Two newspapers, two stories, same source of conflict. Amazingly no-one has yet drawn the link between the bitter brawl that consumed the now defunct Victorian Health Services Union’s number 1 branch in 2009, the Craig Thomson fiasco and David Feeney’s fading bid to hold his seat in federal parliament.
August, 2011
Beecher: logical for government to fund media diversity
There is no democratic or economic rationale to support suggestions that News Limited should be forced to divest any of its Australian newspapers.
Greig: Christian Lobby plays the victim card
The Australian Christian Lobby has taken its bat and ball and gone home, writes former Democrats Senator Brian Greig.
Rundle: why the Right has become frantic about the Greens
Though many rural people still find it culturally and psychologically impossible to get close to the Greens as a party, they are increasingly happy to have them float the measures they would like to see occur
Power Shots: anti-carbon tax campaign a waste of moolah? … Buffett calls for higher taxes …
Here’s today’s Power Shots from Paul Barry and The Power Index team, covering the latest news of Australia’s most powerful. Missed yesterday’s Power Shots? Check them out here, as well as heading yourself over to the freshly launched stable-mate of Crikey, The Power Index. Mitch Hook’s anti-tax campaign a waste. Advertising gurus say the Minerals Council of […]
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Forget game theory, Abbott’s a boxer
Crikey readers have their say.
Morning Market Report: Markets continue to rise, Dow up for a third straight day
The Dow Jones closed up 214 overnight, closing higher for a third straight day.
Media briefs: More jobs go at Ten … Google & AP fund future journos …
Crikey enjoyed this interesting piece in Saturday’s Herald Sun on how the Melbourne’s Spring Fashion week is rolling out the red carpet for pregnant mums. But it was the accompanying photo that caught our eye…
Political snippets: Woolworths’ ACDC wine brain fade
Perhaps Woolworths will ask the producers to add a Bon Scott label drawing attention to the coroner’s finding that the original lead singer for the band died of “acute alcohol poisoning”
Video of the Day: The ethical quandaries of palm oil production
The vexed issue of palm oil production in Indonesia presents a vintage ecological dilemma: do workers concentrate on feeding their families or protecting their forests? This short video from Time focuses on two Borneo men who take different approaches to balancing their budgets and their environment.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours
One interested citizen told Crikey that after writing to a politician to find out their voting intentions on an issue, they were immediately added to the pollie’s weekly spin emails, despite the fact that the politician’s emails advocate exactly the issue the tipster was concerned about and opposes.
Crikey Says: Demise of a once loved brand
Qantas was, once, more than just an airline to most Australians — it was part of the national character.
aviation industry 
Qantas reveals key parts of new strategy
ASX filings this morning show that Qantas will cut about 1000 unspecified jobs with the early retirement of some 747s, amid a raft of other changes, reports Ben Sandilands.
The thieves who introduced the world to Mona Lisa’s smile
If a trio of Italian carpenters hadn’t pilfered the Mona Lisa in 1911, causing an international media sensation, the painting would never have never generated the iconic status it has today, writes James Zug.
Coles Sports for Schools promo a first class clunker
A Coles promotion involving free sports gear given to selected schools might sound like a good idea, but the token-hungry system they have devised is ridiculous, writes Ian Grayson.
The history of online activism (in a nutshell)
Online activism began in the 90s and, buoyed by the advance of web 2.0 technologies, is now more prominent and widespread than ever. Mashable captures the pivotal moments in online activism history.
Gaddafi’s days are numbered
The moment NATO interviewed in Libya marked the beginning of the end of Colonel Gaddafi’s reign. There are new signs his fall may be imminent, writes Brian Whitaker.
Comedy news round-up
Visit Crikey’s comedy blog Laugh Track for the latest comedy bits and bobs, including updates about Good News Week and a new podcast from young comedian Trav Nash.
Penbo’s odd rhetoric on riots and the poor
In a strange piece written for The Punch, David Penberthy essentially told the poor in the first world to shut up and cop it so long as they have it better than the poor in the third world, writes Jeremy Sear.
film reviews Cowboys and Aliens — shooting blanks and lost in space
Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford star in the cross-genre hybrid nobody was waiting for. Cowboys and Aliens is cinema as stupid spectacle, writes Luke Buckmaster.
travel Spain: the sun rises in San Fermin
Midday, July 6 may be the official starting time for the world’s most insane party, but semantics like time matter little to the locals or throngs of tourists in Pamplona for two weeks of fiesta known as San Fermin, writes Ben Oliver.
Possum’s polling trends
With the Parliament having just started its spring sitting session, it might be worth taking a look at the current state of play on the polling trends using our Pollytrend system, writes Possum Comitatus.
