I like the way that when something embarrassing for Kevin Rudd comes up, the left leaning blogs certainly take their time to make any comment. Despite it dominating the news and ABC current affairs shows last night, nothing yet on LP, Road to Surfdom, or Blogocracy as at 10 am this morning. "Rapid fire commentary" indeed, Tim Dunlop. (While I am at it, I reckon Blogocracy would benefit from less bloat in each individual post. His non-corporate blog had a bit more life to it than this incarnation, and I still don't see what benefit it is to News Ltd to run it.)
The contrast is with anything of embarrassment to John Howard. That never gets left alone for long. I can see the questions from the blog commentators if the shoe was on the other foot: so it took 6 months for her company to realise the mistake? Shows how careless she is in running her company, and what little disregard it has for the workers...
Also, although the SMH website this morning gave the story a "headline" near the top, you really had to look much harder to spot it on The Age website, down under the "National" section.
As I understand it, Kevin Rudd's wife's fortune has effectively been made (or at least greatly enhanced?) from the Liberal government's change in policy on employment placement services, which was (if I recall correctly) strongly opposed by Labor at the time. The irony of this seems to have attracted remarkably little comment since the Rudd ascendancy.
I dunno about this one, Steve - it's a somewhat delicate issue. If a right-winger bangs on about it too much, they could be accused of attacking Rudd through his wife. Not a good look!
ReplyDeleteAnd the criticism would have some substance, too. The gutter-snipes of the Coalition - the Bill Heffernan crowd, for instance - could easily, so very easily, fall into the mistake of claiming that Rudd should be 'responsible' for his wife's business.
There is a better example of Labor hypocrisy here .
I presume those were your comments on that Larvatus Prodeo thread, by the way? For what it's worth, I agreed with them, though sometimes professing sympathy with the right-wing at LP is akin to walking several kilometres against a hurricane.
Tim, it is a delicate issue, and the Libs have been delicate about it - so far. But Rudd himself admits it is embarrassing, and raises difficult issues about his wife's future business - and the Left blogs just ignore it completely. I do not think that there is any prospect of silence on the issue if it was a Howard relative.
ReplyDeleteYes that was me at LP. Anna's first response was typically snarky - she seems not to be able to resist. Her second go was much more reasonable.
Well yes, given the intensity of lefty blogging over the Heffernan/Gillard non-event, and the complete failure to mention any of the examples of Labor misogyny directed towards Gillard or others (there are many), I'd say you're right.
ReplyDeleteI admire the commitment of Anna Winter and other political party members, but at the same time, they seem to strain everything they say through Labor Party ideology; they seem to become dishonest. I get the same sensation as if, say, I was speaking to Mormons. Not pleasant.