5 February 2008

2008: Who is pulling the strings?

| Skidbladnir
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I spent a few moments looking through old RiotACT articles, and there are all kinds of strangeness that seems to go back to the Time Before Time, when Johnboy stalked the land, and would occasionally wake bloodied and with a mouthful of fur but no memories of a night on the prowl.

I came across this article from 2006 “Who’s got the power in Canberra?” and can’t recall seeing anything similar since, so will ask the question again.

The same rules apply: No sitting Ministers or Members, no Parliamentary Secretaries or Department Heads, and neither Graeme Evans (“Mayor of Belconnen”) nor Terry Snow (“Lord of Fairbairn”) are eligible.

Who are our local movers, shakers, manipulators, puppet-masters, players, and up-and-comings for 2008?
If you’re comfortable with it, explain your answer.

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:o)

Sadly, the answer is no. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberium for some interesting reading.

And the same applies to Naquadah which is a real shame too! See http://www.stargate-sg1-solutions.com/wiki/Naquadah

G’day Michael,

Kudos to your group’s wordsmithing.

You have just gotta love something called the “Helicon Double Layer Thruster”.

Coolest name around!

Hi Michael West,

Can you confirm for me, once and for all, if Tiberium exists ?

Hi Folks,

I’m that young fellow from ANU working on spacecraft propulsion 🙂 I regularly read RiotACT and post from time to time. I’m honoured that Gungahlin Al considers me a mover but I must confess that those who are driving the spacecraft propulsion activities here are really the heads of the Space Plasma, Power & Propulsion Group, Professor Rod Boswell & Dr Christine Charles. I just have the privilege of being one of their students and working on cool things. Our lab is responsible for both the development of the Helicon Double Layer Thruster and the Dual Stage Four Grid (DS4G) ion thruster. Both have been tested at the European Space Agency in the past few years – in fact before I was involved in the project. You can find out more at http://sp3.anu.edu.au

Cheers,

Michael West

@S4anta – feel the maggies meat raffle.

@clare.carnell – feel the your submitted for tagline.

el ......VNBerlinaV87:09 pm 12 Feb 08

Kate Carnell is causing global warming.

clare.carnell7:04 pm 12 Feb 08

Oh please…some of you guys need to find a hobby. Stop reiterating ridiculous and antiquated gossip – and if you’re that concerned about who could/should/would be ‘powerful’ in Canberra, perhaps there are more proactive ways about getting your “name on the list” than spreading unfounded rumours/unfairly ranting about those who perhaps are there. Feel the Power, CC.

@ubermensch – It might just be the whole newsreader fantasy thing but I reckon Natalie is hot!

Gungahlin Al12:22 pm 07 Feb 08

Yeah right – thanks folks. I wish. More shaking than moving… 🙂

Special G’s got his priorities right. 16 month olds are not to be argued with 🙂

I reckon the people with influence in Canberra would include:
Ross Solly (ABC 666 radio)
Jack Waterford (CT editor at large)
Gungahlin Al (organiser of community meetings)
John Hanna (seller of suits)
Lord Fairbairn of Snowtown
and Jim Murphy.

And an honourable mention to Roland Manderson from ACT Greens. He knows an awful lot of left-wing people in Canberra and is able to lobby them to support the issues that he’s working on. Which IMO is a good thing for getting attention on environment issues.

I have Murphys in the New Sydney Hotel.
@mael;
will be back up mid to late march. beer at maggies i say!

ok good one

I’ve had Murphys in Brisbane and in New Zealand (from memory on tap in Napier and Wellington, and they sell it in good bottlestores) – aye it’s a good drop.

But here you drink what S4anta drinks ! You’ll have a Guinness !

Murphy’s is better then Guinness but havnt seen it outside Eire yet.

Mælinar does not steal guinness – he’s just faster than S4anta.

You back in town yet ? It’s the fresh stuff still.

Mmmm Guinness…

el ......VNBerlinaV88:12 pm 06 Feb 08

Samuel Gordon Stewart.

Member for Tharwa – Val Jeffrey ?!

the homeless and the grafitti artist/taggers (depending on pov) – they seem to distract the other rioting citizens of canberra the longest, so effecting a real power force.

and maelinar.

And a harpoon in his back from boogie boarding too close to our Asian visitors on the sand Mael! Probably same reason why you dont venture into the surf you guiness theif.

JB isn’t a local mover and shaker anymore – he’s got sand in his toes…

These wee lads might be able to shed light on this.. lobbyocracy

The collective yobs that hang around Civic?

Typsy McStaggers12:09 pm 06 Feb 08

haha @ Mark Carmody

Never, Holden!!!

@ Holden C;
I always thought you’d lose your pull when you cant see your feet in the shower, let alone your landing gear…

Holden Caulfield9:14 am 06 Feb 08

@Crikey: “As for Jim Murphy being a shaker-and-mover – I doubt it. He may control the local Liberals but since Kate Carnell’s demise he has lost all his pull…”

You’re not suggesting he had sexual relations with that woman are you? 😛

It all depends on who has the most influence on you daily life. As far as I go my 16 month old daughter is the biggest mover and shaker Canberra has to offer.

philbert83au8:54 am 06 Feb 08

Butcher Lindbeck :p

Tim the Yowie Man

Elvis Las Canberras9:55 pm 05 Feb 08

I reckon John Boy is at the top of the tree in terms of Canberra power – Almost a cult type figure – similar to the Kray twins without the older brother is my thought!

Jack Waterford
John Mackay
Michael Costello
Bob Winnell
Ian Chubb
Eric Kondouris
Catherine Carter
Michael Moore

Gungahlin Al?

The strings are there to be pulled.

The Service Family

ANU Vice Chancellor Prof. Ian Chubb

Bob The Builder (Winnell, arch nemesis of Snow)

Head of the Rebels (who is he?)

CT editor at large?

Limestone Lily (anyone seen her lately?)

Prime Television’s local newsreader, Natalie Forrester?? Now SHE has power – all she has to do speak and I run for cover under the couch and my dog starts chasing its tail…

neanderthalsis5:01 pm 05 Feb 08

And lets not forget the awesome power of the people in Tharwa who convinced the local gubbmint to rebuild their bridge.

So he built a warehouse with a shopfront at one end, under the guise of supporting the next shopping development (He’s extremely well placed if it goes off). They’ll be disposing of the liquor via the other centres.

As for local shakers, I’d say S4anta. Get into local politics my man.

My jargon file for deep space engines is a bit outdated, what sets this apart from the ion drive at ANU was successfully testing for use with ESA back in 2005 (Dr Orson Sutherland’s team)?
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/aussie-scientists-build-new-space-engine/2006/01/20/1137553746492.html

I agree about the Airport cellar. I have never seen many cars in their car park. It must be struggling. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke!

As for Jim Murphy being a shaker-and-mover – I doubt it. He may control the local Liberals but since Kate Carnell’s demise he has lost all his pull.

I would suggest people such as Michael Costello, Terry Snow, David Dawes, Kate Carnell have a lot of covert power.

Gungahlin Al4:14 pm 05 Feb 08

There’s a young fellow Michael West at ANU who’s developing seriously cool Helicon Double Layer Thruster plasma space ship engines (think Arthur C Clarke’s Rendevous with Rama). That’s gotta count as a mover, if not a shaker…

Mark Carmody

I don’t really mind what direction this goes in, but ever since I worked security for him, Ron Knapp shits me. So, I had a rant.

Who are our local players and up-and-comings though?

re: Jim Murphy: how does the Airport cellar make any money? I’ve never seen anyone parked out there, and it seems a mightly long way to go to buy booze.
Unelss the RMC & ADFA guys are all doing BYO nights now…

Gungahlin Al3:20 pm 05 Feb 08

I was going to put Jim Murphy’s call sign up, but I can’t figure out how the HTML code for slurred speech…

Gungahlin Al3:18 pm 05 Feb 08

I assume Skid meant people dealing in local issues rather than people here playing national games – *that* could be a big list…it is Canberra after all.

marcothepolopony3:04 pm 05 Feb 08

Who are our local movers, shakers, manipulators, puppet-masters, players, and up-and-comings for 2008?
Colin Alexander, Bob Winnell and Derek Whitcombe – property developers all!
Oh, and yes, Brendan from Magnet Mart!

Gungahlin Al3:00 pm 05 Feb 08

The Magnet mart dude.

Catherine Carter.

John Hanna

It’s Jim Murphy of Market Cellers I tells ye. I understand the ACT liberals don’t do a thing unless he’s happy with it… Now if only we could harness that power for good….

Ingeegoodbee2:16 pm 05 Feb 08

I thought there was a CSIRO facility on Limestone Ave next door to the High School – has that been closed?

“CSIRO is over at Black Mountain…”

CSIRO’s HQ is next to Campbell HS.

Can we put ACTION bus staff as a collective? For without their malaise and imcomptence at complying with the most basic of rules on the road and otherwise, the ACT govt public service would actually look like the bunch of muppets they really are.

CSIRO is over at Black Mountain, Mt Ainslie has the War Memorial

They’ve gone so far as build their own (Shadow) Lodge too…
-linkie-

Ingeegoodbee2:00 pm 05 Feb 08

I think he means CSIRO.

Ainslie Village houses a Shadow Government, in addition to facilities for the mentally ill and alcoholic?
Sweet.

theres a secret alternate government being run outa a building at the bottom of Mt Ainslie

Now all we need is a Aliminium smelter in the ACT. Pasminco, reply please!

We can make this a list of Lobbyists and causes, or just go for local political shakers, but at the national level of lobbyists:

Mr Ron Knapp, spokesman and president of the Australian Aluminium Council (offices in Dickson), who campaign a platform of cheap electricity (of which they consume 15% of national output and pay 4c/kWh, compared the 18c/kWh the average householder pays) and subsidies for aluminium producers to the tune of almost a billion dollars a year for an industry that produces maybe 13billion in product per year.
They’re also not in favour of greenhouse gas trading as they’re a fairly large contributor.

I reckon Terry Sn… oh. My bad.

Pedal Power.

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