Politicians ... just ... why ... ?

lizzie

lizzie

Not sure if you've seen in the news lately ... two prominent Hunter Valley pollies caught by ICAC for taking bribes.

Andrew Cornwell and Tim Owen

Both were intelligent, personable, not bad looking, successful and with a long potential career ... both ousted in their first terms for taking a$10,000 bribe each from a property developer.

All I can do is shake my head and ask "why"?

$10,000 is nothing. And definitely not worth risking a long, influential and profitable career over.

I know Tim Owen's wife - a lovely, generous women with her own successful career - he's in for a very chilly time for being such a twit.

Stupid stupid stupid.

Don't get me started on Joe Hockey's stupid "poor people don't drive" comment ...

(rant over)
 
I said in a thread quite a while back that there were people in both sides of politics who are probably "tainted" (I can't remember my wording). I was told that there had only been things wrong on the Labor side- and of course nothing could ever be wrong on the coalition side.

The opportunities and temptations are big, and it would take somebody extremely strong to avoid them.

At least these sorts of activities are getting more out into the open.
 
lizzie said:
I know Tim Owen's wife - a lovely, generous women with her own successful career - he's in for a very chilly time for being such a twit.
Click to expand...

All I can say about any politician who gets involved in a web of deceit and then gets caught is

ha ha ha​

I used to know a certain NSW politician who left parliament rather suddenly last year (and is, by all reports, still subject to an ongoing ICAC investigation with regards his relationship with Mr Obeid).

This guy - smooth like teflon, I tell ya. Did a great impersonation of Bob Hawke though....

"Errr, by 1990 no Australian politician will be living in poverty..."

(I actually heard him say that once with a Bob Hawke accent)
 
lizzie said:
Both were intelligent, personable, not bad looking, successful and with a long potential career ... both ousted in their first terms for taking a$10,000 bribe each from a property developer.

All I can do is shake my head and ask "why"?
Click to expand...

No self control, too detached from the world, and have a lot of love of cash - in envelope! you can touch it you can smell it :p

Oh well, at least they resigned.
 
Perhaps within their work culture it is the norm. A mob mentality can take place. Just like someone parking in a no stopping area, and then all the other drivers justifying it because someone else already did it. Sounds systemic, but saying that, I'm certain that there's a lot of good ones in there too. It's not the end of the world, just not within my expectations. I'm glad people are making them accountable.
 
But they weren't career politicians - they were both financially well off in their own rights, with careers and integrity in the community. They had no need for the money.

One was a vet with his own practice and the other a retired Airforce Commander.

Feeling so let down by these fools :(

(ps. doing company taxes now - and on here procrastinating)
 
Politicians are essentially front men and unfortunately they are surrounded by a people who live and breathe the mantra and everything becomes incestuous and no one seems to have a grasp on reality.

Have a look at Julie Owens MP for Parramatta. She used to work as an aid with various NSW Labour Ministers, was placed as the lovely young girl from public housing who made it front to win the mayoral position in Parramatta and stepped aside until she was rewarded with her current position.

I not saying that she is corrupt - far from it. However, the system rewards those who are good and anyone like Tim Owen's who comes into it as an outsider would surely be bamboozled and confused as to what is going on.

On saying that. Common sense obviously never comes into play it seems.
 
The Hunter area had an influx of new faces over the past 5 years or so, all naive in the ways of the backroom boys. New Labor and Liberal pollies were treated like mushrooms and now they are being hung out to dry.

The smarties behind the scenes must be in shock because the newbies are telling the truth and the wheels are falling off big time, hard to know what will happen next election because Jodie (Labor) was set up for a fall as well as the Liberal people.

I really do think that the Lord Mayor of Newcastle should stand aside until he is cleared of all this mud being flung
 
lizzie said:
Don't get me started on Joe Hockey's stupid "poor people don't drive" comment ...
Click to expand...

Next thing beleagured Joe might say is,
"Poor people don't breathe"
Ooops! Let me rephrase that to be politically correct
I mean 'they don't breathe the same air that rich people breathe' :D

Poor Joe!
wait a minute, does he drive? BWHAHAHAHAHA!
 
Peeking behind the scenes at many local government councils would not be any different where someone has the means, motive, and opportunity
 
lizzie said:
Labor couldn't have written a better script if they tried
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Agree, Lizzie.

Some of the things said lately have been hilarious, ROTFL stuff

"I'm a conservationist" (conservative, Tony, you meant "conservative")

"We admired the skill and the sense of honour that they (Japs) brought to their task (submariner raid on Sydney harbour)" (We did? :eek: hey, speak for yourself bro! :))

"As far as I'm concerned, Australians are Israelis. We are all Israelis" (I'm aussie, mate!.. Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!)

"The suppository of all wisdom" (this went round the world :p)

Of course, watching Labor implode was like watching 'The Rocky Horror Show' or a train wreck in slow motion. You just couldn't pull your eyes away.
But the current Lib Govt keeps giving us these classic one-liner faux paxs.
Great for belly laughs.
 
Yeah you really gotta wonder. And l mean some of the amounts of cash are ridiculous to , like why would you even bother . Even 10k , l mean it's not much in their terms is it considering what happens if they get found out .
Let alone a few bucks on their pollie credit cards or petrol accounts , pretty dumb . Why would you even bother , like they don't get enough allowances anyway . Weird.

l always think behind the scenes pollies would just swear and curse the public 3/4 the time. Call us names and morons - deep breath and on for the cameras and then off again and back to the safety of their behind closed doors sanctions where they can drop the persona with relief and a few beers . Insult us some more :rolleyes:
 
It's not funny any more the cigar chomping clown and his Belgian born side kick are ruining the economy!

Unemployment is now higher than the US....wait till it gets to 7%. They don't have any policies....they are simply making it up! All the economic numbers are trending south. Look at Qld and Cambo to see what is up for the rest of Australia.

The Bogan crowd who voted these Lib clowns in are going to feel the pain.

The real irony is that guys is the MP for my electorate......

Beanie Girl said:
Next thing beleagured Joe might say is,
"Poor people don't breathe"
Ooops! Let me rephrase that to be politically correct
I mean 'they don't breathe the same air that rich people breathe' :D

Poor Joe!
wait a minute, does he drive? BWHAHAHAHAHA!
Click to expand...
 
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"The major problem, one of the major problems, for there are several.
One of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.
To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.​
To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job."
― Douglas Adams,​
 
Yeah , too often it's more about the personality that can get them in.

And l always wonder , like take a treasurer for example . Does anyone even bother checking if these guys even passed maths at school ?

Let alone running a countries finances , you want somebody that more than just passes maths you want A grade and a career in maths prior , surely .
l've never heard nit picking media even bring up those questions though.
 
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