Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane is in Melbourne for Crikey's Christmas party and he joins editor Sophie Black in the office to discuss Prime Minister Julia Gillard's interesting Cabinet reshuffle.
article-article-body[podcast]https://uat.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Canberra-Calling-15-December-2011.mp3[/podcast]
Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane is in Melbourne for Crikey’s Christmas party and he joins editor Sophie Black in the office to discuss Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s interesting Cabinet reshuffle.
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Federal government plotters may insist this government is strong. This spin is from members of a very unhealthy Labor Party which is being destroyed by political deformities which grow out of the parties incestous political relationships. The Labor Party from the top down continue to insist on damaging itself with support for Party Members Federal, Craig Thomson. State, Ian Macdonald. Two of many who should have been expelled years ago. Craig Thomson Labor for Dobell has come to our notice once again, by using the work product of many others to justify his last $24.000.00 overseas jaunt. Rorting the now defunct travel entitlements of our Federal Parliament. The voting public are starting to wake up to the fact Federal, State and Local Labor party members are all players on a failing political team, which continues to hurt trusting constituents. Both Rudd and Gillard are damaged political goods Guilard is tainted by the carbon tax lie, and Rudd like it or not was Chief of Staff to Wayne Goss during Shreddergate which was prompted by the doucuments gathered by retired magistrate Heiner. As for the Liberal National Coalition it is simply the best tool to abort the now cancerous Labor Party from the womb of Federal Parliament. It is time for the electorate to put Federal Labor out in the street with the garbage. Edward James
What a load of nonsense and a narrow perception you show in your above post Ed. The ALP Minority Government is not without fault but on a macro scale they have positioned this cuntry far ahead of the international pack. With unemployment at 5% (Europe 20%) and inflation at 2.3% (Europe in excess of 4.5%) Ms Gillard and Swan are doing an excellent job.
At the same time our Government has expanded our investment in schools, infrastructure and health. The education investments and commitments will show dividends for the nation for generations. They have not only attended to, at long last to the Health issues of infrastructure and development of our past inadequate investment in the development of our supply of medicos but have also taken on the tobacco industry. Something the rest of the world is watching with a keen interest and terrifies the industry.
They have for the first time addressed the the inequity of the super profits of the mining industry to give our population a fairer portion of our resources.
At the same time they have made a major start to addressing the massive issue of climate change and our sources of energy.
All of which were ignored or sacrificed by the Howard/ Costello Government in order to buy votes with tax giveaways to maintain their control of the treasury benches along a neo-liberal ideological parameter that has proven to be a failure throughout the western world.
Not only that, they have successfully guided this naton through the greatest shock to the western worlds financial structure we have witnessed since the depression. Witness USA current unemployment of 9%, together with a 10% recurrent annual deficit and 45 million people defined as poor. If we had adopted the prescription that Turnbull and Hockey advocated at the time we would be in the same leaking boat.
I not only think their record speaks for itself but the coming financial storm that La Garde, Roudini, Stiglitz, El Erian Krugman and many others warn us about we should be very cautious about changing ships
I do concede there has to be a cleanout of Sussix St and the sooner and all encompassing the better. But I have yet to see a political party in any country that doesn’t have some important issues to attend to in their own ranks.
Many in the Liberal Party are yet to learn to add up
@ Mike Flanagan My views may be considered limited by many with a published opinion some blindly partisan, when what I write is compared to their perceptions of our national political stage people such as yourself, who may have a good and broad knowledge of political history/science. While I am willing to acknowledge my perception is narrow, I reject your assertion it is nonsense! It dose not suit me to accept distinctions which the two parties not much preferred try to exploite between Federal, State and Local politicians. Party members are team players, we understand that! In fact I reject any distinction all parties reach for when their party members bring them into disrepute, in our court of public opinion, Don’t you? Our senior political allsorts need to have kept their eye on the grass roots community where I and people like me reside. When I bring my concerns about abuse of power and systemic corruption to politicians. I expect them to do what they told me they would do when asking me to give them my vote in trust. When my local councilors/party members don’t. I go to the State politicians when they don’t do what they told me they would do I go the Federal politicians. All of which has been promulgated to readers of my local paper the Peninsula News. I am part of the harvest our corrupt politicians and their supporters are reaping. If the party members ignore their fellow party members bringing the party into disrepute they are just as bad. I don’t need a degree in political science to see what is right in front of us and I certainly don’t need to have ICAC and the State Ombudsman to take years to confirm the bleeding obvious. Today another identifed shonky Labor party member Tony Kelly is anyone surprised? Any big picture is comprised of small elements I am a small element entitled to the honest open representative government our politicians promote when they are trying to attract voter support. Neither Rudd or Gillard are worthy to represent anyone. Edward James
Ed;
Firstly let me apologise for my tardy response to your above posting. As you seem to have taken umbrage at my use of the word ‘nonsense’ , I am happy to withdraw and apologise. It was offered in more lighthearted manner than you seem to have accepted.
I can’t offer any comment about the Peninsula News subject as I am not entirely aware of all the details. Our local member of the Nationals has just had to resign and put the electorate through a by-election because he had signed a false stautory declaration.
The unethical behaviour of our leaders is not limited to our politicians, it is evident in our business and community leaders. The gaming of the system is rife throughout society. You should take the time to read some of Peter Singer’s work. Perhaps his “Practical Ethics” is an ideal starting point.
Generally I agree that our leaders do have to reflect on their ethics and scruples and all our democratic representatives have a lot to be desired. I concede this in my above posting and the ALP should get a large industrial vacuum cleaner at work in Sussex St for a start.
However my appreciation of Ms Gillard and the upper echolons of her government are that we have a leader who so far, has shown considerably higher ethical standards than I have witnessed in a Federal Government since the Second World War. That’s not to say they can’t do better but the improvements that are occurring need to be both acknowledged and encouraged, particularly at the Federal level.
Whoever wrote the above leader should be congratulated. It is very funny and says a lot.