Mungindi, middle of nowhere and little town split in two by a creek services split and its a long way to find others...... idiot decisions that show some of it is a political not medical................. Mulwalla/Yarrawonga and many others in same boat......... By all means contain the spread but some common sense is needed which in many cases is lacking from our political knobs and general public.
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Our local flogs single handedly caused the deaths of 768 people, there no debate there. As a direct result of that they re-jigged State Worksafe manslaughter laws to exclude themselves of criminality. They propped up a sycophant retired Family Crt Judge with a non judicial enquiry and gave that enquiry zero powers. The enquiry undertook no investigation ... and every staged witness just lied, and not one was required t take any responsibility. They could if course lies because they werent under oath and its wasnt a judicial enquiry anyway. That charade cost us over $20mill. Dumbo holds a hard won and drawn out Arts Degree, that it. He has never held a job in the real world, he's a life long career politician with no real skills, experience or credible qualifications .... and we pay this buffoon $450k a year. Dont sell yourself short Boots, there are absolutely countless thousands that could do a better job. No question. I have no doubt im one of them, as is likely you and many others right here. Im not going looking, but if im asked ... id step up in a heart beat and I would happily take responsibility for all my actions. Ive had to endure the burden of responsibility my entire life, its not so difficult and ive managed to get this far. Taking responsibility and the the risks that come with it is one of the things thats helped me with success. As for having shot at thus $hit show myself, sign me up. For starters all i would have to achieve is one less catastrophe to be better than what we have, and the sugar would be a repeated and failing solution that's slightly more challenging than any primary school child could come up with. Anyway, back to my sourdough
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I do like getting into the fine print, often the death isn't fully covid caused, sort of like the pedestrian gets hit by an elephant running down the road, still counts as a death on the road kill count.......... meh, statistics ...........In 2019 Influenza and pneumonia caused the death of 4124 people Australia wide with some 310,000 cases though it was up from the previous year, no cases in 2020, so looking at the big picture one could certainly surmise that Covid left to its own would truly decimate.............. no pity for anti vaxxers but it is like shooting yourself in the foot, everyone knows its your own fault.............. ( figures from ABS)
Boots, I’m sure we could do way better than the work experience boy acting as the deputy premier in Qld and dear Point the Finger Palaszczuk (it isn’ my fault Anna).
Yes we are enjoying freedoms that other states are not, but the pair are leading a government that is champion stresses on Queensland residents that can’t come home, through degrading treatment that could otherwise be considered abusive, cruel or inhuman in nature and in direct conflict with the Human Rights Act which Anna introduced in 2019. But the same government amended the Health Act to enable them to dismiss ones human rights.
But be assured that if we find ourselves in a similar situation as our brothers and sisters from south of our border our hospitals are unlikely to cope.
19 Freedom of movement
Every person lawfully within Queensland has the right to move freely within Queensland and to enter and leave it, and has the freedom to choose where to live.
and
17 Protection from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
A person must not be—
(a) subjected to torture; or
(b) treated or punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way; or
(c) subjected to medical or scientific experimentation or treatment without the person’s full, free and informed consent.
Never a truer word stated @Drover !!! But politics is a power play and no side wants to relinquish power over their territory, such as letting the other state control some of their piece of land, just in case they do a better job!
No doubt you could @Crusty181 ! But being an "arm chair critic" with the benefit of hindsight is a great advantage. The other "greatest" advantage is not being in politics!! And you're too cheap anyway.
And as a footnote, how the hell are NSW and Vic going to differentiate between the "rights" of those that are fully vaccinated and those that do not or will not get the jab?? Are there going to be armed guards at every entrance to different services?? And what about those that resist and complain about their "sovereign rights" to be able to go anywhere they like in this great country?? You will live longer not having to worry about making those sort of decisions!!
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Be thankful that we still have those freedoms @rags , however we get them. I was at a Caloundra caravan park for a week just a few days ago. Place fully booked for BOTH weeks of Qld school holidays too. According to the Tourism figures, Sunshine Coast area 98% booked for full period and Gold Coast area 85% booked, so plenty of local people holidaying in SE Qld. Unfortunately further north not so busy, and not near a large population area, few travellers and no overseas.
When I first arrived a couple of days before holiday period started, place was heavily booked with NSW, Vics and SA tourists, who had to move on to other places. One had started as a 6 week holiday in Queensland and was now exceeding the 13th week away from home in Victoria. Others had similar stories too. When asked when they were going to return "home" , not one was planning to leave Queensland, not because they could not, but that were prepared to stay where it was "safer" than return to their states which were full of Covid and restrictions. They were going to move back to caravan park after the holiday period. I guess they were the fortunate ones who were retired or were able to work from up here in Queensland and did not have a dire need to be back in Covid land.
However, I do agree that there are some sad cases with Queenslanders trapped interstate and wanting to get back into Queensland. And yes, home quarantine could be the answer, but the problem is , some (most?) can't be trusted to home quarantine properly. Why do we have a need for people in any sort of quarantine to be guarded/checked (by police, Army or Health staff) to stop them escaping and roaming around in the populace?? A recent case is a good example: Couple told to home quarantine at home, 5 days into time, husband caught out by police buying grog at local pub. Escorted back to residence with a warning. The following weekend, same resident could not get out to get supplies, so invited 5 of his mates to bring supplies and stay and watch the soccer for the evening. Caught out again by police and fined along with his mates. If you believe they will all do the right thing for the full time, perhaps you would let them do their quarantine next door to you? That may be a pretty "hardline", but there is a BIG difference between idealistic actions and realistic outcomes. That is the sad world we are in at the moment unfortunately. And that does not apply just to Queenslanders either. Even all Australians returning from overseas are restricted or don't get back into Australia. If you have been to/through a Covid "hot spot", try getting into/ back into SA, NT and WA without "going through the quarantine hoops". I have had two interstate holidays cancelled (not counting my own motoring/caravanning plans) because of Covid, and was prevented from attending the funeral of a very close friend who passed away just over the NSW border. If you move out of your "safe" area, think about how you might not be able to return. Someone was pleading to Premier, that she was 34 weeks pregnant with first child and husband was working in Victoria, and she wanted an exemption for husband to be with her for the birth. Hell, I was away on exercise when one of my children was born and they were the days before mobile phones and zoom. I had to wait until after the exercise had finished to see latest addition, fortunately no complications. At the moment, it is a case of sacrificing a few people/liberties to protect the majority. Maybe, I am a tough hard- hearted bus$&@##, but I do feel sorry for those affected. Rant over ...for the time being!!!! Wait until NSW and Vic throw open their states when their vaccination rates get to 70% or 80% and see what happens then!!!
Thanks for the enlightening @Boots in Action , but I don’t think we should compare being away on military service and away from family with that of civilians living in what is the Commonwealth of Australia. Now I’m not dismissing your service and sacrifices but rather merely pointing out that if the armed services want the service personnel to have family, they would have been issued family and that family separations goes hand in hand with service, the same as working on Casey station in the Antarctic, you know when you sign up you are potentially going to be separated from family, and in many cases you they receive an allowance for away duties as recompense.
We are talking about civilians who for what ever need, need to travel interstate for personal reasons. We also have , as you point out citizens who may have been travelling, have been caught out by the draconian measures of various government. For f#@k sake we have victorians unable to return home staying at places like Caloundra that can’t go home because they will transit through hot spots in NSW, but both states have the same strains of virus.
It is a bold statement that people can’t be trusted with regards home quarantine. Most return travellers would happily quarantine at home rather than being stuck interstate living, in some cases a destitute life.
Before it was outlawed we have had two individuals quarantine at home after both overseas and domestic travel, and you know what, they were never checked on once, be it by phone or a tap on the door. Anna does not want home quarantine because Qld have no resources to staff such an exercise. It is the same regarding the reasons why she would let people in , that if there was an outbreak, the health system will collapse as they struggle to treat sprained fingers these days.
I wish some people could come and sit with me or my work colleagues and see what border exemption heartache looks like. I am dealing with it daily, with directions of Minister Young and Queen Anna that say NO NO NO. Staff numbers are diminishing because after 20 months staff are going off on leave on stress after telling one too many applicants, sorry we don’t care that you Dad is dying or your child needs medical interventions returning and the call out by government for new volunteers falls on death ears.
Now I am loving the freedoms that we are experiencing but think Queenslanders need to get over their self righteous selfish attitude that they can continue to live separately at the expense of there brothers and sisters. It is wrong on every aspect of society. The issue for Qld is whether they will even reach the 70 and 80% vaccine targets as the rednecks again for selfish reasons will not take on for team Australia.
Sorry for the rant but I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed in many who maintain the lock us up and exclude our brothers and sisters Selfish attitude. It is wrong wrong wrong but I guess I should not be surprised as we see it in society all the time, be it with the homeless, the disadvantaged or the aged.
We are talking about civilians who for what ever need, need to travel interstate for personal reasons. We also have , as you point out citizens who may have been travelling, have been caught out by the draconian measures of various government. For f#@k sake we have victorians unable to return home staying at places like Caloundra that can’t go home because they will transit through hot spots in NSW, but both states have the same strains of virus.
It is a bold statement that people can’t be trusted with regards home quarantine. Most return travellers would happily quarantine at home rather than being stuck interstate living, in some cases a destitute life.
Before it was outlawed we have had two individuals quarantine at home after both overseas and domestic travel, and you know what, they were never checked on once, be it by phone or a tap on the door. Anna does not want home quarantine because Qld have no resources to staff such an exercise. It is the same regarding the reasons why she would let people in , that if there was an outbreak, the health system will collapse as they struggle to treat sprained fingers these days.
I wish some people could come and sit with me or my work colleagues and see what border exemption heartache looks like. I am dealing with it daily, with directions of Minister Young and Queen Anna that say NO NO NO. Staff numbers are diminishing because after 20 months staff are going off on leave on stress after telling one too many applicants, sorry we don’t care that you Dad is dying or your child needs medical interventions returning and the call out by government for new volunteers falls on death ears.
Now I am loving the freedoms that we are experiencing but think Queenslanders need to get over their self righteous selfish attitude that they can continue to live separately at the expense of there brothers and sisters. It is wrong on every aspect of society. The issue for Qld is whether they will even reach the 70 and 80% vaccine targets as the rednecks again for selfish reasons will not take on for team Australia.
Sorry for the rant but I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed in many who maintain the lock us up and exclude our brothers and sisters Selfish attitude. It is wrong wrong wrong but I guess I should not be surprised as we see it in society all the time, be it with the homeless, the disadvantaged or the aged.
@rags , you make some good points and your benevolent attitude to your fellow countrymen/persons is to be applauded. I have no disagreement with you in understanding how difficult it would be to deny applicants access to re-enter Queensland after being in a Covid hot spot. Even those fully vaccinated are a risk of carrying the Covid. ALL tough calls! Those who have been able to be returned to Queensland (and they were REALLY humanitarian reasons) were returned not in commercial aircraft, but in "Angel of Mercy" private aircraft funded by charity donations. If the Commonwealth got its act together, it could charter civilian or military aircraft and shift all those people trapped outside their own state to close to home bases as they did for a lot of trapped overseas Australians. But then, there is the problem of quarantine and the costs of cleansing the aircraft known to be "cylinders for the incubation of Covid". I am not going to comment on political matters regarding Queensland's ability to handle massive numbers of Covid infected persons. I hope it is never put to the test! Although NSW says that their hospitals are coping with over 1200 in hospital, more than 250 in ICU and with 60 or so on ventilators for long periods, one would not want to be involved in any major accident/injury/major operation and need a bed! And centres outside major metropolitan areas do not have that sort of capacity and staffing. And what is the cost to the State in diverting huge amounts of funds and resources to hospital staff and equipment, compared to the losses to private enterprises and businesses if the Covid genie is let loose? I don't have many answers - I tend to see the problems and the inequalities that are obvious to all.
I noticed a quote from the former Assistant Medical Officer for Australia who stated that the decision to opening of borders of states that have nil or very little Covid infected populations is a very difficult one, when neighboring states are battling to control outbreaks even with 80% fully vaccinated. And places like Singapore, Israel and USA have seen a huge increase in infections as soon as restrictions are relaxed. The UK has over 30,000 infections a day and hundreds of Covid deaths each week and they say they are coping. Would Australians and states accept such a situation?? Time will tell and Covid free states are watching carefully how NSW, ACT and VIC handle the new arrangements when they open up.
I do not consider your response as "ranting" at all. You speak as you see it "warts and all". One thing I think we are sure to agree on, is our disgust at the protesters exercising their democratic rights. Many a good person has made the supreme sacrifice to enable that freedom to exist. There is the best example of the selfish attitude you refer to, which not only puts themselves and their followers at risk of spreading the infection, they have no regard for the health or thoughts for others. Your frustration and disappointment is shared by me also. Such is the "imperfect" world we live in today. Kind regards.
Yes, politics. Almost a pseudonym for everything negative in life. Don't suffer from celebrity idolism on any level, and when it comes to politicians in particular I very much view these people as extraordinarily sub-ordinary non-achievers. Like you I'm not sure how this will all play out. Its likely the two covid weary states will deal better with the confrontingly high rate of virus spread and higher death rates after opening up. The other states will possibly struggle with the rapid spread and death rates. We're just too sick of it all to care anymore.
The dymanic narrative and spin will change many times Im sure and the average mindless consumer has a very short attention span. I vividly recall how the confrontational Black Lives Matter protesters (who were overwhelmingly white) repeatedly had free reign to do as they pleased, and then the relativly peaceful and passive tradies were hunted down by hundreds of police including the riot squad ( .... riot squad???) and then the tradies enjoyed the delights of CS gas and rubber bullets. Vic Police had CASA declare Melb airspace a no-fly zone to ground News aircraft and stop News agency coverage of what they were about to do to the protestors. While the news reels where rolling and very clearly showing the vast majority of people pasively standing around the journailst voice over was describing it as a seige and a riot. As the police moved in, they were clearly ignoring and making their way through picnickers, joggers, parents with prams and other wanders just to get at their targets.
I don't support either side, but only one frightens and outrages me.
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Not wrong @Crusty181, the inconsistency of policing and interpretation of regulations day to day from within ones own state let alone other areas, really smacks of political decision depending on media cover and political spin, stop people coming from areas hundreds of miles from any covid contacts but allow sports/entertainment people from in the middle of Covid areas and the short memories of people and media will mean in a week something else will occupy there minds and they will vote for those they depised a few months before....................... Not looking forward to when this is all over the voices of the Opposition parties will resound to their far better handling of the situation if they were in power, of how the borders would not have closed and the world would have been allowed to travel to the Australian Utopia............... of course will believe the nonsense, like the idiots using peroxide in a nebuliser to protect them selves from Covid, they live and breath, well in this case not for long as they burn their lungs away......................
Cannot disagree with any of the above in the first paragraph. The second one about Police moving through passive spectators to "get their targets" needs to be looked at in the full context of what was happening. Obviously, the main targets were the leaders or the agitators, not just the followers and "rent-a-crowd".
I believe that Governments make laws for the good of the community and also for their safety. When such laws are broken, then it is the task of the Government nominated squads (police) to ensure that the perpetrators are reined in.
When laws are legislated and not enforced, anarchy takes over and society reverts to the law of the jungle and survival of the fittest. Of course, if enough of the population don't agree, then the ballot box is the way to go. Is "the pen mightier than the sword?"