When in doubt at SMH, just add Trump — lots and lots of Trump
Someone on their mind. Headlines on The Sydney Morning Herald website homepage, yesterday:
The problem for Donald Trump is what comes next in Syria;
Hillary Clinton admits she is “pretty worried” about Trump’s America;
Trump crossed Obama’s red line. So what does that mean for Australia?
Donald Trump hails “friendship” with China’s Xi Jinping;
Senate goes “nuclear”, ending blockade of Trump court pick;
Trump “struggled to read” while preparing to host Saturday Night Live;
Forget Trump and Brexit: bury yourself in a good book.
Must try harder! Number of times Trump’s name appeared on The Age website at the same time:
Four.
That was then. Malcolm Turnbull on Melbourne’s 3AW, yesterday:
Neil Mitchell: Tony Abbott was dumped, reason given 30 negative polls. You’ve had 10 in a row. Is your job on the line if you don’t turn them around?
Turnbull: The answer is that we work hard every day to deliver for the Australian people and I know, look …
Mitchell: Well, so did he though, so did he.
Turnbull: Well, Neil, I’m not, Neil, I understand the interest in this, I just want to say this, that my government, firstly, we won the election, an important point not to overlook. We won the election in a year in which incumbency was not, was under siege all right around the world, you could say that.
Turnbull still going:
Secondly, we have delivered all of our tax cuts that we promised in this term of government. We have delivered the big industrial reforms that caused the double-dissolution election. We’re getting our program through the parliament and we’re delivering. Now one of the important things to focus on is what is the government actually doing for you the citizen and for you the voter.
Cutting back to the chase:
Mitchell: Well, that’s true but also it’s fair to say, what is the metric? Is it still a metric if you have 30 bad polls, you’re gone?
Turnbull: Neil, there is no such metric.
Mitchell: There was when Tony Abbott was in.
Turnbull: No, when I challenged Tony Abbott I referred to the fact that he had lost 30 Newspolls in a row, or the government had lost 30 Newspolls in a row. That was not the only basis of my mounting that challenge. I made a number of other points. I don’t want to go through it all, it’s part of political history, but that was not and I’d encourage you if you want to read or replay what I said.
Turnbull announcing his leadership challenge on September 14, 2015:
Every month lost is a month of lost opportunities. We have to make a change for our country’s sake, for the government’s sake, for the party’s sake.
Demarcation issues. Labor’s Chris Bowen on events in Syria, yesterday:
I will leave Penny Wong to respond in more detail about the approach Labor, we, will take, no doubt we will seek and receive briefings from the government in due course.
Demarcation issues II. Tanya Plibersek’s news conference, yesterday:
Plibersek: This is a serious issue that requires a serious response from the international community. But, as I say, Penny Wong will be making more comments very shortly.
Journalist: Do you know whether the opposition has received a briefing yet from the government?
Plibersek: Well, I do know but I’m going to leave that for Penny to talk about later.
Journalist: You can’t say any more about what you think the strikes might achieve?
Plibersek: Well, Penny will be up very shortly to talk about that. Thanks, everyone.