Not much news in The Australian today, unless you count Mark Latham’s attacks on Kim Beazley, Kevin Rudd, the Labor Party, numerous former benefactors, commentary on them from Matt Price and Simon Kearney, and responses from John Howard, Kevin Rudd, sundry frontbenchers and Kim Beazley.
I think I’ve linked to all the Latho stories.
No doubt one of the highly paid and expert pundits of The Australian will write tomorrow that “Labor’s fightback in the polls and Telstra have been overshadowed by the Latham story”.
Which of course, will be right, because they’ve done the “overshadowing”.
I think Labor members might have done better to ignore totally the tawdry gossip and numerous personal reflections made by Latham. Ignore him and he’ll go away – he did once before.
News Limited journos must be rubbing their hands in glee that they finally have an excuse to print all sorts of grubby personal attacks on pollies – in the public interest of course.
Or in the interests of extracting each last buck from News Limited’s purchase of the serialisation rights to Latho’s tome?
Under an $80,000-plus deal with Latham’s publishers, The Australian shares the rights to the diaries with other News Limited newspapers, who were upset at the pre-emptive strike.
“We own majority rights to the diaries and it was simply a teaser for the weekend,” The Australian’s editor-in-chief Chris Mitchell said yesterday.
For weeks, News Limited has been nervous about Latham’s interview yesterday with Andrew Denton, to be aired next Monday on the ABC’s Enough Rope.
Since the program is filmed in front of a live audience, News was concerned its exclusive agreement could be scotched by leaks from the ABC.
In response, the ABC forced audience members to sign confidentiality agreements and provide photographic ID.
“Even Russell Balding, the ABC’s managing director, signed a confidentiality agreement,” Enough Rope producer Anita Jacoby said.
It’s believed News’s main rival, Fairfax, attempted unsuccessfully to sneak employees into the studio.
Yeah, whatever. Hoorah for the great Australian media. Pathetic.
Update: Go look at Flutey’s place. Guy comments on Paul Kelly’s take over at wsacaucus.org.
What’s pathetic is that the Labor Party actually tried to foist the madman Latham onto the Australian public as a candidate for Prime Minister.
What’s scary is that they managed to come so close to succeeding.
What a disaster it would have been if psycho Latham were elected. I shudder at the thought.
News Ltd has every right to pursue its commercial interests. The sadder party here is Latham. One thing to be disappointed and even critical of your party, but it looks like he is coming to resemble his paranoid ideal, Richard Nixon.
I was most disappointed by Iron Mark’s secret squirral nicknames. Catman? Combover? Jeez, how boring. I expected more.
http://www.ladyjayes.com/Mandy.html
Sorry, OT but I couldn’t resist:-)
Yes, a bit lame, Amanda.
Still, it’s given tim something to blog about apart from Chris Sheil or Margo Kingston.
I hope tim tears the book to shreds if it’s found to contain any spelling errors.
Jason – maybe you should have warned people that the song starts playing, in case anyone at work gets caught listening to Barry Manilow. It would be difficult to explain at work…
Tha pain is calling indeed, Jason. Thanks awfully. Now you know why I hate that name!
Don’t know why that ghost of blog jokes past was still in my Name section after these many days. I’m my serious self again now.
I always thought that song was about his dog.
Speaking of tunes, wonder if anyone’s optioned the theatrical rights yet to Latham’s book. I can see the one sheet now. “Iron Mark! The Musical. On Ice”
The original version of the song (by Scott English) was called “Brandy” and was largely free of the tweeness of Manilow’s effort.
I think was Naomi said at wsacaucus was spot on. The ALP needs to actually be a party instead of pinning all the hopes on one person… who then immolates in the most unpleasant way.
I still feel sorry for Latho. He’s right to be bitter but I’m not sure if this is at all helpful.
Come on Mark.It’s clearly a legitimate story when the former Leader of the Opposition and aspirant PM self-destructs like a New Orleans levee and immerses his former colleagues in 2 metres of toxic sludge. Whether any of it sticks past next Wednesday is a totally different matter – I seriously doubt that any of it will. Ultimately, the only loser here is Latham.
No doubt it is, Geoff, but does it warrant so much newsprint? 9 different articles’ worth?
What Kate (channelling Naomi) said.
That said, and without detracting from the personal sympathy I feel for a man no older than myself who suffered the triple blow of losing his health, his vocation and his self-image as a vigorous youthful man within a matter of a few weeks, I must also say the following. It is surely reasonable to assume that the members of the Federal Labor Caucus, in December 2003, knew Latham’s strengths and weaknesses well enough to know that he would be a risk in the position of Federal Opposition Leader, and even more so if he became Prime Minister. The question then becomes, what did they think they were doing when they elected him as leader?
A former ALP senator told me at the time that the ALP felt that it still had at least one stonking big election loss left in it.
The question then becomes, what did they think they were doing when they elected him as leader?
Betraying the Australian public.
For anybody (like me) who wouldn’t miss the interview for quids – they’ve just shifted it to tonite – instead of Monday.
Ohhh eeer ratings bandwagon anyone?
“For anybody (like me) who wouldnÄôt miss the interview for quids – theyÄôve just shifted it to tonite – instead of Monday.”
Some naughty people must have been breaching the ABC’s “Enough Rope” confidentiality clause……..
Okay, you can all come to my house and watch it with me. In fact, let’s have a Latho party: pizza, beer and nasty nasty recriminations for all!
(And I think you’re correct Mark, should have said it earlier. But then it doesn’t really surprise me from The Orstrayan.)
Best part is that by moving it – I can now watch the Brownlow uninterrupted!
I’ll have to not watch it tonight, instead of not watching it tomorrow night as I had planned.
No that was Monday night you’d not have been watching it, EP, I think – assuming it went with the usual Denton schedule.
Kate – you should check out whether the Beazer’s in Perth currently – he might be up for Latho recriminations and pizza and beer!
Latho party
I think you might be on to something there Kate. Entrance admission strictly on receipt of obscene and/or slanderous invective.
Thanks for the correction, Mark — it would have been embarrassing to have not watched the show when it wasn’t even on!
I don’t think it is valid to compare Iron now rusty Mark as potential PM to the embittered man now.
Here he was reasonably easily outpointing Howard in Parliament and for the most part also in the campaign.
He, and I might add every person I talked to on both sides of poitics, either a victory or at worst a loss so slight Howard would be a dead man walking.
He got neither, moreover his health went to the races and he had no option but to give it away.
now we have this bitter tale.
I don’t for one minute believe the guff about Bomber.
From Swnny, Smithy, Ray or Conmanroy yes but not Bomber.
Quite sad from a man who actually produced an economic program which would have given Australia smaller government.
Ironically the ‘left’ supported this and the ‘right’ supported big government
I think a conga line would have to form at some part of the night, don’t you Kate?
Oh yeah. Then we can all go outside and climb the ladder of opportunity — onto my roof.
Sounds fantastic, we can all unwind, ease the squeeze, etc. etc.
Ease the squeeze! God I hope Denton asks Latho WHY he thought that was a good idea.
It’s an amazing thing, this Latho’ flameout in recriminations and curses. As Evil suggests, the paradox is that the guy’s apparent blame-everyone-and-everything-else form has the contrary effect of retrospectively validating the judgement of all those who specifically voted against him. With as many free passes as he likes from the media, in political terms, Labor has a former leader turned suicide bomber.
He could have been highly critical and yet not gone so far as to become an enemy of the party that was such a big part of his life. It’s sad. Particularly as I think he’d have a lot of value to say. I expect there will be much truth in there- certainly he’d want to be able to back it up before the lawyers come knocking.
I’ll be reading it. Pure morbid fascination. And most political writing at the moment is turgid and unexciting- this is our primary colours (except for the anon bit…).
Oh Mark, please. Your man is a crackpot. Of course it’s news. Of course it is public interest. We came close to electing a foaming mouth psycho flip dweeby. Your side is just going to have ride out this one, whining about it makes it worse.
My god, he is not fit to have a drivers licence. He could really hurt someone.
“My god, he is not fit to have a drivers licence. He could really hurt someone.”
He’s not the only one foaming at the mouth, apparently.
C’mon Kate, I’m a card-carrying pinko leftie and I think I agree with James.
Maybe Latho should never have been put in the position he was. The Labor party has to do a little head-shaking and just move on. Pete Costello will have some fun in parliament for a while though, that’s gonna hurt.
“No doubt it is, Geoff, but does it warrant so much newsprint? 9 different articlesÄô worth?”
Nine articles worth??!! This evening, our ABC has saturation coverage: 7.30 report, Denton, Lateline. It makes News Ltd look like disinterested bystanders. You’re going to have to concede that it’s an historical moment, Mark. Manning Clark would have given it a chapter in our great national historical narrative.
You might however take some comfort from the Hobart Mercury which eschewed Latho for Princess Mary’s pregnancy. Manning probably wouldn’t have footnoted that.
Well, Mick, being a bit of a dickhead has yet to disqualify anyone from holding a driver’s license. Dangerous? To whom? Himself? Random taxi drivers? The ALP?
Was he a bad choice for labor? Abso-bloody-lutely. Is he a raving loony? How bout we read the book and see? Is this worth the coverage? Maybe. Maybe not. It’s not foolishness to point out the Australian has a vested interest in ‘talking up’ the controversy. As does the ABC at this point.
Definitely a raving loony.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
James and Geoff, it seems that the lawyers beat the ABC to it. It won’t be shown because of an injunction.
Do you really think Manning Clark would have given it a chapter?
I’m not saying it warrants no coverage, but coverage to this extent? Nobody will need to buy the book now!
As to Latho, my first published book review in 1998 was a review of his third way ideas. It was negative. In return for some constructive criticism, he made a personal attack on me in a speech.
If you look at the Backpages archives, you’ll see that I was never one of the Latho cheer squad – not by a country mile. I certainly still supported Labor during the campaign but my hope was that his cabinet would restrain his more pathological qualities.
There’s no question that he had Howard on the ropes for a few months after he was elected, though.
It would be better if the bloke were remembered for that, rather than this feral and bitter spraying of everyone that he ever worked with and the Party that gave him the only career he ever had.
Kate – I think that Latham would have been dangerous for the ALP. As for being barred from having a drivers licence, ok that is going too far. But I do think we are seeing right now that he would have been a disaster for the ALP as a prime minister.
He obviously did not trust his own shadow cabinet. This is a huge problem. It might be true that they aren’t the easiest bunch of people to work with, and that all this isn’t just in his mind. But the fact remains that there was a hell of a lot of tension floating through the air and that could have led to some really big problems if Labor were to win.
I think a good example was Latham’s “troops home by Christmas” pledge. Do you think he spoke to Kevin Rudd about that before announcing it in parliament? It seems that a whole lot of the Labor team weren’t playing as a team at all. It’s probably fair to say that they still aren’t.
I think you are right though. We all need to have a bit of a read of the book before we jump to a bunch of conclusions. Of course you are also right when you say the Oz has a vested interest in talking all this up. Unfortunately though, I think it is news. Maybe not huge news, I mean, it’s a big dummy-spit and we all appreciate seeing one, but that’s not big news. I think the bigger story is the lack of cohesion in the Labor leadership. Are there still similar problems now?
ThereÄôs no question that he had Howard on the ropes for a few months after he was elected, though.
Nonsense.
Howard was playing him like a fish on a hook all along.
Every time Howard was “forced” to put something on the agenda by Latham, what he was really doing was stealing Labor’s best policies — leaving them nothing for the election.
The sycophantic Labor-supporting media misrepresented this as Latham “seizing the agenda”, but they failed to perceive what was really going on.
“I think a good example was LathamÄôs “troops home by Christmas” pledge. Do you think he spoke to Kevin Rudd about that before announcing it in parliament?”
Bernard Lagan’s “Loner” put paid to any lingering doubt about that. He didn’t. The only person he spoke to was Mike Carlton.
It’s huge news at the moment Mick but it’s got nowhere to go as a story. Latham is the issue here, not his colleagues.
Stealing policies? Are you suggesting that Howard is reactive and a policy void? Um, yes, Hanson agrees.
Loner was actually quite a good read, Geoff. Latham gave interviews to Lagan, but clearly Lagan exercised discretion and checked with other sources before taking his word at face value. I doubt that the MUP editorial process was so rigorous, from what we’ve seen so far.
Latham should have written his book to get it out of his system and not published it.
How’s he going to move on, now? Who would ever give him a job now seeing how he treats colleagues?
Btw – News Limited obtained the injunction.
Stealing policies?
Only the good ones, of course.
Some of which had themselves been stolen from the Coalition by Latham.
It’s one of the advantages of flexibility in politics to be able to collate the best set of ideas. That’s why the major parties have some topics on which they are almost indistinguishable.
Of course, by reducing the policy differences between the parties, the election became focused on the difference between Howard and Latham.
On the one hand, a seasoned and reliable performer. On the other hand, a borderline loony who could explode at any moment. Who would the voters choose?
I’ll take a fiery nutbag over a seasoned and reliable crunt anyday.
Remember Howard’s demeanour in the first week of the campaign? Or the veins popping and hyperventilation during the debate? To quote our Dear Leader – Hello?
Paul Norton – your question about what were they thinking is an excellent one. Unfortunately, I doubt the ALP will ever effectvely address the question.
“Do you really think Manning Clark would have given it a chapter?”
Absolutely. Greek tragedy under Capricorn. A raggedy-arsed son of the Australian Settlement flying like Icarus to a hubris laden crash amidst the Great Labor Narrative. Although News Ltd would probably have injuncted Manning too….
Lagan was a great read.
Latho will probably keep writing……..
“Remember HowardÄôs demeanour in the first week of the campaign? Or the veins popping and hyperventilation during the debate? To quote our Dear Leader – Hello?”
Sounds like Kerry O’Brien on election night….
Mark – I was also wondering what he’ll do. People have mentioned that he might take to writing opinion pieces but somehow I don’t think he could distance himself enough from politics to do this well.
Private sector? Consultant? It’s a bit hard to imagine.
Latho will probably keep writing……..
Having seriously tried to get through his book on globalisation, I’m yet to be convinced he can. It will be interesting to see if this new one is actually coherent.
Well, Mick, his previous gig as a columnist in the AFR was only really of interest because he took positions at variance with ALP policy so often.
Geoff, you’re right – it is a tragedy and Latho has just drawn the final curtain himself.
That third way one was a terrible read, Chris. Apparently he went off to UTS and asked if he could submit it as a doctoral thesis. No prizes for guessing the answer.
It was significant that he said about Ruddy that he “never wrote books or policy papers”. Whatever.
“Having seriously tried to get through his book on globalisation, IÄôm yet to be convinced he can. It will be interesting to see if this new one is actually coherent.”
Where notoriety is concerned, lack of ability appears to have limited value as prophylaxis against publication.
The comment about Ruddy being a media tart also seems revealing. I mean, isn’t that an important part of his job, as with any polly? Reeks of envy.
I think little Kev was too busy running half the Goss government and then being being an MP to write discussion papers and the like! You don’t see too many ministers writing books on the job…
I hate to be a pedant, Geoff (just call me tim), but the verb from Injunction is “to enjoin”. You enjoin publication when you obtain an injunction.
Hmmm, I might write an article on this for Deakin Law Review. Using the pseudonym of Kevin Donnelly.
Picking up on the Manning Clark thing, when I was in high school, we got taken to see that musical based on him. Less said the better. I’m sure an updated version of Verdi’s Macbeth starring Latho would be much better entertainment.
Mark said:
Yes he did, and his attack was also an attack on Mark’s parentage, which I naturally took some exception to. It was in a speech in Cairns and he probably thought no-one would notice. It stimulated me to do an analysis of it in Webdiary in 2002. I wasn’t impressed with his rationality and vision. Rather, I thought his speech was mainly a glitzy exercise in self-promotiom. Here are a few quotes:
As to his leadership potential, I said this:
I ended up muttering about “a kind of madness.”
Well, Latham did make it to leader, but the ideas disappointed, on reflection, I think, because they were based on nothing much at all, certainly not a coherent philosophy, and because he didn’t draw successfully on the ideas of those around him, with the possible exception of Julia Gillard. And then he made a hash of selling that one.
His present effort is wholly destructive, most of all of himself. I also think he is not doing his family any favours.
Kim, I hate to go all legal on yo’ ass*, but it is perfectly acceptable legalese to “injuct” people. In fact, a lot of them enjoy it.
* I reserve my rights in respect of going illegal on your ass, on mutually acceptable terms. And to borrow a phrase from Rob Schaap (and where might he be?) – yes, I may have had a glass beyond thirst.
That Webdiary link, for the record, is here.
My dad was 51 when he got his driver’s licence, and it showed. I was somewhat older when I first used these infernal machines!
Latham’s Too Much Rope/Denton interview now seems to be on the ABC, as I type.
Hey I just switched on and enough rope is starting now …..is it a repeat…a teaser….no…no…it’s looking like it’s Latho.
What is it with Denton’s spectacles?
Just saw it. What a fizzer.
Yes, Brian, I agree with all that.
His ideas were always a mishmash – depending on whether he was feeling 3rd Way-ish or in his CIS mode at the time. And the shot gun presentation of them didn’t help.
I was wondering as I watched Denton whether his sort of communitarian stuff might have had something to do with the influence of his first wife, who’s a sociology PhD.
Denton was right – it was sad, but not for the reasons Denton gave.
Bernard Lagan said on the ch. 9 news that Latham was deeply influenced by his dad dying when he was 19 and that’s the reason for his focus on his sons – the stated justification of his book being to leave a record for them. I hope that’s a good thing, but I’m not too sure.
Indeed.
Good luck to him, but I hope he’s not one of those parents who pushes his kids to make up for seeing his own life as a failure.
And James – yeah, it was hardly compelling tv.
As Lagan also said with regard to the injunction, everyone’s looking to make a buck out of this – including Latham.
Zoe, my dear, you can always negotiate with me as to going illegal on my ass…
He still is engaging, yet a lot of it struck me as weird. To take what seems one of the most obvious examples, the story about Gough strikes me as remarkably precious, and his response outright spiteful.
Yes, Chris, Gough probably knew he was on the way out – as did everyone at that stage -and was trying to get his bloke into the seat. That’s politics.
I thought at the time – reconciliation and forgiveness are not in this bloke’s vocabulary.
When he was talking about the politics of personal destruction I thought “hey, fair enough”.. even if he had been one of the foremost practitioners, he was still right. But then very soon after he talks slags off Kevin Rudd for how he acted straight after his mum died – making no allowance for the very real distress any human would be in after the death of a parent. What a monster.
Oh boy, what a bucket dump on the ALP. Biggest tanty since Billy Hughes, or Gair. But unlikely to have nearly as much impact as either, methinks.
Yeah, he was all over the shop, petulant, vengeful. But I enjoyed one aspect, as I always did: the club buster. I was right with the audience when they clapped after he put Paul Kellly in the poo with Murdoch. HAHA! eat that you smug kingmaker bastard. There’s a bit, right back at ya. And the Janine/ Janette joke was priceless. And litte Ratty’s small guy handshake. Bahah! Brilliant stuff.
James, I agree with EP. He may have narcissistic personality disorder – which also entails a total lack of empathy or understanding of how others react to what you do.
Shorter Latho on the Tsunami: Fuck off, mate, I was on holidays and I was quitting and I couldn’t have made a difference anyway.
And there’s the irony of his “it’s all rooned” stuff – he’s deeply concerned for the future of the community and about individual selfishness. He can’t fix it, so he does the dummy spit and relaxes in his private world.
On a generous parliamentary pension. Which he’s prevented future pollies from getting.
I actually don’t mind the idea of the old parliamentary super scheme – pollies’ work lives can be nasty, brutish and short and I don’t think all are as venal as he suggests. And as Latho has just proved, who wants to give an ex pol a job?
The other thing that struck me – how many other workplaces are there where some of your colleagues try to undermine you, are characterised by naked personal ambition and rumour mongering?
I suspect though he’s not being precious – it’s just that he never had a job outside politics. He seems to have rose coloured glasses on about the supportive and happy nature of the world outside Parliament.
Lefty E, I can see it now.
MURDOCH: So, Paul do you reckon we should get an injunction?
KELLY: That would be my strong advice, Mr Rupert.
A nasty comparison perhaps, but I’ll make it anyway: Chopper Read interviewed on the same program came across as more human, more charismatic, funnier and less self serving.
Not nasty, James, just silly.
See Chopper on the Elle McFeast show, didja?
I compared Latho unfavourably to a violent, insane killer. Nasty enough, and shouldn’t have said it. FWIW I did see Mark Read on McFeast too, and it was a far less precious affair than when he was on Denton.
How many other workplaces are there where some of your colleagues try to undermine you, are characterised by naked personal ambition and rumour mongering?
Well, there’s the ABC …
Elle should have got Denton’s gig – much classier interviewer.
Ah, I switched off after 15 or so minutes.
Well there’s mine for a start.
Most people’s, I’d have thought, saint.
Zoe, check your gmail. I’ve opened negotiations.
Precisely Kim. I’ll probably read the transcript eventually.
The more I think about it the more I think he is just like Howard (despite the supposed ‘character’ differences). Cannot define himself outside of politics. Knows no other life. All or nothing. I always thought that was the basis of their mutual hatred: their similarity.
wtf? I missed it due to all the screwing around. Are they going to repeat it?
Kim, I have checked my gmail. Wowzer!
I am a very lucky girl. I’ll just say here for those of you who don’t share my luck that Kim has an absolutely tremendous bottom and fine taste in adornments.
I slept through all the excitement but it will be repeated at the normal time Monday. By then I suspect however my interest will have well and truly passed.
Mass confusion all round, Nic. Here’s a story from today’s the Age, written as if the Lateline interview went ahead last night (or did it just show in Melbourne?). He’s a wildcard this boy, in every way.
I watched it and I nearly slept through it too. He’s being very disingenuous. “Oh, well, it’s what’s in the book.”
Denton asked some decent questions but he didn’t push. But then he’s a celebritay interviewer and not an investigative journalist.
Meh. I agree with Grattan et al on AM today. He probably has some very important things to say about how the structure of the ALP needs to be reformed. But by couching it in ‘sewer-rat’ type insults… well, not good.
Bizarre Latho quote:
I didn’t hear Michelle Grattan, Kate, but I think what she writes in The Age sums it up:
And here’s the muck that Latho claims was being raked. Involves spunky Kate Ellis, and the Holy Grail. read on!
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/the-dirt-that-nearly-forced-latham-out/2005/09/16/1126750099813.html
Kate Ellis is the parliamentary hotness. Probably why a rumour like this might be credible.
The ALP should never have put a man in as leader while he was a parent of two little kids. It’s not doable.
(They shouldn’t have put him in for lots of other reasons, too, of course.)
But since the ALP did put the madman in a position where he could have become Prime Minister, we can conclude that the ALP cares nothing for the welfare of Australia and Australians.
Yes, that’s the conclusion I’m drawing too.
Oh, too bloody right, Evil, hear, hear! I’ve always thought you were a bit of a gherkin in the past, but the elegant insight of that last conclusion of yours has won me forever.
Well, after I’ve finished with Kim’s magnificent bottom.
And let us not forget the complicity of the journalists who talked up Latham, while hiding his faults.
They too failed in their duty to the public.
I’m hoping you will stay with my bottom for some time, Zoe
May I just say Ms Kim, that of all internet flirters you are without doubt the finest. None other has come up with the goods in the stunning fashion which you have, and on more than one occasion.
If that’s your opening gambit I’d hate to see a lay down misere. On second thoughts, I think I’d like it very much indeed!
What Zoe said – Kim has a spectacular posterior.
and she knows how to accessorise …
The world needs more leather corsets.
Thanks Zoe
I do like my accessories…
Ps – check your gmail again!
He grew into a madman, but nobody predicted that or understood it at the time.
I predicted it and understood it at the time.
So did many other people.
But Labor supporters, especially those in the media, chose to ignore both the warnings and the obvious signs of madness.
They were perfectly happy with Latham’s obsessive hatred as long as it was directed at the Liberals, conservative commentators, and President Bush. They refused to acknowledge that this attitude was one of many signs of a disturbed personality.
They were perfectly happy with Evil’s obsessive hatred as long as it was directed at the feminists, his former employers “The Left”, and sperm thieves. They refused to acknowledge that this attitude was one of many signs of a disturbed personality.
Perhaps we should send round the men in white coats? Because we care
Kim
I love your work. And I’m pretty damn sure your photographer does too!
Kim’s work as a photographer herself is also pretty spiffy, I must say.
Point of order! Do spare a thought for we sex & sleep-deprived parents of very young children when discussing butt- hotness issues.
*weeps over arses past*
Latham always said he was a hater. He wants his children to be haters. The Class Warriors loved his hating. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.
The ALP deserves everything they are copping. Barry Jones on Red Kerry was a disgrace last night – especially when presented with evidence that he agreed with much of what Latham said. Apparently it didn’t count because it was only meant for internal party discussion. He might be intelligent but he isn’t very smart.
I quite liked the proverb Barry quoted at the end.
Juz kiddin above, of course.
More butts on threads! yay!
By the way, a secret advance copy of Latho’s diary has been leaked to Redrag.
Mark, that proverb is a cop-out. Every individual is responsible for their own, thoughts words and deeds. However, if you think the proverb has some truth, then a relevant question is, since it is in the nature of the ALP to elect idiots – how can they be trusted in Government?
It doesn’t speak well of the pathological nature of the ALP caucus at the time, Razor, that’s true. Part of it is the lengthy period in opposition. Beazley could also do more to turn the culture around. No doubt what Latham says about the politics of personal destruction is in part true (and I’ve seen it first hand when I was in the ALP), but wrapping it up in bitterness and abuse won’t lead to any change.
I’ve never seen this blog before. Just followed a link from Tim Blair’s site.
Interesting conversation.
But anyway…
Who has the great arse, and where is it?
Cos being able to visualize bloggers helps me empathise and analyse their viewpoints. And stuff.
Young Kim, ekb87, but I think you’ll need to put in a much stronger and more sustained flirting effort to be favoured with materials for visualisation.
There’s a new Latho thread, so I might close this one off and send people over there if they wish to make a Latham related comment.