Following the disaster that was the preference deal that saw Senator Fielding get a spot in the Senate and the absurd letter to members asking for campaign money where he compared the war between the Libs and Nats with the divorce of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, Victorian ALP state secretary Stephen Newnham is in the firing line yet again. It was Newnham who wanted a Labor Unity candidate for Lord Mayor and shut down the inner city ALP locals from choosing their own. Newnham came up with serial candidate and political wannabe but never could be Peter McMullin. He even gave his mediocre campaign director an office to run the campaign.

So what happened because of Newnham’s meddling incompetence? The Labor vote was split, Wil Fowles couldn’t do a preference swap with the Greens and Newnham can largely take responsibility for a Liberal Lord Mayor. Now the knives are out. Those in the inner city have had about enough. Not to mention the Left who have plans to make him accountable. Even those in the upper echelons of Labor Unity have had about enough and are looking around for an alternative. Watch this space…

The tip about a meeting between Minister Albanese, Airservices Australia & the Air Traffic Controllers Association Civil Air had many scratching their heads today in the perpetually understaffed ATC Centres. Why would the government and a government body want to antagonise a workforce that is holding the ATC system together only through massive amounts of overtime, at a time when the holiday season is approaching, no serious new contract has been offered and its workforce are leaving for overseas positions with double the salary on offer?

There is only one logical answer — Airservices and the government don’t want agreement on a new contract because it would show that the whole false campaign about renegade controllers taking sickies was a complete fabrication. A signed contract would not see a stop to the airspace closures, because they have in fact been caused by reckless mismanagement by Airservices Australia and an intentional running down of staff numbers in the interests of profits and management bonuses.

It is a cynical ploy from an executive that doesn’t understand its own core business, or the consequences of its actions upon the air safety of Australia. It is going to take another three to five years minimum to recover from the destruction of intellectual resources that have occurred recently. By manufacturing a dispute where none exists, the incompetents who reside in the Alan Woods building can deflect the eventual hard questions and media criticism a little longer — on the very people they need to keep the remnants of a broken system together.

I had dinner with a friend of mine from DFAT last month. He has been to Kabul several times. I asked him if it had become what it was when the Russians were there. His reply went something like this: “The Russians is the wrong comparison. More like Vietnam. The Taliban are just outside of Kabul, and they control the rest of the country, especially the rural parts. We have lost the battle for hearts and minds. We have lost Afghanistan already. In the US Embassy compound there is a helicopter all fuelled up and ready to go. They can have the Ambassador out of there in one minute.”

It’s not just Bob Brown who is getting Kevin Rudd and John Howard confused. Punch in Kevin Rudd into Google Image Search, and Google helpfully offers — “Related Searches: John Howard”.

The Canberra Times excels in demonstrating the parsimony we have come to know and love in McCarthy’s world. The editor and a senior journalist recently attended a legal meeting in Sydney to discuss a defamation action. The editor flew, the journo was made to take the six hour bus trip there and back … Look out SMAGE.

The word is coming strong from the Financial Review that head honcho Michael Gill is about to “spend more time with my family”. That way Fairfax can dismantle his disastrous online strategy for the AFR, which has so far cost tens of millions and recruited barely a few thousand paying subscribers.

Crikey/Media Monitors radio rumour watch reports:

  • Federal Labor MP James Bidgood refutes claims he’s been told to keep a low media profile after a series of public blunders. Bidgood has allegedly been shying away from the media after being harangued for selling photos of a man trying to set himself ablaze outside Parliament House and labelling the global financial crisis “an act of God”. — 6.32am ABC North Queensland
  • Caller “Scandalous” claims two prominent Victorian Government ministers “will have a happy new year” as they look forward to being embroiled in revelations that they took active steps to undermine key office holders within the Police Association. These steps were allegedly taken to continue Government’s support for Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon and her interstate chosen successor. — 7.10am 3AW (Melbourne)
  • Caller “Want to be Your Friend” says he was informed by a female friend in Queensland that she had a request for a friendship via Facebook from “a well-known person in Australia” who has been seeking out attractive women through Facebook. — 7.11am 3AW (Melbourne)