The coming Oz election thread ...

Transcript of Sunday show:

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/article_1594.asp


Crikey (sort of) falls on (stage) sword over beat-up in Latham "story":

After all that hoopla (partly triggered by Crikey's first Thursday sealed section), Ross Coulthart's 40-minute profile of Mark Latham on Sunday was excellent, balanced and insightful - but not particularly damaging. Read the summary and full transcript here.

We have no idea where the bucks video rumor originated but suspect Crikey was first to run with it on Friday. Laurie Oakes gave it a big run last night as he attacked all those rumors that the Sunday profile would be a sensational hatchet job. Hmmm, did the Sphere of Influence really need to mention that? We've heard rumors that profiles about him were going to mention some fanciful S&M fettishes but they never materialised either. Why tell 1.5 million Australians on the 6pm news about something that you now claim was way below anything your flagship program would deal in?

We all know how western Sydney is a hotbed of political intrigue and full of robust political exchanges. Look at the way someone was pistol whipped when the Young Libs called in a Lebanese gang for branch-stacking purposes a few weeks back. Michael Knight's long history in Campbelltown is not dissimilar from Iron Mark's experience in nearby Liverpool - ambitious young right wingers on the make are hated for decades by rusted on lefties.

Barry Cassidy was right to point out on Insiders yesterday that the News Ltd stories in the Sunday papers about Latham's first marriage contained nothing new and were particularly malicious.

The News Ltd editors and proprietors really ought to take a deep breath before going down this path. Crikey pulled an alleged legover story about a News Ltd editor recently because we thought there was enough doubt but continuing to run these sorts of gratuitous, old and dubious Latham marriage stories will really leave them open to personal attack.

The SMH has already reported that News Ltd CEO John Hartigan was quite a ladies man in the past and we all know that Herald Sun editor Peter Blunden was last year convicted of drink driving and earlier took up with his secretary and made her fashion editor. Then you have Rupert Murdoch himself who second wife Anna has alleged was cheating on her with Wendi Deng when they were still married.

Sunday also ran the footage yesterday of Latham alleging in Parliament that Piers Akerman used to enjoy snorting cocaine - something that our own Hillary Bray has now admitted he did in the past (see item two).

Labor front benchers Jenny Macklin and Wayne Swan were busy pushing their dubious "Liberal conspiracy" line yesterday and Barry Cassidy made Workplace Relations minister Kevin Andrews look particularly uncomfortable on Insiders when he raised the dirt-digging activies of his staffer Ian Hanke.

Overall, the Labor response has been quite smart in the circumstances but the episode has still not helped their cause. Firstly, they partly innoculated by sending a free-wheeling Latham onto the John Laws program on Friday, then they blamed it all on dodgy Liberal dirt-digging which we all know all sides of politics do.

Sunday fell short of expectations because we were expecting tales of a Latham king-hit from behind, when it can't have been much of a punch if the then 58-year-old target claims to have subsequently thrown two punches sending Latham to the ground. The more damaging anecdote was the allegation that Latham so blatantly lied and shafted his mate when doing the numbers on a council tilt.

It was also smart of Labor to deny Sunday access to Gough Whitlam given his proximity to the poisonous local politics and to instead trot out the most successful larrikin Australian politician in history - the all-drinking, dancing, punting and womanising Bob Hawke.

We'll bring you some analysis of how today's papers have reacted to the Latham past saga in today's second edition after 4pm.

If people start to talk about other people's snorting of cocaine, things are gonna go downhill fast!

Especially when things are alleged of folk like Akerman!

Oh boy!

This gets wilder: Crikey comes out fighting.

1. Iron Mark chokes back tears

Despite having defamed more people than anyone else in the Federal Parliament, Mark Latham was today playing the victim, holding "an emotional press conference" (ie there were longish pauses as he fought back the tears) to deny various rumors being put around about him.

We all thought that Andrew Bartlett's "I am depressed" press conference was unprecedented, but surely a Federal major party leader has never held a press conference quite like what Mark Latham turned on this morning. It was so extraordinary that Sky News replayed the 40-minute press conference in full at 12.20pm this afternoon. We haven't had such a free-style rave from Latham since he became opposition leader last December and now everyone is grappling with the many angles of the story.

Lo and behold, Labor has now decided to trot out Simon Crean and Bob McMullin to announce someting Labor's costings at 2.45pm this afternoon. Is this an attempt to distract attention away from the Latham rumors or bury the costings beneath an avalanche of coverage about Latham's amazing display this morning? When you're having a bad day you may as well maximise the bad news all at once.

But back to the Latham presser. Firstly, Latham put this bucks night video issue to bed by revealing that he didn't even have a buck's turn before marrying former Liberal staffer Janine Lacy five years ago. His first one 13 years ago, which was organised by others, was "a tame enough affair" and "one was enough".

He said there were three groups responsible for the dirt - first wife Gabrielle Gwyther, disaffected opponents from Liverpool and a government dirt unit - and he said all three had a hand in the video rumors getting out of control.

Latham also claimed that a senior journalist rang him in 1998 (anyone got a name?) and claimed he had voluntarily gone to the backbench because he was facing sexual harrassment charges.

"Never true at any stage," Latham fulminated. When quizzed later he was even stronger, "No name, no detail, no incident."

The government will be on the back foot after Latham named Kevin Andrews staffer and former Peter Reith press secretary Ian Hanke as head of a dirt unit, claimed Tony Abbott's staff have been trawling through Liverpool for eight years and said a government minister alleged last week that he had broken the collar bone of a campaign worker.

Latham was asked about his attack on Tony Abbott for having a child out of wedlock and this is where he started to get on thin ice as he claimed the Mad Monk's attacks on Labor political dynasties warranted such a move. Hmmm, saying that Labor politicians are in-bred is different from attacking someone for having a child who has nothing to do with politics.

Overall, we thought that Latham played the victim quite well and both sides of politics and the media will be most reluctant to go any further down this personal attack track. However, it was interesting that Latham was prepared to deny specific rumors such as the bucks night video but when asked twice about being faithful to his first wife, he simply said this had been dealt with before and was not prepared to go through the pain of his marriage break-up again.

There is literally so much material in this Latham presser that people will be referring back to it for months. For instance, when discussing this marriage, he said "there were things that you just wouldn't believe".

Jeepers, what could that be?

Latham also expressed regret about a few things. He regretted part of the attack on Abbott and he regretted the way he treated political opponents in Liverpool and for not being more inclusive.

However, he also demolished this so-called gang of five mainly Labor Party figures who put out a statement yesterday claiming he'd ruined the Liverpool Council finances by pointing out that all of them had long left the ALP and were simply still bitter at having lost to the man who now wants the keys to The Lodge.

DO WE CARE ABOUT LATHAM'S MARITAL FAITHFULNESS?

I can't believe Oz journos are asking this.

It might be relevant to Howard because of the hypocrisy factor in his "family values" stuff - but I ain't heard latham trumpeting about such.

This is getting so ugly! I have no doubt that Latham isn't exactly a SNAG, to put it politely. In fact I doubt that ANYONE (except maybe Bob Brown - Greens leader) who becomes an important politician is squeaky clean. I'm sure they ALL have skeletens in their closets. But what's happening now is outrageous. Latham is right: this is a relentless smear campaign, the likes of which we haven't seen before.

lol! Brown is gay - but "out", I believe.

yeah - their polls can't be good.

reality showing through the gloss?

Labor, despite its best efforts - seems to wear its warts on the outside - quite endearing, in an odd way!

This won't be good for ANYONE - especially the political process in this country - if it continues.

Hey - I am in a marginal - wonder if I can pretend to be a Lib swinger and call the electorate office of the ncumbent saying I'll vote Labor if this continues? We should all do that - this is disgusting - and I wouldna care which party was doing it.

Latham shoulda shut up about Akerman, too.

That MIGHT stop it - how many of my generation DIDN'T use drugs - and harder than dope? Libs too, believe it or not - nobody, on either side, wants that stuff opened up. Well, unless it is ALL opened up - a big cathart, and nobody needs to hide any more!!!! Not that they hide so very much now....

NSW Right though - spooooooooooooooooky - man, you ever been to a conference with those guys? Brrrrrr.....

Yep, he's openly gay. And about the only federal politician I truly respect! (not because he's gay, but because he has integrity.)

You've heard?

I've heard what?

Can't say, Deb! .... Just an incredible rumour that was doing the rounds some time back. Don't know if it's true or not, actually ... Wouldn't dare repeat it here!

I doubt you'll find any stories about Howard sleeping around, but I'll ask you ladies. Would YOU like to go to bed with John Howard?

Strange question, Wilso. What brought that on?

Just all this stuff about Latham womanising. I once read an article by a female journalist who described Howard as having the sex appeal of a slug.

So far we've had interference from Bush, Powell, Cheney .... Now it's Michael Moore's turn to comment! From this morning's Age newspaper:

Michael Moore urges Australian regime changeBy Caroline Overington
New York correspondent
New York
July 8, 2004

Michael Moore made his latest documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, because he wants to get rid of US President George Bush. But he also wants Australian voters to get rid of John Howard.

At a news conference for foreign correspondents in New York, Moore said Mr Howard's decision to get "in bed" with Mr Bush was "disgraceful", and he hoped that after seeing his film Australian voters would seek "regime change".

"I get a lot of mail from Australia," Moore said. "I probably get per capita more mail from Australia than from any other country. A lot of angry Australians, I never realised how angry, and I don't think just because they are living in Australia, right?

"No, I mean, I realise, it's like, you're living on an island, but you're also a country, but you're also a continent. So I know there's a lot of confusion there, right? But what's confusing to me is, how is it that someone like John Howard could get in bed with George W. Bush?

"Not to give Mr Howard too much credit, but he at least appears to have half a brain. Half, I said. Half. I'm being generous. But, I mean, what is he doing with George W. Bush? It's really disgraceful.

"And the Australian people, according to all the polls, don't approve of being part of the coalition of the willing. And I hope the same thing happens to (Howard) that happened to the leader of Spain."

Spain's prime minister Jose Maria Aznar was defeated at the polls in March after terrorist attacks in Madrid killed more than 190 people. Mr Aznar supported the war in Iraq; his successor does not.

"I hope that Australians who see this film will say to themselves we need some regime change here, in our country," Moore said.

Then, his mobile phone rang. Moore looked at its screen and said: "Oh, its John Howard!"

Later he returned to the theme of regime change, saying: "I think the Spanish started it. They threw out their prime minister who didn't listen to the will of the people and it's my sincere hope that the Australians, the Italians, the others who joined Mr Bush in this war will also be removed by the citizens of their countries. And I hope this film helps to do that."

Fahrenheit 9/11 opens in Australia next week. In the US it has taken $US60 million ($A84 million), breaking all records for a documentary.

Moore is unlikely to visit Australia to promote the film. "We have an election coming up here, and we decided that every day spent outside the US was a day away from our mission," he said. "I hope that people understand that our priority had to be focusing on what's happening here, so we can do our best to remove Mr Bush from the White House."

Moore was asked about the Bush Administration's reaction to his film and whether he had received any threats. "As far as threats, I don't know of any. So far, I seem to be OK. Actually, that will be a great soundbite for you when they find me floating in the river next week."

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Hmmmmm ... I thought he was being rather too generous about the size of Mr Howard's brain!

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Is the worst of the muck raking over? Or are there a few more rumours about Latham that the press feel a burning need to cover? Can we now PLEASE return to the issues? We urgently need to know about Labor policies before the election!

... For example, information about Labor's housing policy was released a couple of days ago ... & was totally overlooked in the frenzy of rumours & innuendo in the press .... Obviously this was the Libs plan , but some of us want to know! I wish Latham would get back to policies before time runs out!

He must have them in brown trousers down in the Lib planning room. There can't be better publicity than having the opposition talking about you non-stop to the media. It's gonna be a cake-walk.

You serious, Mr Stillwater?