So what are the implications for Palestine/Israel reportage of Channel 9's coming merger with Fairfax Media, given the latter's already grossly inadequate and problematic handling of the issue?
The architect of the 1980s cross-media ownership laws, former Labor PM Paul Keating, is of the view that Channel 9 "will run the editorial policy" of the Fairfax papers given that, "in terms of news management, Channel 9... has... the opportunism and ethics of an alley cat."
That could mean that the Fairfax papers will, if anything, become more ferociously pro-Israel in the manner of Murdoch's rags. Certainly, the fact that former Howard government treasurer Peter Costello is the chairman of Nine Entertainment Co. is cause for concern in this regard, as the following snippet from a 2001 biography of the man indicates:
"Support for the PLO was becoming an article of faith within the student left. Peter Costello, 17, never been kissed, a devout Baptist... was appalled... Costello recalled: 'Do I know better than all these people? Probably not. But what I do know is that my best friend is Jewish... and the student union is collecting money for the PLO'." (Peter Costello: The New Liberal, Shaun Carney, pp 45-6)
Of course the leaders of the Australian Union of Students leaders at the time (1975) knew infinitely more about the Palestine/Israel issue than this gormless innocent, having done their homework as he acknowledges, but, typical of the student conservatives of this time, the idea of actually learning from those who knew what they were talking about was anathema to him. Frankly, if your mind is closed at 17, what hope is there on this or any other matter? Watch this space...
Showing posts with label Paul Keating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Keating. Show all posts
Monday, July 30, 2018
Friday, July 10, 2015
Her Master's Voice
Former Labor PM Paul Keating was moved to say of his late mother Minnie Keating that "At the core of [her forthrightness] was a manic commitment to honesty and truth and her utter contempt for humbug and sleight of hand. Her guiding light was that which was true and right and she instilled those values into each of us as children and as adults." (Keating farewells his mother and guiding light, Andrew Hornery, Sydney Morning Herald, 9/7/15)
I very much doubt that this could be said of the author of the following letter (2/7/15), Hillary Clinton. The letter is essentially a shameless pitch for funds from the Israeli-American billionaire and mega-donor to the Democratic Party, Haim Saban, who said in 2004 that "I'm a one issue guy, and my issue is Israel."
"Dear Haim:
"I am writing to express my alarm over the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction [sic] movement, or 'BDS', a global effort to isolate the State of Israel by ending commercial and academic exchanges."
No, you're not. You're merely parroting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, specifically his 2014 AIPAC speech, where he refers to "the so-called BDS," and tells his American agents that it's "morally wrong" and "simply the latest chapter in the long and dark history of anti-Semitism."
"I know you agree that we need to make countering BDS a priority. I am seeking your advice on how we can work together - across party lines and with a diverse array of voices - to reverse this trend with information and advocacy, and fight back against further attempts to isolate and delegitimize Israel."
Which is just another way of repeating these Netanyahu tropes:
"Today the singling out of the Jewish people has turned into the singling out of the Jewish state."
"But the BDS movement is not about legitimate criticism. It's about making Israel illegitimate."
"As you know, BDS seeks to punish Israel and dictate how the Israelis and Palestinians should resolve the core issues of their conflict. This is not the path to peace. I remain convinced that Israel's long-term security and future as a Jewish state depends on having two states for two peoples. But that outcome can only be achieved through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians - it cannot be imposed from the outside or by unilateral actions."
Ditto:
"BDS sets back peace because it hardens Palestinian positions and it makes mutual compromise less likely."
"I am also very concerned by attempts to compare Israel to South African apartheid. Israel is a vibrant democracy in a region dominated by autocracy, and it faces existential threats to its survival. Particularly at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across the world - especially in Europe - we need to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish people. After all, it was only six months ago that four Jews were targeted and killed in a Kosher supermarket in Paris as they did their Sabbath shopping."
Ah yes, the anti-Semitism card. Netanyahu again:
"We have a boisterous democracy where everyone has an opinion... Those who wear the BDS label should be treated exactly as we treat any anti-Semite or bigot."
"BDS is the latest attempt to single out Israel on the world stage, but we've seen this sort of attack before, at the UN and elsewhere. As Senator and Secretary of State, I saw how crucial it is for America to defend Israel at every turn. I have opposed dozens of anti-Israel resolutions at the UN, the Human Rights Council, and other international organizations. I condemned the biased Goldstone Report, making it clear that Israel must be allowed to defend itself like any other country. And I made sure the United States blocked Palestinian attempts at the UN to unilaterally declare statehood. Time after time, no matter the venue, I have made it clear that America will always stand up for Israel - and that's what I'll always do as President."
Hillary or no Hillary, Democrat or Republican, covering Israel's nakedness in the UN Security Council with its veto, or voting NO in the General Assembly or other UN body, is simply what we've come to expect from USrael.
Most recently, at the 29th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, the US was the only country to vote NO against a resolution 'ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of international law in' the Occupied Palestinian territories, a vote which followed the release of the UN Human Rights report on the 2014 massacres in Gaza.
"Now I am seeking your thoughts and recommendations on how leaders and communities across America can work together to counter BDS. From Congress and state legislatures to boardrooms and classrooms, we need to engage all people of good faith, regardless of their political persuasion or their views on policy specifics, in explaining why the BDS campaign is counterproductive to the pursuit of peace and harmful to Israelis and Palestinians alike."
And classrooms???!!!
"I hope you will work with me on this priority. It was more than three decades ago when Bill and I took our first trip to Israel...
Do you remember our first rambamming, Bill?
Did the earth move for you too, Bill?
"... walked the ancient streets of Jerusalem's Old City, and fell in love with the country and its people. Israel became a special place for us, and I'm lucky to have had many opportunities to return and to make many dear friends there over the years. The Jewish state is a modern day miracle - a vibrant bloom in the middle of a desert. We must nurture and protect it."
Israel's a plant alright, a poisonous settler-colonial implant which continues to blight every inch of occupied Palestine:
"'When I arrived on my farm on Wednesday morning. I was surprised when I saw an Israeli farming plane crossing the border towards farms inside Gaza,' farmer Ahmed Badawi said. 'The plane started to spray unidentified chemicals. My farm is 400 metres from the border and I planted several kinds of vegetables. Two days [later] negative effects started to appear on the plants.' Mahmoud Dalloul, another farmer in a different area near the border, said that this was not the first time..." (Israel sprays Gaza farms with poisonous gases, again, middleeastmonitor.com, 20/4/15)
"I will be speaking out publicly on this issue in the weeks ahead, so I am eager to hear your perspective and advice.
"With warm regards, I am
"Sincerely yours,
"Hilary Rodham Clinton."
And Hillary has written in her own hand:
"Look forward to working with you on this."
I very much doubt that this could be said of the author of the following letter (2/7/15), Hillary Clinton. The letter is essentially a shameless pitch for funds from the Israeli-American billionaire and mega-donor to the Democratic Party, Haim Saban, who said in 2004 that "I'm a one issue guy, and my issue is Israel."
"Dear Haim:
"I am writing to express my alarm over the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction [sic] movement, or 'BDS', a global effort to isolate the State of Israel by ending commercial and academic exchanges."
No, you're not. You're merely parroting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, specifically his 2014 AIPAC speech, where he refers to "the so-called BDS," and tells his American agents that it's "morally wrong" and "simply the latest chapter in the long and dark history of anti-Semitism."
"I know you agree that we need to make countering BDS a priority. I am seeking your advice on how we can work together - across party lines and with a diverse array of voices - to reverse this trend with information and advocacy, and fight back against further attempts to isolate and delegitimize Israel."
Which is just another way of repeating these Netanyahu tropes:
"Today the singling out of the Jewish people has turned into the singling out of the Jewish state."
"But the BDS movement is not about legitimate criticism. It's about making Israel illegitimate."
"As you know, BDS seeks to punish Israel and dictate how the Israelis and Palestinians should resolve the core issues of their conflict. This is not the path to peace. I remain convinced that Israel's long-term security and future as a Jewish state depends on having two states for two peoples. But that outcome can only be achieved through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians - it cannot be imposed from the outside or by unilateral actions."
Ditto:
"BDS sets back peace because it hardens Palestinian positions and it makes mutual compromise less likely."
"I am also very concerned by attempts to compare Israel to South African apartheid. Israel is a vibrant democracy in a region dominated by autocracy, and it faces existential threats to its survival. Particularly at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across the world - especially in Europe - we need to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish people. After all, it was only six months ago that four Jews were targeted and killed in a Kosher supermarket in Paris as they did their Sabbath shopping."
Ah yes, the anti-Semitism card. Netanyahu again:
"We have a boisterous democracy where everyone has an opinion... Those who wear the BDS label should be treated exactly as we treat any anti-Semite or bigot."
"BDS is the latest attempt to single out Israel on the world stage, but we've seen this sort of attack before, at the UN and elsewhere. As Senator and Secretary of State, I saw how crucial it is for America to defend Israel at every turn. I have opposed dozens of anti-Israel resolutions at the UN, the Human Rights Council, and other international organizations. I condemned the biased Goldstone Report, making it clear that Israel must be allowed to defend itself like any other country. And I made sure the United States blocked Palestinian attempts at the UN to unilaterally declare statehood. Time after time, no matter the venue, I have made it clear that America will always stand up for Israel - and that's what I'll always do as President."
Hillary or no Hillary, Democrat or Republican, covering Israel's nakedness in the UN Security Council with its veto, or voting NO in the General Assembly or other UN body, is simply what we've come to expect from USrael.
Most recently, at the 29th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, the US was the only country to vote NO against a resolution 'ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of international law in' the Occupied Palestinian territories, a vote which followed the release of the UN Human Rights report on the 2014 massacres in Gaza.
"Now I am seeking your thoughts and recommendations on how leaders and communities across America can work together to counter BDS. From Congress and state legislatures to boardrooms and classrooms, we need to engage all people of good faith, regardless of their political persuasion or their views on policy specifics, in explaining why the BDS campaign is counterproductive to the pursuit of peace and harmful to Israelis and Palestinians alike."
And classrooms???!!!
"I hope you will work with me on this priority. It was more than three decades ago when Bill and I took our first trip to Israel...
Do you remember our first rambamming, Bill?
Did the earth move for you too, Bill?
"... walked the ancient streets of Jerusalem's Old City, and fell in love with the country and its people. Israel became a special place for us, and I'm lucky to have had many opportunities to return and to make many dear friends there over the years. The Jewish state is a modern day miracle - a vibrant bloom in the middle of a desert. We must nurture and protect it."
Israel's a plant alright, a poisonous settler-colonial implant which continues to blight every inch of occupied Palestine:
"'When I arrived on my farm on Wednesday morning. I was surprised when I saw an Israeli farming plane crossing the border towards farms inside Gaza,' farmer Ahmed Badawi said. 'The plane started to spray unidentified chemicals. My farm is 400 metres from the border and I planted several kinds of vegetables. Two days [later] negative effects started to appear on the plants.' Mahmoud Dalloul, another farmer in a different area near the border, said that this was not the first time..." (Israel sprays Gaza farms with poisonous gases, again, middleeastmonitor.com, 20/4/15)
"I will be speaking out publicly on this issue in the weeks ahead, so I am eager to hear your perspective and advice.
"With warm regards, I am
"Sincerely yours,
"Hilary Rodham Clinton."
And Hillary has written in her own hand:
"Look forward to working with you on this."
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Draft Paul Keating Now!
"In May 1991, [Bob] Hawke was presented with the Shield of Jerusalem award on behalf of Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek and the World Zionist Organization. However, his press office discouraged media coverage of the ceremony, possibly because Hawke was increasingly under threat within his own party where some crucial supporters disapproved of his long-term ties to Israel and the Jewish people. In December 1991, Hawke was deposed in a party room ballot by his treasurer Paul Keating. In contrast to Hawke, Keating had no record of emotional attachment to Israel. He had little history of contact with the Australian Jewish community before becoming treasurer. When he had spoken to Jewish-community groups he had sometimes raised ire, as in 1990 when he insisted that Australia opposed any Israeli settling in East Jerusalem as well as the territories." (A Distant Affinity: The History of Australian-Israeli Relations, Colin Rubenstein & Tzvi Fleischer, Jewish Political Studies Review, Fall 2007)
I watched Judgement Day on the ABC's Four Corners on Monday night. It was about former Labor Prime Minister (1991-1996) Paul Keating's epic struggle to translate the High Court's Mabo ruling (which replaced the common law principle of terra nullius - that Australia was essentially unoccupied when white settlers arrived here in 1788 - with native title) into legislation.
What impressive leadership Keating showed. Not only did he display an understanding of Aboriginal dispossession, but he was prepared to take on vested state, mining and pastoral interests, and majority redneck opinion, to get native title legislation through federal parliament. In short, the man was a complete contrast to the conga-line of suckholes, opportunists, hacks and drones to follow.
Here, for example, is Keating in action on talkback radio:
(Excerpt from Radio 2UE, 1993)
Caller II: Good morning.
John Laws: Okay, the Prime Minister is here.
Caller II: Yes, good morning. Just a very broad question, Mr Keating, is, why does your government see the Aboriginal people as a much more equal people than the average White Australian?
Paul Keating: We don't. We see them as equal.
Caller II: Well, you might say that, but all the indications are that you don't.
Paul Keating: But what's implied in your question is that you don't; you think that non-Aboriginal Australians, there ought to be discrimination in their favour against blacks.
Caller II: Not... whatsoever. I... I don't say that at all. But my... myself and every person I talk to - and I'm not racist - but every person I talk to...
Paul Keating: But that's what they all say, don't they? They put these questions - they always say, 'I'm not racist, but, you know, I don't believe that Aboriginal Australians ought to have a basis in equality with non-Aboriginal Australians'. Well, of course, that's part of the problem.
Caller II: Aren't they more equal than us at the moment?, with the preferences they get?
Paul Keating: More equal? They were... I mean, it's not for me to be giving you a history lesson - they were largely dispossessed of the land they held.
Caller II: There's a question over that. I think a lot of people will tell you that. You're telling us one thing...
Paul Keating: Well, if you're sitting on the title of any block of land in NSW, you can bet an Aboriginal person at some stage was dispossessed of it.
Caller II: You know that for sure, do you?
Paul Keating: Of course we know it for sure!
Caller II: Yeah, [inaudible].
Paul Keating: You're challenging the High Court decision, are you? You're saying the High Court got this all wrong.
Caller II: No, I'm not saying that at all! I wouldn't know who was on the High Court.
Paul Keating: Well, why don't you sign off if you don't know anything about it and you're not interested? Good bye!
Caller II: Yeah, well, that's your...
Paul Keating: No, I mean, you can't challenge these things and then say, 'I don't know about them'.
John Laws: Oh well, he's gone.
(End of excerpt)
Sure beats the hell out of Gillard's 'Well, that's an interesting question and I thank you for it'.
I watched Judgement Day on the ABC's Four Corners on Monday night. It was about former Labor Prime Minister (1991-1996) Paul Keating's epic struggle to translate the High Court's Mabo ruling (which replaced the common law principle of terra nullius - that Australia was essentially unoccupied when white settlers arrived here in 1788 - with native title) into legislation.
What impressive leadership Keating showed. Not only did he display an understanding of Aboriginal dispossession, but he was prepared to take on vested state, mining and pastoral interests, and majority redneck opinion, to get native title legislation through federal parliament. In short, the man was a complete contrast to the conga-line of suckholes, opportunists, hacks and drones to follow.
Here, for example, is Keating in action on talkback radio:
(Excerpt from Radio 2UE, 1993)
Caller II: Good morning.
John Laws: Okay, the Prime Minister is here.
Caller II: Yes, good morning. Just a very broad question, Mr Keating, is, why does your government see the Aboriginal people as a much more equal people than the average White Australian?
Paul Keating: We don't. We see them as equal.
Caller II: Well, you might say that, but all the indications are that you don't.
Paul Keating: But what's implied in your question is that you don't; you think that non-Aboriginal Australians, there ought to be discrimination in their favour against blacks.
Caller II: Not... whatsoever. I... I don't say that at all. But my... myself and every person I talk to - and I'm not racist - but every person I talk to...
Paul Keating: But that's what they all say, don't they? They put these questions - they always say, 'I'm not racist, but, you know, I don't believe that Aboriginal Australians ought to have a basis in equality with non-Aboriginal Australians'. Well, of course, that's part of the problem.
Caller II: Aren't they more equal than us at the moment?, with the preferences they get?
Paul Keating: More equal? They were... I mean, it's not for me to be giving you a history lesson - they were largely dispossessed of the land they held.
Caller II: There's a question over that. I think a lot of people will tell you that. You're telling us one thing...
Paul Keating: Well, if you're sitting on the title of any block of land in NSW, you can bet an Aboriginal person at some stage was dispossessed of it.
Caller II: You know that for sure, do you?
Paul Keating: Of course we know it for sure!
Caller II: Yeah, [inaudible].
Paul Keating: You're challenging the High Court decision, are you? You're saying the High Court got this all wrong.
Caller II: No, I'm not saying that at all! I wouldn't know who was on the High Court.
Paul Keating: Well, why don't you sign off if you don't know anything about it and you're not interested? Good bye!
Caller II: Yeah, well, that's your...
Paul Keating: No, I mean, you can't challenge these things and then say, 'I don't know about them'.
John Laws: Oh well, he's gone.
(End of excerpt)
Sure beats the hell out of Gillard's 'Well, that's an interesting question and I thank you for it'.
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