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Paying James Hird in advance for 2014
My interest in sport is, well, about less than Zero but I do find some of the machinations and politics of various codes rather amusing for the passions that they invoke. The rather neat way that Essendon have managed to find a way to keep James Hird in grocery money while he is suspended during 2014 would have to get a very big tick for ingenuity though:

In a joint statement, the AFL and Essendon said: “The AFL has accepted the Essendon Football Club’s position that James will not be paid in 2014 and equally the AFL have accepted that the Essendon Football Club has the right to make payments to James Hird in the 2013 year as it sees fit.”
Sir Humphrey Appleby would be beaming with absolute approval at this bit of nonsense. Personally I think that it proves for once and all that there is no sportsmanship once the spivs and lawyers get involved with sport.
Cheers Comrades
Related articles
- AFL comes out swinging over Hird (news.theage.com.au)
- Tania Hird takes aim at AFL (theage.com.au)
- Hird to get lump sum in pay deal with AFL (theage.com.au)
- Bombers set to face ‘several’ charges: Fahey (theage.com.au)
- The Essendon SAGA continues: (getrealaussierules.com)
- Hird has big win over AFL (news.theage.com.au)
Helena Carr travels with her husband on his official visits
Hmm Well its nice to have the wife along on trips occasionally but all of the time while on the taxpayer’s dollar? Maybe Bob has gone too far on this one. Maybe we should call or roving foreign minister Bob “two seats” Carr, one very expensive seat on the Security Council and one expensive seat in the plane for his wife…
Cheers ComradesRelated articles
- Mrs Carr’s $120,000 bill (theage.com.au)
- Carr’s wife costs taxpayers $120k (dailytelegraph.com.au)
- UN seat win ‘disgusting’: Minchin (smh.com.au)
- Australia wins seat on UN Security Council (abc.net.au)
Congratulations to Mal Brough the new LNP candidate for Fisher

Mr Abbott is the odds-on-favourite to win the next election and is already under pressure to promote a bevy of rising stars to the frontbench. But none of his existing frontbenchers has indicated a willingness to step aside and the jostling for the spoils of victory has already begun.
Apart from the recently minted NSW senator and former right-hand man to John Howard, Arthur Sinodinos, who is certain to be promoted, others in line include Scott Ryan, Jamie Briggs, Simon Birmingham, Paul Fletcher and Kelly O’Dwyer.
The former West Australian Liberal treasurer, Christian Porter, is also set to join federal Parliament and will be expecting rapid promotion.
Mr Brough was elected in 1996. He entered the ministry in 2001 and the cabinet in 2006.
(click for source)
While the minions of the left struggle to find reasons to describe the coalition as evil incarnate they are in fact being offered some very hard working and dedicated talent in the candidates that have been chosen to stand for the party at the next election. There is an interesting contrast between the ALP and the coalition here. At the last state election our oldest political party struggled to get enough people to pull on the ALP jersey as candidates and they struggled even more to get anyone to man to polling stations (only one very depressed chap on the verge of tears at the one I voted at) Yet on the conservative side we have just seen a very spirited competition result in Mal Brough winning the pre-selection for Fisher, The Phil Coorey piece I cite above seems to be missing the point that its better to have lots of talent to draw a ministry from than to have too few in your team that are worthy and able to take a seat at the big table.
Cheers Comrades