(Image Credit: Muck&Brass)
To quote the (then newly appointed) editor of the SMH, Darren Goodsir, in 2013: “Hold the front page! Hartcher Has Spoken!”
When political savant and genius commentator Peter Hartcher opines profoundly about the Abbott Budget, the nation sits up and listens. So what was Pete’s Delphic Saturday SMH pronouncement in the on The Budget?
“It’s too early to abandon hope.”
You DO have to laugh, don’t you?
He then goes on to discuss, po-faced, one of the main reasons why Tony Abbott would not promote Turnbull to the office of Treasurer.
Abbott’s jealous.
So let’s let Joe “Misery-Guts” Hockey stay in charge of it. There’s years of trash-talking in him yet: how bad debt is, how they’re going to strip away benefits, lifter, leaners and, of course, “It’s all Labor’s fault!” THAT’ll get the punters back into the empty aircraft hangers they used to call “Harvey Norman” (been to one lately?), and let’s not forget Joe’s “glum” look and that special “cranky” one he saves up for important occasions… all this with the added benefit that Joe has been absorbing king-hits from Abbott since Tony first decked him on the rugby playing fields of Sydney Uni.
Hartcher today is back to his old tricks: writing-up restaurant gossip about leadershit. He even admits it was the drink talking. A group of Ministers, in their cups, sipping Scotch, reckon Joe should go, in favour of Malcolm Turnbull.
The Abbott government is already doing so brilliantly on Foreign Affairs and international diplomacy (says Perspicacious Pete), now all they need is Turnbull in as Treash to fix up the economy and they’ll surge ahead in the polls. The Nation will breathe a sigh of relief. Consumer confidence will soar.
He doesn’t tell us who’ll take over Communications after Mal’s bumped upstairs. That’s a shuddering thought if ever there was one. Bronnie, come on down!
And here’s the kicker: when all is said and done, Pete tells us, “It’s not gunna happen.”
Yes, it’s deep, deep, deep analysis from the International & Political Editor of the august Sydney Morning Herald. Youse can see why they pay Peter Hartcher the Big Bucks.
What next? Maybe he’ll whip around to the back alley and go through the skip? Then he can tell us what the Anonymous Senior Liberal Power Broker was doodling on his paper napkin. Maybe he can even suss what the fortune cookie said?
Thank God we have the likes of Hartcher to guide our thinking. Mr Goodsir was right: whatever Big H writes, Goodsir will print and say, “More please, sir”. There’s plenty of it, too. Goodsir’s Editor Of Many Things writes everything that everyone tells him. Oh, the insight! Celebrate the context! Praise the profundity!
The poor man has a desperate need to be relevant. To show he’s still connected and gets the good goss. Forever an insider etc., etc. And to prove it, he peddles plutocratic piss-talk from out the back door of the Greasy Spoon. “I am a camera,” says Peter (and he doesn’t mean “Box Brownie”).
Pity for Pete, he supported Rudd. That kinda cruelled the ground for later Liberal licks. He’s shut out now. Maybe he thought they’d thank him for the regular Ruddstoration Routine? Sadly, all the advice he’s offered Abbot on how to deal with everything from travel rorts to Oriental potentates has been ignored. Cassidy doesn’t even invite him onto the show anymore (has he ever been on it? Even when he was there?).
Look what his Rudd Love did for him and the country. Abso-bloody-lutely nothing. Rudd’s “triumph in the polls” lasted all of, oh, about a fortnight, and now Pete’s relegated to passing on Chinese whispers and leftover noodles from a Liberal doggy-bag.
It’s a shame that nobody – either in politics, or on the receiving end of it – takes any notice of Peter Hartcher.
Then again… thank God they don’t. His only fan, Darren Goodsir, should take the hint.
THE PUB 
Putting your hand on the shoulder like that if he wasn’t looking can be very threatening.
“Get your hand off me, you bitch!”
“That’s where the stiletto will go.”
Nova Peris obviously knew weeks ago (or longer) that News Corpse was preparing that story. She referred it to the AFP a mionth ago.
That Ellinghausen photo is a bit like a Rowe cartoon with all that busyness. You’ve got Abbott with his beady eyes, Julie with her pathetic “aren’t I a cougar?” look, Bananaby with his after lunch grog flush plus the unknown pointing finger. Or is it a shoulder tap?
They are so pathetic that even News Ltd is hard pressed to keep polishing that grogan they begat…
I don’t know why but that photo of Brandis just screams Phil Silvers. Surely that’s a craps game he’s pimping…
Sorry about the ellipses. Jaycee had some left over
…
“Nova Peris obviously knew weeks ago (or longer) that News Corpse was preparing that story. She referred it to the AFP a mionth ago”
And we all know how diligently the AFP investigates ALP (or anyone other than LNP) complaints. Not at all.
Suggestions for a caption for this Ellinghausen pic from QT today ?
“Just to let you know, Tony…When I found out it was yours..I had it aborted!..”
Royo… those may LOOK like ellipses, but they are really pauses for a moment of thought !…SOME may not have a capacity for such moments, but I like to offer them an opportunity anyway!! 🙂 🙂
Roy
Yep. I wouldn’t have bothered with them, I’d have just found a good lawyer or six.
In about five years time Ms Peris will receive a letter from the AFP saying they hope to begin investigation soon.
Graeme Perrett is still wating for them to start on his complaint about Ashby’SlipperBrough, first lodged in December 2012.
Old reference, but valid –
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/afp-suspend-brough-probe-mal-brough/1773332/
Ms Peris showing up NewLime for the slime they are.
Nova makes it easy to guess who is behind it.
KK…THAT shines a new light on the subject…one would EXPECT an investigation into a joined conspiracy to extract “payment” of any sort from a victim….I suppose the AFP. are “all over this one”..
jaycee@jaycee @trulyjaycee 46s47 seconds ago
News Corpse ; hacking dead kid’s phones, rot’ng politics for own ends..join in extortion…only end when entire corp/indivds ded n buried !
News Corpse has form on this sort of thing. Remember this?
The Courier-Mail pleads guilty to family law breach in the Italian sisters custody case
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/the-couriermail-pleads-guilty-to-family-law-breach-in-the-italian-sisters-custody-case-20130823-2sfii.html#ixzz3HbQekxIA
GD
[ but thankfully they cut short to allow me to see Paradise. ]
And you get to watch ‘Dealt in Paradise afterwards.
Integrity and courage such as Ms Peris has shown would be concepts totally foreign to Murdoch and his lickspittles.
I hope all those who said Palmer had ‘saved’ the RET after his cabaret act with Al Gore are a bit wiser now. Palmer didn’t save anything, he just said he wanted repeal of the RET taken to the next election. Now he’s not even sure about that.
I’ve said it before, I’m saying it again – Do NOT trust Clive Plamer, he is a dangerous man interested only in his own gain.
Can Clive Palmer be trusted to protect renewable energy target?
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/can-clive-palmer-be-trusted-to-protect-renewable-energy-target-87676
Bonus – here’s a snippet from QT today. Abbott did not answer the question.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2014/oct/30/bill-shorten-rethinks-security-laws-that-could-mean-jail-for-journalists-politics-live
Yes, I wonder about the coincidence in the programming timing of that, CTar1. Both are good shows, but having Paradise and then Death in Paradise reminded of that old schoolboy howler
“Milton married and wrote Paradise Lost . Later his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained .”
I suppose Palmer’s noticed that that poll numbers are falling away. He’s given up the trust of most of those who voted for his party in the first place. And you can only play that three card trick with your support/non-support of policies once or twice before it’s all over for you. He seems to think he can do it with every policy. He’s like Meg Lees without all the years of credibility to throw away. He was already there on probation at the start, and he’s violated that. So really, there’s nowhere to go for him. He could have got all the concessions he wanted from this government without going into politics himself. He’s wasting his time and ours.
I saw on twitter that Nova Peris was going to speak around 3.30, so I had the senate on the computer, house of reps on radio, and Razz suggested abc24. I turned the other two off and we watched her live. It is incredible that a paper would publish something knowing it was being used for blackmail. Totally disgusting by them, but not unexpected, after all Nova is a woman, black, and Labor.
It was good watching her staunchness and bravery in baring her private life. May she remain in politics for a long time.
Aguirre
Once a LNP, always an LNP. I agree, he is a waste of everyones time.
If we “Whiteys” don’t start showing some respect and equality toward ALL ethnic groups and their cultures AND beliefs…then we are going to end up in very deep poo-poo and with a hiding to nowhere to boot!…time to bring the real lawkeepers on this mob…not the LNP’s keystone kops!
Will try my old moniker..
jaycee
You are back after I banned you again for winning to many sweeps.
“…for winning to many sweeps.”…..I promise youse all..I’ve put away the broom ..
But hey!..it would be good to get the trifecta!
jaycee
Seriously though, I am not sure why you get flicked sometimes.
A word press spasm I am guessing.
Mesma with another weird animal on her outfit
For a double treat you get Michaela
Joe6Pack,
Obviously Jaycee holds his mouth badly when he’s posting his comments.
I have some very sad news. Scringler is dead.
The sergeant at his local police station phoned me, as my number was logged on Scringler’s mobile. He has known Scringler for years, and is trying to get in touch with his family. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help.
Scringler’s real name was Tony Jenner. He was an old newspaper man. If anyone knows anything about his family, please let me know.
Vale, Scringler.
You are one of the nicest people I have ever communicated with. I am sorry we never met except in the ether.
I’ve seen that name around the traps…PB.?
Yes – PB.
Very sad.
Jaycee,
As far as I am aware, he always posted as Scringler on PB, also on Twitter.
When he retired from being a newspaper photographer, sub-editor, etc., he became an ardent photographic archaeologist, particularly interested in industrial sites.
Fiona
I follow scringler2 on twitter, would that be the same one. How sad, I just looked his last tweet was 25 Oct. I must have been sudden.
Sorry to hear the news about Scringler’s passing. Did he have a partner who passed away a couple of years ago?
Some peeps here may be interested
http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/highlights/phar-lap#Daviddavid
Gravel,
Yes, the same.
As best as I can work out, he was in his early 70s. I don’t think he had ever recovered from his partner’s death a couple of years ago.
Doh! I just read his bio, it is him. So sad, hope they find his family.
To match today’s Daily Telegraph “ROT IN HELL” headline, 7.30 replies with an understated, “TERRORIST SCUM”.
FFS.
Just saw the news about Scringler. So sad.
I hope he’s Pearly Gate attendant when Murdoch arrives.
Vale Scringler. I seem to remember he had lost his wife/partner and his companion was a dog or two which he mentioned with a lot of affection.
I’m getting so sick and tired of this “terrorism” beat-up.
Is there a single member of this cretinous government that really wants to make things better for “All Australians”?
Clarke and Dawe discuss the runners for a race on Derby Day.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/clarkeanddawe/
I remember some posts by Scringler on PB. Very sad.
Scringler produced this delightful guest post for The Pub:
https://pbxmastragics.com/2013/04/20/an-old-newspapermans-lament/
Hi all,
I’m sorry to be back on such a sad occasion. But I just wanted to pay my respects to Scringler and this seemed the most appropriate place to do that. Thanks for letting me know, Fiona. I really appreciate that.
Don’t let anyone tell you that friendships formed online are not real. The emotional bonds of losing someone online are as raw as that in real life, and I know many of you here would be feeling that too.
To Scringler’s family and friends, I send my condolences and hugs. xx
To Scringler, I hope you and Gough are having a grand old time of it! xx
Wow. Just wow… reading this shit will fry your brain.
Yes, of COURSE it’s from the Daily Telegraph.
She is accused by the Daily Telegraph, of “Rudd is Colonel Klink” fame, Conroy as “Stalin”, “The {Plastic} Sword Of Death”, “Jailhouse Jihadis”, Photoshoppers extraordinaire and today’s tasteful offering… ROT IN HELL.
Just what Mum should want the kiddies to see in the supermarket checkout queue: “ROT IN HELL”.
This is the same Daily Telegraph that has sourced material from a blackmailer, probably paid him or her for it, and splashed it all over their front page.
We could never love Nova Peris as much as we loved Cathy Freeman.
One is a good Abo, who is quiet, unassuming and isn’t a Labor member of parliament. She gave us our greatest Olympic Gold moment (forget Dawn Fraser – she was a leftie too – or Murray Rose, or any of the other hundreds of Australian Olympians who won gold, and the thousands who didn’t).
The other is a sex-crazy nobody who couldn’t even win a race. And Julia Gillard liked her too. That’s gotta be a minus.
If I have ever seen a more desperate attempt to salvage a fasces-dipped bootstrap from the shit-filled sewer it came from, this piece-of-crap “journalism” is it.
From the hard-drinking, hard-whoring, guttersnipes of the national Murdoch press, hackers and rewarders of blackmailers all, comes the ultimate condemnation: we didn’t love Nova as much as we loved Cathy.
The depths have been reached.
They have been breached.
We’re into the Inner Earth of landfill-flavoured scribbling now.
The Tele is a national disgrace. No, I’ll go further… a world disgrace.
In America they have Mafia towns, where the Mob has taken over everything, from City Hall to even skimming the parking meters.
This is what Murdoch’s Australia looks like: ugly, mean, vicious, criminal and sick.
It seems that Murdoch’s creatures have been suckling on a pap more bitter even than Murdoch’s!..It’s as if he has set a standard execretable and they are outdoing each other to go even lower…It won’t be long before they will be dipping their finger in sewerage to write their “copy”.
Vale Scringler and Mrs Scringler “fight ya bastard’s, fight”.