Mood:
party time!Topic: election Oz 2007
Author’s general introductory note (skip this if you know this regular weekly column):
This is not a well packaged story. It’s a contemporaneous traverse of the Sunday television free to air political talkies indicating the agenda of Establishment interests: Better to know ones rivals and allies in Big Politics and Big Media.
Indeed it’s the tv version monitoring task similar to what Nelson Mandela refers to here in his book Long Walk to Freedom (1994, Abacus) written in Robben Island prison (where he was meant to die like other African resister chiefs of history in the 19C), at page 208
“..newspapers are only a shadow of reality; their information is important to a freedom fighter not because it reveals the truth, but because it discloses the biases and perceptions of both those who produce the paper and those who read it.”
Just substitute ‘Sunday tv political talkie shows’ for "newspapers" in the quote above.
For actual transcripts go to web sites quoted below except with Riley Diary on 7. And note transcripts don’t really give you the image content value.
Media backgrounder
[under construction]
- Crime frontages in the press as per much of this week crueling the govt PR message on economy and tax but still punching through to a small degree, the high water mark?
- Rudd very likely to win the debate on visuals alone.
- SMH web page reformulation is whacko, not loading last 3 days.
- Ramsey continues to play his role with own prose instead of playing the 'ageing frustrated editor too big for the game of reporting' which is not his job title, for better or worse. If you want to be an editor Alan, start your own media company.
- Background Briefing investigative journalism clash with Sunday Talkies repeats here.
- David Penberthy lives Rupert's dictum - listen to the editor/journalists - I'm agnostic. Penberthy signals early no free rides or favourites. Margaret Simmons at Crikey says she agrees. If anything the broadsheets are doing more spin.
- Akerman deleted from Saturday edition of Sydney Telegraph with Gary Linnel lead story fairly friendly to Rudd re Penrith based battlers, appears in Sydney SunTelegraph but shallow negative carping almost as if he doesn't have faith in Howard anymore - a man with daughters who can't come at the execrable Exclusive Brethren that Howard staunchly defends. Even Akerman has some standards of public morality regarding business/cult slavery of girls?
- Shari Markson honourable mentions for insightful knowing reports of major party personnel last Sunday and this Sunday Telegraph.
- notable themes - Rudd as Robin Hood friendly with tax cuts and lap tops.
- Ride t o work day got a fair to good coverage in Sydney both paid and free media.
- NSW ALP bleeding constantly on health services.
- Maxine McKew in Been A Long Time, visuals in press today and abc tv last night (missed 7 and 9) were good neutralisers of John Howard on his home turf at Granny Smith festival,
- sleeping giant of carers with own micro party but 1M plus sympathetic supporters
- fossil fool stooge media still running their agenda especially the Daily Telegraph Wednesday and Saturday opinion pages.
[to be continued, links etc]
10 Meet the Press
Footage of big tax launch, Rudd response with lap top as ‘toolbox’.
Notes crime story press frontage. (Sydney) Sun Herald (?) reports [strong] Rudd sacking Qld ‘thug’. Only one debate makes tricky. South Africa rugby story.
Talent is Deputy Opp Julia Gillard, looks to have been working hard. Her voice is a little sharp and whiney which might be tiredness but comes across as cutting glass. Similar to those satellite phone crosses onto abc radio being scratchy.
Answers are very strong logic and lawyerly. Quite clearly a serious intellect. Loyal.
PB interrupts flow of rhetoric as a bit dry. Is she humourless in this interview, and is that the achiles heel.
Gavin OConnor (related to Michael Oconnor union thug!?) sledges ALP. Notes GO supports Kevin Rudd for PM.
Poor old Mal Turnbull spins some kids out of seat not too serious, unintentional, but a damn fine metaphor for failure of Coalition on climate change future … for kids.
First adbreak IR pro union ad re Cochlear, very profitable medical company. Shares info service then 3rd advert is the very funny jarring Get Up attack satire on Govt climate change policy.
Panel: Maria Hawthorne AAP, Brad Norrington now at The Australian.
Anti business adverts of unionists. – Costello footage attacking Socialist Forum remnants of the CP.Debating Society response merged with Fabian Society. Intellectual activity. Costello projecting his own ideological character by identifying her history. Likely balances out, and also likely true.
BN goes into the real detail of the SF as part of the Labor Party left. She sounds disingenuous to me, a factional splinter, but just as convincing that it long gone history, she is a self interested power politician. Irrelevant she says but she laughs a little nervously.
MH asks a tough question re satirical pro union question to roll Kevin Rudd. Refers to Bob Hawke.
BN – Shane Guley case shows too much union influence on the ALP. Govt has a case. JG argues still a good balance.
Myspace question re WorkPlace Agreements might discourage overseas workers coming to Australia.
Joe Hockey declined to appear with Julia Gillard.
Nicholson animation about mee tooism tactics – very amusing but also revealing Rudd in a brutal ruthless light willing to do anything – just like Howard [echoes coming through of don’t like any of them sentiment we read and hear.]
Greens advert with Bob Brown, very good with online debate www.greenaction.org.au (echoes my private network foundation name “ecologyactionsydney” at http:///cpppcltrust.com/ecologyactionsydney
2nd talent is Lyn Allison, good advert with young relative of Don Chipp for Aus Democrats.
MH – which tax package? Real issue is bracket creep and don’t index, churn point at elections well made re thresholds. Better services investment point.
BN – balance of power question, moderate answer negotiate influence. LA looking elder statesperson like and appealing, as does Bob Brown. What a pity they aren’t PM and deputy.
Real place for our party, Greens not interested in negotiating. Look at our record. Not extremist, real solutions.
PB on access to debate – very leading and valid question – LA sounds good and asset value to our democracy, points out debate will ignore climate and some other matters and obsess about tax.
Out take has serious journos seriously chatting with Lyn Allison. Almost makes me want to join their party – willing to negotiate with the Government is a good point. Which means they are capable of listening to diverse views and synthesise which is not a very good trait of the pioneering Greens thought they balance this with guts and grassroots action and idealism.
Transcript in due course www.ten.com.au/meetthepress , www.myspace.com/meetthepeople
7 Weekend Sunrise, 8.35-40 am Riley Diary -
Good original footage of the campaign trail, Wacky Races cartoon theme. Cute footage toe to toe friendly joshing with Peter Costello and Mark Riley. Worm jokes. Dog jokes, Mutley.
Amusing segue to Q&A. 4 items of gravity … health education climate change and work choices.
Awarded 1st week to the coalition. Rudd pulled back ground with own tax policy. Next 5 weeks health education climate change and work choices.
“All for democracy, we are not getting that” is the profound spontaneous quote of classy Mark Riley. A man with some real guts.
http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend
7 Weekend Sunrise, 8.35-40 am Riley Diary -
Good original footage of the campaign trail, Wacky Races cartoon theme. Cute footage toe to toe friendly joshing with Peter Costello and Mark Riley. Worm jokes. Dog jokes, Mutley.
Amusing segue to Q&A. 4 items of gravity … health education climate change and work choices.
Awarded 1st week to the coalition. Rudd pulled back ground with own tax policy. Next 5 weeks health education climate change and work choices.
“All for democracy, we are not getting that” is the profound spontaneous quote of classy Mark Riley. A man with some real guts.
http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend
Insiders 2
Tax intro, Govt small improve in polls. Costello is talent – 91% identical copy by ALP. Can complain difference. Left out key reform elements.
Says when PC and Howard not there, who will they copy? Eye glazing threshold and distributional table information. Technical argument – about how the machine works best.
Costello clownish ridicule and glass eye with tired mask – not very credible leadership image. More vaudeville characterization – no wonder he is not preferred – seeing national politics as a game when peoples lives are in the balance. Sad stuff really. At least the ALP economics team are honest tryers who will learn and improve, not gotcha merchants?
Costello is sounding sulky. Cassidy debates, and cut in on each other.
Interest rates – Costello claims virtue of independent structure, won’t speculate re rise 3 weeks out.
Unions role essentially over? No, be voluntary. 50% unionization under Hawke, 15% now in private sector.
Union history of front bench of ALP. Errors in govt advert shows ideology of the attack?
Long long interview but still quite good tv, Costello fudges Dick Pratt corporate criminal as president of Carlton football club.
Panel of heavy politik reporters Fran Kelly, Mal Farr, Andrew Bolt.
Home page is http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/
Sunday 9
Advert – worm returns on 60 Minutes. Yeah.
Qld marginals feature to come.
Interview Laurie Oakes with Shadow Treasurer Wayne Swan. Union member never an official.
Great interview really, some needle but mostly collaborative tone in the sense of getting the information across like
- 2005 policy to flatten tax structure so 2/3 of Costello tax package last Monday was ‘copy’ but wisely WS won’t get into school yard squabble.
- Not a fist full of dollars like the govt to make incentive [but airbrushes the real politik of imperative to avoid winners/losers upward envy attack as per schools funding debate in 2004]
- Goes quite smoothly on diverse aspects, but Swan still presents overloaded rhetoric. Need to take seriously he is Australian Treasurer with gravitas and distinguish with Costello ideological rubbish, yet maintain that fast minded capacity for riposte. Only stick to substance not cheap rhetoric – stable, steady, logical is the vibe people need in treasury.
- Head to head with Paul Kelly on Insiders, and Andrew OKeefe on 7 on the Kokoda Track (found very nostalgic and moving “carnival of green” exactly right poetry there AK).
Feature on ‘deep/forgotten North’ rare 3 cornered contest in Leichhardt.. Untenable for Katter to stay in a major party “as a human being”.Talk about combantrin de worming approach.
Ethanol politiks – environmentally arguable as per that West Wing episode, Brazil being doing it for 30 years, as well as destruction of the Amazon.
- Second feature on seat of Moreton in Brisbane with Liberal Gary Hardgrave. Conservative vox pops. Undercurrent of Hansonism re West African refugee restriction.
- Seat of Blair. Transport issues. Goodna bypass unity ticket with State Liberals.
- damning vox pops in Mal Brough's seat but loyal to him, not Howard. How resolute to vote for Kevin in these other seats?
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/default.asp
