tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post3508011412426982026..comments2023-12-06T00:23:28.790+11:00Comments on Press gallery reform: What went wrong?Andrew Elderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-87049276679232313772015-02-11T15:15:09.819+11:002015-02-11T15:15:09.819+11:00haha. Not my words, but damned funny!haha. Not my words, but damned funny!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07751752866267313598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-11518505460037790862015-02-11T01:48:55.759+11:002015-02-11T01:48:55.759+11:00I'm a progressive liberal from Victoria and th...I'm a progressive liberal from Victoria and these federal conservatives sicken me to the core.<br /><br />They're emulating the selfishness of the upper classes in Greece sadly.<br /><br />Not comparing the economy with Greece just to clarify my point<br /><br />They're in it for themselves and a media that's full of selfish careerist journalists who comply with the whole political game..<br /><br />It's quite disturbing what disgusting role models these people are to a younger generation of liberals<br /><br />It's so sad...we need change swiftly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-77030589782352866832015-02-11T00:48:51.564+11:002015-02-11T00:48:51.564+11:00On Monday Abbott fronted 7.30 on ABC - lots of usu...On Monday Abbott fronted 7.30 on ABC - lots of usual bluster, but nearly fell off chair when this bit of gold came out of Abbott's mouth, "We will address the big issues in a different way. We will socialise decisions before we finalise them, and that way we’re more likely to take the people with us.” Now years ago I studied modern European history & recall quite clearly a quote from old Adolf Himself along lines of, we need not socialise the factories as we will socialise the people themselves and bring them into our program. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not going all hyperbole and calling Abbott a national socialist by any means, and there is such thing as bad coincidence, but damn, the language was astounding in historical context, but sadly, it will slip by unnoticed in broader media despite being an, almost Phillipesque, gaffe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-46123713486468649032015-02-10T22:14:25.384+11:002015-02-10T22:14:25.384+11:00The article by Verrender is a good read, Anon.The article by Verrender is a good read, Anon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-45652081506755967522015-02-10T18:03:04.292+11:002015-02-10T18:03:04.292+11:00Ms Janet Albrechesten and company can all go and f...Ms Janet Albrechesten and company can all go and f....ck off as well for being a little nastier than Nikki Savva and playing such a stupid shallow game..<br /><br />Is she still writing to pay those private school fees as well until she manages to marry money bags Kroger??<br /><br />Seems like it Andrew!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-33541764607390180082015-02-10T15:46:19.745+11:002015-02-10T15:46:19.745+11:00Are you sure the Eichmann Defence is any more legi...Are you sure the Eichmann Defence is any more legitimate today than it was sixty years ago.<br /><br />I am really glad Andrew put the article up. I understand thatthey are under surveillance, but I am so sick of people of the sort he describes, who are not disempowered slaves to the cycle as they would claim, but manufacturers of it, refusing to allow the public out of the hoodwink time warp they've put them in to suit their masters and their own well-heeled selves.<br />pwAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-57636711670154587942015-02-10T12:28:37.461+11:002015-02-10T12:28:37.461+11:00"Secret sauces?" Was that intentional?"Secret sauces?" Was that intentional?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-7771556556006217372015-02-10T12:18:09.651+11:002015-02-10T12:18:09.651+11:00Let's face it Anon, Julia Gillard was almost t...Let's face it Anon, Julia Gillard was almost totally responsible for that "governing (of) the country very well.<br /><br />Such a pity the media didn't discover that. And they still won't acknowledge their mistake.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-48381545824318946832015-02-10T08:20:18.911+11:002015-02-10T08:20:18.911+11:00Was the MSM splashing in the shallows yesterday wi...Was the MSM splashing in the shallows yesterday with its coverage of the spill motion?<br /><br />It seems to me that there are murkier waters to explore.<br /><br />Abbott's personal failings aside, I suspect the result reflects the ideological rift within the Liberal party. The spill motion result was not so much about Abbott's leadership but an expression of unease about his replacement, whomever he or she may be.<br /><br />Did Malcolm fail to put himself forward as a leadership candidate because it could have opened the door for Scott Morrison?<br /><br />I have convinced myself that SM will oust TA. Two climate sceptics from WA bringing on spill motion to trigger a Turnbull Prime Ministership? Sounds far-fetched to me. Bishop? Doesn't fit either. Morrison? Well that is something to ponder. Malcolm must doubt his numbers not to have gone yesterday.<br /><br />Meanwhile today is the first day of good Abbott government, or words to that effect. Sounds a bit Rool Juliah to me.<br /><br />I hope we are all encouraged.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-83509543352130285822015-02-09T21:48:37.804+11:002015-02-09T21:48:37.804+11:00Anon...if that's the case then our media are a...Anon...if that's the case then our media are a bunch of real wankers..<br /><br />Seriously...<br />It's going to be very interesting when Ms Huffington opens her office here in Australia. <br /><br />Hope she fills a void that has already been lost in our m.s.m<br /><br />Nice job as alwaysAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-67482013108740080152015-02-09T18:35:39.499+11:002015-02-09T18:35:39.499+11:00I've always suspected with most journos it'...I've always suspected with most journos it's all about just doing the job and not the passion for it. I think they wanted Abbott in because he would be dangerous and unpredictable and therefore an easy source for the days copy. I mean look at disasters, earthquakes, tidal waves etc. it's all easy stuff, laid on, not much stress to do the days job.Same with Tony, Gillard was boring, after all she just got on with policy and boring stuff like running the country, hard for a journo to write about for the work of the day. Tony is much easier so they thought, so for their own selfish laziness to make their job easy, they made sure Abbott was elected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-40208814882848558982015-02-09T16:52:20.615+11:002015-02-09T16:52:20.615+11:00Whilst I agree with your assessment of press galle...Whilst I agree with your assessment of press gallery, these hacks are responsible for giving Abbott a free ride, the likes of Grattan spent fully two tears enthralled and encouraging Rudd's leaking and attacking of Gillard, all the while wilfully and negligently ignoring Abbott's small target policy approach. Rupert's braying cheerleaders need not even be mentioned. Indeed even now the press gallery won't just openly call out Abbotts' policies as nonsense and contrary: axing two top end taxes in an alleged budget crisis?, replacing the lost revenue with an inequitable low end austerity that can't possible make up the deficit?, ignoring vast swathes of Howard era corporate welfare drains? and on and on. It's contradictory and malevolent, the result of too many mixed promises to the various backers over at the IPA. However whilst the media is still negligent on calling out the contradictory debacle of Abbott's policy - you know, some analysis from a defined position, ideological or economic - I found this article refreshingly frank, it's well worth a read:<br /><br />http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-09/verrender-as-our-economy-suffers-cue-the-clowns/6078828<br /><br />Keep up the blogs, as when this all looks a bit too bleak I need an update hit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-64730239515084337102015-02-09T16:35:05.478+11:002015-02-09T16:35:05.478+11:00Final thought on Turnball, if Abbott is currently ...Final thought on Turnball, if Abbott is currently committed to Murdoch, then equally, wasn't Turnball just Packers' drone back in the day? Different days and horses, but what's the difference, two guys in shiny suits facilitating media moguls reach into your walletAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-82111796592629343572015-02-09T16:04:34.405+11:002015-02-09T16:04:34.405+11:00Totally agree with you re the 43rd Parliament, the...Totally agree with you re the 43rd Parliament, the Minority Government. Windsor and Oakeshott have both, in the time since then, discussed how hard working and organised it was. <br /><br />The idea that it was CHAOS was an MSM invention spooned fed by that psychopath Rudd and his small band of whiteants, with Abbott and his henchman fanning the flames happily.<br /><br /> And how the media loved it...it fed their bloodlust, their inflated sense of self importance and their misogyny all in one hit! We saw story after story from the MSM hacks, opining loftily on "leadership". Of course few of them had ever run so much as a chook raffle in a pub themselves, which made them look even more ridiculous.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07751752866267313598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-70602813959992570952015-02-09T15:43:09.097+11:002015-02-09T15:43:09.097+11:00yeah, bloody hell, it is simply nauseating (the me...yeah, bloody hell, it is simply nauseating (the media). I have had an absolute gutful of reading the crap of Kenny and the rest of them. While Murphy has improved at the Guardian she lost me when she wrote, with great gravitas and pretence, at the SMH:<br /><br />"Tony Abbott knows how to intuit the morality of symbolism".<br /><br />Need a bucket? I did.<br /><br />Read a great piece today which noted that:<br /><br />"A leadership crisis makes for good copy and it allows the all-news TV channels to flood the airwaves with blue-tie talking heads from dusk till dawn and then from dawn till dusk – (rinse and repeat).<br /><br />They really only have one thing to say, but it has to be said again and again by as many people as possible with spin (rinse and repeat) and with varying inflections.<br /><br />Then the tea leaves, the coffee grounds, the chicken entrails, the pigeon droppings and the contents of the ministerial chamberpots are pored over, poked at, sniffed, taste-tested, licked, chewed, sucked and spat out like so much cheap plonk at a Dan Murphy’s wine-tasting.<br /><br />But the audience (AKA, the punters, the voting public, the great unwashed) ends up being none the wiser.<br /><br />The men (and the few women) who get to pontificate, pronounce, denounce and define the terms of political debate are hunted down like so many fowl on the opening day of duck season.<br /><br />Reporters can be seen scrambling over the corpses to get the “exclusive”; they fondle their phones like they are talismans of truthiness and they can’t wait to tell us about their secret sauces who are telling them (and them alone, rinse and repeat) how it will all go down behind closed doors.<br /><br />Unfortunately, most of them are intellectual pygmies with more ambition than brains.<br /><br />For them it is the chase and the story, not the substance that matters..."<br /><br />HOW APTLY PUT! Tbh, I can't stomach one more word of it, so am doing an MSM free zone for a few days. Not that that will be long enough, this stuff is guaranteed to go on well into the future. Polls every 5 minutes highjacking process, media and politicians hanging off every nuance.<br /><br />One aspect that I have been thinking about a lot recently(may have commented on it in one of your earlier blogs, not sure). And that is the fact that the Libs made the same mistake with Abbott as the ALP did with Rudd: they elected a leader who was able to win an election, but simply does NOT have the character or capacity to make it as a PM. The modus operandi for winning the election may have been different that that of Rudd, but some of the behaviours in office have been quite similar (espec failure to consult, announcing unilaterally decided policy on the run etc etc)<br /><br />Tony Abbott SHOULD never be PM, that is for sure.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07751752866267313598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-75630168103083256072015-02-09T14:30:08.007+11:002015-02-09T14:30:08.007+11:00Agreed.
Abbott was as good an opposition leader a...Agreed.<br /><br />Abbott was as good an opposition leader as the media reporting on him were terrible. I can't remember an opposition leader having such a dream run - and having that arch turd Rudd happily aiding and abetting. <br /><br />mattoxicnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-89849893257155417512015-02-09T13:26:46.318+11:002015-02-09T13:26:46.318+11:00Another good comment on another excellent piece. I...Another good comment on another excellent piece. I dream of the day the Lachlan & Andrew combine in another place that we can all access. rhwombathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12965197378050915417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-89992099581275874752015-02-09T12:31:26.054+11:002015-02-09T12:31:26.054+11:00The Labor Minority govt. did their job of governin...The Labor Minority govt. did their job of governing the country very well, I thought. And there are a lot of people onside about this. Thus the idea of the chaos of the previous govt. is distorted truth, much of it founded on sheer lies, that we hear over and over again. I am disappointed to be hearing it here. <br /><br />The chaos started with Abbott winning opposition leader position. Rudd went down to it, and Gillard took over to save Labor at the next election. Then it seems Rudd got drawn in to the chaos and angst too. Two blokes trashing against her is what happened, although Abbott did the most for most of the time, in case you hadn't noticed. <br /><br />Some men have a a tragic flaw in that they will irresistibly follow some guy who is doing the wrong thing. It was certainly not the fairest of circumstance for Julia even though she had good support beside her. Yet the Minority govt. did a very good job.<br />In the good support beside her were many men as well as lots of women. They did not look like chaotic types to me. Windsor, Oakeshott and Brown come to mind. Thus I will continue to argue that the previous Labor govt with minority support was probably the least chaotic govt. we have ever had. The trouble was all the noise and hype from outside. In Tony Abbott's case it was "one bad ego spoils them all". This is what we are still suffering from, chaos driven by Tony Abbott, and the really dumb delusion that the Labor Minority Govt. was chaos. It was not!<br /><br />Look at how another one is popping up in QLD. Must be good. LOLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-13448475770433620162015-02-09T11:17:53.756+11:002015-02-09T11:17:53.756+11:00First off, I think you are a bit soft on Savva, Ba...First off, I think you are a bit soft on Savva, Baird and Murphy. More to the point, there probably needs to be some analysis of the claim that Abbott was a fantastic opposition leader. I believe there were two opposition leaders and Abbott was the recipient of all the hard work Rudd did against Gillard. Rudd and Lathams strength was they both wanted to win, only Rudd was a bit more presentable, Abbott was the same.Costello, Beazley and Crean all probably wanted to do a good job but all wanted it handed to them. Abbott and Rudd seemed to have been only focussed on getting there and therefore have no clue as to what to do once they are there. The fact that clowns like these get to the top is an indictment on the system and the voters. Thank god the voters have the opportunity to correct their mistakes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-7121002828622699822015-02-09T11:08:56.310+11:002015-02-09T11:08:56.310+11:00Excellent piece Andrew.
However how many of these...Excellent piece Andrew.<br /><br />However how many of these hacks you so gleefully kick have any choice? Sure, they could actually do some work but where would it get them? I can't imagine any of Merde-ochs minions saying anything against the Boss' line and surviving. <br /><br />Who among them have the courage to even try? Should we blame them for being bullied?<br /><br />It seems to me that only the on-line media can be relied upon for reasonable analysis and even so, one has to be very careful where you look.<br /><br />Here is a good place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-79861204304661605522015-02-09T08:06:44.917+11:002015-02-09T08:06:44.917+11:00There have extraordinary statements from Teresa Ga...There have extraordinary statements from Teresa Gambaro and Cory Bernardi this morning regarding dissatisfaction with Turnball and intimidating and threatening behaviour from the p.m's own office..<br /><br />Ms Credlin has handled the attack dog in a very extreme way<br /><br />Katherine Murphys piece on the neo-liberal machine was excellent...<br /><br />Your predictions were correct all along<br /><br />Hope you have that smug look on your face in the next couple of daysAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-10814747297032319462015-02-09T06:10:43.961+11:002015-02-09T06:10:43.961+11:00I cannot understand why anyone expected Abbott to ...I cannot understand why anyone expected Abbott to turn out any different. It was obvious during his time as Opposition leader.<br /><br />The only surprise I got, was that is showed up so early. Not even I thought he could be so bad.<br /><br />Listening to this morning news, it appears, he is only waking up to the fact he is in dire trouble. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-28451804603007611862015-02-09T03:04:13.006+11:002015-02-09T03:04:13.006+11:00I suspect Sinodinos is at the core of the spill, d...I suspect Sinodinos is at the core of the spill, doing Howard's work to save the furniture and force Morrison into the job at some point in the near future. It's all played out too well to just be some spontaneous backbench revolt.Eminence Grisenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-66277702371726135112015-02-09T03:01:14.527+11:002015-02-09T03:01:14.527+11:00As usual an incisive well reasoned argument and in...As usual an incisive well reasoned argument and indictment of the msm, which, with a very few exceptions, rolled over and played dead from 2009 until now, and they'd still be doing so if the government they endorsed so blithely hadn't exposed itself so quickly and so completely with the budget.<br /><br />I don't believe that they had no idea what an Abbott government would do, or try to do. After all they knew Liesalot reported to NewsCorpse every week to get his orders from the wizened foreigner; they probably ran into him on THEIR way to get their orders. They had to know, because we all knew.<br /><br />I also don't believe Murphy's sloppy sentimental pap. Her version of Abbott has never existed; he's always been a pugnacious Tea party warrior, who believes that the rich should be rewarded from public funds and the poor, disadvantaged and disabled have brought it on themselves and should be punished accordingly.<br /><br />And now he's finished Howard's job of removing moderates and anyone with talent and a heart and the Liberal Party is stocked with people like the repulsive 'scum and serial rorters like Abbott himself.<br /><br />The msm could have scrutinised what is laughingly called the "Liberal" Party and informed the public honestly what their agenda is, but instead chose to look the other way on their path to irrelevance.<br /><br />And you're right on the money about Turnbull. He has shown that he is as shallow, insincere and lacking in principles as the creature who replaced him.<br /><br />If he does beat Abbott by some miracle, they'll hardly notice the difference. <br />janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16644335830673725842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-79500294991567545842015-02-09T01:45:22.035+11:002015-02-09T01:45:22.035+11:00Schadengasm.
And as someone who has worked in the...Schadengasm.<br /><br />And as someone who has worked in the belly of the beast, Andrew's line should be a rallying cry: "We are entitled to be told how we are governed. "<br /><br />For we very seldom are. How many people do you know who could, off their own bat, organise to get their local park mowed, or a piece of public street furniture repaired?<br /><br />This stuff belongs to all of us, but we don't know how it works! No wonder people can steal your mineral wealth of you and your children and get away with it. We have learnt to be hopeless in the face of real power, such as an employer, a church, a council, an electricity or phone company. Companies that our parents used to own. Companies whose goodwill was built up by our parent's and grandparent's taxes. Did we get a fair return? We are now paying for something we used to own. Qui Bono: Who benefits?<br /><br />Anyway. El Gibbs, whom some of you may know as Blunt Shovels on the Twittergram, wrote an award winning piece about my hometown. It slices and dices received wisdom on domain,co, sorry....housing. This piece shows that writing about policy can be gripping and sexy. Didn't <i>The Wire</i> teach us that?<br /><br />So what do we do? Follow the Student Politicians into a western Sydney approximation of contemporary Baltimore? Better call Saul.<br /><br />You wanna read some real write? Up there like Elder? Check this out: <a href="http://insidestory.org.au/a-place-to-call-home" rel="nofollow">http://insidestory.org.au/a-place-to-call-home.</a><br /><br />I particularly liked this quote from a Commonwealth government report from 1945:<i> "...a dwelling of good standard and equipment is not only the need but the right of every citizen – whether the dwelling is to be rented or purchased, no tenant or purchaser should be exploited for excessive profit.” </i><br /><br />Radical, huh?Lachlan Ridgenoreply@blogger.com