August, 2010

I drew attention the other day to the analogy between the current federal situation and the aftermath of the 1999 Victorian election, when three country independents emerged with the balance of power. It’s worth also thinking about the big difference between then and now: Labor then was in opposition, whereas now it’s in government. Siding [...]

With the Coalition gaining a 3% swing in the poll, many of its supporters are enjoying a ‘told ya so’ moment about the electability of Tony Abbott. James Paterson (not the thriller writer) brought them all together in an article for the Oz Spectator, rounding up the usual suspects. Your correspondent was surprised and pleased [...]

Two letters in Quadrant, referred to in my reply to Neil James in Crikey daily email, comments, Thursday 25th August Quadrant Letters September 1981 SIR: Paul Ormonde (letters, July-August) accuses the Australia Defence Association of guilt by association with the National Civic Council because of my personal involvement with both. The reality is somewhat more [...]

OK, before you do anything else, go back and read what I wrote in May about how a hung parliament works. Constitutionally, Julia Gillard is in the same position now that Gordon Brown was then. Politically, her position is a lot stronger. It’s a fortunate coincidence that we’ve already had two opportunities this year, in [...]

I’m sure that I’m not the only Australian looking into the skies for political omens after the “wtf just happened?” election night.

Perhaps we should all be looking towards Mt Bartle Frere, Queensland’s highest mountain, which Bob Katter thinks could become a pilgramage site akin to Mecca or Jerusalem if a giant religious statue was placed at the summit.

It is the logic of our times,
No subject for immortal verse -
That we who lived by honest dreams
Defend the bad against the worse. – C.D. Lewis.
“Defending the bad against the worse” is hardly the most inspiring political credo. Yet that is exactly what many Australians will be doing when they cast their vote tomorrow.

Many people (including me) have been saying that the media’s coverage of this election campaign has been slanted towards the Coalition. Most of the time, that’s a matter of subjective perception; we can say it, but we can’t really prove it. Sometimes, however, it’s a matter of hard fact. Here, word for word, is ABC [...]

If Mark Latham is planning to lodge a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the Australian government after the trauma of being “stroked down the front” by the Prime Minister, he hasn’t said so. But I am waiting to see which prominent Australian male (or female, of course) will emunlate Allanah Hill by telling the ALP campaign [...]

Jesus wept! Julia Gillard’s main media event on Sunday was previewed by the ABC at breakfast time as the announcement of more chaplains for state schools during campaigning in Darwin. Why isn’t Gillard promising more Asian language teachers, or science teachers, instead of more priests or preachers? What has happened to the secular values of [...]

After blasting the media contingent travelling with the Prime Minister for their appalling performance yesterday, it’s only fair that I note that today in Darwin the media were substantially better in focussing on policy issues. The transcript follows. TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE CASUARINA, DARWIN 8 AUGUST 2010 E & O E – PROOF ONLY Subjects: [...]