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Last updated on July 24th, 2017 at 12:54 pm
Mad Mark is thrilled to bits:
Louise Adler, the chief executive officer of Melbourne University Publishing, said Mr Latham was thrilled about the reaction he had received.
“He’s thrilled to bits. We’re all delighted. I think it’s been a terrific response,” Ms Adler said.
She said Mr Latham was unperturbed by criticisms of himself and his book.
Well, why would he be? He was offered enough money to buy a sturdy buggy, after all:
Louise Adler from Melbourne University Press says they hope to sell 75,000 hard copies.
“But I can tell you that we had numerous offers from numerous media organisations with hansom amounts of money attached to them and Mark Latham was not interested in taking them,” she said.
Hmmm … $39.95 times 75,000 … works out to nearly $3 million. Whatever Latham’s cut, that’s a lot of buggies. Latest identitities smeared by the Green Valley Berserker include Janette Howard (“a nasty piece of work”) and Paul Lennon (“I don’t know where his loyalties lie but they certainly weren’t with the federal Labor Party”), while Labor’s Lindsay Tanner says the voters got it right:
The Australian people ultimately always get it right, we have to accept their verdict and clearly Mark’s doing everything he can to suggest that they did get it right.
As Labor voter Garry Russell writes: “It still amazes me how perceptive the Australian voting public continues to be.” Even the waterheads at Green Left Weekly are coming over to Howard’s side … well, sort of:
Working people didn’t just vote for Howard in the last election because they thought he was a great bloke or because they’re all selfish. There was no well-known credible alternative, they were scared about the future and the Coalition parties’ criticisms of Labor’s elitism had a ring of truth about them.
That’s from Sue Bull, “a member of the Geelong branch of the Socialist Alliance.” And a teacher, naturally. Former Latham enthusiast Chris Sheil would now like it to be known “that Mark Latham was never this blog’s choice.” He preferred electoral certainty Kevin Rudd. And the ABC has dug up a Canberra academic who supports (but not completely) Latham’s anti-US stance:
Dr Michael McKinley, from the Australian National University, says while Mr Latham is right to criticise the alliance for dominating Australia’s security policy, he has oversimplified the relationship …
Dr McKinley says Mr Latham’s comments are extreme.
You’ve got serious problems when you’re too extreme for a guy who turns up at Greenpeace rallies, is approvingly cited by John Pilger, and speaks at Hiroshima Day guilt-fests. Hey, what about Labor’s attempt to turn the party into a kind of Huffington celebrity deal?
The Latham Diaries, to be released on Monday, reveal that Waugh, ABC presenter Maxine McKew and former Australian Medical Association head Kerryn Phelps were all approached as possible ALP candidates before last year’s federal election.
ALP Left powerbroker John Faulkner regarded the Australian Test captain and star batsman as a possible leader of the ALP, according to Mr Latham.
More on this particular matter, and much else besides, in The Bulletin on Wednesday. Meanwhile, take a look at Latham’s diary entry for Friday, February 6, 2004, in which he reveals the background to his Liverpool preselection:
I was the beneficiary of the Head Office rorts, with dozens of Party members rubbed out of the ballot. Some big Labor names were involved, people who have gone on to be Federal and State frontbenchers, making it a pretty big story now that I’m Leader of the Party. That’s why the enemies have leaked it. I had a feeling that things were going too well, that something had to go wrong. This is it.
Some big Labor names were involved, all right—including Mark Latham, who bitches that he was caught. And this goon was going to reform the ALP?
UPDATE. Tasmanian Infrastructure Energy and Resources Minister Bryan Green hits back at Latham’s claims that the Labor state government was disloyal:
“I took him on a helicopter flight to look at forest management and he went to sleep,” Mr Green said.
“That is the absolute truth.”
I’m inclined to cut Latham a little slack in this case.
You know, probably the best thing we can do for the Libs is go out and buy copies of Latham’s book. Aside from the entertainment value, with a few bucks in his pocket he’s likely to be as much of a loose cannon and distraction as Senator Kerry is now…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 09 18 at 04:13 PM • permalink
Latham knows all publicity is good publicity.
I voted for Latho at the last election, so pickle me in vinegar and call me an egg.
I was an ALP member at the time.
Hindsight is a super thing.
Posted by Major Anya on 2005 09 18 at 05:37 PM • permalink
Richard, buying the book will not put any money in Latham’s pocket, not for a long time anyway, until the massive advance has been covered. I suspect when you see the price tag on the book next month, that will be a long way off. Think in terms of 10% of the sale price, 75,000 times $40 gives you $300,000. But that is a very optimistic scenario. I wonder if the contract includes payment for extracts, I imagine with Louise Adler involved it does (shared with the publisher).
“Right through 2004, we were trying to get out of him a policy we could deal with,” Mr Latham said.
“He cut the deal with Howard that we would have grabbed if he had presented it to us just eight or nine months earlier.”
Lennon HAD a policy – the RFA – it wasn’t for him to propose policies to federal Labor.
“I don’t know where his loyalties lie, but they certainly weren’t with the federal Labor Party…” No they were with the 8,500 forrestry workers.
Posted by Pig Head Sucker on 2005 09 18 at 06:38 PM • permalink
That’s from Sue Bull, “a member of the Geelong branch of the Socialist Alliance.” And a teacher, naturally
A humorous combination of name, hobby, and profession.
Posted by walterplinge on 2005 09 18 at 07:34 PM • permalink
Paul Sheehan in today’s SMH makes some good points, especially about the behaviour of the media in this whole sorry mess.
…so pickle me in vinegar and call me an egg.
Wouldn’t you rather be pickled in alcohol, Darlene? It certainly tastes better. ;-P
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2005 09 19 at 01:44 AM • permalink
#4 Darlene. And THATS why you’re still looking for a decent feed and a nice man 😉
Posted by Lucky Nutsacks on 2005 09 19 at 01:56 AM • permalink
- Latham’s pension will keep him in beer and skittles for a looong time. As much as I would like to see a credible opposition party to keep government honest and accountable, it’s patently obvious that the fox has been in the henhouse for far too long.
If I were arms aKimbo, I would sue him for libel.
(is it libel or defamation if it is written?)
- Hi CB,
Defamation covers both libel (written) and slander (spoken).—NoraPosted by The Thin Man Returns on 2005 09 19 at 03:29 AM • permalink
Mmmm, I will be pickled in booze any moment now.
Tee hee, you could be right, Deo. Right in so many ways.
Posted by Major Anya on 2005 09 19 at 06:13 AM • permalink
MUP may be more generous to its authors but a recent experience with a mainstream publisher involved royalties to the author of 10% of the publisher’s wholesale price (60% of retail). For Latham’s projected sales, this translates to $179,775 in royalties. At 1/11th of retail, GST works out to $272,386. It’s nice to think that more will be spent on good works like hospitals and schools than will go into the dickhead’s pocket. None of it will come from my pocket.
#17 Beazley is shown up as being as noxious a piece of filth as Latham. Worse, he does not even have the excuse of being insane.
Posted by Susan Norton on 2005 09 19 at 11:09 AM • permalink
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