A Quick Post

Hello and welcome to the blog...apologies for late, short post but couldn't get any Internet connection today until this evening...

For a moment or two, I thought maybe I'd been 'hacked' again or the blog had been pulled down or something, but it does seem to be a not uncommon problem around Mt Gambier and basically a lack of bandwidth for the South East...also having major problems with ABC TV reception...it's been badly 'pixelating' for a week now, and squeaking and squelching and popping, and has been unwatchable on occasions...it also seems if it's a bit windy in the wrong direction, the reception goes to crap on most channels.

Not A Word Of A Lie: I had planned to pan the Fork and Cork Food and Wine Festival being held today but only after going down there for a quick squiz (look) this morning...but I thought I'd do some paperwork sorting before heading out, and bingo, guess which stupid old hippy has been driving around in an unregistered car for a week...(10 days actually-Ed)...whatevs...and being a Saturday morning there's no Dept of Motor Vehicles office open and no public transport to get there...(well why didn't you Park and Stride?-Ed)...

Gadzooks you're right Ed, I should have Parked in my driveway and Strode the 3kms to the F&C...wonder if the Councillors, etc, attending used their reserved parking so that they could go in their rate-payer funded cars and not have to stride too far?...(indeed, one wonders-Ed)...

This is a genuine mistake and I apologise as such but I think it's one of those odd situations where I haven't committed a crime because I didn't get caught...again, I'm not bragging or trying to taunt the police or anything stupid like that, but here is an example of how easy it is to miss registration deadlines without reminder discs, which then brings into play the massive fines that the Labor state government imposed concurrent with cancelling said discs.

This whole exercise, along with massive increases in speeding fines, is one massive revenue raising gouge of the populace and has already reaped $10s of millions for Labor...and as per usual it's the people who try to do the right thing and make genuine mistakes who are the ones who will suffer because they'll try to pay their fines whether they can afford to or not...and at the same time repeat offenders with multiple fines across multiple charges will be the ones who refuse to pay leading to the $100m+ in unpaid fines.

Charming repeat offenders like former Road Safety Minister Tom Koutsantonis...(Tommy, maaate-Ed)...who was caught out with what, 30+ speeding fines?...(30+ driving offences including many speeding fines, yeah-Ed)...and unceremoniously dumped from that position...and while we're on to Mr Koutsantonis, I'll just quickly revisit his blatantly pro-Don Pegler interview on the ABC Local Radio...(nice segue-Ed)...a version/repeat of which appeared in The Border Watch newspaper Friday 28th February 2014.

From TBW..."I'm urging Don Pegler to reconsider his opposition to fracture stimulation processes"..."In the event of a hung parliament, a re-elected Mr Pegler and the people of Mt Gambier will become the most powerful voice in South Australia"..."Fracture stimulation is a safe process that has never harmed an aquifer or water table"...(ahahahaaa, aha, ahahaa, aha, a hahah, ahhh, stop it already, stop please, oh lord.  ahhh-Ed)...followed by Mr Koutsantonis thanking the Liberals for agreeing with Fracking, and then Don Pegler sweeping in at the end with his observation that Liberals and Labor take money from Mining companies and he's fiercely opposed to Fracking.

(So, set up Don Pegler's alleged opposition to Fracking and how important he is, ramp up the emotion and outrage with a ludicrous comment about aquifers so's people aren't thinking straight, drag the Liberals into the same bucket of emotion, and then in comes Don to save the day-Ed)...this article only lacks the ABC interview comments about 'how fiercely independent Don is' and 'he'll never make a deal with the major parties' (paraphrasing)...but I digress...

Well Fork and Cork Me: I am aware that I have a degree of baggage with this 'Bread and Circuses' conduct of our society where almost nobody wants to do the unpleasant stuff like Child Abuse Cover-ups at a local school, but it's all go, go, go with organising soirees and frivolities, etc...fun is great but there's a whole bunch of unpleasant realities that need be addressed...and in that context I acknowledge that there are surely those involved whom have the most genuine intent, but for me it's just not enough.  

Funding is one of my main issues with the F&C...yet again ratepayers money is going into this whilst other services don't get funded, and then you pay to get in, etc, pay more once you're in, pay more for 'classes', etc, and then, after drinking wine and beers, find a way home that isn't public transport because there is none...several people I've spoken with have said that they won't be going because they simply cannot afford it...

And there's all the issues re the Main Corner fiasco and the commercial kitchen there-in and the nepotism, etc, and again it's all ratepayers money that's running that facility...sponsorship aside, the nuts and bolts running costs are borne by ratepayers, many of whom will not be able to afford to attend...and again I know it's largely my own problem, but I do take issue with the exclusion of the majority of the public from a largely publicly funded event in a public space fenced off to exclude those who don't pay.

Yet another event jammed into the completely inadequate Cave Gardens, not just because there's nowhere else to do it, but in a desperate attempt to justify the ludicrous amounts of money spent and/or 'disappeared' on the Library and Main Corner to keep the Rail Lands clear for the Rail Lands Retail Agenda...if it has to happen at all, the whole thing should have been in the spectacular Plaza that should already be on the Old Rail Lands where Council is still moving dirt pointlessly aound and plans to have lawn and some seating by 2016...(deadset, by 2016?-Ed)...deadset...(don't want to rush into these things-Ed)...quite...

Even someone who moves in these circles described the F&C to me as "upper middle class welfare" in that everybody gets to pay for it and only a few select may attend...it is a long tax-payer funded soiree for the same ol' vested interests that will see a tidy profit for a few...I know I'm very much bent in one direction, but how's about a little more funding for basic public services for everyone to use. 

And I wonder where all these 'celebrity guests' are staying whilst they are with us?...and who is paying for all their appearance fees and accommodation, etc?... 


Sorry, just lost Internet twice and some text with it, finish here as it's already 22:15...

Tomorrow: Stuff and Nonsense

Again sorry for fractured post but 3 times now lost Internet...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...