OT: Current Affairs and Politics

[bazza]

"We don’t have a “big Australia” and migrants aren’t taking our homes or our jobs.

The problem of housing affordability is due to a lack of supply from the public sector of low-cost housing and rental properties, mixed with tax breaks for investors that has turned Australia’s housing market into a speculators paradise."

Migration is not out of control and the figures show it is not to blame for the housing crisis

Migration is not to blame for house prices rising. And neither are Australia's borders out of control.

australiainstitute.org.au

don't forgot 80 year olds rattling around in 4 bedroom, $2m houses getting government handouts

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

I ain't saying your active in any kind of scheme, if anything I'd say your deliberate ignorance around where what you said comes from makes you more the useful idiot type than anything particularly nefarious.

I'll take being a useful idiot over being a useless one any day.
Here is an example. I've checked the last available census stats to have a look at the representation of Indian people in your area ( I hope that's allowed as you have stated many times on here where you live) v my area.
I appreciate that the figures would have changed since the census but I'm going with the assumption that that change will be skewed in favour of my argument and will be happy to be proven wrong.
Lismore at the time of census had an Indian population of 0.4% and an Aussie population of 81.7%

2021 Lismore, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics

abs.gov.au

Parramatta on the other hand had an Indian population of 30.9% and an Australian population of 24.8% .

2021 Parramatta, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics

abs.gov.au

These stats are taken from the country of birth sections as those are the ones that represent Immigration the best.
In short, I don't believe you have enough real world experience on this topic to have a fully formed opinion. I'm not saying your opinion would be different if our locations were reversed either. What I am saying is that we'll never know that and peoples opinions change over time due to experience and observation.
You've not had my experience or made the observations that I have.
It's too late for my area. No march/protest or election is going to change it.
I'm watching Aussie culture and opportunity for Australians wither and die in my own location. I am against it and happy to call it out.
I post my experience and observation here so the people who are not yet in this situation can recognise it and hopefully not allow it to happen in their locale.
If that makes me a useful Idiot to some crew who agree with my sentiments, that doesn't mean that I agree with all of theirs.
I''ll take that over being a useful idiot to the Global Gang any day of the week. Thank you very much.

Edit: Forgot source for Parra stats.

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

don't forgot 80 year olds rattling around in 4 bedroom, $2m houses getting government handouts

I agree that is a problem. Don't forget though at least in my area, most if not all of those homes used to be below the median and were paid for by min/low income workers.
You can't eat a $2m house or pay your bills with it without selling a slice of it to someone else.

 

[Bandwagon]

I'll take being a useful idiot over being a useless one any day.
Here is an example. I've checked the last available census stats to have a look at the representation of Indian people in your area ( I hope that's allowed as you have stated many times on here where you live) v my area.
I appreciate that the figures would have changed since the census but I'm going with the assumption that that change will be skewed in favour of my argument and will be happy to be proven wrong.
Lismore at the time of census had an Indian population of 0.4% and an Aussie population of 81.7%

2021 Lismore, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics

abs.gov.au

Parramatta on the other hand had an Indian population of 30.9% and an Australian population of 24.8% .

2021 Parramatta, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics

abs.gov.au

These stats are taken from the country of birth sections as those are the ones that represent Immigration the best.
In short, I don't believe you have enough real world experience on this topic to have a fully formed opinion. I'm not saying your opinion would be different if our locations were reversed either. What I am saying is that we'll never know that and peoples opinions change over time due to experience and observation.
You've not had my experience or made the observations that I have.
It's too late for my area. No march/protest or election is going to change it.
I'm watching Aussie culture and opportunity for Australians wither and die in my own location. I am against it and happy to call it out.
I post my experience and observation here so the people who are not yet in this situation can recognise it and hopefully not allow it to happen in their locale.
If that makes me a useful Idiot to some crew who agree with my sentiments, that doesn't mean that I agree with all of theirs.
I''ll take that over being a useful idiot to the Global Gang any day of the week. Thank you very much.

Edit: Forgot source for Parra stats.

I'm not a racist, I just don't like people from India. Hurr f**king durr.

Oh yeah, and you know because I've been alive long enough to see it, I remember the same racist shit about Greeks in Marrickville, Italians in Leichardt, Vietnamese in Cabbramatta, Lebanese in Lakemba. Even the dreaded homosexuals taking over Newtown for a bit off good old fashioned bigotry thrown in for nothing.

History repeats, same dumb shit everytime. Fact is when people migrate they'll want to live in areas where there are people like them, so we get enclaves. Inevitably over time they integrate and add to our culture, they don't "take it over"

Oh, and did you enjoy the Nazi's and their White Supremacist shit-f**kery at your little march yesterday?

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

I'm not a racist, I just don't like people from India. Hurr f**king durr.

I expected better than this from you.

Oh yeah, and you know because I've been alive long enough to see it, I remember the same racist shit about Greeks in Marrickville, Italians in Leichardt, Vietnamese in Cabbramatta, Lebanese in Lakemba. Even the dreaded homosexuals taking over Newtown for a bit off good old fashioned bigotry thrown in for nothing.

I speak a lot of the few remaining Italians and Maltese in my area and they all share my sentiments. They must be racist too.
I hope you're not inferring that I'm a homophobe though I will admit not ever having been to the Mardi Gras.
I have been to Mardi Grass though so hopefully close enough.

History repeats, same dumb shit everytime. Fact is when people migrate they'll want to live in areas where there are people like them, so we get enclaves. Inevitably over time they integrate and add to our culture, they don't "take it over"

A few years ago on a busy Sat morning at Pendle there was a car with 5 young Indian chaps in it double parked outside a shop and the driver was from what I could tell having a jovial and non urgent conversation with some other chaps on the footpath.
Traffic was building up rapidly behind them and the horns of the indignant sounded loud and long.
This driver completely ignored the horns and traffic chaos behind . I (on foot) politely pointed out the situation and even admitted that I knew it would be extremely difficult to find a car spot to park in (guess why) but he might consider trying that or taking up the conversation elsewhere in a location much more convenient to those surrounding him.
He told me " We own this place and we'll do whatever we like". I've since noticed that attitude to be shared with a majority of the current inhabitants of my surrounds'.

Oh, and did you enjoy the Nazi's and their White Supremacist shit-f**kery at your little march yesterday?

Ok, I'll address this. I know I said I wouldn't but It seems so important to a few of you so I'll clear that up for you.
I am not a white supremacist. I foresaw that the march would very much have that vibe.
As white supremacists don't represent me and I won't represent them, I decided to spend the day doing something enjoyable to me instead.
I'll be ignoring any predictable responses to this information so anyone doing so is wasting their precious time.
Thanks for your time.

 

[Bandwagon]

Ok, I'll address this. I know I said I wouldn't but It seems so important to a few of you so I'll clear that up for you.
I am not a white supremacist. I foresaw that the march would very much have that vibe.
As white supremacists don't represent me and I won't represent them, I decided to spend the day doing something enjoyable to me instead.

Well seems you might have learnt something from this little exchange after all.

 

[Bandwagon]

I expected better than this from you.

Better than this?

Looks like shit.
Smells like shit.
Tastes like shit.

Chances are it's shit, I can sugar coat it if you like, but it's still shit.

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

Well seems you might have learnt something from this little exchange after all.

I can form my own logical conclusions thanks. This little exchange had zero to do with it.
There is something there for you to learn from but I won't hold my breath.

 

[Bandwagon]

I can form my own logical conclusions thanks. This little exchange had zero to do with it.
There is something there for you to learn from but I won't hold my breath.

Meh.

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

Better than this?

Looks like shit.
Smells like shit.
Tastes like shit.

You have just aptly described Pendle Hill in it's current iteration and all the sugar in Queensland won't change that.

Chances are it's shit, I can sugar coat it if you like, but it's still shit.

AS above.

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

Meh.

Yep, thought so.

 

[the phantom menace]

I am not a white supremacist. I foresaw that the march would very much have that vibe.
As white supremacists don't represent me and I won't represent them, I decided to spend the day doing something enjoyable to me instead.

Glad to hear it, and very sensible.

Many of us made that same decision in a split second after hearing about plans for yesterday's march... but (by your own previous post) it seemed to take you a while to decide whether or not your would attend.

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

A general comment to anyone upset by my opinion that has evolved a great deal over the past 10 yrs through my experience and observations.
I used to think like you do. That changed after observing the truth and learning how to recognise Orwellian double speak when I see it.
What we have here is a deliberate divide and conquer tactic thought up by the Global Gang.
I'll provide an example.
I state that I'm not happy with the current status quo in my locale. Someone (I'll use TSP as an example and hope he doesn't mind) gets upset that I could dare to think like this and in turn gets upset too.
Now we are both upset. Over the same issue but from completely different ends of it.
He doesn't have my experience or observation so his opinion is vastly different to mine.
Now we are divided. That division makes any reasonable discourse on the topic virtually impossible. It breaks down into straw man arguments and ad hominem attacks both of which I am desperately trying to avoid here but do admit guilt to in the past. It's easy to get sucked into it.
Don't like my opinion, fine but please don't assume or worse state that my opinion has no value. It has value to me and many others and as I've said, has genuinely evolved over time through the lens of my experience and observations.

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

Glad to hear it, and very sensible.

Many of us made that same decision in a split second after hearing about plans for yesterday's march..

I don't believe you would have gone if Penny Wong herself organised it so moot.

. but (by your own previous post) it seemed to take you a while to decide whether or not your would attend.

I was torn. I have some (not much) regret about not going because it was a chance for me to participate in some real democracy that is otherwise severely lacking in this country.
I had pros and cons to evaluate and if I didn't take that time I might have made a poor choice for the reasons stated above.
If it took longer than you thought it should, that's your problem, not mine.

 

[bazza]

I agree that is a problem. Don't forget though at least in my area, most if not all of those homes used to be below the median and were paid for by min/low income workers.
You can't eat a $2m house or pay your bills with it without selling a slice of it to someone else.

well a $2m house isn't included in an asset test for the aged pension. If you have a $1m apartment and $1m in the bank you don't get as much of a government handout (though you would be able to live a better life)

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

well a $2m house isn't included in an asset test for the aged pension. If you have a $1m apartment and $1m in the bank you don't get as much of a government handout (though you would be able to live a better life)

Most those oldies at least the ones I talk to who are still hanging onto the house spent many years of hard slog to get it. Most of them had relatives that fought and died in wars and were brainwashed into believing they were fighting to retain the living standards enjoyed in this country.
If they want to die in their own bed or not interested in being elsewhere or happy to sit on an asset with a skyrocketing value to leave the kids, I think they've earned the right. They paid their taxes for that pension.
They'll all be gone soon and things will change quickly so you needn't worry. You'll get your wishes soon enough.

 

[the phantom menace]

I don't believe you would have gone if Penny Wong herself organised it so moot.

No, I wouldn't have gone primarily because it was for a dud cause, aimed to achieve nothing concrete or realistic, and was backed only by people with limited intellect.

I was torn. I have some (not much) regret about not going because it was a chance for me to participate in some real democracy that is otherwise severely lacking in this country.
I had pros and cons to evaluate and if I didn't take that time I might have made a poor choice for the reasons stated above.
If it took longer than you thought it should, that's your problem, not mine.

Not a problem for me that coming to the same conclusion took you longer... more just a reflection on things, as per my comment immediately above.

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

No, I wouldn't have gone primarily because it was for a dud cause, aimed to achieve nothing concrete or realistic, and was backed only by people with limited intellect.

Not a problem for me that coming to the same conclusion took you longer... more just a reflection on things, as per my comment immediately above.

Nice try Tinkerbell.

 

[the phantom menace]

I think I saw a few of these on the news coverage of yesterday's "protests".

 

[the phantom menace]

Who was it in here that insisted Trump is really really trying to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine...?



Source: https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe...trump-s-bluff-on-ukraine-20250901-p5mras.html