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Tuesday 2nd September 1997
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How do I know? Well his messages are being publicised by one of the ACTU's national organisations... yes, you guessed it - Left Link.
Here are some of his claims:
Yesterday I had a long conversation with a journalist at the Courier Mail who conceded that if an organisation closely tied with Pauline Hanson's One Nation promoted such material the whole of Australia would be reading headline news about the "ties with extreme right wing groups" and condemnation against One Nation from political quarters to your dog Sam would follow emblazoned across magazines, discussed on national television etc... But because it is the Australian Labor Party behind the Ervin publicity and because of the obvious collusion between the media barons who feed favours off mainstream politicians they are not interested - because they know that the well-briefed News Limited Chiefs of Staff will call the story not newsworthy - or worse....
Yesterday Pauline Hanson had success in the Supreme Court in Brisbane. The Court granted her an injunction preventing the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Triple J station from playing that sick rap song "Backdoor man", by Mr Pantsdown an even more mixed up drag queen-lecturer hailing from Sydney.
It now appears that the Al Fayed chauffeur driving the ill-fated Mercedes that crashed and killed Princess Di was drunk. So drunk in fact that he was three times over the legal drink-driving limit...
In the meantime Dodi Al Fayed's father, Mohamed, has said that he will pursue the paparazzi who pursued his son and Princess Di through the courts.
Making the
news" -The story involving all the powers of the mega-rich who manipulate what we see and hear as news in this country could have seen a very black day for Australia but for the strength of character of a number of Liberal backbenchers. They have got to be recognised as the heroes of democracy- unlike the weak and pussy-footed characters like Senator Alston and Prime Minister John Howard who would do practically anything to keep on good terms with Kerry Packer.
Yesterday cabinet scrapped plans to make the changes after months of infighting amongst the backbencher ranks. The move stopped the desire of Packer to own the Fairfax empire by Christmas... and only came after John Howard told colleagues that the media ownership changes was distracting the cabinet from more serious issues like jobs, tax reform and resolving the issues over native title.
The media ownership changes are not expected to be looked at by Cabinet until after the next elections. This gives us time to establish a move to restructure the current Labor Party-inspired duopoly in media ownership in this country and to use the power of the Internet to call for the Packer/Murdoch hold to be dissipated so that real democracy can return to this country.
Of course megamouth Kim Beazley had to have a say on the backdown saying, "This decision shows more than ever that John Howard's leadership style can be defined by one word: weak."
One of the backbenchers fighting the reform, Paul Neville, said yesterday, "I think it was common sense and good judgement.
"There was a strong diversity of opinion on this issue in the party room and in the community."
Opposition communication spokesman Chris Schacht said, "It is a very pleasant surprise but I thought it was inevitable given they were bumbling around for several months trying to find a compromise on what Murdoch wanted, on what Packer wanted and what the public wanted."
Australian Democrats media spokeswoman Vicki Bourne congratulated the government on the decision.
Also fuming at the decision will be Brierley Investments Limited who have bought up over 20% of Fairfax in preparation to hand over the shares to Packer for a price.
Interesting that News Limited's The Australian newspaper has this not-so-subtle threat for Prime Minister John Howard in today's business section under the heading "Black Day for Kerry Packer":
"John Howard will be the other big loser.
"Having frozen out the country's largest newspaper group, News Limited, (by the decision not to change media ownership laws) he has now alienated Packer's interests, which include the country's biggest magazine publishing empire and its most powerful television network, Nine."
There is little doubt that Kerry Packer is used to bullying to get what he wants and he is going to be enraged by the change of heart by well-placed politicians whose integrity in pushing the changes has now got to be questioned.
There is now a good chance as Fairfax's share price falls that Melbourne based Australian Independent Newspapers could make a move on Fairfax as there is no legal constraint on there owning the group.
Whatever the developments one thing is for sure Canadian media mogul Conrad Black who held the greatest equity in Fairfax will be laughing....
Have a good one.
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