The final straw?

It’s fair to say that Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s request for embattled MPs Craig Thompson and Peter Slipper to step aside did not quite have the effect the ALP desired. Instead of putting this issue to bed, it has caused yet another round of questions regarding the credibility and legitimacy of the Labor government. It has also resulted in more personal, almost slanderous, attacks on Gillard even from more liberal (small ‘l’) media publications, such as The Age in Melbourne. But while it’s clear that the ALP is on the nose around the country, what isn’t as apparent is why the government attracts the level of vitriol that it does. Is the Gillard government as incompetent as it is portrayed, or does Julia Gillard suffer from the “un-Midas touch”?

Very few people are lucky (or unlucky) enough to know their political representative personally.  They don’t get the chance to have a casual conversation with them about the political issues of the day, and so they rely on others to get their information. Those others of course, are the media, and nothing stimulates the media quite like bad news and controversy. Unfortunately for Gillard, her tenure as PM has been overshadowed by, if I can use her term, a “dark cloud” of controversy her since her replacement of Kevin Rudd as Australia’s Prime Minister back in 2010.  Her removal of an elected PM, problems with government programs and alleged broken promises are all been issues that the media have latched on to, as it their right. What has occurred though is that these issues have become the main story, rather than the functioning of the government. The general public, seemingly unforgiving of her deposition of Rudd, have linked these events, even other minor ones, creating a very unfavourable view if the government. The media, aware of publishing pieces that will appeal to their readers, write more articles of a similar nature, creating a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. This results in the government appearing much worse than they perhaps are.

That’s not to say that the government aren’t also responsible for the predicament that they are in. The ALP is suffering from a chronic inability to effectively convey its message to the general public. It proved to be Rudd’s downfall after failing to pass the original carbon pollution reduction scheme. The ALP then failed to properly explain why Gillard replaced Rudd when it appeared to going so well. It has since failed to sell ideas which should generally appeal to the electorate, including, the mining super profits tax, the disability and aged care scheme and most importantly, the pricing of carbon as a means to reduce greenhouse emissions.  Indeed, the explanation the last idea was so poor it is now known as simply ‘the carbon tax’, originally a slogan devised by the Liberal-National Party to discredit the policy and provoke fear of a ‘great big new tax’ amongst the general public. Labor’s failure to promote their policies and achievements effectively, as well as their problems with damage control when things have gone wrong has resulted in the appearance of incompetency in government.

The attacks on Julia Gillard are perhaps the most extreme faced by any Prime Minister of Australia. But while Gillard could definitely have handled things better, she was also dealt an incredibly difficult hand for her first elected term in office.  The first difficulty is the hung parliament, which has bizarrely raised questions of the legitimacy of the minority ALP government. What is perhaps forgotten is that opposition, itself a coalition, would be in exactly the same position if it held government, relying on MP’s outside the party to form a majority.  The second is the relentless negativity and obstructionism of the opposition. While it is the role of the opposition to hold a government to account, it is the sheer scale of the negativity and the continual attack of the man and not the ball that damaged the government, even at times when that negativity and criticism was unwarranted. Another issue that has that Gillard has faced is the perceived issue of trust and honesty in the government. The apparent about-face of carbon emissions has defined her leadership, resulting in her being branded as a lair, or ‘Juliar’ as the online trolls would have it. Again this seems a bizarre occurrence to be singled out for.  If there is one thing politicians aren’t its 100% honest, particularly when circumstances beyond their control change, as it did for Gillard following the 2011 election.

That’s not to say that Gillard government has handled all of the challenges well. In response to the negativity from the opposition, Ms Gillard has changed tack a number of times, switching from dismissive, to combative and has even been accepting of it at times. This has quite rightly raised the question as to which is the ‘real’ Julia Gillard. Another problem has been her relationship with the public. Gillard does not have the charisma of her predecessor, nor have the sloganistic appeal of opposition leader Tony Abbott. Gillard’s main ability lies in negotiation, and while it is a valuable tool that has been used effectively in parliament, it doesn’t capture the attention of the general public. Her handling of the Thompson/Slipper saga unfortunately was another error, supporting these politicians despite their positions, at least in the public’s eye, appearing untenable. Her refusal to then acknowledge her mistake and change of opinion compounded the error.

It is a strange juxtaposition that a government, which is functioning quite effectively in a parliamentary sense, is seen as incompetent and even as ‘the worst government ever’ in some circles. It is the ALP’s problem with communication which has them staring down the barrel of a heavy defeat at the next election. Unless they improve in conveying their ideas, some of which are quite visionary, to the general public Labor will hand control of both houses of parliament to the opposition in 2013. And if having a minority government is seen as bad, a majority government with no meaningful opposition should be seen as much worse.

Favourite covers

Well its Friday afternoon, and I thought what better way to ease into the weekend than with some great tunes. Without further ado, here are the top 10 covers I've been listening to recently.

10. I Fought the Law: Originally released by the Crickets in their first post-Buddy Holly album. It seems every man and his dog has produced a cover of this song, but the one I've been listening to is The Clash's version. The song was very suited to their energetic punk style.

9. Mrs Robinson: The Simon and Garfunkel hit covered by Memphis R'n'B group Booker T & the MG's. A feature of their cover was the bass work by Donald 'Duck' Dunn and the metronomic drumming of Al Jackson Jr.

 8. Jealous Guy: Surprisingly, ended up being Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music's biggest hit. Their version was released just months after the death of John Lennon. No disrespect to John, but I prefer the more broody Roxy Music cover.

7. Ring of Fire: Few people would know that it wasn't Johnny Cash who first recorded this song, it was his sister-in-law Anita Carter. Of course all covers (and there are plenty) are based on Cash's recording, and of those Dwight Yoakam's has to be one of the best.

6. The Loved One: The debut single from Melbourne based rock group The Loved One's. They only released two albums, but had a massive impact on Australian music. They are members of the ARIA hall of fame, and The Loved One was voted in at No.6 in the greatest Australian songs of all time. INXS payed homage to the group with their cover in 1981.

5. Stomp the Tumbarumba: The recorded version of the cover by the Hoodoo Gurus is superior to the live version. However, both are better in my opinion than the original by New Zealander Johnny Devlin (who holds the dubious honour of winning NZ's Biggest One Hit Wonder of the Century Award).

4. Louie Louie: First recorded by Richard Berry, Louie Louie is a staple song for almost any band performing a pub gig. Unintelligible at the best of times, the cover by reggae group Toots and the Maytals (best known as part of the soundtrack for film This is England) does nothing to aid deciphering the lyrics.

3. Take Me to the River: The Talking Heads took the risk of covering a classic song, and came up with a part R'n'B, part new-wave distinctly Talking Heads song. It's hard to separate between the Al Green original and the cover, both great in their own ways.

2. Fire: Two versions of this song by The Boss came out shortly after it was written. Unfortunately for Robert Gordon, the Pointer Sisters version received much more attention than his own. Interestingly, Springsteen didn't release his own version until nearly ten years later.

1. I Heard It Through the Grapevine: As was often the case at Motown, once a song was written many of the artists recorded their own versions. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles got their version out in 1967, but it became the signature song of Marvin Gaye following the release of his version a year later. Just a great song, not much more you can say.

2nd news writing assignment

The Swinburne University Amateur Football Club hopes that an unconventional preseason training camp will help the team attain premiership success.

In a break from a more traditional preseason of running and football drills, the Razorback players attended a one-day event at Fiskville Training College, near Ballan in the state’s west.

 The event, run by the Country Fire Association (CFA), included modified fire fighting training drills and real life fire fighting simulations.

Goal planning and development sessions for the upcoming season were also held on the day.

The event was the brainchild of Swinburne coach George Koumantatakis, who has a contact in the CFA who helps to plan and run these events.

Mr Koumantatakis said that the day helped “break the ice” for the clubs new players, forcing them to communicate with their teammates.

As a university club, Swinburne has a high player turnover, with as many as 20 new players joining the team this season.

Mr Koumantatakis also said it was to encourage good habits in the players as well as improve the culture of the club.

“We want these guys to be good human beings, responsible young men, as well as good footballers. We want to build a culture that is set in stone.”

Club vice-captain Phillip Wild said it was very different from other preseason camps he’d attended, both at Swinburne and at other clubs.

“Other preseason camps are generally about team building. Fiskville involved problem solving and imitation fire fighting situations.

“We had to go into buildings with oxygen tanks on our backs. Go through and rescue fake bodies and so on, it was a lot of stuff like that.

“It was interesting to see the dynamic and team work you need in that situation as opposed to football.”

Mr Wild said the day would help build trust and communication skills in tough situations, as well as improving players’ decision-making.

“Obviously its not often you’ll have to run into a burning house…but it gave you a pressure filled environment. You need to think quickly and react quickly.”

The camp already appears to have paid dividends for Swinburne, with the team recording a big win in its opening round fixture.

Swinburne is not the first football club to hold a training day at the CFA facilities, with AFL team the Essendon Bombers holding a camp there in 2002.

Other notable users of the Fiskville site include the CSIRO, Victoria Police, Red Cross Australia and US motor sport organisation NASCAR.

Swinburne Razorbacks match report

This article appears in situ on the Swinburne Football Club website http://swinburnerazorbacks.com/

A best on ground performance from forward Ben Mason has guided the Swinburne Razorbacks to an opening round victory over the Manningham Cobras at St James Park.

Mason booted 11 goals, including five in the fourth quarter, as the Razorbacks pulled away in the final term to record a 10-goal victory, 19. 11. (125) to 9. 11. (65).

Played in warm and sunny conditions, the Razorbacks seized control early in the battle between the VAFA Division 4 teams. But they were unable to make that domination count on the scoreboard until a relayed free kick enabled Mason to kick the first goal of the match.

Mason finished with four goals for the quarter, and Swinburne six, as the Razorback midfield took advantage of the ruck work from ruckman Jeremy Brun to consistently launch the ball forward.

 The Manningham forwards were starved of opportunities, with the only Cobras goal for the quarter coming from a clever snap by Chris Jolly.

In a reversal of the first quarter, much of the second term was played in the Cobras forward half, with Cobras midfielder Stephen Rose having an impact around the stoppages. However Manningham were unable to make the most of their opportunities, kicking a wasteful 2.7.

 Swinburne were dangerous on the counter attack, repeatedly slicing through the middle of the ground to boot four for the quarter and take a 37-point lead into half time.

Two quick Razorback goals to Jackson Manning and Luke McManus at the start of the third term threatened to kill off the contest. But Manningham responded by pushing more players into the midfield, making a contested battle of attrition.

Clearly relishing the tougher conditions, the Cobras midfield, led by Brendan Helme got on top late in the quarter, enabling full forward Scott McPherson to kick two quick goals.

The game opened up in the final quarter due to the gruelling nature of the second and third quarters, and the warm conditions the match was played in. Two goals from dubious free kicks brought Manningham back within 33 points, but that was as close as they got, with Mason clearly enjoying the extra space to kick five for the quarter, despite appearing to suffer from cramp. McManus, who grew more influential as the game wore on, added his second, while Damon Green became the Razorbacks seventh goal kicker.

 Chris Kilmartin also provided a valuable foil to Mason, taking a number of strong marks and setting up numerous scoring opportunities.

The result capped off a successful day for Swinburne, with the reserves earlier recording a resounding 115-point victory over the Manningham reserves.

*Pictures are not from last weekends game

Latest video assignment

All I can say is that it is better than the last one

Entertainment round-up

At the risk of revealing my innate nerdiness and losing my facade of coolness, I thought I'd review here are a few things I've been watching, reading and listening to recently. Who knows, it may even become a semi-regular fixture on this blog.

What I've been watching:

Season 1 poster for
 Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones: Not much of a surprise really, seeing as though everyone else is watching too. Although definitely in the fantasy genre, it still has plenty to offer for viewers not overly keen on the sword and sandal gear. Essentially Game of Thrones is about the base natures of people: lust, greed, deceit, and the desire for power. Has been compared more to The Sopranos than Lord of the Rings. It can be best summed up by the phrase "you win or won die." Gratuitous nudity undoubtedly helps with popularity.
Frontline: Seminal program from Australia's premier comedy team, Working Dog. A satirical take on current affairs, they often took real events and fictionalised them to give them a black edge. Was quite unpopular with the real current affairs programs of the time on account of its thinly-veiled parodies of real people involved in current affairs and television networks. Similar shows like The Office, Frontline is at times painfully amusing as much of what the characters do could actually occur in real life.

What I've been listening to:
Robert Gordon: Rockabilly act of the late 1970's who claims not to be an Elvis Presley, 50's rock 'n' roll revivalist. Fair to say I'm still a bit sceptical about that after listening to his work. However that's not to say his music isn't any good. I mean if you've got a good voice, big guitar riffs and some standard blues bass lines you can't really go wrong. His cover of The Boss's "Fire" is perhaps better than the original.
Hunters & Collectors: Another act I was a bit sceptical of, given that many of their songs have become bogan anthems. But I was pleasantly surprised by some of their less well-known work, which was more representative of the 1980's Melbourne pub rock scene, and generally more interesting to listen to. Of course, any band that write songs with brass and saxophone parts is all right with me.

What I've been reading:
Brandon Sanderson: I first came across Sanderson when he took over the writing of the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. now without wanting to speak ill of the deceased, Sanderson has definitely given a greater drive and focus to a series which could occasionally get bogged down. I've since read a few of his other novels, most recently the Mistborn series, all of which create imaginative, fully realised worlds without getting bogged down in dense description. One slight criticism I have is that the follow-up novels don't quite have the same punch or clarity as the first in the series, or his stand alone novels.
The Elements of Moral Philosophy: Despite its dry title, this book is actually quite a good read. It gives a good insight into the basic theories and principles which have guided society in recent history, especially for those not overly familiar with some of those ideas. It covers philosophical beliefs of Aristotle, Locke and Rousseau as well as the theories of Utilitarianism, Feminism, Kantism to name just a few. All this in just over 200 pages!

Music and memory

Music has been used as a way to convey and affect emotions as well as transferring information almost since the beginning of human civilisation. It is especially prevalent today. The myriad genres of music are all designed to get the listener feeling a certain way.  Most films and TV shows contain music designed to convey to the viewer the emotions of the character, or to create a general mood in the scene, or even to provide information not supplied by the characters. 

Now this is all pretty mundane stuff, not exactly interesting material. But what about when a certain sound creates an emotion or evokes a memory completely unrelated the meaning of the music. I’m not talking about hearing The Wiggles and thinking about your childhood, listening to the Crazy Frog and wanting to hit something, or even the music you’ve played to get yourself pumped up. I’m thinking about links between sounds, memories and emotions that make sense only in your own head. Confused? Here are some family friendly examples to try to explain.

The earliest examples for me (The Wiggles don’t count remember) are from Australian artists Diesel and Hunters & Collectors. In the mid to late 1990’s Channel Seven monopolised football coverage in Australia, and as these were the days when matches on weekends started at the same time, scores from the other non-televised matches where shown at quarter breaks. Accompanying these scores was background music, usually in the form of  “Tip of My Tongue” or “Do You See What I See?” Of course, what I haven’t mentioned is that this matches the period of time where my team, the Collingwood Magpies, were going through an extended period of on-field haplessness. So those songs invariably heralded the sight of another loss for Collingwood, something that the majority of people would relish, but not a young Pies supporter. So even to this day, these songs evoke some uneasiness and some painful memories, not exactly what the songs were originally intended for.

Another example comes from what I’ll euphemistically dub “end of school celebrations.” These celebrations involved many things, including an absolute flogging of two songs, “Day ‘N’ Nite” by Kid Cudi and MIA’s “Paper Planes”. So much so that even now hearing, or even mentioning these songs brings back images of that week. It has even got to the point where it almost works in reverse. Practically any reminiscing about those heady days between fellow revellers present isn’t complete without mention being made to those two songs.

Radio program Get This is responsible for the last example.  Get This shows were typically not complete without a mention of either Nickelback or yacht-rockers Toto.  The regular light-hearted derision of these two bands would affect even the most avid fans of these bands, especially with Nickelback lead singer constantly referred to as the Paddle Pop Lion or simply “the Turt”. If there is ever an occasion where I come into contact with these bands (something I try to avoid), I can’t help but think of Get This, or a certain frozen confection mascot.

Of course an obvious situation where music would bring on an unrelated memory or emotion would be where you first met, got dumped by or, ahem, got a bit hot and steamy with a significant other. But as I mentioned earlier, this is a family friendly blog. It’s quite interesting how many you can think of, and feel free to post your own in the comments section, if you feel so inclined.  No smut please. 

A political contest

A trend I've noticed is that most of the pieces so far have been about politics or sport. Far from wanting to change that, I thought it was high time to combine these topics into one super post!

A quick look at the news would show that there are any number of ways to compare two political entities. Polls, policies, funding, personalities, the list goes on. But what would happen if they met, mano a mano in the sporting arena? Let's take a look at the starting 22's of the ALP and the Coalition. Of course for those not completely across AFL here's some brief explanations, as well as a rundown of current members of parliament.

ALP

Defence: Labor has a steady, no-frills last line of defence comprised of three wily veterans, although Kim Carr is lucky to hold his position in the side after public disagreements with team captain Julia Gillard. The get some drive off half back through hard man Albanese and Conroy, however Conroy's ambition can occasionally outweigh his ability. Senator Chris Evans provides stability and is the leader of the defence.

Midfield: Treasurer Wayne Swan is the engine room of the ALP midfield, supported by honest toiler Smith and the steady up and comer Plibersek. Combet and Shorten add a touch of silk to the midfield, although the way Shorten muscled his way into the midfield group has ruffled a few feathers. Both are former union heads, and therefore are up for the fight, both on and off the field. Ruckman Garrett has struggled adapting to his role, and is always looking to dish off the easy handball.

Forward: The ALP can struggle in attack, and have brought in star recruit Bob Carr to try and straighten them up. Centre half forward Gillard carries the burden of being the lynchpin of the forward line, as well as having to provide defensive cover for her teammates. Wong and Faulkner are experienced players but not natural forwards, while Nicola Roxon has been shuffled through various position to find her best role in the side. Sid Sidebottom appears to be in the side based on a famous AFL surname.

Bench: Unfortunately for the ALP, there is no real X-factor of the bench, with Kelly not bringing much to the team apart from a throwback VFL moustache. Sport minister Kate Lundy is a new addition to the team, while McClelland has fallen out of favour and just scrapes into the 22. Kevin Rudd of course was substituted before the game even began.

Coalition

Defence: The coalition boast a very offensive minded back line, with Morrison, Robb and Brandis all liking to join in the attack at any opportunity. Entsch and Truss and more conservative members of the defence, while Mary Fisher has been placed in the back pocket to keep her out of any more trouble. The one weakness of the defence though is that it can get into a 'rabbit in the headlights' scenario when put under scrutiny by the opposition.

Midfield: The Coalition has combative, powerful midfield. Everywhere man Abbott has famous endurance, enabling him to quick switch between positions, while Abetz and Hunt are crafty veterans, prepared to get their hands dirty. Chris Pyne is the classic terrier-like rover and Bernardi is well known for the playing the man as well as the ball. The midfield group loves to engage in 'friendly' banter during the game.

Forward: Vice-captain Julia Bishop leads the gun-slinging Coalition forward line, and is famous for her on-field death stare. Joyce and Heffernan are the classic loose cannon forwards who, on their day, can be very dangerous. Sophie Mirabella is the archetypal small forward, always prepared to dish out a bit of lip, while Bronwyn Bishop despite nearing the end of her career is a cunning competitor. Joe Hockey is an old-fashioned full forward, big on presence, not so big on running and defence.

Bench: The Coalition mixes up youth and experience on its bench, with Roy being the youngest player in the game while Phillip Ruddock has been a permanent fixture of the team for many years. O'Dwyer has big shoes to fill as the replacement for former treasurer Peter Costello. Malcolm Turnbull is the substitute and, despite being one of the better players in the side, is rarely called upon by captain Tony Abbott.

Who wins and why: A very difficult match to predict given the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. The Coalition has a dangerous group of forwards supported by an offensively minded game plan, while the ALP's defence is superior to it's forward line which may be unable to take advantage of the Coalition's vulnerable defence. While the ALP is known for it's internal bickering which can affect its performance, the Coalition has also been plagued recently by conflicting messages from team members. It may come down to who is the more consistent, reliable side on the day. ALP by 4 points.

Ethics in Journalism

Ever wanted to know more about journalistic ethics? Got an interest in Enligtenment philosophy?
Well today is your lucky day! (If not I'd avoid reading this essay)

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) is an organisation for people who work in information and entertainment industries. MEAA members are bound by its code of ethics.  Adapted from the Australian Journalists Association’s code, it aims to ensure correct and ethical practice by its members. The original version of the code was developed in 1944, and has since been used as the basis of many other codes of ethics, both in industries and in private corporations. Either consciously or unconsciously, when the code was drafted it drew on ideas from three philosophical theories: Social Contract Theory, Utilitarianism and Virtue Theory. The links between these theories and the MEAA code of ethics are clear in specific clauses of the code.

Clause 1 of the MEAA code of ethics is about truth telling. In this sense it can be linked with Clause 9, which also encourages truth telling but through picture and sound. There are clear links between these clauses and the three theories. Truth telling is a cornerstone of an effectively functioning society (Muller 2012a), and Social Contract theory requires people to act in a manner that makes society work. Aristotle, a leader in the development of the Virtue Theory, discussed truthfulness as a key virtue in Nicomachean Ethics (Rachels & Rachels 2010, p.158). There is also a link with the Utilitarianism, as truth telling in general adds to human happiness. Furthermore, then the Clause 1 stipulates that a “fair opportunity for reply” must be given, something echoed in Utilitarian theory, which tells us that all people are equal.

Clause 2 of the code relates to respecting human dignity and equality. It requires no placement of “unnecessary emphasis on personal characteristics.” Utilitarianism, by definition, requires us to treat all people of equal value, and place the interest of the individual in harmony with the interest of the whole (Mill 1879, p.32). Also, the Social Contract theory is based around the idea that if nature has made all people equal, then that equality must be acknowledged (Hobbes & Gaskin 1996, p. 257).  Virtue theory helps us to understand the mention of “unnecessary emphasis” in the clause, which could otherwise be seen as a way to get around the clause. It allows a test of fairness and reason, which permits mention of relevant characteristics (Muller 2012b).

Coursework - week 6

This weeks task was to come up with a lead and three paragraphs on a newsworthy topic from a press conference (a recording of which I've added below).

Prominent political commentator Professor Brian Costar has accused Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu of allowing the National Party disproportionate influence in the coalition government. 

Speaking at a press conference at Swinburne University yesterday, Prof Costar said, “I think it has more influence that its numerical numbers would show.“

The National Party currently holds 10 seats in the 88-seat lower house and three of the 40 seats in the upper house. The coalition holds a majority in both houses.

Prof Costar also said that Mr Bailieu was “pandering to the National Party” on issues that would not sit well in suburban Melbourne, such as alpine cattle grazing and coal seam gas exploration.

Democracy at work

Democratic countries ranked from dark green (most
democratic) to reddish-brown (least democratic)

Democracy is hardly the newest political theory going around. After all, it has been used as a form of government since 507 BCE. But after two and a half thousand years, barely 60% of national governments are considered democratic (according to Freedom House) and if the Democratic Index is to be believed, only 25 nations employ fully democratic elected governments. It also goes without saying that even within those governments, problems with elections and full sovereignty of the people can occur. So what’s wrong with democracy? Is it really, as Winston Churchill put it, “the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried”? Or can it be seen as Abraham Lincoln saw it, as a “government of the people, for the people, by the people”?  Examining three different forms of elected government may provide the answer.