26 December 2013

Cosgrove heading to Yarralumla?

| johnboy
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The Australian has been tipped off that retired General Peter Cosgrove is Tony Abbott’s pick to be the next Governor-General.

While sharing a broad world-view with Tones it’s a slightly dangerous choice as he’ll be his own man.

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JonnieWalker2:41 pm 13 Jan 14

I think Cosgrove is a pretty good bet. If Labor/Greens alliance were in, my top contenders would be 1. Michael Kirby, 2. Deborah Mailman, 3. Anyone from wikileaks

Blen_Carmichael10:31 pm 12 Jan 14

Pork Hunt said :

johnnycash said :

Well if Gen Cosgrove gets the nod he’ll be the first fat bastard GG for ages…

That reminds me of the time someone tried to name their racehorse (gee gee) Sirjohnker but the authoritahs wouldn’t have it…

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/cheeky-name-sees-racehorse-banned/story-e6frf7jo-1111116488272

johnnycash said :

Well if Gen Cosgrove gets the nod he’ll be the first fat bastard GG for ages…

That reminds me of the time someone tried to name their racehorse (gee gee) Sirjohnker but the authoritahs wouldn’t have it…

Well if Gen Cosgrove gets the nod he’ll be the first fat bastard GG for ages…

sepi said :

CraigT said :

IrishPete said :

I haven’t seen Mr Cosgrove’s CV, and Wikipedia is fairly silent on his post-military activities, so perhaps he does fit these criteria.

IP

So you know nothing about Cosgrove, his professionalism, nor his success in East Timor but that won’t stop you having an ignorant opinion about his suitability to replace the current GG who has never done anything except to have the good sense to be born a woman and put herself forward for a consequent reward.

“the current GG who has never done anything except to have the good sense to be born a woman and put herself forward for a consequent reward”

What does this even mean? do all women get a go at being the GG? was a female GG a foregone conclusion in 1950? Because we have had One female GG it is now really unfair and stacked against men?

I thought she got the gig simply because she was a good mate of Rudd’s from Queensland.

CraigT said :

IrishPete said :

I haven’t seen Mr Cosgrove’s CV, and Wikipedia is fairly silent on his post-military activities, so perhaps he does fit these criteria.

IP

So you know nothing about Cosgrove, his professionalism, nor his success in East Timor but that won’t stop you having an ignorant opinion about his suitability to replace the current GG who has never done anything except to have the good sense to be born a woman and put herself forward for a consequent reward.

“the current GG who has never done anything except to have the good sense to be born a woman and put herself forward for a consequent reward”

What does this even mean? do all women get a go at being the GG? was a female GG a foregone conclusion in 1950? Because we have had One female GG it is now really unfair and stacked against men?

Antagonist said :

CraigT said :

… the current GG who has never done anything except to have the good sense to be born a woman and put herself forward for a consequent reward.

She had the good sense to be born a woman? As in she made a *sensible choice* to be born a woman? I guess you are going to tell us people choose to be born gay, lesbian, bi and intersex too ???

If she was able to arrange her own gender pre-birth then she’s bloody near miraculous and I’m surprised we haven’t made her supreme leader for life.

CraigT said :

… the current GG who has never done anything except to have the good sense to be born a woman and put herself forward for a consequent reward.

She had the good sense to be born a woman? As in she made a *sensible choice* to be born a woman? I guess you are going to tell us people choose to be born gay, lesbian, bi and intersex too ???

IrishPete said :

I haven’t seen Mr Cosgrove’s CV, and Wikipedia is fairly silent on his post-military activities, so perhaps he does fit these criteria.

IP

So you know nothing about Cosgrove, his professionalism, nor his success in East Timor but that won’t stop you having an ignorant opinion about his suitability to replace the current GG who has never done anything except to have the good sense to be born a woman and put herself forward for a consequent reward.

2604 said :

CraigT said :

2604 said :

Cosgrove would be OK given that it’s just a ceremonial position. Anyone who’s familiar with the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the ADF would understand why no career military person should ever be assigned a position which requires actual leadership or organisational skills.
.

No idea what you are on about.

Look up “East Timor”.

You mean that operation where the modern and well-equipped Australian army helped to overcome a bunch of rag-tag, impoverished, pro-Jakarta militias, with US and UN support and the agreement (or at least acquiescence) of the Indonesians?

That’s a bit like saying the captain of ManU deserves praise because his team won an exhibition game against the South Tuggeranong U19s.

…without hardly anybody getting shot, without any craven non-action as happened when the UK/US conducted a similar operation in Bosnia, and without any long-lasting damage to international relations.

As a military exercise, it was exceedingly professional and Cosgrove gained enormous credit from it.

CraigT said :

2604 said :

Cosgrove would be OK given that it’s just a ceremonial position. Anyone who’s familiar with the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the ADF would understand why no career military person should ever be assigned a position which requires actual leadership or organisational skills.
.

No idea what you are on about.

Look up “East Timor”.

You mean that operation where the modern and well-equipped Australian army helped to overcome a bunch of rag-tag, impoverished, pro-Jakarta militias, with US and UN support and the agreement (or at least acquiescence) of the Indonesians?

That’s a bit like saying the captain of ManU deserves praise because his team won an exhibition game against the South Tuggeranong U19s.

LSWCHP said :

IrishPete said :

East Timor, or Timor L’Este, a small country to the north of Australia which Australia is screwing for oil and gas revenue, and whose invasion by Indonesia in the 1970s Australia ignored by hiding under the table. What’s the relevance? Oh Australia belatedly found some kahunas and helped East Timor towards independence, well the two-thirds of the population who had survived the occupation. Yep, another proud moment in Australia’s history.

IP

I think the word you’re actually looking for there is cojones. “Kahuna”, as in “Big Kahuna” is a Hawaiian word meaning “boss, expert” etc, whereas “cojones” is Spanish slang meaning “long, wobbly, floppy, dangly, male round bits”.

Unless you actually meant that Australia found some experts who helped Timor towards independence?

Anyway, here endeth the multilingual pedantry for today. 🙂

I checked it with Google before using it, as I wasn’t sure if it should be spelt with a C or K and the urbandictionary.com confirmed the meaning and the K spelling. But it probably is an American corruption of the Spanish cojones. You pendejo for pointing out my failings.

IP

IrishPete said :

East Timor, or Timor L’Este, a small country to the north of Australia which Australia is screwing for oil and gas revenue, and whose invasion by Indonesia in the 1970s Australia ignored by hiding under the table. What’s the relevance? Oh Australia belatedly found some kahunas and helped East Timor towards independence, well the two-thirds of the population who had survived the occupation. Yep, another proud moment in Australia’s history.

IP

I think the word you’re actually looking for there is cojones. “Kahuna”, as in “Big Kahuna” is a Hawaiian word meaning “boss, expert” etc, whereas “cojones” is Spanish slang meaning “long, wobbly, floppy, dangly, male round bits”.

Unless you actually meant that Australia found some experts who helped Timor towards independence?

Anyway, here endeth the multilingual pedantry for today. 🙂

Antagonist said :

Masquara said :

Quentin Bryce is very strong on women’s issues including reproductive rights – does anyone know Peter Cosgrove’s attitude on such?

Irrelevant. The GG’s role is primarily ceremonial as the Queen’s representative, so who gives a flying toss what his position is on women’s issues? If he were an elected politician, then his attitude *might* be relevant. Go and burn your bra somewhere else.

+ another for Billy Birmingham.

I think Bryce’s Boyer lecture was a bit of a game changer there.

Masquara said :

Quentin Bryce is very strong on women’s issues including reproductive rights – does anyone know Peter Cosgrove’s attitude on such?

Irrelevant. The GG’s role is primarily ceremonial as the Queen’s representative, so who gives a flying toss what his position is on women’s issues? If he were an elected politician, then his attitude *might* be relevant. Go and burn your bra somewhere else.

+ another for Billy Birmingham.

Quentin Bryce is very strong on women’s issues including reproductive rights – does anyone know Peter Cosgrove’s attitude on such?

Reading Jack Waterford’s column on this topic in the Canberra Times, I’ve fallen off my horse and had a change of heart. (It wasn’t so much anything Jack said, it just prompted some different direction in my own thinking.)

I have absolutely no objection to a former military officer being Governor General. I’m just not comfortable with someone whose only professional experience is in the military. There are plenty of ex-military who have subsequently gained valuable and relevant experience, or went into the military after such a career.

I haven’t seen Mr Cosgrove’s CV, and Wikipedia is fairly silent on his post-military activities, so perhaps he does fit these criteria.

IP

Blen_Carmichael said :

IrishPete said :

CraigT said :

2604 said :

Cosgrove would be OK given that it’s just a ceremonial position. Anyone who’s familiar with the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the ADF would understand why no career military person should ever be assigned a position which requires actual leadership or organisational skills.
.

No idea what you are on about.

Look up “East Timor”.

East Timor, or Timor L’Este, a small country to the north of Australia which Australia is screwing for oil and gas revenue, and whose invasion by Indonesia in the 1970s Australia ignored by hiding under the table. What’s the relevance? Oh Australia belatedly found some kahunas and helped East Timor towards independence, well the two-thirds of the population who had survived the occupation. Yep, another proud moment in Australia’s history.

IP

Oh dearie, dearie, here we go again. Having read numerous missives over the years from Irate Pete, I mean Irish Pete, I have – with a heavy heart – come to the conclusion that he doesn’t appear to have anything complimentary to say about Australia. Actually he doesn’t appear to have anything complimentary to say about anyone or anything, apart from his own abilities – whether real or imagined. Must be a bummer of an existence living with a permanent chip on one’s shoulder.

Lots positive to say. Unlike most people I chose and choose to live here and have Australian citizenship, it isn’t an accident of birth.

IP

gazket said :

Billy Birmingham for Governor-General .

And we all thought you were a halfwit… Best nomination ever.

Blen_Carmichael10:41 pm 10 Jan 14

IrishPete said :

CraigT said :

2604 said :

Cosgrove would be OK given that it’s just a ceremonial position. Anyone who’s familiar with the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the ADF would understand why no career military person should ever be assigned a position which requires actual leadership or organisational skills.
.

No idea what you are on about.

Look up “East Timor”.

East Timor, or Timor L’Este, a small country to the north of Australia which Australia is screwing for oil and gas revenue, and whose invasion by Indonesia in the 1970s Australia ignored by hiding under the table. What’s the relevance? Oh Australia belatedly found some kahunas and helped East Timor towards independence, well the two-thirds of the population who had survived the occupation. Yep, another proud moment in Australia’s history.

IP

Oh dearie, dearie, here we go again. Having read numerous missives over the years from Irate Pete, I mean Irish Pete, I have – with a heavy heart – come to the conclusion that he doesn’t appear to have anything complimentary to say about Australia. Actually he doesn’t appear to have anything complimentary to say about anyone or anything, apart from his own abilities – whether real or imagined. Must be a bummer of an existence living with a permanent chip on one’s shoulder.

CraigT said :

2604 said :

Cosgrove would be OK given that it’s just a ceremonial position. Anyone who’s familiar with the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the ADF would understand why no career military person should ever be assigned a position which requires actual leadership or organisational skills.
.

No idea what you are on about.

Look up “East Timor”.

East Timor, or Timor L’Este, a small country to the north of Australia which Australia is screwing for oil and gas revenue, and whose invasion by Indonesia in the 1970s Australia ignored by hiding under the table. What’s the relevance? Oh Australia belatedly found some kahunas and helped East Timor towards independence, well the two-thirds of the population who had survived the occupation. Yep, another proud moment in Australia’s history.

And the more the military hierarchy sink into “Operation Sovereign Kick The Refugees” the less they look like good candidates for anything.

IP

poetix said :

IrishPete said :

…Off-topic? The appropriateness of a General for Governor General (ignoring the pun) is entirely on-topic. Julian Assange would be a better candidate, someone who stands for something rather than someone who only follows orders, whatever they may be. And now, the circle is complete.

IP

Because nothing says ‘Governor-General’ like a man who fled questioning over rape and is hiding in another country’s embassy.

Hard to open fetes though…

Well, nobody’s perfect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spE4svQzSOs

And if that’s what he was fleeing – an alternative view is that he was fleeing certain “rendition” to the USA to face trumped up charges there. Neither the Australian nor USA nor Swedish governments would ever give a guarantee that he would not be extradited or otherwise relocated to the USA. But with Snowden now in the spotlight, and the USA government much more sensitive these days, I expect Assange should be safe to go to Sweden and face the music. Which he should. And if acquitted, the circumstances will then be very different.

IP

2604 said :

Cosgrove would be OK given that it’s just a ceremonial position. Anyone who’s familiar with the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the ADF would understand why no career military person should ever be assigned a position which requires actual leadership or organisational skills.
.

No idea what you are on about.

Look up “East Timor”.

IrishPete said :

…Off-topic? The appropriateness of a General for Governor General (ignoring the pun) is entirely on-topic. Julian Assange would be a better candidate, someone who stands for something rather than someone who only follows orders, whatever they may be. And now, the circle is complete.

IP

Because nothing says ‘Governor-General’ like a man who fled questioning over rape and is hiding in another country’s embassy.

Hard to open fetes though…

JonnieWalker said :

militarisation? c’mon. reaching that level in the ADF more than qualifies someone as head of state and head of our armed forces better than a crusty boozed up judge. Would like to see more appointments of senior officers to our other institutions to bring them up to standard.

Well it certainly does in some banana republics, but is that what we aspire to in a democracy? I agree judges aren’t always a good choice, but Michael Kirby would get my vote (oh, I forgot, we don’t get a vote). Generally I think someone with a good grasp of democracy would be the best choice, but the military is not a democratic organisation, it’s a hierarchical one. Actually, I’m running out of candidates, cos your average Australian politician doesn’t get democracy either. Perhaps we should just abolish the position of GG and become a republic, and we can have whatever dross we vote in as President, like the rest of the government.

JonnieWalker said :

As to disaster recovery – do you really think any of this can be done without the ADF expertise ? Without C-17s to drop supplies – Army engineers to re-build schools and hospitals, ships to evaculate civvies? That’s where all the heavy lifting is done my friend and having ADF expertise in charge is one way to ensure it gets done properly.

Yes, there are volunteer unpaid services and public servants quite capable of doing a lot of this work. Phil Koperberg is doing the Blue Mountains, for example. Evacuation and dropping supplies aren’t what I would consider disaster recovery, more disaster response, and in those circumstances you use very resource available – military and civilian.

I have experimented with the quotes, I hope it worked.

IP

shauno said :

LSWCHP said :

An interesting comment from troll-sniffer about Cosgrove’s attitude towards bastardisation at RMC. My experience has been that that sort of thing never leaves a man, but it’s hard to reconcile with his excellent reputation.

I agree with JB’s assessment though. Abbott might take a chance on seeking a bit of reflected glory by appointing Cosgrove, but I reckon he has enough rat cunning to realise that such an appointment might also bite him in the arse if Cosgrove chooses not to toe the party line. Given that, and because Abbott is a politician and therefore lacks personal integrity, I reckon he is much more likely to go for someone in the “harmless drone” category, rather than the “tough ex-grunt” category.

I guarantee Cosgrove pisses the left off because hes Christian. But he is Vietnam vet and distinguished soldier so no better person could be appointed with Australia’s interests at heart.

rupert murdoch?

JonnieWalker4:58 pm 10 Jan 14

IrishPete said :

c_c™ said :

Wilco said :

IMHO, Angus Houston would be a better choice. He has form in challenging government’s versions of events!

I agree, but I wonder whether being British born and raised may preclude him from consideration. I don’t think it should, because the life he’s built has been largely in Australia, back to his outback days, but with the exception of Ninian Stephen, Houston would be the first Brit to hold the GG’s office since 1965.

Oh the irony. You can’t be Head of State if you’re born in Australia and you can’t be Governor General if you’re born in England?

Anyway, is no-one concerned about the creeping militarisation (actually, it’s not creeping, it’s blatant) of Australian society? The generals seem to get given every job whether its disaster recovery, managing so-called “border protection” and so on, presumably based on their astounding history of military successes (that’s sarcasm, by the way) and of managing their own HR (abuse) problems.

If the Australian military had any backbone they would have refused to illegally invade Afghanistan and Iraq, or hijack foreign ships etc – “I voz only following orders” stopped being a defence some decades ago.

It would be nice to see a GG with some integrity who would actually challenge the government of the day when they are straying from democracy. .

IP

militarisation? c’mon. reaching that level in the ADF more than qualifies someone as head of state and head of our armed forces better than a crusty boozed up judge. Would like to see more appointments of senior officers to our other institutions to bring them up to standard.

As to disaster recovery – do you really think any of this can be done without the ADF expertise ? Without C-17s to drop supplies – Army engineers to re-build schools and hospitals, ships to evaculate civvies? That’s where all the heavy lifting is done my friend and having ADF expertise in charge is one way to ensure it gets done properly.

c_c™ said :

Assange doesn’t stand for anything, he merely stands against certain things. There’s a big difference.

Try http://www.wikileaksparty.org.au/about/

Perhaps you could enlighten me as to what he is “against”, as I can only see a lot of “fors”? Of course if you are keen on secretive government, then you might feel he is “against” you and your attitudes.

As for the giant ego and publicity seeking, those are de rigeur for any senior public figure.

And he’s clearly exhibited some very poor judgement over the years too, but that also seems to be mandatory for senior public figures these days. Though I guess we’d like the GG to be squeaky clean, which is where this whole discussion started.

IP

Blen_Carmichael5:33 pm 30 Dec 13

c_c™ said :

Assange doesn’t stand for anything, he merely stands against certain things.

Anti-perspirant? Regular showers? Women who insist on a partner wearing condoms? Complying with bail conditions?

Billy Birmingham for Governor-General .

Assange doesn’t stand for anything, he merely stands against certain things. There’s a big difference.

Cosgrove would be OK given that it’s just a ceremonial position. Anyone who’s familiar with the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the ADF would understand why no career military person should ever be assigned a position which requires actual leadership or organisational skills.

IrishPete said :

Off-topic? The appropriateness of a General for Governor General (ignoring the pun) is entirely on-topic. Julian Assange would be a better candidate, someone who stands for something rather than someone who only follows orders, whatever they may be.

Just out of interest, what exactly does Julian Assange stand for? A giant ego and an insatiable appetite for publicity are all he’s got.

maxblues said :

I can’t believe you have disowned Ireland, IP, or should we be calling you NIP?

Don’t read too much into it. I have never lived in the Republic of Ireland. I wasn’t alive when it had some dubious relations with Nazi Germany (it wasn’t a republic then anyway, but that’s not relevant). I was just pointing out that some of the assumptions people made were based on ignorance (not that that’s a first on The Riot ACT.)

I suppose I could also be British Irish Pete, or Australian Irish Pete, or Ulster Irish Pete. Depends whether you view Ireland as a state or as an island. Though I cant “own” it, I think their long-standing policy of neutrality is one to be proud of.

I haven’t bothered to challenge the claim of collaboration with the Nazis, but I think it’s dubious – here’s a thread about it http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100709130646AAR3tCn Certainly downed Luftwaffe personnel were interned under the same conditions as Allied personnel (very very generous conditions for all – they were all allowed out of their camps during the daytime).

Very much off-topic now, sorry JB. But Ireland’s political relationship with the UK and the Commonwealth is an interesting case history, though, which Australia could learn some good and some bad from. Unlike Australia, they seem to get by with an Irish Head of State.

IP

IrishPete said :

A whole bunch of responses here in one post:

“Godwin’s Law” applies to inappropriate comparisons, not appropriate ones. I alluded to the Nuremberg Defence. That is entirely appropriate in a discussion of the actions of the ADF and its senior officers in the last dozen or so years (maybe longer), not just in war but also in “border protection”.

There is no such thing as “Irish guilt”. You are thinking of “Catholic Guilt”. Jewish people refer to the same thing. It’s a religious thing, not a nationality thing.

Irish collaboration with the Nazis? Hmmm… Firstly, I am from Northern Ireland, so wrap your geopolitical historical knowledge around that one. And don’t forget that Osama Bin Laden the terrorist was essentially created by the CIA, the intelligence agency of Australia’s strongest ally (although there are less polite ways of expressing that relationship). So “collaboration” needs to be viewed through the lens of history. Or shall we just blame the CIA for the Bali bombings?

My first encounters with the military were in my childhood in Northern Ireland. It did not engender respect. Irrelevant to the ADF? Maybe, though I’ve met Australian soldiers who served in Northern Ireland on secondment (or at least they claimed to have done so). At least one account was credible, with the kind of information you don’t get from books or the internet.

I may have no personal inside experience of the military (though I’ve had a SLR pointed at me by an ill-educated teenage squaddie more times than anyone should), but I probably have a lot more inside knowledge of how government and politics works than most people who write here. if you’ve only worked in the APS, you probably know only the mushroom-food they have fed you.

Off-topic? The appropriateness of a General for Governor General (ignoring the pun) is entirely on-topic. Julian Assange would be a better candidate, someone who stands for something rather than someone who only follows orders, whatever they may be. And now, the circle is complete.

IP

I can’t believe you have disowned Ireland, IP, or should we be calling you NIP?

Yawn… You’re becoming a complete and utterly laughable cliche again

But keep fighting the fight comrade….

Thanks for your intelligent and insightful comments, mate.

I assume, based on the limited opinions you have expressed or implied so far in this thread, that your moniker actually refers to your preference for violence and Fascism (check the etymology of that word if you don’t understand), rather than any reference to a fictional rabbit.

For anyone wanting to see a range of opinions on the suitability of Cosgrove for Governor General, have a read of the letters page of the Sydney Morning herald today http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-letters/as-the-queens-man-cosgrove-may-not-be-the-peoples-choice-20131229-301nz.html None of them was written by me. The reference to advertising VB is one that hasn’t been mentioned on this thread yet, and is particularly interesting in the context of the current media focus on alcohol-related violence.

IP

LSWCHP said :

An interesting comment from troll-sniffer about Cosgrove’s attitude towards bastardisation at RMC. My experience has been that that sort of thing never leaves a man, but it’s hard to reconcile with his excellent reputation.

I agree with JB’s assessment though. Abbott might take a chance on seeking a bit of reflected glory by appointing Cosgrove, but I reckon he has enough rat cunning to realise that such an appointment might also bite him in the arse if Cosgrove chooses not to toe the party line. Given that, and because Abbott is a politician and therefore lacks personal integrity, I reckon he is much more likely to go for someone in the “harmless drone” category, rather than the “tough ex-grunt” category.

I guarantee Cosgrove pisses the left off because hes Christian. But he is Vietnam vet and distinguished soldier so no better person could be appointed with Australia’s interests at heart.

A whole bunch of responses here in one post:

“Godwin’s Law” applies to inappropriate comparisons, not appropriate ones. I alluded to the Nuremberg Defence. That is entirely appropriate in a discussion of the actions of the ADF and its senior officers in the last dozen or so years (maybe longer), not just in war but also in “border protection”.

There is no such thing as “Irish guilt”. You are thinking of “Catholic Guilt”. Jewish people refer to the same thing. It’s a religious thing, not a nationality thing.

Irish collaboration with the Nazis? Hmmm… Firstly, I am from Northern Ireland, so wrap your geopolitical historical knowledge around that one. And don’t forget that Osama Bin Laden the terrorist was essentially created by the CIA, the intelligence agency of Australia’s strongest ally (although there are less polite ways of expressing that relationship). So “collaboration” needs to be viewed through the lens of history. Or shall we just blame the CIA for the Bali bombings?

My first encounters with the military were in my childhood in Northern Ireland. It did not engender respect. Irrelevant to the ADF? Maybe, though I’ve met Australian soldiers who served in Northern Ireland on secondment (or at least they claimed to have done so). At least one account was credible, with the kind of information you don’t get from books or the internet.

I may have no personal inside experience of the military (though I’ve had a SLR pointed at me by an ill-educated teenage squaddie more times than anyone should), but I probably have a lot more inside knowledge of how government and politics works than most people who write here. if you’ve only worked in the APS, you probably know only the mushroom-food they have fed you.

Off-topic? The appropriateness of a General for Governor General (ignoring the pun) is entirely on-topic. Julian Assange would be a better candidate, someone who stands for something rather than someone who only follows orders, whatever they may be. And now, the circle is complete.

IP

BimboGeek said :

IP I can only hope that the increasing use of military in civilian activities is actually a great sign that they’ve run out of wars to fight.

Good point… We can only live in hope.

IP

An interesting comment from troll-sniffer about Cosgrove’s attitude towards bastardisation at RMC. My experience has been that that sort of thing never leaves a man, but it’s hard to reconcile with his excellent reputation.

I agree with JB’s assessment though. Abbott might take a chance on seeking a bit of reflected glory by appointing Cosgrove, but I reckon he has enough rat cunning to realise that such an appointment might also bite him in the arse if Cosgrove chooses not to toe the party line. Given that, and because Abbott is a politician and therefore lacks personal integrity, I reckon he is much more likely to go for someone in the “harmless drone” category, rather than the “tough ex-grunt” category.

Quentin Bryce was an excellent choice and, although she probably overstepped the mark a bit at the end of her tenure, proved to be nothing but gracious and perfectly competent during her term.

Cosgrove is also an excellent choice and will also bring competence and gravitas to the position.

She didn’t overstep any mark, that was just the conservatives doing their typical dishonest indignant routine. They didn’t seem to have a problem with previous GGs speaking politically while in office when it suited their side of an argument.

As a GG I’d rate her as a non-entity, and very self absorbed. A clothes horse who felt the need to change outfits when even the Queen didn’t (a far cry from the time when convention dictated the GG disappear while the Queen was in country) and her staff had a habit of quitting.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd1:17 pm 29 Dec 13

HiddenDragon said :

maxblues said :

caf said :

Roundhead89 said :

I heard that Cosgrove was Kevin Rudd’s original choice but the left of the party insisted that a woman be chosen. Hopefully Cosgrove will restore integrity to the position and there will be no more tokenism, nepotism and pushing of trendy left causes.

While I am sure your Labor Party sources are impeccable, this makes no sense because the left is not in a position to insist on anything.

It seems to have escaped your notice that sometime in the last 50 years selecting a capable woman for a senior position graduated from being a “trendy left cause” to completely mainstream.

I know JB doesn’t want to this to become a debate, so I’ll keep this brief and hope he lets it through to the keeper. Regardless of how it happened, IMHO the choice of the current GG was one thing the previous government got right. It can’t have been an easy job with PMs coming and going. I am an old soldier, but I think if Cosgrove is to be the new GG, he would be well advised to study how Quentin Bryce has gone about the job.

+1 to the concluding sentiment.

Oh, and I see Godwin’s Law has kicked in – I thought we might get back to 1975, but not to the Nazis, on this thread (not a cyclist in sight!).

Haha, maybe peters Irish guilt kicked in.

It was a very off topic comment to make.

HiddenDragon11:34 am 29 Dec 13

maxblues said :

caf said :

Roundhead89 said :

I heard that Cosgrove was Kevin Rudd’s original choice but the left of the party insisted that a woman be chosen. Hopefully Cosgrove will restore integrity to the position and there will be no more tokenism, nepotism and pushing of trendy left causes.

While I am sure your Labor Party sources are impeccable, this makes no sense because the left is not in a position to insist on anything.

It seems to have escaped your notice that sometime in the last 50 years selecting a capable woman for a senior position graduated from being a “trendy left cause” to completely mainstream.

I know JB doesn’t want to this to become a debate, so I’ll keep this brief and hope he lets it through to the keeper. Regardless of how it happened, IMHO the choice of the current GG was one thing the previous government got right. It can’t have been an easy job with PMs coming and going. I am an old soldier, but I think if Cosgrove is to be the new GG, he would be well advised to study how Quentin Bryce has gone about the job.

+1 to the concluding sentiment.

Oh, and I see Godwin’s Law has kicked in – I thought we might get back to 1975, but not to the Nazis, on this thread (not a cyclist in sight!).

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd10:27 am 29 Dec 13

maxblues said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Pork Hunt said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

IrishPete said :

c_c™ said :

Wilco said :

IMHO, Angus Houston would be a better choice. He has form in challenging government’s versions of events!

I agree, but I wonder whether being British born and raised may preclude him from consideration. I don’t think it should, because the life he’s built has been largely in Australia, back to his outback days, but with the exception of Ninian Stephen, Houston would be the first Brit to hold the GG’s office since 1965.

Oh the irony. You can’t be Head of State if you’re born in Australia and you can’t be Governor General if you’re born in England?

Anyway, is no-one concerned about the creeping militarisation (actually, it’s not creeping, it’s blatant) of Australian society? The generals seem to get given every job whether its disaster recovery, managing so-called “border protection” and so on, presumably based on their astounding history of military successes (that’s sarcasm, by the way) and of managing their own HR (abuse) problems.

If the Australian military had any backbone they would have refused to illegally invade Afghanistan and Iraq, or hijack foreign ships etc – “I voz only following orders” stopped being a defence some decades ago.

It would be nice to see a GG with some integrity who would actually challenge the government of the day when they are straying from democracy. .

IP

You really have zero idea how politics or military works, right?

Let’s compare the Australian defence force of today to the Wehrmacht, shall we.

Idiot.

Are you saying if the Wehrmacht had any back bone, they would have refused to attack Poland?

Put your sarcasm filter on bud. Petey boy is clearly comparing the Australian army to nazi Germany simply because they went to Afghanistan.

Not to mention Irish collaboration with the Nazis.

LOL BUUUURRRRRRNNNNNNNN

Any argument you now have is invalid, Pete.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Pork Hunt said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

IrishPete said :

c_c™ said :

Wilco said :

IMHO, Angus Houston would be a better choice. He has form in challenging government’s versions of events!

I agree, but I wonder whether being British born and raised may preclude him from consideration. I don’t think it should, because the life he’s built has been largely in Australia, back to his outback days, but with the exception of Ninian Stephen, Houston would be the first Brit to hold the GG’s office since 1965.

Oh the irony. You can’t be Head of State if you’re born in Australia and you can’t be Governor General if you’re born in England?

Anyway, is no-one concerned about the creeping militarisation (actually, it’s not creeping, it’s blatant) of Australian society? The generals seem to get given every job whether its disaster recovery, managing so-called “border protection” and so on, presumably based on their astounding history of military successes (that’s sarcasm, by the way) and of managing their own HR (abuse) problems.

If the Australian military had any backbone they would have refused to illegally invade Afghanistan and Iraq, or hijack foreign ships etc – “I voz only following orders” stopped being a defence some decades ago.

It would be nice to see a GG with some integrity who would actually challenge the government of the day when they are straying from democracy. .

IP

You really have zero idea how politics or military works, right?

Let’s compare the Australian defence force of today to the Wehrmacht, shall we.

Idiot.

Are you saying if the Wehrmacht had any back bone, they would have refused to attack Poland?

Put your sarcasm filter on bud. Petey boy is clearly comparing the Australian army to nazi Germany simply because they went to Afghanistan.

Not to mention Irish collaboration with the Nazis.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd10:46 pm 28 Dec 13

Pork Hunt said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

IrishPete said :

c_c™ said :

Wilco said :

IMHO, Angus Houston would be a better choice. He has form in challenging government’s versions of events!

I agree, but I wonder whether being British born and raised may preclude him from consideration. I don’t think it should, because the life he’s built has been largely in Australia, back to his outback days, but with the exception of Ninian Stephen, Houston would be the first Brit to hold the GG’s office since 1965.

Oh the irony. You can’t be Head of State if you’re born in Australia and you can’t be Governor General if you’re born in England?

Anyway, is no-one concerned about the creeping militarisation (actually, it’s not creeping, it’s blatant) of Australian society? The generals seem to get given every job whether its disaster recovery, managing so-called “border protection” and so on, presumably based on their astounding history of military successes (that’s sarcasm, by the way) and of managing their own HR (abuse) problems.

If the Australian military had any backbone they would have refused to illegally invade Afghanistan and Iraq, or hijack foreign ships etc – “I voz only following orders” stopped being a defence some decades ago.

It would be nice to see a GG with some integrity who would actually challenge the government of the day when they are straying from democracy. .

IP

You really have zero idea how politics or military works, right?

Let’s compare the Australian defence force of today to the Wehrmacht, shall we.

Idiot.

Are you saying if the Wehrmacht had any back bone, they would have refused to attack Poland?

Put your sarcasm filter on bud. Petey boy is clearly comparing the Australian army to nazi Germany simply because they went to Afghanistan.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

IrishPete said :

c_c™ said :

Wilco said :

IMHO, Angus Houston would be a better choice. He has form in challenging government’s versions of events!

I agree, but I wonder whether being British born and raised may preclude him from consideration. I don’t think it should, because the life he’s built has been largely in Australia, back to his outback days, but with the exception of Ninian Stephen, Houston would be the first Brit to hold the GG’s office since 1965.

Oh the irony. You can’t be Head of State if you’re born in Australia and you can’t be Governor General if you’re born in England?

Anyway, is no-one concerned about the creeping militarisation (actually, it’s not creeping, it’s blatant) of Australian society? The generals seem to get given every job whether its disaster recovery, managing so-called “border protection” and so on, presumably based on their astounding history of military successes (that’s sarcasm, by the way) and of managing their own HR (abuse) problems.

If the Australian military had any backbone they would have refused to illegally invade Afghanistan and Iraq, or hijack foreign ships etc – “I voz only following orders” stopped being a defence some decades ago.

It would be nice to see a GG with some integrity who would actually challenge the government of the day when they are straying from democracy. .

IP

You really have zero idea how politics or military works, right?

Let’s compare the Australian defence force of today to the Wehrmacht, shall we.

Idiot.

Are you saying if the Wehrmacht had any back bone, they would have refused to attack Poland?

Considering the huge numbers of Wehrmacht soldiers who went to the executioner for opposing Hitler it’s hard to pin the blame on that institution.

Throw in Priests and journalists and its hard to blame anyone but the greater german people.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd9:23 pm 28 Dec 13

IrishPete said :

c_c™ said :

Wilco said :

IMHO, Angus Houston would be a better choice. He has form in challenging government’s versions of events!

I agree, but I wonder whether being British born and raised may preclude him from consideration. I don’t think it should, because the life he’s built has been largely in Australia, back to his outback days, but with the exception of Ninian Stephen, Houston would be the first Brit to hold the GG’s office since 1965.

Oh the irony. You can’t be Head of State if you’re born in Australia and you can’t be Governor General if you’re born in England?

Anyway, is no-one concerned about the creeping militarisation (actually, it’s not creeping, it’s blatant) of Australian society? The generals seem to get given every job whether its disaster recovery, managing so-called “border protection” and so on, presumably based on their astounding history of military successes (that’s sarcasm, by the way) and of managing their own HR (abuse) problems.

If the Australian military had any backbone they would have refused to illegally invade Afghanistan and Iraq, or hijack foreign ships etc – “I voz only following orders” stopped being a defence some decades ago.

It would be nice to see a GG with some integrity who would actually challenge the government of the day when they are straying from democracy. .

IP

You really have zero idea how politics or military works, right?

Let’s compare the Australian defence force of today to the Wehrmacht, shall we.

Idiot.

IP I can only hope that the increasing use of military in civilian activities is actually a great sign that they’ve run out of wars to fight.

caf said :

Roundhead89 said :

I heard that Cosgrove was Kevin Rudd’s original choice but the left of the party insisted that a woman be chosen. Hopefully Cosgrove will restore integrity to the position and there will be no more tokenism, nepotism and pushing of trendy left causes.

While I am sure your Labor Party sources are impeccable, this makes no sense because the left is not in a position to insist on anything.

It seems to have escaped your notice that sometime in the last 50 years selecting a capable woman for a senior position graduated from being a “trendy left cause” to completely mainstream.

I know JB doesn’t want to this to become a debate, so I’ll keep this brief and hope he lets it through to the keeper. Regardless of how it happened, IMHO the choice of the current GG was one thing the previous government got right. It can’t have been an easy job with PMs coming and going. I am an old soldier, but I think if Cosgrove is to be the new GG, he would be well advised to study how Quentin Bryce has gone about the job.

c_c™ said :

Wilco said :

IMHO, Angus Houston would be a better choice. He has form in challenging government’s versions of events!

I agree, but I wonder whether being British born and raised may preclude him from consideration. I don’t think it should, because the life he’s built has been largely in Australia, back to his outback days, but with the exception of Ninian Stephen, Houston would be the first Brit to hold the GG’s office since 1965.

Oh the irony. You can’t be Head of State if you’re born in Australia and you can’t be Governor General if you’re born in England?

Anyway, is no-one concerned about the creeping militarisation (actually, it’s not creeping, it’s blatant) of Australian society? The generals seem to get given every job whether its disaster recovery, managing so-called “border protection” and so on, presumably based on their astounding history of military successes (that’s sarcasm, by the way) and of managing their own HR (abuse) problems.

If the Australian military had any backbone they would have refused to illegally invade Afghanistan and Iraq, or hijack foreign ships etc – “I voz only following orders” stopped being a defence some decades ago.

It would be nice to see a GG with some integrity who would actually challenge the government of the day when they are straying from democracy. .

IP

Roundhead89 said :

I heard that Cosgrove was Kevin Rudd’s original choice but the left of the party insisted that a woman be chosen. Hopefully Cosgrove will restore integrity to the position and there will be no more tokenism, nepotism and pushing of trendy left causes.

While I am sure your Labor Party sources are impeccable, this makes no sense because the left is not in a position to insist on anything.

It seems to have escaped your notice that sometime in the last 50 years selecting a capable woman for a senior position graduated from being a “trendy left cause” to completely mainstream.

troll-sniffer2:41 pm 27 Dec 13

When the bastardisation scandals were rockin’ da boat at RMC more than one old grunt raised a weary finger and accused Cosgrove of being one of the greatest exponents of the practice in the history of the college.

Now obviously there are two sides to every story but I’m thinking if more than one old soldier remembers events then there’s likely to be a grain of truth there.

Perhaps he has mellowed and/or grown up, but who knows, maybe the good workers of Government House can start quakin’ in their boots already.

Wilco said :

IMHO, Angus Houston would be a better choice. He has form in challenging government’s versions of events!

I agree, but I wonder whether being British born and raised may preclude him from consideration. I don’t think it should, because the life he’s built has been largely in Australia, back to his outback days, but with the exception of Ninian Stephen, Houston would be the first Brit to hold the GG’s office since 1965.

I would have put money on Tony selecting a female for the position to go someway to reducing the misogynist label he has been tagged with.

The simplest, least controversial choice would be elevating Marie Bashir.

HiddenDragon1:15 pm 27 Dec 13

If this does come to pass, both sides of the constitutional debate will be able to claim benefit from it – the monarchists, for obvious reasons (particularly with the royal visit at much the same time), and the republicans, because the appointment of a high-profile figure will once again put a focus on the position.

LOL, so Bubblehead, are you saying that Quentin Bryce wasn’t an excellent GG who upheld the dignity and functions of the office as good as any previous GG (and a hell of a lot better than some).

If so, come on, out with it, the full rundown on her transgressions as you see them. Tis the season to be jolly

Debating Quentin Bryce would be severely offtopic and will be moderated as such.

I heard that Cosgrove was Kevin Rudd’s original choice but the left of the party insisted that a woman be chosen. Hopefully Cosgrove will restore integrity to the position and there will be no more tokenism, nepotism and pushing of trendy left causes.

Come the revolution, when us colonials get to have our own leader (Yes, the Commander-in-Chief of the Barmy Army, HRH Queen Lizzie, is also Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Army), I propose to nominate the honourable Darren ‘Boof’ Lehmann. He is already a national hero, marshalling our Aussie battlers to victory against the lukewarm shandy drinkers of ol Blighty. He also has the experience and ability, in an Obama-like way, to span the divide on the one schism that continues to divide the Australian nation…his family car was a Ford and his first job was at Holdens. Boof Lehmann, the best thing to come out of Gawler since…the road to the Barossa.

IMHO, Angus Houston would be a better choice. He has form in challenging government’s versions of events!

Dangerous hey? Having a pro-gay marriage, pro-republic Emily’s lister who’s the opposition leader’s mother in law as the Queen’s representative was your preferred choice?

Do you ever get sick of being so profoundly stupid?

Quentin Bryce’s term is ending. The point is Cosgrove will quite possibly not be a tory stooge (all governments want a GG who won’t rock the boat). Having said that there are limited possibilities for the GG to exercise real power so the issue might never come up.

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