You could be forgiven for thinking that politics in this country is a combination of astroturf and the pursuit of financial advantage, if you draw a few dots connecting stories that have had a lot of play in the media over the last couple of days. First item in point, Peter Costello - his continuing on and off political career, kept alive by polls which show him as a more popular leader than Brendan Nelson (which reflects more on Nelson than on him, but more of that later), continues to fuel speculation because, reportedly, the corporate sector hasn’t placed the value on his talents that the public spirited former Treasurer regards as his due after his “service” to the nation has come to an end. So, Costello is reduced to living just on his parliamentary salary, and since that’s insufficient apparently, touting his ghost-written memoirs to the highest bidder. One of those bidders - for the serialisation rights - is Fairfax. And today we get in The Age a story from Michelle Grattan which notes that, but goes on to say, well, nothing. There’s no news in this news. As Richard Farmer comments acerbically in Crikey’s morning wrap up of the news:
Costello memoir gives clues to future – but Michelle Grattan can give us no clue as to what the clues are.
Meanwhile, the lguanagate story gets a lease of life from claims made by a former Belinda Neal staffer, Melissa Batten. Not mentioned in any of the reports this morning I’ve looked at (and it was mentioned on Lateline last night) was the fact that Batten was paid by Channel Nine’s A Current Affair for her story. I’d have thought that it was normally good practice to mention that, for the simple reason that anyone being paid for “news” might have an incentive to make their claims more sensational than they are. Without wishing to cast any aspersions on Batten, you’d also have to question whether it’s appropriate for someone involved in an ongoing police investigation to discuss their version of events (and it is just that) on national television. Could it perhaps be that Batten might have had other reasons for resigning? Those sorts of questions aren’t put, and her claims are treated as if they were factual in the cause of fuelling the fire of a story that probably interests about six or seven people outside the political class, if that. By the way, check out this report in the Sydney Morning Herald for a classic instance of visual framing.
Note: The AES data I wrote two posts about last night has had a little bit of press coverage - but largely for the conclusion that can be drawn from it that Peter Costello would have made no difference to the Coalition’s electoral chances last year. That happily fits in with one of the prevailing narratives from the press gallery. Most of the rest, as I’ve argued, contradicts most of the most treasured factoids which constitute the press gallery view of the political world, so, of course, it goes unreported.
It really is way beyond pathetic.
If (and it’s a big if) the media is an accurate reflection of our society, then we are well and truly stuffed. An insular, celebrity and trivia obsessed nation with the intellectual and emotional development of an eleven year old on a bad day.
I know that other comparable countries have their fair share of dire media outlets, but most also have examples of journalism at its best.
We have very little to be proud of - certainly not the ABC of Fairfax anymore.
“you’d also have to question whether it’s appropriate for someone involved in an ongoing police investigation to discuss their version of events (and it is just that) …”
No, that isn’t the issue. The issue is an allegation that she was leant on to change her version of events.
And the most appropriate forum to make such an allegation, Bismarck, is A Current Affair, rather than making a statement to police?
Mark - well its certainly a more profitable forum. Call it a redundancy package given if what she claims is true, she had no real choice but to resign.
Maybe so, Chris, but as I’m saying, good journalism would explore other reasons why she might have wanted to resign - but that’s highly unlikely when it’s a paid interview.
And while the MSM is chasing its own tail, the real stories fly right under the media radar.
In some 20 short lines in a gossip column, on page 11 of today’s Australian, it is reported that Bob Randall, former SA Liberal Party President and former member of Senator Nick Minchin’s ministerial staff, is “jumping ship” to join Family First. And Dan Sullivan, WA MP and former Liberal deputy leader is also “jumping ship” to join Family First. And former SA Liberal minister Robert Brokenshire has been preselected by Family First for the SA Upper House.
The press gallery has completely lost the plot if it is unable to see the background machinations and political implications here. I would rather see some decent informed analysis of this scrap of information, than another pathetic beat-up on Rudd’s office dynamics or Tip Costello’s employment prospects, how boring.
The on and off career of Costello is only on till the book is published and stuffed in Christmas stockings.
Mark, I reckon you’re likely way off beam when you say it’s only the “political class” interested in the Iguanagate story. The incident, and publicity it has given to other events in her recent past (especially the “demon baby” comment she was caught out on, and the allegation about photos in the freezer) make people think that she’s not only aggressive and but just a bit, well, nuts. Everyone likes stories about characters like that who have ended up in positions of power or influence, surely.
Or in the remainder bin…
grace, agreed, the FF machinations are potentially a very interesting story, which it would take legwork to follow up. Much easier to write garbage which doesn’t require any actual news gathering.
First sentence was a response to GG at 7, crossed with steve.
Steve, there might be a bit of prurient interest in Belinda Neal’s phraseology and alleged fridge practices, but I very much doubt that the day in, day out coverage interests that many people at all.
It’s just that it is so completely out of proportion, but it’s just as well that we don’t have any potential war criminals as past and current politicians, otherwise we would get non stop coverage for months and months.
Heh!
I beg to differ, Mark.
In my opinion the phrase “Do you know who I am?” will go into the Aussie lexicon along with
* “the recession we had to have”
* “Maintain your rage”
* “We didn’t lose the election, we just didn’t win enough seats” (Snedden)
* “By 1990 no Australian child will live in poverty”
* “We will decide who comes into Australia, and the manner in which they arrive.”
* “If you’re seeing this, I’ve been assassinated.”
* “Run over the bastards!” (Askin)
* “All the way with LBJ!” (Holt)
cheerio
And can I add to your list Ambigulous:
“Men and women of Australia….”
At the time, it was huge.
Another issue of immense gravitas getting a run is seat sniffer Buswell again; pairs nicely with Iguanagate for mundanity, and much more life threatening than a hundred thousand suffering battlers dying in China and another hundred thousand in Burma, where the junta is working on getting Aung San Suu Kyi the mother of all floggings, for her pains.
Yes, grace: apologies for the omission. But where to stop, eh?
Paul Walter, are they really planning to flog the Prime Minister of Burma? Was it her fault the cyclone caused such damage? I suppose it must have been. Quite similar to all the acts of “treason” the MDC in Zimbabwe has been guilty of during the recent election campaigns. Pests.
Burma cyclone got a bit of a run for a few weeks, then China quake for a while. One event that seems to have gone relatively unnoticed is the trial of a few Khmer Rouge “leaders” in Phnomh Penh. I mean, they made a Hollywood FILM about that era; so why doesn’t the trial “rate”?
I’d also have to disagree on whether “Do you know who I am?” remains a story. The history of comedy is full of the table being turned on authority figures who try and pull rank, and public sentiment is definitely with the proles trying to get the disco dance floor organised at Iguana’s as against the tipsy Member for Robertson.
Peter Ruehl in Saturday’ AFR added the line “in case someone had mistaken her for Michelle Obama”, which I thought was funny at a few levels, and not just the obvious one. When one looks at “power couple” Della Bosca and Neal alongside Barack and Michelle Obama, it suggests that being players in the US Democratic Party probably entails a healthier lifestyle than that of the NSW Right of the ALP.
Iguanagate dies deserve some attention - but really, after a day it should have faded - that it hasn’t is entirely trhe fault of Belinda Neal and probably Dellabosca - what on earth were they thinking?!
I find the attempt to tie it to Rudd’s office by the Opposition intriguing.
Surely, if Howard was PM. and embtoiled in a similar mess, many of us would say, “Of course he’s guilty!” So what’s different?
Ambig, just in case.
Yes did see a report in one of the newspapers, probably Fairfax, a couple of weeks ago. The Junta regard her as disloyal. Just presumed they were using her as a hostage to get the western press off their backs over their aid botch-up. Scum that they are.
Mark at 10, it would be interesting to know if the soapie-watching demographic likes its political scandals served up the same way. Day in, day out coverage might be just what the punters want.
Like photos through the fridge, so are the days of our lives…
If someone knowingly signs an allegedly false stat dec, then maybe such payment would be considered as “proceeds of crime” and forfeited?
jethro @ 21,
Not if they were coerced, which seems to be the case. In any case she withdrew it.