Cnutly nominations open for tonight’s Stilgherrian Live

Cnut of the Week graphic

It’s Thursday. It must be Cnut Time. Yes, nominations are now open for “Cnut of the Week”!

For those new to the game, we’re honouring King Cnut the Great who, as legend would have it, attempted to hold back the tide to prove to his sycophantic courtiers that he was a mortal man. Each week we ask: Who do you think is futilely resisting the tide of change?

Nominations are open to people, organisations, nations and even abstract forces of nature — but your nomination has to reflect the news of the last week, and you have to give reasons. As usual, I’ll select the shortlist at 8.30pm Sydney time, and you can vote during tonight’s edition of Stilgherrian Live from 9.30pm Sydney time.

Who do you nominate, and why? Don’t forget the “Why?”!

[Update Friday 27 March: Due to peacocks, the program didn’t happen. I will therefore do a special catch-up edition of Stilgherrian Live tonight at 9.30pm Sydney time. Nominations for “Cnut of the week” are still open until 8.30pm.]

56 Replies to “Cnutly nominations open for tonight’s Stilgherrian Live”

  1. The Fake Stephen Conroy for biting the hand that feeds him (fair enough and very funny) and then being surprised when the hand decides to slap him back…

    1. Honestly, he was not surprised. The man is fed up, not an idiot.

      So you predicted what would happen, and yes, he did too, you’re not cracking the Da Nassar Code, people.

    1. Bad and ill-considered nomination. Leslie Nassar has been intemperate, immature and a loose cannon since being outed as FSC. If he had the emotional intelligence to have played by normal societal rules and not been a dick since last week, he’d have kept his job and this would all have blown over.

      I counter-nominate Leslie Nassar for being incapable of shutting up. For not knowing when enough is enough. And for committing career suicide.

      So that’s three votes for Leslie — me, Mungo and Mark Pesce.

      1. Oh please.

        Here’s the ass-kissing, consultancy-fishing comment you posted to Now We Are Talking; the original NWAT article, the one where the “facts” they presented had to be “updated” because they were — what’s the word? — oh yeah, lies.

        I particularly enjoy the way you mirror Hickinbotham’s framing; from his ass-to-mouth, facts-be-damned.

        This strikes me as a tempered, even and sensible response. What Leslie ultimately does with the @stephenconroy account is in his hands.

        Telstra’s response to this today – to an employee that has community support and no small amount of well-earned social capital through his entertainment the past few months – is laudable. Well done.

        And thanks to Mike for bringing us the facts.

  2. Dr Mark Gregory in relation to comments made in this article here.

    Not really sure where to start seeing as 90% of what he says is laughable, but I guess, how about the fact that he is from ‘RMIT University’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering’ and doesn’t seem to understand how the internet works.

      1. Oh yes, I know, but the point is the discrimination. It harkens back to the zone encoding of DVDs bullshit.

  3. Both Telstra and FSC (together, as they rise and fall together). One for not getting it, one for taking it too far. And I’m not sure which is which. Which is why they rise and fall together.

  4. Sonia Morris for her: Re. to “IDF testimonials tell frightening version of Gaza war” (Wednesday’s comments on Crikey).
    “As a Jewish woman and a Zionist … blah blah crikey is like SO one-sided blah”

    Is this not exactly like saying, “As an Australian woman and a Hansonite …”?

    1. Optus for cutting off a Wildlife Victoria mobile phone service, used to help manage their rescue of injured wildlife from the Victorian bushfires for racking up a large bill. No notice given, no bill unpaid, just no dial tone.

      Ok, news item is more last month rather than last week, but sheesh. http://twitter.com/rmeredit for relevant tweet at the time.

  5. Telstra (Upper Management specifically) for bringing and keeping something in the Public Domain that should of stayed in-House..

    @Stephen Collins
    The same thing that you stated about FSC is exactly what Telstra themselves have shown.

  6. Since it hasn’t been done yet:
    The German Police for raiding Theodor Reppe’s house because he owns wikileaks.de. Just because he owns the domain doesn’t mean he controls the site.

    I’d also like to second the nomination about last.fm. I’m sure it’s not last.fm themselves doing it (why cut off a huge percentage of your audience) so I shall assume the nomination should be for the musicosaurus media companies (unfortunately) control teh tunez.

  7. Oooo it’s a thick list tonight! I’d like to add Mullumbimby conservative renters for shoveling pith and vinegar at woolworths who would like to open a shop in a small country town.

  8. Oh dear. Due to an advanced case of peacocks, I didn’t make it back home in time to do the program. Explanations will follow later. I’m thinking there may be a substitute Friday night program instead. What do you think?

  9. Yes, due to “popular demand” there will indeed be a special catch-up edition of Stilgherrian Live tonight at 9.30pm Sydney time. Nominations for “Cnut of the Week” will remain open until 8.30pm.

  10. two nominations this week:

    * telstra for giving FSC the boot
    * the underlings in the dept. of defence for undermining their minister.

  11. Telstra.v.FSC is minor-league compared with Conroy.

    Also, those who’re nominating FSC are doing so for non-cnut reasons. What tide was he holding back?

    I guess we’re looking to expose new cnuts each week, but after last night’s #Q&A I can only sound like a broken record and nominate Conroy again. That studio audience was tide enough.

  12. I’d like to nominate Andrew Bolt for his years of contributing hundreds of thousands of column inches of hateful bile. He hasn’t learned to move on from hate.

    1. Oooh ooh – can I change my nomination to Bolt? Since starting to follow FSC I have enjoyed his smackdown on the Russian mob, and only consider him a cnut in an affectionate way. I certainly don’t want to have him in the same company as Bolt and the German police.

  13. I’d like to nominate the bearded gentleman who during Q&A last night decided to ask Conroy if he understood that ‘1984’ was supposed to be a warning and not a manual. FFS, what a total waste of a question and the opportunity to see Conroy dance /squirm a little bit more.

  14. Tide of change, people, tide of change! Some of the nominations coming in, now that I review them, seem to be missing this vital element.

    You may now add this vital element to your contributions, or face ridicule on tonight’s program.

  15. Andrew Bolt for the following comment:

    I think it’s incredible and it’s not as if there’s only one right at stake, which is the right to masturbate over photos of children being raped. I mean, that’s not the only right at stake here. — Q and A, Thursday 26th March

    It’s people like this who destroy the ability to have serious debate on this issue.

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