Loose cannons

Best practice politics

Overheard at a Melbourne polling booth on the day of the federal election: 1st ALPer: "You don't want to vote for the Liberals. They lie all the time." Heckler: "What about the Labor Party?" 2nd ALPer: "We don't lie as much."

Consider and reject

"Mr [Graeme] Samuel [president of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry] said business supported the Government's planned $8 billion in spending cuts and urged the Government to also consider savings by cutting business concessions." — AAP report in the April 8 Newcastle Herald.

Unappreciated

"[ACTU secretary Bill Kelty] is ... annoyed that the Coalition gives him no credit for having kept wage demands in check and helping to create a favourable climate for company profits." — Sydney Morning Herald, April 12.

Optimist

"Why are they worried about this one? A bomb never hits twice in the same place." — Andrei Shatsman, a shift supervisor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

Questions, questions

"Now my children and grandchildren ask me, 'What the hell did you do that for? You covered the whole of our country with shit.'" — Ukrainian scientist Dr Eduard Pazukhin, who formerly built nuclear weapons, now working with Chernobyl's exploded reactor.

On Earth, for example

"Do you think we are that crazy to put a nuclear plant in a dangerous place?" — Indonesian Ambassador Wiryono Sastrohandoyo, trying to calm fears about his government's nuclear plans.

From GLW issue 227