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GUNNS DRAWN
The combined Greens/NIMBY/Labor attempt to beat up on Malcolm Turnbull seems to have backfired:
Opponents of George Newhouse, the Labor candidate for Malcolm Turnbull’s prized Sydney seat of Wentworth, yesterday threatened to punish him over his failure to express a clear, personal view on the Tasmanian pulp mill.
Businessman Geoff Cousins, who has championed a campaign against the Environment Minister because of his conditional approval of the $2billion Gunns proposal, said Mr Newhouse was the latest to display political cowardice on the issue.
And Greens leader Bob Brown told The Australian he would no longer urge Greens voters in Wentworth to give their preferences to Mr Newhouse unless he took a different view from that of the Government.
This unpleasantness has come about despite the involvement of ALP geniuses:
The ALP, which is throwing some of its best minds into Wentworth, is hoping Greens preferences in trendy segments of the upmarket eastern suburbs electorate could tip the marginal seat Labor’s way. For this reason, Labor minders have urged Mr Newhouse not to talk with the mainstream media on the mill issue.
Only the smart Labor people get to talk. Meanwhile, Newhouse has redefined “pro bono”; now it means $165,000.
UPDATE. ABC election analyst Antony Green, a few weeks ago:
The Labor Party is not going to make itself the issue as it did with Mark Latham in 2004 ... this election, the Labor Party has been absolutely careful that its the government’s position on forestry and the government’s position on Gunns which everyone is debating, not the Labor Party’s position.
That was before Danielle the Destroyer got involved:
The glamorous ex-girlfriend of Labor’s candidate for the prized Sydney seat of Wentworth, Danielle Ecuyer, is planning to run against her former beau.
And in the ultimate act of political sedition, she plans to direct her preferences away from him ...
Her former boyfriend, Labor candidate George Newhouse, has refused to condemn the mill. He stands to scoop preferences from Green candidates, who are running a campaign against the incumbent, Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Although she has not formally registered as a candidate, Ms Ecuyer said: “I think it’s time. I’ve been approached before and I’ve backed away, but this is serious. It’s about the planet.”
In response to some disparaging remarks made in the other thread.
Posted by Richard Sharpe on 2007 10 13 at 01:51 AM • permalinkGunns owns Tamar Ridge Wines, the nearest winery to the pulp mill, and so have a vested interest in air quality, etc.
IIRC there has been pulp milling in the Tamar Valley since the 1930s.
Give up Cousins, y’ole buzzard: develop elsewhere if you don’t like the mill ...
Most of the protest about the Mill in Tasmania is more about the way it was removed from the expert scrutiny of the RPDC (after it was indicated that the project was “critically not in compliance”), meaning that the whole process was tainted, throw in the Premiers previous attempts to influence the RPDC chairman and the whole thing is dodgy from start to finish. Most Tasmanians will take any help they can get to see this project ended.
Posted by Harry Buttle on 2007 10 13 at 01:59 AM • permalinkCrikeys!
Now Rudd is trying to gag the Greens too!
What a control freak. I expect to see him on the beach demanding the tide not come in next.
Posted by curious george on 2007 10 13 at 02:26 AM • permalinkI’d take Homer too, but instead I have this guy.
I did have Jason Wood, and he was excellent. He made what he was doing well known in the community and frequently does mail-outs and such. He even sent me a birthday card for my 21st, which stunned me. He’s the only politician I’ve ever heard of doing that! A lot of this speaks well of him too, although Margos Maid will be furious about the apostrophocation.
It’s not the best marketing strategy, but it did get me thinking, which was probably the real point of the exercise. It was so unusual that I made a mental note of it.
Inside the card though, was a subtle reminder to remember to register to vote, and if I liked, I could drop by his office and grab enrolment forms. I didn’t have the heart to call him and mention that since he got my name and address off the electoral roles, I probably didn’t need enrolment forms.
So whats the end of the story? When the duking it out of individual seats is done, WILL Rudd be PM, and Howards coalition be out? Is this wishful thinking on the anti-Howard side or a done deal. THere is kind of a given here is the US that Hilary is next president.But that aint necessarily so.
So, Aussie friends, what is real, what is spin. Is howard out for sure?
#19 It’s a tough call Debi.
I’ll give you the 21-year-old view though.
I personally like Howard and the Liberals, which is obvious. They’ve made it possible for me to own a home and two cars, have a secure job and a university education, and most importantly, to be able to provide for my daughter. It’s often commented by people my age that we’re too familiar with Howard, and he’s old and boring. But that’s apparently a generational view, because apparently my generation gets bored easily.
There are all the perceived lies involved though. Many people, especially those my age, are too busy to be bothered researching the favourite lines of the anti-Howard people. They don’t, and won’t, research Tampa, AWB, or any of the other events that Howard is said to have lied about. So now that Labor finally has someone who doesn’t, on the surface, seem like a complete train wreck like Latham, Crean and Beazley did, then they’re much more prepared to vote for them rather than go with the completely safe option, which is Liberal.
I think there’s a fair bit of truth in the notion that Australians are bored with John Howard and the Liberal party. I think at John Howard will get back in though. Those who are over 30 remember Keating and the failures before him, those my age have heard the stories, and can see what is happening in the States, especially NSW, QLD and Victoria. The basic services are running, but that’s about it, and all are in debt.
At the end of the day, we’re all going to vote for what will keep us safe and will cost us the least. That’s Liberal, not Labor, despite what Rudd says. It’s Liberal which has gotten us out of major debt, and Liberal which has cut taxes. I can’t picture a Rudd Government doing that.
Rudd has all the support from the university set, but they’re happy as long as it’s anyone but Howard. None of them seem to realize that next year he wants to force university students to take out compulsory loans for services that hardly any of them use. That’s not at all fair, nor should it be legal.
There’s also Rudd’s complete aversion to the truth, which is more important than most people my age seem to realize. If he can’t remember going to a strip club, how can he remember going to a meeting with George W. Bush? Either he was completely smashed and can’t remember a single thing, or he goes to strip clubs so much that all the visits have merged into one memory.
Look, I think Newhouse is a good guy. However, when a guy like Malcolm Turnbull wants to take a massive pay-cut and enter federal politics, you would be stupid not to let him!
This country needs more successful, talented people in government. Hopefully, that talent might just trickle down to the public service.
Regardless of what you may think of his politics, Turnbull is talented and successful.
#24,
Unlike Rudd, Turnbull doesn’t trade on his past. Turnbull apparently grew up in a 2br unit with his dad after mum shot through. I couldn’t give a flying F whether he’s a multi-millionaire or not, he doesn’t trade on hard times.
I have 10 brothers and sisters, and we all got where we are on our own abilities.
Kev07 should be doing the same, instead of being minded by labor shepherds.
Gunning for Gunns: Geoffrey Cousins
7 October, 2007
Transcript of Cousins’ interview with Monica Attard on Sunday Profile, audio also avail.Burnie residents offer their town for proposed pulp mill
24 August, 2007 Transcript
Page 1 of 1 pages
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Foreshore developer Cousins and Bob Brown in cahoots?
Sullying your hands there, Mr Brown ...