Who are our best and worst political performers for the year? The award goes to …
Malcolm Turnbull
Turnbull overstating the uncommercial NBN case … mostly
Malcolm Turnbull is portraying Thursday’s Productivity Commission report on the NBN Co’s greenfield fibre rollouts as proof the National Broadband Network is anti-competitive and uncommercial. He’s massively overstating the case. Mostly.
Turnbull diagnoses media’s crisis — and his own party’s
Most people these days look to Malcolm Turnbull for enlightenment not on economics but on politics, and that’s where things get interesting.
‘Imbecile’ pokies activist funds full-page newspaper ad
Despite the Baillieu government’s reluctance to tackle serious pokies reform, Victoria is central to the campaign for change and Paul Bendat’s full-page ad is a sign of what is to come for Victorian Liberals.
Crikey Says: The little carbon tax that could
Now that wasn’t that hard, was it?
Turnbull’s NBN twilight zone — give the man a cigar (Cuban of course)
“Cuba”? What the heck do any of us know about broadband policy in Cuba, Mr Turnbull? Oh wait. I get it. Communism. Well played, sir.
Rundle: it’s all in the tone, Mao Turnbull, and apparently the genes
Malcolm Turnbull today refused to deny rumours that former Liberal prime minister Harold Holt was a Chinese agent, in a speech that offered fulsome praise for China’s one-party development model.
Carbon taxes and the ghosts of politicians past
As the latest carbon price package makes its way through parliament, Fergus Green takes a trip down memory lane.
Abbott’s climate change Tea Party stirs in Canberra
It’s been fascinating to watch climate change emerge again as a political issue in the US, writes Giles Parkinson, of Climate Spectator.
Crikey Says: Speak up, Malcolm, we can’t hear you
Tony Abbott had this to say about the government’s Clean Energy Future legislation yesterday:
The opposition was right to walk out on Gillard
Politicians insist parliamentary debates are important but there’s no evidence they are. The collection of speeches given to a chamber almost entirely devoid of life plays no role in improving legislation.
Why Turnbull stays put and keeps quiet (sort of)
Malcolm Turnbull is determined to stick it out.
Political snippets: Marvelling at ingenuity of carbon tax opponents
The creativity of carbon tax opponents is glorious to behold
Denniss: my tactics for debating Monckton
Only the media can explain why they have given so much attention to extreme and ill-informed views about climate change and choose not to give a similar platform to a range of other conspiracy theorists, writes Dr Richard Denniss.
Political snippets: PM should take the next step
Her Green allies might not like it but Julia Gillard should take the next step in letting the people give their verdict on her carbon tax regime.
Media briefs: Turnbull turns total twit … Google+ goes genderless …
MP Malcolm Turnbull is a huge Twitter fan and user, but he went for some true twit behaviour when he tweeted the personal details this morning of a man who’s been allegedly harassing him.
Turnbull is all about Seoul when it comes to NBN criticism
Opposition communications spokesperson Malcolm Turnbull is right that the government needs to ensure there is demand for the National Broadband Network for it to succeed. We have called this the trans-sector approach.
Essential: would Rudd give Labor a winning lead over Abbott?
Kevin Rudd would put Labor ahead of Tony Abbott, voters say in this week’s Essential Report.
Abbott makes Irish joke of Liberals’ economic cred
Tony Abbott’s incapacity to handle the basics of economic policy is hurting his party.
Coalition must adjust to life with fibre
The deals between the NBN and Telstra and Optus lock in the NBN and make life immensely difficult for the Liberals in communications.
Conroy’s blueprint for a digital economy … that doesn’t need an NBN
The National Digital Economy Strategy positions Australia as a “leading digital economy” by 2020. Or is it “Conroy’s Digital Economy Con”? Either way it doesn’t need a National Broadband Network.
Essential: it’s the Kevin and Malcolm show
Voters now prefer Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull as leaders of their respective political parties, but it hasn’t dented the Coalition’s big lead.
Labor is surprisingly effective in parliament
Labor is almost comically inept outside Parliament but the rules within enable it to be much more effective.
Political snippets: Malcolm’s a naughty boy
There’s no doubt that Malcolm Turnbull should have been there in the House of Representatives when votes were taken.
Political snippets: Richard Farmer’s chunky bits: Difference of opinion … when yes means yes
How refreshing to have that couple of stories in the past week suggesting that the Liberal Party is not completely full of “yes” politicians.
