Another interesting stat from the Hinkley era.

we are 1-3 heading into the bye. Not that big a deal on the surface, but have a look who we have lost to, and more importantly, where they were sitting:

2013- Western Bulldogs in Darwin. The Dogs were 2-7 at the time and sitting 16th
2014- Fremantle at home. Win.
2015- Carlton at the G, who were 1-9 at the time and stone cold motherless last.
2016- Fremantle at Subi, who were 2-10 and 16th.

Since the league implemented a mid season bye into the fixture, we are something like 1-6.

Not only are we complacent against bottom sides, we like the idea of 2 weeks off it seems.

It's the influence of unions and the ALP I'd say, introducing the "go slow" to force higher penalty rates... ;)

Here is the 3 Euro Gin and Tonic I mentioned above bought in Ronda, Spain.
The other shots are of the Chateau near Tours we stayed in FREE.

While I feel sorry for Gibbs being stuck at Carlton, I'm pleased the Crows had the good sense not to trade either the picks demanded or the players mooted as possible swaps to get him.

I would suggest that Black (i.e. Fascist) has become the new Blue...
I recall that the classic Fascists were the "National Socialist German Workers Party"
German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei

My point is that authoritarianism is not the sole possession of conservatives, but those from both ends of the spectrum can be so sure they are right that they are justified in imposing their will on others.

That said, I would have had to vote against the Liberal Party in the recent election had it remained under Tony Abbott and stuck with the 2014 budget, and extreme middle class welfare policies. I am disappointed Turnbull has had to compromise so much with the conservative wing since he became leader

I am still campaigning for more balanced policy, lobbying acquaintances inside the LCP and the ALP about the balance between real welfare needs and fiscal responsibility, and I have personally argued, face to face, with Cory Bernardi the case for supporting gay marriage and balanced economic policies. We have disagreed, but were able to keep it civil, and hear each other's case politely.

The thing to do is get active and lobby. One federal MP I knew in Melbourne made the point that what makes the difference is not petitions or organisations, which can be dismissed as a bias generated by pressure groups of ideologues, but many non-aligned individuals approaching their local members and making those local members nervous enough to approach the Ministers, as what gets anything reviewed at the Cabinet table is many back-benchers pushing the Ministers and making them nervous too.

Psyber and Jimmy should also consider running.

I did look into it after the last State election and was talked out of it - I wouldn't fit in
One of the questions I was asked was "how many people know your views on the poodle?"
Jimmy "anybody who'd listen"

I'm too old now and Psyber is probably of the same thinking. It really is a 24/7 game if you want to succeed
But some seem to thrive in it. Have a look at Koutsantonis who spends all day on Twitter / Facebook / radio / TV
I suspect the Mandarins prefer it like that so they dont have to deal with the feral

I have friends on both sides of politics but my Labor side friends are with the unions.
I'm not friends with any sitting Labor politician........
I looked into it at state level in the mid-90s, too, and had Alexander Downer's support if I put my hand up for Heysen when David Wotton stepped down,
When I reported that to my wife she started a campaign against it on the grounds that she did not want to be public property.
Her most telling remark, though, was "You are too idealistic, you would hate the compromises you had to make, and that would make you Hell to live with!"

Yes I am too old to be bothered now, but I have three friends who were SA ALP Ministers in the past.
(The only current MP I'd call a friend now is Martin Hamilton Smith and that is purely because of social, non-political, connection.)

Wasn't it written that drugs weren't the cause, rather a psychotic episode as a result of schitzophrenia?
Correct

Yes but we are saying the drugs certainly played some part in this..... Which for some reason is being ignored by the judge.
People with Schizophrenia or Bipolar Affective Disorder are more likely to use illicit drugs if they find make them feel better (transiently) even though they may make their condition obviously worse to the outside observer. On the other hand some illicit drugs can induce psychotic episodes in people who don't have those conditions and each episode leaves some residual effect.

The net result is that over time you can no longer tell which came first.

I don't feel strongly either way but perhaps it may calm down some of the emotion about the past we cannot re-write if one of these dates were chosen:
"The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (UK) was passed on 5 July 1900 and given Royal Assent by Queen Victoria on 9 July 1900. It was proclaimed on 1 January 1901 in Centennial Park, Sydney."

Of course we may need to create an extra public holiday so we have one for Australia Day and one for Invasion Day, and we can't chose January 1 or we'd lose a public holiday... ;)

No interest from me but I have watched bits of the ladies playing AFL...
(Yes, I noticed the potential double entendre in that sentence but it wasn't planned - it just slipped out just like this one.)

SAFooty presents "An Evening with Psyber"
where he regales us about his conquests and worldly travels
I'd pay to see that show.
Fringe next year???
Or the local pub on a Friday arvo?
The Adelaide Club? ;)

Definitely not the Adelaide Club...
I also did not join the SACA when the option came up in the waiting list days, though I am a life member of the RA & HS of SA, and Zoos SA.
Perhaps in the lion enclosure at Monarto - that would stop my audience dozing off! :lol:

In Medicine very few females choose to go where the big money is - becoming a surgeon of one sort or other in private practice. The majority choose to become GPs (usually part-time), or move into Paediatrics, Anaesthetics, or Psychiatry all of which offer more flexible working hours and paid session work that doesn't require being on call outside the session hours.

This could reflect greater commitment to having and caring for children, or simply making better life/work balance choices - and accepting less money. So far no one had suggested all medicos should be paid as well as, say, Orthopaedic Surgeons. Yet all complete the same medical degrees and all specialists have to do specialist training for several years.

I suspect some Africans and Asians may be from less ordered society where winging it is more usual.
As a guide in India said when we were setting off for a long road trip:
"I should let you know that while in some countries you drive on the left of the road and in others on the right - well, in India it is sort of optional..."

My last dog - Irish Wolfhound 90cm tall at the shoulder and weighing 90Kg.
Ignore the little black thing next to him which is the step-daughter's miniature Dachshund...

Brodlach wrote:Someone threatening to beat me up this morning. I'm a big bloke with a fair bit of marital arts experience, him small, stupid.


Moron!

I didn't know that would help in a fight, but perhaps that is an essential part of the art of marriage??

Carn the Blues!!

There are idiots on both sides - both lots should be ignored in favour of voting for what you believe to be fair and just.

Actually, I got talked into 11 weeks this year - based in WA - Northam and Merredin.
Pleasant people, ordinary but adequate pub food, and got to go ballooning , saw the Avon Descent, and visited New Norcia.
Return flights paid, free accommodation, car provided, and pay almost good enough. ;)
Are you a figment of my imagination? Or are you morell's alter ego?
Crow/Norwood supporters and Portites never really blend, you just have too be kind to the disadvantaged or deluded who can be convinced Aqua is Teal. ;)

Don't save documents where you shouldn't. Probably dot point #2 in your IT policy.

wait, since when is saving documents to the desktop a bad idea? its where all of mine are, and after a quick look, i cant find a single mention anywhere in our intranet of that being a bad idea
Well, most of the backup software that we all should be using regularly tends to default to backing up other folders like Documents, Downloads, Music, Videos, etc. So unless you are clever at configuring the software to do otherwise and disengage any automatic Desktop Cleanup accessories you are potentially likely to lose things you don't want to lose. It is easier to work with the system.

Windows 10 updates do seem to delete things they find where Microsoft thinks they shouldn't be, and to reset settings to the Microsoft approved defaults. I've lost a few icons from my desktop and they are fiddly to put back.

All my computers are set to back up to an external drive at the **click of an icon, and I've set up automated backups for my lady's laptop as she is a bit random about actively backing up.

** I just like to be in control thank you Micro$oft - which is why I still have W7 on my non-portable machine along with some old software that won't run on newer OS,and that leaves me able to dual boot that machine with Linux too.

As a (semi-retired) doctor and a cynic, I note that the literature telling us what healthy weights (or healthy cholesterol figures) should be has moved toward ever lower figures since so many medications have been on the market that claim to lower cholesterol or lower appetite - below levels that never even bothered life insurance companies in the 1980s. Old ideal weight charts used to quote three ranges for small, medium, and large framed individuals, using wrist bone circumference to determine which range to use - they no longer exist.

I suspect that reduced University funding for research and the ongoing need to "publish or perish" may drive some academics to accept funding from sources that want a little selective data sifting for their money...

I'm reminded how in the late 1980s and early 1990s Cardiologists would not eat eggs, or let their families do so, because of their cholesterol content, but we now know the cholesterol in eggs is fully broken down in the body, and there is a factor in eggs that acts to reduce our own cholesterol production.

I was lucky getting my house in Vale Park for 3.3 times my wage - at the time there was one of the periodic slumps in the Adelaide housing market. Interest rates were at 12.5% and there were a lot of properties on the market. That allowed bargaining, and my annual salary for that year was above average even if I had worked 90 hours a week for it.

My parents experience in 1956 at around 5.7 times my father's average wage as clerical assistant in the railways was more typical of the era before the late 1960s, and they had rented all the time from their marriage in 1928 until 1956.

The housing price graphs dated from 1987 used here are deceptive.

1987 was the BIG slump in both property and stock market values, and so the rises shown starting from then come off an artificial low. That slump's effect lasted well into the late 1990s. Interest rates on housing loans in 1987 were around 17% - I was pleased then to be getting though at 14% by buying quarterly bank bills instead of using mortgage finance.

The deceptiveness of that low starting base is comparable with the artificial low base of climate statistics starting from around 1890 to 1910 in various countries - the average temperatures they indicate as a base line come off an artificial low due the last mini-Ice Age having just ended when meteorological records started being collected.

It is not hard to create charts to support your socio-political stance if you use charts created by like-minded people who choose the starting base that suits their argument.

....
Ha! Wait until he's 21, pays board and says "I pay for the room, I'll leave it how I want".

Me, I've said I pay for the house and if I choose to fit a lock to the house that happens to hold the door shut to that room that's up to me.
In that situation if he seemed to really believe that was OK to say, and was not just joking, I'd be inclined to call his bluff and say "Well go get a room somewhere else then!"

MatteeG wrote:

Psyber wrote:Maccas on Glen Osmond Rd does good coffee and at a good price.
I didn't expect that...

I'm amazed the model T fits through the drive thru there...

Here is my current Model T same colour too:

Maccas on Glen Osmond Rd does good coffee and at a good price.
I didn't expect that...

I'm amazed the model T fits through the drive thru there...

Here is my current Model T same colour too: :lol:

[attachment] RS265.jpg [/attachment]

Nice. Does your driver still get out and open the door? ;)

I love driving higher performance cars. I wouldn't let anyone else drive mine. I've had my RS265 to 168 kph, but I'll probably never find out if it can do the claimed 255kph, as I'm usually running at about 6 demerit points down and can't afford to take the risk...

And the problem with that is???
The whole city isn’t even under Israeli control for starters
But the Israeli's can quickly fix that now perhaps?

I think Jerusalem should be a free religious city for all those who revere it - under UN peacekeeping administration.
It won't happen because the religious nutters on all sides want exclusive possession for their particular delusion.

I like the X man. It shows how scared the major parties are when they will preference each other over him. I voted for Sharkie in the last federal election as I'm sick of Mayo being a safe liberal seat & don't vote for the major parties in general. I'm looking forward to seeing what he will do for SA.
I voted for Rebekha Sharkie too, but mainly because couldn't stand the general attitude of Jamie Briggs, who talked over those who disagreed with him just like SHY does.

I'm not quite sure what to make of Nick X these days, but liked what he stood for in the 1990s, when I knew him pre-politics. I've only spoken to him once since my return from Melbourne in 2009 - at a mutual mates wedding that year.

I do think the major parties need a shake up as the state Libs have been a bit of a shambles, and the ALP appear to have been inclined to think they can get away anything they want because of that.

The problem with all this discussion is that life is not fair, and physical ageing is not the same for us all, nor directly related to chronological age.

I know people who have given up driving at 50 due to deteriorating reflexes and cognition and did the right thing doing so, but my lady's mother is doing fine at 85, and a mate of mine had a mother who used to roar across the Nullarbor in her Mercedes in her 90s. (She lived in Kleve.) I've also met a guy who took flying lessons and passed the testing to get a pilot's licence in his early 80s ,and my first cousin is still running his farm himself near Dubbo at 96.

I'm lucky that my physiology is holding up well at 74 - no serious illness and no cognitive impairment - and reflexes still good. Most people take me by my appearance as being in my early 50s, as my physique is holding up and my hair is still brown except at the temples. This is a family trait - my mother was neither frail nor grey haired when she died at 98, but she had suffered cognitive impairment for about 8 years.

Statistics are about averages and means, and can only be a very rough guide.

An example of how statistics can be misleading is one I deal with in my medical locum work. In all states governments have developed a passion for reducing bed numbers in public hospitals to cut costs and offer statistics that show patient admissions and discharges are working and most stays are short. It all looks quite successful until you realise that these are not all new patients but the same ones being discharged prematurely to make room for new admissions via the ED, and turning up again in the same state again in about 2 weeks, thus clogging up Ambulance services and the EDs.

X has stated he'll open up a Royal Commission into SA Health if he gets elected.

Good one, Nick, let's spend millions over years to find out what we already know, it's ******! Just make some policy that fixes it, make some changes at senior level that administer change, positive change, through all levels of health care. Do not waste money on a report....a big, long expensive report that just makes your lawyer mates richer.

More to expose the extent of the inadequacies that have been covered up for years despite regular representation from the AMA, and various medical colleges, and the affected public. It was frustration with that sort of stuff that prompted me to walk out of my Team Director role in an SA public hospital for private practice in the late 1970s.

Based on my recent locum work in public hospitals in various states it has only gotten worse, and only the cover up services have expanded.

Jehovas Witnesses knocking on my door at 9 in the morning when Ive just done my first night shift for 6 months, doesn't god tell these **** the best time to visit or is god a **** too?
The next time i see them on my road im gonna get the porn ready to go on the tv with high volume....see how that goes down....

The last time a couple of them made it up my driveway and started telling me about Noah and the Flood, I politely interrupted and explained to them that that story was derived from the Epic of Gilgamesh written in Persia a bout 600 years earlier.

At that point they hesitated, then wished me a nice day and gave up...

The previous time I was opening mail (back in the snail mail days) when they knocked, and opened the door with my letter opener in hand - it is a one off hand made iron piece resembling an ancient dagger with a horned goat's head on the butt end. I'll never forget the look they gave me as they backed off...

It sounds like this season may the death of my interest in SANFL which has been with me since 1956...
I'll probably check the Norwood scores only after the match if there is no live radio I can listen to while driving, or free live progress scores on the Internet.

I'm usually too busy with other aspects of life to fit in more than the occasional match attendance, but I'm not going to be forced to subscribe to a digital pass to keep in touch and maintain my residual interest. So, my interest will slowly wane due to the lack of stimulus and I'll probably end up not even attending the occasional match.

I imagine my interest in the AFL will shrink too as SANFL has always been my primary connection with Aussie Rules.
(My primary sporting interests over the years were Judo, Archery, Hockey, Fencing at Uni, and Equestrian activities for a while much later.)

Those cycles aren’t on the scale of decades though, more like tens of thousands of years

Yes but look where we are now sitting in those cycles - it is approximate as the youngest ice core samples are about 2000 years old.
I'm not sure whether we are still on the rising peak or just passing it.

Also note the CO2 level peak 325K years ago which we have exceeded at last recently..

Ice core level in cycles.jpg

Booney wrote:MHS's for G&T's you old dog?

He tends to serve Moet or some nice Brandy, and has promised me a ride in his TVR Chimaera once he is fully retired.

Joyce's affair itself is relevant outside his immediate family only in how it affects his constituents support for him in his electorate.
The members of that electorate will decide that at the next election or during pre-selection - otherwise it is a private matter.

Whether he fiddled government funds to stay with his girlfriend in Canberra or did a deal to get her a highly paid government job without due process is relevant to all of us and is a public issue...

The Greens run inner melbourne...

On the Greens...who heard that dickhead here who said the V8s should move from Vic Pk????

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk
I did and he's 100% correct
I agree, and I think we should do the same as was done with the old Grand Prix - move it to Albert Park and let it disrupt Melbourne rather than Adelaide...

Lots of room for selective interpretation, but the hybrid car seems to be a clear leader in this comparison despite the hype for Tesla in media. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-07/fact-check-does-corolla-emit-less-than-tesla/9461096

I still worry about battery disposal though given reports that recycling Lithium batteries costs 3x that of making new ones from raw materials, and so nobody actually does it.

Tesla vs Corolla.jpg

Sky News People's Forum with Jay Weatherill, Steven Marshall and Nick Xenophon live from Grand Central at Central District Football Club Wednesday 14th March at 7:30pm.

https://tvtonight.com.au/2018/03/airdate-peoples-forum-live-from-adelaide.html

I thought Weatherill was clearly the stand out on the ABC one Monday night.
Yes, best con-artist of the three! ;)
I met him recently at a function - pleasant enough with an agreeable nature to talk to, but you don't know what is going on inside...
(I'm not a big fan of Marshall either. Rather similar type but not as good at the self-presentation.)

Yep, absolutely correct and was how I think it happened.

Stupid thing is, i reckon people constantly looking at their dash and dabbing the brakes creating inconsistent speed would be more dangerous than just letting people go 110 safely in the right lane .
Yep. Being a truck driver with satellite tracking, we get a note everytime the truck gets over 105, too many in a month & we get a warning. 3 warnings & we lose our license.
I've argued it is more dangerous to be so distracted by constant speed checking than to be a little over the nominated speed but that doesn't wash with the Revenuers. I even wrote to the state Minister about it - his response was the advice to get a car with adaptive cruise control.

The cops don't like it when you remind them the common cold probably impairs drivers more than being between 0.5 and 0.8 either.
(Not that I've ever been done for drink-driving.)

When I was driving up the M1 in the UK there were no speed limits signs, So when I stopped at a food outlet and there were a couple of cops eating sndwiches in a parked car there I asked them what it was - explaining I was an Aussie and used to therew being signs everwhere.

The reply?
Well the offical limit is 70 miles per hour but we don't bother about it unless they are doing over 82.

My eldest got on her Ipad Saturday and printed off an A4 bit of paper on the sly with pictures of turds like Gentlemen Jack Snelling, Jay, Xenophon, The Greens, and Stephen Marshall then put it under my covers so I'd see it when I went to bed after watching the election coverage. Bit of her old man in that one.
God help the world......
I've just helped you MT... ;)

I'm renting out a house, and am not using an agent. All DIY.

Any tips? Anything I need to know or be wary of?
Beware of the potential tenant who "loves" the place and can't wait to move in then starts to complain about everything on moving in day. Call their bluff when they threaten to not move in and give them the bond and rent back to get rid of them. It is not worth the hassle they will continue to generate if you try to compromise with them at that stage. Fortunately, because I use an agent, I didn't have to deal with that the one time it happened - just approve the agent's recommended action. Two weeks later a nice couple moved in.

Personally, I think my agent earns their 9% - regular inspections and regular monthly reports on cleanliness and condition and financial status, including pictures of anything that needs my comment on, which I can respond to on line even when overseas.

I've got Asahi Soukai in the fridge at present. I was just curious when I saw it and it is not bad.
Tasteless rubbish like Super Dry and Corona, might as well as drink soda water.
You would know all about tasteless.
I like Super Dry actually but agree Corona is a bit bland.
I probably wouldn't buy the Soukai again.

But beer is getting a bit "So many beers, so little time!" these days.

There's been a noticeable shift in people's defence/offence strategies in this thread since last Saturday night.

Been interesting to watch.

As expected though really. A change in government which means the Labour types in here are now the opposition and now on the attack, although will still need to defend for the next few years as the new government will pretty much blame the previous government for everything, I mean we have seen that over the years.

From my point of view I'm looking forward to the Liberals energy plan coming out in more detail, a interconnector to NSW will be useful as the black coal generation out there is typically cheaper on the spot market, however ElectraNet will enjoy the transmissions costs for that. Also will the pumped hydro at Highbury (300MW for 4 hours) still get up, its a valuable generation source I think we need.

Regardless it will be interesting as to what happens going forward, Steve has a reasonable amount of work in front of him, but with the alignment with the Federal government now we could see some interesting things happening in SA. Basically now that SA is not Labour it seems that Malcolm and his mates will want to get SA up and about as quickly as possible before the next state election.

Also I have been pretty harsh on Steve Marshall basically referring him to something like a bumbling goof at best, but his time is now and he can really show us all what Steve is really about. This is his chance to show everyone how good he really can be.

The ALP is not "Labour" - they take the "U" out of it as they would do with our co(u)ntry given unfettered power. .

I must admit that while I enjoy that quip about our "Labor" Party, they can be justified by the pro-ALP population as returning to the word's Latin root from the French spelling form of the word that entered English from France many years ago. Alternatively we could just accuse them of capitulating to American spelling and accepting the US debasement of English spelling and grammar... ;)

My lady and I are off to Italy for a month just after Easter - Rome, Sorrento, Assisi, Florence, Venice, Lake Como as bases for several days and day trips to places like Pompei Pisa etc. From Como it is a couple of days in Milan then fly home.

I wish you guys all the best for the weekend, and and the next few weeks, as I don't expect to have much spare time while travelling (and wifi availabilty may vary from place to place). I guess I may not log in and catch up when we get back.

I've never used the ignore filter as I favour debate and addressing disagreement in an open but civil way.
I can use my own internal ignore filter and not bother to respond if I think it will be a waste of time and effort...

Anyone here suffer from sleep apnea? I have a test coming up soon as the missus is ready to kill me keeping her up every night snoring and carrying on. I'm always tired during the day and I've had a gutsful. Apparently the sleep apnea machines work wonders. How much are the machines and do they take a bit of getting used to?
Mate of mine has a machine and it really changed his life. More energy, lost weight and feels healthier

Only issue he says (other than getting used to the face mask) is the machine makes a noise all night
I started getting symptoms of sleep apnoea in about 1996, daytime drowsiness, snoring++, rising blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These have all normalised since I started on CPAP in 1999. Some machines are more noisy than others, and mine (Resmed) has never bothered the woman who shares my bed.

Those that automatically drop the pressure as you breathe out are good. I've never needed the humidifier the dealers tend to try to sell you. Mask fit is critical. I've found the nasal pillows dislodge if you roll over in your sleep. I've never needed a full face mask, just the nose mask, but some of the newer very compact models tend to slide around a bit too, and so I use an older one. I've had to alter the straps on some masks as we all have different head shapes and they tend to be made for the average European shape - I have a flatter crown and longer occipital bulge at the back than that.

Hoses are a factor to watch - more modern softer rubber connectors tend to perish sooner.

As I said above - the escape for councils of raising service fees instead of rates has to be blocked too...
That is the only way to force them to cut unnecessary activities and stick to providing essential services which is wat they exist for.

I don’t mind caps being different colours etc - but a beanie with a Pom Pom on top?

Ur kidding me caps are acceptable but beanies aren’t.......ffs that nitpicking at best
I rarely wear any headgear*, but I own a few caps that were given to me, and a rather eastern European looking leather cap I occasionally wear as a joke. My one beanie, for when the weather is really cold, is natural undyed brown wool with just a thin line of Port's "Teal" around the edge - and no pompom (There are also a couple of wide brimmed hats for those occasions when I go to rural areas where I actually need a hat.)

*That could change if I start to go bald eventually... ;)

Just on VFL tv telecast, who pays C7 to broadcast. As the VFL is run by the AFL do they and if yes why do they not pay C7 in Adelaide for the same.
SANFL isn't owned or run by the AFL. No but the powers that be in the SANFL are human and have ambition. They are pleased to serve the overloads for promise of a position further up the food chain.

The days on league bosses having a deep care for the SANFL comp seemed to have gone.
Its a bit like councillors no longer being committed to the welfare of their district - it is now a career path to climb the political career ladder...

I heard the Jenkins interview and I'm fairly sure he said he was concerned it might have hit the post, not that it had.
The review replay didn't show anything definite, which is why it remained "Umpire's call".

Perhaps we can simplify it to avoid controversy and arguments over replays, and the "we wuz robbed" scenario, and say that if it touches the post but goes through the goal side it is still a goal, if it touches the post and goes through the behind side its a behind, and if it bounces off the post into play its still in play.

How many of us have ever thrown a punch that if connected could have done some serious damage. I think your mate is saying that Gaff is unlucky that he got Brayshaw in the right (for lack of a better word) spot. Mark Brayshaw said he doesn't believe Gaff intended to hurt his son at all. My view is that the McNaughton Rule is basic to anyone getting off being responsible for their actions at any time:
- There is in this a presumption, that the defendant is sane, and that they are responsible for their criminal acts.
- At the time of the crime, the defendant must have been suffering from a “disease of the mind” to be able to claim they did not know what there were doing or that it was "wrong", and even if there is a “disease of the mind” the defendant may still know the nature and likely consequences of their action and know at the it is a wrong action according to social values and the law.

When I've given evidence in court in such matters - the last time was in 2009 - my view (and the generally supported one in the system) is that anyone who is not severely psychotic, or suffering a condition like Temporal Lobe Epilepsy which can trigger episodes of violent behaviour in a semi-conscious state, is responsible for their behaviour at all times regardless of what other pressure thay are under.

Anything else is a cop out, and saying sorry after such an action when not insane (or acting unconsciously such as in TLE) does not wash.

I had high hopes for Turnbull originally given his small "l" liberal teencies and his support for a republic, but it became obvious he was sruggling to hold the party together as the conservative element never even remotely liked him. I think he probably should have kept Tony Abbott busy with a heavy portfolio like health, as Morrison has done with his main rivals.

Overall, I think we now have the best achievable compromise out of this mess. Although personally I'd have voted for Julie Bishop as leader, I think Dutton would have got up had she been the candidate against him in the final vote, because some of the middle ground in the party may have let gender bias influence them and because she was closely linked to Turnbull in people's minds.

The voters have never liked leadership changes and turmoil, and any party that has one of these events will suffer in the polls for a while. Hopefully Morrison (or Albanese) can save us from Shorten as a future PM.

Have you been puffing on your HA mates blunts , Your mob are rotten to the bone and without the Nationals you lot would be extinct .
Matey, I was a blind lefty once too and voted for Whitlam twice in 1972 and 1974.
In 1975 having seen the financial mess they created I gave away Liberal voting cards in Hindmarsh as a act of contrition.

Another factor in my doing that in that location was that and old friend of mine who was the local liberal branch president asked me to because they needed a large guy - at the previous election a woman giving out cards there was assaulted by a large thug and suffered a fractured jaw.

I'm still somewhat of a lefty socially but as far as I am concerned the current ALP/Union push amounts to organised crime - as dictatorial as the LCP's conservatives and the Nationals. I stand for the middle ground, and genuinely democratic processes, but with fiscal responsibility.

I oppose the rotten self-seeking authoritarians in both major parties, and joined the Liberals because at least in that party the candidates for seats are elected by the local membership in the seat and have to listen to them, as they cannot be imposed by backgrond power brokers. Even Cory Bernardi, before he left listened politely and civilly when I presented the argument for supporting gay marriage.

I'm delighted to announce that, at 74, I am now officially engaged to my 69 year old fiancee.
She says we'll marry late next year because it wll take her that long to get ready...