Not Trampis

Firstly where is it occurring? It is mostly in the regions and it is mostly national party seats at risk. The people who have switched their votes are low educated and low income people mostly male.

In some ways it is understandable. The coalition has broken up twice since the last election so why vote for either party when they are fighting each other. Herein lies a great irony. No party has infighting like One Nation.

We can be pretty sure they have not switched voted because of policies because no-one knows what policies One Nation supports except a racist immigration program. Multi-culturisn is not as popular in the regions and sometimes has not reached them.

History shows it is unlikely One Nation can thrive. When they talk they are incoherent. They are reliant on Hanson who looks very old. Now they are rising in the polls they will have to produce policies.

Also important is where liberal preferences go if they finish behind one nation on first preferences. Will they direct preferences to obvious morons?

Let us assume One Nation adopts policies similar to the Nationals. In the past two elections this has cost the liberals big time in the cities where it matters.

Put me in the unlikely camp on whether one nation thrives. They will get more media exposure and thus more times to show they have little idea of what to do. At present they only get exposed to 'friendly' media. ( Funny how Gerry Henderson hasn't noticed that!). Watch out when they are regularly on mainstream media.

There will be bust ups as they always occur. most people think realistically they are smarter than Hanson and do not like the grifting of some in one nation.

So yes I am a sceptic they will become the leading conservative party. In theory it should hurry up for the Liberals and Nationals to bury the hatched

Tuesday, 3 February 2026

the Ashes post mortem

No I am not going to talk about the rate rise as I having nothing to add to my previous note except there are more to come.

Why did the poms lose the Ashes so comprehensively? Let us go through the reasons.

There was no preparation. This is not just a lack of matches before the Ashes started but also a lack of understanding of wickets. In the previous Ashes they were bowler friendly and they kept on that way ever since. Bumrah appreciated them last season yet the POmmie seemed not to understand this. In an irony of ironies they would have suited Ollie Robinson who was toiling away in grade cricket in sydney. Carse was obviously injured after the tour of NZ. He reached 98 mph there yet the next english season was only bowling in the mid 80s. Both Archer and Wood were injury prone. They still had Woakes opening the bowling when they played India so they came here without a proven opening pair of bowlers. You need to use a kookaburra from the first over as it stops swinging after about 30 overs.

They must have known Head loved short balls outside the offstump but they kept on bowling to him there. By the time they bowled short on the legstump where is vulnerable his eye was well and truly in. Atkinson is an accurate bowler in england but not here. Why?

They also never thought clearly about spin bowling. Their first choice was never going to be successful and they had no 2nd choice!

Smith had a shocker of a series but that is simply bad luck. It could also mean poor coaching. His batting like others , seemed to show no lessons were learned at all.

The batting was lamentable.Usally either Crawley or Stoles gets a decent score. not here. They failed to understand what a no 3 is like. This meant joe Root came in time and time again when the ball was stil lswinging and thus he was vulnerable.

We have to talk about the first test. They had it and their mercy and lost. Mentally they were gone after that.

We had injuries and a suspect batting lineup but it didn't matter.

I suspect we will learn nothing from the Ashes certainly SA will hope so.

They must have learnt not to play at balls angling towards slips and they do have bowlers ( and wickets) which may expose us.

We play SA, the kiwis and then India

what should the poms do?

I would not change the batting or Wikkie although I would not be surprised at another opener. The bowling would appear top be Archer, Tongue, Atkinson and Ahmed remembering they do have two decent spare time spinners in Root and Bethell.

Monday, 2 February 2026

poor OLD Gerry

Gerry Henderson is getting older and sillier.

He likes to characterise people as left of centre or right of centre. No-one but no-one is in the centre. Thus he can characterise Ian Dunt as left of centre. Perhaps this is because he criticised the previous conservative government and is very critical of Reform. Perhaps Gerry missed his criticism of Starmer. Nevermind but calling him left of centre is absurd. Nikky Savva is a leftist!!

He doesn't like when journalists insist on politicians answer the question they ask. He says that is interrupting. If they do not do this they are 'soft' questions so he wins either way. I wondered what he made of Sharri Markson's 'interview' of the Israeli PM, you know the indicted war criminal. He said nothing so I guess sometimes he likes 'soft' questions from the right people.

He didn't like Fitzsimmons questioning of Roberts on climate change. He alleged sneering. In his sneering reply he said Roberts had both an engineering degree and a MBA. He failed to mention his views on climate change. Funny about that.

I guess I should say in ending his big recruitment selection of the Sydney Institute was putting his wife on the payroll.

There was a time when he was a big supporter of refugees. Alas like other things this has diminished in his old age.

Sunday, 1 February 2026

Is the US a failed state ?

The USA is a lawless country.

Citizens are killed merely for demonstrating or helping people,, People are threatened for photographing public servants at 'work'. The President sues the very government he heads up.

HOWEVER Trump is very unpopular. The very issue he 'owned' he has gone vastly underwater on. It is clear why. Most people were happy for him to go after the undocumented migrants who were criminals, the murders and rapists so to speak. They were no happy for him to go after law abiding people serving and working in their community.

There was an implicit contract wit these people. if you are law abiding, go about your work and serve in your community then everything is fine. Trump has NOT done that. They have gone into selected areas and in a haphazard way rounded up anyone who looks or talks like and 'undocumented immigrant. It is a terrible way to do this. Most people rounded up are not criminals. Latinos who formerly backed trump on this policy have now turned on him and for good reason. It is both inhumane and racist hence why Stephen Miller supports it!

I continue to believe the mid-terms will again be bad for trump. If only because both he and his entourage are incompetent. Aslo the american people like a congress by democrats to put a stop on him.

And talking of Trump THIS is one of the better articles on him thanks to the cancelled Nick Gruen.