I heard this yesterday evening while on the way home.
Soundly expressed opinion, based on the best science available. I read this today, during an idle moment with nothing better to do. As is only to be expected of the author, completely out of context and no scientific basis whatsoever. Of course, it’s Andrew Bolt! The man who reckons ‘we’ – whoever ‘we’ might be – ought to have a record of apocalyptic climate change predictions so the predictors can be held to account. For what, he doesn’t say. Perhaps causing head-up-arse pundits like him to waste enormous amounts of bandwidth on baseless denials of scientific realities. Just by the by, Andrew…..it’s ‘Sutton’ not ‘Suttom’
Bolt’s blog is practically a mirror of Blairs, in that it holds nothing of real substance, yet contains virtual reams of mindless rants based on conjecture, personal bias and ideological statements of unsupported opinion. Each post is aimed at an individual, rather than a subject. Each post not only avoids discussion of an issue, but goes way out on a limb to create red-herrings and strawman arguments interspersed with ad hominem insults. It’s little wonder Blair & Bolt tag-team each other in the MSM. Bolt even has his own cadre of airborne primates, AND selectively edits his comments. Peas in a pod.
Shaking my head at the ill-informed blather which accompanies a Bolt post, I read on. In a rare departure from scoffing at the reality of climate change, Bolt decided to attack one of Australia’s more successful Labor PM’s, probably because he can. Paul Keating, in his usual acerbic and somewhat vitriolic anti-Howardian style, attacked Peter Costello’s political record during a book launch in Sydney today.
“He’s a guy without imagination and he is a guy without courage. That point was proven by the fact he let Howard stay there for so long. It’s a Liberal Party so bereft of talent that they have go to such a low grade performer as Costello to come back as their leader … he is a slow acting dope. In national terms, to have such a nong – and he is, in policy terms he is a mouse – to have him back again speaks volumes about the Liberal Party. In Labor Party terms, I sort of hope he does as he makes it a better pitch for us.”
Not really classic Keating, more an off-the-cuff ad-lib. He speaks truth when he categorises Costello as a low grade performer, when one considers the only element of fiscal policy Costello can hope to share in, let alone lay claim to, is the GST. Even that wasn’t his idea, it was Howard’s. Judgement on whether the GST has been good, bad or indifferent for the Australian economy is still not in. Keating’s achievements include the passing of indigenous land rights legislation, the setting in place of a referendum on an Australian republic, and the reform of vocational education and training, and the installation of a guaranteed superannuation system (now stymied by a decade of restrictive conservatism, afraid of workers determining their own financial futures) to mention a few. Achievements which Bolt adroitly and purposely avoids making mention of.
I’ve just watched Keating on 7:30 Report, always a pleasure to take in. The man hasn’t lost any of his wit or focus. Neither has he lost his internal burning hatred of John Howard. Something of a character flaw. There can be no matching between Keating and Costello. One is a proven commodity, an achiever and unafraid of saying what he really believes. The other, as described by the former, is a "low-flying person".
Oh, and yes, I am playing the man and not the ball in regard to Bolt, but then, the man IS the ball.