HoWARd tetchy, Rudd to blame?
As is usual, on my drive home from work, I listen to PM on ABC Radio National. If it’s a late night I catch the repeat an hour later on my ABC Local Radio.
Used to the polished, experienced and all round in-control HoWARd for what seems an eternity, had me changing lanes with glee as I heard what can only be described as the PM sounding uncharacteristically tetchy.
“I think Mr Rudd is striving for a daily mantra without much regard to the consequences of what he says. He didn’t do too well with that farmer today.” – John HoWARd
Can it be that Rudd and Gillard and the polls and possibly even Amanda’s song with reference to first Australians, peace and multiculturalism has unraveled this consummate politician to the point where a girl like me can be a touch hopeful for a change of government which may be as early as August?
I sure do hope so.
“Indigenous Australians were here first, we are an immigration country, freedom is what we’ve enjoyed all our lives and we are under southern stars – everyone knows the Southern Cross,” -Senator Amanda Vanstone.
Image from here
February 6th, 2007 at 5:59 am
Suki, I’m afraid that Howard is as slimy as a freshly landed eel. Every time I’ve thought the Prime Miniature has painted himself into a corner, he slithers through some convenient knothole and reappears on the other side of the room a week later. The Republic Referendum is a fine example, as is the astonishing dodge and weave over AWB.
The elections are coming very soon- and some sort of shit has to be flung at Little Johnny that will actually STICK.
February 6th, 2007 at 6:33 am
Instinctively I know you are right.
There’s also no getting away from the fact that Little Johnny is very talented and well-suited to being a politician.
However, the fact remains that he is not able to be as dismissive of Rudd as he was of Kim or Mark.
With Rudd the best HoWARd could do was accuse him of not ‘connecting’ with the farmer. Give me a politician that doesn’t spread on the schmaltz any day over one that does.
February 6th, 2007 at 7:56 am
Did you guys see Howard on Lateline last night? I must say Suki – I went to bed after that thinking much the same thing. I’m so used to the quick-witted, wedge driving, always on the ball Howard. Last night was the first time that he seemed to be caught unawares on more than one occasion by Tony Jones. It’s going to be an interesting year. With a day off work today, I’ve booked myself a ticket for the gallery in the House of Reps – question time should be interesting…
February 6th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Dave, I missed it. We old folks are asleep after our warm milk & Horlicks at about 8. 😉
Wish that ABC would make vid clips as available as Radio National podcasts.
February 6th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Dave said,
“With a day off work today, I’ve booked myself a ticket for the gallery in the House of Reps – question time should be interesting…”
Suki said,
“Dave please post about that”
February 7th, 2007 at 5:07 am
Suki:
You said ” …. a touch hopeful for a change of government which may be as early as August?” …..
I wish I could share your optimism; though April or May would suit me just fine.
However …. I expect a couple of fake, staged, shonky, false, contrived, rigged, manufactured “SSecurity Emergencies” to burst on the scene and so cause a “Suspension” of all normal laws, regulations and processes …..including the ELECTORAL ones!!!
Such dodgy, pre-planned, imaginary, constructed “SSecurity Emergencies” would be designed to be so truly frightening that the really gullible and the utterly stupid among the voting public would stampede into agreeing to anything at all, no matter how outrageous ….. even to the cancellation of elections and normal parliamentary activity.
The whole circus would be tightly micromanaged and spin-doctored — it’s political power that’s at stake here — so that media releases about each “scare” and “incident” would have to be embargoed!
If any real terrorists took advantage of such a golden opportunity to launch actual attacks in Australia and if innocent people were killed and maimed and if there was significant economic and property damage then, in POLITICAL terms, so much the better.
Don’t say it couldn’t happen here. I have never gone along with the conspiracy theorists over the Hilton Hotel bombing in Sydney but that incident did have the hallmarks of a brilliant publicity stunt that went horribly wrong.
No. A federal election this year would be very nice indeed but I won’t believe it until it happens …… and it is supervised by United Nations observers.
Weezil and Dave:
Damn! Missed it.
February 7th, 2007 at 5:47 am
Graham,
Oh yeah!
The spin has already had it’s little beginnings. I was watching SBS last night and one of the ads (GRRRRR) was for us all to be ‘alert and alarmed.’ – a sure sign an election is coming.
Conversely HoWARd needs casualty-free times for our troops in Iraq. Although, I’m not convinced that even a military fatality would galvanise the Australian public into action against this illegal war.
I can’t imagine having to bear more of this government. I am frightened of what may happen to the psyche and community spirit of two generations of Australians that will have no experience of an alternative, compassionate, honest, inclusive, fair government for more than half of their lives.
February 7th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Suki said:
please post about that
Suki, done and done
February 8th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Suki, you said ….
” ” I am frightened of what may happen to the psyche and community spirit of two generations of Australians that will have no experience of an alternative, compassionate, honest, inclusive, fair government for more than half of their lives. ” ”
I share your concern ……. it’s a bit like the Soviet Union which, somehow, managed to stagger and toddle on for more than a decade and a half past when it should have collapsed. One of the MANY reasons the zombie kept walking was that so many of its people had no direct personal experience of an alternative form of government and, furthermore, they had very good reason to be suspicious of what they had heard about the alternatives.
February 23rd, 2007 at 11:26 pm
I really find it interesting that John Howard, these days noted for his political street smarts, cunning, nous, whatever you want to call it, *WAS*, once upon a time, long ago (in political history), thwarted, deceived, put-upon, DEFEATED soundly and roundly, in 1987, and “never will be PM”, and has the quote attributed to him – “Lazarus with a triple bypass” (remember that?) – in other words, AN ABSOLUTE, TOTAL LOOOOOOOOSER WITH A CAPITAL L. And YET he is surviving this long as PM. (That obviously says much about the voting public, as well as his political cunning…)
And I fear that’s because of the ALP’s lack of leadership candidates. Beazley was roundly defeated, Beazley was roundly defeated AGAIN, Latham was too erratic with his political history, and Beazley, if he’d gone into the 2007 election, would have been roundly defeated AGAIN.
Thank God for Kevin Rudd. He is someone Howard finally has fear in.
And even if it doesn’t happen, at least I know it finally gave Lil’ Johnny a run for his money. And that I have booked the next flight out of Australia. 🙂