Comments on: Crikey: Conroy’s really bad week #347

By: Stilgherrian

Stilgherrian — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:05:44 +0000

@Crispin: I imagine that Kevin Rudd wouldn't like being made to look the fool. But he's also made of stronger stuff than to be mortified by a little ridicule. The only way to really hurt a politician is to hurt their chances of re-election. With the Rudd government still doing just fine in the polls, thank you, he really doesn't care. The latest Newspoll has Labor's two-party lead steady at 56-44. Kevin Rudd's preferred prime minister rating is up four points to 65%, and Malcolm Turnbull's is down one to 21%. He can afford to tell Senator Conroy to STFU and do his job. For now, anyway. As I said in my Crikey piece, Q&A was Senator Conroy’s big chance to tell Australia, clearly and simply, live and unedited, precisely what was being planned. He blew it. But he gets a second chance! The SBS program Insight's next edition is "Blocking the Net", with Senator Conroy as a key guest. Tuesday 31 March at 7.30pm, repeated Friday at 1.30pm and Monday at 3.30pm

By: Crispin

Crispin — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:41:19 +0000

@Stil: On exactly that point, is it worth turning some of the ire towards the Chairman himself? In that doing so may have a couple of beneficial effects:

Making the pain felt where it actually hurts -- on the PM's popularity. (And in fact, would this even work?)
Leaving Senator Conroy to do some of the things that we actually WANT him to do (like deal with Telstra etc)

By: Stilgherrian

Stilgherrian — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:24:04 +0000

@Cameron: There’s certainly been been reports that Kevin Rudd’s management style is even more centralised and control-freaky than John Howard’s ever was. If the Internet filter is identified with Conroy — which it certainly is, and I’ve helped that along by calling it “Conroy’s Rabbit-Proof Firewall” — then he can be made the scapegoat in an instant. Conroy isn’t stupid. Far from it. He’ll know that’s where he stands. Poor sod.

By: Cameron

Cameron — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:55:55 +0000

Your last comment raises a good question, should our focus be on K Rudd himself. Whether he is actually instructing Conroy to go ahead or not is not important, the buck stops with him.