Things aren’t looking great for Tony Mooney’s second shot at the big time.
While, judging by Julia’s visits, ALP campaign polling is showing Herbert as still winnable, the Lib’s polling is presumably showing the same thing (given the Monk’s new-found fondness for the town).
Given that the seat is so tight Mooney won’t be happy to learn today that the Greens will not preference him and will not hand out how-to-votes on the day. This decision will invariably lead to the loss of green preferences on the day and is of course contrary to the Greens’ national deal with the ALP – a very open demonstration that, locally, the Greens memories are verrrry long.
But it seems that many in the ALP locally have long memories too! I hear that a number of Branches around town are having trouble getting a booth roster together for the day - it seems that members of the left in particular just can't bring themselves to help the man they've come to loath.
The fly-in fly-out count will be interesting to watch over the next couple of weeks as the leaders time and the campaign dollars gets concentrated on the must win seats (for the ALP, read "must keep seats" of which Herbert of course isn't one) - it will be an early indicator of the likely outcome locally.
Thursday, 5 August 2010
Well said
Cross-posted in full from B Sides ...because it is spot-on!
The unreflective mirror
The unreflective mirror
This is a quote from a Barry Cassidy article:
via abc.net.au
This election is not about gender, or even policies; thus far, it's not even about Tony Abbott.I'm always stunned when journalists say things like this, as if what an election is "about" somehow happens in a world in which they themselves do not exist. Does it really not occur to them that what an election is "about" cannot be separated from how the election is reported?
Social researcher, Hugh Mackay, is spot on. It's about Julia Gillard, yes or no.
I'm really tired of reading articles written by journalists who presume their own non-existence.
It's like when you read them saying that "Labor can't get traction" or "this story about the Coalition was buried". Those two states (traction and buried) merely reflect editorial decisions about what was covered. They are basically saying, we chose not to cover these stories. And yet they write about the lack of traction or the buried story as if it happened in a world where they are mere observers.
Truly, I'm not trying to be rude. I'm just perplexed. Do journalists really think that the lack of focus on Abbott (or policy) and the total focus on Gillard happens independently of their reporting?
The Bulletin's contribution to the election debate
Is this really necessary (or relevant)?
And the inuedno that the boy's hearing was somehow intentionally delayed until after the Election is just the sort of grubbyness we've come to expect from the Murdoch entertainment industry (which so likes to think of itself as a news organisation).
But then, perhaps the Bully is only now starting in earnest to obey their master's voice about (as he's done so many times in elections in Oz, the US and most recently the UK) who they will support in the Election - .
But then, perhaps the Bully is only now starting in earnest to obey their master's voice about (as he's done so many times in elections in Oz, the US and most recently the UK) who they will support in the Election - .
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Blogger Beats Bulletin !!
I've always been bemused by the Townsville Bulletin's approach to it's web page. Until quite recently, the only breaking local news they would post during the day (after their morning headline post which itself is invariably available later than every other newspaper's) would be the occusional short report on a fire or significant crime.
Isn't it interesting then that, after I posted this at 10:21 (with typo):
Lo-and-behold at 11:54, this appears as breaking late news on my RSS reader:
The death of Lyji Vaggs - a very familiar story
It's not often that I even read the Australian these days but when I see any piece by Tony Koch, I sit up and take notice!
This exclusive by Koch today's Oz is reprinted in full:
This exclusive by Koch today's Oz is reprinted in full:
Security yet to face questions over asphyxia death in hospital
An Aboriginal man who was physically restrained and handcuffed after he sought treatment for mental illness suffered asphyxia, an autopsy has found.
The man was physically restrained by hospital security staff in Townsville and handcuffed by police.
But a separate police report details how detectives have so far failed to interview the six to eight security officers and orderlies who seized an agitated Lyji Vaggs, 27, and held him face-down before he suffered respiratory failure and irreversible brain damage.
"Restraint asphyxia" contributed to Vaggs's death at Townsville Hospital in April, but the pathologist who performed the post-mortem examination on his body says asphyxia may not in itself have killed him.
Despite the uncertainty, Queensland Health "had not yet provided any further information with respect to the actions of staff relating to the deceased's assessment, transport and the period of detention prior to police arrival" at the mental health unit of Townsville Hospital, the police report to the state coroner states.
Security footage of the confrontation involving Vaggs, hospital staff and security officers on April 13 either did not exist or could not be found, The Australian has been told.
The revelations will deepen outrage at his treatment at the hospital from Vaggs's family and the Aboriginal community in Townsville, and invoke comparisons with the botched handling by Queensland police of the 2004 death in custody of another indigenous man, Mulrunji Doomadgee, on nearby Palm Island.
A spokesman for the police service declined to comment last night, saying the Vaggs case was now before the coroner.
The state's Crime and Misconduct Commission has recommended that Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson consider disciplinary action against six police involved in the Doomadgee affair, but this is now subject to legal action by two of those officers.
The autopsy report for the coroner, prepared by Cairns-based forensic pathologist Paul Botterill, found that Vaggs died of the combined effects of "restraint asphyxia", obesity, schizophrenia and an aberrant coronary condition.
Dr Botterill reported he had been told Vaggs had been restrained by six to eight hospital staff, who maintained pressure on his limbs but "apparently not directly on him".
This happened after he went to the hospital seeking help, and turned on medical staff.
"He was observed to be still resisting, trying to get up," Dr Botterill reported.
"Hospital staff allegedly requested the use of handcuffs and police applied these, with the decedent's wrists situated behind his back.
"Police say that they remained at the upper torso, holding on the handcuffed arms and each placing a knee on the decedent's arms. One of the security officers was then alleged to have restrained the decedent's legs by crossing them and folding them upwards.
"The decedent was said to have continued to struggle, with his speech becoming irrational." The autopsy report notes that Vaggs sang Happy Birthday and asserted he was a woman.
He was then injected in the buttocks with an a psychotic medication, olanzapine. He continued to struggle, and may have been given further injections, at which time he was observed to go "limp and lifeless". He died on April 15 after life support was turned off.
The chief investigating police officer, Inspector Roger Lowe, said in his report to the Coroner that police had interviewed no hospital staff apart from the doctor who administered the sedative, Mushtaq Mohiuddin, due to "privacy reasons".
Others on duty at the time, or involved in the incident, were "unavailable to be spoken to" by police investigators, Inspector Lowe said.
Queensland Health acting district solicitor Shiloh Smith had advised the police that "statements for staff involved in the incident were to be provided through Queensland Health solicitors", the policeman said.
Vaggs's aunt and family spokeswoman Gracelyn Smallwood, an associate professor of nursing, said she was concerned the investigation to date had not been thorough.
"When I heard of Lyji's death, the first thing I did was pray to God that nothing was covered up because the last thing we need here is another Palm Island," she said.
"We didn't want key witnesses not interviewed, or security videos suddenly not being available -- and what do we get. It is just so disappointing for Aboriginal people seeking justice and answers that this is the result we get all the time.
In his report to the Coroner, Inspector Lowe wrote that Vaggs was a patient well known to the hospital who suffered from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.
He tried to be admitted to the hospital on April 13 as he was "hearing voices".
Other sources told The Australian that the voices were telling him to "kill somebody", so he went to the hospital seeking admission and medical help.
Vaggs rang the Mental Health Community Assessment Team and they sent a car for him. On arrival at the hospital, he allegedly struck a medical student from the unit, and the duress alarm was sounded, with hospital security staff responding, and police asked to attend.
"Four constables arrived at the Mental Health Unit at 1531 hours and they observed the deceased face-down on the floor and being physically held down by his limbs by between six to eight hospital staff, including security personnel," Inspector Lowe wrote.
"The deceased was observed to be struggling and resisting hospital staff attempting to get up whilst staff held on to him. Police observed the deceased to be a very large man and had concerns for safety of all persons involved."
Vaggs' funeral service will be held at the Assembly of God Church, Ayr, at 10am on August 20.
Friday, 30 July 2010
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Richard Farmer puts his money on Mooney losing Herbert
I see that Richard Farmer - that warhorse of the left, noted drinker, long-time punter and PoliticalOwl has the Libs at a 69% probability to win Herbert in his Election Form Guide.
In short The Owl's current advice is:
In short The Owl's current advice is:
- Back Labor in these seats: Braddon, Brisbane, Lindsay, Dobell, Deakin, Forde, Bass, Corangamite, Hasluck, McEwen, Leichhardt, Swan, Dawson, La Trobe, Stirling and Sturt.
- Back the Coalition in: Eden Monaro, Bennelong, Longman, Macarthur, Hughes, Macquarie, Dickson, Herbert, Bowman, Canning, Paterson, Wright and Wentworth.
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
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