Turnbull at a gate 2

Back in 2009, I wrote a piece here related to the Godwin Grech affair suggesting that it was Malcolm Turnbull's impatience that caused him to severely damage his credibility.

Turnbull's patience in retaking the Liberal leadership suggested he may have corrected this problem, although in the last week, it appears he may be reverting to type.

I explain in an updated post at AusVotes 2016.

Thinking of linking

This week I have been mostly reading...

Australia:
How Turnbull missed his chance for an early election

Everything you don't understand about Senate voting reform (and are afraid to admit)

Haymarket health clinic for Sydney's homeless set to close after funding cut

Hammer comes down on Hazelwood: environmental charges to be laid over mine fire

Chaos theory: Everywhere you look, the government is confused

NBN HFC rollout known internally as 'Operation Cluster … something': Conroy

Turnbull government unveils dramatic changes to Safe Schools program

Tim Wilson heading to Canberra after winning safe Liberal seat of Goldstein - The headline is misleading. He hasn't won the election yet.

Battle Suits, Not Business Suits – The Double Dissolution Election We Don’t Need To Have

US:
Merrick Garland is Obama's choice to replace Scalia on US Supreme Court

What is a brokered convention, and are we going to have one in 2016?

It’s Still Not Clear That Donald Trump Will Get A Majority Of Delegates


I cheered as protesters clashed with Trump supporters. Then I felt shame - "On Friday night, I was brought down to Trump’s level. For that I’m sorry."

Authorities consider charging Trump with inciting violence at rally

Ben Carson Wanted to Endorse Someone Else But Trump Promised Him a Position

Anonymous Just Leaked Trump’s Social Security Number, Private Personal Info - Follow the links.  Let's hope Lindsay Graham does too!

How Donald Trump Bent Television To His Will - pretty sad that it takes Buzzfeed to tell us this

Rabbis organize boycott of Trump’s speech to pro-Israel group

I yelled ‘Black lives matter!’ at a Trump rally. This is what happened next - Someone talk about free speech now. I dare ya!

Who Said It: Renowned Racist George Wallace Or Donald Trump? We Seriously Can’t Tell.

The Night I Fired Donald Trump

UK:
Monuments and memories

Iain Duncan Smith's resignation letter in full

Pique rather than piety pushed Iain Duncan Smith over the edge

UK ‘tampon tax’ to go to charity after revelation that some women have been using old socks

Music:
George Martin: musicians pay tribute to the genius behind the Beatles

George Martin: the man who changed pop forever (with a little help from his friends)

Vale Keith Emerson: The Dr Who Of Rock ‘N’ Roll

Dogs of C-Kennel

Media:
Clive James: I got used to Hollywood, but never got used to the teeth

Joshua Malina is now hosting a West Wing podcast

Tech:
Amazon Kindle Owners Face Mandatory Update

Science:
Scientists lament CSIRO cuts as politicians stay home

The least boring photo on my camera roll:

Thinking of linking

What I've been reading lately...

Australia:
Federal politicians claim almost $48 million in expenses: Find out how much your local MP spent

Cardinal George Pell's 90 minutes from Hell

On John Howard's big night, all eyes turn to Abbott and Turnbull

Lib MPs fear Abbott could blow election chances

Senate voting needs reform below the line as well

The proposed Senate voting change will hurt Australian democracy

Liberal anger simmers over Abbott's submarine grenade-throwing

Australian cardinal admits ignoring boy's complaint about a sexually abusive priest

Kevin Andrews tried to appoint adviser to defence job in days after leadership coup

This 65-Year-Old Christian Guy Blasted The Australian Christian Lobby On Live TV

Australian Christian Lobby is not nearly as influential as some suggest, Stephanie Judd writes

'Austerity of hope' as Australians lose faith in politics, Liberal strategist Mark Textor says

Kevin Rudd at his worst never behaved as badly as Tony Abbott

The slow-motion death of conservative politics

Early election would be ‘longest suicide note’ for Turnbull Government, MP Russell Broadbent says

Niki Savva: How journalist went from conservative darling to Abbott 'she devil'

(trigger warning) Ten-year-old Aboriginal girl kills herself in far north Western Australia

(ditto) Two offshore asylum seekers placed under suicide or self-harm watch every three days

Will Australia be caught short as politicians sacrifice the national interest to stay in power?

Nuns, church groups start training for Australian Border Force raids - Pro tip: Never pick a fight with nuns.

Peta Credlin and Tony Abbott: cheap gossip and revenge shouldn’t colour political commentary

Sophie Mirabella v Cathy McGowan: the battle for Indi

Preselection esteems politics over merit

Greatest danger facing Malcolm Turnbull isn’t Bill Shorten but Tony Abbott

Gay marriage plebiscite will cost the economy more than $500 million, study found

Most private schools can't prove they spend government funds appropriately: watchdog

US:
Union Leader Publisher On Christie Endorsement: We Got 'Egg On Our Faces'

New York Court Deals Trump A Super Tuesday Blow In Fraud Suit Over Trump U

Donald Trump’s business disaster is worse than you think

Battered by drop in oil prices and Jindal’s fiscal policies, Louisiana falls into budget crisis

The huge divide in the presidential race that no one’s talking about

Why, Exactly, Is Trump Driving Conservatives So Crazy?

‘Oh, come on’: Fox host utterly destroys Ted Cruz for throwing tantrum about tough interview

Farook’s iPhone Is Probably Useless, Even the Police Say So

Obama Didn’t Create Trump, The GOP’s opposition to Obama did

Christian Post: ‘Donald Trump Is a Scam. Evangelical Voters Should Back Away’

This Is Not A Fucking Game Show, Rest Of World Reminds America

Revenge of the Simple: How George W. Bush Gave Rise to Trump

How the US went Fascist: Mass media Makes excuses for Trump Voters

What happened to Trump's donations to veterans?

My Gen X Hillary problem: I know why we don’t “like” Clinton

John Lewis to Trump: 'Have you no decency, sir?'

'My four-year-old gets jacked up to shoot': mother brags hours before he shoots her - Hello Darwin Awards!

Donald Trump, Chicago, and the Lessons of 1968

Trump Rally No Joking Matter

Barack Obama: don't blame me, blame the GOP for the rise of Donald Trump

Man arrested in connection with Iditarod crashes

Meet The Doctor Social Conservatives Depend On To Justify Anti-Transgender Hate

The case against Hillary Clinton: This is the disaster Democrats must avoid

UK:
This Woman’s Response To David Cameron May Be The Biggest Post-Colonial Clapback Ever

World:
The many ways Canada’s Trudeau is the anti-Trump

Ricky Tomlinson vows to prove innocence in explosive new documentary about his time in prison

Sinn Féin calls for vote on Irish reunification if UK backs Brexit

Music:
Former Black Flag member among last night's Oscar winners

Interval Cheat Sheet: Tunes to Help You Remember All the Common Intervals

Forget Leo, Ennio Morricone finally won an Oscar after 500 movie credits

What the late George Martin really did for the Beatles

The tears of many clowns

Media:
If we covered London like the media covers Africa...

What Happens to Journalists When No One Wants to Print Their Words Any more? - “You know who loves this new day of the lack of journalism? Politicians. Businessmen. Nobody’s watching them anymore,”

Social media trolling of female journalists is insidious, report shows

Society:
12 Things About Being A Woman That Women Won't Tell You

Science:
It’s not ‘doom and gloom’ to point out what’s really happening to coral reefs

Chronic stress enhances cancer spread through lymphatic system

The more we learn about Antarctica’s past, the scarier the present looks

Australasian swallowtail butterfly holds record number of vision cells in its eyes

BMI Is A Terrible Measure Of Health

Tech:
Identifier Creeps

History:
Let's stop neglecting the unique struggles of Aboriginal women

Faith:
Why I Left the Right: How Studying Religion Made Me a Liberal

Culture:
How to tell good acting from bad acting, according to a Shakespearean director

Mental health:
How to tell if you're depressed or just low

Humour and satire:
Every interview ever

Famous Authors Reply to Your Unsolicited Dick Pic

Clickbait of the week:
20+ Movie Scenes Before-And-After Special Effects

Vale:
George Martin
Jon English
Keith Emerson
Andrew Carswell
STAHP!!!

The least boring photo on my camera roll:

On senate voting reform

As nutty as Jacquie Lambie or David Leyonhjelm may be, the senate is undoubtedly more representative of the wider community for their presence.

There is nothing wrong with the senate voting system that can't be fixed by more people taking an interest in their vote.

I'll tell you why at AusVotes 2016.