Joe Hockey said on Lateline last night that it felt as if he was in the longest election campaign ever. No kidding. As I’ve been suggesting recently, the blowback from Howard’s tactics of permanent campaigning might have already hit home. And as we get closer to the actual campaign, the government is doing what it accuses the opposition of – “me too-ism”. John Howard has written to the Iraqi Prime Minister “warning” him that Australian troops may leave if the usual impossible dreams of political reform which underpin the comprehensively failed surge aren’t fulfilled. As you’d expect from the Dear Leader, the text is hedged around with so many qualifications and weasel words that you could probably interpret it almost whatever way you’d like. But as Ken Lovell observes at Surfdom, very clearly Howard is preparing the ground to “neutralise” Iraq as an issue domestically. It’s, of course, risible in light of all that he’s said before, and I imagine that if he can bring himself to pop up on tv for an interview, he’ll be reduced to repeating “I’m not dishonest” twice as he did on the 7 30 Report. Big biz, spending a bucket on awful tv ads backed up by government funded dodgy advocacy research, should be wary that we won’t see the PM discovering the virtues of a centralised award system (provided only that it’s administered by an army of bureaucrats not the dreaded union bosses). Where will Howard draw the line?
The bizarre thing is that Howard appears to want to remove almost any points of differentiation with Labor, presumably so he can warn sternly and very loudly indeed about the twin evils of teh unions and teh Labor states. But surely he is only reinforcing the perceptions that he is a “tricky” and “clever” politician? Since all the evidence suggests that he fares very poorly in a contrast with Rudd, what’s the sense in reducing the substance of the campaign to… a contrast with Rudd on personality?
I believe the current state of affairs isn’t just a blowback from Howard’s tactics of permanent campaigning, but also a blowback from the selective objectivity that’s accompanied such campaigning and has been on display in the Mainstream Media.
Although I do note that many journalists are starting to write in a way that reflects the reality (not just that the Coalition are far behind, but have been behind too long for it not to be cause for concern), I am still refining my critique of Mainstream Media political journalism in reply today to a mate on the aus.radio.broadcast newsgroup.
…From Justin
Does Iraq have an outspoken Senator who can tell Howard to mind his own business?
Agree with Mark.
I reckon John Howard repeating “I’m not dishonest” will make a great Labor ad, while text or images flash up each time for another lie.
Maybe Ratty might consider exerting Federal Government control over al Qaeda by funding the terrorist organisation directly, like Mersey Hospital.
In that way Ratty could claim that he is now in control of the situation in Iraq.
And God knows, Ratty needs desperately to back a winner.
Howard has already lost the Iraq battle, to raise it again just reminds us he lost.
This election makes a lie of his so called campaign expertise. He won previous elections by having under-performers as the opposition and having the events of the world with him, plus copious quantities of deceit at the right times. The first election was the one of skill and only so much as to let Keating ruin himself.
Howard transferred the interest rate debate to the States – a bad tactical error he cannot repair.
Howard ackowledges Rudd has the same economic plans as himself ‘echo-nomics’ – that wont scare the horses but it might calm them somewhat. Another foolish error.
Howard persecuted the NT and Haneef affairs in an obvious political manner – losing credibility.
He intervened into the Tasmanian health system with little research and may generate a more negative result in Tasmania [making a few locals happy] but also losing the confidence and trust of other Australians watching him on the outside of the issue.
Howard’s obvious political interference in Qld State politics may win him some local votes – but again anyone else outside of Qld and of the local issues is going to be disturbed by this type of action.
AND he has appeared rattled by Rudd on a number of occassions.
It is not helped when the rest of his team also garner so little respect in the community.
Err.. Rudd – personality?!? That’s surely meant to be ironic. Like the Rodent’s long held tag, “Honest John”, which arose, if long term memory serves, from one of his ‘fist full o’dollars’ pre election bribes when he was Fraser’s inept (viz $weety’s evaluation)Treasurer.
Mark
Not one of your better offerings, dude. Maybe you have changed your poison to Jagermeister? Repeat after me: a tu quoque comparison of a policy-bereft ALP with speculation on the success or otherwise of the surge in Iraq does not a logical argument make.
I think Keating claims credit for first calling JHo “Honest John”.
Rudd may not be Mr Personality but he certainly projects calm and empathy via his preferred media – the staged tv news event or the “non-political” chatty interview.
John, for your future reference as to what constitutes a Tu quoque fallacy:
http://www.fallacyfiles.org/tuquoque.html
Yeah what is it with that big biz ad – if we vote Labor the streets will be over-run with low tuba note playing HR Nicholls Society graffitists?
mark says:
The ALP has shifted far more in the direction of the LN/P than vice-versa. It has broadly adopted LN/P fiscal and cultural policy settings.
But the LN/P has followed the ALP suit on environment and health.
Both parties seem to have broadly similar education policies. There are token differences on defence (eg Iraq).
In general, both parties are converging on the median voter. This lucky fellow happens to sit right smack bang in the middle of the healthy norm (“vital centre”, in strocchi-verse terms) of the AUS polity. We have a properly functioning democracy representing a cohesive civil society, for what its worth.
mark says:
Howard’s nasty politicality compares very unfavourably with Rudd’s nerdy personality. Howard is coming out with all guns firing because he does not want to go down without a fight. Nothing he does will save him.
Rudd is the perfect personality to defeat JHo (love it!).
Competent, non-threatening, safe, sensible, dull and yes, openly Christian. The me-tooism must be driving the Libs batty, as must Rudd’s refusal to take the bait on Haneef, Tasmanian forests aboriginal intervention etc. I’m loving every minute of it!
Who’d have thought that Big Biz would like the current IR regime. I think most folk would’ve been keenly aware of this probability already, need we be inundated with advertising from them also? At least we don’t have to pay for these ones.
And bribes.
Could be wrong, but I recall it was Bob Ellis who introduced that ironic tag.
Saw an exchange of leters in The Oz many years ago where one person asked why he was called ‘Honest John’? To which some wag replied, “For the same reason Australians call tall people ‘Shorty’, and fat people ‘Slim’.”
Well, not directly.
My recollection is PK using it way back as a put-down. What was amazing was the recycling by the MSM as a true public reflection of the electorates perception of him as a honest politician.
Well, you learn something new at the University of the Internet every day.
All this time I thought the ‘Honest John’ nickname was a sardonic reference to the spin stablisation capabilities of US Army’s ffirst nuclear capable surface to surface rocket.
I don’t think so, Mark. As I recall it was a journalist using the term with dripping irony back in the Fraser days.
Of course, the irony laid upon the irony was that people thought it meant he was honest….
There is little point in analysis unless it leads somewhere ,where it is going to be effective.The Twin Bastards Parties,if you are a aged pensioner,and others of varying incomes,Ill keep myself out of this here,will neither do well,because our senior citizens,and, that doesnt necessarily mean you are considered aged yet,will not tolerate the attitudes of either party.They govern and oppose by ritual,and not by decree.A revolution of sorts en masse,doesnt need leaders but responsible citizenry..who have had enough,and can claim rightfully we cannot do our jobs any longer,we cannot go about our business as usual.The riot squads,are low-paid and do not want to be in that uniform…I declare…My responsibility is to no artificial contrivances but whenever I have to be responsible to those humans, that require me to do so. In Sydney Doctors are turning away patients,this democracy is in a death throe..the evidence is everywhere,and unsubtle..Pull rank against those who defame your honesty,pull rank on those who will not protect the weak.Avoid the necessity to think democracy is about choice, when it isnt! Go and talk to a copper,to see ,if it is true..that they are struggling on a number of levels of existence.They do not want to wear the mask of the artificial contrivance..if it requires them to salute like morons to the salute. Democracy is about guiding law for freedom and responsibility,there is neither if the all too often distraction of artificial contrivance isnt worked as a function of the common good of responsible citizens..when that is required.To assume no rightful place for evoking the revolutionary tendency in commentary,is to avoid the hour..avoid the day..and,maybe, avoiding the pain of others.Rise,in anger, for the Twin Bastards Parties have avoided the hour… the day as it surely is,and will be seen from this day on.
Mark on 11 August 2007 at 5:32 pm
That was a pretty egregious example of a “black”-calling pot addressing a kettle.
I wonder how many people think the sobriquet “Honest” is ironic when applied to Howard but are gullible enough to use it in earnest in reference to other politicians.
In broad terms Howard has more or less delivered on his core promises: a populis that is “relaxed & comfortable” about economic prosperity, “comfortable in its skin” about cultural identity and “alert not alarmed” about national security.
Of course he has relentlessly, and extraordinarily, lied in the way he has gone about achieving these results.
But politicians are not exactly the only profession guilty of the manipulative vices in our post-modern age.
Interesting letter.
Of course, it might be the first time Maliki has actually heard of an Australian military presence in Iraq.
Lefty E
Given that over the past 2 years the Iraqi Ministers for Agriculture, Trade, Finance, and Oil have all visited Australia, the Iraqi airforce bought its first planes from an Australian company, Australian companies have over $1 billion in reconstruction projects, and that countless Australian leaders have visited Iraq and met with Maliki, I think he might have an inkling of our presence.
I wonder if he imagines he might just be able to wing in an election win by pulling the troops out of Iraq? Undoubtedly he’d do it in an instant if he thought it could guarantee him another three years. Maybe he’s hoping that this might be the winning rabbit? But how to do that and keep face, with all the sabre rattling about staying the distance etc? Easy. Blame the Iraqi Government for not getting their act together and suggest to them in tones of great ernestness that the Australian public could possibly stop supporting our participation in what is becoming the greatest travesty of justice in living memory.
Malaki wants us out FFS! Is it any great wonder he hasn’t returned a Dear John Letter? He’s probably reeling with incredulity at the little bloke’s sheer gall.
Considering that everything Howard has ‘intervened’ in over the
last three monthseleven years, has resulted in an utter cock up, I hope Malaki continues to ignore this silly little man from . . . where? “A u s t r a l i a “.I agree Mark. I heard Howard’s comments on the news tonight and immediately thought he is positioning for a policy shift (withdrawal even) for political reasons. The point is, Iraq has turned to custard for some time now (both the American sponsored “democracy” and their internal security) so why mention it so late in the piece? The election must be a factor.
As polling seems to have driven most of Howard’s woeful campaign strategy & tactics to date maybe it is here too?
Talk about front – having contributed to the hellhole that is Iraq – he is now shifting blame for the situation to the hapless Iraquis.
OR maybe George has told his good mate Johnny that the yanks are about to bail out so Johnny has now commenced the exit strategy he has denied having? Watch this space.
Hilker:
Sounds very plausible. Ellis coined a number of memorable phrases that others later received plaudits for.
I remember going to an Australian Writers’ Guild Awards dinner back when Keating was PM, and Hewson was Opposition leader. Keating was a guest and Ellis was guest speaker. At the time, Keating was being hammered by the media and not looking a happy man.
Ellis’ speech was hilarious. Two terms he used in reference to Hewson that received massive laughter—particularly from Keating, who had chirped up considerably—were “sado-monetarist” and “feral abacus”. Later in the night, Keating and Ellis were in deep conversation. No doubt, they were negotiating prices, since both expressions found their way into subsequent Keating speeches.
But please don’t let it be suggested that I hold Ellis in any particular esteem other than for his ability to turn a phrase. Over three years he annually propositioned me. The latter two times, it seemed, he’d forgotten the previous (unfulfilled) attempts at congress. That bottle of scotch he ostentatiously has sitting next to his seat at public gatherings isn’t just a prop. He uses it to forget his failed conquests.
Still, isn’t it lovely to have a pickled remnant of The Push’s outsiders among us?
It’s gonna be soooo good watching him lose.
Hubris… he could have retired… but nooooo.
Imagine if he loses his seat too!
I was stunned when Howard, apropos of nothing at all, started trying to justify himself over WMDs and children overboard on The 7.30 Report. These are issues that 90% of the population couldn’t give a stuff about and the remaining 10% made up their minds long ago. For him to drag them out yet again, presumably just to try and win some debating point that will be decided only in his own mind, is a sign that he’s truly lost touch with reality.
I know exactly how Joe feels…:)
Howard to Maliki, Shorter Ratty:
Dear Raghead, unless you become more convincing in pretending that you want to achieve what Mr Bush wants you to achieve (whatever that is), Australia will withdraw the troops that you didn’t want in your country in the first place.
PS, Yes Australia DOES have troops in Iraq.
PPS, How did you convince your political enemies to refrain from voting in your election?
I put this on the Salon thread but I think it could do with a run here.
Just read a good article in the Age. It seems that â??Workchoicesâ?? is the main reason why the Libs are polling so poorly.
It also gives some good information on party internal polling and comes up with the finding that â??Workchoicesâ?? is by far the primary reason for an 8 percent swing to Labor. It appears locked in and nothing short of the total repeal of workchoices will get any of them back IMHO.
â??In more bad news for the Coalition, The Age has obtained national polling, conducted for the ACTU between March and July, which found 8 per cent of people who voted for the Coalition in 2004 planned to vote Labor this year.
When asked what was the most important issue that had caused them to switch, 30 per cent picked industrial relations law. The next biggest issues were health care, ranked first by 18 per cent of people, and climate change (12 per cent).
When asked their top three reasons for changing votes, 54 per cent included IR laws.
The results are confirmed by confidential figures from the Government side, provided by the Liberal Partyâ??s research gurus Crosby/Textor.
In a June 21 research report, OzTrack 33, also obtained by The Age, they found big anti-Government swings among part-time workers, and â??lower white (collar)/upper blue (collar)â?? workers, the classic â??Howard battlerâ?? demographic.
â??Substantially more vote changers rank the IR laws in their top three issues,â?? said the ACTU pollsters, Essential Research. â??Vote changers are also less likely to rank management of the economy and political leadership in their top three issues.â??
I really loved this quote from Joe Hockey though.
â??Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey dismissed the analysis, saying it was â??straight out of the dirty tricks manualâ?? with no credibility.â??
Donâ??t you just love him! He even dismisses his own party polling. Talk about being in denial.
Link Here. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/08/10/1186530622300.html
A quick Google on “John Howard’s Lies” shows 2,070,000 pages.
Kevin Rudd’s Lies only 287,000 pages. Says a lot about our Prime Minister.
That he’s been in politics a lot longer and that he’s been prime minister and kevin rudd hasn’t? lol
Google:
Kevin Rudd Anal Sex; 26,700 pages
John Howard Anal Sex: 878,000 pages
Says a lot about the sexual habits of our Prime Minister!
Kevin Rudd Long Lasting Erections: 198 pages
John Howard Long Lasting Erections: 32,200 pages
Guess thats proves it, John Howard can keep it up in the bedroom longer than Kevin Rudd.
Says a lot about our Prime Minister
Apologies for the above levity, now for something serious:
Kevin Rudd Truth: 279,000 pages
John Howard Truth: 2,520,000 pages
Certainly shows Mr. Rudd to be a bit sparse with the truth doesn’t it?
I can’t imagine Janette giving anyone a hard on,not even Howard.
As Mark said earlier, it’s been a long election campaign and unfortunately, there’s somewhere to go yet.
I think when we get to Googling this sort of stuff, it shows that it is getting to us.
Good fun though, sometimes.
Cheers all, I’m off to bed.
SATP and his rapier wit is just to much.
2,480,000 for John Howard Labor.
744,000 for Kevin Rudd Labor.
2,010,000 for John Howard social democracy.
131,000 for Kevin Rudd social democracy.
Must say something about their political affiliation!
Well, two things.
HoWARd was petulantly blaming the Iraqi government tonight for “not doing enough”. This blatant steal from Bush’s blackpropaganda units is classic “blame the victim” of the indigenous emergency type, only at a sort of macro level.
Particularly when one understands on both levels what little the impotent or puppet local authorities can do. In Iraq, as on a different level some of the indigenous NT settlements, it would be doubtful if the Almighty H(im)erself could repair such intractable messes.
Secondly, love the series of cartoons from Leak (I think ) and others, situated in a wrestling ring where an innoffensive and affectionate Rudd cuddles up more and more in ratio to anincreasingly enraged Howard’s temper, while Costello as an impotent trainer urges them to fight on.
Sauer Thompson has run a lot of these at “Public Opinion” and the variations are now myriad. Much better than the mug who does Jeff Mullet’s ABC show.
Hang on, dont tell me – I know this one… Oh yeah, werent you the guys propping up Saddam with dodgy bribes and contract fees during the UN blockade?
Thanks a pantload.
And now for something completely different.
Galaxy poll in Bennelong. Today. See poll Bludger.
McKew of the ALP…..53%
That bloke from the Liberal party…47&
Lomandra on 11 August 2007 at 9:27 pm
ELlis did not coin the term “sado-monetarism” and deserves no more plaudits for its creation than others who bandied it about.
The term was coined by William Keegan during the early eighties to characterise Thather’s tight monetary policies. Hitchens started dropping it into articles sometime in the late eighties. No doubt that Ellis picked it up from him, although the proper attribution seems to have escaped boozy recollection.
It was a monumental chutzpah for Ellis & Keating to use it against Hewson, given Keating’s puritanical administration of the “recession we had to have” to his cash-strapped constituents. Keating loved to talk about the “discipline” of markets and financial “correction”.
Lomandra says:
He’s certainly what some people would call a “larger than life” character, if some what self-fabricated. Public life, in fact most life, in Australia is fairly prosaic. So it is nice to have a poetic fancier lumbering about the public stage, weaving his way unsteadily from conference to conference. It would be nice if tried a bit of fact-checking now and again, just for a change.
“Oh man, the bullshit piled up so fast in [fill in the post-modern blank], you needed wings to stay above it.” Michael Herr
“I think he might have an inkling of our presence……”
Left E ‘s point is on the money . The guys getting the money might know where we are but otherwise I’d doubt anyone has anything but the foggiest of notions.
About 2 weeks ago I heard an interview with that ” legend in his own mind”" Antony Loewenstein.
I confess a certain weakness for his consistent earnestness but was surprised to hear the media tart was being interviewed on the ABC sports afternoon. Antony anywhere anytime indeed.
The interviewer was Tracy Holmes but don’t hold me to this and she was interested to hear from AL as he had been in Saudia Arabia recently. The Asia Cup final was on – between Iraq and Saudia Arabia and to provide a bit of colour to the afternoon’s commentary they asked our intrepíd explorer for the truth about what the public in the 2 countries might know about Australia.
Well AL talked about his travels in Arabia and pronounced that the only thing the general population would know about Australia would be Harry Kewell and
possibly Mark Vaduca. The interviewer must have thought that AL didn’t understand or hear the question – so they repeated it .
No , he intoned , they don’t have any idea where we are , who we are or EVEN that we are involved in the war.
Thank Allah the 2 players are world class otherwise I guess we would cease to exist at all.
Sory , Viduka that should be – and apologies to Middlesborough supporters if that is where he plays these days.
Well I was in Africa last year and was having a casual conversation with a local when he took a deep breath, looked me in the eye and asked me point blank:
“Why are you Australians attacking Iraq?”
Note the “you’.
And the ‘attacking”.
The presentation of satellite world news there [Botswana] does not follow the same pattern as that which is presented here.
Well hannah ,I guess it’s a consolation that someone in botswana knows where we are .
I find this letter to the Iraqi PM really bizarre. If Howard is preparing the ground to withdraw troops from Iraq, then he is going about it in what is a potentially very personally damaging way.
From my reading of it, Howard is basically threatening Iraq that if they don’t get their act together, then he will withdraw Australian troops because of waning public support. In other words, he will withdraw troops, not because Iraq has sorted out its problems and has become more stable but because they have NOT become stable.
This flies in the face of everything that Howard and this government have been screaming from the rooftops since day one, that is, our troops are needed to help bring stability to Iraq and that withdrawal before this time would result in the world becoming less safe as terrorists would then claim a victory.
How can he now turn around and justify that a withdrawal of troops is needed because Iraq haven’t sorted out their problems when for so long he was saying that the troops were needed to help Iraq sort out her problems?
Apart from the fact that the story constantly changes when it comes to the reasons for invading Iraq why we had to stay, and when we can leave, the only real conclusion that anyone can come to regarding Howard’s latest move is that he is being COMPLETELY motivated by the upcoming election. It is another barnacle that Howard is trying to remove from the sinking Liberal Party ship, not for any reason other than to try to save his own hide. And to think that the Libs were banging on about Howard being a conviction politician earlier this year. What a complete joke!
If I were a Howard supporter, I’d be feeling very embarrassed right now.
You run into the strangest people sometimes.
I met a bright eyed and bushy tailed young Christian missionary in northern Botswana.
She had just finished a stint of bringing light to the locals.
Sponsored by the Family First mob in Adelaide, our mutual home town.
Maybe Howard is actually a bit of a flake and it didn’t become obvious until recently, mostly because over the last decade or so political circumstances were running his way.
Mumble has an interesting posting on the current state of political play, including this.
Yes, I liked that too Paul. Much has been made of Rudd’s Christianity but is it possible that he’s a Taoist.
To do nothing, does not mean nothing is done.
I think it was Nicholas Cowdrey who said, “the reason we Australians call John Howard, ‘Honest John’, is the same reason we call reheaded people ‘bluey’ and bald headed people ‘curly’”
Joe Hockey may complain about the length of this election campaign and decry the Opposition keeping its policy powder dry, but he just doesn’t get it.
It’s time he and his Coalition mates were gone, gone, gone.
This particular right-wing cycle has almost reached its ‘use by’ date and Australian society is beginning to signal a desire to move on and move past.
yeah,we’ve been through the right wing wash cycle,now in full spin cycle so shortly we can hang the miserable bastards out to dry.
It’s encouraging that folk haven’t forgotten Iraq. Hannah’s brief comment involving Botswana hit me right between the eyes and others have had the wit to back her. Signs of life after all.
As to Anthony, you have the wit to enjoy a good cartoon, also?
Say a million words, best of them. The one I hugely lift off on just now and again is the Canberra Times doodler Pryor.
Is it just me being a political novice or is this howards atempt at trying to wedge rudd again? eg. im gonna pull the troops out what do you think kev good or bad,rudd agrees howard does a backflip libs run adds saying labour soft on terrorism or is this a bit too devious. red wine is nice on a sunday arvo!
I think there is a Zen teaching that goes: ‘Is not the best way to clear muddied waters, to simply let them sit?’ Meaning, stop stirring them up, stop meddling.
You may be right there, Mr A. It was a long time ago.
As a number of contributors here have suggested, the last few weeks have started to bring undone one of the great lies of our time. That Howard is a clever politician. That’s ‘clever’ as in intelligent, not in the sense so beloved by our MSM, namely playing cute political games that score cheap points and amuse them.
One of the big things going for him for most of his Prime Ministership is that he had no real opposition to test him. But since Rudd turned up, how’s he looked? And now that even he and Janette clearly see the writing on the wall, how’s his last few weeks been? After Haneef, the Devonport hospital, Queensland local government and now the Iraq ultimatum, it beggars the imagination what lows he can sink to as time goes on. None of us should be too surprised.
I’m already looking forward to some decent post-Howard critique of his real legacy, rather than the usual crap about his unmatched political instincts and mastery of cheap point scoring.
The John Howard as conniving political genius *insert evil cackle* was pushed mainly by leftists… it was always exaggerated. He just happened to be the leading bland reactionary when the Australian electorate went through a bland reactionary phase.
nobby, David and others
You’re only kidding yourselves with this line that a ‘right-wing’ phase or cycle is about to come to an end. It will continue for the forseeable future. In government, Rudd/Swan, etc will prove to be Howard-lite and economic fundamentalism will roll on. I suspect it will basically mirror the experience of the ALP in post-Kennett Victoria: a government so sh!t-scared about being seen to be economically irresponsible that they’ll go out of their way to be low-tax, business-friendly, etc. If anything, the implementation of the neo-liberal agenda will accelerate because there will be greater prospects for Federal-State co-ordination and at least some of the traditional enemies of neo-liberalism will give the Federal ALP a free-pass, as they retrospectively have done for Hawke/Keating: ‘necessary reforms’, ‘modernisation’ and all that. Look for this approach in upcoming public debates around tax policy in particular.
As the election approaches and as the ALP under Rudd release more policies it will get increasingly difficult for the forces of light to get worked up about a Rudd Federal government.
Cheers
BBB
Depends what you means by “right wing”.
Howard has distinguished himself as a populist interventionist. He has a vision of society. And like a skilled taxidermist Howard doesn’t care how hard he stuffs his work of art in order to achieve the final effect he desires.
Howard is inimical to sincere neo-liberals, so-called libertarians.
I predict a season of social taxidermy, with either Howard or Rudd as stuffer-in-chief.
To some extent, BBB. But economic rationalisation wasn’t exactly what I had in mind in what I called a “bland reactionary phase”. I was thinking about cultural reaction. And sure Labor will support these populist policies from the opposition, but in government they won’t initiate them with the unrelenting vigour of the Coalition. Also, even in economic terms, we will see the Howard extremes – ie workchoices – considerably toned down.
Thanks David, apologies for the misreading. I think we are on the same wavelength.
As you imply, Rudd has an opportunity to push all the right cultural buttons: politically-correct energy policy, same-sex rights, republicanism, more neutral foreign and defence policy, etc. Some of this the libertarians will welcome (Katz is right that Howard is basically a walking talking disappointment for libertarians, but then this is always the case with Tories). Rudd’s Christian perspective is something of a wild-card, but too much has been read into that.
Now given that the ALP’s cultural stance will in all likelihood be combined with basically neo-liberal economic policy, you can see why they could, barring some cataclysm, be in power for more than a while. Just like Bracksy. The Rudd Federal Government will, of course, lie with the regularity of the Howard government; the rate of deception, on myriad economic and cultural issues, will not drop one bit. Don’t expect much hand-wringing about that, though.
Cheers
BBB
Katz
What on earth is a “populist interventionist?”
David
What on earth is “bland reactionary phase” in the “cultural” context?
BBB
You can rest assured the Luvvies have been sidelined by Rudd, as I advised from the get-go. Rudd is most certainly not a luvvie. I think Labor has finally learnt its lesson from the disaster of Keating’s embrace of the Luvvies.
Now for some pastoral work amongst the benighted; the unwashed heathen.
Curious Cow, you are referring to Mark Viduka?
Mark used to play for Middlesborough, but in fact now plays for Newcastle.
Hope this is of help.
Anthony, are you a student?
You speak of the Tao, and the insight that to do nothing is sometimes to do something. Obviously you understand the essay-writing cycle.
I would’ve thought it’s obvious that Bush is planning some kind of major change in US policy towards Iraq and the phone call he made to Howard last week involved warning the Aus govt of US plans. That a few days later Howard sent a “getting tough” letter to the Iraqi PM should be no surprise.
Bush, Howard discuss Iraq in phone call
This is getting tedious…
So PM al-Maliki is threatened with the withdrawal of a few hundred Australian troops, who’re mostly engaged in guarding the Australian embassy? That must be about 700th on his list of things to worry about.
OK can’t resist.
An abridged extract from a book I’m currently reading.
“Armies change and transform the societies of the regions they enter…..considerable variations in the efficiency with which this is done…some factors..the safety, morale and discipline of their troops; creating fear and terror within the conquered territories…destroying the integrity of the indigenous society and leadership that showed signs..[of being]..resistant or potentially resistant; reducing hatred of the occupying forces by presenting the army as agents of positive change; creating dependency and loyalty to the [new] administration; rebuilding the social fabric of the territories wherever destroyed; fulfilling short and long-term plans to integrate the territory into the imperial administration; supplying the needs of other regions of the empire; creating economic monopolies…maintaining support for the war at home by satisfying needs of…profits….arguments developed to persuade people to accept what was being done to them..whenever possible they should welcome it [the occupation];the execution of “past oppressors”….”
Source:
TT Thompson “The Mythic past” discusssing the Assyrian imperial policies in its conquered territories in the early-mid first millenia BCE.
David
The question is quite straightforward. What on earth is â??bland reactionary phaseâ?? in the â??culturalâ?? context?
Hannah, loved your explication as to origins of neoliberalism.
Cute li’l (senna)cherubs, aren’t they?
Ta paul, when I was reading it [it was published in 1999 so Thompson couldn't have had the current scenario in mind] I was stuck by the similarities and how little has changed in over two and a half thousand years.
It’s almost a perfect description of today.
Same old same old.
psst hannah is my dog, I’m her “dad”, I didn’t realize when I used her name as my sig here that it would cause gender confusion, sorry about that.
“The only thing new in this world is the history we don’t know – Harry Truman.