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