Oh Senator Fielding ...

[blamebrampton]

Senator Stephen Fielding, the Family First Senator in the Australian Federal Senate (Upper House) (and, you'll note, not my family, and not many other people's, either), is a man who -- due to an insanity of Australian voting politics that should be understandable to those familiar with the terms gerrymander and Electoral College --  is sometimes left holding the balance of power in the Senate, despite having been voted for by only 55,000-odd Australians*.

I think he's an idiot. Mostly because of his voting record, but also because he keeps opening his mouth and saying idiotic things. A little while ago he went to a conference on Global Warning in the US and came back convinced that Global Warming was all a hoax. When challenged on his position and the science behind it, he responded that he had heard very convincing arguments at the conference. The conference was run by the Heartland Institute, a radical fundamentalist anti-science group who have diversified from their pro-tobacco lobbying position ('it's perfectly safe!') to a stance on global warming that ranges from 'It doesn't exist' to 'Who wouldn't like things a bit warmer?' (Victorians, who are likely to be on fire again this summer, for a start.) I'm sure the handful of scientists who appeared at that conference did sound convincing, after all, they were paid handsomely for it.

Today he has been at it again. When doorstopped outside Parliament House, he complained about the government's level of spending.

'The physical and monetary policies need to be working in concert with one another!' he declared.

He later corrected himself. 'Fiscal. I'll make it quite clear: F-I-S-K-A-L.'

He's just declared that he has a severe learning disorder. Which apparently only extends to him spelling things differently to the rest of the world, not to him arguing bogus climate science against the entire CSIRO (Australia's premier science organisation), and all other major scientific bodies.

On the other hand, APPLAUSE for Senator Judith Troeth who crossed the floor in Parliament today to vote in favour of a bill that ends the policy of charging refugees held in refugee camps for their detention. Brave and humane, well done, madam!

In other exciting news of the day, Samoa switched from driving on the right to driving on the left today. One nation by one, the way of righteousness is spread ;-)



*There are over 20 million people here, 5 million in Victoria, the state he was voted in from, so that's 1.9% of the vote of 1/4 of the country. With enough warning to campaign, I think even I could do better.

Comments

[deensey.livejournal.com]

You should run for the senate, obvsly.

[meredyth-13.livejournal.com]

In a world of the truly absurd, Fielding would run for something with Sarah Palin. See, that campaign I would like to see, just for the sheer 'train wreck' potential.

Learning Disorder

[tinofbeans.livejournal.com]

I agree with Fielding, he does have a severe learning disorder. As far as I am concerned that has been blatantly obvious from the day he first opened his mouth in Parliament. He does not seem to be able to learn. For example is inability to actually come up with amendments to anything- just witness the whole mess he made of the alco pops legislation. He is a total farce as a parliamentary member.

[brissygirl.livejournal.com]

LMAO What an F'ing idiot!

The federal election is next year you've got plenty of time to campaign Brammers. I double triple dare you to run for Parliament. You'd have them all in hysterics everyday and we wouldn't have to listen to them spout bullshit all the time.

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

Good lord that man gets stupider by the day. Honestly.

And I would totally vote for you, just so you know.

[ant-queen.livejournal.com]

Fielding makes me want to slam his head into a desk repeatedly (rather than mine since it would obviously have no noticeable affect on his intelligence whereas I'm rather attached to my brain cells).

And it is his limited intellect that leads him to belief a handful of scientists with questionable motives and to fundamentally fail to grasp the wise words of good scientists. Fielding actually purports to belief that climate change is real, just not that it has anything to do with the actions of human beings. Apparently because scientists have indicated that there are in fact a range of variables in the climate chagne equation then clearly carbon emissions aren't the only cause, so it could be lots of other things and on that basis we shouldn't do anything about carbon emissions.

It's a bit like a smoker saying "well some smokers never get cancer and some people who don't smoke get cancer, so I'll keep smoking because I could get cancer anyway". It ignores the whole issue that where there are multiple variables and some of them you can do something about, doing something about them seriously lowers your risk.

In fact, I would be willing to lay good money on there being a distinct correlation between climate change sceptics and smokers nad/or people who can't do basic mathematics.

[mabonwitch.livejournal.com]

You know, this brings me to a question that I suspect you have an answer for. Where might I find some decent science news online? I can and will google, but my suspicion is that I'll be led to news sources with a piddling science sidebar, not to sources with science as the main/only feature. If you happen to know a few, I would greatly appreciate it!

[absynthedrinker.livejournal.com]

Heseltine, Quayle, and Fielding. The 3 Stooges! There's one in every government during every administration. Thanks for the giggle.

re Samoa

[anthraxia.livejournal.com]

The way of lefteousness, dearheart. :)

Hurray for Samoa for joining the correct thinking nations who know that left is right and right is wrong!

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

You know how people should get tested before being allowed to raise children?

There should probably be another version for politicians.

[treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com]

Completely off topic, for which I'm terribly sorry:
Thank you for my present! It was waiting for me when I returned home from my trip to Hobart. Yay! I thought you just meant sample sachets, not the real deal *squees in undignified manner*, and thank you for the eyeshadow (the coppery one will probably end up adorning the small girl, but I love the other shades).
XXX