(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 
Not wishing to sound impolite, but could it be that all those military advisers, prognostisers, futureists etc, etc…from WMD’s to George Bloody Brandis were..ARE ..to use concise language…a bunch of effing wankers!….All these years..All these emergencies..All these “terrorists on our soil” ” death cults” “take over the world” claims and their ” advice” to alleviate it…what a crock of sh!t !…and now with the headline ; “Jihardists flocking into Iraq to join fight”, it seems they can’t stop nor stay even a bunch of seventeen year old gormless kid-eagers from donning the ISIS “khaki” and blowing the “F” out of all they see!…What bleedin’ use are they except to inflate the LNP. / Abbott / Bishop / Murdoch egos?…and by jaysus!…those are some egos that do not need any more gas!
jaycee@jaycee @trulyjaycee 56m56 minutes ago
LNP. : A most dysfuctional political party..Vote them out of our parliments..Vote them out of our lives ..Leave them NOT ONE seat !
I take it we are paying for Tone’s visit to Nappy. No doubt he’ll claim assorted expenses as well.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/the-camera-is-turned-on-tabloid-editors-in-richard-peppiatts-one-rogue-reporter-9829439.html
http://time.com/3547418/sweden-becomes-the-first-e-u-member-to-recognize-the-state-of-palestine/
I assume that Kathy Jackson will be first on the list of Abbott’s new task force to investigate.
France’s Nova Peris:
http://www.thelocal.fr/20141030/far-right-magazine-fine-racial-slur-french-minister
It is said the union would rather this special task force than the ongoing TURC, Yes, they could be right. The unions have announced they will be cooperating fully with the task force. Maybe a few bossed will be trapped in this one. The government has manage to isolate them with TURC. cannot see how police can ignore any allegations of criminal activity.
Wixxyleak’s latest on Kathy Jackson –
We Used To Be Friends – The Liberals dump on Kathy Jackson
http://wixxyleaks.com/we-used-to-be-friends-the-liberals-dump-on-kathy-jackson/
Who is the Indigenous Australians’ best friend?
http://www.independentaustralia.net/australia/australia-display/abbott-and-forrests-assault-on-indigenous-land-rights,7052
Start running Mr Napthine:
I must be getting old and grumpy, unable to understand what passes for ‘humour’ these days, because not only am I bored to tears by the latest Chaser garbage (tried to watch, sat through the whole episode hoping it would get better and it didn’t, won’t bother again) but I never saw anything even faintly amusing in the deliberately mis-spelt (eg Ablo instead of Albo, oh my, how witty) inanities tweeted by @Rudd2000.
The rest of the country – at least those on Twitter – seem to think it was all hilarious. I was so sick of retweets of this garbage popping up in my Twitter stream that I blocked @Rudd2000, the only way I could stop the deluge. I didn’t even follow the stuff, but I still had constant tweets appearing.
Now there’s a book and politicians are falling over themselves in their rush to be photographed and it has even gained a speech in parliament.
This is one book I most definitely will not be reading.
I hope that Labor will spread this pic far and wide.
GL
The Hug of Death?
They are both wearing blue ties like Gillard said they would and they are both assaulting womens’ ability to have a decent life through $1.2 billion cuts to TAFE and promises to increase university fees as well as the usual desire to control access reproductive services
Abbott looks like he’s forgotten to put his false teeth in.
Abbott’s many endearing expressions.
Some dirt on Clive Palmer’s latest court case. I know, it’s Hedley Thomas and News Corpse, who have it in for Palmer, but no-one else is reporting the latest developments and this case shoud be kept firmly in the news.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/investigations/clive-palmer-cut-6m-prepoll-cheque/story-fnk76wj3-1227107783887
And some background –
http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/chinese-companies-have-genuine-dispute-with-clive-palmer-court-20141020-118pdt.html
http://www.qt.com.au/news/palmer-in-court-over-12-million-fund/2425763/
This could all become very interesting. It’s a long shot, but if Palmer is found guilty and the police find he has committed an offence he will have to resign from parliament. We could be looking at a by-election in Fisher early next year and PUP senators will either have to turn independent or elect a new parliamentary leader. Come on down Jacqui Lambie! No wonder she has been so keen to get her face in the media as often as possible lately. She has plans. Could she really become the new Pauline Hanson?
Last week he looked so tired and flat. This week has a fixed grin on his face. Valium?
MC with Shorten did not ask one question about Abbott’s latest stunt. They did for once, ask many wide ranging questions. The surprised showed on Shortens face, but he seem to enjoy answering them. ACTU not worried. In fact said this was not new news. Had been announced months ago.
What worries one, that he has tried to narrow the investigation to building unions. What about Kathy and alleged crook contractors.
Not only were questions asked, but Shorten given time and space to answer them. Yes, it seems the journalist still know how to do the job. They even seem to have some knowledge of the questions they were asking.
Prozac?
Florence
It sounds like someone has abducted the usual MSM pack and replaced them with intelligent life forms.
This is so like our present government it’s uncanny.
That ghastly mongrel Grunting Hunt is on my TV polluting the airwaves, calling on Bill Shorten to bow to the ‘will of the people’ (what absolute bullshit) and drop Labor’s policy for an ETS (carbon tax) and give bi-partisan support for the useless coalition policy of direct action that lines the pockets of producers of pollution.
From an email from the traitorous Fritz:
The Opposition welcomes the appointment of Simon Crean as the Chair of the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council.
Labor congratulates Simon on his appointment and looks forward to working with him in his new role.
There could be no more suitable and experienced person than Simon to lead a sector that is facing both challenges and great opportunity.
As a former Minister for Agriculture, Trade and Regional Australia Simon knows the sector well and its important role in our economy.
I’ve no doubt Simon will play a critical role in further building community confidence and support for the sector.
Both the Fritz and Crean can get stuffed so far as I’m concerned. A pair of blithering idiots that Labor ought to banish for their stupidity.
To the Mods,
You probably already have something planned as a thread starter for tonights raffle.
If not, could we post that picture of Abbott with arm around Nappy and have a captions competition?
“I’ve always considered you one of my best friends, Denisssss…”
RNM 1953,
There is no reason why we can’t have both.
Malcolm Misses The Point –
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/oct/31/malcolm-turnbull-attacks-publication-salacious-material-nova-peris-controversy
No criticism at all of News Corp using emails that were evidence in a court case still in progress, no mention of breaches of the law, no mention of the newspaper knowing all that and still going ahead with the story.
No condemnation of a breach of privacy. No mention of the possibility of the emails being obtained by illegal means by the person who provided them. Just overall approval of the story and a bit of limp lettuce leaf beating because maybe the newspaper included too many ‘salacious’ details. And this attention-seeker is supposed to be leadership material? Maybe compared to Abbott he looks good, but compared to a decent, intelligent, compassionate human being he looks like an arrogant, ignorant fool .
Rather belated, but I also should record my sorrow at Scringler’s passing. I remember him well as a poster at PB and here. He urged me to go ahead on my memoir series of stories. To my hesitation he answered to just go ahead and do it. Sage advice from a pro.
Spacey is right, that online or in person, friends or soulmates remain just that. A little bit of us goes with him, but much of him remains with us. Make sure to toast him tonight. I almost wonder about a title as “Scringler’s List”. Vale, good friend.
Nice to have Spacey over for a while, too.
Leone not only does Malcolm fail to notice that the emails are part of a court case, they are part of a custody dispute involving children.
Isn’t that a Family Court jurisdiction?
Isn’t it illegal to report details of Family Court disputes?
Billie,
What’s more, doesn’t Turnbull have an LL.B (Syd.) and a BCL (Hons.) (Oxon.), and wasn’t he a moderately barrister and solicitor?
GD
I also enjoyed a fair bit of conservation with Scringler.
A good guy.
Jackie Kelly calls Abbott government ‘lying, lying, lying toads’
Former Liberal minister says go-ahead for Badgerys Creek airport treats western Sydney residents ‘like schmucks’
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/oct/31/jackie-kelly-calls-abbott-government-lying-lying-lying-toads?CMP=soc_567
Jackie kelly is a Lib and will always be even if she turns Independent.
And, Jackie Kelly could be trusted as far as those lying, lying toads which are the remnants of the Howard mob of which Ms.Kelly was proud to be a part.
foreverjanice
Ex members of Team Lying Rodent certainly have the expertise to spot a member of Team Lying Toad.
I take it no-one believes Ms Kelly when she says she won’t be a candidate in the next federal election. I think the Lying Toad comment was her camapign launch – faux independent, if elected will support the Liberals on everything.
Kaffee,
Takes one to know one, after all.
Agree Leone. Pity of it is there are a hell of a lot of stupids who’d vote for her.
Kelly likes pamphlets.
RAFFLE NIGHT
No one told Hunt he could not do it. In fact with the numbers in both houses, one is surprised it did not occur sooner. What has been said, it will not work. Different proposition Mr, Hunt, The proof will be in the eating. Will emerge very quickly.
See old Liberal minister Viner out today, accusing Abbott and co guilty of stealing indigenous land with 99 leases, Will mean their ownership rights will be distinguished, Can have similar outcome under Land rights Legislation.
What are the amazing disclosures today., A crime committed over twenty years ago. The one committed now is beings being gown played. Who really should be embarrassed one wonders.
I suspect at the end of the day, there will be maybe three convicted. Jackson, a bikie and Blewitt. There will be one ort two small players in trouble for lying to commission. Once the police are involved, as long as they are not Victorian police, the could be a contractor or two. What is the point of running this circus for another year.