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sydney alternative media - non-profit community independent trustworthy
Saturday, 24 November 2007
Verity's hot air counsel in Grayndler vote as Lib preference Greens, throw money at Wentworth
Mood:  sharp
Topic: election Oz 2007

"I'm sick of them" said our gallery owning 'friend' in the 2005 byelection of the ALP's Ms Tebbutt to the lower house seat of Marrickville. "They [Anthony Albanese MP and spouse Carmel Tebbutt MP] are on $500,000 a year. I'm going to run against them."

But something happened on the way to that place. No nomination. No splitting of the ALP vote in the 2005 state byelection, and the marriage of left wingers and millionaire ALP aristocracy marches on ascendant to the popular Greens in the area ... so far.

Today in this election it's not the state but the federal seat of Grayndler with Carmel's other half Anthony Albanese. "The best you are going to get in the ALP" said one Green voter in his T-shirt last week riding his bicycle who didn't look like he was from the property classes.

Yep there is alot of hot air in Grayndler most of it from the comfort of a big fat political wage leading the poor people to the ballot box by the nose with sophistry. Even the local Liberal Party seem to have got tired of it and preferenced The Greens candidate Saeed Khan conspicuously prominent in the small business friendly indy suburban press The Valley Times.

 

Upward envy probably is a fertile area of campaigning for the Greens in relation to the ALP leaning poor folks. We didn't detect any rhetoric along these lines perhaps indicating the nice and fluffy nature of the Greens who may or may not adopt the "whatever it takes" attitude of the institutional ALP.

Take for instance the concern over greenhouse gases by Verity Firth in the neighbouring state seat of Balmain some of which presumably falls in Grayndler. The huge issue here as she knows are motorway tunnels and their inevitable smog stacks:

$5b secret road under Sydney | The Daily Telegraph

and massive diesel train intensification where apparently 1 diesel loco equals emissions from 6,000 normal trucks

Trains do the heavy lifting in plan to expand Port Botany - National

to be shepherded through by ALP colleague Albanese as Shadow Infrastructure Minister at the expense of his own electorate's health and amenity.

Verity Firth logically has been promoting the clean air "credentials" of brand ALP albeit from a state govt perch. Here she is 15th November 2007:

Sydney's air 'cleanest in 15 years' - ABC News

The New South Wales Government says an analysis of Sydney's air shows it is cleaner and healthier than at any time over the last 15 years, but says it may crack down on polluting lawnmowers.

The results come from an audit done by the Government.

Assistant Environment Minister Verity Firth says the data shows emissions of harmful air pollutants have decreased significantly during the period.

Ms Firth says the positive result has been achieved in spite of Sydney's population increasing by 23 per cent and 640,000 more cars being put on the road in that time.

"We're doing well but we do know that we have to keep the pressure on, that we need to maintain the momentum towards clean air," she said.

"We know that we need new actions to meet the ambitious goals that we've set for ourselves."

She says while the results are encouraging, NSW needs new measures to deal with the pollution that comes from equipment like lawnmowers.

"The interesting thing about lawnmowers is that a four-cylinder lawnmower pumps out as much pollution in an hour as four cars," she said.

"Lawnmowers are actually quite a polluting instrument so we will be working with councils about lawnmowers."

But Greens MP Lee Rhiannon says the data compiled by the Government cannot be trusted.

"Why we're saying it has been fudged is because we don't have accurate figures," she said.

"When you close down a quarter of the air monitoring stations in Sydney, you don't have sufficient data to be able to make a reliable assessment that the air quality of this city is improved."

So is legally trained Verity Firth BA LLB MP 'horsing' around with our lungs and our minds?

 

The Hon. Verity Helen FIRTH,  BA, LLB MP

 

One notices the proxy contest with Rhiannon MP of the Greens already smelling a rat.

And sure enough even Jeff Angel of Total Environment Centre couldn't stomach the hypocrisy. Here he is 23 rd Nov:

Sydney's 'sewer' air quality | The Daily Telegraph

AS the NSW government praises itself for meeting four of six national standards for clean air, a leading environmental group warns the state faces an alarming future.

"In Sydney ... we've treated the air shared like a sewer,'' Total Environment Centre executive director Jeff Angel told the Clean Air Cool Climate forum in Sydney today.

Its air quality assessment has found NSW is "poor'' in several areas and exceeds emissions for ground-level ozone and fine particles.

Mr Angel blamed the breaches mostly on pollution from transport.

"What this means is we are not doing enough and we have to lift ourselves many quantum leaps to improve our investment in public transport,'' Mr Angel said.

The Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water, Verity Firth, disagreed with Mr Angel.

Hot air Verity? Firth strikes back with yet another grab at the air pollution cherry right up to the election day vote with a policy to be implemented by ....2015 .... maybe, with that nice (too?) slick John Watkins at her side, 23 Nov 2007:

NSW petrol stations forced to cut fumes - ABC News (Australian ...

which in 'true' ALP form is a rehash of this of the 23rd August 07

Plan to reduce petrol fumes in NSW - ABC News (Australian ...

Yep Grayndler is a worry.

One thing that will happen way before 2015 is a massive expansion and intensification of traffic via Port Botany with devastating transport impacts on Grayndler. But you won't hear that from the ALP this federal election. That's not in the business plan so reliant on tax revenue into personal income.

 

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

As to the overall result we found Crikey.com.au yesterday for the first time this last 6 weeks made redundant by a later Newspoll than their usual middle of the day deadline. But even so we feel this late poll revival by the Howard regime of Thursday/Friday will like every other poll this year be checked by the contrary view or ambivalent big media press of Thursday/Friday/Saturday. In other words the ALP in a canter despite Howard's legendary chutzpah.

In a sense these last few days are a contest of competing Aussie norms: The power of the Big Media (which John Laws recently described as the real power) for Rudd overall, versus the traditional inclination for "right" as in Right governments.

Howard is banking on the second of these. Rudd the former because he is pretty right wing himself. Our faith is on the Big Media power but it probably is a close run thing. If Howard get's back the Big Media know it will not be good for the country and they would be right.

 

Picture: A red and white theme at the polling booth in the ALP held seat of Grayndler, matching the group's colours, Socialist Alliance, and by coincidence the Christmas theme front page of their enemies in the Big Meeja Daily Telegraph today (in turn echoing our picture report yesterday of an unauthorised "Xmas" signage late 2005). The SA perhaps do not fully appreciate that their creative paper mache can't have any effect in this safe ALP seat (Grayndler, Illawarra Rd/Warren Rd Booth Marrickville), or at most swinging to the Greens, in any case both non Howard results. Bennelong or Wentworth might have been more impacting? The Liberal How To Vote form does in fact confirm Liberal preferencing to the Greens, but not reciprocated.

Neck and neck at the final turn

 

In Wentworth its busy, busy, busy including this full page State Liberal Party advert p12 Sydney Morning Herald desperately (?) sewing seeds of doubt:
 


 



Posted by editor at 6:58 AM EADT
Updated: Saturday, 24 November 2007 11:41 AM EADT
Friday, 23 November 2007
'Maggot' won't be missed according to signage of dedicated Howard Hater
Mood:  not sure
Topic: election Oz 2007

Uh oh moment of unauthorised signage "incident" of Christmas 2005-6 referred to as somewhat of a joke in a speech by the Honorary President Yvette Andrews of the Addison Rd Community Centre (ARCC) on the occasion of the NAIDOC day celebrations of July 2007.

The reference was in her introduction speech of respected Aboriginal person Linda Burney, local ALP MP for Canterbury. "I think he is a maggot" said Ms Andrews to the packed public event in the gallery. Andrews is also co author of the book about the feminist satirical Ernie Awards with founder Meredith Burgman, former long time MP in NSW.

The signage, which was painted over within a day or so, raises the question of whether this approach really is the best way for left wingers to advocate and wean voters who have favoured Howard 4 times already off their electoral habit

naidoccard1.jpg

Andrews, current President of the ARCC,  is pictured here below next to recently deposed Mayor of Marrickville Morris Hanna 3rd from right, as the chess play in the lead up to the AGM of November 28th approaches:

chesslaunch1

Posted by editor at 8:38 AM EADT
Updated: Friday, 23 November 2007 9:16 AM EADT
Last day press: Lame duck PM, Rudd the 'assassin', Tele turns, Grayndler vote Green
Mood:  energetic
Topic: election Oz 2007

Where is The Oz in Marrickville? The Daily Telegraph was half an hour late at least at the local newsagent arriving after 6 am. The Australian is not sighted after 7am at the deli either.

Here are some interesting subliminals above. The Herald slyly suggests a lame duck PM with its front page, the Tele has a hammer blow editorial, but a qualified front page image of "half chance" Howard. To get inside the blue collar battler's mind we have an allusion to Kevin 007 as the 'killer' of PM Howard's career in the Drive section cover

A local battling independent related to south end of Grayndler, called the Valley Times has a subliminal green image (geddit?) with the Libs preferencing the Greens who will indeed come third to the Greens then calculate the 2 party preferred. [postscript - correction the Greens polled 3rd, so no great flow of conservative preferences there.]

Apparently they all editorialise for a change to Rudd's ALP but cautious observers like Michelle Grattan on radio national with Fran Kelly in survival mode says "you never know". And indeed that is the essence of real democracy.

NICHOLSON ANIMATION: Keating's dream


Posted by editor at 7:34 AM EADT
Updated: Tuesday, 27 November 2007 6:36 AM EADT
Thursday, 22 November 2007
Ahmed Swapan Mahmud from Dhaka reports on the Bangladesh cyclone
Mood:  sad
Topic: globalWarming

Picture: Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, of Voice Dhaka with Dr Antonio Castillo of University of Western Sydney at OurMedia conference at University of Technology Sydney in April 2007.  Ahmed was sponsored to attend by the conference organisers.


Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 5:21 PM
Subject: Sydr hits Bangladesh

Dear Tom,

Greetings from Voice, Dhaka. And hope you are fine.

It's after a long time again just to inform you and seek your cooperation, if any, for the victims of Sydr.

You might know that the monster Sidr one of the strongest cyclones
devastated at least 23 districts of the southern costal part of
Bangladesh last Friday on 16 November. Packing winds over 220 km an
hour, the cyclone demolished houses, crops, trees and shrimp firms
along its trail of devastation over an area of thousands of square
kilometers.

The death toll rose around 4000 while around 3000 people are missing, and 10000 persons are injured.

141 upazilas and 1,119 unions have been affected in the southern region of Bangladesh.The total number of affected families stands at 10.54 lac, representing 40.83 lac individuals.

Crops on 29,374 acres of land have been completely destroyed and on
8,55,525 acres have been damaged partially, according to the
government assessment. The number of completely destroyed houses
stood at 3,00,511 yesterday and the number of partially damaged
houses was 6,26,000. Besides, 3,84,000 trees have been damaged. Some
792 educational institutions have been completely destroyed and
4,393 were partly damaged. Embankments of about 57 kilometers (km)
of length have been damaged, and 58 km of road has been destroyed
completely while 87,948 km of road has been partly damaged.

Spread of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases and acute water
crisis are the two main problems chasing the survivors. Safe
drinking water has become a major concern because the cyclone has
damaged the tube wells. Sweet water ponds have become saline, as the
tidal surge that swept through the area came from the bay. The tidal
wave entered more than 35 kilometers into the mainland. People are living with untold miseries having no food, shelter, water, medicine.

We feel we all should come forward to support the victims.

Keep fine and stay in touch.

Best regards,

Ahmed


Ahmed Swapan Mahmud
Executive Director
VOICE
House 67, Level-5, Block-Ka
Pisciculture Housing Society
Shyamoli, Dhaka-1207
Bangladesh
Tel : 88-02-8158688
E-mail : info@voicebd.org
Web : www.voicebd.org

              A man sits on a dead cow as he collects cattle corpses from a canal in Taful of Bagherhat district on the south coast of Bangladesh, 17 November 2007, two days after a strong cyclone devastated the southern coastal area of the country. Two boys were among a handful of children to survive on Majher Char island after their cousin tied them to a palm tree as the cyclone roared overhead.  Around 70 children lived on the island and most died in the storm.               Photo:Jewel Samad/AFP
Picture: Man sitting on dead cow after the cyclone, taken from the international press.

Posted by editor at 5:44 PM EADT
Updated: Thursday, 22 November 2007 6:43 PM EADT
Howard at the Press Club today in denial of ultra right cancer on his watch?
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: election Oz 2007

The PM at the Press Club, 2 days from likely defeat, was alternatively

- clinical in creating distance between scandal and his person,

- smarmy,

- cocky, and

- in denial

about the profound underlying nature of the 'Karl Rove style' racist smear in Lindsay electorate that really does infect his Party. He denies outright his Party is so compromised - which in reality given his lawyerly instincts means one must closely examine whether it is in fact so. And the evidence doesn't look good.

 

We made contact with Noel Plumb who was the campaign manager of the Save the ADI Site Resident Action Group in the 2001 Lindsay contest and 2 other federal seats, and he was not surprised by the bogus flyer tricks in 2007. From his bush regeneration job in the field Noel told us that 6 years ago it was a similarly intense contest ("bidding auction") at the time between the Libs and ALP over the Lend Lease development (formerly Australian Defense Industry land) including use of false advertising in that contest. Noel corroborated the dishonest Liberal advertising also noted by a Liberal booth worker on the World Today programme earlier today (who confirmed false How to Votes were all part of head office toolkit in 2001 in Lindsay.) That sounds systemic.

It is known that senior figures of the NSW Liberal Division were actively involved in the false advertising smear in Lindsay this week, as well as husband of the candidate, and husband of the retiring Liberal MP, Kelly. Kelly being a "favourite" of Howard. Plausible deniability? Was their real sin getting caught?

Howard today said the leaflet accusing the ALP as forgiving of the Bali Bombers was "offensive" but he just didn't sound offended, or upset. He sounded slightly amused, or even bemused at the uproar. He surely has a streak of the White Australia in him, whether it's a generational thing or whatever. He even took the opportunity at one point to wax lyrical at the evils of terrorism.

It is also known Howard has visited Lindsay repeatedly. Which all makes the denials just sound too cute. If Howard's regime was not directly in the loop it is indirectly responsible for the slime mould that has grown and prospered in his NSW machine. A reckless negligence - which makes his strident rejections of direct knowledge quite jarring.

These were not gophers, these were senior operatives in the marginal.

At some points in the lengthy Q&A, notable for interruptions from the audience of Laura Tingle and Michelle Grattan despite being very senior journalists, Howard came across as cavalier and even proud of the moral chaos he has presided over: That he has seen the Trouble and saw that it was 'Good'. Indeed we perceived hints of a sociopathic demeanour in his protestations feeding off the wicked attempt to tear the social fabric of Lindsay. Always denying, but happy as Larry to be in the spotlight to make them, with that supreme confidence that he is the Chosen One. He was still certain "we will win on Saturday". Quite the actor is Howard.

Howard had his supporters at the Press Club breaking into polite applause - especially the sophistry about emancipation of women candidates - applause several times but not the serious journalists of the press gallery who were neutral and highly sceptical as they pursued the issue de jour. The clapping had the feel of a mini stack in the room perhaps of bureaucrats and staffers who have prospered under the Old Man. Sure the spouses might not be guilty like their husbands but it still looks like a strong character test to be associated with these not so much "foolish" as evil characters who have now confessed to what might well be "criminal offences" according to the ALP.

In fact it's a sickeningly divisive and nasty development in Lindsay, which calls up this other advert on another sickening reality which was in The Australian 13th Nov 2007:

Even as Howard spoke in a doting way of his grandson he just didn't sound sincere about the urgency of climate change either. It's almost as if he doesn't really give a stuff so late in the game. It feels intuitively like the voters will feel the same about him.


Posted by editor at 1:41 PM EADT
Updated: Friday, 23 November 2007 9:04 AM EADT
Coalition to scoop the pool of 5% hard right bigot vote ..... lose 95% decent vote?
Mood:  accident prone
Topic: election Oz 2007


 


 


Posted by editor at 11:04 AM EADT
Updated: Thursday, 22 November 2007 11:22 AM EADT
ALP under Rudd into massive corporate welfare for Gunns pulp mill
Mood:  down
Topic: election Oz 2007

 

http://www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog/TWSclassicforestNov17072.JPG

[Direct lift from Crikey.com.au of 21st November 2007 follows]

4. Kevin Rudd’s $110 million gift to Gunns pulp mill

The Tasmanian Times' Lindsay Tuffin writes:

Richard Flanagan in his Stop the Pulp Mill rally speech last Saturday in Hobart, here on Tasmanian Times, seems to have been the first to notice the extraordinary subsidy Kevin Rudd’s ALP has given to Gunns pulp mill, hidden in the form of Martin Ferguson’s recent announcement of a supposed transport package to Tasmania, but which on close examination would appear to be yet one more extraordinary gift to Gunns in excess of $100 million.

What was missed by all the media was that Martin Ferguson had simply given Paul Lennon exactly what he had asked the Federal Government for back in June, all in order to get logs by rail from the southern forests to the northern pulp mill.

While the improvement of the rail network may arguably make it a more viable alternative to roads for a range of freight, there is no doubt the aim of the package is to help Gunns. The commercial viability of Gunns mill is often publicly questioned, but with subsidies like this (on top of the $1 billion of subsidies the Tasmanian forestry industry has already received over the past twenty years), Gunns could be running a T-Model Ford factory and still making a fortune out of taxpayers’ money.

This gift to John Gay and Robin Gray is known to have caused consternation privately in some parts of the ALP, which are concerned at the increasing public outrage at the proposed mill. As Flanagan argued, "How can Kevin Rudd claim to be fair dinkum about climate change when he is promising more money to support a pulp mill that will burn half a million tonnes of forest a year in the monstrosity of its electricity generator?"

The total cost of improvements to the rail network to benefit Gunns is $110 million, and it is revealed in an examination of the following articles and media releases.

  1. This article from the Mercury June 2007 establishes, out of Paul Lennon’s mouth, that the primary aim of his proposed Brighton Transport Hub is to transport logs from the south to the north by rail and that the proposed Karanja - New Norfolk rail improvement is to access by rail the logs from the southern forests.
  2. This article from the Mercury 2 November 2007 details Federal ALP’s Tasmanian Transport package. Out of the total of $203 million promised, $30 million is to rebuild the railway line from Karanja to New Norfolk; $24 million to straighten and re-align the main north south rail track; and $56 million for the Brighton transport hub, a total of $110 million.
  3. Under the revealing title "Labor Announces $303 Million To End Southern Tasmania’s Logjam", Martin Ferguson’s media statement details how straightening the north south rail track "will allow increased speeds, longer trains and bigger loads, cutting turnaround times, delivering greater efficiency and the ability for rail to compete with road for a greater share of the freight task."
  4. This Tasmanian Government document details the proposal for the "Removal of tight curves on steep grades on the approaches to Rhyndaston tunnel and two other sections south of Antill Ponds. Remove around 50 tight curves on a steep 1:40 grade between Rhyndaston and Antill Ponds. The project will increase the pulling capacity of northbound trains by at least 40%."

It also spells out that the increased loads likely (as opposed to simply desired) are because of log freight going north for Gunns. It states that: "The use of rail to transport logs from the southern forests to the proposed pulp mill and other processors will see a significant reduction in log trucks on the public road network, but will require upgrade of the rail network to cater to this task."

At the largest public rally since the Franklin River protests of the early 1980s, 15,000 protesters raised their hands when asked if they would they be willing to blockade the pulp mill site in the Tamar River Valley and if necessary go to jail.

Like Kevin Rudd’s gift to Gunns, the prospect of the largest civil disobedience campaign in Australia’s history failed to rate a mention in the national media.


Posted by editor at 8:23 AM EADT
Addison Rd Centre AGM next Wednesday 28th Nov has some curious undercurrents
Mood:  sharp
Topic: local news
arc_front_gate
 22nd November 2007

 

Dear Addison Rd Community Centre (ARCC) Member

Open letter: directors’ duties, staff grievance July 07, nomination to the Board at the AGM

Directors’ duties for a company including a public interest one like the ARCC include:

 

 

1. Duty of care and diligence

Directors have a duty to exercise their powers with a degree of care and diligence of a reasonable person in a like position in a similar company. In this respect, when a director makes a business decision, he or she is taken to have discharged their duty of care and diligence if:

•  The decision is made in good faith and for a proper purpose.

• They do not have a significant personal interest in the decision. …

• They believe that the decision is in the best interests of the company. ….

 

5. Improper use of position

A director, secretary, officer or employee of a company can not improperly use his or her position to gain an advantage for themselves or someone else, or cause detriment to the company. …

 

 

6. Conflict of interest

Directors have a duty to avoid situations in which there is a real possibility of conflict between their personal interests and the company’s interests.

 

 

 

In late July 2007 we lodged a written complaint for alleged bullying by a Board member: Then by Sept we were removed from the ARCC website editing which until that date had been widely praised as very effective (e.g. “you’ve done a good job” to quote Board member John Reynolds, similarly ex GM, office manager and numerous tenants).

 

Regretably rather than my staff grievance (arising out of a centre website project, refer correspondence of GM Laird dated Oct 07) being mediated it was ignored, and I was victimised. There are now other ripple effects. For instance the centre website is stale for 3 months eg no mention of the upcoming AGM or numerous other activities by diverse tenants. This is the modern gateway into the centre, as much as the physical entrance, and to compromise this asset is poor management.

 

 

 

We understand the website editing which till recently had been done at a low cost by this writer was referred to a friend of the president at substantial cost.

Based on the Board minutes we understand the Board member the subject of the original staff grievance directly participated in my removal without declaring a personal conflict of interest as to the grievance lodged weeks before. We understand in the absence of denials the current president knew about this actual conflict of interest at the relevant Board meeting. We believe this is a clear breach of directors’ duties. Thus the ripples from the misconduct are spreading this last 5 months.

We believe the constructive approach to the current Board is to reinforce the generally positive year by feeding this information into the democratic processes of the AGM both as to the performance of the current Board, for discipline and voter choice at the election. We say let members be the judge.

Secondly we are willing to submit ourselves to the democratic process too and have nominated for the Board in order to offer pro bono legal service. We believe the ARCC might have avoided the $10K in legal fees a year or so back in the Aboud staff litigation by taking the mediation track.

If we are elected we will resign our employment of the last 4 years according to the Constitution.

Please feel free to contact this writer to discuss the above by telephone on 9558 9551 or 0410 558838.

Yours truly

Tom McLoughlin, part time gardener 4 years, solicitor in NSW, editor of newsletter The Composter.

 


Posted by editor at 7:15 AM EADT
Updated: Thursday, 22 November 2007 7:58 AM EADT
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Perfect (hail) storm of bad luck for Coalition as Rudd strides forward on economic credentials?
Mood:  spacey
Topic: election Oz 2007


Picture: No regrets in a life with Kevin.Therese Rein looks up with admiration at her 'partner in life', at the Press club (lifted off abc tv news last night and online). Sue Dunlevy of Sydney Daily Telegraph referred to Therese not hubby Kevin, as clearly qualified to be Australia's economic manager (cue laughs). And if Therese admires Kev, this implies safe hands too? Cue next front in the economic credibility battle for Kev in the last critical election days:


Picture: Rudd does the Kerry OBrien Rap last night on 7.30 re the GST ('you can't unscramble the egg') and other economic concerns. Note what we call 'the death glare' Kerry applied equally to John Howard the night before. Also, where can you get those '7.30 lamps'?

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

10 tv news carries Bernie Banton on his death bed, a hero of tradies everywhere for getting the bastards who spread asbestos through society. Goodbye blue collar vote for the big business candidate John Howard? More here:

Banton's pact to die at home 3:43pm | Asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton only has days to live, his doctor says.

The Blue Mountains (a marginal seat) cops a belting from unusually punishing hailstones reinforcing the dangerous climate perception.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING for LARGE HAILSTONES and FLASH FLOODING ....For people in the HUNTER, SOUTHERN TABLELANDS, ACT and parts of the NORTHERN RIVERS, MID NORTH COAST, METROPOLITAN, ILLAWARRA, SOUTH COAST, NORTHERN TABLELANDS and CENTRAL TABLELANDS Forecast Districts. Issued at 4:22 pm Wednesday, 21 November 2007.

At least Julia Gillard was similarly caught in a rain storm and embarrassingly late for a public debate on radio with Peter Costello.

Australians on a big ship observing a boat load of ostensible refugees, including a bunch of kids, are reported 'as too scared of draconian immigration laws to rescue the poor blighters'. The company officers later rebutts the claim by the Greens. More here:

Boat people's rescue delayed - National - BrisbaneTimes ... 

Overall not such a good look for PM Howard's hardline agenda. On the other hand rival candidate Kevin Rudd did look good in front of the Press Club today:

I'll end secrecy: Rudd 3:51pm | Kevin Rudd pledges to end the culture of Howard government secrecy.

Mark off another crucial final day for the ALP versus the Coalition?


Posted by editor at 5:08 PM EADT
Updated: Thursday, 22 November 2007 5:40 AM EADT
7.30/ABC and Insight/SBS do us proud in this democratic feast
Mood:  special
Topic: election Oz 2007

Some classic political reportage on the 'idiot box' last night:

A quiet lyrical deadly serious interview by Kerry OBrien of PM John Howard (that everyone sees as on the skids, though no one really knows) was enthralling for the unusual rapport between prey and quarry. Which was which we will only know after the vote on Saturday.

Insight with Jenny Brockie was a pseudo version of the Insiders show with so many heavy weight press gallery staff (Taylor, Hartcher, Middleton) as well as the impressive academic Steven Keen and articulate swinging voters.

The possibility of Turnbull replacing Costello at the top of the Liberal Party came up in the to and fro: Yesterday we wrote this on the Dani Ecuyer website comments section on some of the curious possible permutations and combinations:

Well it would certainly help if Howard lost the election. And if Wentworth helps with that result then well and good. On the other hand there is an even better outcome in our humble opinion being Rudd victory and Turnbull victory, which I hasten to add no one this side of the election can possibly quarantine one from the other. So yes, its important to work for George Newhouse to win in case Wentworth is the decider on getting Kyoto ratified. You never know.

Why would Turnbull be a useful victor too and in what circumstances? Because Turnbull winning IN A LOSING SIDE (which is too clever to play for I admit) would be a ferocious advocate for Kyoto, decimation of the Howard Clones and a complete reorganisation of conservative side of politics not least a Republic. And he would be a very effective opposition on a tricky ALP. Peter Costello - kiss your political *rse goodbye if Mal wins in a losing election?

Turnbull has enormous talent and quite some good aspects which presumably PROF (not Mr) Flannery respects. On this aspect I tend to agree with Overington while ignoring her disrespect to the ALP’s Newhouse in terms of talent. Turnbull is a towering figure in Australian politics really right back to his Kerry Packer, and Spycatcher litigation. He could do alot of good on climate change.

But the reality is ML is simply on the wrong side of a Howard operation (”that f*cking c*nt Howard” quote is probably true) and ecological history being made right now. Big Mal even seems to know it with his philosophical sad tone these last few days, and resort to fairly desperate nomination quibbles/ byelections (the coalition would lose) or not. He seems to get this climate change thing is bigger than all of us, and in that he would be right.

Another subtext - Howard has footsies on 7’s TT with Costello not just for rah rah pitch for more votes - ALSO IN CASE HE LOSES (election and/or Bennelong) COMBINED WITH A TURNBULL WIN because even Costello is preferable to Turnbull taking over ‘his’ Party.

Methinks Howard tried to finish off Turnbull’s vaulting ambition and capacity parking him in the death’s head portfolio of environment in a pro resource extraction Govt (not least Coalition partners the Nationals). Didn’t work. Will Turnbull survive this next hurdle?

In the absence of a Green or indy Ecuyer winner no.1 vote, we have to consider the merits of either major. I do tend to agree this side of the vote in the game of chance we have to work to take Wentworth off the govt and Prof Flannery surely gives too little weight to the prospect this seat could turn the whole result. There is no doubt he wants Rudd to win in my estimation so he is being a little contradictory with his endorsement in case Wentworth is the cusp. He [Flannery] used to flirt with nuke power ([read]Turnbull) quite a bit too over the years (his tours in PNG were grants via the mining industry I recall), but seems keener on geothermal these days.

Yep this election is a doozy alright. It’s already trespassed into just about every other aspect of my working life like big ones will do.

And there is no doubting the willingness of the fight in Wentworth with a blowtorch front pager in the fairly low circulation The Australian today (but a favourite paper for conservatives in Wentworth) about ALP young star Rose Jackson being 'anti Zionist', like probably 50% of the student body in Australia over injustice in Palestine. Rose Jackson no doubt is fair game but she is still early 20ies raising the question "Is this child abuse by the Turnbull campaign?"

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This indirect test of obvious Yid Newhouse and his dedication to the State of Israel, is likely a balancer for this damaging attack on Turnbull for throwing $10M of tax payers funds at a dubious so called 'local rain making' company at the expense of an Israeli backed competitor for similar grants .... which story with Jewish angle ran, wouldn't you know it ... on the 7.30 Report the night before. And a very interesting twisty turny story it was with an electoral supporter of Turnbull getting a leg up with our money. Ouch:

19/11/2007 - Turnbull under fire for $10m water deal


Posted by editor at 7:59 AM EADT
Updated: Wednesday, 21 November 2007 8:44 AM EADT

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