Well the press gallery and commentariat have certainly covered themselves in glory this week, breaking irrelevant stories years after the fact – I’ll tell ya, nothing gets past this mob in their rush to the heliograph.
KEVIN Rudd’s hopes of becoming Prime Minister have been rocked by a visit to a New York strip club where he was warned against inappropriate behaviour during a drunken night while representing Australia at the United Nations.
So, what headlines to the bylines are coming up this week for our fearless defenders of the truth, investigative journalism and cogent commentary?
Elvis is dead! Michael Brissenden. Kennedy Shot! By Matt Price. Holt drowns! By Michelle Grattan. Garrett was a rock star! by Malcolm Farr.
Can anyone take these clowns seriously? And these are the guys that claim bloggers are trivia focused lightweights who can’t break the really big stories. Peter Beattie got Milne right when he said on today’s
But so what if he’s had a few too many drinks – I’ve seen journalists do that on national television
Heck I’d love to regale you with tales of me closing the Mens Gallery after a very big night in Melbourne (yes I ran out of twenties), but it might end up as a beatup in a Milne column three years from now.
In fact I find it refreshing that Rudd had a drink or two and felt comfortable enough to go to the club with that poster boy of News Limited press reptiles Col Allan; this gives Rudd a lot in common with quite a few red blooded Australian blokes, many of whom may be more inclined to vote for the guy knowing he likes the odd drink and the ladies.
Anyway the last word goes to Col Allan.
Yes, it was at a gentleman’s club and he (Mr Rudd) behaved like a perfect gentleman
End. Of. Story.
They never learn those clowns at the Liberal Party dirt unit. They’re still waiting for the bounce following the brilliant Burke affair.
I saw the Channel Seven morning show today, and all four presenters thought it would do nothing BUT good for Rudd’s image, especially the two female presenters. They read out a couple of emails, all supporting Rudd.
And one of the presenters, Samantha Armitage, said with a cheeky grin, Kevin 07 was in heaven. All priceless and very good for Rudd.
Those idiots just never learn and they really are idiots.
Phil
I don’t think you apprecaite the enormity of this. Obviously Pavlov’s Cat, Kim, tigtog, and of course Head of the Presbyterian Feminazi’s Commonroom, laura, will all be demanding he resign for his “inappropriate” and sexist ways. Psssttt….I have heard there was actually a pole-dancer at this club and cheeky Kevvie slipped her a few greenbacks; for her cab home, you see.
The moment Milne would rather we all forget:
John, you’re an idiot.
John, we’re a broad church here at LP mate. And yes I’m hoping Kevin07 ran out of twenties, though sadly that wasn’t the case, it still looks like he was born to be mild.
Personally, I don’t think it’s a big deal. But I think the reaction hereabouts would have been very different if it’d been John Howard or Peter Costello.
It might be acceptable for ‘red-blooded Australian blokes’ to get drunk and go to a strip club, but surely you set a higher standard for somebody who is representing our country?
What does that mean? He’s not on duty 24/7. Who hasn’t ever been in another city on a work trip and kicked up their heels at night? This is total nonsense. Non story. Like Phil said.
Ian, the standard I set is that our representatives have a whole and full life experience. I don’t trust anyone who claims otherwise.
Not irrelevant at all; it’s The Permanent Election Phil…stiffen up
First it was the Neilsen poll & Haneef Doorstop Inc; this WE it’s
The Newspoll & Rude Nude Rudd Inc…
Must have missed Dolly’s DFAT Diplomatic Do’s & Don’ts but -
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/93563/strip_club_dos_donts/
Next: The Great Eumundi Tuck Shop Scandal…tres norty
Um, no Rob, refer to my previous comment.
I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure, Phil
Hardly imaginable with Howard anyway.
My point, too, Kim. But is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Becky takes a pointed swipe here.
One suspects that Kruddy would have to be caught in bed with (as they say) a dead girl or a live boy for any mud to stick. As noted above, I believe this will go the way of the Burke “scandal”.
hannah wrote on the other thread:
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/15/election-speculation/#comment-394097
There are two relevant issues here.
1. Contrary to what Greenfield assumes, I don’t have a problem with the existence of strip clubs if they’re properly regulated, crime free and the women working in them are doing so voluntarily and being properly paid. So I don’t know that you’d get unanimity among people who agree that the “personal is the political”.
2. But in a sense, it’s not. This is all reminiscent of the “character” bullshit that kicked off in US politics with Gary Hart being stalked by the press to find out if he was cheating on his wife in the 88 primaries, and really got going with Bill Clinton. The crazed moralism of the Clinton impeachment demonstrated that Americans rightly distinguished between his personal sexual ethics (and the Lewinsky thing is a lot more troubling than going to a strip club) and his performance as a politician. Look at Kennedy, for goodness’ sakes. Firstly, we’ve got to ask whether the lack of much policy differentiation between Rudd and Howard means that “character” is the basis for choosing between them. If so, that’s a poor look out for Australian politics if we can’t have an actual contest of ideas. Secondly, we’ve got to look at the ethics of the media in raising this – “Rudd talked to Christians last week and lauds his churchgoing” and “Rudd was overseas on a publicly funded trip” are both questionable justifications.
There will be a lot of other pollies worrying if this sort of thing becomes commonplace.
Hardly imaginable with Howard anyway.
Watch out for a leaked amateur video of Howard entering a strip bar in the next few months to match Kevin’s effort.
Kim
Mah, deah, you are a very confused, ethically-incoherent hypocrite. But delightful, harmless, entertainment, nevertheless.
It’s an irrelevant thing to me, Rob.
We might find out soon though – I suspect some Coalition Ministers haven’t been leading saintly lives and there may well be some retaliatory shots fired – or at least the threat made to shut down this “issue”.
Me suspects that Kim (though more likely, Mark) will cut this thread soon. And voila, in a week’s time, Kim will start a thread challenging posters to donate to an NGO that “helps” strippers. Ah, the cycle of luvviedom, never stops.
John, shut up mate unless you have something useful to say, this is my thread and as many commenters know I don’t follow LP’s comments policy, I’m a dictator and you comment here at my discretion only with no correspondence entered into.
SANCTIMONIOUS TWADDLE
Glenn Milne – ‘the demon drink shall never pass my lips’ – of all people. Note to Editors: his pieces on drunken foolishness should always be accompanied by a warning to the reader:
“GM is a recovering alcoloholic.” or
“GM says, “Do as I say, boys; not as I do!” ”
SQUIRM FACTOR
Watch the feminist pro-Ruddites squirm when asked about it. Amusement guaranteed.
EMMA RULES !!
Emma Alberici wouldn’t go to a strip club. She’s our candidate, then.
cheerio
I’m a feminist not-very-keen-on-Kevin07-ite and I’m not squirming…
And I’m an anti Rudd pro feminist guy who has seen the odd stripper and who would have loved to party with Kevin03 in NY, and I’m not squirming either
Oh, I’m sorry, maybe some folks don’t understand what this is about, it’s not about feminism this is about media and politics. Guess what, any feminazi comments on this thread will be moderated. starting with….?
If any commenters want to attack the women who write/comment here they can do it somewhere else.
Meh, it will go down badly with some parts of the electorate. I don’t think it will change many votes – Rudd, like Howard, just doesn’t have the right personality to appeal to the bogan male demographic who frequent strip shows. Though I think the assessment of Peter Beattie and a few others – (it just proves Rudd is a real man!) is a little dumb. But as for JG’s comment:
I don’t think you appreciate the enormity of this…
Way, way over the top.
I take your point on the “real man” thing TimT, after all this was just one hour after a long day probably, so it hardly makes the man into some kind of dinkum bloke……which he clearly is not. And even Costello isn’t a man’s man. Let’s face it the country is run by egghead political and policy wonks/nerds.
Well well a question of character according to Mr Milne, because apparently, ‘Rudd is in public life’. I presume he meant there, that Rudd was running for election, not that he was a ‘public figure’ because after all, that could apply to any number of the overblown over paid and underperforming bloviators of the press Gallery, like Mr Milne.
It certainly could not mean that Milne thinks that a candidate for the Office of PM could never be drunk does it? I mean that nice Mr Howard had a very ‘emotional time’ according to the biographers, in those far off days in the wilderness. ‘Wild parties’ was the term employed.
So it boils down to going to a strip club. Is it the type of strip club or is it the nature of these establishments themselves? If the latter, I look forward to a sophisticated and nuanced debate lead by the Press Gallery, of course, on sexual politics, politics and sex. It won’t be amusing, but it certainly will be illuminating, as we watch them roil and roll in the mess of their contradictory, complicit and craven behaviour.
I love how Milne (”The Poison Dwarf”) managed to drop a grubby piece of innuendo into the story based, of course, on an anonymous source.
I wonder if it was the same source that was whispering things about Mark Latham’s bucks night video – you know, the video that has yet to surface (for the very good reason that it no doubt never existed in the first place).
So who’s done this? A good place to start would be the usual suspects in the very hard feral right of the NSW Liberal Party. The same people who slimed former moderate-ish NSW Liberal Leader john Brodgen (resulting in a suicide attempt) and tried – very unsuccessfully – to slime Bob Debus, as well as Justice Kirby………am I missing any other victims of the Lib gutter trawlers out there?
If only she would.
*sighs*
I really can’t see this affecting Rudd negatively – about 95% of the news.com.au comments are running in his favour.
In a weird way, this will probably reassure a decent number of ‘blokey’ men that Rudd is not a total cleanskin.
The issue isn’t that Rudd went to a strip club. The issue – easily identified by its omission here – is that he was apparently asked to leave.
Tim, the reason that’s a non issue here is that Allan says Rudd behaved like a total gentleman, e-mail him (I’m sure he’s in your address book) and ask him to tell us what really happened there then we’ll be talking about that believe me. otherwise that’s just a game of smear and innuendo by you.
Will the real Sir Les Patterson please stand up?
Aussie male goes overseas, gets drunk and ogles women.
I’d say he represents Australia perfectly.
And here you have the true grubbiness of the smear. The alleged ‘issue’ is probably being ‘omitted’ because there is no evidence whatsoever that it happened. In fact it’s been denied by the three people who were there. Nevertheless the smear will no doubt be repeated at every opportunity until the election.
It will be coupled with the smear that Rudd was too drunk to remember anything about the night. This is Milne’s dishonest and malicious misrepresentation of what Rudd actually said, namely that he didn’t recall any incidents like the gossip being reported.
I feel that unfortunately the cumulative impact of the smears will be significant. Remember that this is the mob that was quite prepared to defame a High Court judge under parliamentary privilege using forged documents. They will simply keep inventing stories which will gain certain credence in the community. Even normally measured commenters and Tim himself over at Blogocracy are already repeating the “too drunk to remember what happened” line crafted by Milne.
When politicians and journalists are prepared to abandon any standards of ethical conduct the population at large is left in a very precarious position. We’ve seen in the USA how political careers can be destroyed by muck-raking and there’s no reason to think we’re somehow above that sort of thing. Rather the opposite, I would have thought.
Rudd claims that Downer is behind this.
Is this the first sign of the veil slipping? Or is it as many here argue just an aberration? Because I really don’t know, and I want to know.
Tell me the real Kevin Rudd is not the wishy-washy, shallow sounding, lip-licking nerd we see presented to us on TV every night. Because that’s not who I want to run my country.
Please tell me there is some real substance to this man, and he is a man of principle, despite his tiresome mirroring of every move Mr Howard makes. This could be just the opportunity Mr Rudd needs to show us who he really is. I hope he does it.
Just saw on ABC that KR suspects Downer may have had some part in this. Following the (non reported) Morgan Poll, panic has set in. How dirty will the next 3 months get?
This might be a touch Machiavellian, but could it also be deliberate ploy by the ALP/Rudd to help counter his prissy image?
As another commenter has already noted many comments were running about 9/1 in his favour.
The only smoke from this little political bushfire would be if he really was asked to leave the club for groping.
As it stands he gets to wave allegations of a smear job around, get a few bogan votes he might have missed and thats about it.
We all know politics is a dirty game and, after this week in particular, we can be sure there is a lot known by insiders which we will never know. (Unless of course this tit-for-tat game escalates—we may find out more than anybody hoped for.)
But for goodness sakes; Mr Rudd is now playing the victim card, rather than taking responsibility for his own actions? Please.
No doubt there would have been some reporting out of NY. Maybe this is the one cable that Downer actually did read? Well, being Foreign Minister is a busy job, you can’t read everything.
Unless you’re Gareth Evans, of course.
(Sigh) I wish the normally sensible commenters on here were not in such a rush to reassure everybody that of course strip clubs are just a normal part of blokedom, of course the women are all doing this stuff because they really prefer it and of course the pornulation of everything and the insistence of providing naked female flesh everywhere for male enjoyment is just fine and dandy.
Because, of course there is no alternative besides “strip club habituee” and “wowser”, in this excessively manichaean society of ours. (Thanks Hannah, brave woman.)
I still think strip clubs are pathetic and the people who frequent them are equally so. But Kev doesn’t strike me as the kind of person whose idea it would have been to go. it sounds more likely it was Col Allan’s idea. Which brings me to ask: isn’t it more of a worry that Rudd is hanging out with editors from the gutter press (New York Post)?
Was this the huge bomb that we were told some journos had in store for us which was meant to be dropped when the election was called? If so, it’s a bit of premature ejaculation, pardon the pun.
or less to it than meets the eye
It’s all about tits, the rest is tat.
Goodness, had nothing to do with it. ‘Dobber Downer’ is hardly the victim card and it’s up to Dolly to work out how he wants to handle his role (cartoonists can dust off the school uniform)
This could be it Helen, we’ll see. If Rudd did stuff a few benjamins into the g-string and got a few lappys then he’s pretty well gone I guess, however if nothing comes of this in the next few days then it’ll just be the smear it looks like.
One last thing though, I’d be pretty worried if I were a Liberal MP with a skeleton in my closet, gutter politics is MAD territory.
Oh, and won’t the minor parties look like a good option the bigs and the gallery continue with their gutter politics and commentary.
“Rudd claims that Downer is behind this.”
The backstory in Milne’s piece mentioned “Australian diplomats” (presumably UN-based) being “aware of the incident” so it’s highly likely that Downer obtained the info through DFAT channels and has been sitting on it for a while, waiting for a slow news day………
I suspect that the hook was supposed to be the “inappropriate behaviour” smear (what’s “appropriate” behaviour for a pollie in a strip joint? Reading briefing papers?) but Col Allan looks to have deep-sixed the potential for getting traction out of that.
I agree with Beattie. If anything, this is likely to endear Rudd to the punters but I’m picking that the aim
was to quite specifically blow a hole in the “Christian” appeal factor which has pissed the Coalition off mightily given their sense that it’s their natural constituency.
The really interesting story would be to investigate how this came to light……….
Well I’m game.
If it had been Howard I’d be outraged. Since it was Kevin I don’t mind so much.
I’m a biased hypocrite, just like millions of other people.
See, they arise, the gatekeepers of the media!
See how they decide what is news and what is not!
But be not afraid, people – they are but few, while ye are many.
“All sins can be forgiven, justified or ignored in the rush to get Labor back into office. Your hypocrisy is so astonishing it can’t be parodied. First Ayaan Hirsi Ali and now this.
Let’s face it if a Lib had done it, it would have been male chauvinist sexism. If Kevin does it it just makes him more human and less of a “public office-seeking missileâ€?.”
This is crap, Kimba. First of all, we already KNOW Liberal politicians have done this sort of stuff time and time again. It just doesn’t usually make it into the papers. This crappy little story about Rudd has, and it’s fair to ask why and speculate on its impact without getting into tut-tuuting about exploitation in the sex industry.
What is hypocritical is someone saying ‘Ohmigod that’s it, I’m changing my vote back to Howard’ on the strength of Rudd’s one night on the town, having cheerfully ignored (for the last five to ten years) Howard’s record on the slightly weightier issues of personal integrity, baby-murdering in Iraq, human rights infringements etc etc [insert pet issue here].
Perspective, Australia. Perspective! *Bangs head on desk*
“Because, of course there is no alternative besides “strip club habitueeâ€? and “wowserâ€?, in this excessively manichaean society of ours. (Thanks Hannah, brave woman.)”
Well there’s the gay NY strip club alternative of course, Helen, which might have offered a whole exciting new take on “strip club habituee” and “wowser,” had Col Allan been smart enough to have thought of it…..
I thought these guys were slick operators?
The only bit of this that looks bad for Kev is the groping (implied in the article, no witnesses or outright allegation) and the mealy mouthed “I dont remember” when quizzed on it.
Hard to say what other answer he could have given though.
Rudd has enough detractors in his own party for Downer to automatically get the blame for this one.
Oh, and won’t the minor parties look like a good option the bigs and the gallery continue with their gutter politics and commentary.
Mmm-hm.
Just when we were all starting to think there is no difference between Howard and Rudd.
Ah, so what, Rudd was just letting off a little steam! You know, showing some of that good old Aussie irreverence that’s been a cornerstone of our nation since Gallipoli!
I could understand a drunken night in NY ending up in a strip club…when you are maybe 22…
I’m just wondering out of all the places in NYC that he could have gone – why there?
Given Rudd’s supposed ‘clean’ image I tend to agree with those that think he was encouraged to go and having had a few didn’t have the foresight to say no or perhaps just go to a bar or do a jig in times square.
I doubt it will have much of an effect on public sentiment though as most of those who object to it on moral grounds aren’t going to be running to Howard anytime soon.
If anything it might grab a few of the votes in certain parts of QLD?
If that’s the best dirt they’ve got, the libs are in serious trouble….
m
“I love how Milne (â€?The Poison Dwarfâ€?) managed to drop a grubby piece of innuendo into the story based, of course, on an anonymous source.”
I watched Glenn Milne on Insiders today. I know a thing or two about body language as I have taught numerous classes on it to university students. When asked about the “allegation” of Rudd being warned about inappropriate behaviour, every nonverbal indication by Milne was suggesting that he was lying. I have seen so many examples of classic body language when people are lying. Many politicians have learnt to mask it, but clearly Milne hasn’t done so. I have no doubt that he was being deceitful.
Either Milne is desperate for a big headline or he is doing the government’s bidding with its usual deceitfulness and grubby tactics.
Ken,
Err.. Tim works for Rupert, remember? He toes the corporate line. Remember? And now that he’s “inside the tent” he gets to hear all the campfire conversation.
Newsflash. Anonymous body language expert clears Mr Rudd of inappropriate behaviour allegations.
Rubbish. If you accept Mr Rudd’s version of events, he can’t even say with any certainty what he did that night (too drunk, don’t you know?).
Snowden’s response.
“It’s just not true, it’s a beat up, someone’s creative imagination and there’s nothing in it,” he said.
“This is just a giant beat-up coming from a journalist who was himself the subject of some concern because of his public display of drunkenness on national television.”
Mr Snowdon said he felt “intimidated” by the environment and he and Mr Rudd left after about 40 minutes.
“We stayed for a reasonably short length of time, nothing untoward happened and we left,” he said.
And as someone on Poll Bludger has pointed out, Milne’s wife works for Crosby/Textor and the “Revelation” was leaked today, when Newspoll are polling.
And we all know who Newspool’s preffered media outlet is.
“Cue Twilight Zone Music”
Newsflash. Anonymous body language expert clears Mr Rudd of inappropriate behaviour allegations.
Anyone can allege anything, TOSY. It’s providing any evidence of it that’s Milne’s problem. It’s a wonder that Milne has the gall to comment at all, given his own abysmal record.
Here a fairly relevant line, from the GG:
Im sorry, whats the story here?
“Man goes to pub shock”?
And whats the bet this absolute fizzer is also the rumoured “Shock revelations” some SMH journo has allegedly been sitting on?
If anything, it make Krudd seem even more boring to me.
Tony, you miss the point. Rudd is not being cleared of anything. I’m just saying that Milne was showing all the classic signs of someone lying when he was talking about the “anonymous” person who alleged that Rudd was behaving inappropriately.
Make of that what you will. But frankly, I wouldn’t put much faith in the details of Milne’s story.
Downer is stupid enough to have not thought? this through, and may just come back to cost the Libs big time. If he is behind it, obviously Ratty has given the nod, and the way Ratty has been lately, well , drowning not waving.
As an aside, can someone tell me any front bencher in the Libs.; that they have any respect for?, I tried and can’t bring one to mind.
OK Noocat, let’s just say for the sake of your argument that Milne was lying about this point; it will now be very difficult for Mr Rudd to challenge him on it given his own, shall we say, haziness about the night in question.
Like a few others, I’m feeling somewhat relieved KRudd has a streak of falliability.
That same source has also been hawking artifacts from John Howard’s buck’s night. Video formats in Howard’s heyday included granite, shale and sandstone.
Howard better hope this dies a fairly rapid death, lest people start investigating his own ancient history. I have heard that back in the 70s, the most outrageous parties in Canberra were thrown by John Winston Howard – and there was much debauchery by him and his guests. Hard to imagine I know , but there’s more. The biggest open secret among the insiders in the circle-jerk called the Canberra press gallery is the exact nature of Howard’s relationship with Pru Goward. They were having an affair for years, but it never gets mentioned due to a gentleman’s agreement.It was apparently a major contributing factor in Jeanette’s refusal to live in Canberra.
What if, as a result of a forensic examination of Rudd’s “character”, the gloves come off on private vs public morality in Australia?
Actually the more I think about it the more annoyed I become about all of this in-house, off-the-record, well-known but not-for-general-consumption, dinner-party-only information which we, the people, are being protected from (for our own good of course).
The relationship between politicians and the press-gallery is bordering on incestuous—but we the public are the victims. Oh, and the truth of course.
no, no. This story, as media managers rightly know, serves a v. useful purpose. It provides a faux-shock revelation that can entertain males in the time-honoured conspiratorial ways: guffawing, winking and chuckling at the camaraderie felt with a bloke just being a bloke, y’know, or alternatively, the frisson of being given an opportunity to think of a normally taboo subject, express one’s profound disappointment, and feel superior, and exempt – all at the same time. So satisfying and it has been a while between drinks, no?
Not Kev stripped bare, stupid, but Artemis. She who must not be gazed on or touched. Very transgressive. But you must still face Her in the morning, boys. And with a hang-over and bad headlines too boot.
*roaring with cosmic laughter*
My take here.
This is not a story and no one gives a rats. Will not change one vote!
The thread has gone much as I expected.
Its a complicated matter cos our party loyalties have been overlaid with sexual politics.
My wife first introduced me to the term and the underlying concepts of the ‘personal is political’ decades ago, well before Hart et al.
It goes something like this I think:
A persons life experiences feed into their political opinions and the political environment in toto, that which is considered normal and acceptable [or otherwise], feeds back into the person in a circle.
As a male [hannah is my dog] it took me a long time to understand that and to come to terms with it.
It took me a long time to learn that sexist jokes [its only a joke dear], sexist practices [well there will always be sexual exploitation of women, its natural,been around for yonks.....it's normal] and so on were excusing and thus perpetuating sexual exploitation.
A strip club is a commercial enterprise that makes money out of paying women to expose their bodies to men who pay the owner to be allowed to do so.
I don’t find that a socially acceptable practice.
And I dont think that Rudd should have been a part of it, by doing so his personal practices and ethics are condoning sexual exploitation.
What goes round comes round.
Lets not confuse this issue with other issues.
Iraq for example has been mentioned.
I condemn Howard and co. for their actions in that respect.
But that is separate from this and has to be so otherwise every issue becomes negated by comparison to every other.
What Tony of Sth Yarra says
Col Allan has challenged the story of inappropriate behaviour, being a NY journo with a cast-iron liver who would require 3 bottles of vodka just to get a wee bit squiffy, and he says nothing happened.
It may or may not be an issue out in mum and dad TV land (though I tend to think it will be). But, for what it’s worth, all the blogs I’ve visited today have devoted unique threads to this topic, and they’re generating huge numbers of comments.
It really irritates me the way these non events get blown out of proportion. No wonder we are all so cynical. The people who were actually with Rudd at the time, Col Allan and Warren Snowden both stated that he acted like a gentleman and that they were only there for a short time as the atmosphere was a bit “intimidating”. That should be it, one would think.
I don’t think Rudd is some kind of drunken street cruiser when he’s out of town. In fact, given that he was in NY on UN business and was Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister at the time, getting legless and feeling-up the dancers is a ludicrous assertion.
Scores Club Manhattan is billed as New York’s premier gentlemen’s club. It is crowded, trendy, upmarket and expensive. It has full service restaurant and bars. It’s not some sleazy back alley strip joint.
That the journalist concerned suggested they pop in for a drink does not surprise me, as it’s the sort of flashy place certain types of men on expense accounts would go to. I don’t think Snowdon or Rudd would have suggested they go to a strip club and have a piss-up and a perv.
Who told Dolly about it anyway?
C’mon, this is just a Liberal hit-job.
Let’s face it, Liberals virtually invented the whispering campaign in this country. If you could verify and add up all the smears, character assassinations, dirty political hit-jobs, I bet you’d find the Libs are responsible for the overwhelming majority of them (often against enemies on their own side).
Both sides are NOT equally to blame for importing from the US this really grubby style of personal politics. I doubt there would be a single ALP candidate for a winnable seat that hasn’t had to put up with this kind of thing in recent years. Liberal candidates don’t have to put up with it to anywhere near the same extent. I may be biased, but I’m sure in private most honest – honest – Liberal party members would admit that this is true.
Gay and serial-adulterer seem the most popular, but the one I love the most is occult-leanings (that was spread among church-goers in my electorate)…………the occult one was pretty funny.
Lefty E at 5.01 is on the money. At any location overseas there will be regular haunts that our overseas missions are expected to have up their sleeves when visiting dignitaries are in town. They need to be safe but interesting and it’s part of the job of the mission staff to know about them. No doubt Col Allen, from what I read about him, knew a few as well.
The fact that Kevin07 was actually there is not an issue. What happened: well, who remembers what?
My problem with what Col Allan says, apart from him being a part of this polly-journo inner-circle, is that he seems to be the likely source of the story, and as such is doing his own bit of strategic arse covering.
You are on the money there PDLeftist, I sorta felt sorry for Pru’s partner, then decided that they are all in the same cauldron, Mrs. Ratty blind eye for status and the thrill, Ratty sewing things up, Mr. Pru gaining from all and sweet Pru a life of ease,paid by us, not maybe awarded by being vertical.
The Libs: really should be careful on this, and their yappers,
look back in history and I think they well be advised not to turn over rocks, just maybe a Hef: Sneddon: Lyons, Peacock, Abbott,Downer, Andrews and many others may just fail the “holier than though’ test.
Its not really a big deal to me, but i think the best way through for him as a person in public leadership is to reflect honestly on the event and respond with truthful integrity.
If Rudd is silly he can play the victim or run the clinton “i did not have sexual ideations with those women” line, or, he can act humbly, acknowledge his poor judgement and apologise for any offense it has caused to his colleagues, family, fellow christians and to women.
Tony of South Yarra is flogging a dead horse. I have done my own market reaearch at the local this afternoon and the response is ….. SFW.
Please produce any evidence that Downer’s little smear campaign will do anything but improve Rudd’s esteem with the public.
His supporters don’t care and the waverers are excited because he is actually human.
Read Peter Beattie for how this is going down.
Caroline Overington, over in the Oz, claims that the story is months old in Canberra and surfaced as a result of a disgruntled ex NY post employee claiming that Col Allan was a constant habitue of “Scores.”
She also observes that the Rudd angle has lacked the “inappropriate conduct/asked to leave” line until
Milne’s piece surfaced today.
So, once again, the “story” here is why Milne chucked the hitherto absent spicy hook in and ran the piece in the Tele at this point.
I mean, assuming he was complicit in any naught bits…
Not sure what the “intimidating” comment was referring to in relation to the club, but I wouldn’t mind betting it had to do with the pressure to buy drinks, by the bottle, hugely marked up, I am talking $300 a bottle here US prices, for the pleasure of staying even just a very short time in such a gentleman’s club. Why people fall for it I don’t know. It ain’t that sexy from what I have heard, even for blokes, but then is it the transgression that is the thing really for these sexual ingenues, now ain’t it.
And if you are pissed and intimidated by aggressive waiters trying to sell you outrageously priced drinks, or move you on, then you can’t really absorb the entertainment, now can you.
It would be very strange to work in such a place, but I imagine that the women who do so feel pretty distanced from those who observe them, distracted as the latter are by meeting exhaustion, their competitive, noisy companions, and unfamilarity of all with direct sensual pleasure.
I was just about to post a link to Overington:
http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/coverington/index.php/theaustralian/comments/rudds_awkward_poll_dance
I think Milne should be persona non grata for every ALP MP and staffer from now on. Wallow in the muck without any tips, leaks, quotes, or help from Labor.
As you know this kind of thing is impossible to prove. Subsequent opinion polls will give us some idea but we may have to wait until the election to find out for sure.
As for Peter Beattie being the absolute authority on this kind of thing: not for me, thanks all the same.
The Australian Christian Lobby director yawns:
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22270695-948,00.html
And all the news.com.au websites are claiming that “public opinion is split” based on comments left on the news.com.au websites. What a farce.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22270734-661,00.html
So where’s the CCTV security cam footage? I can feel a mashup coming on.
Also people really should clarify their terminology here. There is a difference between a strip club and and a gentleman’s club. Like for starters, a 400% markup on the drinks and no visible tattoos on the talent.
As to why Kevin 007 ended up there, well imagine you’re an ambitious Australian pollie out on the town in the Big Apple with one of the most influential people in Murdoch’s empire who, in that genial yet slyly challenging way that Aussie blokes do so well, suggests kicking on for a bit of fun somewhere just down the road.
“C’mon Kev, not one of those wowser Christians are you? Look I’ve gotta gold membership pass here. Won’t cost you a cent mate.”
I doubt it was a set up though. Col Allan may be a bastard, but he’s not that kind of a bastard.
Hey, imagine if it was the Silver Bodgey there instead? He’d have been up there on the catwalk himself, shaking his booty and tucking the Benjimans, IOUs and lit cigars into his Y-fronts.
It’s not like Kruddy is some PM who perhaps, let’s say for example’s sake, has been having an adulterous affair with a married woman, appointed by him to a well-paid public service post or perhaps slapped around a woman at an elite Canberra house of assignation. Or some married Federal Cabinet Minister who paid for a staffer’s abortion once it was explained to him exactly what DNA tests do reveal. Or some famous commercial TV political pundit asked to leave an elite Canberra house of assignation because his requests were felt to be…um…unhygienic.
MAD indeed.
“a 400% markup on the drink”
Whups, lost a zero there.
Tony from south Yarra writes facile nonsense. Nothing to support his offensive assertions apart from an, “I do beleive in fairies”, assessment of what he hopes people think.
This is a complete non issue.
It might help get the yobbo vote, though of course not the Yobbo vote.
pre-dawn leftist, according to Mungo McCallum, and reliable others, Howard has been f…king his Parliamentary Secretary for years. A bit like Camilla and Charles. Why should we doubt it?
Powerful men, no matter how physically gross or unattractive and soulfully bereft do strongly feel a sense of sexual entitlement. And act on it. And correspondingly, there are always women drawn to the aura and into the orbit of a powerful man, regardless of the absence of otherwise usual charms. Like moths to a flame.
Right back at ya, GG.
Hey folks…..according to…..I rather those kinds of insuiations didn’t happen on this thread because like Milnes merde there isn’t a bit of evidence to back that shite up.
Through my various O/T connections…. NY, Athens, Londres, Paris… I have the ‘money shot’ that the poison dwarf’ would have killed for.
See..
http://eatatjoeshome.blogspot.com/
Seriously, this day, has given me more laffs than I can remember, for ages.
Tony from South Yarra, read what I wrote at 6.07. I actually added to the debate.
You should try the same!
Yes jinmaro, and it is well versed in the Bible.
(Self note,I may read that one day, being a best selling book, then again, think I won’t, too much non value of your fellow person for me.)
It’s a pity you—evidently—haven’t read any of the posts before yours, because then you might not be so sure about that.
It’s an irrelevant story, although I can’t help thinking that this will only help Kevin in the male constituency.
Andrew Landeryou has the most recent Rudd transcript posted:
http://andrewlanderyou.blogspot.com/2007/08/dear-oh-dear-reason-4284-why-running.html
It’s intriguing to observe how often Rudd uses the word “blokes” in his answers.
It has always intrigued me that many a Howard voter after admitting to be such, was quick to add that they actually didn’t like the man very much. Perhaps Rudd will prove similar to Howard even in this regard?
I find Rudd a bit of a cold, calculating fish. Clearly smart–light years ahead of Howard, but very hard to read. For all my hope that Australia could elect as its leader, a warm-hearted, left-leaning, socialist, tree hugging, wise, philosopher-sage, I seriously doubt that such a man lies deep in the bosom of Kevin 07.
This latest bit of ‘news’ does seem to be out of character–thus far. I’m with Helen and Hannah on this in that its a dreary, state of affairs, when going to a strip club, getting pissed and ogling women is seen as being the quintessential all Australian boy(o) and therefore perfectly normal and acceptable, in every respect. Perfectly fucking pedestrian in every way methinks.
The really sad and tragic thing we see here should call for compassionate headlines. But of course it won’t.
Our prospective PM has probably never had more than one deeply compromised and inconsequential wild night in his entire life. Qld born, career-consumed, disciplined Christian, lucrative business marriage, career public servant, most of his o/s trips to China, long time member of the ALP and former chief of staff for Premier Goss.
Just putting all that together makes me feel like a good lie down. Mind boggling. Don’t be cruel, folks. Let the poor bloke at least always have Scores Club Manhattan.
“It’s intriguing to observe how often Rudd uses the word “blokesâ€? in his answers.” says Mark.
I find it “intriguing” that Mark finds it so “intriguing”.
What is it Mark? Do you know something more about his use of the word “blokes”, that is ‘world shattering’ or otherwise ?
Feel free to share, you are amongst friends.
Yup, Jinmaro, given what I know of pollies at play, this strikes me as a fairly typical and pathetic outcome for Kev. One night at a gentleman’s club in NYC where he didn’t get to score? Generations of Australian politicians must be revolving in their current or future graves – with John Gorton and Bob Hawke setting the average rpm.
And don’t you love the News Ltd “Backgrounder” of the Club which is virtually a free plug.
Yes Frank that’ll be the contra with the Post, News won’t have to pay for drinks for the next year.
I merely suggest, joe2, that it’s probably occurred to Kev07 and/or some of his media minders/spinmeisters that he can play this for a bit of bloke cred with the strip club going folk. After all, it appears to have occurred to almost everyone else who’s commented on it.
I don’t think our Kev07 is all that spontaneous except when he’s got a few grogs in him!
In fact it’s been denied by the three people who were there
Er not actually Ken, Kevin can’t remember
and as many commenters know I don’t follow LP’s comments policy
So why do you hang out here Phil?
unfortuntely my immediate thought from this story was… its actually good for Rudd’s popularity to have this surface… unless he turns out to be completely lecherous. Feminism aside, Rudd is more and more being cast as John’s shadow, mostly by his own doing – and when most of find John Howard repulsive, not matter what you think of his politics this can’t be a good thing.
PeterTB, because I like the colour purple.
I second hannah’s comments. No-one who goes to a strip club earns my respect. But a mistake years ago (for which he is at least apparently remorseful) pales in comparison to the crap Howard has pulled in office (and lied countless times publicly about).
In other words, deciding which way to vote is a bit like comparative morality 101. They’re all bad. Which is the least bad?
Indeed, Nabs, but perhaps the nation is in dire need of entertainment in these trying times–something like “Blott on the Landscape” and a Mrs Forthby: Nanny Whip, Doris the schoolgirl sexpot uniforms and an Arthur Daley political character “sprung”, so to speak.
But definitely not Howard, his “core promises” en boudoir would be too much to bear and the nation is not yet ready for that. Confusing the G8 with the G-spot—well the mind boggles.
(BTW, some obnoxious pollies turfed out this time could well contemplate a career in sleazy strip joints–”La Dolly” Kings Cross, Heffernan’s “No Queers” Girly Gigs and Wilson Tuckey’s “Iron Bar Up the Arse” Pub and the like.)
(I move the motion to appoint Nabs as Oz’s Tom Sharpe.)
Arleeshar at stoush has a post with some interesting links:
http://stoush.net/arleeshar/615
Helen’s on the money. The real interest is why Rudd, at a time he was positioning himself for an (abortive) leadership tilt, was so keen to be boozing with a top Murdoch editor that he ended up p*ssed on the town.
Otherwise, on the scale of Paul Barry’s recent revelations about Packer’s whorehouse, it rates nil on the Richter scale.
If it were revealed he did what is expected in a strip club, I fully expect Rudd to do a Clintonesque redemption manoeuvre and throw himself on the forgiveness of the pentecost. Otherwise he’s played it with Beattiemouth: ‘mea culpa and boy, won’t my poll numbers will take a beating’.
His other option is to do a William Gladstone: Mark’ll know this better than me, but Gladstone virtually stalked prostitutes in Victorian London, taking them to rooms for hours on end, ostensibly to ‘rescue’ them (with talk and letters) but more probably as an odd kind of self-flaggelation. All this he then diarised.
“I merely suggest, joe2, that it’s probably occurred to Kev07 and/or some of his media minders/spinmeisters that he can play this for a bit of bloke cred with the strip club going folk. After all, it appears to have occurred to almost everyone else who’s commented on it.”
Mark, I would suggest, that there is not much evidence, from your own blog and the independent contributors, for your conclusion. Rather, many have spoken about the trickyness , nastiness of ‘Team Howard’. If you have inside info on Rudd, the crap QLD bureaucrat, go for it.
Howard is the bloke that needs to go and he has much more control, on the levers of power, than Rudd could ever dream of. Personally, I reckon Rudd will make a great Prime Minister, if given a chance.
In a weird kind of way I agree with Tim Blair. The issue isn’t that he went, it is how he behaved while there. However, since there is no evidence for the claim he behaved badly we have to assume there was no problem.
I know/have known a fair number of women who work or have worked as strippers or more deeply in the sex industry. Their attitude to their work could hardly be more varied, from those who utterly hate it but have no other way to feed drug addictions through to those who really like it (just last week I met a woman who complained she couldn’t get enough shifts at a strip-club so had to work at Safeway to make up. She said it was a lot more boring as well as worse paid).
However, the general consensus is that they have no problem with the well-behaved customers, its the ones who treat them badly they resent. The difference is between those who see the bad behaviour as the norm and the nice customers as welcome relief, and those who say they mostly have clients who are a pleasure to work for, with occasional scum-bags.
It looks like we’ll never know which category Rudd falls into, which is a pity, because if we did it might really tell us something about whether he’s a decent person or not.
I think it’s pretty well known that Rudd is very careful in choosing his words, and the words he does choose are often those which are designed to appeal or send a message to a particular constituency, joe2. But I’m not sure why you think I’m criticising him for that – it just means that he’s learnt how to be an effective political communicator.
I’ve written stuff in the past about his control freakery as a Qld bureaucrat, and there’s plenty more by others on the public record. He wasn’t a “crap” bureaucrat but a very effective one. Whether one agrees with what he was trying to do is another matter. I do think it’s reasonable to say that he (and his boss Goss) sometimes had a tin political ear – as with the Koala road that contributed to bringing Goss undone.
I had big problems with a lot of what the Goss gov’t did, but I don’t think there’s much to be gained from discussing them now. Conversely, I’d give due credit to the government for its substantial achievements.
As to whether he’ll be a good PM (if he gets the chance), I don’t venture an opinion. I hope so. I did point out in my review of the bio of him at On Line Opinion that he’d shown a capacity to change his spots politically – in a positive direction, though again through a sort of ruthless self-discipline that doesn’t particularly appeal to me in people as people. But as Kim said above, I don’t think that matters of “character” are particularly good criteria for judging political leaders.
I have no doubt whatsoever that a Rudd government would be much more to my liking than a Howard government.
If I had a spare half mill or so right now and the urge to plunge it into a very speculative but highly entertaining venture then I’d round up some partners to create a very exclusive Canberra nightclub called “Gorton’s”. High stakes baccarat and poker tables out the back, good and very rude cabaret acts onstage, hostesses (and hosts) of apparently good breeding and market-priced virtue, salon privés available, an excellent wine cellar and all credit card purchases billed to an innocuous sounding company.
Then just before the soft opening, I’d invite all the party whips and media Chiefs of Staff on a guided tour of the place’s AV surveillence systems and hand out ratesheets for levels of access to the product. I reckon they’d all go for the premium level package and then we could all live happily ever after in the knowledge it’s all being professionally and profitably kept inhouse.
Unlike the current arrangements which are jury-rigged together with half an arse or less and where certain gentlemen’s agreements are looking increasingly threadbare.
“Trust but verify”
- Ronald Reagan.
At the servo today, a thirty-something guy walked in, read the front page of the Sunday Times, then walked away giggling.
Like it or not, I reckon that’s going to be the most common reaction.
Oh and by the way – this whole Howard is bonking Prue Goward story – not only is it a truly repulsive thing to think about, but there is not the slightest evidence that I’ve ever heard for it, and a certain amount against.
If John Major could have turned out to be having an affair then presumably Howard can too, but unless people have something solid to go on they should shut up about this improbable myth. There are plenty of better reasons to hate the rodent. Attacking journos for not running a story that probably isn’t true is pathetic.
Graeme, lots of Gladstone’s colleagues were deeply worried about what would happen if news of his “redemption” missions to prostitutes got out. He does seem – from the evidence – to have got very worked up about them.
feral sparrowhawk was agreeing with Tim Blair. I disagree with Blair, because all we have to go on is what appears to be innuendo designed to justify running the story in the first place, and no confirmation of it but denials from people who were there.
But I sort of agree with Andrew Bolt.
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/christian_socialist_found_in_strip_bar/
I wouldn’t put it like that, or as strongly as that, but I do think Helen was right to say that the real story is him cosying up to powerful News Ltd figures, not ogling strippers. Rudd was widely reported before his ascension to power as very eager to ingratiate himself with powerful people, and probably the Burke dinners do sit within that same pattern. It’s pretty well documented in the Nicholas Stuart biog of Rudd which I reviewed here:
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=6016
As Stuart concludes, what you think of this depends on whether you agree with Rudd himself that ambition is no crime if it’s ambition for your country.
That was interesting how that revelation was received. No one challenged its veracity, the media sorta toyed with it for while and let it drop and everyone shrugged.
“Whaddya expect?”
“Always knew he was a bastard.”
“Hey, nice work if you can get it.”
“Did they publish all the names?”
Phil said:
But surely that’s the whole point, Phil – this is where we are headed, not just in this election campaign but as a society. Open slather. Trial by innuendo. Mob justice. Truth be damned.
David Hicks spent five years in Gitmo because someone said he was a terrorist. Howard won an election because someone said the reffos were throwing their kids in the water. We went to war in Iraq because someone said Saddam had WMDs. All lies, but ever so elegantly presented to us by the media – how could we resist?
I’m surprised there has been little or no talk so far about Costello’s drunken boasting night (have we forgotten already? this sure looks like payback) which was collaborated by three journos only after he denied it. But then, he only denied it because he was asked about it by a person who knew the story. So “off the record” only gets you so far! There are indeed heaps of other such stories doing the rounds of the press bars in Canberra – what’s NOT on the table now?
Also interesting that Overington says:
Ironic if this all goes back to that dummy spit from a disgruntled Murdoch ex-employee, Ian Spiegelman. As I noted at the time, the most incendiary allegations from Stern were about Murdoch’s dodgy deals with Chinese leaders, For example:
But there’s more to it than that:
I suspect Rudd was being offered his drinks (and chicks?) for free. If so, it’s no wonder Rudd felt a bit “intimidated”!
Anna,
I’d be dreading to think how our local “Daily” The West will be running this story, as they’re virtually the WA PR Arm of the Liberal Party.
“I have no doubt whatsoever that a Rudd government would be much more to my liking than a Howard government”… says Mark B.
Thank, ‘our mud’, for that clarity.
Ha ha ha! Talk about the fear of living in glass houses! Just in from ABC:
Like I said, what’s NOT on the table if they choose to pursue this? What skeletons lurk in Tony Abbot’s cupboard?
Just to clarify Mark, what I really mean is that I’d agree with Tim Blair if there was any evidence to support the allegation. It doesn’t look like there is, but if there was it would be the thing that actually mattered.
Sure, feral sparrowhawk, but it looks very much like not only is there no evidence, but it’s been thrown in there for purely mischievous purposes and to effect the smear.
Taboo? A few years ago, a past colleague of mine asked, “hey, you wanna come down to MG’s and look at c*nt with us?” Couldn’t think of anything worse.
It is worth noting that these US ’strip’ clubs are quite tame compared to Australia’s. Unless you’re paying massive bucks for a private room the talent keep their pants on.
I think the most damaging aspect is Kev’s inability to remember cause he was too pissed. Hey, that’s me and like Milne I can’t handle my drink so I tend to view being that drunk as a bad thing. Who knows, Kev might be a ‘wild and crazy guy’ to hang with when he’s off his head.
Wasn’t going to vote for Kev before, still won’t.
If this is the best the anti-Rudd forces have got on him, then they are in even deeper shit than I thought.
This is a complete beat-up, non-issue.
Nothing to see here, good citizens, move along.
Weren’t you a just a bit curious to find out what Phil Ruddock was doing there?
Followup Article from Milne.
Makes absolutely no sense – looks like major back down from Milne
Tim Blair: Your number one source on strip club etiquette.
Milne has been reduced to recycling the Mad Monk’s talking points.
Frank, it would pay Teh Waste not to be too pushy with this one, given all the ads for brothels they carry in the back pages.
And the ads for “The Doll’s House” Gentleman’s Club in the Entertainment pages where all the moofie ads are.
I love this quote from Eva Cox of the WEL.
A question
would we be discussing this if Rupert Murdoch didn’t exist?
finger pointers & smear merchants run thruout our history
unfortunately
DOBBERS!…the ones who put so many younguns & families in gaol who were doing their best to survive in mean times…and as punishment got sent to this Great Southern Land…
these dobbers, finger pointers & smear merchants usually walk alone…desperate to find meaning…to be cherished…to be noticed…to belong…
occasionally someone provides them w/ a home…feeds on their inadequacies…for political & financial gain…uses them as ’sturm’ troopers…offers them a space (MY SPACE?), a place to run amok…some dopey club or organisation to join & play GOD’s children…children of the corn…being the piss weak characters they are…they often have illusions of grandeur…grandiosity is their bed mate…
The McCarthy Era
The Spanish Inquisition
Cromwell’s (puritanical) Roundheads
Salem
The Druids pumping around the Wicker Man…
i think we need to put out their fire, end their games…and get on w/ life.
N’
Woah… the most sociologically interesting thing about this is that 40mins of drunkenness at a quasi-strip club years ago is such an incitement to discourse…
I think Kim is right, it’s a non-issue. Even if it was morally wrong (which I really don’t think it was), hands up who is perfect?
Incidentally, Helen’s comment is pretty disturbing. I have never been to a strip club and have no desire to go, but I fail to see why any human is automatically “pathetic” for going to one.
I reckon progressives should leave those sweeping, absolutist character judgements for the religious conservatives. If we do think the behaviour is wrong, attack the behaviour, don’t throw the *person* on the dump heap. Every day we all engage in a thousand ethically dubious practices simply leaving a Western lifestyle. We need to speak to the best in people, not negate their value and blame-monger – that’s the resentful stuff of the tabloids. It just creates bitterness and hostility.
And lots of people are saying the story won’t change a vote. On it’s own, I don’t think it will. But it might the first in a series of similar things gradually released by the Liberal Party dirt unit leading up to the election. This combined force of something like this would be greater than the sum of each individual stories. I think it would considerably tarnish Goody Kevin Rudd among Christians and old-fashioned moral conservatives.
I mentioned this angle in another thread, and this is exactly why I reckon the Stripperudda story was excreted onto the front pages of the nation’s moral outrage rags now. Howard & Rudd both addressed the Hillsong lobby recently, and I’m guessing Howard’s net nanny pitch ain’t polling as well as (or failing to deliver a knock-out blow to) Rudd’s earnest devoutness. Hence the smears to stinkify his sanctimony amongst the Christian vote.
And by the way, the online poll in Brisbane’s Sunday Mail asks “do you think Kevin Rudd’s inappropriate behaviour will hurt him at the polls”.
Nothing alleged about this “inappropriate behaviour”, then. Anonymous sources, apparently not present, “confirming a version of events”, in contradiction to Col Allen’s description that Rudd “behaved like a perfect gentleman”, and also supposedly not part of original gossip on this boy’s night out (as per Caroline Ovington’s recall of the Raunchy Rudd rumour).
I dunno who’s crossing their heart and who’s telling porkies, but one would think that a journalist of Milne’s stature would be more professional and at least pepper his copy with a random “allegedly” or two. But nowt display of circumspection (or “arse-covering” to the rest of us) is apparent.
Love it.
Has anybody read Monsignor Tomlinson’s remarks in today’s “The Age”? He has a real go at News Ltd. Monsignor Tomlinson will reflect the views of many Christians, including myself!
Good god. Every day in every way I’m glad I stopped reading any News Ltd publication more than 10 years ago.
Does anyone actually read such turgid pretentious bullshit? I really have trouble believing it. I mean I’m not being snarky, I sincerely cannot believe that anyone would read such rubbish beyond the first paragraph.
Have to say that I find the judgementalism against people who have visited strip clubs a bit absolutist. Why is it that visiting a strip club marks someone as “bad”? There must be a lot of marked people around. Personally, I dislike absolutism.
Hi Frank i aint seen the Worst yet,but I listened to the Breakfast blokes on PR this morning,one of them was pushing it like crazy, dodgy was the word used.
Re T Blair,who in there right mind would believe a word either written or spoken by that turkey,I think laying straight in bed don,t come easy for him.
I wonder what all the numnuts at NEWs are going to do if Howard goes down at the election,
As I suggested in another thread, if John Howard as PM or Kevin Rudd as Opposition Leader led a party to a strip club in their official role then it would be a major outrage.
If either person as private individuals went to a strip club in the company of others then it would be a minor comment on their character, or dubious public interest.
Tim Blair:
Given that Rudd was asked to leave, a dubious proposition in itself, is it recorded anwhere how Rudd is alleged to have offended the doubtless stern and righteous Code ofthe Gentlemen’s Club?
Is it not more likely that Rudd would be evicted for proclaiming in a loud and manly voice something like this:
Than being tossed out neck and crop for an ill-considered fondle?
___________________________
* barely altered comment from Pavlov’s Cat on another thread.
It’s not a dubious proposition, it’s a smear. There’s no evidence offered in support of it, and two witnesses to rebut it.
On Canberran radio this morning they were treating it as a hilarious lark – asking people to phone in what other qualities a future PM should have.
Suggestions included the ability to remove a Bratz doll from the box in less than an hour, knowledge at least one verse of Khe Sahn, and a committment to live in the Lodge.
True Mark, but my playful hypothetical requires the merest possibility of eviction.
It is an inviting image in a way.
timmy said a stripping club is where you can be go and you pays some money and you goes in the door and the men on the door might let you in if they bouncing you and then and then and then you can drink some coke and then some drinks and then and then you might can see some ladies who took their dresses off and you can see all their boobies and yes you can and they’re not wearnig much clothes and everone can see their boobies and so if you saw them no you have to pay and they let you go inside and the ladies have took off their bras not all of the ladies only some of the ladies they have got no clothes on in the nuddy like when you was tichy and you saw your mum in the bathroom but these ladies is not your mum they was other ladies and if you pay them some drinks they will show you their rude boobies and so then you might go home but you might get in trouble because you saw some ladies boobies and you have to pay and the bouncing men aren’t bouncing on a trampoline they are just bouncing men because timmy told me and he says he knows and he didn’t see ladies but he mighta had a coke to drink cos you can get drinks there too but I don’t know if they have ice cream maybe the ladies must give you ice cream too but you pay for it or else you can be in big trouble and you should not stay long because you might go home again after but if timmy says it you might ask him cos he knows lots of things for these clubs too and then you can ask him and his dad walked in but so timmy wouldn’t say any more cos he might be in trouble too so he told me and then and then
Like it or not, this story has now been hung around Rudd’s neck just as firmly as the Taxi driver-bashing story was attached to Latham. Mud sticks and sex sells. The lizard brains are lapping this one up.
Meanwhile, the quote of the day comes from Bob Brown:
Was it Millsy, or “Mr De Bortoli” who was running with it ? I reckon Bob Maumill will put it inperspective after all the stories he’s regaled on air about him and his then panel operator got up to with “The Twins”
(no it wasn’t RF, but the person now doing weekend evenings).
Hi Frank I,m never sure on PR which is which,I listen to Bob and be interested in what he has to say,wonder if Howard will run it,after the Haneef mess I would have though he would leave it alone.
Simon was at his uncious best today though I did get an e mail read out at the end of the show,(shakes head)I think it wil die a natural death
John,
Millsy is the ocker one – Tony Mac is the bald headed yupipie one who does the De Bortoli Wines Ads.
Howard will concentrate on the Laura Niorder issues here, such as those couple of bashings on the weekend to worry about Kevin in a Strip joint, unless he tries and traps a lib
And Simon – well he was always Liam’s puppet, both on PR and at Aunty.
NEWSFLASH!
“Defence Minister Brendan Nelson says he has been to a strip club and he believes many other Australians have as well.”
Is it really any surprise that one of the Libs would reveal this today, “after” having had the opportunity to monitor the media for public response, most of which is supportive of the now “only human” Kevin Rudd, mixed in with a few attempts by some talkback callers to link the previous three Mudd-Against-Rudd PR campaigns with this latest PR campaign.
And a PR campaign it most certainly is. It’s just too orchestrated to call it anything else, especially when you consider this thought from Bob Burton, editor of SourceWatch, who writes on Page 214 of ‘Inside Spin’ (2007 Allen&Unwin):
“While there are no hard statistics about about the relative size of the two professions, all agree that the PR industry is growing rapidly, while journalists – and especially those that have the time to spend more than one day on a story – are thinning.”
The result is abstract representations of a story – one day focused on Rudd going to a strip bar (intended outcome: American-style conservative reponse from the public, actual result: This isn’t America, fellas) while the next day focused on Mr. Rudd’s drinking habits and memory and the fact that Conservatives aren’t are bunch of wowsers (in other words, new intended outcome is desired, based on the same ultimate goal to Ruin Rudd).
It’s of no surprise, therefore, that we get abstract representations of government with the announcement today that federalism is to be rebranded “aspirational nationalism”.
Says the Prime Minister:
“We should be focused on outcomes, not systems. We should be neither centralists, nor believers in states’ rights. We should be aspirational nationalists.”
Focused on outcomes, not systems?
It’s not that outcomes and systems used in a program are mutually exclusive, rather this is John Howard’s response to what Matt Price, writing in The Sunday Times said recently:
“Its ironic Howard is reduced to acting like a rampant, old-style centralising Labor PM – Gough Whitlam on red cordial – to make his point. Meanwhile, Rudd spends most of his time agreeing with the Coalition and has taken to quoting Robert Menzies in campaign speeches.”
That’s right folks, if you can’t kick goals for the conservative cause, then simply move the goal posts and call it “aspirational nationalism” instead (from the same makers of “WorkChoices” and “the human dividend”.
Welcome to the new “abstract conservatism”: A true sign of our modern day, outcomes-based communications.
…From Justin
Wasn’t there someone from stage right babbling on about this a week or so ago. This kind of thinking is just a magnet for sufferers of the Dunning-Kruger effect , half-arsed dreamers, and corner-cutting spivs.
yeah heard an American commentator on AM this morning getting this exactly wrong – we don’t do god-fearing family values and we don’t do pearl clutching.
“we don’t do pearl clutching.”
True, but I’m disappointed Tigtog hasn’t uploaded a goat pic, all the same.
GOAT! GOAT! GOAT!
Hmm I’m looking a bit like a dyslexic Belushi there.
Phil and all:
The funeral for News Credibility will be held tomorrow.
Wonder how the newspapers and television stations will be able to sell advertising space/time from now on if the majority of people stop looking there to find out what’s happening in the world?
…. They brought it on themselves. [apologies to the Katzenjammer Kids.
}
Ya gotta make a burned sacrifice, Anthony and FDB, if you want the appearance of the Goat.
May I suggest rack of lamb, marinaded and barbecued? Oh, and roast vegetables. Mmmmyeah.
I’ll bring the case of cabsav.
SMH RECANTS MARX.
(Jack Marx that is.) Here is the root of his trouble.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22277145-23109,00.html
Seems the UK Daily Telegraph knows something we don’t.
“Happily, the Australian public is not prudish about displays of human frailty in its politicians, and the revelation has actually improved Labor’s standing with the voters,” the newspaper said.
“It’s nice to know that the strippers seem to have given the straitlaced Mr Rudd a bit of a boost Down Under.”
Visting genetlemans clubs as part of a NY cultural tour..I LIKE IT!
isn’t the UK daliy tele a tory paper?
Blacklight, yep it is a tory paper and I think ownbed by Uncle Rupert himself.
Don’t you love News Ltd Hypocrisy.
Not Quite Goats, but this should fit the bill.
The man, who died before he was dropped off at Enumclaw Community Hospital, was traced back to a 40-acre farm where investigators found hundreds of hours of videotape depicting men, including the one who died, having sex with horses. He had bought the stallion earlier this year. His family told a reporter they were surprised at the purchase.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/20/2009272.htm
On the ABC news tonight they played Downer in parliament saying it.
Will some enterprising journalist please take Downer to task for this and ask him what he knows about this incident?
…
I would prefer a drunken Rudd as PM than a sober Howard.
Apparently the night was so wild Kev didn’t even finish his beer according to the owner of Scores.
Yes OZ, i heard this bloke, owner of Scores, on Aunty and he sounded most convincing.
Now do you think that the media will run with THIS story, bigtime, to fairly balance the earlier insinuations? Will Kerry follow up Downers’ likely use of diplomatic gossip, via official sources, for political purposes?
Na , just leave the mud sticking.
Other things to cover.
End of story.