Tony Abbott has told the National Press Club that he’ll be campaigning on the theme of Australia needing a “competent, trustworthy, adult” government.
Naturally, the national media immediately called him on his record under those themes transcribed his words and repeated them as if they were in some way credible.
Here’s a thread to discuss how the nation’s competent journalists respond to this audacious announcement by this particular opposition leader, when they do.
23 Comments
“… he’ll be campaigning on the theme of Australia needing a “competent, trustworthy, adult” government.”
I think we can all agree that we need one, but does he know anybody who can tell us where we can find one?
Much more entertaining was peter reith, over at the drum, telling us how julia gillard just can’t be straight with the australian public. It’s almost like old government ministers are daring one another to take the … mickey. Next we’ll be hearing from our old attorney-general about compassion, and getting a lecture from a certain immigration minister about the importance of maintaining a document trail to ensure accountability.
Does this make anyone else think of Mars Attacks? “We Come In Peace! Ack ack ack!” Maybe the libs have been taken over by the slitheen? Still, could be worse … they might not be.
The Address and Q&A (courtesy of tonyabbott.com.au)
Aha!
Trick question!
Won’t be too hard for him – this Greens / Labor government has set the bar pretty friggin low !
Can’t beat “lower taxes & more services”. When the budget permit. Not sure whether than is a core or non-core lie.
Perhaps they have plans to outsource the government?
Nowhere near low enough for Abbott’s “Liberals” to hurdle. (In that all the ALP’s failings have been in areas where the Liberals were even worse.)
They’ll be relying very, very heavily on shilling from the tabloid gatekeepers if they’re to manage it.
In his Ode to Abbott, Andy remarks, “strong on values and vision, but short of the details that will need to come closer to the election.”
Another way of putting that might be: Big on feel-good rhetoric, light on detail.
Andy then observes, “Hostile though the post-speech questions were, I noted a lack of real criticism of the speech itself.”
So, how does one criticise a puffy, insubstantial speech without seeming at least churlish?
An example of the “hostile” questioning, this one from Paul Bongiorno:
Hostile?? That’s utter apostasy !!1!!!
Nah, nowhere near the level of the Coalition, Brown Stain
I’m actually kind of glad of this. Abbott needs to start constructing himself as an alternative PM rather than just being Tony “I’m not Juliar” Abbott. Politically astute construction of policy (rather than rhetoric) is actually quite difficult, and despite Abbott’s intelligence and drive, he hasn’t really showed yet that he’s got significant brains in that department.
You’d be more trustful of the MSM’s “We hate Gillard rhetoric” if during the long dark night of the Howard Government they had been ten times as shrill in a “We hate Howard message”.
Howard was in power for 11 years and during that time everything he did was unconscionable and against the national interest.
If Gillard had done nothing else in her time in power, getting rid of “Promise everything, deliver nothing” Rudd would have been one major achievement.
Jack Sparraaggghhh,
A blunter way to put it:
Sound familiar? It’s exactly the charge that Bolt, the boltheads, the shock jocks and others in their media have been leveling at Labor.
What’s it called when the Right project their own failings/motivations onto their opponents: Right-Wing Projection
Bolt opines “Peter Reith, in critiquing the speech for 7.30 tonight, used the word “principled”. That had an immediate resonance for me, and I think the Liberals should adopt it”.
WTF?
What immediately resonated with me was how improbable it was that Peter “children overboard” Reith was any sort of an authority or matters relating to “principle”.
Well I trust tones.
I trust him to change his mind like a weather vein whenever it suits him, I trust that he will always put his personal interests and the interests of news ltd before our national interest, I trust he will continue to embarrass himself with insensitive statements like ‘shit happens’ when a soldier dies and the crapola spouted about the aborigine tent embassy on Australia day.
I trust he will never ever ever mention the 70 billion dollar black hole in the budget or that he refused to honor his own ‘submit to treasury’ costings stunt. I trust that he again will never mention his disgraceful comments toward Bernie Banton. I trust that he will cause a divisiveness never yet seen in Australian society and I trust news limited will champion him all the way.
It’s amazing Tones can be so lacking in self-awareness. Reminds one of the rodent’s “Who do you trust?” line. That had to have been a joke. Or is it possible these people are that out of touch with what people think of them?
“I trust that he will cause a divisiveness never yet seen in Australian society and I trust news limited will champion him all the way.”
Funnily enough, I expect that will be the nail in the coffin for News. Once Tony is Emperor of Australia I suspect the right won’t need to keep buying the song sheet they currently use to stay in tune…
I didn’t see the show, but perhaps Reithy was asking the interviewer what “principled” meant…
That said, given the economic conditions mentioned above a politically asute government, in their second term, really shouldn’t be troubled by Tony Abbott.
There have been beatups, but no ministerial indiscretions and they have been getting their legislation through.
What is the problem is the Govt is completely spooked by him and the media.
Even the ALP polling problems over the last 12months – which date from when they announced the carbon tax were caused because they dropped it the previous year and then ruled one out in the election campaign.
Howsoever “low the bar” the MM will be able to limbo under it, given that such a skill involves disjointing major limbs and bumping along, in a manner unseen since Milton’s “tree scene”. Sloppy Hockey, not so much. He’d been more like the boulder Sisyphus futilely shouldered up the hill each day, only to have it roll down over him.
Cross posted in the open thread is this nice little deconstruction by Andrew Elder.
Worth the read (it’s a long one)
Not sure what it is, but every time that Pyne sleazebag opens his mouth, Abbott (ugh) looks a little better to me by comparison…. God (can I say that as an non beliver?… anywho?) imagine if Pyne was liberal leader… oh the horror…. it’d be like the daleks took over….. “incompetent… incompetent…. exterminate (anyone not white christian Anglo-Saxon straight male)…. exterminate”
There really are some ‘bottom of the barrel’ libs, and yet labor seems too incompetent to point that out(perhaps there dead wood scares em?). And it would be so hard for them to lampoon the right wing rehetoric in the media…(as PP does every day)? What sort of media advisors do they have… oh wait they just had to sack one…
http://www.smh.com.au/national/pyne-has-no-friends-on-other-side-20120202-1quqd.html
Ok i get THAT, being the one-eyed blinkered tool of the Coalition he is, but it still begs the question…how does he have ANY friends?!
how does he have ANY friends?!
People want stuff.
“There really are some ‘bottom of the barrel’ libs, and yet labor seems too incompetent to point that out(perhaps there dead wood scares em?). “
Any labor media people might want to consider a web site along the lines of the one barry had. Apparently it’s not just possible to get the facts about the stimulus packages past the media gatekeeps, so go straight to the audience.
Make the URL simple, memorable, catchy and make sure it’s on every piece of campaign advertising. Brainstorm a few options and get random people to register the domain names in plenty of time to unveil them when the right one becomes evident.
Preferably, make it a two or three-word slogan that every candidate can say at the end of every interview (and don’t, please, don’t stuff it up – no “penisland” or “expertsexchange” – run it past some peurile, randy 15-year-old boys first)
Research the bejeezus out of the claims you’re making about your record and reference every single number. If there’s a hole that andrew bolt or miranda devine can weasel through, plug it. Have a simple half-page rundown on each program that’s been attacked since 2007, that outlines the ALP’s basic position, its successes, and pepper it with links to drill-down information with supporting statements, figures, photographs (if necessary) and references. Be prepared to update it with responses to B.S. during the campaign, with a red “updates here” link at the top of the half-page summary. Don’t clutter that half-page.
Get a bunch of graphs showing australia’s economic position relative to our peers, and compares all economic indicators over the last 15 years. Show a random graph each time the front page loads.
Don’t rely on the press at this next election. They were sh1tful last time around, and that’s when they DIDN’T have an agenda. Make sure people know where to find the things that the ALP actually says, in the form that the ALP actually says them. If you rely on getting things into The Oz or Herald or Tizer, you’re hosed.
All policies should be available online and easily found, in brief and in detail. And make sure people actually LOOK. The cash-for-clunkers policy was available on the ALP website even while it was being (tragically) botched by reporters. They were asking stupid hypotheticals that were already answered. Anyone who thought to look would have known this. So make sure they think to look!
Just a thought. Go online – go past the media.