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Prime Minister Tony Abbott, seated beside UN Women's Donelle Wheeler, greets Opposition Leader Bill Shorten during the International Women's Day parliamentary breakfast. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has urged ''progressives'' to cast politics aside and embrace the Coalition's paid parental leave scheme as a watershed moment for feminism in Australia.

Mr Abbott spoke about his own conversion to paid parental leave at an International Women's Day breakfast in Canberra on Tuesday, comparing it to US President Nixon's historic 1972 visit to communist China.

''I believe a fair dinkum paid parental leave scheme is an idea whose time has come,'' Mr Abbott said. "Just imagine if a progressive had come up with this idea. The usual suspects would have been cheering and saying: 'About time.'

But because a conservative has come up with this idea so many people are saying there must be something wrong with it.

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"Let's drop this silly guilt by association and let's get on with something which is unambiguously good for the women of our country, for the families of our country and for the economy of our country."

Mr Abbott said he opposed paid parental leave as a minister in the Howard government but his views changed after considering what would be best for his three daughters.

''It is a little disconcerting when a conservative, when a traditionalist such as myself, comes up with something which is not regarded as a conservative and a traditional position,'' he said.

"It is a bit like when Nixon went to China, conservatives thought: 'My God, has he suddenly abandoned the faith?'" he said. "Progressives thought: 'My God, is China no longer a progressive country?' The truth is this was a historic breakthrough. This was one of those moments when people from all sides of politics needed to realise that a watershed had been reached.''

Originally posted here:

Tony Abbott compares his change of heart on paid parental leave to Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to communist China

The seats of All Progressives Congress members in the House of Representatives, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, came under threat on Monday when an Abuja Federal High Court ruling that they could not validly function as members of the House because their defection was unconstitutional.

Consequently, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in his judgment in a suit filed by the PDP after the defection of 42 of its lawmakers initially gave the APC a majority in the House of Representatives, declared that the defected legislators were not competent to sponsor, contribute or vote on any motion calling for a change in the leadership of the House, including the election of principal officers.

Justice Ademola also made an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defected lawmakers from taking any step to alter the leadership of the House of Representatives.

Interestingly, the judge suggested that the 42 lawmakers should honourably relinquish their seats because, according to him, they have no business in the National Assembly, but he did not order them to vacate their seats as the suit filed by the PDP did not ask for such a relief.

Following the defection of the lawmakers to the APC, PDP had approached the court, asking that the legislators should be restrained from altering or changing the leadership of the House, or taking any steps to do so.

PDP, through its lawyer, Yunus Usman, SAN, argued that the defection of the lawmakers was unconstitutional, as it did not comply with the provisions of section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which qualifies elected public office holders to defect to another political party and retain their seats in situations where there is division within political parties.

The ruling party insisted that there was no division within its ranks to warrant the lawmakers from defecting and continuing to hold on to their seats, but the APC legislators, who were listed as the 12th to 53rd defendants in the suit, argued that there was a division in the PDP.

Delivering judgment in the matter, Justice Ademola noted that the verdict was informed by the courts interpretation of section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution, which read, 68 (1) A member of the Senate or the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if

(g) Being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected; provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.

The judge said, The above constitutional provision is clear and unambiguous and must be given its literal meaning.

The rest is here:

Reps defection to APC unconstitutional -Court

The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has dismissed the claim of former Governor Ayo Fayose that he was responsible for the victory Of Dr. Kayode Fayemi as the governor of the state.

The chairman of the APC in the state, Chief Jide Awe, said this in an interview with our correspondent in his response to the recent claims made by Fayose who recently emerged the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Awe said Fayose was free to say anything but he stated that the former governor who he said was impeached and removed on the allegation of fraud would suffer another heavy defeat in the governorship election.

The chairman said Fayemi who contested on the platform of the defunct Action Congress had won the election of April 14, 2007 before he was denied victory by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Awe said, It is amusing that everybody is claiming to bring Fayemi into power. Talk is cheap, they are free to talk but we know that politician can make empty boast but the ultimate power lies with the electorate.

It is funny that somebody who could not retain himself in power but was chased out of the Government House is now claiming that he brought Fayemi into power.

If wishes were horse beggars would not only ride they would buy as many but we will wait till after the election. His defeat this time will be more than what he suffered when he contested the senatorial election in 2011.

Meanwhile, a group known as Ekiti Good Governance Group has said that former Governor Ayo Fayose will be forced to disown the statement he just made on Fayemi.

The EGGG said this in a statement made available to our correspondent on Sunday by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Ojo.

According to EGGG, Fayose who could not make himself a senator in 2011 would not have claimed that he made anyone a governor if he was in touch with the reality of defeat that stares him in the face in the June 21 election.

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APC dismisses Fayoses claim over Fayemis victory

How To Tell Political Hacks From Real Progressives Conservatives
FB hack get it here - http://goo.gl/Z7wsGH.

By: Natali Gostjeva

Link:

How To Tell Political Hacks From Real Progressives & Conservatives - Video

Why Progressives Should Read Crime Fiction - Author Ken Wishnia Explains
Author Kenneth Wishnia discusses why progressives should read crime fiction, including his new novel, Red House. Read about it here http://www.alternet.org/n...

By: Matthew Filipowicz

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Why Progressives Should Read Crime Fiction - Author Ken Wishnia Explains - Video