Mr Abbott has campaigned upon a platform of economic responsibility having built up a formidable armoury of bullets to fire against the Rudd/Gillard Government after a number of costly project fiascos. However, he appears to have badly misjudged the mood of the electorate on the issue of the NBN.

 Ben Shipley, the managing director of Brisbane-based telco Comscentre, typifies the mood of the powerful and influential Australian telecoms industry when he describes the Abbott Coalition plan as being from the “dark ages”.

“We’ve got a very clear and concise plan from the Labor Party but we’ve got nothing from the opposition except a threat to shut down the NBN,” Mr Shipley said.

“Are they going to throw away the billions that have already been spent and take us back to a Telstra monopoly, or are they going to do nothing and leave Australia like a Third World country?

 

It is truly in your hands! Will billions be wasted? No. Will the Coalition halt further development? Possibly. Will they follow their cause and sell off the assets to let business reap the benefits? Probably.

My question is, so what? Siimply through sensible competitive legislation and operational telecommunications frameworks, the work and investment being made by existing telcos will see Australia reach the milestones that the NBN have as its aims.

Can the Coalition deliver this? Of course. So can Labor. So what is the deal? Labor had the opportunity to fight the sale of Telstra many many years ago. Labor will reinvent existing notions, but then sell it off anyway. What? You don't think? Its in the NBN Business plan folks. Its a part of the framework.

But.

The real difference?

Censorship.

Labor will censor your access. And, if they succeed, it won't be repealed. It won't be taken back. Labor fought the introduction of GST at one point. Have they rolled it back? No. Of course not.

Want fast but censored internet? Or do you want to let business do its job? The fight is there, but don't be pushed in the wrong direction. Again!

Non NBN trials are already underway in real-world tests, using consumers, with consumer grade technology, including paired-DSL, cable and wireless. In some cases these tests are already seeing speeds of around 100Mbits/second. This is without the NBN in place.

Keep the internet you have? Or get the internet they want you to have? Its your choice.

Sylvestor

Novices at the wheel of state - The Australian

Psychologists would almost certainly have something to say about a leader who surrounds himself with young, inexperienced operators to the exclusion of more mature people who could constructively challenge his policies and arguments. If David Marr's Quarterly Essay analysis that Rudd has rage at his core is accurate, it could be that he simply can't handle critical advice. via theaustralian...

Read the rest of this post »

(download)

Click here to download:

remember-this-i-still-wonder-about-kevin-you-know-rGygkpGCdewnDfhbqfEJ.zip (68 KB)

IN the final months of his leadership, Kevin Rudd cut himself off.

He wouldn't listen to senior factional leaders and took advice from only his office and closest confidants.

While even ministers struggled for face time with the prime minister, there was one man, one trusted adviser, who could break through the self-imposed cordon - actor, former Play School presenter and part-time author Rhys Muldoon.

Labor sources claim Muldoon was there earlier this year when party hardheads were trying to collar Rudd on his preparations for the health debate.

He was there on the final tumultuous day of Rudd's reign, invited to Parliament House by the prime minister himself.

via The Australian

I guess well have friends from all over the place. And I realise its really just journo's playing on the minds and imagination of people like me. But still. It is interesting, that in the last three years, the closes people to Kevin, providing him with, not only advice in office, but obviously, personal advice, its interesting that these people have very little to do with politics and/or the Labor Party.

No wonder he didn't survive.

Of all political regimes, the Labor Party organisation is based on factions, unions, the number-crunchers. And if your number-crunchers are not privvy to the innards of the organisation, you obviously can't last long! 

But still. There's lots of young, good looking fellas in that circle, aren't there Kev? ;)

A spokesman said the pair were "mates".

via The Australian

Sylvestor