Vox Pops

At March in March there were a number of signs stating that people were so dissatisfied with our conservative government that they couldn't fit all of the reasons onto one sign. They just left it at that. From #MarchinMarch - @tonesperth Instagram There’s a reason for this. Prior to the election, the Abbott-led Coalition made broad, non-specific statements about policies they would introduce, or in most cases, repeal, without giving any real guidance on how exactly they were going to do this. Since being elected, the Government has launched a full-scale repeal of progressive policies. Election promises have been broken, the electorate has been betrayed. We don’t hear a lot about this in the main stream media, because it largely suits the needs of those who control it. As a progressive, you need to actively look for different, often independent, media sources to get the full story and to try and keep track. So many changes on such a broad scale means it’s har...

Very few things in life truly make me want to vomit, however yesterday morning’s breakfast interview with Christopher Pyne very nearly inspired such a violent physical reaction. According to the latest polls, Gillard is preferred PM over Tony Abbott by a long shot. But it’s not her party’s recent policy announcements that have gotten her over the line, nor is it Abbott’s spectacular floundering during Leigh Sales’s spectacular and devastating interview on the ABC 7.30 Program or even on the Today show … no. It’s been Labor’s cheap shots on Abbott’s character that have reduced the public’s faith in him. Diddy-fucking-widdums. So, because the party can’t trust him to be on the ABC ever again, Abbott didn’t go on TV to defend himself, the woefully obnoxious Christopher Pyne did.  And how Michael Rowland of Breakfast News managed to keep a straight face throughout the interview is absolutely beyond me. Let’s have a look at how this played out, blow by blow. ...

PJK raised a bloody good point on Lateline last night : "... where is the quality of the national debate and why isn't Abbott being flogged by the media for this position (on the Carbon Tax)?" This was f ollowed by the equally good point, " What about that sleepy press gallery of ours? What are they ... ? I mean, is there no premium on quality ?" He's absolutely right. It's utter bullshit that a man who so courageously  says "no" at any opportunity should be given such an obvious free pass. Have we really become that resigned to news companies' bias that we just swallow their "backing" as Joe Hildebrand put it on The Drum last night? And what's worse is people/media/political commentators say Abbott's a good communicator . What?! Are you fucking serious? Even a two year old understands the word "no".  Give me a break. I think there are several salient facts we need to remember in this current environment...