This was an unpublished letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, sent by a friend, and reproduced here with the kind permission of the group Tony Abbott will never be Prime Minister.
Dear Sydney Morning Herald,
It is with great sadness that I wish to terminate our very long relationship. I have been clinging on for a long time, as the prospect of job losses at Fairfax Media is a terrible one.
However, this week has finished us off.
– On Wednesday your editor told us that “The Herald will readily support a Prime Minister who offers practical, affordable and credible policies for what Australia can be.”
How extraordinary . . . to say so blatantly what we all know: that the MSM these days feels that it is its job to tell us what to think. Yet again, you seem to fail to hear the message: that many are calling for the delivery of substantive news, and a little more of both sides of the debate on a myriad of issues.
– On Thursday you posted a huge piece on page 3 which discussed Julia Gillard’s new glasses. Need a lobotomy to think that is ok.
– Today, you have devoted an extraordinary amount of space to the Craig Thomson arrest. No problem with covering this subject, but, there is a huge problem with the fact that you have all but ignored the Ashby matter . . . and yet cover the Thomson issue with such a huge allocation of space and resources.
The Thomson case is now a matter for the courts.
On the other hand, there has been a judgement on Ashby and a very damning one for the Liberal Party. There is every reason that the LNP should be asked about the findings of Justice Rares. You have almost totally ignored this topic, and many, like me, now just give up on you.
Yours Sincerely,
Disgruntled reader.
PS: I am sincerely sorry for the staff who will lose their jobs from mine, and others, abandonment of your newspaper.
Café Whispers 
Yep. I’ve stopped buying the Saturday Herald because their political pieces lack facts, substance and credibility. Let’s face it it’s either because of Gina’s influence or because crass anti-Labor headlines and opinion pieces sell papers. Which ever it is they’ve lost me. I hope the Guardian will give me a paper which relies on facts and whose opinions I can respect.
Reading on many sites, I am surprise at the lack of people jumping on the bandwagon to condemn Thomson.
More seem concerned about the process.
@TMSeaward, Well if their circulation figures are to be believed, I’d say it’s *definitely* not the latter.Here in Adelaide, they have to *give* the local rag away-especially on Sundays! Print media is dying, & the crap journalism is speeding it to its grave!
Yes typical of media circus how far up abbott arse are they why havent they broke storis like abbott starts slush fund to down pauline hanson, or many liberals involved in ashby case, or why havent the media looked at the spending done last year on top of his wGes almost one million dours dont believe me look up http://www.phonytonyabbott facebook site how come the media take abbott to task on his many lies
Sorry spelling error abbott spent nearly one million extra to his wage
It seems the News Ltd media sets the agenda and the news limited media including the ABC follow the lead. Narratives are so controlled and the main narrative (after anything to do with Kevin Rudd) is to deny the PM any credit. Van Onselen brought up the PM glasses on multiple occasions on his “how many times can we say Rudd” Contrarians. Murdoch Media wants to install Abbot so badly and there is less than a healthy balance coming from any other major media outlet.
Apparently there is a bit of back slapping going on among journos as someone got a scoop about the planned resignation of senator evans. yes an announcement tomorrow was snooped out tonight.
Shows how irrelevant the msm has become compare these 2 articles
evans has been planning to resign, told PM last week, was to announce tomorrow
wixxy investigates arrest, reveals police refused bail which then led to corrective services being called and procedural strip search, but PSO work their own time so that thomson not gaoled o/night and can front magistrate for bail
Oh yeah Evans story is huge better buy a paper (not).
Another thing I’m not watching is Ten’s meet the Press. New host (Paul Bongiorno sacked) with resources to be supplied by News Ltd
“Ten has outsourced the production of the program to News Limited, but will control editorial content and have oversight of production. “News Limited has an extraordinary breadth and depth of journalistic talent across news reporting, political analysis, sport, entertainment and lifestyle. We have some of the best and most respected commentators in Australia,” News Limited chief executive Kim Williams said”
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/broadcast/ten-puts-new-face-on-meet-the-press/story-fna045gd-1226565444577
That answers the missing return of Meet the Press.; Where is the Bolt show. Have not looked today. I did not mind MTP.
As for Evans, the PM might be relieved.
As many of you already know from my musings, like my poem “The Media”, I am less than enamoured with their blatant bias and lack of ethics displayed daily on most things political. 😯
http://truthseekersmusings.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/the-media/
Sadly I cannot withdraw my support for newspapers, as there is no support to withdraw. 😀
I do however agree with the sentiments expressed by the author of the letter and the comments made.
I just wish, and have made the comment many times before, that we could have our own version of the Leveson enquiry and then introduce something akin to the Canadian style of “Truth in Media” legislation 😎
Cheers 😀
There will be so many winges like this . Its Ms Dillards choice of 14/9 and there is so
much muck to write about. Take your pick today just at a State level
1 go to ICAC Inquiry and here of corrupt Labor figures – Obeids/McDonald +
2 go to Health Payroll Inquiry first day today in Brisbane and hear about former
Labor State Gov bungles estimated to cost $1.2B
Any decent jouno could fill a page on each of these.
It all has one common link – Labor
It remains a bad Brand. All self inflicted ALP reindordsed Craig Thomson prior to
last Fed Election – thats called kicking an own goal.So not much to winge about there.
Duel between Bradbury and Pyne. Lateline. It is a beauty., Someone needs to tell Pynbe, the senator has now been convicted twice.,
They will have to gag Pyne, I believe.
That audio is good. I wish they would desist from saying there have been 149 charges., Not true, there is onje charge, involving a payment or $330.
Time will tell if there are 149 more.
Pyne the government has not called an election. She has announced the election date. It will be called in August, when the PM approaches the GG.
Another furthy tonight was on the Drum when David whoever he is, said that the Coalition won the vote in 2010. Not true, Labor gained 30, 000 more votes than the Coalitiion.
voyager, why not stick to the facts re Thomson.
Catching up – the way you interprut facts is a bit self styled.
Craig Thomson was first elected in Dobell in 2007 and defeated the Lib Member.
He was re-endorsed by ALP for 2010 . The HSU Audit/Investigation started in
Dec 2008. Do you concur if not I will humbly stand correction if my facts are wrong.
and was cleared at that time. Stood again in 2010, gaining a bigger margin. Voters aware of the allegations. It was no secret.
He was re endorsed on those findings.
Al Gore on Lateline Monday.
I do not concur that you are correct.
Like “Disgruntled reader” I cancelled my Canberra Times” a week ago and I do not miss it one bit. The free paper The Chronicle gives me the TV guide I glance at the rest and then bin it, even then I do not watch much news because it just reflects the crap in the papers.
Disgruntled reader’s comments reflect the feelings of a lot of blog readers myself included. ABBOTT MUST never be PM.
Out there, there must be some decent liberal minded people who could bring the party of Menzies back to its stated aims, he must be spinning like a top to see where it has sunk too now. They should try only after abbort’s defeat in September one day before the official Battle of Britain ceremony day September 15th is held at RAF bases everywhere.
Voyager might like to return to 2010 & investigate which party endorsed Peter Slipper.
The facts of the Chris Evans matter are irrelevant as the required spin has already been put on them.
I buy the Weekend Oz & local weekend Advertiser but don’t read them. OH likes the supplements. Must try to find replacement supplements.
Bilko wondering what Menzies might think of his party puts some perspective on the ALP fella who came out with the criticism tonight. It’s good that the ALP is atleast prepared to do this sort of thing even if it’s messy. But unfortunately it plays to the theme that the liberals are all one family united under Abbott.
Now Roxon’s gone according to Sky News. Speculation of a leadership spill on Twitter.
Could it mean, that those who intend not to seek another term, are now standing down, to allow the PM to get a new cabinet in place well before the next election.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/chris-evans-departure-opens-way-for-reshuffle-nicola-roxon-to-follow/story-fn59niix-1226567078648
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-01/live-cross-to-canberra-correspondent/4497156
Ms Gillard asked if he was prepared to stay on for another three years and he said he was not.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-01/chris-evans-resigns-from-gillard-cabinet/4496986
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2013/s3681711.htm
I’m saddened by the letter to the SMH. Sad that the Herald has come to this. Of the ‘Big Three’ news outlets in Australia – News Limited, the ABC and Fairfax – Fairfax is the “least worst”. It’s struggled on in recent years against attacks on its editorial independence, against declining readership and advertising sales. A losing battle, apparently, from which everyone loses, not just the news company.
Roxon’s gone…Good riddance. Speculation of a leadership spill on Twitter….I first got wind of this on Australia day!
“Could it mean, that those who intend not to seek another term, are now standing down, to allow the PM to get a new cabinet in place well before the next election”
Now that is the laugh of the year! A shallow analysis at best. Try this one for size!
Roxon gone because she stuffed up Ashby case and offence laws
Evans gone because he stuffed up illegal immigration
McClelland gone because of treatment by gillard
Meanwhile Tony Sheldon says “It’s a crisis of belief brought on by a lack of moral and political purpose” that now strangles Labor.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/alp-facing-moral-crisis-says-party-vice-president-tony-sheldon/story-fn59niix-1226567132990
Gillard’s next 225 days will be marked by equal time given on radio and television, undermining gillard’s claim that an election campaign is yet to get underway…
This is an inept government in its death throes, no wonder Gough is smiling, he’s no longer the worst PM in Australia’s history!
Do we know yet whether Paul Bongiorno’s got the boot from 10, or has he just been quarantined from Meet the Press?
“Gillard’s next 225 days will be marked by equal time given on radio and television, undermining gillard’s claim that an election campaign is yet to get underway…”
I’m glad someone brought this up. As news ltd delights in setting Tests for Gillard & Labor, here’s a Test for the electorate; given that there are equal amounts of time given to both parties, can you tell the difference in the quality of the questions & commentary directed at each of them?
Mr Abbott is banking that they can’t, exampled by his risible attempts to conflate a million or two TV sound grabs with actual questioning in his answer to Laura Tingle at the NPC the other day. Just before the cavalry arrived.
Treeman, rats and ship comes to mind. Haven’t heard about a challenge. I agree, Gillard is the worst ever.
The worst PM in history – no contest – was Howard who presided over the most inept government in history.
John Faulkner recounts a partial list of the scandals, lies and intrigue that were the Howard government
___________________
* Minister Jim Short was forced to resign for failing to divest himself of financial interests in his area of ministerial responsibility.
* Industry minister John Moore was exposed for his shareholdings in technology investment and share-trading companies.
* Parliamentary secretary Brian Gibson lost his job because of a conflict of interest.
* Small business minister Geoff Prosser was running three shopping centres while he was a minister and he was forced to resign. [Geoff Prosser resigned in July 1997 following the disclosure that he was a shopping centre landlord while he was responsible for commercial tenancy provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1975.]
* Resources minister Warwick Parer had massive share interests in a coalmine and in other resource companies; he stayed, in breach of the ministerial code.
* Acting minister for communications Peter McGauran forgot that he owned 70 poker machines.
* Employment services minister Mal Brough promoted training courses which were actually Liberal Party fundraisers.
* Industry minister Ian Macfarlane was involved in a complex scam to rort GST rebates from Liberal Party fundraisers.
* Aboriginal affairs minister John Herron kept up his practice as a surgeon, in breach of the code.
Mr Howard himself was found to be in breach of his own code when he failed to resign as a director of the Menzies Research Centre.
Mr Howard misled the parliament over meetings he had held with ethanol producer Manildra’s boss – massive Liberal Party donor Dick Honan. It was eventually proved that the meetings did occur, and three weeks later the government increased trade penalties against a Brazilian ethanol producer. And there’s more:
* Parliamentary secretary Warren Entsch’s concrete company won a massive government contract in breach of the code.
* Peter Reith was appointed as a consultant to defence contractor Tenix immediately after resigning as defence minister.
* Health minister Michael Wooldridge signed a $5 million building deal for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and days later, after resigning as health minister, was employed by the college as a consultant.
* Senator Coonan, as Minister for Revenue, avoided paying a land tax. She was then exposed and forced to resign as a registered director of an insurance dispute resolution company operating from her own home.
* Wilson Tuckey, then Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government, heavied a state police minister on behalf of a family member.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/22/1061529333629.html
* Parliamentary secretary Bob Woods retired from politics when he was under police investigation for travel rorts.
* Communication minister Richard Alston’s family trust held Telstra shares.
* Peter Costello, the Treasurer, appointed Liberal Party megadonor Robert Gerard to the Reserve Bank board despite being told by Mr Gerard that he was involved in a 14-year long tax evasion dispute with the Australian Taxation Office.
* Three ministers – John Sharp, David Jull and Peter McGauran – were forced to resign as a result of travel rorts involving false claims, mismanagement or cover-ups.
* Parliamentary secretary Bill Heffernan was forced to resign over fabricated claims against a High Court judge.
What else have we had over the past 10 years? Ten years of public policy failure. A partial – very partial – list would include:
* the massive pork-barrelling of the $1 billion Federation Fund program;
* the scandal over the budget leak about MRI machines;
* the development of a culture of assumption and denial in DIMIA while Mr Ruddock was minister for immigration, which the Comrie report called failed, catastrophic and dehumanised; the wrongful and scandalous deportation of Australian citizen Vivian Alvarez Solon;
* the wrongful and scandalous detention of Cornelia Rau at Baxter detention centre;
* the utter incompetence of veterans’ affairs minister Dana Vale over roadworks at Anzac Cove;
* the rorting of the $500 million Regional Partnerships program, with massively disproportionate grants being allocated to coalition seats – not to mention the Tumbi Creek and Beaudesert Rail scandals under the same program; and
* support for the training of scab labour in Dubai to work on the waterfront and the use of dogs and security guards in balaclavas during the waterfront dispute as waterside workers were sacked under the cover of darkness with the loss of all entitlements and, in some cases, personal possessions.
Of course, the Prime Minister introduced the GST after promising he never, ever would.
* The Howard government have sponsored many attacks on the independence of the judiciary and the courts, including repeated slurs by Senator Heffernan in this chamber and in Senate estimates.
* They scrapped the free Commonwealth dental health scheme for low-income people.
* They put back the cause of reconciliation irrevocably by refusing to say sorry to the stolen generations.
* They blurred the line between church and state by the disastrous appointment of Archbishop Hollingworth as Governor-General of Australia.
Within days of coming to office, the Howard government sacked six departmental secretaries and have since politicised the public service so that officials will never offer frank and fearless advice. In fact, the government have encouraged a culture where advice of any kind from a public servant is not welcome.
* They have increased government staffing of ministers and parliamentary secretaries from 293 when they came to office to 430 now, many paid above the salary range.
* They cynically manipulated public sentiment about asylum seekers for political advantage.
* They refused to sign the Kyoto protocol to deal with our greatest global environmental challenge – climate change.
* They sponsored attacks from the former communications minister Richard Alston and from government backbenchers over alleged ABC bias while making partisan appointments to the ABC board.
* They introduced draconian industrial legislation to strip away the hard-won rights of Australian workers.
* They introduced the flawed Pacific solution, which has seen detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island remain open without any detainees.
* They have allowed an Australian citizen, David Hicks, to be held overseas without charge or trial for more than four years and left him to face a highly flawed tribunal process without making any efforts to ensure he will have a fair trial.
Then there was the dithering over preferences to One Nation, giving succour, as a result, to Pauline Hanson and tacit approval of her racist views.
* There was the billion dollar bungling of major defence upgrade and acquisition projects. There was the massive blow-out of $2 billion in the Commonwealth’s consultancies bill.
* There was the complete fiasco of the family tax benefit debt trap, which has slugged millions of Australian families with over $1.5 billion in debts.
* There is the fiasco of child-care shortages and the broken promise of the government on the child-care rebate.
* We have had the Minister for Health and Ageing, Tony Abbott, presiding over private health insurance premium hikes, which have totally absorbed the government rebate.
* We have had the plunge in bulk-billing rates and the breaking of the health minister’s promise not to increase the Medicare safety net threshold.
We really have seen 10 years of sleaze, deception and manipulation. We would be here all night if I had time to list every sorry exploit of the Howard government, but I do not. A mere sample includes:
* National Textiles, the company headed by the Prime Minister’s brother, Stan Howard, which was bailed out by the government to the tune of $4 million;
* the infamous Peter Reith telecard affair; and
* the lies and deceit of ‘children overboard’
Then this nation was committed to war in Iraq on the basis of faulty intelligence about weapons of mass destruction while the government claimed that they were not aiming for regime change in Iraq.
But when the government’s claims about weapons of mass destruction proved false, of course regime change became the justification for the war in Iraq. Never before has an Australian government sent our troops to war and lied to the Australian people about the reason for doing so.
We had Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty heavied for doing no more than stating the obvious about the increased terrorist threat in Australia after our involvement in Iraq.
* We have had public servants and senior defence officers forced to take the blame over the government’s denials about their knowledge of the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison.
* We have had an unprecedented amount of public money splurged in advertising campaigns – as the Auditor-General has reported – to promote Liberal Party policies in the lead-up to the last three federal elections when the Howard government was in office.
* We have even had the government write the name of the Federal Liberal Party into electoral legislation on 33 occasions to strip the Liberal state divisions of public funding. They even now use the parliament for their own dirty factional work.
Despite the farcical denials that we have heard about Senator Hill’s appointment, he is about to become the 18th former Liberal Party politician to be appointed by the Howard government to a plum diplomatic post.
Mr Howard perverted the accepted definition of an election promise. He broke promises willy-nilly but just redefined those broken promises as ‘non-core’ promises.
What about the Nixonian leaking of a classified document to Andrew Bolt in order to politically assassinate its author, Andrew Wilkie, while not vetoing the leaker from contesting a Liberal Party preselection ballot?
We also had a situation where Mr Howard’s government engineered the sleaziest of deals with a former Labor senator, Mal Colston, to promote Colston to the deputy presidency of the Senate in return for Colston’s vote on crucial legislation. How low can you go? Just recently, we had the unprecedented gagging of public servants before estimates committees.
Kickbacks to Saddam
Mr Howard himself, his senior minister, and his entire government have turned a blind eye to kickbacks paid to Saddam Hussein’s regime to ensure wheat sales. At the same time, we had Mr Howard self-righteously proclaiming that Saddam Hussein is a ‘loathsome dictator’. They turned a blind eye to our single-desk wheat exporter, who practically became the banker of the Baath Party in Iraq. Who knows where that money ended up? Who knows what it paid for?
What we do know is that, under the government’s own terrorist legislation, if someone acts recklessly and funds turn up in the hands of terrorists, the guilty party is subject to life imprisonment. You go to jail and they throw away the keys if you recklessly engage in an action under our terrorism laws where financial resources end up in the hands of a terrorist. Let us see what happens in relation to the Howard government, which has acted as Saddam Hussein’s banker.
Of course, all these sins mean nothing to the Howard government. After all, how can they repent what they cannot recall? This government, and its hand-picked sycophants, suffers from the worst case of collective amnesia in medical and political history.
What are the bywords of the Howard government? ‘I cannot recall,’ ‘I don’t recollect,’ ‘I wasn’t informed,’ ‘I can’t remember,’ ‘I have no recollection of that.’
Best of all, we had Trevor Flugge of AWB fame claiming, as his defence, that he is hard of hearing. It seems to me the whole of this government is hard of hearing. They are certainly deaf to the cries of conscience.
NOTE: This is an edited excerpt of a parliamentary speech by Senator John Faulkner, 22 March 2006.
Can’t see a challenge unless the polling goes sharply south.
Mandy Vanstone, ships & rats featuring in commentary lately.
In 2007 John Howard shoved a bloody big piece of cheese into her hands & told her to get out of the way to Italy to eat it.
But Voyager..you don’t go to ICAC..you don’t go to Brisbane…you go to news limited for your pap. “here pretty boy…eat your dinner…” and you “do the Lovelace” and swallow the whole damn lot…you right-wingers are not good at dissemination, you are good though at eating shit sandwiches!
Look!..Treeman’s back!..wassa matter, Tree’ steam cleaner give you a shot up the arse while you were getting the flood-mud off your undies?
But hey!..good to see you, I was thinking about you, you know…I bet it hurt..and here oyu are to share some nmore of your ciggy-paper thin intellect…..Hold off everyone!…Here’s the latest brilliance from the man who knows no fear!…….”He who knows nothing knows no fear”…Cicero.
Look!..Treeman’s back!..wassa matter Tree’, steam cleaner give you a shot up the arse while you were getting the flood-mud off your undies?
But hey!..good to see you, I was thinking about you, you know…I bet it hurt..and here you are to share some more of your ciggy-paper thin intellect…..Hold off everyone!…Here’s the latest brilliance from the man who knows no fear!…….”He who knows nothing knows no fear”…Cicero.
Howard’s permission for the bogan voice to be heard above reasoned debate has allowed the likes of the trolls we see here to vent their pitiful squirmings like a flood of slime over civilisation……Howard has gone down in history and is considered even by those that helped him in his career as the most vile of persons..Nature has never given breath to a lower class of human…never!
BSA Bob, the elephant in the room is that the Labor party is a representative of the working class. the Liberal party is a representative of the privileged affluent, everything else is just spin. Both parties are in need of better representation, unfortunately the right wing media (owned by the affluent, and run by the rich) frames and biases most commentary, focusing on issues associated with the labor party and its perceived pour performance. equal scrutiny of all issues and all parties is all that people really want from media outlets. That is what this letter is saying. Your obvious bias is either an indication of your private school affluent position, or that the right wing media has brainwashed you, and further proof of the influence media is having on democracy. please read ” the manufacturing of consent” by Herman and Chomski.
JC has a noice way with words.
Love your work Cuppa – Neil would be
proudlivid 😆You know not to talk with your mouth full, “gordy”
Garry Surplice @10.22
Sorry, not sure where you’re coming from toward the end of your post. Whose bias are you talking about?
Will consult Ms Google the “the manufacturing of consent.
Why wait till 12/9 for our Election?
Now – Australians want it now.
All Cafe Whispers in their extreme confidence of their undoubted election win
would not be concerned by having it a bit earlier.
We could all call it clearing the air.
Noam Chomsky, the hatemonger of the extremist left… nuff said
Yeah, clearing the air is good but clearing away the stench would be better!
Bacchus,
Neil would be
proudlivid 😆And so he should be. Because not only did Howard run the most scandal-ridden government in history, he also ran the most wasteful, as reported recently by the IMF.
And that’s before we even get to looking at his performance as Treasurer…
The only way you could “clear the air”, Voyager, is to pucker those lips you have “surgically secured” to LOTO’s sphincter and inhale!
There, look ; Voyager, you have encouraged Treeman who would just luurrve to join you…you could take it in turns, like exchanging the hookah!
Sorry Bsa Bob . my comment should have been directed at “treeman”. ( I was reading one and replying to another )
Noam Chomski is a respected academic who has studied the effects of media spin on society and democracy. the truth of the matter is that right wing extremists always feel threatened by facts. that is why they buy news outlets to manage information. it’s all spin.
Garry S.
No worries. Right wing bias doesn’t exactly shine out of my stuff & I wondered what’d happened.
“Noam Chomski is a respected academic who has studied the effects of media spin on society and democracy”
Bullshit! There’s even a book about the top 200 Chomsky lies…
Click to access 200chomskylies.pdf
Yes I was reading your stuff and wanted to add to what you were saying. I don’t normally blog I’m 53 and studying at university. (politics, media and democracy), and have found some very interesting reading on the subject. its hard to understand how people can be so misled by the mass media, the media are very good at what they do(spin) but the new media is becoming a place for information and hopefully dilute the right wings influences.
More on Chomsky…
“The Chomskian rage hasn’t confined itself to his native land. He has long nourished a special contempt for Israel, lone outpost of Western ideals in the Middle East. The hatred has been so intense that Zionists have called him a self-hating Jew. This is an unfair label. Clearly, Chomsky has no deficit in the self-love department, and his ability to stir up antagonism makes him even more pleased with himself. No doubt that was why he wrote the introduction to a book by French Holocaust-denier Robert Faurisson. Memoire en Defense maintains that Hitler’s death camps and gas chambers, even Anne Frank’s diary, are fictions, created to serve the cause of American Zionists. That was too much for Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, who challenged fellow leftist Chomsky to a debate. In the debate, Dershowitz keyed in on the fact that Chomsky had described Faurisson’s conclusions as “findings,” and claimed that they grew out of “extensive historical research.” But as numerous scholars had shown, Faurisson was not a serious scholar at all, but rather a sophist who simply ignored the mountain of documents, speeches, testimony, and other historical evidence that conflicted with his “argument.” Dershowitz noted that Chomsky also wrote the following: “I see no anti-Semitic implication in the denial of the existence of gas chambers or even in the denial of the Holocaust.”
Just recently, Chomsky spearheaded a group pressuring universities to divest themselves of any stock connected with the Jewish state: Israel equals South Africa in the Chomskian universe of moral equivalence. Here, happily, Chomsky got nowhere. He obtained 400 signatures for his movement; opposing him, Lawrence Summers, president of Harvard, gathered 4,000 signatures in support of Israel. The controversy set Dershowitz off again. This time, he said, he wanted the MIT prof to debate him “on the morality of this selective attack against an American ally that is defending itself—and the world—against terrorism that targets civilians.” He pointed out that universities have always invested in companies head-quartered in foreign nations with unsavory reputations—countries whose citizens don’t have the freedom the Israelis enjoy or suffer the terror they endure. “Yet this petition focused only on the Jewish State, to the exclusion of all others, including those which, by any reasonable standard, are among the worst violators of human rights. This is bigotry pure and simple.” Chomsky declined the challenge.”
http://www.city-journal.org/printable.php?id=831
Noam Chomsky, the hatemonger of the extremist left… nuff said
treeman it is published by Murdoch press …say no more!!!
“its hard to understand how people can be so misled by the mass media, the media are very good at what they do(spin) but the new media is becoming a place for information and hopefully dilute the right wings influences.”
Spoken like a true lefties! Unfortunately the new media also dilutes the left wing influence, which permeates academia for starters. Careful how you spin spin in the blogosphere Gary
Hey CW’s even your Federal Labor V/President is dishing it out in droves.
Language only last night like ‘its a damaged brand’ (I call it a bad brand not much
different I guess and you all bag me!)
‘Labors catastrophic situation’
‘B grade politicians in the Labor Party’
‘like cockroaches, B grade politicians are able to thrive on the corruption and
detritus that lies under the dishwater’
He will probably be knifed in the back for such an amazingly candid snapshot
of the ALP.
How could any Australian voter support a Party as such described by its
Vice President?
Must be winds of change somewhere close.
“Must be winds of change somewhere close.”
True…out west one can smell the rain from miles away. The smell of a change of government is almost as sweet!
Treeman, we are discussing media !
The PM. is moving fast on the reshuffle….I suspect she will hit the new month running….it’ll be on for young and old!
Pyne…First off the rank..he’s gonna be done like a dinner….any bets any body?
Allow me to paint a cameo…
The turkey is basted and served on a platter….The PM. has the fork and carving knife……piece by piece she carves them off, one at a time…she does them slowly till..with a wrist-flick of the knife…swish!..off goes the “Pope’s Nose”!
I want a piece of the action!…I’m going to sink the boot in every chance every location….gird your loins, warriors…the fight is on!
Hark to the words of Calgacus, from Tacitus’ Agricola…(ch 30).
“…Pillagers of the world, they have exhausted the land by their indiscriminate plunder, and now they ransack the sea. A rich enemy excites their cupidity, a poor one, their lust for power. East and West alike have failed to satisfy them. They are the only people on earth to whose covertnous both riches and poverty are equally tempting. To robbery, butchery, and rapine, they give the lying name of “governance”; they create desolation and they call it peace…..”
This..is our enemy…..know them well and show no quarter, for as we can already see..; they will not!
“treeman it is published by Murdoch press …say no more!!!”
And just because fairfax prints Chomsky he’s credible? Just because Cuppa quotes Faulkner makes her correct?
Wendy Bacon and a group of universities audited print media in Australia, and found (as US and UK also found) that Murdoch and news corp had misled and biased all media reports (83%) when issues of climate change and and political party which did not support its right wing views. how can you support this in a democratic society.
Garry, it’s easy if you’re a mindless, non-thinking right-whinger * 😉
* And yes, I am aware of the tautology of that statement 😆
‘news corp had misled and biased all media reports (83%) when issues of climate change’
Considering CO2 doesn’t cause global warming, then I would say they are fare and balanced in their presentation of news and opinion.
There is amazing anger at recent resignations/ election date.
Courier Mail has 194 comments all extemely negative (except for 3)
There is no positive media coverage anywhere for Ms Dillard presently.
This is turning into an early April Fools Day for ALP.
Just feel sorry for those decent old timer grass roots members , how disgusted
they must feel. Will also predict a lot of polling booths will be unmanned by Labor
because of lack of willing manpower by members and supporters ie just
like last Qld Election.
Voyager, is this not the time for those who do no intend to rerun to make announcements, Is that not the norm.
Pyne once again mouthing off. Asked about Brough for a change.,
He has four children and sees no need to resign, So what. Seventeen years is a long time. Especially when one was single when they entered the Parliament.
‘Just feel sorry for those decent old timer grass roots members , how disgusted
they must feel.’
Appreciate your sympathy, its been hard but we are confident that once the party dismantles the political wing all will be well.
And never again will we go to bed with the watermelons, we lost our roots.
voyager, anger from whom?
Fairfax is still pushing weather wars, but they aren’t biased.
‘For Australia, 2013 looks like being a “year of living extremely” if January is anything to go by.’
‘The Bureau of Meteorology said last month was the country’s hottest month in just over a century of records.’
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/hottest-year-start-keeps-climate-change-in-spotlight-20130201-2dq46.html#ixzz2Jhs4Ohoe
Why wait till 12/9 for our Election?
Now – Australians want it now.
Too late, V. The Prime Minister has already set the date. If you don’t like it, then you can suck a lemon. LOL.
At least Roxon and Evans did not do a Costello who, after the 2007 election sat on the backbench, announced on 15 June 2009 that he would retire from Parliament at the 2010 election then on 7 October 2009 he announced he would resign from Parliament when it resumed later in the month. He resigned on 19 October 2009, triggering the 2009 Higgins by-election. He wasn’t concerned of the cost for the by-election. He sat on his hands for two years then as soon as he was appointed to the World Bank’s new Independent Advisory Board he said stuff you and went.
Costello always had trouble with numbers 😀 …. he didn’t leave early enough, IMO. Costalotello, typical RWhinger, …they only think of themselves.
Voyager..As I said to your “slow off the mark” mate..; “sapling”…when the bad weather comes it is going to hurt us all, but I reckon it is going to hurt you (being so stupid)just that little bit more! And YOU voyager…setting yourself up for a fall come next election….I accept..either of us (at the moment) could get done..but if YOU do, it will hurt just that little bit more…and when it does..just remember..I’ll be thinking of you!…………………..sucker!
el gordo….you’ll go blind!
Tree, did you not notice, Shelton supported the PM. His anger was directed at the very few that have done the wrong thing.. He went further, he said that the PM has shown support for Labor values.
Once again cherry picking what suits. Tree, you where once again misled by the way the media headlined the speech.
Much of what he said, needed to be told. It is what many on this side of the fence is also saying. It, in my humble opinion is a blood letting that needed to occur.
I hope it helps to clear the air.
No one in Labor likes or supports the behavior of these people. All parties, in fact any organisations have people within their ranks, that bring a dishonour to the body
Labor is not all bad. Liberal is not all good.
.
Tree many see the AG actions in the Ashbury matter as INSpired. For $50,000 she was able to save the Commonwealth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It also enabled the matter to b bought to a quicker conclusion.
If she did not do this, the procedures would have been held up in the High Court on procedural matters.
This was the reason the decision was made. Anyone with half a brain knows that, as it was explained at the time.
Of course, this did not suit the Opposition, as they were not interested in a quick solution In fact they were not interested in any solution at all.
They just wanted the matter to
The same applies to the Thomson matter. Just keep it before the courts until the next election. I suspect there was a possibility that the FWA case may
Tree there is always more than one side to any story.
Tree, do you realise we can only have a Lower House election now. In fact, that applies up to August.
If Abbott won, he would have no power, as the present Upper House will still be there.
For reference go back to the times of Menzies when this last occurred.
The result was that the public became heartily sick of elections, to get things back into sync.
As I said previously, there are always other sides to all stories.
Just an aside.
Garry, how many studies have you found, that disseminate and research the upper class and wealthy.
How many research papers have you read that tells us what leads to their actions and thinking We have many that tells us, why the rest of us live and why we are poor. None that tell us how the wealthy live and think.
Unless things have changed in the last thirty years, there are none.
Garry, with Tree, I suspect you might be wrong. It could be the lack of education that is the problem.
The sad part is he does not see that there is nay problem with his thinking.
The Lib trolls will be singing a different song if the Liberals get in and hit them and their neighbours/loved ones with SerfChoices. 😀
Why now ? Thats the question for someone with knowledge.
These 2 Resignations should have happened in Dec12 at the latest.
Ms Dullard has admitted that they have been seat warmers for last 12 months.
Credibility lost on this one. All negative.
PS – who are the next to resign from Fed ALP ?
Oh dear…The relentless almost pleading hunger of Voyager for a Liberal Party victory reduces him to meaningless babble!……..You know, Voyager..if and when Labor win the next election, you come to this site and you will read me saying to yourself..: “Bon Voyage!”………………………..sucker!
And “Treeman”?….isn’t he a backer of Ashby and Brough?….what will call him when Ashby’s appeal is dismissed……”Treason”?
‘who are the next to resign from Fed ALP ?’
Its a mixed bag from both sides.
http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2013/02/house-members-retiring-at-the-2013-election.html
So far there have been 12 .resignations. 6 from each side. Yes, there will be more. It is natural coming up to an election.
Does that answer your question.
Why not?
Just hope deadwood from both sides is cleared out.
Oh – forgot Greens and Independents also.
But what do you do with dead wood these days?
Sorry, I got it wrong. Yes, one should check before commenting.
Make one the Leader of the Opposition?
The new MP’s have to be sworn in on Monday, as the GG has other commitments, including a trip to Antartica.
Just listening to the PM’s press conference this morning . Worth listening to, especially the question and answer period.
By the way, the PM appears to have a heavy cold. Could explain the allegred tears.
And those tears were magnified by the fake designer glasses!
Have not made her any smarter. Nose job on the cards ?
Probably the only hope .
What about Abbott’s glasses Voyager?
PS Hope you do not mind. Too good to miss.
Fortunately the government has ample talent to draw on, unlike the Liberals who are suffering from Howard’s legacy..this being, never ever promote anyone with any talent…
Abbott’s wearing of them was completely disingenuous at the time coming on the back of valid criticism on his lack of intelligence.
But the hypocritical right wingers do their usual and only ever lambaste Labor even for things that their own wanting side do.
Voyager..do you have a nose fetish? Perhaps I could write a topic for you devoted entirely to this favourite subject of yours…noses that is.
“But what do you do with dead wood these days?”
Burn it.
Oh FFS, so she wore glasses. A lot of people over 40 do. 🙄
If you took the time to watch the whole PC you would have become aware, that the PM used ti tissue more than one, to wipe at her nose. As this is not normal for her, I assume she may not have been feeling a hundred percent well. Even PM get head colds.
Ir was worth watching, especially the second half.
I heard Pyne say this morning, they were the adults. I suggest to Mr.,Pyne if he wants to see how adults act, he also should watch the PM’s PC..
I did not know that the size of ones nose, or ears for that matter, have anything to do with ability.
Back on Migs’ topic..Of particular interest to me has been *how they do it*, the overblown rhetoric, the presentation of Liberal party opinion as factual information, the worst possible photo of Julia that they can lay their hands on, misleading and inaccurate headlines. The fair-minded turn off and tune out while the semi-unhinged receive recognition as having opinions representative of average Australia.
Well Min, I think they would not find it so easy to make fun of her figure or dress sense anymore. The PM seems to have overcome that problem.
What do we make of the disappearing hair and puffy face that Abbott seems to be developing. Still has that walk. With the hair disappearing the ears seem to be growing.
I am only jesting. Just making a point of how silly some comments are.
As for Abbott’s glasses. I get the impression he does not like wearing them because of vanity.
Yes Min, come men do find noses fascinating, especially there own.
I learnt this, when sitting in the car while my eldest daughter was getting petrol,
Parked in the next lane was a cement truck. As the driver, a fine specimen of manhood climb back into the truck, he told my daughter where he would like to put his nose.
My daughter, many, many years his junior, calmly look into his eyes, and quietly asked him if that was because his nose was bigger than his…other appendage.,
I have never seen a driver manage to get a truck so quickly out of the petrol station, with the ringing laughter of all those who had overheard.
Yes, Min, it appears, noses are important to some.
Min – great idea – subject on noses.
But major section must be devoted to ‘noses in the trough’
Heaps of recent material on this hey?
That’s about the standard isn’t it..nothing whatsoever about Abbott’s plan to wipe the school kids bonus, but plenty about Julia’s decision to wear glasses. Here’s an idea..perhaps she needs them to read. Abbott clearly doesn’t need them, proud of the fact that he never bothers to read incidentals such as reports.
Min, that may be why he does not read anything, It could be that he is too vain to wear them. Started wearing them in QT towards the middle of last year.
They were bought out and put away quickly each time. Says he needs them to read in poor light.
Never noticed that the light was poor in the chamber, at 2 in the afternoon.
Hugh Rimmington on Ch 10 news. Abbott is running a protection racket for many dead beats on his front bench. I think he said ded bears. Hae a hearing problem and sometimes ,miss words.
One on the Abbott’s front bench is Bronwym Bishop, who now in her seventies. Who Howard sacked over a decade ago.
The likes of Sindonis will not get a look in. Yes, that is a wonderful example of stability.
Migs
“But what do you do with dead wood these days?
Make one the Leader of the Opposition?” classic or as Humpy would say “droll minister very droll”
Some more deadwood resigning from the shadows shadows would not go amiss but as they have all been endorsed by Tones as his new front bench if elected only a fork lift truck will shift them.
However watch out for a series of by elections when Julia crushes them in September. Hugh Rimmington must be soon for the chop seeing he has just found his nuts. cheers all
One of my favourite waste of space people would have to be J.Bishop..serial “token woman” to a number of leaders.
CU
Bronwin B must have voted for Nelson because he put all his supporters (commented on by Alan Ramsey at the time) on his front bench. Telfon failed to change that due to lack of *****. and the action man could not with just a 1 vote win even if had any n***s.
ps re your entry @902 they are being sworn in as ministers not MP’s
Oh it really is pathetic. Apparently Julia Gillard has ‘questions to answer’ and:
Stuttering! What are the on about?
Useless, pathetic, news.com.
http://www.news.com.au/national/teary-julia-gillard-announces-cabinet-reshuffle-as-minister-chris-evans-and-attorney-general-nicola-roxon-resign/story-fncynjr2-1226567059814
Sorry. I ,meant minister. How does one justify either of the Bishops on the shadow front bench.
Still I would rather see the elder one survive.
If one watched the PC, One might just suspect a runny nose.
Abbott’s wearing of them [glasses] was completely disingenuous at the time coming on the back of valid criticism on his lack of intelligence.
I’m sure there’s a line in there somewhere about Homer Simpson trying to look intelligent.
I disagree CU. They were heartfelt tears on an emotional occasion. Nothing whatsoever wrong with that!
You”ve done well raising a daughter capable of standing up to sexist pigs too CU. 🙂
Fcuking disgraceful. The PM was told about a year ago by two senior Ministers they were going to move on. And yet the MSM , including the ABC says it’s a shock. That ‘rats are deserting a sinking ship’ and the like.. Please.
The MSM model is broken, The evience abounds.
Bacchus, that incident was thirty years ago. I have never forgot. .
Gee, I was jealous of her ability to put one in their place.
She was less th
I cannot understand why ever word or action of the PM musty have a hidden meaning, and that she must be lying,
When one closely observes her, this does not appear to be her nature at all.
That fits in with not wanting to playing the game of “when” will she call the election”.
What she is capable of, is planning and waiting for the best time to act. The PM does not broadcast her punches.
With Mr. Abbott, it is different. He acts at all times, as one expects. There are no surprisers with him,.
This is why Mr. Abbott and the media are finding everything she does as unexpected. Most of her actions are not, when one thinks about it.
Mr.Abbott and the MSM seem to think that when they act the PM has no other option, but to respond the way they plan. They are then shocked when that does not occurred.
We have witnessed the PM, with a long list of tasks, which she has worked her way through. She has ticked one after another off. She has achieved all she set out to do.
Well nearly all. There is the outstanding problem of those people coming by boat. I expect we are now going to see further movement on that front.
Now she has compiled a new list, which involved plans for the future, The groundwork is being laid. We will see the nuts and bolts within the budget.
The PM will be going to the elections, with this is what we are doing. This is what we have done to afford it.
Unlike Mr. Abbott, who is out promising the world, while saying any promise depends on the audit he does aft6er elected.
We are long pass the days, when the Opposition has to guess what the future contains. There are estimates compiled by treasury, independent of government.
There is the Budget Honesty Department to have policies costed.
It is a furthy that they will not have the necessary information before the elections. He is a conman.
I think that I am trying to say, the Opposition and MSM cannot understand why the PM has not fallen in a screaming heap as they expected.
Not only has she not fallen over, she is still standing, looking stronger than ever.
She is now well and truly in control.
Not saying the PM will win the next election. That will be up to the voters.
I am saying she deserves too.
Dear Cuppa,I would like to thank you for your notes under the heading; “The worst PM in history – no contest – was Howard who presided over the most inept government in history”. I was fortunate to be away from Australia during the Howard years, a man for whom I have a visceral dislike, and so saved myself more than a few years of anger, desperation, and intemperate haranguing of my friends and colleagues. Unfortunately I must also note that my frustration was compounded by the complete failure of the opposition parties to find any person who could counter the cheap and tawdry politics of the man, and his cohort.
Unfortunately I fear that another sojourn is being called for, as I have a strong suspicion that Abbott WILL gain office and Australia will fall, or be driven into the hands of the Corporations and Business Interests. (Didn’t Abbott comment, immediately before he met R. Murdoch, “I do hope that he likes me”, He most certainly will when Abbott cancels the NBN, because that is what the Liberal Plan is all about). I do think that many of our suburbs would still be on septic tanks if the Liberal parties’ hold on power had not been broken, occasionally, by the Labor party.
I watched the Late Line discussion between Bradbury and Pyne. It was awful, Bradbury had not been primed by his advisors, and allowed the Despicable Pyne to shout him down and distort the facts. Again I fear that the Labor party just cannot counter the Liberal tactic of cheap, nasty politics, with no substance, and no quality, (all brass, no class).
I wish Australia, and Australians Luck, I do have a love for this country but I despair of its’ politics, its’ media and its corporate life, (so short sighted, self-centered, and parochial).
Deena Bennett,
Hi, and thank you for the kind words. Please come to the Cafe more often; you’re among friends here.
In my view, it’s Them vs Everyone Else. “Them”, being Big Media, Big Mining, Big Tobacco, Big Gambling, Big Business and Big Wealth.
The Big End of Town versus the Australian People.
I feel sorry for those – and there are literally millions of them – who will be manipulated into voting against their own interests. There are some of them among us here on this thread (and the other threads, too, sadly) – the Lib Trolls, who we don’t need to name. Fools, all.
We’ll keep doing what we can to get the word out, to keep the power in the hands of the people. A helluva struggle, it’s got to be done and won.