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End-of-year Greetings

Here we are yet again - at the end of another year, perhaps the busiest year politically since this blogsite began on 13 September 2008, 13 years ago.

Time has not reduced the intensity of political discourse, it has increased it. Not only has the complexity of politics increased, but the manner of its reporting has changed. Now, in addition to the longstanding avenue of the print media, we have a plethora of social media platforms, which publish their own individual positions on every imaginable subject. Virtually anyone can host a blogsite and publish without restraint.

The Political Sword is just one among hundreds. Yet it has its ardent followers, to which this message is directed. We just want to say ‘thank you’ for your years of loyalty.

Because there are so many blog sites upon which comments can be offered, it’s not surprising to us that very few comments emerge on The Political Sword. However, the value of the site to so many of you is evidenced by the 5 star ratings each post on TPS attracts - regularly over 30!.

We all need a rest from the political milieu, now so intense, so demanding, so insistent, all the more since the advent of the Morrison regime, with its idiosyncratic approach to politics: so careless with the truth, so ‘transactional’ for our PM - in other words ‘what’s in it for me?’

We propose to re-initiate posting in February 2022.

We wish you a relaxing, peaceful, and refreshing end-of-year break.

The TPS Team

Time to say goodbye

To me, Ad Astra, “Time to say goodbye” are among the saddest words in our language. Yet say them now we must. I chose Ad Astra as my moniker because my secondary school’s motto is ‘sic itur ad astra’, which can be liberally interpreted as: “Here is the way to the stars”. How inspiring these word...

  • 19/12/2022

Have we got a deal for you

There is a conspiracy theory that suggests that birds (in the USA at least) aren’t real. The claim is that all the birds in the USA were hunted down by the government between the late 50’s and early 70s and replaced with bird like drones to spy on you. According to the theory President John F. Kenne...

  • 12/12/2022

Get out of the gutter

You may not have heard of Mike Rinder. A Scientologist for most of his life, at the age of 52 he walked out, and as a result lost his family, friends, employment and pretty well everything else in his life. RInder has written a book on his time in Scientology, runs a website that questions Scientolo...

  • 5/12/2022

Was Amtrak Joe derailed?

Prior to becoming President, Joe Biden was a US Senator for around 36 years. He is known as Amtrak Joe as he routinely took the daily 90 minute each way train trip (on the USA’s national passenger train network — Amtrak) from his home in Delaware to Washington DC to represent his state. If you liste...

  • 28/11/2022

If employers can measure well-being...

Last September, you might have seen Qantas CEO Alan Joyce received a pay increase of $278,000 per annum. It seems that Joyce has met or exceeded the performance goals set by his employers and contractually has earned the reward. It does, however, raise a larger question. Joyce's pay increase for t...

  • 21/11/2022

Coming back to haunt you

In his recent Budget reply speech, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton laboured (pun intended) on the increasingly difficult to achieve promise by Prime Minister Albanese that power bills will be $275 less in 2025. While the government is claiming the modelling done in 2021 supports the accuracy of the p...

  • 14/11/2022

The good economic units

Wellbeing and politics have collided in the past couple of weeks. Federal Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers has started a conversation about measuring the ‘wellbeing’ of the nation as a result of the measures in the budget. The Opposition, as you would expect, has poured scorn on the idea. On a purely lo...

  • 7/11/2022

Do you want to smile or frown

Recently, in what could be described as an epic fail in recruiting practices, the Essendon Football Club hired and accepted the resignation of the same CEO within a day. The issue was that the CEO was also the Chairman of ‘City on the Hill’, a church that seems to promote some conservative views on ...

  • 2/11/2022

We can do it better

It was probably co-incidental that the Australian Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was held in Sydney around the time the NRL and AFL finals were occurring. CPAC originally advertised the conference would be at Luna Park — until Luna Park claimed they had never had a booking. The Conf...

  • 24/10/2022

The voice

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong recently addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Accompanying Wong on the trip was Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen and ‘Special Envoy for Reconciliation’ Pat Dodson. Wong told the General Assembly that Australia believed the UN an...

  • 17/10/2022

Kicking climate down the road

You’re probably aware of some who don't see the need to reduce emissions. They have a lot of different reasons or excuses for the position, including the current systems have served us well in the past, we’re only a small population so our changes won’t mean much or just a general reluctance to cons...

  • 10/10/2022

A home amongst the gumtrees

A local real estate agent rings me every couple of months asking if I am willing to sell my house. So far he's tried the 'look how much you could get' strategy, 'the market is moving, you don’t want to miss out’ strategy and telling me he could help me buy another house if I did sell; to which my re...

  • 3/10/2022

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3 COMMENTS

Michael Taylor

20/12/2021

Thank you, TPS, for all your fabulous work. The high standard of articles from Ad astra and 2353NM is what I’ve come to expect. I’ve made no secret over the years that TPS remains one of my favourite sites. 

I do share your frustration over the dwindling number of comments. But I take comfort knowing that the TPS articles are being read, based on the number of comments they attract on the Facebook groups where the articles are being shared. 

It’s the eternal mystery - for The AIMN and TPS - that people confine their comments to the Facebook groups rather than on the sites themselves. 

Putting all that aside, please accept the appreciation from Carol and I for the wonderful relationship The AIMN shares with TPS. Also, please accept our best wishes over Christmas and the New Year for you and your loved ones. 

wam

21/12/2021

At last this idiot read ‘team’ regime ad and 2353 are not one but two.

My exam number 65 years ago 2226 and my current church number is 2356 and my golf number is 2313 so I love your number

have a good break and sharpen your pencil for Scummo et al next year

Ad Astra

23/12/2021

Michael Taylor

It has been a great joy to work so collaboratively with you Michael, all through the year. The sharing of political analysis between us has been both rewarding and reinforcing.

In this era of Murdoch dominance, it is essential that those who hold different views express them forcibly. Otherwise, his pernicious influence will continue to contaminate political discourse. His agenda is control - control of political opinion - it has always been so.

All us at TPS extend to you and Carol warmest Christmas Greetings, and trust you will find 2022 even more satisfying.

The TPS Team

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