Mood:  party time!

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 3^rd 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

2^nd 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

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 1^st week to the coalition. Rudd pulled back ground with own tax policy. Next 5 weeks health education climate change and work choices.

http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend

Posted by editor at 10:35 AM NZT

Updated: Sunday, 21 October 2007 12:36 PM NZT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Mood:  incredulous

John Howard is doing grassroots electioneering at the Granny Smith Festival based around the Field of Mars, now known as Marsfield/Eastwood area of Northern Sydney.

This writer has distant relatives from the Eric McLoughlin side of the family based in Eastwood so we wonder about attending. But duty calls in the Blue Mountains this temperate Saturday, forecast for 23 degrees on the coast.

But what most alarms us is the family and social dimension celebrating a famous Granny Smith variety of apple and female agriculturalist pioneer Maria Ann Sherwood, in the area, led by PM John Howard who also just happens to support the ultra right wing stifling oppressive Exclusive Brethren.

Here is a description of Granny Smith from Ryde Local Council website:

"He interviewed local fruit-grower Edwin Small who recalled that in 1868 he and his father had been invited by Maria to examine a seedling apple growing by a creek on her farm. She explained that the seedling had developed from the remains of some French crab apples grown in Tasmania. The Granny Smith is today recognised as a fixed mutation or 'sport'."

Such an initiative is not what you get when you brainwash female children and keep them cocooned away from modern educational technology in case they get ideas and become harder to control in a quasi slave business/religous cult.

Take for instance the remarkable 108 year old YouTube Star, Olive who embraces the modern technology denied Australian female citizens in the so called 'lawful' Exclusive Brethren, who have their base in the boundaries of the seat of Bennelong and the blessing of current PM John Howard, and implicated in electoral fraud.

That to us is appalling hypocrisy. Howard would never allow his own daugher and qualified lawyer Melanie Howard to be oppressed the way his barrackers in the Exclusive Brethren actively do.

Granny Smith may well be rolling in her grave, and Olive too would be disgusted if she could be bothered. It is exactly this kind of subtle double standard that causes colleagues and enemies alike to refer to John Howard as a cunning "rodent".

We simply say this ultra right PM is not fit to govern for actively colluding in the systemitised oppression of young Australian women in the Exclusive Brethren cult.

Much like PM Howard wants to be mates with big donor Dick Pratt while many see him as a confessed corporate criminal who should be in gaol. And just like John Howard says he is a climate change realist while actively sabotaging the Kyoto protocol, just as he delivers bucketloads of extinguishment of native title but supports reconciliation. As if.

If the Big Media allow Howard to be re elected it will be a shameful tragedy for this country.

Posted by editor at 10:45 AM NZT

Updated: Saturday, 20 October 2007 11:31 AM NZT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Mood:  sad

1. Speed up the process of the visa, on highly humanitarian basis Or,  Grant them humanitarian visa instead of parents visa.

2- Issue them a photo ID to enable them to move more freely and comfortably.

3- Allow them to access Medicare services (on humanitarian grounds) and other basic settlements services (English classess...).

Posted by editor at 1:53 PM NZT

Updated: Friday, 19 October 2007 2:02 PM NZT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Mood:  mischievious

 

As our letter published on crikey.com.au earlier this year pointed out, union membership may be down, but unions are like doctors who you hope will put themselves out of business for preventative good health. But as we know doctors remain in demand. In the parallel union case if we had a preventative fair industrial relations structure unions would be redundant too, yet they remain in demand and as we also know workers do still get ripped off.

Membership of 17% in unions is hardly the end of the matter. We are nominal member of the leftish Australian Services Union. We abhor the right wing logger union. We notice plenty of free riders on the historical value of unions.

But we thank God and the Australian democracy and the ACTU's former secretary now candidate Greg Combet, activist Bernie Bantam and union lawyers for forcing both sides of politics, the legal industry and parliaments state and federal to address the industrial mass murder of asbestos victims.

Asbestos that roofs some old huts at the Addison Rd Community Centre today in Marrickville, that was an immigrant centre before that, and a Vietnam War marshalling barracks before that, and a WW2 base before that. That's in most buildings built before perhaps 1980.

Left, right, brown, green, young, old, boss, and worker all exposed to the dangerous stuff, and still today but with much greater care and management. 

Rudd is already on record pointing to the asbestos precedent. We point to the silver lining of reform of national defamation laws: Opposed for quite a while by Phillip Ruddock as federal AG, forced to it by NSW AG Bob Debus, in turn forced to it by the NSW Labor Council in their targetting of James Hardie corporation, after Bob Carr's stupid govt waved through JH fraudulent offshoring through a NSW Supreme Court proceedings.

That was the union structure at their best, when things were at their worst for all Australians. 

Say it long and loud: If unions didn't exist it would be necessary to invent them. We sledge union bosses here at times, we love them too in regular measure.  

As Senator Penny Wong, who we met once in Kim Yeadon's office as Forest Minister in NSW in the mid 90ies, might have said in her otherwise smooth compelling interview with Fran Kelly just now - unionism as a smear is a deceptive half truth. We also lobbied now Shadow Minister Wong 12 years agon on unauthorised logging in the identified Deua Wilderness on the NSW South Coast in breach of the ALP 1995 election platform. She took that on board as we recall it.

A half truth, just like James Hardie are guilty as sin of industrial mass murder, but also supported by those same union enemies to trade on and as successfully as possible ... to secure that $4B welfare fund for victims.

Howard/Costello half truths are not a good way to run a country, so let's hear them praise the role of the unions on asbestos. That would be sound leadership, election phase or not. Nor is it sufficient for Costello to denounce Carr on the James Hardie corporate restructure legal trickery. Costello must denounce James Hardie in his own corporate cheer squad if he is to have credibility on other matters like the role of unionism, which to us is akin to the Aussie value of mateship only formalised. It's real moral leadership when you know it's your mates who have done wrong, and that goes for both union or business.

So how many of the Rudd election line up are from diverse walks of life too? That would be a measured characterisation, not least the leader who demands the right to appoint his cabinet, unlike previous situations.

And on the timing of this approach of the Howard Costello election team - their tax policy demand was due midday today Wednesday, a bluff turned to fluff, so they've turned literally vaudeville to mask that big climb down.

An ALP election tax policy is said to be essential to a proposed debate on pay tv, not free to air networks so far, this Sunday 21st October 07. I wonder if Rudd will send that kid from the ALP aligned Climate Institute advert to the debate on Sunday as his proxy until we get 3 fair dinkum debates in true democratic tradition? The innocent kid's accussing eyes would be some juxtaposition, and devastating tv, but hard to imagine 90 minutes worth.

Posted by editor at 9:46 AM NZT

Updated: Thursday, 18 October 2007 11:30 AM NZT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Mood:  chatty

Picture: Moir in the Herald today reprises the damning Daily Telegraph front pager last week of the Oct 2004 election with role reversal above. We can't find our copy of that evil effective 2004 graphic leveraging interest rate fear with $800M logger restructure plan but this gives the gist too. Back then it was 'Latham - money grows on trees' alleged profligacy, which sunk the young blood after promising to do the right thing on carbon storage forests which was totally affordable (a number by the way very similar to tax subsidy to Gunns pulp mill plan). Today it's allegedly squandering our hard earned revenue on throw away tax cut bribes. Irresponsible govt?  On this view let's tell the kids they can have lollies for dinner too? 

Peter Hendy, Lib aligned business lobbyist 6.45 am Tues with Fran Kelly abc radio national, challenges Rudd to 'me too' the Costello election tax package.

Then Treasurer Costello and PM Howard later same Tuesday morning (abc AM, World Today from memory) also challenged Rudd to 'me too' their arguably sound $34B tax cut 'as the right patriotic thing to do if he really is a fiscal conservative'. The psychology was transparent - to stampede the ALP into their pre emptive election  financial daisy cutter.

What might the Rudd PR team do?

We detected the PR logic of the ALP response soon enough

A 'culture jam' of the 'me too' taunts with a deflection onto a different 'me too' land release policy already in play from mid year, but not tax which is far more critical to the election outcome, as urged by Howard et al with suspect motivation  

Then secondly, via shadow treasurer Wayne Swan, buy time by opportunisticly leveraging the Howard gaffe the night before on Ch9 ACA pop quiz on interest rate quantum for the first few crucial morning hours of the media cycle.

Then thirdly buy more time for the ALP for the next critical hours locating and presenting 1996 footage of then Opposition Leader Howard's valid plea to be allowed a 22 day delay on election tax policy against Keating. This history had the added bite of fitting perfectly with Peter Brent of Mumble/Crikey thesis of the 1996 polling scenario no. 3 which 'gives no heart to the Howard Team in 2007'.

The compelling Brent thesis is that Rudd's polling pattern in 2007 mirrors Howard's in 1996 (and so no wonder Turnbull is swearing as reported by Crikey too, below): 

This recovery by the ALP under dangerous pressure, akin to prusik loop ascent via bootstraps from a fatal yawning crevasse, then allowed, despite annoyance of one cluey but sun stressed sketch writer, Rudd at a set piece presser in Werriwa to plausibly call Costello's timeline bluff to respond on tax 'by Wednesday'. A place bound to attract alot of the Big Meeja pack (with echoes of crew cut Latham resignation (the sub plot culture jam?) as spice in his old seat but logical being a redevelopment site near un released Commonwealth land).

A logical, smart 12 hour PR/policy strategy by Rudd machine under real pressure to rush a tax policy, allowing space to really build a critical tax position in the public interest. Which sort of reminds this writer of the Gene Kranz character played by Ed Harris in Apollo 13 with the immortal words about the disaster scenario paradoxically showing NASA 'at its best'.

And the ALP can be well pleased with the media payoff today with various sceptics, including Moir cartoon shown above, and quite more than the 'usual suspects' (as per Hendy's anticipatory sledge), in fact very credible dignified economists like ANZ Saul Estlake, on inflationary effect in the "medium term".

"An opportunity" for the Rudd ALP says Saul, the gist being more balanced tax cuts with investment on economic capacity constraints. The Coalition mantra to stampede the ALP was turning to gibberish, with no objective observer seeing any merit in denying the ALP reasonable time to talk and work through there tax policy response.

What a shame that Peter Costello and John Howard as incumbents have displayed a willingness to rush the ALP for their electoral self interest rather than the national interest. Such is life, and not just for broken sad young crims or emotionally crippled football stars on the front page of every newspaper.

Even the Govt 36 hours on have been forced to shift back to the land release issue from their tax policy economic debate in this latest 12 hour  intense media cycle, with Nick Minchin on abc AM this morning and elsewhere.

And that folks is, we think, why Rudd was genuinely amused in his hour of tax policy need at the presser in Werriwa so well attended by Big Meeja, and saying to journalists with quite some cut through (and we might say leadership) who were thinking to interrupt his soliliquy, to rather "hang on, hang on" to continue his preferred thrust. That's a man with his hands on the wheel and in his lane who can sense plenty more fuel in the tank for quite a race, to extend the Grattan metaphor in the Sunday press (only 72 hours ago and yet so long) about wayward policy driving by PM Howard recently.

The Daily Telegraph today too has already moved on to the subject of  Howard's increasinlgy wobbly rejection of Kyoto, worth 3% voter increase says Christian Kerr in the top story on crikey.com.au yesterday. And we note the biffo tone, like ours earlier this week, which would make the memory of Mark Latham's leadership proud:

Will "that f—king c—t" sign Kyoto? is the title allegedly quoting Mal Turnbull in significant trouble in Wentworth, as is the Coalition generally.

Whether a true quote or not, one thing is for sure, the big policy elephants are dancing and we mice must beware of heavy footfalls. It's exciting stuff for political junkies but quite a dangerous tune wafting across the battle ground.

...................

What is that buff tanned PM Howard on 60 Minutes all about, as sledged on Crikey.com.au earlier this week suggesting a 'lighting set up'. Au contraire - more sunlight on early morning walks means more of a tan so we think it was quite real. As per my walk yesterday around 7-7.30 am.

.............

As for the merit of land releases itself, just another reason why the Greens should be included in the upcoming debate(s)?:

[Greens media release follows}

Rudd and Costello's housing plan threatens important environmental
treasures in Western Sydney

16.10.07

Senator Kerry Nettle today pledged The Greens support for protecting
rare bushland areas of Western Sydney which are under threat from both
Peter Costello and now Kevin Rudd's determination to sell off
Commonwealth land for housing development.

"This policy is short-sighted both environmentally and with regards to
housing affordability, and another example of ALP 'me too-ism', Senator
Nettle said.

"Much of the Commonwealth owned land in Western Sydney is home to
important bushland including the last remaining remnants of Cumberland
Plain Woodland and Sydney Coastal River-flat Forest.

"The Greens will work in the next parliament to ensure that these
important sites are conserved for future generations.

"The land release policy will not be the magic bullet for rising house
prices. In fact NSW has been releasing land with no effect on housing
affordability.

"What's required is a national housing plan to expand the housing
availability of low rent housing, more funding for public and community
housing measures and appropriate medium and high density housing in
urban centres - not more urban sprawl.

"Western Sydney is already struggling to cope with the poor government
planning decisions that do not involve public transport - more of the
same is unacceptable."

Contact - Kristian Bolwell 0411 63 83 20

Are You enrolled to Vote?  Have a look here: https://oevf.aec.gov.au

Kristian Bolwell
Office of Greens Senator for NSW
Senator Kerry Nettle
T:(02) 96902038
F:(02) 96902041
M:0411638320
www.kerrynettle.org.au

Posted by editor at 11:15 AM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 17 October 2007 6:01 PM NZT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Mood:  down

The 4 Corners programme last night had enough detail to strongly imply an ultra right wing quasi business/religous exclusive cult has been defrauding the election laws to avoid their preferred election candidates, like PM Howard, being publicly associated with them. A cult that their 'right' leader John Howard demands to be treated as a lawful group of Australian citizens. But is it lawful as the Australian Federal Police investigate undeclared election funding of over $300,000?

This cult, the Exclusive Brethren, also practice destruction of family/parental relations and isolation of immature minds from educational materials for an informed choice in their lives. In short an ultra hierarchical group that in particular oppresses girls with their brainwashing.

No wonder mainstream politicians want to avoid association with the big money donations in case it also offend mainstream Christian church people.

It's all there and the rodent PM should be ashamed of himself for sanitising these attacks on the emotional wellbeing of children. If ever there was a case for saying, to borrow a phrase, John Howard is unfit to rule, then this programme reveals why, with or without a plausible tax policy from the ALP to date:

Posted by editor at 2:38 PM NZT

Updated: Tuesday, 16 October 2007 3:03 PM NZT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Mood:  rushed

Libs tax cut ambush

Posted by editor at 9:04 PM NZT

Updated: Tuesday, 16 October 2007 9:11 AM NZT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Mood:  sharp

After 6 hours sorting the recyclables from the compostables at the Addison Community Centre Sunday market we got home just in time for the first prime time news story on 7 and 9: The election would be Nov 24. What a dilemma as the a-grade wonk fodder unfolded on my tv screen: After finding a new use for an empty orange juice container (hence the crude headline), and with tv remote control in the other hand swapping channels,  we saw the very first howler of the election. Literally the first speech of the election.

"This country does not need new leadership. It does not need old leadership. It needs the right leadership"

John Howard intoned with that gutteral subliminal swagger of supreme self confidence well known to the trained wonk ear.

It was only next morning we realised the Freudian significance. On the surface level Howard meant 'right' in terms of the correct choice. But what he really meant was the Right leader. That is Ultra Right given both major parties are already quite right wing, pro developer, pro big business  with all those donations. More a case of Keep Right, not Keep Left beloved of road sign graffiti.

On the other hand who is to say Howard wasn't trading on a double meaning because there is no doubt John is the Right leader of his time in Australia -  propping up George W Bush, vandalising Kyoto, ripping into electoral donation laws for the elitist mates, chummy with religous nutcases and human rights abusers like the Exclusive Brethren, pro nuke reactors and Iraq war mongering.

Only keeping Right won't really satisfy after 11 years of the same ideological pap. It won't do on climate change, nor the Iraq war disaster, nor a great many other things.

Both stations 7 and 9 made live interview crosses to Howard and Rudd who each looked very professional and maybe relieved (geddit?) to have started on the formal contest. Similarly 60 Minutes where Howard looked very buff for an old bloke, was echoed the next day in the front page of the Sydney Daily Telegraph about "endurance". But not buff enough with young voters abandoning the old guy 73% against.

..............

 

The Rudd and Howard as political dopplegangers this election campaign right down to the blue tie is shown below. But notice too the high circulating press have Rudd to the right hand side of the page ie the 'way forward' side; the natural default of the wandering eye; the 'generational change' side; the editorial spin side of both the Sydney Daily Telegraph, and Sydney Morning Herald indicating the real consensus regardless of the other choreographed 'balance':

...................

Then came the next beaut howler this morning after all the AM show jostling here and here and here and here and finally here which was actually a jostle over one versus three debates. And the howler from an unexpected source,  Michael Kroger a "Liberal Party powerbroker" 'in the bunker' segment on abc 702 Trioli in Sydney, who spent alot of time waxing lyrical about Treasurer Costello being "respected".

Kroger's unforced error against a jaded ALP aligned Bruce Hawker (good line though about 'contorted' Costello succession sometime uncertainty), claimed the ALP's Wayne Swan was missing in action in the big media. In fact there was Swan front page of the The Oz last Thursday 11th October only 2 working days earlier in a big picture story with George Newhouse, Swan, Mal Turnbull and rabbi.

Kroger does not read the Oz aka 'Govt Gazette' apparently yet is the crack electoral expert?? Kroger revealing his limitations and his spin with a gratuitious sledge on Swan? Admittedly Swan as shadow treasurer has been low profile presumably swatting on his tax homework that Bill Leak likes to cartoon about. But still its the kind of mistake that Laurie Oakes was referring to on 9 Sunday as a govt under major pressure.

And this is the winning campaign start of the federal coalition? Not.

Earlier that morning Fran Kelly on abc radio national weighed up the pro case for each side along these lines in discussion with Lynton Crosby (Lib), Sol Lebovic (News Ltd aligned polling expert), and Rod Cameron (ALP aligned pollster):

ALP:

Rudd, Climate Change, Work Choices/IR, Julia Gillard to which we add Costello and Rudd's relative youth and competence

Coalition:

Howard, Economy, anti union, Gillard,  to which we add Howard's experience/competence, Costello.

..................

Psephologists like Antony Green seems to be in furious agreement that here in NSW the seats at risk to fall to the ALP are Parramatta, Lindsay (eg Penrith), Bennelong (Northshore), Wentworth (Eastern Suburbs).

.................

All this reference to "love" in the headlines reminded us of John Howard salivating on camera about marginal seats about 2 weeks ago that "I love youse all" reprising slugger Jeff Fenech about 15 years back, having just won a world title bout and pledging same to Australian fans, when he was alot more respectable but now ominously convicted of shop lifting $100 watches. 

Perhaps reflecting the diminishing oxygen for the PM, the Libs have resorted to adopting the ALP tactic of calling Rudd "contrived" and insincere via their cipher Piers Akerman in the Sunday Telegraph echoing the ALP claim Howard is "clever" as in a sly smart arse. It felt somehow dirty reading Akerman inviting the reader to schmooze with him over "unfit to rule" Rudd in a faux heart to heart as if in the public interest. When has over stuffed Akerman ever been worried about high morality, as his smear laden Heiner Affair house of cards falls in a heap via the preceding day's coverage in The Australian?

Also curious was Akerman's claim same article above that with John Howard there is "no contrivance", a line repeated in the headline story in Fairfax above  yet arguably we saw exactly that double talk in the timing of the PM's reconciliation speech last week: Because no matter how real Ray Martin might say Howard meant to be on the embarrassing issue of Aboriginal justice, with Ray sledging the "Howard Haters" on Sunday 9 yesterday as in effect unworthy cynics, the fact is the Howard speech timing was all real politik. For instance we reported elsewhere on SAM 6 converging factors quite beyond the moral case for changes to the preamble of the constitution to recognise the Indigenous, and that makes Big John opportunistic too and therefore susceptible to interpretations of ... contrivance.

Imagine that. A big tough winning politician manifesting such tricks. Derr.

And through all of this the drum beat of scary climate change throbs in the rib cage eg sea rise eating at Fort Denison, beach erosion on the north coast (Sun Tele p44 14/10/07), youth writers on Lismore hailstones as big as pumpkins (Hail caesars, do something p60 SunHerald 14/10/07) all swamping the Miranda Devine narks at Al Gore and his Nobel Prize.

Posted by editor at 1:05 PM NZT

Updated: Tuesday, 16 October 2007 9:37 AM NZT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Mood:  party time!

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

 - Sydney SunHerald blowtorch of 'youth' 20-29 yearolds against Howard

- Australian goes to town slam dunking the Heiner scandal as relevant to Rudd suitability for high office - surprising for internecine News Ltd journo cred power struggle. Oz sources teen rape victim now in her thirties, also the absence of documentation about that in the Heiner shredding affair, and manager of John Oxley Centre 10 year silence. No doubt the polarity will march within the News Ltd camp and probably follow the event ie election, possibly seeing jaded Akerman retire?

- Danielle  'Swiss can't pronounce'  Ecuyer "glamourous" pic in the Oz via feminista Overington, echoing sympathetic junior feminista Saffron Howden in the Daily Telegraph earlier. Looking to be a strong surivivor of ALP sleaze policy and break up with big George Newhouse in Wentworth electorate. Yacht club dinner end of October under banner of peak green group ACF and her own Women's Alliance For Change will be a great gig probably at $60 a throw. But has she really broken up, praising George's better nature away from ALP head kickers? Methinks my disabled secular Jewish buddy Carol and I should attend that luncheon. Ex banker DE looking at being a candidate too, split progressive vote thus damage ALP, and help Greens who are quoted in the story. Also notice Bob Brown gazumps locals preference to ALP encouraging people to direct as they please (ah those eastern suburbs memories). Ouchy alp.

- Everyone sure election will be called today. 5 or 6 weeks. No flying back to Canberra for local MPs

-

Meet the Press

Joel Fitzgibbon, Opposition Defence spokes, looking fresh, alert, nuggety, articulate, element of steel in the guy's delivery, will fit in with army types well, likely more than silvertail Nelson?

JF agrees Iraq an unholy mess, with 25 year old looking woman via facebook echoing front pager above case in point.

Death penalty, all happy families in the ALP. Against death penalty but defacto not for both parties "inconsistent" says Paul Bongiorno.

Panel -

Stunt of the week - 'stunt block', Xenephon in SA 'sticking his neck out' at the giraffe enclosure

first adbreak -IR grandson less rights than in my time, pro union anti work choices.Old rockers advert, bit of a worry re demographic target (mid life crisis etc).

Alsion Carabine 2UE (the John Laws station, JL retiring next month), Ian Mcphedran News Ltd

Discussion - Iraq, Afghanistan - "wants to make a difference". New White Paper. Have consulted with the 'CDF'.

Very very good pulp mill animation by Peter Nicholson re The Chainsaws rock band Mal with $ guitar, Howard and Garrett sing same song and Bob Brown is the hostile 'groupie'. Choice, and accurate.

2nd guest, Steve Fielding Assembly of God ultra right candidate in 'Family First'.

2nd adbreak Get Up climate change spoof.

Steve Fielding - Greens are extreme, just another word for pioneering in fact. Projecting his own extremism eg homophobic policy, pro forest destruction, anti climate change. Never forget the AoG church in the heart of Orbost, the woodchip capital of East Gippsland.

Petrol taxes answer to climate change complete non sequitor, and denial of the issue. "horrified" to think the Greens would hold the balance of power.

Transcript in due course www.ten.com.au/meetthepress

Myspace web address:

www.myspace.com/meetthepeople

7 Weekend Sunrise, 8.35-40 am Riley Diary  -

Circus theme of fast and loose money. Taxpayers dosh.

Rudd gravitas tone getting a road test [my observation]. Quite an amazing collation of money references.

Death penalty - Howard for the death penalty defacto. For it, against it. Rudd, Downer, Howard, all craven.

Q & A outside govt house in Canberra for election instructions. [My tooth is hurting already.]

http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend

Insiders 2

All in the shadow of the election announcement. Paul Kelly says it will be very hard for Howard to get back. Flick from 2 to 9 and back constantly.

Young everypersons on death penalty quandary in hard cases of Bali bombers.

Lots of relieved laughter that finally its on and Rudd is just like Howard.

Get well Matt Price.

Home page is http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/

Sunday 9

All in the shadow of the election announcement. "Impressive" Mal Brough feature, Laurie Oakes with Alexander Downer looking punchy and ill at ease.

LO agrees Downer and govt ill at ease. They need 'big mistakes of the ALP in the campaign but Rudd is very disciplined'.

Bill Shorten unionist now candidate feature, the "practical person" as in very flexible practical sleazy politician? Certainly very articulate. Quite a bubble head. Exclusive Xavier college. Law degree and MBA at Melb Uni.  Running for the seat of Maribyrnonrg in Melbourne. Slated for ministerial future, even PM in a generation.

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/default.asp

Posted by editor at 9:49 AM NZT

Updated: Sunday, 14 October 2007 12:10 PM NZT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Mood:  sad

We notice the front page of the Australian grandstanding credentials with the Eastern Suburbs Jewish community by various political VIPs: Turnbull's rival exposed to Gunns fire | The Australian

But it's the picture that really is the weight:

We assume all of those pictured above do not support political assasination of middle east peace makers but we wonder if this is uniformly the case: We had cause recently to write to an interested stakeholder as follows:

"Lastly and perhaps most instructively:

Posted by editor at 8:00 AM NZT

Updated: Friday, 12 October 2007 10:24 AM NZT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink