Mood:
caffeinatedTopic: aust govt
This is not a well packaged story. It’s a contemporaneous traverse of the Sunday television free to air political talkies indicating the agenda of Establishment interests: Better to know ones rivals and allies in Big Politics and Big Media.
Indeed it’s the tv version monitoring task similar to what Nelson Mandela refers to here in his book Long Walk to Freedom (1994, Abacus) written in Robben Island prison (where he was meant to die like other African resister chiefs of history in the 19C), at page 208
“..newspapers are only a shadow of reality; their information is important to a freedom fighter not because it reveals the truth, but because it discloses the biases and perceptions of both those who produce the paper and those who read it.”
Just substitute ‘Sunday tv political talkie shows’ for "newspapers" in the quote above.
For actual transcripts go to web sites quoted below except with Riley Diary on 7. And note transcripts don’t really give you the image content value.
Media backgrounder
- alot of worthy and humbling coverage of Matt Price's death. As the shock dissipates read this last line of Errol Simper's piece Columnist's sharp eye for the absurd and pompous
"His death at 46 can lead you to dwell on all manner of things, not least that the good die young. And it also makes you wonder a little about possible hazards inherent in the mobile phone, an instrument Price so constantly used."
- Power station plans shelved | The Australian suggesting no coal fired power station for NSW? Hard to believe. Meanwhile in 'a shocking but not surprising' story in Good Weekend Nov 24 when all good munchkins are doing their democratic duty rather than reading, has "Dirty money/In the hunt for new fuel sources, a vast swathe of western Canada is being mined for its precious oil sands ...." There is no hope really. Remember that old Native American Indian saying 'only when the last fish and the last buffalo has been killed will white men realise you can't eat money', or similar. Well that was not just an observation, it was prophesy of inevitability. They were saying white man are incapable of respecting the ecology, and they can only learn this truth by actually going there as a society, by which time of course there is no reversal, no recovery, no way back. The di is cast for western civilisation. All the evidence bears this out.
- With all due respect to Peter Fitzsimmons (today SunHerald p48), Bruce Hawker (last Monday party liners abc 702 Trioli segment) and others in the Big Spin Meeja fully convinced by John Howard's 'dignified' concession speech on election night - let SAM editor put the contrary cynical/realistic view. Any politician who is complicit in the deaths of 500K-1M Iraqi's who can still impress his critics with a Shakespearean performance requires deconstruction. And here it is in two words - machine man. That is to say Howard knows power. Seeks it, exercises it, defends it and respects it. If Australia was prone to military coups he might have shown interest in that route. As it is he knows power had shifted to the ALP by the ballot box and it was over. Dignity was the least of his burdens. He was a supreme realist on that night. AND he knew to revive the beloved Liberals he had to take all the electoral poison into his own symbolic person. By this theatrical abasement he could ironically carve out an appeasing future for himself too across party lines (further reinforced by the friendly images of meeting his own model Mk 2 at Kirribili, ie Kev&Therese. Senior journos are nevertheless gormless and gullible to excuse the morality of the devastation in Iraq by some shallow speechmaking on a thumping loss. How incredulous. It is this same machine power aspect that explains the logical albeit immoral appeasement of One Nation supporters as a riposte to the legendary ALP ethnic branch stacking under the cover of 'multiculturalism' for two decades. Or nuclear power to wipe out the coal industry unions. Or privatisation of Telstra to wipe out the public sector unions. It's machine politics, not public interest as such. If they coincide it's ... you know .. a coincidence. Sociopaths are like that - charming, logical, endlessly cruel.
- Curious echo of headlines Look right, look left, look right again | Dennis Shanahan Blog ... and Ramsey here Look Left, look Right, look … - Opinion - smh.com.au which sort of echoes our own prose about Rudd being a left/right/green/brown work in progress like a political Bob Dylan, written the morning after the night before 24 Nov 07
- Greens be careful for what they wish for? Greens call for Garrett to step down | NEWS.com.au: Ouch, courtesy Senator Christine Milne who is no slouch, only to get machine fixer Penny Wong out of the CFMEU and NSW forestry minister and lawyer party hack in a new Australian package. A tedious rherotician is our take out so far pre Bali conference.
- Marian Wilkinson, a top mind re Bali Emissions road map a crucial mission - Environment - smh.com.au
- Black politics looks very fluid and fraught. NLC has changed leaders given Brough compromised Galawruy and both exit right. Langton has run to safe harbour at Melbourne University from Cape York Institute. Pearson is left sledging ALP and Martin ex NT First Minister from his govt gazette perch. Undertone of intervention to reverse ALP election victory of 2001 and regain the politics of pro U mining and nuke waste dump, which the federal ALP probably support under such as Martin Ferguson as Energy minister.
Refer Links to black MPs fell apart | The Australian, Fall of the 'legend' as indigenous affairs bites | The Australian, Federal intervention led to paralysis | The Australian, Credit for reforms but legacy clouded | The Australian, Labor eyes expanded NT scheme, 'Stay with intervention' | The Australian,
- Airport politics in Sydney, Daily Telegraph (read Albanese's voicebox?) attacks $4 takeaway coffee price instead of attacking Macquarie Bank massive noise impacts which is too close to the real issue of greedy multinationals he has to appease, and notice big capital here in Albanese hits the ground running | The Australian
- great article on Aral Sea partial recovery in Weekend Australian Dec 1
- Federal and state ALP PR spin is that consensus and cooperation is the mantra now as here: Brumby predicts end to feuds with Canberra | The Australian [but self interest and greed of a corrupted ALP party is bound to take its course]. And here too via climate enlightened NSW Unions John Robertson After 11 years of war,we can all share peace | The Australian. [Some of course 'share' more peace than others.] Others are not so forgiving on the Left: Why it’s great to see him go | Phillip Adams Blog | The Australian; On the Right: Labor's innovation pledges amount to a trumped-up industry policy p32 27/11/07 The Australian."The draining of the Aral Sea was one of the 20th century's worst ecological disasters - and a warning for our own Murray-Darling system. Picture: Richard Mills Audio slideshow "
- Democrats get our message about three sides to the triangle of successful political action 1. research 2. media but also crucially 3. grassroots action - the last one withered on the vine in favour of style and spin. Now the vestigial parliamentary party are starting to think more clearly with this - Online activists may hold key to survival | The Australian. It is all too late for them? Time will tell.
- The USA impact of Rudd repudiation of Bush accolyte Howard is being teased out, just as we detected Carl Bernstein here to pick the entrails and take it back with him as an 'effective 13M poll on the Bush foreign policy and socially conservative values' (our line, not Carl's). Refer similarly Stanford man David Kennedy here: Historian compares Rudd to Obama | The Australian
- Perceptive upbeat 'spade work' by John Lyons in the sense of the Ausralian crawling back into the lap of the new ALP govt, via amplification of the emancipation angle for 50% of the electorate via Gillard gender symbolism as deputy PM: Journey to the centre | The Australian
- Koperberg gets a big media kicking today in the press as a proxy for Iemma from News Ltd, not least as we head in to the fire season, always the big story from December onwards. K is the ALP's bushfire go to man. Could be an ugly strategy of the state Coalition to pick off K's credibility wings re climate change in causing mega fires as here on Robin Williams Science Show yesterday, so the loggers/National Party can avoid accountability for destroying humid canopies which are fire suppressant across huge areas of old growth this last 40 years of woodchipping in NSW. And coal miners won't mind an emasculated Koperberg either after his 'clean coal' honesty/backflip. This so called "shock" story in fact is a reheating of an alleged domestic violence story from ......1987? Are they going to go back to his high school days too? We are literally talking 20 years ago. For all we know the man might be a closet Budhist by now?
As serious as domestic violence is there just isn't enough weight or nexus to his current public service to kick this along. Maybe if he was minister for DOCS or Status of Women (never likely), or even Health. [We notice Iemma is sticking by him on abc tv prime time news tonight and he runs some of these lines and that he has declared much of this previously at his pre selection.] On further reading and reflection there is another real politik angle to this: Selective (?) outrage of the ALP Left sisterhood a la the Ernies, admittedly based on a dinosaur unionist but more recently a misconceived (?) attack on Joe Hockey ex federal Howard Govt minister which greatly annoyed the Shrek (for claimed disrespect to his hard working wife but actually a failure he says to note the irony in his tone.) Is this attack on the Big K a revenge on the Left Sisters for saying nothing about an AVO in their own NSW Cabinet? In any case it is trench warfare emotional violence (or as Christian Kerr would call it "wet work") and a very corrosive acid on the social fabric, not just the Big Parties, especially in the fraught territory of personal morality amongst career politicians. They are hardly known for consistency one week to the next let alone decade to decade.
- Spooks are advertising for geeks to sign up claims very witty Defrag here: Worrying times as spooks seek geeks through virtual ads in games p38 IT The Australian, Tues Nov 27 2007.
- a colleague asked me about the new federal cabinet
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 1:00 PMSubject: the new cabinet - good questionMmm, good question took me a day or two to think about this one.Borrowing from the lists/Big Meeja etc, looks like Julia Gillard is way overloaded even for a smart tough cookie like her. The problem may well be over willing to breaking point as per her whole life. She said only Xmas and New Year day off. Sounds like coronary material to me. She looked holiday material on Sunday talkies this morning.Also Martin Ferguson has energy and resources if memory serves. This is full on pro uranium mining, woodchipping etc. See [x] feedback and my chat in the string at the bottom re Penny Wong history, Faulkner done over in 95-96 as then environment minister etc. Faulkner is back as fixer. That's okay too assuming he really understands how dangerous dangerous climate change really is.In my area Albanese has Infrastructure so he has the job of betraying his own residents to build a $5B motorway tunnel network - all just snouts in troughs for construction sector pigs (company and union both) and put some greenwashing on it as people die young of lung disease. The ALP is nothing if not brutishly dishonest on the ground.Who else? Stephen Smith foreign affairs - yeah allright, but Cond Rice apparently has her hooks into him already probably because the 13M vote here is a poll effectively (like one whole USA state) adverse to President Bush/Republicans Nov 08 elections. Rice will want to pick Smith's brains bare to get a bed on this bad election result for the W regime.Swan as treasurer, will be tough fiscal conservative. The ALP have learned those lesssons of the 80ies and 90ies to keep Big Capital onside.Garrett demoted as called for by the Greens (Sen Milne). Ouch. He is a carpetbagger so fair enough. Refer above Penny Wong - dry rherotician I call her now on climate and water. Can't see much ecological joy there.Like Nicola Roxon actually, hope rather than expect she succeeds in tough area of health.I saw some vision of Bob Debus in the "outer ministry" for Home Affairs (cooks meals?, vaccuums the rug?) in the caucus as Kevin traipsed through kisses here, handshakes there, and Bob Debus who was slated for environment or attorny general at age 64 now, "on a promise" they reckon, left with Home Affairs. They looked past eachother, no contact eye or otherwise. Slowest clapping of Debus you could imagine to fit in with the crowd for the camera, with a 1000 yard stare. Poor bastard..........................................................................................----- Original Message -----Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 10:16 AMSubject: Martin Ferguson is the most frighteningHi Tom
None of these scare me half as much as Martin Ferguson, the new Minister for Energy, etc. He is redneck in style and substance. His hatred of greenies drives most of his "thinking" if you can call it that. He is a member of the Ferguson family (one brother is CFMEU secretary, I think+ late father, brothers all ALP pollies) and a strong presence of Greens in his own seat gives him an added impetus to put the boot in where ever possible.
During the election campaign he came to Bega with Mike Kelly. [Y] by chance bumped into them and made a comment about the desirability of closing the Eden chipmill (as you do). "Over my dead body", said MF.
Maybe that should give us added impetus to close the chipmill (not that we need that).
regards............Wong is a redneck out of Kim Yeadon's NSW Forest ministry, pro woodchip, CFMEU operation. Smooth talker and as jaded a rherotician as you will ever find in Big Politics. All style no ecological heart.
People forget too Big John ie Faulkner was done over by Keating and the chippers in 1995-6 when the former was Environment Minister. People like Wong at state level probably. Keating latter lamented he wished he'd done more on the green stuff - too late d*ckhead.And here's a chestnut - no chipping industry in Kev's hallowed Qld. But happy to inflict this criminal sector on Tas, NSW, Vic, WA. Pretty inconsistent that. Stephen Biddulph got it right yesterday - it's the ecology stupid.
And add to this, the real Environment Minister is probably Bob Brown in parliament anyway.
Here is the link: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/simonbenson/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/rudd_dumps_garrett_for_the_sake_of_the_planet/
But notice too how they change headlines around "Garrett loses the planet but keeps the backyard"
The Biddulph article SMH is here: The party's over and Liberals will soon be history
Regards, Tom McLoughlin, principal ecology action sydney
10 Meet the Press
Press round up, nothing very startling except Koperberg attacked old and tired AVO allegations of 1987 (pre Berlin Wall for God sake), last story in line up, but first on abc radio .
Gillard is the talent – stripped shirt for an increasingly chubby person, suggestive of bib and braces somehow of a fitter and plumber. Perhaps the somewhat strained and tired image. Not very relaxed as you might expect. Looks over worked. Big credibility gap on huge portfolio as per file footage of JulieBishop criticism. Rings true.
Australia settled or invaded. She proves her conservative credentials “I would say it was settled but I can understand why the Indigenous would say it was invaded”.[Totally wrong historical version. A white Australia version of history.]
Out take footage of Howard and Bucket meeting Howard Mk2 and Bucket Mk2 at the Lodge.
Get Up advert with banner against Old Growth Logging (while squibbing any direct lobbying on that issue which is gutless), with underlying message of 'change starts here'. [Stephen Mayne suggests they will now fizzle under ALP hegemony - maybe, maybe not, time will tell.]
Panel: Maria Hawthorne AAP, Malcolm Maiden (? Fairfax?)
She finishes sharp and convincing too, Bongiorno wishes her a restful holiday but she doesn’t get it, 'only Christmas and boxing day' she says. The point is – she needs a holiday and it will cruel her career if she doesn’t take a real break ideally in Alaska or Greenland. Move slow, think fast is a lot more sustainable.
Transcript in due course www.ten.com.au/meetthepress ,
Myspace web address: www.myspace.com/meetthepeople
7 Weekend Sunrise, 8.35-40 am Riley Diary -
7 News promo with dramatic climate change images re Bali conference. [wonder how good the conference security will be for obvious reasons]
Leadership of the Libs
Great footage of inside the Lodge, talkies of Buckets and Howards. Nice sound track of ex PM in reversing C*1 car. Bit of talk about ALP first week, posturing as dynamic. [Methinks the country is exhausted, or it could be just this writer.]
Swearing in on Monday.
http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend
Insiders 2
Talent is Nelson ex Labor man, now federal Lib leader but on the make politician proving the convergence of both major parties. Footage never voted AMA president at a protester, Liberal in his life, but it was a lie in the heat of the moment because he had in 1987 and 1990. He is hooked on the Howard dishonest culture he prospered under. The Rodent factor. You can’t say that about Turnbull. He might throw a tantrum or be cavalier or confronting but he won’t deliberately lie like that …surely? Is that why Howard hated him?
Sure enough next question about Turnbull telling Nelson to “toughen up”, bossing his boss around but with 41 votes in the caucus in his kit bag. Turnbull sure is impertinent. [a bit like this writer I suppose]
- Nelson runs the line ‘watch this space’ as if promising creative dynamism which does ring true to some degree in terms of his ambitious energy and record of such.
- hard to believe but Nelson is showing some fluid articulate style in patches which maybe got him up the greasy pole. Could have been showing sleep deprivation but a bit of bounce in this exchange.
- hedges alot on sorrow, in some cases shame, not personally responsible. His compassion bone is showing all the same after the Lowitja tickle up on the radio yesterday.
- Cassidy catches him in free flight (which was good) with an amused Rudd me tooism allusion back at Nelson. Nelson doesn't repudiate the idea. Jostling on the middle ground younger generations is the gist.
- Everyperson segment group of matrons at Maroubra or similar. Mostly a rehash of the straight reportage.
- Panel is Karen Middleton SBS, Brian Toohey AFR, Gerard Henderson Fairfax Sydney.
- Paul Kelly soliliquy - Faulkner is the fixer. Depth of this Labor Govt. Determination of Rudd busy on the job. Strong theme. Rudd off to Bali. Rice has rung Stephen Smith being taken into their ranks for visits first 2 months of 08 (and one presumes get a line on damage to Bush presidency of Howard's repudiation, to cherry pick Smith's brain on how to capture Rudd govt in the presidential election of Nov 08?). Costello gone big shock. Lost Howard authority figure.
Panel chat - laugh out loud moment on Islamic Simpson's donkey gibe no disrespect to the great world religion, rather Nelson's failure to know the real history of the WW1 pacifist, trade unionist etc.
Henderson such an obvious pro Coalition spruiker. 'Good' tension with Brian Toohey on such things.
2 minute tribute to Matt Price RIP, a dynamic life, good singing voice too, gaggle of kids, made his mark in this world. Easy to feel upset about the loss of a good hearted wonk.
Home page is http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/
Sunday 9
- no Sunday 9 show.
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/default.asp
