Speaker
Journalists who report on politics for a living see plenty of hypocrisy. We’re seeing plenty now from Julia Gillard.
She asserts that Peter Slipper should not be sidelined until sexual harassment allegations are dealt with by the courts because he’s entitled to the presumption of innocence. It’s the same excuse the prime minister uses when she refuses to intervene in the Craig Thomson affair and says the Labor backbencher accused of grossly rorting union credit cards still has her full confidence.
Yet when Wikileaks infuriated the US Government by publishing a stack of leaked diplomatic cables, Gillard immediately accused editor-in-chief Julian Assange of acting illegally. There was no presumption of innocence for him.
Continue reading "Gillard’s hypocrisy on the presumption of innocence" »
The public view of the Gillard Government is it’s shielding a man who took union money to pay for prostitutes and another man who tried to get a male staffer into the cot.
None of these claims has been tested or confirmed by a court, all have been denied. But they have become currency in front-bar political debate and can only hurt Labor.
It has been hard enough for the Government to sustain Craig Thomson on its back bench. It now has Peter Slipper – who has never been a member of the ALP – to manage.
Continue reading "It’s no longer about the majority, it’s about integrity" »
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Karin says:
” It is quite obvious that someone has forged Peter Slipper’s signature,” Wouldn’t be the first time the Libs resorted to sleazy tactics like that.Who can forget Bill Heffernan’s attempt to destroy Michael Kirby’s reputation with forged comcar documentation. And then there was Ute-Gate,another attempt by the Libs to get… Read more »
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Karen from Qld says:
I stand by my earlier comments - your lack of knowledge of Qld politics is breathtaking . You obviously were not following the course of the Qld election otherwise you would have known that Anna made a fool out of herself with her outlandish claims and smear campaign. I have… Read more »
Peter Slipper, draped in black in a manner most young voters will not see outside Hogwarts, has dramatically altered the style of the Speaker’s office.
All occupants of the chair consider the job important. Slipper believes that previously discarded layers of trappings and ceremony are needed to make the point.
Predecessor to this Prince of Pomp was Harry Jenkins, who was more a “People’s Speaker”, a Labor lefty whose natural mode was of informality. But his love of Parliament has been genuine and deep.
Continue reading "New speaker’s slack clobber, old speaker clobbers slackers" »
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Bruce says:
@jf Nobody could maintain such an obvious lie, so it has to be totally uninformed. Read more »
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jf says:
Bruce says:03:44pm | 10/02/12 “Which part of the word Independent don’t you understand? “ Are you really saying that you think that because a member is independent that they can’t be part of the Government. If only you were right and idiots like Oakeshott would be relegated to the irrelevance… Read more »
The ghost of Mal Colston is wandering the corridors of Federal Parliament, and some Labor people with long memories fear the worst.
When Colston ratted on the Labor Party in return for the post of Deputy Senate President 15 years ago, giving John Howard a senate majority on crucial issues, it ended in tears.
Will the same thing happen as a result of Julia Gillard’s decision to tighten her government’s grip on power by making disaffected Queensland Liberal MP Peter Slipper Speaker of the House?
Continue reading "Exterminate! Exterminate! Slipper has target on his back" »
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Martin says:
If you’d have been paying attention, you’d have noticed that Abbott didn’t threaten to expel any Liberal who became Speaker 15 months ago because he wanted Peter Slipper’s vote. The best part about all of this isn’t just that the equation has gone from 75-74 to 76-73, it’s that the… Read more »
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DaveinPerth says:
They have a dirt file on Slipper ? I wonder how many other LNP MP’s are unfit for office? What other Youtube blockbusters are we going to see ? Malcolm Turnbull driving a Hummer ? Bronwyn Bishop’s famous ‘no-makeup’ shots ? Christopher Pyne leaving a certain bathhouse ? Joe Hockey… Read more »
Tony Abbott could have done more to look after Peter Slipper as ambitious enemies lusted after his cushy Queensland seat of Fisher. But he didn’t.
Now the Opposition Leader will pay the price.
Slipper, or Slippery Pete as his nickname goes, has looked after himself by quitting the Liberals and taking up a Labor offer to become Speaker replacing the estimable Harry Jenkins. There is no formal requirement for the speaker to be from the party of government.
Continue reading "Sinking in the Slipper to restore some order to Parly" »
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Claire says:
At least the liberal coalition are honest they not afraid to say before the election they can’t afford to make promisers if they have to pills more debt to give state government who was already deep in debt during the good ecomomy with the rest of world government pilling more… Read more »
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Mr. Grey says:
Slipper was voted in by the people of his electorate to be a voting voice for the Liberal party. To help the Labor party by abstaining from voting the way his voting electorate expected is joining the Labor parties cause and gives labor a clear advantage which is duplicitous. I… Read more »
To all those in the The Punch community who wanted – needed – to believe in the ‘New Paradigm’ politics: sorry, we told you so.
In order to gain the Speakership of our Parliament, one of the Independents will have to consider deciding and neutralising his vote on any issue before it is debated in the chamber. Goodbye quaint notion of MPs working together to discern the national interest through rational parliamentary dialogue. Goodbye the New Naïveté.
In the end, the Independents, like most politicians, believe that everything will be better if only they hold the power. This Independent is after the power of the Speakership, because only he can be trusted with the power of the new paradigm.
Continue reading "Farewell new paradigm, we hardly knew you" »
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Mike T says:
If it came to light that it was unconstitutional after the result then ALL parties are at fault. Just becasue the Libs are the only ones recognising that there may be a problem and are having the appropriate parties review it dosent make them anymore accountable for the error then… Read more »
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MarK says:
Hmmm Harry….let me see. Ah yes. Be a part of the party that was elected to government by the people. You know - be loyal and stuff. get a reward. Or if there is a great tradition in the Labor party of giving plum jobs and critical roles on the… Read more »
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