Mood:  chillin'

Miranda "baa baa" Devine is a rather malicious journalistic sheep for the Coalition ideologues in Australia. Her latest column however is the high water mark of weird and scary.

Under an extraordinary title " Class war barb sees Abbott wooed like Corleone dons"  the article in the Murdoch owned Sydney Sunday Telegraph published by the bad News Ltd, refers to a Liberal Party fundraiser at Sydney's expensive Wentworth Hotel late last week. To avoid any misunderstanding about the mafia overtone there is even a prominent picture frame from The Godfather movie.

Well, well. We take Baa Baa at her word. Tony Abbott, as Opposition leader with a very healthy poll lead, is like a mafia Corleone Don.

Wikipedia describes the script of the movie as such:

 "To end the feuds, Vito meets with the heads of the Five Families, withdrawing his opposition to the Tattaglias' heroin business and swearing to forego revenge for Sonny's murder. He deduces that the Tattaglias were under orders of the now dominant Don Emilio Barzini (Richard Conte). With his safety guaranteed, Michael returns home and over a year later marries his girlfriend, Kay Adams (Diane Keaton). Seeing his father at the end of his career and his brother too weak, Michael takes the reins of the family business and promises his wife to make it legitimate within five years. ...As the christening proceeds, on Michael's orders, Corleone assassins murder the other New York dons and Moe Greene. Tessio is told that Michael is aware of his betrayal and taken off to his death. After Carlo is questioned by Michael on his involvement in setting up Sonny's murder and confesses he was contacted by Barzini, he is escorted to a car whereupon Clemenza kills him with a garrotte. Michael is confronted by Connie, who accuses him of having her husband killed. He denies killing Carlo when questioned by Kay, an answer she accepts. As Kay watches warily, Michael receives his capos, who address him as the new Don Corleone."

We think CEOs of Australian business - big and small should take due note of the metaphor.

The metaphor seems to imply a capacity for extreme violence, and seems scary and weird, yet credible coming from such a loyalist to the conservative side of politics like Miranda Devine.

After all this is the politician who remains loyal to the Iraq War project even after the confirmation of no WMD existence. This is the politician who seeks to 'bribe' the women of Australia out of their right to choose, no matter the cost.

There also seems to be an implication of real menace in the story. Arguably the story carries a suggestion of extreme punishment for those who stray or fail to display loyalty.

Which raises another question  for me, just after Anzac day, whether Australians are cowards to be initimidated by menaces or like Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront, can stand up to and conquer the pain and trouble posed by thuggery.

Is this the kind of PM the CEOs of Australia seek to embrace? Indeed the kind of country they seek to embrace under Abbott?

Posted by editor at 9:41 AM NZT

Updated: Monday, 14 May 2012 10:16 AM NZT

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Mood:  chatty

We hear shadow AG George Brandis wax lyrical on abc radio about distinctions, arguably without a difference, on why both major parties endorsed Slipper MP in a world of trouble now. Certainly Slipper is hog tied for at least a while by legalistic smart alecs helping Opposition leader Tony Abbott. And the mechanism of choice of the Coalition is revealing of their own character.

Like the worthy Scribe in the Media section of the wicked Limited/News broadsheet, all this recent Slipper imbroglio has got me thinking.

Let me explain. But first note on page 4 of the Murdoch broadsheet today where we see the marginal issue of private sexual matters and petty cab charge misdemeanours.

We submit suing Peter Slipper for sexual harrassment of a 33 year old in a civil suit, in order to unravel a government in a hung parliament is just too small. It is small minded, and legalistic, nonsense with scant regard for the democratic process.

We note in the same press that legally trained Abbott staffer Peta Credlin is negotiating a deal with cross bencher Andrew Wilkie. No doubt Credlin was a chef in the kitchen cooking up this smallness when Abbott was incapable of winning an election fair and square in 2010.

This Peter Slipper affair remind of an episode of the West Wing (Season 2) where Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman must weigh up whether to sue the white supremacists who put a bullet in him. He decides against, according to the script, because the political strategy is “too small”. He doesn’t want gun crime to be defined, to paraphrase, by the 'civil suit equivalent of slipping in the driveway'. Taking government by such a small pretext, in contrast to a national election, is like that. Too small.

Tony Abbott has form on legalistic, albeit financially expensive, games as a weak substitute for good faith motives.

In one of our first forays in this SAM blog some 5 years old now, was a first hand account of bruiser Tony Abbott in action in Sydney University student politics. The story is here:

Monday, 8 January 2007

Why did student activist now minister Tony Abbott punch Peter Woof?
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: election Oz 2007

 with postscript here

The common element in the current rumble is the reliance of Abbott on heavy weight legal support. Back then it was to avoid suit for assault in then Glebe local magistrates’ court. Not for our Tony the George Washington declaration 'that it was I who cut down the apple tree', being the honest good faith response. To own up to mistakes.

Abbott similarly is also implicated in tricky legalistic devilry to attack the One Nation virus that was nurtured ironically in his own electorate office. That all ended in the false imprisonment of Pauline Hanson in Qld.

Not for Abbott the full blooded repudiation of racists and white supremacists which again would have been the George Washington option. To take that overt and honest moral political position would have cleaved the red neck rump on the Coalition right.

Bob Brown, retiring Green MP and leader, came close to the essence of good faith last night on Q & A when challenged on his position 30 years ago in the Franklin River campaign for his support for a coal fired power station alternative. BB announced something like ‘it’s in the newspaper, and I was wrong’ with grace and a winning smile, as if to say, yes I am human and fallible. That folks was the George Washington response, for real. No wonder folks love Brown.

We doubt folks love Tony Abbott that way, or ever will. And the reason is that he is too small, and more practically speaking, too small to be a good PM or maybe even PM at all.

Last night we also saw Abbott interviewed by Uhlmann on 7.30. It was a workmanlike but clunky affair, as the cogs turned over slowly and descended into legalistic distinctions over Slipper then and now, ours then now theirs, and a traverse of other broad policy concerns. Abbott looked very much like a man with trainers on, and painfully under done. And we feel this is really his default position. We think the public, business and conservative alike, ought not expect more if he ever gets in the big chair.

We’ve seen this before. The smart arse charm, with a habit for the cheap joke - note the comic insert on Meet The Press on Sunday catching Abbott’s low brow comment about 'spicy workplaces', as if he would know(?). In my experience such personality types have less than meets the eye in the gravitas department when actually in harness. By distinction some other types grow in the job and rise to the occasion. My conclusion is we are witnessing Abbott at his clunky zenith.

Another serious clue to Abbott's nature is his ideological support for the Iraq War despite estimates of 100,000 to 600,000 deaths on the pretext of presence of weapons of mass destruction which didn't exist. Even after the expose' of this mistaken or falsified WMD claim Abbott remains loyal to the project.

In this Abbott is loyal to a fault to the old man, ex PM John Howard. Arguably Abbott having been mentored by Howard is also his cipher. Howard famously wanted the country to be relaxed and comfortable which is ridiculous when faced by global terrorism, ripples from GFC Mark I, expected Mark II, the war in Afghanistan and grim climate change science (as distinct from geologist and oil industry fiction).

Perhaps the churchy people amongst us by definition are small people who embrace the history and grandeur of a world religion to fill up a vacuum in their own persona? They need a bolt on moral substance that others install internally? Whatever the reason, to quote the West Wing opening season, Abbott is not the real deal.

The answer to Uhlmann’s penetrating question “Are you ready to govern?” in truth should have been “No, and I never will be. It‘s not in my DNA.”

Posted by editor at 12:02 PM NZT

Updated: Tuesday, 24 April 2012 1:20 PM NZT

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Mood:  lyrical

We posted this on our private Facebook page, which deserves some wider distribution:

#1

It seems to me [Christine Milne] is far more mainstream than Bob in relation to her biography sent out on the Greens email list. Just saying. Also it is jarring to read Cheryl Kernot comment in the press today. Can't see CM getting into bed literally with the bastards. Talk about HUGE error of judgement by Kernot, given she was supposed to be making independent critique on same lover (Gareth Evans). I mean, talk about no credibility. One well remembers the Stott euphemistically referring to the news of Kernot's defection to the ALP as "very interesting" with quite a deal of acid in her tone, presumably sourced to the inside knowledge of the affair, that the Australian public were not deemed important enough to be informed of until Laurie Oakes broke the unofficial embargo of the insiders. Absolutely hopeless self awareness of concepts of duty and independence from Kernot.

#2

Some more distilled thinking on the transition - errors in big media coverage -

First BB as admirable and indeed lovable as he is, is not really historically "the father" of the environment movement. Arguably that might go to say Miles Dunphy and some degree son Milo Dunphy (?) back to the bushwalking days of the depression and cheap rail links to the Blue Mtns. Noting BB lived in Dundas as a young medical student not far from me here in Eastwood.

Second - As great as the Franklin River issue and victory was - my vote for Hawke as an 18 year old was because of the Franklin issue while a student at ANU law school - more arrests and protest numbers occurred in the late 80ies and 90ies in the South East Forests of NSW. Thus SE Forests were arguably the biggest green issue of our time politically (?).

Thirdly - the malicious wedging pursued by the anti greens in the validly described hate press is flawed in relation to NSW Greens regardless of genuine tensions or debate. Note
(i) green in Green history of SE Forests which drew me to join and be jointly a first Green Party local councillor in NSW in 1995-1999 at Waverley (which was Rhiannon's home branch by the way, though I lapsed from 2000).
(ii) the wedgers always ignore Lee was effectively brought in by Geof Ash her boyfriend, who is fairly described as the founder and architect of the NSW Greens (I shared a group house in 1992 at Bondi - Geof worked delivering organic vegetables, was famoulsy a refugee from the ALP Left of the 80ies).
(iii) I suspect Lee's ambition as I understand has always been to achieve what her mother failed to do - be elected to the Senate. That is, arguably she has achieved her life goal, which was not it appears to annexe The Greens to the CPA (or renamed variant).
(iv) Regarding BDS - it's a bit trite and naive for those who do not live in the core centres of Jewish diaspora and who are not well informed on a very real streak of ultra right fascism in the Israeli Right - here and there - to seek a quiet life with the powerful Jewish lobby. People of good will MUST address the exemplar of Yigal Amir as Jewish assassin of Israel's PM, given Amir's crime has significant support amongt the diaspora then and now. Think about that in a nuclear armed world power of gifted people. Truly only love will overcome the racism against Jewish folks but that's no recommendation for willful blindness about terra nullius policies on the West Bank and Gaza.

#3
...... the denial of the role of sick capitalism in GFC mark I, and expected mark II, by such as The Australian rherorticians owned by ...... Rupert Murdoch. Inconveniently for them the rusted on socialists like Lee Rhiannon have quite a deal more credibility in their life long contempt for capitalism. Although I don't personally feel that contempt or ideological hatred, I believe an honest appraisal of the GFC and those who warned constantly of the sickness within capitalism (see for instance doco The Corporation, or Smartest Guys in the Room re Enron collapse) should be given due credit and acknowledgment. It's easy in Australia which dodged the recession to ignore that some estimate the cost of the GFC was comparable to the sum of the cost of the Great Depression, WW2, Vietnam War and The Space Race. That's a very very very big price paid and why the valid aspects of socialism and central regulatory government should be honestly appraised. Not for ideological reasons - practical ones.

#4

Also a personal note. Milo Dunphy was a mentor of mine 1993-96. Probably a bigger influence than BB here in NSW. I understand Milo ran as a candidate in Tasmania during the Lake Pedder campaign for something called the United Tasmania Group (?) - Indeed I note this quote: "1972 United Tasmania Group (UTG) set up with Bob Brown and Milo Dunphy as co-directors, largely to campaign against damming of Lake Pedder. Regarded as the world’s first “green” political party." at http://www.ecodirectory.com.au/index.php/green-history

*******

We note this blast from the past too, involving hand delivery of 4,000 by the author to the Bondi Basin residences prior to the Waverley Council election in September 1999, that we would like to think resulted in 3 new Greens being elected to that council. Though the authorisation is in editor's name it was in fact co-written with Geoff Ash in the printing shop of Colin Chartlon at Waterloo, Sydney.
 

Posted by editor at 2:57 PM NZT

Updated: Monday, 16 April 2012 3:26 PM NZT

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Mood:  caffeinated

SAM Editor's view of the withdrawn Australia Network tender:

 1. Rudd was keen either when PM or after to trade support for the government for Murdoch's greed, with the price being sell down of ABC turf. A logical if amoral bargain. 

 2. Now post NOTW scandal cabinet make a very different political calculation that they can buck the Murdoch regime, and maybe they can too (no disrespect to the Sphere who writes for the Daily Liberal Party tabloid).

3. The sabotaged tender keeping Aunty in the "soft diplomacy" business, charter of independence notwithstanding, suggests to this punter and probably quite a few more in the beltway and general public land (?) that the ALP are masters at the fix, same as it ever was.

4. Item 3 above is inconsistent with Laurie Oakes' theory that the sabotaged tender will evidence incompetence to the public as the resonating message. Au contraire - that's not our experience, in NSW where funny things happen too often to be random.

5. Rather all this evidences the jaded reality of national politics where good process and good policy outcomes are disconnected from political economy and careerism. Same as it ever was (refer Giuseppe De Lampedusa's awesome novel The Leopard for a beautiful case study in the context of the Sicilian aristocracy).

Posted by editor at 12:07 PM EADT

Updated: Sunday, 11 December 2011 10:34 AM EADT

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Mood:  accident prone

We've managed to flush out the defensive Peta Credlin profile from the flagship of the Liberal Party media machine, namely The Weekend Australian, via their colour supplement and teaser on page 1 main paper.

It's a grasping the nettle sort of situation for the Liberal Party and the newspaper itself so heavily invested in that side of corporate politics.

The opening line is priceless, referring to those "swirling rumours".

We posted this on facebook, last week, complete with politician network, as follows:

Tom McLoughlin

I think it's time to acknowledge the rumour swirling around the Canberra insider club aka beltway. The rumour, even if false, is that the leader of the opposition is having an affair with his chief of staff. I've heard this rumour exists, from two independent sources now in the last 4 weeks, the latest political in Canberra. Even if it is not true it is swirling. Abbott's family values platform may be up for review in an election. Wednesday at 2:31pm

Of all the verbs journalist Kate Legge could have chosen in her opening sentence, it turns out to be an echo of "swirling". We used the same word on a Crikey thread last week also.

And the two independent sources of the rumour "swirling" in Canberra are real.

Four years ago at the outset of this SAM blog we nailed Abbott for being a student thug in the 1970ies.

Now we offer these comments on Credlin:

1. For a West Winger fan she missed the one about Josh Lyman ("joking lie man"!) and the imperative of the chief policy adviser staying out of the spot light - "it's not what we do" he laments.

2. Seems her husband and no doubt herself are interested in two things out of this story, given it had to be written, with social media closing in:

(a) to harvest the profile position for her own career ambition to be the first conservative female PM, if and when Abbott crashes (as predicted by the real political journalism today by ... Laurie Oakes in the sister SDT), that is some insurance post Abbott;

(b) to get ahead of the social media curve and control the story of those dirty laundry rumours.

3. But what the Liberal Party can't publish are updated pictures of happy families - the Abbott marriage, the Loughnane-Credlin marriage, in contra distinction to the Happy Couple PR image of PM Gillard and partner at CHOGM recently over in Perth - under byline of Gemma Jones of the Sydney Daily Telegraph in the belly of the conservative beast, so to speak. That sort of says it all.

 

4. Credlin and her allies may want to note (unkindly) this story leads the soft and gossip section of the newspaper with not one reference of substance in the main newspaper. That's an expendable kind of PR perch there. Most serious colour mag profiles have a cover article in the main press too.

5. Despite clumsy metaphors about dirty laundry and washing of Abbott's lycra, the article ominously did not meet or even attempt to address the real "swirling" rumour and by ramping Credlin's attractive 40 year frame can only intensify the swirl, so to speak. Is this indeed the infamous News Ltd turning of the rack on Abbott's DLP economics and a warning of corporate big brother to get back on script re the IMF funding etc? One does wonder. If so, it highlights the danger for Ms Expendable in a much bigger game of real politik thuggery internal to the Coalition over 'pure' free market economics after the GFC made it look like the mumbo jumbo it really is, and of course, IR ideology etc.

And what we noticed about alleged bright burning brain Credlin in my google research last night, pre The Australian story, was this quote with clumsy, awful grammar, of a so called lawyer of words amongst mere mortals, courtesy of the Sacred Heart Women newsletter:

 "wouldn't be able to have achieved the things I have ...." Whoa, stop, help, give me oxygen, grammar crime underway! Passive, not active, repetition of word choice, excess length.

That ain't no Ainslie Hayes talking there (badly hazed Ainslie - everyone's favourite conservative on West Wing show, and the hilarous Gilbert & Sullivan episode with the dessicted hate flower delivery, saved by gallant Sam Christ Born err Seaborn).

And note the confusion over hair colour - seems some therapy may be called for contrary to the 'happy in her self' cliche from Ms Legge. Perhaps via the First Bloke known for his hairdressing and listening skills?

Posted by editor at 3:06 PM EADT

Updated: Saturday, 5 November 2011 3:42 PM EADT

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Mood:  caffeinated

We've met one or two in our political activist career, both nominally same side and opposition. The truism about the enemy being behind you tends to apply.

These short arses can be quite recalcitrant about their own central and special power role. They won't compromise. They will push and push and push until yes, metaphorically they magically grow another 12 inches from 5 to 6 feet as properly befits their status in the world.

This is the psychology the Australian people are dealing with in Joyce, who as smart and plausible as he is, assumes above all democracy that he must know best. That is, an attack on democracy itself aligned to corporate executive self interest.

Napolean is th exemplar, who famously spent human lives as a daily allowance of cannon fodder. 

No doubt union hard cases have another psychology again, of ideological rejection of individual talent and profit above the group interest.

Pre GFC the corporate free trade mantra might have been valid, but those days are gone, well gone. Govt intervention is highly necessary including nationalisation of the carrier again.

Posted by editor at 9:17 AM NZT

Updated: Sunday, 30 October 2011 9:19 AM NZT

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Mood:  accident prone

Really.So what the hell is the point of this post? You work it out, smarties. Caio, caio.

Posted by editor at 11:24 AM NZT

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Mood:  accident prone

What's in a cartoon and headline today? 

Did all this start with Moir's hilarious cans of "spin' and Tony as a 'one sandwich short of a picnic' Popeye character? 

Or did it start with the humble SAM expose in January 2007 of a thumping student politician Tony back in his bladish student glory days amongst the Sydney uni snobs of the 70ies?

Or the unnamed caller to abc radio who knew Tony at school throwing oranges at people.

One  wonders.

One notes a certain echo, a certain theme with a big mo, in today's major Sydney press, indeed even a cross corporate consensus News to Fairfax, that Tony Abbott is energetic to the extent of dangerous violence. That or his mates in the right wing who follow his lead.

Tony is not your Gandhi style politician. He's not for taking a whole country with him. No he's a hard action man into the fray no matter how wrongheaded, self serving, or backward.

Tony's own weather system of activity can generate the vortex of attention even as it leads downward.

Tony believes in transubstantiation but not climate science. Go figure. 

And so the big press note insightfully Tony's oath "in blood" yesterday against the carbon tax in the wake of the mass murder by a Norwegian right wing extremist, the day after a page 1 story of similar ilk in the Sydney Morning Herald on the same local concern, backed by the authority of the intelligence agencies here.

Just like the critical error over the Iraq War - supported by Tony.

Conservative people, nay conservative voters, will note the concern, and surely agree. No matter your view say on asylum seekers and their miserable situation, you have to wonder about a man who makes light of that misery with a deliberate quip about "stop the boats, stop the smokes".

But why?

We speculate such a person may have taken a few too many knocks to the head in their younger, rugby sporting career. Whatever the reason, it's all Tony's own work and the media have reported today to useful effect.

Posted by editor at 9:21 AM NZT

Updated: Thursday, 13 October 2011 9:24 AM NZT

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Mood:  accident prone

Curious indeed to hear federal resources minister Ferguson compare apples and oranges - foreign renewable energy companies investing in Australia who don't rip $50 BILLION in profits out of Australia in the next 5 years compared to mining multinationals who do, unless a government with balls applies a decent tax for our sovereign wealth in minerals. 

That's a $50 BILLION non sequitur from Ferguson, and jarring, like he's not the minister in an Australian Government. How sad.

Posted by editor at 10:31 AM NZT

Updated: Friday, 1 July 2011 10:34 AM NZT

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Mood:  energetic

   [unsolicited email received recently, SAM is agnostic about the balance of competing interests both within and against the green movement on this issue.]

 “Democracy Betrayed –Tasmanians Betrayed” 

Saturday May 14^{th -} 11.30 AM. Royal Park, Launceston. 

TAP Into A Better Tasmania is organising a rally and march in Launceston, Tasmania. We are working with all like minded groups State-wide to send a clear message to the State Government that they have betrayed Tasmanians and democracy in our state. Are you disappointed with the way in which “your” government and the opposition continue to support Gunns Limited’s proposed Tamar Valley Pulp Mill? Are you “sickened to the stomach” when you repeatedly see organised covert assistance and resources being given, in so many ways, to prop up this 7 year old proposal?         

 If so, please join us on Saturday, May 14^th at Royal Park Launceston. This protest will not only prominently feature the anti pulp mill campaign, but it will also focus on the relentless destruction of Tasmania’s environment - the poisoning and increasing toxicity of our rivers and drinking water supplies - the dreadful damage done to our ancient forests - the utter contempt being shown towards the treasure house of precious Aboriginal artifacts, plus the abysmal standard of representation, state governance and management of our money and resources being shown to our young people. We are very concerned with the steady deterioration in our health services and hospitals; the increasing neglect of the education of our young people - the disgraceful poker machine corruption, and a government that increasingly ignores the needs of the disabled and elderly. We are demanding an end to the relentless tendency to place the profits of foreign and mainland owned corporations ahead of the health, future and well-being of all Tasmanians. If you share these concerns, please join us on Saturday, May14^that Royal Park Launceston, Tasmania.           

TAP- Needs and asks for your support, assistance & donations. 

Support:  Please come to the Rally, car pool, hire a bus, keep up to date on TAP’s website, Twitter, Facebook or at our next fortnightly TAP meeting 7.30PM, Thursday May 12th at the Riverside Community Centre at Riverside High School – off Brownfield Lane -West Tamar Hwy, Launceston, Tasmania. Assist:  Please assist us by telling all your family members, friends, acquaintances, colleagues and your social club or organisation about the rally – and by forwarding this email to every person you know, to your club or your organisations members and particularly to young people. 

Donations:   If you can not attend, could you please consider making a donation either by:-                      

1) By Pay Mate on the TAP website.                     

2) By Direct Transfer to –Tasmanians Against the Pulpmill INC,                         BSB. 067 022 A/C. 10022503.                     

3) By cheque and mail – Tasmanians Against the Pulpmill INC.                         PO. Box 200. Exeter, Tasmania 7275.                    

 4) At the next fortnightly TAP meeting.               

All donations will go towards these typical expenses. * $20   =printing of 20 rally bumper stickers that will be seen by thousands.* $50   =funds 200 brochures delivered to households by volunteers.* $100 =funds the hosting of this website for 1 year.* $200 =funds one third of the meeting venue hire for informing 600 people.* $1000 = one quarter page advertisement in one daily newspaper.    

 “We thank you for your help - together we can make a difference." 

This rally will draw attention to the long, appalling history of lies, bribery, cronyism and arrogance by the very people elected to                                                 represent us.                             

 TAP Into A Better Tasmania is a non-party political community group fighting Gunns’ proposed pulp mill.                                         

For more information AND TO RECIVE UPDATES  email  tapcontact@gmail.com, see  www.tapvision.info and      www.tasmaniantimes.com and    www.tamarpulpmill.info Or on  Twitter # tapvision  or  FaceBook: Tasmanians Against The Pulp Mill (TAP)    

Posted by editor at 3:48 AM NZT

Updated: Thursday, 5 May 2011 3:55 AM NZT

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