‘Despite the PM’s rhetoric, back room deals with faceless men will prevail’
Welcome to the column where you provide the content. Paul Kelly’s take on day one at the Labor national conference was scathing, noting Anthony Albanese’s transformation from rabble-raising warrior to “a governing mentality” and concluding: “Albanese is no orator. He can’t uplift or inspire. He has difficulty getting the true believers fired up. If the opening morning is any guide, this looms as the flattest ever national conference.” Pearly Spencer wasn’t impressed:
“Despite the rhetoric it looks to like the back room deals with the faceless men will prevail. Promises made in the run up to the last election can be changed by Labor in back room deals.
I still can’t understand this ‘change Australia’ in his own beliefs mentality by Albanese. When elected they are supposed to govern not be political activists playing with our prosperity. I think we are changing all right, our prosperity and freedoms are quickly disappearing.”
PeeWee agreed:
“We now know what Labor’s quiet little meetings in back rooms and dark bars were all about during the nine years it took for the voters who had forgotten, to be sucked back in.”
Rhonda in Bowral said:
“Brave speech from a man who doesn’t master details, or bother with them. Labor will do what they always do in government: policy overreach and mishandling implementation by incompetent ministers. It’ll end up with the usual car crash. Taxpayers will have to pay for the damage.”
Not so, said Sophie:
“The Coalition has an appalling record of doing as little as possible and hoping voters wouldn’t notice. They did. (The next election) will be a clash between what the Coalition didn’t do, Morrison’s lack of integrity as PM, its lack of direction in opposition and what Labor has done, eg the extent to which it’s policies have contributed to inflation, the cost of living, etc.
“I don’t think the Liberals have a hope of winning the 2025 election. Not in their present state. 2028 perhaps. Leadership is just one of the issues that must be urgently addressed.”
Therese’s take:
“Er, let’s wait and see. Albanese and Labor are going slowly and making positive changes. The Coalition sat on its hands, said no to change, and did nothing for 10 years. Albanese is a skilled political player, coupled with experience and intelligence. Watch this space.”
RoadRunner reckoned:
“Albanese will be remembered for his divisive racist voice, the details of which he has deliberately withheld from voters, and his mantra that he likes fighting Tories. I have to turn away every time he comes on television and am hoping that there may be an election sooner than 2025. When the voice fails, he should resign.”
Laurel added:
“Not sure he has deliberately withheld details of the voice, he just doesn’t know the details. He has admitted that he hasn’t read the Uluṟu statement, he has signed up to something that he hasn’t even read.”
Fineprint wasn’t convinced:
“Breaking promises, grandstanding, big-noting, no gravitas and having had a charisma bypass.
Need I go on?”
ChatBot backed the PM:
“I have watched parliamentary question time repeatedly and Albo does an excellent job. No matter what is asked he handles quite perfectly and with interest. The most abysmal parliamentary performers are Dutton and Ley. When I watched them during the Gallagher sessions they appeared totally confused. Tony Burke ran rings around them on procedure.”
Raymond N – Australian Man said:
“ ‘Labor’s negative campaign against the Coalition will be savage and based on memories’. Would be very rash going down that road. Some of us have excellent longer term memories of Whitlam, Keating, Rudd 1 and 2, Gillard and now Albo.”
JBP was jaded:
“Aren’t we all sick of ‘we inherited’ every time a labour politician speaks 15 months on … stop the blame game and name calling and get on with fixing this nation.”
Simon said:
“A big loss in the voice referendum will make Albanese’s position untenable, having completely misjudged the public mood and divided the country. Labor may win the next election but Albo won’t be PM.”
Frank fumed:
“The country is being run by the Greens and the unions with Labor dancing to their tune. Don’t believe me, look at the idiotic woke policies that have been introduced, the economic dysfunction and the nonsense being discussed at the Labor Party Conference.”
Robert W. yawned:
“I heard part of the PM’s speech. If I have to hear his public housing story one more time, I suspect some of my bones may spontaneously fracture. It really is tiresome trope. Many people have had a tough background but don’t feel the need to dredge it up continuously.”
Katie added:
“I am reminded of Johannes Leakes’ cartoon of Albanese greeting the aliens who respond in a hurry to cut him off, ‘Yes, we know, we know, you grew up in a housing commission flat’.”
Katherine was unconvinced:
“Albo is the ‘great pretender’. His attempts at copying Bob Hawke (the Matilda’s public holiday) was a poor attempt to paint himself as a larrikin which failed monumentally. His attempts at oratory are neither easy to follow like Howard and Menzies nor intellectual like Whitlam. He is neither ordinary nor brilliant. He is not in touch with most Australians while pretending to be so. His politics of leftist ideology are so entrenched in his DNA, most of us just don’t get him. A ‘drover’s dog’ could have beaten Morrison at the last election. Now we, and the Labor Party are left with a PM bereft of inspiration or imagination.”
Big Pong’s take:
“Albo is immersed in his own paradigm of ideologies which will not align to the desires of most Australian citizens.”
From Tess:
“The young are entranced with the spirit of Labor’s giving, not understanding that they will be the bearers of enormous debt into the future. The Liberal Party needs young people (16-25) talking about alternatives telling the young a different story to turn the tide against Labor’s clever insidious campaigns.”
From Frank:
“Labor has clearly demonstrated that they govern at the behest of the unions and the Greens, through every woke cause, while mainstream Australia is expected to just shut up and suck it up.”
Troy’s take:
“Dutton tries to win over his declining support by stroking fear and hatred in his approach to remain opposition leader. Preventing the future became the great cause of Coalition politics in this country under Tony Abbott. Social change? Stop it in its tracks. Climate change? Let coal burn. Tax reform? Keep propping up the prosperous. So we have lived with logjam. Preventing the future is still the Coalition end game.
“Do we want to go back to the past on aged care, stagnating wage growth, pork barrelling grant programs, a health system under pressure, an inadequate child care system, a taxation system not fit for the twenty first century and a decline in productivity?
“We should not forget high unemployment and underemployment and stagnant living standards. We elected a government to make hard decisions for the good of the nation and not politically focused politicians. We need unquestionably strong public finances to have low cost of capital, (private and public), for our transformation from fossil-fuel loser to superpower exporter of clean energy and minerals, and to shield us from a disturbed international economy and geo-polity.
“We’ve exchanged a government of closet climate-change deniers for one that knows what it should do, but is dragging its feet under unrelenting pressure from the Coalition and some in the media who are stoking fear and hatred of our government – it should be remembered that finally Australians had enough and voted for change at the last election.”
Hypokrites said:
“Watching the attendees clapping after the smoky welcome to country reminded me of the applause Stalin used to get. The clapping went on and on as no one dared stop for fear of the consequences.”
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Michael Parkinson’s trademarks were his warmth and enthusiasm, and a recognition that the first requirement of a successful interviewer was to be a good listener, wrote The Times. Rosemary recalled:
“I never saw a bad interview. His interviewing style should be the standard for all in visual media. Rule 1. Ask a pertinent question and DO NOT interrupt the reply.”
Conspicuous Cliff said:
“Enlightening to read that his career had so many twists and turns with ups and downs aplenty. What resilience to pick himself up, dust himself off and start all over again. The ABC repeated his Australian shows recently at odd hours. Fortunately have most of them recorded to enjoy for posterity. Is missed already.”
Barry’s blast:
“How different from so many of the current interviewers who make it all about themselves and their agendas.”
Suzanne sniffed snobbery:
“It may just be me but the article has a slight condescending tone. Of course Parkinson was not from the establishment class!”
Malcolm S said:
“A class act. Michael Parkinson was blessed with the unique talent of allowing his guests to do the talking. These days interviewers are, unfortunately and uninterestingly, fixated with their own opinions and agendas.”
Out of the gulag added:
“In the words of Tina Turner; ‘simply the best’.”
Ronald’s reminiscence:
“I had the privilege of hearing Parky live at a business function in Melbourne. At it, he showed clips of his top 5 favourites. Number one was Dr Jacob Bronowski, the author and presenter of the early 70s TV series ‘The ascent of man’. He described Bronowski as a ‘towering intellect’.
“I caught him as he was leaving and thanked him for his recognition of Bronowski. He immediately started saying more until eventually one of his minders dragged him away. I managed to get his autograph which I still carry in my wallet.”
Paul noted:
“He never hid behind a big imposing desk like so many talk show hosts do.”
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Will Swanton waded into the Lionesses, writing that their “bodyline with boots” rough-house tactics meant it was a victory most foul. Joseph noted:
“Socceroos tried to do the exact same thing to Messi.”
Not thugs, said Lugg:
“The best team on the night won. ‘Bodyline in boots’ indeed, you are beginning to sound like that eternal whiner shock jock Piers Morgan.”
Chris commented:
“I didn’t like the time wasting but Australia were second best for long periods of play and missed their opportunities. England’s second goal was the result of an Australian error brought about by pressure exerted by the English player. The better the team and the individual players the fewer mistakes they make. It still consistent with the theme of being outplayed by frankly better, more consistent players.
“The fouling was no worse than other games at this WC and still behind the men’s game in cynicism. I was a little disappointed in the ref, but more for the treatment of the time wasting than the fouls. The ref did not cost the Matilda’s the game. They were performing at their limits and a better team clinically exploited those limits.”
Ricki wrote:
“England’s defence were far better on the day. Agree with the sentiment of the author. Fouls to injure a player and not playing the ball should be stamped out of the game. The tackle from behind targeting Sam Kerr’s legs could have caused significant injury potentially making her not being able to play for a whole season. The public pay to see superstars of the game to do their magic not to be cynically hacked down. This of course happened to Neymar in Brazil and of course Pele in the 1966 World Cup.”
Deek DeKeen said:
“I’m an Australian and proud to support all teams that represent our country, and congratulate the Matilda’s on doing so with great skill and sportsmanship. That said they were well beaten on Wednesday night by a better team who played hard ball, had smarter tactics and took their chances.
“Unfortunately we, especially our illustrious PM got well ahead of ourselves and took a win over the English for granted, which I’m sure motivated them and possibly took the edge of us.”
Alain was angry:
“We are the most arrogant loser ever. Being cricket, rugby or football we cannot accept that we are not the best. Sports has become the opium of our population. There is so much more than sport to identify a country.”
Chris added:
“Newsflash. That’s what happens in the game at all levels. Did you expect the opposition to lay out the red carpet for her (although they did seem to do that for her world class goal). To be the best team in the world, you need more than one superstar in the squad and you need a Plan B when Plan A (give the ball to Kerr) doesn’t work.”
Paul’s analysis:
“Certainly the referee’s throughout the tournament seem to let a few more fouls go through and certainly yellow cards are rare for the challenges and professional fouls and time wasting.
As for England, they were brilliant. Well executed plan, 5 across the midfield, technically superior.
“The Matildas’ midfield has been our weak spot, far too much space and we surely missed Kennedy at the back. We ran out of legs at the end, and Fowler was not given the ball enough, who can create at will. She will be great going forward as she stamps her own authority in the team.”
Last word to Karen:
“At least we made them sweat and hence change their regular bath night from Saturday to Wednesday. Well done our team.”
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