The common thread running through the political attacks the Liberals have been making lately on the Rudd government is projection. Just because the Howard government covered up what happened on a boat full of asylum seekers, the Rudd government must have. Just because the Howard government distorted and filtered official advice, Kevin Rudd must be doing so when he concedes that we will go into recession.
It’s as if they can only conceive of one style of government – theirs, and they think they have some great insight into the dirty tricks regimes play, and they can cunningly expose them if only they yell loud enough. Anyone else noticed Malcolm Turnbull literally appears to have ratcheted up the volume in his tv appearances?
It’s pure projection.
And there’s another factor at work here.
They’re obsessed by the ‘Insider’ narrative that Rudd really isn’t all that nice a fellow. Any time some evidence of that comes along – like the story about the flight attendant – they feel vindicated.
Liberals need to learn that not every government is completely self-serving and disdainful of process. Bob Debus demonstrated very carefully on Lateline last night that due process was being followed. They need to learn that just as John Howard’s public persona was different from his private one, so is Rudd’s, but that’s not the game they need to play. It’s as if they’ve completely assimilated themselves to the ‘gotcha’ style of press gallery reporting and commentary. But, most of all, they need to get out of a mindspace of denial and projection and engage with the Australian community not vent their rage at being out of office. And turn down the volume. Please!
Absolutely. While I think they actually DO realise they’re not in government anymore – what they just don’t get is that the political culture has already changed. As a result, they get almost every tactical and strategic question wrong.
For example – take the obsessions with Rudd’s private persona. Deep down, how many Australians really mind if our PM is more of a hard-arse than his diplomatic face.
Six? Two? … None? Im going with c.
Its like this all the time with Talcum and the post-Howard libs – its like they work for Rudd without realising it. To be fair, the media is assisting Talcum in maintaining these delusions.
He should perhaps listen to the polls instead.
Kim: the transcript of the Debus’s interview is available. You’re absolutely right – it is a refreshing change from the Howard years. Debus acquitted himself most honorably.
Spot on, Lefty E.
The point about the media is an important one. The Libs think they’ll get kudos from the media because they play to the same obsessions. But no one else cares much.
Thanks for the link, Down and Out. I’ll add it to the post.
There’s a lot of truth in the old proverb : What a wondrous web we weave, when first we practice to decieve.” For over a decade the Howard Government wove a tissue of lies as part of their standard political practice and philosophy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a Macchievellian web, because if it was nobody would have ever woken up to what they were doing. They were just a bunch ofd clumsy liars led by a devious liitle man. Because it was initially successful, they thought they could get away with it forever and convinced thewmselves that that was how all Governments behave. But to quote another proverb : “The truth will out.”
Unfortunately, as Kim and others have noted, the Opposition judges what essentially a relatively morally superior Government (whatever other reservations one might have about them – and I did say relatively – on the Opposition’s own shabby standards. Howard is gone, but they’re still stuck in his sticky web.
Liberals need to learn that not every government is completely self-serving and disdainful of process
This brings to mind a description by Alan Ramsey of the Howard regime:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/howards-cronies-should-join-him-in-the-wilderness/2007/11/25/1195975868447.html
A summation that’s damn hard to refute!
The Libs have fallen for that old canard: If your message isn’t getting through, shout louder.
Problem is, most of the voters seem to have merely inserted ear-plugs, judging from the latest round of polling.
Nice one, fellas.
Petit Mal keeps shrieking about wanting a bi-partisan approach. The funny thing is, I think Rudd and his cabinet would be happy to do it if the Libs actually showed any signs of being prepared to be bi-partisan themselves.
Rx @ 6,
Ah, those were the days. GFuess Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t read Allan Ramsay.
Lefty E got it in one. The media are encouraging the Libs with all this “there has to be more to this than meets the eye” angle on almost every issue. I am sick of the boat people tragedy as it is rolled out by the media every day, and particularly by the ABC as much as any other outlet, and so shamefully exploited by Turnbull, Stone et al. In the same way Stephen Long the ABC cub economics reporter seems determined to destroy confidence in the government and the national economy and to support Opposition undermining of fiscal and monetary policies by the Reserve Bank and government. And all for a good story. It amazes me that the opinion polls keep demonstrating that none of the Opposition posturing and the media reporting of it seems to cut through with the public. Can anyone explain this? Or do only Coalition supporters read the papers and watch TV? Where do the level headed majority of people in this country get the information that keeps them making sound judgements when responding to pollsters?
Bob Debus is a great minister – he was very sensible and level-headed as NSW Att. Gen.
I do think Mr Turnbull is doing a sterling job, achieving a workable bi-partisan approach for the remains of the Liberal Party. Let’s give credit where credit is due! He’s getting closer to the One Nation hologram every day – Bradmills won’t have enough white sheets to frock them all up in.
Mervyn
Heh!
Frock them all
“The common thread running through the political attacks the Liberals have been making”
Yeah- I only like the bipartisan attacks.
David Irving @8, I suspect that by “bi-partisan” the Liberals mean “both Liberal and National” rather than including Labour. That’s my impression from watching the performance.
Moz @ 15, “We play both kinds of music in this here bar: Country and Western!”
Certainly the libs “need to get out of a mindspace of denial and projection”, but before they can “engage with the Australian community”, they need to actually THINK. They still haven’t grasped why they lost the last election. As a result, they have hamstrung Nelson and Turnbull in turn with their pathetic internal quarreling.
Nelson would have done a good job at ‘healing’ them, given a chance, and Turnbull certainly has leadership qualities. But neither has been able to lead because the party is preoccupied with trivia instead of taking a good hard look at itself. Until they have figured out who they are, the Australian public can’t engage with them: how can you have a relationship with a whingeing cloud of fog?
“a whingeing cloud of fog”
Oh that’s gold, gold Jerry gold!
PatriciaWA @ 10,
The level-headed majority get their ideas from Kochie.
Jesus, Paul. My monitor’s covered in red wine and snot.
Please don’t do that again, it’s a bugger cleaning it.
It is really very sad to witness the self immolation of Malcolm on the altar of Howardista liberalism. Go to his Parliamentary website photo to see how rapidly Talcum has aged, how rapidly his hairline has receded. The guy is doing it tough in order to please the hardliners in his party. He really does have talent but he is about to crash and burn.
Projection is the only modus operandi that the Libs understand. I agree with Lefty E @ 1 that the media is assisting though I’m not sure whether it is through solidarity or adversity. Tony Jones’ combative interview against Bob Debus showed him at his gotcha worst. Bob Debus showed forbearance and dignity to finally cut through the barrage from Jones during the Lateline interview of Tuesday, 21 April.
I was impressed with Debus as well. Obviously getting out of the NSW cabinet was a good move for him!
“[The Coalition] still haven’t grasped why they lost the last election.”
Now this is projection. I know that, in certain circles, it has become accepted that the Coalition lost the last election by reason of an accumulation of complaints (highlighted, of course, by Teh Left) on issues like immigration, foreign policy, etc. and because of Howard’s relentless appeal to the baser instincts of suburban Australia. The truth is that John Howard lost because the electorate considered WorkChoices a terrible betrayal. There is no need to re-imagine the result as a broad victory for leftist politics or policies. How quickly have the pundits forgotten Rudd’s pre-election me-tooism!
Kim’s point is well-made though. Clearly the ALP is being careful not to repeat the Coalition’s bumbling (and mendacity) on this kind of thing, and the Coalition hasn’t yet understood that indulging in more and more shrill point-scoring is simply, well, pointless (if not genuinely counter-productive).
Finally, can we please quit with the ‘Petit Mal’ stuff? It’s either grossly insensitive or the product of hopeless ignorance. Either way, we could all do without I think.
BBB
Mark @ 21
That’s got to be the understatement of the century. I don’t know if you caught Alex Mitchell’s double page article in the weekend AFR on the sate of the NSW government, i thought it was a comprehensive outline of how inbred and crony based it has become. I’ll be very interested to see how this level of incompetence will play out at the election, if the coalition can just sail in or if there is a large small-party/independent vote.
Agree, BBB.
Today Malcontent decided it would be a good idea to visit the hospital staff who treated the refugees, but not only that, he wanted to visit some of the refugees themselves. Apparently he hadn’t exploited them enough.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/23/2551078.htm
(http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/23/2550589.htm)
That’s politics. Petty, asinine, carping point scoring. Is it any wonder most people don’t engage with it?
Turnbull et al are running very close to the wind with their “attacks” on the handling of asylum seekers and the “invading hordes” myth. it seems they have learnt nothing from the Howard governments extreme abrogation of human rights when they routinely locked up asylum seekers and their children for lengthy periods purely as a “deterrent”.
Agree with LeftyE, there is a lot of projection going on. Including on climate change policy, with Labor’s CPRS being no different from what a Howard Government would have brought it, perhaps a year later.
Go back to state politics and you’ll see the pattern that the Federal Libs are following. They have such disdain for state politics that they’ve learned nothing from their experiences.
In 1995 the NSW Libs thought it was some sort of mistake that Labor won State government (I was a delegate to State Council at this point, but I’m all better now). There was an obsession about how few voters changed their votes to produce that result, and how few it would take to reverse it. There was even a policy called “the Bathurst solution”, which involved a regional seat held by an old Labor MP with multiple illnesses – the grand vision was that this man would die/retire, there’d be a byelection and the Libs would win, which would give them momentum etc. Didn’t quite work – oh well, next stunt please! The overwhelming narrative was that “there was nothing wrong with our policies, they just need to be sold better”.
That mindset was replicated by the Victorian Libs after Kennett lost, and by all State Libs who’ve had power prised from their clammy fingers. The same thing is happening Federally.
This is why there’s such a focus on shallow events like marketing, PR and stunts. Liberal backroom operators will grumble about donations because low donations mean fewer ads – and they are focused on the perfect 30-second spot that makes people who think Rudd(/Bligh/Rann/Brumby/etc.) is doing a good job to think again. They really believe that’s what they need.
They really believe that anyone who goes out and consults with community groups, researches statistics, reads the fine print of government reports, produces earnest and carefully-costed position papers (and all that stuff what Politics I tutorials say oppositions do) is a complete wanker who just isn’t focused on “the main game”, “the big picture”, etc. For what does it profit a man that he should repel the whole electorate but get a mention from Glenn Milne? Within the Liberal Party, plenty. That explains why Tony Abbott, the Shadow Minister for Families etc., spends all his time ruminating on anything but issues within “his” portfolio.
Now you understand why Nathan Rees hasn’t slashed his wrists – he has seen the NSW Libs up close and still fancies his chances. The NSW Libs are right to consider themselves favourites for the next election, but given the fact that they have no real clue about what to do about NSW’s structural problems (no surplus from the time of plenty, transport and utility infrastructure dangerously inadequate, economic stagnation and no new revenue sources), you can expect them to get in for two or three terms and then hand government back to Labor. That’s why Labor is the default government of NSW, and that mindset has a grip on the Liberals too (except for O’Farrell. He has a first-class political brain and, just as Wran and Carr led a bunch of duffers to more than they deserved, so too might O’Farrell).
In Victoria, the Liberals took policy seriously – it was part of the “natural party of government” mentality. Now it’s gone, and Ted Baillieu carries on with his stunts as though Labor are the natural party of government, Victorian voters have bought into this narrative too, and all Brumby has to do is steady the ship. Same with SA, and now Anna Bligh has cottoned onto this as well. Carpenter lost in WA because he knew it was theoretically possible that Labor could lose and Colin Barnett was the only Liberal MP who wouldn’t buy into the reactionary mindset – he actually had high-level experience of Liberal government and believed in a Liberal way of governing.
In
19952007 theNSWFederal Libs thought it was some sort of mistake that Labor wonNSWFederal government. There was an obsession about how few voters changed their votes to produce that result, and how few it would take to reverse it. There was evena policy called “the Bathurst solution”, which involved a regional seat held by an old Labor MP with multiple illnessesBelinda Neal – the grand vision was that thismanwoman woulddie/retirequit, there’d be a byelection and the Libs would win, which would give them momentum etc. Didn’t quite work – oh well, next stunt please! The overwhelming narrativewasis that “therewasis nothing wrong with our policies, they just need to be sold better”.Pardon me if I’ve seen this narrative before. Those of you who aren’t from NSW will read the above and accuse me of being NSW-centric: firstly, I’m describing a pattern that first manifested itself in NSW and is at its most acute there, and secondly I don’t care, carn the mighty Blues/Waratahs/Swans etc.
What’s the answer? Eventually, Rudd and Gillard will get sick of governing. That’s it, really. A few months ago there was a thread which said that demographic change would go against the Libs long-term, and I called bullshit on that – the above mindset, my friends, is the real reason why the Liberals are buggered for the foreseeable future.
Spot on. Baillieu is always carping at margins, waiting for Brumby to lose office, something which may not be too far away with Labor’s stuff ups on water policy (desalination, and empty north-south pipeline, and still logging catchments), forest policy (still logging old growth) and climate change (approval to build another coal fired power station + a gas one too) and the list goes on.
The trouble is, the Liberals would actually be no different on any of these topics. If they went green they would differentiate, because Labor sure ain’t green. But the Libs seemed to still be locked in denial.