No FuelWatch effect from Morgan either: indeed, their face-to-face poll conducted last weekend shows Labor’s lead up to 63-37 from 61-39 the previous week. Labor’s primary vote is down slightly from 53 per cent to 52.5 per cent, but the Coalition’s has fallen further – from 34 per cent to 31.5 per cent, their worst result since mid-March.
Reflections on the Miracle of Democracy at Work in the Greatest Nation on Earth
Morgan: 63-37
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The ABC news tonight was a corker too. It is explained in more depth here.
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/06/08/more-abc-bias/
Kina, Rather than agonise about the wretched Insiders Program, I’d suggest simply not watching anymore. I have,and have to say feel much better for it. It’s rubbish, we all agree it’s rubbish, why bother? On the wider question of the ABC having gone off the rails, I’d suggest something like a Get Up campaign to the gov’t to say they had made a pre-election commitment to independently appointed boards to bodies such as the ABC, and get on with it, forthwith.
The other news services used Robb as their only source of “proof” too. Bloody disgraceful.
I may be in moderation, though I’ve no idea why, but I’ll have another go at commenting on the fuel issue.
Petrol. forget about it, and phooey on petrol. We’ve got so much gas you could light a match under much of Australia, and the entire continent, probably most of the hemisphere, would erupt into space.
We’re the Qatar of gas.
We’ve got so much gas, even without the fauna farting, that we could probably fuel the planet for hundreds of years.
I’m sure Marn Fnerson has heard of it.
How long before the Liberal Party installed thought police finish their contracts and Australia can have its ABC back?
Madam Lizard-Skin will be slowly falling into a mentally created alternative reality of denial, where Johny boy still pats her on the head saying ‘good dog’ and, Australians are the indentured servants of big business under WorkChoices, The Australian has replace the Supreme Court, Climate Change has stopped, CO2 is good for health, and the Labor party outlawed by a meeting the full bench of The Australian, and whatever she says is consider the new Gospel of Truth and, all who disagree exiled to the SM dungeon.
maybe the journo’s? in question could have their membership of the MAEA changed from full member to “provisional” nad then. subsequently publish a list of said ‘provisionals’ with a proviso to use extreme caution when reading/listening to their “opinions”. a tag line along the lines of “not authorised by the liberal party but actually paid for” would also work a treat
(cross posted at LP)
Petrol, phooey. We’re sitting on so much gas that if you lit a match under some parts of Australia, the entire continent, possibly a part of the hemisphere would erupt into space.
We’re the Qatar of gas.
I’m sure Marn Fnerson knows about it.
And therefore, the gov’t.
While the stupid narrative being spun by the MSM is one of Rudd being too preoccupied with committees and so forth, I suspect something much more devastating for the so-called Opposition.
As to Insiders, I think they’re best ignored these days, It’s just rubbish, why would you watch it?
The ABC? Would constant complaints to Stephan Conroy to effect the gov’t’s pledge to have independent bodies appoint people to boards help?
Kina, gusface, steve, seriously, we’ve got so much gas, it’s enough to fuel the joint for a very long time.
Hey, hang on, what”s this “we” business?
That’s WA gas, and don’t you forget it!
Especially when it comes to your bleating about our share of GST income! LoL
Are there any plans to bring back the staff elected director to th ABC board?
News on McEwen –
http://www.theage.com.au/national/end-in-sight-for-mcewen-ballot-battle-20080608-2nko.html
I wish you ppl with jobs would all hurry up and buy hybrid cars, cos I am a pensioner, I only ever get to buy cars that are 10-15+ old… get off your ass’s ppl and buy these hybrids, even if ya dont think you can really afford it…
Your hand -me-downs will be what I driving in 15yrs
A.B.C. News Thing –
I am a first year politics student, and I believe you allowed to have your opinion. But I do not think the evening news is the right place to do, especially when there are people who cannot read the media like us do and take it at face value. There, you cannot afford to have bias on anyside. You need to be objective.
Shanahan is bursting with pride that Labor has put up Howard’s name for a gong in the Queen’s Birthday list, Companion of the Order of Australia.
This is, in Shanaland, a recognition of all Howard’s acheivements, including the GST and even Workchoices.
But of course Howard is too much of a Statesman to say this himself according to Dennis.
The award is automatically bestowed on all retired (booted out igonominiously or otherwise), Australian Prime Ministers, no matter how awful they are, but this little known fact is not something made much of in Shanaland.
I wonder how many people who have received the award, because they actually deserved it, will be returning it now.
Paul Keating declined his gong.
Howard gets the OoA…
See. Pigs DO fly!
Glenn Milne is full of it again in the Australian (no link).
He claims that Tom Hughes, the crusty old QC and ex-Attorney General, has spoken.
Fuel Watch won’t catch unincorporated franchisees.
Probably won’t, but how many unincorporated franchisees are there? Does anyone sell fuel in a service station scenario without a company structure behind them?
The federal power over corporations extends to all corporations, not just Big Business oil companies. Even little ones who run a corner independent discount petrol station.
In other words, Hughes’ advice, while perhaps technically correct, applies to so few real word petrol retailing operations as to be practically meaningless.
If you’re a company and you sell petrol, you’re part of Fuel watch, whether you like it or not.
Milne’s article sets Tom Hughes up as some sort of Establishment Godfather figure, not to be slighted by the ring-in players of mere Labor governments, in office through some inexplicable miscalculation by a few voters in marginal electorates. “Ooh-Aah! Let’s get all nervous, boys. Uncle Tom is qwanky.”
Another example of Labor Wreckers, apparently, thinking they can change the status quo when John Howard isn’t looking. Can’t the man even go off to watch the cricket without the locks being changed? Labor’s job should be to do a little damage as possible while in office, to preserve the chandeliers, cover the Chesterfields with sheets, and put a feather duster over the mantle piece until the True Father Of The Nation can make a comeback. He will then try to undo any confusion that may have arisen in the public’s mind that he lost office in about the most comprehensive manner possible last November (and we’ll check the silverware, thank you very much).
Everything they write purports to chip away at Labor’s legitimacy in office. They change things that shouldn’t be changed. They have their own policies (the cheek!). They brawl in restaurants and get chucked out (oh, wait a minute, no they don’t). They meet with shady figures from their own party (uh-hum, they don’t do that either). They use taxpayers’ money to go on overseas junkets. They take doctors with them. They don’t take doctors with them (depends on which paper you read). And now they’re mucking about with the precious Constitution, dabbling in enacting laws they should not even contemplate, and of which they clearly don’t understand the full ramifications. This means it’s just going to be harder to undo all their tinkering with really, really important things.
But don’t worry, grumpy old Uncle Tom is on the job. He has rellies in high places, don’t you know. Why (amazing)… Malcolm Turnbull is one of his sons-in-law. The Hughes family is one of the most important in the Sydney establishment. And these Labor ruffians have upset him.
Well, we’ll see about that…
Just who are the Cane Toad’s sources in Japan? As if any self-respecting member of the Japanese establishment would lower themselves to confide in that repulsive little bloat-fish.
BB, wasn’t Uncle Tom AG in a Liberal govt, was it Fraser’s? He is bound to be unbiased, not.
Kina 250 –
How long before the Liberal Party installed thought police finish their contracts and Australia can have its ABC back?
Somehow I don’t think it’ll be as easy as giving the Liberal aparachiks the flick. Their influence has become so pervasive that the staff now automatically spin in the ‘right’ direction without needing any prompting, just as Rupert’s lads and lasses do. Unfortunately, reversing 11 years of brainwashing can’t be undone in a few months.
However, I was encouraged that ABC news has finally realised Robb is the shadow FM, and not Lord Lunchalot.
The John Della Bosca – Belinda Neal incident in Gosford is the lead item on the SMH this morning:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/ministers-job-on-line/2008/06/08/1212863458288.html
If it as reported they both should go. Abuse of their authority is unethical conduct by any definition of the term. They potentially embarrass both governments. Rudds can afford some embarrassment; Iemma’s cannot.
Basil, the point is that Tom Hughes is a “gun for hire”. He argues whatever brief is put before him. As even Milne points out, Hughes isn’t infallible (he lost the Mercedes Corby case for Channel 7). Highes’ opinion is just that: an opinion. It carries no weight at law.
The import of Milne’s story is that Rudd Labor has upset him and, because of his importance in the Sydney Establishment, to upset Tom Hughes is a bad thing.
The whole premiss of the article is that Labor are wreckers who don’t know what they’re tinkering with and that Uncle Tom is required to sort them out.
It’s part of the mantra that whatever Howard did was right and that any challenge to it, or change is therefore wrong. Howard and his supporters, in Milne’s mind, continues to rule from the political grave. Rudd is trying to show that isn’t true.
We got the same thing with the Future Fund debate last year. Howard and Costello (with the help of their urgers in the media) tried to set up the Future Fund as some kind of untouchable national treasure, a beneficient gift to future generations. Well, apart from it just being a pool of money for public servants’ superannuation (and not for the future of all Australians), it was up to Labor, once elected, to decide what they wanted to do with it: continue it on, dip into it, or scrap it altogether. It wasn’t a constitutional fund, requiring a plebiscite to alter in any way. All it required was a simple majority vote in both houses of Parliament, just like any other law.
What I find amusing about this whole thing is that the Fuel Watch idea rests upon the Howard government’s successful constitutional challenge to the corporations power. I always thought at the time that the Work Choices constitutional case, expanding the Commonwealth’s corporations power as it did, would come back to bite the conservatives in the bum. Well, it has, and I for one am enjoying a tiny giggle as I watch them squirm.
If anyone was a “wrecker” in the Constitutional area it was the Liberal Party when they sought to expand the Commonwealth’s powers far beyond what the original drafters of the Constitution had anticipated. Control over prices was several times rejected by referenda over the years. Howard tried to back-door it by whispering sweet-nothings to the High Court. He got his way and Fuel Watch is one of the unintended consequences. Let them swim in it.
The few unincorporated resellers of retail petrol won’t have the slightest effect on Fuel Watch’s operability. they usually undercut the majors. I don’t see why this should change under Fuel Watch, as to overcharge would be tantamount to financial suicide for the unincorporated independents.
{Just who are the Cane Toad’s sources in Japan? }
He doesn’t have any. He’s just repeating the nonsense sprouted by Robb and he doesn’t have any sources either.
It’s passing strange how Coalition Spokespersons can make “ANY” statement, no matter how ridiculous or far fetched, as long as it is an attack on Rudd personally or on any facet of Labor policy, and “virtually “NO” journalist queries the legitimacy of the statement.
How often have we seen a “journalist” say during an interview, “do you have any evidence to support that claim?” “What is it?” Or to say, “that is a load of bunkum!”
Another thing that stands out to a remarkable degree. How often have we seen any positive statements made about what Rudd is doing and how well he is doing his job.
I don’t mind constructive, objective criticism, as this is an essential part of a functional democracy and can improve the standard of decision making and government.
This is totally lacking throughout the commentary we are having dished up to us by the MSM and I for one, are totally sick and tired of it.
Earlier, I read an article from the Washington Post and what a contrast it is to the current Australian media’s rubbish. It was balanced, analytical and showed that the journalist had researched his subject matter.
The fact that it contained no apparent bias, slanted by personal opinion one way or the other by the journalist, made it a pleasure to read and I felt that I had been competently informed of the subject matter without having to “decode” it or try and interpret any “newsworthy” content in between the spin and personal opinion.
The media in this country is a disgrace and and in my opinion is doing untold damage to democracy and Australia and its people who deserve better than this.
They are certainly not doing anything to improve then standard of offering from the current Liberal rabble and the crude, transparent attempts to prop them up by refusing to critically analyze them and act as a defacto opposition in the manner that they are is to the detriment of everyone, no matter what political leaning they support.
scorpio youre spot on. its as if Aussie journalists worry that if they praise Rudd, his popularity will soar even higher, and they need a contest to report on. The hysteria over Fuelwatch and the no-change Newspoll shows how desparate they are
Shame Milne forgot about the Federal Govt’s “Trade and Commerce Powers” under the constitution. “the mutual communings, the negotiations, verbal and by correspondence, the bargain, the transport and the delivery” all come under this Federal Power.
So what is the learned one’s view on this power?
What I have found amazing is the deafening silence coming from the Coalition supporters.
Are they too stupid or too complacent to realise that the current standard of MSM commentary is doing untold damage to their cause.
If the Liberal Party and its operatives are not held to account for the disastrous situation they are nor in and subsequently are forced to modernise, reform and better reflect the needs of the challenging, ever changing world that we now live in, then even if they are able to somehow damage the labor brand enough to get this rabble back into government, how in ever are they going to be able to govern at the level necessary to enable the country to prosper and succeed given the challenges that now confront us.
Climate change, global economic challenges, the ever growing, balance of payment problems and a score more?
The MSM is supporting “mediocrity” at best and that is not good enough for me. How can it be good enough for LNP supporters? Are they living in a bubble or in a fantasy world where everything is wonderful as long as they control the reins of power?
Not in the world that I wish to live in and not the country that I want for my children either.
Paul Keating declined his gong. Said being PM was enough honour, presume Hawke did also.
Bill Kelity union (boo) leader gets same gong as Howard, good to see.
Charles 240
I agree; one of Rudd’s silliest moments. He had sounded so credible when he was explaining about world forces. He’d be better off leaving oil to Tanner or Swan if he’s going to say that.
Just to satisfy my curiosity, I went to have a look at the Fuelwatch site, and I reckon it would be brilliant to have it in the eastern states. I can see it would be a means of promoting real competition among the oil majors and indys. A much, much better idea than that of the eunuch’s 5 cents.
Basil @ 273 : The only change to Fuelwatch I would make is that I would allow stations to DROP their advertised price and be able to give notice of the drop in price on the website.
For example if Station A has fuel going for $1.50.9 pl and Station B is $1.51.9 then I would allow station B to log back on and re-adjust the price down to either match Station A or better the lower price.The priviso being that the new reduced price cannot be changed for 48 hours.
It’s not hard to set up.
The problem with allowing them to adjust the price is that they will “play”
it. That is, put in a higher price initially than they need to and then only
adjust downward if they need to. Defeats the purpose.
Rod @ 271 – Hawke was awarded his Companion of the Order of Australia in 1979, nearly 18 months before he even became the member from Wills, much less PM.
Just one from the vault, for everyone to revisit.
The infamous Galaxy Poll of early June 2007 and Chris Ulhmann’s response.
Ulhmann “…….this election is a long way from being won and the people who have been writing the Prime Minister’s obituaries should perhaps take a powder and have a lie down.”
AM – Monday, 4 June , 2007 08:04:00
Reporter: Chris Uhlmann
TONY EASTLEY: On the back of all that there is another poll out today. But this one is a little different. For the first time it shows a significant shift back to the Coalition.
Chief Political Correspondent Chris Uhlmann spent the weekend at the Liberal Party Federal Council meeting and he’s back in the relatively quiet surroundings of Canberra after his big weekend in Sydney. He joins us now on the line.
Chris, good morning. I’m told that this poll is one of the PM’s favourites. What does it show?
CHRIS UHLMANN: Well it shows, Tony, that Labor still has an election winning lead but the Coalition has more than halved that to a gap of just six points. Now, more importantly it shows a lift in the Coalition’s primary vote to 42 per cent. Which is the point at about which they start to become competitive.
But, and look, this is a very big “but”. One of the stories after this election, I believe, will be about opinion polls and how much faith we can put in mid-term polls and I think the answer will be: not much.
About the only thing that we’ve learned from opinion polls so far is that Labor can win this election but this election is a long way from being won and the people who have been writing the Prime Minister’s obituaries should perhaps take a powder and have a lie down.
This will most probably be a very close election and I’ll add one final rider to that. It’ll be an election in two parts: the Coalition will take a big hit on the east coast and in South Australia but in the west it’s a different country and Labor could actually lose votes there and seats.
TONY EASTLEY: At the Federal Council meeting John Howard seemed to hone-in on Labor’s Peter Garrett. Is that likely to be a regular affair?
CHRIS UHLMANN: Yes it will, and it will broaden to include people like Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan as they try and get people to look behind Kevin Rudd and into the faces of the people that are supporting him.
I should note two things though: it’s not Labor’s official policy to have 20 per cent cut in emissions by 2012 and the example that the Prime Minister used about taking all cars off the road and coal-fired power stations to shut down is probably debatable.
But I think you can expect to hear the term “rock-star economics” applied to Peter Garrett before too long.
TONY EASTLEY: Chris, as I mentioned, you were at the council meeting all weekend. Any chit-chat over tea and sandwiches about Liberal leadership?
CHRIS UHLMANN: There certainly was and I think there was some concerned expressed really by the supporters of the Prime Minister that that was going on. I don’t think that there was enormous amount of substance to it. There was a big contrast between the Treasurer and the Prime Minister when they spoke – the Treasurer being much more engaging. I don’t think at this stage there’s any real move on against the Prime Minister.
TONY EASTLEY: Our Chief Political Correspondent Chris Uhlmann in Canberra.
Flaneur @ 275. I understand what you are saying but the thing is that their opening price has to be set for 24 hours.Any changes ( drop in price ) would be effective for 48 hours.
Now with all the stations having to show a price, they won’t be able to play too much because they will lose turnover to the lowest seller. Most of them also have in store shops where a lot of their profit comes from. No-one going in to buy fuel means less profit from their shops.
Under competition laws they won’t be able to collude together to fix a price.
Within a kilometre of where I am in western Sydney there are at least 6 stations and they all have varying prices with most of them hiking the price by between 10 and 15 cents a litre on Wednesday afternoons and then slowly reducing it until it reaches it lowest on Tuesdsays.
I would love the opportunity to be able to sit at home and know with certainty what price I am going to pay and be able able to shop around without the expense of burning fuel while doing it.
Mayo @ 276
Thanks, article was unclear on Hawke.
We about to reach parity. Not AUD/USD but Petrol/Milk.
Chalk up another first for the Ruddster.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23833768-12377,00.html
I still enjoy the novelty of seeing ” the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd”.
If outlets are aware that they can adjust prices down to be competitive with the others then they have no incentive to set a lower competitive price.
In fact it would be better for them to set prices at the upper limit then adjust them down to match others who would be following the same strategy. You would end up with the market operating at the highest end not lowest end of price range.
Now when they bring their prices down to be competitive it has to last 48 hours, this takes us back to the original concept – setting prices to be competitive in tomorrows market. But this gives them the added advantage of trying out a higher price first and then trying to set a competitive one, though I do understand they will be stuck with it for 48 hours while others will have more flexibility.
Probably not much different then than sticking with the original concept of setting a forward price that needs to be competitive or risk losing turnover and thus profit.
Milne as I have said is one of our worst journalists, not quite the worst of the worst but still very low quality in content and writing ability. If there wasn’t a demand from an uncritical right-wing press I doubt he would get a job as a journalist, except in a one horse town.
My 15 year old nephews are smarter and write better than him.
But I don’t think it is journalism that he is doing. He is just uncritically regurgitating anti-Labor trash fed to him. In other words he is simply a conduit of slime with no inherent qualities of his own apart from being the equivalent of a sewer pipe.
{he is simply a conduit of slime with no inherent qualities of his own apart from being the equivalent of a sewer pipe.}
Snap!
Anyone got an e-mail address for Mr. Sewer Pipe?
The quality of some of the postings to this thread explains why William’s blog probably gets more ‘viewers’ than Insiders does.
I have just been looking at the 07 election report from parliament that was linked here a while ago.
Some interesting info.
Just one to lead off with.
Electorate average sizes by population. [My very rough estimated averages cos I didn't work them out exactly.]
STATES
NSW -< 95,000
Vic -95,000
Qld. -90,000
WA -< 90,000
SA -about 98,000
………………………….and the 3 ’special’ places.
Tas -about 70,000
ACT -about 120,000
NT -<60,000
Now in the 5 main populated states thats a bigger variation than I would have expected. I’m from SA, so you may get the drift I’m hinting at.
Should SA go back to its previous number of 12 electorates?
Change the others to stay at 150 seats OR increase the number of seats?
Anyone know how many trips to Japan Robb has made since becoming Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister?
Gary Bruce,
Milne’s email is
milneg@theaustralian.com.au
It’s the same format for all Oz journos surname first name initial etc
The format the ABC uses for other journos is:
surname dot firstname at abc.net.au
So for Barrie Cassidy, you can try the following
cassidy.barrie@abc.net.au
Kina @ 288: You’re most probably correct.
Where I work has no public transport close by…and I work shifts…sometimes day..sometimes afternoon.If I do an afternoon shift then there is NO public Transport at all at the end of the shift so I actually need to drive.
With the way the price can rise or fall by 15 cpl on any given day I want the ability to know for certain what is the cheapest price available on any given day is without wasting more fuel just driving around to find it.
I understand the debate and our need to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. But that comes at a cost. I wish I had the ability to switch to a hybrid or other fuel efficient or fuel saving car. Now even with a rebate for LPG conversion you have to have the finances to be able to pay upfront. If you have a mortgage, and I certainly do, it’s harder when rates rise 10 times in a row and take another $600-$700 per month extra OUT of your budget. Any extra savings get eaten away very quickly. Certainly makes it harder to save.
Thanks Aristotle. I think these people need to be reminded of their responsibilities as a journalist, and I use the term loosely.
294 Steve – Having googled Robb trip Japan I would sat nil, zip, zilch.
GB, I’d say he had clear air on the ABC last night because both Rudd and Stephen Smith would probably be overseas. It is a common trick of the Queensland Opposition to make mischief in rural areas while cabinet is sitting on Mondays.
When Robb starts naming and quoting Japanese government officials backing his claims then I may start believing him. So far he has produced nothing and the MSM have lapped it up.
Scorpio#287
Another story on Kev’s Hiroshima visit. Is it just me or does the mayor seem pretty pleased with our Kev? nah that can’t be right, surely, he soured relations, Japan hates us blah blah blah
“Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba told Rudd he was the first serving western leader to visit the exhibition, which includes wax dummies of burning people, pictures of horribly maimed victims and a photograph of the shadow of a person vaporised in the blast.”
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1838414
sad ain’t it when we need to read NZ coverage for an unbiazed view.
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