Former prime minister turned banana-state bomb-thrower Kevin Rudd upped his attack on the Murdoch empire today by calling for a consumer boycott on realestate.com.au, the property listing site which — in case you didn’t know it, and not many do — is majority owned by News Corp.
Following the playbook of groups like Sleeping Giants, Destroy the Joint and Mad Fucking Witches, Rudd has gone full consumer activist tweeting: “Money is the only language [Murdoch] understands and @realestate_au is the financial heart of his empire.”
Rudd’s strategy is a departure from the usual call to boycott News Corp newspapers. Will it work?
Easier said than done if you’re looking for property. But Rudd is on the money, as it were.
Realestate.com.au doesn’t only list property for sale or rent but is also a one-stop shop where a homebuyer can find a mortgage broker and also financial deals with banks.
It even had skin in the game at the Hayne royal commission into banks.
If you missed it, Crikey recently reported on Murdoch’s little-known link to the property business as part of our rundown of the full scope of News Corp’s interests in Australia, and how the government gives Murdoch a helping hand.
It’s a lot more than just media and it’s the list every aspiring politician needs. You won’t get into The Lodge without it.
A lot of twitter followers have spread the word and have urged others to do the same. Anything to bring Newscorpse to its knees.
I like this new Kevin Rudd. He’s really growing on me.
Contact those who have worked for him. There is nothing “new” at all.
Yes, never succumbed, meself, irascible one.
I started skeptical – as one should, and hardened over time – pure ‘Western’ democracy advocate.
Not unlike the long ‘woke’ EU’s craven kowtowing to the Yank infantile reverence to ‘Gweeeedo’ in Venezuela.
Maduro after the very, very recent election, to paraphrase;
‘ I’d like to thank Vladimir Putin because, even though our politics don’t align, he respects the right of the Venezuelan people to make their own choices’
Shhhh! Don’t tell Keane………….! Never, ever, mention ‘thuh war’.
In my capacity as the frustrated statistician I contacted the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet for the purpose of ascertaining what material, (data, arguments etc.) publicly available, that the PM would be taking to Copenhagen. From two attempts I did not receive even an acknowledgement; much less a reply.
Assuming that the Country Party might be similarly interested in the topic I made similar enquiries there; only to be met with being added to their regular “support” email list and similarly with no acknowledgement. After about 10 days of wading through moronic drivel (took longer than it ought) I clicked on ‘unsubscribe’.
The term ‘show pony’ was affixed to Andrew Peacock, decades ago, but limelight deprived Rudd is the genuine article. Yet I don’t begrudge him another fifteen minutes of fame. For a country that embraced him then dropped him three years hence only, via a reincarnation and complements of Murdoch, to salute him once again sums up the political fibre of this country (I am sorry to say).
As matters stand, we can expect ScoMo to be keeping us in his prayers for quite some time yet given the incompetence of the Opposition; but we will resist the digression. Such is our view of democracy (from my first paragraph) which brings me to Putin.
With all the navel gazing in regard to the politics of personality, the progress of the Eurasian Trading Bloc is both out of sight and out of mind. It is clear that there are no world powers (as per the rapid decline of Empire from about 1929) or rather a triangle of relationships that comprise (in no particular order) the USA, PRC and Russia. Interesting that 2 from 3 are not democracies. There will be opportunity enough, before too long, to jot some more.
you are gunna have-ta wait til Monday mate : embargoed. A total of two posts for Friday.
An excellent strategy by Rudd, I will spread the word.
To be most effective alternative sites need to be suggested. Domain?…property.com.au?
Do any Crikey readers have experience with alternative websites to offer other recommendations?
A great initiative, something that should have been done years ago.
Not just realestate.com.au. Boycott all of NewsCorp. Do not buy or subscribe to any of their outlets – paper or electronic. Cancel your Foxtel subscription if you have one. Avoid clicking on any of their sites. Try to convince family, friends and work colleagues to do the same. Also random people on the street if you can pull that off without seeming to weird.
If Newscorp’s customer base were to be reduced to rusted on Coalition voters and right wing nut-jobs maybe they would rethink their business model. Or, even better still, collapse.
Was prohibition a success in either Canada or the USA Steve?
Its not really comparable. You can still get a drink at another pub.
The point is that Murdoch products are popular for a reason. The gutting of Fleet St was quite an achievement. The replacement was, in the main, big teeth and tits on p3. So much for the edification of the public. The lowest common multiple attained supremacy and it paid well.
I don’t have Fox (or any equivalent) but don’t anticipate a boycott against one’s “Id” on a moral assertion. Alternatively, such would be a “first” in history.
Not remotely relevant. The future belongs to consumer action.
I doubt if you have understood but, nevertheless, Good Luck there.
Not how it works, Steve. Restrict people’s choices for long enough through, say, ‘anti-competitive behaviour’, and the peeps toss in the towel, and make a choice that provides ’em with a minimum acceptable utility.
The problem’s in the legal and regulatory system, which waves on by the monopoly rent system of providing ‘services’.
I am not saying restrict peoples’ choices. I am advocating for people to exercise their choice so as not to choose Newscorp products. People will make up their own minds. People can their NRL/AFL fix elsewhere than Foxtel or the Daily Rupert. Or not – it’s up to them. Newscorp can keep on printing and broadcasting their drivel but no one has to watch or read it.
Listening to Rudd complain that foreign companies pay no tax in Australia is about as much fun a listening to Rupert advise on Australian fiscal policy.
Here is the fix. First, every company doing business in Australia is a ‘public interest company’ and is publicly accountable with published reports.
Second, no company doing business in Australia may pay international transfers for intellectual property from pre-tax income. If they want to do business in Australia, they have to pay tax in Australia.
Third, donations to political parties may not be made by corporations. Donations by individuals will all be published promptly and completely.
Fourth, vote for no candidate who does not credibly promise to deliver 1,2,3 in the next term.
What progress did Kevin make on this while PM?
Cynical, but awfully close.
I well recall Rudd leaping all over Wayne Swan, when Swan was advocating for a well structured ‘Resource Rent Resources Tax’. Twas modelled on the Petroleum equivalent, which Ross Garnaut had designed for Hawke – and still operates more efficiently than just about any other tax in the country.
Swan was progressing a very sensible explanation, when Kev ‘O Sev came climbing all over the top, hip and shouldered Swan out of camera range, and proceeded to completely butcher the rationale and, ergo, it died.
O’ Sev’s a fraud, but he is not alone.
Golly, been a long day – Mineral Rent Resources Tax – ‘MRRT’, obviously.
Minerals Resource Rent Tax … 🙂