The Serious Discussion Thread.

[Richie]

Terry your Albo needs to grow a brain and some intestinal fortitude after announcing that he will firstly talk to the genocidist Netanyahu before committing Australia to recognizing a Palestinian State. Hello you drongo what do you think the tyrant is going to say, "by all means Mr Albanese, the poor repressed, occupied and starving Palestinian people deserve a free homeland of their own". Sure he will, more like, "no way as those peasant, scum of the Islamic world want to destroy Israel''.

 

[Grier]

Elbow Easy is no 'shirt fronter' like Abbot. He'd be wasting his time speaking to Netanyahu for sure. Likewise with Trump.
Keep your head down Albo, it's not your job to untangle the Middle East turmoil.

Having said that I was impressed with the Sydney harbour bridge estimated at 90,000 to 180,000 peaceful protesters.
Had it not rained the numbers would have been greater.
It's global news too.
Naturally snide comments came from you know whom ...

 

[Richie]

Having said that I was impressed with the Sydney harbour bridge estimated at 90,000 to 180,000 peaceful protesters.

Mate I was going to write something about that. The crowd was so big the cops had to stop the march once the throng hit North Sydney as the people just kept on pouring onto the 'coathanger'. That sure is sending a message to those tyrants how Aussies feel about the Gaza genocide. Cops stopped the Melbourne march tho. What an embarrassment that commie run state has become. Is Perth planning a march Terry.

 

[Grier]

Craig, Perth will have a Pro Palestinian rally on 16th August. If I can I'll go.

More and more I hear more open rhetoric against Trump that makes my own seem mild.
Likewise more rhetoric about the orchestrated Geoncide of Palestinians in Gaza. A Holocaust by many vile means on so many innocents, especially the children. Jesus wept.

All so a vile war criminal can avoid all the charges against him, despised by many Israelis even, he perpetuates the forever war that will rattle into the decades to come.

Is that four horsemen on the horizon?

Jared Diamond wrote a Pulitzer prize winning book called "Guns, Gems and Steel" looking at the rise of civillizations, and rightly described the middle east as a great crossroads in the ancient times and on, from north to south and temperate climes east to west like the Silk road.
A crossroads not just for trade, also a mixing and often conflicts of cultures and beliefs, still to this day.

 

[Richie]

Craig, Perth will have a Pro Palestinian rally on 16th August. If I can I'll go.

Good for you mate. Was thinking when reading about the Sydney march, if I'd had been in the city for any reason I'd have taken time out and joined the march too.

 

[Richie]

Gotta give Albo a pat on the back for likely saving Aussie shipbuilder Austal from falling into foreign hands, a Sth Korean company, by offering them a massive government contract for new naval ships, all of which will be built in Aust.

 

[Grier]

Gotta give Albo a pat on the back for likely saving Aussie shipbuilder Austal from falling into foreign hands, a Sth Korean company, by offering them a massive government contract for new naval ships, all of which will be built in Aust.

I read we're getting 3 high tech frigates from Japan for ten billion dollars. After that 7 more of those frigates will be made in Western Australia by Austal creating many jobs.

Germany was in the running for the contract too and even though the Japanese frigates are more expensive they are much superior. A good choice I reckon.

 

[Zman]

I read we're getting 3 high tech frigates from Japan for ten billion dollars. After that 7 more of those frigates will be made in Western Australia by Austal creating many jobs.

Germany was in the running for the contract too and even though the Japanese frigates are more expensive they are much superior. A good choice I reckon.

In the late 90's I did security at the Williamstown government ship building yards for a couple weeks to cover a shortage of guards there who were either ill, or holidays and I remember how strict they were there instructing us to check all workers bags once they finished their shifts.

 

[Grier]

In the late 90's I did security at the Williamstown government ship building yards for a couple weeks to cover a shortage of guards there who were either ill, or holidays and I remember how strict they were there instructing us to check all workers bags once they finished their shifts.

Good to hear about the strict security Zman, unlike entry to our footy games. Knives, guns and metal wands, ...

The stats for the Japanese Frigates are very good, greater range, greater armaments, more and better missiles, brilliant radar, great sonar, and underwater drones too I read between the lines? Silly not to surely get the best in only 3 or so years, unlike our Nuclear subs, if ever? So very costly too.

Also, these Frigates are so high tech they only need a small crew, about 35% of the typical crew needed for a Frigate.
Australia in recent years developed a brilliant over the horizon radar that we sold to Canada at mates rates. I'm guessing these Frigates will have that too.
The first three made in Japan will be constructed by "Mitsubishi heavy Industry". I once owned a Mitsubishi Mirage. A great little car that I handed down to my daughters who dented 3 of its 4 corners. 260k km and motor fine when I sold it for $1k, with the dents.

Acknowledging our past history with Japan, they are our powerful Pacific neighbours very much on the same page as us nowadays.
South Korea make great cars too, and have a very big Military, ... others too. Strength in unity.

The US is too fickle currently to count on I reckon, nor should they count on old allies to help them in the messes they make for themselves ...

 

[Richie]

unlike our Nuclear subs, if ever? So very costly too.

Why the emphasis on nuke powered. And why are we buying foreign ships Albanese when we have the expertise to design and build our own ships, subs and power them by either electric or hydrogen cell. We have all the raw materials we need for the batteries, just need the balls from a leader to make it happen. Then have the free world buying Aussie ships.