Comments on: Utegate: That went well, then…

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:47:02 +0000

New post:

http://larvatusprodeo.net/2009/08/04/utegate-open-thread/

By: joe2

joe2 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:44:18 +0000

I do not think so Ambigulous@105. I heard a media star continue to wonder why Kevin “the multi” would have taken such a gift as that ute just the other day. That it was clearly reported and acceptable (as would, the value of the ute, given as a reported cash equivalent gift) by existing parliamentary standards, apparently does not come into the matter.

By: Ambigulous

Ambigulous — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:23:14 +0000

It’s the ute I feel for in all of this.

It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s disappeared from the media narrative. Why is that? The ute has feelings too!

But no, in the Gadarene rush to apportion blame, sift motives, establish mere “facts”, the Forgotten Ute stands alone and sorry.

This isn’t just due to the ongoing (and invisible) sedanarchy. It goes much deeper.

By: andyc

andyc — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:49:43 +0000

Tanya @102: re. Abetz. Indeed. Howard’s Special Minister for Head-Kicking, and possibly still active as such? PLEEASE can we have his head over this!

By: Helen

Helen — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:32:58 +0000

Godwin Grech has fessed up to writing the faked Utegate email.

By: Tanya

Tanya — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:32:49 +0000

One of the most interesting things about this crazy affair is the more public role of Eric Abetz. Normally, he stays in the back rooms. Why oh why do Tasmanians keep voting for him? It can’t be that they’ve ever met him because if they had they’d recognise him as the evil little creep from school who had no friends because his favorite activity was picking his nose and wiping it on others (sorry for the repulsive image but …). It would be good to see a thorough analysis of his record. Skin crawling.

By: Andrew E

Andrew E — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:24:38 +0000

Of course, Mark.

My earlier point about Turnbull was that it’s not possible to have achieved all he has by being on the front foot all the time. I know people who’ve worked with Turnbull and been burned, so I’m not being starry-eyed – but quite simply if he had been as egocentric and bullying as legend has it, he’d at least be told to piss off by the great and good, if not be fish-food at the bottom of Sydney Harbour somewhere.

I think there are parallels between Turnbull’s courting of the well-heeled during the ’80s and ’90s and the same by Hawke in the late ’70s. If I had made the exodus all the way across the political spectrum I’d point out that Hawke’s Prime Ministership saw union membership plummet and social inequality skyrocket to levels from which they have not recovered.

By: Paul Burns

Paul Burns — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:24:20 +0000

Pshaw! It was like hitting Rudd with a wet lettuce. But at least he’s telling people how incompetent the meedja is. Though I think it’ll take a while for them to get the message, that unless they’re the Chaser Boys, they ain’t players.

By: adrian

adrian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:55:42 +0000

This is very interesting because it shows that the two most senior figures in the Government are willing to take on News Ltd about their partisan political coverage. Maybe they think that it can’t get any worse, as they’ve thrown everything that they possibly can at Rudd, and the only damage thus far is to their own credibility.

I really don’t think that they understand the extent to which the game has changed as the slide ever deeper into irrelevancy.

By: joe2

joe2 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:36:06 +0000

There’s more.

Madonna King, an Aunty “personality”, who I believe is the wife of the editor of The Courier Mail, unless he left that job, took the axe to Rudd demanding to know if he would sell his ute.

Esteemed journalist Christian Kerr reported on the matter under the headline ….
“Kevin Rudd ducks questions on loaned ute, rants at media over coverage”

It is worthy of a link because the longish quotes, actually given by Kerr, show Rudd did no such thing on both counts. Apparently he is not meant to question the media role in utegate or explain that the ute was well and truly officially declared. Kerr does not, of course, declare King’s connection to the Newscorp owned curious snail that Rudd had in his sights when commenting.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25712433-601,00.html

By: mediatracker

mediatracker — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:33:18 +0000

joe2@94.
John Hartigan has made a rapid response to Julia Gillard’s comments at today’s Press Club lunch.He seemed to link his newspaper’s recent coverage of her portfolio in some way to her comments as if it were somehow payback on her part rather than a comment on the paper’s coverage of the email issues. He has made the interesting comment that possibly the press gallery should be removed from the hotbed of Parliament House and that there should be some turnover of the press gallery journalists from time to time. Fat chance of that happening.
Also of interest to note the presence of Graeme Morris (Liberal Party heavyweight) among the audience with a few other notables. Interesting timing.

By: Paul Burns

Paul Burns — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:41:50 +0000

Uhlman and Trioli were actually boasting about how conservative they were, or how conservative society was on ABC morning Tv. I didn’t think they’d actually be that brazen about it.

By: adrian

adrian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:38:14 +0000

You’re right about the ABC joe2 – I think it’s getting worse if anything.
Don’t know where my lift gets its news from, but this story was featured this morning along with a rather fetching pic of Ms Gillard.

By: joe2

joe2 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:09:30 +0000

Now here is the story with a likely shelf life of 10 minutes.

“Gillard hammers media over OzCar email”

I mean, you would not want to allow a wider debate over the media role in Utegate. Rudd’s earlier attempt at questioning Steve Lewis’ part in all this has fallen on deaf ears and my guess is Julia’s strong words, on the matter, will be buried by Newscorp as well. Same for Aunty, where the story originated, since she now only takes her lead from them.

http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/gillard-hammers-media-over-ozcar-email-20090701-d46a.html

By: Ambigulous

Ambigulous — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:29:38 +0000

Hehehe Mark, joe2

By: Benedictus

Benedictus — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:43:40 +0000

Ginja, I must admit your post had me wondering how much I had to drink.

The sentiments in your post were something I could well have expressed, but couldn’t remember expressing!

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:30:30 +0000

@89 – I should go take a limerick writing course and then I could play in both sandpits!

By: joe2

joe2 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:25:53 +0000

Ambi, I think we will know the Liberal party has stopped breathing when the member for Budgeree falls off his perch.

By: Ambigulous

Ambigulous — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:02:03 +0000

LP: raging limerick fight one day, quiet chat the next.
Goodonya Mark.

By: Ambigulous

Ambigulous — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:58:01 +0000

I agree entirely that Hawke became well known and well repected because he was seen to be acting in the broader public interest. Even many business persons could see (for example) that resale price maintenance = restrictive, monopolistic behaviour, was bad for the economy overall.

He was not sectional or sectarian. Another example: it’s hard to believe now, but in the 60s and 70s we had national strikes that went for weeks or even months. Not good for anyone; they were settled by negotiation or arbitration eventually. Wages lost. Production lost. Delays. As ACTU leader he tried to dampen this folishness. In Govt, he did more. Generally a satisfactory outcome for the nation and the workers.