“If we are fortunate, Malcolm Turnbull will be the next Liberal Prime Minister of Australia,” says Mercurius Goldstein at Online Opinion. I mentioned once that Turnbull would be the Liberals’ best leadership choice. Goldstein explains just why that’s the case — and along the way presents a magnificent essay on the nature of compromise in politics. Some of those whingeing about Peter Garrett this week should read and consider every word. Thanks to Larvartus Prodeo for the pointer.
Warning, I’m reading Clive James
Fair warning: Over the next few weeks my writing is likely to become more introspective, and I’m likely to use longer sentences. Because I’ve started reading Clive James’ book Cultural Amnesia.
I haven’t read any of James’ books before. His TV shows annoyed me, mostly because his slightly-too-clever scripting was delivered in that, flat deadpan style of someone implying “I’m cleverer than you, so I’ll speak slowly so you realise how clever I am.” Or so it felt to me. But when I read an interview about Cultural Amnesia back in March, it triggered so many wonderful thoughts that I was inspired — nay, forced to write Stay alert, ye nameless, toiling animals.
I still think it’s one of my better essays.
So when I finally saw Cultural Amnesia in paperback, I had to grab it. 35 pages in, I’m rapt.
Bennelong Time Since I Rock and Rolled
John Howard meets Led Zeppelin? This music video is actually rather well produced. The YouTube election campaign will be interesting, methinks!
This video — and the others by Cyrius01 — raise an interesting issue about “political advertising”. Note that there’s no “written and authorised by” blurb at the end. Does that matter? Or is this really just “a citizen expressing an opinion”, as he might over a pint at the local pub?
It used to be that producing and distributing “political advertising” took money, and plenty of it. Now, the means of production are in everyone’s hands, and the means of distribution, like YouTube, are there for the taking too. No longer is Davo’s incredibly amusing impersonation of George W Bush confined to the front bar — 15 minutes later it’s online for the world to see. And yet our rules on political advertising are still stuck in the 20th Century.
Clearly something needs to be changed, somehow — but how?
[Update 1200 midday: This is now Crikey‘s Video of the Day.]
“Clever”, but too late?
The government’s Climate Clever campaign is, apart from a wonderful subject for satire, apparently a nice attempt to re-associate the word “clever”.
As Possums Pollytics explains, it’s trying to re-frame the word away from “John Howard is clever” as in “tricky” to “clever policies on climate”.
Word association is a powerful propaganda weapon. Think Beazley and ticker, Keating and elitist, Latham and learner, and now Howard and clever. If the Libs could disassociate the word clever from Howard and re-associate it with climate change policies, not only would they neutralise the ALP attack, but would reduce the power of any residual word association with Howard.
A shame it’s probably way too late to make a difference. Possums also reports on the latest AC Nielsen polls with a simple “Business as usual. Nothing to see here folks, please move on.”
Mr Howard, please just call the bloody election. The longer you leave it now, the more you’re going to piss off the very people you’re trying to impress.
Coonan’s own goals in ICT debate
Body language is revealing. At Friday’s breakfast forum, two Senators’ body language showed their confidence in their grasp of Information and Communications Technology issues. Alas, the minister, Senator Helen Coonan (pictured), wasn’t one of them.
Coonan’s opening speech was long on motherhood, short on detail. Her opponents, Labor’s Senator Stephen Conroy and Democrat leader Senator Lyn Allison attacked with confidence — and hard numbers. Coonan looked rattled.
When he wasn’t speaking, Conroy was alert. His eyes scanned the crowd, noting tables for heavyweights Microsoft, IBM, Lenovo, Accenture, Fujitsu, Symantec, Gartner … though Telstra were notably absent.
Allison was relaxed and comfortable, sitting back and waiting for her turn, ready to rattle on about quantum computing, laptops in school, IT literacy, and a global brand for Australian IT innovation — something like Woolmark for wool.
But Coonan frowned and ruffled through her papers as if cramming for an exam, nodding as she recognised something. I’ve been told since that she wouldn’t agree to the debate unless she had all the questions in advance — and her answers were apparently scripted.
Hyacinth goes shopping!
From Friday’s Crikey: Obviously a sense of foreboding in the PM’s household. Seen shopping in the women’s section of Target at Chatswood — Janette Howard. Does this tell us something about her fiscal outlook!