Big ABC play the angles too, as do Daily Smelly : Melbourne Indymedia

How totally unsurprising: Democracy is only for rich folks obviously in a revolving door from Big Media to Big Politics.

In this election period yesterday we had George Williams, a professor of Law indirectly backing up ALP Premier Morris Iemma's vicious attack on Magistrate Pat Oshane here:

'We should have a say on who judges us'

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21105497-5001031,00.html

Yeah George, yeah Daily Telegraph. Why no disclosure of his very public appeal for a political career having joined the ALP recently. This was admitted from memory in this abc conversation hour here:

Tex Perkins and George Williams [24/10/2006]

http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1772397.htm?queensland

all well and good George, an ornament to any political party but failure to disclose? That's wrong. Very wrong.

And my memory is reinforced by this:

"Professor George Williams spoke at the ALP Conference in favour of a Human Rights Charter, as did the Attorney General Bob Debus. George Williams repeated the argument he used at a recent Evatt Seminar "Australia is unique, unfortunately". Professor Williams has been in the leadership of the six month community consultation in Victoria, that has led to draft legislation, that will be introduced later this year. In this Newsletter, Williams updates on the Victorian leadership."

http://evatt.org.au/news/398.html

We read yesterday about Tom Switzer, senior editorial biased favouring of Malcolm Turnbull yesterday on MIM here:

Crikey.com.au expose Turnbull's hypocritical mate at The Australian

at

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/137676.php

At least Crikey scribbler Stephen Mayne was overt in his political allegiance to People Power Party in the Victorian elections while posting for the ezine.

Switzer in turn was whining about Maxine Mckew domestically tithed to senior ALP partner. There is always the question of spouses as individual professionals in this age of gender emancipation and the pain in Switzers whine was stark when it became clear he was hypocritically involved in profile boosting of his own spouses employer senior minister Malcolm Turnbull via the pages of The Australian.

The rules of disclosure of family vested interest should at least be consistent is the obvious point. And dislosure should be the rule not the exception until it becomes tedious, but then even then too.

Now Patrice Newell turns up on abc Trioli this morning. She is a greenie climate change, stong achieving published author and media professional who just happens to be the partner in life of one high profile abc broadcaster. No disclosure. (She is independent running for the Upper House, but will her candidacy help rather than hinder the ALP, or does she have a real chance of winning? It's way too early to know about preferencing at this stage but one wonders.)

I ring and chat about this: They rang her, not the other way round, based on her high profile lead letter in the Sydney Morning Herald, which fits the news cycle today too. She is a professional obviously. Her letter is a cracker too and sincere. But whereas disclosure for the Herald is irrelevant, it becomes a real question for valuable access to abc listening voters.

On balance they should have disclosed her spouse is an abc broadcaster, not who specifically and how her stand alone credentials were conclusive, not the family relation. They did list these credentials but not the abc connection and that is just not transparent enough, a minor sin that should be rectified, feminista emancipation or not.

The Turnbull federal Env Minister character is at risk of munching by Garrett Opposition Water spokes, playing off the fantastic escape of abalone diver on ACA ch9 last night, Garrett with the shark smooth skull.

"Poke him in the eye" calls Howard figure to Turnbull, just as diver explained was his tactic out of instinct for survival.

One of Moir's best ever. David Rowe give him the ashes back (albeit temporarily).

All reinforced by the following editorial too:

"With this speech [by W Bush State of the Union yesterday], there can be no more excuses for John Howard. Australia's problem with climate change - not mere drought - must be at the top of the Australian political agenda after 10 years of relative neglect by the Federal Government and the Labor premiers. Mr Howard's elevation of Malcolm Turnbull to cabinet as Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, following the elevation of Peter Garrett as the Opposition spokesman for the environment, is an acknowledgement that both major parties see the environment and energy use as a top priority. Two political heavyweights will now battle for public attention over the issue."

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California has sent a letter to every other member of the House urging them to participate in Saturday’s anti-war protest in Washington. She joins us to talk about her call and her resolution to withdraw US troops from Iraq.

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/137727.php

A NSW Crown Prosecutor, Patrick Power, will enter a guilty plea to a charge of possessing child pornography, a Sydney court has heard.

Power, a Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor was suspended in July last year after a child pornography video recording was allegedly found on his computer hard drive.

The discovery was allegedly made by another employee after Power took the hard drive to work for repairs. He was charged with one count of possessing child pornography.

Power was not in Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday but his lawyer David Giddy indicated he would enter a guilty plea.

Chief Magistrate Graeme Henson adjourned the matter to April 24 for sentencing, ordering a pre-sentence report for Power.

He was reluctant to adjourn the matter for such a long period but said: "I accept this is a somewhat unusual matter for more than one reason."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Power-to-admit-child-porn-charge-court/2007/01/25/1169594400465.html

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma says Islamic cleric Sheikh Taj el-din Al Hilali should announce whether he is going to run in the state election.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1833703.htm

=========================

In other developments:

Group won't support Sheikh's MP push

The president of Australia's Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA), Tom Zreika, has distanced himself from Muslim cleric Sheikh Taj el-Din Al Hilali, who reportedly wants to field three candidates in the south-west Sydney seats of Lakemba, Bankstown and Auburn in the state election.

=============================

You say, "Muslim cleric Sheikh Taj el-Din Al Hilali, who reportedly wants to field three candidates in the south-west Sydney seats of Lakemba, Bankstown and Auburn in the state election."

Then why didn't anyone including the ABC tell the New South Wales Deputy Premier John Watkins?

Debnam urged to rule out Hilali preference deal
by Parrot Press Monday January 22, 2007 at 12:54 PM

Debnam urged to rule out Hilali preference deal

New South Wales Deputy Premier John Watkins is calling on the State Opposition to rule out preference deals with Islamic cleric Sheikh Taj el-Din Al Hilali if he decides to run as a candidate in the state election.

========================

Does New South Wales Deputy Premier John Watkins think we don't know that Sheikh Taj el-Din Al Hilali publicly declared on National TV that he was not offering himself up personally as a NSW candidate? Or is he just acting dumb? Perhaps no one told him? Nah! So what would he have against any other Muslim candidate anyways? Islamophobia?

What would Peter Debnam Say? I love you I love you all?

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/137206_comment.php#137235

slamophobic Australians attack peaceful Aussie mufti

January 15, 2007 - Aussie mufti Sheik Taj al-Din Hilali's recent comments during an Egyptian TV interview have triggered more Islamaphobic outrage in Australia, with a number of politicians, including Federal Immigration Minister Senator Amanda Vanstone, laughing him off as an "irrelevance" or demanding he "stay in his native Egypt if did not like Australia."

http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/57907

Sheik's comments spur calls to Immigration Dept?

Now it's alleged that the Sheik Taj el-Din Al Hilali comments spurred calls to the Immigration Department? What was the point of the pr exercise if people weren't going to call her? Why does she distance herself from her government and political media establishment's xenophobic pr campaigns?

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/136146.php

I think its a bit rough to say I have failed to disclose my interest in standing for Parliament. When I made the decision last year (some months after chairing the Victorian process) one of the first things I did was contact journalists to inform them. I have hardly been keeping this under a bushel then or since.

In the time since my interest has, as you mention, been on ABC radio’s Conversation Hour and has been mentioned several times on other shows like AM and PM. It’s also been reported on in many newspapers such as the Australian, Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times. Eg:
<http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/constitution-expert-wants-labor-seat/2006/07/12/1152637740380.html>
It's also been mentioned recently in the Daily Telegraph itself and on TV such as on Insiders.

My point is only that this is already in the public domain. Even given this, it needs to be remembered that this is all merely about a possible future aspiration. I have not actually stood for, let alone been pre-selected for, anything.

Otherwise, thanks for the kind bit about ornaments!

Cheers

George

When I heard the conversation hour I thought the ALP would be foolish not to court your impressive mind in some way. Lord knows we need a strong sense of human rights law in this country, with now retired appeal court judges of Victoria publishing against the scandal of legal abuse of a citizen (Hicks).

It's enough to make one quite queasy.

Good luck George, but as always without fear or favour has to be the approach here at the indymedia blogger 5th estate.

I read the transcript of OShane's decision. She was treated rough too, and that put you and Iemma in play.