We love having you comment here at Pure Poison but it’s a little bit difficult for discussion to continue uninterrupted on specific posts when off-topic comments land in the middle of them. So each day we’ll launch an open thread where you can leave comments that don’t quite fit on one of the other posts. Remember that tip-offs can be made here.
Have at it!
21 Comments
OMG Tony rent-a-quote Abbott:
he just loves to look stupid doesn’t he. why can’t he just shut the fuck up for one day!
Hello confessions,
Gotta love Abbott — he’s the gift that keeps on giving.
On the practical side, is this ban really enforceable ? Are we going to see drivers pulled over because they are chewing on a lollypop and some copper thought it was a smoke ?
Seriously, I think police have far more important matters they should be dealing with than looking to see if a driver has a ciggy in his mouth.
Although not a smoker, I can’t help but think this is going too far, cigarettes are either a legal product or they aren’t — if the government really wants people to stop smoking they should bite the bullet and ban them, then again that would be kissing good-bye to the tax revenue wouldn’t it.
I can’t help but agree with Abbott’s final statement that it’s little more than another revenue grab by the government, and I’d add that its yet another example of a special interest group wanting to dictate the way others live their lives.
confessions
I did like the self-deprecating line that immediately follows your quote
“You be the judge… maybe I would have been six foot six and I would have had much greater intelligence, who knows?
““You be the judge… maybe I would have been six foot six and I would have had much greater intelligence, who knows?”
Yeah, I guess he realised how stupid his prior statement was. I think it was a bck peddle basically.
GavinM: I think the laws are meant to be a deterrent to parents more than anything else, much like laws banning mobile phone use when driving, which are policed opportunistically rather than actively. i think they have these laws in Tas, so hopefully there’s a tassie reader out there who can advice how it’s going in their state?
if Abbott had just stuck to the libertarian argument, then fine (although even that’s faulty logic as well), but by linking it to his health despite growing up with parents who smoked in the car is the same as those who say smoking is fine because their dad smoked a pack a day all his life and died at 90. very faulty logic. Like you say, he’s the gift that keeps on giving!
“On the practical side, is this ban really enforceable ? ”
As enforceable as mobile phones and seat belts, good point though, I hardly ever see cops out on the road, I realise there are unmarked cars but they have zero deterrent factor.
“Seriously, I think police have far more important matters they should be dealing with than looking to see if a driver has a ciggy in his mouth.’
They do but as long as they do blitzes on jay walkers I think they should make the time to police this as well, which to me is a far more serious problem than jay walking. Also in the past Vic police have been used to check to see if people on the private public transport system have a valid ticket?? For sure Vic Police have fucked up priorities.
“Although not a smoker, I can’t help but think this is going too far, cigarettes are either a legal product or they aren’t ”
I disagree., I beleive that passive smoking poses a serious health risk, Kid’s don’t passively drink the perfectly legal alcohol, I know it’s not practical but my point remains.
“I can’t help but agree with Abbott’s final statement that it’s little more than another revenue grab by the government,”
Right, first they’d have to police the roads before they could make any money out of it, this can’t be achieved with speed camera. It wouild probably cost more than it would make. This is typical Tony Abbot, FACT of the matter is, smoking and junk food are beneficial to the corporates that profit from them and pretty much detrimental to the lower socio-economic groups within our society (more so than other social groups) this is just typical Tory Abbot pandering to big business whilst not giving a fuck about the poor.
“Right, first they’d have to police the roads before they could make any money out of it, this can’t be achieved with speed camera. It wouild probably cost more than it would make.”
But they are already policing the roads Rob, so it won’t cost any more than patrols already do.
“cigarettes are either a legal product or they aren’t ”
I disagree., I beleive that passive smoking poses a serious health risk, Kid’s don’t passively drink the perfectly legal alcohol, I know it’s not practical but my point remains.”
I think my point remains, yes there are health risks with passive smoking, so rather than fining smokers for using a legal product, if the government was interested in anything other than revenue – (both through taxes and fines) – they would ban the product.
the matter is, smoking and junk food are beneficial to the corporates that profit from them
Don’t forget the liberal party accepts donations from tobacco companies whereas Labor and the greens do not. perhaps Abbott’s ignorant comments need to be viewed in this context as well…..?
“But they are already policing the roads Rob, so it won’t cost any more than patrols already do.”
LOL – are they fuck, i drive down dandenong Road every single day, i occassionally see the unmarked silver Commodore, I really cannot remember the last time I saw a marked car, i know where every single static red light and speed camera are, i know all the favoured spots for mobile cameras.
“I think my point remains, yes there are health risks with passive smoking, so rather than fining smokers for using a legal product, if the government was interested in anything other than revenue – (both through taxes and fines) – they would ban the product.
”
Personally I oppose the prohibition of all drugs, prohibiting a product that is curently legal is insane as we all know. i’m fully in favour of govt control of drugs so that drug addicts can remain healthy, unfortunatley for nicotine addicts there’s no safe limit, you can’t smoke in moderation, there is always a risk that it will kill you wether you’re a light or heavy smoker, the same isn’t true of other drugs, (I’m not so sure about ICE but i’m not really a druggy).
To say the govt should ban smoking is totally impractical, apart from their addiction to revenue, nicotine is the most insidious, addictive drug on the planet, people will have their smokes come what may, they will bash grannies if as a result of prohibition the price of tobacco on the black market increased to ridiculous unaffordable levels. Mark my words, I see people debasing themselves by picking cigarette butts out of the gutter, i bet you have too.
The practical method therefore is to ban smoking in vehicles rather than ban smoking. Target shooting and hunting with firearms is legal too, you can’t do it anyhwere though.
“Don’t forget the liberal party accepts donations from tobacco companies whereas Labor and the greens do not. perhaps Abbott’s ignorant comments need to be viewed in this context as well…..?”
That’s a good point confessions, although I’m sure those companies would continue to donate to the party without members making comments such as Abbott’s. I do find his comment seemingly disregarding the effects of passive smoking interesting coming from the ex-Minister for Health though.
Meanwhile, Hartigan’s push for a higher standard of press work gathers pace with today’s most popular news.com.au stories….
Outback mum gives birth to huge baby
Jackson funeral plans in disarray
Escaped pet python strangles girl, two
Cabin crew strip off for safety video
Chaser ‘confuses’ Turnbull with Jackson
Mum, tot death plunge ‘carefully planned’
Burglar busted, bashed by boxing grandpa
Marilyn Manson bulks up
Jackson ‘accidentally killed himself’
Luxury hotel staff first to push for pay.
In fairness it’s not really news.com’s fault as to which stories the great unwashed click on the most though Monkey.
Their job is to provide the stories, it’s up to the punters to decide what they read, it would be more indicative of the quality of journalism if you were to show the breaking news or news headline stories on their site.
“In fairness it’s not really news.com’s fault as to which stories the great unwashed click on the most though Monkey.”
Yes it is……sort of, it’s their demographic, they’ve made a concsious effort to pitch to the lowest common denominator today. Geez I’m being contrary with you today Gavin
I didn’t get enough sleep last night.
Hmm, not sure if you’re being ironic there GavinM. Two of my favourite online news sources, bbc.co.uk and guardian.co.uk do not contain these type of articles, and therefore their “top ten” would read totally differently. And yet Hartigan bemoans the standards of journalism and especially the quality of blog commentary ( including, no doubt, what I am typing now). So, would you argue that news.com.au is journalistically of as high a standard as the BBC news site? Hartigan’s website caters for the dumb and dumber element and that’s who he’s appealing to. It’s just another attack on intellectual “elites” from an intellectually-dishonest source.
I remember a post years ago on Bolt’s website where he had a go at the Age website over their most read stories. Of course this was before the HUN did the same. He was sneering at the idiotic stories that Age readers clicked onto.
I asked for him to publish the equivalent list of HUN stories. Of course he declined.
Lol, no worries Rob…It makes for interesting conversation…
But looking at the actual stories on their site, most of them seem reasonably newsworthy I reckon. Here are their most current 8 breaking news stories
02:47pm NAB fees drive rise in loyalty
02:45pm Jail demanded over baby’s eczema death
02:37pm Scammers target mourning Jackson fans
02:19pm Man shot with Taser 10 times
01:27pm Guilty plea over cyclist’s death
01:21pm Businesses need honesty to survive
01:13pm Toddler among fireworks casualties
12:34pm Dollar firmer at noon
If Hartigan wants to see a return to quality journalism he should put his money where his mouth is and start offering if through news ltd publications. getting sucked in by fake emails and peddling fake Hanson nude photos is not quality journalism.
monkeywrench is right: if you only offer crap, it’ll be crap that appears in your “top ten”.
Looking at that most popular stories list — I’d say 6 of them are probably of reasonable newsworthiness, I’d say the Outback mum, Chaser, Marilyn Manson and Cabin crew ones are the least likely to warrant space as news items – only my opinion though…
Sorry Rob,
I missed your reply at # 9, didn’t scroll back up
You must be driving down Dandy Rd. at different times to me — I regularly see police cars, also on South Gippy Hwy, admittedly not every day by any means but enough to make me aware of what speed I’m doing — saw one with a “customer” yesterday morning…
Of course banning smoking is impractical, I wouldn’t seriously suggest otherwise, but if the government was fair dinkum about the health risks and stopping people from harming themselves, thats exactly what they’d try to do…Introducing yet another fine is not going to achieve anything except give a – probably not very significant – boost to revenue.
The better option would be an education campaign on TV and in newspapers highlighting the dangers of smoking in cars and hoping that people will be concerned enough about the welfare of their kids that they’ll think twice before lighting up — I know I’m dreaming !
Wow! There’s a whole page of Bolt-arrhoea today and NOT ONE MENTION of the Obamanation!!1!
WTF!
And, he’s got an article canning the NSW LIBS!1!!
Needless to say, not many of the regulars make comment in THAT article, though Alan of Sydney drags himself in – to disagree with Bolt. Ever so politely.
hey confessions, speaking of people who should shut the fuck up. How about that Stephen Fielding? Just saw the end of Insiders where they had 40 seconds of a snap press conference that he called last week.
what. a. knob.
Publish crap & suffer the consequences. One of the grubbier magnates who asked a director of an up market store why they didn’t advertise in his rag was told, “your readers are our shoplifters.”