May 27, 2004
SYDNEY MORNING HATRED
The opinion pages of The Sydney Morning Herald ain't a happy place:
• Bitter and inaccurate columnist Mike Carlton recently attacked fellow SMH columnists Paul Sheehan and Miranda Devine during his Sydney radio show;
• Alan Ramsey was entertainingly eviscerated in Parliament (and exposed as a fake photo fool in The Bulletin);
• Peter FitzSimons is again identified as a harvester of ancient jokes (in addition to those earlier noted, Gareth Parker points out via email that Fitzy's Dennis Cometti gags were circulating nearly two years ago);
• Seeker of truth Margo Kingston has abandoned her job for a week, claiming that "the war has got to me big time and I need to clear my head";
• And Paddy McGuinness has quit completely. Here’s Paddy’s resignation letter to SMH editor Robert Whitehead, as published by Stephen Mayne:
Dear Robert,
Before you rang me the other day, I had been contemplating whether I wished to retain any connection with the Sydney Morning Herald, and with the increasingly chaotic and badly managed Fairfax company. Your courteous call the other day, followed by a discourteous silence despite the promise of a further call, only helped to hasten my decision.
This is to sever my relationship with the SMH. I am supposed to give three months' notice. But before your call I had already bought and paid for my ticket to Europe in July, during which I intended to take leave, and I am not prepared to change this arrangement. Therefore, I would like to resign effective as of the end of June. If you wished me to serve out the full three months' notice, I would feel obliged to work during August and September, but would prefer not to.
I offer you my commiserations on the situation in which you find yourself. It is not only your fault, but that of the SMH and Fairfax journalistic staff generally.
They’ll miss Paddy. Adding to the fun, a senior Sydney Morning Herald identity told me the other day that the paper is "trying to get rid of" Kingston, but is terrified of a psycho-backlash from various Indymedia types. Meanwhile the search for somebody to edit the SMH's sister paper, the Melbourne Age, continues.
Posted by Tim Blair at May 27, 2004 04:24 AMMargo with a clear head? I can't wait for that. What, more typos, plain old misspellings and historical boners?
Posted by: Brian Jones at May 27, 2004 at 05:24 AMDo they *honestly* fear a backlash if Margo is fired? Really? Surely even the indymediots don't care about her.
And if they do, why, their protests would be GREAT. All those wangly-assed neo-hippies, mooning the SMH headquarters, with W-E-W-A-N-T-M-A-R-G-O printed on their buttocks? That would be awesome. I'd pay money to see that.
Posted by: Kimberly at May 27, 2004 at 05:47 AM..."and I need to clear my head"
I thought that was the problem; guess that's why I'm not a doctor or psychologist.
Posted by: Roger Bournival at May 27, 2004 at 06:01 AM...that the paper is "trying to get rid of" Kingston, but is terrified of a psycho-backlash from various Indymedia types.
What? Three hippies and a bong? How intimidating.
Posted by: Marty at May 27, 2004 at 07:29 AM...the war has got to me big time...
This can only mean one thing: we're winning.
Posted by: Angie Schultz at May 27, 2004 at 07:37 AMWell, I have even less reason to read the SMH now.
Posted by: Quentin George at May 27, 2004 at 08:23 AM
Seeker of truth Margo Kingston has abandoned her job for a week;
This assumes that what Margo does can be characterized as "work" worth paying for.
Besides, didn't she just take a long break?
Posted by: R C Dean at May 27, 2004 at 08:38 AMAll we have in the U.S. to provide similar entertainment are Molly Ivins and Maureen Dowd and various local wannabees. Tim, please keep posting the articles and the associated background.
Posted by: BC at May 27, 2004 at 08:57 AM
Please don't post Molly- we went to the same urban prep high school (years apart), and her Texan hick schtick is kinda embarrassing, except to her. It's so lame and she has no shame...
Posted by: c at May 27, 2004 at 09:41 AMOne of Paddy's journalistic gems, on Quentin Tarantino awarding the Palme D'Or:
There is little doubt that the inspiration for the inexcusable treatment of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers came from filmmakers like Tarantino and their counterparts in the American pornography business.
This guy will be missed?
Posted by: Swade at May 27, 2004 at 09:52 AMI was looking at one of your columns, looking up the gold reward Al-Qaeda was offering and how much it was worth (I'm not wanting to take up the offer, I was looking for it because I had just seen a fake photo of Osama looking at the financial times), when I noticed the column said at the bottom "Visit http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com for more". It sounded as if you were blogging there.
Posted by: Andjam at May 27, 2004 at 10:21 AMSeeker of truth Margo Kingston has abandoned her job for a week, claiming that "the war has got to me big time and I need to clear my head"
The War On Terror is going well, but it looks like the War On Stupidity is going even better...
Posted by: Johnny Wishbone at May 27, 2004 at 10:42 AMCome on Tim. You have got your application in for editor of the Age - haven't you?
Now there would be an interesting gamble by the Fairfax board.
Whilst enjoying Michael Danby's attack on Alan Ramsay, one should point out that his last line was hauntingly similar to Churchill's comment that the British people will do their best, while Hitler could do his worst.
Was this done with tongue in cheek?
Margo's Web Diary seems to have a problem with its grasp of history as well.
"It was during the Battle of Hastings that one of Cromwell's disaffected lieutenants, Sweyn Forkbeard, uttered the immortal words: "Another fine mess you've got us into, Ollie".
If memory serves me correctly the Battle of Hastings occurred in 1066 whereas Oliver Cromwell didn't come to prominence until nearly 600 years later. Ollie might have stuffed up a few things but the Battle of Hastings wasn't one of them.
Sweyn Forkbeard was a King of Denmark who died in 1014 so he would have had a bit of trouble being a lieutenant of Oliver Cromwell as well.
What does her editor do?
Amortiser _ Uh, you do realize she was ripping off Laurel and Hardy, right? or were you just making a clever point about humorless lefties (just say, yes.)...?
Posted by: richard mcenroe at May 27, 2004 at 11:41 AMthere's a reason Margo dropped out of site for a week...
dateline 02.05.04: "Newly arrived The Age publisher Margo Kingston announced today..."
Posted by: richard mcenroe at May 27, 2004 at 11:42 AMAs the Herald's readership continues to sink under the weight of politically motivated garbage, they're shedding staff:
"Staff at the media company, John Fairfax, have been told up to 45 jobs are to go at the Sydney Morning Herald and Sun Herald.
"The [Media] Alliance says Fairfax is reserving the right to make compulsory redundancies if enough people do not volunteer."
Posted by: EvilPundit at May 27, 2004 at 11:45 AM`Clear (her) head'. I always suspected it was her ladies handbag, and let's face, women manage to pack a lot of junk into them, they have to be cleaned out every now and again to make room for more detritus.
I've always pondered how Paddt could endure life in a Stalinist indoctrination camp and gulag.
Posted by: d at May 27, 2004 at 01:05 PMRichard:
I don't doubt that she was making an attempt at humour but you would think they could get their characters in the right battles and eras or do they think that we are all ignorant......
Posted by: amortiser at May 27, 2004 at 01:15 PMMargo's Head Clearance Sale!
Everything Must Go!
No Offer Refused!
Going Out Of Business!
Posted by: Habib at May 27, 2004 at 01:53 PMHabib - you forgot to add:
"Most Items As New - Never Been Used !!"
Clear her head, it shouldn't take long.
What sort of feeble halfwit is she if she needs a week off to clear her head.
Shes the one that continues to bang on about it, maybe if she discussed the ENTIRE political spectrum in Australia, including the diabolical performance of the NSW state governemnt then she wouldn't go into meltdown.
I find it amazing that she continues to emphasis morality and ethics in politics yet she doen't care to cast her gaze a little closer to her ideological home.
What a joke, stress leave for writing a column, whats next PTSD.
Posted by: Nuffy at May 27, 2004 at 02:14 PMScratch and Dent Sale!
Note: No Refunds or Returns on Damaged Goods.
Posted by: ilibcc! at May 27, 2004 at 03:09 PMThe SMH used to be a good paper, and not all that long ago too. Bits of it are still good. I wish it a speedy recovery from a (possibly terminal) case of Idiotarianism.
Posted by: Alan E Brain at May 27, 2004 at 04:11 PMShe could run it for free in a News Ltd publication- all items below $100 are free in the Weekend Shopper, and does anyone think there's anything inside (or outside) Margo's head that would require paper money to purchase?
Posted by: Habib at May 27, 2004 at 04:11 PMHas anyone noticed that it's becoming a frequent occurrencce: Margo has to take time off to rummage around inside her head, sweep the rubble around and cement it over again: notice, zips are no good for closing that sort of handbag.
Posted by: d at May 27, 2004 at 04:40 PM"It was during the Battle of Hastings that one of Cromwell's disaffected lieutenants, Sweyn Forkbeard, uttered the immortal words: "Another fine mess you've got us into, Ollie".
I think Sweyn was also the father of Canute, King of Denmark, Norway and England.
In which case, why was an eleventh century Catholic king advising a sixteenth century ultra-Protestant military dictator?
In Margo's world, anything goes.
Posted by: Quentin George at May 27, 2004 at 05:28 PMBattle of Hastings was 1066, when 'Arold got 'is eye full of arrer. I don't recall either roundheads or vikings taking part in that particular conflict- the woman is clearly out of her mind, so she could get cleaners in while she's absent.
Posted by: Habib at May 27, 2004 at 05:49 PMHarold I Godwinson did defeat the forces of the Norse King Harald Hadraadason at the Battle of Stamford Bridge (shortly before the Battle of Hastings).
It was his victory and subsequent forced march south that helped him later lose his kingdom to Duke William the Bastard of Normandy.
(Yes, that was his official name)
In any case, whatever Margo (or her underling) wrote is wrong. Crazy wrong.
Backlash from Indymedia types? Since when does anyone care about their opinion? Be serious.
Posted by: Stewart Kelly at May 27, 2004 at 06:41 PMBacklash from Indymedia, WTF?
I thought that they were in a constant state of backlash like the Paleo's. Yassin gets killed Israel will suffer a fate worse than death, Rantisi gets killed Israel sufferers a Fate worse than a Fate worse than death. Its the same thing, I want to see what happens when there is nobody left to spout their droning babble exept for the arsehole standing on a street corner handing out leaflets.
Posted by: JBB at May 27, 2004 at 07:26 PM• Seeker of truth Margo Kingston has abandoned her job for a week, claiming that "the war has got to me big time and I need to clear my head"
You need to start flushing again Margo, water restrictions or not.
Posted by: Craig Mc at May 28, 2004 at 12:27 AMGuess you won't ever be submitting your baleful bileful missives to the herald newsdesk any more, huh?
Posted by: Miranda Divide at May 29, 2004 at 10:16 AM