Leadership Speculation – AGAIN???

WARNING - Major rant ahead.

I saw a tweet a little while back. It said retweet if you are NOT one of the 27% who believe News Ltd is responsible for the current Labor polling (which was at its lowest at the time of the tweet – according to News Limited's Newspoll - for what that’s worth).

It was from an anti-Labor Twitter Group.

I didn’t re-tweet, but I did reply. You see, as you already know, I have an opinion on everything. And if you read my previous blog about media integrity, then you know I am a dubious ex-journo fed up with the irresponsible, inaccurate reporting in Australian journalism these days. 

And with all the negative press – oppressively so – that Labor has been receiving, I had already formed an opinion that something was dodgy in Dodge Town. After all, let’s not forget that Australia is doing a helluva lot better than most of the rest of the western world post-GFC.  And yet the Labor Party are - day after day - receiving bad press after bad news story after negative spin in the media.

Everyone seems to forget that, along with all the forward motion the government is making in policy and announcements, unemployment is under five per cent nationally, interest rates are down, inflation is under control, and there is a budget surplus - albeit a small one. 

But we don’t hear much about the positive Gillard government achievements in the mainstream media. 

And the only press Tony Abbott and his Liberal cohorts have been receiving is from their negative comments about the Gillard government. 

Forget saying anything positive, coming up with a better alternative, or even mentioning a policy or two of their own that the Liberal Party might have come up with. Nothing like that from the man that touts himself as the alternate PM. Just negative spin-doctoring.

So needless to say, for me, I was just thrilled that 27% of people that came across that poll  could also smell a media rat against Labor. That makes me less conspiratorial and more your average, astute media and political junky. :-)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not 100% a Labor – or Julia – fan. But I do think she is getting a rawer deal in the media than any PM before her. And now, yet again, we are back to the leadership speculation story. 

Is there really a story here, or is it the media again creating a story where none exists; all of the outlets jumping on the same copy/paste bandwagon in an attempt to further deflate the popularity of the current Labor government?

Well let’s have a brief look at just the recent history. 

In February there was a challenge by Kevin Rudd for her leadership (and I could argue the challenge was a result of constant media speculation about a challenge.) Julia received overwhelming support of her Party, 71 – 31. Kev moved to the backbench and made it very clear that he wouldn’t challenge Julia for the leadership again. Both vowed to set aside internal party squabbles to focus their efforts on beating Tony Abbott in the 2013 federal election. 

So that’s the end of that. Right? Oh no…

The media started up again in March. And it wasn’t even induced by anything happening in federal politics, but at the state level, following Labor’s resounding loss in the Queensland elections. 

Again, in April. “Herald-Sun sources” in the Victorian ALP and union (funny how there are never any names) apparently voiced a fresh leadership challenge against Julia Gillard could be mounted by August, with Kevin Rudd still considered the best option. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/kevin-rudd-a-favourite-to-challenge-julia-gillard-again/story-fn7x8me2-1226338306825

 

"There is a growing realisation that next year's election could turn out like the catastrophe of Queensland," one source said. 

“Another senior party figure said…” the article goes on and on, quoting unnamed sources. And I could continue to dig up examples.

And now, in May, Kevin is seen having a coffee with good friend and Member for Hunter and government whip Joel Fitzgibbon, and the speculation is back on - in every media outlet. 

That’s all it takes. 

Fairfax and News Limited papers reported, and other media outlets reported their reports, that Mr Fitzgibbon had been openly canvassing for votes to return Kevin Rudd to the party leadership. And not one direct quote supporting the story.

“Mr Fitzgibbon’s open canvassing of a leadership change last week – reportedly telling MPs 'the hung Parliament is killing us’’ – followed a ‘‘catch-up’’ between the two men at Singleton’s Coal Rock Coffee Bar on Friday, May 18.” says the Newcastle Herald, for one. 

Reportedly? Reported by who?

On Twitter, Mr Fitzgibbon responded ‘‘I thank my colleagues for the publicity but no one does more to support the PM and the government than me!’’. But it didn’t stop the speculation. 

Nor did the denials of all the senior Labor pollies rallying around behind Julia. Foreign minister Bob Carr dismissed the leadership rumblings as a "non-story". "I think there is less to this story than meets the eye. I think this is a revival of leadership speculation without justification," he said. 

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said he had spent Friday with Mr Fitzgibbon, who had mentioned nothing about his support for a leadership change. 

Leader of the House Anthony Albanese said the leadership question was settled in February. 

Finance Minister Penny Wong said, "She has my full support and she has the strong support of caucus and I think this sort of speculation is unhelpful."

In a nice little twist, the latest Newspoll shows a four-point surge in the Prime Minister's popularity, with Julia's rating as preferred prime minister now at 40 per cent, while Tony Abbott's popularity is down three points to 37 per cent. 

The Prime Minister now leads Mr Abbott as the country's preferred leader, while Tony Abbott has suffered an increase in his dissatisfaction rating, up to 60 per cent - his highest figure ever recorded. 

Perhaps it is Tony Abbott’s leadership that the media should be speculating about?

I think the ABC said it best… Weekend reports that chief government whip Joel Fitzgibbon was canvassing numbers for a possible Kevin Rudd leadership challenge have thrown the spotlight back on Ms Gillard's leadership.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-28/discontent-simmers-amid-more-pressure-on-gillard/4036382

 

Yes, the spotlight is back on Julia’s leadership. Again. And my point is; that’s the whole point of this speculation circus.  

The Premier's er... The Queensland Literary Awards

So - ever since the Campbell Newman Liberal National Party (LNP) got into power at the Queensland state elections by a landslide in March - and with a record number of seats - I have been waiting. Waiting for all the fodder to pour in that would so incense me that I would have to let off steam here in my little soap-box blog. And I have not been disappointed. 

But I have been short on time, so I have been steaming off to my poor, long-suffering but patient partner instead. But there's only so much he can take. 

The first thing that really annoyed me was - before the ink was even dry on my ballot paper - Campbell Newman axed the Premier's literary awards. What? Was that a mistake? Did I hear right? 

Surely this was not some feeble attempt to keep his promise to cut government spending?  Could cutting this one tiny Premier's literary award bring the budget back to surplus? Improve the standard of living for Queenslanders? Return the state's AAA credit rating? Does it even take up 0.04% of the 2011-2012 Cabinet Budget of more than $700 million? What have you got against writers, writing, the arts, Campbell?

I boiled and burned and promised to come in here to my soapbox and rant about it. But time slipped away. And then the May edition of the Queensland Writers Centre's monthly WQ magazine arrived in my inbox, promptly on the 1st. And they had their own little rant. 

I could not have said it better or more succinctly than was voiced in the magazine. So I have blatantly ripped it off and transposed below. With credit! I could not have said it better.

The upside to this story is that members of the Queensland literary community are working to ensure that the awards continue, without the sponsorship of the dark and gloomy and artless Premier's office.

Many in the writing community will be watching your spending very closely, Mr Newman. We know about those nice, new leather chairs...

Stay tuned... there'll be more Newman ranting to come, I'm sure. As soon as I have time...

"Just before this issue of WQ went to press, the news broke that newly elected Queensland Premier Campbell Newman had axed the state’s literary awards, leaving Queensland the only state without such recognition of the writing community.

It’s a strange priority action from a government yet to swear in its Cabinet, with its arts minister yet to occupy her office.

Newman’s surprise fait accompli denies emerging and established writers the recognition and opportunity the awards offer, while the meagre budget savings the move will deliver are cringeworthy in comparison to the national embarrassment the action has sparked and the slap in the face to the arts industry it represents. 

We can only hope that the State Government’s approach to fostering a thriving creative community shows greater foresight and consultation in the future."

from May WQ Magazine

more about the awards... http://queenslandliteraryawards.com/