I'm Now A Twit

Evolution is a powerful concept. The need to develop and grow in the need to survive.

Well, Nah Seriously has recently taken on some evolution of its own. The media landscape is a constantly changing one so I've taken a good hard look at myself and decided to jump on board the latest fad. Well, it's probably not that 'latest' actually. But hey, I'm doing my best to keep up and hang on tight.

"What is it?" I hear you say with bated breath. Well, EDM has joined Twitter. In my own attempt to develop and grow.

Now, from a quick survey of you lot (done in my head based on random assumptions and presumptions), I can tell not a lot of you are on board with the whole Twitter thing. In fact, you're probably already growing tired of Facebook and another form of social media simply makes you sigh in frustration and misunderstanding.

Well, I too had these thoughts on the Twitterverse and was thoroughly uninspired by stories of celebrities tweeting this and that and the like. The thought of being bombarded by inane messages of irrevelance certainly made my skin crawl.

Alas, a friend suggested getting on to Twitter as a means of getting this blog a wider audience and/or making it easier for some of my followers to be notified of the latest post. I raised an eyebrow at the time but the thought stuck and come some free time a few weeks ago, I decided to check it out.

Unfortunately, you pretty much have to create a Twitter profile to check it all out so there I found myself filling in some details and being asked to create a profile name and password. The first hurdle was limiting my name to only 14 charactors and of course coming up with a description. Eventually I worked it out and all of a sudden I was in.

I then trawled the search engine for friends and family and promptly 'followed' those I could find. Now some of these people still haven't returned the favour as yet, but hey, that's another story and I'll be taking that up with each one of them in due course.

Next step was locating some of the news sources and blogs I traditionally utilise and before too long I had a list of twenty or so profiles of which I was following. I promptly logged off and didn't give it another thought for a few days.

Later on I was playing around with my mobile phone and discovered I had Twitter already programed into it. 'Ah right. I'll have a look then and see what the Twitterverse has delivered'.

I wasn't expecting much to be honest but I soon realised this was going to be a great help as all the information I normally have to trawl the internet for while remembering website addresses and co, was all in front of me in summary and with appropriate links. Wow. This could change everything.

That was a few weeks ago and my normal morning routine is to now log on to Twitter on my phone over my coffee and read up on all the news from home and abroad. I've got access to sources of info I'd never heard of before due to the retweet function and the fact you receive a notification if some you follow recommends a particular article or blog post.

Yes, a new world has beckoned and I'm thoroughly enjoying all the different points of views and raising of issues I would never have thought of. This blog itself is also being 'followed' by a number of random sources from around the world now and I've seen my viewing stats go up quite dramatically. 57 visits in one day just last week had me quite chuffed to be honest. The effort and perseverance of the last 15 months is finally paying off. In some small way anyway.

However, this post isn't meant to be a plug for Twitter. It's meant to be a plug for me and this blog on Twitter. So if interested, you can now keep up-to-date with all things EDM and Nah Seriously via @NahSeriousBlog on Twitter. Get on to it. You know it'll be 'twitting' worth it.

Til next time my friends,

EDM.

It's A Votin' Time

It's on for young and old now. After a lot of 'will she or won't she' speculation over the last couple of weeks, Premier Anna Bligh announced yesterday that Queensland will go to the polls on Saturday 24 March.

While she hasn't made the trip out to Government House yet to formally dissolve Parliament and officially initiate the election (19 February), the Premier said 24 March has been chosen to allow Queenslanders to consider the findings of the Flood Commission report before casting their vote. And this follows the Commission seeking an extension on the deadline to deliver their report to allow for deliberation of new evidence exposed by The Australian newspaper.

A very rare set of circumstances therefore creating an unprecedented process for Queensland to go to the polls. Some are condemning the move saying Bligh should be calling the election a lot earlier but to me it's a case of 'damned if you do and damned if you don't' for the Premier. Waiting until Queensland's biggest inquiry in years is concluded makes sense as I fully agree the electorate deserves to consider its findings before heading to the polls.

Local government reps, led by Brisbane Mayor Tim Quirk, are definitely on the condemnation side of the argument though as the delayed report and delayed State Election means that Council elections will need to be delayed as well until 28 April. While some mayoral campaigns might have been planned around the original council election date of 31 March, this condemnation should be taken with a grain of salt given Quirk is Opposition Leader Campbell Newman's former 2IC.

And for mine, delaying the council elections is far more preferable than delaying the State Election as called for by Quirk and the Local Government Association. It's easily the lessor of two evils in light of the uncertainty and disruption that would have been caused by a delayed State Election into May or June. Bligh would have copped it big time if she'd gone down this path and been open to ridicule for trying to cling on to power for a few more months.

The condemnation from the councils can also be offset by the praise coming from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the business sector that has welcomed the election date for ending the speculation and providing some certainty.

Bligh hasn't picked 24 March for purely altruistic motives though. There's plenty of strategy behind it in that it means we'll have an eight week campaign which is designed to provide plenty of time and opportunity for Campbell Newman to make mistakes and produce the odd gaffe.

In the 11 months since he became Leader of the Oppostion (outside the House), he has demonstrated a tendency to be a little thin-skinned and bristle angrily at any disagreement or attack. An inability to properly explain his and the LNP's policies is an achilles heel, especially the 420,000 job commitment just last week that got watered down and dismissed the very next day.

Bligh's calling of an election just a week after the Flood Commission report is released (16 March) may also act as a subtle reminder of her very good performance as Premier during the floods back in January 2011.

The reality though, is that Labor is in line for defeat no matter when the election actually takes place. Despite Newman's laughable attempt to paint himself as the underdog, the polls show the LNP will romp it in and be in Government for the first time since the Borbidge years of 1996-98. The betting agencies also point strongly to a LNP victory with Centrebet having them at $1.11 and Labor at a very long $6.15. That's quite a difference and leaves the LNP as hands-down favourite.

As I've said previously, the mood across the State is that most Queenslanders are lining up with baseball bats for a Labor Government that has had its fair share of crises and bungles and are just itching to cast their vote accordingly.

Personally, I rate Bligh as Premier and feel she's been let down by her Ministry and some other political appointments within the public service. A reluctance to ask for the resignation of some of those Ministers may very well be her downfall though, as I'm still wondering, and surely most people are, how former Minister for Health Paul Lucas kept his job following the great Queensland Health payroll debacle.

While I can definitely understand the mood for change; actually its more a mood to punish; I am somewhat concerned about the LNP team. Notwithstanding the very strange circumstances of Newman being Opposition Leader while having not been elected to Parliament, the thought of some of the current Shadow Ministry being Ministers of Departments containing thousands of employees and having budgets in the billions scares the hell out of me.

One could argue the same thing about one or two of the current Ministers mind you but at least they were being kept in check by a strong Leader and her staff. It's a mute argument though given the likely election result and this will mean a lot of them will not survive the bloodbath and we're going to see a lot of established Labor MPs banished. Quite frankly, some of them deserve that but there's also plenty of 'talent' that will go and perhaps never return to public service again. My former local member, Murray Watt, is an example of this. The likes of Cameron Dick, Kate Jones and even the Deputy Premier, Andrew Fraser, are other examples.

On the Jones v Newman contest in the Ashgrove electorate, the LNP can not afford for Newman to lose so it will devote enormous resources to the seat to try and ensure he becomes Premier. On the flipside, Labor understands it can completely derail the LNP project if Jones can defy the polls and win her local seat. Ashgrove should therefore be a microcosm for the whole election and anyone with an interest in the end result will be folllowing it closely. For instance, will the voting intentions of Queenslanders change if polling starts to show that Newman may lose Ashgrove and the likes of Jeff Seeney or Fiona Simpson could end up being Premier?

The other element to this election, and a very Queensland element at that, is the establishment of Bob Katter's Australian Party. While there's some potential that it can cut into the LNP's core constituency much like One Nation previously did, I don't think it'll be enough to turn the election on its head or anything. There's no doubt they'll pick up a few seats but I think the LNP will win enough seats in their own right to ensure the Australian Party doesn't win the balance of power. And Lord help us if I'm wrong on that count.

Another issue that the election date timing brings up is fixed terms. I'm a great believer in them and support a four-year fixed term as I think the current three-year cycle means a Government is eyeing the next election far too soon into their Government. Taking away the power of a Government to pick and choose the election date also makes sense so that we don't have to put up with the endless speculation and everyone knows when an election and associated campaign is coming.

So yes, it's a votin' time here in Queensland. It's been unprecedented already the way things have gone down so expect a long campaign but with plenty of twists and turns. It's going to be an election that only Queensland could throw up so hang on tight and enjoy the ride.

On that note, what's your feelings on the whole thing? Can Labor pull off another come-from-behind victory or is it already locked up for the LNP? How will you be voting?

Your humble servant again,

EDM.

2012 Predictions

You've probably noticed a lot of these types of articles and posts of late. Particularly in the days immediately following New Years. They are usually the result of this time of the year being a little slow news-wise with very few political stories to speak of and pretty much the entire population being away on holidays.

So an editor or media 'boss' man or woman will say to whoever is left in the office, "I need something to fill this and that. Give us a prediction piece for the year ahead. Keep it simple and we'll bury it later on so that no-one can pick it up and tell how wrong you got it".

You know, something that doesn't require a hell of a lot of thought. Something loosely based on previous events and issues but mainly a task in filling up some print or airtime. I'm probably being a little cynical with all that, but you get the point.

Now of course my prediction post comes to you under no such circumstances. I've put a lot of thought into this (typing it out as thoughts come to me) so you can rest assured it's the result of stellar efforts in research and analysis. As always of course (cough, cough).

I'm also fully aware that my prediction post is a tad late being 24 days into the year. But hey, I've been busy. You know, heading to the beach most days. Walks through the National Park. Picnics by the river with the wife and son. That sort of thing.

Anyway, enough blubbering and more predicting. So without further adieu, here's EDM's predictions for 2012.

Premier Newman. It's a given. It won't be a landslide like some are saying because Campbell will likely make a few blunders during the campaign. Bligh will run a disciplined campaign to limit some of the damage for Labor but ultimately the electorate is sitting out there waiting with baseball bats for her and her party so a LNP victory it will be.

Secondary prediction on Premier Newman. His advisors will tell him sometime before the end of the year that Mrs Newman needs to stay away from press conferences. The phrase "get a room" will be used.

Gillard and Rudd will continue to be the subject of intense media speculation for the entire year regarding leadership and a possible challenge. Rudd will utter the words "I'm more than content being this nation's Foreign Minister" for the 2138th time while Gillard will say "I'm not going to comment on internal party matters" for the 1983rd time.

The Gambling Reforms trial in the ACT will actually work and show some really positive results. Wilkie's media release will be headlined "Hah, hah. Told you so". Clubs Australia's will say "It's a Communist Plot".

Brisbane Mayor Tim Quirk will continue to blame any council policy error or mistake on the previous administration. Hopefully someone will point out that the previous administration wound up back in 2004, a whole eight years ago.

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou to say "It's a long term plan" after each 100+ point loss by the Greater Western Sydney Giants. The Daily Telegraph in Sydney will run a related story every week pointing to the Giants' low crowd numbers while choosing to ignore crowd numbers for NRL games in Sydney.

During coverage of NRL games, Channel 9 will start broadcasting the odds for bets on how many times its commentators will mention betting and the latest odds.

The Wallabies will play beautiful yet combative rugby to defeat the All Blacks the week before being beaten by Romania. Coach Robbie Deans will say we're building for the World Cup so we have to experiment with players in positions they're not entirely comfortable with. Playing Will Genia in the second row will be widely condemned nonetheless.

Australian cricket selectors' fast bowling rotation policy will result in John Howard being called up for the Boxing Day Test.

On a cold winter's day in July, your nearest climate change denier will say it's evidence that the earth isn't warming and therefore that one day shows that the last 30 years of science is wrong.

Gina Rinehart, Twiggy Forrest and Clive Palmer will instigate a PR campaign against the incoming carbon tax around the middle of the year. It will be titled "Billionaires united. We'll never be defeated!"

The Courier Mail will continue to run stories proudly boasting of record distribution sales. You're the only paper in a town that has experienced massive population growth in the last ten years. Of course you're going to sell a few more papers.

And while I'm here, did anyone else see the recent Sunday Mail article on kiwi criminals migrating to Australia. "A conga-line of kiwi criminals..." Jaysus, is that journalism or creative writing? Can just see these blokes lining up at customs with hands on the hips of the person in front of them and kicking their feet up every sixth beat.

And finally, it will be revealed that a secret agreement exists between Channel 9's A Current Affair and Channel 7's Today Tonight. "Monday you do dodgy builders and I'll do the latest celebrity diet. Tuesday you do internet love rats and I'll do plastic surgery bungles. Wednesday you do bogan neighbourhood disputes and I'll do 'aren't the banks bastards' etc...."

So there you have it. EDM's predictions for 2012. Looks like quite a list of people to offend or potentially offend. Ah well, I'm just the messenger and you know what they say about them.

Til next time,

EDM.

Decisions, Decisions

I'm torn. So very torn. Actually, WE are torn. The wife and son as well I mean.

Yes, it's coming up to decision time for EDM and family. We've been up here enjoying Noosa and its surrounds for just over four months now and the countdown is on for the finishing of my leave and imminent return to work in Brisbane by early March.

Oh, how it hurts just to type that out. While playing Daddy Day Care and looking after the son full-time has had its challenges (toddlers are soooo irrational), it sure has beaten doing the worker bee thing and all that encompasses such as commuting, cubicles and clock-watching. The thought of returning to all that comes with a fair dose of dread but like death and taxes, I know it's something I can't avoid.

The only saving grace may be a permanent move up here to the Sunshine Coast. Now, after enjoying a few hours surf this morning before meeting up with the wife and son for a most pleasurable breaky and play, a permanent move is very, very attractive and it's almost a case of 'where do I sign up'.

However, life isn't that simple unfortunately and all sorts of other things have to be considered such as finances, jobs, daycare, accommodation and more personal issues such as distance from friends and family and other amenities in Brisbane.

The biggest issue is my job actually. As many of you know, my vocation is very Brisbane-centric with little opportunity for 'like' jobs up here on the Sunshine Coast. Transferring 'like' skills doesn't improve my odds much either as there's not a great call for them in a region dominated by tourism and the trades.

So we have a dilemma my friends. We don't particularly want to move back to Brisbane in March but that might be the most responsible decision in terms of finances and stability. We're pretty sure we want to stay up here around Noosa for good but we obviously don't want to put ourselves in a perilious position if I'm unable to find work. Life will obviously be very different to how it is now once I'm working again as well.

What to do. What to do. Some in-depth thinking and rubbing of temples is definitely required. Some heavy research into possibilities and pathways also needed. The future of EDM and family is at stake.

Stay tuned folks for more info as it comes to hand. Exclusively from EDM and the Nah Seriously team of course.

EDM.