#flogs

[mypage4sure]

I'm loving the frogs!

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Review II (NSW 2023): Group B (Craig Kelly / United Australia Party)

Prior reviews (many as the Palmer United Party): federal 2013, VIC 2014, federal 2016, VIC 2018 (one Palmer United independent), federal 2019, federal 2022, VIC 2022

What I said before: “If you want unhinged covid conspiracies, cooker grudges, untrammelled resentment, economic incoherence, and environmental ruin, then this is the party for you. If you want something even within shouting distance of sense, look elsewhere.” (VIC 2022 review)

What I think this year: Nothing has changed in the past four months.

For some reason, Craig Kelly’s personal website still describes him as the federal member for the Division of Hughes. He was turfed out almost a year ago. This ex-Liberal MP is now national director of the United Australia Party, which is too shambolically disorganised to obtain state registration in NSW, and Kelly is one of the leading agitators of the evidence-free lunatics who think covid, and everything else, is a conspiracy against them personally. They suppose themselves to be the main characters of the universe without realising that the universe really would rather they shut the fuck up and stop ranting at poor unfortunate relatives at family get-togethers.

I want to take this opportunity to clarify something with regards to this year’s upper house ballot. There are 21 groups contesting: 13 parties and a remarkable 8 groups of independents. All the more remarkable is that six of those eight—yes, three quarters of them—did not nominate enough individual candidates, fifteen, to receive a square above the line. As Ben Raue has highlighted, this is very unusual: at the previous five elections under the current system combined, only three groups have not qualified for a square above the line!

The first of these six groups (in ballot order) to fall short of the candidate threshold and not receive a square above the line is Craig Kelly’s UAP-aligned group in Column B. Now, Kelly is an idiot, but he’s also an experienced politician. He of all people should know that any group without a square above the line has no chance of winning a seat and is wasting its time and money. But, look, if he wants to waste time and money, who am I to stop him?

Recommendation: Give Group B (Craig Kelly / United Australia Party) a weak or no preference.

Website: https://www.unitedaustraliaparty.org.au/

[lavender-0-menace]

bluetooth isn’t working for me anymore i need this song injected into my spinal fluid

[wrenhavenriver]

This man is a follower of Loviatar, goddess of pain.

[whumblr]

Whump prompt #64

"That's my mark on them," Whumper purred as Caretaker stared at the scar on Whumpee's shoulder. "They're mine. And you're not taking them anywhere."

"Oh yeah?" Caretaker snapped back. Blazing eyes found Whumpee's, who looked away in shame. But Caretaker wouldn't have it. He grabbed their face, both hands, looked them deep in the eyes.

And he kissed them full on the mouth.

Whumpee sputtered, utterly confused, embarrassed even, a hand shakily reaching up to touch over their lips as Caretaker pulled away. They stumbled lightly, but an arm snagged around theirs and pulled them against Caretaker.

"That's my mark on them," Caretaker snarled. "I can easily plant one right over yours. And they're coming home. With me!"

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Review XVII (Victoria 2022): United Australia Party

Prior reviews (many as the Palmer United Party): federal 2013, VIC 2014, federal 2016, VIC 2018 (Bobby Singh, Palmer United independent), federal 2019, federal 2022

What I said before: “This party is now a grievance machine of very angry cranks who think something has been stolen from them; it’s rooted in the conspiracy theorist thought patterns that convince people who are generally pretty comfortable that they are in fact the great victims of the world.” (federal 2022)

What I think this time: Not content with stinking up the federal election and sending Ralph Babet to the Senate—a man contending for the “worst senator” mantle alongside the likes of Pauline Hanson, Malcolm Roberts, Matt Canavan, and Gerard Rennick—the UAP is now running for the Victorian state parliament with, among other candidates, Babet’s twin brother Matt (lead candidate in South-Eastern Metropolitan). UAP’s state leader is Geoff Shaw, the disgraced ex-Liberal member for Frankston, so you know this party can really pick ‘em.

As far as policy goes… what policy? The party’s website lists its Victorian candidates but no state policies. It still just displays the flaming bag of shit that the UAP offered to electors at the federal election. If you want unhinged covid conspiracies, cooker grudges, untrammelled resentment, economic incoherence, and environmental ruin, then this is the party for you. If you want something even within shouting distance of sense, look elsewhere.

To borrow my favourite example of unparliamentary language from New Zealand (a banger from 1949), the collective brains of the UAP could revolve inside a peanut shell for a thousand years without touching the sides.

My recommendation: Give the United Australia Party a weak or no preference. Remember to vote below the line on the large ballot for the Legislative Council so that your preference goes where you want it to go; all ballots with 5 or more preferences marked below the line are valid votes.

Website: https://www.unitedaustraliaparty.org.au/

[friendlylocalgeek]

Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon is like you took all those D&D jokes about having that one player who wants to seduce every monster in the dungeon, except it's that one player who wants to eat every monster in the dungeon, and used it as a vehicle for some really cool world-building and character-driven drama/comedy

[laflamejpeg]

On a mountain in Malibu, CA.

The location of the store is ever changing.

The store itself is a nomad.

GOLF le FLEUR*

[notallsandmen]

1889 soft dom Hob pointing sternly with a cigar is giving me Emotions

[aceofwhump]

Around the World in 80 Days 1x05

[jonny-versace]

I think one of the most remarkable things about Derry Girls aside from its stellar quality, is it's restraint. I imagine it would've been quite tempting to draw it out and flog it and whatnot once it became apparent how popular the show was not just domestically, but globally. Instead, they told a precise, poignant and consistently hilarious and moving in equal measure story, and walked away on top. As much as I would never turn down more, I don't think objectively you can say fairer than that, a million kudos to Lisa McGee

[amarriageoftrueminds]

But wait! There's more!

when I say she's a dumb person's idea of a smart person... this is exactly how dumb I'd expect that person to be ^

(related to)

[whipmaster1980]

Bare back flogging

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Review XXX (federal 2022): United Australia Party

Running where: All states and territories for the Senate (in the NT below the line only), and many divisions in the House of Representatives

Prior reviews (mostly as the Palmer United Party): federal 2013, VIC 2014, federal 2016, VIC 2018 (Bobby Singh, Palmer United independent), federal 2019

What I said before: “Palmer and Friends live in an alternate reality.”

What I think this year: If Palmer and Friends lived in an alternate reality in 2019, hoo boy they’ve transcended to an even more demented sphere this year. Clive’s busy asserting—utterly falsely—that his party is the continuation of the United Australia Party of 1931–45. He’s also so historically illiterate that he has claimed Billy Hughes as a UAP prime minister (Hughes was a UAP member but it was not one of the three parties he represented as PM). But the misrepresentations of history are mainly an annoyance to political historians like me. The substance of the party’s demands are where we should be looking, because it’s dangerous, goofy stuff.

Clive Palmer has now combined his angry self-interested mining populist energies with the climate-denialist, anti-vax, covid-conspiracist cult ravings of horse-paste enthusiast Craig Kelly, who is now the party leader. Kelly is currently the Member for Hughes, where he was re-elected for the Liberal Party in 2019 because Scott Morrison intervened to ensure Kelly was not challenged for preselection. Onya Scott, look at where that got us, you flog.

Google the UAP and you get both an ad for the party website with the slogan “take our country back”, then another hit for the same website but with the slogan “freedom forever”. On the website itself—once your eyes adjust after being blinded with so much bright yellow you think you accidentally loaded JB Hi-Fi’s website—the slogan is “save Australia”. This party is now a grievance machine of very angry cranks who think something has been stolen from them; it’s rooted in the conspiracy theorist thought patterns that convince people who are generally pretty comfortable that they are in fact the great victims of the world. It’s where you want to be main character of history and the smartest person in the room spotting unseen connections.

UAP’s policies are pure undistilled racist populism. They demand unworkable low-interest home loan laws, improper superannuation fund restrictions (no international investment, which is an important part of a diversified portfolio), even more unworkable and dangerous foreign policies shot through with xenophobia (particularly Sinophobia), and mineral policies that basically just serve to enlarge Clive’s bank balance.

As for the event of the moment, the pandemic, UAP’s attitude is simply this: do nothing. No restrictions, ever, no matter how medically necessary. Oh and they are very keen for you to be able to have ready access to “alternative” treatments that at best do fuck-all and at worst are much more likely to kill you than covid is. If you’ve seen the party’s posters around, or the signage used by the many covid cookers who’ve leapt aboard Palmer’s wagon, you know that they want FREEDOM FREEDOM FREEDOM. You can read this as FREEDOM (to get covid) FREEDOM (to die from not being vaccinated) FREEDOM (to burn the planet). Just a bunch of incredible plonkers.

My recommendation: Give the United Australia Party a weak or no preference.

Website: https://www.unitedaustraliaparty.org.au/

[friendlylocalgeek]

Well, of course I remember the 21st night of September.

Why, I remember it like it was yesterday!