Rinehart’s new book
Peter Matters writes: Re. “‘Mad beyond the dreams of Tamburlaine’: Rinehart book reviewed” (yesterday). Gina Rinehart is firstly a human being, secondly a money bags and thirdly a tough cookie. She adored her Dad, who adored her even if he was a true male machoist, got hurt when in his dotage he turned a gold digger into a trophy wife and thereafter obsessively fought firstly, to turn his big fortune into a gigantic one and secondly, to prove that a woman could outdo all the men. She deserves sympathy, for even with all the billions she can only buy satisfaction but not happiness.
The fact that people condemn and criticise her from a mixture of irritation and envy is grist to her mill. If she were treated with courtesy and empathy, she might even turn into a reasonable human being.
Slipper-Ashby
Niall Clugston writes: I don’t understand why Crikey’s editorial (yesterday) considers Labor’s appointment of Slipper as Speaker a “desperate political act” exemplifying the “grubbiest kind” of politics.
As far as I know, no one has criticised Slipper’s conduct as Speaker and his conservative background seems to equip him well for the impartiality required of the role. Anyway, this is not the USA where the Speaker is second in line to the Presidency. The job isn’t that important.
As for his private life, I think the broadcasting and raking over of his personal conversations is far more offensive than their actual content.
Les Heimann writes: Much comment about “there are no winners” concerning Slipper v Ashby. Absolute rubbish! Clearly the winner was Slipper and the loser was the conservative party dirt machine including all those serving the Liberal party politicians who set it all up.
Once again the media is allowing another dirty attempt to seize power, another Grech for an unscrupulous bunch of empty vessels wanting power.
Again no condemnation for the guilty parties. Much better to rabbit on about the “royal prank”.
Unfortunately Crikey seems equally vacuous. J’accuse.
Christine writes: As suggested in the article it’s time to move on. Before we do I’d love to know who has funded the legal action by Ashby. The legal costs are obviously much more than the regrettable $50,000 I helped to contribute to Ashby.
This story won’t go away for a while.
Has there ever been an earlier time in Australia of such nasty, negative, unfortunate politics?
Royal phone prank
Craig Emmerson writes: These shock jocks, as they like to be recognised, should think about the ramifications of their actions before they open their stupid mouths. This goes for all of them.
I listen to radio for the news and the music, not to listen to some hyped-up d-ckheads, who think they are clever, making a phone call that has tragic results. I put this act in the same league as the recent Murdoch phone hacking events.
Attention radio stations: check out who you are employing before you take them on and they stuff it up for all.
“irritation and envy”?
Disgust and dismissal, here. Not the slightest mote of envy.
Peter Matters, the article was a review of Gina Rinehart’s book. Comments in the review are therefore firstly about the work and its author and didn’t appear to involve envy although perhaps irritation. It appears that no mount of courtesy or empathy will change the reviewer’s view that Rinehart as a writer, let alone poet, has some way to go. Perhaps when you have read the book you could share your thoughts?
Gina Rinehart may be a wonderful person to know with many redeeming qualities – I have no idea I have never met her – but her attitude to sharing the wealth that is being created by literally digging up the country and shipping it overseas is apalling. She is castigated not for who she is but for her views, her insults to the working poor and her ongoing efforts to not pay her share of maintaing the common weal.
*”maintaining” sorry for the typo
Christine, the story will go away because the MSM will relegate the news about it to page 17 or the equivalent in the digital news. The story was reported on Bigpond News (which uses a feed from Sky News amongst others) yesterday as “Slipper ‘vindicated’ by case dismissal” and gave a pretty watery account of how stressful it had been for Slipper. Not a mention of the wretchedness of the case that was thrown out.
The Godwin Grech affair, the attacks on Craig Thomson and Julia Gillard were just as “nasty, negative, unfortunate politics” as the Slipper affair and are stock in trade for the current opposition. The destroyed individuals along the way are a small cost for the prospect of a great victory.
The $50,000 paid by the government to Ashby was a considered strategy of the government. Obviously the government would not run out of money to fund the case but it had to consider the best use of taxpayers’ money. There was a chance that the government could have lost and would have had to pay more. If it won, there would have been no clawing back any of the costs from Ashby. Unfortunately, many private companies use this “best economy” get out and it gives the green light to some to take a company on and walk away without a trial with a reasonable amount even after giving the contingency lawyers three quarters of the settlement. I’d be interested to know if Harmers got a slice of the $50,000.