Liberal National Party in Queensland shows itself to be run by a bunch of wowsers

The Gold Coast seat of Broadwater is held by the ALP by a margin of just 2.2%.  The seat is considered crucial to the LNP ending the ALP’s 20 year tenure in government in Queensland in the March 24 election.

Yet as important as Broadwater is to the prospects of the LNP forming government on 24 March they have just installed the third candidate to be indorsed to stand for the seat in less than 3 months.

The first candidate indorsed to stand for the seat was Richard Townson who was disendorsed after allegedly returning a breathalyser showing he was over the legal driving limit.  Fair enough driving with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit is an offence and that sort of thing doesn’t stand well with the electorate.

Enter Gold Coast solicitor Cameron Caldwell.

Politics – Polish Parliament goes all V for Vendetta over Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

Members of the Polish parliament donned Guy Fawkes masks V for Vendetta style in a show of solidarity in protest against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement on 26 January 2012.  The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is considered to be potentially more insidious than the proposed and now defunct Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) which had been the subject of worldwide protest when it was presented before the US Congress.

As an European Union member state Poland is a signatory to ACTA which is not a law yet in that country but a treaty which has caused a great deal of controversy in EU member states and protests throughout Europe most notably in Poland.

Other than that the action by the members of the Left Wing political party sitting in the parliament being just plain cool and establishing their social and street credentials the protest is indicative of action of a less recognizable style taken by other public figures and officials in other EU contries such as France where ACTA has caused one high ranking official to resign in protest.

No Regrets

In my opinion this is one of the most beautiful and powerful songs.  Its significance and power is underlined by the fact that the artist who made this song famous, Edith Piaf, dedicated the recording she made of the song in 1960 to the French Foreign Legionnaires, in particular those members of the Foreign Legion’s 1st REP (First Foreign Parachute Regiment), who backed the 1961 Putsch against the Algerian civilian leadership.  France had been engaged in a bloody  war in Algeria, until 1962 a French Colony, and the Legion had been in the vanguard of that conflict.