In breaking news, politicians have gone nuts demanding protesters who flew Hezbollah flags be charged with criminal offences. Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist organisation but what does the law say about toting the infamous green and gold flag with an AK-47 on it. Politicians have sent the cops in but the likelihood of any convictions is not as obvious as many believe.

The Israeli cabinet approves the IDF to begin a "limited' ground incursion in southern Lebanon. History tells us the IDF will not want to get bogged down.

Sri Lanka has a new president who is promising to revive the island nation's economy while Austria shifts furth to the hard right.

In sport, the NRL grand final is upon us.

The Greens demand the government interfere with the independence of the the Reserve Bank and drop interest rates. HK Jack says it is legally possible but JTI says it is perhaps the Greens dumbest idea yet. Monetary policy should not be a political plaything.

In other news, the prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza diminishes to virtually nothing.

It's a huge week in sport. The biggest day of the AFL calendar is upon us and the Swans and the Lions face off. We will cheer on the Swans but we know just how good Brisbane can be. It's preliminary final week in the NRL with the two best sides in the comp - Melbourne and Penrith likely to make it to the grand final.

Listeners! This week we do a classic newsy segmenty episode where we kick off with a chat about pandemic management - former NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller looks back on how the pandemic may have been handled a little better. It was far from perfect. Did we learn any lessons though? Probably not.

We also look at the costs calamity facing Monica Smit, who kinda won her court case but still needs to pay costs to the state. Why? We have a crack at explaining the Caldebank rule.

In AV Update we look at Rob Schneider being a massive dickhead - aaaand

In SovCits we have a true FAFO moment where a free woman on the land discovers that magic words don't make kidnapping legal. Oh dear!

Pete is boring as hell and probably getting axed. Come on Pete! But he was in New Idea for some reason so we ran with that.

Enjoy!

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CBCo are still send me beer which means you need to keep buying them. But why the hell wouldn't you - they gave us a discount code! Use CRP10 at checkout to get 10% off their excellent beers.

If that isn't enough for you, go buy some CBCo Goldy tins and go to cbco.beer and you can enter an incredibly awesome prize where you go to some island on a helicopter and there is beer. The prize pool is something stupid like $120k. Go do that!

All of these things are possible at cbco.beer

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Also - this episode is edited using AI tools because I absolutely do not have time to do a proper edit. If you detect any horrific problems, please let me know through the usual channels.

Polling a week after the debate shows Kamala enjoyed a bounce.

In Australia, the AFP drive a wrecking ball through organised crime with a superb investigation.

In the UK the NHS, a public health system that was once the envy of the world is in disarray, requiring urgent attention from the Starmer government.

In sport, Man City's hearing begins in a veil of secrecy.

The Two Jacks analyse the debate. Harris clearly won and has got a boost in the polls but will it be sustained? Polling in many battleground states polling shows it neck and neck.

JTI thinks it will come down to Pennsylvania and if it stays blue, Harris will win the presidency.

In other news, the media's obsession with a hung parliament as a likely outcome of the next election is explored. JTI believes it unlikely while HK Jack points to polling showing two Teals looking at losing their seats but thinks a Coalition forming the next government is a fantasy.

JTI talks about his recent trip to the UK and how London's cars are pretty all much elejtric. In sport, it's finals time.

Good friend of the podcast Dave has been keeping an eye on a few things. While most cookerwatchers point and laugh from the sidelines (this is fair, they are very funny) Dave gets right into the thick of it - and helps keep an eye on when cookers cross over the funny/dangerous line.

If you don't already know him, he's an environmental activist from way back and knows almost bloody everyone in the movement. Unfortunately, some of these people have become rather sympathetic to cookers and have enabled their rather terrifying takeover of various LGAs, including his own in Cessnock.

Dave explains how the cookers took over council and we discuss what we should expect from the first ACTUAL COOKER MAYOR!

It's shit. Joel Jammal is involved. It's all so utterly cooked. But look on the bright side - these people can't even behave themselves at christmas lunch so the chance of them not getting sacked is minimal. Time will tell.

Also, MyPlace attempt to make an important documentary on a serious topic and just end up completely screwing it up. Won't post spoilers - but let's say cookers are an easy target for a con artist.

AND

FERGUS THE CAT which is very very funny. We also look back to one of Dave's first interactions with cookers in public. Not just cookers but the supermarket pest variety. Oh man, it's quite pathetic.

Jack's back and we will be in business soon - I am sending him smelling salts and meth to get him back in the swing of things.

Thanks for sticking around guys! Love yas!

It's part 2 of 3! Well, if we stay on track.

This one is about following the money! Spoiler alert - a lot of it came from the estate of dead rich white men whose nepo baby children have decided to perpetuate their parents shitty ideology and pretend that they deserve to be billionaires becuause 'the free market works'.

Tax the rich.

Enjoy!

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Also, of course cbco.beer has CRP10 as a promo code still - 10% - and they have free shipping so go buy some beers.

Get on The Dirt Unit wherever you get your podcasts. But also - just go here https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-dirt-unit/id1701913743

Brendan has an excellent project called 'earseed' and his new album 'revelations' is on all the usual streaming places. The video for the song 'Come To My Place' is really really funny and has tickled the pickle of Dazza and Penny actually liked it. Excellent. Here's the video:

https://fb.watch/sfZIjwNRYC/

Anything we promised would be in the show notes is probably not going to happen but feel free to hassle Brendan about anything you want in the shitposting group!

Jack's in England gallivanting around and spending fake money on things like Cricket and lager. So it makes total sense to bring it full circle and have our brilliant British mates from Some Dare Call It Conspiracy join Joel for a chat.

We discuss the last year or so with Brent's story becoming global news, and then we look at things that will make Neil upset. England's race riots, the US election and whether Andrew Tate's smooth bathers have a doodle in them.

And a bunch of other random stuff we fall into.

It was a great chat.

PS - BECAUSE THIS IS A CROSSOVER EPISODE THERE'S NO BEER PLUG BUT REMEMBER EVERY CBCO TIN YOU DON'T DRINK KILLS A FAIRY.

The discount code still works (I think) which is CRP10 at cbco.beer. Go buy a case! It's free shipping! The IPA is INCREDIBLE.

Oh and also, join the Some Dare patreon so the lads can quit their jobs and release more content. DO IT!