Glenn Milne is filing stories with a dateline of midnight for Team Rudd News Limited, and in a stellar display of sobriety his work ethic, posted a vapid op/ed piece at 11 pm on the ALP leadership battle.
One can only admire the effectiveness of News’ disciplinary procedures his resilience in the face of adversity.
I’m sure the nation will be watching for the first News Limited columnist to write an op/ed supporting moves to stop deadbeat dolebludgers spending OUR MONEY on TEH BOOZE? Will it be gregarious Glenn?
<img src="http://larvatusprodeo.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/milne2.jpg"
Elsewhere: Ken Parish reveals it was a blogger wot done it.
I’ve heard this argued in the comments at Tim Dunlop’s too. Too Byzantine for me. But it’s another theory to add to the pile.
I’d be quite happy to see Beazley/Gillard.
Rudd I think will be a damp squib.
Well, if that’s the plan and it comes off, then it is sheer genius. And we’d be looking at PM Gillard in 2010. Crean’s ultimate revenge. Too intricate for me to believe.
Don’t get carried away with it, wbb. It’s the accidental leadership challenge. No one knows what the outcome will be. Particularly since the Beazer threw the frontbench into the mix.
On Macklin’s case about her “loyalty” as Deputy Leader – she ran away from Latho in a hurry (not that that’s a bad thing, but it does render her pitch rather questionable).
Im just disappointed with the ‘Migraine medicine’ claptrap. Why not just state the obvious: “I was three sheets to the wind. Shitfaced. Tanked to the gills. And evidently I can’t handle my piss.”
Still, a lot of good will come from this. Ive already adopted the ‘Milne Test’ for drunken public inerventions: if you cant actually say “substantiate”, just sit down.
Well Milne is on ABC Insiders, this morning, I’ll watch with great interest.
Milne’s defense was that Crikey was targeting his wife and was accusing him of being a sexual predator.
Milne’s a toxic prick, but I think I’d be pretty cranky about that also.
Milne needs LIQUOR to confront someone who (he claims) says that about him & his family? Then he hits him so softly the blighter gets straight up again?
When did Mayne ever say that, Alex?
Ok, I’ve found the article – Milne’s op/ed where he *doesn’t* try to excuse his behaviour.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20860495-5007146,00.html
I’m astonished he was on Insiders this morning. And got off with no more than a light ribbing.
Why aren’t the media all in a chorus, braying for his job? He’s got off very lightly on this. It’s being treated by his colleagues as a joke.
Much more tolerance than they afforded, say, Brogden.
Taking Kim’s point. I hope the ABC paid him in food vouchers rather than cash.
“Why aren’t the media all in a chorus, braying for his job? He’s got off very lightly on this. It’s being treated by his colleagues as a joke.”
Oh for God’s sake. I know the guy works for News Ltd and everything but it’s hardly some unprecedented national scandal. A self-important journo gets pissed and makes a complete asshat of himself? Please. Bob Ellis has made it his life’s work.
Milne on Insiders this morning effectively shows News Limited’s consideration of Mayne – no gravitas/ignore him.
Geoff Honnor in completely right shock: drinkin’ and fightin’ used to be in the job description.
I actually don’t care what they do – it’s their hypocrisy that annoys me.
They are a tolerant bunch those journos. When it comes to their own kind. For the ordinary swill that would have been assault. Might as well blame the victim instead.
“Its a danger to the public when idiots are running around drunk and disorderly. Not our mate Milney, though. Mayne specialises in unsubstantiated smear and innuendo. Milney would never, never do that. The thing is, he’s not making any excuses for his behaviour. Let’s face it Mayne was such a coward when he jumped off the stage. What a piss week bastard, mate, mate……. .”
If Milne had been a black man in the street, he would have been arrested for d/d or assault if he acted the way he acted the other night.
Double standards.
I would think it was an open and shut case of unprovoked assault. How many of the journos there would be prepared to give evidence? Mayne has been gracious in not pressing charges. In listening and reading Milne today he is showing very little remorse and deserved the jail experience to write about.
What level of remorse would you judge to be adequate, Joe? He has apparently apologised publically and privately, and accepts responsibility. The key quote:
I must say, it is indeed a terrible thing when people write unsubstantiated smears without even bothering to check them and with no consideration to the damage it does to people.
I’ve been concentrating so hard on biting my tongue, I think I’ve bitten it clean in half. Must now also stop fingers … from … typing …
“What level of remorse would you judge to be adequate, Joe?” Something a damned sight better than this, Tim. See Marks link for the quotes.
exhibit1……..”But when I went the biff on Stephen Mayne at Thursday night’s Walkley Awards ceremony it became one. Lesson one: if you are going to do something like that, don’t do it on a television broadcast.” Next time I “biff” someone, I will be more careful about the location. Most contrite that.
exhibit2……..While maitaining that he is making no excuses he then launches into long attack on Mayne. He accuses Mayne of “unsubstantiated smear and innuendo”. Then proceeds to do just that, to the guy who has let him off the hook. All the reasons why any poor bloke would “snap”, if you’d had that happen to you. How sorry is that?
exhibit 3…..He was absolutely brimming on Inslyders, as if he had picked up a Walkley. Speaks the words but doesn’t seem to give a stuff. Not the look of a man who has done something wrong.
Not good enough, though I would be much more lenient on him than he and his pals are on the many poor buggers whose sentence is never enough for their readers and advertisers taste.
I dunno Joe. He did have the grace to look slightly embarrassed on Insiders. For mine, the telling point was that when Barry Cassidy pointed out that Mayne did not “publish” the link to a blog claiming he was a lecher, because Mayne doesn’t own Crikey and hasn’t for some time, Milne dissmissed the facts as irrelevant, because Mayne was “the face of Crikey” or somesuch.
Yep, Zoe another good point for the prosecution. I bought a crappy radio from Dick Smith Electronics and I blame Dick. The guy is supposed to be in apology mode but he is still focused on attacking the victim.
Personally, I’ve always found Milne’s writings simplistic and not of a particularly high standard. Ditto for when he was on television as channel 7′s political person or whatever he was. I’m surprised someone that mediocre has done so well in the journalistic world. I mean, if he had good looks, charisma, etc then I could understand how despite his shortcomings he has done well. But that’s clearly not the case here.
He is a most unimpressive man.