Glenn Milne used to be frequently accused of being a mouthpiece for Peter Costello. Guess who he’s talking to now?
Pyne, one of Turnbull’s key leadership backers, has now been promoted into the frontline education portfolio and it is Julia Gillard, his opposite, whom he now has in his sights. Pyne has finally assumed his rightful position at the epicentre of the Opposition, a role that was bloodymindedly denied him by Howard for two reasons: he was a Liberal progressive and he was a supporter of Peter Costello. It was enough to generate such negative personal energy from Howard that he continually blocked Pyne’s promotion in what turned out to be part of an act of self-destruction.
Pyne is now where he wants to be in the Liberal pantheon and, more critically, where Turnbull wants him to be.
In case you don’t feel like reading the rest of this guff, Christopher Pyne has “lighted onto” a “proposition” – that while Kevin Rudd and his ministers are portrayed as “Howard lite”, they’re actually hiding their socialist lights under a bushel! Exposes such as Christopher’s clever realisation that transparency in private school funding might lead to Class Warfare will be their secret weapon as they go on the front foot…
Memo to Kevin Rudd: these guys think they can win. And they will now do whatever it takes to do so.
Whatever…
When I read it, I thought this was an inane column even by Milne’s standards, which is saying a lot.
That’s an awfully constructed sentence…
I seek clarification on a point of theology (cosmology?). As I understand it, a “pantheon” is a group of GODS. After long and painful thought, I still cannot fathom how a group of senior Liberal parliamentarians can be associated with the word “pantheon”. Yet Mr Milne does. And the sub-editor let it through.
Can someone please end my agony?
Perhaps there’s an ideological objection to looking too closely at collective nouns?
Pyne’s latest effort is a shot across the bows in the History Wars. He’s objecting to Stuart McIntyre’s role in shaping the new national history curriculum because McIntyre is allegedly a proponent of black armband history and the Libs have problems with that.
Pyne should read McIntyre’s History Wars. Then he mught actually know what he’s talking about, and have some awareness both right and left have done to the discipline in the publics’ eyes. It might also open Pyne’s eyes to the woeful ahistoricism of the RWDBs.
I suspect we might see Milne writing a lot about this. Oh, well, it was, I suppose, too much to hope it would be all over now that Ratty’s gone.
It seems that the regular “Glenn Milne sucks up to Peter Costello” column in the Oz has been replaced with the just as asinine “Glenn Milne sucks up to Chris Pyne” column. Hurrah!
You can check out my ongoing ‘Milne Watch’ at Linked text.
The guy really is a toady and a hack, even by the standards of Australian op-ed writers.
I really really don’t get LP’s preoccupation – obsession? – with the pundits at ‘The Australian’. It’s become tedious, frankly.
I want the so-called “pro-economic reform” wankers at the Organ to acknowledge the grand historic failure of deregulation. Here’s some talking points:
- Made abundantly clear by this berlin-wall style moment in 2008
- Self-regulation patently exposed as dangerous joke
- no more putting kids in charge of lolly store etc
- Keynes now rules Wall St again, probably always has, self-deluding ideologues must wake up, days of denial must end
- Howard and Costello now exposes as idiots for making term deposits in banks unattractive to investors. They were hopless at economic management.
There,. Ive practically written it for ya, Paul!
When a blog does keep responding to pundits it gives the pundit, as first mover, a legitimacy not automatically deserved as the default source.
But since pundits aren’t news reporters, or sources, merely providing a similar service, albeit far less openly and with a masthead to claim legitimacy.
Giving weight to them by constantly responding reinforces the false automatic legitimacy of a masthead.
This isn’t any “blog vs MM media” concept, I think that dichotomy is flawed and based on excessive protestation about the latter’s claims to legitimacy, just, can we respond to pundits when there is something to respond to other than them being rubbish? There’s rubbish everywhere, why do we need to respond to it only when we aknkowledge the masthead?
Re #8 – it’s always good to know the depths to which your enemies are sinking.
preposterous always attracts attention, Richard Green. just like a car smash on a freeway attracts stares.
So this whiny private school boy is being inflated by Liberal-cheerleaders as the new bull in the paddock?
Bull!
More absurd rubbish from Milne – channeling Christopher Pyne.
Thanks for highlighting Kim.
Its my favourite daily sport, watching the slow death of a once great national newspaper, hoist on its own ideological petard, and unable to climb down without looking idiotic.
“Howard and Costello now exposed as idiots for making term deposits in banks unattractive to investors. They were hopless at economic management.”
What’s all this about? Serious question.
BBB
I thought it was a mock Milne article to highlight his lack of credibility but alas it was really written by him.
Statements like “Pyne has finally assumed his rightful position..” make the piece just that more humorous not only for the style but also for the person he is attaching it to.
The notion that Pyne actually has a ‘rightful position’ anywhere is comical. And good to see he is going to follow a line of attack that is now irrelvant to the Australian people.
We have Turnbull using his Teasury leaks to appear he might know something and desperately trying to attach his wagon to the Governments financial plans, Bishop gulping like a fish out of water and now we can complete the trio with the squeaky Pyne whining about thing irrelevant. Joe Hockey will be yelling abuse from the sidelines, seemingly his new and only forte.
The virulence of the Treasury leak meme is amusing: “Obviously Turnbull couldn’t possibly know anything about… banking.” It may be true. Who knows. But maybe it’s just a symptom of Teh Left not being able to mentally compute the possibility that the parliamentary Liberal Party is now being led by someone with half a clue about this stuff.
BBB
Just my pet rant, BBB: as you know, Howard/ Costello introduced 50% Capital gains discount in 96 (for individuals ie non-corporations), which gave strong tax advantanges to invest in shares and proerty, and general disincentives to invest in bank deposits.
Now Austrlian banks are scraping around for cash, borrowing OS, inflating national debt, while share and property investors have created mad bubble that just burst.
Im suggesting equalising – either abolish 50%CGT discount, or create 50% disocunt on interest returns.
Thanks Lefty E.
BBB
that would be milnewatch.blogspot.com
I think its a good time to wrong-foot these private-school losers now by framing education as basically a version of the same failed ‘ trickle-down’ economic model. The public’s been lectured for decades now about the importance of ‘excellence’…then all we get is more moronic nepotism.
All the shooting ranges and Olympic sized pools – all subsidized by government schools for them, simply adds insult to injury. Lets throw them this anvil and defend government schools the exact same way we defended public power in NSW.
Chaining Milne to Pyne and throwing them overboard with Captain Bligh should also be a lot of fun.
I think you’re slightly off on the ‘equalising solution’ Leftus. The CGT cut made debt a lot more attractive. $20k in the bank is only going to get a few hundred pa in interest so a 50% tax cut on interest is only going to ‘save’ a couple of hundred per year. $20k turns into a couple of hundred thousand in debt which can get you tens of thousands of dollars in Capital gains.
d
Well I have to say I’m happy to see the rise of liberal progressives amongst the Opposition. The Great Howard Reaction’s had its day and its say – good riddance. Interesting how that great relic of Imperial Days – the entrenched privilege of Greater Public Schools – is still a fix that’s in. On both sides of the House.
.
It’s a Human Rerource problem. You’re simply not cultivating all the resources. Only a select few. It’s fuedalism. Trouble is: how do you nix it?
Ken Lovell – I really really don’t get LP’s preoccupation – obsession? – with the pundits at ‘The Australian’. It’s become tedious, frankly.
.
Obviously you’re a dangerous totalitarian. We must all read and obey The Daily Rupert. It’s all in the name of Freedom. Freedom! People. If you want freedom you must understand you need a heavily centralized and distortionate view of information to achieve it.
.
All hail Emperor Rupert the First and his vassal Count
de MoneyMalcolmwell, d, – lets abolish the 50% CGT discount! Pay tax like any ordinary schmo does. I think we can all see the daftness now of discouraging bank savings.
And anyway: do we really want to continue encouraging speculative investors in housing? Has that proven to be a good idea over time? I’d say thats a resounding no.
No argument from me there Lefty!
Poor old Glen. He really does have a fixation for these Bob Roberts types. As soon as one implodes, he just latches onto the next.
Thankfully, the Libs seem to have an endless supply of them waiting in the wings.
One of the many things that shits me about the MSM is their insistence on misusing the word “epicentre”, as though Chrissie Pyne is an earthquake or something. However, the thought of him having Julia Gillard in his sights is hilarious. She’ll eat him alive.
I know DI: what possesses the Oz? Surely its abundantly clear that Pyne will only irritate the public by sheer dint of having to endure to his whiney, plummy Adelaide Hills accent. He’s no more leadership material than Downer.
And while Im writing, I put Bishop’s poor initial foray into shadow treasury down to nerves and inexperience. But as the weeks drag on, i think it maye be a more serious case: just totally out of her depth.
Pyne already irritates me beyond bearing – he’s my local member.
I’m looking forward to Christopher Pyne becoming the ‘epicentre’ of the ‘pantheon’ of Liberal Shadow Ministers.
It will set off a spate of impersonations of Michael Palin doing Pontius Pilate in ‘The Life of Brian’.
‘Release Roderick’.
‘Release Grammar’.
BTW, did John Howard really ‘self-destruct’, as the Milnester intimates, because of his uncontrolled ‘negative personal energy’ when in the presence of Christopher Pyne?
he sounds like the ‘pantheon’ of exploding drummers who had the misfortune to be a part of Spinal Tap!