Mood:
chattyTopic: big media
The ABC in Sydney needs to review this segment giving a platform to the Establishment parties Labor and Coalition: Some thoughts:
- ABC charter for inclusive balance but 1/3 of voters who don't vote that way being shut out?
- 40% of voters in the NT didn't vote for either major party, in fact didn't vote
- Wendy Machin (ex National Party) got away with a grotesque assertion today that its 'easy to be popular as an independent' for lack of responsibility to actually govern. In reality Independents have very little money, don't get moral or financial support of Big Business, and usually sidelined by Big Media (this segment being a prime example on abc). Her Lab-Lib colleague John Brown who is known to help out Macquarie Bank at times (as per Dempster NSW Stateline) was quite silent at this point. It's a duopoly.
- Same radio slot Brown pushed his (likely correct) line about Downer - Liberal Party- knowledge of $300M bribery of Saddam, while completey ignoring his own Party of ALP federal Governmnet under Rudd endorsed Downer recently as UN envoy to Cyprus. A third independent voice would have been at him over that incongruity in a flash.
- The segment is indeed informative and valid and worthwhile but it needs to be reviewed to address the evolving 'segmentation' of politics and the very real 3rd layer wearing a completey different colour code - Niether ALP black, Liberal blue, National Party brown. Call it green, red, orange or whatever but it's not being heard on our ABC and it's not good enough.
- Brown in particular spoke too long at times and ran the real risk of sounding condescending over female emancipation - here's the drill John - professional women don't really need your encouragement and they can be as ruthless meritorious or dishonest as the next politician. Practical example - Reba Meagher widely regarded as a failure in her health portfolio, is praised by Brown as "very bright" with a premiership baton in her handbag. No one who saw her trembling and gibbering in front of Quentin Dempster about 12 months back would believe that - she was a wreck and quite out of her depth with potentially fatal consequences for people dependent on that health system. That's a 'third party' point of view anyway.
