No, this is not about dogs.
John Howard has his ‘dog whistle’ politics, in Kim Beazley’s utter stupidity he can’t even manage to come across as a decent reactionary politician (via Shannon). He isn’t dog whilstling, he is a dog being lead by his pollsters. Beazley should sack himself, but only after he has sacked every imbecile who has ever worked for a commercial marketing firm. You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to understand that producing markets does not have the same social efficacy as producing diverse political consensus.
I had a go at Lindsay Tanner during question time at the most recent Fabian Society meeting (I was working it). It was just after Beazley had stunned me with his internet comment. By writing that on my blog I now feel like an idiot. No, more than that, quite distressed actually.
My question to Tanner was basically something to the effect of (ok so this was this exact question after a long preamble about Beazley, the internet and the reactionary shit on TV called Border Security): “When is the Labour Party going to get someone who can say something that isn’t utter stupidity?”
Tanner’s long rambling response was something like, “Not everyone in parliament is there to represent you, but the good thing about our sysem is that someone will be there to represent you.”
No, there isn’t.
It was recorded so maybe it will be available online eventually.
The timing of Paul Keating’s appearance (and brilliant performance) on Lateline tonight simply can’t be a coincidence. The way he repeatedly hammered home ‘diversity’ as a key value of the media ownership debate was awesome. Of course, he has his own interests for wanting ‘diversity’, but it is good nevertheless.
On media ownership, how’s this for a line: “‘Convergence.’ That’s the buzz word… The only ‘convergence’ here is convergence sponsored by avarice.”
What we need are more politicians who are capable of speaking in scare quotes.
(I’ll post a link to Paul Keating on Lateline when it becomes available.)
UPDATE: Transcript (that appears to have been written by a drunk one-armed monkey: “The only convergence here is ambition supported by Everest.” bloody hell… ok I got it wrong cause I was relying on my memory, but mistaking avarice for Everest? wtf.. Line is roughly 5:30 in). On the same page are links to video footage, the dial-up footage is fine, broadband is a waste of bandwidth.
The big question is why Beazley is voicing some stupid unthought plan about ‘values’ while the former Prime Minister Paul Keating is on TV saying the most sensible things I have heard in an Australian political context for years?