Politically Incorrect

[waitingman]

While I acknowledge that Brendan Nelson didn't do a top-notch job of replying/agreeing with/endorsing the Great Apology, I think it's fair to say that he was in an unenviable position from the start. Nobody was going to take the Liberals seriously after the tone set by the former PM. As evidenced by the amount of public in-fighting over whether they'd even apologise or not, there's some hard work & some dead-wood cutting to do in the Opposition ranks if they're to be dragged into the present day.

The Great Apology was the right & necessary thing to do. KRudd's planned bi-partisan approach to the nuts'n'bolts of reconciliation is a noble & fair thing to do. I'd like to think Nelson personally supports the act & the process, but is hamstrung by his own party & its 11 year history.

So, at the risk of being culturally insensitive & being labelled racist, I find this story smells a little too strongly of attention-seeking, over-reacting &, at the very least, media beat-up.

I'm not proud of White Australia's past record & support the compensation claims that will come, but the grapes in that article taste a little sour to me...

Now, can we all get on with the very real work required?

Edit: As I say in the 'Comments' section ~ "Serves me right for reading a story on a NewsLimited LimitedNews website..."

Seems I should just stick to reporting on the minutiae of my own life & keep my nose out of current affairs...

Edit II: And it seems I'm not the only one who's had the rest of the story pointed out to me... the LimitedNews site now carries this update of the story, complete with the background I was unaware of.

Comments

[thebellman.livejournal.com]

From top to bottom - yes, fair to say, yes, I lean toward your supposition that Nelson personally supports Rudd on this (shall we say he has good intentions?), but I disagree with your reaction to the story about Ms Lyman. I've managed to catch a lot of it on the radio as it was unfolding, and it's quite definite that Nelson misquoted her, shaped what she said into a different context, and most critically: never sought to gain her approval or warn her that he was going to be quoting her. That's just shabby and tacky, and by any measure rude.

What has happened is that the poor woman is now being targeted by lunatic activist, and abused by her own friends and family, for apparently supporting Nelson. I've heard her in interviews twice, now, and she is absolutely shattered.

[waitingman.livejournal.com]

Serves me right for reading a story on a NewsLimited LimitedNews website...

I have to confess I was so repelled by the hype surrounding the Apology that I didn't see it, listen to it, or read it. I support the act, but not the subsequent gushing & endless vox-pops from everyman & his dog in the street.

So I've been avoiding all the articles, reports etc... & only landed on this one because of the outrage(d)ous tone of the 'headline'.

Nelson was using material in the public domain, so I'm not sure he had to ask her permission to quote from it ~ though given that the source is still alive, it would have been the decent thing to do... If he misquoted deliberately, then that's certainly irresponsible & he should be called on it.

Any way you slice it, the guy's not doing a good job of leading the Liberals forward. It's not a party that can be led by consensus & compromise. No party or organisation is. He either needs to grow a pair, or be replaced. Trouble is ~ all the dominant voices in the Liberal Party are so hopelessly out of touch, step & place in the 'real world', that they should either be put out, or left out, to pasture.

Then, at least, the Federal Liberals would be consistent with their State colleagues ~ directionless, leaderless... dare one say 'Rudderless'??

[thebellman.livejournal.com]

No worries. If you hadn't seen or heard all the rest of the bits and pieces, it could be easily misinterpreted. You are correct in pointing out that the material's in the public domain... but it's still rude to use it. Hmm. Let's look at your words, more or less in the public domain, and see what I can mangle out of it.

"I have to confess I was so repelled... that the source is still alive. Any way you slice it, he either needs to grow a pair or be replaced... put out, or left out, to pasture. Then at least the Federal Liberals would be consistent."

;-) dangerous things, words left on the record.

[waitingman.livejournal.com]

Indeed, that reads like a scratched record... which is what happens to them if you're not careful & responsible!

[thebellman.livejournal.com]

A pun that you need to be over a certain age to follow.