Laboring The Point
December 2nd 2006 23:03
Open sesame,
Well it's on again and this time the dramatis personae are a bit sexier. Before it was Simon Crean, not the most magnetic politician this country has produced, giving way to the robust Kim Beazley, but clearly it's time. The moment of truth. Can the Federal Labor Party, in this country's moment of need, transform themselves into an army of compassionate sophists and rid us of this wretched, marketing wank that is the Liberal Party. Policies don't win elections, it's presentation. Not unlike a gourmet restaurant, it's not necessarily what's on the plate that matters, it is how it looks. The Liberal Party know this and they can exploit it well. Add to this their sizeable donations and outrageous campaign/propaganda budgets and you have the gold medal winners in the Bulls__t Olympics at the controls. No more.
Through the grapevine come interesting whisperings. Especially if you know people who are within kicking distance of someone in Government. It just so happened that when I was working with an NGO to get Bono to meet John Howard, an idiot that freakishly resembled Peter Costello remarked that there were no votes in the MIllennium Development Goals, the undertaking by over 150 nations to reduce Third World poverty by 2015 by contributing 0.7 of 1% of GNI to initiatives like cheaper medicines. The Third World has been taken advantage of long enough (which is a MASSIVE understatement) so this is a minor concession, but aye, here's the rub: No votes in it. Read: We Don't Give A Rats Tuckus. Let them die. He was actually quoted as stating that the Liberal Party were "already doing enough to win the election". We're at 0.32 of our commitment. Whither the remedy?
Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard are making waves. Beazley, it must be said, does not have the style and taste for blood that Gillard has and one can grow weary of him quite easily. If it's about personalities and it often is, we need someone electrifying. As dignified and intelligent as Beazley is, the Labor Party lacks spunk and aggression. It must be 'Take no prisoners', it must be 'Let them die where they fall', it must be 'Death or glory'. You get the picture? This nation's saving grace lies in this Labor Party's desire to govern and it's willingness to not hold back and trample this current regime. Don't forget that in Peter Garrett they have an environmental and indigenous issues powerhouse with charm and brilliance to spare. He's the secret weapon, but in the mean time, who's going to steer the ship? It has to be said that Beazley leaves this upcoming election far too much of a struggle for my liking. This time it's black and white. No pissing about and hurry up about it.
Rudd has game as I've outlined previously in the third part of the Tony Abbott posts. He can seize upon an argument and its inconsistencies and skilfully tease it out and destroy it at will. I'd love to see him up against John Howard. I want to see measured invective, thrilling debate and utter humiliation delivered through Rudd's razor sharp mind and filtered by his glowing conscience. Apparently he speaks Mandarin, which may help us in dealing with China and not allowing them to move around someone like Foreign Minister Alexander like a little pawn. Maybe he can let them know what a lot of us think about their human rights abuses, in one of their native tongues. What's Mandarin for ' Communist scum' I wonder? Screw free trade agreements, what about freed people? Rudd looks like a leader. He's good at clever soundbites and sometimes this comes across as glib, but he's switched on, that counts for a lot.
Gillard's top shelf too and tokenistic treatment of her as some sort of Australian Hilary Clinton just won't hold much water for too long. The media will prematurely ejaculate over the possibilities, but she has substance, she is a good communicator and quite frankly, she is Peter Costello's better. Remember the Bronwyn Bishop for PM novelty? What about Natasha Stott-Despoja? Pauline Hanson got a good run, but last I saw she was Dancing With The Stars, probably one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen and I have seen a few odd things in my 32 years. Some of them very odd indeed. Gillard is so far beyond this sort of thing that it's going to be a good clean fight. She doesn't throw like a girl, she packs a frigging punch. One of her great strengths is her gift with the common touch. She reminds us of ourselves effortlessly. Again, she's got the fire in her, she looks like she wants it bad enough and she damn well wants to jump over the trenches and run. It's now or never. Fix your bayonets ladies and gentlemen.
" What are your legs?"
"Springs. Steel springs".
"What are they going to do?"
"Hurl me down the track".
"How fast can you run?"
"As fast as a leopard".
"How fast are you going to run?"
"As fast as a leopard".
"Then let's see you do it".
Cheers
Michael.
Well it's on again and this time the dramatis personae are a bit sexier. Before it was Simon Crean, not the most magnetic politician this country has produced, giving way to the robust Kim Beazley, but clearly it's time. The moment of truth. Can the Federal Labor Party, in this country's moment of need, transform themselves into an army of compassionate sophists and rid us of this wretched, marketing wank that is the Liberal Party. Policies don't win elections, it's presentation. Not unlike a gourmet restaurant, it's not necessarily what's on the plate that matters, it is how it looks. The Liberal Party know this and they can exploit it well. Add to this their sizeable donations and outrageous campaign/propaganda budgets and you have the gold medal winners in the Bulls__t Olympics at the controls. No more.
Through the grapevine come interesting whisperings. Especially if you know people who are within kicking distance of someone in Government. It just so happened that when I was working with an NGO to get Bono to meet John Howard, an idiot that freakishly resembled Peter Costello remarked that there were no votes in the MIllennium Development Goals, the undertaking by over 150 nations to reduce Third World poverty by 2015 by contributing 0.7 of 1% of GNI to initiatives like cheaper medicines. The Third World has been taken advantage of long enough (which is a MASSIVE understatement) so this is a minor concession, but aye, here's the rub: No votes in it. Read: We Don't Give A Rats Tuckus. Let them die. He was actually quoted as stating that the Liberal Party were "already doing enough to win the election". We're at 0.32 of our commitment. Whither the remedy?
Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard are making waves. Beazley, it must be said, does not have the style and taste for blood that Gillard has and one can grow weary of him quite easily. If it's about personalities and it often is, we need someone electrifying. As dignified and intelligent as Beazley is, the Labor Party lacks spunk and aggression. It must be 'Take no prisoners', it must be 'Let them die where they fall', it must be 'Death or glory'. You get the picture? This nation's saving grace lies in this Labor Party's desire to govern and it's willingness to not hold back and trample this current regime. Don't forget that in Peter Garrett they have an environmental and indigenous issues powerhouse with charm and brilliance to spare. He's the secret weapon, but in the mean time, who's going to steer the ship? It has to be said that Beazley leaves this upcoming election far too much of a struggle for my liking. This time it's black and white. No pissing about and hurry up about it.
Rudd has game as I've outlined previously in the third part of the Tony Abbott posts. He can seize upon an argument and its inconsistencies and skilfully tease it out and destroy it at will. I'd love to see him up against John Howard. I want to see measured invective, thrilling debate and utter humiliation delivered through Rudd's razor sharp mind and filtered by his glowing conscience. Apparently he speaks Mandarin, which may help us in dealing with China and not allowing them to move around someone like Foreign Minister Alexander like a little pawn. Maybe he can let them know what a lot of us think about their human rights abuses, in one of their native tongues. What's Mandarin for ' Communist scum' I wonder? Screw free trade agreements, what about freed people? Rudd looks like a leader. He's good at clever soundbites and sometimes this comes across as glib, but he's switched on, that counts for a lot.
Gillard's top shelf too and tokenistic treatment of her as some sort of Australian Hilary Clinton just won't hold much water for too long. The media will prematurely ejaculate over the possibilities, but she has substance, she is a good communicator and quite frankly, she is Peter Costello's better. Remember the Bronwyn Bishop for PM novelty? What about Natasha Stott-Despoja? Pauline Hanson got a good run, but last I saw she was Dancing With The Stars, probably one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen and I have seen a few odd things in my 32 years. Some of them very odd indeed. Gillard is so far beyond this sort of thing that it's going to be a good clean fight. She doesn't throw like a girl, she packs a frigging punch. One of her great strengths is her gift with the common touch. She reminds us of ourselves effortlessly. Again, she's got the fire in her, she looks like she wants it bad enough and she damn well wants to jump over the trenches and run. It's now or never. Fix your bayonets ladies and gentlemen.
" What are your legs?"
"Springs. Steel springs".
"What are they going to do?"
"Hurl me down the track".
"How fast can you run?"
"As fast as a leopard".
"How fast are you going to run?"
"As fast as a leopard".
"Then let's see you do it".
Cheers
Michael.
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