Mood:  caffeinated

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 backgrounders

- We were gratified to see this story about $17M funding boost for the sector after our piece about Marrickville Legal Centre recently:

Tuesday, 15 April 2008

Marrickville Legal Centre providing community service on 4 areas of law
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: legal

- Martin Ferguson as Resources Minister is the darling of the fossil fuel sector at the moment even as a dangerous climate change denier (?): It's all about this desire for even greater fossil fuel resources:

www.smh.com.au - Australia gets bigger and richer

Hence this gushing piece for articulation challenged Ferguson busy with highly speculative CCS storage gambles which may yet be highly insecure and dangerous:

How to meet demands of 'sexy' sector | The Australian 

26 April 2008 Oil's price out of US hands - Bloomberg via The Australian Careers section p8

26 April 2008 Producers losing sway over feedstock nations - Bloomberg via The Australian Careers section p8

Indeed CCS is the figleaf the fossil fuel industry desperately wants more of for business as usual.

[offline] Shell floats plans for offshore carbon capture 22.4.08 The Australian p25

No one in big business or big politics is discussing reduction of fossil fuel extraction as we sleep walk to civilisation suicide:

Ease bottleneck or lose port deal | The Australian

 Perhaps the first proverbial cyclone in Brisbane will change all that, but off course it will all be too late by then.

- Refer penultimate piece about monolithic corporatist govt threads in the weekend press  re Costello, abolishing states, root and branch tax review etc etc.

- the Bully might be back, as in The Bulletin via Hunter Hall schmoozer ex journo, Peter Hall, but I wouldn't hold one's breath. Story reads like an urbanite swearing they are going to buy land and live in the country only to move back to the city chaos. Similarly Peter Hall looks like a money man - not a news guy - subject to one thing. There is a social sector that wants 21C view of business in post climate change realities.  With online cranking so well, it would seem more likely to our superficial eye for 'a progressive business' component of the new media sector to grow out of, Stephen Mayne's new Mayne Report, or  Business Spectator, Kohler's Eureka Report, Crikey.com.au or even New Matilda on say the renewable energy side of things. But who knows? One thing though too - broadband in regional areas is apparently hard to get or too expensive which cruels that demographic and keeps media firmly on paper.

- Daily Telegraph last Friday edition front pager  – “Seeing red” over “rent a crowd” pro China Inc/IOC Inc global torch relay. Cynical overwhelming of local human rights protest. Profound metaphor for bullying dictatorship in Tibet itself overwhelming local language groups, also Uygurs (East Turkistan).  This kind of ongoing adverse publicity for China Inc creates response willing to talk to exiled Dalai Govt who hedging on terms for such.

- Notice this revealing survey but no includsion of  Olympic sponsor Channel 7 in the survey -

Controversy flares, but sponsors stick with the Games | smh.com.au

 

and see too

Olympic torch relay turns into three-ring circus Glenda Korporaal The fiasco proves how quickly a sponsorship, even of a trusted brand, can go wrong

- But Big Sport/human rights is the front story – the back story business pages is SinoSteel (China Inc Beijing Govt) hostile takeover of Midwest iron ore medium level $1.2B or so value. Approved by FIRB already but Sino is fishing for more and like in USA rejecting of China Govt $, Australia is reported to be telling China Inc to back off to avoid political blow back. Similar to Shell stalking Woodside under Costello around Nigeria human rights but even worse in terms of China Inc dictatorship killers. Shell's takeover of Woodside was rejected outright by Costello.

China Inc is demonstrably not 'just another player in the Western markets' and to think that would be a triumph of naivety and greed over common sense: For instance:

21.4.08 CNN's coverage of China sparks attack | The Australian

22.4.08 Curbs on media at torch run attacked | The Australian

In all of this remains the great Australian juggling act between USA alliance and China commerce:

23.3.08 We're still OK, China - National - smh.com.au

- ABC Unleashed web publishing is really cranking since launching Oct 2007 in both postings and comment vitality. 

We met the organizer, obviously a serious operator, but you can still detect the the fearful stodgy ABC ‘balance’ lacking self corporate self awareness that the ABC itself is a player as mendicant to the federal Govt for funding – as per the fairly soft 2020 Summit coverage.

I get the distinct feeling (or maybe our own fear) the ABC are seeking to generate influence and control of the web based news sector in reaction to the growth of Crikey, New Matilda, our own humble SAM website. Is this really what the ABC is about – competition and control with the non aligned blogosphere. It looks another aspect of corporate self interest to us.

- ABC attacked by News ltd back on Wed 23^rd April front pager  but it went pretty much nowhere as cynical exploitation of emotional time for vet and families. Pretty ugly game by SDT and Melbourne tabloid. It follows blowtorch attack on a barrister the week before which the ABC in particular froze out. The ABC get more of similar impertinence from Tim Blair yesterday with a perverse half truth about consistent threads of programming bias at fondly known 'dowdy Aunty'. Truth remains ABC sets the standard for Big Media both in editorial balance and content. Blair will always be in denial and have trouble with that kind of publicly funded reality.

- Power sell off friction is really cranking now – range of stories listed here - which all turn on John Robertson not betraying the union movement like Costa did by taking a job in the upper house for his ministerial career to close down the workers compensation claims of unions (a 'reform' about 2001-2 which has since been slammed by judges and academics as windfall insurance industry profits):

 26.3.08 Electricity inquiries show no spark - Opinion - smh.com.au

28.3.08 Sell power stations but help the regions: Combet - National - smh ...

11.4.08 $272m aid to help power sale - National - smh.com.au

19.4.08 Premier's power play - National - smh.com.au

19.4.08 Iemma's plan to defy unions - National - smh.com.au

19.4.08 Calm before the storm for Iemma p29 Australian, Imre Salusinszky [offline]

 

20.4.08 Iemma faces censure on power | The Daily Telegraph

 

21/4/08 Warning to party over open threat - National - smh.com.au

21.4.08 'Disloyal' Iemma defiant | The Australian

23.4.08 Lovable's rogue's big plans | The Daily Telegraph

25.4.08 State or the unions: to the wire - National - smh.com.au

27.4.08 ALP shuns Morris Iemma on power sale | The Daily Telegraph

 - and lots of stories by veteran Alex Mitchell in the crikey.com.au newsletter

- Noel Pearson and Megan Davis/Sarah Maddison trade reasonably mild intellectual and ideological rivalry on future directions in Indigenous affairs. For us it seems to be about actual, or perceptions of, equitable resourcing for damage control regarding precious young Black lives versus longer term deeper reforms to the soul of the country. Which also appears to underpin this fairly hot rivalry between veteran activist Michael Anderson in the Western Division of NSW (eg crusading on Aboriginal Nations Rugby/Super League) and Sydney based (and family related) Larissa Behrendt/Geof Scott and NSW Aboriginal Land Council (which it should be remembered is actually a big land developer). We noticed a traverse by The Oz's Natasha Robinson which incorrectly blames the Native Title Act 1994 on Howard when in fact it was Keating as PM, perhaps showing her age (?), and understandable given what Howard as PM did do to Wik legal precedent in 1997-8 decision with his bucket loads of extinguishment '10 point plan'.

- Simon Benson gets the exclusive story on jobs growth  in NSW too bad it’s in terms of developer donations racket and destruction of natural heritage values and amenity. It’s a classic Huey Long trashing of governance standards via ramrod of developer mate approvals. With no eye to ecological imperatives much bigger than re election of the ALP or the latest GDP figures.

- Imre Salusinszky goes the (misogynist?) sledge that the Iemma Govt’s troubles on developer donations are all about errant Wollongong planner and 2 ex communist Green MPs Rhiannon, Hale:

[offline] Green MPs a barrier to Sartor's reforms p29 26 April 08

 

However this recent list of stories sort of shows what rubbish that is from Imre. The record doesn't bear out such a convenient sanitising of the Iemma Govt at all. (Just as we were surprised to see Errol Simper sanitise his dubious mate Ken Hooper recently, if indeed it is the same bloke who worked for Westfield after Nick Greiner.) It's about democracy and common decency and honesty Imre not the cold war or The Australian's big business advertiser mates for that matter:

22/3/08 Iemma plan to ban political donations - National - smh.com.au 

22.3.08 Single-deck metro trains a bad move for city, expert warns - National

23.4.08 A flamin' big bungle Sunday Telegraph

24.3.08 Hospitals doctor records - National - smh.com.au

26.3.08 The Archangel Gabrielle chainsaw massacre - Elizabeth Farrelly ...

30.3/08 O'Farrell attacks ICAC over lameness SunHerald p13

2.4.08 Della Bosca wants Iemma's job | The Daily Telegraph

2.4.08 Della Bosca admits to leadership desire - National - smh.com.au

2.4.08 Over there! It's another get-tough policy - National - smh.com.au

 

6.4.08 [front page] Iemma losing control Sunday Telegraph

 

5.4.08 Della Bosca denial 'nonsense' | The Daily Telegraph

 

6.4.08 Sydney's $152m light rail plan | The Daily Telegraph [by way of contradistinction with this $5 BILLION secret truck tunnel Port Botany to M4 East]

7.4.08 Go green, Sydney, for a brighter way - Environment - Home ...

7.4.08 Quick and dirty, is that the plan SMH Editorial

 

7.4.08 TWU eats up cash meant for 'training fund' | The Daily Telegraph

 

9.4.08 We might be green but we're not stupid Simon Benson Daily Telegraph

 

9.4.08 Top ALP donor appeals to Sartor | The Australian

 

10.4.08 Mayor rebuts Sartor's dispute claim | The Australian

 

10.4.08 Truckloads of donations - National - smh.com.au

 

10.4.08 Canberra asked to help build M4 extension - National - smh.com.au 

10.4.08 Poor vision for the state in blurring of the divide - Opinion ...

11.4.08 Grants nothing to do with me, says Della Bosca - National - smh.com.au

11.4.08 Warning: Sartor's new laws invite graft - National - smh.com.au

11.4.08 Second airport, but not at Badgerys Creek - Travel - smh.com.au

 

11.4.08 Public funding by the back door - Editorial - Opinion - smh.com.au

 

15.4.08 We failed to declare donations: ALP - National - smh.com.au

 

18.4.08 Landlord MPs in conflict of interest fear | The Daily Telegraph

 

19.4.08 State can sell your home - National - smh.com.au

 

And then their is the alleged Opus Dei minister Kristine Keneally doing PR for the Catholic World Youth Day with huge public subsidy:

23. 3.08 Meet the nun who convinced a Minister to expand seniors discounts

 

20.3.08 City gets its holy marching orders - National - smh.com.au

 

- Frugal council counts cost of World Youth Day - National - smh.com.au

 

21 April 2008 World Youth Day to cost taxpayers $86m - ABC News (Australian ...

Sunday 9

Bruce Wolpe of Fairfax on the US Presidential contest.

Feature on global warming and forestry schemes to come.

First feature on ANZAC day.

Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) – academic Iain McGill UNSW – “party is over” for scarce resource of the atmosphere. Samuels/ACCC on integrity concerns. Jeff Angel sceptic on re afforestation offsets versus genuine renewable energy sources. He’s got a serious point. Worth checking out for video on demand if they run it.

Nicola Roxon in big Laurie Oakes interview. All very worthy.

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

10 Meet the Press:  8- 8-30 am

Missed the start. Tony Abbott is the guest.

Chat about alcopops stock standard ‘moral panic’ diversion from greater issues. Dreary discussion of support for Brendan Nelson ongoing. Out take is Heffernan crashing a single desk Barnaby Joyce.

Adbreak has digestive bloating advert for pills, another different product  last night running too. Why the push?

Hartigan and Rudd footage. Alison Carabine 2UE/Southern Cross Broadcasting. And Peter Hartcher SMH on the panel. Fairly dreary discussion.

Hartcher moves in on pressure on working families. Rake over old coals of Liberal leadership under Howard, re McLachland wallet gate mistakes.

Tandberg outtake another 6 months honeymoon for Rudd [subtext of huge

Advert is dancing with stars balancer versus Sunday Telegraph front pager embarrassment.

Brett Solomon of Get Up put through his paces. Says 280K “members” but really subscribers as best I can say. Admits Evan Thorley seed funding way back at the start. Styles self and Get Up as pro progressive issues based with interest from say rural national party voters. That is not monolithic party platform.

Has credibility gap which he is wise to so may solve it too [eg bragged in official email 100+ chosen for 2020 Summit, then says only 1 rep was him attending, also pro Rudd history pre election]  but getting smaller as fashions a new “independent” role post Rudd election.

Pressed hard by Alison Carabine on any manufacturing of consent in reportage of Governance issue at 2020 and Brett makes it clear yes there was manipulation and Willian Deane/Burnside spotted this dirty trick. So integrity question came up tops for independence. Calls for a "climate budget".  Needs to keep building on that independence but that means breaking ties with The ALP Machine Power. It will be painful if they can do it.

Meet The Press - Watch Political Video Online - Channel TEN.

Riley Diary 7

. no Riley Diary at usual time that we can see.

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

Insiders 2: 9- 10am

- Panel is Karen Middleton SBS, Mal Farr News Limited tabloid, Milne News Limited broadsheet/Sunday

Interview is Martin Ferguson (fresh off a friendly boost in The Oz business pages)  about expanse of continental shelf rights by a great deal. Ferguson a dinosaur on climate change and pro nuke energy is riding it for all he is worth “energy security”. 

Cassidy goes to China Inc stalking firms, and “China is entitled to invest in Australia like other traditional investors” “non discriminatory”. But that means treating what’s different as different Cassidy notes no security pact, communist state owned company. -  National interest test he says and market principles. The market will decide. What rubbish. Tell that to W Bush regime. Totally naïve and false distinctions. Talks about Shell stalking of Woodside.

Paul Kelly in pink shirt, soliloquy, Bill of rights very divisive big mistake

Discussion of summit process greatly manufactured, manipulated. Various topics.

Moves on to Costello leadership issues.  Jack the Insider in talking pictures of only mildly funny schtick though true enough characterisation especially of crude Sydney business culture.

Sledging of Pauline Hanson re financials. How much is Big Party bullying for an admittedly very unsympathetic case.

http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/

Posted by editor at 11:32 AM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 30 April 2008 10:18 AM NZT

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Mood:  sharp

An unelected swill, err fine upstanding over achievers 1,002 in number at the 2020 summit, or many part thereof, have suggested a wholesale reorganisation of state and federal relations. At least so PM Rudd's machine are reporting via Micke Steketee. It's the broken federation sings the chorus.

Costello as former treasurer has apparently leaked a similar 'reform' previously considered by the Howard Govt to veteran Laurie Oakes writing Bulletin style stories out of place in the Daily Telegraph cartoon book:

[offline] Howard plotted to scuttle the states April 26 2008 p26

Maybe a leak so Costello can shore up his dormant leadership ambition? Or to sell his memoirs? Or even to distract from FoI expert Peter Timmins (SMH today) who implies that Costello's Govt deliberately squibbed criminal sanctions for cartel behaviour (like big Liberal Party donors and a certain cardboard box king).

Big business and PM Rudd are keen to break down the federal state model too. Talk of root and branch review of taxation, or in Howard-Costello terms, clawing back of the GST to take power off the states.

Only it's a naked attempt at centralised vertically integrated power free of checks and balances by the duopoly major parties prostrate to big business.

Take out of 2020 Summit: Rudd Inc showcase is Rollerball style monolith
Mood:  sad
Topic: aust govt

Picture: The World Corp's CEO in his lair in movie Rollerball, like PM Rudd inviting the Big Media into his interview room at the Summit, surrounded by his powerful machine in parliament house rather than the usual press conference format.

Remember the old saying - Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The plan is about as opposite to the Green Party principle of grassroots democracy as you are likely to find.

The reason the Australian public voted down a minimalist presidential republican model 10 years ago is because they didn't want to bless yet another sincecure of the bunyip aristocracy to the craven major parties.

How much less will they want to deliver over more centralised power to political parties already largely annexed by Big Business donors to build $5B truck tunnels from Port Botany, or sell off $15B in energy assets?

In every shallow discussion of streamlining and reduction of the 2 main federal and state and 3rd level of (local) government there is one grand purpose of the set up that the vertically integrated major parties and revolving door media never acknowledge. What many call inertia and calcification of governance is probably actually stability and safety.

The reason Australia is such a stable country is because of the three levels of government. There is a forum above or below for agitation against another level of govt on anything that gets the people steamed up. That's why Australia is a stable country for over 106 years now. Sure there is nothing like a monolithic totalitarian stitch up like Mussolini's Italy, or the 'Democratic' Republic of China to simplify things and yes save resources. No doubt about it. Popular authoritarianism of Big Brother.

Such systems may be many things but healthy stable democracy is not one of them.

Posted by editor at 12:16 AM NZT

Updated: Sunday, 27 April 2008 11:22 AM NZT

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Mood:  sharp

Back in February 2008 we were sceptical whether the general manager's job at Addison Rd Community Centre would ever be advertised to the public as legally required for most public organisations.

For those who follow these things then President and ALP hack Yvette Andrews slipped into the job back in December 2007 for 6 months "temporary" position from her political fixer role as unpaid President.

Andews friend Terry Cutcliffe was enjoying a rent free or highly discounted rent for a 500 sq metre gallery space during her watch causing no end of controversy at the ARC. Apparently he has never submitted accounts of income and expenditure for some 4 years after admittedly renovating the space.

A Board member told this writer the GM's position would be advertised by April 08, that is with 2 months to get someone in the position after Andrews 6 months are up. We feel this is either optimistic or naive. Our source tells us that the May 15 2008 meeting will decide to advertise the position to the public. "If it's not raised then I will raise it" says our brave source.

Well we said back in February 08 don't hold your breath in the state of ALP. And sure enough April 26 and no advert. And we bet there will be no advertising decision on May 15 Board meeting either.

Meanwhile we notice our old stamping ground at Waverley Council has duly advertised it's much more serious and demanding General Manager's position in the press this weekend. In their case they know how to follow the law of equal access to employment in public organisations.

Here was our draft advert for General Manger for Addison Rd Centre, 'biggest community centre in Australia' just to demonstrate how it's done. it seems appropriate when another big Sydney non profit is hitting the skids in the press again today (very sad too):

..........

[True fiction!]

 Addison Rd Centre General Manager Job Vacancy closing date 1st April 2008

Posted February 9th, 2008 by Anonymous

Recently arisen, how
brightly you shine

Addison Road Centre

Senior Management

Position

IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

The Addison Road Centre (ARC) is an equal opportunity employer and values the diversity of its workforce. This means that the person most capable of doing the job will be chosen, without discrimation based on age, sex, pregnancy, disability, race, colour, ethnic or ethno religious background, descent or nationality, marital
status, homosexuality, transgender identity, or carer’s
responsibility.

The ARC is an independent organisation pursuing the goal of providing a site where organisations and
individual practitioners in the arts, culture, community and the environment can
work together in a community-owned asset. The ARC aims to be a showcase of how diversity of communities defined either by locality, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, age, ability or interest can operate together to achieve social and environmental outcomes in a context of economic self-sufficiency.

MAIN OFFICE

ADDISON ROAD CENTRE, MARRICKVILLE

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, people with disabilities and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

General Manager – Salary $65K per annum

Job Ref No: GM08/01

Are you an energetic and experienced manager with excellent interpersonal skills and management
experience willing to be a central part of a team committed to servicing the infrastructure and administrative needs of clients?

An opportunity is available to join the team of the Addison Road Centre, Marrickville as it moves forward
with a vital program of community service.

The General Manager will be a key role in the provision of best practice administrative services for over 40
tenants and 5 staff. You will need to be committed to protecting the interests and dignity of people in a wide range of community activities. The organisation
is experiencing strong growth in the demand for its services and is undergoing organisational change. You will be working with the Board of elected
representatives to achieve long term change.

Selection criteria:
We are seeking a senior manager with extensive experience in a client service organisation who
can demonstrate outstanding leadership and management capabilities. The successful candidate will have experience in significant and successful
organisational change and process strategic planning and financial management skills. A sound knowledge of the issues facing community centres on community
land are contained in the information package available.

The operations of Addison Rd Centre are located on 3.4 hectares at 142 Addison Rd, Marrickville in the Inner West of Sydney.

The position has a remuneration package of $65,000 per annum.

Inquiries: Yvette Andrews (02) 9569 7633

Information Packages: Terry Cutcliffe 9518 3709, 0412 590 779

Applications Marked “Confidential” To: Applicants can
apply by email to mainoffice@addisonrdcentre.com.au

Closing date: April 1^st 2008 or never whichever comes first.

Posted by editor at 5:04 PM NZT

Updated: Saturday, 26 April 2008 5:32 PM NZT

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Mood:  incredulous

[Courier Mail story owned by News Ltd]

 Anna Bligh approved $100,000 pay hike for Mike Kaiser's role

By Steven Wardill April 24, 2008 12:00am

PREMIER Anna Bligh orchestrated a pay rise of almost $100,000 for her chief of staff role before announcing confessed vote rorter Mike Kaiser would take the job.

Ms Bligh secretly gave the green light to change the job description for the powerful position in order to align it with its higher-earning equivalents interstate.

An independent financial consultant, Mercer, arrived at the figure, she said.

"These are very significant and very responsible positions and frankly I think somewhere in the middle of the pack, given the size of Queensland and our growth and the responsibility of the position, is probably about right," she said today.

The move means Mr Kaiser now pockets a base salary of $211,880 a year, more than the $205,000 he would have been earning as a minister had he not been forced out of politics in 2001.

When superannuation, leave loading and his fully maintained vehicle are included, Mr Kaiser's total package exceeds $268,000 – making him Queensland's highest-paid ministerial staffer.

That means he earns more than Brisbane's Lord Mayor ($205,000), the Opposition Leader ($185,000) and federal MPs ($127,000).

Ms Bligh's base salary is $259,000, while her deputy Paul Lucas pockets just under $223,000.

Ms Bligh said Mr Kaiser took a pay cut to take the position. "Any suggestion that he came up here lured by money is completely and utterly false," she said.  "Mike's first decision and threshold was whether or not his family would be prepared to move if he was going to pursue this position."

Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg said Queenslanders would be offended Ms Bligh had organised such a big pay increase for a Labor mate.

"When our nurses, teachers and police have to fight tooth and nail to get a 4 per cent pay rise, it irks Queenslanders to see Ms Bligh personally approving pay rises of $100,000 for Labor Party members," Mr Springborg said.

Ms Bligh admitted she was in discussions with Mr Kaiser when the pay increase happened, but insisted negotiations had not progressed to monetary terms.

"There had been no discussion about salary. He was still making a decision about whether to move his family," Ms Bligh said.

She said she had revealed Mr Kaiser's base salary in Parliament and said the package needed to be altered to ensure the Government could attract quality candidates.

with AAP

Posted by editor at 10:24 PM NZT

Updated: Friday, 25 April 2008 10:30 PM NZT

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Mood:  a-ok

Is there a thread between the following reports in the press today? Do they describe the situation of citizens here in NSW generally regarding NSW State Government milking the economy for 'donations'? Or is that a cheap shot? Being 1/8 Italian maybe it's a touch melodramatic. Maybe.

Pubs turn off the political donations tap

THE Australian Hotels Association has frozen all political donations in a move that increases pressure on the Premier, Morris Iemma, to carry through his proposal to ban all donations.

Compare this other racketeering situation from Sicily. Home of the Mafia, not to be confused with the Camora which hail from Calabria apparently (where it seems my folks on my mothers side, and Premier Morris Iemma's folks, hail from):

Posted by editor at 7:13 PM NZT

Updated: Friday, 25 April 2008 7:32 PM NZT

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Mood:  quizzical

Curious revelations in the last day or so suggesting gems of information come in threes.

Deborah Cameron - a fencing sportswoman at university? You can just imagine the dangerous conceptual tools in her radio work today as a metaphor for the epee dueling sword of her youth.

Leigh Sales reveals on the Glover arvo show that her father is a Vietnam War Veteran. The implications for her editorial approach to the David Hicks Case just go on and on and on.

Tracey Holmes reports on the political story of the Canberra torch relay on 702 morning show earlier today even though she is mainly a sports reporter. A specialist Olympic sports reporter with history in Hong Kong. In the last week her dogmatic support for Big Sport was quite blatant. She presents like a talented knowledgeable broadcaster but she definitely had her own angle. Not much Free Tibet or human rights considerations likely to arise in her coverage.

Posted by editor at 7:56 PM NZT

Updated: Thursday, 24 April 2008 8:18 PM NZT

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Mood:  down

Angry Kurnell homeowners halt de-sal plant tunnelling | The Daily ...

Homes vibrating ... residents who stopped work on the deslaination plant at Kurnell (left to right) Yvonne George (at back) , Veronica and John and their twins Isabelle and Dylan,7, and Ros Long. Picture: Stephen Cooper

 Don't like desal? Get a hotel | The Daily Telegraph

Residents crack over desal drill - National - smh.com.au

All in the name of a desalination plant contract to Veolia while we experience the rainiest (wettest?) April on record .

The Veolia full page adverts are in SMH, The Australian and Australian Financial Review today apparently. Today it's a butterfly motif. Previously a tree and probably others we forget.

These guys are so very calculating with their very expensive PR literally as people are placed in motels because their houses are shaking from the construction.

Veolia which bought out Collex or was Collex previously also runs the dubious Woodlawn landfill near Goulburn NSW delivering major disruptions at Clyde for a mega transfer station. You might say Veolia's speciality is disruption of the public amenity.

Posted by editor at 6:08 PM NZT

Updated: Thursday, 24 April 2008 7:12 PM NZT

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Mood:  incredulous

The infamous blue and white tracksuited China's People's Police  (CPP)which also enforces with extreme force the Beijing Govt dictatorship in satellite 'provinces' like Tibet and Uygur areas, are doing their best to get into the camera frame with every runner in the torch relay.

That is the so called Chinese security that the Australian PM, ACT Chief Minister and local Australian Federal/ACT Police have said won't have any role in the torch relay. But putting the lie to that - China Inc are right there in the front of the coverage.

One presumes it's blatant PR choreography for the consumption of the Chinese masses. And very sly compared with the official PR at a press conference yesterday.

At 10.30 am we took these 2 images off the free to air tv vision

Here is the Chinese para military meddling on 7 tv vision at 11.25 am replay by them today 24 April 08

Got that Mark Beretta. Whatever you do don't deviate from the alloted path according to the Chinese People's Police, thankyou very much. Sebastian Coe, we get the picture! Very careful control and choreography is the name of the game. Those poor Tibetans and Uygurs, North Koreans, Burmese, Darfurians, Zimbabweans etc.

And that's not saying anything good about the terrible record of the USA or Soviet Union either with their famous record of abuse of power and human rights.

Posted by editor at 11:56 AM NZT

Updated: Thursday, 24 April 2008 1:34 PM NZT

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Mood:  special

This advert is shown below 75% of original size. It ran on page 17 in the Canberra Times on 19th April 2008 presumably in the weekend features pages. It cost something like $9,000 raised grassroots style in short time by Harriet Swift and others as part of South East Region Conservation Alliance. How good are they? Damn good, and honest too.

A PDF version is here

http://www.chipstop.forests.org.au/CT%20ad%20full%20size%20higher%20res.pdf

We can't help wondering if these kind of concerns partly explain the world class scientists excluded from the blessed 1,000 Rudd fest, and also why PM Rudd glaringly failed to attend the funeral of former Senator John Button who called the native forest woodchipping industry "a bastard of an industry" in 1992.

It is blatantly obvious this was a discreet recruitment/duchessing exercise to seek to annex the non aligned centre of the public through respected opinion leaders. This we think is the more realistic view of PM Rudd's so called reforming of the centre ... yeah, into his own Party, or at the very least promote the ALP to the worthies. The covert selection process, the illogical exclusion of eminent people, the domination of PR in the event by govt ministers and their clique of party loyalists Carr, Gallup, Rann etc etc

There has been some cutting reportage of failures of the 2020 Summit regarding the sustainability group but also more broadly. This is important to get a sensible perspective on the blanket coverage no doubt influenced by co-opted big media owners/editors like Hartigan (News Ltd), Jaspan/Kirk (Fairfax), Scott (ABC). These compare with veterans like Beecher (Crikey) and Ramsey and Mungo McCallum.

And we don't mean ham fisted crude directives. Being a wage slave is pressure enough for staff. Everyone knows, clear more from the silence than the telling. After all who wants to admit either publicly or to themselves they are a moral or professional coward?

Here is the sharp coverage we have seen since the Summit last weekend:

Bright ideas fade under controversy | The Australian

No Such Thing as a Bad Idea? Anna Rose

Garrett deflects coal hijack claim | The Australian 

www.smh.com.au - Fossil fuel industry dominates 

Invitees depart feeling hijacked | The Australian 

Too little time for talk at talkfest | The Australian 

Call to embark on a carbon revolution | The Australian 

This one is quite sharp on the summit but somehow re orients to praise the ALP anyway. Go figure:

Climate change at the helm of Labor's next big idea - Environment ...

Here is some dead give away recent coverage of dinosaur infrastructure and fossil fuel industry agendas, business as usual:

Faster approvals will benefit all | The Australian

Everything's coming up roses | smh.com.au

Greens split over 'wicked witch' coal | The Australian

Sorry to ruin the fun, but an ice age cometh | The Australian

Hopeful prospects in expanded seabed territory | The Australian

Coal isn't cool but our growth depends on it | The Australian

Carbon plan 'to cost business $22bn' | The Australian

Meanwhile the reality of a hopelessly unsustainable global future are being underlined here:

For future peace, step forward for the great agricultural challenge

 Global crisis on our plate | The Australian

Posted by editor at 11:52 AM NZT

Updated: Thursday, 24 April 2008 12:31 PM NZT

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