Compost
Today we learn that both flavours of Environment Ministers/spokespeople- light and lighter, also known as Peter Garrett and Malcolm Turnbull talk to Australian media in an impromptu, off-the-record way.
Garrett is on record as having said- albeit in a jocular fashion:
“Once we get in we’ll just change it all.”- Source
Turnbull is alleged to have said, (but is denying the comment) :
“I just want you to know I hate this so-and-so mill, I hate it.”- Source
It is interesting to note the differing ways that the two Environment hopefuls handled this lapse in judgment. One said sorry and the other denied ever having said anything.
However, the bigger issue is the nasty mileage that the coalition has tried to make of Garrett’s ‘gaffe.’
Peter Costello, in particular, seized on the remarks, claiming Labor would abandon its pledge to match Coalition promises.
“These are the words that are going to haunt this campaign from now on. The Kevin Rudd me-too policy is a pretense. They don’t really believe in this tax plan, they don’t really believe in the pension announcement.”- Source
All that said, the most interesting development is how I, and many previous Labor voters, find ourselves smiling as we hope that Garrett’s gaffe is true. Far from the fear which Costello et al. are trying to instill in the voting public, people such as me are pleased. YAY I say- finally a Labor position I can recognise. It is certainly going to make voting Green and preferencing Labor a much more palatable option in this campaign of me-tooism.
Image from here
November 5th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Can’t you just smell the Coalition’s desperation?
heh, I certainly smiled when I heard Garrett’s “gaffe.” It was everything I wanted to hear from him- and would explain a lot. Like I said over here- you can’t score unless you have the ball. 😀
November 5th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
You know I may even consider voting Labor,
like I used to,
if hints of a more radical Labor policy-in-action keeps up… 😉
November 5th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
It is shocking that the second that there is the potential of Labor breaking out from the cult of meetooism, the media jumps on the most trivial issues. I hope that they plan to be different from the current crooks who control things in this country.
November 6th, 2007 at 7:05 am
While I’m sincerely hoping that Labor will indeed ‘change everything once elected,’ I’m nowhere near confident in that notion- and won’t be voting ALP 1. Gonna vote Greens 1, Dems 2, ALP 3. The Greens must have the balance of power in the Senate to prevent the (so far) way too ‘me-too’ strategies of KRudd &c.
November 6th, 2007 at 7:33 am
For more on Malcolm Turnbull’s lies see http://www.Sydney-Law.com
Unless you somehow reckon Malcolm Turnbull hasn’t lied when he stated what he did as set out at Sydney-Law.com in light of how the High Court views similar conduct, I ask the question;
Would a complaint to the Federal Police be appropriate for a contravention of:
Section 142.2 of THE COMMONWEALTH CRIMINAL CODE ACT 1995 (Abuse of public office)
(1) A Commonwealth public official is guilty of an offence if:
(a) the official:
(i) exercises any influence that the official has in the official’s capacity as a Commonwealth public official; or
(ii) engages in any conduct in the exercise of the official’s duties as a Commonwealth public official; or
(iii) uses any information that the official has obtained in the official’s capacity as a Commonwealth public official; and
(b) the official does so with the INTENTION of:
(i) dishonestly obtaining a benefit for himself or herself or for another person; or
(ii) dishonestly causing a detriment to another person.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
A benefit would be, in being re-elected. A detriment would be, to other candidates in the election.
November 6th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Interesting notion Gordon, interesting websites.
I see some sections are still under construction. I’ll be watching the website closely to see what develops.
Thanks for the link.
November 7th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
No one knows compost like Peter Cundall, and he must be shovelling like mad to keep up with the BS Malcolm Turnbull is producing with his Gunn’s pulpmill backpeddle.
Garrett, despite being in the ALP and therefore the forrestry industries back pocket burned two decades worth of credibility on environmental issues with one hit when he backed Gunn’s. (think of the CO2 emissions from all that credibility going up in smoke).
This spineless lack of opposition from both sides of politics is exactly the kind of situation that started the Greens back in the 1980’s.
Outrage over the Franklin River saw Malcolm Frazer off, let’s hope the Tamar Valley sees his former treasurer unceremoniously shafted into obscurity where he belongs.
November 8th, 2007 at 4:14 am
Yes I want HoWARD out krypto, but he does not deserve obscurity.
He absolutely deserves to be tried as a war criminal in the Hague.
November 8th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Others are smelling the desperation, too…
November 9th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Here is a copy of the federal police complaint regarding Turnbull.
http://www.sydney-law.com/afp-complaint.html
November 20th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Yes yes … what Gordon craven said.
I came here to paste this –
“It is interesting to note the differing ways that the two Environment hopefuls handled this lapse in judgment. One said sorry and the other denied ever having said anything.”
and then say that The Denier is of course A LAWYER. Trained and practiced at denying everything if it will get the client off the charges.