Well that was excruciating

Craigles says:

09:34am | 31/03/10

The way Barnaby speaks in that interview, suggests he is heading for a breakdown.

Joe says:

03:34pm | 31/03/10

Why are the ABC spending so much time scrutinizing Barnaby all of a sudden? At least he is out there and not afraid to have a go. Most Labor MPs are afraid they might say something not on Rudd’s daily list of authorized one liners and won’t get a promotion.

Gavin says:

12:13pm | 01/04/10

All you people praising him for “saying it how it is” and “speaking off the cuff”, what I actually hear is “he doesn’t bother with any of that pesky research” and “who needs intelligence and reason when you can just pump out bumpkin boorish one-liners”, he is in charge of a shadow portfolio, he’s not the pub comedian. And all these inbred goons within our voting public love to clap their 7 fingered hands and guffaw at his crass common “wit”, while scorning Kevin Rudd (“KRudd” - pause for guffaws) because he speaks at a level which causes them headaches.

mtdd says:

06:48pm | 31/03/10

Joyce needs to run his comments past Abbott - indeed the Opposition could do with a coordinated message. Having said that I would rather have 10 Joyce’s with their silly comments (which cause minimal harm) than a Labor machine that runs a fine line in rorting the electoral process as shown recently in Adelaide.

John A Neve says:

01:34pm | 31/03/10

Wayne,
Your loyalty is to be admired, poor old Barnaby has outdone Paulin Hanson, he can talk with both feet in his mouth. Truly Wayne, is he the best the LNP has got?

Barnaby reminds me of that old nursery rhyme, you know, “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down”. He even goes red in the face, it’s all that huffing and puffing.

Come on Wayne, what do you offer, an 18 year old uni student, a $milionairs son and Barnaby. I just cannot wait for the day.

Wayne Fehlhaber says:

06:14pm | 31/03/10

John Neve :  Ha hahaha bet you wish he could be defeated John. !
Not a Chance , Queenslanders love him. !  Rather like Sir Joh with his mannerisms. !
Watch closely the result in Longman John , the intellect and dynamism radiating from that young man has gone over well in the electorate.
But hey ! Johnno ! don’t knock the millionaire or his son , they have the interests of Queensland in their blood.  Not only that , they donated quite a bit of money to Labor in previous elections.
Oh yes , bring on the day.

Eric says:

09:59am | 31/03/10

“white bread politicians” ... “redneck butthole” ...

Are you proud of using racist terms of abuse?

Mike Creighton says:

10:41am | 31/03/10

Eric,  the term “white bread politicians” does not refer to race.  It is a term used by Barnaby Joyce himself to describe, in a derogatory manner, politicians who are bland.  Eric, the term “redneck butthole” does not refer to race.  It refers to ... well, it refers to “redneck butthole.”  And Eric, I still dont find it necessary or funny to know what the Senator uses to wipe his with.

Eric says:

10:56am | 31/03/10

Mike, the term “redneck” definitely refers to race. It is a play on the pale skin of white people, which in the stronmg sunlight of the lower latitudes, turned red with sunburn. It was in use as a racial slur by blacks in the south of the US, among other places.

When you slime someone as being a “redneck”, you are applying a racist insult.

Mike Creighton says:

11:49am | 31/03/10

Eric, you are just being silly.

Austin 3:16 says:

12:08pm | 31/03/10

Eric, I thought that the term was more based on socio-economics than race. Similar to using the term “hillbilly” to denote somebody of an un-educated backwoods nature.

hugh says:

01:13pm | 31/03/10

@Austin 3:16 -
Per a quick wikipedia check, one of the first references of Hillbillie came from the New York Journal
“a Hill-Billie is a free and untrammeled white citizen of Alabama, who lives in the hills, has no means to speak of, dresses as he can, talks as he pleases, drinks whiskey when he gets it, and fires off his revolver as the fancy takes him.”
Also:
“Hillbilly is a term referring to people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia and the Ozarks”

So, much like the ‘redneck’ insult is supposed to be an insult to white people, so is hillbilly - just a more specific region (ie mountain folk)

Regarding ‘redneck’:
“The most common American usage, referring to the poor rural white Southerner, probably derived from individuals having a red neck caused by working outdoors in hot sun. A citation from 1893 provides a definition as “poorer inhabitants of the rural districts…men who work in the field, as a matter of course, generally have their skin burned red by the sun, and especially is this true of the back of their necks”.

So, this too could be deemed to be somewhat slanderous to white folk

H of SA says:

11:23am | 01/04/10

Hugh, quick tip. Never admit your source is wikipedia.

95% of what it says may be innacurate according to its own page….or could say that if I felt like going and making it say that

Me says:

11:38am | 31/03/10

Just because you don’t know what it meant doesn’t mean that it didn’t mean anything, it’s not all just gobbledygook. . When making that much lampooned comment, Kevin Rudd was not speaking to you, or to any other Australian for that matter, he was giving a speech to Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor.

He was referring to the Copenhagen summit, and that he doubted there would be any significant outcome in terms of “detailed programmatic specificity”. It is basically a fancy way of saying that he doubted the potential of Copenhagen to achieve any significant and definite emission cuts agreement. He could have just said that, but he does like to use big words.

Andrew says:

02:05pm | 31/03/10

Just another demonstration of how Rudd alters his persona according to his audience. He truly is a chameleon. Trouble with that is no-one (least of all himself) knows what he stands for.

Andrew says:

02:08pm | 31/03/10

Oh, and one other thing, if he knew (or at least suspected) that there would be no “detailed programmic specificity” to emerge from Copenhagen why was it so urgent for us to pass an ETS before he went?

Apart of course from adding to his own “world stage” ego.

Kevin the Robot says:

02:19pm | 31/03/10

Come on Mikko… Fair suck of the sauce bottle… eh mate… old pal… cobber… spectivity… damn my programs degrading…

where’s my hard hat…. working families… education revolution… greatest moral challenge of our time…I love Obama…my mum’s a nurse… I was a poor kid just like you…

Damn… where’s my hair dryer… I want a hot meal….

Complete malfunction need to shut down!!!!!!!

cats says:

03:41pm | 31/03/10

Um, Andrew who doesn’t do that? Would I speak to my boss the same way I speak to my friends? “Oi, c-nt! whats up?” - yeah I didn’t think so..

dave says:

10:12am | 31/03/10

Ridicule away. Smear on to your heart’s content… feel like a bigger person now, do we?

It’s only a matter of time before the ‘hick’ you all love to deride is proven right.

Like impressing yourselves with how witty, caustic, and clever you (think you) are in knocking BJ?  Isn’t there some old proverb about “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”?

Take a peek at what Labor icon and “World’s Greatest Treasurer” Paul Keating had to say, just 4 days ago, about the global economic future ... http://bit.ly/9KFH8q

“The former prime minister also highlighted risks to foreign countries with large debts, such as the US and Europe.

In the event of a double-dip recession, Mr Keating said the developed world would not have the funding to support massive fiscal packages.

“If a financial crisis comes in the future there won’t be the method to deal with it as we’ve seen in this crisis,” he said.”

So, remind us again - what was all that about BJ being an incompetent moron for questioning US debt levels back in October?  Is Keating a moron too? Not hearing THAT accusation thrown about by intellectually-superior latte-sippers, or any of the numpties in the MSM, now are we?

If you’ve half a brain cell to tickle, you’ll notice what Keating did NOT say. That the Labor govt has completely pulled down our financial levee.

Another wave, and we’re screwed.

Phil R says:

10:40am | 31/03/10

Dave, it is OK when Keating says it because he dresses in Armani suits and he makes jokes about the conservatives.  Even the US Congressional Budget Office is warning of the threat to the US economy.

Meanwhile we have a Finance Minister who presides over multiple budget blowouts totalling billions of dollars by his fellow ministers.  Lindsay Tanner is the real joke!

dave says:

11:08am | 31/03/10

PhilR,

Not just the US Congressional Budget Office. Even Sec of State Clinton has recewntly warned about the massive US debt -

“We have to address this deficit and the debt of the United States as a matter of national security not only as a matter of economics,” Clinton said. “I do not like to be in a position where the United States is a debtor nation to the extent that we are.”

“The moment of reckoning cannot be put off forever,” she said ... http://bit.ly/aV1nw8

If anyone here really, truly believes all this oft-peddled BS that Barnaby Joyce is an idiot, then take a look at this chart from the US Federal Reserve, sourced from the White House Office of Management and Budget ... http://bit.ly/9LwRIE

And remember to take that line DOWN by another US221 Billion for February (ie, off the chart)... and who knows how much more for this month.

Barnaby is right.

Tedd says:

02:13pm | 31/03/10

Ye, Barnaby does seem like he’s been to the pub, but a lot of country people speak that way; Barnaby more so when he’s fired up.

jon n says:

03:03pm | 31/03/10

Barnaby and the rest of the Libs should be aware at all times that traps are being laid to make them out as idiots. The slightest variation from the path of correct language will be used against them. They need full control over their mouths. It should be obvious.

Irony says:

10:15am | 31/03/10

Amen! Like you, I suspect, I prefer to get my unbiased news from Alan Jones, Kyle and Jackie O, ACA, Today Tonight, Mike Carlton, Ray Hadley and the Daily Telegraph. And I’m with you on Q&A - can you get any more biased? I can’t believe they have the hide to invite guests on from all sides of the political spectrum and have voters throw questions at them on live TV! They don’t even bother to edit it! A total disgrace.

"The ALP's ABC" says:

10:29am | 31/03/10

Poor old naive Irony,

Q&A should be renamed ‘4 lefties and a conservative’, the questions from the vetted audience have been selected prior to the show commencing and the host, who is supposed to moderate, merely becomes part of the pack attack on conservative views.

But if you see this as ‘live and real’ TV then that suggests to me that you probably believe that wrestling is also real.

Your poor naive dupe!

Jonathan Appleyard says:

11:46am | 31/03/10

Well said. I thought the interview said more about the ABC than Barnaby Joyce.

The Canberra Press Gallery needs to get out more. The stuff they occupy their time with in Parliament House have nothing to do with issues concerning the rest of us.

The Guardian says:

12:11pm | 31/03/10

“I worked for a company that the ABC paid to assess their level of bias in their reporting, and I have no doubt that this report is deeply buried at the ABC,” What a load of rubbish!!. Go and tune in to Alan Jones and get your fix little boy.

Irony says:

12:13pm | 31/03/10

Yes, you’re absolutely right, they definitely stack the panel with lefties. Take a look at this recent line-up: Miranda Devine, Catherine Deveny, Waleed Aly, Bill Shorten and Peter Dutton. An outrageous imbalance! And who could forget the silk ride Kevin Rudd got from those pesky leftie students in the first Q & A of the year. All they wanted to do was congratulate him, but that’s what you get with a “vetted” audience I guess. The thing I find hardest to believe is that the show is so one sided, they’re giving Tony Abbott the same opportunity they gave the PM next Monday night.
One question – do you actually watch Q&A?

"The ALP's ABC" says:

01:04pm | 31/03/10

@ Irony… Well let’s put your theory to the test:

Direct quote Tony Jones “We also impose a kind of editorial structure by looking at what we think the best questions are and trying to put together a kind of theme that goes through the program.”

mmm… so editorial control on the questions…

Now let’s look at the makeup of the audience, according to the ABC’s own figures:

ABC told a Senate hearing into bias that the makeup of audience was:

Coalition voters represented 18 per cent… compared with 40 per cent ALP and 26 per cent Greens.

... mmm an interesting and seemingly unbalanced mix…

Now let’s look at the panelists, yes it is fair to say that in regards to members of parliament it is pretty much 50/50, unless of course we are discussing climate change, then the Greens will always get a seat, 2-1 howling the coalition as ‘climate deniers’

Jones words again:

“...if it’s a particularly sort of hot electoral subject, you know, climate change for example, we’d probably bring the Greens in as well…”

Nice balance for the climate change alarmist Jones…

Then the crunch, the remaining panelists:

Recent analysis has shown non political members of the panel show:

52.5 per cent could be rated from the left
33.75 per cent could be rated from the right
13.75 per cent were could not be determined

... again a strong leaning to the left and then there is the supposed moderator who recently told Jon Faine on Melbourne’s 774 when discussing a lead in to that night’s program:

Faine
“And, ladies and gentlemen, in one corner, which one I won’t say, we have”

Jones
“Andrew Bolt, provocative Herald Sun columnist”

Faine
“And in the other corner”

Jones
“Well, we may have two people in the other corner”

Who where they:
Andrew Bolt in one corner Louise Adler and Susan Carland in the other

...Case closed on the biased front I would strongly suggest.

So yes Irony I have watched and seen the bias and have the evidence to prove it, perhaps next time you watch you should have both eyes opened, instead of just the left one.

"The ALP's ABC" says:

01:46pm | 31/03/10

@ The Guardian believe what you will, I have 10 years experience analysing and assessing all media across broadcast, print and web and worked on the project and the results showed a clear bias in the ABC Current Affairs and discussion styled programs, and to be fair none in their straight news reporting.

Pray tell what is your experience that you can categorically dismiss the assessment of literally tens of thousands of pieces of information??

Or are you just another typical left wing muppet who is all noise and no substance!

Andrew says:

02:33pm | 31/03/10

@ The ALP’s ABC: Well written and obviously you have the information to blow the left wingers on site site away. Good to see someone armed with the facts setting the record straight. Keep it up.

demeter says:

04:04pm | 31/03/10

Of course it is. What the problem???

you have the ALP in government q and a and 7.30 report are great!!!

I love Tony and Kerry sticking it to the dirty coalition.

good them 11 year of Howard was to much. never again. To keep it fair maybe they can have a go for a term once every 20 years, other than that let just keep it ALP. Its only right.

DaveC says:

04:35pm | 31/03/10

@ The ALP’s ABC

Rant much dude? I can’t believe you didn’t put your whole comment in upper caps. Try harder next time.

The Guardian says:

06:12pm | 31/03/10

@ The ALP’s ABC.

So you worked on this study….it came to clear conclusions did it.Guess what if you would like to spruik your 10 years of analysis I will have to show my hand ...Bachelor of Psychology.What was your (and others )approach to deciding what determines bias?What was the sample size of the group used to determine bias or not? What was the selection method for determining the “jury”. Mate to put it simply and without continuing arguing with a right wing nut,there are so many holes in your story it is not funny.The only group I can think of who would fund such a study is the Sydney Institute or The H.R Nicholls Society or, perhaps yourself?

P.S Muppett? Thats the best you’ve got?  Have another try!!!

Bennymac says:

11:27pm | 31/03/10

@irony, Ill take that as a comment..

Adam Diver says:

08:28am | 01/04/10

@ Guardian it is fairly obvious to all and sundry you lost this debate handsomely. After quite a long comment full of facts and quotes your rebuttel was “there are so many holes in your story ” without providing any evidence and using the cop out you didn’t want to continue arguing. Then why enter the debate to start with.

Oh “I prefer to get my unbiased news from Alan Jones, Kyle and Jackie O, ACA, Today Tonight, Mike Carlton, Ray Hadley and the Daily Telegraph” these may be biased news reporting but they are not funded by the federal government and the level of scrutiny to balanced reporting is far less important.

Its fairly obvious that the ABC is left leaning to reject that notion is to be naive.

Kendall says:

02:42pm | 31/03/10

Louis, I grew up just down the road from Barnaby and I can tell you he won’t have lost any votes but he’s in a senate seat so his position on the ticket is the issue. The people around my home town are reactionary, suspicious types who either don’t have access or don’t bother to access wider views, they are self reinforcing and circular. Shame really becuase they aren’t bad people.

Louis McLennan says:

11:18pm | 31/03/10

I spent a few years of my childhood at Thallon.

It’s truly sad that you think so little of country people.

Eric says:

08:14am | 01/04/10

“He is so dishonest and fails to represent his people….. Barnaby only does what those he represent want. “

So he fails to represent his people and at the same time only does what those he represents want?

Way to contradict yourself.

Louis McLennan says:

06:17pm | 01/04/10

Get real Eric. You either have completely misread that or you are trying to be a prick. “Get real folks.” was excluded in your “quote”.

“When someone tells you to get real, they want you to get a reality check and to stop behaving as though you’re living in a fantasy world.” -Urban Dictionary

Mavis says:

12:24pm | 31/03/10

Conroy. It doesn’t get any more whacko.

The Guardian says:

12:28pm | 31/03/10

Well said Brendan!!

Willy K says:

12:57pm | 31/03/10

Yup if you are a B grade lawyer or Union hack - straight into the ALP!

Since when have the ALP been progressive???  The party of Unions, the criminal ‘accord’, the Australia card, medicare gold, White Australia Policy, big government, PC fascism, quota systems, nanny state, Internet censorship…. it goes on and on.  The ALP have never ever been a progressive party.

Kevin Rudd is a rolled gold wacko.  He has lied non-stop about his own personal history for a start.

Even Billy Hughes realised that the ALP was backward looking joke!

freeman says:

08:15pm | 31/03/10

Brendan, that’s what you call an elitist opinion. ” oh, but we’re so much smarter, why can’t everyone see that?”
you’ve hand picked 5 nutters from 4 very different parties that include hundreds of pary members. every party has their wacko.
remember, the political characters that you consider to be well balanced an capable would be to most people on this site, either the looney lefties with no sense of reality or the hollow spin doctors
(bob brown, carmel tebut, peter garret, swanny, beasley, latham). and any talented individual with left leaning priorities generally becomes and actor or artist.
I also love how lefties label themselves as progressive too, its sooo conceeded and arrogant.

James1 says:

03:05pm | 01/04/10

Wrong Willy.  Billy Hughes realised that the ALP would not support his conscription referenda.  Neither would a majority of the soldiers on the front lines in France.  Are you calling the original diggers “backward looking jokes”?

And freeman, please excuse those of us who would rather those making decisions knew the difference between “conceit” and “concede” (which you misspelt anyway).

Beagle says:

12:21pm | 31/03/10

Can you point with any specificity at where those billions of dollars have been wasted?

luke09 says:

01:02pm | 31/03/10

I don’t know what specificity means,  but grocery watch and fuel watch websites, cost millions and now obsolete. The BER has blown it’s budget by a billion or two. The insulation scheme has blown its budget by two billion and more. It is all borrowed money that has to be paid back, wasting billions without accountability is the labor way.

Beagle says:

01:42pm | 31/03/10

Oh, I see, you’ve done a Barnaby and confused billions and millions. No wonder your a fan of his.

The Guardian says:

01:22pm | 31/03/10

Sounds a little Custer-esque Henry….CHAAARRGE!

Beagle says:

01:45pm | 31/03/10

even for a liberal website, that was pretty poor. I didn’t even get to one million and very few of those items had anything to do with waste. I meant to type one billion, but had a Barnaby moment.

The Guardian says:

01:52pm | 31/03/10

Henry, Custer like Abbott was too engrossed in his own ego. So being an egomaniacal leader who will not listen to reason or those around him qualifies one to be “a real man” does it. It amazes me how primary Abbotts character is.He constantly measures himself by his physical pursuits but forgets we as voters measure him by his deeds and of those there are many to measure…RU486,Bernie Banton,I haven’t met with George Pell,Climate Change,Workchoices etc..etc..etc.. and now he wants to be called “THE IRON MAN” ....tin man more like it,no brain!!

Andrew says:

02:21pm | 31/03/10

@ The Guardian,

There are things in this country that deserve debate and indeed ridicule (insulation debacle, education revelution, ETS to name a few). Your rant demonstrates both your ignorance and intransigence.

Firstly, how is it you know that Abbott is engrossed in his own ego. Frankly all evidence points to the PM as being guilty on that charge.

Secondly, why do you think he doesn’t listen to those around him. Unlike Rudd, Abbott has demonstrated his willingness not only to listen to those around him but to change his mind on issues when conviinced otherwise. In Rudd you would call this strong character, in Abbott the Lefties call it flip flopping. In any event your second point is without merit.

Thirdly, how do you know how Abbott measures himself? Sure he is a fitness fanatic but is that such a bad thing. He may even have a positive body image and a drive to push himself both physically and mentally. So what. Ever heard of the maxim “healthy body healthy mind”?

RU486 - conscience vote in Parliament introduced by Abbott. Debated, voted on and lost. I can’t say I am in favour of easily obtainable abortion. I agree with his and Clinton’s policy “It should be safe, legal and rare”.

Bernie Banton - I believe he handled this badly but it was a Labor stunt and certainly a little cynical. In any event Mr Banton surely deserves all our respect.

As for the rest, c’mon you want really ordinary government have a look at the current governments record of failure, broken promises, debt escalation and spin spin spin.

To say a Rhodes scholar is a man with no brain is a tad perfunctory.

In any event, given the choice between an Iron Man or even a Tin Man, I’d take it every day over a Hollow Man.

The Guardian says:

03:25pm | 31/03/10

@Andrew.

I will take you up on all points.

1.How do I know he is engrossed in his own ego…?
By claiming in parliament that the new cancer machine in The Darwin base hospital should be named after him and comparing himself with John Howard’s nick name and claiming the right to be called “the Iron Man”

2.You are correct Andrew on further pondering he does listen to those around him e.g Nick Minchin, Eric Abetz ,Dennis Jensen et al who through their idelogical opposition to Climate science rolled Turnbull to put their own man up front. He also has listened to his own advisers who have said even if you do not belive in it pretend you do e.g climate change,oppostion to gay rights,paid maternity leave and just yesterday flip flopped on his opposition to the governments health policy and on and on and on!!

3.RU486 yes it was a conscience vote,and how long after that vote did it take for him to approve its release? In fact the House of Reps voted to remove his powers to veto it see this link.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2006/02/18/1572963.htm

And to quote you Andrew “In any event, given the choice between an Iron Man or even a Tin Man, I’d take it every day over a Hollow Man”.

By the sound of it Andrew you prefer a “Wicker Man”

Andrew says:

05:52pm | 31/03/10

I mightn’t like him but I don’t want to burn Kevin at the stake.

BTW, I was certain you couldn’t resist the flip flop reference.

Would you prefer politicians to be intransigent?

Do you still hold the same opinions you had 20 years ago, 10 years ago, before you had kids (assuming you have them), before major events like 9/11, Bali Bombings etc? I would suggest the ability for a politician or indeed anyone to alter their stance on a subject because they have been convinced that it is worthwhile is exactly the qualities we should look for in a leader.

What I don’t want in a leader is a hand wringing apologist a la Kevin “this Governming caper is harder than it looked” Rudd.

The Guardian says:

07:51pm | 31/03/10

Very fair points Andrew.I would like to think that the vast majority of my opinions have not changed primarily because they are based around a strong sense of whats fair and just.I think where people differ Andrew is in the way we interpret the world around us daily. Should I allow what I see to make me cynical or will I question it,probe it,determine it,and ultimately choose it?.

You said “I would suggest the ability for a politician or indeed anyone to alter their stance on a subject because they have been convinced that it is worthwhile is exactly the qualities we should look for in a leader”.

I could not agree more.But be honest Andrew,barracking aside,Abbott is not that type of man or politician.

Wombat says:

06:11pm | 31/03/10

H of SA
Couldn’t agree more. In fact in certain portfolios, such as finance or foreign affairs, being boring should be considered a prerequisite.
I used to cringe every time I heard the “colourful” Alexander Downer speak. Now when I listen to Stephen Smith, as I slowly nod off, I imagine frustrated Al Qaeda trainers trying to use his speeches to incite hatred of Australia amongst new recruits.
“Wake up! Wake up!! We have to jihad!”
Smith is taking it to a whole new level, turning the valuable skill of being boring into an art form.
And I really don’t think that you and I are alone in preferring boring politicians. Is it a coincidence that the more “exciting” things that Tony Abbott does the worse his poll results get?
Let’s face it, Aussies may not like boring politicians, but they vote for them in droves.

H of SA says:

11:05am | 01/04/10

Haha, thanks Wombat,

your wake up we have to jihad line brought a big smile to my face

Willy K says:

01:49pm | 31/03/10

Spot on Bryan!

The weak and lazy Australian media just look for the dumbed down tabloid angle to every story. 

Meanwhile Rudd and his band of fools lurch from one disaster to another while the media masturbates over Abbott’s views on young women or Joyce’s turn of phrase.

Luke says:

02:17pm | 31/03/10

Yep all true Bryan, the media look like gooses chasing Abbott around while Rudd is fixing his hair.

CSallen says:

03:12pm | 31/03/10

he’s a National politician, not Liberal.

S.L says:

05:49pm | 31/03/10

Still conservative CSallen. Why would the Nationals have formed a coalition with the Liberal party in the first place? They know they don’t have a hope in hell of winning government anywhere on their own.

Andrew says:

05:52pm | 31/03/10

The press love a scalp. When they smell blodd in the water they hunt like a pack. I’m no fan of Labor but the gave Rann a very hard time in S.A. over what was in effect a private matter (just my view of course).

I reckon they do go harder at LNP guys than Labor guys because they are left leaning but if you are a Labor guy and you look vulnerable they will probably still have a go. It’s the groupthink of a generally spiteful bunch of malcontents.

When you think about it, reporting constanting (and in most cases editorialising as well) about other peoples successes and failures probably has the effect of drumming into to a person that they are merely on of lifes spectators.

Mike Creighton says:

09:01pm | 31/03/10

Envy.

H of SA says:

11:42am | 01/04/10

Hahhaha,

I’ve always found that line funny as well.

The insult chardonnay socialst was upsetting to me, as living close to one of SA’s most beautiful red regions made me think chardonnay was for philistines.

Butt Chai Latte socialst? Accurate. Am I suppossed to feel insulted by that?

iansand says:

06:39pm | 31/03/10

Have you heard of a programme called Landline?  In fact have you listened to a thing called ABC local radio?  A couple of weeks in the bush cures anyone’s obsession with “ABC Left Wing Bias”.

acker says:

10:06am | 01/04/10

@iansand ..landline wow ! a little bit less weekly airtime than religion with compass and sounds of sunday.. country hour (abc rural radio) ..often with a barely legiable scottish presenter..woopee do ! JJJ a radio station dedicated to youth ..ABC3 dedicated to under 14’s .. wow what a big ABC rural and regional presence..Not !

TheRealDave says:

09:17am | 01/04/10

Is ‘Maverick’ code for ‘Moron’ nowadays?

H of SA says:

12:24pm | 01/04/10

Bob,

Someone has to give you a side of the story that backs the public servants - as their own code of conduct means they aren’t allowed to.

MP’s attack the public service brings to mind thoughts about glass houses and stones

Peter says:

10:50am | 03/04/10

No they are worse….. much worse…