Blogjam creator Tim Dunlop is back! Thanks to David Tiley and Terry Sedgwick for filling in.
There’s a lot of election stuff out there in blogland at the moment, which is how it will probably go for the rest of the year. Good thing too because it gives us some insight into how ordinary citizens are thinking about the upcoming choice. My impression is that people on the sensible left can smell Coalition blood, even though they are not particularly thrilled about the prospect of a prime minister Latham. Those on the right are keeping their fingers crossed and no doubt scanning the political horizon looking for another Tampa to sail into view, or counting on John Howard to build one out of gay marriage and whatever other wedge scraps he can find lying around on the floor at Kirribilli and paddle it to shore himself.
Having said that, no-one is willing to declare victory or defeat this far out from an election that hasn’t even officially been announced. (Remember, the election isn’t on until the prime minister notifies the Governor General, and it’s starting to look like the PM has forgotten which cupboard he locked Major General Jeffery in.)
So off we go.
Taking time out from giving decidedly dodgy footy tips, Virulent Memes backs into the pack this week to provide his view of the upcoming Federal election, suggesting that “it might well come down to the stench of the Howard government playing against the untried economic credentials of Latham and Co”. Which sounds about right to me, though there is obviously more to it than that, much of which is covered in the rest of the post. As we say in the blogosphere, read the whole thing.
Over at Public Opinion, Gary surveys recent politicking and concludes, “The ALP reckon that with the Howard Government in freefall they can win the election, if they just hang on, stay together and talk in unison from the same script,” though Gary begs to differ. He’s also concerned about the lack of coverage being given to key issues in the mainstream media.
Recent polls get a working over at Back Pages, who tells the ALP, “Don’t Panic” about the latest Newspoll, “a gobsmacker, presenting a 6 point election winning 2pp lead for the Coalition (53/47), which also has a 10 point lead on the primary count (47/37)”. Christopher and his kind commenters reckon it is probably a rogue poll, though conservative Andrew Norton can’t help but get a little light-headed that it might represent a change in fortune for his team. He nonetheless concludes, “I will be very surprised – though pleasantly surprised – if the Coalition sees 53% 2-party preferred again until well into a Latham government.”
Another rightie, Scott Wickstein, also thinks it’s a rogue while the Gnu Hunter compares recent newspaper accounts, takes them as proof of leftwing bias, and ends by quoting and agreeing with John Howard.
One of the election-related topics to light up the blogs and their comments boxes in the last day or two has been the revelation that the stuff Mr Howard and his government told us about what and when Australian officials knew of the torture and abuse in Abu Ghraib prison. Steve Wadeconfides that he’d like to see the Howard government returned but is more than a little concerned: “Perhaps this government of ours will learn the hard way that trying to put it over the people isn’t appreciated.” Well, Steve, that’s entirely up to people like you. Remember, even Hitler got the trains to run on time.
“My take on it is simply to point out the obvious, that John Howard has finally turned into Paul Keating. Having come to power on a promise to be more “in touch” with “ordinary Australians”, this is just the latest example of the the Howard Government being caught out misleading them. Once is a mistake. Twice is clumsy. To make it a defining feature of your reign is just plain contemptuous.
John Quiggin believes Mr Howard’s explanation that he was simply given incorrect information, but pointedly points out, “In the light of the ‘children overboard’ business and the more recent humiliation of Mick Keelty, what officer would be foolish enough to pass bad news of this kind on to his or her superiors?” Indeedydodahday.
Elsewhere, Southerly Buster provides a handy-dandy guide to the government’s SOP: “1. Deny everything. 2. Admit it when it becomes unavoidable. 3. Insist you never got the papers. 4. Blame everything on the troops.”
On the other handy-dandy, some bloggers think it is all a media beat up. At Chrenkoff, Arthur is upset that the Greens are concerned about issues other than the environment (why, he doesn’t say) and wonders in regard to the Abu Ghraib story mentioned above, “How low can the media go in their attempt to get the Government on this issue? My guess is, very low.” Well guessing is one thing, Arthur: how about some evidence? And please try and keep in mind that the prime minister has admitted the error.
And could we go a week without the right having conniptions about the latest Media Watch story or the ABC in general? No we could not. Tim Blair gets the ball rolling, though Rob Corr thinks Tim has misunderstood the claim that was made. And as usual, Uncle is not happy with how the ABC is doing its job – which is why he started blogging in the first place I presume. Rob Corr runs the blue pencil over Uncle’s jottings.
Speaking of the ABC, rightwingers Paul and Carl find something to praise about an ABC program, presumably because it catered to their biases.
That other favourite target of rightwing spleen, the Oscar and Canne Film Festival award-winning film-maker Michael Moore (who I believe is also in line for a Nobel Peace Prize, a sainthood and a lovely motherhood award)also gets a good working over this week. Mike Jericho takes delight in a story that Moore wasn’t invited to a film festival in his hometown, while Evil Pundit has some fun with Moore via his photoshop bag of tricks.
Bargarz also asserts his membership of the reflexively anti-Moore crowd by noting that a Brisbane cinema “rushed to get their message (of congratulations) on the marquee”. He seems to take this as self-evidently beyond the pale.
I doubt there’s a political blogger in the world who isn’t in it at least partly because of their dissatisfaction with the way the mainstream media do their job. Ken Parish takes them task over a non-political issue, coverage of the Falconio trial in the Northern Territory:
“Joanne Lees will be hunted down like Osama bin Laden and �Nick� subjected to torture by media. Why? Because Ms Lees refused to play the media game � a game by the way where all goal posts are placed by the media. Her crime? The Yorkshire lass who set off for the trip of a lifetime had the misfortune to become a victim of crime, then a victim of media speculation. What�s worse, she didn�t take a media handling course before she was catapaulted into this extraordinary nightmare.”
Remember, Ken is a genius, as is evidenced in posts like this.
Elsewhere, the Evil Pundit ventures into the realm of political philosophy, and although I disagree heartily with his conclusion and with the logic he uses to get there, it’s good to see such topics being broached. The issue at hand is “Free speech and its enemies” and it has generated a lengthy discussion thread which you might want to join.
It was also good to see the prime minister’s attempts to ban gay marriage being given some serious attention by the right of the blogosphere. Well, one blog anyway. Alan Andersondiscusses both the definitional issues and the matter of adoption as presented within the legislation and says that “Regardless of your views on these issues, the legislation doesn’t make sense.” I hope someone does him the courtesy of taking up his arguments. Alan is also unhappy about the government having an environmental policy, calling the prime minister’s latest announcement a “pointless Liberal capitulation to the Green movement.” Come on, Alan, do you really think the prime minister considers it pointless?
Finally, a get-well-soon message to long-time blogger and Geelong journo, Bernard Slattery, who has had some difficulties with his eyes of late.