Clive Palmer's honesty

Clive and Anna Palmer

Clive Palmer said some things yesterday that make you wonder if he's delusional.  He's going to sue Rupert Murdoch for allowing one of his journalists to bag him in The Australian yesterday and he also said that Rupert's estranged wife, Wendy Deng is a Chinese spy.

Palmer is furious about an opinion piece by Hedley Thomas entitled Why we need to worry about the real Clive Palmer which reads:  Contrary to the flim-flam and spin, Clive Frederick Palmer is not a professor, not an adviser to the G20, not a mining magnate, not a legal guru and not an advocate for freedom of speech.  He's probably not a millionaire and he's a trillion-to-one chance of becoming Prime Minister on Saturday.  

The article continues.  "Is it delusional of Palmer to insist on everyday use of the title "professor" when he knows he does not have tertiary qualifications and that this honorary title gives him so much entitlement?  Is it delusional of him to insist that he has been elevated to the rank of "President of the World Economic Forum" and "Secretary-General of the World Leadership Alliance" and will be a key adviser to the G20 when in truth, he secured the titles by confidentially donating more than $500,000 to a cash-strapped and little-known Spanish think-tank that duly "appointed" him?

But releasing this information is a bit late because the Palmer United Party (PUP) is likely to win the sixth Queensland Senate seat tomorrow. Palmer has promised to increase the old age pension and a lot of grey nomads might be tempted to vote for him. But there's more.

Palmer made a bizarre statement about Rupert Murdoch's estranged wife Wendy Deng. "She's been spying on Rupert for years, giving money back to Chinese intelligence ..... she was trained in Southern China, Wendy Deng is a Chinese spy and that's why Rupert got rid of her" he said.  He also said some time ago that the CIA were funding the Australian Greens..

In 2010, Palmer spent $10 million on Christmas presents for 800 employees at his Townsville nickel refinery, including 55 Mercedes Benz and 700 overseas holidays.  Those who were given a car were chosen on performance, years of service, and input to a program that generated $16 million in savings.  Sixteen months before, Queensland Nickel was facing closure and losing $10 million a month but by Christmas 2010, it posted a profit of around $100 million.  So is he clever or lucky?

Clive Palmer is optimistic about his new political party's chances. "We're going to get a lot of Senate seats, we're going to get a lot of House of Reps seats, and we're going to change the country mate" he said.