Has the political influence of the Murdoch media reached its nadir?

There is no need to mount an argument to support the view that all over the world, the Murdoch media has exercised an influence over politics. We all know it and countless journalists have borne testimony to it and have written and broadcast about it. Recent events portend a radical change that must and will occur.

Only Rupert Murdoch can really know what motivates his business activities. My guess is that making money is his prime objective, as it is for many a successful businessman. The extreme alternative is bankruptcy. But for successful businessmen making a profit is seldom the only motivator; the acquisition of power often parallels the quest for riches and commercial success. In the case of Murdoch, power over the political process seems to be one of his prime objectives. Because much of his empire is subject to government regulation, to achieve his aims of more and more media ownership, he needs to have governments onside, so that regulations are fashioned to suit, rather than obstruct his ambitions. As conservative governments are by their very ideology more likely to enable him to get what he wants, his recent strong preference is for them. We have seen this in the US, the UK and here in this country.

Wikipedia has an account of Rupert Murdoch’s career.  

Murdoch likes to back political parties and their leaders, to be a kingmaker. He has backed both sides of politics. He backed John McEwen, leader of the Country Party in the Menzies era, creating tensions in the Coalition, then briefly backed Gough Whitlam. The relationship between his media empire and Kevin Rudd was impaired by the OzCar episode when Rudd criticized The Australian for publishing poorly documented claims, and by the leaking of comments allegedly made by George W Bush in a telephone call during a private dinner party at Kirribilli attended by the paper’s editor Chris Mitchell. A previously close relationship between the two men turned into what looked like a vendetta by The Australian against Rudd, which has morphed into a similarly nasty campaign against Julia Gillard.

Murdoch backed Tony Blair but abandoned Labor in favour of David Cameron prior to the last election. He has met every US President from Harry Truman on, backed Barack Obama via his New York Post and secretly met Stephen Harper, Conservative Canadian PM at a time when Murdoch was interested in taking Fox News to Canada, a move that seems to have been aborted by Canada’s strict ‘truth in the media’ rules.

Clearly, for whatever reason, Murdoch sees it as to his advantage to liaise with national leaders, and they in turn see it to their advantage to cosy up to him, given his enormous media power and through it his capacity to make or break political leaders and their parties. What has emerged from the recent News International phone hacking scandal is that leaders have been fearful of what Murdoch could do to them politically if they did not curry his favour. This state of affairs resulted in a senior News International executive Andy Coulson, who resigned from the News of the World over the phone hacking scandal, being engaged by David Cameron after his election on the assurance of Murdoch. Cameron now seems to regret this. It has been reported that Murdoch had even offered Tony Blair a position after his retirement.

It is this relationship between Murdoch and the politicians he favours that is so pernicious as it advantages them and disadvantages their opponents, all on the say so of Murdoch via his media outlets. While Murdoch claims that he does not influence his editors, whom he insists have editorial freedom, when all but one of his 160 plus newspapers editorialized in favour of the Iraq war, it became hard to accept the reality of that. All editors know what Uncle Rupert wants.

In the US he has a vast network with many newspapers and magazines, and Fox Broadcasting Company that operates Fox News, his TV flagship. On that outlet he uses a strategy that favours the Republican Party. They use the likes of the divisive Rush Limbaugh who bullies his way through interviews aggressively insinuating his opinion into the debate. There is not space here to detail how these operatives work, but a look at a piece by Ezra Grant on blogsite EzKool: Rush Limbaugh Continues Without Missing A Beat, an account of his treatment of the Tucson Arizona shooting of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, gives some insight.  

The same aggressive strategies have carried to Australia and we have seen them whenever Andrew Bolt and Piers Akerman appear on TV.

The phone hacking scandal is spreading its contagion far and wide. Overnight there was bipartisan support in the House of Commons for Murdoch to withdraw his bid for BSkyB, which would have given him unparalleled satellite power, but he preempted the vote by withdrawing before it was taken. Democrat Senator Jay Rockefeller, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, has called for an enquiry in the US about whether Murdoch operatives have tapped the phones of 9/11 victims, which if proved would be a criminal offence.

Here in Australia, News Limited CEO John Hartigan has reissued the company’s code of journalistic ethics, insists he has no evidence of phone hacking here, but has ordered an enquiry into all payments to third parties that could indicate such activities. Clearly News Limited here is worried, not just about any implication that it too may be into phone hacking, but also about the consequences of that for the Sky News Australia bid to take over the Australia Network from the ABC. Today it ran a story criticizing ABC MD Mark Scott for what it termed ‘inappropriate contact with Federal Ministers’ about this issue.

What does all the turmoil in the Murdoch empire mean for the state of politics in Australia?

Some commentators see the empire crumbling with a spate of criminal convictions likely in the UK and perhaps in the US too. Some predict Murdoch may sell some of his UK newspapers as their stock market value falls. Some see Murdoch as retiring and handing over to his family in a further act of nepotism. Others doubt if he will ever give up voluntarily. But what will be the outcome in Australia?

If Bob Brown has his way, the Murdoch outfit here will be subject to scrutiny, and the issue of ownership reopened. Already Murdoch owns around 70% of newspapers here and vast slab of TV outlets.

According to a piece in The Canberra Times: No good News for Gillard by Jack Waterford, the vendetta against the Gillard Government will continue. He concludes: “But she should not imagine that anything much is going to change for her unless she lifts her Government's performance. Her unpopularity is not a Murdoch artefact.” The cartoon accompanying that piece is telling.

So will News Limited take a more moderate approach to politics in Australia by targeting Labor less and putting the Coalition under more scrutiny? If Murdoch retires will that make any difference? Or will Chris Mitchell’s campaign against Labor and The Greens perpetrated through The Australian continue unabated? Have we any prospect of Labor getting fairer treatment? We hope it might, but we ought not to hold our breath.

What do you think?

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Michael

14/07/2011Required reading: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2794652.html And it sums up Bad Abbottism to a 't'.

Ad astra reply

14/07/2011Folks I have to go out for a few hours. Michael - I'l read your link on my iPad later.

TalkTurkey

14/07/2011haven't read Nadir thread yet Ad, but watching in awe as *J*U*L*I*A* lights the afterburners! There she is choked up with emotion, battling her own passion to keep speaking, never losing it, the crowd of would-you-believe journalists mesmmerised, and me well misty folks see I'm not made of her stuff. She just finished her speech then, now questions - 13 or 14, first from Laura Tingle re Newscorp fit and proper esp re Oz sitn. PM expresses surprise and talks of need for review. Whacko. Ad astra your posts over years now become evidential evidence evidently! next q, in view of nastiness in community can she ever get back All decent honest good-willed people Interrupts Bongiono questions to tell him he's lived too long (Joke - double-take laughter!!! - Oh folks don't miss all this on replay!) She is SHINING! Just put Bongiorno PROPERLY in place, whack whack whack to say what SHE wants to say. She is telling the lot of them who's boss, and those who want to hate her can, but they know she has the wood on the lot of them. She now has Authority. Abbortt's End Is Nigh, and there is no-one in the Opposition who can take over convincingly, though Turnbull's stocks will go up with the less ( * ) of the other-side punters. I think we're at that stage where in a chess game you know that your gambit has worked, it's a real tough long game (is a Chess image OK FS?) and there are many yet to go but she is there. She just told the press gallery (we're 30 mins.behind est btw) [u][i][b]"Don't write crap!"[/b][/i][/u] I'll post this now. don't miss it! Oh next question "do you agree with Greg Combet that you're doing brilliantly? I tell you folks she has either won them or beaten them, and they all know she can DO them if they give her "CRAP"! You know I have always thought her special, she has just said she's made of pretty tough stuff. ALL the questions except Bongiorno's have been thoroughly respectful. Times have changed. *J*U*L*I*A* ? (K) ! Next Q re ABC approaches to govt re tender process OOH Lenore Taylor - More CRAP re this issue than ever before? Julia - puts it on journos - Lenore delighted with her response. Many of these journos LOVE her as *we* do. No one here now would dare to ask her a disrespectful Q, and it is likely that journos' upthemselvesness and disingenuousness will never quite be the same again. I await the applause after end of Q's. It will be powerful. She has used this forum better than I could even have hoped. Applause thoughtful, bloody ABC too bigoted to show us happy respectful people clapping. But journos WILL treat her with respect, because otherwise she will DO them, as she DID Bongiorno ( and then [i]biscuited[/i] him later note! She really pulled rank today. Hooray!

TalkTurkey

14/07/2011Oh I never said, that was the National Press Club Luncheon. Captive audience of journos, she used it as a springboard to launch a fightback program against crap and bias in the media even more than to soothe carbon tax fears, but she did just great.

Lazarus

14/07/2011Just Shaking my Spear Hear… From the ongoing play we see around us, MAX WEALTH… To set the stage;,. A big room. Along the walls, lots of strange occult looking books. High Jovial Confabulation abounds. Enter the three for witchery & bitchery. Tony Abbnot;,. Thrice the bovine skat cats’ hath clawed. ABC;,. Thrice and once the group mind thawed. Mal comm;,. Then Turn Bull cries, "'My horde, 'My horde." Abbnot. Round about the Bovine skat flows; In the poison'd thoughts, we throw! For I forsake heart, Just cold, cold stone Days and nights, our spewed spell must run. Being in opposition, we can be cruel kids, what fun. Like the Private school bullies, the race of birthright we all know!!! ALL. Double, double, toil and trouble; May Brains burn and may brains bubble. ABC Flow it round just like Nechushtan the snake, In the beta through epsilon brains, boil and bake; Except the tail and mouth in each ear, so wisdom doesn’t equate. Like wool over their eyes, our snake tongue lies, Our magic of mind, they’ll think empowerment tries. To give them illusory democracy, For a charm of powerful trouble, hypocrisy. Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. ALL. Double, double, toil and trouble; Brains now boil and brains now bubble. Mal comm Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, Witch's mummy, maw and gulf Oh my scapegoat Tony I bow to thee, And ABC for this insanity, Between you two we create a “blaspheming Jew”, Gall’s the mobs and plants like wood yew Sliver'd in the minds eclipse, Noise of division, on the populace lips. Finger of birth-strangled babe Ditch-deliver'd by a crab, Tony such witchery of bitchery, Mate your not bad. Between you too, you put such mould on, For the ingredients of our mental cauldron. ALL. Double, double, toil and trouble; Brains must boil so brains make trouble. ABC. Cool it with their baboon blood, Go-Spell it out for them, keep it firm and “good”. Enter “Miasma-Dock” to the other three Witches. Miasma –Dock Or Mirrdock O, well done! I command your plans, And all our schoolies, Manifold gains. So long as they think this insane, sane We become the some for their, misdirected pain, Enchanting all that you, together we control this game. Music and a song, "TOOL, 10.000 days, RIGHT IN TWO." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLjrD-oXkhA Hecate retires. ABC, so together we must Spell it out, Collectively feed their indignant shouts Then Open,Locks, When this indignation knocks! As before stated so too today, I’m watching Julia on ABC, listening to her plainly speaking. Clear, enough. Isn’t the shoe meant to pinch and the parents next door grab it. He:- SHE’S a (I paraphrase for politeness} “A Pompous pair of outer mons” She:- “Vulgar vexatious vindictive vagina, was the Libs that payed for your kids “C” word”! (and as if to say these children are Julia’s) I see a man intently listening, his ears wide. Pity my parental neighbours stoped listening with “isn’t the shoe meant to pinch” (I Assume);- The 4 kids see above-mentioned man with wide ears, the 15 yo boy then primes said juvenile advocacy, A maybe 9’yo states “he is listening”, as I see this man. Parents crack it with these kids. I watch the elder child remove the three younger to the local park. Time passes…. Laura Tingle gets up and asks a really good question, nobody is hearing our Primed Minister now, so primed by debate their concentration span is, as above mentioned. Running commentary on Julia and “Carbon Tax, National Bank Press Club”, Next Door, stereo on now, TV off. Yes, it can get that loud… One of these Parents put on TOOL, AENIMA. I JEST NOT, Now sitting here waiting to hear, "The only way to fix it is too flush it all away, LEARN TO SWIM". RAOTF Holding head and lementing from the seat of Makin. theaustralian.coredata.com.au/electorate/makin THE IORNY… AHHHHhhhhhh "Don't write crap" and this rolls off my mind finished, thanks again for the sounding board room. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/n/nechushtan.html Maybe also another Tool head could make a case:- The property line that an animal experiences is that of the instinct it has when it senses it's going to be eaten, shot, decapitated or maybe even burned by the fire in the forest. Otherwise it has no boundaries. The animal does not have any neighbours; it's walls consist of poop over it the lush green grass it wishes to eat, maggots in the corpse it wishes to devour and bullets flying through the air when the hunter unleashes his fury of gunfire.... The animal lives and breathes, then dies and in all irony feeds the plant it once enjoyed as a satisfying meal... The animal does what it needs to do when it needs to do it, nothing more nothing less. That is all, to the pup that crossed my field of view, journey safely through the woods and journey with your snout held high.... from KaneAndy kaneandy.deviantart.com/journal/33786247/#comments Am i the only one that can see a realy long plan being unfurled, like back to Mal-Comm Phraser, Sucked me in with "CARE, australia", creating lots of work for his family and friends, think it was 33 percent geting out the countree from memorie. Mal-Comm was always going to lead into 2013, all this just Deus-EX-Machina methinks tony is, a scapegoat. seems liberal can make even division seem as unity, in illusion. Time Will Tell, 10000 days from 1984, and i ask all of you what is the score? Ad Astra, Ah, new post thanks I hope this nadir has reached a peak. Maybe then the minds of the people can be won back. I ask, if the Press Club is run by the National Bank, can the bank in any way steer the agenda. Off to read new post… TT agreed, she did put it forward straight and clean, just got too clean out the evil dream.. but yes sure J*U*L*I*A*, just got to get some momentium here "a"...

Lyn

14/07/2011Hi Ad Thankyou Ad for a delicious article, you just keep up amazing me how do you do it. my pet topic: influence of the Murdoch media: Your words: [quote]Or will Chris Mitchell’s campaign against Labor and The Greens perpetrated through The Australian continue unabated? Have we any prospect of Labor getting fairer treatment? We hope it might, but we ought not to hold our breath. [/quote] There is enough talk about the Murdoch investigations coming to Australia, so lets hope. Ad maybe there will be less of "a source told me". [i]Murdoch’s BSkyB bid fails, is Austar next?, Stephen Mayne, Crikey[/i] News Ltd executive chairman John Hartigan is chairman of Sky News, as Media Watch pointed out this week. The Sky News studios in Sydney are co-located with Foxtel at Macquarie Park in Sydney and News Ltd has explicit management control of Foxtel through its entitlement to appoint the CEO. At some point, the creeping and insidious influence of the Murdochs over Australian media needs to be wound back and there is no better time to start than now. [b]If the Pommy politicians can belatedly develop some spine with some US Democrats following suit, why not their jelly-backed equivalents in Australia?[/b] http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/07/14/rupert-murdoch-bskyb-austar/ Julia tells them what she thinks of their reporting at the National Press Club today, using Mr Abbott's favourite word: some tweets for you to read: AgnessMackAgnes Mack Mark Riley wants to know how PM sees media responsibility. PM responds [b]"Don't write crap[/b]. If you do, correct it.",1/2 #npc 3 minutes agoFavoriteRetweetReply AndrewBGreeneAndrew Greene wow "don't write crap" - pretty sure I know who that was directed to 5 minutes agoFavoriteRetweetReply cosmicjestercosmic jester "Dont write crap" JG to the media. Awww snap! 6 minutes agoFavoriteRetweetReply mjwill901337wood Matt "I think what's changed is the volume of crap" - Julia. LMAOOOO #auspol 6 minutes agoFavoriteRetweetReply AgnessMackAgnes Mack Lenore Taylor asks is there more "crap" published on #cp than other issue. [b]Accuracy not always as good as it should be[/b], says PM. #ncp 26 minutes agoFavoriteRetweetReply mjwill901337wood Matt great speech @JuliaGillard - human, personable and funny too. #NPC 20 minutes agoFavoriteRetweetReply [quote]History lessons, walking shoes and media ‘crap’[/quote] HAMISH BOLAND-RUDDER, Canberra Times “If I can put it to you as clearly as I can, I’d say don’t write crap. It can’t be that hard,” she said to the question from Channel Seven’s Mark Riley. “And when you have written complete crap, I’d like to see you correct it.” She went on to say that the new, constant media cycle has increased volumes of content to such a point that quality has rapidly declined, and urged pundits to give equal time to both sides of the carbon tax debate http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/general/history-lessons-walking-shoes-and-media-crap/2226712.aspx Cheers :):):):):)

Patricia WA

14/07/2011TT, Can't find at NPC site - no replay available? Or relay?

Ad astra reply

14/07/2011Michael Geoff Lemon's article brilliantly exposes the hypocrisy around this spurious carbon debate and the hollowness and disingenuousness of Abbott-Speak. In my view his doomsday rhetoric is part of the reason behind the drop in consumer confidence and poor retail sales. He is scaring everyone out of their minds. This is nothing short of evil.

NormanK

14/07/2011Ad astra Sorry - off-topic. In much the same way as I hate being undecided (as I proclaimed last night) I take great delight in finding myself adopting a new, improved point-of-view. I have been reluctant to join the all-out Julia Gillard for sainthood club even though my admiration was high but having watched her last Sunday at the major press conference, seen her in relaxed and comfortable mode on the [i]7 PM Project[/i] and now being both prime ministerial and fair dinkum during her address to the Press Club, I want to marry her. Today's performance was truly exceptional. A solid clear exposition of how the government (more particularly Ms Gillard herself) came to implement the carbon pricing policy, how it works and what it means, where it sits in history and then some beautiful personal comments about coming to terms with being a shy girl caught up in the unrelenting public gaze and how she intends to deal with that. Wonderful, just wonderful. But wait there's more! I give 6 points out of 10 to Mark Riley for asking the question about the role the media has played in beating up the divisiveness in the community and what responsibility they should shoulder for the recent civil unrest that has been on display. I am greatly encouraged to hear Riley say that the media pack is doing a bit of soul-searching on this. I give 10 points out of 10 to the PM for her response (if I wasn't a pedant I'd give her 12 out of 10). "Don't write crap", she said. The Prime Minister of Australia addressing some of the key players in the Australian media advising them that the best thing that they can do to improve public discourse is 'don't write crap'. Superb. As Fats Waller famously said in the middle of a stellar performance during a concert - 'somebody shoot me while I'm hot'. Well I'm hot. Julia Gillard is light-years ahead of her nearest competitors and she will have to drown kittens on live television for me to substantially alter my opinion of her now. If I'm smart I won't read any more political commentary today nor watch the news for more negativism and Abbott-bites because that will spoil the enormous feeling of pride that I am currently enjoying with regard to our Prime Minister. I'm only human so I probably will watch the news just to see what extracts they choose to report from this landmark speech and subsequent q&a. Today a Prime Minister was born and I suspect the press gallery knows it.

Lazarus

14/07/2011Ad Astra, Having just read, [quote]Or will Chris Mitchell’s campaign against Labor and The Greens perpetrated through The Australian continue unabated? Have we any prospect of Labor getting fairer treatment? We hope it might, but we ought not to hold our breath. [/quote] Sums it up fine for me, suffocating, standing on my neck, wish i could catch my breath. Wish Labor just had outright (POWER), to use one of their favorite words. honestly.

Patricia WA

14/07/2011NormanK, she's no new born, nor is she wet behind the ears! That Prime Minister has been there for a long time. She just hasn't been given air space, a fair hearing or objective reporting. Can anyone give me a link so I can be sure of picking that NPC lunch speech up on radio or TV - we are two hours behind EST here. One pm National news has mentioned it in passing, and her calling much of media reporting on the climate pricing plan as 'crap' but that's it. We're back again with Bruce Guthrie on Murdoch whom I've heard twice already.

Lazarus

14/07/2011Clarifies, (POWER) favorits Libral word, examine Joe hoochy, (cos he looks stoned alot)rhetoric. Where Julia may use familys or people, Joe will infer with green envious eyes "when we were in power" or while They are in power... ETC, just to be clear on above...

TalkTurkey

14/07/2011On Poll bludger Victoria said "my say Sam Maiden gave birth to a baby yesterday" I have to ask, What did they expect? :) Felicitations Sam. Just, Don't write CRAP!

Patricia WA

14/07/2011I give up!

NormanK

14/07/2011Patricia WA I'm sorry that I can't find a video of her address or a replay in your neck of the woods. I know she is no new-born and I have always admired her but today was truly exceptional. It will be well worth the watch whenever it becomes available. There is great potential for a shift in the media's emphasis after today's effort. Those galley members assembled at the table were in a different mood today. If Mark Riley is correct, some of them are reassessing the part they have played in creating over-heated emotions in the electorate and Ms Gillard pulled no punches in placing the blame where it rightly belongs - on Abbott and the sycophantic media who dutifully report his every utterance and fill the otherwise empty air-time with baseless speculation and myth-making.

Patricia WA

14/07/2011Well, I finally resorted to The Oz site. where I find the story headlined as [b][i]Emotional Julia Gillard hints at strain of selling carbon tax[/i][/b] Eight comments already to the story and this one is typical, along with comments suggesting that now she's trying tears, starting to bawl and can't hack the job! As I said this one is typical and the usual CRAP! [quote]Give us an ELECTION Posted at 2:58 PM Today Her decisions have spoke for themselves and crippled our country. BER, pink bats, NBN, Illegal boat people flooding our shores, flood tax and now a carbon tax, we are hurting out here, cant afford to pay for water & electricity let alone another tax, and this is just what it is. This carbon tax will make not 1 bit of difference to climate change. Give the people of Australia what they are crying out for Gillard, AN ELECTION. We are being governed by the Greens & Independents, we did not vote for these imbiciles. [/quote]

D Mick Weir

14/07/2011NormanK, you have me really cursing my darned other lives. I had to decline my invitation to lunch with the PM (err, sitting at home nibbling on my cucumber and watercress sangas while watching on the box) and now I am intrigued to say the least. It must have been some performance.

nasking

14/07/2011An informative read Aa. PM Gillard did a brill job at Press Club (best speech yet)...and dealt well w/ the questions at the Courier Mail forum (Host David Spears of SKY NEWS needs to work on his obvious biases). If PM Gillard could increase the approval for a carbon price from 20% to 40% at a QLD forum then she is in w/ a good chance at getting a majority at the next election. Her optimism & determination (true grit) combined w/ calmness, sense of humour, ability to recognise mistakes and focus on the possibilities for business/innovators/investors in clean energy-related industries/projects...and mention of benefits to self-funded retirees & others re: 6,000 - 18,000 tax free threshold reform is helping to promote the carbon price...and make her more palatable, acceptable, likeable to many Aussies. I realise now she was right to get out there w/ the public & inform, chat & discuss. However, I'm not interested in a debate between her & Abbott. The two obviously loathe each other & I'd hate to see her calm, rational approach devolve into a parliamentary "who gets the kids" type slangin' match. I prefer PM Gillard now as she deals w/ the public. As for our media...there are some quality writers such as Tim Dunlop, Phil Coorey, Lenore Taylor, Laura Tingle, George M. & a few others from SMH, The Age, Crikey, Canberra Times, ABC Drum/Unleashed and elsewhere... but plenty who write "crap" or speak "crap" (as alluded to by the PM today)...who need to stick to the facts & do more quality research. A lack of financial support/subscribers for/to media organs such as newspapers is NO EXCUSE for sloppy work...nor are "deadlines"...demanding & biased "gatekeepers"...nor the 24hr news cycle. Better time management & the need to form a strong union that can deal w/ "deadline pressure", "under-staffing" & "bias/bullying" issues/complaints is essential... as are media ethics & regulatory bodies w/ bite. If Murdoch's Rupert & James stand down from News Corp...sell off their interests & retire into obscurity (I don't feel that Lachlan & Elisabeth at this point deserve to be tarred w/ the same brush...even tho they've made mistakes...and the name "Murdoch" is now mud for many)... ...and if News Ltd papers demonstrate more balance & less distortion of facts...that includes pairing off the likes of Bolt, Akerman, Devine & other hardliners w/ progressives...then ex-readers of their newspapers such as myself & my wife will return to their work. As for Rush Limbaugh (mentioned in yer post Aa)...he's less a Murdoch product and more a shock jock, scaremongerer and staunch backer of conservative politics due to his background & bias...along the lines of Allan Jones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh Limbaugh's w/ Clear Channel: (see) News talk stations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Channel_Communications Thnx to Feral for link on previous thread (yes, it will be interesting to see how News Corps' possible links to 9/11 phone hackers pans out)... and thnx to LYN for her brilliant offering of useful links. N'

NormanK

14/07/2011D Mick Weir It was sufficiently good enough to have Bolt's Blog frothing at the mouth. :D

nasking

14/07/2011Speaking of "crap": [quote]DJs blames Gillard government taxes for profit plunge Eli Greenbla, SMH David Jones chief executive Paul Zahra has laid the blame for its shock profit downgrade squarely at the feet of the Gillard government, saying its string of tax increases have stung its core customer base and triggered a sales collapse.[/quote] http://www.smh.com.au/business/djs-blames-gillard-government-taxes-for-profit-plunge-20110714-1hf97.html Hmmm...nothing worse than corporate execs who FAIL & then blame others. Apart from those who expect BAILOUTS as they FAIL. I bet we're gonna get alot of this "crap" unfortunately, as the carbon price makes its way to the August parliament. And then is passed. Nothing worse than somewhat incompetent, fingerpointing CEOs & execs who tremble before ever demanding & unrealistic shareholders (part of the problem...the prosperity years were rampant capitalism boosted by irresponsible use of credit cards & loans...so profits became artifially inflated and have led to too high expectations in a saner future where people pay down debt and tax cuts are less and revenue raising more in order to pay for essential services and infrastructure neglected by Howard's government)... David Jones' CEO Zahra needs to get a spine...and realise that the necessary increases in interest rates (China doing same so banks are sturdier & easing possible under future economic wobbles)...combined w/ more responsible lending practices...combined w/ the public waking up to the need to reduce their grotesque & wasteful spending (partly due to high credit card/loan interest rates) as they now focus on reducing mortgages & business loans...pay for healthcare/childcare and educational expenses etc. for their many babies (thnx Costello)...and take trips overseas or buy internet goods due to the high Australian dollar. And perhaps David Jones is unimaginative & lacking in vision & desired merchandise... Blaming the carbon price & government is a "cop out". The fact that SMH's Eli Greenblat didn't bring these other factors up goes to show they are writing "crap"...just voicing a "negative" opinion of the government. Pathetic. N'

Ad astra reply

14/07/2011Hi Lyn Thank you for your kind comments, the tweets and the links.   I have read Julia Gillard's fine speech, but from NormanK's remarks her response to questions was brilliant.  It's about time she called journalists for the 'crap' they write day after day.   The question is whether the media will have new-found respect for her, or just intensify its attacks.  I suspect the latter will be the case for News Limited and the likes of Bolt and Akerman, but for others like Mark Riley, who in his Riley Report last Sunday showed signs of turning, it may be an epiphany.  Let's hope so, and let's hope some other journos will follow.    I'm at the hairdressers' so I'm slow in responding on the iPad, but today is so exciting that I couldn't wait to get back to my computer. Do you have a link to the actual NPC address?

Lyn

14/07/2011Hi Patricia I have been frantically looking for you, video is not on NPC web site. Then comments went down so lost my first comment. Still can't find the video for you of Julia's address but should be on the ABC news24 site later. There is a nice photo on the last link by Lisa Martin. Awful photo posted by Malcolm Farr typical. Larvatus Prodeo: For mine, Julia Gillard, in her address to the National Press Club this afternoon, summed up the actuality of the situation our national politics is in quite nicely http://larvatusprodeo.net/2010/08/31/julia-gillards-address-to-the-national-press-club-today/ I meant what I said at the time, PM says of no carbon tax promise, News Com Asked about the intensity of the carbon debate and the media's responsibilities, Ms Gillard issued a blunt appeal to reporters. “Don't write crap,” she said. “It can't be that hard,” she said. “And when you have written complete crap, I think you should correct it.” http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/carbon-plan/emotional-julia-gillard-hints-at-strain-of-selling-carbon-tax/story-fn99tjf2-1226094658537 Julia Gillard's emotional speech: From shy schoolgirl to red-hot battle on carbon tax, Malcolm Farr, Courier Mail Ms Gillard said she wasn't burdened by attacks on her, including being called a liar and being confronted in public and on the airwaves. "I always understand that the political contest is going to be hot and I've never shied away from a red-hot go in a political contest," she told the National Press Club in Canberra. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/julia-gillards-emotional-speech-from-shy-schoolgirl-to-red-hot-battle-on-carbon-tax/story-e6freooo-1226094734405 'Real Julia' shows through at Press Club, Lisa Martin, West Ausralian Ms Gillard was just as frank when asked about media reporting of the carbon pricing debate, especially the scaremongering of anti-carbon tax campaigners. "Don't write crap," she said, adding she wanted to see as much broadcast time and newspaper column space devoted to the facts as (Opposition Leader) Tony Abbott's "crazy claims". http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/national/9842309/real-julia-shows-through-at-press-club/ Cheers :):):):):)

D Mick Weir

14/07/2011NormanK, suspect there may be some hidden connection as today is Bastille Day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day [i]'... commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, ...[/i]

Feral Skeleton

14/07/2011What's in the water at the moment? Ad Astra's post was brilliant; Talk Turkey's reportage made the PM's NPC Address come alive for me; Lazarus' writing was positively Shakespearean in its breadth and depth; NormanK fell in love today; and Nasking was his usual sagacious self. Lyn, of course, is always impressive with the lightness of touch she brings to her comments. Also I'm sure that PatriciaWA and D Mick Weir will be inspired to comment once they have had the time to see our PM in action today. Michael, of course is an exercise in stoicism as he brings us brilliant links and smears Tony Abbott with the merde he so richly deserves. DON'T WE JUST HAVE THE BEST LITTLE BLOG IN THE UNIVERSE! Oh, I know what it is. Everyone suddenly feels liberated by the knowledge that we have been witness to history over the last week or so. And, please excuse me for invoking Godwin's Law here, but I think we are all feeling today like the people in Occupied Europe, Britain and America felt when they got the news that Adolf had topped himself. Free at last! Great Lord A'mighty, free at last! Well, and so as to not be too presumptuous, let's at least hope that the writing is finally on the wall for Rupert Murdoch. The world needs great leaders like Barack Obama, and our own Julia Gillard, to be able to spread their wings and soar to the heavens, not have their wings clipped by the evil and pernicious Mercantilist Oligarchs, that just want to rape our planet for all it's worth, laugh and walk away to the last remaining good bits of the planet, which they have bought with their ill-gotten gains, while the rest of us choke on their dust. No way, Jose! Whilever this Little Black Duck has breath in her body I will fight that becoming our reality.

Feral Skeleton

14/07/2011The PM is doing a Live Forum on the Get Up website tonight from 5.45pm. Here's the link, come along and join in via Twitter: http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/climate-action-now/climate-live-stream/getup-climate-forum?t=dXNlcmlkPTY4MzQ3MixlbWFpbGlkPTIxMQ==

Feral Skeleton

14/07/2011Nasking, I presume Eli Greenblatt made no mention of Tony Abbott going around the country scaring the pants off everyone and making them think that they better not make that new purchase because the sky was going to fall in, just after they lost their jobs, could no longer afford to keep a roof over their heads and pay for their electricity in order to watch Whyalla being wiped off the map on the Plasma TV. ;-)

TalkTurkey

14/07/2011Ummm Ad? I'm not sure you didn't mean has [i]Merde[/i]och reached his [i]zenith[/i] (highest point) rather than nadir (lowest.) That is to say, it's all downhill (for his fortunes) from here. I do hope so. His lowest point (whilst alive) has definitely yet to be reached!How low can he go? But here's a funny thing, i went looking for "how low can you go" (limbo Rock) and instead found this, almost new! http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/content/2011/s3253700.htm and do watch the video. and then try http://www.google.com.au/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1TSHN_ENAU440&=&q=limbo+rock and then you'll know (as I have remembered) why I didn't think much of this unforgettably forgrettable craze-song. [Forgrettable was a typo, but it might be an improvement in this case.]

TalkTurkey

14/07/2011Patricia WA I tried to post this earlier but the Sword got stuck! PatriciaWA, can't help, someone else on PB said they couldn't find a replay neither. I said before, the ABC didn't show the audience's faces as they gave her admiring applause, wouldn't be surprised if Our ABC knowing what is good for us won't put a replay up at all. I think and hope they will though. Lazarus aid, Wish Labor just had outright (POWER), to use one of their favorite words. But would the Government be as good as the one we have now? Resurrect your Bible knowledge Lazarus! *J*U*L*I*A* is "Gold tried of the fire", or to put it another way, What hasn't killed her has only made her stronger. "You know it makes sense!" ;-)

2353

14/07/2011I too missed the NPC - sounds like it was fun. In answer to the original question on this thread - hopefully yes, and may Gillard allow Brown to chair the necessary enquiry :). I read the report about DJ's today and decided they just don't get it. You can't have the Leader of the Opposition running around for 18 months spreading FUD and "crap" (gotta be todays new trendy word) without it having some effect on retail sales. I don't have shares in DJ's - but if I did I would be expanding on this point somewhat, writing to the Chairman on "my" company and telling him to tell the CEO to pull his head in.

NormanK

14/07/2011It's only second prize but you can listen to Ms Gillard's Press Club speech and responses to questions here : http://australianpolitics.com/2011/07/14/gillard-carbon-tax-speech-national-press-club.html

Feral Skeleton

14/07/2011Has anyone thought about going to the ALP website for the NPC Address by the PM? :)

Lazarus

14/07/2011FS Been hanging in there but nodding at computer. SEE BLOG, sorry if already posted No Vid have asked. on this blog http://www.alp.org.au/blogs/alp-blog/july-2011/time-we-binned-the-voices-of-fear/

Lazarus

14/07/2011and for the life of me cant get my head around this twitter thing you have now, some else ask her there perhaps?

BSA Bob

14/07/2011Got the Channel 9 version of David Jones' almost being put out of business by the flood levy & carbon tax. Standard stuff, but the truly irritating thing for me was the cheerful straightfacedness with which this rubbish was reported. Maybe D.J.'s just has R.S. administration. Channel 2 admittedly gave a piece of Gillard's speech but then presented us with a sweeping selection of "you're a fibber" style accusations from community meetings, nary a syllable of Gillard's replies. Away now to listen to John Hartigan tell us everything's O.K. & he truly isn't biased against Labor.

Lazarus

14/07/2011Sorry TT should probaly not sit here so long, see clarifier below or straighten me out one awake again. Didnt come out how it sounded in my head. I'm thinking your coming from a 7 times hotter, thus star angel angle. I thought she shoe today also, but those around me have alot of darkness. FS, ta R.e. macbeth thing, it just flows in from her and back out there. DMW, interesting observation

nasking

14/07/2011I've just watched a recording of the first coupla minutes of ABC QLD. WHAT A FCKN DISGRACE TO NEWS REPORTING Completely distorted the QLD forum & National Press Club Address...put a few negative snippets together to make PM Gillard look weak & weepy...as tho she can't handle the criticism. Absolutely BIASED & DISGUSTING REPORTING. That includes national reporter Mark Simkin. I've watched some bloody biased & distorted news pieces in my life...but this takes the cake. The QLD ABC news has stunk to high heaven for a good long time...and frankly, the newsreaders/news team oft do a lousy job of presenting the facts...and the agenda primarily seems to be about bashing any government led by Laborites. I noticed that SKY NEWS has also reduced a brilliant speech by the PM at The Press Club into something barely recognisable. She made primarily a strong, optimistic & informative speech...and explained in detail what she thought was "crap" written/reported by the media (related to Abbott's fearmongerin' re: steel, coal etc.)... Yet, these biased &/or sensationalist dipsticks reduce the speech...and the past couple of days of calm determination...into some kind of soap opera w/ the PM bein' bashed (ignorin' the positives & support by people) and showin' weepy cracks. And we wonder why her polls have slipped. THE PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING THE FULL STORY. Just TRASH. CRAP. It's like reading Murdoch's THE SUN during the last UK election. Unrelenting attacks, overly-biased reporting, hostility, distortion after distortion...the list goes on. Sickening! N'

Casablanca

14/07/2011It has always struck me as passing strange that an organisation like the NPC does not provide a video library/archive on its website. Similarly, why doesn't the ABC repeat the NPC Address later on the same day. I watched the speech and endorse all positive comments made so far. In fact, I was so spellbound and impressed that I sat down and watched the final 15 minutes and made myself late for a very important date. I have recorded the question session so I look forward to watching that part later this evening. Absolutely no mention of PM's address on 7.30 tonight and as BSA Bob indicated, there was no serious coverage on the ABC Evening News.

Ad astra reply

14/07/2011TT No, I meant ‘nadir’. After all that has happened over recent years in the UK and particularly during the last week, and is now unfolding in the US and this country too, the political influence of the Murdoch empire is already well past its zenith and has been for some time. The question in the title is whether it has reached its nadir, whether it has reached rock bottom. Your comments suggest that it has not, and I suspect you may be right. Maybe the Murdoch empire will crumble even more than anticipated and its influence diminish still further. I hope so as in recent years it has had a deeply pernicious effect on politics, here and overseas. Though if one can judge from the interview by Leigh Sales of News Limited CEO John Hartigan on [i]7.30[/i] tonight, he intends to continue his onslaught on the Gillard Government on the grounds that his news outfit, particularly [i]The Australian[/i], has been the only news outlet that has properly held the Government to account for what he himself describes as waste, citing the BER, and when asked whether he thought Fairfax and the ABC has given the Government too soft a ride, he truculently insisted that was the case. He is a hard man whom I believe will allow [i]The Australian[/i] and [i]The Daily Telegraph[/i] under the editor since April, Paul Whittaker (ex editor [i]The Australian[/i]), to continue their strident opposition to the Gillard Government, a position adopted much more strongly by [i]The Telegraph[/i] since Whittaker took over. Hartigan dismissed the strongly felt views expressed publically by Government ministers that the Government was being targeted by News Limited, with words to the effect that the Government deserved being ‘held to account’ for what he saw as its misdemeanors. So as I hinted in my concluding paragraph, although the political influence of Murdoch may be at its nadir or approaching it overseas, we ought not to expect too much change from Murdoch outlets here, a view reinforced by the interview with hard man Hartigan tonight.

nasking

14/07/2011[quote] I presume Eli Greenblatt made no mention of Tony Abbott going around the country scaring the pants off everyone and making them think that they better not make that new purchase because the sky was going to fall in,[/quote] Good point Feral. Abbott demonstrated tonite at the Courier Mail forum that he is full of crap. When pushed on questions related to coal mining & when he expects mines to close fully under the carbon price he stuffed up big time...he basically conceded that it has alot to do w/ China etc. He didn't enjoy bein' queried more intensely...and after giving his typical NEGABORE, bash the government as bein' the most incompetent & worst ever, he unexpectedly was forced to deal w/ a young lady askin' about leadership...you could see by his eyes & panicked, agro approach to her & comment to David Spears Re: "supplementary questions bein' asked" that he was terrified of his NEGABORE finale bein' undermined. Some of his responses were articulate & questions dealt w/ calmly & logically (tho some were too easy to bat)...but I felt the second half of the forum revealed he is spotty on the details when it comes to his own "Direct Action" plan - in fact, when asked how his government would reduce emmissions considering they want to save ALL the coal mines, his immediate response of "plant more trees" & using soil-related projects sounded LAME at best. Turnbull puts him to shame. Abbott also gave away the fact, again, he's not averse to nuclear energy. Which I imagine is part of the reason he's not too hot on windpower & solar (200 million funding in his alt. budget he reckons - I say "tokenish"...still get pissed about the Howard govt letting solar business/innovation get away to China & Germany). Abbott is not that great a salesman...in fact, he stuffs up heaps when put under pressure...but unfortunately our cowardly Abbott is not unlike GW Bush in that he oft avoids real scrutineers...and has quite a few sycophantic media types on his side. Keep up the great work Julia...you've got this flipfloppin', BSin, ever crusadin', poll-driven negabore on the ropes. If the media had the integrity to show the real story he'd be on the canvas now. N'

nasking

14/07/2011[quote] a view reinforced by the interview with hard man Hartigan tonight.[/quote] Calls for a Melbourne storm. :) N'

BSA Bob

14/07/2011Sales asked Hartigan if News Ltd would co-operate with any enquiry & let him work his way around the question, no attempt at an answer. Wet lettuce stuff. I think it'll be business as usual here, at least that'll be what News tries for. In their inept defence so far they've tried to stare their opponents down, sacrificing first an individual, then a few, then a whole group, each time assuring us that they'd caught the baddie/s & we could all stop worrying. Hartigan tonight explained that things were different here so that's allright then, no need to change. But Ltd News folk must feel a bit like Imperial troops with Lord Vader around, wondering if & when they'll be the ones to get that choking feeling.

Feral Skeleton

14/07/2011At least when you watch Masterchef instead of 7.30 you see people striving to do good and positive things.

John

14/07/2011Hi, All "Don't write crap" - there is a reason I refer to 'The Daily Dunny' ... er Telegraph. It's hollow and full of s!!t. However, I am warming to the idea of at least a Senate Inquiry into Australian media, its ethics, journalists and their links to political parties. I also note that the war for News Ltd to gain control of teh contract for australia's overseas television service has escalated in the Murdoch press. See: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/inappropriate-lobbying-by-abc/story-e6frg996-1226094213584 Murdoch has been trying to expand his media influence in China since he sold significant parts to a State-owned media corporation in August 2010. Using Sky to rebuild his presence is probably part of his global business plan. :) :)

Lyn

14/07/2011 Hi Ad I still can't find any video's of the NPC address but here is 3 audio's which are quite good:- Julia Gillard’s Carbon Tax Speech At The National Press Club Australian Politics Listen to Julia Gillard’s speech (30m) Listen to Questions and Answers (34m) Listen to Gillard’s “Don’t write crap” response (4m) http://australianpolitics.com/2011/07/14/gillard-carbon-tax-speech-national-press-club.html Cheers :)

nasking

14/07/2011[quote] citing the BER,[/quote] Aa, Hartigan stated that many people see the BER as a "sham". Tell that to all the educators & students & parents who appreciate the science labs refurbs, library refurbs, maintenance done, useful halls built etc. But of course a biased news organisation would have little interest in those thousands upon thousands of opinions. Might add, calling it a "sham" not only demonstrates how many News Ltd types rarely get off their arses to check out the reality - too busy promoting themselves on Ch. 10, Ch.9, Sky News & the ABC (eg: Insiders)... but also such a ridiculous claim is an insult to those who worked on BER programs...whether that be construction workers, builders, electricions, painters, plumbers, teachers who assissted & other staff, public sevants etc. BTW, I thought 7:30 on ABC useful tonite...Chris Uhlman & Leigh Sayles did a pretty good job...considering these are early days when it comes to REAL scrutiny of News Ltd./News Corp/Foxtel/SKY NEWS etc. N'

Patricia WA

14/07/2011Amazing, isn't it? The head of a media organisation, which controls 70% of the national and community newspapers in this country denies any suggestion of bias. Then in the next breath refers to the responsibility of newspapers to hold government to account for waste and bungling like the disastrous BER program. Does he not know that the BER has been exhaustively enquired into and pronounced overwhelmingly successful, both in terms of school buildings erected throughout the country and its primary intent - to stimulate the building industry so as to maintain high employment throughout the global financial crisis. Not sure about Uhlmann and Sales there. 'N - are you sure they're not covering their own backs and setting the story up as News Corp versus Gillard Govt, who would say that wouldn't they? Blaming the media and not looking into the real reasons for how badly they're 'performing!' Framing in several senses of the word, hey FS?

Kate

14/07/2011 I've just watched a recording of the first coupla minutes of ABC QLD. WHAT A FCKN DISGRACE TO NEWS REPORTING Completely distorted the QLD forum & National Press Club Address...put a few negative snippets together to make PM Gillard look weak & weepy...as tho she can't handle the criticism. Absolutely BIASED & DISGUSTING REPORTING. That includes national reporter Mark Simkin. [I've watched some bloody biased & distorted news pieces in my life...but this takes the cake. The QLD ABC news has stunk to high heaven for a good long time...and frankly, the newsreaders/news team oft do a lousy job of presenting the facts...and the agenda primarily seems to be about bashing any government led by Laborites.] Nasking - I've just made a complaint to the ABC which is just about word for word what you have described - and sent it before reading your comments so I'm reinforced with my views. Simkin was a disgrace tonight. He is usually a supercilious git but even surpassed himself. I feel we all have to put in the work to combat such an entrenched negative view of the Government and especially Julia. I am beginning to feel its chauvinism gone mad

Lyn

14/07/2011Hi Ad This scandal is raging: Murdochs summoned to testify , News Com From: AAP July 14, 2011 10:03PM RUPERT and James Murdoch have been issued a summons to testify before a parliamentary committee investigating phone hacking after they declined http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/murdochs-summoned-to-testify/story-e6frfku0-1226094908076#ixzz1S5FZyQp3 Cheers:):):)

Ad astra reply

14/07/2011Folks What a day! The NPC address by Julia Gillard has been all over the news and given substantial complimentary prominence, at least by the outlets I listened to and viewed. Your comments have been great reading. Thank you for them and for your additional links Lyn. I’ve just finished listening to [i]Lateline[/i] where Tony Jones interviewed Paul Keating at his brilliant best. As usual his analysis was spot on, as was his confirmation of the News Limited vendetta against the Gillard Government. He reflected that the only way to deal with media barons was from a position of strength – how true! Did you notice the courtesy Tony Jones extended to him? I haven’t had time to respond to all comments and as I’ll be flat out most of tomorrow I won’t be able to do much until the evening when I get back to Melbourne. Now it’s goodnight.

NormanK

14/07/2011Ad astra I'm a bit late coming to the conversation but I believe, as you have suggested, that we should keep our powder dry on whether Murdoch's empire is on the verge of collapse. I'd love to think so but he certainly shouldn't be underestimated. What might bring him unstuck is if enough people, in particular politicians, grow a set and stand up to him both here and in the U.S. I suspect that we will see around the blogs in coming days much talk of the ABC starting to fight back against the campaign by Rupert and Murdoch the Younger to undermine the influence of public broadcasters. It can be no coincidence that [i]7.30[/i] and [i]Lateline[/i] both brought up Conroy's 'regime change' comment. If ever there was a time for Murdoch's enemies/competitors to push back against his ever-increasing influence and market share then now is surely the moment. Hopefully, Bob Brown's push for an enquiry will get legs (and teeth) and we may see some positive change. Paul Keating spoke very clearly on the subject tonight - oh how he is missed. He didn't say anything tonight that hasn't been said by others in almost identical words but for those of us who are still in his thrall they carried extra weight coming from him. There have been signs today of a possible shift in the way that Julia Gillard and her government are being reported. Is the lumbering giant with no brain that is the media about to rouse from its sleep? Let's hope so.

NormanK

14/07/2011This might be a bit naughty but since we are all adults here you can do your own research. This organisation appears to do good work. [b]The End of Rupert Murdoch?[/b] [quote]Hacking murdered children's phones, paying off police, destroying evidence of crimes, threatening politicians -- UK leaders say Rupert Murdoch's empire has "entered the criminal underworld". For decades, Murdoch has ruled with impunity -- making and breaking governments with his vast media holdings and scaring opponents into silence, but we're fighting back, and winning![/quote] https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_donate/?cl=1159250841&v=9584

psyclaw

15/07/2011Just a note to endorse other PS folks' comments about the PM at the NPC. One of the best TV shows I've seen for a while. She was articulate, firm, emotional,humorous and blatantly sensible and intelligent. I got the impression she held them all in the palm of her hand. Nearly all questions were reasonable and sensible and as usual the PM's answers were on song, and they were well received. Quite a number of questions were almost dorothy dixers, especially those inviting her to talk about the media's poor and lopsided reporting. My impression was that just as she did in Brisbane last night, she may have won a bundle of converts at the NPC. I guess we'll be all watching and waiting to see whether or not they continue to produce crap. On a related matter, it was quite novel tonight to see footage of Abbott's community forum which showed him being taken to task for exaggerating our imminent demise. The mature aged gent who asked the question in the clip shown was dissatisfied with Abbott's crap reply, and pinned him with a follow up question. Here for once was a very rare TV clip showing that Abbott just might be gilding the lilly. As JG pointed out at the NPC, Abbott's hysterical narrative is slowly falling apart as day by day little bits of truth and reality are now emerging which show him to be an exaggerating liar. By the way, the gloom and doom cries about the flood levy, and the livestock export ban seem to have disappeared. Those events strangely didn't lead to the predicted bluing of the globe as the sky caved in on us all. I think that the carbon debate will have a similar fate once the legislation is through in a few months. Of course Abbott and his goosey little side kick G Hunt will try to keep the fires of "we'll all be rooned" burning, but will they have enough fuel to last till Ausgust 2013. Doubt it. And that's why we'll all sadly be saying goodbye to Abbott as Opposition Leader when his "carbon" fuel is gone, probably about mid 2012.

nasking

15/07/2011[quote]are you sure they're not covering their own backs and setting the story up as News Corp versus Gillard Govt, who would say that wouldn't they? Blaming the media and not looking into the real reasons for how badly they're 'performing!' [/quote] Patricia, that's certainly worth mulling over. Perhaps yer onto somethin'. I do however like to give credit if I can. We'll see down the road if yer right. You often are. -------------------- Kate, I'm so pleased someone else witnessed same as me re: QLD ABC news...my wife was also outraged. Good onya for sendin' a complaint. I must do same tomorrow. ------------------------------------------ [quote]I’ve just finished listening to Lateline where Tony Jones interviewed Paul Keating at his brilliant best. [/quote] Agree Aa...another spot on & informative interview from Keating. He doesn't pull his punches...tells it as it is re: Abbott's "tripe" & need to shift to cleaner, green energy service industry that is comparable to Silicon Valley innovations...top priority in China. Have to say I've been highly impressed w/ Lateline the past few mths...Ali Moore has worked out well...and like Jones has put up some essential, informative & interesting topics/issues. I may not agree w/ all their interviewees but the depth of questioning can be refreshing & the answers enlightening at times...not just rehashes of the day's regurgitated Murdoch empire & talk radio pap. Top job by Lateline reporter dealing w/ PM Gillard's Press Club address & Abbott's forum...far more reflective of the REAL. Lyn, I'm off to the doc's tomorrow morn...so won't be around when the Lateline transcripts go up...perhaps you could put them in yer links tomorrow? http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/ Cheers & thnx...excellent day all... great, motivatin' post Ad astra...well timed. N'

Acerbic Conehead

15/07/2011AA, Again, well said. “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyJAytr1ebc

nasking

15/07/2011[quote]Nasking was his usual sagacious self. [/quote] Feral, is that something you put in Xmas stuffing? ;) Thnx Feral. Yer the tops. Keep up the great work...I luv yer well articulated passion. And Buffy-like kicks to BSing political, media & corporate heads. Night. Don't let the media sewer rats bite. N'

macca

15/07/2011I'm not sure if there is a protocol for cross posting on the blogosphere. But I posted this on poll bludger re some of the reaction to the PM's press club speech. Today, according to some, we saw a politician stand on a podium and tear up in a last ditch effort to save their job.These cynics are very reminiscent of an attack of pubic lice I contracted many years ago in a wild and misspent youth. They can only attack in times of vulnerability. The words and inferences they use are, essentially, the covering pubic hair. This cover is used to allow them to sink their their annoying little fangs into a healthy and unsuspecting flesh. They lay their eggs to ensure the continuation of the species. Fortunately parasites can be dealt with. I would dearly love to state that the most effective way to deal with cynics is with lucid, erudite and impassioned debate. That's not going to happen. A cynic operates from the comfort of weakness. A comfort that allows the cynic to feed off the vulnerable. Never understanding that the strong and healthy give them their sustenance. However, cynics do have an understanding of the use of might. Most sycophants do. They see might as means to crush that which they fear. Confected outrage, righteous indignation, the apoplexy of Jones, Bolt Ackerman and co. are the instruments of might. This the cynic understands. An unfortunate truth. Comfortable in their weakness. The cynic can't grasp the concept of strength. That strength is a bulwark to might. That strength is enduring. That might is temporary. The essence of strength is derived from its core. The core of might is constructed from weakness. What I would say to the cynic is this; You didn't see a politician on a podium tearing up to save their job today. What you witnessed was an extrordinary individual using that moment in time to draw on the core of their strength to nourish their future. Julia Gillard wasn't crying. She was re-arming. nb. the best way to get rid of pubic lice in my day was a kerosine bath. Something Bronwyn Bishop has some knowledge of.

Michael

15/07/2011Friday's Bad Abbott He's already threatening a double dissolution if he wins the next election and is frustrated in rescinding the carbon pricing legislation in toto - that is, the compensation and tax reform elements as well as the active procedures introduced to reduce carbon emissions. Which essentially, good people, guarantees two elections coming up, whenever they do, because the first one won't deliver the Coalition control of the Senate. And also most definitely guarantees us three years of election campaigning. Because barring unforeseen events, this government will run it's course of the next two years, and the procedures necessary to create a double dissolution trigger post a 'normal' election with a recalcitrant Senate refusing legislation's passage, will take anywhere between four to nine months, add on a five week election campaign, two elections in three years. He's a right little wrecker, that Shouldabeen, isn't he? But, of course, he's only doing all this and promising that... 'for the people'.

2353

15/07/2011So Abbott - he who complains of Government waste - is prepared to waste $100million because he wouldn't be able to get this way. Pray to the deity of your choice that the political version of the Melbourne Storm scandal is about to unfold in Australia, Abbott is implicated and the whole house of cards falls over inside 18 months.

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011What an arrogant * Rupert Murdoch is. Today we have Mr Murdoch, the 'Sun King' as he has allowed himself to be styled, 'allowing' an interview in The Wall Street Journal' with his god-like self, saying how bored he is with the News of the World scandal and just wants to get on with his life. What arrogance. What hubris to believe he can just wave away scrutiny of his empire and the fact that he may be found to have no clothes on.

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011Michael, That's Abbott's 'Guided Democracy' for you. He'll guide it where he wants it to go.

Lyn

15/07/2011 [b]TODAY’S LINKS[/b] [i]Liar, Liar, Liar, Andrew Elder, Politically Homeless[/i] Simply reporting that waves of Liberals are flying at the Prime Minister at every opportunity shrieking "Liar! Liar! Liar!" isn't sufficient to tell us what is going on and what we need to do to deal with the newreality. It has failed as journalism, http://andrewelder.blogspot.com/2011/07/liar-liar-liar.html [i]Breaking the Nexus between Politicians and the Media, Tim Dunlop[/i] So corruption has been exposed and remedies are likely, but it remains to be seen whether any lasting good will come of all this. Will wedemand higher standards, or will it take another bunch of slimes to be caught hacking into the voice messages of a murdered teenager, http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2795410.html [i]Lost: Political Mongrel, Answers To The Name Labor, Neil Cook, The Bannerman[/i] Aggressive to the point of irrationality, directionless to the point of illogic. But Abbott has the tried & true conservative weapon at his disposal. Fear and loathing. http://www.waddayano.org/blog/2011/07/lost_political_mongrel_answers.php#more Here are The Greens’ Draft Terms of Reference, The Content Makers A Senate Committee on Australia’s media regulation be set up to inquire into and report on: The requirement for and content of a ‘fit and proper person’ test for holders of a television or radio licence and for major newspaper proprietors, whether in print or on-line; http://blogs.crikey.com.au/contentmakers/2011/07/14/greens-to-call-for-senate-committee-inquiry-on-media-regulation/ [i]Brown pushes for media inquiry, Shaun Mcleod, ABC[/i] I'm not surprised to see that in Parliament or amongst parliamentarians a conversation is starting about the need for a review, and I will be happy to sit down with parliamentarians and discuss that review," she told the National Press Club http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-14/bob-brown-calls-for-media-review/2794992 [i]Australia, the whingeing country, Massivespray, Spray of the Day[/i] parrots headlines directly from the News Limited stable and prefaces every story regarding a government policy with “the Federal Opposition says…” you know there is something wrong. When the supposed national broadsheet vows to destroy an established political party at the ballot box http://sprayoftheday.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/australia-the-whingeing-country/ [i]Murdoch’s BSkyB bid fails, is Austar next?, Stephen Mayne, Crikey[/i] At some point, the creeping and insidious influence of the Murdochs over Australian media needs to be woundback and there is no better time to start than now. If the Pommy politicians can belatedly develop some spine with some US Democrats following suit, why not their jelly-backed equivalents in Australia? http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/07/14/rupert-murdoch-bskyb-austar/ [i]A ‘fit and proper’ test case: rating Alan Bond’s character,Dr Vincent O'Donnell, Crikey[/i] “fit and proper persons” was provided for by the Act, and hence a “decision” under the Act, but that the principal ground for that decision —the finding that Bond himself was not a “fit and proper person” — was not required or authorised by the Broadcasting Act, and as such, was not a decision. http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/07/14/a-fit-and-proper-test-case-rating-alan-bonds-character/ [i]Greens to Call for Senate Committee Inquiry on Media Regulation, Margaret Simons, The Content Makers[/i] Greens have issued their preferred Draft Terms of Reference, which are below. They include the possibility of a “fit and proper person” test in media ownership, and a new statutory authority covering print and broadcast media http://blogs.crikey.com.au/contentmakers/2011/07/14/greens-to-call-for-senate-committee-inquiry-on-media-regulation/ [i]Rupert Murdoch and the News International tabloid grotesquerie, John Lloyd, The Conversation[/i] media relentlessly promoted transparency and accountability, they are of all institutions the least likely to live by their rules – indeed, reject their rules in the name of freedom. The classic critique was that of the philosopher Onora O’Neill who argued that http://theconversation.edu.au/rupert-murdoch-and-the-news-international-tabloid-grotesquerie-2330 [i]News Limited denies claim scandal hit exec Rebekah Brooks ‘may move to Oz’, Mumbrella[/i] Rebekah Brooks, one of the News Corp executives at the centre of the News Of The World voicemail hacking scandal, may be moved to Australia, it is being reported today. http://mumbrella.com.au/scandal-hit-news-corp-exec-rebekah-brooks-may-move-to-australia-52416 [i]NotW: Murdoch withdraws BSkyB bid, Amber Jamieson, Crikey[/i] US shareholders of News Corp — not to be confused with Murdoch’s UK operations News International —are suing News Corp over the purchase of Shine Group Ltd, a company run by Rupert’s daughter Elisabeth Murdoch,since they argue the purchase was nepotism not a valid business strategy. http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/07/14/gordon-brown-the-latest-notw-target/ [i]Phone hacking: MPs summons Murdochs, BBC[/i] But as US citizens, Rupert Murdoch, who has declined a request to attend the Commons media committee, and his son James, who has offered to go on another day, cannot be forced to appear. News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks has agreed to attend. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14148658 [i]Bizarre Attack on Carbon Tax, Peter, Aussie Views News,[/i] Greg Sheridan is the Foreign Editor of The Australian. Presumably he drew on that experience in writing on carbon tax this morning. He seems to make three points: other countries don’t have one, http://www.aussieviewsnews.com/2011/07/14/carbon-tax-australia/ [i]STOP PRESS: COMMUNIST CARBON CONSPIRACY EXPOSED! , Andrew Catsaras[/i] The use of a bicycle is a damning piece of evidence to expose Abbott for the communist infiltrator that he is. Everyone knows that bicycleswere extensively employed by the communist Chinese forces in World War 2, and by Ho Chi Min's forces in the Vietnam War. . http://andrewcatsaras.blogspot.com/2011/07/stop-press-communist-carbon-conspiracy.html [i]Why economists prefer a market-based response to climate change, John Quiggin, The Drum[/i] Tony Abbott, is not easily embarrassed, but he showed a tiny bit of embarrassment when he had to concede that he could not find a single reputableeconomist to back his proposal for a 'direct action' scheme to reduce CO2 emissions. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2795102.html [i]A productivity fallacy, Matt Cowgill, We are all Dead[/i] If you increase labour supply, and thus hours worked, you will boost output but not productivity. If there is a proportionate increase in output and inputs, there will be no change to productivity .http://mattcowgill.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/a-productivity-fallacy/ [i]Thugs heavy greens protestor at hand picked Libreral party community forum , Barry Everingham, Independent Australia[/i] The disgraceful attack in Melbourne on a defenceless woman by Abbott’s thugs at a so-called “community”forum – that was actually handpicked by Liberal minders according to party preference – has underscored Tony Abbott’s attitude http://www.independentaustralia.net/2011/politics/thugs-heavy-greens-protestor-at-hand-picked-liberal-party-community-forum/ [i]Poor Bedfellows, My Country Men! Patriciawa, Polliepomes[/i] Tony Abbott has declared this to be ‘class war’ on aspirational members of the community! All this in a country with the one of the higheststandards of living in the world and possibly the strongest and most debt free economy http://polliepomes.wordpress.com/ [i]Many hands, David Horton, The Watermelon Blog[/i] I sometimes wonder what planet these people come from, and then I remember it is Earth, just like the rest of us). And a final word from Richard Branson about to launch commercial spaceflights http://davidhortonsblog.com/2011/07/14/many-hands/ [i]Turnbull shoots messenger via Twitter , Bigpond, News[/i] 'I don't mind abusive emails or tweets but why does Thomas Lynch (mobile phone number omitted) think its ok to send me abusive smses about climate change,' the former Liberal leader tweeted on Thursday morning.The tweet, which has since been removed, also included a mobile phone number. http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Technology/2011/07/14/Turnbull_shoots_messenger_via_Twitter_637881.html [i]News Ltd CEO defends staff amid hacking scandal, Video 7.30pm report ABC[/i] News Limited chief John Hartigan has defended the ethical standards of his staff in Australia, saying he isconfident they have not engaged in the same phone-hacking practices as journalists working for theMurdoch press in Britain. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-14/hartigan-speaks-to-73a30-about-aust-media/2795416 [i]Parliamentary committee summons Murdochs Video, Lateline[/i] in a stunning development, a commons media committee has issued a summons to force both Rupert and James Murdoch to appear before them on Tuesday. That was delivered by hand by the Deputy Sergeant at Arms. http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3269924.htm [b]NEWSPAPERS[/b] [i]Frankston 'shame': former Libs volunteer targeted on Facebook after making Green cry, Nino Bucci and Reid Sexton , SMH[/i] ,,Mr Billson denied the meeting audience was hand-picked, despite Ms Kasidis saying she had been asked whether she belonged to a political party orowned a small business when she registered for the forum. Mr Billson condemned Mr Stephenson’s behaviour.Mr Stephenson said: ’’Why did an avowed green who doesn’t live in the community go to a community meeting with the intention to disrupt in some manner or form that meeting?’ ’http://www.smh.com.au/national/frankston-shame-former-libs-volunteer-targeted-on-facebook-after-making-green-cry-20110714-1hf8k.html

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011Here's The Guardian cartoonist having a bit of fun: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/7/9/1310167392913/9.7.11-Martin-Rowson-cart-003.jpg http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/7/13/1310580843922/14.07.11-Steve-Bell-on-th-005.jpg

Patricia WA

15/07/2011[b]Poor Fellows, My Countrymen![/b] Once proud strong Aussies are crying poor, They’re sad and worried, don’t know what for. Tony Abbott says the reason why Is that Julia Gillard told a lie. He’s determined they should know the facts About her proposal for a carbon tax. When they know the truth they’re bound to can it And opt for his own scheme to save the planet. So he’s travelling here and appearing there Warning everyone of the great big scare Julia Gillard’s raised about pollution As subterfuge for a social revolution. People should beware the views of economists Who are just a bunch of pinko optimists. Nor should they put too much reliance On so called experts in climate science. Soon the mines will close and the shops will shut It will even affect the Pizza Hut. No more takeaways and no more lattes No more chocolates or fois gras pates. So much hardship for the diligent To make life easy for the indigent! She’ll rob citizens with aspirations To give to those in lowly occupations. That’s why Abbott will give this tax the knife. On that he’s gambling his political life. This means if Gillard wins he’ll lose his job Then he too would have real cause to sob. Why can’t someone tell him, “No worries mate! Cheer up! Look at our employment rate! Those jobs you’ve shown on tele you can do, They’ll attract an offer, just right for you.” “We’ve watched you mix cement and dish out shit, Demonstrating to us you’re so bloody fit. For a guy like you it’ll be a doddle To get casual work as an art school model.” But this is a man whom nothing daunts. Anger, strife and tears all meet his wants. He needs chaos, riots, even a bullet dodged. It’s all her fault! How dare she have what should be his – The Lodge.

Ad astra reply

15/07/2011LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/LYNS-DAILY-LINKS.aspx

Lyn

15/07/2011Hi Ad Tim Dunlop says Malcolm Turnbull is a bully: Bullying, Tim Dunlop, BSides But publishing someone's phone number is overkill. In fact, it is bullying, and a misuse of his position and relative power I'm not condoning what this person did in the slightest. But people in power need to find better ways of dealing with the public than revealing personal information in public forums. The level of political debate in the country is low enough already, and too many people already feel too intimidated to inject their opinions, without those in power resorting to this sort of thing. http://tjd.posterous.com/bullying Cheers :):):)

Lyn

15/07/2011Hi Ad 2GB are not going to broadcast the Anti Carbon Tax rally due to be held at Parliament House on August 16th, It's worth your time for a little listen: 2GB promotes mass anti-carbon tax rally listen now | download audio The issue of media bias has leapt to centre stage in the debate over a carbon tax, with [b]Prime Minister Julia Gillard pleading with journalists to stop writing 'crap'. Sydney radio station 2GB is actively promoting a mass anti-carbon tax rally in Canberra [/b]on August 16. All of 2GB's daytime presenters, including Alan Jones, had been planning to broadcast their programs from the rally but [b]late yesterday the network changed its mind.[/b] http://www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast/stories/2011/3270042.htm Cheers :):):):):)

TalkTurkey

15/07/2011Macca Great writing Cobber The Sword rocks don't it! You wrote I'm not sure if there is a protocol for cross posting on the blogosphere. But I posted this on poll bludger re some of the reaction to the PM's press club speech. I have timidly enquired about any such protocol, there doesn't really seem to be one. I am personally for the dissemination of political thought as much as possible. There are a few dedicated souls (of whom our TweetyBird Lyn is pre-eminent) who provide links to many of the best blogs, but out of the thousands of posts in scores of political blogs, only a relative few can be effectively cross-linked, and even then the links don't have quite the immediacy (because we may or may not actually go to them) of a post confronting you in your fave rave blog. So I reckon it's good if you cross-post in other places something you reckon is particularly noteworthy, if you do it in a spirit of goodwill (and of course that shines through) and if you can spare the time and energy. This is not a medium for scoops and exclusives. It is a medium for and a tool of freedom. Some people write different things on different blogs too. I have general limited myself to TPS (which is really no limitation) but there's no reason not to spread yourself. As far as I can see people are happy with that. All good. You can see though why Ad astra's magnetic Political Sword has already been shortlisted for the Wonkleys this year. Whatever other blogs you go this is is Boomerang Base. There is every reason to foster that. When the fat hits the shin this is the first place to come to see the splatter, and it may be [i]really[/i] important one day quite soon to co-ordinate plans of action. I reckon bloggers are winning already. Down with [i]Merde[/i]och! Down with Abbortt! [b][i]Venceremos![/i][/b] [b]NO PASARAN![/b]

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011psyclaw, I'm no lawyer. However, I suspect that you may know one or two who may know the answer to my query, if you don't know yourself. Therefore, I was wondering if you could find out whether Tony Abbott is breaking some Law of Commerce when he says, as he did last night at his forum, and which has been reported in the media today(though not widely as some lawyers at the ABC may also have twigged to the fact), that if he threatens finance providers for Renewable Energy projects and tells them to seriously consider not providing finance to those projects in the 12 months after the Climate Change policy becomes the law of the land, because, as Prime Minister he will be canning the $10 Billion ARENA, and thus they will be left high and dry and out of pocket. Surely that sort of posturing and statement will have a material effect on the market and those companies in the meantime? Thus would be wrong and illegal in some sort of way? Then, if so, could not some sort of 'Cease and Desist' notice be given to the slimy operator to stop him talking down the market in this way? I would appreciate your thoughts.

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011I'd just like people to look at the name and adress of the person that authorised the placards that these old curmudgeons are holding: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-13/gillardtax/2793718 She wouldn't be a Qld resident of one of the bluest of blueblood suburbs in Brisbane, would she? Perhaps our Qld brethren here on the blog could verify the fact?

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011Yay! A Laura Tingle Fin Review article that is not behind the paywall, and which is measured, again, in it's tone: http://afr.com/p/opinion/murdoch_finds_bad_news_travels_fast_XN2z9jht3RbcIbjmVpdQVK

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011Lyn, Am I seeing things? 2GB laying down the Anti-Carbon Tax cudgels? It won't last long I predict. :(

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011PatriciaWA, Your pomes just get better and better every day. Please don't ever stop. They brighten up a very dark world of politics, which has even had David Horton despairing.

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011[b]The Carbon Dioxide Challenge[/b] A small group of committed sceptics calling themselves [b]The Carbon Abatement Doubters[/b] are to stage an interesting experiment to prove that CO2 is harmless. The group will set up a see through house in Sydney's Martin Place in which they will live for a month. Special monitoring equipment will be installed to record and show the level of CO2 in the house which will be shown on a large display for passerbys to see. Group spokesperson Charles ONeil said he and three other members will live in the house and will communicate with the outside world via the internet to inform the world about the experience. Mr ONeil said [i]'CO2 is a harmless trace gas that makes up only 0.039% of the air we breathe and is an essentilal ingredient for life. What we will be doing is record and monitor the level of CO2 in the house and each day increase the level of CO2 from its' natural level on day one and over the course of each day we will add another 0.039% of CO2. All of us will be wearing heart rate and other monitors and the data will be fed into the website for eveyone to see. 'We have invited various politicins, scientists and economists to visit us inside the house to debate the merits of carbon abatement and are encouraged by the support offered by some. We are finalising the list of visitors at the moment and we are confident that some prominent broadcasters and journalists will be joining us to report on the project.'[/i] Mr ONeil declined to say who was financing the project but did say that group members had done an excellent job of fund raising. More information can be found at www.cads.org.au/con

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011Inteeresting exchange on Twitter between Matthew Franklin of The Australian and e.waterford wrt why The Australian does not focus it's analytical gaze on Tony Abbott's 'Direct Action Plan(bit disingenuous if you ask me): [quote]ewaterford @franklinmatthew can't actually find it, here's a great piece on pink batts: http://t.co/xMCh7TL–-the-data-is-in/ 1 mins ago via Twitter for iPhone profile image franklinmatthew @ewaterford I have nothing against that guy, but he is very partisan most of the time, which is fine 6 mins ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® profile image franklinmatthew @ewaterford no I haven't seen it. 13 mins ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® profile image ewaterford @franklinmatthew true, although have you seen @Pollytics analysis of the BER? Turns out it was more efficient than the Aus implied. 16 mins ago via Twitter for iPhone profile image franklinmatthew @ewaterford that's true. But there were other ways to stimulate the economy 19 mins ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® profile image ewaterford @franklinmatthew but to say a policy is no good without noting the fact that it's better than the alternative policy is disingenuous. 51 mins ago via Twitter for iPhone profile image franklinmatthew @ewaterford fair point but abbotts not in govt. So its hard to hold him to a result 54 mins ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® profile image ewaterford @franklinmatthew there's a lack of balance in News holding parties accountable: where's the pink batts campaign for Tony's 'direct action'?[/quote]

Ad astra reply

15/07/2011Folks Thank you FS, Lyn, psyclaw, Casablanca, Kate, (welcome to [i]TPS[/i]), John, BSA Bob, Michael, macca, NormanK, D Mick Weir, Nasking, 2353, TT, AC, Lazarus, for your thoughtful comments and links, Lyn for your daily links and Patricia WA for your delightful pome. The debate on the media and the carbon tax is raging on so many fronts it is difficult to keep up. We’re off to Melbourne today and will be busy until late this evening. I have another piece of satire from AC: [i]The Tour de Nile[/i] that I will probably post late tonight, so long as I can get my modem to work in central Melbourne. I’ve had diabolical trouble with it there, but not on the south coast; I think there may be too many trying to get onto G3 in the centre of the city. So I’ll sign off until this evening.

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011I totally agree with John Quiggin on this: [b]Greenpeace, an enemy of science[/b] http://johnquiggin.com/2011/07/15/greenpeace-an-enemy-of-science/ [i]This kind of criminal vandalism, in the “right” cause, appeals to the juvenile instincts that nearly all of us retain to some extent, but it has repeatedly proved disastrous for the left, and the environmental movement.[/i] To mind the people who did the 'deed' are no better than the crazies sending hate mail and death threats to climate scientists.

TalkTurkey

15/07/2011PatriciaWA wrote in her latest pome (Which might lay claim to being her greatest pome) "No more takeaways and no more lattes No more chocolates or fois gras pates." Patricia Patricia Your rhymes are delicia! But better still ish yer Pomeses' nutricia: So Patricia we wish ya Success wiv ya missia May Fates' fancies bliss ya! Here's a cyber-space (K) ya! Lyn that news about 2GB is brilliant isn't it! See we are winning now, the enemy is in full panic flight, retreating on every front! A concatenation of circumstances, some in England and the US, some spearheaded here by She-Who-Bloodywell-WILL-Be-Obeyed, have put us on the front foot wrt MSM "CRAP" and Coalon "CRAP", the word is good to quote against Them, Brilliant of *J*U*L*I*A* to use it to chastise Abbortt and MSM and Merdeoch all in one truly majestic swipe, and how can They whinge about her language, Abbortt used a very much dirtier word and in a very despicable way, he said **it happens and it sure is starting to happen to him. No more greasy-pig escapes for you Abbortt. Ooh I like that image, can I patent it? Greasy Pig Abbortt. H'mmm. Running from Questions. H'mmmmmmm. Questions from JOURNOS and REAL PEOPLE TOO, H'MMMMMMMMM! hehehee, You're done for now Mr A. Better run away before you run out of grease. When greasy piggies get cornered and caught you know what happens to them? You always reckoned *J*U*L*I*A knew how to wield a knife! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oh yes and Good Spotting FS, WHO IS "Natalie Kerr 130 Fig Tree Pocket Rd., Chapel Hill Qld? :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yeah Tony Abbortt you greasy li'l Piggy! You'll be Ham and Bacon by Crispmess! I don't mean that literally of course. ('Cos any self-respecting Piggy would take offence at the image.)

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011D Mick Weir, What scientific relevance will a closed system experiment on humans have wrt the effect that CO2 has on our atmosphere, Global Warming and Climate Change? This silly little stunt is the equivalent of Flat Earthers setting up a tent on the footpath for a month and because they are still horizontal and haven't fallen off the edge of the footpath by month's end therefore concluding as proof-positive that the Earth is not round but flat. Btw, what sort of controls are going to be put in place wrt this experiment? How reliable, therefore, will be it's results? Probably not very. In other words it's just another misleading the public stunt in the ongoing disnformation campaign against the science which underpins Climate Change and Global Warming. Now, let me guess who is going to visit the charlatans in the tent...Alan Jones, Ray Hadley, David Oldfield, Jason Morrison, Chris Smith, and just about any other shock jock trying to increase his/her public profile amongst the target audience that support them and wouldn't recognise valid science if it came up and bit them on their wrinkly bums.

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011Ad, I have tried sending this via the contact page however it keeps failing Subject: Action needed - urgent (IMO) TT's comment @ 11:40 am contains a persons name and address I suggest at the very least take the address out I don't think it is wise to have it there DMW

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011Interesting to note that someone tried to burn down the PM's old High School, Unley High in SA, yesterday. For once I don't think it was disaffected kids that did it.

Lyn

15/07/2011 @jboydedjulie boyd Hi Hillbilly See what is being said about Julia's school: Gillard's old school firebombed? Does someone have to die before opposition rhetoric is #toneddown Abbott's relentless fear campaign STOP 50 minutes agovia webFavoriteRetweetReply Cheers :)

Gravel

15/07/2011Ad Astra I have just read you great post, and now you tell us another one of AC's brilliant piece of satire is on it's way. I'll never catch up properly at this rate. (Child and grandchildren, so I'm not getting much computer time.) Talk Turkey Back on the last thread, thank you for reading my rant. I probably missed out the bit where I said I voted democrat in the senate only. Sorry for making you think I would be a turncoat, it was just at the time I thought my vote would be better there and we wouldn't get the GST, which to this day is a burden on us pensioners and the low paid. I too saw the Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the press club. NormanK, I am glad it made you fall in love with our Julia. I am a woman and I just keep falling in love with her over and over. I loved the hope that Kevin inspired in a lot of people, and fell a little bit in love with him, but I am just overwhelmed with the way I feel about Julia. She is our strength and no matter what happens in the future she will be well written about historically. As for the media........I expressed my disgust, and unlike many of you I have no faith that they will stop printing or airing their crap, and as for holding Abbott to account, yous have to be kidding. I need this blog to stay positive so keep on posting people, we need to support each other and Labor in this fight.

TalkTurkey

15/07/2011DMW I may be wrong to have shown this but it is published in a newspaper. It is already public information. If it breaches some established protocol of which I am unaware and whose validity let alone advisabilty I find dubious, I apologise and withdraw, but I see no possible valid argument that it could conceivably be illegal. It goes without saying that if Ad astra wishes to withdraw it I have no objection whatsoever. These authorisations are included so that people can check up on their authenticity. If they don't want that info out there they get someone else to do it. Often they are fictitious people. Is there do you think any possible harm in asking who they might be?

Michael

15/07/2011Addendum to Today's Bad Abbott. Firstly, re Unley High School fire, ABC News introduced its story saying it was the fifth arson attack in six months. OK, it ain't Kristallnacht, but there's an almighty series of coincidences here, or someone/organisation has so got it in for the Prime Minister that damaging the education prospects and psychological well-being of the current students is considered irrelevant against targeting her 'history'. My addendum, however, is more about Tiny's double dissolution threat, because it occurred to me that if a 'colossal' mandate was delivered to the Coalition in the Lower House, and a subsequent Senate was made up of, as Australians have done many times before, even more minor party representatives, voters setting out to try and ensure that whoever controls the House of Reps doesn't also 'own' the Senate ("WorkChoices, anyone?"), then Shouldabeen would be spurning the Senators' mandates. "I'll demand my mandate be respected, bugger yours." So, if the rescinding of carbon pricing legislation was denied passage, he'd be acting against the expressed will of the people who put non-major party representatives into the Senate, by setting out to force it through by a double dissolution. A consequent double dissolution election, possibly could see the same voting pattern all over again, with voters still determined to have a 'brake' on the House of Reps. What would Shouldabeen have left to him then? Well, Unley High's fire is not Kristallnacht, but...

Lyn

15/07/2011Hi Ad Do you think they are going to start dobbing on each other now: Report: ABC boss lobbied Minister during tender bid, David Knox, TV Tonight ABC Managing Director Mark Scott “inappropriately lobbied” Minerals and Resources Minister Martin Ferguson while the tender for the Australia Network contract was underway, according to The Australian http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/07/report-abc-boss-lobbied-minister-during-tender-bid.html

Jason

15/07/2011DMW, "I suggest at the very least take the address out I don't think it is wise to have it there" If it's good enough for "ABC Legal" to have it on their web site I don't see the need to do anything at all!

Jason

15/07/2011Welcome to a new direction.The team are still rallying against the proposed carbon (dioxide tax) but have expanded their aims.The belief is our current government are not acting in good faith.Julia Gillard campaigned Federally in 2010 on a platform of no carbon tax under any government she lead.Since then their governing has become a shambles and the people of Australia aren`t happy. JULIA LIED! NO CARBON TAX! Authorised by: Natalie Keys. 130 Fig Tree Pocket Road. Chapel Hill. Queensland. 4068. http://revoltagainstcarbontax.com/2010/hello-world/

Lyn

15/07/2011Hi Ad The comments box has been tricking me again. Would you be your kind self and delete my duplicate post please. Cheers :):):):)

Ad astra reply

15/07/2011Hi Lyn Duplicate post deleted. DMW Since Jason has shown that that name is on a public website that invites comments, I think we can safely leave it on [i]TPS[/i]. We're getting in the car now for Melbourne.

TalkTurkey

15/07/2011I apologise to Natalie Keys of 130 Figtree Pocket Road Chapel Hill Queensland 4068 for getting her name wrong.

TalkTurkey

15/07/2011Fox News says We report You decide We says [b[i]]We[/[/i]b] decide! [i]You report![/i]

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011FS re your comment @ 10:18 AM I salute your wiseness and caution in not supplying the full details of the person. The potential for things to get out of hand when things are getting more and more inflamed is all too easy. There is no need to add further fuel to fires lit by others -thanks for your caution.

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011FS @ 12:10 PM, I will wait until others, particularly NormanK, comment before I write any more.

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011Ad @ 1:30 PM cheers, no problem

TalkTurkey

15/07/2011Lyn said to Ad astra "Would you be your kind self and delete my duplicate post please." Lyn whenever you post something twice it just doubles the pleasure. [ Suckhole TT! :) ]

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011This is the sort of economics Tony Abbott appears to be embracing too: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/opinion/15krugman.html?_r=1&smid=tw-NytimesKrugman&seid=auto The Economics of Crazy. Here's a You Tube video to accompany it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJzfj4yWq8E&feature=youtu.be

NormanK

15/07/2011D Mick Weir I am a slow learner, aren't I? If this creation is purely of your own devising then you are to be congratulated. Plausible (stupid but plausible), couched in the correct language and with a link to boot. Well done. Since it costs me nothing to concede that I took it at face value, I can report that I did so. If forced to respond I may have written something very similar to Feral Skeleton's comment. "Isn't that nice", I thought upon reading that you were waiting for a response from me. As I told Lyn once, flattery almost always works on me. It was only when I decided to do my homework and follow the link that the penny dropped. No such site, no such group - sucked in! Score one to DMW.

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011Great minds think alike :) [quote]UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg gave a speech last night calling for sweeping media reforms that are clearly targeted at undermining News Corp. He described the atmosphere at Westminster as "a little like an end to the dictatorship when everyone suddenly discovers they were against the dictator".[/quote]

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011FS, NormanK I am not a member [b]The Carbon Abatement Doubters[/b] but I have had their acronym hurled at me as in you CAD. I thought I may have given it away with the spokesperson ONeil without an apostrophe so the initials were CON which were used in the link. Big question is how many followed the link? However the idea behind it is, would Alan Jones or Tony Abbott be willing to put their money were their mouths are and prove beyond doubt that CO2 is harmless? Wikipedia suggests a level of 1% CO2 causes tiredeness and nausea (I think). There have been (probably alarmist) suggestions that even a small rise can cause harm to humans but I have never found any credible writing on it (I have only ever heard from a couple of nutter greenies so I doubt the veracity) FS, I will take no offence if you call me names worse than cad over this one :)

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011FS, the main challenge I see with an inquiry into News Ltd here is that it would be portrayed as a 'witch hunt' and would backfire in the government badly.

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011that, and as Bob Brown seems to be pushing for it: [i]The government is controlled by the Greens[/i] Damned either way.

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011For an intriguing account about the effects of excessive amounts of CO2 this (very) long story is amazing; [b]The Strangest Disaster of the 20th Century.[/b] http://www.neatorama.com/2007/05/21/the-strangest-disaster-of-the-20th-century/ Hat Tip: Commenter BilB on the post @ LP [b]It's simple really[/b] http://larvatusprodeo.net/2011/07/13/its-simple-really/

TalkTurkey

15/07/2011Gravel Not for a moment did I doubt your long-standing loyalties now! I once (once!) proselytized for the Australia Party long long ago, but I recovered. Not confuse with Australia First or One nation, whose bites are usually fatal. AP was quite a decent and sensible mob, but was reabsorbed by the ALP, where decency and sensibleness must reside, or die altogether. And when you said,"I need this blog to stay positive so keep on posting people, we need to support each other and Labor in this fight", I thought "Yep, that says it for me too." (K)

psyclaw

15/07/2011Hi FS, I suspect that Abbott isn't breaking any laws...it's a matter of words being pretty cheap and whether they translate into action or not. Any action that he might carry out eg legislation to repeal ARENA would be subject to the test of conforming with the Constitution and challangeable in the HC, but I suspect that this wouldn't be an impediment. Individuals (corporations)who believe that they have been pilloried by the government always have the right to take legal action against the government. For example the new NSW scaredy cat conservo Premier recently took steps to reduce the payment to solar panel owners feeding power into the grid. This was despite legislation guaranteeing the payment till 2016. Although he backed down as a result of intense political pressure, a class action had started to emerge and the substance of this would have been breach of contract....the government had made an offer (actually stated in legislation) and people had accepted the offer (by actually installing solar panels). Hence a contract had been struck. The Premier had become the target of intense political pressure not only from those who had installed panels, but from the electorate generally because a greater evil was at hand, namely that he intended to breach a long held Convention that governments don't legislate retrospectively. This is Abbott's real crime. He will stop at nothing to get his way, including fostering violence and wrecking our system. He does this by breaching Conventions, which are in fact more critical to our system than legislation like the Constitution. People are generally unaware that many critical aspects of our government system have evolved as Conventions. The very concept of PM,the very concept of Cabinet, the concept of the GG acting on the PM's advice do not appear in the constitution. "Party", "Opposition", "Opposition Leader", "Shadow Ministers" etc etc are concepts unknown to the constitution, but known to Conventions. In fact Conventions have actually varied some practices which are prescribed in the constitution. By S68, the GG is Commander in Chief of the ADF, but by Convention, the PM actually exercises this power. And by S64 the GG appoints ministers, whereas by Convention the PM does this. One critical Convention is that neither the Government nor the Opposition talks down the economy. That Abbott and his cabal of fools continually does so, breaches this important Convention. This is a matter of ethics, and recalcitrants are usually punished at the electoral boss. What is unusual in the present debate is that Abbott's lack of ethics at this stage remains unmentioned by our lazy media hacks. So the public remains ignorant of Abbott's lack of ethics and the implications of this. It is a large elephant in the room. Undoubtedly many of his team do understand, but they are spineless.

Jason

15/07/2011This weekend we are in for a real treat! A week after the release of the "carbon tax" insiders have pulled out all stops to celebrate their "10th" birthday. This week do we have the leader of the opposition? no!, could they find the Prime minister? no! This week the man in the "hot seat" is someone not adverse to the odd lie himself, the guest I speak of is non other than "Honest" John Howard. July 14, 2011 Sunday morning TV - July 17 #auspol Your guide to this Sunday morning's political and business interviewsFull program listing available at: http://sundaymorningtv.posterous.com/ 8:30am Sky News 601 - Australian Agenda On Sky News Australian Agenda this week Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Regional Service Warren Truss, and ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence. Joining host Peter Van Onselen on the Panel, The Australian's Paul Kelly, and Annabel Hepworth and News Ltd's Steve Lewis. 8:38am Ch7 - Weekend Sunrise - The Riley Diary This week political editor Mark Riley takes takes a look at carbon capers, and stunts at 10 paces. But the real question is... can you believe any of it? 8:40am Ch9 - Today on Sunday - The Laurie Oakes Interview The weekly Laurie Oakes interview is back for this weekend. Laurie interviews Prime Minister Julia Gillard. 9:00am ABC1 & on ABC News 24 - Insiders Insiders marks its 10th anniversary this weekend and Barrie Cassidy interviews former Prime Minister, John Howard, who was the first guest on the program in 2001. On the panel: ABC Online’s Annabel Crabb, the Sydney Morning Herald’s Lenore Taylor, News.com.au’s Malcolm Farr and the Sydney Institute’s Gerard Henderson. Mike Bowers charts 10 years of Talking Pictures with Daily Telegraph cartoonist Warren Brown and Fairfax photographer Andrew Meares. And they revisit some of the program’s more memorable moments over the past decade. 10:00am ABC1 & on ABC News 24 @ 5.30pm - Inside Business This week on Inside Business Australian Industry Greenhouse Network CEO Michael Hitchens. Also Scott Maddock from 2MG Asset Management talks about News Corporation. And Craig Woolford of Citi speaks on the challenges facing retailers. As well, the regular update of the latest news from the markets and Alan Kohler’s incisive commentary. 10.00am Ch10 everywhere but Canberra at 4.30pm - The Bolt Report - Check local program guides for encore performance timings later in the day This week on The Bolt Report, the former Howard Government Treasurer Peter Costello will join Andrew for a chat. Political commentator Tom Switzer and Labor speechwriter Denis Glover will be on the panel for this week's debate. 10.30am Ch10 everywhere but Canberra at 4.00pm - Meet the Press - Check local program guides for encore performance timings later in the day Paul Bongiorno is joined by panellists; Simon Benson of the Daily Telegraph and Alison Carabine of ABC Radio National. They talk to Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan, and CEO of the Australian Industry Group, Heather Ridout. http://sundaymorningtv.posterous.com/

NormanK

15/07/2011I have to share this little gem. Tweeters may find it useful as a description of Mr Abbott. We just had a small but very violent electrical storm pass overhead without producing any rain. Mum quipped : "Lots of noise with very little wool", said the Devil as he sheared the pig. :D

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011psyclaw, Thank you for your explanation. I just thought that, somewhere in the Laws of Commerce and wrt the Stock Exchange, someone who talks a market down on purpose in public would be guilty of a crime.

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011psyclaw, thanks for that well rounded explanation. Good Stuff. Your point about the leader of the opposition talking down the economy is well put. It may be my adled memory but the only 'screams' about talking down the economy have (some time back) been TA pointing the finger at the treasurer it did seem to get a long run though.

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011oops did NOT seem to get a long run

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011D Mick Weir, You scallywag! Nay, it is my fault for being so easily sucked in. :D

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011Jason, I think 'Insiders' is regressing. To think that it is some sort of coup de grace to get that old media tart, John Howard on for an interview, when we know exactly what he is going to say: Julia Gillard=bad, Tony Abbott=supercalifragilixiexpealidotious! I think I'll have something else to do whilst he is on. I won't be able to mute him(as the Coalition and Murdoch media always subliminally suggest we do these days for the PM), because my ever-generous and fair son will demand the old man be heard. :(

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011'Most of Australia' can expect more than 50 degrees by end of century .' David Spratt, Climate Change Analyst O...K...

Lyn

15/07/2011 Hi Talk Turkey [quote]Lyn that news about 2GB is brilliant isn't it! See we are winning now, the enemy is in full panic flight, retreating on every front[/quote] I love it, only good can out of all this media enquiry talk, even if nothing eventuates, as far as the enquiry goes the MSM at least should be more aware of the content of their reporting. Also I liked the comment that the media want another election, that's been more than obvious the last 6 months. What did Paul Keating say last night, what for, what do they want another election for? [quote]Lyn whenever you post something twice it just doubles the pleasure. [/quote] Talk Turkey that's a nice thing to say thankyou, I really do love compliments funny about that. Ash got very annoyed this morning and now he is telling us why: [i]Why I wrote what I wrote[/i].Ash, Ash's Machiavellian Bloggery The fact that the Herald-Sun – a MURDOCH owned newspaper and one that MODERATES the comments would allow this to be published lets me think this will end in blood. I lay the campaign squarely at the feet of Tony Abbott. It is he that is appealing to the lowest and basest of peoples emotions. Careful Tony. The campaign you lead now will become the political norm in this country. http://ashghebranious.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/why-i-wrote-what-i-wrote/ Cheers :):):):):)

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011Does everyone know about the 'ABC TV blog'? The official blog of ABC television. It appears you can leave comments. I think I might just do that. :)

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011FS I actually thoght your response was good. I wouldn't want to it by showing the physical effects of OD'ing on CO2 but somehow people need to understand that CO2 is actually poisonous.

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011And here's a link to Barrie Cassidy's piece on there: http://blogs.abc.net.au/abc_tv/2011/07/barrie-cassidy.html

Jason

15/07/2011Here is Antony Greens take on Abbott's claims on a DD election,he goes through all the scenarios, but also says that should the government see out it's term and I'm yet to hear the "press" put this to Abbott! "One other point to make is that if the Labor government makes it through to the end of its term in the second half of 2013 and the Coalition won that election, then the Coalition would probably find it impossible to hold a double dissolution until the first half of 2015." I think Abbott wants to be "PM" by any means and once there he would say it is all to hard and maybe water it down a bit if he could, but I don't think he would be rushing to a DD election, and just rely on the fact most of those who would vote for him are politically ignorant at best and he would just baffle them with more bullshit! http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2011/06/what-chance-a-double-dissolution-in-the-next-three-years.html

NormanK

15/07/2011This is worth a read in the [i]Climate Spectator[/i]. A bit of madness in the U.S. (what's new pussycat?) and then some clever satire to warm us up for AC's new piece. The parallels between here and the States, consistently pointed out to us by Feral Skeleton's links, is both informative and downright scary. [b]How Turnbull saved the planet[/b] by Giles Parkinson [quote]As Australian politicians struggle with what should be the relatively simple concept of explaining why we should transfer the cost of emissions from the environment to the corporate emitters, you might be tempted to think that the standard of debate could sink no further.[/quote] http://www.climatespectator.com.au/commentary/how-turnbull-saved-planet

2353

15/07/2011FD said [quote]"I'd just like people to look at the name and adress of the person that authorised the placards that these old curmudgeons are holding: www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-13/gillardtax/2793718 She wouldn't be a Qld resident of one of the bluest of blueblood suburbs in Brisbane, would she? Perhaps our Qld brethren here on the blog could verify the fact?"[/quote] Picked it in one FS (maybe not the most exclusive area - but pretty close) - and for the record Chapel Hill is in the Ryan electorate, not Moreton. You can get an idea of the area from Google Maps if you're so inclined.

2353

15/07/2011To ad a little more local flavour, Channel 7 Brisbane News tonight carried a rather bland report on the 3rd annual LNP Conference - sponsored by IGA. They asked "Can't Do" Newman (the LNP leader in waiting - remember that strange arrangement?) - who lives outside the Ashgrove electorate he is trying to win - if he shopped at IGA. "No I don't, there isn't one local to me" he says. It was mentioned that Newman claims he is going to win Ashgrove as he has a strong affinity with the area and knows it well. So 7 News goes to his Campaign Office in the Ashgrove electorate. His office shares a wall with an IGA. The LNP Convention's other headline today is here -> http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/students-brainwashed-over-climate-change-lnp-20110715-1hh8d.html. Look at the "favourable comments" :)

TalkTurkey

15/07/2011[i]DMW[/i] said "I wouldn't want to [(? )] it by showing the physical effects of OD'ing on CO2 but somehow people need to understand that CO2 is actually poisonous." The missed verb makes the sense a bit puzzly, but the assertion that carbon dioxide is actually poisonous is actually wrong. It is of course produced in the metabolising of nutrients in the cells of every living thing, even I think such as tapeworms that don't use oxidation but fermentation, and without it building up in our bodies as we use oxygen, we would simply forget to breathe! It is not shortage of oxygen, but presence of [i]too-high [/i]concentrations of CO2 which fires our breathing response. CO2 prevents us from holding our breath until we lose consciousness, it [i]irresistibly[/i] triggers our response to breathe OUT, and then we must grab a new breath, no choice. The higher the concentration the greater the urge to breathe out, one's lungs feel like bursting when it reaches critical levels. Breathing straight CO2, yes it's not good! I've done it, it's easy to do, crunch dry ice (frozen CO2) into a PET bottle, wait until all the air's been replaced by the CO2 and take a deep suck! OOHH it Hurts! Well why wouldn't it, it is in far higher concentrations then than you ever make naturally in your body, and it makes carbonic acid in your mucus linings and it hurts. You don't do it again but you don't die. But it is not toxic, all life depends on it as surely as it depends on oxygen, so it's like the old saying about fire, "a good servant but [/i]a bad master." We have to have it, and our breathing can cope with a very wide tolerance of CO2 levels from moment to moment, but the [i]planet[/i] can't. Creatures with exoskeletons make them out of calcareous deposits they sequester from water. Demanding little things, they like the ph just so, if it's just a little bit too acidic their shells dissolve! Well they're only little, and they don't live where we can see 'em much, why worry? Well yeah but together they built and maintain the Great Barrier Reef, they feed the tiny fish and the great whales, and they are the minute hatchling creatures that we hope will grow into crustacea, and if you think they aren't all real important, well, just you wait and see. Just let the oceans get even a [i]weeny[/i] bit too concentrated a solution of carbonic acid, (and we are close to that now), I don't want to finish this sentence. It is a pity that there is such ignorance about such basic physics and chemistry and mathematics and ecology and logic, gee I'm skin-deep when it comes to exact sciences but I know you don't get nothin' for nothing, and like in the old song, we're only putting in a nickel and we want a dollar song. At the present rate of growth of understanding and commitment to altering our behaviour the song is going t Brought to you in the interests of promoting the understanding of global climate science by

Jason

15/07/2011Phone hacking: Rebekah Brooks resignation statement http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8639598/Phone-hacking-Rebekah-Brooks-resignation-statement.html

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011TT :$ thanks for assisting in my ever expanding and ongoing re-edumification yep, missed two tiny letters - proves I am no Can-Do action man I guess. And well, what's wrong with a tony bit of exageration - never let the facts get in the way of a good slogan, or something like that. umm ... rewind ... above should be unFreuded [i]... what's wrong with a TINY bit of (being a tony bit loose with the truth)?[/i] Ok, I recant, in the interest of that correctness (politcal?) in which even I have a penchant to insist on in others, I should have written: [i]'... people need to understand that CO2 can be quite toxic'[/i] - hmm, maybe some of the creative types around here may be able to spin a few things around tiny and toxic. Guess that proves I didn't pay enough attention at school or am I able to claim [i]'creeping incline in age and creeping decline in mental agility???[/i] Does anyone know any tutors in the fine art of [i]Proofreading One Self[/i]

Lazarus

15/07/2011Hi all, Not reading yet, just writing. Has anybody else noticed this thing happening. "Poverty matters" Bill Gates has put his name to it! http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters Will read up on you all when my heart clears, saw a poem to read by patricia WA though whilst flicking through, leaping out. Back to the indigo girls, rites of passage and hanging at ALP media blog

Patricia WA

15/07/2011Having oomputer problems so I may be off air for the weekend before IT man comes to the rescue Monday. Will post this now to explain disappearance if that occurs, as has been happening all day. Still, got lots of other things done meanwhile! Cheers, Patricia

Ad astra

15/07/2011Folks I have just posted another clever piece of satire from Acerbic Conehead: [i]The Tour de Nile[/i] for you to enjoy over the weekend. http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2011/07/15/The-Tour-de-Nile.aspx

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011Ad, I have been attempting to come up with some considered and reasoned answers to the questions you posed way back whem. Things have been moving in all sorts of unexpected directions wrt things Murdochian and it seems another bombshell chahges the possibilities. However I shall dive in. I will preface my answers with a bief outline of how I see Murdoch. I tend toward the view expressed in different ways by Keating and Waterford that primarily Murdoch is about selling papers and/or drawing eyeballs to his internet sites and that is what primarily drives him. Murdoch is first and foremost an 'old fashioned newspaperman' with a nose for a story. With many hard knocks along the way he has gained heavy duty business experience. The brilliant combination of the two his created the empire he rules. The thing that moves newspapers out the door is controversy, sensation and a few other ingredients mixed in. In Australia he is well aware that sport rules how we see ourselves and our standing in the world (much as we political junkies would deny it but more often than not we engage in the 'sport of politics'). I will conjecture that way back when Howard said he wanted Australia to open their papers at he back page and be relaxed and comfortable Rupert figured that he had to inject more sport into politics to keep papers moving out the door. [i]So will News Limited take a more moderate approach to politics in Australia by targeting Labor less and putting the Coalition under more scrutiny?[/i] Not likely, there may be some brief respites as an issue dies down and editors work out which is the issue working its' way to the forefront of peoples anxieties. [i]If Murdoch retires will that make any difference?[/i] Yes, but in unexpected ways. Much will dpend on how well his succession planning moves. There could be some almighty turf wars is the empire is divided but it will come back together with some possibilities of 'unholy alliances'. [i]Or will Chris Mitchell’s campaign against Labor and The Greens perpetrated through The Australian continue unabated?[/i] A lot will depend on the way the government handles itself. I expect the campaign against the greens will continue with varying degrees of 'hostility' and/or undermining. Whether it will played to the benefit of Liberal or Labor will depend on which way Labor works toward being a well functioning and credible political organisation. [i]Have we any prospect of Labor getting fairer treatment?[/i] There are couple of sujective judgements to wrangle with in giving a 'good' answer to this question. What is 'fair'? Do I suscribe to the 'all's fair in love and war' school; some childhood notion of 'if s/he can do it why can't I'? (and if I can't, it's 'just not fair' spoken with a quivering lower lip); or some other notion of what is fair? I suspect that for some Labor supporters, no matter what The Australian wrote it would not be fair just as concurrently some Liberal supporters would see the exact same article as unfair to them. Waterford's words [i]'On most issues ... Murdoch has no view at all, other than a general opinion that things should be stirred up. The hostility of most Murdoch papers to Labor, ... is likely to be as much a reflection of the perception, among experienced editors, that Labor is boring, bumbling and uninspiring as to be the the prosecution of some Murdoch bete noire.[/i] have a large element of truth to them that would be unpalatable to most Labor supporters but they would be wise to consider them carefully.

D Mick Weir

15/07/2011... and then I read something like this: [/b]Too much talk about News of the World?[/b] Tim Dunlop http://tjd.posterous.com/too-much-talk-about-news-of-the-world [i]'As to the point about it becoming a News Ltd bashing excercise? Sure, there's a element of that, but again that misses the point. In fact, it risks corrupting the whole public discussion.'[/i] And I have another rethink of my position.

Feral Skeleton

15/07/2011D Mick Weir, Bollocks! I simply cannot agree with this: [quote]Waterford's words 'On most issues ... Murdoch has no view at all, other than a general opinion that things should be stirred up. The hostility of most Murdoch papers to Labor, ... is likely to be as much a reflection of the perception, among experienced editors, that Labor is boring, bumbling and uninspiring as to be the the prosecution of some Murdoch bete noire. have a large element of truth to them that would be unpalatable to most Labor supporters but they would be wise to consider them carefully.[/quote] 'The hostility of most Murdoch papers to Labor, or the Democrats in the USA(who have the most exciting & exhilirating politician of his generation leading them and the country, if only the spoilers at Fox News and the Republican Party weren't ferociously intent on hamstringing him), that hostility is borne of a distaste for the Progressive social democrat politics espoused by those parties because they want to take some of his money away, in taxes, in order to pay for services for those who are needy in their societies but who cannot afford to pay for those essential services, like healthcare and education, for themselves. In other words, Murdoch's motivation is that he is a greedy bastard and an increasingly conservative one whose exploitative manouvers are amoral. And he knows it, as Bruce Guthrie stated in that article I referred to recently, wherein the words from the horse's mouth itself were wtte: 'Ethics are for Fairfax wankers'. As for, '...other than that things should be stirred up'. That's a load of horse manure too. All I can remember from Howard's reign was a supine media, led by the nose by the Murdoch spear-carriers for the cause. They never 'stirred things up' wrt Howard. They were defending him to the hilt until his political death throes could be heard emanating from Bennelong. The only political parties they wish to 'stir things up' about are Labor and the Greens. Now that they are in government, they call it, disingenuously, 'holding them to account', as that misleading creep, John Hartigan tried to justify it yesterday on 7.30. Also, as far as saying: [quote]'The hostility of most Murdoch papers to Labor, ... is likely to be as much a reflection of the perception, among experienced editors, that Labor is boring, bumbling and uninspiring'[/quote] No. Those 'experienced editors' seek to create the perception that Labor is boring, not exciting like Action Man' Abbott, bumbling, when the opposite is actually the case if you look at BER, HIP, the GFC response, NBN, CC policy, and a myriad of other actions they have successfully enacted and put into practice since being elected. Finally, to call a government 'uninspiring', who have had the foresight and imaginatioin to do the things that Howard could never ever conceive of, and all in a quarter of the time he took to never do them, is just a gross misrepresentation of the truth. [quote]have a large element of truth to them that would be unpalatable to most Labor supporters but they would be wise to consider them carefully[/quote] And, yes, I have considered those Waterford statements carefully, and the only thing I find unpalatable is that you could agree with them, DMW. I thought you were smarter than that, as there is demonstrably no truth to them at all.

Lazarus

15/07/2011Greetings room, All glory and approbation to all as well. About March I realised I had no media studies at all, nardda, ZILTCH, yet what ailed my mind need such to express it’s self fully. Beyond this blog I have no peers for peer review, thus I am turning to you all hear as said peers. The Letter to our Prime Minister has been in thought storm form for this long, finally, catharsis for my soul. PLEASE, be critical, my confidences in literacy skills are slowly growing, Kudos also needs be here for this, Et-Al. This gone I feel I end an internal hell. In particular, how do I address J*U*L*I*A* for such? In blog format as I intend to post via http://www.alp.org.au/blogs/alp-blog/july-2011/time-we-binned-the-voices-of-fear/ for all to see. And also via <laborconnect@australianlabor.com.au> DAMN, I lost my main sounding board, offline, hope your back soon Patricia, watching, ask, I may be able to help! Catching up with blog now, not so intro-egocentric again. Voices of angels as I read, Indigo angels of course :-) *J*U*L*I*A*, Please Read Helen Keller http://www.archive.org/stream/storymylife03kellgoog/storymylife03kellgoog_djvu.txt. Imagine at first till 19 months you can see and hear like any other, then suddenly deaf and blind. Yet learn and grow completely. She had to be taught under what we called the Humanist Model. The student first teaches the teacher. Actions become felt, truths share by experience. I can see the double jeopardy from mind and heart, created by the fib lib’s. But how to break this catch 22? Ask Helen Keller, she will teach you, sister to sister. A mind without visual or auditory sensory input automatically filters the Bovine Skat we see I believe on our ABC, Et-Al. Who would “Fornicate Unlawfully, Carnal Know-Ledge” our minds with impute intent. It is a reasonably short text, live you’re life vicariously through this classic suffragette successfully, and you may have classic humanist psychology & of heart. Perhaps to hold the hand of these children, their age belied’ by their fears, as I see you see. You seem so close enough to enough hearts, but their minds are so far from the reality we share. Though these hearts seem o so far from their minds, somewhere again they may learn to care for themselves and the world we all have to share. I hope. Imagine you ARE Ben Chifley as he spoke and see if you can perhaps feel what he I believe would have need to feel, and I hope you may understand how to hold still said fear. One matriarch described him as having a “uterus of mind” at the time she once told me. As a “Child of Pandora” or classic male suffragette, this word has kept a slightly different meaning to me over the years. Family etymon of suffrage, a combination of two words;- Suffer and Age. I’m one who has to remember country is only spelt with one “t”. [quote]“Can anything be more absurd than keeping women in a state of ignorance, and yet so vehemently to insist on their resisting temptation?”[/quote] Vicesimus Knox (1752–1821) British essayist. Liberal Education, Vol. I, ‘On the Literary Education of Women’ Or;-[quote]“The extension of women’s rights is the basic principle of all social progress.” [/quote]Charles Fourier, (1772–1837) French social reformer. Théorie des Quatre Mouvements The Great Grand Fathers of the suffragette movement to us, the light that lit Dorothea Dix. To my family the exchange of ideas between these two men actually act of chivalry, especially if you consider the hostility they would have suffered in their day for thinking in this way. This to still had relevance, though lessening, back in Bens’ day. And for the final piece of this puzzle may I suggest you see if you can vicariously experience Amandas’ healing in the movie “What the Bleep Do We Know”. Understand something called “the Fundamental Truth Of Unity” your in, through a deaf photographer. I met Bob Hawke, a shy 21yo, my Mother a Dorothea Dix herself in her own way had dragged me kicking and screaming, you may say. Her trying to make a leap of faith in the system of the day, She had dragged me along pushing me to say what she wanted to say. Seeking to make a leap of faith in the system, unsure of her “asperger” son. In time I made that leap for myself, unable to read and write at the time, I was 24. It was the Humanist model of psychology that taught me to communicate in this way. Cost? $250k’ish Value?!. Um, Maybe $5.586.00 See, SFSS account reference- 7100855227281. If memory serves, that bought me an IBM think pad for going back to school. Never paid, never did earn enough. In retrospect, and in my introspection, dumped by new system & John Howard. I went on to implement de-institutionalisation for the government of the day, I watch now these perpetual children confused. A simple mind easily displays a simple introspective truth, unclouded by high functioning mind process. But they are harmless to others in comparison to the adulteration of being I see in the media & so called adults. “Hand on Heart” As we keep hearing on the TV, “elf” “asperger”, Blogger “Knight of the Realm”, I do spend all night at this.:-) Just playing a computer game called life, Stephen Lazarus Graysun, AKA Dorothea Dix. Ps room, i certainly have captcha lotto tonight. ilogroc "Yahweh", too many years of Caduceus and Enoch’ian meditation perhaps. Am I Insane <<<shakes head>>> took photo, perhaps, for Miasma Dock, Et-al my next a blessed curse. ^v^V GRR V ^v^… Just hanging for the moon now here :-) Mom and i say hi <wink> Pink plays Mr President/Howard

Lazarus

16/07/2011Ad Astra, I took it as said, wishing this bugger dead. << returnes to block blog top<<< Sleep well Ad Astra, thanks to you too. And travel well. Nasking, are you sure they're not covering their own backs and setting the story up as a News Corp versus Gillard Govt, who would say that wouldn't they? Blaming the media and not looking into the real reasons for how badly they're 'performing!' He who controls the mind…. Let you finish this one for yourself! Ad-nauseam!!! And yes some ABC is still unpolluted. AC thanks for the link RE citizen CANE, us. Chilling prophecy fulfilled perhaps… Lyn, best news. RUPERT and James Murdoch have been issued a summons to testify before a parliamentary committee investigating phone hacking after they declined Lol Macca, @ kero bath… Michael, “Which essentially, good people, guarantees two elections coming up, whenever they do, because the first one won't deliver the Coalition control of the Senate.” Didn’t factor that, again good news. Still prophase Turn-Bull will scapegoat Abbot, become their “better angel”, methinks it was the plan all along anyhow. :-) 2353, and Psyclaw yep, the hypocrisy of the Abbot of unreason’s theocracy. “remember that strange arrangement?” Nope, gotta link? BSA, No Rocket there to watch that one, Methinks he wanted to shoot out off there. Note his eyes only blinked once he had finished a question, when he was on the back foot, his head moves back. Citizen Cane is probably threatened him with the furnace. A lot, Shipping High In Transit In that shiphead. FS & TT inspire me to:- FS “curmudgeons” Ah, the vocab grows, but how to say it? Patricia, Poor Fellows, My Countrymen. Printed and blue tacked before me, Smiles :-) FS said to DMW What scientific relevance will a closed system experiment on humans have wrt the effect that CO2 has on our atmosphere, Global Warming and Climate Change? Etc. And I reflect on that Bill Gates thing and wonder if he has a rabbit in his hat, some patent, bought of say an old N Tesla perhaps. Hidden in some patents office some place till it had great value. BILL GATES, our new Messiah. Jason, Revolting, tried to troll this attitude on the ALP site, too quiet, shame ALP insist on joining Labor Connect. So many links, so many thinks. A quick sword for the would be King, Miasma-doch, Et-Al, Ad-Infinitum Shekinah, Shekinah, Shekina, SHEKINNA, Shekina turn thy eye through me, I beg of thee come look, come see. Our visions of pomposity, If you see this too then may it fall on we. To burn him in vitriol and verse, A sword of Damocles to end his curse. To end the anomie of his insanity, blessed be… Full moon out tonight :-) Second captcha "ain"vig occurred. just a little Psi-co.
T-w-o take away o-n-e equals?