It’s time for the ALP to drink a protein word shake and muscle up to the Coalition

 

 

 



“They couldn't sell a cold beer on a hot day.” How many times have I heard that said about the ALP lately? A point which was reinforced in my mind with reference to the Democrats in the USA when I read a Paul Krugman article, Let's Not Be Civil, recently; but which could also be as easily said about the ALP in Australia:

The money quote for mine, is as follows: 'So let’s not be civil. Instead, let’s have a frank discussion of our differences. In particular, if Democrats [the ALP] believe that Republicans [the Coalition] are talking cruel nonsense, they should say so – and take their case to the voters.’

Would that Kevin Rudd have had the 'plums', as Possum puts it, to do that at the last election, he may still have been Prime Minister. But that's an argument for another day.

Suffice to say that the article and the quote goes to, what is now an increasingly solidifying fact in the minds of the electorate, that Progressive politicians, 'liberals', as they are sneeringly referred to by Conservatives (mainly overseas because the 'Liberal' Party has facetiously co-opted the term for their own misleading use here), are just too damned nice. Too civil.

Also, we're not very good at this point in political time at getting our message across effectively. Although I do take comfort from Andrew Elder's recent blog, Abbott's Stale Mate, wherein he says about the polls for the Labor Party: 'All governments worth their salt go backwards at this point in the electoral cycle. Howard did this, Keating did it, Hawke did it and all of them came back to win.' Well, Keating helped Hawke to come back and win again. Sadly voter ennui caught up with him in 1996.

Nevertheless, this Nervous Nellie thought she'd have a go at giving the ALP some advice on getting a message across more effectively, as I have to admit that, sans effective and rich policy underpinnings to aid them, the Coalition are surfing a wave of popularity because they are better at sending out a message than the ALP, even though, as I say, their policy cupboard is bare. I am reminded of the Monty Python skit, 'The 4 Yorkshiremen', when I reflect upon the Coalition, whereby four obviously wealthy men seek to outdo each other with tales of their impoverished upbringing, about the 'Luxury' of living in a hole in the road and getting up for work before you have even gone to bed! That is the Coalition: 'Here's a lump of Coal, electorate, but it's the shiniest lump of coal you'll ever see.' And the electorate go, 'Yes, mm, shiny.' Reinforced, of course, by a media whose job it appears to be to encourage the appreciation of lumps of Coal.

Now back to the ALP.



Understanding the Conservatives’ most powerful weapon

For the most part, Progressives still don't understand what Conservatives are doing to them. I have not seen much discussion at all of the mechanism Conservatives use to confound Progressives and forever have them on the defensive.

That mechanism is called 'Framing'. Conservatives have managed to frame public debate on just about every issue. They have framed the NBN as inadequate because it has not had a 'Cost/Benefit Analysis', as if you can put a price on benefit to the common weal or a price on future innovations that haven't even been invented yet. They have framed regulation and new laws that they don't like as 'government interference' in either the free market or people's lives. The 'Free Market', which is in turn framed as the way to optimise wealth for all hard-working citizens. Which leads to the Conservatives blaming poor people and Welfare recipients as undisciplined and to blame for their lot in life. Though I will admit that the PM has bought into this frame as well, however I believe that her solutions will not be half as punitive as those proffered by Tony Abbott to 'solve' that particular 'problem'. Also environmentalists/The Greens are framed as 'Tree Huggers', who care more about the environment than jobs. Yet, as much as Progressives discuss politics, they still have not yet learned enough about framing to see how Conservatives are winning the 'Framing Wars'. Even the term 'Culture Wars' is just another battlefront opened up in the Framing Wars. It is the Conservatives desire to determine which 'Values' the citizenry adopts. The term, 'Values' is yet again just another word that Conservatives have appropriated to give positive lustre to their ideological viewpoints.

So, Progressives have to learn how to fight and win this war so as to be more effective when contributing to public discourse.

Framing is the Conservatives most important weapon. Framing is critical because a frame, once established in the mind of the reader (or listener, or viewer, etc.) leads that person almost inevitably to the conclusion desired by the framer, and it blocks consideration of other possible facts and interpretations.

The Conservative's framing around tax illustrates this. When Conservatives discuss tax reduction, the phrase ‘tax relief’ is repeated over and over. For there to be ‘relief’ there must be an affliction. Tax. A reliever who takes the affliction away is therefore a hero in the electorate's eyes. And if anybody wants to stop the reliever, he's a villain wanting the suffering to go on. Add 'tax' and you have a metaphorical frame: taxation is an affliction. The taxpayer is the afflicted party, the Conservatives are heroes for wanting to remove the affliction and Progressives are villains for wanting to keep a tax or introduce a new one. Despite how fiscally irresponsible such actions by Conservatives may turn out to be.

Tony Abbott's 'Great Big New Tax' mantra is only the most recent manifestation of this political sleight of hand. This message is a frame within a frame. Firstly, the mistaken perception, trumpeted by the Coalition, and reinforced by the media, that the Cost of Living is burdensome for families at the moment. This despite the fact that we are one of the richest countries per head of population on the planet, and the fact that what really is dragging down our budgets is the cost of housing and the cost of the lifestyle we wish to pay for. Electricity bills and Cost of Living are just the bogeymen created to distract us from the facts. Therefore, any political party which does not want to relieve the pain on the hip-pocket nerve and which instead wants to introduce a new tax, is therefore by easy definition, the villain in the frame. Boo! Hiss!

Just forget the reasoning behind the need for the 'Great Big New Tax', for example, the Carbon Tax/Price on Carbon Pollution, the best way to take action to address CO2 production by big polluters in the economy and hence improve the chances of dealing effectively with Climate Change; that doesn't fit the Conservative frame any more and so is increasingly being ignored as the reason for the action by the electorate.

As I said, the Labor Party would be well advised to steer clear of the Opposition's frames and refuse to support them. If you try to negate a frame you just reinforce the frame. Denying a claim in public reinforces the claim in people's minds. A case of encouraging people to think, 'Methinks they doth protest too much.' You are better off just ignoring it, as by using the other side's words you reinforce their frames. It's a trap Progressives continually fall into.

Another trap is the assumption that all you have to do is set the facts straight and people will reason their way to the right conclusion. Wrong! If the facts contradict the entrenched frame, the frame will stay, and the facts will be ignored. The facts won't register unless they are presented as part of a successful reframing of the issue.

This is what the ALP has to learn to do. Reflexively. Frame better. Reframe.

What do you think?

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David Horton

2/05/2011“They couldn't sell a cold beer on a hot day”? Nah, they couldn't give away a cold beer on a hot day. Abbott would say that they were destroying the livelihoods of good honest brewing companies and they would immediately back off. The breakdown is twofold it seems to me, in addition to the framing issue (which is very important - I had a go at this in November here http://davidhortonsblog.com/2010/11/26/reform-agenda/). First the ALP and The Greens (and the American Democrats) seem not to understand what is going on in modern politics, as you point out. They still seem to believe that politics is about debate and discussion and give and take and compromise solutions and ebb and flow. The Republicans and the Abbott Liberals want nothing to do with that old fashioned nonsense - they are at war, a winner take all war, and they don't intend to have any more defeats after the unaccountable elections of Obama and Rudd (and Gillard). Everything will be opposed, and ten everything will be overturned the process beginning in the US Congress). And secondly, the ALP has the additional problem that they are led by people who seem to have no firm beliefs about anything. Or, to the extent that they do, those beliefs are identical to those of the Liberals. To the extent that they don't (eg mining taxes, coal price) they seem incapable of explaining the "Why" of policy. They are content it seems to simply announce the "What" without the reasons, the aims, the concerns behind it. Which leaves Abbott with the easy task of simply saying "Big new tax" like a talking parrot, Gina to have a placard typed up explaining how poor she is, the Murdoch Press to support her, and the debate is over. I don't know how to explain to Gillard, if she doesn't know herself, why she is a Labor pm and not a conservative one.

lyn

2/05/2011Hi Feral Thankyou for your brilliant article this morning, congratulations well done. Another thankyou for keeping TPS so productive, your work is art. But you know the frame I hate the most is the Abbott frame, read Miglo's article today at Cafe Whispers. The Coalition and the media are framing Abbott in video's, doesn't matter if they are old shots just frame him, doesn't matter if he talks or not just frame him, doesn't matter if he gaffes, doesn't matter if he has no policies. Put Abbott in a frame with a title "Superman" Action Man" direct action Abbott's Army. Did I tell you before those shots are wearing out the picture tube on my TV. I hope the Government read your article Feral, I have tweeted it to Julia Gillard, who knows, somebody important will read your wise words. [quote]Framing is the Conservatives most important weapon. Framing is critical because a frame, once established in the mind of the reader (or listener, or viewer, etc.) leads that person almost inevitably to the conclusion desired by the framer, and it blocks consideration of other possible facts and interpretations. [/quote] Anyway frames fall to pieces, especially if they are not good quality, there is a long way to go yet.

lyn

2/05/2011Hi David Your comment is excellent, thankyou for an enjoyable read. You are right about wanting war, wonder how what's good for the country fits into the Liberal's born to rule, up themselves ambitions. Sometimes, most of the time, because of the media, it seems like we have 2 Prime Ministers and 2 Governments. Don't you get so sick of "The Opposition Says". Honestly I can't remember hearing "The Opposition Says" till it comes out your ears when Howard was in power. Cheers

TalkTurkey

2/05/2011Professor F.H. Skeleton said: "This is what the ALP has to learn to do. Reflexively. Frame better. Reframe." H'mmmmm. Belling the Cat LONG ago, the mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat. Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case. “You will all agree,” said he, “that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighbourhood.” This proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse got up and said: “That is all very well, but who is to bell the Cat?” The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the old mouse said: “IT IS EASY TO PROPOSE IMPOSSIBLE REMEDIES.” Æsop. (Sixth century B.C.) Fables. The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. [Lifted whole from Bartleby.com with thanks] Not, though, who on our side is to do the framing, but how it might be done. We're not even at the young mouse's stage, we have yet really to identify the problem (or anyway take it on board), let alone propose realistic achievable solutions to it. I'm not saying it can't be done. Au contraire comrades, it must. There is nothing so important as to bell this rotten rampaging feral Coalition cat. Can I hear any squeaks?

2353

2/05/2011Unlike the Opposition, the Government has to prepare and implement the policy as well as tell the world why the policy is a good one - in short they shouldn't have time for "stunts". About 12 months out from an election, something hits the collective Government over the head and reminds them it is a contest which is when they actually sell their policy and the "record of work" better. The problem for the current Federal Government is when you have some media savvy oxygen thieves in the opposition who effectively have no policy apart from devising three word slogans - together with a compliant media, the selling of a policy is of equal importance to the implementation (something which on the whole hasn't been that bad)*. I wonder how the Puffing Billy Railway feel this morning knowing that the event the have been using for years to generate income and donations to local charities has been turned into a political circus because Abbott used the event to prove what exactly? Being one of 3000 running against a steam engine doesn't prove he can run a country - all it proves is that he looks gaunt and unwell (physical exercise can be just as addictive as tobacco, alcohol or gambling). * And before our resident troll starts, - BER has a better than 95% approval rating amongst those that have been affected by the program with a possible cost overrun of 6% due, according to the report recently released, to the need to implement quickly; - The Insulation Program, again according to the report, produced real reductions in the energy costs of those the took it up with a corresponding drop in carbon emmisssions, most fires being due to existing building code related faults; - The Stimulus Package Cheques kept people in the sales, distribution and entertainment industries in a job - traditionally the first to go in a recession; - Australia's economy is seen as one of the best in the world at the present time and we are the only country in the world that has not entered a recession (two quarters of negative GDP growth) in something like 2 decades.

lyn

2/05/2011 -[b]TODAY'S LINKS[/b] [i]Sing 'em muck, Andrew Elder, Politically Homeless[/i] Cassidy's show Insiders is designed to demonstrate the process by which journalist decide what "the" story of the past week has been and what "the" story of next week will be, with the http://andrewelder.blogspot.com/ When [i]you’ve trained your audience not to detect irony, Jeremy Sear, Pure poison[/i] I wonder if any of them had clicked the link if they’d have realised that Rafe is actually a fellow conservative, and the “tiff” is quite friendly. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/purepoison/2011/05/01/when-youve-trained-your-audience-not-to-detect-irony/#more-9946 [i]Peter Principle, David Horton, The Watermelon Blog [/i] This post was inspired by this latest piece of offensive nonsense from Australia’s Pope-in-waiting, the awe-full Cardinal P-ll. davidhortonsblog.com/ [i]A New Language of politics - Donald Trump tells his effing truths, Richard Farmer, The Stump[/i] Lamenting the nation’s focus on building schools in war-torn Afghanistan, while neglecting education in the United States, he told the crowd: http://blogs.crikey.com.au/thestump/ [i]The moral incoherence of non-violent philosophy and strategy, Dr Tad, Left Flank[/i] This cannot primarily be a question of whether to use physical force or not, rather a political question of how to build the http://left-flank.blogspot.com/2011/04/moral-incoherence-of-non-violent.html#more [i]Come Monday and the media still love Tony, hate Julia, Miglo, Cafe Whispers[/i] Are the MSM and the ABC replaying these media releases without explanation during their news broadcasts. If I am correct, they are being presented as interviews carried out by the media. http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/come-monday-and-the-media-still-love-tony-hate-julia/ [i]The Economics of happiness movie, Peter Martin[/i] And it features our own Clive Hamilton Details here:theeconomicsofhappiness.org http://www.petermartin.com.au/ [i]Lindsay TANNER – steps up and calls the MEDIA to account , Eyeball, Eyeball Opinion[/i] question is whether the media decide to take a good look at themselves and begin to take stock of what TANNER actually said – or their editors ignore the messenger and continue on their mindless descent http://bleyzie.wordpress.com/category/community/ [i]Dumbing down the media or shooting the messenger: Lindsay Tanner’s Sideshow, The Conversation[/i] now that I’m out of the game I don’t really have any self-interest in pushing these views, I’m not really a politician anymore. http://theconversation.edu.au/articles/dumbing-down-the-media-or-shooting-the-messenger-lindsay-tanners-sideshow-1207 [i]They Blog, I Blog, We All Blog,Danny Schechter, Nieman Reports[/i] it is significant that many news organizations that initially criticized bloggers as not being “real journalists” have now opened their pages to their staff blogs in a mode of “if you can’t fight them, join them.” http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=101572 [i]A few results from my post: What I Think I Know About Journalism, Jay Rosen, Press Think[/i] So far 475 likes on Facebook, which is a lot for PressThink. About 11,000 page views, according to Sitemeter. Biggest referrer by far: Twitter. I wish I had a count of the number of Twitter mentions; http://www.facebook.com/notes/jayrosen_nyu/a-few-results-from-my-post-what-i-think-i-know-about-journalism/142351189169998

lyn

2/05/2011Hi Ad Sorry, David's link is not working would you put the working one on the special page for me please. http://davidhortonsblog.com/?blogsub=confirming#subscribe-blog

David Horton

2/05/2011Hi Lyn you are having trouble with me - you seemed to come through as "http://davidhortonsb.../?blogsub=confirming'" whatever that means. The direct link to the piece is this - http://davidhortonsblog.com/2011/04/30/peter-principle/

Ad astra reply

2/05/2011LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

Ad astra reply

2/05/2011Hi Lyn The David Horton link has been fixed on LYN'S DAILY LINKS. I can't fix it in your post of TODAY'S LINKS. http://davidhortonsblog.com/2011/04/30/peter-principle/

lyn

2/05/2011Hi Ad Thankyou so much, that's good the special page is correct, links from other blogs will get the correct link now. Hope you have a nice day Ad

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011Let me give you one example of what the ALP should be doing to 'Reframe' the Carbon Tax debate. Over the weekend Treasury put out modelling showing a $2.60 per tonne cost to Steel Makers as a result of a putative $20/tonne C Tax, whereas an approximate $50/tonne effect from the appreciating Australian dollar. Therefore a minimal effect from a C Tax. Now, Tony Abbott will not tell the electorate about the effect from the appreciating dollar but will use the pain that price rise flow ons will create in the community and blame, disingenuously, the C Tax for it, thus leading to an effective prosecution of his case. Now, the ALP, having released the data from Treasury, and generally, has to now reframe the debate and repeatedly make the point that price rises will, in effect, be worse without a Price on Carbon, and are worsening due to factors beyond these EITEI's control. Rinse and repeat.

lyn

2/05/2011Hi Feral Mr Denmore tweeted your article: MrDenmore Mr Denmore If Progressives want to beat Conservatives, they must stop accepting their framing. Good read from The Political Sword http://tiny.cc/s04jy 1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply thankyou Mr Denmore

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011David Horton, Thank you for your thoughtful comments. It's funny how you say that the Repugs and the Abbott Conservatives are at war in Australia and the US today, with the prize for victory being the golden ring of power over the people and dominion over the legislature, as one of the Liberal Party's Barton Deakin Managing Director's, Peter Collins, former NSW Coalition Opposition Leader, said on ABC Sydney radio today that it is all out war between Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard and that they are engaged in "a political Death Match that will go all the way to the next election." Only one will survive. He also made the telling point that people want the PM to come out punching for what she believes in, that she and everyone else in the government need to get out on the hustings and sell the Carbon Tax to the electorate. They don't want an 'Empathiser-In-Chief' who will feel their pain, they want someone to say this policy is a necessary one but I've got your back.

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011lyn, [quote] Anyway frames fall to pieces, especially if they are not good quality, there is a long way to go yet.[/quote] Exactly. Not only does the Gillard government need to construct it's own good solid frame, it needs to be able to stand the test of time until the next election, and it needs to be able to reflect the poor quality of Abbott's frame. Thank you also for sending the blog to the PM's office, I hope at least that someone, somewhere reads it. I must say that, small as the step may be, I did notice that Wayne Swan's messages have been getting punchier in the media since Easter. Maybe this is the effect of the new National Secretary, George Wright, who Julia brought in to replace the weak and innefectual Karl Bitar?

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011lyn, I've gone weak at the knees! Mr Denmore liked my article. :)

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011Here's a very informative report on 'Internet Use and Civil Society in Australia' by the ANU which was referred to in Andrew Elder's blog today(it's well worth taking the time to read it): http://publicpolicy.anu.edu.au/anupoll/documents/2011-04-28_ANUpoll_internet.pdf

Mr Denmore

2/05/2011Hillibilly is right. You won't win this war with facts, although it pays to point them out (as Possum has done so assiduously over the 'pink batts' beat-up). Progressives need to stop being so polite and rational. Instead the answer is to dismantle the conservatives' frame by asserting another reality. For instance, they could have sold the RSPT with a slogan like 'Insuring Our Kids' Prosperity' or 'A Fairer Go from the Resource Boom'. The carbon tax is 'Making Polluters Pay'. You ignore the shockjocks (don't appear on their programs) and you talk over the heads of News Ltd.

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011Mr Denmore, Exactly. The effort by the media ops in the government has to be directed over the heads of the old gatekeepers of the message. Ignore them and they will end up running after you for copy to fill their increasingly irrelevant organs. As me old mum used to say, "The more you ignore them(boys), the more they want you." If you treat these so-called 'doyennes' of the Press Gallery as if they are important to you, they will believe simply that they can make you, and they can break you. Which they did to Kevin Rudd. Paul Keating treated them with the disdain they deserve, and they run after him like sick puppies, hanging off his every word. Similarly with Peter Costello, who was an obvious student of Keating. Progressives keep making the mistake that they can outsmart the Conservatives, when it's not the Conservatives that they have to convince, they'll never listen to what is the truth anyway and subsequently change their tune. The Progressives have to convince Joe Public, and speak to them in a language they can understand, that makes them feel good about what the Progressives want to do for them. Which is the only valid counter to the Conservative's effective and lethal use of Fear.

Ad astra reply

2/05/2011FS Despite the use by MSM journalists of the word ‘thoughtful’ as code for ‘boring’ I am going to characterise this piece of yours as both thoughtful and thought provoking, and certainly not boring. Of course many journalists might find it boring as there is nothing in it they can trivialise or turn into entertainment. The fact that Mr Denmore has linked your piece from [i]The Failed Estate[/i] and has already commented here, is an indication of its quality and importance. Framing is an essential process in politics and so far the Coalition is far ahead; indeed one wonders if Labor has left the starting gate. Surely there must be people who could advise Labor on how to frame its policies, plans and achievements, of which there are plenty. So is the problem that the trendsetters in Labor do not see the value of framing? I hope that is not so. Your piece has attracted much comment in just a few hours so you will have a busy time for a few days. My next piece will harmonize with yours. It addresses the issue of Labor’s use, or virtual non-use of slogans. Having seen how much traction the Coalition has gained with its slogans, why has Labor been so slow in grasping the need for it to use them widely too? Slogans are not as sophisticated a device as is framing, but as Tony Abbott has shown, slogans work. Visitors will be invited to contribute to the creating of slogans that have the potential for biting hard. Thank you for setting us thinking about this topic. I look forward to reading the report on [i]Internet Use and Civil Society in Australia[/i] when I get to Melbourne.

mick smetafor

2/05/2011you are dead right here feral [ok if i use your first name?].my main worry is global warming and i despair of the negative way it is being handled.as you point out it is the framing that is all wrong.there is a very positive and inspiring story to be told,but we never hear it from the people who matter,they just defend with facts and stats and nobody listens because all they have in mind is great big new tax.if anybody is interested have a look at this to see what i mean about an inspiring story that could and should be told. http://beyondzeroemissions.org/

lyn

2/05/2011Hi Mick smetafor Thankyou so much for the link to Beyond Zero Emissions, a very interesting and as you say inspiring story. Also a new site for my files, I like the whole site, very much appreciated. New Report Reveals Poor Investment in Sustainable Transport, Beyond Zero Emissions will release its Zero Carbon Australia Transport Plan. It will provide a detailed blueprint for decarbonising Australia’s transport sector in a decade. The research will explore the role of electric rail and zero-emission electric vehicles to compliment improved urban planning and http://beyondzeroemissions.org/,

D Mick Weir

2/05/2011Good Afternoon FS, Ad took the words out of my mouth - err keyboard. [i]'Despite the use by MSM journalists of the word ‘thoughtful’ as code for ‘boring’ I am going to characterise this piece of yours as both thoughtful and thought provoking, and certainly not boring.'[/i] Oh well, being a craftsmen wordsmith he typed it better than I, so I shall plagarise and add well done. A thought has popped into my head about framing. I am wondering are some confused thinking 'setting the agenda' is 'framing'? I will ponder it further as I wend my around around the traps this afternoon. Type to you later

Ad astra reply

2/05/2011Folks I'm now getting on the road to Melbourne. I'll be back this evening.

Gravel

2/05/2011FS You certainly are giving us all a good lot of thinking points. If only my brain could get itself into gear to add to your wonderful post. With the MSM behaving the way they are, does anyone here think that if Labor were to do much of what you suggest, do you think they would report it in a positive way? I personally have my doubts after seeing the ABC news last night with "Action Man" Abbot getting so much footage.

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011mick smetafor, As far as biting slogans wrt the Global Warming debate goes, Bruce Hawker(for a change, as I usually find him part of the problem with the ALP rather than part of the solution), came up with a cracker in conversation with Deb Cameron on ABC Sydney this morning, when he said wtte: "I wish people would realise this is a problem not just for the 21st century but the 22nd as well!" Now, that frame takes the listener over the horizon of the near future of our own century and into the future of our imaginations. It takes our minds away from the mundane inanities, like tax, important though it is to our everyday existence, and into the realm of the cosmic. Which has always sold well. Just ask a New Age Crystal salesperson or anyone in the Religion business. :)

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011Wow! President Obama is way cool. He did in 2 years what George W.Bush couldn't do in 2 terms in office. Not that I approve of summary execution but Osama Bin Laden sort of had it coming to him if anyone did. Just imagine where the world would be today if OBL hadn't 'invented' the world-wide Terrorist Jihadist movement.

Jason

2/05/2011Interesting place for Osama to be bumped off – Abbottabad?

David Horton

2/05/2011Potential Labor slogan - "Abbottabad"

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011Jason, This just in from Bernard Keane on Twitter: [quote]BernardKeane "Bin Laden’s death is an achievement which vindicates Australia’s support for the US in Afghanistan." Tony Abbott, now officially a cretin.[/quote]

2353

2/05/2011I reckon Obhama has just won the next election - ably supported by the spin that Bush Jnr ran for so long on Bin Laden. FS - Unfortunately most Australians won't remember that Abbott wanted Gillard to pull out of Afghanistan.

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011David Horton, It doesn't get any better than OBL being found hiding inside Abbottabad. :) How about this for a bumper sticker? 'Abbottabad, Laborgood'.

David Horton

2/05/2011Or "Abbottabad, Gillardagood"?

lyn

2/05/2011Hi Feral This is just so nice of David Horton link below, we are just so lucky to have so many nice people on "The Political Sword" our commenters are just the brainiest people on the blogosphere, "TPS" the golden crown goes to Ad Astra: [i]Write Stuff, David Horton, The Watermelon Blog[/i] [quote]my latest pieces at ABC Drum opinion, but also thanks to the lovely folks at Political Sword (here’s looking at you Lyn) who have linked to me. Check the Sword out yourselves, there is a lot of good stuff there, and an active set of commenters. [b]When I get people commenting on a post I jump for joy. When I get new subscribers to the site I feel a warm glow[/b][/quote] http://davidhortonsblog.com/2011/05/02/write-stuff/

Jason

2/05/2011David Horton, Abbottsolutely!

Ad astra reply

2/05/2011Folks Now in Melbourne. I see you are getting warmed up for the slogan-creating exercise that we'll stoke up with my next piece, which is complementaery to this fine piece from FS.

lyn

2/05/2011Hi David I just followed your link to "The Drum", what an amazing find you are. I hope you don't mind but I am introducing you to everybody on "The Political Sword" There is some fabulous reading on your Watermelon Blog, in particular your family history piece under the about tab. You have some fantastic reading posted on your blog, sure to keep us busy over the coming months. Introduction from "The Drum". [quote]David Horton David Horton is a writer and polymath. He has qualifications in both science and the arts with careers in biology, archaeology, publishing some 100 scientific papers and a number of books on biology and archaeology. Now retired to become a professional writer and farmer, he often screams at tv news bulletins, writes a blog, writes a newspaper column, and edits his local paper. His books include The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia (1994 - winner NSW Premier's Literary Award) and The Pure State of Nature (2000). He is also the creator of the Indigenous Language Map.[/quote]http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/david-horton-28320.html

lyn

2/05/2011Jason Very clever, love it.

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011Jason, Abbott is always so very sure and certain, isn't he? :)

BSA Bob

2/05/2011Feral Skeleton at 4.32 That single Australian soldier that for yonks was Howard's & Australia's contribution to Afghanistan sure did a good job.

D Mick Weir

2/05/2011If you have a spare 36':42" (plus a plug I think) [b]Sideshow: Lindsay Tanner on dumbing down democracy[/b] [i](exclusive)[/i] http://blip.tv/file/5092470 [i]In this exclusive SlowTV interview, Lindsay Tanner tells Nick Feik about the ideas and genesis of his new book, Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy. With a refreshingly frank manner, he describes in great detail how the changing media landscape has led to a degradation of the language, ideas and presentation of politics in Australia over the past decade. April 2011 [/i] I have to get back to preparing a late dinner and will watch it later

John

2/05/2011Julia Gillard's technique of trying rational argument, in slow, even tones, just does not resonate with many Australian voters. Abbott has been in campaign mode almost since those nasty, evil Independents refused to make him king ... er PM, even though he said he'd "do anything" for them. The red ice-queen et al. must match the "campaign rhetoric" and passion of Tony Abbott if they are to get their message across ... whatever it is. Such a reversal of communication modes will also see more media headlines, which will likely produce an increase in favourable polling. :)

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011DMW, Thanks for that!

Feral Skeleton

2/05/2011BSABob, You have pointed up exactly the tactic that Abbott uses shamelessly, piggybacking off the back of people's ignorance of the facts to garner more kudos for himself, every day, in every way.

Ad astra reply

2/05/2011FS Today we saw classic reframing by Tony Abbott.  On hearing of Julia Gillard's announcement of a plan to reward excellent teachers with financial bonuses, Abbott reframed her plan as follows: He agreed with the move, thus taking some of the credit. He said it should begin right away, not in 2013, thus implying the Government was acting too slowly, and he would act quickly. He insisted that schoolmasters must be involved, suggesting that it was another top-down Gillard Government move. He said that there must not be a great big new bureaucracy established to administer it, implying that this was inevitable with a Labor Government. He went on to predict that 'knowing this Government, it would never be implemented'. So in one response he neutralized much of the impact of her announcement. Of course the Teachers Union did its bit by saying it would introduce discrimination between teachers - those who got the bonus versus those who didn't.  Which of course is what the bonus is intended to do - to reward the best.  But the merit of that was neutered somewhat by the word 'discrimination'. Some experts said it wouldn't work, and that testing many thousands of teachers was not feasible by 2013.  Although some experts gave the idea a qualified tick, the reframing of other experts negated that. Surely these responses and this reframing could have been anticipated and countered in the original announcement. Why not point out that it would take two years to set up the program, and that the Government was not going to rush it?  Why not announce that headmasters would be involved?  Why not say that a big new bureaucracy would not be needed? Why not emphasize that the object was to elevate ALL teachers to higher standards?  Why not say at the outset that some would resist the move because it was new and contrary to the views of those who wanted all teachers, good and not-so-good, to be rewarded the same, thus giving no encouragement for improvement? It would have been possible to neutralize most of the reframing simply by workshopping what form it might take, and taking counterbalancing action at the outset, at the time of the original announcement. Labor still has much to learn about the framing phenomenon. 

BSA Bob

2/05/2011Feral Skeleton Thanks for the kind words. Watching the Bin Laden stuff tonight, I haven't seen a single mention of our lengthy detour into Iraq. Bush squandered the world's sympathy going there, Howard followed but you wouldn't know it now.

NormanK

2/05/2011Can someone explain to me why the pictures coming out of Washington of the celebrations after the announcement of the death of Bin Laden are any less despicable than those which came out of Tehran after September 11th 2001? Bearing in mind that each side of any conflict believe in their hearts, not in their evil blackened souls but in their hearts, that the cause they are fighting for is a just one. Not to mention backed up by the god of their choice. What Bin Laden instigated was reprehensible and ought not to be condoned by any civilised human being but so too is celebrating summary 'justice' dished out by a hit squad. Even if he was killed in a fire-fight, it does not justify unseemly and arrogant dancing in the streets and singing of the national anthem. If they feel they must show emotion then how about some sombre reflection, tributes to those who died at the hands or urging of a misguided idealist. Those U.S. citizens have just shown that they have no more claim to the moral high-ground than do the most fundamentalist jihadis. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and we will cheer and celebrate the spilling of blood. Nothing less will satisfy our desire for revenge. Forget about justice.

lyn

2/05/2011Hi Norman K I agree, it's barbaric. What do they want to go back to forever ago, when they would make a theatre of public hangings. The days of the Romans public beheading, Indians scalping the enemy, stoning in public and so on. I agree with you they are acting uncivilized on the pictures I have seen. There are some worthwhile common sense articles by the bloggers, I will post in the morning. The writers will make you feel better about humanity. Cheers

lyn

2/05/2011Hi Ad Newspoll Ghost who votes, Government up 2% Coalition down 2%: @GhostWhoVotes GhostWhoVotes #Newspoll 2 Party Preferred: [b]ALP 47 (+2) [/b]L/NP 53 (-2) #auspol #qanda 15 minutes ago via web Favorite Retweet Reply @GhostWhoVotes GhostWhoVotes The #Newspoll [b]2PP will probably be somewhere on the front page, in one of the corners[/b] GhostWhoVotes GhostWhoVotes @ Abbott's ratings have improved so the headline will likely be based on that. #Newspoll 2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

D Mick Weir

2/05/2011NormanK well said, in this household w a starig in wonderment that people can celebrate the murder of this person.

NormanK

2/05/2011Hi lyn, I'll look forward to some inspiring reading then. Frankly, I'm disgusted right now.

D Mick Weir

2/05/2011oops that hould read: in this household we are staring in wonderment see it has gotten to me

TalkTurkey

3/05/2011Lyn, DMW, NormanK, I am dismayed by the rejoicing and self-congratulation at the MURDER of yet another whom the West has decided is fair game - never mind its pretensions of a justice system superior to that of those *we* are murdering. Watching the scenes and listening to the comments of delight, I had thought until a few minutes ago that I was going to be alone in my horror. That had me more dismayed still, I am relieved to find that there are still at least a few who find *our* actions frightful. *We* are doing all this in the name of freedom and democracy, as I just heard the commentator on ABC 24 say. "Back home the Prime Minister has applauded the killing, as has John Howard . . . " WHAT ABOUT DUE PROCESS? *We* pulled Saddam Hussein's head off on phoney charges, *we* have just murdered Gaddafi's youngest son and 3 grandkids, WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE? As if anywhere else in the world would like to have a society like the USA!

Acerbic Conehead 2

3/05/2011FS, Tony Abbott wants to get into the frame over in Pakistan. He’s just learned that they have named a town after him and he reckons he should cycle over and take up the offer of governorship they want to bestow upon him. Here he is happily singing his version of the great Lynyrd Skynyrd song, “Sweet Home Alabama”, delighted that when he gets to Pakistan, he won’t have to worry any more about pleasing the Indies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Du-CWASm20&feature=related :- ) Bike wheels keep on turning Carry me home to see my kin Singin’ songs about the Punjab I miss Abbottabada once again And I think its a sin, yes :- ) Well I heard Julia whinge about her Well, I heard ole Jooles put her down Well, I hope Gillard will remember Pakistan Man don't need her around anyhow :- ) Sweet home Abbottabada Where the skies are so blue Sweet Home Abbottabada Lord, I'm coming home to you :- ) In Peshawar they’ll make me governor Then I’ll jus’ dress up for a lark Kit myself out in a lycra burqa But keep Scott n’ Cory in the dark (Don’t tell ‘em the truth) :- ) Sweet home Abbottabada Where the skies are so blue Sweet Home Abbottabada Lord, I'm coming home to you Here I come Abbottabada :- ) Islamabad and Up the Kyber Are well stocked with hairy mountain goats So far away from the ocean Won’t have to worry ‘bout stoppin’ the boats (Ain’t it the truth) :- ) Sweet home Abbottabada Where the skies are so blue Sweet Home Abbottabada Lord, I'm coming home to you :- ) Sweet home Abbottabada Oh sweet home baby Where the skies are so blue And I’ll govern true Sweet Home Abbottabada Lord, I'm coming home to you

2353

3/05/2011Norman K - you're right, there is no difference between the people in Terhan in 2001 and Washington in 2011. Lyn - Sunrise reported Abbott's +6 then as an afterthought Gillard was still ahead (didn't even mention the 2PP which I didn't know until I checked here).

lyn

3/05/2011Norman K Just some reading for you there is more amongst Todays Links. THOUGHTS ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF OSAMA BIN LADEN’S DEATH Cullen Roche , Pragmatic Capitalism. For Whom The Bell Tolls We are not the dominant species on this planet due to our ability to kill one another. We are the dominant species because we have a unique ability to work with one another. We are the ultimate pack animals. We do it better than any other species on the planet. We form groups, effectively communicate and ensure the survival of the species through an incredibly advanced ability to interact. Much of the world is cheering the death of Osama Bin Laden. I am not here to judge whether another man should live or die To me, the death of Osama Bin Laden represents a Pyrrhic Victory of sorts. And while this terrible man may have been well deserving of his end, I have to wonder if his death represents progress or is more representative of a larger step backwards for our species as a whole? http://pragcap.com/thoughts-on-the-implications-of-osama-bin-ladens-death Twitter comments pennjillette Penn Jillette by jeremysear "I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy." - Martin Luther King, Jr From the Book of Ezekiel: "As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people" - Ezekiel Interesting RT @SecurityScholar: MT @BBCBreaking Mission of US special forces team was to kill, not to capture #OBL

lyn

3/05/2011Hi 2353 Yes aren't they depressing, called come in spinners on our ABC. This is Virginia this morning at 6.30am. She has a sheaf of white fools papers, Sorry I mean foolscap paper, on she goes reading headlines one two three, then says, Tony Abbott's campaigning seems to be working, with Tony Abbott's approval rating up 6 points. "Low monotone" says Julia Gillard remains the same. Oh! dear "What can the matter be"

Feral Skeleton

3/05/2011The Abbott Broadcasting Corporation sure were all a twitter like giggly schoolgirls this morning. On ABCNews Breakfast Virginia Trioli had come up with this doozy after the first hour: "Abbott's Poll Vault". Made me want to vomit over the TV. Also absolutely NO mention of the 4% improvement in 2PP for the Labor Party. Especially in the first hour of the show. By 7.30am they had mentioned in passing the 53-47 2PP as just that, no added comment about how it was a 4% improvement for the ALP. None. It was all about Abbott's improvement. I went onto their facebook page and made a very pointed comment, after which came the desultory mention of the 2PP at 7.30am. A truly pathetic effort from this show. Only to be topped by Michael Rowland's facile question at the end of his interview with the PM where he could barely contain the snark as he asked the PM only about the Abbott rise in approval, not about the improvement in the government's fortunes. This is the cancerous effect of having one of John Howard's best mates still running the corporation as Chairman, and an ex-Liberal staffer as the ABC's CEO. It has infected the body corporate of the ABC. Not much will change either until Maurice Newman is replaced in the Chairman's job in November this year.

lyn

3/05/2011[b]TODAY'S LINKS[/b] [i]The downward spiral: from substance to spin, Mungo Maccallum, Unleashed[/i] The holy trinity of The Australian, Paul Kelly, Dennis Shanahan and Greg Sheridan, generally communicate in prose comprehensible only to the initiated, and when their language fails to deter the reader, their pomposity does the job - http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/1069790.html [i]There are none so blind, Andrew Catsaras.[/i] much of the media's immediate reaction to Tanner was so hostile; it stems from a lack of self-awareness and insight about its own behaviour - clearly believing that others cannot see what they are doing, even believing that little of what they are doing is wrong, . http://andrewcatsaras.blogspot.com/ [i]Newspoll: 53-47 to Coalition; Essential Research: 54-46, William Bowe, The Poll Bludger[/i] Julia Gillard is down a point on approval to 38 per cent and steady on disapproval at 49 per cent. Better PM has tweaked from 46-37 in Gillard’s favour to 45-36. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2011/05/02/newspoll-53-47-to-coalition-essential-research-54-46/ [i]Voting, Daid Havyatt, Anything Goes[/i] Lindsay Tanner in his new book Sideshow, has suggested abolishing compulsory voting "thereby reducing the voting base to people who are sufficiently engaged to be less susceptible to cynical marketing strategies http://davidhavyatt.blogspot.com/ Bin Laden [i]The Long Road to Abbottabad, Shaukat Qadir, Counter Punch[/i] It is entirely possible that Islamists could take over. It is also possible that Iran, watching all this with hungry eyes might grab an opportunity that could trigger sectarian strife all over the Arab turbulent region. http://www.counterpunch.org/ [i]Bits and Pieces or A Royal Wedding and a Funeral, Ash, Ash's Machiavellian bloggery[/i] When a Prince decided to wed his bride, there was talk as to why the President of the United States of America was unable to attend.Now we know. Osama Bin Laden is no more. In a pursuit that has lasted 10 http://ashghebranious.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/bits-and-pieces-or-a-royal-wedding-and-a-funeral/ [i]Osama Bin Laden Dead, John, True Politik[/i] Special Forces troops were lowerd to the ground, and Bin Laden, his son, and 2 other men were killed. Bin Laden has been buried at sea, in a method that conforms to Islamic custom http://truepolitik.blogspot.com/ [i]Abbottobad? Shakira hussein, The Stump[/i] Abbottobad’s status as a military town has long since rendered it a target for terrorism rather than a family-friendly backwater. But finding that it was bin Laden’s haven is like finding out that he’d been hiding out in Queanbeyan. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/thestump/ [i]Bin Laden’s death will change nothing, Bernard Keane, Crikey[/i] As a British diplomat noted during his second term, George W. Bush became the “best recruiting agent al-Qaeda ever had.” http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/05/02/bin-ladens-death-will-change-nothing-especially-among-the-youth-of-the-middle-east/ [i]Osama Bin Laden, dead and alive, Binoy Kampmark, On Line Opinion[/i] The war in Afghanistan will continue with its blood letting savagery, aimless in orientation and worth. The terrorist franchises will still operate in their specific areas of interest. http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=11965 [i]Give your best Osama Bin Laden is Dead, celebration stories, Jeremy Sear, An Onymous Lefty[/i] I propose a national holiday to celebrate this glorious victory, and not just because it’d be nice to get another day off a week after ANZAC day. http://anonymouslefty.wordpress.com/ [i]Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden dead – America need to get some perspective, Eyeball, Eyeball Opinion[/i] At the time I started writing this post – the hits on the FACEBOOK page was 240,000 – as I finish the post some 40 mins later – the hits number 260,000 - http://bleyzie.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/al-qaeda-leader-osama-bin-laden-dead-america-need-to-get-some-prespective/ [i]Breaking: Osama Bin Laden is dead!!!!!!!!!, Australian Politics[/i] The worst of mankind was on display for all to see on 9/11. Such scum should all be wiped off the face of the earth expediently. http://australianpoliticsblog.blogspot.com/ [i]No 23 The Serpent Decapitated, Graham Davis, Grubsheet[/i] middle class town of Abbottabad (surely no link to Australia’s esteemed opposition leader?) But the fact that he appears to have spent many months in a luxurious villa barely 100 kilometres from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, raises fresh questions http://www.grubsheet.com.au/?p=207 [i]Osama bin Laden’s corpse is only the first step, Christian Lyons, Vex News[/i] A senior Pakistani security official denied that bin Laden was being protected and said the latest allegations were designed to heap pressure on Islamabad ahead of talks in Washington this week that would focus on strengthening co-operation between the two countries http://www.vexnews.com/news/13212/frenemies-osama-bin-ladens-corpse-is-only-the-first-step/ [i]Abbottabad resident unwittingly tweets early moments of operation, The Hindu[/i] khtar tweeted that a taxi driver had told him of the Army cordoning off the area and conducting door-to-door searches. Minutes later came another tweet; this time based on what a sweeper had told him. "A family also died in the crash, http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1985285.ece?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4dbe9068e662312f,0 [i]NBN should be “above politics”, says Huawei, Renai LeMay,Delimeter[/i] In addition, the passage of NBN-related legislation through parliament has been a constant struggle, with both sides of politics, as well as the Greens and independents, debating much of the legislation put forward furiously. http://delimiter.com.au/2011/05/02/nbn-should-be-above-politics-says-huawei/ [i]The Carbon Price as Treasury tells it, Peter Martin[/i] Treasurer Wayne Swan will forecast an unemployment rate of just 4.5 per cent on budget night, predicting Australia will get there in a year http://www.petermartin.com.au/2011/05/carbon-price-as-treasury-tells-it.html [i]Keeping readers in the dark, Jeremy Sear, Pure Poison[/i] American journalist Fred Clark wrote a typically excellent piece over the weekend on the importance of following these rules,with an illustration of how failing to do so can http://blogs.crikey.com.au/purepoison/2011/05/02/keeping-readers-in-the-dark/#more-9958 [i]Riots In Detention 'Only A Matter Of Time', Renee Chan, New Matilda[/i] But it seems a majority of public anger is directed at the asylum seekers themselves. The more condemning accusations, including those coming from the Minister himself, depict disappointed asylum seekers attempting to change the outcome of their applications http://newmatilda.com/2011/05/02/riots-in-detention [i]Write Stuff, David Horton, The Watermelon Blog[/i] As the regular crowd shuffles in to the Watermelon Bar today (and yesterday) they will notice many newcomers looking around curiously. Say hullo to them, show them around, make them welcome http://davidhortonsblog.com/2011/05/02/write-stuff/

Feral Skeleton

3/05/2011Aaaarrrggghhh!!! Now I have just had the dubious pleasure of listening to an ABC popett, who sounded about 10 years old, impudently interviewing the PM on AM. She had 2 questions about the Newspoll. First, wtte: "Do you think that Tony Abbott's 6% rise in approval rating was due to his tour around the nation while you were out of the country last week?" No mention of why the PM was 'out of the country', such as even one small mention of the foreign relations work she did, just a negative frame casting some sort of aspersion along the lines of the PM was wasting her time overseas, out of sight and out of mind. If that wasn't impudent enough, the second question was about the upcoming Budget. Wtte:" Are you hoping that the Budget next week will give you a bounce in the polls?" Pathetic.

Feral Skeleton

3/05/20112353, I noticed that the National Model Train convention was on in Brisbane last weekend. Does your interest in the larger version extend to the smaller models?

Feral Skeleton

3/05/2011AcerbicC., You quick-witted fellow, you. :) Of course, one day, I expect you to press your wit into service around that Mungo Jerry classic, wrt the Hairy Biker, 'The Pushbike Song'. It's made for our Opposition Leader, don't you think?

Feral Skeleton

3/05/2011I knew it, as soon as the Easter/Anzac Day break and the School/Uni Holidays were over, jj would drop off the radar. :)

Ad astra reply

3/05/2011LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

Feral Skeleton

3/05/2011This is a very thoughtful exerpt from an essay by Robert Manne, in a new book which comes out this week: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/threat-of-the-new-australian-smugness-20110501-1e2t7.html

Ad astra reply

3/05/2011Folks I think it would be wise to be ho-hum about today’s [i]Newspoll[/i]. There is little change from two weeks ago. Because Tony Abbott’s popularity rating has improved a little since March when it was quite poor, and is now back to where it was in early February, that is what Dennis Shanahan and Virginia Troili have chosen to feature. The fact that Labor has narrowed the TPP gap from ten to six points (55/45 to 53/47) is not seen as worthy of comment by them. Is Abbott’s improvement in popularity more ‘significant’ than Labor’s improvement in TPP? Clearly the pro-Abbott, pro-Coalition folk think so. Take a look at the table: http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/05/02/1226048/758843-110503-newspoll.pdf Dennis Shanahan has the headline [i]Abbott toil keeps Libs ahead of Labor[/i] and his first paragraph reads: [i]Tony Abbott's campaigns against the carbon tax and detention centres have lifted his standing and kept the Coalition ahead of Labor. [/i] You've got to give it to Dennis - no matter what the poll says, he can always squeeze some joy out of it for his Tony and hide any joy to Labor. That's our Dennis!

lyn

3/05/2011Hi Ad One comment on twitter: [quote]I see Dennis Shanahan is still trying to make a living reading poll results. What a loser. #auspol[/quote] I thought Peter Brent was going to be fair, NOPE [quote]The politics of budgets, Peter Brent Mumble Better for Labor than last month’s 45 to 55, but Tony Abbott’s approval is back up to a [b]pre-"shit happens[/b]” 42 and Julia Gillard’s 38 is her lowest. The above para sounds promising. But then this: If Swan was charged with explaining that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west he would still appear overly rehearsed and unconvincing (and not quite convinced himself). The government will always start behind the eight ball with him as Treasurer. http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/mumble/index.php/theaustralian/comments/budget_2011/[/quote] Aren't these people mean and nasty? Cheers

Jason

3/05/2011Lyn, I wouldn't worry about the polls or what is said. Abbottabad is delivering nothing but motherhood statements,and if anyone had any doubts why the independents backed Labor, one only has to look at last nights Q&A performance of Sophie Mirrabella!

Ad astra reply

3/05/2011Folks So far I can’t see any mention here of last night’s [i]Q&A[/i]. It was another excellent forum, this time in a regional centre, Albury-Wodonga, and the focus was on regional affairs. It should give PM Gillard and her Government great heart. Perhaps the most significant aspect was the very strong support for the NBN from the audience and the panel, except of course Sophie Mirabella. In fact the only complaint about it was that it may bypass some more remote areas who clearly wanted it. There was agreement that it would greatly enhance health care, education, commerce and agriculture. Tony Windsor spoke very strongly in favour, going so far as to say that he just couldn’t understand why any politician would oppose it. Not good news for Tony Abbott. Simon Crean, Minister for Rural Australia. spoke very well and got a good audience response. The contrast was Sophie Mirabella, Shadow Minister for Industry and local member for Indi that includes Albury-Wodonga, who while not quite lost for words (she never is) waffled her way through some answers and instead of commenting on the Coalition’s intent to demolish the NBN complained about lack of existing coverage in some of her electorate. She was the weakest panel member and evoked some less-than-enthusiastic response from the audience. Alana Johnson, Victorian Rural Woman of the Year 2010, spoke well and was a particularly strong advocate for the NBN, citing its value to rural commerce as an area that would benefit greatly. Similarly, Eliza Brown, local Winegrower and Director of Brown Brothers Wines, said how important it would be for her industry, but lamented that the NBN may not extend to her rural area. Nick Klomp, Dean of Science at Charles Sturt University strongly emphasized how important the NBN would be for education and health, as did a doctor from the audience who explained how the health disadvantages they now suffer in the region could be greatly reduced with the very fast broadband of the NBN. Tony Windsor, Independent Member for New England, was outstanding. He spoke strongly, advocated enthusiastically for the NBN which he said will soon be turned on in Armidale, talked about his parliamentary committee looking at the Murray-Darling Basin Plan as moving to a satisfactory resolution of that contentious issue, was overtly friendly to Simon Crean, and gave the Coalition no reason to believe he was about to change sides; indeed he seemed more certain of the correctness of his decision to support the Gillard Government. I’m sure Julia Gillard would be very pleased with [i]Q&A[/i] last night. Incidentally, [i]Q&A[/i] is overshadowing [i]Insiders[/i], so dependent as the latter is the opinion of journalists, the so-called ‘insiders’. [i]Q&A[/i] shows the value of engaging a sprinkling of politicians with other members of the community to answer questions from the audience and beyond. Frankly, the opinion of most journalists especially those from the Murdoch stable, are now of little interest except to know what distortions and misrepresentations and biases they are currently perpetrating. That is why [i]Insiders[/i] is slowly fading as a forum for informed debate. Fortunately we still have a few fine journalists; we should cherish them and focus our attention on what they say, while disregarding the others. If you missed [i]Q&A[/i], you can watch it on this link: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/

Crowey

3/05/2011 If Swan was charged with explaining that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west he would still appear overly rehearsed and unconvincing. When it comes to promoting the Labor Party achievements, Wayne Swan would be the last person I would pick in trying to get the messages across to the voters.

Ad astra reply

3/05/2011Jason You squeezed just ahead of me with a comment about Q&A. You are right about Sophie Mirabella's performance last night - it was very weak and unconvincing. Tony Windsor was not impressed at all with what she said.

Jason

3/05/2011AA, Sophie's biggest problem was she was only interested in the politics and trying to be a smart arse! with things like pink bats and school halls, some of which was probably sorely needed in the rural areas to keep people employed, and as most know Howard never saw any need to upgrade infrastructure.Yes it had it's problems as we know but hardly relevant now! The NBN she should inform herself of the benefits as it would seem most of the audience had! The best part for me was when that woman stood up (probably jj)and asked Windsor when he was going to join the Labor party! But yes all in all a good show could be better without Tony Jones and his constant interruptions.

lyn

3/05/2011Hi Ad This could be good news: [i]Greg Hywood: Transforming Fairfax The Drum[/i] [quote]We will do this by investing in quality, independent journalism that differentiates us from our competitors. We will increase our investment in quality journalism for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sun-Herald, The Age and The Sunday Age – and The Canberra Times. This is fundamental to our strategy. We will immediately look to recruit a number of [b]high-quality [/b]reporters and writers. We will expand our trainee programs. We will invest in comprehensive multi-media training and equipment will not only facilitate the investment in journalism, but will underpin quality. only decisions that will allow us to lead the way in quality independent journalism. We believe quality independent journalism is the key to the success of Fairfax. [/quote] http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/1213916.html

lyn

3/05/2011Hi Crowey Not sure what you mean in your comment above. You have quoted Mumble can you tell us more?

Ad astra reply

3/05/2011Hi Lyn You've been busy this morning with your links. What a historic collection you have put together about Osama Bin Laden. Thank you. I hope Greg Hywood succeeds. He has already got some good journalists in his stable, so he could easily oustrip the Murdoch press with some quality additions. Than we can ignore News Limited.

lyn

3/05/2011Hi Ad Thankyou for your kind comment, yes I did work pretty late last night, most of my links came in late. I get so motivated trying to keep our readers all up to the minute. I didn't get a chance to watch Q&A so really loved your report and Jason's. Sophie needs to somehow change her attitude, from being miserable, to just a little bit miserable, I do accept "the miserable" is an incureable disease.

NormanK

3/05/2011Lyn Thanks for all the links. It's always reassuring to know that we are not alone. Ash's blog was reflective of my sentiments. Some of the comments attached to the discussions are more than a little depressing though. It seems the West has conveniently forgotten Dresden and Berlin and Tokyo and Hiroshima and Nagasaki and large tracts of Vietnam and the list goes on. Our hands are not clean when it comes to the spilling of 'innocent' blood in the name of some greater cause. Oh well, the Yanks can puff their chests out and say "we got the bastard!" Perhaps it will be good for their economy.

lyn

3/05/2011Hi Jason Thankyou for your confidence, your comment: [quote]I wouldn't worry about the polls or what is said. Abbottabad is delivering nothing but motherhood statements,and if anyone had any doubts why the independents backed Labor, one only has to look at last nights Q&A performance of Sophie Mirrabella! [/quote] Jason, I thought perhaps, if the cheer squad keep saying Abbott's useless "destroying everyones TV" tv clips are putting him up in the polls, then he will keep campaigning furiously and run out of country, then he will have to campaign overseas, wherever the most Australian citizens are living.

Feral Skeleton

3/05/2011NormanK, As is a matter of public record now, lol, I am happy that Osama Bin Laden has finally met his maker. However, I wish to add that does not mean that I am happy that he had to be murdered in order to bring him down from his perch above Al Qaeda worldwide. In fact, my opinion was best summarised by the Aunt of a 9/11 victim this morning who said that she would have preferred it if OBL had been able to be captured alive because that would have led to him coming before a court of law for his crimes and would have proven to the world that America is a country of justice being meted out through the court system and is a nation of laws, in stark contrast to the lawless murderous reign of terror that Osama Bin Laden proselytysed to his followers, in order to achieve their aims.

Feral Skeleton

3/05/2011I wonder if anyone else saw the Tony Abbott/Sophie Mirabella Press Conference from outside the Bus and Coach Building company in Villawood, NSW, this morning? Of course, the Abbott Broadcasting Corporation ran it uncut in its entirety, for which the ABC, it seems, has been dragooned by Abbott into service of his aims to take down the government, as we were served up with one, long, uninterrupted diatribe full of unsubstantiated assertions about the effects of the Carbon Tax from beginning to end. Honestly, if you believed a word he said, this company which builds buses, with it's "$1 million per year electricity bill", would be brought to its knees as it had to pay an extra "$2000,000 per year for electricity, if this toxic tax is passed by Gillard and the Greens." Which, of course, in Tony's tiny mind, allowed him to riff on the consequences to the said business of that earth-shattering eventuality. Of course, in Abbottabadland the company will, in short order, have to sack all 400 of its local employees, and 2000, Australia-wide overall. No proof is ever offered by Abbott to back up his brazen assertions, nor none requested by the obsequiuous journalists that follow him around like obedient puppies, hanging off his every essentially-baseless meme. Suffice to say that none of today's fulminations arising out of the eternally unquestioned ruminations of the rabid Abbott brain will come true. But what does the politics-as-entertainment-obsessed media care? Oh, and Sophie Mirabella had had the chance to recover from last night's live expose of her lame schtick, consisting of blurting out verbal rubbish from the Coalition's Talking Points booklet, to blurt out more verbal rubbish this morning, straight out of the Coalition's Talking Points booklet, but a tad more convincingly. :)

TalkTurkey

3/05/2011Ad astra, Abbott's reframing technique is absolutely classic, yes, and I think your framing of it should be framed itself for posterity. Here it comes reframed as a handbook type example for Coalition 101 hopefuls: EXAMPLE Imagine that Julia Gillard has just announced a plan to reward excellent teachers with financial bonuses. Reframe her plan as follows: 1. Appear to agreed with the move, thus taking some of the credit. 2. Say that it should begin right away, not in 2013, thus implying the Government is acting too slowly, and that you would act quickly. 3. Insist that schoolmasters must be involved, thus suggesting that it is another top-down Gillard Government move. 4. Say that there must not be a great big new bureaucracy established to administer it, thus implying that this is inevitable with a Labor Government. 5. Go on to predict that 'knowing this Government, it will never be implemented'. Thus in one response you may neutralize much of the impact of her announcement. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ad astrafix you are brilliant, and this is one of the most perspicacious exposes in a nutshell ever. Sorry to sound sycophantic maybe, but it's true.

Jason

3/05/2011FS, I did see the presser (on sky),and I thought the best question that was asked was!"was the fellow who Abbottabad was named after, was he a relative?" No answer given and he wondrered off.

TalkTurkey

3/05/2011oops. 1. Appear to agree . . . Wouldn't want a typo in a Coalition handbook . . ! . .

Patricia WA

3/05/2011Thanks for today's links, Lyn. I could not have found my way through the maze of commentary on Bin Laden's death without your hard work at god knows what hour of this morning! I think the commentary which most matched my own feelings was from http://bleyzie.wordpress.com/ who thought that Osama Bin Laden [quote]beat America – they stand in financial ruin over the security and wars they funded over 10 years of trying to track him and his rag-tag bandits down. [/quote] Other things he had to say made good sense too. I think the US President would, in his secret heart, agree with all he wrote . Apart from the economy and the endless wars he has now to deal with, he must know that the US reputation as 'leader of the free world' is in tatters. His plea to his 'fellow Americans' for some dignity in celebrating 'this victory' gives one a clue to his awareness of how they present beyond the 'land of the free.' Of course it fell on deaf ears.

2353

3/05/2011FS - yes I was an attendee at the Model Railway Exhibition - along with thousands of others (despite the venue). Lyn - Hywood was saying the same thing on Media Watch last week when interviewed. His intentin is differentiate from Newscorp through quality journalism and claims Fairfax is already past the stage on relying on the Classifieds for revenue generation. They also touched on paywalls and Hyward & Holmes agreed the current AFR paywall doesn't work well and will be reviewed (neither seemed to be a "fan" of paywalls in general). Off topic but great links again today.

Jason

3/05/2011Lyn, When you are looking for the weekend TV guide this week don't forget that a new show start on 10 at 10 this Sunday! The Bolt Report (NC) 10:00am-10:30am | TEN Sunday 08 May 2011 Join Andrew Bolt, one of Australia's most read, most topical newspaper columnist, as he addresses today's political and social issues through opinion commentary, panel discussion and interviews.

lyn

3/05/2011Hi Feral ummm love that "Abbottabadland" [quote]The steel town of Whyalla in South Australia will be “wiped off the face of the map” by the Government’s carbon tax, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said.[/quote] [quote]Mr Abbott says there is “no way” many Australian industries can afford to cut down on carbon emissions.[/quote] http://productsonlineblog.com/steel/price-of-steel-carbon-tax-will-create-economic-wasteland-abbott/ See Feral more evidence of Abbottabadland, but you know Abbottabad is covered, because he never says "WHEN" all this bad stuff is supposed to happen, so then when nothing happenes he can just say "well I didn't say when".

lyn

3/05/2011Hi Patricia A pleasure for such lovely "TPS" people especially you.

lyn

3/05/2011Hi Jason Thanks for reminding me, I am busting out all over to watch that new show. What was it called again, Blurts, Bloops, buffoons, something starting with B, Oh! now I remember Bolt's report. Cheers

lyn

3/05/2011Hi 2353 Honestly though who in their right mind would pay, you name one, just one Political Journalist you would pay to read. Look at us we can read, Grog, Ash, Jeremy, Mr Denmore, Andrew Elder, Tim Dunlop, just to name a few. At last count there is 49 excellent writers in my files, that is not counting, Ad Astra, Feral, NormanK, Talk Turkey, Acerbic Conehead, Bushfire Bill, You. I hope Hywood is not all talk no action though, because going by my next door neighbor, there are a lot of people out there that actually believe what is in the Newspapers. We on TPS will never have to pay the subscription fees. Cheers

TalkTurkey

3/05/2011Jason said, "Join Andrew Bolt, one of Australia's most read, most topical newspaper columnist, as he addresses today's political and social issues through opinion commentary, panel discussion and interviews." Amended: "DO NOT (etc). . . " Only the oxygen we give him can make him relevant at all. He is a bottom-feeder and there isn't much down there unless we stir the pool. Don't, say I.

TalkTurkey

3/05/2011I reckon Abbottabad would have been a beaut name to subject to limerickery, but I get to There once was a man of Abbottabad and it doesn't seem funny any more.

Ad astra reply

3/05/2011Folks I go out for a couple of hours, and come back to find so many illuminating comments!  They make great reading. TT Thank you for your very generous compliment about my interpretation of Tony Abbott's reframing of PM Gillard's announcement about rewarding great teachers.  We have to concede that Abbott, or whoever guides him on these matters, is adept at reframing, to the great benefit of Coalition messaging.  Labor must become as expert, and when preparing announcements, workshop how the message will likely be reframed by Abbott and counter that reframing in the original announcement.  It is no good coming back to refute the reframing, as that is seen as being defensive. In cricketing parlance, Labor has to get on the front foot at the outset and hit the head-high bouncer that it knows Abbott will hurl, right out of the park before he gets to hurl it, if that does not sound too convoluted for cricketing addicts. Hi Lyn, Patricia WA  I'm having to go out soon, but look forward to reading The Eye Ball Opinion piece on my return.  Do you find it repeatedly disappears from view when you link to it?  I'll read the rest of the links tonight Lyn, but I did like Mungo's piece; it was classic Mungo. FS How much reframing did the Tony/Sophie show do today? Jason Hate him as we do, I guess we'll tune into Bolt's spectacular to see what it's all about. Folks I'll be out most of the evening.

Patricia WA

3/05/2011FS, sorry to be so late with commentary on your brilliant framework! But the OBL drama took over from the more local mystery you got me working on! Here it is anyway. [b]Who Dunnit?[/b] Seems Julia Gillard has been framed. In other words been ‘fitted up;’ That far and wide she’s been defamed, So Aussies feel they’ve been sold a pup. So who gains? Who’s in the frame For undermining our confidence? Who’s in the picture? Who’s to blame For putting out false evidence? Well, Tony Abbott’s hairy frame Appears too often on TV, With many an unchallenged claim About government inefficiency. He’s pictured on a climbing frame, In boxing ring, on racing bike, With politics ‘called’ as if a game. But it’s fixed. He always gets the mike. National pride would be our mind frame Were we shown our PM abroad. There she was met with wide acclaim. Who stifled that? There’s another fraud! Case for defence is therefore framed In terms that prove another crime, And those who really should be named Are those who stand to win big time. So, let’s not have this tale of framing End with victory for we know who! A man, a party and 'establishiment' all bent on taming A brilliant woman, who is definitely not a shrew.

D Mick Weir

3/05/2011Afternoon Swordsfolk, I have spent a fair amount of today watching the world pass me by so was really looking forward to getting my 'fix' of another reality here. I became a little sullen to find that some poll had been released (ho, hum)and that it caused conniptions for some. The I got to [b]Tweeties Links[/b] (thanks again Lyn) and struck GOLD. Mungo has opined. Oh joy (I still mourn the passing of The Ferret). I shall emphasise some key points in this quote from Mungos' piece: [i]A politician asked a question like: “Will you guarantee that there will be no tax rises in your term of office? That not a single worker will lose a job? That no one will be worse off?” has just two choices: lie, or obfuscate. A refusal to play the silly game on the grounds that the question is unanswerable in that form is automatically taken as a negative. Yet such questions are the daily provocation ministers face, not just from the shock jocks, but from broadsheet gurus who regard themselves as the real kingmakers of the process. They are the most willing to submit themselves and their readers to the [b]tyranny of the opinion polls[/b], an immensely damaging ritual which has effectively rendered serious forward planning impossible for any but the suicidal. [b]A poll two years out from the next election[/b] which starts with the qualification: “If an election was held tomorrow...” [b]is by definition meaningless.[/b] When the election is actually imminent, the polls can be a useful indicator of developing trends, but their use as a fortnightly gauge of the public’s mood swings has turned the politics into an ongoing popularity contest.[/i]

D Mick Weir

3/05/2011The betting markets two and a bit years out from an election are about as meaningful as Opinion Polls but here is an update from my last report way back when Labor has eased from $2.40 out to $2.65 Coalition has firmed from $1.55 in to $1.47 Also of interest, The next Federal Election is due somewhere about Sept 2013 the current betting market for when the election will be held: On or Before 31st Dec 2011 $2.10 1st Jan 2012 to 30th Jun 2012 $5.50 1st Jul 2012 to 31st Dec 2012 $6.50 1st Jan 2013 to 30th Jun 2013 $10.00 1st Jul 2013 to 31st Dec 2013 $2.50 Anytime in 2014 $26.00 Hmm seems some are more sure that we will go to the polls this year rather than when it is due. And finally [b]ALP Leader[/b] - Next Federal Election - ALP Leader - Next Election GILLARD, Julia (ALP) 1.65 SHORTEN, Bill (ALP) 3.40 COMBET, Greg (ALP) 8.00 RUDD, Kevin (ALP) 11.00 ... ALBANESE, Anthony (ALP) 141.00 ELLIS, Kate (ALP) 141.00 [b]Coalition Leader[/b] - Next Federal Election - Coalition Leader - Next Election ABBOTT, Tony 1.50 TURNBULL, Malcolm 3.25 HOCKEY, Joe 6.50 ... ROY, Wyatt 250.00 So it seems the market thinks that Ms Gillard has a little more chance of losing her job than does Mr Abbott. Now I am not one for encouraging people to punt but, should the ALP drift out to say $2.75 or more it could be a good investment :) All prices from: http://centrebet.com

2353

3/05/2011Lyn - you right, my clicks on the Brisbane Times are to find out about the murders, fires, local factual news and in dream mode which car I should buy next (probably when it's 10 years old having just checked the bank balance!). Still Fairfax obviously benefits from my clicks and I have been known to "click through" to ads etc. On topic, TT's right - as well as crafting the message, the Government has to wargame how the message can be misconstrued and then change the message prior to issue.

Jason

3/05/2011Just a thought on Bin Laden with "he was living in a million dollar compound argument"! What do you get for a million dollars these days? My house with 4 bedrooms ensuite formal dine and lounge in ground pool and large entertainment area rev cycle air etc is only valued by the council at approx $450,000 still no compound though and that's in Adelaide.

Jason

3/05/2011DMW, Have you heard of this nutter in the USA Alex Jones who is a right wing shock jock who says "Osama Bin Laden Pronounced Dead… For the Ninth Time" You have to read this bloke I might have a go at listening to his radio show. http://www.infowars.com/osama-bin-laden-pronounced-dead%E2%80%A6-for-the-ninth-time/

thenewjj

3/05/2011Your red nut Queen suffered another bad poll today. Newspoll is now in line with all of the other major polls in having the Coalition comfortably in front on no less of a two party preferred lead than 53-47. You are all right in saying that election day is a fair way off (probably), however in the current jumpy political climate, it may not take much for rumblings to build. The announcement of Gillard on school teacher pay is good. I dont believe good teachers are paid enough. However, her announcement was another one of those stunts that Tanner talks about, in that it was just a space filler. Gillard didnt really have anything to run with and so she announced that she was going to do something that she had already announced?! Sort of like what Abbott did with the welfare thing. Gillard said she was going to be less about spin and playing up to the media, but from what we have seen, nothing has changed. On the piece, Much of what you talk about there is all about presentation. The problem with the Labor party is that this is all they have really been focusing on - this is the reason for Kevin Rudd's demise. If Gillard had have kept a consistent line on a carbon tax, pulled of the East-Timor Solution and have negotiated a mining tax and legislated it than presentation would not be an issue. John Howard pulled off a big budget early in his first term amongst other things which prevented the media having to go searching for other stories to write, such as on media performance. Gillard unfortunately (for her that is) seems to have missed the boat, in terms of bedding down some of the core issues she promised at the last election, which has lead to this media infatuation on all things stupid. So it is not necessarily about 'framing' things to make them look good, it is about doing good things that stand out on their own without a frame.

Jason

3/05/2011Your red nut Queen suffered another bad poll today. And If an election had been held on the weekend just gone Abbottabad would have won! But there wasn't and he didn't! Not sure where you've been but that "leftist President" got Bin laden something that those idiots Bush and Howard couldn't do,Sophie on Q&A last night sounded like you, so all in all the only jumpy political climate is in your head.

Feral Skeleton

3/05/2011I go out for a few hours, and I come back to DMW's odds on the next election and leaders! And Jason admitting he reads the rancid ramblings of Right Wing American Shock Jocks! Talk Turkey throwing bouquets Ad's way and brickbats in Abbott's direction, understandably. PatriciaWA just keeps getting better and better with her PolliePomes, lyn is as sweet as TweetyPie, Ad Astra giving sage advice, and 2353 confirming my suspicion he really is a Trainspotter. You gotta love TPS. :)

lyn

3/05/2011Ya gotta love Feral

2353

3/05/2011My name is 2353 and I am a trainspotter (I'm sure there is a Trainspotters Anonymous somewhere!). Jason - house prices are a funny thing. If you squint the right way you can see the river from my 3 bedroom 60's style brick and tile house. Real Estate Agents tell us the value is north of $750,000 (probably more since it didn't get flooded in January). I don't have the equipment to disinfect the  computer which would be required after listening to a feed from a right wing radio jock (forgetting for a minute the waste of bandwidth).

Feral Skeleton

3/05/20112353, The pleasure and the pain, huh? :) Like one guy at the convention said, "There are worse things to be addicted to."

D Mick Weir

3/05/2011umm Jason I am not sure whether to thank you or sw.. No I'll just say "Thanks for that [i]maaait[/i]" :) I'm with 2353, where is my cleanser? PS Captcha: 'change fackinke' - wot tha?

D Mick Weir

3/05/2011Welcome Home FS, [i]DMW's odd[/i] ? oops misquote ... [i]DMW's odds[/i] but I like being odd :)

Ad astra reply

3/05/2011Folks Just home - it's too late for comments. Back tomorrow.

2353

4/05/2011FS - it's pretty harmless for a hobby, they just take a bit of household real estate and 12 volts won't kill you. It can get expensive, but so can drinking or gambling :)

lyn

4/05/2011[b]TODAY'S LINKS[/b] [i]The interest is on next week, Greg Jericho, Grog's Gamut[/i] If his budget is shown to be “a horror” any rate rises will still be pinned on him but at least he’ll have a stronger case http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com/2011/05/interest-is-on-next-week.html [i]Hole the Front Page, Mr Denmore, The Failed Estate[/i] would not be cutting the jobs of senior sub-editors and switching those positions to its half-owned AAP offshoot, the sweatshop Pagemasters http://thefailedestate.blogspot.com/ [i]Photious Finish, Ash, Ash's Machiavellian Bloggery[/i] Michael Photious and Nick Campbell we are told run a faction that holds sway over 12 of the 19 NSW Liberal Party executive. Both men are lobbyists and both are Vice-Presidents of the NSW Liberal Party. http://ashghebranious.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/photious-finish/ [i]Tanner's minor act of faith leaves reader wanting, Jason Wilson, The Drum[/i] media could profit from following up some of Tanner's references, whether its Graeme Turner on television current affairs and talkback radio, Markus Prior on post-broadcast democracy. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/1203592.html [i]The Australian Opposition Leader – please ask me another question …Eyeball, Eyeball Opinion[/i] This interview threatened to put ‘egg’ all over Mr Abbott’s face – after the first or second question he had to virtually beg the journo’s present to ask him a question. http://bleyzie.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/the-australian-opposition-leader-please-ask-me-another-question/ [i]BraemaAXED: Carnage at The Age as sub-editors chopped Sefton, Vex News[/i] referred to as “slave-masters” by industry cynics who say their operation is run like a factory and that the aspiration of the management is to itself internationally outsource all jobs to either India or the Philippines. http://www.vexnews.com/news/13246/axed-carnage-at-the-age-as-sub-editors-chopped/ [i]Who Dunnit?, Patricia, Pollipomes[/i] Well, Tony Abbott’s hairy frame Appears too often on TV,With many an unchallenged claim About government inefficiency http://polliepomes.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/who-dunnit/ [i]Osama's death: a victory with no purpose, Coffee with Ruby[/i] The death of one man, no matter how bad, is no cause for a street party while the lives of so many more remain on the line in the cause of fighting an abstract idea. http://coffeewithruby.wordpress.com/ [i]The new world of online journalism, Elisepianegonda.[/i] My Twitter feed consists of mostly Australian journalists, news outlets and fellow journalism students, so the multitude of information available to me was almost overwhelming. http://elisepianegonda.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/the-new-world-of-online-journalism/ [i]WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS SUNDAY MR PRESIDENT?, Tess lawrence, Independent Australia[/i] Given that the multi-million dollar Abbottabad home occupied by Osama and his family is just metres away from the Military Academy, it is preposterous to suppose that Pakistan intelligence –ergo Pakistan government – was unaware that Osama bin Laden was domiciled in that house. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2011/international/osama-and-obama/ [i]The official, New York Times approved version of OBL'S death, Antony Loewenstein[/i] It is no surprise that the administration chose not to tell Pakistani officials. Even though the Pakistanis had insisted that Bin Laden was not in their country, the United States never really believed it. http://antonyloewenstein.com/2011/05/02/the-official-new-york-times-approved-version-of-obls-death/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+antonyloewenstein%2Ffeed+%28Antony+Loewenstein%29 [i]An Osama Bin Laden Is Dead cheer-off, Jeremy Sear , Pure Poison[/i] So when a really evil person is killed, if you want to gain some quick credibility points, if you want to stand out from the crowd, you’re going to have to do more than just cheer: http://blogs.crikey.com.au/purepoison/2011/05/03/an-obl-is-dead-cheer-off/#more-9987 [i]Was Osama's Death a Failure of US Intelligence?, mjwill91. Standpoint[/i] So, you train up a squad of Navy SEALS. They storm OBL’s Abbottabad compound. There is a 45 minute fire-fight. By at least initial accounts, OBL was the last combatant alive in the compound. He’s shot. Twice. http://standpointau.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/was-osamas-death-a-failure-of-us-intelligence/ [i]Mafeking around, David Horton, The Watermelon Blog[/i] Howard crowing about how this disproved the “naysayers”. And all of this retrospective triumphalism, thanks to the media’s “where were you” moment, conducted without any serious questioning of these self-serving narratives http://davidhortonsblog.com/2011/05/03/mafeking-around/#comment-2106 [i]Where were you for #OBL? Glued to Twitter, Thomas Tudehope, The Drum[/i] Bin Laden’s death is an historic moment in time. Years from now, and looking back in a "where were you?" moment many will say, "I was glued to Twitter". http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/1227944.html?WT.mc_id=newsmail [i]The Murder of Bin Laden , wmmbb, Duckpond[/i] The only way to contemplate such remorseless criminality is to see yourselves as separate from other human beings.This murder http://wmmbb.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/the-murder-of-bin-laden/ [i]After Bin Laden: next steps to winning the long war, James Carafano, On Line Opinion[/i] At least 38 terror plots aimed at the United States have been foiled since 9/11. Three plots were launched by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Other threats were homegrown. http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=11973 [b]Newspapers [/b] [i]Abbott, our bad , James Jeffrey, Strewth, The Australian[/i] Abbott clearly had to give things a little wriggle along: "[b]Any questions? We have plenty of journalists here, no questions? There must be some." [/b]There were eventually, not least this one: "The town where Osama [bin Laden] was shot http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/abbott-our-bad/story-e6frgdk6-1226049388584 [i]Journos fight Fairfax job cuts as sub-editing jobs slashed , James Chessell, The Australian[/i] Almost 100 sub-editors positions will be cut as part of plans to transform newspaper production by outsourcing the process. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/journos-fight-fairfax-job-cuts-as-sub-editing-jobs-slashed/story-e6frg6nf-1226049461129

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011Jon Stewart, a New Yorker, gives his own unique perspective on the OBL demise: http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/mon-may-2-2011-philip-k--howard

Ad astra reply

4/05/2011LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

Crowey

4/05/2011We wondered why Can Do Campbell ex Mayor of the Brisbane City Council exited suddenly, his excuse being that he will be the new non parliamentary elected leader of the State Liberal/National Party, and maybe a future Premier of Qld, the truth is out, under is so call leadership as Mayor he has left the Council without a surplus, but with over a Billion dollars of debts, as usual News Ltd being pro conservative are putting the floods(so far estimated to be 114million dollars) down as the reasons for the massive debt.

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011Interesting to see that all the hot air that comes out of the mouths of Joe Hockey, Andrew Robb and Tony Abbott, et al., about "Debt and Deficit" has been blown up and out of the water yesterday with the announcement of the first Baillieu Victorian Liberal Government's Budget. STATE GOVERNMENT DEBT WILL DOUBLE! So, it appears that, again, it's all about a frame which appeals to a gullible electorate and suits the purpose of an audacious and advantage-seeking Liberal Opposition, as opposed to the facts of the matter.

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011Crowey, As ever, Ltd News will help the 'Can Do' Liberals out with a new frame when the old one breaks. :)

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011Oh, I should've added, 'the Can-Do Liberals that can't really do anything'. :) However, it's interesting to note that the Coalition do their forward-planning very well. They obviously didn't want their latest Queensland star of the political firmament to be tarnished and for their campaign for him to be derailed, so they war-gamed the strategy to get him off when the heat in the kitchen became greater and was looking to cook his goose, so to speak. On the other hand, I would imagine that it wouldn't be too hard to critically analyse the Brisbane City Council Budget and follow the money and see what sink holes it went into, to find out the truth of the matter. That is, if journalists care about doing the financial forensics. With the answwer being, not if you're News Ltd.

Crowey

4/05/2011Over the past week the CAN'T DO CAMPBELL has done the ABBOTT ACT, he has not made any comments or had any TV interviews.

Patricia WA

4/05/2011Thanks Lyn, for the link to Strewth and the 'Abbott Our Bad' story! Strewth told us all about Abbottobad where OSL has been hiding out. Seems it was administered during the British Raj by one James Abbott, who may or may not be a distant relative of our Tony. He farewelled the garrison with a poem which Strewth invited us to better! Here's James Abbott's ode: [i]“Oh Abbottabad we are leaving you now. To your natural beauty do I bow. Perhaps your winds sound will never reach my ear. My gift for you is a few sad tears. I bid you farewell with a heavy heart. Never from my mind will your memories thwart.” [/i] Below is my effort for Strewth. I think, at least, I've got James Abbott's metre right; my sentiments, of course. Still I love to think of Julia dreaming of all the delicious puns journos like Strewth and bloggers everywhere will be making today. We've already had some from AC, FS and David above. I was wondering if TT, AC and others at TPS might have a go at this too, though AC's already on the case. [b]Julia Dreams Of Abbott, The Bad[/b] Gillard, the Good, I acknowledge you now, To your natural talent do I bow. You and your Windsor friend have the country’s ear. His gift to you is two more years. I know you’ll go well if I on my part Never again on the national stage play the media tart.

Ad astra reply

4/05/2011Jason I see that you have taken the time to respond to thenewjj’s latest comment, which was more reasonable than usual, with just a sprinkling of barbs. It is understandable that as a Coalition supporter he is pleased with current polling figures as we who supported Labor were in the halcyon days of Kevin Rudd when astronomic figures prevailed, even higher that 60/40 to Labor. But we also remember how the gap narrowed as the election approached, as it always does. We know that most Federal elections are quite close. So to be self-satisfied about a polling figure well out from an election is understandable but, as we have found, it is somewhat delusional to believe that it has worthwhile predictive value. So we ought to regard current poll results with caution, and wait until nearer the real poll to make predictions. Of course he is hinting and hoping that the election might be sooner, and it might be, but there’s no sign of that yet. No doubt thehewjj will be pleased with [i]Newspoll[/i] results released today that shows public support for the carbon tax is down to 30%. with 60% opposed. Dennis Shanahan has an ‘exclusive’ triumphantly headlined: [i]Voters abandon Julia Gillard's carbon pricing plan[/i] where the details are given. I looked in his article for comments from the pollster Martin O’Shannessy, but could find none there or elsewhere in [i]The Oz[/i]. Perhaps you have or can. Anyway, on ABC radio this morning O’Shannessy cautioned about putting too much store on these figures, pointing out that John Howard had similar figures regarding the GST for months before it was successfully legislated. So let the opponents have their moment of triumph, but wait for the carbon tax story to fully unfold. No doubt thenewjj, along with anti-tax folk, will interpret this result as the end of the carbon tax, and PM Gillard, and the Gillard Government. He sees the Gillard announcement about paying excellent teachers bonuses as ‘good’, but dismisses it as a ‘stunt’, a ‘space filler’, which is code for ‘spin’. So that’s that. No amount of arguing will alter that view. Regardng his comments about the subject of FS’s piece, framing and reframing, he says: “[i] So it is not necessarily about 'framing' things to make them look good, it is about doing good things that stand out on their own without a frame.[/i] Of course, but what the article was largely about, and reinforced with examples and supporting comment, was how any announcement by the Government could, and has been reframed by the Coalition to make the announcement look less worthy and to neuter it. In anticipation of this the Government ought to neutralize any reframing in advance, at the time the announcement is made. He sees PM Gillard as having missed the boat. I see her as having many boats in the water, and if they reach port as I anticipate they all will, she will have an armada to show off to the electorate at the next election. Naturally thenewjj will hope they all sink or are blasted out of the water by Coalition fire.

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4/05/2011Patricia WA, Crowey Thank you for your comments, and as always PWA, for your verse, so beautifully expressive. Lyn and FS, I’ll read your links when I get the time. Folks I’ll be out for a few hours.

tredlgt

4/05/2011Have just looked through the comments after reading a great article . What bothers me is no matter how good the government becomes at framing or reframing a story /policy unless the msm decide to run with it or even mention the govts point the framing dies right there and the abbott line still runs . Some people may be concerned enough to find the information to form an opinion on a subject but far too many believe the msm headlines are the one and only truth and that headline is usually the frame . So reframing should be the way to go but how do you get the story reported ,if the msm don't or wont and the ABC follow along, copying those they believe better then themselves.

TalkTurkey

4/05/2011PatriciaWA I won't write an Abbottabad ode: it's odious! That's a joke see but truly it is awful *poetry*, Abbott is awful and what has been done at Abbottabad is awful and what about the killing of the Gaddafi kids, and I am having trouble seeing much funny in all this, it's bloody MURDER! Thank Dog for Geoffrey Robertson, giving a voice to all of us who think this form of *justice* is exactly NOT. Whose operation was this? Exactly what were the circumstances? Who pulled the trigger/s? On whose direct authority? Photographs? Oh yeah? Gee it'll help world peace eh. Congratulations to all who have made Osama bin Laden a Martyr in Paradise. Up there with perennial virgin supply wasn't that the deal? Cool. That godderel about Abbottabad reminds me of the Poetry of the Vogons in Hitchhiker's Guide. Anyone quote a few lines, I haven't a copy? James could indeed have been one of the line that spawned this current Abbott, it's vomitogenic enough.

TalkTurkey

4/05/2011anyone watching ABC24 right now is watching what is billed as National Press Club Address but is that #&@%ing ABBOTT! DOING A And the sign below it says him says today's national Press Club Address can be seen on ABC1 NO IT CAN'T! IT'S MIDDAY REPORT, AND IT'S NOT EVEN MIDDAY REPORT, IT'S ABOUT BADASS GRASSES AND IT'S A RE-RUN OF A PROGRAM THAT WAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MIDDAY! HELL I'VE HAD THIS BLOODY ABC!

TalkTurkey

4/05/2011Sorry previous post, bit garbled, flicking back/forth and good and peeeeed off! Should have finished one bit . . . ABBOTT! DOING A *PRESS CONFERENCE* TO SLAG OFF THE GOVERNMENT!

lyn

4/05/2011Poor Talk Turkey What can we do to help you, see if I can try. The National Press Club on ABC 24 has somebody unknown to me, Professor someone, I been doing the house work so didn't take any notice. ABc 24 before that, had Julia Gillard and then Joe whinging Hockey, Hockey said this budget is a real test for the Government and if it's not a responsible Government they can't Govern anymore. Talk Turkey, wonder who is the Judge. I think they have Tony Abbott as the judge, now that's fair. So Tony Abbott says they can't Govern anymore, thats it, doesn't matter what the budget says. Penny Wong just did a Press conference while I am talking to you, I think she was getting into Hockey. Oh! that's right Joe said this Government will never be in surplus, give them a chance and a Coalition Government would be in surplus before 2013. You know our computers change the time to Eastern Standard time when Daylight saving is finished. Do you think we could buy you a clock that will give you Eastern standard time. No a better idea, get 2 clocks set one on Sydney time, put a sticker on it saying Sydney, the other one your time, what do you think. Cheers

TalkTurkey

4/05/2011Lyn, tweetness, I've had clocks on CST, CST + 1 hour, CST - 1 hour, CST +/- 1/2 hour, 24 hour clocks, railway time clocks, 12 hour clocks, digital clocks, analogue bloody clocks, EST +/- 1 hour clocks, give me strength, it's all bloody hopeless though because the ABC says one thing and shows other things, I think it's gunna take nukes . . .

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011Talk Turkey, I just finished watching the true National Press Club address on ABC1. It was Professor Paul Greenfield from the Group of 8 Universities, and it was an illuminating speech he gave. I turned to it as soon as I had finished being gobsmacked at the Joe Hockey Press Conference,, where he enlightened us with the 'fact' that, apropos the $11 Billion Budget Black Hole in the Opposition's pre-election costings for their election proposals, that Treasury had since adopted the Coalition's figures and were using them! Ergo, the $11 Billion Budget Black Hole has now officially disappeared according to Joe Blowhard. Hmm. Also, the Magic $50 Billion in 'Savings' identified by the Coalition, which, according to analysis at the time by Peter Martin, among others, involved adding 'Savings' from ALP programs that hadn't even passed parliament yet, and double-counting of other things, and etc., that Magic Pudding has once again been wheeled out by the Coalition, as their convenient catch-all funding pool to pay for anything and everything they announce to counteract the government's announcements whenever the government asks them to show how they will pay for it. Also, according to Joe Blowhard, a government, if it announces a 'Tough Budget' can now no longer announce spending outlays for new programs, such as today's recommitment to increase the Youth Allowance for 16-19 year olds, and, at the same time, make savings elsewhere, because that is "muddled". It's also, "Robbing Peter to pay Paul." Which goes, of course, to the Coalition's Debt Fetish yet again, such that, you must pay off every cent of government debt before you can spend one red cent on new initiatives. Denying economic orthodoxy which says that by outlaying new monies they become generators and multipliers back into the Budget Bottom Line. Not to mention the simple fact that Joe Blowhard's mates in the Victorian Liberal Party have just blown all his rhetoric out of the water by doubling the size of their State Budget Deficit in order to fund their election policies and new programs. Anyway, after I had been subjected to that gross indignity from out of Joe Blowhard's chubby cheeks, when I heard, after the Midday News, that I had a choice between listening to more of the same phlegmatic fairy floss from Blowhard-In-Chief, Tony Abbott, or a National Press Club address from the head of the Group of 8 Universities, it was a no brainer.

Patricia WA

4/05/2011AC - I meant to say earlier how much I loved the 'lycra burqa' - congratulations on being so quick off the mark. TT, in one sense I agree with you. Assassination is terrible thing, no matter who is killed. Hard to come terms with celebrating that under any circumstances. I've already expressed my feelings here yesterday. But the 'Abbottobad' story is now nothing to do with that. It's just a name, by pure chance redolent with potential humor here, a wonderful diversion and one which people are glad to turn to. Satire and black humor, which you excel in, can be a lot heavier and more cruel than this, as FS has already shown us with the link to The Daily Show in the US. It was such a relief this morning to get my mind off the awfulness of war, terrorism and reminders of 9/ll. Then to get my head around James Abbott's 'ode' about which I see nothing 'odious' except maybe in its echoes of the Raj. All those white expats living in idyllic surroundings quite oblivious to the deprivation and poverty of the 'natives' around them. More of that later. Take care of yourself, TT, find a way to lighten up. Lyn's right. Follow her advice.

lyn

4/05/2011Hi Talk Turkey Looks like I can't help with the clocks Talk Turkey, so you will just have to settle for reading the below information: Labor will never deliver surplus: Hockey SMH A federal coalition government would be able get the budget back into surplus by 2012/13, but Labor hasn't a chance, treasury spokesman Joe Hockey says. "We would be delivering a surplus as quick as possible, perhaps even earlier than 2012/13," Mr Hockey told journalists in Sydney on Wednesday. During last year's federal election, Mr Hockey outlined $50 billion in savings, although the Department of Treasury found a $10.2 billion hole in the opposition plan. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/labor-will-never-deliver-surplus-hockey-20110504-1e7je.html Wong throws down gauntlet on surplus, Sky News 'They think they you can simply wish your way back into surplus by rocking up to a press conference and telling people that you are going to achieve it, without doing the work, without doing the savings, without doing the costings,' Senator Wong told reporters in Canberra. 'In eight days time, Mr Abbott stands up as the alternative prime minister, which he is so fond of reminding us, before the nation, before the parliament,' she said. 'He will have to outline to the Australian people just how he is going to get the budget back to surplus earlier than the government.' http://www.skynews.com.au/businessnews/article.aspx?id=608745&vId= Tax changes to keep teenagers at school, Julia Gillard SMH Well in the modern age we don't want kids leaving school early - we want them engaged with full-time education getting the skills that they will need for the rest of their lives." From January 1 next year, the new maximum rate of FTB part A for 16 to 19 year olds will increase by around $160 a fortnight to align with the rate for children aged 13 to 15. Only families with teenagers in full-time secondary study, or the vocational equivalent, will qualify for the extra cash. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/tax-changes-to-keep-teenagers-at-school-20110504-1e7jz.html National Press Club address: Think global or risk disappointment, university head warns Professor Paul Greenfield AO, Vice-Chancellor and President, the University of Queensland and Chair, the Group of Eight New national ‘quality' arrangements for higher education will lead to disappointment for students and the Australian community without international benchmarking, the chair of the peak body for research-intensive universities will tell the National Press Club on Wednesday. Chair of the Group of Eight (Go8) Professor Paul Greenfield argues that a defining issue for the future of universities is how to earn and maintain respect in an increasingly tough global marketplace. “Learning in Australia's higher education system should be of international quality," he said http://www.uq.edu.au/news/?article=23062

Jason

4/05/2011FS, Get ready for the lecture about waste etc from young jj on this bit of bad news for the seat of New England lol! INDEPENDENT Tony Windsor has reaped a $120 million dividend from his decision to hand power to Labor, with the announcement of a major redevelopment of his NSW electorate's biggest hospital http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/health/key-independent-mp-tony-windsor-wins-priority-hospital-treatment/story-fn59nokw-1226049860149

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011I have just come up with the Labor Party election slogan for 2013! It's so catchy and knocks the Opposition into a cocked hat of a frame :) 'We do things, they 'Boo!' things'. As I fully expect that the Gillard government will have gotten quite a lot done with the aid of the new Senate, by the time of the next election.

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011Jason, I'm waiting for the words 'Pork Barrell', or 'buying his vote', totally hypocritically, of course, to trip from jj's lips. Without mentioning the $1 Billion that La Abbott was prepared to promise Andrew Wilkie to buy his support.

Jason

4/05/2011I’m pretty pleased with my line-up of guests for our first show, on Channel 10 at 10am. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is followed by a frank chat between me, Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger ... and the former Labor Opposition leader Mark Latham, now a very good columnist with The Spectator, among other ventures. http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/the_bolt_report

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011Jason, Biased much? Talk about a 'conga line of suckholes' for Andrew's first week. :)

lyn

4/05/2011Hi Jason Now there is a balanced opinion coming right up, Michael Kroger for goodness sake, Mark Latham. Did you read any comments his millions are very happy, cheering gleefully. RAMADGED GOODS: The Age’s editor Paul Ramadge to be boned? Vex News T[b]UMBLEWEEDS[/b] The besieged flash Fairfax premises “Media House” could become an expensive echo-filled ghost town with other rumours that profitable parts of the empire, like Fairfax Radio’s [b]3AW will be sold to Sydney patriot John Singleton.[/b] This will almost certainly mean the closing of excellent Melbourne radio station MTR, although with its best and brightest like [b]Steve Price and Andrew Bolt moving across to 3AW as all-conquering representatives of the new owner. We’re sure they’ll handle the vanquished with sensitivity[/b] http://www.vexnews.com/news/13266/ramadged-goods-the-ages-editor-paul-ramadge-to-be-boned/

TalkTurkey

4/05/2011PatriciaWA I'll deal with the "light" part of your last post first. You said " . . . James Abbott's 'ode' about which I see nothing 'odious'. . . " I have mentioned before my adoration of Mother English, and my revulsion at the torturing of her. "Oh Abbottabad we are leaving you now." Great start but . . . ) "To your natural beauty do I bow." (Do I? What a horrid line.) "Perhaps your winds . . ." (Apostrophe of possession? and if so where? One wind or more?) ". . . sound will never reach my ear." (why only one ear ?) "My gift for you is a few sad tears." (tears, plural, note! Could've had both ears and a perfect rhyme!) "I bid you farewell with a heavy heart."(cliche but oh well) "Never from my mind will your memories thwart.” (so that's THWAART as in FAARmer? And WHAT DOES THE LINE MEAN? Thwart is to frustrate! And what a sentence, again! AAARRRGHHH! That's all apart from the lousy meter So I'm not even going to try a repeater! It's just an odiously odoriferous ode imo.

lyn

4/05/2011Hi Jason Look at this: mfarnsworth Malcolm Farnsworth Credibility time: Channel 10 news now uses Bolt in straight news stories - tonight on the killing of bin Laden.

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011Credibility? What credibility? I think Possum should start keeping tabs on the decline in Channel 10's ratings as a result of the Faux Newsification of Channel 10 under its new management of Lachlan Murdoch and Big Gine Rheinhart.

Patricia WA

4/05/2011Great excitement here! Just had a note from, James Jeffrey, of Strewth. He was amused by 'Gillard The Good dreaming of Abbott the Bad!' It will be interesting to see how he uses it. I imagine he's had plenty of responses. Love your rage, TT, but bad poetry doesn't deserve critical analysis or condemnation. It's usually not meant for publication and is about people trying to express inner feelings. I gather James Abbott had been happy at Abbottobad. Well who wouldn't in his circumstances. I wonder what happened next in that priveleged life of his.

thenewjj

4/05/2011FS and Jason, The $120 million dollar announcement was made before the NSW election... this is old news. I think it is brilliant that we are getting the funding for the hospital. The NSW Coalition has also pledged $100 million as well. It is just a shame that it took a hung parliament to switch Labor's sights from western Sydney hospitals such as the Napean to ours out here in Rural and Regional NSW. The problem is, when this hung parliament ends Windsor will not have any power any more, and as it is likely there will be a Coalition government we will be far better off to have a Coalition member than someone such as Windsor. I see Robb from Lyne has put the final nail in his coffin by announcing that the government should push on with the Carbon tax. He is history! I will give you all one clue as to how Gillard could instantaneously improve her media performances (even though this isnt her real problem), she could speak quicker. She speaks into the camera like you would speak to a small child. The slowness of her voice also accentuates her grating accent; and so if she could fix that than people may just keep their T.Vs on to hear what she has to say.

TalkTurkey

4/05/2011PatriciaWA said: ". . . bad poetry doesn't deserve critical analysis or condemnation." Yeah OK but even less does it deserve uncritical acceptance or emulation. Especially not by me if I'm not in the mood eh.

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011jj, You are way too political in the way you approach issues. Have you stopped to think that maybe, "Rob from Lyne' might be approaching the issue of Global Warming, because that is the problem that needs a solution, which is a price penalty on big polluters, that you mischaracterise as simply a Carbon Tax, as if it was exclusively that only, in isolation from the Climate Change issue. It's just the sort of misleading framing that the Coalition relies on. It all seems so juvenile, it constantly amazes me how the Coalition gets away with it. As far as Julia's voice goes, it just sounds to me as if you are using your inherant distaste of the PM to colour your opinion about her voice. Sure, it's not elocution perfect, but who said it had to be? You? I think you know that what you are asking , for her to speed up her delivery, is an impossibility for her to effect successfully as, and this is only my opinion, if she speeded up her delivery her broad Australian accent would make the words less intelligible. And I'm sure, jj, you'd make sure to let us know that as well. In other words, I don't think you'd be happy either way. Unsurprisingly.

Feral Skeleton

4/05/2011PatriciaWA, I'm not surprised you have heard from Strewth. Your pollie pomes are works of Fine Art. And they are getting better every day. :)

Jason

4/05/2011FS, As you know I could sit there all day and listen to that master orator Warren Truss or Andrew Robb throw in Ian Macfarlane even Abetz. Your right the only thing jj gets off on is the politics not the substance just the juvenile stuff you might see at a university or at worst high school.

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4/05/2011tredlgt You are right. If the MSM doesn’t reproduce accurately what the Government announces, and in some instances incompetently or deliberately distorts it, it makes it almost impossible for the Government to get even a well framed message out to those who need to hear it, the voters. All I can suggest that we in the Fifth Estate keep hammering the media about any journalism that is sub-standard, and particularly the ABC, which ought to be the voice of the people, in the knowledge that the media with vested interests will never be. FS Joe Hockey has so tarnished his image for reliable comment on matters financial, that it is not worthwhile even listening to him. It grates and upsets yet contains no useful information, except of course what nonsense he’s perpetrating contemporaneously. He is a metaphor for the old term ‘blatherskite’. I do like: “We do things, they 'Boo!' things.” Hi Lyn, Jason, FS The Bolt emissions on his new show will be even more polluting than carbon dioxide, and far more toxic to democratic life on earth. And there seems no way of mitigating his emissions. FS You’ve answered thenewjj. No matter how Julia speaks it will not suit him, nor will the content, nor will her appearance, nor will her demeanor. There is nothing the poor girl can do to get a tick from thenewjj, nothing.

sawdustmick

4/05/2011JJ, she may speak slow and with and ocker accent however, I prefer a PM who can speak without UM,ERR and in the case of the Shit Happens Interview frozen in time trying to keep his cool. Mate if you believe that this UM ERR is a good look for a PM then what the hell is he going to when faced with some real hard decisions if he cant fend off a piss ant reporter's question. The simple fact is that Tugger cracks under pressure we have all witnessed this on many occasions. The problem is that media lets him off lightly with comments like, you know that's just Tony, he is a real person and only human we all make mistakes. Unless of course you happen to be Julia Gillard. When Tugs admitted he was a self confessed liar to the whole of the Australian Public. Did he get a pizzling from the media for week after week as Gillard would have, no. His loyal subjects came up with what I thought was a ripper of an excuse, "That just goes to show the world what an honest liar Tones is". Can you believe this crap.

Acerbic Conehead

4/05/2011Hi FS, Thanks for your great article and all the follow-up posts. You really keep things ticking over nicely with additional food for thought. Well done again. And I'll have a look to see what I can do with The Bushbike Song. PatriciaWA, Awesome poems as usual. Thanks a million for them. I'm glad you liked the 'lycra burqa' song. Don't forget its a required robe for any visits you make to Abbottabad. Congratulations also on your gig with Strewth. You deserve it. Keep 'em comin'! And AA, Thanks you also for your additional thought-provoking posts. I especially liked your allusions to Andrew's flatulence problem: [quote]The Bolt emissions on his new show will be even more polluting than carbon dioxide, and far more toxic to democratic life on earth. And there seems no way of mitigating his emissions.[/quote] LOL And Lyn, muchos gracias again for all those very interesting and informative links. We would be lost without you as our eager beaver. Enjoy what's left of the evening everyone.

lyn

5/05/2011[b]TODAY'S LINKS[/b] [i]The Taxing Times Have Yet to Begin, Greg Jericho, Grog's Gamut[/i] Luckily they have an economic ignoramus in opposition – so that is where they should start – get the argument on an economic and environmental footing rather than strictly political. While it is political (and lacking details) you get Abbott saying stuff like this yesterday: http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com/2011/05/taxing-times-have-yet-to-begin.html [i]Transforming Fairfax?, Andrew Elder, Politically Homeless[/i] That's the gap in the market. Fairfax has the chance to fill the slot occupied by default by the ABC, which Channel 9 came very close to securing in Kerry Packer's final years. Murdoch will never fill it http://andrewelder.blogspot.com/ [i]Julia has power but has she the passion? , Mungo MacCallum, The Independent[/i] I suspect the real issue for The Australian, or at least for many of its columnists, is that the Greens are seen as anti-religious; they are pagan worshippers of Gaia or worse and should be stoned to death as blasphemers. http://theindependentbrisbane.blogspot.com/2011/05/julia-has-power-but-has-she-passion.html [i]Let The Conspiracies Begin., Ash, Ash's Machiavellian Bloggery[/i] Of course Osama Bin laden could have in fact been in a compound with razor wire not to stop people from getting to him, but to stop him getting out http://ashghebranious.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/let-the-conspiracies-begin/ [i]Abbott and The Australian predict the end of Gillard, Barry Everingham, Independent Australia [/i] Rupert Murdoch’s once great newspaper The Weekend Australian quotes Tony Abbott predicting a swift end to Julia Gillard’s’ reign and an imminent end of her government. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2011/politics/abbott-and-the-australian-predict-the-end-of-gillard/ [i]Middle Class Welfare And Other Furphies, Ben Eltham, New Matilda[/i] Forget middle-class welfare. It’s the upper-class welfare that really costs taxpayers. If Wayne Swan really wants to save some money, he should attack upper-class welfare instead. http://newmatilda.com/2011/05/04/budget-preview-middle-class-welfare [i]Within minutes of Bin Laden's death being officially announced conspiracy wingnuts were active in the Northern Rivers, Clarencegirl, North Coast Voices[/i] Two men lunching at an adjacent table began to pantomime amazement and disbelief as the news was discussed. Then it began to get interesting http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com/ [i]Our shrinking asylum seeker problem, Bernard Keane, Crikey[/i] It will never out-tough the Coalition, it will never please progressives, and detention itself feeds community sentiment that those detained are in some sense criminals, http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/05/04/our-shrinking-asylum-seeker-problem/ [i]Simons: Fairfax’s decisions agonising for all, Margaret Simons, Crikey[/i] There is a kind of cargo cult mentality in the mainstream media, a species of magical thinking. A belief that if only the magic key can be found, http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/05/04/simons-fairfaxs-decisions-agonising-for-all/ [i]Gerard takes on the Sideshow, Dave Gaukroger, Pure Poison[/i] that Gerard is published in, spent almost three years actively working to unseat the Government that’s probably not a very good comparison. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/purepoison/2011/05/04/gerard-takes-on-the-sideshow/#more-10031 [i]Going Up. The Reserve prepares to raise rates, Peter Martin[/i] board meeting that resolved to leave the cash rate steady at 4.75 per cent but to be prepared to lift it without waiting for the next quarterly http://www.petermartin.com.au/2011/05/going-up-reserve-prepares-to-raise.html [i]Fairfax slashes: ‘quality journalism’ with hundreds of fewer staff, Andrew Crook, Crikey[/i] You’d have to expect an almighty shitfight. It’s beyond belief, we didn’t see this coming at all,” said one senior Age editorial staffer http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/05/03/fairfax-slashes-quality-journalism-with-hundreds-of-fewer-staff/ [i]The political uses of monarchy, niamh , Crooked Timber[/i] So the monarchy is both a constitutional relict from the bloody civil wars of the 17th century and an object of popular fascination. Both themes come together in a third view, http://crookedtimber.org/2011/05/04/the-political-uses-of-monarchy/#more-19935 [i]Osama's Legacy, In The Public Disinterest[/i] and it will give the Government a nice little breather before the Budget next Tuesday, which by all accounts, will be another mishandled shit-storm. http://inthepublicdisinterest.blogspot.com/ [i]Obama and Osamarama, Derek Barry, Woolly Days[/i] The truth of Bin Laden’s death will also struggle against the weight of conspiracy theories with Pakistan Taliban among those saying he is still alive. http://nebuchadnezzarwoollyd.blogspot.com/ [i]On Killing Osama...more commentary, The Drum[/i] the intensive planning for this raid, are all a reminder of just how hard this work is and how much vigilance and persistence matter. http://blogs.abc.net.au/drumroll/ [i]Conservative speak , Gary Sauer-Thompson[/i] Conservatives are a pro war party. Their discourse is one unending war ---its now the never ending war on terrorism--- and so Australia must be ready to fight the next war and the next one etc etc. They love wars http://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2011/05/conservative-sp.php#more [i]Julia Dreams of Abbott the Bad, Patriciawa, Polliepomes[/i] You and your Windsor friend have the country’s ear, His gift to you is two more years. http://polliepomes.wordpress.com/ [b]Newspapers[/b] [i]US tycoon praises carbon tax ,Leonie Lamont, SMH[/i] the government's carbon tax proposal, with US investment guru Jeremy Grantham declaring it a ''magnificent idea''. http://www.smh.com.au/business/us-tycoon-praises-carbon-tax-20110504-1e8ez.html#ixzz1LQ8bZzMq [i]Brace for a $20 billion budget blowout , Phillip Hudson, Herald Sun[/i] Joe Hockey predicted Tuesday's Budget could be the "worst Budget deficit in Australian history" and top the record $54.78 billion delivered last year after the global financial crisis. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/brace-for-a-20-billion-budget-blowout/story-e6frfh4f-1226050037186

Feral Skeleton

5/05/2011I love Grog's concise way with words: 'Luckily they have an economic ignoramus in opposition...' :)

Feral Skeleton

5/05/2011She's baaacckk!! Pauline Hanson is challenging her recent loss in the NSW State Election. As I have said previously, I hope she wins her challenge. 1) It will possibly stop Barry O'Farrell pandering to the anti-environmental Shooters and Fishers Party, which has already resulted in marine protection for the Grey Nurse Shark around Port Maquarie being reversed, and shooting in National Parks being placed back on the government's agenda. 2) It will force Barry O'Farrell to go further Right than he would have wanted to. Might I also add, relative to our blog topic, that Barry O'Farrell, in the NSW State Parliament's first Question Time, had a red hot go at placing a frame around the Labor Opposition Leader, John Robertson. When JR tried to ask a question highlighting the fact that Barry O'Farrell quickly changed the law when he realised that one of his new MPs would be illegally sitting in parliament, Barry O'Farrel said in his answer, "I thought you promised to be a constructive, not destructive Opposition?" Such that he was trying to put a fence around criticism of his government's malfeasance from the get-go. It won't stop the ALP though but it just goes to show that framing an attack of their opponents is always first business on the agenda of the Liberal Party. So far I haven't seen the same zeal from Labor.

lyn

5/05/2011Hi Hillbilly My best gold frame is adorning Pauline Hanson. Pauline will keep Barry on his toes, short shift.

Ad astra reply

5/05/2011LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

Feral Skeleton

5/05/2011lyn, If Pauline Hanson does get elected to the Upper House of NSW Parliament I imagine the derogatory comments about her red hair similar to those that get made about the Prime Minister will not be made. The listeners of the Alan Jones et al., Shock Jocks, wouldn't dare.

Patricia WA

5/05/2011FS, your framing thesis really works well when you consider contemporary political commentary, if one can call it that. Min at <a href=http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/> Cafe Whispers</a> has drawn our attention to the language used by Denis Shanahan today in the Australian. She points out that the language has suddenly changed and [quote we’ve now gone from the drab, badly dressed, ocker Julia to the charmer using her feminine wiles to beguile all who come her way. [/quote] So Julia is now being framed as out on a personal charm offensive! Surely it's no coincidence that stuffy old Warren Truss, whom I imagine no woman could ever beguile, or want to, only yesterday was warning business about their impending dinner with her at Kirribilli House, which prompted this comment from me, which unhappily I can see will have to be expanded in coming days. No wonder Warren Truss Has made a great big fuss. Seems the PM’s dinner Could well be a winner. With Julia smiling, At her most beguiling, Fine wines and lovely view, What might a businessman not do? I was so disgusted by Shanahan's article I wrote a comment, which I imagine will not be printed! And I came away from the OO site realizing again just how immoral that publication is and why I had long stopped buying its print version and rarely read it except through a link. TT is right. I shouldn't have allowed myself to be 'beguiled' by Strewth, not even for the chance of seeing Tony described as a media tart. But, FS, the Left cannot 'frame' the Right as effectively as they're being framed. It's not a lack of ability, or focus, it's just not in them to be that dishhonest. Thank heavens. But there has to be another way to win, surely?

NormanK

5/05/2011Have a read of this article and see if it doesn't remind you, as it did me, of the most inane cricket commentary? [b]Budget on fragile ground: analysis[/b] by David Uren http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/budget-on-fragile-ground-analysis/story-fn8gf1nz-1226050096729 "If Clark and Ponting can put together a decent partnership and add 100 or 150 runs to the score then Australia will be in a very strong position by the end of play today. But if they lose a couple of quick wickets then they may find themselves in all sorts of strife trying to play catch-up tomorrow morning. The run rate is okay at the moment but really they need to lift it with a few good overs - boundaries, that's what they need. But not by risking their wicket." I'm not an economist's little finger and I'm not casting aspersions on their profession (on this occasion) but what faith can we put in a prediction which says : [quote]The resources boom would bring the budget back to surplus even without spending cuts .....[/quote] but then goes on to point out : [quote]The firm estimates that a typical economic downturn in Australia, but not the world, would eliminate the promised surplus and deliver a budget shortfall of $16bn by 2013-14. An Australian slowdown that was part of a world recession would pitch the budget deep into deficit, putting a $36bn hole in the budget balance by 2013-14.[/quote] In other words no-one knows what the future holds in store for the economy and the best predictions in the world are still just educated guesses. My reservations are not with the predictions themselves but rather with what is done with them. Citing small segments of obviously complex modelling and speaking of them as though they were fact does not help to educate a predominantly economically illiterate public. I only call attention to this now because we are in the midst of budget season. So we should bear in mind that when someone talks up the economy as though all is well in Camelot or when the wreckers speak of impending doom, they have as much chance of being accurate as do weather forecasters. The sky is clear and blue up here today but I've still got an umbrella on hand.

Patricia WA

5/05/2011Sorry about my typos and careless links. A reflection of my rage. I thought I'd copied my comment to Shanahan, but I carelessly lost that too! Anway I told him it was a disgusting article, and asked why he wasn't writing about policy. But seriously did 'Letters to the Editor' ever have an impact? But at least in the past the Editor could think for himself about what he'd print. That doesn't seem to be true any more. The editorial line comes from somewhere else. It's his job then to tell the subs the 'line' to follow. So for the next few days our PM will charming and beguiling and those who agree with her and support her policies will be fools seduced by her smile. We are becoming subject to the rule of one man. The enemy of our democracy is not a foreign terrorist, or an infidel. He is 'one of us' or at least was born one of us, who daily delivers his ideas on what we should think and what we should believe into homes across this country and elsewhere throughout the world. Tyranny of that kind should be resisted, not assisted by governments with ever more lax regulation of the media. How? Even if we used their techniques of framing, FS, we have no power to promote them. Time for guerilla warfare? What weapons do we have?

Ad astra reply

5/05/2011Hi Lyn, FS You are right about Greg Jericho. As I read his piece yesterday and again this morning, I asked myself how he can work all day, come home at night and sit down after dinner and write such brilliantly lucid commentaries, full of facts and figures and well reasoned arguments, and so stylishly composed, when so many of those whose day job is journalism make such a poor fist of it? How can he write an article on the RBA decision not to raise interest rates, embellish it with easy-to-understand graphs, and dissect the sometimes conflicting elements of the decision for us all to see, while most of the MSM fails to get within a bull’s roar of the detail and the explanation he provided? How can he write such an insightful exposition of the debate about the carbon tax, or should I say putting a price on carbon, while most MSM journalists consistently fail to do so, and even worse, confuse the debate? It would be easy to attribute this journalistic deficiency among the professionals to incompetence or laziness, but that can be only a partial explanation. In my opinion the real reason is more sinister, that there is a hidden, and in some cases a not-so-hidden agenda to deliberately distort, to mislead, and to deceive. Take Dennis Shanahan’s piece yesterday on the [i]Newspoll[/i] result that showed low and falling support for the carbon tax. Greg commented on this, as I did yesterday. Shanahan’s headline: [i]Voters abandon Julia Gillard's carbon pricing plan[/i] and his first paragraph was the message, namely that the carbon tax was doomed, and likely PM Gillard and her Government with it. Anyone who read on would have learned some, but not all of the details. For example, he did not mention his own pollster’s cautionary comments that this result was similar to that experienced by John Howard during the GST debate, and of course he would not dream of analyzing the results as Mumble did, as to do either would have cast doubts on the validity of his conclusions. It was simply disingenuous reporting of facts with the purpose of demeaning the Gillard Government’s carbon tax proposal, and by implication supporting the Coalition’s position. Shanahan made no attempt to be subtle; for informed readers his intent was clear, but of course he was aiming at the average reader who would likely read and unthinkingly accept his headline and opening paragraph. It’s as blatant as that. It is this that the Government has to counter in the process of explaining the reason for placing a price on carbon, a difficult one as Greg shows. It’s not just Dennis Shanahan who is a Coalition spear-thrower; there are many others, especially in the Murdoch stable. Apart from the obvious ones – Andrew Bolt, Piers Akerman and Terry McCrann, whose emissions we have learned to disregard, there is Paul Kelly, Greg Sheridan, Peter van Onselen, Niki Savva, David Spears and the Canberra Sky News team, which is following the pattern of its US counterpart, Fox News. There are others, and sadly they are counterbalanced by a diminishing number of quality journalists who report accurately, such as Laura Tingle, Peter Martin, and George Megalogenis, whose return to regular journalism we await with anticipation. What I am arguing is that the distorted, deceptive, often unintelligible journalism we see day after day is no accident; is not attributable to incompetence or inexperience. If Greg can do what he does so well last thing at night, professional journalists could too. But they don’t because the agenda set by their superiors pushes them in another direction, and with the extant turmoil in the ranks of journalists, fear of job loss accentuates the push factor. This is more that Lindsay Tanner’s ‘sideshow’ accusations, which goes to sensationalism, news-as-entertainment, and the game of gotcha. It is covert, and at times overt partisan behavior designed to unseat the Gillard Government. Thank you Greg for showing us how analytical journalism can and should be done. If only the professionals would follow. But they won’t and we know why. If anyone missed Greg’s two recent pieces on [i]Grog’s Gamut[/i] they are at: http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com/2011/05/interest-is-on-next-week.html and http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com/2011/05/taxing-times-have-yet-to-begin.html

TalkTurkey

5/05/2011Ad astra, Yeah well Greg-Grog's good but by the living Dog you ain't half bad yourself. Nothing tricksy in your writing style, just crystal clarity and good sense and gravitas. Nobody says things better. Your first paragraph above would fit you like a glove. No rhyme intended. NormanK, your dricket quote reminds me of a thing my Dad used to say: If we had some bread we could have some bread and cheese, if we had some cheese . . .

TalkTurkey

5/05/2011"dricket"?

Feral Skeleton

5/05/2011PatriciaWA and NormanK, You have allowed yourselves to be seduced by the Gollum into reading his 'Precious' Australian 'flagship' newspaper. There are few, very few, real journalists working for Mr Murdoch's rags anymore, Big George Megalogenis is one of them. Most of them sold their souls to the devil aeons ago. I take what they write these days with a very large grain of salt. How could you not? I find Mr Murdoch's media voice increasingly weak and getting weaker, as we can all just ignore it if we so choose these days, with an internet increasingly being filled with quality content. I think Mr Murdoch's reduced profit for News Corp, released today, is testament to that. We are all better informed about politics than ever and can easily see through 'The Australian's' agit prop. All we need keep doing is not take him and his minions so seriously and they will eventually dry up and blow away like those balloons full of hot air that, when pricked, go round in crazy circles and end up as flaccid, used condom-like articles lying unloved and unwanted on the ground. :)

Feral Skeleton

5/05/2011Ad Astra, I second Talk Turkey's emotion. You can be as clear as a bell with your blogs whilst holidaying with your grandkids and children, or attending a conference in the far-off Phillipines. I tips me hat to you also. :)

NormanK

5/05/2011FS Perhaps you didn't follow the link (who could blame you? :)) but the article itself was not altogether bad. I was trawling around for different reporting angles taken on Chris Richardson's (Deloitte Access Economics) pre-budget report and that particular article highlighted the fact that even with the best of intentions, no-one can truly predict where the economy will be in six months' time, let alone 2 or 4 years'. I thought it was a salutary warning that we ought not to take [b]any[/b] forecasts at face value and run to the bank with them. Actually, I just liked my cricket analogy. Any excuse really. :)

Ad astra reply

5/05/2011Sawdustmick Like you, I find criticism of Julia's accent offensive, all the more so when Tony Abbott takes her off.  As you say Tony is no paragon, with his umms and ahs and silences.  Reference to her red hair is schoolyard stuff; indeed she had plenty of ragging at school.  Her ear lobes, her backside, her nose, and her manner of dress are all sources of unkind comment.  Why?  Why is there not similar caustic comment from the media about Abbott's pugilistic walk, his pugilistic stance, his pugilistic talk?  I think we know why. It is not just what Lindsay Tanner describes as trivializing, or else it would be consistent across the political parties; it is deliberate demeaning.  Bob Hawke had a drawl, and John Howard had his particular way of speaking, but apart from the odd comedian who mimicked them, did the media make a big deal of their speech?  No, this is just part of the 'get Julia' push. Patricia WA On a technical point, you can copy URL's directly into a comment without the HTML tags, and this site uses square brackets for tags.  You may find it easier to use the b,i,u,quote facility - highlight the words to be emphasized and click the appropriate of b,i,u,quote. We do enjoy your delightful poems, here and on other sites. TT,FS Thank you for your complimentary words.  As you can see, I'm a fan of Greg.  His capacity to find the quotes and graphs and tables that he incorporates into his pieces is astonishing, and the way he weaves them into his pieces, admirable. It knocks the likes of Dennis Shanahan's journalism into a cocked hat, but of course Dennis is not really trying to be a great journalist, he's obeying his master's voice.

Ad astra reply

5/05/2011Folks What a chauvinistic piece our Dennis has concocted today: "Julia switches her charm beams to high" http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/commentary/julia-switches-her-charm-beams-to-high/story-e6frgd0x-1226050089244 I agree with Patricia WA.  It is a typically demeaning piece dressed up as one that to the unthinking might appear flattering.  In some ways it is nastier than most of his writings about our PM, in that he implies that when the force of her argument falters, she turns on her feminine charm to win over hearts and minds.  That she could move hard-headed, hard-nosed businessmen with a smile, a laugh, or touch on the arm, (or as Joe Hockey would have it, a lobster), is ludicrous.  Shanahan is a disgrace; he has abandoned objectivity for a partisan play.

Ad astra reply

5/05/2011Folks I'll be out for a few hours.

TalkTurkey

5/05/2011PatriciaWA Look what you done bin goaded me to. Abbottobad Obama (tune: Smackwater Jack, by Carole King) Osama bin Laden formed al Quaeda Cos he was in the mood for a bit of break and enter: He really loathed the USA - Called ‘em The Great Satan eh! - And he invented a great new way To knock down the World Trade Center! (sic . .) Can’t see straight through that prism Muslim fundamentalism . . . So George Dubya Bush made a war on evil! Tried to squash Osama like an ol' boll-weevil! But where bin Laden been He was nowhere to be seen And for years it seemed that he was beyond retrieval. You can’t shoot a man down When he’s nowhere to be found No no, no no no But then came a big new chief named Barack Obama And he brought about Osama bin Laden's instant karma: He bin shot him in the head Twice to make sure he was dead And bin Laden him down on the seabed Thus ends this drama. Why why talk to a man When it's easier to shoot him down Easier to shoot him down? The reports of his murder came out by the mile And the good ol’ USA has a world wide smile! We not got no more Osama Got Abbottobad Obama Who needs to see the pictures or hold a trial! Osama bin Laden formed al Quaeda Yeah Osama bin Laden formed al Quaeda Osama bin Laden, yeah Talkin' 'bout Osama bin Laden, yeah Abbottobad Obama, yeah Talkin' 'bout Osama, talkin bout Obama, yeah [ Thanks to the lovely Carole King : http://www.elyrics.net/read/c/carole-king-lyrics/smackwater-jack-lyrics.html ]

Patricia WA

5/05/2011Hardly seduction, FS, and not even a flirtation. Just the odd passing glance, often the result of your own flick of the hand to something in the OO that might arouse interest. Usually unsavoury, of course! Not your fault - I am often so enthused and invigorated by your determined energy I follow every link you provide to illustrate your case, and even your 'bad examples' need to be pursued if I am to do your post justice. I must say that Strewth's Abbottobad reference was hard to resist. But what an anti-climax even that produced. No bang, not even a whimper. Just a horrible mess. The Oz, along with many other former print media sites, doesn't have a clue about setting out an interesting and inviting website. It's crowded and visually polluted by advertising which I imagine for Murdoch is now its major reason for being. The widespread citizen journalism of individuals or small groups on the web which is brilliantly supported for free by Wordpress, Live Journal, Blogspot and many more, has an astoundingly high standard of presentation and feedbback mechanisms which by far outperform billion dollar outfits like News Ltd. Of course we do have The New Matilda which is a far more attractive site, to say nothing of content and commentary, than any major news outlet and is well worth supporting with one's time and money. Someone mentioned Mungo McCallum. I've just been reading an article by him http://newmatilda.com/2010/06/10/mungo-maccallum-serial-killer where he talks about the death of so many small independent magazines which often published 'under-cover' articles by mainstream journalists who could no longer get their copy accepted by their day job employers! Are those same journos a dying breed too? What can do to get the likes of Mungo declared a protected species? I noticed David Horton a commenting on that post.

TalkTurkey

5/05/2011PatriciaWA said "But, FS, the Left cannot 'frame' the Right as effectively as they're being framed. It's not a lack of ability, or focus, it's just not in them to be that dishhonest. Thank heavens. But there has to be another way to win, surely?" Well said PatriciaWA. It is our great weakness - truthiness. That, and that so many are happily framed in the notion that a a fool's paradise is better than a sage's real world. So a convenient lie is better than an inconvenient truth. That's it. Oh and Ad astra don't even think of putting up a new thread before at least a couple of people comment on my Abbottobad pome, now that I've done it, OHHH KAYYY?! Probly get jihaded now, I spose. Might as well make it worth it. My recaptcha: requere edit. Alright, if you say so . . .

Patricia WA

5/05/2011Well done, TT, no compromise eh? I am amazed that more has not been made of the rhyming of Obama with Osama. Or do you think that's why so many Americans think he is a Muslim plant? Even unconsciously? Was that TV news headline 'OBAMA: BIN LADEN DEAD!' inadvertently misleading or deliberate?

Ad astra reply

5/05/2011TT I wouldn’t dare post another piece until [i]TPS[/i] folks commended you on your clever words to Carole King’s Smackwater Jack. Try as I did, clicking every icon I could, I could not get that song to play. Is there some trick that makes it play? Is it a competitor to YouTube? So I’ll leave posting Acerbic Conehead’s latest piece until late this evening. It called [i]Sideshow Sam[/i] a satirical take on Samantha Maiden’s stunningly inept commentary on Lindsay Tanner’s book: [i]Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy[/i]. Incidentally, my wife and I have been lucky enough to obtain tickets for George Megalogenis interviewing Lindsay Tanner about his book tomorrow evening at The Wheeler Centre, which is just a few metres from our Melbourne pad. Patricia WA Mungo’s piece is rather sobering when one reads of all the independent publications that have died over the years, no doubt succumbing to competition from the big boys. It shows the importance of blogsites that do not depend on advertising and who have contributors and commentors who write for the love of it, in exposing the inadequacies of the MSM.

lyn

5/05/2011Hi Ad I have been in Maryborough all day today, their main street Market today. Had lunch watching the theatre and the Town Crier with Mary Poppins. We had just such a wonderful day, Maryborough has such a lot of history, the people are so old fashioned and friendly, even the shops are old fashioned and quaint. We have another congratulations to "The Political Sword" today. Hillbilly can take another well deserved bow: [i]Everything Old is new Again, Alex White[/i] [b]Over at The Political Sword, the pseudonymous HillbillySkeleton [/b]invokes (without credit) George Lakoff’s “Don’t Think of an Elephant” in seeking to explain the “nervousness” of the ALP and the “effectiveness” of the Liberals. Lakoff’s explanation of the conservative “frame” of “tax relief” is applied to Abbott’s “great big new tax” sloganeering. http://alexwhite.org/2011/05/everything-old-is-new-again/ Ad I am just catching up on the comments, I have enjoyed your comment about Grog, he really is a fantastic writer. But you know, I agree with Talk Turkey [quote]Nothing tricksy in your writing style, just crystal clarity and good sense and gravitas. [b]Nobody says things better[/b]. [/quote] But Ad,you are my favourite writer , I will prefer your writing all the time anytime

TalkTurkey

5/05/2011Ad, I don't know what you did to Smack . . . Earlier today I went to the several versions by Carole King that came up when I googled smackwater jack, they were great and took me back, now they're all dead! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM? It really seems quite weird . . .

Acerbic Conehead

5/05/2011TT, Thanks for the alternative lyrics for “Smack Water Jack”. Great song by Carole King, one of my favourite performers. The following link might work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGS-Juej-zE [quote]Why why talk to a man When it's easier to shoot him down[/quote] I’m as far away from a military expert as you can get, but it seems to me that if the Americans wanted to kill Bin Laden instead of talking to him, why didn’t they send over one of those missiles launched from a drone or aircraft? Sending in a team in helicopters, with no other aim than to execute him, surely ran the tremendous risk of experiencing a political debacle, similar or worse to that which Jimmy Carter endured when his mission went belly–up in Iran? As I say, I’m a rank amateur in these areas, so I’d appreciate your take on this.

TalkTurkey

5/05/2011Smackwater Jack came back! I don't know what game the Internet is playing but I think you'll find SWJ if you persevere. It's worth it. Great song, young vibrant joyous Carole King.

Ad astra reply

5/05/2011Hi Lyn I'm glad you have had a good time in Maryborough.  I once lived there, in Fort Street. It is a fine city. We renewed our acquaintance with it when we visited you last year on our Queensland trip. It's good that FS's piece has been acknowledged on the Alex White blogsite.  Well deserved - it's a fine article. Thank you for your kind remarks.  We are both admirers of Greg's pieces.  I'm looking forwards to tonight's. TT I promise you, I didn't touch Smackwater Jack. AC's YouTube works though. Try as I did I couldn't get Carole to sing on your link TT, but I got lots of ads!

TalkTurkey

5/05/2011AC said " . . . it seems to me that if the Americans wanted to kill Bin Laden instead of talking to him, why didn’t they send over one of those missiles launched from a drone or aircraft?" Well one thing, they probably wanted to find enough bits to make sure they got him . . . Other thing, they've cornered him in the building, he HASN'T got a weapon, he is "resisting", what with, flicking a towel? NO firefight, just two shots through his head. Put one with t'other, sounds to me like they were dead-set on killing him. What if they'd had to try him in a court of law and couldn't show he'd had anything to do with anything? I think that would have been quite likely. There are many who question even the existence of such a thing as al Qaeda. I don't know if it exists, and I suggest that nobody else reading this does either. We've been told it does by Bush and Cheney and Blair and Murdoch, well that makes it true eh. So whether ObL is a mastermind of international terrorism, I think is about as certain as Saddam's WMD's. And a lot less certain than the Seals' intent to murder Osama before he could say anything of great embarrassment to the USA. What do you think? Patricia WA, how you mean, no compromise?

Feral Skeleton

5/05/2011lyn, Back from the positively unquaint(except for its environmentally-friendly, naturally-lit food court), local mega mall. And what do I find? That Alex White has found the 'Elephant in the Room' that I bounced off for inspiration! I've been a fan of George Lakoff for a long time, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind being an inspiration for an Australian Centre Left political party, or a Progressive blog. When you apply his linguistic theorem to poltical speech it introduces a rigour and a tightness of message that is massively beneficial to the cause. I'd been wanting to do an applied blog with his message at it's heart for a very long time, and I'm happy I finally did. :)

Feral Skeleton

5/05/2011AcerbicC., You may already know this, but an interesting little snippet of information about the helicopters used by the Navy Seal OBL Mission team came my way today. It appears it was a hitherto unknown to the world type of helicopter known as a 'Stealth Helicopter'. They are very quiet and can literally fly under the radar. So that's why they set fire to it when it broke down, as it contained hardware and software that would be dynamite if it got into the wrong hands. Which, it seems, it will anyway, as a journalist noticed the charred remains being taken away by the Pakistani Military, probably to be sent to their ally, China, for forensic analysis. The PRC are trying to build one also. Talk about the Pakistanis playing both ends against the middle though. :)

TalkTurkey

5/05/2011Ad, AC, Yeah I saw that Smackwater Jack clip earlier in the day. What a great toe-tapper, bet you couldn't keep your feet still. Forty years later, there's never been a time like back then for wonderful, amazing, eternally-singable songs. I love the sound of 70's music in the morning. It sounds like - revolution!

lyn

5/05/2011Hi Hillbilly It doesn't matter that Alex said "without credit" in brackets, don't take any notice of the bracket bit, he read your article is what I like. I say Bravo Hillbilly, well done.

Acerbic Conehead

5/05/2011FS, Tony Abbott has had his hands on that Stealth tecnology for a while now. He has used it to get in and out of press conferences without having to answer questions.

Ad astra reply

5/05/2011Folks I've just now posted another delightful piece by Acerbic Conehead [i]Sideshow Sam[/i] a satirical take on Samantha Maiden's appraisal of Lindsay Tanner's book: [i]Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy[/i]. Enjoy. http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2011/05/05/Sideshow-Sam.aspx
How many umbrellas are there if I have two in my hand but the wind then blows them away?