I’ve got a question about the Costello memoirs. Is anyone going to rush down to the bookshop today and hand over $55 of their hard earned for a copy? I mean – courtesy of the neverending promo show – we now know $weetie doesn’t like Janette, Malcolm, Barnaby or Little Johnny, thinks Tony Abbott is two faced, and that he wanted the leadership handed to him on a platter. And that the election loss was all Howard’s fault, or all Jackie Kelly’s fault, which comes to the same thing really, doesn’t it? And of course all this is such a surprise! Is $55 worth the punt that we might find out that The Great Pretender also wants revenge on Bruce Billson or Wilson Tuckey or Peter Lindsay or someone?
Boycott the thing, I say!
Ps: The crew at the Opposition Organ were in a collective sulk over the weekend with the entire news analysis section or whaddeveritis full of Cossie this or Cossie that. In Crikey, Bernard Keane underlines one of only two serious points to be made about the whole memoir touting/breathless speculation show:
“Agenda journalism is a dangerous pursuit,” wrote Frank Devine in The Oz last week, quoting John Hartigan.
“It makes newspapers tediously predictable at best and, at worst, cumulatively untrustworthy.”
It was good to see that old Frank is still capable of writing cogently, even if it is the same right-wing bile he’s been vomiting for decades. But his description of his own paper was spot on. Tediously predictable and untrustworthy — especially when it tries to play kingmaker.
Andrew Robb’s argument that the best thing for the party is for everyone to knuckle down and get on with their jobs is true enough, but it’s not going to happen. Not with Costello still on the backbench, not with everyone waiting for Nelson’s next gaffe, not with the clock ticking, every second and every opinion poll taking Nelson closer to the end.
And not with Tony Abbott and other, more anonymous, Liberals opening their yaps every day to offer their own self-interested take on events.
The only people knuckling down and getting on with the job will be Kevin Rudd and his ministers, confident they can operate without serious pressure from the other side. And Rudd only looks vulnerable when he’s under pressure.
It’s not as though Kevin Rudd and the government couldn’t do with a bit of, well, opposition. You know, in the real sense, not populist bollocks designed mainly to try to get Brendan Nelson an extra point or two in the almighty Newspoll.
There was this completely BS report in the Age about big-selling political autobiogs.
I say BS as they utterly misrepresented Cossie’s figures as 55,000 forward sales” – when in fact they are merely bookshop orders.
Which of course, does not in any way equate to “sales”.
I hope they’ve pre-ordered lots of remainder bins too!
Seriously, though, I think it’s been over-promoted. With all the “best bits” broadcast and printed in every possible space, who will care enough to buy the thing?
At least with Latho, you knew you were getting revenge driven spleen but that its excesses and rantiness would make it an interesting read. Who is really interested in Peter Costello?
“…bookshop orders.
Which of course, does not in any way equate to “sales”.”
Unless you’re talking music shops instead, and you’re after an ARIA.
Yes, I took a one-dimensional approach to the job, viz, ‘balancing teh budget’, which was piss-easy during a resources boom, and otherwise coasted along not challenging John Howard, not reforming much, and expecting the top job on a platter, with a nice umbrella in it.
What a page-turner!
I suspect that, although $weetie spent a lot longer in politics, his autobiography will have about the same appeal (and sales) as Andrew Jones’s. (Local Adelaide joke – Andrew, that is – from about 40 years ago.)
Weevils in the flour got nothing on Costello and Kroger in the Liberal party.
‘ Moderate ALP’ and ‘ Moderate environmentalists’ my arse. Double-agents more like it. They probably still have earing piercing scars. Deep penetration agents for the enemy. And remember this Kim – spies may be shot out of hand in wartime.
“At least with Latho, you knew you were getting revenge driven spleen”
Latham was very funny and he had some real insights into Australian politics. Costello, the self-styled Marlon Brando of Australian politics (“I coulda been a contender”) will be neither.
John (Caesar) Howard:
Lately the superstition of Cozzy’s power with the written word, (allegedly more powerful than the sword?):
I was in hospital, virtually cut off from contact with the political world, and I still got the gist of Costello’s memoirs. He dumped on a lot of Libs. Jeannette’s a social climber. Geez, there’s got to be something more entertaining than this. Personally, I preferred tha NSW ALP Right’s undies act. At least it made me smile and appealed to my sense of the ridicuyous in politics.
Fifty-five dollars? Is it bound in gold leaf and ostrich skin?
Here’s an aberration: for once, the Book Depository price manages to be worse than the local offer.
I enjoyed the SMH cartoon today http://www.smh.com.au/cartoons/
I read the excerpt published in The Age Saturday. On the plus side it’s nice that the Libs’ve finally produced a memoir which reveals that, yes, they hate each other just oike they do in the ALP.
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On the other hand what a load of self-aggrandizing bollocks. Costello reckon he turned Australia from the ‘sick man of Asia’ (Asia is a different continent twerp) to SuperEconomy in 11 years. The Howard government essentially continued the Hawkeating policies and inherited a global upturn and boom in resource demand. They didn’t do jackshit that is apart from driving the cost of housing thru the roof by subsidizing baby production and home mortgages.
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I love Costello telling his staff, most of whom he says are under 30, you’ll look back on the last decade as the greatest years of your lives.
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Speak for yourself, egotist.
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Of course it must be said that as a self-congratulatory piece of white wash and chestbeating Costello’s doggerel has nothing on Hawke’s. Bob Hawke: The World’s Greatest Masturbator. Read Graeme Richardson’s. You wanna learn stuff about politics go to the people who are straight up evil
Nelson spill on Tues am ABC PM
I was at the launch of a MUP publication last week, launched by Glyn Davis, and Davis said (jokingly?) that it was very important to UniMelb’s finances that the memoir sells well.
Personally I can’t imagine anyone buying it, and $55 is suicidal.
It really will be old news now, since presumably the leadership spill ends the Costellology.
Speaking of which, here’s a thread on that:
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/09/15/nelson-calls-on-leadership-spill-for-tomorrow/
I confidently predict Cossie to shift a mere 50% of Latho’s sale figures.
a. Libs dont buy books at the same rate as the left – every publisher knows this
b. Its all predictable self-congratulation of the highly boring variety
c. The main dirt is on some Rodent species we dont care about anymore
25%
Spiros at no 8:
“Latham was very funny and he had some real insights into Australian politics.”
Yes. The journos all bagged the Latham diaries, because Latham bagged them, and there was too much bad blood. Robert Manne, a political science academic gave it the review it deserved, pointing out the insights it gave into Canberra/federal Labor politics.
Anyhow, in a just world the Costello mess should besmirch Adler’s tottering career. She and Glyn Davis sound desperate and opportunistic to a degree that doesn’t befit a university publishing house.
I’m serious: why now? I realsie Turnbull is back in town, but whats wrong with next week? And Plus, it scotches his OWN pension attacks on the government.
No: there’s only one explanation for the timing. He’s flipping Costello the bird for undermining him, and generally wasting everyone’s time with his Hamlet routine.
Tell us more, Anthony!
Also, what Leinad said.
Anthony at 19 – Davis was joking; it’s too extreme an overshare otherwise.
I’ll wait to pick it up at $4 on a remainders table or for $2 at all good op shops, 1 year from now. Peter Walsh wrote a revealing book: sufficient critique of his State and Federal colleagues. Not as shafting as Latham, but revealing enough.
Louise Adler seems a bit of a lightweight, publicity seeker, showgirl. Is this the future of university presses?
As I’ve said before: UNSW and UQ Press are quality outfits.
I wouldn’t give ya tuppence for the rest of em put together.
I reckon Curtin and UWA put out some okay stuff – depends what you’re after, really. And I’m just a little bit wary of UNSW press – some of their titles in the last couple of years have been a bit light-on. Real academic stuff, mind, just a bit lighter than they should’ve been – some rehashing of old arguments from people who should’ve known better, that sort of thing.
MUP is the Fairfax of academic publishing.
Oooh. For an academic, Klaus, you really toe in the steelcap. That’s harsh.
Harsh? That’s soft.
I’d call MUP the Harry M Miller of academic publishing
I bought it today – couldn’t help it. Of course even on the first day of retail release it was being sold at a fairly sizable chunk less than the RRP, so I think those remainder bins are going to show up quite quickly indeed.
MUP had a few good years as a quality publisher while the late, legendary and much-lamented John Iremonger was running in in the early 1990s.
It. Running it.
I’m up too late.
I liked Bruce Hawker’s description of Costello on Agenda today “The Freddy Krueger of politics, he keeps coming back”. All anyone needs to know about Costello is the fact he doesn’t even mention WorkChoices once in his entire book.
You’re kidding??
Does he mention anything he can’t blame on someone else?
To be fair to MUP, they still tend to put out a few good things each year, and they’re also responsible for Cultural Studies Review and Meanjin, both of which are consistently worth reading (at least for me).
MUP published three books recently discussed at LP: On Rage, Mark Davis’s new book, and Antony Loewenstein’s new book.
Indeed. I haven’t gotten to Loewenstein’s book, but I’m half way through Davis’, and frankly it’s a bit disappointing. As with Fairfax, I can only conclude that MUP are mostly no longer trying to talk to the likes of me, if they ever were.
What are you finding disappointing, Klaus? I’ve read it – it’s not so bad as a sort of resume of what’s changed in Oz with a bit of analysis and a bit of political force. And it doesn’t appear to suffer from the editing flaws a lot of the recent MUP efforts have (factual howlers, unfocused writing, etc.) – it’s not an academic book as such, really, or even the sort of “cultural studies take on political stuff” that Meaghan Morris writes.
For me there are a couple of problems, the first of which is that I feel like I’ve heard a lot of what Davis is saying before. Secondly, I question the way in which Davis is talking to, from and for the nation: I’m wary of this kind of fairly uncritical left nationalism. Related to this is the problem of international and transnational forms of power and capital, arguments about which Davis seems to largely ignore (as far as I have read). If the role and position of the nation-state have been altered by these shifts – and there are many who argue that this is the case – then it is perhaps more problematic to take up the left nationalist/nation-building agenda that he seems to be engaging.
There are a host of other points that I couldn’t articulate as clearly just yet, including a general feeling about his implicit critique of ‘the left’, and also his ambivalence about markets. There is also the invocation of ‘Australian values’, and the reliance on a fairly one-dimensional history of how these values were prominent in earlier eras and have fallen into decline now. I would almost go as far as to say that Davis, in trying to give an account of the last 30 or so years, is also trying to create a new set of myths to counter the kinds of new right myths he correctly identifies.
On the memoirs – if offered, I will not buy; if given, I will not accept; if lent, I will not read.
I’m reading a just released MUP book at the moment, The Great Feminist Denial. I think they should try employing editors.
Obvs I should employ an editor too, but at least my opinions are offered without charge ; )
Interesting, Klaus. Feel like writing a review for us when you’re done with the reading?
Nick @ 34,
I haven’t read it and wouldn’t even borrow it from a library but that is what was said in Thursday’s Age. I’ve found the article that highlights the IR policy that never happened:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/mystery-of-missing-policy-20080910-4dv9.html
Antony Loewenstein’s new book.
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Ah excellent. I’ve been waiting for a while to have a new taste of really sloppy writing.
Jacques, I find that amazing.
As if the Government didn’t have enough ammo to fire at the Opposition – they can now say, “this from the party that introduced WorkChoices – a policy so disasterously flawed and unpopular, the former Treasurer refrained from mentioning it even once in his memoirs”.
Exactly right, Nick.
I wouldn’t mind betting that the Government are hoping Costello sticks around to not only be their punching bag in QT but if he ever became leader of the Liberal Party they would tear him to shreds.
I’m flattered to be asked, Kim, and I thank you for the offer, but unfortunately I have just in the last few days agreed to do a review for somebody else as my RL identity. Out of a half-serious commitment to maintaining anonymity, I’ll also be unable to give a link when that does appear (assuming it’s linkable).
No probs, Klaus – thanks for your thoughts anyway!
You could email LP a link Klaus, and then we could all pretend we never read #48.
New SmirkChoices laws announced:
The Federal Govt will introduce SmirkChioces (2008) legislation.
Clause 1: you don’t have to buy the Smirker’s book
Clause 2. You can read excerpts in someone else’s newspaper
Clause 3. Or online
And the Hockey Fairness (No disadvantage) Test:
If you buy the book, and you decide that you wasted your money, and you are disadvantaged because you now have a book rather than the cold hard cash, well tough: the Smirker has once again dudded you, and he’s not even Treasurer any more. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
Never Give a Sucker An Even Break.
Acknowledgment to the bloke who wrote various alternative book titles in a letter to The Age, one of which was:
“I Did It His Way”.