Media Watch - Paul Barry, Eh?

Who would have possibly guessed the ABC would appoint another lefty sympathiser to the role of host of Media Watch?

I think it’s a given over 50% of the voting public would count themselves as conservative.  Less than 40%, probably count themselves as of the Left.  That figure may be less.

With the recycling of Paul Barry as host of Media Watch, we can surmise ABC management has little or no respect for over 50% of Australians who may – or may not watch ABC television.

Many solid ABC supporters such as myself, have been driven away from the public broadcaster (we are required to sponsor) over the years because of obvious bias to the left, lack of balance, ongoing group-think and an appalling disregard for the views of over 50% of the population.

See Andrew Bolt’s articles here and here.

It is time to give the ABC Board members a good dressing down, I think.

The ABC Board

The duties of the Board are set out in section 8 of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983 (the ABC Act)

The ABC Board is responsible for the ABC’s operations. The duty of the Board is to ensure that the functions of the Corporation are performed efficiently with maximum benefit to the people of Australia, and to maintain the independence and integrity of the Corporation. The Board is also responsible for ensuring that the gathering and presentation of news and information is accurate and impartial, according to recognised standards of journalism, and that the ABC complies with legislative and legal requirements.  (My bold)

The Board members are:  The Hon James Spigelman AC QC

                                           Mr. Steven Scala AO

                                           Mr. Mark Scott AO

                                           Dr. Julianne Schultz AM FAHA

                                           Ms Cheryl Bart AO

                                           Professor Fiona Stanley AC FAAS FASSA

                                           Ms Jane Bennett

                                           Simon Mordant AM

To contact the ABC Board (taken from the webiste)

To Contact the ABC Board:

ABC Secretariat
Board Executive Officer
Box 9994 GPO Sydney NSW 2001

Telephone (02) 8333 5312
Fax (02) 8333 5482

Email board@your.abc.net.au

GetUp & The Greens

Today, Andrew Bolt addresses the suitability of one Anna Rose to conduct lectures at the Australian National University, given her CV and past history as an AGW scaremonger.

Apparently, Ms. Rose used some of her campus lecture time to campaign for husband, Simon Sheikh, retired head honcho of GetUp and now an ACT Federal Greens Senate candidate.

Even better, the ANU is now on the warpath, launching a formal investigation into the Sheikh/Rose joint political campaign conducted on campus property and on campus time, it seems.

GetUp, of course, wildly claims to have over 400,000 members – a figure hotly disputed as some rather creative accounting.  If you manage to let GetUp get hold of your email address, you are counted as a member!

Now to that bastion of logic, common sense, practicality, rationale - those economic geniuses, the Greens!

I had occasion to contact Adam Bandt a couple of years ago expressing my support for his stance on Australia’s Live Trade.  For years, I’ve lobbied to have this cruel and unnecessary practice halted.  Since that time, I’ve received some interesting emails from Mr. Bandt’s office.  It seems the Greens have the same mindset as GetUp.  Your email address is harvested and you become a de facto member of the Party.

I didn’t mind receiving the odd email from Mr. Bandt’s office.  I was provided an insight into the Green’s current strategies, etc.  However, this year, I unjoined myself from his mailing list after I received an email (via Bandt’s office) from Green’s Leader, Christine Milne weeping and wailing and begging for donations.

Today, I received no less than four emails from the Greens, one from a candidate standing  in a seat absolutely miles away from my own electorate. I was requested to support this candidate, send donations, of course, volunteer to help get this candidate elected and volunteer to go on venue clean up duty!  The remaining emails were from ‘lists’ at vic.greens.or.au.  Now, you could unsubscribe via links provided but when I did exactly that, I received some sort of certificate expired nonsense!

Just to set you minds at rest, I have adjusted my email setting to return crap to sender!

GetUp and The Greens – poor little dears.  They painfully exhibit delusions of grandeur.

Both groups are to the far Left of logic and reasoning.

Both groups are run by a collective of moonbats.

Both groups push their pathetic desperation to appear relevant.

Media Watch - Bolt Applies For The Job!

Oh – this should be good!

Andrew Bolt’s Application to Mark Scott (ABC Managing Director) to host the ABC’s chronically leftarded Media Watch can be found here:

Mr. Bolt rightly points out:  “Watch devoted to detecting such media sins as bias and group-think, not once has it had a host not of the Left.

How worried you must be that its eighth host will be from the same cookie-cutter that’s given us Stuart Littlemore, Richard Ackland, Paul Barry, David Marr, Liz Jackson, Monica Attard and Holmes”.

And  “As your own Equity and Diversity Annual Report says:

“The ABC Charter requires the broadcasting of programs that ... reflect the cultural diversity of the Australian community. ABC Editorial Policies support the diversity of perspectives.” “

I cannot wait to find out who the ABC appoints as its new Media Watch host; whether the taxpayer will be respected, provided value for money and whether the ABC is prepared to actually promote and encourage balance.  Should the ABC selected another biased host, then an Abbott Government has to take a stand, regardless of what Opposition Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull thinks – or says!  Mr. Turnbull, apparently, seems pretty keen to maintain the status quo with regard to the ABC.  I remain unimpressed with Mr. Turnbull’s attitude.

It’s time.

Media Watch - New ABC Host?

So, if the rumour is true, the sneering, holier-than-thou, leftarded face of Media Watch may change by the end of May this year.  Or it may not.

The publicly funded ABC is on the cusp of seriously proving to taxpayers it takes its Code of Practice very seriously, indeed!   Here’s its chance to actually inject some balance into the organisation by appointing a first ever bi-partisan host of Media Watch.

The Code of Practice can be found here:  http://about.abc.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/CodeofPractice2013.pdf

There has to be a caveat applied with regard to the following link.  Crikey seems to have quite a bit of rumour-mongery history and apparent absence of  fact-checkers, but that’s another story!

Crikey understands a replacement for Holmes has been chosen, with the ABC set to make an official announcement on his successor at the end of May. ABC sources say this is likely to be followed by a speedy baton change from Holmes to the mystery new host — the eighth in Media Watch’s history.

Holmes, an ABC current affairs veteran, flagged last August that he was likely to step down in the middle of this season. Although the handover has been carefully planned for months, the identity of the new presenter is a closely-guarded secret within Aunty.

As Andrew Bolt notes:  The ABC now has a perfect chance to prove it really does embrace diversity by appointing its first ever non-Leftist to host Media Watch. So far, every one of the seven presenters in the show’s history has been of the Left - Stuart Littlemore, Richard Ackland, Paul Barry, David Marr, Liz Jackson, Monica Attard and Jonathan Holmes. That monpoly - that monoculture - is astonishing, undeniable and inexcusable.

My bet is we will not see a change.  We will not see the ABC honour its obligation to the Australian taxpayer to exercise diversity; exhibit balance and even make a mild attempt to accurately reflect the mood of the Nation.  Should I be proved correct, then there is even more reason for an incoming Conservative Government to defund this Leftist behemoth of a public broadcaster.

The ball is squarely in your court, Australian Broadcasting Corporation!

Carve Up The ABC, Mr. Abbott

An incoming Coalition Government should look closely at the ABC; its agenda, its funding and whether or not the Australian taxpayer has been getting value for money.

Over a number of years, value for money has not been the case.

I believe the ABC has reached its ‘use-by’ date.  Managing Director, Mark Scott has had plenty of time during his tenure to yank the ABC into a reliable, balanced and factual broadcaster thus maintaining consumer loyalty.  

Mark Scott has failed.

The ABC’s radio and television arms run almost as many obnoxious advertisements (for itself) as those commercial broadcasters rely on, legitimately paid for as part of their business models.

After years of being a rusted-on supporter of the ABC, I feel betrayed.  People who know me know I don’t take prisoners.  Break it up, sell it off, I no longer care.   The ABC has lost its status as a sacred cow and certainly does not deserve my support or sympathy.

It’s pretty obvious there is quite a large revolt against the ABC and it only has itself to blame.  A partisan attitude towards the green/left aside, dumbing down of the public broadcaster is unforgivable.  I used to love the science programme, Catalyst.  Had I regressed to the age of 12, I may still love it!

I regularly turn to Catallaxy Files to catch up on weekly threads dedicated to the irrelevanace of the ABC’s Monday night Q and A programme.  It saves me having to endure an hour’s worth of leftoid drivel.

The ABC can be as ‘flabbergasted’ as it likes.  I’ve adjusted my viewing and listening habits, particularly over the past five years or so and I couldn’t give a rat’s rectum as the ABC sinks under the weight of its own ‘group-think’!

From mUmBRELLA:  Click link for full article.

ABC ‘flabbergasted’ by BBC’s Foxtel move

A new premiere BBC drama and comedy channel to be launched by BBC Worldwide and Foxtel has left the ABC “flabbergasted”, a spokeswoman has told Mumbrella.

Following 50 years of broadcasting BBC content in Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation was not consulted about plans to launch a premium channel on Foxtel in mid-2014.

A spokeswoman for the ABC said the public service broadcaster had been seeking talks with the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide as its three year contract comes to an end on June 30 next year, but had been knocked back before the announcement was made.

“We were pretty flabbergasted,” a spokeswoman said. ”We only found out yesterday and we had been asking them for a while to sit down to talk about a new deal, so we were pretty shocked.”

The new premium channel will feature”premiere British drama and comedy, ad-break free and as close to UK transmission as possible,” Foxtel said in a press release.

However the ABC will retain popular shows such as Doctor Who, as it has a contract for the lifetime of the show, and Grand Designs and QI which will not be affected by the deal.

Content used on Four Corners from the BBC’s Panorama will also be unaffected, as will popular children’s programs such as Peppa Pig – the number one program on ABC iView - the spokeswoman said.

Community Cabinet - The Gillard Formula

Last night, I made myself sit through about half an hour of the Gillard Government’s  Community Cabinet ‘love-in’ held at Ringwood in the marginal seat of Deakin, Victoria.  Deakin is currently held by Labor.  The half-hour broadcast was covered by ABC’s News24.

Well, what a horrifying spectacle is was.  These Community Cabinets are supposed to have a public Q and A session where members of the community can pose questions to both the PM and her Cabinet Ministers.  However, what I saw was nothing more than Dorothy Dixer questions from what appeared to be a selection of hand-picked questioners from an audience of approximately 300 that I suspect had been catapulted straight from the Victorian ALP branch membership.  It was nothing more than political theatre orchestrated by a desperate, sinking, stinking Labor Government.

It may have become more balanced during the second half hour but I could not bring myself to stomach any more from a Government desperately tying to create an impression there is nothing wrong with it.  It came across as a nothing-to-see-here stunt.   The back-slapping and grovelling from the floor was nauseating and it’s worrying that approximately 29% of the population will reward incompetence, ineptitude and deceit by voting for this pack of idiots at the next election.

Surely there’s medical help for selective blindness!

Click the link to read what Community Cabinet sessions should actually aim for!

Community Cabinet

What is Community Cabinet?

Community Cabinet meetings are part of the Prime Minister’s commitment to provide opportunities for people to bring their concerns directly to the government. Community Cabinet provides citizens with direct access to the government and the government with first hand access to community perceptions and expectations.

Public Forum (45 – 60 mins):

Public Q & A with the Prime Minister and the attending ministry, where members of the community can ask questions directly of the government.

Exact timings are determined on a meeting by meeting basis.

Gellibrand Preselection - An Insight

This article by Andrew Landeryou is worth reading – as are most of the comments related to this article!  It's insightful.  The way of the ALP and why the Party is a spent force, incapable of resurrection. 

http://www.vexnews.com/2013/04/gellibrand-bad-news-is-that-kimba-lost-good-news-is-vexnews-is-back-in-rude-form/

Rumours abound that the dysfunctional Conroy plans to throw the towel in at the next election.  The coward!

Officially,  just over five months now till we get to vote the vile tossers out.  Conroy, of course, wishes to ‘retire’ before the red hot bar is duly driven up his quivering rectum.  This putrid piece of Labor refuse will not be missed. 

Australia should count her lucky stars Conroy’s dream of socialist control of free speech by regulation was an abject failure.  Afterall, let's not forget he had more than one attempt.

UPDATE:

A FORMAL complaint will be lodged with ALP officials against former attorney-general Nicola Roxon today over claims she accused a female candidate of spreading a misogynistic dirt file against a rival during a preselection.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's office has also been dragged into the internal feud with counter-accusations that one of Mr Conroy's staff may have been responsible for the material.

Kimberley Kitching, who had been favoured to win preselection for Ms Roxon's seat of Gellibrand in Melbourne, confirmed last night she would lay charges against Ms Roxon at the ALP tribunal.

The row erupted when a dirt file containing sexually explicit claims about Ms Roxon's former staffer Katie Hall, whom Ms Roxon was backing to take over her seat, was circulated in the lead-up to last night's final preselection vote.

Ms Kitching claims several witnesses confirmed that Ms Roxon had accused her of being behind it.

(Read full article here)

Last night Senator Conroy strongly denied anyone in his office could have been involved in the misogyny file.

"The conduct of some individuals in this ballot was grubby and disgraceful," he told The Daily Telegraph.

"And no one working for me was involved in it. No one in my office was responsible."

Tie Me Kangaroo In Knots

Australian arrested in Savile case

For some reason we can’t name the man, despite him being identified all over the Internet, but this will force a shift in the shape of Australian popular culture:

A PROMINENT Australian entertainer has been arrested by Scotland Yard detectives in London on suspicion of sexual offences.

Andrew Bolt is on the case.

You may ask what my interest is in this case.   Well – let’s just say I understand this ‘famous Australian’ was of interest to Victorian Police, I believe, back in the early eighties.

Enough said!

What's With The ABC?

Something must have gone radically wrong!  Today, the panel on The Insiders appeared to be completely out of character.  Instead of the the usual panel stack of four leftards up against one lonely conservative,  this morning's show appeared to be balanced - for the first time since I began subjecting myself to this particular hour of ABC Leftist bias on Sunday mornings commencing at 9 am.

What a surprise to find the Australian's Niki Savva and Executive Director of The Sydney Institute, columnist and political commentator, Gerard Henderson sitting there eye-balling Political Editor for the Australian Financial Review, Laura Tingle and of course, Barrie Cassidy,  host and ex-Labor staffer and very best friend of the Prime Minister's boyfriend, Timmy.

I think it must have been a fluke and most unlikely to ever be repeated.  I suspect the reason for this most uncharacteristic event was that the usual stable of Labor stooges were off hunting bunyips or otherwise occupied.

I am quite certain the ABC's Managing Director, Mark Scott had nothing to do with the panel makeup on today's programme nor do I for one minute believe the ABC's Code of Practice was this week, required reading for the programme's producers and/or host.

So.  What's gone awry within the Green/Left public broadcaster?   Enquiring minds need to know because most of us won't swallow any guff about the ABC coming of age.

Perhaps at the eleventh hour, the ABC is finally waking up to the political mood within this country and that pushing a horse with a broken back is not in their overall interests if they wish to continue their long-term dependence on the taxpayer-funded drip-feed!  That's probably wishful thinking on my part because I'm sure normal programming will resume shortly!

Gillard Will Resign

I predict that should Julia Gillard lose the leadership vote due to be held in the Labor Caucus in about 20 minutes, she will resign from Parliament immediately.  I hardly see how The Lying Slapper (TLS) could continue to sit in Parliament having been so disgraced.

Time will tell, of course and the countdown is now well under way.

UPDATE:  (4.21pm)  The divine Kevni has opted not to stand.  That is probably a politically smart move on the part of Kevni.  His grand plan will be to step up to the plate to rebuild a shattered federal labor party after the routing awaiting when we eventually attend the Polls.

We must endure the incompetence and foulness of nature of these children for a few months longer, apparently.

The Federal Labor Government will merrily continue publicly eviscerating itself while the nation laughs hysterically.

UPDATE:  Yet another ALP farce draws to a close and TLS remains Prime Minister.  This is, of course, excellent news for the Coalition.  Tony up against TLS is exactly the winning position the Coalition desires.

Red Underchunders Man!

“If it fails, it'll be because the independents and minor parties don't want to protect diversity of media in this country.”

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy

What a blithering twat this man is!  Stephen Conroy may well be seen to wear red underwear on his own head – rather than dictate to Telco managers what they should wear on their heads in his presence!

I’ve read a bit about this last-ditch attempt by Senator Stephen Conroy to enforce censorship onto Australians – by hook or by crook.  Conroy’s first venture into the dark realm of state-orchestrated censorship was a few years ago when he proposed a mandatory internet filter.  And look how well that thought-bubble worked out!

Conroy’s next thought-bubble, the mind-numbingly expensive NBN (fibre to the home) may well be capable of picking up the slack where the mandatory internet filter left off, of course.  Hopefully by the end of this year, we will have some adults running the country and quite capable of neutering some of Conroy’s follies, including his last thought-bubble, bringing the media to heel by way of re-jigging media laws.  Affecting in particular, green elf Bob Brown’s “hate media” (the Murdoch stable) because parts of the press must never be critical of pixie notions and outrageously expensive green dreams.   It’s just not cricket to make nice Mr. Brown cry!  Nor Ms. Gillard for that matter.  Heck, delving into her shady past and attempting to publish can get you sacked.  Just ask Glenn Milne and Michael Smith.  So the moronic solution is to slap controls onto the Press.  Good one, Conroy so let’s see how that flies next week.   Will Conroy get this rubbish past the Lower House by Tuesday?   I hope sense prevails and the Bill is shafted – as it should be.

There’s speculation, of course, that introduction of this Bill along with the no barter appendage and the ridiculous timeframe imposed for passage is simply a ruse to deflect attention away from a fatally wounded Prime Minister and the possibility of a friendless shove out of office next week.  No tactic is beyond this desperately unhinged Government.

The Federal Labor Party has a bucket load of stuff ups on which to lose the upcoming election.  This Press-hobbling legislation is just another.

The proposed changes as lifted from the ABC article, linked here:

Proposed media reforms

The appointment of a Public Interest Media Advocate (PIMA) to oversee self-regulatory bodies such as the Press Council.

The PIMA, who will be appointed by the Minister, will decree whether a media complaints handling body is "authorised". Only media organisations that are members of an authorised body are able to maintain their exemptions to privacy laws.

The PIMA will also use a new public interest test to allow or prevent nationally significant media mergers.

An extension of the Government's commercial television licence fee rebate - saving free-to-air television networks an estimated $134 million this financial year.

A removal of the 75 per cent audience reach rule that prevents metropolitan television stations from owning partners in regional areas.

An update to the charters governing the ethics and behaviour of the ABC and SBS to reflect online and digital activities.

Jungle Drums...

Judith Ireland outlines 5 reasons why this coming week might be PM Gillard’s last.

While Gillard has a long history of survival and keeping her minority government intact, several factors could threaten her grip on power this week.

 For political junkies such as myself, it’s going to be one week to hang around close to the radio, TV or internet.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the best scenario for the Coalition is to keep this bungler in the Lodge right up to the election.  That would ensure an utter routing.

If Gillard is tapped on the shoulder and forced out of office, I wouldn’t mind betting she will flounce right out of politics which of course, could mean one by-election for the Seat of Lalor.  Should former Attorney-General, Robert McClelland take up an expected appointment as NSW Industrial Relations Commissioner, that could mean another by-election for the Seat of Barton in Sydney.

Would we end up going to the Polls a little bit earlier than the proposed date of 14^th September? 

Federal Parliament rises at the end of next week for seven weeks before delivery of the May Budget.  Whatever Labor does this week taking into account bad poll results and even worse, a leader who is distrusted and now seriously compromised, I don’t see a re-aligning of the deck chairs with only a few months till Australia marches off to the Polls as anything but pathetically inadequate patching of an overworn pair of cheap rip-ridden jeans.   This government is rotten and the stench is permeating all but a small division of mindless rusted-ons who are incapable of an original thought.

UPDATE:  Simon Crean calls for a Spill at approximately 1.10pm - 21st March, 2013.

Stand by for a Motion of No Confidence in the Federal Parliament today.

2.10pm:  Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott moves to suspend Standing Orders for a Motion of No Confidence.

He nearly got there!

Automated Propaganda

Automated propaganda is what we have become seasoned to over at the taxpayer-funded ABC and Environment scribe Sara Phillips and others have proved to be dab-hands at regurgitating spin devoid of analysis, it seems.

Sara laments A new website encourages visitors to flood comments sections of news articles about climate change with cut-and-paste comments. It's an idea that impoverishes us all.

When you read her article and names such as that of Al Gore and <cough – where’s my tissue> John Cook are mentioned as serious candidates, apparently, in the debate about whether or not the globe is on the cusp of boiling in oil, then you know Sara hasn’t been keeping up with the real science of climate change.

Memo to Sara:  Neither Mr. Sell-out-to-Al-Jazeera-Gore or John-Sceptical-we-censor-or-alter-comments-to-suit-our-brief-Science-Cook are credible witnesses for the defence.   Both have a rather infamous reputation have done untold damage to the warmist case. 

Some backgrounding on Cook and his collaboration with Stephan Lewandowski should have persuaded Sara to adopt some scepticism herself before devoting a minute of her time chasing up an interview with him.

However, to be fair to Sara, she seems to think Cook’s new project, that of flooding websites with mindless cut & paste commentary is not a particularly smart move – and it’s not.  However, one may say it’s rather typical of John Cook’s modus operandi.  I am led to believe he and his minions have been quite practiced at it for some time.

You can read Sara Phillips’ piece here.

Continuous use of automated propaganda in the mainstream media and taxpayer-funded outlets such as the ABC is why readers who know how to use a fact-checker treat these news publishers with considerable scepticism these days and why many now flock to Blogs for their daily dose of news and opinion.

She Will Resign Within Three Weeks

I fully expect PM Julia Gillard to either resign or step aside as ALP Leader over the next two or three weeks.  I cannot see how she can survive now after the bollocking the Pardy of Infants got last night as the results of the WA State Election began filtering through.  It was abundantly clear the Gillard factor played heavily on the results – a 6 to 7% swing to the Liberals.  Premier Colin Barnett has another 4 years at the helm.

Of course, the best game plan for the Federal Coalition would be that this divisive, destructive and despicable individual digs her toes in and hangs on to the leadership.  However, I think the pressure to take one for the team will be unbearable for Gillard now.

I also think a certain fraud investigation by Victorian Police which is currently in progress will assist in forcing Gillard’s hand.  I’m sure she doesn’t want a take-two of the Craig Thomson arrest embarrassment to be sprayed all over the mainstream media, regardless of how sycophantic most of those outlets are towards Gillard and her collection of performing seals.

Gillard’s media strategist and 457 visa holder, John McTernan has done an outstanding job in kneecapping Federal Labor so spectacularly and so publicly.  After the results of the Federal Election are patently clear, I wonder whether McTernan will hightail it out of the country – or perhaps apply for a similar job with the Gormless Greens because their leader will be needing every dollop of help she can muster.  That is if she manages to hang onto the position.

The suspense is almost unbearable!

The problem facing Australia right now is can we afford to wait 188 days until we are able to exercise our right to flush this appalling ALP regime into the sewer where it rightfully belongs.

And to think I was once a swinging voter!

Over at The Red And The Blue, Yale Stevens sums up the state of play, post WA State Election, intelligently – as usual.

UPDATE:  And over at Andy's Rant - Guess who is targeting Gillard's next lie?

When Dirtbags Die

 Why should the community be made to feel they should shed tears when a disruptive, violent dirtbag bites the dust?  Nope, not this black duck.  I raise my glass to the Police Officer who took this pest out, should that turn out to be the case.  Antonio Loguancio was a public menace. 

I have absolutely no sympathy for thugs like Antonio Loguancio.  What I want to know is this:  Why was this arsehole granted a Supervision Order in the first place?  He has been described as a violent rapist.  He intentionally caused injury.  He’s made threats to kill and he’s up on 12 counts of common assualt.

Who was the moron who granted the Supervision Order?  Did said moron even consider the possibility that this creature might take the opportunity to roar round to his girlfriend's place and bash the stuffing out of her?  There has to be a word that adequately describes judicial stupidity such as this!

Loguancio has proved to the public he’s nothing but a rabid dog.  There’s only one humane way of dealing with rabid dogs.

Those living in the Glenroy street where this arsehole staged his play have been disenfranchised.  They had to vacate their homes; their routines disrupted.  Somebody should stand up for the inconvenience they were forced to deal with.

From the ABC Website:

From the ABC Report, a Police officer has said  "This is a tragedy as you know our aim is always to resolve these situations with the minimal of injury and without loss of life.”   This is no tragedy, sir.  This is serving the public in the best way you can.  This is justice delivered to a piece of filth.  It’s only marred by the length of time it took to reach end-game. 

I have a problem with maggots and make no apologies for that.

Dr. Karl's Credibility Splashes Into The Gutter

I seriously wonder what other scientific 'facts'  Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki has stuffed up during his regular ABC appearances?  I used to listen to this man and take as credible whatever Dr. Karl had to say.  Not any longer, I can assure you.  I have departed the lounge of the gullible.

Andrew Bolt is nailing this so-called Scientist to the wall and it’s not pretty and likely to end in tears –  those emanating from this once respected science commentator.

The global warming misinformation peddled on the ABC must cease and I support Mr. Bolt’s call to register complaints in relation to Karl Kruszelnicki’s latest bout of deliberate denial of the facts or, worse, his complete ineptitude, in relation to recent statements made on Brisbane ABC radio. 

How in the hell are people expected to be kept up to date with the changes and corrections to previously cited global warming data, if the ABC refuses to accurately cover the subject?

The ABC should know better.  Obviously, it has no intention to correct itself or its presenters.  To allow this so-called scientific expert to repeat ad-nauseam, misinformation is culpable conduct on behalf of the public broadcaster sponsored by the taxpayer.  The ABC may as well tear up its Code of Practice.  It’s not adhered to so the document is useless.

I cannot believe I am witnessing this.  The overall dumbing down and then the deliberate concealment of important and relevant information because it doesn’t gel with the group-think mentality rampant within the ABC.

If you had asked me ten years ago how I’d feel if the ABC was sold off, I would probably have reached behind the Ute seat and whipped out my rifle.  Ask me now and I will say ‘sell the Green/Labor mouthpiece off as soon as possible and save the taxpayer billions’.  Thank you, Dr. Karl – you’ve just reinforced my position.

When in government, the Coalition must bring this disgracefully biased media outlet to heel.

The Circus Can Reclaim Its Clown

Watching her mates defend her!

Wholly Owned Subsidiary Of The AWU!

Yes, siree, that’s our Sub-prime Minister, Julia Gillard!

Miranda Devine reblogged:

IS there a more preposterous figure in Australian political life than Paul Howes? 

His performance at the Australian Workers Union conference on the Gold Coast last week was quite something to behold. 

In his final triumphant speech, the 31-year-old AWU leader accused anonymous Labor MPS of “underminding [sic] our Prime Minister, underminding [sic] the leadership of our movement and this country. What a bunch of gutless pr*cks they are.” 

Apart from the fruity language, he has coined a new word: “underminding”. He said it twice, just in case you didn’t get it the first time. 

Maybe it means not minding too much when the prime minister goofs up, as long as she takes care of her union mates. 

If he meant “undermining”, however, Howes and his AWU masters have done a pretty good job of that all by themselves, taking credit for unseating the democratically elected Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the first place, and unashamedly displaying an unhealthy proprietorial claim over their hand-picked replacement Julia Gillard, who just happens to be caught up in an AWU scandal from her days as a union lawyer. 

Howes looked so pleased with himself as he ushered Gillard into the conference dinner, in front of the cameras, as if she were a trophy. 

He “had her back” he declared, and supports her 110 percent. Just what she needs, especially when union membership has sunk to 18 percent of the workforce. 

The union collectively rubbed its hands with glee. Look how powerful we are, right at the heart of power! There was Howes’ mentor Bill Ludwig out from the shadows to grab the PM’s manicured hand in his gnarled paw and hold it aloft. 

What an image. The Prime Minister paraded by Howes and Ludwig as if she were a wholly owned subsidiary of the AWU, in the week that polls show Labor’s primary vote has collapsed. 

With friends like Howes who needs an Opposition? 

It’s not hyper-bowl to say that if anyone appears to be “underminding” Labor it’s Howes and his beloved moo-ment.

To the high dungeon with him.

Stories The Left's MSM Won't Touch

Starting today, I plan to list news stories the socialist mainstream media don't want their consumers to know about.  Darkness is a comforting environment for mushrooms, you see!

THE UN's climate change chief, Rajendra Pachauri, has acknowledged a 17-year pause in global temperature rises, confirmed recently by Britain's Met Office, but said it would need to last "30 to 40 years at least" to break the long-term global warming trend.

 Dr Pachauri, the chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate      Change, said that open discussion about controversial science and politically incorrect views was an essential part of tackling climate change.

I’ve scanned the leftist publications at the ABC Online and Fairfax Press but can find not one article to make a freedom of speech comparison between this Conference with the disruption (venue cancellations), harassment and violence meted out to Australian citizens wishing to attend speaking tours by that “far-right” Dutch Politician, Geert Wilders who, of course, was branded an extremist and vilified in print and on television.  At least this country can claim one investigative journalist in Andrew Bolt.  This article is well worth reading.

If Wilders is wrong, explain this conference

 

It may shock Fairfax and ABC journalists to learn the Victoria Police Fraud & Extortion Squad is conducting extensive investigation into the AWU “slush fund” scam and the possible implication of wrongdoing by a Slater & Gordon Partner at the time who was acting for the said AWU.  That partner is now Australia’s Prime Minister.  These media outlets obviously have an attitude that it’s not in the best interests of the public to report this matter.  Perhaps they are dutifully awaiting arrests before they make any attempt whatsoever to inform their consumers.  Thank goodness for Michael Smith.

It’s indeed comforting to know we have people of the calibre of Andrew Bolt and Michael Smith who actually have the intestinal fortitude to report the facts.  We know we cannot rely on the taxpayer-funded ABC or Fairfax Media, for the most part, to impartially impart the facts.

It’s no wonder Blogs have overtaken many mainstream media outlets.  It’s on Blogs where you find investigative journalism these days.

Memo to the ABC and Fairfax Media:  Turn the backhoes off and tell the drivers to go home.  Your holes are deep enough now!

An ABC-Friendly Turnbull

I have a number of problems with the Member for Wentworth and Shadow Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull not least his fawning over the ABC.  I believe Malcolm is with the wrong Party.

Lateline’s Tony Jones interviewed Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday.

Here’s part of the transcript relating to the ABC discussion.

TONY JONES: OK, let's go to another area of your Communications portfolio. The Government gave the ABC a $10 million funding boost for its news and current affairs division last week. Do you support that?

MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well I don't need to support it, but I welcome it.

TONY JONES: Do you endorse it? Do you think it's a good idea?

MALCOLM TURNBULL: I am a great supporter of the ABC. It is not entirely immaculate. It does have some flaws. Even you err on occasions, Tony. But the - smile! Lighten up! But seriously though, the ABC is more important than ever. The news media business, the newspaper business in particular, is under enormous threat and their business model is challenged, there are journalists losing their jobs all the time, newspapers may or may not be viable in a few years' time, so the importance, the role, the significance of the ABC's news and current affairs is more important than ever and that puts a very heavy burden on the ABC to maintain the highest standards of balance, of integrity.

And you know, as Jim Spigelman, your chairman, said the other day, and I thought it was a very, very, very keen insight, as you'd expect from Jim - he said that the ABC relates to its viewers and listeners not simply as consumers, as a commercial operation might, but as citizens.

So the ABC has a very, very heavy responsibility and Australians expect it to live up to that and of course the research indicates they have very high regard for this organisation.

TONY JONES: Now Jim Spigelman you mentioned, the chairman of the ABC, also said in an interview on this program not so long ago that one of the great fears the ABC has is of funding cuts. Obviously they think back to the beginning of the Howard government in '96 and '97 when 12.6 per cent of the ABC's operating budget was essentially cut by the government in a cost-cutting exercise. Would you be in a position to assure listeners, viewers that this won't happen again if the Coalition comes to government let's say at the end of this year?

MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well what I can say to you is that we don't have any plans to cut the funding to the ABC.

TONY JONES: That you know of?

MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well, that I know of, yes. It's unlikely that there would be plans to do that that I wouldn't know of, but that I know of, I'm not aware of any plans to cut funding to the ABC.

But having said that, let me just say this: government is under pressure - every department is under pressure and the ABC's management - and I believe they understand this - the ABC's management has to be aware that it has an obligation to its owners, the Australian people, to run this vast enterprise of the ABC as efficiently, as cost effectively as possible.

And I - look, I have a high regard for your chief executive, Mark Scott. I think he is very focused on getting more bang for the taxpayers' buck.

TONY JONES: You're talking about an economic argument, but of course what's often used against the ABC is a bias argument and some people maintain the ABC's budget should be cut because it has bias internally. "Group think" I think was one of the phrases used by a former ABC chairman.

MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well that is the - that's not a good reason to cut the budget. If the ABC is not being fair and balanced, then that is an issue that should be addressed by the ABC's management. ABC's - you know, there are plenty of arguments for cutting any government agency's budget. One is that if you've got to cut spending and everybody's got to bear some of the pain, so that's - there can be general across-the-board cuts.

I think the important challenge the ABC has is to ensure that its work practices reflect the enormous efficiencies that modern technology delivers. The fact is that every aspect of what this television network does, radio network does can be done much more efficiently because of modern technology, the latest technology.

If the ABC is more important than ever, Malcolm, then don’t you think it must reflect impartiality and balance as a matter of course, regardless of what the ABC’s Code of Practice states?  Don’t you think there should be conservatives in the front line, presenting  and/or directing programmes to ensure there IS balance?  You do know, don’t you, Malcolm, that there is not one conservative presenter or host on the ABC, other than perhaps, Amanda Vanstone who hosts and obscure Radio National programme – and who listens to RN?

I ask you this, Malcolm, can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me the ABC has maintained “the highest standards of balance, of integrity” ? The ABC does have a heavy responsibility to the taxpayer and quite frankly, it has failed to live up to that responsibility.

Malcolm, should you become Communications Minster later this year then I suggest one of your first missions should be to put the fire hose through the ABC starting with the Board and Managing Director, Mark Scott and work your way down to the cleaners.  The ABC needs a massive purge and in fairness to everyone, some belt-tightening.  If that cannot be achieved, then break Aunty up and put her up for sale. 

The Gillard Government’s recent $10 Million funding injection is clearly an exercise in pork-barrelling in an election year.  Blatant strategy to curry as much favour as it can. 

Taxpayers have had a gutful of having to fund a Green-Labor mouth piece year after year.  We know ABC Management has failed spectacularly to ensure the ABC is balanced and fair and you should be well aware of that, Malcolm.  Something must be done and I am expecting you to do it as a matter of priority.  Are you up to the challenge or will you roll over and let the ABC continue as is? 

The ABC has become a law unto itself with an apparent attitude that it needs only to satisfy the cravings of a small sector of inner-city self-analysed elites to the detriment of the wider population.   No wonder Aunty’s ratings have suffered.

The Australian’s Chris Kenny has an interesting article here:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/aunty-still-in-denial-but-proving-political-bias-is-as-easy-as-abc/story-fn8qlm5e-1226578726810

Oh My Goodness, Dr. Karl!

I do declare you owe Andrew Bolt an apology as well as all your followers, don’t you think?

I blogged last December about Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki here.

Reblogged, in part from Andrew’s Blog.  Read the full post.

Doctor Karl Kruszelnicki presents science on the ABC. In 2007 he ran as a Senate candidate for the Climate Change Coalition.

So you expect him to know the very basic data about global warming. You expect him to make it his duty to at least know whether the planet is indeed warming, and if so by how much.

Right?

Then explain this exchange of tweets, which I am told Kruszelnicki deleted from his Twitter account. (They certainly aren’t there now.) 

Yes, I did write about these tweets in an update to my column yesterday, but the more I reflect on this the more I consider this a particularly egregious example of warmist know-nothingness. It is also a symbol of the giddy and irresponsible ignorance of so many of the noisier global warming prophets.

Dr Karl, debating the figures of Britain’s Met, asserts the world has warmed 0.3 degrees in 16 years - which still isn’t that much, actually.

But the Met’s figures, as tweeter Bill correctly informs him, actually show a warming just one-sixth of what Dr Karl claimed. That is so small that scientists say it’s statistically insignificant. It’s indistinguishable from background noise. Essentially zero.

As Andrew notes, if he had been so factually incorrect, he’s be hauled off to Re-education Camp via the Press Council.

Sometimes I do believe “group-think” can be very dangerous to the credibility of some public figures who follow the new religion of CAGW.

Dr. Karl makes frequent appearances on the balanced, unbiased ABC that tries to reject the accusation there is a group-think mentality within the public broadcaster.

Yesterday, we received news that the ABC would be receiving a $10 million funding increase to budget.  Some cynics may say that this is a typical example of ALP pork-barrelling.

Thanks to this massive injection of taxpayer funding, new senior appointments will be made.  One of them will be Jake Sturmer, Science & Technology.  I suggest we take note of this name and furnish Mr. Sturmer with appropriate correspondence whenever we see silly-billies running off at the mouth before they have had the chance to engage one of those fact-checkers the ABC appears on the cusp of utilizing. 

A fact-checker at the ABC would be something to behold!

An Intelligent View Of The Thomson Affair

Here is an excellent post from The Red And The Blue blog covering the saga of Craig Thomson and exploring the potential fallout for the Gillard Government should disgraced Member for Dobell be declared bankrupt before the possibility of a criminal conviction as a result of his arrest yesterday.  Both scenarios would force Thomson to depart Parliament.  One seems quite likely, sooner rather than later.  It's the matter of being declared a bankrupt.

I highly recommend this post.  It’s a good read.

NEWSFLASH - Craig Thomson Arrested

Breaking news:  NSW police have arrested the Member for Dobell, Craig Thomson - according to Thomson's lawyer.

This is excellent news [sarc.] for our Sub-prime, Julia Gillard.  The noose is now tightening on this government and reflects so well on the judgement of this hopeless PM.

More to come.

UPDATE (1.45pm)

Thomson is apparently being escorted to Wyong (NSW) Police Station.  It looks as though the boys in blue will be slapping 150 charges relating to fraud on the Member for Dobell.

The sub-prime is about to do a media interview in relation to the above.  I can't wait to watch Gillard switch to spin-cycle on this one.

The unfortunate thing is that regardless of these formal charges, Thomson is still free to sit in Parliament, representing the poor souls of Dobell.  It's all a bit obscene.

I suspect the Thomson case will take some time to make it to Court.  I doubt it will happen within the next 225 days!

ABC Reins In Faine

Wonders will never cease!  The obnoxious Jon Faine has, at last, been censured by the ABC over his disgracefully prejudiced and unfair treatment of Michael Smith and Editor-at-Large, Mark Baker during their ‘right of reply’ interview conducted on 23^rd November, 2012.  Faine’s treatment of both men was appalling.

I posted about the incident on the 24^th November, last year.

Yesterday, the ABC’s Audience & Consumer Affairs, who, I imagine, received a truckload of complaints from listeners who had come to the end of their tether with Local Radio 774’s week mornings host, Faine and his obvious bias, issued an apology citing there had been a “lapse in standards”.  Now, there’s an understatement in relation to Jon Faine.  Faine has repeatedly illustrated he has only one standard – and that is standard according to the political far Left.  No other standards need apply for an interview with Faine because they will be belittled and talked over.  This seems to be Faine’s preferred tactic to censor dissenting opinion!

I have a question for the ABC.   If 2GB had to attend a radio re-education camp, according to an ACMA ruling and radio broadcaster Alan Jones was directed to offer an on-air apology to Lebanese muslims in December of last year for comments he made in 2005 which were deemed inappropriate in our New World of political correctness, then surely the same should apply to the ABC and 774 morning host, Jon Faine.  Will Local Radio 774 and  Jon Faine be marched off to the ABC’s (non-existent, apparently) equivalent of ACMA’s re-education camp?   Unfortunately Auntie is immune, generally, to ACMA’s fangs, which is a great pity, in my opinion.   Apparently, ACMA will only intervene when there has been a resolution stalemate.  No level playing field.  One rule for the bulk of mainstream media and another toothless rule for the ABC.  This anomaly must change as the ABC is now a large mainstream media player.   The ABC must not be given free rein to self-regulate.  It has to stop, regardless of some common sense determination by the Audience & Consumer Affairs in relation to the antics of Jon Faine.

More importantly, will Faine be required to offer both Michael Smith and Mark Baker an on-air apology?  If not – why not?  ABC – you know that would be the right thing to do.  Simply putting up some token grovel statement on Faine’s website and on the ABC’s Upheld Complaints page is not good enough.

By the way, at the time of writing this post, no such apology appears on Faine’s website which can be found here.

Further reading, The Age and The Australian.

226 Days Of Pain Remain

The country's worst Prime Minister in living memory has announced Australia will be heading to the Polls on Saturday, 14th September, 2013.  We have to endure a further seven months and fifteen days of vomitus from all of the rabble supposedly in charge of this nation, not just from the venomous handbag hit-squad females, particularly those in Gillard's cabinet.

This will be the longest election campaign in the history of this country and I have no doubt it will be the most vile.

The official election campaign commences on Monday, 12th August.

Of course, the Victoria Police investigation into the AWU/WRA scandal that our Prime Minister was involved in up to her eyeballs as a "young and naive" partner in law firm Slater and Gordon, will probably not be finalised until after election day, which is quite unfortunate as the results should be of interest to every voter in this country.

The same could be said for the disgraceful member for Dobell, Craig Thomson.  His case, whether by design or not will be dragged out past election day.

However, the Eddie Obeid scandal enveloping NSW State Labor is in full swing, so the voters will be constantly reminded just what sort of nasty, dishonest, trashy mob have been running Australia under the ALP brand.

I cannot wait for September to roll around.  I want to see the Gillard government routed and routed with a vengeance.

UPDATE:  Chris Uhlmann, currently hosting the ABC's  television programme, "7.30" has just reported that our current PM did not even think it was necessary to consult Caucus before announcing the election date.  So, up youse - parliamentary commrades!   Nothing new there.  Apparently, she didn't bother to consult Caucus, when she announced Nova Peris would be the next NT Senator, replacing long-standing Trish Crossin, who was not even given the courtesy of an advanced warning!

This woman appears to be a raging bull in desperate need of a reality check.
Those who like to run around with some sort of god complex (even though Gillard is an atheist) are doomed to be taught a hard lesson and this woman has one almighty lesson coming her way.

ABC - Garbage In - Garbage Out

http://www.abc.net.au/news/thedrum/polls/

Opinion Poll - Have your vote

146 women, compared to 425 men, received Australia Day honours.

Do we need a new system to ensure parity?

Do we need a new system to ensure parity, squeals the poll-setter at the fluffy ABC's “The Drum”.  Check out the numskulls who think we should have a sex-based system!  At the time of publishing, the affirmative votes are at 47%.

How about this for some radical thinking.  Wouldn’t it be nice if people were awarded Australia Day honours on merit – not gender.

I am sure the latte-slurping, hairy armpitted and probably smelly inner suburban brigade of Amazons of various sexual preferences would like to have me killed for even thinking such a thing, let alone publicising it!

I have no doubt the worst Attorney General this country has ever suffered, Nicola Roxon, would be only too happy to haul me before the courts via her planned new and improved anti-discrimination legislation because no doubt, I will have offended some precious little petal’s sensibilities by making public my view.

This sort of stuff is inane Leftist nonsense and oh-so typical of ‘their’ ABC pandering to the puerile.

Where in the hell is this country going?    

Pat O'Shane Pulls The Plug

A dark stain on the NSW legal system, controversial and judicially probed Magistrate Pat O'Shane has bailed five months early.  She was not due for retirement until June this year..

O'Shane has been the subject of investigations and determinations within her own profession which have, as a matter of necessity, been conducted into her legal competence over a number of years.

In my view, Pat O'Shane represented everything that is sick within the Aboriginal Industry.   Here was a woman who played the race card in her determinations.  O'Shane also exuded a cop hating persona.  In the role of someone who is trusted to remain impartial, listen to the evidence from both sides without favour and adjudicate professionally, this woman was an utter failure.  A disgrace.

Good riddance.  O'Shane should have been dealt with years ago.

ABC story here:

No, No - Nova!

This Gillard woman doesn’t know how to stop making an idiot of herself.  By riding roughshod not only over experienced NT Senator Trish Crossin but Labor Party preselection processes with a No. 1 ticket Senate endorsement of a person who is not even a member of the Labor Party yet, we could be seeing another own goal from our accidental Prime Minister.

I am reminded of last year’s Australia Day Race Riot that emanated from this Prime Minister’s very office; the gameplan being to humiliate Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott.  It backfired in such a spectacular fashion no political tragic will forget it in a hurry.   The PM’s “captain’s pick” announcement of an aboriginal; a female and a sports star to boot simply illustrates the desperation of the woman.  She thinks this appointment will be hailed by all NT aboriginals.  Well, get ready for the carpet-bombing that’s bound to occur!  It’s nothing more than a cynical attempt by Labor to grab votes in the same manner the NT Country Liberal Party who worked the remote aboriginal vote to attain office at last year’s general election..

Obviously, I don’t know Nova Peris personally and she may be quite capable performing the role of Senator, if elected.  However, this cynical anointing of Peris smacks of reverse racism and as Andrew Bolt points out, may be a nice little breach of the Racial Discrimination Act and wouldn’t it be hilarious if Senator Crossin exercises her right to have her case heard in a court of law under that bit of legislation.

Nova Peris is a politically untried sportswoman just as Peter Garrett was an untried musician and look how well that turned out.  I find celebrity candidate selections – on both sides of Politics – distasteful.  I believe candidates should be selected on merit – not by the size of the fanclub.

Read the ABC’s take here.

Geert Wilders - Why Not?

Federal Minister for Immigration, blah blah - the Hon. Christopher Bowen has said some unkind things about Geert Wilders and Minister Bowen took his sweet time to grant the Dutch politician and Leader of the Freedom Party (PVV) a visa to enter this democratic country we call Australia.  However, Minister Bowen did not take his time granting a visa to jihad apologist Taji Mustafa to spread the word about the Religion of Peace last September.

Perhaps Wilders should have changed his surname to Mustafa!

Look at the trouble Debbie Robinson is having trying to secure a venue for Mr. Wilders, not only in Sydney but in Perth too, apparently?

NSW has the highest population of the followers of the Religion of Peace.  You know, that religion that doesn’t cause any trouble, that religion that doesn’t riot and doesn’t use 6-year-olds to hold signs saying ‘Behead All Those Who Insult The Profit’ whilst mothers watch on lovingly.  That religion that doesn’t want establishment of Sharia law in this country.  That religion that prefers enclaves to that of a normal assimilation process into the land they have adopted as home.   Those who put country first, life second and religion third.  What a farce!

What are these clowns frightened of?  Why are venues suddenly not available?  Are the venue owners scared their establishments may be rioted upon and destroyed or even worse levelled via incendiary device or similar?  Well, that’s a serious possibility when dealing with members of the Religion of Peace, as we have already witnessed.   Wilders, who, no doubt is the subject of a Religion of Peace fatwa, has every right to address Australian audiences and he should be able to do so without fear nor favour.  Is this the sort of influence Islam now holds in Australia?  We are too shit-scared to provide a venue to a European politician of the likes of Mr. Wilders?   So many of us predicted this very thing many years ago when Muslims began flooding the Department of Immigration in one form or another.  Those of us making the dire predictions were capable of evaluating and distilling the European experience of mass Muslim migration.  Too bad this ridiculously incompetent Federal Government did not possess such foresight!

Freespeech dogged by politics of difference

Paul Sheehan, www.smh.com.au 21 JAN, 2013

The obvious question is, what are they afraid of? Is it fear of violence, or  vandalism, or simply fear of association?

Debbie Robinson, a small business operator who describes herself as an  ordinary citizen, wants to bring to Australia a Dutch political leader who is a  supporter of democracy, freedom of religion, feminism and gay rights. But when  she started making arrangements all she encountered was fear.

''In Sydney, venues that were initially available were cancelled or would not  take the booking when they realised who the speaker was,'' she told me. She  provided a list of rejections: the Hilton Hotel, North Sydney Leagues Club,  Sydney Masonic Centre, Wesley Convention Centre, Luna Park Function Centre, the  Concourse at Chatswood and the Sir  John Clancy Auditorium at the University of  NSW.

''I offered a church-based venue in Sydney a donation and their reply was,  'You could offer $4 million and we would not accept your booking'.''

 Finding venues was not her only problem. ''Earlier in the year I approached  APN Outdoor to arrange a four-week run of bus ads in Sydney. The artwork was  forwarded to them and I was quoted a price for the job …  Then I was advised  they would not be able to run the ad as it was too political and would result in  the buses being damaged and defaced. They would not say who would do the  damage.''

The same happened in Perth, where Robinson lives, when venues declined to  take her booking, including the Burswood Casino. When she tried to organise a  payments system for the tour, she was rejected by Westpac. The bank, which has  been courting the Chinese Communist government for years, wanted nothing to do  with this Dutch democrat.

''I was organising an e-way payment system with Westpac to link to the  website of the Q Society [the sponsor of the tour]. I received a call from a  manager who said the Westpac Risk Management Team had decided the material for  sale was offensive and inappropriate and therefore they would not proceed with  the e-way system. I asked to speak to the manager responsible and was told he  was on leave.''

The Dutch MP causing so much concern is Geert Wilders, the leader of the  Party of Freedom (PVV), the king-maker in Dutch politics over the past two  years. When Wilders withdrew his support for the government last year, it  collapsed and a national election was called.

A month after that election, in which the PVV polled a million votes and won  16 seats, Wilders was scheduled to be in Australia. The trip was cancelled after  it was sabotaged by the Minister for Immigration, Chris Bowen.

The minister then had the gall to write an opinion piece, published in The Australian on October 2 last year, in which he claimed, ''I have  decided not to intervene to deny [Wilders] a visa because I believe that our  democracy is strong enough, our multiculturalism robust enough and our  commitment to freedom of speech entrenched enough that our society can withstand  the visit of a fringe commentator.''

Reality check: Bowen's department sat on Wilders' visa application for almost  two months, then acted only after the minister received public criticism and  Wilders was cancelling his trip.

No such long delay hindered the visit of Taji Mustafa, a spokesman for Hizb ut-Tahrir, an apologist for jihad, when he made a speaking tour in Australia last September while Wilders was being frozen out. When questioned in Parliament, Bowen replied: ''Hizb ut-Tahrir has not been proscribed in Australia … This entry permit was issued in accordance with the normal procedures for British nationals.''

Apparently, the anti-Western Hizb ut-Tahrir is not ''fringe'', nor worthy of  an excoriating opinion piece, but the leader of a party that won 24 seats, 1.4  million votes, and 15 per cent of the vote in the Dutch 2010 election represents  an extremist fringe.

People are entitled to loathe Wilders, or shun him. They are also entitled to  support him, or hear him. The problems encountered with his visit illustrate the  double-speak, double-standards and fear that exists when it comes to the subject  for which Wilders is notorious - confronting Muslim extremism.

Neither Wilders nor the PVV have ever been involved in violent conduct, yet  he has lived under 24-hour police protection for the past nine years, since two  Muslim fundamentalists were arrested after a siege in 2004 and charged with  planning to assassinate him.

When Wilders comes to Australia next month for speaking engagements in  Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, he will be accompanied by five Dutch security  officers. The venues will not be revealed until 48 hours before each speech.

Wilders believes Islam is a political ideology, not just a religion, and  should be compared with totalitarian belief systems. He has compared the Koran  to Fascism and Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. He advocates ending  immigration by Muslims because the Netherlands was losing its demographic and  social stability. For this he was taken to court for hate speech. He won, but  the case occupied three years.

Wilders is opposed to what he calls the Islamification of Europe by a  combination of demography, immigration and accommodations by multiculturalism  that are not reciprocated by Muslims. Two other Dutch political activists who  were similarly critical of Islam were subject to numerous assassination  attempts. One was murdered, the other fled to America.

Debbie Robinson believes the fear she has encountered in Australia merely  confirms her reasons for arranging Wilders' visit: ''With every refusal I asked  why, and was almost always informed that management had concerns about the  repercussions. The audience was never the issue. The issue was offending  Muslims. Looking at the number of cancellations and refusals it is apparent the  Islamic community are not getting their message across about being the religion  of peace.''