The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove

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The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove episodes

May 27, 2019 Episode 204 – Secularism, Coal Mines and Death by Capitalism
Secularism, Coal Mines and Death by Capitalism.
2:45 Three Cheers for the NSL
NSL Ambassadors and executive met with the ABC Managing Director David Anderson, and Editorial Director Craig McMurtrie, to discuss the need for a “secular voice.”
Jane Caro,
…
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Mentioned in this episode:
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1 hr 40 min
May 21, 2019 Episode 203 – It’s Not The End of The World
Left-leaning public intellectuals cannot empathise with “white working class trash”. They have taken a leaf from Hilary’s playbook and think of them as a basket of deplorables. That is not going to work.
Don’t they know, it’s the end of the world?
WTF happened?
Saturday night I recorded myself – You cannot be serious
Queensland
Qld delivered the LNP 23 out of 29 seats with TPP of 42.8% Vs 57.2%. The primary vote was 27.3% Vs 43.3%.
Three reasons why Qld is different.

* Pauline Hanson and Clive Palmer are Queenslanders and attract a parochial tribal vote.
* Adani is in Qld. Labor was proposing to kill it without offering compensation. (In the Hunter Valley a pro-coal One nation candidate got 21.8% of the primary vote so it’s not just Qld)
* We don’t have a printed Fairfax paper

Murdoch
The government has been so bad that a drovers dog should’ve beaten them. We cannot underestimate the constant barrage from the Murdoch empire. You would think their influence would wane but not yet. The long-standing hatchet job on Bill Shorten was effective.
Taking a butter knife to a gun fight
So Shorten was up against Morrison, Palmer, Hanson and Murdoch. To help he had the Greens who …didn’t help. And Bob Brown’s Stop Adani Convoy just created a backlash. Queenslanders don’t like southerners telling them what to do.
12:55 Who are the Australian classes?
The population is divided into several camps.
The wealthy upper class who hate paying tax and will avoid it at all costs. They also are not worried about climate change because they figure they can move to wherever is comfortable. Think medical specialists, corporate executives, partners in big law and accounting practices and owners of very successful businesses. The sort of people who can own a big boat or fancy sports car and travel overseas every year. They vote Liberal.
The poor working class. Think factory workers, shop assistants, Uber drivers, child care workers and hospitality workers. They should vote Labor hoping for better minimum wage rates but they may vote right wing due to fear of immigrants taking their jobs and their preference may then go to the Liberals.
The secure middle class who can afford to be virtuous about climate change and by the nature of their jobs they are immune to economic recessions. They are not worried about immigrants taking their jobs. Think GP’s, nurses, teachers, junior professionals, public servants, University academics, police, fireman and paramedics. They should vote Labor unless they have big worries about the property market (because they have a very large mortgage or they have several negatively geared properties).
The middle class whose income is precarious. They own small businesses, small professional firms, retail shops, restaurants, cafes, small motels and farms. Or they are employed in boom and bust industries like mining or construction or real estate where job opportunities fluctuate wildly depending on the economy and commodity prices. Times are tough and they live on the edge. They are susceptible to a fear campaign over an economic recession. They can’t afford to take a hit for climate action. Especially not an uneven hit. Regional and rural areas have more of these people.
The retired baby boomer who thinks tax is evil and doesn’t care about climate change because he will die before things get too bad.
Scare Campaigns
In the end, a scare campaign by Morrison and Murdoch pitched at the precariat and retirees beat a disjointed dog’s breakfast of Labor offerings.
Labor gained some votes in wealthy suburbs but lost some votes in the working class western suburbs and got smashed anywhere with a mine.
1 hr 2 min
May 21, 2019 Episode 203 – It’s Not The End of The World
Left-leaning public intellectuals cannot empathise with “white working class trash”. They have taken a leaf from Hilary’s playbook and think of them as a basket of deplorables. That is not going to work.
Don’t they know, it’s the end of the world?
…
Read more ›
The post Episode 203 – It’s Not The End of The World appeared first on The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove.
Mentioned in this episode:
Website
1 hr 5 min
May 14, 2019 Episode 202 – Election thoughts and ethical conundrums
After a slow start, this episode warms up nicely.
4:42 Both parties to provide bank guarantees for first home buyers
Oh FFS. More money for baby boomers and Millennials get screwed again. Locking millennials into impossible loans is not the way to go.

11:39 Senate Ballot Paper
It’s hard to find 6 worthy parties.
There are a lot of right-wing nut bags on the ballot paper.
Here is another guide from The Guardian.

15:50 Egg Girl
16:30 The Australian Christian Alliance

A conservative Christian lobby group is campaigning with Muslims in Labor-held seats to “stop the godless from making sweeping changes” to religious freedoms.
The Australian Christian Alliance has held two NSW rallies in federal Labor seats in the past month, joined by hundreds of Muslim supporters. It plans to hold another rally in the seat of Fowler before the May 18 election.
The alliance’s founder, Vic Meli, said the group’s members were all Christian but they “worked with and welcomed Muslims and Buddhists and anyone with a common adversity”.
“We are determined to stop senior people in Labor who are godless from making sweeping changes to our rights,” said Mr Meli, whose group was formed during the same sex plebiscite. “You could say we have joined forces and are working with all faiths.”
The group is targeting Labor seats that had a high no vote in the same-sex marriage survey.
The group’s first rally was held in the western Sydney seat of McMahon, held by shadow treasurer Chris Bowen. McMahon had Australia’s third highest no vote at 64.9 per cent.
On Saturday, the group targeted Chifley, held by Ed Husic, where 58.7 per cent of people voted no.
Mr Meli said the wishes of the majority of voters had been ignored by the MPs. Protesters held signs saying “hands off our religious freedom” as well as “hands off our mosques”.

The alliance, founded in November 2017 in the wake of the same-sex marriage vote, has nine “core” members, as well as another 20 who meet regularly to discuss their agenda.

Mr Meli said the group was growing and its members did not intend to “disappear” after the election.
17:30 The ACL

The Australian Christian Lobby is gearing up to bolster its influence on Australian politics, using the election to road test new campaign tactics targeting gender fluidity, abortion and Safe Schools.
A push in the final week of the campaign, beginning with a “super Saturday” of door-knocking in key seats this weekend, will see the ACL deploy resources to help conservative MPs who support its agenda.
The ACL has selected one key seat in each state, including the marginal seats of Boothby in South Australia, Bass in Tasmania, Petrie in Queensland,
1 hr 41 min
May 14, 2019 Episode 202 – Election thoughts and ethical conundrums
After a slow start, this episode warms up nicely.
4:42 Both parties to provide bank guarantees for first home buyers
Oh FFS. More money for baby boomers and Millennials get screwed again. Locking millennials into impossible loans is not the way to go.
…
Read more ›
The post Episode 202 – Election thoughts and ethical conundrums appeared first on The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove.
Mentioned in this episode:
Website
1 hr 43 min
May 07, 2019 Episode 201 – Harris Sultan – Founder of Ex Muslim Atheist
In this episode of the podcast, we speak to Harris Sultan.

Harris was born on December 26, 1983 in Lahore, Pakistan. He is an actor and talent agent, known for Sea Patrol (2007), Neighbours (1985) and Utopia (2014).
He has written a book – The Curse of God – Why I left Islam.
He is the founder of Ex Muslim Atheist, is a candidate for the Secular Party and has over 15,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel.

1 hr 19 min
May 07, 2019 Episode 201 – Harris Sultan – Founder of Ex Muslim Atheist
In this episode of the podcast, we speak to Harris Sultan.
Harris was born on December 26, 1983 in Lahore, Pakistan. He is an actor and talent agent, known for Sea Patrol (2007),
…
Read more ›
The post Episode 201 – Harris Sultan – Founder of Ex Muslim Atheist appeared first on The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove.
Mentioned in this episode:
Website
1 hr 22 min
April 30, 2019 Episode 200 – Justin Murray the Humanist Chaplain
In this episode, we speak to Justin Murray, the Humanist Chaplain who has been rejected by the Defence Force because he is not from an approved religion.
2:25 Pre-poll Voting
5:16 Anzac Day Review

Hello Trevor,
Can I present my nominee for ‘Most Religious Dawn Service?’
2 hymns, 1 prayer, and an epilogue that states that we are “repledged to dedicate our lives/ To serving God, our country and mankind.”
Oh, and the ANZAC oration naturally started with an acknowledgment of country, too. Just for fun.
…
Have a good day,
Daniel

Hey Daniel
My 9:30 am service had
A prayer and a reading from the Bible
A hymn (Eternal father)
The Lord’s Prayer
A benediction (final blessing)
And actually, that made it a lot better than previous years.
No welcome to country
Many speakers emphasized that the service was not about glorifying war but the first of four resolutions ended with “… The resultant glory they gave to Australia and NZ at that time will never fade.
Trevor
9:29 Submarines
12:07 Justin Murray
Here is a background article from The Guardian:
The requirement for military chaplains to belong to a recognised religious denomination is discriminatory, according to a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission brought by a humanist chaplain.
The commission has accepted a complaint from Justin Murray, a volunteer chaplain at Canberra hospital, meaning it will now investigate and conciliate the case which could open the way for atheists and agnostics to hold posts as military chaplains.

1:11:08 Don’t be Fooled by Party Names
Here is a good guide from Phil Krohn. Sometimes the names are misleading and they stand for exactly the opposite.

1:21:53 Raju and Barnaby
1 hr 24 min
April 30, 2019 Episode 200 – Justin Murray the Humanist Chaplain
In this episode, we speak to Justin Murray, the Humanist Chaplain who has been rejected by the Defence Force because he is not from an approved religion.
2:25 Pre-poll Voting
5:16 Anzac Day Review
Hello Trevor,
Can I present my nominee for ‘Most Religious Dawn Service?’
2 hymns,
…
Read more ›
The post Episode 200 – Justin Murray the Humanist Chaplain appeared first on The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove.
Mentioned in this episode:
Website
1 hr 26 min
April 23, 2019 Episode 199 – Pentecostals, Pirate Party and Political Donations
We discuss Scott Morrison’s Pentecostal beliefs, Pirate Party policies and Political Donations.
2:28 Scott Morrison invites media into Pentecostal church amid election campaign ‘truce’
That could backfire.
From James Boyce in The Monthly.
Pentecostalism is, in fact, the perfect faith for a conviction politician without convictions.
The emphasis on personal experience over dogma makes the difference difficult to document. The religion’s starting point is not the written-down teachings of Jesus, the moral code set out in the Bible, or the instructions of the institutional Church … The essence of our prime minister’s religion is not a set of beliefs at all but a unique perspective on the Christian experience in which God is so intimately present to the saved and sanctified that he can be felt, talked to and heard at any time … Pentecostalism is obsessed with the Devil to an extent that is heretical to mainstream Christianity. “Satan” is not an abstract idea but a highly personal fallen angel who, through his ability to manipulate and direct nonbelievers, largely runs the “world”. To be baptised in the Spirit is to be personally conscripted into the struggle, intimately experienced in daily life, between the forces of good and ever-present evil … most Pentecostals are certain that the end times are upon us …
If for no other reason than this dangerous delusion (that if he wins it will be because God delivered it) Australians deserve to know more about what the leader of our country believes. Pentecostalism might not be a cult, but in terms of what ordinary people have been told about its true teachings, it may as well be. Those charged with scrutinising our politicians should put aside the national discomfort about discussing religion, and do what they would if a political leader subscribed to any other little-known ideology. Morrison must be made to tell us more about the faith that has shaped his life.
12:09 Notre Dame
Australia will donate?
15:48 John August and the Pirate Party
John August tells us why we should vote Pirate Party.

Anti-abortion activists fail in legal challenge to scrap buffer zones
The implied freedom of political communication is an implication from the democratic structure of the Constitution, that Parliaments (both Commonwealth and State) should not unduly restrict free speech on political issues. The High Court has thrown out a last-ditch legal challenge against laws that ban protesters from harassing patients and staff outside abortion clinics.
In a unanimous decision, the court rejected challenges by anti-abortion activists Kathleen Clubb and John Graham Preston against laws introduced in Victoria and Tasmania.
The Australian Christian Lobby’s managing director, Martyn Iles, said the decision meant an act of communication was met with an “extreme penalty”.
“This sets a very low bar when it comes to limiting the freedom to communicate on political matters,” he said.
Mr Iles described Ms Clubb’s activism as “heroic and commendable”.
New safe zones floated to protect terminally ill patients from anti-euthanasia protesters
Terminally ill patients could be protected by new safe access zones at hospitals to prevent harassment from activists protesting against voluntary euthanasia...
1 hr 51 min