Thursday, March 15, 2012

Rudd & The Israel Factor Revisited

The Party Thieves (2010), by the host of ABC Television's Insiders program, Barrie Cassidy, is subtitled: The Real Story of the 2010 Election. It incorporates, need I say, the story of the revolt by key Labor parliamentarians against Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his replacement by current PM Julia Gillard. That story has been pretty well canvassed by now, but, in light of this blog's focus, I find the following extract from Cassidy's book most intriguing:

"[Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities] Bill Shorten was typical of those who had become increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with Rudd's style and direction through 2009, and then even more so when the polls started to collapse... Two issues in particular troubled Shorten. He thought the government's backdown on climate change should have been formally announced by the Prime Minister and properly explained around the country. And he was annoyed when the government expelled an Israeli diplomat over the Dubai passports affair, where the passports of 4 Australians with dual Israeli citizenship were falsified as part of a hit on a top Hamas leader. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said that 'was not the act of a friend', and as such, it could not be tolerated. Bill Shorten believed the expulsion was an overreaction." (p 81)

Something rather strange is going on here.

Why does Cassidy merely record the above? Where's the raised eyebrow?

Could it be that he regards the second of Shorten's alleged motives for involvement in the plot to axe Rudd, namely the perfectly justified expulsion of an Israeli diplomat (something John Howard also did), as somehow quotidian?

I'm sorry, but surely the simple fact that Israel was in some way a factor in Rudd's fall is truly extraordinary and suggests that we may have reached the stage where, as in the US, politicians, even prime ministers, can be made or unmade by the Zionist lobby.

For newsmakers like Cassidy, the question arises: if the role of the Israel factor in knocking off an Australian prime minister is not worthy of real media scrutiny, what is?

[NB: This post should be read in conjunction with my 22/6/10 post The Best Israel Policy Money Can Buy. On Shorten's background, see my 18/3/10 post Portrait of a Labor Zionist.]

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Could it be sheer coincidence, gall or hubris that Bill Shorten, a first term parliamentary member,was joined by another parliamentary novice,Kate Ellis, in the Canberra restaurant to work the telephone to Labor members to agitate to unseat an elected Labor Prime Minister? Ellis had only just returned from a month in South Africa, as Minister for Sport, watching the world cup soccer with her mentor Frank Lowey.

Who gave this pair of novice spear carriers permission?

It seems that the real string pullers, the so called factional bosses, went beyond the usual left-right divide.

Picture Mark Arbib, Michael Danby, Nicola Roxon et al celebrating the execution of Prime Minister Rudd, wine flowing freely in the now notorious parliamentary office party, having stitched up the respective left-right leaders in the various states and union groupings. In reality an informal meeting of the Labor Friends of Israel.

It may appear as a case of "strange bedfellows" at first glance but it could be that the Labor Friends of Israel transcends the the old factional divide and is now the most powerful faction in Labor.

No wonder they didn't give Rudd a second chance.

Back to you Barrie.

Anonymous said...

whilst the enemies of Zionism continue to persevere with nothing more than paranoid conspiracy theories--and as long as you all really believe it, Israel and its supporters will always have the edge.

Thanks again MERC and fellow conspiacy agitators

MERC said...

So what's your take on Shorten's issue as related by respected ms journalist Cassidy?

Anonymous said...

"Paranoid conspiracy theories" blurts the tedious troll from Tel-Aviv.

The trouble is that this drive-by smear is not in any way specific, they never are.

Which part is the "paranoid conspiracy theory", as opposed to known facts?

Cassidy got it wrong?

Shorten couldn't care less about Israelis fabricating Australian passports?

Shorten is NOT a fanatical Israel Israel supporter?

Shorten didn't hop on the blower to knife his leader?

Kate Ellis wasn't there?

There was no party of in the office of the leading "conspirators"?

Mark Arbib, Nicola Roxon, Michael Danby and Michael Dreyfuss didn't attend? and they deny being members of Labor Friends of Israel?

Anonymous said...

Mark Arbib is sure to pop up sooner or later with a new job somewhere in the Zionosphere.