JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).

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I think Australia’s dumbed-down masses should be given exactly what they voted for.
Shut down the coal, gas and diesel power plants immediately as per the plans of those “genius” power systems “engineers” Albo and Blackout Bowen.
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What a terrible era in which idiots govern the blind.
William Shakespeare
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Agreed, but that quote is not from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to which it is usually misattributed but a paraphrase of King Lear.
But from Julius Caesar we do have:
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It’s no different to the UK and most of Europe. Spain for example. You cannot expect ignorant self serving politicians to lead. They are too surprised to have the job. A single blackout is an electoral disaster. As for running the business which is Australia, they do not have a clue. Neither side does.
But the success of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and friends is spectacular. There is nothing like someone who does not need or even want the job or the luxury retirement. Like Winston Churchill. But these are very rare people. And J.D. Vance and Nigel Farage and Vivek Ramaswamy stand out as high performers with a mission to fix what is broken. And that’s a lot.
Possibly the biggest problem is with the enclaves of privileged public servants in Washington, Canberra, Whitehall who write endless laws that politicians do not understand and slowly bring power and money to themselves. The endless punitive carbon laws are generally not understood even by those who pass them into power. Or the aboriginal laws. It’s all virtue signalling.
What Australia needs is the dismantling of all such laws and departments. I note that the most damaging of them, the original Renewable Energy(Electricity) Act of 2001 did not even use the words carbon or tax once. But it has ripped a hundred billion dollars from the pockets of ordinary Australians to pay for windmills and solar panels owned by others who profit from the unwitting gift. That was the start of public service activism, wrecking the joint. The 35% Safeguard Mechanism milking of carbon dioxide into Green gift certificates is just outrageous theft.
But I doubt Albanese or Bowen have any idea what they are doing. They cannot believe their luck.
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Back in the eighties, there was a saying in Victoria that 3 electricity blackouts in a term meant electoral defeat at the next election. This was a period fraught with many strikes in persuit of shorter working hours, especially in NSW.
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By the late Nineties, the “wisdom” was:
Q. How do you get into small business in Victoria?
A. Start with a big business.
But now, we witness the strange alliance of the corporate statists with the bolshvists.
“Poor fellow, my country” indeed.
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” There is nothing like someone who does not need or even want the job or the luxury retirement. ”
Yes, good to see you agree democracy is a terrible form of Govt. Politicians shouldn’t exist, and our Govt should be picked like a jury.
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Australians should be proud. They have now voted for Net Zero IQ politicians.
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H. L. Mencken:
‘Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.’
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Is there another type?
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I don’t know anyone that voted for Greens, Labor or Teals (or worse) but I make a conscious choice not to associate with Leftists.
However, if I ever do meet someone who is suffering due to the Net Zero IQ politicians they voted for, I will have zero sympathy for them.
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2 out of 3 people did not vote for Albanese and friends. In principle we have a least worst government.
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” I make a conscious choice not to associate with Leftists.”
For a long time they have all avoided knowing me!
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Perhaps time to resurrect the bumper sticker “I didn’t vote for them”.
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I think the next task for productive, thinking Australians is work out how to survive the next years and possibly even a decade or more of Labor rule.
It’s not obvious to me how personal hard-earned and saved for wealth and assets can be preserved, apart from physical gold which is not safe or practical to keep. Or leave the country (in which case they’ll tax you when you leave).
Certainly, death taxes and assets taxes are on the way, starting with taxes on unrealised capital gains on superannuation (retirement) funds. Oh, they renamed death duties by the woke name of “inheritance tax”.
And of course there’ll be more lifestyle taxes such as on energy and “luxuries” for the objective of lowering the standard of living of non-Elites.
All the products of your hard work and savings are up for a grab by the socialist Government (except those of the Elites).
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14676567/Anthony-Albanese-super-capital-gains-tax.html
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Labor’s gift of OPM for household batteries will help reduce the cost of living for many home owners.
Reducing household energy cost to the electricity connection fee is now an economic option for many households. Victoria has also subsidised removal of gas.
So the pragmatic approach to protect wealth is to reduce cost of living. For homeowners, that is the cost of food and energy. For food, shop at ALDI first – it is consistently lower price and better value than the other two. “Fresh” produce from the big two requires a new definition for “fresh”. Our local Sunday market has competitive prices to supermarkets but the food is fresh in the common meaning of the word and lasts weeks rather than days.
The general view is that all currencies with lose value against the USD under Trump but speculating on foreign currency can be a big loser. Term deposit rates are still attractive and are keeping pace with real inflation. China needs foreign income so Chinese made stuff is now coming into Australia at cost price. That is deflationary for manufactured goods. The Trump tariffs and energy policies are also lowering fuel prices around the world -deflationary – unleaded near me today 165.9/litre, diesel 173.9/litre.
So protecting wealth, as always, is taking the pragmatic path under the cards dealt. Some people actually move to another country to lower cost of living and live well but at lower cost.
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George Christensen analysis (extract from Nation First email).
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Constantly bombarded with Labor ads but can’t recall seeing more than a few Liberal ones.
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It looks like the Greens “dear leader” Bandt has lost his seat of Melbournistan.
His replacement will however be only a slightly less bad Labor member.
https://tallyroom.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-31496-228.htm
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One tiny piece of good news.
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Has Blackout Bowen lost?
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No.
They love him.
They should be rewarded by being the first to go on 100% “renewables” with no coal, gas or diesel backups.
https://tallyroom.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-31496-315.htm
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Fantastic. No one deserves to lose more. Maybe the Greens can get back to being green, not communists?
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The Media over here are saying that the OZ opposition ran a very poor campaign and started making mistakes when they were leading back in February, whilst that of the governing party ran a pretty good-if uninspiring- one.
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Correct.
A child age 6 years could have run a better Campaign.
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Tonyb, read David Maddison at No. 5 above and you’ll see why. It is inconceivable that even politicians can be so stupid and mind-numbingly foolish, it’s throwing the baby out with the bathwater and shooting yourself in the foot and stabbing yourself in the back and making an own goal all at the same time. Duh duh and duh. ToM
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George Christiansen may be right about this. He blames “faceless men” in the NSW branch of the Liberal party but does not name any names.
The Liberal party and hence the country is in big trouble.
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He refers to the so-called “moderates” and Photios faction. The “moderates”, despite the name, are the far Left of the party, essentially Labor infiltrators.
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Sounds like Malcolm Turnbull was active. Will he now be trying to get the Lib leadership again?
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There is some evidence that the long sought after Planet 9 has been found.
Obviously, further evidence and confirmation is required.
https://youtu.be/SLi4KuE9IAE
And another question, when it swoops closer to the sun, does it have any influence on climate such as Ice Ages? It’s orbital period will be thousands or tens of thousands of years.
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House of commons bans most charging of EV’s. Perhaps that will be extended to other closed parking areas…..and tunnels…..and bridges……and ferries?..and apartment blocks…
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2025/05/03/parliament-ev-chargers-to-be-removed-for-safety-reasons/#comments
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They are probably terrified of an event reminiscent of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
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Australia is still behind the point on the curve that Britain has reached. Britain is in a state of collapse thanks to the (Extreme) Left (Labour) and Fake-Right (Tories).. Everything has gone bust. The Labour party lied to the people to steal their vote, now the people have realised that they’ve been had. The by-elections of three days ago have given Farage a massive vote of confidence taking a massive vote away from both parties. If an election had to be held today Farage would become the prime minister of Britain. Let Australia’s Labour run its course and commit suicide like the US Democrats are doing with 27% approval rating.
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The international (fake news) media has banned news about Farage’s massive victory. I’m expecting a police ‘investigation’ on him, ending up like Marie le Pen, in prison. They tried it on an Italian minister for impeding the landing of illegal migrants. We have Gulags now in Europe. Christians have been imprisoned, critics of Hamas supporters accused of hate speech, etc etc etc. Down the cliff, we go.
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Which demographic voted for Labor?
Was it a preponderance of the young, stupid and indoctrinated freshly out of the communist indoctrination centres once known as “schools” and “universities”?
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Did see somewhere that this was the first election where the Boomers were not the biggest demographic.
We were not the greatest generation, that was our parents, but we continued their work. Our children were too coddled and “given” too much without effort, they are what I call the entitled generation, nor sure if they are the XY or Z generation.
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Imagine the bleating if Labor introduces an inheritance tax just as they line up for theirs.
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If Australia ever gets another conservative government they must defund Their ABC.
It no longer serves any useful purpose but just provides one sided Far Left political propaganda.
It’s does not represent the views of all taxpayers who fund it.
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The problem with reigning in their ABC is that the response will be that any cut in funding to their ABC will result in the immediate demise of peppa pig or the bananas in pyjamas. And the ability to hide behind that spin gives so much political cover that attempts at reform are stymied.
A public policy worthy of advocacy is efficient government. Not necessarily starting with their ABC but systematically eliminate the deliberate waste of taxes and borrowings which is the life blood of advocacy groups and associated hangers on. Find some low hanging fruit first. And really go to town highlighting that waste.
It is a message which is self-spinning in favour of reason. It has the added benefit of driving the bad guys nuts trying to unspin the spin.
That is potentially the greatest lesson from Trump’s first 100 days in the US.
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With the mandate given to the socialists, they will no doubt open up the floodgates to violent, uneducated, misogynistic, anti-Western Third World immigrants, all future Labor voters, all to be placed in critical Labor electorates. All to ensure Labor is in power forever.
This is what the Democrats tried to do in America but they had TRUMP to stop them.
We have nobody.
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“all future Labor voters,”
..until they start their own parties!
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Cometh the hour cometh the man.
Perhaps this was not yet the time.
And as Midnight Oil once sang I hope you are not beaten yet. Not yet!
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What is the “logic” of someone who votes for Labor?
Is it all the “free stuff”, the destruction of Western society and its values, or what is their motivation?
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As I once thought of my children’s choice in partners, there is no accounting for taste.
Gosh I’m full of it this morning.
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How close is Australia to a Spanish-style grid failure?
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TWEET from Rand Paul.
Time for justice.
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TRUMP to build new ball room at White House and he’s paying for it out of his own pocket.
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What a breath of fresh air that man is in the political world.
The first person, in my lifetime, in political life that has not tried/worked to enrich him/herself in the job.
The same could be said for Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy, both very successful in the private sector, now donating their time and effort to MAGA.
Salute those men! And they think Australia is the “lucky” country. Well we just ran out of luck!
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The seat of Goldstein in Victoriastan is extremely close (95 votes difference at this moment).
https://tallyroom.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-31496-214.htm
Zoe Daniel (Teal Party, fake independent) vs Tim Wilson (Liberal).
It’s likely however that postal votes will favour Tim Wilson.
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On a personal level my mother lived in Goldstein.
As a life long liberal voter I could never understand her disdain for Tim Wilson. That was until we moved into the area to look after her in the last few years of her life and I met Tim Wilson at the polling booth on election day. His mother was with him spruiking for votes.
At the same time there was a quiet suffocating self censorship among voters waiting to do their civic duty. In a nutshell the teals were just so nice. They were very well organized with an all elderly female team who were arranged in concentric circles around the polling booth. None of them sought your vote. They just smiled and said hello like your grandmother would.
In my mind I imagined I had stumbled upon a geriatric version of the Hitler Youth. And at the same time there was an intangible something I found repulsive about Tim Wilson.
The atmosphere in Fisher is completely different. And I live in a small town which inexplicably to me was one of the few booths which voted majority Labor.
And now I’ll just join Rip Van Winkle and wait for my opportunity to do something which will make a difference. If that ever happens.
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How do The Teals get away with claiming to be independents when they are clearly an organisation with the same branding plus they have the same far Left ideology and vote with Greens nearly all the time.
By claiming to be independent they are exempt from the disclosure and other rules governing political parties.
Who funds them anyway? They are presumably funded by a billionaire Elite subsidy harvester.
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There are some very astute people out there. The teals appear to have been very well advised.
And I don’t mean that as any sort of praise. The teals and their advisers deserve damnation.
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Yesterday I went to the Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally. Whether by accident or design, the whole site is surrounded by windmills. The windmills are horrible and have destroyed a tranquil rural landscape.
You can see the permanent Steam Rally site here. This picture might predate the windmills.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/bPvwTQDRHFo3SAu79
The surrounding wind farm is owned by the Chicomms and one of Australia’s largest wind subsidy-harvesting operations with 149 windmills and claimed nameplate of 521MW, a meaningless number, obviously.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockyard_Hill_Wind_Farm?wprov=sfla1
Rally website:
https://www.lakegoldsmithsteamrally.org.au/
I was also told that when they installed the subsidy harvesting devices, they altered drainage and made the site more prone to flooding. But an “engineer” signed off on the new drainage arrangements and the Rally organisers can’t afford to litigate.
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I don’t know if anyone done this, but I would like to congratulate Spain on achieving net zero. It might have only been for a few hours but they did it. Obviously it has taken fanatical determination to beat other countries to run on mostly “renewable” power. Even though the power company gave notice that Spain would go net zero, the people were still court by surprise. Which country will be next?
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