Tim Blair

Because we're forced to pay for this democracy-hating abortion.

Henceforth, all coalition forces will be referred to as "Halburtrons," "Bushbots" or "War Beasts."

All non-coalition "fighters" will be referred to as "religon-of-peace activists" "victims of the rapacious global capitalist machine" or for short "worm-food"

LB -

what's wrong with the traditional "cannon fodder"?

If it ain't broke, why fix it?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s923852.htm

And why the fuss about Oz troops? After all, they're only there to provide the CPA beach volleyball and dune surfing teams, right? That'll be why there's so few of them. In fact you'll find more Australians stealing jobs from the locals by working illegally in bars across the capital cities of Europe.

Sending that lot to Baghdad would be progress and, since they don't pay taxes yet love the free health care when they drink too much and fall over and hurt their heads, it would be probably be a net gain.

Our Aunty ABC? You must be joking. The sooner that disgraceful old whore is privatised or abolished, the better. I've had a gutful of a portion of my taxes helping fund an advertisement free lefty biased network that is flat out rating 12%.

They use to call it "our ABC", but that sounded like Our Lady or Our Lord - the ABC as part of the Holy Trinity - too idolatrous even for Jonathan Shier, so they changed it to everyone's ABC which is even more ironic, given that only 9% of Australians listen to or watch it.No-one's ABC would be more correct.

I think what is missing from 'Our ABC' is clear direction from us.

Basically the Govt (as our elected representatives) has to start directing the ABC to drop the bias and if they can't manage it, subcontract the news/current affairs to a commercial operator and let the ABC stick to drama, comedy and screening BBC series where it can do little harm.

I've lived overseas in Asia for nearly a decade and I'm back in Australia for a couple of weeks. I turned on the radio in my hotel room the other day and by chance it was tuned to Radio National. Within five minutes I heard some dickhead ABC sheltered workshop employee say that the problem with the private sector is that management doesn't think ahead more than one to three months. He was interviewing several delegates from a "Deep Future" conference. When a broadcaster dependent on the taxes from small and medium businesses in this country can make these sorts of comments you've got to wonder why the &*$@ anyone would willingly pay for it. ABC TV is pathetic. I've caught snatches of Lateline (where the hell did they dig up THAT supercillious bastard?), the 7.30 Report (is that the name? - Kerry O'Brien's half hour), and other rubbish. If I was still paying taxes in Australia I'd be lobbying the government very hard to sell the broadcaster to the highest bidder.

On another note: what the hell do the commercial channels think they're doing? Are Australians only interested in property and DIY renovations? Bizzare. And probably one reason why coming back to Australia is like visiting a country town. The only thing in the favour of commercial TV is that viewers aren't paying for the crap.

Nice weather but I can't say I'm seeing any inducement to move back.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what percentage of the 16% or so of Australians who use the ABC have another choice?

Well, things have changes a lot since I was a lad but growing up we had two channels, the ABC and a channel nine/ten/seven amalgamation. It sucked being a captive audience - except for the Goodies and Dr Who.

Harry

The ABC has many listeners across Australia - outside the cities - who depend on its broadcasts for all-impotant weather forecasts as well as news, information and education for their children through its schools broadcasts.

There is no alternative for many of these people.

Retain these services and junk the rest. The balance of the ABC audience can get their dose of Left Coast News by stumping up their own cash for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.

"CHANGED" - GOTTA LEARN TO SPELL-CHECK

Everybody's ABC? No, but you pay anyway.

According to the TV station IDs (which are so jam packed with subtle ABC social and political biases they could keep a team of investigative semioticians busy for months), it's now "everybody's ABC" rather than "your ABC". Obviously the ABC prefers to imagine Australians as a collective, rather than a large number of individuals. That figures.

I also expect that the mandarins were getting sick of people ringing them and ranting, "It's my ABC, so listen to my opinion," which is an anathema to ABC employees, who are famous for treating dissenting viewers and listeners like dirt. Now they can reply, "No, it's everyone's ABC", in tones usually reserved for telling warring toddlers to share, which should warm their cold dark hearts no end.

Commercial television is not free. It is paid for by commercials, which your purchases fund. Yes?

Yes. But it's voluntary. Or discretionary. Or something.

Well said.

bad news playmates, ABC local radio is 2nd most listened to radio outlet in melbourne in yesterday's survey release.

people's choice, populism, all of that.

bloody melbourne, lefty maoist rabble. can't something be done about that town?

Gee guys, must hurt to think you pay about 20 cents each a month for the ABC -- and that includes your fave sat nite viewing, The Bill, thrown in!

How do you think I feel when MY taxpayer dollars go to fund a sycophantic and illegal million-dollar occupation of a country that had here-to-fore never fired a shot at an Australian civilian?

Your claims of ABC "bias" is pedantic and, when put against a backdrop of the MASSIVE right-wing bias of the corporate media, very weak.

Thanks!

When Peter Evans was on breakfast ABC radio was way out in front.

How I miss that rambunctious, cranky, politically incorrect, unpredictable, sometimes humourous, sometimes bad-tempered, always entertaining announcer. His was a sane voice in an insane world.

Now, all the ABC female announcers adopt a faux-blokey tone and the men all sound like women.

What do you expect, ilibcc, they're all fags. The ABC is a sheltered workshop for sexual minorities who can't cope with the real world.

Adam: Excellent points. I'm sure your tutor gave you a High Distinction when you made them at the Luvvies Drop In Centre - aka a social science tutorial - last week. You would have received an HD+ if you'd worn your "Che was Gay" t-shirt. Just a bit of friendly advice, old China.

Unfortunately, anal reaming doesn't work outside of the intellectual slag heaps. Which is why ponces like you are confined to twelve-year postgraduate degrees and careers in file management in the bowels of the public service. A fitting end for boring up bums, no?

I'd use terms like pedantic and sycophantic too if I knew what they meant and could spell them, but I'm not interested in swapping stories with luvvies, so *&%$ off Adam and go back to your Socialist Alliance stall.

Gotta go: gorgeous black chick having a smoke outside the window here. See ya...

Adam,
Maybe John Howard thought it would be a good idea to help out an Australian ally stuck in a twelve year state of hostilities with said country, and intent on cleaning up nests of pirates in many places. Just in case, you know, Australia might someday face an unforseen emergency that required some big-time help. That's called foresight. That's quite apart, of course, from Australia itself being a target of those pirates.

Bubba gets all het up when he thinks about anality.

hmm adam,

good points. what gets my personal goat is the massive amount of my money being spent shipping people from other countries to sth pacific islands against their will. to the benefit of - whom precisely?

any of the experts have a bottom line figure on that one? be mighty curious to know. suspect that's costing me and all of us a lot more than funding those evil lefty maoist writers, not to mention the ABC.
look for left leaning leeks this week on Gardening Australia. they taste repellent of course.

I also wonder if super Asian expat (and fearless foe of poofters everywhere) Bubba knows what a luvvie actually is.

Now where can I get me one a' them Google thingums?

As the number of posts on Tim Blair's weblog approach 20, the chances of an unintelligible bitch fight approach 1?

Erect. Err, sorry, "correct", Mr Godbotherer, er, "Godwin".

That would be, I think, the "probability" approaches 1. Rather than the "chance". Only one chance to call someone a Nazi? Fair enough, I suppose. Last shot in the locker and all.

Yes your right, "probability" is a more suitable word.

Posted by: chico o'farrill

"good points. what gets my personal goat is the massive amount of my money being spent shipping people from other countries to sth pacific islands against their will. to the benefit of - whom precisely?"

Australian taxpayer.

any of the experts have a bottom line figure on that one? be mighty curious to know. "

Just make sure you include in the calculation the fact that, for all intents and purposes, illegal immigration by 'leaky boat' to Australia ceased as soon as it became clear that they were not going to get to stay.

Quite a saving of taxpayers dollars I expect.

At least if we don't like what the government is bloody well up to we can vote them out. Not much we can do with the ABC is there? Not watching doesn't appear to be working...

According to the ABC Charter, they are not literally "Our Troops". They can only use this term if referring to the Red Army.
(Or Hezbollah in the case of SBS).

to the benefit of - whom precisely?"

Harry Tuttle posted: Australian taxpayer.

(some Australian taxpayers Harry, but a lot don't see any benefit at all)

any of the experts have a bottom line figure on that one? be mighty curious to know. "

Harry Tuttle posted: Just make sure you include in the calculation the fact that, for all intents and purposes, illegal immigration by 'leaky boat' to Australia ceased as soon as it became clear that they were not going to get to stay.

(Sure thing Harry, what I was looking for was a specific figure. For instance, was the amount for whatsername's book grant $10,000 of tax payer's money? Just curious to know how many millions of dollars "Pacific Solution" (wry smile) costs. We can certainly subtract a million or two to accomodate your proposal. It's only now with a year or so to consider the human implications of that kind of action that the reality begins to dawn. Somewhat disquieting.

Oh, the fact that a huge boatload of people drowned on route to Oz may be a billboard more powerful than govt policy. Or maybe it isn't. Maybe people are desperate enough to risk even that. Whole lot of maybes...

Quite a saving of taxpayers dollars I expect.

Prick: mate, if I had to spend a day in your life I'd shoot myself.

Bubba: I agree. Goodbye.

The Bubba 'n Prick Show.

It's gonna happen, right?

The ABC is simply fulfilling its EDUCATION role.

The News and Current Affairs Department obviously considers that it is vitally important that taxpayers' money be spent educating the rest of Australia that:
1) America is evil;
2) Australia is a racist backwater full of (Liberal Party) US arse kissers:
3) The war in Iraq was illegitimate;
4) Every bad thing in Iraq is America's fault

Youv'e got to admire their thoroughness - leave no stone unturned to ensure that Australia's role in standing up to a murderous tyrant gains no public support or sympathy.

Imagine their disappointment when thousands of US and Australian troops did not get killed. When the Iraqi people actually welcomed the "invaders" (other than the handful of protesters given so much prominence in ABC and BBC news casts - actually a fraction of a percent of the total population). When the quagmire did not develop as so many "academics" had promised us.

They must be very disappointed!

But the goal of RE-EDUCATING us will continue - until we taxpayers revolt and

A) dismantle the "propaganda department" (ie the Current Affairs section) completely

B) confine the ABC to a news role (ie somehow do without a smart-arse udergraduate socialist who never grew up telling us how to think) and subject bulletins to scrutiny to ensure fairness

C) redirect the Current Affairs budget into creating more Australian drama and entertainment

NOW THAT'S AN ABC I WOULD PAY 7CENTS A DAY FOR !