The Editor, John Surname, Ant Rogenous, Jeremy Sear and Craig discuss:

* Brendan Nelson’s “vision” thing
* Mercy Ministries and Gloria Jeans
* Peter Garrett flip, flop and flapping
* Basil Brush is a racist bastard
* Andrew Bolt vs. Tim Blair in a naked GrodsThink cage fight to the death

** Because there’s still a blockage in the (inter)tubes use only the “Play in popup” link or the “Download” link. **

 

 GrodsThink 8 (18/3/08) [35:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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A few days ago GrodsCorp interviewed the Socialist Alliance candidate for Wills, Zane Alcorn (MC Doc Fruit), about policy, campaigning and Hip Hop. Zane has now put his own video on YouTube in which he mocks up an exchange in Parliament with Peter Garrett about clean coal.

We’re all used to newspaper journalists blowing their load every time a politician posts a video on YouTube or somebody edits Wikipedia (thus proving beyond doubt its untrustworthiness). And we’re also used to dead-tree “journalists” shamelessly republishing blog content as original news, in the process demonstrating their stubborn ignorance about how blogs work.

So Peter Garrett writes a silly little blog on Kevin07 about singing songs in the shower in order to time them. Quaint. The Age dutifully runs an entire article on Garrett’s blog post, complete with quotes from his commenters calling them “bloggers”.

Blogger Matt Burke suggested Josh Pyke’s Middle of the Road at 2 minutes 24 seconds, because “Kevin Rudd has repeatedly said that ‘there’s this huge mountain to climb to win this election’.”

But fellow blogger Nico had a better idea for a water-saving music tip: “Load up the stereo with music you can’t stand,” she wrote on the blog.

“Put the stereo beyond arm’s reach in the bathroom and hit play at full volume. Hop in the shower. You’ll be making that shower as short as you can, so you can get out and turn off the damn music!”

GrodsCorp has been continually scathing over time about The Age’s rush to the bottom of the sensationalist and lazy journaliasm pit, but if you are left in any doubt you simply must read Adam 1.0’s review of yesterday’s The Age website frontpage.

Kruddy’s a smart guy. You can tell because, firstly, he wears glasses and, secondly, he’s obviously watched episode eight of Lachlan Connor, Independent and done a PMI on ignoring environmental concerns when formulating Tasmanian logging policy.

Pluses
Will likely win back the two Tasmanian seats lost to the Libs at the last election that are crucial for victory at the ‘07 election.

Minuses
Will disenfranchise a lesser proportion of predominantly mainland voters in safe Labor seats, causing them to vote Green and preference Labor.

Interestings
Watching Peter Garrett squirm as he struggles to suppress his actual opinions and adopt those imposed upon him by the Party.

I think it’s disgraceful that on a “listening tour” the alternative prime minister (and leader of the major Party I dislike least) flat-out refuses to listen to one side of the argument when considering an issue as important as this. I respect his political nous but can’t respect the means to the end.

Peter Garrett is the ALP’s new shadow spokesperson for environment and climate change. I have to say, I didn’t see it coming. I thought they might give him arts, or maybe indigenous affairs, but would shy away from giving the formerly outspoken president of the Australian Conservation Foundation the actual environment portfolio. I guess he might win back some of the people who vote for the other tall man of politics, Bob Brown, and all that he stands for. He might also attract a crowd to the Rudd and Gilliard “listening tour” of Australia (On a side note, this was my favourite quote from K Rudd broadcast from Bundaberg today: Interviewer: “Why are you doing this tour, Mr Rudd?” Mr Rudd: “One word: to listen.” Do you think he said it like that in order to sound less intelligent? I reckon he might have.)

I have to say I am a tiny, grain of sand amount excited at the prospect of the new ALP team. I mean, they are mainstreaming green issues and playing on people’s fears for their children and Rudd doesn’t gross me out if I avoid tv and photo images of him, and today I just listened to the radio so I am feeling more positive. Mr Climate Change only made a few inarticulate responses on air and Rudd is cleverly taking him under his wing on his first big tour of the People whilst cashing in on his rockstar appeal to attract the People in the first place. Could this be the beginning of something worth voting for?