I can hear once more

I can finally hear again. It was, as I suspected a blocked eustachian tube and a
simple but pricey nasal spray has restored my hearing. The trouble seems to be
related to hayfever and I guess I will need to continue using it till autumn.
It is so good being able to hear music and enjoy. I stupidly kept putting off
going to Dr. and this problem could have easily been avoided.

Robin 0455 UTC November 19th 2010

Down and depressed.!

I am really down this week. I have an ongoing issue with my hearing with a constant rushing sensation. It seems cyclical in nature and is making me depressed. I just want it to go away so I can once more listen to music. It gets so bad that I cannot even hear my own voice. I am thankful that there are programs on TV with closed captions (CC).

Robin 0405 UTC November 5th 2010

I have not written a blog for several weeks and I decided to put some
random thoughts down.These days I have been struggling with an
aural hassle, which is probably an eustachian tube disorder.
I have this constant rushing sensation and voices sound
disembodied as if speaking through a narrow pipe. It is
extremely frustrating and disconcerting. I now comprehend what
Ludwig Van Beethoven went through as I too am unable to hear music.

The football season has concluded and now we turn to Cricket with
the upcoming Ashes Tests at the end of next month. To me the
Ashes are the pinnacle of Cricket and greatly surpasses other
formats of the game. I have no time for ODI's as they go
on for too long and dislike the domestic format
this summer. It would not be surprising that the 50 over game
could be axed as crowd attendances have been so poor. The newer T20
format has really taken off. Matches are over in three hours but it is
ripe for match-fixing.

The preseason AFL competition has also been announced and will no longer be a knockout fromat but a round-robin. This has been brought because of the Gold Coast Sun entering the AFL. I wonder if this format too is doomed. Attendances at the preseason cup earlier this year were disappointing and by switching to a roundrobin lineup may not be a winner either.

Robin 0448 UTC October 28th 2010

We won yet celebrations are on hold.

I should have been celebrating the Magpies' mighty victory in the
Grand Final Replay but I have been laid low with a severe head
cold. Naturally my aunt who is a diehard Bombers supporter
rang me from over the pond yet I was unable to get
a word in as per usual. One wonders why she bothers
calling when she never listens to what you say.

From my memory bank I seem to recollect that the last time Collingwood
won in 1990, I was also ill. However I will celebrate in due course.

I have more interest in the Test Cricket in Mohali than in
the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Robin L. Harwood 0405 UTC October 4th 2010

Monday Blues.

Well we have a government at last and Federal Parliament sits tomorrow.
it is so unclear how long this parliament will last because it is very much
on a knife edge.I very much doubt it will last the supposed full
term of three years.

I was so frustrated on Saturday afternoon , just after 5 pm, when Collingwood
and St. Kilda drew 68 apiece. It left me extremely flat and I wasn't
the only one. We have to wait until this Saturday for the rematch and
this time they will play extra time if there is a draw.

Robin 0540 September 27 2010

The saga continues.

The dust has now finally settled after Australia's general Election. this afternoon
Ms. Gillard announced her Cabinet with no real surprises. Kevin Rudd is
our new Foreign Minister, replacing Stephen Smith, who now heads defence portfolio.
Peter Garrett was not dumped but has early childhood education.
There is a moral there.

I was astounded no Tasmanians were promoted to the front bench.
Senator Nick Sherry has a new portfolio in the outer ministry.

Tony Abbott announces his shadow ministry early next week. No doubt
Senator Abetz will continue in his senior influential role.

Parliament will sit on Tuesday September 28th for 4 days and will be
very different perhaps? Wonder what difference the Independents
will make after their "agreement" with the PM.

Robin 0535 UTC September 11/2010

Were we expecting this?

Yes I am still about. I haven't posted since the Federal Election and we are still no wiser who is going to form the next Government. I am personally surprised at the outcome and thought that Tony Abbott and the Liberals would do as well as they have. However this uncertainty has gone on now for longer than it should. I am not blaming the Election Commision for this as they are hamstrung by red tape. Now we are at the mercy of six independents who hold the balance of power in the Reps and nobody at this point knows what will happen next.

I expect that we will shall be returning to the Ballot Box sooner rather than later and think if that does transpire, the Liberal- National coalition will probably emerge in a much stronger position. It is clear that Labor has lost the confidence of the electorate. The Greens also have emerged as powerbrokers particularly after July 1st 2011 when the newly elected senators take their seats.

Robin L. Harwood August 30th 2010 0548 UTC

The Sunday night Election Debate

Well I watched the so-called "Great Debate" last evening and certainly it
was different to past elections. I did switch between 7 and 9 to watch the worm's reaction but the ABC and Sky did not use it. Julia Gillard certainly did impress but Tony Abbott wasn't as bad as pundits were predicting.

It is interesting that the worms gave it to Gillard while experts said that Abbott won. Some tweeted to say it was nothing more than a glorified press conference instead of a proper debate.In my opinion Gillard came across much more sympathetically than Abbott and that is probably why she scored higher with females. Good on David Speers for trying to get both to answer the questions instead of waffling on.

Robin L. Harwood 0448 UTC July 26th 2010

Just thinking abouut the Federal election

Yes I am still about. Since my last post, a federal election has been called but fortunately we won't have the onerous restrictions that applied in the State election earlier this year.

I must state that I am surprised at Julia Gillard and how she has acquitted herself since her unexpected elevation to PM. I was shocked at Kevin Rudd's ouster but have equally been shocked at the obvious venom that has emerged towards him from within the Labor movement.
I surmise that the faction heavies are keen not to have
him on the front bench or in Parliament at all.

It has become easier for me knowing where to cast my
voting and am personally fed up with the hype and
counter-accusations from either party.
We should really vote for candidates who will
stick up for local issues and speak forth as an
independent and not be beholden to partisan
positions. I also believe that pollies should be
changed frequently to counter croneyism and ineffectiveness.
We should in reality be electing a politician on
local issues and not a partisan hack who will
toe the party line. That is my tuppenceworth.

Robin L. Harwood
Norwood, Tasmania 7250 0418 UTC July 223rd.

Federal Election now looms large

Oh dear I will have to start again. I must have accidentally hit the control key and deleted everything. Now I have to figure what key does that. Where was I?
Oh yes I was moaning about the fact my letterbox was being flooded with election related propaganda so the Federal election is certainly going to be only weeks away. I consider these pamphlets nothing more than junk-mail and they all promptly are immediately thrown in the garbage.

Last Monday, the Australian Christian Lobby sponsored a debate between Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd. Two days later as we now know, Kevin Rudd was dumped and replaced by Julia Gillard. She has now confirmed she is an Atheist although respects those who are religious.Certainly a turn-around.

Robin L. Harwood 0605 UTC June 30th 2010

Shock and Awe continues

It is now 24 hours since the Coup in Canberra and most of us are still in a state of shock and awe. It is still too early to say whether Gillard will win the upcoming Federal Election , which she confirmed will be held this year. I personally do not see Kevin Rudd taking a seat on the front bench in a Gillard ministry or that he will be a candidate in the Election. What sickens me is how rapidly the rank and file have toed the line that Rudd was out of step with them and the electorate. Yes he made some howlers but did significantly contribute to Australia.

Are there ramifications locally in Tasmania? If I was David Bartlett I would indeed be looking over my shoulder but realistically you do have to wonder who would make a challenge. I am aware that there are some within the ALP who are far from enthused with coalition with McKim amd O'Connor but are too scared to do a similar bloodless coup because it would give Hodgman and the Libs victory.

Robin 0550 UTC June 25th 2010

What an unexpected day

It has been a tumultuous day in Australian history. Kevin Rudd has been rolled by his own party without seeing out his first term. He has been replaced by Julia Gillard, a Welsh-born redhead who is unmarried but does have a partner. She was formerly deputy PM and still is Federal Education Minister and Industrial Relations. Treasurer Wayne Swan, the Treasurer, was promoted to take her deputy spot.

Yes we have all been stunned by the rapid downfall of Kevin 07 Rudd from PM to an ordinary backbencher. It was sad to watch Kevin Rudd's last press conference as PM
where he tried to choke back tears and had long pauses in his statement. He has done quite a lot as PM but he did lose his way and became out of touch with his peers and the electorate.

Julia Gillard tonight on the "7:30 Report" did surprise me and handled herself quite well. However time will tell how she will go into the future.

Robin L. Harwood 1100 UTC June 24th 2010

A Midwinter view.

Today it is the shortest day in Tasmania and being the height of Winter it is very cold outside. It is almost halfway through the Year and so much has happened over the past six months. We have a coalition government in place and surprisingly it has lasted this long. Now attention is on the Federal sphere with an election due as early as August yet will probably be held in Octber or November. There has been considerable press speculation as to a possible drubbing of the Rudd government. I don't know if this will eventuate. Rudd initially impressed me but he has made serious errors in judgement, yet not enough really to be replaced by another leader such as Ms. Gillard.

I am not impressed either by Tony Abbott as alternative Prime Minister.
I can't see a potential replacement in the wings. I was somewhat surprised that the former Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull, reversed his decision to quit Federal Parliament but do not see him returning to his former position.

I also do not see the minor parties increasing their clout in the Senate following the election whenever it is held. The only exception to this could be the Greens but it does depend which state they come from.

Robin June 21st 2010 0440z.

An Amazing Lass called Jessica!

I am still amazed by the performance of Jessica Watson after completing her
solo round the World feat. She will turn 17 on Tuesday and I am impressed by her grace and composure under pressure. The way she handled herself yesterday is a credit to her. She clearly was overwhelmed by tremendous welcome on Sydney Harbour and at the Opera House steps. I expect to be purchasing her book when it is published. Go Jessica!

Robin L. Harwood 1135 UTC May 16th 2010

deja Vu?

It really is a case of deja vu. The recently held British General Election has so many parallels with what happened in Tasmania. Both had a hung parliament following their respective polls. The three main political parties also are mirrored in Labor, Liberal and Greens (Labor, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats). Tasmania was virtually
in a stalemate for 3 weeks following the election and
Labor clung on to Power after reaching a deal with the
Greens leadership. I wonder if there will be
parallels in London as well?

Robin L. Harwood 0500 May 10th 2010

The Internet has been free....until now.

The Internet has been largely free and has opened up a wider circle of
communications and dialogue for everybody. But there has
been an increasing trend to charge people accessing
sites .Also news sites are preparing to charge people
accessing their webpages. Yes this trend is escalating
quickly and I can foresee that it will result in a
marked downturn in internet usage. I live on a
disability pension and certainly cannot afford accessing commercial for profit websites.This makes me question if the
proposed National Broadband Network with extremely
fast broadband speeds, will be viable. Another Rudd
white elephant?

Robin 0540 UTC May 6th. 2010

On Climate Change

It comes as no surprise that Rudd has ditched the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS. Public sceptism has only increased following the spectacular failure of the Copenhagen Summit. True it has only been postponed because of the current economic crisis yet it is likely to become permanent.

There is a complete worldwide re-evaluation of
Climate Change at present.Accusations have
been bandied about of scientific data being
doctored or hidden or destroyed. Will we
ever discover the real truth or are we a
captive to spin doctors on either side? The reality is
that worldwide action of climnate change is virtually
impossible to implement given the opposition of two of the
most populous nations in India and China.Economically
also it is impossible to get complete agreement on anything.

I know there are quite a number of people and
organisations, committed to the Climate Change
debate. They are convinced that it is a
complete manmade phenomenon and want to stop all
industrial activity and much human activity
"to save the Planet". The reality is, however, that
Clinate Change is entirely cyclical in nature
and is related to the Sun and not man.True,
manmade activity does contribute to the
pollution yet is not responsible for
this naturally occuring cyclical activity.

Robin 0529 UTC April 28th 2010

We have a government finally.

Today the Governor, Mr Peter Underwood, swore in the new coalition Tasmanian government. The Greens have two cabinet positions and the rest are Labor.

Here is a list of Cabinet ministers as appointed this afternoon.


THE NEW CABINET


DAVID BARTLETT

Premier

Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology


LARA GIDDINGS

Deputy Premier

Attorney-General

Minister for Justice

Minister for Economic Development

Minister for Infrastructure


MICHAEL AIRD

Treasurer

Minister for Industry


BRYAN GREEN

Minister for Primary Industries and Water

Minister for Energy and Resources

Minister for Local Government

Minister for Planning

Minister for Racing

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs


NICK McKIM

Minister for Human Services

Minister for Corrections and Consumer Protection

Minister for Community Development

Minister for Climate Change

Minister for Sustainable Transport and Alternative Energy


DAVID O'BYRNE

Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage

Minister for Workplace Relations

Minister for the Arts

Minister for Hospitality

Minister for Sport and Recreation


MICHELLE O'BYRNE

Minister for Health

Minister for Tourism


LIN THORP

Minister for Education and Skills

Minister for Children

Minister for Police and Emergency Management


CASSY O'CONNOR

Secretary to Cabinet


DOUG PARKINSON

Leader for the Government in the Legislative Council


I laughed so hard when I saw that the Greens leader was now Minister
of Corrections. Yes Tasmania's prisons and its inmates!
Quite a change from protesting about environmental issues.

Robin 1125 UTC April 21st 2010

It is even sillier now!

It is now over a month since we went to the polls to elect the
Tasmanian Government for another four year term. Well we don't have a viable government yet.Just to remind everyone, we ended up with a cliffhanger with the minority Green party holding the balance of power between Labor and the conservative Liberals. Well Mc.Kim, the Greens leader has been haggling with the Bartlett government for a coalition . He initially rejected a ministry and said they deserved more. Well it turns out now that his partner,Cassy, who was also elected, has been offerred a position as cabinet secretary. Hang on that is nepotism?

Media outlets are hinting that this has divided the three other Green members. Oh what a mess! We did want a change but not this
charade.If this stalemate continues then we should go back to the ballot box.You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that there will be a backlash against Labor and the Greens. I would not be
surprised also that a new political movement could emerge out
of this.Errol Stewart did try and organise a party
but it fizzled before commencing.

Robin 0530 April 20th 2010.

It's settled for now?

Well after 19 to 20 days after the election, the position was 10-10-5. That is neither party has a clear majority with the leading parties refusing to entertain a coalition with the Greens. Yesterday it was up tothe Governor, ( Peter Underwood) to decide which party was to form a minority government. Today the Greens leader came out and announced that they will support the continuation of the Labor Government, despite not receiving support from them for a coalition. It was a move to really flush out the Governor into making a decision.Hodgman announced that he will not support having a coalition with McKim.

Bartlett has now been commisioned by the Governor to form a minority government and it has to be tested on the floor of the House of Assembly. Now what is going to happen from here? The Greens say they will not support any no-confidence motion in Parliament unless there is corruption of other malfeance. In other words Labor will stay on for now but really are at the mercy of the Greens. No coalition but they do wield some clout. It can't last of course and previous minority governments here in Tasmania have failed. An election is inevitable but probably will be in six to
18 months time. The Greens really do hold the balance of
power but I think would suffer at the polls as would Labor.

I will write more later, when I am not as tired as I am now.



Robin 1245 UTC April 8th 2009

The Count is now over.

The counting of preferences under the Hare-Clark system is
finally over The outcome is unchanged from election predictions with
10-10-5. However the quirky vote saw elected MP's defeated by other candidates from their own party. Rebecca White came from behind to defeat Cabinet Minister David Llewelwyn in Lyons.Meander Valley mayor Mark Shelton was elected to join Rene Hidding. In Braddon The Greens won by electing Paul O'Halleran at the expense of Brett Whitely of the Liberals.

So it is a hung parliament and neither of the major parties will publicly entertain coalition with Nick Mc.Kim and the Greens. As I tweeted earlier, tomorrow we will see who blinks first. And I also don't expect that this Parliament will last 4 years and we probably will return to the polling booth in weeks or perhaps a half-year at the outside.

Certainly this has been the closest election in Tasmanian history. It still is unclear what will happen from here on. One thing
to clearly emerge is that the electorate wants fresh young faces in Tasmania's House of Assembly. The age of most of the members of the Upper House, known as the Legislative Council, is 20 to 30 years older than the Lower House.

We shall have to wait till tomorrow to find out what will happen next.

Robin 0903 UTC March 31st

The result is finally in.

At long last the preferences have been cut up and it looks
likely that the Liberals will have enough to form a
minority government. 11-9-5 looks like the final makeup.
Can't see how the Liberals and the Greens somehow
forming a coalition nor Labor. The days ahead will
be interesting but another election does not seem to far away.

Will this result affect the upcoming Federal election?
Nationally probably not but definitely will make
the major parties nervous in local polls.

Will David Bartlett fall on his sword? I would not be
surprised and if he does I expect that they
could turn to Michael Polley to rebuild Labor.

Rob in 1100 UTC March 30th

We are none the wiser after the Election yesterday!

Well it is finally over and it is even more of a mess
now because we have a hung parliament. That is
neither of the major political parties here in
Tasmania were able to secure a working majority
with the Greens holding the balance of power.

I was not at all surprised that Labor lost heavily
but even more shocked that the Liberals were not able
to gain more seats. It does appear that the Greens
have emerged with more clout but have really caused
this stalemate. The only ones who have won have
been the advertising agencies together with
the print and electronic media. All political parties
must have spent millions on the election and their
coffers must be bare. To top it off there is
supposed to be a federal election later this year.

I was unimpressed with the speeches of both Bartlett
and McKim on the floor of the Tally Room. Both were
longwinded whilst Hodgman was more lucid.
What will happen from here? I think we will have to
wait for another ten days until the votes are cut
up to determine the voters preferences under the
complicated Hare-Clark system. Before that perhaps
the three parties will meet secretly to try and
thrash out some sort of coalition but this parliament
will not last four years. I predict another poll
in six months or less. By then I shall not be at all
surprised that the size of the House of Assembly
will revert back to 35 from the present 25.

There also should be curbs on spending. Elections
for the Upper House are capped at $15,000. One Liberal candidate
forked over $250,000 in advertising. Besides that we
had too much advertising on TV that clearly angered
people, particularly in prime time.

We are all unclear what will happen now. We just
have to wait and see. No wonder pollies are well down
the pecking order here in Tasmania.

Robin 0610 UTC March 21st.

What really is important in the News?

It hasn't stopped. Now the media is again in a frenzy over another titbit of meaningless gossip about Sandra Bullock's private life. If people are so obsessed with celebrities then I pity them. Really there are more important
issues in the news than a movie star's private life.
Robin 0340 UTC March 18th

Written on the Eve of Saint Paddy's Day.

It is out of the way now. Phew! However I won't be commenting further until after 6 pm Saturday. All I can say is what a waste of money expended in the campaign by all concerned. There should be spending caps like there is in Legislative Council elections.

The other good news is that AFL football is only 10 days away! The pictures are great on my HD television. The NAB Cup is now behind us and the regular season beckons. I still think the inclusion of a Gold Coast team next year is stupid and a team based in the western suburbs of Sydney in 2012 is even a bigger joke. I must say I was surprised at Barry Hall's form with the Western Bulldogs. Can a leopard change his spots? He does seem a lot calmer and focused.

Robin 0410 UTC March 16th.

What sayest thou?

Hey there is real news out there! Why is the Australian media
obsessed with the Bingle/Clarke affair? This
really should be a private matter and
should not concern anybody else.In
reality this is a common ploy for
media to divert people away from major
issues to something so trivial.Yes we do
have real substantive issues certainly needing
our attention and concentration and we should not be
diverted into this pettiness.
What sayest thou?

Robin 0350 UTC March 11th.

You have to be extra cautious now writing on the Internet!

I just read this on the local paper's website.
http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/news/economy-business-it-finance/cyber-poisonpenner-hunted-down-and-sued.

This means you are now liable for writing anything on the Internet, if
it can be clearly proved in a court of law it is defamatory. You can no
longer hide in cyberspace. This decision has ramifications for
those in Australia and beyond and now proves that the
Internet is no longer where you can hide anonmyously

Robin
Norwood, Tasmania 7250
0435 UTC February 25th.

Others in Tasmania rise up against Internet censorship.

Yes others here are taking up the fight against current regulations related to commenting on the elections of March 20th. I do hope it is successful after all there is another major event planned later and that will be national.
Robin Harwood,
Norwood, Tasmania 7250
rlharwood@gmail.com

Well it isn't as boring as I thought!

I spoke too soon. Sue Napier has quit politics due to illness and shall not
be a candidate in the upcoming election on March 20th. This leaves a
big hole to fill for the Liberals. I always liked her honesty
and it truly is a pity that she has had to walk away
from politics because of the recurring cancer.

Robin
0500 UTC February 9th.

It can be very tedious these days.

Any day now the Premier will go to Government House and then his government will go into caretaker mode until after the March 20th election.

Although the poll has not been officially called yet, electioneering is in full swing both in the electronic media and in print. It will only get worse. I have already made my choices and will not be swayed by this rather tedious advertising blitz.Also there is supposed to be a Federal election sometime later this year. No wonder the parties go into debt after these elections.

Robin 0420 March 8th 2010

Do we really need to debate?

I was invited today to attend a debate between the two main political
leaders in the coming Tasmanian election campaign. It is
going to be sponsored by the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL).
Well I do not see any purpose will be gained from
this. It is is very predictable what they will say.
The third minor political leader apparently will not
be there but it is quite apparent why. Do
we need these debates? I really think the
election should be conducted speedily without the
long drawn out campaigning and pork barreling.

Robin 0400 UTC January 31st 2010

A year older and wiser?

I an now a year older and have spent some time looking
back on my life. This year marks 50 years since
I enrolled at Scotch College, Tasmania. It
was a very small school of about 250 boys then
and today it has over 1200 pupils and is
co-educational. It now is the largest
private school in this city. Naturally some of the
original buildings are still there but it has
expanded rapidly. Most of the masters are long dead.
Also some of my classmates are no longer with us, such as
Roddy Nobby,TerryH and Noel. Looking at the photos it
only seems yesterday but it is half a century ago.

What will happen in the future? Well nobody can predict
that. I just take it as it comes. I have made some
serious mistakes in my life and wish I hadn't made
them but we cannot go back and change the past. I
was married for nine and half years and divorced.
I have been engaged twice to the same lass but
it didn't work out.My father died three years back
from a war-related condition and my mother has Alzheimer's.

Change is inevitable and cannot be held back. Not
all changes are good. The older one gets, it is
easy to remember the the "good old days" when
life was not as hectic or as stressful as it is
today. But were those times really good?
Think about that!

Robin L. Harwood 0115 UTC January 17 2010

First post for the New Year.

2010 is just five days old and human behaviour has not altered one iota. Why do we bother with New Years resolutions and greetings for a happy new year. It is a waste of time. Sadly we do have some brain-dead individuals who are going around deliberately starting fires when there is a Total Fire Ban in effect. Already there is a big fire burning down behind Beaconsfield/ Illfraville and smoke has been drifting down the Tamar and over the city. However I have since found out that there have been several small fires deliberately ignited by some idiots opposite my village behind St. Leonards/Waverly. The terrible bushfires last February in Victoria are still fresh in our memory. 173 perished and already this year houses and properties have been destroyed in Western Australia. It is going to be a long hot Summer. Yes we could do with some rain that is for sure.

Robin 0445 UTC January 5th 2010