Quite perfectly written Tim. It's actually boring both ways re: Ferguson. Boring that she thought the question was appropriate, and boring that Peter had his notes ready. Boring that viewers had to hear those notes because he does a remarkable line in disingenuous does Peter.
I heard him on the ABC yesterday, championing his love for multiculturalism to Raf Epstein, I nearly pranged the car. A listener had asked him if his African gangs tactics were still in play, and off he wandered on a long ramble avoiding the question entirely. Raf did very politely point out - more than once - that Peter's note son the economy were demonstrably incorrect. But Peter's notes were not for changing course. On he sailed, with Raf politely correcting Peter as we went.
It's actually surreal hearing an LNP leader on the ABC in 2024. But as Peter and you and I and all of us know now, he's not going to get those teal seats back without hard yards on the ABC. One of Morrison's huge errors was dismissing the avenue of hard interviews that not being on 2GB/3AW offers. Peter has started at the bottom. And by the sounds of his efforts yesterday, he won't get much further.
More broadly, I think political interviews and debates are worse than useless. The starting point is high school debating, where you learn to provide clever defences of arbitrarily chosen position. It's great training for barristers, and that is not a compliment.
TV interviews are the same: gotchas from the interviewer, and from the interviewee a mixture of focus-tested talking point and straight-bat denials of the obvious.
While you’re right that The Beetrooter clearly has a drink problem (often flaunting it for good (double) measure), he also has very powerful Patrons and a network of enablers in the corporate media. So while hypocrisy and double standards are clearly a factor, it’s worth noting that Joyce has the full weight of the establishment behind him to explain this cringe behaviour away as larrikinism. If he weren’t a useful idiot for the mining industry, he’d be toast by now.
As for Ferguson and Dutton, the aggressive line of questioning from the get-go is a hallmark of just about every interview with Albanese conducted by the corporate media. So while I too wish there was more space for reasonable discussion and civilised debate, this is not the business model of the media nor the zeitgeist. As to Dutton’s actual performance, his conduct was the height of hypocrisy as partisanship is practically exclusively in favour of the LNP and he came across as channeling the sort of performative victimhood his orange role model wallows in.
I think this is a thought provoking & balanced assessment of the current interface of politicians and the media. Insiders and 7.30 Report frequently seek “Gotcha” sensation which lowers their standards. Bring back “The Drum”.
I have very little time for Barnaby but, still, he obviously has a drinking problem and I agree with all that you said above. Moreover, what does it say about his colleagues that they are turning a blind eye to what is also a health problem?
In what other job could Barnaby be routinely drunk (while earning earn hundreds of thousands of a year) & have his colleagues turn a blind eye to his quite serious addiction problems? He's probably got quite a decent WorkCover claim - his employer both facilitated his illness (booze on site) & failed to address a serious culture issue (heavy drinking both on and off the job in a FIFO town)
Agree with you totally on Sarah Ferguson's line of questioning of Peter Dutton. Totally wasted interview. In fact it just perpetuated that the only game in town is (for sake of getting boring) the 2party duopoly. Doesn't it just reinforce that this is the only way politics can be done by contrived opponents who when they have to, unite as one eg. political donations policy which will hurt Teals/Indies?
'Politics can be a horrible, confronting business, and the people it attracts to its professional ranks— particularly to the ranks of hardcore institutions like the mainstream political parties—are often, because of this, the worst sort of thrusting, self-important ego maniacs imaginable'.
The whole sham of a system that sees a deposed govt immediately criticising a newly elected govt. Doesn't it just point to that there's only one policy & the course is set and it's been set by an overarching master of Lib/Lab? If want to change policy, which we absolutely must do if ruinous CC is to be avoided, we've got to ditch this lunatic system. Thanks & cheers
AI question: how did you generate the picture? Can you ask for images based on real people (if so, what software), or did you feed in a reasonably accurate description of Joyce and Dutton (unnamed) and go from their.
I have, mercifully seen almost none of the coverage of the Beetrooter's latest indiscretion. Much as I detest him, I think he deserves sympathy and help, rather than public mockery, for it.
Your concerns about the undesirability of humiliation in this context are well expressed. I wonder where the pressure is coming from for the interviewer's approach. The history of the Weimar Republic and like institutions show us lessons about actions best avoided.
I don’t care for Sarah Ferguson’s technique at all; I’m sure it went down well in the UK but there are some excellent journos here who could do a better job.
Quite perfectly written Tim. It's actually boring both ways re: Ferguson. Boring that she thought the question was appropriate, and boring that Peter had his notes ready. Boring that viewers had to hear those notes because he does a remarkable line in disingenuous does Peter.
I heard him on the ABC yesterday, championing his love for multiculturalism to Raf Epstein, I nearly pranged the car. A listener had asked him if his African gangs tactics were still in play, and off he wandered on a long ramble avoiding the question entirely. Raf did very politely point out - more than once - that Peter's note son the economy were demonstrably incorrect. But Peter's notes were not for changing course. On he sailed, with Raf politely correcting Peter as we went.
It's actually surreal hearing an LNP leader on the ABC in 2024. But as Peter and you and I and all of us know now, he's not going to get those teal seats back without hard yards on the ABC. One of Morrison's huge errors was dismissing the avenue of hard interviews that not being on 2GB/3AW offers. Peter has started at the bottom. And by the sounds of his efforts yesterday, he won't get much further.
More broadly, I think political interviews and debates are worse than useless. The starting point is high school debating, where you learn to provide clever defences of arbitrarily chosen position. It's great training for barristers, and that is not a compliment.
TV interviews are the same: gotchas from the interviewer, and from the interviewee a mixture of focus-tested talking point and straight-bat denials of the obvious.
While you’re right that The Beetrooter clearly has a drink problem (often flaunting it for good (double) measure), he also has very powerful Patrons and a network of enablers in the corporate media. So while hypocrisy and double standards are clearly a factor, it’s worth noting that Joyce has the full weight of the establishment behind him to explain this cringe behaviour away as larrikinism. If he weren’t a useful idiot for the mining industry, he’d be toast by now.
As for Ferguson and Dutton, the aggressive line of questioning from the get-go is a hallmark of just about every interview with Albanese conducted by the corporate media. So while I too wish there was more space for reasonable discussion and civilised debate, this is not the business model of the media nor the zeitgeist. As to Dutton’s actual performance, his conduct was the height of hypocrisy as partisanship is practically exclusively in favour of the LNP and he came across as channeling the sort of performative victimhood his orange role model wallows in.
I think this is a thought provoking & balanced assessment of the current interface of politicians and the media. Insiders and 7.30 Report frequently seek “Gotcha” sensation which lowers their standards. Bring back “The Drum”.
I have very little time for Barnaby but, still, he obviously has a drinking problem and I agree with all that you said above. Moreover, what does it say about his colleagues that they are turning a blind eye to what is also a health problem?
Well said Tim! Wouldn't it be wonderful if we were able to have mature, responsible discussion in parliament, and outside of it.
Yes indeed to both issues.
On Ferguson who imao is somewhat overrated.
This interview she did with the execrable Steve Bannon in 2018.
The exchanges at the end says it all.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-04/populist-revolution/10196348?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
On Albanese: Once again misses the mark completely on Joyce.
Top article! Thank you.
In what other job could Barnaby be routinely drunk (while earning earn hundreds of thousands of a year) & have his colleagues turn a blind eye to his quite serious addiction problems? He's probably got quite a decent WorkCover claim - his employer both facilitated his illness (booze on site) & failed to address a serious culture issue (heavy drinking both on and off the job in a FIFO town)
Agree with you totally on Sarah Ferguson's line of questioning of Peter Dutton. Totally wasted interview. In fact it just perpetuated that the only game in town is (for sake of getting boring) the 2party duopoly. Doesn't it just reinforce that this is the only way politics can be done by contrived opponents who when they have to, unite as one eg. political donations policy which will hurt Teals/Indies?
'Politics can be a horrible, confronting business, and the people it attracts to its professional ranks— particularly to the ranks of hardcore institutions like the mainstream political parties—are often, because of this, the worst sort of thrusting, self-important ego maniacs imaginable'.
The whole sham of a system that sees a deposed govt immediately criticising a newly elected govt. Doesn't it just point to that there's only one policy & the course is set and it's been set by an overarching master of Lib/Lab? If want to change policy, which we absolutely must do if ruinous CC is to be avoided, we've got to ditch this lunatic system. Thanks & cheers
AI question: how did you generate the picture? Can you ask for images based on real people (if so, what software), or did you feed in a reasonably accurate description of Joyce and Dutton (unnamed) and go from their.
Another excellent article, Tim. Top notch.
I have, mercifully seen almost none of the coverage of the Beetrooter's latest indiscretion. Much as I detest him, I think he deserves sympathy and help, rather than public mockery, for it.
Thanks Tim, political discourse is in freefall. We need to raise our standards.
Your concerns about the undesirability of humiliation in this context are well expressed. I wonder where the pressure is coming from for the interviewer's approach. The history of the Weimar Republic and like institutions show us lessons about actions best avoided.
I don’t care for Sarah Ferguson’s technique at all; I’m sure it went down well in the UK but there are some excellent journos here who could do a better job.