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News Ltd. endorses Howard; Andrew Bolt mad

Sunday 18 November 2007, 8:40 am

The Editor

Categories: Australia Decides '07, Media

Tags: AndrewBolt, endorsement, JohnHoward, KevinRudd, NewsLtd, RupertMurdoch

Yesterday News Limited’s The Australian won an award in a competition between News Limited newspapers. Today Andrew Bolt is declaring John Howard the unanimous winner of the election based on — wait for it — editorials in News Limited newspapers.

John Howard wins - the endorsement of most newspaper editorials today, that is:

Adelaide’s Sunday Mail:

Change for change’s sake is not a good enough reason to vote out a Government… The Sunday Mail believes the Coalition is best placed to govern Australia for the next three years.

Perth’s Sunday Times:

The Sunday Times believes change for change sake is simply not an adequate trigger to throw out a Coalition Government which, while far from perfect, has overseen record prosperity in WA and the nation.

Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph:

The Sunday Telegraph accepts readers believe it is finally time to give Labor a go. But Mr Rudd … must stare down a Labor cabinet inhabited by many with union and factional allegiances… The Sunday Telegraph advocates a vote for Labor, provided Mr Rudd give these assurances.

Melbourne’s Sunday Herald:

But why take the chance? Why change horses when Australia galloping strongly ahead with the lowest unemployment in a generation? … Australians should stick with Mr Howard.

Melbourne’s Sunday Age:

On the contenders’ “exposed form”,The Sunday Age does not see enough differences between the Coalition and Labor to urge readers to vote for one over the other.

(Those missing are ones I can’t yet find.)

This verdict is interesting because, among other things, it isn’t commone (sic) for newspapers to advocate a vote for the underdog. We like to back winners. Another reason this is interesting is the Rudd hasn’t even been able to get the support of the Sunday Age.

Surprise, surprise. Every single one of Rupert Murdoch’s flying monkey newspaper editors has endorsed John Howard. Total coincidence, I’m sure. And let’s just have a look at that “endorsement” from the Fairfaix Sunday Age again

On the contenders’ “exposed form”,The Sunday Age does not see enough differences between the Coalition and Labor to urge readers to vote for one over the other.

Read it in full here if you want to check for yourself. That’s not an endorsement of either leader; Andrew Bolt is mad.

6 Comments

Mikey (Sunday 18 November 2007, 9:59 am) #

Except the Sunday Tellie; they said Rudd with provisos. So it should be almost every one of the flying monkeys … and what an apt descriptive that is. Can someone photoshop up that for us?
Bruce (Sunday 18 November 2007, 1:49 pm) #

Why change horses when Australia galloping strongly ahead with the lowest unemployment in a generation?

Why am I thinking of “Wag the dog?” ;-)
Bridgit Gread (Sunday 18 November 2007, 2:18 pm) #

I listen to Andrew Bolt on 3AW every Tuesday morning, just to see what the loopy sod is going to come out with, and the change in his demeanour and rhetoric has been remarkable:

Bolta in August: “Labor is only ahead in the polls because ‘the people’ want to send Howard a message”.

Bolta in September: “Howard won’t lose because ‘the people’ will come to their senses when the election is called”.

Bolta in October: “Erm, OK, Howard is still behind in the polls… ‘the people’ just don’t know what’s good for them!”.

Bolta this month: “We’re all going to Hell”.
krypto (Sunday 18 November 2007, 3:38 pm) #

you know whenever someone describes themselves as “something” mad, be it “horse” mad, “dog” mad, “car” mad, they invariably can drop the preceeding adjective/ noun/ verb, most often this enhances the aptness of the description.
Dave from Albury (Sunday 18 November 2007, 3:42 pm) #

Let’s be honest, the whole of Australia is waiting to see who the Border Mail endorses, at which point the Howard Government will be returned, Johnny Elected Emperor for life and Andrew Bolt declared First Citizen of the Republic.

Or something..

Actually, it’s more likely that the disaffected Howard Huggers will end up going deaf from the screams of torment in their echo chambers “Why have people deserted dear leader?”
Jangari (Monday 19 November 2007, 10:57 am) #

The Sunday Telegraph accepts readers believe it is finally time to give Labor a go.

I would scarcely consider that to be ’support’ for the coalition.