Liberals
TED BAILLIEU: Liberal leader’s attack on Herald Sun reveals his stubbornness and stupidity
Liberal leader Ted Baillieu’s attack on the integrity of Melbourne’s leading newspaper – and Australia’s most popular – is an extraordinary act of folly, exceeding almost all previous acts of stupidity.
Scotch Old Boy Simon Troeth is notionally in charge of media management for Victorian Liberal leader Ted Baillieu.
HATING THE HERALD SUN
For many years, for a variety of puzzling reasons, the relationship between Baillieu and the nation’s most popular newspaper Melbourne’s Herald Sun has been pretty ordinary. Baillieu has favoured Paul Austin at The Age with many drops over several years, as a result of their many late-night phone chats and what has seemed to be a strategy of attempting to impose his will on the Herald Sun by ignoring and disrespecting them at every turn.
It reached a new low yesterday when – on the orders of Ted Chief of Staff Michael Kapel – Troeth launched a full-frontal attack on the integrity of the well-regarded paper and one of its reporters.
This is the email:
Comments to be attributed to a spokesman for the Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition:
"This morning’s report in the Herald Sun misrepresents a routine Liberal Party campaign meeting held last night.
"Claims in the report are a fabrication.
"Last night’s meeting of candidates and their campaign teams is identical to those held during the first week of every state election campaign.
"The meeting was a successful and positive campaign meeting.
"The Herald Sun’s report of this meeting is misleading and untruthful."
Count the different ways the Baillieu faction of the Liberal party calls the newspaper – that is after all owned by supposed uber-conservative Rupert Murdoch – dishonest:
* Misrepresents;
* Fabrication;
* Misleading; and
* Untruthful
Strong stuff indeed and not typically what you see media units producing to attack journalists, even with the strongest provocation.
PREFERENCING THE GREENS IS A BAD LOOK FOR ANY CONSERVATIVE
The nature of the candidates meeting is disputed but what is not even denied by Ted was the Herald Sun’s excellent exclusive reporting that ten of his MPs are in semi-open or fully-open rebellion over his apparent plans to assist the election of extreme-left candidates in the form of giving preferences to the swastika-worshipping Greens millionaire candidate in Melbourne, a Greens prostitutes’ activist in Richmond who wants street prostitution fully legalised, and a dishonest Greens Myki spin-doctor in Brunswick who now claims Myki is bad having once assured senior citizens groups that it was good for oldies. Their policies of course include depriving kids of cancer medicine (if it’s made in a nuclear reactor), closing the Zoo, massive new taxes on electricity and even death taxes, just to name a few.
It should come as no surprise to Baillieu or his senior media adviser that a mainstream daily newspaper owned by a conservative media proprietor would be outraged by this situation. Many Victorians, many Liberals are too.
Ted’s enthusiasm for shooting the messenger vastly exceeds his desire to shoot at the Greens, whom his campaign spokesman hard-drinking David Davis constantly defends in his Iraqi Information Minister style press-briefings were he advises the few assembled journalists that Ted is marching to victory.
Ted’s explanation is the Greens are Labor’s problem not his.
AN EXPENSIVE INDULGENCE
This week has clearly shown that they are potentially a much bigger problem for him than he once realised.
They have done much to undermine his already fraught relationship with the most influential newspaper in Victoria.
They have done much to create discord within the party when all should be focused on winning.
They have removed any clarity about what it is that Ted stands for.
Baillieu’s internal critics have argued he stands for nothing other than needlessly making enemies.
While Ted’s cuddly external appearance is an asset, the truth is that his passion for smiting those who don’t give him everything he wants immediately has cost him a lot of support internally and in the media.
CAN A LIBERAL WIN VICTORIA WITHOUT THE HERALD-SUN?
On any checklist for any conservative candidate for the office of Premier of Victoria must surely be: earn the respect of the editor and staff of the Herald Sun.
Kennett had it. The only newspaper he was happy feuding with was the inner-city local daily, The Age. Occasionally the Herald Sun beat him up when he had it coming but mostly it was a harmonious relationship. And that was because he had clarity of purpose and vision. He breathed a new confidence into Melbourne. Far from perfect, he had least took risks, had a go and never backed off the right kinds of fights.
Even those Liberals who were factionally opposed to Kennett at the time are feeling very nostalgic for his aggressive hard-core ways that inspired strong support from the Herald Sun prior to his election as Premier and for most of his time in the top job.
By contrast, with the sense of entitlement that only old money and dole bludgers can muster, Baillieu rages against the News Corp machine, not comprehending that doing so just might make his damaged relationship with them rather worse.
Attacking the Herald Sun in that way should be the nail in Ted Baillieu’s political coffin. But the polling shows that at least for now, he’s still very much in it. He did OK in the debate on Friday night, to the very limited extent it matters, dominated as it was by the inner-urban Spring Street obsessions of husband-wife team Paul Austin and Josephine Cafagna who co-ordinated their questions to an embarrassing degree. They appeared to be Greens party talking-points, at times.
Baillieu has had a dreadful week, made so by his typically stubborn refusal to listen to his heartland. Preferencing the extreme-left Greens party was once a non-issue when they weren’t getting elected. Now they are, it’s more than an issue, it’s a scandalous situation that Baillieu has allowed to fester.
If he can’t sensibly govern his own election campaign, it makes many wonder how he’d going governing Victoria, getting our trains to run on time, balancing the books, keeping the streets safe, our kids educated and protected and the economy prospering.
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Andrew – want a job that pays after 28th November?
I could use a man with your views.
will labor preference the greens andrew?
Another typical happy sunny Saturday and another ‘tear’ down there from Brutus.
There was an interesting story in nameless about the wife of Kevin Andrews acting in a truly bizarre manner. Interesting that the author didn’t point out the obvious point that most Canberra insiders know, both Kevin and his wife like to drink..a lot!
But hang on. The ALP are going to preference the Greens in every state, including the seats of Melbourne and Richmond.
Ted didn’t perform all that well last night in the debate. Not that Brumby did much better. very uninspiring stuff
‘Will Labor preference the greens andrew?’
Yes, unfortunately, I believe they will.
We have long argued they ought not because the Greens are not an environmental party but a party of often unexamined extremes.
Will everyone else can leap about on this point, we have been consistent on this for a long time.
It is of course – at this election – academic who Labor preferences to in the lower house. That is of little comfort to me because I think a message needs to be sent. But the fact remains they are not likely to cause the election of Greens ahead of Liberals.
Labor is a party of the left, hopefully and mostly, of the moderate left. They will naturally have more sympathy for some statist aspects of the Greens policy.
That is – we suppose – their excuse for historically preferencing them. It once seemed a harmless enough quid pro quo.
We agree with Liberals who say Labor should distance itself from the extreme-left Greens party.
But they can only argue that case convincingly by doing the same and most importantly explaining why.
Conceding Labor is more moderate and sensible than the extreme-left Greens is no great concession.
It is a statement of the obvious.
The fact that Ted hasn’t been honest enough to do so is very disappointing and is at the heart of the revolt among Liberal members and in publications like the Herald Sun.
Tactics have their place in politics. But it’s strategies that win wars. And if Ted keeps marching in the direction of Labor’s left flank, then he will not win and will not deserve to win.
If he’d made a clear statement last night he was putting the Greens last and demanded to know which of the Greens huge tax increases Brumby would implement, there’d be a far more upbeat feeling in Liberal ranks today.
In 2006, in Prahran, the results were:
Lib 42%
ALP 37%
Green 20%
We all know the Green surge is coming from disaffected Labor lefties. So let’s assume the Liberal vote stays at 42%. then 10% switch from ALP to Green. The new 2010 result would be:
Lib 42%
Green 30%
ALP 27%
So who the ALP preferences in Prahran could be crucial. And Labor could well elect a Green to the lower house in Prahran. so who will Labor preference? Hopefully not those Green scum. They never did anything to help the workers. Closing Hazelwood wont help any workers.
anndy do you have names for these ten liberal MPs who are in ‘semi open rebellion’?
(not including bernie finn of course who’s in open rebellion)
I would gladly name them but for fear of what the Greens party High Command might do to them. Keep in mind the political tradition of the Greens is all-Stasi all the way baby. They can’t help their intolerance, it’s in their DNA.
Of course there’s many more than ten Liberal state MPs who strongly object to facilitating the election of Greens party MPs but it’s certainly noteworthy that Stephen McMahon was able to get ten willing to speak with him to express their views in the middle of an election. We suspect it’s just the beginning.
The Hun was never good for me either. They always thought I was a bit of a boof head. Not sure why?
Hi Andrew, it seems that you would like Ted to follow the ways of Abbott-conservative style politics. Well let’s examine this carefully. That was a trainwreck in Victoria.
Under Abbott, Victoria went backwards, not forwards. We lost 2 seats and failed to pick up Deakin and Corangamite. Very disappointing too that only 2 coalition senators were elected here.
What this proves is that there is no great sentiment for conservatism here in Victoria. Historically, the Liberal Party was not a conservative one, and has never really been one here in Victoria.
Preferencing the Greens makes perfect sense. It distracts Labor and creates a difficult playing environment for them. It pushes them further left and allows the Liberals to occupy further centre ground.
AL – come back and bag the libs with full ferosity once you have got your own side of the fence in order.
Hypocrisy thy name is labor…
Matt Guy is one who is opposing the Libs/Anarchist preference deal.
Others like Martin Dixon would be more open but they are looking to not rock the boat.
I think 10 Libs in rebellion under estimates the number.
Ted is an real architect and we need a Premier who knows something about buildings and the planning.
Andrew, interested on your take (as well as your readers’) as to who the contenders are to take over Ted. Names mentioned are Mulder, Wooldridge, O’Brien and Guy (noting a house swap is needed). This would all happen rather quickly, so perhaps worth turning your mind to now.
Terry Mulder should have stayed in Colac selling carpets. Like most Liberal politicians, he just doesn’t get it. Liberal voters are closet elitists and top-end-of-town ass sniffers.
That’s what I liked about the Liberal Party, sniffing arses of well off gentlemen.
Don’t worry Ashley. The whole pre-selection was a rort. They changed the rules, they manipulated the entitlements, they ruled out certain members and they even called the police to a branch meeting.
If you give me another 100K we should be able to work something out.
What I like about the ALP is the open and “diverse” tendency to sniff the arse of whatever crawled off the last boat.
Pollies are pollies, they all sniff arse. Only the quality ones have any taste in which arses they lick.
Wow! From up here in NSW it certainly looks like the Greens tail is wagging two dogs.
Senator Kroger says the Liberal Party must not preference the Greens.
I agree with everything she says.
The Liberal Party must not preference the Greens!
Re
Ted will be Premier
Terry Mulder will be Minister for Transport and a very good one, but he is no leader;
Mary Wooldridgeis solid but no leader ,
O’Brien is a good Gaming Shadow ; he may be a leader in about 10 years time
Guy (noting a house swap is needed).And he would be better of in the Assembly . He is strngly tipped to be leader after Ted.
Posted by Anon | November 7, 2010, 14:57
Australia’s Greatest Treasurer Peter Costello says the Liberal Party should preference the Greens.
I agree with everything he says.
The Liberal Party must preference the Greens!
The Liberal Party right wing should believe in personal freedom in two aspects. Lower taxes, small government and cutting of government waste and personal freedom in having your own path in life, your own bedroom, religion, marriage etc… It is not a politician’s role to force (by laws) the free people of Australia to be forced to follow out dated religious values of a very tiny minority (and declining) now in our trending secular democracy. I respect the freedom of religion/or not of all Australians , all the religions of the world and for those who choose not to believe in god that is fine too. The Liberal Party is out of government all over Australia partly because of this fatal misunderstanding of 21st Century Australian values. Liberal means Freedom. Family needs to stop being code for pre enlightenment religious dogma.
Re Greens preferences, its a distraction
focus on winning over the youth with forward looking policy
If so much time and effort was spent on reforming the Liberal Party to separate (but respect all personal beliefs) church and state, create a positive vision, make a case to young voters looking to the 21st century rather than ranting and demonising the only party that is growing they would be a lot more successful at winning elections.
Concentrate on yourselves, how can we improve? Excuses are the basis of a culture of losers
As for the Herald Sun, lets face it, its not of the highest quality for important information and quality impartial debate that helps our country progress. Good sport section though.