Mood:
quizzicalTopic: aust govt
Picture: Outside ICAC Sydney office Friday 29th February, suggesting, if nothing else, that NSW governance is a wilderness of mirrors (a phrase borrowed from 'brilliant' but damaged alcoholic paranoid CIA director Angleton) such that even ICAC will have trouble sorting it all?
Author’s general introductory note (skip this bit 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 – this section under construction till later Sunday/Monday
- Constant reports this last week on sleazy money politics in NSW not least our report from ICAC hearing last Friday on SAM. Veteran Alan Ramsey flushes out the NSW ALP doing over the federal govt national interest in a curfew free air transport link. Talk about foul the nest with land developer greed. A cracking read from the 'lounge bar bore' as some unkindly have called old Alan:
The NSW govt seem to have a strategy of pushing forward such as Verity Firth MP as their honesty figleaf who in fact is also greatly compromised in terms of policy integrity over attempts to flog Callan Park open space for high impact development (along City Rd now) by Sydney University, a better class of developer presumably:Saturday March 1, 2008 What chance now of keeping the bastards honest?
Morris Iemma has been forced into print late last week which boasting the achievements of this "good government" which are all too humble in nature and duly way below the fold line bottom left:
Hysterical headlines do not tell the true story of our state - Opinion 29/2/08
The general public perception and closer to the truth surely was the scathing list of failure in the Daily Telegraph editorial:
where we counted 9 black marks.
- Back on 17 Feb 2008 we had this below in our usual Sunday Talkies traverse, with a 7 days time delay cranking the story to highest levels of awareness 14 days later. Good stuff Big Media, even Alan Jones sensitive generational’ interview on 2GB kicked it along when it counted.;
Promo Ross Coulthard at 8.08 am with medical misconduct story, important but not particularly political in nature except organization integrity of health system, which probably is political State v Federal resourcing and talent.
Business, economic roundup with Ross Greenwood clash with 10 MTP something about banks being scared to lend now.
Bega Valley doctor – Reeves. Looks grim about cover up. Coulthard very strong interview with medically abused women. This story will run.
- Mark Aarons of Left ALP aristocracy, in the SMH this weekend
follows Lateline debate with John Robertson, essential listening confuses union membership level and union coverage of a sector via award protections for all workers as the same concept, totally letting freeloaders off financial responsibility for industrial justice legacy. Yet the constricted base of talent for the ALP parliamentary party from their union base is clearly a problem too, however it arises.
The issue Aarons and most all within the Labor/labour paradigm totally misses is that work in an age of high mechanization and information in 21C is not nearly as high priority or fundamental value as in 20C. Rather institutional integrity, ecological sustainability, and spiritual fulfillment are all far more important 21C concepts compared to the WW2 peace dividend of wealth creation through hard work. What indeed is science and mechanization for than to make life easier for all? Thus economic growth through high labour and material inputs is outdated 20C thinking.
That’s not to say abandon discipline endeavour or commitment to effort to stay balanced and avoid atrophy and malaise but it does mean a lesser role for unionism/ALP representing collective labour, making as much sense as a collectivization of computer terminals, giant mining trucks, or cars.
- 4 Corners retrospective on Joh Bjelke Peterson and the last 20 years since, this Monday
- Eric Abetz in trouble over Nazi family cultural legacy, Abetz recall was vehement supporter of dictatorial Exclusive Brethren economic misogynist slavery cult. Ironically Abetz says judge me on my own merits. We do Senator, we do.
- Science, nurture and nature: the great forestry debate 22nd Feb 2008
- Crikey circulated the nomination form for the 2020 federal govt summit 24 hours to deadline. So we sent one in with a defiant tone, and no false modesty amongst some 3000 other jostlers:
My presence will assist a successful event: A principled dedicated non smoking teetotal community media practitioner who will report back fairly to the community sector with an independent legal and ecological eye, with no personal agenda; An enthusiastic respectful participant in forums. Our history of knockabout experience, good education, and ecological achievement will add a powerful flavour to the discourse dominated by proud over achievers in other fields. My qualities, off a very humble base, are a premium for social and economic restructure in a massively carbon constrained future, and which this summit - already with something of a credibility gap - needs.
This is what we really think will happen, that is nothing!:
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 6:25 PM
Subject: dobbed you in as referee! Fw: Thomas McLoughlin ecologist, community media practitioner, solicitor
[personal referees]
Hey you guys, I sent in an application to the big conceited govt summit, and dobbed you two in as personal referees. Hope you don't mind.
Just tell them whatever you like. But it's not going to happen anyway so don't worry about it.
Check the humble self recommendation - they need me! So I think anyway.
Cheers Tom. …
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 6:19 PM
Subject: Thomas McLoughlin ecologist, community media practitioner, solicitor
Please find my application form attached.
Yours truly
Tom McLoughlin, solicitor, editor www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog
Sunday 9 7.30am- 9.30am
- Dubai lack of human rights story amongst the desert and oil wealth
- Geraldine Brooks successful Australian author based in USA.
- Prince Harry PR service as a soldier in cotton wool.
- Same advert as on 10 re 6 to 3 cylinder car Accord.
- Trump story wank. Actually no – its a damn good short story about money overtaking personal life. Good tv competing with good expert tv on 10.
- More good tv reprising Bega butcher doctor story, they broke, full credit. Lorraine Long Medical Error Action Group, another lady victim, all praise for courage.
- Answer to online poll re cutting C02 emissions greater than 60% by 2050 poll last week – on 32% or so say yes. Conservative audience, shows how dumb and unscientific in denial the affluent really are.
Laurie Oakes with Wayne Swan – colourful youth, twenties beat up in Sunday press. Rudd at high school was no rager. Swan spikes the strawman story, almost as if planted by his own side. Gets on to the glazing budget detail.
Multiple references to The Australian.
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/default.asp
Picture: Who will be the winners and losers in the upcoming tight federal budget. This fellow pictured catching a nap in the sun yesterday under the razor wire looks unconcerned in new PM Rudd's 'core nation'.
10 Meet the Press: 8- 8-30 am
Press roundup, not much of interest.
Lindsay Tanner, sweetener $150 for teen dental, good idea to mentor dental hygiene. Meanwhile promotes fiscal rigour.
Missed out take of Rudd aside.
Advert – what the F? Car with 6 to 3 cylinder technology, sure. Then bright green prospectus for “sub soil”.
Panel Philip Clark 2GB, tax cuts inflationary burden on home owners at the other? Says progressive cuts, participation rate,
Michelle Grattan – interrupts the eye glazing rhetoric of Tanner sounding like a Treasurer actually. Didn’t catch a whiff of meaning.
Tanner looks pinched scrubbed and bleary eyed, working hard. He’s like on auto pilot – burn out material? MG – middle class welfare, echoes PC above.
Smart talker from Odyssey house re binge drinking, James Pits (spelling?), been on abc 702, African American guy quite the telegenic icebreaker. Should do more tv.
Meet The Press - Watch Political Video Online - Channel TEN -
Riley Diary 7
Missed the start, some choice clips of PM behaviour – some theme about awards like the academy awards. Spoof about “core” cliché. Quite funny. Footage of Helen Clark looking older and tireder.
Q&A re summit 5 min each take 31/2 days, big challenge to get anything coherent.
http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend
Insiders 2: 9- 10am
First 100 days, booklet presser by PM Rudd.
Press round up, Abetz relo, Swan in 70ies tickle up, dental plan
Panel is Taylor AFR, Meglo Oz, Aker SDT.
Talent is Roxon as Health Minister.
Usual segments, interesting, fair degree of cross spectrum bonhomie. Including Akerman making some telling points from the Right re Meglo blog more impact than a 2020 summiteer, Taylor holds out on consultation, echo of Riley skepticism.
Home page is http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/
Picture: Someone's gotta do it - Camperdown historic cemetery 1st March 08
