Tim Blair

Oh boo-hoo-hoo, you big puss.

Just what we need- another blubbery Bob as PM.

Tim

You just haven't got your head round the GDU yet. That website is a phony: the real GDU is located in a bunker deep below Parliament House and is being operated by Richard Nixon and his Watergate plumbers,with slush funds from George Bush and the CIA. Their next step in a well- planned strategy is to release Mark's raunchy bucks party video, digitally altered to enhance Mark's outstanding performance. As your undercover investigator, I have had a sneek preview and can predict rivetting viewing. Stay tuned for more....

This is a fake plea by a fake politician about fake rumours, perpetuated by fake journalists who are employed by fake "news"papers.

What a Sooky-sooky La-la. Is it just me, or does he really look like a reject from the Tellytubbies? The yellow one, I think.

Don't you mean Teleblubbies?

Latham's a hypocrite and a grade-A weasel. Can dish it out, can't take it.

That was totally stage-managed. He called the press conference.

Crocodile tears.

With any luck he'll throw a tanty and punch someone in front of witnesses, again.

Honestly, if Latham is the best candidate for Labor leader, they're stuffed. What a bloody tool.

What's the goss on Mark's sister and mother? Have I missed something?

Apparently the blousey Opposition Leader has forgotten the comment he made to Tony Abbot about the latter's illegitimate child (fathered when Abbot was a teenager): "He's had one too many 'unions', that's Tony's problem." I'm sure Abbot's wife and children, parents and siblings were not hurt by that at all.

Nor would the Albrechtsen family be at all distraught that their beloved wife/daughter/sister - Janet - was described by one of the nation's most prominent men - Lactating Latho - as a smelly whore.

This was always going to happen. Labor's press gallery cheerleaders have been doing their best for months to pretend Latham was an extraordinary politician with extraordinary charisma who has had an extraordinary impact... bla, bla, bla.

Bollocks. Man's as nutty as a fruitcake.

Ask yourself this: if Mark Latham was a primary school teacher, would you want him passing his values and behaviours onto your children?

There is something wrong with a country where you can no longer psychologically abuse and cheat on your wife, walk out on her and be able to keep the reasonable expectation that she will keep her mouth shut when you hope to realise your amibitions years down the track.

What ever happened to the old social contract...

That's gold, Harry.

Howard lied! Latham cried!!!

Latham likes to dish it out , but he can't take it .
Wuusy little girls blouse..
I wonder if Simon Crean is spreading all the
stories?

No John, I'm thinking Big Kim (who was even more flabbergasted on the rare occasions his mates in the media dared make life difficult for him).

"Things have been put to me about my sisters, my mother, my father that are not true and they don't deserve it.

Maybe he meant by that that things were said by his first wife to the media, which have not been reported yet.

But on the whole, he does seem to have deficiencies in character and they would affect his ability to be a good PM.

I reckon now that Latham has got over the blubbery phase - its time for him to start swinging! Who do you reckon will be the next recipient of the Mark special king hit?

- Media person asking nasty, cruel unfair questions.
- Street heckler
- Taxi driver
- Blogger

All of the above? Tim, you ever drive a taxi? Seriously I think it is only a matter of time before he lashes out. He just needs to be pushed over the edge....

Maybe his sister and his mother were his first and second wives respectively; he is a bevan after all.

great stuff! beazley and crean'll be ringing each other tonight to have a laugh!!

We can see a clear psychological profile of how the man functions under stress-

He lashes out blindly, then lies to cover himself. He's out of his depth. In the army he would be discharged.

Perhaps the CIA is involved.

Anyone remember loony Joan Coxsedge, the Castro-loving conspiracy-theorist Labor MP of about 30-35 years ago who claimed, and wrote books about, how the CIA had infiltrated Australian politics and was funding a dirty tricks to discredit the Labor party, and support its friends, the Liberals?

Her spirit lives on! What would life be without Laborites complaining about how the forces of darkness are out to get them. Pretty boring.

Nothing ever came of Coxsedge's whacko theories, of course. Nothing ever does. Never ever does a conspirator get an attack of the guilts and confess, even decades later, despite dozens of people being required to run the secret campaign. Funny about that.

"Ask yourself this: if Mark Latham was a primary school teacher, would you want him passing his values and behaviours onto your children?"

...said currencylad.

Well said. But, old chap, I don't want *any* primary school teacher passing on his or her values to my children. The thought is appalling.

Dialogue from 'Will Petal Hack-It'?:

Drill Sergeant to Private Latham regarding his mounting political obstacles: "Whatever you do don't fall down! That would break my fucking heart!"

MP: He lashes out blindly, then lies to cover himself. He's out of his depth. In the army he would be discharged.

Nuff said MP.

Walter, the part I particularly like about those conspiracy theories is the degree to which they are prepared to remain totally ignorant of US domestic political considerations.

The US government cops a bucketload of criticism when an overzealous soldier puts a dog collar around a POW's neck. Can you imagine the outcry if US agents were involved in bringing down the Whitlam Government or drowning Harold Holt?

And can you really imagine any administration taking a risk like that just to influence domestic politics in our own humble country? Gives me a newfound sense of pride in being an Australian.

I don't particularly think politics should be personal, but that being said, I have no sympathy for Latham.

He opened the gates, so to speak, with his own comments: "Arselicker", "Skanky Ho", "Deformed Character", comments about Abbott's illegitimate child, etc, etc...

Fuck him. Serves him right.

If Latham wanted the personal stuff kept quiet, all he needs to do is stop talking about it himself.

One of his complaints today was a complaint that a journalist six years ago had called him and made the suggestion that he had committed sexual harassment at some time in his past - which Latham branded a lie.

This journo must have accepted Latham's denial, because it appears he didn't publish the story. So if Latham hadn't metioned it today, the public would never have heard the allegation.

Howard doesn't need a GDU - he's got Mark Latham.

Using your family as bogus human shields. Big election winner, that one. He'll have them running ammo next.

Latham's an actor. His act today was described on the ABC as a performance. His real identity is revealed not when he sheds his costume but when he reveals his oversized shoes and red nose. A clown for all to see.

Yet read the letters pages at the big Australian dailies and all you get are serves at Howard! The guy doesn't say a word and he cops it! Not to mention the SMH drying little marky's tears.

What of labourites spruiking stories around to journos?

Pah! What a circus.

What really annoys me about the whole issue is the licence it gives left media to make Latham both a victim and a hero.

Lead story on ABC TV news tonight: an heroic-looking Latham at his stage-managed press conference with the words superimposed on the screen 'Fighting Back'.

Right-wing politicians facing similar scenarios inevitably put up with headlines such as 'Embattled (name) on the defence' or '(name) denies wife-beating charge' - for days and days.

This, in the week after the US hands back Iraq, could have seen Latham facing stronger scrutiny on issues that matter.

Muck-raking, or Mark-raking as it was jokily referred to on radio this morning, rarely works, and certainly not for left politicians who have sanctimonious and sympathetic left media onside.

And don't forget 'sycophantic'.

Grand Old Elephant - it's all here (or a lot of it at least) - how the CIA overthrew the Whitlam Government and installed its dupe, Malcom Fraser

http://www.cia.com.au/vic/cia.1.txt --

"Welcome to Watching Brief, your national award winning environment program. I'm Jane Lanbrook and this week the first of a six part series on the CIA, the American Central Intelligence Agency, and its involvement in Australia including the overthrow of the Whitlam Government."

It's frightening to think there are people insane enough to believe this crap. The Tony Douglas mentioned herein is an ACF hardliner and extreme green/left whacko.

ilibcc:

Heard a Triple J reporter this afternoon say the 'Sunday' programme on Latham "fell flat". It "only" dealt with six former Liverpool mayors denouncing Latham and an allegation that the Opposition Leader king-hit a man. That's all. Gee, sorry there were no bodies in barrels or anything. I was naive enough to believe that two documented assaults rather precluded a man from even being a minister, much less the Prime Minister.

This is a real test for a lot of journalists. Cynical or - at least - understandably suspicious by nature, they now have to analyse a press conference that most of them know was a complete and utter (and nauseatingly insincere) performance.

Walter:

I was referring to the obligation teachers have to both impart and themselves exemplify such values and behaviours as fair play, non-violence towards one's fellows, gentlemanliness towards women, and prudent, restrained conduct in general.

But, yes, I know what you mean and I take your point.

PS: 'Watching Brief' is an ABC programme? What next? "This week, your award winning science programme discusses the 'moon-landing' in 1969. Fact or fiction?"

These days, that's not exactly hard to imagine.

Says a lot for the reach and sheer power of the Evil Empire (Amerikkka, of course!) that the best they could come up with was old Malcolom, who never met a left-wing pressure group he didn't want to appease.

Alternatively, strike out 'left-wing pressure group' and write in 'tinpot dictator'. They seem to be the main darlings of the left in this day and age.

Apologies for the double post.

This is a real test for a lot of journalists. Cynical or - at least - understandably suspicious by nature, they now have to analyse a press conference that most of them know was a complete and utter (and nauseatingly insincere) performance.

Interesting point Currencylad, especially when you consider most of the recent digging has been from a restless press gallery due to a lack of policy based discussion.

On the international edition of the ABC, there was a cutaway shot of the press gallery, a couple it would seem sporting a cynical smirk as Latham left.

I cant wait for Janet Albrechtson's view about all of this.

Getting in a dustup with a Sydney cabbie or a crazy pensioner whinging about pot plants didn't have much effect on me.

But what a categoric bastard for the way he treated that Frank Hehoe (Is that how you spell it?) chap.

He gives Latham his spot as secretary of the local branch, he organises an on going whip around to get Latham through university, he introduces him to Gough and gets Marky his first job - and Mark shits on him from a great height, lies to him and goes behind his back for his own advantage. Old Frank, who seemed a sincere honest type, even said that if Mark had asked he would have understood and stepped aside - and after everything else he had done that seemed believable enough - but Latham stiffed him in what can only be called a prick of an act.

Politics may be a rough game, but to screw someone who had done so much - Latham deserves all he gets!

"...would you lay off my family," he said..

Not one (negative) word has been published about your family, Mark, so can the victimhood schtick. This is about you, and your obvious inadequacies- starting with the fact that you're unfit, for public office.

'Heard a Triple J reporter this afternoon say the 'Sunday' programme on Latham "fell flat". It "only" dealt with six former Liverpool mayors denouncing Latham and an allegation that the Opposition Leader king-hit a man.'

Yes, of course, CurrencyLad.

But since when did anyone take notice of six or a thousand Liverpool mayors? Or some fucking ABC radio program? Not from where I sit - in election-land. I'm in the 'burbs, man, don't know where you are - but sorry dude - the Latham accusations are not biting. The anecdotal evidence of this is there - and believe me buddy - the voice on the street is that Latham is being hard done by. Real people understand the nature of first wives' accusations - not to mention some geezer from some branch fight - and these do not an election win (for the accusing party).

I don't want a Labour Gov't anymore than anyone hereabouts - but should the unthinkable occur 'round about November - Mark Latham would be the least of the problem. Hello, Simon Crean, Carmen Lawrence, Julia Gillard et al.

Time to focus on the issues, people!

He likes to portray himself as a hard man from the backstreets of Liverpool.

Hes a fucking cat, today was just another media stunt to deflect attention from his complete incompetence onto the government and somehow portray them as concocting this whole thing.

Hes coming apart at the seams faster than a $2 shirt from Bali.

A fucking cat, I'll bet the libs are laughing at him and so are a lot of true blue labor people.

Just watched the Ch9 ,i>hatchet jobon Nacker Lacker. my view, a self-obsessed Bogan with limited ability but unrestrained ambition.
He ain't no Gough Whitlam, and he isn't going to lead Labor from the wilderness.
I always thought he was being put up as a sacrificial git for the next Federal election- he is losing the plot before the campaigning even starts.
The NSW ALP is imploding now; if I was JW Howard I'd go for a double dissolution.
But JWH is a puss as well.

I heard Matt Price from the Australian say that Latho was asked at his press conference about his personal attacks on Tony Abbott, but none of this was reported on the news tonight. Many journalists are fond of reminding John Howard of what he has said in the past, but it seems to them that Latham's history only goes back six months. Mike Seccombe in the SMH two weeks ago said that Tony Abbott was the only politician who would stoop so low as to mention another politician's children, when he would be well aware of the hurtfull remarks that Latham had repeatedly hurled at Abbott. It still outrages me to think that Seccombe thinks that he can peddle such crap and get away with it. If Media Watch persued any lefties this would be a perfect job for them, but I won't hold my breath. On the subject of election timing, all that the PM has to do is have it when there is a full moon, because Latham is as mad as a meat-axe.

I gotta go with ilbcc here. Who cares whether he king-hit someone and beat on his missus. Since when has that sort of thing been a crime?

Half the electorate thought: "Good-o, big friggin' deal. Guy from western Sydney punches some whinging dobber in the head. That's our bloke, not that little shirt-lifter Howard."

I'm not saying I agree, obviously, but what does it matter? Howard is good for one thing - OK, maybe two: he divides the idiots against themselves, and he balances a friggin' checkbook. But a man's man he isn't. The word "dweeb" springs to mind. The boys out west have been crying out for someone who kicks actual goals, not just dreams about making runs against the 'Windies. Howard is OK, but he shouldn't push his luck. Down the pub, it doesn't play well.

There's a lot of people out there - real working people who fix your friggin' cars and live in the West, who NOW think Latham's alright. The Sunday show and Howard have morphed Latham into friggin' Barnsey! Before, he was just another loser suit-monkey with a manicure pollie having a crack at our John, but now he's got actual testicles.

Someone ought to be having a word with Howards's spin doctors I reckon.

Mind you, the crying bit today probably didn't do Latham any favours either. Still, I guess it got all the moms on-side, so maybe it was worth it for him. Whatever, Howard should be taking the limelight away from Latham, not shining it on him. Aussie hasn't changed as much as some people might think - and Howard needs to accept that in a head-to-head competition beween a footy playing westie and him, he'll come off looking like more like Alexander Downer than Don Bradman, if you get my drift...

ilibcc,

but what about the doubt, man, the the doubt. I wonder if all this will create just a leeetle bit of doubt as to whether he would be unfit when things really start getting stressful, such as a terrorist incident.

Yeah, like he just led Australia through eight years of major world ructions into the twenty-first century from major tax change to international terrorism, ... you name it ... along with being pilloried by left media as Little John, Bonsai, etc ...

... and he's a puss?

None of my comments have been about Latham's abilities to govern.

All have been concerned with the comments about his private life - misplaced.

My previous comment is to Habib's ridiculous comment about Mr Howard, which I am sure he didn't mean.

And can I just say, with the US on summer vacation, has anyone else noticed the drop in intelligent argument?

According to Latham you can "Say what you like about me but leave them out of it please."

Does this open invitation allow free reporting of the sexual harrasment allegations without fear of defamation suit?

Like a certain cricketer who recently tried to pick a fight with an opposing player by falsely accusing him of slandering his mother, Latham's ploy won't work. It's his way of psyching himself up as the wronged working class hero from the west, but he comes across as a disturbed thug with a chip on his shoulder. Fortunately, his electorate knows that though you can't choose where you are born or where you grow up, you can choose not to vote for this crazy goose.

Endgame

I am from the outerwest of Sydney. I don't know anyone who likes Latham who isn't a ranting greenie or geriatric unionist hanging on to his defunct job with every last bit of strength left.

I know coppers, mechanics, salesmen, builders etc and most of them think Howard is their only chance of not being forgotten in an immigrant wasteland, standing up to terrorism, making money to live on and having some self-respect.

We know a wanker when we see one and Latham is a big one. I'd love to meet that prick in my local juiced up on a few beers and give him a real dose of the westie vision.

Just because we live out west doesn't make us stupid labor arseholes.

This thread was the coolest EVER for Aussie slang! I have absolutely no idea of what any of you meant! Way cool! Do it some more!

Ushie, you're a fucking idiot but a funny one. Still laughing....

ilibcc:

I'm not sure I follow your thinking on this. My post on Triple J was meant as a sarcastic reinforcement of your own lamentation of journalistic myopia with respect to the misdeeds of Labor politicians.

You berated the double-standards inherent in the coverage of the Latham stories. Then in your second post you say no such coverage matters anyway because nobody cares. That was quick! This latter argument rests on an allegedly superior 'dude-ish' understanding of what people on the streets think. Thank you Huggy Bear. Jesus, give me a break. What did you do - canvass two blokes standing at a petrol bowser this arvo?

In pre-election mode, it's not about one pissant radio programme, or ten. No, it's not about six former mayors or 20. It's not about one assault claim or two. It's not about one woman's story. And so on. As elections loom, the result can depend on a totality of events and a totality of demonstrations of both character and personality. Such a snowball as now seems to have engulfed Latham is not an inertia without consequence.

The 'geezer' in question was just that - a man old enough to be Latham's father - who was allegedly assaulted. The immigrant cab driver - knee-high to a prairie-dog, by the way - also alleges assault. These are not trivial matters.

As for the real question being about the drongos on Latham's frontbench, what exactly is your point? The government hasn't rested in its refutations of Gillard's, Crean's and McMullan's more bullshit-laden policies. Expect more of the same. And Carmen Lawrence doesn't have a portfolio at the moment, so what are people supposed to focus on there exactly?

I take you to have implied also that this 'Mark-raking' is somehow being run by the government, whose focus you question. The government has had little to do with any of this. The media wanted to run it to spice up the campaign. Channel Nine decided to air some allegations in the context of a 'portrait' of the prospective PM; then, today, the controversy got rolling, after being portended last week. This was very much to the delight of journalists.

And, as I've pointed out, there are no shortage of examples of Latham himself having muscled in with woefully disgraceful exercises in dingo-esque character-assassination. And now the Oscar-worthy performance this afternoon, which you say even journalists were smirking about. And none of this matters?

These inconsistencies and insincerities go directly to the question of fitness for office and they will come into play politically. Felicitously for the government, they didn't have to do a thing.

And no, I don't believe there should be an endless delving into Latham's personal life. But there are issues now in the public arena and accounts of them diverge starkly in the telling. That does matter and it is news.

Perhaps you could nominate the issues everyone should be focussing on, as you've decried the absence of these from current political discussion.

Fair enough? Dude.

Endgame said:

Who cares whether he king-hit someone and beat on his missus. Since when has that sort of thing been a crime?

I dunno - quite a while. World War Two's over as well. Come on out!

Spare me this bullshit about testosterone-crazed Westie mechanics swinging the election Latham's way because they admire a bloke who sucker-punches annoying old men and gives "the missus" a few haymakers for good measure. If they do, they're low-life rockapes. Send them out to, say, Western Queensland and let them go the biff on an old fella or a woman. They'd get tarred, feathered and boxed home to Mummy before they could say they were "like, rooly sorry." I doubt you're accurately describing more than a few such 'men' anyway - most would be insulted by your claim.

[You add "the missus" in reference to Latham. No such allegation has ever been made. Nor should it be. A slip of a fairly telling and worrying kind].

Being a fucking idiot is my raison d'etre.

Ick. I used French.

ABC

The above link as the last para as 'he king hit a man' !

Is this a Freudian slip perhaps? Was the word 'fuc' meant to be in front of 'king' ?

Latham is a type perhaps more often encountered in fiction than real life - a bully who is also a coward. Ridicules Tony Staley for being crippled in a car accident. Ridicules Tony Abbot for having an illegitimate child as a student. Calls a female journalist a smelly whore. Decribes people as arslickers, suckholes, and hanging out of the backside of the Queen. Bawls when he is criticised.

This thing isn't even a man.

If there was a Nobel Prize for contemptability, the thing would be packing its bags for Stockholm.

I saw two men once described as being respetively teak and papier-mache. John howard and Latham are teak and a glob of snot.

Latham is an unmitigated piece of garbage. He abused his first wife, bashes anyone who disagrees with him, insults disabled people and women et cetra et cetra.
Nothing less than the complete and total destruction of Latham is now in order( with velvet hammer)
What about this guy who thinks Latham is a Barnsey, complete moron...

What does "king hit" mean, anyway? Last I heard of it, some bouncer did it to a famous ex (er, rugby? cricket?) player, and he died.

I think "king hit" is hitting someone from behind. I do love the lessons in Australian I get around here.

>Howard needs to accept that in a head-to-head
>competition beween a footy playing westie and
>him, he'll come off looking like more like
>Alexander Downer than Don Bradman, if you get my
>drift...

Not really. I'm American. You lost me at "footy playing westie". Sounds great, though.

I think all the Seppos (that's Yanks, right?) need to respond to a post in nothing but Jim Rome-style prose, just to baffle you guys on occasion:

"How about Cheney dropping that f-bomb on Leahy? You just know the dude was gripping to pop Leahy's grill and bust some chiclets. What a red-ass. Lucky he didn't go Orenthal on him. If I was Leahy I'd rather take my chances with Softball Guy or Hockey Dad. Out."

Dave, Alexander Downer is the Minister for Foreign Affairs (= Secretary of State). He was leader of the Liberal Party (= GOP) for about 5 minutes back the '90s, but his accent sounds too English for most Ozzies, and he's widely regarded as a wuss; the kind of bloke who's OK jetting off to France and other such wussy countries (and anyway, diplomats are all poofs anyway, so he'd fit right in, if you know what I mean), but not someone you'd want for a Prime Minister.

Don Bradman was the greatest cricketer ever, perhaps the greatest sportsman of all time in any sport in the world, and definitely not a poofter.

Anything else needs translating?

Angie, being king hit is the lowest form of assaulting someone that I can think of. It requires no guts at all to give someone a punch in the head from behind. It is something I am not surprised is in "Man-Boob" Latham's dirty trick book. Obviously used it on the footy field a few times and other occassions as he thought fit.

- real working people who fix your friggin' cars and live in the West, who NOW think Latham's alright.

endgame, you haven't had much to do with these "real working people" have you?
king hitting is done by cowards to try and stop any likelehood of being hit back. Amongst these "real working people" it puts you on a par with women bashers. The few votes he might have garnered for being a violent person (few, because not that many "real working people" are actually that low down on the evolutonary scale that they find violence enough to vote for a man)
-would have been well and truly lost with the king hit claim.

Just take a look at the Front Page today's Sydney Daily Telegraph (the paper that really influences the swinging voter). It is pushing the line that Latham is a wuss who can't take the heat.

Dave S

Footy is of course football (I'm assuming Rugby League, as we are talking about Sydney). A Westie is a person who lives in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. People from that area (about 3million out of Sydney's 4 million plus inhabitants) are characterised as being working class and less cultured than the toffs who live in the Eastern and Northern Suburbs. The reason why the latter two areas are more desirable is that they are nearer the ocean and the Harbour.

Endgame says "There's a lot of people out there - real working people who fix your friggin' cars and live in the West, who NOW think Latham's alright. The Sunday show and Howard have morphed Latham into friggin' Barnsey! Before, he was just another loser suit-monkey with a manicure pollie having a crack at our John, but now he's got actual testicles."

This just a touch patronising. Just a little rude. A few unwarranted assumptions here. What you're saying is those dumb jocks out in the west are just plain thick and only respond favourably to another thuggish jock. If you're working class and live in the west you're incapable of responding to ideas of character and leadership. Only rudeness counts with motor mechanics - they're not interested in Australia's well-being and standing in the world. Not up to it. Haven't got the trams and trains. Give them a few beers in the rubbidy on a Friday night and they start doing the monkey dance, scratching their armpits and singing, "He's Mark Latham, and he's OK".

endgame, you haven't had much to do with these "real working people" have you?

That's because he's busy with his crappy vegan resturants and crappy techno music.

No, wait, that's Moby.

I come from a Labor voting family and they all are turning around disgusted by this stupid idiot whatshisname? Latham. My dad and mum are voting Liberal this year,and as I can vote this year too for the first time, young and new on the block, I do the same, Liberal! at least you know what you get and it has been pretty damn good till now. On the other hand with this loser Latham we might be going underground and bankrupt soon so he does not get my vote.
Anyone for a barbie?????:)))