General Political Chat

[DaRick]

That Massachusetts line
From an old leader
How could it work derogatively...i cant see it

Well that sort of comment does smack of complacency.

It's like writing off the loss of a heartland seat like Wentworth as being down to "local issues" and therefore "no big deal".

 

[Bunkdar]

Well that sort of comment does smack of complacency.

It's like writing off the loss of a heartland seat like Wentworth as being down to "local issues" and therefore "no big deal".

Looks out of tough
Nobody has ever said that b4 apparently

 

[Bunkdar]

Yes was a great speech, covered all areas most of us are concerned about and what is wrong with this government.

I know
Just watch closely though
2 maintain her agenda and not be effected/infected in a toxic environment that is modern politics is gonna be tough

 

[Bunkdar]

So Christmas is coming up
Julia Baird is often on ABC the drum show
i found out recently her brother is Mike Baird.....that NSW premier who sold off a bunch of public owned assets..... quit before his term ended because of " stress " ......then got a gig at one of the major banks shortly after
Almost 2 funny 2 be true

 

[Pessimistic]

Bush Snr dies. Didn’t mind him.

 

[Chameleon75]

 

[Crankyhawk]

Mental health, alcohol and a large dose of hate about sums it up.

I suspect it is mostly the alcohol and the “mental health” is a face saver for the policeman. My colleagues in mental health (public) have substance use as the first problem, stop that then see what mental health issue is left (eg a lot of people get drunk then call services for feeling suicidal when sober they aren’t)

 

[Crankyhawk]

concetta fierravanti-wells uses parliamentary privilege to sook about twitter users.....

via Hansard -




Senator FIERRAVANTI-WELLS (New South Wales) (19:14):
Tonight I again wish to examine how political influence campaigns are being run using multiple Twitter accounts.
I recently informed the Senate about the activities of Sleeping Giants Oz, an anonymous, politically motivated Twitter campaign, imported from the US, whose heavy reliance on unverifiable Twitter accounts makes its actual size deceptive.
The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters is currently looking at cybermanipulation of elections, including considering the extent to which social media bots may have targeted Australian voters and political discourse in the past; the likely sources of social media manipulation within Australia and internationally; and ways to address the spread of deliberately false news online during elections.


A submission to JSCEM from Digital Industry Group Inc, which includes representatives from Facebook, Twitter and Google, concludes:


Fortunately, the experience of DIGI members and the use of their platforms in Australia, to date there is no evidence to suggest that election manipulation has been a widespread problem in Australia as it has been in the U.S.


Similarly a submission from Twitter says:


During the 2016 election, we were not made aware of any activity related to the suppression or interference with the exercise of voting rights in Australia.


These reassurances seem at odds with a recent report in The Australian that Twitter accounts linked to the Internet Research Agency, the infamous Russian troll factory, have spread politically charged posts about Australian politics, including the 2016 federal election and last year's same-sex marriage survey.


However, tonight I wish to outline to the Senate how the Australian Labor Party is benefiting from another influence campaign also being conducted via the Twitter sphere.
This campaign employs a calculated and malicious strategy of spreading misinformation and political spam via a large web of mainly anonymous but also automated Twitter accounts.
These accounts post similar-to-identical pro-Labor, pro-union, anti-coalition content. They primarily engage by retweeting posts from like-minded accounts, creating an echo chamber of reinforcing noise.
Twitter is full of anonymous accounts that often exist only to push partisan and frequently toxic debate by interests groups, including fake news.
Twitter permits automated retweets and it is easy to make a Twitter bot that will automatically 'favourite' and/or retweet tweets that contain particular words or hashtags.


Many of the accounts to which I refer have tweeted or retweeted hundreds of thousands of times and continue to do so hundreds of times a day, cranking out pro-Labor, anti-coalition messaging on an industrial scale.
Often they admit a union connection or Labor viewpoint, together with an eclectic mix of other interests which collectively cover the entire gamut of left-wing concerns.
Some accounts run lies and smears against the coalition or needle coalition candidates and parliamentarians while promoting Labor initiatives or running interference for Labor.
They are frequently a vehicle for unfounded and defamatory allegations, low-grade research or catalogues of alleged coalition misdeeds which wouldn't be publishable by or rate any interest from the mainstream media.
Some recycle media stories which boost Labor or are unflattering to the coalition. For example, @virgotweet, which mainly retweets 80 times a day, recycles old news about alleged coalition scandals and presents it as if new.
They typically follow or are followed by a mix of Labor figures and also engage with Twitter feeds of other left-wing organisations.
The aim is to discredit the coalition, to promote allies and to distort public opinion by massively amplifying messages which feed into like-minded networks and engage both anonymous and real Twitter users.


These accounts often show signs of direct user engagement via unique tweets and topical comments, which is indicative of their close maintenance and operation. A key account called @Talaolp tweets rather than retweets an unremitting torrent of Labor propaganda. It claims it is:


… sharing information about the Liberal Governments, State and Federal, their deception, lies and misinformation to the Australian Public.


Based in Western Australia, @Talaolp has tweeted 230,000 times in the last five years. That's about 125 times a day. Some of its anti-coalition material is scurrilous and intended simply to smear. It typically posts to three other accounts: 'Sir Clyde of Nob' @Nobby15, 'Big Al' @banas51 and 'Mari R' @randlight.


Sir Clyde of Nob, supposedly a retired IT specialist also based in Western Australia, has tweeted 790,000 times over the last nine years, an average of 240 times a day. It mostly retweets, but every seventh to eighth engagement, on average, is a personal tweet or comment on a post, showing frequent personal intervention.
It retweets TALAOLP extensively and boasts about its Twitter reach, in a recent week receiving over 1,600 mentions, 1,500 likes, almost 400 retweets and 230 replies.
Big Al, who describes himself as a 'lefty' and a 'hard worker', has retweeted over 200,000 times in the last four years, an average of 135 a day, namely retweeting a broad fare of left-wing commentary.
Mari R, who says she wants Bill for PM, has retweeted almost 450,000 times over the last seven years, an average of 175 times a day.


Another such account is MSM Watchdog, supposedly dedicated to 'Exposing unconscionable attacks on the poor'.
This account has tweeted 447,000 times over the last five years, an average of 240 a day, predominantly retweets of predictable anti-coalition and pro-Labor material. But MSM Watchdog was stung into life by my recent speech on Sleeping Giants Oz, claiming that the Liberal Party hates social media because 'they are hopeless at it.'
If being good at it means flooding the twittersphere with propaganda up to 100,000 times a year, I'll take that as a compliment.

MSM Watchdog retweets far more frequently than Sir Clyde of Nob. Some days it only retweets hundreds of times; other days there are also some personal tweets and comments.
Both accounts appear to be operated closely by individual users but are almost totally reliant on retweets as a method of amplification.
Who has either the inclination or the resources to, in the main, retweet 240 times a day, year upon year? I suggest that the description of many accounts as being operated by unionists offers a clue.


Another account, 'Old and Cranky', which describes its owner as a 'true believer still looking for the light on the hill'—good luck!—has tweeted 329,000 times in the last four years, an average of 225 a day, of anti-government messaging.
Its last 3,200 engagements are all retweets. Similarly, 'Gold Coast Nurse', which describes its owner as a proud union delegate and member, tweeted 88 times a day in the last five years and has also not tweeted an original thought in its last 3,200 tweets.


What I have described tonight is the Twitter equivalent of a Labor union telephone tree, a Twitter tree, though perhaps a better analogy would be a jungle, and the law of the jungle applies when it comes to its content.
An organised union operation backed by Labor volunteers is the most likely source of this influence campaign, but the anonymity of accounts means we can't be sure exactly who they are.
These accounts were active during the 2016 election. They're in full swing and, unless checked, will be active during the next election.

Twitter's submission to JSCEM claims:

We focus on developing machine learning tools that identify and act on networks of spammy or automated accounts automatically by tracking account behaviour. This lets us tackle attempts to manipulate conversations on Twitter at scale, across languages, and different time zones.


I submit that Twitter is on a steep learning curve and still has a long way to go, and I would suggest it review the activities of the accounts to which I have referred as well as many other high-volume accounts like 'Wowbagger' and 'Fair Dinkum Troublemaker'.


As we approach the next election, we need to be aware that political interest groups as well as potential state actors are trying to amplify their messaging and distort debate, including by disseminating fake news using social media platforms. In relation to state actors, I again note that a US intelligence report assessed that:


Moscow will apply lessons learned from its Putin-ordered campaign aimed at the US presidential election to future influence efforts worldwide, including against US allies and their election processes.


Clearly, there is much to be on guard about as we approach the next election. I will be forwarding this speech to JSCEM as I believe it adds qualitative material.


Bolded in red is what she's REALLY trying to get done , i wonder who put her up to this ?.......

Sound like vote4change

 

[Baltimore Jack]

"Women need to work harder, do more overtime and not take lunch breaks if they want to climb the corporate ladder" - Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, who inherited her fortune from her Father without ever getting off her fat arse to do a single days work

 

[Lebbo73]

"Women need to work harder, do more overtime and not take lunch breaks if they want to climb the corporate ladder" - Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, who inherited her fortune from her Father without ever getting off her fat arse to do a single days work

Yes she did inherit a fortune from her father but you are pretty naive if you honestly believe Gina hasn’t done a single days work. What you fail to mention is she’s worth $US16.7 billion. Lang Hancock was wealthy but Gina is obviously smarter than you give her credit for considering she has increased the wealth by 10 fold.

 

[Pessimistic]

Lunch breaks LOL

 

[Number37]

Yes she did inherit a fortune from her father but you are pretty naive if you honestly believe Gina hasn’t done a single days work. What you fail to mention is she’s worth $US16.7 billion. Lang Hancock was wealthy but Gina is obviously smarter than you give her credit for considering she has increased the wealth by 10 fold.

Come on Lebbo that's a little stretch of what actually happened.

Her father owned some fairly significant mining rights, she just happened to take over at the right time.
Anybody, even G_Crazy, couldn't F that up, when all you had to do was count the money as it rolled in.

 

[Gigantic]

Labour rolling over and letting Liberal go through with this appalling piece of legislation that is the Assistance and Access Bill

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...-law-enforcement-access-to-encrypted-messages

Tried to show that they were against this bill, only to now just roll over and accept it in its current form

 

[Benny78]

If you consider boomers are either in their early 70's or entering their retirement now. That means they'll spend their entire 70's in Australia living under a Shorten government.

Most of them won't live to see another Abbott. He was the last shot.

 

[kranky al]

If you consider boomers are either in their early 70's or entering their retirement now. That means they'll spend their entire 70's in Australia living under a Shorten government.

Most of them won't live to see another Abbott. He was the last shot.

 

[Baltimore Jack]

Tanya Plibersek‏Verified account @tanya_plibersek 17h17 hours ago
Education minister @DanTehanWannon argues that Labor’s plan to spend more on schools is bad because parents and grandparents will pay for it through their taxes. Educating our kids is now somehow economic vandalism according to Libs.

 

[Pessimistic]

Tanya Plibersek‏Verified account @tanya_plibersek 17h17 hours ago
Education minister @DanTehanWannon argues that Labor’s plan to spend more on schools is bad because parents and grandparents will pay for it through their taxes. Educating our kids is now somehow economic vandalism according to Libs.

Surely the "Leaving too much debt to future generations" furphy s a moot point when cutting back on education

 

[Benny78]

Yes she did inherit a fortune from her father but you are pretty naive if you honestly believe Gina hasn’t done a single days work. What you fail to mention is she’s worth $US16.7 billion. Lang Hancock was wealthy but Gina is obviously smarter than you give her credit for considering she has increased the wealth by 10 fold.

If I was handed a mining share like her I would've worked 20 hours a day! She's a lazy fat bitch.

If she actually exerted herself like most people she'd burn calories like most people. Unless she was eating a truck everyday?

 

[Pessimistic]

If I was handed a mining share like her I would've worked 20 hours a day! She's a lazy fat bitch.

If she actually exerted herself like most people she'd burn calories like most people. Unless she was eating a truck everyday?

Se ‘says’ skip lunch

 

[Gough]

Se ‘says’ skip lunch

It's always fat campaigners like Reinhart and Hockey who are full of s**t when they talk about self discipline and control, and then then have to get lap banded as they fail totally at practicing what they preach.

 

[Lebbo73]

If I was handed a mining share like her I would've worked 20 hours a day! She's a lazy fat bitch.

If she actually exerted herself like most people she'd burn calories like most people. Unless she was eating a truck everyday?

How did you explain Gillard’s fat arse then? What about Jenny Macklin’s mighty girth?

 

[NSWCROW]

Insiders year in review

 

[Baltimore Jack]

This grub will be consigned to history shortly

 

[NSWCROW]

Madigan found guilty of contempt of parliament all because jarrod bleijie has a little dick

 

[NSWCROW]

PVO reports on 10 news that Grimlock ( with assistance from that grub joyce ) was gonna defect to the nats if he didn't get his own way.


" THE ADULTS ARE BACK IN CHARGE " they said......