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Canberra Today 14°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Macklin: Tony takes ’em on, young and old

OXFORD boxing blue PM Tony Abbott copped a few well aimed jabs this week. At times it looked as though half the spectators had climbed into the ring with fists at the ready.

Robert Macklin
Robert Macklin
They came from all sectors on the stadium’s left – education, health and welfare – and were joined by six big bruisers from the States and Territories – all clamouring for a whack. And when he winked at the ref, a 67-year-old pensioner named Vilma jumped all over him. By week’s end he was on the ropes… but was he hurt or just resting?
Big Joe, his cigar-smoking second, reckoned the crowd didn’t appreciate what a good show he was giving them.

KATY Gallagher stood four square with the other State leaders, but then unaccountably raised the prospect of a “review” of the GST, a regressive tax that hits the low-income groups hardest. Odd that.

CONSPICUOUS by their absence from the Australia-wide protests were our own Opposition members Gai Brodtmann (Canberra), Andrew Leigh (Fraser) and Senator Kate Lundy – and this in the city most affected by the Budget cuts! Could it be that they are among the rich percentile who escaped its hammer blows? Or are they above all that protest stuff?

PITY the local press chose to drag the $4.5 million renovations to The Lodge into the Budget argument. A cheap shot. No wonder successive Prime Ministers have declined to authorise the very sensible recommendations for a new official residence. The present building should then house visiting dignitaries.

SPEAKING of cheap shots, media reports of a big increase among Canberra parents refusing to allow their kids to be immunised was deeply troubling… until you dug into the story. The “increase” was from a rather low base – as in miniscule – 437 out of 38,309 children compared with 357 out of 35,968 two years ago. And our results are much better than the nation as a whole. That we have so few loonies in the community should be cause for celebration!

HEARTBREAKING news from Cairo on the moronic show trial of journalist Peter Greste. Pleas for justice this week from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop were dismissed with contempt. So, when will the SAS use their decades of intense training to rescue an Australian citizen from the hands of these terrorists?

POOR Simon Corbell is still boasting about the success of his liquor laws despite the video this week showing a single punch assault outside a Civic nightclub that fractured a man’s skull.
“Assault offences in the last quarter, when compared to the same time last year, show a decrease of 20 per cent,” he cried. So, how many fractured skulls last year?

ON a happier note, I understand that in one of those Civic bars, a bloke came in, sat down on his own and suddenly heard a voice. “My, my,” it said, “aren’t you a handsome young fellow.” Startled, he looked around but there was no-one there.
“Beautifully dressed, too,” said the voice. “Love that jacket.”
Now he was totally bemused. When the barman arrived the customer started to stammer his question; the barman smiled; he’d heard it all before. “Don’t worry, sir,” he said, “it’s just the complimentary peanuts.’

robertmacklin.com

 

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Robert Macklin

Robert Macklin

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