Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch is gonna run the country is he?
We better vote for Kevin to stop that bastard Murdoch taking control of the nation eh
Makes sense to the stupid

Ah the "Dirty Digger" ! He'll probably be too busy bailing his journos out and dodging uk police to have much impact. But you have to admire the front of a man who was willing to defend the hacking of a murdered teenager's mobile phone. Remember Milly Dowler!

Maybe he feels guilty for backing Kevin in the 2007 election,and feels obligated to try and make up for it after seeing the train wreck of the last 6 years

So yorkessurfer did Rupert have the same conversation with Kevin back in 2007 when his papers backed the Labour Party ?And has Rupert been running the country for the last six years?
Murdoch owns 32% of papers in Australia, hardly a monopoly .In saying that ,Murdoch papers sell 60%of all paper sales .but that's because more people prefer to read them.
Murdoch is obviously not stupid , he knows a bad government when he sees one ,as opposed to you Yorkessurfer
Even the left leaning Financial Review has written off the Labour Party
You waffle off your shit on this forum as if its a fact when in reality it's just rubbish .

There shouldn't be any argument about the unhealthy concentration of media in this "lucky" country ....

http://theconversation.com/australias-lamentable-media-diversity-needs-a...

Murdoch has switched sides (here with Hawke/Keating & in the UK with Blair) but only when it suits his commercial interest. Fox News in the US is a total disgrace in is unflinching support of the ultra conservatives that now make up what was once known as the Republicans.

There is no current greater parasite to democracy across the world than Murdoch, and the son of such a beautiful and generous woman, Dame Elizabeth Murdoch.

You are welcome to support Abbott or Rudd or Greens, that is your democratic right but don't blindly think what you read or see in the media is unbiased particularly when its Murdoch owed.

Right, I feel better now .....

Is it just me or do all hardcore Liberal voters share similar tendencies on internet forums?

@Floyd you are dillussional..'no greater parasite to democracy" WTF are yo on about? Mugabe in Africa, South Korea.gov in Burma? This old geezer is just a media mogul..I think you just had a blowout!!

Poor old Julia, even school kids despised her.Obviously you thought she was doing a good job there Yorkessurfer .
Anyway each to there own .
It's interesting isn't it .The Murdoch owned advertiser backs the coalition in South Australia while the Murdoch owned Daily Telegrath backs a change of government in NSW.
How could the all controlling Rupert Murdoch allow this to happen?
Jeez stunet is that the best you've got? Are you a moderator on this forum?such an insightful contribution.

Hey barley, not on anything mate apart from green tea and more surfs that my body can sometimes cope with. Ha, life is good.

My point about Murdoch is a reflection on how 1st world governments have feared the editorial power he wields to progress his own commercial interests and the conservative agenda (small government, low taxes, decentralising executive power etc). A good example of what I am talking about is what came to light in the UK over the last couple of years. Another is Fox News in the US; the hate editorials that spew from that channel is staggering.

I don't think any reasonable person would or could argue against the premise.

Again I say you are welcome to your political "moderate" views but just don't believe the shit you get from the media.

Yes. You've got a good point there floyd.why would anyone in their right mind want small government , low taxes and a decentralised government.
Big bloated government sucking up all the tax payers money , high taxes , to pay for all the big government departments and a centralised government that takes all decision away from local community sounds a lot better
You wouldn't be a communist by any chance would you floyd

Hey grocer, no I'm no commie. Haven't heard that question used for some years now so its very funny. Commies, aren't they under the bed?

Its forget politics for a minute. Do you know which 1st world countries / economies have the happiest citizens? And do you know one of the most important things that determines a high degree of happiness among citizens?

Well, it turns out the countries that have high rates of tax like the Scandinavia also have the happiest citizens. Why? because the things that make people happy are really good schools and universities and good health care when its needed and modern infrastructure and all of these things cost money i.e. tax. Australia is a low tax country, look at the OECD statistics. Howard has much to answer for in giving his aspirational Australians an annual tax cut, again another fact beyond debating.

Happiness index .... further, its the difference between the lowest and highest paid workers in an economy that has an important influence on people's happiness and their sense of justice in the world. Its interesting reading how low paid workers in the US have had basically no increase in wages for the last 10 or more years while executive salaries have increased at a staggering rate over the same period. Reliable data exists demonstrating this beyond despite.

So I'm no commie but do believe in a fairer country than what we have now, sad both major parties sing from the same song sheet.

@Floyd..if you don't like him simply don't listen to the cunt..or read his shit. I don't..esp now on the internet we have to pay to read the news..what a joke.I don't have fox either..Don't bother arguing the high tax crap as well..we also have the highest wages..I said..you said...we can nit pick data and statistics to suit our own personal arguments forever..You believe in a 'fairer'country..what does that mean mate?

Anyone delusional enough to think that Rudd is no longer the psychotic narcissist that those who know him best know him still to be, get your hands on a copy of tonight's 7.30 Report interview with Leigh Sales. Then let's talk.

Yeah I don't think he came out on top of that one, did he. Jeez, Kevin's got some dialogue traits that are really annoying too,: "The point want to make is this..", "the bottom line is this..", etc.

The way all politicians avoid the question topic is very annoying too. They're asked a simple yes/no question, and then get shitty when the interviewer interjects 30 seconds into their response because they've completely skirted around the issue. How about an upfront 'yes' or 'no', followed by a quick rationale?

Imagine being in the USA and having to go through this for 6 months...

The horror, the horror. You'd plead for a mercy killing. Just four weeks of this will have me retching. Abbott is so scared of putting a foot wrong he reads, s l o w l y, from a script. But I never get the real sense of him. Rudd on the other hand is (still) so convinced he's the smartest person in the room that the slightest presumption otherwise - such as a question requiring a factual response different to his narrative - sees his death stare turned on full force, and his charm (smarm?) switch to acidic sarcasm. Which is where I get the real sense of the man - a nasty piece of work.

All pollies do it but rudd looks like a right wanker the way he tries to bamboozle people with his sophisticated 'narrative'. He looked stupid on Andrew bolt when he could not / would not answer questions about climate change. The choice is rudd, someone who hardly represents ozzies, or Abbott who appears ozzy with his action man persona, until he opens his mouth with his 1950s 'narrative'. At least rudd appears he could b the smartest man in the room, more than u can say for abbott. It's just his slick lying to manipulate people and situations that puts me off, I think the label is sociopath, and thats what politicians are.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/when-stepha...

Gold!!!!

Yorkes that so called 'Independant Australia' website you keep linking to seems at first glance to be total left wing, biased garbage, probably funded by the union movement. In previous threads you have warned us (me in particular) to not just listen to the 'main stream media', so are you saying we should get our information from, a biased news service such as 'Independant Australia, you have to be kidding me. Where's the balance in that? Are you or someone close running against Ramsey for the seat of Grey or something?

From Crickey.com...doesn't matter which way the door swings, Murdoch will have his way:

"I still remember the day Rupert Murdoch invited the then Opposition Leader, John Howard, to his office for "a chat".

It was the week before the federal election. I was there, as a News Limited editor, together with Murdoch and two other News executives. We all knew why Howard had been summoned by Murdoch -- it was a kind of "courtesy" by the media baron to inform the Liberal leader, in person, that all the editorials in News Limited newspapers across Australia over coming days would be campaigning against Howard and supporting his rival, Bob Hawke, as Prime Minister.

Murdoch took Howard into another room to break the news. When the two men returned and I saw the desolate look on Howard's face, I realised I was witnessing the harsh reality of Australian "democracy" in action.

Today, of course, Murdoch's newspapers -- along with the rapidly-deteriorating Fairfax mastheads -- still dominate Australian political coverage.

Eric Beecher, Crikey's chairman"

She sounds like a) a sore loser b) has just split up with her journalist boyfriend or c) was not given a job in the journalism industry..but hey she is entitled to her opinion.

Where I'm working at the moment the smoko room has a big screen TV with Fox news on 24/7. One of the constants I've noticed is the comment of how the media has unfairly backed Labor throughout their last 6 years in power, and particularly during this election campaign. Talk about code word smoke and mirror tactics from the dominant Fairfax news group.

I think Rupert has memorised the book The Textbook on Psychopolitics, aka The Brainwashing Manual by L. Ron Hubbard. He was one dude who sure knew how to brainwash a chosen group of the population.

If you think the Murdoch press has stepped over the line in this campaign consider a donation here.

https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/media/murdochs-election-campaign/get-...

Any of you guys live where you may be unfortunate enough to have The Telegraph as a local rag.
Now who is responsible for owning that sham..... How unfortunate Australia media has come to that.

Shameful shit Mouse. It is not just politics it's profit he wants the coalition to prevent the NBN running fibre to the door as it will threaten the Foxtel monopoly.

I dig GetUp! although they kinda worry me at times too. There seems an element of "you're on the left so you must also think this...," that doesn't account for individual thinking. A bit bandwagonesque. The mindless sheep herding of the right (radio shock jocks, Fox news, et al) is the most serious flaw in that side of politics. It worries me when I see the same mentality developing elsewhere.

That said, good on 'em for getting stuck in with this campaign.

well said stu, i get a little annoyed at all the getup emails i get about every other cause when there are certain issues i want to hear about and others i'm not really interested in. i would like to see a filter on getup so that people could choose what they hear about.

At least with Getup the level of exposure of their ads/actions is directly related to demand. If enought people want an ad to be aired, then it is. The standard right wing defence of "free" (read monopolised, opinion based) media actually works in this instance. If you don't want to see it, then don't pay for it to be aired.

Contrast this to the Murdochracy, where you have one bitter old man using his daddy's wealth to tell you how you should vote, under the untested guise of it being "what the public demand". You have no choice as to whether you see it. It's everywhere.

Yeh I really pick my issues with GetUp! I rarely donate but I loathe Murdoch so much I chipped in this time.

so from reading this thread murdoch backed hawke over howard, and rudd over howard the first time, but after 6 years of the worst government ever, backing abbott over rudd is a threat to democracy... that particular threat including restriction of press freedom always comes from the left , dont like abbott but looking forward to the screams from getup etc..

So, you don't like Abbott, but you'll vote him in just to annoy Getup eh?

I guess you'll also enjoy austerity then.

Murdoch backs whoever he believes will support his business interests at that particular point in time, and then sets out to skew the debate in favour of his preferred candidate via lies and control of information. Given his monopoly on print media I'd call that a threat to democracy.

loungelizard there is difference between support for one side or the other and an obnoxiou attempt to sway public opinion for financial gain. There is no risk to freedom of speech in running ads to counter News Ltd's shameful behaviour nor in anything else that draws attention to attempts to drag what is already a debased campaign from both sides, further into the gutter.
Since you raised party political issues, I often hear this statement that the current government is the worst ever but I've never heard anyone explain why. Can you?

voting for pyne lower house because hes smart/funny, xenophon upper . am smart enough to recognise bias from murdoch and from guardian/fairfax/abc and suspect most others are too despite what leftleaners tend to think, not clear why its financial gain this time but kosher previously (pro hawke and rudd) that foxtel/nbn stuff is a crock being peddled by the guardian, but if you want to believe it...

Bias is not the same as irrational insult and abuse. Media outlets can choose sides but there is an expectation of reasonable behaviour that News Ltd, repeatedly and internationally fails to meet. I think all they got from Hawke was the status quo, bad enough when we needed reform, but hardly the same. As for the NBN stuff, why is it a crock? Murdoch has a monopoly on pay TV tell me howncable to the door doesn't threaten that and I might think about your view.
Christopher Pyne funny? You are a warped individual loungelizard, he reminds me of one of those yappy lap dogs, lots of noise until a real issue comes up then straight back into Tony's handbag!

BB, pyne comes across like a smarmy prick, and I can see why allot of people dislike him but, I get to hear him a fair bit down here, radio etc and I must admit he can be really funny, he has got a quick wit. He is dedicated to his cause that is for sure.