But settlers themselves tend to justify their takeover of Palestinian land in the West Bank on the grounds of an assertion of sovereignty, based in the Bible, rather than any immediate security threats emanating from any particular village.

I'm becoming more convinced that Israel has no right to exist at all. They're invaders with a 'mandate' from some stone age fiction. Give it back to the people that have lived there for thousands of years.

I'm on a list now, aren't I?

What I can't figure out is why Albanese's behaving as if he doesn't want Labor to win the next federal election. All he has to do is listen to people (or even actually interact with his Twitter account occasionally, instead of handing down proclamations from on high).

No, talking to that Kyle fuckwit on the radio wasn't enough.

Here's a few ideas about what could be:

The vast majority of Australians are horrified by the genocide? Don't support the country that's engaging in genocide in any way, shape, or form.

The cost of cigarettes making smokers buy black market supplies, which never diminish, no matter how many raids and arrests there are? In addition to the government losing billions in sin tax revenue to the black market? Drop the ridiculous tax down to reasonable levels. Let adults decide what they want to do with their own bodies, including smoking, vaping/flavoured juice/vaporiser power levels, alcohol and weed.

US president a fucking lunatic, and pushing us towards war with China (just like majority media owner Murdoch) so a handful of arseholes can get rich selling weapons at the cost of human lives? Find 'the mongrel' you used to be, Albanese, and tell US warmongers like Trump and Hegseth to piss off. They haven't done shit for us in over 70 years, but they've pulled us into plenty of it. Lot of other countries we can ally with. Get into some of that sweet, sweet EU/Canada action before it's too late!

I don't give a fuck if most politicians own 12 investment properties and will lose money if housing costs come down, and availability increases. Throw incentives at trade courses, get people trained up and building houses ASAP. We're not stupid; we know Morrison defunded TAFE so there'd be less in the way of qualified tradies building houses, meaning Labor (but, really, the Australian people) would have to deal with it. Kick doing something about it into high gear!

The LNP also ramped up the anti-immigration thing, too. We need qualified workers to build stuff, look after people, etc. But we don't have enough due to Morrison defunding education (or increasing fees on it). So we import people to do the work. Then the LNP, PHON, Murdoch Media, neo-nazis, etc have someone convenient to blame their woes on.

If the LNP get back in, they'll put everyone receiving any type of government payment on Twiggy's arsecard, meaning the government decides what those people can spend 90% of their income on. Sorry, your Nan can only shop at government-approved stores, not the small local discount store where she can find things at a better price for her meagre pension.

If the LNP get back in, we'll all cop it in the neck. They haven't changed since Morrison, and Dutton, and we all remember what a shitshow those shitheads were.

And don't even get me started on PHON. How shit a job is Labor doing if more people are looking at that wrinkled, bigoted slag as a legitimate alternative? She's associated with neo-nazis, for fuck sake!

Easiest advice for any politician? Be less like Trump, and more like Mamdani.

Labor? Start listening to - and acting on - what the people actually want.

Let's see if what our govt purports to do instead is in any way effective. In the meantime, the slaughter continues in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and, and...

We can see who must pay the bills.