Can he worm his way out?

Or should we expect him to burst in here out of a wormhole (that’s astrophysics, children, not toilet humour) from the parallel universe that’s the GG in full flight?

Board Member – Tony Melville

Member of the Board since 2003. Formerly on NPC Board in 1998 and 1999.
National Public Affairs Adviser to the Australian Industry Group (AIG).
Former ABC News Reporter, DFAT spokesman and Diplomat (Atlanta, Deputy Head of Mission in Manila).
Former Media Advisor to Prime Minister Paul Keating.

Gees, what a contrast to the Poison Dwarf

“The National Press Club has a long standing history of impartially presenting federal policy debates and political addresses during election campaigns.”

They should consider re-aligning with their purported long-standing history. If this means a few senior heads rolling: fine. Otherwise, they are a travesty of journalistic integrity and a threat to democracy.

Telling.

A request is not defied, it is denied. A demand is defied. So which was it Glenn?

But essentially it does not matter what the Liberal Party said about the feed cut, because they are logically self-interested, and they had already stacked the show anyway in by-passing serious contenders like Kerry O’Brien and the ABC for some girly-boy from Rupert’s SkyNews.

No, the spotlight remains on the NPC and in particular, Reilly and Milne, both of whom have lost any right to call themselves professional and disinterested journalists, if they ever were. The NPC better get their house in order pronto.

That Milne and Reilly couldn’t see how it would look and went ahead with cutting the feed anyway speaks volumes to their general perspicacity, and none of it is flattering.

Instances of Milne’s conspicuous lack of perspicacity

1. The Walkley Waddle
2. Whacking the Worm

Instances of Milne’s conspicuous display of perspicacity
*cue crickets*

I’m not surprised that the Liberal Party honcho said they didn’t want the feed cut when asked by the NPC for their position: they must have known how bad it would look. That Milne and Reilly couldn’t see how it would look and went ahead with cutting the feed anyway speaks volumes to their general perspicacity, and none of it is flattering.

Agree tigtog that something must be done, but that is way down the line. In the meantime, as Laurie Oakes has made very clear, the whole smelly affair has badly dented the reputation of the NPC. And sooner rather than later, a few NPC heads should roll, starting with the chief log-rollers Maurice Reilly and Glenn Milne.

The Costello/Swan debate is apparently to be held at the NPC next Tuesday, and presumably after the last debacle it will be held in front of the usual gaggle of working journos trying not to drink too much wine with their lunch, and not some rangy clatch of worm wranglers and a carefully coiffed rupertnews MC. Please.

Just waiting now for the pundit toads to start crowing: Costello will eat Swan for lunch! Yeah right, let’s wait and see. Costello is a smug lazy bloater and Swan is geared up and hungry. This could be a killer debate. Bring it on.

No mention of who gave the instructions to DPS staff on behalf of the NPC, but as they say, the NPC were the clients who were actually paying for the hall and for the feed, so the NPC had control.

Definitely points to a need for a better set of guidelines for the structure of these debates.

“Mr Milne says that by defying the Government’s request to not use the worm, the Nine network has harmed the political process and effectively killed the chance of another debate taking place. He has also called for an independent commission to set the ground rules for future debates. “My view is that there should be independent debate commission in Australia, we should have an independent body that sets the terms and conditions for these leaders’ debates,” he said.”

Classic media adviser tactic when the boss is in trouble. First displace the blame onto someone else, then deflect the conversation away from your own shortcomings. The problem for Milne is that Laurie Oakes, who is a much bigger player than him, is pretty pissed off at the NPC’s apparent political bias and lack of integrity, and will not let this go.

Rudd should not either. He can keep demanding further debates right through the next five weeks and painting the Howard Government as a bunch of wimps for not agreeing.

Last night Kelly offered to debate Nairn in Eden-Monaro, but Nairn has wimped it (I would too if I had Peter Phelps on staff). More of this please.

The only reason all the right wing commentators are turning on Ray Martin is because he supposedly this time around has done some fundraising work for Labor. This is sweet watching the Libs self destruct and by the looks of things losing their buddy in Channel Nine.

Did anyone catch the half hour special on Sky tonight titled ‘The Gallery’? I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet but it’s supposedly going to be a run down on the Debate with Paul Kelly, Malcolm Farr and Helen McCabe.

Getting their stories straight perhaps?

Mr Milne says that by defying the Government’s request to not use the worm, the Nine network has harmed the political process and effectively killed the chance of another debate taking place.

On the subject of Costello in Insiders yesterday, didn’t Barrie Cassidy manage to trail off with a whimper? He actually caught Costello out on their dodgy advertising, and then ended up almost apologetically saying, “let’s just drop it”.

Actually, I think Rudd knew this already. In fact, Rudd has taken a different and unexpected tack. He has now challenged to have another debate, this time with both Howard and Costello, on account of the fact that Howard has already told us that Costello will be PM when he steps down. Of course, this will never happen, but it puts the ball in Howard’s court.

Frank – if it was, as you say, the ABC running the AV for the gig, then I’m appalled. ‘Twould ne’er have happened in my day.

Yep, aunty, along with the Parliamentry sound and vison office did the telecast – I believe the ABC are the only network in the ACT to have Digital Gear – I know that’s the case with Perth as they provided the gear for Seven to use for Telethon as well as Aunty doing all foxtel stuff for the AFL.

Even ignoring for the moment that Costello admitted yesterday the claim was false, that’s truly stupendous.