In the short term, Australia is set to become a one-party state... A cautious, centrist Rudd government probably means Labor would be in office for a decade or more...Sheridan blames the Fairfax press for ignoring State politics in their search for a "narrow demographic". He blames the ABC for dropping State-focussed television shows, ignoring the chronic lack of funding which led to such decisions. And he completely ignores how Howard's media laws have favoured his own employer's near-monopoly on news.
In the states and territories the Liberal situation is catastrophic. There is not a single state or territory government that deserves to be re-elected... But nor is there a Liberal Opposition in any state or territory that could look forward confidently to victory.
Then Sheridan completely loses the plot:
[The Howard Government] has governed against the relentless opposition of the big institutions in our society: the media, particularly the ABC, the public service and the universities. It has at times out-manoeuvred these institutions; it has not reformed them. The Howard Government has comprehensively lost the culture wars. It has on occasion been clever at arousing a popular backlash against elite opinion on this or that subject. But it has not changed elite opinion. And in the end it appears that it is impossible to govern permanently against elite opinion.How hypocritical is that? A Murdoch Media elitist like Greg Sheridan bemoaning the PM's failure to smite down all dissenting voices.
So after 12 years of Howard Government, the Australia Day committee gives us a rank agitator such as Tim Flannery as Australian of the Year.BWAAAAAAAA!!!!! Somebody find Mr Sheridan a nice dark cave he can crawl into for the next decade. Puh-lease!
The Left is full of energy... Everywhere taxpayers' money is subsidising a left-of-centre world view.
Meanwhile, still at Teh Oz, fallout from the great worm debate: Ray Martin slams the National Press Club, and Glenn Milne concedes defeat (after spitting pus at everybody else for being just as bad):
Could the NPC's processes on Sunday night have been handled better? Yes. We all learn from experience. The board is ultimately responsible.
As a result it will likely appoint an editorial oversight group to steer such events in the future and be in the backrooms with NPC executives on the night to take editorial, as distinct from contractual, decisions.
